South Africa: President Ramaphosa attends G20 Compact meeting in Berlin

President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Berlin, Germany, to attend a G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) meeting, which starts today.

The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) was initiated under the G20 German Presidency in 2017 to promote private investment into the African continent.

Currently, 12 African countries have joined the initiative: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.

South Africa, which is a member of the G20, co-chairs the initiative alongside Germany.

The Berlin meetings will include a G20 Investment Summit, as well as a separate meeting of Heads of State and Government, where discussions will take place on ways in which to improve the business environment and increase investment in Africa.

The conference will also discuss vaccine production in Africa, which is key to enabling African countries build back stronger, faster and more inclusively and ensuring that post-pandemic African economies become more resilient and equitable.

President Ramaphosa is scheduled to have a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

The President is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor

The meetings will conclude on Friday.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Antony A. Jung Named as Special Agent in Charge of the Anchorage Field Office

Director Christopher Wray has named Antony A. Jung as the special agent in charge of the Anchorage Field Office in Alaska. Mr. Jung most recently served as a section chief in the Information Management Division in Winchester, Virginia.

Mr. Jung joined the FBI as a special agent in 2004 and was first assigned to the Baton Rouge Resident Agency in the New Orleans Field Office. He investigated criminal matters and led a Safe Streets Gang Task Force. He was also a crisis negotiator.

In 2009, he transferred to the Miami Field Office. He was then promoted to supervisory special agent and moved to the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters and the Department of Justices Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Fusion Center, where he served to support the FBI and other federal partners.

In 2014, Mr. Jung was selected as a supervisory special agent in the Kansas City Field Office in Missouri. Mr. Jung led a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and squad investigating transnational organized crime and OCDETF matters.

In 2017, Mr. Jung was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal and Administrative Branch of the Anchorage Field Office. He also served as the acting special agent in charge.

In 2019, Mr. Jung was promoted to section chief in the Information Management Division, where he led the National Name Check Program Section. The program supports partner agencies across the U.S. government vetting more than 3 million persons seeking federal employment, access to sensitive information, systems, facilities, special accesses, and various immigration matters.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Jung was a lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol. As a state trooper, he served on the Tactical Response Team and was a certified police and firearms instructor. Mr. Jung served in the Army National Guard. He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida and a doctorate in human services from Capella University. He is a recipient of the FBI Directors Manuel J. Gonzales Ethics Award.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Jesse Levine Named as Special Agent in Charge of the Intelligence Division of the New York Field Office

Director Christopher Wray has named Jesse Levine as the special agent in charge of the Intelligence Division of the New York Field Office. Mr. Levine most recently served as a deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington.

Mr. Levine joined the FBI as a special agent in 2001 and was assigned to the New York office to work counterintelligence investigations. After 9/11, he worked at Ground Zero and was later assigned to the team that investigated the attacks, then returned to counterintelligence investigations in New York. In 2004, he transferred to New Yorks Joint Terrorism Task Force as part of the Special Operations Group.

In 2008, Mr. Levine was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Guardian Management Unit under the Counterterrorism Division at Headquarters. He was promoted again in 2009 to unit chief of the FBIs Public Access Center unit, a 24-7 operations center that received and reviewed public tips.

Mr. Levine transferred to the Special Operations Group of the Washington Field Office in 2011, where he served as a team leader. In 2014, he was named the supervisory special agent over the squad. He was also the supervisor for the Special Surveillance Group. He was promoted in 2017 to assistant special agent in charge at the Norfolk Field Office in Virginia, where he oversaw all counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and crisis management activities, as well as other programs.

In 2018, he was selected as the chief of the Counterespionage Section of the Counterintelligence Division at Headquarters, overseeing all FBI investigations into espionage and unauthorized public disclosures. After a division reorganization, Mr. Levine led the China Counterespionage and Technology Transfer Section.

Mr. Levine was named deputy assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division in 2020 in charge of the Russia/Global Mission Center and led the FBIs efforts to defeat foreign intelligence activities targeting the United States.

Before he joined the FBI, Mr. Levine was a psychiatric social worker at a psychiatric hospital in New York. He earned a bachelors degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and a masters degree in social work from Adelphi University in New York.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Cybersecurity Advisory: Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities

This Joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the United Kingdoms National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

This advisory provides details on the top 30 vulnerabilitiesprimarily Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)routinely exploited by malicious cyber actors in 2020 and those being widely exploited thus far in 2021.

Cyber actors continue to exploit publicly knownand often datedsoftware vulnerabilities against broad target sets, including public and private sector organizations worldwide. However, entities worldwide can mitigate the vulnerabilities listed in this report by applying the available patches to their systems and implementing a centralized patch management system.

Click here for a PDF version of this report.

Key Findings

In 2020, cyber actors readily exploited recently disclosed vulnerabilities to compromise unpatched systems. Based on available data to the U.S. Government, a majority of the top vulnerabilities targeted in 2020 were disclosed during the past two years. Cyber actor exploitation of more recently disclosed software flaws in 2020 probably stems, in part, from the expansion of remote work options amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid shift and increased use of remote work options, such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and cloud-based environments, likely placed additional burden on cyber defenders struggling to maintain and keep pace with routine software patching.

Four of the most targeted vulnerabilities in 2020 affected remote work, VPNs, or cloud-based technologies. Many VPN gateway devices remained unpatched during 2020, with the growth of remote work options challenging the ability of organizations to conduct rigorous patch management.

CISA, ACSC, the NCSC, and FBI consider the vulnerabilities listed in table 1 to be the topmost regularly exploited CVEs by cyber actors during 2020.

Table 1:Top Routinely Exploited CVEs in 2020

Vendor CVE Type Citrix CVE-2019-19781 arbitrary code execution Pulse CVE 2019-11510 arbitrary file reading Fortinet CVE 2018-13379 path traversal F5- Big IP CVE 2020-5902 remote code execution (RCE) MobileIron CVE 2020-15505 RCE Microsoft CVE-2017-11882 RCE Atlassian CVE-2019-11580 RCE Drupal CVE-2018-7600 RCE Telerik CVE 2019-18935 RCE Microsoft CVE-2019-0604 RCE Microsoft CVE-2020-0787 elevation of privilege Microsoft CVE-2020-1472 elevation of privilege

In 2021, malicious cyber actors continued to target vulnerabilities in perimeter-type devices. Among those highly exploited in 2021 are vulnerabilities in Microsoft, Pulse, Accellion, VMware, and Fortinet.

CISA, ACSC, the NCSC, and FBI assess that public and private organizations worldwide remain vulnerable to compromise from the exploitation of these CVEs. Malicious cyber actors will most likely continue to use older known vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2017-11882 affecting Microsoft Office, as long as they remain effective and systems remain unpatched. Adversaries use of known vulnerabilities complicates attribution, reduces costs, and minimizes risk because they are not investing in developing a zero-day exploit for their exclusive use, which they risk losing if it becomes known.

Organizations are encouraged to remediate or mitigate vulnerabilities as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of exploitation. Most can be remediated by patching and updating systems. Organizations that have not remediated these vulnerabilities should investigate for the presence of IOCs and, if compromised, initiate incident response and recovery plans. See the Contact Information section below for how to reach CISA to report an incident or request technical assistance.

2020 CVEs

CISA, ACSC, the NCSC, and FBI have identified the following as the topmost exploited vulnerabilities by malicious cyber actors from 2020: CVE-2019-19781, CVE-2019-11510, CVE-2018-13379, CVE-2020-5902, CVE-2020-15505, CVE-2020-0688, CVE-2019-3396, CVE-2017-11882, CVE-2019-11580, CVE-2018-7600, CVE 2019-18935, CVE-2019-0604, CVE-2020-0787, CVE-2020-1472.[1][2][3] Among these vulnerabilities, CVE-2019-19781 was the most exploited flaw in 2020, according to U.S. Government technical analysis.CVE-2019-19781 is a recently disclosed critical vulnerability in Citrixs Application Delivery Controller (ADC)a load balancing application for web, application, and database servers widely use throughout the United States.[4][5] Nation-state and criminal cyber actors most likely favor using this vulnerability because it is easy to exploit, Citrix servers are widespread, and exploitation enables the actors to perform unauthorized RCE on a target system.[6]

Identified as emerging targets in early 2020,[7] unremediated instances of CVE-2019-19781 and CVE-2019-11510 continued to be exploited throughout the year by nation-state advanced persistent threat actors (APTs) who leveraged these and other vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2018-13379[8][9], in VPN services[10][11] to compromise an array of organizations, including those involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.[12][13]

The CVE-2019-11510 vulnerability in Pulse Connect Secure VPN was also frequently targeted by nation-state APTs. Actors can exploit the vulnerability to steal the unencrypted credentials for all users on a compromised Pulse VPN server and retain unauthorized credentials for all users on a compromised Pulse VPN server and can retain unauthorize access after the system is patched unless all compromised credentials are changed. Nation-state APTs also commonly exploited CVE-2020-15505 and CVE-2020-5902.[14][15][16][17]

2021 CVEs

In 2021, cyber actors continued to target vulnerabilities in perimeter-type devices. In addition to the 2020 CVEs listed above, organizations should prioritize patching for the following CVEs known to be exploited.

Microsoft Exchange: CVE-2021-26855, CVE-2021-26857, CVE-2021-26858, and CVE-2021-27065 See CISAs Alert: Mitigate Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities for more information on identifying and mitigating malicious activity concerning these vulnerabilities.

Pulse Secure: CVE-2021-22893, CVE-2021-22894, CVE-2021-22899, and CVE-2021-22900 See CISAs Alert: Exploitation of Pulse Connect Secure Vulnerabilities for more information on how to investigate and mitigate this malicious activity.

Accellion: CVE-2021-27101, CVE-2021-27102, CVE-2021-27103, CVE-2021-27104 See the Australia-New Zealand-Singapore-UK-U.S. Joint Cybersecurity Advisory: Exploitation of Accellion File Transfer Appliance for technical details and mitigations.

VMware: CVE-2021-21985 See CISAs Current Activity: Unpatched VMware vCenter Software for more information and guidance.

Fortinet: CVE-2018-13379, CVE-2020-12812, and CVE-2019-5591 See the CISA-FBI Joint Cybersecurity Advisory: APT Actors Exploit Vulnerabilities to Gain Initial Access for Future Attacks for more details and mitigations.



Mitigations and Indicators of Compromise

One of the most effective best practices to mitigate many vulnerabilities is to update software versions once patches are available and as soon as is practicable. If this is not possible, consider applying temporary workarounds or other mitigations, if provided by the vendor. If an organization is unable to update all software shortly after a patch is released, prioritize implementing patches for CVEs that are already known to be exploited or that would be accessible to the largest number of potential attackers (such as internet-facing systems). This advisory highlights vulnerabilities that should be considered as part of the prioritization process. To further assist remediation, automatic software updates should be enabled whenever possible.

Focusing scarce cyber defense resources on patching those vulnerabilities that cyber actors most often use offers the potential of bolstering network security while impeding our adversaries operations. For example, nation-state APTs in 2020 extensively relied on a single RCE vulnerability discovered in the Atlassian Crow, a centralized identity management and application (CVE-2019-11580) in its reported operations. A concerted focus on patching this vulnerability could have a relative broad impact by forcing the actors to find alternatives, which may not have the same broad applicability to their target set.

Additionally, attackers commonly exploit weak authentication processes, particularly in external-facing devices. Organizations should require multi-factor authentication to remotely access networks from external sources, especially for administrator or privileged accounts.

Tables 214 provide more details about, and specific mitigations for, each of the top exploited CVEs in 2020.

Note: The lists of associated malware corresponding to each CVE below are not meant to be exhaustive but intended to identify a malware family commonly associated with exploiting the CVE.



Table 2: CVE-2019-19781 Vulnerability Details

Citrix Netscaler Directory Traversal (CVE-2019-19781) Vulnerability Description

Citrix Netscaler Application Delivery Control (ADC) is vulnerable to RCE and full system compromise due to poor access controls, thus allowing directory traversal. CVSS 3.02 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns The lack of adequate access controls allows an attacker to enumerate system directories for vulnerable code (directory traversal). In this instance, Citrix ADC maintains a vulnerable Perl script ( newbm.pl ) that, when accessed via HTTP POST request ( POST https://$TARGET/vpn/../vpn/portal/scripts/newbm.pl ), allows local operating system (OS) commands to execute. Attackers can use this functionality to upload/execute command and control (C2) software (webshell or reverse-shell executable) using embedded commands (e.g., curl , wget , Invoke-WebRequest ) and gain unauthorized access to the OS. Multiple malware campaigns, including NOTROBIN, have taken advantage of this vulnerability. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Implement the appropriate refresh build according to the vulnerability details outlined by the vendor: Citrix: Mitigation Steps for CVE-2019-19781

If possible, only allow the VPN to communicate with known Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (allow-list). Detection Methods Vulnerable Technologies and Versions

Citrix ADC and Gateway 10.5, 11.1, 12.0, 12.1, and 13.0 References and Additional Guidance

Table 3: CVE 2019-11510 Vulnerability Details

Table 4: CVE 2018-13379 Vulnerability Details

Table 5: CVE-2020-5902 Vulnerability Details

F5 Big IP Traffic Management User Interface (CVE-2020-5902) Vulnerability Description

The Traffic Management User Interface (TMUI), also referred to as the Configuration Utility, has an RCE vulnerability in undisclosed pages. CVSS 3.0

Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns

This vulnerability allows for unauthenticated attackers, or authenticated users, with network access to the Configuration Utility (through the BIG-IP management port and/or self IPs) to execute arbitrary system commands, create or delete files, disable services, and execute arbitrary Java code. This vulnerability may result in complete system compromise. The BIG-IP system in Appliance mode is also vulnerable. This issue is not exposed on the data plane; only the control plane is affected. Fix

Upgrade to Secure Versions Available

Recommended Mitigations

Download and install a fixed software version of the software from a vendor approved resource. If it is not possible to update quickly, restrict access via the following actions. Address unauthenticated and authenticated attackers on self IPs by blocking all access.

Address unauthenticated attackers on management interface by restricting access. Detection Methods Vulnerable Technologies and Versions

BIG-IP (LTM, AAM, Advanced WAF, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, DDHD, DNS, FPS, GTM, Link Controller, PEM, SSLO, CGNAT) 15.1.0, 15.0.0-15.0.1, 14.1.0-14.1.2, 13.1.0-13.1.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5, and 11.6.1-11.6.5 are vulnerable. References

Table 6: CVE-2020-15505 Vulnerability Details

MobileIron Core & Connector (CVE-2020-15505) Vulnerability Description MobileIron Core & Connector, Sentry, and Monitoring and Reporting Database (RDB) software are vulnerable to RCE via unspecified vectors. CVSS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns CVE-2020-15505 is an RCE vulnerability in MobileIron Core & Connector versions 10.3 and earlier. This vulnerability allows an external attacker, with no privileges, to execute code of their choice on the vulnerable system. As mobile device management (MDM) systems are critical to configuration management for external devices, they are usually highly permissioned and make a valuable target for threat actors. Multiple APTs have been observed exploiting this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Download and install a fixed software version of the software from a vendor approved resource. Detection Methods None. Manually check your software version to see if it is susceptible to this vulnerability. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions MobileIron Core & Connector versions 10.3.0.3 and earlier, 10.4.0.0, 10.4.0.1, 10.4.0.2, 10.4.0.3, 10.5.1.0, 10.5.2.0, and 10.6.0.0; Sentry versions 9.7.2 and earlier and 9.8.0; and Monitor and Reporting Database (RDB) version 2.0.0.1 and earlier are vulnerable. References

Table 7: CVE-2020-0688 Vulnerability Details

Table 8: CVE-2019-3396 Vulnerability Details

Table 9: CVE 2017-11882 Vulnerability Details

Microsoft Office Memory Corruption (CVE 2017-11882) Vulnerability Description Microsoft Office is prone to a memory corruption vulnerability allowing an attacker to run arbitrary code, in the context of the current user, by failing to properly handle objects in memory. It is also known as the "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability." Cyber actors continued to exploit this four-year-old vulnerability in Microsoft Office that the U.S. Government publicly assessed last year was the most frequently targeted. Cyber actors most likely continue to exploit this vulnerability because Microsoft Office use is ubiquitous worldwide, the vulnerability is ideal for phasing campaigns, and it enables RCE on vulnerable systems. CVSS 3.0 High Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns Microsoft Equation Editor, a component of Microsoft Office, contains a stack buffer overflow vulnerability that enables RCE on a vulnerable system. The component was compiled on November 9, 2000. Without any further recompilation, it was used in all currently supported versions of Microsoft Office. Microsoft Equation Editor is an out-of-process COM server that is hosted by eqnedt32.exe , meaning it runs as its own process and can accept commands from other processes. Data execution prevention (DEP) and address space layout randomization (ASLR) should protect against such attacks. However, because of the manner in which eqnedt32.exe was linked, it will not use these features, subsequently allowing code execution. Being an out-of-process COM server, protections specific to Microsoft Office such as EMET and Windows Defender Exploit Guard are not applicable to eqnedt32.exe , unless applied system-wide. This provides the attacker with an avenue to lure targets into opening specially crafted documents, resulting in the ability to execute an embedded attacker commands. Multiple cyber espionage campaigns have taken advantage of this vulnerability. CISA has noted CVE-2017-11882 being exploited to deliver LokiBot malware. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Detection Methods Microsoft Defender Antivirus, Windows Defender, Microsoft Security Essentials, and the Microsoft Safety Scanner will all detect and patch this vulnerability. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 2, Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1, and Microsoft Office 2016 are vulnerable. References

Table 10: CVE 2019-11580 Vulnerability Details

Atlassian Crowd and Crowd Data Center Remote Code Execution (CVE 2019-11580) Vulnerability Description Atlassian Crowd and Crowd Data Center had the pdkinstall development plugin incorrectly enabled in release builds. CVSS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns Attackers who can send unauthenticated or authenticated requests to a Crowd or Crowd Data Center instance can exploit this vulnerability to install arbitrary plugins, which permits RCE on systems running a vulnerable version of Crowd or Crowd Data Center. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Atlassian recommends customers running a version of Crowd below version 3.3.0 to upgrade to version 3.2.8. For customers running a version above or equal to 3.3.0, Atlassian recommends upgrading to the latest version.

Released Crowd and Crowd Data Center version 3.4.4 contains a fix for this issue and is available at https://www.atlassian.com/software/crowd/download.

Released Crowd and Crowd Data Center versions 3.0.5, 3.1.6, 3.2.8, and 3.3.5 contain a fix for this issue and are available at https://www.atlassian.com/software/crowd/download-archive. Detection Methods Vulnerable Technologies and Versions All versions of Crowd from version 2.1.0 before 3.0.5 (the fixed version for 3.0.x), from version 3.1.0 before 3.1.6 (the fixed version for 3.1.x), from version 3.2.0 before 3.2.8 (the fixed version for 3.2.x), from version 3.3.0 before 3.3.5 (the fixed version for 3.3.x), and from version 3.4.0 before 3.4.4 (the fixed version for 3.4.x) are affected by this vulnerability. References

Table 11: CVE 2018-7600 Vulnerability Details

Drupal Core Multiple Remote Code Execution (CVE 2018-7600) Vulnerability Description Drupal versions before 7.58, 8.x before 8.3.9, 8.4.x before 8.4.6, and 8.5.x before 8.5.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because of an issue affecting multiple subsystems with default or common module configurations. CVSS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns An RCE vulnerability exists within multiple subsystems of Drupal 7.x and 8.x. This potentially allows attackers to exploit multiple attack vectors on a Drupal site, which could result in the site being completely compromised. Failed exploit attempts may result in a denial-of-service condition. A remote user can send specially crafted data to trigger a flaw in the processing of renderable arrays in the Form Application Programming Interface, or API, and cause the target system to render the user-supplied data and execute arbitrary code on the target system. Malware campaigns include the Muhstik botnet and XMRig Monero Cryptocurrency mining. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Upgrade to the most recent version of Drupal 7 or 8 core. If running 7.x, upgrade to Drupal 7.58. If running 8.5.x, upgrade to Drupal 8.5.1. Detection Methods Vulnerable Technologies and Versions Drupal versions before 7.58, 8.x before 8.3.9, 8.4.x before 8.4.6, and 8.5.x before 8.5.1 are affected. References

Table 12: CVE 2019-18935 Vulnerability Details

Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX Insecure Deserialization (CVE 2019-18935) Vulnerability Description Telerik User Interface (UI) for ASP.NET does not properly filter serialized input for malicious content. Versions prior to R1 2020 (2020.1.114) are susceptible to remote code execution attacks on affected web servers due to a deserialization vulnerability. CVS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns The Telerik UI does not properly sanitize serialized data inputs from the user. This vulnerability leads to the application being vulnerable to RCE attacks that may lead to a full system compromise. A vulnerable HTTP POST parameter rauPostData makes use of a vulnerable function/object AsyncUploadHandler . The object/function uses the JavaScriptSerializer.Deserialize() method, which not not properly sanitize the serialized data during the deserialization process. This issue is attacked by: Determining the vulnerable function is available/registered: http://<HOST>/Telerik.Web.UI.WebResource.axd?type=rau , Determining if the version running is vulnerable by querying the UI, and Creating an object (e.g., malicious mixed-mode DLL with native OS commands or Reverse Shell) and uploading the object via rauPostData parameter along with the proper encryption key. There were two malware campaigns associated with this vulnerability: Netwalker Ransomware and

Blue Mockbird Monero Cryptocurrency-mining. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Update to the most recent version of Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX (at least 2020.1.114 or later). Detection Methods ACSC has an example PowerShell script that can be used to identify vulnerable Telerik UI DLLs on Windows web server hosts.

Vulnerable hosts should be reviewed for evidence of exploitation. Indicators of exploitation can be found in IIS HTTP request logs and within the Application Windows event log. Details of the above PowerShell script and exploitation detection recommendations are available in ACSC Advisory 2020-004.

Exploitation of this and previous Telerik UI vulnerabilities commonly resulted in the installation of web shell malware. NSA provides guidance on detecting and preventing web shell malware. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX versions prior to R1 2020 (2020.1.114) are affected. References

Table 13: CVE-2019-0604 Vulnerability Details

Microsoft SharePoint Remote Code Execution (CVE-2019-0604) Vulnerability Description A vulnerability in an XML deserialization component within Microsoft SharePoint allowed remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable Microsoft SharePoint servers. CVSS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns This vulnerability was typically exploited to install webshell malware to vulnerable hosts. A webshell could be placed in any location served by the associated Internet Information Services (IIS) web server and did not require authentication. These web shells would commonly be installed in the Layouts folder within the Microsoft SharePoint installation directory, for example: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\<version_number>\Template\Layouts The xmlSerializer.Deserialize() method does not adequately sanitize user input that is received from the PickerEnitity/ValidateEnity ( picker.aspx ) functions in the serialized XML payloads. Once the serialized XML payload is deserialized, the XML code is evaulated for relevant XML commands and stings. A user can attack .Net based XML parsers with XMLNS payloads using the < system:string > tag and embedding malicious operating system commands. The exploit was used in malware phishing and the WickrMe/Hello Ransomware campaigns. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Upgrade on-premise installations of Microsoft Sharepoint to the latest available version (Microsoft SharePoint 2019) and patch level.

On-premise Microsoft SharePoint installations with a requirement to be accessed by internet-based remote staff should be moved behind an appropriate authentication mechanism such as a VPN, if possible. Detection Methods The patch level of on-premise Microsoft SharePoint installations should be reviewed for the presence of relevant security updates as outlined in the Microsoft SharePoint security advisory.

Vulnerable SharePoint servers should be reviewed for evidence of attempted exploitation. ACSC Advisory 2019-125 contains advice on reviewing IIS HTTP request logs for evidence of potential exploitation.

NSA provides guidance on detecting and preventing web shell malware. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions At the time of the vulnerability release, the following Microsoft SharePoint versions were affected: Microsoft Sharepoint 2019, Microsoft SharePoint 2016, Microsoft SharePoint 2013 SP1, and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 SP2. References

Table 14: CVE-2020-0787 Vulnerability Details

Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service Elevation of Privilege (CVE-2020-0787) Vulnerability Description The Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is vulnerable to a privilege elevation vulnerability if it improperly handles symbolic links. An actor can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges. CVSS 3.0 High Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns To exploit this vulnerability, an actor would first need to have the ability to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable Windows host. Actors exploiting this vulnerability commonly used the proof of concept code released by the security researcher who discovered the vulnerability. If an actor left the proof of concept exploits working directories unchanged, then the presence of the following folders could be used as an indicator of exploitation: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\workspace

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\workspace\mountpoint

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\workspace\bait The exploit was used in Maze and Egregor ransomware campaigns. Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Apply the security updates as recommended in the Microsoft Netlogon security advisory. Detection Methods The patch level of all Microsoft Windows installations should be reviewed for the presence of relevant security updates as outlined in the Microsoft BITS security advisory. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions Windows 7 for 32-bit and x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, 8.1 for 32-bit and x64-based systems, RT 8.1, 10 for 32-bit and x64-based Systems, 10 1607 for 32-bit and x64-based Systems, 10 1709 for 32-bit and x64-based and ARM64-based Systems, 10 1803 for 32-bit and ARM64-based and x64-based Systems, 10 1809 for 32-bit and ARM64-based and x64-based Systems, 10 1903 for 32-bit and ARM64-based and x64-based Systems, 10 1909 for 32-bit, and ARM64-based and x64-based Systems are vulnerable. Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core Installation), 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2, 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core Installation), 2012, 2012 (Server Core Installation), 2012 R2, 2012 R2 (Server Core Installation), 2016, 2016 (Server Core Installation), 2019, 2019 (Server Core Installation), 1803 (Server Core Installation), 1903 (Server Core Installation), and 1909 (Server Core Installation) are also vulnerable. References

Table 15: CVE-2020-1472 Vulnerability Details

Microsoft Netlogon Elevation of Privilege (CVE-2020-1472) Vulnerability Description The Microsoft Windows Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC) reuses a known, static, zero-value initialization vector (VI) in AES-CFB8 mode, which could allow an unauthenticated attacker to impersonate a domain-joined computer including a domain controller, and potentially obtain domain administrator privileges. CVSS 3.0 Critical Vulnerability Discussion, IOCs, and Malware Campaigns To exploit this vulnerability, an actor would first need to have an existing presence on an internal network with network connectivity to a vulnerable Domain Controller, assuming that Domain Controllers are not exposed to the internet. The immediate effect of successful exploitation results in the ability to authentication to the vulnerable Domain Controller with Domain Administrator level credentials. In compromises exploiting this vulnerability, exploitation was typically followed immediately by dumping all hashes for Domain accounts. Threat actors were seen combining the MobileIron CVE-2020-15505 vulnerability for initial access, then using the Netlogon vulnerability to facilitate lateral movement and further compromise of target networks. A nation-state APT group has been observed exploiting this vulnerability.[18] Fix Patch Available Recommended Mitigations Apply the security updates as recommended in the Microsoft Netlogon security advisory. Detection Methods The patch level of Domain Controllers should be reviewed for the presence of relevant security updates as outlined in the Microsoft Netlogon security advisory.

Reviewing and monitoring Windows Event Logs can identify potential exploitation attempts. However, further investigation would still be required to eliminate legitimate activity. Further information on these event logs is available in the ACSC 2020-016 Advisory. Vulnerable Technologies and Versions At the time of the vulnerability release, the following Microsoft Windows Server versions were vulnerable: all versions of Windows Server 2019; all versions of Windows Server 2016; Windows Server 2012 R2; Windows Server 2012; Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1; and Windows Server versions 1909/1903/1809. References

For additional general best practices for mitigating cyber threats, see the joint advisory from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States on Technical Approaches to Uncovering and Remediating Malicious Activity and ACSCs Essential Eight mitigation strategies.

Additional Resources

Free Cybersecurity Services

CISA offers several free cyber hygiene vulnerability scanning and web application services to help U.S. federal agencies, state and local governments, critical infrastructure, and private organizations reduce their exposure to threats by taking a proactive approach to mitigating attack vectors. For more information about CISAs free services, or to sign up, email vulnerability_info@cisa.dhs.gov.

Cyber Essentials

CISAs Cyber Essentials is a guide for leaders of small businesses as well as leaders of small and local government agencies to develop an actionable understanding of where to start implementing organizational cybersecurity practices.

Cyber.gov.au

ACSCs website provides advice and information about how to protect individuals and families, small- and medium-sized businesses, large organizations and infrastructure, and government organizations from cyber threats.

ACSC Partnership Program

The ACSC Partnership Program enables Australian organizations and individuals to engage with ACSC and fellow partners, drawing on collective understanding, experience, skills, and capability to lift cyber resilience across the Australian economy.

Australian organizations, including government and those in the private sector as well individuals, are welcome to sign up at Become an ACSC partner to join.

NCSC 10 Steps

The NCSC offers 10 Steps to Cyber Security, providing detailed guidance on how medium and large organizations can manage their security.

On vulnerabilities specifically, the NCSC has guidance to organizations on establishing an effective vulnerability management process, focusing on the management of widely available software and hardware.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Taking gender equality forward

While strides have been made to ensure gender equality over the years, work is continuing to accelerate these actions.

In terms of the landscape, I can proudly say that South African women have been as a result of democracy, taking part in decision making processes and structures. We have women ministers; we have women in top management and women who own businesses. I think in 1994, this was not imaginable. The advent of democracy has made it possible for us to thrive, says Charlotte Lobe.

Convener of the Gertrude Shope Women Mediators Network, Lobe says while progress has been made, I must hasten to say that a lot still needs to be done.

She believes that the incidents of civil unrest and looting seen in July in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal revealed that women were disproportionately affected by the violence for the simple reason that it is largely women who are employed in the majority in the industries that were affected by the looting.

The network provided women and children with food and necessities such as sanitary towels among others.

She adds that South Africa faces several multi-faceted challenges - some as a result of socio-economic conditions.

I think we must be alive to these challenges that made it possible for South Africans to behave in the manner that they behaved in, in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

It is easy to use the genuine grievances of our people in order to create what we saw. Our message from the network has always been that in whatever conflict on the continent or any [other place], we must never find women used as cannon fodder. We should never find women being used as pocketknives for people who have different issues in society whether its service delivery issues or political challenges, she says.

In the wake of the incidents of looting, the network held a virtual South African Womens Peace Table, which discussed womens role in driving peacekeeping efforts.

She says struggle stalwart Shope was extremely worried about these incidents. She pushed us to convene the peace table because she wanted South African women to do something about what was happening.

Ensuring peace

The work of the Gertrude Shope Women Mediators Network is a result of the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 adopted in October 2000 which reaffirms the important role played by women in the resolution of conflict, prevention as well as peace-building efforts, among others.

South Africas Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has been training women mediators since 2015, including women from the African continent and around 350 or more women have been trained, including Deputy Minister in the Presidency Pinky Kekana.

Through the people being trained, a decision was taken in 2018 for us to form a Women Mediators Network. [This so as to] use the skills that women got out of the training to build peace and also their resources. For instance, The Lady of Peace Community Foundation, which is well resourced. The foundation has been using its resources to build peace in communities affected by unrest, particularly service delivery protests. We thought that if we could put those energies under one roof, we could be able to achieve something as a country. It is not only about these recent events, it is about us building a peaceful nation even before we had the unrest, she says.

Celeste Diale who co-founded the Lady of Peace Community Foundation (LOPECO) with her mother Dieketseng in 2017, said the foundation is founded on connection, empowerment and advocating for the youth.

As someone who participated in the peace table, we learned to understand where people come from. Young people want to be heard, she says.

Lobe describes Shope, after whom the network is named, as a peacemaker and peacebuilder.

When DIRCO took a decision to name its training programme after her, to name its dialogue forums, it was a result of the department acknowledging the role she played as a South African who lived in exile who also came back home. There are many stories about her in exile of how she nurtured youngsters. They were not only taught how to fight, but they were also taught how to make peace, says Lobe in an interview with SAnews.

Experiences and best practice in peace and security have been shared at the annual Gertrude Shope Dialogue Forums that DIRCO has hosted since 2015 and this led to the formation of the network, which would create a platform for South African and African women mediators to continue to work for peace.

I am really humbled to know her. She inspires us. Jewels like her are rare. She always acknowledges the tribe of women who are behind her, including young people, says Lobe.

Shope celebrated her 96th birthday earlier this month.

With the country currently commemorating Womens Month, Lobe who is also the acting Chief Operations Officer at DIRCO and South Africa's Women, Peace and Security focal person, says women have become impatient at the pace of ensuring gender equality.

Global efforts

While the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is the international blueprint to achieve gender equality and women empowerment, has made progress, additional efforts are needed.

The Declaration remains an important UN instrument in pursuing the global womens agenda of a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. It aims to create an environment where women and men relations are based on a principle of shared power and responsibility, whether in the workplace or in the wider national and international communities.

A lot has been done but theres a lot still to be done. [Women] are concerned that since the Fourth World Conference on women, there has not been a platform until we had Generation Equality.

Held in Beijing, China, the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 adopted the declaration. The declaration focuses on 12 areas of concern, including women and poverty, women and the economy and the girl-child.

She said South Africa joined Generation Equality, a global campaign to achieve gender equality by 2030.

Because of the anxieties around lack of implementation of the Beijing platform, they then developed the acceleration plan on generation equality, which focuses on seven thematic areas, including the guarantee economic justice and rights.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading efforts on economic justice and rights on behalf of global leaders. The reason why women decided to have this acceleration plan is that they were concerned that the world needed to think anew of the gender agenda beyond the Beijing Declaration.

The President formed part of world leaders who came together to launch the Global Acceleration Plan at the Generation Equality Forum held from 30 June to 2 July this year.

South Africa has made very important commitments in terms of what we are going to do as a nation, in terms of the continent and globally. Part of the things we committed ourselves to do is to have a programme that is pan Africanist in nature but internationalist in form. The reason for this was to acknowledge that we are an African country and we need to contribute in building and reconstructing our continent.

All of these things attests to what have been the anxieties of women over a period of time, particularly issues of womens justice and rights, she says.

Meanwhile the African Union of which South Africa is a member, declared 2020-2030 as the decade of African Womens Economic and Financial Inclusion.

By integrating women, we acknowledge that in most countries, even though people might have achieved political and civil rights, economic rights have been relegated to the periphery. The idea of President Ramaphosa heading this important action coalition and decade of womens economic and financial inclusion means that we are conscious of the things that we need to do to build back better, she says.

Her message to women this month is for them to support other women.

I want women to be as Mme Shope advises us; to be a part of a tribe that nurtures and supports other women; a tribe that fights battles for other women. I want women to stand in solidarity with each other. Being a woman is difficult; we cannot be the ones making it more difficult for other women. We must fight issues that continue to oppress women, she says. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Government looks at incentives to tackle youth unemployment

As the levels of youth unemployment reach alarming levels, Deputy President David Mabuza says government will look at incentivising discouraged work-seekers and employers to address the challenge.

The Deputy President said this when he responded to oral questions during a virtual sitting of the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.

Moving forward and working with our social partners, it will be important to find practical measures of incentivising further discouraged young work-seekers and also scaling up our incentives to employers in both the public and private sectors to employ young people to gain a foothold and the requisite experience, he said.

Recent unemployment statistics revealed a bleak picture for young people, with 64.4% of those aged between 15 to 24 being unemployed, and 42.9% of those aged between the ages of 25 and 35 finding themselves out of work.

Addressing provincial NCOP delegates, the Deputy President said government recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on efforts to create jobs, particularly for the youth and people with disabilities.

Since the advent of COVID-19 in March 2020, the share of young people under 35 years old in all employment levels has fallen from 56% before the pandemic to 50% today.

Among the concrete measures is to ensure that there is high absorption capacity of young people and women, and set-asides in sectors such as agriculture and agro-processing, mining, tourism, the oceans economy and service industries, Mabuza said.

At the recently held Fourth Human Resource Development Council Summit, social partners agreed on the urgent need to address the issue of young people that drop out at various points of their schooling prior to attaining their matric qualification, as they add to the tally of young people that are not in employment, education or training.

We further agreed that our response should be comprehensive enough to ensure that we equip young people with skills that are relevant, and will close the prevalent gap of skills required and those available in the labour market.

We are optimistic that through our coordination of the Human Resource Development Council, we will be able to find workable, long-term solutions to the skills gap and youth unemployment through convergences in the deployment of resources to achieve better outcomes.

The importance of pragmatic public-private partnerships cannot be emphasised enough to empower and capacitate young people, for whom economic emancipation remains a deferred dream, said Mabuza. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Vaccinate, urges Minister as fourth wave looms

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has once again encouraged all South Africans over the age of 18 to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

This as he announced that the country is expected to enter a fourth wave of the virus in November.

The Minister updated the nation on efforts to fight COVID-19 and governments vaccination rollout plans on Friday during a virtual briefing.

We have opened [vaccinations] for everybody above 18 years old. We urge everybody to please come forward so that we can all be protected. We know that it is almost accepted that somewhere towards the end of the year, we will have the fourth wave and we want to make sure that all South Africans are protected against that by taking the vaccination, he said.

As of yesterday, 12 711 more COVID-19 cases were reported, with an increase of at least 357 more COVID-19 related deaths.

In the last 24 hour period, at least 265 484 more COVID-19 vaccines were administered.

The Minister said the number of vaccines administered on Thursday was an indication that the health sector is able to reach its target of administering 300 000 vaccinations per day.

He said despite early indications of vaccine hesitancy, the male population had now begun to take up inoculation.

As of yesterday, the female vaccinated population was 58.5% and the male was at 41.5%. So theres and improvement on the male uptake, which we really encourage.

The last seven days have shown that as a country, we do have the capacity to administer vaccines and we do have the necessary supplies. It shows that we can indeed reach the target which has been set for us by President Cyril Ramaphosa, he said.

At least 1.5 million doses of either the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines were administered over the past week.

A total of 8.8 million South Africans have received at least one vaccination, with 5 450 000 fully vaccinated.

Phaahla raised concern that the third wave of the virus is taking longer to subside than the first two, which could be harmful to health services with the fourth wave looming.

The third wave is dragging for longer. Sometimes it looks like there will be a steep downwards [trend] and then it rises again. In the absence of new variants, what this means is that many of us are not observing the prescribed precautions.

The risk of this is that by the time the fourth wave comes  which is predicted to come around some time in November, possibly driven by a new variant  it may find us still at the tail end of the third wave, which will mean that our health facilities and our health workers would not have had much rest. This is something that is worrying and we urge all South Africans to observe the known protocols, Phaahla said.

The Minister said the virus may still be a factor in the near future and the best solution is to achieve herd immunity through vaccination.

Its going to take some time and theres going to be a number of waves but what we are told and what seems to be the route to go is that the more we cover in vaccinations, the less mutations and if there are less mutations and less viral loads of this COVID-19, then there will be less waves coming, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: 17 imported COVID-19 cases found

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 17 additional imported COVID-19 cases of which 15 are crew members of a cargo vessel that arrived in Hong Kong from Indonesia.

The centre explained that the vessel, Thor Monadic, arrived on August 24 with 23 crew on board. Fifteen of them tested positive for COVID-19 by samples taken on August 25 and all those confirmed with the virus carry the L452R mutant strain.

One of the patients developed cough and other symptoms on August 20. All of the patients will be sent to the hospital for isolation treatment.

The centre pointed out that the sea crew members had not gone ashore after arriving in Hong Kong.

As a prudent measure, the remaining cargo vessels crew members must undergo quarantine on board and get tested during the quarantine period. Epidemiological investigations are underway.

The centre said the vessel operator was suspected of providing false information to the Department of Health during the application for free pratique. The department is carrying out an investigation and will seek the Department of Justices advice for suspected contravention of the Prevention & Control of Disease Regulation.

Meanwhile, the centre was notified of a confirmed COVID-19 case in the UK involving a 59-year-old woman. She departed Hong Kong on August 15 for the UK.

Her pre-departure test conducted on August 13 tested negative while her specimen collected on August 20 in the UK tested positive and she remains asymptomatic.

According to the patient, she received two doses of the BioNTech vaccination on April 12 and May 3 in Hong Kong. The centre is following up on the case with the UK health authority and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

For the sake of prudence, the premises where she had resided, Block A, Sunlight Court, 30 Bisney Road in Pok Fu Lam, and worked, 28/F, C-Bons International Center, 108 Wai Yip Street in Kwun Tong, in the city during the incubation period will be put under a compulsory testing notice.

The centre also reminded people linked to Mei Yat House, Yat Tung (II) Estate in Tung Chung to undergo testing tomorrow in accordance with the compulsory testing notice.

A total of 52 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days. One is a local case with an unknown infection source, another is import-related and the rest are imported.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Governments dedicated webpage.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Up to 500,000 more Afghan refugees by year end: UN

The United Nations said on Friday it was bracing for a possible exodus from violence-ravaged Afghanistan of up to half a million more refugees by the end of 2021.

The organisation said that there currently was not a flood of people fleeing across Afghanistan's borders, but added it was laying contingency plans for that to change as the country's crisis deepens.

"The humanitarian emergency currently is inside Afghanistan," Kelly Clements, the deputy high commissioner of the UNHCR, told reporters.

But "this is obviously a really dynamic situation," she said, explaining that the UNHCR was planning for a variety of different scenarios, including a mass-exodus.

"We are preparing for around 500,000 new refugees in the region. This is a worst-case scenario," she said.

She stressed in particular the need to boost support for neighbouring countries that already host the more than 2.2 million Afghan refugees, and which could soon see the fresh influx.

Even before the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan nearly two weeks ago, the humanitarian situation in the country had deteriorated dramatically. Half of the population was already in need of humanitarian assistance, and half of all children under five were estimated to be acutely malnourished.

The UN on Friday presented a plan for UN agencies and partner NGOs to prepare for and respond to the unfolding crisis within Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries. It urgently appealed for nearly US$300 million to fund the plan.

"We are appealing to all countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open so that those seeking safety can find safety," Clements said.

In particular Iran and Pakistan, who together host 90 percent of the Afghan refugees in the region, along with some three million other Afghans without refugee status, "will need a lot of support", she said. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Chinese medicine move welcomed

The Government welcomed an announcement by the Mainland on the arrangement of streamlining the approval procedures for Hong Kong registered traditional proprietary Chinese medicines (pCms) for external use to be registered and sold in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration today promulgated a notice regarding the streamlining of the approval procedures.

The holder of any traditional pCm for external use that has been registered with the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong and in use in the city for more than five years may apply for registration with the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration through the streamlined procedures. Such pCms, upon successful approval, may be sold in the bay area.

Prior to the new arrangement, the Mainland and Hong Kong have had in place different registration regimes for the regulation of Chinese medicine products and applicants are required to make registration applications according to the respective requirements in the two places before the pCms may be sold in a place upon successful registration.

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government welcomes the implementation of the measure and expressed gratitude to the relevant authorities of the central government and Guangdong Province for their staunch support for the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong.

The new arrangement enables Hong Kong pCm manufacturers to expand their markets, as well as creates favourable conditions for Hong Kong pCm to go global in the long run, Prof Chan noted, adding the Hong Kong SAR Government will actively promote the relevant measure to the trade.

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Biden meets Israeli PM in shadow of Kabul blasts

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met President Joe Biden on Friday, a day after a deadly bomb attack on the US Afghanistan evacuation mission forced a postponement and cast a shadow on an Israeli charm offensive.

"My heart goes out, our hearts go out, to all those who we've lost," Biden said after the two met one-on-one, a day after originally planned. Bennett began his remarks with condolences before announcing, "I bring with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of good will."

Bennett had aimed to reboot US-Israel relations following Benjamin Netanyahu, who during 15 years in office embraced Republicans and antagonised Democrats.

Still, the 49-year-old premiere in his first official overseas visit kept to many of his predecessor's hardline views.

"We cannot lose sight for even one moment that we're in the toughest neighborhood in the world," he said, citing ISIS, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. "That's why Israel always has to be overwhelmingly stronger than... all of our enemies combined."

Bennett took office in June as head of an eclectic coalition in which his hawkish party holds only a handful of seats. His government includes pro-settlement hardliners like himself as well as political doves and the first Arab party to sit in a coalition.

"He heads and leads the most diverse government in Israeli history," Biden said of Bennett.

Bennett's positions on key issues remain at odds with the White House. He has said he will continue settlement construction and is against a Palestinian state in territories Israel captured in 1967.

He opposes the US reopening a consulate in Jerusalem to handle Palestinian affairs, which Trump shut in 2019 after moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In Washington Bennett strove to highlight common ground. "Israel knows that we have no better or more reliable ally in the world than the United States of America," he said.

Biden said the US had an "unwavering commitment" to Israel's security, including replenishing Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. In a hint at differences of opinion, Biden said, "we're also going to discuss ways to advance peace and security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
The anniversary was celebrated on Saturday in the peninsula and in Rome with the first ever solemn Mass in Korean in St Peter's led by Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. In a message, the pope thanked Seoul Catholics for sending anti-COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries.

Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Koreas Catholic community on Saturday marked 200 years since the birth of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first Korean-born priest who was killed in hatred of the faith in 1846 at the age of 25.

Eucharistic liturgies were held in South Koreas 1,750 churches to commemorate the anniversary, along with the first solemn Mass celebrated in Korean in Romes St Peter's Basilica.

Last Saturday afternoon, Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik led the service in the presence of representatives of Romes Korean community. A few weeks ago, the former head of the Diocese of Daejeon was appointed the new prefect of the Congregation for the clergy in the Vatican.

On the occasion of Saint Andrew Kims birth, Pope Francis released his own message to Korean Catholics, which Archbishop You read during Mass.

in addition to praising the heroic testimony of the martyr Andrea Kim, the pontiff publicly thanked Korean Catholics for donating anti-COVID-19 vaccine doses to the poorest countries through the Vatican. This is a strong invitation for a greater commitment to the cause of the least of the world, Francis said.

The pope also urged those working for reconciliation between North and South Korea to "continue with renewed commitment to be good peacemakers.

The celebrations at the Solmoe memorial, the site where the Diocese of Daejeon commemorates the birth of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, also focused on reconciliation between the two Koreas.

A video message from Archbishop You Heung-sik was screened during the service led by the Auxiliary Bishop Augustinus Jong-soo Kim in the presence of Card Andrew Yeom of Seoul.

"I sincerely hope that the South and the North will open their hearts and talk to each other so that true peace can dwell on the Korean Peninsula," Archbishop You said.

It is the greatest misfortune that the two Koreas have been separated for more than 70 years. I continue to pray for peace, he added.

The Korean Catholic Church is also marking the bicentenary of the birth of Saint Andrew Kim with a jubilee year centred on the question Are you a Christian faithful?, which the martyr asked to his persecutors two centuries ago.

John Paul II canonised Andrew Kim along with 102 other Korean martyrs in a ceremony held in Seoul on 6 May 1984.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 27, 2021

2021/08/27

CGTN: The Japanese Ministry of Defense recently released for the first time a white paper on defense for elementary and junior high school students, which contains criticism of China with regard to the military buildup, Diaoyu Dao and South China Sea. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi also said that the children who are responsible for the country's future must be able to understand and support Japan's defense. People familiar with recent Japanese history all know Japanese militarism's dangerous acts during the period of militarism aggression when it inculcated militarism and fanned the flames of war in teenagers and children by using the Imperial Rescript on Education. Also, Japan tried to revive the education philosophy before WWII and introduce training subjects of WWII soldiers among students, as reported by Japanese media. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: China has made clear its solemn position on the Defense of Japan 2021 white paper. I would like to stress once again that China firmly opposes Japan's unreasonable accusations against China's normal defense building, irresponsible remarks on China's legitimate maritime activities and the hype-up of the so-called "China threat".

Japan intentionally released a children's version of the defense white paper, which repeats the same old rhetoric to smear China. China expresses firm opposition to this and has lodged solemn representations with Japan. I would also like to point out that it is not constructive at all for Japan to highlight external threats and incite confrontation among minors. The Japanese side should earnestly face up to and reflect on history, learn lessons from history, and refrain from taking wrong actions to mislead its people, especially the next generation.

CRI: Recently, an BBC anchor set multiple traps during her interview with Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and threw mud at bilateral exchanges and economic cooperation between China and Caribbean countries. Prime Minister Mia Mottley elaborated on Caribbean countries' cooperation with China including Barbados in an objective way, and refuted the anchor's presumption of guilt. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: BBC maliciously smeared China's foreign diplomacy and overseas economic cooperation, and distorted the normal exchanges of Barbados and other Caribbean countries with China as being a pawn of the power. I'm not at all surprised at what the BBC has done. As what is said by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the questions raised by the BBC anchor reflect that BBC does not regard Barbados equally as a country able to charter its own destiny. It fully reveals the zero-sum mentality and sour grapes attitude of BBC.

Barbados is China's good friend and partner in the Caribbean region. Over the last 44 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Barbados relations have maintained sound momentum. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, China and Barbados have been supporting each other to overcome the challenge, opening a new chapter of our friendship. I want to stress that China actively advances the relations and cooperation with Latin-American and Caribbean countries including Barbados, and brings tangible benefits to our peoples. China remains committed to forging a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation for a community with a shared future for mankind. We have never bullied, oppressed, or enslaved the people of any other country, or forcibly imposed our will on others, and we never will.

People know too well, in today's world, who is stuck in the old dream of colonialism to wantonly wield the big stick of hegemony and bullying, forcibly imposes its will on other countries, and brings misery to people there. BBC should have viewed China's normal cooperation with Latin-American and Caribbean states from an objective and fair perspective, instead of looking at others through tinted glasses in an arrogant and condescending attitude and setting discourse traps with presumption of guilt.

Shenzhen TV: Two explosions occurred near Kabul airport on April 26, causing heavy casualties. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing. What is China's comment on that? Were there any Chinese casualties? What has China done to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Afghanistan?

Zhao Lijian: China is shocked at and strongly condemns the explosions near Kabul airport which caused heavy casualties. The explosions show that the security situation in Afghanistan remains complex and grave. We hope relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan and ensure the safety of the Afghan people and foreign citizens in the country.

The Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan has received no report of Chinese casualties so far. The embassy has reached out to the small number of Chinese citizens who choose to stay, maintaining close communication and providing necessary help. The embassy reminded them to protect themselves and urged relevant parties to take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals.

China Review News: According to reports, a senior US official said that "China continues to obfuscate and deny the international community the needed access" to COVID-19 information. "If there were sound, technically credible reasons for a US investigation, we would of course support it. But there are none," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Origins tracing is a matter of science. China always supports and will continue to participate in the science-based origins study.

Instead of thinking about how to control the epidemic in the US and save people's lives, some US politicians and officials are trying in vain to shift the blame for their own failure in fighting the virus onto China with a report drafted by the intelligence agencies. This will only disrupt and undermine international cooperation in the origins study and epidemic response. The allegation that China refuses to provide "needed access" is nothing but an excuse to cover the US' own failed intelligence-led origins tracing.

The US side said they need "reasons" to support an investigation in the US. Then, please answer the following questions. First, patients of the EVALI outbreak in July 2019 in Wisconsin in the US had symptoms highly similar to that of COVID-19. Isn't this a reason? Second, according to the US NIH website, research has shown that evidence of infection in five states appeared back in December 2019. Isn't this a reason? Third, the US government sealed blood samples collected before January 2, 2020 from further testing on the ground that it interferes with the origins tracing agenda and is detrimental to US national security. Isn't this a reason? Fourth, Florida Department of Health once removed data from its website that showed 171 patients had coronavirus symptoms or positive test results in January and February, 2020. Isn't this a reason? Fifth, many comments on social media like Facebook indicate that more than 200 people in the US or countries having close ties with the US said publicly people they know or they themselves had suspected infection of the novel coronavirus as early as in November 2019, with COVID-like symptoms. Isn't this a reason? Sixth, 12 countries including Costa Rica and Kenya publicly said that their "patient zero" of COVID-19 came from the US. Isn't this a reason? Seventh, Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina (UNC) have a dark chapter in history and poor safety records of coronavirus researches. The US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, which is based in Fort Detrick, was shut down by the US CDC because of serious safety incidents in the fall of 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19. Isn't this a reason?

Given that the US is confident that it has nothing to hide, then it should face up to the questions of the international community by inviting the WHO to do the origins study in Fort Detrick and the UNC, and release the raw data on early cases in the US. Should the US refuse to cooperate, it would only further expose its true intention of politicizing origins study.

Bloomberg: Going back to the Afghanistan issue, I'd like to ask how the wider terrorist threat impacts how China deals with the Taliban. So for example, is it in everyone's interest for China to work together with Western nations against ISIS-K and other groups? How would that happen? And then the second part of my question would be talking about how confident is China that the Taliban will be able to stabilize the country and fight ISIS-K?

Zhao Lijian: On your first question, China condemns the terrorist attack and expresses deep sympathies and condolences to those who lost their loved ones and the injured. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism, and stands ready to work with the international community to jointly tackle the threat of terrorism and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a source of terrorism again.

On your second question, we noticed that some terrorist groups have gathered and developed in Afghanistan over the past two decades, posing a serious threat to international and regional peace and security. In particular, as an international terrorist organization listed by the UN Security Council, the ETIM poses an immediate threat to the security of the China and its people. The head of the Afghan Taliban made it clear to the Chinese side that the Afghan Taliban will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts that hurt China. The Afghan Taliban should earnestly honor its commitment, make a clean break with all terrorist organizations, resolutely fight against the ETIM and clear the way for regional security, stability, development and cooperation.

CCTV: According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, China and Belarus hosted the opening ceremony of Belarus-China Year of Regions in Minsk on August 26. Could you give us more details?

Zhao Lijian: China and Belarus are comprehensive strategic partners featuring mutual trust and win-win cooperation. Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandr Lukashenko, China-Belarus relations achieve sound and steady development. Last June and this January, the two heads of state made two telephone conversations to make strategic plans and arrangements for the bilateral ties. Bilateral trade volume grew by 10.7% in 2020, and 50.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2021. The construction of China-Belarus industrial park has been advancing steadily, and projects such as the full cycle high-tech agro-industrial complex have gained positive progress. In the face of the pandemic of the century, our two peoples offer each other support, writing a touching story of fighting the virus with joint hands. Our two countries also coordinate and cooperate closely in multilateral platforms including the UN, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, defend basic norms governing the international relations, and uphold international fairness and justice.

To promote sub-national cooperation, China and Belarus decided to host Year of Regions for 2021-2022 within the framework of China-Belarus Intergovernmental Committee of Cooperation. Relevant departments and regions of both sides will host a series of activities in an appropriate manner that suits the pandemic situation. We believe that it will give a strong boost to sub-national cooperation between our two countries, and enrich and invigorate China-Belarus Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership.

The Swedish Radio: The UK regulator Ofcom has fined CGTN 100,000 after CGTN twice broadcast their footage and interviews of Gui Minhai when he was detained in China back in 2016 and 2018. According to Ofcom, the use of this material constitutes as unfair or unjust treatment and an infringement of the privacy of Gui Minhai. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We oppose Ofcom's decision. It is not the first time for relevant agency in the UK to make wrong decisions targeting Chinese media.

China is a country governed by law. China's judicial authorities handle all cases in accordance with law. Gui Minhai committed the crime of illegally providing intelligence to overseas with solid evidence, and China's local court has reached a verdict accordingly.

Relevant agency in the UK should revoke its wrong decision, and provide support and facilitation for Chinese media to conduct normal news reporting in the UK.

Bloomberg: I just like to go back to your earlier answer if that's okay. I talk a little bit more about it because you condemned the terror attack which I understand, but I'm hoping to talk about maybe more medium to long term approaches about how to solve terrorism. Now you also mentioned ETIM and as we all know, that's been removed by the US from their list of terrorist organizations, so how critical is the US' stance on ETIM as an element of possible further collaboration between China and the US on counter-terrorism in Afghanistan? Would it be essential or required for the US to recognize the ETIM, is that one of the conditions?

Zhao Lijian: China's position on combating ETIM is consistent and clear. ETIM is an international terrorist organization designated by the UN Security Council. Regrettably, the former US administration revoked the designation of ETIM as a terrorist organization. China opposes the double standard of the US. The US should not claim to fight and oppose terrorism on the one hand and refuse to designate the ETIM on the other hand. Such US moves does no good to the counter-terrorism cooperation between China and the US.

NHK: Today, the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party and the Taiwanese Democratic Progressive Party held an online "2+2" meeting. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: 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 Chinese side has lodged solemn representation to the Japanese side.

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 ask Japan to stop interfering in China's domestic affairs, and refrain from sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

PTI: Are there any reports that in Afghanistan, ETIM is part of IS?

Zhao Lijian: I have no information on your question.

AFP: Firstly, can you confirm reports that the US climate envoy John Kerry will visit China next week? Secondly, do you have any details about the crane collapse at a Nairobi construction site operated by the Chinese construction company?

Zhao Lijian: On John Kerry's visit, I don't have anything to offer at the moment.

On your second question, I am not aware of the relevant situation and would like to refer you to competent authorities or the embassy.

AFP: Taiwan officials said yesterday that they will tighten economic espionage laws in order to protect trade secrets from being leaked to Chinese companies. Does the foreign ministry have a comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: This is not a diplomatic issue. Please refer to the competent authorities.
Additional 1.44 million AstraZeneca doses arrive in HCM City

A batch of around 1.44 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines were brought to HCM City on Thursday.





The batch of around 1.44 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines were brought to HCM City on August 26





This is the 10th shipment from a contract signed between the Vietnam Vaccine Company (VNVC) to buy 30 million doses from AstraZeneca, the entirety of which would be handed over to the Ministry of Health at a not-for-profit price.



Under the contract, around 8.2 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines have been transported to Vietnam out of a total of 17 million doses of this kind in Vietnam to date. AstraZeneca now accounts for 64% of the countrys Covid-19 vaccines.



According to Nitin Kapoor, chairman and director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, this has shown AstraZenecas commitment in supporting Vietnam in the fight against Covid-19.



VNVC is speeding up procedures to hand over the vaccines to the Ministry of Health.



This morning, August 27, one million doses of Chinas Vero Cell vaccine also arrived in HCM City. This batch was part of a contract to buy five million doses of Sapharco from Sinopharm.
1,000 days on, detention of Meng Wanzhou overshadows China-Canada ties

Global Times) 08:14, August 27, 2021

Canadian politicians, media intentionally shun public call of over 14 million for Meng's release: experts

As August 26 marks the 1,000th day since Chinese citizen Meng Wanzhou was arbitrarily and illegally detained by Canadian government at the request of the US government, Chinese diplomats and experts once again urged the Trudeau administration to quickly correct its mistake of serving as Washington's willing accomplice that has dragged China-Canada relations to freezing point and cast a shadow over future prospects not only in politics but also in trade and business.

Over the past week, more than 14.5 million netizens from over 100 countries and regions including major allies of the US such as the UK, Australia and Canada, signed a petition launched by the Global Times on August 18 and an open letter sent to Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton, demanding Meng's immediate and unconditional release and protesting against the ugly acts of the Canadian government. The Global Times also sent the petition and open letter to the Canadian Embassy in Beijing by both mail and email on Thursday.

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu called Meng on Wednesday to express his sympathy and denounce the misdeeds of the Canadian government, hoping that she will take care of herself and uphold the faith.

The Chinese envoy also condemned the Canadian government's wrongdoing, emphasizing that any attempt and conduct of bullying or suppressing the Chinese people would be met with a counterstrike, adding that the Chinese government firmly protects the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens and companies.

Though the petition has collected nearly 15 million signatures in China and around the world, reflecting a strong voice in opposing such unfair treatment of the Chinese citizen in Canada, most Canadian media outlets and politicians gave little reaction to this collective will, which is unsurprising in the eyes of Chinese observers, as the incident has become a political hot potato for the administration of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Also, given the growing dissatisfaction of the Canadian public toward the role the Canadian government has been playing in the detention of Meng, which according to some Canadian media and analysis led to the unknown fate of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the Trudeau administration has been deliberately downplaying Meng's case to avoid being entangled in the political dilemma ahead of the upcoming election, some observers said.

Questions to be answered

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, asked at a routine press conference on Thursday, "Does Canada still know right from wrong? Where are the human rights it claims to defend?" after the country ignored the fact that Meng did not violate any law in Canada but unreasonably and arbitrarily detained her for 1,000 days.

These are questions not only from the Chinese government, but also from the public that need to be answered by the Canadian government. Even during the latest proceedings, Canadian judges repeatedly raised questions and points of suspicion over accusations of fraud made by the US against Meng, saying that the accusations were contradictory and unclear, further exposing the inconsistencies of the Canadian side that has failed to justify its actions.

At the request of the US government, the Canadian government, based on so-called accusations of fraud levelled by the US, on December 1, 2018 illegally detained Meng, who is also the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei.

She was accused of defrauding HSBC as she was said to have "lied to the bank about the Chinese company's business in Iran". The charges centered on a PowerPoint presentation that the CFO gave to the bank in a steakhouse in Hong Kong in 2013. However, her lawyers have claimed that the US deliberately omitted two slides from the PowerPoint presentation that showed Meng did not mislead the bank at all.

Obviously, Canadian politicians turned a blind eye to such a strong call in releasing Meng because they are now focusing on the election, and they will only pay much attention to topics that can play a favorable role in attracting votes, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Also, they may consider that as China has yet to respond to their requests over the ruling of Canadian citizens in China, they won't respond to China's request. But the root cause lies on the Canadian side," Li said.

When asked about the recent trial of Michael Spavor, Wang from the foreign ministry reiterated on Thursday that China has expressed its stance on the case many times. China is a country ruled by law, handling cases independently in accordance with the law and ensuring the legitimate rights of Canadian citizens.

Observers of the Chinese-Canadian relationship also noted that many Canadian people are unhappy with the way the Trudeau administration has handled the Meng case, which has only brought trouble to Canada. Also, some believe that Canada should not embroil itself in the geopolitical wrestling between the US and China. In addition, Conservatives, as the major foe of the Trudeau government, have been attacking the Prime Minister over the handling of Meng's case, which all explained why Canadian politicians and media are trying to downplay the matter.

In this prolonged struggle among three world powers --Canada, US and China--Canada will be the biggest loser, an expert warned, as if it hands MengWanzhou over to US, it will create a serious negative impact to its relations with China. Editor: Shi Yue/GT Graphic: Feng Qingyin/GT

'Sword' over bilateral trade

The souring bilateral relationship has also disrupted the once stable trade relations between the two countries, and some businesspeople have been looking for a "plan B" over the past two years to diversify their import sources as they are afraid a "black swan" event could happen at any time.

"Canola imports from Canada are already much smaller compared with two years ago," Jiao Shanwei, editor-in-chief of grain news website cngrain.com, a close watcher of China's agriculture industry, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China has never cut Canola trade ties with Canada, but you can see imports from other regions such as South America and Europe have already filled the gap it left, Jiao added.

Canola is Canada's second-largest export and its top agricultural export to China.

China banned two Canadian rapeseed exporters - Viterra Inc and Canadian farming company Richardson International - in March 2019, after its customs authorities detected certain pests such as leptosphaeria maculans.

After the block, seed exports to China fell from $2.8 billion in 2018 before the restrictions, to $800 million in 2019 and $1.4 billion in 2020. This cost the industry between $1.54 billion and $2.35 billion in lost sales and lower prices between March 2019 and August 2020, according to data from Canola Council of Canada.

Domestic lumber importers are also sharing the same concerns.

A staff member of Huan Mai Wood, a Chinese wood import company that has bases in East China's Jiangsu Province and South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times on Thursday that the company's lumber imports from Canada have been declining over the past years, and the US has already taken up the space left by Canada.

The staff member, who preferred to remain anonymous, did not reveal the exact amount of the decline, while adding that the import source shift has had no impact on the company's business.

Meanwhile, some other products from Canada, such as meat and other farm products, are still running as usual with no obvious fluctuations, Jiao said.

"Imports of Canadian seafood are normal, and some species have also seen increases," Fan Xubing, president of Beijing Seabridge Marketing, a cold-chain food importer, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Nevertheless, industry players pointed out that Meng's detention is like a sword hanging over the economic relationship between the two sides, and only after the case is properly handled can the two sides' trade go back on track at an early stage, or else lose momentum forever.

China is also better-placed in any trade dispute with Canada, they added.

In the first half of 2021, total trade between Canada and China reached 53.71 billion Canadian dollars ($42.61 billion), a year-on-year increase of 19.9 percent, accounting for 9.1 percent of Canada's total foreign trade.

China is also Canada's second largest trading partner, second-largest source of imports, and second-largest export market, all second to the US.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Commentary: A right view on China's pursuit of common prosperity

Xinhua) 08:19, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The term "common prosperity," though not brand new, is more and more frequently used by Chinese policymakers. For people who seek to understand the Chinese-style modernization, interpret Chinese policies and find new investment opportunities, a correct view of the new catchphrase is important.

At a recent high-level meeting on financial and economic affairs, China's top leaders have offered a clear definition and policy guidance on promoting common prosperity amid high-quality development.

Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization. It reflects China's commitment to a people-centered development philosophy.

Common prosperity is not egalitarianism. It is by no means robbing the rich to help the poor as misinterpreted by some Western media. Protecting legitimate private property has been written into China's Constitution.

Moreover, common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone both in material and cultural terms. It is not just an economic issue and far from simply redistributing wealth. That is why the meeting last week has stressed the importance of creating more inclusive and fair conditions for people to get a better education and improve their development capabilities.

In the process of achieving common prosperity, strengthening anti-monopoly efforts, cracking down on illegal gains, and encouraging charitable donations are all internationally accepted means of regulation and adjustment. Those moves do not mean that capital or private companies, in general, are a target in the pursuit of common prosperity, but serve as a warning against unfair business practices.

It should also be noted that, in the quest for common prosperity, there is no "ready-made experience," nor a textbook for China to follow. Achieving common prosperity will be a long-term, arduous and complicated task that should be promoted in a gradual and progressive manner. To achieve it step by step, actions of the central government departments, local authorities and business sectors are already underway.

According to a plan released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in June, China will move faster to train technicians and skilled workers, improve the income distribution system, and create harmonious and stable labor relations during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

Zhejiang Province, an economic powerhouse in east China, has been designated as a demonstration zone for promoting common prosperity. The province will strive to grow its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) to the level of moderately developed economies by 2025 and basically achieve common prosperity by 2035. Its action plan includes efforts to further reform income allocation, narrow the urban-rural gap, and create a more livable residential environment.

Dealing with the relationship between efficiency and fairness has been a constant topic in modern human history. As China embarks on the journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, it is set to establish an optimized distribution system in which prosperity can be shared by everyone in the country.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China, U.S. economic, trade teams maintaining normal communication: MOC

Xinhua) 08:22, August 27, 2021

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng (3rd R) holds talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman (3rd L) in north China's Tianjin on July 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Economic and trade teams from China and the United States have maintained normal communication, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Thursday.

In the first seven months of the year, bilateral goods trade volume surged 40 percent year on year, said MOC spokesperson Gao Feng.

During the period, China's imports from the United States jumped by 50.4 percent from a year ago, while exports expanded 36.9 percent year on year, Gao said.

That fully shows the economies of the two countries are highly complementary, Gao said, adding that bilateral trade cooperation is in line with the interests of the two countries and two peoples.

China has always maintained that the imposition of extra tariffs by the United States is not good for China, the United States as well as global economic recovery, Gao said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese doctors transform lives in South Sudan

Xinhua) 08:31, August 27, 2021

JUBA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese medical doctors' presence in South Sudan over the past years has helped transform medical treatment, inspiring local doctors to interact with and learn a lot from them.

Pagan James, a 33-year-old medical intern studying for his master's degree in gynecology and obstetrics at the University of Juba, is grateful for having got in contact, particularly with the eighth batch of the Chinese medical team whom he hails for their versatility and professionalism.

"All the Chinese medical teams I have interacted with over the years are dedicated professional doctors. For me as a practicing gynecologist I have learnt a lot from them in the field, especially in wound care," he told Xinhua in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Thursday.

"In our assessment and clinical trials with them we found out that they are very good in wound care," said James. "I am still practicing on how they do wound care and 90 percent of the cases I have managed have been healed."

James said he and his colleagues doing internship under supervision of the Chinese doctors have learnt a lot in the medical field.

"I do post-follow up on the patients (women) that they operate on and some of these women have gone on to conceive. Our teams of practicing gynecologists always call the Chinese doctors to handle emergency cases," he said while referring to the hotline calls in the night. "They came and resuscitated a patient and she is still alive now, and still thanking us for what we did for her."

The first-ever CT scan introduced by the Chinese medical team has done wonders in improving treatment at the Juba Teaching Hospital, according to James.

Maker Isaac, director of Juba Teaching Hospital, said he is pleased to participate in the ongoing medical Chinese language course which not only helps him learn the Chinese language and culture but also improves existing relations between the two countries in the health sector.

Wu Huaiguo, a neurologist and the team leader of the Chinese medical team, said they have been handling various diseases and treating people with critical ailments since August last year, when the team arrived from Anhui province.

Wu, who recommends use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in South Sudan, said they have treated several South Sudanese patients with complicated illness using TCM.

"The cooperation between the South Sudanese and Chinese doctors is very cordial and represents a bright future for the two countries," said Wu, noting his team, including South Sudanese doctors, has earned respect from the patients they have treated over time. "The most remarkable thing I have witnessed during my stay in South Sudan is the respect given to doctors by patients."

The team leader disclosed that malaria disease remains the biggest problem in South Sudan as they have treated many patients with malaria.

"The only kind of disease we had seen in China is malaria but now we have eliminated malaria successfully. China is malaria-free now but here we have cured a lot of patients with malaria," said Wu.

Wang Lili, a 38-year-old gynecologist and obstetrician who supervises James, said her experience in China where she encountered cases of infertility among women has helped her share knowledge with her South Sudanese counterparts.

"Most of the infertility cases due to cervical cancer among women here we have encountered in China. We have met some patients here with cervical cancer in terminal stage and we have no solutions for them," said Wang.

Wang was on the team of Chinese women doctors who successfully operated on Lydia Ikisa, a South Sudanese woman who had suffered three miscarriages.

Ikisa was finally able to give birth to her seventh-born child this year after several years of nightmare.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China proves powerhouse of global post-pandemic recovery

Xinhua) 08:45, August 27, 2021

MADRID, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The sheer weight of China in world economy and recent reports of national growth rates have proved again that China is leading the global recovery from impacts of COVID-19, economic analysts have said.

"China is a key player on the world stage" who has "an increasingly active presence" in the wake of the pandemic, said Ramon Gascon, a professor at the EAE Business School of Spain, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

In the first half of 2021, China's gross domestic product (GDP) jumped 12.7 percent from a year earlier as factories resumed production and people restarted their traveling in China, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

The country remains an economic pillar to the world in terms of its purchasing power and a burgeoning consumers market, said Joseph Revilla Escudero, a New Zealand-based economist.

The World Bank estimated in 2020 that China's GDP per capita, when adjusted by purchasing power parity, equals to 92 percent of the world's average.

Revilla said major carmakers like Daimler and such luxury good giants as LVMH will see their revenues "automatically restored" as China recovers.

As of the global supply chain, Revilla said China's growth will also give fresh stimulus to "the major maritime players, cargo planes and airports."

China's consumer goods sales jumped from 20.6 trillion yuan (about 3.18 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2012 to 39.2 trillion yuan (6.05 trillion dollars) last year, posting an annual average growth of 8.4 percent of a consumer market now second only to the United States in size, official data showed.

Regarding China's role in the global supply chain, Revilla said the national "demand for oil, steel and other raw materials brings a great boost to other economies."

China's relatively low labor costs and tech innovation are factors behind why the country has become a world supplier, said Pedro Nueno, professor of entrepreneurship at the IESE Business schools.

With the edge, China still needs to look out for "potential competitors" from Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa coming for such a role, he noted.

China, thanks to its deft response to COVID-19, has managed to grow an already big economic volume, secure the supply chains and foster a booming market, said the experts.

Gascon expressed confidence in China's approach. "It is obvious that measures such as restricting flights, lockdowns and isolation were the correct measures," he noted.

Revilla said the manner China put public health measures in place comes as an advantage to getting "the post-pandemic economic boost first," adding that "the world knows how ordered, well organized and hardworking its labor force is."

"Balancing the economy and pandemic has been a master class for the world from there countries," said Revilla.

It should be "no surprise for the Western world that Asia has moved back on (track) as soon as they got the virus under control," he said.

Nueno said that "Chinese people have been closely following government regulations to avoid gathering with other people. Europeans and Americans are generally less likely to follow government regulations."

"China has a structure and a government that allow it to react fast and take decisions," whereas in some other countries, a decision has to go through many institutions despite a looming urgency, according to Gascon.

The Chinese economy is "reactivating," said Gascon, citing a 35.4-percent surge of China's inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first five months of this year.

Revilla said the index gives a good sign since "money always flows in the right direction."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China-Russia drill signals new era in joint exercises: spokesperson

Xinhua) 08:45, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A joint military exercise between China and Russia, code-named ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021, has charted the course for a new high-point in bilateral relations, opened new horizons for military drills between major countries, and explored new models for planning exercises together, a Chinese military spokesperson told a press conference on Thursday.

The joint military drill was held from Aug. 9 to 13 in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It concluded with great success and achieved the targets of deepening China-Russia strategic mutual trust, strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, and unleashing their combat capabilities, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

In one of the highlights, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu observed the exercise, held talks and observed the signing of cooperation documents, according to the spokesperson.

For the first time, the Russian military was invited to China on a large scale to participate in a strategic campaign exercise organized by the Chinese side, Tan said.

Li Zuocheng, a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, served as the general director of the exercise. He attended the opening ceremony and gave the order for the exercise to begin. It marked a new beginning for the Chinese military to conduct high-level exercises in an open and joint manner, said the spokesperson.

During the exercise, the Chinese and Russian troops were mixed into groups, made exercise plans together and carried out joint operations on the same battlefield.

A command information system specially designed for the two militaries was applied during the drill and the participating troops were able to carry out effective coordination thanks to the information system, said the spokesperson.

Tan said the military exercise demonstrates the determination and ability of both sides to jointly deal with security threats, and safeguard regional security and stability.

In the future, Tan said the two militaries will enhance strategic communication and practical cooperation, and continue exploring new models of international military cooperation, so as to add new dimensions to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese military to hold multinational peacekeeping drill

Xinhua) 08:46, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will hold its first multinational peacekeeping live exercise, "Shared Destiny-2021," from Sept. 6 to 15 at a training base of the People's Liberation Army in Queshan County of central China's Henan Province, a military spokesperson said Thursday.

More than 1,000 troops from China, Pakistan, Mongolia and Thailand will participate. They will cover infantry, rapid response, security, helicopters, engineering, transportation, and medical services, said Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

With the joint operation of multinational peacekeeping forces as an exercise scenario, the exercise will promote practical cooperation among peacekeeping troop-contributing countries and enhance the capability of peacekeeping standby forces to perform tasks, Tan said.

During the operation, drills of battlefield reconnaissance, security guard patrol, armed escort, civilian protection and epidemic response will take place, Tan said.

He said that the Chinese military would continue to increase its UN peacekeeping operations participation and remain a staunch force for world peace.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese military spokesperson urges U.S. to respect China's interests

Xinhua) 08:48, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson Thursday urged the United States to respect China's core interests and major concerns, correct its own erroneous words and deeds, and do more to improve the relations between the two countries and two militaries.

Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference that for some time, some U.S. military officers made irresponsible and erroneous remarks on issues about China.

"We firmly oppose such remarks," he said.

The root cause of the difficulties in the bilateral relations is the U.S. side's obsession with hegemony, a Cold War mentality, and a zero-sum game, Tan said. Tan added that the United States sees China as a strategic rival and a security threat and has been doing everything possible to contain and oppress China, severely undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Reiterating China's commitment to peaceful development, Tan accused the United States of being the major factor driving the tensions in the South China Sea.

"The Chinese military will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, and firmly uphold regional and global peace and stability," he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Washington's political game in name of "national security"

Xinhua) 09:18, August 27, 2021

Photo taken on Aug. 10, 2021 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Washington's political game in the name of "national security" has fully exposed its hegemonic logic of "America First."

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- After a Chinese state-owned company reportedly took a stake in a subsidiary of ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, a new round of debate has been ignited in Washington on whether the short video platform poses a threat to America's "national security."

For quite some time, Washington and its wealthy interests seem to have enjoyed a binge in casting the "national security" spell on China and whoever else they hate.

By fabricating lies and peddling anxiety through the so-called "security threat" conspiracy, U.S. politicians attempt to suppress other countries and win more votes for themselves, lobby groups hope to snap up more orders for their industries, and businesses seek to set their competitors up and knock them off for good.

Ever since the Monroe Doctrine, a cornerstone of future U.S. foreign policy, the generalization and abuse of the "national security" concept have gotten worse in the country. Over the years, under huge pressure from Washington, few people have ever dared to do justice to China and other victims of the so-called "security threat" conspiracy.

Noting that both Republicans and Democrats "seem to be climbing over each other to demonstrate who can take a harder line on China," Matt Perault, director of Center for Science &Technology Policy at Duke University, said "the atmospherics around this issue are more about potential risk and less about actual, demonstrated risk."

Washington's political game in the name of "national security" has fully exposed its hegemonic logic of "America First."

On the grounds of "washing powder," Washington claimed Iraq was building weapons of mass destruction, and invaded the oil-rich Western Asian country with its allies. Taking videos of false-flag airstrikes and chemical attacks on civilians as evidence, Washington, together with the governments of Britain and France, claimed the Syrian government had used chemical weapons to attack its civilians, and launched targeted airstrikes in the country.

Those wars provoked by Washington and its allies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other countries have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and displacement of millions, and severely threatened global and regional security.

In fact, under the guise of "national security" lies Washington's insatiable appetite for political, economic and technological interests. The past years have witnessed America unscrupulously cracking down on specific foreign enterprises in the name of protecting "national security."

The logo of TikTok is seen on the screen of a smartphone in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

By April, the United States has listed 382 Chinese companies and institutions on its Entity List. It also enacted the so-called "Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act" with provisions that clearly discriminate against Chinese companies.

Even Washington's closest allies are not spared the suppression under the pretext of "national security." Companies in France, Germany and Japan have had a taste of America's "long-arm jurisdiction," which has grossly undermined others' economic sovereignty and gravely disrupted global economic order.

As Frederic Pierucci, a former executive of French company Alstom who was arrested by the FBI in 2013 on charge of bribery, has warned, the United States is using law as an economic weapon.

What's worse, a country that has been prating about security is ironically sabotaging global security. From plotting "color revolutions" and promoting "Neo-Monroe Doctrine" abroad, to weaving a clandestine surveillance net around the world, the United States has drained its national credibility and reputation.

Fortunately, few will buy America's rhetoric about "national security" because its notorious track record speaks louder. Facts have proved the concept is only Washington's tool to grab interests and reinforce supremacy at the expense of others' security and interests.

It is hoped that next time when labeling anyone as a "national threat," Washington will seriously think about who is the real threat to the larger world.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Xi's remarks on China-Russia partnership for new era

Xinhua) 09:19, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia, as comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era, should deepen cooperation against interference and firmly hold their respective national future in their own hands, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday.

In a phone conversation, Xi exchanged views with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on vaccine cooperation, anti-politicization of COVID-19 origins tracing, the Afghanistan issue and others, demonstrating their resolve to deepen partnership and address pressing issues facing the international community.

Xi has been, on various bilateral and multilateral occasions, playing a leading role in promoting strategic coordination and comprehensive practical cooperation between China and Russia.

On June 28, Xi and Putin issued a joint statement, officially deciding to extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

During their talks via video link, Xi hailed the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty, and said that the treaty has established the idea of enduring friendship, which conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries as well as the themes of the times of peace and development.

Xi referred to the current China-Russia ties as "mature, stable and solid," able to "withstand the test of any change in the international situation."

Noting their close coordination in international affairs, Xi said the two countries have jointly safeguarded real multilateralism as well as international fairness and justice.

On May 19, Xi and Putin witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony of a bilateral nuclear energy cooperation project, Tianwan nuclear power plant and Xudapu nuclear power plant, via video link.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic unseen in a century, China and Russia have firmly supported each other and cooperated closely and effectively, which is a vivid demonstration of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, Xi said at the ceremony.

"Responding to climate change is a common task for all countries," Xi said, adding that China and Russia should promote more low-carbon cooperation projects and play a constructive role in achieving global sustainable development goals.

The year 2020 was extraordinary for China, Russia and the world at large. On Dec. 28, Xi said in a telephone conversation with Putin that true gold can stand the test of fire, and the difficult period has given more prominence to the unique strength and great value of the China-Russia relationship.

Xi stressed that China-Russia ties boast strong endogenous power and independent value, which will not be affected by changes in the international arena or by any other factors.

By strengthening strategic cooperation, China and Russia can effectively resist any attempt to suppress and divide the two countries, and meanwhile forge a solid shield to safeguard international fairness and justice, Xi said.

In 2020, the two countries also jointly celebrated the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, and launched the China-Russia Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation program.

On Aug. 26, 2020, Xi and Putin exchanged congratulatory letters marking the start of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation between the two countries.

The Chinese president expressed his belief that the two countries' successful practice in jointly fighting the pandemic and tiding over difficulties would surely be transformed into a powerful driving force for strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Russia and China have always strived to build a more fair, balanced and stable international order, said Vladimir Petrovsky, chief researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The two countries are playing an important stabilizing role on the international stage by developing bilateral ties and actively participating in international affairs, he said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Hegemonism, power politics will never be supported

09:21, August 27, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

The situation in Afghanistan has been on a drastic change recently. The chaos in the country, which is a result of the hasty withdrawal of the US military, is one of the deepest impressions left on the world by the war in Afghanistan.

People queue up to board a military aircraft of the United States and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021. (Xinhua)

The strategic failure of Washington's policy on Afghanistan fully proves that hegemonism and power politics will never be supported.

The "neo-interventionism" of the US is destined to fail. That's what the 20 years of warfare in Afghanistan told us. In October 2001, the US entered Afghanistan with its allies under the banner of "counter-terrorism," and the following 20 years, or what's known as the longest war in the history of the US, not only tremendously consumed the US, but also brought huge disasters to the people in Afghanistan.

Over the past two decades, the Afghan War cost Washington the lives of more than 2,400 service members and over $2 trillion. What's more, the counter-terrorism banner became the butt of a joke, as the number of terrorist organizations in the country surged from a single digit to over 20.

"Failure" is a word frequently used by Western politicians and media to describe the war in Afghanistan. "We believed that we could shape the world in our image using our guns and our money," said a recent article published on the Washington Post, adding that the US and its allies got it really wrong from the very beginning. "The bar was set based on our democratic ideals, not on what was sustainable or workable in an Afghan context," the article continued.

The two-decade warfare in Afghanistan showed that the US was a destroyer, not a constructor. In the past 20 years, more than 100,000 Afghan civilians were killed and wounded by the guns of the US and its allies, and more than 10 million displaced. The war caused an average loss of $60 million on a daily basis, putting a drag on the socioeconomic development of Afghanistan. Around 72 percent of the people in Afghanistan were living below the poverty line, and 38 percent unemployed.

Afghans are disappointed with the US, because what the latter has left in their country are only warfare, destruction and poverty, said an Afghan political analyst.

US President Joe Biden said that US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building. It was self-mockery, but true also, as in every country the US armed forces have been to, be it Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan, there are turbulence, separation and destroyed families.

The 20-year Afghan War once again proved that values forced upon other nations and civilizations will never be able to last, and hegemonic and military solutions will only lead to more problems.

America's epic Afghan failure shows that its naive belief it can cure the world's ills with democracy, dollars, and M16s is wrong, said Tom Fowdy, a British political and international relations analyst. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also admitted that the efforts to bring democracy and peace to Afghanistan have failed, therefore lessons should be drawn.

The hasty withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan further destroyed the international credibility of the US, and triggered questioning and criticism from American allies.

French newspaper Le Figaro said the Europeans have to pay a high price for the US failure. The Financial Times noted when US forces began military action against Afghanistan, British and other NATO troops joined them. America's withdrawal 20 years later, giving NATO allies little option but to pull out, delivers a double blow to the alliance. It has simultaneously laid bare the extent of NATO reliance on the US and raised doubts about future American willingness to provide support to its allies. Afghanistans rapid unraveling is reinforcing the idea that Americas backing for its allies is not unlimited, said the New York Times.

History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. However, from the Vietnam War to the Afghan War, the US was seemingly repeating its history. Given the similar failures of the US in these wars, the country should have a moment of introspection on its arbitrary military intervention and war-like mentality, and stop interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries and stop undermining the peace and stability of other countries and regions under the banner of the so-called "democracy" and "human rights."

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

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Digital technologies boost rural economy in E Chinas Deqing county

09:29, August 27, 2021 By Dou Hanyang ( People's Daily

Zhang Qiming, a fish farmer in Xigang village, Yuyue township, Deqing county, east Chinas Zhejiang province, shows the fish in his fish pond in front of the camera with a big smile. (Photo courtesy of the information center of Deqing county)

Zhang Qiming, a snakehead fish farmer in Xigang village, Yuyue township, Deqing county, east Chinas Zhejiang province, has achieved an increase in fish yield because of a digital fish, or an artificial intelligence (AI) underwater robot.

The digital fish, with a length of no more than 50 cm, is a small oval device equipped with various sensors. It can help monitor in real time the condition of fish ponds through the Internet of Things (IoT), according to Zhang.

After putting the digital fish into his fish pond and logging in to his account on a mobile app, he can get real-time data on many environmental factors indicating the condition of the fish pond, such as dissolved oxygen in water, pH, and water temperature, and conduct many activities including accurately providing feed for fish and routine inspection as the device provides a panoramic virtual display of the fish pond, Zhang disclosed.

Thanks to the digital fish developed by a research institute, my fish ponds have seen higher yield, Zhang said.

The research institute Zhang mentioned is one established in Sanlin village, Yuyue township by a research team from Zhejiang University for the application of digital technologies in rural areas in 2019.

Successful practices of the institute have been incorporated into a report released by the Center for Informatization Study, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as typical cases of digital technologies empowering rural economy.

Today, more and more living examples of digital technologies boosting rural economy are seen in Deqing county, including the Tsingsky Mogan Mountain Urban Agricultural Park, an urban agriculture complex featuring smart vegetable factory, which has been put into production in the county.

The vegetable factory of the project, which includes functional zones for production, intelligent management and control, seedling cultivation, and storage of equipment, mainly produces a kind of thin-skinned tomato.

Smart technologies used for management and control of our vegetable factory can effectively reduce production cost and improve the quality and yield of products. Its estimated that the annual output of our factory can exceed one million kilograms, 30 to 50 times that achieved through traditional agricultural production mode, said an executive of the company running the vegetable factory.

In recent years, Deqing has actively promoted the in-depth integration of digital technologies into the real economy in rural areas, and constantly driven the emergence of new business forms and models as well as new drivers of economic growth, for which Deqing county has won the honorary title of national model county in promoting the development of agriculture and rural areas through digital technologies.

Meanwhile, digital technologies and e-commerce have also benefited the production and sale of agricultural products in Deqing county, making farming more profitable for local residents.

Chen Zhongliang, a farmer in Yuyue township, is one of the local farmers who have reaped the fruits of digital technologies and e-commerce.

Chen started to run a farm after he graduated from college. As the size of his business grew, the sale of his products became a headache for Chen.

Just when Chen couldnt figure out a solution to his problem, the research institute in Sanlin village launched a training project in 2019, aiming to cultivate rural talents for agricultural innovation by providing training courses on knowledge about digital economy, innovative thinking, and systematic operation and management of live-streaming and short-video platforms. Chen immediately signed up for the training, which helped him find the answer to his problem.

In addition, with the help of the new delivery model jointly developed by the government of Yuyue township, express companies, and e-commerce platforms, the online and offline sales of Chens products have increased significantly. Last year, the man saw the sales volume of his farm surpass four million yuan (about $617,200).

Efforts to accelerate digital transformation in rural areas of China should be focused on two aspects, according to Jiang Qiping, director of the Center for Informatization Study.

On the one hand, China needs to improve and upgrade its digital infrastructure and promote the popularization of relevant facilities in rural areas, and on the other hand, the country should pool the strength of various parties to improve rural workers digital literacy through systematic training, so as to enable farmers to truly take part in the development of the digital era, Jiang said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
China to beef up campus security measures

Xinhua) 09:36, August 27, 2021

Students dash to the entrance of the Xijin She Ethnic Group Primary School in Zhenghe County, east China's Fujian Province, March 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security on Thursday pledged to further tighten security measures on campuses.

By the end of this year, all primary and middle schools across the country will be equipped with full-time security guards, video surveillance and one-click alarm systems, as well as security posts, according to the ministry at a press conference held in Beijing.

Stressing strengthened campus safety before the start of the new semester, the ministry called for more frequent security patrols on and around campuses.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese ambassador to Tonga calls for enhanced COVID-19 vaccine cooperation

Xinhua) 09:39, August 27, 2021

A batch of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines arrives at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 31, 2021. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

China will also strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year, and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme.

SYDNEY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Tonga Cao Xiaolin called on the international community to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine cooperation and conduct the global origins tracing in a scientific way.

In an article published on Matangi Tonga Online on Tuesday, Cao said the COVID-19 infections are still rising around the world, and vaccines matter much to the fight against the virus.

However, outstanding problems such as insufficient vaccine production capacity, inequitable distribution and uneven vaccination still exist globally and the international society needs to work together to fill in the immunisation gap between countries.

The ambassador said China hosted the first meeting of the International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation virtually in a bid to strengthen global cooperation in this regard.

China will also strive to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world throughout this year, and offer 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme.

China will also continue to deepen technology transfer and production capacity cooperation with developing countries, support the WTO in making an early decision on waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines.

Cao said as Chinese Ambassador to Tonga he is glad that Tonga remains one of the very few countries in the world that is still COVID-19 free.

Cao also called for a science-based origins tracing, stressing that no country is entitled to politicizing this scientific issue and use it to attack others.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. must approach China with humility, respect: Singaporean diplomat

Xinhua) 09:45, August 27, 2021

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

NEW YORK, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States should approach China with humility and out of respect for its longer history despite the current obstacles and difficulties, a Singaporean diplomat has said.

"China is not threatening the United States. China is not mounting a military invasion of the United States. China is not sending troops to the U.S. border or naval ships close to the United States," Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean civil servant, career diplomat and academic, said in an article published online by Newsweek on Tuesday.

"China has been around for 5,000 years. The United States has been around for 250 years. And it's not surprising that a juvenile like the United States would have difficulty dealing with a wiser, older civilization," said Mahbubani, who served as a diplomat for Singapore for 33 years.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China on the move to ensure grain production, security

People's Daily Online) 10:01, August 27, 2021

Various localities in China are doing their best to promote stable grain production and step up their ability to ensure food security.

Farmers in Jiangxi province, a major rice production base in the country, have recently been busy harvesting rice. After they reaped rice on their farmland in Kangliang village, Yudu county in the province, their rice grains were instantly loaded onto the trucks of rice dealers.

A farmer harvests wheat in Qianzhuanmen Village of Fucheng County, Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, June 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

Weve entrusted an agriculture company to purchase seedlings and fertilizer, and it also sows seeds and carries out crop protection tasks through the use of drones, having helped us to reduce at least 200 yuan in costs per mu (15 mu equaling one hectare) of land,  said a farmer named Duan Xiaorong.

High-quality seeds are crucial for producing high-quality and high-yield grains. At present, the coverage rate for improved crop varieties in China stands at more than 96 percent and the area of independently bred crop varieties accounts for more than 95 percent.

In Bahu village, Donghai county in east Chinas Jiangsu province, farmers nowadays no longer worry about being able to sell all of their grains because they normally receive orders for their rice grains even before the harvest season begins.

This year, I expanded the rice planting area to more than 1,300 mu because a manufacturing company had signed a contract with me, agreeing to purchase my grains for a unit price 10 percent higher than average, said a farmer named Cao Yuanjin. With their high-quality grains having been sold for higher prices, farmers are now more enthusiastic about growing rice.

Various localities across the country have rolled out promotion activities to increase grain varieties, improve grain quality, and build up their grain brands. Under the framework of the Quality Grain Project campaign launched in 2017, some 389 counties and 1,200 enterprises have been provided with support as model producers of quality grain and edible oil, and a number of relatively well-recognized regional grain brands have emerged.

This year, the planting area for high-quality wheat in Funan county in east Chinas Anhui province has surpassed 300,000 mu. The county has provided six high-quality wheat varieties for farmers to grow, while inviting agricultural companies and grain trading companies to assist farmers in promoting standardized and large-scale farming. Thanks to these efforts, the yield of high-quality summer wheat accounted for 60 percent of the overall summer wheat yield in the county.

Grain storage is also an important guarantee to ensure food production. Since the Quality Grain Project was carried out, the country has established more than 5,400 professional post-production grain service centers to provide cleaning, drying, storage, processing and marketing services for farmers.

This year, Qiao Xiaode, a farmer from Jiaxiang county, east Chinas Shandong province planted 300 mu of corn because he was confidence that the grains would definitely enjoy good sales based on his experience last year.

Last year, even before Qiao started to harvest corn, a local post-production grain service center contacted him and purchased his corn grains. The unit price offered by the grain service center was higher than the average, and in addition to that, no extra cost related to transporting, drying and the storing of the corn was required, the farmer said.

China has established and improved its grain quality and safety inspection and monitoring system, formulating 29,000 technical parameters for food safety inspection, and building more than 1,500 food safety inspection institutions.

Recently, Hechuan district in southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality has started inspecting the quality of newly harvested grains, including rice, corn and rapeseeds. We collected 36 samples of the grains reaped from 15 major grain production bases in the district. Based on the inspection results, we will urge grain trading and storing companies to do their best to ensure food safety, said an official from Hechuan district.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
White-tailed deer, where were you infected with Covid-19?

Ecns.cn) 10:59, August 27, 2021

(Illustration/ Ecns.cn)

(ECNS) -- One-third of white-tailed deer in the northeastern United States, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York, have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2  a sign that they have been infected with the virus, according to a report released by the journal Nature on Aug. 2.

Given the widespread distribution of white-tailed deer in the United States, we have to ask a question: What does this discovery mean?

How did the white-tailed deer get infected with the virus? Was it infected via human, animals or contaminated water? Should the infected white-tailed deer be a source of Covid-19 origin tracing?

As more evidence has come to light, will some U.S. politicians continue ignoring science and playing blame against China?

By the way, the international calls for an investigation into Fort Detrick should be heard and treated.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. spies are wrong about many things, including COVID-19

(CGTN) 11:01, August 27, 2021

Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The daily column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.

Where does the coronavirus come from? While the world's scientists have been laboring to find the answer, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. intelligence community to investigate and find the answer, calling on spies instead of scientific workers to determine the answer of a squarely scientific question.

Unsurprisingly, they were unable to draw a conclusion. According to the latest report, the 90-day COVID-19 investigation ordered by Biden has come up with inconclusive answers. The Washington Post wrote that many scientists have been skeptical about the mission, saying that "the inquiry could require years of research."

Frankly, the U.S. intelligence community's record in this century doesn't elicit enough confidence for people to look to them for answers. It failed to alert the U.S. about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Yet it warned Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that turned out to be imaginary after the U.S. secured Iraq's oil fields. In the most recent case, it has completely failed to prepare the Biden administration for what could happen in Afghanistan after he started pulling the troops out.

Today's U.S. intelligence community is driven by conflicting political agendas and has one of the worst records imaginable in delivering reliable information. Speaking about the COVID-19 origins report, a U.S. official told the Washington Post that the intelligence community is "not necessarily best equipped to solve this problem." The official said although intelligence services are "positioned to collect on a range of foreign actors," they are not necessarily in a position to dive into global health data sets.

A screenshot of the Washington Post article reporting that the intelligence community's 90-day investigation on COVID-19 origins has been inconclusive.

There have been plenty of scientific journal articles on this topic that rebut the lab-leak theory. The journal Cell released a study last week that was written and reviewed by leading experts from around the world and gives in-depth scientific reasons for its conclusions. It finds that "while the possibility of a laboratory accident cannot be entirely dismissed, and may be near impossible to falsify, this conduit for emergence is highly unlikely relative to the numerous and repeated human-animal contacts that occur routinely in the wildlife trade."

A review titled "The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review," written by top scientists from countries, including the U.S., China, Canada, Australia, Austria and the UK, concluded that "the most parsimonious explanation for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic event." And that the lab-leak theory sprang up simply because of "the coincidence that it was first detected in a city that houses a major virological laboratory that studies coronaviruses."

There are many reasons that the U.S. would hope that the intelligence community would provide the "smoking gun" it needs to pin the blame on China for not being careful. It has been taking all sorts of extreme measures to slow China's rise, from the false claims of genocide in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to its vice president's most recent trip to Southeast Asia to drive a wedge between China and its neighbors.

The fact remains that despite promises of "unpublished research" and "classified material," the U.S. has not produced a single scrap of hard evidence for a lab leak theory. There is no ambiguity about where scientific efforts should be directed to discover the origin of COVID-19 and prevent future threats to humanity. The only ambiguity is whether the U.S. wants to continue its deadly game of playing politics with the pandemic or stop America's uncontrollable downward spiral.

Using spies to answer scientific questions is as ridiculous as asking scientists to run espionage operations. Yet, despite its repeated failures, it seems that U.S. politicians trust spies more than they do with scientists. Not surprisingly, they will fail again.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese universities welcome new students with creative memorabilia

People's Daily Online) 13:20, August 27, 2021

Some universities in China have launched creative products to welcome new students, who will soon begin a new school year.

Yunnan Polytechnic College in southwest Chinas Yunnan province has prepared elephant riding licenses for some new students, in the hope of raising awareness on the protection of wild Asian elephants, which are mostly found in the province.

Photo shows elephant riding licenses launched by Yunnan Polytechnic College in southwest Chinas Yunnan province. (Photo courtesy of the official Weibo account of Yunnan Polytechnic College)

The license has the holders basic information on the left-hand side of the page and details about an elephant on the right side. Each elephant has its own local name attached, such as Shaobaogu and Xiaoyangyu, most of which are also names of food, as well as the animals height, color, and food preference.

The license holders are most definitely not allowed to actually ride on top of Asian elephants, as the flagship species found in the rainforest are under A-level state protection in China. Currently, there are only about 300 wild Asian elephants in the province.

College authorities have said that they hope to help students better understand local features and raise awareness in the area of wildlife conservation.

Photo shows camel riding license launched by Lanzhou University in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu province. (Photo courtesy of Lanzhou University)

Similarly, Lanzhou University in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu province, has introduced moon cakes inscribed with a line that reads camel riding license in Chinese for its freshmen, as the Mid-Autumn Festival is now drawing near. It is often mistakenly believed that the university is located in a desert region and that students sometimes travel there by camel. The university has decided to use the label as a kind of self-mockery to encourage students to work hard during the new school year.

Photos shows moon cakes, which are inscribed with a line that reads camel riding license in Chinese, as introduced by Lanzhou University in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu province. (Photo courtesy of Lanzhou University)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Chinese embassy slams Kamala Harris' verbal attacks on China in Vietnam

Xinhua) 14:03, August 27, 2021

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a ceremony celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

"The United States is the real enforcer behind the militarization of the South China Sea and the real manipulator of coercion and bullying," said the statement.

HANOI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam on Thursday released a statement refuting U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' verbal attacks on China during her visit to Vietnam.

Harris instigated Southeast Asian countries to join the United States to raise pressure on China, making it clear that the sole purpose of her visit was to challenge and put pressure on China, which China firmly opposes, the statement read.

The United States disregarded the history and truth about the South China Sea issue, ignored the joint efforts of China and Southeast Asian countries to preserve the peace and stability in the South China Sea, and fabricated the so-called "Chinese threats" in the region, which also made it clear that Washington's real target is the freedom for its warships to run wild in the South China Sea, according to the statement.

This bird eye view shows the scenery of China's Xisha Islands, South China Sea, June 1, 2011. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)

"The United States is the real enforcer behind the militarization of the South China Sea and the real manipulator of coercion and bullying," it said.

China is confident in working with Southeast Asian countries to handle and control differences via dialogues and negotiations and carry out cooperation based on mutual respect to protect the peace and stability of the South China Sea, according to the statement.

Southeast Asian countries will not play to the United States' baton and will not hop onto the United States' anti-China bandwagon, the statement added.

Harris visited Vietnam from Tuesday to Thursday after an official visit to Singapore.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
AU receives Chinese COVID-19 vaccines

Xinhua) 17:11, August 27, 2021

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Commission on Thursday received China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines here in the Ethiopian capital.

The vaccines, donated by the Chinese government, will mainly cover envoys of the AU Commission and African countries in Addis Ababa, said Chen Xufeng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese mission to the AU, at a handover ceremony.

"We hope it will help the AU Commission and African diplomats in Addis Ababa to fight the virus and support the AU to better proceed with its work," he said while the Chinese mission was delivering the doses in the bloc's headquarters, with the presence of senior AU Commission officials.

Chen stressed that since the COVID-19 outbreak, China and Africa have consolidated mutual trust through overcoming difficulties together, during which China provided the continent with much-needed supplies and tens of millions of vaccine doses.

"China has always prioritized African countries in vaccine supply," Chen said, adding that China has so far provided vaccine to 47 African countries and the bloc.

For his part, Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, praised the Chinese government for the timely donation.

"What is important now is how we work together as a globe, as an international community and defeat this pandemic," Adeoye said.

Africa is racing toward a minimum target of vaccinating 60 percent of its population across the continent, or about 750 million people, by 2022.

By Thursday evening, Africa has confirmed 7,627,954 COVID-19 cases, with 191,982 deaths and 6,747,290 recoveries, said Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's Hainan permits road test for self-driving vehicle

Xinhua) 17:15, August 27, 2021

HAIKOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's tropical province of Hainan has issued a permit for testing a self-driving vehicle on certain public roads.

Hainan's first road test license plate was given to E-HS3, an all electric model of Hongqi, an iconic sedan brand owned by China's leading automaker FAW Group, according to the provincial department of industry and information technology.

The vehicle is equipped with four laser radars, an intelligent camera, five millimeter-wave (MMW) radars and multiple high-precision sensors, which can detect anything including pedestrians over 200 meters away, all around the vehicle.

The road test license was issued after multiple reviews by the provincial joint work group of intelligent vehicle road test and demonstration application management. It has been approved by the traffic police department in the city of Qionghai.

Ma Yingbin, general manager of Hainan Tropical Automobile Test Co. Ltd., said new energy vehicles' (NEVs) electronic parts must be able to withstand high heat, humidity and corrosion in the tropical region.

He said the road test license was issued after the vehicle completed testing in a closed test area. It needs to accumulate 10,000 km of open road testing mileage before hitting an open expressway section for testing.

Hainan has approved the use of several open roads for testing self-driving vehicles over a length of 129.2 km, covering the cities of Haikou, Sanya, Wenchang and Qionghai. A section of G9812 Haikou-Qionghai Expressway has been designated for the expressway test.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Central China's World Heritage Site reopens as COVID-19 risk clears

Xinhua) 17:17, August 27, 2021

CHANGSHA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Zhangjiajie, a renowned tourist city in central China's Hunan Province, reopened its first batch of tourist sites, including the core part of Wulingyuan scenic area on the World Natural Heritage List of UNESCO, on Friday morning after a suspension of nearly one month.

Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, the city reopened the core part of Wulingyuan scenic area and scenic areas of Tianmen Mountain and Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, after the whole city of Zhangjiajie was classified as a low-risk area for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

From Aug. 27 to Sept. 30, all tourists can enjoy half-price discounts on tickets for Zhangjiajie's major scenic spots and transportation in scenic areas, like shuttle buses and cable cars.

Zhangjiajie is expected to open all scenic spots before early September 2021.

Zhangjiajie, known for scenic mountains, closed all its tourist sites and upgraded risk levels for COVID-19 on July 30 after the city reported one confirmed locally transmitted case.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Current COVID-19 outbreak in China controlled: health official

Xinhua) 17:19, August 27, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The latest COVID-19 outbreak in China has been controlled, a health official said Friday.

The number of locally-transmitted cases has been declining for 11 consecutive days across the country, Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, told a press conference in Beijing.

As of Thursday, the number of medium- and high-risk areas had dropped to 38, Mi said, calling for more efforts to prevent imported cases and plugging loopholes.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Armed men start leaving Syria's Daraa under new deal

Xinhua) 17:21, August 27, 2021

Local armed men are seen on a bus in Syria's southern province of Daraa, on Aug. 26, 2021. A batch of local armed men from Syria's southern province of Daraa were evacuated on Thursday to the rebel-held areas in northern Syria under a Russian-mediated deal to defuse months-long tension, the state news agency SANA reported. (Str/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A batch of local armed men from Syria's southern province of Daraa were evacuated on Thursday to the rebel-held areas in northern Syria under a Russian-mediated deal to defuse months-long tension, the state news agency SANA reported.

A total of 45 armed men and some of their family members left by buses for northern Syria after they refused to reconcile with the Syrian authorities in Daraa, said the SANA report.

The evacuation is part of a deal to restore security in Daraa, it said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the armed men who were evacuated on Thursday were the second batch.

It said the Syrian authorities wanted 100 armed men to leave Daraa for the rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

On Aug. 24, a 48-hour truce went into force in Daraa to prepare for the evacuation of the armed men. Russian military police entered the neighborhoods in Daraa al-Balad area to prepare for the evacuation.

Following the withdrawal, the Syrian government's institutions will return to Daraa amid efforts to facilitate the return of thousands of people who fled the area.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently placed the number of internally displaced people in Daraa's al-Balad area and surrounding areas in the province at 38,600, including almost 15,000 women and over 20,400 children.

The Syrian army entered Daraa in 2018 after the rebels there were dislodged to the rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib. However, the tension has continued in Daraa with attacks taking place occasionally.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's Ministry of Public Security on Thursday pledged to further tighten security measures on campuses.

By the end of this year, all primary and middle schools across the country will be equipped with full-time security guards, video surveillance and one-click alarm systems, as well as security posts, according to the ministry at a press conference held in Beijing.

Stressing strengthened campus safety before the start of the new semester, the ministry called for more frequent security patrols on and around campuses.




Various localities in China are doing their best to promote stable grain production and step up their ability to ensure food security. Farmers in Jiangxi province, a major rice production base in the country, have recently been busy harvesting rice. After they reaped rice on their farmland in Kangliang village, Yudu county in the province, their rice grains were instantly loaded onto the trucks of rice dealers. Weve entrusted an agriculture company to purchase seedlings and fertilizer, and it also sows seeds and carries out crop protection tasks through the use of drones, having helped us to reduce at least 200 yuan in costs per mu (15 mu equaling one hectare) of land,  said a farmer named Duan Xiaorong. High-quality seeds are crucial for producing high-quality and high-yield grains. At present, the coverage rate for improved crop varieties in China stands at more than 96 percent and the area of independently bred crop varieties accounts for more than 95 percent. In Bahu village, Donghai county in east Chinas Jiangsu province, farmers nowadays no longer worry about being able to sell all of their grains because they normally receive orders for their rice grains even before the harvest season begins. This year, I expanded the rice planting area to more than 1,300 mu because a manufacturing company had signed a contract with me, agreeing to purchase my grains for a unit price 10 percent higher than average, said a farmer named Cao Yuanjin. With their high-quality grains having been sold for higher prices, farmers are now more enthusiastic about growing rice. Various localities across the country have rolled out promotion activities to increase grain varieties, improve grain quality, and build up their grain brands. Under the framework of the Quality Grain Project campaign launched in 2017, some 389 counties and 1,200 enterprises have been provided with support as model producers of quality grain and edible oil, and a number of relatively well-recognized regional grain brands have emerged. This year, the planting area for high-quality wheat in Funan county in east Chinas Anhui province has surpassed 300,000 mu. The county has provided six high-quality wheat varieties for farmers to grow, while inviting agricultural companies and grain trading companies to assist farmers in promoting standardized and large-scale farming. Thanks to these efforts, the yield of high-quality summer wheat accounted for 60 percent of the overall summer wheat yield in the county. Grain storage is also an important guarantee to ensure food production. Since the Quality Grain Project was carried out, the country has established more than 5,400 professional post-production grain service centers to provide cleaning, drying, storage, processing and marketing services for farmers. This year, Qiao Xiaode, a farmer from Jiaxiang county, east Chinas Shandong province planted 300 mu of corn because he was confidence that the grains would definitely enjoy good sales based on his experience last year. Last year, even before Qiao started to harvest corn, a local post-production grain service center contacted him and purchased his corn grains. The unit price offered by the grain service center was higher than the average, and in addition to that, no extra cost related to transporting, drying and the storing of the corn was required, the farmer said. China has established and improved its grain quality and safety inspection and monitoring system, formulating 29,000 technical parameters for food safety inspection, and building more than 1,500 food safety inspection institutions. Recently, Hechuan district in southwest Chinas Chongqing municipality has started inspecting the quality of newly harvested grains, including rice, corn and rapeseeds. We collected 36 samples of the grains reaped from 15 major grain production bases in the district. Based on the inspection results, we will urge grain trading and storing companies to do their best to ensure food safety, said an official from Hechuan district.




A still image of a couple of artificial limbs of a veteran who once fought with Chinese People's Volunteer Army. [Photo provided to China Daily]



More than 70 years ago, millions of youngsters joined the Chinese People's Volunteers to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

Occasionally, director Song Kunru came across a veteran of that war when he was shooting a charity program in Southwest China's Sichuan province in 2018.

Being interested in the idea to record the stories of these war heroes, now mostly in their late 80s and mid-90s, Song alongside his crew took four years to interview nearly 50 veterans, featuring 26 of them in the documentary Remembering 1950.



A veteran glares at an old photo in the documentary Remembering 1950. [Photo provided to China Daily]



The film is set to open across domestic theaters on Sept 3.

For all 26 veterans, the documentary marks their first time sharing their memories of the war on camera, Song revealed.

"I was asked by many people why I have insisted the film must have a theatrical release, as documentaries usually skip cinemas for online or television channels," Song said at the Beijing premiere, held in a downtown cinema on Aug 25.

"But I believe only a silver screen can to help audiences be completely immersed into their stories and capture the nuanced emotional changes on their faces. As a director, it's my own way to show respect to those who have risked their lives to safeguard our country and stop foreign enemies outside our borders," Song added.



The documentary captures the reuniting moment of two female veterans. [Photo provided to China Daily]
BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- In the latest contests of the International Army Games (IAG) 2021, Chinese teams took the lead in seven events including Clear Sky, Safe Environment and Airborne Platoon, and respectively ranked first in two events and second in five.

First in mastery race of Clear Sky

On August 24, the Chinese team competed with teams from Russia, Belarus, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Venezuela in the mastery race of the Clear Sky man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) crews.

The Chinese team took first place with an excellent result of 20 minutes and 20.936 seconds, followed by the Egyptian team with 39 minutes and 15.714 seconds, and the Belarusian team with 41 minutes and 51.042 seconds.

First in individual race of Safe Environment

The Safety Environment contest kicked off in Korla, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on August 25, Beijing time.

In the Safe Environment, each crew consists of three persons. The two Chinese crews are all from a combined brigade of the PLA 81st Group Army.

In the individual race, the Chinese team won the first place with both of the two Chinese crews completing the race with 9 minutes and 12 seconds, Russia and Belarus tied for the second place, and Uzbekistan won the third.

Second in Landing for Accuracy of Airborne Platoon contest

On August 23, Russian time, in the first stage of the Airborne Platoon contest, 22 Chinese airborne soldiers completed multiple tasks, including parachuting, landing, gathering, mustering and rapid march, in the shortest time and won the first place in this stage.

In the subsequent Landing for Accuracy match, 36 paratroopers from 12 participating teams including teams of China, Russia, and Belarus competed on the same stage, and the Chinese participants won the second place in the team competition.

Second place in first stage of Army Scout Masters contest

After competing in multiple items including infiltrating behind enemy lines, getting on and off the helicopter, and 15km forced march, the Chinese team won second place in the first stage of Army Scout Masters contest.

The Army Scout Masters event was held at the Novosibirsk Military Command Academy in Russia this year with participation of 14 countries and regions. This is also the seventh consecutive year that the Chinese military has sent teams to this event.

Second place in Masters of Armored Vehicles

The second stage of the Masters of Armored Vehicles repair crew competition kicked off in Russia on August 24, local time. Three members of the Chinese team worked tacitly and finally won second place.

Teams from five countries, i.e., China, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Egypt, participate in the Masters of Armored Vehicles event this year. The event consists of individual race, competition of the crews of the TTO workshops, competition of captain and team relay.

Second place in relay race of Seaborne Assault

In the relay race of Seaborne Assault on August 24, after more than six hours of fierce competition, Russia, China and Iran won the top three places.

Second in simulated equipment operation contest of Military Medical Relay Race

The simulated equipment operation contest of the Military Medical Relay Race event kicked off at the Forish training ground in Jizzax Province of Uzbekistan on August 24, local time.

Fu Fei, a female military doctor of the Chinese participating team, won the second place after nearly-one-day competition.
By Chen Yang

Flags of the EU fly in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

In a recent interview with French news agency AFP, the foreign policy chief of the EU Josep Borrell argued that what happens in Afghanistan now proves Europe the needs to develop a military capability independent of the US. He also promised to "propose to give the Union a 50,000-strong expeditionary force, capable of acting in circumstances like we're seeing in Afghanistan."

This is yet another of Europe's hindsight reflections since the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. It is also another promise to build up the European defense integration. But even the Ukrainian crisis, which is still simmering in Europe, has failed to promote the further development of defense integration. So how big is the chance that an issue thousands of kilometers away from Europe will help achieve a similar goal?

It is undeniable that various scenes of utter chaos in Afghanistan have stimulated Europe strongly. European media are now filled with outrage, worries and even fears. In the eyes of Europeans, the pullout of US forces is a dogmatic and selfish move because it lacked any accurate information or thoughtful plan. Moreover, Washington didn't even communicate and consult with its allies. Armin Laschet, the conservative candidate for German chancellor, described the Afghan crisis as "the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding."

However, at the same time, the lack of military capacity in Europe has left Europeans frustrated. Europe has faced obstacle after obstacle during the evacuations from Afghanistan due to its inadequacy of information and controlling power over airports and their security. The EU has deeply felt the geopolitical difference with the US regarding the Afghan issue. Clearly, Afghanistan is important to Brussels' security but of little value to Washington.

What's worse, Afghan Taliban's victory marks the drastic changes in Afghanistan where the West has put so much effort all these years. It not only highlights the failure of the export of Western-style democracy, but also proves that the slogan "America is back" is only for show.

A new era of competition between the great powers is approaching. At such a historical point, it is blind and dangerous to put safety in the hands of someone else, especially the untrustworthy ones. "The Europeans don't have a choice. We must organize ourselves to deal with the world as it is and not the world that we dream of," Borrell pointed out. Therefore, the proposal of enhancing European military capacity after the Afghan crisis is the natural extension of European strategic autonomy.

In fact, Europeans have made many efforts to construct the security integration in Europe in recent years. This has transpired under the pressure of the regional security situation, and the urging of strategic autonomy. For instance, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the European Intervention Initiative in 2017. Now 13 countries in Europe have joined this project, which is a step closer to the establishment of the "European army." In 2020, the EU also started to develop a Strategic Compass for security and defense. The program aims to operationalize the EU's strategic autonomy, refine its level of ambition and better link its strategic, operational and capability needs. The Compass is expected to be adopted by the first half of 2022.

This series of actions has achieved some breakthroughs in terms of the EU's defense integration. Indeed, this is making the integrating process flourish. However, there are still some quite obvious shortages in the EU's construction of European defense capacity. Europe's progress in the development and installation of new military weapons is more in name than in reality. The same is true for the coordination and improvement of the intelligence system.

This is mainly because NATO has been playing a leading role in Europe's defense. In this respect, the security of Europe has been relying on the arrangement of the US. In addition, each country in Europe has a different direction regarding the development of defense ability. Thus, it is far more difficult to reach an agreement in areas that are not so sensitive. Smaller Eastern European countries have a deep-rooted distrust of powers in West Europe in security issues. In conclusion, the EU's defense construction is more about symbolic cooperation than making substantive progress.

In the face of constant crises, it is hard for the EU to concentrate on a challenging and ineffective cause due to the characteristics of the EU mechanism. This includes the defense buildup. In other words, the EU will face many structural challenges if it wants to change its image of a "military worm." Although the Afghan issue is already included in the EU's vision of global security, we still need to wait and see if Borrell's bold, visionary words can become a reality.

The author is deputy director of Institute of European Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
By Cui Hongjian

Photo taken on July 8, 2021 shows military vehicles abandoned by U.S. forces at the Bagram Airfield base after all U.S. and NATO forces evacuated in Parwan province, eastern Afghanistan.(Photo: Xinhua)

When US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied the US' messy withdrawal from Afghanistan by saying "This is not Saigon," he might be right - the US' performance in Afghanistan is even worse than it did in Vietnam 46 years ago.

The US has lost its own face in Afghanistan. It is also facing the collective shame of the Western world caused by accusations against each other among NATO allies. The chaotic scenes of the US withdrawal have been rapidly recorded and put on the internet. Such visual impact on the audience far exceeds that in Vietnam, which mainly relied on words and photography.

As the leader of NATO allies in Afghanistan, the US military controlled the most important military and civilian resources. The US' chaos has made it difficult for allies to withdraw in an orderly manner as well. While mocking the US, many NATO allies have also criticized their own government. To deal with public opinion, these NATO allies have directed criticism at the Biden administration and NATO agencies. Passing the buck to each other has made the US and NATO even more shameful.

How to evaluate the NATO and West's achievements and losses in Afghanistan? How to deal with the follow-up problems after being swept out of the country? This has become an extremely troublesome matter. It may become another topic that tear up the relations between US allies.

In the Vietnam War that also lasted 20 years, the US put smaller scale of investment - about $250 billion (the equivalent of more than $1 trillion today). By contrast, the fact that Taliban rapidly swept the entire Afghanistan and occupied Kabul indicates that the US' efforts on counterterrorism and nation-building over two decades in Afghanistan, which involved 110,000 US troops and more than $2 trillion investment, are in vain.

If Washington could achieve a dignified and orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, it would to some extent satisfy its NATO allies that have followed the US into war with heavy investments and casualties. But the hasty and chaotic evacuation has amplified NATO allies' cost.

Not only has a great deal of investment been spent with no return, the influence of the US and Europe on Afghanistan has been eliminated. But European countries will also soon have to worry about the prospect of a flood of refugees. Instead of addressing the Afghan issue, the US has created a new and bigger problem. This is not only the realistic cause for the current spat between Europe and the US. It will also become a long-term heavy shadow over the Western alliance system.

To make matters worse, the hasty withdrawal has shaken the confidence of Western allies toward the US, which may disrupt the pace at which the Biden administration reinvigorates US alliance systems.

The "America First" policy of the Trump administration shook the Western alliance system. At that time, what the West mainly concerned was US' willingness to lead the world would drop. But in regard of US' capability, especially its military strength, the West was still confident.

So after the Biden administration decided to revive the alliances and return to multilateralism to show US' leadership in the world, many Western countries gave the US a positive response to seek US security protection. They even follow Washington's steps to confront China and Russia. However, the indecent, chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, has highlighted the failure of US intervention policy.

It has also revealed some of the country's major problems. This includes misjudgment, mis-coordination, inaccurate intelligence and low morale in the US diplomatic and military departments. US allies in the West will have to redefine their interests, and rethink their relationship with the US. As a result, the voices in European countries advocating for strategic autonomy have recently grown louder again.

As US Western allies are questioning its capabilities and seeking more autonomy on policy, Washington's plan for a strategic shift and great power competition by withdrawing from Afghanistan has appeared unreasonable and powerless without support.

Washington is determined to maintain its global hegemony, and it has treated Afghanistan as a discarded chess piece and local human lives as if they were nothing. But unlike the US, most Western countries care more about their own interests and are concerned about "humanitarian crises" including the problem of refugees. But for now, they have discovered that after Washington has made the situation worse, there is more room to advance these interests and deal with their concerns through dialogue and cooperation with Beijing and Moscow.

The author is director of the Department of European Studies, China Institute of International Studies.
BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- China will send troops to participate in the "Peace Mission 2021" joint anti-terrorism military exercise attended by militaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, according to a written statement released by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Friday.

The exercise will be held at the Donguz training ground in Orenburg Oblast, Russia from September 11 to 25.

The exercise is a routine one within the framework of the SCO, which aims to deepen the defense and security cooperation among SCO member states, improve their ability to respond to new challenges and threats, and jointly maintain regional peace and security.

The Chinese participating troops will be mainly from the PLA Northern Theater Command, with more than 550 service members and 130 vehicles and equipment involved.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the SCO. Defense departments of the SCO member states have strengthen strategic mutual trust and promoted pragmatic cooperation, in particular, created multiple military cultural brands, such as the "Peace Mission" military exercise and the "Peace Horn" military band festival.

The SCO has developed into an important constructive force in international and regional affairs, and has played an active role in maintaining world peace and regional stability, the statement said.
By Yang Tianhao, Xiao Juanjuan, Zhang Ke and Wu Haiyan

On the morning of July 1, 2021, a grand ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Department of International Training (DIT) of the Army Engineering University of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) invited junior and senior foreign cadets majoring in communications engineering to watch the live telecast of the ceremony. Some foreign cadets expressed their excitement about witnessing this historical moment and shared their feelings about the glorious journey the CPC has traveled over the past 100 years.



Military aircraft fly in echelons ahead of a grand gathering celebrating the Communist Party of China (CPC) centenary in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Jianli)





The Chinese Uniformity Based on Training

The picture of helicopters and fighters flying neatly across the sky forming numbers 100 and 71 is very shocking! This requires the pilots superb skills and sustained training, which is an embodiment of the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army, said Javier, a cadet from the Republic Equatorial Guinea.

I was impressed by the scene of the Guard of Honor of the PLA escorting Chinas national flag. The 222-member phalanx marched uniformly, and the movements of gunners in the gun salute unit were uniform too. This should be what soldiers look like, Malian student Semega said. Neatness and uniformity of the team indicates their hard work and persistence, they must have practiced many times. Just as a Chinese proverb says, One minute on the stage needs ten years practice off stage, this is not easy. Our student team leaders often remind us to pay attention to our appearance and bearing in daily life, including how to put the hem of clothes, how to tie the belt, and so on. These small matters remind us that we are soldiers.

Guinean second lieutenant Camara was touched by the part of the youth representatives delivering a congratulatory message at the ceremony, they are about our age and are all students, but they are very energetic! It shows the can-do spirit of Chinese youth, we can see that they must have rehearsed very attentively, Chinese youth are very confident. And not only the youth, but all the people attending the ceremony agree very much with what President Xi said and keep clapping, so I guess Chinese people are also very confident in their history and culture, and it may be this confidence that has brought them to where they are today. "
By Wang Peng

From the beginning of this year, the US military has conducted multiple military exercises centered on the Pacific region one after another, represented by the Northern Edge 21 and Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021. The major scenario of these exercises is to get prepared for large-scale operations with China and Russia as potential targets.

From May 3 to 14, the joint exercise Northern Edge 21 took place in Alaska. Organized by United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and led by the Air Force in cooperation with the Army, Marines and Navy, this exercise has involved a total of 15,000 troops, more than 240 combat aircraft including stealth fighter F-35A, combat fighter F-15, strategic bomber B-52 and UAV MQ-9 Reapers, as well as 6 warships including the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

In this exercise, the US military focused on representative subjects in high-intensity warfare, such as the employment of hypersonic kill chain, anti-jam and anti-decoy capabilities of the GPS, and integration of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft . In particular, the Agile Combat Employment (ACE), a newly proposed operational concept by the US Air Force, has been tested in the exercise, and markedly targeted "high-end opponents".

The LSE 2021, which has been held from August 3 to 16, also highlighted the US Navy and Marine Corps strategic intention on the large-scale operations. It involved multiple US military bases deployed in the US, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific, with the second, third, sixth, seventh, and tenth fleets of the US Navy and 3 expeditionary strike groups of the US Marine Corps included, totaling approximately 36 live units and over 50 virtual units joining the exercise. The exercise covers 25,000 participants across 17 time zones, as well as aircraft carriers, submarines, fighters, unmanned vessels that can rank top both in terms of the scale and scope in the history of the US Navy.

In the LSE 2021, the verification of several new operational concepts was conducted for the first time through the combination of virtual systems and real forces in this actual combat exercise, especially aiming to test the long-range operations of the US Navy in conflicts with Russia or other major powers. The US military plans to hold the LSE every three years in the future as scheduled, and continue to expand the scale of the exercise to get more US allies and partner countries involved.

The core purpose of these frequent large-scale exercises conducted by the US military is but to make strategic adjustments to the deployment of US troops in resisting China, which has been reflected in the exercises of the US Navy, Army and Air Forces.

According to the report from the US Pacific Fleet website on June 4 that a third of the US Pacific Submarine Force was dispatched to participate in the Exercise Agile Dagger 2021. The submarines involved quickly left the Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam (JBPHH) in a short period, demonstrating its agility and lethality in maneuvering deployment.

The US Army held the Exercise Forager 21 in Guam from July 11 to August 6. This exercise involving about 4,000 participants aims to test and improve the US Armys ability in deploying ground forces to the Pacific, implementing command and control, and conducting multi-domain warfare with high efficiency.

According to the Stars and Stripes' website, in mid-July, the United States National Guard of Air Force based in Hawaii held Pacific Iron 2021. The exercise involved a total of more than 35 combat aircraft and 800 troops, including 25 F-22 fighter jets from Hawaii and Alaska, and centered on 3 airports in Guam and 1 airport in Tinian. The US media believed that Pacific Iron 2021 is a PACAF dynamic force employment operation to project forces to the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of USINDOPACOM.

Strategic deterrence against China has been the top priority in the US strategic actions. Joint exercises and joint training based on military alliances act as an important form in the US military's strategic deterrence against China in the Pacific region. This is especially in the current unfavorable situation where the US military has withdrawn from Afghanistan in a hurry and strategic image get severely ruined. Relying on its military alliances of multiple countries is an important method for its strategic game with "potential opponents" in the Pacific.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on China Youth Daily, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- The International Army Games (IAG) 2021 has a total of 34 events in 11 countries. Currently, the fierce competition of a number of events is underway. From 6 p.m. on August 25 to 6 p.m. on August 26, the PLA participating teams won first place in stage 3 of the Masters of Armored Vehicles event, second place in stage 2 of the Army Scout Masters event, third place in stage 2 obstacle course of the Seaborne Assault event and second places in two competitions of Medical Relay Race event.

China took first place in the stage 3 captain race of Masters of Armored Vehicles

The stage 3 captain contest of Masters of Armored Vehicles was held in Voronezh Oblast, Russia on August 25, local time. The Chinese participant Xiang Yuedong drove the vehicle through the complicated obstacles, while shooting downrange, and finally won the first place of this race.

China took two second places in the Medical Relay Race event

The obstacle race for medics and drivers in the "Military Medical Relay Race" of the IAG 2021 kicked off at the Forish training ground in Jizzax Province of Uzbekistan on August 25, local time. Nine teams from eight countries competed fiercely. Finally, the Chinese team won second place in the female medics group and second place in the drivers group.

China took third place in obstacle race of Seaborne Assault

The stage 2 obstacle race of Seaborne Assault kicked off in Vladivostok, Russia, at 10 a.m. on August 25, local time. After nearly four hours competition, all the three Chinese marine squads ranked within top six. Among them, the 2nd squad won the third place.

China took second place in the stage 2 race of Army Scout Masters

The stage 2 scout professional competition of the Army Scout Masters event was held at the training ground of the Novosibirsk Military Command Academy in Russia on August 25, local time.The Chinese participants took first place in two competitions and ranked second in this stage thanks to their stable performance.
Speaking about the first blast, a senior Taliban source confirmed to VOA that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in an area where a large number of people, including women, were present.

Earlier Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the first explosion Thursday at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport was "the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian injuries." Kirby said a second explosion occurred at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate.

The attack outside the Kabul airport hit near where thousands of people have been gathering in an effort to leave the country after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

McKenzie said a gunfight occurred after the bombings, but that evacuation flights were continuing. "We continue to execute our number one mission, which is to get as many evacuees and citizens out of Afghanistan," McKenzie said during the briefing. "ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing the mission," he said, using an acronym for the militant group.

U.S. General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said during a Pentagon news briefing that 12 U.S. troops -- 11 Marines and one Navy medic -- were killed and 15 others injured. Later Thursday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, its news agency reported on its Telegram channel.

Two explosions near the Kabul airport on Thursday killed U.S. military personnel and Afghans who were gathering there in an effort to flee the country. At least 60 Afghans were killed and another 143 were wounded, according to an Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was quoted by the Associated Press.

The explosions came hours after Western governments had warned of the threat of a terror attack at the airport and said those gathered in the area who were seeking evacuation from the country should move to a safe location. Biden met with his security team to discuss the recent events. "He will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation throughout the day," the White House said.

Following the blast, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said, "U.S. citizens should avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates. Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate or North Gate now should leave immediately."

Several of those wounded Thursday arrived at Kabul's Emergency Hospital, run by an international nongovernmental organization that treats victims of war and land mines. Afghan news channels tweeted pictures of civilians transporting their wounded in wheelbarrows.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Wednesday that the United States had seen a potential threat from the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan. "It's hard to overstate the complexity and the danger of this effort," Blinken said at the State Department. "We're operating in a hostile environment in a city and country now controlled by the Taliban, with the very real possibility of an ISIS-K attack. We're taking every precaution, but this is very high-risk."

The United States is pledging to continue efforts to extricate Americans, U.S. permanent residents, allies and other vulnerable Afghans, even if it means going past the end-of-the-month deadline for American forces to leave Afghanistan.

There is "no deadline in getting out Americans and Afghans who want to leave past August 31," Blinken said. "They will not be forgotten," Blinken emphasized as he responded to reporters' questions. "And as I said, we will use every diplomatic, economic assistance tool at our disposal to pressure the Taliban to let people leave the country."

The White House said Thursday that since Aug. 14, the United States has evacuated or helped evacuate about 95,700 people on U.S. military and coalition flights. Throughout Wednesday at the State Department, the Pentagon and the White House, officials continued to rebut criticism about chaos at the gates of Kabul's airport. "We're on track to have the largest U.S. airlift in history. And I think that speaks for itself," Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told reporters.

As many as 1,500 American civilians remain in Afghanistan. There were about 6,000 Americans in Afghanistan on Aug. 14, according to Blinken, when Taliban insurgents took military control of the country and evacuations began. But since then, he said, at least 4,500 Americans have been airlifted out of the country, including 500 in th past day.

About 10,000 people hoping to escape the country were crammed into the airport in Kabul, according to U.S. officials who said a total of 90 U.S. military and international flights had flown from Kabul in the past day. It "will not be an American responsibility" to control security at the airport after Aug. 31, according to Pentagon spokesperson Kirby.
A Taiwanese company, TiSPACE, plans to launch Australia's first commercial rocket later this year. The rocket is called Hapith, which means "flying squirrel" in a Taiwanese Indigenous language.

So far, no specific date for the rocket's launch has been given. However, officials say an experimental flight is planned this year from a private facility on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Official approval was granted by the Australian government this week.

Developers hope the vehicle will reach outer space, at least 100 kilometers above sea level, before falling back to Earth, over the sea. The rocket's data, navigation and propulsion systems will be scrutinized.

James Brown, the chief executive of the Space Industry Association of Australia, said it will be a significant mission.

"This is the first, sort of, major rocket launch in about 40 years for Australia," he said. "So, this is a rocket that is about 10 meters high, it's got two stages, it'll be launched from South Australia out over the ocean and it will get to about 100 kilometers high. It is basically testing this Taiwanese technology, which is a rocket built around a hybrid engine, and if that works well, if it is all safe, if its all reliable, then the plan is for this company to come back and launch a bigger rocket that is about 20 meters high that can carry up to 400 kilograms worth of satellite payload into space, so it is a really exciting development for the industry."


U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris raised human rights issues with Vietnamese leaders during a visit aimed at bolstering strategic ties with the country, she said in Hanoi on Thursday.

Harris said she specifically discussed the release of political dissidents but did not disclose the results, saying only at a news conference the U.S. must "continue to speak up, when necessary, about human rights issues."

Vietnam has been the target of global criticism for limiting free speech, a free press and clamping down on those it considers political dissidents. "We're not going to shy away from difficult conversations," Harris said.
Dongyang University on Thursday dismissed former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife Chung Kyung-shim from her teaching post in the English faculty after she was convicted of forgery and financial misconduct.

She is still entitled to her pension.

Chung took unpaid leave in September 2019, when suspicions grew that she forged documentation for her daughter Cho Min's application to medical school.

Dongyang asked Chung whether she wanted to extend her leave, which expires at the end of August, but she said she would let the university decide.

An appellate court earlier this month upheld Chung's four-year jail sentence, and Pusan National University decided on Tuesday to revoke her daughter's admission to medical school.

Meanwhile, Cho Kuk's brother Cho Kwon was sentenced the same day to three years in jail over rampant corruption at a private school foundation the family run.

Prosecutors had appealed a one-year sentence he was handed late last year for selling test questions to teacher candidates in the school's recruitment process. The court of first instance, which allegedly had a sympathetic judge, let him off on other charges.

He got off with the same or lighter sentences than his two accomplices even though he was the prime mover in the racket, and has been out on bail since March. But the Seoul High Court on Thursday found him guilty of more of the original charges, including helping the two accomplices flee the country, embezzlement and violating the labor law.

It upheld the original fine of W147 million (US$1=W1,170).
Around Washington these days, the only topic of conversation is the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many believe that it will set off repercussions around the world among U.S. allies who worry whether they can trust its security commitments, not least in South Korea.

The amount of materiel and human resources the U.S. invested over four presidencies in Afghanistan is phenomenal. According to the Costs of War Project, the U.S. has spent $2.26 trillion, including $815.7 billion on the military costs of fighting the war, and over $80 billion to train Afghan security forces which have crumbled like a house of cards. Another $36 billion was spent on reconstruction projects. Some 2,442 U.S. troops have been killed and 20,666 wounded in the war and $296 billion in medical costs has been spent on veterans of the war.

One would expect that with the scale of investment, the U.S. would not see a cut and run strategy as feasible as it would represent an astounding failure of policy. Yet the decision by the Biden administration to withdraw on the 20th anniversary of the invasion was defended with a political conviction that would impress many unilateralists.

But how will this U.S. withdrawal will affect the U.S.' commitment to South Korea? Some expected a pullout if former President Donald Trump won a second term, but they did not expect such a response under Biden, and now they are worried that if the U.S. can pull up such deep stakes in Afghanistan, then what is to prevent it from doing the same in South Korea?

There are three important reasons why no immediate conclusions should be drawn from Afghanistan. First, there is no better measure than success. Afghanistan, by most metrics, has not been a successful engagement. This is certainly the personal view of Biden and the view of most analysts. It fit the definition of a "quagmire" -- that is, the scale of investments itself entrapped the U.S. in a never-ending spiral of more problems and more money.

By contrast, South Korea is a shining success of U.S. security commitments. It has not only deterred a second North Korean invasion, but also created new equities that benefit both allies in all sorts of areas like climate, green growth, global health, development assistance, emerging technologies, and supply chain resilience, as evidenced by the recent summit between presidents Biden and Moon Jae-in.

Second, Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan is based on a deeply held view of the futility of the U.S. commitment -- a view that he certainly does not have with regard to South Korea. When the Obama administration in 2009 considered surging 17,000 additional troops in Afghanistan, then-Vice President Biden, according to press reports, was one of the strongest opponents because he believed that the U.S. inherited a situation where it had lost sight of its strategic goals and was now just throwing more money and resources at the problem.

Biden believed that the invasion of Afghanistan was necessary to remove the Taliban, but he thought the U.S. lost focus on the mission there once it opened a second front in Iraq, and that this then allowed the Taliban to regroup. Biden was also skeptical that the U.S. could engage in successful nation-building in Afghanistan since it did not have a reliable counterpart to work with in the country. Finally, he did not believe that the Taliban posed a homeland security threat.

But with regard to South Korea he certainly does not have these high levels of skepticism. On the contrary, his decision to invite Moon as one of his first state guests to the White House demonstrated the value he places on the relationship and the longevity of the security commitment.

Third, the question "Will the U.S. pull out of South Korea after Afghanistan?" is based on a false premise. On the contrary, the Afghan pullout means that the U.S. is better able to stay in South Korea. Biden's thinking is that he no longer wants the U.S. to be tied down in this quagmire but free up U.S. resources and political attention for other issues and areas of the world. Biden said as much when he noted that he would not hand an unfinished war in Afghanistan to the next U.S. president. One of the areas of critical strategic focus for Biden is rejuvenating U.S. alliances around the world, as well as the pivot to Asia. South Korea sits at the intersection of both of these priorities.

China has mocked the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as another example of declining U.S. hegemony. Nothing could be further from the truth. Afghanistan is a sign of a U.S. strategic reorientation that aims to consolidate strength and rebuild American globalism in support of the liberal international order from which allies like South Korea has benefited so handsomely.


City to build 20 leading Internet enterprises

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-08-28 07:24

Shanghai is to create 20 new-generation leading Internet enterprises to promote industrial digitalization, said the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization.

Since the 23 measures of the citys online new economy plan were unveiled in April 2020, 12 fields of the online new economy, including online healthcare and fresh produce e-commerce, have seen rapid development, with major projects of Meituan, Bilibili and ByteDance completed, said Wu Jincheng, director of the Commission.

Wu introduced a report on Shanghais high-end industrial development at a meeting on August 25 with the Standing Committee of the 15th Shanghai Municipal Peoples Congress. In 2020, the citys above-scale industrial added value accounted for 25% of its GDP, fulfilling the goal of Shanghais 13th Five-Year Plan.

By 2035, leading industries (integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence) will play more important roles in high-end industrial development, and key industrial clusters in such fields as electronic information, life and health, autos, high-end equipment, advanced materials, and fashionable consumer goods will be promoted.

What are the bottlenecks facing the citys high-end industries? To solve stuck neck technology, more attention should be paid to basic research, according to Wu. There is still a lack of leading and innovative enterprises with international competitiveness, while the leading and driving effects of top companies have not been fully utilized.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Woburn, MA (01801)

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..

Tonight

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.
MURPHYSBORO, Ill.  What could be more American than apple pie? Maybe an apple pie contest.

Its one of the most popular events at the Murphysboro Apple Festival, which draws an estimated 45,000 people each year. The four-day event will be held Sept. 15-18 this year.

Tonya Walker is in her eighth year coordinating the apple pie and apple butter competitions. Amateur bakers are serious about it. The pie competition draws 70 to 80 entrants.

It grows every year, she said.

The festival  billed as the oldest and largest alcohol-free event in southern Illinois  marks its 70th anniversary this year. It has been going strong since its debut in 1952 as a one-day celebration of the regions fruit industry. Apple production was strong in the mid-20th century, with a regional processing plant and rail spur that took the fruit to markets in Chicago and beyond.

While there is still a sizable commercial apple and peach industry in southern Illinois, competition from Michigan, Washington and from overseas has bitten into production. Still, hundreds of acres of apples are grown every year.

The pie contest has three divisions: traditional, non-traditional and youth. Traditional pies are ones made with typical ingredients  apples, crust and flavorings such as brown sugar and cinnamon. Non-traditional pies include those with something special.

A non-traditional pie may be made with pecans in it or red hots, or something out of the norm, Walker said. Weve had caramel apple pie. And one thing I find is different but apparently something a lot of people do is put cheese in an apple pie.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

A panel of judges  many of whom have experience in the food service industry  look for several factors in deciding how to rate the entries, which are numbered so that the bakers remain anonymous.

You consider appearance, if the pie is of good workmanship, Walker said. You want the crust to be brown, not burnt. You have to rate it on how it looks, like if its flat on one side and high on the other. Also, we consider flakiness, and whether there is a good consistency to the filling. Weve had some doozies, some that were stuck to the pan because it spilled or boiled over.

In the end, the proof of the pudding  or pie, in this case  is the taste, of course. But this year Walker instituted an extra category to reward showmanship.

I noticed people bringing in literal works of art, she said. In 2019 a lady had the most beautiful pie Ive seen. She made an apple tree that had individual leaves and everything. That pie was absolutely gorgeous.

That same year somebody made a Captain Applesauce pie, resembling the roly-poly mascot of the festival.

A youth category was added a few years ago, after a local 4-H leader started a cooking class for her chapter. Now it is nearly as big as the regular pie contest. Another component is an apple butter competition.

Winners and those who place second, third and fourth receive cash prizes in addition to ribbons. The sweet treats are then sold, with the top finishers auctioned.

People are lined up to buy those pies, Walker said. There have been years when the first-place pie got $100.
(The Center Square)  The Pentagon said Thursday there are more than 1,000 Americans who have still not been evacuated from the country and that more terrorist attacks in the area are expected.

This news came in response to an attack outside the Kabul airport, where gunfire and bombings led to several casualties. General Kenneth McKenzie spoke at the Pentagon briefing, where he confirmed that 12 U.S. service members had been killed and another 15 wounded.

Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens, nationals, special immigrant visa holders, embassy staff, and Afghans at risk, McKenzie said. Despite the attack, we are continuing the mission. There are approximately 5,000 documents awaiting airlift. We have evacuated more than  over 66,000 from the United States and 37,000 by our allies. That includes bringing out about 5000 Americans.

McKenzie said military leaders expect those attacks by the Islamic State in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, to continue, and that the Taliban is actually assisting with security against ISIS.

The threat from ISIS is very real, he said. We have been talking about this for several days. We saw it actually manifest itself here the last few hours with an actual attack. We believe it's is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect the attacks to continue. We are doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks.

Military personnel have screened more than 104,000 people attempting to evacuate the country.

Yesterday, we brought in over 500 American citizens, McKenzie said. It would be difficult to overestimate a number of unusual challenges and demands our forces on the ground face. The threats to our forces particularly from ISIS is real, as we have seen.

President Joe Biden, in an address early Thursday evening, called the American service members who were killed "heroes."

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

As for the attackers, he said: "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay."

Former Trump administration national security adviser H.R. McMaster told Yahoo News that Biden should reverse course on the U.S. evacuation deadline.

What we saw today is just the beginning, McMaster said. We are going to see horrible image after horrible image.  Were going to confront the steady drumbeat of horrors inflicted on the Afghan people. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to give a damn?"

The attacks came after the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan issued a public warning that Americans should not gather outside the Kabul airport. The Taliban has reportedly been harassing and attacking those attempting to access the airport and has publicly said they do not want Afghan nationals to leave the country.

Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so, the embassy said.

Other nations are coordinating with the U.S. and working to keep as many safe as possible.

Our primary concern remains the safety of our personnel, British citizens and the citizens of Afghanistan, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence said. We are in close contact with our US and other NATO allies at an operational level on the immediate response to this incident.
(The Center Square)  The chairman of the Indiana Senates education committee said this week he doesnt think the state legislature will look at banning school mask mandates this year.

Its a local decision right now. So, its up to local school boards, unless theres a mandate from the state or a local official, said Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond.

And even that may not be enough. Senate Bill 5, Raatz points out, which was passed and became law in Indiana this year, requires a county health order issued during a declared emergency be approved by a county commission before it can take effect.

On Monday, Raatz chaired a study committee hearing in Indianapolis that looked at the drop in ILEARN test scores, which appeared to show much larger drops for schools in urban areas, where more schools were online last year, as opposed to in-person.

The divide was urban versus rural.

I suspect the mask piece will follow pretty much along those same lines, Raatz told The Center Square.

And that seems to be the case.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

Almost all of the school districts in the state that are in cities are requiring kids to wear masks in schools  Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Gary, Hammond, Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, Bloomington, Lafayette, Muncie, Terre Haute and Evansville.

School boards in some smaller cities like Mishawaka and Elkhart have also voted to require masks in schools in recent days amid an increasing number of kids testing positive for COVID-19.

Amid an outcry from parents opposed to mask mandates, Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, said he supported local school corporations making their own decisions on whether to make kids wear masks in schools.

I think the schools that are putting mask mandates into place are making a wise decision when the facts warrant it, Holcomb said earlier this month.

In Carmel, two children were suspended from school last week after their mother requested a religious exemption from mask-wearing for them and was denied. The mother, Jackie OKeefe, met with school district staff, and the children were allowed back into the school after getting mouth shields that they could comfortably wear.

OKeefe and other parents protested outside the last school board meeting, which had been moved to 8 a.m. on a Monday, with no public comment period.

In Owen County, the local health officer rescinded her order that all students wear masks in schools after a citizen pointed out that the mandate had not been voted on by the county commission. The school district is now mask-optional.
AUBURN  After serving in the Indiana legislature since 1989, Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, will not run for re-election in 2022.

The reason is deeply personal  his wife, Kay.

Shes been suffering with cancer the last couple of years.  She said whatever time she has left here on the earth, she wants to spend it with me, Kruse said at a news conference Friday in Kruse Plaza south of Auburn, a building co-owned by his son, John.

Mrs. Kruse watched from the front row of chairs set up for the event, surrounded by other family members.

Weve done the things we wanted to do, including extensive travel in the U.S. and Europe throughout their marriage, Sen. Kruse, 74, said. We are content, staying home in the same house weve been in for 52 years.

Kruses public career will span more than 40 years when he retires at the end of the 2022 legislative session. He began as trustee of Jackson Township in southern DeKalb County from 1982-1989, then served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1989-2004 and the Indiana Senate since 2004.

Its been my privilege and honor to be able to serve the people here in Allen and DeKalb counties, he said. At times, his legislative districts also included portions of Steuben and LaGrange counties.

Announcing his decision now will give people time to launch their 2022 campaigns for his Senate District 14 seat, Kruse said. The district includes the eastern three-fourths of DeKalb County and most of eastern Allen County.

I have a couple of very good people who I think are going to announce pretty soon that theyre going to run.  I have an inkling there might be more, Kruse said.

Both of the potential candidates he mentioned, East Allen County school board member Ron Turpin and Dr. Tyler Johnson of Parkview DeKalb Hospital, attended Kruses news conference. Afterward, Kruse said he has been meeting for discussions to encourage both men. Turpin announced later Friday that he will declare his candidacy Monday at 10 a.m. in Leo-Cedarville Town Park.

Turpin and Kruse share a connection. Turpin now serves as chief financial officer and head of civic engagement for Ambassador Enterprises. Kruse was working for its predecessor, Ambassador Steel, in 1989 when state Rep. Orville Moody, R-Angola, died, creating a vacancy that Kruse was elected to fill.

The death of state Sen. Charles Bud Meeks, R-LaGrange, in 2004 led to Kruses election to fill the Senate District 14 seat. It took four ballots for a Republican caucus to select Kruse over four rivals.

Since joining the Senate, Kruse has been re-elected four times with no opposition in either the primary or general elections. He faced only three opponents  in 1992, 1996 and 1998  during his years in the Indiana House.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

I appreciate the people putting their trust in me all these years. Its been a humbling experience, he said.

Kruse began his legislative career as a member of the minority party  with the House speaker often ignoring his attempts to be heard  during 13 of his 15 years in the lower chamber.

In the Senate, Kruse saw Republicans grow from a majority to a supermajority, a change he attributes to southern Indiana flipping from Democratic to Republican.

He served three years as chairman of the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee, then became chairman of the influential Senate Committee on Education and Career Development from 2009-2018, resigning that position at the onset of his wifes health issues.

Kruse said he is proud of passing dozens of bills on education choice and that today, we have one of the best education-choice laws in the nation. When he learned Indiana was rated third-best for its charter school laws, he asked what it would take to rank No. 1 and drove passage of laws to reach that status.

Kruse often championed controversial causes, and Friday he said he is most proud of pushing for a state constitutional amendment to have marriage be one man and one woman. It was passed and signed into law, but the change required approval in a second year. A U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage before Indiana legislators could pass the amendment again.

Kruse also authored the contentious Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed but later amended to moderate it. He recalled that the world caved in on the Statehouse during debate over the law, which critics said would have legalized discrimination against same-sex couples.

Kruse also introduced a 2013 bill calling for public school students to start each school day by reciting The Lords Prayer. That failed, but in 2019 he succeeded in passing a law that requires Indiana public high schools to administer an exam to students identical to the test for people seeking U.S. citizenship.

Not backing away from social issues, Kruse said in his final year as a senator, he plans to file a bill that would prohibit transgender counseling or surgery for Hoosiers under age 18. He contended that 80% or 90% of adult transgender people believe theyre not ready for that in their life as minors.

While he pushed conservative issues. Ive tried to actually get along with the Democrats in the legislature, Kruse said. I worked with the Democrats constantly in improving our bills and adopted suggestions from the Indiana State Teachers Association, he said.

Ive tried to do what I can to be a good Christian person to everybody in the Legislature  not just my party people, he said.

Kruse added that he is proud that in the Statehouse, I had one of the most aggressive constituent services. He said he helped constituents without asking their party affiliations.

Throughout his career in the Statehouse, Kruse said, he has tried to follow his pledges from his first campaign: To do what is right, the best that I can, and to establish truth in Indiana government. Ive done my best to keep those two premises. The Bible is my premise for establishing what issues match biblical principles.
An overwhelming majority of Indiana residents hospitalized due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated, according to the states leading health officials who reiterated their pleas for Hoosiers to get the vaccine during a news. conference Friday while saying the surge in cases from the delta variant was still weeks from slowing down.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box delivered sobering news on the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday, calling the last few weeks the worst surge of the virus since last winter, and warning Hoosiers that things are on track to get even more dire.

Things are going to get worse if Hoosiers dont wear masks and Hoosiers refuse to get vaccinated, Box said, estimating that cases would continue to rise through Labor Day and that hospitalizations would surge in the weeks that followed as those infected develop serious symptoms.

We are fully expecting and preparing that things are going to get much worse with our hospitalizations in the next four weeks, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver added.

Box said hospitals are already "struggling" to deal with the surge, with four of the state's 10 districts reporting ICU beds at more than 100% capacity. Elderly patients are still the most likely to be hospitalized but the doctors also expressed alarm at the number of children falling ill, especially with school now back in session.

Cases and hospitalizations are up dramatically among residents 14 and under, Box said, many of whom are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. As she shared that news, the state's leading medical official had strong words for unvaccinated Hoosiers who are facilitating the spread of the virus.

To anyone who argues COVID-19 does not impact children, Box said, I can assure you that every parent with a hospitalized child disagrees.

Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute

The state is working to update data on COVID-19 cases tracked through schools, Box said, and will be beginning to distribute more testing resources, including rapid testing, to schools who want it in the coming weeks. But Box was also clear that masking, something the state has not mandated in schools, is the number one tool to slow the spread of the virus in educational settings.

All students, teachers and staff should go back to school and they should be masked, Box said.

More than 4,800 new COVID-19 infections were reported in Indiana on Thursday, bringing the pandemic total to 843,700 confirmed cases. Box said the states positivity rate  the percentage of COVID tests that detect the presence of the virus  has climbed above 10%, again a rate not seen for several months.

The other concerning percentage in Indiana is the states vaccination rate, which is hovering just over 50% of eligible people, Box said. More than once during the news conference she expressed her frustration with those who remain unvaccinated.

I want Hoosiers to know: The decisions they are making affect others, she said. Its incredibly disappointing to have effective tools like the COVID vaccine and continue to have half of our population refuse to get it.

Weaver provided additional data on the way the virus is affecting unvaccinated residents, reporting that since January a total of 2,996 unvaccinated Hoosiers have died from COVID-19. In the same period, 93 fully vaccinated people have died. Similarly, from Aug. 15-21, 205 Indiana residents were hospitalized in the ICU, only one of whom was vaccinated, and out of 1,300 total hospital patients the same week, just seven had received the vaccine.

COVID-19: Hoosiers We've Lost
Press Release

August 26, 2021 Senator Imee Marcos Interview Transcript from Head Start with Karen Davila, ABS-CBN News Channel TOPICS: - Dubious suppliers of healthcare equipment

-Questionable procurement practices and supply distribution to LGUs

- Accountability of Secretary Duque and other government officials

- Need for new procurement laws and streamlined bureaucracy KAREN DAVILA (KD): JOINING US NOW THIS MORNING, WE HAVE SENATOR IMEE MARCOS. SHE DISCOVERED UNACCREDITED AND UNREGISTERED SUPPLIERS AS SOURCES FOR PROCUREMENT BY THE DBM AND WE HAVE HER WITH US THIS MORNING. SENATOR IMEE MARCOS, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. Senator Imee Marcos (SIRM): Good morning, Karen. Good morning to everyone. Hindi masyadong good dahil puros masamang balita, and it was a very exhausting second hearing regarding the DOH. Yes, there are all sorts of strange suppliers. Clearly, the DBM-PS accredited people that we've never heard of before. People like Bowman Technologies had no FDA approval. Nikka Trading? Sino-sino ba yan? Then, of course, pinaka-namamayagpag sa lahat, Sunwest Construction. Bakit yung building at construction na kompanya biglang nagiging medical equipment supplier. Nakapagtataka talaga e. It's a really strange list. Sabi nga, Alice In Wonderland indeed! This is getting curiouser and curiouser! KAREN: I'M CURIOUS, SEN. IMEE, WERE YOU ABLE TO DISCOVER DURING THE HEARING OR AT LEAST YOUR DOCUMENTS JUST HOW MUCH OF THAT 42 BILLION WENT TO THESE COMPANIES? SIRM: Yes, it's a huge amount and you know the 42 billion is only last year. That's only as of December 2020. Tuloy-tuloy ang bidding niyan ha, and that's going on until today. In fact, we've had huge protests from the local manufacturers of PPE, mula sa pinaka-maliliit na mananahing nanay sa Taytay (Rizal) hanggang sa mga nagre-tool na exporters na talagang pinagpilitang bumili ng mga makinarya, microbial fabric, and so on to provide the PPEs. Pagkatapos, pinakiusapan ng gobyerno, hindi bumili, hindi kami bumili, DOH, pambihira talaga! At nakapagtataka kung bakit, we could have saved 25,000 jobs perhaps, at least generated income for any number of families. And yet what do we prefer to do? Buy sub-standard from China under these very peculiar circumstances. Puro negotiated bid, puro pa hindi nag-tender and award, ang gulo. KAREN: YOU MENTIONED IN THAT HEARING - LET'S START WITH THE OVERPRICED MASKS AND SHIELDS - IT CAME FROM SIX COMPANIES AND YOU DISCOVERED PHARMALLY PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION. AM I CORRECT? HOW MUCH MONEY DID PHARMALLY PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION MAKE WITH THE MASKS? SIRM: Well, I'm not certain kung yong tinatawag na "tongpats" pero napakalaki kasi nung masks, binebenta ng 27 pesos per piece. KAREN: HOW MUCH WAS THE CONTRACT? SIRM: The contract was nine billion in nine contracts, and the funny thing was it was incorporated in 2019. It declared in sales nine billion worth of awarded negotiated government contracts. I don't know how it complied, kasi merong rules yan di ba? KAREN: NINE BILLION JUST FOR THAT COMPANY? SIRM: For that company and it has no record in medical supplies, it has no background or track record for capacity, kasi may single largest contract. You should have had a huge contract in the past to justify giving an even a larger contract in the present. But there is no past, kasi ang bago-bago ng kompanya kaya nakakapagtaka. KAREN: AND WHAT DID CHRISTOPER LAO SAY? HOW ARE THESE COMPANIES CHOSEN? SIRM: Well, basically the justification was that it was a period of emergency, everything was in short supply. Paulit-ulit lang kasi yong mga dahilan, yong presyo daw talagang 27 pesos sa face mask. Samantalang alam natin na two pesos, pagkatapos yong face shield 120 (pesos) na lahat tayo nagtataka. We are the only country on earth requiring face shields. I mean this goes on and on. KAREN: DID HE BREAK ANY LAWS? HE TOLD ALL OF YOU A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR THE FUND TRANSFER OF THE DOH TO THE DBM. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT SENATOR? SIRM: Yes, there's a real rule that basically says if these are items for common use (equipment), therefore, a memo is not required. However, a MOA is in fact required when you are bringing in equipment and all sorts of other requirements. So, I think malabo e. Unang-una, bakit nilipat-lipat yong mga pera. I don't understand. DOH is constantly bidding out contracts for all sorts of medical supplies, for equipment, for medicines. Why do they suddenly have to move it to the DBM-PS or PITC, the one under DTI. What are these highly organized bidding networks that suddenly came up and they are keeping billions upon billions of money from all sorts of people. They are bidding out guns, for example, for the AFP, they are bidding out construction materials, and now they are doing PPEs. Why is this necessary? Why can't the department do it themselves since they are the specialists in that area? And what are the rules that govern these "magical fund transfers." KAREN: ALL THESE COMPANIES THAT YOU DISCOVERED, THESE UNREGISTERED SUPPLIERS, DID ANY OF THEM GO THROUGH A BIDDING PROCESS OR WHERE THEY JUST ALL NEGOTIATED BY THE DBM PROCUREMENT OFFICE? SIRM: Yes, they are going through the DBM procurement office. The ones flagged by COA, those last year, puro negotiated yon. Although they are saying that some underwent some kind of procedure, and I think it's apparent that they are now trying to conform with the basic laws of bid and award. However, if you talk to our local manufacturers who constantly lose bids, you realize na kung anu-anong nangyayari. I mean, they will conduct the bidding, but the bid documents are not available. They'll close the bidding at 9 o'clock when in fact it was supposed to be at 1 p.m. Alam mo na, yung kanya-kanyang areglo, pagalingan yan ng diskarte. KAREN: YOU ARE POINTING OUT TWO THINGS: ONE, THE SUPPLIERS ARE QUESTIONABLE THEMSELVES, BUT A BIGGER ONE IS WHY THEY EVEN IMPORT FROM CHINA WHEN THE GOVERNMENT HAD ASKED OUR LOCAL MANUFACTURERS TO PREPARE, INNOVATE, AND PIVOT TOWARDS PPE, MASK AND SHIELD PRODUCTION? SIRM: Yes, that's correct. That's a really big issue. We are actually getting from China, substandard items. Ang sabi kasi, U.S. surgical grade. That's only one standard and it's used inside hospitals. There are four levels, for example, of masks. Apat pala yun; we are learning as we go. And as it turns out, these masks are very, very cheap from China because they weren't anywhere near surgical grade. They were in fact the very cheap ones. Pwede naman gamitin yan para sa kalye, sa ating mga BHW, halimbawa, or else yung mga contact tracers, yung hindi talaga face-to-face contact. Pero itong para sa surgical grade, ibang usapan yan. And we know, for a fact, that our garment exporters went out of their way, spent their own money, and really determined to help us because we were not able to import any, di ba? Nagdadamutan sa medical supplies, hanggang ngayon nagdadamutan pa rin sa vaccines. So, it's really important and I think, you know, the upside of all of this is, at the end of the day, is that we're learning and one of them is health security. We need to be able to manufacture locally. KAREN: BUT SENATOR, IS CHRISTOPHER LAO ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE CHOICES? WHAT IS THE PROCESS, WHO SIGNED OFF ON THESE SUPPLIERS, FOR EXAMPLE. DID SECRETARY DUQUE KNOW? DID HE APPROVE OF THESE PRODUCTS? SIRM: Yes. We are requiring that the bid documents be supplied. Clearly, Atty. and Usec. Lloyd Lao, he occupied two positions. He was Usec in-charge, he was executive director. There are a number of other people. There's admin/finance head, Suntay, there are other people, the ones who took over, Atty. Ouayan. I don't think I'm naming names; they were all present at the hearing. And it's important that we have a word with them and that they come forward and explain exactly what was followed because these are all negotiated bids with highly mysterious bidders. So, I think it's important. Tapos sabi pa niya . . . KAREN: BUT WHAT ABOUT SECRETARY DUQUE, SENATOR IMEE. WAS HE A SIGNATORY IN ANY OF THESE CONTRACTS? SIRM: We are yet to receive the contracts. They are taking a long time to produce them, so we are hoping that we'll be able to see them shortly. But the clear part is that Secretary Duque turned over a big block of funds - 42 billion - and the entire amount is 67 billion . . . Yung na-transfer sa DBM, 42.4 (billion). Pero yung overall that was flagged by COA na missing, iba't-ibang missing, ay nasa 67 billion. Ang laki-laki kaya ng halaga na yun. Hirap na hirap tayong maghanap ng pera, nangunguntang tayo, naninikluhod para makakuha ng vaccines, so that we can vaccinate our population. Ang dami-dami kailangan, ang dami-daming may sakit, walang isolation facilities, and yet we realize 67 billion disappeared just like that? KAREN: SHOULD SECRETARY DUQUE HAVE BEEN A SIGNATORY IN THESE NEGOTIATED CONTRACTS, GIVEN THAT THIS WAS FUNDING GIVEN TO HIS AGENCY? SIRM: I would have thought so, but DBM-PS operates under DBM. So once the fund is transferred, it's no longer under DOH but it's managed by DBM. So, it's the DBM Usec who has a free for all in that area. KAREN: IS SEC. DUQUE LIABLE UNDER THE LAW FOR 42 BILLION PESOS, SENATOR? SIRM: Of course, he is. I think he is liable for the entire sum of 67 billion because you are responsible and accountable as a public servant for all the public funds going through you. At the end of the day, corruption is paid for by the poor, as the Pope says. Only the poor pay for that. And the health workers pay for that because they've been unpaid, the frontliners, the contact tracers, and most of all the hospitals who are groaning under the weight of what they say is 86-billion debt. KAREN: SENATOR, WHAT ABOUT DBM CHIEF WENDELL AVISADO? WHAT MANY FIND CURIOUS IS THE FACT THAT CHRISTOPHER LAO RESIGNED SOMETIME IN JUNE, I THINK...AND THEN WENDELL AVISADO, THE HEAD OF THE DBM, RESIGNED A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE SENATE CONDUCTED ITS FIRST HEARING. THE COA REPORT WAS ALREADY OUT BY THEN, AND OF COURSE CHRISTOPHER LAO WAS LINKED AS A MAJOR SUPPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT AND EVEN A FORMER AIDE OF SENATOR BONG GO, WHICH SENATOR GO SAYS "HE WAS NEVER MY AIDE." AND YET THE MYSTERY DEEPENS, SO TO SPEAK, BETWEEN THE CONNECTION OF SECRETARY DUQUE MAKING THIS DECISION GOING TO CHRISTOPHER LAO AND THEN YOU HAVE THE RESIGNATION OF TWO MAJOR HEADS OF THE DBM WHEN THE COA REPORT CAME OUT. SHOULD DBM CHIEF WENDEL AVISADO FACE THE SENATE AS WELL? SIRM: I'm certain that he'd be willing to do it. The truth of the matter is that there was some kind of exodus in June of DBM-PS. We're very mystified by it. And if you remember, sa DepEd, nagkaroon na rin ng ibang imbestigasyon, I think it was DepEd, involving Usec. Lao as well. And then together with him in this exodus last June were many of his directors - Christine Marie Suntay and many other people - who, it was rumored, were axed by Secretary Avisado. I don't like hypothesizing, but the real truth is that we have to speculate because why are all these people leaving, they suddenly appear and then they leave. Is this a hijack, what is going on? And then we are very fully aware that Secretary Avisado was very unhappy about many of these people and in fact axed them upon sitting. So, it's very important that we finally get to the bottom of this. Ako ang interes ko, to tell you the truth - I think there are many senators and congressmen who are much better investigators than I am - my interest is to immediately find the money that remains, if these are really unobligated funds, and quickly pay out to our health workers. We cannot have that nightmare scenario of a mass walk-out and resignation and a nationwide hospital shutdown. That is what we have to avoid at all costs. KAREN: BASED ON JUST WHAT HAVE YOU REVEALED, DO YOU CONSIDER CHRISTOPHER LAO A QUESTIONABLE CHARACTER IN ALL THIS? HE WAS ALSO DRAGGED INTO THE FRIGATE SCANDAL AT ONE POINT. DO YOU FIND HIS ANSWERS CREDIBLE WHEN HE FACED THE SENATE? SIRM: Well, he certainly was very confident, that much was sure. But given the time constraints and, of course, the nature of a Senate investigation - as you know, we're limited to 'in aid of legislation'; we're not the police, we are not the NBI - I, of course, have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. We have to presume them innocent, but there is a lot of room to worry. And I believe that these people should be held accountable, everyone must be called forward to tell their story. Above all, we need to learn. Paulit-ulit naman itong mga istoryang ito. Higit sa lahat, yung 95 nillion na expired medicine, pwede ba! Ilan ang namamatay every year, palaki ng palaki ang expired medicine na yan. Isn't the repeat of mistakes the definition of insanity, or perhaps imbecility? When you keep doing the same thing every year, every year. Secretary Duque promises that he is going to do something about it. Ang simple lang niyan di ba? Software lang yan; in-out, in-out. Every mom knows that; we do it to our freezers, come on! KAREN: SO WHY DO YOU THINK, SENATOR IMEE, DOES THE PRESIDENT STAND BY TO SECRETARY DUQUE IN THIS WAY? SIRM: Well, I think the President has changed as well. He said he would accept the resignation, rather than go down with him, which is the original valiant statement. Ang sinabi ni Presidente lately, kapag daw mag-resign si Secretary Duque, tatanggapin niya. I believe that the President is an eminently reasonable man, and better yet, he's a highly experienced prosecutor. As the evidence mounts and the need for an investigation - a thoroughgoing one is very clear - I believe he knows who are really guilty now. KAREN: COMING FROM WHAT SENATOR MARCOS SAID, THE LATEST WHICH WAS YESTERDAY IS "KUNG SI DUQUE WILL OFFER TO RESIGN VOLUNTARILY, TATANGGAPIN KO; PERO KUNG SABIHIN MO AKO MAGSABI SA KANYA NA 'MAG-RESIGN KA' THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN." SO, YOU'RE SAYING THE PRESIDENT HAS CHANGED HIS TONE? SIRM: Yes, that's right, because he said before, "I will go down with Duque," parang ang tindi e. Pero siguro marami na siyang nalalaman, naririnig, kasi magaling na prosecutor yan, ang tagal-tagal niyang ganyan, e naririnig na niya, nagbabago na rin, di tatanggapin na niya. KAREN: SHOULD DUQUE ALREADY SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL, WITH THE PRESIDENT STATING THIS? FOURTEEN OF YOU HAVE CALLED FOR HIS RESIGNATION AT ONE POINT. NOTHING HAPPENED THERE. BUT AFTER THE PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT . . . SIRM: Yes, I think so. He really ought to do that. I think the President has said that very loud and clear and it's important that he take heed from his boss. Alam naman natin ang Presidente ayaw magbago ng managers midstream, in the middle of a health crisis, you don't want to change your Secretary of Health. That's entirely understandable. Pero kapag ganun na ang salita ng Presidente, siguro ikaw na ang mauna 'no at wag ka nang maghintay. KAREN: ON THE TRANSFER OF THE 42 BILLION TO THE DBM, DURING THE TIME OF PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO THE SUPREME COURT MADE CLEAR A DECISION ON THE TRANSFER OF FUNDS, RIGHT? THE SUPREME COURT FLAGGED CERTAIN TRANSFERS AND THE SUPREME COURT SAYS YOU CAN ONLY ACTUALLY TRANSFER WITHIN YOUR AGENCY. BUT YOU CAN'T TRANSFER FROM ONE TO ANOTHER. CAN SECRETARY DUQUE BE SUED FOR THAT PARTICULAR TRANSFER? SIRM: Well, I believe it would have to be under very stringent conditions that you can transfer because there are two agencies, so far, that we have discovered. Under DTI, there's the PITC which bids and procures originally from overseas all the equipment and supplies required by the government. Yun pala meron pang isa, eto yong DBM-Procurement Service, DBM-PS. Ngayon ang sinasabi nila, this is not another agency as such. It is actually transferred just for the purposes of bidding at which, upon award, it would be given back to DOH. What I find so strange is that this equipment that was bid out by DBM-PS, turned over to DOH, is actually being sold. And LGUs who are not receiving them for free are being compelled to buy. And that's the reason why really there's so much of that still in the bodega, in the warehouses of DOH because no one wants to take it, it's just too expensive - 27 bucks for a face mask? KAREN: ARE YOU SAYING, SENATOR, THAT MONEY WAS GIVEN TO DOH FOR COVID RESPONSE, THEY HAD IT (INAUDIBLE) FOR PROCURING, AND THEN BUMALIK SA DOH, AND INSTEAD OF THE DOH GIVING IT TO THE LGUs, THE DOH IS SELLING IT TO LGUs? SIRM: Yes, that's seems to be the case because if you ask the governors, and they testified, as well as the city mayors, they say that they had to pay for these outrageous prices. KAREN: ARE YOU SAYING THE DOH IS RESELLING THE EQUIPMENT WHEREIN THE GOV'T HAD ALREADY SET ASIDE A BUDGET FOR THAT? SIRM: That's what I don't understand. DOH had to sell or DOH had to buy. Ang labo nga ng sagot e, di ko maintindihan. But what is definitely clear is that unlike the testimony of the DOH na ipinamimigay nila ng libre, binabayaran yan ng mga siyudad at mga lalawigan, yan ang protesta ng mga gobernador. E barkada ko ang mga gobernador, tagal-tagal kong gobernadora e. KAREN: BASED ON SEN. PANFILO LACSON'S EXPOSE, DID YOU FIND THIS OUT, WHEN IT COMES TO EXPIRED MEDICINES - THERE WAS A QUOTE, SINCE 2019, THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE 2.2 BILLION - ARE MEDICINES BEING SOLD TOO? SIRM: Well, I don't know what's going on. The medicines were not sold, not yet, not that I know of. What were being sold were COVID supplies, yan alam ko kasi maski sa Ilocos, where we just had a terrible outbreak, we were compelled to pay. So, I'm really mystified about what's going on. KAREN: YOU WERE COMPELLED TO PAY FOR THE MEDICINES OF THE DOH? SIRM: For the face masks and other supplies. Binebenta e, so it was not given for free. DOH said that they gave them for free to the LGUs, binibigay daw ng libre sa mga ospital. E nagpoprotesta nga yung mga heads of local governments, saying that they had to pay and that's the reason they wouldn't pay. It was just too expensive, it was outrageous. KAREN: SO, IT'S LIKE YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE 42 BILLION THAT'S BEEN ESSENTIALLY BUDGETED TO BE GIVEN TO ALL LGUs? SIRM: Parang ganyan yung pagka-intindi ko. I'm praying that I'm completely wrong and that I misunderstood, and what the LGUs were paying for was another sum. But they said that this came from the DOH, so I really don't understand. DOH should not be in the business of selling. KAREN: WILL YOU BE CALLING PHARMALLY PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION - THIS IS THE COMPANY THAT SOLD MASKS IN THREE BATCHES, WHICH YOU SAID CLOSED A DEAL OF SOMETHING LIKE NINE BILLION PESOS? SIRM: Yes, that's on record, there are several others, there's Hafid N' Erasmus, there's another one called Blue Shield Biotech and so on. KAREN: SENATOR, WILL YOU BE CALLING THEM IN? SIRM: Yes, I think it's necessary that someone be called. But in many cases, we're not sure where the addresses are of these companies, the chief officers can no longer be found. It's all terribly, terribly sinister! KAREN: DO YOU THINK THERE IS A LAW NEEDED FOR THIS NOT TO BE REPEATED AGAIN? OR ARE THE LAWS ALREADY IN PLACE? SIRM: Yes, I think many, many laws are in place. We are obviously in the era of emergency powers and of big, big government because of the pandemic. We've turned over a great deal. However, I think it's clear that this shifting of funds that you mentioned, like the DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) under President Aquino should not be allowed and should be only perhaps allowed as an exception under very stringent circumstances. Yung mga magic na yan ng PITC at DBM-PS, bilyun-bilyon na iniiwan dyan for ages. Anong klase yun? KAREN: DO WE NEED NEW LAWS ON FUND DISBURSEMENT AND PROCUREMENT OR, SENATOR, DO YOU BELIEVE, FRANKLY, LAWS ARE ENOUGH SPECIFICALLY ON FUND DISBURSEMENT AND PROCUREMENT? SIRM: I think the laws need to be looked at. I'm one of the most serious critics of our national procurement law. I was a congressman then and I know the compromises that had to be made. I think it's about time that we look at that again. But certainly, these magic transfers to these two bodies in government need to be looked at again. But Karen, in all of this, I'd like to say that there is an upside. It's not just corruption we're talking about. We're really looking for the money to pay the health workers. I was really happy yesterday, DBM pala paid 311 million, sa kakaingay namin. KAREN: IT'S NOT ENOUGH. SIRM: It's hardly enough. And I think the upside is we should have all the so-called experts at the table. Absent at the table are the nurses who have the grinding job, the real grunt work of all of this and the most dangerous. Our disabled, all the children with special needs, all these challenged PWDs, why are they not at the table? We've almost forgotten them in the pandemic and yet they are among the most highly vulnerable. KAREN: SHOULD THE DBM EVEN HAVE A PROCUREMENT OFFICE, FRANKLY SPEAKING? SIRM: Yes, frankly speaking, we have to justify. And why do we have two. Meron na yung DTI for those overseas, meron pa yung DBM. Ano ang pinagkaiba ng dalawa? Bakit kailangan ng dalawa? Kailangan ba ng isa? Because, if you recall, the PITC was only set up because we had no diplomatic ties with Russia, China, and so on. Doon sila namimili because you cannot buy without an embassy or a trade office. E bakit ngayon, we have ties with all these countries. Do you still need these offices?
Press Release

August 27, 2021 Transcript of Senator Nancy Binay's Interview on ANC's Headstart (hosted by Karen Davila/Mike Navallo) Mike Navallo (Q): Senator, I know that you are on quarantine, so thank you for joining us today. But first, let me ask you, how are you today? Sen. Nancy Binay-Angeles (SNBA): I'm okay. Tomorrow, my whole family will be swabbed, so, hopefully, we're praying for favorable results. Q: How is your mother? I understand you issued a press release about her testing positive. SNBA: Siguro, unang-una, Atty. Mike, gusto kong magpasalamat doon sa lahat ng nagdasal for my mom. She's getting better, hopefully makabalik na ulit siya dito sa bahay namin. Q: Nabanggit mo nga sa press release, mo, Senator, na kailangan seryosohin ang Covid, because you've been very careful, I suppose, even your mother, as a doctor, very careful. How do you think that happened, any idea how she might have contracted the virus? SNBA: Actually, up to now, we're still trying to figure out dahil hindi talaga lumalabas ang mother ko, and then ang household staff namin naka-bubble. So still a mystery. Question: I guess for most of this pandemic, Sen. Nancy, talagang mystery how this coronavirus spreads. The earlier indications were that these were distributed through droplets, tapos biglang pwedeng airborne na rin. But really, how about our efforts in determining which portions of our society are infected with the coronavirus. You've heard the report of Raphael Bosana earlierone year na but still there are problems with testing, contact tracing. I want to get your thoughts about how do we improve at this point our testing and contact tracing. SNBA: Unang una, katulad nga ng nabanggit sa report kanina, what's important is case finding. And how do we do that? We start with testing, tracing, and then getting the right treatment. Iyon nga 'yung 3Ts na tinatawag nila. Siguro, Mike, cite ko lang isang example based from my own experience. I know of somebody na mayroon siyang symptoms, he was coughing and may slight fever, pero hindi siya makapagpa-test kasi nga namamahalan siya. Ang Red Cross, it's already 3,800. Sa mga kababayan natin na barely making it, magbabayad ka pa sa isang test na hindi ka rin naman sigurado kung positive, 'di ba. So ako na ang nag-volunteer, sige magpa-test na kayo I will shoulder your testing, and true enough, nag-positive 'yung tao. But bago niya nalaman na positive siya, he went back to work. So 'di ba, can you just imagine ang spread na nangyari. Kasi isa din 'yun sa kailangan nating pag-aralan. Marami akong naririnig na ang iba natatakot rin magpa-test kasi they can't afford not to go to work. Apparently ang mga businesses, kapag nagkasakit ka from Covid, ide-deduct nila from your sick leave, and then kapag ubos na ang sick leave mo, no work, no pay ka. Alam naman nating it takes a long time for one to recover from this illness. Iyong iba 11 day, I think kailangan mo tapusin ang 14 days, 'di ba, and it doesn't necessarily mean na magaling ka na after 14 days, it can even go for months na hindi ka pa talaga fully recovered. So how do we provide assistance and how do we tell them na it's okay, magpagamot kayo, magpa-test kayo kasi mayroon pa rin naman kayong makukuha, mayroon pa rin kayong ayuda na makukuha for your family to buy food, to buy their basic necessities. Q: And of particular concern is testing, and i-relate ko dito ang genome sequencing, because up until now we still have 750 capacity. That's really, many experts are saying that's really low, 750 samples tested every week, when the latest one, more than 400 of that sample actually tested positive for the delta variant. So the question is, are we now experiencing delta variant as the predominant strain here in the country, but you heard the official from the DOH saying, "we can't say that because our sample is biased, we're looking at positive areas that might lead to delta." So what do you make of this? How can we improve this? 100 million to increase their capacity? SNBA: Para sa akin kasi, Mike, ayun nga may kakulangan tayo sa genome sequencing, but lately the figures have been coming out na dumadami ang delta. Since may kakulangan tayo, baka it's better to just assume na it's there, and work around or find a solution na may delta na talaga, hindi iyong iniisip mo pa kung mayroon o wala. 'Di ba? Sa akin nga, let's always be one step ahead. Kung hindi tayo sure na nandito na ang delta, better to assume na it's there, because ibig sabihin noon ang gagawin nating strategy would already solve the problem even before it's confirmed. Parang for me ganoon ang mindset. And siguro babalikan ko lang ang testing. Alam ko may mga LGU na nagpo-provide sila ng free testing, you can just walk in sa isang facility and get tested. But ang national government parang nag-ningas cogon sa testing. If you remember they opened that mega swabbing facility. But I think sarado na ang mga mega swabbing. Dapat tuloy-tuloy, Covid is still here, so hindi pwede iyong parang mago-open tayo ng mega swabbing, tapos if medyo okay na ulit ang numbers, close, tapos start all over again, magbi-build na naman ng facility. So for me dapat sustained. Sustained ang testing, sustained ang contact tracing, and siyempre iyong treating. Q: Sen. Nancy wala bang magagawa doon sa hinihingi ng Philippine Genome Center na 100 million to expand its capacity? SNBA: Ah ako, we will make surealam naman natin the budget process is already starting. So we will make sure that we will equip ang mga agencies like the Genome Center. Nakakalungkot nga, Mike, na ang RITM, which I consider as one of the frontliners in our battle against Covid, iyong reference laboratories na budget nila, was even decreased by 70 million. Eh remember hindi lang Covid ang kalaban natin, marami pa tayong mga diseases na kailangan ma-discover, and this agency whose primary function is to find itong mga possible diseases and viruses ay binawasan pa natin ng pondo. This is the same agency, in spite of their small budget, they discovered that polio is back. Kaya nga nagkaroon ng intensive campaign to vaccinate against polio. Q: And we will get to talk about the budget later on in the program, Sen. Nancy. But for now, balikan ko lang sa contact tracing, we have an admission na apparently after a year, the StaySafe app is not working. SNBA: Iyon na nga. At the beginning pa lang, first hearing namin sa Senate, this has already been a problem. Remember when I asked doon sa eroplano na may nag-positive kung na-contact trace na nila ang mga kasama ng nag-positive, and apparently, hindi pa nila nako-contact trace. It's been more than a year, we're still with the same problem, and we're not using technology in contact tracing. Nakakainggit, but syempre we can't compare ourselves to the likes of Singapore. Sa Singapore, isipin mo may isang case sila na-contact trace nila na ang common denominator is one mall. So anong ginawa nila? They made an announcement na kung sino man ang nasa mall na ito at this given day and time, you can go to this place and have yourself tested. Wala, at the moment, nakakalungkot dahil wala pa tayong ganoong capability. Q: Actually in some countries, you have apps already on the phone, na nakalagay na doon ang quarantine status mo. Are you green, say, kung clear ka, red if you're supposed to be quarantining. And if the app detects that you were in proximity, or close to someone na supposedly dapat naka-quarantine, you will be alerted, your quarantine status will also change. So that makes it easier for the government actually to monitor. Is that really impossible to implement in the Philippines? SNBA: Parang at the moment, ewan ko, there's always that hindrance in using technology for contact tracing. Q: Pero lahat naman may cell phone. SNBA: Lahat nga may cell phone, pero kasi sinasabi nila, it's because of the data privacy. Pero you know, if there's legislation needed to cure this problem, ano lang naman, eh, they just have to propose it to us, pagaaralan natin. But at the moment parang walang ganoong effort. Q: Now let me go to other problems, other concerns with the Department of Health. We have salaries of workers being really the brunt of contention. You have some workers actually protesting because they haven't received either their salaries or their risk allowances. So you have the release yesterday of 300 million pesos for frontliners, that means about 5,000. Is that enough? SNBA: Well, they deserve more. If you compare nga ang salaries ng mga health workers abroad, ang layo from what we're giving them. And 'di ba they're just asking for minimal amount. Kami in Congress we did our part. When the executive asked us to Bayanihan 1 and 2 kung saan may provision to provide them extra income, we did it. But iyon na naman, pagdating sa implementation ng executive, nandoon na naman ang bottleneck. And for me, hindi ko maintindihan why this is happening, why there is no sense of urgency. Q: And iyong context na last year, despite the budget allotted to the DOH, you have 11+ billion pesos which are actually unspent, and you have workers now saying why are you not giving us our benefits. So is this really a question of inefficiency? Is it the bureaucracy, is there a system there that should change to address this? SNBA: I guess it's also, isa na ang focus. Parang the focus against fighting or equipping ang frontliners natin is not there. Baka dapat kasi, for me ha, ang mindset is we are at war. If there is a war against drugs, dapat ang focus natin war against Covid. And itong mga health workers natin, itong mga nurses natin, sila ang army natin, eh. So dapat sila iyong ine-equip natin, dapat sila ang aalagaan natin to fight this battle. Q: And there seems to be confusion as to who is covered by the recent release. And then you also have an issue with meal and transportation allowance, health insurance. Have you looked into this? SNBA: Actually kasi I'm not a member of the blue ribbon committee. But I think this is now being tackled during the hearing. And as I've mentioned, it's now the budget season, ito ang mga items na titignan natin. Q: And we were talking about, who are we supposed to make responsible for all these things? We have DOH Sec. Francisco Duque getting emotionally affected by all the criticisms that's been hurled against the DOH, from spending to Covid response. But who else is there to blame? SNBA: I don't know. But you know, I've voiced out naman my opinion that maybe Sec. Duque is not the right person to lead our fight against Covid. But you know, at the end of the day, he serves at the pleasure of the presiden, 'di ba? So what can we do, just wait kung talagang tatanggapin ni Presidente kung magre-resign siya. Q: There hasn't been any indication that he's resigning. The president did say if magre-resign siya tatanggapin ko. That's a marked difference from earlier pronouncements that he's standing by Duque. Are you optimistic that if that happens the president will really accept the resignation of Sec. Duque? SNBA: Actually question ko nga, Mike, is there such a thing as involuntary resignation? Q: Involuntary resignation you get fired. SNBA: Yeah. Once you hand your resignation that's it. Whether it's voluntary, it's resignation. Once nag-submit si Sec. Duque ng resignation niya, I would assume based sa statement ni presidente he would accept it. And it already came from him na twice na pala nag-offer si Sec. Duque ng resignation. So let's see if he'll do it again. Q: The question though is if you change the health chief at this point, midway through the pandemic, can it help? Or will it worsen the situation? SNBA: Well at this point kung hindi talaga nagfa-function ang the one in charge, 'di ba maybe we're better off getting another person to head the battle. Kumbaga, babalikan ko, sa isang giyera, marami namang generals diyan, eh. And if this general is not doing his job, there's another general who can do it better, probably. Q: Another controversy involving the DOH, iyong transfer of 42 billion pesos of funds to the DBM for the procurement of face shields, masks, which were reportedly overpriced. And this procurement not supported supposedly by memorandum of agreement. You've heard explanations given by former Usec. Christopher Lao. Are you satisfied? SNBA: Mike ako kasi I don't attend the hearing, eh, so I only get the information from what I read or watch in the news. But you know at the end of the day, isa din issue sa amin 'yan because it's not just DOH who's doing that, iyong nililipat nila ang procurement nila sa DBM-PS or even PITC, and then natutulog ang pera doon eh. For example, iyong sa Bureau of Fire Protection, pagtayo ng fire stations, instead of them implementing it, they transferred it to PITC. So ang ganyang sistema it's something us in Congress should probably correct na talagang mayroon lang parameters kung ano ang pwedeng i-bid out at ilipat sa DBM-PS or even PITC. Q: This matter became an issue because of the proximity supposedly of former Usec. Lao to Sen. Bong Go, who's an aide of the president. There seems to be a perception na, nililipat ba ang pera sa DBM para they can control 42, 41 billion pesos in purchase of this really important medical supplies in the middle of the pandemic. What would you say to that? SNBA: That I don't have a personal knowledge. Pero ang nakapagtataka lang kasi, doon sa DBM-PS, usually they procure ang mga common supplies like ballpen, bond paper, na everybody in government uses it. Weird lang nga is ang mga PPE, mga face mask face shield, hindi naman 'yan common supplies, so how come it was transferred to DBM-PS wherein the process would take longer kasi magpapabalik-balik pa sila doon sa what's inside the bidding document, kung anong klaseng face mask, face shield, anong standard. So isa pang delay iyon sa pagsu-supply. Iyon nga eh, we're all wondering why there's a need to transfer to DBM-PS. Q: Is there something fishy with the resignation, I mean sudden exit, nobody knew that Lao was no longer with DBM-PS and then you have DBM Sec. Wendell Avisado resigning in the midst, or I don't know if it has something to do with the COA report but certainly it happened while the COA reports were coming out. SNBA: I don't know. Maybe in the next hearing that is something that would be good to ask, why si Usec Lao suddenly resigned. Kasi 'di ba si Sec. Wendell, he said na because of Covid, he needs to rest. Well, technically, he had a reason why he resigned. But si Usec wala yata akong narinig na explanation why he left his office in the middle of a pandemic, and in the middle of a budget season. Q: And before we go to a break let me just ask a final question on this one. The end result of that, of the DBM procuring these face shields, masks, for the DOH is that supposedly they bought it at a high price. The supplies are now sitting at depots because they can't be sold to units of the DOH because of the high price. Is there really a justification? Ang sinasabi lang nila, at that time kasi hindi pa daw common ang face shield kaya mas mataas pa ang price at that time. Is that enough justification for you? SNBA: I think that's not enough excuse. Kasi for me, once you procured it, dapat na-release mo na iyan doon sa concerned agency because the need for that was yesterday, not today. So how come it's still with them? Eh dapat during the need for that was at the start of when it was procured, dapat pagka-deliver niyan out kaagad yan eh. So bakit nandiyan pa rin siya? Q: Can we just go back to a bit of an issue with PhilHealth because we now have the PhilHealth coming out with this circular saying they are withholding paymentthere are some fraudulent activities that they're still investigating. So now you have this development of PhilHealth owing public and private hospitals something like P86 billion. What do you make of this, and can the PhilHealth actually unilaterally do this? SNBA: Well, number 1, when we passed the Universal Health Care law, parang naglagay kami doon ng criteria for the president of PhilHealth. And number 1 is ang medical background. But you know, sad to say, si Pres. Dante Gierran came from NBI. So iyong mindset niya, maybe ang mindset niya is more on investigating fraud, or kumbaga parang nandoon na na kailangan may imbestigahan, mayroong may kasalanan. But in this time na mayroon tayong pandemic, we should look at each other not as enemies, but we're all fighting against one enemy, which is Covid. Kaya for me ang fear ko is baka ang mga private hospitals would end up requiring itong mga patients to pay first and then bahala na kayo maghabol sa PhilHealth because what's important for them is also for the hospitals to survive. Paano nila masusustain ang mga hospital nila kung wala na silang sufficient funds to sustain it. Q: The rules actually say that they have to pay it within 60 days, but there's an admission already from PhilHealth that it could take months for them to actually process the claims, particularly when the pandemic happened. So apparently this has already been a concern before the pandemic, but with the pandemic happening, lumala. SNBA: And more than that, Mike, ha, kasi narinig ko rin sa news 'di ba parang sinabi ng PhilHealth maliit na lang ang utang nila, I guess it's like 13 billion, kasi mayroon silang portion na sinasabi na may percentage doon na hindi nila babayaran. That amount I do not know the exact figures, but apparently mayroon doon sa kine-claim nitong mga hospital na hindi na talaga babayaran ng PhilHealth. So baka 'yan maging isang factor din sa mga hospitals na since marami kayong nate-turn daw sa mga pinare-reimburse namin, baka better it's just the patient who will reimburse it. Q: So ito ba ang magiging effect, Sen., if the threat of some hospitals of disengaging from PhilHealth will happen, is this the effect, mapapasa ang burden sa mga patients to seek reimbursement from PhilHealth themselves? SNBA: Yeah. Or maghanap na lang sila kung saan sila pwedeng kumuha muna ng pambayad sa hospital bill nila. That will be the end result kung mag-disengage itong mga private hospitals kasi nga, somebody has to pay for those hospital bills, whether it's PhilHealth or the patients themselves. Hindi naman talaga 100 percent, hindi naman charity itong mga private hospitals natin, 'di ba. Q: Iyon na nga sinasabi nila, maaapektuhan din if they don't have enough buffer, they're operations will also be affected, they can't expand their hospital beds, their personnel because they don't have the funds. SNBA: That will be the consequence of not getting paid at the right time and at the right amount. Q: Earlier you talked about treating Covid as an enemy. Your observation that the mindset ni PhilHealth Pres. Gierran is to investigate fraud. Doesn't that observation also extend to the whole response the government is taking against the pandemic, we have generals on top of your Covid response. SNBA: Actually, come to think of it, oo nga ano kasi ang mga czar natin most of them are generals. Iyong czar natin for contact tracing was a general, si Sec. Galvez din. But siguro noong in-appoint sila ni presidente, ang mindset niya siguro is since generals sila they'll treat it like a war. But parang hindi ganoon ang mindset na nila. I don't know, maybe it's because retired na rin sila, baka hindi na ganoon ang orientation. Mike, let's also remember na this is a health problem, eh. So dapat for me it should be a combination of health, dapat malaki doon sa mga generals natin are coming from the health sector. Q: Does this mindset also extend to the budgeting for next year? Because you've flagged na binawasan ang budget for RITM which is supposedly important in detecting infectious diseases, and then tinaasan ang budget ng NTF-ELCAC by 12, 11 billion, so you now have a proposed budget for NTF-ELCAC of 28 billion pesos. You have flagged this. What do you intend to do with this? Are you going to press DBM bakit ganito ang proposal? SNBA: Well, 'yan. Well, number 1, we will review first kung ano na bang nangyari doon sa 16 billion that was allocated for ELCAC if this was properly used. And then ang nakakataka lang, how come there's a need to increase ang budget ng ELCAC to 28 billion when, para sa akin kasi kumbaga let us all focus our resources and energy in fighting Covid. 'Yun ang number 1 enemy. I'm not saying na hindi natin dapat bigyan ng solution ang problema natin against insurgency, but at the moment what's important is for us to win the battle against Covid. Q: There are concerns raised because ang nangyayari kasi the budget for barangay development is given to barangays who are already cleared of communist insurgency. And there are concerns because the barangay will determine what the project will be for those funds, 20 milion pesos. There are concerns of patronage politics. Are you seeing this as a possible issue should the NTF-ELCAC be granted with a 28-billion budget? SNBA: Actually, Mike, during the budget deliberation last year, I proposed an amendment, I submitted an amendment to take out the 16 billion and give a portion of that for the rehabilitation of Taal volcano victims kasi for this year's budget there's no specific item for the rehabilitation, among others. Iyon ang parang ni-reallocate ko. But siyempre, ano naman ito, I am just one, it's just one amendment, at the end of the day it's the whole body who will agree and approve it, 'di ba. Kasi during the committee hearing when we were discussing this fund, I saw na there's a double allocation. I don't know if you're familiar with the Last Mile school program of the DepEd. So mayroon silang program where they build schools sa mga GIDA, mga geographically isolated areas. And when they submitted the list of barangays, chineck ko with the list of DepEd, apparently may mga barangay doon na naka-line up na to receive schools, eh kasama doon sa menu ng 20 million is for them to build schools or farm to market roads. We also asked DA to submit ang listing nila ng farm to market and we saw na may double allocation. We wanted to avoid that kasi nga alam naman natin na kulang ang resources and siguro magandang tingnan ngayon during this budget nga kung saan na naman nila in-allocate ang 28 billion. Q: And what about the budget that's being asked by the DOH, because they're asking for about roughly 250 billion pesos budget for next year. How likely is it that this would be granted considering we have billions of funds of unspent, unobligated funds this year? SNBA: Actually, alam mo ever since I became a senator in 2013, laging problema ang absorptive capacity of different agencies, and I'm not just singling out DOH, marami tayong agencies na talagang hindi nila nagagastos ang hinihingi nilang budget. Tignan natin kung saan ba talaga ang inefficiency when it comes to spending. Q: Let me now shift to more recent issues. We've heard the president last night saying not to believe these graft investigations and that if ever, if he becomes vice president, he himself will audit the Commission on Audit. What are your thoughts on this? SNBA: Siguro coming from experience, as a daughter of a former vice president, I don't think function ng vice president, hindi kasama sa powers and function ng vice president ang mag-audit. That power was given specifically to COA. Kaya kahit vice president na siya I don't think he can do that na siya mismo ang mag-audit. But doon sa isang statement niya na auditing COA, I also raised the same issue in one of the budget hearings, na I asked nga COA, "who audits you?" and apparently, they audit themselves. So if I remember it correctly, nagkaroon ng mga proposals in Congress to create another independent body to probably audit COA kasi nga parang may conflict iyon that they audit themselves. But if I remember it during the hearing sinasabi nila na kahit naman daw sila, nagkakaroon ng disallowance. Q: What do you make of the president's reaction parang allergic to being flagged by COA when you know, he has projected that he was really a strong anti-corruption candidate when he was running, and even as president he said eradicating corruption is his policy, and in fact he created several bodies against corruption, and now you have his reactions to the COA audit? SNBA: Siguro I can understand where the president is coming from. Somebody, alam naman natin ang pinagdaanan ng pamilya ko, 'di ba iyong how the COA audit was used against us to ruin my family. And for me talaga naman I think it's high time for us to review ang system that is being used by COA, dahil mayroon naman talaga silang audit findings na hindi na timely, hindi na siya, it doesn't go with the times anymore. Katulad ngayon, 'di ba we're shifting to digital, hindi pa yata nila na-incorporate iyon. For example, 'yung pagbili ng ticket, mga air tickets na ginagamit ng different offices. You can't do it online, pero alam naman natin na very common na ngayon that you can do online booking, 'di ba, but hindi pa siya nagiging bahagi, as part of procurement, ang online system. So there's really a need to kumbaga update COA. And just to add, kasi talaga namang totoo na nade-delay talaga ang procurement. I can speak from experience. Like for example, by the time na makabili ka ng computer, maayos 'yung papel, wala na, ubos na ang stock or outdated na ang bibilhin mo because of COA rules. And example, kasi head ako ng Committee on Science and Tech, isa doon sa complaint, we cannot upgrade our laboratories kasi nga, how can you get three bidders when there's not even a supplier here, you have to procure it abroad? So ang mga ganoong kailangan baguhin. Q: And Sen. Nancy, we've been talking about funds, paano ginastos ang funds, some have been flagged, kulang ng pondo, or some have actually been unspent. And you have Pres. Duterte last night saying kailangan natin ng marami pang pera, so therefore we will allow gambling in Boracay. Despite having said earlier na hindi pwede ang gambling sa Boracay. What do you make of it? SNBA: Well, as chair also of the Committee on Tourism, syempre I am totally against na ibalik ang gambling sa Boracay. Hindi iyon ang type of tourist that we want in Boracay. May ibang pwede namang pagkunan ng pera. But more than that, for me it's how you spend eh. 'Di ba kung kahit gaano kalaki ang revenue if we're not spending it right, if we're not spending it properly, sayang lang din ang pondo. Q: And of course, you already have these talks about possible casino operations in Boracay during the closure of Boracay itself. This is not the first time it's happened. You now have the president saying finally he is going to give the go-signal. Are there any indications that this has been planned all along? SNBA: I do not know. But I'm hoping na hindi matuloy ang ganyang plano na papasukin ang gambling sa Boracay. There are other ways to raise revenue, and alam naman natin, ang Boracay is crown jewel 'yan ng ating tourism. And sayang naman the way the island was brought back kung papayagan natin itong gambling. Q: Are you going to look into this as chair of the Committee on Tourism? SNBA: Yes, that is something that we can look at. Siguro we can ask the Dept. of Finance or even Neda, ano ba talaga ang nakikita ninyong revenue at bakit kailangang ibalik itong gambling sa Boracay? I'm also wondering who advised the president na option ang pagbalik ng gambling sa Boracay, and I don't think ang income na makukuha doon sa gambling sa Boracay would be sufficient revenue para magamit ng government. Q: Thank you so much for your time with us today, Sen. Nancy Binay. We've covered a lot of topics, and thank you for answering all the questions despite being on isolation. SNBA: Thank you, Atty. Mike, and stay safe.
Press Release

August 27, 2021 De Lima: I have always hoped that each birthday will be the last in detention As she marks her 5th birthday in unjust detention today (Aug. 27), Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima shared that she wishes for vindication and freedom not just for her but for fellow Filipinos. While she admitted to being sad for not being able to spend her special day with family, friends and staff, even just in one cramped reception room, De Lima maintained that she regrets nothing. "What is there to regret when you are on the side of truth and justice? I said it on the day I was arrested and I will say it again: Karangalan ko po na ako'y makulong dahil sa mga ipinaglalaban ko. And I wish to add to that line today: Karangalan kong maging tinig ng mga pinatatahimik, maging tambuli ng sambayanang gumigising, at maging taga-hawak ng sulo sa landas ng pag-asa at pagkakaisa para sa lahat," she said. "Since my arrest in 2017, I have always hoped that each birthday will be the last in detention, and I have never stopped hoping. Hoping for vindication and freedom, not only for me but for the rest of the Filipino people. Sana ay tuluyan na nating makamit ang buhay na malaya at may dignidad," she added. De Lima, who turned 62 years old, simply welcomed her birthday with prayer blessings from Frs. Flavie Villanueva and Albert "Paring Bert" Alejo at the reception area inside PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame. Despite her ordeal, the lady Senator from Bicol said she is truly grateful for the gift of life, good health, and strength, as well as for the overflowing love from the people around her. "I reflect on the last 5 years, and there is nothing but gratitude - for my family, my colleagues, my friends, supporters, and my hardworking staff; the constant messages of support even from strangers; for my life, and for this chance to make it a part of a greater and more meaningful struggle of a people fighting the good fight," she said. "Maraming salamat sa Mahal na Panginoon sa biyaya ng buhay, kalusugan at katatagan. Salamat din sa lahat sa patuloy na tiwala at pagmamahal. Tuloy ang laban!," she added. Days ahead of her birthday, the #LabanLeila2022 campaign volunteer network comprising of volunteers from different sectors who committed their talents and resources to campaign for De Lima and support her advocacy while she remains under unjust detention rolled out in Cebu, Iloilo, Bicol and NCR. Considered as the most prominent political prisoner under the current regime, De Lima remains detained due to bogus drug charges for political reasons and Duterte's personal vendetta.
Press Release

August 27, 2021 TESDA extends 'Kabalikat Award' to Bong Go as he highlights important role of Tech-Voc in nation building Senator Christopher "Bong" Go commended the government's efforts to meet the growing demand for job-ready graduates who can sustain the nation's economic growth as he joined the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in celebrating its 27th anniversary and National Technical - Vocational (Tech-Voc) Day on Wednesday, August 25. In a message delivered virtually for the event, Go thanked the men and women who are working hard to make TESDA stronger and even more effective in its mandate to produce top-tier talent who can fulfill the country's workforce needs. "Sa lahat ng empleyado ng TESDA down to the utility workers at security guards, salamat sa inyong serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan sa panahong ito. My warmest greetings to the men and women of TESDA as we celebrate 27 years of service," said Go. "This celebration, along with the National Tech-Voc Day, grants our TESDAns a plethora of opportunities to learn about our government programs as well as opportunities to build skills to become a better and more competitive Filipino workforce," he added. The Senator highlighted the digital innovations carried out by the agency to bring its services closer to the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the World Cafe of Opportunities (WCO) and National TVET Enrollment Day. The WCO is an online platform developed by TESDA where job applicants can facilitate transactions with partner government agencies and process their job requirements and documents. The WCO will include financial institutions in the near future so clients can avail livelihood assistance to start their own businesses. On the other hand, Filipinos may apply for free tech-voc training through the TESDA website especially during the National TVET Enrollment Day which is being held from August 25 to 27. "Thank you to everyone who made these opportunities possible for our fellow Filipinos, Through these platforms, TESDAns will enter an era that opens them to global competitiveness and workforce job-readiness," stated Go. "And with TESDA's partnership with companies from the Information and Technology industry, they encourage striking developments as we continue to battle the pandemic. Your dedication to ensure that no working Filipino is left behind is truly noteworthy," he affirmed. Go also expressed his sincere gratitude for being awarded the National Kabalikat Award. The Kabalikat Award is given to TESDA's outstanding partners who have made exemplary contributions in the advancement of TVET training in the country. As a member of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, he vowed to continue to work closely with the Duterte Administration to develop and expand access to technical-vocational training programs. "Ang Technical and Vocational education ay isa sa mga pinaka-importanteng stratehiya upang mapalawak ang kakayahan ng ating mga mamamayang Pilipino, hindi lamang para sa kanilang sarili o sa kanilang pamilya, kung 'di maging na rin sa ating bayan," said Go. "Asahan ninyo na patuloy ko pong isusulong ang mga programa at inisyatibo, katulad na lamang ng pagpapalawig ng technical and vocational education para sa ikalalakas ng ating mga mamamayang Pilipino. Narito lang kami ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte handang magserbisyo sa inyong lahat sa abot ng aming makakaya," he reassured. TESDA has been a regular partner of Go's team in his outreach activities around the country that aim to respond to the immediate needs of communities in distress and bring government programs closer to Filipinos. In May, Go filed Senate Bill No. 2156 which institutionalizes the Zamboanga del Sur TESDA Provincial Training and Assessment Center in Labangan town to provide local residents in the province access to training courses for middle- and high-skill occupations. The virtual gathering was also attended by TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapena; Deputy Director General for Policies and Planning Rosanna Urdaneta; Deputy Director General for Operations Lina Sarmiento; Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Linkages Aniceto Bertiz III; Certification Office Executive Director Maria dela Rama; David Bungallon, Executive Director of the National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development; Planning Office Executive Director Rosalina Constantino; and the TESDA Regional Directors, among others.
Press Release

August 27, 2021 Lacson: Former PS-DBM Head Failed to Do Due Diligence on Supplier

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/08/27/lacson-former-ps-dbm-head-failed-to-do-due-diligence-on-supplier/ There was either a collusion - or an appalling lack of due diligence by former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service chief Lloyd Christopher Lao in awarding a multibillion-peso contract involving face masks, face shields, test kits and personal protective equipment (PPEs) to a newly incorporated company. Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson raised these possibilities Friday after pinning Lao during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's hearing on red flags raised by the Commission on Audit on the Department of Health's transactions. "Either there was lack of due diligence for reasons of collusion, or they are sloppy. I don't know what to believe. Being the head of the PS-DBM, a trained and experienced procuring entity of government, yet not even detecting a fake address by the incorporators, I wonder how they were able to award the procurement of billions of pesos of items," Lacson said. "You are dealing with billions of pesos worth of public funds... Your explanation will fail even an ordinary layman. We cannot accept that," he also told Lao. Also, Lacson said he would support any move to cite Lao in contempt of the committee because he had been evasive. "Being evasive is a ground for citing in contempt... If anyone would move to cite him in contempt of this committee I will support, I will second the motion," he said. Lacson questioned Lao's failure to do a due diligence check on Pharmally Pharma Corp., which Sen. Franklin M. Drilon said got a whopping P8.6-billion contract despite being incorporated only in September 2019 and with a capital of less than P600,000. A check also showed one of the incorporators gave an address that turned out to be nonexistent, even as the company had no track record. "You did not follow proper procedure. You threw out of the window all the requirements. Either you did it on your own or someone ordered you to award the contracts... Clearly there's a collusion. How can you award billions of pesos worth of contracts to nonexistent addressees?" he told Lao. Also, Lacson rejected Lao's explanation that the face shields were acquired at high prices because of an "issue of supply and demand." "How can you justify high demand when the Philippines is the only country in the world that demands use of face shields?" he said. On the other hand, Lacson questioned how Lao managed to barge into state-run People's Television (PTV)'s "Laging Handa" briefing just to explain his side. "You were not connected with Malacanang or any government agency at the time... yet you were accommodated by 'Laging Handa' briefing. How lucky could you get?" he said.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Home > 2021 > Drinot on Birn and Necochea Lopez, Peripheral Nerve: Health and Medicine in (...)

Reviewed by Paulo Drinot

Peripheral Nerve:

Health and Medicine in Cold War Latin America

Anne-Emanuelle Birn, Raul Necochea Lopez, eds.

Durham: Duke University Press

2020. 384 pp.

ISBN 978-1-4780-0956-6

A specter is haunting the COVID-19 pandemic, the specter of the Cold War. This is particularly true in Latin America. From Mexico to Chile, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on people and the economy. But it has also played out in ways that evoke many of the conflicts that characterized the Cold War. Perhaps most obviously, Chinese and Russian vaccine diplomacy has been prominent in places like Chile (where the Chinese vaccine Sinovac has been widely used) and Argentina (where the Russian vaccine Sputnikan evocation of the Cold War if there ever was onehas been widely deployed and is now being produced locally). This has raised concerns that the United States may lose more ground to these two rivalsWashington views Chinese investment, particularly in commodities and infrastructure, and Russian President Vladimir Putins links with local autocrats, from Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela to Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, as real threats to its interests in the region. Beyond this, the pandemic has sharpened social tensions between the haves and have-nots and refocused attention on the economic disparities that characterize the region. While some wealthy Latin Americans can fly to the United States to get vaccinated, most are unable to access even basic healthcare as health systems collapse. These tensions and disparities have led to renewed social protest, most recently in Chile, Peru, and Colombia, and increasing state repression.

Although published before the WHO declared the pandemic in March 2020, this book provides ample material with which to make sense of it as a vestige of Cold War-era Latin America (p. 267) but also, more generally, to reconsider the history and legacies of Latin Americas experience of the Cold War. As Gilbert Joseph explains in the foreword, Peripheral Nerve is part of an ongoing reassessment of the Latin American Cold War. It recenters the region in a scholarship that in the past often ignored it altogether or viewed it as a place where superpower rivalry occasionally intruded. Peripheral Nerve focuses an analytical lens on new topics and actors, bringing into fruitful dialogue the new historiography on Latin Americas Cold War and the history of health and medicine, a particularly rich historiographical seam in the last few decades in Latin America. Edited by two of the leading scholars in the field, Anne-Emanuelle Birn and Raul Necochea Lopez, the volume brings together nine essays on a variety of themes, from medical education to population policy to psychiatry, and countries, from Bolivia to Brazil to Puerto Rico. An introduction, by Birn, and an epilogue, co-written by Birn and Necochea Lopez, flank the volume and help to clarify its contributions and, very usefully, outline a research agenda for further work. The volume is divided into three sections which reflect a chronological structure marked by the early, middle, and late Cold War but also serve to underscore how the Cold War in Latin America was subject to different dynamics at different times.

One particularly important contribution of the volume, as Birn emphasizes in the introduction, is the attention given in several chapters to the role of the Soviet Union in developments in the fields of medicine and public health in Cold War Latin Americaa departure from most studies of Latin Americas Cold War, which tend to focus on the influence of the United States. In the introduction, Birn usefully outlines the links between the Soviet Union and Latin America before the Cold War. In her chapter, Gabriela Soto Laveaga shows how these links intensified in 1950s Mexico. Building on her earlier work on the development of the barbasco industry and steroid hormone production, Soto Laveaga contrasts the antagonistic relations that developed between Mexico and US pharmaceutical companies in the 1950s to the finely crafted medical diplomacy that the Soviets deployed toward Mexico and Mexicans, including the celebrated muralist Diego Rivera, who received cancer treatment in Moscow. Similarly, Jennifer Lynn Lambe explores how revolutionary Cubas complicated relations with the Soviet Union extended into the field of psychiatry and re-signified conflicts within psychiatry between functional and organic perspectives on mental pathology as represented by the opposite Freudian and Pavlovian camps. Though in Cuba, as in the USSR, Sigmund Freud came to be associated with US imperialism, Lambe shows that Cuban psychiatrists resisted the full Pavlovization of their field under Soviet influence, retaining elements of functional or Freudian psychiatry in practice.

These examples underscore the agency of Latin American actors in relation to the designs of the Cold War superpowers and their medical establishments, another important theme present in all chapters. Several chapters, moreover, focus on individuals to illustrate the impact of the Cold War at the personal level. Katherine E. Bliss discusses the fascinating life of Lini de Vries, a US communist who joined the international brigades in Spain and later relocated to Mexico where she worked as a nurse and educator among indigenous communities but whose life was deeply influenced by the fact that, as a communist, she was under constant surveillance from the FBI, even in Mexico. Similarly, Gilberto Hochman and Carlos Henrique Assuncao Piva discuss the life story of Samuel Barnsley Pessoa, a prominent Brazilian parasitologist and communist. Cold War dynamics impacted directly on his distinguished career. In the 1950s, in a context of rising anticommunism in the United States, the Rockefeller Foundation, which had funded his research on rural pathologies in earlier decades, refused to support his appointment to a university position. Similarly, during the military dictatorship established in 1964, the authorities targeted Pessoa, along with others the University of Sao Paulo, and subjected him to police interrogation, leading to him to resign from his university position.

The role of the Rockefeller Foundationa key actor in the long history of US medical diplomacy and, more generally, in the promotion of US geopolitical and economic interests in Latin Americaalso receives attention in Nicole Pacinos chapter on medical education in Bolivia. Pacino shows how the Rockefeller Foundation, evidently conscious of the growing anticommunism in the United States, became increasingly reluctant to be seen to be funding communists like Dr. Arturo Urquidi, rector of the University of Cochabamba, through its medical training program. This was in contrast, perhaps surprisingly, to the State Department, which viewed support of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolutionario (Nationalist Revolutionary Movement) government as fundamental to its broader policy of containing the advance of communism in Latin America. How US Cold War imperatives clashed with national public health objectives is also a theme in Raul Necochea Lopezs chapter, which looks at population policies in Puerto Rico. The United States viewed Puerto Rico as a laboratory for population control policies, including fertility surveys, that were guided by the belief that uncontrolled population growth would create conditions for the spread of communism. In contrast, Necochea Lopez shows, Puerto Ricans viewed, and indeed experienced, the fertility research undertaken on the island as further evidence of the asymmetric neocolonial relations to which they were subjected by the United States and rejected the findings of the fertility surveys.

The final section of the book explores the late Cold War but also foregrounds a key theme of the book: the importance of international and transnational forces in shaping the history of health and medicine in Latin America. Jadwiga E. Pieper Mooney traces the history of Chiles National Health Service, modeled on the British National Health Service, and stresses the key roles of two doctors: Salvador Allende, a key figure in Chiles Socialist Party who became president in 1970 and was overthrown in the US-backed coup in 1973 led by General Augusto Pinochet, and Benjamin Viel. In the context of 1930s Popular Front politics, Allende promoted the adoption of socialized medicine to address Chiles social injustices and close the gap between rich and poor. Though broadly aligned with Allendes objectives, and clearly building on his earlier effort, in framing health as a contributor to economic productivity and national development (p. 196) Viel was able to gain broad support for the establishment of the national health service in the early 1950s. Pieper Mooney stresses how the Cold War, and the competing models of health care that the United States and the Soviet Union promoted, framed projects to establish a health service in Chile. But she also points to the capacity of local actors like Allende and Viel to negotiate that context and develop institutions such as APROFA (Chilean Association for the Protection of the Family), which despite some limitations, proved successful in addressing key public health problems.

How Latin Americans responded to international forces shaping medicine and public health is also a key theme in the chapter by Marco Ramos, which looks at Argentine psychiatry in the 1970s. Ramos explores how a nationalist psychiatry emerged in Argentina in a context shaped by a rejection of both the antipsychiatry movement and Soviet psychiatry. David Coopers antipsychiatry movement and his anti-imperialist rhetoric found some support among the psy community in Buenos Aires during his sojourn in the early 1970s. But, Ramos shows, Argentine psychiatrists like Antonio Caparros and Alfredo Moffatt rejected what they viewed as the hippismo of Cooper much as they did Soviet psychiatry and what they perceived to be its ingrained anti-semitism. Instead, they embraced a nationalist psychiatry which resonated with the Peronist left and which sought to identify a distinctly Argentine form of psychiatry suited to the national psyche. In the final chapter, Cheasty Anderson, meanwhile, looks at Cuban medical diplomacy in revolutionary Nicaragua, shifting focus to a case of south-south exchange. She explores what effects Cuban doctors had on the development of Nicaraguan health care, which in a context of US-backed contra hostilities, proved crucial even if Nicaraguans did not always welcome the Cubans as might be expected. But Anderson also considers what functions the international health brigades served regarding Cubas own revolutionary project, noting that service was intended to foment revolutionary zeal in the doctors.

In the epilogue, the editors reflect on several of the themes of the book and consider the legacies of Cold War dynamics beyond the 1980s and particularly in the context of the Pink Tide governments of the early 2000s. They also helpfully outline a series of areas for further research, including the role of international agencies, from the WHO to UNICEF, in the history of health in Latin America, the role of individuals such as doctors trained in the Soviet Union or those supported by US philanthropic organizations, the need to extend research to rural areas and to indigenous populations, as well as to womens movements, and flag the potential benefits from connecting the history of medicine and public health to the history of development projects and economic policies. There is, of course, much still to be done, and Latin Americas experience of the COVID-19 pandemic will no doubt provide a new and urgent point of perspective to rethink the past. As Peripheral Nerve shows, the history of health and medicine in Latin America is, excuse the pun, in very good health, and clearly has much to tell us about the regions experience of the Cold War and its legacies. At the same time, the volume shows clearly that the agenda to extend our study of the Cold War beyond both superpower rivalries and their localized effects in the region and into new fields such as the politics of scientific expertise or south-south exchanges, and, of course, health and medicine, is essential if we are to make sense of one of the defining processes in Latin America in the twentieth century.[1]

Paulo Drinot is Professor of Latin American History at University College London. His latest book is The Sexual Question: A History of Prostitution in Peru, 1850s-1950s (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020).

Note

[1]. This book can be usefully paired with two recent studies: Andra Chastain and Timothy Lorek eds, Itineraries of Expertise: Science, Technology, and the Environment in Latin America (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020); and Thomas C. Field Jr., Stella Krepp, and Vanni Pettina, eds., Latin America and the Global Cold War (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020).

[This work from H-Net Reviews is licensed under a Creative Commons License ]
Home > 2021 > Drawing parallels: British Partition Plans for India and Palestine | Komal (...)

by Komal Deol*

The Independence Day celebrations on 15th August 1947 were tempered by the tragedy of partition that accompanied Indias midnight tryst with destiny. Less than a year after the dominions of India and Pakistan came into existence, another nation state  Israel  was born in 1948 under similar catastrophic conditions involving mass migration and communal violence. Both these events were rooted in the philosophy of ethnic homogenization, in the belief that its not possible for different groups  religious, racial, cultural or otherwise  to co-exist together. Another common factor was the role played by the Imperial British, as troublemakers as well as middlemen.

The Story of Palestine

Zionism is an ancient concept which stands for the creation of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine, their promised land and ancestral home. Politically, it gained popularity in late 19th century in Europe as a national movement and was seen as a solution to anti-Semitic attitudes resulting in consistent persecution of Jews there. Here its pertinent to note that not all Jews are Zionists, some actively oppose the idea. From the 1880s, following the Russian pogroms, waves of Jewish migrants started to arrive in Palestine. But there was a problem Palestine, which was under the control of Ottoman empire, was not an empty piece of land waiting to be occupied. It was already inhabited by Arabs, and also had a few Christian and Jewish settlements.

The First World War was a transformative event in Palestinian history. In its desperation to win the war, Britain had made multitudinous arrangements with numerous groups to appease them and win their support for its war efforts. One such promise was made to the Zionist leaders in London  Balfour Declaration 1917  to facilitate the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. This declaration was made in a letter by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a prominent leader of British Jewish Community. [1] Soon, British forces were able to wrestle Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire. Arabs watched these developments suspiciously and recognized the challenge that Zionism posed.

After the War, the question of colonies belonging to the defeated German and Turkish powers had to be decided. These could not be taken over directly by the victor allied nations, since the annexation of territory was against purported war aims. A compromise was devised in the form of the Mandate System. Under the system, the responsibility to govern these territories was handed over to the allied nations, till the time they were capable of self-determination. The Treaty of Versailles, produced at the end of the World War, stated that these regions were inhabited by peoples not yet able to stand by themselves under the strenuous conditions of the modern world and tutelage of such peoples should be entrusted to advanced nations who by reason of their resources, their experience or their geographical position can best undertake this responsibility. [2] It was a way for Britain and France to continue their old fashioned imperialism, disguised as enlightened guidance.

Mandate or authorization of Palestine, part of the now vanquished Ottoman Empire, was given to the British and this handover was approved by League of Nations in 1922. Britain was now responsible for the establishment of the Jewish national home, development of self-governing institutions and safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion. [3] This system proved to be problematic because the British now had to manage the national demands of Jewish and Arab communities, which were mutually exclusive.

In 1920, out of the total 700,000 Palestinian inhabitants, approximately 10% were Jews and most had entered Palestine in the last 40 years. As Zionism received support from the British under Balfour Promises and anti-Semitic attitudes rose in Europe, especially in Germany and Poland, by 1936 their proportion had risen to 30%. [4] The ever-growing Jewish community in Palestine was well organized. Fertile land was bought by land purchasing agencies Jewish National Fund and leased exclusively to Jews.

Federation of Jewish Labour was formed to promote their employment in Jewish enterprises and it developed its own military force, for defense purposes. In all this, they had British backing.

Arab Nationalism grew as a reaction to these developments and demanded control over Zionist immigration and land purchases. Britain was seen as an enemy as too; Palestinian land was not theirs to promise. Local Arabs felt increasingly threatened in their own land and this antagonism resulted in the Western Wall Riots of 1929. This structure in the Old City of Jerusalem held sanctity for both communities. Tensions over access to the Wall galvanized communal hostilities and ended any real chance of Arab-Jewish peace in Palestine. [5]

In the 1930s, other mandate neighbours  Iraq, Egypt, Syria  had developed various forms of self-government and gained formal independence while Palestine was nowhere close to self-rule. It didnt even have a representative legislative body. Under such circumstances, Arab nationalist sentiments became more radicalized and interlaced with religion and there were mass demonstrations in 1936. The British government followed the policy of carrot and stick by calling in the troops to put down the rebellion and then setting up an official commission of enquiry under Lord Peel, former Secretary of State for India. Its task was to find a way to fit two national movements into a single territory.

The Commission recommended that Palestine be partitioned into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The proposed Jewish state would still contain a very large Arab minority and to make the partition clean and final, Peel called for a population exchange. That meant transferring almost 200,000 Arabs to make room for a Jewish state. The idea that thousands of them would have to move from the lands of their ancestors didnt go down well with the Arabs and led to the eruption of significant anti-colonial revolts in 1939. [6] It was during this time that keffiyeh, a traditional headcloth worn by the peasants, became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. [7] The revolt was again crushed cruelly by the imperial authorities.

At the diplomatic level, the intensity of the revolt and the high costs of quelling it brought a change in British plans for Palestine. Also, the war clouds were hovering over Europe and the British needed to secure communications and supply lines in the face of a prospective war. Consequently, a White Paper was issued in 1939 and it announced the cancellation of the idea of partition, placed restrictions on the continued purchase of land by Zionist authorities and laid down limits on Jewish immigration  75000 persons would be allowed to enter over a period of 5 years and then the process would stop. It also envisaged the establishment of a unitary Palestinian state in which Arabs and Jews would wield the authority mutually. This paper in essence repudiated the Balfour Declaration and reversed British policy in Palestine of the previous twenty years. [8]

A major shift in this policy was around the corner. The Second World War left Britain so worn out that it lacked any resolve or capacity to determine for itself Palestines future. Also, many western countries, specifically the USA, declared their full support for an independent Jewish state as a home for Jewish refugees who had survived the holocaust. Overwhelming sympathies lay with the Jewish community and in this light, British policy restricting Jewish immigration was bitterly criticized. Under such circumstances, Britain turned to United Nations and handed over the problem of Palestine; washing its hands of an impossible mess which was its own creation. [9]

UN set up a special committee on Palestine and it revived the idea of partitioning Palestine, raised ten years earlier by the Peel Commission. The proposed Jewish state comprised 55% of Palestines territory, with Jewish settlements and Arab villages thoroughly intermingled. Needless to say, this angered the Arab population who rejected the award and a civil war broke out, followed by a regional war between the newly formed state of Israel and its Arab neighbours.

During the fighting, Israel occupied 78% of the mandate Palestine and lakhs of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes. The British, meanwhile, had left for good and the rest, as they say, is history. Multiple Arab-Israel wars followed over the decades and a solution is still nowhere in sight.

British venture to settle a European population among indigenous inhabitants with whom there could be no accommodation was a problematic piece of work. Also, the absence of any durable prudent policy complicated an already impossible situation. Plans were declared and altered as and when it suited British geopolitical exigencies.

The Story of India

One question that often comes to mind, especially that of the generations relativity removed from the horrors of partition and communal violence, is that why did the Partition of India happen at all? Why couldnt the subcontinent remain a single unit? Ramchandra Guha in his seminal work India After Gandhi, writes, There have been three rather different answers on offer. The first blames the congress leadership for underestimating Jinnah and the Muslims. The second blames Jinnah for pursuing his goal of a separate country regardless of human consequences. The third holds the British responsible, claiming that they promoted a divide between Hindus and Muslims to perpetuate their rule. [10] The answer is a complex patchwork of all three.

The idea that Muslims of South Asia needed a nation of their own was long in the making. It evolved during the first half of the 20th century and by the time world war two ended and it became clear that the British would be handing back the empire to Indians soon, the idea of Pakistan had gained an exigent position.

In the run-up to 1946 elections  held to form provincial governments and create a central body to design constitutionpoliticization of religion was being employed by all political parties. Muslim League used the idea of Pakistan strategically to rally supporters. Their campaign was based on the proposal that every vote in favour of the League was a vote in favour of Pakistan. The exact meaning of Pakistan was however kept vague. [11]

Today we are accustomed to fixed boundaries that the state of Pakistan has, but at that time many didnt think of Pakistan in such certain territorial terms. Would there be a federation consisting of Hindu and Muslim units? Would there be Pakistan pockets all over India, encompassing Muslim majority regions? Would it be a territorially separate nation-state? Then what about cities like Delhi, Aligarh, Hyderabad? No one had an answer and one thing was clear - people were not contemplating mass migration

After provincial governments were in place, an attempt was made to forge a compromise and create a single constitutional plan for a united India. Cabinet Mission was sent for the purpose and it suggested a three-layered federation with the central government in charge of defence and foreign affairs and autonomous province organized into three groups. The plan was eventually rejected as it wasnt good enough either for those who wanted a strong centralized India on one hand or for those who endorsed partition. Subsequently, communal violence ensued in Calcutta after Leagues call for Direct Action Day in August 1946 and it spread to Bihar, United Provinces and eventually Punjab, which descended into a civil war in March 1947 with unprecedented levels of killings, rioting and mayhem. In these circumstances of fear and anxiety, partition or division of Punjab and Bengal looked like a solution. It appeared that the price of a strong central government was the division of the country. The idea of Pakistan merged with the state of Pakistan.

Now London aimed to leave India as soon as possible, united or divided. Prime Minister Attlee declared in February 1947 that Britain intended to pull out from the subcontinent no later than June 1948. Mountbatten was sent as the new viceroy to complete the transfer of power. A paper plan was prepared to partition Punjab and Bengal based on territorial and statistical maps, indifferent to human safety and popular protection. This plan, also known as the Mountbatten Plan, was announced on 3rd June to a nervous and expectant population. It became clear that the country was to be divided, but would people be asked to move? Where would the boundaries lie? These vital questions remained unanswered. Along with this shock and confusion, the date of freedom was advanced to 15th August 1947. The most astound and frightened reactions from Punjab as regions around Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi were numerically dominated by Muslims, but home to over half a million Sikhs and their holiest pilgrimage places.

Punjab and Bengal boundary commission was set up under the chairmanship of Cyril Radcliffe- on 30th June. The commission worked behind closed doors and had an incredibly complex job of dividing land, assets and army, based on outdated data. It received numerous petitions and memos from various groups making labyrinth demands and over half the districts in Punjab were contested. Radcliffe had a thankless job.

Meanwhile, violence continued outside and the trickle of refugees already started amid rumours and guesses about where the boundary would lie.

The partition plans were ready by 12th August but held back deliberately for 5 days.

Radcliffe line was finally revealed to the public on 17th Aug, the same day that the first regiment of British troops departed from Bombay. [12] British-commanded Indian boundary force, which was supposed to control communal violence in Punjab, numbering 50,000, was under-prepared and far too small to oversee what was about to befall.

The violence which had preceded the partition was grave, but after 15th august 1947, it took on a new fury and brutality. Ethnic cleansing was accompanied by a massive population exchange. Nascent provincial governments  understaffed and under-resourced  were in no way ready for new responsibilities. As a result, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost.

Obscure thinking was the fatal flaw of the partition plan. There was an urgent necessity to give solid reassurances to minority groups and guarantee citizenship, property and security rights for all religious groups, irrespective of where they lived. Colonial masters should have retained the well trained troops and bureaucrats for another few months to maintain law and order and oversee peaceful transfer of population. Tragically, this was not done. In their hurry to leave India, the duty to protect the lives of south Asians already ended in the minds of colonial masters. The jewel in the crown had become a major inconvenience and was recklessly tossed away.

The war-weary British left India for good in 1947 and decided to relinquish their mandate over Palestine in the same year. The inexcusable incompetence shown by them in both the situations is a far cry from their purported white mans burden of spreading civilization. There are too many moving parts in any instance of violence accompanying decolonization to squarely blame anyone. However, it is clear that the departing colonizers, knowingly or unknowingly, left behind a trail of devastation and created problems that persist to the present day  disputed borders and disgruntled communities. This is a story of every decolonized region, be it South East Asia, South America or Africa. Partitions, redrawing of borders and mass migration may have become inevitable in some cases but the rape, murder and looting that followed, was not. The white man must also carry the burden of blame.

* (Author: Komal Deol, Researcher at History Department, Panjab University, Chandigarh)
David Francis, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, announced on Thursday in Rabat that his country will open a consulate general in Dakhla, in the southern provinces of Morocco.

During a joint press briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, David Francis explained that In view of the distinguished relations between our two countries, Sierra Leone will proceed with the official opening of an embassy in Rabat and a consulate general in Dakhla,

He also confirmed that for Sierra Leone, the Sahara is a territory under the sovereignty of Morocco, and highlighted the special aspect of the relations between the two countries, driven by the two Heads of State, HM King Mohammed VI and President Julius Maada Bio, who are working to strengthen these credible and long-standing links.

For his part, Bourita welcomed the announcement of Sierra Leone to open a consulate general in Dakhla, stressing that through this decision, relations between the two countries are now experiencing a qualitative leap.

This is the 25th consular representation to open in the southern provinces of Morocco in recent months, noted Bourita, adding that this attests to the continued support at the international level, especially at the African level, to the Moroccanness of the Sahara.

During their meeting, the two parties signed a roadmap for cooperation between Morocco and Sierra-Leone with the aim of consolidating bilateral relations in several areas.

The signed document is related to the fields of education and training, technical cooperation, economic promotion and investments and cooperation in the field of security. The roadmap also covers the exchange of official visits.
The Iranian parliament Wednesday rubber-stamped all President Ebrahim Raisis nominees for his new administration, but rejected Hossein Baghgolis choice for education portfolio.

The parliament approved, with overwhelming majorities, other nominations, including Raisis choices for Foreign and Defense ministers, Hossein Amirabdollahian and Mohammad Reza Ashtiani but rejected the choice Education minister, Hossein Baghgoli.

Only 76 MPs voted for Baghgoli out of 286 MPs present in the 290-seat parliament. Raisi said the 18-minister cabinet is chosen based on the criteria he had promised the people during the presidential campaign, Tehran Times reports.

I promised to select ministers based on the indicators such as expertise, anti-corruption and popularity, he said.

The new Iranian leader who vowed to stamp out corruption asserted: It will not be tolerated when it becomes clear that the person who cooperates with the government will show the slightest unhealthiness, not in the position of a minister, but in any other position.
The Ministry of Health in Kenya says it is expecting to receive some 4.5 million COVID-19 vaccines by mid September to boost vaccination efforts in the country.

Dr Willis Akhwale spoke at a media round table on Wednesday, revealing that by August 21, Kenya had received approximately 3.6 million doses of both the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines and Moderna.

The chairperson of the task force on vaccine deployment added that the country anticipates 1.7 million doses of Pfizer vaccine by mid-September, 2 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine in September, and 893,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine between now and next month.

He noted that Chinas Sinopharm vaccine has not been licensed for administration to persons above 60 years.

The Ministry of Health insisted that the government will be the sole importer of vaccines.

The only importer and distributor is the government, the govt will facilitate the vaccine procurement even for the private sector, Dr Willis Akhwale said.

The Health ministry urged Kenyans to get the vaccines, saying the bulk of recent deaths had been among elderly individuals aged 60 and over, followed by those aged 50 to 59.

Dr Akwale also implored Kenyans to get the readily available jabs as waiting for their vaccine of choice may be an exercise in futility.

If you wait for your vaccine choice, you may wait until you dieI know that is what is happening, Dr Akhwale added.

Dr. Joseph Sitienei, Head of the Department of Health Sector Monitoring also urged those who have not received their second doses to do so.

So far, about 3 percent of Kenyas population has been fully vaccinated against the COVID.19.

Some people may get the 1st jab and disappear. We are going to track those who have not gone for 2nd doseone jab is not enough, Dr. Sitienei said.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has launched a scathing attack on Deputy President William Rutos hustler narrative, likening it to Adolf Hitlers Nazism.

Speaking at the 64th General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) in Limuru on Wednesday, August 25, the CS noted that the German dictator had promised Germans heaven only to deliver hell.

Matiangi cautioned Kenyans against falling into DP Rutos Hustler trap in the upcoming elections, saying it is masked with dictatorial and tyrannical intentions.

Hitler during the campaign in Germany, told Germans to give him five years and he will give them a different Germany, and he actually gave them a seriously different Germany because he slaughtered the Jews, gas chambers and so on, Matiangi said.

He added: Hitler moved around sweeping the country, taking advantage of poverty and weaponizing the poverty of the people and then now using it as a platform. Lets not fall trap to things that are not true and are not realistic.

The CS urged Kenyans to take the upcoming elections seriously, saying it is the most consequential of all the elections that Kenya has had in the past.

This election is going to be the most important election we ever had because it is going to be a serious transition and one that could change the course of this country, he observed.

Also Read  Raila Defends DP Ruto But Likens Hustlers Vs Dynasties Slogan To Hitlers Nazism
The government has denied reports that there are fake COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

According to the reports, the fake vaccines were brought into Kenya through Uganda. This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised a red flag over the existence of fake Covid-19 vaccines circulating in Uganda.

The WHO asked neighbouring countries to be on high alert.

Speaking Thursday, Government Spokesman Cyrus Oguna assured Kenyans that the vaccines in hospitals countrywide are genuine.

The government cannot allow fake vaccines to enter into the country, he stated.

Oguna, however, raised the alarm over some Kenyans whom he said are conducting unscrupulous businesses using the vaccines.

We are aware of people who have already been vaccinated twice but they are conducting business. They wake up in the morning, go to the vaccination centres to line up for the jab, only to later sell their space at Sh100; this is wrong. Those found selling their lines in the vaccination centres will be arrested and charged in court. The jab is free, said Oguna.

The spokesman said the country is currently administering Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs.

If there are other reports (about any other vaccines), those are fake. CNN also aired a story that people are scared of going for the jab. That is untrue because as at now, many Kenyans have been vaccinated, especially the elderly. We are now urging the youth and those with opportunistic diseases to go for the jab. We dont have fake vaccines in Kenya, Oguna said at the Mama Ngina Waterfront in Mombasa.
Mary Irungu alias Marya Prude says her family was her biggest support system after she separated from her ex-husband Willis Raburu.

In addition to the divorce process, Marya was also healing from the loss of their daughter Adana.

It was such an emotional period and by that time all I needed was therapy and just taking care of my mental health, she said.

Mary said her parents took her in and looked after her.

My dad took me in when I was going through some hard times last year and told me I just need you to exist and whatever you need I am here to give it to you, she said.

Adding: My dad took care of me and my mum made sure I ate and slept. She would cook everything for me and told me to stay with them.

The firstborn in a family of three siblings noted that her parents are firm with regard to their well-being. She also said they are not strict as to stop them from having fun.

Like for example, my dad bought me the first alcoholic drink. He introduced me to that. He was like, when you are out with your friends, take this and this. You will feel a headache and so on.

Speaking about how open she was to her parents about relationships, Marya said her dad has never seen any of her exes except for Raburu.

He just saw my ex [Willis Raburu] and it was when he was coming to ask for my hand in marriage, Marya said.

I would discuss relationships with my mum. When I was in primary school, he sat me down and told me, Listen, I know you are beautiful and so if any man out there tells you that, tell them your mum and dad have told you that already.
Wabosha Maxine, one of Kenyas more popular content creators on YouTube, has partnered with the newly launched Shahara platform to release her first ever podcast, A Letter to My Younger Self.

The 9-episode podcast features notable celebrities and award-winning media personalities, who talk to Wabosha about the most impactful moments in their lifes journey.

Season one of A Letter To My Younger Self features prominent public figures such as investigative journalist John-Allan Namu, Willis Chimano from Sauti Sol, CEO of Vivo Activewear Wandia Gichuru, Olympic Weightlifter Winnie Okoth, and Musician Karun (Formally of Camp Mulla).

The conversations will be hosted by me and they are relevant for all audiences from the young to the old. In the age of social media, younger generations can get the false impression that they are alone in their struggles  and also that success comes fast and easy, Wabosha Maxine said.
A woman suspected of killing her baby during a fight with her husband is yet to enter a plea after the DCI asked the court for more time to complete investigations.

Ann Andasi Muronji is facing murder charges over the death of a three-month baby after fighting with her husband in mid-June this year.

According to a police report, Andasi was in a fight with her husband, who was drunk, when they accidentally fell on their baby who died.

In an affidavit filed in a Nairobi court, Constable Moses Mbwele sought to be allowed to continue holding Andasi saying that the investigations into the case involve weighty matters which requires ample time.

He told the court that detectives are expected to visit the scene of the crime in the Dagoretti area where the suspect might have dumped the body of her child after killing her.

Mbwele said they are interrogating the woman to establish whether they can press murder charges against her.

The police said they are still hunting for Andasis husband and other accomplices who are still at large.

The respondent (Andasi) is believed to be having crucial information which may lead to the arrest of the others. Other witnesses are yet to record their statements and it will be fair and just for this honourable court to grant the orders as prayed for sufficient gathering of the evidence, the investigating officer said.

The court also heard that the suspect needs to be taken for mental assessment before she faces murder charges in the High Court.

Senior principal magistrate Charles Mwaniki allowed the DCI to continue detaining Andasi for two weeks.

I allow application by the DCl through the investigative officer and the suspect to be remanded for 14 days to enable the completion of the probe in the matter, Mwaniki ruled.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Russian watchdog fines Booking.com $17.5 mln for abuse of market power

 Zuma\TASS

10:53 27/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI)  The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has fined Booking.com B.V. managing Booking.com aggregator (The Netherlands) 1.3 billion rubles ($17.5 million) for abusing market dominance, according to the bodys statement.

In December 2020, the watchdog completed consideration of an antimonopoly case against Booking.com B.V. launched upon an application filed by the All-Russian public organization of small and medium business Opora Russia.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service revealed that the company had abused its power at Russias accommodation reservation market forcing contract terms of the need of obligatory provision and enforcing price and room parity as well as conditions of compatibility with closed user groups upon hotels and hostels. This meant that the hotels could not set prices for their services on other websites lower than on Booking.com., the statement reads.

The regulator held that such actions of the aggregator restricted market competition and led to the infringement of the hotels interests.

Booking.com registered in Amsterdam provides an online accommodation reservation service in more than 200 countries.




Pskov civilians murders during WWII recognized as genocide

 RAPSI

11:31 27/08/2021

PSKOV, August 27 (RAPSI)  The Pskov Regional Court on Friday recognized massacres of civilians committed in the region by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War as genocide, a RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom.

According to the ruling, the newly revealed crimes committed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on the territory of the Pskov and Velikiye Luki (from 02.10.1957 - Pskov) regions by unidentified persons from among the Nazi criminals and traitors against the civilian population and prisoners of war were war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Within the framework of the No Statute of Limitations project, in July - October 2020, mass graves of civilians and prisoners of war perished during the Great Patriotic War were discovered on the territory of the Pskov region. During the war, these areas were under German occupation.

During the occupation of the Pskov region by the Nazis and their accomplices, 42,537 civilian Soviet citizens were shot, 776 were hanged, 7,629 people died as a result of torture or were burned alive, 329,455 Soviet prisoners of war were exterminated, the Prosecutor General's Office has noted earlier.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Mostly clear. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low near 75F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Another Batch of COVID-19 Vaccines and Testing Kits Donated by China Handed Over to Sierra Leone

2021/08/19

On August 18, 2021, 200,000 vials of COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sino-pharm, 201,600 pieces of syringes, 40,000 Novel Coronavirus Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Kits and 50,000 Novel Coronavirus Antigen Detection Kits donated by the Chinese government to Sierra Leone were formally handed over to the government of Sierra Leone at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. H.E. Chinese Ambassador Hu Zhangliang, Hon. Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby, Hon. Chairman of NaCOVERC Dr. Sheku. F. Bangura and other dignitaries, friends and representatives graced the hand-over ceremony.

Ambassador Hu said that this donation is meant for further supporting Sierra Leones fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and it is one of Chinas concrete actions in implementing the solemn commitments made by H.E. President Xi Jinping.

Hon. Minister Demby and Hon. Chairman of NaCOVERC Bangura, on behalf of H.E. President Maada Bio, thanked China for the kind donation. Hon. Minister Demby highlighted that China is the most responsive country when Sierra Leone needs help and the vaccines provided by China are safe and efficacious.
Drone photos of the Rubin Observatory summit facility (provided by Dome Surveyor, Oscar Rivera) show advancement to near 100% on dome cladding completion as well as closure of the louvers, rear door, and shutters. CREDIT Rubin Obs/NSF/AURA

Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington have announced an expansive, multi-year collaboration to create new software platforms to analyze large astronomical datasets generated by the upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)

LSST will be carried out by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile. The open-source platforms are part of the new LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing (LINCC) and will fundamentally change how scientists use modern computational methods to make sense of big data.

Through the LSST, the Rubin Observatory, a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, will collect and process more than 20 terabytes of data each night -- and up to 10 petabytes each year for 10 years -- and will build detailed composite images of the southern sky. Over its expected decade of observations, astrophysicists estimate the Department of Energy's LSST Camera will detect and capture images of an estimated 30 billion stars, galaxies, stellar clusters and asteroids. Each point in the sky will be visited around 1,000 times over the survey's 10 years, providing researchers with valuable time series data.

Scientists plan to use this data to address fundamental questions about our universe, such as the formation of our solar system, the course of near-Earth asteroids, the birth and death of stars, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, the universe's murky early years and its ultimate fate, among other things.

"Our goal is to maximize the scientific output and societal impact of Rubin LSST, and these analysis tools will go a huge way toward doing just that," said Jeno Sokoloski, director for science at the LSST Corporation. "They will be freely available to all researchers, students, teachers and members of the general public."

The Rubin Observatory will produce an unprecedented data set through the LSST. To take advantage of this opportunity, the LSST Corporation created the LSST Interdisciplinary Network for Collaboration and Computing (LINCC), whose launch was announced August 9 at the Rubin Observatory Project & Community Workshop. One of LINCC's primary goals is to create new and improved analysis infrastructure that can accommodate the data's scale and complexity that will result in meaningful and useful pipelines of discovery for LSST data.

"Many of the LSST's science objectives share common traits and computational challenges. If we develop our algorithms and analysis frameworks with forethought, we can use them to enable many of the survey's core science objectives," said Rachel Mandelbaum, professor of physics and member of the McWilliams Center for Cosmology at Carnegie Mellon.

The LINCC analysis platforms are supported by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that bets early on exceptional people making the world better. This project is part of Schmidt Futures' work in astrophysics, which aims to accelerate our knowledge about the universe by supporting the development of software and hardware platforms to facilitate research across the field of astronomy.

"Many years ago, the Schmidt family provided one of the first grants to advance the original design of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. We believe this telescope is one of the most important and eagerly awaited instruments in astrophysics in this decade. By developing platforms to analyze the astronomical datasets captured by the LSST, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington are transforming what is possible in the field of astronomy," said Stuart Feldman, chief scientist at Schmidt Futures.

"Tools that utilize the power of cloud computing will allow any researcher to search and analyze data at the scale of the LSST, not just speeding up the rate at which we make discoveries but changing the scientific questions that we can ask," said Andrew Connolly, a professor of astronomy, director of the eScience Institute and former director of the Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology (DiRAC) Institute at the University of Washington.

Connolly and Carnegie Mellon's Mandelbaum will co-lead the project, which will consist of programmers and scientists based at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Washington, who will create platforms using professional software engineering practices and tools. Specifically, they will create a "cloud-first" system that also supports high-performance computing (HPC) systems in partnership with the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), a joint effort of Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, and the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. LSSTC will run programs to engage the LSST Science Collaborations and broader science community in the design, testing and use of the new tools.

"The software funded by this gift will magnify the scientific return on the public investment by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy to build and operate Rubin Observatory's revolutionary telescope, camera and data systems," said Adam Bolton, director of the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC) at NSF's NOIRLab. CSDC will collaborate with LINCC scientists and engineers to make the LINCC framework accessible to the broader astronomical community.

Through this new project, new algorithms and processing pipelines developed at LINCC will be able to be used across fields within astrophysics and cosmology to sift through false signals, filter out noise in the data and flag potentially important objects for follow-up observations. The tools developed by LINCC will support a "census of our solar system" that will chart the courses of asteroids; help researchers to understand how the universe changes with time; and build a 3D view of the universe's history.

"The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center is very excited to continue to support data-intensive astrophysics research being done by scientists worldwide. The work will set the stage for the forefront of computational infrastructure by providing the community with tools and frameworks to handle the massive amount of data coming off of the next generation of telescopes," said Shawn Brown, director of the PSC.

Northwestern University and the University of Arizona, in addition to Carnegie Mellon and the University of Washington, are hub sites for LINCC. The University of Pittsburgh will partner with the Carnegie Mellon hub.



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
The Greenland Ice Sheet underwent two bouts of intense melting in July 2021, and forecasts called for even more to follow.

They were right. Summer heat spurred another major melt event on August 14-15, 2021, but this time, the melting was exacerbated by rainfall.

Every year from around May to early September, melting takes place across the vast sheet of ice that covers Greenland. Besides contributing directly to sea level rise, meltwater can flow to the base of the ice sheet via crevasses and moulins, accelerating the flow of ice toward the ocean.

Within a melting season there can be the occasional "melt event"--brief periods with more melting and runoff than during 'typical' summer days. The seventh-largest melt event on record (by area) occurred on July 28, when melting covered about 881,000 square kilometers (340,000 square miles) of the ice sheet, according to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Melting on August 14--the peak of the unusual late-summer event--was slightly smaller, covering about 872,000 square kilometers.

According to Lauren Andrews, a glaciologist with NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, the pattern of melting differed for each event. "While the late-July melt event was extensive in northern Greenland, the August event was focused in southern Greenland," she said.

The island's southern tip was visible amid clouds on August 15, 2021, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite acquired this image (above) of part of the melt area. The image is false color to better differentiate between areas of clouds (white), snow (cyan), bare ice (blue), and meltwater or slushy ice (darker blue). Ocean water appears the darkest blue, almost black. For comparison, a second image shows the area on August 12, prior to the melt event.

Notice that by August 15, the area of bare ice extends farther inland. "The snow line has retreated, exposing more of the darker, underlying ice," Andrews said. "This retreat is most obvious when we look closely at the outlet glaciers and was likely driven by the large melt event on August 14-15."

Andrews also noted that the melting extended well inland toward the interior of the ice sheet and reached Summit Station--National Science Foundation's research station located near the top of the ice sheet, nearly two miles above sea level.

The melting was provoked by warm air that moved over Greenland and produced unusually high temperatures. The map above shows the short-term warm up over Greenland; it depicts how much the air temperature on August 14, 2021, was above or below temperatures from the week before (averaged from August 5 to 11, 2021). The map was derived from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model and represents air temperatures at 2 meters (about 6-7 feet) above the ground. Modeled data, which uses mathematical equations that represent physical processes, offer a broad, estimated view of a region where ground-based weather stations are sparse.

Widespread rainfall in southern Greenland contributed to the melting. Rain was even observed by National Science Foundation personnel at Summit Station on August 14, 2021--the first time since the start of field observations there in the late 1980s, according to Von Walden of the Summit Station Science Coordination Office and Washington State University.

Warm air temperatures alone, not rain, caused previous major melt events at Summit Station, including those in 2012 and 2019, according to Christopher Shuman, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County, glaciologist based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Studies have shown that the amount of melting across Greenland caused by rain has increased over the recent past, in both summer and winter.

Large melt events including those of the 2021 season are generally short-lived and contribute a relatively small amount to the total melting that occurs across a season. But they can have a lasting effect on the ice sheet. Melting can trigger processes that cause the ice surface to darken and modify the underlying snow and firn, which can exacerbate future melting and runoff, even under normal atmospheric conditions.

"During melt events, these processes can occur over parts of the ice sheet that do not typically experience melt, making the impact more widespread," Andrews said. "Positive feedbacks like these are starting to take their toll."



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
After successful completion of its final tests, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is being prepped for shipment to its launch site.

Engineering teams have completed Webb's long-spanning comprehensive testing regimen at Northrop Grumman's facilities. Webb's many tests and checkpoints were designed to ensure that the world's most complex space science observatory will operate as designed once in space.

Now that observatory testing has concluded, shipment operations have begun. This includes all the necessary steps to prepare Webb for a safe journey through the Panama Canal to its launch location in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America. Since no more large-scale testing is required, Webb's clean room technicians have shifted their focus from demonstrating it can survive the harsh conditions of launch and work in orbit, to making sure it will safely arrive at the launch pad. Webb's contamination control technicians, transport engineers, and logistics task forces are all expertly prepared to handle the unique task of getting Webb to the launch site. Shipping preparations will be completed in September.

Webb Will Soon Be on its Way

"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major turning point on its path toward launch with the completion of final observatory integration and testing," said Gregory L. Robinson, Webb's program director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We have a tremendously dedicated workforce who brought us to the finish line, and we are very excited to see that Webb is ready for launch and will soon be on that science journey."

While shipment operations are underway, teams located in Webb's Mission Operations Center (MOC) at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore will continue to check and recheck the complex communications network it will use in space. Recently this network fully demonstrated that it is capable of seamlessly sending commands to the spacecraft. Live launch rehearsals are underway within the MOC with the explicit purpose of preparing for launch day and beyond. There is much to be done before launch, but with integration and testing formally concluded, NASA's next giant leap into the cosmic unknown will soon be underway.

Once Webb arrives in French Guiana, launch processing teams will configure the observatory for flight. This involves post-shipment checkouts to ensure the observatory hasn't been damaged during transport, carefully loading the spacecraft's propellant tanks with hydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer it will need to power its rocket thrusters to maintain its orbit, and detaching 'remove before flight' red-tag items like protective covers that keep important components safe during assembly, testing, and transport. Then engineering teams will mate the observatory to its launch vehicle, an Ariane 5 rocket provided by ESA (European Space Agency), before it rolls out to the launch pad. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

The James Webb Space Telescope is an amazing feat of human ingenuity, made more impressive by the obstacles Webb personnel overcame to deliver this amazing space science observatory. Earthquakes, a devastating hurricane, snowstorms, blizzards, wildfires, and a global pandemic are only some of what the people behind Webb endured to ensure success. Webb's story is one of perseverance - a mission with contributions from thousands of scientists, engineers, and other professionals from more than 14 countries and 29 states, in nine different time zones.

"To me, launching Webb will be a significant life event - I'll be elated of course when this is successful, but it will also be a time of deep personal introspection. Twenty years of my life will all come down to that moment," said Mark Voyton, Webb observatory integration and test manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "We've come a long way and worked through so much together to prepare our observatory for flight. The telescope's journey is only just beginning, but for those of us on the ground who built it, our time will soon come to an end, and we will have our opportunity to rest, knowing we put everything on the line to make sure our observatory works. The bonds we formed with each other along the way will last far into the future."

Opening NASA's New Eye on the Cosmos

After launch, Webb will undergo an action-packed six-month commissioning period. Moments after completing a 26-minute ride aboard the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, the spacecraft will separate from the rocket and its solar array will deploy automatically. After that, all subsequent deployments over the next few weeks will be initiated from ground control located at STScI.

Webb will take one month to fly to its intended orbital location in space nearly one million miles away from Earth, slowly unfolding as it goes. Sunshield deployments will begin a few days after launch, and each step can be controlled expertly from the ground, giving Webb's launch full control to circumnavigate any unforeseen issues with deployment.

Once the sunshield starts to deploy, the telescope and instruments will enter shade and start to cool over time. Over the ensuing weeks, the mission team will closely monitor the observatory's cooldown, managing it with heaters to control stresses on instruments and structures. In the meantime, the secondary mirror tripod will unfold, the primary mirror will unfold, Webb's instruments will slowly power up, and thruster firings will insert the observatory into a prescribed orbit.

Once the observatory has cooled down and stabilized at its frigid operating temperature, several months of alignments to its optics and calibrations of its scientific instruments will occur. Scientific operations are expected to commence approximately six months after launch.

'Flagship' missions like Webb are generational projects. Webb was built on both the legacy and the lessons of missions before it, such as the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, and it will in turn provide the foundation upon which future large astronomical space observatories may one day be developed.

"After completing the final steps of the James Webb Space Telescope's testing regimen, I can't help but see the reflections of the thousands of individuals who have dedicated so much of their lives to Webb, every time I look at that beautiful gold mirror," said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager for NASA Goddard.

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the world's premier space science observatory when it launches in 2021. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.



Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
The rover will abrade a rock this week, allowing scientists and engineers to decide whether that target would withstand its powerful drill.

In its search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover is once again preparing to collect the first of many rock core samples that could eventually be brought to Earth for further study.



This week, a tool on the rover's 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm will abrade the surface of a rock nicknamed "Rochette," allowing scientists to look inside and determine whether they want to capture a sample with the rover's coring bit. Slightly thicker than a pencil, the sample would be sealed in one of the 42 remaining titanium tubes aboard the rover.



Should the team decide to acquire a core from this rock, the sampling process would be initiated next week.



The mission attempted to capture their first record of the crater floor on Aug. 6 from a rock that ultimately proved too crumbly, breaking into powder and fragments of material too small to be retained in the sample tube before it was sealed and stored within the rover.



Perseverance has since trucked 1,493 feet (455 meters) to a ridge nicknamed "Citadelle" - French for "castle," a reference to how this craggy spot overlooks Jezero Crater's floor. The ridge is capped with a layer of rock that appears to resist wind erosion, a sign that it's more likely to hold up during drilling.



"There are potentially older rocks in the 'South Seitah' region ahead of us, so having this younger sample can help us reconstruct the whole timeline of Jezero," said Vivian Sun, one of the mission's scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.



The team has added a step to the sampling process for this coming attempt: After using its Mastcam-Z camera system to peer inside the sample tube, the rover will pause the sampling sequence so the team can review the image to ensure a rock core is present. Once a sample is confirmed, they will command Perseverance to seal the tube.



Although the pulverized rock eluded capture in the initial sample-acquisition effort, the first sample tube still contains a sample of Martian atmosphere, which the mission had originally planned to acquire at a later time.



"By returning samples to Earth, we hope to answer a number of scientific questions, including the composition of Mars' atmosphere," said Ken Farley, Perseverance's project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. "That's why we're interested in an atmospheric sample along with rock samples."



While atop Citadelle, Perseverance will use its subsurface radar, called RIMFAX - short for Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Experiment - to peer at rock layers below it. The top of the ridge will also provide a great vantage point for Mastcam-Z to look for other potential rock targets in the area.



More About the Mission



A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).



Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.



The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.



JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.



For more about Perseverance:



mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/



and



nasa.gov/perseverance

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has launched the latest in a series of initiatives celebrating the UAEs golden jubilee year.

It has collaborated with the youngest Emirati chef, an author, ice-skater, artists, and musical performers to curate works to commemorate the anniversary.

The airline's Vice President Brand, Marketing and Sponsorships Amina Taher said: Weve taken the UAEs 50th Anniversary to our heart and challenged ourselves to work in conjunction with Emirati talent to showcase the spirit of the UAE to the world.

As the second phase of our year-long UAE 50 celebration, the project aims to raise the profile of the UAE as a hotspot for culture and art. Each expressionist will spotlight one of the UAEs values of inclusion, resilience, honesty, creativity, inspiration and passion."

Aysha Al Obeidli, 13, dubbed the youngest Emirati chef, has taken social media by storm after being crowned KidZania Dubais 2018 Minichef. She and Etihad have collaborated to create a dessert to be served with Etihads childrens meals on flights over the National Day weekend.

Ayshas video launches on Etihads social media channels will be followed by stories with five more artistic collaborators - Abdulla Lutfi, a youngster who has created five works of art in his trademark black and white style; award-winning painter Abdulqader Al Rais will produce a work of art in his abstract style; Zahra Lari, the five-time national figure-skating champion, will release an instructional video; childrens author and illustrator Maitha Al Khayat will capture the stories of Etihad; over the coming weeks.

This campaign follows on from Etihads Legacy of a Nation initiative launched in June which curates heart-warming photos and stories of the UAE from the past 50 years.

Both citizens and residents shared almost 1,000 stories with the airline, and 50 selected stories are showcased on its website.-TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



Hindus and especially Muslims in India have to make efforts to acknowledge the luggage of the past few centuries which is a mix of good, bad and ugly. There is no glitter and glory in the immediate past nor in ancient India and in the same vein everything is not true of what is being perpetuated as the horrors of medieval India. The society at large has to decide its future course of action and being silent or reminiscing about the past glory is not a pleasant idea to have peace and harmony in the society, which is interwoven with both majority and minority communities.

Mushtaque Rahamat | TwoCircles.net

Support TwoCircles



All too will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression  Thomas Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address.

On August 10 this year, Hindustan mein rehna hai to Jai Shri Ram Kahna hoga (To live in India you must chant Jai Shri Ram) slogans were raised in the heart of Indian capital New Delhi just a few hundred meters from the Indian Parliament. Ironically, this event was organised by the lawyer Ashwani Choubey of Indias Supreme Court who is a prominent face of the BJPs Delhi unit. Being a lawyer, he was supposed to interpret the law, but he allowed others to take the law in their hands and an unruly crowd chanted Jab mulle kate jayenge, Ram Ram chillayenge (They (Muslims) will chant Ram Ram when they will be killed.) All this happened in the presence of police personnel. A few days later, a poor hapless Muslim rickshaw driver was beaten, paraded in public and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram for no fault of his.

Since 2014, the year Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed governments at the centre, incidents of lynching, killings of Muslims and Dalits have become a norm. Jai Sri Ram has become a battle cry and also a tool to demonise Muslims. This slogan  which means Praise Lord Ram, a Hindu god  has long been known as a prayer. Now the slogan is used as an incitement to mob violence against Indias minorities. As of February 2019, Human Rights Watch reported at least 44 such murders between May 2015 and December 2018. The lynching victims are overwhelmingly Muslims followed by Dalits and most of the perpetrators are Hindus. Although the government is not directly involved, its Ministers on different occasions have encouraged the perpetrators by arranging legal remedies. One of the ministers welcomed and received one such group accused of violence against minorities after they got bail from the court. On another occasion, the dead body of a perpetrator, who died of health complications, was draped in the national flag  a signature reserved for highly respected individuals especially for soldiers who die in the line of duty. This is one of the ways society pays homage to its heroes.

In Indias federal structure, it is the states which are responsible for law and order and it is the responsibility of the state to ensure justice. Most cases of lynching went unresolved, the culprits were let scot-free leaving victim families high and dry. Such callous attitude and sloppy investigation and prosecution on part of the executives and judiciary emboldened the perpetrators of lynching.

In India, the Hindu-Muslim relationship has been tumultuous since the partition. Indian Muslims were blamed for the partitioning of India by some sections of Indian society and politicians. There have been many instances of Hindu-Muslim violence with scores of lives lost of both communities and livelihood destroyed. Muslims, in general, have been at the receiving end since the issue of Babri Masjid came up in the wake of the Shah Bano case; a case pertaining to Muslin Personal Law. Muslims across India protested against the Supreme Court decision favouring alimony to the divorced Shah Bano. The Indian Parliament succumbed to these protests and enacted a law forcing the Supreme Court of India to retract its earlier decision. Coincidentally, around the same time, the administration of Ayodhya allowed Hindu prayer to be held in the hitherto locked Babri Masjid since the idol was placed inside the mosque on the night of 23 December 1949.

The RSS, BJP, VHP and its numerous cohorts took the issue of Babri Masjid-Ram Janam Bhoomi to the street and flamed sentiments of Hindus across India and the rest is history. India has seen some of the worst communal carnages, especially in Maharashtra in rioting instigated and abetted by then Shiv Sena chief Balasahab Thakre in the wake of the demolition of Babri Masjid at the hands of kar sevaks who had gathered from across India at the behest of VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP. In 2002 in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Modi who was then the chief minister of the state and under whose watch around 2000 Muslims were butchered and innumerable remain homeless even today. It is said by keeping quiet he let the mob run amok the city of Godhra to avenge the killings of kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya who died in a fire incident inside a train compartment which was reportedly locked from outside and set on fire by a Muslim mob. To this date, this version remains doubtful. However, the administration allowed, against the provision of law, VHP members to carry the dead bodies of victims and let them parade in Godhara arousing anger and passion which led to violence against Muslims in Godhara.

None of the culprits of the demolition of Babri Masjid was punished as if no one had demolished the historical structure. Not even the leaders who actively or tacitly exhorted the kar sevaks gathered in Ayodhya at the now-demolished Babri Masjid where a grand Ram Temple is under construction after the unexpected judgement from the Supreme Court of India. A legal expert Faizan Mustafa termed part of this judgement as laughable. If the destruction of Bari Masjid was not the event that changed India forever and took away its secular shine and the country gravitated to Hindu Rashtra and majoritarianism, the later failure of investigative agencies and the judiciary to punish those who helped and abetted demolition surely did.

In the 2014 general election and later in 2019, the Hindu nationalist party BJP secured more than enough Parliamentary seats to form the governments at the centre and by March 2018 BJP formed the government on its own or with its allies in 21 states. The BJP, though, not elected on the Hinduism agenda, did not waste time in enacting and acting laws and ordinances inimical to Indian Muslims without much discussion in the Parliament, advancing the Hindutva agenda. BJP knew from the beginning it cant win a majority of Parliament seats unless all Hindus are united as a single identity and vote as one block.

The actions of executives and some of the judgements of the judiciary were all but the manifestation of majority rule and an indication of how the government is going to treat minorities of the country. RSS and BJP didnt want to leave anything to chance in the pursuit of consolidating the Hindu vote bank. Therefore, RSS and BJP chose a firebrand Hindu monk to lead the most populous Indian state of Uttar Pradesh which incidentally has a history of acrimonious relations between Hindu and Muslims. Yogi, as he called himself, led the firebrand Hindu Yuva Vahini which is known for anti-Muslim campaigns. Yogi Adityanath, as he is known popularly, has been accused of hate speech and had court cases pending against him which he got overthrown as soon as he came to power.

The triple talaq, a genuine and abhorrent practice among some sections of Muslims of India, was one of the pet projects of the Hindutva forces cleverly devised to drive a wedge between Muslim men and women. They claimed to champion the emancipation of Muslim women from the tyranny of their menfolk who, as per their narrative, divorce them at their whims and fancies by just saying  talaq three times. BJP along with its numerous cohorts aided by pliant media made a big issue of triple talaq. They were equally supported by the misadventure of the Muslim Personal Law Board who was representing Muslims in the Supreme Court, unreasonable and somewhat irresponsible defence of the not-so-common issue of triple talaq. The BJP government made sure to criminalize a civil act for one community only i.e. Muslims on the recommendation of the Supreme Court of India. Criminalizing this civil action needed deeper debate on the floor of the parliament. But the government didnt have the welfare of the community in mind, instead, they wanted to demonize Muslim men. Consequently, India has two divorce laws  one for Muslims in which men pronouncing talaq will be jailed and on the other hand men from other religions can still pursue divorce without inviting jail terms.

Similarly, the BJP government enacted CAA and NRC and the Home Minister made no bones about it when he tried to explain in an election rally its chronology and implication for the Indian Muslims. The people who protested against CAA and NRC were detained and booked under draconian UAPA law. Students, social activists and lawyers were put behind bars for months without bail. Uttar Pradesh promulgated The Private Property Ordinance, 2020 in a hurry, forgetting that there is already a procedure laid down to punish those in the state agitating against CAA and NRC, by attaching or confiscating their property to compensate for the damage done to public property during political protests and riots.

On August 5, 2019, the government of India unilaterally withdrew the special status given in the constitution to Jammu and Kashmir through articles 370 and 35 (A). Jammu and Kashmir with an overwhelming majority of Muslim population has, since 1947, been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Observers have noted that Modis decision to do away with Jammu and Kashmirs autonomy was to feed his Hindu vote bank. Besides BJP, many political parties in Parliament voted in its favour. It is important to note that the BJP would have passed its Bill even without the support of others owing to its absolute majority in the Parliament.

There have been numerous instances of legislation that target Muslims like the bogus Love-Jihad law. A false and vicious campaign was built around the narrative that Muslims deliberately and by design marry Hindu women to convert them to Islam. Most of the BJP ruled states enacted laws apparently to combat inter-faith marriage. This is despite the fact that the constitution of India has guaranteed the fundamental right for its citizens to profess, practice and spread his/her faith without fear and intimidation. Many court judgements have upheld the rights of consenting individuals to choose their life partners irrespective of faith.

Another majoritarian project in India is to change the name of the towns and places from Muslim resemblance to new names, which according to RSS and BJP conform to ancient Indian civilization. Under this idea, Allahabad was changed to Prayagraj, a railway station with the name of Mughal Sarai (an obvious reference to Mughals, whom RSS and BJP loathe as foreigners) was changed to Deendayal Upadhyay, a thinker of right-wing Hindutva ideology espoused by RSS, and Faizabad was changed to Ayodhya. These all nomenclature exercises are aimed to erase the vestige of Muslim sounding names of places to appease the majoritys thirst for dominance. This is one more way to create others; a US vs. They narrative. The danger of majority tyranny doesnt need to be unconstitutional and illegal as the changing of the name of cities, railway stations and of roads are perfectly legal. However, these actions by the majority subtly give a message to the minority of not being accepted, their history not being respected and that they are not a part of the countrys social fabric.

The cow vigilante in India has lately been notorious for checking Muslim houses for supposedly storing or consuming beef. In most parts of India, the trading, slaughtering and consumption of cow meat is illegal. Muslims are engaged in good numbers in the cattle trade both as traders and as meat sellers. Since the BJP came to power, cow-vigilante groups have mushroomed across North India, so have the cases of lynching. There have been cases of Muslims who were killed just on suspicion of carrying cow meat. Wherever these incidents happened, the government of the state either turned their eyes away or did little to prosecute the perpetrators of lynching. Bizarre as it may sound, in some cases the victims of lynching were slapped with court cases.

El Gaili, says in Federalism and the tyranny of religious majorities, from the perspective of democracy, the tyranny of the majority is undemocratic since it is a systematic deprivation of both positive (participatory) and negative (protective) democratic rights by denying minorities the right to participate in governance and subjecting them to the whims of the majority. This was exactly reflected in the state assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh when the BJP, the largest political party of India didnt feel the need to field any Muslim candidate. Out of 403, the BJP has 306 members of the legislative assembly but there is not a single member from the Muslim population of the state. This goes to show that the BJP didnt feel the need to represent 19% of the states population. The story is no different at the federal level, the BJP is the only party not to have a single Muslim Member of Parliament (MP). Incidentally, Muslims are 15.5% as of the last census of Indias 1.3 billion population. Currently, out of the 543 members in the lower house of Indias bicameral parliament, only 27 (less than 4 per cent) of its members are Muslims  a gain of four seats compared to the 2014 elections, which was the lowest in 40 years. According to one estimate, there are more than 100 Parliament seats that have a considerable presence and Muslims can win if they vote en-masse and strategically. Few of these seats are reserved either for Dalits or for women and therefore making these seats unavailable for Muslims.

Muslims, especially, for the last few decades have been booked in bogus terror-related cases and most of such cases are overthrown by the various courts across India but this relief normally comes not before they have spent, in some cases, more than 20 years in jails.

A 2018 study by a non-profit organization Common Cause and Lokniti, a research initiative by the New Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), found that a sense of being discriminated against by police in India is the strongest among Muslims.

The study said more than 47 per cent of Indian Muslims fear being falsely accused of terrorist activities.

Another report by Lokniti in 2019, titled Status of Policing in India: Police Adequacy and Working Conditions, found that police in India display significant bias against Muslims, with half of the police personnel saying Muslims are naturally prone towards committing crimes.

As per JS Mill, who articulated the tyranny of the majority in his essay On Liberty, democracy is government by discussion. The present ruling dispensation is for all but discussion and debate in the parliament. Prime Minister Modi, though fond of lengthy speeches in the parliament rarely answers questions pertaining to the ministries held by him. Therefore this doesnt come as surprise when according to one source, in 14th Lok Sabha, 60% of Bills were referred to a parliamentary committee and the 15th Lok Sabha, 71% of them were referred. But, under the first Modi government, only 26% of the Bills were sent for scrutiny; and the current Lok Sabha has passed 14 bills without sending any of them to the parliamentary committees.

Media has since long been regarded as the fourth pillar of democracy. However, in India, the media has tended to play into the hands of the ruling dispensation. Since 2014, more and more media houses and primetime TV channels have carried the majoritarian and communal agenda. Television has the uncanny ability to reach, influence and shape public opinion. Instead of asking questions and raising the concern of the general public, most television channels have opted to advance the agenda of the BJP by dumbing down the real issues pertaining to governance, health and economy. The journalists and social activists critical of governments handling of a pandemic have been arrested and put behind bars.

Social media has been a great equalizer and democratising enterprise by enabling free sharing and exchanges of news and views without the boundary of class, creed, haves, have-nots and geography. It is this very nature coupled with the algorithmic calculation behind the scene of the social media companies that make it a place of vitriolic and toxic-free speech leading to hate speech and violence. Social media has repeatedly been asked to regulate content shared on their platforms which they, usually, shrugged off, by claiming that they are a mere platform and not original creators of the content. Offering an analysis of social media content, Maya Mirchandani writes, In India, these spaces provide both tacit and overt sanction for rising incidents of majoritarian violence as identity-based, populist politics dominate the countrys landscape.

Her study further reveals that religion and religion-cultural practices related to food and dress, were the most explicit basis for hate as expressed in Indian social media: they accounted for a rise from 19 to 30 per cent of the incidents over the one-year timeframe of the study. Most of the comments incited bodily harm or violence against people belonging to Indias Muslim community who comprise about 180 million of the countrys 1.2-billion-strong population. Subjects that evoked hate speech ranged from opposition to interfaith marriage between Hindus and Muslims, positions on universal human rights, and the contentious issues of cow protection and beef consumption.

Proportional representation could be one of the solutions to counter the tyranny of the majority as proposed by Ward Berenschot in his famous book Riot Politics: Hindu Muslim Violence and the Indian State, in the context of communal riots in the state of Gujarat. As per him, it is the mediated state where the populace depends on politicians to gain access to the state resources. Resources being scarce and limited in supply, its distribution is not determined by the sense of justice or necessity but rather by the connection and the prospect of securing and consolidation of votes. Such considerations are, in most cases, determined by identity; in the case of Gujarat, it was religion and caste. Balloting is by its very nature creates vote block, with the competitive politics at play it is easy for the politicians to create Us vs They narrative propagated by pliant media, perpetuated by foot soldiers; enabler of required vote and handyman in fomenting trouble if necessary to keep the cauldron of identity politics boiling.

Hindus and especially Muslims in India have to make efforts to acknowledge the luggage of the past few centuries which is a mix of good, bad and ugly. There is no glitter and glory in the immediate past nor in ancient India and in the same vein everything is not true of what is being perpetuated as the horrors of medieval India. The society at large has to decide its future course of action and being silent or reminiscing about the past glory is not a pleasant idea to have peace and harmony in the society, which is interwoven with both majority and minority communities.

As Maya Mirchandani puts it, India needs to bell the proverbial cat, and accept the potential dangers of growing majoritarian violence in order to address it and preserve the countrys fundamental freedoms.

Mushtaque Rahamat has a post-graduation in History (1991-1993) from Aligarh Muslim University, India. He is currently based in Australia. He tweets at @MushtaueR
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Support for the Taliban is conditional on containing the Uyghurs and other jihadist forces. In a conversation with Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi also recalled the attacks on technicians working on the Belt& Road Initiative. The hypothesis of a buffer zone on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan guarded together.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Yesterday's attacks around the Kabul airport pose the question of relations between the Taliban and the jihadist galaxy in Central Asia. The Chinese support to the new Afghan regime is mainly conditioned by the will to eliminate the Uyghur separatists involved in the Central Asian conflict, as underlined by Nezavisimaja Gazeta in an article of August 23 signed by Vladimir Skosyrev. China also demands that Russia commit itself to guaranteeing the stability of the entire ex-Soviet area, thanks to the still very close ties with these countries. The Chinese do not intend to engage in military actions against the Afghans, although they do not exclude supporting Tajikistan in the control of some border sections.

These lines of foreign policy were confirmed the other day in a telephone conversation between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his colleagues from Turkey and Pakistan, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The willingness of the Taliban to express a tolerant government, and to put an end to drug smuggling, was positively appreciated, but above all it is asked to break off all relations with all terrorist groups. In particular, what worries Beijing is the "Islamic Movement of East Turkestan", which intends to make Xinjiang an independent state.

Wang also reminded Qureshi of the terrorist act carried out in northern Pakistan in October 2020, as a result of which ten Chinese specialists working on Belt& Road Initiative projects planned on Pakistani territory died. In order to avoid the recurrence of such incidents, it is necessary to implant more perfected mechanisms of security assurance, also taking into account the already existing close military alliance between Beijing and Islamabad.

Russian-Chinese cooperation appears decidedly more complicated, in the attempt to block the spread of terrorists in the ex-Soviet countries of Central Asia, defined by many commentators as "Russia's back yard". Beijing does not recognize the colonization rights of the Russians, but believes that Moscow has responsibilities in these countries that it has occupied for many years. Experts such as Pan Guang, director of research of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, speak on this delicate issue. According to him, "it is necessary to create a neutral zone between the borders of Tajikistan and Afghanistan in Central Asian countries. It should be supervised by the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization chaired by Moscow".

A Russian expert, Higher School of Economics collaborator Vasilij Kasin, observes in turn that "Russia has always claimed to play a leading role in the security of that region, and it provides military support to Central Asian countries to a much greater extent than China." Reversing priorities, Kasin states that Russia will be willing to engage directly in military actions "only together with the Shanghai Organization and under its direction. After all, China will never go to war alone, but only within an international coalition, and after using all the means and money of diplomacy." The Chinese are rather interested in economic intervention in these countries, to assert their hegemony.

Russia and China, as Asian superpowers, are however interested in filling the void left by the United States, to which all the media of the two countries continue to blame the mistakes that led to the current crisis. China in particular seems to be worried about the resources that the Americans could use to counter Chinese economic and political influence at a general level, once they have freed themselves from the Afghan burden. Professor John Delury, of Yonsei College in Seoul, said that "nervousness rather than satisfaction reigns in Beijing; the U.S. has ultimately pulled out of an unpopular war, and can now focus on competing with China."
After years of tension and isolation, Qatar, which hosted talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, is back at the center of regional diplomacy, launching a coordination council to strengthen economic and commercial partnership with Riyadh. First visit in four years by a senior Emirati official to Doha.

Doha (AsiaNews/Agencies) - After years of tension and isolation at the regional level, especially with the Gulf countries once among the closest allies, Doha moves the pawns of diplomacy and relaunches relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In these days, in fact, Saudi and Qatari representatives have signed an agreement leading to the creation of a coordination council for the improvement of relations. The new body will be chaired - confirming its importance - by the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (Mbs) and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani.

The signing took place in the futuristic Saudi town of Neom, the heart of the new "Vision 2030" wanted by bin Salman to free the nation from oil and open it to world tourism, while loosening the grip of religion (Islam) on the life of the nation. The council will be called upon to coordinate and strengthen bilateral relations and economic and trade partnerships "toward broader horizons." Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, speaks of a "cold peace," the result of a pragmatic change after the tumultuous period of Donald Trump's presidency. A "fragile" de-escalation and the result of "temporary circumstances," not a real "change of mindset."

The meeting between top officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held in Doha, as part of the first visit in four years of an Abu Dhabi emissary to the country shows that regional diplomacy is on the move. Protagonists of the face-to-face meeting between Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nayhan, national security advisor and brother of the de facto leader of the Emirates, and Emir of Qatar al-Thani. A note explains that discussions focused on "the strengthening of cooperation" between the two nations "particularly in the areas of economy and trade, as well as investment projects."

The meetings of recent days strengthen the project of reconciliation between Doha, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi after years of tension. In the wake of the Wahhabi kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had also broken off relations with Qatar in June 2017. The conflict originated over ties between Doha and Tehran, which in the past have confirmed mutual economic and diplomatic support. In reality, behind the dispute - which has isolated small emirate in the Gulf area, bringing it even closer to Turkey and Morocco - there would be the contrast in Sunni Islam between Doha and Abu Dhabi and the support that Doha offers to the Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar also played a leading role in the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban, mediated in recent months and that should have guaranteed a political agreement for the transaction of power in Afghanistan. The situation has precipitated in a few days with the fall of Kabul, the desperate attempt to flee by hundreds of thousands of people and the first massacre, which took place yesterday, of Isis K that wants to take advantage of the confusion to gain more power. Precisely in Doha on February 29, 2020 took place the signing of the so-called "Agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan" between U.S. negotiators and exponents of the Koranic students, which provided for the birth of "the Islamic emirate".
The death toll of the two attacks on the Hamid Karzai International Airport, claimed by the Afghan branch of Isis, has risen to 90. A drama that comes from afar: for years Afghanistan has been plaugued by bomb attacks. In 2020 Afghanistan was the country with the most civilian casualties in the world, in 2019 the worst year with over 4 thousand deaths.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - At least 90 people were killed and more than 150 wounded when two bombs exploded near Hamid Karzai's airport in Kabul. The Pentagon confirmed that 13 American soldiers were among the victims, while the rest were mostly civilians including many women and children. The attack was claimed by the Afghan branch of Isis ( Isis-K or Iskp, Islamic State of Khorasan Province).

But bombings and suicide attacks are nothing new in Afghanistan, on the contrary: according to Action on Armed Violence (Aoav, a project that monitors violence caused by explosive devices in the world), in 2020 Afghanistan was found to be the country with the most civilian casualties in the world. In fact, from 2011 to 2020, the Aoav recorded 49,039 deaths and injuries from explosions. Of these, 28,356 (58%) were civilians. Most of the killings (79%) were caused by homemade bombs and suicide attacks, while airstrikes accounted for 8% of civilian deaths.

The worst year on record to date was 2019 with 4,628 casualties.

According to the latest Aoav report, violence has been increasing over the years. In the period 2011-2015, explosive attacks (1,159 in total) were responsible for killing 80% of civilians. In the following two years, the number of victims of homemade devices increased by 42%. In the two-year period 2018-2019 the situation deteriorated further: Afghanistan in those years turned out to be the second country in the world in terms of explosive violence after Syria, but the number of victims was still double that of the next country in this tragic ranking, namely Yemen.

Taking into consideration the entire period of the Aoav project, Afghanistan is the third country after Iraq and Syria for the number of victims caused by bombs.
For military spokesman, the Rohingya are also our people as well. For years the Muslim minority was the victim of violence by Myanmars military. Junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing introduced a law against genocide, but the anti-coup resistance fear it will be used against them.

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Rohingya will be vaccinated against COVID-19, said Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for Myanmars military junta

Adding that no one would be left behind in the vaccination campaign, Zaw noted that government authorities were making progress in reducing infections. Some 2,635 new cases were reported yesterday with 113 deaths.

Local doctors have complained however that the real figures are much higher. What is more, only 3 per cent of Myanmars population has been fully vaccinated. According to some volunteers, crematoria are working non-stop.

Speaking about Muslim Rohingya, but referring to them as Bengalis, Zaw noted: They are also our people as well and We will not leave anyone behind.

In the Buddhist majority country, the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. This has left hundreds of thousands of them stateless.

In 2017, at least 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh due to the violence by the military. The latters leader, the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, currently heads the ruling military junta (State Administration Council)

Yesterday, the junta adopted a law against genocide. For anti-coup resistance fighters, the measure will likely be used against them. It punishes killings and other offences committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

In 2017 the United Nations described actions by Myanmars military against the Rohingya as genocide and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had opened a case against Myanmar.

In January last year, when Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, was still in power, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to take action to stop the violence against the Muslim minority.

Kyi Myint, a veteran lawyer, said the regimes move may be intended to trick the international community.

Thein Oo, the justice minister of the underground National Unity Government, said he suspects the regime intends to use the new genocide law against armed resistance groups fighting the junta.
Bishop Paul Hinder issues a pastoral letter for the synodal period, which opens in mid-October with a Mass in Abu Dhabis cathedral. This journey calls for the active participation of all the faithful. The local Church is centred on pilgrimage and catholicity. The sacramental way and evangelisation in the media are among the topics to be explored.

Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews)  Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of southern Arabia (United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen) and Apostolic Administrator of the vacant seat of northern Arabia (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain) issued a pastoral letter ahead of the 2023 Synod.

In it, he writes: As a Church of migrants amidst a Muslim society, comprising the faithful of different nationalities and traditions, our witness stands unique and important within the universal Church.

Titled Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you (Zechariah 8:23), the letter underscores the importance of a shared synodal journey of a Church that is one of a kind, made up of migrants in a Muslim majority region.

The prelate encourages the active participation of all the faithful in the synodal process in the vicariates of northern and southern Arabia, which will officially open on 15 October at St Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, a few days after Pope Francis leads services in the Vatican (9-10 October).

The Synod is divided in three phases, between October 2021 and October 2023. The first diocesan phase aims at listening to the people of God, while the second and third phases will focus on the continental and universal Church, so that the People of God can journey together in each, with the Synod as much a process as an event.

The Synod, the vicar of Arabia explains, is like journeying together along the same path in which the faithful must be engaged. We are a local Church that shows in a particular way the character of pilgrimage and catholicity, he writes.

It is a Pilgrimage, because we do not have citizenship in these countries of our residence and therefore are living here without guarantee of permanence for a lifetime and it is about catholicity, because most of our parishes comprise of the faithful from many language groups and traditions, similar to what the Acts of the Apostles report about the variety of peoples present at the first Pentecost.

With respect to travel, he acknowledges that the pandemic is still an obstacle, but the goal is that of living in communion, with the participation of everyone, implementing our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to be the people of God.

In recent years, encouraging signs have come from the vicariates in terms of dialogue and encounter, starting with the Pope's apostolic journey in February 2019 and the signing of the document on human fraternity for world peace and common coexistence with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb.

In his pastoral letter, Bishop Hinder mentions a number of issues, including sacramental life during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; the education of children, young people and adults; the different ministries of the Church; relations between priests and laity; family care; the challenges of Christian marriage; help to the poor and needy; interfaith relations; the laitys participation in parish life; and the role of social and electronic media in evangelisation.

Although we cannot realise everything at once, it is always better to start in a modest way than to rest inactive and to remain observers without personal involvement, the letter reads.

Synodality, the prelate emphasises, is both a human and a spiritual process that involves mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. It refers to the very essence of the Church and is thus oriented towards evangelisation.

Ultimately, The Synod is not so much a place to push ones own idea or agenda, involving people in decision making, nor is it a representation or quota system. Instead, it seeks to involve the baptised in discerning Gods will and listening to the Holy Spirit to look for a path ahead for the Church in the third millennium.
Thats 10 business days after the committee received the proposed rule from the state school board, representing the soonest the committee can vote by law. Two government holidays  Labor Day on Sept. 6 and Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 7  have pushed the vote well into the new school year. Some school districts start classes as early as Monday, while others dont go back until Sept. 8.
Shirelle Campbells daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren lived in one of the homes damaged by the fire. She said her daughter heard crackling early in the morning, so at first she thought it was raining. Then she saw the blaze.
Chapman, who resides in Finksburg, brings 20 years of clinical experience, with 13 of those in leadership. She comes to Carroll Hospital from University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, where she was director of surgical nursing, rehabilitation and vascular access. She has extensive experience in infection prevention and intensive care, including surgical intensive care. Chapman earned her Master of Science in nursing leadership and management from the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Stevenson University in Greenspring. She has also traveled internationally for health and wellness missions.
Among the improvements being proposed by city officials would be the removal of a pedestrian overpass built in 1982 that has effectively segregated Aberdeen into two distinct socially diverse areas and needs to be addressed, according to a statement from the city.
In the most recent case, a Baltimore jury on Wednesday found Stephen Washington, 34, of Northwest Baltimore, guilty of second-degree murder for a triple shooting near Park Heights two years ago, according to prosecutors. They said Washington and an unidentified companion opened fire on a group of men in the 2800 block of Boarman Avenue in July 2019. One of their victims, Nathaniel Greene, died of his injuries.
On Wednesday, Baltimore police arrested Damien Woods, 36, and charged him with first-degree murder in the death of Tracy Whiting, 34. He was taken to the Central Booking and Intake Facility. A warrant for Woods arrest was issued on Aug. 18, according to police.
Judges on the Court of Appeals chose not to vote on a proposal to give those inmates who have served at least 15 years of their original sentence, or 60%, whichever is greater, the option to petition a court for a reduced sentence. Their decision came during a Thursday hearing in which the justices heard from experts and advocates arguing for and against the proposal.
Couple this with the fact that light rail is notoriously expensive  to the tune of approximately $150 million to $250 million per mile. As an example, right here in our own backyard, the Purple Line light rail system in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties will cost at least $345 million per mile. For a little over 16 miles, it will cost a total of $5.6 billion! Specifically, Baltimores Red Line was projected to cost $2.9 billion for 14 miles or $205 million per mile for the Woodlawn-to-Bayview stretch. This is no small undertaking from a financial standpoint, particularly when our country is overflowing with debt.
Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 74F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
Dakota graduated from Bret Harte in 2013 and went to Davidson College, NC where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arab studies. After spending time studying in the Middle East and Europe, she is happy to be home, writing about the community she loves.

Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.
When COVID-19 first emerged in the United States, an infected person would likely infect three people with the virus. Now, the delta variant that was first identified in India is the predominant strain in the United States. A person with the delta variant will likely infect about seven unvaccinated people, explained Dr. Stephen Selinger, chief medical officer at AAMC. Vaccinated people can spread the delta variant, but appear to be infectious for a shorter period, according to the U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDCs exception shortening the distance that defines a close contact to three feet in classrooms only applies when masks are worn. Otherwise, the six foot distance will apply when contact tracers are tracking an individual. This would put officials in the same situation they faced when reopening schools in the spring, before the exception was created: there isnt enough space in buildings to keep kids six feet apart. Not doing so risks a single infection causing multiple students in one class being forced into quarantine.
Each institution of higher education in the county has space for the public to come on campus to see art exhibits and performances. It is a great way to visit the countys colleges and get familiar with what campuses have to offer.
We are one of only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive this honor, said Sherry Perkins, president of the hospital. This award recognizes our commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, and signifies that LHAAMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
Weve been asked to extend a lot of patience and understanding toward the school system because of the pandemic, because no one saw it coming, Ferrer said. But having that deadline in place and no way to get around it, it just feels like we dont get that [understanding] in return.
The fire was discovered by the homes owner after smoke alarms activated, and it is believed to have originated on the back porch of the house, the office reported. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but investigators could not rule out a discarded cigarette as a possible source of ignition.
U.S. military officials said that some gates were closed and other security measures put in place. They said there were tighter restrictions at Taliban checkpoints and fewer people around the gates. The military said it had also asked the Taliban to close certain roads because of the possibility of suicide bombers in vehicles.
He worked as a journeyman printer with McArdle Printing in Washington before joining the Government Printing Office, now known as the Government Publishing Office, as a proofreader in 1974. He later moved on to be a Linotype operator, a machine used to set type and print newspapers and magazines.
One loss is one too many. The Anne Arundel County Department of Health and the Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency remain steadfast in our commitment to our community to prevent overdose deaths. We will continue to advocate for our families and build community wellness through the expansion of overdose prevention and intervention initiatives. Working with the Maryland Department of Healths Behavioral Health Administration, as well as our health and human service partners throughout the county, we will address the substance-related and mental health needs of our community together.
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
Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
As we stared down a global pandemic that shuttered businesses and drove people indoors, the defendants meal delivery service apps became a primary way for people to feed themselves and their families, as well as support local restaurants, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a news release. It is deeply concerning and unfortunate that these companies broke the law during these incredibly difficult times, using unfair and deceptive tactics to take advantage of restaurants and consumers who were struggling to stay afloat.
Fashion Fairs shift to vegan, natural ingredients should appeal to younger consumers, as will its status as a Black woman-owned brand, Rogers and Mayberry McKissack said. The pair want to see more women of color in the cosmetics industry and plan to launch a scholarship at Spelman College in Atlanta that will include an internship with Fashion Fair and some of its partner companies.
I tried to wait as long as I could, Byrd told Holt. I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply, he said, required him to take the appropriate actions to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.
As of noon Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 4,942 new cases, the highest daily number reported since late January, when Illinois was coming down from the fall surge. Daily figures can rise and fall significantly based on when test results come in, but even the average of the past seven days worth of cases has risen to its highest level since late January: an average of 3,662 new infections reported per day.
Well make sure were compliant, and I fully appreciate the governors decision, but from an employers perspective, I need to make sure we dont lose staff because of this mandate, because we cant afford to, Sanders said, noting that the district has been struggling to fill positions for bus drivers and other support staff.
The ruling will be reviewed over the next 120 days by the boards staff. Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it. If Sirhan is freed, he must live in a transitional home for six months, enroll in an alcohol abuse program and get therapy.
According to the report, a security guard who works across the street from the Dior store said he saw the driver, of the Avondale neighborhood, driving westbound on Walton Street before making an erratic right turn into the store, at 931 N. Rush St.
Lightfoot, appearing at a news conference Friday to celebrate the opening of John Hancock High Schools new building on the Southwest Side, said CPS will follow a similar protocol as the last school year for testing students for COVID-19. Interim CPS CEO Jose Torres said testing would be offered weekly. He noted that testing isnt being mandated for students except for unvaccinated athletes during their sports seasons. He wouldnt say how many students or faculty the district expects to test on a weekly basis.
Karl Leonard, who represents two Kato accusers  one of whom was on the brink of a hearing on his claims of abuse before the case was moved to the Will County judge  told the judge that the cases were moved due to an appearance of impropriety, not because someone found there was a conflict of interest.
In the hours after the shooting, the Police Department issued an official statement claiming Vega was armed with a gun that was recovered at the scene. But an internal report issued by Near Wests commander on Sept. 1, and obtained by the Tribune, was more vague, saying Vega was with at least three other people and someone from that group fired shots.
Monty touched down at his usual winter grounds in Texas earlier this month. His journey took, at most, 53 hours. Rose was recently spotted on the island off the Gulf Coast of Florida where shes previously landed. Their two surviving chicks, named Imani and Siewka, will soon attempt their own 1,000-mile journey  if they havent already  with the potential to follow in their parents footsteps and help out a species once down to about a dozen nesting pairs.
The measure would require additional disclosures from officials on personal financial interests, aims to prevent lawmakers from lobbying their former colleagues immediately after they leave office, and allows the legislative inspector general to initiate investigations of alleged wrongdoing without asking for the blessing of a panel appointed by the partisan leaders of the General Assembly, among other changes.
In far west suburban Montgomery on Wednesday, there were 4.1 inches of rain. In Sugar Grove and Aurora, there were reports of up to 4 inches. There were also reports of quarter-size hail and strong winds, but most of the severe activity appeared to be isolated.
China's top internet watchdog has decreed that all cyberspace authorities across the country intensify efforts to regulate online platforms and celebrity agents to help netizens support their idols in a rational manner.

The Cyberspace Administration of China issued the requirements in a notice on Friday, clarifying that all celebrity ranking lists should be canceled except for those involving music, TV or film.

The administration ordered internet platforms to draw up clear and strict guidelines for celebrity agents for online account registration, posts, commercial promotion, emergency public relations and fan management.

As some fans express support for their idols through the use of bad language or by making false claims about other celebrities, the authority said that internet platforms must remove such posts in a timely manner, and impose harsher punishments on those that post them.

Meanwhile, online communities, groups and channels that cause disturbances, including those that encourage fans to raise money for celebrities or share gossip about them, will be cleaned up and shut down. Online programs and talent shows are also forbidden from encouraging fans to pay to vote for contestants.

The aim of the new requirements is to better manage fan quan, or "fan circles"  organized groups of passionate, loyal supporters who share information about their idols and voluntarily spend their time, money and expertise on making these performers as popular and influential as possible.

In recent years, irrational behavior resulting from this practice has shocked the nation and prompted the administration to take measures to increase governance in cyberspace.
You are here: Business

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region recorded 83.67 billion yuan (about 12.92 billion U.S. dollars) in foreign trade in the first seven months of this year, up 14 percent year on year, local customs has said.



From January to July, Xinjiang's export volume witnessed robust year-on-year growth of 33.2 percent, reaching 64.87 billion yuan, the customs said.

Since March 2021, Xinjiang's foreign trade volume has achieved month-on-month growth for five consecutive months, and in July, it hit a new monthly high for 2021.

In the period, the region's trade volumes with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the countries along the Belt and Road respectively increased by 13.2 percent, 98.2 percent, 27.8 percent and 19.6 percent.

Xinjiang also saw its trade with members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and European Union grow by 9.5 percent and 76.7 percent year on year, respectively.
The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued a guideline mapping out key transport technology based on innovation for China through 2035, a spokesperson said Thursday.



The guideline emphasizes making breakthroughs in the bottleneck of technical problems in the transport sector. It sets the goal that self-reliance of key transport technology will be achieved by 2035, MOT spokesperson Sun Wenjian told a press conference.

It also plans out a series of research and development tasks on fundamental research, core technology, modern engineering technology and front-tier disruptive technology to bolster supply, according to the guideline.

Adhering to the philosophy of coordinated development of upstream and downstream industrial chains, transformation and upgrading of transportation construction, equipment and service sectors will be fully promoted.

Mechanisms will optimize to spur the vitality of innovative entities as much as possible, Sun said. Sun added that legislation in artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) will be studied and drawn up.
You are here: China

Dong Hong, a former deputy head of a central disciplinary inspection team, stood trial Thursday for taking bribes at the Intermediate People's Court of Qingdao City in east China's Shandong province.

Dong stood accused of taking advantage of his various posts or the convenience associated with his status to seek benefits for relevant companies and individuals in project development, project contracting and personnel promotions, among others, from 1999 to 2020.

In return, he accepted money and gifts worth more than 460 million yuan (about 70.9 million U.S. dollars), the indictment stated.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence, which the defendant and his lawyers examined in turn. Both sides gave their respective full accounts of events.

In his final statement, Dong pled guilty and expressed remorse.

The trial was attended by legislators, political advisors, the press, and the public.

The sentence will be announced at a later date.
You are here: China

The Chinese military will hold its first multinational peacekeeping live exercise, "Shared Destiny-2021," from Sept. 6 to 15 at a training base of the People's Liberation Army in Queshan County of central China's Henan province, a military spokesperson said Thursday.

More than 1,000 troops from China, Pakistan, Mongolia and Thailand will participate. They will cover infantry, rapid response, security, helicopters, engineering, transportation, and medical services, said Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

With the joint operation of multinational peacekeeping forces as an exercise scenario, the exercise will promote practical cooperation among peacekeeping troop-contributing countries and enhance the capability of peacekeeping standby forces to perform tasks, Tan said.

During the operation, drills of battlefield reconnaissance, security guard patrol, armed escort, civilian protection and epidemic response will take place, Tan said.

He said that the Chinese military would continue to increase its UN peacekeeping operations participation and remain a staunch force for world peace.
You are here: China

Chinese authorities on Thursday issued a yellow alert for possible geological disasters in parts of the country's southwestern and central regions.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Meteorological Administration warned of high risks of rain-triggered geological disasters in parts of Chongqing, Hubei, and Tibet from Thursday evening to 8 p.m. Friday.

Residents are advised to take precautions, especially in areas with hidden dangers.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.
China's civil aviation regulator has announced the suspension of a Xiamen Airlines flight and a China Southern Airlines flight after passengers tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of eight passengers tested positive on Xiamen Airlines' Manila-Xiamen flight MF820 on Aug. 13, and the flight will be suspended for two weeks starting Aug. 30, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Thursday.

China Southern Airlines' Yangon-Guangzhou flight CZ3056 will also be suspended for two weeks starting Aug. 30 after nine passengers tested positive on the Aug. 14 flight.

The CAAC said that neither airline is allowed to transfer the original quota of these flights to other routes.

According to the CAAC policy, airlines can choose either to have two weeks of flight suspensions or to operate with the flight occupancy at no more than 40 percent for four weeks if the number of COVID-19 positive passengers reaches five.
The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported two new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, one each in Shanghai and Jiangsu, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Friday.

Also reported were 30 new imported cases, including eight each in Guangdong and Yunnan, seven in Shanghai, two in Henan, and one each in Tianjin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Hubei and Sichuan.

One suspected case arriving from outside the mainland was reported in Shanghai as well, the commission added.

No new deaths related to COVID-19 were reported, said the commission.

A total of 8,208 imported cases had been reported on the mainland by the end of Thursday. Among them, 7,529 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 679 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 94,765 by Thursday, including 1,431 patients still receiving treatment, 12 of whom were in severe conditions.

A total of 88,698 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,636 had died as a result of the virus.

There were two suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Thursday.

A total of 22 asymptomatic cases, all imported from outside the mainland, were newly reported. There were a total of 463 asymptomatic cases, of whom 388 were imported, under medical observation by Thursday.

By the end of Thursday, 12,077 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 212 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), while 63 cases had been reported in the Macao SAR, and 15,947 cases, including 832 deaths, had been reported in Taiwan.

A total of 11,777 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, while 59 had been discharged in the Macao SAR, and 13,644 had been discharged in Taiwan.
 Flash

A Chinese military spokesperson Thursday asked Japan to reflect on its history of aggression, draw lessons from history, stop slandering China, enhance mutual trust with its neighbors, and safeguard regional peace and stability.

Japan has ignored the basic norms of international relations, wantonly hyped up the so-called "Chinese military threat," and made groundless accusations against China's legitimate maritime activities. And Japan has been making excuses for its military expansion, said Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

Tan said these acts are erroneous and irresponsible, and China is firmly opposed to them.

China has never coerced other countries by force. Nor has it engaged in military expansion or enslaved people of other countries, Tan noted.

He added that it was Japanese militarism that had waged frequent wars of aggression and oppressed and enslaved Asians since modern times, bringing long-term disasters to China and other countries in the region.
 Flash

The head of U.S. Central Command confirmed Thursday that 12 U.S. service members were killed in the attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan earlier in the day, while another 15 were wounded.



Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told reporters during a press conference at the Defense Department that two bomb attacks happened in the morning in the Afghan capital, one at the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, which was followed by another one at the adjacent Baron Hotel.

"At this time, we know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack, and 15 more service members have been injured," said McKenzie.

The attacks marked one of the deadliest days in Afghanistan for U.S. forces.

McKenzie said the attack at the Abbey Gate that caused U.S. casualties involved a sole suicide bomber and was followed "by a number of ISIS gunmen who opened fire on civilians and military forces," resulting in Afghan civilian casualties as well. He said details about the Baron Hotel attack were not immediately available.

The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to a statement from the group's Amaq News Agency cited in multiple reports.

ISIS said in its statement that a suicide bomber "managed to reach a large gathering of translators and collaborators with the American army at 'Baran Camp' near Kabul Airport and detonated his explosive belt among them, killing about 60 people and wounding more than 100 others, including Taliban fighters," according to Reuters.

At one point during the Pentagon press conference, the commander said U.S. forces currently in Afghanistan face "real" threats from terrorist groups, particularly ISIS-K, a radical affiliation of the Islamic State that the Taliban has been fighting against.

McKenzie went on to say that U.S. military officials are aware that the threat to U.S. forces posed by ISIS "is extremely real," adding that "we believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue, and we are doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks."

He said U.S. preparedness effort includes "reaching out to the Taliban," whom the Unites States is continuing to coordinate with in the ongoing mission to evacuate U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan.

The evacuation mission "remains" uninterrupted by the blasts, McKenzie said. "We are still committed to flying people out up until we terminate the operations at some point towards the end of the month."

Speaking of searching for and holding those responsible for the attacks to account, McKenzie said "we are working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who is associated with this cowardly attack and we're prepared to take action against them."

President Joe Biden, who has been in the White House since the morning monitoring the situation with cabinet officials including the secretaries of state and defense, is scheduled to deliver remarks on the deadly blasts later in the afternoon.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the president's meeting with Israel's prime minister has been rescheduled for Friday, the White House said.

The attacks came as the United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered Kabul on Aug. 15.
 Flash

A Chinese military spokesperson Thursday urged the United States to respect China's core interests and major concerns, correct its own erroneous words and deeds, and do more to improve the relations between the two countries and two militaries.

Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference that for some time, some U.S. military officers made irresponsible and erroneous remarks on issues about China.

"We firmly oppose such remarks," he said.

The root cause of the difficulties in the bilateral relations is the U.S. side's obsession with hegemony, a Cold War mentality, and a zero-sum game, Tan said. Tan added that the United States sees China as a strategic rival and a security threat and has been doing everything possible to contain and oppress China, severely undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Reiterating China's commitment to peaceful development, Tan accused the United States of being the major factor driving the tensions in the South China Sea.

"The Chinese military will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, and firmly uphold regional and global peace and stability," he said.
 Flash

Chinese troops will depart for "Peace Mission 2021," a joint counterterrorism military exercise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, to be held in Orenburg, Russia, from Sept. 11 to 25.

The participating Chinese troops are mainly from the Northern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, and consist of more than 550 personnel, and 130 vehicles and equipment, according to the information Xinhua obtained from the Ministry of National Defense on Friday.

The routine exercise within the framework of the SCO is aimed at deepening defense and security cooperation among member states, improving their ability to cope with new challenges and threats, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and security.

The SCO marks its 20th anniversary this year.
The idea of church discipline brings many different responses. Many who object to the idea have a variety of reasons for doing so, some of which are legitimate concerns.

For example, some reasons for disciplinary action have led to the abuse of this practice e.g., John Wesley apparently attempted to discipline a young woman hed fallen in love with because she married someone else.

Nonetheless, despite whatever excuses may exist for not practicing church discipline and whatever your opinion may be at this point, please read through the rest of this article and why it isnt just a good idea, or important, but a biblical necessity for every Christian church.

What is church discipline?

I think its important to first define what I mean by church discipline. Primarily church discipline must be understood as a process, the role of every Christian, and a response to sin in professing believers (not personal preferences) for the purpose of restoring a believers relationship with God, renewing their fellowship with other believers, and strengthening their witness to unbelievers.

I think its also helpful to place church discipline in the context of society. For example, if you repeatedly do the wrong thing in the workplace, sport, or the home, youre likely to receive warnings and then progressively more severe consequences. So why should people in the church be exempt from such discipline when it is the accepted and normal practice of society?

Biblical references to church discipline

Biblical references demonstrate church discipline is not a small matter, or singled out for one specific situation only, but that it is the God-given responsibility upon believers and the church to participate in such a practice.

Importantly, Jesus Himself prepared us for church discipline, even before the church existed, by providing a clear four step process (Matthew chapter 18, verses 15-20). The first two steps are private conversations, the second two become a public and church wide action, but each of the steps only progresses if the individual doesnt repent of their actions.

Some other references to church discipline include Pauls rebuke to the Corinthians for not disciplining a sinning member (1 Corinthians chapter 5), and his instructions for people who are lazy (2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 6-15), for causing division in the church (Titus chapter 3, verses 9-11), and for unrepentant church leaders (1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 20).

Notice in these references there are several different processes given for discipline, depending on the sin in question and the person guilty of the sin.

Reasons for church discipline

Please allow me to highlight several theological reasons why church discipline is necessary.

First, God is holy, and He expects holiness. If the church does not practice church discipline against sinning believers, they are permitting sin to continue without restraint and making a mockery of Gods holiness and our call to reflect His holiness.

Second, because Christians have submitted to Jesus Christ as Lord, they have already willingly submitted themselves to Gods Word and therefore it is dishonoring to Jesus as Lord, if people are not called out to follow through with what they have committed themselves to.

Third, the church should be the greatest testimony of Christ to the unbelieving world, but if the church allows their members to do whatever they what, theyll become hypocrites of the Gospel they want to profess.

Fourth, sin separates us from God and our sin deserves eternal punishment in the flames of hell. To ignore sin is to make a mockery of our holy God and His view of what sin is and what it deserves.

Fifth, church discipline challenges and confronts others in sin and holds others accountable, so that everyone understands sin is not an acceptable practice of Christians and we are expected to submit and obey Christ.

Sixth, the church discipline practice teaches the importance of becoming more like Jesus (sanctification) and therefore, rather than being a negative process, encourages and helps people grow in their faith isnt that what we all want (or at least should want)?

Seventh, church discipline may expose that a professing believer is not genuinely saved and can be used by God to lead them to salvation.

Eighth, whenever a person repents of their sin (in whatever stage of the process) it highlights Gods forgiveness of our sin and the joyful blessing of reconciled relationship with God and His people.

Ninth, proper church discipline promotes a loving, humble, and supportive church culture that builds trust, deepens relationships, and rejoices in fellowship with the common goal of glorifying God in words and actions.

In summary, church discipline emphasizes: Gods holiness, the severity of sin, the Christians holy calling to obedience, Christs Lordship of believers, the churchs witness as salt and light to the watching world, a correct understanding of salvation, accountability among believers, and loving and committed fellowship within the church.

For these reasons (and more) church discipline is necessary in every church. However, after putting forward this argument I would also propose church discipline is a necessary part of every believers walk with the Lord.

As Christians should we not be committed to our own spiritual growth and that of others? Should we not be committed to reaching the lost with the Gospel? Have we not surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and acknowledge that His death on the cross has paid the penalty of death we deserve for our sin?

If so, may we be part of churches that practice church discipline, may we commit to respond in humility when others confront us, and commit to love and humility in approaching others about sin you have recognized in their lives all for God and His glory!
August 27, 2021

 A small, space-bound payload is about to give new definition to what it means to be a "high-end" fashion label.



Packed among the science experiments launching on SpaceX's 23rd commercial resupply services (CRS-23) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is a small stash of NASA logo-adorned labels. After at least six months being exposed to the vacuum of space, the tags will return to Earth where they will then be sewn to t-shirts and other garments.



"And the best part? You can own one (or more)!" The Space Collective, an online space memorabilia dealer, promotes on its website.



The labels, along with a small number of NASA and international flags, comprise The Space Collective's fourth payload to launch to the space station as part of a partnership with Aegis Aerospace, the space and technology company that operates the MISSE (Materials International Space Station Experiment) platform.







Flown-in-space clothing and flags. Click to enlarge in pop-up window. (The Space Collective)

"Our MISSE platform is a commercial external facility on the ISS that strives to make it as easy as possible for our customers to demonstrate new technologies," Ian Karcher, project engineer for the MISSE-15 payload, said in a pre-launch briefing. "The external space environment where MISSE Is installed includes extreme levels of solar and charged particle radiation, atomic oxygen, hard vacuum and temperature extremes."



The Space Collective's labels and flags are flying alongside numerous material investigations that will be mounted to the MISSE platform, including a test of lunar simulant concrete; an experiment to determine the best materials for wearable radiation protection for future NASA moon-bound astronauts; and the trial of an epoxy resin-impregnated composite material that could help engineers design leak-resistant, self-healing spacesuits.



The MISSE-15 payload  including The Space Collective's labels and flags  is packed on board the SpaceX CRS-23 cargo Dragon spacecraft. Set to launch on Sunday (Aug. 29) at 3:14 a.m. EDT (0714 GMT), the Dragon will depart Earth atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and dock to the space station after a one-day rendezvous.



The space station's Expedition 65 crew will then unpack the MISSE-15 payload along with the Dragon's other cargo and transfer it to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) airlock inside the Kibo module for positioning outside the space station using the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm.



"This NASA label was launched into space aboard SpaceX CRS-23 up to the International Space Station where it orbited for a total of [X] months, [X] days, [X] hours. Throughout the mission, this label traveled [X] million miles and orbited Earth [X] thousand times before returning to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon CRS-[XX] on [date]," reads the tag that will will be added to the clothing bearing the space-flown labels once returned to Earth.



Limited to 50 pieces, The Space Collective space-flown label clothing displays either the NASA insignia  the blue, red and white logo affectionally nicknamed the "meatball"  or the space agency's recently-resurrected logotype  the "worm"  in either red or black. All three label designs measure 3.15 by 2.6 inches (8 by 6.5 cm) and are offered on men's or women's t-shirts or a unisex hoodie in multiple colors.



The labels are also available loose, separate from any garment, in a limited edition of 50 each. The labels cost $125 each with an additional charge for the clothing.



A limited number of NASA, U.S. and international flags, each 4 by 6 inches (10 by 15 cm) are also aboard MISSE-15 and being offered at $300 each.



Each item flown as part of The Space Collective's payload will come with flight documentation and a certificate of authenticity. The company also plans to update its customers on mission milestones through social media and on its website.



Previous payloads from The Space Collective have included flags, embroidered patches and custom name tags in the similar style to what astronauts wear on their flight suits. The memorabilia is flown under NASA's policies for commercial activities on the International Space Station as established in 2019 and updated earlier this year.



This article was updated to reflect the new launch date of Sunday, Aug. 29 after a one-day delay due to weather.
Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Industry Research Report on Organic Personal Care Products Market: Market Segments: By Product (Skin Care, Hair Care, Oral Care, Cosmetics and Others); By Distribution Channel (Hypermarket/Supermarkets, Specialist Retail Stores, Online Retail Stores and Others); and Region  Global Analysis by Market Size, Share & Trends for 2014  2019 and Forecasts to 2030 under Consumer Goods Market Research Reports Category. The report offers a collection of superior Industry research, Industry analysis, competitive intelligence and Industry reports.

Minimal/low amounts of synthetic ingredients made from plant extracts and natural ingredients include organic personal care and beauty products. It is often considered that these products are better and more advantageous than normal personal care and beauty products. Organic care products are widely used in cosmetics for skin care, hair care, and makeup, accounting for nearly four-fifths of the global market for organic personal care and cosmetic products.

Market Highlights

Organic Personal Care Products Market is expected to project a notable CAGR of 10.2% in 2030.Organic Personal Care Products Market to surpass USD 38.5 Billion by 2030 from USD 12.35 Billion in 2019 in terms of value growing at a CAGR of 10.2% throughout the forecast period, i.e., 2020-30. The beauty and personal care industry is undergoing a transition, with consumers gradually changing their perception of various products. Consumers want to learn more about the item, its ingredients, and its advantages. This increased consumer interest has generated awareness of the toxic chemicals used in conventional personal care products and paved the way for the market for personal care products that are safe and organic. Besides, by avoiding personal care products that have killed any animals that have had a significant impact on consumer shopping patterns, consumers are now becoming more aware of animal welfare. The increasing number of health-conscious clients drives the global market.

Organic Personal Care Products Market: Segments

Organic hair care segment to grow with the highest CAGR of 9.5% during 2020-30Organic Personal Care Products Market is segmented by products like cosmetics, oral care, skincare, and hair care among others. skin care segment is estimated to lead the market with a share of over XX.X% in 2019 whereas the CRM segment has the highest CAGR. Exponentially rising skin problems and anti-aging pursuit are an essential driving factor, which in turn positively affects consumer interest and demand. Increasing awareness of natural ingredients for providing UV protection is expected to fuel product demand over the forecast period. Besides, due to changing climate conditions, rapidly changing lifestyles in various economies, and rising demand for sun and skin care products are expected to have a positive impact on growth. Moreover, increased demand for organic, herbal, and natural beauty products has provided manufacturers with growth opportunities to innovate and create new products in line with consumer preferences.

Online Retail Stores Segment to grow with CAGR of 11.5% during 2020-30

Organic Personal Care Products Market is segmented Distribution Channel into Hypermarket/Supermarkets, Specialist Retail Stores, Online Retail Stores & Others. The Specialist Retail Stores segment accounted for the largest revenue share of XX.X% in 2019. Market players distribute their items mainly through supermarkets, brand distributors, department stores, drug stores, non-store retail formats, and concept stores. The highest revenue was generated by the retail channel in the global market. However, due to high internet penetration worldwide, clients have preferred to buy from online sales sites, combined with ease of access and enticing discounts. This trend would gradually boost online sales of organic personal care and cosmetic products during the forecast period. The pandemic is likely to intensify trends that have affected the economy already, such as the rise of the global middle class and the use of e-commerce.

Organic Personal Care Products Market: Market Dynamics

DriversGreen consciousness will boost the growth of the marketIncreasing awareness of the various benefits of organic goods compared to their traditional counterparts has led to a rise in demand over the last few years. Natural products are sourced from resources of natural origin and are free from toxic additives. This has motivated suppliers to introduce new products and focus on research and development. As a result, the organic and natural personal care market has been a major part of the cosmetics and wellness industry over the past few years. Increasing demand across many distribution networks, such as malls, shopping centers, and drug stores, has contributed to an increase in the supply of these goods. Moreover, the advent of an online market in which consumers can access a wide range of products from any part of the world has been a primary reason for growing levels of accessibility and is expected to continue to be a key contributing factor to growth. E-commerce sites give consumers the opportunity to buy items that would otherwise not be available in their local shops and malls, making them especially popular in emerging markets.

Restrain

Approval from Approval from regulatory bodies may limit the marketApproval from regulatory bodies such as FDA and USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) is expected to have a positive effect on demand. USDA states few guidelines under which the products claiming to be organic (e.g.: organic shampoos) must be certified according to USDA National Organic Program (NOP) which requires 95% organic ingredients. USDA places stringent restrictions on the substances used in the rest 5%.

Browse our full report with Table of Content :

https://www.bharatbook.com/report/697749/organic-personal-care-products-market-market-segments-by-product-skin-care-hair-care-oral-care-cosmetics-and-others-by-distribution-channel-hypermarketsupermarkets-specialist-retail-stores-online-retail-stores-and-others-and-region-global-analysis-by-market-size-share-trends-forand-forecasts-to

About Bharat Book Bureau:

Bharat Book is Your One-Stop-Shop with an exhaustive coverage of 15,00,000 reports and insights that includes latest Industry Study, Industry Trends & Analysis, Forecasts Customized Intelligence, Newsletters and Online Databases. Overall a comprehensive coverage of major industries with a further segmentation of 100+ subsectors.

Contact us at:

Bharat Book Bureau

Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773

Email: poonam@bharatbook.com

Website: www.bharatbook.com


Key Market Insights:

Glass sealants have created a niche market in various applications. Several types of glass sealants are present in the market. The types include a variety of materials such as silicones, polyurethane, and polysulfide resins. In construction, glass sealant is widely used in glazing. Glazing overall, refers to a part of the window, facade panels, rain screens, walls, doors, storefronts, and entrance ways made of glass, that are sealed with this material. Glass sealants for glazing are used to enhance building design, flexibility, visual aesthetics, durability, longevity, UV protection and weather resistance, load-bearing capacity, thermal stress, and low shrinkage.

The extensive use of these sealants in the overall construction and transportation sectors has given a massive boost to the glass sealants market. The rapid growth in economies across the globe and the increasing per capita income among consumers in developing countries are increasing the demand for transportation. This, in turn, is increasing the demand for glass sealants in automobiles. The commercial construction sector is presently leading the market and is expected to remain the same during the forecast years. Emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil are looking forward to taking advantage of the benefits of glass sealants. Further, the industrial and infrastructural market growth is expected to foster the glass sealants market.

The Asia Pacific is the largest glass sealants market globally, primarily due to the presence of export-oriented manufacturing capacities and intense domestic demand from various end-user industries. The increase in automobile manufacturing and architectural construction is further driving the market growth in the region. The anticipated economic stability in Europe is expected to boost its manufacturing sector, complementing the growth of the glass sealants market. North America is likely to remain the key region with a significant contribution coming from the US. Few of the prominent companies operating in the glass sealants market are BASF SE, 3M, Dow Corning Corporation, General Electric, and Evonik Industries AG.

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/9907/Single

Material Types:

Silicone

Polyurethane

Polysulfide

Others

End-users:

Commercial Construction

Non-Commercial Construction

Transportation

Others

Geography:

Asia Pacific

North America

Europe

Rest of the World

Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9907
Wearable devices have become increasingly popular in the recent years mainly due to their consumer-focused offerings and a wide range of device connectivity. These devices carry massive amounts of user data ranging from user demographics and electronic health record (EHR). These may open the scope for possible security vulnerabilities, such as data exfiltration, proximity based vulnerabilities, account harvesting intercepting data while using a Pairing App or Bluetooth to connect with other IoT gear, point-to-point networking, new Wi-Fi networks and others. Often, it could lead to remote code execution, poodle attack, covert account takeover, obtaining an IMEI, location spoofing and others.

Most of the wearable devices that are being used today can prevent unauthorized access with device encryption; however, some of them have been found to be vulnerable to security threats while transferring data to cloud or paired with a personal device. Hence, security solutions developers are devising a two-factor authentication, and password-free web security to eliminate the security vulnerability, by implementing blockchain based security solutions to improve the level of device safety. The value chain players, such as device integrators, mobile app makers, enterprises, wearable device OEMs, and security companies are likely to enter into collaborative partnerships to bring advanced device security intelligence strategies for both consumers and enterprises.

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/9903

According to Infoholic Research, the Wearable Devices Cybersecurity Market market is expected to become a $702.6 million market, by growing at a CAGR of 16.4% during the forecast period 20172023.

Market analysis:

Wearable devices are segmented into Smartwatch, Head-mounted display, Body-worn camera and Others. The smartwatch segment includes, wrist bands, fitness bands and smart watches. The head mounted display segment includes, AR/VR devices and smart glasses. Smart watches are the dominating sub-segment which is expected to account for more than 69% of the segments revenues, followed by head mounted displays. The devices that are needed for cybersecurity accounts for less than 10% of the total wearables that are in use today. However, this segment is currently driven by increasing cyber vulnerabilities. Increasing information storage in the wearables would lead to a trend, cybersecurity as a commodity.

The Security Types include, Cloud Security, Application Security, Network Security and others. Currently, cloud security and application security solutions are quite popular among cybersecurity vendors and consumers, owing to their vital range of security capabilities. The network security is expected to continue grabbing attention from the vendors and wearable device OEMs owing to the increasing network level authentication vulnerabilities and data breaches.

The industries include, Healthcare, Corporate & IT, Manufacturing, Retail, Automotive, BFSI, Government and Others. The healthcare industry is the leading adopter of wearable device cyber security as the devices comprises huge volumes of customer data including, users health, demographic details, biometric passwords and others. The vital use cases of wearables have led to the need for cyber security across the industries.

Regions:

The Americas, and Europe are most likely to hold a larger share in the wearable security solutions market and Asia is expected to become an emerging adopter of wearable device security solutions by 2023. The market growth in Asia will be largely due to the increasing demand from China, Japan, and the Southeast Asian countries. The Middle East and Africa are expected to contribute to the innovation in wearable device security solutions mainly due to Israeli cybersecurity start-ups.

Vendors:

The report provides details about the Worldwide Wearable Device Security market. The report also contains an in-depth analysis of vendor profiles, which include financial health, business units, key business priorities, SWOT, strategies, and views; and competitive landscape. The companies included in the report are Apple Inc., Google, IBM, Microsoft Corporation, Argus Cyber Security, Arilou Cyber Security, ESCRYPT  Embedded Security, Karamba Security, and Secunet Security Networks AG.

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/9903/Single

By Device Type:

Smartwatch

Head-mounted display

Body-worn camera

Others devices

By Security Type

Application security

Network security

Cloud security

By Industry

Healthcare

Enterprise &IT

Manufacturing

Retail

Automotive

BFSI

Government

Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/9903
Future Market Insights presents a comprehensive analysis of the global automotive interior leather market in a new publication titled Automotive Interior Leather Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 20162026. In this report, Future Market Insights has focused on offering detailed insights and in-depth research on the global automotive interior leather market over a 10-year forecast period 2016  2026. In this report, we have covered the important factors driving the growth of the global automotive interior leather market, untapped opportunities for market players in this field, trends and developments shaping the dynamics of the global automotive interior leather market and other insights across various key segments. In addition, we have identified the key drivers and restraints affecting the growth of the global automotive interior leather market. Changing trends are also analysed and incorporated in the report to equip the client with exhaustive information about the market resulting in better decision making. Macroeconomic factors that directly and indirectly impact the growth of the global automotive interior leather market are also incorporated in the report.

To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1561

Report Description

The primary objective of the report is to offer insights on the market dynamics that can influence revenue growth of the global automotive interior leather market over the forecast period. Insights on key trends, drivers, restraints, value forecasts and opportunities for companies operating in the global automotive interior leather market are presented in the report. To understand and assess opportunities in this market, the report offers market forecast on the basis of material type, vehicle type, application, and region.

Market Segmentation

Material Type

Genuine Leather

Synthetic Leather PU Leather PVC



Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars Compact Mid-Sized Sedan Luxury Van

Light Commercial Vehicles

Heavy Commercial Vehicles

Application

Upholstery

Dashboard

Seat belts

Air-bags

Floor & trunk carpets

Headliners

Others

Sales Channel

OEM

Aftermarket

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Pacific

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

The market value for all segments is taken in US$ Mn and the market volume is also identified in thousand square meter for all the segments of the global automotive interior leather market.

A section of the report highlights the region-wise automotive interior leather demand. It provides a market outlook for 20162026 and sets the forecast within the context of the global automotive interior leather market.

Download Methodology of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1561

In the final section of the report, a competitive landscape has been included to provide report audiences with a dashboard view. The report provides detailed tier-wise market share analysis for the companies operating in the global automotive interior leather market. Detailed profiles of manufacturers are also included within the scope of the report to evaluate business strategies, key offerings and recent developments in the global automotive interior leather market.

Research Methodology

The market volume of the global automotive interior leather market is inferred through in-depth secondary research and validated from industry experts through primary interviews. Each interview is thoroughly analysed and average market volume is deduced and reconfirmed prior to incorporating in the report. The price of automotive interior leather is deduced on the basis of the material type, where the average price of each material type is inferred across all the assessed regions. The market value of the global automotive interior leather market is thus calculated from the data provided by the average selling price and market volume.

For the 10-year forecast of the global automotive interior leather market, changing trends have been observed, giving an idea about the future of the market. Other important factors considered to arrive at market forecast are the size of the current market and other dynamics shaping the scenario of the market.

Key Metrics

Given the ever-fluctuating nature of the global economy, we not only conduct forecasts in terms of CAGR, but also analyse the market on the basis of key parameters such as year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand the predictability of the market and to identify the right opportunities across the market. As previously highlighted, the global automotive interior leather market is split into a number of segments. All segments in terms of material type, vehicle type, application, and region are analysed in terms of basis point share to understand individual segments relative contribution to market growth. This detailed level of information is important for identification of various key trends governing the global automotive interior leather market.

For Complete TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1561

Also, another important feature of our report is the analysis of all key segments in terms of absolute dollar opportunity. This is traditionally overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales and delivery perspective in the global market. Last but not the least, in order to understand the key market segments in terms of growth and performance of the global automotive interior leather market, we have developed a unique market attractiveness index to help identify real market opportunities across the global automotive interior leather market.

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMIs latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

Mr. Abhishek Budholiya

Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A,

Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,

United Arab Emirates

MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative

For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com

Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com
Theelevator and escalator market size is expected to be worth around U$ 66 billion by 2030 from US$ 31.5 Bn in 2020 and anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2021 o 2030.

Key Driver

Demand for skyscrapers is increasing globally, helping to boost the high-rise elevator & escalator market. Planners and developers are starting to turn to luxury residential towers due to the shrinking supply of land combined with increasing population. Big cities around the globe are increasingly adopting and building skyscrapers for commercial, mic block, and residential proposes. The aim of skyscrapers is steadily changing, from a show of wealth and decadence, to luxury office space. Additionally, high-rise buildings are now offering premium quality housing, providing a great quality of life.

Rising trend to modernize existing and aging infrastructure is observed in the elevator & escalator market in recent years. Aging of the existing installed base of elevators & escalators coupled with the need to comply with safety requirements of elevators & escalators are the key factors fueling the elevator & escalator market. Modernization of elevators and escalators increases their energy saving potential up to 70%, which is the major factor boosting market growth.

Request for Sample with Complete TOC and Figures & Graphs @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/13645

Significant Opportunity for Market

The integration of IoT with elevators & escalators is offering a potential growth opportunity to the global elevator & escalator market. IoT makes it possible for a product to collect, exchange, and analyze data with its operator, manufacturer, and other devices, which is highly relevant to the elevator & escalator industry. IoT enables modern elevators & escalators to anticipate traffic and respond in real-time intelligently, communicate with service teams, and allow passengers to summon the elevator & escalators via a mobile application. Moreover, by using a connected sensor in an elevator and escalator, the flow of passengers can be better managed by lessening wait time.

Growing Construction/Real Estate Sector: Key Trend of Elevator & Escalator Market

Commercial and mixed-block development trend is on the rise. In real estate, trends come and go. In recent years, the pendulum has shifted back to the mixed block. As a result, mixed block development has become increasingly popular. There has been a rise in the construction of mixed block high-rise buildings. Mixed block tall buildings can include residential blocks, offices, retail, serviced apartments, exhibition centers, hotels, casinos, etc. This is a factor driving the elevator & escalator market.

Stringent Government Regulations Expected to Hamper Growth of the Market

Stringent government regulations and policies governing the safety standards of elevators and escalators have compelled manufacturers to adhere to strict standards and certifications, and this is a challenge for the elevator & escalator market. Almost half of fatal elevator accidents involve workers engaged in maintenance or repairing of elevators. However, accidents involving passengers draw the maximum attention. Strict maintenance requirements and safety standards help keep elevators & escalators safe from these incidents. Manufacturers of elevators & escalators are required to abide by safety standards mandated by governments in different regions.

Next Gen Mobility Solutions Offering Time, Energy Efficiencies in Urban India

Automatic door solutions and human insight-driven designs are being preferred by users. Companies such as thyssenkrupp are gaining prominence in India for the next gen solutions namely MULTI, ropeless elevators, and their cloud-based predictive maintenance service.

Companies in the elevator & escalator market are increasing efforts to develop state-of-the-art systems that offer time and energy efficiencies. These modern solutions are being preferred for the urbanization and transformation of smart cities in India. Companies are broadening their revenue streams in passenger boarding bridges and intelligent gate systems.

Report Highlights

The growing commercial construction at the global level is driving the commercial segment, in terms of end use. Both developing as well as developed countries are investing in high-rise commercial complexes, which are projected to be a positive factor driving the elevator & escalator market in the near future. The Increasing number of residential buildings will lead to new installations of elevators and escalators as well as maintenance services.

In terms of elevator type, the passenger elevators segment accounted for the largest market share and is expected to maintain its dominance in the upcoming years. Majority of countries demand energy efficient passenger elevators. Developing countries investing in the real estate sector are anticipated to drive this market.

In terms of escalator type, the step type segment held the highest market share. Modern step type escalators are made of metal. Earlier, wood was also used to manufacture them. These characteristics are driving the product demand among consumers.

Presently, Asia Pacific dominates the global elevator & escalator market, followed by North America and Europe. China is the largest consumer of elevators and escalators globally. Rising number of high-rise buildings in Asia Pacific is driving the sales of elevators as well as escalators. Supportive government policies are encouraging companies to set up their manufacturing units in this region. The elevator & escalator market in India and China is projected to expand at a higher pace. A large number of global real estate companies is investing in residential and commercial sectors in these countries. The growing disposable income, coupled with huge population, is creating the need for elevators & escalators in crowded commercial places. Rising number of shopping malls, corporate buildings, and offices in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities is expected to boost the demand for elevators and escalators.

Europe is the second largest market for elevators & escalators globally. The availability of technologically advanced products coupled with high consumer spending on elevators and escalators over the past few years drives this market.

Competitive Landscape

This section of the report identifies various key manufacturers of the market. It helps the reader understand the strategies and collaborations that players are focusing on combat competition in the market. The comprehensive report provides a significant microscopic look at the market. The reader can identify the footprints of the manufacturers by knowing about the global revenue of manufacturers, the global price of manufacturers, and sales by manufacturers during the forecast period of 2017 to 2019.

Get Discount On The Purchase Of This Report @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/13645

The analysts have provided a comprehensive analysis of the competitive landscape of the global elevator and escalator market with the company market structure and market share analysis of the top players. The innovative trends and developments, mergers and acquisitions, product portfolio, and new product innovation expected to provide a dashboard view of the market, ultimately providing the readers accurate measure of the current market developments, business strategies, and key financials.

Major manufacturers & their revenues, percentage splits, market shares, growth rates and breakdowns of the product markets are determined through secondary sources and verified through the primary sources.

Top-down and bottom-up approaches are used to estimate and validate the global market size for company, regional division, product type and application (end users) and other segments.

Company Overview

Company Market Share/Positioning Analysis

Product Offerings

Financial Performance

Recent Initiatives

Key Strategies Adopted by Players

Vendor Landscape

List of Suppliers

List of Buyers

Key players operating in the global elevator & escalator market include Fujitec Co. Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., Hyundai Elevator Co., Ltd., KONE Oyj, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Orona Group, Otis Elevator Company, Schindler Group, thyssenKrupp AG, and Toshiba Corporation.

Market Segmentation

By Product Type

Elevator

Escalator

By Elevator Type

Passenger Elevators

Freight Elevators

By Escalator Type

Step Type

Belt Type

By End Use

Residential

Commercial Offices Hospitals/Care Hospitality Others

Mixed Block

Market By Region

North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe U.K. Germany France Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC) Japan China India Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa (MEA) GCC Countries South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa

South America Brazil Rest of South America



This report focuses on elevator and escalator market includes crucial information on market share, market size, and growth rate for the forecast period 2021 to 2030 at the global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall elevator and escalator market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. The study highlights deep analysis on the major drivers of the market, restraints, and challenges to help the business owners, suppliers, and marketing personnel in planning effective strategies for the forecast period. This will help the business and manufacturers to lead the market and gain prominent position in future. The report also presents vital information through graphical representation on factors like table, charts, and statistics. The study includes drivers and restraints of the global elevator and escalator market.

The research not only conducts forecasts in terms of value, but also evaluates the market on the basis of essential parameters, such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth. This helps providers to recognize the future opportunities as well predictability of the market.

Request For Report Description https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/elevator-and-escalator-market
The influence of QAnon on pandemic denialism is sterling silver earrings significant, though the spread of Q in local politics is a source of conflict in many states. Tug of war The conspiracy may have begun on an obscure web forum, but it is now influencing the Republican Party at all levels. A recent Daily Kos/Civiqs poll found that 55% of Republicans believe some element of the conspiracy is true.

Sometimes, though, side effects can become too dangerous to keep up the treatment. Some chemo can cause very low levels of blood cells and raise your chance of having an infection. You could also have an allergic reaction to a specific drug. You also need to stay hydrated. You should drink at least six 8 ounce glasses of fluids each day. Choose electrolyte replacement drinks or soda without caffeine.

They include beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. Several types of antidepressants can also be used to prevent migraine, as well as anticonvulsants. Even Botox, which is normally used to treat wrinkles, can keep migraines at bay for some people..

Anupam Kher, who returned from New York recently, had the sweetest Instagram exchange with neighbor Anil Kapoor, on Friday. Being in home quarantine, Anupam Kher shared a video on his Instagram profile and wrote, "In normal circumstances when I return from abroad before coming to my house I go to my neighbour and best friend Anil Kapoor's house. But things are different nowadays.

He also operated the scoop tram, which is a huge bucket like machine that picked up the ore, then dumped the ore into the crusher. The ore was then loaded onto a conveyor belt, which carried it to the skip then to the surface. From there it was dumped onto another conveyor, which took the ore to the processor and after the process, it was loaded onto ore trucks and delivered to Campbell River.

You can sign up through your Facebook account or log in through the app. Next, to get you started, the app prompts you to set a photo of yourself, capture three photos and share with three friends. In future use all you have to do is take a photo, tag people or places and upload it to your stream, it's that easy.One of my favorite features of this app is that you can take video.

Do some covers, he said. Might hear your favorite Cher song, bluegrass style. A limited number of Platinum ($300), Gold Circle ($250). But you wouldn know of sewing resurgence by looking at San Diego retail scene. Last month, news broke that family owned Yardage Town would close its four remaining stores in San Diego County, leaving the region with a dearth of stores selling apparel grade fabrics. Besides a smattering of chain hobby stores whose selection of apparel worthy fashion fabrics is slim at best, there are few remaining brick and mortar shops to buy fabric for making clothes..

Nextnecklace.com Unique Designed & High Quality Sapphire Fine Jewelry such as necklace,earrings,bracelet is for you!Never Miss Up to 25% Off Labor Day Sale is coming during 8.23-9.06.

Code"LB10" for any order 10% Off.

Code"LB25" buy 2 or More 25% Off.

While,You can use 15% off code"G15" to get necklace,earrings,bracelet,Rings and all other products from https://www.nextnecklace.com anytime.
Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Eyewear Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)under Consumer Goods Market Research Reports category. The Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Eyewear is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports.

The Saudi Arabian E-Commerce Eyewear Market was valued at USD 129.08 million in 2020, and it is projected to register a CAGR of 4.55% during the forecast period (2021-2026).

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major challenge to the market in the country on account of the restrictions imposed on transporation and logistics. During the pandemic, the screen time for childrens and adults increased significantly resulting in demand for eyewear solutions. Due to the lack of operations by the highly penetrated brick and mortar retail channel in the eyewear market, the consumers emerging demand shifting to e-commerce platforms, thus, positively impacting the market.

The countrys harsh and humid climate, along with a growing share of smartphones users, has let the eye wear market to gain traction in the region. That said, most of the demand is met by tourists, often including eye wear products as their daily requirement or as a part of souvenir culture.

On the other hand, the presence of brands has also leveraged the eye wear platform and made it a highly competitive sector for established players. Online retailing for the same has undertaken an upswing, driven by the millennial population vying for new and enhanced products that go along with regular fashion.

Key Market Trends Booming Online Retail Industry

The growth opportunity for the sales of consumer goods through online channel has forced online vendors to improve purchase processes, in terms of security and reliability, which, in turn, has propelled the demand for these products. Also, numerous foreign investors are vying the opportunity posed by online platform, and they are registering their business account with the Ministry of Commerce, Saudi Arabia. Such registration numbers increased from 14,154 in 2015 to 25,238 in 2020, according to the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Commerce. Moreover, vendors are adopting online retail strategies to increase their conumer reach and offer them low cost to entice the users thus, increasing their margins, which will benefit the market during the forecast period. Social media influencers, celebrity endorsement, and video/beauty bloggers on the other hand, are some of the niche group of sources that markets like Saudi Arabia crave for. Furthermore, availability of rare products in the online marketplaces are likely to build more confidence around consumers and likewise, quality at reasonable prices is expected to make such consumer spoilt for their choices.

Spectacles holds the Largest Market Share

The growth of the corrective glasses segment is mainly driven by the increasing population suffering from refractive errors, raising awareness, and the cost-effectiveness of eye care devices over refractive surgeries. According to the research conducted by the University of Hail, in Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of refractive error among children was up by 18.5%. It has been stated that myopia is the result of a complicated interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Moreover, the increasing use of smartphones and computers is triggering the cases of computer vision syndrome (CVS). This factor has also been influencing the sales of corrective eyewear from the past few years.

Competitive Landscape

In the Saudi Arabia e-commerce eyewear market, companies are thriving for their market share with merger and acquisition (M&A) and expansion being the most adopted strategies followed by partnerships and product innovation. Players operating in the e-commerce eyewear market in Saudi Arabia gained prominent positions due to the enlargement of their distribution channels through the establishment of stores and warehouses at different locations across the country, which helps ineasy and faster delivery. Some of the major players in the market studied are Amazon.com Inc., Awok.com, Noon, Emaar Malls (Namshi), EssilorLuxottica SA (Persol), and Al Barakat Group Co. Ltd. among others.

Reasons to Purchase this report:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

- 3 months of analyst support

Browse our full report with Table of Contents: https://marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/report/662556/saudi-arabia-e-commerce-eyewear-market-growth-trends-covid-impact-and-forecasts

About Us

Market Reports on Saudi Arabia provides you with an in-depth industry reports focusing on various economic, political and operational risk environment, complemented by detailed sector analysis. We have an exhaustive coverage on variety of industries - ranging from energy and chemicals to transportation, communications, constructions and mining to Food and Beverage and education. Our collection includes over 3500 up-to-date reports all researched, analyzed and published by top-notch international research firms.

Contact us at:

Market Reports On Saudi Arabia

Tel: +91 22 27810772/27810773

Email: info@marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com

Website: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com

Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
The global Computer Aided Detection System Market report offers a comprehensive assessment of the market for the forecast years. The report contains several segments and an analysis of the market trends and growth factors that are playing a vital role in the market. These factors encompass the drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This global industry offers an outlook on the strategic development of the market in terms of revenue profits over the forecast period 2021-2026.

The key market players for the global Computer Aided Detection System market are listed below:

Hologic, Inc

McKesson Corporation

Philips Healthcare

EDDA Technology, Inc

Canon Medical Systems

Siemens Healthcare

Merge Healthcare, Inc

GE Healthcare

ICAD( VuCOMP)

Agfa-Gevaert N.V.

Riverain Technologies

Median Technologies

Nuesoft

Others

Click here to get a FREE Sample Copy of the Computer Aided Detection System Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-27578

The Global Computer Aided Detection System Market Report is equipped with market data from 2016 to 2026. The report gives a market overview covering key drivers and risk factors. The report is bifurcated by top global manufactures mentioning sales, revenue, and prices as applicable. It also evaluates the competitive scenario of the leading players. The report expands to cover regional market data along with type and application. The report forecasts sales and revenue from 2021 to 2026. The detailed sales channel is also covered in the study.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Computer Aided Detection System Market

The global pandemic COVID-19 has affected the Computer Aided Detection System market directly or indirectly. This study covers a separate section giving an explicitly clear understanding of the aftereffects of this pandemic. The detailed study highlights the probable outcomes of this global crisis on the Computer Aided Detection System industry. The impact study on production, supply-demand, and sales provides a holistic approach to the future.

Do You Have Any Query Or Report Customization? Ask Our Market Expert @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/ask-questions-27578

Why Purchase this Report?

A robust research methodology has been followed to collect data for the report. Data, thus collected passes through multiple quality checks to ensure the best quality is served.

The report gives a holistic view of the competitive scenario of the Computer Aided Detection System market

The latest product launches along with technological changes and development are covered in the report.

The data analysis in the report helps in understanding the anticipated Computer Aided Detection System market dynamics from 2021 to 2026.

DecisionDatabases has a vast repository of data, therefore, we can accommodate customized requirements also.

The graphs, tables and pie charts, and info-graphics covered in the report will help in a better understanding of the report.

The market drivers, restraints, upcoming opportunities, and anticipated restraints cited in the report will assist in making an informed decision.

To better understand the market scenario, the Computer Aided Detection System market is segmented as below:

By Types:

X-Ray Imaging

Computed Tomography

Ultrasound Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Nuclear Medicine Imaging

Others

By Applications:

Breast Cancer

Lung Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Liver Cancer

Boner Cancer

By Regions:

North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)

(U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Central & Eastern Europe, CIS)

(U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Central & Eastern Europe, CIS) Asia Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, India, Rest of Asia Pacific)

(China, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, India, Rest of Asia Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Rest of L.A.)

(Brazil, Rest of L.A.) The Middle East and Africa (Turkey, GCC, Rest of Middle East)

The content of the study subjects includes a total of 14 chapters:

Chapter 1: To describe Computer Aided Detection System product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market driving force, and market risks.

Chapter 2: To profile the top manufacturers of Computer Aided Detection System, with price, sales, revenue, and global market share of Computer Aided Detection System in 2018 and 2019.

Chapter 3: The Computer Aided Detection System competitive situation, sales, revenue, and global market share of top manufacturers are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast.

Chapter 4: The Computer Aided Detection System breakdown data are shown at the regional level, to show the sales, revenue, and growth by region, from 2015 to 2020.

Chapter 5 and 6: To segment the sales by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2015 to 2020.

Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11: To break the sales data at the country level, with sales, revenue, and market share for key countries in the world, from 2016 to 2021 and Computer Aided Detection System market forecast, by regions, type, and application, with sales and revenue, from 2021 to 2026.

Chapter 12, 13 & 14: To describe Computer Aided Detection System sales channel, distributors, customers, research findings and conclusion, appendix, and data source.

Directly Purchase the Complete Global Computer Aided Detection System Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-27578

About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research report provider, enriching decision-makers, and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiles, and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise, and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For more details:

DecisionDatabases.com

E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com

Phone: +91 90 28 057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/

Reference Source:



https://view.publitas.com/decisiondatabases-com-_vzxge7jabyb/computer-aided-detection-system-market-research-report-from-2021-to-2026/
On Aug. 18, 2021, Safe Harbor launched its new name at an official ribbon-cutting by the Chamber of Commerce alongside key community leaders and local champions of wellness. Safe Harbor is really about community and connection. In fact, there is something for every community member at Safe Harbor, says Executive Director, Georgia Chakos Ferrell.
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.
Litchfield, CT (06759)

Today

Rain, heavy at times early. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Rain, heavy at times early. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
He was not vaccinated but planned to for the fall wave after some vaccine hesitancy which developed from his own mother having a COVID-19 vaccine injury, she said. We had chosen not to vaccinate yet. I was sick first and managed to be fine after about eight days. Three out of four kids in our household tested positive, all asymptomatic besides one who lost his sense of taste for 48 hours.
I think what [we] like about the airport is that the employees seem to love meeting the dogs as much as the passengers do, said Karyn Cordner, Ramblers handler, alongside her friend Sally King, another volunteer handler. Weve had passengers who are traveling for sad reasons ask to be comforted by the dogs in tears. We believe in that human-animal bond and we see it every time we bring the dogs here.
The White House said that as of Friday morning, about 12,500 people were airlifted from Kabul in the last 24 hours on U.S. and coalition aircraft; in the 12 hours that followed, another 4,200 people were evacuated. Psaki said about 300 Americans had departed and the State Department was working with about 500 more who want to leave. The administration has said it intends to push on and complete the airlift despite the terror threats.
During the YouTube presentation in New Britain, a parent asked how mask breaks can be done in the winter. Sarra replied that teachers ensure that children are dressed warmly and then take them outside for brief mask breaks even in January and February, except in cases of extreme cold or a storm.
But Joe DeLong, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said, Youre dis-incentivizing communities from keeping their buildings up and running. What we need to do is to develop a standard for towns to work with the state and to get the state involved to work with these air quality projects.
Legislative leaders closed the Capitol to the public in March 2020, and it never fully reopened. Currently, only the first floor is open to the public, meaning that voters and lobbyists are barred from the floors where the Senate and House meet and public galleries are accessed.
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
The city will be using its $4.9 million grant to fund salaries, utility bills and operating expenses that dont go away just because shows arent happening, Vander Vennet said. Whats more, the grant will allow the venues to keep from dipping into Hamptons general fund, saving local taxpayers from having to pay for the losses.
Billy is more than familiar with creating characters  hes played one throughout his career. Nick and his other criminal connections know only what Billy thinks of as his dumb self, a guy whos a talented sniper but otherwise not too sharp. Hes cultivated that dumb self carefully, all the while indulging his voracious reading habit. In front of Nick and his goons, Billy reads Archies Pals n Gals, but when hes on his own he reads Emile Zola and Thomas Hardy and William Faulkner and Joseph Campbell and even plows through Infinite Jest. 
The violation is harmless, and the remedy sought  removing McAuliffe from the general election ballot in November  is extreme. That remedy would scramble a lot of plans and frustrate a lot of voters, all in service of a minor rule (so minor that no one noticed the error earlier), he wrote in an email. Its hard to see how that would promote democracy in the Commonwealth.
Earlier this month, Gov. Ralph Northam said school districts are required to comply with state law when opening and follow recommendations from the CDC on masking of students, faculty and employees in K-12 schools. Following mandates from Northam and the state health commissioner, all Hampton school staff working in administrative offices are required to wear a face covering at all times while working indoors, schools spokeswoman Kellie Goral said in an email.
The USS Arlington was in such a hurry to get to earthquake and storm-ravaged Haiti that it didnt even wait in Norfolk to board all its Marine Corps contingent  many came out in landing craft and boarded the ship while it was off the North Carolina shore.
Because of my health situation ... Im not going to be in a position to try this case on Oct. 4, Clancy said at the hearing, adding that hes spoken to his physician and the Virginia State Bar about the matter.
Hospitals arent loaded just because of the coronavirus. Overall admissions are on the rise, meaning patients who put off treatment for other health reasons are now coming in droves. CHKD, like other childrens hospitals throughout the country, is dealing with an uptick in other respiratory viruses that are normally spread in the winter. That trend is adding to the burden.
We reject the basis of a health order that only applies to the K-12 setting and urge the board to consider whether it is appropriate that a public health emergency impacts only K-12 school settings, as opposed to all indoor public settings. The declaration of an emergency and the resulting mask mandate for only one setting is not a consistent action for a genuine health emergency.
The university has also instituted an indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, through the end of September. The mask requirement will apply to all classrooms, labs, shared offices, indoor hallways in buildings and other shared spaces. The mask mandate will be re-evaluated by Oct. 1 based on guidance from public health officials and data from the community at that time, according to W&M.
Lubbock, TX (79409)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph.
Hyderabad: Investigations into the alleged drug mafia link in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide case are leading the central agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to the doorsteps of Tollywood.

Sources said that after the questioning of actress Rakul Preet Singh in this case, the ED dug deeper into aspects of money laundering in the Tollywood drug scam case. It suo motu filed an interim application in the Telangana high court here and sought a direction to the state prohibition and excise department to hand over the material it had gathered during its 2017 investigation into the use of drugs by Telugu film personalities.

The ED retained the service of top legal officials to handle its application in the high court and even complained to the court about non-cooperation from the state agencies. Stating that it had written to the commissioner of Prohibition and Excise seeking data, the ED said it has not received any reply/data till date from this department.

We made both central and state agencies including the ED respondents in the public interest litigation seeking a quick and fair probe into the use of drugs, said advocate Rachana Reddy. She is representing state Congress president Revanth Reddy, who filed a PIL in relation to the case.

After a few hearings, we came to know that the state agencies had furnished the material sought by the ED, Rachana said.

NEW TURN: The drugs case took a significant turn on Wednesday with the ED adding the names of Rakul Preet and Rana Daggubati to the list of directors and actors already summoned by the TS agency. Though the actors name had been mentioned during the 2017 investigation, the department avoided summoning Rakul, who is popular in the city power circles. This time, however, the central agency summoned the actor to question her on the links to money laundering in the drugs case.

Actor Raviteja, director Puri Jagannath, actress Charmee and Mumaith Khan as also actors of small budget films like Navadeep, Tanish and Tarun were also summoned by the ED.

After days of grilling under the media glare by senior IPS official Akun Sabharwal, the department exonerated all the film personalities. The name of none of these figured in the 11 charge sheets filed by the excise wing.

This time we hope the case is taken to its logical conclusion, said Padmanabha Reddy, secretary, Forum for Good Governance. He has been fighting against the delay in the investigations into the drugs case.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka police said that they are yet to take a statement from the victim, who was gang-raped on the foothills of Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Tuesday.

The Karnataka government has constituted a special investigation team under the supervision of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Pratap Reddy to investigate the alleged gang-rape of a 22-year-old MBA student.

The ADGP said, "We haven't taken the victim's statement yet. We cannot comment at this point as the investigation is underway. We have collected some information from the spot."

The police have registered a case under Sections 376 (D) (gang rape) and 397 (robbery) of the IPC. "We have formed five teams to solve the case and also called teams from other districts. We will submit a report to the government," he said.

The ADGP also said that incident happened between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm on Tuesday.
APSERMC had visited private educational institutions and consulted parents and management to hear all sides before finalising the new fee structure. representational Image. (DC Image)

Vijayawada: The AP School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) chairman Justice Kantha Rao said on Thursday that there was no fee structure in AP for decades and a fee structure was formulated for the first time in the state to help people get good education at affordable fees.

Addressing the media here, he said toll-free number 9150381111 started functioning for those seeking to lodge complaints about collection of high fees in private schools and colleges. The APSERMC would take action on those complaints.

Justice Rao said the government issued GO53 and GO54 regarding the new fee structure. He noted that there is a huge difference between AP and other states in collection of fees, as private educational institutions collected huge fees without any controls. In the past 20 years, there was no governmental step for regulation of fee structure in the state. Parents have the right to lodge complaints against private educational institutions if they charge more fees.

He pointed out that the APSERMC had visited private educational institutions and consulted parents and management to hear all sides before finalising the new fee structure.

He said there is no problem with the new fee structure for 80 per cent of the educational institutions. The APSERMC had inspected 360 educational institutions and recommended action against 120 private colleges for violation of norms. He advised the educational institutions to follow the fee structure and warned of stern action against violators. He appealed to the people to make good use of the 9150381111 toll free number and lodge complaints about violations.

The APSERMC vice chairman Vijayasarada Reddy said chief minister Jagan brought forward the fee structure to free the education sector from the clutches of corporate robbers. She said the government has confirmed that these fees will be applicable for the three academic years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The secretary of APSERMC Aluri Sambashivareddy said the managements of private educational institutions themselves have been fixing fees and charging higher fees as they pleased. The commission would take appropriate action if any wrongdoing was reported in the collection of fees at educational institutions.
HYDERABAD: A division bench of Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, directed the secretary, ministry of archeology and museums, New Delhi, superintending archeologist, Hyderabad, director of archeology and museums, Telangana and the director, department of heritage, Hyderabad, to file their respective status reports on the timebound efforts made by them for completing the conservation and management plan as prescribed by the World Heritage Committee declaring Ramappa temple as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It gave them a time of four weeks.

The bench directed them to place on record the decisions taken regarding Ramappa temple, indicating the manner in which the recommendations made by the global panel are to be implemented by the Union and state governments.

The court directed the civic authorities to ensure that proper infrastructure is in place and to demarcate the lands as construction and non-construction zones without endangering the ecological system in the temple vicinity.

Chief Justice Kohli cautioned the state government to be vigilant against the escalating land rates in and around Ramappa temple following its global tag.

Land rates will escalate and people will scramble to purchase lands legally or illegally. There will be a spurt in tourists and they should not be put to any inconvenience, the CJ observed before adjourning the case to September 29.
In his 37-year journalism career, Sharma served as the Sunday supplement in-charge of Andhra Prabha during 1991, news editor in Krishna Patrika in 1993, news editor in Hindi Milap from 1995-2006, Editor of Andhra Prabha 2006-2007, executive editor of Hindi Milap from 2007-2011 and as Editor of Andhra Bhoomi since 2018.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: Veteran journalist Mullapudi Sadasiva Sharma, former Editor of Andhra Bhoomi, died of a cardiac arrest at 7.30 am at a city hospital in Neredmet here on Friday. He was 61 and is survived by wife M. Lakshmi Padmavathi and 18-year-old daughter Srividya.

On Thursday evening, he was rushed to a hospital with health complaints and later shifted to another private hospital in Neredmet.

Sharma held various positions in the last four decades, including in frontline Telugu, Hindi and English publications. Having realised the potential of media during and after the emergency, he opted for print media in the 1980s.

In his 37-year journalism career, Sharma served as the Sunday supplement in-charge of Andhra Prabha during 1991, news editor in Krishna Patrika in 1993, news editor in Hindi Milap from 1995-2006, Editor of Andhra Prabha 2006-2007, executive editor of Hindi Milap from 2007-2011 and as Editor of Andhra Bhoomi since 2018.

A 1984 gold medallist, he received the Keerti Puraskaram in 2012 from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University and the Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao award for outstanding contribution to Telugu journalism in 2007 apart from participating in European Round Table conference in 2003 and 2006.

Sharma also mentored former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Press Academy chairman Allam Narayana and TS BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, among many others, mourned the death of Sharma. Several politicians and journalists conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.
HYDERABAD: I am a proud Hindu and my party will speak up and stand up for the majority communitys interests without any feeling of guilt. We win because all Hindus support us. We will form the next government in Telangana after removing the corrupt, nepotist, all-appeasing TRS government headed by autocratic Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, asserted BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar, on Friday, on the eve of the 35-day first phase of his Praja Sangrama Yatra.

Unhesitatingly making his Hindutva war cry, Sanjay questioned how political leaders who visit mosques, dargahs or churches are secular, while he is being hypocritically criticised for visiting temples? The BJP won four Lok Sabha seats with the support of Hindus. This very Hindu support will help us win the next assembly polls in Telangana, he asserted.

The yatra, he explained, is aimed at building stronger bonds with the people and understanding their plight under the undemocratic TRS reign. The people of Telangana know that the BJP will soon send KCR to prison for his corruption and other misdeeds.

The walkathon will commence on Saturday morning from the famous Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the historic Charminar and proceed to the poll-bound Huzurabad constituency, in the first phase.

Brimming with confidence, Sanjay told Deccan Chronicle that he was keeping the promise made when he took charge as state party president, that he would connect with the people through a padayatra inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. It got delayed because of the Coronavirus, he said.

Dismissing allegations of a tactical tie-up or compromise between the BJP and the TRS, keeping in mind future national political alignments, the BJP leader said, As our party national president J.P. Nadda has reiterated, KCR is the most corrupt leader in India. We have collected evidence and investigations are on. Chandrashekar Rao and other members of his family involved in massive scams will be in jail soon.

On being asked why the Centre does not act against the TRS leadership if there was proof of corruption, Sanjay replied, We dont need to have our own state government in Telangana to send him to jail. He will be in prison before the next Assembly elections.

He dismissed the prospects of the Congress-led by PCC chief A. Revanth Reddy in the state, and asked why would the people wish to replace the corrupt, nepotistic rule of the TRS with a similar rule of the Congress.

On Huzurabad bypoll, Sanjay said, The TRS chief and K.T. Rama Rao have conceded defeat there, saying it is just a bypoll and defeat there does not have many implications. Eatala was hailed as a successful minister but the day the father-son duo broke off with him, they tried to portray him as a villain.

The TRS government has lost all credibility, with KCR breaking all his promises relating to land, water, jobs, and empowerment of Dalits, tribals and BCs. No one in Telangana trusts this pro-Dalit campaign of the CM anymore. He comes up before every election, makes hollow promises and disappears into his farmhouse, the BJP chief said.

When asked about the impact of Dalit Bandhu, Sanjay said, We dont oppose the scheme. But when a CM launches it in just one constituency that is up for bypoll, what message does it send? He is doing this even as this bankrupt government is not able to even pay salaries to the employees in one go. So, who will believe him? In fact, most people in Telangana want TRS MLAs to resign and force byelections so that the government will fall.

Arguing against the perception that the BJP is not strong enough in Telangana, he said, People know the BJP alone fights the TRS. Unlike the Congress or the TD, we never had any alliance with the TRS. BJP activists are fighting for peoples causes, including for unemployment allowance and job notifications. We are going to jail, getting beaten up and still fighting. Our leaders dont get sold to TRS, unlike the Congress. People know we are the only alternative.

Explaining his partys strong connect with the youth, he said, TRS promised Rs 3,000 to the unemployed as dole. Today, KCR owes over Rs 1 lakh to each unemployed youth of Telangana. Only the BJP is fighting for the youth, for jobs.

Condemning the KCR government for its styles of appeasing, looting people and oppressing the weaker sections, he said, We have heard and read about the tyrant Nizams reign. Now we are experiencing the Nizam 2.0 tyranny in TRS. Chandrashekar Rao prostrates before Nizams grave while we fall at the feet of Sardar Patel, who liberated Hyderabad. People will decide who they want to lead them.

On water, a key promise of the Telangana agitation, Sanjay said, Now, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is stealing our waters; and whatever is left, gets diverted to KCRs farmhouse.

BJP always works at the grassroots. Every election sees a rise in our vote share. The padayatra will instill confidence among the people in their fight against the corrupt TRS. We will rededicate ourselves to the cause of TS and ensure that the sacrifices of 1,400 people for a separate state will not be in vain. We will end the loot of Telangana by KCR and his family members. The BJP government will ensure that all the aspirations of the people are met, Sanjay added.
The fast-moving developments in Afghanistan continue to capture public attention in India. The picture of the only Sikh Cabinet minister in the BJP-NDA government carrying one of the three Sikh holy books brought back from Kabul on his head sums up the dilemma. India is in a rescue and recovery mode.

The debate amongst America and its allies was whether to keep troops beyond the August 31 deadline. There are still thousands of their citizens and Afghan associates to be lifted to safety, so Britain and France wanted an extended stay till the evacuation was over. But President Joe Biden, despite the crescendo of domestic criticism on the botched withdrawal, finally said there would be no extension beyond August 31. Whether he sticks to this after the deaths of US soldiers in Thursday nights attacks is another uncertain factor.

A related issue was the Taliban ploy that theyll only form a government after all foreign troops had left. This may be just optics, or for pressure on remnants of the Ashraf Ghani government as they negotiate the next governments composition. The nature of the next government is critical as even Chinas foreign ministry, perhaps paying lip service, sought an inclusive and widely representative government, with moderate domestic and foreign policies.

Three nations that didnt withdraw diplomatic missions from Kabul are Pakistan, China and Russia. Pakistan is in the drivers seat for now as its close ally Khalil Haqqani is not only near the top of the Taliban hierarchy but his group is actually in charge of Kabuls security. Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence chief was photographed in Kandahar, in uniform, praying alongside Taliban leaders. Bruce Riedel argues in an article that Pakistans military and ISI were embedded with the Taliban and were responsible for the Afghan National Armys quick unravelling.

Pakistans primary objective is to be the main foreign influence in Kabul.

They would have asked the Taliban to sever links with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), that is said to have 6,000 active fighters which helped depose the Ghani government. Similarly, the Chinese want that Uyghur fighters of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) be ejected from their Afghan havens. The question is whether the Taliban have the will or the capacity to do it.

In the Taliban pecking order, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sits on top, with Mullah Mohammad Yakub, son of founder Mullah Omar, coming next. Then comes the Haqqani scion. There is some speculation that Baradar isnt happy about Haqqani physically controlling the capital. Friction may not surface yet as unity is badly needed to enable the Taliban to negotiate from a position of strength. Its surmised that the inclusiveness of the next regime may be in name only.

Its also being speculated that if Afghanistan falls into Chinas lap, then Beijing will have a strategic grip over the entire salient to Indias west which links Central Asia to the Gulf and the Arabian Sea. But it is moving with calculated deliberation. It eyes the copper mines at Mes Aynak, that holds deposits worth an estimated $50 billion. There are also supposedly huge deposits of rare earths. What is of real concern to China, however, is the unstable state of Afghanistan. The Taliban may have won the war, but battles may yet loom over the horizon.

Of immediate concern to the Taliban will be the Tajiks under the son of renowned warrior Ahmad Shah Massoud, gathered with heavy weapons in the impregnable 150-km Panjshir Valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides. They apparently have been able to fly some operational helicopters there. The Taliban, on the other hand, have no air assets as the few helicopters they found were damaged by the US before leaving.

China would strategically want to tie in the whole area linking Central Asia and the Gulf and Arabian Sea with its Belt and Road Initiative. The worry is that if the Taliban doesnt accommodate other ethnicities like Tajiks and Uzbeks in the next government, it may impact Chinas Belt and Road network in the region. The Chinese have already seen attacks mounting on their personnel in Balochistan. Russia also doesnt want instability to flow north out of Afghanistan.

A related matter is what the Taliban plan to do about the narcotics trade.

Afghanistan produces 80 per cent of the worlds opium and heroin. The UN Security Council has said the Taliban made $460 million from taxes on the drug trade last year. Drugs have become a lethal menace in Indias border states like Punjab. The Taliban are discovering that the Afghan central banks reserves of $9.5 billion have been frozen by the United States. The IMF has also cancelled $460 million in credit, including relief for Covid-19.

This leaves India in a real pickle. Its allies from the old battle against the Taliban in the mid-1990s, using the Northern Alliance, may not be there now as Iran and Russia are busy appeasing the Taliban. Its possible that if the relatively less militant mask of the new Taliban begins to slip, Iran will be forced to review its neutrality. Reports from the hinterland also indicate that the Taliban are quietly undertaking a selective and deathly purge of former members of the security forces. The airport shootout on Monday indicated the fragility of the ceasefire.

India, like the rest of the world, has to wait and watch and take one step at a time. China is likely to use the vacuum created by the absence of all other powers. But it also senses that Afghanistan is not Iran and that any engagement with an entity like the Taliban may come at a cost. Indias agencies must be closely watching how to engage Ahmad Massoud and keep the morale of his band intact in Panjshir. Tajikistans clear red lines on what kind of government it expects in Kabul will be seen as a positive. Unlike the 1990s, though, the Taliban have cut off all land connectivity between Panjshir and Tajikistan.

Thursday nights deadly blasts/attacks at Kabul airport, leading to the deaths of at least 60 Afghans and over a dozen US servicemen, for which an ISIS affiliate has claimed responsibility, is an added complication, with President Joe Biden vowing revenge. Was it meant to warn Western nations to not stay beyond the August 31 deadline? Its possible the bombing was the result of intra-Taliban jostling between the Haqqani group, infamous for suicide bombings, and moderate factions perhaps led by Mullah Baradar. If anything, it shows how complicated any future path will be.
Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. (AP/Wali Sabawoon)

Kabul: Suicide bombers struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport with at least two explosions on Thursday, causing a bloodbath among civilians and U.S. troops and effectively shutting down the Western airlift of Afghans desperate to flee.

The Pentagon said "a number" of American service members were killed. One U.S. official said according to initial reports at least 10 had died.

There was no complete death toll of Afghan civilians but video images uploaded by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies of people killed in packed crowds outside the airport.

A watery ditch by the airport fence was filled with bloodsoaked corpses, some being fished out and laid in heaps on the canal side while wailing civilians searched for loved ones.

Several Western countries said the airlift of civilians was now effectively over, with the United States having sealed the gates of the airport leaving no way out for tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the West through two decades of war.

A Taliban official said at least 13 people including children had been killed in the attack and 52 were wounded, though it was clear from video footage that those figures were far from complete. One surgical hospital run by an Italian charity said it alone was treating more than 60 wounded.

The explosions took place amid the crowds outside the airport who have been massing for days in hope of escaping in an airlift which the United States says will end by Tuesday, following the swift capture of the country by the Taliban.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, but U.S. officials pointed the finger at Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, ISIS-Khorosan, which has emerged as enemies of both the West and of the Taliban. read more

A witness who gave his name as Jamshed said he went to the airport in the hope of getting a visa for the United States.

"There was a very strong and powerful suicide attack, in the middle of the people. Many were killed, including Americans," he said.

'COMPLEX ATTACK'

Zubair, a 24 year-old civil engineer, who had been trying for a nearly week to get inside the airport with a cousin who had papers authorising him to travel to the United States, said he was 50 metres from the first of two suicide bombers who detonated explosives at the gate.

"Men, women and children were screaming. I saw many injured people  men, women and children  being loaded into private vehicles and taken toward the hospitals," he said. After the explosions there was gunfire.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Twitter: "We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of U.S. and civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate."

Taliban official Suhail Shaheen said there were two explosions in a crowded area managed by U.S. forces. "We strongly condemn this gruesome incident and will take every step to bring the culprits to justice."

The Taliban did not identify the attackers, but a spokesman described it as the work of "evil circles" who would be suppressed once the foreign troops leave.

Washington and its allies had been urging civilians to stay away from the airport on Thursday, citing the threat of an Islamic State suicide attack.

In the past 12 days, Western countries have evacuated nearly 100,000 people, mostly Afghans who helped them. But they say many thousands more will be left behind following President Joe Biden's order to pull out all troops by Aug 31.

The last few days of the airlift will mostly be used to withdraw the remaining troops. Canada and some European countries have already announced the end of their airlifts, while publicly lamenting Biden's abrupt pullout.

AIRPORT DOORS 'CLOSED'

"The doors at the airport are now closed and it is no longer possible to get people in," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said on Thursday.

"We wish we could have stayed longer and rescued everyone," the acting chief of Canada's defence staff, General Wayne Eyre, told reporters.

Biden ordered all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the month to comply with a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban negotiated by his predecessor Donald Trump. He spurned calls this week from European allies for more time.

The abrupt collapse of the Western-backed government in Afghanistan caught U.S. officials by surprise and risks reversing gains, especially in the rights of women and girls, millions of whom have been going to school and work, once forbidden under the Taliban.

Biden has defended the decision to leave, saying U.S. forces could not stay indefinitely. But his critics say the U.S. force, which once numbered more than 100,000, had been reduced in recent years to just a few thousand troops, no longer involved in fighting on the ground and mainly confined to an air base. It was a fraction of the size of U.S. military contingents that have stayed in places such as Korea for decades.

The U.S. troops killed on Thursday were the first to die in action in Afghanistan in 18 months.

Violence from Islamic State creates a headache for the Taliban who have promised that their victory will bring peace to Afghanistan at last. Fighters claiming allegiance to Islamic State began appearing in eastern Afghanistan at the end of 2014 and have established a reputation for extreme brutality.

Since the day before the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations in history, bringing out about 95,700 people, including 13,400 on Wednesday, the White House said on Thursday.

The Taliban have encouraged Afghans to stay, while saying those with permission to leave will still be allowed to do so once foreign troops leave and commercial flights resume.

The Taliban's 1996-2001 rule was marked by public executions and the curtailment of basic freedoms. The group was overthrown two decades ago by U.S.-led forces for hosting the al Qaeda militants who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The Taliban have said they will respect human rights in line with Islamic law and will not allow terrorists to operate from the country.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves made his first visit today to Material Bank in Olive Branch. Reeves highlighted economics and innovation by the material sampling company as he toured with heads of the distribution hub. Pictured above, Reeves (third from right) stands with Chief Logistics Officer Steve Smith (second from right) and Dana Clark (at right), Senior Human Resources Manager, while surveying Material Banks production and processing operations on Thursday, August 26.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Spokeswoman Sarah Farley said on Thursday the strain is ongoing at hospitals across the U.S. and at Medthodist.
Elk Grove, CA (95624)

Today

Mainly clear skies. Low around 50F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low around 50F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
Get 25% off of the regular $65 annual All Access rate. With this subscription you will get:

 Digital access to ElPasoInc.com and archives (value $45)

 Print subscription home or business delivered (value $65)

 Book of Lists (annual rate only, value $50)

 El Paso Inc. Magazine (value $20)

 El Paso Kids Inc.

 Special sections

- OR -

Get 15% off of the regular $45 annual Digital-only rate. With this subscription you will get:

Complete digital access to ElPasoInc.com.
Emporia, KS (66801)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low 69F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 69F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph.
Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Hackers got footage from Iran's Evin prison as prisoner's maltreatment was captured from security cams. The videos showed the inmates at the mercy of prison wardens, practically helpless and devoid of hope in such treatment.

The prison head apologizes after the video showed the horrific, terrible treatment, with brawls among inmates, with guards pulling prisoners along the floor.Such dehumanizing conditions in the Iranian prison revealed to the world the hellish conditions that would challenge anyone placed there.

Prison from Hell

The image of a prisoner who breaks a mirror in the bathroom, so he intended to slash open his arms, another scene where a thin man was thrown outside and pulled on the ground barely conscious, reported the Sun UK.

A man would be seen stepping over him later while slumped in the doorway. More images were taken from the video feed as the guard beat the hell out of a handcuffed convict. Shockingly there is one clip with a guard fight another one in uniform.

More horrific stories from those who got out of Evin prison say that there were guards who raped male prisoners, even convicts hung in the prison yard. Some prison occupants go crazy from isolation rooms, sometimes get beaten inhumanly before spitting out blood.

Ali's Justice

The leak of videos is the handiwork of the hackers called Adalat Ali or Ali's Justice, who captured these shocking videos that happened in 2020 and 2021 when they took over its servers. Hackers get footage from Iran's Evin prison, able to gain access to the control room.

Read Also: Notorious Monster Ex-Cop and Rapist, Who Molested and Abused a Minor Dies in Prison

According to Al Jazeera, one of the guards was panicked when the monitors went red before shutting down. The cyber-attack on the Evin prison is a shameful stain, calling for political prisoners to be released. It got attention on social media to get the message out.

An article in The Times said the messages were directed at Ebrahim Raisi, the Iran president suspected of instituting mass executions and torture of prisoners at Evin in the 1980s. Imprisoned Britons with Iranian citizenship are Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, and Anoosheh Ashoori, 67. Both are held inside with allegations of espionage.

Strict behavior is expected

In 2019, travel blogger Jolie King was thrown into the hell hole prison with her Australian citizen boyfriend, Mark Firkin, apprehended for drone flying in Tehran. She was part of a stratagem by the Iran regime to leverage a deal swap. The US held a prisoner they wanted back.

The shocking expose accepted by the Prisons Organisation chief Mohammad Mehdi Haj-Mohammadi was allegedly sorry for the unacceptable conduct of the jail. A deputy judicial head, Mohammad Mossadegh Kahnamouy, stated the proper channels would investigate the case.

No space inside

Organizations like Amnesty International and other campaigners called the conditions inhuman. The convicts do not have fundamental human rights in Evin.

Inside are problems like too many convicts, hot water is not provided enough, poorly ventilated, untidy conditions, which was horrific. Convicts slept on a cold floor, due to fewer beds, with food that is no better than slop. Overall, the prison is a hellish institution. Hackers getting footage from Iran's Evin prison proves how bad the conditions are, especially for political prisoners.

Related Article: Hell in a Cell: California Pedophile, Rapist Killed in Jail by Cellmate

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Workers' compensation is designed to protect workers who get injured while on the job or as a result of their work. If you qualify then you will be entitled to obtain certain benefits under the policy of your employer, regardless of who or what caused the injury.

However, obtaining workers' compensation is easier said than done. You may run into obstacles or pitfalls that could cause your claim to fail. Below, we will list some of the most common reasons why workers' compensation claims are denied.

There are No Witnesses

If there were no witnesses present during the incident that caused your injury then your insurer may deny or reject your claim. It can be very hard to prove that you were injured if no witnesses are willing to testify to substantiate your claim.

If you are injured while working you should notify your supervisor or manager as soon as possible. You should also tell your co-workers about what happened, as they may be willing to defend you in the event that your claim is denied.

Take photos and/or video footage as well, as they can be used as evidence to help support your claims in the future.

You Didn't Report Your Injury Immediately

As soon as you are injured you should notify your insurance company. In some cases, this may not be possible, especially if your injuries were so severe that they require hospitalization. However, try to notify them as soon as you can.

Any delay in reporting may actually hurt your case. The longer you go without reporting your injuries, the less likely it is that your insurer will believe your claim.

You Were Intoxicated at the Time of the Injury

There are many reasons why an employer may refuse a workers' compensation claim. For example, if you were injured while under the influence of drugs or alcohol then your claim will be denied.

It is important to be sober while you work, as negligence or intoxication can not only cause grievous harm to you but to your co-workers as well.

Injury Resulting From a Pre-existing Condition

If you were injured before you actually began working at your current employer then you will not be eligible for workers' compensation. An injury that resulted from a pre-existing condition will not be eligible for any form of compensation.

In some cases, an insurance firm may claim that a worker's claim of a current injury is actually pre-existing.

Failed to Provide Medical Records

Your insurance firm will likely verify your medical records. You may feel that such an action is a breach of your privacy but they are within their rights to go over your medical records if you file a claim for workers' compensation.

If you fail to submit all pertinent medical documents and records to your insurance company, then they may reject your claim without investigating further. Please speak to your doctor if you have any doubts or concerns about your medical condition or your medical records.

Failed to Hire a Legal Advisor

If you have been denied workers' compensation then it is not the end. You have the right to continue fighting in order to obtain the justice that you need and deserve. The workers' compensation process can be long and tedious.

You can obtain some help by making an appointment with a professional legal advisor in your area. Many will be more than happy to provide you with a free, no obligation quote and consultation so that you can discuss your needs and concerns without worry.

A legal advisor will increase the chances of your appeal being filed. They will also help enhance the chances that your appeal will be heard.

There is Hope

If you are injured while on the job then you may be dealing with a lot of stress, anxiety, anger, frustration and pain. A work environment is supposed to be a safe place for workers to perform their duties.

As your medical bills begin to pile up you may feel overwhelmed and may feel that you are entitled to compensation for your mental and physical anguish. Filing for workers' compensation is the first step towards obtaining the justice that you deserve.

In the event that your claim is denied, however, you should not give up hope. Speak to a legal advisor in your area, as they may help increase the chances that your appeal will be accepted.

They will evaluate your case very carefully and will present all the relevant facts in a way that will improve your chances of success. Many will also be willing to provide a free, no obligation consultation as well, so you can focus on your recovery instead of legal bills.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Two explosions blasted through crowds attempting to reach the American-controlled Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. military personnel.

Suicide Bombers and Gunmen Attacked Crowds

In a recently published article in Associated Press, in the final days of airlift for people escaping the Taliban takeover, two suicide bombers and gunmen assaulted thousands of Afghans coming to Kabul's airport, turning a picture of desperation into one of terror. At least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. soldiers were killed in the assaults, according to Afghan and U.S. authorities.

The Islamic State group claimed credit for the murders on its Amaq news program shortly after McKenzie spoke. The assaults, McKenzie added, would not stop the U.S. from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out would continue. He claimed there was a lot of security at the airport and that evacuees were being transported through alternative routes.

11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those killed, according to U.S. authorities. Another 15 military personnel were injured, according to McKenzie. Officials have cautioned that the death toll may rise. According to an Afghan official, more than 140 Afghans were injured, The New York Times reports.

Read Also: PHOTOS: Troops in Desperate Situation, Helping People in Kabul Airport as Evacuees Struggle to Escape Chaos in Afghanistan

The United States Plans To Continue the Evacuation

The United States intends to continue evacuating American citizens and Afghan allies. The head of the U.S. Central Command, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, told reporters on Thursday. According to him, the United States believes that about 1,000 Americans are still in Afghanistan.

However, the window for evacuation planes is quickly closing ahead of Mr. Biden's deadline of Aug. 31 for the U.S. military departure. Thousands of foreign nationals and permanent residents remain trapped in Afghanistan, with many fearing that they will be abandoned to face Taliban retaliation, according to a published article in MSN News.

Furthermore, the United States has evacuated and supported the evacuation of roughly 95,700 individuals from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban seized control of Kabul, according to the White House. It claimed that in the 24 hours leading up to 3 a.m. ET Thursday, roughly 13,400 individuals were evacuated, with around 5,100 of them flying aboard US military planes.

Plans of Foreign Countries Following the Two Separate Bombings

Following the explosion on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will continue to evacuate individuals as long as circumstances permitted at the airport. He said that twenty buses carrying French people and Afghans were ready to enter the airport.

In a published article in The Wall Street Journal, in a letter to parliament on Thursday morning, the Dutch Defense Ministry said that aircraft operations will be suspended by the end of the day in order to evacuate several hundred individuals who were already inside the airport, with diplomatic personnel and Dutch soldiers leaving on the last flight. The ministry went on to say that it could no longer help its nationals and qualified Afghans get to the airport.

Meanwhile, following moves by its allies, the United States and the United Kingdom, Poland, which has transported more than 900 Afghan civilians since the fall of Kabul, announced it was also halting its evacuation operation. "The situation is tough, even dramatic, and it is becoming more difficult by the hour," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday.

Related Article: Taliban Fighters Harass Afghans From Reaching Kabul International Airport, Contradicts Public Promises



@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Following the fatal assaults near Harmid Karzai and Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan, a lengthy number of Republican lawmakers have called for President Biden to be impeached or resign.

Lawmakers Call Biden and His Administration To Resign

In a recently published article in The Hill, Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Marsha Blackburn joined several GOP lawmakers on Thursday demanding for President Biden's resignation, a demand that became louder in the hours after several explosions near Kabul's airport that killed at least 12 American military personnel.

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds called on Biden to "resign immediately" earlier this week, blaming a "botched departure" from Afghanistan. Biden is likewise unsuitable for government, according to House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and Rep. Jim Banks.

Furthermore, in an interview with a news outlet on Tuesday, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham stated that Biden "should be impeached," adding that "he had abandoned thousands of Afghans who fought with us" and that "he's going to abandon some American citizens because he capitulated to the Taliban to a 31 August deadline," according to a published article in FOX News.

Read Also: Former White House Physician Predicts Biden Will Resign, POTUS Needs To Take Cognitive Test

Hawley and Blackburn Released a Statement

Biden has now presided over the bloodiest day for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in over a decade, according to Hawley's office, and the situation is becoming worse by the hour. He also said that everyone must reject the lie propagated by a bumbling president that this was the only way out.

On the other hand, In a tweet, Blackburn demanded the resignations of Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The Republican senator said that the president and every one of the listed officials of the government should resign or face impeachment and expulsion from office, according to a report published by The Post Millenial.

Her tweet came only minutes after another one in which she mentioned Biden's promise to respond forcefully to any assault on US military personnel. She further said that Biden must keep his promise and hold these terrorists accountable for the assaults that murdered Americans and Afghans.

McKenzie Confirmed the Deaths of the U.S. Service Members and Afghans Due to Suicide Bombing

The head of the U.S. Central Command, Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, acknowledged the deaths of two US service members, as well as the injuries of at least 15 others, in two suicide attacks near Kabul airport on Thursday, according to a published report in Yahoo News.

The explosions at the airport, where the U.S. troops have been laboring for days to evacuate hundreds of U.S. nationals and Afghan civilians, were taken out by ISIS militants, according to McKenzie. Later Thursday, a branch of ISIS operating in South Asia and Central Asia claimed responsibility for the assaults, according to several media sources.

Meanwhile, Despite increasing worries in recent days about security risks from terrorist organizations, Biden has stayed firm in adhering to his Tuesday objective of having all Americans and Afghan friends evacuated.

Related Article: 12 US Service, At Least 60 Afghans Die After a Suicide Bomb Attack and Assault at Kabul Airport



@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Despite a fatal suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport on Thursday, President Joe Biden promised to finish the withdrawal of American citizens and others from Afghanistan. He also vowed to avenge the deaths, telling the perpetrators, "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

Biden stated the Islamic State's Afghanistan offshoot was to blame for the assaults, which killed 12 American military personnel and many more Afghan civilians while speaking from the White House. He said there was no proof they worked with the Taliban, who currently rule the nation.

The administration has been widely criticized for a disorganized and disastrous evacuation that began only after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took control of the nation.

Biden is under increased pressure following the suicide bomb attack

The assaults on Thursday were expected to increase political pressure on Biden, who was already under fire for not starting the withdrawal sooner. He had stated in April that the US war would be ended and that all soldiers would be gone by September, Beaumont Enterprise reported.

Per Daily Mail, an ISIS suicide bomber in a vest detonated outside The Baron Hotel, where Westerners were staying before their evacuation planes, causing the first blast in Kabul. A second explosion occurred a short time later at the airport's Abbey Gate, where thousands of Afghans had gathered for more than a week in the hopes of being placed on one of the evacuation planes. According to unconfirmed reports, the explosion was triggered by a vehicle bomb.

Hundreds of Afghan allies and up to 1,500 Americans are still stuck in Afghanistan. The administration has received a barrage of criticism for its handling of the evacuation from Democrats, Republicans, and international allies.

In a letter to Biden, a group representing dozens of House Republicans and Democrats pleaded with him to extend the deadline. The House Problem Solvers Caucus, which has 58 members, claims that three-quarters of its members support the letter.

Even as the Pentagon acknowledges it is prepared for further strikes, the US president has been summoned to the White House situation room to try to get control of the turmoil. And Joe Biden, who has said that no more American lives will be lost in Afghanistan under his presidency, must be watching in horror as new American blood is shed.

Read Also: China, Russia Agree to Strengthen Coordination to Prevent Security Risks; Xi Jinping Reiterates Respect for Afghanistan Sovereignty

End of America's longest war becomes chaos

In the military, there is an ancient proverb that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, which means that no amount of planning and preparation can predict the impact of real-time events. Joe Biden ran for president of the United States on a platform of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and ending America's longest war.

In recent years, the IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out several assaults on civilian targets in Afghanistan. It's considerably more extreme than the Taliban, who only took control a few weeks ago.

According to Biden, US military leaders in Afghanistan have warned him that completing the evacuation mission is crucial. General Frank McKenzie, the Central Command officer in charge of the evacuation operation from his Florida headquarters, confirmed this during a Pentagon press briefing just before Biden's speech. He estimated that approximately 5,000 refugees were waiting for planes on the airfield on Thursday.

Approximately 1,000 Americans and a large number of Afghans are still attempting to flee Kabul. Biden was informed of the assaults, which occurred 12 days after the frantic evacuation began and five days before it was supposed to end. Some Republicans and others have urged that the evacuation should be extended beyond the deadline next Tuesday.

The administration has been widely criticized for a chaotic and catastrophic evacuation that began only after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took control of the nation. So far, more than 100,000 individuals, including Afghans, Americans, and others, have been evacuated, as per the AP News.

Related Article: Joe Biden Sticks With August 31 Deadline For US Withdrawal in Afghanistan; Actions May Lose Closest Allies

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Wednesday, Russia's central regions battled "extreme" wildfires sparked by an unprecedented heatwave, which came after forest fires related to climate change ravaged Siberia for most of the summer. The emergency ministry reported that authorities were battling 15 wildfires in Sverdlovsk's Urals area.

A heatwave had created an "exceptional fire threat" in the region, which is located on the border between Europe and Asia, according to the report. Images on social media showed flames on both sides of a federal highway connecting the regional capital Yekaterinburg and the Urals city of Perm, requiring the route to be closed for most of the day.

Meanwhile, fires in Mordovia, a province southeast of Moscow, had gotten so fierce that firefighters were forced to flee a "ring of fire," according to the ministry. Nine planes from the emergency ministry, the defense ministry, and the Russian National Guard sprayed 129 tons of water on a massive wildfire expanding to neighboring Mordovia in the Nizhny Novgorod area east of Moscow.

Russia's central region experiences massive wildfires

The fire was put out by 1,200 firefighters, the emergency ministry said. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin committed hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the country's forests, saying the country must learn from the "unprecedented" wildfires that consumed large swaths of Siberia.

Nearly 300 wildfires are allegedly raging across Russia, with the biggest affecting Yakutia, a territory approximately the size of Argentina in terms of land and people, as per The Daily Sun. The region, formally known as the Sakha Republic, is noted for huge seasonal temperature fluctuations, from bone-chilling winter cold to stifling summer heat, with roughly 40% of its land lying above the Arctic Circle.

Much of the land is covered in thick taiga: dense, wet coniferous woods mixed with boggy permafrost, which faces its threat from increasing temperatures. The woodlands, which are home to enormous mosquitos and are mainly unoccupied, are vast and prone to fire during the yearly fire season, Big News Network reported.

According to the regional Emergency Situations Ministry, around 1,300 square kilometers were actively burning as of August 24. This is a significant improvement from early July, when officials advised the approximately 300,000 residents of the regional capital, Yakutsk, to put wet towels over windows and doors to prevent smoke from seeping in and to wear masks while stepping outside due to a blanket of smoke.

Read Also: Japan Crime Boss Gives Chilling Threat to Judge After Sentenced to Death Following Group Members' Attack on Civilians

Officials urged for assistance

A fire in the Ural Mountain city of Yekaterinburg, 3,800 kilometers to the west, sent clouds of smoke and flames soaring over a key highway, halting traffic. There have also been fires in Karelia's northern area, the middle Volga region, and elsewhere.

The Sakha Republic is engulfed in huge clouds of smoke, as shown in a satellite picture obtained on July 5. The smoke from the Yakutia fires was so thick that experts were able to track it to the North Pole for the first time.

Officials in hard-hit areas have appealed to Moscow for financial and economic assistance in repairing the damage. Climate change, negligence, and underfunded forestry management services are to blame for the massive fires that have swept across Russia's immense area in recent years, according to experts.

Russia's forestry agency said fires have burned over 173,000 square kilometers (67,000 square miles) this year, making it the second-worst season since the turn of the century. Putin, a previous denier of man-made climate change, has urged authorities to do all necessary to assist Russians displaced by the massive fires, as per PHYS.org.

Related Article: Tropical Storm Batters Haiti After Deadly Earthquake, Complicates Recovery Efforts as Heavy Rains Deluge Devastated Nation





@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Former United States President Donald Trump is now facing legal charges after seven veteran Capitol Police officers who were there during the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot sued the Republican, pro-Trump militias, and other associates, for allegedly conspiring the attack.

Officers filed the suit on Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Washington and were filed by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The legal charges allege that Trump and his allies violated the Ku Klux Klan Act and D.C. law by conspiring to block Congress from officially certifying Joe Biden's presidential win.

Capitol Hill Riot

The suit noted that Trump and his colleagues conducted unlawful actions which eventually led to the "Plaintiffs being violently assaulted, spat on, tear-gassed, bear-sprayed, subjected to racial slurs and epithets, and put in fear for their lives." It noted that many of the victims' injuries caused them to suffer to this day.

The officers also included the Trump campaign, longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone, a group named "Stop the Steal" that assisted the organization of a rally Trump addressed on Jan. 6, and more than a dozen people who were facing criminal charges due to their involvement in the riot. The individuals belonged to far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, Politico reported.

The new lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions against former President Trump and his allies for their alleged involvement in the Capitol Hill riot. However, the Republican has previously denied all accusations that he had a hand in the brutal attack.

Read Also: Newly Sworn-In New York Governor Kathy Hochul Removes Individuals Allegedly Connected to Sexual Harassment

The legal filing, which is 71 pages long, also claimed that the defendants spread false claims of election fraud and "inciting violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them."

Police officers who protected the Capitol testified last month in the first hearing by the Select House Committee who was responsible for investigating the events of the Jan. 6 attack. The proceedings during the hearing made it clear that the officers suffered physical and mental trauma from the brutal assault, CNN reported.

Truth of the Brutal Incident

The civil lawsuit was not about winning a financial settlement, officer Jason DeRoche, an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police and a Navy veteran, said. He noted that the legal charges aimed to reveal the truth about what happened during the Jan. 6 attack. DeRoche said he, and many others, did not want the events of that day to ever happen again.

The officer said he wanted Trump and his allies to take responsibility for their actions and words that led to the Capitol Hill riot. DeRoche wanted there to be consequences for anyone who would once again dare to instigate an insurgency.

It was revealed that DeRoche started his shift at the Capitol at 7:00 a.m. on Jan. 6 and helped barricade the area a few hours later using bike racks due to attacking Trump supporters. But during his shift, which lasted until 11:30 p.m., residents assaulted him and used bear spray, pepper spray, and fire extinguishers. The attacks resulted in his eye swelling shut, his arm injured, and emotional injuries, USA Today reported.



Related Article: Capitol Hill Attack Investigation Deepens, Looks Into Security Failures and Trump's Potential Involvement

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
While lawmakers are unlikely to pass a fourth stimulus check due to the lack of support for a new relief package, some states are still giving out payments to help struggling citizens live amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Many regions in the United States are starting to reopen their economy as the coronavirus pandemic slowly eases up despite the spread of the Delta Variant. Local government leaders have given out more than $200 billion in funding to support economic recovery efforts.

Relief Payments

States have until Dec. 31 to distribute the remaining relief funds to reach areas and residents who are most in need of financial support. Residents from the following states may be eligible to receive stimulus money, Marca reported.

California

One of the few states that have its own stimulus check is California, and lawmakers are using their own money to fund it. The Golden State Stimulus is a result of a budget surplus due to the tax system the region uses. Residents who earn $30,000 to $75,000 annually can expect to receive $500 to $600. An additional $500 will be given to every household that has dependent children.

Colorado

Residents from Colorado who received at least one unemployment benefit payment from Mar. 15, 2020, to Oct. 24, 2020, are eligible to receive $375. But individuals who had higher incomes and qualified for more than $500 per week, will not receive this additional payment.

Maryland

Maryland residents can expect to receive $500 per family and $300 per individual who has filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit. The payments come after state and local taxes on unemployment benefits were repealed.

New Mexico

In New Mexico, officials plan to distribute $5 million as part of a program to support residents who were not able to qualify for the federal payments.

Read Also: More Stimulus and Payments are Coming; $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan Will Benefit Millions of Qualified Americans

Florida

Teachers and administrators from Florida are given the chance to receive $1,000 payments, but the program is still currently in the works.

Georgia

In Georgia, on the other hand, lawmakers plan to give out generous $1,000 payments to full-time teachers and administrations. Part-timers will instead get $500 each, in a program that gives Pre-K educators a chance to claim payments as well.

Michigan

Teachers from Michigan will receive hazard pay that is worth $500 each for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

New York

A $2.1 billion fund was started in New York that aims to support undocumented workers unable to claim financial aid from the federal stimulus. For an individual to be eligible for these payments, they must be a resident of the state and have earned less than $26,208 in 2020.

Tennessee

Teachers in Tennessee can receive $1,000 payments as hazard pay while part-time teachers can receive $500 payments.

Texas

Lastly, Texas residents can expect to see an increase of 4% in salary for district employees in Fort Worth and Arlington. The pay surge in Denton and Mansfield comes out to 2% while Denton workers will receive $500 payments. Educational staff who return to school in September can expect to receive $2,000 payments.

Unemployment Benefits

The payments come as a group of Democratic senators, including Ro Wyden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, are calling for another round of direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions, CBS Local reported.

With the unemployment benefits set to expire in early September, the Department of Labor released guidance on how states could renew federal unemployment benefits. Local government leaders can opt to issue periodic or one-time relief payments to workers who are currently unemployed.

Congress and United States President Joe Biden's administration are willing to support Americans as the pandemic surges and the economy struggles to recover. The Century Foundation projects that 7.5 million workers will lose all of their benefits next month while 20 million workers in total will receive significant cuts to their salaries.

But any relief that state officials decide to put up will be limited in scope. Half of the regions have already designated the majority of their funding to ensure schools and colleges continue virtual education, alleviate homelessness, or strengthen resources that combat mental health issues, Business Insider reported.

Related Article: New Stimulus Check: Here's How to Know If You Have Unclaimed Cash in Your State

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Taliban promises freedom for women and new privileges, but music is forbidden, and males should escort women. The Jihadi banned these as they changed their tune despite these pronouncements.

In a statement, the insurgents have ruled out essential enjoyment like music to be forbidden, and to women going out will not be allowed more than a day. But, at all times, there should be a man accompanying them.

It was a contradiction that the Taliban representative Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that women would have more liberties in the new regime, as it played up to the international media.

Will women have equal rights?

On the other hand, they say that women should not leave the house despite previously broadcasted. Many say that no change will ever happen, reported the Mirror UK.

In an interview, Mujahid said that women could work if they had headcovers.

Previously when the Jihadis were in power, they imposed the full burqa that covered women's faces entirely, or there would be penalties.

He added that women could go to school, work, and hospital under their new regime but strictly need a male accompanying them for extended travels. But music is severely banned by the Taliban in power, cited j99 news.

Mujahid explains that Islam forbids music and hopes it would be followed, not forced them to follow the rules imposed.

Continuing, he remarked the future would be different, and the afghanis will forget the past.

Read Also: Afghan Woman Mutilated by Evil Taliban, Had Her Nose, Ears Chopped Off After Trying to Escape

There will be no vengeance against others

Fears that the Jihadis will revert to rounding up and committing atrocities will likely happen, as the Taliban have been known to sow terror. But, he said that those who helped westerners would not be hunted down.

Mujahid warned against the West's interference by pirating skilled Afghans like doctors, teachers, and influential people who should stay. He said that when they go to America, they are cooks or dishwashers criticized inhumanly to them.

The Taliban representative told foreign press that at the moment, all women must not go out of doors for their safety, quoting a new procedure is still being made, noted Express UK.

Many of their new forces are new, have no proper training, or are poorly prepared, and may mistreat women. The face of the new Taliban does not want women to be harmed or abused.

Restrictions are for the short term

Leadership in the Taliban tout they will allow more liberal conduct, and the limitations will be for the short term only.

Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch, remarked to the Time, it was sparse security in Kabul, but there will be improvements, so women are not chained to the home, but the opposite.

Mujahid added that when they were in power before, they couldn't implement changes in the treatment of women, and he said that a more tolerant Taliban is coming, not like the old.

Barr believes the Jihadis say as the media spotlight them to create a propaganda campaign for specific sectors.

She doubts these press releases and warns that the Taliban regime will change its tune once no one looks.

The Taliban promises freedom for women, but some reports show the opposite of what is claimed.

Related Article: Taliban Betrays Promise Not to Murder Civilians As Photos Reveal Traitors Disposing Dead Bodies of Victims in Mass Graves

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ukrainian officials reported the discovery of a mass grave where the bones of about 5,000 to 8,000 people were buried, individuals who are believed to be victims of Joseph Stalin during his reign from 1937 to 1939.

Historians believe that the thousands of victims were executed by Stalin's NKVD secret police unit. However, they said that the individuals' crimes and identities have not yet been determined.

Ukraine's Mass Grave

Officials are continuing their excavations of the burial site which could lead to the discovery of more victims, Sergiy Gutsalyuk, the head of the regional branch of the National Memory Institute, said.

The human remains were found after exploratory works that aimed to expand the airport's territory were started in the area. In previous years, officials also discovered mass graves in the area.

The National Historic Memorial site is one of the famous mass graves found in the country and houses the Bykivnia graves on the outskirts of Kyiv. Officials discovered the site in the 1990s and estimated that it contained the bodies of anywhere from dozens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of humans, MSN reported.

Stalin's Great Terror was estimated to have resulted in the death of about 950,000 to 1.2 million people during the leader's rule. Historians believe that hundreds of thousands of victims lost their lives in Ukraine. Over 8,500 lives were sentenced to death by the NKVD from 1938 to 1941.

Read Also: Lawmakers Urge Joe Biden To Resign After the Horrifying Bombing Attacks at Kabul Airport

Authorities have no exact estimation of the number of Soviet citizens who became victims of Stalin's dictatorial rule. But the Memorial Human Rights Center in Moscow said that at least 12 million innocent lives were either jailed or executed in the Soviet Union from the 1930s to the 1950s.

The Russian capital's Gulag History Museum, on the other hand, said about 20 million were victims of the time and noted that about one million people were executed, RFERL reported.

Brutality of Stalin's Rule

The Holodomor, or also known as the "Terror Famine," resulted in the death of millions of Ukrainian residents from 1932 to 1933. Many have considered that period to be a genocide orchestrated by Stalin.

Gutsalyuk said it was not possible to identify the victims in the mass graves as documents from that era were classified and stored in Moscow. He noted that the Russian government would never hand over the documents to them.

Currently, Russia and Ukraine are engaged in the Russo-Ukrainian War which has been ongoing since 2014. The incident was ignited after the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. It was also due to Russian authorities supporting armed separatists who were stationed in the eastern parts of Ukraine.

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, announced his commitment to take back the peninsula of Crimea and urged international allies to support him. During a speech at the Crimean Platform summit, Zelensky said his government would utilize all of its political, legal, and diplomatic means to make Crimea part of Europe.

The summit was attended by top officials from 46 different countries and blocs, including the United States, the European Union, and Turkey, Independent reported.

Related Article: Airplane Mechanic Plots to Kidnap Michigan Governor Over COVID-19 Restrictions; Suspect Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Announcements say that Taipei buys new jets worth $1.4 Billion, which increases the defense budget arm the island enclave against an encroaching People's Liberation Army (PLA). The boost in new arms comes as the CCP has said it will take Taiwan by force if necessary.

Under its one-China rule, Beijing does not allow the Republic of Taiwan (ROC) to be forever independent of the mainland. Giving rise to the specter of Conflict in the East China Sea and the South China Sea as powder keg waiting to be lit. The island enclave is continually under threat from incursions in its airspace, and even in the Straits by saber-rattling Xi Jinping.

Taipei sets more defense budget

Reports say that President Tsai Ing-wen declared an increase of 10% budget in defense spending in 2021, to $16.89 bn for more warplanes to defend the island from the Chinese air force. To this day, Beijing affirmed that Taiwan is not independent, reported the Express UK.

What Taipei spent for the amount was not specified by its government, but speculation is that Taiwan will use the budget for the US F-16 Fighting Falcons, one of the best fighters.

In 2019, the US allowed the sale of F-16s worth $8 bn to the island. Which is critical to its air force and offensive and defensive capability, noted the NY Times Post.

The Taiwanese Air Force will have 200 of these top-of-the-line multi-role fighters, more than any possessed by an Asian country. Approval for this new batch will need the go signal of the Taiwan Parliament. When Taipei buys new jets to add to its arsenal, it will hinder the PLA from getting what it wants, cited SCMP.

Read Also: Taiwan Holds Biggest War Games as Beijing Ramps Up Its Attempt to Isolate it From Allies

Beijing is closing the gap to the US

China's budget for the defense was more than 6.8% in 2020, to get closes to the military spending of the US. A week ago, the PLA had repeat drills in the Taiwan Strait, while its military planes would test the air defense continually to put the Taiwanese on the knife's edge.

2 PLA aircraft (Y-8 ASW and Z-9 ASW) entered #Taiwans southwest ADIZ in the afternoon of August. 26, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/9J3kMkgFbe pic.twitter.com/Si4WABHIrO   Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C.  (@MoNDefense) August 26, 2021

Last August 25, the defense ministry said that a Chinese Y-8 ASW transport plane had violated their airspace again. In August alone, there were about 11 illegal incursions in the ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone).

On August 18, six fighters, two bombers, and three AWACS flew over Taiwan in an intel mission. Taiwanese Media mentions that a US Naval op with an EP-3E spy plane and P-8A ASW plane were in the southwest ADIZ and close to Bashi Channel.

Last June 15, 28 Chinese warbirds entered restricted airspace that was the most number on one occasion.

Taiwan ROC is a haven from the Chinese CCP

When the losing nationalist faction from China retreated in the 1927-1949 Civil war, they formed Taiwan or the Republic of China (ROC) even though the communist victory in the mainland has been after the island enclave. Despite a lack of recognition as a formal state, the US is an ally to Taiwan.

In Singapore, the vice-president, Kamala Harris, called on Beijing for its coercive ways and tried to reassure that the US will standby. When Biden came into power and was against the Chinese occupation of the Indo-Pacific, and based the Afghan withdrawal on this argument, now, the failure in Afghanistan has shifted focus to Taiwan.

Related Article: China Not Pleased With Japan, Taiwan Talks; Tries to Coerce Both Countries to Silence

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Shelby County District Attorney said a man and his girlfriend have been charged in the killing of their neighbor in South Memphis earlier this year.

Cliff Swift, 20, has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and using a handgun to commit a serious felony. Marveona Roper, his girlfriend, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Couples' fight led to the death of an innocent neighbor

The incident occurred on February 7 at an apartment in the 600 block of Mississippi Boulevard, according to the DA. A fight broke out between Roper and another lady.

Roper allegedly threatened the woman with a knife and then cut the woman's cousin, according to Memphis police. The District Attorney said Swift fired a shot at the other woman's boyfriend but hit her in the lower leg.

Swift allegedly fired another shot as the boyfriend fled out of the apartment onto the breezeway. Another apartment's glass was pierced by the bullet.

The gunshot hole in the neighbor's flat was discovered by police. DaJae Davis, 22, was discovered dead inside from a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim's two-year-old daughter, who was standing next to her, was unharmed. Chief Prosecutor Theresa McCusk is in charge of the case, Fox13 via MSN reported.

Read Also: Missing Baby Found Dead in Indiana Woods; Family Relative Arrested, Parents Also Charged

Mississippi remains in shock of a previous crime

The pair was charged only one day after Mississippi authorities announced a $9,999 reward for information leading to the arrest of the individual responsible for the death of an elderly woman earlier this month.

Amory Police Chief Ronnie Bowen says Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information in the killing of 77-year-old Judy Baxter, who was discovered dead inside her house on August 12. The reward's extraordinary monetary value is being provided so that the receiver may stay unknown, according to Bowen, as per Magnolia State Live.

Baxter's death shocked and terrified the whole community. The victim was a valued member of the Amory community, and her passing has left Monroe County in shock and grief.

Bro. Lloyd Sweatt of Meadowood Baptist Church, the Rev. Wesley Pepper of First United Methodist Church, Glenn, and former Mayor Brad Blalock were among those who spoke during the vigil. Their comments emphasized the need of joining together as a community to help one another get through a difficult time, as well as keeping alert and recognizing that Amory is still a safe place to live.

Baxter's murder has been kept under wraps by police. She was murdered at 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 12 near 12th Avenue North in Amory, according to authorities.

No one has been named as a suspect in her death as of yet. A further attack was reported on August 13 in a neighborhood in the city's north end, according to police. That case is also being investigated.

Amory Police Chief Ronnie Bowen said the female victim in the second attack escaped and did not require medical care during a press conference on August 14. Bowen wouldn't say whether the death of Baxter and the attack were linked, Daily Journal reported.

Officials are being limited in what information they share publicly, according to the police chief. Residents in the region should be careful of anything concerning the case they read or hear from outside sources, Bowen said.

Bowen expressed his hope that the reward may entice someone to come forward with concrete information regarding the case. He said that rumors and hearsay are unnecessary for investigators. Golden Triangle Crimestoppers is asking anyone with information to phone 800-530-7151.

Related Article: NY Police Discover Dead Woman in Plastic Barrel After Luxury Wall Street Apartment Reports Foul Smell



@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China will include the Chinese President's political philosophy in its national curriculum. In new rules, the Ministry of Education (MOE) claims that "Xi Jinping thought" would assist teenagers to establish Marxist beliefs.

From basic school through university, the philosophy will be integrated. This is Xi Jinping's newest attempt to strengthen China's Communist Party's different roles in areas of society.

The Ministry of Education stated that its goal is to cultivate the builders and heirs of socialism with an all-around intellectual, moral, physical, and artistic basis. Labor education to foster their hardworking attitude and national security education is among the recommendations.

"Xi Jinping Thought" to be implemented in the curriculum for all age groups

The constitution of China was amended in 2018 to include "Xi Jinping Thought." It has now been adopted by various universities as well as political youth wings that organize extracurricular activities and schools, as per BBC.

According to the instructions, the lessons are intended to "resolve to listen to and follow the Party"; and the new teaching materials must "cultivate patriotic sentiments." These will include labor education and national security courses to cultivate their hard-working mentality.

Primary school students will be taught about fostering a love for China, the Communist Party of China, and socialism while middle school students will be taught about political judgments and viewpoints. Per Daily Mail, students will be taught theoretical thinking about China and its function at the collegiate level.

In addition, the ministry hopes to incorporate issues such as party leadership and national security education into the curriculum. Since taking office in 2012, China's President has worked to enhance the Communist Party's position in all aspects of society, including companies, schools, and cultural organizations.

The philosophy is organized around 14 core concepts that emphasize Communist values while also advocating for reform, total party control of the people's army, and reunion with the homeland. The removal of presidential term limits has also bolstered Xi's influence.

Xi Jinping promised to enhance the Communist Party's leadership, preserve his own "core" leadership, and promote the Chinese people's unity in a speech commemorating the Communist Party's centenary in July.

Read Also: Japan Crime Boss Gives Chilling Threat to Judge After Sentenced to Death Following Group Members' Attack on Civilians

China to include 14-point ideological text

It will also assist youngsters in developing trust in the "route, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics," according to the document.

The national curriculum will be updated to include the 14-point ideological text and will include elementary, vocational, and higher education in schools. According to the report, it would be integrated into a variety of courses, citing a member of the National Textbook Committee.

Primary schools will be entrusted with cultivating a passion for their nation, the Communist Party, and socialism from an early age. The focus in middle schools will be on a mix of perceptual experience and knowledge study to assist pupils to form fundamental political judgments and attitudes. Theoretical thinking will be taught to students at the college level.

The 14-point "Xi Jinping Thought" states that the Chinese Communist Party should have control over "all forms of work in China," that the party should take a people-centric approach for the public good, that China should be governed by the rule of law, and that socialist core values such as Marxism and communism should be practiced.

It further states that the Xi Jinping-led party should have total authority over the armed forces and that the country's borders should be governed by the One China concept.

It's the latest attempt to bolster the Communist Party's overall status, as well as Xi Jinping's. In 2018, the 68-year-old removed presidential term restrictions, thereby extending his presidency continuously, as per The Independent.

Related Article: China, Russia Agree to Strengthen Coordination to Prevent Security Risks; Xi Jinping Reiterates Respect for Afghanistan Sovereignty

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's eviction moratorium, putting hundreds of thousands of American families at risk of being evicted from their homes amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an eight-page majority opinion issued Thursday, the Supreme Court ended the dispute over whether the administration, specifically the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had authority to ban evictions during a public health crisis.

Biden's New Eviction Moratorium

"Congress was on notice that a further extension would almost surely require new legislation, yet it failed to act in the several weeks leading up to the moratorium's expiration," the unsigned opinion read. "If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it."

The decision now puts hundreds of thousands of tenants across the United States at risk of losing their homes.

According to data, there were 6,563 evictions in the last week across the nation. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, at least 488,069 evictions have been filed. As of Thursday, the states with the most eviction filings last week were Connecticut, with 120; Delaware, 112; Indiana, 841; Minnesota, 117; Missouri, 429; and New Mexico, 194, as reported by the Eviction Lab.

The ruling will likely put more pressure on congressional Democrats to propose legislation and extend the eviction moratorium despite opposition from Republicans.

Read Also: Joe Biden Vows to Complete Evacuations in Kabul, Avenge US Deaths After America's Longest War Turned Into Deadly Debacle

However, landlords have celebrated the Supreme Court's latest decision, arguing that the moratoriums have saddled them with billions of dollars in debt.

"The government must move past failed policies and begin to seriously address the nation's debt tsunami, which is crippling both renters and housing providers alike," Bob Pinnegar, the president of the National Apartment Association, a trade association representing large landlords, said, according to The New York Times.

Blocked by the Supreme Court

The decision comes after the Biden administration on Monday filed a brief with the Supreme Court where it noted that the more contagious Delta variant has caused a new surge of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

On Aug. 19, the country's seven-day average of cases was at 130,926, which was a ten-fold increase from the figures recorded when the court ruled over a former eviction moratorium in June, according to CNN.

As of Thursday, health officials recorded 187,439 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. The country's seven-day average was also at 156,296, according to an analysis of data by The Times.

More than 100,000 people are currently admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 across the U.S. The figures have been the highest reported since January. The only other period the numbers surpassed 100,000 was in late November. A vast majority of those currently hospitalized are unvaccinated.

The Delta variant, which is more transmissible than the original strain, has caused hospitalizations and infections to soar since late June. It has led to a six-fold increase in the number of admissions when compared to nine weeks ago, the Department of Health and Human Services said, as reported by CNN.

Related Article: Newly Sworn-In New York Governor Kathy Hochul Removes Individuals Allegedly Connected to Sexual Harassment

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Several conspiracy theories peddled by the Chinese government put the blame of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States.

Zhao Lijian, spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this week has repeatedly promoted unproven theories that claim the novel coronavirus could have originated from a research facility in Fort Detrick in Maryland.

Chinese Conspiracy Theory

The Chinese government has also demanded Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, to launch an investigation into Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina.

Chinese officials pointed to the closure of a lab at Fort Detrick over safety concerns in August 2019, and to the subsequent deaths recorded at a nursing home in Virginia in July 2019 as reasons for WHO to launch an investigation.

"If labs are to be investigated, then the WHO experts should go to Fort Detrick. The US should act transparently & responsibly as soon as possible and invite WHO experts for an inquiry into the Fort Detrick lab. Only in this way can truth be revealed to the world," Zhao said on Twitter, as reported by Hindustan Times.

A patriotic Chinese hip-hop group called Tianfu Shibian has also promoted conspiracy theories about COVID-19, recently releasing a song with the lyrics: "How many plots came out of your labs? How many dead bodies hanging a tag?"

Read Also: Long COVID-19 Symptoms: High Percentage of Patients Returns to Hospital After 1 Year Due to Respiratory, Fatigue, and Muscle Weakness

Beijing's misinformation campaign began in 2020 and has since gained a wider audience in China. The campaign has now been promoted by officials, academics, central propaganda outlets and social media users.

This week's promotion of conspiracy theories come after a U.S. intelligence review ordered by President Joe Biden said it could not come to a conclusion about the origins of COVID-19 due to a lack of information from China, two U.S. officials familiar with the discussion told The Washington Post.

Investigating the Origin of the Coronavirus

In a commentary published in Nature, researchers involved in the investigation said the probe has come to a standstill. They noted that one reason for the pause was because Chinese officials were reluctant to share access to raw data, citing concerns that it may violate patient confidentiality laws.

China has since dismissed the possibility that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is located in the city where the first known COVID-19 outbreak began. Beijing officials have also tightly controlled all data that were handed over to WHO officials, and it rejected the health agency's call for a second round of inquiry into the virus' origins.

"It is impossible for us to accept such an origin-tracing plan," Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the National Health Commission, said, according to NPR.

Many experts have said that they do not think a lab leak caused the outbreak, which eventually led to the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of 4,474,523 people worldwide. However, some point to classified information, first disclosed during the last days of former President Donald Trump's administration, that suggested three workers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were admitted to the hospital in November 2019 with flu-like symptoms, according to Reuters.

Related Article: Another COVID-19-Like Pandemic May Happen in 60 Years? Researchers Anticipates the Probability

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Prince Charles has the option of changing constitutional legislation to allow Prince William to succeed to the throne, a royal expert claimed.

When the Queen dies, Prince Charles, 72, will be first in line to the throne, although there have been demands for Prince William to take over as head of state. The Prince of Wales is the oldest heir apparent in British history, having been first in line to the throne for more than seven decades.

Stewart Pearce, a royal expert, explains how Prince Charles might stand down and be replaced by the Duke of Cambridge. It comes at a time when PrinceCharles has been filling the Queen's shoes since she turned 95.

"Palace authorities have been extremely anxious to play down the idea of a meeting Charles has convened with Prince William to strategize the future," royal critic Richard Eden told Palace Confidential on MailPlus. While royal editor Robert Jobson highlighted how Charles has been doing a lot of the heavy work in recent years since the Queen cannot be expected to continue at the same pace, Express.co reported.

Prince Charles' monarchy plan shattered

Meanwhile, the loss of Prince Charles' "trusted lieutenant" has shattered the entire underlying framework for his future monarchy, as per Geo News. Dr. Edward Owens, a royal historian, and the author made this allegation during an interview in which he discussed Prince Charles' connection with his son Prince Harry.

Prince Harry has specifically addressed rumors that he had a falling out with his father and his brother, Prince William, the second in line to the throne. Dr. Edward Owens, a royal historian, believes Harry's departure from the throne has placed a hole in Charles' plans for the monarchy.

The Duke of Sussex revealed last month that an "intimate and emotional" memoir will be published in late 2022, prompting his caution. The book will cover the Duke of Sussex's life as a spouse and parent, as well as his military duty.

Oprah Winfrey, the American talk show star, conducted a two-hour interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earlier this year. During the CBS interview, Harry said that he had two talks with Prince Charles about his plans to quit the Royal Family before his father stopped answering his phone calls.

Read Also: US Prosecutors Consider Prince Andrew as Person of Interest in Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking Investigation

Camilla Parker Bowles will "never forgive" Meghan Markle

He said that the Prince of Wales had requested him to "put in writing" the specifics of his and Meghan's decision to leave as senior royals. Before he and Meghan Markle made their leaving plan public, Prince Harry claimed he spoke with his grandmother, the Queen, numerous times.

According to the Telegraph, the couple's choice to leave the UK for the United States has not only strained Prince Harry's friendship with Prince Charles, but it has also strained Camilla's connection with Meghan Markle.

After Meghan married Harry in 2018, the Duchess of Cornwall had gotten along "aces" with her. On the day of the Sussexes' wedding, Charles and Camilla were there, and the enamored couple was reported to "very much enjoy" their attendance. Prince Charles escorted Meghan down the aisle.

Prince Charles appeared like the settling hand on the whole day - he carried the thing together, whereas Camilla seemed like she had been doing this forever, one wedding guest said at the time. Camilla has been a "pillar of support" to the pair, according to royal insiders reported in Vanity Fair in 2019.

The Sussexes were then dealing with the repercussions from a documentary in which Meghan Markle claimed that she was "existing, not living" because of media attention. However, in the aftermath of Megxit and following charges leveled against the Royal family by the Sussexes, that comfortable relationship appears to have been destroyed.

Meghan Markle claimed felt so alone and depressed inside the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts in a shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey. When she sought mental health help from the palace's human resources department, however, she was informed she couldn't get it since she wasn't a paid employee.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Consider Naming Royal "Racist" Who Mentions Concern About Archie's Skin Color

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The planned meeting at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, will dissuade Joe Biden from continuing the deal. His predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu disagreed when the new administration entered talks with Tehran.

Having the US leader enter a deal with Iran has not been a prevalent decision, which worries Israel in the middle east, who has been in deadlocked silence.

Iran is seen as an unstable government with a plan to cause trouble, and the new administration does not consider this a factor to stop talks.

US must not push through with Iran nuclear deal

Top on the Israeli prime minister's list is to tell Biden that any talks between the Tehran government should be disregarded when they meet this in the Oval Office, reported the Independent UK.

It was supposed to be for Thursday, was rescheduled because of the bombing of Kabul airport by suspect ISIS militants has killed 13 American soldiers who were on duty. Before this, there were warnings about a possible suicide bomber attack. Bennett stated on social media that the people of Israel feel the loss of US lives in Kabul and that Israel is in solidarity with them.

Israeli PM Bennett will dissuade Biden that the Iran nuclear deal is a bad idea, as mentioned in an interview before the meeting. So, the Iranians have been busy creating weapons-grade nuclear material. If the sanctions are lifted, it will be another enemy of America and its allies enabled, noted AP News.

Read Also: Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra'am: High-Performance Version, Optimized and Homegrown for Air-to-Air Combat

Last Wednesday, the prime minister discussed with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over Iran and relevant issues. Benett's visit would be the first time he goes to the US as the Israel prime minister.

Iran must be stopped

When Bennett talked to the cabinet members before leaving, he indicated it would be a make or break to stop Tehran and tell Biden the nuclear deal is a dangerous proposition. Those who are pushing for it must reconsider what they are doing.

Despite the better warnings from the previous administration, the US leader intends to revisit the 2015 nuclear deal started by Barack Obama. In 2018, Donald Trump shut it down. Trump's reason for pulling back from the nuclear agreement is that Iran stops enriching Uranium and does not follow. The regime now has Uranium that is 63% enriched, just a stone throw from a nuclear bomb which was less before. But Tehran is not to be trusted despite what is said by them, cited Stars and Stripes.

The Israeli prime minister's visit comes later, when Ebrahim Raisi,60, became Iran's new president, who is associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with a hardline stand against the US. supports the missile development of Iran, regional militias too, cited Arkansas Online.

No matter what happens, getting Iran on the table is not acceptable by Israel, as the Biden administration blames the Trump administration. Bennett wants to have a better relationship with the US leader, unlike Netanyahu, who was not a fan of Biden and liked Trump better. Israeli PM Minister Naftali Bennett will dissuade going to tell Biden to drop Iran Nuclear deal.

Related Article: Israel and Iran Rift Escalates Following a Drone Attack in Oman That Killed a British and Romania

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung recently announced their new lineup of foldable smartphones and Apple fans are eagerly waiting for the reveal of the iPhone 13. If you have been on the lookout for a new phone and are torn between ordering the Galaxy Z Flip 3 now or waiting for Apple to debut the iPhone 13, we've rounded up the outstanding features of each phone to help you decide which phone is the best fit for you.

iPhone 13 vs. Samsung Galaxy Flip 3

Deciding between an iOS or Android smartphone? Here are the specs on the newest Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 and the rumored details on the upcoming iPhone 13.

Specs

Running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, the Galaxy Flip 3 has 8GB of RAM with 125 GB or 256 GB of storage, XDA Developers said. The iPhone 13, on the other hand, will probably be sporting the A15 Bionic chip, a new and faster chip than the iPhone 12's A14 chip, Tom's Guide said. It might get 4GB of RAM like its predecessors, and will have a chance to choose between 125GB or 256 GB of storage and even 512 GB.

The green Z Flip 3 is very, very nice. First impressions really are how much of a glow up this generation is on the Flip. pic.twitter.com/fd2XAzr8ZY  Austin Evans (@austinnotduncan) August 26, 2021

Both the iPhone 13 and the Galaxy Flip 13 are getting 120hz refresh rates on their displays, with the Flip getting a Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen and the iPhone 13 probably getting an OLED screen similar to the iPhone 12 or it could be fitted with a new LTPO panel.

The body of the Galaxy Flip 3 boasts of an Armor Aluminum frame with a Gorilla Glass Victus back. The iPhone 13 will also have an aluminum body and have the same ceramic shield as the iPhone 12, making it better protected from drops and other daily wears and tear than previous iPhone models of the past.

Looks like iPhone 13 it is! A new image from Weibo (see previous tweet) shows the alleged official packaging for the iPhone 13. The naming this year has been a subject of debate between iPhone 12s and iPhone 13. What do you guys think of the name? Render from @rendersbyian pic.twitter.com/gRCJE8twPS  Apple Hub (@theapplehub) August 26, 2021

Battery

Both phones would have Qi wireless charging. Rumors say the iPhone 13 will have improved battery life thanks to a bigger battery and the new energy-efficient features like the rumored LTPO display that can reduce power consumption by 15 percent to 20 percent.

Design

The noticeable difference between the two phones is obviously the way the Galaxy Flip 3 can be folded in half while the iPhone 13 will most likely borrow the iPhone 12's straight-edge design.

When folded, the Galaxy Flip 3 is 8.84 x 7.22 x 1.59-1.71 cm, and unfolded, it's 16.6 x 7.22 x. 0.69 cm, according to GSM Arena.

The iPhone 13 lineup will come in the 6.1-inch vanilla model and iPhone 13 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max. A 5.4-inch mini model may be phased out, given the low sales of the iPhone 12 mini.

The Galaxy Flip 3 will come in the following colors: Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, Cream, White, Pink.

Wide range of colors available for Galaxy Z Flip 3#SamsungUnpacked pic.twitter.com/bqCHjS0MNz  E  (@KiranSays10) August 18, 2021

The iPhone 13 will most likely come in black, silver, rose gold, and gold. As for the more non-traditional colors, Tom's Guide said a bronze or orange color could be Apple's move, but a bubble gum pink is not out of the picture either.

The notch on the iPhone 13 will also be smaller, according to reports, but still very visible, unlike the pinhole design of the Samsung.

iPhone 13 Pro Max.

See true beauty.



- Sunset Gold

- Rose

- Matte Black

- Pearl



Which colour do you want to get?

Concepts by me!

RT! pic.twitter.com/IEtuZPqnUe  Apple Tomorrow  (@Apple_Tomorrow) August 19, 2021

Additional Features

The Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 allows users to snap photos even when it is folded. Preview of the shot is possible through the larger cover display. The main cameras include a 12 MP, f/1.8, 27mm wide lens and a 12 MP, f/2.2, 123 ultrawide lens. Its selfie camera is a 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm wide lens, and both support 4K video resolutions according to GSM Arena.

SAMSUNG Z FLIP IS SO PRETTY. pic.twitter.com/wOqXvFoKEv  mei  khyle, juyomi & niniey dayy! (@kyuu413) August 26, 2021

The iPhone 13 is said to have larger cameras in a diagonal arrangement. The cameras will have larger sensors, and the ultrawide lens should come with an improved f/1.8 aperture compared to the f/2.4 of the iPhone 12.

Given the foldable nature of the Samsung Galaxy Flip 3, group selfies or even hands-free video calls are easier as users can simply prop up the smartphone on any flat surface, half-folded for stability.

Early iPhone 13 case shows design changes to cameras, notch and buttons https://t.co/ofpFECaG2m by @edfromfreelance pic.twitter.com/hEDY9eBZUH  Cult of Mac (@cultofmac) August 23, 2021

Read Also: Apple Watch Series 7 Leaks, Rumors: Flat-Edge Design, New Speakers, Bigger Display Teased!

iPhone 13 vs. Samsung Galaxy Flip 3: Which Should You Buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 price will start at $999, hitting shelves on August 27. The unannounced iPhone 13 should be around the same price range as the iPhone 12, $699 for a mini if Apple decides to push through it, $799 for the vanilla, $999 for the Pro, and $1,099 for the Pro Max.

If you are an iPhone user looking for some change, the Samsung Galaxy Flip 3 would be an exciting upgrade. Similarly, for Samsung users looking to make the switch, waiting for the iPhone 13 could be rewarding.

The price point of both the Galaxy Flip 3 and an iPhone 13 Pro is similar and it simply boils down to what you prefer to get out of your smartphone. Both are top of their lines and packed with incredible features.

The iPhone 13 is rumored to be revealed next month, September.

Related Article: Cool Apple iOS 15 Upgrade Lets You Translate Any Text: How to Use
A fourth stimulus check is being sent out by certain states! With the emergence of the COVID-19 Delta variant, American families struggle to overcome their financial expenses.

Many are still unemployed, but the cost of living, unfortunately, skyrocketed to new heights. A stimulus payment might be the solution that many desperately need.

Check on your eligibility, amount, and status of the delivery of the fourth stimulus checks per stateby reading the full article below.

Fourth Stimulus Check Update: Will the IRS Send New Payments?

As a disclaimer, a fourth stimulus check from the federal government seems unlikely.

First, the federal government has ignored all proposals regarding a fourth stimulus check. Even the online petition of Stephanie Bonin, which has already received nearly 3 million signatures after a year of activity, has not received recognition from the Biden Administration.

Second, the federal government allocated most of its budget to other developmental projects. One of these is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which took up $579 billion of the national funding.

However, the government also allocated $200 billion to different states to spend towards their economic recovery locally. Some states have decided to use this money as some kind of a "fourth stimulus check."

Fourth Stimulus Check Tracker: States That Are Sending Out Extra Payments

Sources like Yahoo! Finance, AS, and Marca listed out states that have decided to use their national budget for local financial aid programs, which acts as a fourth stimulus check.

California

California currently has the biggest budget with its unique tax system. The state has enough budget to provide actual checks at $500 or $600 to eligible residents. These payments are being called the Golden State Stimulus Checks.

Colorado

Colorado reportedly sent out $375 to citizens who received at least one unemployment payment between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020. Note that higher-income workers who received more than $500 per week in those benefits were not qualified to receive this payment.

Florida

Florida passed a bill that allocated $400 million to teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other first responders, per AS. Governor DeSantis used some of the budget to send out $1000 checks to teachers and administrators for their service. However, a controversy arose that some educators were notably left out. The situation is currently being monitored.

Florida is paying a private contractor $3.6 million to help issue $1,000 bonus checks bearing the governors logo to teachers, principals and first responders. https://t.co/oVVyLrzkLl  Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) July 30, 2021

Read Also: iPhone Security Not Safe vs. Pegasus Spyware; Apple Promises Defense Upgrade After Latest Scare

Georgia

Governor Kemp authorized that all full-time teachers and administrators will receive $1000, and part-time teachers will receive $500 for their public service. The whole move is estimated to cost $240 million.

Maryland

The state recently passed legislation to repeal state and local taxes from unemployment benefits for its citizens. The state is also sending out $500 for families and $300 for individuals who completed and submitted their Earned Income Tax Credit.

Michigan

The information is not elaborated, but Michigan has reportedly sent out $500 hazard pay bonuses to its teachers earlier this year. The MI Classroom Heroes Grants also released $250 payments to school staff who qualified. The whole program cost the state $73 million.

New Mexico

No official plan was declared, but the state reportedly plans to distribute $5 million to local residents who did not qualify for the federal stimulus payments.

New York

New York recently allocated a $2.1 billion fund for undocumented workers who did not receive the federal stimulus money. Note, however, that this program only applies to state residents who earned less than $26,208 in 2020.

Tennessee

The state recently passed a bill to remove the two percent raise and replace it with a one-time hazard payment bonus of $1000 for full-time teachers and $500 for part-time teachers.

Texas

No official plan has been declared, but some districts in Texas are increasing pay or adding bonuses for working employees. Some districts like Fort Worth and Arlington had a four percent pay increase for all district employees. Denton and Mansfile teachers saw a two percent raise.

Moreover, staff in Denton will also receive a $500 retention bonus. Lastly, Irving will be distributing $2000 payments to staff returning in classrooms this year.

Related Article: AT&T Data Breach 2021: Did Massive Cyberattack Really Expose 70 Million Users?
The hacker involved in the T-Mobile Data Breach 2021 accused the company of "awful" security. The incident, which exposed nearly 50 million customer information, might not have been a sophisticated attack. Users now question the security of T-Mobile data centers.

The T-Mobile hacker recently revealed himself as John Binns in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Binns reportedly provided evidence to support his claims and revealed many things regarding his successful hack.

T-Mobile Data Leak Because of 'Awful' Security

Binns said he used readily available tools (which were not identified for safety purposes) to locate weak security spots on T-Mobile servers. He later discovered an unprotected router exposed on the internet. Through this router, Binns accessed the data center near East Wenatchee, Washington.

The hacked data center gave Binns another access point for more than 100 T-Mobile servers. Binns said it took him a week to delve through customer data, which also made him panic due to its data size. Information hacked included millions of users' personal data like names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and cellphone numbers. According to WSJ, Binns implied that he collaborated with others during the hack.

Read Also: AT&T Data Breach 2021: Did Massive Cyberattack Really Expose 70 Million Users?

T-Mobile Data Breach 2021 Hacker and His Motive

In WSJ's report, Binns claimed a career background as a hacker who created cheats for popular video games. Binns also claimed he has a bad relationship with U.S. intelligence services.

According to The Verge, Binns filed a lawsuit in 2020 against the CIA, FBI, DOJ, and other agencies to demand what information they had on him. The lawsuit also accused the government of coercing him to buy Stinger missiles from an FBI-owned website and attacking Binns with psychic and energy weapons. Lastly, the lawsuit claimed that the government was involved with Binns' alleged kidnapping and torture.

Binns told WSJ that he attacked T-Mobile to "generate noise" and draw attention to him. With these reports, it is hard to determine whether Binns is telling the truth or not.

T-Mobile Users Are Warned About Data Leak

If Binns' statements hold true, it suggests that T-Mobile offers poor security on its data servers. To highlight, data centers and routers must never be exposed to hackers on the internet. Also, all data should have been encrypted, especially between data servers. Lastly, they should have applied multiple security features, which would independently trigger different alarms per server breach.

Reports from Engadget said that T-Mobile declined to comment on Binns' claims. Instead, the company asserts it's "confident" to have closed all security holes during the breach. Notably, this is the third breach in two years on T-Mobile servers. Users are losing confidence in its data security.

For worried users, especially victims of the T-Mobile data breach, it is recommended that you try third-party apps to protect your accounts.

For customers worried about their personal details, it is recommended that you use identity monitoring services.

Moreover, those worried about their accounts being stolen, here are four suggestions to secure your accounts.



Related Article: T-Mobile Data Breach August 2021 Update: 8.6 Million Active Customers Exposed, PINs Leaked!
Koh Seung-beom, nominee for chief of the Financial Services Commission, answers questions from lawmakers during a National Assembly confirmation hearing in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman nominee Koh Seung-beom reiterated his hawkish viewpoint on the nation's monetary policy, saying the recent key rate hike from the Bank of Korea (BOK) is not enough to resolve the deepening financial imbalance.



"Personally, increasing the rate only once will not help alleviate the nation's financial imbalance, and of much more importance is the future policy direction," Koh told lawmakers during a National Assembly confirmation hearing. As widely expected, the BOK raised the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent on Thursday for the first time in almost three years.



He served as the BOK's monetary policy board member from April 2016 to August 2021 before having recently been nominated as the new leader of the watchdog.



While he didn't specify the timing of an additional rate increase by the central bank, Koh expected the BOK to do so "in the near future" due mostly to the overheated asset market and surging household debt in the post-coronavirus period.



"Talks are underway that the U.S. Fed will soon start tapering, and it may bring forward the timeline for its rate hike," he told lawmakers at the Assembly. "The BOK is expected to raise the rate further in consideration of such external factors as growing household debt and rising asset prices."



When asked about his possible available policy plans to curb snowballing household debt, the nominee of the FSC chief reaffirmed his strong willingness to keep introducing a set of tough regulations.



"We are going to thoroughly supervise the market to ensure that the surging household debt will not hurt the stability of the financial market," he said. "The FSC will keep enhancing the efficiency of the already-introduced policies, and if necessary, we plan to pursue additional ones."



Meanwhile, the nominee also hinted at the possibility of delaying principle and interest payments for loans taken out by the self-employed and small business owners amid the fourth wave of the pandemic. Earlier, the authority introduced the financial benefit for groups vulnerable to pandemic financial shock, and its expiration falls at the end of September.



"We need to take into consideration their difficulties stemming from the toughened quarantine measures here, and will seek supplementary measures," he said.



Regarding cryptocurrency-related issues, the nominee Koh said the FSC will not delay the timeline for accepting reports on their business activity. All crypto exchanges are required to submit documentation that includes commitment on the prevention of money laundering to the FSC by Sept. 24 after receiving an information security management certification.



Only one exchange, Upbit, has so far done so, which sparked concern that other exchanges may face mass shutdowns.






Unionized health workers will go on strike next week to demand better working conditions and the expansion of public health infrastructure amid the pandemic, their union said Friday, raising concerns over a workforce shortage in hospitals as South Korea is battling the worst wave of COVID-19.







The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) said 82 percent of 56,091 members from 124 hospitals and treatment facilities cast their ballot, and nearly 90 percent of them voted in favor of the strike.







The union said its members, excluding essential workforces in emergency rooms, delivery rooms and intensive care units, will stage a walkout across the nation on Sept. 2.







Nurses and care workers at hospitals designated for COVID-19 treatment and testing centers will attend the strike, it said, which could complicate health authorities' efforts to fight the pandemic.







The union has demanded the government improve the working conditions of health care workers and increase the number of public hospitals and their medical personnel, but it failed to narrow differences despite rounds of meetings with health authorities, as well as ruling and opposition lawmakers.







Their move comes as a growing number of nurses in public health clinics have quit or taken temporary leave since last year due to cumulative fatigue and mental stress amid the prolonged pandemic.







Front-line nurses and care workers have been touted as the unsung heroes of the pandemic, but a growing number of them are suffering from burnout due to the chronic shortage of nurses and insufficient benefits despite tight schedules.







On Friday, South Korea added 1,841 more COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 245,158, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).







Despite six weeks of the toughest restrictions in the greater Seoul area, the fourth wave has shown no signs of abating as the delta-driven infections have complicated antivirus measures. (Yonhap)


Airplanes are parked on the tarmac after a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. AP-Yonhap



South Korea strongly denounces the suicide bombings near an airport in Kabul that killed dozens and wounded more than 100, the foreign ministry said Friday.



"Our government defines the bombings as terrorist attacks, expresses deep concern that it has incurred many casualties and strongly denounces the attacks," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary.



"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their bereaved families," Choi said.






Afghans who worked for the Korean government and their families wave from a bus upon their arrival at the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Friday. They will stay at the temporary shelter for about two months. Yonhap



13 remaining evacuees arrive in Seoul



By Kwon Mee-yoo



With the arrival of 13 remaining Afghan evacuees in Korea, Friday, all 390 Afghans who worked with Korea, as well as their families, will stay at a temporary shelter here for about two months while they prepare for settlement after fleeing from the Taliban which took over their homeland.



The Korean government vowed to support their settlement here, with changes to immigration rules to allow for their long-term stay as well as education on Korea's culture and society.



The first group of 377 evacuees landed at the Incheon International Airport, Thursday, and the second group of 13 followed Friday. The groups were split up due to the capacity of Korean military planes deployed to Afghanistan and Pakistan.



The foreign affairs ministry corrected the number of the first group from 378 to 377, saying after the evacuees were moved from Kabul to Islamabad, they found one unidentified person on the list and sent the person back to Kabul on a military aircraft and where they were handed over to the U.S. military in charge of identity checks.



The evacuated Afghans had worked closely there with the Korean government for years, including the Korean Embassy, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Bagram Korean Hospital, the Korean Vocational Training Center and a provincial reconstruction team in Charikar. Most of them are professionals such as doctors, nurses, translators, lecturers and IT specialists.



Forty-six percent of the evacuees are under 10 years old, including some 100 toddlers and infants. Three are newborns born in August. To accommodate the needs of the babies, the evacuation team brought baby formula for the airlift mission, and the Justice Ministry offered the children plush dolls at Incheon airport as gifts.



After landing at Incheon airport, Thursday, the Afghans were tested for COVID-19 and spent a night at a quarantine facility, before being transported to the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Friday, where they will stay temporarily for about two months.



According to the Ministry of Justice, 360 tested negative and 17 were not clear, but transferred to the center together as they have shown no symptoms and will be tested again soon.











Vice Justice Minister Kang Sung-kook greets the Afghan evacuees at the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Friday. Yonhap
Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan delivers the welcome address for an international symposium on the development dynamics and future trajectories of India and Korea via Zoom, Aug. 23. Courtesy of the Embassy of India to Korea



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Embassy of India in Seoul held an international symposium on the development dynamics and future trajectories of India and Korea.



The two-day symposium was a part of the India@75 celebrations organized by the Indian Embassy in Korea. As India's democracy turns 75 years old next year, the embassy offers a series of events, including international symposiums and workshops on India-Korea relations.



The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the Institute of East and West Studies at Yonsei University, the India Foundation and the Jammu-Kashmir Study Centre took part in the symposium on Aug. 23 and 24.



"We conceptualize this symposium as an effort to understand the developmental strategies of this pristine and relatively unknown part of India that is Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and reflect on its future direction through the sharing of experiences and ideas, taking in cognizance the varying developmental models that are being adopted over time, both in Korea and India, and using this as a means of ideation and coming up with new thoughts, new perspectives," Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan said during her welcome address.



"We turn to lessons from around the world, and I can hear the Korean experience of economic development, including through the miracle of the Han River. ... I think this is an area which we should draw inspiration from, as we try and accelerate the pace of progress in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. I also see very concrete and tangible opportunities for Korean companies in this area, especially in the sectors of agriculture, horticulture, tourism, hydro power and renewable energy."





The inaugural session of the international symposium, "Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh: Developmental Dynamics and Future Trajectories," hosted by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Embassy of India in Seoul / Courtesy of the Embassy of India to Korea
Family members of Afghans who helped the Korean government's activities in their country arrive at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. A total of 377 Afghans, out of 390 to be airlifted, arrived in South Korea on Thursday as part of Seoul's efforts to evacuate locals who worked at Korea's embassy and other government facilities in the war-torn nation, as well as their families. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul





By Jung Da-min







The crisis in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. military withdrawal has stirred debate in Korea as to whether the country should take in Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover and grant them refugee status.







On Aug. 24, the Korean government announced that it has sent three military transport planes to the Middle Eastern region to evacuate Afghans who had helped the Korean government's activities there. Those who worked at organizations run by the Korean government such as the embassy, hospitals or vocal training centers and their family members had were afraid for their lives under the Taliban due to their cooperation with the Korean government.







Although the government brought 390 such people to the country as "persons with special merit" and is seeking to revise an enforcement ordinance on immigration to grant them long-term stay permits, fears and ill feelings toward them have risen here. The Afghan crisis has also stirred a further debate over whether Korea should accept other fleeing Afghans as refugees, with political parties and citizens showing different responses to the matter.







Afghans who helped the Korean government's activities in their country line up to board a military aircraft at Kabul airport, as part of the operation to evacuate them to Korea amid growing fears of possible Taliban retaliation against those who have aided the United States and its allies, in this photo released Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs





The progressive minor opposition Justice Party is so far the only political party to have said Korea should actively seek ways to help other Afghan evacuees by accepting them as refugees. But the country's two major parties, the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), have said a more cautious approach is needed on the matter of opening the door for refugees.







Likewise, public opinion is also divided. While those who oppose accepting refugees cite fear of crime or the economic burden as reasons, those who support the idea say such concerns over refugees are based on misinformation or wrong beliefs.







A South Korean diplomat looks for Afghans who helped the Korean government's activities in their country to get them on a military aircraft at Kabul airport, as part of Korea's operations to evacuate them to Korea, in this photo released Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs





Afghan evacuees to spend two months in Jincheon Second group of 13 Afghan evacuees arrives in Korea Afghan evacuees in Korea arrive at temporary shelter in Jincheon Work mounts for government concerning Afghan evacuees in Korea Three years ago, a similar debate surfaced after 561 Yemenis seeking asylum from a civil war in their home country landed on Jeju Island in the summer of 2018, with the number of Yemenis on the island surging from 52 in 2017 and 10 in 2016.



Although the number of Yemenis who applied for refugee status in 2018 stood at 484, only accounting for 0.03 percent of the total 16,173 asylum seekers here, media reports of the possibility of more Yemenis arriving on Jeju brought about a backlash against refugees and asylum seekers in the country.



Recent surveys on perceptions of refugees showed Koreans still have negative sentiments against refugees.



In a survey by Embrain Public in May, 59.5 percent of 1,000 respondents said they believe crime rates in major European countries rose after an influx of refugees around 2015. But according to statistics of Eurostat, the number of crimes such as murder or robbery in 27 European countries dropped by 30 percent to 34 percent in 2018 compared to 2012.



Afghans who helped the Korean government's activities in their country board a military aircraft at Kabul airport, as part of Korea's operations to evacuate them to Korea, in this photo released Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In another survey conducted by Hankook Research on 1,016 Korean adults at the request of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in late November 2020, 53 percent of the respondents were against the country receiving and protecting refugees, compared to 33 percent who were in favor.



For reasons given in opposition, 64 percent cited the financial burden to the country; 57 percent, concerns over crimes; 49 percent said they were just coming here to find jobs; and 46 percent cited differences in culture and religion, when multiple answers were allowed.



The negative sentiment against refugees among Koreans is reflected in the country's low rate of granting refugee status.



A direction sign for the reception desk for refugee applications is seen at the entrance of Seoul Immigration Office in Yangcheon District, Wednesday. Yonhap

According to an analysis by local civil organization NANCEN Refugee Rights Center based on data from the Ministry of Justice, the percentage of those granted refugee status stood at 0.4 percent in 2020, or only 52 out of 11,892 who completed the authorities' review process to determine refugee status.



The percentage remained the same from the previous year and was much lower than the figures in the European Union in 2020, which stood at 32 percent, according to the European Asylum Support Office.








Lee Seok-hyun, former six-term lawmaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, has been tapped as executive vice chairman of the presidential National Unification Advisory Council, Cheong Wa Dae announced Friday.







Lee is replacing Jeong Se-hyun, former unification minister, to assume the minister-level post. The council, chaired by President Moon Jae-in, is a constitutional body to help establish and implement bipartisan policies on democratic and peaceful unification.







Moon also appointed Park Chong-soo, who served as minister at South Korea's Embassy in Moscow, as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.







The committee is designed to promote South Korea's economic cooperation with Russia and other northern neighbors. Park is currently leading the Northeast Asian Community Culture Foundation. (Yonhap)


Hundreds of Afghan civilians who evacuated to South Korea seeking refuge from the Taliban in their homeland arrived at their temporary shelter in a central region Friday, where they are expected to stay for about six weeks. Yonhap



Hundreds of Afghan civilians who evacuated to South Korea seeking refuge from the Taliban in their homeland arrived at their temporary shelter in a central region Friday, where they are expected to stay for about six weeks.



The group of 377 Afghans, including 180 children and infants, which landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Thursday via a KC-330 military tanker transport aircraft, was admitted to the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, 91 kilometers south of Seoul.



The foreign ministry stated earlier that the group was comprised of 378 people, but the justice ministry records showed that 377 were admitted to the country.



The group spent their first night in South Korea at a quarantine facility in Gimpo, west of Seoul, after being tested for COVID-19. They were transported to Jincheon on Friday morning in chartered buses and under a police escort. There reportedly have been no positive cases, while some were still waiting for their test results.



The South Korean evacuation mission, named Operation Miracle, got under way after Seoul temporarily closed its Afghanistan embassy and evacuated its diplomatic staff to Qatar, as the security conditions worsened amid the ongoing pullout of U.S. troops and the Taliban's power grab in the country.



According to the justice ministry, the evacuees are medical professionals, vocational trainers, IT experts and interpreters who worked for Korea's embassy and its humanitarian and relief facilities in Afghanistan, and their family members.






Thirteen Afghan evacuees arrived in South Korea on Friday, bringing to completion Seoul's mission to evacuate a total of 390 Afghan co-workers at the country's embassy and other facilities, and their family members from the war-torn country. Yonhap



Thirteen Afghan evacuees arrived in South Korea on Friday, bringing to completion Seoul's mission to evacuate a total of 390 Afghan co-workers at the country's embassy and other facilities, and their family members from the war-torn country.



The 13 people, comprised of three families, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 1:07 p.m. aboard a C-130 military transport aircraft after leaving Islamabad late Thursday, the foreign ministry said.



Their arrival came a day after the first group of 377 Afghans arrived Thursday.



Like those who arrived on the first plane, the incoming group will also be tested for COVID-19 and go through screening to confirm their identities upon their arrival, before being transported to a government-designated facility in the central county of Jincheon, about 91 kilometers southeast of Seoul.






Ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil speaks during the party's seminar at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Cheong Wa Dae have been promoting Korea's ranking on media freedom, engendering criticism from the opposition bloc. The DPK made such claims during a seminar at the National Assembly on Thursday, which was held in preparation for the upcoming regular session that starts Sept. 1.



In fact sheets distributed for lawmakers participating in the seminar, the party claimed Korea is an advanced country in terms of media freedom, citing the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).



"According to 2020 Press Freedom Index, Korea ranked as No. 42 in the world, and No. 1 in Asia for the third consecutive year," the document reads. "Also, a number of influential overseas news outlets are moving their Asia office to Korea, showing that Korea is a central place for media in Asia."



The claim came amid the DPK's recent move to revise a media law allowing punitive damages for news outlets or reporters that produce false or fabricated reports.



The revision, described as the "fake news law," is set to go to a vote at a plenary session on Monday, despite opposition and concerns on media freedom from domestic and international journalist groups, including RSF.



Regarding RSF's criticism on the fake news law, DPK Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil created controversy by calling the very same organization it had quoted in the report "know nothings" about Korean media and that it "quotes everything that Korean news outlets report." The RSF has sought to refute Song's statements, and in response, Song said he will "explain well" the grounds on which the DPK is seeking the revision.





Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea salute to the national flag during a seminar at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Buses carrying Afghan refugees arrive at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Friday. Yonhap



Hundreds of Afghan civilians evacuated to South Korea who are seeking refuge from the Taliban in their homeland arrived at their temporary shelter in the country's central region Friday, where they are expected to stay for about eight weeks.



The group of 377 Afghans, including 180 children and infants, which landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Thursday in a KC-330 military tanker transport aircraft, was admitted to the Leadership Campus of the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, 91 kilometers south of Seoul.



The foreign ministry stated earlier that the group was comprised of 378 people, but the justice ministry records showed that 377 were admitted to the country.



The group spent their first night in South Korea at a quarantine facility in Gimpo, west of Seoul, after being tested for COVID-19. They were transported to Jincheon on Friday morning in chartered buses under police escort. Reportedly none have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, while some were still waiting for their test results.



The South Korean evacuation mission, named Operation Miracle, got underway after Seoul temporarily closed its Afghanistan embassy and evacuated its diplomatic staff to Qatar, as the security conditions worsened amid the ongoing pullout of U.S. troops and the Taliban's power grab in the country.



According to the justice ministry, the evacuees are medical professionals, vocational trainers, IT experts and interpreters who worked for Korea's embassy and its humanitarian and relief facilities in Afghanistan, and their family members.



Government officials and residents greeted the arrival of the Afghans with warmth, with banners placed on roadsides welcoming the arrival of the evacuees. "We will share your pain. Have a comfortable stay here," one banner read.



North Chungcheong Province Gov. Lee Si-jong and Jincheon County Mayor Song Gi-seop greeted the buses on their arrival.



A separate group of 13 Afghan evacuees, comprised of three families, also arrived at Incheon International Airport via a C-130 military transport aircraft after leaving Islamabad late Thursday.



All of them have tested negative in COVID-19 tests conducted upon their arrival, and were to be transported to the facility here to join the rest of the evacuees, according to the justice ministry.



According to the justice ministry, the evacuees will remain in quarantine at the Jincheon facility for two weeks and stay there for approximately six more weeks.



The facility will be managed by 14 administrative personnel and its periphery will remain under a police patrol 24 hours a day. The evacuees will also receive regular COVID-19 tests.



The government has staffed one in-person resident interpreter and nine interpreters to provide translation services through phones. Food will also be prepared in consideration of the evacuees' religious background.



Authorities also plan to operate a temporary daycare center after the quarantine period ends, considering that 110 of the evacuees are under the age of 6.



To help them adapt to their new life in South Korea, the government will offer various programs on learning the Korean language and culture, the ministry said.



"We believe the evacuees will adjust well in South Korea, as they have worked with our government and some even speak a bit of Korean," Vice Justice Minister Kang Sung-kook said at a briefing at the facility. He also thanked local residents for welcoming the evacuees and promised to work to minimize the potential inconveniences of the local community.



The state-run facility providing temporary shelter is where 173 South Korean evacuees from Wuhan, China, were placed in quarantine in January of last year during the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic.



Classified as "persons of special merit" to South Korea, the Afghans have been granted short-term C-3 visas but will later receive F-2 visas, which permit work and residency of up to five years. They will later be provided with the chance to apply for the F-5 permanent residency visa.



The ministry is in the process of changing the enforcement ordinance of the Immigration Control Act to provide F-2 visas to people who have worked for the interests of South Korea and to allow them to work in the country with no strings attached.



South Korea has stressed its moral responsibility to help the Afghan people, who are facing serious security risks after the Taliban took control over Afghanistan.



On the topic of the evacuees' legal status, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said Friday they should be "distinguished" from normal refugees, as they were brought here "on a military transportation aircraft after careful discussions and judgment by our government."



Park also brushed off criticisms alleging that the government was intentionally avoiding using the term "refugees" for the evacuees in order to dodge negative opinions toward accepting foreign refugees.



"There are various types of visas under our Immigration Control Act, and revising the enforcement ordinance is aimed at making up for regulatory inadequacies in the law," Park told reporters.



Park stated the previous day that the Afghan evacuees will be offered "more care" in terms of living expenses, settlement subsidies and education support compared with normal refugees for their support of the South Korean government in Afghanistan. (Yonhap)


Tourists from Germany arrive at Palma de Mallorca Airport following Berlin's lifted quarantine requirement for travelers returning from the Balearic Islands amid COVID-19 pandemic, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on March 21. REUTERS-Yonhap



Germany is dropping all of Spain from its list of "high-risk areas" for COVID-19, meaning that unvaccinated people arriving from popular Spanish tourist destinations will no longer need to go into quarantine.



Germany's national disease control center said the parts of Spain still on the list, which currently include the vacation island of Mallorca, will be removed as of Sunday. The Lisbon area of Portugal also will be taken off, leaving the coastal Algarve region as the only part of Portugal on the list.



Most people who haven't been vaccinated or recently recovered from COVID-19 have to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival to Germany from "high-risk areas," the lower of two German risk categories. Negative test results can be used to cut the quarantine period to five days.



A raft of countries remains on the "high-risk" list, including the United States, Britain and parts of France and Greece.



The Danish government will no longer consider COVID-19 as "a socially critical disease in Denmark," citing the large number of vaccinations in the Scandinavian country.



"The epidemic is under control. We have record-high vaccination rates," Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a statement Friday.



Starting Sept. 10, he said, "We can drop some of the special rules we had to introduce in the fight against COVID-19."



In practice, that will mean partially phasing out vaccination card requirements for some major events, like concerts and in nightclubs. On July 1, Denmark introduced a digital coronavirus passport that had to be shown when required.



"Although we stand in a good spot, we are not out of the epidemic. And the government will not hesitate to act quickly if the pandemic again threatens important functions in our society," he said.



On Thursday, Heunicke said that 80 percent of all people over the age of 12 in Denmark have been vaccinated. Getting the shot in Denmark is voluntary and is available to people 12 and older.




Mature citizenship needed to help Afghan 'friends'



A group of Afghans who helped the Korean government over the past years and their families arrived here, Thursday. Of the total 391 subject to the evacuation, 378 came first by military aircraft via Pakistan and the remaining 13, who were forced to stay in Islamabad due to a shortage of seats in the KC-330 tanker, will be coming soon.



The Afghans will be transferred to the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, where they will stay for six weeks. The Korean government plans to provide them with F-2 long-term residency visas. To this end, it is seeking to revise the current immigration law.



We welcome the government's efforts to safely evacuate the Afghans who helped Korea's reconstruction projects in the war-torn country. The rescue has been all the more desperate as they were exposed to the threat of Taliban retaliation. It is natural for Korea to carry out the rescue operation to fulfill its humanitarian duty as a responsible member of the international community and its moral obligations.



Korea has long been participating in the nation-building projects led by the United States in Afghanistan. It is natural for the government to fulfill its duty to protect its supporters as they were in danger of possible Taliban retaliation.



The government has designated the Afghans as "persons with special merit" rather than refugees. This means the government will offer special favors to them equivalent to benefits extended to refugees, as it takes a long and complicated process for them to get refugee status via deliberations. We hope the Afghans will be able to settle here safely and get stable jobs.



What is worrisome is the simmering negative views on acceptance of the immigrants. A fierce dispute arose in 2018 when some 500 Yemenis landed on Jeju Island. Rep. Song Young-gil, chairman of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), expressed skepticism over the alleged U.S. plan to house Afghans in U.S. military bases here. Yet, he agreed to the plan to bring the Afghans who helped the Korean government to the country.



Views against benevolent policies toward refugees are pouring onto the Cheong Wa Dae website's petition board. Yet, despite such repercussions, Korean people should demonstrate their seasoned and mature membership in the international community by extending generosity and warm hospitality toward the Afghans.



Regrettably, Korea has a low rate of accepting refugees, the second-lowest among G20 countries. This is shameful in view of its status as one of the 10 major economies, though it joined an international treaty in 1992 for the first time as an Asian country and legislated a refugee-related law in 2012. Korea has already been recognized as an advanced country by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Korea should embrace the Afghans who escaped their home country, avoiding possible political suppression and brutal retaliation.




A customer shops an instant food at a convenience store in Seoul, Aug. 4. Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



Despite repeated denials, investors and market watchers are weighing the possibility of Mini Stop's headquarters unloading Mini Stop Korea, given its weak market position and continued profit decline.



Last week, Mini Stop Korea refuted recent market talks that Mini Stop's headquarters in Japan was in the process of discussing several but unconfirmed candidates, with an aim of selling 100 percent of the business: "We've asked Mini Stop's headquarters for clarification of recent market talks regarding the possible discontinuation of the Korean business. The headquarters told us that such talks are groundless."



But Mini Stop Korea's business isn't in good health on multiple fronts. In terms of the amount of stores, nationwide, Mini Stop Korea is the country's fifth-largest convenient store operator with 2,700 stores. The No. 4 convenient store operator, Emart24, was operating 5,300 stores as of July of this year. Also in terms of numbers, Mini Stop Korea reported 1.79 trillion won in revenue for the last fiscal year (from March 2020 to February 2021), a decrease of 4.2 percent, year-on-year. It reported an operating loss of 14.3 billion won during the same period.



"The local convenience store market is fully saturated and given Mini Stop Korea's weak market position, it is hard for Mini Stop Korea to maintain sustainability. Obviously, Mini Stop Korea should be able to improve its profitability. But doing so requires heavy investments," an industry source said.



Mini Stop's headquarters had attempted to sell off its entire stake in Mini Stop Korea back in 2018. Lotte Group's SevenEleven and Shinsegae Group's Emart 24 were tapped as the possible candidates for an acquisition of the entire stake in Mini Stop Korea. However, the sale process didn't go through, as the suggested acquisition prices offered by Lotte and Shinsegae were far below Mini Stop's headquarters' expectations.



But from a market standpoint, investors are saying that the acquisition of Mini Stop Korea could help a new owner see a chance for increased market penetration, as the local convenience store market is seeing signs of rationalization led by the top two players, CU and GS25.



"The top players in the sector are pursuing and looking for economies of scale in product distribution, through third-party or in-house channels. Given the nature of these interests, it still does make sense for Mini Stop's headquarters to exit its Korean business," an industry source said on condition of anonymity.






By Kim Jae-heun







Lotte Chilsung, LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) and Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical are vying for distribution rights to Samdasoo, the country's No.1 bottled water.







The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development, a producer of Samdasoo, has recently announced it will open bidding for a cooperative company to retail its product in and outside Jeju Island.







A fierce competition is expected as winning the bid guarantees 300 billion won ($256.51 million) in annual sales. Not only this, but the retailer can expand its sales channel while distributing Samdasoo through the public corporation's network.







Samdasoo takes an unrivaled position in the bottled water market here with a 42.6 percent share, according to Nielson Korea. ICIS owns the second largest market share at 12.1 percent.







In addition, sales of Samdasoo has been increasing with the growing size of the bottled water market here. In 2016, Samdasoo made 241.5 billion won for the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development, which soared by 17.4 percent to 283.5 billion won last year.







Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical has been retailing Samdasoo for nine years now. Over 30 percent of Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical's sales come from retailing Samdasoo and losing its publication right means a steep decline in revenue.







Though, it is likely that Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical will lose the bid as the public corporation refused to extend the contract one more year.







LG H&H, which has been selling Samdasoo only to non-business sectors like hospitals and accommodations since 2017, is looking to secure exclusive distribution rights.







The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development said it will no longer separate the business and non-business sectors for two companies to sell Samdasoo.







LG H&H is keeping silent on this matter. The cosmetics firm currently retails Coca Cola in the country and had 1.51 trillion won of sales in the beverage sector last year alone. Selling Samdasoo to non-business sectors did not create much revenue for LG H&H, but if it wins the bid to retail the bottled water exclusively, the result will change dramatically.







Another candidate Lotte Chilsung is reportedly reviewing the possibility of joining the fierce bidding.


Wuhan Institute of Virology / Yonhap








The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday it was investigating a contamination incident in the manufacturing of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to assess whether there was an impact on EU supply.





Earlier on Thursday Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna vaccine, with the company saying contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue on one of the production lines at its contract manufacturing site in Spain.







"EMA is investigating the matter and has requested the marketing authorization holder to provide information on any potential impact on batches supplied to the EU in addition to details on the ongoing root cause investigation," the agency said in a statement to Reuters. (Reuters)


Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. listens to UK's lawyer during oral arguments heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court in UK's lawsuit against the Kernel on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, at the Kentucky Supreme Court in Frankfort, Kentucky. Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff.
Construction of the new Coldstream Research Campus on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, at the Coldstream Research Campus in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Michael Clubb | Staff
Game over: UK can no longer hide behind its lawsuit




College Chaplain and Counselor Coe College is seeking qualified candidates for the position of College Chaplain and Counselor. The Chaplains position nurtures student spiritual awareness, fosters an inclusive community, encourages service to others, and works with the Coe community to develop an understanding of social justice. This position will also provide spiritual guidance and pastoral care, and will provide counseling resources and campus crisis management where licensed. Work Schedule: Hours: 40+ Months of Service per Year: 11 Essential Job Responsibilities: Plan and coordinate campus spiritual and religious life programming including weekly spiritual life activities, a beginning of the year convocation ceremony, mid-year Christmas program, and end of the year baccalaureate and commencement ceremony.

Advise a peer ministry program.

Provide pastoral care to Coe students and other members of the Coe community.

Build relationships between the college and the governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).

Participate as a member of the Student Life staff.

Serve as an active member of the DEI Office (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), advising an LGBTQ+ student group and fostering spiritual inclusivity.

Have familiarity with other religious traditions and their practices and support students in sharing religious or spiritual practices with community members.

Manage the Chaplain budget.

Support and promote other health programs in the community and campus-wide strategic planning for health, safety, and well-being.

Consult with and assist students in navigating and accessing resources and support through the colleges systems for health and wellness.

Utilize positive behavioral intervention and positive psychology to instill life management skills and resiliency in students. Qualifications: Ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA) preferred.

Bachelors Degree and Seminary Degree required.

Iowa state license for counseling or social work preferred.

3-5 years of experience required.

Experience working with college students preferred.

Successful completion of a background check in accordance with Coe College policy. Knowledge, Skills and Competencies: Position Specific: Student-Centered.

Deep understanding of diversity and social justice issues.

Ability to adjust to a changing work environment and to respond to changing institutional needs.

Excellent organizational, communication, and administrative skills.

Willingness to work some nights and weekends. Coe Competencies: Dedication to the educational mission of a private, residential liberal arts college.

Ability to maintain positive relationships in a collaborative and diverse team atmosphere.

Commitment to excellent customer and/or student service.

Demonstrated ethical and responsible decision making.

Consistent attendance and accountability necessary to meet position objectives. Working Conditions and Physical Requirements: Typical office setting.

Some evenings and weekends required. Coe is committed to fostering a multicultural environment and encourages applications from individuals who will help fulfill that goal. We value the input of multiple viewpoints and diverse perspectives and aim to create an academic community that is rich with cultural, social and intellectual diversity. Coe College is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits:

Coe College offers a generous benefits package including health/dental, matching retirement savings accounts and tuition exchange/remission benefits.

recblid spwjolrtx99oi055ogt8zhldt7jqk9








Job Description Contacts by telephone and other approved communication methods (emails, text, flyers) eligible blood donors who have previously given blood and re-recruits them to donate regularly. Duties and Responsibilities The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the duties and responsibilities performed within this classification. It is not necessarily descriptive of any one position in the class. The omission of an essential function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position. All employees are required to perform all assigned duties in compliance with internal SOPs, external regulations, and internal policies, bring compliance issues to the attention of management and assure quality customer service to all customers. Answer general donor information questions.

Translate good customer service skills over the phone

Modify donor demographics

Donor eligibility requirements

HemaConnect

By telephone and other approved communication methods (emails, text, flyers), contacts eligible blood donors and re-recruits them to donate regularly.

Must meet pre-set department goals and scorecard metrics.

Provides excellent customer service at all times. Establishes rapport with donors and potential donors and educates them in the organizations programs and services.

Complies and maintains current knowledge and understanding of Donor Recruitment policies, procedures and other related regulations. Training Chapter 1, NEON I & II, Annual cGMP, Annual Safety, Medical Ethics, Customer Service, Blood Establishment Computer Systems, and all required departmental and interdepartmental training. Qualifications EDUCATION: High School diploma, GED, or equivalent is required. EXPERIENCE: Prior telerecruitment experience preferred SKILLS: Language skills must include the ability to read, write, speak English effectively and follow oral and written instructions consistent with policies and procedure, SOPs or other requirements. Ability to make sound decisions under pressure.

Effective planning and organizational skills

Demonstrate the ability to multi-task.

Ability to function as a key team member in a high-level production environment coupled with strong organization skills

Ability to work independently and to meet deadlines.

Demonstrated ability to work without direct supervision.

Must be able to make simple decisions based on well-defined choices.

Ability to communicate effectively with the staff and the public to enhance LIFELINEs relationship with the community.

Basic computer skills in Microsoft Word and Excel. Working Conditions Functions are regularly performed inside and/or outside with potential for exposure to adverse conditions, such as inclement weather, atmospheric elements and pathogenic substances. Performance of this job could expose the employee to blood-borne pathogens. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Physical Requirements Employee is required to stand, walk, sit, and have the ability to lift a minimum of 10 pounds. Click Apply to submit your resume and be considered today!

recblid c9tiv16ee35xrnoqlfhzu8y72e1cnb








Description



System ID 717210

Category General Management

Relocation Type No

Employment Status Full-Time

Unit Description

Do you possess strong leadership skills and enjoy managing people, processes and projects? Benefits offered! Sodexo is seeking a full-time Regional Operations Support Manager (insert 1-4) (ROSI) to provide regional Environmental Services support at Sodexo hospitals for the Southeast Area. This position will last for up to 18 months and will provide an opportunity to train and highlight your skills working with multiple directors/general managers and reports directly to the Client Executive. While in this full-time role, you are encouraged to apply to permanent positions at any Sodexo location. Selected candidate must be able to travel as needed. * If traveling outside of your local geography the selected candidate may work 10 days on and 4 days off. This position is eligible for full-time benefits. Our Sodexo Health Care Environmental Services/Housekeeping teams work to direct housekeeping operations at health care client locations, partnering with them to deliver innovative solutions. These teams also have responsibility for driving client satisfaction by providing stellar customer service via effective communication with all levels of hospital staff, as well as follow-through with action items that impact both client and patient satisfaction. At Sodexo Health Care, patients are the heart of everything we do. Our ability to create a clean, healthy and comfortable environment for hospitals is key to the full patient experience. The successful candidate will: be responsible for driving client and patient satisfaction scores;

provide a clean and safe environment for patients, visitors and staff and works closely with the Infectious Control department;

work with the Environment of Care Committee and Infection Prevention Director;

effectively manages the Unit Operating System; and/or

support a diverse and inclusive workforce. Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who: have experience leading and managing a team and is a leader who develops and motivates a team to exceed the expectations of clients and customers in service and the technical execution of a health care housekeeping system;

have experience driving customer service and/or guest satisfaction results in a health care environment is preferred;

possess strong leadership skills and can work independently to drive program compliance and reach project target dates of completion;

can analyze data, present and effectively communicate to all levels within the organization related to training, leading hospital committees and change management;

have experience effectively managing projects within agreed upon timelines;

are results and safety driven;

have in-depth knowledge of housekeeping systems and procedures;

have experience with vendor and contract management, as well as union and contract negotiations;

have experience improving patient satisfaction, and driving full compliance to HCAHPS, local, state and Joint Commission standards;

have 3-5 years previous custodial / housekeeping or similar management experience., in a hospital, health care experience preferred but not required;

have strong financial acumen and budget management experience;

can multi-task and set priorities; and/or

are proficient with computers and other technology. Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits Not the job for you? At Sodexo, we offer Environmental Service/Housekeeping positions in Health Care and Senior Living locations across the United States. Continue your search for ES/Housekeeping jobs. Working for Sodexo: Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities.

Position Summary

The Manager II, Regional Operations Support (ROSI) has overall responsibility, or a portion of an on-sight operations area (ie Food, ES, Clinical, Culinary, Facilities, CTM) as assigned by the Client executive. In this role, the ROSI has direct accountability for executing Sodexo systems, programs, resources, tools, and talent management that drives operational excellence and our service commitments that are: Predictable, Reliable, and Repeatable Primary Responsibilities: Client / Customer Service - 20% Navigates the client organization through effective communication while influencing and persuading at multiple levels. Seeks to collaborate for win-win outcomes.

Provide effective communication for clients and customers to ensure excellent customer service.

Effectively partners with client and Sodexo employees to drive successful outcomes.

Complies with all client policies and procedures. Operational Excellence - 40% Owns, drives, and measures operational excellence outcomes of Sodexo and client.

Effectively deploys, embeds and ensures Sodexo standardized processes are in place.

Creates a continuous quality improvement culture that drives operational efficiencies.

Drives change and creates a culture where change is embraced and operationalized.

Utilizes all operational processes to drive continuous improvement and celebrate successes. Analysis & Decision Making - 20% Utilizes tools within Sodexo Healthcare to drive and manage middle of the page (Labor Expense, Raw Materials) to deliver positive outcomes.

Accountable for effective utilization of labor resources.

Analyses data to engage in data driven decision making using data, logic, benchmarking, and leading practices in decision making to determine best solutions for the business.

Effective risk management by ensuring consistent regulatory and legal compliance.

Compliance with supply chain management requirements.

Understands and effectively manages unit finances in the Sodexo budgets.

Sets operational goals with key metrics and ensures quick analysis of variances to ensure a prompt resolution and mitigate adverse impact on our clients or our performance.

Delivers predictable top and bottom-line results at the site, relentless focus on driving efficiency, and makes difficult decisions.

Effectively delegates operational responsibilities to appropriate individuals / positions.

Follows best practices in decision making to determine best solutions for the business. Safety - 10% Ensures that individuals performing service-related tasks have the competence to do so without putting the health and safety of themselves or others at risk.

Behaviors include: Working as a team for safety

Communicating Effectively for Safety

Managing Safety Risks

Optimizing Human and Environmental Factors

Recognizing, respond and reporting incidents

Adherence to all operational safety practices and protocols

Drives a safety culture throughout the team Talent - 10% Ability to effectively manage aspects of Human Resources (ie. Leadership, People Management, Employee Relations, etc) to support individual and team development and drive operational outcomes.

Creates a culture of continuous learning and development for self and those within the unit assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements

Basic Education Requirement - Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience Basic Management Experience - 3 years Basic Functional Experience - 3 years work experience in facilities (e.g., maintenance, plant operations, engineering services, grounds, custodial/environmental, or transportation) or food (e.g., food services or operations, concessions, retail sales, store operations, or vending) services, CTM, or Clinical Nutrition Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer.



Requirements

See Job Description






NEWARK CENTRAL SCHOOLS - COME JOIN US!..... Newark, a village in Western New York State, located on the beautiful Erie Canal, and home to approximately 9,000 residents. Its convenient location, only 15 minutes from the New York State Thruway, making it easy to offer a full complement of services more typically found in larger communities. Among its many amenities, Newark offers shopping, a state-of-the art hospital, businesses and excellent schools, contributing to a high quality of life and economic opportunity. Position Title

Bus Drivers

Required Application Type

School Related Personnel

Salary/Pay Scale

$18.00 per hour

Job Description

7.0 FTE Bus Driver positions Job Qualifications

Must possess or be able to obtain CDL drivers license with Class P endorsement. Full training is available to qualified candidates. Job Category

Bus Driver

Job Location

District Wide The Newark Central School District is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. Further, Newark Central School District does not discriminate on the basis of religion or creed, sexual orientation, military status, genetic status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, criminal arrest or conviction record, or any other bias prohibited by state or federal non-discrimination laws.

recblid v5gm9lmrb264czzbbrgsnxftdpjpa4








COURTROOM CLERK I Starting Salary: $38,667 JOB OPPORTUNITY The Superior Court of California, County of Kings, is accepting applications for two full-time Courtroom Clerk I positions located in Hanford, California. ESSENTIAL DUTIES include, but are not necessarily limited to: Sets and maintains schedule of court events; attends court sessions and records minutes of court proceedings; prepares, certifies and routes documentation to establish sentencing disposition of defendants; notifies Probation Department of verdicts and dates of sentencing; dockets criminal cases; updates case documents for Civil, Small Claims, Family Law, Adoption, Probate, Juvenile, Writ of Habeas Corpus, Criminal, and Traffic cases; types a variety of legal documents and records of court activities; schedules future calendar matters for attorneys; receives, labels, securely stores and routes court exhibits and evidence; sets hearings and accepts filings for courtroom proceedings; administers oaths; orders and/or cancels juries; records jury attendance; impanels juries; prepares record of billing and/or reimbursement claims for juror expenses; prepares, types, files and distributes legal documents and correspondence to reflect judicial decisions; maintains jury instructions; maintains statistics to assist in preparation of Judicial Council reports; sets up and maintains tickler files for court cases taken under submission; reviews and maintains judicial case files; files case documents; researches and responds to inquiries regarding cases and court-related matters; issues and distributes bench warrants; recalls bench warrants at the direction of the Judge or Commissioner; prepares and mails disposition notices of daily court proceedings; orders bail reviews and formal sentencing reports; may assist in training new staff; prepares minutes for use in courtroom; sets court cases for trial; verifies accuracy of daily calendars for Court purposes; and ability to comprehend and analyze legal codes and terminology. (Essential duties may vary from position to position within classifications. Reasonable accommodation will be made when requested and determined by the Court to be appropriate under applicable law. This position may be assigned any other duties as determined and assigned by the Court Executive Officer or his designee.) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Education and Experience: Possession of High School Diploma or GED; and one (1) year of experience equivalent to a Court Services Clerk (any level); OR, one (1) year of responsible legal clerical experience involving working knowledge of general court procedures.; OR, one (1) year of business training in an approved school or training program may substitute for a maximum of 6 months of experience. Ability to type 45 wpm (Applicant must submit a copy of a typing certificate from a recognized agency obtained within the last two years at the time of application.). SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Must possess a valid California Class C drivers license. Ability to qualify for a security clearance through fingerprinting, traffic and criminal record background investigation, random drug testing and regular TB testing. Ability to sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity; eye-hand coordination; lift and move objects weighing up to twenty (20) pounds; verbal communication; use of office equipment, including computer, telephone, calculator, copier and fax machine. Travel may be required outside of Kings County to attend meetings, conferences, and trainings. BENEFITS: The Court offers a benefit package to its regular full-time (pro-rated if not hired at the beginning of the plan year) which include 13 Court approved holidays; accrued sick/vacation (accrual based on hours worked, minimum 2 weeks/year); a Flexible Benefit Plan to purchase a variety of health insurance plans and related benefits such as Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Deferred Compensation, Administrative Leave, Medical Reimbursement, Dependent Care Reimbursement, Life Insurance, Cancer Policy, and Short-term/Long-term Disability. A Retirement Plan is provided [2% at age 62] through California Public Employees Retirement System [P.E.R.S.]. A Classic P.E.R.S. Member Retirement Plan is offered [2% at age 55] only if the employee does not have a six-month break in service as a previous CalPERS member or retirement plan member that is reciprocal with P.E.R.S. An Employee Assistance Program is also provided CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled Application materials must be submitted in person, online or by mail by the filing due date A resume or faxed application cannot substitute for an original Court application. The Court Application is available on-line at our website: www.kings.courts.ca.gov. For further information or to receive an application in person or by mail (applications only mailed out to individuals residing outside of Kings County), please contact: Superior Court of the State of California, County of Kings Attn: Human Resources Division 1640 Kings County Drive Hanford, CA 93230 (559) 582-1010 Extension 6021 www.kings.courts.ca.gov EOE/AA Employer [This is not an offer of employment by the County of Kings or State of California]

recblid bxn35op4kk67md3tqxhs1ba804hysq








Apple Music Technical Account Manager Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Marketing Summary

Posted: Aug 26, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200278193 The people here at Apple don't just create products - they create the kind of wonder that's revolutionized entire industries. It's the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. We're growing and urge you to apply. We Believe the role would place you in a highly-energized environment with some of the most talented creative individuals in the industry where you would be inspired to share your years of experience along with providing extraordinary support for the team. This role requires enriching Apple's relationships with labels and distributors. The individual will have the essential balance of hard and soft skills needed to provide professional support to labels, evangelize Apple Music's priorities and tools, and drive improvement across Apple Music Operations. Apple Music Operations represents labels, music distributors and artists across the Apple Music ecosystem. Our operations expertise drives the development of technical tools, processes and support resources.... all whilst delivering first-class support to a global content provider community. Key Qualifications Detail-oriented, organized, meticulous approach to work.

Works well under pressure/with multiple priorities and tight deadlines.

Ability to navigate ambiguity.

Ability to work independently and self-prioritize.

Thorough understanding of digital music and music video distribution, and the systems and metadata required for distribution. Knowledge of Apple's Music standard is a strong plus.

Demonstrable success developing technical processes, workflows and solutions.

Excellent technical and outward facing account management skills & experience.

Strong verbal and written English communication skills.

Languages are a plus. Description You will act as an operations partner relationship manager, responsible for supporting the North American market, based in Cupertino. Build rapport with key partners and drive adoption of new Apple Music features, identify opportunities for Apple Music Operations, diagnose issues and identify solutions, and most importantly - innovate. Engage with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot issues or develop specifications, product roadmaps and tool enhancements. Strategize with the Apple Music business team to identify opportunities and develop action plans for growing the Apple Music. Impact the music industry. Education & Experience Bachelor's Degree and/or extensive years of professional relevant work experience.




Simulator and Virtualization - Engineering Manager Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Aug 25, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200282200 The Xcode team provides the tools to develop software for Apple's innovative macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS platforms. Because tools are our products, the Xcode team has the unique and rewarding opportunity to apply personal experience to enhance and augment the tools they use everyday. The Xcode team is seeking a creative, motivated engineering manager to drive a team in designing, building, and improving foundational technologies that enable internal engineers and external developers to interact with external devices, simulators, and virtual machines as part of the development process. Key Qualifications 2+ years experience directly managing a software engineering team or working as a technical lead

Proven track record of technical leadership, delivering features on tight timelines

Ability to find simpler solutions to complex problems and workflows

Ability to inspire others and steer them towards shared ambitious goals

Ability to work well with other engineering teams to align priorities and collaborate successfully on shared initiatives

Passion for software maintainability, organization, testability, and readability

Comfortable with large and established codebases, including complex debugging scenario

Object-oriented design and programming skills

Demonstrated ability for creative and critical thinking Description As the engineering manager of the Simulator and Virtualization Team, you will be responsible for the core technologies responsible for interacting with simulators and virtual devices as part of the development process. Your communication skills will be incredibly vital as you interact with your team and many diverse groups across the company. You will collaborate with cross-functional partners like Human Interface Design team, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, CoreOS, Security, Networking, and work closely with product and feature program managers to plan, scope, and develop new features. Every day, you will work with passionate engineers, designing and building outstanding products in one of the most critical and impactful spaces. Education & Experience BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field, equivalent work experience will be considered. Apple's most important resource, our soul, is our people. Apple benefits help further the well-being of our employees and their families in meaningful ways. No matter where you work at Apple, you can take advantage of our health and wellness resources and time-away programs. We're proud to provide stock grants to employees at all levels of the company, and we also give employees the option to buy Apple stock at a discount - both offer everyone at Apple the chance to share in the company's success. You'll discover many more benefits of working at Apple, such as programs that match your charitable contributions, reimburse you for continuing your education and give you special employee pricing on Apple products. Apple benefits programs vary by country and are subject to eligibility requirements. Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Additional Requirements PREFERRED ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

- Excellent debugging and triage skills

- Objective-C or Swift development experience

- Knowledge of designing and developing client-service architectures and APIs

- Expertise in Operating System Development

- Experience with Virtualization (Hypervisors, VirtIO, Paravirtualization, etc)








Analyst, Global Product Finance and Analytics - AppleCare Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Corporate Functions Summary

Posted: Aug 25, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200281754 Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming great products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish! Do you love thinking analytically? Are you passionate about using your financial knowledge to navigate complex challenges? Just as our customers find value in Apple products, the Finance group finds value for both Apple and its shareholders. As part of the AppleCare Finance organization, you'll play an integral role in ensuring our day-to-day financial health. You and your team will support Apple's growth, both top and bottom line, by applying the same level of innovation toward financial matters as we do toward our products and services. You'll also collaborate with Apple teams across the world to develop more effective investment strategies and risk management. Finance is essential to upholding our global commitment to excellence, and it is directly responsible for shaping the company's future. Join us, and you'll have a relevant role in continuing Apple's legacy of efficiency and success. Team up with Apple, one of the most influential technology leaders in the industry. Join the AppleCare Finance organization and make a positive impact on a company that is known for impressive products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and iPod. We are looking for an outstanding individual with integrity, personal accountability, proactive thinking, a focus on collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. If you exemplify our values and want to be part of something big, contact us today. Key Qualifications 5 + years proven ability in analyzing data and reporting

Advanced ability to pull and write data using SQL

Demonstrated ability to build relationships with and influence business partners

Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, have ability to handle multiple projects

Thriving on an environment that is fast-paced, rapidly changing, and customer service-oriented

Recent experience with building models such as forecasting growth, predicting churn, customer clustering and detecting anomalies.

Experience in high-level programming language for analysis (e.g Python, R)

Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, have ability to handle multiple projects

Demonstrated ability to build relationships with and influence business partners

ADDITIONAL SUCCESS FACTORS:

Understanding Subscription based business.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Self-motivated, independent and proactive

Ability to work with multi-functional teams, set priorities and lead multiple projects simultaneously with critical timelines. Description This is a highly visible and challenging position. It is a fast paced role that will require the successful candidate to analyze revenue, margin and sales data. The role requires the successful candidate to be able to identify, investigate, understand and articulate sales, revenue and margin trends. The successful candidate will need to illustrate a proven ability to work with large volumes of data and present conclusions to aid effective decision-making. In doing so, the successful candidate will need to take initiative to enhance existing and develop new reporting. Also important to the role will be the ability to develop working relationships with key business partners throughout the Apple organization. Education & Experience Bachelor's degree in Finance, Operations, Engineering, or other relevant field of study.


Director of Health Information Management

Full Time Exempt Position. The Director of Health Information Management develops department goals, objectives, standards of performance, and policies and procedures. The Director also organizes the department in accordance with Administrative guidelines to provide specified health information management services to meet legal, organizational, and Medical Staff guidelines. Additionally, the Director directs the implementation and ensures compliance with the standard of Health Information Management services and Conditions of Participations of Medicare and Medicaid. The Director also serves as the Districts Privacy Officer. Bachelor's degree preferred, associate degree required. RHIT or RHIA preferred, CCS required. Prefer five years of experience in a healthcare setting in HIM field.

Ballinger Memorial Hospital District offers numerous outpatient services, acute and swing bed care, and is certified as a level IV trauma ER. They also provide a clinic with physicians and mid-level providers. Ballinger Memorial Hospital District participates in and promotes activities that encourage wellness in our community.

Ballinger Memorial Hospital District offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits. All employees are enrolled in the TCDRS retirement plan, with a generous employer contribution. Full-Time employees are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance, short term disability and cafeteria plans. BMHD provides $40,000 life insurance and long-term disability for all Full-Time employees.

To apply, contact Cam Martin, HR Director, at 325-365-4952, or email resume to email provided, or apply in person at 608 Avenue B, Ballinger, Texas.

recblid nzupv5pdv3ah18vdiwz5v53g0hgkl9
NC State Agency needs an attorney to serve as Associate Legal Counsel I to prosecute cases before the Commission involving character qualifications of applicants.



$72,324 - $86,788 (based on experience and qualifications), plus excellent benefits.

Application deadline September 13.



DUTIES:



1. Prosecutes cases before the Commission involving character qualifications of applicants

and less complex cases alleging violations of Real Estate License Law and Commission

rules.



2. Reviews written complaints against real estate licensees and, if needed, discusses cases

being referred to field investigators with the Director of Regulatory Affairs; assigns cases

to non-attorney complaint processors for investigation.



3. Prepares and responds to assigned disciplinary and litigation cases; conducts necessary research

on real estate and laws relating to Commission cases and court rulings.



4. Determines merits of a case and points of law; analyzes pertinent statutory, common and case

law, administrative and procedural rules; develops case strategy and legal arguments.



5. Receives and answers inquiries from licensees and the public relating to legal aspects of the Real

Estate License Law



MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:



Graduation from an accredited law school and license to practice law in the State of North Carolina

and responsible professional experience in the practice of law.

Successful completion of State Bar

required hours of annual CLE credits.

Must reside in the Raleigh area.



To apply and for more information click "Apply" or call 919-608-7148.



NC Real Estate Commission. EOE.

recblid 0grahe21naopzpv638rmk0f7jbmljg
NC State Agency needs an attorney to serve as Associate Legal Counsel II to prosecute cases before the Commission involving allegations of violations of Real Estate License Law and Commission rules.



$75,324 - $86,788, plus excellent benefits.

Application deadline September 13.



DUTIES:



1. Determines when cases are ready to be closed or presented to the Commission for

determining whether to pursue disciplinary action, and assesses whether further research

is required; provides consultation to staff on further action.



2. Prosecutes cases before the Commission involving less complex allegations of violations

of Real Estate License Law and Commission rules; issues notices of hearing, subpoenas,

and orders; conducts settlement negotiations of contested cases under the supervision of

the Director and/or Assistant Director.



3. Prepares and responds to assigned disciplinary and litigation cases; conducts necessary

research on real estate and laws relating to Commission cases and court rulings.



4. Determines merits of a case and points of law; analyzes pertinent statutory, common and case

law, administrative and procedural rules; develops case strategy and legal arguments.



5. Receives and answers inquiries from licensees and the public relating to legal aspects of

the Real Estate License Law, Commission rules, departmental policies, real estate

brokerage, and real estate transactions generally.



MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:



Graduation from an accredited law school and license to practice law in the State of North Carolina

and responsible professional experience in the practice of law.

Successful completion of State Bar

required hours of annual CLE credits.

Must reside in the Raleigh area.





To apply and for more information click "Apply" or call 919-608-7148.



NC Real Estate Commission. EOE.

recblid mfmi19zgs8tcc83h0iiqp95ib8v6b8
Stock Market News

UK Market Open - Imperial Quarter given final go-ahead to open food and drink market in St Helens 27-08-2021 06:24



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
With the shambolic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan earlier this month, thousands of Afghans are now looking to flee the country. Faced with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis of their own making, politicians in the US and Europe are crying crocodile tears over the hardships faced by refugees, while nonetheless abandoning them to their suffering.

The mass displacement of people in Afghanistan didnt begin with the US withdrawal. Currently, there are around 3.5 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan, and a further 2.5 million who are refugees in other countries as a result of the US occupation. The intensification of the conflict this year alone has made over half a million Afghans homeless. With the increased instability that is set to grip the country, however, this number is set to dramatically increase.

Warfare is just one of the torments forcing Afghans from their homes. The country is currently experiencing a severe drought endangering the lives of over three million people and leaving 14 million people in hunger; a massive economic crisis as capital flees in the wake of the Taliban takeover; and the acute effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the overwhelming majority of the population completely unable to access vaccine doses. Trapped between war, climate change, famine, and disease, the poor of Afghanistan are experiencing unimaginable suffering, which will only worsen in the coming period, and which is driving millions to seek refuge abroad.

The overwhelming majority of the 2.5 million who have already fled abroad are currently in Iran and Pakistan (in excess of two million). Yet the ruling classes of the wealthy, imperialist countries  some of the very same countries that invaded Afghanistan  apparently have nothing they can give apart from thoughts and prayers. Where they do cast a few crumbs to refugees, they expect to be praised to the heavens for their generosity.

Having caused unimaginable suffering in the course of their intervention in Afghanistan, the imperialist nations are offering little more than crocodile tears for their victims / Image: ResoluteSupportMedia Flikr

In Britain, for example, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Afghan refugees a bespoke scheme that would be one of the most generous in our countrys history. Johnsons scheme will allow 5,000 Afghan refugees to come to Britain this year. If such generosity from one of the powers that bombed Afghanistan to smithereens is not enough, Johnson has promised to accept a further 15,000... in the coming five years. Of course, any prospective migrant will have to live that long under Taliban terror first. This is nothing more than an empty gesture. It is a drop in the ocean compared to the 6 million and rising who have already been displaced from their homes by these same foreign imperialists. But if we want a real measure of Boris Johnsons generosity, it is worth noting that 15,000 Afghan refugees is precisely the number that Britain has deported to the conflict-ridden country since 2008.

What sort of reception will there be for the lucky few that are allowed into fortress Britain? They will struggle to find accommodation and will be given no help by the state. They will be forced into deprived areas, with severe housing shortages and dangerous living conditions. Problems in housing refugees have been solved in some cases by placing them in military barracks, with disastrous outcomes for their physical and mental health, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak at one such facility in Kent, where over 200 refugees tested positive.

They will be made to endure inedible food, collapsed ceilings, housing insecurity, hotel rooms filled with cockroaches, and much more besides. As for those who are not prepared to wait five years to be resettled and who instead arrive in Britain illegally, Home Secretary Priti Patel suggested last month that they ought to receive a four year prison sentence. This is the legendary generosity of the British ruling class, which treats the victims of its imperialist crimes little better than animals.

While the Tory politicians put on a show about their made-up humanitarian credentials, the Tory media have used the new wave of refugees to spread fear, division, and xenophobia throughout society. In Britain, the right-wing Daily Mail has claimed that refugees will be housed in beach resorts and that British families holiday plans are being threatened by hotels filled with migrants.

The situation in Europe is no different. Over the last few days, EU leaders have been pushing to maintain their own interests and have demagogically played with the future of refugees in their battles to stay ahead in the polls. Last week, Austrian Minister of the Interior, Karl Nehammer, said that the country would continue deporting people back to Afghanistan for as long as possible, while Chancellor Sebastian Kurz emphasised that Austria would not take a single Afghan refugee in the coming period.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the German CDUs candidate for Chancellor, Armin Laschet, who tweeted in response to the fall of Kabul that 2015 should not repeat itself. This is a reference to the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian civil war, another humanitarian catastrophe created by imperialist meddling, which was cynically used by right-wing politicians and parties across Europe to whip up xenophobic sentiments. With Germany set to elect its next government in September, Laschet and the right-wing CDU are doubtlessly eager to appeal to supporters of the reactionary Alternative for Germany (AfD), which grew in the years after 2015 by exploiting anti-refugee sentiments.

Meanwhile, the reactionary Bild newspaper attacked the Merkel government for failing to emphasise the importance of German values to refugees, and claiming that imperialist intervention in Afghanistan arrived too late and left too early.

Meanwhile, the Greek government has begun expanding its 40km fence at the Turkish border in anticipation of a new wave of refugees. A Greek government spokesperson promised they wont take lightly any possible escalation of the immigration and refugee issue and have called upon the EU to back up new anti-immigrant measures.

The European media and politicians have been demanding "no return to 2015"  in reference to the refugee crisis precipitated by the civil war in Syria. That is to say, they are demanding that refugees be kept out before a renewed squabble erupts over how many displaced victims of imperialism each country has to take / Image: Gemes Sandor, SzomSzed

Even the supposedly moderate liberals of European politics have embraced reactionary and anti-refugee rhetoric in response to US withdrawal from Afghanistan. French President Emmanuel Macron told the public in a speech last week that Europe must protect itself from significant waves of illegal migrants and spoke of the threat of irregular migration as a result of the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, adding that France would welcome only those refugees who share our values. Macrons open use of the rhetoric of the far-right has been seen by many for what it really is  an attempt to appeal to the supporters of the rabidly reactionary National Rally (formerly National Front) in advance of the countrys presidential election next year. Social media users mocked Macron as Emmanuel Le Pen, after the National Rallys leader Marine Le Pen, who likewise spread fear about an increased risk of attacks and new waves of immigration from Afghanistan in the coming period.

Few rise to quite the levels of hypocrisy weve seen from the imperialist power that holds the greatest responsibility for the horrific plight of the Afghan people: the United States. Despite Joe Bidens promise that every resource necessary would be mobilised to help asylum seekers and refugees, the White House has suggested that only around 50,000 Afghans will be let into the country, and only those who were previously employed by the US military will be allowed to apply. And yet some 300,000 people are estimated to have worked with the American occupation in one way or another. Having been used by the American occupiers, most of them are now being abandoned to almost certain death. This number doesnt take into account the many thousands more who had nothing to do with the occupation forces but who are now at risk of reprisals from the Taliban for their activism, religious beliefs, etc.

The US government will put every conceivable barrier up to prevent refugees arriving. Those who wish to go to the US must receive a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) before entering the country, requiring a meticulous vetting process. This process, for which there is currently a massive backlog, requires among other things, proof of employment, proof of nationality and a letter of recommendation. This will be impossible for some, after US consular staff incinerated many such documents in their rush to get rid of sensitive documents before evacuating the US embassy. In addition, refugees wanting to travel to the US require biometric vetting, involving voiceprints, eye scans, hand prints and facial photographs.

According to the International Refugee Assistance Project, however, this vetting process has been plagued with administrative errors meaning that many refugees are stuck in the SIV process for years on years. This means that Afghans hoping to enter the US will either be trapped in Afghanistan, or will be interned in military bases for the foreseeable future, until their paperwork can be processed. Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees will be left in a dangerous and unbearable limbo by the US, for the simple crime of being on a waiting list.

Videos have widely circulated showing desperate crowds of thousands of refugees outside Kabul airport being forcibly dispersed by US soldiers, firing into the air and using gas to drive people back. Even before the horror of the terrorist bombings at Kabul airport that killed 90 people last night, dozens of civilians have died in crushes and gunfire, and many more have been seriously injured while trying to gain access to the airport and to safety, while US soldiers struggle to keep them at bay by any means necessary. Particularly disturbing are videos of US planes taking off with desperate civilians clinging to the sides of the aircraft, falling to their deaths in the pursuit of safety.

The scene at Kabul airport several hours ago per source from an NGO who is trying to get people out. Main problem is that it's impossible to pass the gates and get to the planes even if you are on an evacuees list pic.twitter.com/b3bZn5B34Z  Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 21, 2021

And yet, for some, the crisis unfolding in Kabul is a splendid chance to make a little extra profit. The private security (read: mercenary) company, Blackwater, which has already profited enormously from US imperialist adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, is now purportedly selling tickets on chartered flights out of Kabul for $6,500 per head.

If US imperialism has been short of actions to ameliorate the suffering of Afghan refugees, the latter can perhaps take some satisfaction from the effusion of sympathetic words. The architect of the invasion of Afghanistan, George Bush, has expressed his deep sadness for the refugees fleeing the formerly US-financed Taliban forces and a war that he himself started. Meanwhile, Tony Blair solemnly fretted over the need to evacuate and give sanctuary to those to whom we have responsibility. Truly, there exists no better definition of crocodile tears.

While the ruling class around the world claim to have the best interests of Afghanistan at heart and wax lyrical about the sorrows of refugees, the Afghan people will get nothing from these profit-hungry imperialists. Johnsons generosity, Macrons duty and dignity, Angela Merkels rescue mission, Bidens heartbreak  these words are an insult to the millions of Afghan refugees whose lives have been destroyed.

Some capitalists have smelled a profit in the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. US mercenary group, Blackwater, is purportedly selling seats on its chartered flights out of Afghanistan for $6,500 a piece / Image: US Marine Corps, Sgt. Samuel Ruiz

Under capitalism, refugees are an economic inconvenience, a scapegoat for the ruling class, a bargaining chip in their political games, and a means of reeling in votes for the right-wing, pro-imperialist parties that stir up hatred towards the very victims of imperialism. We cannot expect genuine support for Afghan refugees from imperialist warmongers who undermine living and working conditions of workers in their own countries at the same time that they kill, maim and displace thousands and millions abroad.

The current crisis once more exposes the fact that the imperialists couldn't care less about the lives and livelihoods of the Afghan people. We demand that the borders are thrown open to the innocent victims of imperialist adventures. But this means bringing down the same ruling class that erects these boundaries in the first place. Men, women and children are fleeing Afghanistan and seeking respite elsewhere because of the actions of our own ruling class. Their class enemy is our class enemy. The internationalist duty of workers in imperialist countries to their class brothers and sisters in Afghanistan is to fight to bring down our own ruling class and create a socialist society without imperialism, borders or wars.
With Labour conference approaching, the right wing of the Labour Party in Britain are going on the offensive, expelling socialists from the party in order to crush the left. We appeal to grassroots members and affiliated unions to help us in the fight against the purge.

Dear comrades,

Starmer is threatening to destroy the Labour Party as we know it.

Following on from the expulsion of left-wing filmmaker Ken Loach and other prominent socialist activists, Ian Hodson, president of the bakers union (BFAWU), is the latest victim of the right wings purge.

As a consequence, it is likely that BFAWU could disaffiliate from the party, with trade union members rightly disgusted by this latest scandalous attack.

SOLIDARITY WITH IAN HODSON - Starmer and the Blairites are now threatening to expel President of the Bakers Union and staunch trade unionist Ian Hodson. pic.twitter.com/MciS6N0NO5  Socialist Appeal (@socialist_app) August 25, 2021

McCarthyism

When standing to be Labour leader, Starmer promised to unify the party. This has been revealed to be a complete lie.

Already, more than 120,000 members have left the party in disillusionment, as Sir Keir Starmer shifts the party back to Blairism. More are leaving every day.

Democracy in the party is being shut down, with Jeremy Corbyn yet to have the whip restored, and many members punished simply for objecting to his treatment. Whole parties have been suspended or taken over by regional officials.

The NEC has declared that Socialist Appeal, Labour Against the Witchhunt and Labour in Exile are now banned organisations. Anyone found supporting them  now or in the past  faces auto-exclusion.

Officials are trawling through social media and compiling lists of the guilty. It is a carbon copy of McCarthyism.

Bans and proscriptions have always been used to bolster the position of the right wing in the Labour Party. In the past, Stafford Cripps, Nye Bevan, and George Strauss were all expelled. Others, like Michael Foot, Sidney Silverman, and others were expelled from the PLP.

The right wing are once again reverting to such dirty deeds to drive out the left. Today, it is Socialist Appeal and several other groups who face the chop; tomorrow there will be many more, including you. No member with dangerous opinions will escape.

Marxism

Socialist Appeal has fought for 30 years for bold, socialist policies without hiding its ideas. Now the Labour Party bureaucracy wants to ban any association with Marxists in a carbon copy of Senator Joseph McCarthy's methods / Image: Socialist Appeal

In our 30-year history, Socialist Appeal has consistently fought for a bold socialist programme to eradicate the dog-eat-dog system that is capitalism.

We fought against Tony Blairs removal of Clause IV; and, more recently, we campaigned for the readoption of this socialist clause.

We have never hidden our ideas. We proudly describe ourselves as the Marxist voice of Labour and youth. The values and traditions we defend are not alien to the party or the labour movement. Marxists helped to found the party.

Now the right-wing controlled National Executive Committee wants to ban us, in the same way as Stalins bureaucracy and Hitlers regime banned newspapers and books.

Today, anyone caught writing for, selling, or promoting the Socialist Appeal will be deemed a supporter and subsequently expelled.

The partys compliance unit has even widened this definition  arbitrarily and unilaterally. Councillor Pamela Fitzpatrick, for example, has been threatened with expulsion for the crime of giving a video interview last year, when she was standing (against David Evans) to be Labour general secretary.

I have just received a letter from the Labour Party threatening me with auto exclusion because I was interviewed by Socialist Appeal in May 2020 on why I was applying for the position of General Secretary. I explained to SA I wanted fair procedures followed in the party.  Pamela Fitzpatrick (@PamelaFitzNWC) August 23, 2021

Hypocrisy

Where will this end? As Nye Bevan explained, to ban groups is to turn the party into an ideological concentration camp.

While Labour members are banned from writing for Socialist Appeal, on pain of expulsion, Sir Keir Starmer can write freely for the Daily Mail, which supported Oswald Mosleys Blackshirts in the 1930s.

Apparently it is also acceptable for members of the present Shadow Cabinet to write for the Sun  or the Scum, as it is popularly known in labour circles. What a scandal! Yet nothing is said about this. Instead they attack Socialist Appeal!

This tells you all you need to know about the leadership of the current Labour Party and the values they defend.

NEW: Poorest kids hit hardest after Tory cuts to policing.



Its time to get tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.



This is the Tories record. Theyre the party of crime and disorder - good for criminals, bad for kids.



Me in tomorrows Sun https://t.co/kbIgD9puBc  Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) August 2, 2021

Defiance

We are therefore appealing to you to reject this witch-hunt of socialists. Bans and proscriptions should be put in the dustbin of history. They have no place inside a socialist party.

Please support the fight against this purge by:

Mandating your delegates to the Labour Party conference to support a reference back of the NECs proscription proposal.

Passing the model motion below, and sending it to conference as the official motion from your CLP or union.

Donating to our crowdfunder, to raise the funds needed to fight back against Starmer and the right wing.

In Chartist times, left-wing newspapers were suppressed by the government through the imposition of a tax. Thousands defied this unjust tax. Those who refused to levy the tax were imprisoned.

We stand on the shoulders of these heroes. These are the traditions we defend. Starmer and his right-wing gangsters will never be able to intimidate us.

Finally, we appeal to you to defy the right wing by taking out a solidarity subscription to Socialist Appeal  the paper that Starmer doesnt want you to read.

Model motion for conference: No to expulsions, bans, and proscriptions! Fight the Tories, not the left!

This CLP / conference notes the recent threats of expulsion against dedicated and loyal socialist Labour members, including filmmaker Ken Loach, councillor Pamela Fitzpatrick, and president of the bakers union Ian Hodson, amongst others.

This CLP / conference further notes that this follows an ongoing campaign by Keir Starmer and David Evans against the left wing of the party, involving:

The suspension and expulsion of numerous members, including the former leader of our party, Jeremy Corbyn.

The suppression of party democracy, with bureaucratic restrictions imposed on what members can and cant discuss.

The proscription of left-wing organisations, solely for the crime of being Marxist or opposing unjust suspensions. In an Orwellian manner, these bans are now being used as carte blanche to expel anyone.

This CLP / conference believes that such McCarthyite methods are being used to attack and shut out socialists from the party. This purge of the left by Starmers leadership is part of an attempt to reverse the socialist policies brought in under Corbyn, and to make the party a safe pair of hands for capitalism.

This CLP / conference declares its solidarity with those unjustly expelled, and its opposition to all bans and proscriptions.

This CLP / conference demands that all proscriptions and unjust exclusions are reversed, and that the attacks on rank-and-file members and party democracy are halted immediately.

Instead of attacking its own members, the party leadership should be using all of its efforts to fight this criminal Tory government on the basis of bold socialist policies.

Crowdfunder appeal: Help us fight the Labour right at conference!

It is clear that Starmer and the Labour right wing will not stop until socialists are entirely expunged from the Labour party.

From Jeremy Corbyn to Ian Hodson; from Ken Loach to Pamela Fitzpatrick  they are determined to clear the party of its left wing, from top to bottom, in order to secure their rule on behalf of big business and the establishment.

Image: Socialist Appeal

This is also why Starmer and the right wing have proscribed the most determined class fighters within the party: the Marxists of Socialist Appeal.

Already they have expelled a member of our editorial board and dedicated activist, Ben Gliniecki. No doubt more auto-exclusions are on their way.

But we will not bury our heads in the sand. Now is not the time to lie low and hide our ideas. Starmer and the Blairites are completely out of step with the revolutionary mood developing in society.

The fact that they are launching this purge while workers are suffering and dying as a result of the Tory governments criminal incompetence and corruption speaks volumes. Starmer and the right wing have no answer to the crisis of capitalism, in Britain and internationally. In fact, they are part of the problem.

From attacks on wages and conditions; to housing evictions; to NHS privatisation and pay justice: the working class needs a socialist Labour Party to fight back against the onslaught coming our way, as the bosses and Tories look to make us pay for their crisis.

Bold socialist policies  not meek reforms or attempts to patch up capitalism  are urgently needed. And they will be demanded by more and more workers and youth as the crisis truly begins to bite.

Starmer and the right wing can try to expel socialists and Marxists from the party, but they cannot stop an idea whose time has come. History is on our side, not theirs.

Nevertheless, we still need resources to fight this struggle. As Cicero said, finances are the sinews of war.

We therefore call on grassroots activists to help support us  with your pennies and pounds  to fight back against the right, and to struggle for socialism.

In order to fight the purge, we will need to bring legal challenges, which will likely incur costly fees.

We are also planning a big intervention at this year's Labour conference in Brighton, where we will lead the charge against the Labour right wing and their shenanigans.

This means producing a daily newsletter; running public stalls across the city; and hosting a fringe meeting to spread the ideas of Marxism, and to let the bureaucrats and Blairites know: were not going away!

Big business are happy to pour funds into right-wing organisations and factions such as Labour To Win, Progress, and Renaissance. By contrast, we rely only on the support of our supporters in the labour movement  and we are proud to do so.

Whether as a one-off amount or a regular monthly contribution, please donate whatever you can spare today, and support the struggle for socialism.


Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note des action du Universal Postal Union, des soucis des chauffeurs de van, des amendements au Dangerous Drugs Act entre autres.

1. Cabinet has taken note that the 27th Universal Postal Congress which is currently being held in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, adopted on 14 August 2021, a resolution on the implementation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/295 on the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. The resolution provides that:

(a) the Universal Postal Union formally acknowledges henceforth that, for the purposes of its activities, the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius;

(b) the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union should request Mauritius to keep the Universal Postal Union regularly informed of any decisions regarding international postal operations in the Chagos Archipelago, including any authorisations to maintain the operation of international mail processing centres by foreign entities in the Chagos Archipelago. The international mail processing centres currently established in the Chagos Archipelago are operated by Australia Post of Australia and Royal Mail of the UK;

(c) the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union should cease the registration, distribution and forwarding of any and all postage stamps issued by the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory;

(d) the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union should ensure that Universal Postal Union documentation does not include any references to the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory or to the Chagos Archipelago as part of the member country of the Universal Postal Union known as the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and

(e) the International Bureau should take any other measures deemed necessary to ensure due implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the National Land Transport Authority (NLTA) implementing the following measures in view of the difficulties being faced by the contract bus operators due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

(a) vary the licence of contract bus operators involved in the conveyance of tourists to also allow them to carry employees up to 31 December 2021;

(b) review the replacement age of Standard and Executive vehicles used for the conveyance of tourists from 8 to 10 years and from 12 to 14 years respectively;

(c) extend the validity of Public Service Vehicle Licence for contract bus operators involved in the conveyance of tourists and which could not be renewed due to COVID-19, up to 30 June 2022;

(d) extend the delay to implement a Public Service Vehicle Licence for contract bus operators (tourists and school children), up to 30 June 2022;

(e) extend the delay to implement a Public Service Vehicle Licence in respect of taxi licences and contract bus operators (employees) from 31 August 2021 to

31 December 2021;

(f) vary the licence of contract bus operators conveying school children to also allow them to carry employees up to 31 December 2021; and

(g) extend the delay to renew a Petrol Service Station Licence from 31 August 2021 to 31 December 2021.

3. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius nominating Le Morne, Old Grand Port and Pamplemousses villages to participate in the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages Initiative. The overarching objective of the Initiative is, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, to make tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing. It seeks to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values and activities, as well as gastronomy.

The selected villages under the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Initiative could benefit from one of the following three awards:

(a) the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Label;

(b) the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Upgrade Programme; and

(c) the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Network.

The announcement of the Best Tourism Villages which would receive an award would be made on the occasion of the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly to be held in October 2021 in Morocco.

4. Cabinet has agreed to drafting instructions being conveyed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to the Attorney Generals Office to amend the Dangerous Drugs Act so as to empower the Forensic Science Laboratory to carry out examination of suspected illicit drugs by a sampling strategy based on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) guidelines.

5. Cabinet has taken note that a National Survey among People Who Use Drugs in Mauritius would be conducted by the National Drug Secretariat of the Prime Ministers Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the UN Resident Coordinators Office and the World Health Organization. The Survey would provide comprehensive information including the socio-demographic characteristics of drug users, their living conditions, their employment status, age of onset of drug use, frequency and patterns of drug use and extent of drug use which would guide the national drug response.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service (Fire Safety Plan and Fire Certificate) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 to provide for the issue of digital Fire Certificates and a revised fee structure. An e-Licensing System for fire certification has been developed and it would enable online applications, e-payment of fees and automated issuance of Fire Certificates in digital format with effect from

mid-September 2021. The new system would substantially decrease processing time and would result in improved efficiency and governance. With the new digitalised Fire Certification System under the National Electronic Licensing System, the fee structure would be rationalised.

7. Cabinet has taken note that the SMEs Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives would extend the existing SME Employment Scheme to holders of National Certificates from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutes as announced in Budget Speech 2021-2022. Prospective placees of TVET Institutes are expected to hold at least an MQA approved Level 3 National Certificate in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework. Registered SMEs would be able to benefit from any mix of placees up to a maximum of two, irrespective of the category (Graduate or Diploma Holder or TVET Certificate Holder). Eligibility of SMEs would be verified and certified by SME Mauritius Ltd.

8. Cabinet has taken note that the Tourism Authority would sign an Implementation Agreement with the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council for the execution of the COVID-19 Occupational Safety & Health and Resource Efficiency Project for the tourism industry. The objective of the project is to engage into capacity building of employees of tourist accommodations (Hotels, Tourist Residences, Guesthouses, Domaines), restaurants, pleasure craft operators, Destination Management Companies, Travel Agencies, taxis based at hotels and airport, amongst others, with a view to contributing to the promotion of Mauritius as a safe destination.

9. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 214.7 million cases have been reported globally, of which 192 million persons have been successfully treated.

With regard to Mauritius, as at 27 August 2021, there were 4,643 active cases of COVID-19, out of which five were serious cases. Over the past week, six deaths were attributed to COVID-19.

Cabinet has also taken note of progress in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. As at

26 August 2021, 803,035 persons had received a first dose of vaccine (representing

64 percent of the population). 735,513 persons had been fully vaccinated (representing

59 percent of the population).

Cabinet has further taken note that the quarantine period in Mauritius has been extended up to 31 December 2021.

10. Cabinet has taken note that the Mauritius Housing Company (MHC) Ltd would set up, under the Companies Act, a wholly owned subsidiary, namely MHC Properties Ltd. The MHC Ltd holds a non-bank deposit taking licence from the Bank of Mauritius and such companies are not allowed to engage in renting and leasing activities. All immoveable properties such as land and buildings of MHC Ltd would be transferred to the subsidiary. The main objects of the MHC Properties Ltd would be as follows:

(a) management, maintenance and renting of existing properties of MHC Ltd;

(b) promote property development in Mauritius and Africa;

(c) act as syndic for MHC projects; and

(d) any activities directly or indirectly related to real estate development.

11. Cabinet has taken note of the findings of three Research Projects undertaken by the Road Safety Observatory of the Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail in collaboration with the University of Mauritius. The Research Projects are:

(a) The Road Traffic Death and Injuries: The Shadow to GDP and Welfare in Mauritius- the objectives of the Study were to assess the consequence of road accidents and injuries on the Gross Domestic Product together with the associated socioeconomic costs and investigate into the impact of road accidents and injuries on the welfare of affected families and individuals;

(b) Understanding Road Users Behaviour and Attitudes in Mauritius  the objective of the Study was to capture trends and statistics for an enhanced road safety policy by decision-makers; and

(c) Understanding Pedestrian Use of Crossing Facilities in Mauritius  the aims of the Research Project were to identify pedestrian blackspots in Mauritius, investigate pedestrian perception of crossing facilities, explore the general behaviour of pedestrians along roads and at crossings, investigate pedestrian perception on the attitudes of other road users at crossings and assess the effectiveness of sensitisation campaigns.

12. Cabinet has taken note of a programme of collaboration and activities proposed by Facebook to the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, geared towards building awareness on responsible online behaviour, critical thinking and understanding social issues shared via digital technology, with the ultimate objective of enabling safe, responsible and productive use of the social media platform. Facebook has submitted a programme of activities aiming, inter alia, at:

(a) reducing the spread of false news, harmful contents and misinformation;

(b) reducing hate speech/incitement to violence which may trigger civil unrest, social disorder and economic hardships; and

(c) showing to the Government of Mauritius and its people the steps taken by Facebook to tackle misuse of the platform and how it is seeking to support economic recovery in Mauritius.

A series of activities and workshops would be held in Mauritius during the last quarter of this year and at regular intervals next year. These activities would target small businesses, the Mauritian population in general and high level Government stakeholders.

13. Cabinet has taken note of the fire outbreak reported on 24 August 2021 at around

18 25 hours on board the Taiwanese fishing vessel RUEY CHIEN TSAI 112, which was berthed at the entrance of the Port. The 18 crew members onboard had been safely evacuated.

Cabinet has also taken note that the fire had been extinguished on 26 August 2021 at around 14 00 hours but it re-ignited on that same day, late in the night. However, in the morning of 27 August 2021, the firefighters of the Mauritius Ports Authority were able to control and subdue the fire. No leakage has been observed except for a minor sheen of oil around the vessel.

Cabinet has further taken note of actions/measures taken by the Ministry of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, the National Coast Guard, the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service and the Mauritius Ports Authority to deal with the incident.

The National Emergency Operations Command had been activated to monitor the situation and to chart the way forward. The National Oil Spill Committee and a dedicated Crisis Committee were also closely following up the matter in collaboration with all stakeholders.

14. Cabinet has taken note that the 42nd Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) Task Force of Senior Officials and the 21st Council of Ministers Meetings were being held from 26 August to 07 September 2021 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of Governors of the University of Technology, Mauritius, with Mr Deonanan Raj Makoond, GCSK, as Chairperson.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the appointment of Mrs Sangheeta Saulick as Chairperson of the Board of the National Womens Council.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the appointment of Mr Dayanand Kurrumchand, OSK, as Deputy Chairperson of the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund Committee.
Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, plans to conduct an Award Ceremony via a Video Conference to celebrate and felicitate the winners of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother FASHION AWARDS 2020, to be held on 1st September 2021. The awards were announced by Merck Foundation in partnership with the African First Ladies, who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother emphasized I am proud to recognize and appreciate our winners and welcome them to our newly established Fashion with Purpose community.

The young African designers who win this awards and previous awards have contributed towards our cause by developing extraordinary creative designs that deliver strong and influential messages to empower infertile women and say No to Infertility Stigma. I am excited to meet and celebrate our winners, through our online Award Ceremony. I am looking forward to mentor them on how to execute their designs. Other than the winners, I would also like to invite young fashion talents from the continent to attend this Virtual Conference, in order to be a part of our Fashion with Purpose community and participate in our upcoming exciting initiatives to raise awareness and sensitize our communities about sensitive social and cultural issues such as; girls education, stop GBV and break infertility stigma; to be the voice of the voiceless.

We are very glad that Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej will champion this Fashion with a Purpose community in Africa by supporting and mentoring upcoming African designers. She is a true fashion icon, emphasized Kezia Ansah-Mensah, Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Fashion awards 2019 winner from Ghana.

My vision is to develop a community of young African Fashion Designers in order to catalyze a movement, that reaches and extends far beyond just fashion, and creates a culture shift and be the voice of the voiceless in their communities.

Fashion industry has already got enough flakes for being superficial. Lets change this perception and create a meaningful fashion trend aiming to educate our communities. I love fashion and I strongly believe that designers can make designs for Men and Women that they would be proud to wear to show their contribution toward their communities, villages, and cities across Africa, added Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej.

Merck Foundation launches an annual competition for the best design that carries messages to address sensitive social and health issues. The two awards launched for the year 2021, for African Fashion Designer community are:

1. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards More Than a Mother 2021: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about Infertility Prevention, Breaking Infertility stigma, and/or Empowering Girls and Women through Education.

Submission deadline: 30th October 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3gzkm1d) to view more details.

2. Merck Foundation Make Your Own Mask Fashion Awards 2021: All African Fashion Designers and Students are invited to create and share designs of masks and other clothing items that carry messages to encourage people to wear masks to show they care and at the same time make it creative and fun!

Submission deadline: 30th September 2021. Click here (https://bit.ly/3BgSjeH) to view more details.

The Award Ceremony will be livestreamed on @ Merck Foundation Facebook page (https://bit.ly/3gBVMwy) and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Facebook page (https://bit.ly/2Ws6OgV). Young and upcoming African Fashion designers are welcome to attend the online ceremony.

Here is the list of Award Winners of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother FASHION Awards 2020:

Here are the winners from Ghana in partnership with H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.

Ghana

Leticia Ashie Owusu

Gifty Amonu Essel

Kizito Ronald Jr

Placid Leke

Anuja Bharti

Paul Akrofie

Desmond Nhyira Amankonah

Here are the winners from Namibia in partnership with H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.

Namibia

Linrico Humphries

Stephany-Lee Schmidt (Libi)

Aina Shigwedha

Hope Gowera

Joel Musasa

Eugenia Benard

Paulton Luciano Witbooi

Here are the winners from Zambia in partnership with H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.

Zambia

Nelly Banda

Ruth Chimbala

Cecilia Njobvu

Linda Ngwira

Naomi Soko

Gibstar Makangila

Kasonde Makangila

Merck Foundation additionally rewarded the winners by providing them with one-year access to an online educational training program called MasterClass. The MasterClass is an immersive online experience and self-paced learning course in English that can be accessed anywhere with the Internet.
Were at the head of another housing boom, much the way we were in the 1980s and 2000, but this one is very different. In those times, as people from New York, New Jersey, and all over really, flooded into the Lehigh Valley to take advantage of our quality of life, they were moving into large single-family detached homes, often on large one- or two-acre lots. It gave rise to the less-than-flattering term McMansion. In some years, those single-family homes accounted for 60% of all new builds. As a result, there were years during that last boom when more than 2,000 acres of mostly green space were used for new homes.
This has been a polarizing issue from the beginning, because the person who was in the White House made it that way, despite the science and despite the evidence, she said. The framing of this has always been the people who are dying are weaker than the rest of us [with comments about comorbidities], and it changed from that to if you wear a mask, youre weak and listening to the government.
The budget will include a 2.5% raise for non-union employees. The administration is also boosting the pay of supervisors who a pay study determined were underpaid. In some cases, employees were turning down promotions because it would have required them to take a pay cut, Armstrong said. Its particularly important for the county to address the challenges now given the nationwide worker shortage. Lehigh Valley employers are contending with approximately 8,000 vacant positions, and remaining competitive is paramount, Armstrong said.
On Friday, Ali said they told of being caught within clouds of tear gas being used to control crowds. In a video sent to Ali by his brother  who was with his aunt  loud detonations or explosions can be heard, accompanied by flashes, apparently from the use of flash bang devices.
But while some moderate Republicans were happy to see Mastriano put in his place, as one operative put it, they dont want to be associated with a circus-like atmosphere that took hold in Arizona this year. For a while, the amateur auditors there were examining ballots under ultraviolet light for watermarks  which QAnon adherents believed would help prove the election was stolen. There were no watermarks.
This is where the anti-gun groups either lack understanding of the law or they are intentionally avoiding any mention of Title 18 Section 6106, (a) Offense defined.  (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any person who carries a firearm in any vehicle or any person who carries a firearm concealed on or about his person, except in his place of abode or fixed place of business, without a valid and lawfully issued license under this chapter commits a felony of the third degree, which is Pennsylvanias draconian firearm transportation law.
Dean of Regionals joins Presidents Executive Cabinet

Ande Durojaiye, dean of Miami University Regionals, has been appointed Vice President for the Regional Campuses (image by Jeff Sabo).

Ande Durojaiye, the new dean of Miami University Regionals, College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science (CLAAS), has been appointed Vice President for the Regional Campuses. As vice president, hell serve as a member of the Presidents Executive Cabinet, effective Aug. 30. He will also continue to represent CLAAS and the Regional campuses at all deans meetings.

Miami Regionals is an integral part of our university and Southwest Ohio, Miami University President Gregory Crawford said. Andes unwavering commitment to creating pathways and giving students across the region access to Miami has been extraordinary and far-reaching. As vice president, he will bring a values perspective and work closely with colleagues across the university and within Miami Regionals to better integrate all of our campuses and provide opportunities to better serve our students and the community.

Rooted in and built for the Southwest Ohio communities it serves, Miami Regionals offers 21 majors in bachelor degree programs, 12 associate degree programs, and curricular pathways for students to start at the Regionals and complete more than 100 other majors at Miamis Oxford campus. Miami Regionals serves nearly 4,000 students at locations that include Hamilton, Middletown, and the Voice of America Learning Center (VOALC) in West Chester, and through a robust E-Campus program.

"I am a firm believer that higher education is the number one contributor to upward social mobility, Durojaiye said. My vision for Miami Regionals is two-fold: to provide the region with greater access to high quality education and to be the entity that drives upward social mobility and economic prosperity in Southwest Ohio. This is more than just offering classes. Its about offering access to opportunities for experiential learning, civic engagement, and career exploration and development.

Fulfilling a social justice mission

Durojaiye said he is committed to building on the Regionals success in deeply engaging with the community to fulfill the social justice mission of an open-enrollment university while aligning with the needs of the state and region for workforce development.

Miami Regionals seeks to remove the challenges and barriers to pursuing higher education, whether its cost, or schedule, or test scores, Durojaiye said. Because we are open access, we can provide access to individuals who often arent afforded these opportunities, and we can prioritize and support first-generation students, underrepresented students, and nontraditional learners.

Miami University began offering classes in Hamilton and Middletown in 1946 in response to enrollment booms in both communities following World War II. As the programs and area populations grew, the communities of Hamilton and Middletown both approached Miami to establish permanent campuses. This led to the opening of the Middletown campus in 1966, followed by the Hamilton campus in 1968. Both campuses were funded through state and federal funds plus major public support. Miami Regionals established the E-Campus in 1999, which has been ranked in the top 20 nationally for best ROI by Online U. In 2009, Miami University opened the Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester on a 20-acre site received from the U.S. Department of Education.

Changing lives, improving region

In 2019, Miami Regionals launched the Work+ Program, which offers students the opportunity to earn a degree debt-free while working 24 hours a week. Work+ students are hired into entry level positions and make commitments to the company for one year at a time. Work+ employers provide an hourly wage and pay the tuition and general fees for each of their Work+ students. The employers get access to top talent and solve issues with turnover.

At Miami Regionals, we are changing lives, beyond our students and their families, Durojaiye said. Many of our Miami Regionals students stay in Southwest Ohio after graduation, so by creating more and richer opportunities for these learners, we can change the trajectory of an individual, a community, an industry, a region.

For example, Miami University Regionals new certificate program in Manufacturing Foundations is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in the high-demand field of manufacturing. Miami Regionals E-Campus has added and aligned majors to its Commerce Bachelor's degree options, including Hospitality Management, Small Business Management, Digital Commerce, and Sales Management.

About Durojaiye

Durojaiye has long been committed to building educational programs to meet regional needs. Before coming to Miami, he served as the interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), previously serving as vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs at NKU. There he provided oversight to undergraduate education and several offices, including accreditation and assessment, curriculum, academic advising, adult learners, testing, first-year programs, and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Durojaiye also held leadership roles at Michigan State University, Florida Atlantic University, and the U.S. Department of Education.

Durojaiye succeeded Cathy Bishop-Clark, dean and associate provost at the Regionals, who returned to her faculty line in the department of computer and information technology.

A native of Atlanta, Durojaiye earned a doctorate of education from Vanderbilt Universitys Peabody College, and a juris doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is also a graduate of Harvard Universitys Institute for Educational Management.
: admin123 (), : WaterWorld

 : 

: BBS  (Fri Aug 27 02:29:28 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.

--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 103.]


National

Ktaka HMs shocker on Mysuru gang-rape case

Bengaluru, Aug 26 (IANS) | Publish Date: 8/26/2021 1:20:35 PM IST

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has caused outrage while commenting on the Mysuru gang-rape, which has rocked the state.

He also attacked the Congress for politicising the issue. The rape incident has taken place in a distant place. But, the Congress is choosing to rape me here, he said.

He also blamed the victim for moving freely in the late evening. She should not have gone there. It is a desolate place. She went there late in the evening. The victim lady should not have gone to an isolated place at 7.30 p.m. But, people are free to go anywhere any time.

Attacking the Congress, he said gang rape was an inhuman act, but the Congress is trying to politicise the issue. They are unfairly demanding my resignation and the governments resignation,

it is not fair. I didnt mean to hurt the feelings of Congress leaders. I said it jokingly, he said.

Mysuru is a cultural town and the incident is a black mark on the whole of the state. This should not have happened, he said.

The police filed an FIR within 12 hours of the incident. Investigation is being taken up before the recording of the statements by the victims, he added.

I have deputed senior officers to look into the issue. They are probing from all angles, Jnanendra said.

During the Congress rule in 2014, a rape case in a prestigious educational institution had taken place on July 2, but the FIR was lodged on July 14, he claimed.

KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar reacting to the statement of Araga Jnanendra urged him to arrest those Congress leaders who raped him. He has taken up the portfolio very recently. He is stating that Congress is raping me. The rape word seems to be dear and natural to him. I want answers from all the BJP leaders of the state. I am asking the DGP to file FIR on all Congress leaders who have raped him even if it is Shivakumar or Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, he demanded.

Earlier, the Congress attacked BJP by calling it a party which supported rapists. The BJPs Karnataka unit has defended a former minister facing charges of rape, the party has special love for rapists, the BJP will defend the rapists in Mysuru gang rape incident also, Congress said on social media.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 05:46:27|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

The Pentagon is seen in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 26, 2021. The head of U.S. Central Command confirmed Thursday that 12 U.S. service members were killed in the attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan earlier in the day, while another 15 were wounded. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The head of U.S. Central Command confirmed Thursday that 12 U.S. service members were killed in the attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan earlier in the day, while another 15 were wounded.

Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told reporters during a press conference at the Defense Department that two bomb attacks happened in the morning in the Afghan capital, one at the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, which was followed by another one at the adjacent Baron Hotel.

"At this time, we know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack, and 15 more service members have been injured," said McKenzie.

The attacks marked one of the deadliest days in Afghanistan for U.S. forces.

McKenzie said the attack at the Abbey Gate that caused U.S. casualties involved a sole suicide bomber and was followed "by a number of ISIS gunmen who opened fire on civilians and military forces," resulting in Afghan civilian casualties as well. He said details about the Baron Hotel attack were not immediately available.

The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to a statement from the group's Amaq News Agency cited in multiple reports.

ISIS said in its statement that a suicide bomber "managed to reach a large gathering of translators and collaborators with the American army at 'Baran Camp' near Kabul Airport and detonated his explosive belt among them, killing about 60 people and wounding more than 100 others, including Taliban fighters," according to Reuters.

At one point during the Pentagon press conference, the commander said U.S. forces currently in Afghanistan face "real" threats from terrorist groups, particularly ISIS-K, a radical affiliation of the Islamic State that the Taliban has been fighting against.

McKenzie went on to say that U.S. military officials are aware that the threat to U.S. forces posed by ISIS "is extremely real," adding that "we believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue, and we are doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks."

He said U.S. preparedness effort includes "reaching out to the Taliban," whom the Unites States is continuing to coordinate with in the ongoing mission to evacuate U.S. citizens out of Afghanistan.

The evacuation mission "remains" uninterrupted by the blasts, McKenzie said. "We are still committed to flying people out up until we terminate the operations at some point towards the end of the month."

Speaking of searching for and holding those responsible for the attacks to account, McKenzie said "we are working very hard right now to determine attribution, to determine who is associated with this cowardly attack and we're prepared to take action against them."

President Joe Biden, who has been in the White House since the morning monitoring the situation with cabinet officials including the secretaries of state and defense, is scheduled to deliver remarks on the deadly blasts later in the afternoon.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the president's meeting with Israel's prime minister has been rescheduled for Friday, the White House said.

The attacks came as the United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans and its Afghan partners from the country since the Taliban entered Kabul on Aug. 15. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 10:48:27|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 23, 2021 shows the scenery of Saihanba forest farm in north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Saihanba mechanized forest farm, the world's largest artificial plantation, has once again come into the spotlight as Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed it as an example of the global history of ecological progress during his recent inspection tour to the farm.

Situated in the northernmost part of north China's Hebei Province, the farm was nothing more than a nearly deserted land over half a century ago.

From a wasteland to a sea of forests, the miraculous transformation of Saihanba has epitomized the country's efforts on improving the environment and revealed its institutional ingredients for building an ecological civilization.

RELAY RACE FOR SHARED GOAL

A combination of Chinese and Mongolian meaning "beautiful highlands," Saihanba was once a royal hunting ground of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Until the late 1950s, it had degraded into a piece of barren wilderness.

Efforts to rehabilitate the region started in 1962 as the then forestry ministry decided to build an artificial forest farm to block the southward movement of the Hunshandake Sandland that kept threatening the country's capital and other northern cities.

To carry out the task, a group of foresters consisting of 369 people from 18 provinces nationwide, mostly in their 20s, was established, and they are the first generation of Saihanba foresters.

Thanks to consistent efforts by three generations of Saihanba foresters over the past 59 years, the deteriorating trend of local ecology has been reversed, said Chen Zhiqing, head of the farm.

With a total forest landscape of 1.15 million mu (about 76,700 hectares), Saihanba has now become a national forest park and nature reserve as well as an important ecological shield for Beijing and adjacent regions.

Earlier in 2017, the Saihanba afforestation community took home the UN Champions of the Earth Award for its outstanding contribution to the restoration of degraded landscapes.

According to the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the forest farm can absorb 860,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide, release 598,400 tonnes of oxygen, and the ecological services it provides each year are estimated to reach nearly 16 billion yuan (about 2.47 billion U.S. dollars).

The achievement of Saihanba is an example to the rest of the country in advancing ecological progress, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The rise of the world's largest artificial forest came as China has invested enormous efforts in green development over the decades, including enshrining environmental protection as a fundamental national policy in the 1980s and formulating and putting into practice the sustainable development strategy in the 1990s.

Since 2012, the development of ecological civilization has gained greater momentum as the idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," conceptualized by Xi, has taken roots in the country.

Official data had shown that China has raised its forest coverage from 12 percent in the early 1980s to 23.04 percent in 2020, with its forest stock volume hitting 17.56 billion cubic meters.

SAIHANBA SPIRIT & SCIENTIFIC GREENING

During his visit to the farm, Xi hailed the Saihanba Spirit, which features staying true to the original aspiration, being hardworking and enterprising, and pursuing green development. Describing it as an integral part of the spiritual pedigree of the CPC, he said the whole Party and the people of the whole country must carry forward this spirit to develop a green economy and ecological civilization.

Giving acknowledgment to the farm's development, Xi said that the construction history of Saihanba is an epic history of an arduous struggle.

At Saihanba where the lowest temperature could drop to minus 43 degrees Celcius and the average frost-free season only lasts 64 days, planting trees and ensuring their survival was never an easy job.

"At the very beginning, I did not realize that the working conditions would be so difficult and the weather so bad," recalled Zhao Zhenyu, one of the first generation of foresters. At that time, the pioneers of Saihanba were equipped with only very simple tools amid extreme coldness and drought.

In the first two years after the farm's establishment, more than 2,000 mu of trees were planted, but only less than 8 percent survived each year due to the severe climate, according to Chen.

To ensure the survival of the trees, the foresters started to explore scientific and technological breakthroughs and have developed their own technologies on cultivating seedlings and taking care of them, he said.

Thanks to these scientific greening methods, the survival rate of trees in Saihanba has reached 98.9 percent and the forests have survived some of the worst droughts, frosts and pests, Chen said.

At present, Saihanba's forest stock volume reaches nearly 10.37 million cubic meters, and it delivers 137 million cubic meters of clean water and 570,000 tonnes of oxygen to Beijing and Tianjin each year.

By 2030, the forest area of Saihanba is expected to reach 1.2 million mu, and its forest coverage rate is likely to hit 86 percent, according to Chen.

With a more stable, sound and quality forest ecosystem, Saihanba's function of providing ecological services will be further strengthened, he said, vowing to build it into a demonstration zone of ecological civilization. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 15:04:27|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

Chen Xufeng (L), charge d'affaires of the Chinese mission to the African Union (AU), attends a handover ceremony with Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Aug. 26, 2021. AU Commission on Thursday received China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines here in the Ethiopian capital. The vaccines, donated by the Chinese government, will mainly cover envoys of the AU Commission and African countries in Addis Ababa, said Chen Xufeng at the handover ceremony. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Commission on Thursday received China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines here in the Ethiopian capital.

The vaccines, donated by the Chinese government, will mainly cover envoys of the AU Commission and African countries in Addis Ababa, said Chen Xufeng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese mission to the AU, at a handover ceremony.

"We hope it will help the AU Commission and African diplomats in Addis Ababa to fight the virus and support the AU to better proceed with its work," he said while the Chinese mission was delivering the doses in the bloc's headquarters, with the presence of senior AU Commission officials.

Chen stressed that since the COVID-19 outbreak, China and Africa have consolidated mutual trust through overcoming difficulties together, during which China provided the continent with much-needed supplies and tens of millions of vaccine doses.

"China has always prioritized African countries in vaccine supply," Chen said, adding that China has so far provided vaccine to 47 African countries and the bloc.

For his part, Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, praised the Chinese government for the timely donation.

"What is important now is how we work together as a globe, as an international community and defeat this pandemic," Adeoye said.

Africa is racing toward a minimum target of vaccinating 60 percent of its population across the continent, or about 750 million people, by 2022.

By Thursday evening, Africa has confirmed 7,627,954 COVID-19 cases, with 191,982 deaths and 6,747,290 recoveries, said Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 23:10:21|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

Graduating students search for job opportunities at a job matching fair at Tsinghua University in Beijing, capital of China, on March 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has released a plan to boost employment during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

To achieve more employment and better quality jobs, efforts should be made to implement the employment-first policy, improve the policy system, strengthen training services, and promote prosperity for all, says the plan.

By 2025, the country's employment situation will be generally stable, and the quality of employment would have steadily improved. Structural problems would also be effectively addressed by then, business startups would create more jobs, and the ability to cope with risks would be significantly enhanced, the plan noted.

It puts forward key tasks, including continuously expanding employment capacity and promoting the development of the human resources market system.

By 2025, China aims to add over 55 million new urban jobs and conduct skills training for employees engaging in new forms and models of businesses.

The country will subsidize vocational skills training sessions, the plan said.

It also aims to improve the public employment service system, increase people's income, and improve their rights and interests protection.

Companies should shoulder their social responsibilities of being maternity-friendly, the plan noted. It added that employers are encouraged to offer flexible parental leave or flexible working methods. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-28 00:24:29|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close





-- After a two-decade war has left tens of thousands of Afghans dead and displaced millions, observers say the latest bloody explosions at the Kabul airport point to a legacy of disaster for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

-- While U.S. President Joe Biden said he would "bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened" during the chaotic withdrawal, the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops would mean a "devastating moment" for his presidency.

-- The attacks have drawn a torrent of criticism and condemnation from worldwide, and some have expressed concern that more deadly attacks could follow as Washington continues its pullout.





KABUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two suicide bomb attacks rocked the Kabul airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least 103 people and injuring 158 others, five days before the deadline of a hasty evacuation of U.S. troops from the war-torn country.

The deadly attacks were claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS), a terrorist group that grew in Afghanistan where Washington and its allies waged a 20-year war.

The war has left tens of thousands of civilians dead and displaced millions of others. Observers say the bloody explosions point to a legacy of disaster for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

People injured in the Kabul airport attacks receive medical treatment at a local hospital in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

"BODY AFTER BODY"

"There was just body after body" at an emergency hospital, Afghanistan-based journalist Matthieu Aikins of The New York Times told CNN after the attacks.

Witness Abdul Wakil told Xinhua that the first explosion happened in the middle of a crowd roughly at 6:00 p.m. local time (1330 GMT) at the airport's Abbey Gate where refugees had been held after they passed through the Taliban check points and before they were allowed to enter the airport controled by the U.S. military.

What followed was a number of IS gunmen "who opened fire on civilians and military forces" and another explosion soon after at the adjacent Baron Hotel, according to Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command.

Ambulances, taxis and vehicles arrived near the site shortly after the blast, the witness said. Those injured were soaked in blood and shifted on hand carts and stretchers, as the road leading to the Abbey Gate had been blocked in recent days.

"Those who arrived could not speak, many were terrified, their eyes totally lost in emptiness, their gaze blank. Rarely have we seen such a situation," said Alberto Zanin, medical coordinator at the emergency hospital.

The IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to a statement from the group's Amaq News Agency cited in multiple media reports.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the Taliban "strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at the Kabul airport, which took place in an area where security is in the hands of U.S. forces," and is paying close attention to the security and protection of Afghans.

Afghan civilian deaths have risen to 90, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior Afghan health official. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health previously confirmed the attacks had killed over 60 Afghans and injured 140.

As many as 13 U.S. service members were killed in the attacks, with 18 more injured troops being flown out of Afghanistan, according to the latest update by Bill Urban, public affairs officer at the U.S. Central Command.

An ambulance is seen at the explosion site near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

U.S. RETRIBUTION

Following the suicide bomb attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden made an appearance at the White House, vowing retribution at a time when the president is already under fire for ordering the evacuation.

"We will respond with force and precision in our time, in a place we choose in a manner of our choosing," Biden said during remarks at the White House, adding that his administration could deploy additional troops to Afghanistan to ensure the continuity of the evacuation.

While Biden has said he would "bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened" during the chaotic withdrawal, the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since 2011 would no doubt mean a "devastating moment" for Biden's presidency.

Republicans in the Congress quickly escalated their criticism of Biden's handling of the ongoing and chaotic evacuation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Biden in a statement. "Americans' hearts are breaking for our service members and diplomats. They are doing heroic work to rescue American citizens and Afghan partners in the predictably chaotic wake of the President's decision to withdraw," he said.

"Terrible things happen when terrorists are allowed to operate freely. This murderous attack offers the clearest possible reminder that terrorists will not stop fighting the United States just because our politicians grow tired of fighting them," McConnell added.

"Joe Biden has blood on his hands," tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, the no. 3 House Republican. "This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden's weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief."

Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2021 shows the explosion site near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

WORLD CONDEMNATION

The attacks have also drawn a torrent of criticism and condemnation from around the world.

"China is shocked at and strongly condemns the explosions near Kabul airport which caused heavy casualties," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing on Friday.

The explosions show that the security situation in Afghanistan remains complex and grave, he added.

"We hope relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan and ensure the safety of the Afghan people and foreign citizens in the country," Zhao said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with great concern the ongoing situation in Kabul, especially at the airport, his spokesman said at a daily noon briefing.

"He condemns this terrorist attack which killed and injured a number of civilians," the spokesman said, noting that "this incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan."

In a late-night statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India strongly condemned the blasts, saying that there was a need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism.

Addressing the attacks, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, "Australia condemns the evil, the calculated and inhuman attacks that were undertaken in Kabul overnight on the innocent and on the brave."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the "cowardly and inhuman attacks" on Twitter, while stressing that "the international community must work closely together to avoid a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and beyond."

Some have expressed concern that more deadly attacks could follow as Washington continues its chaotic pullout.

The U.S. decision not to extend its deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 has put "all of us in a situation which is no more under control," said French President Emmanuel Macron.

Commander of the U.S. Central Command McKenzie also told reporters during a press conference that U.S. military officials are aware that the threat to U.S. forces posed by the IS "is extremely real," adding that "we believe it is their desire to continue those attacks, and we expect those attacks to continue."

In a report titled "After Decades of War, ISIS and Al-Qaeda Can Still Wreak Havoc," The New York Times said, "The U.S. and its allies waged war for 20 years to try to defeat terrorists in Afghanistan. A double-suicide bombing demonstrated that they remain a threat." (Video reporters: Jiang Chao, Hu Yousong, and Tan Yixiao; Video editor: Yang Zhixiang)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 20:13:43|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and dozens of others injured when a petrol tanker hit a minibus and two other vehicles, burst into flames and exploded on a highway in western Kenya, police said on Friday.

"The driver of the tanker lost control of the vehicle and (the tanker) swayed off the road and hit a 14-seater minivan, a salon car and another tanker before it exploded," local police commander Thomas Ototo said.

Firefighters from neighboring towns were called to extinguish the fire that razed shops and open-air markets along the Webuye Eldoret highway, in Trans Nzoia county, about 400 kilometers northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

"Many people were trapped inside the vehicle (minivan). The death toll could be high. We only managed to rescue a few because the fire and smoke were strong," said an eyewitness. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 20:31:31|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to continue providing support for and aid to Malawi's economic and social development within its capacity, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday in a phone conversation with his Malawi counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera.

Noting that China is a sincere and reliable development partner of Malawi, Xi said that China supports the country in independently exploring a development path that suits its own national conditions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 23:03:48|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's vice-president Jessica Alupo has said that the east African country is set to receive some 300,000 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China.

Alupo in a tweet on Friday said this new batch of vaccine doses would be donated by the Asian country.

"As government, we applaud this development and our strong bilateral ties with China," Alupo added.

Uganda has already received some 300,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccines from the Chinese government. The country's National Medical Stores on Wednesday said it had started the distribution of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

According to the ministry of health, Uganda expects to receive at least 12.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by early 2022.

The country aims at vaccinating about 22 million people, or nearly half the population, as a measure to put the pandemic at bay.

As of Friday, about 1.35 million doses have been administered since the exercise started in March this year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-28 01:16:14|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BAMAKO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Local Committee for Monitoring the Transition in Mali (CLST) welcomed the transitional government's decision to lift restrictive measures on former Malian transitional president Bah N'Daw and his Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

In a statement released on Friday, it also welcomed the measures taken by the government to ensure them the benefit of the rights attached to their status as former head of state and former Prime Minister.

For the CLST, this decision is a "positive development" which falls within the framework of the commitments made by the transitional authorities.

It urged all the parties concerned to show a spirit of responsibility and attachment to the national interest, to show respect for the law, and also to refrain from any action that could impact the proper conduct of the transition.

In May 2021, the former Malian transitional president and his prime minister, as well as some of their relatives, were deprived of their liberty after being forced to give up their prerogatives by the military junta which overthrew then president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18, 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 13:52:20|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KIEV, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana called on Ukraine to advance internal reforms needed for joining the alliance, Interfax-Ukraine reported Thursday.

The prospect of Ukraine becoming a NATO member has been "confirmed at the highest political level in the Alliance," Geoana told the news agency during his visit to Kiev.

To get to that point, a combination of factors should be considered, such as the status of reforms in a candidate country and political consensus, Geoana said.

"There is no automaticity in this matter, but there is always encouragement, and I personally encourage the countries like Ukraine to adhere to the course of reforms, to continue cooperation with NATO on as many fronts as possible," he noted.

NATO membership is one of Ukraine's foreign policy priorities, a goal enshrined in its Constitution in 2019. Ukraine became the alliance's Enhanced Opportunities Partner in June 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 23:15:11|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin on Friday "strongly condemned" the terrorist attacks in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Thursday that have killed more than 100 people.

"Certainly, news about the large number of deaths is very sad," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

He expressed worries that terrorist groups, primarily the Islamic State and its affiliates, could take advantage of the chaos unfolding in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, four Russian military transport aircraft evacuated more than 500 citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Afghanistan.

Russia is not planning to evacuate more people from Kabul at the moment, but further actions will be largely dependent on how the situation develops as it is very unpredictable, said Peskov. Enditem
A CHINESE mining company, Heijin, is pushing to evict hundreds of villagers in Murehwa, Mashonaland East province, after it was given a special mining grant to extract black granite on densely populated land covering 300 hectares, the Zimbabwe Independent can exclusively reveal.

This comes at a time Chinese companies are frenziedly descending on the province, which is rich in the rare but lucrative stone.

The latest incursion by Heijin comes in the wake of yet another bruising fight pitting villagers in Mutoko and Shanghai Haoying Mining Investments that was given claims to mine black granite.

Although Shanghai Haoying has offered compensation to the families, which will be displaced when implementation of the project commences, plans by the Chinese company to set up operations in the area have triggered stiff resistance from the villagers.

Relating to similar developments now unfolding in Murehwa, Heijin, which was only incorporated under Zimbabwes laws in June this year, has already engaged a consultant to undertake an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

According to documents seen by the Independent this week, Heijin wrote to Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) rural district council (RDC) chief executive officer Murandu Kanganga requesting to undertake the EIA.

The letter, dated July 2, 2021, reads: Heijin Mining Company is a holder of two black granite mining blocks namely Kaseke (1256 BMT) and Chibvi (ME1253BM), which are situated within Uzumba Reserve in Kaseke village of Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe District. Proposed is black granite mining, cutting and polishing on the two mining blocks.

Our project being of national value and interest, we do understand the importance of working in harmony with relevant and key stakeholders, exchange of ideas as a guarantee to sustainable mining operations.

Heijin intends to set up a cutting and polishing plant, storage facilities for finished products and an open cast mine. Heijin, as shown by the letter, is located at 304 Warwick, Josiah Chinamano Avenue, Harare.

Documents show that Edzai Ndemera, Emmanuel Ndemera, Alec Mutizwa, Dillia Chingwena and Libo Zhongjian Resources are the owners of Heijin. Libo Zhongjian Resources holds a 70% stake. A Heijin consultant did not respond to questions.

In a letter written by Murehwa councillor Zvondai Marowa to Mines minister Winston Chitando, the black granite mining operations will emit dust and other emissions affecting nearby schools, households and water bodies.

This letter seeks to object to granite mining in Nenzou Village Uzumba Ward 14 under Chief Nyajina. Heijing is a holder of two mining blocks, namely Kaseke and Chibvi. The blocks cover an area of more than 300 hectares, the letter reads.

We object to the mining project because the covered area is our grazing land, more than 39 households are inside the blocks and are going to be affected and we have graves of our loved ones within the pegged area.

The letter, which outlines reasons for objecting to the project, dated August 23, also highlights that villagers were opposed to the plan because it would desecrate the villagers religious sites.

It reads: The area in question is also used for rainmaking rituals, so we believe tempering with it will affect us as a community.

Headman Kaseke, in a letter addressed to Minister of State for Mashonaland East province Appolonia Munzverengwi and Chitando, emphasised that the community was opposed to the planned project.

Reference is made to the movement in and out of our area by potential investors whose mining claims will result in the displacement or relocation of people from the area, the letter dated August 24 reads.

Legally, it is prudent to note that government is under both a statutory and constitutional duty to engage the community before any adverse action is taken. In the case of Kaseke and Chibvi, relevant authorities did not do this as no one consulted the community as far as we know.

Chitando could not be reached for comment. As in Mutoko, the Chinese investor has sought the buy-in of stakeholders by convening meetings with traditional leaders, villagers and officials from the UMP RDC.

A villager, who attended a meeting held last week on Saturday, told the Independent villagers complained about granite miners in the area.

It is clear that the affected communities have not benefited in any way. What we have seen is the pillaging of our resources and catastrophic environmental degradation, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said this week.

With Mashonaland East now a battleground for various investors (mostly from China) scrambling to obtain black granite claims, Shanghai Haoying has engaged Prime Chart, a local company, to conduct an EIA.

A Prime Chart representative said affected villagers will be compensated by generous agricultural inputs sufficient for three seasons, a home in principle that is better than what they had and a solar powered borehole for each homestead.

According to the official, Shanghai Haoying will also offer a once-off cash payment for land preparations.

Shanghai Haoying general manager Shuoshuo Song last week said: Exploration (will begin) once the environmental (impact) assessment, which is underway is finalised.

There is more profit in value addition; it is our ultimate objective to polish the granite and do beneficiation.

As reported a fortnight ago by this publication, Richbase  another Chinese firm  is setting up a processing plant in Mutoko, that will be part of the black granite mining and beneficiation value chain, which is controlled by investors from the Asian giant and Italy.

Natural Stone Export Company, Illford Services Mining Company, Quarrying Enterprises, CRG Quarries and New Obsidian Granite are some of the companies extracting the lucrative mineral in Mutoko that is shipped to Asia and Europe. Zimbabwe Independent


ZIMBABWEAN-born associate professor at the University of Oxford, Miles Tendi has poked holes into President Emmerson Mnangagwas biography and exposed the widening rift between the Zanu PF leader and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga.

Early this month, former MDC-T policy adviser Eddie Cross released a 153-page book  A Life of Sacrifice  which tells the life history of Mnangagwa, from childhood to presidency.

But Tendi said the book sought to project Chiwenga in bad light, depicting him as a hardliner determined to frustrate Mnangagwas reform agenda. He said by signing copies of the book during its launch at State House, Mnangagwa effectively endorsed its contents.

He said the book also glorified Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander Valerio Phillip Sibanda, who took over from Chiwenga after the November 2019 coup, describing him as possibly the best soldier in southern Africa and a man who was deeply respected in the army.

Cross said Sibanda rejected a proposal by Chiwenga to put the country under a state of emergency and apply martial law when citizens took to the streets in protest against fuel price hikes in January 2019.

Additionally, Cross maintains that when violence and looting occurred in January 2019, the Acting Pesident Chiwenga demanded that a state of emergency be declared and martial law be introduced. This would have effectively meant that the armed forces took over the administration of the State.

However, Cross continues: General Sibanda refused. He said his orders from the President were clear. What had happened was that the President had stamped his personal authority on the State. He would not tolerate any challenge.

His (Cross) biography suggests that Mnangagwa and Chiwenga are ill at ease with each other. Cross typecasts Chiwenga as obstructing political and economic reforms and as in favour of repressive and militarised State responses such as martial law, Tendi noted.

Cross described Chiwenga as a hardliner who resisted Mnangagwas reforms on the electoral systems and relaxation of controls over the media and civil society, saying it would have a serious impact on the ability of Zanu PF to win the election.

The biography depicts Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, the former general who helped bring Mnangagwa to power in a military coup in 2017, in an unfavourable light, Tendi said.

Cross writes that following Mnangagwas inauguration as President on November 24, 2017,he set about selecting a new Cabinet and senior staff in the Presidents Office. This was complicated by the demands being made by the senior military officers who had carried out what became known as the military-assisted transition (military coup). Chief among these was the commander of the armed forces, General Chiwenga.

The Vice-President was one of the military generals who staged a coup against the late former President Robert Mugabe.

Moreover, Cross contends that a grenade thrown at Mnangagwa on June 23, 2018 during a Zanu PF rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo was of Chinese origin and in use by the Zimbabwe National Army.

Chiwenga was present at the White City rally and his wife Marry sustained injuries from the blast but Cross, curiously, does not mention this  of the two Vice-Presidents only Kembo Mohadi is identified as present at the rally and as having sustained injuries along with 47 others.

From the foregoing, Cross appears to be casting aspersions on Chiwenga as a political operator.

Also critiquing Cross book, exiled former Cabinet minister and Zanu PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo sensationally claimed that Mnangagwas biography exposed lies the President has been spreading on his life experiences.

In both reviews, Moyo and Tendi revealed that Cross deliberately omitted events and details that would portray Mnangagwa in bad light, including the role he played in the Gukurahundi genocide in Matabeleland, which raised questions on the factuality of the biography.

The two also exposed Mnangagwas lies when he claimed that he was saved the hangmans noose for bombing a train in 1965 because he was under the age of 21, when records show that he was saved by the court which ruled that he faced a less serious case.

The fact that Mnangagwas 1965 court record went missing from the National Archives a long ago, only to resurface in the Eddie Cross book, has raised security eyebrows. Mnangagwa is hostile to books; he did not know his 1965 record is in his biography, before its publication! Moyo tweeted on Thursday.

However, both Mnangagwa and Chiwenga have publicly denied allegations of bad blood between them. Newsday


THE nine former liberation war combatants arrested on Wednesday after storming Finance minister Mthuli Ncubes offices protesting against poor pension earnings were released yesterday without charge.

The liberation war veterans, who were represented by lawyers Chawona Kanoti of Kanoti and Partners and Paidamoyo Saurombe of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights were released before appearing in court.

I can confirm that our clients have been released, Saurombe said. We were informed of the decision to release them late in the night. The police said they will contact us if they still need to pursue the case.

The war veterans are Isso Madzivanyika, Nyasha Manyana, Daphne Kanoti, Shoorai Nyamangodo, Faith Chamanda, Ruvimbo Sphyina Maphosa, Jordan Nderezina, Maron Mabvunzaneyi Mazikana and Wonderful Sabarauta, all members of the War Veterans Welfare pressure group.

Police had preferred to charge them with participating in a gathering with intent to incite public violence in contravention of section 37(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Police alleged that the ex-fighters staged a protest on August 25, 2021 outside Ncubes offices in Harare.

They were allegedly waving placards inscribed Pay war veterans what they deserve please, we are human beings. #Mthuli, we are tired of bread crumbs like Lazarus. Newsday
The News reported earlier this week that a lieutenant in Manhattan Supreme Court was on a ventilator in critical condition due to coronavirus. The lieutenant was an anti-vaxxer who frequently did not wear a mask on the job, sources said. Quirk denied that the lieutenant, who was responsible for enforcing coronavirus protocols, did not wear a mask.
Houston VA has the capacity and staff to respond to any Veteran in need. We are experiencing the same surge in COVID patients that is present in the community but have remained open for Veteran care, the VA said in an email. While we cannot comment on a specific Veterans case, we are very saddened by the loss of this Veteran.
I dont think we oppose the closing. There needs to be repairs. We know. We live it every day, Covington said. Theres no staff sitting here saying this place is in great shape. Its not. But the miscommunication by the Department of Justice on this issue is overwhelming.
An FDNY source said that the containers had 2,300 pounds of propane in them and could have easily taken out the apartment building next door.
As officers requested he descend the structure, he retreated inside of it, NYPD Emergency Service Unit commander Assistant Chief Wilson Aramboles told reporters. After having no contact with the individual for several hours, officers became concerned for his safety and utilized a drone in an attempt to make contact with him.
The NYPD closed streets around the tower and over the next 12 hours, used a helicopter and a drone as part of their response  moves that were criticized as heavy-handed on social media.
These traffic crashes have become too normal in our city, Brooklyn Borough President and Democrat mayoral candidate Eric Adams said at Thursdays vigil. Here, it is a family that came to America to live out the American dream, only to see it turned into a nightmare because of reckless action.
When the victim turns around, the shooter  just a few feet from his target  opens fire with multiple shots before running west on E. 137th St. The wounded victim staggers away as a terrified bystander is seen ducking for cover.
Police went to the home to check on him after his sister in North Carolina called 911 to report she couldnt reach him.
The police conducted a thorough investigation of that accident, he added. They conducted one of their investigations with the Collision Investigation Squad which is a lot more thorough than sending a patrol cop to the scene. At the end of the day, the motorcyclist was disregarding red lights and t-boned her car. But that doesnt take away her concern about what happened.
The theft of property worth about $300 took place on West 8th St. across from the New York Aquarium in Coney Island just after 5 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.
Police found a crying Roberto Ramos, 45, dressed in a tank top and shorts at the scene. They took him to an ambulance to chat with him and check his condition.
Coleman was later detained at the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, while trying to cross back into California from Tijuana after his wife reported him and their children missing. An inspection of his van did not turn up the kids, but border protection agents did discover blood in his vehicle.
The assistant principal told school resource officers at the start of the school day that the student had the gun, which both national and state crime computers reported as having been stolen in November 2015, in his backpack, according to the paper.
The homeowner told police he woke up to the sound of glass breaking around 4 a.m. Wednesday and decided to arm himself with a machete before going outside to see what was happening. When he stepped outside his El Paso home, the resident caught a man breaking the front windows of the house with a metal rod, according to police.
The skyrocketing numbers are largely driven by the highly contagious delta variant, which has also spread among vaccinated people, though most of the hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated ones, authorities have said. As of Friday, only 53% of Floridians were fully vaccinated, a rate thats on par with the national average, according to Johns Hopkins.
Metzers botched rescue performance happened in the early-morning hours of New Years Day. Besides tying her up, he also strangled her twice, hit her with the butt of his gun and dragged her to the deck of her home, authorities said. He kept her from escaping while he went back to his apartment by instructing her not to move until she heard a car honk, according to prosecutors. He told her he would shoot her if she moved for any other reason, they said.
That infant was in a car seat and was red and hot to the touch, was sweating profusely, Lehman said. And when crews arrived they got the infant out of the car and were able to hydrate the infant. The infant was conscious and alert, luckily. It looks like that could have been a narrowly averted tragedy.
We all hoped wed be near the end of this pandemic by now. Were not, Krispy Kremes marketing chief Dave Skena said in an announcement this week. So, please consider getting vaccinated if youve not done so already. And then enjoy and share two amazing doughnuts with our heart-felt thanks.
Looking at his videos, you can see how amazing he was. He was calling the children his friends, linking pinkies with them, saying, This is how we show were friends. There was a little girl, and he was reaching out his pinkie so they could pinkie-shake, Steven said.
Members of the Facebook page Women of Woodlawn, the Bronx neighborhood where Flanagan lived, said she was someone who would always stop to say hello to her neighbors and ask how they were doing.
Now is the time for TIMES UP to evolve and move forward as there is so much more work to do from women, she tweeted. It is clear that I am not the leader who can accomplish that in this moment.
He got mad and threw a power drill across the room at me, one woman told the magazine. I ducked down on the side of the bed. When I got up to leave, he threw me onto the bed.  He tried to push me down the stairs  and pushed my face against the wall.
This is not due to mismanagement, its not due to not appropriately putting in the pension contributions each year, Chan said. This is due to, again, an attack on the country that geographically just happened to be in the City of New York, and therefore the City of New York has taken on probably more than its fair share of paying for something that wasnt even towards them.
But chances to help those hoping to join the evacuation are fading fast. Many American allies have already ended their efforts, in part to give the U.S. time to wrap up its own operations before getting 5,000 of its troops out by Tuesday.
The Center for International and Strategic Studies counts dozens of attacks that Islamic State fighters have launched against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including minority Shiite Muslims, as well as hundreds of clashes with Afghan, Pakistani and U.S.-led coalition forces since January 2017. Though the group has yet to conduct attacks against the U.S. homeland, the U.S. government believes it represents a chronic threat to U.S. and allied interests in South and Central Asia.
The site was set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and already has begun administering vaccinations to the Afghan evacuees. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that a second mass vaccination site is expected to be launched in the coming days for evacuees who will be arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport.
Campaign Diaries Newsletter

Weekdays

The Daily News political team supplies the essential news and analysis on the critical 2021 elections in New York City that will define the citys future after coronavirus. Sent to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Bennett told his Cabinet before the trip that he would tell the American president that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing and not to reenter a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.
Landlords counter that the worst of the COVID-19 crisis has ended and they should not have to bear the economic burden of keeping tenants who cannot or will not pay their rent.
Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putins most vocal critic, was sentenced earlier this year to spend more than two years behind bars for parole violations  charges he has long maintained were politically motivated. He was taken into custody upon his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning he and his followers have blamed on President Vladimir Putins government.
A rescuer arranges the dead bodies of factory fire victims in Karachi on August 27, as at least 16 workers died and more were missing after a factory fire in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, police said. (ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The irony is thick, and it is bloody. A sloppy and precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan partly justified by President Bidens assertion that Al Qaeda is gone from the country is now thrown into further turmoil by an attack on American forces and Afghan civilians by ISIS-K, a virulent successor to that terrorist organization. And a withdrawal partly justified by Bidens rhetorical question, How many more lives, American lives, is it worth, how many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?  the disingenuous description of a conflict in which no member of the U.S. military had died since early last year  now sees more than a dozen dead precisely because of how horribly it is ending.
Having been the LG for six-and-a-half years, Hochul knows better than anyone else what the job is about and what she wants Benjamin to do, from being a real partner, to being a stand-in, to being a ribbon-cutter and a cheerleader. She can use him as she wishes. The LGs most important task is being able to be governor, in the unlikely event.
Yet during the Cold, War America also heavily backed two states, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which are unalterably opposed to progress and freedom. Under the cry of Islam in danger, they have long aggressively exported fundamentalism in hate-filled words and bloody deeds, culminating in their controlling, distorting influence over the Afghan resistance to the Soviets in the 1980s and decisive support for the Talibans initial rise to power in the 1990s. Al Qaeda was just one of many terror groups that were welcomed to a safe haven created by two purported American allies.
Unfortunately for Abba fans worldwide, those songs titled I Still Have Faith In You, and Dont Shut Me Down were delayed and never got released. With the announcement, those two songs will join three others as part of the five-song release.
I think it breaks a wall thats never been broken down before, she said. Its normal for a girl to dance with a guy, and I think thats really cool, but its really special that now not only do I get to share with the world that you get to love who you love, but also you get to dance with who you want to dance with.
I wouldve loved to have been really selfish and said, Thats great that you guys think we dont have to show that, fantastic, but Im incredibly experienced in understanding how people see this story, she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Agricultural News

Oklahoma Agritourism---Come See an Island Filled With Goats at Lake Tenkiller!

Oklahoma Agritourism encourages Oklahomans to take a trip to Lake Tenkiller and see an Island filled with Goats!





Ashley writes for Oklahoma about a place where you can experience fishing, cliffs, and goats all at Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma.



Nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, Lake Tenkiller State Park is a gem in the woodlands of Oklahoma. The lake is a clear water paradise that is surrounded by beautiful thick foliage, rugged cliffs, rolling hills, and goats.



You can find the goats on Pettit Bay, also known as "Goat Island" on the northwestern end of the lake in the town of Pettit.



Many locals have named the goats, so you can call them out by name: Yin-yang, Onyx & Lone Ranger (L-R) are these cuties names.



Sightings are even often seen from across the bay at Six Shooter Resorts.



They usually stay on the south side of the island or on the rocks, so if you don't see them right away, keep paddling around. They'll often come to the shores to greet you when you approach the shores.



Locals deliver food to the island to help feed them. They really love carrots but it's very important if you see any trash on the island to pick it up, as it can harm them if ingested.



If you're looking to rent a kayak or paddleboard, check out Paddle Tenkiller (link below) for hourly or daily rentals. A day trip out on Lake Tenkiller is an activity the whole family will enjoy. Hop on a kayak or boat and check out this unique island in northeastern Oklahoma.



For more information on renting a kayak or paddleboard at Lake Tenkiller, please click here.



Another fun activity to do at Lake Tenkiller is to go scuba diving! Yep, you heard it right scuba diving in Oklahoma. Click here to read all about it.



Address: Pettit Bay, Pettit, OK 74451, USA



To see all the fun Goat Pics that go with this article from OKLAHOMA, click here.









WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI

Top Agricultural News
My biggest concern is that our children are suffering from their parents fear, and that it will affect them long term, Ammar said in response to a Sun-Sentinel survey about the return to school this year. I believe our children should be allowed to decide whether they wear masks or not. The whole mentality that we must protect the weakest amongst us, whether we are talking about peanut allergies or COVID, weakens us as a nation.
The number of deaths right now is unprecedented, said Lynne Drawdy, executive director of the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, who ordered the units for health systems here. What were hearing from the hospitals is that the death count right now is higher than it ever has been.
We are working to try to understand how we may be able to offer some relief in that regard, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told reporters Thursday at a briefing. It may require a request to the state for additional portable refrigeration units to be deployed. Were just doing an assessment at this point to determine how critical that need is and so we dont have a final answer today but were working through it.
Central Florida added 32,150 resident cases this week, based on the actual date the state opened the case, for a total of 615,355: 9,065 more in Orange for 199,787; 2,538 more in Osceola for 62,666; 7,520 more in Polk for 107,867; 2,550 more in Lake for 45,262; 593 more in Sumter for 12,311; 2,617 more in Volusia for 65,192; 4,510 more in Brevard for 68,833; 2,757 more in Seminole for 53,437.
My dogs are as important a part of my life as my children and my wife, he said. Emma, I believe, is my grandmother, who was reincarnated and has come back to life to be with me  Nobody in my life ever loved me like my grandmother loved me, until Emma came along.
Noelia Rodriguez Pabon es una puertorriquena quien trabaja como tecnologa medico en el hospital de AdventHealth en Deltona. (Suministrada)
Hector Gonzalez Rivera, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student who worked with the PR-CuNaR2 since 2018, when the development of the project began, said that he never imagined the possibility to work on a project like this.
King worked at the Orange County Sheriffs Office for nearly a decade before quitting in 2017 while under investigation for shoving a motorcyclist during an off-duty confrontation, according to a previous Orlando Sentinel report. He was also once accused of killing his friends wife for $50,000 in insurance money, but that friend later recanted and said he alone had murdered his wife.
Im not saying everybodys got to be 100% contrite, but the harsh reality is, even with a politicized event like that one, you probably dont want to do be doing something that is evidence of a lack of responsibility, said attorney Mark OMara, a veteran Orlando defense attorney. ... Or that [they] havent learned their lesson,  which is major to a federal judge.
The Alachua school district is one of 10  a count that includes the Orange County School Board  that has imposed a mask mandate on students to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in the face of a surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Florida. In doing so, the 10 have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis and state education leaders, who say such policies violate his order banning mask mandates.
A group of parents sued the governor on Aug. 6, saying his order was unconstitutional and would put their children at risk as they are too young to be vaccinated and so would be unsafe on campuses with many unmasked students. They wanted local school boards to be able to decide if the spread of the coronavirus in their communities warrants face masks mandates in their public schools.
Biden hardly is the only president to blame for this mess. There is no question that President Donald Trumps intemperate deal with the Taliban reduced the options open to his successor, not least because it signaled to the Taliban that all it had to do was sit and wait. By telegraphing a lack of U.S. will to continue to work with allies to protect freedoms in Afghanistan, the Afghan government and its security forces were further weakened. Hence the rapid collapse.
Delta Air Lines, whose brand name shares an unfortunate association with the variant, announced this week that it will impose a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge on unvaccinated employees. The U.S. military is now requiring all 1.4 million active-duty and reserve service members to get vaccinated. And that makes complete sense when it comes to protecting combat readiness, as demonstrated last year when an outbreak took the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt out of service and forced 4,800 crew members into quarantine.
Second, and most important, is a thorough pre-hiring review that explores the types of groups to which a job candidate belongs and what he or she feels is just fine to post on social media sites. Candidates should understand that an agency has high standards for treating all community members with respect and that words are powerful when they hurt. Expensive court fights about free speech could be avoided if those with extreme views could be weeded out at the start of the process.
Similarly today, we see the consequence of pride and fog on display. Our Commander in Chief, Joe Biden  hes no John F. Kennedy  ignored intelligence, too, and will pay a dear price in historys eyes. How in the name of George Washington do you concede a dozen American-built airports before getting every last American and sensible sympathizer out of Afghanistan? To say nothing of abandoned equipment, now undoubtedly being pored over by any number of our adversaries.
To claim the Afghan governments struggle is its own affair conveniently sidesteps key facts: the U.S. and its NATO allies trained, armed and paid for the Afghan security forces, not out of the goodness of their hearts but to fight the Taliban and prevent the return of the likes of al-Qaeda; the U.S. and its allies funded the aspirations of millions of young Afghan women for education and employment; the U.S. and its allies supported successive rounds of elections and encouraged millions of Afghans to risk the voting booth for a system of government with which they were unfamiliar but were promised would offer greater security and prosperity; and the U.S. and its allies fostered a lively independent media and civil society, where previously there had been neither.
You surprised me because either you were not paying attention to what was being communicated at your meetings or you failed to listen. For months, parents presented the science and data to you and other board members. Perhaps you did not like being outvoted. Let me remind you that you acquired your board position because your voting constituents voted you into that chair. They felt that you were capable of representing them. There is a simple solution: if you feel that the voters and other board members do not share your concerns, then vacate the chair.
That last part isnt an investigatory conclusion. Its a personal opinion  one that seems pretty clearly wrong, considering the ghost candidate in South Florida just pled guilty in the spoiler scheme down there. And here in Seminole, third-party candidate Jestine Iannotti basically hid during the campaign while the same dark-money funders promoted her her as a left-leaning alternative who might siphon votes away from the Democrat in the race.
In February 2020, the Department of Health declined an invite to a discussion hosted by Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park with local health experts about the virus. At the time, Sen. Lori Berman, D-Lantana, a known advocate for Floridas public records laws, questioned Rivkees about why the state was not yet reporting COVID-19 information publicly when it had regular updates with cases of the Zika virus a few years before.
While Rivkees hasnt been on DeSantis schedule, the governor has been getting input from Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine, and Martin Kulldorff, a Harvard Medical School professor. Both are controversial figures who signed the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for letting the virus spread in the lower-risk population with the goal of herd immunity.
The alleged luggage-thrower who took an Orlando-bound JetBlue Airways flight from New York City on May 24 also refused to stay seated and lay on the floor in the aisle. He was placed in flexi-cuffs and the flight made an emergency landing in Richmond, Virginia, said the FAA, which seeks a $45,000 penalty against him.
This file photo shows U.S. Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives. Katko this week criticized President Joe Biden as "missing in action" following a deadly attack on the Kabul, Afghanistan airport.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Second ex-owner of Promsvyazbank Alexey Ananyev arrested in absentia on fraud charges

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

13:55 27/08/2021

MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI)  Moscows Tverskoy District Court issued an arrest warrant for the second ex-owner of Promsvyazbank Alexey Ananyev in absentia in a new fraud case on Friday, the courts press service told RAPSI.

The defendant is to be put in detention for two months after his actual arrest or extradition to Russia.

On August 25, a similar warrant was issued in absentia for his brother and former bank owner Dmitry Ananyev.

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.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Espanola, NM (87532)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Espanola, NM (87532)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
After the meeting, Sood told reporters that as of now, we have not discussed anything political. The actor, who received widespread acclaim for his charitable interventions during the Covid-19 lockdowns, belongs to Punjab which is headed to the polls.

Under the ''Desh Ke Mentor'' initiative, a mentor will have to take out 10 minutes every week to guide students.

"We have worked very hard to transform Delhi government''s schools. Now we want to make education a people''s revolution. When young people across the country join our education revolution, no one will be able to stop India from becoming a global leader. We are delighted to have on board Sonu Sood who has inspired lakhs of youth across the country with his selfless services to the nation, Kejriwal said.

Sood has appealed to citizens across the country to step forward and support children''s education and take the nation to a brighter tomorrow.

"High quality education for all children, whether rich or poor, is the key to a brighter future for the country. We need to come together and do our share for nation building. I urge the youth of India to become a part of Desh ka Mentor," Sood said.
The US' decision to not extend the deadline for withdrawing from Afghanistan beyond August 31 has put "all of us in a situation which is no more under control", French President Emmanuel Macron said here.

Macron made the remarks on Thursday at a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during his one-day working visit to Dublin, reports Xinhua news agency.

Asked if the US and its allies have betrayed their moral responsibility following Washington's decision, Macron said that he would rather not use the word of "betrayal".

He said that it is not safe for other countries to continue to carry out evacuations due to the US decision.

"We want to work hard and well until the very last minute to do the maximum operations, and be sure of the security and safety of our people," Macron added.

France has so far helped the evacuation of 2,600 people including some 2,000 Afghan citizens at risk and the evacuation is still ongoing, said Macron.

"I cannot guarantee that we will be successful because the security situation is not under control," the President added.

Macron arrived in Dublin on Thursday morning.

He was first welcomed by Irish President Michael Higgins before a meeting with Martin at the Government Buildings, during which both sides discussed issues of common concern apart from the Afghanistan issue.
London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/27/2021 -- Crown Global is an international charity which was founded in 2009 by Steve Pailthorpe and his family. The charity operates both in the UK and overseas and runs several projects which aim to transform lives and empower leaders across all walks of life.



In Uganda, the Kings Kid's Children's Centre, run by Rev Robert Mponye has received grants from the charity. In addition, the teachers who have been without money have received small business start-up grants from the charity to help them become more self-sufficient. In Kenya, Operation Give and Grow received support from the charity to help with their feeding and education programmes.



The charity's President, Steve Pailthorpe commented, "Grass roots projects which transform the lives of children and vulnerable adults are so important to us. At a time when the global pandemic has created an environment where many international charities haven't been able to continue their mission, Crown Global has been pleased to maintain our establish networks through local churches and volunteers, particularly in Kenya and Uganda who have helped us to ensure that donations are effectively assigned to those who need them most. We actively promote business to transform lives. If everyone in business has a commitment to corporate responsibility, then we can change the narrative around poverty and social injustice."



This year, Steve Pailthorpe has renewed his commitment to finance the projects run by Operation Give and Grow (OGG) with a feeding programme for over 180 orphans, as well as the education of many dear young people. OGG is run by Faith Evangelistic Ministry in Kenya and recognised by many dignitaries in Kenya as a leading pioneering project.



"OGG is a wonderful project which has been pioneered by Rev. Teresa Wairimu. It is our deepest honour to support such a worthwhile initiative and we believe it will grow from strength to strength under her leadership. We work in partnership with churches, businesses, and national leaders to help fulfil our mandate to bring transformation to communities and we are delighted to see the fruit of our labours. I want to extend my deepest thanks and appreciate to all our partners and volunteers who make this possible."



Crown Global continue their mission and welcome donations from members of the public and businesses seeking to support grass-roots projects across London, the United Kingdom and Internationally in Kenya, Uganda and in parts of Asia. Find out more at https://www.crownglobal.com.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/27/2021 -- The growth in Rehabilitation Equipment Market is primarily driven by the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and the rising geriatric population. In addition, emerging markets such as China and India are expected to offer significant growth opportunities for players in the market during the forecast period. However, a lack of awareness and access to rehabilitation services in emerging markets is expected to restrain market growth.



According to the new market research report "Rehabilitation Equipment Market by Product (Mobility, Cane, Crutches, Walker, Body Support, Lift, Beds, Sling, Exercise, Therapy, Reading, Writing), Application (Physical, OT, Strength) End User (Physiotherapy, Hospital, Clinic)  Global Forecast to 2025" published by MarketsandMarkets, the global rehab equipment market is projected to reach USD 16.6 billion by 2025 from USD 12.9 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 5.2%.



Recent Developments:



- In January 2020, Medline Industries, Inc. (US) acquired Medi-Select (Canada), a medical and dental supplies distributor, to expand its geographical presence and position in the Quebec market.



- In November 2019, GF Health Products, Inc. (US) launched the Lumex Clinical Care Recliner.



- In January 2018, GF Health Products, Inc. (US) acquired Intensa, Inc. (US) This acquisition allowed GF Heath Products to expand its existing product portfolio in medical/laboratory seating, casework, furniture, and equipment.



Request Research Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=194775519



Geographically; the rehabilitation equipment market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). In 2019, Europe accounted for the largest market share. Factors such as supportive government initiatives for safe patient handling, rising geriatric population, and the high burden of chronic conditions are driving the growth of the European rehab equipment market.



The rehabilitation equipment market is marked by the presence of several big and small players. Some of the prominent players offering rehabilitation equipment include Invacare Corporation (US), Medline Industries, Inc. (US), Hill-Rom Services Inc. (US), Dynatronics Corporation (US), Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare (US), DJO Global, Inc. (US), Carex Health Brands, Inc. (US), Roma Medical (UK), Caremax Rehabilitation Equipment Co., Ltd. (China), GF Health Products, Inc. (US), Etac AB (Sweden), Joerns Healthcare (US), Prism Medical UK (UK), EZ Way, Inc. (US), TecnoBody (Italy), Proxomed (Germany), Handicare (Sweden), Sunrise Medical (Germany), Enraf-Nonius (Netherlands), and Antano Group (Italy). These players adopted various growth strategies, such as product launches, expansions, acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, and collaborations, to further expand their presence in the global market.



Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=194775519



Market Segmentation in Detailed:



Therapy equipment segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on product, the rehabilitation equipment market is segmented into therapy equipment, daily living aids, mobility equipment, exercise equipment, and body support devices. The therapy equipment segment is projected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is primarily attributed to the increasing incidence of various injuries and chronic conditions.



The home care settings segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on end user, the rehabilitation equipment market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, rehabilitation centers, physiotherapy centers, home care settings, and other end users. The home care settings segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this end-user segment can be attributed to the increasing focus on reducing healthcare costs and government initiatives to promote home healthcare. In addition, healthcare spending for home services has grown significantly, reflecting an increase in the use of home-based services.
Chase Doran Brownstein from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and the Stamford Museum and Nature Center has described two new dinosaurs  a herbivorous hadrosaur and a carnivorous tyrannosaur  that lived in the North American paleolandmass Appalachia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, some 85 million years ago.

For most of the second half of the Cretaceous period, 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 Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops lived throughout Laramidia, much less is known about the animals that inhabited Appalachia.

One reason is that Laramidias geographic conditions were more conducive to the formation of sediment-rich fossil beds than Appalachias, said Brownstein, author of a paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

The specimens he examined were collected in the 1970s from the Late Cretaceous Merchantville Formation in New Jersey and Delaware.

These specimens illuminate certain mysteries in the fossil record of eastern North America and help us better understand how geographic isolation affected the evolution of dinosaurs, Brownstein said.

The paleontologist 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 had different hands and feet than Tyrannosaurus 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, he added.

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 dinosaur fossils found in this region.

_____

Chase Doran Brownstein. 2021. Dinosaurs from the Santonian-Campanian Atlantic coastline substantiate phylogenetic signatures of vicariance in Cretaceous North America. R. Soc. open sci 8 (8): 210127; doi: 10.1098/rsos.210127
Established in 2013, the SFU Surrey  TD Community Engagement Centre (SFU CEC) offers programming in partnership with community organizations with a focus on supporting children, youth, and families as well as newcomers to Canada. The classroom space located within the City Centre Library is one of the physical homes of the SFU CEC, but programming takes place in a range of different locations across the South Fraser, Surrey and Surrey City Centre regions.

Find us: 10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC (4th floor)

Learn more about the SFU Surrey  TD Community Engagement Centre
"I hope other politicians also follow the same path, working with the public rather than just hiding."

(Reuters) Sayed Sadaat used to be communications minister in the Afghan government before moving to Germany last December in the hope of a better future. Now he is a delivery man in the eastern city of Leipzig.

He said some at home criticised him for taking such a job after having served in the government for two years, leaving office in 2018. But for him now, a job is a job.

Former Afghan Communication Minister Sayed Sadaat sits with his gear as he works for the food delivery service Lieferando in Leipzig, Germany, August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschk e

"I have nothing to feel guilty about," the 49-year-old British-Afghan dual citizen said, standing in his orange uniform next to his bike. He had quit the Afghan government because of disagreements with members of the president's circle, he said.

"I hope other politicians also follow the same path, working with the public rather than just hiding."

His story has gained particular prominence with the chaos unfolding at home after the Taliban takeover. Family and friends of his also want to leave - hoping joining the thousands of others on evacuation flights or trying to find other routes out.

With the withdrawal of U.S. troops on the horizon, the number of Afghan asylum seekers in Germany has risen since the beginning of the year, jumping by more than 130%, data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees showed.

Even though his duel citizenship meant he could have chosen to move to Britain, where he had spent much of his life, he relocated to Germany at the end of 2020, seizing his last opportunity to do so before that path was closed by Britain's exit from the European Union.

He chose Germany because he expected it to have a better economic future and a leading role in the telecom and IT sectors in the long term.

But even with his background, Sadaat has struggled to find a job in Germany that matched his experience. With degrees in IT and telecommunications, Sadaat had hoped to find work in a related field. But with no German, his chances were slim.

"The language is the most important part," said Sadaat.

Every day he does four hours of German at a language school before starting a six-hour evening shift delivering meals for Lieferando, where he started this summer.

"The first few days were exciting but difficult," he said, describing the challenge of learning to cycle in the city traffic.

"The more you go out and the more you see people, the more you learn," he said.

Reporting by Leon Malherbe and Stefan Remter, and Riham Alkousaa in Berlin; Editing by Alison Williams and Toby Chopra
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392f94b88)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392ef2500)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392f94b88)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392ef2500)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6393022778)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392ef2500)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392ef2500)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f63926b60c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6393157978)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6393157978)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6393075460)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6393083310)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6393075460)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6393083310)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392fb70f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6393083310)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6393083310)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f63926b5d08)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6392ec9288)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f6392ec9288)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392b88f90)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392c0c828)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392b88f90)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392c0c828)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f6392b98400)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392c0c828)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f6392c0c828)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f63926b6650)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f638fd718c8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f638fd718c8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Grace and Henri keep amateur radio weather spotters busy

Hurricane Grace and Hurricane Henri drew the attention of weather spotters over the past week. The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), which tracked both storms to gather weather data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC), was able to secure operations at 1800 UTC on August 22 after watching Grace make two landfalls in Mexico.

Things got busy  and fast, said HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV. Just before activating at 1200 UTC [on Sunday], Henri was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm. Normally, we  HWN  dont activate for tropical storms. However, given the wind speed at the time of activation was just shy of being a hurricane, there was a slim possibility Henri could regain Category 1 status. And, Graves noted, the storm was headed into the densely populated northeastern US. The rainfall generated by Henri, some of it record-breaking, caused heavy flooding in some areas, including New York City. That storm came ashore near Westerly, Rhode Island, which suffered most of the regions power outages at 80,000 customers (out of 130,000 that went dark).

All told, the HWN racked up a combined total of 27 hours on the air  with two activations for Hurricane Grace and two for Hurricane Henri. Graves said only one station reported from Mexico, but the net remained available to assist in any capacity needed.

It was another story for Henri. We were not lacking reporting stations, and thats a good thing, Graves said. While maybe not as many as we would like, we certainly had a good number checking in and forwarding their data.

He said conditions, while improved over the past few years as Solar Cycle 25 ramped up, got tough. At times, we would experience one-way propagation. For example, on Sunday, the NCS on duty was being heard by a station in the affected area but could not hear the reporting station, Graves recounted. His relay was able to hear the reporting station, but that station could not hear the relay. So, the NCS asked the questions, and the relay received the report. This is whats called teamwork.

Graves is grateful that Henri was not as bad as it could have been. It never really got itself organized, unlike storms such as Sandy in 2012 and Bob back in 1991, he said. Had Henri been another Sandy, the outcome would have been much worse. We all were lucky and blessed in this regard.

It was a different story with Grace, which made landfall in the Mexican state of Veracruz, just south of Tuxpam, as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 MPH, causing several fatalities. Grace tied a record (with Karl in 2010) of being the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Bay of Campeche, Graves pointed out. Once it hit land, though, Grace quickly dissipated over mainland Mexico, while its remnants later reformed into Tropical Storm Marty in the Eastern Pacific early Monday morning.

Julio Ripoll, WD4R, at the National Hurricane Center, also praised members of the VoIP Hurricane Net for being extremely supportive of WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center. They are a vital part of the WX4NHC team and part of our elite group we call Hurricane Hams.

Over the weekend, Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, who also manages the VoIP Hurricane Net, announced tentative plans for the Commonwealth in advance of Henris arrival. These included coordination with ARES and SKYWARN teams in the region, and with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

It was an extremely busy 2 days dealing with Henri and 2 days prior we dealt with flash flooding and two small tornadoes in southern New England from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, Macedo said. The storm also felled trees throughout the region.

Ripoll said the NHC and WX4NHC rely heavily on the work of the hurricane nets and appreciate the time and effort that goes into gathering surface reports from stations in the affected areas. These surface reports are vital to NHC, as they paint a picture of ground-level physical conditions in real time, he said. We all work as a team with a common goal to help NHC, which will help those in the affected areas and hopefully help save lives.

NHC Senior Hurricane Specialist Stacy Stewart singled out the VoIP Hurricane Net and the HWN for praise, calling the amateur radio reports extremely helpful.

On August 25, Graves was already keeping an eye on another possible storm, Tropical Depression 9.

We are quickly moving into the heart of hurricane season, Graves said. All computer models bring [Tropical Depression 9] over or very near the Yucatan Peninsula and into and over the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Once in the Gulf, this storm could go anywheremost are showing either a Texas or Louisiana  possibly even Mississippi  landfall on Sunday or Monday, Graves said. The question for now is how intense will this system be?

Source: http://www.arrl.org/news/grace-and-henri-keep-amateur-radio-weather-spotters-busy
Portsmouth (Dominica) 26 August 2021 (SPS)- Algerian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Sofiane Mimouni, considered that the Decolonization Committee has a historical and legal duty to maintain Saharawi peoples faith in the UN peace process in western Sahara.

In his statement before the Regional Seminar of the Special Committee on Decolonization, the Algerian Ambassador considered that it is the historical, political, and legal duty of this committee to ensure that their (Saharawi) faith in the international legality and the United Nations peace process is not lost.

He further estimated that the people of Western Sahara were and are still open to collaboration with the United Nations, to ensure the completion of the decolonization of their land through the holding of a free and credible referendum under the auspices of the United Nations.

He regretted however the lack of progress in the work of the Committee in the remaining 17 non-self-governing territory on the UN Decolonisation list since the sixties considering that this task is more than overdue.

It is worrisome (he said) that after three decades dedicated to eradicate colonialism, we have only succeeded in de-listing one non-self-governing territories that is Timor Leste in 2002.

following is the full text of the statement delivered by the Algerian Permanent Representative to the UN, as received by SPS:

Statement by

H.E. Mr. Sofiane MIMOUNI

Ambassador, Permanent Representative

of Algeria to the United Nations

on

Western Sahara

Before

The regional seminar of the Special Committee on Decolonization

Portsmouth, 26 August 2021

Mrs. Chairperson,

At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude to the Government and the People of Dominica for their hospitality and for providing us with such excellent arrangements during challenging times. My thanks also go to the Chair as well as the members of the C24 for offering us this opportunity to contribute to the debate on how to advance the role and the achievements of this important Committee.

Mrs. Chairperson,

Since the adoption of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples sixty years ago, the special committee has been striving to accompany the non-self-governing territories on their path to decolonization.

It is however, worrisome that after three decades dedicated to eradicate colonialism, we have only succeeded in de-listing one non-self-governing territories that is Timor Leste in 2002. With the technological evolution, the political emancipation of most of nations in the world and the world-wide endorsement and promotion of Human rights, we're still creeping with the unacceptable subjection of people to occupation and exploitation.

Nevertheless, this disheartening observation should not deflect us from our objective or make us question the validity of the mandate entrusted to the Committee by the General Assembly in 1961. On the contrary, it should remind us of our duty to end swiftly colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, through building on our success and reflecting on our setbacks to reinvigorate the action of the Committee and find ways to ensure decolonization of all the non-self-governing territories.

Although lacking, the efforts and the accomplishment of the special committee remain laudable. And as reflected in the theme of this years seminar, there is a need for a renewed commitment to the mandate of the Committee and a fair and firm action of its members and the international community to preserve the political and economic rights of the people of the non-self-governing territories.

The path is already here, we have our plan of action and all what is needed now is courage and integrity to exhaust all the existing tools, which in many cases the committee was not able to use. To this end, my delegation firmly believes that there is no room for filibustering when it comes to the rights of peoples, and that the most pragmatic and agile way to achieve the goal of decolonization is to ensure the full collaboration of the administrating or occupying powers, in good faith, in accordance with the purposes and objectives of the UN Charter and mostly and primarily in respect of the will of the people of the non-self-governing territories.

Mrs Chairperson,

The issue of Western Sahara has been with the Committee for 58 years since its inscription on the agenda of the General Assembly. Regrettably the UN, including this august committee registered very little advancement with regard to the process of holding a free referendum to allow the people of this non-self-governing territory to exercise its right to self-determination. This process has been facing multiple barriers and a clear desire to deviate it from the goal set for it. These decades of inaction have led to the significant deterioration of the situation on the ground with the collapse of the cease fire, the resumption of hostilities, the absence of prospect for the peace process and the vacancy of the position of Personal envoy for now more than two years.

The current situation in Western Sahara is another chapter in the disruptive policy adopted by the occupying state, which aims at hampering all initiatives and opportunities to secure a just and definitive solution of the question of Western Sahara. It started with the UN-OAU settlement plan, formally accepted in 1991 by the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente Polisario, and endorsed by the UN Security Council, which provided for the organization by the United Nations of a referendum in Western Sahara free from all administrative and military constraints. This was followed by decades of initiatives and negotiations ending all in the same way : failure.

Unfortunately, and even in the midst of global pandemic, this policy didn't change, it rather escalated subjecting the Sahrawi people to grave violations of their human and political rights, while their natural resources are being plundered.

This long history of failure in the peace process in Western Sahara could be summed in the fact that since its launching very crucial components were missing from the same party to the conflict "Good faith and political will" without which no initiative can succeed.

Mrs Chairperson,

Agility has been a daily exercise of the People of Western Sahara to overcome the harsh living conditions and the continuous deprivation of their basic rights. They have demonstrated over years their willingness to overcome adversity, the distortion of the truth and all the baseless attempts to scorn their identity and their fight for independence.

And yet, the people of Western Sahara were and are still open to collaboration with the United Nations, to ensure the completion of the decolonization of their land through the holding of a free and credible referendum under the auspices of the United Nations.

It is the historical, political, and legal duty of this committee to ensure that their faith in the international legality and the United Nations peace process is not lost. The security council including in its most recent resolution last October on Western Sahara, Resolution 2548 (2020), set the parameter of the solution for the issue of Western Sahara by calling the two parties to engage in negotiation without precondition and in good faith to attain a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. This is the most pragmatic approach, that ought to be supported by this august committee and the General Assembly.

It is therefore important for the C24 to level up its action. We encourage the Committee to use all the tools it possesses, including visiting mission, to ensure the protection of the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the people of Western Sahara particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the successful completion of the process of decolonization.

We remain hopeful that reason and legality will prevail. Algeria will continue to support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the African Union, to resume direct negotiations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Frente Polisario to achieve a positive outcome that ensures the free exercise by the people of Western Sahara of their inalienable right to self-determination.

Algeria for its part will continue its support to the people of Western Sahara, and those of the non-self-governing territories as dictated by the duty of solidarity to colonial people and countries.

In the end, we must remain aware that while we are debating, the lives and the future of millions of people are being directly impacted by those deliberations, and we owe to them that their will to preside over their destiny is heard and respected.

I thank you. (SPS)

090/500/60 (SPS)
St. Louis Firefighters put out a small fire at the St. Louis City Justice Center late Easter Sunday night, April 4, 2021, following the second uprising at the Justice Center in less than two months.
A downtown favorite for more than two decades, Timpano has been closed since pandemic restrictions were put in place more than 18 months ago. With neighboring restaurants along ago reopened, Timpano has been an enigma, the Greta Garbo of Las Olas.
Madison also served as a field training officer, helping teach young officers how to do their jobs. In 2012, he served as a school resource officer at Sawgrass Springs Middle School and loved it. But then there became a need a resource officer at Coral Springs High School, a place no one was eager to go. Madison stepped up and did it without complaint, Parry said.
Thats why Garvey reached out to the KKK, which I will not defend, Hicks said, but he felt like the KKK were the only white Americans who were honest about how they felt about Black people. The KKK wanted a country free of Blacks, so Garvey went to them to say, I want the same thing you do. How can we collaborate here?
The student noticed two cameras hidden in picture frames on a shelf in the bathroom, police said. She took photos of the cameras and told the instructor what she found before she and her father called 911. By the time they called police, he had already destroyed the picture frames and cameras, police said.
He said he has not been officially charged, but he doesnt think hes heard the last of it. Ill probably have to go to court to explain it, and I will, he said. This was an honest mistake.
I didnt think it was appropriate for me to be visible at the event. It was community support for the superintendent, Koch responded. And for me to be there as an employee of the district, I think would be a distraction. And it just wouldnt be appropriate.
Palm Beach County Interim Superintendent Mike Burke called the decision encouraging for his and other districts, which have adopted protocols designed to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 in our schools, particularly at a time when the number of infected students is in the thousands, just three weeks into the school year.
All the plans are doing things a little differently. Some are doing social media campaigns, some are doing gift cards. And a lot of them are doing pop-up vaccination clinics in neighborhoods and community centers and things like that so they can reach their member population, Brown said. We are trying to be innovative and creative wherever possible.
The $100 million repair of a tilted San Francisco luxury high-rise, meant to stop it from sinking any further than it already has, is now on hold as engineers try to determine the cause of the building going down another inch.
LaMarca is the only Republican who would be eligible for the non-Democratic spot. The full Broward delegation, which includes some districts that have parts of Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, is 16 Democrats and three Republicans. LaMarca and state Rep. Tom Fabricio of Miramar are the only two Republicans who live in Broward, but Fabricio isnt eligible because most of his district is in Miami-Dade County.
There is no single policy priority that Governor DeSantis has devoted more time to this year than promoting COVID-19 vaccination, DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw said Thursday. He did over 50 public appearances in 27 counties focused on the vaccines. ... If someone is truly opposed to getting vaccinated  after all this time, all the data we have, and all the reports that most people who are hospitalized are unvaccinated  one more press conference from any politician (especially a politician who has always promoted vaccination) is not going to change their minds.
There are certainly more questions than answers. I cant tell you when the power is going to be restored. I cant tell you when all the debris is going to be cleaned up and repairs made, Edwards told a news conference. But what I can tell you is we are going to work hard every day to deliver as much assistance as we can.
If you live in South Florida, you likely know all about the crippling deficiencies that have hampered this aging plant for the past decade or so. It is uncontested, even by FPL, that the reactors cooling system  a giant, radiator-like series of unlined canals thats not used in any other plant in the United States  has been leaking into Miamis drinking-water supply; this contamination, in turn, has made it difficult for the reactor to tap into a reliable source of fresh water  without which the scalding reactor cannot properly cool itself.
The whole of Spain, including Andalucia - at last, will no longer be on Germany's list of high-risk areas for Covid-19 of Sunday, according to a report from the Robert Koch Institute, responsible for the control and prevention of diseases in the country.

This means that travellers returning to the European country from Spain will no longer have to quarantine or present a negative coronavirus test upon entry.

The RKI decision takes into account the Covid indicators of each autonomous region in Spain and a week ago the Berlin Government relaxed the measure to only five Spanish regions (the Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, the Valencian region and the Canary Islands), leaving Andalucia out.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, high-risk areas are regions where the cumulative incidence "considerably exceeds" 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days, or where "a high risk of infection by Covid-19 is assumed," according to the weekly reports published by the institute.

In Spain as a whole, the cumulative incidence at seven days does not exceed 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in most regions, such as Madrid, the Balearic Islands or Catalonia.

Germany is the second most important market for Spanish tourism, only behind the United Kingdom.
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.
UWs WWAMI Program Welcomes 24th Class of New Medical Students

Members of the new WWAMI Medical Education Program class at UW are, from left: front row, Samantha Britz, Bethany Shotts, Bailey Theis, Audrey Mossman and Tristan Bohlman; second row, Brandon Izatt, Sara Martinez-Garcia, Matthew Rorke and Hanna Ahuja; third row, Jessica Garcia, Laura Stamp, Tazle Markovich and Brandon Young; fourth row, Kurt Leseberg, Colin ONeill, Saul Alvarado and Seth Eckhardt; fifth row, Carson Walker and Christopher Henry. (UW Photo)

The WWAMI Medical Education Program on the University of Wyoming campus has welcomed 20 new future physicians, marking its 24th class of medical students.

A stethoscope ceremony Aug. 20 at Ivinson Memorial Hospital (IMH) also was the first official WWAMI event under new Program Director Dr. Brant Schumaker.

WWAMI is a five-state consortium (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho), with each state providing students clinical experiences leading up to graduation through the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The ceremony followed a one-week period of orientation/immersion, allowing students to meet faculty members and familiarize themselves with the Wyoming medical schools facilities. It also was a period of introduction to the foundations of clinical medicine.

Schumaker thanks community health care providers, as well as members of IMH staff, for their support of the WWAMI students, especially in providing clinical space for medical students to practice their skills.

If we have learned anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the importance of collaboration among all segments of the health care community, Schumaker says. I cant stress enough how important the relationship is between our medical school curriculum and the physician and hospital partners who help facilitate and foster our students early clinical education.

Four faculty mentors within the WWAMI program each will work with five students, assisting with instructional needs as well as helping with personal challenges related to medical school. These mentors are Drs. Yvette and John Haeberle, clinical curriculum director and family medicine physician with Family Physicians of Laramie, respectively; Dr. Julie Carlson, assistant clinical curriculum director; and Dr. Tim Govaerts, a consultant for IMH who practices nephrology within a clinic he owns at UWs Mountain View Medical Park.

Carlson says the ceremony of new medical students receiving their stethoscopes along with clinical white coats is a fairly new tradition in medicine. The short coat they received in the recent ceremony is a symbol of authority and professionalism, representing the caring and trust they must earn from their patients. The white coat welcomes the students to the community of physicians by giving them a powerful symbol of compassion and honor. The long coat they will later receive is a symbol of being an equal clinician to others who have earned their long coats, to carry on the noble practice and tradition of medicine, she says.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, each student received his or her white coat and stethoscope. Then, along with friends and family members, they were treated to a barbecue dinner outdoors at Washington Park in Laramie.

Scott Killian was unable to attend the ceremony in person. (Brian Harrington Photo)

Listed by hometown, members of the new class of medical students are:

Afton -- Carson Walker.

Buffalo -- Scott Killian.

Casper -- Tazle Markovich, Sara Martinez-Garcia, Audrey Mossman, Colin ONeill and Laura Stamp.

Cheyenne -- Saul Alvarado.

Cody -- Bethany Shotts.

Dubois -- Kurt Leseberg.

Gillette -- Brandon Izatt and Bailey Theis.

Jackson -- Matthew Rorke.

Laramie -- Seth Eckhardt and Christopher Henry.

McKinnon -- Brandon Young.

Powell -- Tristan Bohlman.

Rock Springs -- Hanna Ahuja and Jessica Garcia.

Wheatland -- Samantha Britz.
ELIZABETH URBAN is News Editor for The Vidette. Urban can be contacted at emurba1@ilstu.edu. Follow Urban on Twitter at @eliizabethurban.

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of digital media, please contribute to this most important cause. Thank you.
ERIN GESSERT is a News and Features Reporter for The Vidette. Gessert can be contacted at eggesse@ilstu.edu Follow Gessert on Twitter at @erin_gessert

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of digital media, please contribute to this most important cause. Thank you.


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
On 22 August 2021, Mr. Mahdi Mirashrafi, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance and President of the Customs Administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Mr. Kazutoshi Aikawa, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan to Tehran, signed an Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance and Cooperation in Customs Matters in Tehran, Iran, in the presence of the two countries Foreign Ministers.

This document, which is based on the Model Agreement of the World Customs Organization (WCO), is the most important text ever signed between the two Customs administrations of Iran and Japan in the field of mutual assistance in Customs matters and provides a legal basis for exchanging Customs documents and information between the two countries.

In accordance with the text of the Agreement, the two countries' Customs administrations will also be able to collaborate in the fields of research, development and coordination for the implementation of new Customs procedures. The signing of this Agreement is a very good start for the future development of administrative, technical, educational and research cooperation between the two countries' Customs authorities.

It is worth mentioning that Japan Customs is one of the most active Customs administrations among the WCOs membership, with advanced technical and technological expertise in Customs affairs.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
'Battle of the Badges' Today at Stuart Nelson Park

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Members of the Paducah Police and Fire Departments are meeting today in the Battle of the Badges, a softball game to raise money for charity.The event begins at 3 p.m. at Stuart Nelson Park field 4, with the slow pitch softball game starting at 4 p.m. Admission is free, however, all donations at the event and proceeds from concessions will be provided to local charities as decided by each department.The police are donating their portion to the Oscar Cross Boys and Girls' Club, while firefighters are giving to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.Officer Dylan Cook is involved in planning the event, and said the idea began fairly simply.Cook said, "Just a couple of the police officers wanted to have some fun and play some softball, and thought that it would be a good idea to get the Paducah Fire Department involved as well, so we just kind of started texting back and forth and it just grew from there."Cook said after one email was sent through the police department, they quickly filled their team. He expects a good, friendly competition, with bragging rights on the line, and hopes they can have an even bigger battle next year."We would love for it to be an annual event and grow bigger. We would love to get some other departments involved and maybe have a weekend tournament," Cook said. "Of course, everything going to charity is the main goal."
Murray Man Arrested on Drug, Fleeing Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - Murray Police serving an arrest warrant on a man charged him with additional crimes after a brief foot pursuit.Officers went to the south side of Murray with a warrant for 23-year-old Dakota Davenport, and spotted him walking nearby. When they approached, Davenport allegedly fled on foot, but was caught and arrested.The warrant was for non-payment of court costs, but police added charges of fleeing or evading police, tampering with evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia and trafficking in methamphetamine.Davenport was taken to Calloway County Jail.
Flags to Half-Staff Today For US Troops

By West Kentucky Star Staff

FRANKFORT - In accordance with a proclamation from the White House, Governor Andy Beshear has ordered flags to half-staff in honor of U.S. troops and others killed in Afghanistan.Flags at all state office buildings will be lowered to half-staff until sunset on Monday in honor of the U.S. service members and others killed in the terrorist attacks in Afghanistan on Thursday.All other businesses and individuals throughout the commonwealth are encouraged to join in the tribute.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-02 01:28:26|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- As the effects of climate change such as scarce rains and drought unfold in Kenya, the east African nation is warming up to alternative crops that were initially neglected to boost food security, with traditional staple crops facing increased threats.

Maize and rice are among Kenyan staple crops that are increasingly facing threats due to effects of climate change.

For maize, erratic rains have disrupted production for the last five years, with the crop also facing threats from diseases like lethal necrosis disease and pests like fall armyworm.

Production of rice has equally been affected by floods as much as erratic rains, making Kenya rely on imports from Asia.

And as the staple crops face climatic challenges, agriculturalists from private and public sectors have identified cassava as a crop that can boost Kenya's food production amid climate change.

Like maize and rice, cassava is mainly grown by smallholder farmers across the east African nation, thus its production would not be harder or require a reinvention.

"Kenya is taking bold measures to entrench production of cassava as a way to boost food security amid climate change," Ann Nyaga, the chief administrative secretary with Ministry of Agriculture, said in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, recently.

Kenya has identified cassava as a good alternative or booster to rice and maize because it is a good source of carbohydrates, said Nyaga. "With production of maize and rice going down due to climate change, cassava, which is resilient to drought, offers hope amid the challenging times."

According to her, the crop can be grown in arid and semi-arid areas as well as in arable lands with little rain.

"Cassava also has wide usage for both humans and animals and in industries. It can be used as human and animal food and in starch production needed for industrial use and also to make ethanol," she said.

Kenya has come up with a National Roots and Tuber Crops Strategy that provides a road map for development of roots and tuber crop, said Nyaga.

Agnes Wang'ombe, an agriculture lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said that besides semi-arid areas, cassava grows well in western, eastern and coastal parts of Kenya. And Kenya picked on the crop because it is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the tropics after rice and maize.

"This crop is highly adaptable to various regions and is highly tolerant to drought and capable of growing in marginal soils thus does not need fertilizer unlike maize," she said.

According to her, over the years, Kenya had failed to tap into cassava growing due to a number of reasons, among them diseases like cassava mosaic disease and lack of quality planting materials.

Francis Wayua, a food scientist and technologist at the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), said even as Kenya shifts to cassava, it must embrace climate smart technologies to curb losses during production and after harvest. These include targeting the right time to harvest, planting cuttings that are resistant to pests and diseases and appropriate harvesting and storage technologies.

"Our target is to increase production of cassava so that we reduce the maize deficit by 14.7 million bags by 2024," said Lusike Wasilwa, the head of crop systems at KALRO, noting that Kenya experiences 20-30 percent shortage of staple crops.

Kenya's agriculture sector is one of the key economic boosters, contributing 26 percent to the country's economy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-26 21:29:14|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said the world should keep on engaging with Afghanistan to help it achieve peace and stability, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.

Khan made the remarks in a meeting with Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) David M. Beasley.

Khan said positive engagement of the international community with Afghanistan is the way forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and secure peace and stability in Afghanistan, according to the statement.

Ai Jichang, head of Partnerships, Communication and Reporting in the Pakistan office of the WFP, told Xinhua that the meeting was held on Wednesday between Khan and Beasley in the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, Khan reiterated his call for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, with representation from all ethnic groups, the statement added.

Beasley expressed gratitude for Pakistan's role in facilitating the work of the WFP in providing food assistance to Afghans, the statement said, adding that he also discussed with the prime minister ways of facilitating the continued provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

Khan said Pakistan has been a beneficiary of various WFP projects that are being implemented in the country, and values its partnership with the organization.

Since the U.S. troops started to pull out of Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has been advancing quickly on the battlefield. During the past 20 days, the group has captured most parts of Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 09:42:04|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

WELLINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The last flight by a New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) C-130 Hercules aircraft evacuating people from Afghanistan's capital Kabul landed back in the United Arab Emirates Thursday night.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a briefing on Friday that no NZDF personnel were in Kabul at the time of the explosions which occurred at the airport as they had all safely departed on the final flight.

NZDF have confirmed that no New Zealand evacuees were left within the Kabul airport.

So far, 276 New Zealand nationals and permanent residents, their families, and other visa holders have been evacuated from Kabul destined for New Zealand. Of these, 228 have already departed the United Arab Emirates for New Zealand, Ardern said, adding a further group of 100 people, including New Zealanders and Australians, were taken out on NZDF's last flight out of Kabul.

Over the course of the mission, the NZDF aircraft was able to undertake three flights out of Kabul and had brought out hundreds of evacuees who are destined for both New Zealand and Australia, said Defense Minister Peeni Henare, adding Australia also brought out a number of those destined for New Zealand.

It has not yet been confirmed as to when deployed NZDF personnel and the C-130 aircraft will arrive back in New Zealand. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 13:06:47|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NUR-SULTAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Four servicemen were killed and dozens injured in a series of explosions in southern Kazakh city of Taraz on Thursday night, authorities said Friday.

At a press briefing held on Friday, Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev said four servicemen have died while eliminating the consequences of the accident, and several people went missing.

There are no civilians among the dead and injured, he noted.

The depot of the engineering and sapper brigade of the ministry is located in the village of Kainar of the Bayzak District of the Zhambyl Region.

Residents of four nearby villages are being evacuated. Patrols are conducted in evacuated settlements to prevent looting. Railways and highways around the area are blocked, the ministry said.

Russian broadcaster RT reported ealier that the fire has resulted in at least six explosions, leaving 66 people injured, and 28 of them were still being treated in hospital.

There are no more explosions at the ammunition warehouse, but the fire is still raging, the Kazakh defense ministry was quoted as saying.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted on Thursday that the ministers of Defense, Emergency Situations, and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs flew to Zhambyl region.

Causes of the incident are still unknown, but the ministry said it can be caused by the burning of stored TNT. A commission had been set up to determine the cause. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 14:50:42|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

CANBERRA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's evacuation mission from Afghanistan has ended, authorities said on Friday.

Australian Minister for Defense Peter Dutton confirmed on Friday that Australian troops have left Afghanistan before the deadly bombing attacks at the Kabul airport.

The suicide bombings which occurred on Thursday night local time killed dozens including 13 American troops.

The Australian government has not been able to confirm whether any Australians or visa holders were injured, according to local media.

"Not too long before the attack, I can confirm that Australian troops and the rest of our personnel were wheels up and out of Kabul and I am so grateful that they are now safe," Dutton said.

The Australian and New Zealand Defense Forces flew more than 4,000 people out of Kabul.

Dutton told local media there was "very clear intelligence" that further attacks were likely but that the decision to leave Kabul was still a difficult one.

"It's an impossible situation, because the intelligence was clear to us that if we allowed our soldiers to stay on with the near certainty of terrorist attacks, then we would lose... Australian lives," he said. "That wasn't a risk we were prepared to take." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 16:41:58|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 Delta variant cases in Cambodia has surged to 1,534 after 209 new ones were detected, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement on Friday.

Some 75 new cases have been found in the capital Phnom Penh, as the rest were detected in 22 provinces, the statement said, adding that to date the variant has not been found only in Kep and Kratie provinces.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng called on people to continue implementing the guideline on the "3 do's and 3 don'ts" properly to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.

The 3 do's include wearing a face mask, washing hands regularly, and maintaining physical distancing of 1.5 meters, and the 3 don'ts are avoiding confined and enclosed spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and avoiding touching each other.

"Individuals who are obliged to undergo a quarantine must strictly abide by the rules in order to prevent large-scale community transmission," he said in the statement.

The Southeast Asian nation on Friday also registered 411 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the national total caseload to 91,369, the MoH said, adding that 17 more fatalities have been recorded, bringing the death toll to 1,858.

Meanwhile, Bunheng also urged those above 12 years old to receive COVID-19 vaccines when their turns come.

The country launched a COVID-19 inoculation drive in February, aiming at vaccinating 12 million people, or 75 percent of the kingdom's 16-million population, by the end of this year.

As of Aug. 26, some 10.17 million people, or 63.6 percent of the total population, have received at least one vaccine dose of vaccines, while 8.2 million of them have received both shots, the MoH said.

Most of the vaccines used in the kingdom's immunization program are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 16:45:04|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

MANILA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 17,447 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,916,461.

Friday's caseload is the second-highest daily tally since the outbreak began.

The DOH reported 113 coronavirus-related deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 32,841.

The Philippines is scaling up the vaccination of its people amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

The Philippine government expects its stocks of COVID-19 vaccines to total 170 million doses, along with another 24.9 million doses financed by local government units and the private sector.

The Philippines has administered over 31 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Over 13 million people have been fully vaccinated so far.

The government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year.

The Philippines, with a population of around 110 million, has tested over 17 million people since the outbreak in January 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 19:30:54|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

File photo taken on Aug. 10, 2017 shows new houses built for relocated villagers in Srekor Thmey village in Sesan District of Stung Treng Province, Cambodia.(Lower Sesan II Hydropower Company/Handout via Xinhua)



STUNG TRENG, Cambodia, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- "If there had not been this project, we would have still been living in hardship, using kerosene-burning lamps or batteries," Souy For, a 51-year-old father of two, said of a new power station in the country.

He noted that the key project, Cambodia's Lower Sesan II hydropower station, is bringing unprecedented development to his village.

"At the new village, because of low-priced and stable electricity, we have experienced something new such as air-cons, fans, refrigerators and televisions, which we had never had at the old village due to the lack of electricity," he said, adding that the future is very promising for them in the new Srekor Thmey village.

Souy For was among hundreds of families who voluntarily agreed to leave their old villages for relocation to new places to pave the way for the development of a 400-megawatt Lower Sesan II hydropower station in the Sesan district in Cambodia's northern Stung Treng province.

Completed in 2018, the Lower Sesan II hydropower station is a joint venture between China's Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy, which held 51 percent of the stake, Cambodia's Royal Group with 39 percent of shares, and Vietnamese EVN International Joint Stock Company, which possessed 10 percent.

Cambodian Environment Ministry Secretary of State and Spokesman Neth Pheaktra said the project is empowering the Southeast Asian nation's socio-economic development with the capacity of 400 megawatts of clean renewable energy.

"This project is essential to ensure Cambodia's energy security and it has been providing tremendous benefit to the whole Cambodia and its people," he told Xinhua.

NEW LIFE

Foeun Heng, a 63-year-old man, was relocated to the village in 2016, beginning a new life with an 80-square-meter wooden house and five hectares of farmland provided by the local government and the project company.

He had planted cashew trees on his five-hectare land, which had earned him nearly 3,000 U.S. dollars a year from cashew nut harvest.

"Now, my family has a steady income and our living conditions are much better," Foeun Heng told Xinhua recently. "In the old village, we lived from hand to mouth, depending only on rice field and fishing."

"Life is convenient here because we have good roads, drainage systems, pumping wells, cheap electricity prices, schools, health centers, pagodas and police stations," he said.

Foeun Choeun, chief of Srekor Thmey commune, said the relocated community currently has 996 families with nearly 3,000 people.

"Their living conditions have positively changed after the moved to this new place," he told Xinhua. "Some families had only bikes or old motorcycles at the old village, but now, they own two or three motorcycles or a car."

He added that currently, each relocated family has a few smartphones, and it's quite different from the past when few families could even afford a cellphone.

NEW AWARD

Last month, the Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) gave the "Excellent Power Generation Enterprise Award" to the Lower Sesan II hydropower plant, commending it for continuously supplying stable and reliable clean power to Cambodia.

"During the past two years of operation, the Lower Sesan II Hydropower Project has been professional by providing reliable electricity supply to the Kingdom of Cambodia," EDC Managing Director Keo Rottanak said in the certificate of commendation.

Electricity provided by this project accounted for 18.69 percent of the total power generated in the Southeast Asian nation in 2020. As of Aug. 2, 2021, electricity generated here had exceeded 600 million kilowatt-hours this year.

"Despite disruption caused by the COVID-19, the hydropower plant has still supplied electricity to the national power grid stably because our workers have worked around the clock and they have not gone home during this time in order to curb the spread of COVID-19," Chhay Khaymeng, a public relation officer for the Lower Sesan II Hydropower Station, told Xinhua.

In July, the Fisheries Administration of Cambodia issued a certificate to this project in recognition of the company's achievements in fish protection.

Neth Pheaktra said the plant has paid high attention to not only the affected people, but also environmental protection by complying with all requirements in the Environmental Impact Assessment paper. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 19:34:01|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KATHMANDU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Chinese manufacturers has gained approval from the Nepali government to conduct the third phase of clinical trials in the South Asian country, a senior official from Nepal Health Research Council said Friday.

It is the first time that a COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been allowed for clinical trials in the country.

The vaccine ARCoV was jointly developed by China's Suzhou Abogen Biosciences (AbogenBio), the Institute of Military Medicine under the Academy of Military Sciences and Walvax Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

"A cabinet meeting on Thursday decided to allow the Chinese company (Walvax Biotechnology) and its local partner Deurali-Janta Pharmaceutical Pvt. Ltd to conduct the third phase of clinical trials of the vaccine in Nepal," Dr. Pradip Gyanwali, executive chief of the Health Research Council, told Xinhua.

"We received a proposal from the Chinese company about a month ago seeking approval to conduct clinical trials," said Gyanwali. "After finding the vaccine candidate good in terms of safety and efficacy, we forwarded the proposal to the Health Ministry recommending that it be permitted to conduct trials here. The Health Ministry took the proposal to the Cabinet and the Cabinet approved the proposal."

"After the Chinese company comes up with the license from the DDA (Department of Drug Administration), we will issue a letter to the company authorizing it to conduct the third phase of trials," Namita Ghimire, a member of the Ethical Review Board, told Xinhua.

According to Gyanwali, Walvax Biotechnology and its Nepali partner have proposed conducting the trials on 3,000 people at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, a government-run facility in the eastern city of Dharan.

Nepal has been gripped by a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, and relies on an external supply of COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate its 30 million population.

As of Thursday, 4.98 million Nepalis have been administered the first dose, with 3.9 million fully vaccinated with two shots, according to the Health Ministry.

"Access to vaccines will be easier if they are manufactured in Nepal," said Gyanwali.

Early this month, the Nepali government announced a number of incentives for domestic and foreign companies to establish vaccine plants in Nepal to produce vaccines against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 19:36:06|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

MANILA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Friday it has approved a 400-million-U.S.-dollar policy-based loan to the Philippines to help improve local governments' capacity to provide high-quality public services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Manila-based bank said the Local Governance Reform Program Subprogram 2 will help strengthen local government units' service delivery framework, modernize local public financial management, and improve financing and investment framework.

ADB Public Finance Economist for Southeast Asia Aekapol Chongvilaivan said the program "will help ensure local governments have the capacity and adequate resources to quickly respond to the basic needs of local communities at critical times like this."

The new program builds on ADB's support since 2006 to help the Philippines boost efficiency, accountability, and transparency in local governments' financial management and service delivery. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 19:36:58|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has asked the states of Kerala and Maharashtra to consider the imposition of night curfew in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases there, officials said on Friday.

The directions were issued by the home ministry during a review meeting held on Thursday with the officials of these two states.

The home secretary observed that more efforts would be required to contain the increase in infections, including adequate intervention in geographical areas having higher infection, through measures such as contact tracing, vaccination drives and COVID-19 appropriate behavior, a home ministry spokesman said.

"He also suggested that the state governments should explore the possibility of placing night curfew in areas of high positivity," said the spokesman.

Kerala and Maharashtra have seen a sudden surge in the number of daily COVID-19 infections.

The Indian health ministry on Friday morning said 44,658 new cases were reported nationwide in the last 24 hours. Of these, 30,077 were reported from Kerala and 5,108 from Maharashtra.

The state governments were urged to continue with their vaccination programmes, a statement issued by the home ministry said.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 appropriate behavior must also continue to be encouraged and events with potential of having mass gatherings during the coming festive season must be avoided, said the statement.

Reports said Kerala has accounted for nearly 60 percent of the new cases nationwide in the past week and more than half of the total active cases.

The local governments in Kerala and Maharashtra were also advised that testing must be ramped up in areas where positivity rates are higher.

Daily COVID-19 cases in India fell to a five-month low of 25,166 in mid-August but rose sharply in the last three days, mainly in Kerala where a big festival was celebrated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 19:46:31|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

by Raheela Nazir

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan strongly condemned the "heinous terrorist attack" at an airport in the Afghan capital Kabul that resulted in the loss of dozens of innocent lives, calling for the sustained engagement of the international community to achieve peace in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We convey our sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the early recovery of those injured," the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said in a statement late Thursday.

Commenting on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the world to help Afghanistan achieve peace after decades of turmoil the country has suffered.

"The role of the international community is vital in bringing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan ... Their people have faced such hardships," said the prime minister while addressing a gathering here on Thursday.

Pakistan on multiple occasions has reiterated its support for an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan and maintained that a stable Afghanistan is of critical importance for Pakistan and the region.

Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Pakistan remained in close contact with the international community on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

Khan held telephonic conversations with world leaders including presidents of Russia and Turkey, the German chancellor, and the prime ministers of Britain, Netherlands and Denmark to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Amid the crisis, Pakistan has also been facilitating the evacuation of people from Afghanistan including members of the international community.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told the media on Tuesday that over 3,400 people have been evacuated through airplanes, while around 19,000 have come through the borders to Pakistan.

"Pakistan remains one of the primary stakeholders in this whole process and trying to create a conducive environment so that the people stranded in Afghanistan can be evacuated," Hussain said.

Meanwhile, the local administration in Islamabad on Thursday has requested all private hotels in the capital to stop booking for the next three weeks to accommodate thousands of Afghan evacuees.

"In view of the current situation across the border, thousands of people are evacuating from Afghanistan and passengers from transition flights are staying in Islamabad. In order to facilitate the passengers, it is requested that reservations in all hotels of Islamabad Capital Territory may be closed for next 21 days at least," said a notification released by the district magistrate office of Islamabad. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 20:26:20|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

A woman mourns over the death of her relative at the site of a factory fire in Karachi, Sindh province, southern Pakistan, Aug. 27, 2021. A fire in a chemical factory in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi killed at least 15 laborers on Friday, police and rescue officials said. (Str/Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A fire in a chemical factory in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi killed at least 15 laborers on Friday, police and rescue officials said.

At least 15 bodies have been retrieved by rescuers from the factory building engulfed by the fire in the Mehran Town area of Karachi, the provincial capital of southern Sindh province, Muhammad Azeem, an official of the rescue department of the Edhi Foundation in Karachi, told Xinhua.

He said at least two rescue personnel of Edhi Foundation were injured while trying to extinguish the fire, adding that more laborers are still trapped inside the building as rescue efforts are underway.

The city's Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed told local media that 13 fire tenders and a snorkel are being used to put out the blaze, adding that the fire broke out on the first floor of the building due to toxic chemical.

Eyewitnesses in the area told Xinhua that more than 35 people were present in the factory when the fire erupted. They said the rescue teams are facing difficulties due to narrow streets and heavy smoke in the area.

Following the incident, police, rescue teams along with fire brigade teams reached the scene and shifted the bodies and injured to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in the city.

The area has been cordoned off by the security forces. Sindh Rangers personnel are also engaged in relief efforts with rescue teams, said a spokesman for the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 20:26:51|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to work with the Philippines to keep bilateral relations on the right track and achieve steady and long-term development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

In a phone conversation with his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi said China attaches great importance to relations with the Philippines, and supports the Philippine side in firmly upholding an independent foreign policy of peace.

Xi said China is ready to deepen friendship and mutual trust with the Philippines, and stay committed to the general direction of good-neighborliness and friendship. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 20:40:40|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

HANOI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- As Afghans struggle to overcome the chaos left behind by the United States, Washington is once again sticking its nose where it doesn't belong.

From Aug. 22 to 26, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris paid visits to Singapore and Vietnam less than a month after U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited the region.

In Singapore, she picked up where Austin left off and denounced China's so-called coercion, intimidation and claims in the South China Sea. In Vietnam, she threatened to mount pressure on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

However, when asked about Afghanistan-related issues, Harris said "there is going to be plenty of time" to analyze them, making the war-torn country the elephant in the room.

It was a demonstration of typical American hypocrisy. While promising Afghans peace and stability, Washington actually created chaos and disturbance. If it tries to play the same trick in Southeast Asia, Washington will only find its shenanigans are doomed to fail.

Firstly, what has transpired in Afghanistan further lays bare the nonsensical nature of the "lip service" the United States has in store for Southeast Asia.

The latest round of such "service" came from Harris herself, who on Tuesday hyped the United States' relationship with the Indo-Pacific region and Southeast Asian countries as longstanding and enduring.

Based on the analogy people around the world have been making between the Americans' evacuation in Kabul and their hectic evacuation from the embassy roof in Saigon in 1975, one really has to wonder: how enduring will such "commitments" be?

Secondly, while Harris accused China of undermining the rules-based order and threatening the sovereignty of nations, it is Washington that is actually doing so in the South China Sea.

According to the think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, in the first half of 2021, the intensity of the U.S. Navy's surveillance activities in the South China Sea was significantly on the rise. Out of 181 days, there were 161 when at least one U.S. surveillance ship was deployed in the waters, which was often accompanied by U.S. guided-missile destroyers and antisubmarine patrol aircraft, showing explicit combat-oriented patterns.

On the contrary, China has been keenly working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on preserving order in the South China Sea, with an agreement made in June among the parties to work together for an early agreement on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

It is thus crystal clear to all who really is a threat to the rules and order in the region.

Thirdly, the ties between China and Southeast Asian countries are based on enormous development interests that cannot be easily altered.

Statistics from China's General Administration of Customs showed that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, trade between China and the ASEAN in the first half of this year still reached 410.75 billion U.S. dollars, up 38.2 percent year on year.

As for Vietnam, in the first seven months of 2021, its exports to China and imports from the country grew by 24.2 percent and 48.5 percent respectively year on year.

Right before Harris' arrival in Vietnam on Tuesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted when meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo that the country is willing to work with China to guard against efforts to sow regional discord, such as so-called "peaceful revolutions."

However deceptive and inciting, Harris' rhetoric during her trip fools no one. Washington's futile attempts to form an anti-China arc in the region have failed before; attempts to do so again won't work either. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 23:21:45|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NUR-SULTAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The hypothesis hyped up by Western countries that the novel coronavirus was deliberately leaked by a Chinese lab is a geopolitical conspiracy, according to the China Studies Center in Kazakhstan.

The U.S. zeal trying to pin the blame of the pandemic on China is a result of rising economic competition between the two countries, said a report by the center.

Earlier this year, a World Health Organization (WHO) report suggested it was most likely that the virus spread to humans from bats through an unspecified intermediary animal.

However, the United States criticized the report as incomplete and lacking crucial data, and a U.S. intelligence report recently finished but not yet released to the public reportedly found "a lab leak in Wuhan plausible."

The report by the Kazakh leading research institute on China questioned these Western theories, saying this is a purposeful work for their domestic audience and an attempt to divert their citizens' attention from the governments' failure in containing the COVID-19 epidemic and the inefficiency of their political systems.

"If the Chinese government really were so 'insidious' and would release an artificially grown virus from the laboratory, then why would it be done on their territory ... with its 1.4 billion people and a high population density, which is a very favorable environment for the spread of any virus in principle?" said the report.

Such Western hypotheses do not hold water, because considering China's years of efforts to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and so much effort put in human capital, it would be "a suicide to imagine some kind of laboratory games with a dangerous little-studied virus, and also unpredictable threat to national security," according to the report.

At the end, the report noted that the country where an epidemic originated does not have to make compensation.

"If we recall the global epidemics and deadly diseases of the past, no one in history has paid any compensation. Various epidemics of plague, smallpox, cholera, Spanish flu - were they less deadly? Or if you recall the country from which AIDS began to spread in 1981, to whom and what did it pay for the 25 million deaths?" concluded the report. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-27 23:58:23|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia cracked down on 198 human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases in the first six months of 2021, a remarkable rise from only 63 cases over the same period last year, a senior official said on Friday.

Some 139 cases involved human trafficking and 59 cases related to sexual exploitation, the Interior Ministry's secretary of state Chou Bun Eng said during a virtual meeting.

"During the crackdowns, our law enforcement agents had arrested a total of 291 suspects and rescued 721 victims," she said.

Bun Eng, who is also the permanent vice-chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking, said as the government was very busy to fight against COVID-19, some opportunists had tried to smuggle people across the border.

"However, the Cambodian government is doing its best to eliminate all forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in order to enhance the respect for human rights, dignity and social justice," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-08-28 01:03:52|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

DHAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 people were killed after a boat capsized in a river in Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district, some 109 km east of the capital Dhaka, on Friday night, a police official said.

"The bodies of 19 travelers have already been recovered," Mohammed Anisur Rahman, the district's police chief, told Xinhua via mobile phone.

The boat capsized at around 6:00 p.m. local time on Friday as it collided head-on with a sand-laden vessel, which got hit by another sand-laden vessel from behind.

According to the official, the boat was carrying scores of travellers.

"We've come to know that many of the travellers managed to swim ashore after the boat capsized," he said.

A search is underway for the missing, he added.

The official could not give immediately the exact number of missing passengers. Enditem
Via social media, the Head of State indicated that it is time to build a fairer Peru.

Es momento de incentivar un profundo dialogo entre todas las raices politicas, sobre todo con los sectores mas olvidados de nuestra sociedad. Construyamos juntos un Peru mas justo, en total respeto de todas sus culturas, y sin discriminacion entre sus ciudadanos.#VotoDeConfianza https://t.co/ddnRjdakij
Ahora | El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, junto con otras autoridades, preside la ceremonia de entrega de cuatro hospitales moviles donados por el gobierno de Estados Unidos (@USEMBASSYPERU).

?? En vivo: https://t.co/ABaebBjVqI
Presidente @PedroCastilloTe: Agradezco el gesto y solidaridad del gobierno de Estados Unidos por esta donacion de cuatro hospitales de emergencia moviles. A traves del @indeciperu, seran destinados al @Minsa_Peru y FF. AA., para la atencion de emergencias y fenomenos naturales. pic.twitter.com/CCDtKTKOHU
El Peru fue elegido miembro del Consejo de Administracion de la Union Postal Universal @UPU_UN, para el periodo 2022-2025, en el XXVII Congreso de ese organismo internacional, que se celebra en Abiyan, Costa de Marfil, con delegado de @CancilleriaPeru.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Arshak Karapetyan received today the delegation led by Lieutenant-General Hasan Kaloev, first deputy chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

Lieutenant-General Hasan Kaloev has arrived in Armenia on a working visit.

At the meeting defense minister Karapetyan presented the current security environment around Armenia.

Mr. Kaloev reported the Armenian defense minister about the plans for joint operational expansion of the CSTO collective response forces.

The meeting sides also exchanged views on decision-making within CSTO and improvement of mechanisms of using collective forces.

During the visit in Armenia, Lieutenant-General Hasan Kaloev also got acquainted with issues relating to the combat preparedness of the Armenian units included in the CSTO collective response forces.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received on August 27 Ambassador of Russia to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, during the meeting the Minister noted that Armenia will continue to deepen and expand allied relations with Russia in all directions of the interstate agenda, which is also enshrined in the August 26 Government Action Plan.

It was noted that the dynamics of regional and international developments make the need to give a new impetus to the Armenian-Russian relations even stronger.

The Armenian FM expressed satisfaction with Russia's efforts aimed at the implementation of the agreements of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020.

Touching upon the recent provocations by Azerbaijan, including the closure of the Goris-Kapan highway, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the Azerbaijani side is undermining Armenia's efforts to defuse the situation and establish peace in the region.

The interlocutors also discussed cooperation in the sidelines of the CSTO. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed that the forthcoming presidency of Armenia in the CSTO will make active efforts aimed at developing the organization and strengthening its potential.
On August 26, Artsakh National Assembly Speaker Arthur Tovmasyan once again visited the operative headquarters of the Government of the Republic of Artsakh in the Republic of Armenia.

August 27, 2021, 11:24 Artsakh NA Speaker visited the Operative Headquarters of the Artsakh Republic Government in Armenia

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: Arthur Tovmasyan got acquainted with the process of the implemented works. Various issues were discussed during the meeting.

Head of the Operative Headquarters Mikael Virabyan touched upon a number of key issues concerning the humanitarian assistance provided to the displaced people.
The production of the latest Floks self-propelled mortar system and Magnolia self-propelled artillery gun may begin in late 2022 and early 2023, the press office of the Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) told TASS at the Army-2021 International Military-Technical Forum on Friday, Tass informs.

August 27, 2021, 15:06 Russia to launch production of next-generation artillery systems

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The mass production of these models [the Floks and Magnolia guns] will begin after the completion of the state trials in late 2022 - early 2023, provided that the state customer makes the corresponding decision," the press office said.

Currently, the prototypes of the 120mm Floks self-propelled wheeled artillery system and the 120mm Magnolia self-propelled artillery gun based on the DT-30PM two-section tracked armored chassis are at the final stage of preliminary trials.

The latest 120mm Floks self-propelled artillery gun is mounted on the Ural-4320 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle. The gun has been developed as part of the Nabrosok R&D work. As its main feature, the new self-propelled artillery system carries a combined semi-automatic rifled gun that can fire all types of mortar shells and projectiles with ready-made rifling. The weapon can be used as a howitzer and a mortar and can be employed for direct fire.
Russia is seriously worried over the way the situation in Afghanistan is developing and it most strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Friday, Tass informs.

August 27, 2021, 16:11 Russia strongly condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul  Kremlin spokesman

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 27, ARTSAKHPRESS: "We condemn these terrorist attacks in the strongest way. The reports about heavy casualties are very sad news, of course. Regrettably, quite correct were the pessimistic forecasts the chaos in Afghanistan will certainly be used by the terrorist groups and organizations entrenched there, in the first place, the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) and its derivatives," Peskov said. "This breeds more tensions in Afghanistan. The risk is very great for all. And, of course, this remains a reason for our serious concern."

On August 26, Kabul's airport, which the Western countries are using to evacuate foreign citizens, saw two explosions staged by suicide bombers from the Islamic State. According to the latest report, the blasts killed 103, including 13 US soldiers. US President Joe Biden said the United States would track down those responsible and was already planning strikes against the Islamic State. The Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia), which has seized power in Afghanistan, has condemned the attacks and promised to punish those responsible.
Imran Choudhury, 36, had to be rescued after he plunged down a hillside near Dovestones reservoir in the Peak District while he was training for a walk to raise funds for the NHS. (Reach)

A dad had a lucky escape after plunging 200ft down a ravine after posing for a photo at a beauty spot.

Imran Choudhury, 36, was rescued by paramedics and members of the public after he was left severely injured in the fall.

He survived, but spent nearly a month in an induced coma after breaking his shoulder, shoulder blade, spinal bone, a small bone in his leg left and badly damaging his right leg in six places. He had also broken two skull bones, one of which penetrated his brain and caused serious internal bleeding.

Choudhury, from Oldham, was training for a walk to raise funds for the NHS near Dovestones Reservoir in the Peak District when the accident happened in February this year.

Coudhury was left with extensive injuries after plunging down the ravine. (Reach)

He had stopped at The Trinnacle landmark on Saddleworth Moor and asked two passers-by to take his photograph.

But when he started climbing back down, he blacked out and fell 200ft, getting stuck on a 50-degree slope in the ravine.

Read more: Tributes to 'beautiful' toddler killed in caravan fire: 'Broken all our hearts'

"It was a very steep climb and I was walking against the wind that day," he said. "I took lots of photos and videos and went to the Trinnacle where two people took my photo.

"I did a live video for social media and actually said at the end of it, if someone fell from here that would be the end for them. I started to climb down and thats the last thing I remember."

Choudhury was in an induced coma for three weeks and is still recovering from his injuries. (Reach)

Luckily, Choudhury was spotted by two fellow walkers who saw him plummet down the hill and called emergency services, as well as enlisting the help of another couple, with one person scrambling down to the injured dad and staying with him.

An air ambulance was dispatched from Yorkshire Air Ambulance but strong winds made the rescue mission one of the team's most challenging ever.

Paramedic James Allen recalled: "It was blowing a gale and the ground was crumbling away in places. If any of us had lost our footing, it would have been game over."

Story continues

The treacherous winds meant eventually a Search and Rescue helicopter was sent to the scene and Choudhury was winched to safety then flown to Sheffield Northern General Hospital by the waiting Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter.

He spent three weeks in an induced coma as he recovered from his serious injuries.

"When I woke up from the coma I didnt know where I was or what had happened," he said. "I thought that I was in Bangladesh. It took some time to realise the extent of my injuries."

He is still undergoing treatment for his injuries and has praised the people who came to his rescue that day.

"Without the members of the public, the emergency services wouldnt have come to my rescue as they called them and without the emergency services, I wouldnt be here today.

"They are my angels who saved me. Im so grateful for their help. It was a very challenging rescue and its amazing what they did to save me."

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Doctor Andy Pountney said: "Im really proud to have been part of the team at the beginning of Imrans journey, to be part of that team who gave him the initial treatment and helped get him off the hillside. I feel privileged to be in a position to help someone like that."

Imran Choudhury's story will feature on Critical Hour on Channel Really at 10pm on 31 August.

Watch: White Wine Question Time's Biggest Revelations
Digital dissent: Hong Kongers race to archive democracy movement Chinese author Chang Ping leads a group of anonymous activists creating an online version of Hong Kong's Tiananmen museum (AFP/Ina FASSBENDER)

Hong Kong activists are working in the shadows to preserve digital backups of their democracy movement as the physical symbols of their resistance, including an opposition newspaper and a museum, are purged from the city's streets.

In the end, it was food safety inspectors that finished Hong Kong's museum to those killed in the Tiananmen Square protests -- the only memorial of its kind within China to victims of the 1989 crackdown.

Its exhibitions documented Beijing's decision to use tanks to quell democracy protests in the Chinese capital and Hong Kong's three-decade history of holding annual candlelight vigils for those killed.

But officials from the city's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department visited in early June and declared the venue -- which had operated on and off for years -- did not have the correct license.

With the city's Tiananmen vigils already effectively banned by authorities since last year, the move came as little surprise to many.

Which is why dissident Chinese author Chang Ping, a former student leader back in 1989, spent the past year leading a group of anonymous activists to create an online version of the museum.

"We hope to save the spirit of 30 years' candlelight commemoration in Hong Kong, which was an unparalleled act of resistance in human history," Chang told AFP by phone from his home in Germany.

- 'We needed to race the clock' -

The online museum project is just one of many where cyberspace has become a place to preserve remnants of a city that is being remoulded in authoritarian China's own image after huge democracy protests two years ago.

The Hong Kong Alliance, which ran the museum and organised the annual Tiananmen vigils, knew they might not survive, especially after China imposed a security law last year that criminalised much dissent.

Most of the group's leaders have since been arrested and the coalition is on the verge of disbanding -- but not before it fundraised HK$1.6 million ($215,000) to build a virtual Noah's Ark for their movement.

Story continues

Other projects had far less lead time to prepare.

Chris Wong, a software developer who asked to use a pseudonym, scrambled to mobilise coders earlier this year to preserve what they could of the city's outspoken pro-democracy Apple Daily tabloid.

Its millionaire owner Jimmy Lai was already in jail and facing national security charges over campaigning for sanctions against China.

But in early June police used the national security law to freeze the paper's assets and within little more than a week it collapsed.

"We needed to race the clock," Wong recalled after Apple Daily announced the printing of its final edition and the removal of its online presence for later that month.

Wong went to LIHKG -- a Reddit-like forum that was instrumental in coordinating Hong Kong's 2019 democracy protests -- and found tech-savvy volunteers willing to scrape the tabloid's website.

They harvested over two million pages and archived them on the searchable website collection.news by writing around 10,000 lines of code, Wong said.

"Being the more tech-savvy guys, we feel we have more obligation to help preserve the history of Hong Kong," Wong told AFP.

"But everyone can and needs to play a part in sharing the past with your friends, your next generation."

- 'Proud to play a part'

Similar digital backups have been created for reporting by RTHK, the city's public broadcaster. Over the last six months, it has been overhauled to be more like China's state media.

Critical journalists have lost their jobs and current affairs programmes have been axed while much of its social media content, including many reports critical of authorities, have disappeared.

An activist, using the pseudonym "Freeman", said their group had harvested 14 terabytes of video reports from both RTHK and Apple Daily for a planned online backup.

Such digital activism is not without risks.

In recent weeks Hong Kong's pro-Beijing media have suggested moves to preserve online records of the Tiananmen Museum and annual vigils are illegal under the national security law.

Police action usually follows such editorials.

Days after the Apple Daily back-up site launched it was hit by a distributed denial of service, a type of cyber-attack where a website is deliberately flooded with hits by a network of computers to try and bring it offline.

But Chang Ping says he and other digital activists remain unbowed.

"If building a museum is a crime, then the whole history of human civilisation is illegal," he said. "I am proud to be part of it."

su/jta/gle
A hydrogen-gas turbine power station proposed for the Illawarra region of NSW has been declared "critical state significant infrastructure", meaning the project will be fast tracked.

The plan by businessman Andrew Forrest to build the $1.3 billion project at Port Kembla will still need environmental approval, but will not be subject to third party appeal rights.

The project is in an area marked as a potential hydrogen gas hub.

The proposed power station has committed to using up to five per cent cent green hydrogen.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the plant was a step towards safeguarding the state's energy needs while providing jobs.

"The Port Kembla power station will be a game changer, not just for NSW but Australia," Mr Barilaro said in a statement.

"It will provide the energy capacity our state needs as existing coal-fired power stations reach their end of life, and household power bills will be the big winner as the project maintains downward pressure on prices."

The coal-powered Liddell Power Station near Muswellbrook, in the NSW Hunter region, is due to come offline in 2023.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes said the proposed power station would produce up to 635 megawatts of electricity on demand and create 700 construction jobs.

"The Port Kembla power station will be a critical part of the NSW energy mix as we move to cleaner, greener renewables," Mr Stokes said.

The power station would sit adjacent to the import terminal the Forest-owned Squadron energy group is already building. It has the capacity to handle both LNG and green hydrogen.

The federal government has previously committed $30 million to support initial works for the Port Kembla power station, and has shortlisted it for future funding support.

The final approval will rest with Mr Stokes.
Britain will not accept any more people for flights out of Kabul beyond those already inside the airport after it shut its processing centre and entered the final stages of its evacuation from Afghanistan, defence minister Ben Wallace says.

He said Britain was preparing the last 1000 people inside the airfield who would fly out on Friday as the country winds down its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, set to complete its departure before the United States' scheduled exit by August 31.

After a suicide bombing that killed 85 people including 13 US soldiers on Thursday, Wallace said the threat from further attacks at the airport would increase as militants seek to show that they have forced the Western powers out of Afghanistan.

"The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving," he told Sky News.

"The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the US or the UK."

Wallace said no one else would be called forward to the airport for evacuation and efforts would now focus on getting out British nationals and others who have already been cleared to leave, before the final troops depart "in a few days".

"It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process," he said, adding that he thought there were around 100 to 150 British nationals still in the country, some of whom were willingly staying.

Around 800 to 1100 Afghans who worked with Britain and had been eligible to leave the country would not make it through, Wallace told LBC radio.

So far, Britain has evacuated more than 13,700 British nationals and Afghans, representing the second biggest airlift by the country's air force after the Berlin Airlift in 1949, the defence ministry said.

Wallace, a former soldier, also said that Thursday's attack at the airport had not sped up Britain's timetable for ending the evacuation operation. The closure of the processing centre at Baron Hotel had shut on schedule, he said.
Wesfarmers leaders say lockdown impacts are mounting on staff and the company will pay a "material" cost to compensate thousands unable to work due to COVID-19.

The Bunnings and Officeworks operator vowed to keep paying wages to workers sidelined by COVID measures until at least December 31, and revealed shareholders would receive $2 billion from full-year profit.

Managing director Rob Scott said almost 9,000 Bunnings workers had been in isolation at some stage in the past couple of months.

"I'm less worried about the short-term profit impact. Our businesses are in great shape," he said.

"What I'm most concerned about is the social impact, the economic impact and the mental health impact of prolonged lockdowns.

"That's why we're so committed to support our team at this critical time."

The continued paying of wages to these affected staff would come at a material cost, he said.

However, Mr Scott cited many hundreds of calls to employee assistance lines as reason for the support.

A disproportionate number of calls have been from employees younger than 30.

"That sheds an interesting light - some young people are doing it really tough," Mr Scott said.

Wesfarmers lifted annual profit by 16 per cent after a strong year.

Net profit - excluding significant items related to the closure of multiple Target stores and the conversion of others to Kmart - rose to $2.4 billion in 2020/21, from $2.1 billion the year before.

"While COVID-19 had a significant impact on operations during the year, the group's businesses maintained their focus on building deeper customer relationships and trust," Mr Scott said on Friday.

"Bunnings, Kmart Group and Officeworks delivered strong sales and earnings growth."

A 10 per cent rise in group revenue to $33.9 billion was mostly driven by customers working from home and generally spending more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Story continues

The Kmart operations recorded the biggest rise in pre-tax earnings at 69 per cent, followed by Bunnings at 19.7 per cent and Officeworks at 7.6 per cent.

"The retail divisions are well-positioned for the resumption of normal trading as (coronavirus related) lockdowns and restrictions ease," Wesfarmers, which also owns online retailer Catch, said in a statement.

Wesfarmers shareholders will get a final dividend for the year of $1.78, up 17 per cent on the year before, taking the total payout for the year to $2.66.

The company also plans to return surplus cash to shareholders totalling $2.3 billion, or $2 per share.

But the capital return must first be approved by shareholders at an annual general meeting in October.

If approved, shareholders will get their money in early December.

Wesfarmers also owns a chemicals, energy and fertilisers division and an industrial and safety unit.

Shares on the ASX were down 2.72 per cent to $62.22 at 1155 AEST.
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.
U.S. Rep. John Katko, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, ripped President Joe Biden after terrorist attacks in Kabul killed 13 U.S. servicemembers on Thursday  the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in a decade.

The attacks outside of the Hamid Karzai International Airport killed and injured civilians. Eighteen U.S. troops were wounded. ISIS-K, a group affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist organization, took responsibility for the attacks.

Biden pledged to hunt down those who carried out the attacks on the U.S. military.

"I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command," he said.

But the president has been criticized for his handling of the volatile situation in Afghanistan. The U.S. military is attempting to evacuate thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies before the Aug. 31 withdrawal date.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Katko, R-Camillus, is among those who have panned Biden's approach, especially as the Taliban quickly seized control of Afghanistan and created a more dangerous situation in the country.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

"New York state government has to work, and Governor Kathy Hochul, I will do everything I can to help you and make sure that we deliver for the state of New York," Benjamin said.

Republicans panned Hochul's decision to appoint Benjamin as lieutenant governor. The critics include state Sen. Peter Oberacker, an Otsego County Republican.

Oberacker highlighted his differences with Benjamin on criminal justice issues. But he expressed willingness to work with the incoming lieutenant governor.

"While I disagree with his stance on these and other policies, I stand ready to educate Senator Benjamin about issues important to constituents of the 51st Senate District in hopes we can find some common ground," he said.

Benjamin acknowledged he has "very big shoes to fill" as lieutenant governor. Until Tuesday, the position was held by Hochul, who was former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's running mate. Hochul spent most of her time on the road and visited New York's 62 counties every year.

After Cuomo announced his resignation, Hochul revealed that she did not have a close relationship with the governor. She wants a different working relationship with her lieutenant governor.

Hochul called Benjamin her "partner"  someone, she said, "will be out there championing our policies and our administration's agenda in every corner of the state."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 7

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

In a letter to Stephanie Pollack, acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, Katko wrote that his office has "received outreach from many constituents regarding their ability to fully participate in this process under the current timeline."

"Providing a reasonable extension of the (public comment period) will address these concerns, ensure a full and thorough consideration of the DEIS by our community, and provide more central New Yorkers with an opportunity to make their voices heard," Katko added.

During the public comment period, the state Department of Transportation held two virtual and two in-person public information sessions. There are also eight neighborhood meetings, the first of three of which were held this week, planned in the Syracuse area.

The state Department of Transportation has identified the community grid as its preferred alternative to replace the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse. There are two other options under consideration: Rebuilding the viaduct or a no-build alternative.
"Not having a buyer for your milk is a really severe position to be in for these farmers," Kempner said. "So we're doing our best to make sure we're seeking solutions for alternative markets for their milk but also make sure the farmers feel as individually supported as possible."

NOFA-VT is part of a task force aimed at saving the farms that the Vermont Agriculture Agency has put together, in which farmers, organic buyers and the congressional delegation will take part, Tebbetts said.

Danone's decision to end its contracts in the region is another hit to the overall dairy industry in Vermont, which each year loses farms, as conventional operations struggle with low milk prices paid to them and farms gets bigger. Kempner said it points to a loophole in organic regulations that allow large-scale organic farms to produce milk more cheaply.

"Over the years some operations have used a lack of specificity in the rule to continually transition conventional animals in and out of organic production. This undercuts dairy farmers who operate with integrity," according to the National Organic Coalition.

Organic Valley, a cooperative of family farms around the country, does not yet know if there's any way it can help the farmers in the Northeast, said CEO Bob Kirchoff in a written statement.

"Organic farming is facing the same crisis we've seen in conventional agriculture  consolidation, industrialization, 'get big or get out,'" he said. "It will take a lot of people working together to solve it, but we all must be bold enough to believe we can."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 2
China's NEV insurance registrations make up 13.6% of total vehicle registrations in July

According to data from China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), insurance registrations of locally-made passenger vehicles (PV) in China amounted to 1,576,468 vehicles in July, down 2.5% month over month and 826 vehicles less than the volume of the same month of last year.

CBIRC data shows that 11,538,743 new passenger vehicles were registered nationwide in the first seven months of this year, up 26.9% versus the same period of last year, 5.7 percentage points less than that of the first half of this year.

Tesla fell out of the monthly TOP 20 brands list as well as the Jan.-Jul. list. In July, 8,998 Shanghai-made Tesla vehicles were registered in China, ranking 34th among all vehicle brands and decreasing 21.4% from a year ago. By year-to-date insurance registrations, Tesla dropped to 21st spot with a total of 140,759 locally-made vehicles registered.

Cadillac was also excluded from July list with registering 19,931 vehicles. Compared with June list, Hongqi and Chevrolet were new comers on July list. Hongqi saw a YoY increase of 49.52% in registrations while Chevrolets registration volume declined 12.13% from a year ago.

Compared with June list, there were one more Chinese brand on July TOP 20 brands list. Among ten local brands on the list, only Roewe registered less (down 3.42%) vehicles than the same month of last year, while only Toyota saw a year-on-year increase of monthly registrations among the 10 foreign brands.

The Sylphy and the Lavida continued to occupy the first two spots of July TOP 20 models list. Monthly insurance registrations of the Sylphy grew by 3.61% from a year ago to 48,929 vehicles while those of the Lavida dropped 6.98% to 30,850 vehicles.

Two models among the TOP 5 spots on July list were from local vehicle brands. Monthly registrations of the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV skyrocketed 612.56% versus the corresponding month of last year to over 30,000 vehicles. The Haval H6s ranking rose two spots to the 4th from that of June list with registrations jumping 14.29% year on year.

By registrations of the first seven months, the Haval H6 ranked third while the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV ranked 7th. Among the TOP 20 models by Jan.-Jul. registrations, the MINIEV was also the one with the highest growth (1062.5%) in year-to-date registrations.

Insurance registrations of new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 33.1% of the growth in the total registrations through July. In the first seven months of this year, 1,202,777 NEVs were registered in the biggest auto market of the world, surging 206.5% from the same span of 2020.

Last month, the country registered 214,335 NEVs, representing an increase of 143.3% from a year ago, and making up 13.6% of all vehicle insurance registrations in China, 8 percentage points more than that of July in 2020.

Only three foreign brands were on the July TOP 20 NEV brands list, namely VW, Tesla and BMW, fewer than four in June. Teslas ranking on TOP 20 NEV brands list dropped from the third to the seventh while Volkswagens spots rosed four spots to the fifth. BMW were the 18th on the list.

The most registered NEV brand was still BYD in July, which was also the only brand with registrations exceeding 40,000 vehicles. Thanks to the popularity of the MINIEV, Wulings monthly registrations jumped 612.6% year on year to 30,606 vehicles. Changan ranked sixth with monthly registrations up 702% from a year ago.

There were fewer changes on the Jan.-Jul. TOP 20 NEV brands list. Tesla dropped from the second by first-half registrations to the third while Xpeng and Chery exchanged their spots. Among TOP 20 NEV brands, Wuling had the second highest registration growth of 3855.66% versus the span of last year.

30,204 Wuling Hongguang MINIEVs were registered in July while the Li ONE was a distant second with 8,843 vehicles registered. Last month, 6,601 Tesla Model 3s were registered in the market. Even though VW brand were on July TOP 20 NEV list, but no models from the brand were on monthly top models list.

By the Jan.-Jul. insurance registrations, the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV was the most registered model, followed by the Tesla Model 3 (91,792 registered) and the Model Y (48,967 registered).
Shanghai-led alliance included in Chinas first FCV pilot application city clusters

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- A city cluster led by Shanghai and formed for pilot application of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) has become one of Chinas first conurbations authorized for FCV demonstration, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization (SMCEI) announced on August 26 via its WeChat account.

SAIC Maxus EUNIQ 7 fuel cell MPV; photo credit: SAIC Maxus



The approval was jointly given by five agencies under China's State Council, namely, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Energy Administration.

In addition to Shanghai, the city cluster encompasses Jiangsu province's Suzhou and Nantong cities, Jiaxing city in Zhejiang province, Zibo city in Shandong province, the Ningdong Energy-chemical Industry Base in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Ordos city in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

According to the SMCEI, the Shanghai-led city cluster will focus on the FCV pilot application in mid-/long haul +mid-/heavy-duty trucks scenarios, and strive to make breakthroughs in a number of FCV-related core components, roll out high-end FCV models, and hammer out relevant industrial standards.

The commission also revealed that a strategic goal has been set for the city cluster, which aims to plan and build nearly 100 hydrogen filling stations, output annual industrial value of 100 billion yuan ($15.429 billion), and deploy nearly 10,000 FCVs by 2025.

Before Shanghai's announcement, the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau said several days ago a Beijing-led city cluster was also included in Chinas first FCV demonstration conurbations. During the four-year demonstration period, it will be rewarded by the State Council according to its fulfillment of targets.
Geely's EV brand ZEEKR to raise $500 million from five external investors

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- ZEEKR Intelligent Technology, a high-end EV company launched this year by Geely, signed an agreement on August 27 to issue and allot to five investors a total of 126,470,585 Series Pre-A Preferred Shares, at a consideration of $500 million, according to an announcement of Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (Geely Auto).



Photo credit: ZEEKR

Those investors, who are all independent third parties, include Intel Capital Corporation, CATL, Cathay Fortune Corporation, Bilibili, and Boyu Capital. Notably, Bilibili is an iconic brand and a leading video community for young generations in China.

The shares to be sold will represent roughly 5.6% of the enlarged issued share capital of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology.

According to Geely Auto's announcement, ZEEKR Intelligent Technology and its subsidiaries mainly engage in the businesses related to design, R&D, sales, and after-sale services of new energy vehicles manufactured and marketed under the ZEEKR brand.

The newly-agreed external fundraising will be conducive to improving the market image and future prospects of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology, said Geely Auto. This is the first step for ZEEKR to build an ecosystem where all participants interests are aligned and open doors for more strategic cooperation among ZEEKR and its partners.

Moreover, the latest investment represents an opportunity for ZEEKR Intelligent Technology to raise more funds, while widening ZEEKR's investor base for expansion and development of its EV business.

The first ZEEKR-branded production model, the ZEEKR 001, hit the market in mid-April this year. Its 2021 orders have already been booked out, said Geely Auto.

ZEEKR plans to launch 6 all-new models over the next three year and is ambitious to achieve a sale target of 650,000 per year by 2025.
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.
SACRAMENTO  Hot Drops, Inc. this week minted their first NFT card featuring CEO Ashley Youdan, better known by her performer alias Kendall Karson.

Hot Drops indicated it wants to "disrupt the adult industry" by empowering content creators to control all aspects of their content and receive fair compensation for their work.

I am excited to be leading the adult industry into the exciting new world that blockchain and NFT technology allow," Youdan said. "The adult industry is always an early adopter of new technologies and smart contracts are opening the doors to creative content experiences that have not previously been available. This initial card from Hot Drops is just the first step in a series of exciting announcements and developments youll be seeing from us in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned for more!

Ashley Youdan is a former adult actress, internationally published model, SiriusXM radio host, multiple time business founder, and fundraiser. With her computer science background, experience in the adult industry and network of valuable connections, she has brought together an incredible team to make the adult-only Hot Drops NFT Marketplace a reality.

Hot Drops outlined their roadmap: The Content Creators will have control to release exclusive and limited-edition content on the Hot Drops platform. These NFTs will also create a new income stream for the Content Creators aside from the initial sale. And they will receive a set royalty amount every time the NFT is resold on the secondary market.

The company said fans will be able to make money from owning adult content, too. The Hot Drops Marketplace, which will be added soon, will allow fans to buy and sell these limited-edition items. Hot Drops will be releasing different collectable series of content and cards, further incentivizing fans to buy the entire collection, in order to get unique rewards.

As a former adult performer, I bring not only a knowledge of the industry but also an understanding of the unique pain points and difficulties that adult content creators face, said Youdan. Our team is ready to launch a platform made by adult industry insiders for adult content creators. We are a platform that is specifically built for adult content, without fear of future censorship, shadow-banning, or rug pulling. ... Hot Drops will be there for our content creators, and their fans, forever.

The Hot Drops website is live at MyHotDrops.com

The listing for the initial Hot Drop from Youdan can be found here.

The NFT is up for auction and will only be available for bidding for a limited amount of time.

Follow Hot Drops on social media: Twitter @MyHotDrops; Instagram @MyHotDropsNFT.

To apply to be a Content Creator on Hot Drops please fill out an application here.

Photo by Ryan Dwyer
We're really trying to make sure we get feedback and input from everybody before we go for full approval of this to planning and zoning later this year, Eiss said. ...We are taking the time this summer and fall to really reach out to the community, socialize our vision, continue to garner feedback and, quite frankly, continue to change some of our plans to meet the needs of our community. Were really hoping to tackle any questions and issues that the community may have to eventually have the community become great advocates for this project moving forward and not have a tenuous time when it comes to city participation.

NAH has taken a few steps forward on the project while seeking feedback. They have started design and selected an architecture firm (HKS Architects) and general contractors (McCarthy, in partnership with Loven Contracting).

They plan to continue their public participation process through October and are in the process of scheduling two public participation meetings for September alongside their voluntary outreach events.

Afterward, they plan to submit a proposal to the City of Flagstaff with the hope it will be approved by the start of next year.

If all goes according to plan, Eiss said, we will be breaking ground on-site sometime in late summer of 2022.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

It was that month that Kristin Urquiza lost her father to the virus. She drew headlines when she partly blamed Ducey for his death, saying Mark Anthony Urquiza believed in May it was safe to go out.

She channeled her outrage into co-creating Marked By COVID, a nonprofit looking to shape policy and train people to advocate on pandemic-related matters. Urquiza sometimes thinks about where she would be had COVID-19 never happened. She never saw herself running an organization.

Having that lived experience of losing my dad, it has helped me connect with a couple of things I didnt always have, Urquiza said. I feel like it is important for me to stand up myself and thats OK to take up space and stand in my own power.

After a slowing of hospitalizations in late summer, new infections drove an overwhelming winter surge. Hospitals pleaded for more restrictions to control the spread of the disease, but Ducey declined.

I dont think the right answer is to throw hundreds of thousands of Arizonans out of work right before the holidays, Ducey said at the time.
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.
Suicide bombers killed 13 US servicemen in Afghanistan, latest count 70 Afghans dead, 140 injured!

Biden is in real trouble at home; his hasty withdrawal without adequate preparations resulted in American lives lost.

Any nation going ito Afghanistan after US withdrawal has to be mindful of the constant threat of terrorism. And that includes China.
Recent spikes of COVID-19 case numbers in addition to a shortage of health care workers have been plaguing hospitals across the state, and Beatrice is no exception.

Tasha Hesman, Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Centers Chief Nursing Officer, said the recent upticks in COVID-19 cases, including the delta variant of the coronavirus, has forced the hospital to reassemble a dedicated COVID unit.

We had taken that down a while ago when the numbers went down and were enjoying life without COVID, she said. Its being constructed again as we speak to have more COVID care in the acute care department. Its a little painful. We kept everything, but is a process to construct that up and put everything back into it.

It is hugely disheartening because we feel we just went through it and for some staff its like PTSD to be constructing that wall again. I don't think we were mentally prepared for that to come back so soon.

Four rooms will be dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients at BCH, for now.

Hesman said hospitalization rates hit zero around the end of April as case numbers fell. Since the middle of July, Hesman said theyve averaged 2-4 patients with COVID-19, though she added as of Thursday there were no COVID patients at the hospital.
In preparation of the Beatrice Public School board approving its budget for the 2021-2022 school year, Superintendent Jason Alexander reviewed the preliminary budget and explained how it compares to previous years during their committee of the whole meeting Thursday evening.

Alexander said the budget is preliminary because it gives the district more time to analyze before the budget hearing next month. He said there are several goals for each budget cycle.

The first one will never change. It will always be to finance an educational program that supports the best interests of the students attending our schools, Alexander said.

Alexander said the other goals are to adjust the general fund and building fund to accommodate future building needs, have four months worth of cash reserves available to the district at all times, maintain appropriate revenue streams in light of projected state aid revenue loss, and recognize the continued tax burden on property owners.

Alexander said the district is supported through state, federal and local revenue. He explained that the Educational Opportunities Support Act or TEEOSA state aid formula is developed by subtracting resources from the districts needs.
At another point, they saw a house on a rise, surrounded by floodwaters but not yet engulfed. Boyers touched down, picking up two men, and saw a girl in the window who refused to come out. He flew out, dropped off one of the men and Among, and brought the other man back with him to hoist the girl into the helicopter. When he landed again, he was able to rescue the girl and a woman who was with her.

"I'm in a little hole with power lines all around. It takes enormous energy to take off vertically like that," he said. So he left the man briefly and then came back for him. "I just kept doing that over and over again until I was low on fuel."

All the time, he knew he really was not supposed to be doing any of this.

"Every landing was pretty dangerous," he said. He's already had a conversation with the Federal Aviation Administration about it.

"I know the FAA can take my license away if they see me flying like that," he said. He assured them that he did not charge anyone for the rescue, no one was hurt, the helicopter was not damaged, and there were no law enforcement helicopters in the area. After he left Waverly, he stopped at an airport in the nearby town of Dickson to refuel and heard that the state police and National Guard still had not flown in because of the bad weather.
"The main reason for Harper and Madison is really to love people through food and build community, as corny as that sounds," she told the Gazette in 2020.

Reflecting on a decade of serving the community, Swords said she now believes all businesses should be built in such a way, because it works so well.

Harper and Madison was so busy, in fact, Swords rebooted it twice.

It was getting too busy and chaotic, she said. I wasnt able to achieve what I wanted to because of that. It needs to be about the experience that you have here and being able to be noticed and be calm. When our volume got so big, we werent able to do that effectively.

From caramel rolls to homemade soups to quiche, Swords delectable dishes earned her a loyal following. The business was frequented by many regulars whose orders were known to staff. The business also served the surrounding medical and business workers with grab-and-go goods.

Harper and Madison and its menu has evolved over the years, and a remodel in 2016 also unveiled a new menu for breakfast and lunch.
A woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from allegations she joined three teenage boys in kidnapping, robbing and raping a woman on the South Side of Billings.

Cleone Bluesky Shawl, 33, has been charged with aggravated sexual intercourse without consent by accountability, aggravated kidnapping by accountability, robbery and assault with a weapon by accountability.

The survivor of the attack was sitting in her car July 17, according to documents filed in Yellowstone County District Court, when a woman who she didnt know opened the drivers side door and struck her in the face. One teenage boy entered the car and got into the passengers seat, and two others pulled her into the back seat.

One of the teenagers in the back seat hit her in the face with a water bottle, causing her to lose consciousness. When she woke up, she remembered one of the teenagers pinning her down while another, a 15-year-old, pulled down her pants and raped her. She fought the two, documents say, biting both of them on the arm.
We joined the Capitol Police to uphold the law and protect the Capitol community, the group of officers said in a statement released by their lawyers. On Jan. 6 we tried to stop people from breaking the law and destroying our democracy. Since then our jobs and those of our colleagues have become infinitely more dangerous. We want to do what we can to make sure the people who did this are held accountable and that no one can do this again.

The documents requested by the House committee this week are just the beginning of what is expected to be a lengthy, partisan and rancorous congressional 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.

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.
A legislative panel on Thursday recommended more than $125 million in federal COVID relief money to be awarded as grants for water and wastewater projects across the state, although a final determination on the funding still rests with Gov. Greg Gianforte.

The money is part of more than $2 billion Montana received through the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress in March to offset some of the economic impacts of the pandemic. The state is receiving its money in two rounds, and the ARPA Infrastructure Advisory Commission is expected to award another round of water and wastewater grants next year.

The commissions decision followed months of work by state officials to vet and rank more than 300 grant applications from local governments, state agencies and other public entities, which collectively requested more than $900 million from the program. Made up of lawmakers and administration officials, the panel is one of four established by the Legislature last session to oversee the distribution of nearly $1 billion in ARPA money.
Local parents are suing Missoula County Public Schools, Target Range and Hellgate Elementary over masking requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The 11 parents are also suing on behalf of their minor children, most of whom are enrolled at the three districts. One family involved in the suit claims to have unenrolled their children at Target Range School District due to the districts mask mandate.

Those involved with the suit claim that the required use of masks at the three districts is against the law, and infringe on a person's right to privacy, dignity, and free expression without the necessary showing of a compelling government interest in doing so.

The general allegations against the school district call into question scientific evidence by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization regarding the effectiveness of masks.

The suit also alleges that the mask mandates at the three districts do not accommodate the needs of children with autism or asthma.
The Corps originally said the review would take 13 months, but it indicated in late 2020 that it would take longer given operator Energy Transfer's plans to expand the line's capacity. Earlier this year, an attorney for the agency said it aimed to wrap up the study in March 2022.

It's not unusual for Environmental Impact Statements to take a few years to complete, according to a recent federal review of the documents. Such studies are a means to comply with federal law when an agency proposes a major action that could significantly affect the environment -- in this case, the Corps potentially granting another permit for the line to carry oil under the Missouri River. The pipeline has undergone other shorter environmental reviews, which courts have deemed insufficient.

Energy Transfer announced earlier this month that it had completed part of the pipeline's expansion. The line can carry an extra 180,000 barrels of oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois for a total capacity of 750,000 barrels. It now has the ability to carry about two-thirds of North Dakota's daily oil output to market. Energy Transfer's plan is to ultimately boost the line's capacity even more to transport 1.1 million barrels of oil per day.
At the same time, 35% of employees reported being fully inoculated. (That number is consistent with the roughly 38% of the general public in Wyoming that has been fully vaccinated.) Another 30% of corrections employees said they had one dose. Updated vaccination rates were not immediately available Wednesday.

Our inmate numbers are not going up, our staff numbers are, Martin said. Without being medically trained I attribute our lower numbers right now of inmate positives as a result of our higher numbers of vaccinations on the inmate side.

Vaccinations are not required for anyone, Martin said, but are offered to employees and residents in prisons.

Far more of our inmates have built the natural immunity to this as well, Martin said, because weve had outbreaks in almost all facilities  throughout this whole process.

The only facility that reportedly did not experience an outbreak during the peak of the pandemic was the Wyoming Womens Center in Lusk.

Research is not conclusive on how long immunity  or at least, some level of protection  lasts after a person recovers from a COVID-19 infection, but recent studies estimate it could be anywhere from six months to a year.
Tabor, Cebull and Robinson should be honest with the public, and just admit that they arent listening to the majority of Montanans and dont care about what we want in regard to wildlife management. Theyre not listening to thousands of hunters represented by organizations that strongly opposed these bills in the legislative session and in front of the Commission on Friday. Theyre not listening to the dozens of Montanas career biologists and other wildlife professionals who have publicly and vehemently opposed these measures and cautioned against politicians setting wildlife policy and veering away from fair-chase, science-based wildlife management. Theyre ignoring the fact that grizzly bears have been caught and injured in snares in Idaho and ignoring the fact that there are absolutely no consequences for trappers in Montana who incidentally snare federally-protected or other species. These and other substantive issues were repeatedly raised Friday but with no questions, debate or consideration whatsoever by Tabor, Cebull and Robinson. Its clear they are being driven by their own antipathy toward wolves, and a narrow cross section of trappers and outfitters who could care less about fair chase, and stand to profit from the use of these unethical practices. Tabor, an outfitter himself, put forward Fridays proposal. Cebull is on the board of pro-trophy hunting Safari Club in Montana.
Art. II, 3 also says All persons are born free and have certain inalienable rights. They include the right to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life's basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways. In enjoying these rights, all persons recognize corresponding responsibilities.

Likewise, those wishing to invoke government regulation to prevent restaurants, schools, etc. from requiring proof of vaccination, or requiring vaccination, or masking may wish to avoid running afoul of Art. II, 15. It says: The rights of persons under 18 years of age shall include, but not be limited to, all the fundamental rights of this Article unless specifically precluded by laws which enhance the protection of such persons.

Edicts preventing universal vaccination, proof of vaccination, or masking can hardly be said to enhance the protection of those under 18.

What is the compelling state interest in issuing policies to protect the right to infect others? Or in preventing restaurants or school boards from responsibly pursuing the 3 right seeking safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways? Pfizers emergency use COVID vaccine now has full FDA approval.
A judge has sentenced a Mandan woman to three years on probation for using an elderly family members bank funds for her own purposes.

Laurie Guthmiller, 61, pleaded guilty Monday to endangering a vulnerable adult, court records show. South Central District Judge Cynthia Feland also ordered Guthmiller to make restitution in an amount that will be determined in the next two months.

Guthmiller and her son Matthew Guthmiller, 37, were charged in July with using money from the account of Laurie Guthmillers mother for trips, to pay off a car loan, and for traffic tickets and bail money, police said.

Bank statements showed $47,000 from the womans account went toward a car loan from 2017-20. She was deemed incompetent in 2011 and hadnt driven since then, police said. More than $15,000 in transactions from the womans debit card were made in cities associated with casinos, including Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada, police said.

Defense attorney Benjamin Pulkrabek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Matthew Guthmillers trial was set to start Tuesday but has been rescheduled for Nov. 4, court records show.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The case began on a brisk spring morning with rumors of bodies -- plural -- being found at a Mandan business.

Given the date, the natural reaction was to assume it was an April Fools' joke. That assumption quickly fled my mind when I went to the scene and saw the chaos. I was a reporter with The Associated Press at the time. I spent several hours at the scene, talking to whoever would talk to me. No one said much. There were a lot of tearful hugs going around.

I returned early the next morning, when things had quieted down, and spotted co-owner Jackie Fakler, Roberts wife, in the parking lot smoking a cigarette. She said she didnt want to talk. I told her I understood. I handed her a business card and walked away. It paid off two weeks later when she invited me inside the company and gave me a personal interview.

It was not a pleasant experience. We sat in a room with walls adorned by mementos of Robert Faklers hobbies. Jackie sat across from me at a conference table, tissue box at hand. She broke down many times. She showed me a wrist band someone sent that had the first initials of the four victims, along with charms associated with each. She told me how the four had been dubbed the coffee club because they would arrive early to socialize.
Please log in to keep reading.

Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever.
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit by the state of Missouri seeking to stop a project that would supply Missouri River water to parts of central North Dakota.

The Wednesday ruling will enable the federal Bureau of Reclamation to move ahead with a water service contract for the Central North Dakota Water Supply Project. The project will receive water from the McClusky Canal for systems in Burleigh, Sheridan, Wells, Foster, Kidder, McLean and Stutsman counties.

The Missouri suit alleged violations of federal policy, including failure by project developers to properly study the project's environmental impacts and its alternatives. U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey ruled against Missouri on all counts.

The state of Missouri doesnt like any depletion from the Missouri River, said Merri Mooridian, deputy manager of the Red River Valley Water Supply Program, which will move Missouri River water by underground pipeline from Washburn east to supply systems in the east and central parts of the state. The Central North Dakota Water Supply Project will use the same pipeline, taking up to 20 cubic feet of water per second -- nearly 13 million gallons a day -- from the lines 165 cfs capacity.
The driver of a van involved in a July crash on the Strip that killed a Mandan woman pleaded not guilty Friday and will go to trial in December.

Chad Gourneau, 23, of Bismarck, faces the possibility of 10 years in prison if convicted of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a felony. He also is charged with three felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, and misdemeanor aggravated reckless driving and driving under suspension.

Gourneau allegedly failed to yield the right of way when attempting to cross Memorial Highway from Third Street Southeast on July 8. A westbound 2020 GMC pickup struck the passenger side of the van. Van passenger Heather Robbins, 42, was transported to a Bismarck hospital and died from injuries suffered in the crash, authorities said.

Police allege Gorneau fled the scene on foot and at one point denied he was the driver of the van. Defense attorney Justin Balzer argued at Gourneaus preliminary hearing Friday that his client only went for help. He asked Judge Pamela Nesvig to dismiss the felony charges.

I wouldnt characterize it as fleeing the scene of an accident, Balzer said. I would characterize it as trying to find someone to assist as best he could.
The increase is being driven by delta, which health officials say is as contagious as chicken pox.

Confirmed delta cases in North Dakota have risen 41% from last week, to 526, according to Kirby Kruger, head of the Health Department's disease control division and forensic pathology section. Confirmed delta cases in the state at the start of the month numbered fewer than 50.

North Dakota's state lab has now identified 1,907 cases of five variants, an increase of 153 from last week, with the entire increase attributed to delta, which was first identified in India. There also have been 1,150 confirmed cases of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom, 185 of the two California variants, 42 of the the Japan/Brazil variant and four of the South Africa variant.

The actual number of variant cases in North Dakota is almost certainly higher than the data indicate, since only a fraction of virus test samples undergo the more complex process through which variants are determined. Kruger has said the sharp increase in delta cases is due entirely to the variant's increased prevalence, and not to increased testing.
The Morton County Commission will not lend its support to a Montana group that wants to bring passenger rail back to parts of North Dakota.

The commission this week took no action on a request by Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority for an official statement supporting its plan to restore passenger rail service back to the area.

The rail authority wants to bring passenger rail back to southern Montana and other parts of the upper West and Midwest more than 40 years after the North Coast Hiawatha Route ended service. That route ran from Chicago to Spokane, Washington, until the late 1970s.

Amtrak's federally subsidized Empire Builder line crosses through eastern and northern North Dakota as well as northern Montana on its way from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest.

Commissioner Andy Zachmeier on Tuesday had questions about the profitability of the Big Sky project and how much revenue it could actually bring to the area. Commissioner Raymond Morrell said he felt similarly.
Today is Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Let's get caught up.

Here are today's top stories, celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history:

TOP STORIES

New urgency to airlift after Kabul blasts kill more than 100

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban takeover and killed more than 100. The U.S. warned more attacks could come ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending Americas longest war.

As the call to prayer echoed through Kabul along with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowd outside the airport was as large as ever. Dozens of Taliban members carrying heavy weapons patrolled one area about 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the airport to prevent anyone from venturing beyond.

Thursdays bombings near Kabuls international airport killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said, in the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

***
The law "doesn't ban mask mandates at all," Cooper said during a two-hour hearing that was conducted online because of the resurgent pandemic. "It doesn't require that a mask mandate must include a parental opt-out at all."

The judge also noted that two Florida Supreme Court decisions from 1914 and 1939 found that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, he said, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk, because that endangers others. There is a right to free speech, but not to harass or threaten others or yell "fire" in a crowded theater, he said.

"We don't have that right because exercising the right in that way is harmful or potentially harmful to other people," Cooper said. He added that the law "is full of examples of rights that are limited (when) the good of others ... would be adversely affected by those rights."

In that same vein, he said, school boards can reasonably argue that maskless students endanger the health of other students and teachers.
The gnats can become a problem if wet conditions early in the year create mud flats that dry out later in the year and create perfect breeding areas for the insects. Outbreaks end only after a hard freeze kills off the gnats.

EHD has been present in North Dakota for decades. It impacts white-tailed deer more than mule deer, due to the makeup of the animals. Its not considered a danger to people.

Compiling hard data on case numbers isn't an exact science because most of the evidence is word-of-mouth from landowners. If there appears to be a large number of cases in an area, state wildlife officials will then sometimes investigate themselves.

"Most reports are singles or maybe two deer. At this point we're well over 50 reports," Bahnson said. "That volume of reports is pretty high."

Game and Fish last year monitored the outbreak for about two weeks before deciding whether to offer license refunds, and Bahnson said that likely will be the scenario this year.

"It's certainly an option that we'll consider," he said. "We're not at the point where we're going to pull that lever right yet."
Granted, the Bible has over 300 fear not references and the clear intention is to comfort believers with the knowledge that God is in control and their ultimate welfare is in his hands.

When our family has gone to the beach, weve had days that we were warned not to go into the water because of a rip current. And because God gave us common sense, the ability to read and understand what a rip current is capable of, we have a healthy fear or respect for it.

Because I understand and respect a rip current's capability, I stay out of the ocean that day. But it does not make me fear the ocean. It does not make me live in fear of the ocean.

In a lifetime of ocean vacations I only recall a handful of those warnings. At least 99% of the time weve found the ocean calm and beautiful.

Such it is with the COVID-19 pandemic. There has not been a day that weve lived in fear of it because we read about it and listened to experts who like Dr. Pic had a far greater understanding of the subject than we did.

And then we took the suggestions they gave us -- social distancing, washing hands frequently, wearing a mask when around large crowds or in a crowded space -- and we got vaccinated when we were eligible.
The Biden administration and the liberal press love to combine the eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan, in which over 80% of the country agreed, with the execution of that withdrawal, which was clearly botched.

In the most recent NBC poll Bidens handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal is at a 25% approval rating. Those that approve must be truly blinded by partisan politics. Most sensible Americans think our military should have been the last to withdraw, not the first. This strategic mistake has provided the Taliban the upper hand.

Noble efforts are being made at Kabul airport to evacuate as many desperate Afghans as possible, but shear number of evacuees is not the issue. An estimated 10,000-12,000 Americans in Afghanistan along with over 60,000 loyal Afghans are now being blocked by the Taliban from entering the airport. Unless they are allowed entrance to the only functioning airport in the country they will be forced to remain.
The TV is full of images of Afghan people and the suffering they are enduring to try to leave their country. Of course the fall of Kabul is OUR fault and not the fault of the corrupt Afghan government that for 20 years has had billions of dollars in resources given to them along with the use of the best soldiers in the world to help them fight the Taliban. There is plenty of blame to go around but what everyone wants to not mention is the absolute unnecessary suffering of the hundreds of thousands of our own innocent citizens who contract Covid because of the misinformation and unwillingness of our own people to care about their neighbors. Because of a simple inconvenience of wearing a mask in public and refusing to get a vaccine thousands of people are now in ICU beds struggling to breathe isolated from their families and at risk of dying. All of it was easily prevented but apparently the right to life does not apply to people that need protection from Covid. The governor of Florida does not want masks because he wants to see his children smile How many parents will see their child smile for the last time from a coffin when they die of Covid.
Controlling Classified Information

For Australian Government organizations required to comply with the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and Information Security Manual (ISM), Clearswift aims to address several controls around email, data protection and enforcement of the PSPF.

Clearswifts Secure Email Gateway and Secure ICAP Gateway work together with classification tools by:

Automatically enforcing policies for classified, unmarked or inappropriately marked emails & documents

Ensuring the correct classifications are correctly applied in the subject line, body, attachment and metadata of a message or file transfer

Cross domain secure file transfers

& additional Hygiene Features

Read on to learn more.
Scientism, or the belief that all truth must be empirically verifiable, is growing in society. Given the philosophical and practical flaws inherent to this ideology, it is important to understand how it manifests in modern life.

Adherents to scientism in the modern world can be classified into two categories: zealots and agnostics. The zealots are the apostles of scientism, loudly proclaiming the gospel truth of its tenets. The agnostics are the members of the flock, occasionally allowing their beliefs to trickle into but not centering their lives around their faith in science.

The zealots are those who believe fully in and structure their worldview around the assertion that all knowledge is empirically verifiable. These zealots have operated as the vanguard for promoting scientism, spreading the ideology throughout Western society over the past few centuries. They present themselves as rebels, free thinkers fighting the long, pernicious traditions of religious faith that they feel are embedded within most societal institutions and human minds.

Richard Dawkins is a primary example. Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford, is an outspoken atheist and frequently criticizes religious faith as irrational. He has two main problems with religion: it leads to conflict, and it is a justification for belief without evidence. In a speech to the American Humanist Association, Dawkins argued that faith is one of the worlds great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate. This attitude, that religion is unjustified because it is not empirically supported, is the textbook definition of scientism. What Dawkins misses is that there are sound and important, non-empirical arguments for religious faith and against scientism.

Scientisms agnostic adherents are, by definition, less outspoken, and overt than the zealots. Rather than presenting such thinking as a direct alternative to religious faith, they primarily exhibit their scientism in the slavish imitation of the method and Language of Science, as F.A. Hayek once described it. Agnostic scientism does not necessarily proclaim scientific observation as the only method of obtaining truth. But it does believe it to be the best.

To the agnostic, some beliefs may be justifiable by other means for the moment, but eventually and ultimately all things should be explainable to human cognition through scientific means. Many of the most prominent scientists and leaders of the present today can be classified under this category, including Anthony Fauci, who considers himself a spiritual humanist.

An even more emblematic example is offered in one of the fathers of modern positive economics, Milton Friedman, who wrote:

I do not believe God has anything to do with economics. But values doI do not know where my values come from, but that does not mean (a) I dont have them, (b) I dont hold them as strongly as you hold your belief in God. (c) They turn out  not accidentally, I believe  to be very much like these held by most other people whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, agnostic, or abstract. (d) Which leads me to believe that they are a product of the same evolutionary process that accounts for the rest of our customs as well as physical characterizations.

Friedmans scientism, while plainly stated, is much more subtle than Dawkins. He understands the influence of human development on human knowledge, yet he still grounds the meaning afforded by social and ethical values in their survival against those of competing societies. He derives their value from a type of deterministic evolutionary process that he believes can be understood and specified, if given enough scientific study. But an outside observer cant know the motivations of the individual human minds that make up these societies. Since social scientists cannot fully unify the patterns and trends of society with the movement of individual minds, it would be a mistake to conflate these theories with universally applicable scientific theorems. Indeed, both forms of scientism are incorrect due to basic philosophical flaws.

Scientism contains a self-refuting premise. If scientism is the belief that all knowledge is empirically verifiable, then scientism is self-refuting on its face. There are no studies, tests, or experiments that can prove the logical claim that all knowledge must be grounded in empirical observation. The zealous scientism, that definitively denies the existence of religion or of knowledge outside of the natural sciences, is false because of this self-refuting premise. Thus, it is easy to pinpoint the error that the advocates of this ideology make.

The agnostic version makes a more subtle philosophical mistake. Agnostics argue that it is currently impossible to know if religion is true, because of a lack of empirical evidence. Yet it is possible to know philosophical and moral truth even without empirical evidence. For example, society proscribes murder and theft not because of any empirical evidence or study, but because it recognizes that these actions are morally wrong. Society correctly sees that humans, just by their nature, possess a right to life and property, and therefore it has made laws to protect these rights. The fact that these are moral and not empirical claims does not matter; they are still true.

Therefore, both the zealous and agnostic varieties of scientism are flawed in their belief in the primacy of scientific knowledge.

Scientific study is only one method of supporting claims of truth. Empirical inquiry can provide evidence of existence, but it is limited in its ability to explore meaning and purpose. Good scientists know that the science is never settled and the search for truth never ends. To dismiss the tools of human reason outside of scientific study, through either agnostic or zealous scientism, hinders the pursuit of knowledge and meaning and therefore prevents the realization of a free and virtuous society.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-japanese-medical-association-chairman-tells-doctors-to-prescribe-ivermectin-for-covid/

These paragraphs are very conclusive in proof of efficacy.

Dr. Ozaki cited evidence from African nations that have utilized Ivermectin during the pandemic. He stated: In Africa, if we compare countries distributing Ivermectin once a year with countries who do not give Ivermectin they dont give Ivermectin to prevent COVID but to prevent parasitic disease if we look at COVID numbers in countries that give Ivermectin, the number of cases is 134.4/100,000 and the number of deaths is 2.2/100,000.

In 2019, Japans death rate from influenza amounted to 2.9 death cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

"The Tokyo Medical Association chairman compared statistics from African countries that did use Ivermectin yearly with those that did not: Now African countries which do not distribute Ivermectin: 950.6 cases per 100,000 and 29.3 deaths per 100,000."
T-Mobile's poor security has long been a disaster waiting to happen: if you couldn't remember your password, one user wrote, they'd just send it to you again as plain text. So when millions of its users' personal information went on sale online, including Social Security Numbers, the outrage was not spiced by surprise. In The Wall Street Journal, the hacker taking responsibility for the data heist says that T-Mobile's security is, indeed, "awful".

John Binns, a 21-year-old American who moved to Turkey a few years ago, told The Wall Street Journal he was behind the security breach. Mr. Binns, who since 2017 has used several online aliases, communicated with the Journal in Telegram messages from an account that discussed details of the hack before they were widely known.

The August intrusion was the latest in a string of high-profile breaches at U.S. companies that have allowed thieves to walk away with troves of personal details on consumers. A booming industry of cybersecurity consultants, software suppliers and incident-response teams have so far failed to turn the tide against hackers and identity thieves who fuel their businesses by tapping these deep reservoirs of stolen corporate data.
The Qanon god-emperor appeared on Sean Hannity's disinfotainment program to praise the Taliban's fighting skills and to announce a new ISIS variant, ISIS-X.

[The Taliban] are good fighters. But now they can be much better because they have the best equipment in the world, and so much of it, they don't know what to do. They will be selling it on the open market. But we gave that to these people, and ISIS-X, as you know, I knocked out 100% of the ISIS caliphate. I knocked it out in Syria, Iraq, we knocked it out, so now they have a new ISIS called ISIS-X, and that's members of the Taliban that are far more vicious because they don't like the way the Taliban is behaving because they're not vicious enough.

When he realized there's no such thing, he assured Hannity viewers that "they'll have an ISIS-X pretty soon, which is going to be worse than ISIS-K"

"They have people, as I said, that broke away because they weren'tbecause the Taliban wasn't mean enough and vicious enough. And that's the new ISIS-X, where they broke away, or ISIS-K. They'll have an ISIS-X pretty soon, which is going to be worse than ISIS-K."

Nothing a little bleach injection won't cure!

[via Mediaite]
The Wall Street Journal covers the chaos surrounding Sony's efforts to replace the late Alex Trebeck as host of popular television game show Jeopardy. I suspect vaguely that this is a distraction item sourced to Sony insiders to distract everyone from its own hapless incompetence in managing and vetting candidates: it reveals that a fan favorite, Ken Jennings, was removed from consideration because of his penchant for nasty tweets.

While Mr. Jennings didn't have much experience hosting, the executives at Sony and producers at "Jeopardy!" were confident that he would grow into the role. He was a fan favorite and already a familiar face to the "Jeopardy!" machine from working as a consultant on the show since 2020. Then came the old tweets. "Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair," read one of the tweets from 2014. Mr. Jennings apologized, but the succession plan started unraveling.

More recently, he defended a pal who had been exposed as an antisemitic twitter troll (under the guise of satire, as is so often the case) but that isn't cited here.

The quest for a host is indeed a mess. First, the show's executive producer, never a celebrity of any caliber, machinated his own installation as host and immediately lost the job when his own sexist and antisemitic podcast jokes were exposed. Even now, Sony is still backing him to run the show, as if there were no more skeletons in the closet. The occasional co-host he picked to sweeten the decision, Mayim Bialik, is currently filling in. But she has promoted pseudoscience, suggested that dressing modestly protects women from sex pests, and entertained the idea that C-section babies should be left to die to improve the stock of the human race.

Some people (presumably including LeVar Burton) wonder why Sony can't find someone who isn't a weird asshole to present the show. Others are whining about the 'cancel culture' of excluding them on the basis of these remarks.

But surely the real problem here is that the decisionmaking group is a tiny, cloistered group of TV business executives who cannot really grasp what The Humans are thinking because their priorities and incentives are alien to us. Which gets us to another question: why do so many people care about Jeopardy? It isn't even a good game show!
The Buffalo News first reported about the widespread criminal probe in September 2017, followed by an FBI raid on Morgan's Rochester offices and the first indictment in May 2018, targeting Morgan's son, nephew and two others.

A year later, in May 2019, a superseding indictment included Morgan, accusing him and three others of orchestrating a massive scheme to defraud banks, non-bank lenders, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

"It feels good to have gotten this done," Campos said. "We are putting a real complex chapter behind us, and we have the opportunity to really start moving forward with new projects."

For now, Montante is focusing on two elements that were already completed or underway. Montante recently completed its $12.5 million renovation of a six-story former medical office building at 1275 Delaware into 33 new apartments and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. That building had also been jointly owned with Morgan, but Montante reacquired it in early 2020 in a separate deal, enabling work to proceed.

The apartments are now fully occupied, while Tacos, Community & Beer opened its new restaurant on the first floor, with an outdoor patio. A health and fitness tenant also has signed a lease, while about 5,000 square feet remains available, probably for two to three spaces, Campos said.
Making this show happen is important to me for a lot of reasons, Baczkowski said. But the primary thing is, this is for the health of our community, in another aspect. This is the kind of thing we really need. People need to celebrate the mystery of it all, you know? To be in a creative environment, and to share in that energy. We become more vulnerable, our resistance is lowered, when we dont have that energy and sense of mystery.

Though the Point9Mile team booked the show prior to the full emergence of the Delta variant, careful consideration and a number of successful test runs over the summer convinced all concerned that it was possible to move forward in a safe and sensible manner.

We presented (Buffalo-based soul collective) David Jonathan & the Inner City Bedlam in June, as well as a few membership events, at Asbury Hall, Baczkowski said. And so far, everyone who has shown up has shown proof of vaccination. We havent had a single person who wasnt vaccinated. So were requiring proof of vaccination for this show, and anyone who is unvaccinated has to wear a mask for the whole concert.
The Covid-19 virus is spreading, particularly the highly contagious Delta variant.

Hospitalizations, after dropping to their lowest point of the pandemic just six weeks ago, are up again.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and other officials are sounding the alarm. Restrictions, including masks for all Erie County students returning to the classroom, are back.

But lost in all of that is a simple fact: The vaccines are doing exactly what we were told they would do.

Patient counts from the region's major hospitals show the vast majority of people receiving care for Covid-19  70%  are unvaccinated. Further, some of the vaccinated patients came in for another reason, without showing symptoms, but tested positive upon admission. And nearly all of the rest had a compromised immune system that limited their body's ability to fight off the virus.

New state and federal data also vividly illustrates the point that vaccinations are highly effective at keeping people infected with Covid-19 from getting so sick they require treatment in a hospital.

"I will tell you I have had several patients tell me that they regretted not getting vaccinated," said Dr. Kevin Shiley, Catholic Health's medical director of infection prevention.

Studies do show the vaccine loses its effectiveness over time, and it is not as effective against the Delta variant raging here and across the country as it was against earlier strains of the virus.

But, experts say, "breakthrough" infections among the fully vaccinated are rare and the vaccine remains the best possible protection against an infection or serious illness from Covid-19. And, they say, the rollout of vaccine booster shots only will strengthen this protection in the coming months.

"It's still going to keep you from dying," said Dr. John Sellick Jr., an epidemiologist who oversees infectious disease control at Kaleida Health and the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Western New York Health System. "It's still going to keep you from getting extremely sick. But there are going to be some breakthroughs."

State and local health officials typically don't release Covid-19 hospitalization information broken down by whether the patients are vaccinated.

But Poloncarz in a tweet earlier this month offered a glimpse at the data.

"Based on reports from the hospitals, on Aug. 8, approximately 66% of all COVID patients were unvaccinated," Poloncarz tweeted. "Some vaccinated patients presented with COVID symptoms, others with other matters (broken leg, etc.) and COVID was determined by a test at the time of admission."

Covid-19 cases still rising, prompting mask-wearing inside Highmark Stadium Statistics released this week by Erie County show rapidly growing case numbers for four straight weeks, as well as rising hospitalizations since the end of July.

A county Health Department spokeswoman deferred to the hospitals for the underlying patient numbers.

Erie County Medical Center had 25 Covid-19 patients as of Tuesday, according to spokesman Peter Cutler. Five were fully vaccinated and 20 were unvaccinated.

In recent weeks, ECMC's fully vaccinated Covid-19 patients either came into the hospital for treatment of another issue, such as a broken bone, and tested positive when they were screened for the virus, or they have a serious underlying health issue, said Dr. Sam Cloud, an associate medical director who works in the emergency room. Those pre-existing conditions include, as an example, severe, uncontrolled diabetes.

Among unvaccinated patients, they tend to skew a little younger than previous waves of the virus, Cloud said, with many in their 30s, 40s and 50s  a group less likely to be vaccinated than the region's older population  and many have comorbidities such as obesity.

And compared to the vaccinated patients, Cloud said, "Unvaccinated patients are sicker."

In fact, there is another group: vaccinated people who come into the ER with mild symptoms but aren't sick enough from Covid-19 to require admission and, therefore, aren't part of the hospital's patient count, Cloud said.

At Kaleida Health hospitals, the 40 Covid-19 patients as of Tuesday include 24 who were unvaccinated, three with an unknown status and 13 who were vaccinated, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Ortolani.

The 13 fully vaccinated patients included 11 who came in with Covid-19 symptoms such as general weakness, shortness of breath and body aches, she said.

Kaleida Health's Sellick said vaccinated patients in the hospital often are cancer patients, undergoing chemotherapy, or they are recipients of transplanted organs  in both cases, the vaccine won't work as well for them.

Catholic Health, for its part, had 36 Covid-19 patients on Monday, Shiley said: 27 were unvaccinated and nine of them were fully vaccinated. Of the fully vaccinated group, four were symptomatic and five came to the hospital for another reason.

As is the case elsewhere, nearly all of the significantly ill patients either were unvaccinated or, if vaccinated, had an underlying condition that put them at greater risk, Shiley said.

"That really is the vast, vast majority of people who are hospitalized following a breakthrough," he said.

Hospitalizations in the five-county Western New York region have fluctuated but peaked at 548 patients on Dec. 10. They fell as low as 14 patients on July 14 and again on July 15 before rising to 122 as of Tuesday, state data shows.

"Our hospitalization numbers are a fraction of what they were six months ago or a year ago," Sellick said.

The recent rise comes amid the spread of Delta and as time passes from the date of vaccination for those who got the shot when it first became available.

"We are seeing more people develop Covid after full vaccination," Shiley said.

Still he compares getting vaccinated to wearing a seat belt while driving: You still can get hurt or killed in an accident while belted but doing so greatly increases your chances of surviving without serious injury.

Even if the effectiveness has fallen from 90% to 80%, Shiley said, "That's still pretty good."

And it's important to contrast the small number of vaccinated patients in the hospital relative to the hundreds of thousands of people getting vaccinated in the region, experts said.

The state Department of Health last week released the results of a first-of-its-kind study showing unvaccinated adults were 11 times more likely than fully vaccinated adults to be hospitalized for Covid-19.

+2 New York's Covid-19 vaccine study brings mostly good pandemic news A first-in-the-nation vaccine study showed that unvaccinated adults in New York were 11 times more likely to be hospitalized and eight times more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 than those fully vaccinated.

And the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released its own research showing unvaccinated people around the country are 29 times more likely than the fully vaccinated to require hospital care for a Covid-19 infection.

Officials noted the difference between states in the Northeast, with a high vaccination rate and relatively low hospitalization rate, and states in the South with a lower vaccination rate and a surge in hospitalizations.

"So far, our curve is staying very flat," Sellick said. "We're holding up OK so far."

The warm weather allowing people to spend time outdoors has helped to keep infections down, the hospital officials said, but fall brings a return to the classroom for children, many unvaccinated, and the promise of cooler weather driving gatherings indoors.

"There's a large pool of susceptible people out there, and there's a lot of virus, too," Shiley said.

Cloud, among others, notes the flu vaccine formula is recalibrated each year and suggests further tweaking of the Covid-19 vaccine could help address new variants. And the vaccine booster shots will help extend vaccine effectiveness.

He noted ECMC about a month ago had just two Covid-19 patients, before that number rose to nearly 30 and returned to 25.

Still, Cloud said, "I'm hopeful that we're not going to see a catastrophic rise in hospitalizations."

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
She also attacked incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, who is waging a November write-in campaign after losing the Democratic primary, as a Republican puppet and "a vigorous defender of the status quo."

+3 India Walton, Byron Brown criticize each other's approach to reducing Buffalo violence Both candidates for mayor on Monday held news conferences about where they stand on issues of public safety.

Meanwhile, Zellner acknowledged Thursday that he had expressed concern earlier this month after The Buffalo News reported that in 2018, Buffalo police investigated complaints about a man suspected of dealing drugs from Walton's home at 183 Lemon St. The owner of the house said he demanded Walton move out after confronting her with complaints about constant visitors suspected of drug activity  which she denies.

Police reports obtained by The News indicated that officers followed up on the complaints in the fall of 2018, and the inquiry ended with no criminal charges being filed.

Immediately after the story appeared, Zellner noted that his committee had not "officially" endorsed Walton after her primary victory and after he had emphatically promised party support for her. He said then that he would weigh new input from committee members on how to proceed in the general election campaign.

"We are not opposed, but if our party leadership has significant concerns, I will listen to them," the chairman said earlier this month.

Hearing on whether Brown will be on November ballot may be held soon Brown submitted more than 3,700 signatures on petitions to the Board of Elections Tuesday to secure an independent ballot line  called Buffalo Party.
Andre L. Jenkins, the hitman for the Kingsmen motorcycle club who killed two men execution-style in North Tonawanda seven years ago, will stay in prison for the rest of his life.

A five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester ruled unanimously Thursday that the sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole was "not unduly harsh or severe."

The judges threw out Jenkins' two convictions for second-degree murder on a legal technicality, but that partial win did Jenkins no practical good, because the court upheld his conviction for first-degree murder.

That's the count that gave now-retired Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon the chance to sentence Jenkins to life without parole  an opportunity she seized Oct. 21, 2015.

A jury had found Jenkins guilty of killing Daniel DJ Szymanski, 31, of Getzville, and Paul Maue, 38, of Buffalo, with single gunshots to the back of the head.

The killings occurred shortly before 3 a.m. Sept. 6, 2014, as the victims sat in a car parked behind the Kingsmen clubhouse at 322 Oliver St., North Tonawanda.

The Appellate Division dismissed the second-degree murder charges because it considered them an improper duplication of the first-degree charge.
Cash had announced two weeks before Hochul became governor that masks will be required in all Buffalo Public Schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Cash said last year he felt alone many times, and that school leaders were on their own to make important health and safety decisions. He said he would like to see school districts be consistent in their messaging and guidance to communities.

"If she were to get the extraordinary powers sooner, I think that would be very helpful to public education, to all education," Cash said of Hochul.

He said he has not had any pushback from staff when he has championed vaccinations. He said the district told Hochul it supports a mandatory mask mandate and mandatory vaccines for employees.

"I think all of us should be vaccinated so we can protect the children better," he said. "I see this issue for our children who tend to be more vulnerable than many populations in terms of health."

He said the district is continually sending out messages to parents for those 12 and over to be vaccinated. There have been vaccination clinics offered in schools, and Cash said he would like to see school nurses administering vaccines.
Witherell said he had no reservations about helping the Capone sisters and that he expects the auction to draw international attention because of the items historical significance.

We want to handle things that arent objectionable to a lot of people, but we still cant rewrite history, he said. He was a legendary figure. I think his judgment comes from somebody other than me.

Sonny Capones daughters lived quietly for decades in Northern California after moving here from Florida in 1961 following their parents breakup. That changed in 2019 when Diane Capone published a book titled Al Capone: Stories My Grandmother Told Me using her maiden name.

She said her father faced constant challenges because of his last name, including men picking fights with him for no reason and not being able to find a job. In the mid-1960s, he dropped Capone as a last name and went by Albert Francis. He died in obscurity in 2004 in Northern California, where he had lived for decades, his daughter said.

The sisters decided to sell their grandfather's personal belongings because they are all in their 70s, they are the only people who know the stories behind the memorabilia, and they are worried about a wildfire destroying the collection, Diane Capone said.
It is critical that if we are to take on the challenges we face that we do it in a way that is collaborative, that we must empower leaders in every sector, including of course government but community leaders, business leaders, civic society, if we are to maximize the resources we collectively have, she said.

In her news conference, Harris also fielded questions on the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan, but did not respond directly when asked how the U.S. would evaluate success in the evacuation mission. At a time when U.S. officials have warned of possible terrorist threats against Americans attempting to leave the country through Kabul's airport, Harris also ignored a question on whether Americans are safer now that the U.S. has departed the country.

On her trip back to Washington, Harris will stop at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to meet with servicemembers. She had planned also to stop in California to appear with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall attempt. But Harris scrapped that stop to head straight to Washington, her office announced.

She has been briefed on developments in Kabul and will continue to be updated as she makes her way back to Washington, the White House said.


ISLAMABAD  Pakistani authorities are asking hotels in the capital, Islamabad, to stop taking reservations in order to make room for foreigners who are passing through after being evacuated from Afghanistan.

The overnight request asked hoteliers to halt new reservations for 21 days, giving priority to foreign guests with flights transiting via Islamabad. No current guests were to be affected.

The arrangements come after two suicide bombers attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport, killing at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.



WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand says it was not able to get everybody it wanted out of Afghanistan in time before the deadly attacks near Kabuls airport brought its rescue mission to an end.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday she is not yet sure how many people were left behind or whether they were New Zealand citizens, residents or visa holders. She said the New Zealand military had gone to great lengths to try and find people in recent days and had been able to fly several hundred people to safety.
Of course, New Yorkers should be aware of their own glass house. Until four years ago, this state also allowed 14-year-olds to marry. In 2017, the age was raised to 18, though 17-year-olds could marry with the approval of parents and courts. That exception was eliminated this year with a law setting the minimum age at 18.

Even 18 is young, as parents of draft-age children understand. Sixteen may be better than 14, but its still child marriage.

  

In Wisconsin this week, a customer at a McDonalds drive-through was startled to see a cow in the back seat of a car there. The owner said he had just bought the cow, but maybe she was just hiding her all-beef self in plain sight.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank-you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
Sept. 12  Allied Sportsmen 4th Annual All Deer Archery Hunting Tune Up, 12846 Clinton St., Alden. $12 per round. 15 deer 3-D targets out to 35 yards under various hunting scenarios. For more info contact John Floriano at 725-5822 or Kevin Ulrich at 430-1059.

Sept. 12  Second annual Archery Flea Market at Allied Sportsmen, 12846 Clinton St., Alden. Bring your used archery equipment for sale or trade. For more info contact John Floriano at 725-5822 or Kevin Ulrich at 430-1059.

Sept. 18  3F Club Youth Mentor Pheasant Hunt, 904 Swann Road, Youngstown. Only 20 openings available. For junior hunters ages 12 to 18. Cost if $45. For more info call Dale Shank at 417-1470 or 791-3809.

Sept. 20  Niagara County Fisheries Development Board monthly meeting starting at 6 p.m. For meeting location contact Bob Cinelli, Chairman at 860-9774.

Sept. 22  Virtual Waterfowl Meeting with DEC from 7 to 9 p.m. It will include updates on programs at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Tonawanda, Oak Orchard, Northern Montezuma, and Braddock Bay WMAs, including drawdown schedules and hunt program news. Log on through https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/24442.html.
This is the fourth of four tournaments being run by Douglas Rods. The first three were in Oneida, Cayuga, and Keuka lakes. Konrad said they averaged about 30-40 teams. No decision has been made as to whether they will allow Canada to be eligible waters. For more information, contact the Douglas Outdoors offices at 315-695-2000 or check out douglasoutdoors.com .

With sweltering heat and humid conditions, who is already thinking about waterfowl hunting? The first waterfowl season of the year  the early nuisance goose season  begins Sept. 1 in upstate New York. This special season allows waterfowlers to target resident Canada geese and allows for a relaxing of some of the regulations. For example, hunting begins a half-hour before sunrise, but it extends to a half-hour after sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per day per person (except for the Lake Champlain Area, where it is eight). Hunters may use electronic calls during the September season, and they may use shotguns capable of holding more than three shells. However, a semi-automatic shotgun capable of holding more than six shells in the chamber and magazine combined may not be used at any time.
A former Thai police chief who went on the run after allegedly torturing a suspect to death has surrendered.

Thitisan Utthanaphon, nicknamed "Jo Ferrari", admitted to mistreating the suspect but denied any corruption.

He spoke to the media in an unusual press conference organised by the police on Thursday night.

Mr Thitisan had fled his post after a video showing the apparent torture and killing of a drug suspect was leaked, causing public outrage.

The footage, which was reportedly filmed by a junior officer, shows several policemen wrapping plastic bags around the head of a 24-year-old arrested for selling methamphetamine pills. The suspect had allegedly refused to pay a bribe.

Mr Thitisan and six others at a police station in Nakhon Sawan, 250km (150 miles) north of Bangkok, were accused of being responsible for the fatal incident, which took place earlier this month.

The 39-year-old former police superintendent went on the run, but gave himself up on Thursday evening in Chon Buri province, hundreds of kilometres from his station.

In a last-minute press conference organised by Thai police in Bangkok, Mr Thitisan answered questions from reporters over a mobile phone that was held up to a microphone.

It is not common for Thai police to allow suspects to speak to media immediately after their arrest.

Mr Thitisan claimed the suspect's death was an "accident".

"I did not intend to kill him... I intended to get the information so I can destroy the drug business," he added.

He said it was the first time he had ever treated a suspect this way, adding that multiple bags were used to cover the suspect's head because he kept trying to remove them.

Mr Thitisan also insisted that he had not tried to extort money. "My subordinates just followed my order and I take sole responsibility," he added.

According to local reports, the alleged torture occurred after the suspect was told to double a bribe that had been agreed for his release and that of his girlfriend.

Story continues

He was ordered to pay 2 million baht (45,000; $61,000) to have his charges dropped and was attacked when he refused, according to The Bangkok Post newspaper, which cited a whistleblower's complaint lodged with the police.

The video shows attempts to revive the man, but he died from suffocation. The officer allegedly told subordinates to list the cause of death as a drug overdose.

Mr Thitisan's moniker is an apparent reference to his expensive tastes. On Wednesday a search of Mr Thitisan's luxury estate in Bangkok revealed 13 supercars.

A new bizarre spectacle

Jonathan Head, BBC News in Bangkok

How do you put a positive spin on a video showing a senior police officer suffocating a suspect in custody with a plastic bag?

Thai national police chief General Suwat Jangyodsok decided the best strategy was to seek sympathy for Colonel Thitisan; he had agreed to surrender to save the honour of the force, he told journalists.

He allowed him to express, through a phone, his remorse to the crowd of waiting journalists. We were even told that Colonel Ferrari was contemplating suicide.

Many Thais have pointed out that there was little honour to save. The police force is almost universally ridiculed in Thailand for its incompetence, its corruption, and for putting on bizarre spectacles like this one for journalists.

Who can forget the police awarding themselves, at a press conference, an $80,000 reward for catching two suspects in the 2015 Bangkok bombing, although six years later neither suspect has been tried in court?

Or the practice, not unique to Thailand in this region, of making suspects re-enact the crimes of which they are accused in front of the public? Or the litany of laughable excuses given over nine years for failing to arrest the heir to the wealthy Red Bull business, who allegedly killed a police officer while driving his Ferrari at speed?

Thai media have noted that action against Colonel Ferrari was only taken, two and half weeks after the incident, when the video was leaked.

Few believe much would have happened to him without the leak. His spectacular collection of luxury cars and properties, on a salary of perhaps $1,500 a month has raised fewer eyebrows here.

Senior police officers in Thailand are often conspicuously wealthy. Promotion is widely presumed to involve spending huge sums of money for the required backing.

Policing is sometime described as more of a business than a public service. The details emerging from this case will only confirm that view.

You might also be interested in:

In 2015, Thai police gave themselves a cash reward for the arrest of a man suspected of carrying out the bombing of a shrine in Bangkok.
How SolarWinds Can Help With Your Distance Learning Goals

Two of the most important aspects of remote learning are connectivity and speed. If the connection is slow or lost, teachers cant teach, and students cant learn.

School systems from K  12 to higher education have PCs, servers, storage devices, and applications, and they must implement IT security fervently.

Priorities include reducing complexity, tightening security policies and processes, and improving service management. School systems must monitor applications and websites, understand traffic activity, and be certain their networks are operating as expected.

Luckily, there are solutions that can help with these priorities, including the need to resolve issues quickly and decisively.

Download this whitepaper now to learn more.
The trial for an Edgar woman accused of vehicular homicide when she apparently missed a stop sign, causing a fatal crash north of Stanley in July 2017, has been postponed until January. It is the second time the trial has been delayed this year.

Miranda Jo Miller, 23, is charged with one count of homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle in Chippewa County Court. Miller entered a not guilty plea in June 2020. She is accused of striking a truck driven by Jeremy Goodwin of rural Chippewa Falls, causing his death.

The trial was originally set for March, and was later moved to begin Sept. 2. However, the case remains in limbo because court officials are waiting on a ruling on an appeal. The new trial date is set for Jan. 18.

(Miller) wishes to offer through the testimony of (Goodwins) minor passengers that (he) had been actively texting at the moment of impact, to the point that the minor passengers had admonished (him) to either pull over or to stop texting entirely, wrote defense attorney Karl Schmidt in a court document.

Schmidt also wrote that Goodwin was driving at speeds of perhaps 60 mph, didnt brake before the crash, and he was not wearing a seat belt.
A global rating agency has increased Wisconsins underlying bond rating to AAA, marking the first time the state has achieved such a rating from any agency in almost 40 years.

Kroll Bond Rating Agency upgraded the states long-term rating for general obligation bonds from AA+ to AAA, citing Wisconsins substantial liquidity, evidenced by a near tripling of budget reserves over the past three years; continuing, healthy revenue growth, despite substantial tax cuts; and an ongoing, post-COVID-19 recovery, fueled by a mature and expanding economy and favorable business climate, according to information provided by Gov. Tony Evers administration Friday.

In addition, S&P Global Ratings increased the states long-term rating from AA to AA+. The state also maintains an Aa1 rating from Moodys Investors Service and an AA+ rating from Fitch Ratings.

The new bond ratings resulted in, unsurprisingly, a partisan rift over whether the Democratic governor or the Republican-controlled Legislature deserve credit for the states economic well-being.
After a news conference on Monument Square Thursday morning, Brandtjen said in an interview that, so long as the city isnt releasing records regarding how the election was conducted, I have to assume the worst  Democracy dies in the dark.

The lawsuit states that more than 41,000 emails would need to be included in H.O.T. Governments request to the city. That request was broad: Not only did it request all communications containing CTCL but also all emails mentioning a number of city and state officials (including the mayor, certain County Board members, and some state representatives) regardless of if the emails had anything to the election. Those emails still have not been released.

The city has maintained that the money from CTCL not only prevented excessive local spending but also protected people from COVID-19.

In a statement, Coolidge said: In the midst of a pandemic, had we not had the funding made available through the CTCL grant(s), more of our residents would have likely contracted COVID-19, the pandemic would have created more barriers to the ballot box for eligible voters, and the city would not have had the funding to mail over 20,000 absentee ballots for the presidential election alone.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  With COVID-19 cases still rising even in countries with significant vaccination progress, AstraZeneca remains steadfast in its commitment to creating a "vaccine for the world."

"When we started this journey, the mission was very clear: We want to help the world recover from this pandemic and we want to make our vaccine a vaccine for the world," AstraZeneca Philippines country president Lotis Ramin told CNN Philippines' The Exchange.

Over 1 billion doses of the British-Swedish manufacturer's COVID-19 vaccine have so far been delivered to more than 170 countries to date, according to Ramin, who said two-thirds of these are low- and middle-income nations.

Among these countries is the Philippines, which has already received 8 million doses from AstraZeneca. It will be getting over 14 million "until the early part of 2022" in line with tripartite deals signed previously, she added.

AstraZeneca doses are the second most numerous in the country's total vaccine supply, next to Chinese manufacturer Sinovac's CoronaVac shots.

With vaccination touted as the main way to combat the spread of COVID-19 - now driven by coronavirus variants like the highly contagious Delta - AstraZeneca is making sure its vaccine can put up a fight.

Both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine provide "as much as 92% reduction of severe disease and hospitalization," according to Ramin.

Even the head of the country's vaccine expert panel reported the British-Swedish vaccine brand offers the longest protection against severe infection compared to other shots: one year.

Booster shots, mix-and-match up to govt policy

Ramin also emphasized that mixing and matching the AstraZeneca vaccine with other brands is a decision for public health officials to make.

While the Philippines still hasn't allowed mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines, the World Health Organization earlier this week specified only one condition which permits it: AstraZeneca vaccinees may only receive a Pfizer shot for their second dose if supply is unavailable.

The Department of Health earlier recommended to delay this method as they wait for more evidence to support it. There are plans to conduct clinical trials on the mix-and-match of COVID-19 vaccines, but no date has been announced yet.

AstraZeneca also leaves it to health authorities to decide on the administering of booster shots - something the country's experts have recommended against, instead pushing for the vaccination of as many people as possible in a race against the more contagious variants.

"Right now, our main priority is to support the ongoing vaccination. And that means fulfilling our current agreements," referring to tripartite deals among the national government, local government units, and the private sector.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte praised business tycoon Ramon Ang for his generosity and for doing his part to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"Ako saludo ako diyan... (I salute him)," the President said during his second taped address this week, referring to conglomerate San Miguel Corporation's top executive.

This was after Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu mentioned during their late Thursday meeting that Ang volunteered to finance and lead the rehabilitation of the Tullahan River and Pasig River.

Duterte also said the SMC president and CEO extended his assistance to boost the government's COVID-19 vaccination drive.

"Iyan lang talaga... pati bakuna, tumutulong, nago-offer... tapos maligned pa kasi negosyante raw, maraming negosyo," he said.

"[Kung] hindi ka kikita, huwag ka na magnegosyo kung malugi ka. Kasi daw maraming... Eh marunong eh. Marunong magtingin sa panahon kung ano ang makapabuti dito, dito tayo magkapera negosyo," Duterte added.

[Translation: He's the only one who offers vaccines, helps out, offers... but he's being maligned because he's a businessman. If you won't make money, don't do business or you'll go bankrupt. He knows how to look at the situation, where he'll make money, what's good for business.]

Since the start of the pandemic last year, Ang has been leading the private sector in providing help not just to the government, but also to Filipinos affected by the health crisis, shelling out hundreds of millions of pesos to deliver food donations.

His group SMC also allotted 1 billion to inoculate for free all its 70,000 employees and extended workforce. The conglomerate also set up vaccination sites for its A4 workers.

Late last year, the Ang-led group also launched a massive blood and convalescent plasma donation drive for COVID patients.

Meanwhile, Duterte also extended his thanks to "many other Chinese Filipinos."

"Let me just express my gratitude to them for helping our country because if you are helping the country or helping us, salamat po (thank you)," he said, without naming them.
Young adult books continue to fly off the shelves, even in the middle of the pandemic. In 2020, unit sales of YA books rose to 6.4 percent for the nine months ended in October 3, 2020, as compared to 2019, according to NPD Scan. The YA category sold 2.5 million units in the first nine months of 2020 alone, according to a report by Publishers Weekly. YA stories also continue to dominate cultural consciousness as stories get more diversified and adapted into different media, such as films and T.V. shows like Shadow and Bone, Finding You, and Fear Street.

In the Philippines, the YA scene is also thriving. YA books dominate the bestseller list of National Book Store as well as in Anvil Publishings popular books on sites like Shopee. YA books such as Adam Silveras They Both Die at the End and the Percy Jackson series are also among the bestsellers of local independent bookstore Fully Booked online.

READ: 8 YA books written by Filipino authors

Although its primarily young adults who experience this specific set of problems, most of the readers of YA novels are adults, says young YA writer Maria Lea, who has published novels on Wattpad as well as in Anvil Publishings YA imprint Bliss Books, in partnership with Wattpad. They feel nostalgic when they relate to a particular plot in a novel.

It should be noted that Filipino YA books are also in terms of genre  from books such as Edgar Calabia Samar's Janus Silang series, the horror novels of Bliss Books, and graphic novels such as those in Adarna Books.

In this brief discussion on YA writing in the Philippines, she is joined by #romanceclass writers Danice Mae P. Sison (Flipping the Script and the BL series Boys Lockdown) and Ines Bautista-Yao (One Crazy Summer, Swept Off My Feet, and Whats in Your Heart). They talk about why they want to write young adult stories and what makes the kilig of Filipino YA distinct.

Watch the discussion below.

Interview and video by SAMANTHA LEE
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  A Health Department technical adviser on Friday said Filipinos should wait for the tweaked version of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines as a third-shot immune booster.

"Kung magbo-booster man sakali, mas maganda 'yung tweaked vaccines," Infectious Diseases specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of DOH's technical advisory group, said during a virtual briefing.

[Translation: If we will administer booster shots, the tweaked vaccines are better.]

Dr. Salvana echoed previous statements of local health authorities on booster shots, saying there is not enough data to conclude that a third dose could provide extra protection.

"Maghintay tayo nang mas magandang data... at hindi tayo sigurado kung nakaka-add 'yan sa protection mo dahil protektado ka na talaga sa severe disease," he said.

[Translation: Let's wait for better data... and we're not sure if that adds to your protection because you're already protected from severe disease.]

The health expert also said that the issue of vaccine supply, which slows down the vaccination rate, should be considered.

The government has prohibited booster shots due to a lack of safety and efficacy data and an unstable supply of vaccines in the country.

READ: DOH wants more evidence if 3rd COVID-19 shot necessary

RELATED: PH officials call out individuals who brag about getting 3 COVID vaccine shots

Calls urging the national government to purchase booster shots surfaced following the confirmed cases of the highly contagious Delta variant.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday evening once again defended the overlaying of crushed dolomite on the shore of Manila Bay, as he recalled the projects of his administration.

During a recorded "Talk to the People" program, Duterte asked Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to present the agency's previous initiatives, which included the rehabilitation of Boracay and Manila Bay.

Duterte then hit back at critics of the so-called Manila Bay "white sand" project, which had drawn the doubt and ire of experts and environmentalists.

"Dolomite is beautiful to the eyes. Period," said the President. "Wag ka nang magtanong kasi hindi naman ninyo kaya kung kayo [Do not ask, because you would not be able to do it]."

"For so many years, you had every chance to do it. Was there anybody willing to take the problem by its horns?" he added.

The 389-million project aimed to improve the bay's water quality and the coastline's appearance, but it has been heavily condemned as experts deemed it ineffective in actually addressing the area's environmental issues. Other critics called it a waste of taxpayers' money.

Marine scientists from the University of the Philippines also said the sand could pose health problems given that dolomite has fine particles which can be inhaled. However, the Health Department denied that the sand could cause adverse health effects.

Criticism fell on deaf ears as the government dumped a fresh batch of sand in April this year.

But Duterte himself earlier admitted that the sand gets washed away and needs continuous replenishment until there is a "good alternative."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26) A top official of St. Luke's Medical Center on Thursday denied there has been a mass resignation among its healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's not true," Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of St. Luke's, told CNN Philippines' News Night.

Campomanes said hospitals do see resignations every month  but stressed that not all can be classified as pandemic-related.

"These resignations of our nurses is because they are accepted to go to the United States, to the United Kingdom, and other places, where they are accepted to work abroad. So this is not very unusual for us. So when you say, [resignations] hit St. Luke's Medical Center, it's as if they are resigning because of the pandemic. But actually, they are not," he explained.

Campomanes, however, recognized that manpower has been affected with some frontliners undergoing quarantine.

"They are exposed to some people, some other nurses in their dorms. And so we have to quarantine a lot of people. And that limits our working power in some of the areas in the hospitals," he said.

St. Luke's is among the many hospitals affected by the current surge in coronavirus infections, which inched closer to 1.9 million on Thursday.

Campomanes reported that their Quezon City branch has reached full intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. There are also four patients in line for COVID rooms and wards, he added.

Meanwhile, in the Bonifacio Global City branch, Campomanes said there are six patients waiting for ICU beds while two are waiting at the COVID general rooms.
The Taliban denounce the bombings and blame foreign interference for what happened in Kabul. No Filipinos were injured during the blasts, according to the Foreign Affairs department. 24 Filipinos are still in Afghanistan. The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan is closely monitoring their situation.
(CNN)  Fear is mounting for women and girls in Afghanistan after the Taliban told working women to stay at home, admitting they were not safe in the presence of the militant group's soldiers.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said at a news conference on Tuesday 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 when they were last in power.

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 the measure was 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, then they can return to their jobs once it's announced."

When last in power between 1996 and 2001 the militant group banned women from the workplace, stopped them from leaving the home unaccompanied and forced them to cover their entire bodies.

The group has insisted its new era in charge will be more moderate, but Taliban leaders have refused to guarantee women's rights will not be stripped back and many have already faced violence.

The World Bank announced Tuesday it is halting financial support to Afghanistan amid worries about the fate of women under Taliban rule, dealing another blow to an economy that relies heavily on foreign aid.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country's development prospects, especially for women," World Bank spokesperson Marcela Sanchez-Bender said in a statement to CNN.

And five women from Afghanistan's renowned robotics team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday, after being issued humanitarian visas.

In the early months of the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, women have been increasingly isolated from society and many have been the targets of harassment and attacks -- including the high-profile murder of three female journalists in March.

In early July, insurgents walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave, Reuters reported. The female bank tellers were told that male relatives would take their place.

Amid increasing concern from the international community, the United Nations called for an "transparent and prompt investigation" into human rights abuses "committed by all parties to the conflict" on Tuesday, after an emergency meeting of its Human Rights Council.

But the agency was condemned by a number of non-profit organizations for parsing its language after adopting the resolution, initially proposed by Pakistan.

John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that the UN "failed to create a strong human rights monitoring body and meet its responsibility to protect the Afghan people." He said the resolution "is a slap in the face to Afghan human rights defenders and women's rights activists who are watching in horror as the rule of law crumbles around them."

The Taliban also warned Tuesday that the US must stick to next week's deadline to pull out, and said they were "not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore," though a source familiar with the situation told CNN on Wednesday that the apparent ban had not yet had a discernible effect on arrivals at Kabul airport.

The source said some priority local Afghans would get help in the coming hours, the source said, though some applicants for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program -- an avenue for Afghans who worked for US forces and agencies to get out of the country -- would have to wait.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that a total of 19,000 evacuees left Afghanistan in the last 24 hours, including 11,200 people flying on 42 US military aircraft and another 7,800 evacuated by coalition partners.

The number of evacuees was down slightly from the previous day, when the US reported 21,000 people were evacuated from Kabul airport via 37 US military flights carrying 12,700 evacuees, plus 57 coalition flights carrying 8,900 people.

"Since the US and coalition forces began the evacuation to date approximately 88,000 have safely departed from Afghanistan," Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor said at a news briefing Wednesday. "Every 39 minutes yesterday, a plane departed Kabul Airport."

Taylor said there were more than 10,000 people waiting at the airport to leave but that the number would change as more people arrive at the airport and as flights depart.

A frantic Western evacuation operation at Kabul's airport has provided the only faint opportunity for many Afghans to escape the country in recent days, and crowds outside the facility have swelled since the militants seized power.

But US President Joe Biden reiterated that he aims to stick with his August 31 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan -- as long as the Taliban does not disrupt ongoing evacuation operations or airport access.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Taliban tell Afghan women to stay home from work because soldiers are 'not trained' to respect them."
(CNN)  Republicans in Congress quickly escalated their criticism of US President Joe Biden's withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after two explosions outside Kabul's airport on Thursday caused the first American casualties since the mass evacuation began.

While some prayed for the safety of American troops and diplomats in the immediate aftermath of the attack, other Republicans did not hesitate to blame Biden.

"Joe Biden has blood on his hands," tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, the no. 3 House Republican. "This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Biden's weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief."

At least 12 US service members and dozens of Afghans were killed, according to the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.

Biden has noted that the US withdrawal was set in motion by former President Donald Trump's deal with the Taliban and vowed to not pass on a war entering its 20th year to a fifth US president.

But Republicans quickly expressed their outrage at the White House Thursday after the attack on Americans. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring Congress back into session "so that we can be briefed thoroughly and comprehensively by the Biden Administration" and pass a bill to prohibit the withdrawal of any more troops "until every American is out of Afghanistan."

Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain tweeted: "Americans are dying at the hands of President Biden's catastrophic withdrawal from #Afghanistan."

And Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said five top US officials  Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley  "should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office."

Democratic leaders in Congress said they were monitoring the situation, advocated for securing the airport to help Americans and Afghan allies evacuate, and pushed back on the Republicans' criticism.

"Right now, American heroes are risking & giving their lives to execute an extraordinarily dangerous evacuation, & the Minority Leader wants to defund the mission & tie the Commander in Chief's hands in the middle of the most dangerous days of the operation," tweeted Drew Hamill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, referring to McCarthy. "What's not going to help evacuate American citizens is more empty stunts & distraction from the Minority Leader who sat idly by as Pres. Trump proudly negotiated with the Taliban."

Many in the GOP -- and some Democrats -- renewed their calls to postpone the August 31 evacuation date. Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs committee, said the "Taliban and its terrorist contemporaries clearly don't care about our deadlines or our people left in the country. They have what they want, which is an America and a NATO in disarray and retreat."

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said this should prompt US military to retake Bagram Air Base north of Kabul and run evacuation flights from there.

"I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will," Graham tweeted.

And some Republicans simply offered thoughts and prayers for the troops, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Senate GOP Whip John Thune and Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, one of the lawmakers who took a controversial trip to Afghanistan this week.

"My heart breaks for the U.S. servicemembers wounded in the explosion and the innocent Afghan lives lost," tweeted Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. "I am inspired by the strength and compassion of our troops and pray for their safety."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Republicans point fingers at Biden following Kabul blasts."
(CNN)  Time's Up CEO Tina Tchen on Thursday (Friday in thee Philippines) announced she was resigning from her position at the women's rights organization amid backlash over its connection to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal.

"Now is the time for TIME'S UP to evolve and move forward as there is so much more work to do for women. It is clear that I am not the leader who can accomplish that in this moment," Tchen said in a statement posted to her Twitter account.

"I am especially aware that my position at the helm of TIME'S UP has become a painful and divisive focal point, where those very women and other activists who should be working together to fight for change are instead battling each other in harmful ways. Therefore, it is time for me to resign and continue to work for change in other ways, and to let TIME'S UP engage in the thoughtful and meaningful process I know will occur to move forward."

Tchen is the second high-level Time's Up official to step down in recent weeks. Earlier this month, board co-chair Roberta Kaplan resigned after it came to light that she had reviewed a draft of a letter questioning the character of one of Cuomo's accusers, Lindsey Boylan.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.
(CNN)  US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris were warned by their national security team on Friday "another terror attack in Kabul is likely," according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

"The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date," Psaki said in a statement on Friday.

The US is "taking maximum force protection measures" at Kabul's airport, Psaki said. The US military is airlifting out thousands of people every few hours and is continuing to prioritize evacuating the remaining American citizens, she said.

Biden directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to continue diplomatic efforts with international partners "to secure means for third-country nationals and Afghans with visas to leave the country even after the US military presence ends," Psaki added.

"Our commanders also updated the President and Vice President on plans to develop ISIS-K targets. The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date. The President reaffirmed with the commanders his approval of all authorities they need to conduct the operation and protect our troops, and all reported back that they have the resources they believe they need to do so effectively," Psaki said.

Harris was not at the meeting in person but joined via a secure video teleconference, Psaki said.

Pentagon officials say they are receiving reports of credible threats to the evacuation effort in Afghanistan and are monitoring those threats "virtually, in real time."

"We still believe there are credible threats. In fact, I'd say specific, credible threats, and we want to make sure we're prepared for those," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday. He discussed efforts to bolster force protection, including expanding the perimeter around Kabul airport and closing roads in the final days before the US military completes its withdrawal on August 31.

"We have additional information," Kirby told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. "What you're seeing us act on, to the degree we can talk about, it is based on information that we have."

Pressed by CNN's Barbara Starr on whether another attack in potentially imminent, Kirby said, "we certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts, absolutely, but I won't get into the specifics of what those are and why we're doing what we're doing."

Biden on Friday said the operation to evacuate American citizens and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover was "dangerous" but "a worthy mission."

Biden said the loss of 13 US service members to a suicide bombing outside of Kabul's airport on Thursday was "tragic" during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House.

"Losing a son or daughter, a husband, a wife, is like being sucked into a big black hole in the middle of your chest and you don't think there's any way out," Biden said, adding: "Our heart goes out to all those who we've lost."

The President continued: "The mission there, they performed is dangerous. And now it's come with a significant loss of American personnel. And, but it's a worthy mission because they continue to evacuate folks out of that region."

The US Army confirmed that one soldier was among the 13 US service members killed in the attack in Kabul on Thursday. The US Marine Corps announced Thursday that 10 Marines were among the dead and the Navy confirmed Friday that one sailor also died.

Biden plans to contact the families of the 13 US service members who were killed in the suicide attack in Kabul, according to a senior White House official.

Planning is underway for the President to make those calls, but the White House is first working to ensure all of the next of kin notifications have taken place. The official said the next of kin notifications are "still ongoing."

Biden called the troops "heroes" in remarks at the White House on Thursday and said he was "outraged as well as heartbroken."

"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," the President warned those who carried out the attack.

ISIS in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, has claimed that an ISIS militant carried out the suicide attack, but provided no evidence to support the claim. US officials have said the group was likely behind the bombing.

The attack came as the US and other countries race to complete a massive evacuation of their citizens and Afghan allies by August 31 following the Taliban takeover of the country.

Biden addressed the families of the fallen US service members on Thursday, saying "my heart aches for you."

"We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest. There's no way out," Biden said in remarks at the White House.

He continued: "My heart aches for you and I know this, we have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you, to the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary, it lasts forever."

Biden's son, Beau, an Iraq War veteran who served as the attorney general of Delaware, died at the age of 46 after battling brain cancer. Biden often speaks about his son and his service.

In addition to the 13 US service members who were killed, 18 were injured in the bombing, according to the head of the US Central Command. More than 90 Afghans were killed and at least 150 were wounded, according to Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.

US service members wounded in Thursday's attack have landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and have been transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director of joint staff regional operations, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Friday.

More than 300 American citizens were evacuated from Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, Taylor said. He said the updated total of the number of American citizens evacuated from the country was approximately 5,100. US and coalition forces have evacuated approximately 111,000 evacuees, he said.

US military flights carried approximately 8,500 people and coalition flights carried approximately 4,000 people out of Kabul, a White House official told CNN Friday morning. These flights occurred between Thursday 3 a.m. EDT to Friday 3 a.m. ET, the official said.

In the wake of the attack, the Department of Defense has authorized three more US bases to help support evacuation operations from Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the briefing. The bases are Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; Fort Pickett, Virginia and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The Pentagon also said Friday there was only one explosion at the Abbey gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday. The Pentagon originally said there was a second explosion outside the Baron Hotel in their initial statements.

In the days leading up to the bombing, Biden had spoken about the risk of a terror attacks as one of the reasons for sticking with the August 31 deadline for withdrawing troops. The President had also promised a swift and forceful response to any disruption to the operation.

Biden and his team are now bracing for the possibility of another terrorist attack in the final days of the evacuation operation.

"The threat is still out there," a senior White House official said. "It's still heightened."

Biden plans to receive regular updates throughout the day on Friday on the state of the evacuation mission and the ongoing terrorist threat in Kabul, beginning with his daily intelligence briefing in the morning.

The President will then meet with his national security team in the Situation Room at the White House to discuss Afghanistan, as he has every day this week.

The official said Biden was "solemn and serious" on Thursday as updates on the attack filtered in.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Biden warned 'another terror attack in Kabul is likely' as mission enters 'most dangerous period'."
(CNN)  The United States still plans to end its mission in Afghanistan this month, the Pentagon said Friday, as the evacuation of US citizens and allies enters its final, desperate stage after a bombing at Kabul's airport killed at least 170 people including 13 US service members.

Far fewer people were at the airport Friday, and a source directly familiar with the Kabul airport operations told CNN the remaining focus is to get people with special, last-minute access requests to the airport. But the source cautioned that officials were "unsure how many they can get in with so much Taliban coordination required."

More than 200 people were injured in Thursday's attack, an official with Afghanistan's Ministry of Health told CNN on Friday. The UK government said Friday that two British adults and the child of another British national were among those killed in the attack.

The Pentagon said Friday the US was "still planning on ending this mission at the end of the month."

"As we get closer and we are getting closer, you're going see us begin to make those muscle movements to pull out our troops and some of our equipment, as appropriate with any retrograde," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said at a a briefing, adding they want to "preserve as much capability for as long as we can, both in terms of the security footprint" and ability to evacuate people.

The Pentagon clarified there was only one explosion at the Abbey gate at Hamid Karzai International airport on Thursday, after originally saying there was a second explosion outside the Baron hotel in their initial statements.

"There was a river of blood ... if you wanted to make a few steps you had to first check to see if there were any dead bodies under your feet to move," one eyewitness, Muhammad, told CNN.

Muhammad, who said he assisted US forces and worked with NATO in Afghanistan, was at the airport with his family Thursday trying to speak with American troops and find a flight out of the country. He did not provide his last name for security reasons.

"I covered my daughter's eyes so she wouldn't see the situation, because it was a very bad situation. After that, I took my family out and went on our way to go home," he said.

Few people were gathering at Kabul airport on Friday, a journalist working with CNN reported.

People were not allowed to go to the main gate of the airport, the journalist said. Almost 500 yards before the main gate, the road was blocked by the Taliban with parked cars, they added.

The rest of the city was "calm," with traffic at lower levels than on previous days. All the main commercial centers were either closed or their business was very slow, the journalist reported. This is unsurprising because Friday marks the start of Afghanistan's weekend.

A different journalist working with CNN said Afghan and foreign forces were deploying flash bangs from inside the perimeter of the airport in an attempt to prevent people from gathering outside the airport on Friday morning.

Despite the numerous attempts to disperse crowds, many people were still trying to get to the airport with the hopes of being evacuated.

Besides the 13 US service members who were killed, 18 others were injured in the attack, the Pentagon said.

Eleven Marines were among the troops killed and several more were wounded, Marine spokesman Maj. Jim Stenger said. The identities and units of those killed won't be announced until after relatives are notified, he added.

The US service members wounded in Thursday's attack in Kabul have landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and have been transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor said Friday.

President Joe Biden plans to contact the families of the US service members who were killed in Thursday's attack, according to a senior official, who added that the White House is first working to ensure that next of kin notifications have taken place.

Race to safety

The attack came as the US and other Western countries were racing to evacuate their citizens and Afghan allies ahead of an August 31 deadline, after the Taliban retook control of the country.

Thousands of Afghans had been gathering at the airport's gates in recent days in hopes of being evacuated. Footage posted to social media on Thursday after the explosion showed chaotic scenes of crowds trying to help the wounded amid bodies on the ground. Photos showed bloodied people being transported away from the scene in wheelbarrows.

ISIS in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, has claimed responsibility for the attack but provided no evidence to support the claim. US officials have said the group was likely behind the atrocity.

Speaking from the White House, Biden said evacuation efforts would not be stopped by the attack, and that he had ordered US military commanders to develop plans to strike "ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities."

"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said.

About 8,500 people were evacuated by the US military, and approximately 4,000 were evacuated via coalition flights, from 3:00 a.m. eastern time Thursday to 3:00 a.m. Friday, with a total of approximately 12,500 people evacuated. It's unclear how many of those evacuations took place after the attack.

That brings the total number of people evacuated via US military and coalition flights to 105,000 since August 14, and 110,600 since late July, according to the White House.

The Pentagon announced Friday that additional military bases in the US -- Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Fort Pickett, Virginia, and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico -- will be used to help support evacuation operations from Afghanistan.

Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said US troops were continuing the evacuation mission at "best speed," noting there were still about 1,000 American citizens in Afghanistan.

But he said the focus right now was on the "extremely active threat streams against the airfield."

McKenzie described the threats from ISIS as "imminent," raging from rocket attacks to "vehicle-borne" suicide attacks in addition to "walk-in" suicide attackers like the assault on Thursday.

He said the US military is using attack helicopters and other manned and unmanned aircraft to defend the airport in Kabul, as well as sharing some intelligence with the Taliban for security purposes.

"They don't get the full range of information we have. But we give them enough to act in time and space to try to prevent these attacks," said McKenzie.

US officials have been warning over the past week that a threat of a terror attack at the airport was becoming more acute. Earlier on Thursday local time, US diplomats in Kabul warned American citizens to "immediately" leave several gates into the airport, citing security threats.

The risk of potential suicide attacks by ISIS-K had already led the US to establish alternative routes to Kabul airport earlier on in the evacuation operation.

Speaking to CNN's Anderson Cooper, journalist and author Matthieu Aikins said he could hear "shooting and sirens" from the airport less than an hour after the attack.

"At that point, we went back to the emergency hospital, and they were bringing the casualties in there. There was just body after body. It was a really terrible sight," Aikins said. "You have tens of thousands of people cramming in from every angle at the same time, this desperate pressure to get the American citizens and others out. So it was really truly a recipe for disaster."

The evacuations

Tens of thousands of people have so far been evacuated by the US military and NATO allies from the airport in the past two weeks. These evacuations are set to start winding down in the next few days, ahead of the US' August 31 deadline for the final exit from a 20-year war in Afghanistan.

The UK's evacuation operation will was going to end on Friday following the closure of the UK's main processing center, the Baron Hotel, outside Kabul airport, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday.

Wallace told Sky News that following the decision to close the processing center at 4.30 a.m. UK time, the country will now "process" the "1,000 people approximately in the airfield now" but the operation has a "matter of hours" left.

The "sad fact," said Wallace, is that "not every single one will get out."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later pledged to "shift heaven and Earth" to help people who are eligible for resettlement and are stranded in Afghanistan after August 31.

"The crucial thing is the Taliban, the new Afghan government however it's composed, has got to understand -- if they want to have engagement with the West, if they want to have a relationship with us, then safe passage for those [people] is absolutely paramount," Johnson said.

Speaking to British media, the prime minister said he felt a "great sense of regret" that they were not able to get everyone out during what he described as the "first phase" of the evacuation process.

More than 18,700 evacuees from Afghanistan have come through US air base Ramstein in Germany so far, according to the airbase's Public Affairs Office, and a huge influx of more than 10,000 evacuees are expected to arrive over the coming hours.

Germany will leave its "MedEvac," a flying intensive care unit, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for 24 hours to be able to support American forces if necessary, Germany's Ministry of Defense tweeted Friday. Germany evacuated more than 5,000 people from Afghanistan over the course of its mission, according to a tweet from the German Foreign Office.

France will see its mission to evacuate people from Afghanistan "through to the end" despite Thursday's deadly attack on Kabul's airport, the Elysee said in a statement.

Australia, New Zealand and Sweden have ended their evacuation flights from Kabul. Other countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, have said their evacuation missions would end on Thursday.

Spain ended its evacuation mission with the last remaining people expected to land at the Torrejon military airbase near Madrid later on Friday, the country's presidency said in a statement, while Italy's evacuation mission in Afghanistan will end Friday, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is trying to establish an air bridge into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan in the coming days, with the help of Pakistan authorities, it said Friday.

The Taliban have offered Turkey the option of running Kabul airport, and said they will ensure security of the premises. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had yet to make a decision.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Evacuation from Afghanistan in final phase after deadly Kabul airport attack."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte is now encouraging the operation of casinos in Boracay Island as these will be sources of public funds.

During his public address on Thursday evening, Duterte apologized for contradicting his previous stand on gambling, explaining that such activity is now vital after the government exhausted public funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Pag sinabi, 'itong si Duterte bakit sinabi mong ayaw mo ng sugal tapos ngayon 'yung sa Boracay, yung gambling house doon ine-encourage mong buksan para sa tourists?' Patawarin po ninyo ako for the contradiction. Ngayon po wala tayong pera," he said.

[Translation: If you say, 'Duterte why did you say you don't like gambling but now you are encouraging the opening of a gambling house in Boracay for tourists?' Forgive me for the contradiction. We do not have money now.]

The President also said if allowing gambling is the only way for the government to collect more public funds, then "so be it."

"Wala akong isang salita, tama 'yan...pero kailangan ko ng pera para patakbuhin ang gobyerno," the chief executive added.

[Translation: I don't keep my word, that is correctbut I need money to keep this government running.]

In 2018, Duterte ordered all casinos in Boracay to cease operations. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation was even instructed to cancel permits granted to such establishments.

In July, the President allowed the resumption of gambling activities, like offshore gaming, to help the government raise public funds for pandemic response. Their operations were briefly suspended with the onset of the pandemic in the country. They were allowed to resume operations provided that they settle their taxes and follow health protocols.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte slammed the posturing of some senators, urging the public not to believe their investigations that have resulted to nothing.

Huwag ho kayong maniwala diyan sa mga imbestigasyon-imbestigasyon. Nakita naman ninyo walang nangyayari puro lang we will investigate, investigate, the President said during his second taped address this week.

[Translation: Do not believe their investigations. As you can see nothing has happened. They just keep saying, "we will investigate, investigate".]

Pakinggan mo iyong ibang senador diyan, mayroon talagang masabi. After investigation, one or two or three days in hearing wala na, walang rekomendasyon, walang dinemanda, walang na-preso. Puro postura lang, he added.

[Translation: Listen to some senators who just have to say something. After the investigation, one or two or three days in hearing, then nothing. No recommendation, no charges, no one is imprisoned. It is only just posturing.]

Several Cabinet members have been put under the spotlight since last year amid issues surrounding the government's pandemic response.

Recently, legislators started an inquiry on the audit report that uncovered supposed "deficiencies in the Health department's management of COVID-19 pandemic funds amounting to over 67 billion.

RELATED: Duque criticized for passing questions in Senate hearings

Duterte has repeatedly defended DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III from issues hounding the Health chief. The president said he will stand by the embattled Duque reiterating that he is an innocent man.

Lawmakers also filed resolutions to look into the COVID-19 vaccine tripartite agreements of local government units that have not been signed or have been put on hold.

The chief executive, meanwhile, enjoined Filipinos to trust him as their duly-elected leader.

Ako president ninyo. You trusted me, you voted for me so... ako iyong pinaka huling taong manloko sa inyo [Kapag] hindi na ako presidente patayin nyo ako kung ako ay nagkamali o nagsisinungaling, Duterte said.

[Translation: I am your president. You trusted me, you voted for me and I would be the last person to trick you. When I am not president anymore, you may kill me if I did something wrong or if I lied.]

But senators refuted Duterte's remarks.

Baka nakalimutan lang nya or misinformed sya [Perhaps he forgot or he was misinformed]. I will send him the Senate report on the (Committee) of the Whole investigation on Philhealth. Most of his appointed officers have now pending cases and were removed because of the Senate investigation, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III told reporters.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he willing to scrutinize all government agencies  including the Commission on Audit  if he becomes vice president.

While again defending the Department of Health from corruption issues, Duterte asked who was in charge of auditing the COA. He then said, Somebody should do it. I will do that if I become vice president. Ako na lang din ang mag-audit sa lahat ng gobyerno. Lahat. Pati yung akin."

[Translation: I will audit all of the government agencies. All agencies of government. Including mine.]

He made the statement during his second pre-recorded address for the week.

The 1987 Constitution states that the COA has the "power, authority, and duty to examine, audit, and settle all accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of, and expenditures or uses of funds and property, owned or held in trust by, or pertaining to, the government, or any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations with original charters, and on a post-audit basis."

This mandate includes the COA auditing itself.

Earlier, Duterte blasted state auditors for their report that uncovered some 67-billion worth of deficiencies in the Health department's handling of COVID-19 pandemic funds. He later on said that while COA should continue its mandate, it should refrain from publishing findings since this would taint government agencies with corruption.

RELATED: Duterte advises COA to 'reconfigure' audit reports

Give us enough elbow room

In his defense of the DOH, Duterte asked the COA for enough elbow room so that the agency can comply with the state auditors' requests.

We know that we should comply, there is no problem about it. But can we have just enough elbow room at this time? Do not adopt the standards of the pre-pandemic days, he said.

In its report, state auditors highlighted irregularities in the procurement process and lack of documentation in various contracts entered into by the DOH.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega earlier said there were 13 deficiencies pointed out in the report. Of this number, five were already resolved, another five were partially complied with, and three more are in the process of being resolved.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  No Filipino casualties were reported in the two bombing attacks outside Kabul's airport in Afghanistan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

In its updated bulletin, the DFA said it "confirms that no Filipinos were reported to be among those affected by the attacks outside the Kabul airport yesterday."

"There were 2 Filipinos at the airport earlier in the day but were unable to leave the country due to the situation," the DFA added.

Thirteen US service members were killed and 18 others were injured in Thursday's attack outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, CNN reported, quoting the head of the US Central Command.

READ: US troops and Afghans killed in suicide attacks outside Kabul

More than 90 Afghans died and at least 150 were wounded, the report added, citing Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health.

The bombings came as the US government and other countries raced to evacuate their citizens and Afghan allies following the Taliban takeover of the country. US President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate for the attacks.

READ: Biden to Kabul attackers: 'We will hunt you down and make you pay'

ISIS in Khorasan or ISIS-K, a branch of the terror group that first emerged in Syria and Iraq and now operating in Afghanistan, said that one of its suicide bombers carried out the attack.

The DFA earlier issued Alert Level 4, its highest alert while undertaking the mandatory evacuation of all Filipinos in Afghanistan. As of Friday, 185 Filipinos have already been evacuated while 24 remain in the country.

READ: PH govt starts mandatory repatriation of Filipinos in Afghanistan
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to probe the recent killing of a human rights lawyer in Cebu City.

In a department directive issued on Friday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the NBI to look into the case of Atty. Rex Fernandez, who was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-riding suspects Thursday afternoon.

The NBI was also tasked to file charges upon gathering sufficient evidence. The Justice department likewise required progress reports within 10 days.

Initial police investigation showed the assailants waited for the vehicle of Fernandez  a founding member of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL)  at the corner of Salvador and Good Shepherd streets. They fled the scene immediately after shooting at Fernandez.

Fernandez's driver also sustained injuries and was brought to the hospital.

The case once again sparked outrage among the community of lawyers, who condemned the killings of legal practitioners in recent years.

According to the NUPL, Fernandez is the 64th lawyer killed under the Duterte administration.

Cebu City Police Office director Col. Josefino Ligan said authorities are looking into all possible angles, including personal and work-related motives.

"With the magnitude of his work it is likely (work-related), but there is still a personal angle," said Ligan, who leads the newly-formed special task force for the case.

Cebu-based stringer Dale Israel contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad is among the 116 personnel of the Office of Civil Defense who have contracted COVID-19, spokesperson Mark Timbal said on Friday.

Timbal said the OCD chief, who is fully vaccinated, has mild symptoms and undergoing quarantine.

It was confirmed on Thursday that 116 personnel or 30% of OCD's staff were infected, prompting officials to close down the OCD headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City until August 30 to pave the way for disinfection activities.

The central office has a total of 380 workers, and 218 of them underwent COVID-19 tests. The OCD is waiting for the results of 85 staff.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is a clustering of cases due to the high number of infections recorded among OCD staff. Samples will be taken for genome sequencing to check if they were infected with the more transmissible coronavirus variants, Vergeire added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) - Senators on Friday grilled a former budget official due to his previous decision to award a multi-billion peso procurement contract to a company with "questionable" qualifications.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee resumed its hearing on the Health department's alleged misuse of COVID-19 response funds, during which lawmakers cornered Lloyd Christopher Lao, an ex-Budget undersecretary and former Officer-In-Charge of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

"This should be investigated by the Ombudsman for possible violation of the anti-graft law, for awarding contracts (that are) patently disadvantageous to the government and (for) not exercising prudence to prevent the losses of government funds," Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said.

Committee Chairman Richard Gordon agreed.

In the hearing, Lao admitted he may have been negligent when he awarded Pharmally Pharmaceuticals, Corp. an 8.68 billion deal to obtain personal protective equipment and testing kits that were later found to be overpriced.

Senators pointed out that PS-DBM bought face masks at 13 and 27 each while the Red Cross purchased them at only 5. Lao reasoned that the Red Cross may simply have had better access to suppliers.

Collusion?

However, senators were more perturbed by Lao's failure to do a background check on Pharmally after they found out that the firm was only six-months old when it bagged the contract and had a capital of only below 600,000.

Lao also revealed that during the bidding, he neither required the company's general information sheet nor did he study its articles of incorporation.

"If you look at the articles, you would notice it was only incorporated in September 2019 with the capital of less than 600,000, and it ended up with the contracts worth 8.6 billion," Drilon said.

Drilon also said when the committee tried to serve a subpoena to Pharmally's executives, the addresses provided were fake.

Senator Panfilo Lacson suspected collusion.

"You threw out of the window lahat ng [all of the] requirements so either you did it on your own or somebody ordered you to award those contracts to those suppliers," Lacson said.

Lao explained that Pharmally was the chosen bidder since it offered the "cheapest" price at the time and it was one of the firms referred to PS-DBM by some embassies.

History and ties

Lao was also questioned about his qualifications, as he claimed he became an undersecretary simply by applying for the position upon the advice of the Presidential Management Staff where he used to work.

Drilon also said Lao was accused by anti-corruption officials of extortion during his stint at the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.

Lao said he resigned as Budget undersecretary in June this year and was subsequently relieved from his OIC post in PS-DBM when he took a leave of absence.

There was also talk of Lao's alleged links to senator Christopher "Bong" Go. Lao said he had previously worked in the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, previously headed by Go.

Go denied that he was colluding with the former DBM official, but he mentioned that Lao had worked with President Rodrigo Duterte in his 2016 campaign, and that he knew he was also from Davao.

"Kailanman hindi siya directly nagrereport sa akin," Go said. "Kilala ko siya pero hindi ko siya aide."

[Translation: He never directly reported to me. I know him but he is not my aide.]

Lao earlier said his previous work in government should not be "politicized."
(CNN) -- More than 100,000 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 in the US -- the first time that level has been reached since January -- as medical workers say they're once again struggling to treat waves of patients.

The latest figure, amid a summer surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant, is also more than double what it was on the same day last year, when vaccines were not available as they are now.

Hospitals and researchers have been saying the vast majority of this year's hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. The availability of vaccines makes the current hospitalization surge tragic, Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the US Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee, told CNN Wednesday.

"The numbers now ... are actually in many ways worse than last August," Offit said. "Last August, we had a fully susceptible population, (and) we didn't have a vaccine. Now, we have half the country vaccinated ... but nonetheless the numbers are worse.

"The Delta variant is one big game changer," he said.

Covid-19 hospitalizations and cases have soared since late June as the Delta variant gained dominance in the US.

More than 100,317 Covid-19 patients were in US hospitals Wednesday -- more than six times higher than the figure was roughly nine weeks ago, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The only other period that figure was above 100,000 was from late November to early January, when the country saw a major surge in cases.

Fully vaccinated people are far less likely than unvaccinated people to be hospitalized with Covid-19, a recent study from Los Angeles County affirmed.

Infection and hospitalization rates among unvaccinated people were 4.9 and 29.2 times, respectively, those in fully vaccinated persons on July 25, researchers from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health wrote in the study, which was published this week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Very few fully vaccinated people with coronavirus infection went to a hospital: 3.2%, of them were hospitalized, 0.5% were admitted to an intensive care unit and 0.2% required mechanical ventilation, the researchers said.

The study included data on coronavirus infections that occurred in Los Angeles County from May 1 through July 25. The data, which involved both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, included only laboratory-confirmed cases of infection and were representative of infections in the county alone, not the entire United States.

"The findings in this report are similar to those from recent studies indicating that Covid-19 vaccination protects against severe Covid-19 in areas with increasing prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant," the researchers wrote.

The country has averaged more than 152,400 new Covid-19 cases a day over the past week -- more than 13 times what the figure was about nine weeks ago, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

12-hour wait in a Tampa emergency room

With 48.3% of the US still not fully vaccinated, hospitals are straining to keep up with incoming patients as cases rise.

Florida has been hit particularly hard, with the worst per capita Covid-19 hospitalization rate in the country -- about 80 per 100,000 people. That's followed by Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana, each with more than 55 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, according to HHS data.

"I had to turn away a cancer patient that needed an emergency treatment," Florida oncologist Dr. Nitesh Paryani told CNN. "For the first time in 60 years of my family's history of treating cancer, we had to turn someone away ... We just didn't have a bed. There was simply no room in the hospital to treat the patient."

Paryani said his Tampa emergency room recently had a 12-hour wait.

In New Mexico, the acting secretary of health, Dr. David Scrase, said if nothing changes, the state is on track to reach crisis standards of care within the next week to accommodate the continued rise in cases.

Covid-19 intensive care hospitalizations have risen so quickly, officials are having trouble creating accurate charts to illustrate it, Scrase said.

"Because we're at over 100% capacity, these beds are filled before we get time to make the map," he said.

Some leaders change tactics, others double down

As cases have surged across much of the country, some leaders have implemented measures to mitigate spread, while others have pushed back on those types of moves.

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that all public school teachers and staff, all higher-education personnel and students, and health care workers in a variety of settings must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by September 5 or face regular testing requirements.

Illinois is also instituting a statewide indoor mask requirement, regardless of vaccination status, beginning Monday, he said.

Pritzker said the requirements are aimed at protecting the most vulnerable residents -- children ineligible to be vaccinated and elderly people with weakened immune systems -- as well as hospitals with limited staffing and space.

"My number one concern is right now keeping the health care system available, not just for people who may get Covid but for people who have other problems and are taken to the hospital," he said.

On Maui, in Hawaii, Mayor Michael Victorino asked residents and visitors to respond to soaring cases and hospitalizations there by avoiding unnecessary activities for at least three weeks. Victorino is also asking Gov. David Ige for approval of new mandatory restrictions on gathering sizes.

"This is not rocket science, everyone. It's real simple," Victorino said Tuesday. "We've got to step it up again."

Meanwhile, the governors of Texas and Florida have doubled down on their stances against mandates for vaccination and masks.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Wednesday extending the current policy prohibiting vaccination mandates by "any government entity" throughout the state, according to a statement from his office.

And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who previously issued an executive order banning mask mandates in schools, reiterated Wednesday that school districts imposing mask mandates "are violating state law."

"We think the parents are best situated to make that decision and if these entities are going to violate state law ... there's consequences for that," DeSantis said, responding to questions from reporters.

Texas children's hospital sets weekly case record

With no vaccines available to children under 12 and school starting up across the country, experts are concerned about the growing number of infections among children.

Texas Children's Hospital is seeing an unprecedented surge of pediatric coronavirus cases, with a record number of kids being hospitalized for the virus and children are showing up sicker than before, Dr. Jim Versalovic, interim pediatrician in chief at the Houston-based hospital system told CNN.

"We have reached new records in the Delta surge," Versalovic said Wednesday. "We had reached a high over 900 cases in one week, in early January of 2021. That was our winter surge peak. We have now exceeded 1,300 cases in one week."

Earlier this year and last year, many children who tested positive for coronavirus had mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, he said.

"What we're seeing now are more symptomatic children and children with very prominent fever, congestion, fatigue and other symptoms," including a cough, he said. "A greater proportion of children who are infected with the Delta variant are presenting with symptomatic infections, with notable symptomatology," he added. "We've seen more infants and young children presenting with symptomatic infection and hospitalized with Covid-19."

And in Louisiana, the state department of health said Wednesday that a child under the age of 1 died due to Covid-19, the first death in a child that young in the state in more than six months, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

This story was first published on CNN.com "With more than 100,000 people in the hospital with Covid-19 in the US, this August is worse than last, expert says".
Students will be under all manner of pandemic-related stresses as they hit classrooms for the new school year, but there is a lot of help available to make the transition back to school easier.

Dr. Lisa Gwynn, a pediatrician and medical director for the Pediatric Mobile Clinic at the University of Miami, says her best advice for parents whose children are anxious or are having a difficult transition back to school is to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, talk with your child every day and communicate regularly with teachers.

Some students havent seen their pediatricians during the pandemic, so Gwynn advises parents to watch for any new health issues that crop up and make sure kids are up to date on their other vaccines.

Signs to watch for in kids for anxiety, depression

Parents also should watch for signs of anxiety and depression such as not wanting to get up in the morning or resistance to going to school, said Gwynn.

Beginning-of-school jitters are normal, but parents need to see if something above and beyond is going on, said Dr. Elizabeth Pulgaron, a psychologist and associate professor of clinical pediatrics at UM. Eating and sleeping disruptions and tantrums, this is above and beyond.
Ohnoutka said EANS money was also utilized to purchase cleaning supplies to help stop the spread of the virus.

The EANS funds come out to around $521 per student, Ohnoutka added.

Were happy that non-public schools were provided some assistance during this unprecedented time that we live in terms of education and trying to deal with all of the fallout that comes with COVID, he said. We just try to use those funds to better serve our students.

Additionally, Lakeview Community Schools was allocated around a total amount of $1.3 million, according to Lakeview Superintendent Aaron Plas. That comes out to $1,456 per student, he noted.

For ESSER I, Lakeview was awarded approximately $97,000; ESSER II was around $393,000 and about $883,000 from ESSER III, Plas said.

Plas said Lakeview used its ESSER I funds for cleaning supplies and emergency leave for staff who were exposed to the virus or went into quarantine.
OMAHA  Congressman Don Bacon called Thursday's deadly attack at the Kabul airport "horrific" and said the U.S. needs to evacuate everyone who is still stranded in Afghanistan.

"We can do it. Give us a new plan Mr. President. Our military is more than prepared to do this," Bacon said in a tweet.

The 2nd District Republican also said in a statement: Our nations prayers go out to those who were injured and to the families of the reported 12 U.S. servicemen killed in this horrific attack. We also pray for the safety of our troops as we finish carrying out this mission, and for the stranded American citizens and our Afghan allies who are still in the area desperately trying to escape."

He also said in the statement: This disaster will be remembered as one of the worst foreign policy fiascos in our nations history and the repercussions will be felt for a decade.

Members of Nebraska's congressional delegation reacted Thursday to news that two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to the airport.

U.S. officials said the violence killed 11 U.S. Marines and one Navy medic. At least 60 Afghans were killed.

Sen. Deb Fischer also called the attack devastating.
Afghanistan

Blasts kill at least 72 in Afghanistan

STF In this frame grab from video, people attend to a wounded man near the site of a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday.

KABUL, Afghanistan  Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation vowed the United States would go after the perpetrators of the bombings, and warned that more such attacks are expected. U.S. President Joe Biden later echoed those sentiments in an address to the nation in which he spoke directly to those responsible for the attack.

We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said.

Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the attack.

Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed 12 American service members and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country.

We have some reason to believe we know who they are, he said of the bombers and gunmen involved. Not certain.

As many as 1,000 Americans and many more Afghans are still struggling to get out of Kabul.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. He said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in.

Shortly after McKenzie spoke, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel.

U.S. officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. McKenzie said another 15 service members were wounded. Officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz and condemned the attack.

Western officials had warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport, but that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.

Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

Surgeons will be working into the night, said Marco Puntin, the charitys manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

The Afghan official who confirmed the overall Afghan toll spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel. McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gate.

He said the Taliban has been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursdays attacks to happen. He said the U.S. has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airports perimeter.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside whats known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation. Additional explosions could be heard later, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by U.S. forces to destroy their equipment.

Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of Americas longest war and the Talibans takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.

Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of historys largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by Americas self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31, and the evacuations must end then, too.

In Washington, Biden spent much of the morning in the secure White House Situation Room where he was briefed on the explosions and conferred with his national security team and commanders on the ground in Kabul.

Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Talibans freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan.

Biden was briefed on the attacks, which came 12 days into the rushed evacuation and five days before its scheduled completion. Some Republicans argued to extend the evacuation beyond next Tuesdays deadline.

Despite pressure to extend the Tuesday deadline, Biden has repeatedly cited the threat of terrorist attacks against civilians and U.S. service members as a reason to keep to his plan.

The administration has been widely blamed for a chaotic and deadly evacuation that began in earnest only after the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Talibans takeover of the country. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated so far.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California called for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bring the chamber back into session to consider legislation that would prohibit the U.S. withdrawal until all Americans are out. Thats highly unlikely, and Pelosis office dismissed such suggestions as empty stunts.

At the Pentagon, McKenzie said the military believes the attacks on the airports perimeter were carried out by fighters affiliated with the Islamic State groups Afghanistan arm. He said more attempted attacks were expected.

After the suicide bombers attack at the airports Abbey Gate, a number of ISIS gunmen opened fire on civilians and military forces, he said. There also was an attack at or near the Baron Hotel near that gate, he said.

McKenzie said it would be a mistake for the United States to call an early end to the evacuation, despite the risks.

Let me be clear, while we are saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we are continuing to execute the mission, he said. He said there were about 5,000 evacuees on the airfield Thursday awaiting flights. He said the Taliban have been useful to work with and are not suspected in the attacks.

We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said, adding that U.S. military commanders were working with Taliban commanders to prevent further attacks.

Shortly before the attack, the acting U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling. But in an interview with ABC News, he would not give details.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport, where the groups fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavy-handed tactics to control the crowds. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is controlled by U.S. troops.

Before the blast, the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at those gathered at one airport gate to try to drive the crowd away, as someone launched tear gas canisters elsewhere.

The Sunni extremists of IS, with links to the groups more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a series of attacks, mainly targeting Afghanistans Shiite Muslim minority, including a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul in which they killed women and infants.

The Taliban have fought against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have wrested back control nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion. The Americans went in following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.

Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, Canada ended its evacuations, and European nations halted or prepared to stop their own operations.

The Taliban have said theyll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility.
A Road Work Ahead sign was stolen overnight Wednesday from a construction area in the 2200 block of Canterbury Drive, Upper Allen Township. Township police are asking anyone with information on the theft to call them at 717-238-9676. An anonymous tip can be submitted by calling or texting the department at 717-850-8273 or by visiting www.upperallenpolice.com.
Trumps false claims of a stolen election have been debunked by the courts, his own Justice Department and numerous recounts, and the prospect of a review modeled on the widely discredited audit dragging out in Arizona worries some Republican Party officials in politically divided Pennsylvania.

Republican state lawmakers had, to this point, avoided the subject by pointing to hearings they held, reports they produced and legislation they drafted to, in their view, fix Pennsylvanias election law.

While Corman and other Republican senators generally avoid repeating Trumps baseless election claims, they still perpetuate the idea that Democrats cheated by distorting the actions of Democratic state judges and officials leading up to last years election as unconstitutional or illegal.

It hasnt satisfied enough Republican voters, apparently.

Despite Democrat Joe Biden beating Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania, an audit has fast become a Republican litmus test on the crowded campaign trail for governor and U.S. Senate.

The state Republican Party has sought to raise money off it while groups supporting an audit have sprung up and begun holding events.
There are no plans for the two former rivals to travel together to promote the proposed budget, though he wouldn't be opposed to doing so, Sanders said.

The administration's economic agenda has been overshadowed in recent days by violence and chaos in Afghanistan. But Sanders says Americans from across the political spectrum understand that what's occurring there and with their pocketbooks back home "are separate issues."

Still, the budget process has not gone entirely smoothly even within Sanders' own party. A group of moderate House Democrats threatened to derail the budget blueprint, and only dropped their opposition after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised that a vote on a separate, $1 trillion public works package which has already passed the Senate would come late next month.

Mitchell called such moderate Democrats "obstructionists."

"That small but loud crew, they don't have a popular base," Mitchell said. "People want to get this passed."

Sanders, however, will be in the territory of moderate Iowa Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne, whose staff says she doesn't plan to attend his Sunday event. Republicans believe Sanders hitting the road could ultimately hurt his party during next year's midterms, when control of Congress is at stake.
He said the Taliban has been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursday's attacks to happen. He said the U.S. has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airport's perimeter.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what's known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation. Additional explosions could be heard later, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by U.S. forces to destroy their equipment.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

"All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47," Paul "Pen" Farthing told Britain's Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group's rescued animals.
The requested documents are being sought in what is expected to be a 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.

Earlier this week, the committee sent out another request for documents from intelligence, law enforcement and other government agencies. The largest request so far was made to the National Archives for information on former President Donald Trump and his former team. Trump accused the committee of violating long-standing legal principles of privilege.

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, wounded dozens of police officers and did more than $1 million in damage.



Associated Press writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this story from San Francisco.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
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.



Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Fredericktown resident Ralph Hughes grew up hearing stories of trains. In fact, the whistles lonesome sound announcing the trains presence is something he vividly recalls from when he stayed with his Grandmother Hughes in Knob Lick.

Hughes has been interested in trains since then. The local author recently published a book titled The Railroads of Southeast Missouri: Volume I.

Big Boy No. 4014  the largest operating steam locomotive  is traveling through Missouri this weekend. Hughes hopes to catch a glimpse of the locomotive at Poplar Bluff Friday afternoon.

I am a train nut, said Hughes, and this may be the last time for some people to see a steam locomotive in operation on the main line.

Union Pacific owns the line that the locomotive will travel on and cross from Poplar Bluff to Scott City to Chester, Ill. The only way to get from Scott City to Chester is to cross over the Thebes Bridge, a truss bridge built in 1905. The bridge is 3,959 feet overall in length and 104 feet in height above the Mississippi River.

Hughes said hes excited to get to see the 4014, which is classified as a Big Boy because it is one inch short of being 133 feet long.
She considers her son and others who took their own lives to be casualties of war every bit as much as those killed in action.

When the Taliban swept back into control of Afghanistan just before the fifth anniversary of her son's death, she felt relief that a war that left more than 2,400 Americans dead and more than 20,700 wounded had finally come to an end. But there was also sadness that gains made by the Afghan people  especially women and children  may be temporary.

"As a mom, this kind of stabs you, because would he still be around, would any of these young men still be around if this whole war hadn't happened?" she said. "But I try to gently correct people when they say this was a waste or this was all for nothing. Because that's not true. We don't know what impacts it's had on the safety of our country, on the safety of the Afghan people."

___

Some who served with the Darkhorse Battalion are having a hard time seeing it any way other than that their efforts, their blood and the lives of their fallen friends were all for nothing.

"I'm starting to feel like how the Vietnam vets felt. There was no purpose to it whatsoever," said Sutton, 32, who now works in the veterans services office of a county outside Chicago, helping military vets get care.
The pandemic has been cruel to more than a few movie genres, but have any been so hampered by the current state of the world as the vacation comedy?

Early on, it reminded us of what we couldnt do, what we were postponing or canceling. It was an odd experience of wistfulness laced with bitterness watching people like Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon dine and drink their way through Greece. Perhaps thats why a comedy as absurdist and fanciful as Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar clicked with so many. It was just unreal enough to be palatable and silly enough to be cathartic. And then, of course, came The White Lotus, the dark comedy set at a ritzy Hawaiian resort that appealed on one level to some deep seeded superiority of not being those people.

Its certainly not the fault of the movies and shows, most of which (with the notable exception of The White Lotus) were made or at least conceived of well before March 2020. Still, a genre that generally goes down easy became a bit hard to stomach.
We really are looking at it as a baseline for where we need to start this year, said Beth Baptist, acting director of human resources and students services for Charlottesville City Schools.

Baptist added that school staff will look at the scores of individual students and more broadly to see where students arent doing well.

If we have issues with the curriculum, we need to look at different strategies for teaching it, Baptist said. So there are multiple ways of looking at the data, and our schools have been looking at it already and are working with their professional learning communities now to really see where the learning loss was and where the opportunities are for this year.

Students will have another round of state tests this fall, which are aimed at giving educators a better idea of where students are academically.

Baptist said those tests will give the division a more accurate picture of student learning.

James Lane, the state superintendent of education, said in a media briefing Thursday that the 2020-21 SOL scores were not comparable to previous years because of the pandemic-related disruptions and a drop in the number of students actually taking or retaking the exams due to a more flexible opt-out policy and the accreditation waiver.
Grimms case began after his mother notified school administrators that he had transitioned to a boy as a result of his medical treatment for gender dysphoria. That was at the start of his sophomore year at Gloucester High School.

Grimm was initially allowed to use the boys restroom. But after some parents complained, students were told their use of restrooms and locker rooms shall be limited to the corresponding biological genders or a private restroom.

Grimm filed his lawsuit in 2015 and argued that he suffered from urinary tract infections from avoiding school bathrooms as well as suicidal thoughts that led to hospitalization.

The case then pinballed through the federal courts.

It became a federal test case when it was supported by the administration of then-President Barack Obama. It was scheduled to go before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2017. But the high court hearing was canceled after President Donald Trump rescinded an Obama-era directive that students can choose bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

Grimm's case was heard again in U.S. District Court in Norfolk in 2019 and by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020. Both ruled in his favor.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Even with drafting, in which corrections officers are mandated to stay and work a second shift and come in on days off, 404 posts the department considers essential remain unfilled every day, Clarke said. He said that amounts to 17% of positions.

Clarke said hes made repeated requests for increased funding to both Gov. Ralph Northam and General Assembly leaders. His latest proposal would raise starting salaries for correctional officers from $35,000 a year to $44,000 a year, with commensurate increases for those already working for the department.

He put the total cost of the plan at $70 million, which would be a more than five percent increase to the departments $1.3 billion annual operating budget.

We know where our staff are going, and those places are paying more than we are paying, Clarke said, noting Virginia State Police now start troopers at $47,000 a year and most regional jails and sheriffs offices start officers at more than $40,000 a year.

Members of the committee, which is helmed by Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, and Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, said they would continue meeting and set out rough plans to survey Department of Corrections employees directly.
The project is needed to allow continued growth in Albany east of the freeway. Funding the phase through ARPA funds would free up existing sewer capital funds to complete the next phases sooner, staff reported in their recommendation.

Chris Bailey, operations director for the city's public works department, told councilors Wednesday that improvements also are needed for current residents. It's the only place she knows of, she said, where the city has had to install backflow prevention to keep sewage from flowing backwards into people's basements during heavy rainfall.

System development charges could be used to help cover the costs related to population growth, she said, but the problem is not enough revenue is collected to fully pay for the share of debt incurred by that development.

"So one way or another, this project is going to affect ratepayers," she said.

Councilor Matilda Novak said if that's the case, she'd like to have ARPA help reduce the burden on ratepayers. Olsen disagreed. "I think growth needs to pay for itself, at least in part, and I don't think we should dump all that money on Cox Creek," he said.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Brazils Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da Uniao, TCU) has approved the public notice for the proposed multi-band 5G spectrum auction.

There were seven votes to one. A clear majority voted to approve the spectrum sale, but one judge reportedly requested a further 30 days to scrutinise certain aspects of the proposal.

The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) was waiting for the courts analysis to make adjustments to the notice and schedule the auction, scheduled for October. The auction is expected to raise about 45 billion reais ($8.63 billion).

Fabio Faria, the minister of communications, said on Twitter on Wednesday: The public notice goes to [telecommunications regulator]Anatel to be published.

The delayed spectrum sale will include frequencies in the 700MHz, 2.3GHz, and 3.5GHz bands, as well as 26GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum. These bands function as pathways in the air for data transmission.

The grant period, i.e. the right to exploit the domains, will be from 20 years. The auction will be held in 16 knots, divided between national and regional plots.

The minister had previously said that he expected all state capitals in Brazil to have operational 5G standalone networks by July 2022.

The clearance also provides more clarity on the investments of companies that are expected to participate in the auction, particularly large incumbents Telefonica, Claro, and TIM.
Ecuadors regulator ARCOTEL (Agencia de Regulacion y Control de las Telecomunicaciones) has begun talks with the countrys two largest mobile operators about revising the terms of their licences after they expire.

The concessions held by Conecel (Claro) and Otelecel (Movistar) are due to expire in 2023. The talks are aimed at establishing the operators spectrum management rights as well as the various technical and legal requirements that will apply thereafter.

CommsUpdate reports that the discussions will be monitored by national and international observers to ensure transparency. The governments aim is to set concession terms that encourage investment and job creation as well as boosting coverage across Ecuador.
Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC on Ethiopia

Statement

Thank you Mr. President,

First, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the victims of todays horrific attack in Kabul.

Mr. President, thank you for convening this meeting today, and thank you Secretary General for your insightful, yet I must admit deeply troubling briefing today. Thank you also Ambassador Taye; our colleague, it is critical to have you with us.

Mr. President,

In the last nine months, we have witnessed a severe and deepening political crisis in Tigray, which is now expanding to neighboring regions of Ethiopia. The immediate consequences has been a massive humanitarian emergency, with more than 5.2 million people in need of assistance in Tigray alone. We deeply regret that it has come to this. We were warned months ago. We spoke of the risks here at this same table. Sadly now, if the crisis is not urgently addressed, the longer term consequences for the unity of Ethiopia, and the stability of the wider region, are potentially catastrophic. This is why Ireland has continually raised this unfolding crisis as a matter of the deepest concern. Your presence Secretary General, and your clear messages today, Secretary General, underscore just how serious this situation has now become.

Secretary General, I want to strongly echo what you called the simple truth; that there is no military solution to this conflict. We agree with you that regional partners, and in particular the African Union, have a crucial role to play in finding the political solution needed to end the crisis. We have been underlining this message since we joined this Council and I was pleased to hear today that former Nigerian President Obasanjo was appointed as High Representative for the Horn of Africa. We welcome this.

No one in this chamber underestimates the complexity of this crisis. We certainly dont. But that is not an excuse to stand by. Today we have heard from the Secretary General about where we might start.

Today, all Council members have an opportunity to support the Secretary-General and those caught in this crisis by sending three clear and united messages:

First, all parties to the conflict must immediately cease hostilities, come to the table to negotiate a lasting ceasefire.

Second, all parties to the conflict must ensure full, unimpeded and safe humanitarian access as well as the restoration of public services.

And third, conditions must be created to allow for dialogue to find a solution to the conflict in Tigray, while a broad range of stakeholders must engage in a process of inclusive dialogue to address the significant challenges affecting Ethiopia. The international community, that means us, we must stand ready to support this process.

Mr. President,

The shocking spectre of famine continues to loom. We know that millions of people are displaced, and hundreds of thousands are already starving. There is absolutely no time to waste. This is not a time for reflection, on the contrary it is a time for action. The sad reality is that without further, immediate and scaled-up action, the horror of starvation will overwhelm parts of Ethiopia again, with harrowing echoes of past tragedy. Too many ordinary men, women and children will suffer; too many will die as collateral damage, in a war not of their making. As we have just heard in clear terms, their basic humanitarian needs  to food and shelter  are not even close to being met. I repeat this is a time for action. As humanitarian workers continue to face violence and unnecessary obstacles in carrying out their work, we say, it is past time to act.

Mr. President,

We again call on the Ethiopian authorities and all other actors to immediately facilitate full unimpeded humanitarian access. We also urge the Government of Ethiopia to restore basic public services for the people of Tigray. Access to food, medical services and education are the very least that the people deserve. The human dignity and human rights of millions are at stake.

We also call on the Tigrayan forces to immediately end their military offensive, and withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions. The longer the conflict persists, the greater the suffering of all Ethiopian people. We have taken careful note of the letter, referenced by the Secretary General, sent by the Tigrayan representatives, which may be an important development. We further call on the Amhara forces to withdraw from western Tigray. I also echo the call of our African colleagues for external forces to withdraw from Ethiopia.

We are horrified by the conflict-related sexual violence and atrocities that have defined this conflict. It is clear that women and girls have been systematically raped and abused throughout the conflict; communities have been traumatized. Those responsible for all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be held to account, not least because countering impunity is essential to preventing future violations. We await the findings of the report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. We also call on all parties to refrain from using inflammatory rhetoric and dehumanizing language, which serves only to fuel ethnic and political tensions across Ethiopia. Such dehumanizing rhetoric is never acceptable  as history tells us, nothing good can come of this.

Mr President

I began today by saying that this Council has an opportunity and a responsibility to send a clear and united message. Let me come back to that.

We need a cessation of hostilities and for the parties to come to the table to negotiate a lasting ceasefire;

We need unimpeded humanitarian access;

And we need a political solution to the crisis in Tigray, and an inclusive national dialogue.

Leadership to forge a path towards peace must be found among the parties to this conflict. Time is of the essence. The very lives of the Ethiopian people are at stake. Now is the time for action.

 Previous Item | Next Item 
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.
In Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, the Broward County School Board told the Department of Education that it wont back down on its requirement that students wear masks. Its policy, like that of most other districts, gives parents a medical opt-out for students. The board said giving parents the unlimited right to send their kids to school without a mask would infringe on the rights of other parents who want their children to be safe.

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.

We believe that the district is in compliance. We dont believe that we have done anything inappropriate as it relates to the executive order and the rule of the Department of Education, Rosalind Osgood, chairwoman of the Broward School Board, said Tuesday.

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.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama is seeing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in school-age children, an increase officials say is likely fueled by the highly contagious delta variant and is causing some schools to temporarily switch to remote learning.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said Thursday that 5,571 children ages 5 to 17 were reported to have contracted COVID-19 last week. That compares to 702 cases in school-aged children during the same week last year, when more than half of students were studying remotely and the delta variant was not circulating.

State Health Officer Scott Harris pointed to the more contagious delta variant as the most likely explanation.

The numbers are staggering, Harris said of the increase. We want to remind people that everyone needs to be vaccinated who is eligible, that is everyone 12 and up. We strongly recommend universal masking in schools.

The numbers represent a seven-fold increase in cases over that timeframe last year, although hospitalizations and deaths in children remain relatively rare, according to state numbers.
As there continue to be more ICU patients than beds in Alabama, Harris pleaded with people to do what it takes to get out of this situation. On Thursday, there were 40 more ICU patients than ICU beds available, leading to patients in critical condition being treated in hallways on gurneys or in the emergency department.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Thats never happened before, Harris said. Its easy to dismiss it and pretend its not going on but its really happening.

Statewide hospitalizations from COVID-19 were at 2,979 on Thursday with 45 of those being pediatric patients. Out of those child patients, five were on ventilators. Southeast Health still had 122 hospitalized COVID-19 patients on Friday, maintaining its all-time high number. Flowers Hospital reported 83 patients, down slightly from 87 earlier in the week.

Since April 1 of this year, there have been 1,230 deaths recorded from COVID-19 in Alabama. Of those, reportedly 108 were fully vaccinated individuals who were mostly elderly or people with chronic health problems, Harris said.

So much of what were seeing is preventable, what our hospitals doctors and nurses are going through and its because people dont want to get vaccinated, Harris said. Its very frustrating for all of us
The designated swimming area is roped off and extends about 75 feet from the shoreline and is 15 feet at its deepest point. Boating and fishing will not be allowed in the swimming area.

Next year, swimming will be allowed from March 1 through Sept. 30  to coincide with the lifeguard season at the countys beaches  and will be allowed in a larger designated area that will be prepped for safe swimming by removing water weeds.

Vallee said there are some water level issues that have to be addressed. Rain amounts this year have led to the lake being much higher than it should be. Environmentally, however, the lake is cleaner than some of the other swimming areas around DeFuniak Springs, both Vallee and Mayor Bob Campbell said. The lake is tested on a regular basis.

Campbell learned to swim in Lake DeFuniak when he was 4 years old. He learned to ski on the lake and spent his youth playing along the shoreline, fishing, and swimming. He was 15 when the lake was closed.

I swam here until I was thrown out, I believe it was in 1965, Campbell said. There are a lot of memories here.

Campbell said the city has reached out to other nearby lake communities, such as Florala, for advice on how protect the lake while letting people enjoy it.
Parents know their own children better than their teachers know them. Better than their childrens doctors know them. Better than school administrators know them. Better than school district representatives know them, he said. And they definitely know their children better than the other parents of the children in their class.

Cooper's decision, which he expects to issue Friday, will, for now, decide the legality of strict mask mandates imposed in 10 of the state 67 countywide school districts, including most of the largest. Defying the governor and the state Board of Education, the districts have said students must wear masks in class unless their parents provide a note from a doctor. The districts represent about half of the state's 2.8 million public school students.

DeSantis has said districts may only impose a mask mandate if parents can opt their child out with a note from themselves. A few districts have done that, but most districts have left it up to parents. Both sides have indicated that if they lose, they will appeal Cooper's decision to a higher court.
Vietnam Airlines aims to start first US route in October

Vietnam Airlines is planning to operate regular flights between Vietnam and the U.S. starting October, seeking to fulfill a dream of nearly two decades.

The state-owned carrier will use either Boeing 787 or Airbus SE A350 aircraft for its inaugural U.S. route from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco with one refueling stop, CEO Le Hong Ha told Bloomberg.

Since last year, the airline has been operating irregular charter flights to repatriate Vietnamese from the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The airline will rely on transporting cargo to offset initial low passenger demand, Ha said.

Vietnam Airlines has been the worst-Covid-19-hit carrier in Vietnam. It has recorded a loss of about VND7 trillion ($306.65 million) in the first half this year, Ha commented.

The airline in 2003 was ordered by the Ministry of Transport to begin direct services to the U.S. by 2005. However, concerns about profitability kept the airline from realizing the goal.

Other Vietnamese airlines like budget carrier Vietjet and startup Bamboo Airways have all voiced interest in flying directly to the U.S.

Bamboo Airways in May acquired slots to operate regular direct flights from HCMC to San Francisco and Los Angeles starting Sep. 1. But it is unclear whether flights would commence given the current severity of Covid-19 in Vietnam.

In the first seven months of this year, Vietnamese carriers served 13.7 million passengers, down 32 percent year-on-year, according to General Statistics Office.
Workers place fillets of Swai fish to froze at factory in Can Tho City. Photo by Reuters

The fisheries sector has been struggling to export to China after the country tightened import conditions due to fear of the Covid-19 contagion.

In the first seven months, exports to mainland China and Hong Kong declined by 5 percent year-on-year to $238 million, according to a report released Thursday by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Between June 20 and July 15, Zhanjiang, one of the largest hubs in China for goods transfer, stopped accepting frozen seafood arriving from 11 countries including India, Vietnam and Thailand, three major exporters, due to Covid worries.

In the second quarter, exports of pangasius fish to China, Vietnams biggest market, has fallen by 11.4 percent year-on-year.

Though Chinese demand for Vietnamese seafood was large in the first half, the government restricted imports, VASEP said.

With Chinese consumers starting to prefer domestic products due to Covid risks, the government is set to tighten imports even further, it feared.

Exports of pangasius fish to the market are set to fall in the third quarter, but the fall would be less than 10 percent if Mekong Delta businesses can resume operations after social distancing, it said.

Over 100 Vietnamese companies export the fish to China.

China has also been tightening imports of Vietnamese farm produce.

This week, Vietnam urged China to resume imports of agricultural produce through the border in its Yunnan Province after over a month of suspension due to Covid.
It put Nevada on a list of states offering unconventional incentives to revive sluggish vaccination programs amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and deaths attributed to the more contagious delta variant.

Nevada has about 3.1 million residents. About half the population age 12 or older, or 1.4 million, had received at least one shot by June 17, and almost 43% of eligible people were fully inoculated.

By Thursday, the population that received at least one shot had grown to more than 61% and the fully vaccinated percentage was almost 51%.

The number of vaccinations administered statewide  after peaking at more than 25,000 in mid-April  went down from about 7,000 per day in mid-June to fewer than 5,000 a day in mid-July before returning to around 7,000 daily in recent weeks.

The prize program made state residents who received at least one vaccination since December, along with vaccinated military members in Nevada and their dependents, automatically eligible to receive prizes ranging from fishing licenses to college tuition and cash prizes from $1,000 to $250,000.

The program had almost 2,000 winners, but just one grand prize winner of $1 million.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A conservative member of Utah's board of education who criticized the use of a gay pride flag in a social media post is under investigation.

The Utah State Board of Education said in a statement released Tuesday that Natalie Cline's post does not represent the school board and that it is reviewing the post for potential violations.

Cline shared a photo on Facebook this week of a gay pride flag in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seminary building with a message welcoming members of the LGBTQ community to the seminary.

Cline then wrote: Time to make some phone calls. The world is too much with us.

Cline told the Standard-Examiner that she is in favor of welcoming all students but said that the seminary message welcoming the LGBTQ community could exclude others.

Troy Williams, executive director of the group Equality Utah, condemned Clines comments and criticized her for an ongoing obsession with LGBTQ youth.
Dalmias argument was echoed by the novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, whose family fled Vietnam after the Communist takeover and later ran a grocery store in San Jose, California. The majority of Americans did not want to accept Southeast Asian refugees in 1975. Guess what? They were wrong, Nguyen tweeted. Millions of Southeast Asian Americans have contributed in ways great and small to the U.S. Afghans have done so and will do so.

Fear of immigrants is as old as the Republic, and the Afghan crisis has unleashed those ancient animosities. One trope is foreigner as terrorist. For example, heres Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin fulminating on Twitter: Afghanistan is a dangerous country that is home to many dangerous people. The Biden (administrations) plan to bring planeloads into the U.S. now and ask questions later is reckless and irresponsible.

Tucker Carlson on Fox rages that newcomers will do more damage with ballots than with bullets. If history is any guide, and its always a guide, we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country, and over the next decade, that number may swell to the millions, Carlson said. So first we invade, and then we are invaded.
Purdue announced in December 2020 a tuition freeze through at least the 2022-23 academic year, marking 10 consecutive years of no tuition increase. Since 2012, Purdue has moved from the second-highest priced to most affordable Big Ten school.

Keeping tuition under $10,000 hasnt affected the universitys ability to retain faculty. Neither has it hindered Purdues place as a top educational institution, particularly in the STEM fields.

Daniels has also been a proponent of the necessity of viewpoint diversity on campus.

He kept Purdue open during COVID with protections and protocols many called controversial.

Daniels delivered a remarkable commencement speech to graduates in May, saying many of their elders failed the fundamental test of leadership by letting fear of uncertainty overcome their duty to balance all the interests for which they were responsible:

Sometimes, they let what might be termed the mad pursuit of zero, in this case zero risk of anyone contracting the virus, block out other competing concerns, like the protection of mental health, the educational needs of small children, or the survival of small businesses. Pursuing one goal to the utter exclusion of all others is not to make a choice but to run from it. Its not leadership: its abdication.
The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks in Kabul that has left dozens of US and Afghans dead. IS has no friends in the Taliban, and there were reports of a running battle between the Taliban and IS in the streets of Kabul.

While it is a developing situation, the attack puts the NATO evacuation in jeopardy and some nations have already stated their intention to abandon the mission.

What has happened in Kabul?

Two powerful explosions rocked the Afghan capital this evening; one at the gates of the airport and another in the center of the city.

At least 60 people have been killed and 140 others wounded, a senior health official in Kabul told the BBC. 12 US troops have been killed so far, making it the army's deadliest day in Afghanistan since 2011.

At the airport, a suicide bomber detonated at Abbey Gate where Afghans are desperately queuing for escape. The explosion was followed by an assault by gunmen.

In the center, the attack was outside the Baron hotel, which has been used to process Afghans who are fleeing to the west. The attackers fought with Taliban who had been stationed outside the hotel, according to reports.

NATO had been warning of a "very credible" terrorist threat and the British government urged its nationals to stay away from the airport as the evacuation enters its final stages.

What is Islamic State doing in Afghanistan?

The prime suspects are an offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as the Khorasan province (ISKP). The group was started when ISIS had captured large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The airport provides a perfect target venue for the kind of attack that IS relishes. Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at London Universitys International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), said the situation was also a perfect meeting of diverse targets in Afghanistan: the US military, Afghans who have helped the western effort and the Taliban, which the ISKP see as apostates.

The Taliban and ISKP have been involved in skirmishes over the years to wrestle control from one another. The Taliban are much stronger in Afghanistan but the ISKP could have an advantage with multiple revenue streams coming in from sister-groups around the world. An attack in Kabul signals that the ISKP is not yet defeated, even if the Taliban control Afghanistan.

The large, sprawling mountains of Afghanistan provide as good a haven for the ISKP as the Taliban have had for the last two decades.

The Taliban has "strongly" condemned the attack, which it said took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security. The attacks are an embarrassment for the group as it seeks to prove on the world stage that it can safely govern a country.

What does the bombing mean for the evacuation?

The NATO reaction has been mixed. The UK government was quick to announce that their mission would continue, but other nations have decided the threats are too much.

British PM Boris Johnson called the attacks "barbaric" and "despicable."

Before the attack, a number of countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Canada, had announced that they could no longer conduct flights, citing safety concerns. Turkey has announced that its troops, who had been providing security at the airport for six years, were withdrawing.

The US remains committed to its August 31 deadline.
Unemployed workers in Florida have followed those in other states, including Indiana, Maryland, and Texas, by filing a class-action lawsuit to reinstate federal unemployment benefits.

The lawsuit was filed in late July and targets various officials and agencies including, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), and DEO executive director Dane Eagle.

The suit was filed with the name of ten unemployed workers; however, as a class-action lawsuit, the decision would impact all workers whose benefits have been terminated. One of the plaintiffs' lawyers has estimated this could be a group of as many as 150,000 people.

Why was the lawsuit filed?

Those filing the suit stated that Each of the Plaintiffs have suffered economic hardships because of COVID, have had difficulty finding work and now, with the discontinuation of the FPUC, face even more pressing financial hardships.

They state that these impacts are tied to an illegal decision by the state government to discontinue federal unemployment programs before their official deadline in September. Gov. Ron DeSantis had cut ties with the federal government to fund these programs in early June.

After filing, the DEO stated that they had reviewed the case, contests the alleged violation of law.

This week, several plaintiffs testified in court, detailing how the termination of the federal programs had impacted them.

Gia Cuccaro, who has worked as a paralegal for more than thirty years, spoke about how she now faces eviction. In her testimony, on the verge of tears, she told the judge, Im petrified Im going to be evicted from my apartment, she continued saying that her mother and daughter, who have both since passed, lived with her in the apartment.

For Ms. Cuccaro, the federal benefits did not wildly change her economic situation, but they allowed her to make ends meet and keep a roof over my head.

Will the benefits be reinstated?

The judge in the case, Judge Layne Smith, is expected to give her decision on Friday 27 August.

If she rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the state will be required to continue making the payments. However, the programs from which the payments are made will end on 6 September.

Retroactive payments

In June, the DEO terminated its agreement with the US Department of Labor. For the state, this means that they would be under no obligation to pay claimants for the weeks they missed payments.

This position was made clear in the testimony of DEO Chief Financial Officer William Currie, who said it would be "impossible" for the DEO to make retroactive payments.

What does the September deadline mean for the case?

The attorneys representing the plaintiffs, and the more than 150,000 people who the decision could impact, argue otherwise, saying retroactive payments would form part of the settlement.

Additionally, the state could use funds passed under the American Rescue Plan to cover the costs of the retroactive payments. Last week members of Presidnet Bidens administration urged state leaders to use the federal funds to continue paying unemployment benefits in places where unemployment rates are still high.
The Biden administration is pressing ahead with vaccine mandates after the FDA fully approved the Pfizer vaccine. Now it is no longer just for emergency use, the federal has an easier time demanding organizations to have a mandate. Some federal organizations such as the military and federal workers have vaccine mandates, and more are expected.

Mandates are not limited to government and private companies have begun to impose their own. Disney and Goldman Sachs announced after the FDA approval that they will be imposing mandates on their staff, and those who don't get vaccinated risk disciplinary measures.

Which states are banning vaccine mandates?

Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey has issued orders that the state cannot order people to prove vaccination states to enter businesses and buildings. However, healthcare institutions still retain the power to demand vaccinations.

Arkansas - the state has prohibited businesses mandating vaccination as a requisite for employment, whether for people in jobs or for those looking for them.

Florida - Governor Ron DeSantis has prohibited businesses from stopping people entering who are not vaccinated.

Georgia - Governor Brian Kemp said no state agency can require coivid-19 vaccination proof

Indiana - Governor Eric Halcomb has signed a law stopping anyone from requiring a covid-19 vaccine for anything

Montana - Governor Greg Gianfote signed a bill that prohibits businesses from 'discriminating' against people who are not vaccinated, whether workers or customers. Individuals can also refuse vaccines that have not been fully approved by the FDA.

New Hampshire - Republican Gov. Chris Sununu inked a bill stating that employers may only mandate immunization as a condition of employment when a "direct threat" exists. Hospitals are exempt from this rule.

North Dakota - Governor Doug Burgum signed a bill prohibiting state government entities from requiring a private business to obtain documentation to verify an individual's vaccination status. The bill exempts healthcare organizations from the ban.

Oklahoma - Republican Governor Kevin Stitt issued an order prohibiting state agencies from requiring that people show proof of vaccination to enter public buildings. The order doesn't apply to employees working in patient-facing settings.

Tennessee - Governor Bill Lee signed a bill that prohibits a state agency, department or political subdivision from mandating covid-19 vaccines.

Texas - The state has prohibited employer vaccines.

Utah- Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill that prohibits state agencies from requiring people to get a covid-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. This doesn't apply to hospitals or for those professions that require vaccinations to perform the job.

Why are vaccine mandates coming into force?

Vaccination is currently the best way to safely protect people against the virus, thus allowing them to return to some aspects of normal life. Fully approved vaccines give the authorities more leeway when demanding federal organizations to have vaccine mandates.

The spread of the Delta variant has put the US's reopening into doubt and the authorities want to keep cases down as the country heads into winter, when hospitalizations are traditionally high even without covid-19.
Thursday's ISIS attack outside the Kabul airport, killed 13 U.S. soldiers, 72 Afghans and left more than 100 wounded during the chaotic twin blast, including Taliban fighters.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul airports attacks shortly after the disaster happened.

U.S. General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, confirmed on Thursday that two suicide bombers assessed to be from Islamic State carried out an attack at Kabul's airport that killed 12 U.S. troops and injured 15 others, with US death toll confirmed later to be increased by 1 13 US deaths.

He told a news briefing at the Pentagon that the bombing was followed by a gunfight and that, while the military is saddened by the deaths, evacuations from Afghanistan are continuing.

Airlift continues

The United States would press on with evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, McKenzie said, there were still around 1,000 U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.

In the past 12 days, Western countries have evacuated nearly 100,000 people. But they acknowledge that thousands will be left behind when the last U.S. troops leave at the end of the month.

Several Western countries said the mass airlift of civilians was coming to an end and announced their last remaining troops had left the country.

The American casualties in Thursday's attack were believed to be the most U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan in a single incident since 30 personnel died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011.

The U.S. deaths were the first in action in Afghanistan in 18 months, a fact likely to be cited by critics who accuse Biden of recklessly abandoning a stable and hard-won status quo by ordering an abrupt pullout.

Full screen U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots load passengers aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Kabul Airport Handout (U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa vi)

Today I saw doomsday, I witnessed it with my own eyes'

Even for a city as used to violent death as Kabul, the scenes after twin blasts tore through crowds thronging outside the airport in hope of evacuation were apocalyptic.

For one man, a former employee of an international development group with a U.S. special immigrant visa, the day began early.

He joined thousands of people around the airport hoping to clear the gates and get onto one of the flights ferrying when at around 5 p.m., a powerful explosion went off.

'It was as if someone pulled the ground from under my feet; for a moment I thought my eardrums were blasted and I lost my sense of hearing,' said the man.

'I saw bodies and body parts flying in the air like a tornado taking plastic bags ... into the air. I saw bodies, body parts, elderly and injured men, women and children scattered in the blast site.

'It is not possible to see doomsday in this life, but today I saw doomsday, I witnessed it with my own eyes.'

Full screen Wounded Afghan men receive treatment at a hospital after yesterday's explosions outside airport in Kabul, Afghanistan August 27, 2021. STRINGER (REUTERS)

Kabul has endured frequent suicide attacks in the 20 years since the Taliban were first driven from power, and the city's residents have grown used to police and security teams sealing off the blast sites and carrying away the dead and wounded.

Today, as the wounded were helped away or carried off in wheelbarrows, it was shocked survivors who were left to stumble over the bloodstained corpses of dozens flung by the blast into a sewage ditch.

'Physically, I am OK ... but I don't think the mental wound and the shock I sustained from today's blast will ever let me live a normal life.'

Biden: We will hunt you down and make you pay

President Joe Biden, his voice breaking with emotion, vowed on Thursday the United States would hunt down the attackers of twin explosions at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan and said he has asked the Pentagon to develop plans to strike back at them.

Biden spoke hours after the two blasts killed 13 American troops and wounded more, the worst day of casualties for U.S. forces there in a decade.

'We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,' he said in remarks at the White House.

Biden said U.S. evacuations would continue. He gave no indication of a change in next Tuesday's U.S. pullout target.

'I have also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing,' Biden said.

Finally, US president alleges he doesnt regret relying on Talibans help for a safe evacuation as there is no evidence thus far to believe tat there has been collusion between The Taliban and ISIS.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday it is not going to be possible to evacuate every Afghan who wants to get out of the county before the U.S. military withdraws on Aug 31, also stating the president never considered changing the withdrawal deadline.

However, Psaki said there is no end date on any commitment to evacuate any American who wants to get out of Afghanistan, even after the military withdrawal.

The Taliban speaks on the bombing

The Taliban warned the foreign forces the repercussions of the large gathering at Kabul airport,' Talibans spokesman Mohammad Naeem, said Thursday.

Gathering of a large number of people prevented adequate security measures from being taken. Taliban's spokesman

Moreover, another Taliban official added that there is no reason to extend the deadline for foreign forces to leave Afghanistan, despite the tragic event that has taken place outside the airport.

Western countries fear that the Taliban, who once sheltered Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, will allow Afghanistan to turn again into a haven for militants. The Taliban say they will not let the country be used by terrorists.

Taliban leaders should investigate the islamic network in Kabul. They allowed thousands of prisoners to walk out of jails indecent weeks, security is their responsibility, a NATO diplomat said Thursday.

Biden forced to postpone meeting with Israeli Prime Minister

Thursday's Islamic State attack occurred just hours before the Biden-Bennett meeting, aimed at resetting the tone of U.S.-Israeli relations and finding common ground on Iran, initially causing a delay.

But as the U.S. death toll mounted, U.S. and Israeli officials said the meeting had been called off and rescheduled for Friday. Israeli media reported the two leaders would meet at 10:25 a.m. ET Friday.

In a statement early on Friday, Bennett expressed his deepest condolences over the attacks and said Israel shared with the U.S. in its sorrow.

Blasts speed evacuations

Several countries including New Zealand, Australia, UK and Spain have already concluded their evacuation plan at a risk of further terrorist attacks. All of their evacuation personnel from Afghanistan and all its diplomatic staff are safe.

'It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process,' UK defence minister Ben Wallace said in a statement.
What does Labor Day celebrate?

Labor Day has been an annual federal holiday in the United States since 1894. It was created in honor of the American labor movement and the enormous contribution which millions of workers have made in helping the United States to develop and prosper. Labor Day is traditionally celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands and is the culmination of Labor Day Weekend.

Being an official, national holiday in the US and also Canada, for most Americans, Labor Day means having the day off from work and symbolically, it is considered the end of summer and start of fall when children return to school. There is always plenty to do on Labor Day and the weekend days preceding it; apart from spending quality time with family or friends, the day is usually celebrated with picnics, barbecues, street parades, fireworks displays, concerts and other events and activities. While workers are given time off on Labor Day, they are also paid as normal by their employers.

Why is it not on May 1?

Conservative Democratic President Grover Cleveland was one of those concerned that a labor holiday on May 1 would tend to become a commemoration of the Haymarket riot and would strengthen socialist and anarchist movements that backed the May 1 commemoration around the globe.

American Labor Day actually predates the European workers' festival of May Day, known as International Workers' Day. Many countries in Europe celebrate May Day with their own holiday, but the US government countered International Workers' Day by creating 'Loyalty Day,' which was first ratified by Congress in the 1950s during the Red scare.

What is significant about it this year?

Labor Day 2021 coincides with the ending of the expanded unemployment benefits. The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and the extra unemployment benefits (FPUC) will be ending, putting thousands of Americans at risk at a time when covid-19 has not yet been defeated.
International Youth Day is one of the prominent days celebrated on 12th of August every year to perceive the significance of the youth and draw attention to youth issues worldwide. Under the influence of the global pandemic, it now seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes.

China has always attached great importance in improving the countrys capacity, especially regarding Chinas young people, for engaging in international communication to present a true, multi-dimensional and comprehensive view of China. Universities in China have set various programs, e.g. Schwarzman Scholars of Tsinghua University, Yenching Academy of Peking University, in efforts to accelerate cultural exchange and encourage young leaders to serve as a bridge between China and the rest of the world.

Zinan (Crysti) Chen, a VC investor, serial entrepreneur and nonprofit co-founder, who has just graduated from Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University this June, received our interview.

Photo taken on June 26, 2021 shows Crysti Chen during an interview with GMW.cn at Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University, Beijing. (Guangming Picture)

Zinan (Crysti) Chen was born in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province, and raised between China and the US. She gained her first masters degree at University of Pennsylvania in Education Entrepreneurship and a second masters degree at Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University in Global Affairs. She earned her bachelors degree in Political Economy from the University of Washington, during which time she immersed herself into several selective exchange programs in Eastern and Western countries for a critical understanding of the global situations, e.g. School for International Training (SIT) in Switzerland, University College London (UCL) in the UK, National University of Singapore (NUS) in Singapore and University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in China.

Earlier this year in May, Crysti won the 14th Top Ten Outstanding Chinese American Youth Awards themed with Proud of Being Chinese, hosted by the All America Chinese Youth Federation, the American Chinese Public Diplomacy Association and the Los Angeles Post. Besides, Crysti has received many accolades such as Pacific Forum Next-Gen Young Leader, APEC Voices of the Future Awardee, Mary Gates Leadership Scholar, BMW Asian Impact Fellow, Hurun 30 Under 30 etc.

Crysti is an outstanding representative of millions of Chinese youths and Chinese international students on global stage. Shes passionate for an impact-driven career path and hopes to leverage the power of investment capital combined with goodwill to solve social and environmental issues. Her effort helps promote and enhance communication and mutual understanding in a bid to inspire younger generations worldwide.

Bringing the world to China

I was born in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province. When I was a child, the average living condition there was not ideal, especially in those distant rural neighborhoods. It was common to see children there were not attending to schools, many were not able to speak proper Mandarin, many parents were being illiterate that further deemphasized the significance of education, therefore, when I first got to the US, I wanted to start a nonprofit organization to help improve education quality, combat malnutrition, and promote equal opportunities in not only my hometown Yunnan, China, but also to many other developing regions and countries that facing similar poverty traps, Crysti said.

She started her first nonprofit organization World Youth Value Society (WYVS) as the primary founder in 2009 at the age of 16, and launched several programs aiming to help fight poverty-related situations, including providing funds to support school operation and remodeling school dormitories to ensure a safe learning environment, as well as starting an initiative to install computers in rural schools that allowed remote voluntary teaching throughout the years. Most remarkably, Crysti launched the flagship program of summer volunteer trips to Yunnan, Gansu, and many underprivileged regions in China, where volunteers from over ten countries around the world came and offered help to needing households and students, while better understood the local demands.

Over the past century, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has united and led the Chinese people in the battle against poverty with unwavering faith and will. At a grand gathering held on February 25, 2021, General Secretary Xi solemnly declared: Victory in the battle against poverty is complete, and China completed the arduous task of eliminating extreme poverty.

It is so obvious to observe the progress since China has made poverty alleviation one of its key tasks, every time I went back to my hometown, I was amazed by the great changes, Crysti mentioned. Yunnan has witnessed notable improvements in infrastructure, public services, and civil communal behavior, as well as rapid development in industries and businesses that leverage local strengths.

Bringing China to the world

Crysti co-founded UniWill Ventures in 2017. She serves as the general partner of this early-stage venture capital fund that invests across borders mainly in the US and China. Her passion draws a line on leveraging technological innovations for an inclusive and sustainable economy for all human beings.

We invest in emerging technologies and visionary entrepreneurs that consolidate the coexistence of technology with the environment and humanity, Crysti introduced.

After graduation, Crysti now decides to start off with new businesses in China. During my years of operating venture capital funds, Ive noticed that many American companies are now taking away from proven Chinese business models or innovative ideas. Taking the shared economy as an example, bike-sharing economy started in China while now it gets popular around the globe. Under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, online services like contactless payment, online group bulk-buying, door-to-door food delivery and many more that are already well-developed in China might have great potentials for overseas market adoption.

The user experience of such online services provided by Chinese enterprises are definitely very efficient and affordable, Crysti said, I think its time for us to export.

Editor: WXY
(File photo)

In March, the European Parliament voted to establish a "carbon border adjustment mechanism" (CBAM) bill. On July 14 the European Commission proposed a package of environmentally friendly proposals, including a resolution supporting a European Union CBAM. Under this mechanism, the EU will impose carbon tariffs on imports from countries and regions that have not implemented the same intensity of emissions reduction or relatively loose carbon limits, which are scheduled to be implemented in 2023.

Carbon tariffs :Dominated by developed countries such as the US and Europe

Under the influence of France, many countries in the European Union have reached consensus on carbon tariffs. As early as 2007,the concept of carbon tariffs was first proposed by former French President Jacques Chirac. Since developed countries such as the US have not reached an agreement with the EU, carbon tariffs have not introduced border measures, but many countries represented by the EU have imposed carbon taxes domestically.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has made a big shift from the Trump administration to a new green policy; Biden has proposed imposing carbon-adjustment fees on imports from countries and regions that fail to fulfill environmental obligations (that is, they do not meet US environmental standards) in order to internalize the environmental costs it imposes on the rest of the world, arguing that the levy would protect the interests of US workers and manufacturers; and the US Trade Representative's Office also stated in its 2021 policy report that, where applicable, it will consider imposing carbon tariffs on countries that do not meet their emission reduction obligations worldwide.

As the US has become relented on carbon tariffs, other developed countries have also begun to turn positive, such as the Japanese government's announcement that it would explore the feasibility of a tripartite coordinated trade system by the US, Europe and Japan, including border adjustment mechanisms, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggests that the G7 should take the lead in uniting its carbon border adjustment programs to create a strong carbon tariffs alliance. The possibility of carbon tariffs being introduced together by developed countries in the future is immensely increased.

Carbon tax is another name for protectionism by the developed countries

Developing countries, by contrast, lack countermeasures and have a lesser say on the issue of carbon tariffs. Due to economic and technological constraints, the exports of developing countries cannot meet the low-carbon emission standards of developed countries, so they have become the main objects of carbon tariffs. Moreover, the exports of many developing countries are highly dependent on the markets of developed countries, and there are not enough restrictive tools for carbon tariffs. In addition, there is disagreement among developing countries in terms of carbon emissions reduction and carbon tariffs. A considerable number of developing countries have a small industrial volume and are not sensitive to carbon tariffs. Some coastal or island developing countries are extremely vulnerable to global warming with insurmountable fear, so they may easily be manipulated by developed countries, resulting in the confrontation between large emerging developing countries (such as China, Russia, and India)and small developing countries on the issue of climate change, weakening the overall carbon tariffs negotiation ability of developing countries.

As to the intention of developed countries to implement carbon tariffs, first of all, carbon tariffs are an important means for developed countries to embark on the strategic layout of international competition in the post-pandemic era. Carbon tariffs are not just for the purpose of environmental protection and responding to climate change, but for the developed countries to protect their own interests, relocate the interests of the global industrial chain, check and balance emerging developing economies, and compete for greater say in the low-carbon era. A low-carbon system that is in line with their own interests is a means to revitalize and enhance their global competitiveness and influence.

Second, the developed countries are seeking to levy "carbon tariffs" to shift off their responsibility on emission reduction to other countries and to transfer the cost and gain economic benefits. Developed countries have been relocating their low-end but high- emission manufacturing industries to transfer their emissions reduction responsibilities and cost to developing countries, and reap benefits through carbon tariffs. However, developing countries have to purchase their emissions reduction technologies, equipment, and services in order to meet the emissions reduction standards of developed countries if they want to reduce the restraint of carbon tariffs.

Third, implementation of carbon tariffs by developed countries will place restraints on the development rights of developing countries including China. Developed countries have entered a post-industrial stage, and developing countries are the main source of their high-carbon goods, while emerging developing countries like China are still in a critical period of industrialization and urbanization, and its economic development suffers from imbalance in benefits and carbon emissions. For some companies that are capable of meeting the standards, carbon tariffs will lead to an increase in product prices and lower exports due to the increase in emissions reduction technology research and development and equipment investment. For most companies, due to technical and financial constraints, the carbon emissions of products cannot meet the standards set by developed countries. Carbon tariffs mean that export cost will rise, and the pressure from external market barriers will increase. Exports will suffer an unprecedented impact, and ultimately economic development will be hindered.

Carbon tariffs will bring greater uncertainty to world economic and trade recovery

In fact, the so-called "carbon tariffs" touted by some developed countries are a new type of trade protectionism that binds climate change to trade issues and leads to trade protectionism under the guise of environmental concerns. From the perspective of existing international multilateral principles, carbon tariffs are not in compliance with the WTO principle of non-discrimination. Whether to implement comparable carbon emissions reduction by the target countries as the standard of differential treatment, as a standard to extend different treatments in the collection of carbon tariffs. However, since there is no unified classification of standards for the allocation of carbon emissions for each country on this basis, the carbon tariffs quota is bound to vary greatly, which runs directly contrary to the Most Favored Nation Treatment principle of the WTO. According to the WTO principle of national treatment, the emissions cost of imported goods cannot be higher than that of domestic products. However, due to the great differences in carbon emissions of different products and even similar products in practice, and the global consensus on carbon tracking technology has not been formed, imported products are easy to be discriminated against in violation of the principle of national treatment.

In practice, current international trade has endless conflicts, so carbon tariffs will include environment factors in the field of trade relief, and enhance them with technological trade barriers, which will definitely increase quantity and sphere of trade conflicts. Under the precondition of environmental protection, the products that dont conform with the emissions standards set by the US and European countries will be levied punitive tariffs taking advantage of technological trade measures, anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, and safeguards measures. Meanwhile, specific mechanism, supervision technology and levy standards of carbon tariffs havent been unified, which could result in great chaos and retaliatory tit-for-tat in the process of implementation.Thereby, countries would either imitate or retaliate against each other, creating a new round of trade protectionism and undermining the international trade system.

Developed countries, based on domestic benefits, take the measures of unilateral trade protectionism that would hinder interests of developing countries, which shapes unjust order of international economy and trade as an important model, and even accelerates the trend of de-globalization. This not only affects the multilateral trade system characterized by freedom and openness, but also violates the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities noted in relevant conventions about climate change. Besides, it would undermine mutual trust and cooperation among different nations, giving rise to more instability to economic and trade recovery in the world.

In terms of carbon tariffs as a new type of trade protectionism, China should uphold the multilateralist principle to fight against it, and maintain the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities based on the position of developing countries. China should actively participate in the discussion and negotiation concerning international environmental convention and carbon emissions standards. In the fields of carbon tariffs accounting system, working mechanism, transparency and WTO coordination, China should conduct dialogue with developed countries including the EU, so as to contribute to the rule-making as a coordinator and participant. Joint efforts for international carbon emissions reduction should be promoted, and the solidarity of developing countries should be enhanced, supporting and providing the least developed countries and countries under vulnerable weather with more favorable treatments. China should promote the reasonable allocation of emissions reduction quotas between producers and consumers, and advocate a new type of standards for carbon emissions reduction on the basis of per capita carbon consumption and accumulated emissions, so as to counter carbon tariffs policy initiated by developed countries. Meanwhile, we should also improve domestic development, vigorously promoting low-carbon production and emissions reduction at home and reshaping the modes of economic and trade growth , improving market for carbon trade and establishing styles of life and production that are green, low-carbon and recycle-friendly. By doing so, we can expect achieving the objectives of peaking carbon emissions and carbon neutrality in the near future.

Contributed by Qingxin Lan, a researcher in Beijing research institute of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

Translated by Wu You

Editor: Zhang Zhou
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB, Thessaloniki, Greece) at the next meeting of the Board of Directors in September will offer its member countries to add EUR 250 million to its capital to increase the bank's capabilities and efficiency, BSTDB President Dmitry Pankin has said.

"Such additional capitalization will show the rating agencies that the member countries are ready to help and support the bank," Pankin said at a meeting with journalists in Thessaloniki.

According to him, additional capitalization increases the chances of raising the rating, which has been at the "A-" level for a long time with a positive outlook.

The president of the bank added that with the current capital of the BSTDB, its portfolio of projects of EUR 2.3 billion is also close to the ceiling, which is about EUR 2.6 billion.

Pankin noted that the BSTDB, like any other similar development bank, would be happy to increase capital by a larger amount - EUR 3-4 billion, which would allow it to participate in projects with participation in the capital of companies, however, it understands the difficulties of the member countries with their deficit budgets.

The bank told the agency it will be about increasing the subscribed capital by EUR 700-800 million, while direct investments or additional paid-in capital will amount to about a third - EUR 250 million.

BSTDB is an international organization uniting 11 states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization. The shares of Turkey, Russia and Greece in the capital are 16.5% each, Romania - 14%, Ukraine and Bulgaria - 13.5% each, Azerbaijan - 5%, Albania - 2%, Armenia - 1%, Georgia and Moldova - each 0.5%. The bank aims to promote economic cooperation, trade and cooperation of the countries of the Black Sea region. The bank's charter capital is EUR 3.45 billion, and its long-term credit ratings are "A-" from S&P and "A2" from Moody's.
DTEK Energy and PJSC Centrenergo have agreed to supply 75,000 tonnes of thermal coal from the United States in the coming months, which they will divide equally upon arrival, the DTEK press service reported.

"It became possible to ensure coal imports due to normalization of the situation in the electricity market, which made it possible to achieve economically reasonable prices, and thus find the necessary resources to prepare for the autumn-winter period," CEO of DTEK Energy Ildar Saleev is quoted in the report as saying.

The press service also cites the opinion of Centrenergo, which noted that additional coal reserves will allow passing the heating season calmly, without using gas or importing electricity.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, the supply of American coal will be carried out through the international trader Trafigura.

In turn, head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine, MP Mykhailo Volynets said that coal from the United States would be supplied at UAH 3,150 (about $120) per tonne. At the same time, Ukrainian mines sell coal at UAH 1,650 per tonne.

"State mines are reducing coal mining, and the country is covering its deficit through imports at UAH 3,150 per tonne," he said on his Facebook page.

DTEK also announced the start of coal supplies from Poland, the first batch of which in the amount of 2,700 tonnes arrived in Ukraine on August 19 within the framework of an agreement signed with the Polish coal mining company Bogdanka on the import of 320,000 tonnes of thermal coal. In addition, DTEK Energy expects supplies from Kazakhstan.

According to the Ministry of Energy, coal reserves at warehouses of thermal power plants of five power generating companies (DTEK Dniproenergo, DTEK Zakhidenergo, DTEK Skhidenergo, Centrenergo and Donbasenergo) as of the morning of August 27, amounted to 726,000 tonnes, which is 812,000 tonnes less than the approved accumulation schedule for that date (1.538 million tonnes).
The EU believes that that Nord Stream 2 AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom and the operator of Nord Stream 2, may have to sell the pipeline in order to bring it into compliance with the EU gas directive, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is reporting.

Among the main provisions of the directive is the separation of companies supplying gas and companies transporting it.

"Nord Stream 2 had already tentatively submitted a request to the Federal Network Agency in June for "Certification as an independent transport operator. It is intended to comply with the separation order by promptly separating the operation of the pipeline from the parent company in terms of accounting as well. The Network Agency has four months to check this as soon as all the necessary documents have been filed - so far this has not happened. In general, the Bonn agency is apparently willing to allow such a construction. From the point of view of participants in the Commission [European Commission), which deals with this topic, the prescriptions of the EU in this case will not be fulfilled anyway," the newspaper wrote on Friday.

"There's no avoiding selling the pipeline, we are being told," the article said.

Last Wednesday, a court in Dusseldorf decided not to exempt Nord Stream 2 from the norms of the EU gas directive. Thus, the court rejected an appeal by the pipeline operator against the decision of the German regulator, the Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur.

The operator of Nord Stream 2 had previously appealed the regulator's decision not to exempt the pipeline from the rules of the EU Gas Directive, which in Germany is regulated by the relevant national law. The complaint was filed against paragraph 28b of the German Energy Economics Act.

Theoretically, the possibility of exemption from regulation is provided by Germany federal legislation, but it applies only to gas pipelines that were completed before May 23, 2019.

The provision of the EU directive on the separation of companies supplying gas and companies transporting it means that the operator of Nord Stream 2 must be independent of Gazprom, and 50% of its throughput capacity must be reserved for alternative suppliers. Exceptions are possible, but only with the approval of the European Commission.

The company has the opportunity to challenge the refusal to exempt the pipeline from the norms of the EU gas directive in the Supreme Court of Germany.
The security situation along the contact line in Donbas remains stable, but alarming, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Mikko Kinnunen said after regular meetings of the TCG and its working groups in the format of videoconferences.

"I was pleased to hold the first meeting of the TCG as the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Ukraine and in the TCG. I express my readiness to make every effort to find solutions for a peaceful settlement of the conflict and look forward to constructive cooperation and active participation of the parties," Kinnunen said in a statement released Friday morning.

The Finnish diplomat expressed gratitude to his predecessor, Ambassador Heidi Grau. "I sincerely thank her for her tremendous contribution and numerous achievements, including the agreement to strengthen the ceasefire, reached in July 2020," Kinnunen said.

"The security situation along the contact line remains stable but alarming: during August 2021, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) reported an average of 180 ceasefire violations per day. Today's discussion in the Working Group on Security dealt with ways to reduce tensions, but work on this important issue requires continuation," the diplomat said.

He also said that improving the security situation is the basis for achieving results in other areas, in particular in the humanitarian and economic spheres.

"Due to the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been no face-to-face meetings of the TCG since March 2020. There seems to be a consensus on the need to return to face-to-face meetings, however, further consideration should be given to possible venues," the special representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in the TCG said.
Ambassador Korniychuk addressed the Hasidic community regarding the need to comply with Ukrainian legislation during the pilgrimage to Uman

The Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk addressed an appeal to the Breslav Rabbinical Committee, informing him of the measures taken by the Government of Ukraine to prepare for this year's visit of pilgrims to the tomb of Tzaddik Nachman during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah. The Embassy of Ukraine reported this at Facebook.

I ask for explanatory work and to inform the Hasidic community about the need to comply with Ukrainian legislation for the benefit of friendly relations between our peoples and our states, - the appeal says.

The Ambassador expressed concern over Rabbi Yaakov Jan's baseless allegations of "anti-Semitism" by Ukrainian law enforcement and bribery of local authorities.

Given the recent events with the shooting in the city of Uman, Yevhen Korniychuk once again stressed the need to comply with Ukrainian law when crossing the state border and public order during his stay in Ukraine, - the Embassy noted.
A Ukrainian soldier was wounded in Donbas as a result of three shelling by Russian-led forces on Thursday evening. Since the beginning of the current day, the ceasefire regime has been observed, the press center of the JFO headquarters reported.

"Over the past day, on August 26, three violations of the ceasefire regime by the armed formations of the Russian Federation were recorded [...] As a result of enemy shelling, one Ukrainian soldier received a gunshot wound. The serviceman is in a hospital. His health condition is satisfactory," the headquarters Facebook page reported on Friday.

It is said that the enemy fired from anti-tank missile systems near Orekhovo. Near Avdiyivka, Russian-led forces fired at JFO positions with 82-caliber mortars. Small arms fire was recorded in Novoluhanske area.

"As of 7:00 am on August 27, no ceasefire violations were recorded," the headquarters said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited Moldova and Romania to join the strengthening of naval cooperation in the Black Sea region, since due to the active militarization of Crimea, maritime shipping and trade in the region are under threat.

"Due to the active militarization of our Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, maritime shipping and trade in the region have come under threat. We must jointly address these modern challenges. To this end, Ukraine has come up with an initiative to strengthen cooperation between the naval forces of the Black Sea states. We offer our colleagues, both Romania and Moldova, which have access to the Black Sea, will also join this initiative," Zelensky said after a meeting with the Presidents of the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Poland in Chisinau.

"Let us unite our efforts as friendly neighbors who have a common past, as partners who equally see the future, as friendly and fraternal peoples, for the sake of the success of our peoples," he said.

In addition, according to Zelensky, the military threat around Ukraine remains high.

"Its level from the north is critical, where Belarus is used today as an additional springboard for aggressive actions. Other constant sources of threat are Russian troops in Transnistrian region of Moldova, in Abkhazia [...]," the president said.

Presidents of Ukraine, Romania and Poland, Volodymyr Zelensky, Klaus Iohannis and Andrzej Duda are in Chisinau at the invitation of President of Moldova Maia Sandu. They take part in the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence on Friday.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he expects recognition of the European perspective of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, as members of the Associated Trio from the countries of the European Union.

"On July 19, the presidents of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia launched the Associated Trio, which should bring our countries closer to full membership in the European Union. We expect support for this initiative from Poland, Romania and our other partners. On this path, the next important step there should be recognition of the European perspective of the Associated Trio states," Zelensky said at a briefing in Chisinau after a quadripartite meeting with the presidents of Moldova, Poland and Romania.

He also noted that "Ukraine has already started corresponding work with each state of the European Union separately."

Zelensky thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda for the support recorded in the bilateral declaration concluded between Ukraine and Poland. "I very much hope that we will soon sign a similar declaration with the President of Romania," the President stressed.

The head of state also expressed confidence that the seriousness of the European Union's intentions in recognizing the European perspectives of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova "should be evidenced by the future Eastern Partnership summit."

"In addition, Ukraine is interested and ready to be an active participant in regional projects, first of all, the Three Seas initiative ... And as a maritime state and an associate member of the EU, Ukraine will make it more complete, more effective for the entire region," the president said.
Cyber specialists of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) prevented new attempts by the Russian special services to destabilize the socio-political situation in the southern regions of Ukraine.

According to the SBU press center, another group of enemy Internet agents was exposed in Kherson.

"On the instructions of their 'curators,' the lawbreakers called through social networks to seize power and change the borders of the state border of our country. In addition, the Russian special services worked out targeted informational tasks for the agents to discredit the Crimea Platform, its participants and results. To conceal their illegal activities, the agitators published their messages on behalf of the 'leaders of public opinion,'" the message reads.

The cybercriminals received monthly money through electronic payment systems prohibited in Ukraine.

It was established that several local residents were part of the enemy organization. They received information for their "publications" from the propaganda Internet resources of the Russian Federation, as well as from the websites of illegal armed groups of the so-called "LPR/DPR".

During searches at the place of residence of the lawbreakers, computer equipment with evidence of illegal activity was found.

Investigators of the security agencies informed one of the organizers of the group about suspicion under Part 2 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Now the materials of the criminal proceedings against the suspect have been sent to the court.

In addition, according to the materials of the SBU, two enemy Internet agents were convicted who carried out the tasks of their "curators" from the territory of Dnipropetrovsk and Khmelnytsky regions. Through social networks, they called for a change in the borders of the state border, including the annexation of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

During searches at places of lawbreakers' stay, law enforcement officers found computer equipment and means of communication with evidence of illegal activity.

By a court decision, the criminals were found guilty under Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The LUN search service for new buildings has announced the start of a campaign to attract international investment in residential real estate in Ukraine, co-founder of the company Andriy Mima told Interfax-Ukraine.

"We plan to promote Ukraine as a promising area for investment in residential real estate, using our resources. On the sites Flatfy.com and Korter.com, operating in dozens of countries around the world [Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, etc.] there will be links to Ukrainian projects on the LUN.ua new buildings website," he said.

According to him, the start of this information campaign, which is being carried out by the LUN pro-bono, was the placement of a huge banner at Boryspil airport at the exit from Terminal D that says "$4 billion-valued building sector. Invest in Ukraine Now".

According to LUN analysts, the volume of the market for new buildings in Ukraine is about $4 billion per year, of which about $2 billion  Kyiv with the suburbs, another $1 billion  Odesa and Lviv, the rest is in other regions.

"Today, almost the entire amount is domestic investment, but we want to increase the inflow of foreign investments," Mima said.

Now LUN.ua provides information about Ukrainian new buildings in two languages  Ukrainian and Russian. According to Mima, English versions will be created in the near future.

The expert added that the attendance of Flatfy.com and Korter.com is about 5 million per month, Ukrainian resources  about 7 million.

"This project is a long-term story, there will be no quick results. This is our initiative for the next five-ten years. This is how we are able to help the country the most  by popularizing domestic residential projects to potential investors abroad," Mima said.

First of all, information about new buildings in Kyiv, as well as Odesa and Lviv will be translated into English. "These are very promising cities for investment in housing for the purpose of renting. If Georgia succeeded with Batumi, then we will succeed with Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv," Mima said.
Injured people arrive at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan (Photo : ASVAKA NEWS/via REUTERS)

American forces in Kabul were bracing for more Islamic State attacks while winding up their evacuation mission, U.S. officials said, as the number of U.S. troops killed in Thursday's suicide bomb attack rose to 13.



A U.S. official told Reuters the number of U.S. personnel killed was likely to rise even higher. More than a dozen were wounded.



Advertisement

The attack marked the first U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan since February 2020 and represented the deadliest incident for American troops in the country in a decade.



At least two explosions tore through crowds that had thronged the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport desperate to leave Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power almost two weeks ago ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw American troops after two decades.



In a statement, Islamic State claimed responsibility and said one of its suicide bombers had targeted "translators and collaborators with the American army."



Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, told a news briefing the explosions were followed by gunfight. McKenzie said the threat from Islamic State persists alongside "other active threat streams."



"We believe it is their desire to continue these attacks and we expect those attacks to continue - and we're doing everything we can to be prepared," McKenzie said.



McKenzie added that future potential attacks could include rockets being fired at the airport or car bombs attempting to get in. McKenzie said he saw nothing that would convince him that Taliban forces had let the attack take place.



The U.S. military said that in addition to the 13 killed, 18 were injured and in the process of being evacuated on C-17s with surgical units.



U.S. officials said one bomb detonated near the airport's Abbey Gate and the other was close to the nearby Baron Hotel.



RACE AGAINST TIME



A massive airlift of U.S. and other foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans has been under way since the day before Taliban forces captured Kabul on Aug. 15, capping a swift advance across the country as American and allied troops withdrew.



The United States has been racing to carry out the airlift before its military is set to fully withdraw from the country by Aug. 31. McKenzie said the evacuation mission was not going to stop.



"I think we can continue to conduct our mission, even while we are receiving attacks like this," McKenzie said, adding that U.S. forces will "go after" the perpetrators of Thursday's attack.



McKenzie said there were about 1,000 U.S. citizens estimated to be still in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the State Department said more than two thirds of these Americans had informed it they were taking steps to leave Afghanistan.



Islamic State militants have emerged in Afghanistan as enemies both of the West and the Taliban. A 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban from power after the group had harbored the al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. The U.S. military death toll in the Afghanistan war since 2001 stood at roughly 2,500.



Afghan health officials were quoted as saying 60 civilians died, but it was not clear whether that was a complete count. Video uploaded by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies and wounded victims strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport.



U.S. officials have said there are about 5,200 American troops providing airport security. The attacks came after the United States and allies had urged Afghans to leave the area around the airport because of a threat by Islamic State.



The U.S. Embassy in Kabul a day earlier had advised Americans to avoid traveling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately, citing unspecified "security threats."



The United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations in history, bringing out about 95,700 people, including 13,400 on Wednesday, according to the White House.


Close ally of Kremlin critic Navalny appears on social media after reports of fleeing Russia

Lyubov Sobol, a Russian opposition figure and a close ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, speaks with journalists after a court hearing in Moscow, Russia (Photo : REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva)

Lyubov Sobol, a prominent ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, appeared on social media on Thursday after what she called "a rather complex nose surgery", nearly three weeks after reports she had left Russia.



On Aug. 8, Russia's RT and REN TV channels cited sources saying that Sobol, 33, one of the most well-known faces of Navalny's entourage, had left Russia for Turkey. Neither Sobol nor her allies have commented on her whereabouts.



Advertisement

Earlier this month, she was sentenced to 1-1/2 years of parole-like restrictions for flouting COVID-19 curbs on protests, a charge she called politically-motivated nonsense. The restrictions included not being allowed to leave home at night.



On Thursday, Sobol posted two photos of herself in a blue hospital-type shirt, with black eyes and her nose bandaged. "Don't worry," she wrote without disclosing her location.



"I survived a rather complex nose surgery which lasted for 4 hours under a general anaesthesia and which was planed before my house arrest and even before Navalny's poisoning."



Sobol expressed gratitude to a doctor, saying she can now freely breath through her nose again, something she has struggled with for years, and said 'a long recovery period' lay ahead.



The doctor, Armen Veranyan, is a cosmetic surgeon with an Armenian cellphone number on his Instagram page. A lawyer for Sobol, Vladimir Voronin, said he did not know whether she was in Armenia.



Neither Sobol nor Veranyan replied to Reuters messages seeking comment.



Navalny was flown to Germany last year after being poisoned with what the West concluded was a military nerve agent. Moscow rejected that conclusion and alleged it was a Western smear campaign. Navalny was jailed when he flew back to Russia.


Egypt's Al-Azhar has strongly condemned the two bombing attacks near Kabul airport in Afghanistan, which left scores of Afghans and US troops dead and wounded Thursday.

In a statement, the top Sunni Muslim authority stressed full support for the Afghan people in their great loss, and hoped for the return of peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb offered his deepest condolences for the dead and wished speedy recovery for the injured.

At least 60 Afghan civilians were killed and 143 others were injured in the explosions near the Kabul airport early today, AP cited an official as saying on condition of anonymity.

Also, 12 US service members have been killed and 15 injured in the twin blasts, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Head of US Central Command General Frank McKenzie blamed the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K), a local affiliate of Daesh, for the attacks, pledging action against the groups elements.

The attacks, which targeted the evacuation operation of American and Afghan allies at the Kabul airport, come only days before the deadline set by US President Joe Biden for the US forces to withdraw from the country.

Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan, promising to avenge the deaths.

Short link:


Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that the Egyptian economy is now more capable than ever of facing challenges posed by the developments related to the international conditions and meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people.

This came in the president's address before the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) via video conferencing, Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said in a statement on Friday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel participated in the fourth edition of the summit, along with the heads of African state and government, members of the G20 and a number of international institutions.

El-Sisi thanked Merkel for her efforts and cooperation during her term in office, which helped boost partnership between Egypt and Germany at the political, economic and trade levels.

President Sisi's participation in the event, which is initiated under the German G20 Presidency, is important as the summit provides a distinguished platform for expounding Egypt's sustainable development achievements over the past years, said the spokesman.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy.

The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) was initiated under the German G20 Presidency to promote private investment in Africa, including in infrastructure.

The initiative is demand-driven and open to all African countries. Since its launch in 2017, twelve African countries have joined the initiative: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.

Short link:


Uganda said Friday it had foiled a suicide bomb attack against the state funeral of a top police and army commander who led a major African Union offensive against Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.

Security forces said they had arrested a man on Thursday in the northern town of Pader on the eve of the funeral for Major General Paul Lokech, nicknamed the "Lion of Mogadishu".

"The suspect was found with an assortment of bomb-making materials," army spokeswoman Brigadier Flavia Byekwaso said in a statement, identifying him as Ugandan national Katumba Abdul, also known as Ben.

The materials included a home-made bomb, suicide vests, detonators, ammonium sulphate, switches and mobile phones used to detonate the device, she said.

"Investigations so far indicate that the suspect had intentions of disrupting the funeral proceedings of the late Maj Gen Paul Lokech," Byekwaso said.

Lokech, who died at home on Saturday of a blood clot, served two stints as a commander in Somalia with AMISOM -- the African Union military operation fighting the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab insurgents.

He led the units that routed Al-Shabaab fighters from the capital Mogadishu in 2011, a feat that earned him his nickname.

He also served with the Ugandan army in an operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo against the feared Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) guerrillas and on a mission to help establish South Sudan's armed forces.

Tributes were sent from leaders in Somalia and the international community for Lokech, who eight months ago was switched by President Yoweri Museveni from the military to the police force as deputy inspector general.

AMISOM described him as a "towering icon" in the fight against armed militants.

"We all remember him as a man of character, great courage, integrity, and honour," it said in a statement this week.

"He was a brave and strategic fighter, who was instrumental in commanding the counter-insurgency operations that drove Al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu in October 2011."

In 2018, the Ugandan army said Somali troops had opened fire on Lokech's convoy in Mogadishu, when he was head of the Ugandan contingent of AMISOM.

Although Al-Shabaab militants were ousted from Mogadishu a decade ago, they still hold sway in other parts of the country and continue to wage attacks against civilian and military targets in the capital and elsewhere.

Short link:


Images of bedraggled jihadists and families surrendering to the military have sparked heated debate over the Nigerian army's claims of success in its long war and the future of fighters who lay down their guns.

Scores of Boko Haram members have been shown in army images this month surrendering to soldiers in northeast Borno state, some given hand-written signs to hold asking Nigerians for forgiveness.

Nigeria's army describes these as mass defections -- the success, it says, of an intensified campaign to end a 12-year conflict that has killed around 40,000 people and displaced around two million more.

But analysts and security sources say the surrenders are probably driven more by Boko Haram's recent losses in infighting with rival jihadists from the Islamic State West Africa Province or ISWAP.

ISWAP has emerged as the dominant force since battles between the two factions led to the death of Boko Haram chief Abubakar Shekau in May and a dramatic shift in power.

Surrenders are also deeply sensitive in Nigeria.

Angry residents in Borno fear jihadists responsible for years of mayhem will escape punishment or just slip back into war.

Defections are not uncommon in Nigeria. But for the army, battling Boko Haram and ISWAP, the recent surge in surrenders is proof of success.

"We are making headway and we are achieving results, and if we continue, and we should, we will conclude this episode in the northeast," said Chief Army Staff Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya said at a recent event.

"Those others in the bush, we call on them to also come and surrender their arms like their colleagues."

Nigeria's military says around 1,000 repentant Boko Haram members and their families have surrendered recently, according to army statements.

Vincent Foucher, a fellow at France's CNRS research institution, said ISWAP control after Shekau's death was the key to new defections, both for civilians forced to live under Boko Haram and for its fighters.

"They have lost power to ISWAP and they feel they cannot maintain their established livelihoods under ISWAP control," he said.

"It is plausible that some senior commanders have surrendered, as they are the ones who stand to lose most under ISWAP."

Grinding war

Nigeria's conflict has ebbed and flowed since it erupted in 2009. But the Boko Haram chief's death in May appears to be a major shift in the conflict.

Security sources say ISWAP commanders have been steadily consolidating over Boko Haram factions, killing those who resist and offering those who stay a choice of living under ISWAP command or leaving.

One security source said the ranks of Boko Haram members who handed themselves in -- conscripted youth and families with no ideological ties or hardline jihadists -- was also a crucial factor.

"I have mixed feelings on the sudden wave of surrenders by Boko Haram fighters," said the security source working in the northeast.

"It will be naive to think Adamu Rugu-Rugu, who was a notorious Boko Haram commander and a ruthless killer, would surrender just like that," the source said referring to one reported defector.

Political price

The surrenders are also testing Borno State Governor Babanaga Umara Zulum as anger simmers in the state capital Maiduguri where tens of thousands displaced by violence live in camps. Many residents fear allowing ex-jihadists back.

"We have to choose between an endless war or to cautiously accept the surrendered terrorists which is really painful and difficult for anyone that has lost loved ones," Zulum said in a statement.

Zulum met this week with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss how to better manage surrenders.

Nigeria has a state-run "Operation Safe Corridor" programme meant to rehabilitate former jihadists as one of the incentives for fighters to leave the war.

Zulum said many who had surrendered recently were those conscripted against their will.

"Unless we want to continue with an endless war, I see no reason why we should reject those who wish to surrender," he told reporters.

But bringing militants back has left many in Maiduguri with bad taste even for those who cautiously welcome the surrenders.

"They will rehabilitate these terrorists, they will give.. a certain amount of cash to restart their lives. We are graduates and what did the government do for us?" said one Maiduguri resident, Guru.

"You cannot kill my father, kill my mother, kill my brother and the government says they will pardon you and you can come and resettle in the town. You cannot rehabilitate a terrorist in just six months."

Short link:


A car passed, the driver's window rolled down and the man spat an epithet at two little girls wearing their hijabs: Terrorist!

It was 2001, mere weeks after the twin towers at the World Trade Center fell, and 10-year-old Shahana Hanif and her younger sister were walking to the local mosque from their Brooklyn home.

Unsure, afraid, the girls ran.

As the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks approaches, Hanif can still recall the shock of the moment, her confusion over how anyone could look at her, a child, and see a threat.

It's not a nice, kind word. It means violence, it means dangerous. It is meant to shock whoever ... is on the receiving end of it, she says.

But the incident also spurred a determination to speak out for herself and others that has helped get her to where she is today: a community organizer strongly favored to win a seat on the New York City Council in the upcoming municipal election.

Like Hanif, other young American Muslims have grown up under the shadow of 9/11. Many have faced hostility and surveillance, mistrust and suspicion, questions about their Muslim faith and doubts over their Americanness.

They've also found ways forward, ways to fight back against bias, to organize, to craft nuanced personal narratives about their identities. In the process, they've built bridges, challenged stereotypes and carved out new spaces for themselves.

There is this sense of being Muslim as a kind of important identity marker, regardless of your relationship with Islam as a faith, says Eman Abdelhadi, a sociologist at The University of Chicago who studies Muslim communities. That's been one of the main effects in people's lives. it has shaped the ways the community has developed.

Mistrust and suspicion of Muslims didn't start with 9/11, but the attacks dramatically intensified those animosities.

Accustomed to being ignored or targeted by low-level harassment, the country's wide-ranging and diverse Muslim communities were foisted into the spotlight, says Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

Your sense of who you were was becoming more formed, not just Muslim but American Muslim, he says. What distinguished you as an American Muslim? Could you be fully both, or did you have to choose? There was a lot of grappling with what that meant.

In Hanif's case, there was no blueprint to navigate the complexities of that time.

Fifth-grader me wasn't naive or too young to know Muslims are in danger, she later wrote in an essay about the aftermath of 9/11. ...Flashing an American flag from our first-floor windows didn't make me more American. Born in Brooklyn didn't make me more American.

A young Hanif gathered neighborhood friends, and an older cousin helped them write a letter to then-President George W. Bush asking for protection.

We knew, she says, that we would become like warriors of this community.

But being warriors often carries a price, with wounds that linger.

Ishaq Pathan, 26, recalls the time a boy told him he seemed angry and wondered if he was going to blow up their Connecticut school.

He remembers the helplessness he felt when he was taken aside at an airport for additional questioning upon returning to the United States after a college semester in Morocco.

The agent looked through his belongings, including the laptop where he kept a private journal, and started reading it.

I remember being like, `Hey, do you have to read that? Pathan says. The agent just looks at me like, `You know, I can read anything on your computer. I'm entitled to anything here.' And at that point, I remember having tears in my eyes. I was completely and utterly powerless.

Pathan couldn't accept it.

You go to school with other people of different backgrounds and you realize ... what the promise of the United States is, he says. And when you see it not living up to that promise, then I think it instills in us a sense of wanting to help and fix that.

He now works as the San Francisco Bay Area director for the nonprofit Islamic Networks Group, where he hopes to help a younger generation grow confident in their Muslim identity.

Pathan recently chatted with a group of boys about their summer activities. At times, the boys ate watermelon or played on a trampoline. At other moments, the talk turned serious: What would they do if a student pretended to blow himself up while yelling Allahu akbar, or God is great? What can they do about stereotypical depictions of Muslims on TV?

I had always viewed 9/11 as probably one of the most pivotal moments of my life and of the lives of Americans across the board, Pathan says. The aftermath of it ... is what pushed me to do what I do today.

That aftermath has also helped motivate Shukri Olow to do what she is doing _ run for office.

Born in Somalia, Olow fled civil war with her family and lived in refugee camps in Kenya for years before coming to the United States when she was 10.

She found home in a vibrant public housing complex in the city of Kent, south of Seattle. There, residents from different countries communicated across language and cultural barriers, borrowing salt from each other or watching one another's kids. Olow felt she flourished in that environment.

Then 9/11 happened. She recalls feeling confused when a teacher asked her, What are your people doing? But she also remembers others who said that this isn't our fault... and we need to make sure that you're safe.

In a 2017 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Muslims, nearly half of respondents said they experienced at least one instance of religious discrimination within the year before; yet 49% said someone expressed support for them because of their religion in the previous year.

Overwhelmingly, the study found respondents proud to be both Muslim and American. For some, including Olow, there were occasional identity crises growing up.

Who am I?' _ which I think is what many young people kind of go through in life in general, she says. But for those of us who live at the intersection of anti-Blackness and Islamophobia ... it was really hard.

But her experiences from that time also helped form her identity. She is now seeking a seat on the King County Council.

There are many young people who have multiple identities who have felt that they don't belong here, that they are not welcomed here, she says. I was one of those young people. And so, I try to do what I can to make sure that more of us know that this is our nation, too.

After 9/11, some American Muslims chose to dispel misconceptions about their faith by building personal connections. They shared coffee or broke bread with strangers as they fielded myriad questions _ from how Islam views women and Jesus to how to combat extremism.

Mansoor Shams has traveled across the U.S. with a sign that reads: I'm Muslim and a U.S. Marine, ask anything. It's part of the 39-year-old's efforts to teach others about his faith and counter hate through dialogue.

Shams, who served in the Marines from 2000 to 2004, was called names like Taliban, terrorist and Osama bin Laden by some of his fellow Marines after 9/11.

One of his most memorable interactions, he says, was at Liberty University in Virginia, where he spoke in 2019 to students of the Christian institution. Some, he says, still call him with questions about Islam.

There's this mutual love and respect, he says.

Shams wishes his current work wasn't needed but feels a responsibility to share a counternarrative he says many Americans don't know.

Ahmed Ali Akbar, 33, came to a different conclusion.

Shortly after 9/11, some adults in his community arranged for an assembly at his school in Saginaw, Michigan, where he and other students talked about Islam and Muslims. Akbar poured his heart into the research. But he recalls his confusion at some of the questions: Where is bin Laden? What's the reason behind the attacks?

How am I supposed to know where Osama bin Laden is? I'm an American kid, he says.

That period left him feeling like trying to change people's minds wasn't always effective, that some were not ready to listen.

Akbar eventually turned his focus toward telling stories about Muslim Americans on his podcast See Something Say Something.

There's a lot of humor in the Muslim American experience as well, he says. It's not all just sadness and reaction to the violence and...racism and Islamophobia.

He has also come to believe in building connections of a different type. Our battle for our civil liberties (is) tied up with other marginalized communities, he says, stressing the importance of advocating for them.

For some, 9/11 brought a different kind of racial reckoning, says Debbie Almontaser, a Yemeni American educator and activist in New York.

She says many Arab and South Asian immigrants came to the U.S. seeking the American Dream as doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs. Then 9/11 happens and they realize that they're brown and they realize that they're minorities -- that was a huge wake-up call, Almontaser says.

Some racial tensions play out today in U.S. Muslim communities. The racial justice protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, for instance, brought many Muslims to the streets to condemn racism. But they also spurred an internal reckoning about racial equity among Muslims, including the treatment of Black Muslims.

For me, as a Muslim African American, my struggle (in America) is still with race and identity, says imam Ali Aqeel of the Muslim American Cultural Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

When we go to (Islamic) centers and we have to deal with the same pain that we deal with out in the world, it's kind of discouraging to us because we're under the impression that (in) Islam, you don't have that racial and ethnic divide.

Amirah Ahmed, 17, was born after the attacks and feels like she was thrust into a struggle not of her making _ a burden despite being just as American as anyone else.

She recalls how a few years ago at her Virginia school's 9/11 commemoration, she felt students' stares at her and her hijab so intensely that she wanted to skip the next year's event.

When her mother dismissed the idea, she instead wore her Americanness as a shield, donning an American flag headscarf to address her classmates from a podium.

Ahmed spoke about honoring the lives of those who died in America on 9/11 _ but also of Iraqis who died in the war launched in 2003. She recalls defending her Arab and Muslim identities that day while displaying her American one and says it was a ``really powerful moment.''

But she hopes her future children don't feel the need to prove they belong.

Our kids are going to be (here) well after the 9/11 era, she says. They should not have to continue fighting for their identity.

Short link:


Iraq's populist Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr on Friday reversed his decision to boycott October elections and said his movement would take part in order to help "end corruption".

A firebrand with millions of followers and in command of paramilitary groups, Sadr is a crucial player in Iraqi politics who has often protested against the influence of both the United States and Iran.

Sadr had said in mid-July that he would not participate in the October 10 parliamentary election and would withdraw support from "anyone who claims they belong to us in this current and upcoming government."

He reversed that position on Friday, saying he had received pledges from "certain" political leaders to reform the country and "put an end to corruption".

Taking part in the elections is "now acceptable", he said during a televised address, flanked by dozens of officials from his Sadrist movement.

Sadr, whose political manoeuvres have at times puzzled observers, in February had said he backed early elections overseen by the UN.

Militias loyal to Sadr fought the US-led occupation of Iraq and he retains a devoted following among the country's majority Shiite population, including in the poor Baghdad district of Sadr City.

The son of a revered religious figure, Sadr wears a black turban that signals descent from the family of the Prophet Mohammed.

The parliamentary vote is set to be held under a new electoral law that reduces the size of constituencies and eliminates list-based voting in favour of votes for individual candidates.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who came to power in May last year after months of unprecedented mass protests against a ruling class seen as corrupt, inept and subordinate to Tehran, had called the early vote in response to demands by pro-democracy activists.

Sadr's supporters have been expected to make major gains under the new electoral system.

His Saeroon bloc is currently the largest in parliament, with 54 out of 329 seats.

Plagued by endemic corruption, poor services, dilapidated infrastructure and unemployment, Iraq is facing a deep financial crisis compounded by lower oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sadr has appeared under pressure in recent weeks, with pro-Iran groups and individuals attacking him on social media and accusing him of responsibility for Iraq's recent woes, including electricity shortages and two deadly hospital fires.

Short link:


Related Afghanistan: World in crisis INTERVIEW: Contextualising the Taliban More fear than hope in Afghanistan Gulf rivalry through Afghanistan Trusting the Taliban? An explosion went off Thursday outside Kabul's airport, where thousands of people have flocked as they try to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Officials offered no casualty count, but a witness said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded. Western nations had warned earlier in the day of a possible attack at the airport in the waning days of a massive airlift. Suspicion for any attack targeting the crowds would likely fall on the Islamic State group and not the Taliban, who have been deployed at the airport's gates trying to control the mass of people. The Pentagon confirmed the blast, with no immediate word on casualties. Adam Khan, an Afghan waiting outside the airport, said the explosion went off in a crowd of people waiting to enter the airport. Khan, who said he was standing about 30 meters (yards) away, said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who lost body parts. Several countries urged people to avoid the airport earlier in the day, with one saying there was a threat of a suicide bombing. But just days _ or even hours for some nations _ before the evacuation effort ends, few appeared to heed the call. ------ BERLIN _ Germany's defense minister says terror threats in Kabul have become ``significantly more concrete'' as the international evacuation effort from the airport in the Afghan capital is nearing its end. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on Thursday that the effort is ``now in what is certainly the most hectic, dangerous and sensitive phase. We know that the terror threats have intensified massively and that they have become significantly more concrete.'' She said Germany's foreign ministry told people in Kabul overnight that they should not try to get to the airport on their own, in line with warnings by the U.S. and others. The German military was still flying between Kabul and Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday. It wasn't immediately clear when exactly the German evacuation effort would end. Germany's top military commander, Gen. Eberhard Zorn, said that as of Thursday afternoon German flights had evacuated some 5,200 people from 45 nations, including about 4,200 Afghans. Zorn said two small German helicopters that were flown into Kabul a few days ago, intended to help get individuals to the airport, were flown out to Tashkent overnight.

------

Qatar says it has helped the evacuation of more than 40,000 people from Kabul airport.

The small nation on the Arabian Peninsula says most will transit through Qatar after staying in temporary accommodations.

Qatar says that ``the evacuation efforts will continue in the coming days in consultation with international partners.''

Qatar also hosts an office of the Taliban and was the site of negotiations between America, the toppled Afghan government and the insurgents.

------

India says it has evacuated most of its nationals from Afghanistan and is doing everything to bring them back home. India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told a meeting of political leaders on Thursday that India has operated six flights so far from Kabul after a stunning takeover by the Taliban. ``A few of them (Indians) are still there.'' He didn't give the exact number of Indians and Afghans evacuated so far from Kabul but the Indian media put their numbers around 800. He declined to say how India is going to deal with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. ``The situation in Afghanistan is yet to settle down. I will talk about it later,'' Jaishankar told reporters. New Delhi had stayed away from the Taliban except for back-channel contacts in recent months. It didn't recognize the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

------

France will fully end its operation to evacuate French nationals and Afghans in danger from Taliban-controlled Kabul by Friday evening, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

Beyond this date, "it will not be possible to carry out evacuations from Kabul airport," Castex told RTL radio Thursday. A source close to the government added that the date had been enforced by the plan of the United States, which is providing security at the airport, to pull out by August 31.

------

Pakistan's prime minister has called on the international community to continue engagement with Afghanistan, saying it was a ``way forward to avert any humanitarian crisis and secure peace and stability.``

Imran Khan made his comment during a meeting with David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program who met with him in Islamabad. Khan also called for the formation of an inclusive government to ensure peace and avoid an humanitarian crisis, after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.

The latest development comes as dozens of Afghans continue to enter Pakistan via its land borders. But the number of Afghan people entering Pakistan through land routes has been steadily decreasing since earlier this week.

___

BUDAPEST, Hungary _ Hungary says its army has evacuated all Hungarian citizens from Afghanistan of which the defense ministry is aware.

Defense Minister Tibor Benko told a press conference on Thursday that 540 people, among them 57 Afghan families including 180 children, had been evacuated to Hungary from Kabul.

Of the Afghan citizens who assisted Hungarian forces in Afghanistan since 2003, the army has evacuated 87%, he said, adding that Hungarian, Afghan, Austrian and U.S. citizens were evacuated during the operation.

All of the nearly 100 Hungarian soldiers that participated in the evacuation operation have returned to Hungary, Benko said. No injuries occurred during the evacuation operations, though there were Afghan citizens who sustained injuries prior to their evacuation, he said.

Seven Hungarian soldiers were killed during military operations in Afghanistan since 2003, Benko said.

___

THE HAGUE, Netherlands _ The Dutch government says it is pulling its troops and diplomats out of the Kabul airport over the security situation.

In a letter to parliament Thursday, the foreign and defense ministers say that ``the Netherlands has been told by the United States to leave today and will most likely carry out its last flight later today.''

They add that ``in light of the extremely quickly deteriorating situation in and around the airport, evacuees can no longer be assisted by the Netherlands to get access to the airport.''

___

LONDON _ The British, French and Danish militaries have given stark warnings about the security situation at the Kabul airport, where Afghan civilians are scrambling to evacuate ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for foreign troops to leave Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Thursday there was ''very, very credible reporting of an imminent attack'' at the airport. Other warnings emerged about a possible threat from Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban freeing prisoners across the country.

Heappey conceded that people are desperate to leave and ``there is an appetite by many in the queue to take their chances, but the reporting of this threat is very credible indeed and there is a real imminence to it.''

French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that ``from tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport'' due to the Aug. 31 American withdrawal.

Meanwhile, Danish defense minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned: ``It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.'' Denmark's last flight, carrying 90 people plus soldiers and diplomats, already had left Kabul.

Poland and Belgium have already ended their evacuations from Afghanistan.

___

BERLIN _ The German army says it has sent another military transport plane to Kabul to evacuate further people from the Afghan capital.

The army tweeted that the plane departed from Tashkent Thursday morning.

Altogether, the German army, or Bundeswehr, has airlifted 5,193 people out of Kabul, 539 of those on Wednesday.

The defense ministry tweeted that, ``We could already help many. We will evacuate until the last second.''

Government officials have not said when exactly the German evacuation mission is going to end but it is expected that the country will stop evacuating people with military planes ahead of the Americans' pullout date of August 31.

___

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's prime minister said that the country has evacuated over 900 Afghan citizens, as the country prepared to end its evacuation mission later Thursday.

``The evacuation action from Afghanistan ends today,'' said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a news conference in Warsaw.

Another government official, Michal Dworczyk, said that a total of 44 flights were made transporting over 1,100 people. More than 900 of them are Afghans who have cooperated with Poland for years. He said the last transport with civilians from Afghanistan would land in Poland on Thursday morning.

The Afghan ambassador to Poland, Tahir Qadiry, also spoke at the news conference, expressing his thanks to the Polish government and the Polish people and voicing hope that the evacuated Afghan citizens will be able to return home one day.

___

ISTANBUL _ Turkish civilian technicians could help operate Kabul airport after the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, a senior Turkish official said Thursday.

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said talks with the Taliban were underway to determine the operation of Hamid Karzai International Airport.

``We can continue the operation of the airport there even after our troops withdraw,'' Kalin told broadcaster NTV. ``Our civilian experts can provide support for the airport and negotiations regarding this are continuing.''

Turkey announced its troops had begun to leave Kabul, where they have been helping guard the airport, on Wednesday evening. Kalin said the troop withdrawal would be completed within 36 hours.

Prior to the Taliban taking Kabul on Aug. 15, NATO member Turkey had offered to secure and operate the airport following the U.S. withdrawal.

India says most of its nationals evacuated

India says it has evacuated most of its nationals from Afghanistan and is doing everything to bring them back home.

India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told a meeting of political leaders on Thursday that India has operated six flights so far from Kabul after a stunning takeover by the Taliban. ``A few of them (Indians) are still there.''

He didn't give the exact number of Indians and Afghans evacuated so far from Kabul but the Indian media put their numbers around 800.

He declined to say how India is going to deal with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. ``The situation in Afghanistan is yet to settle down. I will talk about it later,'' Jaishankar told reporters.

New Delhi had stayed away from the Taliban except for back-channel contacts in recent months. It didn't recognize the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001.

Short link:


New Zealand says it was not able to get everybody it wanted out of Afghanistan in time before the deadly attacks near Kabuls airport brought its rescue mission to an end.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday she is not yet sure how many people were left behind or whether they were New Zealand citizens, residents or visa holders. She said the New Zealand military had gone to great lengths to try and find people in recent days and had been able to fly several hundred people to safety.

We went to extraordinary efforts to bring home as many as we could who were either New Zealanders or who had supported New Zealand. But the devastating thing is that we werent able to bring everyone, Ardern said. And now, we need to look to see what we can do for those who remain.

Both Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly condemned the attacks that took place Thursday. Morrison described them as evil and inhuman.

Short link:


Italy's foreign minister has confirmed that the last Italian military flight evacuating people from Afghanistan will depart from Kabul later on Friday.

Luigi Di Maio said that among those aboard the departing C-130 Air Force aircraft will be the Italian consul, who had stayed on in Kabul at the airport to oversee the evacuation of Italians and foreigners, as well as the top NATO diplomat, Stefano Pontecorvo, who is Italian.

Also aboard will be Italian Carabinieri paramilitary police and Italian soldiers who helped maintain security for evacuations carried out by Italy. ``All the Italians who wanted to return to Italy have returned,'' Di Maio said. Some 4,900 Afghan citizens were also evacuated to Italy, the minister told reporters.

Short link:


During the official closing ceremony that took place at the Anfoushi Cultural Palace Theatre, the Theatre Without Fund Festival closed its 11th edition (22-26 August) by announcing the winners.

Performances from Egypt, Oman and Spain scooped the majority of awards.

Egyptian plays The Witness and The Wanderer took a significant share of major awards with the first one winning best creative solutions, best scenography and the latter scooping second prize for the best play and best actor in supporting role awards, among other wins.

Oman's production Henna Pounder won best play, best director and best costumes alongside numerous other wins.

Spanish production Clowns garnered a total of five awards including best actress in leading role, best music and best light design.

The winners are as follows:

Creative Solutions Award

First prize: The Witness (Egypt)

Second prize: Clowns (Spain)

Best Play

First prize: Henna Pounder (Oman)

Second prize: The Wanderer (Egypt)

Best Dramatist

First prize: Iyad Al-Raymouni (Jordan) for the play The Night of the Singing

Second prize: Ehab Gaber (Egypt) for the play The Witness



Best Director

First prize Yousef Al-Balushi for Henna Pounder (Oman)

Second prize: Ehab Gaber for The Witness (Egypt)

Best Actor in Leading Role



First prize: Mohamed Al-Titi for Sharshuh (Palestine)

Second prize: Ahmed Askar for The Witness (Egypt)



Best Actor Award in Supporting Role

First prize: Abdel Rahman Mohamed for The Wanderer (Egypt)

Second prize: Salat El Siyabi for Henna Pounder (Oman)

Best Actress in Leading Role



First prize: Elizabeth Quevedo for Clowns (Spain)

Second prize: Leqa Al-Serafi for The Wanderer (Egypt)



Best Actor Award in Supporting Role

First prize: Jana Salah for The Rose and the Crown (Egypt)

Second prize: Sela Conde for Clowns (Spain)

Best Costumes

First prize: Tariq Kaufan for Henna Pounder (Oman)

Second prize: Amira Saber for The Wanderer (Egypt)

Best Make-up

First prize: Fatima Al-Jishi for Dance of Death (Saudi Arabia)

Second prize: Lamia for The Rose and the Crown (Egypt)

Best Music

First prize: Mattia Rosso for Clowns

Second prize: Youssef Al-Harthy for Henna Pounder (Oman)

Best Light Design

First prize: Eric Robo for The Clowns (Spain)

Second prize: Mohamed Jamil for Dance of Death (Saudi Arabia)

Best Scenography

First prize: Donia Aziz for The Witness (Egypt)

Second prize: Youmna Al-Nashar for The Wanderer (Egypt)



The Theatre Without Fund Festival was founded by Gamal Yakout, president of the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre's 28th edition (14 and 19 December 2021). Yakout also presided over the TWFF, and stepped back from this role this year, passing the torch to the festival's artistic director Ibrahim Al-Forn.

The festival was held on the stages of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina under the auspices of its Arts Centre, as well as at the Lycee El-Horreya theater, the headquarters of the Alexandria Theater Troupe and the Anfoushi Culture Palace Theater.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture with logistical support extended by its numerous affiliates  the General Authority for the Cultural Palaces, the Artistic House of Theater, the Cultural Production Affairs Sector  in addition to Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Short link:


Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 people were killed and dozens wounded.

Russia was supposedly reticent but all of the five are expected to join, one diplomat said.

Some member countries of the so-called P5 had been discussing the possibility of a meeting for a few days, they added.

Guterres sent letters formally inviting the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China to meet on Monday, the diplomats told AFP.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called a meeting of the permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the chaotic situation in Afghanistan, diplomats said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahadid, however, tweeted that it was a controlled explosion by US forces destroying equipment at the airport and Kabul residents should not worry.

A huge blast rocked Kabul early Friday, heard by AFP staff hours after a deadly twin bomb attack at the airport that was claimed by the Islamic State.

Another huge blast heard in Kabul, Taliban say it was not an attack

"ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing the mission," he said.

"We continue to execute our number one mission, which is to get as many evacuees and citizens out of Afghanistan," said General Kenneth McKenzie.

McKenzie said that the US airlift in Kabul will continue despite the attack.

Biden and Bennett were scheduled to meet late Thursday morning for their first face-to-face conversation since Bennett became Israel's prime minister in June. The two will instead meet on Friday.

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have postponed their White House meeting as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of deadly explosions near the Kabul airport that targeted U.S. troops and Afghans seeking to flee their country after the Taliban takeover.

The bomber "was able today to penetrate all the security fortifications" and get within "five meters (16 feet)" of US forces before detonating his explosives belt, the jihadist group's propaganda arm Amaq said, according to a translation by SITE.Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide blast at the airport in Kabul on Thursday during the US-led evacuation from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the SITE monitoring agency said.

"There is no evidence thus far that I've been given as a consequence by any of the commanders in the field that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today," Biden said in an address at the White House.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday he has seen no evidence that the Taliban colluded with Islamic State militants in carrying out the deadly attacks in Kabul.

Biden, who earlier vowed to continue the evacuation of civilians from Kabul, said there remained an "opportunity for the next several days, between now and the 31st, to be able to get them out."

He reaffirmed August 31 as the deadline for US troops to leave Afghanistan, in the wake of a deadly attack on Kabul airport.

President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite a deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He also promised to avenge the deaths, declaring to the extremists responsible: 'We will hunt you down and make you pay.''

60 Afghans died in the blast too with 142 other injured according to a report by AP.

Twelve US servicemen were killed and 15 injured in two suicide bombing attacks in Kabul on Thursday by Islamic State militants, the head of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie said.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

A second U.S. official said the complex attack was believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz and condemned the attack.

Western officials had warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport, but that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.

Russia's Foreign Ministry gave the first official casualty count, but the numbers continued to grow. Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

'Surgeons will be working into the night,'' said Marco Puntin, the charity's manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also confirmed the blasts and said there were casualties, including among members of the military, but gave no figure. He said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel.

One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations, said several Marines were killed. It wasn't clear if other U.S. military troops were among the dead. American officials have said that information is still coming in and they are trying to determine exact numbers of casualties.

Even as the area was hit, evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what's known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

'All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47,' Paul 'Pen'' Farthing told Britain's Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group's rescued animals.

He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America's longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants' brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.

Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of history's largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by America's self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31 _ and the evacuations must end then, too.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden spent much of the morning in the secure White House Situation Room where he was briefed on the explosions and conferred with his national security team and commanders on the ground in Kabul.

Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban's freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan.

Shortly before the attack, the acting U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was 'clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.'' But in an interview with ABC News, he would not give details.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport, where the group's fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavy-handed tactics to control the crowds. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is controlled by U.S. troops.

Before the blast, the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at those gathered at one airport gate to try to drive the crowd away, as someone launched tear gas canisters elsewhere.

Nadia Sadat, a 27-year-old Afghan, carried her 2-year-old daughter with her outside the airport. She and her husband, who had worked with coalition forces, missed a call from a number they believed was the State Department and were trying to get into the airport without any luck. Her husband had pressed ahead in the crowd to try to get them inside.

'We have to find a way to evacuate because our lives are in danger,'' Sadat said. 'My husband received several threatening messages from unknown sources. We have no chance except escaping.''

Aman Karimi, 50, escorted his daughter and her family to the airport, fearful the Taliban would target her because of her husband's work with NATO.

'The Taliban have already begun seeking those who have worked with NATO,' he said. 'They are looking for them house-by-house at night.''

The Sunni extremists of IS, with links to the group's more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a series of brutal attacks, mainly targeting Afghanistan's Shiite Muslim minority, including a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul in which they killed women and infants.

The Taliban have fought against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have wrested back control nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion. The Americans went in following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.

Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, Canada ended its evacuations, and European nations halted or prepared to stop their own operations.

'The reality on the ground is the perimeter of the airport is closed. The Taliban have tightened the noose. It's very, very difficult for anybody to get through at this point,'' Canadian General Wayne Eyre, the country's acting Chief of Defense Staff, said ahead of the attack.

Lt. Col. Georges Eiden, Luxembourg's army representative in neighboring Pakistan, said that Friday would mark the official end for U.S. allies. But two Biden administration officials denied that was the case.

A third official said that the U.S. worked with its allies to coordinate each country's departure, and some nations asked for more time and were granted it.

'Most depart later in the week,'' he said, while adding that some were stopping operations Thursday. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly.

Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned earlier: 'It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.''

Denmark's last flight has already departed, and Poland and Belgium have also announced the end of their evacuations. The Dutch government said it had been told by the U.S. to leave Thursday.

But Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said some planes would continue to fly.

'Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours. We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission,'' he said in a tweet.

The Taliban have said they'll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility.
Here is what we need to know about China's Black Death:

HOW DOES INFECTION OCCUR?

Two patients from Inner Mongolia were quarantined in Beijing suffering from pneumonic plague, authorities said last week. A 55-year old man from the same region was later diagnosed with bubonic plague after eating wild rabbit meat, the health commission said.

Both types of plague are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium.

Bites from infected fleas are the most common cause of bubonic plague infection, but the pneumonic variant - where the bacterium is breathed into the lungs - is more dangerous because it is spread through coughing.

A rarer third variant of the diseases is septicaemic plague, which infects the bloodstream.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Plague has killed tens of millions of people around the world in three major pandemics, with about a third of Europes population wiped out in the 1300s by bubonic plague, known as the Black Death.

The bacterium is believed to have originated in Yunnan in southwest China, where it remains endemic. Opium trade routes from Yunnan caused the third global plague outbreak in 1894, but it has since become increasingly rare.

Between 2010 and 2015 there were 3,248 cases worldwide, leading to 584 deaths - a fatality rate of 18%, according to the World Health Organization.

From 2009 to 2018, China reported just 26 cases and 11 deaths. By comparison, there were 12,082 cases of rabies over the same period, with a fatality rate of 96%.

The China Center for Disease Control said the plague is an ancient bacterial infection that can be treated clinically with a variety of effective antibiotics if caught early.

IS PLAGUE LINKED TO CLIMATE CHANGE?

The spread of plague in the 1300s has been linked by scientists to unstable climate conditions that caused the disease to evolve and spread more quickly to rats, fleas and humans.

Floods also contributed to the diseases rapid spread via new water routes.

China says climate change has caused an increase in rodent populations throughout Inner Mongolia. A combination of heavier rainfall followed by longer summer droughts has allowed rats to thrive.

ARE THERE STILL RISKS?

China remains concerned about the risk of outbreaks as formerly remote plague-prone rural regions are integrated into the national economy.

The Center for Disease Control says Yunnan and the Qinghai-Tibet plateau in the far west are particularly vulnerable.

Qinghai officials said earlier this year the risk of plague spreading to regions with high population densities had increased because of urbanisation, new infrastructure and tourism.

Infectious diseases are also a sensitive issue for Beijing after an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which many blamed on the failure by authorities to disclose information in a timely manner.

Short link:


Sisi stresses Egypt's support for Sudan over floods



Ahram Online, , Friday 27 Aug 2021



The Egyptian president extended condolences to the Sudanese government and people



Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has expressed Egypt's solidarity with Sudan over the floods that hit 12 out 18 Sudanese states, claiming the lives of a number of citizens and damaging large numbers of houses.



In a phone call with Head of Sudan's Ruling Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday evening, El-Sisi extended Egypts condolences to the government and people of Sudan over the victims of the floods caused by torrential rains.



Al-Burhan expressed his appreciation of President El-Sisi's condolence saying it reflects the strength of Egyptian-Sudanese relations at the official and popular levels, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said.



In its recent report on the crisis, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said Tuesday that as of Sunday over 61,800 people were affected as well as a total of 3,840 homes were destroyed, 8,160 damaged, and an unconfirmed amount of public infrastructure and farmland has been affected.



Heavy rains and flash flooding have so far been reported in 12 out of 18 states including Aj Jazirah, Blue Nile, Gedaref, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Northern, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, and White Nile.



Torrential rains usually cause severe flooding every year in Sudan from June to October, affecting infrastructure and crops.



Last year, heavy rains forced Sudan to declare a three-month state of emergency, after flooding affected at least 650,000 people, with over 110,000 homes damaged or destroyed.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/421922.aspx
KYODO NEWS - Aug 27, 2021 - 21:40 | All, Japan

Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday that he has strongly protested to U.S. forces based in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, for dumping treated water containing dangerous chemicals into the local sewage system.

"It is extremely regrettable that (U.S. Marines) unilaterally dumped the water despite discussions still taking place between Japan and the United States on how to deal with the water," Koizumi said at a press conference.

Referring to an incident Thursday involving the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said separately that he has asked the U.S. Marines to stop any future dumping of contaminated water.

Following the leakage of water containing toxic materials from the U.S. Army oil storage facility in Uruma and other nearby locations in June, the U.S. military informed local authorities and the Japanese government in July of its intention to release treated water into the local sewage system to prevent another unexpected leak, according to the Okinawa prefectural government.

But the U.S. military only notified the prefectural government on Thursday morning that it would begin releasing the water less than an hour before going ahead with the plan.

The Okinawa prefectural government demanded the U.S. forces stop such actions immediately.

Speaking to reporters Friday after meeting with U.S. military officials, Okinawa Deputy Gov. Kiichiro Jahana said around 64,000 liters of water were released the previous day.

The U.S. military said the water has been treated to meet safety levels for drinking, maintaining that the combined presence of the man-made pollutant chemicals perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is lower than the Japanese government's provisional standards.

"Local residents are feeling very anxious," Koizumi said. "We will work with relevant ministries and the prefectural government to ensure this is handled in an appropriate manner, as well as reconfirm the details with the United States."
KYODO NEWS - Aug 27, 2021 - 10:44 | World, All

At least 70 people were killed and around 140 injured in two explosions that occurred Thursday outside the airport of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, U.S. media reported, as many countries strive to evacuate their citizens following the Taliban's recent seizure of power in the war-torn country.

The Pentagon said a total of 13 U.S. military service members died and 18 were injured. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks through its affiliate news website.

The blasts, believed to be suicide bombings by an Islamic State group affiliate called ISIS-K, took place just days ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan as chaotic evacuation operations continue at the airport.

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to hold those responsible for the attacks accountable, saying, "We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay."

In a press conference at the White House, Biden also stressed that the United States will not be deterred by terrorists, saying, "America will not be intimidated."

Biden said he has ordered military commanders to develop plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities in retaliation.

"We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing," he said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration's deadline to complete the U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of the month has not changed, while stressing that there is "no end" to the timeline for evacuating American citizens and Afghans who worked alongside the United States during the war.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also mourned the military losses in a statement, saying "Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others."

Following the blasts, the White House announced that a meeting between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been postponed to Friday from Thursday. Biden was briefed on the attacks in Kabul earlier in the day.

Western nations had warned of a possible attack on the airport by Afghanistan's Islamic State group affiliate in the final days of the massive evacuation operation.

The international airport in Kabul has been flooded by people seeking to escape from the Taliban, an Islamist group that returned to power earlier this month after being ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday urged American nationals not to approach the airport, citing security concerns.

Foreign governments including Japan are rushing to airlift citizens out of the country, with Western media reporting that some European countries and Canada are completing evacuation operations or planning to do so before the Aug. 31 deadline amid deteriorating security near the airport.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces have sent three aircraft with the aim of completing the evacuation of Japanese and local staff working at the Japanese embassy and other organizations by the end of the day on Friday.

The Taliban, which controlled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, has promised to uphold women's rights "within the framework of Islam," although concerns persist that liberties will be significantly eroded under their strict implementation of shariah law.

The United States began the war in Afghanistan in response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 by the al-Qaida organization, which was being harbored by the Taliban.

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.

Related coverage:

Taliban asks U.S. to retain embassy in Kabul, guarantees security

Japan continues efforts on Afghanistan evacuation mission amid chaos

G-7 vows to ensure safe Afghanistan evacuation, keep Taliban on watch
KYODO NEWS - Aug 27, 2021 - 16:50 | Sports, All

Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito will attend the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics in place of Emperor Naruhito, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.

The emperor's younger brother will attend the ceremony at the National Stadium on Sept. 5. Like the opening ceremony, it will be held without spectators as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The crown prince also attended the closing ceremony of the Olympics at the stadium in place of the emperor on Aug. 8.

The emperor serves as the honorary patron of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. He declared the start of the Olympics on July 23 and that of the Paralympics on Tuesday during their opening ceremonies.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 28, 2021 - 00:31 | All, Japan, World

Japan evacuated one national from Afghanistan aboard a Self-Defense Forces aircraft on Friday, with the government saying it will continue efforts to bring out of the war-torn country more of those who wish to flee following the Taliban's recent seizure of power.

The SDF aircraft left Afghanistan for Islamabad in neighboring Pakistan, as part of a mission of evacuating up to about 500 people including several of its citizens, amid heightened security tensions following deadly explosions near the airport in Kabul that have killed at least 100 people.

The plane, which arrived in Islamabad on Friday, carried Hiromi Yasui, a 57-year-old Kyodo News staff member who lives in Kabul and runs a business there. According to government officials, a small number of Japanese remain in Afghanistan as they did not wish to leave the country.

Japan has sent three SDF aircraft -- a C-2 transport plane and two C-130s -- to Islamabad, its base of operation for evacuations from Kabul. The officials said the planes will be on standby in a neighboring country to discern the developments in Kabul.

The government said evacuation efforts will continue for people including local staff of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. According to a diplomatic source, up to about 500 people are due to be evacuated from Afghanistan, including the local staff of JICA.

The evacuation for its nationals and local staff at its embassy and other Japanese entities came after a few failed attempts, as people were reportedly unable to reach the airport on their own due to strict Taliban checkpoints.

While U.S. forces are guarding the control tower at Kabul airport, security around the airport remains unpredictable.

Seeing Friday as the limit for the SDF to operate safely ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Japan has been ramping up evacuation efforts. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said it would be hard to conduct airlifts after the deadline.

An SDF plane had landed a few times in Kabul but was unable to pick up any Japanese or local staff.

Further inflaming tensions, two blasts, believed to have been suicide bombings by an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group called ISIS-K, occurred on Thursday.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks, with U.S. President Joe Biden vowing to hold accountable those responsible.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said he had not received any report of deaths or injuries among Japanese nationals and local staff after the blasts.

"The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but we would like to continue making efforts to realize the safe evacuation of the people concerned, while working closely with the United States and other countries involved and paying close attention to the safety of our country's personnel dispatched to Kabul airport," he said at a regular news conference.

"Japan fiercely condemns terrorism in any form or for any purpose," he added.

France, Germany and other European countries as well as Canada announced the termination of their evacuation missions on Thursday due to the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

Despite the blasts, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi suggested the SDF can still transport people, saying U.S. forces have secured the safety of the airport.

But Defense Ministry and SDF officials expressed frustration over the unexpected turn of events that has put at risk the security of the SDF personnel involved, with one calling it a "wrong political decision" at a time when Japan is unaware of the situation on the ground.

The SDF officer said it is rare for such a mission to be conducted in a tense atmosphere.

Japanese diplomats were evacuated to Dubai last week after the embassy in Kabul was shut on Aug. 15 when the Taliban took control of the capital and returned to power, 20 years after they were ousted by U.S.-led forces.

While foreign governments have been rushing to bring their citizens out of Afghanistan, it was only on Aug. 23 that Japan said it would dispatch SDF planes for the evacuation mission.

"Things would have turned out differently if only (Japan was able) to act faster," said a senior ministry official.

Related coverage:

At least 70 dead, 140 injured in blasts near Kabul airport: media

Taliban asks U.S. to retain embassy in Kabul, guarantees security

Japan continues efforts on Afghanistan evacuation mission amid chaos
KYODO NEWS - Aug 27, 2021 - 11:11 | All, World, Japan

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is making arrangements to visit Japan for the first time in his current position to hold talks with Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a diplomatic source said Thursday.

CNN reported that Kerry will be in Japan on Tuesday and then stay in China from Wednesday to Sept. 3 to meet with top climate officials in the lead-up to a U.N. climate conference slated to start late October.

Kerry will be traveling to China for the second time as U.S. President Joe Biden's climate envoy and is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua as part of efforts to persuade officials there to accelerate their timeline to decarbonize their economies and move away from coal, according to CNN.

As the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China has committed to bringing total CO2 emissions to a peak before 2030 and aims to become carbon neutral by 2060.

With many countries including the United States and Japan vowing to attain net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Kerry may call on Beijing to set a more ambitious climate target than its current one.
New Delhi:

US President on Wednesday said Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could have been involved in the operation that led to Jamal Khashoggis killing. Soon, Saudi Crown Prince Salman broke his silence on the killing, calling it a heinous crime and vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice, according to sources.

Well, the prince is running things over there (Riyadh) more so at this stage. Hes running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him, Trump told to Wall Street Journal.

In his toughest comment yet amid a global outcry over the journalists death, Trump said he wanted to believe the prince when he said that lower level officials were to blame for the killing at the Saudi mission.

Also Read | Fear of probe in Rafale deal real reason behind CBI chief Alok Vermas sacking?

It is a heinous crime that cannot be justified Prince Salman said while addressing an international audience at the countrys Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia will go and implement all necessary rules and investigate deeply in order to achieve results. And to bring to justice those who were responsible for this heinous crime and they will be put before the courts. Theres no doubt, the prince said.

According to reports, the Wall Street Journal published Trumps statement just hours before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed at a business conference for the first time since Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate on October 2.

An adviser to Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said Prince Mohammed had blood on his hands over Khashoggi, it said.

Read More | Chhath Puja 2018: Dates, rituals and celebrations in Bihar-Jharkhand-Uttar Pradesh

On October 21, Riyadh called the killing a huge and grave mistake, but sought to shield the Crown Prince from the widening crisis, saying he had not been aware, said the sources.

The death of Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, has sparked global outrage and threatened relations between Riyadh and Washington as well as other Western nations.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before, it said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Ramgarh:

Five school boys who were missing from Jharkhands Ramgarh district since Monday were found in West Bengals Howrah station, the police said on Wednesday.

The boys in the age group of 12-14 years left their homes after returning from school on Monday and were missing since then, they said.

They hail from New Colony, Bagicha under Ramgarh town police station of the district, the police said, adding the parents of the boys lodged separate missing reports with the police.

In their reports, the parents said the boys returned from school, kept their school bags and went out on Monday. The parents searched to find them at all possible places but did not find them.

Also Read | Maharashtra: Boat carrying chief secretary capsizes near Shivaji Smarak; all rescued

Superintendent of Police, Ramgarh, Nidhi Diwedi, who spoke to the parents of the missing boys, said that all five missing boys were seen walking together on streets in CCTV installed nearby and is not a case of abduction as suspected earlier.

We alerted railway stations and bus stops of Ramgarh and neighbouring districts including Ramgarh, Barkakana junction, Ranchi Road, Ranchi and Hazaribagh about the missing boys, the she said.

The SP said all the five boys were found at the Howrah Station near Kolkata.

The boys have been handed over to Child Welfare Commission, the SP said, adding a police team from Ramgarh district have left for Howrah and will get in touch with the Commission Thursday.
Kuala Lumpur:

Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak and an ally were Thursday charged with allegedly looting US dollar 1.6 billion of public money, the latest accusations against figures from the scandal-plagued old regime. Najib has now been hit with 38 charges since losing power, most of them related to allegations that he and his cronies plundered vast sums from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.



ALSO READ | Diwali Offer: Reliance Jio, Airtel and BSNL recharge packs compared

The scandal played a major part in prompting voters to oust his coalition at elections in May after six decades in power and elect a reformist alliance headed by Mahathir Mohamad.



Najib was jointly charged in a Kuala Lumpur court with ex-senior finance ministry official, Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah, with six counts of criminal breach of trust. They denied all the charges.

The crimes involved 6.6 billion ringgits (US dollar 1.6 billion) of public money and allegedly took place between December, 2016 and December, 2017. Each charge is punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

Local media reported that some of the money was used to pay debts owed by 1MDB to Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund IPIC.

The Malaysian fund slid into a massive debt hole as huge sums of money were allegedly stolen and used to buy everything from a super-yacht, to high-end real estate and pricey artworks.

The US Department of Justice, which is seeking to seize assets allegedly bought with looted 1MDB money in America, alleges that a total of USD 4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund.



ALSO READ | Aliens could be on Mars as it contains enough oxygenated water: Study

Another key Najib ally, former spy chief Hasanah Abdul Hamid, is expected to be charged in court later Thursday.

The former prime minister's luxury-loving wife, Rosmah Mansor, and the new leader of his party and long-time lieutenant, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, have also been arrested and charged.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus is all set to launch its new handset OnePlus 6T in India. The launch will simultaneously take place at events in New York and New Delhi. The smartphone was recently spotted on Geekbench website ahead its official launch on October 29. The listing shows OnePlus A6013 is considered to be the OnePlus 6T. The website reveals the presence of Android 9.0 Pie instead of Android Oreo.



ALSO READ | Best deals and discounts this festive season | Know all about it



Earlier, OnePlus rescheduled the launch event of OnePlus 6T to October 29, a day ahead of its planned schedule. The company says the move was necessary as sticking to the original date would've meant the OnePlus 6T launch would be overshadowed by Apple, which is also hosting an event in New York on the same day. Apple is expected to introduce new iPad and Mac models.



The Geekbench listing reiterates the availability of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC along with 8GB of RAM.



OnePlus 6T expected specifications:

Display: 6.41-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) AMOLED display along with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC RAM: 8 GB Internal storage: 64GB of inbuilt storage on the smartphone Camera: 25 MP front camera with contrast detection autofocus and 4000 x 3000 Pixels resolution

OnePlus 6T is likely to come in multiple colour options like White, Black and Red. The company has confirmed that the smartphone will come with an in-display fingerprint scanner and waterdrop-style display notch. However, there will be no 3.5mm headphone jack.



ALSO READ | Diwali with Mi sale: Grab the Redmi Note 5 Pro at Re 1 today



The company CEO Pete Lau also released a low light camera sample from the device. The image shared by Lau on his Weibo account shows us the low light camera capability of the smartphone. According to a report, what he says in the post translates to Bring your own filter.

OnePlus 6T expected price:



OnePlus 6T price in India is likely to be priced around Rs. 34,999 for the base variant.
New Delhi:

One school student died while at least 20 others were injured after a bus and a truck collided late on Monday night under Barun police station in Aurangabad district, of Bihar news agency ANI reported. The students were returning from an educational trip from Rajgir.

Visuals from Bihar: One school student died, at least 20 others injured in a collision between their bus & a truck late last night under Barun police station limits in Aurangabad district. They were returning from an educational trip from Rajgir. pic.twitter.com/IEia1KZrio  ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2018

Aurangabad sub-divisional officer (SDO) Pradeep Kumar said that the critical ones have been referred to the hospital in the Jamui district while those with minor injuries have been administered first aid.

(Further details awaited)
Jeffersontown (US):

A male suspect fatally shot a man and a woman at a Kroger grocery store on the outskirts of c, Kentucky, and then exchanged fire with an armed bystander before fleeing the scene, police said on Wednesday. He was captured shortly afterward.

Both victims died at the store, said Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers. He did not say whether police had determined a motive. He also did not identify the suspect.

Read More | Chhath Puja 2018: Dates, rituals and celebrations in Bihar-Jharkhand-Uttar Pradesh

Police received a call about 3 pm (local time) reporting the shooting, Rogers said. He said the suspect fired multiple rounds at the man inside the store, and shot the female victim multiple times out in the parking lot.

A citizen armed with a gun engaged the shooter in the parking lot, but the suspect was able to flee before he was captured on a nearby road, Rogers said.

Eric Deacon, who identified himself as an EMT, told The Associated Press that he was in the self-checkout lane of the store when he heard the first shot, in the pharmacy.

He said a man came around the corner and the look on his face, he looked like he just didnt care. Deacon said he saw another man in the store with a gun who appeared to be shooting at the suspect, trying to get him out of the store.

Deacon went outside and saw a woman in her mid-50s or early 60s who had been hit, and tried to resuscitate her. She was gone, theres nothing I could do, Deacon said. I think she just got caught in the crossfire.

As police officers swarmed the scene and blocked off the area with yellow crime tape, a man identified by the Louisville Courier Journal as Tim King stood in the parking lot waiting for his wife to come out. He said he drove to the store after she called him sobbing to tell him what had happened.

Also Read | US President Donald Trump picks Indian-American Neil Chatterjee as chairman of key federal energy agency

I said, Whats wrong? King said in a video posted on the newspapers website. And she said, Theres someone shooting up here. King said his wife said she heard popping noises, then someone ran around a corner and said, Oh my God, hes killed her. Customers were moved to the back of the store, she said.

Its just a very, very scary situation, King said.

The Kroger Co. issued a statement saying that company officials were shocked and saddened by the shooting. Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended and our store is secure.

The store was closed and will not reopen until the investigation is complete, the release said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph will on Friday hear Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Vermas petition challenging the government's decision to send him on leave and divest him of all powers.

Senior jurist Fali Nariman will represent Verma in the top court while Attorney General KK Venugopal will represent the Centre, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will appear for the Central Vigilance Commission.

Read More | #MeToo: Junior artist alleges sexual harassment on the sets of Housefull 4

The CBI on Thursday had said both Verma and Asthana will retain their position in the agency as director and special director and Nageshwar Rao will remain interim chief till Central Vigilance Commission examines the allegations the two officials traded.

Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayana, who had filed the petition on Verma's behalf on Wednesday, had sought for an urgent hearing from the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

Shankarnarayana also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency.

Also Read | Virat Kohlis short run proves costly for India in Vizag ODI tie against West Indies

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

"As matters stood thus, the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons...," it said. The petition also said that as the apex court has repeatedly stated that CBI ought to be insulated from the government, the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT.

In an unprecedented move by the Central government, Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave till further notice and their offices were sealed on Wednesday. Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch officer, took charge as the interim chief of the investigating agency with immediate effect.

The feud between Verma and Asthana began after the CBI charged the latter with demanding a Rs 5-crore bribe from Satish Sana, a Hyderabad-based businessman, in return for keeping him out of a money-laundering case against meat exporter Moin Qureshi. In turn, the Gujarat-cadre officer -- who is said to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah -- accused his superior of several offences in a letter to the Union government.

11:39 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court issues notice to CVC, the Centre and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana on their pleas. Next date of hearing on November 12.

11:38 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In SC grants two weeks time to CVC for concluding probe.

11:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CJI Ranjan Gogoi states, "CVC will carry on probe in 10 days under the supervision of a judge of this court. M Nahgeshwar Rao shall perform only routine task. Change of investigating officer by CBI will be furnished in sealed cover on 12 of November before SC." The court has even called for a report from CBI in sealed cover about the decisions taken by Nageshwar Rao between October 23 till this day.

11:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Centre and CBI will provide CVC report to court in sealed cover within 10 days: SC

11:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CJI Gogoi in his order states," inquiry in respect of the allegation made in the note of the Secretariat as regards the present CBI Dir Alok Verma shall be completed by the CVC within a period of 2 weeks from today.The inquiry will be conducted by the retired SC judge AK Patnaik"



CJI Gogoi in his order states," inquiry in respect of the allegation made in the note of the Secretariat as regards the present CBI Dir Alok Verma shall be completed by the CVC within a period of 2 weeks from today.The inquiry will be conducted by the retired SC judge AK Patnaik" pic.twitter.com/hgzllKJIRz

 ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2018



11:33 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the CVC says "10 days may not be enough to complete the inquiry and opposes supervision of CVC inquiry by SC judge."

11:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI Interim Chief M Nageshwar Rao will not take any policy decisions: SC

11:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Nariman refers to CVC and Centre's orders divesting Verma of his duties. He also cites Vineet Narain judgment to support Verma's plea.

11:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi says, "Court will ask CVC inquiry into CBI Directors and Special Director, both of whom have been asked to go on leave after feud, to complete it in 10 days under supervision of a sitting SC judge."

11:27 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Fali Nariman opens arguments on behalf of Verma in the top court

11:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Supreme Court commences hearing on CBI chief Alok Verma's plea against Centre's order to divest him of powers and send him on leave

11:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi leave for Supreme Court from his residence. He will be representing CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.



#Delhi: Former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi leave for Supreme Court from his residence. He will be representing CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana. pic.twitter.com/tN32syOrBp

 ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2018



10:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana outside former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi's residence in Delhi.



CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana outside former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi's residence in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BpHTywQA3P

 ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2018



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Hours after being sent on leave in a dramatic overnight move by the government, CBI Director Alok Verma on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the agency is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, and there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

He said the Centre and the CVC's move was "patently illegal" and such interference "erodes" the independence and autonomy of the premier investigating institution.

Verma, in his petition, said the CBI should be kept independent of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which has jurisdiction over the probe agency, since it seriously limits the CBI's independent functioning.

In an unprecedented move by the Central government, Verma and CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave till further notice and their offices were sealed on Wednesday. Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch officer, took charge as the interim chief of the investigating agency with immediate effect. He will "look after duties and functions of director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect," said a government order put out on Tuesday night.

Also Read | Government bid to put out fire in the CBI is too crude to work

The Supreme Court agreed to hear on October 26 the petition by Verma challenging the government's decision. Advocate Gopal Shankarnarayana, who filed the petition on Verma's behalf, sought for an urgent hearing from the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph.

"Over the recent past, although all functionaries within the CBI from the investigating officer and the superintending officers up to the Joint Director and the Director have agreed on a certain course of action, the Special Director has been of a different view," the plea said.

Shankarnarayana also challenged the decision of the government by which Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given charge as head of the probe agency.

It alleged that "hurdles posed" by Asthana have now been compounded by his complicity in "concocting evidence" to impugn the reputation of Verma, leading to a separate FIR being registered by CBI which has been challenged by the special director in the Delhi High Court.

"As matters stood thus, the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) and the Central Government have overnight taken the impugned decisions to divest the petitioner of his complete role as Director CBI and to appoint another individual in his stead. These actions are patently illegal for the reasons...," it said. The petition also said that as the apex court has repeatedly stated that CBI ought to be insulated from the government, the present actions give serious credence to the requirement that the agency be given independence from the DoPT.

The Centre's order implies that it has sidelined all the three additional directors number three in the agency's hierarchy, including AK Sharma, whose name had figured in the complaint by Asthana.

Also Read | Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopras new mansion worth $ 6.5 million; images leaked

The CBI had on Tuesday suspended its deputy superintendent of police Devender Kumar, who is facing bribery allegations involving the agency's second-in-command Asthana.

Kumar, earlier the investigating officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was arrested on the allegations of forgery in recording the statement of businessman Sathish Sana, who had alleged to have paid bribe to get relief in the case.

In his statement, Sana had purportedly said that he had in June this year discussed his case with Telugu Desam Party's Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh who, after speaking to the CBI Director, had assured him that he would not be summoned again.

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court directed the CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings initiated against Rakesh Asthana, who has challenged the FIR lodged against him on bribery allegations.

Although the CBI cannot arrest Asthana till October 29, the next date of hearing, the high court clarified that there is no stay on the probe considering the nature and gravity of the case.

Besides Asthana, Kumar has also filed a separate petition seeking quashing of the FIR. Justice Najmi Waziri issued notices and sought responses of the probe agency and its Director Alok Kumar Verma as also Joint Director AK Sharma on both the petitions.

(With PTI inputs)



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address a farmers rally in Raipur on Monday kicking off the partys campaign in poll-bound Chhattisgarh.

The AICC Chief will arrive at the Swami Vivekanand airport at around 2.10 pm Monday. He is scheduled to address a rally of farmers from the Science College ground at around 3 pm, said state Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla on Sunday.

Congress President @RahulGandhi will be in Chhattisgarh for two public meetings. You can catch his speeches live on our social media channels. pic.twitter.com/UhIcbGrgFp  Congress (@INCIndia) October 22, 2018

Gandhi would hold meetings with senior party leaders during his brief visit. He will also meet delegations of people representing various sections of the society before leaving for Delhi in the evening, said Shukla.

Read More | Sabarimala Temple Row: Police ask media to vacate Sannidhaman, Pamba on intel of targeted attack

For both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, farmers are being seen as the major vote bank. BJP, which has been in power for the past 15 years, is fighting a strong anti-incumbency whereas the Rahul Gandhi-led party is making all possible attempts to make a comeback.

Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on 12 November and 20 November. Counting of votes will be taken up on 11 December.

Also Read | Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are finally tying the knot! November date fixed

The pre-poll tie-up among an outfit floated by former chief minister Ajit Jogi, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) has added a third dimension to the state politics which is dominated by the BJP and the Congress.

The first phase of polling covers 18 seats spread across eight Naxal-affected districts namely Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Sukma, Kondagaon, Kanker, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon. The remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls on 20 November.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Raipur | Highlights:

17:54 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "Our Armed Forces give their life to protect this country. The UPA government issued a contract to purchase 126 Rafale aircrafts. This contract was given to HAL, which has 70+ years of experience. This would provide for jobs in India," says the Congress President

17:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PM Modi has an interaction with a woman from Chhattisgarh where she agrees that her income has doubled. She later admits that she was told to say so. The reporter who discovered this lie was removed from his job: Congress President
New Delhi:

Dengue has claimed three lives, all under the aged of 15, in Madhya Pradeshs Morena district in last one week, an official said on Thursday.

More than 90 people has been diagnosed with the vector-borne disease this season, the official said.

According to official report, at least 50 people suffering from Dengue were undergoing treatment at different hospitals outside the district.

An eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy while undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the national capital, Morena district malaria officer Dr Harendra Singh told PTI.

Also Read | Pakistan to send its first astronaut to space by 2022

Another 15-year-old boy was succumbed at a medical facility at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Dr Singh said.

Family members were rushing patients to private hospitals following a decline in their blood platelets count, he said.

To prevent further outbreak, as sources said, mosquito fogging was being done in areas where dengue cases had come to light and adequate arrangements were made at government-run hospitals in the district to treat the patients.

Besides, doctors have advised people to take all precautions like wearing full-sleeves and not allowing the breeding of mosquito larvae inside their homes.

Read More | KWAN takes a strong stand, says no sympathy for Anirban Das Blah

What is Dengue?

Dengue is a viral infection spread by the mosquito Aedes Aezypti popularly known as Tiger Mosquito. The symptoms of the disease are persistent high fever, rashes, headache and pain in the joints. In the acute cases, the platelets number decreases drastically which may prove fatal for the patient.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bengaluru:

The all too familiar story of jolts to the Congress party from smaller, regional players such as Mayawati and Ajit Jogi in Chhattisgarh is repeating in Telangana. The ground reality in the youngest state presents a chance for the Congress to revive itself. But, the party appears to be desperately frustrating itself by driving its suitors in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) away.



ALSO READ | CBI muddle gets worse as PMOs magic backfires



The strong and rigid stance the Congress has taken over seat sharing talks with its allies in maha kootami (grand alliance) could prove to be a self-goal even before electioneering picked up in the real earnest.



The grand old political party of India is bidding to revive itself in the state it had created and had successfully managed to sell the concept of Opposition unity as an effective approach to oust the ruling TRS. It had even got its enemy number one, the TDP whose reason for birth was anti-Congressism in early 80s, on its side and played ball with newly formed TJS under fiery orator M Kodandaram.



A maha-kootami (grand alliance) at the state level did materialise, raising hopes for the Congress to make a comeback in Telangana, riding the anti-incumbency of the K Chandrashekhara Rao (KCR) government.



However, in what can be a trailer of shape of things to come at the national level ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Congress yearning to regain power is becoming its own impediment.



At present, the constituents of the grand alliance are engaged in tricky seat sharing talks that appear headed for a deadlock. The unwillingness of the Congress to accommodate the alliance partners, something that Mayawati of the BSP cited as a reason for going on her own with Ajit Jogi in Chhattisgarh is paying out in Telangana too.



As things stand today, the TJS is mulling whether to break away and contest all the 119 seats in the state on its own after the Congress appeared ill-inclined to consider allotting seats to its alliance partner.



The recently floated TJS attracted several leaders as they hoped to get seats of their choice to contest in the general elections. But as against the TJS demand for 36 seats, the Congress was willing to part with less than 10 seats to the junior partner.



Pressure from party leaders is mounting for TJS leader Kodandaram to breakout of a humiliating alliance with the Congress.



Likewise, the experience of the TDP unit of Telangana so far has also been bitter. The TDP was pressing for 30 seats but was being offered a mere 12. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had empowered the Telangana unit to discuss alliance and seat sharing with the Congress, has decided to step in himself.



ALSO READ | Sabarimala doors shut; women's right to pray in Lord Ayyappa temple remains a distant dream



Indications from the TDP are to resist Congress attempts to browbeat and that it would take a calculated gamble, if the Congress persists with its bravado.



The Congress can never win without getting the opposition on a single platform. If the Congress leadership realises this, it would be in its own interests. Or else it can be a case of so near and yet so far for the Congress, opined Bharat Bhushan, a Hyderabad-based political analyst.



CPI leaders in Hyderabad assert that it was still in a position to make or mar the chances of candidates in some 40 constituencies across Telangana. But the Congress was unwilling to give it respectful importance it deserved and wanted to fib off with two or three seats. What the CPI is demanding are some 12 seats.



For sure, the Congress has a huge problem on its hands. If it gives in to allies demands, then it will not have enough to fight on its own and will have an army of disgruntled rebels. Who can also be as dangerous.



ALSO READ | Koffee with Karan 6: 'Wild and wacky' fun with Akshay-Ranveer



At present, the Congress is hoping that the alliance partners also tone down their demands a shade and come to an understanding. In this hope lies the Congress revival prospects in Telangana.
New Delhi:

Sonali Bendre who is battling cancer in New York has recently shared her new look. The actor recently shared a picture of herself with hairstylist and friend Bokhee with a hashtag #SwitchOnTheSunshine.

Also Read | CID is not bidding adieu, it's 'just on a break'!

Sonali was overwhelmed by the new hairdo that she took to her Instagram handle and thanked her friend-cum-hairstylist for it. She wrote, Sometimes, in the most unlikely of circumstances, you meet the most amazing people someone who meets you as a stranger but very quickly becomes a friend.

One such person is @bokheehair, genius hairstylist and wigmaker. She has been absolutely amazing; indulging me with various looks... short hair or long hair. Shes been so understanding, supportive and empathetic throughout it all. Thank you so so much Bokhee, I cant tell you how much our sessions together mean to me. You truly are an angel. #SwitchOnTheSunshine , the actor added further.

The Sarfarosh actor is making every possible attempt to reveal the strength and inspiration that beholds the gorgeous lady. She recently shared some happy pictures with Priyanka Chopra, Sophie Turner and her adorable dog Diana, won many hearts.

Also Read | Ranbir to sing 'Channa Mereya' on Deepika-Ranveers wedding? These rib-tickling memes accompanied the big announcement

Also Read | Superstar Prabhas treats fans with breathtaking glimpses of Saaho on birthday

Sonali has been from time and again inspiring many through her social media posts. The actor shared news about her high-grade cancer that has metastasized through social media. Since then, she keeps sharing updates about her health and is brave enough to withstand any hurdle that life throws at her.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Imphal:

High tariff duties coupled with an increasing gap in gold prices between India and Myanmar has led to an upsurge in smuggling of the yellow metal across the international border, a report compiled by anti-smuggling unit of Imphal customs division has said. Manipur shares a 398-km-long porous international border with the neighbouring country.



An official of the customs division feels facilitating "free movement" of citizens for a stipulated period from Manipur's border town of Moreh to adjacent Namphalong market in Myanmar has made the conflict-ridden state "more prone to illicit trafficking of contraband gold".



India and Myanmar border have a Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows people living along the border to travel 16km across the boundary without visa restrictions.

Also Read | Rupee gains 8 paise to 73.24 against US dollar in early trade



"This unhindered movement across the border and lure or easy money have made Manipur a soft target for smugglers," the official added.



Last year, the anti-smuggling unit report stated, a whopping recovery of 137.4 kg gold, worth around Rs 40 crore, was made in Manipur alone.



The recovery from the entire northeast region amounted to 267.2 kg of gold, worth Rs 84.12 crores.



In 2016, the customs division had seized 16.15 kg gold, valued at Rs 10 crore.

Also Read | Sensex bounces 321 points in early trade on positive Asian cues



"The report suggests that Manipur accounts for 45 per cent of the total contraband gold recovered from the region last year. The seized gold often finds its way to the state and other parts of the country as it has no markings to indicate the place of origin," the customs official said.



As of September this year, 42 cases have been registered and contraband gold worth Rs 12 crore recovered, RK Darendrajit, Assistant Commissioner, Imphal Customs Division,

told PTI.



In November, last year, an individual was apprehended from Lokchao area in Tengnoupal district with 26.6 kg gold.



"Unlike other security agencies which make contraband gold recoveries through random frisking, we rely on intelligence inputs to make arrests and recoveries," Darendrajit stated.



Pointing out that "those arrested in the border area mostly act as carriers for a commission of around Rs 2000", he said it was hard to trace the kingpins as the highly-organized rackets operate very cautiously.

Also Read | India leads UK's Scotch whisky exports boom



The "carriers", in order to deceive the security agencies, often conceal gold bars in their body parts to avoid detection on the Imphal-Moreh National Highway, another

official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.



"In August this year, two men were apprehended with 12 gold biscuits worth Rs 62 lakh inside their rectum," he said.



Interestingly, some of them even paint the valuable yellow metal in silver to hoodwink the customs division sleuths, he said.



Nonetheless, the consignments bound for mainland India, including metropolitan cities of Delhi and Kolkata, reach destinations as the demand for gold never wanes, the official added.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A day after a 22-year-old jawan was killed in stone pelting in Kashmir, an angry Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat on Saturday said stone-pelters are nothing but overground workers of terror organisation. He also asked Pakistan to desist from funding terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the Indian state was "strong enough" to ensure that the border state remains a part of India and no one can take it away by force or any other means.

Indian Army soldier Rajendra Singh has succumbed to his injuries after being attacked with stones by some youth in Kashmir's Anantnag on Thursday. An army spokesman said Sepoy Rajendra Singh was part of the Quick Reaction Team which was providing security to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) convoy on Thursday.

Stone pelters are over ground workers of terrorists: Army Chief: https://t.co/uqG9deHI76 via @YouTube  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) October 27, 2018

"I still say the same... If they (stone-pelters) can kill people with such acts, are they not becoming like terrorists I want to tell them (stone-pelters) that no one will benefit from stone-pelting," said the Army chief, adding tough action should be taken against the stone-pelters. He said the Army has got an FIR lodged in the case. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the Infantry Day.

Rawat added that if Pakistan continues to support cross-border terrorism, the Indian Army can resort to "other actions" too.Rawat also said Pakistan was resorting to a "proxy war" to avenge its defeat at the hands of India in the 1971 war when Bangladesh was liberated. The aim of Pakistan, he said, is to keep the Indian Army "embroiled in this proxy war that they have lost.

"Asked about the cross-border infiltration, he said Pakistan would be wise to know that by indulging in such activities, harm is coming to Pakistan only.

"We are capable of finishing any infiltrators who reach our side. But, if Pakistan continues to support infiltration, we can use other kind of action too," Rawat said.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Bangladesh will look to arrive at solutions to the problem of delays faced by Indian barges at its ports, industry body Assocham said on Friday quoting a top official.

The Indias neighbouring nation has given a positive indication on minimising delays faced by Indian barges at its ports, the statement said.

Indias shipping secretary Gopal Krishna during an event said Bangladesh had shown a very positive frame of mind on resolving this issue which is to the benefit of both, largely Bangladesh exporters and the spinoff would be to ship lines and to Indian ports, the Assocham statement said.

Also Read | Anantnag: Army soldier Rajendra Singh, 22, dies after being attacked by protesters

Krishna said: Let me place on record that we had flagged this issue very prominently with Bangladesh side and also mentioned that it being a very huge exporter of garments but when we are visiting our ports, the constant demand is that delays in exports is costing Bangladesh economy orders.

The statement also said the shipping ministry is awaiting Revenue Departments response on allowing domesticated containers to carry exim cargo for exim routes.

We have taken this issue with Department of Revenue, generally they feel that they would also require to consult transportation stakeholders because lot of transporters use built-in containers and there could be an issue vis-a-vis that mode, Krishna said addressing the meet.

In her address, Director General Shipping Malini V Shankar said that while Indias trade with Bangladesh has grown rapidly in the past few years, there are issues that need to be discussed so that participation of Indian ships in the coastal trade can be enhanced.

Read More | Titanic II set to sail by 2022, to follow the original journey

The possibility of allowing transportation of exim and transhipment cargo under the coastal shipping agreement needs to be explored, she said.

Similarly, the removal of limit of 6,000 GT (gross tonnage) for operation of vessels under the agreement also needs to be explored in order to encourage more and more number of vessels to engage in coastal shipping between the two countries, added DG Shipping.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected Afghanistans claimed of involvement in Kandahar attack, in which three top Afghan officials were killed in the southern state, was planned in the neighbouring country.

Pakistan rejects baseless and unfounded allegations regarding the latest Kandahar attacks, Pakistans Foreign Office said.

The statement come a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis claimed that the attack on slain Kandahars police commander Gen Abdul Raziq was planned in Pakistan.

Also Read | Job and career opportunities in untapped Indias footwear industry

I want to say that this conspiracy was plotted in Pakistan. So Pakistan should give us the criminals so that we can bring them to justice, Ghani said during his visit to Kandahar on October 23.

In a statement issued by Pakistans Foreign Office said no hard evidence or intelligence related information has been shared to date with Pakistan to substantiate such claims.

It also said that there was elaborate mechanisms under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) to mutually and effectively address and investigate any such unfortunate incidents.

It would have been more appropriate to invoke the relevant arrangement instead of resorting to media blame game which is contrary to the seven principles of cooperation agreed between the two sides, earlier this year, it said.

Read More | DDLJ turns 23: SRK-Kajol starrer crosses 1,200-week run at Maratha Mandir

On October 18, a gunman dressed in Afghan Police uniform opened fire on a gathering, killing Kandahar Provinces police chief, General Abdul Raziq, provincial intelligence head Abdul Momin Hassankhail, and a journalist.

Following the attack, Pakistan condemned the violence just days before the Afghan Parliamentary elections.

Wish to see Afghan and other security forces succeeding to bring an end to this prolonged violence in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in the region, Pakistan Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted after the terror attack.

COAS condemns Kandahar incident. Wish to see Afghan and other security forces succeeding to bring an end to this prolonged violence in Afghanistan. Peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in the region. Support all initiatives towards this end, COAS.  Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) October 18, 2018

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also condoled the death of the senior Afghan officials.

In a phone call to his Afghan counterpart on October 19, Qureshi assured him Islamabads full support to the democratic process in the war-torn country.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
BAGHDAD: Iraqi President Barham Salih has said an upcoming conference in Baghdad will establish a new order based on common regional security and economic interdependence. The President also confirmed the need to continue the fight against terrorism as well as corruption, as they are closely linked to violence and extremism.

The president said that the Iraqi Neighboring Countries Conference "will contribute to easing regional tensions and crises, and support the path of constructive dialogue", On Wednesday, Nizar al-Khairallah, spokesman of the regional conference, said the dialogue will focus on economic and investment cooperation, adding that the representatives from the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the G20, and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will attend as observers.

On August 28, the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership will be attended by presidents and representatives from Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, in addition to French President Emmanuel Macron.

German Chancellor Merkel cancels Israel visit amid Afghan crisis

One word hint lockdown wont end until October as NSW records 882 new cases

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett aims to dissuade Biden from returning to the Iran nuclear deal
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is aiming to dissuade U.S President Joe Biden from returning to the Iran nuclear deal when the two leaders meet at the White House Friday, August 27.

The meeting, originally scheduled for August 26, was deferred for one day as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport that killed at least 13 U.S. troops. Bennett said in a statement posted on social media: On behalf of the people of Israel, I share our deep sadness over the loss of American lives in Kabul,. Israel stands with the United States in these difficult times, just as America has always stood with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the United States.

Bennett told his Cabinet before the trip that he would tell the American president that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing and not to reenter a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.

Before arriving in Washington, Bennett made clear that he would push against the Iran deal, arguing Tehran has already advanced in its uranium enrichment, and sanctions relief would give Iran more resources to back Israels enemies in the region.

Joe Biden stouts Kabul airport attackers: 'We will hunt you down'

Stalin-era mass grave found in Ukraine

Two people killed in apartment building collapse in eastern Spain

Blast at Kabul Airport, leave many dead, US too confirms casualties
NEW DELHI: Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said that Pakistan and India should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbours and their interests are linked to each other. Notably, it is his first comment on the Kashmir issue.

Mujahid made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with Pakistani TV channel ARY News. On Jammu and Kashmir, Zabihullah said New Delhi needs to have a "positive attitude towards the disputed territory". He said, "Our desire is that India devise its policy as per the interests of Afghan people He stated in clear terms that the Taliban won't allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country.

Zabihullah was of the view that Pakistan and India should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbours and their interests are linked to each other, He said that the group, which now rules Afghanistan, considers Pakistan as their second home and won't allow any activity on Afghan soil which goes against Pakistan's interests.

Hurricane watches issued for Gulf Coast states as forecasters warn Tropical Storm Ida could be 'strongest storm of the season'

Evacuation warnings issued as Caldor Fire nears Lake Tahoe basin

Supreme Court blocks Biden's COVID-19 eviction moratorium in a blow to renters
The remains of between 5,000 and 8,000 people were found in 29 graves in the southern city of Odessa. The site, believed to date back to the late 1930s, was uncovered during exploration works for a planned expansion of an airport. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are believed to have died during Joseph Stalin's rule of the Soviet Union. Sergiy Gutsalyuk, the head of the regional branch of Ukraine's National Memory Institute, told AFP that the victims were likely to have been killed by the Soviet secret police unit during the late 1930s.

However, he said it would not be possible to identify the victims as any records were held in Russia. According to the Ukrinform website, around 8,600 people in Odessa were sentenced to death by the Soviet secret police between 1938 and 1941. The National Memory Institute had initially said it was not possible to estimate the number of people executed at the site, but that it already appeared to be one of the largest mass graves ever found in Ukraine.

One of the historians who worked on the discovery, Aleksander Babich, said on Facebook that there were likely to be even more bodies than had already been found, as excavations had not been completed in some parts of the site. He added that there could also be further graves on a nearby site belonging to a military unit. Ukrainian historians say that hundreds of thousands of people were killed during Joseph Stalin's violent repression of the 1930s, with other mass graves found in Odessa and elsewhere in Ukraine. One of the largest sites is at Bykivnia, a forest outside the capital Kyiv, where some estimates say that more than 200,000 executed political prisoners may have been buried.

Blast at Kabul Airport, leave many dead, US too confirms casualties

New Global COVID-19 Cases, Deaths Appear Stable But At a High Level

Pentagon Mandates Military Service Members Immediately Begin COVID-19 Vaccination
Home  Just In  Lenovo laptops: Price in Nepal as of August 2021. Plus, 4 laptops that are best to buy

Lenovo is one of the most popular brands in laptops that have gained popularity in Nepal as well. Known for its amazing hardware, build quality, and reliable battery life, it has a variety of laptops in almost every sector from budget to business, as well as gaming. The performance is a key factor of consideration while purchasing a laptop and Lenovo seems to deliver it.

With varieties of laptops in the Nepali market as well, today we bring you the latest price list of Lenovo laptops in Nepal and a brief description of four among the best Lenovo laptops that you should watch. If you want to purchase these laptops you can get them from Itti.

Price list: August 2021

Model Price ThinkPad ThinkPad E14 i5 11th Gen / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

14 FHD display / Backlight Keyboard Rs 120,000 ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 Ryzen 7 4700U / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

14 FHD display / Backlight Keyboard Rs 130,000 ThinkPad X13 AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650U / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

13.3 FHD Display Rs 135,000 ThinkPad T14s i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD / 14 FHD Rs 144,000 ThinkPad T490 i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD / 14 FHD Rs 145,000 ThinkPad X390 i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD / 13.3 FHD Rs 159,000 ThinkPad L13 i7 10th Gen / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

/ 13.3 FHD Touchscreen display Rs 175,000 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020 i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD /

14 FHD Rs 179,000 ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2020 i5 10th Gen / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD / 14 FHD Rs 198,000 ThinkPad P15v i7 10th Gen 8-Core / NVIDIA Quadro P620 / 16GB RAM /

512GB SSD / 15.6 FHD Display Rs 255,000 IdeaPad IdeaPad S145 A4 9000 series Rs 53,699 Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i Celeron / 4GB RAM / 64GB Storage

/ 10.3 FHD TouchScreen Display Rs 60,000 IdeaPad 3 2020 i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

14 FHD display Rs 85,000 IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Ryzen 5 5500U / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD /

15.6 FHD display / Backlight Keyboard Rs 85,000 IdeaPad 5 15 2021 i5 11th Gen / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

15.6 FHD display / Backlight Keyboard Rs 95,000 Flex 14 2020 Ryzen 5 4500U / 16GB RAM / 256GB SSD

/ 14 FHD 360-degree Touch display / Lenovo Active Stylus Rs 105,000 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15 Ryzen 7 4800H / GTX 1650Ti / 8GB RAM

/ 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD / 15.6 FHD 120Hz display Rs 139,000 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i i7 11th Gen / GeForce MX450 / 16GB RAM /

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD / 15.6 FHD display Rs 143,000 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i 15 i7 10th Gen / GTX 1650Ti / 16GB RAM /

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD / 15.6 FHD 120Hz display Rs 152,000 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 9i 2021 11th Gen i7-1165G7 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

14 4K 360-degree Touch display / Stylus Yoga Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga i5 10th Gen / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD /

13.3 FHD X 360 Touchscreen / Thinkpad Pro Pen Rs 125,000 Lenovo Yoga Duet 7i 10th Gen i5 / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

13 WQHD TouchScreen Display Rs 145,000 Lenovo Yoga C940 i7 10TH Gen / 12GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

13.3 FHD 360 TouchScreen Rs 169,000 Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga i7 10th Gen / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

13.3 FHD x360 Touchscreen display Rs 195,000 Lenovo Yoga 9i 2021 11th Gen i7-1185G7 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

14 4K 360-degree Touch display / Stylus Rs 220,000 Legion Lenovo Legion Y540 i5 9th Gen / GTX 1650 / 8GB RAM /

256GB SSD + 1TB HDD / 15.6 FHD display Rs 123,000 Lenovo Legion 5 Ryzen 7 4800H / GTX 1650 / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

15.6 120Hz Display Rs 143,000 Lenovo Legion 5 2021 Ryzen 7 5800H / RTX 3050Ti / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

15.6 FHD Display / 165Hz Refresh Rate Rs 180,000 Lenovo Legion 5i i7 10th Gen / RTX 2060 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

15.6 240Hz Display / RGB Keyboard Rs 195,000 Lenovo Legion 5 2021 Ryzen 7 5800H / RTX 3060 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD /

15.6 165Hz Display / RGB Backlight Keyboard Rs 220,000

4 best laptops to watch

1. Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i

Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3i is a powerful performing entry-level laptop from Lenovo that is perfect for everyday tasks. It has a durable build and a narrow bezel on two sides which makes for a clean design and larger display, giving you more viewing area and less clutter. The Pentium processor on this device gives the ability to effortlessly multitask with multi-screen capabilities, communicate easily with friends and families. If you are looking for a Lenovo budget laptop, this might fill your needs.

Specifications

Processor Up to Intel Pentium N5030Intel Celeron N4020 Operating system Up to Windows 10 ProWindows 10 Home in S mode Graphics Intel integrated graphics Display 10.3 MIPI (1920 x 1200) 330 nits, 100% sRGB optional digital pen support Memory Up to 8GB Battery Up to 9 hours Storage Up to 128GB eMMC Audio 2 x 1W stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Camera Front: 2M fixed-focus CMOSRear: 5M auto-focus Dimensions Width: 167.5mm

Depth: 11.0mm

Height: 253mm Weight Starting at 602g Colour Graphite grey Connectivity 2 x 2 WiFi 5 (802.11ac)Bluetooth5.0Optional LTE Ports/slots 2 x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) (DisplayPort 3 & PD) headphone / mic combo Keyboard Folio keyboard with Bluetooth Preloaded software Windows 10 SMcAfee LiveSafeMicrosoft OfficeLenovo UtilityLenovo Vantage

2. ThinkPad P15v

One of the best laptops that Lenovo has to provide is the ThinkPad P15v. Like all ThinkPad laptops, the P15v laptop is tested against 12 military-grade requirements and more than 200 quality checks to ensure it runs in extreme conditions.

This laptop comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10850H processor featuring Octa-core (8-core) CPU, NVIDIA Quadro P620 Graphics Card with 4GB VRAM, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD Storage, 15.6-inch IPS display with Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution and a peak 250 nits brightness. That is a combination that will meet the demands of even the most intensive users and creators.

Specifications

CPU 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10870H Processor, 2.2 GHz (16MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz, 8 Cores, 16 Threads) RAM 16GB DDR4 2933MHz (2 x 8 GB) Graphics NVIDIA Quadro P620 4GB Audio 2 x 2W stereo speakers Dolby AtmosDual far-field mic Display 15.6-inch IPS display; Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution; 250 nits brightness; anti-glare panel Type Workstation Laptop Connections 2 x USB A 3.2 Gen 1 (1 always on)USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 / Thunderbolt 3 HDMI 2.0Headphone/mic combo jack RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet

Optional: Smart card reader, SD card reader Networking Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth 5.1 Storage 512 GB PCIe SSD Dimension Height: 14.43

Width: 9.84

Depth: .89 Battery 6 Cell 68Whr Battery Camera webcam 720p Weight 2.7Kg

3. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i

Photo: Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i can be an ideal gaming laptop that can save you a few thousand bucks if you are new in the gaming world. Labelled as an entry-level gaming laptop, it comes with 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GTX 1650Ti Graphics Card with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 15.6-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) 120Hz display, BT WIN10 Webcam, and a Backlit Keyboard. This can fulfil most of your gaming needs.

With these specifications, you can do more than just gaming. Multiple high-end tasks can be performed simultaneously without lagging problems.

CPU 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H RAM 16GB SO-DIMM DDR4-2933 Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650ti 4GB GDDR6 Audio 2x 1.5W speakers with Dolby Audio Display 15.6-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) WVA 250nits Anti-glare, 120Hz Connections 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1

1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1

1 x HDMI 2.0

1 x ethernet (RJ-45)

1 x headphone/mic jack Networking 11ax, 22 + Bluetooth 5.0 Storage 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD Dimensions Height: 359mm

Width: 249.6mm

Depth: 24.9mm Battery 3-cell (45Wh), integrated Webcam 720p Weight 2.2KG

4. Lenovo Yoga 9i 2021

Photo: Lenovo

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2021 is the latest addition to the Lenovo laptop series and is one of the best laptops available in the Nepali market at the moment. It offers the latest 11th Gen Core i7 processor, keeping it in line with the competition. Also, the added stylus makes navigating on the tablet portion much easier and even more enjoyable.

Everything about this two-in-one convertible laptop is captivating, from its good battery life to a colourful display, an amazing rotating speaker, and fast performance.

Along with 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor, this laptop is equipped with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB LPDDR4X RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD Storage, 14-inch IPS display with 4K (38402160 pixels) resolution, 500 nits brightness, Dolby Vision, a 360-degree display and Touchscreen panel, Supports Stylus pen, Rotating Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos speaker system (Stereo speakers, 2 x subwoofers, 2 x tweeters), 2 x webcam mics, HD (720p) WebCam, up to 12 hours of battery life and a backlit Keyboard.

Specifications
* Sunni Mufti says crisis needs serious, immediate treatment

* Rapid deterioration in Lebanon sparks international concern

* With medicines running out, cancer patients protest

* Security chief says state institutions undermined by collapse (Recasts with sermon from Sunni mufti)

BEIRUT, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Lebanon is heading towards complete collapse unless action is taken to remedy the crisis caused by its financial meltdown, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, the state's most senior Sunni Muslim cleric, warned on Friday.

The economic collapse that began in 2019 has plumbed new depths this month, leading to fuel shortages that have crippled even essential services and causing numerous security incidents involving scrambles for gasoline.

The head of one of the main security agencies, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, ordered his officers to stand firm in the face of the crisis, saying it could be protracted and warning of the chaos that would ensue if the state collapsed.

The warnings are some of the strongest yet from Lebanese officials about the gravity of the situation.

The accelerating pace of the deterioration has added to international concern about a state that was pieced back together after a 1975-90 civil war and is still deeply riven by sectarian and factional rivalries.

The U.N. secretary general on Thursday called for a new government to be formed urgently.

Lebanese politicians have failed to agree on the government even as the currency has lost more than 90% of its value and more than half of Lebanese have fallen into poverty.

Even vital medicines are hard to find. Cancer patients who have been told their treatment cannot be guaranteed protested on Thursday.

"We fear that ... the patience of Lebanese will run out and that we will all fall into the furnace of complete chaos, manifestations of which we have started to see in all fields," Sheikh Derian said during a Friday sermon in comments carried by the National News Agency.

Story continues

"The matter requires serious and immediate treatment," he said. "Otherwise we are truly going to what is worse and to complete collapse," he said, noting clashes that have flared up in some parts of Lebanon.

The World Bank says it is one of the worst collapses ever recorded. Its root causes include decades of corruption in government and the unsustainable way the state was financed.

Foreign donors say they will provide assistance once a government is formed that embarks on reforms.

"THE EYE OF CHAOS"

President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, a Sunni Muslim, have yet to agree on a cabinet to replace the government that quit after last year's Beirut port explosion.

The already difficult process was overshadowed on Friday by a row between Aoun and a group of former prime ministers, including Mikati and Saad al-Hariri, over the probe into the explosion.

The former premiers have objected to attempts by the investigating judge to question the caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, seeing it as an unjustified move against a post reserved for a Sunni and accusing the presidency of steering the probe. Aoun said the accusations were unfortunate.

Mikati was designated premier after Hariri abandoned a nine-month-long bid to form the government, saying he could not agree with Aoun and accusing him of seeking effective veto power in cabinet. Aoun, an ally of the heavily armed, Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, has denied this. He blamed Hariri.

Grand Mufti Derian, who generally aligns with the former prime ministers in politics, urged Aoun to try to save what was left his term.

"Otherwise we are going to ... to the bottom of hell," he said, recalling Aoun's warning last September that Lebanon was going to hell if a government was not formed.

Major General Ibrahim, in a message to personnel at General Security, said state institutions had been undermined by "the great collapse".

Were the state to fall it would fall on everyone "and everyone will be in the eye of chaos and in the line of tension".

(Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Maha El Dahan and John Stonestreet)
Juan Mayen, a Honduran entrepreneur who's trying to set up the country's first crypto exchange. (Photo courtesy of Juan Mayen)

Juan Mayen, a Honduran entrepreneur, just opened his countrys first crypto ATM, La Bitcoinera, earlier this week. Located in Honduras largest city, Tegucigalpa, inside the building where Mayen works, the ATM is one step forward in the entrepreneurs goal of giving Hondurans access to bitcoin and cryptocurrency markets.

Since El Salvadors president Nayib Bukele first announced intentions to make bitcoin legal tender in June, officials in other developing countries, especially in Latin America, have signaled interest. By making bitcoin (BTC-USD) legal tender, Bukele believes the government can use the cryptocurrency to boost the countrys economy. Most notably, the Salvadoran government plans to accomplish this by eliminating the fees inherent in cross-border transactions through traditional banking services.

Like El Salvador, the neighboring country of Honduras receives a high percentage of its GDP (23.4%) in cross border payments, according to the World Bank.

While theres no clear evidence the Honduran government will follow suit, the entrepreneur Mayen said his country is already seeing some of the spillover effects of El Salvadors bitcoin adoption. For one, the cryptocurrency billionaire Brock Pierce met the current president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, earlier this week.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Seeing Pierces social media posts, Mayen and other members of BUIDL  a crypto-themed group composed of hundreds of Hondurans on the social media platform Discord  reached out to Pierce. Days later, Mayen and a couple other BUIDL members found themselves in the presidential suite of Tegucigalpas Intercontinental hotel meeting with Pierce. Mayen showed Pierce the ATM which lets customers buy the bitcoin and ethereum (ETH-USD) at a 10% markup.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Though Mayen, 28, is proud of helping open his countrys first crypto ATM, his long-term goal is to launch Honduras first online crypto exchange in the next few months. With the news of El Salvadors adoption, on top of bitcoins latest bull market run, Mayen told Yahoo Finance that hes felt an increasing urgency to get his crypto exchange off the ground.

Story continues

According to the entrepreneur, the longer it takes to launch his exchange, the less bitcoin his countrys currency, the Lempira, will be able to buy.

Theres only going to be 21 million bitcoin in total, said Mayen. (By design, the bitcoin blockchain has a maximum supply of 21 million BTC that can be mined. Once total bitcoins are mined in the year 2140, the asset's payment network will rely solely on fees. The purpose and use of bitcoin will likely change by that point, but owners like Mayen agree the price will be much higher.)

Thats a warning sign. If my exchange launches a year later than I plan, the BTC price could be higher and our Lempira will buy even less bitcoin, said Mayen.

'Starting a business is so hard'

Since earning his MBA from Tennessees University of Memphis and returning to Honduras, Mayen has formed a team of developers to create the exchange.

It's going slower than Id like, he said, referring to launching the exchange.

Calling the exchange BitReal, Mayen and team have dedicated nights and weekends to building the exchange, having to use normal working hours to earn additional sources of income.

Starting a business is so hard if you dont have the connections or the capital, he said.

CHILTUIPAN, LA LIBERTAD, EL SALVADOR - 2021/06/07: A woman withdraws money from an Athena Bitcoin ATM. (Photo by Camilo Freedman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Mayen has supported himself by trading cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum and translating cryptocurrency education material, thanks to a grant from the Ethereum Foundation.

For me, trading bitcoin, ethereum and NFTs has provided enough capital to sustain myself so I can build my company in Honduras, said Mayen.

Once a minimum viable product is built for BitReal, Mayen will try to raise capital so he and his team can work on the business full time and hire more people. But finding the right tech talent or starting a crypto business in Honduras is far from easy.

A developing country with a relatively high rate of emigration, or what Mayen called brain drain, Honduras hasnt seen the same level of crypto adoption as El Salvador. Nonetheless, Mayen and others have formed BUIDL Honduras, a crypto-focused community made up of hundreds of Hondurans on Discord.

A greater level of trust

Before opening the crypto ATM, peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges provided the only way Hondurans could gain exposure to cryptocurrency. This type of money transfer service has proven essential to crypto adoption in developing countries. Because peer-to-peer exchanges dont custody crypto or other currencies, they arent required to interact with traditional banking systems and thus face fewer financial regulations and so can more easily service populations who dont own a bank account.

On the other hand, receiving crypto from a peer-to-peer exchange comes with its own set of problems. Coupled with Honduras high crime rate and exceptional vulnerability to illicit funds, it can be a risk to trust the opposite party in a peer-to-peer crypto transaction.

Using the platform, Localbitcoins.com or Paxful is one common route for peer-to-peer buyers and sellers. Another is posting offers over Facebook where people exchange in an ad hoc fashion and credibility is difficult to assess. For instance, if someone is seeking to buy $1,000 worth of bitcoin or ethereum with cash, they must first find a seller, and then meet them in person. It opens individuals up to becoming an obvious target for theft or scams. A centralized exchange, Mayen said, will give people a greater level of trust.

Honduran Facebook offer to "Buy & sell Bitcoin. Ethereum. Paypal...whole or a fraction...effective and banked...personal treatment... Tegucigalpa, Honduras...registered company... More info.."

No more having to go to the streets or malls with thousands of lempiras. No more wondering 'what if the person I'm meeting is not legit and he or she is a gang member or asaltante', or person who mugs, said Mayen.

By global standards, illicit funds permeate many parts of the Honduran economy, including the highest levels of the government, said Julia Yansura, a specialist in Honduras and other Central American countries who works for the Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity. For instance, Juan Orlando Hernandez, the countrys current president, was reported as a prominent figure in a U.S. drug trial earlier this year, according to the New York Times.

Greater access to crypto without adequate anti-money laundering requirements poses another point of entry for illicit flows, Yansura pointed out. "That said, in a country like Honduras, there are many easier ways to launder money than through the use of cryptocurrencies," she said.

Meanwhile, in El Salvador the government is rolling out ATMs with zero commissions, as well as its own digital wallet called the Chivo wallet. Though Mayen and his team are aware of the competitive obstacles they're facing, they also believe they can bring safer cryptocurrency exchange to Honduras before the years end.

BitReal will have a full staff to serve people," Mayen said. "We will also offer educational content on what crypto is, much like other exchanges do. For trust specifically, we plan to build up the brand and deliver terrific customer service."

David Hollerith covers cryptocurrency for Yahoo Finance. Follow him @dshollers.

READ MORE:

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit
NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The dPCR market has the potential to grow by USD 695.07 million during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 25.17%

Latest market research report titled dPCR Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 has been announced by Technavio which is proudly partnering with Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years

Understand the driving forces behind dPCR Market and target Potential Customers Here. Fetch Free Sample Report !

With the gradual recovery of markets from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dPCR market in the healthcare industry is likely to witness a positive impact during the forecast period.

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.

The recovery process involves various phases including:-

Addressing Potential Impacts by Facilitating changes in Process Designs

Identifying potential disruptions

Conceptualize scenario-based planning to mitigate future crisis situations.

Fetch Pandemic-Driven Insights on DPCR Market

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

Access Technavio's Subscription Platform For 14 Days Free Trial Before Buying Full Report

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Related Report on Healthcare Industries:

Genomics Market Report -The genomics market has the potential to grow by USD 14.51 billion during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 10.36%. Download a free sample report now!

Gel Permeation Chromatography Market Report -The gel permeation chromatography market has the potential to grow by USD 455.30 million during 2021-2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.38%. Download a free sample report now!

Story continues

Top 3 dPCR Market Players:

Avance Biosciences Inc.

Becton Dickinson and Co.

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc

If you purchase a report that is updated in the next 60 days, we will send you the new edition and data extract FREE! Get a report snapshot here to get a detailed market share analysis of market participants during COVID-19 lockdown:

https://www.technavio.com/report/dpcr-market-industry-analysis

dPCR Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

dPCR market is segmented as below:

Product

Geography

The dPCR market is driven by the rising focus on disease diagnosis and drug discovery and development, rapid technological advances, and remand for high throughput technology. However, factors such as lack of skilled professionals may impede the market growth.

Get Actionable Insights on each Contributing Segments. Download Free Sample Report: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR45377

The report will cover -

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: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Technavio (PRNewsfoto/Technavio)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dpcr-market-to-register--695-07mn-growth-during-2021-2025featuring-avance-biosciences-inc-becton-dickinson-and-co-and-bio-rad-laboratories-inc--17000-technavio-reports-301363936.html

SOURCE Technavio
NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Latest market research report titled E-textbook Rental Market by End-user, Payment Model, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025 has been announced by Technavio which is proudly partnering with Fortune 500 companies for over 16 years

Technavio has been monitoring the e-textbook rental market and it is poised to grow by USD 402.10 million during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of 23% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Download Free Sample Report to Know More

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Cengage Learning Inc., Chegg Inc., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Scribd Inc., TextbookRush, and VitalSource Technologies LLC are some of the major market participants. Although the increasing number of publishers going digital will offer immense growth opportunities, increasing threat from open-source content will challenge the growth of the market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

E-textbook Rental Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

E-textbook Rental Market is segmented as below:

End-user

Market Landscape

Geography

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44595

Related Reports on Consumer Discretionary Include:

Global K-12 Instruction Material Market - Global K-12 instruction material market is segmented by product (traditional instruction material and digital instruction material), course offering (curriculum and assessment), and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Global E-Book Market - Global e-book market is segmented by product (consumer eBook, professional eBook, and educational eBook), platform usage (smartphones, tablets, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report

Story continues

E-textbook Rental Market 2021-2025: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our e-textbook rental market report covers the following areas:

E-textbook Rental Market size

E-textbook Rental Market trends

E-textbook Rental Market industry analysis

This study identifies cost-effective pricing model as one of the prime reasons driving the e-textbook rental market growth during the next few years.

E-textbook Rental Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the E-textbook Rental Market, including some of the vendors such as Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Cengage Learning Inc., Chegg Inc., John Wiley and Sons Inc., Scribd Inc., TextbookRush, and VitalSource Technologies LLC. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the E-textbook Rental Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile, and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

E-textbook Rental Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist e-textbook rental market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the e-textbook rental market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the e-textbook rental market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of e-textbook rental market vendors

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Academic - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Non-academic - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End-user

Market Segmentation by Payment model

Market segments

Comparison by Payment model

Subscription services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Pay-as-you-go-model - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Payment model

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Alphabet Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Cengage Learning Inc.

Chegg Inc.

John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Scribd Inc.

TextbookRush

VitalSource Technologies LLC

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/e-textbook-rental-market-industry-analysis

Newsroom: newsroom.technavio.com/news/e-textbook-rentalmarket

Technavio (PRNewsfoto/Technavio)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/e-textbook-rental-market-2021-2025--increasing-number-of-publishers-going-digital-to-boost-growth--17-000-technavio-research-reports-301363725.html

SOURCE Technavio
TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Environmental 360 Solutions Inc. ("E360S", or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received a significant strategic investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. ("Oaktree"). Oaktree's investment will support the continued growth of the Company.

Environmental 360 Solutions Logo (CNW Group/Environmental 360 Solutions)

"We are thrilled to partner with Founder and CEO, Donato (Danny) Ardellini, his exceptional leadership team and existing investors. We look forward to supporting E360S' growth and continued success", said Jared Parker, Managing Director at Oaktree. Mr. Parker will join the E360S board.

E360S' Founder and CEO, Danny Ardellini, added, "We look forward to this strategic partnership between E360S and Oaktree. The Oaktree team brings a tremendous amount of experience and resources that will enable us to continue to execute on our robust pipeline of acquisitions and organic growth initiatives across North America. Since inception, E360S has grown through 21 acquisitions and several greenfield developments thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire E360S team."

UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to Oaktree in connection with the transaction and Goodmans LLP served as legal advisor, and Miller Thomson LLP served as legal advisor to E360S.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About E360S

Founded in November 2018 by industry veteran Donato (Danny) Ardellini with the support of Almada Inc., a Toronto-based private equity and venture capital investor, and strategic investments by Canadian Business Growth Fund ("CBGF"), and OPSEU Pension Plan Trust Fund ("OPTrust"). E360S has completed 21 acquisitions since inception. The Company provides environmental and waste management solutions to municipalities as well as to industrial, commercial and institutional customers. E360S is based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and operates in various regions of Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. E360S is dedicated to becoming North America's leading and most trusted environmental management company.

Story continues

About Oaktree

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments with US$156 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. In 2019, Toronto based Brookfield Asset Management acquired a majority interest in Oaktree. Together, Brookfield and Oaktree provide investors with one of the most comprehensive offerings of alternative investment products available today. For additional information, please visit Oaktree's website at http://oaktreecapital.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/environmental-360-solutions-inc-announces-strategic-investment-by-oaktree-capital-management-lp-301364065.html

SOURCE Environmental 360 Solutions
Funding to the Institute will help develop bioproducts to replace single use plastics

SURREY, BC, Aug. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Pacific Economic Development Canada

Renovated UBC BioProducts Institute lab. (CNW Group/Pacific Economic Development Canada)

The pulp and paper sector is a key component of the British Columbia forestry industry which has made important contributions to the economy of the province. However, global challenges, such as reduced demand, lower prices, and supply shortages have significantly affected the sector in recent years. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action to protect B.C. jobs and stimulate growth in rural communities by supporting the transformation of the pulp and paper industry to a diversified producer of bioproducts that will also reduce the province's carbon footprint.

Today, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, announced funding of over $3.5 million in federal support for the University of British Columbia's (UBC) BioProducts Institute.

This funding will support the development, scale-up, and production of sustainable bioproducts, such as filters, adhesives, lightweight materials, and personal protective equipment, by helping de-risk technologies and foster the commercialization of bioproducts and solutions. Using waste and residue from B.C. forests, this approach will create alternatives to plastic-based, single use products.

The pulp and paper sector has faced global competitive challenges in recent years, and pulp and paper mills in B.C. must continue to innovate to stay competitive. UBC's BioProducts Institute is ranked in the top three globally in its field. It will help mills in the province become bioproduct or biorefinery mills, creating sustainable materials for use in the medical field, personal care, filtration, crop protection, and other industries.

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting sustainable growth by investing in B.C. businesses and by reducing our environmental footprint. This project aligns with the federal government's priorities of clean technology development, advance manufacturing, and natural resources value-added processing while contributing to the advancement of the circular and renewable economy and the growth of B.C.'s bio-innovation ecosystem.

Story continues

Quotes

"Forestry is a key contributor to Canada's economy. This investment is a reflection of our government's plan to revitalize our economy and protect Canadian businesses. By supporting collaboration and innovation that meets the needs of Canadians, we will build an even stronger economic future."

- The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

"Scaling up development of high-value, bio-based materials from cellulose and lignin will generate economic and social benefits for B.C. and increase the long-term competitiveness of its forest sector. UBC's BioProducts Institute, together with the BioAlliance and industry partners, is working on catalyzing the diversification of the forest industry into sustainable markets. We are grateful to Pacific Economic Development Canada for this new funding, which supports our efforts to help grow B.C.'s bio-economy, in alignment with the province's goals to accelerate technological and economic growth and improve environmental sustainability."

- Professor Orlando Rojas, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Forest Bioproducts and Scientific Director, UBC BioProducts Institute

"Innovative research at the BioProducts Institute and other areas at UBC is driving the growth of sustainable technologies and products that can mitigate climate change impacts and address other social and economic challenges. This investment from the federal government will leverage UBC's research strength to accelerate the creation of sustainable bioproducts and support the forest industry and clean technology sector right here in B.C., and across Canada."

- Professor Santa Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of British Columbia

Quick facts

In 2019, the B.C. forestry industry supported 7,000 businesses and employed more than 50,000 people.

The pulp and paper sector accounts for 20 per cent of GDP through its 16 pulp and paper mills across B.C.

The pulp and paper sector processes close to 50 per cent of the total volume of timber harvested each year in the province, generating value to lower quality fibre that cannot be manufactured into solid wood commercial products.

Associated links

Stay Connected

Follow the agency on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378

TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

SOURCE Pacific Economic Development Canada

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2021/12/c7854.html
/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES/

CALGARY, AB, Aug. 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Highwood Asset Management Ltd., ("Highwood" or the "Company") (TSXV: HAM) is pleased to announce financial and operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The Company also announces that its unaudited financial statements and associated Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, can be found at www.sedar.com and www.highwoodmgmt.com.

Highwood Asset Management Ltd. Logo (CNW Group/Highwood Asset Management Ltd.)

Highlights

As first announced on March 25, 2021, on July 20, 2021, the Company changed its name from Highwood Oil Company Ltd. to Highwood Asset Management Ltd. to better reflect its renewed focus on driving shareholder return through a multitude of energy focused segments or divisions. The asset management structure will oversee various operations including ESG and other clean energy transition subsectors, which include industrial metals and minerals (Lithium, Iron, Rare Earth Elements including Scandium & Gadolinium, Vanadium, Silica, Alumina, etc), clean energy technologies, upstream and midstream oil & gas production & processing.





Within the industrial metals and minerals business unit, the Company has amassed industrial metallic and mineral permits of over 3,700,000 acres in Alberta and British Columbia and issued its first National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on Lithium from Brine on July 16, 2021. The Company has also engaged the third-party resource evaluator to compile a 43-101 Technical Report over the Ironstone prospective permits held by the Company in addition to a 43-101 Lithium from Brine Resource Assessment specific to Drumheller, Alberta.





Within the upstream and midstream oil & gas production & processing business unit, the Company delivered average production of 94 bbl/d of oil in the second quarter of 2021. Current net production from Highwood is approximately 115 bbl/d of oil.





Corporately, net debt at June 30, 2021 was $1.67 million.

Summary of Financial & Operating Results

Story continues



Three months ended June 30,

Six months ended June 30,

2021

2020 %

2021

2020 % Financial (in thousands)

















Oil and natural gas sales $ 544

$ 1,737 (69)

$ 5,702

$ 8,282 (31) Transportation pipeline revenues 931

769 21

1,900

1,929 (2) Total revenues, net of royalties(1) 742

1,052 (29)

4,917

17,317 (72) Loss (930)

(3,837) (76)

(1,708)

(7,561) (77) Funds flow from operations(5) (61)

2,167 (103)

(1,393)

5,954 (123) Capital expenditures 74

223 (67)

191

4,415 (96) Net debt (2)









(1,672)

(46,089) (96) Shareholder's equity (end of period)









8,570

10,860 (21) Shares outstanding (end of period)









6,014

6,014 - Weighted-average basic shares 6,014

6,014 -

6,014

6,014 - outstanding





































Operations (3)

















Production

















Crude oil (bbls/d) 94

870 (89)

549

1,371 (60) Total (boe/d) 94

870 (89)

549

1,371 (60) Average realized prices (4)

















Crude Oil (per bbl) 63.30

21.94 189

57.42

33.19 73 Upstream Operating netback (per BOE) (5) (3.72)

(14.06) (74)

16.72

(1.32) (1,364)



















Wells drilled:

















Gross -

- -

-

4.0 (100) Net -

- -

-

2.0 (100) Success (%) -

- -

-

100 -





















(1) Includes realized and unrealized gains and losses on commodity contracts



(2) Net debt consists of bank debt and working capital surplus (deficit) excluding commodity contract assets and/or liabilities.



(3) For a description of the boe conversion ratio, see "Basis of Barrel of Oil Equivalent".



(4) Before hedging.



(5) See "Non-GAAP measures".

2021 Second Quarter Operations

Highwood's focus in the second quarter of 2021 was to continue to amass a sizeable position of industrial mines and minerals permits throughout Western Canada to evaluate for purposes of creating a 43-101 technical report. On July 16, 2021, the Company released its first 43-101 Technical Report on Lithium from Brine evidencing the likely presence of Lithium from Brine within the Company's permitted acreage.

The Company focused time and resources in Q2 2021 on extracting and submitting brine and ironstone samples for purposes of determining the potential Lithium from Brine and Iron, Vanadium, Alumina, Rare Earth Elements and other potential metals and minerals within the Ironstone rock.

Outlook and Update to Metallic and Industrial Mineral Permits

Within the industrial metals and minerals business unit, the Company has engaged a third-party resource evaluator to prepare a 43-101 Technical Report covering the ironstone content within the 3,700,000 permitted acres or 236 blocks in Alberta and British Columbia. This 43-101 report is anticipated to be completed in late Q3 2021.

The Company has also engaged the third-party resource evaluator to prepare a 43-101 Technical Report covering the Lithium from Brine within the region of Drumheller, Alberta. This 43-101 Technical Report is anticipated to show an inferred Lithium from Brine resource within the area and will be completed in early Q4 2021.

Given its clean balance sheet which provides considerable financial and operational flexibility, the Company remains open to completing accretive acquisitions through the balance of 2021. The Company is currently engaged in several encouraging dialogues regarding various acquisitions and partnership opportunities. Global optimism around mitigating COVID-19 and restoring previous economic and industrial activities has created positive market and investment sentiment both within and outside oil & gas space.

While Highwood sold the majority of its producing oil assets in the first quarter of 2021, the Company has, and will continue to evaluate opportunities in the M&A market but will remain disciplined to pursue only those opportunities that are accretive with low to moderate liability profiles.

Corporately, the Company intends to build a growing profile of recurring free funds flow that will provide maximum flexibility for growth and / or other strategic M&A opportunities in a non-dilutive fashion.

Management Change

The Company is announcing the resignation of Mr. Graydon Glans from the Company's management team effective September 24, 2021. Highwood wishes to thank Mr. Glans for his many years of service to the Company and to wish him the very best in his future endeavors.

The Company is pleased to announce that Mr. Chris Allchorne will step into the role of Interim CFO of Highwood. Mr. Allchorne was appointed Controller of Highwood in January 2017 and brings with him an extensive accounting and public entity background. Mr. Allchorne is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" or "FLI" within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "budgets", "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. Forward-looking information in this news release include statements about the Company's next steps which include resource assessment, continued exploration and development work, including in respect of the potential extraction technology, continued sampling and developing a reservoir model, the completion and timing for the Cretaceous ironstone NI 43-101 Technical Report, and the evaluation and potential spinout of a pure play lithium company, as well as the specific assumptions used to develop such FLI and the specific risk factors.

In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Highwood has made numerous assumptions, regarding, among other things: the geological, metallurgical, engineering, financial and economic advice that Highwood has received is reliable and is based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards. While Highwood considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause Highwood's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: the Li-brine resource assessment may not be completed as planned or at all, the exploration and continued sampling may exceed the budget; continued sampling and the reservoir model may not achieve the results expected; investor support for a pure play lithium public spinout; the need to obtain additional financing; uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals.

A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing Highwood is disclosed in Highwood's continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and Highwood disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as required by law.

Oil and Gas Measures

Readers should see the "Selected Technical Terms" in the Annual Information Form filed on April 29, 2021 for the definition of certain oil and gas terms.

Basis of Barrels of Oil Equivalent  This news release discloses certain production information on a barrels of oil equivalent ("boe") basis with natural gas converted to barrels of oil equivalent using a conversion factor of six thousand cubic feet of gas (Mcf) to one barrel (bbl) of oil (6 Mcf:1 bbl). Condensate and other NGLs are converted to boe at a ratio of 1 bbl:1 bbl. Boe may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 bbl is based roughly on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at sales point. Although the 6:1 conversion ratio is an industry-accepted norm, it is not reflective of price or market value differentials between product types. Based on current commodity prices, the value ratio between crude oil, NGLs and natural gas is significantly different from the 6:1 energy equivalency ratio. Accordingly, using a conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 bbl may be misleading as an indication of value.

Mcfe Conversions: Thousands of cubic feet of gas equivalent ("Mcfe") amounts have been calculated by using the conversion ratio of one barrel of oil (1 bbl) to six thousand cubic feet (6 Mcf) of natural gas. Mcfe amounts may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A conversion ratio of 1 bbl to 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. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of natural gas as compared to oil is significantly different from the energy equivalent of 1:6, utilizing a conversion on a 1:6 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

Non-GAAP Measures

"Funds flow from operations" is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated as cash flow from operating activities adjusted for changes in non-cash working capital.

"Netback" is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated as revenues net of royalties, less transportation and processing charges and operating expenses and then divided by BOE or Mcf sold.

SOURCE Highwood Asset Management Ltd.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/August2021/27/c2303.html
Global investment firm KKR has plans to acquire a New Zealand bus and coach company with an 86-year heritage, Ritchies Transport. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources familiar with the circumstances say the deal values Ritchies at over $347 million ($500 million NZD).

On Thursday, the two companies signed the definitive agreements under which KKR will acquire Ritchies, marking KKR's first infrastructure investment in New Zealand. KKR said acquiring the bus company, which currently has a fleet of more than 1,600 vehicles and 42 depots that operate across the country, will help it advance its mission "to better connect local communities, support the country's expanding public transport network and promote greener transportation solutions."

New Zealand is still largely an ICE-fueled nation, but the country has plans to electrify. The government now requires all of its agencies and ministries to electrify fleets within the next five years, and aims to decarbonize public transport, which mainly relies on buses, entirely by 2035. Kiwi Bus Builders, a New Zealand manufacturer, recently assembled a range of ADL electric buses which have made it to Auckland's city streets.

Director on KKR's infrastructure team Andrew Jennings said in a statement that Ritchies buses will represent "a highly visible opportunity to encourage the adoption of zero-emissions technology" as New Zealand continues to see "demand for high quality, greener public transport solutions."

Last year, Ritchies acquired Red Bus, a bus operator in Christchurch which included electric buses and a few low emission Euro 6 buses. Ritchies told TechCrunch it's also investigating hydrogen technologies as part of providing the latest green public transport solutions.

KKR told TechCrunch that it does have a plan to help Ritchies further electrify its fleet, and that the firm has made advancements globally across areas related to sustainable transportation, and it will be leveraging those experiences to advance the country as it moves toward zero emissions.

Story continues

The investment comes from KKR's Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund. The transaction is still conditional on OIO approval, which KKR says is expected within four to five months. Once the deal is completed, the Ritchie family will continue to hold a stake in the company, and Andrew Ritchie, current director of operations, will be appointed as CEO of the company as Glenn Ritchie, the current CEO, retires.

This article was updated to reflect new information provided by Ritchies.
HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend to stockholders of $0.06 per share. The dividend is payable on October 15, 2021, to stockholders of record as of October 1, 2021.

Quanta Services Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Quanta Services, Inc.)

About Quanta Services

Quanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering comprehensive infrastructure solutions for the utility, communications, pipeline and energy industries. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining energy and communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope. For more information, visit www.quantaservices.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release (and any oral statements regarding the subject matter of this press release) contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations regarding the declaration, amount or timing of any future dividends; expectations regarding Quanta's business or financial outlook; and Quanta's ability to deliver increased value or return capital to stockholders; as well as statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, involve or rely on a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict or are beyond our control, and reflect management's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements are made. We caution you that actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted by our forward-looking statements and that any or all of our forward-looking statements may turn out to be inaccurate or incorrect. Forward-looking statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and by known or unknown risks and uncertainties , including, among others, market, industry, economic, financial or political conditions outside of the control of Quanta, quarterly variations in operating results, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows, capital requirements, reinvestment opportunities or other financial results; the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; trends and growth opportunities in relevant markets; requirements relating to dividends under Delaware law and the credit agreement for Quanta's senior credit facility; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Quanta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020, Quanta's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended Mar. 31, 2021 and Jun. 30, 2021 and any other documents that Quanta files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Quanta's documents filed with the SEC that are available through the company's website at www.quantaservices.com or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Quanta does not undertake and expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Quanta further expressly disclaims any written or oral statements made by any third party regarding the subject matter of this press release.

Story continues

Investors - Kip Rupp, CFA, IRC

Quanta Services, Inc.

(713) 341-7260

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quanta-services-announces-quarterly-cash-dividend-301364067.html

SOURCE Quanta Services, Inc.
Following unprecedented pre-order demand, Canadians can now purchase the latest in Samsung foldable, watch & sound innovation

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G offers an uninterrupted Infinity Flex Display complete with Under Display Camera to deliver streamlined multitasking and breathtaking viewing experiences.

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G offers an uninterrupted Infinity Flex Display complete with Under Display Camera to deliver streamlined multitasking and breathtaking viewing experiences.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G provides a new way for users to express themselves hands-free with Flex Mode. Studio-quality camera features such as Auto Framing and a sleek, compact design balance style, function and fun.

Galaxy Z Flip3 5G provides a new way for users to express themselves hands-free with Flex Mode. Studio-quality camera features such as Auto Framing and a sleek, compact design balance style, function and fun.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unveiled earlier in August, the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Galaxy Watch4 series and Galaxy Buds2 are now available for purchase at Samsung Experience Stores, online at Samsung.com/ca, and at major retail partners across Canada. Featuring category-defining improvements, premium craftsmanship and flagship innovation for optimized user experiences, these devices have seen high pre-order demand across the country, with some products temporarily on backorder. For up-to-date stock information and shipping estimates, visit each product page on Samsung.com/ca



Early demand for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is at an all-time high, with pre-order volume exceeding expectations. Canadians are clearly excited to experience the next in foldable innovation, with Watch4 Series and Buds2 equally driving interest. said Raj Doshi, Head of Mobile Business at Samsung Electronics Canada. We are proud to bring Canadians exciting Galaxy innovations that empower them to do more  whether its capturing new perspectives with their phones, achieving new levels of mobile productivity, or working to live a more vibrant life with the aid of intuitive, holistic wellness features.

Power productivity and maximize every moment

Building upon groundbreaking innovations such as hands-free Flex Mode, enhanced Multitasking1 and dual displays, the 2021 Galaxy Z series takes the foldable experience to the next level with increased durability,2 and IPx8 water resistance.3

Story continues

Galaxy Z Fold3 5G offers an uninterrupted Infinity Flex Display complete with Under Display Camera to deliver streamlined multitasking and breathtaking viewing experiences. Now with S Pen functionality 4 - a Galaxy foldable first  the user can work across multiple apps at once with Multi-Active Window 5 and navigate seamlessly between dual displays thanks to app continuity. The 256GB model is available in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver and Phantom Green for $2,269.99 (our regular price). The 512GB model is available in Phantom Black for $2,409.99 (our regular price). For more information and availability, please see https://samsung.com/ca/smartphones/galaxy-z-fold3-5g





Galaxy Z Flip3 5G provides a new way for users to express themselves hands-free with Flex Mode. Studio-quality camera features such as Auto Framing and a sleek, compact design balance style, function and fun. The 128GB model is available in Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream and Green for $1,259.99 (our regular price). The 256GB model is available in Phantom Black for $1,329.99 (our regular price). For more information and availability, please see https://samsung.com/ca/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip3-5g



Featuring all-new Wear OS Powered by Samsung, the Galaxy Watch4 series comes packed with an array of innovative and convenient features and powerful connectivity experiences that provide users with a holistic overview of their wellness.

Galaxy Watch4 features a sleek, modern design making it an ideal accessory for versatile, all-day use. The 40mm model will be available in Black, Silver and Pink Gold, while the 44mm model will be offered in Black, Silver and Green starting at $329.99 (our regular price) for the Bluetooth version and $399.99 (our regular price) for the LTE model. For more information and availability, please see https://www.samsung.com/ca/watches/all-watches/?galaxy-watch





Galaxy Watch4 Classic offers users a timeless smartwatch design featuring the Samsung fan-favourite rotating bezel. Available in 42mm (Black, Silver) and 46mm (Black only) models, starting at $459.99 (our regular price) for the Bluetooth version and $529.99 (our regular price) for the LTE version. For more information and availability, please see https://www.samsung.com/ca/watches/all-watches/?galaxy-watch



Thanks to dynamic two-way speakers, Active Noise Cancellation, long-lasting battery and a comfortable fit for prolonged use, Galaxy Buds2 further elevate the Galaxy ecosystem experience when paired with your Galaxy smartphone or smartwatch.

Galaxy Buds2 comes in four stylish and contemporary colours: Graphite, White, Olive Green and Lavender, for $189.99 (our regular price). For more information and availability, please see https://www.samsung.com/ca/audio-sound/galaxy-buds/galaxy-buds2-graphite-sm-r177nzkaxac



Early Bird Offer Details

While some customers will experience shipping delays due to backorder, the following deals can still be redeemed at purchase throughout September and October:

Gift With Purchase Offers

Canadians who purchase Galaxy Z Fold3 5G online at Samsung.com/ca or at a Samsung Experience Store location between August 27 and October 4, 2021 will receive a bonus Flip Cover and S Pen as a gift with purchase.6

Purchase Galaxy Buds2 between August 27 and October 4, 2021 on Samsung.com/ca, Samsung Experience Store locations, or at select national retailers and carriers and receive a bonus Wireless Charger Single.7

Galaxy Bundle E-Voucher Offers

Purchase Galaxy Z Fold3 5G at a Samsung Experience Store or a participating partner location on or before September 10, 2021 to receive an exclusive Galaxy Bundle E-voucher for Galaxy Buds2 (regular price $189.99), Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (regular price $79.99) and S Pen Fold Edition (regular price $59.99).8

Purchase Galaxy Z Flip3 5G at a Samsung Experience Store or a participating partner location between on or before September 10, 2021 to receive an exclusive Galaxy Bundle E-voucher for Galaxy Buds2 (regular price $189.99) and Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (regular price $79.99).9

AIR MILES Offers

Purchase Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or Galaxy Z Flip3 5G between August 27 and September 30, 2021 on Samsung.com/ca, at Samsung Experience Store locations in Canada or on rewards.airmiles.ca and get up to 350 AIR MILES Bonus Miles.10 Purchase Galaxy Buds2 between August 27 and September 30, 2021 on Samsung.com/ca, at Samsung Experience Store locations in Canada or on rewards.airmiles.ca and get up to 100 AIR MILES Bonus Miles.11

Purchase Galaxy Watch4 Classic or Galaxy Watch4 between August 27 and September 30, 2021 on Samsung.com/ca, at Samsung Experience Store locations in Canada or on rewards.airmiles.ca or on rewards.airmiles.ca and get up to 100 AIR MILES Bonus Miles.12

Trade-In Offers

Canadians can also trade in their old smartphone until October 4, 2021 and receive a credit of up to $785 towards the purchase of Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.13 Until October 4, 2021, eligible customers can receive a $100 credit through the trade-in program by exchanging their old smartwatch or fitness band when purchasing a Galaxy Watch4 series device.

The trade-in program is being supported on Samsung.com/ca, SES locations and at select national retailers and carriers in Canada.14

Peace of Mind with Samsung Care+

With a Samsung Care+ Plan, Canadians can experience a total care service for their new Galaxy Smartphone, Laptop, Tablet or Wearable device. Users will be protected for up to two years against physical or liquid damage and mechanical malfunction or defects, with a team of dedicated Galaxy experts available to help them get back on track.15

Canadians who purchase the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or Galaxy Z Flip3 5G at a Samsung Experience Store or participating partner location on or before September 10, 2021 will receive a Samsung Care+ 1 Year Bonus Plan by visiting the Benefit section of the Samsung Members app on their new device.16

Purchase Samsung Care+ between August 27 and September 30, 2021 on Samsung.com/ca and get 100 AIR MILES Bonus Miles.17

To learn more, please see https://www.samsung.com/ca/offer/samsung-care-plus/

Premium Care Service

Your Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or Galaxy Z Flip3 5G device comes with dedicated customer care services designed specically to deliver the best customer service experience to our valued customers. Specially trained experts are available 24/7 via Live Chat or by phone 9am-9pm EST at 1-888-970-FOLD to provide you with personalized and exclusive support for your device. Visit www.samsung.com/ca/support for more information

Door to Door Repair Service Across Canada

Enjoy convenient pick-up, speedy repair and contactless delivery to your home. If you need service support for your Samsung devices, you can arrange convenient Door-to-Door service pick-up through 1-800-SAMSUNG, Live Chat or text us at WECARE (932 273). Customers can also request a self-service repair and book simply through the Your Service portal found online at www.samsung.com/ca/galaxy-repair to arrange a convenient Door-to-Door device pick-up to their home. Pick-up and return of the Galaxy device is free of charge. Service is available for both In- and Out-of-Warranty customers. Coverage may vary. For more information on Door-to-Door Repair Service, please visit https://www.samsung.com/ca/galaxy-repair

For more information about the latest Samsung Galaxy devices including specifications: www.samsung.com/ca/

About Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.

Samsung Electronics Canada inspires Canadians to reach their full potential through a transformative ecosystem of products and services that deliver innovation and distinct design to every aspect of their connected lives. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, virtual reality and wearable devices, tablets and digital appliances. Dedicated to helping make a difference in the lives of Canadians, Samsung's award-winning corporate giving initiatives support public education and health-related issues in communities across the country. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.

Follow Samsung Canada at facebook.com/SamsungCanada, or Instagram @samsungcanada or Twitter @SamsungCanada

1 Certain applications may not support multi-tasking.

2 Compared to Galaxy Z Fold2 5G and Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

3 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is rated as IPx8. IPx8 is based on test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. Not advised for beach or pool use. Not dust resistant.

4 S Pen sold separately. Only the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Main Screen has S Pen capability. Compatible only with the S Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro. All other S Pens or stylus pens not designed for Galaxy Z Fold3 5G (including those by other manufacturers) may damage the screen.

5 Multi-Active Windows works with select applications; compatible apps growing through third party developers

6 Some conditions apply. Offer valid from August 27, 2021 to October 4, 2021. Offer available exclusively online at Samsung.com/ca and Samsung Experience Stores in Canada. Now when you buy a Galaxy Z Fold3 (SM-F926WZKAXAC, SM-F926WZGAXAC, SM-F926WZSAXAC - regular price $2,269.99; F926WZKEXAC - regular price $2409.99) and youll receive one (1) bonus Flip Cover with S Pen (EF-FF92PCBEGCA- regular price $119.99) with your purchase.

While quantities last. Selection and availability may vary. No rain checks. Limit of one (1) bonus Flip Cover with S Pen per eligible Galaxy Z Fold3 device purchased per customer. Products may be purchased separately at regular prices. No rain checks. Open to Canadian Residents only. Samsung reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion without notice. Cannot be combined with any other offer, unless expressly permitted by Samsung.  2021 Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. All rights reserved.

7 Some conditions apply. Offer valid from August 27, 2021 to October 4, 2021. Participating authorized Canadian retailers and carriers may vary. Purchases made at Samsung Experience Stores in Canada and samsung.com/ca are eligible for this promotion. Now when you purchase Galaxy Buds2 (SM-R177NZKAXAC, SM-R177NZGAXAC, SM-R177NLVAXAC, SM-R177NZWAXAC regular price $189.99), youll receive one (1) bonus Wireless Charger Single (EP-P1300TBEGCA- regular price $54.99) with your purchase. While quantities last. Selection and availability may vary. No rain checks. Limit of one (1) bonus Wireless Charger Single per eligible Galaxy device purchased per customer. Products may be purchased separately at regular prices. No rain checks. Open to Canadian Residents only. Samsung reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion without notice. Cannot be combined with any other offer, unless expressly permitted by Samsung.  2021 Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. All rights reserved

8 Either (i) pre-order from August 11, 2021  August 26, 2021 and complete your purchase by September 10, 2021, or (ii) purchase from August 27, 2021  September 10, 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G (ModelsSM-F926WZKAXAC/SM-F926WZGAXAC/ SM-F926WZSAXAC regular price $2269.99, SM-F926WZKEXAC regular price $2409.99) or Galaxy Z Flip3 5G (Models SM-F711WZKAXAC/SM-F711WZEAXAC/SM-F711WZGAXAC/SM-F711WLVAXAC - regular price $1259.99, SM-F711WZKEXAC- regular price $1329.99) and receive an Early Bird bonus consisting of a Samsung E-Voucher (redeemable only on samsung.com/ca between August 11 and September 30, 2021) upon completion of your device purchase for one of the following: Purchase of Galaxy Fold3 5G: Galaxy Buds 2 (Black  Model No SM-R177NZKAXAC; regular price $189.99 CDN), Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (Black - EP-P4300TBEGCA; regular price $79.99) and S Pen Fold Edition (EJ-PF926BBEGCA; regular price $59.99) Purchase of Galaxy Flip3 5G:Galaxy Buds 2 (Black  Model No SM-R177NZKAXAC; regular price $189.99 CDN), Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (Black - EP-P4300TBEGCA; regular price $79.99) There are 8,500 Early Bird bonuses available to eligible customers who qualify based on the conditions set out above on a first come basis. While quantities last. No rain checks. E-Voucher has no cash value, cannot be replaced if lost or stolen, is not transferrable and cannot be switched once selected. Limit of one bonus E-Voucher per device purchase. Open to Canadian Residents only. Participating authorized Canadian retailers and carriers may vary. Purchases made at Samsung Experience Stores are also eligible for this promotion. Purchases made at samsung.com/ca are not eligible for this promotion and Samsung reserves the right to request a bill of sale to verify date and location of purchase. Samsung reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion without notice. In order to download the E-Voucher for the Galaxy Fold3|Flip3 5G Early Bird bonus, customer must visit the Benefit Section in the Samsung Members App on their Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G device between August 11 and September 24, 2021. The Samsung Members App is available for download in the Samsung Galaxy Store at no charge. In order to install and register for the Samsung Members App, the user must have a Samsung Account. Setting up a Samsung Account is free. To set up your Samsung Account, please go to: (http://www.samsung.com/ca/samsungaccount/ http://www.samsung.com/ca_fr/samsungaccount/) Between August 11 and September 24, 2021, click on the Galaxy Fold3|Flip3 5G Early Bird bonus banner in the Samsung Members App to download the E-Voucher and access a link to the Early Bird bonus offer page on samsung.com/ca where you may select your gift and redeem the E-voucher. Once downloaded, the E-Voucher will be displayed in the Samsung Members My page Coupons section until September 30, 2021 and is valid for the applicable Early Bird bonus depending on the Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G model you have chosen, on samsung.com/ca between August 11 and September 30, 2021. Shipment of the Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G bonus is expected to take between 6 to 8 weeks from the date that you redeem your E-Voucher on samsung.com/ca, subject to completion of all the requirements set out above.

9 Either (i) pre-order from August 11, 2021  August 26, 2021 and complete your purchase by September 10, 2021, or (ii) purchase from August 27, 2021  September 10, 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G (ModelsSM-F926WZKAXAC/SM-F926WZGAXAC/ SM-F926WZSAXAC regular price $2269.99, SM-F926WZKEXAC regular price $2409.99) or Galaxy Flip3 5G (Models SM-F711WZKAXAC/SM-F711WZEAXAC/SM-F711WZGAXAC/SM-F711WLVAXAC - regular price $1259.99, SM-F711WZKEXAC- regular price $1329.99) and receive an Early Bird bonus consisting of a Samsung E-Voucher (redeemable only on samsung.com/ca between August 11 and September 30, 2021) upon completion of your device purchase for one of the following: Purchase of Galaxy Fold3 5G: Galaxy Buds 2 (Black  Model No SM-R177NZKAXAC; regular price $189.99 CDN), Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (Black - EP-P4300TBEGCA; regular price $79.99) and S Pen Fold Edition (EJ-PF926BBEGCA; regular price $59.99). Purchase of Galaxy Flip3 5G:Galaxy Buds 2 (Black  Model No SM-R177NZKAXAC; regular price $189.99 CDN), Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (Black - EP-P4300TBEGCA; regular price $79.99). There are 8,500 Early Bird bonuses available to eligible customers who qualify based on the conditions set out above on a first come basis. While quantities last. No rain checks. E-Voucher has no cash value, cannot be replaced if lost or stolen, is not transferrable and cannot be switched once selected. Limit of one bonus E-Voucher per device purchase. Open to Canadian Residents only. Participating authorized Canadian retailers and carriers may vary. Purchases made at Samsung Experience Stores are also eligible for this promotion. Purchases made at samsung.com/ca are not eligible for this promotion and Samsung reserves the right to request a bill of sale to verify date and location of purchase. Samsung reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion without notice. In order to download the E-Voucher for the Galaxy Fold3|Flip3 5G Early Bird bonus, customer must visit the Benefit Section in the Samsung Members App on their Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G device between August 11 and September 24, 2021. The Samsung Members App is available for download in the Samsung Galaxy Store at no charge. In order to install and register for the Samsung Members App, the user must have a Samsung Account. Setting up a Samsung Account is free. To set up your Samsung Account, please go to: (http://www.samsung.com/ca/samsungaccount/ http://www.samsung.com/ca_fr/samsungaccount/ ) Between August 11 and September 24, 2021, click on the Galaxy Fold3|Flip3 5G Early Bird bonus banner in the Samsung Members App to download the E-Voucher and access a link to the Early Bird bonus offer page on samsung.com/ca where you may select your gift and redeem the E-voucher. Once downloaded, the E-Voucher will be displayed in the Samsung Members My page Coupons section until September 30, 2021 and is valid for the applicable Early Bird bonus depending on the Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G model you have chosen, on samsung.com/ca between August 11 and September 30, 2021. Shipment of the Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G or Galaxy Flip3 5G bonus is expected to take between 6 to 8 weeks from the date that you redeem your E-Voucher on samsung.com/ca, subject to completion of all the requirements set out above.

10 Offer valid from August 27 to September 30, 2021 (Offer Period). Offer available exclusively at samsung.com/ca, at Samsung Experience Store locations in Canada or on rewards.airmiles.ca. During the offer period: (i) purchase a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Phantom Black SM-F926WZKAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FOLD3 Phantom Black SM-F926WZKEXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FOLD3 Phantom Silver SM-F926WZSAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FOLD3 Phantom Green SM-F926WZGAXAC and get 350 AIR MILES Bonus Miles; or (ii) purchase a Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Phantom Black SM-F711WZKAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Phantom Black SM-F711WZKEXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Lavender SM-F711WLVAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Cream SM-F711WZEAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Green SM-F711WZGAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Light Pink SM-F711WLIAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Light Pink SM-F711WLIEXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Gray SM-F711WZAAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 Gray SM-F711WZAEXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 White SM-F711WZWAXAC or Samsung GALAXY Z FLIP3 White SM-F711WZWEXAC and get 250 Bonus Miles. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. Bonus Miles will be posted to your Collector. Account within 60 days of purchase. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. While quantities last. No rain checks. Availability and selection may vary. Outright purchases only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion unless specifically agreed to by Samsung. Offer may be cancelled or changed without notice.  Trademarks of AM Royalties Limited Partnership used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Samsung.

11 Offer valid August 27 and September 30, 2021 (Offer Period). Offer available exclusively at samsung.com/ca, at Samsung Experience Store locations in Canada or on rewards.airmiles.ca. During the Offer Period, purchase a Samsung Galaxy Buds2 (SM-R177NZKAXAC, SM-R177NZGAXAC, SM-R177NLVAXAC, SM-R177NZWAXAC) and get 50 AIR MILES Bonus Miles. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. Bonus Miles will be posted to your Collector Account within 60 days of purchase. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. While quantities last. No rain checks. Availability and selection may vary. Outright purchases only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion unless specifically agreed to by Samsung. Offer may be cancelled or changed without notice.  Trademarks of AM Royalties Limited Partnership used under license by LoyaltyOne, Co. and Samsung.

12 Offer valid August 27 and September 30, 2021 (Offer Period). Offer available exclusively at samsung.com/ca. During the Offer Period: (i) purchase a Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic LTE 46mm (SM-R895FZKAXAC, SM-895FZSAXAC) or Galaxy Watch4 Classic LTE 42mm (SM-R885FZSAXAC, SM-R885FZKAXAC) or Galaxy Watch4 Classic BT 46mm Black SM-R890NZKAXAC or Galaxy Watch4 Classic BT 42mm (SM-R880NZKAXAC, SM-R880NZSAXAC) and get 100 AIR MILES Bonus Miles; or (ii) purchase a Galaxy Watch4 LTE 44mm (SM-R875FZKAXAC, SM-R875FZGAXAC, SM-R875FZSAXAC) or Galaxy Watch4 LTE 40mm (SM-R865FZDAXAC, SM-R865FZKAXAC, SM-R865FZSAXAC) or Galaxy Watch4 BT 44mm (SM-R870NZKAXAC, SM-R870NZSAXAC, SM-R870NZGAXAC) or Galaxy Watch4 BT 40mm (SM-R860NZKAXAC, SM-R860NZSAXAC, SM-R860NZDAXAC) and get 75 Bonus Miles.AIR MILES. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. Bonus Miles will be posted to your Collector Account within 60 days of purchase. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. While quantities last. No rain checks. Availability and selection may vary. Outright purchases only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion unless specifically agreed to by Samsung. Offer may be cancelled or changed without notice.

13 Certain conditions apply. Receive a trade-in promotional credit of up to $300, in addition to the trade-in value of the Eligible Trade-in Product, when you:

(i) either (A) pre-order an eligible Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G / Galaxy Z Flip3 5G device between August 11th, 2021 and August 26th, 2021 (the Pre-Order Period) and complete the purchase by October 4, 2021 or, (B) purchase eligible Galaxy Z Fold3 5G / Galaxy Z Flip3 5G device between August 27th, 2021 and October 4th, 2021 (the Purchase Period and together with the Pre-Order Period, the Offer Period), from a participating authorized Canadian retailer or carrier, a Samsung Experience Store in Canada or online at http://www.samsung.com/ca/ ; and

(ii) complete the trade-in of your eligible old smartphone (Eligible Trade-In Product) by October 4th, 2021; and

(iii) ship the Eligible Trade-in Product by September 10th, 2021 if an eligible Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G / Galaxy Z Flip3 5G device was pre-ordered during Pre-Order Period, or ship the Eligible Trade-in Product within 14 calendar days of receiving the waybill if an eligible Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G / Galaxy Z Flip3 5G device was purchased during Purchase Period

Selection and availability may vary. While quantities last. No rain checks. No cash value. $300 credit based on completing the trade-in of an Eligible Trade-In Product and purchasing Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. Offer is subject to change or cancellation without notice, cannot be combined with any other offer and is available to Canadian residents only. Offer provided by Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. See https://www.samsung.com/ca/offer/ for Full Terms and Conditions.

14 Certain conditions apply. Receive a trade-in promotional credit of $100, in addition to the trade-in value of the Eligible Trade-In Product, when you: (i) either (A) pre-order an eligible Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic / Galaxy Watch4 device between August 11th, 2021 and August 26th, 2021 (the Pre-Order Period) and complete the purchase by October 4, 2021 or (B) purchase eligible Galaxy Watch4 Classic / Galaxy Watch4 device between August 27th, 2021 and October 4th, 2021 (the Purchase Period and together with the Pre-Order Period, the Offer Period), from a participating authorized Canadian retailer or carrier, a Samsung Experience Store in Canada or online at https://www.samsung.com/ca/ ; and (ii) complete the trade-in of your eligible old smartwatch / fitness band (Eligible Trade-In Product) by October 4th, 2021; and (iii) ship the Eligible Trade-in Product within 14 calendar days of receiving the waybill if an eligible Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic / Galaxy Watch4 device was purchased during Purchase Period. Selection and availability may vary. While quantities last. No rain checks. No cash value. $100 credit based on completing the trade-in of an eligible Trade-In product and purchasing Galaxy Watch4 Classic / Galaxy Watch4. Offer is subject to change or cancellation without notice, cannot be combined with any other offer and is available to Canadian residents only. Offer provided by Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. See https://www.samsung.com/ca/offer/ for Full Terms and Conditions.

15 Terms and Conditions apply. For full Terms and Conditions, please see https://support-ca.samsung.com/secaew/consumer/ca/terms

16 Either (i) pre-order from August 11, 2021  August 26, 2021 and complete your purchase by September 10, 2021, or (ii) purchase from August 27, 2021  September 10, 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G (ModelsSM-F926WZKAXAC/SM-F926WZGAXAC/ SM-F926WZSAXAC regular price $2269.99, SM-F926WZKEXAC regular price $2409.99) or Galaxy Flip3 5G (Models SM-F711WZKAXAC/SM-F711WZEAXAC/SM-F711WZGAXAC/SM-F711WLVAXAC - regular price $1259.99, SM-F711WZKEXAC- regular price $1329.99) (each an Eligible Galaxy device) and you can receive a bonus Samsung Care+ 1 Year Plan for your selected Samsung Galaxy Fold3 5G device for $0 ($225 value ) or Samsung Galaxy Flip3 5G for $0 ($200 value) (Samsung Care+ 1 Year Bonus Plan). While quantities last. No rain checks. Offer has no cash value, is not transferrable and cannot be switched once selected. Limit of one (1) Samsung Care+ 1 Year Bonus Plan per Eligible Galaxy device purchased. Open to Canadian Residents only. Participating authorized Canadian retailers and carriers may vary. Purchases made at Samsung Experience Stores are also eligible for this promotion. Purchases made at samsung.com/ca are not eligible for this promotion and Samsung reserves the right to request a bill of sale to verify date and location of purchase. Samsung reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion without notice. How to Redeem: In order to claim the bonus Samsung Care+ 1 Year Bonus Plan, customers must purchase an Eligible Galaxy device as set out above, and then visit the Benefit Section in the Samsung Members App on their Eligible Galaxy device between August 11 and September 30, 2021. Customers must follow the link in Samsung Members (Benefit Section) to the Samsung Care+ 1 Year bonus offer page at http://free.samsungcareplus.com between August 11th and September 30th, 2021 to redeem this offer. The Samsung Members App is available for download in the Samsung Galaxy Store at no charge. In order to install and register for the Samsung Members App, the user must have a Samsung Account. Setting up a Samsung Account is free. To set up your Samsung Account, please go to: (http://www.samsung.com/ca/samsungaccount/ http://www.samsung.com/ca_fr/samsungaccount/ ) Full terms and conditions for the Samsung Care+ 1 Year Bonus Plan are available at http://pages.samsung.com/ca/promotions/English/samsungcareplus_oneyearoffer_EN.pdf

17 Get 100 Bonus Miles when you purchase Samsung Care+ with your new eligible Samsung device between August 27,2021 and September 30, 2021. Offer available exclusively online at samsung.com/ca when you purchase Samsung Care+ together with any Samsung tablet, Galaxy Book laptop, or any eligible wearable or eligible Galaxy A series, Galaxy S8 series, Galaxy S9 series, Galaxy Note 9 series, Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note 10 series, Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy S20FE 5G or Galaxy S21series smartphone (eligible Samsung device). Purchase of eligible Samsung device and Samsung Care+ must be made at the same time and in a single transaction. Bonus Miles will be posted to your Collector Account within 60 days of the offer end date. AIR MILES Collector Number must be provided at the time of purchase. While quantities last. No rain checks. Availability and selection may vary. Products may be purchased separately at regular prices. Outright purchases only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion unless specifically agreed to by Samsung. Offer may be cancelled or changed without notice.

Katelin Onishi

North Strategic

613-883-4684

katelin.onishi @northstrategic.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/10609c50-a6de-4b8f-86f9-b9b41b7ab3c9

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cbbf0df0-c70d-4e1d-a26b-3365a5a48bda








NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2021 / The Law Offices of Vincent Wong announce that class actions have commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in the following companies. If you suffered a loss you have until the lead plaintiff deadline to request that the court appoint you as lead plaintiff. There will be no obligation or cost to you.

DraftKings Inc. f/k/a Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:DKNG)

If you suffered a loss, contact us at:https://www.wongesq.com/pslra-1/draftkings-inc-f-k-a-diamond-eagle-acquisition-corp-loss-submission-form?prid=19031&wire=1

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 31, 2021

Class Period: December 23, 2019 - June 15, 2021

Allegations against DKNG include that: (i) SBTech Global Limited ("SBTech"), a company acquired by DraftKings, had a history of unlawful operations; (ii) accordingly, DraftKings' merger with SBTech exposed the Company to dealings in black-market gaming; (iii) the foregoing increased the Company's regulatory and criminal risks with respect to these transactions; (iv) as a result of all the foregoing, the Company's revenues were, in part, derived from unlawful conduct and thus unsustainable; (v) accordingly, the benefits of the Business Combination were overstated; and (vi) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

Yalla Group Limited (NYSE:YALA)

If you suffered a loss, contact us at:https://www.wongesq.com/pslra-1/yalla-group-limited-loss-submission-form?prid=19031&wire=1

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 12, 2021

Class Period: September 30, 2020 - August 9, 2021

Allegations against YALA include that: the Company overstated its user metrics and revenue and, as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

Selectquote, Inc. (NYSE:SLQT)

If you suffered a loss, contact us at:https://www.wongesq.com/pslra-1/selectquote-inc-loss-submission-form?prid=19031&wire=1

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: October 15, 2021

Class Period: February 8, 2021 - May 11, 2021

Story continues

Allegations against SLQT include that: (1) SelectQuote's 2019 cohort was underperforming; (2) as a result, the Company's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (3) 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.

To learn more contact Vincent Wong, Esq. either via email vw@wongesq.com or by telephone at 212.425.1140.

Vincent Wong, Esq. is an experienced attorney who has represented investors in securities litigations involving financial fraud and violations of shareholder rights. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

Vincent Wong, Esq.

39 East Broadway

Suite 304

New York, NY 10002

Tel. 212.425.1140

Fax. 866.699.3880

E-Mail: vw@wongesq.com

SOURCE: The Law Offices of Vincent Wong





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/661702/SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-DKNG-YALA-SLQT-The-Law-Offices-of-Vincent-Wong-Reminds-Investors-of-Important-Class-Action-Deadlines




NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Rekor Systems, Inc. f/k/a Novume Solutions, Inc. ("Rekor" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: REKR) (NASDAQ: NVMM) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, and docketed under 21-cv-01604, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Rekor securities between April 12, 2019 and May 25, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

Fighting for victims of securities fraud for more than 85 years (PRNewsfoto/Pomerantz LLP)

If you are a shareholder who purchased Rekor securities during the Class Period, you have until August 30, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Rekor, through its subsidiaries, provides vehicle identification and management systems based on artificial intelligence in the United States, Canada, and internationally.

One of the main drivers of Rekor's business is its automatic license plate recognition ("ALPR") technology, which the Company has pitched to investors as a major market opportunity since at least 2018. For example, Rekor has consistently touted the purportedly lucrative prospects of its uninsured vehicle enforcement diversion ("UVED") partnership with the State of Oklahoma ("Oklahoma"), under which the Company receives compensation and commission fees in exchange for using its technology to scan vehicle license plates and compare them against a database to identify vehicles without auto-insurance. Fueled by management commentary, Rekor's stock price has ballooned under the market perception that the Oklahoma UVED partnership is not only lucrative but the first stepping-stone to capturing similar deals with other municipalities.

Story continues

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Rekor's ALPR technology and UVED-related business is outclassed by global competitors with an established, dominant market share; (ii) it was unlikely that states would pass legislation authorizing deals similar to Rekor's Oklahoma UVED partnership because of, inter alia, state and local privacy laws and related public concerns; (iii) Rekor's UVED partnership was not as profitable as Defendants had led investors to believe because of known impediments to enrollment rates and costs associated with the partnership; (iv) accordingly, Rekor had overstated its potential revenues, profitability, and overall ALPR- and UVED-related business prospects; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On May 10, 2021, a bill authorizing the establishment of a state UVED program was excluded from the Texas Legislature's Daily House Calendar and left pending in a state committee. Because May 10, 2021 was the deadline for the Texas UVED bill to move from the committee, news sources reported significant market speculation that the bill was dead. Further, on a post-market earnings call that same day to discuss Rekor's first quarter 2021 financial results, Defendant Berman also indicated that Rekor may not secure a UVED agreement with Texas.

On news of the Texas UVED bill's exclusion from the Texas Legislature's Daily House Calendar, Rekor's stock price fell $5.20 per share, or 27.5%, to close at $13.71 per share on May 10, 2021. Then, following Defendants' post-market conference call with investors the same day, Rekor's stock price fell an additional $2.45 per share, or 17.87%, to close at $11.26 per share on May 11, 2021representing a two-day total decline of $7.65 per share, or 40.45%.

Then, on May 26, 2021, private investor Western Edge published a report addressing Rekor, entitled "Rekor Systems: Lackluster Growth Runway And Exaggerated Insurance Scheme Raise Substantial Downside Risk." The Western Edge report alleged, among other things, that global competition was "miles ahead" of Rekor in ALPR development and market establishment; that the Company's "realized results suggest management's potential revenue guidance could be overstated by up to 80%"; and that investors were at risk of facing a "massive downside if [the Company's] growth doesn't show up." The Western Edge report also noted that Rekor's predecessor in the Oklahoma UVED partnership had exited it because "the program is not economically feasible" given costs associated with the program and because "there was typically no consequences for individuals that simply ignored the fines/insurance requirements after they were identified."

Also on May 26, 2021, Mariner Research Group ("Mariner") published a report addressing Rekor, entitled "REKR  Government documents do not support investor expectations." The Mariner report "highlight[ed] government documentation which shows that REKR's revenue opportunities are likely a fraction of what investors expect[.]" Among other things, Mariner alleged that "Oklahoma government budgets imply that REKR's much-vaunted UVED program is a sub $2MM revenue opportunityalmost 96% less than the >$40MM in revenue intimated by Rekor's CEO." The Mariner report likewise echoed the issues disclosed in the Western Edge report, including, inter alia, those that had caused Rekor's predecessor in the Oklahoma UVED partnership to exit the program.

Following the publication of the Western Edge and Mariner reports, Rekor's stock price fell $0.44 per share, or 3.93%, to close at $10.77 per share on May 26, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert--pomerantz-law-firm-reminds-shareholders-with-losses-on-their-investment-in-rekor-systems-inc-fka-novume-solutions-inc-of-class-action-lawsuit-and-upcoming-deadline--rekr-nvmm-301364516.html

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
HOUSTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc is shutting production at four Gulf of Mexico offshore platforms and evacuating all workers from those locations because of the threat from Tropical Storm Ida, the company said on Thursday night.

The Ursa, Mars, Olympus and Appomattox platforms are being shut in and all workers flown back on shore, Shell said. Production has also been shut in at the Stones oil and natural gas project in the ultra-deep Gulf of Mexico as the floating production system Turritella is preparing to disconnect and move out of Ida's forecast path. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Oering 6 months free Sleep Cycle premium to eligible Samsung customers

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, August 27, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sleep Cycle, the world's most popular sleep tracking application is to be included in the Samsung Boost initiative and will join the likes of Google and YouTube and a raft of other partners oering access to their services to eligible Samsung customers. Sleep Cycle will oer six months free premium use of Sleep Cycle to flagship device1 users, including the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Series, featuring the brand-new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and Z Fold3. Powered by machine learning, Sleep Cycle helps users fall asleep more easily, understand personal sleep patterns, wake up feeling rested, and improve sleep patterns with tailored insights and statistics.

"Being included in Samsung Boost as one of the big go-to Android applications of the world is an amazing honour for Sleep Cycle," said Carl Johan Hederoth, CEO, Sleep Cycle. "We hope the inclusion will help raise awareness of the importance of good sleep for better health, as well as give more users the opportunity to try our premium oering with the extended services included, such as guided sleep aid, snore tracking, and valuable sleep insights."

Samsung Boost is a newly launched proposition that brings increased value through a host of exclusive premium services to new and existing customers of the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Series including Galaxy Z Flip3 and Z Fold3. With Boost, Samsung has brought together a selection of premium partner experiences worth over 250, enabling customers to try out a collection of epic apps and services that can supercharge their Samsung experience, at no extra cost to them.

"At Samsung, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we challenge ourselves to deliver to them the best services and technologies that enable the very best experience with us. It is from listening to our customers that Samsung Boost was born," said Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Services and Technology, Samsung UK and Ireland.

Story continues

About Sleep Cycle

With millions of daily active users and over two billion nights analysed in more than 150 countries, Sleep Cycle is the leading sleep tracker application and one of the most widely used solutions worldwide to improve sleep health. Sleep Cycles mission is to improve global health by empowering people to sleep better. Since its launch in 2009, Sleep Cycle has helped millions of people understand their sleeping habits and improve their sleep. The mobile app helps users fall asleep more easily, tracks and analyses sleep during the night, wakes the user in a light sleep phase and provides insight into how sleep quality is best improved. Sleep Cycle is one of the worlds most comprehensive sources for statistics on sleep and contributes to research and reporting on sleep worldwide. Sleep Cycle (https://www.sleepcycle.com) is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker SLEEP. The head oce is located in Gothenburg, Sweden and the company has 37 employees.

1 Samsung Boost available on Samsung Galaxy S21 Series, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, Z Fold3 and SamsungGalaxy TabS7 Series.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005027/en/

Contacts

Media

Per Andersson

CFO and Head of Investor Relations

per.andersson@sleepcycle.com

+46 70 939 5327

Malin Abrahamsson

Head of PR

press@sleepcycle.com

+46 73 972 6424
Southwest Airlines LUV will reduce flight schedules starting September through the end of the year to ease operational disruptions that caused the company to cancel hundreds of flights during the summers and delayed several more.



Per a Reuters report, the airline will reduce an average of 27 flights per day from Sep 7 through Oct 6, and a further 162 flights per day from Oct 7 through Nov 5. The company plans to cut flights in November and December as well, except for the ones during holidays.



Southwests CEO, Gary Kelly, reportedly said, "We're confident these adjustments will create a more reliable travel experience."

Southwest Airlines Co. Price

Southwest Airlines Co. Price

Southwest Airlines Co. price | Southwest Airlines Co. Quote





Apart from technical glitches, the airlines flight cancellations during the summers were driven by staff shortages as air-travel demand rose more than expected. To address the situation, the Dallas, TX-based carrier is "aggressively" hiring.



Despite improving, travel demand has recently suffered a setback amid rising coronavirus cases in the United States, induced by rapid spread of the Delta variant. Experiencing deceleration in bookings and increased cancellations, Southwest, carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), reduced its forecast for the third quarter and said that unlike its previous expectation, it might not be profitable in the third quarter.



American Airlines AAL, carrying a Zacks Rank #3, has been the latest carrier to warn about softness in bookings, as a result of which the companys August revenues are falling below its expectations.



Last week, Spirit Airlines SAVE, carrying a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), said that it was witnessing uptick in cancellations and softer-than-expected booking trends for the third quarter due to increase in coronavirus cases. The company estimates an impact of $80-$100 million on revenues in the third quarter as a result of this weakness.

A Key Pick

A better-ranked stock in the airline space is SkyWest SKYW, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Shares of SkyWest have gained more than 34% in a years time.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report



American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Spirit Airlines, Inc. (SAVE) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Reuters Videos

Biden: It was time to end this war. President Joe Biden on Tuesday defiantly rejected criticism of his decision to stick to a deadline to pull out of Afghanistan this week, a move that left up to 200 Americans in the country along with thousands of U.S.-aligned Afghan citizens. Biden called the tumultuous U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan a success.. saying it was the best available option. I take responsibility for the decision. Now, some say we should have started mass evacuations sooner, and couldn't this have been done in a more orderly manner? I respectfully disagreeThe bottom line is there is no evacuation from the end of a war that you can run without the kinds of complexities, challenges, threats we faced, none. More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in a massive but chaotic airlift by the United States and its allies over the past two weeks.It also saw the death of 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians in a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport in an attack claimed by ISIS-K. In his first remarks since the final pullout after the last American soldier left Kabul soil, Biden said 90% of Americans who wanted to leave were able to do so. But U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Americans had been abandoned behind enemy lines, calling it a disgraceful and disastrous departure. Biden said the only other option would have been to step up the fight. "That was the choice - the real choice - between leaving or escalating. I was not going to extend this forever war. And I was not extending a forever exit. Earlier in the day, the Taliban celebrated their victory over the United States, firing guns into the air Taliban official spoke from the tarmac at Kabul airport - saying they are prepared to engage diplomatically and have good relations with the world, including the United States. Other Taliban fighters took inventory of destroyed U.S. helicopters their windows and control panels smashed in. The Taliban now control more territory than when they last ruled before they were ousted in America's longest war.
Beaufort Sign

Dana Givens

My cultural identity has always been somewhat of a mystery. Like many African Americans, I have taken ancestry tests and even a trip to the continent in hopes of finding my origin story. My mother and her mother did not know anything about their African roots, eitheronly that their ancestors arrived in the Lowcountry marshlands of South Carolina.

Preparing dinner in our Harlem kitchen, my mother would have me sit by her so I could learn recipes passed down to her from my aunts and grandmother, to connect us to our Gullah roots back in South Carolina. My earliest food memory is my mother making a pot of white rice. It was the first thing she demonstrated to me in the kitchen, something she felt every Southern woman should know. Making rice was her way of teaching me about growing up the daughter of working-class people from South Carolina because she didn't know much else about our culture outside of Harlem. While she didn't live in the South herself, her mom and sisters had immersed her in Gullah traditions. It happened in the kitchen.

"[Rice] was our first introduction to cooking," said Sara Green, who owns the Gullah Grub in St. Helena with her husband, Bill. "That's a major milestone in your growth and development for that family."

Rice is a central part of Gullah and Southern cuisine. The crop brought in more revenue for the Southern colonies than any other import, and it was mostly farmed and planted by enslaved women. The sophisticated farming technique, wrapped in centuries of tradition, is what ultimately made the enslaved people from Sierra Leone so valuable to plantation owners. It was a skill that allowed them to cultivate rice in the deep water and marshlands to sell for lofty profit.

Basketweaving stand

Dana Givens

After the Civil War, the enslaved Africans living in South Carolina were among the first group freed. Many were awaiting liberation from Union troops still making their way across the Confederate South. They pushed towards the marshlands: inhabitable, harsh terrain that was thought to be worthless. With their hands, they brought greenery and new life. They planted vegetables and fruits and taught their children to take care of the land with the same loving tenderness.

Story continues

Today, those lands looked a lot different. Upon my arrival in town of Beaufort, I was met with colonial-inspired homes reminiscent of its Antebellum roots. I arrived in South Carolina as a native New Yorker and descendent from the people of the Great Migration, who had journeyed north for a better life. But I always found myself looking in the other direction. When I travel, I see Black people from other countries who are afforded the privilege of knowing their origins. I went to South Carolina to learn more about where my parents came from, things that couldn't be told through percentages and saliva swabs.

Related: Rice Is Everything

Within those stories of migration to major cities across the country, some families brought the possessions they could carry with them, both tangible and intangible memories from a life they were leaving behind. These families still held onto small traditions, like their food, to preserve their cultural identity.

Basketweaving stand

Dana Givens

Over several days, I traveled through the Lowcountry to the colonial town of Beaufort and Bluffton, where I met with chef BJ Dennis and others of the Gullah community. At the Lowcountry Cafe, where he now serves as culinary director, we talked about his memories of Charleston farmers hauling watermelon and other harvested goods to places like Harlem, where they could visit their relatives and sell on the street. It reminded me of another food memory: countless summers of waiting for the stands of fresh yellow watermelon that came every season from down south.

"It was a way to keep [them] connected to something that may have been traumatic for someone else who migrated, but for some, [there was] a grounding that was still there," he said.

From Bluffton, I continued on to Sea Islands, where much of Gullah culture is centered. On Daufuskie Island, where juneberries grow sparsely amongst green shrubs and trees, the contrast between wealthy and poor is blinding. Hiding away from the pristine grounds of wealthy patrons are the Gullah people who still nurture their land and plant seeds that birth fresh vegetation. The island is surrounded by oak trees that hold the history of the souls that have crossed its path.

Sallie-Ann and Dana

Dana Givens

It is there I met with Sallie-Ann Robinson, an accomplished chef and cookbook author who shares Gullah stories through recipes. The chef spends her days between private catering, writing cookbooks, and giving tours to visitors to teach them about the culture she works hard to keep alive.

"Our parents were storytellers and hard workers. Today we are book writers," she said. I could hear in Sallie-Ann's laugh the same familiarity of hundreds of birthdays and backdoor barbecues spent with my family. As I watched fans from the tour bus eagerly approach her to sign their cookbooks, she reminded me that this isn't a dying culture. Sallie-Ann and others like her are continuing the work of their ancestors and preserving their African heritage in the food they make.

Back on Hilton Head Island, I ate other foods that transported me to childhood, like Lowcountry boils with fresh shrimps and snow crabs marinated in spices to farm-raised meats. Everything reminded me of my mother, of the things she taught me. The detail in the food preparation, the connections to African foods brought by their lost ancestorsall represented the Gullah's resistance to leaving their culture behind.

Item used to cook in Danfuskie Island Museum

Dana Givens

My family and the people I met during my trip to Beaufort and the Sea Islands also taught me that Gullah is more than those who survived; it is about preserving the heritage that slavery tried to erase.

"They should know that Gullah culture is built on trust, and it is built on love," said Bill Green. "Gullah culture is love and kindness."

The Gullah community has survived numerous attempts of erasure. While many Americans are only just learning about this resilient group of people, it is important to remember that they aren't just lost faces hidden from history books; they are the same people living there today.

Daufuskie Island

Dana Givens

"We still here," said Dennis. "It's not vanishing, dying people. You know, it's a culture that's here. Even through gentrification, we still here. We are still living and breathing, you know. Just understand that those who never left still love those who [did] and we still one people We need each other."

Gullah people are still herestill thriving, still preserving the land, despite attempts of removal and growing gentrification around them. They are still here, tending to the land and sharing their stories to keep the Gullah culture alive. I will teach my son and daughter all the Southern traditions my mom introduced to methrough food and with love.
Zendesk is looking to grow its customer service capabilities, and today it announced the acquisition of early-stage artificial intelligence startup Cleverly.

Financial terms of the deal are not being publicly disclosed at this time and Cleverly has not been entirely public about the size of its funding. Founded in 2019, Cleverly is based in Lisbon, Portugal and, according to its site, has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The startup was also listed by TechCrunch in an article earlier this year looking at the startup scene in Lisbon as being one of the most exciting deep tech companies in the region, according to Stephan Morais, partner at Indico Capital Partners.

Cleverly's product platform provides a series of artificial intelligence-powered capabilities, including a triage function to automatically tag incoming service requests to help categorize workflow. The startup also has what it refers to as AI-powered human augmentation with its agent assist capability that aims to help customer service agents provide the right answers to inquiries. The company's technology already integrates with Zendesk, as well as with Salesforce.

As to why Zendesk is acquiring Cleverly, Shawna Wolverton, EVP of product at Zendesk, noted in an email to TechCrunch that the two companies have a similar vision for the future of customer service.

"Cleverly and Zendesk want to democratize AI, so companies can create practical applications that make it possible for businesses to get started with AI right out of the box  without a team of data scientists required," she said.

Wolverton added that AI has the ability to help customer experience teams deliver great customer service. She expects that the next generation of great customer experiences will be created by intelligent software, enabling humans and AI working closely together to deliver this at scale.

Story continues

Wolverton noted that her company will be welcoming all of Cleverlys team to Zendesk beginning August 30, including founders Christina Fonseca as VP of Product and Pedro Coelho as principal engineering lead, Machine Learning.

Zendesk already has a series of AI-enabled capabilities that can help organizations automate customer conversations, boost agent productivity and increase operational efficiency, including the Answer Bot, which is a chatbot for customer interactions providing answers pulled from Zendesk's knowledge base. Zendesk's Content Cues AI-powered feature in turn helps to automatically review support tickets and also can identify areas where content in a company's help center can be updated to be more useful to users.

"With Cleverly, we will deliver a range of capabilities that automate key insights, further reduce manual tasks and improve workflows, and overall lead to happier, more productive support teams," Wolverton said. "We will have more news to share on that front once the team is up and running.

Zendesk's business has been growing in 2021 overall, reporting second-quarter fiscal 2021 revenue of $318.2 million for a 29% year-over-year gain.
Gloria Chittum, the sole Republican on the three-member Stafford County Electoral Board, said she would not support Sunday voting due to the many options that already exist in the county to cast a ballot.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Its not our [objective] to keep people from voting, said Chittum. Youve got 45 days of early voting now. You have two Saturdays. I just cant believe theres that many people that cant come but one day a week.

Stafford County Registrar Anna Hash said the state would have provided funding this election to help defer the costs of staffing the registrars office for Sunday voting this year only, but Chittum told the group the availability of those funds is unknown in the years ahead.

So that adds another expense, Chittum said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Bill Johnson-Miles of Stafford, told board members there are county residents who lack the finances or transportation to get anywhere else except to church on Sundays.

Its the only thing they do during the week, its the only time they get out of the house, said Johnson-Miles. Churches are always volunteering to take them to the polls or registrars office to vote and return them to the church.
In 2017, Donald Trump assumed the presidency. His unwillingness to pursue needless wars infuriated the Establishment and they did everything possible to stop him, including creating an absurd Russian dossier scandal and the ridiculous Ukrainian phone call impeachment attempt.

Nevertheless, Trump negotiated a conditions-based exit strategy, something America clearly desired after 20 years of futile effort, and backed it up by a demonstrated readiness to use force against any adversary.

America would leave, but only after our citizens and Afghan allies were evacuated, backed up by the credible threat of overwhelming military might poised to ensure Taliban compliance with the negotiated settlement.

Joe Biden inherited that exit strategy when he assumed office, and his recent actions bring us to the horrific events of the past weeks. For reasons that have yet to be explained, American forces literally left in the middle of the night, stranding thousands of their fellow Americans in the countryside, many more thousands of Afghans who had helped us during our long stay, and abandoning an entire generation of young Afghan men and women who believed they had a better future.
The reason were not doing a COVID emergency is because this is a hospital staffing emergency. Were being very specific, Ricketts said at a news conference, noting the increase in non-virus hospitalizations.

Some health officials have been critical of the decision to stop releasing the detailed information, arguing that it makes it harder to track the the virus and potentially slow its spread.

We are in many ways flying blind, said Dr. James Lawler, one of the leaders of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The new staffing emergency waives various state licensing and education requirements for health care workers to try to encourage more people to take jobs at Nebraska hospitals. Ricketts said it will continue through at least the end of the year.

The Republican governor also issued a health order, effective Monday, that will require hospitals to limit certain non-essential surgeries that can be postponed four or more weeks to ease pressure on health care workers.
KABUL -- The U.S. military believes there are still credible threats against a major airlift operation at Kabul airport a day after a suicide attack on a crowd trying to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S. troops.

The United States is monitoring the threats "very, very specifically, virtually in real time," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

"We certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts," Kirby said.

Pentagon officials also said on August 27 that the deadly attack was carried out by a single suicide bomber at a gate to the airport and there was no second explosion at a nearby hotel as originally reported.

"I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber," U.S. Army Major General Hank Taylor, joint staff deputy director for regional operations security, told a briefing at the Pentagon.

Taylor added that the suicide bombing was followed by gunfire from an enemy position, but other details about the attack were still unclear.

U.S. media reports say the death toll in the attack has risen above 170. CNN and CBS News both quoted an unnamed Afghan health official on August 27 as saying the number had jumped markedly from earlier reports that around 100 people lost their lives.

A CBS correspondent added that at least another 200 people were wounded

The attack was claimed by Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, IS-K, an enemy of the Taliban as well as the West.

U.S. President Joe Biden has said the United States will avenge the attack, and Taylor said the U.S. military commander in charge has the ability to take action as opportunities present themselves.

About 5,400 people are inside Kabul airport awaiting evacuation, Taylor said, adding that in the 24 hours to 3 a.m. Washington time, 12,500 more people had been evacuated.

The United States will be able to airlift people out "until the last moment," he said.

General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said U.S. commanders were watching for more attacks by IS, including possibly rockets or car bombs targeting the airport.

"We're doing everything we can to be prepared," McKenzie said, adding that some intelligence was being shared with the Taliban and he believed "some attacks have been thwarted by them."

The U.S.-led evacuation resumed on August 27. Planes could be seen taking off while crowds of people returned to the area around the Abbey Gate, where the suicide attack occurred.

Deflecting blame for the blasts, a Taliban spokesman told RFE/RLs Afghan Service that they had occurred in an area where U.S. forces were responsible for security.

The blast did not occur in our area. At the airport, [between the Taliban and the American forces] there is a clear line. Our forces are advancing to this point, but not beyond. This is so that the American troops stationed in the field do not feel threatened, so we do not allow our forces to exceed a certain limit, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RFE/RL in an interview on August 27.

Most of the more than 20 allied countries involved in airlifting Afghans and their own citizens out of Kabul said they had completed evacuations by August 27 in the race to wrap up operations before all foreign troops leave the country by the August 31 deadline set by Biden.

About 1,000 U.S. citizens are estimated to still be in the country, while thousands more Afghans, many of whom worked with international forces over the past two decades, are still hoping to leave because they fear retaliation from the Taliban once foreign troops have left the war-torn country.

Biden's administration has been criticized for a chaotic evacuation after the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's takeover of the country. But the president has repeatedly defended the decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, ending Americas longest war.

This story includes reporting by Radio Azadi correspondents on the ground in Afghanistan. Their names are being withheld for their protection.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate against the Islamic State extremist group after suicide bombings outside Kabuls airport killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, with many more wounded, just days before an August 31 deadline for foreign troops to leave Afghanistan.



We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said in televised comments from the White House on August 26.



Biden said U.S. forces would target Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K), the extremist groups Afghanistan and Pakistan affiliate which claimed credit for the attack, at a time and place of its choosing. ISIS-K is a rival of the Taliban.

"I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities," he said.



The United States has been coordinating evacuations with the Taliban since the militants captured Kabul earlier this month.



The terrorist attacks will not deter the United States from its mission to evacuate thousands of American citizens, allies, and at-risk Afghans from Afghanistan, Biden said.



"We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation," Biden said, adding that more than 100,000 people had been taken out of the country in the past 12 days.



Biden reaffirmed an August 31 deadline for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan, saying there was enough time in the next several days to wrap up evacuations. About 1,000 U.S. citizens are estimated to still be in the country.



He described the U.S. military members who died as heroes whove been in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.



They are part of an airlift and evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, Biden said.



The administration has been widely blamed for a chaotic evacuation after the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's takeover of the country. But the president has repeatedly defended the decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, ending Americas longest war.



The U.S. death toll from the attacks made it the deadliest single incident for American forces in Afghanistan in a decade and one of the deadliest of the entire 20-year war.



Earlier, General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said the 12 service members were killed and 15 others were wounded after two suicide bombs struck near the Abbey Gate at Kabuls airport, where crowds of Afghans have gathered in recent days hoping to get on a flight out of the country. Gunmen also opened fire on civilians and military forces. There also was an attack at or near the Baron Hotel near that gate.

The Pentagon later increased the death toll to 13 U.S. troops, a number that may still rise.



McKenzie said U.S. forces were coordinating security with the Taliban and planned to continue evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, including possible rockets or vehicle-borne bombs targeting the airport.

ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying in a statement that one of its suicide bombers had targeted "translators and collaborators with the American army."

Videos posted online showed dozens of bodies strewn in and around a canal on the edge of the airport.

Half of the people were thrown into the water and others [were knocked] to the ground. We carried the wounded here [to the hospital] on stretchers. My clothes are completely covered in blood, said one witnesses who did not want to be identified.

The United States and its allies on August 25 had urged civilians to stay away from the airport because of intelligence suggesting ISIS-K was planning an attack.

Several Western allies have already finished their airlift operations ahead of the U.S. withdrawal on August 31, including Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The British Defense Ministry announced early on August 27 that British forces have entered the final stages of evacuating people from Kabul's airport and that processing facilities have closed.

The effort would now focus on evacuating British nationals and others who have already been cleared to leave and are already at the airport, the ministry said.

No further people would be called forward to the airport for evacuation, it said.

"It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process," Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in a statement.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the Islamic State offshoot that claimed responsibility for the August 26 suicide attack outside Kabul airport, has been behind some of the deadliest operations against Afghan civilians.



Its record includes a 2020 assault by gunmen on a maternity ward in Kabul, killing 16 mothers and pregnant women, as well as two children and seven other people.



The IS-K (also known as ISIS-K) has frequently targeted members of the Shi'ite Hazara minority, whom it views as heretics.



One Of The World's Deadliest Groups



IS-K was set up in 2015 and recruited heavily among Afghans and Pakistanis, particularly defectors from the fundamentalist Taliban.



It takes the "Khorasan" name from a historical region comprising parts of what are today Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.



The group quickly established a reputation for ruthlessness and is believed to have also attracted members of other militant groups in the region, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).



The U.S. State Department designated it a "foreign terrorist organization" in January 2016, and within three years of its founding IS-K was among the world's four deadliest organizations on the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Terrorism Index.

WATCH: 'Much More Brutal': Who Are Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K)?



IS-K has managed to survive a yearslong U.S. military campaign targeting it that apparently included the killing of a number of its leaders in U.S. air strikes. In 2017, the U.S. military dropped the so-called "mother of all bombs," the largest nonnuclear bomb in the American arsenal, on a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan used by IS-K.



Membership



IS-K was at one point believed to include up to 3,000 members, according to U.S. officials.

A United Nations report released in June said the group is thought to retain approximately 1,500 to 2,200 fighters in small areas of Afghanistan's Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. The UN authors assessed that it had been forced to decentralize into cells and small groups across the country, acting autonomously while sharing the same ideology.

Resurgence?



U.S. officials and others have warned recently that the group could leverage instability in Afghanistan to consolidate its position there. Ahead of the deadly August 26 attack on Kabul airport, U.S. President Joe Biden and his national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned that the threat from IS-K was "acute."



The group was said to have faced setbacks in past months, including territorial losses, but researchers tracking terrorist groups had previously been citing signs of an IS-K resurgence for over a year.



The UN warned in its report that, since June 2020, under an ambitious new leader named Shahab al-Muhajir, IS-K had remained "active and dangerous," and was seeking to swell its ranks with disaffected Taliban fighters and other militants.



"In July, it deployed 19 times as many attacks as it did in the same month last year," Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization (ICSR), told RFE/RL. "It was able to do this because of a deteriorating security environment, changes in its leadership, and an expansion of its targeting parameters."

He said that the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital marked a new, albeit brief, phase of IS-K activities leading up to the August 26 bombing: "When Kabul fell to the Taliban, [IS-K] ceased all activity so it could plan for this moment."



Abdul Sayed, an expert on jihadist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan who is based in Lund, Sweden, said in a series of Tweets that IS-K had been taking "a new shape" since February 2020 and had become more dangerous.



"First, it announced and started planning a long new war against the Taliban, anticipating in light of [the] U.S.-Taliban deal that [the] Taliban will soon take power in Kabul with the U.S. withdrawal. I saw signs in Nangarhar & Kunar that it started gathering recruits for this new campaign," Sayed tweeted following the deadly attacks outside Kabul airport.



He added in a thread: "[IS-K's] emir Dr. Shahab al-Muhajir, appointed in May 2020, also announced a new urban terrorism campaign against the Taliban, the Afghan government, and 'their U.S. masters.'"



IS-K And The Taliban: Enemies



Researcher Winter speculated that the goal of the suicide attack outside Kabul airport that killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S, troops, was to demonstrate that the Taliban cannot provide the security it has promised. It also sought to goad the United States into extending its presence in Afghanistan, he suggested.



"From a strategic perspective, they were as much aimed at the Taliban as they were the Afghan citizens and U.S. soldiers that were killed. As the Taliban tries to consolidate its position in Afghanistan, [IS-K] will do all it can to undermine it," Winter said.



He said such attacks "play into the hands" of both IS-K locally and Islamic State globally.



"They are not about 'establishing' Afghanistan as a new core of the caliphate -- at least, not yet," Winter said. "They are about demonstrating presence, defiance, and intent, and shaping the terrain for future insurgency."



The Taliban, which now controls most of Afghanistan after meeting with little military resistance as U.S.-led international forces accelerated their withdrawal from the country, has condemned the August 26 attack.

In an August 27 interview with RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed appeared to downplay the threat from IS-K.



"The [IS] that existed in Iraq and Syria does not exist in Afghanistan," he said. "There are some people here who have taken the idea of [the Iraq and Syria IS] or call themselves their followers -- we are very confident that they will understand the reality when they see that an Islamic government has been established in Afghanistan, security is in place, and there are no foreign forces. So, there is no excuse for their insurgency and activity."



There are few indications of genuine security in Afghanistan, where numerous reports have emerged of revenge killings and the United Nations and rights groups have warned of likely war crimes and other atrocities as the Taliban captured territory, in the past month especially.

The U.S. president has vowed to retaliate against Islamic State and make it "pay" for the airport attacks. Speaking on August 26, Biden said U.S. commanders have been ordered to develop operational plans to strike IS-K assets, leadership, and facilities.



A former CIA director and defense secretary under the Obama administration, Leon Panetta, warned that Biden's pledge suggested that "we're going to have to go back in [to Afghanistan] to get [IS]."

RFE/RL Radio Azadi correspondent Ajmal Aand contributed to this story
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The Space Symposium, the four-day convention held this week in Colorado Springs that brought together the foremost leaders of space defense, industry and research, was a testament to the speed with which human involvement in space is accelerating.

But as technology advances, some policy experts hope to see sustainable and ethical behavior in space that matches technology's pace.

The space industry benefits humanity from research into climate change to the development of cancer drugs. With accessibility to space rapidly expanding, however, world leaders say they see a need to regulate human behavior beyond the reaches of our atmosphere.

A panel featuring the heads of global space agencies, and a speech from Chirag Parikh, the executive secretary for the National Space Council, addressed the future of ethical behavior in space at the symposium Wednesday, which took place at The Broadmoor hotel on Colorado Springs' southwest side.

"We must be committed about space not just for the sake of space," Parikh said. "But for the value of the citizen."

Parikh cited diversity, sustainability and education as values the international space community should prioritize.

Panelists such as Giorgio Saccoccia, president of the Italian Space Agency, Dr. Josef Aschbacher, director of the European Space Agency, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the former U.S. senator and representative, also expressed the need for regulations to promote sustainable practices and safety in space.

"We cannot talk about the sustainability of our planet without talking about sustainability of what's around our planet," Saccoccia said.

Ayn Su Woodward, a space law and policy advisor for the Global Space Exchange, a hub that shares information about organizations, people and products in the space industry in order to break down barriers, said beyond institutional and government guidance, incentives for industry also will be necessary to protect space and humanity.

And the stakes are high if we don't do enough to ensure boundaries in space, Woodward said.

"I think you could have a very dangerous repetition of colonialism where you have certain super wealthy, well resourced countries expanding their power to the detriment of other communities who don't have such a grand military and solid economy," Woodward said.

That's why Mikaela Dobbin, a master's student at the University of Colorado at Boulder studying astrodynamics and satellite navigation, helped create an ethics-based course for undergraduate students in her field.

Dobbin wanted to help send more students into the workforce who were ethically aware in order to elevate the industry as a whole.

"We found it was a really good opportunity to introduce some difficult ethics topics that aren't necessarily brought up in our day-to-day aerospace lives," Dobbin said.

Private companies such as Houston-based Nanoracks, which helps provide access to space by launching research payloads into low-orbit and small satellites to the International Space Station, already are trying to work toward sustainable efforts in space.

Nanoracks developed a hardware kit that can attach to space debris  allowing it to be moved and reused as infrastructure in orbit, said Alexandra Coultrup, a recent master's graduate who works on the project for the company.

"The majority of the people in the space industry are doing what we're doing because we believe we can make the world a better place," Coultrup said.
It wasn't the biggest Space Symposium in history, but the weeklong gathering at The Broadmoor was likely the busiest.

Hundreds of space companies came back from pandemic-driven isolation with pens ready to ink contracts and money burning a hole in their well-stuffed pockets. While the rest of the economy roiled amid COVID-19, space continued to soar, with the aerospace sector in Colorado marking more than 10% growth.

But while Colorado clearly reigns supreme in the space business, plenty of places would like to claim the throne. Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma, Virginia, Alabama and New Mexico had staffers shaking hands behind the scenes and lurking in the ubiquitous hospitality suites where the deals are done.

The January decision by President Donald Trump to uproot U.S. Space Command to Huntsville, Ala., put blood in the water and the sharks circled.

Space Command, which oversees all military missions in orbit, was reestablished here in 2019, and the city was recognized as the home for the command through at least 2026 by the Pentagon.

Trump shocked local leaders and turned heads nationally when he gave the command "single-handedly" to Alabama, in what insiders say was a political move meant to reward loyalists while punishing an increasingly blue Colorado.

Colorado Springs has its own sharks. Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera had a private meeting with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who sounds like he could be swayed to overturn the Alabama move. Kendall told me he's awaiting the outcome of a pair of investigations from the Pentagon inspector general and the Government Accountability Office before making a final decision.

The city's other sharks swim in congressional waters, where a quiet effort is crafting an amendment that would block cash for the Alabama move until lawmakers can determine if Trump put politics ahead of national security.

Colorado Springs has plenty of admirers, too.

"Keep up the fight," one general told me of Colorado Springs' battle to keep the command.

In dozens of interactions with top brass from Space Command during the symposium, the troops who defend America in space made it clear to me that they want to stay in Colorado Springs.

They aren't going to come out and shout it from the rooftops. People in uniform are paid to follow orders, not to question them.

But the message from one colonel came through loud and clear: "This is our home. Please help us stay."

During the final keynote speech of the symposium, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet told a crowd gathered for the Space Technology Hall of Fame that ripping the command and its troops from Colorado would cost money the government doesn't have and time it can't afford as leaders struggle to fend off growing threats in space from Russia and China.

A member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bennet said only close coordination between intelligence agency experts in Colorado and their military counterparts down the street or across the hallway at the command have kept American satellites safe.

"We are the nexus of space operations for the intelligence community and the Department of Defense," Bennet said. "Those are the facts."

But as the senator and others battle on Capitol Hill to keep the command in town, there's another great reason to keep it here. It's more plowshares than swords, and the Space Symposium proved it.

The Space Foundation's event brought together the brightest space minds in the world for an event in a city where they love to visit. Thousands of people exchanged ideas and thought up new ways to keep America's lead in space.

It could be days or decades before the seeds planted at the symposium bear fruit. But the seeds were firmly planted in rich Colorado soil, and they're sure to take root.

Colorado Springs needs to keep farming and plucking out any Alabama tangle weeds that crop up.

"This moment calls on everyone here to lead," Bennet said.
Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold is permanently adopting the emergency rules rolled out earlier this summer to block future efforts at an Arizona-style forensic audit conducted by a third party, her office announced.

The rules, first implemented in June, block what Griswold labeled as sham election audits by banning county clerks from allowing access to voting machines unless that person has passed a background check and is performing a task with authorization from either the county clerk or Griswolds office.

The rules also require that person to be either an employee of the county clerks office or Griswolds office, an election judge or an employee of a company that provides voting machines to that county. Voting machine manufacturers often make employees available to service and update machines.

That ties in to the ongoing investigation of Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who Griswolds office determined allowed an unauthorized person identified as Gerald Wood to record a software update procedure known as a trusted build, including images of screens that showed system passwords.

A video that displayed those passwords surfaced online this month on the social media site Telegram and on the right-wing Gateway Pundit blog.

Wood, Griswold said, is not a county employee, and there is no evidence he has passed the criminal background check that would allow him to be present for the activity. She also charged that Peters later claimed falsely that Wood was an employee.

Peters hasnt responded to multiple requests for comment from Colorado Politics. Vice News reported last week Peters was holed up at an undisclosed location secured by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, an election conspiracy theorist and prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump.

The emergency rules also block third parties, such as the Cyber Ninjas firm brought in by Republicans in the Arizona state Senate, from accessing voting machines.

Violation of the standard can result in the prohibition or limitation on the use of, as well as decertification of, a countys voting system or components. That happened in Mesa County, where Griswold last week issued an order prohibiting the county from using election equipment she said was compromised by Peters and Wood.

The rules drew more than 400 written comments and testimony from dozens of people, many who repeated debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, during a hearing on election rules this month.

That hearing was originally intended to craft election rules tied to legislation passed in the 2021 session, Senate Bills 250 and 188, though response to the emergency rules dominated the conversation.

Along with the emergency rules, the notice of adoption filed Thursday also adopts rules to implement those two bills as well as updates petition review rules and watcher and canvass rules and cleans up language on other rules.

According to Griswolds office, the rules will become permanently effective 20 days after publication in the Colorado Register.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 58F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 58F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. SSE winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 58F. SSE winds shifting to N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
3D-printed barracks opens for Texas Military Department trainees

The Texas Military Department (TMD) plans to house up to 72 Texas National Guard members in a newly constructed 3D-printed barracks.

Working with Austin-based construction company ICON and AFWERX, the Air Forces innovation incubator, TMD designed and built the first innovative training barracks at the Camp Swift Training Center in Bastrop, Texas.

By 3D printing the 3,800 square-foot bay-style building, TMD delivered the barracks faster and at one-third the cost of traditional construction methods. The barracks, which will be fitted with communal bathrooms and showers, will be the largest 3D-printed structure in North America and is expected to last for decades.

Designed by Logan Architecture and structurally engineered by Fort Structures, the barracks were printed using ICONs Vulcan construction system between December 2020 and April 2021. Ordinarily, 3D printing uses a digitally-generated design to manufacture thin layers of material that are stacked on top of each other, eventually forming a physical object. Here, a construction-scale printer deposited streams of polymer concrete to create the foundation and walls of the barracks.

The end product is said to be capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions including natural disasters. In addition, the structure will be more sustainable than conventional construction material and resilient to more common issues such as mold or water intrusions, ICON Co-Founder Evan Loomis said.

The Texas National Guard plans to build more 3D-printed barracks at Camp Swift and around the state, including ones in Camp Bowie, Camp Maxey and potentially Camp Mabry, TMD Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris told Stars and Stripes.

The 3D-printed facilities may also be deployed in forward locations for expeditionary forces, where the technology can potentially reduce time, cost and construction risks, TMD officials said.
States pull back on COVID data even amid delta surge

Two state government websites in Georgia recently stopped posting updates on COVID-19 cases in prisons and long-term care facilities, just as the dangerous delta variant was taking hold.

Data has been disappearing recently in other states as well.

Florida, for example, now reports COVID cases, deaths and hospitalizations once a week, instead of daily, as before.

Both states, along with the rest of the South, are battling high infection rates.

Public health experts are voicing concern about the pullback of COVID information. Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called the trend not good for government and the public because it gives the appearance of governments hiding stuff.

A month ago, the Georgia agency that runs state prisons stopped giving public updates on the number of new COVID cases among inmates and staff members. The Department of Corrections, in explaining this decision, cited its successful vaccination rates and a declining number of COVID-19 cases among staff and inmates.

Now, a month later, Georgia has among the highest COVID infection rates in the U.S.  along with one of the lowest vaccination rates. But the corrections department hasnt resumed posting case data on its website.

When asked by KHN about the COVID situation in prisons, department spokesperson Joan Heath said Monday that it currently has 308 active cases among inmates.

We will make a determination whether to begin reposting the daily COVID dashboard over the next few weeks, if the current statewide surge is sustained, Heath said.

Another state website, run by the Department of Public Health, no longer links to a listing of the number of COVID cases among residents and staffers of nursing homes and other long-term care residences by facility. The data grid, launched early in the pandemic, gave a running total of long-term care cases and deaths from the virus.

Asked about the lack of online information, public health officials directed a reporter to another agency, the Department of Community Health, which explained that COVID information on nursing homes could be found on a federal health website. But locating and navigating that link can be difficult.

Residents and families cannot easily find this information, said Melanie McNeil, the states long-term care ombudsman. It used to be easily accessible.

Georgia gives updates on overall numbers of COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state five days a week but has recently stopped its weekend COVID reporting.

Other states also have cut back their public case reporting, despite the nation being engulfed in a fourth, delta-driven COVID surge.

Florida had issued daily reports on cases, deaths and hospitalizations until the rate of positive test results dropped in June. Even when caseloads soared in July and August, the state stuck with weekly reporting.

Florida has been accused of being less than transparent with COVID health data. Newspapers have sued or threatened to sue the state several times for medical examiner reports, long-term care data, prison data and weekly COVID reports the state received from the White House.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor in 2022, has repeatedly questioned Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to delay the release of public data on COVID cases and has called for restoring daily reporting of COVID data.

Nebraska discontinued its daily COVID dashboard June 30, then recently resumed reporting, but only weekly. Iowa also reports weekly; Michigan, three days a week.

Public health experts said full information is vital for a public dealing with an emergency such as the pandemic  similar to the government reports needed during a hurricane.

All the public health things we do are dependent on trust and transparency, Benjamin said.

A government, when removing public data, should provide a link redirecting people to where they can get that data, he said. And if a state doesnt have enough staff members to provide regular data, he said, that argues for investment in staff and technology.

People in prisons and long-term care facilities, living in close quarters indoors, are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases such as COVID.

They are usually hotbeds of disease, said Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist who tracks COVID in Georgia. Family members want to know whats going on in there.

Prison data has been removed or reduced in several states, according to the UCLA School of Laws Behind Bars Data Project, which tracks the spread of COVID in prisons, jails and detention facilities.

The group said Alaska provides only monthly updates on COVID cases in such facilities, while Florida stopped reporting new data in June.

When Georgia stopped reporting on COVID in prisons, the project found, only 24% of employees reported being vaccinated. Prison workers can spread the virus inside the facilities and then in their homes and the community.

The group reports that at least 93 incarcerated people and four staffers have died of COVID in Georgia and that the state has the second-highest case fatality rate, or percentage of those with reported infections who die, among all state and federal prison systems.

Right now, if there was a massive outbreak in prisons, there would be no way to know it, said Hope Johnson of the Behind Bars Data Project.

Recent Facebook posts point to cases at Smith State Prison in southeastern Georgia.

Heath, when asked about cases there, said Tuesday that the prison has 19 active COVID cases and its transitional center has one.

Mayor Bernie Weaver of Glennville, the Tattnall County town where the prison is located, said he hasnt been told about recent COVID cases at the prison. But he noted that Tattnall itself has had a spike in cases. The county has a 26% vaccination rate, among the lowest in the state.

KHN senior correspondent Phil Galewitz contributed to this report.

This article was first posted on Kaiser Health News.
Franklin County resident Loretta Janssen has been waiting nearly four years for the wind turbine she agreed to host on her land to begin construction, but it looks like the project may never materialize at all.

In 2017, Wild Rose Wind Energy LLC began signing easements with Franklin County residents around the Sheffield area to lease out land for a wind turbine development.

According to documents obtained by the Globe Gazette, the proposed wind farm was estimated to be 15,000 acres. None of the documentation provided, nor the developer's website indicate how many easements that may have included.

Janssen, who lives just north of Sheffield, agreed to lease her land for a wind turbine back in 2017 in exchange for annual payments of a little more than $1,000, which she has received each year. Its now 2021, and neither progress nor communication has been made on the project, leaving those who signed easements, like Janssen, in the dark.

I keep telling them I wont live forever, Janssen joked. I want to see this done.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Her cannons firing a powerful salute, a full-size replica of an armed merchant ship that sank in 1745 sailed into port at the Swedish capital Thursday, ahead of a voyage to Asia next year.

Drawing crowds in every port she visits, the nearly 60-meter (197-feet) long Gotheborg of Sweden is billed the worlds largest operational wooden sailing vessel and will be used to promote Swedish businesses and culture, and advocate for sustainability.

Its the first time in six years that the three-masted ship has left her home port in western Sweden, so the trip offered a chance to bring the new crew up to speed.

The ship is actually made for ocean passages, said 26-year-old Marielle Cocozza, the second in command. Shes missing the oceans and this trip to Stockholm is to prepare us to work together and I think that has been achieved.

In 1745, the original Gotheborg ran aground and sank just outside her home port of Goteborg at the end of her third round trip to China. More than 130 men were on board, and all survived.

The ship was owned by the Swedish East India Company, which traded with China and completed a total of 132 voyages with 37 vessels until it ceased operating in 1813.
You thought you was gonna kill me, but you didnt, Walker said to her attacker. I hope you stay where youre at now for the rest of your life for what you done to me.

Her wish will likely come to pass  Fielder, who turns 60 in December, received three life sentences plus a decade for his four convictions which, allowing for the time that has been suspended, will leave him with a total of 30 years to serve.

As part of his agreement, Fielder will not seek any sort of parole or probation, including geriatric or compassionate release, should he become eligible.

Even if he gets credit for good behavior while in custody, the standard sentence reduction in Virginia is about 15%, which would see him set free when hes in his mid-80s.

Fielder and Walker reportedly had a brief romantic involvement in July or August 2020, but county prosecutor A.J. Dudley said Walker had ended that relationship by Sept. 4, when Fielder, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, sneaked into her Snow Creek home to confront her and Southern.
In an Oval Office appearance Friday, Biden again expressed his condolences to victims of the attack. The return home of U.S. military members' remains in coming days will provide painful and poignant reminders not just of the devastation at the Kabul airport but also of the costly way the war is ending. More than 2,400 U.S. service members died in the war and tens of thousands were injured over the past two decades.

The Marine Corps said 11 of the 13 Americans killed were Marines. One was a Navy sailor and one an Army soldier. Their names have not been released pending notification of their families, a sometimes-lengthy process that Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said involves difficult conversations.

Still, sorrowful details of those killed were starting to emerge. One Marine from Wyoming was on his first tour in Afghanistan and his wife is expecting a baby in three weeks; another was a 20-year-old man from Missouri whose father was devastated by the loss. A third, a 20-year-old from Texas, had joined the armed services out of high school.

Biden ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country in honor of the 13.
The scientific consensus remains that the virus most likely migrated from animals in whats known as a zoonotic transmission. So-called spillover events occur in nature, and there are at least two coronaviruses that evolved in bats and caused human epidemics, SARS1 and MERS.

In a statement, Biden said China had obstructed efforts to investigate the virus from the beginning.

The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them, he said. Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world.

China's embassy in Washington hit back with a lengthy statement saying the U.S. had fabricated the report and invoking mistaken American intelligence about weapons of mass destruction prior to the Iraq War.

The report by the intelligence community is based on presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China, the embassy said. Such a practice will only disturb and sabotage international cooperation on origin-tracing and on fighting the pandemic, and has been widely opposed by the international community.
TIRANA, Abania (AP)  Albania on Friday housed its first group of Afghan evacuees who made it out of their country despite days of chaos near the Kabul airport, including an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

A government statement said an Egyptian Almasria Universal Airlines plane landed at the Tirana international airport at 3:20 a.m. (01:20 GMT) carrying 121 people, including 11 children. It was not clear whether this was the first flight after the two suicide bombings in Kabul that killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 American troops.

It was the fear from such attacks which pushed us our utmost that these citizens come soonest to Albania, where they are away from danger and fear for their lives, Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said. She and U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim were at the airport to greet the evacuees.

A government source said the flight from Kabul was organized by a U.S. non-governmental association and there was a stopover in Tbilisi, Georgia before landing in Tirana.
Those in the study who reported short sleep duration  defined in the study as six hours or less  had elevated levels of beta amyloid, which "greatly increases" risk for dementia.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's assassin was granted parole Friday after two of RFK's sons spoke in favor of Sirhan Sirhan's release and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars.

The decision was a major victory for the 77-year-old prisoner, though it does not assure his release.

The ruling by the two-person panel at Sirhan's 16th parole hearing will be reviewed over the next 90 days by the California Parole Board's staff. Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it.

Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan's remorse and he should be released if he's not a threat to others.

"I'm overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face," he said. "I think I've lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love."

The New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down June 6, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.
Greensboro

Faith matters

We live in a section of the U.S. known, in some circles, as the Bible Belt. I pose two theological questions to stimulate thought.

Christians are informed in Luke 10:25-27 that there are two primary things we must do to inherit eternal life: Love the Lord and love our neighbor. Many might agree that doing harm to ones neighbors would be a violation of that second principle. That raises a perplexing question about masking and vaccinations. The evidence is strong that these actions can help minimize the spread of the COVID virus. If this evidence is true, then can getting vaccinated and wearing masks be viewed as practicing our Christian faith and not doing these things are contrary to that faith?

The first of 10 Biblical commandments says we are to have no other gods before the true God. Some people seem to place a higher value on exercising their personal freedom to not vaccinate than they do on loving our neighbor as ourselves. Might the exercise of personal freedom in this instance be an example of placing the god of freedom in higher esteem than the true God?

Jim Fisher
Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic, from left, Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain pose after receiving the award for best alternative video for "In Bloom" at the 10th annual MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 2, 1993, in Universal City, Calif. A 30-year-old man who appeared nude at 4 months old in 1991 on the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album is suing the band and others, alleging the image is child pornography they have profited from. The suit, filed by Spencer Elden on Tuesday, Aug 24, 2021, seeks at least $150,000 from each of more than a dozen defendants, including the Kurt Cobain estate, surviving Nirvana members Novocelic and Grohl and Geffen Records.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.


August 27, 2021



Media Contact:

Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536

Charles Gischlar, Deputy Director, Media Relations, 410-767-6491

Maryland Department of Health announces GoVAX Summer Tour dates through Labor Day

Baltimore, MDThe Maryland Department of Health (MDH) GoVAX Summer Tour continues through the Labor Day holiday. The events continue to bring free mobile vaccine clinics and vaccine outreach to cultural and community events and popular destinations across Maryland.

Ensuring all Marylanders have convenient and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines remains a priority as we continue our fight against this pandemic, said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. If you are attending a GoVAX Summer tour event and are still not vaccinated, please take advantage of the opportunity to protect yourself, your family, your friends and your community.

The tour continues with the following events:

Sandy Point State Park: Free COVID-19 vaccinations will be available at Sandy Point State Park on the main plaza leading to the beach from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through (and including) Labor Day, Mon. Sept. 6. Vaccinations are free of charge, however all visitors must pay the park entry fee. Through a partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, individuals who return to receive their second dose will receive free park entry when they show their CDC vaccination card listing Sandy Point State Park as the place of vaccination. The Pfizer vaccine will be available for individuals ages 12 and older. No appointment is required.

The Maryland State Fair: Through Sept. 6, the Baltimore County Department of Health is providing vaccinations to fair visitors at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium. The vaccination clinic is located in the Exhibition Hall and will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day. The Pfizer vaccine will be available for individuals ages 12 and older. No appointment is required.

Maryland Renaissance Festival (update): Beginning Aug. 28, a clinic will be located outside the main gate at 1821 Crownsville Road in Annapolis on Saturdays and Sundays (and Labor Day) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vaccines will be available for individuals ages 12 and older. No appointment is required.

Follow @GoVAXMaryland on Twitter to learn about upcoming events and visit https://governor.maryland.gov/govaxmobile/ for updates and additional tour dates.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.

-###-

The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.

Follow us at

twitter.com/MDHealthDept

and

facebook.com/MDHealthDept

.
Rispens said there is no such mandate for East Helena schools, and added 80% of the parents he has heard from said they want to keep masks optional, with the remaining 20% saying they want stricter measures.

He said one of the biggest issues affecting the district this year is having to adjust how to approach people who may be close contacts to a COVID-19 case, and how to switch them to remote learning and what that will look like.

Rispens said that in the past, the district relied on county health departments and quarantine orders. He said HB 702 has prompted county health boards to not issue quarantine orders but just offer guidance on how people should act.

He said this leaves schools vulnerable, as the parent of a student or a teacher can decide to just come to work if exposed.

Were not super comfortable with that, he said, adding he is working with the state school boards association to craft language on how to move kids to remote learning for a short period of time if exposed to COVID-19 and how to bring them back to the education environment.

He said it was an exciting first day and students are excited to be back. He said the district has a can-do mentality to work together and get through this.
The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

"All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47," Paul "Pen" Farthing told Britain's Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group's rescued animals.

He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America's longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants' brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.
LONDON (AP)  The U.K.'s defense chief promised Friday to get to the bottom of a security lapse that saw documents identifying Afghan staff members and job applicants left behind at the abandoned British Embassy in Kabul.

Times of London reporter Anthony Loyd said he found the papers scattered on the ground as he toured Kabuls abandoned diplomatic district with a Taliban escort this week.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said clearly its not good enough that the documents were left unsecured. He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be asking some questions about what had happened.

Well find out and get to the bottom of it, Wallace told LBC radio.

Thousands of citizens who worked with Western forces have been trying to leave Afghanistan, fearing reprisals now that the Taliban control the country.

Loyd said the documents included the name and address of a senior embassy staff member, the contact details for other employees and the resumes and addresses of people applying to be interpreters.
In Amsterdam there is a statue of a little boy with his finger in a dike, stopping leaking water which undeterred could wash away the entire dike and flood the lowlands. The statue depicts a legend but it also celebrates the action of one individual saving countless others.

There are numerous candidates for the role of the little boy. Capital Policemen who pushed back against surging numbers of insurrectionists. The Secretary of State in Georgia who declined to  find, i.e. create enough votes to alter election results in Georgia and perhaps of the entire 2020 Presidential Election.

Now we are discovering a whole new set of unsung heroes who stood up to and stopped the big lie and who thereby saved our democracy. Jeff Rosen, the acting Attorney General in the waning days of the last administration and others on his staff kept the former President from replacing Rosen with another DOJ attorney who was prepared to issue a series of letters to battleground states, asserting without any evidence that the elections had been compromised, encouraging Republican led Legislatures in those states to replace the duly elected delegates to the Electoral College with delegates supportive of the defeated former President. But for the action of Rosen and other career attorneys at DOJ, the results of the election could have been thrown into doubt and a coup accomplished by the candidate who lost the election, forcing out President Joe Biden.
Todays Highlight in History:

On August 27, 1776, the Battle of Long Island began during the Revolutionary War as British troops attacked American forces who ended up being forced to retreat two days later.

On Aug. 27:

In 1859, Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the United States, at Titusville, Pa.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions; the resulting tidal waves in Indonesias Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

In 1949, a violent white mob prevented an outdoor concert headlined by Paul Robeson from taking place near Peekskill, New York. (The concert was held eight days later.)

In 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson accepted his partys nomination for a term in his own right, telling the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Let us join together in giving every American the fullest life which he can hope for.

In 1967, Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, was found dead in his London flat from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills; he was 32.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1998, two suspects in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya were brought to the United States to face charges. (Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-Owhali and Mohammed Saddiq Odeh were convicted in 2001 of conspiring to carry out the bombing; both were sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2001, Israeli helicopters fired a pair of rockets through office windows and killed senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri.

In 2005, coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out of the way of Hurricane Katrina, which was headed toward New Orleans.

In 2006, a Comair CRJ-100 crashed after trying to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky., killing 49 people and leaving the co-pilot the sole survivor.

In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In 2009, mourners filed past the closed casket of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Jaycee Lee Dugard, kidnapped when she was 11, was reunited with her mother 18 years after her abduction in South Lake Tahoe, California.

In 2011, Hurricane Irene, after striking Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, pushed up the U.S east coast, prompting evacuations in New York City and leaving major flood damage in Vermont.

In 2016, Republican Donald Trump warned of a war on the American farmer, telling a crowd in Iowa that rival Hillary Clinton wanted to shut down family farms and implement anti-agriculture policies; Trumps speech at the annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for GOP Sen. Joni Ernst came hours after Clinton received her first national security briefing as the Democratic presidential nominee.

In 2020, speaking on the White House South Lawn, President Donald Trump accepted his partys renomination, blasting Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who would endanger Americans safety and painting a grim portrait of violence in American cities run by Democrats; Trump spoke for more than a hour to a tightly-packed and largely maskless crowd. Hurricane Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 storm near Cameron, Louisiana, bringing 150 mile-an-hour winds, torrential rains and a storm surge as high as 15 feet; the storm, one of the strongest ever to strike the U.S., would leave more than 20 people dead in Louisiana and Texas. A white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques, Brenton Tarrant, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; it was the first time that maximum available sentence had been imposed in New Zealand.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Harlei, a sixth-grader at American Dreamer STEM Academy, has her own tablet and the family has its own internet access, but being able to keep her own tablet for personal use meant the school's iPad was devoted just to school work, and a way to keep in touch with her teacher and other school staff.

The only problem was, the chargers break or have shorts, said Harlei's mother, Selina Orr. She went through a couple of those. It think it's a good thing that the district provided (the equipment).

According to an analysis by the Herald & Review, Decatur Public Schools, as a high-poverty district, received $4.9 million in the first round of CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) Grants, federal and state grants to provide districts a way to buy what they needed to get through the COVID-19 crisis.

The first round of grants, in March 2020, were mainly used for masks, cleaning supplies and additional custodians, said Todd Covault, chief financial officer for Decatur Public Schools. In the second round of grants, the district received $21.9 million and will receive $49.3 million in a third round that has not yet been awarded.

One thing the grants helped pay for was the marquee signs at each building, which eases communication with parents and community. BLDD Architects' Kayla Peck designed the signs and her father, longtime district maintenance employee Buddy Peck, built the signs. The one at Johns Hill Magnet School incorporates the name and bricks from the old building, now being torn down.

(The first round of grants) was all about trying to get health supplies and manage and control the pandemic, Covault said. Phase II (in December 2020) allowed us to do things like put air conditioning in the buildings, replacing doors and windows, facility-related things, trying to make use of addressing ventilation and doing what's best for our facilities.

But districts didn't receive checks for the grants, he added. Each district had to apply for the grant, explain what the money would be used for, and pay up front for whatever they bought, then apply for reimbursement. That reimbursement came fairly promptly, but such projects would not have been possible if the district didn't have its own reserves in the bank adequate to pay for the supplies or improvements, and pay the other bills until the reimbursement came.

Schools also have to provide an accounting for how they used the funds and provide a monthly accounting. The third round for Decatur is $49 million, and Covault said the district has to write a plan for the entire amount to get approval. As yet the district hasn't determined what to use it for. Several ideas are being discussed.

Covault said the district wanted to use as much of the grant funds as possible on things that would last and were not one-time use, such as the devices to allow kids to learn from home, upgrades to playgrounds to allow kids to be outside but still respect social distancing, and the marquee signs that have been installed at each building, to aid in communication with parents and families.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

In total, Decatur schools will receive $76,304,698 in COVID relief funds, $8,715 per student.

Sue Smeltzer of Decatur said she is not a parent of students in Decatur schools at present, but her suggestion for using some of the money would be to help teachers with classroom supplies.

"If allowed, reimbursing teachers for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining online instruction last year would go a long way toward bolstering the morale of those on the front lines," she said.

The funds have allowed school districts the ability to pay for things that would otherwise have had to come out of tight district budgets, Covault said.

What it does for Decatur, in my opinion, is it's a revenue source to address some things that we would have liked to have done that wouldn't have gotten done easily, Covault said. Our building are dated and aged, and this gives us an avenue to address that. Our playgrounds largely are not very inviting, and it's an opportunity to update those type of things. It's an opportunity to kind of do some things we would not have been able to manage otherwise.

Because the amount of money a district receives is based on enrollment and poverty levels, Decatur received a significantly higher amount than other Macon County schools. Mount Zion received $3,292,26 ($1,350 per student); Argenta-Oreana, $2,541,091 ($2,741 per student); Meridian, $1,780,167 ($1,745 per student); Warrensburg-Latham, $1,704,957 ($1,783 per student); and Sangamon Valley, $1,160,660 ($1,725 per student).

"There's a lot of decisions that still need to be made (about spending the remaining funds)," Covault said. "Everything is conceptual ideas and we've not landed anything yet. We got a lot of money for CARES I and CARES II, and here we are trying to plan for CARES III and haven't depleted CARES II yet. It's a wonderful gift, but it changes the dynamics, too. We have to spend time and all be on the same consensus as to what is the priority."

The COVID relief funds are separate from the evidence-based funding that Illinois districts receive, Covault said, and there should be no reduction in those state funds in response to districts' COVID relief. State funding is allotted to districts, also based on enrollment, level of poverty, and equalized assessed valuations in an effort to get more state dollars to poorer districts and even the playing field with richer districts, who receive more property tax funds.

"We rely heavily on evidence-based funding," he said. "These CARES funds are not intended for operational purposes, but what can you do to offset problems associated with the pandemic."

Mount Zion received the most funding after Decatur among Macon County schools, and Superintendent Travis Roundcount said his district used its COVID relief funds for many of the same things Decatur schools did: Chromebooks for students and staff, iPads for young learners, document cameras for classrooms, mobile hotspots for students without internet access at home, online educational materials for remote learning, new textbooks, cleaning and custodial supplies including new filters for schools, additional staff to assist with remote learners and learning loss, additional summer school classes and additional after-school tutoring opportunities.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
It took only one email from scammers to get the Rock Island County auditors office to wire $97,000 to a fraudulent bank account.

Six weeks later, an additional payment of $18,000 was wired, bilking the county out of some $106,103 before the account was frozen with $9,000 still in it.

Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Dispatch/Argus and Quad-City Times show how easy it was for criminals to steal money from the county by simply asking for the funds to be wired.

Someone alleging to be a legitimate contractor with whom the county does business duped the auditor's office into wiring the money to a "new bank account" June 1. The theft of funds by wire fraud was caught by the county's financial institution, which notified officials. The Rock Island County Sheriff's Department began investigating the theft July 28.

On the morning of June 1, an email from someone impersonating the "controller" of a Rock Island contractor on the county's P25 radio project emailed Deputy Auditor Amanda Van Daele. Portions of the emails were redacted identifying the legitimate company that was used as bait.

"Good morning Amanda, hope you are doing well," the email read. "This is to inform you that (redacted) Construction, Inc. have recently made some company financial changes and moved all of its banking to a new bank. Please see attached and kindly update our new ACH information in your system immediately to ensure timely payment of current and future invoices in your possession. Let me know if you need anything else."

The scammers attached an electronic funds transfer form available on the county's website. Also attached was a letter from the vice president of commercial banking at Citizens Bank in Macomb, Ill., verifying the account and routing numbers of the bank account in which the money was to be transferred.

Van Daele replied 14 minutes later.

"Your information has been updated in our system and will be reflected in the June payment," she wrote.

The following day on June 2, the scammers emailed Van Daele again, saying there was an error in the account number and to please use the new one being provided. Van Daele replied that the information had been updated.

On June 11, the scammers emailed Van Daele again and asked if there were any invoices "currently being processed or authorized for payment for (redacted) Construction at this time?" Van Daele replied 45 minutes later that $97,042 would be paid June 18.

The scammers replied, "Thank you for the update. Have a great weekend."

On June 14, the scammers contacted Van Daele again, asking for their banking information to be updated a third time and provided a letter from the vice president of commercial banking for Wells Fargo Bank. Van Daele replied, "the information has been updated."

After the payment of $97,042 was sent, the scammers emailed Van Daele July 13, asking if there were any more invoices that would be processed for payment. Van Daele replied that $18,061 would be processed on July 23.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

In the scam's fallout, County Board Chairman Richard "Quijas" Brunk sent an email Aug. 13 to Rock Island County Auditor April Palmer and copied County Administrator Jim Snider, State's Attorney Dora Villarreal and Sheriff Gerry Bustos, requesting for Van Daele to be placed on administrative leave.

Brunk then sent the series of emails between Van Daele and the scammers to county board members before the Aug. 17 board meeting. Brunk also laid out the timeline of the bank fraud, noting several "red flags," suggesting Van Daele should have followed up with a phone call.

County board members voted 22-1 in a vote of no confidence for Palmer, asking for her resignation and the termination of Van Daele. Bob Westpfahl cast the opposing vote. A forensic audit of the auditor's office also was approved.

But Palmer is an elected official and cannot be terminated, and the county board has no authority over Van Daele since she reports to Palmer.

"Things are remaining the same at this time," Palmer said Thursday. "There will be more information to come."

Palmer confirmed that Van Daele was placed on administrative leave "for six business days until I was informed I could bring her back. I was taking direction and doing everything I was asked, and I continue to do so."

Kurt Davis, information systems director for Rock Island County, said the county was the victim of an attempted wire fraud in August 2020, but county offices stopped it. He said the recent wire fraud was not a failure of any cyber protection.

"This was a cybersecurity issue only in the fact this was an email the county received," Davis said. "We have in place spam filtering that provides protection against spam, malicious email and protection against viruses within emails; virus and phishing protection on the workstations; and protection against ransomware."

Palmer sent Davis an email Aug. 19 seeking to understand the situation.

"I was led to believe email scams are a part of cyber security," Palmer wrote. "So you are confirming that nothing would have flagged 'the email as spam or a security risk.' If you would not have caught it as trained (information technology) personnel, then how could I or my staff be responsible for not catching it? Your staff member did not catch it either before changing the vendor in (the database)."

John Johnson, president of the Docent Institute, a nonprofit that offers education on cyber security and other technology, said employers needed to educate their employees on best practices.

"When anything comes of high value and it doesn't feel right, you need to call that office and ask to speak to that person," Johnson said. "People will email and call and pretend to be someone else. I think the awareness of what a phishing email looks like and validation what their email looks like is necessary.

"Just pick up the phone and give them a call," he said. "When the risk is higher and there is a high financial cost, you need to verify it."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
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 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.

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, 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.

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. Bidens problem isnt a biased press; its a recalcitrant reality.

Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The killing of at least 13 U.S. service members, mostly Marines, and dozens of civilians in a pair of suicide attacks outside the Kabul airport on Thursday is an outrageous act of terrorism  in this case, at the hands of ISIS-K, an Islamic State affiliate that is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

President Joe Biden was right to vow vengeance. We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and we will make you pay, he said at the White House.

The attacks are not, however, the work of the Taliban, which has retaken Afghanistan in mere weeks as the Western-backed government and security forces collapsed with scarcely a fight.

Nor are the attacks a sign of failure by the Biden administration, as a host of armchair critics, Washington commentators and Republican cynics have suggested.

We support Bidens decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, and his insistence on sticking to that deadline.

In the 11 days before the president addressed the nation Thursday afternoon, the U.S. military had evacuated 100,000 people from Kabul  7,000 in the previous 12 hours alone. These airlifts have been one of the most complex logistical undertakings in military history, reminiscent of the British evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940 and the Berlin airlift of 1948-49.

No one will soon forget the chaos that accompanied the fall of Kabul, including the heart-wrenching scenes of desperate Afghans holding onto the sides of military aircraft, some later falling from the sky (or dying inside the landing gear). Those moments captured the desperate measures Afghans were willing to take to escape the threat posed by the Taliban to an entire generations worth of progress  in education, womens rights, literacy, health outcomes and personal freedoms.

Critics of the evacuations have made entirely disingenuous, self-serving or simply misleading arguments over the last two weeks. Here is our best attempt to address the major criticisms.

Why do we have to leave Afghanistan at all?

President Donald Trump, in direct negotiations with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government, agreed in February 2020 to a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by May 1, 2021. When Biden took office, he postponed the deadline to Sept. 11, 2021 (later moved up to Aug. 31). Biden, whose objections  while he was vice president  to further intervention in Afghanistan were overruled by President Barack Obama more than a decade earlier, has been steadfast and consistent in arguing that the Afghanistan war had achieved its main objective  eliminating the terrorist threat from al-Qaida  and promising that he would not hand off the problem to a fifth president. He has kept that promise.

Why not maintain an uneasy status quo indefinitely, keeping about 2,500 U.S. troops on the ground?

Aside from the fact that Trump had considered this option and rejected it, would the American people really want an indefinite troop presence in Afghanistan after spending more than $1 trillion and losing about 2,400 military members? A majority of Americans want out of Afghanistan.

But didnt Biden bungle the planning and execution of the withdrawal?

The administration has acknowledged that the Afghan government collapsed far faster than intelligence analysts and most military and diplomatic experts had anticipated. Fair enough. But the truth is that the Afghan government had itself urged against a mass evacuation, fearing that the sight of thousands of Afghans leaving on planes would undermine the already shaky confidence in the government of President Ashraf Ghani and his Western-backed forces. .

Will every American who wants to get out be able to?

Most likely. The government is aggressively reaching out to several hundred Americans known to still be in Afghanistan. Many of them are married to Afghans, or are Afghan Americans, and have reasons for wanting to stay  or, in some cases, have refused to leave unless their Afghan relatives and associates can also leave.

What about all the Afghans who worked with and supported the U.S. during the last 20 years?

Our view is that every one of them should be given support in leaving. That effort must not, and will not, end after Aug. 31. The U.S. has already pledged to get out every Afghan who has been granted a special immigrant visa. Because of unforgivable bureaucratic delays, not every deserving Afghan has been granted such a visa. But at this point, the Taliban is not allowing Afghans without paperwork to reach the Kabul airport. So staying at the airport beyond Tuesday would be futile.

Los Angeles Times

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
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.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is likely to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, as he has previously criticized the measure. It could also get stalled in budget negotiations between Berger, Cooper and House Speaker Tim Moore.

Democrats argue Republicans crafted the bill to placate unfounded concerns among staunch conservatives ahead of the 2022 and 2024 elections. They also say the bill would stymie conversations by dissuading teachers from discussing America's history of racism and lingering effects of slavery.

Indoctrination is fake news, said Sen. Gladys Robinson, a Guilford County Democrat. "As a matter of fact, it's more than that. Its a bold-faced lie. There is no indoctrination. What we need to do is step in our lane and let them (educators) go into theirs.

The latest action in North Carolina follows a national trend of Republican-controlled legislatures looking to combat certain ideas they associate with critical race theory, a complex framework legal scholars developed in the 1970s and 1980s that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and serves to maintain the dominance of whites in society.
After months of preparation, the new Walmart Distribution Center in Troutman is ready to begin hiring.

The retail giant is planning to use the 1-million-square-foot facility located on Murdock Road, which was purchased in late December of 2020 for $69 million, as a high velocity fulfillment center for its growing eCommerce business. The facility is expected to create 500 full-time jobs for the area.

To be able to offer new, gainful employment to central North Carolina is a huge win for the town of Troutman and this region, Teross Young, mayor of Troutman, said. We are so excited for the distribution center to be in our town and the economic opportunities and future growth of this area that is sure to stem from having Walmarts high velocity fulfillment center in our community. We are excited to welcome Walmart and what this opportunity will mean for our area in terms of economic development.

The eCommerce facility will work closely with the Iredell County Economic Development Corporation to provide full-time positions and specialized roles. They will also work with the mayors office on the recruitment and hiring process.
All that tall grass and weeds catches trash. Efforts are continuing to clean up or roadsides but it seems the more you pick up, the more people throw down.

The N.C. Department of Transportations crews, contractors and volunteers have collected more than 9 million pounds of litter from roadsides and are on pace to exceed the states record for litter collection set in 2019.

In North Carolina, we take great pride in our natural resources, but we all have to be vigilant to keep our state beautiful, said Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette. We may break a record for the amount of litter we pick up along roadsides this year, but we must keep that momentum going. Everyone should do their part to help us keep North Carolina roads clean.

That number is actually low. I saw a truckload of litter being hauled away up in McDowell County as I drove down I-40 Wednesday evening.

Boyette encouraged everyone to get involved in the 2021 Fall Litter Sweep from Sept. 11-25. To sign up for the litter sweep, go here. To learn more about the litter sweep, visit the the programs webpage.

NCDOT officials estimate that in the late fall the agency and its partners will break the 2019 record of 10.5 million pounds collected.
Krispy Kreme Inc. is bringing back its offer of two free glazed doughnuts for vaccinated individuals.

The offer is available each day next week  Aug. 30 through Sept. 5. Besides the traditional glazed doughnut, a glazed, heart-shaped doughnut is included.

In March, the chain debuted the offer of one free doughnut per vaccinated customer. That offer runs through the end of 2021 and is available anytime, any day, even every day.

The two-doughnut marketing pitch, titled Show Your Heart, was originally rolled out June 4, which is National Doughnut Day.

Krispy Kreme said the impetus behind renewing the weeklong offer was Mondays full authorization of the Pfizer vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration.

The full FDA authorization covers anyone 16 or older. It does not apply to 12- to 15-year-olds, even though they are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

We all hoped wed be near the end of this pandemic by now. Were not, said Dave Skena, Krispy Kremes chief marketing officer.

So, please consider getting vaccinated if youve not done so already. And then enjoy and share two amazing doughnuts with our heart-felt thanks.
Opposing views

Sen. Ralph Hise, R-McDowell, compared the recent Food and Drug Administration decision to give full authorization to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with no similar action by the FDA on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.

"Where are the FDA recommendations on medical marijuana?" Hise asked. "What is the one thing they say it treats or cures?

"I know this bill has its path, but this is not about patients and receiving treatments. This is about placing North Carolina on a path that will make it more acceptable to legalize marijuana."

Hise said that while "I applaud many of the things they've done in this bill," he expressed concern that additional patient care exceptions will be added in future sessions if SB711 becomes law, and that legislators will be removed from the regulatory process and "leave it up to doctors" to determine who qualifies.

"Maybe society is changing to accept this," Hise said. "I just didn't want to be part of taking the first steps."

Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Johnston, said that while he agrees that patients in debilitating pain should have access to pain-relief options, he expressed concern that too many individuals would qualify.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Her cannons firing a powerful salute, a full-size replica of an armed merchant ship that sank in 1745 sailed into port at the Swedish capital Thursday, ahead of a voyage to Asia next year.

Drawing crowds in every port she visits, the nearly 60-meter (197-feet) long Gotheborg of Sweden is billed the worlds largest operational wooden sailing vessel and will be used to promote Swedish businesses and culture, and advocate for sustainability.

Its the first time in six years that the three-masted ship has left her home port in western Sweden, so the trip offered a chance to bring the new crew up to speed.

The ship is actually made for ocean passages, said 26-year-old Marielle Cocozza, the second in command. Shes missing the oceans and this trip to Stockholm is to prepare us to work together and I think that has been achieved.

In 1745, the original Gotheborg ran aground and sank just outside her home port of Goteborg at the end of her third round trip to China. More than 130 men were on board, and all survived.

The ship was owned by the Swedish East India Company, which traded with China and completed a total of 132 voyages with 37 vessels until it ceased operating in 1813.

The ships wreckage was found in 1984, triggering the idea to build a replica. Work started in 1995, and the vessel was launched eight years later. A maiden voyage from Goteborg to Stockholm was made in 2005.

Between 2005-2007 the ship sailed the historical route to Asia and back. The latest of several voyages around Europe was in 2015.

Since our last expedition to China we have been looking forward to this," said the ship's captain, August Jansson. "Now it seems it will become true so we are all very happy.

Gotheborg of Sweden will remain in Stockholm until Sept. 4, after which she will head home and prepare for a departure in April 2022 for the Far East through the Suez Canal.

Although the exact route has not been set, stops are planned in London, Lisbon, Palma de Mallorca, Athens, Alexandria, Djibouti, Muscat, Chennai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
It is only due to the pandemic that these numbers fell for 2020, and then only because train traffic was significantly curtailed, Cannell said. The COVID-19 pandemic affected everything, including rail safety.

Statistics for 2020 show that North Carolina ranked 12th in the nation in the number of trespassing fatalities, Cannell said. There were 13 deaths involving trespassers on tracks and highway and rail crossings in 2020, federal transportation statistics show. A total of 22 people were injured in those incidents.

The state had a 31% decrease in trespassing incidents from 2019 to 2020, due largely to a significant decrease in rail traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Citizens were more than likely still trespassing on tracks, but fewer trains were running to cause strikes, Cannell said.

The easiest way to avoid being struck and injured or killed by a train is to stay off and away from tracks, and only cross at designated crossings, Cannell said. Every three hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train  thats eight times per day.

A train can take a mile or more to come to a stop, so by the time the engineer sees you or your vehicle on the tracks or crossing, it may be too late, Cannell said.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
She urged the appellate court to also look at what she said Donohoe did when he got home  he didnt try to hide, he returned to work at a local bar in Kernersville and he continued to care for his son. In fact, she said, Donohoe participated in a search for a Davidson County girl who had gone missing, using his dog, and did an interview with a local TV station about the effort.

Federal prosecutors have portrayed Donohoe, a U.S. Marine veteran who served two tours in Iraq and worked as a private military contractor in Afghanistan, as having a leadership role in Proud Boys similar to a senior lieutenant. They have said Donohoe created a new chat room on Telegram on Jan. 4, the day Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio was arrested. He also made statements on Telegram, urging people to move to the new chat rooms so that he could destroy or nuke the older messages.

Prosecutors also allege that Donohoe was part of a small group of Proud Boys called the Ministry of Self-Defense and that he provided instructions to members in the days before the attack that they should not wear Proud Boys colors and gave logistics about where they should meet on Jan. 6.
Barbara Burke, who represents the Northeast Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council, will hold a rally Saturday about her request for school officials to donate the former Hanes-Lowrance middle schools on Indiana Avenue to the city of Winston-Salem.

The rally will be held at 3 p.m. at Greenway Park at 2701 Greenway Ave. in Winston-Salem, according to a news release.

Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams, who represents the North Ward on the council, is scheduled to attend the rally as well as Fleming El-Amin, a Forsyth County commissioner, and representatives of the Winston-Salem chapter of the NAACP, the Winston-Salem Police Department and the Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity.

Burke, a former member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education, has proposed that the city convert the site into a community center.

A school board committee voted on Aug. 10 to give the school district the go-ahead to pursue other programming options for the middle schools.

The Hanes-Lowrance site closed abruptly in 2015 amid concerns about contaminated groundwater and its effect on air quality inside the buildings.
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.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

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.
The mother of Najee Ali Baker, the Winston-Salem State University student fatally shot on Wake Forest University's campus in 2018, is appealing a judge's decision to dismiss her lawsuit against the school. In the lawsuit, she accused school officials of ignoring warnings of possible violence and not doing anything to prevent it. The judge disagree, saying that the school had no way of knowing a homicide would happen, considering no homicide had happened before Baker was shot to death. The 4th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals would hear the appeal.
The final version of the 29-page bill also includes provisions such as requiring law enforcement officers fingerprints be entered into state and federal databases and creating a database for law enforcement agencies that contains critical incident information when officers have been involved in cases that result in deaths or serious injuries.

The legislation would expand mandatory training for officers to include mental health topics, community policing, minority sensitivity and the use of force.

Under the legislation, local agencies would be required to create an internal data collection when officers fire their weapons or are subject to citizen complaints.

Supporters praised the measure for including needed improvements during a time of national focus on racial inequity and police shootings of Black people. Those incidents include the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody and the fatal shooting in April of Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City by Pasquotank County sheriffs deputies.
Supporting media literacy

The Aug. 17 letter Media literacy needed asked why N.C. schools arent teaching media literacy. In fact, there are highly qualified educators in every school right now whose professional teaching standards include media literacy: school librarians. While helping students find books for self-directed reading is the most visible part of our job, it is not the only thing we do. We also help teachers and students locate, evaluate and utilize a variety of resources  books, newspapers, websites, blogs, social media and more  to support classroom learning and their personal information needs.

The question to ask is, what is keeping our school librarians from doing in-depth media literacy instruction for our students? The answer is lack of resources. During teacher workweek, to ostensibly prepare for students to return to my school library, I was not able to spend any time planning lessons. Instead, our districts school librarians are spending multiple weeks inventorying textbooks and distributing Chromebooks to students. These are jobs that in other districts and states are done by support and technology staff. However, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has reduced its library assistant hours and did not hire any additional permanent IT staff to support its new 1:1 student Chromebook program. Our students lose out on media literacy education because our jobs have become paraprofessional roles that dont utilize librarians knowledge and professional training.


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.
A Lincoln man was arrested for assaulting a University of Nebraska-Lincoln staff member at the College of Law on Thursday.

Hope Npimnee, 28, was cited for trespassing just after 7 a.m. Thursday after he was asked to leave the parking lot outside of McCollum Hall on UNL's East Campus.

Npimnee, who is not a student at UNL, later returned to the Law College and confronted staff inside the building shortly before 3 p.m., UNL Police said.

He was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault, first-degree trespassing and two counts of disturbing the peace and booked in the Lancaster County jail, but later bonded out.

Npimnee, who has not been formally charged, was also cited for trespassing during a protest at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house on Tuesday night, according to UNL police records.

Hundreds of students gathered Tuesday night to protest the fraternity, located at 1425 R St., following a reported sexual assault that took place on Monday. The protests continued Wednesday and Thursday.

Police stood between the student protesters and the fraternity, as several people leapt over a small stone wall onto the property.
"I get that. I understand many of you are angry. Im angry too."

UNL officials on Thursday confirmed that the accuser is a 17-year-old student and University Police are handling the investigation independently.

Relaying information from police, UNL spokeswoman Leslie Reed said the 17-year-old went to the Fiji house with an 18-year-old female friend Monday night. The 18-year-old left the gathering at the house before the 17-year-old, who later called the friend to pick her up.

The 18-year-old picked up the accuser from 17th and R streets  a block from the fraternity  and took her to Bryan East Campus, Reed said, where they reported a sexual assault to LPD, which turned the case over to UNL police.

Reed said the accuser identified a 19-year-old man as the person who allegedly sexually assaulted her at the fraternity house.

Police are employing "trauma informed investigating," Reed said, moving at the pace of the accuser while focusing on providing care, comfort and empathy for the 17-year-old.

Rumors alleging the accused man, who has not been arrested or charged, had fled the country were not true, according to university and police sources. The student has left campus, returned home and hired an attorney.

A university spokesperson said on Thursday that Green would "continue to talk to the campus as a whole about this situation," referring to statements like the one Green put out on Thursday.

In it, Green told students, "If youre a young man who somehow thinks this is cool  think again. It is unacceptable. No means no. And if you violate that, and we can prove it  you have no place on our campus."
That has obviously changed, as Schulte experienced Tuesday, when he showed up intending to speak and ended up near the bottom of the speakers' queue.

Instead of waiting around for nearly four hours, he decided to leave, but he's still hoping to get his message out.

"To parents and guardians of the community, if you want to opt your children out of (sex education) discussions, you can do that," said Schulte, the executive director of the nonprofit Campus Life.

Schulte said he and fellow board members worked to revise the policy that governs opt-outs after a controversy over gender identity training materials used by LPS teachers.

The current board reaffirmed the policy emphasizing parental control in June, said Schulte, who's communicated with the board and LPS officials.

"This is not some dinosaur policy," he said.

But he believes the board should do more to emphasize that right and offered his own website for concerned parents seeking more information on opting their students out. Joel has reiterated the policy multiple times at recent board meetings.
Jim Sherwood has been was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the Rev. Edward Price on the Southeast Community College Board of Governors.

Price, who won reelection to the District 3 seat last November, stepped down from the board in July, citing health reasons.

Sherwood, who spent his career in education, will represent north Lincoln, Waverly, Davey and the surrounding area on the board until December 2024.

"I hope my experience in higher education will contribute to furthering the excellent job Southeast Community College is currently doing," Sherwood said in a statement.

Sherwood began his career in 1980 as an assistant professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, where he led the distance-education program, before becoming an associate dean in the Division of Continuing Studies.

He later worked as a principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Education and for University of California Berkley Extension, as well as the University of Maryland and several colleges in New York.

A New York native, Sherwood holds degrees from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and a master's and Ph.D. in history from Penn State.
The Nebraska Supreme Court has disbarred an Omaha attorney who will spend more time in prison than he did in the practice of law.

David J. Young surrendered his law license and was disbarred late last week after he stole from his father, terrorized his girlfriend, took thousands of dollars in fees from a client without doing any legal work and was accused of groping a client.

According to the Supreme Court and the Douglas County District Court:

In 2005, a jury acquitted Young, the son of an attorney, on a charge that he had raped a college-age woman in Omaha.

After his acquittal, Young, who is 36, went on to graduate from the University of Tulsa Law School and receive his law license in 2010. Within 15 months, he was accused of inviting a 19-year-old DUI client behind his desk at his law office, pulling her onto his lap and touching her inappropriately. He also kept $1,500 from that client, even after his law partner took over her case. Young told the law partner that he had done her legal work for free. The DUI client told the law partner that she had paid Young $1,500.

At the time, the high court suspended Youngs law license and said he could be reinstated if he followed certain guidelines. He never got that far.
It was, goodbye, well never see you again, he said.

The Taliban, whose previous rule was marked by brutality and retaliatory killings, swept to power and took the capital, Kabul, with surprising speed. That left Zamir and thousands of other endangered Afghans needing to escape, despite Taliban assurances that their rule will be different this time.

Zamir said they tried to reach Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on three successive days. They lied their way through Taliban checkpoints. But the first two days, they turned back because there was shooting and chaos at the airport.

On the third day they got into the airport. But they were separated from a brother who got stuck behind a gate outside the airport. It took hours, but Zamir enlisted the help of a U.S. Marine Corps officer, and they were able to bring the brother in.

They were loaded onto a U.S. cargo plane and flown to Qatar and then Germany. They were in cramped quarters with other refugees for four days in each place, Zamir said. Food was in short supply, with desperately hungry refugees sometimes fighting over what little there was.
WASHINGTON  The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport.
This community waited patiently for the vaccine all the while tirelessly using preventative measures so some semblance of normalcy could be achieved while limiting the harm the virus could inflict. Over the last 9 months, three vaccines were approved by EUA and vaccination opportunities made available to as many that were able and willing. The Pfizer Vaccine has received full FDA approval and as such, should be utilized. Vaccinations, while free and widely available, have seen marginal increases since Deltas arrival within the US and Wisconsin. At a vaccination rate of 40.6%, additional precautions must be employed to slow the spread of this virus and ensure the health and welfare of everyone.
From 2019 to 2020, the number of dispatches to shots fired nearly doubled, from 240 to 442.

And in the first six months of 2021, there were 183 dispatches to reports of shots fired, with no sign the shooting will let up.

These numbers only represent those where there was definitive proof of a shooting such as casings, or other evidence, such as a house or vehicle that has clearly been targeted with gunfire.

What works

There is research to indicate that targeted police presence can help reduce gun violence in neighborhoods with high rates of crime.

The strategy with the most success is directed patrol, in which officers are assigned to neighborhoods with high rates of crime and patrol when crime is most likely to occur.

These officers are not patrol officers and do not respond to calls for service.

Instead, they focus on proactive investigations that may involve field investigations of suspicious persons, etc.

At the George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, directed patrol is considered a what works solution to increased gun crime.
Reporter

Michael was born with big ears and decided to put them to good use by listening to people's stories. Born in Illinois, he received a degree in Journalism + Design from The New School before returning to the Midwest and settling down at The Journal Times.
By the time he goes to trial for the second time next spring, more than 20 years will have passed since Mark Jensen was charged with the death of his wife Julie.

For most of those two decades, Jensen, 61, has been behind bars. Charged in 2002 for his wife Julie Jensens death in 1998, Jensen was jailed while awaiting trial in 2007 and was first convicted in 2008.

In the 23 years since her death  and throughout a circuitous legal process that has included multiple appeals and orders for a new trial  Jensen has maintained he is innocent.

Prosecutors have argued Jensen poisoned Julie, 40, with antifreeze, then smothered her in the couples Pleasant Prairie garage. At the original trial, the defense suggested that Julie, who had sought treatment for depression, had committed suicide.

On Friday Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Anthony Milisauskas  the third Kenosha County judge to hear the Jensen case  set a new trial date of May 23, 2022.

Both the prosecution, which includes former Kenosha District Attorney Robert Jambois, the original prosecutor on the case, and Jensens three defense attorneys appointed by the Wisconsin Public Defender, asked Milisauskas for additional time to continue to study the voluminous transcripts and evidence from the case.
RACINE  There have been four local deaths in Lake Michigan during the summer of 2021.

Trying to prevent the next tragedy before it happens, area organizations worked together to get life jackets and throw rings on North Beach and Zoo Beach for anyone to use.

The effort included Racine Professional Firefighters Local 321 (the union for the Racine Fire Department), the Racine Founders Rotary Club, teachers from Park High School and the citys Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.

Brian Turczynski, who is on the executive board of Local 321 and is a member of the RFDs dive team, was on hand as the first box of lifesaving water gear rolled out Friday.

Everybody knows weve had a horrible summer, he said. Weve had four deaths this summer along our lakefront.

Turczynski has been with the RFD for 13 years and does not remember another summer with so many drowning deaths.

He was part of Sundays rescue effort of Thomas Walker, a 40-year-old Missouri man who died after rescuing two of his juvenile relatives.
"It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election," Parker wrote in an order on Wednesday.

"It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated. This is what happened here," she added.

Parker ordered 12 hours of legal education, including six hours in election law, for each attorney. Her decision will also be sent to the states where the lawyers are licensed for possible disciplinary action there.

It was one of the few efforts to wrench fines or other penalties from dubious post-election lawsuits across the U.S.

There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Indeed, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well, and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.

During a July court hearing, Powell took "full responsibility" for the lawsuit and compared the legal fight to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed racial segregation in schools.
His plan would be to go to Europe by land. His brother, who knew someone in a travel agency, helped him get a tourist visa to Iran, and his family knew an Afghan man living there who would end up connecting Sodais to the first of a long line of smugglers.

Sodais left with a backpack full of clothes, and $100 worth of Iranian rials.

Along the way, he met other Afghans who worked for coalition forces also now turning to smugglers to find safe refuge.

Sodais was crammed into cars with refugees stacked on top of each on the floors. They hiked through the mountains in a snowstorm at night and dodged gunfire from Turkish border guards. He was beaten and abandoned by smugglers and jailed and beaten by police.

Meanwhile, his family back in Afghanistan was forced to move because of the Talibans growing presence in the area, and urged him to get to safety. He decided to head to Germany since Turkey and Greece were deporting Afghans at the time. His family sold their small general store in Afghanistan to fund his journey.

In the end, it took him seven months and would cost his family $15,000 to get to Germany. Once there, he applied for asylum but was lacking sufficient photos or documentation to support his claims and was immediately denied.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson on Thursday urged the Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers to set up a task force to re-examine every aspect of higher education in the state.

Thompson told WisPolitics.com President Jeff Mayers during a Zoom interview that the UW System is falling behind other states. The system lacks a robust distance learning program, has too many buildings and too many campuses duplicate courses, he said.

We just keep doing the same things and we're going to end up with the same result, he said. More (student) debt, more buildings, more classrooms. It's time for us to be controversial and take a look. What's in the best interest of the student?

Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor, didn't lay out any specific goals for the proposed task force but complained that no one has given me the ability to go out and compete. You know me, I don't want any state to come into Wisconsin and take anything from us.

Republican legislators essentially held system funding flat in the 2021-23 state budget. The GOP also gave the system about $629 million for building projects. Evers, the former state superintendent of schools, had asked for $1 billion.
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.

Vote

View Results
But another sibling, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has spoken in favor of his release in the past and wrote in favor of paroling Sirhan. He said in the letter that he met him in prison and was moved by Sirhan, who wept, clinching my hands, and asked for forgiveness.

While nobody can speak definitively on behalf of my father, I firmly believe that based on his own consuming commitment to fairness and justice, that he would strongly encourage this board to release Mr. Sirhan because of Sirhans impressive record of rehabilitation, he said in a letter submitted during the hearing to the board.

Sirhan, whose hair is now white, smiled, thanked the board and gave a thumbs-up after the decision to grant parole was announced. It was a major victory in his 16th attempt at parole after hes served 53 years. But it does not assure his release.

The ruling will be reviewed over the next 120 days by the boards staff. Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it. If Sirhan is freed, he must live in a transitional home for six months, enroll in an alcohol abuse program and get therapy.
The largest food pantry in the La Crosse area has purchased and plans to move into the building formerly home to Gordys Market at the corner of Gillette and George Streets.

As an organization we have lived and served in an industrial park for a number of years, and this building has served us well. But we dont serve businesses, we serve people. And so we are thrilled to be moving into a community of people, said Taylor Haley, the WAFER board president.

WAFER closed on the sale of the former grocery store at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, officials said, after having the goal of a new space for more than a decade. Its current home on Causeway Boulevard sits in an industrial park and faces chronic flooding in the floodplain, on top of limited room.

Were simply out of space, Haley said.

The food pantry serves around 1,500 families in the community, a number that is only increasing with the pandemic, and this new building  which is nearly double the amount of space as its current building  will help the nonprofit be able to better serve and adapt to the needs in the community.
 How to Clip

Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print. You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it. When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue.
When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago, conspiracy theorists on the Left cried, No War for Oil! The real reason for the Bush administrations invasion was to topple the Taliban government and make way for a lucrative oil pipeline sought by friends of oilman Dick Cheney.

The fact that these same progressives had just spent years accusing these same oilmen of being allies of the Taliban for the same reason was a mere inconvenient truth.

As the U.S. leaves Afghanistan in a cloud of chaos and political incompetence, will the return of the Taliban have any impact on energy policy going forward? In theory, yes. Not because of the war for oil, but rather the new war on oil.

Afghanistan may only have modest fossil fuel resources, but its sitting on trillions of dollars worth of lithium and other rare earth minerals vital to green technology like electric vehicles and solar power. This battle-torn corner of the world as the resources to be a significant player in the energy sector of the future.

But it wont.

Whats in Afghanistans ground, stays in Afghanistans ground. No one is pulling it out in any significant quantity. Not the Taliban, not the Russians, and not the Chinese.
Brahm, who served as Tomah VA director after the opioid scandal, said that the report contains little information about the treatment the patient received after leaving Tomah.

Focusing only on the short time the veteran was at Tomah VAMC does not reflect the complex and lengthy medical care this veteran was provided, Brahm wrote.

The inspector general issued 10 recommendations to upgrade procedures involving patients with alcohol withdrawal, use of restraints and notifying family members of patients. Long said the facility accepts eight of the 10 recommendations from the inspector general and concurs in principle with two others. She agreed with Brahms assessment about the patients admission to urgent care.

The urgent care and medical providers were right to help this patient, Long said. Despite widespread prior communication to veterans about the differences between an emergency department and urgent care, staff were still unable to convince this patient to seek a higher level of care. I am proud of the healthcare staff at Tomah who compassionately treated this patient even though the healthcare needs were more complex.

Long extended condolences to the family and said the impact of the patients death was felt by the VA staff.
Dr. Joshua Whitson of Gundersen Health System was straightforward in his video message, fatigue and emotion evident on his face: hospitalizations are affecting even the young and healthy, and vaccination is the answer.

Whitson, medical director of the COVID unit, in a Facebook post viewed tens of thousands of times stated that while hospitalization numbers are not as high as during the fall 2020 surge, over the past few weeks, the rise in coronavirus inpatients is significant.

What weve seen with this new delta variant is it seems to be much more severe than the last strains. What were seeing primarily are young, otherwise healthy people coming in very sick, says Whitson, with patients ranging from their early 20s to 60s. Many of them are requiring very high levels of oxygen, many have required the ventilator  weve had members of those same populations, those same age groups, who have died from COVID.

Once they reach the point of hospitalization, Whitson says, we are very limited in what we can do  we have very few medicines to choose from as far as treatment. There are no miracles we have to offer, just support the best that we can.
On this week's podcast, we talk to Lancaster County farmer Steve Groff about his new one-of-a-kind Hemp Maze at Cedar Meadow farm in Holtwood, Pennsylvania.

Education, education, education. Thats really whats behind the maze, Groff said. We have all this lack of education from the general public." They just dont know the various beneficial uses of hemp.

Consumers need to be aware of it, so they can begin to ask for it, Groff said. With all these hundreds if not thousands of products that could be made with hemp  a renewable resource, by the way, and one that farmers could benefit from if we can get this infrastructure up and running.

The maze was designed and implemented by the York County-based company Maize Quest, and after the interview with Steve Groff, we'll hear from Maize Quest's master of mazes, Hugh McPherson.

Cedar Meadow Farm

https://cedarmeadow.farm/

Get your Hemp Maze Tickets here:

https://www.cedarmeadowadventures.com/

Maize Quest

https://mazecatalog.com/

Listen to Eric on Max & Steven's Understanding CBD

https://www.understandingcbd.com/cbd-blog/podcast/american-hemp-road-trip/

News Nuggets

Texas ban on smokable hemp tossed, opening potential $400 million market

https://hempindustrydaily.com/texas-ban-on-smokable-hemp-tossed/

Hawaii bans smokable hemp, CBD drinks and gummies

https://hempindustrydaily.com/hawaii-bans-smokable-hemp-cbd-drinks-and-gummies/

PA Hemp Summit

https://pahempsummit.com/

Southern Hemp Expo

https://www.southernhempexpo.com/

Thanks to our Sponsor IND HEMP in Fort Benton, Montana

https://www.indhemp.com/
Two refugee resettlement nonprofits here are preparing to receive refugees from Afghanistan, calling for donations and working to secure housing and other services.

While no refugees have been assigned to Lancaster County yet, both Church World Service and Bethany Christian Services are getting set with the expectation that some will be coming, perhaps with little notice.

Lancaster is a resettlement site, and we have been providing services to refugees for over 30 years, so we expect to receive our share of refugees coming to this area, said Valentina Ross, Church World Service Lancaster office director.

The local refugee resettlement agency at 308 E. King St. in Lancaster city notified its global headquarters in New York that it is interested in supporting Afghan refugees, including those with Special Immigrant Visas, which help speed up the process of allowing Afghans who worked with the United States military to enter the U.S.

Afghan families are being resettled in the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Once processed, Ross said, the families are reunited with relatives or paired with resettlement agencies.

If they have family in the U.S., we make sure those relatives are contacted and are expecting family to join them, she said. If they have no family, we see to it that resources are in place to have a successful resettlement.

In this case, however, the resettlement process will be a little different because this is an emergency situation and things will have to move faster, Ross said. We know that there will be families coming and that all refugees will receive a number of services, but we still dont have much detailed information.

Outpouring of support

Services provided to the refugees include cultural orientation, housing, and employment, among other things.

We have employers begging us to send them workers. They have more jobs than can be filled, Ross said. However, the housing situation is really tight in Lancaster. These people have suffered enormously and housing is very necessary.

We work with them to make sure they adjust to life in our community through cultural orientation while teaching them about idiosyncrasies they will find in Lancaster, Ross said.

According to Ross, CWS Lancaster has received an outpouring of support from people who have expressed their desire to help when the need arises. The newcomers will be matched with community members, volunteers and sponsors who are collaborating with the agency.

I ask our community to open their hearts to these people, Ross said. That would be a very special thing to do  because anybody could find themselves in a situation like this.

CWS Lancaster is also in need of donations. For a list of most needed items, visit its website at www.cwslancaster.org.

Bethany Christian Services

Meanwhile, Bethany Christian Services in Manheim Township is working with its national office, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, to advocate for the evacuation of all Afghan refugees and allies.

Lancaster is a welcoming community and Bethany is reaching out to the community for support, said Megan Brown, Bethanys Lancaster refugee services site director. We are currently asking for co-sponsors to help support and walk alongside these families during their first six months in the country. This is an opportunity for the community to show them support and welcome them with open arms.

The nonprofit at 1681 Crown Ave. welcomes monetary and household goods donations for its refugee program and is looking for help with any incoming Afghan families the agency may be resettling. To donate, or to learn about the items needed, visit www.Bethany.org or call 1-800-BETHANY.

Although both CWS Lancaster and Bethany might find themselves busy now with the Afghan crisis, they continue to work and service refugees from other parts of the world.

They are not coming very frequently because of COVID but we are not going to say no to other refugees during the Afghan crisis. We will adjust our capacity, Ross said.

New arrivals, Ross said, are tested for COVID-19 and placed in quarantine. Then they are offered the vaccine and all precautions are taken to protect them and others.

Bethany is focusing on Afghan refugees at this time and making ourselves available to help, but we are still resettling families from other countries, Brown said.

In September, Bethany Lancaster expects to resettle three families from Ukraine, Eritrea and Sudan.
East Cocalico Townships former recreation board chairman has formally pleaded not guilty to charges related to the Jan. 6 assault at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Edward McAlanis, 41, entered the plea during a brief arraignment hearing Friday conducted by videoconference before federal magistrate Judge Dabney Friedrich.

His attorney, Frank Sluzis, said McAlanis wants a jury trial, but acknowledged that could change as the case progresses.

McAlanis was charged July 14 with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

His arrest came after police were tipped to his participation by friends who provided photographs of him in the Capitol.

McAlanis remains free, but under supervision of federal officials. He must comply with release conditions, including staying out of Washington unless directed by the court, committing no crimes and checking in with his supervisor as directed.

Friedrich scheduled a status hearing on the case for Oct. 28.

McAlanis took an indefinite leave of absence from the recreation board on Aug. 19, saying he did not want to be a distraction.

McAlanis is at least the third person from Lancaster County to be charged in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Michael J. Lopatic Sr., 57, of Manheim Township, was arrested at his home Feb. 3 and Samuel Lazar, 35, of Ephrata, was arrested at his home July 26.

Lazar is scheduled for a hearing on Aug. 31 to determine whether he should remain jailed pending trial. No hearings are scheduled for Lopatic, who was released from federal custody in April.

A fourth man, Zachary Jordan Alam, 29, of Centreville, Virginia, was arrested at an East Cocalico Township motel on Jan. 30. He is scheduled for a Sept. 15 status conference.
By the time President Joe Biden spoke Thursday evening to address the deadly explosions and gunfire in Afghanistan that killed at least 13 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport, government officials in Lancaster County and across the state had already weighed in.

Some issued news releases while others took to social media to decry the attack, a suicide bombing that was followed by gunfire.

The attack by Islamic State militants reportedly killed more than 100 people  many of them Afghans  at the airport, where a U.S.-led evacuation of American citizens and vulnerable Afghans was underway.

In addition to the U.S. service members killed, more than a dozen American troops were injured.

Biden vowed Thursday to hunt down those responsible for the attack, though he remained steadfast in his commitment to withdraw from the region by the end of the month.

Heres what some local government officials had to say:

U.S. Sen Pat Toomey (R)

Toomey posted on Twitter to express his sadness and anger over the attack before calling on the Biden administration to extend the evacuation deadline.

The heinous terror attack on the airport in Kabul is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. My prayers are with our troops, our fellow citizens, and innocent Afghans on the ground, he said. This must be a wakeup call for the administration to lift its arbitrary deadline and take every step necessary to ensure we leave no American or deserving Afghan behind.

The heinous terror attack on the airport in Kabul is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. My prayers are with our troops, our fellow citizens, and innocent Afghans on the ground. https://t.co/1p6bgkyRnB  Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) August 26, 2021

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D)

Casey issued a news release prior to Bidens speech, condemning terrorism while lauding the service members on the ground in Afghanistan.

This is a devastating attack on Afghans and Americans trying to flee for their lives and the U.S. forces working day and night to evacuate as many people as possible, Casey said. As more information comes in about this terrorist attack, the safety of our troops and the Americans still in Afghanistan must remain our top priority.

American troops are carrying out their mission despite numerous threats and challenges and we owe it to them to do everything we can to bring them home safely.

This is a devastating attack on Afghans and Americans trying to flee for their lives and the U.S. forces working day and night to evacuate as many people as possible.  Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) August 26, 2021

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R)

Before Biden spoke, Smucker called for the president to adjust his plans for withdrawal from Afghanistan in posts to both Facebook and Twitter.

As we learn the details of the service members killed and injured by a suicide bomber in Kabul, the American people deserve to hear from President Biden on how he will adjust his withdrawal plans to protect the Americans and allies still in Afghanistan, he said.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R)

Perry also took to Twitter after the attack.

As our Nation mourns the heartbreaking news of US Service Members Killed in Action, we lift up our prayers for them and our fellow Americans receiving this devastating news, he said.

As our Nation mourns the heartbreaking news of US Service Members Killed in Action, we lift up our prayers for them and our fellow Americans receiving this devastating news. Godspeed, brothers - see you on the High Ground. #Afghanistan  RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) August 26, 2021

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D)

In a news release, Fetterman shared his condolences for the lives lost in the attack while remaining supportive of Bidens decision to end the war in Afghanistan.

I grieve with our entire nation over the senseless and tragic deaths of our heroic service members killed in a cowardly act of terrorism in Kabul.  Todays tragic events and senseless deaths underscore how critical it is for us to end this 20-year war and finally end American bloodshed in Afghanistan, he said.

My thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected by todays horrific attack.My statement: pic.twitter.com/sJloZ1yK4V  John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 26, 2021

State Sen. Scott Martin (R)

Martin, in a post to Twitter, called the attack beyond sickening.

With our country having lost so many servicemen and women fighting for their mission in Afghanistan and now with so many Americans and allies stranded in this chaos, its imperative that we immediately take back Bagram and extract our citizens and allies by all means necessary, he said.

This is beyond sickening. With our country having lost so many servicemen and women fighting for their mission in Afghanistan and now with so many Americans and allies stranded in this chaos, (continued) https://t.co/4hEk2w71kR  Senator Scott Martin (@SenatorMartinPA) August 26, 2021
Raymond Rowe, who in January 2019 pleaded guilty to raping and murdering Christy Mirack nearly 29 years ago, now wants a new trial, claiming he is innocent.

Rowe, 52, was in Lancaster County Court on Thursday to challenge his conviction under the states Post Conviction Relief Act. His position now: He had consensual sex with Mirack, but someone else killed her.

Are you averring your actual innocence? his attorney, Todd M. Mosser, asked.

Yes, I am, Rowe responded after testifying about what led him to plead guilty to a crime he now says he did not commit.

For one thing, Rowe testified, he did not have a reasonable defense to offer his attorneys, Patricia Spotts and co-counsel David Blanck.

Although Rowe is not formally challenging the effectiveness of his attorneys, which is a common Post Conviction Relief Act claim, he criticized their handling of his case.

They were more like a prosecution team coming in every day and telling me to plead, plead, plead, Rowe testified.

Spotts and Blanck declined comment on Rowes claims, citing their subpoena to testify next Thursday when the hearing resumes before Judge Dennis Reinaker.

Vince Mirack, Christy's brother, also declined comment Thursday evening.

Rowe testified he had infrequent communication with his attorneys and that they urged him to plead guilty, citing the prosecutions DNA evidence linking Rowe to Miracks death. He told them he was not going to plead guilty to something he didnt do.

Conditions in Lancaster County Prison and their coercion eventually wore him down, Rowe said.

Rowe said he was largely kept in isolation, sometimes with no clothes and only a blanket.

Spotts, Rowe said, told him, We know you love your wife and daughter. And if you don't take the plea, you will be facing the death penalty. By then I was worn down, I lost 25 pounds. I was sick. Diarrhea everyday.

Rowe said he was under the impression that the death penalty wasn't being carried out in Pennsylvania, but that his attorney told him it would be reinstated in three years and that he should take the plea and challenge his conviction from prison. And with the death penalty off the table as part of the plea agreement being offered by the prosecution, Rowe said he would still be able to see his family.

His attorneys, Rowe said, told him, Throw us under the bus, we're used to it.

On cross-examination Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Ande Gonzalez asked Rowe if he had lied when he pleaded guilty.

Rowe said he did.

So we're supposed to believe a liar? Gonzales asked before pointing out that, as part of his guilty plea on Jan. 8, 2019, Rowe was repeatedly asked if he was pleading guilty of his own free will.

Rowe replied, Free will and being forced to do things by treatment and threats are two different things.

In court filings related to his appeal, Rowe claims that he actually had consensual sex with Mirack the day she was killed and that someone else was responsible for killing her later that day.

Rowe is also asking that DNA testing be done of a cutting board found next to Mirack's head and presumed to be the murder weapon; it was not tested for DNA and that if tested, it will show someone else's DNA and not his, his filing said.

Rowe had never been a suspect in the killing of schoolteacher Mirack. The killing happened on Dec. 21, 1992, in Miracks Greenfield Estates townhouse in East Lampeter Township as she was getting ready to go to work.

In 2018, genetic genealogy led detectives to Rowe, known professionally as DJ Freez, after crime scene DNA matched DNA that one of Rowes half sisters uploaded to a public genealogy database.

Rowe was arrested June 25, 2018. He is serving life without the possibility of parole for murder, plus 60 to 120 years for the other crimes.
Destructive, invasive spotted lanternflies should soon begin laying their eggs in the Lancaster County region, where experts have observed shifting populations this summer, though the number of active bugs remains plentiful.

And those experts are still calling on local residents to help control the insects spread, said Emily Demsey, a state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman.

Were seeing an average number of lanternfly this year, but the location we are seeing them in large numbers has definitely changed, Demsey said, explaining that includes Lancaster County.

Lancaster County is a great example of this as were seeing fewer adult spotted lanternfly along the eastern edge of the county where they first appeared in 2017, but many more towards the western edge, she said. Statewide were seeing a similar trend  few lanternflies in areas that were previously heavily infested, but large numbers in the areas where they are spreading.

Arrived in 2014

Spotted lanternflies first were found in the United States in 2014, specifically in Berks County, where its believed they arrived on a cargo shipment from East Asia.

Since then, state agriculture officials have been researching the bugs, looking for ways to stop their spread because their feeding habits are potentially destructive to certain crops, especially at vineyards.

A Penn State University study estimated the economic loss caused by lanternflies at $50 million per year in Pennsylvania. Its unclear how much of that might occur in Lancaster County, with Demsey explaining that state agriculture officials do not collect any economic loss data.

What's clear is that Lancaster County is still heavily infested, with numerous local residents recently reporting sightings of large swarms to LNP | LancasterOnline.

Because the bugs can be in different stages of development in areas throughout the state -- due to differing localized climates -- its not likely that researchers will have a true understanding of the size of 2021s lanternfly brood until the end of the year, said Don Seifrit Jr., a Penn State Extension educator.

Adults now breeding

Locally, they should be reaching the end of their lifecycle, according to Seifrit, whos knowledgeable about the bugs.

The adults are breeding, and the females are going to be actively laying eggs, he said.

Then, he encouraged local residents to help control the insects by killing them and scraping away their brown, paste-like egg masses, which typically are laid on hard, vertical surfaces like trees.

Those efforts remain important in areas like Lancaster County that are heavily infested, he said, hopeful that residents wont get discouraged when they see large swarms.

I know it can feel like a drop in the bucket, he said of killing individual bugs.

But offering some perspective, Seifrit imagined killing a pregnant female, which would result in the death of dozens of future lanternflies, all with the potential to spread to new areas.

Thwarting that spread is the main goal of agriculture officials, who want to limit the insects ability to cause damage while researchers work toward more permanent solutions, Demsey said.

Our long-term goal is to use those new solutions to manage the pest to the point that it no longer has a major impact on our economy or our quality of life, or even to eradicate it, Demsey said, referring even to areas as infested as Lancaster County.

To that end, we would not say that Lancaster County is permanently infested, but weve still got a long battle ahead of us," she said.

Resources available

Demsey said residents in infested areas should look to Penn State resources for information about how to best manage lanternflies. They can be found online at extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide.

Its especially important, experts said, to check cars before traveling from infested to non-infested areas, to make sure not to transport lanternflies, which can cling to vehicles traveling as fast as 65 mph.

Currently, Lancaster County is among 34 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties that make up the states spotted lanternfly quarantine zone, where specialized regulations and recommendations are in place to limit spread.

Those 34 counties are not all equally infested. Most of the newer counties ... have just a few municipalities with a known infestation, Demsey said. But, out of an abundance of caution, the entire county was placed under quarantine with hopes that with businesses and residents on higher alert for spotted lanternfly, the population in these counties could be stopped from spreading and possibly eradicated.

According to Seifrit, lanternflies are likely to remain active for a few more months in Lancaster County, laying eggs in the area through fall -- likely until the first hard frost.

That hard frost will kill a large number of the adults, he said.

Eggs laid this season will then hatch next spring, he said.
When: Lancaster City Council meeting, Aug. 24 in council chambers, streamed on the citys YouTube channel.

What happened: Council rejected the city administrations proposal to remove seniority points from the promotion process in the police and fire bureaus. A 3-3 vote meant the proposal lacked a majority needed to pass.

Why it matters: Administrators and council members have debated since early May whether eliminating the points would help achieve equity and inclusion in the bureaus. Mayor Danene Sorace has said it would. She and both bureau chiefs have talked in favor of the change. Leaders of local police and fire unions argued against it.

How they voted: Council members Jaime Arroyo, Amanda Bakay and Faith Craig voted in favor of removing the points. Council President Ismail Smith-Wade-El and council members Janet Diaz and Xavier Garcia-Molina voted against doing so. Council Member Pete Soto was absent.

Their reasoning: Council members voting for the change did not speak on their decisions. I think we can do better on how we do equity work thats impactful. But also, because there is favoritism within the departments, I dont want to move something forward thats going to contribute further to that, Garcia-Molina said. And from the publics perspective, even though Im kind of surprised by it personally, they arent in favor of this. So for those reasons Im going to be voting no. Diaz read a list of names of Black, Hispanic and female members of both bureaus who she said would be harmed by losing seniority points. Im a woman of color. I know how hard it was for me to get where Im at. And Im not talking about politics. Just to get to where Im at at the hospital. Or working in the field when I was in the union, she said. So Im here fighting for them and fighting for the union. ... It would be a shame for this to pass.

Last try: Sorace responded by saying seniority points would be lost by everybody. Were not targeting individuals of color, she said. While I understand the concern that this will impact individuals of color disproportionately in the process of advancement, I also just want to call out that in the fire bureau the entire command staff  does not have anyone of color. Patrick Hopkins, director of administrative services, said, Were talking about long term, systemic change here. We think that prioritizing promotional opportunities based on factors that are more important than their length of employment is really where this focus ought to be.

Oyster Point: Council approved using $5.9 million of the citys $39.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to buy 30 acres of land at 1625 Stony Battery Road near the Oyster Point Reservoir. The city is considering using that land as a potential spot for future water system expansion.

In other business: Council issued a certificate of appropriateness for a 12-story, 126-unit building at North Queen and West Chestnut streets, upon the recommendation of the Historical Commission. The review and permitting process can now continue for the project of Wayne-based Rental Communities. Council also agreed to apply for additional HOME Program funding on behalf of the Spanish American Civic Association Development Corp. for the second phase of Conestoga North, an owner-occupied affordable housing development on Chesapeake Street near South Duke Street. That project has received previous grants including $250,000 from the states Keystone Communities Program. Council also heard a first reading for a proposed rezoning of an East Liberty Street commercial complex from central manufacturing to mixed use. The owner of Liberty Business Park wants to develop about 60 apartments. A public hearing on that zoning change will be held Sept. 14 with a vote possible that same day.
When: West Cocalico Township supervisors meeting, Aug. 17.

What happened: Township supervisors approved the advertisement of a new zoning district called agricultural industrial. The proposed zoning district is designed for businesses processing an agricultural product. In particular, John F. Martin & Sons meat and cheese company would be in the new agricultural industrial zone. Another business impacted by the change is Denver Cold Storage, which deals with frozen, refrigerated and dry supply-chain needs.

Why it matters: These businesses wanted to make small changes to their businesses without having to go before the zoning board. For example, John F. Martin & Sons was looking to be able to offer child care to its employees, an employee cafeteria and vehicle inspection services only for employees. These changes are technically not allowed under the current zoning. Without the proposed zoning changes, these businesses have threatened to move out of the township, and they have been great to have here, Township Manager Carolyn Hildebrand said. Township officials have stated their position is to maintain the rural nature of the area while allowing the businesses to thrive.

Next step: Lancaster County Planning Commission will review the zoning proposal in September with potential adoption by West Cocalico supervisors in October.

Graffiti: Supervisors approved paying for the Chapel Gate and Main Street parks anti-graffiti coating on bricks.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Authorities in northern Nigeria announced three separate groups of kidnapped students were freed within a 24-hour period, prompting speculation late Friday that large ransoms had been paid to the gunmen blamed for a spate of recent abductions.

Among those now free are some of the youngest children ever taken hostage in Nigeria, a group of 90 pupils who had spent three months in captivity. Hours after those youngsters were brought to the Niger state capital, police in Zamfara state said that 15 older students also had been freed there.

Then late Friday, word came of a third hostage liberation in Kaduna state. Thirty-two more of the students taken from a Baptist high school in early July also had been freed, according to the Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The wave of releases comes after more than 1,000 students have been kidnapped since December, according to an AP tally. While earlier school abductions had been blamed on Islamic extremists in the northeast, authorities have only said that bandits are behind the latest kidnappings for ransom.

The happiness cant be quantified, said Yahya Aliyu Babangida, 54, a teacher whose two children aged 7 and 17 were among those who had been kidnapped from the Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Tegina in late May.

Gunmen at first kidnappers even the preschoolers, only to leave them behind when they could not keep pace in the nearby forest. Some who spent months in captivity were just 4 years old, and authorities said Friday that one child had died during the ordeal. Several others were undergoing medical treatment after their release late Thursday.

They are exposed to this harsh weather, no food, mosquitos everywhere, he said. Some of them had never been outside the comfort of their homes.

News of the childrens release was celebrated across Nigeria, where abductions have stepped up pressure on the government to do more to secure educational facilities in remote areas.

But questions remained Friday about how much ransom had been paid to secure the childrens release, and if so whether that could in turn fuel further abductions by the unknown armed groups referred to locally as bandits.

Muhammad Musa Kawule, 42, acknowledged paying intermediaries in hopes of securing his 6-year-old daughters freedom.

I spent a lot of money but today, Im happy, he told The Associated Press on Friday. He did not specify how much he had paid nor whether government officials had been involved.

The youngsters were later brought to the Niger state capital, Minna, where they underwent medical check-ups and met the governor. Video showed scores of children as young as kindergartners come out of white minibuses, the little girls wearing long blue hijabs known as chadors.

While Nigeria has seen scores of school abductions for ransom, the Niger state kidnappings left people aghast because the children were so young. The ramifications also could be long lasting as parents reconsider whether to send their children to school.

This has affected the morale and confidence of the people and has even made parents think twice before they send their children to school, Niger state Gov. Abubakar Sani Bello said of the childrens abduction. We will do whatever it takes to bring (the kidnappers) to justice.

As the attacks have mounted across the north, there are also signs they are becoming more violent.

After one kidnapping at a university in Kaduna state earlier this year, gunmen demanded ransoms equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars. They killed five students to compel other students parents to raise the money and later released 14.

Also Friday, Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said that 15 other students had been handed over to officials on Friday, 11 days after they were abducted from the College of Agriculture and Animal Science in Nigerias troubled northwest.

It was not immediately clear how they were rescued, but the students are now being looked after by Zamfara state officials and will soon be reunited with their parents, authorities said.



Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press journalists Ajayi Taiwo Oluwole in Minna, Nigeria and John Shiklam in Kaduna, Nigeria also contributed.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting evacuations in New Orleans and across the coastal region.

Ida intensified rapidly Friday from a tropical storm to a hurricane with top winds of 80 mph (128 kph) as it crossed western Cuba and entered the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center predicted Ida would strengthen into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, with top winds of 140 mph (225 kph) before making landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Sunday.

This will be a life-altering storm for those who arent prepared, National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said during a Friday news conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The governor urged residents to quickly prepare, saying: By nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to be to ride out the storm.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered a mandatory evacuation for a small area of the city outside the levee system. But with the storm intensifying so much over a short time, she said it wasnt possible to do so for the entire city. That generally calls for using all lanes of some highways to leave the city.

The city cannot order a mandatory evacuation because we dont have the time, Cantrell said.

City officials said residents need to be prepared for prolonged power outages, and asked elderly residents to consider evacuating. Collin Arnold, the city's emergency management director, said the city could be under high winds for about ten hours.

Other areas across the coastal region were under a mix of voluntary and mandatory evacuations. The storm is expected to make landfall on the exact date Hurricane Katrina devastated a large swath of the Gulf Coast exactly 16 years earlier. Capt. Ross Eichorn, a fishing guide on the coast about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans, said he fears warm Gulf waters will make a monster out of Ida.

With a direct hit, aint no telling whats going to be left  if anything, Eichorn said. He added: Anybody that isnt concerned has got something wrong with them.

A hurricane warning was issued for most of the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to the mouth of the Pearl River. A tropical storm warning was extended to the Mississippi-Alabama line.

Officials decided against evacuating New Orleans hospitals. Theres little room for their patients elsewhere, with hospitals from Texas to Florida already reeling from a spike in coronavirus patients, said Dr. Jennifer Avengo, the citys health director.

At the state's largest hospital system, Ochsner Health System, officials ordered 10 days worth of fuel, food, drugs and other supplies and have backup fuel contracts for its generators. One positive was that the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped from 988 to 836 over the past week  a 15% decline.

President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send nearly 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals.

Ida made its first landfall Friday afternoon on Cuba's southern Isle of Youth. The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning for its westernmost provinces, where forecasters said as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain could fall in places, possibly unleashing deadly flash floods and mudslides.

Ivonne Deulofeu, who lives in the western town of Vinales, said strong winds persisted for hours on Friday.

It shook us up hard. It was really frightening, Deulofeu said. We had to nail the doors of the rooms... The plants, theyre all gone.

Col. Noel Lozano of Cuban Civil Defense said over 10,000 people were evacuated in Pinar del Rio province, most to stay with relatives. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

Late Friday night, the storm was 105 miles (165 kilometers) west of Havana and traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).

An even greater danger will then begin over the Gulf, where forecasts were aligned in predicting Ida will strengthen very quickly into a major hurricane before landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sunday, the hurricane center said.

If that forecast holds true, Ida would hit 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph (201 kph) winds near the riverside community of Buras, just down the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Katrina is blamed for an estimated 1,800 deaths from the central Louisiana coast to around the Mississippi-Alabama state line. A massive storm surge scoured the shores and wiped houses off the map. In New Orleans, failures of federal levees led to catastrophic flooding. Water covered 80% of the city and many homes were swamped to the rooftops. Some victims drowned in their attics. The Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center became scenes of sweltering misery as tens of thousands were stranded without power or running water.

Memories of Katrina still haunt many who scrambled to prepare for Ida on Friday, lining up for groceries, gas and ice, as well as sandbags that the city was offering.

Traffic snarled at entrances to a New Orleans Costco, where dozens of cars were backed up at the gas pumps and shoppers wheeled out carts stacked with cases of bottled water and other essentials.

Retired police officer Wondell Smith, who worked on the police force when Katrina hit, said he and his family were planning to stay, but were also getting ready to head farther inland if the forecasts worsened. He loaded water, bread and sandwich meat into his SUV.

I know what that looks like, Smith said, referring to the potential devastation. This is my first time being home in 34 years of service, he added. And I want to be prepared.

Saturdays preseason NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Saints at the Superdome was first moved up seven hours to avoid the weather, and then canceled altogether.

The hurricane center predicted the peak storm surge could reach 10 feet to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) along the Louisiana coast, with a possible surge of 7 to 11 feet (2.1 to 3.4 meters) in the New Orleans area. The storm's track put New Orleans on the eastern side  often called the dirty side  which generally sees much more significant effects than the western side.

Being east of this storms track is not ideal, said Arnold.



This story has been updated to correct the name of the Louisiana governor. It is John Bel Edwards, not John Bell Edwards.



Associated Press contributors include Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Darlene Superville in Washington; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland and Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba.
THE ISSUE: An outbreak of COVID-19 at Lancaster County Prison has affected at least 72 inmates and seven staff members, LNP | LancasterOnlines Carter Walker reported this week. So far, none of the cases have required hospitalization, Warden Cheryl Steberger said. The outbreak has compounded ongoing staffing issues at the prison, which is down 62 officers from its full complement of 228. Lancaster County officials hope proposals for a pay boost and sign-on bonuses will help to fix the problem, Walker reported.

The situation in Pennsylvania prisons has often been an overlooked microcosm of our response to COVID-19, in terms of both public health and the economic/workforce fallout. So there are multiple threads worthy of discussion.

When the new outbreak was first reported last week, Steberger stated at the county Prison Board meeting that COVID-19 is just rearing its ugly head again, LNP | LancasterOnlines Tom Lisi reported.

At that point, only inmates had tested positive for the virus. But this week, the problem expanded, as staff members have become infected.

Stebergers succinct assessment is correct. COVID-19 is rearing its ugly head again. And it will do so again and again, until we bring the pandemic under control through widespread vaccination and personal protective measures  including masks  that help keep the insidious virus from spreading.

Those tools can give us some level of control over COVID-19, but too many people continue to resist the science and the guidance of health experts.

In response to the surge in cases, the prison has reimplemented mitigation measures ... including isolation housing units for inmates who test positive and universal mask-wearing, Lisi reported. It also has paused all visitation and programming for the inmates.

Those are strong measures, but it could be argued that mask-wearing and isolating positive cases could have been instituted sooner, or never should have been halted in the first place.

The highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 didnt sneak up on us. Weve known about it for weeks. It was back on July 27 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that even fully vaccinated people wear a mask indoors in areas of substantial or high transmission such as Lancaster County.

Too often during this pandemic, institutions and businesses have waited and used CDC or state Department of Health guidance for reactive measures, rather than proactive ones. (And, in the frustrating cases that have drawn our greatest ire in editorials, health experts guidance has been ignored altogether by those who are tasked with protecting the public.)

At the prison, inmates have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccination when they first enter, Steberger said last week. And since vaccines became available, 165 inmates have been vaccinated, Deputy Warden for Inmate Services Joe Shiffer added. Thats encouraging news.

Steberger also said last week that a majority of prison employees are vaccinated, but that she opposes instituting a requirement for staffers to be vaccinated.

But that was before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave full approval Monday to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, replacing the emergency use authorization. Given that news, we believe the Lancaster County commissioners should mandate vaccinations for all county workers  including those at the prison.

Mandating vaccination would be a prudent action and one that could set an example for Lancaster and help to stave off future surges. Herd immunity is the only way Lancaster Countys economy will get fully back on its feet. Particularly in short-staffed organizations, reducing employee sick days seems to be important, and having everyone vaccinated would advance that aim.

The Washington Posts Eugene Robinson, in an op-ed we published on these pages Wednesday, called for government leaders at all levels to require employees to be vaccinated.

All of this needs to happen immediately, Robinson wrote. To say we are heading in the wrong direction on the coronavirus is a gross understatement. The delta variant looked like bad news when it arrived weeks ago, but now it looks calamitous.

On too many fronts, however, we simply dont see this needed sense of urgency from our elected leaders. The lack of it is going to cost more lives. Already, more than 633,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.

Using federal relief

Meanwhile, the Lancaster County commissioners are trying to solve the problem of significant understaffing at the prison. This is hardly an isolated issue. Employers in nearly all sectors are struggling to fill positions.

As The New York Times Paul Krugman noted in an op-ed we published Wednesday, Many Americans dont want to go back to the way things were before ... unless offered substantially more money and/or better working conditions.

Money is the carrot county officials are proposing to use, Walker reported this week.

Chief Clerk Larry George and Patrick Mulligan, budget director for the county, proposed using a portion of the countys $106 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help shore up the prisons staff, Walker wrote, adding that they hope to present a detailed plan to the commissioners next Wednesday.

The commissioners seem to be amenable to the idea.

There is no doubt we need to do something, Commissioner Ray DAgostino said Tuesday. Obviously the devil is in the details, which we dont know yet in terms of how much total we are talking about.  But Im open to the idea because of the situation and weve got to do something.

Federal relief funds  from either the American Rescue Plan or the 2020 CARES Act  could allow payment of up to $25,000 per employee as hazard pay (or a type of retention bonus), Walker reported. That could stem additional workforce attrition. Additionally, the county could use federal relief funds for recruiting and hiring, providing signing bonuses for new hires.

Were fully in favor of pursuing these proposals. The prison staffing issue must be solved, and this is one thing those federal relief funds are precisely designated for: mitigating the effects that the pandemic has had upon various sectors of the workforce.

But were still scratching our heads over why the commissioners seemingly arent considering deploying American Rescue Plan funds to help other vulnerable parts of the Lancaster County economy.

In an Aug. 8 editorial, we expressed our disbelief that Lancaster County Republican commissioners Josh Parsons and DAgostino arent convinced that this county should spend $106 million in American Rescue Plan relief funds on pandemic-related needs.

We werent alone in advocating for the county to target those relief funds in ways that would have the most impact here.

Lancaster Chamber President Tom Baldrige said the federal money should be spent in the most strategic and impactful way possible that actually solves issues, not just funds issues. And Kevin Ressler, president and CEO of the United Way of Lancaster County, wants residents voices to be heard on how the funds could be used.

We have long favored the creation of a county public health department, of course, but we also suggested that the American Rescue Plan funds could be put toward addressing the negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries and the public sector.

Its clear theres been a negative impact on the staffing at Lancaster County Prison. So relief funds are rightly being proposed to address that issue.

But we wish the two Republican commissioners would look around and realize that this county is hurting in ways that extend far beyond the prison. And realize they have the power  and the funds  to put Lancaster County in the best possible position for a post-pandemic recovery.
Two Bombs Hit Kabuls Airport, Taliban Had Warned of ISIS Terror

Aug. 26, 2021 (EIRNS)Two bombs in and around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul wounded or killed scores of civilians and military, late this afternoon. The Islamic State, tagged in the West as ISIS-K, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing. They provided a video of the suicide bomber that attacked the Abbey Gate at the airport and they claimed that they had killed or wounded around 160 people. Another bomb, thought to be a vehicle bomb, exploded at the nearby Baron Hotel, with major casualties. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Jr., commander of the U.S. Central Command, said that of U.S. military personnel, 12 were killed and 15 wounded. Early reports said that at least 60 wounded people were being treated at a hospital emergency room. For both bombs, RT cites local health officials as estimating 60 dead and 140 wounded. The Wall Street Journal cites an Afghan health official, saying that some 90 Afghan civilians were killed.

ISIS-K has been, since 2015, a spinoff of the ISIS operation in Syria. The K refers to the Khorasan province on Afghanistans eastern border with Pakistan, where the group is primarily based. They object to the Taliban, accusing them of being part of a U.S. plot. They are thought to have been founded by Hafiz Saeed Khan of Pakistan, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in 2016. His deputy was a former Guantanamo detainee, Abdul Rauf Aliza, also killed in a U.S. airstrike. Shahab al-Muhajir, reportedly from the Haqqani networks, seems to be the present leader. The United Nations estimates that they have 1,500-2,200 hard-core fighters. They have a history of summary executions of civilians, which helps them recruit the most jaded of youth. In 2020, they attacked the Kabul University compound, the Presidential Palace, and Kabuls international airport. Earlier this year, they attacked a school for girls. The Taliban says it has cleared them out of Jowzjan Province, in the north, is fighting them in the northwest, and captured hundreds in Jalalabad in the east.

Earlier this week, the Taliban warned the NATO alliance of an imminent terror attack upon the Karzai Airport. The Talibans Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid made this public on Aug. 25, explaining: Over the last 20 years we have learned things and changed. We want to prove that we are not what anti-Taliban propaganda has portrayed us to be. As a result, several European countries began wrapping up their evacuation efforts early. President Biden on Aug. 24 said: 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 Afghanistanwhich is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as wellevery 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.

By this morning, Britains Armed Forces Minister James Heappey had reported an imminent attack based upon very, very credible intelligence, and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul had issued a warning to leave immediately the three gates (Abbey, East and North) to the airport complex. The two bombs went off within an hour of each other in the late afternoon, Kabul time. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the suicide bomber employed an improvised explosive device. The Talibans Mujahid stated: The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where security is in the hands of U.S. forces. The Islamic Emirate is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people, and evil circles will be strictly stopped.

President Biden spoke from the East Room, today, saying that the evacuation will not stop, that there will likely be more attacks, and that Ive ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and at the moment of our choosing.


The Peace Corps is a U.S. government program that places young Americans in under-developed countries around the world to help with small projects. This year, it is turning 60.

Last year, it had 7,000 volunteers in 62 countries when the coronavirus broke out. The volunteers were given little time to leave their countries to go back to the United States.

Since its creation in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, more than 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in many countries. The goal is to help countries meet their development needs with programs, from education to health and agriculture. It does this while helping to spread a better understanding of Americans.

Cameron Beach was a volunteer living in rural Malawi, a landlocked country in southern Africa. Nine months after the COVID-19 pandemic started, she came back to Malawi. She is living off her savings.

Beach said on an online call, It was especially painful for me because I was given 24 hours to leave a place that Id called home for almost two years.

Beach was trained to speak Chichewa. She was teaching at the Mkomera Community Day Secondary School in Dedza, found about 40 kilometers southeast of the Capital, Lilongwe. She is 25 years-old and from Greenville, South Carolina. She said she would absolutely rejoin the Peace Corps if it became possible.

It might: the organization hopes to begin returning volunteers to the field late this year or early next year.

Peace Corps volunteers would be required to be vaccinated. And sending them back will depend on the situation in each country.

Acting Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn told The Associated Press that among the recalled volunteers, about 2,400 said they wanted to go back when it is possible. There are 10,000 people who are interested in joining the Peace Corps now.

How soon they can go back depends on the worldwide fight against the virus, the new delta variant, and the slow rollout of vaccines in developing countries.

Spahn believes it will be a few years before the Peace Corps is back to its full strength. While volunteers have been removed from some countries in the past, March 2020 was the first time the Peace Corps brought home all its volunteers at the same time.

Heading back overseas will be difficult. There will be required training and rebuilding of programs. Areas that have few returning volunteers will also lose the organizational, cross-cultural, and knowledge that is passed on.

Service in the Peace Corps is usually two years after a training period. During the pandemic, most Peace Corps workers remained in place, and some kept up some programs. Some former volunteers worked remotely on development projects from the United States, receiving a small payment for their work.

Spahn said a few volunteers refused to leave. Their Peace Corps service was ended. Despite their short service, those volunteers can still receive the benefits given to those who complete two years. They include moving payments, money for school, and better placement in federal jobs.

Spahn said those former volunteers, like Beach, could help bring in a renewed Peace Corps.

Beach is now teaching her English classes and is helping to build part of a school in part with money given from Peace Corps. While she was away, her students found it difficult without her.

The time when Madam Beach left Malawi, lots of things went wrong especially in our class, said Aness Leman Filimoni, who is in her last year of high school. Madam Beach was teaching us English but when she left, the school could not find a suitable replacement.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Wilson Ring and Roy Nkos reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

volunteer  n. someone who does something without being forced to do it

absolutely  adv. used in speech as a forceful way of saying yes or of expressing agreement

variant  n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind

suitable  adj. having the qualities that are right, needed, or appropriate for something

replace  v. to put someone or something new in the place or position of (someone or something)


U.S. and Canadian researchers have recently completed identifying all the genetic information of lake trout. The digital map could help efforts to rebuild populations of the fish in North American lakes, officials said this week.

The map is called a reference genome. It will help explain qualities that helped the species to evolve and spread across a large area.

Marc Gaden is a spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. It is a U.S.-Canadian agency that financed the research.

Gaden noted that lake trout have large differences in habitat use, shape, size, body mass, color.

Gaden added, We need to understand why they look the way they do, why some types are more successful in some habitats than others, why some types in hatcheries do better than others.

Lake trout numbers have been hurt by invasive species, overfishing and pollution. Gaden said data from the project will give information for programs that fill lakes with young trout.

The team of experts published their report in Molecular Ecology Resources in early August.

William Taylor, chairman of the fishery commission and a Michigan State University fisheries ecologist, described the map as a...missing link in our efforts to restore lake trout.

Lake trout once were common in the Great Lakes of the Northeastern United States. And they are still common in other large North American lakes.

Their numbers in the Great Lakes decreased in the 1900s with the invasion of the sea lamprey, an eel-like creature that attaches to fish and sucks their bodily fluids. Researchers developed a poison that is put into rivers where the lamprey reproduce, keeping their numbers from getting too high.

But habitat loss, overfishing and pollution have hurt efforts to bring back the lake trout. Although they can live for 20 years or more, it takes about seven years for lake trout to become sexually mature. Many do not survive long enough to reproduce.

Agencies continue to release them into all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, where they have recovered well, Gaden said.

Genomes of salmonids, a family of fish that includes lake trout, are harder to complete than those of many other animals, the research team said.

Seth Smith of Michigan State University was the studys lead writer. Smith suggested the map makes it easier to compare results across studies, and will hopefully quicken the pace of scientific discovery.

Shawn Sitar is a fisheries research biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He was not involved with the study.

Sitar said returning lake trout to their important position in the Great Lakes will require understanding differences between lake trout at the sub-species level. He said the genome research will support this effort.

He added, If you want to restore a forest ecosystem, you dont put in just one tree. You want to restore the integrity of what that ecosystem was originally.

Im John Russell.

John Flesher reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

_____________________________________

Words in This Story

species  n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants : a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus

habitat  n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

type n. a particular kind of something

hatchery  n. a place where people raise young chicken, fish, etc., from eggs

pace  n. the speed at which someone or something moves

restore v. to bring back to an earlier or more numerous condition

ecosystem  n. everything that exists in a particular environment

integrity  n. the state of being complete or whole

originally adv. in the beginning; the ways something was at a much earlier time


Ahmad Sarmast left his home in Melbourne, Australia, to help bring back music in his home country, Afghanistan. He started a school there that was different than most; it admitted children without parents and young people who had no homes. His school aimed to bring a little joy back to Kabul after the Taliban had banned music.

Last week, Sarmast watched from his home in Australia as the Taliban marched into the Afghan capital. Their quick rise to power shocked him and the world.

Now, Sarmast is wondering what will happen next.

His two mobile phones have not stopped ringing since the takeover. Many of the calls are from worried students asking him what happens next. Will the school be closed? Will the Taliban ban music again? Are their prized musical instruments safe?

"I'm heartbroken," Sarmast told The Associated Press. "It was so unexpected and so unpredictable that it was like an explosion, and everyone was caught by surprise," he said of the Taliban takeover.

Sarmast left Kabul on July 12 for his summer holiday. He could not have imagined that just a few weeks later everything he had worked for in the past 20 years would be in danger. He worries about his 350 students and the 90 teachers at the school. Many of them have already gone into hiding. Reports of Taliban fighters searching for enemies door-to-door have increased their fears.

"We are all very, very fearful about the future of music, we are very fearful about our girls, about our faculty," Sarmast said. He asked reporters not to publish more information, in order to protect the students and school.

In a sign of what the future holds, radio and TV stations stopped broadcasting music, except for Islamic songs. It was not clear if the change was a result of Taliban orders or an effort by the stations to avoid problems with the Taliban.

Sarmast is 58 years old. He is the son of a famous Afghan composer. He sought asylum in Australia in the 1990s, during a time of civil war in Afghanistan. After earning a doctoral degree in musicology, he returned to Afghanistan. In 2010, he founded the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

Donated instruments

Foreign governments and private sponsors soon gave money to support the school. The World Bank gave the school 2 million U.S. dollars. Truckloads of musical equipment  violins, pianos, guitars and oboes  were sent from the German government and the German Society of Music Merchants. Students learned to play traditional Afghan string instruments like the rubab, sitar and sarod.

Elham Fanous, 24, was the first student to graduate from the music institute in 2014. After spending seven years at the school, he said, "It was such an amazing school, everything was perfect. It changed my life and I really owe it to them. A visitor once called it "Afghanistan's happy place."

"I cannot believe this is happening," Fanous added, speaking from New York. He recently received his master's degree in piano from the Manhattan School of Music. He was also the first student from Afghanistan to be admitted to a U.S. university music program.

The institute's musicians traveled all over the world to represent the peaceful side of their country. Fanous himself performed at events in Poland, Italy and Germany.

In 2013, the institute's youth orchestra began its first U.S. tour. Members of the orchestra included a girl who not long ago had sold chewing gum on the streets of Kabul to earn a living. In 2015, the school formed an all-female orchestra called Zohra. The group was named after a goddess of music in Persian culture.

Injured in bombing

In 2014, Sarmast was attending a concert at a French-run high school in Kabul when a bomb exploded. He lost some of his hearing in one ear and has had numerous operations to remove pieces of metal from his head. The Taliban took responsibility for the suicide attack and accused him in a statement of corrupting Afghanistan's youth.

That only increased Sarmasts wish to continue his work. He kept traveling between the school in Kabul and Australia, where his family lives.

Sarmast said his students all had big dreams to play around the world. "All my students had been dreaming of a peaceful Afghanistan. But that peaceful Afghanistan is fading away."

Still, Sarmast is hopeful. He believes young Afghans will resist. And he wants the international artistic community to fight for the Afghans' right to music.

"I'm still hopeful that my kids will be allowed to go back to the school and continue to enjoy learning and playing music," he said.

Im Jill Robbins.

Zeina Karam reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

__________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

faculty  n. teachers or staff of a school

amazing  adj. causing great surprise or wonder

composer  n. a person who writes music

merchant  n. someone who buys and sells goods especially in large amounts

orchestra  n. a group of musicians who play usually classical music together and who are led by a conductor

tour  n. a series of related performances, appearances, competitions or the like that occur at different places over a period of time

chewing gum -n. a type of soft candy that you chew on but do not swallow

fade  v. to disappear gradually

kids  n. children

allow  v. to permit (something)

What do you think of the music school Ahmad Sarmast started? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.


Evacuation flights from Afghanistan continued Friday under increased security. A day earlier, a suicide bombing at Kabuls airport killed more than 100 people, including 13 American soldiers.

They were the first U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan since February 2020. That was the month the U.S., under former President Donald Trump, struck an agreement with the Taliban to end the 20-year war. The agreement called for the militant group to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for a U.S. troop withdrawal by May 2021. And U.S. President Joe Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September.

Islamic State attacks

In an emotional speech Thursday night, Biden blamed the Islamic State group, or ISIS, for the attacks. He said, We will hunt you down and make you pay.

We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing, Biden said. These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out.



The ISIS group in Afghanistan is also known as ISIS Khorasan.

The group is made up of extremists who left the Taliban. They were unhappy that the Taliban, now in control of Afghanistan, had sought peace talks with the U.S. The Khorasan group has joined in the Islamic States call for a worldwide jihad, or holy war, against non-Muslims.

General Frank McKenzie is head of U.S. Central Command. He said U.S. commanders are watching for more attacks by Islamic State, including possible rocket fire or car bombs targeting the airport.

Evacuation continues

The Talibans return to power has terrified many Afghans. The group is asking Afghans to stay to rebuild the country. But many fear the group will establish the repressive rule it held when last in control, 20 years ago.

Unknown numbers of Afghans, especially ones who had worked with the U.S. and other Western countries, are now in hiding. Afghans have reported that the Taliban is barring girls from attending school. The group is also carrying out home searches, seeking Afghans who worked with western countries.

Some people hoping to flee arrived Friday at the Kabul airport. They came through an area set up by Taliban fighters about 500 meters away from the airports gate.

Ahmadullah Herawi told the Associated Press, Believe me, I think that an explosion will happen any second or minute, God is my witness, but we have lots of challenges in our lives, that is why we take the risk to come here and we overcome fear.



The U.S. says more than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan, but thousands more are still struggling to leave. On Friday morning, US officials said that 8,500 people had flown out of the country on U.S. military airplanes since Thursday morning. Another 4,000 people left other Western flights.

Many American allies have already ended their evacuation efforts. They want to give the U.S. time to complete its operations before getting 5,000 of its troops out by Tuesday.

Afghans are expected to seek escape from the country over land also. The United Nations refugee agency said a half-million people or more could flee in the coming months.

The Taliban have said they will permit Afghans to leave on passenger flights after the U.S. withdrawal. But the group is still trying to find a way to operate the airport. And no airlines have said they would return to an airport controlled by the militants.

The airport bombing also raise questions about the Talibans ability to bring security to Afghanistan. The Islamic State has carried out a series of violent attacks in Afghanistan, mainly targeting its Shiite Muslim minority.

I'm Caty Weaver.

Hai Do adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA. Caty Weaver was the editor.

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

evacuation - n. removal of people from a dangerous place

respond - v. to do something as a reaction to something that has happened

precision - n. exactness and precise

challenge - n. a difficult task
Sept. 20, 1926  May 28, 2015

Gene Carroll Adsmond, 88, of Lebanon died Thursday, May 28.

Gene was born Sept. 20, 1926, in Caldwell, Idaho, to William and Edythe Adsmond. He joined the U.S. Navy in September 1944 and trained on an LST, preparing for the invasion of Japan. Fortunately the war ended and his LST served to repatriate Japanese citizens from the islands back to the mainland of Japan.

He married Wilma McPheeters while on leave in May 1945. They just recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of a loving and joyful marriage. Genes training in the service launched his career of working for Idaho Power. He operated at several of the Snake River power plants. The newly constructed Brownlee Dam was the main center of his career while he raised his family in the Brownlee village near Halfway.

Perhaps the happiest time for Gene was his last job, at Swan Falls Power Plant, where he had started with Idaho Power. In this old plant he trained many of the newly hired employees. He had a style that was firm but friendly, guiding young employees to meet the expectations of work and life. He would talk with anyone, and it was a rarity that any child or adult escaped receiving a nickname from Gene.
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
Two men sustained gunshot wounds to the leg in two separate, gang-related shootings in Lompoc on Aug. 25 and 26, according to a police spokesman.

The first incident occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25, when officers were dispatched to the 500 block of North N Street for a report of multiple shots heard, according to Lompoc Police Sgt. Sergio Arias.

Upon arrival, officers located bullet casings on the ground and through an investigation, located a 27-year-old man who had been shot. He was treated at Lompoc Valley Medical Center for a nonlife-threatening injury, according to Arias.

The second shooting was reported shortly before 2:30 a.m. Aug. 26, when officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of North K Street. When officers arrived, they found evidence of a shooting and located a 22-year-old man who had been shot in the leg. Arias said the man was treated at a Lompoc hospital for a nonlife-threatening injury.

Bystander struck, killed by gunfire in Guadalupe police-involved shooting A 59-year-old Guadalupe man was shot and killed Saturday when a police officer fired at a wanted suspect but, instead, hit the man who was sitting inside his vehicle near Birch and Obispo streets.

Both shootings are under investigation and no suspects have been identified. The shootings do not appear to be connected to each other but do appear to be gang-related, according to Arias.

Lompoc has recorded 52 shootings in the city since Jan. 1, according to Arias.

Anyone with information on the shootings is asked to contact the Lompoc Police Department at 805-736-2341.
A flute teacher once contracted by a Santa Ynez Valley school was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Aug. 26 for producing child pornography that stemmed from sexual abuse committed against female juveniles.

U.S. District Court Judge Fernando M. Olguin sentenced John Edward Zeretzke, 62, of Ventura to 183 months after he pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2020, to one count of child pornography production as part of a plea agreement filed in February 2020, according to U.S. Attorney spokesman Ciaran McEvoy.

As part of that plea agreement, Zeretzke was required to plead guilty to all six counts of lewd or lascivious acts with minors under 14 years old from a criminal complaint that had been filed in Orange County Superior Court in April 2019.

Zeretzke will be allowed to serve his federal sentence concurrently with the 18-year state prison sentence he received in July 2020, according to McEvoy.

+3 Music teacher who taught in the Santa Ynez Valley pleads guilty to federal child porn charge A former flute teacher who taught programs across Southern California, including in the Santa Ynez Valley, pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal child pornography-related charge, according to a U.S. Attorney spokesman.

In addition to prison, Zeretzke must serve 20 years of supervised release, register as a sex offender and pay more than $7,500 in fees, including $2,500 in restitution to a victim that was identified, according to court documents.

Originally from Rockford, Illinois, Zeretzke co-founded the Flutes Across the World nonprofit, which provided outreach music programs to developing nations.

At one point, Zeretzke was contracted with the Circle V Ranch near Cachuma Lake for one week in July from 2011 to 2015, and also conducted a workshop at the Wildling Museum in Solvang in May 2014. None of the crimes relate to his time in Santa Barbara County.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office began investigating Zeretzke, who was first arrested on federal charges on Sept. 23, 2017, and initially charged him with five counts that included receipt and production of child pornography.

During a Feb. 8, 2017, video chat session with a 14-year-old girl from the Philippines, Zeretzke admitted to persuading her into performing sex acts while he took screenshots, which he saved to external hard drives, according to court records.

After Zeretzke was charged federally, then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra charged him with the six counts in Orange County.

In the state indictment, Zeretzke was accused of masturbating onto flutes similar to the ones students played and then watched them play the instruments during classes, according to a Feb. 18 sentencing memorandum.

"[Zeretzke] preyed on young, impoverished girls in Third World countries and used his Flutes Around the World program as a means to contact and sometimes take advantage of those girls, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Catharine Richmond said.

Additionally, prosecutors alleged Zeretzke traveled to foreign countries with the intent of committing sex acts with juveniles, but those charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

"Through mental health counseling, Mr. Zeretzke came to understand how the trauma and abuse of his prior relationship led him down a dark path of reckless and impersonal sexual gratification," Deputy Federal Public Defender Julia Deixler said in a Feb. 22 sentencing memorandum.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Local

featured

LISD approves budget, tax rate, incentives for staff

TORRES BREWER

The Lufkin school board approved the budget and tax rate for the 2021-22 school year as well as staff incentives related to COVID-19 during a special meeting Thursday night.

The budget for the 2021-22 school year includes an expected total revenue, with local, state and federal funding, of $78,985,187. The expenditure total is expected to be $78,808,202.

The rate approved for the property tax year was $1.2533  .9913 cents for maintenance and operations and .262 for interest and sinking. This is a 7-cent decrease from last year  a decrease of 4.68 cents on the M&O side and a decrease of 2.4 cents on the I&S side.

The board also approved a paid 10-day COVID-19 relief plan for its staff members.

One of the things that I think is disturbing about what were allowed to do now by TEA and the governor is that they took away the federal ability to offer staff members 10 days of COVID leave, she said.

To receive the relief, employees must have a lab-confirmed positive test in their household, as the district recognizes some of its teachers have to stay home to take care of others. The relief will be retroactive to the first contract day of the year, as so many employees have already extended some of the days, Torres said.

The district also is offering a $500 incentive to employees who have been vaccinated by Nov. 1. If a staff member cant receive the vaccine due to medical or religious reasons, they will still be eligible.

The vaccines are making a difference, Torres said. Right now, according to (Dr. Jeffrey Glasss) statistics, 94% of the people in the hospital in Angelina County are unvaccinated.

During the audience comment portion of the meeting, two parents spoke to the board, encouraging them not to implement a mask mandate for students of the district.

Masks are not as effective as the CDC or Dr. Fauci would have us believe, said Jill Brewer, who also serves as the treasurer for Angelina County. Now Im not belittling anyones choice  we have a medical choice to do things for our bodies, because this is America, and we should be allowed to choose what is best, for ourselves and our families.

Angela Oden, who serves as a pre-K 4 teacher for Garrett Primary School, said she agreed with Brewer but felt she had a unique perspective as not only a parent of three children in the school district, but as someone who teaches in it, as well.

There is a current ban on mask mandates but it doesnt prohibit anyone from wearing one who so chooses, and I can say that we have a lot of staff and students and parents that still opt to wear a mask, she said. We as parents should have the decision to do so for our kids; it is a medical device, and we should have the choice on whether or not our children wear them.

In other news, the board amended the 2020-21 budget; last year, chief financial officer Charlotte Bynum budgeted $666,000 in federal programs, but the district received more revenue than anticipated, so the budget was corrected to show it received $1.2 million.

The board also approved a change order regarding the current E3 lighting project at Lufkin High School. The district asked E3 to look at the darkness of the student parking lot, and the change is moving the lights back 14 to 16 inches due to the fact that the band practices there.
Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required!

Stay logged in to skip the surveys.
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.
While neocon hawks like Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney argue that the United States must remain a global police officer, occupying distant lands  including Afghanistan  conservatives of a more isolationist bent, such as Tucker Carlson, are warning against welcoming refugees from Afghanistan with the crude claim of, First we invade, then were invaded.

Pocan rejects each approach as wrongheaded and proposes an enlightened internationalism. He wants to use this moment to begin shaping a new approach to foreign policy that moves the United States away from reactive militarism and toward the diplomatic and humanitarian responses that forge a safer and more secure world.

The former Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair, who now co-chairs the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, has introduced the COVID Defense Act, a plan to transfer 1.3% of U.S. military spending to global vaccination efforts.

The $9.6 billion shift in spending priorities, while small in the context of the Pentagons $740.5 billion budget, would more than double the amount of money available for vaccine production, procurement and distribution internationally. This move, Pocan explains, could enable perhaps another 30% of the worlds vulnerable population to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Doing that would curtail the spread of variants that threaten everyone.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Alex Lasry, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and son of a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, benefitted from nearly $24,000 in property tax breaks in New York and Wisconsin that are supposed to be applied only to a primary residence.

Property records from both states show Lasry received at least $23,000 in tax breaks in New York for a condominium he owned there after he moved to Milwaukee in 2014. And while he was getting that tax break, Lasry also received more than $800 in lottery and gaming tax credits on his Milwaukee condo between 2016 and 2020.

In both states, the law says the tax breaks are for primary residences only. In other words, it can only be claimed on the property where the person lives.

Lasry's campaign spokesman Thad Nation blamed the condo manager in New York for not taking the necessary steps to end the tax break after Lasry moved. Lasry has notified the condo management of the mistake and is in the final stages of selling the property, Nation said.

Lasry wants to pay back New York City and is in the process of working with the city and condo board to do that, Nation said.
Ruenroeng said people only need a few sessions to become proficient at basic moves that serve as the foundation for many others.

Theres a depth to acro, he said. Its not like you come and learn 10 skills and youre just doing those 10 skills forever. Its like hundreds and hundreds of different things that you can do.

Its part of the reason Emily Graham, who has done acro for six years, sticks with the activity.

She remembers looking at experienced people practicing acro when she started, thinking she could never do some of the higher-level skills. But over the years, she said acro has shown her people can surprise themselves with what their bodies are capable of doing.

It looked impossible to balance upside down on another persons feet, she said. I think it took like two weeks and I was doing that and so much more.

No experience required

Ruenroeng said acro can look intimidating from afar, and many people mistakenly think they need yoga experience, a certain body type or flexibility to participate.
Lasry wants to pay back New York City and is in the process of working with the city and condo board to do that, Nation said.

"Alex's primary residence is in Milwaukee," Nation said. "He took all the legal steps he was supposed to in New York to end his primary residence there and was unaware that it had not ended. This is clearly a mistake on the condo management's part of failing to inform the City of New York."

The condo management company at the time, AKAM, has been replaced, and the current one, Maxwell-Kates Inc., has no records from the time that Lasry departed, Nation said.

Messages left this week with Maxwell-Kates Inc. and AKAM were not returned.

Lasry rented out the condo continuously from 2017 until 2020 when he put it up for sale, Nation said. Lasry informed the condo's management company in writing in 2014 that he had moved out, in 2016 when he signed a brokerage agreement to rent out his apartment and in 2017 when a tenant was signed, which required the board's approval.
Welcome, Afghan refugees!

If, dear readers, youre wondering what people from Afghanistan are doing in Wisconsin then you havent heard about the horrific scenes of violence playing themselves out in the Middle East. The withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and subsequent bloody takeover by the Taliban has created yet another mass humanitarian crisis.

The Associated Press reported that refugees from Afghanistan have already arrived at Fort McCoy (about 40 miles east of La Crosse) in Wisconsin. Its one of three military bases processing people evacuated from Afghanistan. Up to 10,000 more could also pass through in the coming weeks, according to Fort McCoy officials.

And as is the promise and the custom of America, we stand ready to welcome the other.

Too bad many Americans arent in the mood to welcome anyone right now. Theres a pandemic threatening to complicate back-to-school and the coming flu season. We have tons of people who are unemployed and under-employed, we have widespread food insufficiency and homelessness. People are sick and our health care system is only falling further into shambles.
Oregon expanded its network over the past two years with five new monitors along the states picturesque coastline where smoke only recently became a recurring problem, said Tom Roick with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

Were seeing more prevalence of wildfire smoke and increased intensity, Roick said. Its not because we have more monitoring; its getting worse.

Throughout the West, public health officials have struggled to get the message about dangers of smoke to at-risk communities, such as migrant workers who spend lots of time outdoors, people in houses without air filters and the elderly. Children, too, are more at risk of health problems.

Thats no small subset of society: People over 65 and children under 18 make up about 40% of the U.S. population, said Kaitlyn Kelly, a wildfire smoke pollution specialist with the Washington Department of Health.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced $7 million in spending on research to come up with better strategies and tools to detect and lessen exposure to wildfire smoke. Recipients included Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, which will look at how to communicate with low-income, hard-to-reach communities to reduce their exposure to wildfire smoke.
BOISE  Gov. Brad Little announced in a press release that three COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment facilities will be set up across Idaho and $10 million in federal relief funds will be distributed to help ease the burden on overstretched hospitals.

The treatment facilities will be located in the Treasure Valley, north Idaho and eastern Idaho. The therapeutic medications, which are free but must come from a doctors referral, have proven to be effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization from COVID, the release said. The centers can help free up hospital bed capacity for those who are severely ill.

There are too many unvaccinated people in our hospitals right now. We need to reduce the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations so everyone else can continue to access health care for strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, and other emergencies, Little said in the release. We need more Idahoans to choose to receive the vaccine. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is the most effective way to minimize the spread of the disease to the vulnerable. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is also the most effective way to minimize your own risk of hospitalization from the disease.
I don't see any reason, on either end, that it's absolutely necessary, let alone positive, for the president to take time to go campaign for Gavin Newsom right now," she said.

She similarly said it was smart for Harris to cancel her trip, though it would have drawn attention and excitement from some Democrats.

Californians elected Harris statewide three times, first as attorney general and later a U.S. senator. Newsom in recent weeks has focused his campaign messaging on women and voters of color, groups that Harris is uniquely poised to speak to as the nation's first woman vice president, as well as the first Black and South Asian person to serve in that role.

Should voters recall Newsom, they have the chance to elect the state's first Black governor: Talk radio host Larry Elder, who is running as a Republican. In recent weeks, Newsom and his Democratic allies have focused almost exclusively on Elder, warning his libertarian and conservative policies would be wrong for California. On a Tuesday campaign call, Black women leaders argued Newsom is a better ally to the Black community than Elder.
THE FACTS: An article shared widely on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram, misrepresents data from Scotland to falsely conclude that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is more dangerous than getting the virus. In fact, reports of death resulting from COVID-19 vaccination are rare while more than 4 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19. Yet the article claims more people have died due to the Covid-19 vaccine in 8 months than people who have died of Covid-19 in 18 months. This bogus claim rests on U.K. data presented without proper context, according to an Associated Press analysis confirmed by medical experts. The article cites data from Scotlands national public health agency that shows that between Dec. 2020 and June 2021, 5,522 people died within 28 days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It compares that number to a report from the National Records of Scotland showing that between March 2020 and July 2021, 704 people who had no pre-existing conditions died of COVID-19 in Scotland. But using those figures alone leaves out key context. Public Health Scotland explains that though 5,522 people did die within 28 days of receiving a vaccine, that number includes all recorded deaths due to any cause and does not refer to deaths caused by the vaccine itself. The agency adds that this tally of coincidental post-vaccine deaths is actually lower than the 8,718 deaths that would be expected based on average monthly death rates in Scotland. National Records of Scotland Communications Manager Ewan Mathieson told the AP that out of millions who have received COVID-19 vaccine doses in Scotland, a total of four people there have died from adverse effects of the shot. Reducing virus deaths in Scotland to the 704 people without pre-existing conditions is also misleading, because it excludes anyone who had any condition that preceded COVID-19 or was listed as a contributory factor in their death. In total in Scotland between March 2020 and August 2021, there have been more than 10,000 deaths involving COVID-19, Mathieson said. The article also points to reports made to the British governments Yellow Card scheme, a program for reporting adverse drug reactions. It claims that nearly 300,000 adverse reactions and 501 deaths reported through the program are proof that the vaccines are dangerous and can be deadly. Thats not accurate, according to the U.K. government, which explains that any member of the public can submit suspected side effects so the Yellow Card reports should not be considered conclusive. The nature of Yellow Card reporting means that reported events are not always proven side effects, the U.K.s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency explains on its website. Some events may have happened anyway, regardless of vaccination. This is particularly the case when millions of people are vaccinated, and especially when most vaccines are being given to the most elderly people and people who have underlying illness. Sheena Cruickshank, a professor and immunologist at the University of Manchester, called the piece an irresponsible article that is using data in an unethical way. In an email to the AP, Cruickshank wrote: Current data clearly shows that unvaccinated people are much more at risk of catching the delta variant of COVID and being hospitalised or dying. The vaccines are proving highly effective against protecting against the worst effects of this condition.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Between 2013 and 2018, a startling 73% of pregnancy-related deaths in Philadelphia were in Black womenyet they accounted for only 43% of births. According to a 2020 report from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Maternal Mortality Review Committee, over half of the 26 pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented.

Saleemah McNeil and her team of Black birth workers at Maternal Wellness Village, a Jenkintown-based collective, didn't need a report to tell them just how dangerous pregnancy could be for Black women. After all, many of them had gone through their own birth traumas.

To improve these "fourth trimester" outcomes for pregnant people across Philadelphia, they're collaborating with researchers at Temple University to study how having access to community support servicesincluding Black doulas, lactation consultants, therapists, and morecan improve health outcomes for pregnant Black people.

"When you listen to community members, this is what they want," said Aasta Mehta, medical officer of women's health at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

The 2020 report also found 46% of all pregnancy-related deaths were due to heart conditions. With the help of a $6 million grant from the nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the partnership will focus on improving heart health before and after giving birth.

"When we look at the statistics of black women dying three to four times higher than our white counterparts and we try to figure out why, a lot of [medical] things are listed," said McNeil, program director at Maternal Wellness Village. "But we don't talk about the racism that's attached to it."

During pregnancy, the heart works overtime to circulate the mother's blood throughout her body and the fetus. This means it has to pump more blood and faster. Childbirth only places additional stress on the already strained muscle.

This means preexisting heart conditions that were controlled outside of pregnancyor those that went undetectedcan become more dire as the heart is pushed to its limits. Women may also develop new heart arrhythmias or other malfunctions, and studies show that blood flow isn't the only burden to blame: lack of access to nutritious food or exercise, inadequate or culturally insensitive medical care, stressful events, social isolation, and depression contribute to cardiovascular disease in Black women even outside of pregnancy.

As in many other parts of the medical system, racism and implicit bias can keep doctors from recognizing signs of heart complications in pregnant people of color or dissuade patients from seeking care. In focus groups conducted by AccessMatters, a Philadelphia organization that supports reproductive health, researchers found that many Black parents felt disempowered during the birthing process.

"There have been consistent messages that Black people are unfit, neglectful, and irresponsible parents and that their reproduction is to be managed or controlled rather than nurtured," said India Blunt, deputy director of training and capacity building at AccessMatters.

But research has shown that other types of supplemental support can improve outcomes. One study found that doulas halved low-income mothers' risk of pregnancy complications.

"When a relationship is built with a doula  birthing people often do find newfound motivation," said Naima Black, director of the community doula and breastfeeding programs at Maternity Care Coalition, a Philadelphia-area organization. "With that comes, oftentimes, a different focus on health, wellness, and nutrition."

Black women are also less likely to be screened for mental illness, even though depression can create physiological changes that promote cardiovascular disease. Lactation, however, can actually reduce risk of hypertension by increasing the production of hormones that dampen blood pressure.

While past studies have shown that support resources can improve birth outcomes, they haven't specifically looked at the benefit for heart health in pregnant people, said Sharon Herring, associate professor of medicine and director of the Program for Maternal Health Equity at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, who is co-leading this study with McNeil.

"What they find from this study will really help inform the kinds of activities that we can implement more broadly to really make a difference," said Mehta.

Next year, the team will start recruiting more than 400 Black patients from Temple practices who will be assigned to two groups. Both groups will receive a set of resources to support heart health that have slowly rolled out citywide: text-message-based tips on nutrition, physical activity, and breastfeeding, home blood pressure self-monitoring, and care from a physician who has gone through antiracism training.

The second group will also have access to other services offered by Maternal Wellness Village, which is based at Oshun Family Center, a Jenkintown-based program dedicated to providing racially concordant care for Black patients, particularly those undergoing transitions such as birth. A community-based Black doula will visit them at home six times prior to delivery, be present at delivery, and visit again eight times after the baby is born. Follow-up appointments will be scheduled at key times, concentrated in the immediate postpartum period, when the new mother needs the most support, then tapering off over the course of a year.

Additionally, lactation consultants will help prepare for breastfeeding and offer tips to ensure child and mother are getting enough food. Mothers' mental health will also be assessed before and after birth.

It is especially important that mental health professionals understand Black experiences, Herring said, because many standard diagnostic tools are designed for white people.

"My people want therapy, they just don't want to go to people who don't look like them, can't relate to them, and cannot on a base level know or understand what it's like to be Black in America," said McNeil, who is a licensed psychotherapist. "There's a trust factor that goes into play."

To measure how effective the community support interventions are, the researchers will compare participants' blood pressure and weight six weeks and one year after giving birth. Mehta said that data will provide compelling evidence when advocating for making these services permanent and covered by insurance.

Systemic change is the ultimate goal, McNeil and Herring said. Based on the study's findings, the team will assemble a tool kit of best practices to share with hospitals nationwide, and will do video and social media outreach to inform Black pregnant people of the support systems they might benefit from.

"That's such a key piece that's often missed in these interventions," Herring said. "Often we forget about ... the issues with systemic racism that occur at the institutional level."

McNeil advocates for a "top down and bottom up" approach: validating the efforts of community birth workers like herself at the bottom level, while promoting change in the top-level institution to recognize the structural obstacles that Black birthing people face that increase their risk of medical complications. Recognition that socioeconomic disparities might limit mothers' ability to engage with some services is also important when designing these programs, Blunt added. For example, even if they receive text reminders, they may not be able to afford nutritious food or dedicate time to exercise.

Medicaid and insurance reimbursement is one kind of institutional change that these data might encourage, Mehta said. Currently, not all insurance plans cover the cost of community health workers, which limits who can access the services. Mehta added that another major obstacle is connecting patients to these kinds of services.

"I think [community-based support] should be incorporated as the standard of care so everyone has access to the same services," McNeil said.

Although the study is still in a nascent stage, local maternal health organizations expect that the results will prove the effectiveness of community interventions to improve Black mothers' heart health.

"Getting that data is going to be huge, because what gets measured gets managed," said Marianne Fray, CEO of Maternity Care Coalition.

Explore further Pregnant or postpartum Black women are 45% more likely to die in the hospital and are at higher risk for heart problems

2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

North America led an uptick in cases of COVID-19 around the world this week, recording the most new cases and deaths.

Here is the global state of play according to a specialised AFP database.

Cases on the up

The number of new daily cases around the world increased by two percent to 656,800, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

The pandemic has gained ground since mid-June fanned by the highly contagious Delta variant which has become predominant in most countries.

The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.

Flare up in North America

This week the situation continued to worsen in the United States and Canada, which saw a 12 percent increase in new daily cases. The situation also deteriorated in Oceania where cases increased by 20 percent.

The number of new cases increased by four percent in Europe but was unchanged in Africa, with a one percent decrease in Asia and a seven percent decrease in the Middle East.

Biggest spike

On a country basis, Ethiopia saw the biggest increase, with 62 percent more cases. Germany followed with a 50 percent increase, while Serbia had 49 percent more, Sri Lanka 41 percent more and Bulgaria 35 percent more.

Biggest drops

Indonesia saw the biggest drop in the number of cases, with a 27 percent plunge, followed by Morocco with minus 26 percent, Botswana minus 24 percent, Libya minus 24 percent and Nepal minus 23 percent.

US bears the brunt

The United States remained by far the country with the most new cases with 155,300 on average every day, an increase of 12 percent. Iran followed with 35,100, a decrease of eight percent and the United Kingdom 33,800, an increase of 11 percent.

On a per capita basis the country that recorded the most new cases this week was Kosovo with 783 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Georgia with 774, and Montenegro 699.

United States most deaths

The United States mourned the most deaths with 1,192 per day this week, followed by Indonesia (1,078) and Russia (792).

At a global level the number of daily deaths increased by three percent to 10,069.

Vaccinations

Panama led the vaccination race this week, among countries with more than one million inhabitants, jabbing 1.58 percent of its population each day.

South Korea followed with 1.56 percent, New Zealand 1.40 percent, Malaysia 1.39 percent, Ecuador 1.32 percent, Israel 1.16 percentmainly booster shotsNorway 1.14 percent, Australia 1.06 percent, Salvador 1.06 percent and Japan 0.99 percent.

While they are vaccinating more slowly, among the countries with the most advanced vaccination drives are the United Arab Emirates with 181 first and second doses administered per 100 inabitants, Israel (153), Singapore (147), Denmark (145), Chile (141), Canada (140), Portugal (140) and China (139).

Explore further Pandemic in numbers: Surge continues

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

More than one-third of physician assistants (PAs) meet criteria for burnout, suggests a study in the September issue of JAAPA, Journal of the American Academy of PAs (AAPA).

Burnout symptoms are key contributors to both depression and medical errors among PAs, according to the new research by Sarah R. Blackstone, Ph.D., MPH, of University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, and colleagues. They write, "This study provides evidence supporting the need to address burnout in PAs, who continue to be of growing importance in the healthcare system." (At the time the study was performed, Dr. Blackstone was at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.)

Burnout mediates depression's effects on professional outcomes in PAs

In the survey study, 858 PAs completed the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index, which assesses aspects of burnout (work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement) along with professional fulfillment. Other assessments included anxiety and depression, information on professional practice as a PA, and experience with medical errors.

Approximately 34 percent of PAs responding to the survey met criteria for burnout. Forty-six percent met criteria for work exhaustion and 30 percent for interpersonal disengagement. But despite these measures of burnout, more than half of PAs (53 percent) reported at least moderate levels of professional fulfillment.

"About six percent of PAs met criteria for depression: a lower rate than previously reported in physicians or in the general population. Thirteen percent had moderate to severe levels of anxiety. About 80 percent of PAs self-reported making at least one medical error during their careers."

Studies in physicians have shown a link between depression and burnout, with both factors negatively affecting performance including medical errors and patient outcomes. The researchers performed a series of "mediation analyses" to explore the interrelationships among burnout, depression, medical errors, and professional fulfillment among PAs.

The results suggested that the burnout symptoms of work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement "fully mediated" the relationship between depression on the one hand and professional fulfillment on the other. "Burnout plays a stronger role in job satisfaction than symptoms of depression," the researchers write.



Burnout and depression occur at high rates among physicians and other healthcare providers, with important implications for quality of care, patient safety, and retention of qualified professionals. But less is known about burnout and depression among PAs, who play an increasingly important role in providing patient care.

Adding to previous reports, the study finds that "burnout is a growing problem for PAs"while at the same time showing that most PAs report moderate to high levels of professional fulfillment. "Although depression influences feelings of professional fulfillment, it is mediated by symptoms of burnout, mainly work exhaustion and interpersonal disengagement," Dr. Blackstone and coauthors write. Burnout symptoms also contribute to the risk of medical errors.

The researchers highlight the need for further studies on factors that increase risk and protect against burnout, including factors unique to the PA profession. Dr. Blackstone and colleagues conclude: "Understanding the underpinnings of professional satisfaction may mitigate clinician turnover, which in turn may lead to cost savings for the organization, better resilience and mental health for clinicians, and potentially better patient outcomes."

Explore further Lack of sleep tied to physician burnout, medical errors

More information: Sarah R. Blackstone et al, Depression, burnout, and professional outcomes among PAs, Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (2021). Sarah R. Blackstone et al, Depression, burnout, and professional outcomes among PAs,(2021). DOI: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000769676.27946.56
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Between the surging Delta variant, breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals and evolving guidance around masking and booster shots, the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to change 18 months into the crisis.

Texas A&M Today spoke with virologist Benjamin Neuman about some of the latest developments in the pandemic. Neuman is the chief virologist at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex.

What does full FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines really mean?

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older. Previously, all available versions of the vaccine in the U.S. had been distributed under emergency use authorizations.

Effectively, Neuman said, the full approval functions as a vote of confidence from the FDA in the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

"To their satisfaction, there's enough data to be certain enough about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines," he said. "In practical terms, it really doesn't make any difference. You'll get the same vaccine now that it's been approved as you would have before."

While the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are still awaiting approval, Neuman said it's mostly a matter of how quickly the paperwork can be processed.

The approval from federal regulators could help sway some holdouts toward getting vaccinated, he said. For those who have being waiting for an OK from the FDA before making a decision, "this ought to go some way toward clearing up their hesitancy," Neuman said.

"It would make me so happy to see an increase a demand, and this was the stumbling block that people have been saying was in the way of greater vaccination," he said.

The approval could also lead to vaccine uptake prompted by vaccine requirements from corporations, school boards and other organizations. Neuman said they now have a now have a freer hand to mandate vaccinations, at least in areas where not prohibited from doing so by governor's orders. In Texas, for example, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday an executive order banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates regardless of whether they have full FDA approval.

What's the strategy behind booster shots?

U.S. health officials have announced plans to offer COVID-19 booster shots to vaccinated Americans to increase their protection. The doses are recommended eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. People who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also likely need additional doses, officials say.

Neuman explains that many childhood vaccines, like those for polio, require as many as four doses. With the polio vaccine, a third dose provides 99 percent immunity, and a fourth dose provides immunity for life.

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines appear to have a similar efficacy per dose, at least for the first two doses, he said.

"So I'm not really thinking of them as boostersI'm thinking of them as completing the series of what's probably going to be three to five shots," Neuman said. "We're just not sure yet how many it's going to take. The indication is that immunity is a little more durable than we thought previously, which is good news, and that means we may actually be able to get to a point where you are not just vaccinated for now, you're actually vaccinated for good."

While the 90 percent protection provided by two doses is still "really fantastic"and on par with the most effective vaccines ever producedNeuman said that still leaves a 10 percent risk for contracting the virus, which is significant considering the tens of millions of people who have been vaccinated, as well as the millions of unvaccinated individuals who are unprotected.

"There are people who are vaccinated who are getting infected, and this third and potentially fourth dose would go a long way toward cleaning up and eliminating that," Neuman said. "It's like a game of Risk we're playing, only it's with peoples' lungs. We're trying to take up as much territory with vaccine as possible so that the virus cannot operate there."

Do booster shots need to be from the same brand as the initial round of vaccines? What could the side effects be?

While it's too early to say with scientific certainty that mixing and matching vaccines is safesince the data hasn't been gatheredNeuman said it likely won't matter if someone decides to switch brands for their booster shots.

"All of the vaccines that are available in the U.S. use three different ways to make exactly the same version of exactly the same spike protein," he said. "In terms of what your immune system sees, there's no difference. They all produce the same immunity."

In Israel, where third doses have been administered for a little over a month, the side effects have been about the same as those experienced during the second dose. Neuman said that those side effects, which can include fever, chills, tiredness, headache and pain at the injection site, are still "nothing compared to COVID-19."

Why has the head of the World Health Organization called for a moratorium on booster shots?

The ethics of administering booster shots in the U.S. while other countries struggle to provide citizens with even a single dose have been called into question. On Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a two-month moratorium on administering booster shots, citing global vaccine inequality and the need to prevent the emergence of new coronavirus variants.

Neuman explains that vaccine access is a global issue. In addition to the issue of equitable vaccine distribution in developing countries, the virus will continue to change and make new variants anywhere it's able to grow.

"Just as they saw in New Zealand and Australia, as long as there's travel, no matter how limited into or out of a country, eventually the virus is going to work its way in if you give it enough time," he said. "So we've got to knock this thing out everywhere before everybody's really safe. You have to remember not to hold the parade too early."

Should I be wearing a mask around other people, even if I'm vaccinated?

"If there are other people around, I am wearing masks all the time," Neuman said. "There is enough virus circulating in Texas right now that you're essentially not safe anywhere that you would go. It's a very good time to have a mask."

He compares it to putting on a seatbelt when getting into a car with airbags. Even for vaccinated people, Neuman recommends wearing a mask indoors: "they're both going to keep you safe."

Are there any new variants to watch out for?

There are two more variants that will likely be given Greek-letter names soon, Neuman said. He said that when a new variant emerges, it's comparable to the same mutations popping up on a different branch of a family tree.

"The virus is changing on the outside, but it looks as though it may be somewhat limited in the way it can change, because it's not coming up with new solutions," he said. "It is sort of rehashing old solutions, and we know the vaccines work pretty well against all the variants that have come up so far."

While the virus is increasing in efficiency in variants like the highly-contagious Delta, the part that's changing doesn't have anything to do with how it interacts with vaccines, Neuman said. This hopefully means that changes to the virus won't pose new threats to the available vaccines.

"This isn't going to guarantee that the virus is going to stay pending like this forever, but for now it looks as though all the variants that we're seeing, and all the likely variants, are going to be very much able to be stopped by the vaccine," he said.

Explore further Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Russia's Federal Statistics Agency Rosstat said Friday that the country saw 50,421 coronavirus deaths in Julymore than double the official government figure.

Russiathe fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of COVID-19 caseshas struggled with the aggressive Delta variant and sluggish vaccination rates.

Rosstat's figurereleased late on Fridaypainted a far darker picture of the pandemic's toll in the country than official figures suggest, with a government tally saying 23,349 Russians died as a result of COVID-19 in July.

Government figures only take into account fatalities where the virus was established as the primary cause of death after an autopsy.

Rosstat, however, publishes figures under a broader definition for deaths linked to the virus.

According to the agency, more than 350,000 people have died in Russia as a result of coronavirus. The government figure is far lower, at 180,041.

Russian authorities have been accused of downplaying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

While the number of daily infections is now on the decline, Russia has hit record daily deaths several times in August.

Authorities have struggled with a vaccine-sceptic population, with independent polls showing that a majority of Russians do not plan to get innoculated.

Moscowthe epicentre of Russia's pandemicand several other regions have introduced mandatory vaccinations for some groups of citizens and incentives to get jabbed.

While the measures initially sped up Russia's vaccination campaign, the inoculation drive has been faltering since mid-August.

Explore further Russia reports record daily virus deaths

 2021 AFP
Shahir Sanchez, 5, grimaces as Dr. Neal Schwartz collects a nasal swab sample for COVID-19 testing at Families Together of Orange County Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Tustin, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Officials offered new hope for the safety of U.S. schoolchildren threatened by COVID-19 on Friday as Gulf Coast hospitals already full of unvaccinated patients braced for the nightmare scenario of a major hurricane causing a wave of fractures, cuts and heart attacks without enough staff to treat the injured.

The Biden administration said half of U.S. adolescents ages 12-17 had gotten at least their first COVID-19 vaccine, and the inoculation rate among teens is growing faster than any other age group.

"We have now hit a major milestone," White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters at a briefing. "This is critical progress as millions of kids head back to school."

Meanwhile, new studies from California both provided more evidence that schools can open safely if they do the right things and highlighted the danger of failing to follow proper precautions.

A study of COVID-19 cases from the winter pandemic peak in Los Angeles County found that case rates among children and adolescents were about 3 times lower than in the general community when schools followed federal guidance on mask wearing, physical distancing, testing and other virus measures, officials said.

Another study from Marin County, north of San Francisco, found that a single unvaccinated teacher who came back to school two days after showing symptoms and read to her class without wearing a mask led to 26 other infections in May, before the highly contagious delta variant ran wild.

"Most of the places where we are seeing surges and outbreaks are in places that are not implementing our current guidance," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who discussed the studies at a briefing.

Lauren Debroeck, who is on oxygen as she recovers from COVID-19, talks to her husband, Michael, who also contracted COVID-19 and is being kept alive with the help of an oxygenation machine, at the Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, La., Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

More than 3,100 active coronavirus cases have been reported in Arkansas public schools among students and employees, according to newly released numbers, and most youths are enrolled in districts that require masks. The mandates emerged after a judge temporarily blocked a state law that banned mask mandates in Arkansas, which ranks fifth nationally for new virus cases per capita, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

On the northern Gulf Coast, where Ida was forecast to become a dangerous hurricane before it hits on Sunday, workers at Singing River Gulfport in Mississippi expect to have to raise flood gates to keep rising water out of the hospital that is full of COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom aren't vaccinated, said facilities director Randall Cobb.

Complicating matters, he said, was that the hospital is short-staffed because of the pandemic and also expects to get a flood of patients suffering from ailments that typically follow any hurricane: broken bones, heart attacks, breathing problems and lacerations.

"It's going to be bad. It's going to be really bad," Cobb said.

Located a few miles from the coast, the hospital has enough generator fuel, food and other supplies to operate on its own for at least 96 hours, he said, and it will help anyone who has a serious, life-threatening condition. But officials were trying to get the word out that people with less severe medical problems should go to special-needs storm shelters or contact emergency management.

"It's very stressful because it's too late if we have not thought of everything. Patients are counting on the medical care but also on the facility to be available," Cobb said.

In Louisiana, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said evacuation of hospitals in threatened areassomething that would normally be consideredis impractical with COVID-19 patients.

In this March 17, 2020 file photo, Ashley Layton, an LPN at St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, communicates with a person before taking swab sample at a special outdoor drive-thru screening station for COVID-19 in Meridian, Idaho. Hospital facilities and public health agencies are scrambling to add capacity however they can as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide. On Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, some Idaho hospitals only narrowly avoided enacting "crisis standards of care," where scarce healthcare resources are allotted to the patients most likely to benefit, thanks in part to statewide coordination. Credit: Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP, File

"That isn't possible. We don't have any place to bring those patients. Not in state, not out of state," Edwards said.

So, he said, state officials have worked with health systems to ensure that they are prepared.

About 1,100 people are dying daily of COVID-19 in the United States, the most since mid-March, according to Johns Hopkins University data. About 85,000 people were hospitalized with the illness nationwide early this week, CDC data shows, the highest total since the post-holiday surge in early February.

The surge is largely fueled by the highly contagious delta variant among people who are not vaccinated. In areas where vaccination rates are particularly low, doctors have pleaded with their communities to get inoculated to spare overburdened hospitals. In places including Alabama, federal teams have been brought into to assist exhausted workers and fill staffing gaps caused by COVID-19 infections and exposure.

In Idaho, one of the least vaccinated states, intensive care units are running out of space and one 330-bed hospital, Kootenai Health, converted classrooms into patient care space.

The largest classroom became a treatment room for as many as 21 coronavirus patients who don't need the kind of specialized monitoring provided by intensive care units. Other classrooms were turned into treatment areas where hospitalized COVID-19 patients can receive monoclonal antibody therapy in hopes of keeping them from needing a hospital bed.

Idaho also is calling on people with health care skills or a simple willingness to help to sign up for the state's Medical Reserve Corps. Retired health care workers can get temporary license renewals, and others can help with tasks such as contact tracing and data entry.

Explore further Virus surge breaks hospital records amid rising toll on kids

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A pooled analysis of two randomized trials has demonstrated the beneficial effects of empagliflozin in patients with heart failure with a reduced and preserved ejection fraction. The late breaking study is presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2021 and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The EMPEROR-Reduced trial previously showed that the sodiumglucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin reduced the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction. Results of the EMPEROR-Preserved trial, presented at ESC Congress 2021, demonstrated that the drug also reduced this composite cardiovascular endpoint in patients with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction.

The current analysis pooled the results of these two trials on an individual patient level. This was possible because of the similarities between both studies. The trials were carried out in parallel with nearly identical protocols, case report forms, investigative sites, and administrative committees. Both trials evaluated the effects of empagliflozin versus placebo in a randomized and double-blind fashion in patients with established heart failure receiving all appropriate treatments. Empagliflozin or placebo was given for an average of 24 months. The major difference was the enrolment of patients with heart failure and an ejection fraction of 40% or less in EMPEROR-Reduced and patients with heart failure and an ejection fraction of more than 40% in EMPEROR-Preserved.

Principal investigator Dr. Milton Packer of Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, US said: "This analysis was prospectively designed and we developed a statistical plan before any patient was recruited in either trial. The evaluation was alpha-protected, meaning that the endpoints were statistically powerful and unbiased because by specifying the pooled analysis in the individual trials it was protected from an inflated false positive error rate."

A total of 9,718 patients were included in the analysis. The evaluation demonstrated that empagliflozin reduced the risk of heart failure hospitalization to a similar degree (about 30% risk reduction) in EMPEROR-Preserved and in EMPEROR-Reduced.

The magnitude of the effect on heart failure hospitalisations was similar across a broad range of ejection fractions below 65%, with attenuation of the drug effect at higher ejection fractions (65% or greater). At ejection fractions of 4060%, the effect size appeared to be greater with empagliflozin than in the PARAGON-HF trial where sacubitril/valsartan was compared to valsartan.

The analysis also found that empagliflozin reduced the risk of major renal outcomes in EMPEROR-Reduced, but not in EMPEROR-Preserved. However, in EMPEROR-Preserved, when renal outcomes were defined using more stringent criteria, pretreatment ejection fraction influenced the effect of empagliflozin on renal outcomes in a manner that paralleled the drug's effect on heart failure hospitalisations.

Dr. Packer said: "Taken together, these findings demonstrate the benefits of empagliflozin across a broad range of patients with heart failure with a reduced and preserved ejection fraction, including many not effectively treated with currently available agents."

Explore further Empagliflozin meets primary endpoint in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

More information: Milton Packer et al, Empagliflozin and Major Renal Outcomes in Heart Failure, New England Journal of Medicine (2021). Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine Milton Packer et al, Empagliflozin and Major Renal Outcomes in Heart Failure,(2021). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2112411
Fig. 1 Air pollution concentrations in the four-borough catchment area averaged across 20082012. (a) Nitrogen dioxide (NO2). (b) Nitrogen oxides (NOx). (c) Particulate matter <2.5 m in diameter (PM2.5). (d) Particulate matter <10 m in diameter (PM10). (e) The four-borough catchment area in Greater London. World Health Organization recommended annual mean air quality limits for human health: NO2, 40 g/m3; PM2.5, 10 g/m3; PM10, 20 g/m3. European Union annual mean air quality limits for ecosystems and vegetation: NOx, 30 g/m3. Credit: DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2021.119

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with increased mental health service-use among people recently diagnosed with psychotic and mood disorders such as schizophrenia and depression, a study on data from over 13,000 people has found.

Increased use of mental health services reflects mental illness severity, suggesting that initiatives to lessen air pollution could improve outcomes for those with these disorders and reduce costs of the healthcare needed to support them.

The research was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre.

In 2019 119,000 people lived with illegal levels of polluted air in London. Previous research has found that adults exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution are more likely to experience common mental health disorders such as anxiety and mild depression but, until now, little was known about whether air pollution exposure contributes to the course and severity after the onset of more serious mental illness.

Researchers at King's College London, University of Bristol and Imperial College London analyzed data from 13,887 people aged 15 years and over who had face-to-face contact with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) services between 2008 and 2012. Individuals were followed from the date of their first face-to-face contact for up to seven years.

Electronic mental health records

Anonymised electronic mental health records were linked with quarterly average modeled concentrations of air pollutants (20x20 meter grid points) at the residential address of the participants. These included nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NO 2 and NO x ) and fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).

The study found people exposed to higher residential levels of air pollutants used mental healthcare services more frequently in the months and years following their initial presentation to secondary mental healthcare services compared to those exposed to lower air pollution.

The researchers found that for every 3 micrograms per cubic meter increase in very small particulate matter (PM2.5) and 15 micrograms per cubic meter increase in nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) over a one-year period there was an increased risk of having an inpatient stay of 11 percent and 18 percent. Results also showed increases in PM2.5 and NO 2 were associated with a 7 percent and 32 percent increased risk of requiring community-based mental healthcare for the same period. These findings were also replicated over a seven-year period.

Air pollution as a modifiable risk factor

Dr. Ioannis Bakolis, senior lecturer in biostatistics and epidemiology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) King's College London and lead author of the study, said: "There is already evidence linking air pollution to the incidence of mental disorders, but our novel findings suggest that air pollution could also play a role in the severity of mental disorders for people with pre-existing mental health conditions."

He continued: "Our research indicates that air pollution is a major risk factor for increased severity of mental disorders. It is also a risk factor that is easily modifiable which suggests more public health initiatives to reduce exposure such as low emission zones could improve mental health outcomes as well as reduce the high healthcare costs caused by long-term chronic mental illness."

According to the researchers, if the UK urban population's exposure to PM2.5 was reduced by just a few units to the World Health Organisation's recommended annual limit (10 micrograms per cubic meter), this would reduce usage of mental health services by around two percent, thereby saving tens of millions of pounds each year in associated healthcare costs.

Broad range of mental health problems

Dr. Joanne Newbury, Sir Henry Wellcome Research Fellow, Bristol Medical School (PHS), and the study's first author, added: "We observed these findings for both mood disorders and psychotic disorders, as well as for both inpatient and community-based mental healthcare, and over seven years follow-up. This suggests that air pollution may contribute to a broad range of mental health problems, across a wide spectrum of clinical need, and over long periods of time.

"We now plan to examine whether air pollution is associated with a broader range of mental health, neurodevelopmental, and educational outcomes, particularly among children, who might be especially vulnerable to air pollution."

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive secondary mental healthcare to approximately 1.36 million people within the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. These are inner-city areas with high-traffic flows and high average air pollution concentrations compared to other UK urban areas that reflect London's diversity in terms of ethnicity and wealth.

The researchers controlled the analyses for a number of potential variables that could influence the association between air pollution and service-use association, such as deprivation, population density, age, season, marital status and ethnicity. However, they cautioned that the study does not prove cause and effect, and further research needs to demonstrate exactly how air pollution might increase severity of mental health problems.

Dr. Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "The environmental and climate emergency is also a mental health emergency. Our health is fundamentally linked to the quality of our environment, whether that's about cleaner air, access to green spaces or protection from extreme weather.

"If air pollution is exacerbating pre-existing serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, then improving air quality could reduce the pressure on mental health services. As we look ahead to our post-pandemic future, it is vital that we find ways to build back greener and prevent poor health. This important research presents a clear example where these go hand-in-hand."

"Association between air pollution exposure and mental health service use among individuals with first presentations of psychotic and mood disorders: retrospective cohort study" is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Explore further Study supports link between traffic-related air pollution and mental disorders

More information: Joanne B. Newbury et al, Association between air pollution exposure and mental health service use among individuals with first presentations of psychotic and mood disorders: retrospective cohort study, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: British Journal of Psychiatry Joanne B. Newbury et al, Association between air pollution exposure and mental health service use among individuals with first presentations of psychotic and mood disorders: retrospective cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2021.119
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

After evaluating data from clinical trials and millions of doses administered in the real world, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older. It is the first of three vaccines with FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to be approved. Moderna is also expected to get its full FDA approval soon.

The clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccines are among the largest ever conducted, enrolling thousands of volunteers and producing large amounts of data. More than 200 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Emory University has been involved in testing all three vaccines currently in use in the U.SPfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). We spoke with two Emory infectious diseases physicians, Aneesh Mehta and Colleen Kelley, about what FDA vaccine approval means for the future.

Q: Does the FDA approval mean that the vaccine is safe and effective?

A: The data from vaccine clinical trials indicate that vaccines are safe and effective at reducing the transmission of COVID-19 and severe illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made public robust data from these trials that indicated generally low frequency and low severity of side effects.

"We have more evidence of the safety of this vaccine than we do for any other vaccine in the history of medicine," says Kelley. "Millions of people have been vaccinated, some of them as long as a year ago, and we are still not seeing any indications of safety concerns." If individuals still have questions, they should reach out to their health care providers.

Q: What is the difference between Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and full FDA approval?

A: An EUA can be invoked in public health emergencies when there are no other effective treatments or prevention strategies for the disease. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines all received EUA based on safety and efficacy data from the clinical trials.

"Because we have a long history of very successful vaccines that have been implemented for many infectious diseases, we know well how long we should monitor people after vaccination to observe any side effects," Kelley says. "In almost all cases, any side effect from a vaccine is generally seen within six weeks of vaccination. For that reason, FDA requires eight weeks of clinical follow up of safety data before they would consider a vaccine for emergency use or full approval review."

After receiving EUA, the vaccine manufacturers submit for full FDA approval through a Biologics License Application (BLA). Pfizer is the first vaccine to receive full BLA approval after extensive evaluation of both the safety and manufacturing processes of the vaccine.

Q: When will the FDA issue EUA for vaccines for children under age 12?

A: Vaccines for children require separate evaluations for efficacy and safety because children's immune systems work differently than those of adults. "Children are not just little adults," says Mehta. "They require specific approaches for medical care and prevention of disease, such as vaccines."

The FDA needs to review vaccine clinical trial data for children ages 5 to 11 to determine the appropriate dosages and intervals for vaccinating children. This could happen later this year or early 2022.

Q: What's the difference between a third shot and a booster?

A: A booster is an additional dose of vaccine administered when the initial immune response to a primary vaccine series is sufficient but may have waned over time. The Biden administration hopes to have comment from the FDA and CDC by Sept. 20 on who should receive booster shots and when they should be administered.

A third dose of vaccine is administered when the immune response following a primary vaccine series is likely to be insufficient. The FDA has already authorized third doses for a small percentage of adults with severely weakened immune systems, such as patients who receive chemotherapy, take immunosuppressive medications, have advanced HIV or are organ transplant recipients.

"We have seen data from our colleagues around the world showing that even after two doses of the mRNA vaccines, many of our transplant patients don't have significant levels of protection, which is measured by the number of antibodies, T cells and B cells in their blood," Mehta says. "The FDA has authorized a third dose to help get patients in these special categories a higher level of protection."

Q: Is the vaccine effective against the Delta and Lambda variants?

A: As new COVID-19 variants develop, scientists are evaluating how well the current vaccines work against them. Health experts know that the vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

"A very small percentage of people who have been vaccinated actually end up getting very ill, and that is what the vaccines were designed to do," says Kelley. "They are doing exactly what we hoped they would do, which is save lives and reduce morbidity and mortality."

Researchers also continue to develop vaccines designed to better combat variants moving forward.

Q: What are the current masking guidelines for vaccinated individuals?

A: Masks are now necessary for everyone in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status. "It's a no-brainer right now because there is so much transmission," says Kelley. "For lower-risk environments such as small indoor gatherings of vaccinated people, individuals must assess their personal risk tolerance when deciding whether to wear a mask."

Q: How can we protect children under 12 who are returning to school but are not eligible for the vaccine?

A: Masking is essential to protect young children who are not eligible for the vaccine. "I have young children, and I think it's really critical for us to get our children back in school safely," says Mehta. "I am very much a believer that children wearing masks while indoors in school is important for preventing the spread, keeping children in school and protecting their teachers."

Q: How do vaccinations impact hospital capacities?

A: Most people who are critically ill with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. The recent influx of unvaccinated patients with severe COVID-19 is filling up intensive care units (ICUs) and stretching hospital systems across the country.

"When our ICUs are full, we put critical stress on the staff, on the supply lines, and on the tools that we use to take care of critically ill patients," Mehta says. "We have to have the ability to care for all the sick members of our community, and if we have tools such as vaccines to prevent people from being in the hospital and ICUs, it is critical that we use those tools to establish health and wellness for everyone in the community."

Q: Will the FDA's approval lead to more vaccine mandates?

A: Scientists have excellent data to support the benefits of vaccine mandates in schools, workplaces and health care settings. The hope is that FDA approval and any subsequent vaccination mandates will increase the uptake of vaccine in our communities.

Explore further Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
A repurposed cancer drug has been shown to be 100% effective in treating malaria in a Phase 2 clinical trial. Purdue University professor Philip Low led the international team that made the discovery. Credit: John Underwood

A cancer drug repurposed to treat malaria has been shown to be nearly 100% effective in helping defeat the disease in just three days, according to the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial.

The results of the trial were published Thursday (Aug. 26) in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

The trial shows that the addition of the drug Imatinib to the customary malaria therapy enables clearance of all malaria parasites from 90% of patients within 48 hours and from 100% of patients within three days, says Philip Low, Purdue University's Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, who co-directed the international research team. The patients receiving Imatinib also were relieved of their fevers in less than half of the time experienced by similar patients treated with the standard therapy.

"In our trial, 33% of the patients treated with the standard therapy (but without the Imatinib supplement) still suffered from significant parasitemia after three days," said Low (rhymes with "now"). "Delayed clearance rates are a precursor to and an indicator of potential drug resistance, which has been a problem with malaria for decades. So, this could be significant."

Imatinib was originally produced by Novartis for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and other cancers. It works by blocking specific enzymes involved in the growth of cancers.

"When we discovered the ability of Imatinib to block parasite propagation in human blood cultures in petri dishes, we initiated a human clinical trial where we combined Imatinib with the standard treatment (piperaquine plus dihydroartemisinin) used to treat malaria in much of the world," Low said. "The Phase 2 clinical trial that is described in the paper in Journal of Experimental Medicine compares the standard treatment with Imatinib plus the standard treatment. We did not test Imatinib alone, because it would have been unethical to treat patients suffering from a potentially lethal disease with an untested therapy."

Malaria infects human red blood cells, where it reproduces and eventually activates a red blood cell enzyme that, in turn, triggers rupture of the cell and release of a form of the parasite called a merozoite into the bloodstream. Low and his colleagues theorized that by blocking the critical red blood cell enzyme, they could stop the infection. The data from the drug trial confirms that.

Low said for the past 50 years, malaria treatments have used drugs that target the parasite itself, but the microorganism eventually developed resistance to the drugs.

"Because we're targeting an enzyme that belongs to the red blood cell, the parasite can't mutate to develop resistanceit simply can't mutate proteins in our blood cells," Low said. "This is a novel approach that will hopefully become a therapy that can't be evaded by the parasite in the future. This would constitute an important contribution to human health."

Malaria is caused by a single-cell parasite, Plasmodium, which is carried by mosquitoes. The World Health Organization estimates that the disease caused 409,000 deaths in 2019 (the most recent year for which data is available). The WHO also notes that 67% of those deaths were in children under five years old.

The deadliest form of the parasite is P. falciparum, and although most malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, a variant of P. falciparum that is developing drug resistance has become established in a corner of Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. In some regions of the area, up to 80% of malaria parasites are at least partially drug resistant.

In 2019, professor Olivo Miotto from the Wellcome Sanger Institute of the University of Oxford, told the BBC the rise of the drug-resistant variant in Southeast Asia raises the "terrifying prospect" of the drug-resistant variety traveling to Africa. A similar event occurred in the 1980s with malaria resistant to the then-standard treatment of chloroquine, which resulted in millions of deaths.

Low and his colleagues tested Imatinib in a hot zone of drug-resistant malaria on the border of Vietnam and Laos, in the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam.

"It's such a remote region of the country that most of the clinics are one- or two-room cinder block buildings with just six or seven cots where people can come in and get treated," Low said. "Not only was the drug 100% effective after three days, but the patients saw their fever disappear on the first day, and they felt much better sooner."

Although malaria is not a significant disease in North America, Low is planning to apply for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"The FDA is so widely respected around the world that if they approve it, almost all other nations, especially developing countries that suffer from malaria, will rapidly adopt it," he said. "The FDA requirements for Phase 3 approval are very rigorous. You have to demonstrate the drug combination's efficacy and safety in a large patient population and then show that you can manufacture and store it safely and reproducibly. You also have to start from scratch and end up with a product that is more than 99% pure."

An international priority patent application has been filed in Vietnam by Purdue Research Foundation, VinUniversity in Vietnam, University of Sassari in Italy and Italian company NUREX SRL.

Low said he has been in discussions with drug manufacturers in India and Vietnam to produce the drug and estimates that can be done for roughly $1 per pill.

"We'll turn over the technology to any company committed to distributing it to developing malaria-infested areas," he said. "I'm not interested in making a penny off of this. I just think it's important for humanity to have it."

Explore further New mutations in malaria parasite encourage resistance against key preventive drug

More information: Huynh Dinh Chien et al, Imatinib augments standard malaria combination therapy without added toxicity, Journal of Experimental Medicine (2021). Journal information: Journal of Experimental Medicine Huynh Dinh Chien et al, Imatinib augments standard malaria combination therapy without added toxicity,(2021). DOI: 10.1084/jem.20210724
Credit: The Royal Society | Alais, Xu, Wardle & Taubert, 2021

Why your brain then responds emotionally to faces in everyday objects.

If you've ever seen a grater smiling at you, you know how quickly the human brain spots faces in everyday objects.

Seeing Jesus on a piece of toast or a man's face on the Moon's surface are examples of how our brains are hard-wired to facial recognition.

Now, a University of Sydney study suggests our brains process these facial expressions as if they were a real face.

It means we can't help but give these objects emotionsfrom a happy latte to a cranky mop.

Two eyes, a nose and a mouth

University of Sydney psychologist and neuroscientist Professor David Alais led the research.

He says humans are the most sophisticated social species on the planet, so it's vital to be able to quickly recognize a face.

"We want to recognize faces because they could be family, they could be friend or foe, they could be sick or healthy, they could have all sorts of intentions," he says.

David says we have a specialized part of our brain dedicated to detecting faces.

It works by applying a template matching procedure to everything we look at.

"Without you having to think about it, [the brain is] automatically deploying a simple template that says, "If I see two eyes, a nose and a mouth, then I respond,'" David says.

Word of the day = pareidolia

The downside of this super-speedy automatic detection system is that sometimes we get false positives.

We see faces in coffee, handbags and other inanimate objects.

Credit: The Royal Society | Alais, Xu, Wardle & Taubert, 2021

It's known as face pareidolia.

Last year, two of David's co-authors were able to show that the same part of the brain responds to faces in everyday objects as real faces.

But the researchers wanted to take that finding a step further.

They wanted to see whether our brains immediately dismiss faces in objects as false detections or continue to process them as they would a real face.

You can't unsee it

The study found anything identified as a face will trigger our brain to automatically extract emotion, deciding if that face is happy, sad or angry.

We're unable to turn it off.

"It's possible the brain realizes 'Wait, this is not a face after all, it's an object,'" David says.

"And yet, somehow, every time you look back and see that configuration of two eyes, a nose and a mouth, it retriggers the face processing system.

"Because it's automatic and rapid, you can't really not see it  you can't help but reactivate this system every time you glance back."

Emotional emojis

David points to emojis as an example of how fake faces can carry enormous emotion.

"Something doesn't have to be a real face to convey emotion, and in fact they're super effective," he says.

Another potential application is for robots in aged care or health.

"You could envisage robotic faces that have emotional expressions that are actually going to trigger a person's brain in the same way as a real carer," David says.

"So it might be significant after all."

This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article.
Children between 12 to 19 years are included in the COVID-19 immunisation programme in Bhutan. Credit: Bhutan Ministry of Health

Bhutan is following up on its success in vaccinating 90 percent of its adult population against COVID-19 by embarking on a plan to immunize children in the 12 to 19 age group.

Immunization of children started in the high-risk southern areas of Bhutan that border Indiaa country now battling a devastating second wave of the pandemic.

So far, 58,000 children in 13 districts have received at least one dose of vaccine. Children in lower risk areas are expected to receive their first doses in September, according to health officials. Around 30 percent of Bhutan's population of 770,000 people is below 18 years of age, according to the National Housing and Population survey 2017.

Yeshey Pelden, program officer with Bhutan's public health department, tells SciDev.Net that children in this age group "are being immunized with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines." Both vaccines were released under emergency use, she says.

Yeshey says the decision to approve the Moderna vaccine was based on that of the European Medicines Agency while in the case of Pfizer the authorisation accorded by the US Food and Drug Administration was followed.

Bhutan's health secretary declined to comment on Bhutan's decision to vaccinate children or share details of the vaccination coverage plan.

However, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering had stated earlier that Bhutan planned to achieve herd immunity. "We require vaccinating more than 70 percent of the total population considering the infection rate of the virus," Tshering, a medical doctor, said in a televised public statement last month.

Bhutan started off the first phase of the mass vaccination drive with around 500,000 AstraZeneca vaccines donated by India. The first dose campaign took off on 27 March and within two weeks 93 percent of the adult population or 480,181 people were immunized. But when India was hit by a devastating wave of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in March, it suspended supplies to other countries.

After a gap of almost four months, Bhutan secured vaccines from the US and EU and the nationwide vaccination program resumed on 27 July. Within a week, 90 percent of the eligible adult population were fully immunized.

Apart from India's contribution for the first phase, Bhutan has received 500,000 Moderna vaccine doses from the US through the global COVAX Facility's vaccine-sharing program, 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from Denmark,100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from EU countries like Croatia and Bulgaria, and 50,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China.

The country has also passed on 230,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to neighboring Nepal following a request made in the first week of August.

Bhutan's success stands out in the rest of South Asia which is struggling to cope with a second wave of the pandemic. UNICEF has described the feat as a "success story" and the country as a "beacon of hope" for other countries in the region.

While Bhutan's population is small compared to that of its South Asian neighbors it has limited resources and health workers needed to negotiate long-distances over rough, mountainous terrain to reach remote populations for the vaccination drive.

Explore further Bhutan fully vaccinates 90% of eligible adults within a week

Provided by SciDev.Net
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Christian Nelson has had a rough life, to say the least.

The 19-year-old Columbus resident has seen her mother go to prison, bounced from house to house, lived on the streets, used drugs, sold her body and endured mental illness.

"It was terrifying; I didn't know nothing about life," Nelson said. "I had no guidance. I thought it was normal to wake up and do drugs and watch women sell themselves. That's just how life was."

And that was all before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Nelson had made some progress at that point, having found a counselor she trusted and who had helped her. She also was on medication to help control her schizophrenia.

But the pandemic shattered her fragile emotional state.

"The isolation and quarantine didn't help her much," said her grandmother, Trina Nelson. "She struggled with that a lot."

Trina Nelson said Christian stopped taking her medication, "had a nervous breakdown" and spent some time being treated at Harding Hospital, part of the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.

Christian Nelson said she "felt like there was danger in the world everywhere and people's lives were at stake. It (the virus) was something in the air, and I was like, 'What the heck?'

"I was so depressed, it felt like the world was about to be a disaster. I was not living; I was just surviving."

Nelson's case might be extreme, but it's an example of how the pandemic has affected the mental health of America's children and young adults.

COVID-19: All children affected by pandemic disruptions

The isolation of being stuck at home during the pandemic's early days often has been compounded by worries that kids absorb from parents, who perhaps lost a job or fear losing their home.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, between April 1, 2020, and the end of 2020, the percentage of emergency-room visits that were mental-health-related rose 42.5% nationwide among those ages 5 to 24.

All children have shared some of the same hardships during the pandemic.

"The news networks, all they talked about was 'deaths, deaths, deaths,' and children don't understand," said Ron Browder, president of the Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice. "The reality is, whether it is a child of color or a majority child, there are issues of anxiety across the board."

Shahrzad Nabavi, a clinician at the Buckeye Ranch, said she saw major emotional changes among children she has counseled through the pandemic.

"There was a lot of aggression, a lot of running away or a lot of isolation and depression, for sure," Nabavi said. "I would hear a lot of comments about, 'It's not going to matter,' or 'I don't care, whatever.'

"They were feeling very hopeless and helpless. And if you experience a loss of control, you feel unsafe and it puts you on edge."

Cherelle Houston Porter saw her children go through some of those emotional changes for months last year while she, her husband and her three daughters (ages 1, 8 and 14) were confined largely to their three-bedroom apartment in Shaker Heights, in northeastern Ohio.

"My first-grader had a really difficult time because she is a people person," Porter said. "And then my oldest got very withdrawn. It got to the point where she didn't want to walk around the neighborhood. She got more angry and short of patience."

Adding to the stress, her husband lost his job for several months. She has a steady job with a bank, "but going to a one-income household put a very large strain on us, financially and also emotionally on our marriage."

She also was going through post-partum depression, she said. And to add another layer to the problems, one of Porter's uncles (who the kids are close to, she said) got a severe case of COVID and was on a ventilator before eventually recovering

"We were just stressing out," she said. "And the kids were really not able to express what was going on with them, other than to scream, and that added additional stress."

Nabavi said she also counseled several families in which there was domestic abuse, and the children witnessed a lot more of that, being stuck at home, than they would have in normal times.

"That impacted a lot of families," she said.

And although the lockdowns and school closings of 2020 have not yet reappeared, the recent surge in cases due to the delta variant brings back the specter of more isolation ahead.

The CDC reports that the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases nationally increased five-fold this summer.

Racism and poverty increase impact

There is little question among experts that race and poverty have contributed to the struggles children have faced during the pandemic.

Social determinants of health, including one's race and income level, have meant that Black and Latino residents have suffered more: By CDC calculations, they have two to three times the likelihood of catching COVID-19, being hospitalized for it, and dying of it, than white Americans.

And that, in turn, affects children in those families.

"You think about Black and Latino communities and how they've been impacted by COVID more, and you add people in poverty to that, because they are a marginalized population, as well, and you see how the social determinants of health have just been exacerbated by the pandemic," said Kamilah Twymon, vice president of community-based and education services at the Buckeye Ranch, a Columbus-based organization providing emotional and behavioral treatment for children and families.

"And with an increase in housing and food insecurity, it's not just parents that are going through that anxiety. There is a direct trickle-down effect on kids," Twymon said.

Systemic racismin housing, banking, education, policing and other areasoften leads to Black and Latino children growing up in neighborhoods with drugs and violence, or with parents who are more likely to work in the service industry and therefore can't work at home and are more exposed to COVID-19.

Poverty leads to very real inequities when it comes to dealing with learning from home, too.

Dr. Ariana Hoet, a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, said some families she works with pooled their money to hire tutors or teachers to come to their homes, augmenting their school's online learning system.

"That's not an option for everyone," she said.

Worries about having enough to eat, or being evicted, also add to the stresses.

Rejeana Haynes has seen all of this. She is vice president of clinical operations at St. Vincent Family Services, a Near East Side center that provides a variety of youth behavioral services.

"Children are a product of their environments, and when you think about the pandemic, obviously you look at everything that may have happened to them prior to the pandemic being intensified.

"If families are struggling to get their basic needs met, that's a quick indicator of trauma in and of itself. And now you have incomes not coming in."

Haynes said she has had parents tell her their kids "look angrier."

"Anger is a manifestation of so many different things," she said. "I can tell you if I'm nervous or upset or scared, but sometimes children act those emotions out as anger."

Helping kids cope

Twymon said the most important thing parents or guardians can do to help their children in these times is just to "check in regularly"ask them open-ended questions about their day and have conversations about their feelings.

Twymon also recommended parents touch base regularly with the child's school to check on progress or spot potential problems.

To help the kids at St. Vincent, Haynes earlier this year arranged for author Tyrell Zimmerman to do a virtual reading of his book, "Carter: My Dream, My Reality."

The main character is a young Black boy, Carter, who is growing up surrounded by gunshots and drugs and violence. He expresses his fears to his mother, who assures him he can succeed despite his surroundings.

"Most service providers don't want to address this material; we want our children to remain innocent," said Zimmerman, 36, a Westerville resident. "Maybe 20 or even 10 years ago, you could have shielded kids from seeing things like (the murder of) George Floyd, but now, with social media, it's everywhere.

"So I'm trying to provide the education system with tools and resources, providing answers to the problem versus trying to shield them from reality. You can't tell a kid who is hearing gunshots outside his window that violence doesn't exist."

Zimmerman said he thought the pandemic has "revealed ugly realities" about disparities in America.

At St. Vincent, after teachers either showed Zimmerman doing a virtual reading of his book or read it to their classes themselves, they helped kids through several activities designed to boost their self-esteem.

Nabavi, the Buckeye Ranch counselor, said she has tried to help children and families by dealing with the pandemic the same way she would deal with someone experiencing a loss, complete with going through the stages of grief.

"A majority of families have experienced a loss in their lives," she said, "and what happens when you lose anyone in your life, is you lose control. So it creates this severe anxiety; you're stuck in a situation, and you have no clue what to do.

"So we take it through the stages of grief and loss, starting with denialthis isn't real, it's not happeningto having to get angry and frustrated that it is happening.

"Going through all those stages seems to make sense for people."

Her counseling certainly helped Christian Nelson. Nabavi worked with Nelson for about 14 months in 2019 and 2020, stopping when Nelson turned 18 and "aged out" of Buckeye Ranch services. (Nelson said she now is getting counseling from North Central Mental Health Services.)

"Our first meeting, she was cool and seemed to understand me a little bit, but I still didn't trust her," Nelson said. "Then I kept coming back and she said she was here for me, and I started opening up and talking to her.

"She's a fantastic counselor. She helped me stop being depressed and having anxiety. I was able to control my feelings."

Last October, Nelson had a baby, daughter Honesty.

She returned to school (at the Academy for Urban Scholars High School on East Broad Street) and hopes to get a diploma next year. She said she is interested in pursuing a career in nursing.

Trina Nelson is happy for her granddaughter but also cautious in her optimism.

"She's still working on it," she said. "It's still one day at a time with her."

Christian agrees.

"I still have my moments where I feel negative," she said, "but I have a clean mind now and I feel good."

Explore further How to help kids return to the classroom

2021 dispatch.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Corporate America is turning more and more towards vaccination requirements.

In the wake of full US approval for the Pfizer/BioNTech anti-COVID vaccine this week, more and more American companies are looking at mandatory vaccinations for employeesand customers.

CVS Health, Chevron, Disney and Goldman Sachs are among the firms who have since told some or all of their workers that inoculations will no longer be optional, requiring proof of shots within a certain time period.

On social media, some of those firms are coming under attack from users who say requiring vaccinations is a violation of personal freedoms, a value near and dear to most Americans.

One Republican state lawmaker from Florida, Anthony Sabatini, even filed a proposal that would prevent the state's surgeon general from requiring any vaccinations, ever.

But at least so far, amid a surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, no public figure is specifically hitting out at corporate Americaat least not yet.

For Mark Hass, a professor who specializes in marketing at Arizona State University, even though the crisis is both medical and political it is impossible for companies to thread the needle between liberals and conservatives on the issue.

"The right way to think about this is what's the right thing for our employees, rather than worrying about the safety of our reputation," Hass told AFP.

CVS Health is one of several major US companies now requiring its employees to get coronavirus vaccinations.

"Almost every company is going with some sort of mandate or requirement or incentive," he said.

"I think the lack of criticism of corporations is because most of them have acted responsibly in dealing with the pandemic," Hass added, noting the rise of telework.

'Do what I did'

Since June, when banking giant Morgan Stanley and asset manager BlackRock said employees wishing to come into the office would have to provide proof of vaccination, other major companies had made the leap to requiring shots.

Google, Facebook and Uber all joined the vaccination mandate bandwagon.

But the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine regimen opened the floodgates, and seemed to cancel out the argument made by some skeptics that full authorization was needed.

"Do what I did last month: Require your employees to get vaccinated or face strict requirements," President Joe Biden said Monday. In late July, he had offered federal employees a choice: show proof of vaccination or submit to regular testing.

The CEO of Delta Air Lines has said employees who decide not to receive a Covid vaccination will be charged an extra $200 a month for health insurance.

Nevertheless, some major groups have yet to budge.

American Airlines is "strongly encouraging" its employees to get injections, but is not requiring them so far. For those who do bite the bullet, the airline is offering an extra day off and $50.

On Tuesday, rival Delta Air Lines said it would charge unvaccinated workers an additional $200 a month for health insurance "to address the financial risk" created for the company by "the decision to not vaccinate," according to CEO Ed Bastian.

Among the largest employers in the country, Amazon, Home Depot, FedEx, UPS and Target have not yet mandated vaccinations against COVID-19. Walmart has so far only asked headquarters employees to get shots, not workers in stores or warehouses.

Legal risk limited

Experts generally agree that companies face limited legal liability for imposing vaccination requirements, even if failure to comply leads to an employee being fired.

In May, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency tasked with enforcing laws against workplace discrimination, said an employer's request to show proof of vaccination did not violate American labor law.

Anti-vaccine rally protesters hold signs outside of Houston Methodist Hospital in June 2021 - employees had sought to overturn a vaccine mandate, but their case was dismissed in a federal court.

Then in June, a federal judge in Houston dismissed a suit brought by employees of Houston Methodist Hospital who were contesting the institution's right to demand that they be vaccinateda decision seen as one setting a precedent.

And in August US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused to block a plan by Indiana University to require students and employees to get vaccinated.

"By early July, we were pretty confident that mandatory vaccination policies are permissible, so long as you're making the required accommodations necessary for employees with medical conditions or based on religious belief," explains Mark Goldstein, a partner at Reed Smith LLP in New York who specializes in labor law.

"I'm sure you will see some challenges, but the courts and the government do not seem receptive to those arguments," Goldstein told AFP.

"I think they'll be shut down pretty quickly. I would highly doubt any of the cases will get to the US Supreme Court."

Explore further Amazon to mandate masks for all its workers in warehouses

 2021 AFP
Figures updated at 12:01 AM, August 23 2021 Credit: Source: covid19data.com.au

In 2020 when people talked about "living with COVID" it was code for letting the virus rip. It was really a plan for many to "die with COVID."

Thankfully our political leaders listened to experts.

In general, Australia managed the pandemic's public health and economic challenges better than most countries. The glaring exceptions were, of course, our vaccination strategy and our quarantine arrangements.

With vaccines we didn't buy a properly diversified portfolio of vaccines, didn't act with a sense of urgency "It's not a race," said the Prime Minister and other ministersand didn't have an effective plan for getting jabs into arms quickly.

With quarantine arrangements we failed to build fit-for-purpose facilities akin to the one in Howard Springs outside Darwin. Instead we relied on poorly ventilated hotels in the heart of our biggest and most densely populated cities.

Now, with the roll-out of high-efficacy vaccines against COVID-19, we are beginning to have a national discussion genuinely about how to live with COVID.

It is vital that during that discussion we don't repeat the mistakes of 2020.

Those mistakes all sprang from false economies.

The federal government thought we could save a few bucks by gambling on vaccine purchases. It favored vaccines that could be made locally more as a back-door industry policy rather than strategic supply-chain management. It thought using hotels as quarantine facilities could help financially support the hospitality sector.

Pinching pennies cost us. Big time.

It is imperative we don't fall into the trap of false economies again by opening up too soon, before what is needed to stay open is in place.

Vaccination milestones

The national plan about when Australia will "reopen" is pegged to vaccination milestones.

We're still in the first of the four-phase plan. We will move to Phase B (the "vaccine transition phase") when 70% of eligible Australians over the age of 16 are vaccinated. At 80% we move to Phase C (the "vaccination consolidation phase").

At this 80% threshold the plan is for only "highly targeted lockdowns," the end of passenger caps for vaccinated Australians returning home, and restarting outbound travel for vaccinated Australians.

There are important epidemiological debates about whether 70% and 80% are the right thresholds. I'm just an economist, so I'm not going to get into that here.

But if we accept, for the sake of argument, that 80% is the practically relevant threshold for moving to Phase C of the national plan, then we should at least insist on getting the arithmetic right.

On this, there are two key questions.

80% of what?

The first is about the vaccination rate. Moving to Phase C calls for 80% of the "eligible" population to be fully vaccinated.

But that's not 80% of Australia's population of 25.8 million.

Rather, it's 80% of the population aged 16 and overabout 16.6 million people, or 64% of the population.

If the national plan is changed to make it 80% of the population aged 12 and over, that would be about 17.6 million people, or 68% of the population.To paraphrase the United States politician Everett Dirksen, a million here, a million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real numbers.

There are two points here.

First, the much-touted 80% threshold is really only 64% of the whole population. Yet herd-immunity levelswhere outbreaks die outare typically expressed as a proportion of the entire population. Given the basic reproduction rate of the Delta variant and current vaccine effectiveness, the actual herd immunity vaccination threshold could easily be north of 85%.

Second, the longer that lockdowns continue, the stronger the temptation for politicians to shift to targets that are easier to achieve. Though this might be politically convenient, it would be disastrous.

80% plus how long?

The second question is how long after hitting the 80% threshold do we begin moving from Phase C to Phase D.

Clinical trial data for the Pfizer vaccine suggests the best immune response occurs about two weeks after the second dose. The federal Department of Health emphasizes that:

"Individuals may not be fully protected until 714 days after their second dose of the Pfizer (Comirnaty) or AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccine. "

So if the government is going to stick to the spirit of the national plan, we really should be waiting until two weeks after 80% of the 12+ population has been vaccinated.

Again, there will be a big political temptation to reopen the day of the "threshold" second jab, rather than when it really becomes effective.

Don't fall at the final hurdle

Australians have put up with a lot since early 2020. A devastating virus, lockdowns, uncertainty, isolation from loved ones, economic pain, and differing degrees of government competence.

It is essential we finish this race properly. We must not let our political leaders reopen too early by redefining the targets they have signed up for. It would be the ultimate false economy.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Belarus-China Year of Regions

On August 26, 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus hosted the opening ceremony of Belarus-China Year of Regions for 2021-2022.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Mikalai Barysevich, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China, Xie Xiaoyong, exchanged notes of the Foreign Ministries indicating the official beginning of the Year of the Regions and the entry into force of the Action Plan for its implementation. The Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, Angelika Nikitina, also attended the ceremony.

The sides are convinced that the intensification of interregional cooperation will strengthen the strategic partnership between the countries, develop the entire spectrum of trade, economic, investment and humanitarian cooperation.

Background Information: Belarus-China Year of Regions is the third thematic year between the countries. The year 2018 was announced the Year of Belarusian Tourism in China. The year 2019 was declared as Year of Education in Belarus and China.



print version
AA MEETINGS: Visit AA-montana.org or call the hotline at 833-800-8553 for further information. Early Sunrise Group (C/H/Z) Discussion, 6:30 a.m., Unity Church (side door), 546 South Ave. W. ID: 88484774794. PW: 505404. Sunrise Group (C/H/Z) Discussion, 8 a.m., Unity Church (side door), 546 South Ave. W. ID: 88484774794. PW: 505404. High Noon Group (O/H), noon, First United Methodist Church, 300 E. Main St., downstairs in Fellowship Hall. Reflections meeting (O) meditation/discussion, noon, Open Way, 702 Brooks St. Bonner Park Group (O/H), 4 p.m., Bonner Park, 1600 Ronald Ave., by Bandshell. Missoula Women's Group (C/W/Z), 5:30 p.m., online and at United Methodist Church, 300 E. Main St. ID: 71084339163. PW: 647027. Zootown Happy Hour (O) Discussion, 5:35 p.m., Unity Church (side door), 546 South Ave. W. YG Phoenix Group (O) Book Study-Language of the Heart, 6 p.m., First Presbyterian Church (downstairs north entrance), 201 S. Fifth St. W. No Name Group (O/Z) Discussion, 7 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church Room 210, 202 Brooks St. ID: 256446926. PW: 718300. Primary Purpose Group (O/Z), 7 p.m., online only. ID: 542387682. PW: 29874. Missoula Oasis Persists (O/Z), 7:30 p.m., online only, ID: 198816143. Missoula Group (O) Discussion, 8 p.m., 112 North Pattee (use Front Street entrance, downstairs).
A Michigan man who admitted to bringing and distributing methamphetamine in Montana was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison.

Michael T. Webb, 38, of Charlotte, Michigan, pleaded guilty on April 2 to possession with intent to distribute meth, according to a news release from the Montana U.S. Attorneys Office.

He will serve an additional five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

In May 2019, Missoula police learned Webb was selling meth and heroin in Montana. He had reportedly been seen with about 6 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 pounds of heroin, court documents said.

Webb and his girlfriend were traveling through Montana selling the drugs with the final destination of Billings. Authorities learned Webb had been seen with about 11 pounds of methamphetamine in weeks prior.

Webb was detained, and authorities found $4,850 on his person and four pounds of methamphetamine and 197 grams of heroin in the room where he was apprehended.

Four pounds of meth is about 14,496 doses.
Elder, who is a Liberian refugee, had a lengthy answer to the question.

"We're going to hold people accountable in terms of saying, 'Look, we're not going to grab your hand and walk you through life. So if folks want to come here ... you're going to work your way through life," Elder said.

"If folks can come here and fit in our community by working hard and contributing to our community and not come here to change our way of life, then I'm supportive of it."

Each candidate was also given one minute for closing statements. Elder said Missoula is at a crossroads and needs fresh blood. Strandberg spoke about a widening economic gulf in the city.

"We have a situation where we have on one hand, a vast number of haves and (on the other) we have a vast number of have nots," Strandberg said.

He added on housing: "There are so many (places to build) and we have such a bright future ahead of us if we just grab it right now."

Knopp said the city has a choice to make.
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.
MARIETTA, Ga. (AP)  A major defense contractor hosted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday to thank him for a new tax break that could be worth more than $50 million.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed and the Republican governor signed a law that would expand the tax breaks available to high-impact aerospace defense projects in hopes of aiding a bid for new defense projects at the Marietta plant operated by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Then-Rep. Bert Reeves told lawmakers at the time that Maryland-based Lockheed Martin hoped to bid to build all or part of a new generation of military jets at the Cobb County plant, which opened in 1943 to build bombers and was taken over by Lockheed in 1951. Today the 4,500-employee complex builds C-130J military transport aircraft and assembles fuselages for F-35 fighters that are finished elsewhere.

Lockheed Martin officials were less specific on their plans for the future Thursday, saying they hoped to bid for any new defense work that would bolster employment in Marietta. They and Kemp touted the companys addition of 150 employees over the last year at a branch of Lockheeds skunk works development team.

Kemp said future Lockheed projects could add as many as 3,000 jobs and $1.6 billion in investment.
The bottom line is, 100 years ago, black and white miners were fighting against two things," Barber said. "They were fighting against the bosses that were controlling the politics, and being paid in scrip. And they got tired of it.

Today Manchin is blocking people from getting their due. And hes blocking voting rights, which is allowing the elite to control who get elected. Its all wrong. And thats why 100 years later, we would be dishonoring them if we werent standing up for this.

Manchin said in a statement later Thursday that every American and West Virginian deserves to make a living wage. We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

Instead of a $15 minimum wage, he has proposed an $11 minimum wage indexed to the cost of living, which he said would ensure no one working 40 hours a week is living below the poverty guidelines while also removing Congress from the constant battle to raise the minimum wage year after year.
Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the victims of all death row inmates," O'Connor said. They have endured the lengthy appeals process, while waiting decades for justice for horrific crimes their loved ones suffered. Further delay will only perpetuate that injustice.

Oklahoma announced last year it had secured a source for the drugs and planned to resume lethal injections. The state once had one of the busiest death chambers in the nation, but executions were put on hold following a botched lethal injection in 2014 that left an inmate writhing on the gurney and drug mix-ups in 2015 in which the wrong lethal drugs were delivered. One inmate was executed with an unapproved drug and a second inmate was just moments away from being led to the death chamber before prison officials realized the same wrong drug had been delivered for his execution.
ISABELLA, Minn. (AP)  Officials in the Superior National Forest said Thursday that the ongoing drought has created tinderbox conditions in northeastern Minnesota as firefighters continue to battle an uncontained wildfire, while rain that's expected to fall in coming days is unlikely to provide much help to crews who are growing tired.

Crews have been working on fighting and suppressing wildfires since the spring, and Minnesota's wildfire season is not likely to end until snowfall.

These are just tinderbox conditions, Superior National Forest Supervisor Connie Cummins said during a situation update for Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Gov. Tim Walz.

The Greenwood Lake fire has already burned 25,991 acres (40.61 square miles) in Minnesota's Arrowhead region. Incident Commander Brian Pisarek said 12 seasonal homes or cabins are among the more than 50 structures that have been lost. Pisarek said about 300 people are currently evacuated.

We got a little bit of rain today so we dont expect much fire growth today, he said Thursday, adding that firefighters are using the day to prepare for winds that are expected to come on Monday. So far, more than 400 firefighters are working to contain the fires, and more help has been requested.
The 60-year-old identically dressed twins' dream of transforming the airplane into a cafe and restaurant was born in the late 1990s when Khamis saw the derelict Boeing aircraft near the northern Israeli city of Safed.

At the time, the plane already had an illustrious history. The aircraft was used by the Israeli government from 1961 to 1993 and flew then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the United States in 1978 to sign Israel's historic peace agreement with Egypt, according to Channel 12 TV.

It was later bought by three Israeli business partners who dreamed of turning it into a restaurant, but the project was abandoned following disagreements with local authorities, the station said.

After tracking down one of the owners, the brothers agreed to buy it for $100,000 in 1999. They spent an additional $50,000 for licenses, permits and to transport it to the West Bank.

Khamis said the then-mayor of Nablus, Ghassan Shakaa, quickly approved the transportation and renovation of the airplane.

Moving the plane to Nablus was a 13-hour operation, requiring the wings to be dismantled and the temporary closure of roads in Israel and the West Bank. At the time, Israel and the Palestinians were engaged in peace talks and movement back and forth was relatively easy.
A California Marine was among the 13 U.S. service members killed during a bomb attack near the international airport in Kabul on Thursday, according to the Riverside Sheriff's Association.

Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, was from a family with deep roots in the Coachella Valley. He was the son of two Riverside County Sheriff's Department employees.

"We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Hunter, who chose to follow a life of service, selflessness, courage and sacrifice, like his parents," the news release reads.

The sheriff's association said Lopez was a Riverside Sheriff's Explorer Scout with the Palm Desert Station from Sept. 2014 to Aug. 2017. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and was planning on joining the sheriff's department when he returned from deployment, according to the release.

Capt. Herman Lopez, Hunter's father who commands the Coachella Valley's Thermal sheriff station, has worked for the department since 1997. He serves as the police chief for the City of La Quinta, which contracts with Riverside County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services.

Coachella Valley man, Hunter Lopez, 22, was killed in the bomb attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021.

Deputy Alicia Lopez, Hunter's mother, has worked for the department since 2001 and is board secretary of the labor group. She was the recipient of the Rick Espinoza Distinguished Service Award in 2017 in part because of her willingness to provide a kidney for a young boy in need of a transplant due to a medical condition.

"Our entire community feels the anguish, and we mourn the death of Hunter, who answered the call to serve, defend and protect our nation," according to the union's news release. "Like his parents who serve our community, being a Marine to Hunter wasn't a job; it was a calling. He loved his family, and as we grieve for Hunter and his fellow Marines taken from us too soon, there are simply no words to express how deeply he will be missed  Semper Fi."

Kabul airport attack: Rylee McCollum, Marine and expectant father from Wyoming, killed

Story continues

An 'American hero': Missouri Marine Jared Schmitz killed in Afghanistan airport attack

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco expressed his condolences to the Lopez family on his Facebook account.

"I am unbelievably saddened and heartbroken for the Lopez family as they grieve over the loss of their American Hero," Bianco wrote. "Our entire department is mourning this tragic loss. The Lopez family exemplifies the meaning of Service Above Self."

La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans expressed condolences for the city and council on Friday.

"Our La Quinta family is in mourning today with the tragic loss of Hunter Lopez, one of the fallen United States Service Members in the attack in Afghanistan," Evans said in an emailed statement to The Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Afghanistan latest: Another Kabul attack 'is likely', with 'credible threat' at airport

Kabul airport attack: Navy hospital corpsman Max Soviak, from Ohio, killed

"We are all so humbled by the service and ultimate sacrifice that Hunter gave to protect our country. He was a brave and selfless soldier who answered the call to be a United States Marine," Evans said.

"Like his parents, Hunter wanted to help serve others and protect his community," she said. "Our City Council and staff ask the community to join us in prayer and support for the Lopez family, as they navigate through this difficult time."

Hunter Lopez was an alumnus of Desert Sands Unified School District.

"[Hunter Lopez] was a beloved student of our schools," said district spokesperson Mary Perry. "His family has reached out directly to his former schools to confirm his passing. The entire school board, staff, and students of DSUSD share our thoughts and prayers with the family."

The death toll from the blast includes 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy hospital corpsman, and one Army soldier, American officials said. At least 18 U.S. service members were injured. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

About 169 Afghan people died, officials told the Associated Press. CBS News was reporting that number at 170.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Hunter Lopez, California Marine, killed in Afghanistan airport attack
The damage from Fred is just as bad  worse in some parts of Haywood and western N.C. You cant fully prepare for that level of destruction. The people of Humphreys County had no idea a disaster could happen like the one Fred spawned that swept away towns and communities.

But you cant stop water. You can try to manage it, you can resolve to live with it, but there is no way to conquer it. Take some of the people who lived high on the hills and mountains around Canton. Some folks escaped flood water from Frances and Ivan but were left homeless from landslides. Same with Fred.

We were lucky with Hurricane Hugo. It wasnt like the Great Flood of 1916 that literally isolated Catawba County. All bridges and trestles were washed away, and high water took a long time to go away.

Now, the destruction is beyond belief for many communities and towns. It would be the right thing to do to find a way to help. I didnt get any assistance when Hugo struck. Big deal. I didnt lose my house, my transportation, or the lives of friends and family.

When we get knocked down, we get up. We rebuild. Sometimes, when things go from devastating to total loss, we need help. Let us not forget that when people we dont know suffer the unimaginable.

We have no way of knowing when our turn will come.

Email Larry Clark at wryturlc@yahoo.com.
She recoiled at this and moved away from him telling him to stop that, the suit says, and he laughed and asked her to lie down on the exam table, which she did.

He continued inappropriate comments, the lawsuit says, and began sliding his hands toward her pubic area. She forcefully told him he needed to stop and said this is not an exam, youre feeling me up. He stopped and moments later she left.

Throughout that day and the next several days, the suit says, she was bombarded with text messages and calls from Greer using phone numbers he allegedly got through confidential contact information from her health records.

He was seeking a personal relationship with the patient in the texts, the suit alleges, and some were lewd and provocative, including euphemisms for an erection or sex acts and flirtatious and alternatively bizarre emojis.

Realizing that Greer was a predator, the woman responded innocuously to some of the texts to see just how far Greer would go in his behavior, and at one point he suggested she spank him in response to her telling him to stop this behavior, the suit says.
Ekalaka, population 399, seat of Carter County, isnt the kind of place where a U-Haul rolling into town goes unnoticed. The key word being into town, not out of town.

Carter County had lost population in every U.S. Census from 1940 through 2010, more often by percentages expressed in double digits. So, it was surprising when the 2020 Census announced earlier this month that Carter County was in the middle of a population boom. The growth estimate was one of a few in Montana that caused some head scratching over the data.

The Census had Carter County's population surging 22%, an addition of 255 people in the past decade, pushing the population to 1,415. The only Montana county with a stronger growth pace was Gallatin, with a 33% boom that translated into 29,447 more people.

Hmm. I dont know, said Steve Rosencranz. The county commissioner wasnt up on the latest Census news. In a part of the world where the latest population figures aren't a hey, ma! moment, word that Carter County was Montana's second fastest growing community didn't arrive for a week. You might try the clerk and recorders office.
We arent going to give up on our bills, and well try once more when the Legislature meets again in 2023. Farmers and ranchers cant wait that long, though, and they cant go through another growing season without the ability to repair their tractors.

Fortunately, a few weeks ago President Biden directed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to put rules in place that protect farmers and ranchers right to repair their own equipment. Every week counts, and those protections arent here yet, so we joined 39 of our Democratic colleagues from the Legislature to put pressure on the FTC. We are pushing them to work with farmers and ranchers to get strong right to repair rules on the books.

Ag production is the backbone of Montanas economy, and at a time when drought is putting enormous pressure on farmers and ranchers, every elected official in this state should be giving producers the tools they need to do their work. Ag producers from Eureka to Ekalaka and Plentywood to Dillon deserve the right to service and repair their own equipment. Anyone who refuses to stand up for the right to repair is turning their backs on the folks who put them in office.

Mark Sweeney is a Democrat from Philipsburg who represents Senate District 39. Tom France is a Democrat from Missoula who represents House District 94. Katie Sullivan is a Democrat from Missoula who represents House District 89.

Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
War was a mess

Let's look back at the war in Afghanistan. This war was unneeded and a total mess. There is plenty of blame to go around for this war.

Let's go back to October 7, 2001 when President George W. Bush sent troops into Afghanistan. Mr. Bush said, "This will be just a short war." That was 20 years ago.

Here are some facts about this war. 2,346 American military have lost their lives. Over 20,000 American military have been injured. Over 50,000 Afghanistan civilians have lost their lives. Many women and children.

The cost of this war has been $300 million a day. Yes, $300 million a day for the past 20 years. Why?

This is what retired U.S. Army Major Richard Ojeda said about this war: "Two trillion dollars to train and equip the Afghanistan military over the past 20 years. They fell in a week. It was never about real training. It was about military contractors and corporations making big profits. I am numb. I am sure everyone who spent years there feels the same."

We also must remember that President Trump let the leader of the Taliban fighters out of prison even after objections from the Pentagon and the Afghanistan government. Mr. Trump also released some 5,000 Taliban fighters from prison.
BLUE GRASS  In November 2020, sisters Tammy Stoffers and Tina Kress felt a huge calling to help people and animals in need. The sisters began creating donation boxes and contacting local businesses.

Now, almost a year later, the Blue Grass Community Charitable Drop-Off Program has grown bigger than either expected. Now theyre hoping the surrounding community can help them raise funds for an official facility.

Currently, donated items go to Stoffers home, with Stoffers serving as the charitys president. Perishable items are placed in the lower level of her home while non-perishables are put in a non-weatherproof outbuilding.

You never know where something is going to take you, she said, It just keeps growing and growing both on the donation end and on the receiving end, and Im just so grateful.

In order to keep the items safe, Stoffers realized they needed a new space to house the donations. it needs to be temperature-controlled, odor and pest-free, with space to clean or wash certain donated items.

If the drop-off program were to open a resale facility that sold non-essential items in the same space, the profits would support the organization and the non-profits that depend on it while freeing up space for more donations.
He said because Wapello's service works well with a mostly volunteer staff it would likely be the fly in the ointment to a new county-wide and operated system.

Maine said if Columbus Junction did decide to assume control of the Louisa County Ambulance Service, he and other Wapello officials would be willing to assist.

We have a working model that works, and were happy to share it, he said.

Griffin conceded the Wapello service works well and said if Columbus Junction and Morning Sun, where the countys third ambulance service is headquartered, agreed to each assume their hometown services, the countys plan would likely have to wait.

Maybe (the county plan) is too big a leap. Lets see if we can get the other two ambulance services to (operate as a city service) for awhile; and in the end of five years say that was a good first step, but you know, maybe we need to go one step farther, Griffin suggested, adding he was willing to back off his county-wide proposal if the three existing services could be similarly operated.

Huston said the issues he saw as the biggest roadblocks to Columbus Junction assuming the service were financial risk and oversight.
DUBUQUE  A new date has been set for the trial of a Muscatine man accused of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a Wilton teen after the trial, which was scheduled to begin this week, was continued.

According to court documents, the trial of Milton Jermaine Cole Serrano Jr., 22, is now scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5 in the Dubuque County Courthouse. The trial had been slated to begin Aug. 24, but Judge Mark Lawson of the Seventh Judicial District of Iowa granted the continuance due to an unforeseen medical issue. Court administrations from both Cedar and Dubuque counties set the new date. Due to pre-trial publicity the trial was moved from Cedar to Dubuque County.

Serrano is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Chantz Stevens, 19, in July 19, 2020. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.

According to police records, Serrano attended a party at 938 Quincy Ave. in Clarence, rural Cedar County. During the party, he allegedly keyed a silver Toyota Camry, resulting in about $1,000 damage. He pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree criminal mischief for the incident.
Local vaccination rates continue to remain steady, as only 59% of the population eligible for the vaccine has been fully vaccinated while 41% of eligible residents either havent been vaccinated yet or still need to receive their second dose.

We really want to encourage residents to get vaccinated, especially with how were seeing the Delta variant show up in children and impact them," Williams said. "We really want to emphasize that, in order to protect the younger generation, getting their families vaccinated or people who are going to be around those children vaccinated is very important."

Williams recommended pregnant women take the time to speak with their doctor about getting a COVID-19 vaccination to protect unborn children.

We want everyone to get vaccinated, but we are in particular looking at our most vulnerable populations, Williams said.

There is some good news, though. Monday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine. Based on the increase in vaccinations she has seen in Public Healths walk-in clinics over the past week, Williams said she believes this approval will have a positive impact on all vaccination efforts.
A 22-year-old Davenport man on parole in Iowa until Dec. 1 for a theft conviction was sentenced Wednesday to four years and nine months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

During a sentencing hearing held in U.S. District Court, Davenport, Willie James Powell Jr. was ordered by U.S. District Chief Court Judge John Jarvey to serve three years on supervised release once his prison sentence is completed.

Powell pleaded guilty to the federal charge during a plea hearing on April 19.

There is no parole in the federal prison system.

Powell was arrested Sept. 2, 2020, by Davenport Police on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Officer Benjamin Blaser, at 6:03 p.m. officers were conducting a patrol of East 12th Street and Grand Avenue. During the patrol officers located a stolen 2013 Chevrolet Malibu traveling in the area.

When officers attempted a traffic stop, the Malibu fled and a pursuit ensued. Speeds reached during the pursuit exceeded 80 mph, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
He's not worried about the parade getting canceled this year, but the society is encouraging spectators to social distance.

Throwaways and distribution of papers are not allowed during the parade, nor are motor vehicles beyond those required to pull floats. The society is most interested in groups "expressing the spirit of St. Patrick and Irish heritage," according to its website.

Entries will be judged in categories including Best Irish Float, Best Irish Family Walking Unit, Best Military Group, Best Youth Group, Best Newcomer, Best Commercial Entry, Judges Honorable Mention and Best Parade Entry. Winners will receive a trophy.

Around 46 marching groups and floats have signed up for the parade. The ideal number of entries is around 60-65, Dooley said, but with school starting and summer vacations still popular, reaching this amount is good.

"I'm very happy about the amount of participation we've got this year," he said.

The parade is traditionally held on the weekend closest to St. Patrick's Day, but with COVID-19 cases still high and vaccines just beginning to roll out in March, Dooley said they decided to postpone it to August. This weekend worked best because it didn't have as many events already scheduled.
That's why that fire is so complex, because in every direction there are significant risks, he said, adding that it's right in the back door of communities on the west side.

The Caldor Fire is one of nearly 90 large blazes in the U.S. Many are in the West, burning trees and brush desiccated by drought. Climate change has made the region warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.

In California, 14 active, large fires are being fought by more than 15,200 firefighters. Fires have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate in the state this year while blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.

The Caldor Fire has continued to grow, but not as explosively as its early days when it ravaged the community of Grizzly Flat. Ongoing tallies have counted 469 homes and 11 commercial properties destroyed, along with many smaller structures.

In the Lake Tahoe area, visitation began to drop when Highway 50, the major route to the south end, closed and again when a Dierks Bentley concert was canceled, according to Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, which promotes tourism to the south side.
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has announced the deadline for the grace period for renewing licences will be extended from 31 August 2021 to 31 March 2022.

To give motorists a fair opportunity to renew their licences, while we are rolling out a number of measures to improve efficiencies and resolve challenges, we have decided to extend further the grace period for the renewal of licences, Mbalula stated.

All learners licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits that expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 are deemed to be valid, and their validity periods are extended for a further grace period ending on 31 March 2022.

This extension comes into effect from the date of publication of the Directions in the Government Gazette, the minister said.

Motorists have struggled to secure renewal appointments for their licence cards at Drivers Licence Testing Centres due to a substantial backlog worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation previously acknowledged a significant backlog of 500,000 renewal applications.

Mbalula said that a total of 1.2 million expired licences still had to be renewed, most of which were in Gauteng.

The minister blamed corrupt officials and faulty equipment for the backlog.

Mbabulas announcement comes after calls from civil action organisation Outa to extend the grace period after it received complaints from many frustrated motorists about the booking process.

Outa welcomed the extension but asked why the government had left the issue and so-called interventions until the 11th hour.

Civil society has been complaining about the chaos, inefficiencies, attitudes from staff, broken tech and corruption for years, especially in Gauteng, Outa said.

The Democratic Alliance has made many proposals to fix the process, including scrapping the online booking system and allowing motorists to do walk-in renewals.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is suing its suspended head of legal services, Martha Ngoye, for R45 million over her role in a R58-million extension to a contract with SA Fence and Gate.

But in February, we reported that an arbitrator had awarded PRASA R45.1 million from SA Fence and Gate. PRASA had paid the company R47 million for lighting, but the company had only delivered R1.9 million worth of lights.

It was Ngoye who led the team that won this victory for PRASA. But PRASA is now going after Ngoye for R45 million, according to a summons issued on 24 August.

PRASA refused to answer our questions as to whether it was also taking action to claim the awarded R45 million from SA Fence and Gate.

PRASA is represented by De Swardt Vogel Myambo attorneys, a firm that GroundUp understands is not on PRASAs legal panel.

Curiously, PRASAs claims in the summons repeat many of the unsuccessful arguments made by SA Fence and Gate during its failed bid to stop PRASA from claiming back its money.

PRASA claims that Ngoye acted beyond her authority in approving the R58-million extension and breached PRASAs Powers and Authority of the Board and Delegation of Authority while she was acting as Group CEO in the absence of then GCEO Lucky Montana.

PRASAs rules stipulated that any contract over R100 million required the approval of the Board before it could be signed.

But in the February arbitration, Advocate Lindi Nkosi-Thomas, the arbitrator, dismissed this line of reasoning when it was put forward by SA Fence and Gate, ruling that the approval of the R58-million contract extension for the procurement of lighting was an administrative decision, not a Board one.

While the total value of the contract was in excess of R100 million, the extension was well within the delegation of authority of the acting Group CEO.

Since Leonard Ramatlakane took the reins as Chairperson of PRASA, the rail agency has taken aim at Ngoye, even though her actions as PRASAs legal head were integral to saving the rail agency billions of rands, including the victories in the Swifambo tall trains matter, the dodgy Siyangena station upgrades, and stifling a R1-billion investment in the doomed VBS bank.

In a 30 January statement, Ramatlakane announced the firing of Ngoye and stated: PRASA has also resolved to institute legal proceedings against Ms Ngoye for unlawfully approving payment of R58 million to SA Fence & Gate when she had no authority to do so.

In early March, Ngoye and fellow fired executives Nkosinathi Khena and Tiro Holele overturned this action, and were reinstated to their positions by Acting Judge Moses Baloyi in the Johannesburg Labour Court. The court found that the reasons advanced by PRASA for the firings were without evidence or justification.

When PRASA refused to allow the fired employees to return to work, the three won a second victory compelling the rail agency to restore them to their positions.

Then, when PRASA applied for leave to appeal the initial judgment, the application was dismissed, and PRASAs arguments found to be grossly misconceived. Ngoye, Khena, and Holele were awarded costs against PRASA in all these matters.

Despite the string of defeats, PRASA has launched an application for leave to appeal in the Johannesburg Labour Appeal Court. No dates for this hearing have been announced yet. Ngoye, therefore, remains currently suspended.

Ngoye has repeatedly testified before the State Capture (Zondo) Commission, giving evidence about Lucky Montanas term as Group CEO of PRASA.

PRASA spokesperson Bane Ndlovu refused to answer GroundUps questions on the case, saying that, I have been informed that this matter is still ongoing and therefore we are not at liberty to share any information until the matter is concluded.

But our questions were not limited to the summons. We also asked whether PRASA has taken any action against SA Fence and Gate in terms of the arbitration award, and if not, why not; whether PRASA is seeking R45 million from Ngoye in addition to the R45 million that it has a right to claim from SA Fence and Gate; and, whether the law firm that is representing PRASA is on PRASAs legal panel.

Originally published on GroundUp.

Now read: Prasa settles Eskom debt
The U.S. will ship 2.2 million coronavirus vaccine doses to South Africa on Friday, a show of support to one of the countries that has led the push to loosen restrictions on global production and shrink the gap between wealthy and developing nations.

The 2.2 million doses of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech vaccine will be shipped Friday through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative, and arrive Saturday, an official familiar with plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The U.S. has now donated nearly 8 million doses to South Africa and 25 million to Africa overall, the official said.

The U.S. has committed to donating more than 600 million doses globally by the end of June 2022, after gobbling up nearly all its early domestic production for U.S. use. That figure includes a pledge, first made by President Joe Biden at the Group of Seven summit, to donate 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses to the African Union and 92 low- and middle-income nations.

The U.S. has already donated more than 100 million vaccines globally, with Biden pledging to become an arsenal of vaccines for the world. For comparison, the U.S. has administered about 365 million inoculations domestically, and is planning to give out as many as 100 million booster shots by the end of the year, subject to approval by health regulators.

The U.S. has previously announced financing to bolster production in South Africa. The World Bank and a trio of western government agencies, including the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., announced in June a financing package for production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in South Africa, part of an effort to scale global production and meet demand for billions of doses.

The donation also is an implicit gesture to a nation that has led a push to try and ease restrictions on vaccine production. Countries like the U.S. that have ample vaccine production have benefited from the status quo, racing ahead with inoculation efforts while others struggle for supply.

South Africa, along with India, has also proposed a waiver on trade-related aspects of intellectual-property rights enshrined in a 1995 World Trade Organization agreement known as Trips, in an effort to boost vaccine production worldwide. The U.S. expressed support for talks towards a partial waiver, a move opposed by Germany and other nations.

Opponents of the waiver argue that enforceable intellectual property rules fuel breakthroughs and developments, like the coronavirus vaccines. WTO rules require consensus, which looks out of reach for at least the near future.
California has not executed anyone since 2006, and Newsom has imposed a moratorium while he is governor. But voters narrowly upheld the death penalty in 2012 and 2016.

Five of the seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors who oppose capital punishment. Liu was appointed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.

Liu took the unusual step of writing not only the majority opinion, but also a separate 30-page opinion in which he argued the state's death penalty process could be deemed unconstitutional under a different legal argument not currently before the court.

There is a world of difference between a unanimous jury finding of an aggravating circumstance and the smorgasbord approach that our capital sentencing scheme allows, he wrote.

He noted in the majority opinion that Colorado, New Jersey, Nebraska, and Utah all have included a reasonable doubt standard in their death penalty laws. Although that is not binding on California, he said other states' experience shows that including reasonable doubt and jury unanimity standards can work.

Of 1,077 death sentences imposed since 1978 in California, 230  more than 1 in 5  have been reversed by either the California Supreme Court or a federal court, according to a March report by the Office of the State Public Defender titled Californias Broken Death Penalty.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Oregon expanded its network over the past two years with five new monitors along the state's picturesque coastline where smoke only recently became a recurring problem, said Tom Roick with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

We're seeing more prevalence of wildfire smoke and increased intensity, Roick said. It's not because we have more monitoring; it's getting worse.

Throughout the West, public health officials have struggled to get the message about dangers of smoke to at-risk communities, such as migrant workers who spend lots of time outdoors, people in houses without air filters and the elderly. Children, too, are more at risk of health problems.

That's no small subset of society: People over 65 and children under 18 make up about 40% of the U.S. population, said Kaitlyn Kelly, a wildfire smoke pollution specialist with the Washington Department of Health.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced $7 million in spending on research to come up with better strategies and tools to detect and lessen exposure to wildfire smoke. Recipients included Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, which will look at how to communicate with low-income, hard-to-reach communities to reduce their exposure to wildfire smoke.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A robotics company that produces driverless vehicles for grocery, pizza and prescription deliveries said Thursday it intends to spend $40 million to put a manufacturing facility and test track in the Las Vegas area.

Nuro, a firm founded in 2016 and based in Mountain View, California, announced it will build the manufacturing plant for the companys next-generation autonomous vehicle in North Las Vegas and its closed test track at the nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gov. Steve Sisolak and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen joined Nuro co-founder Jiajun Zhu to announce the project, which in March received about $170,500 in tax abatements over 10 years from the Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development.

Zhu pointed in a statement to partnerships his company has with pizza giant Dominos, supermarket owner Kroger and delivery company FedEx, and operating in Californias Silicon Valley, Houston and the Phoenix area.

We are now able to invest in the infrastructure to build tens of thousands of robots, he said.

Sisolak, a Democrat, pointed to a company promise that a $10 million capital investment will create 250 skilled tech-sector jobs during the next decade in southern Nevada.
Why has California been more effective at handling COVID-19 and its variants? Newsom shut down most of this states businesses before any other governor acted similarly, while DeSantis and Abbott left things open far longer and reopened sooner.

California has had tougher and more universal masking rules, too, especially since Abbott and DeSantis canceled requirements imposed by some of their states largest counties. Plus, Newsom put far more emphasis than his colleagues on getting vaccines into arms.

For a while, especially during this states winter surge in cases, it appeared the others might be right. But things are working out much better in California.

This could have political importance elsewhere, too, with Abbott and DeSantis up for reelection next year, and now seeing their poll numbers dip almost daily as the Delta variant takes its toll.

Not so long ago, Newsoms handling of the pandemic seemed like an impediment in the recall. Things may be different now.
A tax paid by everyone would be fair, less costly for most and families would no longer have to worry about medical debt, bankruptcy, or losing insurance with job loss, as we saw with the pandemic.

Incremental expansion of Medicaid and ACA is more expensive for the state and gives people insurance cards that many physicians will not accept, forcing more trips to emergency rooms, a costly alternative. With a single-payer, physicians have the same fee schedule for every patient, and submit their bills to one payer only, as is done with Medicare. This markedly reduces administrative costs for everyone, which currently amount to $815 billion each year nationally.

The California Legislature under Gov. Newsoms direction has created the Healthy California for All Commission to study single-payer financing. It is continuing to meet during the pandemic. The commission will send its recommendation to Newsom when it concludes its study.

With the big money on the side of the status quo, popular demand is needed to convince our governor and our legislators that we want healthcare to be considered a common good, like fire services, and elementary education, as it is in most countries, and not privatized for profit. A healthy state is a more productive state and more preventive care will reduce future health expenditures and improve our lives.
Talks between Biden and Zelenskyy kicked off at the White House

Google appeals EUR 500 million fines imposed by French regulators

Israeli FM: US plan to reopen consulate in Jerusalem is 'bad idea'

Armenian FM: There are no talks on delimitation and demarcation of borders

Armenian FM briefs his Iranian counterpart on consequences of Azerbaijan's illegal invasion

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
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev admitted that he started the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenias representative to Mher Margaryan said in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General, the press service of the mission reported.

Margaryan sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, which was put into circulation as an official document of the General Assembly and the Security Council. In the letter, Margaryan drew the attention of the members of the Organization to the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities are trying to hide their aggression and crimes against Artsakh with the help of false interpretations of Article 51 of the UN Charter - the right to individual or collective self-defense.

Referring to the words of hatred and militant rhetoric that periodically sounds from the Azerbaijani authorities, Ambassador Margaryan notes that in an interview on August 14, he (Aliyev - ed.) admits that it was Baku that started the war in September 2020, trying to resolve the conflict in its favor. in Nagorno-Karabakh, the message says.

This confirms the obvious violations of international obligations, the outbreak of war in a pandemic, the violation of the UN Secretary General's call to end hostilities against the backdrop of the global health crisis.
YEREVAN.  Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes. () the Azerbaijani side has closed off two important roads in Syunik [Province of Armenia] since yesterday, one of which is an interstate: Armenia-Iran.

And how did the incident start? Yesterday and today, the Baku military have closed off both sections of that road allegedly in response to the stabbing of their soldiers [by Armenians], which the RA MOD denies.

In an interview with Zhoghovurd daily, Russian analyst Modest Kolerov also said that there was information that there was an incident involving Russian and Azerbaijani servicemen. However, there is no official information yet about that and any incident involving Armenians. In any case, the Russian analyst also noted that while the internal situation in Armenia is uneasy, Azerbaijan continues to implement its plans.

Speaking about the fact that the Armenian-Iranian border is at risk, Kolerov noted that the latter [(i.e., Iran)] has welcomed the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and one should not pin hopes on Iran in this regard, at the same time reiterating that Russia is ready to start trilateral talks, and is busy with that now, too.
YEREVAN.  A group of relatives of the missing servicemen have spent last night in front of the main building of the government of Armenia.

They told NEWS.am that at the moment some of them have entered the building for a meeting.

Late last night, the families of the missing soldiers had gathered outside the main building of the Armenian government.

They do not accept the results of DNA tests on the remains of the fallen servicemen.
YEREVAN.  The main message of my presentation of the government program in the National Assembly was the agenda of opening an era of peaceful development for the region and Armenia, and after that the already well-known situation arose when Azerbaijan has closed offat the sectors of Eyvazli and Chayzamthe main road leading to the southern parts of Syunik Province. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this at Fridays Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia.

According to him, this action contradicts the agreements reached in 2020.

"I hope the situation will be settled as soon as possible. Politically, it is unequivocal for me that this action was made to strike at the peace agenda put forward by us, to discredit that agenda. Azerbaijan's behavior proves that such incidents can happen again. Our services need to be vigilant and attentive. But on the other hand, we need strong nerves, and we shall develop, advance our strategic line, the agenda of peace.

The creation of the situation in connection with the roads of Syunik was not unpredictable for us, and during that time we have worked on the formation of new infrastructures and will continue to work. However, the reopening of the road in the sectors of Eyvazli and Chayzam can become a very good symbol of regional stability.

The Azerbaijani side claims that the situation is connected with the incident that took place the day before, when a serviceman of the Azerbaijani border troops was stabbed. Our preliminary inspections have shown that the Armenian side has nothing to do with the alleged incident. Also, we are ready for a joint investigation with the participation of representatives of Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan," he said.

Touching upon the repairing of Armenias interstate and national roads, Pashinyan said: "Our capital repair programs, in particular, in Syunik Province, the repairing of the Tatev-Aghvan road shall be completed by the end of the year. We shall complete also the road construction programs of the other outlined sections in order to make the uninterrupted connection of the communities with the provincial center, interstate, and national roads better quality.
YEREVAN.  A group of families of the missing soldiers have concluded their demonstration outside the main building of the government Armenia.

The relatives came out of this government building, but did not say what was discussed inside.

One of these parents told Armenian News-NEWS.am, however, that they had met with PM Nikol Pashinyan.

As reported earlier, these families of the missing servicemen had gathered in front of the main government building late Thursday night and spent the night there.
YEREVAN.  Officials in charge at the government are engaged in resolving the issue of trucks coming from Iran arriving in Yerevan. The Minister of Economy, Vahan Kerobyan, on Friday said this in a conversation with reporters at the government of Armenia.

"I believe this issue will be resolved soon. Of course, the [southern] border of the Republic of Armenia starts from Meghri [city], and the Iranian cars have no problems with entering Armenia; they have a problem with reaching [the capital] Yerevan. At the moment, this problem is being solved by a bypass road, but it is not adapted for large trucks," Kerobyan added.

For almost two days now, the Azerbaijani armed forces have closed off the Goris-Kapan interstate motorways Shurnukh-Karmrakar section, as well as the section leading from Goris city to Vorotan village. It is about the M2 motorway that connects Armenia with Iran.

The economy minister said that the Armenian government is doing its best to reopen these roads as soon as possible.

But the minister did not say whether he considers these roads now blocked by the Azerbaijanis to be part of the sovereign territory of Armenia. "I am not a connoisseur of such questions. It is necessary to look at what kind of agreements there were. You, too, know very well that some parts of that road were in the territory of [former] Soviet Azerbaijan," he said.

Kerobyan said that the task of providing food to the residents of the currently blockaded Armenian villages were discussed Friday at the Ministry of Economy. It became known Thursday that the Russian border guards had delivered food to the residents of Vorotan village.

As reported earlier, the Azerbaijani soldiers have blocked the Shurnukh-Karmrakar section of the Goris-Kapan motorway as of 11pm Wednesday, and they refuse to reopen it. About four dozen cars on this road section were evacuated Wednesday night.

And the Office of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia reported that at around 12:20pm on Thursday, the Azerbaijani servicemen had closed off as well the road leading from Goris city to Vorotan village.

Thursday's trilateralArmenian-Russian-Azerbaijanirespective talks had ended in the evening, but to no avail. The Azerbaijani side still keeps these road sections closed.
YEREVAN.  That problem will still be recurrent until there is clarity. The Minister of High Technological Industry, Vahagn Khachatryan, told reporters this after Fridays government Cabinet meeting, referring to the Azerbaijani militarys closure of some sections of the Goris-Kapan interstate motorway of Armenia.

"The peace agenda does not mean being unprotected and does not mean giving up our territories; this is very clear. It is a state policy [of Armenia]. We will go to border delimitation, and we will not give up our territories. And if there will be other proposals besides the trilateralfor example, within the framework of the OSCE, we are ready to do it. Nobody talks about giving up our territories (). Not a single centimeter will be handed over from the territory of the Republic of Armenia," he said.

According to Khachatryan, Armenia has always had alternative roads.

"In general, we need to have all the alternative opportunities. Yes, we sincerely want the road to be [re]opened, and that road will be [re]opened," the minister said.

And reflecting on PM Nikol Pashinyan's statement on the positive signals coming from Turkey and responding to them with reciprocal positive signals, Khachatryan expressed hope that these signals are truly positive.

"I hope they are truly positive and will give an opportunity for future unblocking, peace dialogue in the general regional context," he stressed.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been hospitalized in Milan for examination, Rai News reported.

The former Italian leader will undergo a routine checkup at the San Rafaele Hospital in Milan. Such a procedure was appointed by Berlusconi after he suffered from COVID-19. According to sources in the Italian parliament, the Forza Italia leader's illness cleared up with complications and some side effects persist after recovery.

In January 2021, it was reported that an 84-year-old politician was hospitalized in Monaco due to heart problems. At this time, Berlusconi was visiting his daughter in France. Due to the arrhythmia of the former prime minister, his personal doctor decided to take his ward to the cardiology center in Monaco.
Tehran hopes that the latest disputes in the Syunik Province border zones, especially in the Kapan-Goris road section, will be resolved in a way that the implementation of the goal of reopening the transportation routes and unblocking wont be disrupted, the Iranian Embassy in Armenia said in response to an inquiry from Armenpress.

The Iranian embassy said that ever since the new border delimitation issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan has entered the agenda, Tehran has been hopeful that the sides will urgently reach the kind of a mutually-acceptable solution that would ensure the normal course of relations between Armenia and its neighborsand with minimum consequences. The embassy mentioned that the reopening of regional transportation routes and unblocking has been one of the main clauses of the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan statements.

Tehran hopes that the disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over general delimitation will be resolved in peaceful atmosphere, and without any tension or disruption in communication routes.

We hope that the sides will resolve the latest disagreements in the Syunik provinces border zones and especially the Kapan-Goris road section in a way that the implementation of the goal of reopening of transportation routes and unblocking wont be disrupted. Unfortunately, in the past two days we are witnessing a disruption of transit through this road as a result of the latest developments in the Syunik province, which has caused problems not only for the normal life of Armenias civilian population, but also a number of Iranian cargo vehicles carrying out shipments from Iran to Armenia. Due to the difficulty of the existing situation at this roads 21 kilometer section it is required for the sides to make efforts within the framework of goodwill principle in the direction of ensuring normal course of communication and transit, until reaching an exact and concrete situation over this matter. Thus, we still hope that the disputes related to the general delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be solved in a peaceful environment without any tension or disruption in communication routes, the Iranian embassy said.

In relation to the importance of guaranteeing the normal course of communication, the Iranian side stressed that they have always expressed their viewpoints to the authorized bodies of Armenia.

We are hopeful that parallel to the ongoing negotiations over solving the existing disputes regarding the use of the Kapan-Goris route, the improvement and development works of alternative routes will swiftly take place, so that the conditions return to normal both from perspective of Armenias citizens and our commercial relations with Armenia, the Iranian embassy said.

As reported earlier, the Azerbaijani soldiers have blocked the Shurnukh-Karmrakar section of the Goris-Kapan motorway as of 11pm Wednesday, and they refuse to reopen it. About four dozen cars on this road section were evacuated Wednesday night.

And the Office of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia reported that at around 12:20pm on Thursday, the Azerbaijani servicemen had closed off as well the road leading from Goris city to Vorotan village.

Thursday's trilateralArmenian-Russian-Azerbaijanirespective talks had ended in the evening, but to no avail. The Azerbaijani side still keeps these road sections closed.
The first days on campus for the Fall 2021 semester are in the books. It was filled with orientations, activities, meet-and-greets, andespecially for first-year and transfer students arriving in Coral Gables for the first timemaking new friends. Since Aug. 16, when the University of Miami began to welcome thousands of new and returning students for the Fall 2021 semester, the Division of Student Affairs and University partners offered festive happenings for students to get acclimated with their campus, peers, faculty, and staff.

From Canes Take Flight to Canefest, the University was once again host to a lively, upbeat, and safe atmosphere for everyone.

Heres a look at the past two weeks, which included move-in days, the first days of classes, and everything in between.

With more than 3,000 new studentsboth domestic and internationalmoving into the residential colleges, University partners across the Department of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement, Housing and Residential Life, and Parking and Transportation, rallied to make the process a smooth and swift one.

First stop: Check-in at the Watsco Center Fieldhouse

Lexi Pereira and her dad, Paul, pose with her brand new Cane ID card at the Watsco Center Multipurpose Room Fieldhouse for a centralized check-in process on the morning of Aug. 16. Pereira and her parents drove to Coral Gables from Toms River, New Jerseymore than 18 hours way.

Cruise Ship Move-In

After checking in, Alli Haber, a first-year student who is enrolled in the modern artist development and entrepreneurship program at the Frost School of Music, poses with her parents in her single occupancy living space. Her items were delivered from her car straight to her room by the University Student Services stress-free Cruise Ship Move-In service.

Some unpacking, but mostly mingling

Roommates Emery Medlock, left, of Dallas, Texas, and Daya Durham, of Raleigh, North Carolina, meet for the first timein-personas they unpack and settle into their new space with the help of their parents.

President Julio Frenk mingles

University President Julio Frenk made his rounds around campus on move-in day. Here he throws up the U with staff members and student employees at Stanford Residential College.

Home is where the heart is

A masked and excited Kristophe Smith-Walker, a senior and second-time resident assistant in Hecht Residential College, shows off his most prized possessiona personalized blanketfrom home as he waits for students to move onto his floor.

Pre-Orientation program planning

The University of Miami hosted a plethora of new student pre-orientation programs for international, transfer, multicultural, and religious students. Here, Christopher Clarke, left, director of Multicultural Student Affairs, and Kennedy Robinson, second from right, assistant director, pose with studentsincluding Landon Coles, right, president of Student Governmentas they prepare for Horizons, a program designed to assist new multicultural students in their transition to the University.

A helpful, warm welcome

Niles Boyd from Atlanta, Georgia, stands in front of Lake Osceola. In his role as an Orientation Fellow, he helps to create a positive transition for incoming students and assists them through Cane Kickoff.

Safety first: Vaccine clinic

Students are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19. During the first two weeks of the fall semester, the University partnered with Walgreens to offer a vaccine clinic in the StormSurge Room at the Hurricane Food Court on the Coral Gables Campus.

All fully vaccinated degree-seeking undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical students enrolled in Fall 2021 classes are eligible to participate in weekly and monthly drawings for prizes through the new Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Program.

Canes take flight

On Thursday, Aug. 19, President Julio Frenk, alongside First Lady Felicia Marie Knaul, director of the Universitys Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, took to the Watsco Center stage to welcome first-year and transfer students to campus. To maintain social distancing, the Department of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement staff hosted two separate sessions of the festive orientation that also featured performances by the Frost Band of the Hour, UCheer cheerleaders, the Sunsations dance team, and the Punjabi folk dance group Hurricane Bhangra.

Get involved

Canefest is an annual fair held for students to familiarize them with the more than 300 student organizations, as well as vendors in the community.

First day of classes

Students started classes on Aug. 23. There are nearly 19,000 students at the University this semester taking about 3,760 classes, President Julio Frenk shared in his welcome message.

Raising awareness

Photos: Jenny Abreu, Jenny Hudak, and Mike Montero/University of Miami
The sound of Haitis national anthem could be heard echoing throughout the University of Miamis Coral Gables Campus on Thursday evening as students and faculty and staff members gathered at the Rock Plaza, located next to the Whitten University Center, to pay tribute to the victims of the islands recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Emotions ran high at the Moment of Silence Vigil Event organized by Planet Kreyol, the Haitian student organization, and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

The ceremony included solemn reflectionsa poem recited by Cae Joseph-Massena, assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, and performances by students Sasha Menard, Brandon Myrvil, and Maydeleen Guiteau Pierre-Noel. Donation boxes were set up at the event to collect essential items like medical supplies, personal hygiene items, nonperishable food, and other necessities.

Also among the guests were Patricia A. Whitely, senior vice president for student affairs; Ryan Holmes, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students; and Renee Dickens Callan, assistant vice president of student life.

All of us here at the University of Miami are here for youwe are a community, and we support you, said Whitely. In the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, we will be there for you.

The student organizations leaders, Laura Francois and Veroneeka Dorval, thanked everyone for their efforts to help the island. They also stated that Haiti will remain resilient and overcome this tragedy.

We are always so thankful for everyones support, said Francois, a senior studying public health and French. Your donations mean so much and will go a long way to those in need.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the island the morning of Aug. 14 damaged thousands of homes and left more than 30,000 families homeless. Official estimates have reported that more than 2,000 people died, and more than 12,000 were injured. During the vigil, Dorval and Francois held a 29-second moment of silence for those who lost their lives.

One student spoke about how the earthquake has affected his family and how it motivated his peers to volunteer to help those in need.

The feelings and emotions going through my mind and my heart are a little bit overwhelming, said Paul Douillon, the son of Haitian immigrants and a senior at the University. My father lost a cousin, and another was injured. Honestly, its heartbreaking.

This event means a lot to me, because it lets me know that I'm not invisible on this campus and I have support in this tragedy, said Guiteau Pierre-Noel. She is Miss Planet Kreyol, a role in the organization that oversees Haitian Culture Week and the groups annual pageant. Even though we have a lot of adversity, we are still a strong country. With the love of our people, we can overcome anything. Seeing an event like this just proves that, she added.

Christopher Clarke, director of Multicultural Student Affairs, and Kennedy Robinson, assistant director, closed the event with uplifting remarks.

Our student leaders are in good spirits and eager to use this moment as an opportunity to create awareness and provide resources for those impacted by the earthquake, said Clarke. As advisers, we will honor their requests to center their voices and partner with them to create Brave Spaces on campus this fall.

For more information about Planet Kreyol and how you can assist those affected by the earthquake, follow the group on Instagram @umiamiplanetkreyol or email umiamiplanetkreyol@gmail.com.

Emmalyse Brownstein contributed to this report.
Seniors Rebekah Balick, Harry Scherer and Lexi Zambito are three of 15 students nationwide to be accepted as Ropke-Wojtya Fellows for 2021-22. The immersive fellowship program, hosted by The Catholic University of America (CUA), educates Catholic intellectuals and future business leaders in the study of Catholic social thought as it pertains to subjects of more secular scholarship, including history, philosophy, sociology, economy and politics.

The year-long program consists of four colloquia held incrementally; the first is in Washington, D.C. in October of this year, two will be held virtually in February and June 2022, and the fourth takes place at CUAs Rome campus in May 2022. Fellows receive a $2,500 stipend and enjoy the benefits of complimentary meals, lodging and travel while exploring meaningful questions of social philosophy.

Through interaction with inspiring scholars, Fellowship students delve into curious philosophical topics including the makings of a good society, the civilizing aspect of commerce and the tensions between markets and communities. Named for the late economist, Wilhelm Rpke, in conjunction with Karol Jozef Wojtya, widely known as Pope John Paul II, the program ultimately strives to encourage the next generation of bright, young Catholic minds to critically engage with intellectual traditions and authors that may not otherwise be included in their universitys curriculum. The program further enriches the experience by accepting students majoring in a variety of disciplines, allowing for varying viewpoints and a vast range of knowledge among the fellows.

Balick, Scherer and Zambito were inspired to apply for the Ropke-Wojtya Fellowship based on a glowing recommendation of the program from their close friend and Zambitos high school classmate, Rachel Lyter, C21, who was a member of the 2020-21 cohort, which took place entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rebekah Balick

Majors: International Studies and History

Minor: Spanish

A member of the Honors Program and a Mount Fellow, Balick anticipates the opportunity to discuss the content of the program with students from other universities to be especially worthwhile. She is involved with campus ministry as a womens fellowship leader, is a member of the AEI Executive Council with Scherer and an editor of Moorings alongside Zambito.

What topics are you most interested in exploring throughout the four colloquia?

I am very interested in learning about Catholic Social teaching, particularly concepts like subsidiarity, since I have not done extensive reading in those topics and I would like to do more. I'm also interested in reading more about economics since it has been a few semesters since I have taken an economics class and I am interested to see how my perspective and understanding of economics has changed as I have learned more in other areas.

How do you expect this experience to augment your senior year/future career?

I anticipate that the reading we will do will only support my learning in other areas! I also look forward to meeting professors and students from other universities during the program in order to build my network and knowledge base as I approach graduation.

What are you looking forward to most about this experience?

I am excited for the two in-person colloquia, in DC and in Rome. I really miss in-person conferences and I am so excited to travel with other intellectuals while speaking with them in-person!

Harry Scherer

Majors: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and History

Minors: Theology and Latin

Through his work as a resident assistant, Scherer advises freshmen male Honors students in one of the integrated living and learning communities on campus. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Executive Council as well as the Extraordinary Form Council, which brought Traditional Latin Mass to campus twice per week. An Honors and Fellows student, Scherer is the managing editor of the Emmitsburg News-Journal and the co-editor-in-chief of Tolle Loge: Journal of Theology and Philosophy, an annual campus publication. He is also a volunteer co-coordinator for the Mount 2000 high school retreat hosted on campus each year. Scherer was particularly attracted to the program by the breadth and depth of the programs reading list in line with the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Western tradition more broadly.

What topics are you most interested in exploring throughout the four colloquia?

My senior honors project will attempt to identify Catholic social teaching properly understood as cultural risk management. In the colloquia, then, Im most looking forward to reconciling a robust evaluation of the Churchs social teaching with more secular-minded social science and cultural commentary. Im also excited to examine the debates that the clergy and faithful have undertaken in good faith since the publication of Rerum Novarum with regard to economic matters that deal with the application of prudential judgement in specific cases in addition to broader principles.

How do you expect this experience to augment your senior year/future career?

In addition to the seminar courses I will be taking in Emmitsburg, Im certain that this fellowship will serve as a helpful review of key philosophical principles defended by the Church, rooted in a solid spirituality and anthropology.

What are you looking forward to most about this experience?

Im most excited for what I expect to be a friendly and collegial environment among the fellows, grounded in a certain trust that we all value the holistic development of our peers far above the fleeting pleasure of rhetorical competition.

Lexi Zambito

Majors: Philosophy and Theology

Minor: Latin

Intrigued by the works read and discussed at last years colloquia, Zambitos interest in the program quickly turned into action. She is an editor of Moorings Humanities Journal published on campus, as well as co-editor-in-chief of Tolle Lege alongside Scherer, whom she also works with as the student volunteer coordinator for Mount2000. Her involvement in campus ministry and service as a peer tutor makes Zambito an apt candidate for the fellowship. She also is an Honors student.

What topics are you most interested in exploring throughout the four colloquia?

While I am not sure exactly what we will be reading, I know that I will be able to read and discuss philosophical works I have encountered before in class, but in a new light, especially their bearings on politics, economics and the common good. I have a particular interest in the practical implications of different waves of philosophical thought and I'm excited to discuss that specifically in how different philosophies have impacted our society,

How do you expect this experience to augment your senior year/future career?

I anticipate that this experience will undergird my senior year with readings and discussions that will often be different than those I have encountered in my classes at the Mount. It will augment my perspective and enhance my ability to understand society in a more holistic way. My ultimate goal (for now) is to attend the Catholic University of America for their joint program in canon law and civil law in order to be a canon lawyer. I hope that the fellowship will allow me to encounter faculty and students at Catholic University, as well as become more aware of particular issues facing our nation and our Church. I believe that this experience will greatly help me prepare for graduate work, as well as my career serving the institutional Church.

What are you looking forward to most about this experience?

I am most looking forward to meeting other students from across the country who share a commitment to the pursuit of Veritas and who are also striving to serve their communities and their Church in their own unique ways. Iron sharpens iron, and I am looking forward to being challenged in the ways I think and discussing and debating topics that have no clear answers but that we can approach with a spirit of openness.
Undergraduate Summer Research Expo highlights students work

Media Contact: Harrison Hill | Research Communications Specialist | 405-744-5827 | harrison.c.hill@okstate.edu

Research at Oklahoma State University starts with students  from senior students, comfortable in a lab, to freshmen, just getting their bearings in college life.

One of the tell-tale signs of a thriving university research culture is the extent to which undergraduates are involved in and enthusiastic about gaining research experiences with faculty, said Dr. Kenneth Sewell, OSUs vice president for research.

And everyone could get a look at the research being done by undergraduates when the OSU Undergraduate Research Committee hosted the inaugural Undergraduate Summer Research Expo at the end of July.

Posters from 36 undergraduate students  including 21 different majors  highlighted their projects.

The expo allowed this aspect of our research culture to be on full display, Sewell said.

Most of the students were from federally funded formal summer research programs, such as Research Experience for Undergraduates, McNair Scholars, OK-LSAMP Scholars and Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates, or privately funded ones like the Niblack Research Scholars.

In the Nancy Randolph Davis building on the Stillwater campus, students, faculty advisors, administration members and guests learned more about projects ranging from animal science to zoology.

The projects on display, and the poise and knowledge of the undergraduate students who presented them, were truly impressive, Sewell said. Many thanks to our faculty and graduate student researchers for their devotion to mentoring and aiding these young minds to pursue their passions.

Since many of these summer research programs do not require students to be enrolled at OSU, the event allowed researchers from universities across Oklahoma and the nation to share ideas. Students pursuing a degree from Cameron University, East Central University, Marietta College, Pittsburg State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, University of Connecticut, University of Missouri  Kansas City, University of Rochester and University of Tennessee were all present.

Kaitlyn Cotton drove from Dallas to showcase her OSU Freshman Research Scholars project. Because of the pandemic, The Freshman Research Scholars were unable to present their research posters in a live venue during spring 2021, so the opportunity to present at this summer expo was extended to these students.

When I had presented virtually before, there was time for one or two questions that I had to quickly answer before the next presenter came on, Cotton said. With this in-person expo, I was able to have more in-depth conversations with the audience and learn what their views or ideas on my project were.

Cotton also talked with people who shared different backgrounds and interests, she said. One organic chemistry professor provided insight into the chemical components of Cottons project and offered a new experiment set-up for her.

I loved getting to talk to so many different people about my research and hearing their insights, questions and ideas for my project, she said.

For Jackson Caves, another OSU Freshman Research Scholar, the expo helped him learn more about presenting.

This in-person presentation was very helpful, Caves said. I reviewed my virtual presentation, but it was different in person because of the questions people asked. There was more real-time interaction. I believe it was very helpful and will change my approach for future presentations. It was a great learning experience.

Caves said he always looks forward to in-person presentations and interviews and called this another educational experience.

Seeing how others set up their posters was very helpful, and now I will approach future posters and presentations differently, Caves said. I got a lot of great ideas seeing the others.

The expo also featured words of wisdom from Sewell and Dr. Jason F. Kirksey, OSUs vice president for institutional diversity and the chief diversity officer.

I don't want you to hope for success and greatness, I want you to expect it! Kirksey told the crowd.
Biden meets Israeli PM in shadow of Kabul blasts

Biden meets Israeli PM in shadow of Kabul blasts

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met US President Joe Biden on Friday, a day after a deadly bomb attack on the US Afghanistan evacuation mission forced a postponement and cast a shadow on an Israeli charm offensive.



"My heart goes out, our hearts go out, to all those who we've lost," Biden said after the two met one-on-one, a day after originally planned. Bennett began his remarks with condolences before announcing, "I bring with me from Jerusalem a new spirit of good will."



Bennett had aimed to reboot US-Israel relations following Benjamin Netanyahu, who during 15 years in office embraced Republicans and antagonised Democrats.



Still, the 49-year-old premiere in his first official overseas visit kept to many of his predecessor's hardline views.



"We cannot lose sight for even one moment that we're in the toughest neighbourhood in the world," he said, citing ISIS, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas. "That's why Israel always has to be overwhelmingly stronger than... all of our enemies combined."



Bennett took office in June as head of an eclectic coalition in which his hawkish party holds only a handful of seats. His government includes pro-settlement hardliners like himself as well as political doves and the first Arab party to sit in a coalition.



"He heads and leads the most diverse government in Israeli history," Biden said of Bennett.



Bennett's positions on key issues remain at odds with the White House. He has said he will continue settlement construction and is against a Palestinian state in territories Israel captured in 1967.



He opposes the US reopening a consulate in Jerusalem to handle Palestinian affairs, which Trump shut in 2019 after moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.



In Washington Bennett strove to highlight common ground. "Israel knows that we have no better or more reliable ally in the world than the United States of America," he said.



Biden said the US had an "unwavering commitment" to Israel's security, including replenishing Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. In a hint at differences of opinion, Biden said, "we're also going to discuss ways to advance peace and security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians." (AFP)
Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. Send tips to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.

Here's what we're talking about:

With Phil Rosen.

President Joe Biden. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

1. A DEADLY END TO THE US'S LONGEST WAR: President Joe Biden vowed retaliation for attacks that led to the deadliest day for US troops in Afghanistan in a decade. Thirteen American service members are confirmed to have been killed in bombings outside the Afghan capital's airport. Dozens of Afghan civilians were also killed in the attacks, and 18 other Americans were wounded as well.

Key quote: "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said of the attacks. ISIS-K, a regional affiliate of the Islamic State that is a rival to the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. More on ISIS-K.

Here's how the world is reacting:

US troops are preparing for more attacks: Marine Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, told reporters he expected attacks to continue.

Many saw Thursday's violence coming: White House officials and their foreign counterparts publicly warned that the airport was increasingly the subject of terrorist chatter. Biden's national security advisor spoke of the threat last weekend.

Retaliation would most likely come via a small force: "We will find ways of our choosing without large military operations to get them," Biden said. More from his comments.

The US still plans to leave Tuesday: After addressing the nation, Biden told reporters the violent scene only furthered his resolve to get any remaining Americans out of the country and to quickly end the nation's longest war.

Story continues

Some Republicans pushed the president to extend the deadline: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wants to pass legislation prohibiting complete withdrawal "until every American is out of Afghanistan," The Washington Post reports. While other lawmakers called for unity, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, called on Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to resign or face impeachment. Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn pushed Biden's Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.

World leaders joined Biden in condemning the attacks: Leaders of NATO allies in France, the UK, the EU, and Germany all pledged to work together. Some nations, including Canada, are nearing or have already ended their evacuations. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK's efforts were in "the final stages."

2. Supreme Court throws out eviction moratorium: As Biden predicted may happen, justices rejected the president's latest bid to extend a pandemic policy that largely prohibits landlords from evicting renters during a public-health crisis. In the unsigned opinion, the court wrote that the CDC had no authority to issue such a moratorium, adding such a position "strains credulity to believe." All three liberal justices dissented from the decision. Millions of renters are now at risk once again.

3. Federal prison workers are burned out and headed for the exits: Severe staff shortages and fears of contracting COVID-19 are just some of the factors driving more prison workers to quit. One former employee said the coronavirus pandemic caused her to fill in as a correctional officer with no training. She said she felt unprepared on how to do her job and later quit after constantly feeling burned out.

Federal prisons have struggled with staffing for years: Current departure numbers are striking because the overall number of Federal Bureau of Prisons employees isn't going up - it's going down. In 2015, there were 37,258 bureau employees. By 2017, that number dropped to 35,5698. In 2019, it stood at 34,857. The bureau declined to provide more-recent information.

Tech giants are warning of pay cuts for those moving away. But a few companies are setting the new standard - promising big-city salaries for everyone. Samantha Lee/Insider

4. A battle is brewing over salaries for remote workers: Some companies have rejected a hardline stance, telling employees who relocate that they can keep their coastal salaries. Others, including Reddit and Spotify, are going even further: eliminating all geographic differences in salaries. This could signal a major shift in compensation, a change that could reshape our economy.

5. Unemployed workers could get one final relief check: The Labor Department said states could give one-off relief payments, according to internal documents my colleagues obtained. States could opt to issue periodic or one-time relief payments to workers on unemployment by repurposing unused pandemic stimulus funds. Millions of workers could be affected, but it doesn't appear that many states will go through with such payments.

6. Florida sets grim COVID-19 mark: The state recorded 901 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, the highest single-day increase in deaths in the state during the pandemic, according to a Miami Herald calculation. Hospitals are also close to a breaking point in the state. About 95% of intensive-care-unit beds are in use across 262 hospitals, with 55.3% taken up by COVID-19 patients. Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended his approach.

7. Capitol Police officers file suit against Trump and the Proud Boys: Seven officers who were attacked during the Capitol riot accuse former President Donald Trump as well as several far-right figures and extremist groups of coordinating attacks before the insurrection. More on the suit.

Trump claims executive privilege in attempt to block riot inquiry: Trump argued documents and communications relating to the January 6 attack on the Capitol were protected by executive privilege, though it's up to the Biden administration to make that assertion. He made the claim after House lawmakers issued a sweeping request for documents from Trump's White House staff.

8. Apple makes major concessions amid antitrust fight: The tech giant said it would allow developers to alert customers of ways to make payments outside Apple's App Store, a shift that follows years of regulatory scrutiny and legal fights, The Post reports. This is the biggest concession Apple has offered under antitrust scrutiny.

Alex Wong/Getty; Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty; Skye Gould/Insider

How an Apple-Google partnership to track COVID-19 failed: More than a year since the first apps using Apple and Google's technology were released, and with a new variant on the rise, smartphone contact tracing in the US has struggled to live up to its promises and prove its worth. And an Insider investigation also found critical shortcomings in apps using the technology.

9. Texas moves forward on sweeping voting restrictions: The Texas House approved a bill that would ban drive-thru voting and 24-hour voting options and add ID requirements for absentee voters. Democrats have tried to block the legislation for months, including when lawmakers fled to Washington. The bill moves toward likely passage in the Senate.

10. America's supply-chain woes go beyond port problems: Even if the dozens of ships floating within sight of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach suddenly found space to dock, their cargo wouldn't flow freely. That's because ports aren't just having trouble getting ships to shore. They're having trouble getting containers onto the road.

Today's trivia question: College football is back this weekend. Which future president cut his teeth calling Iowa Hawkeyes games on the radio? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.

Yesterday's answer: The first televised MLB game, on August 26, 1939, featured the Cincinnati Reds against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The 1939 World's Fair was the impetus for the historic broadcast.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Read the original article on Business Insider
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

Welcome to 10 Things in Tech. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Plus, download Insider's app for news on the go - click here for iOS and here for Android.

Let's get into it.

1. Tesla has applied to sell electricity in Texas. The company wants to enter the retail electric space under the name Tesla Energy Ventures, and plans to sell directly to the deregulated energy grid, Texas Monthly reports. More on that here.

2. Facebook's under-the-radar $400 million Giphy acquisition is completely legal. Because Giphy paid dividends to shareholders before being bought by the tech giant, it was exempt from sharing details with officials before the deal closed. Read how the move highlights possible holes in antitrust laws.

3. Some tech companies are extending big-city salaries to small-town America. Employees that relocated to cheaper cities during the pandemic still want the same compensation - but not all tech firms are willing to do so. Here's how remote salaries could change how everyone gets paid.

4. The Discord server where Apple employees discuss workplace issues has a waitlist of 250 people. Per a software engineer, the chat has over 400 current and former staffers right now, where they can anonymously discuss work away from upper management. Here's what we know so far.

5. Salesforce's Marc Benioff says employees aren't returning to the office because they're being 'so productive at home.' In-office attendance isn't as high as CEOs expected while the global work culture shift continues. This is how execs are trying to entice workers to get back in person.

6. Big tech firms pledge over $31 billion and 250,000 jobs to the cybersecurity sector. CEOs from Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google all met at the White House and agreed to a renewed emphasis on cybersecurity following a spate of recent digital attacks. Here's their plan to bolster security solutions.

7. The president of SpaceX said it's harder to launch rockets amid liquid oxygen shortage - and she's asking the public to email her if they have any spare. Liquid oxygen has been used in assisting the treatment of COVID-19 patients. See the SpaceX exec's full comments.

Story continues

8. Peloton's flagship bike is now $400 cheaper. The fitness brand's stock fell Thursday after a weak earnings report, and this marks the second price drop within a year. The brand rode the pandemic's home-workout wave - but now growth has stalled.

9. Slack has become Salesforce's secret weapon against the dominance of Microsoft Office. Most Salesforce customers buy the whole platform, not just individual apps, marking a pivotal shift as the brand looks to compete as the ultimate work platform. Here's how Salesforce plans to leverage Slack as the definitive employee tool.

10. Amazon CEO's top tech guru spent years living on a boat and now he's coming ashore to help steer the company. James Hamilton, the eccentric engineer and former auto mechanic, is getting a bigger role as CEO Andy Jassy takes over. See why Jassy considers him one of his closest confidants.

Compiled by Phil Rosen. Any feedback? Email prosen@insider.com or tweet @philrosenn.

Sign up for more Insider newsletters here.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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
Evacuees in Afghanistan

Half a million refugees could flee Afghanistan by the end of this year, the United Nations has said, as the UK drew its civilian evacuation to a close.

The warning was issued by the organisation on Friday ahead of the final withdrawal of US troops by August 31, after which the country is expected to descend into further violence and instability.

While the humanitarian emergency is currently contained within Afghanistan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told reporters it was preparing for a worst-case scenario of around 500,000 new refugees in the region.

It came as Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, announced on Friday morning that UK evacuation had entered its final stages and admitted that approximately 1,000 Afghans eligible to come to Britain may not make it in time.

Confirming that processing facilities at the Baron Hotel, outside the capitals airport, had been closed, he added that he felt deep regret that not everyone eligible had been evacuated.

While almost 14,000 people have been evacuated through Operation Pitting, the number remaining in Afghanistan is thought to include between 800 and 1,100 Afghans, as well as 100 to 150 Britons.

Prime Minister describes situation as extremely horrible

Speaking afterwards, Boris Johnson described the situation as extremely horrible but insisted that the Government would shift heaven and earth to help Afghans still in the country after the withdrawal.

However, when asked whether the withdrawal was a national humiliation, he appeared to point the finger at Joe Biden, the American President, adding: The timing of this is certainly not the one that this country would have chosen, and I think that everybody understands that.

Among the Afghans left behind are believed to be a number of interpreters who assisted British forces during the conflict, including one who worked with Tom Tugendhat MP, the chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, who served in Afghanistan.

Story continues

Warning that closing the processing centre meant many will not get out, Mr Tugendhat said he was desperately calling foreign envoys and contacts to try and help friends reach neighbouring countries.

He added that there was now a possibility we may find ourselves with the biggest hostage crisis the UK has ever seen.

Lord Hammond, the former chancellor and foreign secretary, said on Friday the UK had failed in its mission to keep Afghan staff safe by not completing the evacuations.

Sensitive material destroyed

Meanwhile, senior Tory MPs demanded an urgent investigation into reports that British embassy staff had failed to destroy documents identifying several Afghans who had worked or applied for jobs as interpreters.

The papers were discovered by a Times reporter while being escorted around the now-vacated embassy building by a Taliban patrol. They included names, phone numbers and addresses.

While the majority of the Afghans involved have been evacuated, the issue will now be scrutinised as part of a Parliamentary inquiry, with Mr Wallace stating on Friday that the Prime Minister will obviously look for the details of what happened.

Clearly, its not good enough, he told Times Radio.

On Friday night a Foreign Office spokesman said: We have worked tirelessly to secure the safety of those who worked for us including getting three families to safety.

During the drawdown of our embassy, every effort was made to destroy sensitive material.

In Washington, Mr Biden was also facing a backlash amid reports that US officials had given a list of names of US citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to the Taliban.

While the White House claimed it had shared information in limited cases to ensure evacuees were granted passage through Taliban checkpoints, a US defence source told Politico: Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list.

Iran and Pakistan require financial support

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kelly Clements, the deputy high commissioner of the UNHCR, said that while people were not currently flooding across Afghanistans borders, this could soon change following the final withdrawal of Western troops.

She added that there was now a need to boost support for neighbouring countries, which are already hosting more than 2.2 million Afghan refugees, with the United Nations appealing for $300 million to fund its humanitarian response.

We are appealing to all countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open so that those seeking safety can find safety, Clements said.

In particular, Iran and Pakistan, who together host 90 per cent of the Afghan refugees in the region, will need a lot of support, she said.

However, while the UK is now urging Afghans seeking to escape the Taliban to head to land borders, the dangers involved were made clear on Friday when regional media reported that Pakistani border forces had opened fire on a group seeking to cross into the country.

At least three Afghans are said to have been killed in the incident, which reportedly occurred at the Torkham border crossing that links the north-western Pakistani region of Khyber with Nangarhar in Afghanistan.

Living in fear

Speaking to The Telegraph on Friday night, a senior officer in the Afghan National Police (ANP), who cannot be named due to fears for his safety, also warned that many Afghans would not seek to cross through Pakistan due to the risk.

There are Taliban, he continued, and other countries also have very extremist groups. On the Pakistan border, six Afghans have been shot and killed [on Friday]. Going to Pakistan is not very safe for me.

The officer, who is in his mid-30s and currently hiding with his family in Kabul, said he and his team of Afghan police had closely assisted in the evacuation of British embassy staff and diplomats to Kabul airport two days before the city fell to the Taliban.

However, he and his men have now been forced into hiding, a decision he said he had taken after extremists, freed by the insurgents from prison, began threatening me and my family.

He said he had emailed the British embassy just after Kabul collapsed but so far he has failed to receive any response.

My team who worked here to secure the embassies has prevented many attacks on them, he continued. The Taliban wont forget this and they are taking revenge. They have already started checking houses for ANP forces.

Asked whether he feared being harmed or killed if captured, he replied: This can 100 per cent happen.
Foreign Office staff reportedly left sensitive documents with details of Afghan employees for the Taliban to find. (AFP)

Documents identifying Afghan workers have been found on the ground of the former British embassy, potentially putting them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban and sparking a backlash against the foreign office from both sides of the Commons.

The paperwork, which should have been shredded so Afghans at risk of reprisals couldn't be tracked down, was found left at the compound which was evacuated on 15 August and has now been seized by the Taliban.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Prime Minister Boris Johnson "will be asking some questions" about how the papers were left unsecure, adding: "Clearly its not good enough."

Labour said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has "serious questions to answer" and that the destruction of sensitive materials should have been a "top priority".

A reporter for The Times, who first reported the story, described finding papers identifying seven Afghans, as well as CVs of locals who had applied for jobs, including a 33-year-old who had applied for an interpreter's job and the embassy's 30-year-old cook and housekeeper.

Three families whose details were left behind have now been rescued and taken to safety, the Foreign Office has said.

Watch: Documents left at British embassy in Kabul

Read more: Ex-soldier Pen Farthing shot at by gunman during attempt to get animals out of Afghanistan

The Times said it had made phone calls to numbers on the documents, revealing that some Afghan employees and their families had been left stranded, with one man reportedly begging: "Please dont leave us behind".

The newspaper reported that it had passed details of the missing staff to the Foreign Office, prompting the rescue of three families, but the fate of least two job people who had applied for jobs as interpreters remained unknown.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee shared The Times story on Twitter, writing: "How @FCDOGovUK handled this crisis will be the subject of a coming @CommonsForeign inquiry. The evidence is already coming in."

Story continues

It was also suggested that information on Afghans who had helped US forces by working with them has also been left behind in the form of biometric data that has now been seized by the Taliban.

Wallace told LBC radio: Well find out and get to the bottom of it. The evidence looks pretty clear.

Clearly its not good enough, simple as that.

The failure to destroy the documents is another headache for Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. (PA)

I think the Prime Minister will be asking some questions, I think we need to understand, quite rightly, how that happened.

Former foreign and defence secretary Lord Hammond said there would have been a big exercise in destroying documents but any failures would be serious.

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy urged the Government to urgently assess the individuals who have been exposed by the breach and whether operations may have been compromised.

The Foreign Secretary has claimed he was too busy overseeing operational decisions to call the Afghan foreign minister. This incident raises questions about what precisely he was doing in the hours before Kabul fell to the Taliban, the Labour MP said.

The destruction of sensitive materials and the safe evacuation of the embassy should have been a top priority.

The Foreign Office said: "During the drawdown of our embassy every effort was made to destroy sensitive material."

The report will add to criticism of the Foreign Office already came under fire for its handling of the crisis in Afghanistan.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was criticised for going on holiday despite the escalating situation in the country in recent weeks. He returned on 15 August, the same day Kabul fell.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer, a former British Army officer, shared a video on Twitter outlining equipment that had been left by the US and now seized by the Taliban, writing: "This will stop you in your tracks. Unbelievable.

"We gave them the names of those we trained to fight them. And some we will leave behind to the violence we see at the airport. An appalling day, verging from rage to tears."

It has also been reported that US officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens and Afghan allies to grant them entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of Kabul's Airport - sparking criticism of the decision.

Watch: Defence Secretary says there's 'only a matter of hours' left to evacuate those in Afghanistan
A boy sobbed in the back of a car in Kabul on Friday, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city's hospitals.

He was among a crowd of people who gathered at the capital's Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after Thursday's sunset bombings outside Kabul airport.

Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.

Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the "troubles" of his home country.

"He wanted to fly abroad," Majeed told AFP.

"Unfortunately, he's missing after the back-to-back blasts."

The bombs ripped through crowds massed outside the airport, hoping to flee new Taliban rule as the deadline for evacuations drew closer.

Scores died, including 13 US servicemen, in the Islamic State-claimed attacks.

Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.

"I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them," he said.

"Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him."

Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but "such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that's because of the troubles here."

Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.

One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.

The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.

Story continues

In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the "situation is still quite critical".

"Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long -- the last surgery was at 4am."

"We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care."

Meanwhile, the scene of one of the deadly blasts at the airport was silent and deserted except for a couple of armed guards.

Birds sang in the Kabul sunshine, but the bloodstained clothes that lay scattered on the ground bore testament to the horror of the attacks the day before.

bur-je/jds/ecl/oho
U.S. airlines are bringing back fuller menus on flights, which will result in badly needed revenue  and greater COVID-19 risks for both passengers and flight attendants. Above, attendants hand out refreshments on a packed Delta Air Lines flight. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Full airline menus are back  but say goodbye to pre-meal cocktails, warm cookies and a lot of chitchat with your flight attendants.

After cutting most food service during the pandemic, airlines are once again offering premium dishes such as miso-marinated cod, Greek chicken salad and braised short ribs to entice the big spenders who buy first- and business-class seats.

But COVID-19 has forced changes in the way they serve food and drinks, as well as some usual offerings such as snacks, to reduce interaction between fliers and flight attendants.

"I miss that smell in the cabin," Los Angeles resident Anasia Obioha said as she reminisced about the American Airlines chocolate chip cookies that were absent from her recent flights.

Obioha, who works in corporate communications, said her meals on several first-class flights to and from Mexico reminded her of the lunches served on trays in the cafeteria in elementary school. All her dishes were prepackaged and cold, she said.

To help return airlines to profitability, carriers are meeting the recent uptick in travel demand by expanding their onboard offerings to include the kind of high-end meals and drinks that were popular with first- and business-class travelers before the pandemic. After all, the nation's airlines lost a combined $35 billion in 2020, after seven consecutive years of profitability, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

In-flight meals, drinks and airport lounges are not significant revenue generators but are essential to attracting first- and business-class fliers, who made up as little as 5% of all passenger traffic before the pandemic but generated about 30% of all passenger revenues, according to the International Air Transport Assn., an airline trade group.

"Airlines want to attract people who go to the upper- and first-class cabins, said Michael Taylor, practice lead for travel at J.D. Power, a data analytics and consumer information company.

Story continues

These passengers are coveted because they often book high-price last-minute tickets and buy the most expensive seats at the front of the plane.

Among the most noticeable changes in the cabin are to meal courses, previously dished out on separate plates in upper-class cabins. Now they get served all at once on large trays.

"Were offering all courses at once to limit the handling of trays, dinnerware and glasses between our guests and flight attendants," Alaska Airlines spokesperson Ray Lane said.

Food and drink service on airlines has changed due to the pandemic so that flight attendants spend less time in contact with passengers. Above, an American Airlines flight attendant serves a business-class passenger. (Jerome Adamstein / Los Angeles Times)

In the aisle, instead of pouring drinks into plastic cups from food carts, flight attendants are now handing passengers throughout the plane full cans or bottles of beer, soda, wine or hard seltzer to eliminate the pouring time.

Many of the changes to in-flight food service have been made at the behest of the nation's flight attendants, who have been hit hard by the pandemic. An estimated 4,000 flight attendants on U.S. carriers have contracted the virus and 20 have died, according to the Assn. of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines.

"AFA has pressed airline management on aspects of food and beverage to ensure procedures best support fewer touch points or inconsistent masking," said Sara Nelson, president of the association. "The Delta variant has caused cases to skyrocket again, threatening lives, continued virus mutation, and recovery from this pandemic."

At airport lounges, covered dishes have replaced buffet-style food. Self-serve beverage dispensers are now staffed by lounge workers, or they've been eliminated altogether to reduce intermingling.

For some flight attendants, the changes are not enough.

Heather Poole, a flight attendant with more than 20 years of experience, said her fellow flight attendants are put at risk by serving passengers who lower their masks for too long to nurse a drink or take their time eating a snack. She would prefer that airlines return to eliminating all food and drinks on short flights.

"No one ever starved on a three-hour flight," Poole said.

A federal mandate that requires all airline passengers to wear masks when not eating or drinking has added to the demands on flight attendants who are tasked with trying to enforce the mask policy. Most of the nearly 4,000 incidents of unruly passengers in 2021 involve disputes over the mask mandate, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

American Airlines has stopped selling alcoholic beverages in the main cabin at least until Jan. 18, and Southwest Airlines has paused all alcohol sales indefinitely, partly in response to a growing number of incidents of unruly passengers that resulted in assaults on flight attendants and other passengers.

Delta has stopped offering premium passengers cocktails before a meal. Now beverages are served with the meals to reduce the contact between passengers and flight attendants.

Most airlines began cutting back or eliminating food and beverage sales on planes and closing airport lounges in March 2020 to help slow the spread of the virus. Some airlines limited the onboard service to boxed meals for long-haul and international flights. Other airlines encouraged passengers to bring their own snacks.

Within a few months, airlines began to offer passengers packaged snacks and drinks, with full meals reserved for long-haul and international flights.

As coronavirus case numbers dropped this summer and air travel demand began to increase, airlines expanded their food and beverage offerings. The recent surge in cases tied to the Delta variant has not altered the airline industry's food and drink expansion plans.

Alaska's chief financial officer, Shane Tackett, told analysts in an earnings conference call June 30 that the airline was about to return to "our full catering complement."

"So more people getting more food and beverages similar to where we were pre-COVID," he said. "They're coming back with demand, and they're all coming back in the third quarter pretty strong."

As part of the newly enhanced meals, United Airlines recently announced the addition of scrambled eggs with plant-based chorizo and grilled chicken breast with orzo and lemon basil pesto. The Chicago-based carrier also teamed up with Chicago's Eli's Cheesecake to develop a chocolate pie flavor called "Pie in the Sky."

On Alaska Airlines, premium fliers can indulge in a chile-lime salad and miso-marinated cod with sesame garlic farro, sauteed bok choy, bell peppers and shiitake mushrooms.

On Delta, first- and Delta-One-class passengers flying on select routes are offered lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry thyme syrup, smoked salmon and beef short ribs with whipped potatoes.

But the soft drinks given to fliers in the main cabin and "comfort plus" seats are not in the traditional 12-ounce cans  they get the "mini" 7.5-ounce cans.

Eric Rose, a partner in a lobbying and crisis communications firm in Los Angeles, described the lunch on a recent Delta flight from Los Angeles to New Orleans as "very sterile." The prepackaged sandwich served in the business-class section was cold and his request for a Scotch on the rocks was answered with a small bottle of Scotch and a cup of ice.

"This is the new reality until COVID is under control," Rose said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists sprung by the Taliban from an Afghan prison could enter the United States via the porous southern border, security experts said, lending grim legitimacy to concerns raised by Republicans.

Feds patrolling the 2,000-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border are increasingly on alert for foreigners on the terror watch list, given the situation in Afghanistan, a senior official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Washington Examiner.

I believe CBP and the Border Patrol are both taking it very seriously, but I cant say the same as far as the administration, the official wrote in an email. If I was a bad person that wanted to do harm to the U.S., I know now is the time to illegally enter the border. You have sectors and stations that cannot fully man their areas of operation and people are getting through.

$1.8 BILLION GOP MEASURE TO FUND BORDER WALL ADVANCES IN TEXAS HOUSE

More people were encountered by law enforcement while illegally attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico in July than any month in the past 21 years, and those numbers show no sign of declining. As a result, roughly half of the thousands of Border Patrol agents who work on the southern border have been pulled inside to process and take care of migrants in custody, resulting in fewer agents patrolling the border.

Border Patrol agents have been asked to consider going overseas to screen Afghan refugees, which would leave even fewer agents on the southern border. In addition, recently retired Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott warned agents earlier this month that suspected terrorists are crossing at a level we have never seen before.

The CBP official said the upcoming 20th anniversary of 9/11 increases the potential threat of an attack. Kenneth Gray, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent of 24 years who worked in counterterrorism, said 9/11 is the governments big event of the year, in terms of looking out for additional acts of terrorism.

Story continues

The DHS has specific personnel who are regularly reviewing intelligence and tracking people on the terror watch list who are caught trying to enter or are on their way from abroad, according to three-decade Border Patrol agent Ronald Vitiello.

With the current chaos on our [southwest border], we must be concerned that too many agents are tasked with addressing large groups and bringing them into processing/book-in mission and meeting their humanitarian needs versus patrolling and interdicting, Vitiello, former acting CBP deputy commissioner and acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in an email. Agent and officer resources are spread thin. Fewer resources on the line increases the risk that threats to the homeland could enter without our knowledge.

A CBP spokeswoman said its border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States.

In Texas, where more people are being caught crossing illegally than in New Mexico, Arizona, or California, the Department of Public Safety declined to comment on the prospect of terrorists crossing over but did note that state police deployed to the border have arrested more than 600 gang members since March.

One former senior official, who oversaw counterterrorism efforts at the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, was confident the department can track known and suspected terrorists.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"If they were in prison in Afghanistan, we know who they are and have the ability to track travel of known and suspected terrorists. So no, Im not concerned, Elizabeth Neumann, former DHS assistant secretary for threat prevention, wrote in a statement. It doesnt mean we dont have to be vigilant. But our layered defense system is very good and we usually can detect their attempts to come to the US, even via the southern border, well before they reach us."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Immigration, Terrorists, Intelligence, Border Crisis, Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security, Afghanistan, Biden Administration

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli

Original Location: Al Qaeda and ISIS members from Afghanistan could resurface on southern border, experts say
Virus Outbreak South Africa Ivermectin (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A police officer who frequently voiced anti-vaccine sentiments and took horse dewormer in a misguided attempt to stave off the coronavirus has died from Covid-19.

Captain Joe Manning, 57, of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Georgia died on Wednesday due to complications from Covid-19, according to local broadcaster WSAV.

Capt Manning was described as an "integral part" of the area's law enforcement community by Wayne County Sheriff Chuck Moseley.

After his death was announced, Facebook posts in which he voiced anti-vaccine sentiments and promoted the Ivermectin animal dewormer were shared online.

In one post from 14 August, Capt Manning shared the location of a feed shop that carried the animal medication.

"Ok Folks, Wayne Feed and Seed has some liquid and paste Ivermectin, get it while supplies last," he wrote.

Ivermectin is generally used on horses and other animals to rid them of worms. Some forms of Ivermectin are prescribed by doctors for use by humans suffering from parasitic worms or lice.

The US Food and Drug Administration has urged Americans not to use the drug, as it does nothing to prevent the coronavirus and can lead to illnesses in humans.

"Even the levels of ivermectin for approved uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death," the FDA wrote on its website.

The FDA noted that Ivermectin meant for humans is not interchangeable with the version intended for animals.

"You are not a horse. You are not a cow," the FDA posted on Twitter. "Seriously y'all. Stop it."

The drug has exploded in popularity among conservatives and anti-vaccine advocates, who see it as a viable alternative to taking the FDA approved coronavirus vaccines.

Story continues

Fox News personalities including Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity have also promoted the drug to their viewers despite its risks.

You have hydroxychloroquine, which of course got political and totally maligned, ivermectin, vitamin D, zinc  all of its good to take, Ingraham said on her show.

Capt Manning discussed his use of the drug on Facebook and complained when the social media platform disciplined him for posting misinformation.

"I have been censured again in regards to posting an opinion on COVID and being one who hasn't been vaccinated," he wrote in July.

One of his posts included a button that said I am not vaccinated as well as the phrase by choice and thats my right.

Read More

One Afghan familys astonishing escape from Kabul to a new life in America

Biden vows to hunt down Isis as US criticised for giving list to Taliban

Lauren Boebert appears to admit campaign finance issues in resurfaced interview

Women and girls left traumatised in aftermath of Haiti earthquake

From 9/11's ashes, a new world took shape. It did not last.

Taliban success in Afghanistan seen as boost for extremists
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez floated a high minimum number of refugee visas for Afghans fleeing their war-torn homeland  but said it is just a starting point.

The New York Democrat said a minimum of 200,000 visas are needed but quickly added "whatever amount is necessary" should be accommodated.

I believe we need to move, and the administration needs to move as quickly as possible and as expansively as possible, ensuring that we are raising the amount of refugee visas to whatever amount is necessary, she said in an interview.

11 MARINES, NAVY MEDIC AMONG DEAD AS KABUL CASUALTIES CLIMB

CLICK HERE FOR LATEST ON AFGHANISTAN CRISIS

I would say the rock bottom is 200,000, but I think it should be whatever is necessary ... And that needs to be expedited as soon as possible," said the leader of the far-left House bloc dubbed "the Squad."

The congresswoman voted for legislation to increase the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan nationals who worked with NATO or the U.S. government in Afghanistan. The bill passed in the House with only 16 votes against it and will now move to a vote in the Senate.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

House Republicans broadly support visas for Afghans who assisted the U.S. military, as well as their immediate families. Ocasio-Cortez previously expressed support for Afghan refugees fleeing the rule of the Taliban.

"We must waste no time or expense in helping refugees safely and swiftly leave Afghanistan," Ocasio-Cortez said earlier this month. "We must immediately welcome them to the U.S. and provide real support as they rebuild their lives."

Tens of thousands of Afghan allies of America remain stranded in Afghanistan amid the Taliban's swift takeover of the country.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Refugees, Afghanistan

Original Author: Matthew Miller

Original Location: AOC drops 'rock bottom' number for Afghan refugee visas
VIENNA (AP)  A Vienna court has convicted former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption for trying to change laws to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations to his political party.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported Friday that the ex-leader of the far-right Freedom Party received a 15-month suspended prison sentence for accepting two bribes totaling 12,000 euros ($14,100).

Strache, who served as vice chancellor from 2017 to 2019, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He can appeal the verdict.

Strache was the central figure in the fall of a previous Austrian government, a coalition of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservative Austrian Peoples Party and the Freedom Party.

In May 2019, a video emerged showing Strache, the-Freedom Party's leader at the time, offering favors to a purported Russian investor. The recording prompted Kurz to pull the plug on the national government. Strache, who denied any wrongdoing, was later kicked out of the Freedom Party.

Kurz returned to power last year in a new coalition with the environmentalist Greens.
The Wrap

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Dan Crenshaw were among those who falsely declared Tuesday that a video showed Taliban fighters flying an American helicopter and hanging someone from it. The New York Post was duped, too, but wasnt quite as credulous. The Post wrote a story on the man suspended from the helicopter, but noted it was not immediately clear exactly how he is attached or if he is alive. In fact, he was alive. The video was posted from a now-suspended account, but another video of
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in White House talks on Friday that he was putting "diplomacy first" to try to rein in Iran's nuclear program but that if negotiations fail he would be prepared to turn to other unspecified options.

After a one-day delay due to a deadly suicide bombing in Kabul during the chaotic U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan, Biden and Bennett held their first meeting seeking to reset U.S.-Israeli relations and narrow differences over how to deal with Iran's nuclear advances.

Tensions complicated relations between Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to former President Donald Trump, and the last Democratic administration led by Barack Obama, with Biden as his vice president.

But the meeting was eclipsed by Thursdays attack outside Kabul airport that killed at least 92 people, including 13 U.S. service members, confronting Biden with the worst crisis of his young presidency.

The mission there ... is dangerous and now it's come with a significant loss of American personnel, but it's a worthy mission," Biden told reporters after talks with Bennett.

U.S. forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee new Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks, and on Friday night they launched a drone strike against an Islamic State target in eastern Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, both leaders touched on Iran, one of the thorniest issues between them, but mostly they papered over their disagreements.

Biden said they discussed our commitment to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon.

We're putting diplomacy first and we'll see where that takes us. But if diplomacy fails, we're ready to turn to other options, Biden added, without offering specifics. A White House statement issued later said the two also "reviewed steps to deter and contain Irans dangerous regional behavior."

Story continues

Bennett, a far-right politician who ended Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister in June, was expected to press Biden in private to harden his approach to Iran and back out of negotiations aimed at reviving an international nuclear deal with Tehran that Trump abandoned.

U.S.-Iran talks have stalled as Washington awaits the next move by Iran's new hardline president.

"I was happy to hear your clear words that Iran will never be able to acquire a nuclear weapon," Bennett told Biden. "You emphasized that you'll try the diplomatic route but there's other options if that doesn't work out," he added, also stopping short of identifying the possibilities.

MOVING ON FROM NETANYAHU

Bennett has sought to move on from Netanyahus combative public style and instead manage disagreements behind closed doors between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

But he has been just as adamant as Netanyahu was in pledging to do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran, which Israel views as an existential threat, from building a nuclear weapon. Iran consistently denies it is seeking a bomb.

Bennett told reporters that Israel has developed a "comprehensive strategy" to keep Iran away from nuclear breakout and stop its "regional aggression."

Alluding to Israel's threats of military action and the billions of dollars in U.S. military aid it receives, Bennett said: "It's our responsibility to take care of our fate, but we do thank you for the tools  youve been giving us."

The visit gave Biden an opportunity to demonstrate business as usual with a key partner while grappling with the aftermath of the Afghan attack. His handling of the wrapping-up of the U.S. military presence there after 20 years of war has not only hurt his approval ratings at home but also raised questions about his credibility among both friends and foes abroad.

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden and Bennett remain far apart. Biden, according to the White House statement, reiterated support for a two-state solution, after Trump distanced himself from that longstanding tenet of U.S. policy. Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood.

Biden made only a brief reference to the issue in his remarks. But the White House said he "underscored the importance of steps to improve the lives of Palestinians."

Bennett did not mention the Palestinians in his remarks.

The consensus among Biden's aides is that now is not the time to push for a resumption of long-dormant peace talks or major Israeli concessions, which could destabilize Bennett's ideologically diverse coalition.

But Biden's aides say privately they hopes Bennett will make at least make modest gestures to help avoid a recurrence of the Israel-Hamas fighting in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.

Though the White House made no mention of Biden's opposition to further expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land, it said he stressed "the importance of refraining from actions that could exacerbate tensions."

Bennett, 49, the son of American immigrants to Israel, has been a vocal proponent of settlements.

The leaders also discussed "new opportunities" to expand Israel's relations with the Arab world, the White House said, after normalization agreements reached under Trump with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

The delay in the meeting meant that Bennett, an Orthodox Jew who does not travel on the Sabbath, would remain in Washington until after sundown on Saturday.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Farrell in Jerusalem; Editing by Howard Goller)
After a one-day delay due to the Islamic State attack that killed 13 U.S. soldiers and 72 Afghans, Biden and Bennett met to reset the tone of U.S.-Israeli relations and narrow sharp differences over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program.

Tensions complicated relations between Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to former President Donald Trump, and the last Democratic administration led by Barack Obama with Biden as his vice president.

Biden said he and Bennett were discussing "the threat from Iran and our commitment to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon."

We're putting diplomacy first and we'll see where that takes us. But if diplomacy fails, we're ready to turn to other options, Biden added, without offering specifics.
The first NATO summit of President Joe Bidens administration  convened even as the resurgent Taliban encircled Afghan cities, no longer defended by U.S. and coalition forces  was a self-congratulatory affair. Donald Trump was out, and that was enough for the allied representatives to cheer.

There was a real appetite for the nice words ... after the Trump years, a Central European official recalled of the June 14 summit, acknowledging that, in order to satisfy that appetite, political leaders chose to avoid the difficult discussions and especially to avoid talking about Afghanistan in a more critical view.

The wages of contentment were clear two months later, when Taliban militants entered Kabul and U.S. troops returned to the city in a frenzy to secure the airport for one of the largest civilian evacuations in history. More than 82,000 people flew out of the city over the next 11 days, an impressive operation nonetheless haunted by the grim understanding that many Afghans  former U.S. government employees, women, journalists at risk of persecution, even the relatives of American citizens  will have to watch the last plane fly away, and then face the terrorists who barred them from the airport.

The surprise moment that European capitals seem to have suffered is a bit awkward, former NATO chief strategic policy analyst Stefanie Babst, who retired from that post in 2020, told the Washington Examiner. I can only assume that everyone was in the summer mood, on autopilot, [satisfied] by the summit. ... Because NATO would have had time to plan for a more coordinated, less chaotic exit strategy. And this for some reason didn't happen.

That failure has produced one of the most spectacular foreign policy embarrassments the United States has sustained since the fall of Saigon, just months after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Bidens inauguration as a message of hope for allies who felt alienated from Washington during Trumps tenure. European officials, who followed the United States into Afghanistan, are more recriminatory  and doubly outraged to hear Biden argue the collapse of the Afghan military justifies the hasty withdrawal that disadvantaged the beleaguered Afghan forces.

Story continues

To see [the U.S. militarys] commander in chief call into question the courage of men I fought with, to claim that they ran  its shameful, senior British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, said in a parliamentary debate. Those who have never fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have.

That anger is aggravated by disappointment. We expected more empathy, strategy and wisdom from Biden, former British ambassador Tom Fletcher wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner. His messaging targeted Trumps base, not the rest of the world, and not allies, past or (potential) future.

Still, in a two-front public relations war, Biden seems to be having more success in the Indo-Pacific theater, where fear of China has heightened the appeal of cooperation between the U.S. and other regional players. I dont think the larger Indo-Pacific strategy dynamics are negatively impacted because I think the China factor is very, very loud and clear, the Observer Research Foundations Raji Pillai, a former official with Indias National Security Council, told the Washington Examiner. The U.S. has been there for 20 years, and it cant be there forever, and reconstitution of Afghanistans society and economy is not a role to be played by the U.S. military.

That analysis has some traction among European observers, despite their angst about the situation. Its a failure, what has happened; nobody is denying it, former French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud said. The real question is why, actually, they have invested so much in Afghanistan since it was not necessary to spend $200 billion and to wage a 20-year war. Afghanistan is a test case of mission creep.

Arauds observation that Afghanistan is a peripheral element of U.S. grand strategy raises the possibility that the shame of the tactical defeat could pass, like a bad hangover, without doing any fundamental damage to American interests. And yet, the Afghanistan debacle reveals a weakness of Western foreign policy counsels: the tendency to plan for the best and trust that adversaries, unconstrained by Western force, will be persuaded to oblige.

Theres a danger that we arent  across the government, obviously, theres more than one agency involved in all this stuff  that were not actually doing a good job of being truthful about these situations, a U.S. official acknowledged. Were probably the victims of being wealthy and powerful, and we can be a little bit sloppier, because our mistakes just dont quite hurt us as much as we would if we were a lot less powerful.

European officials dont have the same luxury. Already, they are bracing for the prospect of an Afghan refugee crisis that could crest over the next several months. That impending humanitarian crisis will give Russian President Vladimir Putins hybrid war machine an easy opportunity to put pressure on the European Union. Putins embattled client, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, already has ferried thousands of Iraqis into Lithuania and other EU states, to punish the neighboring democracies for supporting Belarusian opposition figures.

How much more damage could they do if millions of Afghans try to make their own escape from the country? They can take [advantage of] it so easily to make an impact in the populations of Central and Eastern Europe, and maybe even Western Europe, the Central European official said. They can use it, use the refugees, as a tool in the information war with Europe. And, it would be quite efficient to harm the unity of Western countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who faces reelection in April, is the most prominent possible casualty of that information war, and he seems determined not to suffer the political injuries that German Chancellor Angela Merkel sustained because of her permissive response to the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis.

We must anticipate and protect ourselves against major irregular migratory flows that would endanger those who use them and feed trafficking of all kinds, Macron said in the early days of the evacuation effort. Europe alone cannot bear the consequences of the current situation.

Anger over Bidens unilateral decisions has sparked a new round of chatter about whether European allies should seek strategic autonomy from the United States  just in time for a new round of debates over the strategic courses that NATO and the European Union must chart in this era of U.S. competition with China. Tugendhat, the senior British lawmaker, voiced his desire to make sure that we are not dependent on a single ally, on the decision of a single leader, in a rare sign that London and Paris share a similar discontentment with U.S. leadership.

That revival of Western European frustration with Washington comes just weeks after Biden disappointed the eastern flank of NATO by acquiescing to the construction of a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. The project is widely perceived as a Kremlin scheme to stop sending natural gas through Ukraine to Western Europe.

A lot of allies look at Bidens moves in Afghanistan and how his administration has undercut Ukraine and connect the dots, said former State Department assistant secretary Wess Mitchell, who led the European and Eurasian Affairs bureau from 2017 to 2019 and played an advisory role for NATO after leaving the Trump administration. If you are a friend of the U.S. in a vulnerable region, you have to be reexamining your assumptions about whether it will have your back in a crisis.

Araud, for his part, maintained that Europeans remain confident that Biden would mobilize against any attack on a NATO member state, in keeping with the collective defense treaty obligation at the heart of the transatlantic alliance, even as Biden seems less willing to play policeman of the world on Europes behalf.

The Europeans are in denial. It is, for them, so costly, and so risky, and so new to have what President Macron has called strategic autonomy, said Araud, the retired French ambassador. Under the protection of the U.S., the Europeans have been able to retreat from history, and to be worried about their social security, and to believe that the world was led by international law and goodwill.

Babst, who wants to see European officials direct their energies into improving NATO cooperation and strategy, likewise doubts that the Western European displeasure with Biden will give rise to any practical steps to rebalance the transatlantic alliance.

The trouble in general with this strategic autonomy is that this is also a hollow concept. ... Europe is still far from having developed a conceptual unified position on what is it that we want to do with regard to our competition, she said. In my country, in Germany, we hardly have something that I would call a strategic culture. Try to find somebody in Berlin to think long-term about China and Russia ... in the [legislative] as well as the executive branch, we have very little appetite for these larger strategic questions.

The combination, in Europe, of strategic atrophy and recent acrimony could lead to a worst-of-all-worlds scenario for American interests. I don't think this will necessarily lead to the Europeans doing more for their own security in the way the United States needs, Mitchell suggested. But unfortunately, it will produce greater distrust toward the United States and probably make it harder for America to elicit allied cooperation in the future.

NATOs evacuation effort might help diffuse some of that distrust. And Biden may find that a little humility could go a long way.

If he is able to admit that this was not the best example of the cooperation, or the joint coordination, there is a much different attitude to the next issues we have to solve together, the Central European official said. I think European politicians can easily get over this.

Assuming thats true, the question remains: What would the transatlantic alliance, in a spirit of renewed camaraderie, do? We need to be more practical and just to follow whats really going on, the Central European official added. We need to discuss broader-term strategy ... and not be [so] optimistic in our predictions.

Joel Gehrke is a foreign affairs reporter for the Washington Examiner.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Europe, European Union, Boris Johnson, NATO, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Military, National Security, China, Russia, Taliban, Joe Biden

Original Author: Joel Gehrke

Original Location: Biden loses Europe's trust
President Joe Biden walks away after speaking about a deadly attack in Kabul that killed at least 13 US service members and dozens of Afghans. Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Biden vowed to hunt down the ISIS-K militants responsible for a terror attack in Kabul.

But the US withdrawal has left him with less resources to pursue the terrorist group.

"Biden has simultaneously empowered terrorists and crippled our ability to watch or neutralize them," one expert said.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

President Biden on Friday vowed to hunt down the ISIS-K terrorists responsible for attacks in Kabul that left 13 US service members dead and injured 18 more, while also killing and wounding dozens of Afghans.

"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down, and make you pay," Biden said.

"We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing," Biden said. "Here's what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win."

Biden said he's asked the US military for options to strike ISIS-K (Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate) assets, leadership, and facilities.

But it's unclear precisely how Biden will make good on this pledge. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has drastically reduced its intelligence and military capabilities in the region. In early July, the US pulled out of Bagram, the largest air base in the country that was largely the hub of the war. Bagram is now under Taliban control. And ISIS-K is decentralized group that largely operates via small cells, making it an elusive target.

"As a result of the hurried nature of our withdrawal and the resulting collapse of the Afghan government, our intelligence network across the country has been decimated - our 'eyes' are largely gone and our 'ears' and severely limited," Charles Lister, a senior fellow and the director of the Syria and counterterrorism programs at the Middle East Institute, told Insider.

"The challenge here is that ISIS-K isn't a territorial entity; it operates as a movement of semi-autonomous cells, each of which is largely unaware of the whereabouts and activities of the other," Lister added. "For the US to effectively identify, track and target such a complex, concealed and small target would require an extensive layered intelligence and military capability - and we gave that up several weeks ago."

Story continues

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

'Beyond the realm of reality now'

White House press secretary Psaki told reporters the administration's approach will not represent prolonging the war.

"What we are talking about here is avenging these deaths from terrorists. We're not talking about sending tens of thousand of troops back for an endless war that we've been fighting for 20 years," Psakis said.

Meanwhile, the US military is maintaining it has the capacity to retaliate.

"We have options there right now that we can ensure the commander has the ability to take action as those opportunities present themselves," US Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor said at the Pentagon on Friday. But Taylor would not go into detail.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

In recent days, the US military said it had AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-15 fighters, AC-130 gunships, and F/A-18 fighters from the USS Ronald Reagan flying over or near Kabul. A strike against ISIS-K could potentially involve these assets.

But there are still open questions as to whether the US can pull off a substantive response.

"We'd have to be exceptionally lucky to get at something meaningful, without otherwise taking substantial risks in exploiting covert operatives on Afghan soil," Lister said. "The dispersed and cellular challenge like ISIS-K requires constant air surveillance and an extensive and ground force effort - and that really is beyond the realm of reality now."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

While defending the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden has repeatedly stated that the US has developed "over-the-horizon" capabilities that will allow it to "keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed."

The president "really ought to be more truthful about what that means right now," Lister said, noting that the "closest US airbase to launch aircraft to Afghanistan is in the Gulf, over 1,000 miles away - meaning it'll take a Reaper drone at least six hours to get to Afghan airspace before being able to conduct a strike."

Larger aircraft offer a faster response rate, Lister said, but would still "rarely be sufficient" if dealing with a "time-sensitive target."

"In choosing to quit Afghanistan in the manner of his choosing, President Biden has simultaneously empowered terrorists and crippled our ability to watch or neutralize them," Lister said.

'Our work is not done in Afghanistan'

Leon Panetta, who served as both the CIA director and defense secretary under the Obama administration, told CNN on Thursday that the "bottom line is that our work is not done in Afghanistan." Panetta suggested the US would have to send troops back in to combat ISIS-K.

"We're going to have to go after ISIS. I'm glad the president said that we're going to hunt them down and make them pay a price for what they did in killing our warriors and we should. We're going to have to go back in to get ISIS," Panetta said. "I understand that we're trying to get our troops out of there, but the bottom line is we can leave a battlefield but we can't leave the war on terrorism which still is a threat to our security."

Biden has consistently defended his move pull US troops from Afghanistan and end the longest war in US history, but he's been the target of bipartisan criticism over his administration's handling of the withdrawal. But there are still those in Washington who continue to back Biden's decision.

"Just think about the epic size of this policy failure. Twenty years of training. More than $2 trillion worth of expenditure. For almost nothing," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the New York Times this week. "It is heartbreaking to watch these images, but it is equally heartbreaking to think about all of the effort, of lives and money we wasted in pursuit of a goal that was illusory."

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal health authorities are discussing shortening the timeline for COVID-19 booster shots to allow additional doses sooner than the eight-month window officials have been targeting, President Joe Biden said on Friday.

For now, the planned timeline remains in place for adults to have another dose of the vaccine eight months after the original inoculation, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a news briefing later on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday said U.S. regulators could approve a third COVID-19 shot of the two-dose Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc-BioNTech AG beginning at least six months after full vaccination.

"The question raised is: should it be shorter than eight months, should it be as little as five months? That's being discussed," Biden told reporters at the White House, adding that he had discussed the issue with his chief medical officer, Dr. Anthony Fauci, earlier on Friday.

Biden said the U.S. booster program was "promising" and on track to start in mid-September, pending regulatory approval.

Top U.S. health officials, in a separate briefing on Friday, said U.S. cases of the coronavirus continue to rise amid the fast-spreading Delta variant. Vaccination rates were also higher, they said.

Deaths and cases were up 11% and 3% respectively over the past seven days nationwide, with hospitalizations up 6% over the past week to an eight-month high, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[L1N2PY1IF]

U.S officials are preparing to offer booster shots for all adults starting on Sept. 20, pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC.

Boosters are already approved for some U.S. patients with compromised immune systems.

Johnson & Johnson, which offers a one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, this week said early data showed a second booster dose increased antibodies against the virus and plans talks with U.S. regulators.

Some scientists and the World Health Organization have cast doubt on the need for an extra shot at this time, but Biden has said he plans to get one.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Susan Heavey; additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Heather Timmons; Editing by Dan Grebler and Rosalba O'Brien)
By Chris Kahn and James Oliphant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Joe Biden is shedding support from independents, a crucial voting bloc that helped Democrats win the White House and Congress last year, as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases slows the country's return to normal from the pandemic, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.

The drop in support comes at a precarious time for the first-year president, whose administration has been under fire for its handling of the pullout of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

On Thursday, more than a dozen U.S. troops and dozens of civilians were killed when suicide bombers struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport.

At home, the COVID-19 pandemic has surged anew, especially in populous Republican-led states such as Florida and Texas that have resisted new restrictions to hamper the spread of the Delta variant of the virus. Despite Biden's push for vaccinations, 39% of U.S. residents have not had even their first shot, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The national opinion poll, conducted Aug. 13-19, found that Bidens net approval among independents dropped by 14 percentage points overall since June, and by 19 points for his handling of the coronavirus. Still, a slim majority of independents - 53% - said they approve of Biden's pandemic response. https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/APPROVAL/lbvgnnzgapq

Independents are turning away from Biden even though most share his concerns about the coronavirus and have consistently joined with Democrats in supporting more preventive measures. https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/APPROVAL/zdpxookrxvx

The August poll found that 66% of independents support mask requirements at restaurants, gyms and on airplanes, while 25% oppose them. Fifty-five percent say vaccines should be required for people who want to go back to the office, while 37% say they should not.

When asked who should be blamed for the resurgence of COVID-19, 47% of independents said unvaccinated people, compared with 12% who blamed Biden.

Story continues

The decline in Biden's popularity is more likely to be a sign of exhaustion with the pandemic than it is about their support for his ideas, said Robert Blendon, a health policy and public opinion expert at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Josh Schwerin, a Democratic strategist who worked for Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, said Biden and Democrats must continue to draw a contrast with their approach and that of Republicans such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has pushed back against mask and vaccine mandates.

"Thousands of Americans are dying as a result," he said.

BROADER EROSION

After largely favoring Biden over Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 election, independents are now evenly split in their support for the president: 46% approve of Bidens performance in office, while 46% disapprove. Two months ago, 52% of independents approved of Biden's overall performance, while 38% disapproved.

The decline is part of a broader erosion in Bidens popularity among all Americans as the president deals with the pandemic and the fallout from Afghanistan. Last week, Reuters/Ipsos polling showed that for the first time in his presidency more Americans disapproved of Biden than approved of him. https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-BIDEN/POLL/nmopagnqapa

Among all Americans, Biden's net approval for the coronavirus dropped by 21 points from June to August: 55% approved of his handling of the virus, down 10 points from June, while 39% disapproved, which was up by 11 points.

His net approval was relatively stable elsewhere - dropping between 3 and 5 points over the same period on the economy, immigration and the environment.

It is far too early to say how much the recent drop in public approval will affect Biden's partys chances of retaining control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. But it does show how closely tied Biden's support is to the coronavirus crisis and how vulnerable he would be politically if the rate of infections does not subside.

Last year in his campaign against Trump, Biden made bringing the pandemic to an end a centerpiece of his message, pledging a return to a degree of normalcy by this summer.

Instead, a wave of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, largely among those who have refused to get vaccinated, has bedeviled his administration.

"(Biden) owns the coronavirus issue now," said Seth Masket, a political scientist at the University of Denver. "A lot of people thought it would be over by now, and instead its back."

Seventeen months into the pandemic, many Americans continue to work from home as employers postpone office reopenings in the face of the Delta variant. Mask wearing is widespread again and there are concerns about a further spike in cases as children return to school.

"It seems like were losing the battle now" with the coronavirus, said Jose Guerra, 62, an independent from Kingsville, Texas, who took the poll.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 4,427 U.S. adults, including 2,033 Democrats, 1,531 Republicans and 527 independents. The findings have a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 2 percentage points for the entire sample and 5 points for independents.

(Reporting by Chris Kahn and James Oliphant; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Peter Cooney)
In the days before the twin explosions rocked the international airport in Kabul and left U.S. service members dead, former President Donald Trump and his associates sought to differentiate their planned withdrawal from Afghanistan from the one being carried out by President Joe Biden.

How dare Biden force our Military to run off the battlefield in Afghanistan and desert what now have become many thousands of American hostages, Trump said in a statement through his political action committee earlier this week. We had Afghanistan and Kabul in perfect control with just 2,500 soldiers and he destroyed it when it was demanded that they flee!

It was part of a series of statements in which Trump hit Biden on Afghanistan and said he would have handled the withdrawal better, complete with forwarding commentary from others calling the Taliban takeover the incumbent presidents Saigon moment. But U.S. deaths, inflicted by ISIS-K, change everything.

ONCE AN AREA OF AGREEMENT, BIDEN AND TRUMP TRADE BLAME ON AFGHANISTAN

Trumps initial public comments on Thursday were restrained, expressing condolences and only indirectly chastising Biden.

This tragedy should never have been allowed to happen," he wrote.

He told Fox News host Sean Hannity later that night, We could have left with dignity.

Both Trump and Biden wanted to get out of Afghanistan  a rare point of agreement between the two during last years contentious campaign. Trump actually sought to have the last troops removed in May, earlier than Biden, and objected to his successors initial choice of Sept. 11  the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that led to the war in the first place  as the withdrawal date.

But as the U.S.-backed government in Kabul fell much earlier than anticipated and the scenes outside the airport grew increasingly chaotic, Trumps criticism intensified.

This Afghanistan Disaster wouldn't have happened with Trump, the former president said. The Taliban knew I would rain down fire and fury if any American personnel or interests were harmed, the likes of which have never been seen. This is a catastrophe of historic proportions.

Story continues

Trump claimed he would have removed the remaining troops after evacuating U.S. citizens and allies and retrieving or destroying U.S. military assets in Afghanistan. He is not alone in that contention.

We always knew that conditions had to be right, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a possible 2024 presidential candidate and a key negotiator of the Trump-Taliban deal, told Fox News. This administration just willy-nilly whipped the military out of there, leaving civilians, equipment, all of those things behind.

Biden and officials in the current administration say that deal tied their hands, leaving them with too few troops to both defend U.S. interests and airlift people out, with no option but to surge additional troops into Afghanistan or complete the drawdown.

I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late, Biden said in an exchange with Fox Newss Peter Doocy on Thursday. But here's the deal: You know  I wish you'd one day say these things  you know as well as I do that the former president made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1.

President Biden mocked President Trump for cutting a deal that kept U.S. forces safe, tweeted former Trump administration official Richard Grenell. Hes been in DC way too long.

Joe Biden ADMITS that Trump's deal resulted in NO DEATHS of American troops for more than a year, tweeted former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

The debate over who lost Afghanistan doesnt just pit two presidents and parties against each other. It speaks to a major division within the Republican Party on foreign policy ahead of the 2024 election.

"Our secretary of state signed a surrender agreement with the Taliban," former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster said of Pompeo in an interview with commentator Bari Weiss. "This collapse goes back to the capitulation agreement of 2020. The Taliban didn't defeat us. We defeated ourselves."

Trump dealt with the Taliban, said Mark Sanford, the former Republican congressman and governor of South Carolina, before bringing up two prominent GOP leaders from his home state. Now that Biden is president, [former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations] Nikki [Haley] is saying its crazy, you shouldnt do it. [Sen.] Lindsey [Graham] came out today and said the president should be impeached.

It hurts them both no matter how hard Trump tries to differentiate himself from Biden on this issue, said one Republican operative. Others mocked Trump for referring to ISIS-K as ISIS-X during his Fox News interview on Thursday night.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

For months, polling has shown deepening bipartisan skepticism about the 20-year war in Afghanistan, which former President Barack Obama, Trump, and Biden had considered ending.

With conditions in Afghanistan deteriorating, Trump  who may yet be a candidate again in 2024  says it didnt have to be this way.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, White House, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Taliban, Foreign Policy, National Security, Campaigns

Original Author: W. James Antle III

Original Location: Biden and Trump battle over what could have been in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden vowed to respond with force to the terrorists who killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans in suicide bombings outside the Kabul airport Thursday.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and at the moment of our choosing.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the martyrdom attack, which killed at least 95 Afghans and wounded more than 100, according to the Associated Press.

Speaking from the White House, Biden said he had ordered his commanders to develop plans to strike assets, leaders and facilities of ISIS-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State, the terrorist group better known as ISIS, who he said had been planning a complex set of attacks on U.S. military personnel in recent days.

Biden also promised to continue evacuation efforts and said his military advisers remained committed to the withdrawal deadline of Tuesday, even though they would work to get people out of the country after the deadline. In the previous 12 hours, Biden said, more than 7,000 people were evacuated.

We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission, he said. We will continue the evacuation.

Two suicide bombers struck a crowded area outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where people were gathered trying to flee the country. One attack occurred at a dense checkpoint where U.S. service members were searching people for bombs and weapons before they boarded flights. The other attack occurred at the nearby Baron Hotel.

In addition to the 13 U.S. service members who were killed, 18 others were wounded. The Defense Department was unable to say how many Afghans were killed or injured.

The Associated Press reported the number was at least 60, with more than 140 Afghans wounded.

Story continues

Members of Bidens national security team learned of the first explosion as they gathered in the Situation Room on Thursday morning for a scheduled meeting with the president. As the situation unraveled, the White House announced that a number of events on Bidens schedule had been postponed, including an in-person meeting with Naftali Bennett, the new prime minister of Israel, as well as a virtual meeting with a group of bipartisan governors who are helping to resettle Afghan evacuees.

Vice President Kamala Harris canceled a trip California to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom, returning instead to Washington.

White House officials said Biden was briefed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff; and commanders on the ground.

Biden had warned in recent days about a growing risk of a terrorist attack and argued for sticking to his deadline to complete the U.S. military withdrawal by Aug. 31. In a speech Tuesday, Biden said: 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.

ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of both the U.S. and the Taliban.

The U.S. Embassy warned Americans on Wednesday to stay away from the Kabul airport and told anyone outside the airport to leave immediately.

Democrats and Republicans have pressured Biden in recent days to extend the evacuation operations past Tuesday out of concern that not all Americans and Afghan allies would be able to get out by the deadline. After a shaky start, the pace of evacuations increased in recent days, with more than 70,000 people having been evacuated since mid-August, according to the White House.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., blamed Biden for allowing the attack to happen, saying in a statement that he has neither the capacity nor the will to lead. He must resign.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that about 1,000 Americans are still in Afghanistan but that not all of them wanted to leave the country.

Biden was criticized for not being better prepared for the withdrawal after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistans capital Aug. 14, abruptly ending the 20-year U.S. effort to restructure the Afghan government and its military.

Biden has maintained that staying longer in Afghanistan would not improve the situation.

When he was in office, then-President Donald Trump negotiated a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. military personnel by May 1 of this year. After he was inaugurated, Biden said the withdrawal would be completed by the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks; he later upped the deadline to Aug. 31.

Biden insisted last month that a Taliban takeover was not inevitable and that the Afghan military was well-equipped and trained to keep the group at bay. I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, he said at the time.

A recent NBC News poll found that just 25 percent of Americans approve of Bidens handling of Afghanistan, while 60 percent disapprove. The poll was conducted Aug. 14-17  before, during and after Kabul, Afghanistans capital city, fell to the Taliban.

CORRECTION (Aug. 26, 2021, 7:35 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated when the Taliban took control of Kabul. It was Aug. 14, not last Sunday.

A version of this story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
A PayDepot Bitcoin ATM machine is pictured in a shop in Union City, New Jersey, US. Photo: Reuters

Cryptocurrencies were broadly higher on Friday but bitcoin remains below the $50,000 (36,462) mark amid mining difficulties.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) hit a three-month high above $50,000 on Monday. It was up 0.7% on Friday morning but was trading at $47,271.

Ethereum (ETH-USD), the second biggest crypto by market cap, ticked up 0.8% to trade at $3,114.

Forbes reported that "mining difficulty", a score that refers to how hard it is for bitcoin miners to find the next block in the blockchain, saw a 13% increase, the second largest of the year.

This comes as miners continue to relocate outside China, which cracked down on bitcoin mining earlier this year. They have moved to places such as North America, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Meanwhile Citigroup (C) has become the latest entrant into the blockchain arena and is considering trading crypto futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Bitcoin ticked up on Friday morning. Chart: Yahoo Finance UK

As per reports, the bank has been cornered into being involved in the digital sector because of surging interest by investors, said Naeem Aslam, chief trading analyst at Ava Trade.

The involvement of Citigroup is significant because it operates on a large scale, operating in nearly 160 countries with more than 200 million customer accounts.

This comes as Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) have also expressed interest in the sector.

The increased adoption of cryptocurrencies by remarkable institutions around the world will continue to support further upside moves," Wael Makarem, senior market strategist at Exness, told Yahoo Finance UK.

But he added that wallet security and crypto taxation remain key concerns for investors.

Watch: What is bitcoin?

Read more: UKs finance watchdog declares Binance is 'not capable of being supervised

Last month the US Senate proposed increasing surveillance over cryptocurrency transactions in a plan that it believes could generate $28bn in tax revenue.

Earlier, Aslam had said mega-investor interest suggests that a bullish rally to record-high prices is on the horizon.

Story continues

Big investors have exposures in excess of $50m and since June have been purchasing digital coins worth almost $10bn.

Meanwhile regulatory scrutiny of the sector continues around the world. Earlier this week the UK's Financial Conduct Authority said the worlds biggest crypto exchange platform is not capable of being supervised.

Watch: What are the risks of investing in cryptocurrency?
U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd stepped forward for the first time Thursday night to publicly identify himself as the officer who fatally shot Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to crawl through a broken window into the House chamber. "I know that day I saved countless lives," Byrd told NBC News anchor Lester Holt, in his first public interview since the Capitol siege. "I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that's my job."

Byrd, a 28-year veteran of the Capitol Police force, walked through the events of Jan. 6, explaining that he repeatedly yelled at the rioters to stop trying to break through the barricaded door to the Speaker's Lobby. "If they get through that door, they're into the House chamber and upon the members of Congress," he said. Babbitt was "posing a threat to the United States House of Representatives," and "you're ultimately hoping that your commands will be complied with, and unfortunately they were not."

Byrd said he has received death threats, some of them racist in nature, after his name bounced around online. "It's disheartening" to hear former President Donald Trump say he believes Babbitt was "murdered," he said, but if Trump "was in the room, or anywhere else and I'm responsible for him, I was prepared to do the same thing for him and his family." "Would you have his back today if you were so assigned?" Holt asked. "I sure would, because it's my job," Byrd said.

The Capitol Police said earlier this week that Byrd, unnamed in the announcement, would face no discipline and his actions had been lawful and likely saved lives. Federal prosecutors said in April that they would not charge him for Babbitt's death.

You may also like

Actor suspected of participating in Capitol attack arrested in California

Pelosi admonishes congressmen who flew to Kabul amid evacuation efforts

CIA director reportedly holds secret meeting with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar
A traveller enters the departure hall at Changi International Airport on 19 August 2021. (PHOTO: AFP via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  Singapore Changi Airport will reopen Terminal 1 (T1) and Terminal 3 (T3) to the public on 1 September, with additional COVID-19 related safeguards in place, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Friday (27 August).

In a joint statement, CAAS and CAG said that more than 80 per cent of the retail and food and beverage (F&B) outlets at T1 and T3 will resume operations.

At the T3 Arrival Hall, parts of the area have been converted into a staff rest area. The F&B and retail outlets located at T3 Arrival Hall will be temporarily closed to the public with this zonal segregation. A dedicated dining area has been set up at T3 Basement 2 next to the Kopitiam food court just for airport staff, to minimise their public interaction.

The air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems at the terminals have also been enhanced given the threat from the more transmissible COVID-19 variants.

Dedicated rest and dining for airport staff at Changi Airport T3. (PHOTO: Changi Airport Group)

The new health safety measures complement the zonal segregation in the transit areas already in place at Changi since May. Only professional meet-and-greet services such as those from hotels and transport services will be able to meet and greet arriving passengers from low-risk countries in the Arrival Halls.

These representatives have to present the passengers flight itinerary to gain entry into the meeting area when the flight has landed. Only one representative is allowed to pick up each arriving passenger group. Other passengers from low-risk countries can pre-arrange their own transport such as taxi services or be picked up by family and friends at the terminals Arrival Pick-up kerbside.

Han Kok Juan, Director-General of the CAAS, said, We are satisfied with the safeguards put in place by Changi Airport Group and the airport community for the reopening of Terminals 1 and 3. As Singapore takes cautious steps to further reopen our borders, we need to ensure that Changi Airport remains a safe airport for travellers coming into and transiting through Singapore, airport workers and the general public.

Story continues

Lee Seow Hiang, CAG CEO, said, With the reopening of Changi Airports terminals to visitors, we continue to work with the authorities and our airport partners to put in place and maintain multiple layers of safety measures.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Friday it strongly condemned the Kabul airport attacks and hoped all parties would take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition, after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people.

China has not received reports of any Chinese nationals being hurt, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Giles Elgood)
BEIJING (Reuters) -A COVID-19 vaccine developed by a unit of China's Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products (Zhifei) showed an 81.76% efficacy rate against COVID-19 cases of any degree of severity in a large, late-stage trial, Zhifei said on Friday.

It marks the first efficacy result from large trials Zhifei has disclosed to the public for the ZF2001 vaccine, which was approved for use in China in March.

However, key details have yet to be provided to allow further review of the data's robustness.

The efficacy readings came from a Phase III clinical trial that recruited 28,500 participants in China, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ecuador, Zhifei said in a filing.

By the date of analysis, the trial recorded 221 COVID-19 patients among participants who completed three doses of either the vaccine or placebo, Zhifei said, without providing details on the cases.

The vaccine showed a 100% efficacy rate against severe cases and death in the trial, according to the filing, which does not specify the number of deaths or severe cases observed in the trial.

Zhifei said preliminary analysis showed the shot was 77.54% effective against the highly transmissible delta variant. It did not specify how many cases in the trial contracted the variant.

(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan WooEditing by Jason Neely and Peter Graff)
If you're worried about the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, or the possibility of yet another surge, then you're probably thinking about canceling your next vacation. And you might be wondering: How do the professionals call the whole thing off?

It turns out travel advisers have learned a new set of skills during the pandemic, at least when it comes to canceling a trip. And it's not just how they cancel but when. Along the way, they've also picked up some insights into how to ensure a trip is cancelable in the first place.

 International travel restrictions: What to do before your next trip

Stay off the phone

Here's one trick the pros learned after COVID-19: Never call to cancel a trip. If you tried, then you already know what happens. A cheerful voice announces that the next available representative will assist you ... in six hours. I've even heard from travelers who had to wait up to half a day to talk to someone.

Travel professionals say it's better to cancel online or by email. It's fast and you'll receive a confirmation by email, which is essential to ensure that the cancellation has been processed. Otherwise, I hope you're patient.

 'Current hold time is eight hours and 31 minutes': Travelers face frustrating waits to reach airlines

Read the terms and conditions

"The best way to cancel an already booked trip is to check the terms and conditions and read the fine print for penalties," says Matthew Kondrup, president of Matty K Travel Group, a travel agency in Wantagh, New York.

He says while many companies are accommodating when a traveler has to cancel a trip because they have COVID-19 or another illness, they're less understanding when your reason for canceling is because you're nervous about traveling. You'll find out about your rights to cancel in the fine print of your purchased policy.

Know your rights

If you cancel planned travel, you normally have to pay some kind of penalty. But if the company cancels your trip, you may be entitled to a full  and fast  refund. A lot of people don't know this and accept a credit when an airline or cruise line cancels.

Story continues

"Most Americans aren't aware that they can usually get a refund when an airline cancels," says Kunal Sawhney, CEO of the Kalkine Group. Your rights to a refund are spelled out in the airline's contract of carriage or the cruise line's ticket contract. It's definitely worth reading before you try to cancel.

 Canceling or postponing a flight due to COVID-19 delta variant? What to know about airline ticket policies

 How to get a refund instead of a credit: You're entitled to one if your flight was canceled

Review the COVID-19 loopholes

Many companies have made special allowances for COVID-19-related cancellations. The terms are often prominently displayed on their websites, so you can't miss them. Just in case you do, they're also spelled out in your terms.

Many suppliers will allow cancellations, refunds and credits in the event of a COVID-19 complication, says Shelley Ewing, president of TierOne Travel.

For example, tour operator G Adventures has a Book with Confidence policy that lets you cancel and rebook a tour up to just 14 days prior to your departure date. If you test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of departure, it offers even more flexible rebooking terms.

 Shopping for flights? Change fees and other pre-pandemic penalties are back or returning soon on cheapest tickets

Call your travel insurance company

Your travel protection should cover any part of your vacation that the airline, cruise line, or tour operator won't refund. I always recommend that my clients purchase a good travel insurance policy to minimize the financial hit of travel cancellations, says Toni Gault, a travel adviser with Cruise Planners.

Look for a policy that not only pays for your nonrefundable expenses but also offers coverage for medical assistance and air ambulance transport back to your home. You might have to buy separate a separate policy for the assistance and transport, but at upwards of $200,000, the cost can be staggering if you don't have coverage. After you book your trip, you only have a limited time to get insurance that will offer the full coverage benefits you need.

Look for a "cancel for any reason" travel insurance policy that not only pays for your nonrefundable expenses but also offers coverage for medical assistance and air ambulance transport back to your home. You may have to pay a supplement for that but it's worth it.

Think before you cancel your trip

But wait. Do you really need to call off your trip? I talked to Chris Mattmann, a frequent traveler who works for NASA in Pasadena, California. He recently flew to Boston for a combination business-leisure trip. He considered canceling in the wake of the delta surge but decided against it.

I'm fully vaccinated, and I believe that the vaccines are safe, and prevent severe disease and hospitalization, he says. My advice is that you have to measure the risk against that of other activities that you would always engage in.

 Is it safe to travel? Some may be better off canceling plans during COVID-19 surge, experts say

How to make your trip easier to cancel

Cheaper = less cancelable. "Look carefully," advises Carolyn Paddock, founder and CEO of the luxury travel advisory service In-Flight Insider. "Sometimes it's not abundantly obvious that lower rates may be for the nonrefundable or partially refundable rooms." But they are. "Basic" or "bare" fares can come with so many restrictions that making a change is impractical. Travelers have to throw the tickets away and start over.

Timing is everything. "One of the best ways to make a vacation more cancel-friendly is to book your travel insurance at the same time you make the first payment toward the trip," says Tim Dodge, vice president of marketing for Arch Insurance. If you wait too long, you could miss your opportunity to have maximum trip coverage. Travel insurance companies usually require you to buy the policy within 10 to 21 days of your booking to get all the coverage.

Consider a "cancel for any reason" travel insurance policy. It's pricey  usually between 10% and 12% of the value of your trip. "With 'cancel for any reason,' travelers are not limited to canceling for the reasons listed by the insurance provider," explains Jeremy Murchland, president of Seven Corners. "Instead, they are given the opportunity to cancel a trip for any reason they choose  including fear of being exposed to COVID-19 and its variants."

 Travel insurance: What it covers for coronavirus  and what it doesn't

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't The views and opinions expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trip cancellation: Tips for getting out of your vacation
Demand has soared in recent weeks for monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 infections.

Why it matters: Monoclonal antibodies  the treatment then-President Trump received when he got COVID  had a slow initial uptake, but are now gaining ground in the pandemic's fourth wave.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Driving the news: A handful of states with low vaccination rates and little willingness to take other safety precautions are leading the charge to make these treatments more available.

Texas and Florida have recently opened state-funded infusion sites.

By the numbers: Since mid-July, delivery of the antibody cocktail made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals jumped from about 25,000 doses per week to 125,000 doses per week  with about half shipped to Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, a company spokeswoman told Kaiser Health News.

Details: The treatments significantly reduce the risk of severe infection in people who have contracted COVID-19. They're most effective within about a week of infection, Brandon Webb, an infectious diseases physician at Intermountain Healthcare told Axios.

A real-world analysis published this month in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found high-risk patients treated with monoclonal antibody infusions were 31% less likely to need emergency care or hospital admission.

That translates into preventing one hospitalization for every eight patients treated, Webb said. "That's where you get the most bang for your buck," he said.

Yes, but: Monoclonal antibodies are resource-intensive and are no substitute for a vaccine, experts warn.

"The vaccines serve as the best and first line of defense. The vaccines are the way to keep from getting infected in the first place and a more effective way of, if infections do happen, being far less likely to end up in a hospital," Dan Roth, chief clinical officer of Trinity Health System told Axios.

"Monoclonal antibodies should serve as a second line of defense," he said.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
A Florida judge on Friday knocked down the state's order banning local school boards from implementing mask mandates, saying the sweeping action from Tallahassee doesn't "pass constitutional muster."

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper's decision followed a four-day trial, which was held online as the state struggles to contain the spread of Covid-19.

School districts have the right to set policies, like mask mandates, as long as they have compelling state interest and have a narrowly tailored plan of action, according to Cooper.

The judge made clear that he was not ruling against Gov. Ron DeSantis, but taking action to bar state agencies from enforcing the governor's blanket order against local mask mandates, which tramples on Floridas separation of powers statutes.

The actions of the defendants [DeSantis] do not pass constitutional muster, Cooper said. They seek to deprive the school boards in advance.

Still, Friday's ruling was a blow to the Republican governor and his education commissioner, who have threatened to withhold funding from school districts that went against the ban.

Jared Ochs, director of communications for the state's Department of Education, said the administration is "immensely disappointed" by Cooper's ruling.

"This decision conflicts with basic and established rights of parents to make private health care and education decisions for children," Ochs said in a statement. "We will continue to fight to make sure every child has access to education. We are committed to the fundamental rights of parents and will push forward on appeal to ensure that this foundation of democracy is upheld."

The governor's office attacked Cooper, saying his "ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts  frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented."

"Its not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parents rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians," Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, said in a statement.

Story continues

The state plans to appeal.

"We will continue to defend the law and parents rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case," Fenske added.

In July, DeSantis barred local school districts from requiring students to wear masks even as the nation, and especially the state of Florida, fights a resurgence of the coronavirus.

Opponents have said DeSantis' actions endanger children by not letting local officials follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that children be masked at school.

The governor's team argued that parents should have the final say on masks and that there's no clear evidence masks prevent Covid-19 spread.

In his ruling against the sweeping state policy, Cooper said public schools regularly enforce mandates much more intrusive than just face masks.

The judge recalled how he couldnt immediately enter Florida State University in 1968 because he hadnt yet been vaccinated against smallpox.

He even remembered the name of the doctor who administered the shot and where the inoculation happened, which allowed him to attend college.

"Schools can adopt policy dealing with health and education," Cooper said. "And to the extent they may affect a parent's right to control their children's education or health, then its incumbent on the school board, if challenged in that policy, to demonstrate its reasonableness."

The judge asked both sides to craft a proposed order by Monday, based on his findings, that he'd use to issue a final ruling.
Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Felipe Martinez began working full-time as an Uber driver in the Boston, Massachusetts, area in late 2017. He enjoyed the flexibility, being able to work nights while spending days with his children and focusing on his family, but then Uber began unilaterally implementing changes that he says progressively worsened over time.

You start thinking theyre just glitches on the app, said Martinez, 51, who cited changes such as not being given the rides closest to you, and the removal of unlimited destination filters  which give drivers more ability to set their routes. Little by little, they started changing the unlimited destination filters and saying that people were abusing them.

Now Martinez and others in Massachusetts are at the forefront of the latest battle between the giants of the gig economy, determined to protect their working practices, and the state and workers who claim the gig economy is rigged against them.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and a coalition of other gig companies and business groups in Massachusetts are fighting a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts attorney genera,l Maura Healey, who is seeking to classify gig workers as employees under Massachusetts law and end what she calls the companies unfair and exploitative practices.

The companies filed a ballot proposal earlier this month to preserve their independent contractor business model and are gearing up for a long, expensive fight.

But the workers too are organizing to take on the companies they say expect them to work like employees but refuse to give them the benefits of that status.

Martinez said Uber and Lyft drivers were galvanized by a 2018 pay cut just weeks before Christmas that cut mileage rates for drivers. Martinez helped form the Boston Independent Drivers Guild in response, where he still serves as a board member.

I love talking to people. I love meeting people. Im a people person. Ive loved it. I just dont like being treated like crap, he said. They cant keep treating drivers and gig workers like this with no accountability for the people who are making them the money. Without drivers, there is no Uber.

Story continues

The pandemic exposed how untenable the business model of gig companies is, Martinez argued. When the Covid-19 shutdowns began in March 2020, the CEO of Uber had to lobby the White House to create special unemployment benefits for gig workers.

Its the algorithm thats giving you the jobs. Its not a manager, its a system, Martinez said. This is what the people dont understand. They put these metrics in the system to abuse the drivers.

Gig companies have been lobbying for laws to codify the classification of their workforce as independent contractors around the US, with Massachusetts the latest battleground as the companies try to push through a bill in the Massachusetts legislature introduced earlier this year. Organized rideshare drivers countered by introducing their own bill to the Massachusetts legislature, a bill of rights for rideshare drivers.

Without the ballot measure or a legislative solution, the future of app-based rideshare and delivery could be in jeopardy, said a spokesperson for the gig-company backed Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work in a press release on the ballot proposal. A pending lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General is attempting to force app-based drivers into becoming employees, an outcome that drivers have overwhelmingly rejected.

The new ballot initiative would determine employment status for more than 200,000 gig workers in Massachusetts. If the proposal is certified by the attorney general, the coalition can begin collecting signatures to be placed on the November 2022 ballot.

Mike Firestone, director of the Coalition to Protect Workers Rights, a group of workers and labor groups opposing the ballot proposal, has formally accused the coalition of gig companies supporting the ballot amendment of violating campaign finance laws in failing to report expenditures leading up to filing for the ballot  a claim the Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work has disputed.

They have millions of workers all over the country, but somehow no employees. Every day we learn more about the ways in which these companies exert tremendous control over their workers, said Firestone.

The gig companies proposed ballot initiative is similar to Proposition 22 in California, which passed in November 2020 with more than 58% of voters in favor. That ballot exempted gig workers from being classified as employees, but offered some benefits, including a health insurance stipend and minimum pay requirements. Ahead of the ballot vote, Uber and Lyft threatened to shut down apps statewide. On 20 August, a California Superior Court judge ruled Prop 22 was unconstitutional, as legal battles over the ballot amendment continue in California.

Workers and labor groups who publicly opposed Prop 22 have pointed out the impact of the ballot amendment for gig workers in California. Gig companies publicly claimed that classifying their workers as employees would drive up prices for consumers, but both Lyft and Uber raised passenger fares shortly after Prop 22 was passed. Uber also rolled back benefits on the app for drivers that were enabled leading up to Prop 22, including options to reject rides to unwanted destinations, and also cut pay rates.

The coalition of gig companies supporting Prop 22 spent more than $220m campaigning in favor of it, making it the most expensive ballot measure in the history of California.

Gig company executives responded to the ballots success by expressing intent to pursue similar laws across the US and in a recent earnings call with investors, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi affirmed support for the Massachusetts ballot initiative.

Flexibility has been a focal point on both sides of the Massachusetts ballot campaign, with gig companies claiming that classifying their workers as independent contractors  with some benefits such as a minimum wage pay floor, health insurance stipends and expense reimbursement  is the only way to preserve flexibility for their workforce.

Under our laws, drivers in Massachusetts can have both flexibility and the rights and benefits of employment status, attorney general Healey said in a statement responding to a courts decision to reject a request by Uber and Lyft to dismiss the lawsuit in March 2021.

But for Stephen Levine, a driver for Uber, Lyft and other gig companies in the Boston area since 2015, flexibility is a misnomer. He dismissed gig company claims that drivers are independent contractors and cited the restrictions placed on drivers as proof that the company  not the worker  is really in control.

Youre not a real independent contractor. You have no real control when it comes to doing this type of work, said Levine. When theres a ride request, only the rider sees the information of the ride cost and trip details. The driver doesnt know anything, just how far away the rider is and how much time its going to take to pick up. I dont know what they paid or what I will make for that ride until I pick you up and see where youre going, then think to myself, damnit, I wish I didnt take this trip because Im not going to make anything on it. Im going to lose money.






Nvidia first announced its intention to snap up Arm from Japanese investment fund SoftBank in September last year. Photo: Reuters/Robert Galbraith

The European Union is set to launch a formal investigation into Nvidias (NVDA) $54bn (39bn) takeover of British technology company Arm amid competition concerns.

The probe is expected to open in early September after the US chipmaker officially notifies the European Commission of its plan, it has been reported.

The submission is likely to occur in the week starting 6 September, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the matter.

This transaction will be beneficial to Arm, its licensees, competition and the industry. We are working through the regulatory process and we look forward to engaging with the European Commission to explain the transaction and address any concerns they may have, Nvidia said.

In June sources told Reuters that Nvidia may not be able to meet a March 2022 deadline for closing its deal due to European regulators reluctance to consider the case until after the summer holidays.

The UKs Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has previously said the deal could stifle innovation across a number of markets and that there were serious competition concerns.

The regulator said the move could grant Nvidia power to hurt its rivals by limiting their access to Arms technology, as well as leading to an increase in its prices or a reduction in the quality of its services.

Read more: Boris Johnson urged to intervene on Nvidia's $40bn Arm takeover

Nvidia first announced its intention to snap up Arm from Japanese investment fund SoftBank (SFTBF) in September last year. The acquisition is one of the largest ever in the technology sector and the biggest on record of a British tech company.

However, it has already faced a number of challenges, including from Americas Federal Trade Commission, and from Hermann Hauser and Tudor Brown, cofounders of Arm, who have been outspoken critics of the sale to Nvidia.

Hauser has previously said that he and many others were concerned that the UK would lose jobs and influence and argued Arms business model would be compromised.

Story continues

Surrendering the UKs most powerful trade weapon to the US is making Britain a US vassal state, Hauser wrote in an open letter last year.

Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Qualcomm (QCOM) have also raised concerns about the deal.

Cambridge-based Arm is a major global player in the semiconductor industry. Its technology is at the heart of most smartphones and smart devices worldwide  it licenses its tech to the likes of Apple (AAPL), Samsung (005930.KS) and Huawei.

Semiconductors are fundamental to current and future technologies  from artificial intelligence and quantum computing to 5G. Semiconductors also underpin the UKs critical national infrastructure and are found in defence and national security related technologies.

Watch: Nvidia reverses higher after earnings
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty

Joe Bidens last-ditch hopes of grasping some shred of victory from the jaws of defeat exploded outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, when two suicide bombers killed at least 13 American Marines and dozens of Afghan civilians.

After enduring more than a week of blistering media criticism, Bidens hopes to recast his disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal hung perilously on a simple four-part strategy: Project calmness, extract Americans without suffering casualties, weather the storm for a few weeks, and allow the public and the newscycle cycle to move on.

And as recently as Thursday morning, the media narrative was slowly shifting from the fall of Kabul to the story of a daring and competent rescue. Biden defenders were touting the evacuations (generally noting people evacuated, not Americans or Afghan interpreters), pushing the (no-longer-operative) talking point that no Americans have died, and criticizing the medias over the top coverage. For a minute there, the goal to shift the historical template from Saigon and the Iran hostage crisis to Dunkirk and the Berlin airlift seemed like it was starting to take root.

Not after Thursday morning at the airports Abbey Gate.

In what may turn out to be the coup de grace for our misadventure in the graveyard of empires, Biden, like America, looks old, weak, and humiliated.

Meanwhile, critics of the withdrawal look prescient. Just as warnings that a U.S. exit would lead to a Taliban takeover almost immediately proved prophetic, so too with the warnings that a U.S. withdrawal would create a safe haven for terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Already rushing to get out of Dodge ahead of a self-imposed but Taliban enforced Aug. 31 deadline, this suicide attack looks likely to force Biden to further expedite his already-hurried evacuation. One week ago, Biden said that any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with a swift and forceful response. In response to a question on Thursday, Biden pledged, We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. Well see. He suggested that the lethal attackand more that may comewas an inevitable part of any withdrawal, which is certainly not what he was saying even weeks ago.

Story continues

And he says that, even with only one gate into the airport remaining open, our evacuation will continue apace. Again, well see. During a Thursday press conference, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, pledged numerous times that this attack will not deter us from accomplishing our mission, which, ironically, is to retreat. Later, on Thursday, Biden also made that point, saying, We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation. He didnt mention that only one gate into the airport remained open after the attack, with security outside of the gate in the hands of the Taliban.

The bombing will presumably only accelerate efforts to complete the mission as scheduled, which, in turn, increases the odds that some American citizensand many Special Immigrant Visa holderswill be left behind.

Bidens Blustering His Way Into a Moral and Political Disaster

ISISs local affiliate took credit for the attack, and you have to figure that whoevers willing to launch a terror attack on American citizens and allies before we leave will have even less incentive for good behavior towards our citizens and allies after were gone. The same goes for the Taliban, no matter their P.R. about being kinder, gentler fundamentalists this time around and facilitating our evacuation. There are more atrocities to come in Afghanistan and, surely, someone is planning for atrocities in America.

It was just a month ago that Biden was claiming that a Taliban takeover was anything but inevitablea claim that quickly fell apart. Then about a week ago, Biden and his team launched a furious messaging counterattack, insisting the chaos was always inevitable.

Im left wondering: Were these suicide bombings just part of the inevitable chaos that comes with the territory? To be honest, Biden might not be surprised by the way this has metastasized, based on his track record. I did the Iraq thing, he boasted in 2016, talking about the withdrawal from Iraq he backed on President Obamas watch that led to the rise of ISIS. (He was still bragging about that withdrawal in 2019.)

Now hes doing the Afghanistan thing.

And this time, President Biden is the decider. And hes past the point of saving face and rapidly reaching the point of no return. How can he be expected to rescue anyone else when his presidency is already crashing?

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!

Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
This article first appeared on Simply Wall St News.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) roared back to life in 2021, reaching levels not seen in 5-years. Since then, the stock has pulled back around the key level of US$13.

With new models like F150 Lightning behind the corner and strategic investments like Rivian that are about to IPO, this situation mandates re-examination of the company's prospects.

Latest Developments

The company is sticking with the plan to shift the business model to order-and-deliver from the traditional dealership concept. The goal is to allow for higher customization while reducing inventory costs and maintaining leaner production. While this has been a standard way of operation in Europe, Americans still prefer the instant gratification of shopping at dealerships.

Meanwhile, the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage is causing prolonged production shutdowns across the automotive sector. Ford reported that the Kansas City plant responsible for manufacturing the F-150 will continue its shutdown, while the other one in Dearborn will operate in only one shift.

However, the F-150 Lightning production target is now doubled to 80,000, based on the strong demand ahead of the launch.

Finally, Rivian is reportedly filled an IPO with a launch target around Thanksgiving, pending SEC approval. The electric vehicle startup is looking at a staggering valuation of around US$80b  a massive jump over a valuation of US$27.6b, at which it raised funds earlier this year. Ford was an early investor in Rivian, with US$500m invested back in 2019.

See our latest analysis for Ford Motor

What's the opportunity in Ford Motor?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to price multiple models, where we compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average.

We look at the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because there's not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stock's ratio of 15.02x is currently trading in line with its industry peers' ratio, which means if you buy Ford Motor today, you'd be paying a relatively reasonable price for it.

Story continues

Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Ford Motor's beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the company's shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity.

What does the future of Ford Motor look like?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you're 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 let's also look at the company's future expectations.

Ford Motor's earnings over the next few years are expected to double, indicating a very optimistic future ahead. This should lead to stronger cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? F's optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors that we haven't considered today, such as the company's financial strength. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at F? Should the price drop below the industry PE ratio, will you have enough confidence to invest in the company?

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on F, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for F, which means it's worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet to take advantage of the next price drop.

In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Ford Motor you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Ford Motor, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with high growth potential.

Simply Wall St analyst Stjepan Kalinic and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
A request from the Jan. 6 select committee for Trump White House records may seem like something that President Biden will easily green-light, but the reality is that the inquiry poses a challenge for his administration.

I do think the Biden administration will be a little more protective than people expect, said Jonathan David Shaub, a former Justice Department attorney who worked in the Office of Legal Counsel  which handles issues like executive privilege  during the Obama administration.

Bidens White House will need to balance the desire for information about the insurrection with the instinct to protect itself and future presidential administrations from record requests.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the Jan. 6 select committee, speaks after a committee hearing on July 27. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

The Jan. 6 committee issued sweeping demands this week for records from the former Trump administration. And on Thursday the former president said he would seek to block the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) from releasing phone records, memos and other documents that would shed light on what happened inside the White House leading up to and on the day of the Capitol riot.

Only the current president can actually block the release of presidential records through claiming executive privilege, and so the first step in response to the committee's request is to see if the Biden administration cooperates. If it does, Trump could sue in federal court and ask a judge to block NARA from releasing the records.

But for the Biden White House, its more complicated than simply saying yes or no to the committee.

The Biden administration is going to have a lot of very hard conversations about this issue. When I read these requests, they are extraordinarily broad, said Shaub, who is now a law professor at the University of Kentucky. These are things the executive branch has protected traditionally as much as they can. I do think they will be wary of setting a precedent.

The concern for the Biden White House is that if it simply accepts the request and gives the archives the green light to turn over everything requested, it would open itself and all future administrations to similar requests from Congress, even if there is a much less credible reason for the demand.

Story continues

Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

For example, if Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterm elections, they could conceivably set up their own select committee to investigate the Biden White House, choosing to focus on the Afghanistan withdrawal or anything else. They could point to the release of records to the Jan. 6 committee as a reason they should have access to the internal records they want.

Shaub said he thought the most likely scenario is that the Biden White House will meet with the committee and say, What do you need? What's most important to you? We'll give you what we can. We'll give you a briefing on some things that might be very sensitive types of internal communications that the executive branch never turns over.

I think they'll try to work out some compromises and then say that this Jan. 6 commission  because it involves the security of elections and the attack on the Capitol  is on the level of the assassination of JFK and 9/11, so we're going to give you more than what we usually would, but it's not a change in executive branch procedure, Shaub said.

Kate Shaw, a former White House lawyer in the Obama administration, said she did not think it would be hard for the Biden administration to find this middle way.

I think that the Biden administration can cooperate quite extensively without setting a precedent that they will have a hard time living with, Shaw told Yahoo News. These are such extraordinary events ... they can be pretty open with the committee and provide broad access and make clear they are doing so under extraordinary circumstances.

President Biden speaking in the White House on Aug. 20. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In fact, the Biden administration has already navigated these crosscurrents. On July 26, the Justice Department gave authorization to six former DOJ officials who served under Trump to provide unrestricted testimony to investigations by the House Oversight Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee of whether Trump oversaw an attempt to use the Justice Department to overturn the 2020 election results.

The Department has a longstanding policy of closely protecting the confidentiality of decision-making communications among senior Department officials. Indeed, the Department generally does not disclose documents relating to such internal deliberations, wrote Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer in a letter that went out to the six former Trump officials.

For decades and across administrations, however, the Department has sought to balance the Executive Branchs confidentiality interests with Congress's legitimate need to gather information. The extraordinary events in this matter constitute exceptional circumstances warranting an accommodation to Congress in this case, the letter stated.

It is the Executive Branchs view that this presents an exceptional situation in which the congressional need for information outweighs the Executive Branchs interest in maintaining confidentiality.

Weinsheimers letter also noted that Trumps attorneys had requested that Biden invoke executive privilege to block the six officials from giving testimony to Congress, but that Biden had rejected this request.

Former President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a rally in Cullman, Ala., on Aug. 21. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Biden has decided that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege with respect to communications with former President Trump and his advisors and staff on matters related to the scope of the Committees proposed interviews, notwithstanding the view of former President Trump's counsel that executive privilege should be asserted to prevent testimony regarding these communications, Weinsheimer wrote.

On July 30, the House Oversight Committee released handwritten notes, taken by then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, purporting to show that on Dec. 27, 2020, Trump told then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Just say that the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.

A unique aspect of the executive privilege issue is that there is not a lot of legal precedent. Because so few disputes make it to court and most have been eventually resolved through compromise, legal scholars have not focused as much on the constitutional dispute between the branches in the context of oversight as they have in other disputed areas, such as war powers, Shaub wrote in an essay for Lawfare in 2019.

But Trumps most likely plan of action will be to use the courts to drag the process out past the 2022 midterm elections, in hopes that Republicans retake control of the House and disband the [Jan. 6] committee, Shaub said.

The rationale behind filing the suit is probably to delay everything, he said.

____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Fred Salter

GoFundMe Fred Salter

A Florida man who was enjoying a day at the beach kitesurfing has tragically died after authorities say a gust of wind sent him flying into the side of a home.

Fred Salter, 61, of Fort Lauderdale, was identified as the victim in Wednesday's fatal accident, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan told CNN that the incident occurred in the city around 10 a.m.

Fire rescue crews were called to the scene after receiving reports that a man who was kitesurfing "had flown into the side of a residence," Gollan explained to the outlet.

Kitesurfing, also called kiteboarding, is a wind-powered sport where a person holds a kite and uses the wind to be pulled on water, according to Surfer Today. The activity combines elements of wakeboarding, surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, paragliding, and skateboarding, and is sometimes performed on land, per the outlet.

Fred Salter

Facebook Fred Salter

RELATED: Spanish Surfer Oscar Serra, 22, Dies in Surfing Accident: 'There Are No Words'

After first responders arrived, they found Salter's orange kite tangled in the home's balcony and his board on the sand at the nearby beach  both of which were captured in photos and provided to PEOPLE by the fire chief.

Gollan told CNN that a bystander at the scene told officials that the man was on the beach when he went flying in the air and struck the north side of the home.

Gollan noted to CNN that crews had "experienced heavy winds and a strong thunderstorm," which moved quickly into the area during that time.

Salter was transported to a hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries around 1 p.m., Gollan confirmed to CNN.

Kite Surfer Dies After Flying into the Side of a Florida House

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan The kite in the Florida home

Kite Surfer Dies After Flying into the Side of a Florida House

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan The board that was on the sand

Speaking to PEOPLE, he adds, "This type of accident is definitely not common and the last time we experienced a kiteboarding accident was about 10 years ago."

Story continues

In the wake of Salter's death, several of his loved ones have expressed their shock and sadness on social media.

A GoFundMe page that was started on Thursday to assist Salter's family with funeral expenses stated that he was a father to four children and a grandfather to two grandchildren.

"Fred Salter, tragically passed away yesterday doing what he loved most," the page reads. "After beating cancer, Fred never took life for granted and lived each moment to its fullest."

RELATED VIDEO: Teen Pro Surfer Dies Trying to Catch a Wave in Barbados During Hurricane Irma

"If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Fred, you would know how kind and loving he was. He valued his family and enormous group of friends more than anything," the page continues. "Fred was the center of his children's universe and now they are left with the unknown."

On Facebook, one user wrote, "The community is still shocked, in disbelief, and saddened... [Salter] is a one of a kind & a good man to all!"

"One of my best buds gone. I'm [at loss] for words... We did everything together," added another user, before writing in a separate post: "Please help out Freddy's family. He would do it for you, that's the person he was."

As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe page has raised $995. Those interested in donating can do so here.
The Guardian

Staff defending building and equipment turned to repurposed water cannons as huge Caldor fire approached A snow blower sprays water at the Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort during the Caldor fire. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images As the flames of Californias Caldor fire approached a popular Lake Tahoe-area ski resort, staff used every tool they could to protect the property, including snowmaking equipment. Staff at Sierra-at-Tahoe spent days preparing to defend the 2,000-acre resort west of South
(Bloomberg) --

Hospitals in the U.S. Southeast are running low on oxygen, with the worst-hit left only 12 to 24 hours worth, said Premier Inc., a hospital-supply purchasing group.

All NBA referees must be vaccinated for the season that begins in October, the National Basketball Association said on Saturday.

Protests were held in France and Germany against virus measures. Japan is investigating the deaths of two people administered Moderna Inc.s shots from vaccine batches that have since been suspended.

Key Developments:

Global Tracker: Cases top 215.8 million; deaths pass 4.4 millionVaccine Tracker: More than 5.17 billion doses administeredVaccine holdouts in N.Y. persuaded by FDA approval, mandatesThe worst places to be as delta spreads are in Southeast AsiaSpaceX, ULA see launch risk from low oxygen supply amid pandemicAntibodies waning? The immune system has a backup plan for that

Refrigerated Morgues Dispatched to Central Florida (3:42 p.m. NY)

Hospitals in central Florida have been sent 14 refrigerated portable morgues to handle a high number of deaths, the Orlando Sentinel reported on Friday.

The number of deaths right now is unprecedented, said Lynne Drawdy, executive director of the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, the newspaper reported.

On Friday, Florida reported 1,727 weekly deaths, the most since the state has been issuing the reports.

Hospitals in U.S. South Run Low on Oxygen (2:58 a.m. NY)

Hospitals in the U.S. Southeast are running low on oxygen, with the worst-hit left only 12 to 24 hours worth, said Premier Inc., a hospital-supply purchasing group.

This comes amid the regions struggle over the summer with high numbers of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Now Hurricane Ida is set to hit the Gulf Coast in the coming days.

Premier has notified the White House, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Health and Human Services department about the scarcity of oxygen in the region, said Blair Childs, Premiers senior vice president of public affairs. There is so much more demand for oxygen than there ever has been, Childs said.

Story continues

Canada Suspends Morocco Flights (2:56 p.m. NY)

Canada is suspending direct flights from Morocco for 30 days due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in travelers arriving from the North African country, according to a Transport Canada press release.

The flight ban will go into effect as of Aug. 29 and will remain in place until Sept. 29.

NBA Referees Mandated to Get Vaccines (1:57 p.m. NY)

All NBA referees must be vaccinated for the season that begins in October, the National Basketball Association said in a statement on Saturday. The mandate came as part of an agreement with the National Basketball Referees Association, in which referees must be fully vaccinated and receive recommended boosters.

On Friday, the NBA told teams that all personnel with with proximity to players and referees must also be vaccinated. That requirement included coaches, medical staff, security and front office personnel.

Players are not required to be vaccinated.

French Protest for Seventh Week (10:12 a.m. NY)

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in French cities for a seventh consecutive weekend to protest against the governments health pass system, which makes access to restaurants, cafes and other venues conditional on proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid-19 test. BFM TV reported that 200 protests were planned across the country.

The French government is trying to reach a target of 50 million first jabs by early September and has sought to step up pressure on those who are reluctant or refuse to get vaccinated. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said this week that it would start to give booster shots from Sept. 12, starting with the elderly in nursing homes.

German Activists Arrested in Protests (9:49 a.m. NY)

Thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin on Saturday to demonstrate against Germanys pandemic rules. Several dozen activists were detained, according to local media. German authorities have taken a harder line on anti-coronavirus rallies after demonstrators sought to storm the Reichtstag parliament building last year.

Contagion rates in Germany have been rising steadily for weeks. On Saturday, there were 72.1 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days -- the highest level since mid-May.

Singapore Reports 121 New Cases (6:20 a.m. NY)

Singapore reported 121 new cases in a day, with 113 of those coming from locally transmitted infections and the rest from newly-arrived visitors who had already been placed in isolation.

The city-state had experienced a steady decrease in cases until a resurgence on Aug. 23. But authorities have not flagged additional restrictions, thanks in part to the countrys high rate of vaccinations. The Ministry of Health on Friday said it expects 80% of the population to be fully vaccinated by the end of August.

Zimbabwe Union Goes to Court (11:05 a.m.)

Zimbabwes biggest workers union has taken the state and several firms to court for insisting that employees must be inoculated against Covid-19 before reporting for work, saying there is no law under the countrys statutes providing for compulsory vaccination.

Japan Investigates Deaths After Moderna Shots (4:35 p.m. HK)

Japan said its investigating the deaths of two people who had been administered Modernas Covid-19 vaccines.

While the relationship between the deaths and the shots is unclear, the health ministry will conduct the investigations together with external experts, and continue to assess the safety of the vaccine, according to a statement on Saturday.

Russia Reports Over 19,000 New Cases (4:31 p.m. HK)

Russia reported 19,492 new cases of Covid-19 in a day, according to the governments virus response center. Total cases have reached 6.86 million.

The death toll from Covid-19 in July grew to 50,421, the highest monthly total since the epidemic began, amid spreading infections from the delta variant and continued public resistance to vaccination campaigns.

Tokyos Seven-Day Case Average Falls 16% (4:04 p.m. HK)

Tokyo reported 3,581 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the seven-day average down 16% compared to a week ago, a sign that the Japanese capitals worst surge yet may be peaking out. Still, serious cases in Tokyo increased to 297, up from 294 the previous day, pointing to the likelihood the countrys medical system will remain under serious pressure.

Among the new cases, those in their 20s, 30s and 40s had the highest number of cases. Japan is in the middle of its fourth state of emergency set to last through Sept 12, provided the virus spread is brought under better control.

The Philippines added a record 19,441 Covid cases on Saturday.

U.K. May Start Vaccinating Young Teens (3:40 p.m. HK)

Starting next month, the U.K. government could begin Covid-19 vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds. Ministers have asked the National Health Service to start preparations ahead of a final decision by government scientists on whether to go ahead with the roll out to younger children.

If the program goes ahead, schools will be required to make space to allow the vaccination of pupils or to give children time out from lessons to visit vaccination sites. Those 16 and 17 are already eligible to receive a Covid vaccine. Throughout the pandemic the government has planned ahead so we can respond to changing circumstances, said Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. That is why, while I await updated advice from JCVI on the 12-15 cohort, I have asked the NHS to make preparations.

Scotland Weighs Pub Vaccine Passports (3:30 p.m. HK)

Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday she was actively considering vaccine passports for Scots wishing to go to a pub or a nightclub.

Sturgeon said while she didnt to single out the hospitality industry, such venues would fall into the category of places the Scottish government might introduce a vaccine passport entry requirement. Ive been clear all the long we shouldnt rule it out, Sturgeon said on Friday. It may be an added layer of protection and mitigation. Her comments came as Scotland recorded a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections, forcing Sturgeon to deny the authorities were considering a circuit breaker lockdown.

Swiss Hospital Cancels Surgeries as ICUs Fill (2:56 p.m. HK)

Zurich University Hospital will postpone surgeries for patients not in direct danger to life and limb, as a spike in coronavirus cases fills up intensive care beds in Switzerland, newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung reported.

There are about 230 coronavirus patients in intensive care unit beds compared to about 20 in July, the paper said. At the Geneva University Hospitals, which had space for 10 coronavirus patients, 17 ICU beds are now occupied by those with Covid, newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported.

Slightly more than 51% of Switzerlands population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, one of the lowest rates for a major economy in Europe.

India Inoculates 10 Million in a Day (12:39 p.m. HK)

India administered a record 10.3 million vaccine shots on Friday, the government said, taking the cumulative number of doses given past the 620 million mark. The South Asian nation added 46,759 Covid cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total active caseload to almost 360,000.

Manila Restrictions Extended (10:20 a.m.)

The Philippines extended virus restrictions for another week in its capital region, until Sept. 7, as the government tries to balance the need to contain the pandemic with boosting the economy.

Metro Manila will remain under the so-called modified enhanced community quarantine, the second-toughest movement restrictions, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in statement Saturday. While most businesses are allowed to operate, many non-essential industries such as beauty parlors and bars remain shut.

(An earlier verision of this story corrected number of hours in first paragraph and blurb on oxygen shortage.)

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.
More than half of Florida's nearly 3million public school students are subject to mask mandates, which comes in the midst of efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban the requirement as courtroom battles continue over whether parents should be able to make such decisions amid a surge of positive COVID-19 cases related to the highly contagious delta variant.

Several school districts are challenging the Republican governor weeks into the new school year. On Tuesday, school board members in Orange County agreed with the school superintendent that most students should be required to wear masks through Oct. 30.

The district initially began the school year allowing parents to opt out, but a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Orlando area has disrupted classes.

FLORIDA SCHOOL BOARD DEFIES DESANTIS, SETS 90-DAY MASK POLICY AFTER HEATED MEETING

Through Thursday, the district reported 2,201 positive cases among students since school began, with 2,079 people under active quarantine, according to the districts dashboard.

At least six school districts  Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Sarasota and Alachua  have issued mask requirements for students and school staff, the Miami Herald reported.

In Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County Public Schools board told the state Department of Education that it won't walk back its mask policy for students and employees. The policy allows a medical opt-out for students.

State education officials sent a letter to the district earlier this month asking for daily numbers of students who refuse to wear masks.

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.

Story continues

In Monroe County, the school board decided to require masks rather than strongly encourage them. The move also allows parents to choose.

The board of Florida's largest school district, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, voted earlier this month in favor of a mask requirement.

"For the consequences associated with doing the right thing, whatever that right thing is, I will wear proudly as a badge of honor," Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told state education officials.

DeSantis is not backing down. At a news conference Wednesday, the governor warned of additional consequences for defiant schools districts, but didnt elaborate. He contends those boards are violating the Parents Bill of Rights, signed into law this summer. It gives parents the 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.

In July, he issued an executive order preventing local mask mandates.

Last week, the state Board of Education order the Alachua and Broward County school districts to comply with the governor's order. On the same day, Alachua Superintendant Carlee Simon said the district would not back down from its mask policy.

"If necessary, we will pursue legal action to ensure that we maintain local control over our schools, and are able to meet our obligation to provide a safe learning environment for all students," she said in a statement.

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.

A ruling is expected Friday in Tallahasse where pro-masks parents were pitted against DeSantis and state education officials in court.

"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."

Christina Pushaw, press secretary for DeSantis, recently told Fox News that President Biden is focused on politicizing the pandemic to distract from the crisis in Afghanistan.

"Governor DeSantis seeks the best advice and expertise from all over the world; his detractors simply accept the proclamations of the CDC as though they are infallible," she said. "However, the CDCs guidance has flip-flopped many times, and U.S. public health authorities have lost the trust of the American people. In other countries, COVID-19 is not as politicized, so it makes sense that the EU is following a more data-driven, pro-child approach. Biden is leaning into his signature issue  forced-masking kindergarteners  to distract from the catastrophe in Afghanistan."

Fox News' Jessica Chasmar as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cited as an internationally recognized programming director committed to bringing the best French cinema to Chicago audiences, Chicago International Film Festival artistic director Mimi Plauche has been named Chevalier de lordre des arts et des lettres  a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, administered by the French Ministry of Culture.

Previous recipients of the honorary distinction include Marlene Dietrich, George Clooney, Sting, and Chicago International Film Festival founder Michael Kutza. Former Tribune film critic and current New York-based Museum of Modern Art film curator Dave Kehr is another past awardee of the Chevalier medallion.

The French culture ministry can award up to 200 Chevalier recipients in a given year, with both French and foreign nationals eligible if theyve significantly contributed to the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance, per culture ministry regulations.

Plauche receives her medallion in Chicago on Sept. 13 in a ceremony hosted by Tanguy Accart, the local Cultural Attache of the French Consulate. Itll be a part of the nonprofit Cinema/Chicagos Light, Camera, Chicago fundraiser. More information is available at chicagofilmfestival.com.

Second only to U.S. titles, contemporary French cinema typically accounts for the most prominent programming block on the annual Chicago International Film Festival calendar. The way I see my relationship to French cinema and French culture is to introduce new voices and new directors to Chicago, Plauche told the Tribune.

Given the second-year persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this falls festival will, like last years, constitute a hybrid with some in-person screenings and many virtual offerings. The festival will use a wider variety of venues than it has in recent years, Plauche noted, declining to discuss specifics.

She spoke of a pandemically evolving festival model that requires  perhaps indefinitely, if vaccination rates fail to reach herd immunity levels, and if variants such as the current delta strain remain in circulation  what will work best in this new world.

Story continues

There are three levels comprising the Order of Arts and Letters. Above Chevalier, the Officer grade has been awarded in past years to everyone from choreographer Bill T. Jones to Hollywood legend Faye Dunaway to writer-director Jim Jarmusch.

At the top, the mighty Commander grade is represented by Bob Dylan, Audrey Hepburn, Kong Kong master filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, Clint Eastwood, Patti Smith and  yes, damn it, he deserved it  Jerry Lewis.

The 2021 Chicago International Film Festival will be held Oct. 13-24, with venues and the full line-up announced Sept. 20.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
Aug. 27WILLIAMSBURG  Williamsburg native Ryan Richardson has always had an affinity for East Asian culture but he never knew that interest would eventually lead to a future career, as he works towards his goal of becoming an international lawyer.

Richardson recently earned a full scholarship to study in Taiwan for the next two years, as he works towards that goal. The 2016 graduate of Williamsburg Independent School will be making the trip from the small town of Williamsburg to Taiwan in the fall as he pursues his master's degree.

In 2020, Richardson graduated the Mahurin Honors College at Western Kentucky University. At WKU, Richardson was a student in the Department of Defense-sponsored Chinese Flagship Program and graduated Magna Cum Laude with majors in Political Science (Pre-Law/International Affairs), Asian Religions & Culture, and Chinese.

"Being in Williamsburg and southeastern Kentucky, there aren't really an abundance of opportunities to branch very far out into the world and certainly not the opposite side of Earth," Richardson said. "After I graduated from Williamsburg and went to WKU, I was in the Chinese Flagship program all four years that I was there and that was an intensive language learning program and like I said, I already had the initial in East Asia and specifically in China and Taiwan. After I got to WKU, that's when it really took off and the Chinese Flagship program gave me the chance to kind of turn that interest into something much deeper and actually give me an avenue to take what I had just had this subtle interest into a career path."

Over a period of four years, Richardson has spent a combined seven months in China and Taiwan, taking intensive advanced Mandarin courses and conducting research on social issues in Taiwan.

The 22-year-old will be returning to National Chengchi University in Taiwan to pursue a master's degree in Asia-Pacific Studies in the next month where he will stay for two years.

Story continues

"It's nerve-rackingI'm definitely nervous for such a big move," he said. "I've gotten used to the actual process of moving, I guess. Just the packing it up and going, that part has gotten easier because I've done it so many times but I guess the more daunting part for me right now is the last time I was there was five, six months and that's a little easier to grapple with mentally than two years. It sort of feels like I'm uprooting from here and transplanting myself and building a whole new life on the other side of the world. It's a weird feeling but it's something I'm looking forward to and definitely feel prepared for academically and linguistically but it is a little daunting that I'll be on the other side of the world."

While there, Richardson is hoping to not only earn his master's degree but also make the necessary connections to pursue a career as an international lawyer while soaking up this amazing opportunity to be a part of the culture he has grown to love.

"On a personal level, it's because of my love for the language, for the people that has inspired me to go over there," he said. "I could get a degree in East Asian politics in the US but I think there's another dimension of immersion in a culture that I love. There's more to the degree than just having the master's.

"What I'm telling myself is this is probably the only time in my life that I'll be able to do this and explore my passions. After I get my career, and hopefully it's one that I love, I'll probably be invested in that won't have the time for embracing and studying the culture that I love."

Just as Richardson hopes to dispel the notion in East Asia that people from the United States are selfish and not compassionate towards others, he also hopes that people will take note of the differences between Taiwan and China.

"Taiwan is not a part of ChinaI think it's an important distinction to make," he said. "There is a difference between China and Taiwan and I don't think a lot of people recognize that but it is an important distinction to make. China is a lot different from the US, not only in lifestyle but also in governance but Taiwan is not as different."

Once he has earned his master's degree, Richardson hopes to attend law school at the University of Michigan, where he intends to take part in a dual-degree program, earning both his J.D. and a Master's in International and Regional Studies with specializations in Chinese and Japanese law.

He hopes to eventually become an international lawyer and is waiting to see where that career takes him.



Getting to Know... is a new weekly series in The Times-Tribune. It will feature stories of people, places, events and more throughout the Tri-County. If you have suggestions for topics to be featured, email us at newsroom@thetimestribune.com or call us at 606-528-2464.
Reuters Videos

The growing urbanization of Nodelta, Tigre in Buenos Aires Province is encroaching on areas once used by the capybaras.Once a wetland, it is now home to some of the capital's wealthiest residents, with the capybaras sharing streets and parks with locals.According to local reports, some 400 capybaras live among the 40,000 residents of this neighborhood.The capybara is a semiaquatic mammal that is vegetarian, angering some locals who say the animals are destroying their lawns and gardens. Locals say they are not opposed to the capybaras, but want its population to be better managed. According to reports, there has been a significant increase in capybara numbers over the last decade.The capybara can be found across South America and is the world's largest rodent, measuring up to1.3 meters (4.2 feet) long .
Storm shutters are hammered closed on a 100-year-old house, Friday, August 27, 2021, in New Orleans, as residents prepare for Hurricane Ida on. (AP)

A devastating category 3 hurricane could be set to hit New Orleans on the sixteenth anniversary of Katrina, forecasters say.

Forecasters now say Tropical Storm Ida could be a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 115 mph when it slams into the US coast.

The storm, which is intensifying quickly, is set to hit Cuba on Friday and expected to make landfall in Louisiana on Sunday.

Ida is expected to be upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane when it passes over Cuba on Friday.

If that happens and it barrels into New Orleans on 29 August, it would take place on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed nearly 2,000 people, destroyed 100,000 homes and flooded 80 per cent of the city.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has declared an emergency for all of the state and says people should be in a safe place to ride out by Saturday night.

He has also requested a pre-landfall Federal Declaration of Emergency in a letter to the White House.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has ordered a mandatory evacuation for areas outside the levee protection system and a voluntary evacuation for the rest of Orleans Parish.

The storm could bring up to 11ft of surge outside levees with dangerous winds and heavy rain across the region.

Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans could see a five feet surge.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered south of New Orleans effective at 3 pm local time on Friday.

Any category 3 hurricane, which has winds of between 111mph and 129mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is considered a major hurricane capable of causing devastating damage.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch for parts of Louisiana and all of the Mississippi coast, including New Orleans and Biloxi.

A tropical storm watch is now in effect for parts of Mississippi and the entire Alabama coastline.

A storm surge watch also has been issued for the entire coastline of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including the cities of Lake Charles, New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile.
Michele Liedtke has been prepping since February for her first vacation in two years, when she and her best friend from eighth grade booked a Maui vacation package.

Liedtke, a veterans' home nurse, bought new luggage, swimsuits, outfits and gear for a boat trip she booked to Molokini, the crescent-shaped crater popular with snorkelers.

She also joined a Maui Facebook group for COVID-19 travel tips, and even changed the background on her phone to a photo of tropical fish.

On Wednesday, she left the group and swapped out the aquatic photo.

The weeklong Hawaii trip, due to begin the day after Labor Day, is off. Liedtke canceled the vacation two days after Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued a plea for tourists to avoid travel to the state through October due to a surge in COVID-19 cases straining the state's already limited hospital capacity. She was able to cancel her Costco vacation package but was charged a $400 cancellation fee.

"I can't even look at look at pictures of Hawaii right now," she said. "I can't even think about it."

Liedtke, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, said she felt "morally obligated'' to cancel the vacation. But she also feared hostility from residents if she and her friend were to visit now.

As a nurse in a facility with a surge in COVID-19 cases, she's no stranger to how to protect against COVID-19.

"I take care of COVID people all the time," she said. "I teach people how to use PPE correctly. There's no way I'm taking COVID to that island. 'But there's no way that they're going to know that by looking at me.''

Hawaii ticket holders are being confronted with travel calculus in the wake of the governor's request and a proposal by Maui Mayor Michael Victorino that tourists who do come voluntarily limit their activities to their resort.

Hawaii governor announcement: What it means for tourists

The math is complicated by several factors: Hawaii has not changed its already strict entry requirements and is not banning tourists or shutting down as it did earlier in the pandemic; the strict refund policies of airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals and activities, especially for last-minute cancellations; and views on COVID-19 risks and the governor's previous statements that most cases are tied to residents, not visitors.

Story continues

USA TODAY interviewed several travelers about their Hawaii plans. Some rushed to cancel trips, including babymoons, weddings and long-awaited vacations. Others plan to go unless the state implements a formal shutdown or severe restrictions like closed beaches or resort bubbles. Others still remain frustratingly on the fence.

Boston couple going ahead with Hawaii plans: 'We're not going to lose the money we invested in it'

Leslie Reitz and her boyfriend have tickets to fly from Boston to Maui on Thursday, a vacation they booked in May. The 20-somethings prefer international travel but opted for Hawaii this year because Europe's reopening was in flux, and Hawaii offers a mix of relaxation and adventure.

When she read about the governor's announcement this week, Reitz contacted the three vacation rentals on Maui she booked via Airbnb and Vrbo to ask about a refund.

"One didn't respond and the other two said no,'' she said.

So their Hawaii trip is on.

"We have these plans and would happily cancel if we could receive any form of a refund, but we cant,'' she said, adding that they don't want to postpone the trip to later this year or a year from now.

Reitz, who is fully vaccinated and also had COVID-19 last year, said she and her boyfriend have already been called selfish by some people who knew about her vacation plans.

This despite strict COVID-19 precautions they began on Aug. 1 ahead of the trip and weeks before the governor urged travelers to postpone trips. They stopped going to bars and eating inside restaurants. They also have appointments to get tested before the trip, even though that is no longer required for vaccinated visitors.

"We feel like weve gone up and beyond to be as cautious as possible,'' she said.

"I don't feel comfortable, and I know I can't enjoy it to the fullest (due to COVID-19 restrictions) but also we're not going to lose the money we invested in it.''

Washington family postpones 'much needed' Hawaii trip to May 2022

Heatherlee Clark canceled her family's planned October trip to Hawaii on Wednesday.

Her husband is a critical care doctor exhausted by COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated people in Bellingham, Washington, as the delta variant spreads, and the couple were already debating not going.

The governor's plea cinched their decision.

"We respect the governor's plea and the islands of Hawaii and the people that live there,'' Clark said.

She admits she selfishly thought for a second that maybe now would be a good time to visit since others would cancel.

"But then it just felt so selfish,'' she said. "I didn't want to be that person.''

It was too late for a full refund on their Airbnb, so they moved their booking and flight to May. They still lost about $700 on a Turo car rental booking, though, which they can afford. She said she understands others aren't in the same financial position, but she couldn't take a risk, especially with two unvaccinated kids, ages 2 and 6 months.

"I know theres people out there that they can get a refund, and its frustrating and its expensive and they spent thousands of dollars, but to me, I think, 'My childrens' lives, you can't even put a worth to that.'''

Kansas City family sticking with rebooked October Hawaii trip unless travel restrictions tightened

Kate Magee, her husband and two friends have plane tickets to Hawaii in early October. They own a timeshare in Maui and also plan to visit Honolulu for a few days.

This year's trip is a rescheduled trip from last year.

Magee has been obsessively watching Hawaii news for the past few weeks as the state's case counts surged after remaining relatively low throughout the pandemic. Hawaii on Friday reported 1,035 cases, a single-day record. That is double the number of daily cases just a few weeks ago and compares with a daily average of just 60 cases a day in mid-July. Magee figured tighter travel restrictions were coming, perhaps a reinstatement of the COVID-19 test requirement even for vaccinated visitors.

The governor's announcement urging tourists not to visit threw her because he didn't change the entry requirements.

"I just can't believe we're here again with all this,'' she said.

Magee, who is 34 and lives in Kansas City, said the current plan is to take the trip. She got vaccinated recently specifically so she could safely visit Hawaii (she had put it off due to reactions to certain medications) and plans to get tested before the trip.

"I'm torn,'' she said. "I'm all about making the island safe. I understand they only have one hospital; I also feel like were not the issue. We're the ones that have to be vaccinated to come or the alternative is to get tested.''

Money is another factor, she said.

"I completely understand locals and their views on it, but at the same time there's people like me and my friends who have thousands of dollars in this and we can't get refunds unless (the governor) completely locks the state down," she said.

The deciding factor on whether to go to Hawaii will be whether travel restrictions like beach closures and resort bubbles are brought back, Magee said.

Magee has called her condo company and Trilogy, the operator of a day trip she booked to Lanai, in search of answers about coming restrictions.

"I know you guys can't predict the future, I'm just trying to get a feel if we still go are we going to still be able to do stuff,'' she said. "They said they're waiting to see what the governor says. I can't imagine what they're going through.''

Passengers watch the sun set from a catamaran dinner cruise on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Saturday, July 3rd.

Phoenix couple still on the fence: 'I'm conflicted'

Scott Clapp has until Tuesday to cancel the VRBO rental he booked in Maui for a mid-September trip and receive a full refund. He and his wife, who are both fully vaccinated, booked cheap plane tickets to Hawaii in May, when Southwest Airlines announced new nonstop service from Phoenix.

He is leaning toward going despite the governors request to stay away  Clapp works in local government and sees some "political posturing in the governors request since no travel restrictions were tightened  but doesnt want to be confined to their rental if restrictions are imposed in the next few weeks.

Im conflicted," he said. One second I feel like I think Im going. And then another second, Im like, 'no maybe you should cancel.'

This weekend, he plans to look over travel insurance he purchased at the last minute from Vrbo to see whether it offers a refund in case of a state lockdown, which gives him room beyond Tuesday to make a decision.

If it does cover lockdowns, he said, I might be inclined to let things ride and go.

He has $2,500 on the line in lodging alone, and if theres no financial safety net in the policy, he said, then I may be inclined to cancel.

If the couple decide to fly to Maui, which would be their first flight during the pandemic, Clapp doesnt see that as a risky or selfish move. He noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for domestic travel says it is low risk for vaccinated travelers. The policy was announced in April before the delta variant emerged and cases surged and has not significantly changed since.

Ige said in a recent news conference and in interviews that he cant easily reinstate the COVID-19 travel testing requirement for all travelers, including those who are vaccinated. He said he and other governors are trying to get the CDC to update its guidance.

"CDC is continually reviewing our COVID-19 travel guidance with the emergence of the Delta variant, but at this time we have not made any changes to our travel recommendations," the CDC said in a statement provided by spokesperson Caitlin Shockey.

If youre unvaccinated and youre wanting to travel and do these kinds of things, I think thats unwise. You might be a little selfish, Clapp said. If youre vaccinated, you may be less selfish. To me, Im vaccinated and I had COVID, and I dont think Im being selfish.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii travel restrictions: Tourists weigh vacation plans amid COVID
The Jan. 6 select committee said Friday it is demanding records from social media companies regarding the violence riot at the Capitol at the start of this year.

Why it matters: The demand is another major expansion to the select committee's investigation and follows its sweeping records request sent to the National Archives and seven federal agencies earlier this week.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

The select committee is specifically seeking information from the companies related to: the spread of misinformation regarding the 2020 election, efforts to overturn the election or prevent the certification of the results, domestic extremism and foreign influence in the election dating back to spring 2020.

The companies include 4chan, 8kun (former known as 8chan), Facebook, Tik-Tok, Twitch, Twitter, Google, Snapchat and YouTube.

They will have two weeks to respond to the select committee's order.

What they're saying: The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is examining the facts, circumstances, and causes of the attack and relating to the peaceful transfer of power, in order to identify and evaluate lessons learned and to recommend corrective laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations, select committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement.

The big picture: Earlier this week, Thompson indicated that the committee will ask telecommunications companies to turn over the phone records of several hundred people, including members of Congress.

Go deeper: Seven Capitol Police officers sue Trump over Jan. 6 riot

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Tarrant Countys John Peter Smith Hospital has agreed to pay more than $3.3 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by upcoding certain claims submitted to federal healthcare programs, according to a news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah of the Northern District of Texas.

The settlement resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2018 by Erma Lee, JPSs former director of compliance. Lees complaint said the hospital improperly added billing modifiers to hundreds of claims to obtain payments to which it wasnt entitled.

When used properly, the billing modifiers indicate that a provider administered significant care on the same day as another medical procedure that was above and beyond the preoperative and postoperative care bundled into the main procedure code, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in the release.

In an amended complaint filed in September, Lee alleged that she alerted hospital leadership that JPS had been improperly adding modifiers to claims between 70 percent and 95 percent of the time, in essence routinely double billing for certain aspects of patients care, the release said. Lee said JPS failed to reimburse the federal healthcare programs for the overpayments.

When company executives ignored this whistleblowers concerns about improper billing, she took them to the court, Shah said in the release. We are proud of the citizens who speak out to protect our federal healthcare programs.

The allegations were originally filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private citizens with evidence of fraud to sue on behalf of the government and to share in any proceeds, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

The United States may choose to intervene in such a case or permit the whistleblower to pursue it. Although the federal government decided not to intervene in this case, it investigated Lees allegations and worked collaboratively with her and her attorney, the release said.

Lee will receive $912,635 as her share of the settlement proceeds.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis' order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. The governor's order gave parents the sole right to decide if their child wears a mask at school.

Cooper said DeSantis order is without legal authority.

His decision came after a four-day virtual hearing, and after 10 Florida school boards voted to defy DeSantis and impose mask requirements with no parental opt-out. Districts that have done so include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach and others. Cooper's ruling will not go into effect until it is put into writing, which the judge asked the parents' lawyers to complete by Monday.

Cooper said that while the governor and others have argued that a new Florida law gives parents the ultimate authority to oversee health issues for their children, it also exempts government actions that are needed to protect public health and are reasonable and limited in scope. He said a school districts decision to require student masking to prevent the spread of the virus falls within that exemption.

The law doesn't ban mask mandates at all, Cooper said during a two-hour hearing that was conducted online because of the resurgent pandemic. It doesn't require that a mask mandate must include a parental opt-out at all.

The judge also noted that two Florida Supreme Court decisions from 1914 and 1939 found that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, he said, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk, because that endangers others. There is a right to free speech, but not to harass or threaten others or yell fire in a crowded theater, he said.

Story continues

In that same vein, he said, school boards can reasonably argue that maskless students endanger the health of other students and teachers.

DeSantis has dismissed the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people wear masks, questioning its legitimacy and saying it is not applicable to Florida. But Cooper said the state's medical experts who testified during the trial that masking is ineffective in preventing COVID-19's spread are in a distinct minority among doctors and scientists. He also said that while DeSantis frequently states that a Brown University study concluded masks are ineffective, the study's authors wrote that no such conclusion should be drawn.

I don't say that the governor has time enough to read a report that thick, but his advisers do ... and that statement is incorrect, Cooper said.

The governor's office said Friday that Cooper's decision wasn't based on the law and the state will appeal it.

Its not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parents' rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians, spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said in a statement. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts  frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented.

Craig Whisenhunt, one of the attorneys representing the parents, called DeSantis' actions in the case atrocious" and called him a bully in the room that is beating up children.

The path that he took showed evidence of some cowardice," he said. If DeSantis really believed the parental rights law barred districts from imposing mask mandates, he wouldn't have issued an executive order  he would have taken the districts to court and gotten a judge to block them, Whisenhunt said.

One of the parents who sued the state, Amy Nell of the Tampa area, said that when Cooper ruled, I really felt heard for the first time in a while."

Since the beginning of the school year it has felt like bizarro world. We are being told that science  what we think it is and everything we know about viruses  may be not true, said Nell, whose son is in elementary school.

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. Over the past week, new cases and hospitalizations have leveled off. There were 16,550 people hospitalized on Thursday, down from a record of above 17,000 last week  but still almost nine times the 1,800 who were hospitalized in June.

The 10 districts that have defied DeSantis order represent slightly more than half of the 2.8 million Florida public school students enrolled this year. The governor, a Republican who is eyeing a possible presidential run in 2024, had threatened to impose financial penalties on school boards, specifically threatening two districts in Democratic strongholds that voted for strict mask mandates. Democratic President Joe Biden said if that happened, federal money would be used to cover any costs.

The superintendent of one of the targeted districts, Carlee Simon of Alachua, said in a written statement that Cooper's ruling is a validation of the right of locally-elected school boards to protect their students and communities during this crisis without fear of political or financial retribution.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll conducted this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

___

Anderson reported from Tampa, Florida.
A judge in Floridas 2nd Circuit Court effectively ended Gov. Ron DeSantiss ban on mask mandates in schools.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled that school districts have the right to institute mask mandates if they have a compelling state interest and follow a narrowly tailored plan of action.

Copper said he was not ruling against DeSantis but was instead barring state agencies from enforcing the ban. He ruled that the enforcement violated Floridas separation of powers statutes.

CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS EIGHT STATES THAT PROHIBIT SCHOOL MASK MANDATES

DeSantis signed an executive order on July 30 preventing school boards from requiring school staff and students to wear masks. School districts in Alachua, Broward, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties defied the order and imposed a mask mandate.

The Florida Board of Education voted last week to punish Broward and Alachua counties for imposing mask mandates. School board members in those counties could have lost their monthly pay had the court not intervened.

Eight Republican governors, including DeSantis, have banned mask mandates, arguing that it should be a matter of personal responsibility and left up to the parents.

Opponents said that the ban endangers students by not following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Some experts have recently debated whether mask mandates in schools do more harm than good.

Court challenges similar to Floridas are also occurring in Texas and Oklahoma.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Healthcare, Coronavirus, Florida, Law, Delta Variant, Ron DeSantis, Education, Miami, Texas, Oklahoma

Original Author: David Hogberg

Original Location: Judge ends Florida Gov. DeSantis's ban on school mask mandates
Update: Rico Byrd has been found and is safe, police said.

The Kansas City Police Department is asking the public for help with finding a 10-year-old boy missing and endangered from the Northland since Thursday afternoon.

Rico Byrd is last known to have been at Chinn Elementary School at 7100 N. Chatham Avenue in the Park Plaza neighborhood around 3 p.m., Officer Donna Drake, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement. He was wearing a Batman T-shit, black shorts and white Nike shoes at the time, police said.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

He is 4-foot-9 and weighs about 95 pounds, police said.

The department is asking anyone who sees Rico to dial 911.
Kate Smith, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at the Kellogg School of Management, is stepping down from the job on Sept. 10th 2018 C. Jason Brown / Insight Images

After nearly a decade as admissions chief for Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, Kate Smith today (Aug. 27) announced that she was stepping down from the job in two weeks.

The announcement of her departure was made not by Dean Francesca Cornelli but by Associate Dean Greg Hanifee, who also serves as a clinical assistant professor of management. Her last day will be September 10 and she plans to take time to reflect with her family on where she wants to focus her career journey next, wrote Hanifee.

Brought into her Kellogg role by former Dean Sally Blount in February of 2012, Smith had put behind her a corporate career in marketing launched after earning a Kellogg MBA in 1998. Smith came to Kellogg after a stint as senior director of marketing for Gatorade, one of many roles over a 14-year career working for some of the biggest consumer brands in America at General Mills, Quaker Oats, and PepsiCo. She is leaving under a new dean who succeeded Blount two years ago in August of 2019.

EMILY HAYDON WILL SERVE AS THE INTERIM ASSISTANT DEAN OF ADMISSIONS & FINANCIAL AID

Emily Haydon is being named interim chief until Kellogg conducts a search for a permanent successor to Smith

In a statement, the 51-year-old Smith pointed to several records set by the schools newest entering class of two-year MBA students. Im so proud to have led the admissions and financial aid team and of the work weve done in prioritizing quality and diversity across all of our degree programs, she said. The Class of 2023 joins Kellogg with record highs including 49% women, 23% underrepresented minorities as a percentage of the domestic class and 3.7 average GPA. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked side-by-side with amazing colleagues across the school. As a Kellogg alumna, I look forward to continuing to be a part of the Kellogg community and watch the continued growth of rigor and excellence across all programs.

Story continues

Emily Haydon, currently senior director of MBA admissions, will serve as the interim assistant dean of admissions and financial aid while the school launches a search for a permanent successor to Smith. A direct report to Smith, Haydon joined Kellogg in early 2016 and has been a key member of strategic projects across admissions, marketing and program design. A former supply chain manager at Target, Haydon did a career switch in 2013, becoming director of admissions for Northwestern College and three years later moved to Kellogg as admissions director of its evening and weekend MBA programs.

For Smith, the past two years have been nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. In the midst of the pandemic last year, Kellogg announced that it would not only waive test scores for admission to its two-year MBA program but would also revisit applicants who had already been rejected in that same admissions cycle. Smith also extended the schools final application deadline by nearly two months. Those decisions made big news at the time  and drew a fair share of criticism.

BOOM AND BUST: A 54% JUMP IN APPLICATIONS FOLLOWED BY A 20% PLUNGE THIS PAST YEAR

But after two consecutive years of application declines, resulting in the loss of nearly 18% of its application volume and a low-water mark of 3,779 applicants for the Class of 2021, that strategy turbocharged applications. It allowed Kellogg to report a massive 54% increase in candidates, a new record of 5,813 applicants. Not surprisingly, perhaps, this year applications plunged by 20% to 4,632 as Kellogg ended its waiver policy and returned to its previous deadline schedule (see In Kelloggs MBA Class of 2023, A Return To Normal).

Over the course of her tenure, Smith significantly increased the quality and diversity of Kelloggs MBA population. In her first year in the job, the school enrolled a class of 477 two-year MBA students with a 708 GMAT class average that was 35% female and 40% international. This fall, in entering her last MBA class, the students total 508 in number, with a median GMAT of 730 that matches Harvard Business School, 49% are women and 36% are international. The mean undergraduate GPA is the highest it has ever been: 3.70.

In the email announcement, Hanifees heaped much praise on Smith who enrolled nearly 13,000 students at Kellogg during her tenure. Kate has ushered in classes, across all our degree programs, of extraordinarily talented people, who thrive both inside and outside of the classroom and demonstrate what it means to be a Kellogg leader, he wrote. Kate has been a key driver in prioritizing quality and growing diversity across our degree programs, as evidenced by the incoming 2Y class of 2023 and her work to shape our first MBAi cohort this year. Under Kates leadership, Kellogg significantly grew our Evening Weekend (EW) and EMBA programs, where, for example, the enrollments in the EMBA-Miami Fall 2021 cohort will be an all-time high. Kate has also been a strong advocate and partner in the work to expand our scholarship offerings as a key tool to shape cohorts of diverse perspectives, experiences and aspirations.

Hanifee noted that Smith will be missed. Having worked with Kate for my entire time at Kellogg, I know she is a dedicated and caring team leader who is devoted to the success of every student, he added. She brought her passion for Kellogg to the job, mixing a competitive spirit with a commitment to collaboration and our pay it forward culture. As a Kellogg alumna, she knows very well what is special about this community and she consistently conveyed that to all applicants.

DONT MISS: IN KELLOGGS MBA CLASS OF 2023, A RETURN TO NORMAL  AND BIG STRIDES FORWARD and MEET THE NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG MBA CLASS OF 2022

The post Kelloggs Admissions Chief Leaving The School appeared first on Poets&Quants.
Traffic on Mombasa road

Frustrated drivers in Kenya have been venting their anger after spending hours overnight in an enormous traffic jam in the capital, Nairobi.

"Ridiculous that I'm getting home at 4am" after an 11-hour journey, tweeted lawyer Pauline Otsyula.

Other commuters explained that they arrived home in the early hours just in time to leave for work once again.

Nairobi is notorious for its traffic jams but Thursday night saw the worst many residents can remember.

Videos and photos show irritated drivers still stuck on one of the city's main highways, Mombasa Road, early on Friday morning.

One tweeter said that people had parked at the roadside to sleep in their cars.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Communications specialist Anthony Ndiema commented that someone could have taken a flight to Doha and done two hours of work in the time he took to get home.

The gridlock happened on a stretch of road where a massive new expressway is being built but the traffic jam was reportedly made worse by a road accident.

Some called for the contractors to provide alternative routes while the work was being carried out.

While Gerald Ngui urged businesses to let their employees who lived in the area work from home. "It's the humane thing to do," he said.

The road construction is part of the $550m (410m) project aimed at providing a fast road linking cities north-west of the capital to the country's main international airport.

On completion, it will stretch 27km (17 miles) across Nairobi and it is meant to ease traffic flows in and out of the centre of the city.

It is being financed and constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) - and the Chinese firm will operate the highway under a public-private partnership.

The stretch of the road most affected on Thursday night connects the city centre to highly populated suburbs in the east.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The final flight of evacuees from Afghanistan arrived in the Netherlands on Friday carrying 87 Dutch citizens, the Defence Ministry said.

Dutch military planes have taken more than 2,500 people out of Afghanistan since Aug 18. The Netherlands no longer has a diplomatic presence in the country.

The government said it is examining ways to assist hundreds of Dutch citizens of Afghan origin and Afghans eligible for asylum in the Netherlands who were unable to be evacuated.

Assistance will initially be provided from neighbouring countries, the government said in a letter to parliament on Thursday.

A small number of Dutch troops and a C-130 aircraft will remain near Afghanistan until Aug. 31, the government said.

(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch and Bart Meijer; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Hugh Lawson)
People walk past a closed boutique in San Diego last year during the pandemic. California lawmakers balked Thursday at setting a deadline for changes to the state's troubled unemployment benefits system. (Sam Hodgson / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Seven months after the state auditor recommended an overhaul of Californias unemployment benefits system, a bill to speed up action on the changes by the state Employment Development Department fizzled Thursday when it was sidelined by lawmakers in a partisan dispute.

The measure by state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Red Bluff) had previously won unanimous approval by the Senate but was one of a handful of measures that were put on ice Thursday by a Democrat-controlled Assembly panel.

The decision of the Assembly Appropriations Committee to hold Nielsens bill was not explained during the hearing by its chairwoman, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), who later said on Twitter that other reform bills have been passed by the Assembly and are pending in the Senate.

"These were duplicative," she wrote of the measures held by her panel.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved similar legislation by Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) that would create working groups to beef up the EDD's anti-fraud process and, by June 1, identify how the agency can improve its benefits system. Changes would be subject to the Legislature allocating money to pay for them.

EDD officials have said they are already enacting the changes recommended by State Auditor Elaine Howle in January, but the auditors office says only eight of the 26 recommendations have been fully implemented. Nielsens bill would have set a May 31 deadline for the EDD to implement the auditors recommendations aimed at reducing delays in paying benefits, prioritizing modernization of its technology, assessing its call center operations and improving its tracking of claimants problems.

Governor Newsom and the Democrat-controlled Legislature dont have the courage to take on powerful bureaucracies, like the EDD  clearly a failed agency, Nielsen said in a statement. Its unconscionable. This shows a callous disregard for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Californians who are unemployed because of the governors lockdown orders.

Story continues

The bill, SB 232, was shelved as Californians have started voting by mail in a Sept. 14 election to decide whether to recall Newsom from office. Proponents of his removal have made the delays in providing unemployment benefits and rampant fraud in the program a key part of their campaign against the governor.

EDD officials did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment on the implementation of the audit's recommendations.

The agency has been overwhelmed by an unprecedented 23.9 million claims for unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered shutdowns in the states economy in March 2020. Jobless Californians have complained of months of delays in payments and computer glitches, and the state admits $11 billion was paid on fraudulent claims.

Gonzalezs committee also acted Thursday to place a hold on legislation by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange) that would have created an Unemployment Insurance Integrity Enforcement Program within the state Department of Justice to coordinate the prosecution of fraudsters and the recovery of stolen benefits.

I am very disappointed that the legislature  has decided that my bill to recapture stolen EDD funds is not worth the cost," Umberg said in a statement. "However, I remain committed to recapturing EDD funds stolen by organized crime-rings."

Newsom announced in November that the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services would work with county and federal prosecutors to go after those who filed fraudulent claims, thousands of which were filed in the names of prison inmates. The state also has named a former federal prosecutor as special counsel to coordinate investigations.

Until late last year, the state prison agency had withheld from EDD the personal information on inmates that could have been matched against unemployment claims, even though 35 other states provided such a process.

Although the prison agency has agreed to share the data, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday sent to the full Senate a bill that would require the permanent sharing of the data to prevent unemployment fraud. The measure by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) would spend up to $5 million to create a new automated system to receive and store the data.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The factional politics animating congressional Democrats attempt to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution for a larger reconciliation bill have stoked the perennial debate as to who the base of the Democratic Party is. More directly, it is a question of which faction has the leverage to direct the congressional policymaking process.

Last week, Democratic centrists exerted that leverage in crafting a deal with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to guarantee a vote on the Senates bipartisan infrastructure bill on Sept. 27. In all likelihood, this will be before Congress can draft in full the $3.5 trillion social spending package backed by the White House and pass it through reconciliation. Centrists had initially sought a vote sooner, yet they were stymied by hard-line progressives who first wanted a vote on the big-money budget resolution. And while they may have a calendar date, it is unclear whether Pelosi will have the votes to pass the bipartisan bill if Democratic centrists cannot pick up enough Republican votes to blunt those progressives who may threaten to tank passage for a ransom  especially if in the meantime the reconciliation draft hits any snafus in the Senate. The jockeying around these two, now-intertwined bills is only one example of this factional divide among Democrats in Congress, but it has and will continue to exist on other issues as well, including the minimum wage, election reform, and labor reform.

This is the dominant lens through which congressional and White House reporters are telling the tale of these two bills: an ideological tug of war between progressives and centrists. This is more or less accurate. Crucially, however, it is the progressive side of this debate that is more commonly treated as the presumptive baseline in this reporting and opinion, and as though any slight deviation from it is an obstruction by centrists that risks upsetting the base, losing the party partial or full control of Congress, and spoiling the Biden presidency.

Story continues

Underpinning this perspective is the cavalier supposition that the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party, the furthest left of the Left, can be interchangeably referred to as the partys base, and further, that the prospect of policy moderation or bipartisan cooperation will result in mass disengagement from the Democratic electorate. Now, defining what constitutes the base of the Democratic Party (or the Republican Party, for that matter) is an unsettled and debatable question. Yet this premise, echoed from progressive flacks and major media outlets, represents a clear detachment from the complexity of the actual electorate.

The base, as commonly understood, refers to the various constituencies a partys candidates need to turn out in order to win enough elections to govern. The standard argument within progressive commentary circles is that to win elections, Democrats need to energize the base  namely, staunch liberals, the young, and minority voters  by tacking to the left. If they dont, the argument goes, the prospect of losing next years midterm elections will be thanks to insufficiently progressive party leaders. Despite Democratic voters decisively preferring comparatively moderate House and presidential candidates in the last two national elections, somehow, there remains this odd expectation among progressives that anything short of maximalist policy will risk dooming Democrats in the coming year.

Still today, there are progressives who believe that the Obama-Reid-Pelosi government of 2009 faced major losses in the 2010 midterm elections because the party didnt move boldly enough on healthcare and stimulus legislation, while also not effectively communicating just how sweeping and progressive were those and the scant other programs they did manage to pass. According to the New York Times's Ezra Klein, it wasnt that voters opposed Obamacare or stimulus bailouts but that too little of their work was evident in 2010, when [they] were running for re-election. Says Tom Perriello, a one-time Democratic representative from Virginia who was elected in 2008 and defeated in 2010, Theres a belief among a certain set of Democrats that taking an idea and cutting it in half makes it a better idea when it just makes it a worse idea.

Of course, one could make the same argument as to why Republicans, who are comparatively more ideologically uniform, lost the House in the 2018 elections and the Senate in 2020, despite having amenable House and Senate maps. One could say the Republicans didnt go far enough for the base in cutting taxes, didnt pursue an aggressive enough trade deal with Mexico and Canada, didnt sufficiently curb illegal border crossings, and didnt try hard enough to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Or, one could argue that any or all of these things were unpopular or were not worth Republican and independent voters turning out in large numbers to defend  or, just maybe, federal politics arent important enough to voters to engage with consistently at a maximal level. The same dynamics could, of course, be at play with Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters.

The progressive argument warns Democrats with certainty that winning depends on moving left. But what we know about the Democratic electorate, the performance of candidates by ideology and general voting patterns that transcend party, tells a more complex story: namely, that the Left has less apparent leverage in the electorate than it does in Congress.

First, tacking to the left has not translated into votes. Left candidates in nonsolidly Democratic jurisdictions have largely failed to win elections, while the success of centrist and mainline liberal candidates in competitive districts are the primary reason Democrats currently control the House, the Senate, and the presidency. Indeed, only around 10 progressive House incumbents endorsed by the hard-line progressive group Justice Democrats have succeeded, among them Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and most recently Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri. But these victories have all been in heavily Democratic districts, with the possible exception of Rep. Marie Newman of Illinois, who was elected last year in a district that tilts only 6 points Democratic.

But in competitive and even very Democratic jurisdictions, energizing voters by moving left has primarily not worked, in either primaries or general elections. In Democrats blue wave election of 2018, gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Justice Democrats lost primaries in New York, Michigan, and Rhode Island. And in the few where they did succeed in primaries, in Maryland and Vermont, those candidates then lost to Republican incumbents. In Senate races across Arizona, West Virginia, and Maine, Justice Democrats-endorsed candidates lost primaries. In congressional races, the story was much the same. This year already, centrists have routed progressives in the New York City mayoral primary, the Virginia gubernatorial primary, and in special elections for congressional seats in New Mexico and Ohio. And of course, theres the presidential primary, and, well, we know how that turned out.

The second problem with the progressive electoral argument about moving left at all costs is the monolithic perception across news media that younger voters and voters of color are thoroughly progressive. A recent survey by Echelon Insights asked registered voters to back one of five platforms ranging from populist-conservative to populist-progressive. Only 52% of voters under 30 back a left-of-center platform, with twice as many (35%) supporting a mainline liberal platform over a progressive one (17%). Forty percent of voters under 30 backed a center (19%) to right-of-center platform (21%). Among millennials aged 30-39, half support a center or right-of-center platform, compared to 40% supporting a liberal or progressive platform. Another survey found that among Democrats who are registered voters under 30, 51% identify as a Bernie Sanders-style Democrat, 33% as a moderate Democrat, and 16% as a mainstream Democrat. Among those between 30 and 39, Sanders-style Democrats drop to only 34%, versus 41% who identify as moderate and 19% as a mainline liberal. This roughly lines up with what we know about the Democratic electorate in recent years.

By race, a 2020 Pew survey found 55% of non-Hispanic white Democratic voters identify as liberal, compared to only 37% of non-Hispanic black Democrats and 29% of Hispanic Democrats. The previously aforementioned survey also found that pluralities or majorities of black, Hispanic, and Asian registered Democrats identify as moderate Democrats. True, there may be considerable flexibility in ideological self-identification; for example, self-identification can be influenced by the momentary salience of particular issues more than a deeper commitment to a coherent ideology. But the ideological gradient among certain constituencies of the Democratic Party complicates perceptions not as to whether the base of liberal voters will show up to reward congressional Democrats for going big, but whether there are even enough of them to deliver Democrats the multi-majorities progressives need to govern at the federal level.

What further obscures the portrait of the base and the strength of the parties is the share of voters who identify as independents and the intensity of negative polarization in recent national elections. Today, a more than 40% plurality of people identify as independents. Though electorates tend to be more partisan, since independents vote at lower rates than partisans, the enormous shares of votes that either party earns in any given election are still largely influenced by the volatility of independent voters who are not necessarily moderates nor amenable to progressive maximalism but rather have a mix of often idiosyncratic views. With elections as close as they have been recently, a small share of independent or partisan voter defections could throw a statewide or national election, even if these voters share more or most other views with partisans.

Negative polarization, especially in elections with Donald Trump on the ballot, prompts questions as to just how much of recent Democratic electorates, including Democratic-voting independents, have been motivated by opposition to the Republicans (or one Republican) rather than the partys ambitious political agenda. In 2008, 25% of Democratic voters said their vote was primarily against John McCain. In 2016, 46% of Democratic voters said their vote was primarily against Trump. There isnt solid negative voting data on 2020, but one exit poll indicates that of the roughly one-quarter of voters who said their presidential vote was a negative vote, Joe Biden won by 38 points, 68%-30%. Though all or most negative Democratic voters may not necessarily be independents (surely, there were Democrats disappointed with Bidens nomination but opposed Trump far more), these margins suggest that a not-insignificant factor in Democrats 2020 vote shares could be attributable to a strong desire to unseat Trump, as opposed to a resounding endorsement of a policy agenda.

The low-key tenor of the Biden administration thus far also raises the overlooked probability that a reason why political power might not shift dramatically after next years midterm elections is not that Democrats haven't fired up a specific base but that the public is more or less content. A recent survey found that a record 59% of people say theyre thriving. And while the publics opinion on the broader direction of the country seems to track with the perceived severity of coronavirus spread, in April, before the delta variant emerged, more people than at just about any point in the last decade said the country was on the right track. Legislatively, even after months of reporters nagging senators to abolish the filibuster, voters (including Democrats) are pretty divided on the 60-vote rule and dont appear to see the need for its elimination as the five-alarm emergency its being portrayed as. Similarly, despite months of gratuitous hyperbole from the media and Democrats, including Biden, over Georgia and other states voter ID laws, recent polling has shown the vast majority of voters are in favor of such measures, including Democratic voters.

Maybe the most wildly understated reason why the base isnt any one faction, and why defining the base is mainly futile, is because the United States is a federation that maximizes democratic representation by dispersing political influence. To govern federally, parties need to earn multi-majorities, which means they need to appeal to a number of factions within and outside of their party. During the 2010s, Senate Republicans flipped several blue seats in the Midwest and the South in states that had more frequently elected Democrats. Within the last two elections, House Democrats flexed their strength in the Sun Belt and in diversifying suburbs.

None of this is to understate the growing share of liberals within the Democratic Party, the popularity of universalist policies, or the striking asymmetric polarization liberals such as Kevin Drum have observed among Democrats. Voters might be less liberal than people who write about them, but it isnt as though most of the party are a bunch of Joe Manchins either.

Arguably the Lefts greatest contribution to the Democratic Party has been its ability to articulate in simple terms the partys broader priorities: addressing healthcare, climate change, economic inequality, and systemic racism. This itself has energized Democrats. Even if Democratic voters vary on the specifics, they want to know that their candidates general priorities are straight.

But in a country where only roughly 25% of the public affiliates with either party, political observers need to widen their scope as to who the electorate is, what they want, what they do not want, and how important those things are to those whose lives do not revolve around federal politics. That starts with recognizing that there is no one base of the Democratic Party.

Robert Showah is a writer and media entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas. You can follow him on Twitter @robertisnthere.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Democratic Party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Liberalism, Congress, Campaigns, 2022 Elections, Polls, Race and Diversity, Demographics, Nancy Pelosi

Original Author: Robert Showah

Original Location: The Left is not 'the base'
Aug. 25On Aug. 15, the Taliban took control of Kabul, putting an end to the Afghanistan War as U.S. troops began a more frenzied effort to evacuate Americans and those who aided U.S. efforts.

But many Afghans were being left behind.

Chaos had ensued at the Kabul airport, as video footage captured Afghans dangerously running down the tarmac in hopes of catching a flight to a new world. New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi wrote an obituary about Zaki Anwari, the Afghan soccer player who died falling from a departing U.S. plane. He was 17.

What the Afghans experienced, some remembered. The Afghan evacuation is similar to the final evacuation of the Vietnam War, Operation Frequent Wind, in 1975. As the Viet Cong moved into Saigon, over 7,000 American soldiers, Vietnamese citizens and American allies were frantically removed from Vietnam.

Both Michael Nguyen and Bill Pelo, current Spokane residents, were in Saigon the day it fell.

Nguyen, 67, is a Vietnamese native. Pelo, 80, was a medical paramilitary officer during the Vietnam War. While Nguyen and Pelo experienced the day through the different lenses of citizen and soldier, the pair share two sentiments: evacuation out of Afghanistan could've been much more organized. And Afghans who are stranded are in danger.

"When I look at that? I cry," Nguyen said. "Saigon was chaotic, just like Kabul."

Nguyen knows what it's like to be left.

He was 21 when American forces were rushing out of Vietnam and the Viet Cong was making its way to Saigon.

"I saw people by the (evacuation) building and it was so crowded that there was no room to run anywhere," Nguyen said. "I went home and since the war was ending, I thought 'Maybe we could rebuild everything.' "

He stayed in Vietnam for four years after the fall of Saigon. He described himself as a "political refugee," becoming a worker and laborer to survive after studying to be an architect, then a mechanical engineer in college. Under Communist rule, he could only produce items for the market, yet never own them, nor make a profit. In 1979, he and a few friends decided to quietly escape by boat in a dangerous, two-day voyage. He became a stowaway, hiding his identity by taking his glasses off and not showing his identification.

Story continues

"We crossed the South China Sea and saw a big ship from England who told us to get to the shore because a big, deadly storm was approaching," Nguyen said. "We had to get to Malaysia as quickly as possible because it was the closest shore."

Malaysia was treacherous too. Nguyen remembered the country's "tight ruling" under Abdul Razak Hussein.

"Luckily, we had the Red Cross International from the United Nations meet us," Nguyen recalled. "They pointed me to an American delegation, and that's when they interviewed and accepted me as a political refugee."

He moved from Malaysia to Oklahoma with assistance from a Christian church. Nguyen then lived in Oregon and California before settling in Spokane in 2000.

Though Nguyen struck gold on his uncertain and dire voyage, he fears for Afghans because America's abrupt departure leaves them stranded.

"They're choked up with the fear of (Taliban) revenge," Nguyen said. "Those people who cooperated with Americans know for sure that the Taliban will seek revenge just like the Communists did."

Images from Afghanistan send Pelo, a Spokane native, back 46 years into the chaos of the evacuation of Saigon. Pelo, part of the evacuation's ground branch, remembered the frantic men, women and children, especially "those loyal to U.S. forces."

"To see the sadness in their eyes? That's what bothered me so bad when I see what's going on (in Afghanistan)," Pelo said. "It's people going through the same thing (like Vietnam)."

The Viet Cong had been marching south and capturing South Vietnam all of April. With the impending takeover, the Secretary of State Henry Kissinger created Operation Frequent Wind to evacuate Saigon on April 29, 1975. Armed Forces radio was to play "White Christmas" as a signal to begin the evacuation process.

"By 4 a.m., Saigon was in chaos; by daylight at 6 a.m., it was panic everywhere," Pelo said.

Tan Son Nhut Air Field, the United States' main air base, had been bombed out the day before. Military planes could only carry 15 people at a time. The U.S. Embassy had been vacated, therefore helicopters could only retrieve people from the Pittman Apartments rooftops. Fuel was low. Fresh, drinkable water was a rare commodity. Rockets and artillery had continued to rain upon Saigon, clouding the atmosphere and limiting sight.

"You could hardly breathe with the sulfur and nitrate in the air, and it was really hot," Pelo said. "Every district was blocked with tanks. All we had was small arms. Ground fire was so intense that all avenues were blocked and evacuation could only be done by rooftop."

Pelo thinks evacuation opportunities should've improved in Afghanistan, calling conditions "100% better with no people shooting heavy weapons or incoming missiles." Clear landing strips, military presence and bigger aircrafts for larger Afghan refugee populations gave America a chance for a safer evacuation.

"They've been pulling people out of Afghanistan since this June, and key (U.S. intelligence) should've been kept there, in my opinion," Pelo said. "(Those left behind) are intelligence committee employees, citizens and people that have been assisting us. (U.S. intelligence) should've been there to protect (Afghans) and at least get more people out of there first."

Both Pelo and Nguyen agreed that Afghans' fear of the Taliban is a common response to militant forces beginning their rule after war.

"It's similar on that point, that it's always civilians," Nguyen said. "(Afghans) fear revenge of the (Taliban) just like the Vietnamese did with the Viet Cong and Communist rule," he added.

"That's what bothered me so bad when I see what's going on over there," Pelo said. "It's people going through the same thing of mothers pleading for their babies to be taken. You don't want to leave her, it's pretty difficult."

One of the main differences between Afghanistan and Vietnam is what happens next for civilians still living in occupied territories. Vietnam citizens like Nguyen experienced a cultural shift of reeducation programs to fit into new rules under the Viet Cong and Communists.

"But today, there are no re-education camps," Pelo said. "At least in Vietnam, the people could get re-educated. That's a big difference in what you see today. Those people (in Afghanistan) are going to die."

The Taliban is already implementing new rule. Many fear what will be next for women and girls, who face harsher treatment under the Taliban.

"Similarities between Kabul and Vietnam are yet to be seen, but in the future, you will see that women will not go to work or school," Nguyen said. "Girls will not be in school just because they're female. That's the way the Taliban treats women."

While a chaotic evacuation scene lingers, uncertainty of the Taliban is still growing. It reminds Nguyen that, though conflict has ended, Afghans' lack of protection in a post-war period has just begun.

"Ending conflict is not as simple as calling it off and coming home, but the price for peace? It will be (a generation of darkness) in Vietnam that started with Communists claiming Saigon," Nguyen said. "People were running, just like you saw in Kabul when the Taliban came."

Amber D. Dodd's work as the Carl Maxey Racial and Social Inequity reporter for Eastern Washington and North Idaho primarily appears in both The Spokesman-Review and The Black Lens newspapers, and is funded in part by the Michael Conley Charitable Fund, the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, the Innovia Foundation and other local donors from across our community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
For all their differences, Europe, China and the U.S. are making remarkably similar moves in tech policy.

The big picture: Nations and regions with wildly differing political systems and cultures have converged on a shared set of responses to the power of big tech firms: rein in the companies, avoid dependencies and subsidize critical networks and technologies.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

China, which has long been accused of protecting domestic companies, has recently been taking action against companies, limiting their ability to raise foreign capital and collect user data.

Meanwhile, the country's government said Thursday that a six-day work week popular among tech companies violates national labor law.

The U.S. has long discounted the value of top-down industrial policy. But under the Biden Administration, it's moving to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, among other sectors that are seen as critical to future economic and national security.

Europe, caught in the middle, has been trying to take action on the antitrust front while navigating the U.S.-China battle over 5G and networking.

Political strategist Bruce Mehlman highlighted the similar moves in a recent presentation that characterizes the common strategy as:

Tame the internet Restrain the dominant Subsidize the critical

Image: Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas

The big picture: The policy convergence comes as each region looks to deal with similar trends that challenge existing rules, including cryptocurrency and the gig economy.

The three regional powers are also eyeing the power of large tech companies and using antitrust regulation as one means to limit it.

Yes, but: Both China and the U.S. will likely want to make sure that the pressure they exert on homegrown companies doesn't inadvertently benefit the overseas competition.

That's definitely an argument that U.S. tech giants are using in their dialogues with state and federal officials.

Between the lines: One of the trickiest parts of these parallel policies is the effort to boost technological independence.

China has been on this path for a while, though the motivation certainly accelerated during the Trump Administration amid battles over Huawei, trade issues and cybersecurity.

Despite significant efforts to boost its domestic capabilities, China remains highly dependent on the U.S. for both chips and software.

U.S. companies, meanwhile, have scrambled to be less dependent on China for manufacturing, but it remains a key supplier of cell phones, computers, TVs and other electronics.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Actor Edgar Ramirez at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

This past weekend, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez lost his aunt and uncle to COVID-19 in less than 24 hours.

"We had not yet collected my aunt's ashes when we were due to incinerate my uncle's body," the "Jungle Cruise" actor shared Wednesday on social media.

"Then on Monday," he continued, "still unable to process the shock and horror from the weekend, we woke up to the news that my Aunt Nidia's brother in law, Rafael, a dear friend, had also died after months battling with COVID complications."

All three of them passed away a month after the death of Ramirez's grandmother and four months after the death of his "Venezuelan agent and dear friend Laureano."

"None of them had been vaccinated," the actor wrote. "None of them had access to a vaccine in Venezuela."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

After conveying his immense loss and grief in heartbreaking detail, the Emmy-nominated performer begged his followers "to please read this post carefully," as it was "the most painful and the most intimate thing I have had to publish in my life."

He also released a translated version for his Spanish-speaking audience.

"It's been weeks and weeks of my family being played, tortured and jerked around by this cruel, treacherous and violent disease which mercilessly ended up killing them all," he wrote in a lengthy, emotional statement.

"I can't stand this void in my chest, this metallic taste in my mouth, this crippling headache that doesn't seem to soothe. These waves of hopelessness that I refuse to let take root in my soul."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Last week, Ramirez conducted a public interview with infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci in an effort to spread awareness about the public health crisis and urge Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

At the time he was "hoping for a miracle to save" his aunt's life, and his uncle was "barely stable" after a month in the hospital.

Story continues

Now, after losing them both, the "American Crime Story" alum reiterated his plea as the highly contagious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus continues to ravage the unvaccinated and cripple hospitals across the United States and abroad.

"It breaks my heart that so many people in this country are willing to snub the very vaccine my family would have taken in an instant," he wrote.

"Don't do it for yourself. Do it to protect those who are vulnerable. ... To get a vaccine is an act of compassion."

On Instagram, several of Ramirez's co-stars and Hollywood peers  including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain, Juan Pablo Raba, Erika De La Vega and Cody Fern  offered their support and condolences.

"My heart can't ... take any more pain," Ramirez wrote. "I am sad, I am frustrated, I am devastated."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Axios

Joe Rogan announced on Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, adding that he took a series of medications, including ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasites in animals that the Food and Drug Administration says people should avoid.Why it matters: Rogan is one of the most influential podcast personalities in the world. In the past, some of his more controversial comments have been criticized and have put Spotify, Rogan's exclusive podcast distributor, in an awkward position.Sta
Benjamin Mendy, a star soccer player for Manchester City, was charged Thursday with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, British police said.

Mendy, 27, was arrested and will remain behind bars until at least his initial hearing Friday, the Crown Protection Service said in a press release.

Police said the charges are connected to three alleged victims. The first offense occurred in October 2020 and the most recent happened this month, according to police.

Cops said the attacks occurred in Cheshire, one county south of Manchester in northwest England.

Manchester City suspended Mendy because of the investigation. The club said it couldnt comment further because the matter is subject to a legal process.

Mendy, a defender, joined the English superclub in 2017 on a 52 million transfer from Monaco. He started one of the teams two games so far this season and appeared in 13 games last year in Manchester Citys title-winning campaign, scoring two goals.
Aug. 27SALISBURY  A local man and a friend were ordered to pay almost $2,000 to a man who police say they attacked during a road rage incident that began in Newburyport and ended in Salisbury Square last summer

Cory Robertson, 27, of Lafayette Street, Salisbury, and Kevin Roussin, 22, of Heritage St., Salem, admitted a judge or jury could find them guilty of assault and battery during their appearances Wednesday in Newburyport District Court. Robertson also admitted he was driving without a license, according to court records.

Both men saw the assault and battery charge continued without a finding for a year. During that time, they must stay out of trouble with the law, have no contact with the victim or any witnesses, and pay the victim $1,945 in restitution.

The dollar amount covers medical and dental bills not covered by insurance, according to an Essex County prosecutor.

The incident on Aug. 28, 2020, began in Newburyport while the victim was driving west on Water Street near the U.S. Coast Guard station. The victim was driving slowly with his wife and 9-year-old twin daughters in the car. Robertson was behind the wheel with Roussin and a woman in the car behind them.

"The victim was looking for a bakery and was likely driving slow and may have swerved to the left," Officer Craig Goodrich wrote in his report. "When he did this and swerved back he may have cut off or come close to Robertson's vehicle. This angered Robertson and his passengers. They then began to exchange words with the victim with, it seems, each vehicle yelling at each other."

Goodrich has since been promoted to sergeant.

The two drivers continued across the Gillis Bridge into Salisbury before Robertson sped ahead of the victim and pulled over in the breakdown lane. Robertson and Roussin then got out of the car and challenged the victim to stop his car.

The victim told police that Robertson and Roussin walked into the travel lane and he had to swerve to avoid hitting them. Robertson and Roussin got back into the car and sped after the victim's car, eventually catching up with him near Salisbury Square. At a red light, Roussin threw a banana or a banana peel at the victim's car.

Story continues

The two cars eventually drove into the CVS parking lot, where the victim got out of his car and confronted Robertson and Roussin. A witness told Goodrich that Robertson grabbed the victim's arms and held them while Roussin punched him in the face.

"This basically happens as soon as the victim steps out of the vehicle," Goodrich wrote in his report.

Roussin admitted he punched the victim but said he did it in self-defense. Robertson and Roussin denied the victim was being restrained when the punch was delivered.

But based on the witness testimony and the fact that it appeared Robertson and Roussin had been aggressively chasing and cutting off the victim's car, they were charged with assault and battery, according to Goodrich's report.
(Bloomberg) -- A vulnerability in Microsoft Inc.s cloud database system left data at thousands of clients exposed to potential cyberattacks for about two years, according to the Israeli cybersecurity firm that discovered the bug.

More than 3,300 of the software giants customers were exposed to a flaw in its Azure Cosmos DB database product that could have granted a malicious actor access keys to steal, edit or delete sensitive data, according to researchers at the Tel Aviv-based Wiz.io. Wizs co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Ami Luttwak says his team of researchers discovered the vulnerability on Aug. 9 while managing security for some of its own Fortune 500 clients.

On Friday, Microsoft issued a statement: Our investigation indicates no customer data was accessed because of this vulnerability by third parties or security researchers. Weve notified the customers whose keys may have been affected during the researcher activity to regenerate their keys.

Reuters reported earlier that Microsoft had warned thousands of its Azure customers on Thursday about the security flaw. In an email to clients that was reviewed by Bloomberg News, the software firm asked network administrators to take four steps to protect their Cosmos databases, including generating new digital keys used to securely access those systems.

Microsoft said they had fixed the vulnerability. There is no evidence of this technique being exploited by malicious actors, the company said in an emailed statement on Thursday. We are not aware of any customer data being accessed because of this vulnerability.

The Wiz researchers found that the vulnerability existed since mid-2019, when Microsoft added a new feature to Cosmos DB called Jupyter Notebooks. The add-on allows database managers to insert lines of code so they can visualize and interact with their data. The feature had to be toggled on by users until February 2021, when Microsoft activated Jupyter Notebooks by default.

Story continues

If Im a customer using the cloud database, my biggest fear is someone accessing my data without me knowing, said Wizs Luttwak. And thats what this vulnerability would have done, if not corrected.

Cosmos DB counts companies including Exxon Mobil Corp., Coca-Cola Co. and Citrix Systems Inc. as clients, according to Microsofts website for the service. In a customer testimonial on the site, the Walgreens pharmacy chain says it processes more than 6 million prescriptions a day and the company uses Azure Cosmos DB to run microservices that its prescription transactions rely on.

(Updates with statement from Microsoft in third paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
A Marine from the St. Louis area was among the 13 American service members and more than a hundred Afghans killed in a suicide bombing Thursday near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, according to the man's father and a U.S. senator.

Jared Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri, was among the dead, the Department of Defense announced Saturday.

"This has just been absolutely devastating," his father, Mark Schmitz told the radio station KMOX.

Schmitz told the station the U.S. Marine Corps came to his home to deliver "the horrific news" around 2:40 a.m. Friday.

This undated photo released by the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton/U.S. Marines shows Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley confirmed his death in a statement posted to Twitter.

"Today I spoke with the family of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz...a Marine who lost his life yesterday in the Kabul attacks, while proudly serving this nation. I promised his family that his service and his legacy will not be forgotten," Hawley wrote.

Afghanistan latest: Another Kabul attack 'is likely', with 'credible threat' at airport

Schmitz was stationed in Jordan on his first deployment and was sent to Afghanistan in recent weeks, his father said.

"As his parents, of course, we were terrified," Schmitz said of his son, a 2019 high school graduate. "I don't have words for how upset we are."

He added, "He was probably one of the coolest, unique individuals I ever met. I'm very honored that I could call him my son."

"Please pray for Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz and his family today," State Rep. Nick Schroer said on Twitter. "He is an American hero from St. Charles County."

The death toll from the blast includes 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy hospital corpsman, and one Army soldier, American officials said. At least 18 U.S. service members were injured. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

A Wyoming Marine expecting a child in three weeks was among the dead.

About 169 Afghan people died, officials told the Associated Press. CBS News was reporting that number at 170.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jared Schmitz, Missouri Marine, killed in Afghanistan airport bombing
An image of Brittany Starks and her daughter's hair that she has braided.

Courtesy of Brittany Starks.

Black parents know that starting the school year with their kids' hair in a braided style goes well beyond cutting down the time it takes to get ready for school in the morning. Brittany Starks, a single mom of two in Antioch, Tennessee, wanted what will I do with the childrens hair to be one less question and cost on the list of back-to-school worries for her fellow single moms.

Like many parents, Brittany Starks was uncertain about adjusting to an in-person school year during the pandemic. Starks works three jobs and has experienced housing insecurity. She knows firsthand that back-to-school season brings relief but also overwhelm.

When a family friend surprised her by providing school clothes and supplies for her children, she realized just how small, unexpected acts of kindness can have a huge impact. Because quality braids cost upwards of a couple hundred dollars and can take several hours, she decided that donating her braiding skills would be her way of giving back.

Her struggles were common. Her willingness to get to work helping others was extraordinary.

Anyone know single parents who cant afford to get their childs hair done for school? I will braid it for free! Please DM me, she posted on August 4th, in a local Hip Antioch community support group on Facebook. Starks evenings and weekends filled quickly  and until they overflowed.

I thought it was going to be five to seven kids, but it ended up being 35 kids," she told NPR, saying shes lost count of how many childrens hair shes braided since that post.

Starks noted how after getting their hair braided, the children smiled more and seemed happier compared to when they arrived. "When your hair is cute, I just feel like you feel so much better about everything," she continued. "[If] your hair is done, you feel confident, you go into school with a fresh start  even though COVID-19's bringing everybody down."

Story continues

Of course, braiding is hard work, and supplies aint cheap. She realized that to support as many children in the community as possible, shed have to ask for the communitys support. Starks Gofundme has raised more than 16,000 from 462 donors. The campaign, with contribution amounts ranging from as little as $5 to as much as $500, further illustrates her belief that no good deed is too small to make an impact. Some folks helped financially; others donated their time.

Starks and her team of volunteers have done hair in many places, including churches, braiding shops, and in peoples homes. Their efforts are the most recent of a long history of Black mothers stepping up to support the larger community as they navigate their own stressors. Supporting the Antioch community through braiding doesnt just help children. Starks knows that through braiding, shes solving several problems at once. Shes providing peace of mind by saving parents time and money in an uncertain world.

For many kids, a cute, braided style is the only thing that feels normal during a pandemic. Starks and the volunteers plan to dedicate one Saturday each month to braiding to continue supporting families in her community. Her biggest hope, however, is that she has inspired others to keep the kindness going.
Associated Press

Attorneys for the former student accused of murdering 17 at a Florida high school want prosecutors and their witnesses barred at trial from referring to him as an animal, a thing, the killer or in any manner they believe is derogatory. Nikolas Cruz's lead attorney also argued Wednesday that prosecutors and their witnesses should be barred at trial from calling the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland the massacre, the schoolhouse slaughter," an execution or other inflammatory terms. Assistant public defender Melisa McNeill told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that Cruz should only be referred to by his name or as the defendant" at trial and the shooting should be called the incident, the tragedy, the mass shooting or other neutral terms.
AKRON, Ohio  An Ohio Navy hospital corpsman is among the 13 Americans and more than a hundred Afghans killed in a suicide bombing Thursday near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, a school district confirmed Friday.

Maxton "Max" Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, was a 2017 graduate of Edison High School in Milan, where he was on the football, track, wrestling, and tennis teams and was in the school band, according to Thomas Roth, superintendent of Edison Local School District.

The news of Soviak's death was "devastating for us," Roth said Friday.

"He just enjoyed life. He was full of life. He was a good kid, a good student and people just enjoyed being around him," the superintendent said.

Max Soviak poses for his U.S. Navy protrait.

The Navy issued a statement Friday on behalf of the Soviak family describing him as "a wonderful son who loved his family, his community, and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy."

"He was excited about the opportunities the Navy would offer him and planned to make the Navy a career. We are incredibly proud of his service to our country," the statement said.

"As we mourn the loss of our son, we also mourn for the loss of the Marines and Soldier who were killed and pray for the speedy recovery of all of those wounded in Afghanistan. Words cannot express how heartbroken we are with this news and we will miss Max tremendously."

Kabul airport evacuation: Graphics and satellite images show how the complex and dangerous evacuation

Tom Davis of Berlin Heights, Ohio, raises an American flag to half staff Friday in honor of hometown Navy Corpsman Max Soviak and the 12 other Americans killed in Thursday's bombings outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The small community about 50 miles west of Cleveland was mourning Soviaks loss and planned to have a moment of silence at Friday nights high school game against Bellevue, Roth said, adding that the district was still in the planning stages of honoring Soviak.

He said it is always special when students from Edison local schools enter military service, and the community was proud of Soviak serving as a Navy hospital corpsman.

"Were very proud of all of our students who move on to the military life as they graduate  to protect the rest of us, were just so proud of those kids."

Story continues

Roth said Soviak represented the school and community with great honor.

"He and his family are in all of our thoughts and prayers," Roth said.

Thomas Roth, superintendent of Edison Local Schools, speaks with media outside Edison High School, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Milan, Ohio.

In a statement on Facebook on Friday morning, the Berlin Township Fire Department wrote: "Berlin Heights lost one of its own Thursday serving in Afghanistan. We send our condolences out to the Soviak family. Max will never be forgotten, and will always be remembered as an American Hero."

"The entire community is heartbroken by this sad news," the department said.

On Instagram, Max's sister Marilyn Soviak posted Friday, "Ive never been one for politics and im not going to start now. What I will say is that my beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his own drum, annoying, charming baby brother was killed yesterday helping to save lives."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Vince Ragnoni, who was Soviak's instructer when he attended a public vocational school during his junior and senior years of high school, said Soviak was "so friendly, very competitive, and was always pulling shenanigans."

"He liked to get people to laugh," Ragnoni said in a statement. "I was honored to have been able to have him as a student. His parents were so supportive, and you knew he was very loved."

Max Soviak participates in the EHOVE Electrical Tech program during his junior year in October 2015.

John Hartman, 85, a Berlin Township resident his entire life, said he shed tears when he heard about Soviak's death.

"Just knowing that a young man from a small community lost his life for what the hell for," Hartman said. "Its just not right."

Hartman said his youngest daughter graduated with Soviaks father and that it was a sad day for the close-knit community of around 700 people.

He said he remembers when people coming back from World War ll would talk about lives lost and that its coming back to haunt us with the tragic news from Afghanistan.

They made the 'ultimate sacrifice': The 13 US service members killed in Afghanistan airport bombing

"Its just devastating," said Sandra Shievely, who worked with Soviaks grandmother for the Edison school district. "I knew the family, I cant imagine what it would be like to lose a grandson."

Edison Chargers Head Coach Jim Hall said Soviak was loyal, honest, tough and a great friend. But above all else, he was passionate.

"He kind of wore his emotions on his sleeve, and thats how he played football for us too," Hall said.

Soviak was part of a team that won back-to-back regional titles. Hall said Soviak played special teams as a sophomore, and was a role player as a junior before becoming one of the the team's starting linebackers his senior year. He was also one of the teams fullbacks.

He said Soviak loved a challenge, and he doesnt think anyone was surprised when Soviak chose to serve his country after high school.

"It is devastating to lose a kid like that," Hall said. "Its so senseless. Theres no rhyme or reason."

Max Soviak appears in his EHOVE senior yearbook photo.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday night ordered all U.S. and Ohio flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds until sunset Monday to honor the lives of U.S. service members and other victims killed in the Kabul attack.

The death toll from the blast includes 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy hospital corpsman, and one Army soldier, American officials said. At least 18 U.S. service members were injured. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

About 169 Afghan people died, officials told the Associated Press. CBS News was reporting that number at 170.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Max Soviak, Navy corpsman from Ohio, killed in Kabul airport bombing
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's chapter of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, commonly known as Fiji, has a long history of inappropriate conduct, including sexual harassment. Now, the chapter has been suspended again after a member allegedly raped a minor on the night of the first day of classes.

The alleged rape took place at the fraternity's off-campus housing shortly before 4 a.m. on Tuesday, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police, who were also responding to a call about a "wild party," according to the police's daily crime log. The alleged offense happened sometime overnight.

"All allegations of sexual assault are taken seriously and investigated to the extent possible. We are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident, a suspect has been identified, and Fiji members are cooperating with the investigation. At this time no arrests have been made and we cannot comment further on an ongoing police investigation," police said in a statement to CBS News.

Phi Gamma Delta did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.

UNLPD Chief Hassan Ramzah told the university's student-run newspaper, the Daily Nebraskan, that the alleged sexual assault involved a 17-year-old female student and a 19-year-old male student who is a member of the fraternity. The identity of the victim has not been released.

The survivor told officers that she and an 18-year-old acquaintance had gone to the fraternity house, the newspaper reported. The alleged assault occurred after the acquaintance left, police told the newspaper. The university confirmed the details of the case reported by the campus newspaper but declined to otherwise comment.

"Given the traumatic nature of sexual assault, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department works closely with the victim-survivor to investigate the incident," Ramzah told the Daily Nebraskan. "And given the sensitive nature, we work with the victim at their pace in investigation, not behind or ahead, but with them."

Story continues

Classes only started at the campus Monday, but hundreds have gathered daily outside of the Fiji house to protest the fraternity's standing with the university. Videos show students chanting "This is not the only fraternity that has done this" and demanding justice. At one point, the hundreds of students present at the protest held their fists up for alleged victims and held a moment of silence.

Tweets by c_dmedia

A petition circulated online this week demanding that the university ban the fraternity from the campus for good. The petition claims that 13 women have been raped by members of the fraternity. Several women commented on the petition saying that they were assaulted or raped at the fraternity's house. More than 291,700 people have signed the petition. One group, called ShutDownFiji, has posted about the outrage and the alleged incidents on Instagram.

University Chancellor Ronnie Green announced Wednesday the fraternity is still under probation for "previous violations" and that its operations are suspended while the investigation is ongoing. The fraternity's house has also been closed.

Green said Thursday that sexual assaults were reported to campus police this week and that the police were investigating "each of them." Only one assault  the one at the fraternity house  is included in the university's crime logs. Green said the university has a "responsibility" to follow the legal guidance and process for investigating sexual assault and to "protect the rights of all involved."

"Sexual assault is heinous and should never happen. I wish we lived in a world where it didn't," Green said. "...We all wish that resolution of these cases could come swiftly. But often, it's not as simple as 'locking them up.' The guarantee of due process is part of our Constitution and core to who we are as Americans."

He said that the university is working hard to "do better" to help prevent sexual assaults.

"And if you're a young man who somehow thinks this is cool  think again. It is unacceptable," Green said. "No means no. And if you violate that, and we can prove it  you have no place on our campus."

The university's chapter of Phi Gamma Delta has a long history of misconduct on campus.

The chapter was accused of sexual misconduct in October 2019, according to police. The case is still open.

Fiji was suspended from the university from March 2017 to May 2020 after a university investigation uncovered a history of inappropriate behavior, including "a pattern of sexually harassing conduct." The harassment was not the "focal point" of the suspension, the university said, but added that they did find fraternity members had engaged in multiple incidents.

The suspension meant that the fraternity chapter was no longer recognized on campus. Fiji was only able to petition for reinstatement in 2019 and could not move into university-approved housing until 2020. They were required to undergo training for alcohol and drugs, sexual misconduct and prevention, hazing prevention and women's issues, the university said in 2017.

Dozens of cases of sexual assault have been reported to the university. From January 1, 2016 to August 27 this year, there have been 148 reports of sexual offenses, including rape, attempted rape and sexual assault. Several of the alleged incidents took place at fraternity houses. Eighty of the cases from the past five years remain open.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to remove rules for pledges of Phi Gamma Delta. The rules initially included were for pledges of a different chapter of the fraternity.

What we know about ISIS-K, the group claiming responsibility for the Kabul attack

Why 9 Democrats threatened to kill their party's budget bill

Louisiana doctor discusses COVID-19 surge as pandemic hits South
The children were taken from an Islamic school in Tegina, Niger state

Gunmen in Nigeria have freed a number of pupils who were kidnapped from an Islamic school in May, according to their head teacher.

Some 136 students from the school in Tegina, Niger state, were seized by gunmen demanding a ransom.

The head teacher said a small number escaped in June. There were unconfirmed reports that six died in captivity.

Mass abductions for ransom have become increasingly common across Nigeria in recent months.

Head teacher Abubakar Alhassan said he could not give an exact number of how many students had been freed, but "none of the pupils are in captivity".

He told the BBC that the freed students were looking unhealthy, frail and exhausted. They are now being treated in hospital in the state capital, Minna.

Last month, the parents and the school had raised funds to free the pupils but the kidnappers told them that it was not enough.

Mr Alhassan said that they then paid more money and even bought motorcycles for those behind the mass abduction to convince them to release the children, the BBC's Ishaq Khalid reports from the capital, Abuja.

Fati Abdullahi, whose 18-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son were taken by the group, told the AFP news agency that her children had been freed.

"We are anxious to see them," she said.

On 30 May, gunmen riding on motorcycles stormed the town and opened fire, killing one person and injuring another.

As people fled, the attackers went to the school and seized the children.

In July, kidnappers seized a man who was sent to deliver a ransom payment to secure the students' release. Parents and school administrators had sold possessions and part of the school's land to pay the ransom. But they later said they wanted more money.

More than 1,000 students have been abducted from schools across northern Nigeria since December last year, although most have since been freed.

Authorities there have been criticised for their failure to tackle the country's widespread insecurity including the deepening kidnapping crisis.
The green card that Atifa and her brother used to get back into the U.S. yesterday also put their lives at risk back in Kabul, when the Taliban searched door to door for Americans.

Driving the news: Axios interviewed the 21-year-old and her 18-year-old sibling, who went by his last name, Ahmadi, at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Va. They gave a first-hand account of the journey from Afghanistan to the U.S.  a terrifying, stressful, exhausting trip lasting nine days.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Atifa and Ahmadi had been in Afghanistan visiting family for the month and a half preceding the collapse of the government. It took them three days to make it into the Kabul airport.

In the safety of a convention center outside the nation's capital, they were surrounded by over 100 others who'd fled Afghanistan.

Among them were children playing with hula hoops, mothers in head scarves holding kids, young men in traditional clothes.

After boarding a flight out of Kabul, the siblings landed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, where they stayed for two nights.

There was little food, and none that Afghans are used to eating.

Their next stop was Germany. After five days, they boarded a 12-hour flight to the U.S.

The expo center was filled with the echoes of dozens of other Afghans who emerged from behind dividers where they had been processed with wristbands signaling their different visa statuses.

Hundreds of green cots sat covered with Red Cross blankets, divided by curtains and labeled with hand-written signs designating sections for single women or families  in English and Dari.

A curtained area was set aside for prayer.

Outside, a U.S. citizen who lives in New York told Axios' Erin Doherty she was confused about why she landed in Virginia.

Other people waited for relatives  or searched for a lost bag.

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Striking Nabisco workers are calling for a consumer boycott of the popular cookie and other Nabisco snacks. Justin Sullivan/Getty

Danny DeVito and striking Oreo factory workers are calling for a boycott of Nabisco products.

Workers are demanding better pay and pushing against Nabisco's proposed 12-hour shifts.

Boycotts rarely impact a company's sales, but they can damage a company's reputation.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Workers in every major Oreo-manufacturing factory in the US are striking, and their call for a boycott of popular Nabisco products like Oreos, Ritz Crackers, and Triscuits was recently bolstered by the support of the famous actor Danny DeVito, Yahoo Finance reported.

"Support Nabisco workers striking for humane working hours, fair pay, outsourcing jobs. NO CONTRACTS NO SNACKS," the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star said in a tweet that garnered 160,000 likes.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Over 1,000 Nabisco workers are striking over contract negotiations, with the company's proposed 12-hour shifts becoming one of the most contentious sticking points for workers. Workers are also demanding better pay and an end to outsourcing to Mexico.

Although public figures with large followings such as Danny Devito and Bernie Sanders have tweeted their support for Nabisco workers, boycotts usually fail in undercutting a targeted company's sales, according to The New York Times.

Although boycotts can damage a company's brand, a fast-moving news cycle and constant barrage of information from social media often leads boycotts to fade within a few days if they don't have strong and sustained participation.

Mike Burlingham, a worker at the Portland bakery and the vice president of the local union, told Insider's Juliana Kaplan that the unions had recieved strong support for the strike and that anger had been simmering among workers for a long time.

Mondelez International, the parent company of Nabisco, said it's bargaining in good faith with union leadership and that it was disappointed in workers' decisions to go on strike.

"If Nabisco can rake in billions of dollars in corporate profits, they can afford to treat their workers with dignity and respect," Bernie Sanders said in a tweet.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Japans biggest brokerage has started offering subscriptions to a luxurious Italian food delivery service, where customers can use tokens to buy and trade dishes as their value fluctuates.

An affiliate of Nomura Holdings Inc. on Wednesday began selling the tokens, that exist on the blockchain, for four high-end food parcels a year from Masayuki Okuda, an award-winning Japanese chef famous for using traditional local ingredients like olive-fed beef and zusayama chicory.

Delivery options include pumpkin ravioli, corn and chicken tortellini and asparagus pizza, according to a website for the service. Owners of the tokens will be able to trade them from next year under current plans.

Annual subscription costs 60,000 yen ($546), on top of an initial 3,000 yen membership purchase. Chef Okuda, who reportedly advised on a menu for a dinner at the Davos gathering of finance executives in 2012 and has two restaurants in Tokyo, will use traditional ingredients grown in Hokkaido.

The industry for tokens -- which give people the rights to underlying assets -- remains nascent in Japan, though Nomura expects it to grow as the market becomes more widely accepted. Its an area of the booming market for digital assets thats received criticism in recent years for its risks, while proponents say it offers companies the ability to raise money at low costs and easily track ownership.

Nomura is expanding the ibet platform, which it co-owns with other firms, with tokens for assets such as corporate bonds and real estate also on offer in Japan. The brokerage aims to help grow the digital asset market in addition to creating business for local agricultural and fishery products, a spokesman said.

Nomura last year carried out a pilot project involving selling tokens that allow owners to participate in a project to make soups with asparagus grown by its affiliate, Nomura Farm Hokkaido Co.

(Adds detail on other projects in final paragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected the detail on these tokens.)

Story continues

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The White House tried to downplay ties with the Taliban after at least 13 Americans were killed in Afghanistan when two bombs exploded outside Kabul's airport.

The Taliban are not a "group we trust," according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

11 MARINES, NAVY MEDIC AMONG DEAD AS KABUL CASUALTIES CLIMB

"I'm not trying to sugarcoat what we think of the Taliban," she told reporters Thursday. "They are not our friends."

But the Taliban control Afghanistan, and working with them has secured the evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies, Psaki said. She also underscored the Taliban have not been linked to the attacks.

Psaki described President Joe Biden's mood as "somber" after the attacks were first reported Thursday morning. She reaffirmed his commitment to withdrawing troops by Aug. 31, based on military commander advice, despite promising to avenge the attacks.

"Any day where you lose service members is maybe the worst day of your presidency, and hopefully there's not more," she said.

Psaki also clarified Biden's apparent acknowledgment the United States would not be able to evacuate every American and vulnerable Afghan as terrorist threats persist around the airport. Instead, she was adamant the White House would continue to provide support after Sept. 1.

The ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks resulting in a series of explosions outside Kabul's airport that killed at least 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy medic, and more than 60 Afghans. The first explosive was detonated by a suicide bomber near Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate. The second went off near a hotel 200 yards away.

"The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty. In the service of security. In the service of others. In the service of America," Biden said at the White House Thursday evening.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Story continues

He added, "To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Biden, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, White House, Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, National Security, Foreign Policy, Taliban

Original Author: Naomi Lim

Original Location: 'They are not our friends': White House distances itself from Taliban after Afghanistan attacks
From the outside, author, executive producer, television host and humanitarian Padma Lakshmi seems to have it all. But it hasn't always been that way, and in fact she feels like she's just hit her stride, she tells correspondent Faith Salie in an interview for "CBS Sunday Morning," to be broadcast August 29 on CBS and streamed on Paramount +.

In a wide-ranging interview, the soon-to-be 51-year-old Lakshmi opened up about how she hasn't always lived a charmed life, and has in fact turned trauma into triumph.

"I feel like I'm just finally hitting my stride, you know, and it takes a while to fully cook as a person, and to figure out who you are," Lakshmi told Salie.

From the outside, author, executive producer, television host and humanitarian @PadmaLakshmi seems to have it all. But it hasnt always been that way, and in fact she feels like shes just hit her stride in an interview this week pic.twitter.com/X7q9nCAh1e

 CBS Sunday Morning  (@CBSSunday) August 27, 2021

To many, Lakshmi is the glamorous host, judge and executive producer of Bravo's "Top Chef" and of the Hulu series "Taste the Nation." Before becoming a star, she said, her roots were humble  and tough.

She was raised by a single mother who moved to the United States when she was a child. At seven, she was sexually molested by a relative of her mother's second husband and sent back to India. She eventually returned to the United States. Later, she said, when she was 16, she was raped by a teen she was dating.

"When someone robs you of your innocence, whether it's, you know, at seven or 16 or whatever, when you don't have dominion over your own body, it leaves you with a lifelong anxiety  that always lingers in some form," Lakshmi said. "And that, to me, is the greatest crime of sexual assault."

In the interview, Lakshmi opens up to Salie about her life, including her recovery from a serious car accident as a teenager; the seven-inch wound on her arm that led to her modeling for the famed photographer Helmet Newton; her struggle with endometriosis (a painful condition with which she and millions of other women struggle); being a mother; and her new children's book, "Tomatoes for Neela."

Story continues

In addition to her television work, Lakshmi is also the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America; a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador; and an ACLU Artist Ambassador for women's rights and immigrants' rights.

"I want people to know that I have lived the life I've lived because there's nothing that I have to hide," Lakshmi said. "And I would like young women to know that, even if you have a late start, or even if you have been through stuff, it's okay. You know, sometimes you just have to get up and dust yourself off and keep walking."

The Emmy Award-winning "Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on CBSN [beginning at 9 a.m. ET and 11:30 a.m. ET] and Paramount+, and is available on cbs.com and cbsnews.com.

Be sure to follow us at cbssundaymorning.com, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

For more info:

padmalakshmi.com

U.S. Supreme Court blocks extended eviction moratorium

WorldView: India reaches vaccine milestone; Taiwan to bolster military

School board meetings heat up across country over mask mandates
By Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A deadly attack in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Thursday was carried out by a single suicide bomber at a gate to the airport and there was no second explosion at a nearby hotel, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Kabul airport attack, which killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 79 Afghans, was claimed by Islamic State militants. The Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, ISIS-Khorosan, has emerged as an enemy of both the West and of the Taliban.

The attack marked the first U.S. military casualties in Afghanistan since February 2020 and represented the deadliest incident for American troops there in a decade.

U.S. General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, had said on Thursday that initial information was that two suicide bombers had attacked the airport gate and the nearby Baron hotel.

"I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber," Army Major General William Taylor told reporters on Friday. He said U.S. troops wounded in the attack were now being treated in Germany.

Taylor said about 300 U.S. citizens had been evacuated in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Americans evacuated to about 5,100.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the reporters during the same briefing that the United States believed there are still "specific, credible" threats against the airport.

"We certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts," Kirby said, adding: "We're monitoring these threats, very, very specifically, virtually in real time."

U.S. officials have said the biggest threat facing the airport are potential rocket attacks or car bombs.

Thursday's attack occurred during a U.S.-led evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The Taliban came to power nearly two weeks ago as foreign forces began withdrawing, ending a 20-year war.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and David Brunnstrom; Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Howard Goller)
Members of ISIS-K stand in front of their weapons as they surrendered to the government in Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Afghanistan on November 17, 2019. Wali Sabawoon/Getty Images

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said thousands of ISIS-K prisoners were released in Afghanistan.

He blamed Afghan forces for their lack of resistance as the Taliban took Bagram Air Base.

ISIS-K claimed responsibility for a bombing at the Kabul airport on Thursday that left scores dead.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference on Friday that thousands of ISIS-K prisoners were released in Afghanistan after the government fell to the Taliban two weeks ago.

"I don't know the exact number. Clearly, it's in the thousands when you consider both prisons, because both of them were taken over by the Taliban and emptied. But I couldn't give you a precise figure," he said in response to a reporter who asked how many how many prisoners were left at Bagram Air Base.

Kirby said the US military was turning over its entities to Afghan security forces and blamed them for a lack of resistance as the Taliban advanced.

"And as for emptying out, remember we were turning things over to Afghan national security forces, that was part of the retrograde process, was to turn over these responsibilities. And so they did have responsibility for those prisons and the bases at which those prisons were located," Kirby said. "And of course as the Taliban advanced, we didn't see the level of resistance by the Afghans to hold some territory, some bases, and unfortunately those were the bases the Afghans didn't hold."

Among the thousands of prisoners released from Parwan Detention Facility at Bagram and a separate prison, Pul-e-Charkhi, were also senior Al Qaeda operatives and Taliban fighters.

ISIS-K likely carried out Thursday's bombing outside the Kabul airport

ISIS-K, the Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate, claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul on Thursday that killed at least 13 US service members and wounded 18 more. More than 170 people were killed and at least 200 were wounded in the blast, an official with Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health told CNN.

Story continues

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Associated Press/Wali Sabawoon

The Taliban and ISIS-K are sworn enemies. They've been fighting for years. ISIS-K, which arose in 2015, views the Taliban as apostates and not devout enough it terms of its adherence to Islam.

Though ISIS-K fighters were released during the Taliban's final, rapid push for control of the country, the Taliban also made a point to execute ISIS-K's former leader in the process. After the Taliban marched into the capital, Abu Omar Khorasani - the former head of the Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate - was taken from Pul-e-Charkhi by Taliban militants and promptly killed alongside eight other ISIS-K members, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Experts say ISIS-K has an interest in generating chaos in Afghanistan to embarrass the Taliban and undermine its legitimacy.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan "puts significant pressure on ISIS to demonstrate its continued relevance to global jihad, which will make ISIS more dangerous as it attempts to prove the organization's capability and relevance," Jennifer Cafarella, a national security fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider.

"ISIS will attempt to erode the Taliban's governance and attack the Taliban's religious legitimacy on the ground," Cafarella added.

The group is assessed to have somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 fighters in Afghanistan, according to a UN report from June, though its numbers may have been bolstered by the recent prison breaks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Columnist

Beth Dolinar has been writing her column about life, both hers and the rest of ours, for over 20 years. When not on the page, she produces Emmy-winning documentaries, teaches writing to university students, and enjoys her two growing children.
Politics

AP

US proceeding with Kabul pullout despite deadly ISIS attacks

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden is pressing ahead with the evacuation of Americans and others from Afghanistan after attacks that killed at least 12 U.S. servicemembers and dashed hopes of ending the 20-year U.S. war without further bloodshed. As many as 1,000 Americans and many more Afghans are still struggling to get out of Kabul.

Biden was briefed on the attacks, which also killed dozens of Afghans and came 12 days into the rushed evacuation and five days before its scheduled completion. Some Republicans argued to extend the evacuation beyond next Tuesdays deadline.

The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation, Gen. Frank McKenzie, said after the attacks, If we can find who is associated with this, we will go after them. He said it would be a mistake for the United States to call an early end to the evacuation, despite the risks.

The administration has been widely blamed for a chaotic and deadly evacuation that began in earnest only after the collapse of the U.S.-based Afghan government and the Talibans takeover of the country. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated so far.

Thursdays attacks were sure to intensify political pressure from all sides on Biden, who already was under heavy criticism for not beginning the pullout earlier. He had announced in April that he was ending the U.S. war and would have all forces out by September.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California called for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bring the chamber back into session to consider legislation that would prohibit the U.S. withdrawal until all Americans are out. Thats highly unlikely, and Pelosis office dismissed such suggestions as empty stunts.

At the Pentagon, Gen McKenzie said the military believes the attacks on the airports perimeter were carried out by fighters affiliated with the Islamic State groups Afghanistan arm. He said more attempted attacks were expected.

After the suicide bombers attack at the airports Abbey Gate, a number of ISIS gunmen opened fire on civilians and military forces, he said. There also was an attack at or near the Baron Hotel near that gate, he said.

The attacks wont drive the U.S. out earlier than scheduled, he said.

Let me be clear, while we are saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we are continuing to execute the mission, he said. He said there were about 5,000 evacuees on the airfield Thursday awaiting flights. He said the Taliban have been useful to work with and are not suspected in the attacks.

We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said, adding that U.S. military commanders were working with Taliban commanders to prevent further attacks.

McKenzie said that in addition to the 12 U.S. service members killed in the attacks, at least 15 were injured.

As details of the attacks emerged, the White House rescheduled Bidens first in-person meeting with Israels new prime minister and canceled a video conference with governors about Afghan refugees arriving in the United States.

Biden had pledged to get out of Afghanistan every American who wished to leave. As of Thursday, the State Department estimated there were as many as 1,000 Americans in Afghanistan who may want help getting out.

Biden on Thursday had been scheduled to host Israeli leader Naftali Bennett, who is on his first visit to the United States since taking office. The meeting was rescheduled for Friday. Biden canceled plans to meet virtually with a bipartisan group of governors who have said they want to help resettle Afghan refugees.

A number of U.S. allies said they were ending their evacuation efforts in Kabul, at least in part to give the U.S. the time it needs to wrap up its evacuation operations before getting more than 5,000 U.S. troops out by Tuesday.

Despite intense pressure to extend the Tuesday deadline, Biden has repeatedly cited the threat of terrorist attacks against civilians and U.S. service members as a reason to keep to his plan.

The explosions detonated as the U.S. worked to get remaining Americans out of the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation.

Asked during an interview with ABC News about reports the evacuation could end on Friday, Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, declined to comment. He spoke shortly before the deadly attacks.

Wilson said there are safe ways to get to the airport for those Americans who still want to leave. He added that there undoubtedly will be some at-risk Afghans who will not get out before Bidens deadline.

The airlift continued Thursday despite warnings of vehicle-borne bomb threats near the airport. The White House said 13,400 people had been evacuated in the 24 hours that ended early Thursday morning Washington time. Those included 5,100 people aboard U.S. military planes and 8,300 on coalition and partner aircraft. That was a substantial drop from the 19,000 airlifted by all means the day before.



Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida, contributed to this report.


Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
OP-ED: The tragic march of 2021: will it ever end well?




Im rooting for jojo. I dont watch or vote but if I did, Id be

Reply

Thread

Link

30 seasons and this is the first same-sex partnership? Okay.

Reply

Thread

Link

Homosexuality didn't exist before

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I forgot Disney's First Gay Character invented homosexuality in Jungle Cruise (2021).

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Kudos at least that they have already had Chaz Bono.





Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

hopefully someone fixes Suni's lashes.

Reply

Thread

Link

Thank you! Fucking hell they look horrible!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I feel bad pointing it out, but damn I felt bad for her having to stand on that podium with half-missing extensions. shoulda just done falsies, they look less uncanny valley anyway.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

A dancer vesus some old washed up actors and actresses lmao

Reply

Thread

Link

Genuine question, because I dont know, but what is JoJos claim to fame? All I know about her is that she likes bright colors, super tight ponytails, and looks like she always about to explode with joy and happiness.

Reply

Thread

Link

Shes a YouTuber but she started out on Dance Moms.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Dance Moms, then somehow moved onto selling her merch everywhere. If you can think of a product there's Jojo merch for it. I think kids really like her bright colors shtick.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Dancer turned singer turned YouTuber



Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

What in the my jeans hell is this?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She has like a 100 songs out...they play them on Nick music all the time. Plus apparently merch that kids love

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Yas, get money , Suni!

Reply

Thread

Link

... Okay this can be cute.

Reply

Thread

Link

I honestly hate it when they put professional dancers or have professional dancing experience like Sabrina Bryan, Corbin Bleu, Lance Bass, Mario, Zendaya... get cast on this show.



I love that they're pairing JoJo with a woman partner. I know she's gonna do well and I also know she'll be enjoyable to watch on the show.

Reply

Thread

Link

I don't really care because if anything, that's a handicap. Middle America doesn't care for them, they never win. I think that the only dancer who won was Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls and Carlton.

Jojo isn't gonna win. But at least she'll have fun.



Edited at 2021-08-27 12:46 am (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They always say unless you have dance experience in the particular dances they do, it's not an asset.

Supposedly a tap dancer doesn't do well with the ballroom styles because they use different muscles & there's like muscle memory involved or something.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm still bitter about Sabrina and Mark getting voted off like 10 years ago lol. EVERYONE was shocked and it made no sense.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Awwww I love this, and her.

Reply

Thread

Link

interesting. i wonder who is going to lead w/ jojo

Reply

Thread

Link

Seems unfair to have a dancer competing. I know it's a different style, but it is still a massive advantage.



And both Jojo and Suni are used to learning choreography etc, which is an advantage as well.

Reply

Thread

Link

Remember when they not only had Heather Morris on the show as a contestant but then she was eliminated midway through?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this has had 30 seasons?!!?

Reply

Thread

Link

Yeah, but for a long time, it was 2 seasons a year. It hasn't been on for 30 years!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I forgot Tyra was hosting. Why exactly did they get rid of their original host?

Reply

Thread

Link

Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were fired to make room for Tyra.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

She bought her way on

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The show was getting stale so they decided to freshen it up a bit with a new host I guess.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And she was awful. Hope she improves this season. I almost want to watch to support JoJo but I gave up on the show after the last season..

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Tyra is the reason I only watch the performances on YT.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I used to love this show but I'm slowly mehhhhh-ing about it now

Reply

Thread

Link

Same, years and years ago it was fun....now I'm feeling a strong meh.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Jojo seems like a really sweet girl. I peaced out before she joined Dance moms but I saw some videos and I was surprised @ how mature and level headed she was for a kid. She did not put up with Abby's crap, I was shook.

Reply

Thread

Link

To my eternal shame, I stuck it out with Dance Moms for about 5-6 seasons. Jojo was a sweet kid with a lot of energy and Abby always picked on her and her mother was terrible but she was always sunny and kind. I'll always root for her, even with that ridiculous ponytail. She's a pretty good dancer too.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
Mexicos state-owned oil firm Pemex has restored part of the oil production suspended after Sundays fatal fire that killed seven people, but the pace of output recovery could be slower than expected because of technical issues including well re-connection, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

Mexicos crude oil production was reduced by more than 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) early this week after a fire on a Pemex-operated platform in the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico killed seven people and wounded another six.

The platform where the fire erupted is part of a gas-processing hub in the Bay of Campeche. 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, oil production fell from 719,000 bpd to 275,000 bpd as 125 oil wells were shut down.

By Tuesday, Pemex had recovered 71,000 bpd of the oil production lost after the fire by re-connecting 35 wells, Pemexs chief executive officer Octavio Romero Oropeza said earlier this week. Another 110,000 bpd of production is expected to return online this week, the manager added.

Pemex plans to restore all production lost after the fire by August 30, Romero Oropeza said earlier this week.

Restoring all the production, however, could prove more challenging than the company believes, according to Reuters sources.

About 70% to 80% of the lost barrels could be online soon, but fully recovering output will be complex, a source at Pemex told Reuters.

Were talking about mature fields and the experience shows how difficult it is to return to normal, the source added.

The slower-than-expected recovery of Mexicos oil production could support international benchmark prices and sour crude prices for longer than initially anticipated.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivered its starkest warning yet about the deepening climate emergency, saying a key temperature limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius could be broken in just over a decade in the absence of immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has described the report's findings as a "code red for humanity," saying they "must sound a death knell" for fossil fuels.

Back in April, the Biden Administration announced aggressive new greenhouse gas reduction goals to lower U.S. emissions to 50% of 2005 levels by 2030. Meanwhile, nearly 40 states have already adopted renewable portfolio standards aimed at facilitating a transition away from fossil fuels.

However, the fact of the matter is that the United States remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels, and its going to be a real battle to wean the country from fossil fuels as the countrys primary energy source.

Indeed, fossil fuels still represent more than 80% of primary energy consumption in the country, with every single state deriving at least 50% of its energy from fossil fuels.

Petroleum remains the leading source of energy in the United States, accounting for approximately one-third of energy consumed while energy consumption from natural gas has expanded dramatically over the last decade at the expense of coal thanks to the shale revolution.

Researchers at Commodity.com have used the most recent data available from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to calculate the percentage of total primary energy consumption from coal, natural gas, and petroleum.

Here are the states most dependent on fossil fuels.

State Rank Percentage of energy derived from fossil fuels Percentage of energy derived from renewables Total energy consumed from fossil fuels (trillion BTU) Total energy consumed from renewables (trillion BTU) Largest fossil fuel source Delaware 1 96.4% 3.6% 213.1 8.0 Petroleum Alaska 2 95.9% 4.1% 584.8 25.0 Natural Gas West Virginia 3 95.4% 4.6% 1,103.3 53.7 Coal Rhode Island 4 95.0% 5.0% 189.1 10.0 Natural Gas Kentucky 5 94.1% 5.9% 1,616.5 102.1 Coal Wyoming 6 93.5% 6.5% 793.2 54.9 Coal Indiana 7 93.4% 6.6% 2,617.2 185.9 Coal Utah 8 93.1% 6.9% 830.0 61.3 Petroleum Louisiana 9 92.1% 3.7% 3,895.5 155.0 Petroleum Texas 10 89.9% 7.1% 12,752.3 1,009.0 Petroleum Ohio 11 89.7% 4.7% 3,040.2 158.6 Natural Gas Hawaii 12 89.4% 10.6% 261.8 31.1 Petroleum Colorado 13 88.8% 11.2% 1,305.1 164.6 Natural Gas Mississippi 14 88.2% 6.1% 1,116.6 76.8 Natural Gas Missouri 15 88.0% 5.9% 1,608.7 108.5 Coal United States  80.5% 11.2% 81,238.0 11,281.6 Petroleum

Source: Global Trade

Top Market For Renewable Investments

When it comes to the global shift to low-carbon energy sources, Europe has traditionally been viewed as the world leader while the United States has frequently been regarded as an important albeit grudging participant. Over the past half-decade, China has also improved its stock in the fast-growing market through a plethora of heavy investments especially in solar and wind.

Indeed, the Green Future Index--a proprietary tool by MIT scientists that ranks 76 leading countries and territories on their progress and commitment toward building a low carbon future--confirms that the worlds biggest carbon-emitting nations have badly lagged their peers in efforts to tackle a global climate emergency. The overall rankings tab shows the performance of the examined economies relative to each other and aggregates scores generated across the following five pillars: Carbon emissions, Energy transition, Green society, Clean innovation and Climate policy.

European nations dominate the top ranks, claiming 8 positions in the Top 10.

The Index ranks the United States a lowly 40th with a score of 4.7; China 45th with a score of 4.5 while Russia nearly brings up the rear with a score of 2.9 ranking it 73rd.

But its not all doom and gloom, and the United States clean energy landscape is about to get a complete makeover under the new administration.

Just months after president Biden rejoined the Paris Climate accord, global energy market navel-gazer IHS Markit ranked the United States as the most attractive market for renewable energy investments in the world.

The United States claimed the top spot on the latest IHS Markit Global Renewables Markets Attractiveness Rankings mainly on account of sound market fundamentals and the availability of an attractive--though phasing down--support scheme. The survey tracked attractiveness for investment for non-hydro renewables such as solar PV, offshore wind and onshore wind. The ranking evaluates each country on the basis of seven subcategories that include market fundamentals, current policy framework, infrastructure readiness, investor friendliness, revenue risks and return expectations, easiness to compete and the overall opportunity size for each market.

As expected, Europe again dominates the top echelons with Germany coming in at #2, France #4, Spain #5, and the Netherlands at #9. China has been ranked the third-best market for renewable energy investors while India is #6, Australia #7, Japan #8, and Brazil #10.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The Arabian Gulf Oil Company, a subsidiary of Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC), has suspended oil production for lack of money, Arab News has reported, citing the companys Facebook page.

AGOCO warned late on Thursday that it would stop oil-producing operations unless it gets its share of the budget allocations for last year and this year.

This is not the first time AGOCO stops pumping oil. In April, the company decided to halt production because of the delays in the budget which is planned to allocate money to the oil firm to repair and maintain infrastructure, and keep oil production online.

AGOCO is the operator of the oilfields Sarir, Mesla, al-Bayda, Nafoora, and Hamada, which, combined, can pump 300,000 barrels per day (bpd).

After AGOCO stopped production, NOC declared force majeure on the port of Hariga due to lack of funds for infrastructure repairs, pushing the countrys crude oil production below 1 million bpd for the first time in months as NOC was forced to suspend production at several fields. The company blamed the shortage of funds on Libyas central bank.

A week later, NOC said it had lifted the force majeure on loadings from the Hariga oil terminal after reaching an agreement with the new unity government over the allocation of funds.

Currently, the North African oil producer exempted from the OPEC+ cuts pumps around 1.2 million bpd. According to secondary sources in OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report, Libyas crude oil production averaged 1.165 million bpd in July, up from 1.163 million bpd in June.

Libya will struggle to keep its oil production at current levels if the country fails to resolve a long-running dispute over its budget, Libyas Oil Minister Mohamed Oun told Bloomberg earlier this month. The success of Libyan plans to boost oil production remains in jeopardy due to disagreements over the nations budgetthe first national budget in nearly a decade.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The biggest oil producers in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico started evacuating offshore platform workers on Thursday and some shut in oil and gas production ahead of tropical storm Ida which is expected to become a hurricane in the Gulf in the coming days.

Chevron, Shell, BP, BHP, and Equinor have removed workers from offshore platforms in the Gulf, spokespeople for the companies told Reuters. BP, Shell, and BHP have also started to shut in production at platforms. Equinor was getting ready to move workers away from the Titan platform, while Chevron and BHP have evacuated non-essential staff, company representatives told Reuters.

As of Thursday, Chevron hadnt shut in production, which remained at normal levels.

Refineries on the Gulf Coast were also preparing for severe weather but operations were normal as of Thursday.

The center of tropical storm Ida is forecast to pass over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico on Friday night and Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory late on Thursday. The system is forecast to approach the U.S. northern Gulf Coast on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts. Ida is forecast to become a hurricane over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico in a day or two with additional strengthening expected thereafter. Ida could be near major hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center added.

Ida is the ninth named storm in the hurricane season in the Atlantic this year. Gulf of Mexico producers had evacuated staff ahead of a storm in June, too. Occidental Petroleum and Chevron Corp were among companies evacuating staff from platforms.

Last years season had as many as 30 named storms, several of which battered the offshore oil and gas sector, at one point causing the shutdown of as much as 90 percent of production capacity as well as refining capacity on the Gulf Coast.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The Gulf of Mexico offers some good growth opportunities thanks to the quality assets BHP operates there, Australias Woodside Petroleums chief executive Meg ONeill told MarketWatch.

"One of the things that I think is really exciting about the merger is it does give us a substantially increased growth optionality when we look at the quality assets in the Gulf of Mexico, the quality assets we have here in Australia and then other opportunities in places like Trinidad, Tobago, Mexico and Senegal," she said in an interview.

BHP sold its oil business to the Australian major earlier this month in an all-stock merger deal.

Merging Woodside with BHPs oil and gas business delivers a stronger balance sheet, increased cash flow and enduring financial strength to fund planned developments in the near term and new energy sources into the future, Woodside said in its statement at the time.

BHPs assets in the Gulf of Mexico, according to ONeill, were particularly valuable. The assets include operating stakes in two fieldsShenzi and Neptuneand non-operating interests in two other fields, Atlantis and Mad Dog. BHP recently approved a $544-million cash injection for the development of Shenzi North.

"We believe there is significant running room in those assets," ONeill told MarketWatch.

The Shenzi field holds estimated recoverable reserves of 350 to 400 million barrels of oil equivalent and more in potential reserves that are also being targeted for exploitation, according to Offshore Technology. It has a production capacity of 100,000 bpd but exceeded that in the first year of production.

The Neptune field has reserves estimated at between 100 and 150 million barrels and the capacity to produce 50,000 bpd of crude oil.

Atlantis, operated by BP, is the third-largest oil field in the Gulf of Mexico. It has a production capacity of 200,000 bpd of crude oil. Mad Dog, another field operated by BP, holds between 200 and 450 million barrels of oil equivalent and can produce some 80,000 bpd.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
News

AP

ISIS claims attack

Mohammad Asif Khan, Associated Press Wounded Afghans at a hospital after the attack outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday. Shekib Rahmani FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2021, file photo, hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. A school district in a San Diego suburb that is home to a large refugee population says many of its families who had taken summer trips to Afghanistan to see their relatives have gotten stuck there with the chaos following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

KABUL, Afghanistan  Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.

The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was heavy security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said.

The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, called Islamic State Khorasan, is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The Taliban were not believed to have been involved in the attacks and condemned the blasts.

In an emotional speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said the latest bloodshed would not drive the U.S. out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled, and that he had instructed the U.S. military to develop plans to strike the Islamic State.

We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said.

The attack was one of the deadliest on U.S. forces since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago.

Gen. McKenzie said more attempted attacks were expected.

We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said, adding that U.S. military commanders were working with Taliban commanders to prevent further bloodshed.

U.S. officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. Another service member died hours later. Eighteen service members were wounded, and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away near a hotel. McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gate.

He said the Taliban have been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursdays attacks to happen. He said the U.S. has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airports perimeter.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside whats known as the Abbey Gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation. Additional explosions could be heard later, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by U.S. forces to destroy their equipment.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47, Paul Pen Farthing told Britains Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the groups rescued animals.

He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of Americas longest war and the Talibans takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.

Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of historys largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by Americas self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31  and the evacuations must end then, too.

Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from the Islamic State Khorasan, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Talibans freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan. Also, discontented Taliban increasingly moved to the more extremist Islamic State, swelling its numbers in recent years.

Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting that the airport is controlled by U.S. troops.

Other Taliban leaders blamed the U.S. for drawing large crowds to the airport perimeter.

Aman Karimi, 50, escorted his daughter and her family to the airport, fearful the Taliban would target her because of her husbands work with NATO.

The Taliban have already begun seeking those who have worked with NATO, he said. They are looking for them house-by-house at night.

This report includes material from the Los Angeles Times.
Several artists at the news conference said they received emails from antifascists the day before, warning them that works were being shown by far-right artists.

Some said they were unsettled by that message, including Emma Elliott, an antifascist artist whose works explore how women are usually the first targets of fascist regimes. But she and the others present  including two Jewish artists  defended the exhibit as an important platform for different voices.

Yes, I find some of the images here not only disturbing but offensive, said Marc Provisor, an Israeli artist. "But I think its important for the writers of those letters to come (and) face what disturbs you.

Separately, an anti-fascist network in Poland also condemned the attempts to use Polish art institutions to platform artists infamous for their neo-Nazi sympathies.

Among the works by Park being shown in Warsaw is a poster that presents Anders Behring Breivik, the right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway, as a supposed model for the clothing brand Lacoste.
The U.S. is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and Dec. 1, according to the nations most closely watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces.

In other words, what the coronavirus has in store this fall depends on human behavior.

Behavior is really going to determine if, when and how sustainably the current wave subsides, said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. We cannot stop delta in its tracks, but we can change our behavior overnight.

That means doubling down again on masks, limiting social gatherings, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated. Those things are within our control, Meyers said.

The U.S. is in the grip of a fourth wave of infection this summer, powered by the highly contagious delta variant, which has sent cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring again, swamped hospitals and burned out nurses.
Relaying information from university police, UNL spokeswoman Leslie Reed said the 17-year-old went to the fraternity  known as Fiji  with an 18-year-old female friend Monday night. The 18-year-old left the gathering before the 17-year-old, who later called the friend to pick her up.

The 18-year-old picked up her friend from 17th and R streets  a block from the Fiji house  and took her to Bryan Medical Center, Reed said, where they reported a sexual assault to Lincoln police, who turned over the investigation to UNL police.

Reed said the accuser identified a 19-year-old man as the person who sexually assaulted her.

If youre a young man who somehow thinks this is cool  think again. It is unacceptable, Green said in his statement to students. No means no. And if you violate that, and we can prove it  you have no place on our campus.

Police are employing trauma-informed investigating, Reed said, moving at the pace of the accuser with techniques focused on providing care, comfort and empathy for the 17-year-old.

The university said there is no evidence to corroborate reports that the accuser was found lying on the fraternity houses lawn with cuts and bruises.
Requiring masks supports the PLCS priority to keep students learning in person at school all year, with the particular intent to prevent any additional classroom closures, the announcement said.

People who arrive at schools without a mask will be provided one.

At Westside, masks will be required regardless of vaccination status.

Westside started the school year by requiring masks for its youngest students  who are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

In a letter to families on Friday, Westside Superintendent Mike Lucas wrote that the decision will be applauded by some and others will disapprove, but district officials think the requirement is needed to keep everyone safe.

Lucas said the primary factor for the change was an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at the middle and high school level this week.

Last week, through contact tracing protocols, district officials were able to determine with confidence that all confirmed cases at the districts middle and high school were likely not related to school.
More than half the Catholic schools in the Omaha metro area have chosen to require masks indoors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Archdiocese of Omaha left that decision up to each schools administration, as it did last school year. And while local church leaders say families largely have embraced masks, the choice to mandate masking has caused some of the same tensions that have flared up at public school board meetings.

A number of families have reportedly chosen to pull their children from the school at St. Patricks Catholic Church in Elkhorn because they disagreed with its mask requirement. Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor for the archdiocese, said he was aware some families had departed, but he didnt know how many.

Vicki Payton, director of operations at St. Patricks, issued a statement about the schools mask policy.

While we recognize that the past few weeks were challenging for the St. Patricks community, there is not a school across the metro that has not experienced differing opinions over the decision to mask or not mask their students, Payton said. St. Patricks is choosing to focus on one community in Christ and showing kindness and grace to all.
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called Thursdays deadly attack at the Kabul airport horrific and said the U.S. needs to evacuate everyone who is still stranded in Afghanistan.

We can do it. Give us a new plan Mr. President. Our military is more than prepared to do this, Bacon said in a tweet.

The Nebraska Republican also said in a statement: Our nations prayers go out to those who were injured and to the families of the reported 12 U.S. servicemen killed in this horrific attack. We also pray for the safety of our troops as we finish carrying out this mission, and for the stranded American citizens and our Afghan allies who are still in the area desperately trying to escape.

He went on to state: This disaster will be remembered as one of the worst foreign policy fiascos in our nations history and the repercussions will be felt for a decade.

Members of Nebraskas congressional delegation reacted Thursday to news that two suicide bombers and gunmen had attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to the airport.

U.S. officials said the violence killed 11 U.S. Marines and one Navy medic. At least 60 Afghans were killed.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas Republicans advanced new voting restrictions Thursday night after months of protests by Democrats, who after returning from a 38-day walkout are now all but out of ways to stop a bill that includes a ban on drive-thru voting and would empower poll watchers.

The nearly 50-page bill passed the Texas House on a 79-37 mostly party-line vote, moving fast a week after Democrats ended their holdout. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott says he will sign the measure that is on track to reach his desk by early September, if not sooner.

In what is now the GOPs third try at passing the bill since May, the atmosphere was charged. For more than 12 hours Republicans defended the changes as safeguards while Democrats, who offered a raft of rejected attempts to soften the bill, continued to say it would disproportionately impact people of color. At one heated point Republican Dade Phelan, the House speaker, interrupted lawmakers to tell them not to accuse each other of racism  or even say the word.

But in the end, the bill easily passed, just as Democrats knew it would once they returned.
Despite facing a pandemic, natural disasters and other unforeseen challenges, the 2020 census results thus far are in line with overall benchmarks," the statement said.

Cabrera said the city is pulling data to show that the 2020 count was off and plans to appeal.

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya worries about the city's share of state revenues. He says Somerton's sales tax revenue, school enrollment and building permits have gone up in the past few years. Developers continue to build.

As it did in many Latino communities, the pandemic had an outsized effect in Somerton. Latinos were almost twice as likely to become infected and more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Somerton, few people have jobs they can do from home. Anaya says there was a point last summer when the Somerton zip code had the highest infection rate in Arizona.

This time it was just chaotic here during the summer. We all had family members that were in the hospital or dying or infected with COVID. So it was very scary, Anaya said.
The governor compared current hospital conditions with the situation in November, when COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations were at their peak.

On Nov. 20, 2020, a total of 987 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, making up 32% of hospitalizations.

According to state statistics, 337 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, comprising 11% of all hospitalizations.

But cases in the state continue to rise and are on their way to a 10th straight week of increases. In addition, the number of people hospitalized with the virus is the highest since January.

But Ricketts said the state has had a 35% increase in people hospitalized for causes other than COVID-19. Some of those, he said, may be due to care delayed during the pandemic. Nebraska has also seen a surge in hospitalizations due to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Ricketts said he would monitor the situation daily and make additional adjustments if necessarily.
Gov. Pete Ricketts said that just like in law enforcement, it was a team effort to be able to make this happen.

By pulling everyone together underneath one roof, were going to see tremendous benefits to how we serve our customers, he said.

In December, the patrol announced that it had entered into a 20-year lease with Speedway, which owns the 113,000-square-foot building that used to house a Verizon call center.

State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said dispatchers were the first to move into the building in May. By now, everyone has been in for about a month.

The patrols motto, Pro Bono Publico  for the good of the public  is on a large wall in the media room at the front of the building, just off the lobby where people will come to get their fingerprints done for a job interview or a background check.

The rest of the building is secured. The dispatch center has eight computer stations surrounded by clusters of monitors and the ability to display real-time cruiser dash cam video on big-screen TVs.
We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said.

U.S. officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. McKenzie said another 15 service members were wounded. Officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

Surgeons will be working into the night, said Marco Puntin, the charitys manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

The Afghan official who confirmed the overall Afghan toll spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.
Honest, heated disagreement on policy issues is fine and important  but it in no way justifies bullying behavior. All Nebraskans should be above such irresponsible, childish action. Adults have an obligation to act like adults.

Nebraska elected officials have an important role to play in this regard. They should set a proper example through their own behavior  defending their ideas forcefully and opposing proposals as they see fit, but refusing to indulge in petty rhetoric and behavior. They also should encourage Nebraskans to conduct themselves responsibly during policy disagreements. Secretary of State Robert Evnen was disappointing in that regard recently when, in a World-Herald interview, he blamed State Board of Education members at the very time theyre receiving threats and after a speaker at a recent hearing berated them and invoked the specter of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
On March 3, 2020, Chuck Hagel proudly announced his support for the presidency of Joe Biden. Mr. Hagel went on to state, I think Joe Biden, for this time in our country, with the challenges that we have, I think hes the right person.

Given his vote for Joe Biden as president of the United States, Mr. Hagel must now also acknowledge that he is part owner of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Afghanistan at this very moment.

Don Brunken, Logan, Iowa

Crucial workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has punctuated the crisis in care in this country, but for people with disabilities and their families, this crisis was decades in the making. Pre-pandemic there was a nationwide shortage of direct care workers, those who support people with disabilities in their homes and communities. For people with disabilities, those direct care workers make all the difference between a life in the community, and a life without opportunity.

But their wages on average are less than $12/hour, and there is more than 50% turnover annually, making it difficult to provide continuity in services, and threatening the quality of care.
Dan Crenshaw- our actions were not in vain

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, the Tribune asked US Congressman Dan Crenshaw to contribute an editorial. Crenshaw is a former SEAL who served five deployments overseas. He lost his right eye during a mission in Afghanistan. He was medically retired in September of 2016 as a lieutenant commander after serving 10 years in the SEAL teams.

This isnt the way we wanted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Americans are angry, disappointed, and now grieving for 13 dead servicemembers. Veterans are questioning what it was all for, wondering if their sacrifices were worth it. Americans now feel embarrassed as our allies rightfully chastise us and our enemies laugh in our face.

On August 26th we suffered the largest loss of life in over a decade in Afghanistan. Thirteen servicemembers are dead, with many more wounded and some still fighting to hang on. Perhaps we didnt end a war after all?

That was the promise after all  to end the war. As the public became increasingly impatient and frustrated with our presence in the Middle East, politicians were all too happy to heed their cries and campaign on ending the endless wars.

But it was always a false promise.

Were we at war on September 10th, 2001? No. The names Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were still unfamiliar to average Americans. But they would become household names soon enough, because even though America was not at war with them, they were at war with us. And on September 11th, 2001, they brought their war to our shores. Three-thousand Americans died at the hands of terrorists that day, and those same terrorists were provided safe haven by the Taliban. The rest is a history we all know too well.

But Americans struggle with the question: what was it all for? Did we win? Did we lose? Was it pointless? The answer isnt as clear cut as many would like, because this was never a conventional war. It was always an indefinite battle with a faceless enemy made up of bands of terrorist and insurgent factions loosely strung together by a radical Islamist ideology. This enemy did not hate us because of something we did, they hated us because of who we are. Thus the war would indeed be endless, whether we liked it or not.

One may ask, what did we get for 20 years in Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror? The answer is simple: we got zero attacks on the homeland. We denied al Qaeda the safe haven they needed to plan external operations. We relegated them to local operations only. We fought them there so they could not fight us here.

And for years, we struggled to find the right balance. The question of balance is a simple one: what is the minimal cost, in terms of troops and financial commitment, that we must incur in order to prevent the type of terrorist safe haven that led to the attacks on 9/11? It is a simple question but not a simple answer. For years we wavered in our commitments, sometimes expending vast resources only to set arbitrary deadlines that would appease the public. Americans rightfully became weary of the idea that an American style government could exist in a place like Afghanistan.

But over the last 7 years we found that balance. Our troop presence has hovered around 10,000 troops and lower. Over the last few years it was much less. We havent had a combat casualty in 18 months until this past week. But the angry and emotional slogan continued anyway: no more endless wars!

The argument for bringing the troops home is an emotional one, arising from exhaustion with overseas conflict. Most people dont understand the situation in Afghanistan, and that causes distrust and anger. After 9/11, few denied that we needed to take action. But few understood what our strategy would be after we got there, and leaders failed to explain that leaving Afghanistan would allow the Taliban to re-emerge, paving the way for a terrorist safe haven. Americans became exhausted.

With this growing impatience, the case for cutting our losses grew stronger. And American leaders failed to articulate the trade-offs to the American peopleand pose this simple question: If we evacuate Afghanistan, what will happen? The no more endless wars crowd always refused to answer. They prefer to live in a fictional reality wherein ending our side of the war ends the war as a whole. But this is indeed a fiction. They are at war with us whether or not we are at war with them. And with our botched exit from Afghanistan, terrorists will be emboldened, and once again have the opportunity and means to attack us at home.

This love of fiction led to another problem, namely the inability to distinguish between wasteful nation building and a small residual force that conducts occasional counterterror operations. As a result, when many Americans hear that there is a single soldier on the ground in Afghanistan, they interpret it to mean nation building.

Thats wrong. There are a lot of foreign policy options between nation building and giving up. We found the proper balance in recent years yearsmaintaining a small force that propped up the Afghan government while also giving us the capability to strike at Taliban and other terrorist networks as needed. When Echelon asked about the troop presence this way in July, more Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, support a small military presence in Afghanistan than those who support ending our presence entirely.

We had a very simple strategic goal with our presence in Afghanistan: preventing another 9/11. We accomplished that for twenty years, sometimes at a high cost but more recently at a minimal cost. The veterans and families who have sacrificed to that end did so bravely, and their sacrifices were certainly not in vain.

America didnt lose a war, or even end one. We gave up a strategic position. We gave up on our Afghan allies, expecting them to stave off a ruthless insurgency without our crucial support, which came at minimal cost to us. This administrations actions are heartless, its justifications nonsensical. The consequences are dire for innocent Afghans and for Americas prestige. Twenty years after 9/11, I pray they dont become equally dire for Americans at home.
I am OMI | Events | People | Places | Participate

Al Harris

If you've attended a community group meeting in the OMI, you've likely met Al Harris. Al and his wife Mary are true neighborhood leaders, working for the last 25 years to improve the OMI in all areas: business development, safety, expansion of social services, transportation, and neighborhood beautification. It's hard to finder a friendlier guy than Al Harris, and he graciously sat down for an interview with fellow OMI resident Maria Picar. Some of Al's thoughts and memories:

His outlook on OMI's future: "I'm really pleased that we're getting a brand-new library on Ocean Avenue, and so that's moving forward. When they complete the undergrounding of the wires and the artwork for Ocean Avenue and all the other amenities that are planned, I think we're going to be very, very pleased with the way the community's going."

On rebuilding Ocean View Rec Center (to be renamed after Minnie and Lovie Ward): "First of all, I think it definitely is appropriately named. [...] Because everyone knows the Wards have done a lot to enhance this community over the years, including having their house shot up at one point, fighting drug dealers. So this is a great honor. Our Rec Center is so old and termite-infested, that it's going to be really nice to have a new facility. We've been working really hard with Park and Rec to make sure that we got the type of Rec Center that we all can be proud of."

On being a Buddhist: "...there's a Buddhist phrase that says like, 'When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do.' So there's no restrictions on what you can celebrate, what you can eat, how you should dress, everything. Everything is inside of you. Happiness is inside of you. The whole thing is to bring that out in a very positive way and to contribute to society. I hope we try to do that in any way that we can, from being a neighborhood activist to just trying to be good people."

On San Francisco: "I like when they say, the world's greatest city. That's it. This is it."

Read the complete Al Harris interview!

Images: 1) Al Harris, August 2003. (WNP photo)



Contribute your own stories about the OMI!

This project is made possible by a grant from the CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES with generous support from the San Francisco Foundation, as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. The COUNCIL is an independent non-profit organization and a state affiliate of the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. For more information on the Council and the California Stories Initiative, visit www.californiastories.org.
BLOOMINGTON  A weed that Central Illinoisans see along roadways, at the edges of fields or at construction sites has been domesticated in Central Illinois into a crop that researchers say has the potential to help combat climate change and provide additional income to farmers.

The high-protein seed oil that derives from the pennycress plant, with genetic modifications, has a plethora of environmental positives. It can be converted to biofuels for airplanes, feedstock, detergents, lubricants and more.

Agronomists and geneticists at Illinois State University, Western Illinois University and the University of Minnesota, with help from other institutions and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are working to convince farmers that the genetically-modified version of pennycress, dubbed covercress, is a worthwhile plant that can be a cover crop and a second cash crop for farmers to grow from the fall until spring.

It would act as any other cover crop that absorbs and stores precious nutrients in the winter, said ISU professor of soil science Rob Rhykerd, but the cool thing about pennycress is that we can use the seed to help produce these renewable fuels.

This can be a multi-billion-dollar a year new crop here when it gets established, said Dr. John Sedbrook, ISU professor of genetics.

Sedbrook was a leader in modifying pennycress DNA to allow its seed oil to become identical to canola oil using a technology called CRISPR gene editing.

He said most of the credit goes to Terry Isbell, a researcher at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, who noticed pennycress growing alongside the road and thought to research its viabilities as an alternative crop.

Essentially its been sitting on the sidelines waiting to be a crop and weve just helped it along here, Sedbrook said. Just as a weed, its got agronomic traits that are quite attractive. It produces a lot of seeds and those seeds have about 33% oil content and about 20% protein, so just as a weed it has a good start.

The genetic modifications reduced the seeds fiber content, which increased its oil and protein contents further and allowed it to become edible. It resulted in a more golden-colored seed, compared to the weeds dark brown seeds.

Watch now: Illinois requires educators, health workers to get vaccine CHICAGO  Illinois health care workers and educators from kindergarten through college will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or s

Sedbrook said he used a similar method from the 1960s that converted rapeseed into canola oil, but with newer technology. Two important steps contributed to the conversion: a mutation that reduced erucic acid content in the oil, making the oil edible, and another that reduced glucosinolate content, which is a defense compound that gives the protein and oil a bitter taste, he said.

At the same time, investors in St. Louis realized this change in the pennycress plant and began a startup company called CoverCress, which is working to commercialize the new plant derived from pennycress, now called covercress.

The company will have its soft commercial launch this fall for the first-generation covercress crop in Arenzville, about 50 miles west of Springfield.

The initial crop will be used to feed poultry.

Along with venture capital money CoverCress has received, ISU and the partnering universities received two five-year grants: $10 million from the USDA and $13 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sedbrook said the USDA grants goal is to help commercialize the crop and the DOE grant is designed to develop the subsequent generations of the crop.

Environmental benefits

The DOE grant also aims to improve the crops stress resilience.

You know from climate change here the weather is just all over the place. This is a weird summer, Sedbrook said, pointing to the high rainfalls and cooler weather in Central Illinois, a drought in Minnesota, and the heat dome and wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.

The goal we have is to find genetics that will improve the stress resilience so that covercress the crop can handle these big swings in weather. This is going to be an ongoing project, Sedbrook said.

Not only will the seeds oil be used for biofuels to help combat climate change, but the crop itself can help capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and absorb nitrates and phosphates in agricultural runoff.

After fall harvesting, bits of chemicals applied throughout the growing season  especially nitrogen and phosphorus  are left over in the field.

Cover crops are planted during fall to absorb the leftover nutrients and store them throughout the winter into spring, stopping them from leaching into surface waterways. Those nutrients held in the cover crop then act as another fertilizer for the next seasons crop  usually corn or soybeans.

Covercress also will help increase the soils organic matter and fertility, and reduce erosion.

When a rain drop hits bare soil surface, it detaches soil particles, and then if you get more water coming down running off the field, itll erode the soil, Rhykerd said.

But if a plant is there instead, the vegetation absorbs the rain drops energy and the water trickles into the soil rather than washing off the surface and taking soil with it.

Farmer interest

A University of Tennessee study surveyed farmers and found that about 58 percent of them were interested in growing covercress if it is profitable.

Farmers concerns about growing the crop lay within the lack of knowledge of how to grow covercress, as well as the use of no-till practices, which require mechanical agitation of the soil.

The study said the tipping point at which growing the crop becomes more appealing to farmers is at about 1,500 pounds of seed per acre, which would come out to be about $75 per acre.

Rhykerd said it has been difficult to get farmers to buy in to growing the new crop. He said ISU has field days at its farm in Lexington to attract and educate farmers about it.

So far I would say its been slow, Rhykerd said. I think demonstrating that pennycress can be profitable will really help.

Sedbrook said the USDA project, called IPREFER, includes education and outreach efforts. He said they have booths set up at different county fairs.

He said after CoverCresss soft launch this fall, the company plans to expand and begin extracting oil from the crops seed for future development.

Within two or three years they want to be on over 10 to 20,000 acres and keep growing from there, Sedbrook said. Its a process to get it established, but the market is there, so there certainly is incentive to get this to work.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
DECATUR  Students in Richland Community College's horticulture program do more than grow vegetables to sell at the weekly farmers market.

Chef Brian Tucker chooses one or two items a week for a special dish to serve at the Bistro Five Thirty-Seven. Four plots are devoted to Good Samaritan Inn, which runs the college food pantry for students in need.

And students who like getting their hands dirty learn skills they can take to an employer or use to start their own business.

I do a little bit of everything here, said Erzsebet Getz, a student in the horticulture program and the greenhouse assistant. We propagate houseplants, I keep track of the watering and fertilizing schedule, I help make up what we sell at the market, different designs for houseplants and succulents. In the spring we have our Mother's Day plant sale, so from January up until the sale, it's full production of getting seedlings started and germinated and transplanting them and getting them ready for sale.

Getz said she has a lifelong love of plants and how important they are. They're necessary for food, but it's also the joy of being around living things and having what she calls a hands in the dirt experience.

There's so many different, wonderful areas you can go into as far as agriculture and horticulture, Getz said. I'm hoping that I'll find something that will be the right fit.

One in four jobs in Illinois and one in five jobs nationally are in an agriculture-related field, said Jess Smithers, director of agricultural programs at Richland.

There are opportunities for anyone, he said. Ag is so broad that students can find, whatever their interests are, they'll find a home in agriculture. It's a big industry, so no matter what they do, whether in Illinois or anywhere, any job that's going to be involved in ag, having an understanding (of agriculture) is valuable.

Richland agriculture students are encouraged to be active learners outside the classroom as well, he said. Students are encouraged to acquire agricultural part-time jobs or internships and to participate in other leadership development opportunities. Students participate in Illinois Professional Agriculture Student competitions and have attended Agriculture Future of America events which improve their communication skills, enhance their technical skills, build their leadership capacity, and develop relationships through networking opportunities.

The program was re-launched in August 2018 and consists of an Associate in Arts/Science degree and Associate in Applied Science degrees in agribusiness, crop science and horticulture. Students graduating with an Associate in Arts or Science degree with a concentration in agriculture may transfer to the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University and other in- or out-of-state universities. The campus includes more than 120 acres of farmland, hosts the Farm Progress Show every other year, and is in the agribusiness capital of the world, all of which enable the agriculture program to meet its mission of exposing, preparing and connecting students to careers in agriculture.

Demi Striglos has a degree in agricultural communications, but decided she also wanted to learn more about horticulture and possible career paths, she said.

I took my first horticulture class last spring and I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed (instructor) Deanna (Koenigs) and the experience, Striglos said.

That led to the vegetable production class this summer, which just wrapped up, and that allowed her to gain experience manning a booth at Richland's farmers market, and she found that to be one of her most favorite things, she said.

Koenigs recently gave tours to Decatur Public School students who are interested in the program, and explained to them that agricultural crops are typically grown on a larger scale, dried, stored and shipped in bulk, while horticulture is vegetables, fruits, nursery plants, trees and shrubs.

We say the definition of horticulture is crops that help provide food, comfort and beautification, she said.

The agriculture program staff is actively involved with the high school agricultural programs and FFA chapters within our district, Smithers said. "For example, we host several FFA events on campus annually and volunteer to judge multiple FFA competitions throughout the year.

All of the high schools in Macon County now have ag programs, after a span of years in which those programs weren't available.

It's very positive as far as all the high schools in Macon County within Richland's district have ag now, Smithers said. They're being exposed to those opportunities in ag, and it's more feasible for those students to be exposed to it and develop that interest in a job in ag. It's a way to make a difference. If a student wants to have a career in agriculture, there's nothing more important than food, growing and producing and processing the food we consume each day.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
CLINTON  The wind energy company constructing DeWitt Countys first wind farm is suing the county and its zoning administrator over accusations of "withholding of building permits.

The mandamus lawsuit filed in the 6th Judicial Circuit Court this month by Alta Farms Wind Project II LLC names acting DeWitt County Zoning Administrator Dee Dee Rentmeister in her official capacity and DeWitt County as defendants.

Alta Farms said in court documents that DeWitt County has no legal or factual basis  to refuse to issue the building permits for these wind turbines.

A defendants answer filed Tuesday by Northbrook defense lawyer Lance Neylan admitted the county has not yet issued additional permits, but denied wrongdoing. The lawsuit was filed nearly three weeks after the DeWitt County Board voted to suspend issuance of building permits for the wind farm.

Neylan and Chicago lawyer James Griffin, who is representing Alta Farms, could not be reached for comment. The DeWitt County Administrators and Zoning Administrators offices could not be reached for comment.

The DeWitt County Board approved the 200-megawatt wind farm project July 14, 2020, on a 6-5 vote in front of about 250 people, including many who opposed the project. The plan called for constructing 66 turbines in three northwestern townships near Waynesville and Wapella.

Alta Farms applied for building permits for 57 turbines Nov. 5, of which 30 permits were issued.

The lawsuit requests 15 additional permits to be issued.

The DeWitt County Board narrowly voted July 22 to suspend issuance of building permits until Alta Farms parent company Enel Green Power shows the board its permission from power companies to automatically slow or stop the turbines during severe weather.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Curtailing the turbines could reduce interference with Doppler radar during thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Alta Farms said in the lawsuit that it will continue to suffer each day until such permits are issued and the refusal to issue permits has caused substantial damages resulting from construction delays.

The defendants denied that it has caused suffering, damages and delays, and also denied that Alta Farms has a clear right to the issuance of the permits, according to their written response to the lawsuit.

Alta Farms filing this month comes as the project has already looped through legal battles.

About five months ago, two lawsuits against Enel Green Power North America were dismissed by a DeWitt County judge.

Those lawsuits were filed by 69 constituents opposing the project and also named DeWitt County, the DeWitt County Board and each of its members at the time as defendants in attempt to stop the project from progressing. The lawsuits were withdrawn within five months of them being filed.

Alta Farms Wind Project II LLC is based in Lenexa, Kansas and is a subsidiary of Massachusetts-based Enel Green Power North America Inc., a subsidiary of Italy-based Enel Green Power.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
GIBSON CITY  The remains of Army Pfc. Clarence Brotherton are coming back home to Gibson City for a funeral and burial 77 years after he died while fighting against the German military in World War II.

Brotherton was killed Oct. 14, 1944, in the Hurtgen Forest near the German-Belgian border on the German side. His body could not be recovered at the time due to the fighting, the U.S. Army Human Resources Command said in a statement.

His personnel profile on the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website says he was killed by artillery fire while his unit retreated after trying to secure a group of German pillboxes.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

He remained missing after the end of the war, though in 1946 a historian identified two potential sets of remains which could have been Brotherton. The remains were buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium in 1950.

The remains were disinterred in 2017 and Brotherton was identified and listed by the DPAA as accounted for in April 2020, the release said.

Services for Brotherton will take place Sept. 7 and are being handled by Rosenbaum Funeral Home in Gibson City. He will be buried in Drummer Township Cemetery.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
BLOOMINGTON  Bloomington police said Friday that officers are continuing their search for Illinois State University graduate student Jelani J.J. Day, 25, who was reported missing Wednesday by his family.

A press release from the Bloomington Police Department said investigators found security camera footage that was recorded at 7:20 a.m. Tuesday at ISUs Bone Student Center. The video is the last known recorded image of Day, police said.

In the footage, Day was wearing a blue button-up collared dress shirt, black pants, black belt, black dress shoes and a blue face covering.

City investigators said theyre working with several jurisdictions to find the student.

A press release from the Peru Police Department said a car was found at 4:20 p.m. Thursday in a wooded area south of the Illinois Valley YMCA. Peru officers got to the scene and determined the car belonged to Day.

A command post was established at the site and there was an extensive K-9 search by Illinois State Police, drone aerial searches by Peru Fire and Utica Fire drones, and a ground search by teams from Peru, Utica and Oglesby Fire Departments. Peru police were also assisted by detectives from the Bloomington Police Department and States Attorney Todd Martin.

Police ask anyone who saw Days car between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon to contact Bloomington Det. Paul Jones at 309-434-2548 or phones@cityblm.org. Day's car is a white 2019 Chrysler 300 with license plate "CH74067."

BPD said police have shared information about Days disappearance across the state.

He is described as 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing of 180 pounds and having short black hair, some facial hair and brown eyes.

His family last spoke with him on Monday. Peru police said Day also has family in Danville.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Illinois Senate GOP leader Dan McConchie said he tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 a day after attending Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair.

McConchie, of Hawthorne Woods, revealed the positive test Friday. On Saturday, his office said he had been vaccinated earlier in the spring and has very mild symptoms. Contact tracing was begun immediately after he received the positive test result, his office said.

I am very grateful to have been vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms, McConchie said in a statement. I encourage everyone reading these words to be vaccinated and protect themselves and their families against the virus. I encourage anyone with whom I have had the most brief contact in the last few days to be tested as a safeguard.

Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park said Monday he had tested positive with a breakthrough case after suffering mild symptoms last week. Harmon, who was vaccinated in the spring, did not attend last weeks Democrat Day activities associated with the fair.

A day before his positive test, McConchie on Thursday attended both a Republican State Central Committee and county chairmen indoor meeting at a Springfield hotel and then went to the state fairgrounds for outdoor activities for Republican Day.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The pandemic and Republican reactions to responding to the virus became a major topic, particularly among the three announced candidates seeking to challenge Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker next year: Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

Rabine has said he previously had COVID-19 and does not need to be vaccinated despite a contrary recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rabine also again repeated misinformation about the safety of the vaccine, contending it caused thousands of deaths. Only three fatal cases have been identified and were associated with rare blood clots from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which are now treatable.

Bailey has unsuccessfully fought Pritzkers emergency mitigation orders and in May the House voted to remove him from the chamber for refusing to wear a mask. Bailey has refused to say whether he was vaccinated, and both he and Rabine are not encouraging people to get vaccinations.

Schimpf has said he is vaccinated and has encouraged others to get the vaccine.
Republican Glen Evans has announced his candidacy for Illinois state Senate, District 36.

Current state Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia, was drawn out of the district during the Democrat-controlled state legislature remapping process, leaving the seat open for the 2022 election.

Evans is an ordained minister and a member of Laborers Local 309, where he served as auditor from 2016 to 2018. He said he was inspired to run for state Senate because Democratic policies in Illinois "seem to primarily benefit the Chicagoland area."

"While many in Illinois continue voting robotically Democratic, the Republican party has seen rising support," Evans said. "More and more persons are choosing the Republican policies (and) tax breaks. Motivation (is) rising gradually in Springfield, Illinois."

Evans said his priorities were leadership, job creation, tax breaks and "giving a voice back to those who are not heard" and "putting the power back into the hands of the people who wish to see all succeed.

"We have too long given our leaders too much autonomy (by) not holding them responsible for silencing the voices of people in our own communities," he said. "I want to change that. The American dream is in the heart of every American and in the eyes of every Illinois resident and business."

Evans has previously run for office as a Democrat in about 20 different local races. He has lost every election with the exception of two precinct committeeman races. He has run for Rock Island-Milan school board, Rock Island city council, Rock Island County board, Rock Island Township supervisor and twice for Rock Island County clerk.

Evans most recently challenged State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, in the 2018 and 2020 elections, losing both times.

Subscribe today and support local journalism!

He said Tuesday that he changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican five years ago after attending a training with Americans for Prosperity, a Conservative political action group founded by the Koch brothers.

"One of the biggest struggles I had with the Democratic Party was that it's moving further and further away from my values," Evans said. "When I got done with the (AFP) training, I saw there was very little I agreed with in the Democratic party. I ran for years as a Democrat, but I saw that they take choice away from the people.

"It was frustrating when I looked at government as a whole. I am on the ballot because I am dissatisfied with what I see in community I grew up in. I want to make it better.

"It is time for a change for the better; your vote can make that change happen. Your vote is your choice, and you should vote your choice for the candidate who will work for you."

Evans may have a Republican challenger in the June 28 primary election. Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms announced July 12 he is considering running for the 36th District state Senate seat. The general election will be held Nov. 8, 2022.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
All school employees in Illinois will have to either get the COVID vaccine or submit to weekly testing, but the logistics of how that will happen aren't clear yet, even with the deadline just a week and a half away.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that all school staff working in preschool through 12th grade schools and in higher education must get their first vaccine shot by Sept. 5, or be tested at least once a week. Higher education students and healthcare workers must also get the vaccine.

For now, there's been no publicly released guidance as to who will be charged with tracking school staff vaccinations and testing, whether it's the school district, the county health department or another entity. Many Illinois districts are already offering COVID tests at school, with the assistance of funding from the state.

The Belleville News-Democrat reached out on Thursday to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education, St. Clair County Health Department and Madison County Health Department to ask about the logistics of getting school staff vaccinated and tested. IDPH said that ISBE would have more information; none of the others responded.

To her knowledge, East St. Louis School District 189 hadn't received any guidance yet about the logistics, Director of Communications Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said in an email Thursday.

But with Sept. 5 just around the corner, the district is preparing to start tracking in-house.

"We will communicate internally with our staff on the specifics of how we will verify staff vaccination status and coordinate weekly testing for those who have not been vaccinated," said Superintendent Art Culver in an email sent to staff and posted on the district's Facebook page.

In a separate statement, Culver applauded Pritzker's mandate.

"The health and safety of all our staff and students will be enhanced by this decision," Culver said in an email statement. "It will also increase the likelihood of us remaining in full in-person instruction. ... Hopefully, everyone will support the governor's decision and not become adversarial because of politics."

Last year, East St. Louis was one of the most conservative districts in the state when it came to bringing students back for in-person learning. They were also among the first districts in the metro-east to provide an optional vaccine clinic for school staff.

Love 15 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
The mask order applies to everyone age 2 and older regardless of vaccination status. The rule, which is similar to one issued in May 2020, starts Monday.

First doses of the vaccine are required by Sept. 5 for health care workers, including nursing home employees, K-12 educators and support staff, and higher education teachers, staff and students. Those who don't comply will have to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. Those who are "unwilling or unable" will be subject to weekly testing, Pritzker said during a press conference.

"At the end of the day, as it has always been during this pandemic, the best way to manage this situation is for people ... to prevent sickness by slowing transmission with masks and vaccinations," he said. "Unfortunately, our current vaccination levels are not enough to blunt the ferocity of the Delta variant hospitalization surges in some regions. In Southern and East Central Illinois, fewer than half of residents are fully vaccinated, compared with over 70% in suburban Cook County."

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the state is seeing 220 hospital admissions per day, a number on par with an uptick in May of this year.

In McLean County, hospitalizations have surged in the past month, skyrocketing from single digits in late July to a total of 41 COVID patients between Carle BroMenn and OSF St. Joseph medical centers on Thursday. Twenty-seven McLean County residents are considered COVID patients at hospitals either in or outside of the county, data shows.

Already, the county's two larger health systems had put vaccine requirements upon staff. OSF HealthCare said on July 22 that all employees would be required to get the vaccine by the end of September; Carle Health on Aug. 6 said it was requiring all non-exempt staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 "effective immediately." Chestnut Health Systems, which offers primary care, substance abuse and other behavioral health treatments, did not require the vaccine before the governor's mandate on Thursday.

But vaccinating health care workers is only part of the solution. Carle BroMenn and Carle Eureka Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Nevin said those who remain unvaccinated are the ones filling hospital beds, making decisions for health care workers harder.

"We are seeing higher numbers of patients requiring care due to COVID," he said. "At this point we must carefully evaluate whether we can accept transfers from other locations, to ensure we have the resources needed to care for those in our community."

'Fighting the battle'

Other cities and states have made requirements similar to what Illinois created. Earlier this month, California required all teachers and school staff to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

Our current vaccination levels are not enough to blunt the ferocity of the Delta variant hospitalization surges, Pritzker said Thursday.

He asked Illinoisans to think of others in their response to the virus  especially those working in hospitals where intensive care beds are filling with COVID patients who, in most cases, are unvaccinated. ICU bed availability in southern Illinois is at 3%, he said.

That's because the regions with the lowest vaccination rates are the regions where there are fewer hospitals, and lower hospital capacity, Pritzker said. And those hospitals are sometimes the least well equipped to handle cases as they become more acute.

The current vaccination rates  nearly 53% of the states population is vaccinated  has led to hospitals again fighting the battle that we had hoped would be behind us by now.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

He added, We are continuing to rely on experts at the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and IDPH, but you don't need to be an epidemiologist to understand what's going on here. This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

In McLean County, 51% of the population is fully vaccinated, and the county has remained within that percentage for more than a week straight, increasing the number of fully vaccinated by small increments per day.

While vaccines are the best defense, Ezike said, wearing a mask continues to be one of the simplest, cheapest ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

OSF St. Joseph's Dr. Paul Pedersen said a pivot back to masking is appropriate, given the increased case numbers locally.

"I think it's really important that we're protecting each other," he said. "I think it's entirely appropriate that we continue (masking) for the protection of others and ourselves."

Tom Hill, of Bloomington, agreed, telling The Pantagraph on Thursday that Bloomington-Normal's status as a hub of industry and education brings all sorts of people to the area  and the potential for all sorts of viral spread.

You have an airport here and you have a corporation called State Farm, he said. And you have a lot of people flying in from across the country to go to this corporation.

'Nobody likes to wear a mask'

Hill also said they could be coming from parts of the U.S. that are experiencing COVID outbreaks, and they may take a ride in an Uber or Lyft while theyre in town.

Depending on how they get on the plane, they could be in a different condition when they get off, he said. Sometimes the overall good of the people has to be more important than what an individual thinks."

Not that everyone thinks that way: Joshua Stephen Straukas, of Normal, said by no means does he agree with the new order.

You put a mask on someone, you break a persons will, he said.

Sean Stowell, of Peoria, visited Miller Park in Bloomington on Thursday. He said he doesnt think face mask rules equate with loosing freedom.

Youre wearing a mask, youre just trying to help the cause, he said. Nobody likes to wear a mask, but you have to do what you have to, to help others not get sick.

In some ways, Stowell's message mirrored that of the McLean County Health Department, which put out a strong statement Thursday afternoon.

"From the beginning of this pandemic the McLean County Health Department has consistently encouraged people to follow the mitigations that we know will slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and help save lives," the statement said. "Vaccination has been proven to prevent hospitalizations and death. Masks also continue to remain a simple way that everyone can reduce transmission and keep themselves and those around them safe and healthy."

"We have the tools to slow the spread and prevent COVID-related hospitalizations and death, and at this point, we must use all of them."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The week of Governors Day and Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair is always packed with political events. And this year was no exception. Its impossible to attend them all, so one has to pick and choose and go with the flow.

After Governors Day at the fairgrounds ended on Wednesday, August 17, I worked for a bit in my air-conditioned pickup truck and then headed downtown to House Republican Leader Jim Durkins event at a popular tavern. The ceiling fans were on full blast, it wasnt wall to wall people, so I stayed for a bit and then decided I should head home to let my dog Oscar out before returning to the fairgrounds to meet friends. And since Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracys event was on my route home, I figured Id stop by to see who was there.

Tracy has a huge, gorgeous home on a big plot of land by Lake Springfield, but it was so hot that day that his event was held indoors.

Those werent my first indoor State Fair events. Senate President Harmons caucus held a party downtown Tuesday that was both indoors and outdoors, but the party inside wasnt crowded by the time I got there, doors were open for ventilation and at least some folks were wearing masks. I spent most of the time outside, but popped in for a few minutes to briefly chat with a couple of people for a story I was working on. I attended another event later that night inside and ended up having dinner with several (vaccinated and very pleasant) people on the premises.

Wednesdays Republican event on the lake was mostly confined to a large room packed with people, including some (like GOP gubernatorial candidates Darren Bailey and Gary Rabine) who have publicly said they arent vaccinated against COVID-19. There were no ceiling fans, the doors were closed and the air conditioner was having real trouble keeping up. It was hot and close. And nobody, of course, was wearing masks.

I didnt stay longer than 15 or 20 minutes, and talked to a few people about potential stories, said hello to others like Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie, then left. I called a close friend on my way home to say that Id probably just made a mistake. Im fully, vaccinated, but if I was going to get one of those breakthrough cases, that was going to be the place.

On Friday, Leader McConchie, who is also fully vaccinated, announced that he had a mild breakthrough case. I received a text message later that evening from someone else who was at the lake party at the same time as me to tell me he had been exposed to the virus and suggested that I get tested.

I never developed any symptoms beyond a mild sore throat that I often get at the state fair because of dust, pollen and various, um, activities. I took a rapid test on Saturday and it came up negative. Those tests can have high false positives, so I got a PCR test at Walgreens Sunday and was told the results could take as long as 3-5 business days. On Tuesday, tired of waiting, I took one of those University of Illinois saliva tests.

That may sound like overkill, and at times I thought I was being too paranoid, especially since Im vaxxed and probably wont get very sick even if I do catch it. But I wanted to make extra sure that I was not at all contagious ahead of this weeks special legislative session to deal with redistricting and possibly a major bill on energy policy. If I couldnt go, I needed to know as soon as possible so I could make other plans.

To be clear, I dont blame Don Tracy or anyone else for being exposed. Not even one iota. I chose to walk into every one of those indoor events. Thats on me.

The State Fair is such an integral part of our states political culture that I think many of us desperately wanted to latch on to some sort of normalcy last week after a year and a half of nothingness. But this clearly aint over - even though Illinois is still doing much better than the southern states - and many of us shouldve known better.

My story has a happy ending, by the way. Three tests, three negative results. Bring on the special session. But lesson learned.

Rich Miller publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Once again Haiti finds itself on the tragic side of the worlds 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 countrys more remote southern peninsula, killing more than 2,100, leveling thousands of homes and leaving hundreds more missing and presumed trapped under rubble.

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 Haitis 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 LAsile, a small farming community 11 miles from the epicenter. We just keep getting beaten down. I ask myself, how can this be?

Hes 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 Haitis 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 Haitis latest chain of disasters. In reality, Haitis 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 islands 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 Haitis 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 islands 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.

Chicago Tribune

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
At least eight people have died and several others were injured after a crane collapsed at a building site in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.



Local media are reporting that two of those killed were Chinese nationals.



The accident, at the site where a 14-storey student hostel was being built, happened as the crane was being dismantled, witnesses told the AFP news agency.



"We were having lunch when we heard things falling and thought part of the building was coming down," AFP quotes construction worker Michael Odhiambo as saying.



"When we got there, we found a crane had snapped and tumbled down," he added.



Evacuation is currently underway at the scene, which is opposite the department of defence headquarters.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region, Daasebre Professor Emeritus Oti Boateng, has passed on, aged 83.



He died about two weeks ago after a short illness.



Multiple sources close to the New Juaben Palace and also the family, which confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, said the New Juaben Traditional Council was expected to officially announce the death today.



A visit to the palace yesterday showed the place was very quiet, with no activity at all.



Although some traditional leaders were sighted within the palace, visitors were, however, not allowed to enter.



Internationally acclaimed



The late Daasebre Oti Boateng was not only a distinguished traditional ruler but also an academician and internationally recognised statistician who worked at various times with the United Nations and other international organisations.



One of the key crusades he launched in recent times was the Root-Based Model (RBM), an innovative development model to reduce poverty and inequality in Ghana and on the African continent.



He wrote a book to support his internationally acclaimed and award-winning development model.



Also, he offered key support to the Graphic-Zoomlion National Sanitation Project when it was launched in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, last July.



The Omanhene was the chairman during the Sanitation Dialogue, at which he underscored the need for inclusiveness in the national bid to make the country clean.



At the event, Daasebre called for a change in attitude towards environmental sanitation by stressing the need for people to always keep their surroundings tidy.



Also, there is the need for a continuous campaign on proper sanitation practices to drum home the consequences of filth on the health of the people. There must be a sustainable social intervention on sanitation by the government as well, he emphasised.



Traditional rule



Daasebre Oti Boateng acceded the New Juaben Stool in 1992, succeeding his elder brother, the late Daasebre Nana Kwaku Boateng II.



There were plans to launch the celebration of his 30th anniversary on the stool next year.



He was a member of the Yiadom-Hwedie Royal Family of Juaben, Ashanti, and New Juaben. His mother was the queenmother of Juaben in Ashanti.



As a traditional ruler, Daasebre Oti Boateng strengthened the New Juaben Traditional Council as a local institution for the prosperity of the people.



He institutionalised the first traditional festival in post-independence Ghana  the Akwantukese or the Great Migration  which brings into contemporary prominence a missing but critical and major event of Asante history in Ghana.



Career



Known in private life as Professor Emeritus Emmanuel Oti Boateng, he was acknowledged as a global authority in statistics and was the recipient of many national and international awards, including a recognition as one of the greatest minds of the 21st century by the American Biographical Institute.



In 1982, he was appointed to the high office of Government Statistician and served with distinction for a record period of nearly 18 years until 2000.



As Government Statistician, he successfully conducted the 1984 population census, amid great challenges of an entire country under military curfew.



In March 1987, he was elected the first African Chairman of the United Nations Statistical Commission and was again elected the first African Chairman of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians at its 15th Session in Geneva in 1993.



From 2003 to 2018, Daasebre served as a United Nations Commissioner on the International Civil Service Commission, representing Africa south of the Sahara.



Academic life



As a true academician, Daasebre Prof. Emeritus Oti Boateng authored six books, including Barack Obama- Africas Gift to the World and AKWANTUKESE Festival 2017.



His three-volume series: Development In Unity Volumes I, II, & III, completed in January 2019, is a compendium of his research works and exploits spanning over four decades written to revolutionise development thoughts and inspire a new generational philosophy of development.



His latest book, Implementing the Root-Based Development, presents a practical implementation plan for his award-winning RBD of development and the results of the first baseline survey conducted under the model in 2020 to ensure sustainable community development.



He has over 100 technical publications to his credit in the areas of population and health, statistics, governance, disaster management, economics and policy issues.



He holds a Bachelor of Science with honours degree in Economics from the University of Ghana, a Master of Science in Statistics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.



Before his tertiary education, he attended the Konongo/Odumasi Senior High School for his secondary education



Until his death, he was the Chancellor of the All Nations University in Koforidua.













Source: Graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ministry of Information will on Monday, August 30, 2021, hold a conference with Development Partners and other Stakeholders to rally support for the ministrys

media support programmes.



The government, through the ministry, has introduced two media support programmes aimed at creating a conducive and safe environment for media practitioners and enhance their capacity to effectively play their role in consolidating the countrys democratic gains.



The conference seeks to rally the support of Development Partners and Stakeholders to compliment the efforts of the government in executing these media support initiatives.



The programme comes off at the Alisa Swiss Spirit Hotel, North Ridge, on Monday, August 30, 2021, at 11:00 am.



This conference will be telecast live on GTV and also streamed live on the Ministry of Information Facebook page.



Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the youth to put their energies into nation-building and eschew violence.



At a training programme dubbed Empowering Ghanaians to stand for National Cohesion, the youth were also schooled on the position of the law on issues such as vigilantism, public demonstrations, secessionism and activities of land guards.



A Magistrate at the Sege District Court, Awah, who was the main resource person, explained that anybody who attempted to disturb the peace of the nation would jeopardize the opportunity to live peacefully.



Our training from home must take care of the problem at school; we must be prepared to teach our children that national cohesion is paramount, and then what we learn we must practice.



The idea that I speak a different language, therefore, I am a different person has no place in a unitary state; we all belong to Ghana; if it sinks it sinks with us, if it rises, it rises with us, Mr Awah noted.



Leadership



Mr Awah indicated that leadership must create an enabling environment while citizens played their part to ensure peace.



He said the only way a nation could move forward was to open up to negotiation and not violence.



On her part, NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director, Mrs Lucille Hewlett Annan, said most people, who attempted to destroy national cohesion, did so by employing the youth and, therefore, the nation could prevent such violent activities if the youth were well-informed on such matters.



Mrs Annan indicated that Ghana was a unitary state and her territories were defined by independence and so secessionism had no place in the Ghanaian Constitution.



She, therefore, asked the youth to avoid all forms of violence and discrimination and promote patriotism so that Ghana could achieve national cohesion and development.



An Assistant Director, Ningo Prampram District Assembly (NiPDA), Ms Eugenia Gyamfuah Asante, said the assembly was committed to ensuring that the district was stable, therefore, would team up with NCCE to continue the project.



She said, the assembly together with the police, would encourage the formation of Watch Committees and sensitize the people on crimes, offences and punishments that came along with them.



We continue to stand for peace and promote peace. Peace is very instrumental in our economic growth, which would help us create a better Ghana, she said.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Pregnant women with cravings for non-food items have been strongly warned against eating white clay, called shile among the Akan people, as it can harm both mothers and babies during the prenatal period.



The eating disorder, called pica, usually occurs more commonly in pregnant women, according to health experts, because the affected persons bodies have increased nutritional needs during prenatal periods.



Mr Ebenezer Gyasi, Birim Central Municipal Nutrition Officer, told the Ghana News Agency that the shile has bad side effects though it could also cure skin rashes and acne, adding, its disadvantages override its health benefits.



He said excessive consumption of the bentonite clay, "shile", and absence of adequate nutrition during pregnancy could lead to preterm birth, stillbirth or intrauterine growth retardation.



Generally, he added, that it could lead to poisoning and predisposing eaters to joint and abdominal pains.



He cautioned young girls against cravings for bentonite clay and also advised pregnant women to eat iron-rich foods such as cocoyam leaves (Kontomire), snails, beans, eggs, shrimps and fish.



She encouraged pregnant women to always take fruits like mango, apple, watermelon, orange and banana during the prenatal period.



He also urged them to honour antenatal schedules and report to a midwife or doctor when they noticed anything unusual during their pregnancies, adding: Take your prescribed drugs."

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
In a move to support the ramp up of operations after boosting its passenger services to South Africa, Emirates has signed an interline agreement with Cemair that opens up connections to six more destinations in South Africa through the airlines gateways of Johannesburg and Cape Town. The partnership also includes a couple of leisure points exclusively served by Cemair.



This marks the first partnership between both airlines, and Emirates fourth airline partnership in South Africa. The arrangement between Emirates and Cemair includes the convenience of single ticket itineraries with onwards booking and baggage transfers from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Margate, Durban, Hoedspruit, Plettenberg Bay, George and Sishen.



Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: We are proud to partner with Cemair and commence our interline agreement. The new Cemair links provide our customers with even more possibilities to travel smoothly across many of South Africas most popular leisure points, in addition to the added benefit of connectivity to Cemairs exclusively served points Margate and Plettenberg Bay.



Connecting our networks solidifies our commitment to offering our customers even more travel opportunities, especially for those wanting to experience South Africas existing favourites, as well as travellers plotting new itineraries. We look forward to working together and strengthening our relationship."



Miles van der Molen, Chief Executive Officer of CemAir said: We are delighted to partner with Emirates Airline, a name synonymous with quality and elegance. Our interline agreement provides our customers with convenience and savings as they can now seamlessly connect from our flights to the vast global network of this iconic airline.



As we continue our expansion during the post Covid recovery period we realise that now more than ever partnerships are key to our success. Working with market leaders like Emirates Airline is a further demonstration of our commitment to our customers to provide the best service and value.



Customers can book their travel on emirates.com, Emirates sales offices and travel agencies.



Emirates boosted its operations to/from South Africa earlier this month and is presently operating 14 flights a week into South Africa via its gateways Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The airline continues to safely rebuild its global network, connecting customers to and through Dubai to over 120 destinations.



The airline has been expanding its footprint across South and Southern Africa through enriching its interline and codeshare partnerships with South African Airways, Airlink, Cemair, and Flysafair, driving more connectivity options that that provide greater benefits for its customers, whilst supporting the recovery of the travel and tourism industry.

























Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Minority in Parliament is calling on the Ministry of Education to suspend the Teacher Licensure Examination, saying it is not useful.



According to Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak, the mode of the licensing was also delaying the postings of teacher trainees to schools in dire need of teachers.



He said economically, it does not make sense to train teachers, spend money on them but then have them stay at home because they did not pass the licensure exams.



Dr. Apaak who is a member of Parliament for Builsa South constituency, was speaking in an interview on Accra based Joy News on Thursday, August 26.



Use training college structure



Dr. Apaak suggested that the assessment of the teacher trainees can be done within the context of the structure available at the teacher training colleges.



The Teacher Licensure Exams, as it is currently structured is not useful. We say so because students train for three good years in teacher training colleges, pass every single exam, but then they have to pass a six-hour aptitude test, before they are deemed qualified of teaching when we are in dire need of thousands of teachers.



Our position in the Minority is not that exams should not be written or that teachers should not be licensed, we are saying that that can be done within the context of the structures already available at the teacher training colleges", he stressed.



In view of the about 8,000 teachers who failed this years exams, he said that suggested that there were challenges in the teacher training colleges, and therefore, called on those responsible to fix that.



If the government is using the aptitude test to suggest that many of the teacher training colleges are not fit for purpose, is it not an indictment of the government itself and the Ministry of Education, he questioned.



Dr. Apaak was however, quick to add that the minority did not oppose the teacher licensure exams but rather the mode in which it was carried out.



We are not opposed to licensing teachers, it is the mode and the method by which it is being done that we are opposed to and we believe this is not fair to the students and their parents., he said.



Teacher Licensure Examination



The National Teaching Council (NTC) , an agency under the Ministry of Education in 2018 introduced the Teacher Licensure Examination aimed at licensing teachers who teach or want to teach in public pre-tertiary schools in the country.



This according to the Ministry of Education, is in fulfillment of Section 12(4) of the Education Act, 2008 (Act 778) which states that The programme of study for pre-tertiary teachers that lead to a license to teach shall be developed in consultation with the Council.



Read also:



Over 8,000 fail teacher licensure exams















Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A Deputy General Secretary for ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen says a petition to the Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) by NDCs North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to investigate the 2020 general election will heed to nothing.



He described the North Tongu Constituency Member of Parliament as an "attention seeker" whose agenda will flop.



He spoke in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie.



Listen to interview below







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."The complainants demand that the Commission conduct investigations into the NESTFs activities during the December 2020 elections at the Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra Region, and Northern Regions of the Republic of Ghana," the petition states."The Complainants also demand that the investigation identify officials of the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed Forces responsible for the unlawful acts the subject matter of the present complaint and the persons under whose command and instructions they acted."The Complainants finally demand that the investigation identify the role played by the Ministers of the Interior and Defence in terms of instructions and orders in relation to the conduct resulting in this complaint, and the lack of leadership or proper oversight to prevent, stop or respond in a manner to curb the violations".

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The current state of veteran Ghanaian actor, Mr Kofi Laing, popularly known as Kowh3 is sad. A photo of the actor circulating on social media has brought tears to many as hes seen in a very poor state.



Kohw3 is seen sitting on a gentleman in a place that seems like a health facility. He looks feeble, ailing and it looks like hes in a medical facility for help.



Though Kowh3 has aged, it is obvious that he needs help to make things easier for him. A few years ago, the veteran actor publicly announced that he needs financial support in his old age as things were difficult for him.



Kowh3 recounted in an interview that many of his colleagues had died out of poverty because theyre neglected in old age. He revealed that their time in acting was not as profitable as today, and the sad part is producers neglect them and use young people to play roles that they could play better.



Kowh3 pleaded for support from Ghanaians to help him whilst hes alive because whatever they will do or say after hes dead wont bring him back to life.



Dont wait for me to die, before you pay glowing tribute to me for my wonderful contribution, your tribute will be meaningless because it will not bring me back to life, he said.



But it appears hes still suffering and hasnt really gotten a helper to go to his aid.



Check out his photo below;















View this post on Instagram



A post shared by Zionfelix.com (@zionfelixdotcom)





Source: instagram/GC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
By Atty. Frank Eduard C. Dinsay V

Chief of Staff

Office of the Cebu Governor

IN response to SunStar Cebus editorial dated August 26, 2021, it is not The 123 that died from Aug. 9 to 22, 2021, in the Province died of Covid-19, period. It is either Covid-19 is the proximate cause of a persons untimely demise OR it is not, then, period. If it were otherwise, as period-stressed by the editor, how then are we supposed to make sense of a person dying due to drowning or kidney failure but declared Covid-19 positive post-mortem? And yes, this is data from the ground.

From an epidemiological point, disaggregation of Covid-19 deaths is valuable in that: (1) We better understand those who died purely from Covid-19 to check on the category and classification that can guide us in terms of our containment measures; (2) For non-Covid-19-related deaths, most of the comorbidities are lifestyle-related where public health measures can be improved to address them; and (3) The public is given a transparent, precise, and unadulterated data of Covid-19 cases, deaths, and other diseases to enable them to intelligently appreciate the situation.

The Province has been working closely with the national government to mirror their policies while adding positive innovations, when needed, remaining ever compliant with whatever guidelines crafted and cascaded to the LGU level. We are appalled by how the editor extracted only a portion of our statement to embed a distorted and overly stretched interpretation in the publics imagination when she said the province had shifted its focus to monitoring outcomes, like how many patients require hospitalization or intensive care and reporting deaths, in the same way seasonal flu outbreaks are monitored.

For context, and in our letter to the editor last August 25, 2021, we merely echoed our support for alternative methodologies concerning the Covid-19, similar to Singapores proposal, when we said: Instead, the country should abandon the zero transmission model and seriously consider the proposal of Singapore towards a new normal where we will no longer report daily Covid-19 cases. The focus would shift to monitoring outcomes, like how many patients require hospitalization or intensive care and reporting deaths, in the same way seasonal flu outbreaks are monitored.

Story continues

The editor erroneously includes private hospitals in the mix when she said the DOH 7 bulletin had reported that Cebu Provinces critical care utilization rate is at 74.4 percent while intensive care unit beds are at 90 percentits 72 percent in level 1 hospitals, and 100 percent in level 2s.

Again, the editor makes reference to the

Department of Health data that is not as refined as the Provincial Governments. She fails to mention that level 1 hospitals, like some of the Province-run hospitals, are not required to have intensive care unit beds. There are still no hospitals that are accredited as level 2. Luckily, some level 1 province-run hospitals, like Bogo and Balamban, are preparing to transition to level 2 by introducing intensive care unit beds. The available bed capacity allocated for Covid-19 patients in Province-run hospitals is still at 47 percent.

This is how we appreciate numbersby narrowing it down to exactitudethereby truthfully calling a square a square vis-a-vis death by Covid-19 or death by some other disease or unrelated cause.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Endangered butterflies and desert fish would get millions of dollars in federal funding while oil companies would face new fees and a ban on most offshore drilling under a House committee proposal to fulfill key parts of President Joe Biden's economic agenda.

The details were summarized in a document seen by Bloomberg News prepared by the Natural Resources Committee, one of a dozen House panels now writing pieces of a $3.5 trillion budget bill that represents the largest chunk of Biden's economic plan. The document was circulated to lawmakers before a planned Sept. 2 meeting to vote on the panel's portion of the measure.

It sketches out Natural Resources Committee Democrats' ambitions for spending roughly $31.5 billion on conservation programs, environmental analysis and cleanup of abandoned mines, among other priorities. The proposal, which could be revised before the committee takes up the measure next week, calls for devoting some $550 million to wildlife recovery efforts, including $25 million each to endangered butterflies, freshwater mussels and desert fish.

"This is the largest investment in the recovery of endangered species in a generation, and I couldn't be more thrilled," said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "If we're going to tackle the extinction crisis and save these incredible species from the brink, this is exactly the type of bold action that's needed."

The oil and gas industry would shoulder the burden of paying for much of the proposed spending. The proposals include new fees for idled oil wells, pipeline owners and the inspection of oil and gas facilities. Royalties also would be increased for some minerals, oil and gas extracted from public land.

Spokespeople for the committee and several members, reached by telephone and email after hours, declined to comment on the document. A Democratic member of the committee, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the document's authenticity. Republican staff members said they have heard such a document exists, but it had not been shared with them.

Committee Democrats also will seek to spend some $3 billion on a new Civilian Climate Corps, according to the document. The program, which would be modeled after the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, would put Americans to work building clean energy infrastructure, capping inactive wells and conserving land.

Under the plan, committee Democrats would impose or increase more than a dozen fees, penalties and royalty charges on oil, gas and pipeline companiesultimately raising as much as $5.6 billion with the changes.

Republicans blasted the plan as an "attack on American energy."

"This is another irresponsible step toward making our country increasingly reliant on foreign adversaries for our energy needs," said Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington. "They are proposing to spend $50 million to eliminate an important revenue stream and kill thousands of American jobsall the while relying on royalties to fund their priorities."

Democrats also intend to get rid of a congressional mandate for the government to hold two auctions of oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain by Dec. 22, 2024. The requirement was originally adopted by lawmakers a way to pay for the 2017 tax cuts, based on expectations that the lease sales and oil development would yield more than $2 billion in revenues over a decade.

However, when the first auction was held by the Trump administration in January of this year, the government collected less than $20 million in high bids. The Biden administration has suspended work on leases sold in that auction, while it conducts fresh environmental analysis of the leasing program.

Committee Democrats now estimate that doing away with the Arctic refuge leasing requirement would cost just $40 million, according to the document.

A similar proposal to ban offshore drilling in most U.S. waters, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico, is estimated to cost $50 million. Pacific and Atlantic waters also would be off limits, though the central and western Gulf of Mexicowhich now provides about 17% of U.S. crude productionwould be unaffected.

The proposal is likely to meet stiff opposition in Congress, where Republicans cast such drilling bans as shortsighted bids to abandon U.S. production of fossil fuels that will only escalate energy costs for Americans, weeks after the Biden administration asked foreign crude producers to bolster output.

The Democrats' document mentions only a ban on offshore drilling without further detaila reference that could be shorthand for ceasing the sale of new oil and gas leases offshore. It is unclear how the ban would treat ongoing oil and gas production or new drilling at existing offshore leases but it could be modeled after legislation the panel advanced earlier this year.

The approach dovetails with Biden's efforts to discourage fossil fuel development and shift the nation toward renewable and emission-free power sources. And it aligns with a plan advanced by Sheldon Whitehouse, Cory Booker and Brian Schatz, all Senate Democrats, to put a fee on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Yet the proposals could present political risk for moderate Democrats in the House, particularly those with significant oil, gas and coal production in their districts. In the Senate, Joe Manchin of coal-rich West Virginia also has signaled his concern about moving too sharply against fossil fuels.

Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, the top Republican on the natural resources panel, called the reported effort a "ridiculous government overreach and unabashed environmental extremism." Westerman questioned the proposal to establish a Civilian Climate Corps while discouraging investment in domestic energy development.

"At a time when U.S. businesses can't find labor, it's especially atrocious to resurrect a government jobs program for unskilled labor while killing private sector, high-paying careers in energy and minerals," Westerman said in an emailed statement. That will only "send U.S. jobs and wealth to foreign countries and wreak havoc on rural economies."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday during a news conference that work was already underway by committee chairmen in presenting proposals to their panels of what to include in the the budget reconciliation bill.

The reconciliation process being used by Democrats gives them the opportunity to pass the tax and spending plan without Republican support or the threat of a filibuster. However some moderates have balked at the cost, and Pelosi said the goal was to have new spending offset by raising revenue through taxes and fees.

"I would prefer to have it fully paid," said Pelosi, pointing out that the House Ways and Means Committee is exploring other possible sources of funding. Other members are making their views known on that, as well, she said.

Explore further US drilling approvals increase despite Biden climate pledge

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Illustration of ghost polaritons propagating away from a point source over a calcite surface. Credit: Weiliang Ma/HUST

An international team has reported in Nature the first observation of ghost polaritons, which are a new form of surface waves carrying nanoscale light strongly coupled with material oscillations and featuring highly collimated propagation properties. The research team observed these phenomena over a common materialcalciteand showed how ghost polaritons can facilitate a superior control of infrared nano-light for sensing, signal processing, energy harvesting and other technologies.

In recent years, nanophotonics at infrared and terahertz frequencies has become important for highly sensitive, ultracompact and low-loss technologies for bio-molecular and chemical diagnosis, sensors, communications and other applications. Nanomaterial platforms that can facilitate enhanced light-matter interactions at these frequencies have become essential for these technologies. Recent work has been using low-dimensional van der Waals materials, such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and alpha-phase molybdenum trioxide (-MoO3, Nature 2018), because of their highly exotic response to confined light at the nanoscale. However, these emerging nanomaterials require demanding nanofabrication techniques, hindering large-scale nanophotonic technologies.

Writing in Nature on 18th August 2021, a highly collaborative international team led by scientists at the City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), National University of Singapore (NUS) and National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) has reported that calcite a well-known bulk crystal commonly used in other technologiescan naturally support ghost polaritons.

The team explored light interactions with calcite and found unexpected infrared phonon polariton responses. They demonstrated that calcite, which can be easily polished, can support ghost polariton surface waves that feature complex, out-of-plane momentum totally different from any observed surface polariton to date.

"Polaritonics is the science and technology of exploiting strong interactions of light with matter, and it has revolutionized optical sciences in the past few years," said Andrea Alu, Einstein Professor of Physics at the Graduate Center and Founding Director of the Photonics Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center. "Our discovery is the latest example of the exciting science and surprising physics that can emerge from exploring polaritons in conventional materials like calcite."

"We used scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to probe these ghost polaritons," said first author Weiliang Ma, a Ph.D. candidate at HUST. "Excitingly, we have shown ray-like nano-light propagation for up to 20 micrometers, a record long distance for polariton waves at room temperature."

"We have been thrilled to find a new solution of Maxwell's equations featuring complex, out-of-plane momentum. And even more excitingly, we have been able to observe it in a very common crystal." says Guangwei Hu, co-first author, NUS postdoctoral fellow and long-term visitor at CUNY.

"This type of polaritons can be tuned through their optical axis, introducing a new way of manipulation of polaritons, said Cheng-Wei Qiu, Dean's Chair professor at NUS. "We believe our findings will stimulate exploration of various optical crystals for nanoscale light manipulation."

Professors Debo Hu and Qing Dai from NCNS and Runkun Chen, Ph.D. and professor Xinliang Zhang from HUST have also contributed significantly to this work.

Explore further How to manipulate light on the nanoscale over wide frequency ranges

More information: Weiliang Ma et al, Ghost hyperbolic surface polaritons in bulk anisotropic crystals, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Weiliang Ma et al, Ghost hyperbolic surface polaritons in bulk anisotropic crystals,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03755-1
Multiparticle scattering in plasmonic systems. Credit: LSU

For decades, scholars have believed that the quantum statistical properties of bosons are preserved in plasmonic systems, and therefore will not create different form of light.

This rapidly growing field of research focuses on quantum properties of light and its interaction with matter at the nanoscale level. Stimulated by experimental work in the possibility of preserving nonclassical correlations in light-matter interactions mediated by scattering of photons and plasmons, it has been assumed that similar dynamics underlie the conservation of the quantum fluctuations that define the nature of light sources. The possibility of using nanoscale system to create exotic forms of light could pave the way for next-generation quantum devices. It could also constitute a novel platform for exploring novel quantum phenomena.

In new findings published in Nature Communications, researchers from Louisiana State University and four collaborating universities have introduced a discovery that changes a paradigm in quantum plasmonics by demonstrating the potential of metallic nanostructures to produce different forms of light.

Their paper, "Observation of the Modification of Quantum Statistics of Plasmonic Systems," written by collaborators from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa, demonstrates that the quantum statistics of multiparticle systems are not always preserved in plasmonic platforms. It also describes the first observation of the modified quantum statistics.

Lead authors, LSU postdoctoral researcher Chenglong You and LSU graduate student Mingyuan Hong, show that optical near fields provide additional scattering paths that can induce complex multiparticle interactions.

"Our findings unveil the possibility of using multiparticle scattering to perform exquisite control of quantum plasmonic systems," You said. "This result redirects an old paradigm in the field of quantum plasmonics where the fundamental physics uncovered in our discovery will provide a better understanding of the quantum properties of plasmonic systems, and unveil new paths to perform control of quantum multiparticle systems."

Research pursued by the Experimental Quantum Photonics Group at LSU that resulted in these new findings was conducted in Assistant Professor Omar Magana-Loaiza's Quantum Photonics Laboratory.

"We engineered metallic nanostructures, fabricated in gold, to produce different kinds of light," Hong said. "Our nanoscale platform exploits dissipative plasmonic near fields to induce and control complex interactions in many-body systems of photons. This capability allows us to control at will the quantum fluctuations of multiphoton systems."

The possibility of engineering light with different quantum mechanical properties has enormous implications for multiple quantum technologies.

"For example, our platform enables the reduction of the quantum fluctuations of multiphoton systems to boost the sensitivity of protocols for quantum sensing," Magana-Loaiza said. "In our lab, we will exploit this exquisite degree of control to develop quantum simulations of light transport. This will enable the eventual design of better and more efficient solar cells."

Explore further The best of both worlds: Combining classical and quantum systems to meet supercomputing demands

More information: Chenglong You et al, Observation of the modification of quantum statistics of plasmonic systems, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Chenglong You et al, Observation of the modification of quantum statistics of plasmonic systems,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25489-4
Seven-day-old barley roots of mutant egt2: It grows strictly downwards (hypergravitropic). Credit: Gwendolyn Kirschner

The importance of the root system for agricultural yields is often underestimated. Whether roots can access water and nutrients effectively also determines the resilience of important crops to drought and climate change. Researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Bologna (Italy) have discovered and described a mutant in barley: Its roots grow downwards much more sharply than usual. This discovery potentially provides a starting point for breeding more drought-resistant varieties. The study has now been published in PNAS.

Barley is one of the most important cereals. Its uses range from brewing beer to groats, pearl barley, barley flakes and barley flour. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Silvio Salvi of the University of Bologna discovered an unusual mutant of barley some time ago: Its roots do not spread sideways as they normally do, but grow straight down. The researchers termed this mutant "hypergravitropic," meaning that it follows gravity much more strongly than its conspecifics. The teams led by Prof. Dr. Frank Hochholdinger from the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn and Prof. Salvi, together with other colleagues, investigated the underlying causes.

The researchers compared the genome of the mutant with barley plants growing normally. They discovered a mutation on chromosome number five, which they named "enhanced gravitropism 2" (egt2), meaning "enhanced orientation to gravity." The 2 indicates that the team is also working on another study on a similar mutation (egt1). The researchers demonstrated that egt2 is indeed responsible for the vertical growth of the roots by artificially creating such a mutation in normal barley plants using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors. "The result shows a similar appearance of the roots," reports lead author Dr. Gwendolyn K. Kirschner of the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn. "This allowed us to prove that we had identified the right gene."

Roots in the MRI scanner

The researchers grew the small barley plants in germination paper or soil and recorded the root angles using a scanner and special software. They also used resources from Forschungszentrum Julich: There, the barley was grown in special "flower pots" that fit inside an MRI scanner. Using the magnetic resonance imaging technique, the researchers "looked through" the soil and recorded the growth of the roots in this way.

Plants with the egt2 mutation are far more sensitive to the influence of gravity than normal specimens. The researchers demonstrated this by placing the roots of the barley seedlings at a 90-degree angle to the direction of gravity. "This caused the roots of the mutants to grow significantly more in the direction of gravity than the comparative specimens without this mutation," says Dr. Kirschner.

For comparison, the root without the egt2 mutation: It grows outwards, opening up a larger volume of soil in search of nutrients. Credit: Gwendolyn Kirschner

Mutation is rare

The mutation does not occur frequently. "Many mutants have shorter or missing roots," says Hochholdinger. "But mutations with different root angles are a relatively rare find." In collaboration with researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich (UK), the team was able to demonstrate that a very similar mutant also exists in wheat plants. "This shows that the gene is evolutionarily conserved," Hochholdinger reports. This means that this gene plays a significant role not only in barley, but also in other important cereals. Hochholdinger: "So it's worth taking a closer look."

According to the researchers, the discovery of the mutation offers a potential starting point for breeding new varieties. "Steeper roots are advantageous when it comes to tapping into water resources and mobile nutrients at greater depths," explains Hochholdinger. Conversely, a root system that grows in width penetrates a larger volume of soil and can therefore access nutrients over a larger area and gives the plants better stability. Which root system offers the better conditions for good yields therefore depends on the individual location. In drier regions, this could be steeper roots and in more nutrient-poor areas, it could be the shallower splayed ones.

Starting point for breeding drought-adapted varieties

"Roots have been largely neglected in breeding so far," Hochholdinger says. But with increased droughts as a result of climate change, the architecture of the root system could be of great importance in the future. Then the mutant with vertical roots could play a role in producing varieties adapted to climate change. The researchers have not yet been able to decipher the exact molecular function of the gene. However, currently the researchers at the University of Bonn are investigating in which signaling pathways the EGT2 protein is involved in.

Explore further Bacteria help plants grow better

More information: Gwendolyn K. Kirschner et al, ENHANCED GRAVITROPISM 2 encodes a STERILE ALPHA MOTIFcontaining protein that controls root growth angle in barley and wheat, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Gwendolyn K. Kirschner et al, ENHANCED GRAVITROPISM 2 encodes a STERILE ALPHA MOTIFcontaining protein that controls root growth angle in barley and wheat,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101526118
The study provides a first example of how quantum computing can be used for studying key polymer models. In perspective, because our approach is general, it ought to provide a basis for tackling more complex and ambitious systems, such as long biopolymers in confined spaces, which are also key to understanding genome organization. Credit: Cristian Micheletti

Using computers to study polymers has always been a major challenge for scientific computation, especially for long and densely packed biomolecules, like DNA. New perspectives are now opening up through quantum computing. Scientists have now recast the basic models of polymer models as optimization problems that can be efficiently solved with quantum computers. This novel approach has made it possible to harness the considerable potential of these machines in a hitherto unexplored context.

The study, published in the Physical Review Letters journal, has involved Cristian Micheletti from SISSA, and Philipp Hauke and Pietro Faccioli from the University of Trento.

Many of the paradigms of scientific computing, from Monte Carlo techniques to simulated annealingthe authors explainwere developed, at least in part, to study the properties of polymers, including biological ones such as protein and DNA. On the one hand, the advance of quantum computers opens new scenarios for scientific computing in general. At the same time, it requires the development of new models apt for taking full advantage of this great potential. In particular, quantum computers excel at solving optimization tasks. These problems typically involve finding the optimal combination of system variables according to a preassigned scoring system.

Considering this, the authors have recast the basic polymer models by establishing a correspondence between each possible polymer configuration and the solutions of a suitable optimization problem.

"Typically, polymer chains are directly modeled as a sequence of points in three-dimensional space. In classic simulations, this chain is then animated via progressive deformations, mimicking the dynamics of the polymer in nature," explain the authors. Now that we are entering the quantum computing era, it becomes natural to study polymers with these innovative techniques. However, the descriptions based on points in 3D space cannot be easily used with quantum computers. Finding ways to circumvent conventional polymer descriptions is thus a challenge that could open new perspectives.

Micheletti explains that their "strategy was to encode all possible configurations of a system of polymers as solutions of a single optimization problem. The optimization problem is formulated in terms of Ising spin variablesone of the most common models in physicswhich is efficiently solved with quantum computers. To simplify, an optimization problem on the Ising model can be viewed as a coloring puzzle. The challenge consists of assigning a blue or red color to each point of a lattice while respecting a large number of rules. For instance, points A and B should have different color, and so should points B and C; at the same time points A and C should be of same color. Quantum computers are extremely efficient at solving such problems, that is, at finding the color assignment that satisfies the largest number of given rules. In our case, at each found solution of the optimization problem, we could associate a specific polymer configuration. By repeating the search for solutions, we could thus collect an increasing number of polymer configurations, all statistically independent."

The rapid development of quantum computers suggest that these machines could be used to address scientific problems far more complex than those addressable by conventional computers. "This is why it is important to provide now the algorithmic bases for harnessing the potential of this new paradigm of scientific calculation." say the researchers. "Our study provides a first example of how quantum computing can be used for studying key polymer models. In perspective, because our approach is general, it ought to provide a basis for tackling more complex and ambitious systems, such as long biopolymers in confined spaces, which are also key to understanding genome organization."

Explore further Running quantum software on a classical computer

More information: Cristian Micheletti et al, Polymer Physics by Quantum Computing, Physical Review Letters (2021). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Cristian Micheletti et al, Polymer Physics by Quantum Computing,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.080501
Credit: Reaktor Space Lab

Around the same size as two big Harry Potter paperbacks, ESA's Sun-watching Sunstorm CubeSat has produced its first solar X-ray spectrum, coming just over a week after its launch to orbit aboard a Vega rocket.

CubeSats are miniaturized satellites based on standardized 10 cm boxes. Sunstorm is a '2-unit' CubeSat, hosting an innovative solar X-ray spectrometer called the X-ray Flux Monitor for CubeSats (XFM-CS).

A Finnish team led by the ISAWARE company developed the miniaturized XFM-CS instrument.

Its function is to detect the X-ray pulses produced by solar flaresexplosive releases of magnetic energy seen as enormous flashes on the Sun's surface. These give rise in turn to space weather, threatening satellites and terrestrial power and communications networks, even aircraft on polar flights.

"We are very happy to have acquired our first telemetry from the instrument, showing it is in excellent health," comments Juhani Huovelin, Chairman of ISAWARE. "It is important to note that this is just a preliminary look for now, but its stability and data quality are very promising."

Aboa Space Research Oy, Oxford Instruments Technologies and Talvioja Consulting also collaborated on XFM-CS.

The Sunstorm CubeSat was manufactured by Finland's Reaktor Space Lab, and the mission funded by Business Finland and and the FLY element of ESA's General Support Technology Programme, dedicated to the early space testing of promising new technologies.

Sunstorm continues its in-orbit operations and the final stages of its commissioning, explains Janne Kuhno of Reaktor Space Lab: "The early operations went very quickly and we managed to stablish bi-directional S-Band communications on the first pass, perform platform avionics health checks, deploy all four solar panels and acquire Sun pointing attitude for payload operations."

"Acquiring our first solar X-ray spectrum so quickly after launch is a major achievement in itself," notes Camille Pirat, ESA Technical Officer for the Sunstorm mission.

"It is also good news for our forthcoming space weather mission, also carrying a version of the XFM-CS instrumentwhich was previously known as Lagrange but is currently the subject of a naming competition."

A second ESA CubeSat was also launched with Sunstorm, explains Roger Walker, ovserseeing ESA's Technology CubeSats: "The radiation-detecting RadCube, developed by a team from Hungary, Poland the UK, is also undergoing commissioning, with its first results expected next month."
ESA safeguards Europes guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme, FLPP. Credit: European Space Agency

ESA safeguards Europe's guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme, FLPP.

FLPP oversees system studies and research activities to foster new and disruptive technologies which have the potential to reduce cost, improve performance, improve reliability, or on their ability to fulfill the specific needs of an identified service, system, demonstrator or mission.

Within FLPP, demonstrators and studies hone emerging technologies to give Europe's space transportation a valuable head-start as they begin the demanding work of turning the chosen design into reality.

Integrated demonstrators are built by combining multiple technologies into one system or subsystem so that industry can use the technology with confidence.

FLPP carries out projects in propulsion, materials and processes, reusability, structures and mechanisms, avionics and Guidance Navigation Control (GNC), and future end-to-end systems and missions.

From lab to launch

A standardized scale of "Technology Readiness Levels" or TRL describes the level of maturity of a technology. Levels 12 denote basic research.

Technologies that have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment at Level 3, are further developed within FLPP and tested on the ground, in flight or in space via integrated demonstrators to raise them to TRL 6.

Once a technology has reached level 6, much of the risk linked to using a new technology in a space environment has been mitigated. It can be quickly incorporated in an operational system (TRL 9) with optimized cost and schedule.

This approach has three key benefits. It offers within a contained budget a pool of options and upgrades for quick spinoffs applicable to existing launch vehicles; it carries out high added-value research and development and it safeguards system integration and technology competencies in Europe.

Future space transportation services and systems are assessed on their competitiveness and economic viability.

ESA's objective is to develop a robust and flexible Space Transportation ecosystem which serves European needs. To achieve this, ESA brings together its various programs and business units, Europe's launch service provider, and industry such as spacecraft manufacturers and innovative start-up companies.

Propulsion

Prometheus, developed by ESA and ArianeGroup, is an ultra-low cost reusable rocket engine demonstrator which uses liquid oxygenmethane propellants and has a thrust of 1000 kN. Credit: ArianeGroup Holding

Prometheus is Europe's first ultra-low-cost reusable rocket engine demonstrator fuelled by liquid methane. It will benefit Europe's new Ariane 6 launcher in the near-term and prepare for a new generation of European launch vehicles in the next decade.

This is a 1000 kN class engine; further development will soon bring this up to 1200 kN. It is highly versatile and reignitable, making it suitable for use on core, booster and upper stages, reusable or not. It aims to slash costs through an extreme design-to-cost approach, new propellant and innovative manufacturing technologies.

Additive layer-by-layer manufacturing of Prometheus enables faster production, with fewer parts. Liquid oxygenmethane propellants are highly efficient and widely available and therefore a good candidate for a reusable engine.

A full-scale demonstrator will be fired in France at the end of 2021 to de-risk the Prometheus first test campaign at the DLR German Aerospace Center in Lampoldshausen, Germany, expected in 2022. Prometheus will be used on Themis (a reusable first stage demonstrator developed within FLPP) as part of an incremental inflight demonstration of reusability first in Kiruna, Sweden in 2023, and then in Kourou, French Giuana in 2025.

A Prometheus concept based on liquid hydrogen fuel is also in development to provide an alternative to methane and could be available for use on Ariane 6 as early as 2025.

ETID, an Expander-cycle Technology Integrated Demonstrator, paves the way for the next generation of cryogenic upper stage engines in Europe in the 10-ton class.

Testing of a full-scale ETID demonstrator proved the latest propulsion technologies. The test results were fully analyzed including cross-checks to improve numerical models as well as the full inspection of the tested hardware.

Synergy between the Prometheus and ETID projects has yielded game-changing additive manufacturing techniques for combustion chambers that reduce cost and lead time.

Berta, a 5kN-thrust class, 3D-printed full-scale engine demonstrator for upper stages has performed tests at DLR Lampholdshausen. It uses 'storable propellants," called such because they can be stored as liquids at room temperature. Rocket engines that are powered this way are easy to ignite reliably and repeatedly on missions lasting many months.

Continuing on from this project and considering the environmental impact of the currently used storable propellants, investigations are ongoing to prepare tests with identified new environmentally friendly propellant combinations that remain storable but are much less toxic.

Further hybrid propulsion demonstrations are on-going following the launch of the Nucleus sounding rocket in Norway, which successfully reached space by attaining a final altitude of over 100km. Watch the full videos here.

Materials and processes

MT Aerospace and ArianeGroup signed contracts with ESA on 14 May 2019 to develop Phoebus, a prototype of a highly-optimised black upper stage. Rocket upper stages are commonly made of aluminium but switching to carbon composites lowers cost and could yield two tonnes spare payload capacity. Credit: ArianeGroup

FLPP has been validating alternative materials to make rockets lighter. New Composite materials are being used to replace aluminum for lighter upper stage structures and fuel tanks, as well as for rocket fairings that protect the payloads on their way to space.

New insulation materials and jettison systems for rocket fairings will also offer a smoother quieter ride to space.

Closed-cell polyurethane foam material is being sprayed on as external tank insulation for cryogenic upper stages and a new solution for tank bulkheads is currently being developed.

Secondary rocket structures could benefit from improved manufacturing processes such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, or advanced additive layer manufacturing for fracture critical structural parts built in titanium, high strength aluminum alloy and polymer.

Reusability

FLPP is also working on launch vehicle reusability with the first steps towards the in-flight demonstration of a prototype reusable rocket first stage called Themis from 2023. The Themis project will provide valuable information on the economic value of reusability for Europe and prove a selection of the technologies matured within FLPP for potential use on future European launch vehicles.

A successful drop test proved some of the technologies for a reusable first stage of a microlauncher.

Wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics are providing insights into European capabilities to control the descent of a rocket's first stage, back to the ground.

In addition, an ongoing project featuring a 'flying testbed platform' capable of carrying payloads has performed short take-off and landing test flights.

Structures and mechanisms

Various new production methods are improving manufacturing efficiency, for instance, a "Flow forming' technique shapes a metal element in a single step. This has been demonstrated in manufacturing trials co-funded between ESA and NASA Langley.

ESA is taking the first steps towards the in-flight demonstration of a prototype reusable rocket first stage called Themis from 2023 onwards. The Themis programme will provide valuable information on the economic value of reusability for Europe and prove technologies for potential use on future European launch vehicles. Credit: CNES-REAL DREAM

This technique reduces weld seams making rocket structures stronger and lighter while speeding up production. It is also better for the environment because it saves energy and there is no waste material. A 3 m-diameter aluminum demonstration cylinder that would be used as an interstage was successfully manufactured and tested.

FLPP is investigating electro-mechanical actuators for smoother separation and jettisoning of launcher payloads that would also slash costs for future evolutions of European launch vehicles, as well as advanced low-cost actuation systems for launchers control.

Health Monitoring systems embed sensors in the structural parts in order to monitor the launcher environment for further optimisation.

Avionics and GNC

Technologies in this domain evolve rapidly. Focus is given on increasing automation to reduce the level of Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) effort required during a mission and to provide responsive launch capability. FLPP is currently investigating On-Board Real-Time Trajectory Guidance Optimisation technology for future reusable launchers.

A new low-cost avionic system heavily benefiting from COTS components and rapid and effective GNC design, verification and validation will be demonstrated with a sounding rocket launch later this year. This will also serve as a useful testing platform to address new technologies in the launcher domain.

Future wireless communication will reduce the need for wiring on launch vehicle structures and increase flexibility.

Future systems and missions

Future systems and missions are intrinsically complex, with some needing long development cycles of up to a decade. ESA therefore seeks early insights into long-term trends and potential evolutions through its New European Space Transportation Solutions (NESTS) initiative. In this context a number of space transportation service and vehicle studies are contracted in open competition with industry, to prepare solutions for the next decade.

Shifting to space logistics, space transportation beyond Low Earth orbit towards higher energy orbits, to the Moon and Mars will require extended capabilities from Ariane 6 and future rockets to deliver end-to-end transportation service. Space Logistics approach of transportation service includes for example extended kick stage concepts to deliver end-to end service beyond access to space alone. Interface with ESA's Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration for exploration missions will identify future space transportation needs for a post International Space Station vision.

Explore further Unveiling technologies for future launch vehicles
A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

The decision to flee their home Thursday in the mountains above Lake Tahoe became clear when Johnny White and Lauren McCauley could see flames on the webcam at their local ski resort.

Even as ash rained down under a cloud of heavy smoke, the couple wasn't panicked because they had an early warning to leave their home near Echo Summit, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the lake, and wanted to avoid last-minute pandemonium if the wildfire continued its march toward the tourist destination on the California and Nevada border.

"You don't want everyone in the basin panicking and scrambling to try and leave at the same time," McCauley said.

Firefighters were facing changing weather conditions that could push the fire closer to the Tahoe Basin, a home to thousands and recreational playground for millions of tourists who visit the alpine lake in summer, ski at the many resorts in winter and gamble at its casinos year-round.

Winds and temperatures were expected to pick up in coming days while humidity drops, said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director of the state firefighting agency.

"That's what's closing the window of opportunity we've had to make progress and really get hold of the fire," Berlant said.

A U.S. Forest Service bulletin board displays information about closures and evacuations at the Lake Valley Fire District Headquarters in Meyers, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. California weather is heating up and winds are shifting as more than 14,000 firefighters battled wildfires up and down the state, including a major blaze they hoped to keep out of the Lake Tahoe resort region. Credit: AP Photo/Sam Metz

Echo Summit, a mountain pass where cliff-hanging U.S. Route 50 begins its descent toward Lake Tahoe, is where firefighters plan to make their stand if the Caldor Fire keeps burning through dense forest in the Sierra Nevada.

"Everything's holding real good along Highway 50," said Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Cody Bogan. "The fire has been backing down real slowly ... we've just been allowing it to do it on its own speed. It's working in our favor."

The fire is one of nearly 90 large blazes in the U.S. There were more than a dozen big fires in California, including one that destroyed 18 homes in Southern California, which has so far escaped the scale of wildfires plaguing the north all summer.

A new fire broke out Thursday in the Sierra foothills forcing evacuations near the historic Gold Rush town of Sonora, just dozens of miles from Yosemite National Park.

Flames from the French Fire consume a cabin on Highway 155 in Sequoia National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Fires in California have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate while also blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.

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.

The Caldor Fire has been the nation's top firefighting priority because of its proximity to Lake Tahoe, where its tourist economy should be in full swing this time of year.

"This is the week before Labor Day weekenda busy weekend, normally," South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin said. "That is not going to be the case this year."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency noted in a report on the fire that "social, political, and economic concerns will increase as the fire progresses toward the Lake Tahoe Basin." The agency did not immediately respond to a request to elaborate beyond that statement.

A firefighter works on a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Visitors are still crowding the highway that loops the massive lake and riding bikes and walking the beaches, but many are wearing masks. The lake, known for its water clarity and the granite peaks that surround it, has been shrouded in dense smoke that has reached hazardous levels.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority reversed its advice from earlier in the week and recommended tourists postpone their travel. Previously the group that promotes tourism on the south side of the lake advised letting visitors decide whether to cancel their trips amid smoke and approaching fire.

Carol Chaplin, the president and CEO, said hotels and lodges were in lockstep with public safety officials.

"They understand that this is not the experience that their guests are used to or look forward to," she said.

Irvin issued an emergency proclamation Thursday so the city that's home to Heavenly Ski Resort can be better prepared if evacuation orders come and be reimbursed for related expenses.

The French Fire burns along Highway 155 in Sequoia National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Homeowners Jose Lamas, center, his wife, Maria Covarrubias, right, and his daughter Astrid Covarrubias walk through the smoke after visiting their burned-out home from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Vehicles are seen burning as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Homeowner Jose Lamas, right, and his daughter Astrid Covarrubias survey the charred debris left in his burned-out home from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Homeowner Maria Covarrubias reacts after seeing her home burn down from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water at the South Fire burning in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

A sculpture is seen at a burning house as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Firefighters watch as the South Fire burns in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Flames from the French Fire consume a structure on Highway 155 in Sequoia National Forest, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

A fire truck moves to a safer position as the French Fire jumps Highway 155 near Alta Sierra in Sequoia National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Animals stand near a fence while a firefighter works to extinguish flames from the South Firea, at a farm in Lytle Creek, near Rialto, Calif., in San Bernardino County on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

A firefighter is silhouetted while extinguishing hotspots from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, near Rialto, Calif., in San Bernardino County on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Smoke rises from the mountains as the South fire burns in San Bernardino County north of Rialto, Calif., seen from Fontana, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. In Southern California, an unknown number of remote homes and outbuildings burned after a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon and quickly ran through tinder-dry brush in mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Evacuations were ordered, and 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. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo Chiu

Firefighters take a rest while working against the South Fire in Lytle Creek, near Rialto, Calif., in San Bernardino County on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

A small fire burns in the shell of a vehicle near a burning house at the South Fire in Lytle Creek near Rialto, Calif., in San Bernardino County on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Retired Lake Valley Fire District Captain Scott Swift, right, shows a photo of long branches left out in Meyers, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The small town south of Lake Tahoe is under an evacuation warning as the Caldor Fire nears the alpine resort.on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. California weather is heating up and winds are shifting as more than 14,000 firefighters battled wildfires up and down the state, including a major blaze they hoped to keep out of the Lake Tahoe resort region. Credit: AP Photo/Sam Metz

Drivers wash the inside and outside of their vehicle as ash and smoke rains down from the Caldor Fire in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. California weather is heating up and winds are shifting as more than 14,000 firefighters battled wildfires up and down the state, including a major blaze they hoped to keep out of the Lake Tahoe resort region. Credit: AP Photo/Sam Metz

The last time the city declared a wildfire emergency was during the 2007 Angora Fire, which destroyed nearly 250 homes in neighboring Meyers and was the last major fire in the basin.

Not far from the neighborhood that was largely wiped out in that fire, residents hurried to clear pine cones and needles from their roofs and gutters to prepare for the possibility of fire.

The Angora Fire, which was driven by strong winds and took residents by surprise, burned just 3,100 acres, fewer than 5 square miles.

The Caldor Fire has burned over 139,000 acresor 218 square miles (565 square kilometers)and was only 12% contained Thursday.

Retired fire district captain Joe McAvoy, who lost his own home in the fire, said wildfires larger than 100,000 acres were once-in-a-lifetime events in his career. Not anymore.

"Now it seems like they're all 100,000 acres," McAvoy said. It's way more extreme. ... Now (fires) are 100,000 acres and it's like, 'Oh, yeah, big deal.' You know, it's every fire."

Explore further California winds shifting as wildfire battles go on

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Municipalities have until 2024 to allocate funds received under the American Rescue Plan, and must spend the money by 2026.

Feldman expects to redevelop between five and eight properties but noted that number would vary, depending on the extent of each rehab.

Until we know the exact units were tackling, its hard to give a clean answer, but were very sensitive in maximizing those funds, he said.

Habitat for Humanity has done other projects in Glens Falls.

The organization completed work on a home along Hovey Street last year and is in the process of constructing two more residences along the same street, with work expected to be complete later this year.

Mayor Dan Hall said it was Habitats success on Hovey Street that prompted the city to enter into the agreement.

We felt they had the expertise. Adam Feldman is very well versed, so were going to work with him and Common Council and try to at least get some action on some of those houses, he said.

Hall said he doesnt know how many vacant properties are in the city, but estimated there are around 20 zombie homes, houses that have been abandoned and are behind on property taxes.
Mayor Dan Hall, Glens Falls Fire Chief James Schrammel and Police Chief Jarred Smith are expected to speak at the ceremony, though additional speakers may be added, Stafford said.

With a large crowd expected, Stafford is asking everyone to following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which include mask-wearing in large crowds and social-distancing where possible.

The city typically holds a small ceremony at the memorial, but decided to hold a procession in honor of the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Hall said.

When you look at what happened 20 years ago on that day, it still affects a lot of us, he said.

Stafford said Sept. 11 holds a special meaning for him.

He was working a construction job at a residence of a first responder in Niskayuna when the attacks occurred, and he overheard a conversation about mobilizing local first responders to assist in the recovery effort.

I didnt realize that people do that kind of stuff, he said. You watch guys  the cops, the firemen, the EMTs  go into those buildings and I was just dumbfounded and floored that people did stuff like that, Stafford said. Thats what solidified for me what I wanted to do with my life.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik on Thursday said President Joseph Biden is unfit to serve in the wake of the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members.

Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, has been critical of the Biden administrations Afghanistan withdrawal since the countrys government was overrun by the Taliban earlier this month.

More than 80,000 Afghans and U.S. citizens have been evacuated from the country, but scores more are still flooding the airport in the hopes of escaping Taliban rule.

On Thursday, Stefanik said the president has blood on his hands and said his weak and incompetent leadership is what led to the national security and humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country.

The buck stops with the president of the United States. Joe Biden has blood on his hands. This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Bidens weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be commander-in-chief, she said in a statement.

In addition to the U.S. military personnel, at least 60 Afghans were killed when a pair of suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds gathered outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the hopes of being evacuated.
Americans and their allies have planted the seeds of freedom in the country, and thousands of girls and boys have received educations.

Freedom will ultimately prevail, Swezey said. Your sacrifice will make a lasting difference in Afghanistan in the centuries ahead.

Gary Squires and David Seymour, members of the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery Honor Guard, folded and presented an American flag to Elsie Jackson of Salem. Jacksons first husband, World War II sailor John L. Rafter, was killed at the age of 19 on the U.S. Ticonderoga during a Japanese kamikaze attack. Her second husband, Ronald Jackson, was a World War II Army corporal who served in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He died in 2000. Master of Ceremonies Scott Lamb, director of the Saratoga National Cemetery, called Jackson a pillar in her own family and a pillar in her community.

Morris Wells, commander of American Legion Post 574 in Hudson Falls, did a brief table ceremony in tribute to POW/MIAs. The small table had symbolic objects such as a lemon slice for the bitter fate of those captured and missing, salt for the tears of the missing and their families, a red rose for the life of each missing person, and a lighted candle for hope and unconquerable spirit.
The Idaho Land Board, comprised of the governor and four other statewide elected officials, directs the Department of Lands and is constitutionally required to maximize long-term profit. In all, the board manages about 3,900 square miles (10 million square kilometers) that generate money mainly for public schools.

The Land Board is open for business on those lands. It does have some discretion, but is typically required to take the best deal.

In this case, the conservation lease was the use that won the auction and made the most money for the Public School Beneficiary, Sharla Arledge, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Lands, said in a statement.

In the 1990s, Western Watersheds Project, then known as Idaho Watersheds Project, won a grazing lease at an auction but was denied the lease by the Land Board, which awarded the new lease instead to the rancher who had the previous lease.

The group sued and prevailed when the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the Land Board didn't have that discretion. That court decision made possible the new lease in the Sawtooth Valley.

Molvar said it was an expensive way to achieve conservation and not applicable to all public lands, but worth it in an area rich with wildlife and that's also a tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Sawtooth Valley is one of the crown jewels of Idaho that is really valuable for wildlife and for fisheries, he said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
MARINETTE, Wis. (AP)  A judge sentenced an 84-year-old man Thursday to consecutive life sentences in connection with a double homicide in northeastern Wisconsin, a case that had lain dormant for decades before investigators used a DNA sample to make an arrest.

A jury convicted Raymand Vannieuwenhoven in July of killing 25-year-old David Schuldes and 24-year-old Ellen Matheys. The couple was found shot in McClintock Park in Marinette County.

Judge James Morrison said the life sentences were appropriate due to the depraved and unspeakable nature of the crimes, WLUK-TV reported.

The couple was engaged to be married and had planned to camp in the park. They were about to go for a walk when someone shot Schuldes. The killer chased Matheys down, sexually assaulted her and then shot her twice in the chest.
Running the Biz

Opening up one business during a pandemic is scary enough, but launching two seems almost impossible. Somehow Kelly and his partners have pulled it off despite some challenges.

The boardwalk is a tough business. You are so weather dependent and, of course, this whole year has been tough on everyone because its so hard to get enough staff, he says.

And though they only had a few months to build their reputation, the Great American Lobster Roll Co. already has devoted, repeat customers. And much of that comes down to making smart business decisions.

Lobster right now is probably costing me double what it did at the beginning of the year, Kelly says. But I wont raise my prices, and I wont use less lobster on my rolls either.

The Future

With two shops currently open, the Great American Lobster Roll Co. is not exactly what you would call a chain, but that may not be the case for long.

I would like to get us up in places like Asbury Park and, ultimately, I want to put locations all up and down the shore towns, he says.

Does Kellys plan sound a little overambitious? Maybe, but those folks have probably never had one of these lobster rolls.

Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
The museum is looking for local participants, Black or white, who may have traveled South to register voters or who protested during the Democratic National Convention that summer to at least be in the audience during its panel discussion.

The museum is looking for more people such as 3rd Ward Councilman Kaleem Shabazz, who was out on the Boardwalk that summer as a 17-year-old as a member of the Atlantic City Youth Council. Shabazz was an Atlantic City High School junior and was one of the protesters.

The local protesters were on the Boardwalk demanding three things, Shabazz said. They wanted the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Partys Black and white members seated at the convention. They wanted to show support for the cause of voting rights. And they wanted to energize local voters to push for more political power.

It was not until 1968 that businessman Karlos R. LaSane became the first Black city commissioner in the resort.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Shabazz remembers being on the Boardwalk for a couple of days during the convention. At one point, he was standing on a box giving a speech when the late city police Sgt. Walter L. Collette, who later became a city councilman, told Shabazz to come down or else he would tell his father.
Atlantic City to me, and I think to most people in the country, is the show window for New Jersey. Our show window is in need of repairs, 2nd District Assemblyman Howard Kupperman testified during an April 1976 hearing on the proposal.

In 1974, the first referendum introducing casino gaming to the state failed by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin. The referendum lost in 19 of 21 counties. That referendum lacked specifics about where New Jersey casinos would be located. The public question on the 1976 ballot, which succeeded, limited casinos to Atlantic City.

Two years later, Resorts Casino Hotel, the citys first casino, opened.

Could history repeat itself with North Jersey casino vote? If history is any indication, the defeat of a November ballot question on North Jersey casin

The 1976 referendum also specified that the tax revenue raised through casino gambling would be used to finance new programs for senior citizens, said Michael Pollock, managing director of Spectrum Gaming Group.

Thus, gambling proponents were able to neutralize fears of casinos in the middle-class suburbs of New York and Philadelphia while bringing a sizable voting bloc  the senior citizens  into the pro-gambling corner, Pollock said.

In 1976, Nevada was the only state with legal casino gambling.
NORTHFIELD  After an angry outburst at a July City Council meeting, Mayor Erland Chau stood before council members at the most recent meeting to apologize.

He said it would never happen again.

It has become an embarrassment and a regrettable event, Chau said at the beginning of the Aug. 10 meeting.

His public apology mostly was aimed at Councilwoman Barbara Anne Madden, whom much of his ire at the previous meeting had been directed at, and Councilman Greg Dewees, who is Chaus brother-in-law.

Madden did not seem ready to forgive or forget.

Northfield, Somers Point could revisit cannabis ban NORTHFIELD  When Republican City Council President Tom Polistina overcame Democrats resist

Mayor Chaus behavior at the July 13 meeting was unconscionable, she said at the August meeting. Not only was he totally out of control, he was vulgar and falsely accused me of racism.

At issue was a decision on whether the city would join the Atlantic County Library System. Dewees, a Republican, and Madden, a Democrat, worked on a subcommittee to explore the possibility. Chau lost his temper after Madden reported that the city should not move the proposal forward. He said he should not have been left out of the decision.
Radio Free Europe /Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and the

World Affairs Council of Harrisburg invite you to join this

Join us for an update on the pull out of U.S. troops from Afghanistan with Amin Mudaqiq, Director of RFE/RL's Pashto-language service to Pakistan's tribal regions, Radio Mashaal. He previously served as Kabul Bureau chief for RFE/RL's Afghan Service from 2004-2011. Prior to joining RFE/RL, Mudaqiq worked in the US consulate in Peshawar as an Information Assistant, and as editor of Ittilaat, the US government's Dari/Pashto publication.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

11:00 a.m. EDT
Im approaching my birthday, which always makes me think of my parents, each of whom lived to be 89. I wonder if I will reach that advanced age, and what the world might be like in 2043. According to the experts, it wont be good. In fact, they say that some of the changes in our climate are likely irreversible already, or will not be altered for hundreds to thousands of years. They report that by the end of the century, if we dont make rapid changes, much of the planet will be pretty much uninhabitable due to sea level rise, heat waves, drought, floods and fires. I have a grandson who will be my age in 2086. Will he be able to enjoy a cool summer night with his grandchildren watching fireflies?
At the end, I was thinking, We might get hurt. It will be a little hard to get there. But well have a future,' she said through a cousin, who translated for the family and has taken them in.

The cousin, who asked to be identified only as Khan, also to protect relatives back home, has made three airport runs this week for family arriving from Afghanistan, some of them U.S. residents or citizens who had been visiting when Kabul fell.

His family has had as many as 22 people fill their suburban home, where the smell of qabli, an Afghan chicken and rice dish, and green tea wafted through the first floor on Thursday, as the newly arrived youngsters  the 3-year-old in a bright red Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt  squealed and ran up and down the center hall staircase.

Their mother had enjoyed running their busy household in Kabul, where the couple said their two daughters along with their four sons could have gone to college, or even graduate school, given the progress they saw during the U.S.-led occupation of the past 20 years.

People got educated, places got built, it helped our economy, Mohammad said. The way of life was getting better in Afghanistan. We could have benefitted if they extended their stay.
As our boat slowly traversed a large channel south of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska in June, my friends and I estimated that we were surrounded by more than 30 humpback whales. There was no wind. No other boats. The water was flat and calm with bright skies overhead. We cut the motor, floated and listened. Sound traveled easily. I could hear multiple blows  long "pa-too-ish" whale exhales  some close, some against the shore, all seemingly orchestrated. The surround sound of forceful explosions of air made it feel as if the Earth was taking a long restorative breath.

These synchronized blows feel to me as if they are a kind of respite to the dire consequences of climate change spelled out in the sixth report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. It was written by more than 100 international experts and is the most conclusive report yet linking extreme weather events to climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the IPCC report as a code red for humanity. It also is a code red for the creatures we share the planet with both on land and in the ocean.
Monument Health will increase the space for ICU beds as COVID-19 cases nearly doubled in one week.

The Rapid City-based health system released the information Friday stating the hospital is treating 78 COVID-19 patients throughout six hospitals in the Black Hills, which is almost twice the number of patients from last week.

One month ago, there were about five COVID-19 patients in Monument Health's hospitals.

"The vast majority of these patients are unvaccinated," the hospital said in the release. Some patient rooms will be equipped with what's needed to care for intensive care patients.

The hospital said it will also temporarily shift nurses and caregivers from other departments to help patient care needs. Other measures are under consideration as well.

According to the state Department of Health data Friday morning, more than half of the 439 new COVID-19 infections in South Dakota came from Pennington, Meade and Lawrence counties.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The Department of Health reported that more than 90% of all new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state are people who have not been vaccinated.
Joes death weighs heavily on me and always will, Ravnsborg said in his statement. Ive often wondered why the accident occurred and all the things that had to have happened to make our lives intersect.

Ravnsborg's insistence on remaining in office has opened a divide among Republicans, with him retaining support among some GOP circles. The attorney general has been spotted working booths for local Republican groups at county fairs in recent weeks.

But popular predecessor Marty Jackley is already running for his old job and has collected the support of most of the states county prosecutors. Political parties will select candidates for attorney general at statewide conventions next year.

Ravnsborg built his political rise on personal connections in the party. It was his dutiful attendance at local GOP events like the one he was returning from when he struck Boever that propelled him from being a party outsider to winning the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2018.

Boever's family said they hope Ravnsborg is driven from office one way or another.

It is not too late for the state Legislature to resume impeachment proceedings, Jane Boever said. And if they fail us, then its left to the voters of South Dakota to remove him from the ballot box.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1
Dear Sen. Castleberry,

The Rapid City group of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America would like to invite you to a member meet-up at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, in Wilson Park. Its a chance for you to meet some of your constituents who believe in common sense measures to prevent gun violence, and to discuss the reasons why we believe that guns have no place on college campuses.

You have urged college students to lobby the South Dakota Legislature to allow guns on campus (RC Journal, July 30, 2021), apparently based on a belief that it would keep them safer from crime.

In truth, there is no evidence that allowing guns on campus makes students any safer or reduces crime, including sexual assault crimes, on campuses. In fact, research indicates that allowing guns on campuses will likely lead to more gun homicides and suicides, more non-fatal shootings and more threats with a firearm.
UPDATE: An Amber Alert that was issued Thursday evening was canceled minutes later after three children who were reported missing from Rosebud were found safe.

The Amber Alert was issued Thursday after a man reportedly took three children from a carnival in Rosebud on Wednesday.

According to the South Dakota Amber Alert, authorities said Marvin Dubray Sr., 37, took the three kids, identified as Jace Dubray, 6; Altine Dubray, 11; and Marvin Dubray Jr.,12, at 10 p.m. Wednesday. Dubray Sr. is a non-custodial father of the children.

Authorities report another child who was with them managed to get away in the early morning hours Thursday and reported that the father was under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances and threatening to harm the remaining three children.

They are believed to be traveling around south central South Dakota in the white Dodge Town and Country van with South Dakota plates that partially read WQ 35.
Weve worked together with a few other rescues and shes pulled over 100 cats from Weber County now, Gutierrez said. Shed done all of the footwork to get every single cat pulled. Shes done all of the background work and shes done all of effort in getting rescues to commit. It has been really, really helpful. Shes a really amazing lady.

Gutierrez said the number of kittens has increased and also, because of COVID circumstances, there is reduced funding for the shelters and rescue centers who normally work together.

That really put is in a bind and I think if Heidi hadnt been there I would have had to euthanize a lot of kittens, she said.

When Schnarr could not find enough placements for kittens on one trip she chose to foster for a rescue center and brought nine of them to her house in Stevensville.

One of the kittens has already been adopted and several others have been claimed, Schnarr said. They need to be spayed and neutered before they are adopted.

Schnarr said that to continue the rescue work she wants to establish a nonprofit and is seeking board members.
The 2020 Paralympics, postponed due to COVID-19, are currently underway in Tokyo. The first official Paralympics took place in Rome in 1960. From that start, the Paralympics, just like the regular Olympics, has occurred every four years.

So how did all of this get started? It was German-born doctor Ludwig Guttmann who came up with the idea of physical exercise for handicapped people.

Over just a few short years, exercise morphed into more sports-oriented activities; and from there, to more organized events and finally to the official Paralympic Games.

Guttmann was born in 1899 in what is now in Poland to a German-Jewish family. While working as a volunteer in a hospital for coal miners in 1917, Guttmann encountered a patient with a spinal injury and paraplegia. At the time, paraplegia was pretty much a death sentence as nothing could be done. This was ultimately the fate for this young patient, but this encounter had a long-lasting impact on Guttmann.

After the Nazi gained control of Germany in the 1930s, Guttmann and his family were not safe. By 1939, the methods for escaping were rapidly closing. However, Guttman got very lucky.
The law doesn't ban mask mandates at all, Cooper said during a two-hour hearing that was conducted online because of the resurgent pandemic. It doesn't require that a mask mandate must include a parental opt-out at all.

The judge also noted that two Florida Supreme Court decisions from 1914 and 1939 found that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, he said, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk, because that endangers others. There is a right to free speech, but not to harass or threaten others or yell fire in a crowded theater, he said.

In that same vein, he said, school boards can reasonably argue that maskless students endanger the health of other students and teachers.

DeSantis has dismissed the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people wear masks, questioning its legitimacy and saying it is not applicable to Florida. But Cooper said the state's medical experts who testified during the trial that masking is ineffective in preventing COVID-19's spread are in a distinct minority among doctors and scientists. He also said that while DeSantis frequently states that a Brown University study concluded masks are ineffective, the study's authors wrote that no such conclusion should be drawn.
MTFP is withholding the teenagers name out of respect for her familys privacy. Reached by phone Thursday, her mother said she has retained a lawyer and declined to comment further.

Lewis and Clark County District Court staff did not have any record of a lawsuit filed against Shodair Childrens Hospital by the patients mother as of Thursday.

In condolences posted to a web page announcing the young womans May funeral, friends and community members grieved the loss of a person they described as kind and beloved.

[S]he was so kind hearted and an amazing friend to everyone, wrote one person who said they were in Shodair at the same time. I hope she knows how much I care about her, she will forever be missed and remembered.

In an extensive response sent to MTFP Thursday, Shodair Childrens Hospital said the suicide had a profound impact on Shodair staff, who the hospital said were already experiencing difficult conditions due to the pandemic and related challenges to staffing.

Its a tragedy. Its hard. Nobody likes to see this, hospital CEO Craig Aasved said. Were not being cavalier about this  This is somebodys life.
But building residency programs costs hospitals millions of dollars and takes three to five years of negotiations before accreditation is granted and the federal government provides funding.

Benefis Hospital in Great Falls plans to establish two new residencies, one in internal medicine and one in family medicine.

The first hurdle Benefis faces is sponsorship, which is either held by the institution or a consortium of institutions to guarantee the doctors-in-training will get the support and experiences they need from the residency. The sponsor establishes a curriculum and hires on a program director and faculty with the qualifications to teach residents.

The hospital will have to demonstrate to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Education (ACGE) that the facility has the clinical spaces to support residents, faculty, resources and the variety and volume of the patients, a large limiting factor to adding residency programs in rural places.

For example, a family medicine resident needs to see 750 patients in the hospital, 1,650 patients in the clinic, over 125 female patients for gynecology concerns, about 160 pediatric patients in clinic as well as hours spent in labor and delivery, the emergency department, cardiology and more, said Dr. Garth Brand, RiverStone Health Family Medicine Residency Program director.
Drugstores, urgent care medical centers and one local laboratory are seeing a spike in the number of people who are getting tested or want at-home testing kits for the coronavirus because of the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant.

Genetworx, a Henrico County-based laboratory company that rapidly grew and added hundreds of jobs last year as it analyzed COVID-19 tests from around the country, is ramping up testing operations again.

The last six weeks, we have seen a pretty significant spike in demand for tests, said Steve Crossley, head of operations and strategy at Genetworx.

The number of tests has increased by about 75% from a low point in the spring and early summer, Crossley said.

It really peaked in the December, January and February period, Crossley said. As it progressed through last spring and early summer, it started to slow down.

As the pandemic appeared to be waning in the spring and early summer, Genetworx started cutting back on its COVID-19 testing. The demand fell as vaccination efforts picked up.
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.
The relative told authorities he heard multiple banging noises and went downstairs to see what was going on. He saw Langdon Conklin washing blood from his hands in the sink. Conklin admitted he had broken a window to get inside the house.

By the time the relative discovered Robert Conklins body, the younger Conklin had left the home.

While attending to Robert Conklins home in response to the 911 call, officers observed the senior Conklins SUV leaving the neighborhood, and they attempted to stop it after determining the driver matched Langdon Conklins description from earlier in the evening.

Langdon Conklin refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued after he entered northbound Interstate 95. Conklin continued on I-95 to state Route 288, where police eventually stopped him after deploying spike strips on Route 288 at the Powhite Parkway extension.

Conklin admitted in an interview with detectives that he killed his father, stating he hated his dad and that he was a master manipulator and psychopath, and that he [the son] had no respect for his father, Henderson said.
Their attorneys intend to argue that the officers are immune from criminal prosecution because their actions were absolutely and unquestionably reasonably necessary to disperse and quell the riot, according to documents filed in the case. At an earlier hearing, Marchant ruled that immunity was an affirmative defense, meaning it is a matter for the jury to decide if the officers acted reasonably.

On Tuesday, both the defense and prosecution tested the limits of how much of the night leading up to the fogging incident Marchant would allow before the jury.

McEachin asked that the judge exclude any irrelevant or cumulative evidence, saying it didnt matter what happened hours before or blocks away. Meanwhile, Jacqueline M. Reiner, who represents Brown, asked that an expert be allowed to testify to the impact the rest of the night would have had on the officers physiological and mental state.

If the jury is going to decide if the officers actions were reasonable, they need to know what led up to this incident and how it informed their decisions, she said.

Reiner described the city at the time as a war zone, and said officers believed they werent going to make it home that night.
Colleges throughout Virginia announced vaccine mandates this summer, seemingly requiring all their on-campus students to be immunized against COVID-19. Thirty-one colleges in the state have done so, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

When Virginia Commonwealth University announced its decision in June, it said all students who come to campus would have to be vaccinated.

But there are loopholes that allow some unvaccinated students to attend in-person classes and live in residential facilities, in addition to the students who were granted medical or religious exemptions. As the first week of college classes come to a close, its clear that some vaccine mandates are being treated by schools more like recommendations.

At VCU, the administration isnt removing students who dont comply. At the University of Richmond, a student can ask for an exemption based on a strongly held personal belief. At Virginia Union University, it is unclear if the university is checking students vaccination status.

A loophole goes against the spirit of the requirement that students be vaccinated, said Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax, when asked about the topic last week. Keam is head of the House subcommittee for higher education.
The incident unfolded about 2:30 a.m. on April 9, 2020, when officers responded to the 100 block of Clearfield Circle for a report of a person entering vehicles. Responding officers located an unoccupied vehicle. As officers canvassed the area, a person was spotted getting into the vehicle and attempting to leave.

Officer Reedy pulled up behind the vehicle, which was stopped, in the 100 block of Dunlop Farms Boulevard. When the officer got out of his patrol car to approach the suspects vehicle, thats when [Wyche] opened his door and jumped out. And as he gets out, he starts shooting, Collins said.

The video shows him shooting at Officer Reedy, the prosecutor said. When Wyche runs around the car, hes just shooting randomly and behind himself at the officer.

Reedy was forced to dive to the ground to avoid being hit.

Wyche then ran through an open field, and as hes running hes shooting behind himself. Velasquez then can be seen shooting at Wyche as hes running, Collins said.

Moments later, the body cam video shows Wyche starting to limp a little bit from being shot in his lower leg, the prosecutor said. It was not a life-threatening wound by the way, according to the medical examiner.
My mother is a nurse. Ive always wanted to be a nurse, ever since high school [at Highland Springs] where I took classes to be a certified nursing assistant, Harvey said, a job shes held since the 10th grade. Its like a dream, she said of winning the scholarship.

She hopes to attend the nursing program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in the spring, after finishing up some microbiology coursework this fall.

Having access to child care is a huge barrier for women, especially single mothers. The cost of child care in the Richmond region is often more than $1,000 a month, according to Child Care Aware of America.

The cost of child care is so high, its one of the biggest barriers to single mothers continuing their education and finding a job with a living wage that supports their entire family, said Trussell of the United Way.

Up until now, Harveys mother and the childrens other grandmother have helped watch the kids while Harvey worked. But now, her 4-year-old son will be able to enter preschool and her 2-year-old daughter can be in day care while she works and goes to school.
The government is preparing to accept up to 50,000 people under the program, but VanHerck said the four initial bases have received 6,578 people, less than half of the total that Northam estimated has arrived at Dulles. He estimated that 40% of arrivals at Dulles have been Afghans in the special visa program. The State Department says about 5,100 American citizens and legal permanent residents have been evacuated.

All of the evacuees have been tested for COVID-19 and have undergone security clearance at each step of their journey, he said. We are working around the clock to vet all Afghans being evacuated before allowing them into the U.S.

VanHerck said some evacuees faced long delays in leaving their planes after arriving in Dulles on Thursday until officials resolved differences in lists of those screened for security at different stages.

Virginia officials deferred to the State Department on protocols for vaccination, including whether they are mandatory for new arrivals, but Northam said the state is handling the arriving Afghans with kid gloves because of the trauma of their evacuation from Afghanistan after the sudden takeover by the Taliban.

These people are coming out of a war zone, the governor said. They are landing in a new country. A lot of this is going to be education and training.
The assembly had already moved to shore up Virginias finances before S&P downgraded the states financial outlook. Led by then-Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, the assembly created the cash reserve fund as part of the budget in 2017 to give the state a more flexible way to save money than the constitutionally governed rainy day fund.

We knew it was coming, said Jones, who lost his re-election bid in 2019 after 21 years in the House.

Under the constitution, the state can withdraw money from the rainy day fund if it experiences a shortfall in core revenues  individual and corporate income taxes and sales and use taxes  of 2% or more. The cash reserve fund can be tapped if those revenues fall short by 1% during a fiscal year.

I hope there is a super deposit required because that would go into the rainy day fund, and thats going to be harder to get to, Layne said.

The assembly didnt put the new reserve fund into state code or fund it in 2017, but Jones said he told the national bond rating agencies that fall that he was committed to introducing legislation and including money in the budget the next year.
Mims, a conservative Republican, recalled the day that Lowe, a liberal Democrat, handed him the coffee filter: He said, Here is your justice filter. You must pass every decision, every vote through that justice filter. Our politics may not have been on parallel tracks. But how one does justice  he not only taught me, he inspired me.

Justice was an issue Lowe apparently pondered, though he may not have recognized it as such, as a small boy in Greenville, S.C., the son of old-style Southern Democrats for whom segregation was an article of faith.

In a 2020 op-ed piece for the Richmond Times-Dispatch  Lowe was a member of the newspapers first Community Advisory Board, concluding a two-year term last month  he said he was about 4 years old when he began puzzling over the Souths rigid racial divide.

I had an African American lady care for me, Lowe wrote. By the very way she nurtured me, Rachel sowed a seed of social justice in my heart and soul. Later on in my youth, I figured that if the colored fountain was good enough for Rachel, it was good enough for me, and if the back of the bus was good enough for Rachel, it was good enough for me. It was hard for me to understand why there was a separate toilet in our home for the help and why my parents had Marie, the maid, sit in the back of the car when they drove her home.
He has been active in state and local Republican politics. His current lawyer in the case, Patrick McSweeney, is a friend and former chair of the Republican Party of Virginia who has represented Marcellus before in an ultimately unsuccessful suit filed against the Virginia State Board of Elections in 2015.

Marcellus initially intended to remain anonymous. So did Knight and Chandra, with whom Marcellus communicated through an intermediary for several months in 2013, obtaining data on SCB trades between 2007 and 2013. Marcellus said the government promised to protect Chandra and his family should he get exposed, a risk Chandra undertook to deliver about 20,000 SCB records to the U.S. Consulate in Dubai in 2013.

I had already forwarded other SCB records to an individual in Dubai who had been asked by Robert Marcellus to serve as an intermediary for the purpose of providing those records to government investigators reviewing SCB transactions for possible sanctions violations, Chandra said in a declaration filed for the case.
As bad as things look for President Joe Biden these days, former President Donald Trump may have it worse.

After seven months on the job, Bidens job approval ratings have plunged as the debacle in Afghanistan, the raging delta variant, the crisis at the border and other calamities take a toll.

Only 47% of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing as president and 49% disapprove, according to the Real Clear Politics poll average on Thursday.

Such numbers disturb Democrats, but Biden has time and the economy on his side. The midterm elections are more than a year away.

Biden faces an array of crises that challenge his governing skills. Most Americans support getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, but the speedy Taliban takeover showed a lack of strategy and preparedness.

Now, however, the administration is working tirelessly to evacuate tens of thousands of Americans and our Afghan allies. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday that rescue efforts would continue even if U.S. troops leave by the Aug. 31 deadline.
McLaughlin explained that he spends little time in the store himself: Id rather enjoy the people-watching.

He explained that from his vantage point, he feels he can see all of America walk in front of him.

People from every state, walk of life, size, shape and color, and it is a great thing to watch, the Plainfield, Mass., resident said.

Look around you, McLaughlin said, pointing to the flurry of thousands of people talking to each other, holding hands, eating ice cream. They are all happy. I like that.

His perspective of the country is far different from what you see on the news channels or read about on social media; here, there was a definite sense that everyone had a connection to each other, that they were experiencing something bigger than themselves. It is a far cry from the constant drumbeat coming from our cultural curators who push storylines or sentiments that divide us.

McLaughlins wife, Mary, said she really enjoyed the different people they met along the 1,800-mile trip.

The McLaughlins and their family and friends were heading to Sturgis for the annual motorcycle rally; then they were off to enjoy the sights and sounds of the rest of the country.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Hurricane Ida is the latest example of how the situation in the tropics can change rapidly this time of year.
The previous occupant of the White House placed a high premium on loyalty. We see where that got us. The chief loyalty of any government employee, from the White House to Public Works, needs to be to the citizens they serve.

There are greater principles to consider before Richmond City Council signs off on Saunders in September.

Lets not forget how Reid got her interim job: the scandal involving her predecessor, Selena Cuffee-Glenn.

Stoney fired her after an inspector general investigation found that five of her relatives received jobs in city departments she oversaw. Cuffee-Glenns daughter was hired to a position with no public search, at a rate of pay exceeding that of virtually every city employee with the same title.

And now, with no public search, Stoney is poised to permanently elevate Saunders.

This is how systems of inequity work.

How many people with a similar dearth of experience who are not friends and close associates of the mayor would have the privilege of an audition for this top job?
And, more importantly, it can save offenders lives and it can save their families from having to continue to go through a horrible cycle that they find themselves in, he said on Tuesday.

Alexander credited BRBHs Letitia Hawkins-Beatty, director of adult and family services, for shepherding along the counties application and for securing the grant that will pay for two certified treatment professionals  a treatment coordinator and a peer support specialist. Those employees, when hired, will work in the state probation office at Fincastle, assuring local probationers access to services, the prosecutor said.

The grant that Hawkins-Beatty landed was for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, and that organization chose to fund the drug court employees with it, Alexander said. They will meet with the judge on a regular docket day, so as to avoid additional court funding.

By the time the one-time grant ends, he said, were very hopeful that  we will have been able to establish enough of a track record that well have a better chance to get a drug court treatment-specific grant, either federal or state.

The hiring process is underway, and Alexander told the supervisors that he hopes the program will begin this fall.
In the second case, Covati accepted $2,000 from a defendant charged with a probation violation, then failed to file the paperwork he had said might delay her case. That client ultimately had to turn herself in and begin serving time. Covati reportedly refunded the advance, but the bar found him in violation of rules concerning diligent representation, communication with a client, termination of representation, financial record keeping and handling of funds.

During hearings with the disciplinary board, Covati said he had suffered mini-strokes in August 2020 that left him unable to serve his criminal client or to respond to the malpractice suit. He initially said he agreed to his lengthy suspension because it gave him time to recover from his illness.

Prior to that, Covati had also owned part of the Gold and Silver Gentlemens Club on Franklin Road in Roanoke. In 2019, he was convicted of assaulting an exotic dancer at that establishment and sentenced to serve 30 days on the misdemeanor. He appealed and was acquitted by a jury.

Several months later, the dancer sued him in federal court, alleging assault and battery, sexual discrimination and harassment and retaliation. That suit was settled, but the terms of the agreement remain undisclosed.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Ive missed being in the classroom terribly. The energy and creativity of our students is infectious. As head of the campus Quality Enhancement Plan, Im looking forward to seeing the students take advantage of all the clubs and events the college has to offer. Were taking as many precautions as we can to safely deliver quality speakers, activities and events to the student body, he said.

Students also were eager to start classes. After such a weird and unusual school year last year due to the pandemic, I am definitely looking forward to being in person even if we have to wear masks, Jacob Glass, a senior, said.

One of the themes Johns hopes will be apparent to both Ferrums students and employees is the idea of resiliency.

Nobody needed a pandemic. We certainly didnt need a pandemic. But the college is resilient and tough. We talk to our students about grit and the importance of grit and determination in being successful in life. I would say thats very much a part of how we act as an institution and what were going to be doing this year, he said.
During the 2020 campaign, 100 animals  the majority of them kittens  were adopted from the Roanoke SPCA, said Julie Rickmond, marketing and communications director. The goal is to top that number of adoptions.

Fees range from $50 to $249, depending on the animal, its age and weight.

Since 1916, the Roanoke Valley SPCA has provided a safe environment for lost, abandoned and homeless animals. This summer, it topped the 25,000-adoptions mark since opening its Barbara and Warner Dalhouse Education and Adoption Facility in 2004.

The Roanoke Valley is so appreciative to NBCUniversal Local, said Denise Hayes, chief executive officer of the Roanoke Valley SPCA, in an email. Their continued support shines a light on adopting animals from shelters like ours and helps the pets in our care to find the loving homes that they deserve.

Starr Hill Pilot Brewery and Starbucks at The Bridges helped the SPCA kick off Clear the Shelters with a pet food and supply drive and kitten adoption event on Aug. 22. One dollar from every pint sold at the brewery was donated to the SPCA, for a total of $855. The fundraiser continues through Sunday.

Those donating food or supplies were entered in a raffle to win a gift basket full of goodies. That also continues to Sunday.

For more information about the Roanoke Valley SPCA, contact Julie Rickmond at 540-339-9513 or jrickmond@rvspca.org.

Contact JoAnne Poindexter at joanne.poindexter @roanoke.com .

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
He said former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Youngkins Democratic opponent in this years race, wants to pass vaccine mandates that make it difficult for Virginians to express their personal liberty.

I actually believe people should get the vaccine. I got the vaccine, and it was a decision I made, Youngkin said. But Im going to respect your decision to make that decision for yourself.

He said childrens educations are suffering across Virginia, calling it a civil rights issue of the generation and promising raised standards of academic excellence.

This is what is at stake, Youngkin said.

On critical race theory, which has recently been a hot-button topic at school board meetings across the state, Youngkin said:

Weve allowed a political agenda to invade our schools. We have to teach our children how to think, as opposed to what to think. Lets just be clear right away: When Im working for you as governor, we will not allow critical race theory in our schools.

School officials across the region in recent weeks have responded to an outcry from CRT opponents assuring them thatwhile they can be upset about itthey should understand that it is not a part of local or state K-12 curriculum.
Democrat Jennifer Lewis of Waynesboro on Friday announced her candidacy for the seat that represents large parts of the Roanoke Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lewis, 39, said her middle-class income and work in mental health enable her to know better than incumbent U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt County, the needs of Virginias 6th District, which also includes most of the Shenandoah Valley. This will be her second try at winning the office.

As she anticipates the vote in November 2022, Lewis declared the districts top need to be more-affordable health care. Federally funded health care from birth, sometimes called Medicare for all, is the solution, she said.

Asked if the nation can afford it, she said: I dont see how we can afford not to, really, especially during the pandemic as weve seen the inequities of health care. Im in a middle-class family, I struggle with health care costs. I put off getting things done, getting things checked out, she said.
Warner said there are currently more than 750 bridges in Virginia that are in need of repairs. Some of those bridge may have to one day be shut down if improvements are not eventually made, he said.

We need this done to let communities start to think about how they can benefit, Warner said.

COVID-19 was another major point of discussion during the meeting. Warner praised the work of local hospitals, public schools as well as town and county leaders for their work during the ongoing pandemic.

Warner urged people to get vaccinated to help stop the spread of the virus. He also questioned why the vaccine has become so political.

We are not going to get past this COVID mess until we all get vaccinated, Warner said. And that shouldnt be a political statement.

When asked about the recent rise in tumultuous school board meetings since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Warner said there was a need for more fact based conversations during the meetings. He said social media is providing disinformation that doesnt help these conversations.
Potential for abuse?

Rent relief works for people who really need it, said April Fridley, office manager for Roanoke Rental Homes, which oversees management of 250 propertieseven if others might be gaming the system.

If we have 10 tenants that could not pay or would not pay, I would say probably eight of those are abusing it, Fridley said.

She said nonpayment of rent was indeed a problem for some tenants at the height of the coronavirus economic panic. Its still bad now, for some renters.

We are trying to do what is right for our owners, and it doesnt help us to evict people. Its a loss if we have to evict people, Fridley said. With all the funds that are coming through the government, we try our best to file for them.

Some tenants, however, kept their jobs through all the madness of the coronavirus but stopped paying rent, later applying for and receiving relief funds, she said.

Theres tons of help to keep people who are renting from losing their homes, which is great, Fridley said. But Im just really disheartened by this whole thing.
Support is mobilizing as the first Afghan refugees arrive in Roanoke, long a resettlement area, after making a tumultuous journey halfway around the world to find a safe haven for their families.

The volunteer-driven Roanoke Refugee Partnership and Blacksburg Refugee Partnership are preparing to launch a fundraiser to provide housing support for six families who recently arrived in the region.

Rent assistance, application fee coverage and other help will be needed as the families work to acclimate themselves to their new surroundings and secure long-term housing.

Landlords willing to partner with the programs and lease to the families are needed as well, organizers said.

Refugees, forced to flee their homelands, can struggle to satisfy common tenant criteria as they arrive without employment records or proof of credit histories. Couple that with an already tight housing market, and advocates said they wanted to move swiftly to start getting resources in place.

The most important and somewhat urgent need is housing, said Bethany Lackey, director of the Roanoke nonprofit.
All students will be issued a laptop for at-home use and parents or students needing technical support may email bontechsupport@rcps.us.

The school is scheduled to reopen for in-person instruction on Sept. 1, pending clearance from the health department, according to the release.

We have been prepared for this possibility, said Ken Nicely, the countys superintendent. We are very empathetic to the hardship that quarantining and temporary closures cause for students, families, and staff and we are here to offer support. We are grateful to have resources in place to continue with the process of teaching and learning, regardless if that instruction is remote or in person, and will work with the health department to re-open the school as soon as possible.

Parents may pick up three days of meals (breakfast and lunch) from 9:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 27. Meals should be refrigerated promptly after pick-up. If needed, an additional meal pick up time will be on Sept. 1 from 9:30-10 a.m.
The disciplinary records also state Lt. Bruce Brown took no steps to stop McDaniel from falling to the ground and failed to call for assistance to safely transport him to the medical facility after correction officers used excessive force.

The majority of the encounters appear to happen as more than half a dozen officers looked on. The department concluded the 16 times McDaniel hit the ground were avoidable and due to neglect of care by the staff handling him.

Once McDaniel arrived at the medical center, the report says his medical examination took less than a minute and the unidentified nurse who treated him did not do a standard exam or check his vital signs.

The guards then escorted McDaniel back outside the facility where he collapsed for the last time before CPR was initiated and an ambulance was called. He died shortly after.

Four hours later, the agency says Jamie Dukes, a licensed nurse, signed a medical document that McDaniels refused care. However, Ms. Dukes was not in the room to actually hear Inmate McDaniel refuse treatment, the records state. The agency said McDaniel never refused treatment and Dukes was also terminated Friday. There is no surveillance footage in the exam rooms.
Kaine said there will be a budget reconciliation bill likely in September or October, and he believes that bill, known as the Build Back Better bill, has the capacity to do for children what Social Security did for seniors.

I think it has that much promise in terms of what were trying to do, he said.

The Kids First Collaborative  made up of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Virginia, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg, and Jubilee Family Development Center  aims to break down the cycle of poverty in the area by recruiting volunteers, pairing more young people with mentors and collaborating with each other to better use resources.

The group began seriously looking into starting the collaborative in fall 2019 and applied for an AmeriCorps VISTA grant, which has provided two federally paid employees who will work for all three organizations.

The youth poverty rate in the United States is twice what the adult poverty rate is, Kaine said.

Kaine said the $3.5 trillion bill will have immigration, climate and job-related components to it, but at the core of it will be health and education investments.
The Republican Party of Virginia on Thursday asked a court to remove Democrat Terry McAuliffe from the November ballot, arguing that his elections paperwork did not meet the state's guidelines because it was a missing a signature.

The lawsuit, filed in Richmond Circuit Court, argues that McAuliffe never signed his declaration of candidacy form, a step in the process to qualify for the primary and general election ballot. It also claims that two McAuliffe staffers who signed on as having witnessed McAuliffe signing the document did so falsely.

McAuliffe's campaign derided the lawsuit as a "desperate" attempt to clear the path for his Republican opponent.

McAuliffe, governor from 2014 to 2018, is running for another term as the state's top official against Republican Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity executive vying to become the first Republican elected statewide in 12 years.

"McAuliffes declaration, lacking his signature and falsely signed by two purported witnesses, is plainly in violation of Virginia law and should have been rejected by the [board of elections] and the Department of Elections. It was not," reads the lawsuit.
My support for this project is driven directly by my personal understanding of the risk every journalist faces. In June 2018, a man unhappy with a newspaper column about his use of social media and the courts to harass a high school classmate used a shotgun to kill five of my colleagues in our Annapolis, Maryland, newsroom.

Like the deaths of Parker and Ward, the Capital Gazette shooting galvanized for many the risks journalists face because of their profession. Others have died in ways that get less notice, such as plane crashes or car accidents while covering a story.

More lost their lives while covering armed conflicts from the front lines around the world. In April, Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui became the 33rd member of the news media to die in Afghanistan since 2018, according to a United Nations study. More are likely to die now that the Taliban has returned to power.

I urge you to visit the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation website at fallenjournalists.org to learn more about this project. Make a donation if you can.

Alison Parker, Adam Ward and my colleagues died because they chose to be journalists. This is an important way to recognize the gravity of that choice and the price they paid for it.

Rick Hutzell is the former editor of Capital Gazette and a member of the Board of Advisors at the Fallen Journalists Memorial. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
The census provides a compelling reflection of our population, though perhaps a little mind-bending for those engaged in political work. There are insights to be had, understandings to be improved, trends to be pondered.

Just exercise care. You can take the census results and easily run down the rabbit hole with it.

But lets see if we can work through some of this and do better than Alice.

So, we know that some places  California and rural Virginia, for example  are growing slowly, if at all. Thats a new predicament for California, but not for the less populated regions of the commonwealth.

That fact  tepid growth relative to other places  has serious implications when it comes to state and federal representation. California, for instance, will lose a congressional seat; Virginia will not.

On the other hand, Virginia Republicans, tightly aligned with rural areas, may find themselves under pressure to reassess their political assumptions. Making do with less is generally not preferred by political parties, but well see.

To be clear, the broader population trend lines  less of rural Virginia, more of urban-suburban Virginia  were established more than a half century ago. Thats not news.
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
When I was in public school, a TV ad asked: Its 10 oclock Do you know where your children are?

Heres a better question for today: Do you know what your children are being taught and exposed to in their schools?

This summers controversy over the teaching of critical race theory and whether to wear masks is only part of the problem. When kids claim to be a different sex than what they were born as and are allowed to use the locker rooms, restrooms and showers previously reserved for what we used to call girls and boys, it further erodes the morals and values we once considered part of a solid education.

Added to this is a bill passed by Oregons legislature and signed by Gov. Kate Brown that suspends essential-skills testing in order for a student to graduate from high school  despite an uproar from parents. This is where the education establishment is headed.

The rationale behind the law is that minorities dont test well. Is that not racist on its face? Why dont schools focus on bringing struggling students of whatever race or background up to a standard instead of lowering the bar and making their diplomas worth less than Confederate money?
In another tragic irony, three conservative radio hosts who had denounced vaccines on air died in August with COVID-19: Dick Farrel, based in West Palm Beach, Florida, Phil Valentine, of Nashville, and Bible prophecy teacher Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, Sr., of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

He is the reason I took the shot, Amy Leigh Hair, a friend of Farrels, wrote on Facebook. He texted me and told me to Get it! He told me this virus is no joke and he said, I wish I had gotten it! 

So do I. His politics were way to the right of my own, but no one deserves to be taken in by false COVID-19 information, even if they played a role in spreading it.

But, as Trump may be discovering, once youve let that fake news genie out of the bottle, its impossible to reverse all of the damage it can bring.

Research into the infodemic finds what you well might expect. Fueled by confirmation bias, we can be taken in by news that aligns with what we want to hear, even when more reliable sources are telling us what we need to hear.

To push back when an infodemic appears to be taking in your friends or relatives, psychologists tell me its often best to connect them to a family doctor, or other knowledgeable figures who already have their trust. It works a lot better than horse paste.

Email Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.
 Might Oklahoma really try to move forward with seven executions over the next six months? | Main | Amazing line-ups for "The Future of the Presidents Pardon Power: 2021 Clemency Panel Series" 

August 26, 2021

California Supreme Court turns back broad challenge to state capital procedures

As detailed in this Los Angeles Times article, headlined "Californias top court declines to overhaul death penalty," a broad challenge to death penalty procedures was rejected by the California Supreme Court today. Here are the basics:

The California Supreme Court on Thursday decided to leave the states death penalty law intact, refusing an entreaty from Gov. Gavin Newsom that would have overturned scores of death sentences. In a unanimous decision, the states highest court said there was little legal support under state law for overhauling the law, as opponents of capital punishment urged. In fact, the court said, some of the precedents cited by defense lawyers actually undercut their position. Defense lawyers had argued the states capital punishment law was unconstitutional because it failed to require jurors to unanimously agree beyond a reasonable doubt on the reasons why a defendant should be sentenced to death instead of life without possibility of parole. A decision to impose the death penalty also should be made beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard now used in deciding guilt, the lawyers said. If the court had agreed, hundreds  if not all  death sentences would have had to be overturned because such decisions generally apply retroactively. Justice Goodwin Liu, who wrote the ruling, said some of the cases cited by defense attorneys did not support their position. If anything, he said, they suggested the ultimate penalty determination is entirely within the discretion of the jury. The court did not reject the constitutional arguments raised by Newsom but said they did not bear directly on the specific state law questions before us. In a concurring opinion, Liu said there was enough U.S. Supreme Court precedent to warrant reconsidering Californias death penalty rules in future cases. He noted that some other states have changed their capital punishment requirements as a result of more recent Supreme Court rulings on the 6th Amendment, which protects the trial rights of the criminally accused.... John Mills, who represented two scholars of the state Constitution as friends of the court, said the ruling and Lius concurrence have provided a road map for future challenges that may be more likely to succeed. He predicted death row inmates will soon bring the kinds of claims that Liu said might be persuasive but were not at issue in McDaniels appeal. He was laying out some concerns that were not presented by Mr. McDaniel about the operations of the California death penalty statute that he is concerned may violate the federal Constitution, Mills said. Those issues remain an open question in California because they were not litigated in this case.... California has more than 700 inmates on death row, but legal challenges have stymied executions. Only 13 inmates have been executed since 1992, and Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions during his time in office.

The full 111-page opinion from the California Supreme Court is available at this link.

August 26, 2021 at 10:55 PM | Permalink

Comments

Goodwin Liu being mean to Alito helped him not get a federal judgeship for life, but their loss was California's gain.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 26, 2021 11:16:28 PM

I hope Joe's simply being sarcastic or humorous there. Even if he had never criticized Alito--which criticisms were not only entirely justified on the merits, but also fully borne out by Alito's later track record--was there any realistic chance of his nomination succeeding at the time? If not that, surely Rs could have found some other comparable basis for their opposition. You know, like his haircut, or his fashion sense.

Posted by: kotodama | Aug 27, 2021 11:11:20 AM

I'm being sarcastic.

Like Dawn Johnsen (who now is in the OLC), a particular stupid thing was harped upon for Liu.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 27, 2021 11:23:03 AM

I figured, so thanks for confirming!

Posted by: kotodama | Aug 27, 2021 12:48:35 PM

I was thinking about this case and Liu more.

There are multiple ironies. For example, whereas Liu had Alito dead (no pun) to rights, the portrayal of him as some crazed liberal who's reflexively anti-DP was always pure caricature. As we all know, Obama just didn't pick them that liberal. Sotomayor is obviously on that end of the spectrum, although even she's had some conservative votes, like ones that were friendly to white collar defendants. Jane Kelly I'd say comes closest, but then she's toiling in the backwater of CA8.

Another example is this case itself. You have Liu, supposed bigtime lefty, voting to uphold the DP. Of course, yes, he also went on record to say he'd entertain a different kind of challenge later. (You have to appreciate him doing in that a concurrence to his own opinion, what a pro move there.) But still, this proves he won't just accept the first challenge that comes along.

I guess as a matter of appellate judging strategy, it might be savvy practice too. For one, he could be fairly confident his suggested approach has enough votes to garner a majority. Andperhaps this is cynicalif he turns down a challenge first before endorsing one later, then he can point to the former decision as proof that the latter one was based solely on the compelling nature of the legal theories.

The challengers must be in an interesting position right now. On the one hand, they got promising new legal arguments handed to them on a silver platter. On the other, they wasted time and effort on an unsuccessful challenge. I do wonder if they had considered those other arguments before and either rejected them or were unable to present them for some reason.

Posted by: kotodama | Aug 27, 2021 5:35:41 PM

I read a bit of his stuff (he wrote an interesting article on the history of federal support of education in the late 19th Century, for instance). I can't say I'm an expert. But, he does come off as a moderate liberal with some interesting thoughts. Which is fine with me.

Impressive work in the opinion -- long majority & another over twenty page concurrence, which flags one potential issue.

As to a general attack on the death penalty, that seems at this point a dubious enterprise in CA, especially after the people of the state (closely) rejecting a measure regarding just that. OTOH, actually executing people still doesn't seem to be a thing there.

People die on death row, just not by execution.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 27, 2021 11:06:26 PM

Post a comment
 Amazing line-ups for "The Future of the Presidents Pardon Power: 2021 Clemency Panel Series" | Main | RFK killer. Sirhan Sirhan, recommended for parole after decades of denials 

August 27, 2021

Lots of interesting sentencing issues as South Dakota's Attorney General avoids any incarceration after killing pedestrian

This AP piece, headlined "An Attorney General Won't Serve Any Jail Time For A Crash That Killed A Pedestrian," reports on the details of a notable resolution to a high-profile criminal case involving the top legal official in the Mount Rushmore State. Here are some details:

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded no contest Thursday to a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges over a crash last year that killed a pedestrian, avoiding jail time despite bitter complaints from the victim's family that he was being too lightly punished for actions they called "inexcusable." Circuit Judge John Brown had little leeway to order jail time. Instead, he fined the state's top law enforcement official $500 for each count plus court costs of $3,742. Brown also ordered the Republican to "do a significant public service event" in each of the next five years near the date of Joseph Boever's death  granting a request from the Boever family. But he put that on hold pending a final ruling after Ravnsborg's attorney objected that it was not allowed by statute. Ravnsborg said in a statement after the hearing that he plans to remain in office. The plea capped the criminal portion of a case that led Gov. Kristi Noem  a fellow Republican  and law enforcement groups around the state to call for his resignation. But he still faces a likely lawsuit from Boever's widow and a potential impeachment attempt. Ravnsborg's statement accused "partisan opportunists" of exploiting the situation and said they had "manufactured rumors, conspiracy theories and made statements in direct contradiction to the evidence all sides agreed upon." Noem, in a statement afterward, pushed the Legislature to consider impeachment and said she ordered the House speaker be given a copy of the investigative file. Impeachment proceedings halted in February after the judge barred state officials from divulging details of the investigation. Lawmakers indicated then that they might resume after the criminal case ended. The attorney general was driving home to Pierre from a political fundraiser on Sept. 12 when he struck Boever, who was walking on the side of a highway. In a 911 call after the crash, Ravnsborg was initially unsure about what he hit and then told a dispatcher it might have been a deer. He said he didn't realize he struck a man until he returned to the crash scene the next day and discovered the body of Boever, 55. Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to making an illegal lane change and using a phone while driving, which each carried a maximum sentence of up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Prosecutors dropped a careless driving charge. Ravnsborg didn't attend the hearing  he didn't have to and was represented by his attorney, Tim Rensch. That angered Boever's family. "Why, after having to wait nearly a year, do we not have the chance to face him?" Boever's sister, Jane Boever, asked the court. She said "his cowardly behavior leaves us frustrated." She said her brother was "left behind carelessly" the night he died. She accused Ravnsborg of running down her brother and then using his position and resources to string the case along. She said he has shown no remorse, and only "arrogance toward the law." Jane Boever called the punishment "a slap on the wrist." "Our brother lay in the ditch for 12 hours," she said. "This is inexcusable." Boever's widow, Jennifer Boever, said Ravnsborg's "actions are incomprehensible and ... cannot be forgiven." Rensch pushed back hard on the family's criticism, calling the attorney general an "honorable man." Rensch said Ravsnborg had been consistent from the beginning that he simply did not see Boever. And he noted that the case was "not a homicide case, and it's not a manslaughter case." "Accidents happen, people die. It should not happen. No one wants anybody to die," he said. Rensch told reporters after the hearing that Ravnsborg had cooperated fully with investigators by sitting down for two interviews and allowing his phones to be analyzed. "Basically just take your shirt off and say, 'Here I am, bring it on.' I'll answer anything you've got, and that's what this guy did," Rensch said. Beadle County State's Attorney Michael Moore, one of the prosecutors, agreed that the attorney general had been cooperative. He was also satisfied with Ravnsborg's punishment and the crash investigation. "Because of who it was and the high profile nature of the case, the investigation was a lot more thorough," he said. After a months-long probe led to prosecutors charging Ravnsborg with the three misdemeanors in February, Noem put maximum pressure on Ravnsborg to resign, releasing videos of investigators questioning him. They revealed gruesome details, including that detectives believed Boever's body had collided with Ravnsborg's windshield with such force that part of his eyeglasses were deposited in the backseat of Ravnsborg's car. Prosecutors said Ravnsborg was on his phone roughly one minute before the crash, but phone records showed it was locked at the moment of impact. Ravnsborg told investigators that the last thing he remembered before impact was turning off the radio and looking down at the speedometer. A toxicology test taken roughly 15 hours after the crash showed no alcohol in Ravnsborg's system, and people who attended the fundraiser said he was not seen drinking alcohol. Ravnsborg adamantly denied doing anything wrong. He insisted he had no idea he hit a man until returning to the crash site and that he is worthy of remaining the state's top law enforcement officer. "Joe's death weighs heavily on me and always will," Ravnsborg said in his statement. "I've often wondered why the accident occurred and all the things that had to have happened to make our lives intersect." Ravnsborg's insistence on remaining in office has opened a divide among Republicans, with him retaining support among some GOP circles. The attorney general has been spotted working booths for local Republican groups at county fairs in recent weeks. But popular predecessor Marty Jackley is already running for his old job and has collected the support of most of the state's county prosecutors. Political parties will select candidates for attorney general at statewide conventions next year.... Boever's family said they hope Ravnsborg is driven from office one way or another. "It is not too late for the state Legislature to resume impeachment proceedings," Jane Boever said. "And if they fail us, then it's left to the voters of South Dakota to remove him from the ballot box."

The sentencing nerd in me is struck by the fact that Judge Brown, in response to a request from the victim's family, "ordered the Republican to 'do a significant public service event' in each of the next five years near the date of Joseph Boever's death." I am not sure what that exactly means, but apparently the SD AG's lawyer thinks it is "not allowed by statute." I also wonder if the possible, but not certain, prospect of Ravnsborg losing his job may have influenced the prosecutors to accept this deal. (And, the Criminal Law professor in me also thinks this might be a good hypo when I teach omission liability next week.)

Because the exact facts are a bit opaque (e.g., was the victim killed instantly and why and how was he walking on a "highway"), I am still not sure what to make of this sentencing outcome. But I would certainly be eager other perspectives.

August 27, 2021 at 01:11 PM | Permalink

Comments

This appears to have gone a bit viral.

I saw people like Malcolm Nance, who is usually concerned with military matters and such, retweet comments criticizing it. I saw a criminal justice advocate, who strongly opposed any criminal charges for the woman who called the police on a black bird watcher without apparent grounds, strongly criticize coverage.

I also saw various people misstate facts. Looking, he did not leave the scene. He called 911 and waited for the police & they did a quick search of the area. He came back the next day, dropping off a car he was lent (his was totaled), so that might have confused people.

It is assumed by some he was drinking. No evidence of this from what I can tell. They didn't do a breath analyzer to the next day. But, you would need cause to do one at the scene. I guess it would have been a good idea to ask him voluntarily, if they had the means to do so.

The prosecutors said that there wasn't enough evidence of reckless driving. I wouldn't be surprised if that was a valid call and would depend on the nuances of state law.

What bothers many is that it seems that he lied to the police when he said that he didn't know he hit a person. The police felt he lied to them. He was not charged for that. The coverage makes it unclear why this was so, including if there was a concern there was not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Him being in a the attorney general stands out. But, if it was actually an accident, I have seen reported multiple average individuals who were not punished criminally (or received similar treatment).

There has also been political pressure, including from Gov. Noem (R), for him to resign or to impeach him. Given the difference in proof and the different purposes of the procedure (see also Cuomo), that probably is much more the way to go.

He probably would not have received as much attention if he actually resigned. Without more, including more info on comparable state practice, I am not ready to judge this to be an unjust result. If he really did lie to the police, that should have been addressed, especially given the importance of his role.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 27, 2021 1:40:45 PM

I just think given his position of significant authority in the state, its hard to imagine that he didnt receive preferential treatment both from the police and the prosecution, even if it all happened subconsciously.

As one example, not asking him about drinking. I recall a police encounter for a minor moving violation where that was one of the first things asked. (Spoiler alert: I hadnt imbibed anything stronger than coffee in days.) And that didnt even involve property damage, let alone possible human injury or death.

Or back up to just his initial story about the deer. It seems like the cops were super credulous of that and didnt want or think to challenge him, at least until the body was found.

Posted by: kotodama | Aug 27, 2021 2:33:51 PM

I'm not sure if the officer did not ask him about drinking.

They did investigate and people at the fundraiser said he was not drinking. He was eventually asked though a tox screen done so much later seems pointless to me.

It's very possible he got some special treatment though outside of the criminal justice aspect, there was also pressure from the governor on down to get him to resign.

I think the basic anger here is that he seems not have had any consequences. If he actually lost his AG position, I think that would have helped relieve some of the anger at least.

Anyway, one important thing here was a matter of form. The victim's family is not surprisingly quite upset & believes among other things he did not treat the whole thing with the right amount of respect. There a limit there but the special act of community service the judge provided was meant to address that.

Even if this was not authorized by state law -- I have no idea -- it would have behooved him to work out something where he agreed to do something of that nature. As a basic matter of humanity as well as a symbolic act for a public figure in this situation, it would have been a good call.

I think this is a lesson for criminal justice in general.

Posted by: Joe | Aug 27, 2021 3:04:48 PM

The fact that they belatedly did a tox screenwhen, as you point out, it was also meaninglesssure seems like an implicit concession to me that it was overlooked earlier.

As for the fundraiser, well, people can lie, right. Especially your best buds at a political fundraiser might very well want to cover for you. That's sort of why you have chemical tests that can't be lied to.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the civil case, if anything.

Also, I am curious as to whether he is going to face SD bar disciplinary proceedings.

Posted by: kotodama | Aug 27, 2021 5:12:21 PM

Does a SD court have no power to require the defendant's appearance at sentencing? Not ordering appearance, and not voluntarily appearing, feels tone-deaf.

Posted by: Jason | Aug 29, 2021 10:30:14 AM

Not sure on South Dakota law, but using my state rules as a go-by: In my state, the rules permit a defendant to waive presence at sentencing on misdemeanors. Courts usually allow that, but they could insist on an appearance.

In my state, on a misdemeanor, you can suspend part of a fine and put the defendant on probation, but only for a maximum of two years. So the court could require community service to be performed on or near the anniversary of the death but only for the first two years.

Fatal accidents -- with no proof of intoxication -- are always a close call between involuntary manslaughter and careless and imprudent driving.

Posted by: tmm | Aug 30, 2021 10:20:52 AM

Post a comment
In August 2021, GGE has placed a cumulative total of 1,080,000 (approx. CAD $1,600,000) worth of purchase orders for TAAT between a two-container order to be distributed in the U.K. and Ireland, as well as a one-container order to be distributed in Australia. Smokers of legal age in Australia have been conditioned to the uniform plain packaging appearance of tobacco cigarette packs after Australia became the first country in the world to impose such regulations approximately a decade ago. The vivid colours that characterize the Original, Smooth, and Menthol varieties of TAAT can therefore provide a competitive advantage in the Australian market alongside the products selling points as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes with no tobacco or nicotine.

LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)  TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC. (CSE: TAAT) (OTCQX: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to announce that Green Global Earth (GGE), the exclusive TAAT distributor for the U.K. and Ireland who recently placed a CAD $1,075,000 purchase order in addition to its previous CAD $149,000 order as announced in the Companys August 20, 2021 press release, has issued an additional purchase order for 360,000 (approximately CAD $536,000) for a full shipping container of TAAT to be distributed in Australia. Last year, the Company proactively applied for trademarks in Australia as well as dozens of international jurisdictions as described in a press release dated December 31, 2020 .



With Australia having the highest average price of a tobacco cigarette pack in the world (the equivalent of USD $25.12 for a 20-pack of Marlboro, compared to USD $8.00 in the United States1), the Company has long contemplated launching TAAT in this market to capitalize on its competitive price point as a non-tobacco product. Current estimates indicate that TAAT will retail for approximately 30% less than tobacco cigarettes in Australia. TAAT could also gain a competitive advantage in Australia from its ability to be sold in branded packaging, as Australian law requires tobacco cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging. Because Australia was the first country in the world to impose plain packaging requirements based on a 2011 law2, the Company believes the colourful TAAT packs can be especially eye-catching for smokers of legal age in Australia who have become accustomed to the uniform appearance of plain packaging for tobacco cigarettes.

At this time, the Company and GGE are in the process of finalizing certain elements of the launch plan for TAAT in Australia (e.g., taxation, compliant packaging, legal considerations in each state and territory). In the event that GGEs initial supply of TAAT for the U.K. and Ireland approaches depletion before the Australia launch plans are approved, GGE intends to allocate the Australian container order for distribution in the U.K. and Ireland.

Story continues

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec6bf5a6-27f9-4b82-849e-78ac0e0553f2

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR or the Investor Relations section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.



TAAT Chief Executive Officer Setti Coscarella commented, The global interest in TAAT from smokers of legal age grows daily, and this Australian opportunity is a testament to that popularity. Australia has been of interest to us as a potential expansion market for TAAT for some time now. A major reason for this is our ability to sell TAAT in most markets for significantly less than the price of tobacco cigarettes. This will have a larger impact in a market where smokers of legal age pay more per pack than anywhere else in the world. There have been several successive increases to tobacco cigarette prices in Australia in recent years, and we believe that in addition to providing a cost savings, TAAT can prove to be a better alternative to tobacco cigarettes for smokers of legal age who aspire to leave nicotine behind. We are very impressed with GGEs ability to generate interest in TAAT in multiple markets globally, which can put TAAT in its third continent since it was first launched in Ohio at the end of 2020.

Sources

1 - https://www.statista.com/chart/15293/price-for-cigarettes-per-country/

2 - https://tobaccotactics.org/wiki/plain-packaging-in-australia/

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT GLOBAL ALTERNATIVES INC.

Setti Coscarella

Setti Coscarella, CEO and Director

For further information, please contact:

TAAT Investor Relations

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatglobal.com

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE) HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE, NOR HAS OR DOES THE CSES REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER.

About TAAT Global Alternatives Inc.

The Company has developed TAAT, which is a tobacco-free and nicotine-free alternative to traditional cigarettes offered in "Original", "Smooth", and "Menthol" varieties. TAAT's base material is Beyond Tobacco, a proprietary blend which undergoes a patent-pending refinement technique causing its scent and taste to resemble tobacco. Under executive leadership with "Big Tobacco" pedigree, TAAT was launched first in the United States in Q4 2020 as the Company seeks to position itself in the $814 billion1 global tobacco industry.

For more information, please visit http://taatglobal.com .

References

1 British American Tobacco - The Global Market

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the anticipated performance of TAAT in the tobacco industry, in addition to the following: Potential outcomes from GGEs purchase order for a container of TAAT, pending confirmation of the legal status of TAAT in the states and territories of Australia as a hemp product containing cannabidiol (CBD), possible allocation strategies for the Australian container order based on outcomes relating to the prerequisites for launching TAAT in Australia. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly 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 law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms
Representative image

Karachi (Pakistan), August 28 (ANI): At least 16 people died after a fire broke out at a factory in Pakistan's Karachi on Friday, local media reported citing police and rescue officials.

According to Dawn, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Additional Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that 16 bodies had been brought to the hospital so far, adding that more were expected.

She said 12 of the bodies had been identified and were taken away by relatives, while four could not be identified immediately. All of the deceased were aged between 18 and 38, she added.

Korangi SSP Shah Jehan said that police had been informed that there were 25 people still trapped in the building and feared that they may have died, according to Dawn.

According to a spokesman for the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh), the area had been cordoned off and Rangers personnel were engaged in relief efforts with rescue teams.

The spokesperson said that the fire had occurred at a chemical factory in Mehran Town, adding that the blaze was now under control and rescue efforts were underway.

According to police officials, an Edhi volunteer, Saddam, 30, also sustained injuries while trying to extinguish the fire. Saddam, along with three other injured people, was taken to JPMC, Dawn reported. (ANI)
Representative Image

Nur-Sultan [Kazakhstan], August 27 (ANI/Xinhua): Four servicemen were killed in a series of explosions in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz, said Kazakh Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev on Friday.

A total of 28 people injured in the explosions were still being treated in hospital, Russian broadcaster RT said in an earlier report.

On Thursday, a fire at the ammunition warehouse in Taraz resulted in at least six explosions, leaving 66 people injured, it said.

There are no more explosions at the ammunition warehouse, but the fire is still raging, the Kazakh defense ministry was quoted as saying.

The causes of the incident are still unknown, said the ministry. (ANI/Xinhua)
Afghanistan lawmaker Rangina Kargar was allegedly deported back to Istanbul from India (Facebook/Rangina Kargar)

An Afghan parliamentarian was allegedly deported to Istanbul from India despite holding a diplomatic passport that allows traveling to other countries without visas.

Rangina Kargar, a lawmaker from Afghanistans Faryab province, said she landed in India from Turkey on 20 August, five days after the Taliban's takeover of the country, but was returned from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi international airport.

Ms Kargar has been a lawmaker since 2010 and a member of Afghanistan's lower house of parliament known as Wolsei Jirga. She said she had earlier traveled to India on the same passport and was surprised to face such a reaction.

They deported me, I was treated as a criminal. I was not given my passport in Dubai. It was given back to me only in Istanbul, the 36-year-old lawmaker told the Indian Express newspaper. It was not good what they did to me. They told me at the airport, sorry, we cannot do anything for you. The situation has changed in Kabul and I hope the Indian government helps Afghan women, she added.

The Taliban is known to curtail womens freedoms during their past rule and several of Afghanistans minorities now fear for their lives.

Her alleged deportation comes just a day after India's foreign minister S Jaishankar underscored the countrys focus to preserve the historical relationship with Afghanistan and its people.

An official in the foreign ministry, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent: It was a mistake and done in haste without consulting higher ups.

On 22 August, India welcomed two Sikh lawmakers Narinder Singh Khalsa and Anarkali Kaur Honaryar, who arrived on evacuation flights arranged by the Indian government.

Ms Kargar reportedly arrived in India with a return ticket in hand for a doctor's appointment at a Delhi hospital. Her husband and three children were in Istanbul, where the family moved in early July amid the collapse of the Afghan government.

On Thursday, the Indian government reached out to Ms Kargar, apologising for the erroneous mistake.

Story continues

The joint secretary in-charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran JP Singh spoke to me. He apologised for what had happened and asked me to apply for an e-emergency visa. I asked him if the official passport is no longer valid, but he did not answer. I told him I had tried for an e-visa for my daughter on 19 August but there was no response to the application, Ms Kargar was quoted as saying in news reports.

The issue of Ms Kargars deportation was raised by opposition leaders at an all-party meeting chaired by Mr Jaishankar on Thursday. We raised the issue of a female diplomat who was deported. They said that they made a mistake, it wont be repeated and they will look into the matter, opposition Congress party lawmaker Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.

The Indian government has so far evacuated over 800 people, mostly Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan. According to reports, Mr Jaishankar has stressed that the evacuation of Indians is a top priority. Around 15,000 people have sought assistance in fleeing Afghanistan.

US president Joe Biden has promised to hunt down the terrorists responsible for two suicide bombings at Kabul airport that left 13 American service members dead and 18 wounded.

More than 72 people were also killed and over 140 wounded when two explosions rocked the international airport in Afghanistan on Thursday as evacuations from the country continued.

(Follow the Afghanistan live blog here)

Read More

What is the difference between the Taliban and Isis?

Why did US leave Afghanistan and how much did America spend?

The Taliban: Who are they, who are the leaders and what do they want?
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi meets with Head of the Afghan Taliban Political Commission Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar

Kabul [Afghanistan] August 27 (ANI): Uyghurs population in Afghanistan fears that they will be extradited back to China on account of their status as "Chinese migrants" after the Taliban hostile takeover of the war-ravaged country.

Since Taliban terrorists seized control of Afghanistan following the pullout of US forces earlier this month, triggering an unabated chaotic exodus of thousands of civilians and foreigners, advocacy groups have been saying they fear the worst for the country's estimated 2,000 Uyghurs, Radio Free Asia reported.

An Uyghur woman who has been living in Kabul with her Afghan husband for more than 10 years said that she fears both Taliban repression and mistreatment of women and being returned to China on account of their status as 'Chinese migrants'.

"I'm terrified they're going to come looking for me because I 'belong to China,'" the woman added.

Mamat, an Uyghur man whose ancestors have come from China also expressed concerns and said "the roughly 80 Uyghur families in Kabul are living in confusion and fear about life under the Taliban."

"Kazakhstan is taking Kazakhs out of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan is taking Uzbeks out, Turkey and all the other countries are taking their own citizens away, but no one is even asking about how we're doing. No one is helping us [Uyghurs]," he added.

Several people also informed that the Taliban terrorists are now going into homes of people from the Uyghur community and kidnapping girls, Radio Free Asia reported.

Earlier this month, a US-based research and advocacy group has also released a new report documenting the complicity of Pakistan and Afghanistan in China's transnational repression of Uyghurs.

The report by Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (Oxus), discerns different methods used by the Chinese government against Uyghur communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Last month, Netherland's Arnhem city had also broken cooperation chains with their sister city of Wuhan while terming Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs as 'genocide'. (ANI)
"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said.

U.S. officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. Another service member died hours later. Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.

Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

"Surgeons will be working into the night," said Marco Puntin, the charity's manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel. McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gate.

He said the Taliban has been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursday's attacks to happen. He said the U.S. asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airport's perimeter.
Do not go to a church that simply makes you feel good. We all need the real meat of the Word of God and not junk food that satisfies a hunger for only what we want to hear. It will not set us free. Only the real word of God will do that. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 3:32).

Pray for your church, but run to another church that preaches and teaches directly from the Bible without adding or subtracting anything. And worship the Lord with every fiber of your being.

God is our refuge and our strength. He truly is a very present help in times of trouble. Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in him (Deuteronomy 12:32). Read the Bible for yourself and learn from it. Its true. Know what it says. I have stored up you word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).

And do not give up hope. Our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He changes not. He created us and loves us with an everlasting love. Lets pray together.

Dear Heavenly Father,
SIOUX CITY -- Families of patients at UnityPoint Health  St. Lukes will experience more comfort and care thanks to a third Ronald McDonald Family Kitchen opening in the hospitals Labor and Delivery department.

The Ronald McDonald Family Kitchens are a partnership between the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Siouxland and UnityPoint Health  St. Lukes.

The first Ronald McDonald Family Kitchen opened just outside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UnityPoint in 2006. In 2019, the second kitchen opened to families in the UnityPoint Pediatric Department.

The third kitchen will serve the families in the antepartum area waiting to welcome their new additions into the world. The addition was made possible with funding from Siouxland OBGYN and CF Industries.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Siouxland, Inc. designed the room as a space for families to find meals, snacks, beverages, and a moment together. The room features a kitchenette, small dining area and coffee bar.
SIOUX CITY -- Lawyers for a man charged with murder in a fatal Sioux City shooting are seeking to prevent statements he made to police shortly after he was detained from being used at trial.

In a motion filed Wednesday, Orange City, Iowa, attorneys Michael Jacobsma and Jared Weber said Sioux City police officers did not read Lawrence Canady his Miranda rights before questioning him and continued to interrogate him after he invoked his right to refuse to answer questions and asked for a lawyer.

"Therefore, all statements made by the defendant to police as a result of their interrogation of the defendant should be suppressed and excluded from use at trial by the state," Jacobsma and Weber said in their motion.

Their motion did not specify the content of any of the statements Canady made to police. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Canady, 21, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty of first-degree murder, willful injury and serious assault in connection with the May 1 shooting death of Martez Harrison outside Uncle Dave's Bar, 1427 W. Third St. Canady's trial is scheduled for Dec. 7 in Woodbury County District Court.
"The letters took about a week to get back and forth. We didn't know if we were every going to meet each other," Moss said. "I called over to the hospital and asked if they could have visitors, and, they said, 'Oh, yes.'"

Moss traveled five or six miles to the hospital and spent part of the day with Stevens, who was touched that Moss took the time to visit him. He almost couldn't fathom the fact that he was face to face with someone from Sioux City, being that he was more than 8,000 miles from home.

"To have somebody from Sioux City, Iowa, come to visit you, it was almost like family," Stevens said.

Moss said he tried to make another trip to the hospital before Stevens was released, but he said the bridge was closed off, so he couldn't cross over. Stevens returned to the states. He said he received a steak dinner from the military, but no counseling services. He repressed his feelings and tried to forget the war.

"When I got back to the United States and I was laying on a bench in Denver, two policemen came up to me and, with their baton, hit the bottom of my feet, and said, 'Get the hell out of my airport.' That was my welcome home," Stevens recalled. "Nobody appreciated us, so, when I got home, I took off my uniform, never talked about it again and, basically, just tried to forget everything that took place."
Oct. 3, 2009: Eight U.S. soldiers are killed when their outpost in Kamdesh, Nuristan, is attacked by as many as 300 militants. Another soldier dies in Wardak province when a bomb detonates while he attempts to disarm it.

July 13, 2008: Nine American soldiers are killed when their remote outpost in Wanat, Nuristan, is attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Another soldier dies in Kajaki Sofla when his vehicle strikes a roadside bomb.

Feb. 18, 2007: A U.S. helicopter crashes in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province, killing eight American troops.

May 5, 2006: 10 American soldiers die in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash during combat operations in eastern Afghanistan.

June 28, 2005: 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter are killed when their MH-47 Chinook helicopter is shot down by insurgents. Three U.S. sailors also die the same day.

April 6, 2005: 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians are killed when their helicopter goes down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram.

Jan. 29, 2004: An explosion at a weapons cache kills eight U.S. soldiers.
Right now, they have in hand a whole list of different things that we need  things like workers' compensation for our front-line workers if they get COVID, the governor said Thursday. My goodness, we've got to provide that. Things like recognizing doctors licensed in other states, so that we can help increase our health care capacity. And they're taking a close look at it.

Stivers has said GOP lawmakers are ready to present their plan if reconvened by the governor, saying they've been "formulating for quite some time things that we think would be effective.

More than 30 Kentucky hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages, Beshear said. Smaller hospitals are struggling to care for much sicker patients than they normally treat.

As horrible as last years surge was, and it was awful, we were never in a position where doctors worried theyd need to choose between treating a patient who cant breathe because of COVID, or treat a patient whos bleeding out because of a car accident," the governor said. "But that is the strain that our hospitals are under.

Dr. Dennis Beck, interim chief administrative officer at Deaconess Henderson Hospital, said patients are "dying without need as he urged people to get vaccinated.
Matt Jones, chief of staff to the Republican Woods, said Wednesday there will be a very likely delay in implementation. We know things are changing on the ground. He said Woods would decide in December or January whether to go forward. But math teacher training this year is likely to begin focusing on the new standards anyway.

Common Core was an effort to write academic standards to be shared by all 50 states that would enable students to learn more analytically and less by memorization. With the support of then-Gov. Sonny Perdue, Georgia joined 45 other states a decade ago in adopting Common Core-inspired guidelines for what each grade's students should learn in math and English language arts.

That change set off criticism as some struggled to adjust to math instruction that taught students to think about numbers and reach answers in ways different than what was traditional in American schools. President Barack Obama's administration was accused of wielding improper federal influence, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was among those who made it a political issue

I am confident the final math standards eliminate the remnants of Common Core, will provide an excellent education for our students, and are based on an unprecedented level of collaboration from across the state," the Republican Kemp wrote in a letter Monday endorsing the changes.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas governor gave his support Monday to the growing number of school districts across the state issuing mask mandates for students and staff as they try to head off more COVID-19 outbreaks.
MIAMI (AP)  A Florida judge on Thursday rejected a self-defense claim by a white man accused of pulling a gun and yelling racial slurs in a traffic confrontation with a group of Black teenagers protesting housing inequality on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alberto Milian ruled following a two-day hearing that Mark Bartlett, 54, of Broward County, did not act reasonably in getting out of his SUV and pulling a pistol on the teenage protesters who had stopped traffic near the Brickell Bridge in downtown Miami, the Miami Herald reported.

Milian declined to dismiss the case, which is scheduled for a jury trial in December. Bartlett is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, enhanced under Floridas hate crime law, plus carrying a concealed weapon and improper exhibition of a firearm.

Bartlett testified during the hearing that he was being held hostage as his SUV was stuck in traffic and that he was goaded into repeatedly using a slur. He acknowledged the slur is a derogatory term for a Black person but denied that it was racist.
Five years ago: Republican Donald Trump warned of a war on the American farmer, telling a crowd in Iowa that rival Hillary Clinton wanted to shut down family farms and implement anti-agriculture policies; Trumps speech at the annual Roast and Ride fundraiser for GOP Sen. Joni Ernst came hours after Clinton received her first national security briefing as the Democratic presidential nominee.

One year ago: Speaking on the White House South Lawn, President Donald Trump accepted his partys renomination, blasting Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who would endanger Americans safety and painting a grim portrait of violence in American cities run by Democrats; Trump spoke for more than a hour to a tightly-packed and largely maskless crowd. Hurricane Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 storm near Cameron, Louisiana, bringing 150 mile-an-hour winds, torrential rains and a storm surge as high as 15 feet; the storm, one of the strongest ever to strike the U.S., would leave more than 20 people dead in Louisiana and Texas. A white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques, Brenton Tarrant, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; it was the first time that maximum available sentence had been imposed in New Zealand.
Using data provided by state governments, The Associated Press tracked more than $550 million that went to virtual charters across the country over three rounds of pandemic relief. The analysis, which covered allocations to 76 virtual schools in 10 states, showed that some online charters received among the highest funding rates in their states, getting as much per student as some of the poorest districts.

The federal government has not released nationwide data on the money given to virtual charters. Some states, including Wisconsin and Texas, said allocations for online schools were managed by local districts and not tracked by the state.

Most of the pandemic aid was distributed using the same formula as Title I money, the largest federal funding source for public schools. But some states also used discretionary pools of federal money to send additional help to virtual charters, including in Idaho, Minnesota and Ohio.

Of the 76 virtual schools tracked by the AP, more than a third are operated by the industrys two largest companies, Stride Inc. and Connections Academy. Others are run by different for-profit companies, while some are run by nonprofits or state or local governments.
Since then the group's growth has been limited and its militants have fought the Taliban. But they have capitalized on uncertainty in Afghanistan in recent months to launch brutal attacks, and the impending withdrawal of troops by the United States threatens to give them a window in which to regain strength.

How was ISIS-K formed?

The group is a branch of ISIS, the terror group that first emerged in Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, controlled a huge stretch of territory stretching from western Syria to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The original group had its self-declared caliphate ended by US-backed forces in recent years.

But the connection between ISIS-K and its apparent parent group is not entirely clear; the affiliates share an ideology and tactics, but the depth of their relationship with regards to organization and command and control has never been entirely established.

US intelligence officials previously told CNN that the ISIS-K membership includes "a small number of veteran jihadists from Syria and other foreign terrorist fighters," saying that the US had identified 10 to 15 of their top operatives in Afghanistan.
The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office found no sign of foul play in the barn fire that killed about 10,000 hogs at Pillen Family Farms in May.

State Fire Inspector Garrett Weidner also wrote in his report that the cause of the fire could not be determined.

The fire started at the front of the building, on its south side, according to the report. That is also the side of the building where an addition was being built, but Weidner wrote that he could not pin down the exact starting point of the fire. The barn was located near Albion.

Investigating the fire was made more difficult, he wrote, by the extensive damage and inability to inspect the interior of the collapsed barn.

The day before the fire, workers at the hog barn reported smelling smoke, according to the Weidner's report.

Marcia Medina, site leader for the farm, told Weidner that she searched for the source but was unable to find it and could not actually see any smoke or flames. Medina told Weidner that in addition to searching the rooms in the barn, she climbed into the attic to look.

According to the report, Medina reported the fire at 3:11 a.m. on May 12, after receiving alarms from the building's sensors.
The 18-year-old picked up the accuser from 17th and R streets  a block from the Fiji house  and took her to Bryan East Campus, Reed said, where they reported a sexual assault to LPD, which turned it over to UNL police.

Reed said the accuser identified a 19-year-old man as the person who allegedly sexually assaulted her at the fraternity house.

"If youre a young man who somehow thinks this is cool  think again. It is unacceptable," Green said in his statement to students. "No means no. And if you violate that, and we can prove it  you have no place on our campus."

Police are employing "trauma informed investigating" to look further into the incident, Reed said, moving at the pace of the accuser with techniques focused on providing care, comfort and empathy for the 17-year-old.

The university said there is no evidence to corroborate reports the accuser was found laying on the fraternity house's lawn with cuts and bruises.

Rumors alleging the accused man, who has not been arrested or charged, had fled the country were not true, according to university and police sources. The student has left UNL, returned home and hired an attorney.
In recent weeks, the topic of election integrity has even become a wedge issue between U.S. House candidates Sen. Anthony Bouchard (R-Cheyenne)  who has contested claims of rampant voter fraud in Wyomings elections  and Rep. Chuck Gray (R-Casper), who mounted an unsuccessful effort to bring the Wyoming Department of Audit under Legislative oversight for the purpose of auditing elections. Bouchard is a traitor, one member of the Telegram group wrote. Totally agree, another responded. I think we are to flood Chuck gray with phone calls. He is the one that went to Arizona.

Rep. Dan Laursen (R-Powell), who is supportive of national election integrity efforts, traveled to South Dakota earlier this month to attend Lindells symposium. What Lindell produced during the forum  even if only halfway or a little bit true  should be concerning to everyone, Laursen said. Even the slightest bit of doubt should be enough to compel an audit, he said.

Would it be wise for us to at least do one? It might be, Laursen, a member of the Wyoming House Freedom Caucus, said. I dont know if the Secretary of State would ever be interested. To put peoples minds to ease Its pretty darn important, I think.

The biggest dangers, Gierau said, are signals from elected officials boosting irresponsible allegations.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A former Minnehaha County highway superintendent has been indicted by a grand jury on an embezzlement charge.

According to the indictment announced Friday by the Brooking County state's attorney, Duane Buthe is accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from the South Dakota Association of County Highway Superintendents between 2013 and 2021. Buthe served as the association's secretary.

The 41-year-old Buthe is currently the public works director in Brookings. A call to his office and an email seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Buthe served as the highway superintendent in Minnehaha County for 10 years before taking the job in Brookings earlier this year. Prior to his job in Minnehaha County he had been a project manager with the city of Sioux Falls.

State's Attorney Dan Nelson said Buthe is accused of using the association's fund for personal retail transactions, cash withdrawals and other misappropriations.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day's deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: We will hunt you down and make you pay.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban takeover and killed more than 100. The U.S. warned more attacks could come ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending Americas longest war.
Loebsack accomplished that for seven terms. He was the 21st-most moderate out of 237 Democrats in the U.S. House during his final term, according to the nonpartisan congressional analysis site GovTrack. In previous terms, the site ranked him as high as 11th. Loebsack managed to keep winning in the 2nd District even after its rightward shift in 2016 and 2018.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

So much could be at play in the 2nd District, which is the case when you have a district whose most recent election was decided by just six votes out of nearly 400,000 cast.

In addition to the candidates need to connect with the districts moderate voters, as well as the most passionate among their respective party bases, the quality of campaign operations could prove critical. Democrats feel stung by the thousands of ballots cast in Iowa City  likely by college students  that had a vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden but no vote in the U.S. House race.

Had a mere seven out of those thousands of Biden voters kept voting down-ticket, Rita Hart would be serving her first term in Congress, not Miller-Meeks. Missed opportunities like that are only amplified when the race is as close as was the 2nd in 2020, and they show the critical importance of campaign organizations and get-out-the-vote operations.
In World War II and the Cold War, government agencies recognized how powerful comic books were and exploited the medium to sell the idea of America across the world. Although by 1954, legislators had become alarmed by the violent and sexual content of comics, and stepped in to force the industry to self-regulatesee: the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, the Comics Codeother parts of the federal government saw potential in the mediums reach and appeal, and exploited it. The Writers War Board and, later, agencies within the State Department found ways to use comic books to sway hearts and minds across the globe toward the objectives of the American government.

Advertisement

This is the argument of a new history of government involvement in the production of pro-American comic books, Pulp Empire: The Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism, written by Paul S. Hirsch. I asked Hirsch to walk me through a show and tell of a few of the most telling government-endorsed and government-created images from his book.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Paul S. Hirsch: During World War II, comic books were prevalent to a degree that its almost impossible to imagine now. They were selling close to a billion copies a yearand they were selling them all over the world. Not just in the United States, where they were certainly consumed ravenously on the homefront. The government viewed comics as essential material, like tobaccosomething that that soldiers needed to function in the field. So, they were shipping comics everywhere that American soldiers were.

The Writers War Board was an organization staffed by writers and artists who were big in popular culture at the time. And they were not paidon paper, anyway. The board was very consciously trying not to be like German and Japanese state-sponsored propaganda arms. Thats one of the main reasons they self-describe as volunteers, and why the heads of the board were culled from American popular culture, instead of from the government.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The board secretly got all its funding from the Office of War Information, which was a larger propaganda agency during the war. But on its face, the board was a volunteer agency helping fight fascism through popular culture. So they didnt have any final say over what publishers printedthey were not a censorship organization. That said, the publishers had a lot of compelling reasons to cooperate with the board. So, if the board told them not to print something, at least from my reading of the documents, it seems like in most cases, it wasnt printed.

Advertisement

The board had pretty frequent communication with the major publishers cooperating, and they knew that if they were going to print anti-Japanese stories, or stories about Nazi atrocities, they may want to submit it to the board, and they may actually ask the board for assistance scripting it. In some cases, the board would go to the companies and tell them, Please write a story with these characters and this plot. And when that happened, the publishers would submit drafts for editing.

Advertisement

A big part of the program to co-opt comic books was to get publishers to make very specific images of Japanese characters. Above all, they wanted to make sure that theres no such thing as a good Japanese person in comics. There was a story submitted to the Writers War Board by one of the big companies, and in it, there is an anti-fascist resistance in Japan. Theres a woman who is presented as anti-fascist, and pro-democracy, and shes fighting for democracy in Japan. And the company submitted this to the Writers War Board, and immediately the board says, No, theres no such thing as a good Japanese person.

Advertisement

This picture were looking at was made by a company trying to appease the board by showing Japanese soldiers as something totally deserving of extermination. I had always imagined that this was an individual choice on an artists or writers part, so what really melted my brain, going through the Writers War Board documents, was understanding that this was a state-sanctioned covert program to shape popular perceptions, and it was done very specifically, with guidelines for how Japanese and German people were to be represented.

Advertisement

This comic, which has this almost indescribably vicious anti-Japanese racism, did break with the boards policies in one way, on the cover. The board actually encouraged publishers to present Japanese characters as peoplenot as subhuman, or as animals. They wanted American soldiers and civilians to understand that Japanese people were an extremely powerful, devoted, and tough-to-beat enemy, and portraying them as subhuman or as animals was, they thought, a disservice that would confuse Americans about the seriousness of the threat they faced.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Weve talked about the way the Writers War Board laid out how characters should be represented, but they also had very specific instructions about how to represent U.S. allies. They understand that Americans are going to be confused, being told to exterminate one variety of Asian people at the same time that the U.S. is allied with other Asian countries, like the Philippines and China.

This story is an example of a board-sanctioned effort to get Americans to sympathize with some of their allies of color. The board put less effort into promoting toleranceId say, dramatically less effortthan into promoting hatred. But there was some. You can tell from the plaintive tone of this title how low the bar was!

Advertisement

They also wanted to promote, however mildly, equality on the homefront between races, not out of any sense of altruism, but to make sure that wartime production was not disrupted by riots, and that dissension in the United States wouldnt offer propaganda opportunities to Germany and Japan.

The rest of this story includes Japanese and Filipino characters sharing space in comic book panels, and they are virtually indistinguishable. Its very visually haphazard, and the words on the page clash with the visuals on the page.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

This is the cover of a comic book published by the Office for Inter-American Affairs, or the OIAA. This is another wartime organization taking a different approach to comic books and propaganda. The WWB was embedding its stories inside commercial comic books, publishing them in English, and using them primarily for American readers, whether at home or abroad. The OIAA published comics in the languages of the countries where they were distributed, throughout South and Central America.

These are overtly propagandistic comic books, not stories embedded in commercial books, but complete comics unto themselves. This is an example of a comic distributed throughout Latin America in an effort to convince audiences there that its worthwhile to join the fight against fascismthat they shouldnt be neutral.

Advertisement

Advertisement

This is more cheaply done, theyre often not in color in the interior; you can see this cover is just one color, just yellow beneath black. Theres really not effort to disguise whos publishing this. Picking up this comic, you have no question where its from and the reason why its been published.

There are a few specific reasons why government agencies decided to go toward making comic books. The first was: Theyre cheap to produce. The second was: Theyre portable. You can shift huge quantities of comic books around the world without taking up much space. The third, in the case of stories published by the Writers War Board that didnt identify themselves as coming from the government, is that the comic provides a perfect cover for propaganda. They look like such trash; people reading them are very unlikely to think that the government had anything to with producing them. The sleazy advertisements in comics, the poor printing, the general cheapness of the object itselfthey all provided the perfect cover for state-produced propaganda.

Advertisement

Advertisement

And the fourth, really relevant to this comic and to other comics published during the Cold War for propaganda purposes abroad, is that theres a prevailing belief among federal policymakers that comics are comprehensible to everyone, and particularly to uneducated, nonwhite audiences. Theres a prevailing prejudice amongst these policymakers and propagandists that throughout the global South, people are not sufficiently sophisticated to understand books. They dont have the infrastructure to be shown moving pictures.

Advertisement

So the traditional propaganda avenues are closed off, and comics, they think, are the perfect alternative to that. They can be provided either cheap or free; they can be airdropped. Theyre durable; they can be smuggled into places. They can be easily hidden, and the belief is that anyone can understand them, whether youre a 6-year-old in Ghana or an 80-year-old in Guatemalaeven if youre illiterate. And the belief is also that not only will you understand it, but you will get the intended message, and be persuaded. Now, there was a total lack of scientific evidence that people pulled the intended message out of the comicsbut nobody involved in producing them cared about that very much.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

This one is a creation of the State Departments, during the Cold War. This one interests me, because the U.S. government really wanted to keep comic books away from Western Europe during that time. They thought comic books were the perfect propaganda vehicle for the global South and the decolonizing world, but that comic books were an embarrassment among white audiences in Western Europe. So this was one of these rare comics that was intended for distribution in areas including Western Europe.

Advertisement

There was this fear in Europe that American comic books, along with American culture, were washing over the globe. Wherever American soldiers travel, wherever American tourists travel, they leave comic books behind them. And after World War II, since there was no censorship of American comics until 1954, the comics those people were bringing were free to be transgressive, violent, sexual, racist. Crime, romance, and horror comics hit the top of the sales chart, and these can be deeply problematic in a lot of ways. Its this combination of violence, sexuality, and racism that could cause huge problems for the U.S. government abroad, particularly in Western Europe, which is the place where America most wants to appear cultured and sophisticated.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The State Department was aware of all this and trying to counteract it; this Eight Great Americans comic book is one of the things they tried. It was published in probably a dozen languages and was meant to show Western European leaders in particular that the United States was a very racially tolerant, socially inclusive society. This comic is physically different than most propaganda comics made by the United States; its printed on heavy paper stock, and the artwork is of a dramatically higher quality.

Advertisement

Advertisement

This ones tough to date. As far as I can tell, its from the early 1960s through the late 1960s. I think it was used as part of something called Operation Mongoose, a multifaceted campaign to overturn Castro in Cuba, which began in late 1961 after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. My understanding is that this was part of perhaps a dozen titles that were printed in large numbers as part of Operation Mongoose.

Advertisement

I think this because I read discussions in State Department documents that have been declassified that decreed that the U.S. Information Agency, which was part of the State Department, should produce nonattributable comics to be distributed, throughout Latin America. They would be distributed in a remarkable series of ways: They were airdropped; they were smuggled; they were given to religious leaders to slip into prayer books; they were given to supermarket employees, who would sneak them into shoppers bags. And one document I came across said that in July 1962, the USIA recorded that it currently had in production or had already distributed 5 million copies of six anti-Castro comic books.  So thats my basic reason for believing this one was part of Operation Mongoose.

Advertisement

This comic has the story of two friends who fought together to overthrow the former dictator, Fulgencio Batista, but their friendship crumbles because one of them becomes a communist, and prioritizes Castro and revolution over his friends and family, while the other feels that they have been betrayed by the revolution and decides to flee. He says he will come back, to organize counterrevolution, with others like him.

The State Department was overwhelmingly the producer of comics approved for propaganda purposes during the Cold War. As far as I can tell, what brings this to an end is Vietnam. The State Department was distributing comics in Vietnam as early as 1964, seeing it as no different from other parts of the decolonizing world, and so a target for comic book propaganda. But as the United States ramped up the war in Vietnam, it became increasingly difficult to present the U.S. to audiences in the decolonizing world as a sophisticated, enlightened place that encouraged racial tolerance. Its because of that, I believe, that the comic book propaganda program began to wane.

American comic books spread around the world during the 20th century, and they infiltrated every aspect of cultural lifenot just in the U.S., but in many countries. And these 20th century comics still exist as ghosts among us. All the excitement, trauma, rage they generatedtheyre not dead. Contemporary global perception of the United States emerges from memory as much as experiences. And thats the impact these comics still have.
The Biden administration recently announced that the U.S. would eventually accept as many 50,000 Afghan refugees, but after the events in Afghanistan of the past several weeks, many are wondering if thats even possible. Suzy Cop, the executive director of the International Rescue Committees Dallas office, is feeling prepared for her organizations small piece of that effort. When we spoke this week, she told me shes gearing up to welcome and settle as many Afghan refugees as she can.

Advertisement

Texas has had a complicated relationship with refugee programs. Its taken in more refugees than any other state in the past decade. But amid the Syrian refugee crisis in 2016, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott sued the federal government under then-President Barack Obama to prevent any more refugees from resettling in his state, and in 2020, he refused to participate in the refugee resettlement programeven after 40 other governors, many of them Republicans, pledged to do their part.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

This time, nationally, some Republican lawmakers and pundits have sought to make the coming Afghan refugee influx a political broadside. On Fox News, Tucker Carlson, quipped to his viewers, So first we invade, and then we are invaded. Despite this, GOP Texas Sen. John Cornyn announced that his state is prepared to accept as many as 10,000 Afghan refugees with Special Immigrant Visas, and they will begin arriving soon.

Advertisement

I called Cop in Dallas to understand what the process will look like, whether the current right-wing rhetoric will complicate her efforts, and how locals in Texas are really reacting. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Aymann Ismail: Can you first walk me through how this refugee resettlement will work?

Suzy Cop: The refugee resettlement process starts usually overseas with processing, vetting, all the medical checks, and all that kind of stuff. And once someone is approved, theres a whole process for getting a case to an organization like ours. We work closely with our HQ office in getting cases to us, and we work locally on cases with people who have U.S. tieswho have either family or friends here. And once were assigned a case, we prep for their arrival. Thats kind of it in a nutshell. Obviously, theres a lot more involved overseas that others can speak to. The whole process usually takes forever, but in situations like this, it goes a little faster because of the emergency.

Advertisement

Advertisement

What will you be doing for the coming Afghan refugees?

I oversee the Dallas office, and I work closely with our staff in receiving refugees. We make sure that refugees go through our settlement, reception, and placement programs. I also work with the community, and coordinate with the state. Ive been working with IRC for 20 some years, pretty much in a similar or same role in those 20 years, and Im just trying to keep our work going so that were ready for receiving these families and individuals. And once they arrive here, making sure that we have everything pre-prepared for them. Once they are here, we get them additional medical screenings, kids get enrolled in schools, and we help families to receive their cash assistance and other public benefits that theyre able to get. Well just usher that all in with them and try to get them employment opportunities and jobs skill training, and get them back on their feet.

Advertisement

Advertisement

How are Texans responding to the influx of refugees in their areas, especially with the Afghan crisis now?

Ive been amazed at just the sheer outreach that weve gotten so far from our community here in Dallas. Folks are just calling up and asking us what kind of assistance they can provide. Its amazing because everybody wants to be a part of it. If its any monetary assistance, thats great. If its providing any kind of donations, volunteering with us, some folks have language capabilities, and sometimes thats how you get into it, too. Weve had plenty of folks willing to open up their homes. And weve had folks who have their own Airbnbs who are also willing to provide those. Weve been getting Special Immigrant Visa recipients from Afghanistan for a while now, and I think this emergency has people just reaching out even more.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Biden administration reportedly told refugee aid groups to prepare to resettle 50,000 Afghan refugees. What are the challenges in bringing so many people in?

Well, weve done that in the past. Its not the first time that the U.S. has been able to resettle that many folks. The IRC Dallas office was created 46 years ago in response to the influx of Vietnamese refugees, and the willingness of communities to accept them. We had the same thing happen in South Florida with Cubans coming in, and that was even more than 50,000. So its feasible to do. And we have agencies like the IRC that are there to support folks and respond to that challenge. Everythings a challenge. But I think we are ready for that challenge. And I think its the right thing to do, to be able to open up our offices and our businesses and provide any kind of support that we can through the resettlement program.

Advertisement

Advertisement

We are working with a team of caseworkers and logistics folks and prepping our staff. We also have a large number of folks who volunteer and intern with us. And we work very closely with prepping the school system if theres a lot of children that will be coming in that will have to get an assessment and go through school enrollments. And we also work very closely with health clinics, so these are regular consultations we have, and everybodys getting prepared for whatever numbers that we end up getting.

Advertisement

My head is spinning. Are you exhausted?

No! Its a great feeling to be a part of it. Of course its tiring at times, but its the same as any kind of work where all of a sudden youre doing a little bit more than you would normally. This is our job. This is what were here for. We just want to be able to get them through this tough time. In our office, we have an on-site mental health program to support folks as theyre coming in. We have a real one-stop shop. And we have other resettlement agencies in the community as well that we partner with. Its a joint effort. Forty-six years is a pretty long time to be doing this kind of work, and we feel prepared for whatever gets sent our way.

Advertisement

Over the last decade, Texas has resettled more refugees than any other state in the country. Do you anticipate taking in the most Afghan refugees during this wave as well? And why Texas?

It really depends on how the cards play out. The way that theyre distributed is up to the folks who want to come to Dallas and have some connection to Texas. Texas has always been in the top five for years. We are at the Dallas office, and we might see some folks end up in Houston and other location as well.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

People come to Texas for different reasons. They might have some family here. Certain states are just kind of magnets for refugees. Its about having a receptive and established community. You have some new areas of resettlement across the country that are also willing and welcoming for folks to come. They might not have the largest number of folks coming there, but thats because theres other things that are taken into account, like the sheer capacity of the cities and other services that are in the city that make it practical for large numbers to come in.

Advertisement

In the current situation, its become a right-wing talking point that were bringing in too many people. A guest on Tucker Carlsons show suggested that refugees will blow up American malls after being resettled here. What do you make of those types of claims?

Based on most experiences that Ive had, Dallas been a very welcoming community. Folks who do actually get to know refugees think differently. They know that theyre just human beings, moms and dads and individuals, sons and daughters who want to have a better and more peaceful life. And they come here for that reason. What theyve gone through in their home countries, becoming a refugee is not a choice that theyre making. For some, its a matter of life and death. And when people realize that and get to know folks, theyve welcomed them to the states. They just cant see any other reason why they wouldnt be here.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Do you interact with the fear that rhetoric represents in people at all?

I dont see it here on the ground and havent heard it from folks. Ive heard the opposite when people have met refugees. Theyre hard workers, theyve gone through a lot, they persevere, and they want the same hopes and dreams for themselves and for their families as the rest of us. And so once people see that, its a totally different mindset that they get into. That initial fear is just because they havent come in contact with someone before. Its something that disappears when they confront someone and see them how they are.

Advertisement

Theres some confusion over whether or not refugees can be properly vetted with the rapidly evolving situation right now. Do you find that to be true?

Advertisement

I can just say that the process for vetting is a long, excruciating process. There are so many agencies that are involved with it. Refugees who are coming here really are the most vetted of any immigrants that are coming to the United States. Its just unfortunate that it takes something like this kind of an emergency for people to talk about it. Weve been settling Afghan refugees for 15 years, especially after the special immigrant visa recipients bill was passed by Congress. The program was established in Congress in 2006. So, its been going on for years. It always takes an emergency for it to become news, and then all of a sudden people are like, Oh my gosh, I cant believe this is happening! But its been happening. Its just that right now its become like a more of an emergency situation.

It seems the fearmongering about this that Ive seen comes down to, Theyre going to bring in an un-American way of life. Youve been doing this a long time. Plainly speaking, do Texans have anything to fear?

No. Weve all been doing this for a very long time. Weve served so far this year about 12 different populations from 12 different countries, and our programs of integration are helping all of them across the board with respect to their culture and everything. That has not been an issue that we have to worry about. We provide cultural orientation upon arrival, but also throughout their period with us, through all of our different programs. These folks also have communities here in Dallas that have that support for them as well. Most of them become U.S. citizens within five years, and are very grateful to be able to do that. We try and make sure that were providing them the support to integrate, but I think its important that they keep their culture. I come from an immigrant family, and I still respect what my folks went through. Im a first-generation American, and I still respect my own culture from my parents and my grandparents. I speak the language and everything. But also, Im an American. So its a combination basically, and I think thats really important to keep and to have respect for. There might be things that as they go through life feel more American than something theyre used to, but in general, theres no problem with that down the road.
On Thursday, suicide bombers killed scores of people outside the Kabul airport, including at least 12 American service members. Congressional Republicans snapped into action, demanding that President Joe Biden resign or be impeached. Its the latest outburst in a string of political opportunism. For weeks, Republicans have been all over cable TV, lambasting Biden for withdrawing troops. Theyve professed dismay that thousands of jailed Taliban fighters were released from prison, that al-Qaida operatives are still in Afghanistan, and that the American president accepted a Taliban deadline to get out. All of these complaints are phony. Nearly everything the Republicans are decrying happened last year. But Republicans defended or ignored it, because the president who engineered those concessions was Donald Trump.

Advertisement

On Feb. 29, 2020, the Trump administration signed a deal with the Taliban to pull all American troops out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. The deal also required the Afghan government to release 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters. Hawks called the agreement weak and dangerous, but Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, advised them not to speak out against it. In March 2020, at hearings of the House Armed Services Committee, some lawmakers worried about the deal, but most, including Reps. Jim Banks and Matt Gaetz, said nothing about it. Another Republican member of the committee, Rep. Mo Brooks, expressed his impatience to pull out, noting that American forces had long ago destroyed al-Qaidas operational capability in Afghanistan.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In July 2020, the committee took up the National Defense Authorization Act, which would fund the military for the next year. Democratic Rep. Jason Crow presented an amendment that would make the Afghan pullout contingent on several requirements. These included consultation and coordination with allies, protection of United States personnel in Afghanistan, severance of the Taliban from al-Qaida, prevention of terrorist safe havens inside Afghanistan, and adequate capacity of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to fight off Taliban attacks. The amendment also required investigation of any prisoners, released as part of the deal, who might be connected to terrorism. In short, the amendment would do what Trump had failed to do: impose real conditions on the withdrawal. Crow told his colleagues that he, too, wanted to get out, but that Afghan security forces werent yet ready to stand on their own.

Advertisement

Gaetz dismissed these warnings. The Taliban was already taking over the country, he argued, and imposing conditions would just get in the way of the pullout. I dont think theres ever a bad day to end the war in Afghanistan, he said.

Eleven members of the committee, including Banks, Brooks, and Gaetz, voted against the amendment. It passed, but Trump refused to accept it. In December, he vetoed the whole defense bill, complaining that it would, among other things, restrict the Presidents ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Steve Scalise, the minority whip, voted to uphold Trumps veto. McCarthy, who had to miss the vote for medical reasons, said he, too, stood with the president. Congress overrode the veto, but Trump essentially ignored the amendment.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Eight months later, Biden is completing the withdrawal, and Republicans have done a 180. They act as though they had nothing to do with the pullout or its consequences. Its humiliating that the Taliban now controls not just Afghanistans presidential palace, but the U.S. embassy, says Banks, and its all happened on Joe Bidens watch. Having voted not to hold Trump accountable for the withdrawals execution in last years defense bill, Banks vows to hold Biden accountable in this years bill. Gaetz now says Biden pulled out prematurely.

Advertisement

To cover their hypocrisy, the Republicans are rewriting history. Brooks says the Talibans triumph would never have happened under President Donald J. Trump. In reality, Trump guaranteed it by removing as many troops as he could. McCarthy says he knows for a fact that Trump wouldnt have let the Taliban advance from city to city, though Trump allowed just that. Scalise says Trump made it very clear with conditions he put in place that he was not going to let the Taliban take control of the country, but Trump continued to withdraw troops regardless of conditions, making clear that the Taliban would take control.

Advertisement

Advertisement

McCarthy expresses indignation that Biden allow[ed] the Taliban to dictate to America when we depart. But Trumps 2020 agreement, which McCarthy told critics to read carefully, did the same thing. The difference is that Trump agreed to get out by May 1, whereas Biden postponed that date until Aug. 31. I never thought there would be an American president in my lifetime who would kowtow to a terrorist group, Banks raged in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, but thats exactly what this president is doing: accepting the Talibans redlines and deadlines. Ingraham completed the farce by adding: Imagine what the Democrats would be saying if any of this had ever occurred under Donald Trump.

Advertisement

When Trump withdrew more than 10,000 troops, Brooks and other Republicans said that was fine, because al-Qaida had been virtually extinguished in Afghanistan. But when Biden began to withdraw the remaining 2,500, the same Republicans freaked out. Al-Qaida and ISIS-K still exist and are growing in Afghanistan, says Banks. As a result, he warns, terror attacks are coming to the United States without a doubt. Scalise agrees that Biden has put the homeland at risk, now that the terrorists have a country.

Advertisement

McCarthy even blames Biden for Trumps release of jailed Taliban fighters. In at least three TV appearances this week, he implied that the release, which the Trump administration authorized and forced through, actually took place more recently. America is in danger, he says, because you just had 5,000 prisoners released. They know how to come here. They have a mission on their hands.

Republicans had a chance last year to prove they were serious about imposing conditions on the Afghan pullout. Everything theyre now complaining aboutcoordination with allies, severance of the Taliban from al-Qaida, adequate preparation of the Afghan security forces, vetting of prisoners to be releasedwas in the Crow amendment and the vetoed defense bill. Lawmakers who were serious voted for the amendment and the bill. Those who didnt, and who are now attacking Biden, are just opportunists.
You may have missed it, but Wednesday was a very good day for Truth. Whatever ordinarily stirs the miasma of the MyPillow lies and the other assorted crazy, at least on occasion, the generally broken systems we rely upon to separate the liars from the public they seek to dupe really do function. In that sense theres been a whole lot of good news. Early Wednesday, an email obtained by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and shared with Politico showed that a day before the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, the Secret Service had warned the Capitol Police that their officers could face violence at the hands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump. (On Thursday, six Capitol Police officers sued Trump, Roger Stone, the Proud Boys, and other far-right violent extremist groups for their role in the Jan. 6 attacks). Also on Wednesday, the House Select Committee charged with investigating the attacks on the Capitol put out a records request seeking communications from Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and other top officials, as well as White House visitor and call logs connected to the day of the attack. None of this will be sufficient to reveal the full truth about what happened that day and create some semblance of accountability. But its a lot.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Also on Wednesday, in federal court, Ty Garbin, the Michigan man charged with plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison. Garbin, one of six defendants in the federal case around the plot to unlawfully seize, kidnap, abduct and carry away, and hold for ransom and reward Michigans governor, pleaded guilty in January and has been cooperating significantly with federal prosecutors against his co-defendants.

But the coup de grace of Wednesdays great public truthout was U.S. District Judge Linda Parkers 110-page ruling against the all-star team of lawyers that sought to overturn Michigans 2020 election. Following a July hearing at which Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and other luminaries of the Kraken bar tried to explain why they should not be sanctioned for their efforts to set aside the Michigan election results and install electors for Donald Trump, Parker handed down a beatdown of an opinion. Parker ordered the lawyers to pay the state of Michigan and the city of Detroits attorneys fees for defending the suit and to complete continuing legal education (in the subjects of pleading standards and election law) and to report back on what they learned. She then ordered that a copy of her decision be sent to state disciplinary boards for the possible suspension or disbarment of the nine attorneys involved in the litigation. Parker both opened and closed with the admonition that the attorneys abused not just the truth but had also taken part in a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process itself.

Advertisement

Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

Noting that there is a fundamental difference between recreational lying and lying to a court of law, Parker observed that [i]ndividuals may have a right (within certain bounds) to disseminate allegations of fraud unsupported by law or fact in the public sphere. But attorneys cannot exploit their privilege and access to the judicial process to do the same. And when an attorney has done so, sanctions are in order. A wordsmith in the manner of a John Roberts or Elena Kagan, Parkers anger is largely directed at attorneys who used the federal courts to advance false claims they couldnt be bothered to check, and to promote their own brands and careers at the expense of the law:

Advertisement

Advertisement

The attorneys who filed the instant lawsuit abused the well-established rules applicable to the litigation process by proffering claims not backed by law; proffering claims not backed by evidence (but instead, speculation, conjecture, and unwarranted suspicion); proffering factual allegations and claims without engaging in the required prefiling inquiry; and dragging out these proceedings even after they acknowledged that it was too late to attain the relief sought. And this case was never about fraudit was about undermining the Peoples faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so. While there are many arenasincluding print, television, and social mediawhere protestations, conjecture, and speculation may be advanced, such expressions are neither permitted nor welcomed in a court of law.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Parker excoriated Lin Wood, whom she deemed not credible for claiming he didnt know his name was listed as counsel and never gave permission to the plaintiffs to use his name. As Parker noted, Wood tweeted a link to an article containing a copy of a motion with his name on it on a key date for the litigation and bragged in other court proceedings that he was representing the Michigan plaintiffs.

Parkers examination of the absurd relief sought by the plaintiffs was similarly pitiless, going through the list of demented requests that the judge enjoin from being delivered already certified and sent results, impound voting machines belonging to parties not involved in the lawsuit, and order a recount after recount deadlines had passed:

Advertisement

[W]hile Plaintiffs requested the above relief, their ultimate goal was the decertification of Michigans presidential election results and the certification of the losing candidate as the winnerrelief not warranted by existing law or a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law.

Advertisement

Of one particularly shoddy case citation, she wrote this suit has been driven by partisan political posturing, entirely disconnected from the law and is the dangerous product of an online feedback loop, with these attorneys citing legal precedent derived not from a serious analysis of case law, but from the rantings of conspiracy theorists sharing amateur analysis and legal fantasy in their social media echo chambers. Parker walloped the claims set forth in the supporting affidavits (describing one affidavit as a masterclass on making conjectural leaps and bounds) and slamming the lawyers for failing to check if the speculation and conjecture they were relying upon were plausibly true. She dismissed their repeated calls that a trial to determine whether fanciful affidavits were correct by noting that Plaintiffs are not entitled to rely on the discovery process to mine for evidence that never existed in the first instance.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Parker went after Powell by name for using the pleadings to advance her personal and political agenda:

It is not acceptable to support a lawsuit with opinions, which counsel herself claims no reasonable person would accept as fact and which were inexact, exaggerate[ed], and hyperbole. Nor is it acceptable to use the federal judiciary as a political forum to satisfy ones political agenda. Such behavior by an attorney in a court of law has consequences. Although the First Amendment may allow Plaintiffs counsel to say what they desire on social media, in press conferences, or on television, federal courts are reserved for hearing genuine legal disputes which are well-grounded in fact and law.

And Parker concluded that these lawyers initiated the litigation with an improper political purpose that could not be retroactively shielded with First Amendment claims:

Advertisement

Once it appeared that their preferred political candidates grasp on the presidency was slipping away, Plaintiffs counsel helped mold the predetermined narrative about election fraud by lodging this federal lawsuit based on evidence that they actively refused to investigate or question with the requisite level of professional skepticismand this refusal was to ensure that the evidence conformed with the predetermined narrative (a narrative that has had dangerous and violent consequences). Plaintiffs counsels politically motivated accusations, allegations, and gamesmanship may be protected by the First Amendment when posted on Twitter, shared on Telegram, or repeated on television. The nations courts, however, are reserved for hearing legitimate causes of action.

Before imposing sanctions Parker concluded simply: This lawsuit should never have been filed. Her scrupulous, detailed ruling, along with Wednesdays other good truth-based news, reflect the fact that a made-for-TV insurrection can still have consequences in the real world, andmore importantlythat the institutions charged with differentiating between the two still sometimes remain admirably up to the task.
The Supreme Court struck down the pandemic-era national eviction moratorium Thursday declaring the latest extension to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policy unlawful because the agency lacks the authority to order the eviction ban. The moratoriums days appeared numbered despite a CDC extension to the policy on Aug. 3 that was set to run until Oct. 3. A coalition of landlord and real estate industry groups in Alabama and Georgia filed suit contesting the moratorium that was aimed at protecting renters from losing their homes because of rent arrears accumulated during Covid-19 shutdowns. Lower courts had already ruled against the moratorium, but the most recent decision was stayed by the judge, allowing the administration to appeal.

Advertisement

The Supreme Court however lifted the stay on the lower court ruling with each of the Courts three liberal justices in dissent. It is indisputable that the public has a strong interest in combating the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, the majoritys opinion said. But our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends. . . . It is up to Congress, not the CDC, to decide whether the public interest merits further action here. The precise legal issue at play was the interpretation of the Public Health Service Act, which gives the CDC the authority to make and enforce such regulations . . . necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases. The Supreme Court agreed with lower courts that a ban on evictions was an overstep. It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts, Thursdays ruling said.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

The Supreme Court had allowed a previous version of the moratorium to remain in place, though indicated that any further extension of the policy would require an act of Congress. The first eviction moratorium was passed by Congress in the early days of the pandemic, but when it expired then-President Donald Trump ordered the CDC to impose a similar eviction ban, which was then extended several times. The Biden administration suspected that without congressional approval this latest extension was unlikely to stand up to legal attacks, but Biden told reporters at the time that it might buy renters a bit more time. I went ahead and did it, Biden said. But heres the deal: I cant guarantee you the court wont rule [that] we dont have that authority. But at least well have the ability, if we have to appeal, to keep this going for a month at leastI hope longer than that.

Thursdays decision puts hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of losing shelter, while the administration struggles to speed the flow of billions of dollars in federal funding to people who are behind in rent because of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic hardship, the New York Times notes. Only about $5.1 billion of the $46.5 billion in aid had been disbursed by the end of July, according to figures released on Wednesday, as bureaucratic delays at the state and local levels snarled payouts.
It is an indictment of our current Supreme Court that Thursday nights 63 decision ending the CDCs eviction moratorium was probably the best-case scenario. Thats because the conservative supermajority did not impose any constitutional limitations on the federal governments authority to pause evictions. Instead, the Republican-appointed justices merely gutted the Public Health Service Act, a 1944 statute that provided the basis for the CDCs now-blocked policy. This outcome is as good a victoryor, rather, as narrow a lossas Joe Biden could have hoped for at this court. It is still a startling abuse of judicial power guided by less by law than by arrogance, privilege, and outrage.

Advertisement

The CDCs eviction moratorium was not Bidens idea. Donald Trump ordered the agency to devise such a policy last August, and it issued its ban the following month. For authority, the agency cited the Public Health Service Act, which allows the CDC to make and enforce regulations that are necessary to prevent the spread of communicable diseases between states. Some commentatorsand, now, the Supreme Courtargued that this law could not permit a nationwide halt on evictions. But Congress itself disagreed with this cramped reading: In late 2020, rather than pass a whole new moratorium, Congress explicitly extended the CDCs own policy, evidently approving of the agencys powers under the statute. Since then, the CDC has extended the ban several more times.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

On Thursday, the six conservative justices pulled the plug on the policy. Their unsigned opinion bristles with irritation at the federal government for renewing the moratorium after five justices signaled their belief that it was illegal in June. It is a stretch, the majority wrote, to maintain that the Public Health Service Act gives the CDC authority to pause evictions. It complained that the governments reading of the act would give the CDC an unprecedented and breathtaking amount of authority with no real limits, musing:

Could the CDC, for example, mandate free grocery delivery to the homes of the sick or vulnerable? Require manufacturers to provide free computers to enable people to work from home? Order telecommunications companies to provide free high-speed Internet service to facilitate remote work?

Advertisement

As for the millions of tenants who may now be forced out of their homes, the Supreme Court evinced no concern whatsoever. Instead, it empathized with the millions of landlords across the country who faced the irreparable harm of missed rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery. The majority nearly shed tears over the governments infringement upon these landlords right to exclude while ignoring the indigent tenants who now face homelessness in the midst of the Delta wave.

Who needs a balance of the interests when Americas landlords have already won the hearts of the conservative justices?

About that wave: You can scan the majoritys opinion in vain for any recognition that COVID is currently surging in the vast majority of the country. This crisis is one of many pertinent facts that are curiously omitted from the opinion of the court. The majority does not mention the fact that tenants remain obligated to pay as much rent as possible, or that Congress will reimburse landlords. It does not cite the CDCs belief that mass evictions will exacerbate the surge, insistingagainst scientific evidencethat evictions would only indirectly affect interstate infections. And it disregards Congress recent approval of the CDCs authority to pause evictions under the Public Health Service Act.

Advertisement

Advertisement

For all this information, the reader must turn to Justice Stephen Breyers dissent, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Its a remarkable contrast. Where the majority relied on heated rhetoric, Breyer deployed facts, figures, and dispassionate analysis. He even inserted a chart to illustrate what the majority disregarded: We are facing a devastating COVID surge that is, in some ways, comparable to last winters deadly peak.

It also fell on Breyer to point out that his conservative colleagues were, once again, abusing the shadow docketthose emergency orders issued without full briefing or oral argument. SCOTUS cannot intervene at this early stage in litigation unless it is demonstrably clear that the lower court misapplied accepted standards. This standard should limit premature intervention to the rarest, most extreme open-and-shut cases. But the federal appeals courts split on the legality of the moratorium, illustrating the reasonable judges could disagree on the question. Almost by definition, a legal dispute that divided the lower courts cannot have a demonstrably right and wrong answer. Nonetheless, the conservative justices broke the courts own rules once again to rush out a decision well before they had any license to.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The majority seemed to believe it could overcome this hurdle by turning up the volume. It sounded appalled, almost disgusted, by the Biden administrations claim to authority. And it is this indignation, rather than reasoned judgment, that guides its decision.

As Matthew Segal, legal director of the Massachusetts ACLU, wrote on Friday, the opinion hinges not on any legal text, but on what feels outrageous to the members of the court. The incensed list of hypotheticalsfree grocery delivery? free computers?is a dead giveaway. Why, exactly, are these examples so absurd? The court routinely upholds broad grants of presidential power to enforce policies favored by the conservative majority. Just this week, for instance, it required the president to keep refugees on the Mexican side of the border under a sweeping law that the conservatives have never griped about. Whats more absurd: A temporary policy mandating free grocery delivery for vulnerable people in a pandemic, or an indefinite policy rejecting the United States treaty obligations to shelter asylum-seekers?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Moreover, why is the power asserted by the CDC breathtaking, as the majority put it? The Supreme Court did not use that word when it let Trump exploit a broad law to ban millions of Muslims from entering the country., or construct a border wall, or impose a wealth test on immigrants. The list goes on.

The point is this: Thursdays decision was guided by six well-off lawyers subjective sense of how much authority the president should have in a pandemic. Who needs careful legal analysis when the court can just shrug that the presidents reading of the law is a stretch? Who needs pesky facts about mass infections when the sacred rights of private property are on the line? Who needs a balance of the interests when Americas landlords have already won the hearts of the conservative justices? The majority opinion is pure feelingsball.

Advertisement

And yet, it still was not as bad as it could have been. The majority opinion ended by stating that Congress could authorize a new eviction moratorium if it wantedan acknowledgement that, at a minimum, the Constitution does not prevent such a policy. It did not completely hobble Congress ability to give broad guidance and substantial discretion to federal agencies in times of crisis. Instead, the court rebuked Biden for daring to renew the moratorium after it put him on notice that it did not approve. If this outcome exacerbates the pandemic among newly evicted Americans, they should not expect any empathy from the Supreme Court.
Theres an odd historical resonance the fact that Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Vietnam as the scenes of chaos, bloodshed, and desperation play out in Afghanistan this week. For Americans, the evacuation of Kabul resembles, and has frequently been compared to, that of Saigon 46 years ago. Depending on your political persuasion, both are humiliating surrenders, the inevitable results of American hubris, or some combination of the two. But there may be lessons for Afghanistans new rulers as well.

Advertisement

Vietnams ruling Communist Party were once seen as such a grave threat to global security and U.S. interests that America spent a decade fighting it, resulting in more than 58,000 U.S. military deathsalmost 30 times the number of American servicemembers killed in Afghanistan. And yet, today, its hardly even noteworthy for an American vice president or president to stop by Hanoi on a swing through Asia. The U.S. is the countrys largest trading partner, and Vietnam is viewed in Washington as a key regional ally against China. And this has happened despite the fact Vietnam is still a highly authoritarian government with a dismal record on human rights.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has been the nightmare scenario that has kept U.S. troops engaged in an agonizing fruitless war for the past two decades. Still, it doesnt seem out of the question that the Talibans relationship with the U.S. and other democratic powers could see a similar transformationand they may not even have to wait half a century.

Advertisement

This weeks events show how the U.S.-Taliban relationship is transforming. After the bombing at Kabul airport on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and nearly 100 Afghans, President Joe Biden vowed, We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. One thing he did not do amid all the tough talk was blame the Taliban. In fact, he was sure to point out that ISIS-Khorasan, the Afghan Islamic State affiliate blamed for the attack, was an archenemy of the Taliban. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of CENTCOM, added, I dont think there is anything to convince me that [the Taliban] let it happen, and described the U.S. and the Taliban as having the common purpose of getting U.S. troops out of the country by Aug. 31, which has made them useful to work with.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Given the realities of the ongoing evacuation operation, the U.S. doesnt really have any other choice but to work with the Taliban, if it wants to keep the flights taking off and maintain some modicum of security outside the airport.

But even after Aug. 31, or whenever the evacuation operation is complete, ISIS-K will still be there, and if the Taliban are savvy, they could use the ongoing threat the group poses to gain recognition, or at least grudging tolerance, from the U.S. and its allies. After all, in one day, ISIS-K killed more Americans than the Taliban has since 2019. While the group didnt honor many of the pledges it made with the agreement signed in Doha in in 2020 with the Trump administration, it has refrained in recent months from attacking U.S. troops, in hopes of speeding those troops departure. ISIS is bound by no such agreements. The Taliban certainly seem to genuinely see ISIS-Ks eradication as a priority: One of their first actions after taking control of Kabul was to execute a former leader of the group who was being held in an Afghan government prison.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The nearly universally despised ISIS has a habit of producing strange bedfellows. During its war against the groups core caliphate in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. was allied with moderate Syrian rebel groups that were sometimes only one or two degrees of separation removed from al-Qaida affiliates, as well as with an anarchist Kurdish militia affiliated with a group on the U.S. terrorist list. It was tacitly on the same side as Iranian-backed Shiite militias. Were already seeing once unthinkable scenes in Afghanistan like CIA Director William Burns traveling to Kabul to meet with the groups de facto leader. If ISIS-K is seen as enough of an ongoing international threatand the Taliban certainly has an interest in presenting it as oneits not hard to imagine an ongoing intelligence relationship between Washington and the new rulers in Kabul.

Advertisement

Advertisement

If the Taliban played their cards right, it could even turn into something more formal than that. Russia and China are already cautiously moving toward recognizing the groups legitimacy, motivated by a desire to preserve regional stability. The U.S. will be a tougher sell, but not an impossible one.

One key step could be for the group to invite prominent non-Taliban political leaders to form at least a semblance of a secular, power-sharing government. (Former President Hamid Karzai, as always, seems up for it.) In any case, a group with no governance experience over the past 20 years will likely need some assistance just to keep their regime from collapsing. Taliban leaders could still maintain de facto power through some sort of religious guardian council. This would actually be not that different from the arrangement the Biden administration was pressuring Ashraf Ghanis government to accept just a few months ago.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Security and stability arent the only assets the Taliban has in its favor. The group could now be in control of as much as $1 trillion in mineral deposits, including some of the worlds deposits of lithium, which could be a vital component in efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.

Advertisement

It would be nice to think that the Taliban will moderate their harsh brand of theocratic rule, particularly their treatment of women and ethnic minorities, in order to avoid the pariah status they faced the last time they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s. But they may not actually have to moderate it that much. In search of security, stability, and natural resources, the U.S.

has had close relationships with governments with a sickening array of human rights abuses, including Saudi Arabia, a country where until recently women couldnt drive or travel without a male guardians permission and which has been linked to the propagation of Islamist radicalism throughout the world. The Talibans own predecessors in the 1980s were not that much more moderate when the U.S. was backing them against the Soviet Union. And however brutal and repressive the Talibans rule may beand there are all indications it will be bothit will still benefit from the comparison to ISIS, which in its most notorious 2020 attack killed 24 people, including mothers and newborn babies in an attack on a maternity ward in Kabul.

Advertisement

The fact that the Taliban has spent the past 20 years fighting and killing American troops might also seem to make the idea of an ongoing partnership of any sort a nonstarter. Perhaps, but its also worth recalling that the Obama administration, and to an extent the Biden administration, have sought to at least partially normalize relations with Iran, despite its role in saturating Iraq with the IEDs that killed and wounded many American troops for years.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The questions going forward are just how pragmatic are the men now ruling Kabul and how much actual control will they have over their nationwide movement. Despite the best efforts of the U.S. and Afghan governments over the last 20 years to divide the movement and turn it against itself, the Taliban has remained remarkably cohesive. But as Crisis Groups Ibrahim Bahiss has pointed out, the groups fighters, many of them too young to remember the last time it was in power, have been fed propaganda for years about how the Talibans Islamic Emirate was the perfect form of government and are expecting itnot a moderated, less pure form of itto return now.

Advertisement

For all the conciliatory talk in Kabul, reports are emerging from Taliban-held areas elsewhere in the country of massacres of ethnic Hazaras, forced marriages, and the targeting of people who worked with NATO forces or the previous Afghan government. These practices may well escalate once the last Americans take off. Even the most cynical of American foreign policies has its limits: Donald Trump once spoke of Syrias Bashar al-Assad as a potential ally against ISIS, but changed his tune when images emerged of children killed in a chemical weapons attack and ordered airstrikes against the Syrian regime. Massacres of the kind that took place the last time the Taliban took power by force could have a similar effect on even the most cold-hearted realists in Washington.

Advertisement

Then theres terrorism. The Taliban pledged to cut ties with al-Qaida in their agreement with the Trump administration, but theres ample evidence they never did that, and pro-al-Qaida social media accounts have been celebrating the takeover of Kabul. Counterterrorism experts fear that the badly depleted al-Qaida could reconstitute itself in an Afghanistan under Taliban rule, which would, suffice to say, complicate the notion of the Taliban as a partner against terrorism.

Advertisement

Ultimately, any speculation about the future of Afghanistan or Afghanistans place in the world rests on what the Taliban does now, and given how little theyve explained about their plans for governancesome Taliban leaders seemed as surprised by the rapid takeover as everyone elseits hard to know. It does seem possible that with some savvy diplomacy and just a fig leaf of moderation, the group could change its relationship with its longtime enemies, who are desperate to avoid further engagement by their own troops in the country. The Taliban could do it if theyre smart. But how smart are they?
One race where the danger for Democrats of getting screwed is being significantly underdiscussed is in New Hampshire, where Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who won in 2016 by only about 1,000 votes, is up for a second term. This is a case where candidate recruitment can make all the difference. The state is waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununua Republican whos not as popular as he once was but is still quite popular, especially among independentsto announce what hes going to run for in 2022. Mitch McConnell and NRSC chair Rick Scott are practically camped outside his home begging him to run for Senate, as his entry would make this one of the premier matchups of the cycle. Sununu is drawing the whole thing out to tortuous effect, saying he may not make a decision until winter. He has some of the same questions that a lot of governors, used to wielding executive power in their own domains, have about running for Senate. Specifically: Why in the world would I want to commute to Washington each week to serve in a glorified lunch club? This is a guy who could quit politics and go back to managing a ski resort. But even if choosing to run for the Senate when you could be doing anything else is a stupid idea, which it is, pressure campaigns like this have a way of succeeding when the opportunity is too good to miss. And if Sununu does run, Hassan is in deep trouble.
The Florida Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association has announced three candidates who will receive awards this year from the 2021 Allen J. Finkelson Scholarship program.

The scholarship was established in memory of Hall of Famer Allen J. Finkelson, the former Vice President of Public Relations at Pompano Park and longtime Chairman of the Board of the national USHWA organization.

Michelle Melara, Sarah Clein and Da Zhaun Hicks will each receive scholarship funds from our USHWA Chapter, said committee chair Thomas H. Hicks. They are all outstanding students.

Preference for these scholarship awards were given to a student(s) majoring in journalism, communications or equine related studies. Applicants must be a resident of the state of Florida and currently accepted or enrolled in a fully accredited college or university in the United States. Criteria for selection include community service, academic achievement, and leadership.

The scholarship fund again received donations from Maggie LeClair and Jay Farrar of Winter Park and the Thomas H. Hicks family of Pompano Beach. Each scholarship winner will receive $500.

Sarah Clein of Wellington is a freshman at the University of Florida majoring in communication, journalism and advertising. She is a Wellington HS and Palm Beach State graduate (GPA 4.0) that has led Bricks Busting Boredom and Aarons Ipad Lending Library activities. Sarah has also participated in UFs Summer Media Institute and is a Mr Brother and Sisters Keeper award winner.

Michelle Melara of Orlando is a University of Central Florida (UCF) junior (GPA 3.87) majoring in biology with a minor in zoology/pre-vet. Michelle is a Lincoln Park Academy graduate and has been a Deans List, National Honour Society and Pegasus Silver Academic Scholarship recipient. She has interned at Back to Nature Refuge, has taught at True Crew Dance Co. and seeks to become a veterinarian.

Da Zhaun Hicks of Altamonte Springs is a student at UCF (GPA 3.9) majoring in communications. This Haggerty HS and Seminole State grad (3.86 GPA, summa cum laude) has worked in the City of Orlando Youth Council as a speaker and entertainer.

For more information about the Florida Chapter of USHWA and the Allen J. Finkelson Scholarship, visit ushwa-florida.com or check out the Florida Chapter USHWA Facebook page.

(Florida Chapter of USHWA)
Ohio's three-year-old male pacers return to action Saturday night (August 28) in the Buckeye Stallion Series at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

Thirty-one pacers will face off in four divisions highlighting the 15-race card. First race post time is 6:15 p.m. Each race carries a purse of $17,500.

Nine of the sophomore pacers have won a previous Buckeye Stallion Series leg with Letstrytowgleagain and Sleeping Single two-time winners.

The second and fourth divisions will each feature three past winners. In the second division, Letstrytowgleagain will be joined by JWs Chrome and Doowrah Boy. In the fourth division Sleeping Single, squares off against Big Boss Hill and Rockin Airway.

The third division will feature two previous winners, King Klueber and Barnard Hanover, while the first division features first leg winner Casecon.

The Buckeye Stallion Series returns to Eldorado Scioto Downs again on Friday, September 3 for the fourth leg of the two-year-old colt trot.

(OHHA)
As Grand Circuit action kicks off this weekend at Woodbine Mohawk Park, veteran Ontario trainer Gregg McNair said hes thankful the most lucrative time of year has arrived.

There were times this year when we didnt know if wed be having them (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), so its pretty nice that (stakes season is) here and weve got some horses in, he said.

McNair has five horses entered in stakes events Saturday (Aug. 28), including three sophomore pacing colts in the Somebeachsomewhere to be contested in two $86,000 divisions (Races 8 and 11)  Stonebridge Rex (Post 1) in the first division and Bettor Sun (Post 1) and Jimmy Connor B (Post 2) in the second division.

They are all racing well, it just depends how they stack up against those other horses. Theres a tough bunch up here. I dont say this because Im racing in there, but theres a heck of a good bunch of three-year-old Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) horses right across the board. Theres 15 nice horses.

McNair pointed to the fact that Lawless Shadow has won both the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace and the $300,000 Max Hempt stakes in the United States but has yet to post a victory this year in an OSS race. Meanwhile, Bulldog Hanover has not left Ontario, yet, but has three Gold victories in 2021. Lawless Shadow is sitting out the Somebeachsomewhere, but Bulldog Hanover will race in the six-horse field that includes McNairs Bettor Sun and Jimmy Connor B.

Jimmy Connor, he has the most speed out of the four of my colts  Ive got one colt that wasnt eligible  but hes really erratic, McNair said. Hes a little tougher and you cant race him exactly how youd like to drive him. He usually races right from the back of the pack or usually off the front end. You cant decide to leave with him, then make up your mind and then sit in the hole, hes makes it pretty hard. Its pretty hard to do that with him. When you start him up, he wants to go.

Two weeks ago, McNair took 2020 Battle of Waterloo champ Bettor Sun to race in the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial on the half-mile oval at Northfield Park in Ohio. The gelding finished fifth in a race won by Charlie May in 1:48.4.

Looking back at things now, I almost wish he hadnt gone because that was a tough bunch and they went fast...We took him down because hed only raced three times ever on a half-mile track, once at Flamboro and twice at Grand River, and he won them all, McNair said.

Both Bettor Sun and Jimmy Connor B are eligible to the Pepsi North America Cup which has its eliminations on Sept. 4 and its $1 million final on Sept. 11. Originally, the NA Cup was scheduled for its traditional June spot on the calendar, but a province-wide pandemic lockdown forced Woodbine officials to move the race to September. The delay has been something of a blessing for McNairs two hopefuls.

Those two of mine, if it wouldve been in June we probably wouldnt even be talking about them, so they likely wouldnt have been going in (the NA Cup)...If you look at their lines when they started off this year, they werent as good.

As for Stonebridge Rex, McNair said the gelding has required some work, but is racing better in recent starts, including a 1:49.3 victory last Friday (Aug. 20) in a $23,850 OSS Grassroots division at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Stonebridge Rex was running out badly down by the wire in a few starts and weve done some work for soundness issues and it ended up that he was bleeding a little bit and that was most of his problem, I think...He drove straight his last two starts. The vets have done a good job with him, trying to keep him going straight and then the Lasix helped him out, McNair said.

McNair also will send out trainees Spellcheck Hanover (Post 9) in a lone $169,550 Simcoe test for three-year-old pacing fillies and Fade Out (Post 1) in the first of two $113,650 Eternal Camnation divisions.

The trainer said Spellcheck Hanover, who was third in her Eternal Camnation test at two, is now racing on Lasix.

Maybe that will help her a bit. She didnt draw well, but...shes a big mare and we just took a shot. Theres quite a few stiff ones that didnt come up (from the United States). Its anybodys race, I think, McNair said.

Fade Out has been, a bit of a surprise. She didnt do anything wrong all winter, but...shes a little better filly than I thought she might have been. Shes kind of surprised me a bit.

A winner of nearly 2,500 races and purses of nearly $53 million lifetime, McNair said his sophomores are carrying a lot of the load this year.

Im disappointed with some of the two-year-olds that didnt turn out as I thought they might, but these three-year-old pacing colts they are probably better than I thought they might be, he said.

Post time for Saturdays Woodbine Mohawk Park card is 7:00 p.m. To view the entries for Saturday's Grand Circuit harness racing card, click one of the following links: Woodbine Mohawk Park

 Saturday Entries - Mohawk

 Saturday Program Pages - Mohawk (courtesy TrackIT)

(Woodbine)
SCOTTSBLUFF  Patients in western Nebraska now have increased access to the regions most advanced cancer care, thanks to an enhanced partnership between Regional West Health Services and UCHealth.

The expanded partnership between Regional West and UCHealth will provide medical oncology physicians to practice full-time at Regional West and live in the Scottsbluff/Gering communities. Regional West and UCHealth currently have a similar model for the Cardiology clinic in Scottsbluff.

This partnership is very important and reaffirms our commitment to providing exceptional healthcare services to our community and throughout the region, said John Mentgen, FACHE, president and CEO of Regional West Health Services. Expanding our relationship with UCHealth for services in Scottsbluff and western Nebraska helps ensure that our patients receive advanced, high-quality care with excellent outcomes.

UCHealth, a 12-hospital system based in Aurora, Colorado, has partnered with Regional West since 2007 when Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) in Loveland, Colorado, opened. UCHealth Medical Group provides a full-time cardiologist at Regional West and will now expand to add full-time oncologists in the immediate future.
Agencies in three different cities, including Scottsbluff, participated in a sex trafficking operation on Aug. 26, according to information released from the Nebraska Attorney General's Office.

In a press release, the Nebraska Attorney General's Office said Nebraska conducted three sex trafficking operations as part of Operation United Front, a joint venture of 12 Midwest states.

Among other arrests, a man was arrested for seeking to purchase sex acts with a 15-year-old girl who was actually an undercover police officer.

Agencies participating included Nebraska State Patrol, Scottsbluff Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriffs Office, South Sioux City Police Department, Sioux City Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Omaha FBI Field Office, and Nebraska Attorney Generals Office.

The operations were conducted in three locations  Kearney, and South Sioux City, as well as Scottsbluff.

Details on arrests had not been included in the press release. The Star-Herald has reached out to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and Scottsbluff Police Department for additional details about any local arrests.
You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
Geron White keeps the streets clean with his day job, but he wants to keep them safe as well.

As the sanitation worker prepares for the sixth annual Stop the Violence Cookout, White said he is doing so with a renewed energy to bring the city together and create a better community.

Bringing the community together with fellowship and fun, and to bring awareness to the violence that continues to plague our communities, White said. Thats my motivation: To try to keep everyone safe.

The cookout is free and begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Harris Park, concluding at 6 p.m. Organizations from around the community will be there to help educate people on what they can do to make the community safer as well as inform people of the services and activities they offer as well.

Along with the food and fellowship, there will be bikes given away to children. He said tickets will be given as people arrive for the drawings for the bikes.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

White said while fun and fellowship should bring people out to Harris Park, the serious nature of his and others concerns wont be overlooked.
ABINGDON, Va.  Washington County Schools Superintendent Brian Ratliff is now slated to compile a list of suggestions to help board members avoid any conflicts of interest before elections in November.

At a recent school board meeting, Ratliff suggested compiling a list of frequently asked questions, in consultation with an attorney, for board members on how to campaign for their seats without running into legal trouble. Acting school board members cannot visit school grounds or events while campaigning, and the list of suggestions will include practical advice like asking board members to avoid wearing candidate clothing or pins at school events.

Three school board seats are up for grabs in the November election:

 Sanders Henderson is running unopposed in the Jefferson District.

 Tom Musick and Debbie Anderson are competing for the seat to represent the Taylor District.

 Jenny Nichols and Tracey Mercier are competing for a seat in the Wilson District.

In other business, the board spent about an hour discussing how to deal with the rise in COVID-19 cases across Washington County now that school is in session five days a week.
BRISTOL, Tenn.  En route to a Thursday meeting with Bristol area business executives, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn received a text message from a friend desperately seeking help getting a family out of Afghanistan in light of the crisis there.

It has been two weeks filled with angst for U.S. lawmakers, the military and those with family and friends still in the embattled country, after U.S. forces pulled out and the Afghan government collapsed following an offensive by the Taliban.

I am very concerned. My team and I have been working for months on exiting people, Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, told the Bristol Herald Courier. They [her friend and the family] are very worried because the Taliban has already started executing people that had worked with the U.S. or the allied partners. They [Taliban] have started to abuse women and children. It is a desperate, desperate situation.  I went from disappointment to frustration to righteous anger that the president didnt stand up and say, We made a mistake.

The president said last week he stands squarely behind his decision to withdraw U.S. troops and added that there was no good time to do so.

Blackburn said she was briefed along with the rest of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which she serves,
Rotarys Quacker 5000 raffle returns

The Rotary Club of Kelsos 32nd Annual Quacker 5000 rubber duck raffle returns Sept. 12 during the Highlander Festival at Tam OShanter Park in Kelso.

The event didnt take place in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 4,000 tagged rubber ducks will be dropped through the chute of a cement mixer filled with water. People can adopt a duck by purchasing a ticket for $10. The person whose duck is the first to cross the finish line out of the chute wins $5,000 cash. Runners up receive various other prizes. The winning duck owner does not have to be present to win.

Money raised from the duck adoptions goes toward providing scholarships to local high school graduates, the Catlin Rotary Spray Park, the Kelso Rotary Skate Park and Dolly Partons Imagination Library, dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by giving free books to children from birth to five years old, according to a press release from the Rotary club.
People convicted of drug-related or nonviolent crimes can be sentenced to mandatory and supervised drug treatment in and out of prison in Washington. As of 2019, the state reports 1,601 offenders were serving these Drug Offender Sentencing Alternatives, or DOSAs, after their prison sentence. Most of those serving prison DOSAs in 2019 were white men, like Colbert. According to the state, 85% of inmates were men and 77% were white in 2019.

Crimes

Colbert pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary, four counts of second-degree theft, unlawfully possessing a firearm in the second degree, attempting to elude a police vehicle, unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, possession of stolen property in the second degree, possession of stolen property in the first degree and a misdemeanor of obstructing police by hiding the stolen property.

One item stolen from the storage facility was a single-barrel shotgun, which had its barrel cut off when the firearm was located by police. Court documents state Colbert was not permitted to own firearms because of previous felony convictions.
Burglaries

1400 block of Home Court, Kelso. Thursday. Resident came home and found front door had been forced open. Nothing obvious appears missing.

300 block of Colorado Street, Longview. Thursday. Resident came home and found back door had been kicked in. Closet riffled through and several pieces of costume jewelry stolen.

Stolen vehicles

100 block of Regal Lane, Kelso. Thursday. White 2009 GMC Sierra. Washington C12571V. Believed to be taken sometime after midnight.

21st Avenue and Alabama Street, Longview. Thursday. Silver and blue Honda Odyssey. Unknown plates. Green door and shattered windshield. Taken from alley.

Theft

100 block of Second Avenue, Castle Rock. Thursday. Suspect seen on Ring doorbell video around 6 a.m. taking residents sons shoes from the front porch.

Vandalism/malicious mischief

2000 block of 46th Avenue, Longview. Thursday. House egged and splattered with cooking oil and barbeque sauce at about 5:30 a.m.

200 block of Soho Drive, Woodland. Thursday. Malicious mischief to mailbox.
If you go

What: Deputy Justin DeRosier Memorial Ride

When: Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., and the ride starts at 9:30 a.m.

Where: Meet at the Kelso-Longview Elks Lodge parking lot, 900 Ash St., Kelso

Cost: $20 per rider, $10 per passenger

Info: 360-430-0422 or jdwrecklessride@gmail.com
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 such mandates gain traction following the federal government's full approval of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 59% of remote workers favor vaccine requirements in their own workplaces, compared with 47% of those who are currently working in person. About one-quarter of workers  in person and remote  are opposed.

Keep scrolling for the latest charts tracking vaccinations and virus cases

The sentiment is similar for workplace mask mandates, with 50% of Americans working in person favoring them and 29% opposed, while 59% of remote workers are in favor.

About 6 in 10 college graduates, who are more likely to have jobs that can be done remotely, support both mask and vaccine mandates at their workplaces, compared with about 4 in 10 workers without college degrees.

Christopher Messick, an electrical engineer who is mostly working from home in Brunswick, Maryland, said he wrote to his company's human resources department to ask that employees be required to get vaccinated before they are recalled to the office.
JioPhone Next is coming soon and you better get your hands on the pre-booking money as the process is about to start, according to a report. JioPhone Next was announced during the Reliance Industries 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the time, the company had revealed that the JioPhone Next will be available by Ganesh Chaturthi, which happens to fall on September 10 this year. Ahead of the official launch of the JioPhone Next in India, a report has hinted at a date when the smartphone will be available for pre-orders in India.

According to a report by 91Mobile, the JioPhone Next will be up for pre-booking in India as soon as next week. JioPhone Next pre-order likely starting date has not been revealed though. The company is reportedly in talks with its retail partners and that more information is expected to be revealed in the coming few days.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

JioPhone Next price

Reliance Jio hasnt shared the pricing of its upcoming JioPhone Next smartphone. However, reports indicate that the device is expected to be priced under 5,000. According to a report by the publication, the upcoming JioPhone Next could be available in India at a price of just 3,499. Report also suggests that the telecom giant could introduce a bundle plan with the launch of the JioPhone Next in India.

JioPhone Next expected features

Nothing much is known about the features of the JioPhone Next smartphone yet. But if reports are to be believed, it could come with a 5.5-inch LCD display and be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 processor. It is tipped to get a 13MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera and a 2,500mAh battery.
Credit: Tony Boon/Wikipedia

Power networks worldwide are faced with increasing challenges. The fast rollout of distributed renewable generation (such as rooftop solar panels or community wind turbines) can lead to considerable unpredictability. The previously used "fit-and-forget" mode of operating power networks is no longer adequate, and a more active management is required. Moreover, new types of demand (such as from the rollout EV charging) can also be source of unpredictability, especially if concentrated in particular areas of the distribution grid.

Network operators are required to keep power and voltage within safe operating limits at all connection points in the network, as out of bounds fluctuations can damage expensive equipment and connected devices. Hence, having good estimates of which area of the network could be at risk and require interventions (such as strengthening the network, or extra storage to smoothen fluctuations) is increasingly a key requirement.

Privacy-sensitive machine learning

Smart meter data analysis holds great promise for identifying "at risk" areas in distribution networks. Yet, using smart meter data can present significant practical constraints. In many countries and regions, the rollout of smart meters does not provide full coverage, as installation is voluntary and many customers may reject installing a smart meter at their home. Moreover, even places where there is a successful smart meter roll-out, privacy restrictions must be taken into account and, in practice, regulators considerably constrain what private data from smart meters network operators have access to.

Newly published research from the Smart Systems Group at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK, in collaboration with Scottish Power Energy Energy Networks addresses these key challenges. Based on real data and case studies from distribution networks in Scotland, researchers have shown that deep learning neural networks can provide accurate estimates of voltage distributions in all areas of the network, even if high-granularity smart meter data is available from only a few locations, not from every consumer meter.

Dr. Maizura Mokhtar, the Data Scientist who led the work, explains that"while modern smart meters can collect high-granularity data from every household, in practice, there are computational constraints with collecting so much data, as well as privacy concerns. Our work shows that, to produce high accuracy voltage predictions across the whole network, only data from a few Key Identified Locations is needed. Furthermore, it can do so by using only current voltage data to output accurate voltage predictions. Crucially, our method does NOT require input of privacy-sensitive power data, which could be conceivably be used to infer what individual customer activity in their home."

Dr. Valentin Robu, Associate Professor and Academic PI of the project, says that "this work was part of the NCEWS (Network Constraints Early Warning System project), a collaboration between Heriot-Watt and Scottish Power Energy Networks, part funded by InnovateUK, the United Kingdom's applied research and innovation agency. The project's results greatly exceeded our expectations, and it illustrates how advanced AI techniques (in this case deep learning neural networks) can address important practical challenges emerging in modern energy systems. We were very much honored to win the IET and E&T 2019 Innovation of the Year Award for the work in this project, as well as now a top publication in the Energy and AI journal."

Professor David Flynn, the Head of the Smart Systems Group at Heriot-Watt added that "the NCEWS project showcases very well how an academia-industry collaboration can bring new thinking and expertise to the activity of UK power network operators. Artificial Intelligence and data analytics are increasingly central to addressing challenges that UK DNOs face, and will likely play a key role in decarbonising our energy systems."

Explore further Mobile technology gives Bulgarian power grid a renewable energy boost

More information: Maizura Mokhtar et al, Prediction of voltage distribution using deep learning and identified key smart meter locations, Energy and AI (2021). Maizura Mokhtar et al, Prediction of voltage distribution using deep learning and identified key smart meter locations,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.egyai.2021.100103
College of Coastal Georgia students are back on campus for their fall semester, and the college is continuing to encourage all on campus to get vaccinated and to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local_news

CCGA student hopes to help parents escape Afghanistan amid Taliban takeover

Lauren McDonald/The Brunswick News Fahima Rastagar, a nursing student at College of Coastal Georgia, hopes to find a way to help her parents evacuate Afghanistan, her home country, following the Talibans takeover.

In a phone call with her mother this week, Fahima Rastagar made an urgent request. She asked her mother to, please, not go to the airport.

Watching the news unfold from her home on St. Simons, Rastagar witnessed from afar the Talibans tightening control on the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, where her parents live. Despite Rastagars pleas, though, her mother insisted on making the dangerous trip to the citys international airport. Her mother and father are desperately trying to leave the country, along with thousands of others hoping to flee amid the chaos of the Afghan governments collapse, the Talibans takeover and the United States militarys evacuation.

I called my mom, and she decided that she wanted to go to the airport even though I had gotten emails that said shelter in place, Rastagar said Wednesday, sitting in a conference room on the College of Coastal Georgias Brunswick campus, where she studies nursing.  I said, Mom, please, please dont go to the airport right now, because its very ...

Rastagar broke off, tearing up. The past few weeks have been one of severe worry for her, as she works to find a way to help her parents leave Afghanistan, the country in which she was born and raised before moving to the United States alone in 2017.

My mother was at the airport the last time I heard from her, and she said that the Taliban were firing, just shooting, she said Wednesday. Not shooting people, but I guess theyre just firing in the air. And she said that theyre whipping people, just to not let them inside.

Why I need to go

President Joe Bidens Sept. 11 deadline for a full removal of U.S. military personnel from Afghanistan has in recent weeks contributed to a hasty and chaotic takeover by Taliban forces.

The Taliban captured the countrys capital city of Kabul on Aug. 16. Soon after, images of Afghans flooding the Hamid Karzai International Airport and sometimes running alongside and jumping onto aircraft went viral and demonstrated the panic many are feeling.

Those scenes of desperation worsened this week, as the Taliban tries to prevent Afghans from leaving. Two suicide bombers also struck a packed crowd outside the airport Thursday, killing many.

Rastagars parents were amid the chaos, and they stayed for more than 30 consecutive hours at the airport this week without food or water before being told they had to leave.

The Taliban have control over the airport, and theyre very bad people, and I told her that theyre terrible, Rastagar said. I said, 'Please, dont go, and she said, Fahima, thats exactly why I need to go to the airport.

Rastagar, who is a full-time nursing student at CCGA and an employee at the Starbucks on St. Simons, previously served as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Kabul. She worries that will put her family at greater risk.

She stays in touch with them by phone, but before the chaos of recent weeks she could talk to her parents through video call.

If youve read the news, you know about the people that got killed at the airport, she said. I feel like that sort of shows the desperation in my mothers decision to go to the airport. I think all of these show the desperation. They almost want out of Afghanistan or death.

Rastagar said she sort of understands that feeling.

If she stayed in Afghanistan, she will be found, she said And I dont want to even think about what else could happen to her.

Seeking help

Rastagar has reached out to a variety of contacts she has in the United States who may be able to organize aid for her parents that will help them leave Afghanistan.

Shes also had help from staff at College of Coastal Georgia. Michelle Johnston, the colleges president, said she has reached out to the office of Sen. Raphael Warnock and to former Sen. David Perdue. U.S. Congressman Buddy Carter has also been contacted on Rastagars behalf.

Weve been in contact about making sure the information is shared at the (U.S.) State Department, Johnston said.

A lot of the communication, though, has been one-way. Information about Rastagars family and their situation is sent, but little feedback is given.

We have to kind of have faith and confidence that our public servants are listening and theyre working on Fahimas behalf and on her familys behalf, Johnston said.

Johnston encouraged others in the community to reach out to legislative contacts and echo this need.

I havent really heard anything back from anyone that says, Yes, we will take care of your parents. We will bring them here, Rastagar said. Everybody just says, Theres no guarantee. Well do our best.

Rastagar will be able to apply for American citizenship in two months. She will be fully eligible to take the oath of allegiance in January 2022. As a U.S. citizen, she will be eligible to sponsor her parents in as immediate relatives by filling an I-30, Petition for Alien Relative.

But relief for her family is needed now.

Her parents should be able to qualify for refugee status. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, first, asylum/refugee applicants must establish that they fear persecution in their home country. Applicants must also prove that they would be persecuted on account of at least one of five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion or particular social group. Fahimas parents  Marzia Rastagar and Riza Khan Rastagar  are part of minority groups in the country. They are Hazara and Shiite, and they hold political beliefs that now make them targets for persecution.

Anyone able to provide assistance to Rastagar and her family is asked to call the college at 912-279-5713.

New opportunities

Rastagar carries a vivid memory of her first day of school. She was about 8 years old, and her education became possible after the Taliban lost control of the country.

Under Taliban rule, women and children are not allowed to attend school or college.

Rastagar, who will soon turn 25, started school soon after the Talibans rule ended.

I was one of the first generations who were able to go to school, she said. And I remember that day when I was getting ready  I kept saying, Mom Im not sure about school, maybe I shouldnt go.

Her mother, though, encouraged her.

She said, No its a good idea, you go, and you will get used to it, Rastagar recalled.  The only reason I was able to go to school was because the Taliban were not in power anymore.

Rastagar and her mother were recruited in 2010 to be vendors in the first Afghan Women Vendors Bazaar. Her mother hand-embroidered scarves and other items to sell at the bazaars near U.S. military bases. The experience helped Rastagar, who was 14 at the time, practice speaking the English she learned in school.

I would always speak with the soldiers and try to be a salesperson, she said.

Soon, she was asked to work as a translator. That opportunity came again later, when she visited an Egyptian hospital at Bagram Airfield with her grandmother.

I started helping someone who didnt speak English, and they offered that I should come and work with them, she said.

Rastagar worked as a translator at the hospital for about a year, then worked in other jobs until she moved to California in 2017.

Opportunities, education and security fears at home contributed to her decision to move.

Gut-wrenching

Watching the latest news unfolding in Afghanistan, while so far from her home and loved ones, has been excruciating for Rastagar.

I heard somebody else say this word  gut-wrenching, she said. I just dont know any better term for it.

She has some memory of life under Taliban rule, and shes heard more from others who lived in the country at that time, including her parents.

Brutality from those in charge was a constant part of life, and the rights of women and girls were severely limited.

Women could not go out, she said. They always had to have a burqa, and the way the burqa is made  Im sure youve seen  but sometimes you can put the front side up to see things better. When they did that, the women would get whipped with long whips.

A husband, brother or other male figure had to travel with women and girls, who also could not attend school. Public punishments were the norm for those who broke the rules.

I remember they were talking about how these women, I dont know what they had done wrong, but they would put gas on them and put them on fire. And the people, they were forced to watch it, Rastagar said. When it was too hard to watch, and they were running away, then the Taliban would whip them and ask them to stay and watch.

Fear infiltrated every part of daily life at that time.

I remember there was no guarantee, like every day a Taliban member could knock on your door and take your husband or father or whoever and maybe beat them to death, Rastagar said.

She traveled back to Afghanistan in May of this year for a monthlong visit with her family. This was the first time shed been home since her move at the beginning of 2017.

After former President Donald Trump announced his plans for the U.S. to fully evacuate the country, ending a 20-year war, Rastagar began to worry that she wouldnt have many chances to see family any time soon.

I just wanted to see everyone, and I kind of had this feeling, she said.  I thought, if I want to see my parents and family for one more time in my life, I just have to go back.

Worry for her family has eaten at her constantly since the Taliban began regaining control this year. But even before that, Rastagar woke up daily thinking of her mom and dad. This concern has led her to question whats best for her own future.

Sometimes it felt like, she began, and paused. Why would I want to do this? Especially when I have to work or go to school or anything, because my parents matter a lot to me and every day I would think about them.

Considering the miles that separate them, she would question why shes pursuing her plans in America when she isnt able to see or live with her family.

It was very depressing, she said.

As their time apart grew to encompass several years, Rastagar also began to realize that her mom and dad may be much older when she saw them again. And comforts from her former life in Afghanistan, like her moms cooking, may not again exist.

But when I went back (in May), some of those things were true, but some I had imagined them a lot worse than they were, she said. It was good to see everyone. I didnt see any friends because almost everyone has left Afghanistan.

Details in the latest news accounts  about members of the Taliban firing bullets at the airport and whipping people to keep them out, of severed body parts caught in the wheels of aircraft  have left Rastagar feeling anxious and afraid for her family and others trying to flee the country.

I feel like these are people whose voices need to be heard, she said.

When she speaks with her parents, though, and shares some of the news updates shes seen or read, she can tell that her parents are focused only on whats in front of them. Their full attention is on escape.

Whenever I speak to my mother, I say Yes I have spoken with this person, I have spoken with this person, Rastagar said. And she just says, Fahima, I am at the airport. Why isnt somebody going to come out to get me?
NEXT FOR NEEDLES? Numerous inoculation mandates in both the public and private sectors followed the FDAs full approval of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, and Mayor de Blasio has suggested that there could be more to come. Among those agencies that could be subject to similar directives would be the NYPD the Department of Correction, two constituencies whose employees have proved reluctant to get vaccinated.
Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place.

Subscribe to The Chief and get stories that cover every side of civil service in New York City and beyond. You can sign up in minutes for immediate access.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch joined Justice to announce that schools across the state would offer vaccine clinics this fall.

Getting students vaccinated is about protecting lives and keeping kids in classrooms, said Cardona, who appeared virtually.



RALEIGH, N.C.  North Carolina on Friday reported that unvaccinated people were over 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19 during the four-week period ending Aug. 21.

State health officials also announced 912 adults are in intensive care units due to COVID-19 and 574 are on ventilators. Both figures represent the highest count since the start of the pandemic.

Data the state Department of Health and Human Services released on Friday shows more than 8,000 new daily COVID-19 cases in each of the last two days, which hasnt happened since Jan. 14 and Jan. 15  a time when vaccines were hard to come by and spread of the virus was rampant. The state also revealed on Friday it has had 26 consecutive days of at least 10% of new daily COVID-19 tests coming back positive, which nearly mirrors the stretch of 27 straight days of a double-digit positivity rate from Dec. 24, 2020, to Jan. 19.
Its the worst kind of testimonial. Paxton is understandably looking for exoneration, for people to stand up for him and to profess his innocence. A report like this would be suspect under the best of circumstances, like asking hostages to say nice things about their captors.

Seems like youd want a trusted third party to say that instead of a bunch of employees who might be under duress.

Fear of losing your job is duress, isnt it?

It can be dangerous to let outsiders do these kinds of investigations. Just ask former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was undone after asking his attorney general to investigate allegations against him. Had he left the digging to his own loyal staff, he might still be governor today.

Last weeks report on Paxton wont be the last word. Those former top aides have legal actions pending, and that pesky FBI investigation is still out there.

The attorney general isnt the only Texas politician using the trappings of state government to improve his situation. Former Gov. Rick Perry was back in the state Capitol last week, hawking an air filtration system with claims that it inhales coronavirus-laden air and exhales disease-free gusts that are safe for the kids and their teachers to breathe.
They pretty much lived as they had for 400 years when the Raramuri ended up there after the Spanish crushed several rebellions.

My friend and I stayed in a dirt-and-mud village called Cusarare, a place of eagles. At first, the people were reluctant to talk to me. I was a chabochi, someone not from there. But when I told them I was reclaiming my heritage, they brightened. One of them explained why: When people leave, nobody comes back. Instead of turning me away, they invited me into their homes, some in caves, and to learn more about their culture.

I was given a chapareque, a Raramuri musical instrument made of maguey wood and cat-gut strings. I learned a few words like Kwira Va, the greeting and goodbye that really means we are one.

By the end of my visit, the local mayor (who also owned the only radio and drove the only bulldozer) offered me a piece of ejido land (which I could not own) to build a house. Tempted, I nonetheless returned to the United States. Ive never forgotten my relatives in the Copper Canyon.
If you extend the slides beyond that, its illegal, she said, because you would be exceeding the width to be legally parked on the street.

Haase advocated for an exception so people could load their RVs.

I wish we could come up with some ability for some short period of time to load up a camper, and not obstruct. No one wants to obstruct, he said. I wish we could allow someone to load without the fear of retaliation because they are not compliant with the ordinance.

Council Member Mitch Nickerson agreed that cones make sense for a short period.

We see cones used all the time in our city, whether someones doing some tree trimming or other things, notifying people to be aware of this during those daytime hours, he said.

Nonhof advised against exceptions, calling it a slippery slope.

If you make an exception for one homeowner, youll have to make it for the next one and the next one, to where you may get to streets where a camper parked there takes up over a little over an entire lane width, because the streets are narrow, he said.

Council Member Vaughn Minton spoke against holding the ordinance to further consider such exemptions.
Mayor Roger Steele welcomed the 2021 Nebraska State Fair to Grand Island during a special GITV broadcast Thursday.

Steele called it an honor for the city to host the annual event.

As mayor of Grand Island, I welcome all fairgoers to Grand Island and the Nebraska State Fair, he said.

The mayors welcome was offered in Spanish by administrative assistant Norma Hernandez.

Steele commended the fairs planners for this years theme: Nothing More Nebraskan.

There is nothing more Nebraskan than the Nebraska State Fair, Steele said, calling it an enduring symbol of our heritage.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

To say that the State Fair is an enduring symbol understates the fact that the Nebraska State Fair has been a tradition for over 150 years, he said. The State Fair reminds us that we share a special bond as Nebraskans, and that we are a people who endure through blizzards, droughts, floods and, more recently, a pandemic. We endure because we know that better times await us, and that we will always come through adversity stronger than ever.

Resilience, too, is a Nebraskan quality, Steele said.
YORK  A bench warrant was issued this week for a man who failed to appear  again  for a court hearing regarding his case involving illegal firearms and drugs.

Gildardo Jasso, 40, of Silt, Colo., is charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a Class 1D felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 3-50 years in prison, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony, which carries a possible maximum sentence of two years in prison with 12 months of post-release supervision, upon conviction.

When he did not appear this week, Judge James Stecker issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

York County Attorney John Lyons said it was his understanding that Jasso is incarcerated in Washington State.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed with the York County Court, this case began when a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol was on regular duty. He stopped Jasso for driving on the shoulder of Interstate 80.

The trooper says in the affidavit that Jasso was very argumentative. The trooper said he requested a license status check and a criminal history check and upon doing so was informed that Jasso has a suspended license in Colorado and a lengthy criminal history for weapons and drugs to include felony convictions.
The establishment of a 49-county National Heritage Area would adversely influence local officials to pass zoning laws not otherwise needed in order to accommodate a National Heritage Area Management Plan developed by the National Park Service and approved by the Secretary of the Interior, thereby altering well-established processes for land use regulation, the resolution says further.

The commissioners continued in their resolution: A National Heritage Area designation invites interference in local affairs by special interest groups who claim to be stakeholders, such as the National Park Service, animal rights activists and environmental groups who do not have the historical perspective or deeply felt stewardship responsibility of owners who have worked the land over several generations. The establishment of a National Heritage Area in order to leverage federal and local matching funds based upon private property, without owner knowledge or consent, illustrates a violation of private property rights. The United States can no longer afford to borrow money to engage in endless expansion of dependency and regulation by the federal government with sunset provisions for NHAs that were never enforced, resulting in chronic dependency rather than free market activity.
He has a criminal history that continues, Lyons said. We dont think he is an adequate candidate for probation. In recent days he has exhibited behavior contrary to his incarceration. If this court levies an order of probation, he will not comply. There is a case against him pending in county court and in Clay County and then there is this case. I dont think probation will serve this defendant. He has a warrant in California. His history shows he is not capable of complying. We are asking that he be committed to the department of corrections.

He was joking with his girlfriend (regarding the alleged Clay County incident) and there is no evidence he acted upon it, Fillman said. As far as this case goes, he realizes he has hit rock bottom. He has made a lot of mistakes. He acknowledges he is an addict and he needs help. I think this bout in jail has made him think about his life. His parents were addicts, he started using at the age of eight. I think part of his motivation to rehabilitate now is that he has three young daughters who are in three separate foster homes. He wants to turn his life around. When he did treatment before, he stayed sober for seven months. He says he needs help and he will soon be sentenced in Clay County for attempted burglary. We send him to prison on this and it will be more problematic because we will have to transport him back and forth for other cases and with COVID cases increasing he could maybe transmit that to other places.
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:
Joshua Stafford, superintendent of Vienna High School, said the school will continue to work with SHIELD, part of the University of Illinois System, who they are already partnered with as part of their Test to Stay Program. He said through this program the school has access to rapid antigen testing and the SHIELD testing protocol.

So for those staff that are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccine, at least in our school system, we do have the resources in place to go ahead and allow them access to do that once weekly testing within the school system and not be you know, in a situation where they're trying to trying to access that elsewhere in the community, Stafford said.

Stafford said he doesnt have exact numbers on how many teachers and staff members at Vienna High are vaccinated, but based on conversations he has had, he would estimate they are above the 50% mark.

The safety of students and the community should be center stage, Stafford said, and it is important for the community to know that the school is committed to giving young people the best opportunities it can.

Having their education delivered via remote instruction is not ideal. And so we certainly want to do everything we can to keep our students in person and give them the opportunities to have that in person instruction, Stafford said.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1
But some local officials around the U.S. say the court's action is unlikely to set off the flood of evictions some advocates predict.

Scott Davis, spokesman for the Maricopa County Justice Courts that handle the bulk of Arizona's evictions, said he does not expect anything dramatic overnight. He said how things play out will depend on how landlords and their attorneys decide to handle cases and that the courts were prepared for whatever happens.

We know that eviction case filings over the last 17 months are down about 50% from pre-pandemic, Davis said. Will filings bounce back to 100% of the norm? Will they exceed the norm to make up for filings which landlords withheld during the pandemic? Some believe there will be a large flood of case activity; others believe it will be just a light sprinkle, which builds gradually over time. Again  its up to landlords.

Davis emphasized no one can be evicted immediately without due process, and the cases could take weeks to be carried out in the courts.

The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin said Friday that landlords rarely evict anyone who is only a few hundred dollars behind on rent. It said the average eviction judgment for unpaid rent in Wisconsin is more than $2,600.
Journalists, scholars, and readers should remember Ecclesiastes 1:9There is no new thing under the sun. Under Nevadas blazing sun, the states public option health plan is nothing new. The 1990s and early 2000s were littered with the carcasses of failed public option plans.

To claim Nevada is the second state with a public option requires a carefully selected prepositional phrase: In the 2020s, perhaps, or since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010. Otherwise, the second-state claim is equivalent to my proclaiming that Robert Graboyes is the second American to drink a cup of coffee, while leaving out the qualifiers in the Graboyes home and on August 16, 2021.

The high cost of health insurance is a complex problem and, as saith H. L. Mencken, For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. The public option is such an answer. The purported logic is that a government-operated insurance plan, in direct competition with private plans, will force prices down because, unlike the allegedly avaricious private insurers (many of which are not-for-profits), the altruistic government plan will have the interests of The People at heart; the governments administrative costs will be low; and the government can harness its purchasing power to force providers to reduce their prices.
The brothers told police they buried both relatives in their backyard, Herion said. There are no logs of their deaths in the citys records.

He said when mom died we buried her in the backyard, Herion said one of the brothers told him.

Both brothers were evaluated mentally and physically and were released by police.

They are being put up in a hotel nearby while their home is being searched. But they were at the scene Friday morning.

There are no criminal charges at this point because we do not have a body, Herion said. Until we have a body we dont have a crime.

One of the brothers said the family has lived in the house for over 100 years.

He said he was on his way back from Jewel Osco Thursday when he saw police outside his home.

He said his family has had a long history of bad relations with the police.

Theyve done nothing but bother us and give us trouble, he said. Theyve never given us a fair shake. Its always been threats from the police.

He said his brother has a heart condition and both of them are mentally stressed.
The mapmaking process that lawmakers have used is already the subject of two federal lawsuits being heard by a three-judge panel in Chicago. One, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, argues that the maps lawmakers passed in May dilute the voting power of the states Latino population. Another filed by Republican leaders in the General Assembly argues, among other things, that lawmakers failed to enact legal maps by the June 30 deadline set out in the Illinois Constitution and, therefore, should be thrown out and redrawn by a bipartisan legislative commission.

I literally witnessed with my own eyes a member of the General Assembly looking at the map, talking to staff about whether it was square enough or not, which is what I overheard, said Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican. There was many members of the majority in that room, looking at the maps. And I would ask you, the people who are going to testify today, have you been invited into those meetings so far to look at the maps? Are you having solid input on what these maps are going to be? No. They're being drawn by the majority as we saw in the spring with partisan intent.
Other members of Illinois' GOP congressional delegation had harsh words for Biden, but stopped short of calling for his removal from office.

This situation was completely avoidable," said Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville. "Regardless of the decision to withdraw, the way in which President Biden has conducted this withdrawal has been an absolute disaster. The deaths of our troops and Afghan civilians are a direct consequence of the Presidents botched, rushed withdrawal. His attempts to meet an arbitrary, political deadline has cost American lives."

"The attacks in Kabul must be a wake-up call for President Biden," said Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria. "He is the Commander-in-Chief, and he must reverse his arbitrary deadline, work to ensure evacuation routes are protected, and make sure that no American is left behind."

Miller is one of the most conservative members of the House and was an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump.
I believe Heathers original 10-year sentence was a travesty of justice and likely influenced by the outrageously large amount ($150,000) that the Chicago judge ordered to be sent to Indonesia for her defense, he said in a statement.

Macks immediate deportation upon release leaves open the question of whether she will face charges when she sets foot in the United States. The U.S. Attorneys office in Chicago declined comment, but one legal expert said there is a possibility  though slim  that she could face charges if an investigation reveals she was involved in paying a bribe before sentencing.

Charging her with murder again is impossible, but as a U.S. citizen you cant pay bribes to anyone, so thats how they could try to prosecute her, said Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor. But Turner said such charges are unlikely.

Upon her release from prison, Mack can under Indonesian law be reunited with her daughter, who is now 6. But Seran said Mack, who has not seen the little girl for more than 18 months because authorities halted prison visit because of the coronavirus pandemic, has asked Indonesian authorities to let the girl remain with her foster family until she can return to Bali.
While vaccines are the best defense, Ezike said, wearing a mask continues to be one of the simplest, cheapest ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Intensive care bed availability in southern Illinois is at 3 percent, she said.

That's because the regions with the lowest vaccination rates are the regions where there are fewer hospitals, and lower hospital capacity, Pritzker said. And those hospitals are sometimes the least well equipped to handle cases as they become more acute.

He added, We are continuing to rely on experts at the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and (Illinois Department of Public Health), but you don't need to be an epidemiologist to understand what's going on here. This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

The current vaccination rates  nearly 53 percent of the states population is vaccinated  are not enough to blunt the ferocity of the delta variant, which has led to hospitals again fighting the battle that we had hoped would be behind us by now.

Republicans, meanwhile, continue to call on the governor to further involve the General Assembly in his COVID-19 response.
SPRINGFIELD  As federal unemployment benefits created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are set to expire next week, Illinois continues to see high unemployment rates, although things have improved from one year ago.

Select Illinois Department of Employment Security offices, meanwhile, have opened for appointment-only in-person services for the first time since the pandemic led to a statewide stay-at-home order in March 2020, which has since expired.

Individuals can call the IDES scheduling hotline at 217-558-0401 to make an appointment at one of four locations during the first phase of reopening: Rockford at 303 N. Main St.; Harvey at 16845 S. Halsted; Champaign at 1307 N. Mattis Ave.; and Mt. Vernon at 333 Potomac Blvd., Suite E.

Twenty-minute appointments will be available Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Visitors will be afforded a 10-minute grace period, according to IDES.
But ultimately, both Rogala and the attorneys for Katos accusers said Illinois statute was clear: A states attorney can file a formal motion to recuse herself from a case for any reason, and a judge must appoint a special prosecutor.

So all you have to say is Im out? Carlson said from the bench, before granting prosecutors request to withdraw.

Carlson said he would begin the search for a special prosecutor, but seemed pessimistic that a public prosecuting agency would be inclined to take over such old and extremely complicated cases, indicating it would probably end up being a private attorney specially appointed at taxpayer expense.

I dont know who, if anybody  is going to want to add a bunch of cases to their caseload, he said. In the meantime, I suppose we should tell Cook County to get their checkbooks ready.

Perhaps most consequentially, Carlson said that if he let Cook County prosecutors withdraw, all eight cases would have to start from scratch: Were starting all over with everything.

That could be a daunting prospect for many of the accusers, some of whom have already been in post-conviction proceedings for a long time.
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.
Local

editor's pick featured

I am hoping that I am able to work: Job seekers, employers meet at event

GENE ZALESKI, T&D S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Director Daniel Ellzey, from left, and Rep. Jerry Govan speak to H.T. Hackney Company General Manager Stuart Marcus at the Orangeburg job fair held Wednesday.

Hundreds of would-be employees converged on Orangeburg's City Gym for one of the largest and most well-attended job fairs in recent memory.

"It is the largest one I have ever walked into," S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Director Daniel Ellzey said.

Food service, health care, manufacturing, law enforcement and other sectors were represented at Wednesdays event. The fair had 54 vendors present in the gym and 16 other vendors in attendance virtually.

There are good employers here. There are good, high-paying jobs here. You have a ton of people in this area that want to go back to work, Ellzey said.

Orangeburg County Council: Zoning changes advance Orangeburg County Council gave preliminary approval to several rezoning requests last week.

An estimated 400 people attended the four-hour, free job fair. Officials say individuals were lined up outside for over a half hour before the doors were opened.

Masks and social distancing were enforced throughout the fair.

Stuart Marcus, general manager of H.T. Hackney in Orangeburg, said finding employees has been a challenge during COVID. The company supplies convenience stores.

City requires masks again; Orangeburg admin.: It is just meant to protect the public Orangeburg City Council approved an emergency ordinance on Tuesday mandating face coverings be worn at all retail establishments and restaurants within the city limits.

As the economy picked up  being honest  the unemployment benefits kept people from coming to work," Marcus said.

In May, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he would be ending the extra COVID unemployment benefits by the end of June, citing concerns about workforce shortages induced by the benefits. He said the federal benefits served as a disincentive for people to work.

I was so proud of our governor ending it when he did, Marcus said. We cannot continue to live off the government. Businesses have to operate ... under the free enterprise system.

After the governor announced the extra benefits were ending, the number of job seekers picked up immediately, Marcus said.

We saw them come in the first of May and they trickled in and it finally got to where we had a bit of traffic flow, he said.

Marcus says the ongoing challenge is finding delivery drivers.

He said delivery drivers are paid well but there is such a demand.

Marcus said the job fair was a success.

It has been nonstop since the doors opened. We had applications, but we had to get some brought into us because we ran out, he said.

Palmetto Sitework Services Human Resources Administrator Robyn Saunders said she had a stack of business cards but they were all gone within a couple of hours.

The company specializes in site preparation and works with the S.C. Department of Transportation in highway, paving, drainage work and land clearing.

Saunders said its been hard to attract employees.

A lot of people will say they are coming in for an interview, but then don't show up for the interview. That has been our biggest problem, she said.

She also believes a lot of it has to do emergency relief benefits.

They get accustomed to that and they don't want to go back to work, Saunders said. We are trying to figure out ways we can help the community to come back to work.

She promoted the companys benefits, saying it is currently hiring for traffic control operators, backhoe operators and laborers, or entry-level construction jobs.

Wayne Murphy, owner of Orangeburgs Chick-fil-A, said COVID has definitely had an impact on finding employees.  A lot of people may have problems finding childcare and those other things that prevent them from seeking employment.

It has been very challenging, but we take it from the approach that we need to recruit every day in order to attract the best people and make those connections in the community in order to do that," Murphy said.

He currently has 85 employees, which is down from the time before the pandemic. He said the restaurant needs at least 110 or 120 employees.

We emphasize training, Murphy said. We emphasize more on making sure leaders are holding team members accountable and that we are holding each other accountable.

We feel that we don't want to allow our level of service to degrade or decline because of COVID or because of the recruiting issues that we may be facing, he said. We want to make sure we maintain that high level of standards that we are looking for.

Job seeker Vanessa Tyler was at the fair looking for more hours of work in the health care field. She has experience in phlebotomy and CNA and is currently gathering experience in EKG services.

Kayla Mayes had one goal for attending the job fair: To actually get a job.

I am hoping that I am able to work, Mayes said, noting with COVID it has been difficult to find a job. She has been looking for a job for three weeks.

I am pretty impressed," Mayes said about the job fair, noting she has put in three applications. "I am looking for CNA work or either fast food because I am ServSafe certified."

The COVID-19 pandemic cost many people their jobs. About 918,000 unemployment claims have been processed between March 2020 and August 2021, according to SCDEW.

About $6.5 billion in state and federal benefits have been given out. To put that in perspective, South Carolina's general fund budget is about $9.6 billion and its total budget is about $29 billion.

Things are improving, Ellzey said.

He noted there are about 237,000 people who have returned to work across the state and there are 167 more people working today than were working in February 2020, pre-COVID.

We have made a real good recovery, Ellzey said, crediting job match programs and prison pre-release programs for helping get people back to work.

Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, also attended the job fair.

The crowd shows people are interested in going to work and earning a paycheck, he said. It is also important to note that people have been concerned about health and general welfare.

I think this dispels the notion that people just are not seeking employment, he said. I think people are very much interested in working and taking care of their families. They just want to do it in a safe and secure way as we have to all deal with this pandemic.

TheTandD.com: Full access for 6 months for just $1 Support local journalism by becoming a member at www.TheTandD.com The editor's limited time offer is full access to all the website has to offer for just $1 for six months. https://go.thetandd.com/june3

The job fair was hosted by SCDEW, the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Orangeburg-Calhoun Adult Education, Job Corps, the City of Orangeburg Parks and Recreational Department, Vocational Rehabilitation, SC Works Orangeburg, the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce and the S.C. Department of Social Services.
She also believes a lot of it has to do emergency relief benefits.

They get accustomed to that and they don't want to go back to work, Saunders said. We are trying to figure out ways we can help the community to come back to work.

She promoted the companys benefits, saying it is currently hiring for traffic control operators, backhoe operators and laborers, or entry-level construction jobs.

Wayne Murphy, owner of Orangeburgs Chick-fil-A, said COVID has definitely had an impact on finding employees.  A lot of people may have problems finding childcare and those other things that prevent them from seeking employment.

It has been very challenging, but we take it from the approach that we need to recruit every day in order to attract the best people and make those connections in the community in order to do that," Murphy said.

He currently has 85 employees, which is down from the time before the pandemic. He said the restaurant needs at least 110 or 120 employees.

We emphasize training, Murphy said. We emphasize more on making sure leaders are holding team members accountable and that we are holding each other accountable.
South Carolina is now averaging more than 4,200 new COVID-19 cases a day. The only time the state was reporting more new cases was for three weeks at the height of the pandemic in January.

While children are one of the biggest worries currently with the pandemic, hospitals across the state continue to warn they are nearing capacity with all patients.

Lexington Medical Center on Wednesday had 192 COVID-19 patients  more than any other time during the pandemic. Officials warned the surge of patients mean other medical emergencies like heart attacks or injuries in accident may have to wait longer than normal for care.

Were going to do everything we can, but our waits are much longer than we would want them to be, much longer than you or I would want them to be. Were trying our best, but it is incredibly difficult, Lexington Medical Center President and CEO Tod Augsburger told WIS-TV.

Prisma Health's hospitals in the Midlands and Upstate had 12 COVID-19 patients on July 2. They have 436 now and 94% of them didn't get the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said.
With the delta variant raging and COVID cases rising, the CDC has issued new guidelines and many municipalities have reinstated mask mandates. According to the CDC, only 60 percent of eligible Americans 18 and over are fully vaccinated. The medical community and public officials are struggling to find a way to convince the lagging forty percent of eligible Americans to get the shot. Theyre struggling because we still dont know enough about what will really move vaccine holdouts to get the jab. And to find out, we need to test message impacts the same way we tested the vaccine  randomized-controlled trials (RCTs).

Our messaging on vaccination has remained fairly static, with some officials calling for an even more unified message. And while some randomized message experiments have been conducted, many more need to be run. Tackling this problem requires we take a closer look at the diversity of the unvaccinated population. As Geoffrey Skelley wrote at Five Thirty Eight, unvaccinated Americans are not a homogenous group. Partisanship plays a large role  he reminds readers that studies show between 20 and 30 percent of Republicans say they wont get the shot  but the unvaccinated are also generally younger, less well-educated and poorer; they are also more likely to be a person of color.
Job Title: Operations Manager

Organisation: Handicap International Federation (Uganda)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Responsible to: Regional Program Director Team Management: 4-Project Managers

Gross Salary range: UGX 9,387,934  UGX 9,686,186

About US:

Handicap International Federation (operating under the name Humanity & Inclusion) is an independent and impartial aid and development organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside disabled and vulnerable people to help meet their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

In Uganda, we work to identify and support those with specific needs, and ensure the meaningful inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers. We assist vulnerable populations from both host and refugee communities by providing physical rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support, inclusive education, health and livelihoods. We work in partnership with Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPOs), communities, local leaders, non-governmental organisations, the United Nations and the Ugandan government.

Our actions aim to be inclusive of all people in need, targeting the most vulnerable including people with disabilities, and advocating for their rights.

We currently work in the 13 districts of Arua, Madi Okollo, Terego, Yumbe, Obongi, Kyegegwa, Kikuube, Isingiro, Mbale, Kiryandongo, Nwoya, Oyam and Gulu.

HI is legally registered in Uganda. HIs Head Office is in Kampala, and the West Nile operations are based in the office in Arua Town, with different field offices in operational areas.

Since August 202o, HI has set up a Regional Structure, known as the East African Region, incorporating Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, with the Regional Office based in Kampala.

HI Ugandas portfolio includes a range of projects focused on supporting persons with disabilities and vulnerable populations including physical rehabilitation, Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support, Inclusive Livelihoods, Inclusive Health, Inclusive Education, COVID-19 Response, as well as a unique and award winning 3D print of orthosis project in West Nile.

The role of the Operations Manager is an exciting and challenging one as HI Uganda seeks to invest more directly in the quality of its programming. The Operations Manager will work closely with the Regional Programme Director, Regional MEAL Manager and all Project Managers, Technical Unit and Shared Services and will be directly responsible for the overall design, planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all HI projects, according to HIs Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Policy.

The Operations Manager will be directly managing a portfolio of projects (4 in total currently), particularly those based in the Southwest and out of Kampala. He/she is expected to work closely with the Operations Manager West Nile, project managers on financial management of their project, ensuring strong budgeting and forecasting according to plans. The Operations Manager will be required to work with the Technical Unit to set appropriate technical standards for all HI projects in Uganda throughout the life cycle of the projects.

The Operations Manager takes direct responsibility in the set-up, recruitment and roll out of new projects in HIs portfolio.

The Operations Manager will take a leading role in the implementation of HIs new Regional 3-Year Strategy 2021-2023 (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda) and be responsible for ensuring programmatic alignment to the agreed strategic framework.

The Operations Manager will also support the development of new project proposals in link with HIs Technical,

Job Summary: Under the responsibility of the Regional Program Director, the Operations Manager contributes within the country where he/she is based to the implementation of the mandate and the 10-year strategy of Humanity & Inclusion. He/she ensures optimal quality and impact of the projects implemented in the country, through a delegation system with appropriate control mechanisms. He/she shares with all HI managers the responsibility of a sound management and successful functioning of the global organization, through paradigm changes.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

The Operations Manager is responsible for developing and implementing, in the country where he/she is based, the projects part of the Programme operational strategy.

Under the guidance of the [Regional Technical Unit Manager and the Regional MEAL and Support Service Managers, he/she deploys all adequate tools that will allow project monitoring in the Programme, financial controlling and compliance with HI policies and frameworks (in particular HI Project Monitoring & Evaluation policy), and the respect of contractual obligations towards donors.

He/she contributes to monitor and analyse context developments in his/her geographical area, in order to identify operational risks and opportunities, and proposes actions to the Regional Director.

He /she contributes to organizational transformation in line with Lean, Shared Services and ROOTS projects.

The position is based in Kampala, with frequent travels to the project sites across the country.

The Job responsibilities include:

Management

Be the manager (direct report) of the Project managers team in the area of assignment

Foster a team spirit and team functioning guaranteeing synergies and exchange of good practices between the Project managers, the regional managers and with head office colleagues.

Size and plan human resources needs of the projects in the Programme.

Recruit and contribute to the professional development, autonomy and well-being at work of the project managers : in link with the corresponding professional channels, set formalized individual objectives, ensure coherence between HIs needs and competencies and motivation of his/her teams, develop and monitor competence development plan, evaluate individual performance, contribute to career evolution.

Contribute to the professional development and autonomy of project managers: set formalized individual objectives, ensure coherence between HIs needs and competencies and motivation of project managers, evaluate individual performance, contribute to capacity building & career evolution.

Acknowledge individual and collective efforts and performance.

Embody and transmit HI values, ensure compliance with code of conduct and institutional policies, ensure the expected mind set and individual and collective behaviours, and disciplinary measures when necessary.

Animate the daily working interactions between project managers and support teams (technical and shared services, functional link), in order to facilitate project implementation in the country; conduct project reviews with project managers and the Regional Technical Unit Manager, MEAL unit and support services.

Participate to the Programme Steering Committee conducted by the Regional Programme Director

Steer organization transformation, in particular through managerial and work practice change and continuous improvement of working processes

Contribution to the Programmes Operational strategy and HI frameworks & regulations

Contribute to the development of the Programmes Operational Strategy, and to its implementation and annual monitoring

Contribute to the assessments of ongoing projects, contribution to context and sectorial analysis, contribution to fundraising strategy, to resource sizing, to M&E tool

Contribute, with his/her portfolio of projects and donors data, to the annual monitoring of the StratOp and to next years Programme planning (namely support missions and evaluations).

In case of crisis/emergency, implement the framework and set-up as determined

Implement the project part of the Programmes Operational Strategy:

Size and plan necessary resources, recruit the project managers (ensure the fit between competencies and the projects challenges and ambitions), develop and monitor their competence development plan, in link with the corresponding professional channels and with Human Resources department.

When relevant, develop regular contacts with current and potential donors at field level and liaise with line Manager to check coherence with overall Programming and fundraising strategy.

Within the operational framework defined in the StratOp, identify and transform funding opportunities in the area of assignment, conduct the design and writing of new projects and contribute to the design, writing and fundraising of major multi-country projects

In link with the Technical Unit, identify and develop local partnerships and/or consortia with NGOs, institutions, companies; on technical priorities or important topics in the area.

Ensure the deployment of and compliance with HI global frameworks, institutional policies and standards.

These include: the mandatory reference frameworks (such as HI Mission & Values or HI Theory of Change: Access to services), all HIs institutional policies (Security / Code of Conduct and Safeguarding / Bribery prevention / PME and Project Quality Framework / Age-Gender-Disability), all institutional directives and processes; delegation thresholds; security levels

Ensure sound management and monitoring of projects under his/her responsibility:

In link with the Technical Unit and the MEAL Unit, ensure that HI technical quality standards are applied in the projects, and monitor the implementation of recommendations from support missions, evaluations and donor audits.

Ensure compliance with project donors rules and regulations, including visibility.

With the support of the MEAL Unit, deploy all adequate tools that will allow financial control and project monitoring, compliance with HI policies and frameworks, and the respect of contractual obligations towards donors: consolidation, control and reporting to the line Manager of operational and organizational elements (dashboards and corrective measures, unrestricted funds consumption, beneficiaries data.).

Facilitate internal audits (operational, financial and organizational), and ensure the implementation of their recommendations on his/her responsibility area

With both operational opportunities and risks in mind, contribute to the monitoring and analysis made by the line Manager, and propose mitigation measures when relevant

In link with the line Manager, implement analysis and monitoring of risks & opportunities related to HI presence and activities; implement risk mitigation actions at his/her level

Support the Regional Program Director in monitoring the security of the program and ensure internal resources for employees according to the context

Develop a network of contacts with security/context staff of fellow INGOs, represent HI in access, security and safety meetings

Provide feedback and advice on security risks, as well as on security management resources, such as SOPs, and proposals

In collaboration with the Regional Program Director and Senior Management Team, update the security and contingency plans according to the evolution of the context

Support the Regional Program Director on exploratory mission assessments, identification of office/guesthouses, and the opening of new areas

Assist the Regional Program Director in sensitizing HI staff (national and international) to security risks and ensuring the understanding and implementation of security documents

Influence

Develop external influence of HI and the external representation of the organization his/her responsibilities area

Can represent HI vis-a-vis local, national, traditional, political, military and diplomatic authorities and bodies; and international organizations and coordination mechanisms & system.

Relay he messages of HI global advocacy to all relevant external parties.

Develop local partnerships, in link with the line Manager.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Essential:

At least 7-10 years of professional experience in humanitarian and/or development contexts;

At least 5 years of experience as Operations Manager/Head of Programmes or similar position;

Direct experience managing all aspects of the project management cycle

Experience working with M&E and Reporting Systems

Knowledge of donor strategies, procedures and reporting, developing proposals

Previous security management experience mandatory

Risk management (safeguarding of beneficiaries, security, finance, donors, etc.)

Preferred:

Previous working experience with Humanity & Inclusion is a strong asset;

Knowledge of disability issue and working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities preferred

Competencies:

Essential:

Proven managerial experience;

Demonstrated financial management skills

Proven representation experience;

Strong communication skills;

Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills;

English mandatory (oral and written)

Strong writing and reporting skills

Personal qualities:

Essential: Ability to work under high pressure

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified candidates Please send an updated CV (3 pages max, including three professional references.) with a cover letter addressed to: The HR department. Do not attach certificates.

Only Short-listed Candidates will be contacted.

Any efforts to influence the recruitment process will lead to automatic disqualification.

Deadline: Sunday 12th September 2021

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area.

NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN

If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047.
Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. Less humid. High 82F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Wyoming Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis this week joined 15 other senators calling for changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard.

In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, lawmakers asked the agency to eliminate or reduce renewable fuel volume requirements for 2021 in order to protect small refineries and reduce gasoline prices.

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, petroleum-based transportation fuels sold in the U.S. are required to contain a minimum volume of biofuels  primarily ethanol. That minimum is set each year by the EPA.

Barrasso has long argued that small refineries, including four in Wyoming, are impacted disproportionately by the Renewable Fuel Standard and should be exempted from its mandates.

Obligated parties subject to the onerous requirements of the RFS have been facing historically high compliance costs, which threaten the viability of these entities continued operations, the senators letter reads.

Unlike large oil companies, small refineries are usually equipped only to refine crude oil, and are unable to blend in biofuels themselves. The blending happens later on  but the refineries still have to prove it.
A Natrona County judge is offering a unique form of community service to help people pay off court fines  getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

Circuit Court Judge Steven Brown began offering the deal earlier this summer, after seeing vaccination rates stagnate. He started asking people making traffic or circuit court appearances if they were vaccinated, and got a lot of nos.

The city of Casper already has a community service program that works with the courts to offer $10 off fines per hour of work for local charities, nonprofits and other organizations that need a hand. Getting vaccinated against the coronavirus is another way for people to help their community, Brown said.

Its just another form of community service, Brown said Thursday. You can go down and clean dog poop at the shelter or something, but in the big picture we need to get COVID under control well be better off if people go get that shot.

One woman making her initial appearance in circuit court on Monday was offered $200 off a $560 fine if she got her shot within 30 days. Just bring the vaccine card to the courthouse, Brown told her, and the clerk will take the money off of that fine.
Bennett said he came with his own strategy to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions that he would discuss in private with Biden. He expressed satisfaction that the two leaders were in sync on the notion that Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

Iran is the worlds number one exporter of terror, instability, and human rights violations," Bennett said. "And as we sit here right now the Iranians are spinning their centrifuges in Natanz and Fordo. And we got to stop it, and we both agree.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed for one day as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. troops.

The two spoke by phone Thursday evening, with the Israeli leader offering Biden condolences. In their Oval Office meeting, Bennett again offered his condolences over the loss of U.S. service members.

Bennett made clear his opposition to an Iran deal, arguing that Tehran has already advanced in its uranium enrichment and that sanctions relief would give Iran more resources to support Israels enemies in the region.
Joes death weighs heavily on me and always will, Ravnsborg said in his statement. Ive often wondered why the accident occurred and all the things that had to have happened to make our lives intersect.

Ravnsborgs insistence on remaining in office has opened a divide among Republicans, with him retaining support among some GOP circles. The attorney general has been spotted working booths for local Republican groups at county fairs in recent weeks.

But popular predecessor Marty Jackley is already running for his old job and has collected the support of most of the states county prosecutors. Political parties will select candidates for attorney general at statewide conventions next year.

Ravnsborg built his political rise on personal connections in the party. It was his dutiful attendance at local GOP events like the one he was returning from when he struck Boever that propelled him from being a party outsider to winning the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2018.

Boevers family said they hope Ravnsborg is driven from office one way or another.

It is not too late for the state Legislature to resume impeachment proceedings, Jane Boever said. And if they fail us, then its left to the voters of South Dakota to remove him from the ballot box.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0
JACKSON  All Teton County residents, workers, and visitors are required to wear face coverings in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.

As outlined in Public Health Order No. 21-5, masks must be worn in most public buildings where 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. At restaurants and bars, patrons must be masked until they take their seats. All businesses must post signage requiring face coverings.

The mandate was approved Thursday by Teton District Health Officer Travis Riddell and Wyoming Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist following 48 hours of public comment. Communications sent to Riddell and Harrist were also sent to the Jackson Town Council and Teton County Board of County Commissioners.

Those elected bodies will vote next week on whether to extend the health order beyond Sept. 4. The council is planning to decide at its Monday meeting, while the commissioners opted to schedule a special session.

Per Wyoming statute updated in 2021, county health officers can only require a mask mandate for 10 days; longer mandates must be ratified by elected officials.

More than 600 public comments flooded in following the Tuesday announcement that a mandate could go into effect. Preliminary results showed roughly 350 in favor, 248 opposed.
Manlove, through her attorney, Stephen Melchior, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Among other allegations, the formal charge alleges Manlove directed her staff not to report overtime, which is a complaint that would fall under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. In the petition for writ of prohibition, Hill argued that, by considering allegations that Manlove violated federal law, the board would be acting outside of its jurisdiction, as the board is limited to considering alleged violations of the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct, and determining an FLSA violation would fall to the U.S. Department of Labor and appropriate federal and state courts.

Hill also asked the court to prevent the board from considering personnel matters referred to in the formal charge, including allegations that Manlove purg(ed) the District Attorneys office of competent attorneys and staff on her first day in office, fail(ed) to properly supervise her legal assistant and engag(ed) in abusive behavior toward lawyers and office staff to a degree that they resigned their positions. Hill argued that these types of complaints should be handled by the Human Resources Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information.
For two decades, Americans have debated what role, if any, the nation should play in Afghanistan. Now, after the Biden administration pulled forces out of the country and the Taliban took over, that question is coming to a head, this time in a new light.

In early 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban in an effort to end the war there. After Biden took office, he pledged to get U.S. troops out by September of this year. Once they started to leave, the Taliban rapidly gained control of the nation. Now, many Afghans are risking their lives to get out of their county.

The latest flash point in the conflict came Thursday, when a suicide bomb attack outside the Kabul airport killed 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

Heres a look at how Wyomings congressional delegation has responded to the Talibans takeover and the Kabul airport attack.

Rep. Liz Cheney
They would blow in to have dinner, and wed hang out and laugh. We might shoot guns on our property, you know, skeet or something, Stone said. They loved going to hang out with other friends, building a fire... he was just a lot of fun to be around. He was just a good, fun kid to have in the house.

Stone said when the pair was waiting to find out when they were going to boot camp, his wife would say (half-joking, half-serious) that they should let others go before them in the line of fire if anything happened. Without hesitating, both men said that if anything happened to them while deployed, they would have died doing what they loved.

Little did we know that here we are, two and a half years later, and that would come to pass, Stone said.

Stone said his son is currently deployed, and texted his family earlier on Friday saying he was hurting from the news of McCollums passing.

McCollum attended Jackson Hole High School, where he competed as a wrestler, and was a 2019 graduate of Summit Innovations School in Jackson.
If a state attorney prosecutes crimes  or chooses not to prosecute them  on the basis of ideology and race rather than on questions of impartial law, then who would obey, much less honor any of them?

The police must not just be monitored, but respected and supported. Today they are defamed and defunded. If those who commit crimes do not expect to be arrested and punished, then crime pays. And so we get more of it. Cries to empty the jails and prisons and pull back on police might sound neat on Twitter. But lots of innocent Americans will suffer the deadly consequences of someone elses virtue-signaling.

Before a country can conduct cancer research, explore outer space or defeat its enemies thousands of miles away, its citizens must have access to affordable fuel, food and shelter.

But ideologues now restrict irrigation water, gasoline supplies, power generation and timber production. They may seem woke and enlightened to each other, but they are indifferent to the exorbitant cost of living, the growing shortages of necessities, and the hundreds of thousands of homeless living amid filth, excrement and disease on the nations urban sidewalks.
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.
I never knew I was being abused... There was no hitting, no drinking, no cussing Nah that wasnt abuse; it wasnt happening because he was a pundit- so I would think. He was God sent. But yet still I always felt unworthy; I always felt abandoned
Do you have a news tip?

Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you.

More here
It has been a horrendous experience dealing with WASA for the last six months.

There is a huge water leak around 7 Retrench Village Junction, Cross Crossing, before Style Bar and Kanhai Bar.
There are only a few other tunnels in the world with the quiet capability, but they all operate at higher Mach numbers  6, 8 and 10, he said.

Craig says that after the new nozzle is installed, the tunnel will be the only tunnel in the nation that can produce quiet flow at Mach 5  filling a gap for the study of cruise missiles and other objects that fly at that speed.

Craigs UA lab also has a Mach 4 Quiet Ludwieg Tube wind tunnel it acquired from another school a couple of years ago.

Theres a whole class of vehicles that are completely underserved if you exclusively focus on Mach 8 or higher, Craig said, adding that much of his research is also transferable to higher Mach speeds.

Raytheon support

Raytheon  a longtime supporter of UA engineering programs and key player in the Pentagons hypersonic weapons development programs  is excited about the UAs growing hypersonic research capabilities, said John Otto, senior director for advanced hypersonic weapons for the company.
Hanging in the balance is a statute that says defendants, their lawyers and their investigators can initiate contact with crime victims only through the prosecutors office. That includes not just the actual victims but also family members.

Prosecutors are required to pass on the requests. But they also can advise those the lawyer wants to interview that they have the legal right to simply say no.

The basis is the Victims Bill of Rights, a 1990 voter-approved constitutional amendment designed to spell out the rights of crime victims and their families. It includes things like the right to be present during all stages of the trial, to be notified of all events, and to refuse to be interviewed.

In filing suit against Brnovich and Gov. Doug Ducey, the defense attorneys and the American Civil Liberties Union called the requirement to funnel requests for contact an unconstitutional licensing requirement and prior restraint on speech.

What it also does, according to the lawyers, is make it difficult for them to meet their obligation to provide effective assistance to their clients.
ICU beds

filling up

But for some of the approximately 3,000 faculty members working at the UA, those efforts are not enough because, according to the letter, Many who were prepared for pre-delta disease levels and are now returning to face-to-face teaching find themselves exposed to heightened risk.

A memo from the provosts office sent to faculty shortly before the semester started emphasized that instruction must be delivered in the modality students selected when they signed up for classes. Individual faculty members are not permitted to change the delivery mode of their class.

At a news conference Monday, Robbins, a cardiothoracic surgeon, said the university has not established an exact threshold of new cases that would prompt it to reevaluate offering the majority of classes in person.

Well follow the cases as we did last year, he said. The things that weve always used as the bellwether for how things would change is if our isolation dorms become overwhelmed. If the local hospitals dont have any ICU beds  and were very, very close to that with the hospitals.
He said the answer is doing everything we can to get people vaccinated. It makes no sense to continue to debate about mandates and politics, Carmona said.

Carmonas new role comes as the governor tapped Don Harrington, a 20-plus year employee of the Department of Health Services, to serve as its acting director. For the moment, he replaces Dr. Cara Christ who resigned to take a job at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

Her last day is Friday.

It also comes amid increased criticism of both Ducey and Christ by doctors who say the state should allow school boards to mandate masks in public schools, particularly as those younger than 12 are unable to be vaccinated.

Both the governor and his now soon-to-be-former health director have supported taking that power from school boards. Instead, they contend this should be an individual decision by parents.

And Ducey signed legislation which, beginning Sept. 29, makes such orders by school boards illegal, though there are legal challenges to the validity of that law.

Gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said the creation of this new slot has nothing to do with the debate over masks.
After the state pulled out of funding most of Pima Countys free COVID-19 testing options, the county is revamping its testing operations using its federally allocated dollars while appealing at the federal level to reimburse money it has already spent.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the state health department told the county last Friday it would no longer fund much of the county's free COVID-19 tests as it has been doing since April.

COVID-19 cases in Pima County reported so far in August have already nearly doubled the cases reported in July, according to the data from the state health department, and Pima County Health Director Theresa Cullen says the county is performing nearly 1,400 COVID-19 tests a day.

But as cases spike again, the Arizona Department of Health Services has stopped paying for the countys contract with its largest testing contractor, Paradigm Laboratories.

The state is still funding nasal swab tests at Tucson International Airport and saliva testing at Ellie Towne Center, but Huckelberry says the state dollars the county relied on for fixed testing sites in underrepresented areas are now gone.
Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger has directed his clergy not to grant religious exemptions to community members seeking them for COVID-19 vaccination mandates or mask requirements.

On Tuesday, the leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson sent a letter to priests explaining his perspective on the issue after being approached about exemptions from vaccine and mask mandates.

In the letter, Weisenburger notes while vaccinations are a matter of individual decision, the moral good of the community takes precedence over personal preferences.

I fail to see how a Catholic could ask for an exemption from a vaccine mandate or mask mandate based upon their Catholic faith, Weisenburger wrote. I likewise fail to see how a Catholic minister could endorse such an exemption based upon our Catholic faith. While an individual may have some reservation based upon his or her conscience, such a reservation is unrelated to our Catholic faith.

The Vaticans orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued its stance on COVID-19 vaccinations in December, stating that the vaccines may be received without moral compromise.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  The North Carolina-based Bojangles chain of restaurants announced Friday it will close all of its company-owned establishments on two upcoming days, portraying it as a chance to provide its thousands of employees a well-deserved break amid very challenging times.

But Bojangles employees will not get paid for those days off.

In a statement, the chicken and biscuit chain described its 8,000 crew members and managers as its most vital asset." It encouraged them to use the upcoming closures on Aug. 30 and Sept. 13 for an opportunity to rest and recharge.

The restaurant company's written statement made no mention of whether its workers would be compensated during these closures, framing it as a benefit to its valued employees that would support their health and well-being.

The Associated Press asked company spokesperson Stacey McCray to clarify whether staffers would be paid. In an email, McCray responded: The two days will be unpaid.

Responding to subsequent questions, she said many staff have been working overtime lately and the company thinks they would benefit from having a couple of days off. She said Bojangles would offer employees opportunities to work additional hours if they chose.
Waukesha students from low-income families will still be able to apply for free or reduced-price meals under the traditional National School Lunch Program.

In addition, as was practice before the pandemic, young students in grades lower than high school who come to school without a packed lunch, money or an accepted lunch program application, may be given cheaper meals of cheese sandwiches, finance director Sheri Stack said.

Essentially were going back to the pre-COVID times, Como said.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures decision to extend the Seamless Summer Option during the pandemic to offer free meals year-round has allowed for more COVID-safe practices by eliminating the need to collect payments and allowing meals to be served more easily in classrooms or outside.

The decision also allowed students to be fed regardless of their ability to pay, qualify, convince their parents to fill out forms, or withstand stigma associated with qualifying. Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force, said the program is vital for ensuring access to food.
If bodies are found, the homicide investigation will seek to determine whether the deaths were from natural causes or from foul play, Herion said.

Although it is a felony in Illinois to either conceal any death, he said, the brothers  who are in their late 40s and early 50s  remained free Friday because authorities have so far found no evidence of bodies.

Right now we don't know whether there are bodies buried in the backyard or not. This is just their statements, Herion said.

The chief said the brother who claimed to have conducted the burial said he chose to do so on the property for financial reasons.

Herion said the brothers' father is deceased and his death was recorded with the state, but he had apparently lived elsewhere.

Officers were called to the home after a utility reported that water service wasnt being used at the home. Gas and electric use was also minimal.

Police found that the home was without running water or working toilets, and its back door was barricaded. The home was filled with items and waste from floor to ceiling, including feces and bottles filled with urine. Multiple cats and dogs have been removed from the home, Herion said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency noted in a report on the fire that social, political, and economic concerns will increase as the fire progresses toward the Lake Tahoe Basin. The agency did not immediately respond to a request to elaborate beyond that statement.

Visitors are still crowding the highway that loops the massive lake and riding bikes and walking the beaches, but many are wearing masks. The lake, known for its water clarity and the granite peaks that surround it, has been shrouded in dense smoke that has reached hazardous levels.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority reversed its advice from earlier in the week and recommended tourists postpone their travel. Previously the group that promotes tourism on the south side of the lake advised letting visitors decide whether to cancel their trips amid smoke and approaching fire.

Carol Chaplin, the president and CEO, said hotels and lodges were in lockstep with public safety officials.

They understand that this is not the experience that their guests are used to or look forward to, she said.

Irvin issued an emergency proclamation Thursday so the city that's home to Heavenly Ski Resort can be better prepared if evacuation orders come and be reimbursed for related expenses.
CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP)  An explosion Thursday at a strip mall print shop in a Phoenix suburb blew off the roof and scattered debris around the building, seriously injuring four men inside the business, authorities said.

The cause of the 9:23 a.m. explosion was not immediately known, but authorities were checking for a possible gas leak in a parking lot next to the building, said Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Keith Welch, a department spokesman.

That's still under investigation, Welch said of the possible gas leak.

Welch also said it was unclear if the injured were employees or customers of the print shop.

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, said two of the men were in critical condition in an intensive care unit with the other two in serious condition. But all four of them were expected to recover.

Foster didn't identify any of the victims, saying they were all young males who appeared to suffer second-degree propane flash burns to their arms, hands and legs.

Foster said the victims had burns ranging from 16% to 30% of their bodies and all will need surgery and extended hospital stays, but the injuries could have been worse considering the extent of the damage.
An August poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 43% of Americans think the U.S. government is doing a good job protecting the right to vote, while nearly as many  37%  say its doing a poor job. By comparison, in December of 2015, 70% said it was doing a good job compared with 15% who said a poor job. The drop came across party lines and across racial and ethnic groups.

An AP-NORC poll in April found about half of Americans supported expanding access to early and mail-in voting, while about 3 in 10 were opposed and the rest had no opinion. Automatic voter registration was the most popular Democratic proposal in the survey, endorsed by 60% of Americans.

The Biden administration, which said it supports the voting rights legislation passed by the House, hasnt made getting it through the Senate a priority, critics and advocates say. Many see the biggest Senate hurdle as two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who have said they oppose eliminating the filibuster to take up the voting rights legislation.
We have learned that we must bring order to our country, Sandu, who is Harvard-educated, said Friday. Today we know that our destiny, our wellbeing, and our future are in our hands  our agreement today is that we will build a prosperous and free Moldova.

In 2014, Moldova signed a deal with the EU to forge closer political and economic ties, but corruption and lack of reforms have hampered development.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, an economist whose government was approved by parliament on August 6, said Moldovans must work together to have a country with justice, ... (and) respect for honest work.

May the next 30 years be better, Gavrilita said in a video posted Friday. Let lessons be learned, and mistakes not be repeated.

At a press conference in Chisinau, Romanias Iohannis said he supports Moldovas process of reform and European integration.

In June, the European Commission announced Moldova would receive an unprecedented 600 million-euro ($705 million) economic recovery package from the EU, but said it is conditional on judicial and anti-corruption reforms.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
OPINION: "The "Tucson Fight For 15 is a bad bill for Tucson. Now is the time for us to take a hard look at our future. Will there be opportunities for our children? Grandchildren?" writes Tucson business owner Joshua Jacobsen.
Local journalism is important  and producing it costs time and money.

To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma City must pay nearly $1 million to five attorneys who successfully challenged an anti-panhandling ordinance adopted by the city, a federal judge ruled this week.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton issued the order approving 2,474 billable hours that attorneys spent on the case for a total of $986,350.

A federal appeals court determined in 2020 that the ordinance placing restrictions on panhandling on street medians is an unconstitutional violation of free speech. Plaintiffs included two homeless men who used the medians to panhandle, including one who sold issues of the Curbside Chronicle newspaper, two joggers, a journalist and a community activist who has used medians to protest and erect signs for his legislative candidacy.

Several attorneys for the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union were among those who represented the plaintiffs.

We hope this fee amount will deter Oklahoma City from violating the constitutional rights of Oklahomans and encourage them to consider the concerns of the community in the future," Megan Lambert, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Oklahoma, said in a statement. We will continue our fight for the free speech rights of all Oklahomans.

A spokeswoman for the city didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the judge's order, but city officials have said previously the ordinance was adopted as a public safety measure.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard mourn the loss of Spc. Jacob D. Parker, carpentry and masonry specialist at Camp Gruber Training Center, after his passing on Aug. 21, 2021.

Parker was 19 years old.

We are devastated at the news of Spc. Parkers passing, said Maj. Gen. Michael Thompson, adjutant general for Oklahoma. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jacobs family and our Guard members who served alongside him during this difficult time.

Parker enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard in Nov. 2018, and served alongside a family full of military service members.

He was born on Nov. 7, 2001 in Muskogee, Okla. After high school, Jacob entered into the Army National Guard and was excited to faithfully serve his country, his family said.

He loved the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, and shooting with his brothers. He also enjoyed anything with Star Wars and Marvel and liked to play video games.

Visitation was held Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Shipmans Funeral Home, located at 1204 N.E. 1st St. in Pryor, Okla., 74361.
The American Parkinsons Disease Associations Oklahoma Chapter will host its fourth annual Oklahoma Optimism Walk on Saturday, returning to an in-person event after going virtual last year.

The event is set for 8-10 a.m. at Whiteside Park, 4009 S. Pittsburg Ave., and its not too late to register to participate, organizers say.

The Oklahoma Optimism Walk is one of a series of walks being held nationwide to raise money and awareness in the fight against Parkinsons disease.

Around 1 million Americans live with Parkinsons, including 10,000 in Oklahoma.

Jenny Johnson, American Parkinsons Disease Association Oklahoma executive director, said the annual walks have an empowering effect for participants.

When someone you love is diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, it can be frustrating to not know how to help. But then we see that frustration turn into motivation, determination, and purpose when people take part in the Optimism Walk, she said.
Prosecutors filed a superseding indictment Nov. 4 that added one count of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country that involved a third child and one count of possessing multiple firearms after being subject to a domestic violence protective order.

An affidavit filed in support of Goodins arrest indicated that the former police officer, who has not been employed by Bristow Police Department since November 2019, quoted the then 9-year-old girl as claiming that he sexually abused her twice on Oct. 5, 2019.

The girl was afraid to tell her mother what was happening at the time because she was afraid Goodin would harm them, but she later disclosed the abuse, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Goodin was sentenced after the two victims offered statements to the judge regarding how the crimes had affected them.

Goodin betrayed two young victims and took advantage of the role he played in their lives, said acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

The victims in this case bravely spoke today about the impact of Goodins crimes. I am proud of them for coming forward to face this child predator.
Prosecutors filed a superseding indictment Nov. 4 that added one count of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country that involved a third child and one count of possessing multiple firearms after being subject to a domestic violence protective order.

An affidavit filed in support of Goodins arrest indicated that the former police officer, who has not been employed by the Bristow Police Department since November 2019, quoted the then 9-year-old girl as claiming that he sexually abused her twice on Oct. 5, 2019.

The girl was afraid to tell her mother what was happening at the time because she was afraid Goodin would harm them, but she later disclosed the abuse, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Goodin was sentenced after the two victims offered statements to the judge regarding how the crimes had affected them.

Goodin betrayed two young victims and took advantage of the role he played in their lives, said acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. The victims in this case bravely spoke today about the impact of Goodins crimes. I am proud of them for coming forward to face this child predator.
Tulsa Public Schools Carnegie Elementary School will be closed for a second day Friday due to staff absences.

A decision about Mondays classes will be made by 5 p.m. Sunday. If the campus remains closed beyond Friday, families will have the opportunity to pick up their students Chromebooks and chargers for distance learning, according to a letter from the schools principal, Krista Blanche.

Drive-through meal service will be available for Carnegie students outside the school building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

Seven of Carnegies 23 teachers called in sick Thursday and, via a statement, Blanche said she was unable to secure enough substitute teachers or make other arrangements to safely cover those classes.

A Tulsa Public Schools spokeswoman said Thursday morning that those absences were not due to close-contact COVID-19 exposure quarantines.

Classes start at Carnegie at 7:35 a.m. and the schools only bus stop pickup is scheduled for 7:10 a.m. With teachers scheduled to report for work less than 30 minutes before classes start, notifications started going out to parents about the Thursday closure at 7:14 a.m. via email, text message and Facebook.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was disappointed by the decision and said President Joe Biden is once again calling on all entities that can prevent evictions  from cities and states to local courts, landlords, Cabinet Agencies  to urgently act to prevent evictions.

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who had camped outside the Capitol as the eviction moratorium expired at the end of last month, said Congress must act to reinstate the protections.

We are in an unprecedented and ongoing crisis that demands compassionate solutions that center the needs of the people and communities most in need of our help. We need to give our communities time to heal from this devastating pandemic, she said in a statement. We didnt sleep on those steps just to give up now. Congress must act immediately to prevent mass evictions.

It was the second loss for the administration this week at the hands of the high court's conservative majority. On Tuesday, the court effectively allowed the reinstatement of a Trump-era policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings. The new administration had tried to end the Remain in Mexico program, as it is informally known.
It was the second loss for the administration this week at the hands of the high court's conservative majority. On Tuesday, the court effectively allowed the reinstatement of a Trump-era policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings. The new administration had tried to end the Remain in Mexico program, as it is informally known.

On evictions, Biden acknowledged the legal headwinds the new moratorium would likely encounter. But Biden said that even with doubts about what courts would do, it was worth a try because it would buy at least a few weeks of time for the distribution of more of the $46.5 billion in rental assistance Congress had approved.

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the pace of distribution has increased and nearly a million households have been helped. But only about 11% of the money, just over $5 billion, has been distributed by state and local governments, the department said.

The administration has called on state and local officials to move more aggressively in distributing rental assistance funds and urged state and local courts to issue their own moratoriums to discourage eviction filings until landlords and tenants have sought the funds.
Yesterdays sentencing  is a prime example of an orderly process that preserves public safety and delivers justice in the lawful, appropriate venue, tweeted the Muscogees.

The Muscogees later issued a statement challenging Stitt.

McGirt is not the biggest problem or threat to Oklahoma, it read. For a very real threat to Oklahoma, no one needs to look further than the effects of COVID-19.

The most harmful lie here, though, is the notion that the Supreme Courts McGirt ruling creates a public-safety nightmare for victims and law enforcement. This is false. Every crime in Oklahoma falls under local, state, federal or tribal jurisdiction. No matter where it happens in the state, criminals are arrested, prosecuted and face justice.

Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. also went after Stitt.

Its disappointing to hear a governor of Oklahoma fail to understand the basic facts of the states relationship with tribes, Hoskin said in a written statement. But that is consistent with how he and his new attorney general (OConnor) have approached McGirt: its never been about the facts or about supporting victims, but about undermining tribal sovereignty.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lankas Catholic Church said Friday that 25 people charged this week in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed 269 people could be smaller fish, and accused the government of still not taking steps to identify the true conspirators.

The head of the archdiocese of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said the presidents office has not answered questions he raised in a letter last month over allegations that officials in state intelligence agencies knew and met with the attackers.

He asked Catholics to raise black flags at their homes and on their vehicles as a mark of protest.

On Tuesday, the attorney general filed 23,270 charges against 25 people under the countrys anti-terrorism law. The charges include conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition and attempted murder.

The attorney general also asked the chief justice to appoint a special three-member high court bench to hear the cases speedily.

We dont want to say the 25 persons are innocent, but we have a question whether this is an attempt to net the smaller fish and let the sharks go, Ranjith said.
I once thought it inconceivable to deal with the Vietnamese communists, much less become their friend, but the last 25 years have taught me that authentic, caring and confident Americans can do just that.

Sens. John Kerry and John McCain led the way on Vietnam. We need someone with the same caliber of leadership who can quickly build a working relationship with the new ruler in Kabul.

It is time to look ahead and double our efforts to persuade the Taliban that it is in their best interest to work with Washington so they can remain in power with the support of the Afghan people.

Some assume the Taliban cannot change. My experience with the once-hated Vietnamese communists leads me to believe the Taliban can change under the right conditions and incentives. We will have to convince them that we no longer aim for regime change in Kabul, just as we had to convince Hanoi. In the long run, our national interests will be better served.

Finally, lets welcome refugees from Afghanistan to the United States. These Afghans are our friends and supporters. We want a community of Afghan Americans to help the U.S. build bridges with Afghanistan that will endure in the future.
It was disappointing that Gov. Kevin Stitt did not mention the COVID-19 crisis in his State of the State address Thursday at a Tulsa Regional Chamber event.

The pandemic is the biggest threat facing Oklahoma; hospitalizations are growing along with the infection rate and deaths. This must be a high priority for our leaders.

This comes a day after the Tulsa City Council passed a watered-down and toothless resolution that encourages mask wearing. Even that is more than what most Oklahoma municipal officials are doing.

The contrast is educators stepping up to lead aggressively in the charge against the virus.

The same day as Stitts address, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister opened a State Board of Education meeting by noting the COVID-related deaths of an eighth grader and a teacher in the state. She used that moment to encourage vaccinations and other prevention tools.

Also, Tulsa Public Schools is implementing a mask requirement for staff and students in defiance of a new state law.
The stunning events currently unfolding in Afghanistan have Americans asking more questions than there are answers.

But, while this process plays out, I ask each person to consider what is happening from a different angle.

Our great military defeated the Taliban in two months in 2001. That is a fact.

Let me reiterate with some more information. The Taliban offered an unconditional surrender and offered to disarm fully in December of 2001.

In clear language, they offered to turn in their weapons, stop fighting and go home. They offered to meet U.S. forces in Kandahar and surrender all their weapons, effectively ending the war against the Taliban.

The president of the new Afghan government, Hamid Karzai, was open to this. They also agreed to give up Osama Bin Laden in 2001, if we accepted the unconditional surrender and allowed the new Afghan government to take over.

President George W. Bush rejected that offer.

Twenty years later, both President Donald Trump (who invited the Taliban to Camp David for peace talks) and President Joe Biden (who is in a quagmire right now) are now leaving with a Taliban takeover instead of an unconditional surrender, disarmament and Bin Laden in 2001.
SINGAPORE -- Fintech and e-commerce companies in Southeast Asia are raising hefty amounts of capital as global investors bet on post-pandemic technology plays, bankers and investors said, a trend that is also stoking concerns about frothy valuations.

Public equity capital raising by Southeast Asian firms has surged to a four-year high of $8.4 billion this year, data from Refinitiv shows, with companies such as Indonesian e-commerce firm Bukalapak attracting strong interest in its IPO.

Private equity investments have also jumped, reaching $8.2 billion, just shy of a record of $8.9 billion in 2020 and expanding the "unicorn" club of startups valued at more than $1 billion.

Near-term fundraising activity will be led by Indonesian tech group GoTo's expected completion of a $2 billion pre-IPO funding, while about a dozen start-ups are looking to list regionally or in the United States over the next two years, bankers and investors said.

The hectic pace of activity comes as the COVID-19 pandemic boosts consumers' adoption of digital platforms and investors scout for internet-based companies that are able to grow their businesses faster in a region of 650 million people.

Cash-rich global funds are also sharpening their focus on these opportunities, given China's regulatory crackdown on technology companies.

"There's strong interest from public market investors to get exposure to the growth profile of this region," said Jeffrey Perlman, head of Southeast Asia at buyout fund Warburg Pincus, one of the biggest investors in the region.

Startups looking to list as early as this year include Indonesian travel firm Traveloka and online classified marketplace Carousell, sources familiar with the plans said.

Other sources said Thai e-commerce enabler aCommerce and startup Pomelo Fashion are considering IPOs next year. Regional logistics group Ninja Van said an IPO was a possibility but it gave no timeline.

Traveloka and Carousell declined to comment. Pomelo Fashion and aCommerce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"We do see more exciting companies emerge. I would be constructive on the opportunities within Southeast Asia," said Sukumar Rajah, director of portfolio management at Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity.

A woman uses her phone near a sign for the online ride-hailing service Grab at the Manggarai train station in Jakarta, Indonesia July 3, 2017. Photo: Reuters

'Real opportunity'

Southeast Asia's internet economy is forecast to triple to $300 billion by 2025 from end-2020, according to a report from Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.

The total value of venture capital transactions has already hit a record $10 billion in the first half of this year, surpassing 2020's level of $8.2 billion, data from industry tracker Preqin shows.

"Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand  all these countries have large enough domestic populations where digitisation opportunities can be unicorn size," Jeffrey Jaensubhakij, chief investment officer at Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC said last month.

"The difficulty lies in which are the few business models that can really do pan-regional because that's where the real opportunity is."

The region has also attracted interest from SPACS or special purpose acquisition companies and accounts for four of eight Asia-related SPAC targets unveiled this year, Dealogic data shows.

"Investors have also been to the movie before in China and India, so they are looking to leverage that experience in a bigger way and avoid missing out on some of those same opportunities," said Perlman from Warburg Pincus.

Ride-hailing and food delivery firm Grab, struck a record $40 billion SPAC deal in April as part of a U.S. listing.

"It's rare that our part of the world gets the attention. It's not China or India or Australia or Korea but Southeast Asia," said Hari Krishnan, CEO of regional online marketplace PropertyGuru, referring to interest from SPACs.

Singapore-based PropertyGuru agreed a $1.8 billion mergerwith a SPAC backed by tycoons Richard Li and Peter Thiel to list in the United States.

Singapore-based gaming to e-commerce firm Sea's stellar U.S. share performance since its listing four years ago has also encouraged investors.

However, some concerns are emerging over whether the abundant global liquidity is inflating company valuations and if they can be sustained in secondary markets.

For example, Bukalapak, which launched Indonesia's biggest IPO of $1.5 billion this month after scaling it up from $300 million, saw its shares jump 55% from its IPO price in the first few days before giving up most of its gains.

"To justify its high enterprise value to sales multiples, Bukalapak will need to maintain annual revenue growth at around 50% over the next five years, which seems like a rather difficult target," said Oshadhi Kumarasiri, equity analyst at LightStream Research.
The Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) has sold its consumer finance company to Thailands Bank of Ayudhya, also known as Krungsri Bank.

SHB confirmed on Thursday that its board of directors had approved the sale of 100 percent of SHB Finances charter capital.

The Vietnamese bank is expected to immediately transfer 50 percent of the firms capital to Krungsri, while the remaining 50 percent will be handed over after three years.

Although the value of the deal was not disclosed, SHB said that it would bring a significant surplus to SHB's shareholders as well as improve the lenders financial capacity and reputation.

Meanwhile, Krungsri previously revealed it would spend THB5.1 billion (US$156 million) on the deal.

Being in the top 10 consumer finance companies in Vietnam, SHB Finance is evaluated as highly potential, with a charter capital of VND1 trillion ($43.8 million), according to SHB.

Krungsri is the fifth-largest financial group in Thailand in terms of assets, loans, and deposits. It is a strategic member of Japans Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG).

MUFG has a lot of experience operating in the Vietnamese market as a strategic shareholder owning a 20 percent stake at VietinBank.

Four months ago, Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) sold 49 percent of its FE Credits shares to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui for $1.4 billion.

Other lenders including Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank), Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB), and Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank) have also sold stakes in their finance companies to foreign investors.

Statistics show that Vietnams consumer credit outstanding balance has reached VND1,800 trillion ($78.6 billion), up 2.5 times compared to 2012.

Consumer credit demand is likely to continue growing over 10 percent per year in the country, given the average age of its population at 32.9.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A contaminant found in a batch of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Japan is believed to be a metallic particle, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported, citing sources at the health ministry.

Japan on Thursday suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's vaccine, more than a week after the domestic distributor received reports of contaminants in some vials.

The NHK report published late on Thursday cited the ministry as saying the particle reacted to magnets and was therefore suspected to be a metal. Moderna has described it as "particulate matter" that did not pose a safety or efficacy issue.

The health ministry official in charge of vaccine matters was not immediately available when contacted by Reuters. The ministry has said the suspension is a precaution.

But the move prompted several Japanese companies to cancel worker vaccinations and the European drugs regulator to launch an investigation.

Spanish pharma company Rovi, which bottles Moderna vaccines for markets other than the United States, said the contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue in one of its production lines and it was conducting an investigation.

The Japanese government has not disclosed how many shots from the contaminated batch had already been administered. Kyodo News reported at least 176,000 shots were administered, based on its own tally of figures reported by local municipalities.
The official visit of United States Vice President Kamala Harris has reflected multiple commitments the U.S. makes to intensify its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam.

The visit, which ran from August 24 to 26, is the first by a U.S. vice president to the Southeast Asian country.

During the trip, Vice President Harris joined talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and met with State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

During the meetings, the U.S. vice president reiterated that the U.S. supports a strong, prosperous, and independent Vietnam, as well as a free, open, healthy, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

She also announced the donation of an additional one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam and launched the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi.

Regarding economic cooperation, Harris stated that Vietnam has become one of the U.S.s 10 largest trading partners in the world.

Vietnam's economy plays an important role in the U.S. supply chain, she added.

The vice president added that the U.S. would closely coordinate with Vietnam in maintaining a rules-based international order.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gesture at the Government Office in Hanoi, August 25, 2021. Photo: Quang Minh / Tuoi Tre

She stressed the importance of strengthening security and defense ties between the U.S. and Vietnam as well as the coordination between the two countries' coast guards.

As part of her trip, Vice President Harris witnessed a ceremony to sign an agreement on the new location of the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam.

During her talks with PM Chinh, the vice president stated that Washington treasures its comprehensive partnership with Hanoi and pledged to continue fostering bilateral ties.

The U.S. government will continue giving priority to reinforcing bilateral relations in economy and trade, climate change, civil space, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, she said, adding that the U.S. will offer further assistance to Vietnam in dealing with post-war consequences, United Nations peacekeeping missions, and improving maritime security and cooperation.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the Vietnam-U.S. diplomatic relationship.

Bilateral trade turnover has increased from US$451 million in 1995 to over $90 billion in 2020.

The two nations strive to raise the figure to $100 billion in 2021.

The U.S. has announced the donation of six million COVID-19 vaccine shots and nearly $44 million worth of assistance to Vietnam since the beginning of the pandemic.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
About 3.5 percent of roughly one million samples taken for COVID-19 testing in Ho Chi Minh City from Monday to Wednesday came back positive, according to Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Health.

Nam said at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that the testing speed in the city increased rapidly during the three days.

The number of collected samples was only about one million, still just half of the target of two million set by city leaders for the current mass testing drive.

Nam affirmed that functional forces will accelerate testing to meet the goal before carrying out the second testing round.

Correspondingly, 3.5, 3.2, and 3.8 percent of the samples taken on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were positive for the virus, according to Nam.

On average, 3.5 percent of the samples taken on those three days returned positive, the health deputy director said.

As the positivity rate is under five percent, were confident that we can detect all infections before September 15, he stated, referring to the central governments order for Ho Chi Minh City to put the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak under control prior to mid-September.

As of Thursday evening, Vietnam had documented 392,938 COVID-19 cases, with 188,488 recoveries and 9,667 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has confirmed 388,814 domestic transmissions in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities in its current fourth bout with the virus, which began on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City stays atop with 194,100 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 86,050, Dong Nai Province with 20,471, Long An Province with 19,495, and Tien Giang Province with 8,509.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
About 2,000 residents living in poor-quality tenanted houses in Ho Chi Minh City have been moved to other locations to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection.

The evacuation was carried out by authorities in Binh Thanh District on Thursday.

This plan aims to provide assistance and safety for people living in substandard tenanted houses in areas at high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The residents, who have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, were moved to Cong Doan Hotel and Apartment Building 1050 in Binh Thanh.

They will reside at the new places for 22 days and will be provided with food, cash, and vaccination.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters at Apartment Building 1050, most of the evacuated residents are university students and laborers in difficult circumstances.

Each two-bedroom apartment is arranged for four people.

Many soldiers joined hands to help the residents move their belongings to the new places.

Residents move to an apartment building in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2021. Photo: Dan Thuan / Tuoi Tre

Vu Van Binh, 56, said he was very happy to be given a safer home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Binh used to earn his living by selling lottery tickets, but the job has been suspended due to COVID-19.

There were a lot of coronavirus cases found in my previous neighborhood, which was very worrying as my wife and I both have underlying health conditions. We have been unable to pay our rent for several months, the man elaborated.

Two people carry their belongings to their new home in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

At Cong Doan Hotel, each 30-quare-meter room can shelter three to four people.

After settling down, the residents were handed meals and other essential items including rice, milk, sugar, and soy sauce.

District authorities also gifted VND500,000 (US$22) to each of the residents.

Aside from the donated supplies, people can buy food and other necessities at mobile grocery trucks in the coming days, according to Vu Ngoc Tuat, secretary of the Binh Thanh Party Committee.

Officials visit residents at their new home in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2021. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

All residents are required to strictly follow pandemic prevention and control regulations during their stay, Tuat continued.

They will be given COVID-19 vaccines in the near future.

Security and healthcare units, as well as volunteers, have been tasked with taking care of the residents during the period, said Dinh Khac Huy, chairman of the district administration.

Soldiers collect information of residents following the evacuation. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Ho Chi Minh City is the hardest-hit locality in the country during the fourth wave, with over 194,000 local infections recorded since April 27.

The municipal authorities have asked people to stay where they are from August 23 to September 6, as part of their drastic measures to push back the serious pandemic.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Nearly two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Ministry of Health.

The shipments included over 796,000 Pfizer-BioNTech shots donated by the U.S., 400,000 AstraZeneca jabs gifted by Australia, and 770,000 Pfizer-BioNTech shots as part of a 31-million-dose purchase contract.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced during a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Wednesday that the U.S. would provide over one million shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Vietnam.

The remaining 269,100 doses are expected to be delivered on Friday.

On July 14, Australia announced it would share 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses with Vietnam this year.

Vietnam has so far received more than 26 million COVID-19 vaccine doses of various types through purchase, the COVAX Facility, and donations from other countries.

The country is expected to receive a shipment containing millions of AstraZeneca jabs this weekend.

About 9.3 million COVID-19 vaccine shots are also anticipated to arrive in the Southeast Asian nation in September.

The health ministry added that it has just allocated about two million more AstraZeneca shots and 10,000 Sputnik V doses to provinces and cities.

It noted that inoculation progress in the country has been slowing down, with only 300,000 to 400,000 shots being administered on a daily basis.

The country needs to give at least 500,000 shots a day to meet its goal.

The government 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.

As of Thursday, 18,522,203 doses had been administered, with 2,139,545 people fully vaccinated.

Vietnam has documented 392,938 COVID-19 cases as of Friday afternoon, with 188,488 recoveries and 9,667 deaths.

It has recorded 388,814 local infections in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities since the fourth wave began on April 27.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Police of Phu Tho Province in northern Vietnam on Tuesday cracked down on a religious gathering that was held illegally during an ongoing social distancing period.

Since August 3, Phu Tho has required all non-essential services, as well as religious gatherings and traditional festivals, to be halted in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the province.

On Wednesday, the Peoples Committee of Viet Tri City, the capital city of Phu Tho, said they had imposed a total of VND148 million (US$6,486) in fines on 20 people who flouted social distancing rules to attend a hau dong religious ceremony in the area.

The function, hosted by religious leader N.D.N.A., was busted on Tuesday evening at the office of Van Nam Phu Tho Company in Viet Tri.

A total of 20 people, three of whom are from the neighboring province of Vinh Phuc, were found participating in the ceremony at the time.

N.D.N.A., the organizer of the religious ceremony, writes an account of his violations at a police station in Phu Tho Province. Photo courtesy of Phu Tho Department of Public Security

A., was fined VND10 million ($438), while 18 other attendees faced a penalty of VND7.5 million ($329) each. The remainder, who is 16 years old, was required to pay a fine of VND3.7 ($162) million.

Local police also worked with functional forces to perform COVID-19 testing on the participants, the results returning negative.

Hau dong, or trance ceremony, is arguably the most popular celebration of Dao Mau, or Mother Goddess worship, a belief that pays particular respect to the creative and productive power of the Divine Mother in Vietnams indigenous belief.

It uses the figure of the Mother in a myriad of forms, including costumes and performance art, to pray for luck, health, wealth, and protection.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Two siblings drowned in a lake in Vietnam's Hai Phong City on Thursday while playing outside following a heavy rain, police said that same day.

Rescuers spent Thursday afternoon searching for D.G.L., 12, and D.K.C., 11, in Tien Nga Lake in Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong.

The two girls had been playing near their house, located a short distance from the lake, at around 1:00 pm.

An unusually heavy downpour had hit Hai Phong earlier that day, causing the lake to overflow and spill onto the road, making it difficult to distinguish water from asphalt.

L. and C. fell into the lake and went missing.

Informed of the incident, functional forces and local residents searched for the two children.

With the aid of motorboats and divers, the bodies of the two children were found near their house hours later.

There are many houses located near Tien Nga Lake, with no fences separating them from the lake, except for only a small road.

Thursdays heavy rain submerged several streets in up to one meter of water.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Ministry of Health confirmed more than 17,000 domestic COVID-19 infections on Friday, together with over 10,000 recoveries and 386 deaths.

Forty-two provinces and cities reported 17,409 local cases whereas a separate 19 infections were imported from abroad, the health ministry said.

The health ministry had logged 11,569 locally-infected patients on Thursday.

Above 6,600 of the latest local cases were found in the community while the remaining were detected in isolated areas or centralized quarantine facilities.

Binh Duong Province recorded 8,695 of the new domestic infections, including 4,508 detected in previous days; Ho Chi Minh City 5,383, up by 1,449 patients; Dong Nai Province 996; Long An Province 454; Tien Giang Province 312; Da Nang 202; Tay Ninh Province 132; Khanh Hoa Province 131; Quang Binh Province 125; Dong Thap Province 122; An Giang Province 91; Binh Thuan 87; and Hanoi 77.

Since the fourth COVID-19 wave began in Vietnam on April 27, the country has confirmed 406,233 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Ho Chi Minh City is taking the lead with 199,483 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 94,745, Dong Nai Province with 21,467, Long An Province with 19,949, Tien Giang Province with 8,821, Dong Thap Province with 6,554, Khanh Hoa Province with 6,124, Bac Giang Province with 5,844, Da Nang with 3,907, and Hanoi with 3,132.

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 documented 10,126 recoveries on Friday, bringing the total to 198,614 recovered patients.

The death toll has risen to 10,053 after the health ministry documented 386 fatalities the same day, including 287 in Ho Chi Minh City and 34 in Binh Duong Province.

The Southeast Asian country has detected an accumulation of 410,366 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it on January 23, 2020.

Health workers gave 298,212 vaccine doses on Thursday.

About 18.8 million vaccine shots have been administered in Vietnam since the country rolled out vaccination on March 8, with over 2.2 million people having been fully vaccinated.

The Vietnamese government expects to obtain 175 million shots of various vaccines, including 51 million Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, by early 2022.

It set a target of immunizing two-thirds of a population of nearly 98 million people against COVID-19 by the first quarter of next year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
ABC has dropped a powerful new trailer for its anthology series Fires, to screen in late September.

The six part series co-created by Belinda Chayko and Tony Ayres and inspired by true events, dramatises the experiences of everyday people at the front line of the devastating fires of the 2019-2020 Australian summer.

The cast includes Eliza Scanlen, Hunter Page-Lochard, Richard Roxburgh, Miranda Otto, Taylor Ferguson, Anna Torv, Mark Leonard Winter, Dan Spielman, Sam Worthington, Charlotte Best, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall, Sullivan Stapleton, Noni Hazlehurst and newcomers Ameshol Ajang and Stacy Clausen.

Filmed in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year, the series honours the experiences of the many people affected by these fires. It acknowledges the losses suffered and the ways people came together in the face of a devastating natural disaster.

Beneath the unfathomable scale of the fires and behind the images and the headlines were thousands of stories of people directly affected by the fires. Stories of heartbreak and loss, heroism, humanity, and community.

The series begins in Queensland in September 2019, at the start of the fire season, and continues as the fires make their deadly march south, burning out of control through NSW and Victoria until February 2020. Each episode is set in a different location as the fires spread and build to a terrifying onslaught across the country through Christmas and New Year.

As the fires grow in intensity and ferocity and threaten different communities, new characters appear, whose stories reflect the breadth of experience during Australias black summer. Through the episodes we meet volunteer firefighters, families who have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones, people who have to make agonising decisions about whether to stay or flee; those escaping homes and once idyllic holiday destinations; and others who find themselves responsible for the lives of friends and strangers.

Fires is co-created by Belinda Chayko and Tony Ayres. Chayko (Safe Harbour, Stateless) was also showrunner and lead writer, alongside Jacqueline Perske (The Cry), Mirrah Foulkes (Judy and Punch), Steven McGregor (Mystery Road) and Anya Beyersdorf (Eden). The series is produced by Elisa Argenzio (Lambs of God), with executive producers Tony Ayres (Stateless, The Slap, Glitch), Andrea Denholm (Wrong Kind of Black, How to Stay Married), Liz Watts (The King, True History of the Kelly Gang. Directors on the series are Michael Rymer (Hannibal, Picnic at Hanging Rock), Ana Kokkinos (Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Hunting) and Kim Mordaunt (Wakefield, The Rocket).

Production credits: The series is produced by Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), which is backed by NBCUniversal International Studios and Matchbox Pictures, for the ABC. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC, with support from Film Victoria through the Victorian Screen Incentive and Regional Location Assistance Fund. Distribution is handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution. ABC Executive Producers: Sally Riley and Brett Sleigh.

8.40pm Sunday, 26 September on ABC.
Camerawork on Australian Survivor has certainly made the most of the dusty red vistas of Cloncurry, 1700km north west of Brisbane.

In a departure from previous tropical island locations of Fiji and Samoa, Brains Vs. Brawn has been filmed against a backdrop of dusty red plains, craggy outcrops, dry grasslands and outback waterways.

Keely Sonntag, Executive Producer, Endemol Shine Australia said, Visually, the locations, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets were stunning and unlike anything wed used before. The Cloncurry outback added a whole other level of interest and spectacle that could never be achieved overseas. We had the space and facilities to produce one of the largest reality shows in Australia, the weather was ideal for our shoot period, and the local crew were extremely talented and hard-working.

We also had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from the Mitakoodi People, the Traditional Owners of the Country on which Survivor was filmed, which was a hugely rewarding part of the experience, said Sonntag.

We absolutely loved working with Screen Queensland and the local community, and we are so appreciative of the incredible support and assistance we received throughout.

Australian Survivor continues 7:30pm Sunday  Tuesday on 10.

Photos by Nigel Wright.

Source: AusFilm
From left, Dr. Tam Nannen, TJC dean of students; Renee Hawkins, TJC director of student support services; Brad Gifford, TJC director of TRIO programs; Peggy Wagstaff Smith, first vice president of the TJC Board of Trustees; Dr. Juan E. Mejia, TJC president; and Clint Roxburgh and John Hills, members of the TJC Board of Trustees.
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."
The University of North Georgia (UNG) has been awarded approximately $21 million through the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to continue to support students who have an exceptional need for cost of attendance expenses.

"The university's HEERF III (UNG CARES III) student funding plan features two ways to get funding, the automatic disbursement and the emergency grant application. The plan helps us provide financial assistance to as many students as possible," Jill Rayner, director of Financial Aid, said. "Unlike with previous UNG CARES funds, we plan to issue funds and grants through two disbursements during the semester to help students finish strong."

The HEERF III funds are open to all UNG undergraduate, graduate, dual enrollment, non-degree, transient, international, DACA and undocumented students. Students may get funding through automatic disbursements or emergency grants; some may qualify for both.

To be eligible for an automatic disbursement, a student must:

be enrolled for fall semester as of Sept. 11, 2021;

have completed a FAFSA for 2021-2022; and

be eligible for Title IV financial aid, with an estimated family contribution (EFC) of $5,846 or less.

Eligible students will receive automatic grants of $300 to $700. Funds will be disbursed twice: the week of Sept. 13 and the week of Nov. 8. Students must set-up a refund preference prior to Sept. 8, or funds may be delayed by a minimum of 14 days.

Students who are facing specific hardships may apply for up to $1,800 through the HEERF III (UNG CARES III) Emergency Grant. Students who receive automatic disbursement may be eligible for the Emergency Grant as well.

"For emergency grants, the application reviewers will evaluate the need of the student to attend college," Rayner said. "This emergency funding is open to all UNG students, but funding may be limited due to high demand, so we encourage students to apply early."

Funds may be used for cost of attendance expenses such as housing, utilities, food, technology, books, supplies, transportation, gas, mental and physical wellness and childcare.

As funding remains available, similar grants will be available to eligible students who are enrolled in the spring semester.

For additional information, visit http://go.ung.edu/ung-cares.

The newest allocation of $21 million is in addition to the $13.6 million in federal funds the university has distributed to students since April 2020.
Privacy Policy

We collect limited information about web visitors and use cookies on our website to provide you with the most optimal experience and improve our website. To learn more about our website privacy practices, please review University of Richmonds general data privacy regulation policy. To continue to our website, you must click on I agree to agree to this use.

I Agree
Chinas economic and political influence in Eurasia has expanded significantly in the last 10 years through two methods, namely Beijing-led multilateral initiatives and bilateral agreements tailored to the partner country in question. Arguably, no other region presented a harder challenge to China than the Middle East, as Beijing had to maneuver between greatly antagonistic states, such as the Iran-Saudi Arabia-Israel triangle, and conduct its diplomatic strategy in a way that can please each state without angering the others. As The Diplomat writes, Chinas relations with Israel in particular had to be based on a highly pragmatic and non-political stance, as both countries had other factors to consider. China had to manage and hopefully stay out of the Middle Eastern conflict quagmire. In addition, Israeli foreign and security policy must always align with the vision of its great power patron, the United States. Ministry officials in Jerusalem were no stranger to this delicate balancing act, as in two previous cases Israel had to withdraw certain weapon or allegedly dual-use technology deals with China under U.S. pressure, hurting or even ending the career of the Israeli officials involved.

Regardless of the complicated Chinese-Israeli history and Washingtons red lines, the last 10 years under Netanyahu-led Israeli governments saw an unprecedented rise in Chinese-Israeli partnerships, always described as pragmatic and mutually beneficial, directed against no other power. What sounded perfect on paper and in speeches was, however, not meant to be as smooth as both sides envisioned it, as the China-U.S. competition was becoming more severe and increasingly focused on the technological domain.

On the Chinese side, the partnership with Israel was always framed as a special case. During the peak era of the expanding Belt and Road Initiative years, when Beijing upgraded its relations with dozens of participating states under the umbrella of comprehensive partnerships, it signed a comprehensive innovation partnership treaty with Israel. This wording, with a focus on innovation, was meant to signal to the world that this deal was not about any political alignment; it was solely about business. However, as these business deals were gradually encroaching on the two most important areas of the current global power competition  critical infrastructure and advanced technology  the developing relationship was facing more and more criticism, both domestic and foreign. Israeli national security personnel were highly alarmed by the Netanyahu governments efforts to put economic interests over national security considerations, going against the grain of the security-focused Israeli decision-making culture.

Domestic criticism, however, was not able to trump the civilian governments vision of broadening the investor pool in the country. Israel is an interesting case, as it can attract significant capital for private business ventures, but it struggles to realize any great public project (such as railways, ports, and pipelines) that does not offer either direct, immediate business profit or military usage. Chinese investments, guided by the Belt and Road Initiatives vision of expanding Eurasian connectivity, were exactly what Israel needed for its own strategy of positioning itself as a connectivity node between the three adjunct continents and to develop its infrastructure accordingly.

The mounting tensions came to a head with the selling of Israels Haifa port to a Chinese state-backed investor, Shanghai International Port Group, in 2015, which raised alarms in Washington. This purchase threatened to expand Chinese surveillance in the Eastern Mediterranean over the U.S. Navy and its allies in an environment already contested, among others, between the EU, Turkey, Russia, the U.S., and Iran. A key issue was the regular port calls by the U.S. 6th Fleet in Haifa, which were to be stopped if the Israelis did not correct their negligent approach to and lack of security oversight of growing Chinese influence. Similar veiled and open threats came from the White House, which knew full well that, for the highly intertwined Israeli military and political elite, the dismantling of the pillars of U.S. guarantees was absolutely unacceptable. Reluctantly, politicians in Jerusalem had to adopt an investment screening mechanism under U.S. pressure and scale back the rapid engagement with China, while still trying to balance between attracting capital and maintaining U.S. support.

Washington had to realize that it cannot block its Middle Eastern partner from attracting foreign capital, thereby damaging its own interests in the Jewish state. Paradoxically, the Israeli domestic political crisis of 2019-2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic provided time for Washington to develop an alternative strategy to harsh pressure, while Israel was internally focused. The United States had to offer other possibilities, a strategy it is also employing in the Indo-Pacific region to sway away countries from Chinas orbit.

The key to solving this conundrum came with Trump administrations initiative in 2019-2020, the long-promised Deal of the Century entitled Peace to Prosperity. Under this framework, the Trump administration oversaw the normalization and peace agreements that came to be known as the Abraham Accords. A significant solution to the Middle Eastern economic problems would be the linking of Gulf capital, Israeli technology, global markets, and Arab labor. The first three aspects were largely achieved by the Accords, while the fourth pillar remains unsolved, as economic means cannot circumvent political solutions to the Palestinians plight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Among the countries that signed the treaty, the United Arab Emirates is in the best position to provide the amount of capital needed in Israel, as long as Saudi Arabia remains only a clandestine partner of the Jewish state.

After the ceremonies ended in September 2020, economic deals between the Israelis and the Emiratis started to flow with great pace, the first warm peace between Israel and an Arab country. Economic cooperation was extended to all areas that were previously attracting Chinese capital, including high-tech companies, joint ventures, and critical infrastructure. The last issue was the most significant, as it was unthinkable even a few years ago that Israel would let foreign powers, let alone Arab states, take over ports and pipelines. The change shows how the Middle East has changed with the entry of China into the picture and with the relative drawdown in U.S. influence. These processes forced regional states to band together, especially in light of an expanding Iran (itself a strategic partner of China).

The most notable project using Emirati capital to satisfy the Israeli needs is the development of Haifa port, just opposite the previously mentioned Chinese-owned section of the bay. In this project, the Dubai-based DP World has partnered with Israel Shipyards Industries (a key element of the Israeli military-industrial complex) to create a U.S. friendly harbor at this critical future transportation hub. Furthermore, both sides are working on the Med-Red pipeline project, which would link Eilat port on the northern tip of the Red Sea and Ashkelon on the Mediterranean shore, allowing Gulf oil to circumvent the Suez Canal.

The cooperation has naturally faced some obstacles, such as the withdrawal of U.S. grants supporting the deals and Israeli environmental concerns regarding the above-mentioned pipeline. These issues are, however, natural and do not take away from the significance of the strategic shift in the Middle East power relations and network of cooperation. From the Emirati point of view, the political shackles came loose, and their funds are ready to be invested in one of the most productive technology hubs in the world at a strategic location. Meanwhile, the Israelis are eager to sell their assets and utilize their geographic position without angering the United States.

Where does this leave the formerly blossoming Chinese-Israeli economic relations? It is important to highlight that we can only speak about a break in the trajectory of expanding relations, but (at least at the time of writing) not about the rolling back of Chinese influence. The assets that were already sold by Israel will remain in Chinese possession, but newer acquisitions would be limited by investment screening, or will not even get into the negotiating stage, as the expanding Emirati involvement is currently scooping up all potential opportunities. Arguably, the relationship will not see a big falling out, but rather both sides will quietly lose interest in expanding ties at the pace seen prior to 2019. While in previous months, Israel-UAE political and business visits were constantly held, both live and online, similar interactions with China are notably absent. On the governmental level, the new Bennett-Lapid cabinet in Israel came with a multifaceted foreign policy strategy, engaging with old and new partners, although not with China.

China has many other options in the Middle East to expand its influence and does not need to waste its energy on haggling with Israeli decisions-makers for minimal gains under constant scrutiny. Therefore, Beijing is also turning back toward its former pro-Palestinian diplomatic stance and to its more traditional partners such as Iran and Syria.

The previous pace of developing the Chinese-Israeli partnership was uncomfortable and threatening to Israeli domestic and foreign parties, especially the United States. Israel has now become aligned with the broad patterns of the U.S. and China great power competition in the global arena, casting a deeper shadow on the Middle East.
The president of Tajikistan has said that his government will not recognize the Talibans rule (banned in Russia) over Afghanistan unless the countrys ethnic Tajik minority is accorded a worthy role in the running of the country, Eurasianet writes.

Emomali Rahmon made his remarks  his first public adoption of a position on recent events in Afghanistan  during an August 25 meeting with Pakistans Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The general tenor of the Tajik leaders evaluations of the Taliban were largely negative and will have been greeted with some disappointment by Qureshi, who is this week touring all fellow Afghanistan-bordering nations  barring China  with the mission of pressing them to interact with the emergent government in Kabul.

Rahmon said his confidence in the Taliban has been undermined by the groups abandonment of pledges to consider power-sharing with all political forces in Afghanistan. In the interests of avoiding political and security crises, an inclusive government involving all ethnic minorities should be formed, Rahmon said. The president estimated the Tajik segment of the population as constituting 46 percent of the whole. International estimates tend to put the proportion closer to around one-quarter of the population.

The Tajik governments position is that the government should be formed through elections and that a form of rule based on cruelty and persecution cannot be tolerated.

Afghanistans unrest has sparked something of a surge of ethno-patriotism among some quarters in Tajikistan. Facebook-based jingoists in the southern city of Kulob have, for example, declared that they were prepared to join the ranks of Tajik fighters holding out against the Taliban in Afghanistans Panjshir Valley. The last wave of such sentiments online was seen in late April, when Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan came to deadly blows in a dispute over water resources.

A minor pro-government pocket party, the Democratic Party of Tajikistan, earlier this month likewise deployed the ethnic card by talking in a public appeal about how what was happening in Afghanistan was a genocide of the Taliban carried out against non-Pashtun peoples.

This terrorist group has devastated Tajik lands, houses, cities and villages in recent years. Today, the brutal acts of terrorists have reached the level of genocide, especially in the Tajik-speaking regions, the party said in a statement posted on its leaders Facebook page.

Given the political realities of Tajikistan, it is unlikely that the party would have presumed to make the statement without some form of behind-the-scenes official endorsement, or even encouragement, although their position is considerably more vituperative than anything Dushanbe has ventured.

It had been alleged in some corners, although with nothing like any serious substantiation, that Tajikistan has even supplied weaponry to anti-Taliban forces in the Panjshir Valley. The Foreign Ministry has forcefully denied this claim, however.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hopes to reset relations with the US and agree how to stop Iran's nuclear programme during his first meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. The right-wing nationalist took office in June after forming an ideologically diverse governing coalition. He succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to Donald Trump and clashed with Barack Obama's administration, BBC writes.

Mr Bennett said he was bringing a "new spirit of co-operation" from Israel. He also made clear that Iran would be top of his agenda, especially the "leap" achieved by its nuclear programme over the past two or three years.

Iran has gradually breached its commitments under a nuclear deal with world powers in retaliation for the sanctions that Mr Trump reinstated when he pulled the US out of the accord in 2018, which he called "defective at its core". Iran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful, but it is now enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels and, according to Israel's defence minister, is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a bomb.

Mr Biden has said he will rejoin the nuclear deal and lift the sanctions if Iran returns to strict compliance. But Iran says he must make the first move. Mr Bennett, who sees the Iranian nuclear programme as a potential threat to Israel's existence, hopes to persuade the president to give up trying to revive the deal.

The prime minister told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday that he hoped their countries could "work together in co-operation and goodwill", and "find common things we do agree upon". They included how to "fend off and curtail Iran's pursuit to dominate the region and its race to a nuclear weapon", he said.

When Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu were both in office, the US and Israel worked together closely to counter Iran's nuclear activities, its ballistic missile programme and its involvement in conflicts across the Middle East.

However, the New York Times reported on Thursday that Mr Netanyahu curtailed intelligence sharing on Iran with the US in the spring because "he did not trust the Biden administration".

In a separate interview with the newspaper, Mr Bennett said he would present to the president a new strategic vision on Iran that would include forming a regional coalition with "reasonable Arab countries" also opposed to its nuclear programme, as well as continuing "grey-area stuff" - an apparent reference to the covert attacks on nuclear facilities that Iran has blamed on Israel.

A senior US official briefed reporters that Mr Biden would tell Mr Bennett that he shared his concerns about Iran's nuclear activities but remained committed to diplomacy for now. "Since the last administration left the Iran nuclear deal, Iran's nuclear programme has just dramatically broken out of the box," the official said. But if the diplomatic path failed, there were "other avenues to pursue", the official added, without elaborating.
Almost two weeks have passed since the Taliban (banned in Russia) seized Kabul, but journalists and experts are still wondering why the outnumbering Afghan army got stuffed so quickly? American servicemen had not yet left the country, and the Taliban was already controlling almost all of Afghanistan.

What Afghan general thinks

The commander in the Afghan National Army, General Sami Sadat, tried to answer this question in The New York Times article. He admits that the Afghan Armed Forces lost the war because of the US disloyalty. There were enough problems in the Afghan army - nepotism and bureaucracy - but "we ultimately stopped fighting because our partners already had, Sadat writes. Americans are blaming the Afghan army, but they forget to mention that "Washington strangled the army and limited our ability to do our jobs, he complains. The US combat logistical support was ceased overnight.

The Afghan forces were trained by the Americans using the US military model based on highly technical special reconnaissance units, helicopters and airstrikes. We lost our superiority to the Taliban when our air support dried up and our ammunition ran out. Contractors maintained our bombers and our attack and transport aircraft throughout the war. By July, most of the 17,000 support contractors had left. A technical issue now meant that aircraft  a Black Hawk helicopter, a C-130 transport, a surveillance drone  would be grounded, the General explains.

According to the serviceman, Kabuls leadership is also to blame. President Ashraf Ghani left his army and government to the mercy of fate. The rampant corruption led to a shortage of provisions and fuel, instead of experience, relative ties determined military leadership appointments.

Ghani's escape reduced to nothing chances for a transition period, negotiations with the Taliban and a safe evacuation. Instead, Afghanistan witnessed chaos at the Kabul airport: people were clinging on departing aircraft in despair trying to leave the country. Sadat disagrees with US President Joe Biden's thesis that the Afghan army surrendered without trying to fight, and recalls 66,000 soldiers killed over the past 20 years - "thats one-fifth of our estimated fighting force.

"We were betrayed by politics and presidents. This was a military defeat, but it emanated from political failure, the Afghan general sums up.

What think Russian military experts

Alexei Leonkov, a military expert for the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, explains the defeat of the Afghan Armed Forces by the weakness of the military command and the governments betrayal.

Two factors determined their defeat. First, the level of training: there were no army commanders who would refuse to surrender so easily. Secondly, the betrayal by the country's political leadership that forbade the servicemen to resist. As a result, the army surrendered, but not completely. in the Panjshir gorge, there are army units that are not going to give up, " the expert told Vestnik Kavkaza.

The leader of the Russian Union of Afghan Veterans, Franz Klintsevich, also determines the defeat by the betrayal of the commanders.

They had an advantage in weapons, equipment and even training, but they lost because of the betrayal by their leadership. The younger ones surrendered and fled as soon as the elders left, seeing that they had been surrendered to the Taliban. Though the movement promised not to persecute anyone, many of the senior bosses had already been in such circumstances, Klintsevich said.

He considers the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan to be a "special operation" aimed at transferring power to the Taliban and destabilizing Central Asia, China and India. Klintsevich noted that, in fact, the Americans did not care much about the high level of training of the Afghan security forces and, ultimately, were not going to protect them from the Taliban.

The Pravda.ru media holding military observer, the Control Shots host, Alexander Artamonov, explained the defeat of the Afghan Armed Forces by agreements between the Taliban and Washington.

"The withdrawal of the Americans from Afghanistan was fully coordinated with the Taliban. Western Europe, in particular, the French professional press expressed the opinion that the Americans will support, paradoxically, the Taliban from their bases located in the neighbouring countries. Thus, analyst of Reseau Voltaire media outlet Thierry Meyssan, a very prominent political scientist in France, is sure in this, the expert explained.

The logic of the "agreement" is also confirmed by the fact that the Americans left their undamaged weapons to the Taliban. "If you can't take weapons with you during the retreat, then the soldiers break the guns bolts and locks, destroy the barrels. The Taliban acquired millions of guns and ammunition, dozens of combat helicopters. Their aviation is absolutely combat-ready. Thus, it is absolutely negotiated tactic, " Artamonov said.

He doubts that the United States will support the forces that are now resisting the Taliban in the Panjshir Gorge.
While most people take washers and refrigerators for granted today, a century ago, these machines revolutionized peoples daily lives. The introduction of running water and electricity set the stage for sweeping social and cultural changes by making possible labor-saving devices to tackle routine household chores. History tells how six game-changing household inventions came into being.

The refrigerator

In the early 20th century, food poisoning was on the rise in the U.S. Food was traveling further from farms to stores and homes, and more of it was being contaminated, causing everything from botulism to typhoid. Throughout the 19th century, reducing food spoilage involved harvesting and storing blocks of ice that were used in everything from shipping containers to household ice boxes. But ice consumption had reached unsustainable levels, and the sources of that ice were increasingly polluted by industry. Engineers found ways to use compressed gasses as artificial refrigerants on a commercial scale, but it was Alfred Mellowes in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who devised the first compact refrigerator in 1915 for home use. William Durant, then-president of General Motors, bought the fledgling company, which had been struggling to keep up with orders. His team refined the design and began assembling the new Frigidaire on an assembly line in Detroit.

The dishwasher

Fed up with devoting hours to hand-washing her familys fine china after dinner parties, Josephine Cochran (sometimes known as Cochrane) invented the first commercially successful dishwasher. If no one else is going to invent (it), Ill do it myself, resolved the recent widow. She received her first patent for her devicewhich relied on water pressure rather than on scrubbersin 1886, after using her initials rather than her full name on the application to disguise her gender. Cochran turned to mechanic George Butters for help building a prototype in a shed adjoining her family home, in Shelbyville, Illinois. In 1893, the Garis-Cochran dish washing machine won an award at the Worlds Fair in Chicago, with judges praising it for the best mechanical construction, durability and adaptation to its line of work. By 1898, Cochran had opened her own factory; with models costing upward of $300, most clients were hotels and restaurants. In the 1920s, ads described the devices as the electric dishwasher for fine homes that would allow affluent households to keep the best class of servants. But price kept them out of reach for most American families until after World War II.

The washing machine

At the dawn of the 20th century, most women could expect to devote an entire day to washing (and drying) their families clothes by hand, using big pots of boiling water and a scrub board. A lucky woman might own a wringer, operated with a hand crank, to remove excess water before hanging clothes on a line to dry. But getting through an entire load usually entailed hours of intensive labor. Then came Frederick Maytag, a partner in a farm equipment business. In 1907, he was looking for new products to sell that would help the company ride out agricultures big cyclical swings. Maytag devised a hand-cranked washing machine, designed to lighten farm wives burden. By 1911, he had found a way to use either electricity or gasoline to power the new invention. The Gyrofoam, the first washing machine to use an agitator to clean the clothes in an aluminum tub, debuted in 1922. The modern clothes dryer (an appliance powered by electricity rather than a ventilation device that relied on open fires to dry clothes) arrived soon after.

The vacuum cleaner

Brooms and carpet-beaters just didnt get the job done. The accumulation of dust and dirt in dwelling-houses in a source of great annoyance to all good housekeepers, wrote Ives McGaffey in his 1869 patent application for a carpet sweeper that relied on a hand-operated crank to create suction. Next-generation vacuums were designed to run on gasoline, and were so large that many were pulled down the street by horse-drawn carriages; one called Puffing Billy even cleaned Westminster Abbey ahead of the coronation of Edward VII in 1911. The modern vacuum cleaner, which used electricity-driven suction, was the brainchild of Ohio department store janitor James Murray Spangler, who turned to ordinary household items (using a pillowcase as the first vacuum bag) to design an efficient machine. When Spanglers cousin and her husband, Susan and William Hoover, bought the patent from the cash-strapped inventor in 1908, a household appliance brand name was born.

The electric iron

The arduous chore of heating and reheating heavy irons on a stove or over a fire to smooth out wrinkled clothes could take even more time than washing them. No wonder, then, that myriad inventors scrambled to devise a more efficientand less sweatyway, using electricity. Henry W. Seely of New York filed the first patent for an electric iron in 1882; within a decade, new innovations made it possible for the users to control the heat level and largely eliminate unsightly scorch marks. Black dressmaker and inventor Sarah Boone found a way to make the new invention even more handy, devising the prototype for todays ironing board and becoming, in 1892, one of the first Black women to obtain a patent.

The electric mixer

Anyone who has tried to knead bread or whisk egg whites by hand knows how taxing these tasks can be, and how much time and effort can be saved by using an electric mixer. Little wonder, then, that myriad inventive minds set about finding some kind of solution to this drudgery beginning nearly two centuries ago. Hand-operated egg beaters could speed up the process of, say, blending sugar, milk and egg white to create icing for a cake, and Black inventor Willie Johnson took it a step further in 1884 by designing a device powered by an arrangement of gears, pulleys and beaters. Home electrification made possible Rufus M. Eastmans pioneering electric mixer. By early in the 20th century, the standing mixer had become one of the most popular household innovations; the wives of executives at KitchenAid gave their husbands appliances trial runs in their own homes and raved about them. In the 1930s, movie star Ginger Rogers was spotted lining up to obtain one of the must-have gizmos.
The Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipeline is not exempt from European Union rules that require the owners of pipelines to be different from the suppliers of the gas that flows in them to ensure fair competition, a German court ruled on Wednesday (25 August). As EurActiv reports, the Duesseldorf Higher Regional Court rejected a challenge brought last year by the operators of the Gazprom-backed project to carry gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. They had argued the rules were discriminatory.

The court did not immediately explain its ruling, which can be appealed. Dutch prices at the TTF hub were trading higher after the ruling. Russias Gazprom will be forced to auction pipeline capacity, which could delay deliveries further, said Refinitiv gas analyst Xun Peng.

EU rules require the companies that produce, transport and distribute gas within the bloc to be separate, or unbundled. They aim to ensure fair competition in the market and to prevent companies from possibly obstructing competitors access to infrastructure. This means that the company transporting the gas must auction its capacity to third parties.

The Nord Stream 2 operator claims the rules, amended in 2019, were aimed at torpedoing the pipeline. The project is strongly opposed by many European governments, some of whom see it as a Russian state venture designed to increase the EUs dependence on Russian gas.

Nord Stream 2 said the German courts decision highlighted the discriminatory effect of the European Unions amended Gas Directive. The rules will cost Nord Stream 2, which links Germany directly with Russia under the Baltic Sea, additional time and money but will not stop its completion. The ruling was made after the operating consortium sought a review of the decision in May 2020 by the German energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, declining to grant it an exemption.

Identical pipeline exempted

The projects identically-sized forerunner, Nord Stream 1, has been exempt from unbundling rules since opening in 2011 because it was treated as an interconnector rather than as direct supplier. It is unclear how other suppliers than the Russian monopolist Gazprom could tap into an offshore pipeline running under the Baltic Sea.

The Kremlin said Wednesdays court ruling was a corporative issue, adding that the consortium should take care of it itself. We can only reiterate that the Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial project aimed at significantly strengthening European energy security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The consortium also includes five western utilities and oil companies  Uniper, Wintershall-Dea , Royal Dutch Shell, OMV and Engie  who put up 50% of the finance. The $11 billion project, with a transport capacity of 55 billion cubic metres, has faced political opposition from Washington as well as from Ukraine and Poland, which stand to lose out on lucrative transit business if the pipeline goes into operation.

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month reached an agreement that averted the threat of US sanctions targeting the pipeline and its operators.
On August 26, at 22:20 (GMT +4), the Armenian armed forces units from the positions located in Chinarli village of the Shamshaddin region using assault rifles and machine guns subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in the direction of Kokhanabi village of the Tovuz region, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

"The opposing side was suppressed by retaliatory fire. There are no losses or wounded among the military personnel of the Azerbaijan Army," the statement reads.

"Currently, the situation in this direction is stable. Azerbaijani units control the operational situation," the ministry added.
At the Taliban's (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) proposal, Turkey may end up running the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul, with the Taliban itself providing security, but a decision is still pending, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"The Taliban has proposed that we operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this issue," said Erdogan, speaking amid continued evacuations in the wake of Thursdays deadly terrorist attack just outside the airport grounds.

At a press conference in Istanbul before taking off to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Erdogan condemned the terror attack and stressed that such attacks by ISIS (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) show the grave threat the terror group poses to both the region and the world.

The Turkish leader said that in the wake of the attack, the evacuation of Turkish troops as well as civilians remains ongoing and will be completed as soon as possible.

Erdogan also said that according to the Interior Ministry, within Turkey, there are currently some 300,000 unregistered and registered Afghan immigrants.

Stressing that Turkey cannot take another migration wave, he said it has built walls along its borders with Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay official visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Erdogan will visit on Friday Bosnia and Herzegovina at the invitation of the countrys Presidential Council.

He will meet with Zeljko Komsic, the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, a Serb member of Bosnias tripartite presidency, and Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak member of the Presidency Council.

Bilateral relations will be reviewed in all aspects and steps that can be taken to deepen cooperation will be discussed.

Upon the invitation of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, Erdogan will embark on an official visit to the country on Saturday.

During the meetings to be held in Montenegro, bilateral relations will be discussed in all their dimensions and possibilities for further development of cooperation will be emphasized.

During both visits, current developments in the Balkans will be evaluated and views will be exchanged on other regional and international issues, Anadolu Agency reported.
Georgian President Salome Zurabshvili and Foreing Minister David Zalkaliani have 'strongly condemned' the terrorist attack outside Kabul's airport in Afghanistan.

Zalkaliani posted: "I strongly condemn the Kabul terrorist attack. My prayers go to the Afghan civilian and U.S. military victims. The evacuation has to proceed peacefully. will continue to take its share in support of those handling the evacuation and expresses solidarity in front of violence."

"Utterly condemn t/cowardly terrorist attack at Kabul Airport. My sincere condolences to t/families of t/victims, including t/members of t/ military. stands together with t/int'l community in fight against #terrorism in order to end violence and chaos in Afghanistan and beyond," Zalkaliani wrote on Twitter.

Two bombing attacks took place in Kabul yesterday, reports the Pentagon and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health. The deadly blasts came as the United States and other Western countries raced to complete a massive evacuation of their citizens and Afghan allies following the Taliban (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) takeover of the country.

To note, a regional transit hub has been set up at Tbilisi International Airport and at the Georgian Defence Forces military base with the participation of Georgian, Norwegian and Swedish servicemen, as well as military and civilian personnel from several NATO member states.

Tbilisi International Airport is being used as a way station by evacuation flights of the NATO Military Transportation Organisation, which is running daily flights to Kabul and back, the Georgian government reports.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will travel to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in the coming days for talks on the latest developments in Afghanistan, according to a letter by the foreign office to parliament seen by Reuters on Thursday.

His talks will focus on how the international community can handle the situation in Afghanistan and under which conditions agreements with a new government in Kabul are possible, the letter said.

Maas also plans to visit Turkey and Qatar, Reuters reported.
The death toll in the two blasts that went off near the Kabul airport on Thursday has reached 103, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the newspaper, there are 90 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel among them.

After the twin blasts at Kabul Airport, another explosion was reported in Kabul, according to reports. The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) has resolutely condemned the tragedy and vowed to hold those behind it responsible.

Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cancelled her planned visit to Israel this weekend due to developments in Afghanistan, her office announced.

The visit has been cancelled in consultation with the Israeli Prime Minister due to the current developments in Afghanistan, Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.

He said both sides have agreed to reschedule the outgoing chancellors visit to a later date.

The news came on the same afternoon as reports of an explosion outside the airport serving Kabul, the Afghan capital, where thousands are waiting to be evacuated from the country.

Germanys plans to evacuate its citizens, Afghan local staff, and their family members from the country have been hampered by the deteriorating security situation in Kabul, Anadolu Agency reported.

The German military was planning to carry out its final evacuation flights on Thursday, while Germanys special envoy Markus Potzel was holding talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar to allow civilian airlifts after the Aug. 31 deadline.

The Taliban have repeatedly said they would not extend the Aug. 31 deadline for the full withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, including those currently controlling Kabul airport.

Since the Talibans takeover of Kabul, Germany has evacuated nearly 5,200 people from Afghanistan, but thousands more Afghans who worked for the German military, development agencies, or other institutions are still trying to flee the country.
Russia is seriously worried over the way the situation in Afghanistan is developing and it most strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in Kabul, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Friday.

"We condemn these terrorist attacks in the strongest way. The reports about heavy casualties are very sad news, of course. Regrettably, quite correct were the pessimistic forecasts the chaos in Afghanistan will certainly be used by the terrorist groups and organizations entrenched there, in the first place, the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) and its derivatives," Peskov said. "This breeds more tensions in Afghanistan. The risk is very great for all. And, of course, this remains a reason for our serious concern."

Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan any public statements regarding the situation in Afghanistan. "No, the president has no such plans," the spokesman said. "Because Russia is not a member of the U.S.-led coalition, which stayed in Afghanistan for the last several decades, and who withdrew its forces, causing such situation."

On August 26, Kabul's airport, which the Western countries are using to evacuate foreign citizens, saw two explosions staged by ISIS (outlawed in Russia) suicide bombers. According to the latest report, the blasts killed 103, including 13 U.S. soldiers.
Armenia is receiving positive signals from Turkey and is ready to respond positively, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Friday.

Pashinian spoke on his evaluations of the agenda items at a government meeting in the capital Yerevan.

Pashinian also touched upon the relations between Turkey and Armenia in his speech and said: "We are getting some clear positive signals from the Turkish public. We will evaluate these signals, (by) responding to positive signals with positive signals."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Aug. 25, "We expressed that with the end of the occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a new window of opportunity has opened in our region for lasting peace and that we will do what is necessary if Armenia considers it."

Erdogan several times proposed the establishment of a six-country regional cooperation platform, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.
Russias Sputnik V vaccine is holding up well against the Delta variant, a paper posted yesterday on the preprint server medRxiv shows. The study of nearly 14,000 people showed the two-dose vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization with COVID-19 by 81% and helped prevent severe lung injury, Science reported.

A team led by epidemiologist Anton Barchuk of the European University at St. Petersburg asked doctors at two such centers to inquire about patients vaccination status. The government data suggest about 96% of vaccine recipients in St. Petersburg got Sputnik V. The analysis included 13,894 patients, 1291 of whom were fully vaccinated. Of the participants, 495 were referred to hospital.

Sputnik V offered completely vaccinated patientswho had had their second shot at least 2 weeks before coming to the triage center81% protection against being hospitalized, the study found. The study included too few people to detect a statistically significant benefit of partial vaccination. Our data confirm that the benefits of vaccination include attenuating disease severity in breakthrough cases, Barchuk says.

Even though the study did not confirm which viral variants patients had, Russian health authorities attributed 95% of COVID-19 cases to the Delta variant in July and August.

The researchers also found that Sputnik V had 76% effectiveness at protecting against severe lung injury from COVID-19, meaning more than 50% of the lung is visibly affected on a CT scan. We were able to get this rather unique data because no one in the world seems to perform as many CT scans for patients with mild disease as Russia does, Barchuk says.
Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft asked President Vladimir Putin to allow it to export 10 billion cubic metres of gas per year via an agent agreement with pipeline gas exporting monopoly Gazprom, Kommersant daily said on Friday.

The newspaper cited a letter by Rosneft's head Igor Sechin to Putin, dated Aug. 13. It said the state budget will get an additional 37 billion roubles ($500 million) a year thanks to an increased gas production tax on the overseas supplies.

Sechin said in the letter, according to the newspaper, that the additional gas supplies by Rosneft will facilitate the removal of the European Union's restrictions on undersea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 as well as the land Opal pipeline, which connects with Nord Stream 1.

The proposal was put forward following an Aug. 5 fire at Gazprom's gas facility in northern Russia, which led to a decline in Russian gas exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline. Supplies have been restored since then.
The Taliban (terrorist group outlawed in Russia) will ban music in Afghanistan and require women to travel with a male chaperone, despite claims the group will be more liberal than the brutal regime of 20 years ago.

The Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said women will be permitted to work and go to school under the new Islamic Emirate, still taking shape after the militants swept into Kabul almost two weeks ago. Speaking to The New York Times, he insisted that women must wear the hijab and be escorted by a man on longer trips.

He also said that music would be banned, dismissing it as un-Islamic. Music is forbidden in Islam, he said, but were hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them.
Turkeys foreign minister on Thursday discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan with his Finnish and British counterparts, according to diplomatic sources.

In separate phone calls, Mevlut Cavusoglu exchanged views with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on the evolving situation in Afghanistan after the capital Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The Turkish minister also spoke to Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and congratulated him for his appointment to the post, Anadolu Agency reported.

The Taliban swept to power on Aug. 15 following rapid advances through Afghanistan. With the collapse of the government in Kabul, attention has turned to ensure the safety of civilians and evacuees, and an orderly transfer of power. While the U.S. says it will continue to carry out evacuations until Aug. 31, many countries are wrapping up efforts to evacuate people at Kabul airport following a terror threat.
At the national level, much more data in the health, economic and social fields is needed to make science-based rather than sentimental decisions for anti-epidemic and economic fronts.

Data-driven decisions

Before the central city of Da Nang imposed a strict lockdown for a week, starting from August 16, the city's leaders made an important move to attract the trust and consensus of the people.

Director of the Department of Health Ngo Thi Kim Yen broadcast live from the meeting of the Da Nang People's Council and said that the city has about 2,500 beds for Covid-19 patients and 300 beds for resuscitation with ventilators and dialysis machines.

However, these are the best and maximum efforts. If the city has more than 6,000 patients, with 5% as severe cases, we can only serve a maximum of 300 patients. If we have over 6,000 patients, the health system will be overwhelmed. Therefore, controlling the epidemic situation and reducing the number of infection cases requires drastic and strong action."

By 8 am on August 16, the streets of Da Nang were empty. Photo: Ho Giap

Da Nang experienced a second wave of the epidemic, leading to a city-wide blockade in August 2020. At that time, the city was criticized for imposing a drastic lockdown for a whole month, resulting in a growth rate of -9.1%.

But this time, when the Delta strain is very contagious with tragic consequences to human life, livelihood and economics, especially in southern provinces, there have been very few complaints on the media and social networks in Danang.

The publicity and transparency of the head of the local Department of Health about the weak state of the health system helped people understand, and they sympathized and shared with the local government.

Meanwhile, Hanoi leaders are also making great efforts to ensure accountability to the people.

For example, there was a difference between the recent data on new cases of Covid-19 infections of Hanoi and the Ministry of Health, which worried people.

At that time, Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha explained that the difference was due to the different updating times of the city and the Health Ministry, but the cumulative number of cases was the same. "The announcement of Hanoi's Covid-19 cases is accurate and done to make it transparent for the people," Ha pledged.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung repeatedly explained to local people when the city implemented social distancing under Directive 16. The city is trying to increase testing capacity to 200,000 samples/day; quarantine capacity to 50,000 people; capacity of treatment beds to 40,000. It is establishing active resuscitation centers to receive and treat serious and critical patients.

However, these numbers are small compared to the citys population of more than 8 million, and Hanoi lacks vaccines as the vaccine supply is prioritized for the southern provinces. Mr. Dung explained: The fact shows that, without timely implementation of social distancing, Hanoi may not be able to maintain the current situation."

Statements in the direction of publicity, transparency and accountability about the treatment capacity of the health system and the risk of disease spread from the leaders of Hanoi, Da Nang and many provinces and cities are very important to gain the trust of the people.

However, these figures are still insufficient. At the national level, a lot of other data needs to be added in the health, economic and social fields.

It is necessary to fight the epidemic and impose social distancing based on data analysis and scientific evidence to make decisions. It is necessary to establish in advance special teams for important tasks such as buying ventilators and oxygen, or pre-design anti-epidemic procedures...

Scientific and humanistic approach needed

Doctors check machines before putting them into use at the No. 14 field hospital in Tan Phu district, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thanh Tung

Recently, Director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Administration Luong Ngoc Khue said about the shift of Covid-19 treatment strategy: Based on international experience and the clinical symptom model, the health sector will develop guidelines on treatment and management of infections at home. At that time, each family will become a 'home care' or a medical room."

He explained: In addition to field hospitals specializing in treating Covid-19 patients, other hospitals have to split into two, performing dual tasks at the same time: treating ordinary patients and treating Covid-19 patients".

This strategy was confirmed by officials of the Ministry of Health a few times before, when Ho Chi Minh City proposed isolating Covid patients at home because the health system was overloaded and the doctors and nurses exhausted.

Tracing, zoning, isolation: Vietnams treatment policy is both good and bad. The good thing Ned's not to be repeated because everyone knows Vietnams anti-epidemic achievements, which were recognized by the world. But there are also bad ones.

Whenever an F0 case is detected, the factory, hospital, market, office... is locked down and all F1 cases are quarantined. This practice causes psychological fear, avoidance and risk of epidemic spread, while suffocating production and circulation of businesses and people's livelihoods.

We've focused too much on prevention, with effort and money poured into operating quarantine centers, where 80% people are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. The treatment stage with ventilators, medicines, and hospital beds would have been upgraded if resources had been shared from the prevention stage.

In recent weeks, when HCM City was no longer able to give concentrated quarantine and treatment to F0 cases, new strategies were introduced, including the home quarantine policy.

Vietnams crude death rate is 0.63%, according to the General Statistics Office, which means that every year the country has about 620,000 deaths, or an average of 1,700 deaths every day. Many of those needed care, and of course, and many more patients beyond that need medical care, not only F0 and F1 cases.

A sociologist calculated that the overall crude death rate of Ho Chi Minh City was 4.7 in 2019, of which, according to the cause of fatality, deaths due to disease accounted for 95%. Assuming the numbers stay the same in 2021, with a population of about 9.42 million, the projected death toll from disease would be 42,060, or 115 people dying of diseases on average per day.

From that situation, it is clear that people with serious diseases such as cancer, stroke, and others face the risk of not receiving medical care. Moreover, people who have sudden and urgent illnesses such as appendicitis, accidents, injuries, and others can turn serious without urgent medical care.

These figures should be calculated in relation to the view of minimizing the number of F0 cases and deaths by serious locked down measures.

In the process of implementing the strictest anti-epidemic measures, two groups of essential activities must be ensured.

The first is public health care. Patients must receive medical treatment, telemedicine consultation and emergency care. The second is to maintain essential activities such as providing meals so that the ill and people in the blockade area. And that's not to mention the mental health factor.

If either of the two factors is not ensured due to efforts to reduce the number of F0 cases and deaths by strict blockades, it will lead to a sadder consequence: the number of deaths from other diseases will be greater than the number of deaths due to Covid-19.

Experience from the EU

This strategy has actually been implemented by European countries from the beginning of the epidemic. In the UK, in May 2020, two months after the outbreak of the epidemic, the British Prime Minister drafted a 130-page plan summarizing the government's assessment of the risk of the disease and the government's crisis response presented to Parliament, widely publicized to the people.

The presentation summarizes the main points of the assessment of the epidemic, its impact on society, including economic and social losses, health risks, travel restrictions, possible risks, and accompanying solutions, especially ensuring social welfare for the people.

The strategy has two parts. The first is the vaccine: The government funds, researches, orders, and tries its best to have vaccines as soon as possible. In parallel, it is to limit social communication to limit the risk of disease transmission, and also to fund the health system by urgently providing necessary medical equipment. For the British, the solutions are all based on science, technology and data.

Tu Giang
All the people in isolated areas must be considered F1 cases (contacts of infected people) and they must be tested. Those who refuse testing must be taken away to concentrated quarantine, said Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh.

Hanoi is applying its third social distancing campaign expected to last until 6 am on September 6.

The city has had two large-scale testing campaigns recently with more than 1.1 million samples taken in 30 districts and towns, from which 83 positive cases have been found.

The positive cases were mostly in some inner and suburban districts. The cases were found in narrow areas with heavy traffic such as traditional markets, supermarkets, and old residential quarters. There were also infections in isolated areas with high population density.

The loose management in some isolated areas has facilitated cross-infections and infections from isolated areas into the community.

Just within three days, on August 23-25, Hanoi reported 73 Covid-19 cases in Thanh Xuan Trung Ward in Thanh Xuan District. On August 25 alone, 52 cases were discovered.

This area is now considered the hotbed of the capital city. Most of the patients live on Alley No 328 and 330 of Nguyen Trai Street, with relations to markets and supermarkets in the ward.

Anh, who came to the site to inspect social distancing at Alley 328 Nguyen Trai Street, found some people traveling within the isolated area.

He pointed out that this is a "hole" in red zones. He has asked for three-layer checkpoints to ensure strict social distancing of houses from houses and people from people in quarantine zones.

He has also asked the healthcare sector and police to deal with local problems, carry out epidemiological works, and separate the core Covid areas in isolation zones.

There must be separate areas in the "reddest" areas of the red zones and there must be a checkpoint in the core areas to lock down the core areas of the hotbeds.

Regarding testing, Anh said that the Covid wave broke out because testing did not correctly go to the red zones and red clusters. The district needs to take testing samples based on epidemiological tracing and F0 and F1 movement.

As for the hotbed in Thanh Xuan District, Khong Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of CDC Hanoi, said the cluster of new cases has spread.

The area where the cluster of infections were found is the old collective quarters with small alleys and areas, with many interaction opportunities.

The cluster of infections in the district is believed to have similarities with one in Van Chuong and Van Mieu Wards in Dong Da District.

According to Tuan, the infection source could be vegetable sellers who regularly were present at Nga Tu So Night Market. CDC (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention) Hanoi therefore has suggested taking testing samples of all the petty traders at the market to screen for risks.

Hanoi will also take samples in areas neighboring the hotbeds and the old collective residential quarters.

As the Covid-19 outbreak is still developing in a complicated way, Tuan believes that its necessary to strengthen preventive measures, especially testing in the community.

I have to stress that there are still high risks in the community. There are areas with no epidemiological factors which are not subject to large-scale testing sampling, but they turn out to be the hotbeds. Thanh Xuan Trung area is an example, Tuan said.

If people are cooperative and provide information regularly, it will be easier to discover clusters of infections. However, people are now reluctant to make reports because they are afraid they will be fined when traveling during social distancing, Tuan said.

At a working session, experts said Hanoi should carry out testing with focus on high-risk areas to separate positive cases from the community.

It would be better to focus on high-risk subjects, including shippers and transport service providers, people who work for food catering companies, and sellers at markets and supermarkets.

Hanoi Party Committee Secretary Dinh Tien Dung, on an inspection tour to the district, repeatedly emphasized that strict social distancing must be applied.

He asked to arrange checkpoints in each alley and corner, and emphasized the importance of dissemination of Information so that people can supervise each other.

Huong Quynh

Business groups call for smooth issue of travel permits in locked-down cities, provinces A number of industry trade groups have called on the Government and HCM City to issue travel permits to employees of their member companies to enable them to carry out some urgent tasks amid the citys social distancing.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, the first US Vice President to visit Vietnam, had three busy days in Hanoi, with a packed schedule.

At 9:45 pm on August 24, at Hanois Noi Bai airport, Vice President Harris stepped down from Air Force Two, starting her visit to Vietnam.

Photo: Pham Hai

Singapore and Vietnam were the two Southeast Asian countries selected for Harris' second overseas trip as the US Vice President.

She came to Hanoi when the city was implementing social distancing so it was a regret for many Hanoians not to see her motorcade on the street.

On August 25, from the JW Marriott hotel, the US Vice President traveled to the Presidential Palace and the headquarters of the Vietnamese Government to meet with Vietnamese leaders.

Photo: Nguyen Tri

At around 10:00 am, Vice President Harris arrived at the Presidential Palace to start her activities in Vietnam. She was welcomed at the Presidential Palace lobby by her Vietnamese counterpart Vo Thi Anh Xuan.

Harris expressed her honour as the first US vice president to visit Vietnam. The two sides discussed measures to promote bilateral relations in a number of important fields such as health, education and recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo: Minh Nhat

At the meeting with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Harris emphasized that the relationship between the two countries has come a long way in a quarter of a century, achieving substantive results. The US continues to support a "strong, prosperous and independent" Vietnam.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he highly appreciated the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US over the past 25 years, which has been fostered by the two sides' efforts, in line with President Ho Chi Minh's wishes in his letter to President Truman 75 years ago.

The Vietnamese President affirmed that on the basis of an independent and self-reliant foreign policy, Vietnam always considers the US as one of its top important partners and wishes to promote the substantive and effective relations between the two countries.

After the meeting with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the US Vice President met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Government headquarters. The two leaders mentioned the current issues of cooperation in responding to and combating the Covid-19 epidemic. Harris announced that the US would donate one million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Vietnam.

Photo: Reuters

The Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam attaches great importance to relations with the US and wishes to continue developing the comprehensive partnership which is more substantive, effective and stable, for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Vietnam considers the economy and trade as the pillar and driving force of Vietnam - US relations.

Photo: Minh Nhat

In the early afternoon, US Vice President Harris laid flowers at the memorial stele of Senator John McCain by the Truc Bach Lake. Mr. McCain made many contributions to Vietnam - US relations during the period of normalization of relations between the two sides.

Photo: Reuters

After that, she attended the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asia regional office of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Hanoi. Harris said the US is working with Southeast Asian countries to train health professionals, because "the Covid-19 pandemic will not be the last threat that we face".

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed that the opening of the US CDC Office in Hanoi is very meaningful, which shows the high priority of the US in cooperation with the region in health and disease control.

Photo: Nguyen Tri

At the end of the day, the US Vice President attended the signing ceremony of the land lease agreement to build the new US Embassy in Hanoi. The new embassy building, with a budget of $1.2 billion, is inspired by Ha Long Bay and represents a forward-looking, dynamic, adaptive and transparent approach in the US foreign policy.

The new building will be located on the land that "used to be rice fields" in the early 2000s. The design of the 3.2ha embassy complex is inspired by the tradition of horticultural agriculture and rice production, and the topography of the Mekong Delta and the Red River Delta.

Photo: Nguyen Tri

On the morning of the third day, the US Vice President paid a visit to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the same time with the arrival of 270,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine in a batch of one million doses of vaccine donated by the US in Hanoi. On August 25, 500,000 vaccine doses in this batch also landed in Ho Chi Minh City. The remaining vaccines were delivered to Hanoi on August 27.

Photo: Reuters

At a press conference on the afternoon of August 26 before the end of her visit to Vietnam, Harris pledged that the US would stand with Vietnam in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo: Nguyen Tri

Photo: Reuters

Thanks to Vietnam's warm welcome, the Vice President hoped that this visit would be the beginning of a next chapter in the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the US.

During meetings with Harris, Vietnamese leaders looked forward to welcoming the US Vice President to Vietnam again when the epidemic is under control. Harris also affirmed her desire to visit Vietnam again in the future.

Thanh Nam
As the market is witnessing adjustments in the rate of ownership for foreign investors in banks, analysts say that it depends on the strategy and business plan of each bank from time to time.

For example, recently, Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB) has announced to temporarily lock the room for foreign investors at 10 per cent to carry out the stock offering and issuance plan that has been approved by the General Meeting of Shareholders in 2021.

Previously, the General Meeting of Shareholders approved the ownership rate of foreign strategic investors not to exceed 20 per cent of charter capital. At the same time, SHB also fixed the foreign ownership rate of 10 per cent at the Viet Nam Securities Depository (VSD).

This helps the bank to find and select foreign strategic investors with suitable capacity, providing the best benefits to shareholders, customers and the bank itself, according to a representative of SHB.

VSD has also just announced SeABank (SSB) will raise the foreign ownership rate to the maximum, from 0 per cent to 5 per cent. The bank also announced that it would not issue shares in the form of private offering to domestic and foreign institutional and individual investors, but issuing to existing shareholders instead.

Decree 01/2014/ND-CP dated January 3, 2014 of the Government on foreign investors buying shares from Vietnamese credit institutions stipulates that the total share ownership rate of foreign investors must not exceed 30 per cent of the charter capital of a Vietnamese commercial bank.

However, observing the market, regarding locking or opening the room, very few banks raised the room to the maximum but kept it under that level.

Experts explain that when foreign investors buy and sell outstanding shares just to take profit, this source of capital is only short-term. Not to mention, expanding the rate to the highest level causes the room to gradually dry up, thereby affecting the mobilisation plan.

The main capital mobilisation goal of banks is to supplement, increase medium and long-term capital, serve growth plans and strategies according to the set roadmap, as well as help improve the working safety ratio.

Can Van Luc, chief economist of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV), said that the pressure to increase capital of the banking industry remained high this year.

Within the last 10 years, the average growth rate of total assets of the banking system was 10 - 12 per cent/year, outstanding credit also increased 14 per cent per year on average.

With the growth, banks are forced to increase capital to ensure capital adequacy with respect to the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) according to regulations of the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV).

In addition, banks must ensure a minimum CAR under the risk management standards of Basel II. Reputable rating agencies will base on that to assess credit ratings, which help raise the attractiveness in the industry.

On the foreign investors front, they still show interest in the banking industry even though banks have not opened room to the highest level or have locked the room below the allowed level of 30 per cent, but maintaining profitable growth and good asset quality.

Guotai Junan Securities Viet said that it was undeniable that the banking industry would be affected by the ongoing fourth COVID-19 outbreak, causing credit growth in the third quarter of 2021 to somewhat slow down, but in the long term, when industrial production, export, trade and tourism recover, it would create a driving force to stimulate the growth of the entire banking industry.

In the August 2021 review of the World Bank (WB) with the theme "Digital Vietnam: The path to Tomorrow, it lowered the forecast for Viet Nam's economic growth to about 4.8 per cent in 2021.

Nevertheless, Rahul Kitchlu, the World Bank Acting Country Director for Viet Nam, said: "Although downside risks have increased, the fundamentals of Viet Nam's economy remain intact and the economy is likely to return to pre-pandemic GDP growth rates of 6.5-7 per cent from 2022 onwards."

Previously, Viet Nam was the only country in the world that all three credit rating agencies including Moody's, Standard & Poor's (S&P) and Fitch simultaneously raised the outlook to "positive."

This is the highlight that attracts the attention and expectation of foreign investors to foreign ownership in banks.

Especially, for credit institutions and banks, when the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect, these organisations ownership rate will be raised to 49 per cent of their charter capital in two joint-stock commercial banks of Viet Nam as committed within five years.

The four state-owned joint-stock commercial banks that are not under the commitment include BIDV, Vietinbank, Vietcombank and Agribank.

Source: VNS
About 20 technology platforms of the National Technology Center for Covid-19 Prevention and Control will be put on BugRank, a platform that detects security vulnerabilities.

The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) on August 25 announced the launch of the BugRank program detecting security vulnerabilities on digital platforms used to support Covid-19 prevention and control.

These include nearly 20 member platforms developed and run by the National Technology Center for Covid-19 Prevention and Control . Other digital technology platforms will be added to the program in the future.

The program is being deployed on BugRank at https://bugrank.io.

Since its establishment in early June, the center, managed by Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), has developed nearly 20 platforms and tools used to support prevention and control of Covid-19, including ones managing vaccinations; testing samples and testing results; tracing of F0s; quarantine; medical resources; connections between people, physicians and medical workers; and support for people in need.

Vietnam is speeding up digital transformation in the healthcare sector, under which each person will have a QR Code and healthcare record.

A representative of the center said the technological platforms relate to peoples health, and, thus, security requirements are very high.

In order to satisfy requirements, each platform is examined by information security experts from the Ministries of Public Security, National Defence, and Information and Communications, as well as member companies of VNISA (Vietnam Information Security Association). The steps of operation, examination and surveillance of data security are regularly taken by the units.

However, according to experts, all information technology faces risk of cyberattacks. Early discovery and timely fixing of security holes of apps and systems will help minimize risks and damage.

BugRank is an open source Bug Bounty platform, not for profit, developed by VNSecurity. Institutions and businesses can post their programs, which will be assessed and tested by researchers and security experts all over the world.

BugRank has other outstanding features, including OpenPGP Encryption for reports which ensures security for researchers and participating institutions.

In Vietnam, before BugRank, two Bug Bounty platforms began operation, namely safevuln.com of Viettel and whitehub.net/ of CyStack Vietnam.

Bug Bounty allows developers to discover and resolve bugs, while reserachers can get rewards for reporting bugs.

Van Anh

Technology helps 4,000 volunteers, doctors treat Covid patients from a distance Nearly 4,000 doctors and trained volunteers have joined Thay thuoc dong hanh (Companion physicians) network to give support to Covid-19 patients in HCM City, Hanoi and Binh Duong province.
Many types of fruit peels, considered such as cocoa and shrimp shells and rice husks, can be processed into useful products, thus increasing product value, regenerating resources, and protecting the environment.

Cocoa pods used to make liquor

In cocoa growing areas, after harvesting and taking cocoa beans for processing, a small part of cocoa pods will be dried and burned. The remaining part, including pods and flesh, are thrown into river, or thrown back where they will decompose. This causes environmental pollution.

But cocoa pod turns out to be worth billions of dollars. Trong Duc Cocoa Co Ltd in Dong Nai province said it can process cocoa pods to get pectin, a type of fiber used in food production and processing. The company has two wine products made from cocoa pods and flesh, which are favorites in the market.

Dang Tuong Khanh, director of Trong Duc Cocoa Co Ltd, said the revenue from growing for only cocoa beans will be modest. The company therefore tries to make diverse products from cocoa. It discharges 5,000 tons of cocoa pods from the cocoa production process that are used to make wine and valuable products.

Dragon fruit peel used to make food wrap

Pham Van Hung, a representative of a research team at HCM City International University, said most dragon fruit has been exported raw so far. South Korea and Japan import Vietnams dragon fruit and process the fruit into many valuable products which are 5-7 times more expensive.

Some Vietnamese enterprises are trying to process dragon fruit into wine, fruit juice and dried fruit. The by-products such as dragon fruit skin and seeds are raw materials to make extracting essential oils, juices, and functional foods.

After completing the project on processing products from dragon fruit with Trong Duc Company, our research team is considering making pharmaceuticals and cosmetics from dragon fruit skin and seeds, Hung said.

Khoa Hoc va Doi Song newspaper (Science and Life) reported that Truong Thi Cam Trang from the HCM City University of Natural Sciences and her team can create bio-pectin film from dragon fruit skin which is used as a food wrap.

They found that dragon fruit skin contains a large volume of pectin (accounting for 19-33 percent), which is higher than the peels of oranges and tangerines. To collect the highest possible volume of pectin, the team cut dragon fruit skin into small pieces and dried for 36 hours at a temperature of 60oC.

The team said the pectin film is waterproof and does not oxidize quickly. After seven days of burial under the soil, the pectin film can decompose by up to 62.5 percent. The team also plans to make self-dissolving medical threads from this pectin film.

Shrimp shell can bring billions of dollars

Moi Truong (Environment) Journal reported that by-products from the shrimp processing, including shrimp heads, shells, liver and pancreas, which account for 35-45 percent of shrimp weight, are discharged directly into the environment. Only 33 percent is used to make products with low added value, such as fertilizer and animal feed, and 7 percent is used to make food and pharmaceuticals.

Shrimp by-products contain precious nutrients such as protein (55 percent), chitin (9 percent), minerals (22 percent) and fat (12 percent). If the nutrients can be extracted in an optimal way and the activity is preserved, new products will be created and can be useful in many industries.

Viet Nam Food JSC (VNF) now can take full advantage of shrimp shells and heads to process chitosan, a material to replace plastic.



The model is estimated to bring value of $4-5 billion a year.

Fruit peels into washing liquid

Bui Thi Bich Ngoc in Thanh Hoa City said in 2016 she read an article about the research of Dr Rosuko from Thailand about Eco Enzyme. Under the method, people manually compost and ferment agricultural waste and fruit peels to create biological products friendly to the environment.

Ngoc found that the materials are available in Thanh Hoa province. She decided to create a kind of biological cleaning water from pineapple peel and other peels rich in vitamins and essential oil.

In early 2019, Ngoc launched her four major product lines - floor cleaner, dishwashing liquid, hand sanitizer and enzyme.

The products are displayed at clean food shops and supermarkets in 63 cities and provinces. Her company provides 10,000 products each month which brings revenue of VND200 million.

Rice husks exported

Many enterprises in Dong Thap and An Giang provinces process rice husks (shells of rice grain) into firewood for export.

A Dong Thap-based company presses rice husks into balls and sells at VND1,000 per kilogram. Each month, the production facility exports 10,000 tons of rice husk firewood to South Korea and Europe. The product is popular because it doesnt cause pollution.

Hanh Nguyen

Quang Ninh to implement solutions for garbage crisis Ha Long City, a popular tourist destination in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, will implement a series of measures to classify, collect, transport and treat domestic and construction waste from early next year.
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said 2022 will be a transitional year when the educational sector prepares for more comprehensive reform of the organization of high school finals.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son

The Ministry of Education and Training recently organized an online conference on tertiary education with 500 connection sites at universities, junior colleges, and related agencies and units.

Son said at the webinar that high school finals need to become more dynamic and adaptable amid the pandemic. The finals need to be organized in a way to allow stronger decentralization so that localities can become more proactive in the organization.

2022 will witness the first steps to be taken and will likely be a transitional year when we prepare to make more comprehensive innovation in the year after 2022, Son said.

Regarding the plan and scenarios for high school final reform and enrollment for universities, Son said the ministry would collect opinions from agencies and units to build the plan.

However, he said, the two national universities and regional schools can immediately set to work on consolidating and building examination center systems. Regional universities will act as the nucleus for examining, assessing and enrolling students in the time to come.

The head of the educational sector noted that some regional schools have good facilities but others dont. The Finance and Planning Department of the ministry therefore needs to discuss with schools the allocation of regular and mid-term investments for some projects, with high priority given to the building of examination centers.

This will create a basis for the implementation of new policies on exam reform.

Some adjustments were made to the high school finals in the last few years. Localities were given higher autonomy in organizing exams and responsibility for the organization. However, MOET is still in charge of raising exam questions for the entire country.

The time for high school finals is applied to all localities nationwide. The exam not only assesses whether students can get a high school diploma but also decides admissions to universities and colleges.

The current high school final exam is still cumbersome, making it difficult for localities to flexibly organize the exam during the pandemic. Some experts said it would be better for MOET to give more autonomy to localities, allowing local education departments to raise exam questions and organize the exams depending on their real conditions.

Minh Anh

HCM City students allowed to take tests in class or online The HCM City Education and Training Department has decided that periodic tests for summative evaluation will be implemented at school. Online tests will be accepted in cases of force majeure.
Ingham reported that Wacos tourism industry is thriving, doing much more at this point than simply recovering what was lost during COVID last year. Ingham said hotel spending has increased in each of the past four months by triple-digit percentages, setting new records for lodging activity.

Spending to date of $38.5 million is 91% more than last year.

Ingham reported that 328 existing homes changed hands in July, citing numbers provided by the Waco Multiple Listing Service. That is down from 385 in July last year, but those numbers should not be interpreted as falling demand, Camille Johnson Realtors agent Anna Johnson said.

The biggest problem is no inventory, Johnson said during the Zoom discussion of Julys GWEI results.

Ingham uses historical data to prepare the index for the First National Bank of Central Texas and Tribune-Herald. Collins presents the findings during a monthly meeting.

Johnson said 339 homes were listed on Julys MLS, 40% fewer than in July last year. Average days on the market was 33, which means homes are quickly snapped up when they do become available, Johnson said.
The college will hold a vaccination clinic Sept. 23 and hosts drive-thru COVID-19 testing by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the colleges Community Services Center parking lot. Testing hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Testing is free, but registration is required at covidwaco.com.

Baylor

Vaccinations are strongly recommended but not required at Baylor University, where a record-breaking freshman class is boosting fall enrollment to more than 19,000 students. Of that number, 67.5% are vaccinated, as are 83.2% of university employees, according to the universitys COVID-19 data page.

Almost 45% of all eligible McLennan County residents are fully vaccinated, and almost 55% have received at least one shot of a two-shot vaccine.

Masking is required in indoor Baylor classrooms and labs.

The university had 153 active COVID-19 cases as of Friday, including 136 in students, five in faculty, seven in staff and five in contractors, according to university data. On the Friday after fall classes started last year, Baylor had 350 active cases, a total that peaked at 475 the next week. Baylor also saw active-case peaks of 356 on Jan. 22 and 449 on March 4.
Waco public school students, teachers and staff will be required to wear masks beginning Monday due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Waco schools, Waco ISD Superintendent Susan Kincannon said Thursday.

In a letter to families and school employees, Kincannon said she will order face masks to be worn inside all schools and district buildings, noting that since classes started Monday, 55 people that had spent time at a campus or other facility had tested positive for COVID-19.

Kincannon said she had seen masks worn voluntarily by teachers and students in her campus visits this week, but felt additional action was necessary given the current surge of COVID-19 cases in McLennan County. The number of cases reported in the district in less than a weeks time was only matched last year during the height of the pandemic last winter.
The Humane Society of Central Texas received a $7,289.14 donation from Old Chicago Pizza to assist its work caring for area animals.

The restaurant had closed its doors during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not reopen until June. Old Chicago management asked its staff to choose a local nonprofit to receive proceeds from the reopening, and they chose the Humane Society of Central Texas.

The restaurant donated 100% of proceeds from all drink orders during its soft opening events, and additional proceeds from the sale of specific menu items and online orders for the first month it was open.

Executive Director Paula Rivadeneira said the Humane Society will use the money to boost its Community Cares Fund, which helps keep pets and people together. Its a win-win, she said, because it prevents people from going through the heartache of giving up their furry family member, and the shelter doesnt fill up with pets.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The Maryland State Board of Education voted Thursday for an emergency regulation to require children and adults to wear masks in K-12 schools statewide to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

While most of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions already have mandated masks in schools, five counties have not - Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Somerset and Worcester counties. The 14-member board's vote was 11-1 for the regulation, with two board members absent.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended universal mask-wearing for teachers and students inside school buildings this fall, citing the rapid spread of the delta variant. Most states allow school districts to set their own mask policies. Maryland would join California, Illinois and Louisiana in deciding to require masks for students and teachers statewide, if a state legislative committee gives final approval.

Susan Getty, a board member, noted that about half of the state's students are not even eligible for a vaccine at this time because of their age. People 12 and over are eligible to be vaccinated. Getty said mandating mask-wearing is an additional strategy to protect students, especially against the highly contagious delta variant.
A Tennessee couple whose son was killed in Afghanistan are building a rural refuge where they hope other combat vets can help each other to heal.
When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago, conspiracy theorists on the left cried, no war for oil! The real reason for the Bush administrations invasion was to topple the Taliban government and make way for a lucrative oil pipeline sought by friends of oilman Dick Cheney.

The fact that these same progressives had just spent years accusing these same oilmen of being allies of the Taliban for the same reason was a mere inconvenient truth.

As the U.S. leaves Afghanistan in a cloud of chaos and political incompetence, will the return of the Taliban have any impact on energy policy going forward? In theory, yes. Not because of the war for oil, but rather the new war on oil.

Afghanistan may only have modest fossil fuel resources, but its sitting on trillions of dollars worth of lithium and other rare earth minerals vital to green technology like electric vehicles and solar power. This battle-torn corner of the world has the resources to be a significant player in the energy sector of the future.

But it wont.

Whats in Afghanistans ground stays in Afghanistans ground. No one is pulling it out in any significant quantity. Not the Taliban, not the Russians and not the Chinese.
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.
Taxable values

The article What and how much do US religious organizations not pay the taxman? [ Aug. 14 Trib unr-Herald] by Ryan Cragun is sadly deficient. It emphasizes outrageously wealthy pastors like Pat Robertson and Joel Osteen to make its argument. For many Christians, those pastors are an embarrassment to the values of Christianity and they are supported by only a small segment of evangelical Christians.

Cragun describes himself as a professor of the sociology of religion who has long been interested in why religious institutions are exempt from certain taxes. And yet his article is absolutely devoid of any discussion of why religious institutions receive this tax exemption. His entire article is limited to the potential lost revenue for the U.S. Unfortunately, it is not a very complete argument. An obvious place to begin is the freedom of religion clause in the U.S. Constitution  part of the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. A second place to look is at the average income that most pastors, priests, rabbis, brothers, nuns, etc. actually make. Cragun presents a lot of statistics on lost tax revenues, but not a single statistic on the incomes of these religious workers. The vast majority of their incomes fall far short of the inflated incomes of religious celebrities like Osteen.
Residents can take the survey by reaching this URL bit.ly/AGAEarlyChildhoodSurvey or by scanning QR codes on posters around Ashland. Paper copies of the survey can be obtained at various business establishments in downtown Ashland and Greenwood.

Fjone is one of a core group of Ashland-Greenwood residents who applied for the three-year grant of $30,000 to organize projects in the communities. Leadership was provided by Ashland residents Karen Stille, Helen Raikes and Marti Beard. Coordinator for the project is Janet Rolofson of Greenwood, and the Ashland Greenwood Public Schools Foundation (AGPS Foundation) is fiscal agent for the grant. Mike King, from AGPS Foundation, is providing fiscal expertise.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

There is a major need for more early childhood services for working parents, and to support our local providers and parents. Our committees have planned preliminary activities to support parents and providers and more will be planned once the survey returns are in, said Stille, a co-chairperson.

Raikes amplifies needing to learn more about local perceptions of need.
But if youre paying on time (and you are not, because you are breaking up your payment into two parts), and the landlord is accepting those payments, and your lease does not permit the landlord to cancel the lease for any reason, then you should be able to stay and may even be protected by local or state laws governing how landlords and tenants interact with each other. The key to your question is whether your semi-monthly payments have been agreed to by the landlord and if accepting them constitutes his agreement to the payment plan.

You need to look at the terms of your lease, and see whether your landlord has the right to kick you to the curb, and under what conditions. You should also read the lease to see if you have the right to renew your lease.

While we dont know what kind of storage locker you have, if its movable and not permanently attached to the apartment, you should be able to take it with you. Even if it was attached to the property, you should be able to remove it and return the property to the condition in which it was provided to you. Our view might be different if the storage locker is more like kitchen cabinets, that are permanently fixed to the wall. In that case, most people would assume it would stay with the property.
Farmingdale, NY, August 14, 2021  Long Islands American Airpower Museum (AAM) will host its Warbirds, Wings and Wheels Show on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, September 4th and Sunday, September 5th, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Museum, Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, New York. Come to the Museums two day spectacular celebrating the history of Aviation and Automobiles! Get up close and personal with vintage Biplanes, Model A and T Fords, plus the Museums fleet of World War II-era aircraft. There will be flights available on vintage aircraft, contests, raffles and much, much more.

On Saturday, vintage Biplanes from the Bayport Aerodrome Society will land on the tarmac and taxi up to park on AAMs ramp at Hangar 3. Alongside the biplanes, vintage cars from the Model A Ford Club of Long Island (Model A and T Fords, plus others) will be on display as well. The Museums sponsor, Cockpit USA, will donate one flight jacket to the winner of the best car and another to the winner of the best airplane contests.

Be there Sunday as the Museums WWII squadron fires up their mighty engines and lifts off to perform exciting flight maneuvers over Republic Airport. Aerial demonstrations will feature several flybys by AAMs vintage military aircraft which played pivotal roles in Americas WWII victories.

An added attraction on both Saturday and Sunday: AAMs 1939 bright red WACO UPF-7 biplane and North American AT-6D Texans will be available to give living history flight experiences, weather permitting. Admission: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and veterans, $10 for children 5 to 12. Dont miss this one!

American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport is Long Islands only flying military aviation museum.

The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the landmarked former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, New York. The Museum maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factorys history. The Museum is a 501 (c) (3) Nonprofit Educational Foundation Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.
Booz Allen challenges counter-drone award that went to Leidos

Booz Allen Hamilton is objecting to an award that went to Leidos to support Air Force efforts to counter unmanned aircraft.

Under the $82.7 million task order contract, the Air Force is looking for systems engineering and integration services. The contract was competed under pool 3 of the GSA OASIS vehicle.

The order supports what the Air Force calls counter-small unmanned aircraft systems engineering and integration efforts.

Booz Allen is arguing that if the evaluation had been done properly, it would have been picked over Leidos. The Government Accountability Office says it will have a decision by Dec. 2.

As a task order, there isn't a lot of publicly-available information on the award. But this Defense Department document describes the challenge the Air Force and the other services face because of the exponential growth in unmanned aircraft.

That threat is two-fold. One side sees direct threats posted by nations, terrorists and criminals. The other side covers unintentional actions by negligent and reckless operators.

DOD is looking at a three-part strategy it calls, Ready the Force, Defend the Force and Build the Team. Each has their own set of supporting goals.

Ready the Force includes maximizing current counter unmanneddrone systems and adopting a risk-based approach.

Defend the Force looks for more joint capabilities and operations concepts and doctrines.

Building the Team focuses leveraging existing relationships and creating new partnerships to meet emerging challenges.

You dont have to look too hard around the market to realize that Booz Allen and Leidos are the only ones pursuing counter-drone opportunities. This isnt a big contract when you are the size of Booz Allen or Leidos, but is an important and growing market area.
It feels good to be home. It feels good to know what were doing is permanent, Vandersee said. There are open, comfortable and warm collaborative spaces, and its a great place for our team to land.

The 15,636-square-foot Waterloo Support Center houses Waterloo and Cedar Falls clinical teams, case management, technical and administrative staff, adult and childrens grief programs, Cedar AIDS Support system and community education.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The Cedar Valley Hospice Home will remain at 2001 Kimball Ave. Vandersee said the majority of hospice care takes place in patients homes and care is provided for all regardless of age, diagnosis or ability to pay.

Marketing Specialist Jennifer Siech said the new center will enhance the quality of services provided and offer better visibility in the community, as well as accessibility for families and clients. The counseling wing for grief and Cedar AIDS Support System clients, for example, is near the front of the building for easy access and privacy.
WATERLOO  Police have arrested a teen on charges in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Highway 218 convenience store during Tuesdays thunderstorms.

On Thursday, Waterloo police arrested 17-year-old Alvonni Jante Stone of Waterloo on charges of first-degree robbery and intimidation with a weapon. Stone is charged as an adult, and bond was set at $100,000.

Also on Thursday, police identified the deceased as 20-year-old Dayton L. Sanders of Waterloo.

Detectives talked to a witness who said Stone had talked earlier in the day about pulling off a robbery, according to court records.

Officers were called to gunfire outside the Kwik Stop 3 convenience store, 1104 Washington St., around 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police found Sanders dead in the Highway 218 median, and everyone else who was involved had left the scene. An unattended Dodge Journey was also left behind in the store parking lots exit onto the highway.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Detectives reviewed surveillance camera footage from the area that showed another vehicle pull into the parking lot followed by the Dodge a few minutes later. People from the Dodge climbed into the other vehicle and began assaulting the driver.
WATERLOO  Former chiefs are sounding the alarm about morale at the Waterloo Police Department.

Three retired police chiefs  Bernal Koehrsen, Thomas Jennings and Daniel Trelka  signed a joint letter questioning turnover at the force.

The letter comes as a member of the departments command staff announced he will be leaving law enforcement in the coming months.

In the joint letter, the former chiefs said morale is at the lowest point in decades.

We are not proud of what the agency has become over the past year. As a matter of fact, were outraged, the chiefs letter states. They are overwhelmed and feel unappreciated. The Waterloo Police Department is imploding, and we fear this is going to get much worse before it gets better.

When asked to comment on the letter, current Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald responded with an emailed quote that read, A true hero will not only do what is right, but despite the prospect of losing everything, willingly demonstrates the integrity and fortitude to do what is necessary  as a matter of innate principle.

Over the past two years, law enforcement as a whole has come under fire nationally during social justice protests and calls for reform.
I dont understand why we wouldnt do everything we can to keep our kids safe in schools this fall and why we wouldnt use every resource available to us to do so, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said about the decision to reject federal assistance. It makes no sense to me why we wouldnt want to take additional resources that are given to us to make our schools even safer.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

In April, Reynolds announced on national TV she had rejected the federal aid because the state did not need it.   They sent an additional $95 million to the state of Iowa to get our kids back in the classroom by doing surveillance testing. And I said, Weve been in the classroom since August. Heres your $95 million back, she said then.

The governors office also has stated that 65 percent of Iowas eligible population, which does not include children younger than 12, has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine is the best tool to protect against COVID-19, Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said in a statement this week.

Mask-wearing is another mitigation strategy, but long-term use can come with its own costs, he said. Ultimately, parents know the health of their children best, which is why the governor supports parental choice over mandates.
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.
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."
If that forecast holds true, Ida would hit 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph (201 kph) winds near the riverside community of Buras, just down the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Katrina is blamed for an estimated 1,800 deaths from the central Louisiana coast to around the Mississippi-Alabama state line. A massive storm surge scoured the shores and wiped houses off the map. In New Orleans, failures of federal levees led to catastrophic flooding. Water covered 80% of the city and many homes were swamped to the rooftops. Some victims drowned in their attics. The Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center became scenes of sweltering misery as tens of thousands were stranded without power or running water.

Memories of Katrina still haunt many who scrambled to prepare for Ida on Friday, lining up for groceries, gas and ice, as well as sandbags that the city was offering.

Traffic snarled at entrances to a New Orleans Costco, where dozens of cars were backed up at the gas pumps and shoppers wheeled out carts stacked with cases of bottled water and other essentials.
I believe that those governments who try to steer non-proven issues against other countries, should be investigated as thoroughly as any investigation in to the false allegations. Also the investigated country should be allowed to investigate by their means against the accusing country

The assessment didnt yield a definitive conclusion on whether the new coronavirus jumped to humans naturally, or via a lab leak, heightening the challenge of getting answers from China. Source: New U.S. Intelligence Report Doesnt Provide Definitive Conclusion on Covid-19 Origins  WSJ

Meanwhile, tens of millions of people around the World have asked WHO to carry an investigation in the US where suspicious cases of Covid-19 have been detected in various states. The letter to WHO also mentions Fort Detrick as one likely source of the virus

Electronic Vaping Health Scare May 2019 near and around Fort Detrick, USA, the X-rays showed broken glass effect same as Covid-19, physical symptoms were the same as Covid-19. No other country in the world has come forward to claim vaping is causing issues so

Why has no one in the USA investigated Fort Detrick? Why has no one in the USA questioned about the mysterious vaping issue?

I believe because its the American way. Also, this is just more blood on the hands of the US, so karma will be exacting a very large price sooner than we want

WtR
"When you say tumors or cancers of the blood, that will pretty much cover all different types of cancer, Baker explains. And active treatment generally pertains to patients who are seeing their oncologist on a regular basis, she adds. So if you are currently seeking care for cancer, talk to your doctor about getting a third shot.

Some individuals who are past the active treatment phase, however, are also considered immunocompromised and may benefit from a third vaccine dose. The experts at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center tell AARP that individuals who have completed immunosuppressive cancer therapy in the past year are eligible for an additional shot. (Immunosuppressive therapy includes chemotherapy, radiation, high-dose corticosteroids and other drugs that impair the immune system, including rituximab.)

And people who have had a stem cell transplant or have received CAR T therapy  a treatment where some immune system cells are manipulated so they will attack cancer cells  within the last two years qualify for a third vaccine dose as well, writes Mini Kamboj, M.D., chief medical epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Cancer patients who received an organ transplant and are taking medicines that suppress the immune system also meet the criteria.

However, if you have a solid tumor that is under observation only or if it was treated with an intervention such as hormone therapy, targeted therapy or surgery, you may not be considered immunocompromised, Kamboj notes. Some types of radiation are also less likely to impact the immune system. But everyone's case is different, and the definition of immunocompromised is difficult to define, Schiller says.

That's why the CDC recommends talking to your doctor about whether a third dose is appropriate. If it is, your health care provider can help determine the best time to get the shot to ensure it gives you the optimal immune response.

What to expect if you get a third shot

Pharmacies, health care centers, hospitals and other locations offering the COVID-19 vaccines can administer the third dose. A doctors note is not required, and like the first two shots, there is also no out-of-pocket cost to receive the third one.

Just keep in mind that more is not necessarily better, even for people with weakened immune systems. The CDC warns that individuals should not receive more than a total of three mRNA vaccine doses at this time. The agency is also advising people to get the same vaccine they had the first time  in other words, don't mix and match the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines if you can help it. However, if the mRNA vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available or is unknown, either mRNA COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered, the CDC says.

If you were originally vaccinated with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, also known as the Janssen vaccine, you'll have to hold off on getting an additional dose for now. Health officials say they are waiting on more data before issuing a recommendation on extra doses for immunocompromised people.
Getty Images

After more than 70 older Americans lost over $2 million in grandparent scams and similar cons across the United States, a federal grand jury has indicted eight people for racketeering.

The defendants belonged to a large criminal organization that, using extortion and fraud, systematically targeted elderly Americans by preying on their concern for loved ones, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said.

The victims were in at least 15 states and each paid tens of thousands of dollars to the alleged criminal enterprise, officials said, and those targeted were left financially and emotionally devastated."

Two of those indicted are believed to have fled to the Bahamas and the other six have been arrested, officials said. Another 12 unnamed people, whose identities were said to be known, acted as so-called money mules in the case. Mules are people who transfer or move illegally acquired money for another person. The mules operated in California and Florida, officials said.

The alleged crime spree occurred from November 2019 to last October, officials said.

How the scams worked

In an indictment issued in late July and unsealed on Aug. 24, more than 20 of the victims are identified by their initials, places of residence and individual losses. All of those partly identified are men or women in their 70s or 80s. The oldest, an 89-year-old woman from Downey, California, lost $18,000. The largest individual loss was suffered by a 73-year-old woman in San Francisco who gave up $217,000 to men posing as attorneys for her grandson, who purportedly had been arrested and sued, officials said. The cash supposedly was to pay bail money and settle a civil lawsuit.


Resource Estimates and Final Rougemont Well Results

Brisbane, Aug 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - State Gas Limited ( ASX:GAS ) has received gas content and final composition results for the recently drilled Rougemont-1 and Rougemont-2 wells in its 100% owned Rolleston-West Project (ATP 2062), enabling an estimate of contingent gas resources for the eastern area of the andanna coal measures within ATP 2062.Highlights- Exceptional permeability of 395mD in primary Rougemont-2 seam.- Gas content for the two primary seams in the Rougemont-1 and Rougemont-2 wells is a highly commercial 5.15 to 6.20 m3 /tonne dry ash free.- The gas in the relevant seams in both wells is more than 96% methane - pipeline quality once dehydrated.- Production testing of Rougemont-2 well to commence shortly.- Contingent Resources estimated for the East Bandanna Fairway within 100%-owned Rolleston-West Project (ATP 2062) of 53 PJ 1C, 91 PJ 2C, 161 PJ 3C.- Contingent Resources for the 100%-owned Reid's Dome Project (PL 231) also estimated at 74 PJ 1C, 126 PJ 2C, 223 PJ 3C.These latest results follow on from the exceptional permeability results received for the Rougemont-2 well, where the primary seams, one 2.8m thick, the other 2.4m, were found to have permeability of an outstanding 395mD, and very sound 25mD, respectively. These results, determined by drill stem testing following drilling, are extremely promising for production, suggesting early and comprehensive drainage of the gas in the seams.The Rougemont-1 and -2 wells, the first wells in ATP 2062 awarded to the Company last October, were drilled to investigate the potential of the eastern area of the permit for a coal seam gas (CSG) project. The wells, approximately 2.7km apart, targeted the Bandanna coal measures, a well established gas bearing formation producing commercially at nearby Arcadia Valley (operated by Santos) and being prepared for commercial development at Mahalo (operated by APLNG).The Rougemont-1 and -2 wells were drilled as coreholes, with samples of the coals sent for laboratory analysis of gas content and composition. The wells were also logged to identify coal thickness, and permeability tested.Data from the wells indicated strong correlation between the wells, with laterally continuous coal seams of approximately 8 metres net coal across the area.The laboratory analysis of the coal samples has indicated good gas contents in the coals. The primary seams in Rougemont-2 were measured as 6.00 and 5.15 m3 / tonne dry ash free, while the correlative seams in the deeper Rougemont-1 were 6.20 and 6.18 m3 / tonne dry ash free.These results more than justify production testing and planning is well underway for a test at the Rougemont-2 well.The final gas composition results are also a significant boost for the commerciality of the Project: the gas from both wells was in excess of 96% methane. Once dehydrated, the gas from this area will be of pipeline quality, which will enable processing costs to be kept to a minimum.The receipt of the gas content results has enabled an estimate of the contingent gas resource in the east Bandanna fairway within the permit (indicative area shown in pale yellow on the map in Figure 1 below*). The estimated Contingent Resources are set out in Table 1*. These resources relate to the coal seam gas in the eastern area of the permit only, and do not include the conventional gas prospects in the permit, or the unexplored areas to the west of the Rougemont East Bandanna CSG Fairway. These areas are expected to add to the resources position of the Company when assessed.Reid's DomeThe Company has also obtained an estimate of the contingent resources in its Reid's Dome Project, PL231. The estimated Contingent Resources are set out in Table 2*.Executive Chairman, Richard Cottee, stated that these latest results from the Rougemont wells were unambiguously good news."We already knew we had good coal thickness and absolutely outstanding permeability at Rougemont-2. Now, with these gas content numbers, we have every expectation that the area will support a very commercial project," he said."This is particularly so with the gas composition: this is pipeline quality gas, just needing dehydration and compression to enter the network - the least processing possible," he added."I am very much looking forward to production testing Rougemont-2, and, in due time, a highly commercial project from the East Bandanna Fairway", he said.He also commented on the new Resource estimates for the projects. "I am also very pleased with the Contingent Resource estimates received for both Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West. I have always had confidence in the 'size of the prize' at these Projects, and now see my confidence confirmed"."These volumes gas will provide a very much needed supply boost into the east coast gas market, which, as the ACCC has identified, is facing the prospect of real shortages.""With nearly 400PJs of Contingent Resource in contiguous projects so close to the transmission pipeline network, State Gas is very well placed to leverage the looming national gas shortage."The Rolleston-West Gas Project is contiguous with the Company's Reid's Dome Gas Project and located 30 kilometres from major pipeline infrastructure interconnected with the east coast gas transmission network and the export LNG facilities at Gladstone. Neither the Rolleston-West or Reid's Dome Gas Projects are subject to domestic gas reservation restrictions.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About State Gas Limited

State Gas Limited (ASX:GAS) is a Queensland-based developer of the Reid's Dome gas field, originally discovered during drilling in 1955, located in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland. State Gas is 100%-owner of the Reid's Dome Gas Project (PL-231) a CSG and conventional gas play, which is well-located 30 kilometres southwest of Rolleston, approximately 50 kilometres from the Queensland Gas Pipeline and interconnected east coast gas network.

Permian coal measures within the Reid's Dome Beds are extensive across the entire permit but the area had not been explored for coal seam gas prior to State Gas' ownership. In late 2018 State Gas drilled the first coal seam gas well in the region (Nyanda-4) into the Reid's Dome Beds and established the potential for a significant coal seam gas project in PL 231. The extension of the coal measures into the northern and central areas of the permit was confirmed in late 2019 by the Company's drilling of Aldinga East-1A (12 km north) and Serocold-1 (6 km to the north of Nyanda-4).

State Gas is also the 100% holder Authority to Prospect 2062 ("Rolleston-West"), a 1,414 km2 permit (eight times larger than PL 231) that is contiguous with the Reid's Dome Gas Project. Rolleston-West contains highly prospective targets for both coal seam gas (CSG) and known conventional gas within the permit area. It is not restricted by domestic gas reservation requirements.

The contiguous areas (Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West), under sole ownership by State Gas, enable integration of activities and a unified super-gasfield development, providing economies of scale, efficient operations, and optionality in marketing.

State Gas is implementing its strategic plan to bring gas to market from Reid's Dome and Rolleston-West to meet near term forecast shortfalls in the east coast domestic gas market. The strategy involves progressing a phased appraisal program in parallel with permitting for an export pipeline and development facilities to facilitate the fastest possible delivery of gas to market. State Gas' current focus has been to confirm the producibility of the gas through production testing of the wells.


FY21 Results Announcement

Sydney, Aug 27, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Genex Power Limited ( ASX:GNX ) is pleased to provide the following update on the Company's performance for the 2021 financial year (FY21), a period of significant achievement for the Company. We energised the 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP) and commenced construction on our flagship Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro). The development of these projects, coupled with our existing 50MW Kidston Solar Project (KS1) and extensive growth portfolio, positions the Company as a leader in the renewable energy generation and storage markets in Australia.FY21 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS- Total generation totalling 132,853MWh a 14% increase on the prior period (FY20: 116,520MWh);- Total revenue of $21.7M a 77% increase on the prior period (FY20: $12.3M). FY21 total revenue included a $7.9M of ARENA Convertible Note forgiveness and $2.6M from the UGL settlement;- Sales revenue of $10.6M (up 3.7% versus FY20) excludes commissioning revenue from the Jemalong Solar Project (JSP). JSP will contribute meaningfully to revenue and cashflow from FY2022 onwards;- Underlying EBITDA of $1.8M (up 3% vs FY20) as the result included operating costs associated with construction commencing at K2-Hydro in Q4 FY21;- The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) committed $47M in grant funding for the K2-Hydro project, and converted the $9M in development funding previously provided for the project into a nonrecoupable grant;- Net cashflow outflow from operating activities of $4.8M (outflow of $4.1M in FY20). During the year the company spent $153.1M of capital on property plant and equipment associated with the development of JSP and construction associated with K2-Hydro;- During the period, the Company raised a total of $139M, issuing a total of 668,058,690 new shares to progress the development of Genex's portfolio of renewable energy assets:o The funds raised includes a $25M Share Subscription Agreement with J-POWER in May 2021 resulting in J-POWER holding 10% ownership in the Company.- Net cash as at 30 June 2021 of $45.4M leaving Genex in a strong cash position to fund the development of the K2-Hydro project and advancement of the Bouldercombe Battery Project (BBP).JEMALONG IMPAIRMENT- Impairment of $16.5M on the Jemalong asset as a result of a decline in wholesale electricity prices, and the requirement of technical accounting standards to consider the asset on a standalone basis outside of its portfolio financing arrangements with KS1:o Impairment is not a reflection of the operational performance of JSP which has been exceeding expectations since energisation; ando The impairment will have no impact on any covenants associated with the JSP financing nor impact the current financing which is due to expire in 2024.OUTLOOKGenex is in a strong position to deliver on our growth ambitions. Our projects are positioned to deliver clean, renewable power that will help Australia meet its renewable energy targets. The increasing impact of intermittent power on energy prices highlights the need for large scale storage options such as K2-Hydro and the BBP. Over the remainder of FY2022, the Company will continue to focus on:- Construction activity at the K2-Hydro Project;- Development of the BBP with construction anticipated to commence during the year; and- Progression of our K3-Wind Project, with activities to centre on planning approvals and proving up the wind resource for the Project.Commenting on the FY21 financial results, Genex CEO, James Harding said:"In the past 12 months the Company has progressed and delivered on a number of major milestones. During the year we executed the construction and finance documentation for our flagship Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project, and in doing so, secured all of the funding required to construct the Project. With activity steadily ramping up at site, Genex is now firmly focused on the delivery of this Project through the construction phase, with commissioning and operations to commence in late 2024.When in operation, K2-Hydro will be the first pumped hydro project in Australia in 40 years, and the third largest electricity storage facility.The 50MW Jemalong Solar Project was developed on time and budget, remaining relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project successfully energised in December 2020, marking the delivery of the second operating asset in the Genex portfolio, and is now generating at full output.We recognised an impairment on the asset at 30 June 2021 which was required as a result of the technical application of accounting standards on a standalone basis, outside of its portfolio financing with KS1, and its merchant revenue exposure. Notwithstanding this, the project has been contributing strong revenues since energisation and continues to be a valuable cash generating asset for the Group.We are excited by the rapid development of the Bouldercombe Battery Project, the first standalone large-scale battery project to be developed in Queensland. This project is an opportunity for Genex to draw on and apply our extensive experience gained from developing the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project to capture a significantly enhanced revenue generation profile. We look forward to updating the market as we continue to achieve key project milestones.I would like to thank all our stakeholders, particularly NAIF, ARENA, the Queensland Government, JPOWER and EnergyAustralia for their continued support for the K2-Hydro project."To view tables and figures, please visit:About Genex Power Ltd

Genex Power Limited (ASX:GNX) is focused on developing a portfolio of renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia. The Company's flagship Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located in north Queensland, will integrate large-scale solar generation with pumped storage hydro. The Kidston Clean Energy Hub is comprised of the operating 50MW stage 1 Solar Project (KS1) and the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) with potential for further multi-stage wind and solar projects. The 50MW Jemalong Solar Project (JSP) is located in NSW and provides geographical diversification to the Genex Power Limited portfolio. JSP was energised in early December 2020 and commissioning is now underway. Genex is further developing its energy storage portfolio via the early stage development of a 50MW/75MWh standalone battery energy storage system at Bouldercombe in Queensland. With over 400MW of renewable energy and storage projects in development, Genex is well placed as Australia's leading renewable energy and storage company.
Like many others, Ryan Weddle spent a good portion of the past year at home.

He didnt tour with his band, Katastro, which is his livelihood.

After months away from one another, the band members decided to finish their latest album, Sucker.

Its really crazy. We wrote that album, and its been finished for almost a year since we restarted the process, he says. Its finally out, and we feel so blessed.

Formed nearly 15 years ago, Katastro released its first EP, The Wonderful Daze, in 2008 and quickly followed with its debut full-length album, Poking Holes in a Pattern, the next year. Sucker was released on July 16.

Weddles bandmates are Andrew Stravers, Andy Chaves and Tanner Riccio.

Weddle says the downtime from touring gave the band more time for the album.

Usually, we rush out an album, he says. We started talking to different labels and wanted to give it the attention it deserved. It was kind of good, in a way, that we could edit the album in a way that we wanted.

Weddle says Sucker represents a notably more mature sound for Katastro while showcasing the bands unique stew of rock, hip-hop, funk, blues, pop and reggae.

It is produced by Matt Keller and embodies the constant loop of life, love, hate and wanting to break the pattern.

He says the 12 songs on the album take listeners along on a ride, providing a summery soundtrack and something a little more positive to look forward to when everything feels off.

This album is about getting pulled into crazy nights, the loops of toxic relationships and trying to find a balance in everything, Weddle says. The name Sucker embodies the feeling of being pulled into a situation and wondering how you got there.

The return to stage has been humbling for Katastro.

Weddle says that when the tour opened in Arizona, the Tempe-based band played four or five of the new tracks.

We had a plan of what we were going to say, he says. The audience was singing the songs to us the entire time. Andy looked back at one point, and we were in awe of what was happening. It felt so reassuring. That was the first night in our hometown. Its been a crazy ride.
WASHINGTON  The White House hurriedly put off President Joe Bidens first in-person meeting with Israels new prime minister and a phone call with governors on incoming Afghan refugees Thursday after more than a dozen people were killed in explosions outside the airport in the Afghan capital, where throngs of people are scrambling to get to planes and evacuate.

Biden was to host Naftali Bennett, Israels new prime minister, who is on his first visit to the U.S. since taking office. Biden also planned to meet virtually with a bipartisan group of governors who have said they want to help resettle Afghan refugees fleeing their now Taliban-ruled country.

But deadly developments in the Afghan capital of Kabul forced the White House to tear up the presidents schedule, as he monitored the airport situation that was prompted by the Tuesday deadline he set for removing American citizens and troops from Afghanistan.

Bidens meetings with Bennett were delayed indefinitely, while the governors meeting was canceled, the White House said. A regular briefing by government health and medical experts, scheduled for Thursday, also was postponed.

Two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport Thursday, in the final days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

A U.S. official said the attack was definitely believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group, whose affiliate in Afghanistan grew out of disaffected Taliban members who hold an even more extreme view of Islam.

Despite intense pressure to extend the Tuesday deadline, Biden has repeatedly cited the threat of terrorist attacks against civilians and U.S. service members as a reason to keep to his plan.

A U.S. official said U.S. military members were among the wounded. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.

The explosions detonated as the U.S. worked to get remaining Americans out of the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation.

Asked during an interview with ABC News about reports the evacuation could end on Friday, Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, declined to comment.

Wilson said there are safe ways to get to the airport for those Americans who still want to leave. He added that there undoubtedly will be some at-risk Afghans who will not get out before Bidens deadline.

The airlift continued Thursday despite warnings of vehicle-borne bomb threats near the airport. The White House said 13,400 people had been evacuated in the 24 hours that ended early Thursday morning Washington time. Those included 5,100 people aboard U.S. military planes and 8,300 on coalition and partner aircraft. That was a substantial drop from the 19,000 airlifted by all means the day before.

Blinken emphasized at a State Department briefing on Wednesday 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.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the capital, issued a security alert Wednesday warning American citizens away from three specific airport gates. Senior U.S. officials said the warning was related to ongoing and specific threats involving the Islamic State and potential vehicle bombs.

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.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida, contributed to this report.
CHANDLER, Ariz.  An explosion at a strip mall print shop in a Phoenix suburb blew off the roof and scattered debris around the building, seriously injuring four men inside the business, authorities said.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, but authorities were checking for a possible gas leak in a parking lot next to the building, said Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Keith Welch, a department spokesman.,

Welch also said it was unclear if the injured were employees or customers of the print shop.

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix, said two of the men were in critical condition in an intensive care unit with the other two in serious condition. But all four of them were expected to recover.

Foster didnt identify any of the victims, saying they were all young males who appeared to suffer second-degree propane flash burns to their arms, hands, thighs and legs.

A branch library, a preschool and about a dozen businesses in the strip mall were evacuated. No injuries were reported apart from the people who were inside the print shop but a few nearby businesses were damaged, Welch said.

Authorities evacuated about 25 homes adjacent to the parking lot where authorities were checking for a gas leak, Welch said.

News video showed the building of Platinum Printing severely damaged, with debris scattered around the building, including on top at least one parked car.

It was a pretty devastating explosion, Welch told reporters. The inside of the building is completely destroyed, and if you get closer to the building, the walls have been pushed out.

The print shops website said it provides construction documents to architects, builders and contractors.

The incident drew a huge response, with about 50 emergency vehicles and over 100 personnel from seven different agencies.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Cyndy McCrossen is ready to carry the torch.

The native New Mexican was named the film liaison for the Albuquerque Film Office on Aug. 16.

With the state a hot spot for the film industry, shes hitting the ground running.

I have been a staunch advocate for the film industry and film crew education in New Mexico for the better part of my career, McCrossen said. This position will enable me to transform that passion into new local jobs, new business, and even more national visibility for Albuquerque as the countrys No. 1 film hub.

McCrossen is no stranger to the film industry as she has been a location scout expert for nearly 20 years. Shes also been a part of some successful productions such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Preacher.

McCrossen will be in charge of promoting Albuquerque to TV, film, digital and ad producers to secure key industry contracts and to recruit production-related companies to relocate their businesses to the Duke City.

She will also provide community outreach to keep residents and local businesses informed about how they can get involved in the film industry and educate citizens about the local economic impact of film-making and scouting locations and accommodations for film operations.

Its a great industry and its been great to meet and be part of a creative process, she said. Working in the locations department, you have to act like a director and show how its going to be a good place to photograph and make sure that you can get a film crew into the spot.

Mayor Tim Keller said McCrossen will help continue to keep Albuquerque as one of the top locations to work in film.

The burgeoning film industry is one of our bright spots in Albuquerque, and supporting it is key to our economic development, Keller said.

McCrossen has earned high praise in the film industry. In 2014, she received the Location Managers Guild of America award for Outstanding Locations in a Single Commercial: Coca Cola Beautiful. 

I want to continue to bring in new productions, she said. Theres a big desire to expand the gaming industry as well. The New Mexico film incentive program is so unique that it lends itself to new media. It takes the possibilities to a whole other spectrum.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  People who werent fully vaccinated made up 88.5% of the states COVID-19 deaths in a recent four-week period, according a new state report.

Forty-six of the 52 people who died were not fully vaccinated, the report said.

The report also found that unvaccinated individuals made up 81.2% of new cases and 88.8% of hospitalizations over the past month.

The remainder were fully vaccinated people.

New Mexico reported nine more COVID-19 deaths Thursday and 933 new cases.

The nine deaths  including three adults in Bernalillo County  pushed the statewide death toll to 4,497 residents.

The state Department of Health, meanwhile, urged pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant to seek out vaccination if they havent already.

The state cited recent federal guidance, and said pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely than others to get severely ill from COVID-19.

Women want nothing more than to keep their babies safe  and to keep themselves safe so they can take good care of their babies, Deputy Health Secretary Laura Parajon said. Getting vaccinated is a key part of doing so.

The Department of Health on Thursday reported:

 67% of New Mexicans 18 and older have completed their vaccine series and 76.6% have had at least one dose.

 415 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the state, down from 433 the day before.

 933 new cases of COVID-19, including 222 in Bernalillo County.

The case totals announced Thursday come as New Mexico struggles with full hospitals and imposes a deadline Friday for hospital workers to get vaccinated.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration has also reinstated a mask mandate for public indoor spaces and offered a $100 incentive to anyone who gets their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A member of Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico said Eddie Taz Trujillo had a steady supply of guns and his prices were reasonable. A member of the Aryan Brotherhood called the 39-year-old a solid dude who may have Mexican cartel connections.

In recently unsealed court documents, the FBI alleged Trujillo spent years as a trustworthy and steady supplier of guns, ammunition and drugs to both gangs.

Trujillo was charged Aug. 16 with being a felon in possession of a firearm after separate raids at his home and his girlfriends apartment turned up guns, bundles of cash and a toilet bowl covered in heroin residue.

A federal judge chose to detain Trujillo until trial after finding the evidence against him strongly suggests he is making his living selling drugs and guns to gang members and others.

Trujillos lawyer declined to comment.

According to search warrant affidavits and a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court:

The Albuquerque Violent Crime Gang Task Force, made up of local and federal law enforcement, recently set eyes on Trujillo when he was seen selling guns and drugs to SNM members out of his home, his girlfriends home and his vehicle around Albuquerque.

Agents began watching Trujillo, tapping his phone and using confidential informants  all convicted felons and two of them active gang members  to build a case against him.

A confidential informant who formerly trafficked heroin told agents Trujillo had an unusual fondness for firearms and boasted that he had 50 guns stashed between his home and a storage unit. The informant said Trujillo sold those guns to the SNM and other gangs but not to Black gangs because he did not trust them.

Under the FBIs direction and watch, the informant bought a large amount of heroin and two guns with removed serial numbers from Trujillo. The informant advised agents to be careful if they try to arrest Trujillo as he had said he was not going back to prison and would shoot it out with authorities.

An SNM gang member, who was previously jailed with Trujillo, began to cooperate after being threatened with federal firearms charges related to a gun sale. The gang member told agents he had bought guns and drugs from Trujillo in the past.

The gang member said many SNM members went through Trujillo when they needed guns and he would obliterate the serial numbers upon request. The gang member told agents Trujillo got many of his guns from his drug buyers who would trade stolen guns for drugs.

The gang member described Trujillo as quiet, avoidant of gang politics and a steady hustler in the gun and drug game.

A longtime member of the Aryan Brotherhood began to help the FBI after a close friend was killed in a shooting in Albuquerque. The gang member told agents they knew Trujillo for several years and he was considered a source of supply for guns and ammunition with the gang and on the street.

The gang member said they believed Trujillo traded guns with the Mexican cartel for heroin. The gang member told agents Trujillo recently sold guns to another Aryan Brotherhood who was in a dispute with a Black gang member in the War Zone.

Agents said the gang member who bought the guns was killed in a June motorcycle crash in Albuquerque. The Drug Enforcement Administration responded to the crash and found the member had two loaded pistols, several ounces of methamphetamine and a 55-page FBI search warrant targeting the Brewtown Locos gang on him when he died.

A neighbor of Trujillo told agents apparent drug deals had been happening at the home for months with many people using drugs and leaving needles and tinfoil on the street outside. The neighbor said there were also several instances of gunfire ringing out near the home. Multiple 911 calls to Trujillos home detailed reports of a man fitting Trujillos description to be talking to himself and running around outside the home and playing loud music in his truck.

Agents said Trujillo had served time in prison and was arrested 22 times over the past 22 years, including on two counts of murder in Nevada, five arrests for domestic violence, three arrests for meth trafficking, burglary, auto theft and other crimes.

Among those arrests, Trujillo was convicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, twice for drug trafficking, residential burglary, larceny over $2,500 and possession. Agents began investigating Trujillo after he was seen associating with SNM members.

On Aug. 13, the FBI raided Trujillos home in the 500 block of Valencia SE, near San Pedro and Zuni. Trujillo was not home but agents found a loaded AR-15 rifle, a bulletproof vest and $50,000 in cash in a crockpot in the kitchen. They also found keys that apparently belonged to storage units.

Within a few hours, agents went to Trujillos girlfriends apartment at the Bordermans Reef apartment complex near Lomas and Morris. The FBI demanded Trujillo surrender for several minutes and threatened to send tear gas into the apartment before Trujillo and his girlfriend came out.

Inside the apartment, agents found heroin residue in the toilet bowl, a loaded .45 caliber pistol under a mattress, a bag of methamphetamine and more than $5,000 in cash.

Trujillo told agents he used the AR-15 for target shooting and protection and the $50,000 was saved up doing odd jobs. Trujillo said the pistol was not his.
It seems like a common-sense amendment to a Senate budget resolution, given the explosion of the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant and the spike in hospitalizations. Introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, it will require migrants apprehended on the southern border to test negative for COVID-19 before being transported into the country.

And it does not abandon those who test positive. Marshalls amendment provides funding for testing, treatment at the border and for quarantining those who test positive.

Pretty straightforward stuff considering the circumstances. As the delta surges and N.M. hospitals operate at or above capacity, testing migrants is the responsible and humane thing to do for all involved.

As such, the amendment passed the Senate by an 88-11 vote. No senator from a border state voted against it  except for N.M. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced tough but necessary decisions last week that include requiring hospital and other workers in high-risk settings to be vaccinated. The Democratic governor had already required state employees to get vaccinated. On the federal level, the Pentagon announced military members would have to get vaccinated by mid-September and Reuters reports the Biden administration is developing a plan to require nearly all foreign visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The governor recently issued a letter signed by other elected officials that said, Requiring vaccination of your workforce  and/or requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test of the patrons who visit and support your business  is within your right as an employer. Heinrich and Lujan signed that letter.

So Americans can be required to be vaccinated or take a COVID test to keep their jobs, tourists can be required to be vaccinated, but migrants cant be tested to enter the country? As President Biden might say, Come on, man!

Aaron Morales, a Heinrich spokesman, said Marshalls amendment would have jeopardized the safety of Border Patrol agents, violated the law, and is out of touch with the realities of protecting our southern border.

How is testing and treating migrants for COVID-19 jeopardizing safety? Weve been encouraging Americans to get tested for over a year.

According to CBS News, the Biden administration has released over 7,000 COVID-positive migrants into McAllen, Texas, since mid-February. City officials said they werent tested for COVID.

If Heinrich and Lujans intent is to spread politics along with the delta variant, they succeeded. Ditto if they want to help reluctant New Mexicans in the southeastern part of the state dig in against testing and vaccination. If they want to protect New Mexicans, they are on the wrong side of history.

The fact Heinrich and Lujan were among only 11 senators who voted against testing migrants when more than three dozen Democrats joined Republicans in the 88-11 vote speaks volumes.

We hope next time theyll put the interests of migrants and New Mexicans above their politics.

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.
Jax is one of those dogs everybody loves.

Hes cuddly, cute, a portable purebred Yorkshire terrier with a personality bigger than his body. Hes something of a wag, that Jax. Hes friendly. Maybe too friendly, his sociability leading to his happy wanderer ways.

In Elk City, Oklahoma, a small town where he lived with his human, Brian Walton, that wasnt a problem.

Hes crafty, Walton said. But he never goes far. Everybody in town knows him and loves him and knows to call me.

Even the town pound, where Jax landed three times in the past nine months, knew to call Walton to pick up his boy.

Somehow, inexplicably, the 2-year-old pup did go far, found in Albuquerque, some 433 miles from home, last June. This time, Walton contends, no one knew to call him  not the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department, where the dog was taken, nor PetLink, the company that holds Jaxs microchip information. As a result, he said, Jax was wrongly allowed to be adopted.

It broke his heart.

Jax is like my child, Walton said from his home in Elk City. And this feels like a kidnapping.

But documents provided by the Animal Welfare Department indicate that Walton was contacted by phone and letter via the information provided through the microchip, but that he was an FTR  fail to respond. Documents also indicate that PetLink sent seven emails from July 4 to July 9 to Walton and called four times. There was no response to any of those messages.

Thats odd for a man who says that, aside from the occasional social visits, he and Jax had been inseparable since the pup was 8 weeks old. Walton even took him to job sites for his appliance repair business.

Waltons Facebook and TikTok pages are filled with photos and videos of Jax that he posts like a proud father.

Jax, he said, changed his life, made him a better person, a good thing because he admits he isnt proud of things hes done in his past.

I love that dog unconditionally. We have this bond. Ive wanted a Yorkie because my mother had Yorkies before she passed away, and Jax reminds me of her. Im looking at his toys right now, he said, his voice cracking and trailing off.

On the night of June 26, Walton said he and Jax came home after work and Jax wandered over to the spot in the tall grass where he always did his business. Just like that, Jax was gone.

He was nowhere to be seen, Walton said. It was just wild.

Jax had been missing for a week when, on the Fourth of July, he was found near Fourth and Griegos NW in Albuquerque and taken to the city shelter.

The fireworks involving Walton and Animal Welfare, PetLink and the Albuquerque resident who adopted the little dog were about to begin.

The Animal Welfare Department receives approximately 9,000 stray animals each year into the shelters, Desiree Cawley, marketing manager of the Animal Welfare Department, said in a statement. When an owner does not reply, the pet is made available for adoption after a holding period. In this case, Mr. Walton did not respond to multiple attempts by AWD and the microchip company to contact him.

But where had Walton been? Why had he not responded?

Turns out Waltons past had caught up with him, briefly.

Court records indicate that in 2016, he was arrested for possessing a power washer he should have known was stolen. His case was diverted to drug court, from which he graduated successfully in 2018.

But, on July 1, three days before Jax was found in Albuquerque, court records indicate he was arrested on an old warrant for missing the last hearings in his case, which he says he wasnt aware of. He was jailed until July 15.

Jax was adopted July 14 by a local woman and her family, 10 days after Jax was impounded.

As soon as Walton learned what had happened, he began making calls, and writing to PetLink and Animal Welfare, but was repeatedly told that he was simply too late.

Ive been hung up on, talked to like a straight hoodlum, and misled into thinking you had me and Jax in your best interest, he responded in one email to PetLink. Ive been taken advantage of and my best friend is gone.

In desperation, Walton filed a request to open Jaxs adoption records, and obtained the name and contact information for the new owner. He found her on Facebook, wrote an impassioned note explaining the situation and begging to have Jax back, promising to buy her a dog of her choice in return.

Its unclear if she ever read the message.

He started posting his sad dog tale on Facebook, amassing a throng of supporters from California to Spain. He dropped information about the new owner on Facebook that provided some of those supporters with enough to figure out her identity  and they used it.

Walton later deleted much of that information and called on his supporters to back off. But the damage was done.

Cawley said the woman was bombarded with angry messages left at work, home, with friends. She locked her social media, disconnected her phone and was unable to be reached for this column.

Shes fearful, Cawley said.

Walton is fearful that he has lost his best friend.

Still, he is determined to continue to try to get Jax back, even if he has to go to court. But he hopes he doesnt have to. He hopes the new owner will see his story, his plea and let Jax come back to him.

Jax is my dog, he said. Im not trying to be mean or start a fight, but I will fight. I have to do whatever I can do. What else can I do?

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter.
SANTA FE  New Mexico students have fewer school days than other children in the U.S., and a decade of research and investment by state officials hasnt changed that.

In a legislative hearing Thursday, one expert called extra learning a lost cause, suggesting that children wont recover academically from the pandemic because school districts have declined to add extra learning days to their calendars.

Most states have a minimum of 180 school days for districts. New Mexico sets goals for the number of days and instructional hours that students get, but even those standards can be waived. Some schools operate only four days per week, and some students have 150 or fewer school days.

The state has allocated millions of dollars to pay for the extra teacher hours. The voluntary programs add 25 days of school for children in K-5, and 10 days for higher grades.

But the funding has failed to win over school districts. Many parents and teachers dont want summers shortened.

Legislators proposed making the programs mandatory, but the idea died in a Senate subcommittee.

I tend to treat it as a lost cause. It didnt happen, economist Stephen Barro told lawmakers. Some losses, were not ever going to make up now.
DEMING  A 64-year-old Deming man is suing U.S. Customs and Border Protection over an alleged violent encounter with an officer in June 2019 at the Columbus Port of Entry, which he says left him with a head injury.

In a federal complaint, Anastacio Granillo alleges he was returning home from visiting relatives in Mexico. After waiting in a long line on a hot day, he says he suggested to the officer that another lane be opened.

Granillo alleges the officer, identified as Oscar Orrantia, became angry at the request and escalated the interaction after asking to see allergy medication Granillo reported he was bringing across the border.

As related in the complaint, Granillo became nervous and dropped the medication while handing it over, which the officer interpreted as throwing the medication at him. He then allegedly removed Granillo from the car by force, hitting the older mans head against the wall of the vehicle bay while restraining him.

Although he describes developing a visible lump on his head right away, Granillo says he declined ambulance service because of the potential expense.

Since the incident, he claims to have received extensive medical treatment and continues to experience memory loss and other symptoms attributed to the head injury.

Granillo, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, is seeking an unstated amount in compensatory damages for alleged assault, battery, false arrest and/or imprisonment for being detained for an hour at a CBP office as well as negligence by the officer.

A spokesman for CBP said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Lack of comment should not be construed as agreement or stipulation with any of the allegations.

Maria Martinez Sanchez, a senior staff attorney for ACLU New Mexico, said that beyond seeking relief for Granillo, the case is part of a broader effort by ACLU affiliates near the border to hold federal agencies accountable.

This is one case, she said, and were hopeful that if we prevail in this case it would convince people that theres a problem, and that they need to improve training, improve the way officers interact with people and de-escalation.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Luther Wilson, director of the University of New Mexico Press, the universitys book-publishing arm, from 1980 to 1985 and again from 2000 to 2010, made an impression as soon as he took the helm at the Press.

Sales are one metric of his success between 1980 and 1985, said David Holtby, who worked at UNM Press during both of Wilsons stints as director. They more than tripled from $500,000 to greater than $1.5 million. When he returned in 2000, he moved the Press from $2.5 million in sales to nearly $4.5 million in 2005. He was a major force at UNM Press for 15 years.

Holtby said Wilson was immensely personable, as well.

He was an accomplished raconteur, always willing to talk about lifes great challenges, including fly-fishing and quantum physics, or the huge iguana he lived with when he was with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, said Holtby, who was associate editor and editor-in-chief at UNM Press. My enduring picture is of him smiling kindly after another long day of meetings with UNMs bureaucrats.

Wilson died on Aug. 5 in Brighton, Colorado, where he moved after retiring from UNM Press. He was 77. Survivors include Judy, his wife of 41 years; a son; four stepchildren; a brother; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Wilson grew up in Kentucky and attended college at Michigan State University at Oakland (now Oakland University), where he majored in Russian literature and minored in mathematics. He was 36 when he came to UNM Press in the fall of 1980 after having served as editor-in-chief and assistant director at the University of Oklahoma Press.

Beth Hadas had been working at UNM Press for about 10 years when Wilson took charge.

When he first came, he was so young, she said. But he started his adult life young. He went to college when he was 16, and then joined the Peace Corps and had a lot of experience.

Hadas was a senior editor at the Press during Wilsons first term there. She succeeded him as UNM Press director when he left to become director at Syracuse University Press in New York. She had retired by the time he left his position as director of the University Press of Colorado to return to UNM Press in 2000.

He was wonderful that first term at UNM, Hadas said. Luther taught us some very useful things  like how to budget for a book. There were a lot of us there who learned everything we knew about the book business from Luther. And he was  willing to accept the judgment of the people he worked with.

Wilson was director when UNM Press acquired The Education of Little Tree, the book Hadas refers to as our scandalous best-seller.

The book, credited to author Forrest Carter, was purported to be the true story of an orphan raised by his Cherokee grandparents in the Tennessee mountains during the 1930s. It had been published previously by Delacorte and was published by UNM Press in 1986, after Wilson left for Syracuse. The book, described as engaging, funny, sad and heartwarming had become UNM Presss all-time best-seller by 1991, when news stories reported that it was fiction and that the author was Asa Carter, who had ties to the Ku Klux Klan and had been a speech writer for segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace.

None of that was known to UNM Press officials when they bought the rights to the book. Carter had died in 1979. Hadas said the book, despite its authors unsavory history, espouses good values. According to Holtby, UNMs edition of The Education of Little Tree had sold more than 1.5 million copies by 2005.

Luther was a highly respected editor and his reputation attracted award-winning authors in such diverse fields as archaeology, Western and Native American history, photography and regional fiction, said Holtby, himself the author of such books as 2012s Forty-Seventh Star: New Mexicos Struggle for Statehood.

With Wilson as director, UNM Press published works by such authors as Rudolfo Anaya, N. Scott Momaday, Tony Hillerman and Max Evans.

Holtby said Wilsons return to the Press in 2000 came at a time when university presses had lost thousands of sales outlets due to a decline in independent bookstores, and the shrinking budgets of public and school libraries. UNM Press experienced growing debt and staff layoffs before Wilson retired in 2010.

In 2011, the Western Writers of America, a national organization of people who write fiction and nonfiction about the American West, presented Wilson with the Lariat Award, which honors those who have demonstrated exceptional support for the literature of the West.

Paul Hutton, distinguished professor of history at the University of New Mexico, was WWA executive director when Wilson received the Lariat.

Luther was one of the best editors in the academic press world, Hutton said. He  made UNM Press into one of the premier presses in the West.
CHANDLER, Ariz.  An explosion Thursday at a strip mall print shop in a Phoenix suburb blew off the roof and scattered debris around the building, seriously injuring four men inside the business, authorities said.

The cause of the 9:23 a.m. explosion was not immediately known, but authorities were checking for a possible gas leak in a parking lot next to the building, said Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Keith Welch, a department spokesman.

Thats still under investigation, Welch said of the possible gas leak.

Welch also said it was unclear if the injured were employees or customers of the print shop.

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, said two of the men were in critical condition in an intensive care unit with the other two in serious condition. But all four of them were expected to recover.

Foster didnt identify any of the victims, saying they were all young males who appeared to suffer second-degree propane flash burns to their arms, hands and legs.

Foster said the victims had burns ranging from 16% to 30% of their bodies and all will need surgery and extended hospital stays, but the injuries could have been worse considering the extent of the damage.

A branch library, a preschool and about a dozen businesses in the strip mall were evacuated. No injuries were reported apart from the people who were inside the print shop but a few nearby businesses were damaged, Welch said.

Authorities evacuated about 25 homes adjacent to the parking lot where authorities were checking for a gas leak, Welch said.

News video showed the building of Platinum Printing severely damaged, with debris scattered around the building, including on top at least one parked car.

It was a pretty devastating explosion, Welch told reporters. The inside of the building is completely destroyed, and if you get closer to the building, the walls have been pushed out.

The print shops website said it provides construction documents to architects, builders and contractors.

The incident drew a huge response, with about 50 emergency vehicles and over 100 personnel from seven different agencies.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

TAOS SKI VALLEY  New Mexico has its share of problems, but a depleted state treasury isnt one.

Bolstered by surging oil and natural gas production, and a rise in consumer spending, the state is on track to collect an all-time high windfall of more than $8.8 billion in revenue in the coming budget year.

The eye-popping revenue figure  nearly $1 billion higher than what was projected in February  was unveiled Friday at a Legislative Finance Committee meeting at Taos Ski Valley.

It could allow for big spending increases on New Mexico public schools, roads, health care programs and possibly help fund new initiatives, though specific plans from the Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham are not expected to be rolled out until January.

Theres going to be a lot more money than we know what to do with in the next few years, but its not going to last forever, said Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, the LFCs vice chairman, during a committee discussion on education issues this week.

He also suggested much of the revenue windfall should be spent on one-time expenditures  and not built into the state budget  such as an overhaul of the states gross receipts tax system that has been debated by lawmakers for years.

Now is the time to tackle the structural issues of New Mexico, Munoz told the Journal.

In all, the estimates released Friday by executive and legislative economists project New Mexico lawmakers will have nearly $1.4 billion in new money in the coming year  a figure that represents the difference between expected revenue and the states current $7.4 billion budget.

The revenue total does not include more than $1.5 billion that is projected to automatically flow into a state rainy day fund and an early childhood endowment fund over the next two years  under changes enacted in 2017 and 2020 to set aside some money in cash-flush years.

It also does not include roughly $1.75 billion in federal relief funds that have only been partially earmarked by the Lujan Grisham administration and could be, at least in part, subject to appropriation by lawmakers during next years 30-day legislative session.

House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, said Friday the revenue projections were proof that majority Democrats policies are working.

With roughly $1.4 billion in new revenue, investments in infrastructure, families, and communities will continue to be central to our work to diversify and guarantee sustainable, long-term growth for our state, Egolf said in a statement.

Much of the projected revenue windfall is due to higher-than-expected state gross receipts and income tax collections.

In fact, total personal income in New Mexico reached record heights during the pandemic, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, due in large part to federal stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits.

I think New Mexico is very flush with money, said Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, who raised concerns about widespread inflation. And its all about the money that poured into this state.

Meanwhile, the projected huge increases in state tax collections comes even as the states employment recovery from the pandemic is expected to take longer than previously thought.

While New Mexico posted 4.3% job growth from July 2020 through June 2021, the state is still down roughly 64,000 jobs  or 7.4%  from its pre-pandemic peak.

And its not expected to get back to that pre-pandemic employment level until 2026, said state Taxation and Revenue Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke.

New Mexico has had one of the nations highest unemployment rates in recent months  it was tied for second-highest nationally at 7.6% as of July.

In addition, low-income New Mexicans have faced the brunt of pandemic-related job losses, and related earnings, while higher-income households have seen their earnings go up.

Specifically, statewide employment in jobs making more than $60,000 per year increased by 13.6% from January 2020 through June of this year, while employment in jobs making less than $27,000 annually decreased by 12.7% during that same time period, according to LFC data.

This was not a typical recession, said LFC economist Dawn Iglesias during Fridays hearing.

Another factor in the states revenue bonanza is quicker-than-expected recovery of the oil industry, which declined dramatically early in the pandemic.

New Mexico, the nations second-biggest oil producer behind only Texas, is the only top-producing state to rebound to pre-pandemic oil production levels. It reached a record high of 1.2 million barrels per day in April, according to state Taxation and Revenue Department data.

The dramatic rebound in oil production  and an accompanying increase in oil prices  has come amid a national discussion about climate change and President Joe Bidens pause on new oil and gas leasing on public lands in January.

The pause was blocked by a federal judges order in June. And the U.S. Interior Department is moving forward with new lease sales while appealing the ruling.

Natural gas production has also surged in New Mexico after a national supply glut previously stifled both production and prices, with production for the 2021 budget year up by 15% from the previous year.

This is not just an oil story for this forecast  its also a natural gas story, Iglesias said Friday.

However, much of the oil and natural gas royalty and tax collections will flow into the two state savings funds intended to provide a ready resource in cash-lean years. In past years, that money would have flown into the state general fund.

While some lawmakers have called for New Mexico to ween itself off the historically volatile oil and gas industries, revenue from the extractive industries currently makes up about 45% of the states total revenue base.
KABUL, Afghanistan  American forces working under heightened security and threats of another attack pressed ahead in the closing days of the U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan after a devastating suicide bombing, and U.S. officials said they had killed a member of the extremist group that the United States believes responsible for it.

A U.S. drone strike early Saturday in eastern Afghanistan killed a member of the countrys Islamic State affiliate, U.S. Central Command said. President Joe Biden has laid responsibility for Thursdays suicide bombing on that offshoot extremist group which is an enemy both to the West and to Afghanistans Taliban and is known for especially lethal attacks.

The death toll in Thursdays suicide bombing rose to 169 Afghans, a number that could increase as authorities examine fragmented remains, and 13 U.S. service members.

U.S. Central Command said American officials believed the militant killed in Saturdays drone strike had been involved in planning strikes against the United States in Kabul, and that there were no other known casualties.

The U.S. retaliation comes amid a steady flow of grim warnings from the White House and the Pentagon that there could be more extremist attacks targeting U.S. forces ahead of President Joe Bidens fast-approaching deadline Tuesday to end the airlift and withdraw American personnel.

The next few days will be our most dangerous period to date in the evacuation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, hours before the U.S. issued a security alert for four of the airport gates.

Thursdays bombing marked one of the most lethal attacks the country has seen. The U.S. said it was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since 2011.

As the call to prayer echoed Friday through Kabul along with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowds thronging the airport in hope of escaping Taliban rule appeared as large as ever, despite the scenes of victims lying closely packed together in the aftermath of the bombing.

Around the world, newly arriving Afghan evacuees, many clutching babies and bare handfuls of belongings in plastic bags, stepped off evacuation flights in the United States, in Albania, in Belgium and beyond. In Kabul on Friday, Afghan families looked for loved ones among bodies, placed along a hospital sidewalk for identification, of bombing victims who died pleading for a seat on the U.S.-run airlifts.

Afghans, American citizens and other foreigners were all acutely aware the window was closing to get out via the airlift.

Jamshad went to the airport Friday with his wife and three small children. He clutched an invitation to a Western country he didnt want to identify.

After the explosion I decided I would try. Because I am afraid now there will be more attacks, and I think now I have to leave, said Jamshad, who like many Afghans uses only one name.

The Pentagon said Friday that there was just one suicide bomber  at the airport gate  not two, as U.S. officials initially said. A U.S. official said that the bomber carried a heavier-than-usual load of about 25 pounds of explosives, loaded with shrapnel.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary assessments of the attack. The officials who gave the Afghan death toll also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The Afghan victims ranged from a hard-working young journalist to an impoverished father, driven to to the airport by hopes of a better life.

The American dead were 11 Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier. Many had been tiny children when U.S. forces first entered Afghanistan in 2001.

One, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Maelee Grant Nikoui, sent a video to a family friend in the United States just hours before he was killed, showing himself smiling and greeting Afghan children.

Want to take a video together, buddy? Nikoui asked young boy, leaning in to be in the picture with him. All right, were heroes now, man.

British officials said two of the countrys citizens and the child of another Briton were among those killed.

On the morning after the attack, the Taliban used a pickup truck full of fighters and three captured Humvees to set up a barrier 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the airport, holding the crowds farther back from the U.S. troops than before.

U.S. military officials said that some gates were closed and other security measures put in place. They said there were tighter restrictions at Taliban checkpoints and fewer people around the gates.

U.S. officials said evacuees with proper credentials still were being allowed through the gates. Inside, about 5,400 evacuees awaited flights.

U.S. commanders had briefed Biden Friday on developing plans to strike back at the Islamic State and make good on the presidents vow to the attackers to hunt you down and make you pay.

Biden pronounced the U.S. effort to evacuate Americans, Afghan allies and others most at risk from the Taliban a worthy mission.

And we will complete the mission, he said.

The Taliban have wrested back control of Afghanistan two decades after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks. Their return to power has terrified many Afghans, who have rushed to flee the country ahead of the American withdrawal.

More than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated through the Kabul airport, according to the U.S., but thousands more are struggling to leave.

The White House said Friday afternoon that U.S. military aircraft had flown out 2,100 evacuees in the previous 24 hours. Another 2,100 people left on other coalition flights.

The number was a fraction of the 12,700 people carried out by U.S. military aircraft during a brief period when the airlift reached maximum capacity.

France ended its own evacuation effort and pulled up stakes on a temporary French embassy at the airport, leaving Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. U.S. allies and others have ended or are ending their airlifts, in part to give the U.S. time to wrap up its own operations.

The Taliban have said they will allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the U.S. withdrawal, but it is unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad and Anna from Nairobi, Kenya. Darlene Superville in Washington and Rahim Faiez in Turkey and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed along with other Associated Press writers around the world.

___

More of APs Afghanistan coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
The New Mexico Chamber of Commerce has launched a new campaign recognizing employers with high vaccination rates among employees.

The COVID Stops Here campaign is aimed at highlighting businesses that have reached vaccination rates of 70% to 100% by providing the businesses with resources to help them promote the accomplishment.

Chamber president and CEO Rob Black said the goal of the campaign is to get more people vaccinated and ensure that businesses and our economy can stay open and grow.

I think businesses should participate in the campaign because then it reinforces their commitment to both creating a safe workplace and  customers will feel more confident patronizing those businesses, he said.

Black said a business with high vaccination rates may also have an easier time retaining and hiring employees concerned about their safety in the workplace.

Businesses can reach out to the chamber once the workplace vaccination rate reaches 70% and the chamber will provide the business with a media kit promoting the business as a participant of the campaign.

The business will also be listed on the chambers website.

Black said that about 26 businesses have already been certified as of Friday afternoon.

Participating businesses will be sorted into different categories based on their vaccination rates with the platinum category representing businesses with a 100% vaccination rate.

Businesses can apply for the designation at nmchamber.org/covid%20stops-here.
A conflict-of-interest complaint against Attorney General Hector Balderas in regulatory proceedings on the proposed merger between PNM Resources and energy company Avangrid is still in play at the State Supreme Court.

Jane Gagne, assistant counsel for the courts Disciplinary Board, dismissed the complaint against Balderas and another attorney, Marcus Rael, two times in early August. But the board itself has now agreed to examine those dismissals to determine if further investigation is needed, based on an appeal by environmental and consumer advocacy organization New Energy Economy, which filed the complaint in July.

Chief Disciplinary Counsel Anne L. Taylor said in an Aug. 19 letter to NEE that she would forward the issue onto Board Chair Cynthia Fry for review.

Both you and I will hear directly from the Chair of the Disciplinary Board or her designee following the completion of the review as to whether the dismissal was appropriate or if further investigation is warranted, Taylor said in the letter, obtained by the Journal.

The Disciplinary Boards review could potentially influence a forthcoming decision in the merger case at the state Public Regulation Commission, which held nearly two weeks of public hearings on the issue in mid-August.

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.

In the complaint, NEE said Rael of Albuquerque-based Robles, Rael & Anaya used his personal influence to persuade the AG to support the merger. Balderas has hired Rael and his law firm many times to represent the state in different cases. And Rael and Balderas are old college buddies who briefly worked together before Balderas became AG.

Avangrids parent firm, Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, S.A., hired Rael in February to represent it in the PRC merger case, leading to nearly two dozen meetings between Rael and Balderas before the AG signed off on a settlement agreement to support the merger.

PRC Hearing Examiner Ashley Schannauer ruled on Aug. 6 that Rael had a conflict of interest and barred him from representing Iberdrola in case hearings. But on Aug. 5, Supreme Court Assistant Disciplinary Counsel Gagne dismissed NEEs complaint as without merit, and then did so a second time on Aug. 12 after NEE asked to reconsider her decision.

Based on Gagnes dismissals, the AG and other parties supporting the merger appealed two times to Hearing Examiner Schannauer to allow Rael to rejoin the case, and to withdraw any evidence or inferences about conflict of interest from the record to not unduly influence PRC commissioners about the merger.

Schannauer has rejected those requests, ruling that PRC decisions on regulatory proceedings are independent of the Supreme. Court, and that Raels representation of Iberdrola is relevant to commission deliberations.

It is a case of public interest that concerns the 530,000 ratepayers of PNM and the New Mexico economy as a whole, Schannauer wrote in his latest order on Aug. 23. It is crucial that the proceeding and the commissions final decision are viewed by the public as credible and without any taint of improper influence.

Merger at issue

In late September or early October, Schannauer will submit a recommended decision on the merger to the five commissioners, who will then vote on the issue.

As it stands now, 23 of 24 parties intervening in the case either directly support or dont oppose the merger, based on a settlement agreement that commits PNM and Avangrid to provide nearly $134 million in direct rate relief for PNM customers and economic development investments in New Mexico. Among other things, Avangrid would also create 150 new jobs, abide by new regulatory measures to ensure grid reliability, and fully submit to PRC jurisdiction in all PNM-related affairs to prioritize ratepayers above company interests.

NEE is now the only party opposing the merger. It claims Rael helped broker back-door deals with the AG and others that dont offer sufficient benefits.

Nor do they guarantee that poor performance and regulatory conflicts demonstrated by Avangrid utilities in other states will not be repeated in New Mexico, said NEE Executive Director Mariel Nanasi. Raels hiring, she said, reflects a pattern of disturbing misconduct.

 There is a practice of non-compliance with law and rules thats deeply troubling, Nanasi told the Journal. Why would we want Avangrid here given that they have repeatedly sacrificed effectiveness in reliable utility service and adequate customer performance (in other states) because of their singular focus on profit.

The AG firmly denies any conflict of interest in dealings with Rael. In an email to the Journal, he called NEEs allegations a bogus ethics complaint.

It was filed to manufacture a circus-show distraction in order to derail the PRC proceedings, which clearly was not effective considering that every party in the case besides them either supports the merger or no longer opposes the deal, Balderas said.

The Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy and Western Resource Advocates, which both support the merger, rejected NEEs claim that Balderas short-changed New Mexicans.

It is false, they wrote in a letter to the Journal. From our first-hand observations, the AG and his staff vigorously and effectively represented the interests of New Mexicans throughout the settlement process.

In a meeting with the Journals editorial board this week, Iberdrola Chief Development Officer Pedro Azagra Blazquez said he didnt previously know about Raels history with the AG. Rael was hired because hes one of a select few local attorneys experienced in utility settlement negotiations, Azagra Blazquez said.

Editors Note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the assistant counsel of the New Mexico Supreme Courts disciplinary board. Her name is Jane Gagne. The story has been updated.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The state reported nearly 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

Of the 958 new cases, 175 are from Bernalillo County, 105 are from Chaves County, 84 are from Eddy County, 79 are from Lea County and 74 are from Dona Ana County. The remaining counties all have fewer than 60 cases each.

The New Mexico Department of Health also reported nine people died from the illness, all of whom were in their 60s or younger. Those who died were: a woman in her 60s, four men in their 50s, three men in their 40s, and a man in his 20s.

On Friday, 362 people were hospitalized with the illness  a decrease from the 415 reported the day before.

Officials have been warning that intensive care units are reaching capacity and may need to invoke crisis standards of care.

On Wednesday, Dr. David Scrase, who leads the state departments of health and human services, said the hospitals may need to choose who gets help if there are not enough resources to care for everyone. He said more than 50 people were on waiting lists for a bed in the ICU.

In New Mexico there have been a total of 4,505 deaths related to COVID-19 and there have been 229,509 cases reported since March 2020.

In recent months, the majority of hospitalizations and deaths have been among those who have not been vaccinated.

A recently released state report found that people who have not been vaccinated made up 88.5% of the deaths  46 out of 52  over a four-week period. It also said that the unvaccinated made up 81.2% of new cases and 88.8% of hospitalizations over the past month.

The DOH said 201,026 cases have been designated as recovered.
WENN/Nicole Kubelka Movie

The former Batman depicter is set to portray a real-life preacher, who ended in jail for smuggling drugs, in an upcoming movie 'The Church of Living Dangerously'.

Aug 25, 2021

AceShowbiz - Christian Bale is set to play a drug-smuggling preacher in "The Church of Living Dangerously".

According to Deadline, New Regency acquired the rights to David Kushner's Vanity Fair article, which profiles John Lee Bishop - a pastor who brought a tiger onto his stage in a former K-Mart superstore - and wound up a drug runner.

As well as starring in the flick, "The Dark Knight" star is also producing.

"The Big Short" scribe Charles Randolph is penning the script while Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson of The Gotham Group are also listed as producers.

As part of the contract, New Regency has landed life rights to Bishop and his son, David.

Bishop was caught having an affair with a church employee and was addicted to painkillers and booze.

As per Deadline, "His son developed a meth and heroin habit, and the preacher found a perplexing method of intervention. Determined not to fail his son, Bishop insisted on taking the drugs with the youth, to understand their power over him. That led to Bishop's smuggling drugs for a Mexican cartel. Caught at the Mexican border after 20 runs, Bishop was convicted and sentenced to five years behind bars. Ultimately, it was David who pulled him out of his tailspin."

Christian Bale was last seen on the big screen in 2019's true-story movie "Ford v Ferrari", playing car racing engineer and driver Ken Miles.

He will next appear as Gorr the God Butcher in the upcoming Marvel flick "Thor: Love and Thunder".

He is also cast in an untitled David O. Russell project with Margot Robbie, Robert Downey Jr., Zoe Saldana, Chris Rock, John David Washington, and Rami Malek.
WENN/Avalon Movie

The 'Basic Instinct' actress is 'honored' as she has been officially announced to receive the highest accolade at the upcoming Zurich Film Festival in September.

Aug 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Sharon Stone will be honoured with the Zurich Film Festival's highest accolade, the Golden Icon Award in September (21).

The 17th edition of the festival takes place 23 Sept - 3 October and the "Basic Instinct" star will be in Zurich to accept the award in person on 25 September.

The glitzy ceremony will be followed by a screening of Martin Scorsese's 1995 movie "Casino" which earned Stone her sole Oscar nomination, reported Variety.

"It is an honor to engage with the global community and celebrate the profound depth of our art," said Stone. "I am thrilled to be recognized in this capacity."

The "Total Recall" star will also conduct a masterclass during which she'll discuss her creative process and career.

Meanwhile, the festival's artistic director Christian Jungen paid tribute to the actress, describing her as an "icon" who has fought "against sexism."

"Sharon Stone is a true icon of the seventh art," he said. "She is a woman that Hitchcock would have loved. Her distinguishing qualities include an irresistible charm, a great human depth, the talent to play a whole range of roles and the ability to captivate an audience like no other."

"At a time when the film business was dominated by men, she stood her ground to fight against sexism and in doing so became a major role model for many women in the film business."

The Zurich Film Festival honor comes a month after Sharon Stone was named one of France's new Commanders of the Order of Arts and Letters at the Cannes Film Festival.
Instagram Celebrity

Fellow '8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter' star Amy Davidson also makes appearance on ABC docuseries 'Superstar' which celebrates the life and career of the late comedian.

Aug 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Kaley Cuoco remembered late actor John Ritter in a new ABC documentary that celebrates the life and career of the late comedian. "The Big Bang Theory" star emotionally talked about John, who played her dad on "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter".

Over John, Kaley gushed in docuseries "Superstar", which aired on Wednesday, August 25 on ABC, that he was "like no one I've ever met." The actress went on to call him "the most generous man, the most fun."

"In comes John, and I go, 'Hi, I'm playing your daughter,' " she recalled. "He goes, 'Hold on' and he takes his jacket and puts it over me. He goes, 'Never dress like that again.' And right then, he was my dad."

"The Flight Attendant" star continued,"He treated me like his own daughter. He treated all of us kids like that. It was pretty incredible."

She also recalled going to "8 Simple Rules" set the day after John passed away on set. "Everyone was just crying, bawling and then people started telling stories," she said. "I'll never forget, there was the mailman at Warner Bros. and he was like, 'I's like to speak.' He goes, 'I used to deliver the mail here. John would always say hi to me' and I was like, 'Of course he did.' "

"I really love him so much, to this day," she added.

Fellow "8 Simple Rules" star Amy Davidson also made appearance on "Superstar". "I can't stop crying. So many mixed emotions," she shared. The docuseries also featured appearances from the likes of "Three's Company" actress Suzanne Somers, "Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler. Joining them was John's son Jason Ritter.

John, who played patriarch Paul Hennessy on "8 Simple Rules", died on September 11, 2003, after falling ill on set while filming the second season of the sitcom. He was then rushed to hospital, where he was treated for a suspected heart attack. His condition worsened quickly that he needed to undergo aortic dissection surgery. The operation was unfortunately unsuccessful.
Instagram TV

The new season will see JoJo, who came out as pansexual, competing with a female pro-dancer as it marks the first time for the show to have a sex-sex pairing.

Aug 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" has revealed some of the cast members for upcoming season 30. On Thursday, August 26, it was revealed that the new season will feature a YouTube personality JoJo Siwa and Olympic gymnast Suni Lee hitting the ballroom, vying for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.

The new season will also offer something new as JoJo, who came out as pansexual in April, will compete with a female pro-dancer. It marks the first time for the show to have a sex-sex pairing.

Tyra Banks, who will reprise her role as the host, told JoJo on Thursday at a Television Critics Association event, "You're making history, JoJo. This is history."

The former "Dance Moms" star was also excited to join the long-running ABC dancing competition. "I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before," she shared. "Not only do I now get to share with the world that you get to love who you want to love, but also, you get to dance with who you want to dance with. I think it's really special."

"There [are] a lot of barriers that we're going to have to break through," she added. "Who leads? How do you dress? What shoes do you wear? But I think it's all something that I'm looking forward to."

She revealed that received an email with "DWTS" in the subject line. She quickly replied yes and she only realized later on that the email contained a question that read, "JoJo, would you like to be partnered with a girl or with a boy?"

"It would be so incredible, it would mean so much to me -- and I think so much to a lot of people around the world -- if I partnered with another female," JoJo said. "So right away, it wasn't a question."

While her pro partner will only be revealed when the show premieres next month, the young star guessed who will make a great team with her. "I think [Lindsay Arnold] is awesome. [Jenna Johnson] is incredible [Britt Stewart] is amazing," JoJo said. "I think if I got one of those three I would just be so happy. I think their choreography is amazing."

The 13 other "star" cast members will be announced in the Wednesday, September 8 episode of "Good Morning America". Season 30 is set to premiere on Monday, September 20 on ABC.
Instagram Movie

'The Trial of the Chicago 7' star Kelvin Harrison Jr. will lend his voice to Mufasa, while 'The Underground Railroad' actor Aaron Pierre will voice Taka in the upcoming animated movie.

Aug 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - "The Trial of the Chicago 7" star Kelvin Harrison Jr. and "The Underground Railroad" actor Aaron Pierre are set to lead the voice cast of "The Lion King" prequel.

Production is already underway on the project, directed by Barry Jenkins, and now news of two actors involved has been released.

Pierre, who worked with Jenkins on the Amazon series "The Underground Railroad", will take on Mufasa - most famously played by James Earl Jones, while Harrison Jr. will portray Taka.

Plot details of "The Lion King" prequel have not been unveiled, but the movie is expected to focus on the early years of Mufasa, the regal father of Simba, and his menacing younger brother Scar, whose birth name is Taka.

The untitled prequel will continue with the photorealistic animation technology that director Jon Favreau used in his hit 2019 blockbuster revamp of the animated movie.

Jenkins previously said of working on the movie, "Helping my sister raise two young boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters. Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true."

Disney has not announced a release date for the movie and other voice cast members are yet to revealed.

The previous "Lion King" feature film was a star-studded event, with Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and James Earl Jones among the voice cast. Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the screenplay for the 2019 movie, is returning to write the upcoming film.
WENN Celebrity

A judge has barred the legal team representing the former 'Empire' actor from calling Chicago prosecutor as a witness in his trial over alleged fake attack.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jussie Smollett's attorneys will not be allowed to call Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx as a witness in their court case, a judge has ruled.

The "Empire" star is fighting claims he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in January 2019. Following the alleged attack, Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts, including one for allegedly filing a false police report.

While criminal charges for disorderly conduct related to the hoax report allegations were dropped, six new felony counts were filed in February 2020, after special prosecutor Dan Webb was appointed to re-investigate the case.

In his investigation, Webb found that Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and those working with her created false statements at the time the charges were dropped, which didn't hinge on new evidence and "surprised" or "shocked" lawyers who worked in the state's attorney's office.

It also alleged that Foxx's office "breached its obligations of honesty and transparency" by making false and/or misleading statements to the public regarding Foxx's recusal from the case, and the extent of Foxx's communications with Smollett's sister, actress Jurnee.

He continued to say that Foxx and her staff demonstrated potential violations of ethics in their handling of the case. However, the prosecutor could not find anything criminal in Foxx's handling.

Smollett's legal team had hoped to call Foxx as a witness in their case, but a judge ruled on Thursday that they would not be allowed to do so. Cook County Judge James Linn also ruled that the lawyers cannot refer to the other lawsuits linked to the actor's case.

However, they will be allowed to tell jurors about the AR-15 rifle and other guns that were discovered in the house of two brothers who prosecutors alleged Smollett hired to carry out the attack on him.

A date for the trial has yet to be confirmed.
WENN Celebrity

The 'Lewis' actor plans to home school his two young children in order to avoid getting them vaccinated because he doesn't really trust the 'rushed' injection.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Laurence Fox will "not send (his) children back to school" because he's so opposed to the U.K. Government's COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Instead, the actor is willing to home school Winston, 12, and Eugene, nine - who he shares with ex-wife Billie Piper - in a bid to avoid them being forced into having the injection.

"Every parent who loves their children should resist this insanity," he told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, as he reacted to reports that the NHS was planning to start vaccinating 12-year-olds from the first week schools go back in September (21).

"I will not be sending my kids back to school. I will educate my kids at home from now on. The rushed vaccination of children, for no reason whatsoever, shows how deeply morally corrupt this regime has become. I look forward to reading with them at home and staying the hell away from the authorities."

Piper declined to comment on whether or not she would approve of her boys being kept home from school.

Referring to a coroner's conclusion that BBC radio presenter Lisa Shaw had died due to complications of the AstraZeneca vaccination, "Lewis" star Fox continued, "Following the tragic death of BBC journalist Lisa Shaw from vaccine-related complications, and the unending lies about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, I will not be sending my children to school until I have received a cast-iron guarantee that my children will not be vaccinated without the consent of both parents for a disease that has negligible chance of serious illness to them."

"We are in the middle of a mass delusion and it is time for people to wake up. Childrens lives are at risk. However, I fully support the provision of vaccination for children in vulnerable groups with fully informed parental consent."

A Department of Health spokesman insisted, "No decisions have been made on vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds and it is inaccurate to suggest otherwise."
WENN Celebrity

The 'Stranger Things' actor demands a public apology from his SAG-AFTRA presidential election rival or he will take her to court over alleged defamation.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Matthew Modine has threatened to sue Fran Drescher for defamation.

The "Stranger Things" star is running against Fran to become president of the SAG-AFTRA union and has been left incensed by an email Fran allegedly sent to her supporters in the race, which is said to have included defamatory comments about him.

Now, he's threatening to take legal action unless she issues him a public apology by the end of the day on Friday (27Aug21).

In a letter from Modine's lawyer, the alleged email was detailed, with Drescher apparently referring to claims that Los Angeles television station KTLA wasn't giving equal access to both candidates.

"Now they think it's okay to violate the law and that the rules don't apply to them," Fran reportedly wrote in the email. "The non-partisan national SAG-AFTRA Election Committee found that Modine and Membership First broke the rules.

The email also included a Los Angeles Times article, which had the headline, "SAG-AFTRA election board finds KTLA, Modine-led group broke rules."

In his letter, Modine's lawyer Robert Allen says Fran's email is "defamatory because it falsely states that Mr. Modine and Membership First, a group in which Mr. Modine is a prominent member, violated labor law and broke rules surrounding the current union election."

"Mr. Modine did not appear on KTLA and had nothing to do with the interviews at issue," the letter continues. "Nor did the Decision accuse MembershipFirst of any wrongdoing. To the contrary, the only 'bad actor' identified in the decision is KTLA."

"We therefore demand that you do each of the following in the next twenty-four (24) hours: (a) send an email through SAG-AFTRA, to the same recipients as the Email, acknowledging that these statements are untrue and apologising for defaming Mr. Modine; and (b) made a public statement stating the same," the letter states.

"Please be advised that in the event you fail to comply with the demands made herein, Mr. Modine shall take whatever legal action he deems necessary and appropriate to protect his rights, including, without limitation, commencing legal action against you and all parties involved related to your defamatory conduct."

"Your defamation of Mr. Modine, your opposing candidate for SAG-AFTRA president, at the eleventh hour of the current election, is not only disgraceful and repugnant, but damaging to Mr. Modine's professional reputation and career and hurtful to him personally and financially."

Modine added in a statement of his own, "I'm ashamed of Fran Drescher. I'm disappointed. But she'll be judged by the people in the world after she's gone, or by whatever god she worships."

Drescher has yet to respond to Modine's letter.

Ballots in the SAG-AFTRA election will be counted on 2 September.
WENN Celebrity

Rumor has it, the 'Mission: Impossible' actor is fuming to find out his luggage is gone after the car he used while in U.K. filming his latest movie was stolen.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Tom Cruise has reportedly had thousands of pounds worth of luggage stolen.

The actor is currently in the U.K. shooting the latest "Mission: Impossible" movie and is said to be "hopping mad" after car thieves sped away in his bodyguard's BMW vehicle.

A source told The Sun newspaper, "Tom had been driven around in the car while in Birmingham and some of his luggage and belongings were inside it when it was taken."

"It's since been recovered by police because it was equipped with an electronic tracking device but everything inside it had gone."

"It's a huge embarrassment for the security team and the guy who had been driving it was hopping mad - but not as mad as Tom!"

The thieves used cutting-edge technology to clone the signal from the car's key-less ignition fob before they stole the vehicle from under the noses of Tom's security team.

However, bosses from the car manufacturer have already supplied the actor with an identical replacement.

A police spokesperson said, "We received a report of a BMW X7 stolen from Church Street, Birmingham in the early hours of Tuesday (24Aug21) morning. The car was recovered a short time later in Smethwick."

"CCTV enquiries have been made in the area that the car was recovered from. Inquiries are ongoing."

Tom has been living in the U.K. over recent months as he's been filming the new "Mission: Impossible" movie alongside the likes of Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby.
Twitter Celebrity

The former child star who shared screen with Paul Rudd in 'Our Idiot Brother' has raised the alarm after he didn't return to his dorm room and failed to return his family's calls.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Police in Pennsylvania have launched a search for former child star Matthew Mindler after he was reported missing from his college.

The former actor, who starred opposite Paul Rudd in "Our Idiot Brother", was last seen at Millersville University on Tuesday night (24Aug21).

Fellow students raised the alarm when the freshman did not return to his dorm room on Wednesday. He also failed to return calls from his family, according to TMZ.

Police officers have been inundated with tips about Mindler's whereabouts and are following up on all leads.

The university also issued a notice on social media in hopes to help find the missing student, "Matt was last seen walking from his residence hall, West Villages toward the Centennial Dr. parking lot area at 8:11 p.m. Tuesday night."

Along with a CCTV picture of his last sighting where he was seen wearing a face mask, the university noted, "He was wearing a white Millersville University hooded sweatshirt with black stripes on the arm, black backpack, jeans and white sneakers (please see photos below)."

Matthew Mindler was last seen in his college

They continued, "Matt attended classes Monday and Tuesday but did not attend yesterday or this morning. University Police are in contact with Matt's mother and are working with campus staff for assistance in locating Matt."
WENN/Sony Pictures Movie

Rumor has it, the bosses behind the James Bond movie franchise are on the hunt for younger actor to replace Daniel Craig in order to reboot the 007 big-screen adaptation.

Aug 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Bridgerton" star Rege-Jean Page is still the red hot favourite to play the next James Bond, according to British bookmakers.

The Brit has led the odds since he became a breakout star in the Netflix period drama at Christmas (20), and he's still edging out Superman Henry Cavill and "1917" 's George MacKay as the fan favourite to replace Daniel Craig, who will bow out as 007 following the release of "No Time to Die" at the end of next month (Sep21).

A film source tells Page Six Rege-Jean is being discussed by Bond producers, along with Cavill and MacKay.

"Bond producers are not making any decisions until after No Time to Die is released," the insider says. "They are focusing on Daniel Craig's big finale. Henry Cavill also is still in the running; he's a lot more famous now than when his name first came up."

"One other name is George MacKay. One of the producers of 1917 has come over to Bond and is suggesting George. There is some talk about rebooting the Bond franchise after Daniel Craig with someone younger, and he could fit the bill."

Meanwhile, Alex Apati of British bookmaker Ladbrokes tells the outlet, "It's looking increasingly likely Bond chiefs have made their minds up in the hunt for Daniel Craig's replacement, with Rege-Jean Page now the clear favourite in the betting."

"Mad Max: Fury Road" star Tom Hardy, James Norton, Luke Evans, and Idris Elba are also in the running.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - On Wednesday, a Chico man was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

Alfred David Villasenor, 38, of Chico, was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.

According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2019, law enforcement officers conducted a welfare check at Villasenors residence. They located Villasenor hiding underneath a blanket on the floor of the master bedroom with a shouldered, loaded non-serialized AR-15 rifle on a bipod.

Villasenor had been pointing this rifle at the door officers had used to enter the room, Talbert said.

Officers seized approximately 900 rounds of ammunition of various sizes and additional firearms from the home. At that time, Villasenor was subject to a domestic violence restraining order that prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition, Talbert said.

Villasenor aimed a loaded, chambered weapon at police officers who were responding to his house to conduct a welfare check for his own safety and that of his family, Talbert said. Villasenor violated a domestic violence temporary restraining order by acquiring dangerous firearms and ammunition. Todays sentence reflects the seriousness of his offense and will hopefully deter him from acquiring firearms or ammunition again.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Chico Police Department, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Butte County District Attorneys Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James R. Conolly and Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program.
CHICO, Calif. - College students may be starting the semester in person but with COVID-19 cases climbing will they end the semester the same way?

Mike Guzzi, Emergency Operations Center Director at Chico State says, Anything is a possibility, we take everything day to day, because of all the changing guidance that happens but at this point, we are staying strong with our numbers and seeing a positive reception with all the safety protocols we have in place."

Guzzi says the university is constantly in contact with the Butte County Public Health Department so they can keep the campus safe and open.

The Chico State campus is once again full of people. While outdoors some students are choosing to wear masks and others are not.

However, everyone is required to wear them indoors.

22 students and 10 employees have tested positive since Aug. 1.

Megan Keegan is a junior at Chico State. She's counting on fellow students to do their part to keep the campus open.

I hope everyone complies with the mask mandate and we're able to stay on campus and we dont have to move back to fully online, Keegan said.

Guzzi says right now the majority of the students and staff on campus are vaccinated.

Those who are not vaccinated have until Sept. 30 to get vaccinated or get an exemption.

He says they have a testing site inside Whitney Hall where they're testing around 300 people a day.

The university will be hosting a vaccination clinic on Sept. 14 at the Bell Memorial Union building.

CLICK HERE to view Chico State's COVID-19 Case Dashboard.
CHICO, Calif. - California healthcare workers have until Sept. 30 to get vaccinated, but some are considering walking away from the job instead.

I definitely agree that it should be your choice that's regardless of anything, Kiara Agan, a caregiver in Chico who did not want to identify where she practiced said.

Agan is fully vaccinated, but still believes it should be a persons choice.

"I did get mine because I work around clients that are at high risk, Agan said. I wanted to make them a bit more comfortable. It wasn't something that I have any political thoughts on the vaccine."

Agan said she understands peoples hesitancy.

"It is completely understandable that if you are not comfortable getting it, then you're not comfortable getting it, Agan told Action News Now.

Some healthcare workers in the area are prepared to walk out because of this vaccine mandate, but a lot can still happen between now and Sept. 30.

"I wouldn't personally because I am passionate, but you never know, Agan said. People have very strong opinions and that is completely ok."

Action News Now asked Butte County's largest medical provider about the mandate.

Enloe Medical Center gave us this statement:

"Like most hospitals in California, Enloe Medical Center is operating at near capacity as we provide care for an unseasonably large number of patients due to COVID and other illnesses and injuries.



We are so grateful to thousands of caregivers at Enloe whove made sacrifices to care for our community throughout the pandemic.

As of today, 74% of Enloe employees are fully vaccinated. That number is climbing every day  especially now that the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.



Nearly 100% of our volunteers and physicians who work in our facilities have been fully vaccinated.



Staff who work in areas with patients and who are not fully vaccinated are being tested regularly, in accordance with state rules. Enloe continues to be a safe place to seek care.



With 35 days until the mandate takes effect, we are optimistic the overwhelming majority of our caregivers will meet the deadline. Enloe is eager to keep all of its staff while also complying with the mandate."



- Jolene Francis, Vice President of Philanthropy & Communications

It is important to note that the 74% of fully vaccinated staff does not include those that have had at least one or two doses of the vaccine and/or have not been two weeks removed from their shot.

"I know a couple of people who are in school just about ready to graduate and they are heartbroken, a woman who did not want to be identified said. They feel strongly enough some of the indications not to get the vaccine, so they do not want to walk away from all the time and money they put into their career."

The California Nurses Association told Action News Now that the vaccine is critically important and encourages members to get the shot. They provided this in the statement:

In addition to encouraging vaccination, CNA is calling for proven and effective public and workplace infection control measures that the entire country must be taking now, including protecting nurses and health care workers with optimal, single-use PPE, providing safe staffing levels, robust and routine testing, proper isolation, contact tracing, and notification, proper quarantining, ventilation, universal masking, social distancing, and diligent hygiene.

Others living in Chico told Action News Now that they would feel more comfortable if healthcare workers were vaccinated, but think it should ultimately be up to each person to decide.
PLUMAS COUNTY, Calif. - Health officials in Plumas County are issuing mandatory face coverings as the delta variant spreads.

The order will begin on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and will likely remain in effect until 70% of eligible Plumas County residents are vaccinated for COVID-19 or the average daily case is three per 100,000, according to Plumas County Public Health Agency.

Public health said it has seen a change in recent weeks and there is now evidence that the virus is spreading.

The order is for everyone regardless of their vaccination status in all indoor public settings.

Health officials said individuals, businesses, venue operators and hosts must require face-covering in all indoor settings, post clearly visible and easy-to-read signage at entry points and are encouraged to provide face coverings at no cost.

People younger than two years old or who are exempted because of a medical condition or disability are exempted. To see who is exempted, visit the California Department of Public Health website.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - "AquAlliance", a local water watchdog non-profit, has filed suit against the federal government over plans to allow Sacramento River water districts to pump extra groundwater during extreme drought conditions.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network are also plaintiffs in the suit, filed in federal District Court against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The suit charges that districts with senior water rights are already taxing local groundwater basins because they don't want to accept 25% cuts in contracted deliveries. And, that those same districts still have enough river water to sell to south-of-Delta interests.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the Bureau's Environmental Assessment of the Extra Groundwater Pumping Plans invalid and issue a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop the project.

It claims the extra pumping will harm local domestic and agricultural users, the Sacramento River, streams and ecosystems.
REDDING, Calif. - A 34-year-old pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his mother on Thursday, according to the Shasta County District Attorney.

Nicholas McKenzie appeared in court on Thursday for the stabbing and death of his 68-year-old mother in April of 2020.

Police said they responded to a call on April 10 for a medical call. Officers responding to the scene received information a crime occurred and the suspect left the area.

RELATED: Redding man accused of killing his own mother pleads not guilty

McKenzie was found and arrested for murder.

On June 25, 2020, McKenzie pleaded not guilty causing the case to go to trial.

After pleading guilty on Thursday, McKenzie faces 16-years-to-life in prison.

He will be sentenced on Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m.
GLENN COUNTY, Calif. - The Glenn County Sheriffs Office has released the identification of the man who was killed Thursday on Interstate-5 near Willows.

54-year-old David Cleveland of Sacramento was killed Thursday in a solo vehicle crash.

RELATED: Solo vehicle crash ejects, kills driver on Interstate-5

Cleveland, for unknown reasons, traveled into the center median and crashed into oleander bushes where it overturned while traveling through the bushes.

The vehicle came to a rest and blocked the northbound lanes of Interstate-5.

Cleveland was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash happened in the area of County Rd. 48.
Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on Aug. 27.

Supreme Court allows evictions to resume during pandemic

Thousands of Americans could be facing eviction today after the supreme court blocked the CDC eviction moratorium extension. The high court's action allows evictions to resume all around the country. Californias own eviction moratorium will continue through Sept.

Butte County Sheriffs Search and Rescue to celebrate 60 years of service

The Butte County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team will be celebrating its 60th year anniversary Sunday. It's happening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chico Elks Lodge. There will be all types of equipment on display, demonstrations, children's activities and Sheriff Korea Honea will speak at noon. Food is available for purchase. The all-volunteer squad trains year-round and is on call to make rescues and help with emergency evacuations 24/7.

Final stages of construction starts on Interstate-5 in Anderson

The final stage of construction starts on the Anderson six-lane project. The southbound balls ferry on-ramp and southbound Deschutes Rd. off-ramp of eye-five will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.The project is set to be completed Saturday. Caltrans is asking drivers to slow down and drive carefully in the area.

CAA food distribution in Yankee Hill Friday

Yet another drive-thru food giveaway by the Butte Community Action Agency. This distribution will take place at 10 a.m. at Pines Hardware in Yankee Hill. That's on Miller Flat Rd. The drive-through will run through noon or until supplies runs out. Organizers ask that people who come to remain in their cars.

Dixie Fire reaches 750K acres, burns under 1K acres overnight

At last count, it has scorched more than 750,000 acres and is 45% contained. Commercial lumber companies report an estimated $1 billion worth of timber has burned, with another one billion still threatened.

Monument Fire increases 3,000 acres to burn more than 157,000 acres

The Monument Fire has grown to more than 158,000 acres with containment still at 20%. CAL FIRE said the fire line continues to hold near Junction City but people there should be prepared to leave if fire activity changes.
Ola Electric announces famous YouTube personality Bhuvan Bam as one of its celebrity brand ambassadors. The strategic association between Bhuvan and Ola will create content that effectively communicates the brands uber value proposition in an innovative, highly-relatable, and entertaining manner. OIas electric scooters have already gained eye-balls because of its premium design, extra-ordinary features and the revolutionary green move.

Ola Electric is a scooter of new generation and Bhuvan being one of the most followed youth icons in the country, his association will only accelerate Olas efforts to tap the right audiences. The scooters are available in two variants  S1 and S1 pro catering to different requirements of the Indian consumers.

Speaking at the association Bhuvan Bam said, I am really happy that Ola Electric considered me as one of their ambassadors. It's truly exciting to be a part of this green revolution, something Ive always wished for. The scooters are really sleek, attractive and are designed as per the Indian electric vehicle market. I have joined the green revolution already and I cant wait for everyone to get their hands on it.

A favorite amongst brands aiming to bring innovation to their marketing mix, Bhuvan has earlier been associated with several leading brands like Myntra, Mivi, Faboom, Arctic Fox, Beardo, Lenskart and Tissot among others. While building a unique narrative for each of the brands, his content continues to resonate with millions of people with every new campaign.
Kaizzen PR Services, Indias leading independent Public Relations & Digital Agency, has bagged the PR mandate for Japanese consumer electronics major Aiwa Electronics, as the company charts out its return to the Indian market. The company is celebrating its 70th year and is expected to roll out a number of devices across Personal & Home Audio and video segments over the next few months. The mandate encompasses providing strategic communications support to AIWA, covering corporate reputation management, product publicity, brand visibility, and crisis management.

Kaizzen is one of Indias leading PR and Digital Agencies has for the second consecutive year bagged the prestigious top spot as the fastest-growing PR Agency in India, as per the PRovoke Global PR Agency Rankings - Fast Movers 2021.

Vineet Handa, Founder, and CEO, Kaizzen said We are ecstatic to be working with a company like AIWA that has built an enviable reputation for quality and trust in the global market. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership for many years to come. AIWAs products are comparable to some of the biggest brands in the market, and in most cases better. It is a privilege to be working with them and we see this as a testament of the hard work and passion to be the best in our endeavors.

While things have been difficult during the pandemic, we have continued to work hard for our clients and signed some major brands. We are thankful to the management team at AIWA for placing their trust in Kaizzen. Our team is excited at the opportunity of working with the AIWA team to execute innovative, disruptive, and high-impact PR campaigns that positively impact the business. Over the past twelve years, Kaizzen has established itself as a leading multi-practice and full-service PR and Digital Media Agency and the current mandate will help consolidate this practice even further.

The win comes at a time when the consumer electronics market is seeing a steady recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. AIWA has already rolled out six devices in India as part of its exclusive range of personal audio devices portfolio, for online sales on Amazon and across 500 Reliance Digital, Jio Stores (+ RelianceDigital.in) for offline walk-in customers. This personal audio range is a part of the first phase of the return of AIWA India and is priced between INR 499 and INR 7999 and includes many premium features.
A disruptor in the Indian automotive industry, MG Motor India aims to deliver a unique voice experience with a personal AI assistant in the upcoming SUV  MG Astor. The British automaker announced that the voice would be powered by none other than Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Dr. Deepa Malik.

Called The Woman on Wheels, Deepa has enlisted herself in record books for several driving feats across deserts & mountains. The woman extraordinaire will humanize the voice of the personal AI assistant in the soon-to-be launched SUV MG Astor. It is another step towards establishing the carmaker as an auto-tech pioneer.

MG has led disruption in the Indian automotive sector with many firsts like internet-connected car Hector, pure electric SUV ZS EV, Autonomous Level I SUV Gloster. For another industry first car  MG Astor with a personal AI assistant  it only made sense for MG to onboard somebody like Deepa Malik who has several firsts in her list of achievements.

Talking about the partnership, Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India, said, At MG, we strive to consistently create exciting and meaningful experiences for our customers. In another first, we are introducing a personal AI assistant in MG Astor. Having Deepa Malik, a woman of many firsts, as a voice for Astor, is in line with our commitment to both community and diversity. Deepa is the epitome of women empowerment and her voice in Astor is a message for everyone to be unstoppable.

Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman Paralympic Medalist, said, I am delighted to be the voice of the next MG SUV. I have closely followed MGs journey in India, and I applaud their vision. MG has not only led the disruption in the automotive industry, but it has contributed to the empowerment of different sections of society. It is commendable that MGs one-third of the active workforce is women. I am confident that MG will emerge as a champion with the industry-leading features of Astor.

The British brand MG in India is known for its community and diversity-driven initiatives where it has supported women empowerment with initiatives like Girl Child Education, Drive Her Back, support of Patan Girls, dedicated hostels for women employees, and more.
UN Women and Reckitt have come together to create economic opportunities for women in the health, hygiene and sanitation sectors with a commitment to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion as well as incorporation of highest standards of governance. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women India and Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt.

With this partnership, Reckitt, a leading global consumer health and hygiene company working to reach half the world with products that contribute to a cleaner, healthier world, will engage with 2 billion people through its programmes, partnerships and campaigns. Each brand is driven by this purpose and is responsible for improving lives through education and providing access to the highest-quality health, hygiene and sanitation.

Women are the real catalysts of change. We must act as an enabler and catalyst to mentor them and create a more balanced environment, said Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia at Reckitt during the signing event. We at Reckitt are happy to further strengthen our efforts in this direction with UN Women on this one-of-a-kind partnership to support women in our society to become resilient. This partnership aims to equip women with life skills like decision-making, and entrepreneurial opportunities in health, hygiene and sanitation sectors. Together, with UN women, we share the common goal of addressing the educational imbalance, gender inequality, and hygiene for all, he added.

UN Women and Reckitt are committed to improving womens access to better health and hygiene and decent jobs for women, which is an urgent need in India, said Susan Ferguson, UN Women Representative in India. Women and girls have been badly affected by Covid-19, so helping the most marginalized find decent jobs in sanitation and hygiene services is an important step towards improving womens lives.

Reckitt has introduced several initiatives in marginalized districts of India that the government has categorized as aspirational and deserving of particular support. The initiatives cover areas of hygiene, health and sanitation for women including its support for the Harpic World Toilet College, Dettol Hygiene Impact Bonds as well Dettol Banega Swasth India (India for Health) initiative and Harpic Mission Paani.

UN Women, including under its EU-funded WeEmpower Asia Programme, has increased access to financing and markets for more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs in micro, small and medium enterprises. By providing training and mentoring through its programmes, UN Women improves their business skills and uptake of sustainable technology solutions in some of the poorest districts in the country.

UN Women and Reckitt India are co-creating an impact programme targeting communities where women and girls in India have been severely impacted by poverty and discrimination, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through Reckitts Dettol Banega Swasth India and Harpic Mission Paani, the programme will focus on creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women in the health, hygiene and sanitation sectors.
The latest client acquisitions in Singapore are aligned with the agencys vision to establish a name in international regions like South-East Asia, the US and the Middle-East.

In the latest strategic development, digital agency RepIndia has announced its expansion into the Singapore market, among other international hotspots, with mandates for two leading brands  Tazapay and Rotimatic. This development is seen as the natural progression of the award-winning agency which has established a strong foothold in India having worked with over 400 leading brands and clients so far.

The newly acquired mandates pertain to SEO for Tazapay, a leading international escrow platform for cross-border trade, and ORM and SEO for Rotimatic an automated kitchen appliance brand.

Commenting on the partnership, Rahul Shinghal, CEO, Tazapay, said: We are impressed by the expertise that RepIndia has built over the years in the domain of SEO. With the kind of clients and businesses they have worked and achieved successes for in the past, I am confident that they are the right fit to augment Tazapays digital presence and increase the brands visibility in order to help us meet our business objectives.

Pranoti Nagarkar, the CEO and co-founder, Rotimatic, also shared her thoughts on the partnership: Rotimatic has made a huge difference to the lives of thousands of customers across the globe, having overcome the challenges in supply chain, we want to take it to the next level and prepare to launch in India. This is where we would like to partner with the super-efficient and highly energetic RepIndia team that excels in ORM and SEO for our global markets and India.

These two Singapore-based brands represent a growing market in the country that is looking to elevate their digital presence and build a stronger customer connect. Along with these two brands, RepIndia is also increasingly building a repertoire of clients across the US and the Middle-East as well, offering services like ORM, CRM, SEO, social media strategy, and more.

Archit Chenoy, CEO, RepIndia, said: Our foray into the global markets has only just begun, and the exposure to market leaders and disruptors like Rotimatic and Tazapay is a true accolade. We look forward to our partnership and our continued expansion in Singapore!
TV Today Network has announced the approval of the proposal to rename the hindi news channel Aaj Tak Tez to Good News Today. The Board of Directors of the company yesterday approved the proposal. The new name is expected to implement in the month of September, as the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has given the approval for the same.

Please be informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has today approved the proposal to change the name of one of the Hindi news channel of the Company from AAJ TAK TEZ to GOOD NEWS TODAY, The change in channel name is expected to be implemented during the month of September 2021. Necessary approval from the Ministry 01 Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has been received in this regard, said TV Today Network in a regulatory filing.

The Hindi news channel was launched with an aim to provide a platform for positive news stories.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 27.08.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Foreign Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), gave an address highlighting Switzerland's foreign policy strategy at the Hungarian Ambassadors' Conference in Budapest on Friday 27 August. During his time in the capital he also held working meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto and Minister of Justice Judit Varga, who is in charge of the EU dossier.

Mr Cassis' guest address to the Hungarian Ambassadors' Conference in Budapest focused on Switzerland's foreign policy strategy. He also explained the importance of adopting a methodological approach to developing the strategy, stating that "this three-stage strategy cascade means our foreign policy is more coherent, as well as raising Switzerland's global profile. It shows everyone what we stand for, what our strengths are, and where there are opportunities for close cooperation." He went on to explain that as a highly interconnected country and host to a number of international organisations, it was essential that Switzerland focus on its strengths.

Open dialogue on common European values



Mr Cassis stressed the importance of Switzerland's diversity as a basis for its foreign policy: "Our country is characterised by regional autonomy  political, linguistic and cultural. But that is also why we are united, because each region is independent and allowed to express its individuality." He also emphasised how such diversity requires a good deal of awareness, understanding and tolerance  values that also characterise Swiss foreign policy.

The strong ties between Switzerland and Hungary were also addressed by Mr Cassis, who stated that "in addition to growing bilateral trade, our two countries are engaged in an open dialogue on common European values."

Official working meetings centred on European policy and global affairs



Talks with Trade and Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Justice Minister Judit Varga also focused on European policy. Mr Cassis underscored the fact that Switzerland would continue to act as a partner the EU could rely on, as well as "working side by side with the EU for the stability and prosperity of Europe." To this end, the Federal Council has requested Parliament to release the second Swiss contribution, which includes Hungary as a beneficiary country. Mr Cassis reiterated that Switzerland remained part of the European community of values, which are also cornerstones of Swiss foreign policy: promoting human rights, democracy, freedom of expression, the rule of law and protecting minorities.

Meeting with Swiss businesses



Mr Cassis also met with representatives of Swiss companies operating in Budapest. The one-hour discussion focused on the conditions faced by Swiss businesses in Hungary, Switzerland's third biggest trading partner in Central Europe. For Hungary, Switzerland is its fifth largest investor. In 2020, trade between the two countries amounted to CHF 2.4 billion.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




Safeminds starts an important conversation this week on their site. We ask: 1) Do you have home based services? 2) Can you self-hire? 3) What is your hourly rate of pay? Safeminds posted:

According to a new article in the Tennessee Lookout, families who have a special needs member are having a hard time securing home-based care services. Not only is the state encountering a shortage of workers to fill these positions, but the two different agencies that provide caregivers are experiencing pay disparities. Due to these employment difficulties, the Tennessee Justice Center has filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, alleging that the state has violated two federal acts and discriminated against people with intellectual disabilities.





Here is the article linked



By Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout

July 29, 2021

MOHAWK, Tenn.  Drama Bryant's entire life has revolved around caring for her little brother, Jay, who  at 32 years old  requires 24/7 assistance as a result of congenital conditions that leave him unable to eat, bathe, go the bathroom, speak or walk unassisted.

Jay Bryant has Down syndrome and autism, suffers seizures, severe reflux disease and eczema and lives with chronic pain. If no one is looking, he will try to eat grass, dirt, rocks or other inedible items. When he's distressed, he hits himself hard enough to leave marks.

His intellectual and physical disabilities qualify him for a program operated by the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that is supposed to provide Jay with 337 hours of professional care each month in the home he shares with his 69-year-old mom  who herself is disabled and suffering early symptoms of dementia.

Find out what's happening in Across Tennessee with free, real-time updates from Patch.

But his family has gotten no outside help. Instead, it has fallen to Drama Bryant, 38, to step in to care for her brother, full-time, while their desperate search for caregivers continue.

Tennessee, much like the rest of the nation, has long experienced a shortage of workers willing to take the low-pay, high stress jobs that are vital to helping people with severe disabilities live with dignity in their own homes and outside of institutions. The caregiver scarcity has reached crisis proportions during the new COVID-era of labor shortages... Read more here.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Some people really love a state fair  enough to drive hundreds of miles to attend.

A family of New Yorkers who spend weeks of their summer visiting state fairs soaked up the sights and sounds at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 17.

Illinois is one of many state fairs Arlene and Marvin Birnbaum and their children, Joe and Aaron, will visit this year. The family from the Big Apple got hooked on state fairs a few years ago when they visited Nebraskas. Now they visit as many as they can every year.

We love the animals and how every state promotes it, Marvin said.

Each fair offers different experiences.

We even got to ride in a combine, Arlene said of one memorable fair experience.

Not everyone gets to ride in a half million dollar vehicle, Joe said.

This is their second visit to the Illinois State Fair, but they found first-time experiences here this year, including taking photos at the new Route 66 permanent exhibit. This tribute to the Mother Road, in its first season, will grow every year.

Other guests have been coming to the fair for generations. Many of them gathered at the Ag Day Breakfast on Aug. 17 to celebrate their long history. In all, 358 families were recognized for having a centennial, sesquicentennial or bicentennial farm owned by the same family.

Illinois State Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello read the name of every family. There were more families to recognize this year since the 2020 state fair was canceled due to COVID-19, leading to two years worth of people reaching the milestones of 100, 150 and 200 years of being a family farm.
John Hopkins, a crop farmer and beef producer in northwestern Illinois, recently ordered some new hay equipment and is planning to buy a used combine as well.

He has lots of company this year with higher commodity prices enabling equipment purchases.

It gives you a chance to update machinery when there is a little more income, he said.

This year he is replacing mower conditioner equipment. He ordered it in July and is expecting delivery in October for next years hay season. He usually replaces that equipment every three or four years. He also bought a round baler this year.

The Hopkins operation includes a couple hundred head of cattle on pasture, finishing their own calves and buying more calves to finish. They also grow corn, soybeans and wheat.

Buying used

He is also in the process of buying a used combine. For him a used combine is the best buy.

We typically buy a good one thats a couple of years old, he said.

Usually they trade in combines after about four years, but hes had the last one for seven or eight years.

Doug Foss, who farms in Grundy County in northeast Illinois, also decided to buy a used combine this year.

Id never driven a rotary combine. The cash flow is there, so I did it, he said of purchasing his first, a 2003 John Deere 9650 rotary combine. He bought it from a seller in Indiana.

Hopkins has noticed that people are buying things from farther afield now.

Part of this trend comes from the popularity of online sales and auctions. Hopkins has seen that first hand in his familys auction business, Public Auction Service, which his grandparents started in Polo about 75 years ago.
September is right around the corner and that means so is the prestigious Montana Wool Growers Association (MWGA) annual ram and ewe sales. To be held once again at the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds in historic Miles City, Mont., on Sept. 15-16, the 8th annual Ewe Sale and 96th annual Ram Sale are events not to be missed.

Sheep week, as it is affectionately called, will kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 15, with an educational program sponsored by Montana State University. The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to noon, with drought management being the main educational topic discussed. A free lamb lunch will follow the program.

The Ewe Sale Social will begin at 5 p.m. on Sept. 15, with the sale to start promptly at 6 p.m. The first lot in the sale will be the donation ewe, donated this year by John and Betty Sampsel, Hughes Newford Co., of Stanford, Mont.

All of the proceeds from that ewe will go to help sponsor individuals who want to attend Montana Wool Grower events like convention and special meetings, explained Cheryl Schuldt, sale manager.

Following the donation ewe, 18 consignors will provide 885 head of ewes to be auctioned off. A total of 385 head will be offered onsite at the Eastern Montana Fairgrounds, while 300 head, consigned by Helle Rambouillet, and 200 head, consigned by Lehfeldt Rambouillet, will be offered offsite.

The Ewe Sale will feature both white- and black-faced breeds. The white-faced breed offerings, sold as yearlings, include Rambouillet, Targhee, and Rambouillet/Targhee cross breeds, and will sell in lots of 10 or 20. The black-faced breed offerings, sold as ewe lambs, encompass Suffolk and Suffolk/Hampshire cross breeds, and will sell in lots of five.
So, what is going on in the Ahwatukee real estate market? Is the bubble going to burst?
See also: The FDA did NOT grant full approval to the Pfizer shots

On August 23rd all the mainstream or agitprop media outlets were trumpeting the news that the FDA had granted permanent approval for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. The press breathlessly reported that vaccine mandates were now legal for healthcare workers, employees in private industry, college students, and government employees at all levels including teachers and school staff.

Almost immediately Joe Biden shuffled his way to the podium and read off his teleprompter that all businesses should immediately institute vaccine mandates. The Pentagon announced that vaccinations would be mandatory for all active service members. Bill de Blasio immediately instituted a vaccine mandate for all New York City teachers and staff.

But what the agitprop media and the Biden White House failed to report is that there are two critical issues as to whether the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine (which is what has been and continues to be administered) can be mandated and whether Pfizer can be held liable for injuries, a provision that accompanies permanent approval of a vaccine or drug.

What the FDA approved and licensed is Pfizers Comirnaty Covid vaccine not the current Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine in use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The FDA has acknowledged that Pfizer has insufficient stocks of the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine available but there is a significant amount of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine available under the EUA still on hand.

Further, the FDA decreed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should remain unlicensed and under the EUA but can be used interchangeably with the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine. More importantly, the FDA states that the licensed Comirnaty vaccine and the existing Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are legally distinct but proclaims that their differences do not impact safety or effectiveness. [emphases added]

Per the Childrens Health Defense Fund:

There is a huge real-world difference between products approved under EUA compared with those the FDA has fully licensed. EUA products are experimental under U.S. law. Both the Nuremburg 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), 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-approved Covid vaccines have an extraordinary liability shield under the 2005 Public Readiness and Preparedness Act. Vaccine manufacturers, distributors 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.

At least for now, the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine has no such liability shield. A vial of the branded product that says Comirnaty on the label is subject to the same product liability laws as any other product. People injured by the vaccine could potentially sue for damages. Based on what has been reported over the past six months regarding Covid vaccine side effects, the potential jury awards could be astronomical.

Thus, it is highly unlikely that Pfizer will allow any Americans to take the Comirnaty labeled vaccine until it can coerce Congress or the Biden Administration to somehow arrange immunity for the product.

Meanwhile, Pfizer has been given the green light by the FDA to continue administering the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine under the EUA. And given the fact that they have a huge inventory on hand, they will continue to do so in any vaccine mandates.

The obvious and inevitable question is: did the FDA cynically pull a bait-and-switch on the American people by announcing permanent approval of a Pfizer Covid vaccine, which everyone would assume to be for the vaccine currently in universal use, in order to abet the Biden Administration in imposing illegal vaccine mandates?

Or, more cynically, did the FDA also conspire with Pfizer to allow them to unload their current massive inventory of a vaccine that science and the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) have exposed as unreasonably dangerous as physicians, families, and injured vaccine recipients have reported more than 600,000 vaccine injuries. And which has also been rendered obsolete by the Delta variant, requiring a booster shot that has yet to be tested or approved by the FDA.

Since the beginning of the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, the entirety of the federal medical bureaucracy has been woefully inconsistent in their pronouncements, inevitably wrong in their prescribed actions, subservient to political pressure from Democrat party politicians, and far too cozy with pharmaceutical companies as they focused solely on vaccines and not therapeutics and prophylactics.

But on the surface, these dubious actions by the FDA go far beyond incompetence. The time has come for some genuine transparency and honesty from the FDA on how this Pfizer vaccine approval came about and why in such an inordinately short period of time for a new and experimental vaccine with no long-term trials. This agencys credibility is at stake.

Meanwhile, Americans should decide for themselves about being vaccinated. But if someone is subject to a vaccine mandate, they should request to see if the vaccine they are about to receive is labeled the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine as that is the only one licensed. If any other, that person has the legal right to refuse.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
In his National Review articles, Kevin D. Williamson has a long history of denigrating conservativesespecially Trump supporters -- and he doesnt disappoint with Get Stuck, Dummy. The title speaks for itself but his true feelings surface a few paragraphs in when he demands Get vaccinated, you f***ing dopes.

Its not the F word that popped my cork as much as calling people who delay vaccination dummies and dopes. He joins a growing chorus in the Democrat-Media Complex who share those sentiments.

The article is an exercise in futility, failing to make a fact-based argument to support his thesis that unvaccinated conservatives, who think they are patriots but are really hypocrites, put the general population at risk. While he doesnt believe in vaccine mandates enforced at the points of federal bayonets he wholeheartedly embraces making life inconvenient and restricted for [conservatives who havent been vaxxed] who, out of misplaced political outrage and civic immaturity, refuse to do their part in what should be a reasonably straightforward national effort. Why, even kindergartners and refugees do it.

Mandated public school vaccines are substantively different from COVID mandates: they target children, not the entire population; diseases with a higher kill and maim rate; and the specific activity of attending school versus everything we do to live and function.

Refugees must meet certain vaccine requirements because they often arrive from parts unknown with diseases rarely seen in America that can spread like wildfire. It is a condition for entry; not imposed on the broader population.

Like our government overlords, Williamson makes haughty and faulty assumptions about the vaccine-hesitant. Their reluctance is primarily due to the new mRNA technology and the lack of information about its potential long-term side effects. The fact that the government is pushing too hard, has been inconsistent and has taken an antagonistic approach by threatening our freedoms, might cause many to dig in their heels, but doesnt affect the crux of their decisions.

In the hopes of quelling Williamsons obvious horror about The Night of the Living Unvaxxed, Im going to explain why I havent been vaxxed.

First, I have had all of my childhood vaccinations, as have my children. Having had shingles twice with the second time being infinitely more debilitating, I intend to get the shingles vaccine as soon as I am cleared. I am not an anti-vaxxer.

Second, I have three degrees from top universities. I am not a dummy.

Third, at 60, Im in good shape, with no known comorbidities. I could lose a few menopausal pounds but can still run three to four miles and do two hours of vinyasa yoga. I have had only one major health incident and that was a pulmonary embolism which can strike young and old, fit and unfit, healthy and unhealthy, active and sedentary. For peace of mind, because I wouldnt wish the pain of the infarction and the difficulty in breathing on anyone, I take a blood thinner. That is my only medication and, since COVID comes with a high risk of blood clots, Ill stay on it a bit longer.

Fourth, I have been attending conferences and taking classes on Emerging Technologies and Law for many years now and am familiar with the mRNA technology underlying the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Although its long-term effects in vaccines have not been fully studied, it is a fascinating and promising technology. I am not a Luddite.

My curious and skeptical brain demands more information before I undergo any treatment or take any medication, and everyone I know who has delayed vaccination -- young and old, liberal and conservative -- has done so for the same reason.

As a healthy 60-year-old with hopefully 10-15 years left of good health barring the unforeseen, I dont want to take any medication, have any treatments, do any exercise, eat any food, or knowingly expose myself to any environmental toxins, that might hurt me.

I wouldnt hesitate getting the vaccine if I were 70 because the risks associated with COVID are significantly higher. At 70, Id be willing to risk unknown long-term complications because as I approach 80, theres a strong likelihood I will start to decline anyway. The trade-off makes sense to me at 70 in a way it does not at 60 because I like to think I have too much healthy living left to risk it all by taking a shot whose long-term effects are not yet known.

Calling me a dope and implying Im some sort of irresponsible primitive shirking my civic and moral duties because I am waiting for more information is just churlish. Id argue that makes me a discerning individual who cares about facts when weighing the pros and cons.

Because of intolerant intellectual grandees like Williamson, were fast becoming a bifurcated society between the vaxxed and unvaxxed -- only a progressive heartbeat away from stamping our vax status on our passports as the Russians did for Jews. The enlightened ones must be able to identify the enemies of the State who refuse to participate in this one-size-fits-all national effort.

FDA approval today versus yesterday wont change any minds because questions still remain about long-term side effects. Needing a job, buying food, or getting medical treatment will.

I didnt make this decision lightly. I worry that I might be an outlier who dies from COVID and that I might have an adverse reaction or die from the vax. What I do know is that my survival rate from a COVID infection is over 99%. I do not know my risk level for adverse reactions, getting sick, or dying from the vaccine. That could be anywhere from 0 -100%. (Hat tip Max Z.)

Countering every windbag article devoid of science and evidence like Williamsons are meticulously researched articles by legitimate journalists who, citing facts, science, and statistics, shed incredible doubt on the sparse and inconsistent information we data-hungry, science-loving dummies get from the Democrat-Media Complex.

To convince a dope like me to take the vaccine, I require facts. Here is a compelling fact that I can dig my teeth into especially as I age: the vaccine, whose long-term side effects are not known at this time, does, in the short run, reduce symptoms, chances of catching the virus, and risk of death and hospitalization from complications. As I age and more long-term data emerges, facts like this will come to bear on any risk-benefit analyses I make.

I am not a dummy. I am not a dope.

Image: Alachua County

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Over the past couple of weeks, Ive had an email debate with a Biden supporter who objected to one of my articles on American Thinker. Well call him Lloyd. Its proven to be a fascinating window into the thinking of those who supported Biden in the last election.

I always thought Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) was a funny way to describe the enthusiasm with which the left detests Donald Trump. However, after my interaction with Lloyd, I get it now. TDS is a real malady -- created by the gaslighting and propaganda of the left. Those suffering from it dont just hate Donald Trump, theyve fabricated an irrational worldview to justify that hatred. It is truly deranged. To move forward as a nation, we need to understand it and develop strategies to deprogram those afflicted with it.

Ill start with the text of my correspondence with Lloyd, and then well unpack it.

Me: Im optimistic that the majority of Americans do not support tyranny and will resist the changes that the left is attempting to impose on us. Lloyd: Sorry John...if you believed that you would never have voted for a guy who called himself the King of The Jews, encouraged his supporters to attack congresspeople, nor you know joked about staying for 12 years. That seems more like tyranny to me. You can hate Biden all you want...if he loses, he won't pull that crap Trump did and you also know that if Biden stays for 8 years, he won't overturn the constitution to get 12. What you really hate is that you're in the minority and you'll never get your way again and will use tyranny to achieve your ends. Me: You are misinformed. Trump never told his supporters to attack congresspeople. He told them to peacefully protest. Also, you must have missed the news on January 20. The military didn't remove Trump. After exhausting all legal means to protest the election, he left voluntarily. He was mad, but he left. So, you're saying that bad jokes and compliance with the Constitution (even under protest) are signs of tyranny? Lloyd: That's because if he didn't [leave] he would have been frog marched out of there...the military didn't support him so he had no choice. And what about that bomber today is he a lone wolf as well? [a reference to the Floyd Ray Roseberry incident] Me: What about James Hodgkinson [the man who attempted to murder Steve Scalise]? Lloyd: Bernie Bros for the most part didn't support Hillary nor Biden. Half of them wanted Trump because they felt he'd lead to their socialist utopia. Me: Oh, youre a Biden supporter! Well in that case, how do you feel about his administration working with big tech to censor social media and text messages? How about hiring private contractors to do warrantless surveillance on private citizens? Lloyd: The censoring is being done by private companies. As for the surveillance, if it was only black and brown people you wouldn't even care. And BTW they've done that to black and brown people for decades all the way back to MLK.

So, there you have it. According to Lloyd, Donald Trump is a tyrant because he told a couple of jokes and because Lloyd believes he incited an attack on congressmen. Lloyd is unswayed by the fact that Trump specifically told his supporters to protest peacefully.

Even though Donald Trump left office peacefully, hes still guilty of violating the term limits imposed by the Constitution. Trump the tyrant is guilty of what Lloyd believes he would have done, regardless of what he actually did. Evidence to the contrary is irrelevant because Lloyd knows what President Trump would have done if he could.

Note that Lloyd also holds Trump responsible for the Floyd Ray Roseberry incident. Roseberry is the disturbed individual who parked his truck in the capital on August 19th and threatened to set off bombs unless he was allowed to talk to Joe Biden. It was later discovered that Roseberry had no bombs or other weapons. But a neighbor had seen him wear a MAGA hat once, so Trump had obviously put him up to it -- another act of tyranny I suppose.

Interestingly, Trump is apparently also at fault for the nut who attacked the Republican softball team -- James Hodgkinson. So, if someone is upset with a Democrat administration and demanding answers, its Trumps fault. If someone else attempts to assassinate Republicans, thats also Trumps fault. Got it.

According to Lloyd, censorship and unwarranted surveillance of citizens -- true acts of tyranny -- are perfectly okay if done by private companies. Who knew that the government can circumvent the restrictions of the constitution by merely hiring private contractors to do their dirty work? The subcontracting exemption to the Constitution must be emanating from a penumbra that the Supreme Court hasnt discovered yet.

Note also that Lloyd is unconcerned about warrantless surveillance because the government has been doing it against people of color for decades. Im guessing Lloyd is down with the whole systemic racism narrative. But is he saying that since it happened to people of color in the past, its okay if its now being done to people not of color -- as in privileged whites? That sounds a little like revenge as a form of atonement for past wrongs. Its also an argument that two wrongs make a right.

And finally, the debate ended just as most debates do with leftists -- with Lloyd calling me a racist. Just as he did with Donald Trump, he claimed to know what is in my heart and mind. He asserted that I wouldnt care if it was only people of color being wronged. He didnt use the word racist, but thats what he called me nonetheless. Why do supporters of Democrats always go there? Does the fact that they do, say more about them than it does about us?

To summarize Lloyds position:

Offensive words are tyranny

Peoples actions are irrelevant if thought crimes are suspected

Civil rights only apply conditionally

When challenged with logic, the challenger is racist

When someone doesnt form opinions on the basis of facts, but rather interprets facts to fit their own biases, their worldview is distorted. Rather than observing the world as it is, they are embracing their biases, rationalizing them, and twisting reality to fit those biases.

As Ive asserted in the past, debate will never succeed at changing the minds of people like Lloyd. Successful debate requires both parties to adhere to a framework of logic. If either party places more validity in their biases than in reality, debate is pointless. We need to find some other way to win them over. We need to appeal to their emotions, not their reasoning.

The left has been telling us for years that there are different realities. Perhaps theirs is a reality of disorder and confusion -- of derangement. Its the reality of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He currently writes at the American Free News Network (americanfreenewsnetwork.org). He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image: Pixabay

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
On Thursday, a grim day, in a depressing month, in a terrible year, there is some good news: the Supreme Court killed the CDC's efforts to destroy private property. In a per curium decision, the six non-leftist Supreme Court justices held that the CDC lacks the authority to impose eviction moratoriums. This is a huge victory, not just for property-owners, but for the American way of life.

The Court, appropriately, goes through the entire procedural history leading to its decision in Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services, issued on August 26. I'll give you the down and dirty chronology.

In March 2020, as part of its first COVID relief bill, Congress imposed a 120-day eviction moratorium tied to properties participating in federal assistance programs or subject to federally backed loans. When it expired, the CDC announced that all evictions in America had to cease through December 31, or the landlords would be criminally liable

Because America was in the grip of COVID madness, BLM/George Floyd madness, and election madness, the CDC got away with it. Congress threw it a lifeline with the second COVID relief bill, extending the moratorium through the end of January 2021. When that deadline arrived, the CDC once again issued its own moratorium, which it kept extending month by month.

In May, the plaintiffs sued to stop the moratorium. They prevailed at the district court level, but the court then stayed its order because it viewed the legal question as too serious to act upon without giving the government a chance to appeal. It was this stay that the Supreme Court didn't bother to vacate because the moratorium was due to expire in any event. Justice Kavanaugh, though, made it clear that on the merits, the CDC lacked the authority to act.

When the moratorium expired on July 31, the CDC ignored Justice Kavanaugh and again reinstated the moratorium. The plaintiffs went back to court and, again, ended up before the Supreme Court. This time, the Court acted on the merits.

All six of the Supreme Court's non-leftist justices joined together to say the eviction moratorium was unconstitutional because it exceeded the CDC's statutory authority to act in the case of infectious diseases. (My "non-leftist" phrasing recognizes the fact that the only reliably conservative justices  that is, justices who hew closely to the Constitution and its limits on government power  are Justices Thomas and Alito. The remaining non-leftist justices are not reliable.)

The justices pointed out that the applicable statute  361(a) of the Public Health Service Act, which was passed in 1944  gives the Health and Human Services agency the power to control communicable diseases and has been used for things such as banning the sale of small turtles, which carry salmonella, and quarantining specific individuals. For HHS to involve itself in private property rights far exceeds its mandate under the statute.

And that's the decision in a nutshell. It's the right decision, too. If unelected government agencies can exert complete control over private property, going so far as to impose criminal liability on people for exercising their legal rights over that property, we have gone beyond fascism (state control but with private property rights) and moved into proto-communism (all property is held in the state).

In America, a significant percentage of landlords (and I don't know the number, but it's big) are people who rent out their property (or parts of their property) to help pay off a mortgage or provide income for their retirement. While the tenants have lived rent-free for a year, these property-owners continue to have to pay mortgages and the various fees associated with the properties (taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.).

Freedom from rent has also been an incentive for idleness for those people receiving their monthly COVID stimulus checks from the government. There are definitely people who are in dire financial straits, but we know that many states are facing massive unemployment numbers even though employers are begging for workers because stimulus checks are nicer than a boring or hard job. This is terrible for the economy and also terrible for the human condition. It's bad for people to be infantilized wards of the state. Work, even boring, yucky work, is part of "adulting."

By reinstating rent and evictions, the Supreme Court did something good  just as it did when it reinstated Trump's remain in Mexico policy. We should cherish these moments because they'll be few and far between as long as Biden/Harris, Pelosi, and Schumer have control over the federal government.

Image: Room for Rent sign by Alex Block. Unsplash license.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Yesterday, thirteen military personnel were killed working at the gate at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. They weren't killed in battle with an enemy at their front with a chance to defend themselves; rather, they were blown up by a gutless terrorist ideologue who blended himself among women and children in order to get the maximum effect out of his insanity. To remind or inform some of those who don't pay much attention to pesky world events on social media, there won't be enough left of some of these troops to put into a Walmart bag and send home to their families. As a retired senior enlisted service member, I'm ashamed to see all of this.

Now I understand that many Americans are too busy living their lives to pay attention to that war "Over There," but try to put something in perspective. The leaders of our country just allowed the same guys whom we have been bombing for twenty years to take back the country and obtain billions in our (ours; we paid for it) equipment. They also allowed thousands of prisoners from multiple terror groups to be released to join the party while pulling our troops out before we pulled out the civilians. It's given that as Americans, we don't want endless years of war, but given the resolve of the enemy, you don't always have the option to just quit because you're tired of playing. A memorable note from today's coverage of our troops getting killed in Afghanistan was one of the Taliban leaders, whom, by the way, our government is referring to as "our partners" in the region, stating that Osama bin Laden did not have anything to do with 9/11.

The president, rightly, has been savaged over the last week, even to the point that most of the mainstream media have forgone the usual efforts to provide media cover for a Democrat president. There are others to blame, though. The reality is that despite the questionable results of the 2020 election, which seem to get more questionable as the days go by, there were some people in this country who didn't walk but ran to the polls to vote for Joe Biden. This question is to you: is this what you were hoping for?

I have family members who fall within this category. These voters hated Donald Trump  not just hated him but despised him. Government employees, who for the most part, are hired into a system that provides lavish benefits and has zero performance accountability, hated him because he bragged to the world about "draining the swamp." Suburban women despised Donald Trump because he bullied people on Twitter, even though the people he was bullying were career politicians, who ceased being public servants a week after they took office for their own self re-election interests, and media who actually despise most Americans who don't look like and believe what they do  especially suburban women.

Then there are the media. I still remember Donald Trump's inauguration, when a Time reporter who was too lazy to take a second look reported the false story over Twitter that the bust of MLK had been removed from the White House, instantaneously setting the narrative for all who hated Donald Trump already that he was a racist. The media hatred for Trump was unprecedented.

There are others. Young people hated the man who valued hard work and ran to the man that would give everyone free college. Somehow these young people have confused the free stuff they got from their parents who worked their butts off to get it with a lifelong entitlement allowing them to work less and binge Netflix more on their phones (that the parents are still funding). Many union members complied with the flyer hung on the bathroom wall at the union hall to vote Democrat, because that's what the union does. They traded a guy who bullied the American manufacturers to bring back American jobs for a guy who is now flooding the country with new workers betting on the fact that they will vote Democrat because that's what the Union bosses, who are making a whole bunch more than the workers are making, with expense accounts, say to do. You also have the social justice warriors, who somehow thought that voting for the same guy who referred to Blacks as not able to be diverse voters was going to change their lot in life in cities that have been destroyed by Democrat policies for years.

For all of you folks, my question is: was this worth it? Thirteen military members were killed yesterday unnecessarily. They were killed because a guy whom many of you elected on behalf of our country set them up to be killed, along with the rest of the unknown number of people still in Afghanistan begging to come home. In context, these troops died because Americans were mad over bad comments about people who hate most of us on a social media site that means nothing.

As a country, we have gone from energy independence, a strong economy, secure borders, and a strong military with a pending plan to evacuate Afghanistan 180 degrees in a matter of a few months. Through apathy and incompetence, our leaders have shamed our country and our military in front of the whole world and set us up to be attacked again.

I guess I'm just curious. Was this worth it?

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
His lips say 'no, no,' but his eyes say 'yes, yes.'

So goes Joe Biden's trust in the Taliban, something he constantly denies.

Here's what Biden said on Aug. 23 to a reporter asking him if he trusted a Taliban chieftain:

I dont trust anyone, including you, I love you, but there arent a lot of people I trust. The Taliban has to take a fundamental decision.

Now there's this to demonstrate what all his flippantly generalized distrust actually means, according to Politico:

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the citys airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials. The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistans capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Quote:

Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list, said one defense official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity. Its just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.

Sound like the kind of guys you'd give that kind of information, based on your supposed distrust?

Nope, Joe trusts them -- and trusts them, and trusts them, and trusts them. He's like Jimmy Carter with the Iranians, convinced that deep down, they mean us no harm.

The Taliban desperately tries to show them otherwise but somehow Joe doesn't learn. Beyond trusting the Taliban of all creatures to provide security to the Kabul airport, which they didn't -- 13 U.S. servicemen now lie dead, 60 injured -- now the news is out that he gave them a 'kill list' of all the Americans and Afghani collaborators they've supposedly agreed to let through. That's names, and quite possibly addresses, identification numbers, biometrics, all supposedly to watch for and let into the airport in order to evacuate, which they haven't done.

And into whose capable Taliban hands do the names of Americans and Afghani collaborators supposedly go? Well, obviously to the chief of the Taliban 'security' operation, a monstrous beast with a $5 million price on his head.

WASHINGTON  The Talibans new self-proclaimed chief of security in Kabul is someone who was designated a terrorist by the U.S. government 10 years ago and is subject to a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani told Al Jazeera in an interview published Sunday that the Taliban was working to restore order in Afghanistan. "If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people," he said. Those assurances were called into question by what a Pentagon spokesman called a "complex" bombing attack outside Kabul airport Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members and caused undetermined number of Afghan casualties.

There he is, sitting with everyone's name, address, Social Security number, and who knows, maybe fingerprints.

In the wake of yesterday's terror attack, the U.S. has reportedly welded shut the airport gates and now told all Americans and collaborators that the evacuation operation is over, so too bad about those still trying to get in.

But the Taliban chief, who let in at least one car bomber and several spray shooters straight to the airport gates, well, he still knows where Americans and Afghanis live.

Apparently, nobody on Team Biden suspected that maybe he was a guy not to trust. Instead of telling the Taliban to just let in all people with U.S. passports and maybe send a live cellphone photo to the Americans preliminarily vet the rest, someone gave them a written list with all the particulars, which is theirs to keep forever.

Joe Biden brushed the matter off when he was asked about it on Thursday, claiming maybe it happened, but he didn't know much, and in any case, it was to get Americans through in the Taliban's good graces, setting up the scenario to blame someone else.

Asked about POLITICO's reporting during a Thursday news conference, President Joe Biden said he wasn't sure there were such lists, but also didn't deny that sometimes the U.S. hands over names to the Taliban. "There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through," he said. "So, yes there have been occasions like that. To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred and they have been let through. "I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names," he added. "There may have been. But I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, that here's the names of 12 people, they're coming, let them through. It could very well have happened."

Which might explain, if this tweet is true, reported behind-the-scenes action like this:

Sullivan and multiple NSC officials checking with White House Counsel if the Admin faces legal exposure for providing material support to the Taliban, per WH official  Jack Posobiec  (@JackPosobiec) August 27, 2021

They know. They know that the Taliban hunts down collaborators and executes people who have already surrendered. They know the Taliban has been doing house-to-house hunts for collaborators now. They know the Taliban wants to kill Americans. They know that the Taliban's aim is to terrify the entire Afghani nation in order to consolidate control.

But Joe Biden continues to trust, even though he repeats a mantra that he doesn't.

Here's what the feckless president was saying last July 8:



Q Mr. President  do you trust the Taliban, Mr. President?



Q Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?



THE PRESIDENT: No, it is not.



Q Why?



THE PRESIDENT: Because you  the Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped  as well-equipped as any army in the world  and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable.



Q Do you trust the Taliban, Mr. President? Do you trust the Taliban, sir?



THE PRESIDENT: You  is that a serious question?



Q It is absolutely a serious question. Do you trust the Taliban?



THE PRESIDENT: No, I do not.



Q Do you trust handing over the country to the Taliban?



THE PRESIDENT: No, I do not trust the Taliban.



Q So why are you handing the country over?



Q Mr. President, is the U.S. responsible for the deaths of Afghans after you leave the country?



Q Mr. President, will you amplify that question, please? Will you amplify your answer, please  why you dont trust the Taliban?



THE PRESIDENT: Its a  its a silly question. Do I trust the Taliban? No. But I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more re-  more competent in terms of conducting war.

Now that it's obvious he was lying about that and believing what he wanted to believe about Afghan military readiness, he's saying he doesn't trust the Taliban once again. This time he trusts the Taliban to act in its self-interest:

No one trusts them, Biden said. Were just counting on their self-interest to continue to generate their activities. And its in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. Later Biden again offered an assessment of the fundamentalist groups that seized control of Kabul on August 15. Theyre not good guys, the Taliban. Im not suggesting that at all, he said. But they have a keen interest.  Biden said the Taliban wants to keep the Kabul airport operating into the future. It was also wanting to maintain an economy which, while not robust, was nonetheless fundamentally different than it had been.

Really? They'd rather just get the Americans out than humiliate their mortal enemy that kicked their keister for 20 years before the world?

He trusts them all right - imagining that they're just Democrat-style pork politicians whose only aim is to keep a chicken in every pot, and therefore can be trusted to be swayed by Biden's dangled federal aid, calling it all "self-interest."

Twenty years after continuous Taliban warfare, blowing up statues, murdering collaborators, killing Americans, he trusts that the Taliban just want to be Chicago-style Democrats, ladling the pork for votes, as if anyone's vote counts for anything in a barbaric regime that shot its way into power.

Therefore, they can be trusted with security. They can be trusted with American names. They can be trusted partners for Afghanistan's future. Biden's trust for the Taliban is like that of Stalin for Hitler. He trusts them but claims he doesn't, the better to keep questions away. He never learns, not even once, so we can expect him to trust them again.

He doesn't get these beasts at all.

Image: Screen shot from CBS8 video, posted on shareable YouTube

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Headlines are erupting around California, spotlighting leading gubernatorial challenger Larry Elder in an unflattering light. One charge in particular seems tailor-made for California-style dirty trickery as the recall campaign targeting Governor Gavin Newsom barrels through its final three weeks.

Amid a barrage of potshots ranging from a former fiancee's newfound recriminations to baffling accusations of White supremacy (Elder is Black), the Los Angeles Times claims that Elder "failed to disclose income sources" on an official form required of all candidates. Identical reporting burst synchronously across the Golden State, putting the candidate commentator's juggernaut on defense. "[T]he California Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission alleging that Elder failed to properly disclose the business and its sources of income," intoned the Times.

The omission in question regards an entity named Laurence A. Elder and Associates Inc. So Elder overlooked his self-named corporation on his campaign's financial filing. Perhaps it is the sort of liability-limiting shell public personalities routinely wrap around themselves; perhaps it is something more. Apparently, no journalist has seen fit to ask about the purpose and activities of Larry Inc. Meanwhile, the Elder campaign swiftly amended the form to value the entity at an unimpressive $100K1 million, so whatever Larry Inc. is, it's of minor import to the prominent conservative pundit's finances.

But the complaint has been filed. The die has been cast for further action.

And here is where the past just might be prologue. The story so far is in a grand Golden State tradition, seen vividly in the challenge mounted by GOP upstart and political novice Bill Simon against incumbent Governor Gray Davis in 2002. Simon, a venture capitalist, was a former lieutenant to thenU.S. attorney Rudy Giuliani and scion of former Treasury secretary William E. Simon, Sr. Despite his blueblood pedigree, Simon's successful primary run was something of an insurgency, and he toppled GOP establishment favorite Richard Riordan, former Los Angeles mayor. Running as a fair approximation of a Jeffersonian libertarian, the photogenic Simon had taken Silicon Valley and broad swaths of the state's deep red agricultural regions, and his inroads into Riordan's home base of Southern California deeply shocked the political order.

Then Simon quickly committed a classic rookie mistake by taking a tropical holiday right after his triumph, and he returned to find the street fighters who'd powered him to victory purged and replaced with vengeful establishment insiders.

But that was not what directly doomed his campaign against Davis:

Just weeks before the general election  basically the same calendar we see unfolding for Elder  the state awoke to wall-to-wall headlines and frowny-faced tee-vee reporters breathlessly announcing, out of the blue, a suspiciously precipitate conviction of Simon for "fraud," as seen here and here.

What had happened: Several years prior, Simon's V.C. firm had ejected entrepreneur Ed Hindelang from his own venture when his prior drug issues had come to light as the company struggled financially. It appeared that, somehow, Democrat operatives had joined forces with Hindelang and pursued his revenge in a cooperative venue. The resulting maelstrom rapidly enveloped Simon's campaign.

The judgment was quickly reversed, as seen here and here, but the damage was done, and Davis squeaked out a victory...only to be recalled a year later, ushering in the dreary era of the rudderless Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and all that has followed.

A coda: This was eminently preventable. This author, writing here under anonymity for obvious reasons, had been advised about Hindelang within days of Simon's primary triumph. An 18-page dossier about Hindelang had been slipped to me by a connected insider with a warning that it meant trouble. But all the campaign troops who truly cared to see an accomplished non-politician win had been purged during Simon's holiday absence, and none of their replacements wanted to hear about it.

In the end, Bill Simon's tale lends a memorable name to this sort of 11th-hour dirty trick: he showed how an upstart, outsider candidate steaming with breakout momentum can ultimately get Simonized by the Uniparty Establishment in California.

Is it Larry Elder's turn?

Photo credit: Jew Info, CC BY 3.0 license.
One of the things that disgusted conservatives following news of the bloody terrorist attack in Kabul that killed twelve Marines and one Navy corpsman was the fact that Nancy Pelosi, during a public appearance in San Francisco, not only didn't mention it, but was also in an exceptionally jovial, joking mood. My bet is that this wasn't mere callousness on her part. Instead, she was engaged in a form of gaslighting because she knows that many of her constituents pay little attention to the news and don't want to hear negative things about Democrats.

Here's Pelosi, a woman without a care in the world:

Nancy Pelosi jokes around for 6 minutes while completely ignoring the 12 U.S. service members killed by terrorists in Afghanistan. Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/dvzc0V376K  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 26, 2021

I believe that the reason Pelosi is behaving in this way is to keep her base from realizing that something bad happened. It's a form of gaslighting that involves her shaping their reality through lies, not to drive them crazy, but to keep them ignorant. She's getting help from the media too. For example, here's the top part of the front page of the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle as of 12:45 A.M. on Friday:

I know that's a poor-quality image, but I can assure you that there's not a word in there about the bombing. You have to scroll way down to find this little headline:

Trump-supporters are furious because 13 Americans needlessly died yesterday (and we have no idea how seriously wounded others are). Additionally, dozens of Afghan civilians died. This is just more evidence of the utter fecklessness of the Biden presidency. Jesse Kelly embodies that rage:

Jesse Kelly: I detest the 'scumbags in the White House' as much as the Taliban | https://t.co/ovIWl2SPpH  Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) August 27, 2021

The Democrats need to downplay all this. Hey, Afghanistan's a war zone. Things happen. Or as Malcolm Nance, a self-described expert in terrorist strategy, tweeted, #DealWithIt (a tweet he later deleted).

We see the same instinct on all the media outlets to defend Biden's shameful performance:

Video: The shameless media hacks defending Biden on Afghanistan.



Not everyone got the memo that this is a colossal failure and humanitarian disaster. pic.twitter.com/PWW7Jz1jQY  NewsBusters (@newsbusters) August 26, 2021

The fact is that Biden is an absolute disgrace, and his embarrassing public appearance on Thursday emphasized that fact. Nothing embodies that better than his blaming Trump and then crouching in a half-fetal position.

In some ways, though, the worst thing Biden did was try to break up his cold, flat affect by going to his default empathetic topic, which is to mention his son Beau's death. It's very sad that Beau died so young, but here's the reality: Beau is so politically useful to Biden that if Beau hadn't died, Biden might have had to kill him.

All the above is why Pelosi pretended nothing happened. She's got to keep her base in the dark about events in Kabul and the Democrats'  and especially Biden's  responsibility for those events.

Image: Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. Twitter screen grab.
President Biden's dementia no longer explains the destructive policies his administration has implemented since taking office. The horror that took thirteen American lives in Kabul on Wednesday is intentional; there is no other explanation. This is purposeful.

Biden may be out to lunch, but those around him are not. They are calling the shots; it is Klain, Blinken, Austin, Milley, McKenzie, Sullivan, et al. who have brought us to the lowest the nation has ever found itself: voluntarily defeated, at home and abroad.

Susan Rice, Eric Holder, and Obama are likely part of the left's destroy-America crowd. Pelosi and Schumer are their second string, their tools.

The brilliant Lara Logan, who spent a year in Afghanistan, has no doubt that what has happened is intentional, that none of it would have occurred if it were not part of a plan. That is the only explanation that makes sense. Logan divides those responsible into three groups: the dimwits, the half-wits, and the full-wits. The dimwits are those who do the left's bidding. The half-wits want to be part of the agenda but are almost as clueless. The full-wits are those pulling the strings, making things happen for their own traitorous reasons, the ones who use and abuse the dimwits and half-wits.

As anyone can see, the Biden team is incompetent, blinded by its own feckless ideology  but these people think they know best, that they are in charge of America's managed decline. And they're pleased with their role. They are enemies of America. The blood of those thirteen soldiers who died in Kabul is on their hands. They orchestrated it, invited it, let it happen.

To this crowd, the loss of American lives is a small price to pay for what they think will be the glory of ending the war in Afghanistan. They are clueless that they've begun WWIII in earnest.

Does anyone doubt that Biden is doing China's bidding? He closed Bagram, the most important air base in the world, near China and Iran. China wanted the U.S. out of Afghanistan for a host of economic and its own national security reasons...so Biden made it happen.

His pathetic speech on Thursday was too little, too late. It was muddled, confused, and wholly lacking in seriousness.



YouTube screen grab.

He blamed Trump's deal with the Taliban, which was holding; no American had died in that country in eighteen months. Biden, determined to undo everything Trump did, no matter how productive, upended it in hopes of orchestrating a victory speech on 9/11. He ignored, apparently, all the advice of people with actual knowledge of the facts on the ground and went ahead with his mind-numbed get-out-now-no-matter-the-cost plan he thought would cement his legacy. Well, that it did; his legacy will be as the most blundering, demented, and destructive president in U.S. history.

As Steve Bannon often states, "Elections have consequences. Stolen elections have catastrophic consequences." The blood of those soldiers is on the hands of all those big tech wannabe oligarchs, co-opted faux journalists, and the news readers of the media who willingly sold their souls to defeat the best president since Reagan. It is on the hands of the Democrats who knew of and were on board with the massive cheating that they were all privy to; remember that it was Pelosi who said that "whatever the end count is," Joe Biden will be "inaugurated on January 20."

Talk about saying the quiet part out loud! They, the Democrats, were all in on the steal. And because of their pathological hatred of Trump, because of their foolish installation of Joe Biden as president, a mediocrity if there ever were one, thirteen soldiers were sacrificed on one day, murdered on Thursday by the terrorists who move freely among the Taliban, ISIS, and al-Qaeda. In the end, they are all the same: 10th-century barbarians with cell phones and U.S.-made weapons.

There will likely be thousands more killed in the coming months  with the massive supply of weapons for which Americans paid. Hostage Americans and U.S.-friendly Afghanis will be sought out and murdered.

The Biden team's trust of the Taliban is as criminally stupid as Chamberlain's trust that Hitler would honor his promise not to invade Czechoslovakia. Bizarrely, Biden calls himself a student of history! He did so in his speech on Thursday. He is a student of exactly nothing but criminally enriching himself and his family.

There can no longer be any doubt that Biden, a man obviously suffering from dementia, sold his soul to any buyer long before he became Obama's V.P. Now he is the "imbecilic," as Tony Blair put it, instrument of a group of radical anti-American quislings bent on transforming America into a Soviet/Maoist/Venezuelan-style totalitarian country of serfs ruled by a thoroughly amoral elite. That's their plan, and they are sticking to it. They must be defeated. The deaths of those thirteen soldiers must be a wake-up moment. Biden must be impeached, and his Cabinet should be fired. This is a group of people, aligned with the Democrat party, who truly do mean to transform the U.S. into everything the Founders hoped to prevent with our Declaration, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights.
After months of supposed hiding, the Capitol Hill cop who shot unarmed pro-Trump protestor Ashli Babbitt at the Capitol, Lt. Michael Byrd has come out of the woodwork to talk about his shooting, in a softball interview with NBC's Lester Holt.

Which is weird stuff, given that for months his identity had been concealed, by investigators, Congress, and other supposed watchdogs, on the grounds that revealing it to angry Trump supporters was too dangerous, and whose investigative conclusions excused him from accountability.

Now he's come out -- telling Lester Holt of his great heroics. He doesn't even need to, having been exonerated repeatedly.

The most likely reason is this lawsuit, and these efforts by Babbitt's family to get answers:

Babbitts family is suing for the identity of the officer to be publicly released but so far that effort has not borne fruit. They are also filing a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the officer didnt issue a verbal command according to the Washington Examiner.

A lawsuit would concentrate anyone's mind, even in the name of his agency, making it quite likely that he would think of preparing a defense.

It's a typical lawyer tactic, when it can be done and a judge doesn't slap it down, to try to sway public opinion, particularly when a defense is weak

Holt, who's no stranger to political water-carrying, would be the perfect such vehicle.

The problem here is that the effort has probably already backfired.

Byrd, who makes north of $100,000 a year as a Capitol Police lieutenant, comes off as a dumb goober, a flatfoot in any other police department, a classic Parkinson's Peter Principle law case of a man promoted to his level of incompetence.

After all, he has a history of mishandling weapons as news media have pointed out, leaving his gun once in a bathroom. And as for shooting dead an unarmed protestor, which normal cops would shrink at, he certainly didn't. Nor did he signal any human emotion or empathy as most cops would do upon making a miscalculation. Instead, he declared himself a hero and all but demanded applause.

According to Breitbart News:

Lt. Michael Byrd said in an exclusive interview with NBC News that he opened fire on January 6, after Ashli Babbitt failed to comply with his commands to stop breaching the glass doors leading into the lobby of the House of Representatives chamber. About 60 to 80 House members and staffers were inside pushing furniture to block the doors. Byrd said, My name is Michael Byrd. Lieutenant for the United States Capitol Police. He continued, I believe I showed the utmost courage on January 6. And its time for me to do that now. Anchor Lester Holt asked, Were you afraid that day? Byrd said, I was very afraid. He continued, I had been yelling and screaming as loud as I was, Please stop. Get back. Get back. Stop. We had our weapons drawn. He added, I was again taking a tactical stance. Youre ultimately hoping your commands will be complied with, and unfortunately, they were not. Holt said, And what did you think this individual was doing at that moment? Byrd said, She was posing a threat to the House of Representatives.

Here's the problem with that, according to BizPac Review:

The officers attorney claims he gave multiple verbal commands but they were inaudible on the video because he was wearing a mask. That begs the question then whether Babbitt could hear them either if he did indeed issue them.

Another problem is that with so many cops around, somehow he's the only one who went shooting.

Now it's possible he didn't do it with malice, though that's worthy of a question just because of his ties to Democrats. But if it wasn't malice, it appears to have been panic. Panic is never a good thing in a cop, especially one with a fancy title and salary. Nor did he save "countless lives" as he claimed, given that nobody in that unruly crowd was found with a gun.

It's actually pretty obnoxious, and embarrassing, to hear this Keystone cop toot his own horn. Nobody else is characterizing this oaf as a hero, not even Democrats, at least not loudly. Barney Fife is more like it, and that's not going to help his agency's court case. The Babbitts should look forward to a tidy payout after this kind of an embarrassment to the defense. The more he speaks, the less sympathetic he gets.

Image: Screen shot from NBC News video, via YouTube

To comment, you can find the MeWe link for this article here.
Reading and listening to the conservative news media, talk radio, and so-called conservative politicians, it is striking that they do not understand the fight that the nation is engaged in. They seem to believe that the difference between the left and right is made up of cordial disagreements like what existed between Tip O'Neil and Ronald Reagan. What is happening in the United States is not a simple disagreement; it is a desire by the majority party, a party that hates America and everything that it stands for and has accomplished, to take America down. Not just institute a few liberal policies, but take it down.

When watching the president's address to the nation on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, it was obvious that he was bragging about the evacuation of civilians in Afghanistan even though there was no possible way to get all the Americans out of the country by the deadline. How could he brag? Well, in their eyes, this has been a remarkable success. America has been greatly diminished in the eyes of our allies and our enemies. Success. The military has suffered a horrible defeat due to poor leadership that will hurt recruitment for years to come. Success. China will now have access to the rare earth minerals located in Afghanistan. Success. The allies of the United States will have grave doubts about whether they can count on the United States. Success. They do not care about the Americans left in the country or the Afghans who helped us any more than Stalin cares about the peasants in Ukraine or Mao the peasants in the fields of China.

Even moving away from Afghanistan, the administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress continue to make decisions that directly hurt or diminish America. Stop construction of the keystone pipeline to diminish America's ability to be energy independent. Success. They removed sanctions so that Russia can complete its pipeline to Germany, thereby moving Western Europe closer to Russia. Success. Begging OPEC to produce more oil to increase revenue to countries that are at best fair-weather friends. Success. Eliminating the southern border. Success. Covering for the Chinese Communist Party's role in letting the COVID virus escape from a lab and then covering it up. Success. Move the country to a single-party socialist system? Well on the way to success.

Unfortunately, there are very few conservatives in the House, and they have almost no power in the Republican caucus. The Senate is even worse, with leadership and other members looking at bills, seeing how they can profit, and letting the socialist trend march on. McConnell, Romney, Young, Graham, and the rest do little to stop the onslaught, while the so-called Democratic moderates are with the Democratic Socialists on every vote, even after they huff and puff a little prior to the vote.

It is very disheartening to conservatives, but the few of us who still exist need to be a vocal minority. Conservatives need to call and contact every member of Congress constantly, and they need to activate any relative or friend who can do the same. We need to demand the release of political prisoners held by the federal government. We need to make the members of Congress understand that they are with us or against us and brace for the fact that most Republicans will be against us. We need to contact state representatives and senators. We need to be at school board meetings. We need to refuse to fund agencies and organizations that contribute to the taking down of America. And we need to speak up today.

Image: tomaszmichalkania via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Another day, and another defeat for President Biden in the courts. This is from Adam Shaw:

The Supreme Court's ruling late Tuesday, which ordered the Biden administration to reinstate the Trump-era Remain-in-Mexico policy, marks the latest legal defeat for the administration on the subject of immigration. In a 6-3 decision, the court denied a request to stop a federal court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols  which has become known as "Remain-in-Mexico"  a major 2019 border security program that kept migrants in Mexico as they awaited their hearings.

As Howard Cossell would say: Down goes Biden. Down goes Biden.

Opinions aside, there are two big winners from this ruling.

First, the Biden administration has been pulled out of the hole it put itself in months ago. Opening the border in the middle of a pandemic put many Democrats at electoral risk, such as Representative Henry Cuellar from South Texas. They will publicly oppose the opinion and pop champagne in private that some order will be restored.

Second, President Lopez-Obrador of Mexico must be happy. The so-called "Remain in Mexico" policy stopped the caravans and kept people in their home countries. Why walk to the border if you have to remain in Mexico? These people could not work in Mexico anyway. Also, the cartels won't have it so easy now that people are less likely to travel. Why pay a cartel if you can't get into the U.S.?

Thanks to the Supreme Court for bringing some common sense to the chaos on the border. My guess is that Democrats are privately thankful, too.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Photo credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
With President Biden's August 31 withdrawal deadline looming and the Taliban's insistence that it not be extended, the unanswered question is what the Taliban will do, and how Biden will respond should the evacuation effort stall and U.S. military forces remain at Kabul's international airport on September 1?

Based on the current political and military circumstances, the surrounding topography, and the unforced and tenuous political and military position Biden chose, it is not difficult to see some parallels with France's position in Vietnam at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Begun on 13 March 1954 and ending 56 days later with France's disastrous capitulation and humiliating withdrawal from Southeast Asia, Dien Bien Phu nearly 70 years later offers a cautionary example of history's lessons for the political intelligentsia and senior military officers.

French national political stasis; military hubris; and strategic, operational, and tactical incompetence led to the Vietminh (North Vietnam's communist army)'s defeat of an ostensibly superior Western power. Vietminh forces were able to quickly mobilize and amass a 5-to-1 advantage over the French at the start of the battle. The Vietminh emplaced heavy artillery in the surrounding hills and employed effective anti-aircraft fire, supported by herculean logistics, to destroy an encircled French garrison of 16,000 men huddled at a small and isolated airfield.

"Dien Bien Phu," wrote Lieutenant Colonel Shull, "is in a 75 square mile valley bottom ringed by small mountains of 1,400 to 1,800 feet. Once the Vietminh seized these mountains, emplaced artillery, and blocked the French from moving beyond their fortifications, the French loss became inevitable." The Vietminh disabled the airfield on the second day of the battle and for the next 54 days laid siege to the French garrison, unleashing unrelenting attacks resulting in all but 100 French killed, wounded, or captured. Could a similar fate befall America in Kabul?

Based on various reports, U.S. military personnel number approximately 6,000 at Kabul's international airport. What remains uncertain is the size and cohesion of Taliban forces in Kabul, their access to armaments suited for siege warfare, logistical capabilities for resupply and sustainment, and their ability to neutralize or significantly degrade U.S. and NATO air support and resupply. The Taliban also indisputably control Afghanistan, Kabul, and the extended perimeter of the airfield. This has effectively limited the president's and military's options.

Kabul's airport is ringed by peaks to the north, east, and south that could easily be occupied by Taliban with artillery and heavy mortars. American and allied forces are surrounded on the valley floor and high ground. The Taliban has already used this tactical advantage in their "negotiations" with US envoys. Aside from the one runway at the airfield, which the Taliban could cripple in a matter of minutes, the U.S. and allied forces will have no other means of escape. Even if U.S. and allied forces broke the perimeter, where could they go?

Image via Pixabay.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.




Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-561-7737
(Image source from: Abc13.com)

Kabul Airport Blast: More than 100 Killed:- After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, there are tense situations all over. The Kabul airport is under the control of US forces and several Afghans along with the foreigners flew away from the country. The Indian government is completely successful in bringing back all the Indians from Afghanistan. Two suicide bombers along with gunmen attacked the crowds who are flocking to the Kabul airport and horrific situations are reported. Almost 100 people were killed in the incident and more than 150 got wounded. 60 Afghans got killed and 13 US troops too lost their lives. The US General responded saying that the process of evacuation will not stop and they are trying hard to send the people out from the country.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command said that the security at the airport is tightened and there are several routes used to evacuees into the airport. The Western officials warned of a major attack and they urged the people to leave the airport. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Taliban condemned the attack. US President Joe Biden turned emotional during his recent speech after the attacks and he said that the bloodshed will not drive the USA out from Afghanistan. He said that 18 service members of the USA were wounded apart from 13 officials who lost their lives. Turkey holder the first talks with the Taliban and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to the Taliban. Several other countries are now busy evacuating their nationals from the Kabul airport.

(Video Source: India Today)
Andover, MA (01810)

Today

Periods of rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 59F. 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. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 59F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
According to a new report, from Reuters, the US has decided to allow Huawei to buy chips, but not for smartphones. Reuters says that this information comes from two people familiar with the matter.

The US allowed Huawei to buy chips, but not for smartphones

Do note that the company got approval to get chips that go in car parts, including both video screens and sensors. This is not exactly surprising, as auto components are not really considered sophisticated, as the source says.

Huawei seems to be leaning towards tech that is less likely to be banned by the US. It seems like it was worth it, at least at the moment. Do note that this information has not been officially confirmed by the US or Huawei.

Advertisement

Having said that, Huawei is still banned where it matters most. Huawei got placed on the US entity list a year ago. Foundries that make semiconductors using US tech were forbidden to sell chips to Huawei, without getting a special license.

That managed to mess up Huaweis plans entirely. Even Huaweis Kirin 9000 processor got affected by the issue. As a result, Huawei decided to stop manufacturing Kirin SoCs altogether. Thats a shame, as they were really compelling processors.

Chip sourcing is the companys biggest problem, its chairman said

Huaweis chairman, Guo Ping, even confirmed, quite recently, that Huaweis biggest problem is sourcing cutting-edge chips. He meant that in general, as the US ban managed to mess up more than one business aspect of the company.

Advertisement

Huawei would love to get permission to buy processors for its smartphones, but that doesnt look likely to happen. Huawei was once flying high in the smartphone market, but it lost its position due to the US ban.

Huawei was the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, and many projections said it could overthrow Samsung. Well, instead, the US decided to cut its wings, and that hurt the company quite a bit.

Huawei fell off the top 5 smartphone manufacturers list. If the US allows it to buy processors for its smartphones, and lifts the ban for cooperation with Google as well, Huawei could focus on climbing the ladder once again. That doesnt look likely, though, at least not at the moment. The US still sees a security threat in Huawei, due to alleged ties with the Chinese government, even though Huawei denied that on a number of occasions.
Ultra-popular short-form video-sharing app TikTok is seemingly going long-form. Only last month, the app increased the time limit of videos on its platform from one minute to three minutes. It is now preparing to let users upload videos up to ten minutes in length. The information comes courtesy of social media consultant Matt Navarra who recently tweeted a cropped screenshot of an account update notification from TikTok suggesting that the company is testing this ability. Those selected for the testing are apparently getting this notification.

Upload longer videos: Upload videos up to 5 minutes long from your device. Make sure youre using the latest version of TikTok before trying out the feature on your app or tiktok.com, the notification reads.

Advertisement

But thats not it. Twitter user @blueasyraff has shared a video (attached below) that shows a nearly eight minutes long video playing on TikTok. By the looks of it, the company is testing support for videos as long as ten minutes.

Whats interesting is that these longer videos will seemingly feature a seek bar. So users will be able to fast forward videos, something thats not available with shorter TikTok videos.

TikTok is looking for ways to attract more creators to its platform and support for longer videos is certainly the best bet. The three-minute limit on uploads is keeping many creators away from the app.

Advertisement

@MattNavarra TikTok allowing user to upload up to 10 minutes video  pic.twitter.com/S3fFITwsUr     (@blueasyraff) August 19, 2021

Advertisement

TikTok videos could get even longer in the future, but theres some time to it

TikTok is seemingly just starting testing uploads up to ten minutes among a small group of users. So when this ability rolls out publicly is anyones guess. If history is any indication, then theres quite a while to go before TikTok videos get longer than three minutes. The company started testing support for videos up to three minutes long back in December 2020. It rolled out the ability to everyone last month. Thats around seven months of testing. So dont expect to see five or ten minutes long videos on TikTok until next year.

Whenever ready, TikTok will probably enable support for five-minute videos first up, before further increasing the limit to ten minutes down the line. Perhaps it will take into account the feedback from users during this testing and decide how to go on about these plans. We will be keeping a close eye on this development and will let you know as and when we have more information.
Education campaign launched following tragic death of Jill Robinsons rescue dog 27 August 2021

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela.

When it comes to creating long-lasting change, Animals Asia believes that education is key.

And this philosophy runs through everything we have done and continue to do in our campaign for a more compassionate, fairer and humane world for animals.

As well as rescuing hundreds of moon bears from bile farming and campaigning for an end to the bear bile industry, Animals Asia runs projects that work with local communities to find solutions that benefit all animals and people.

Help us continue our essential work to end the cat and dog meat trade forever:

Earlier this year, we launched a new education project about dog welfare in an area that has personal significance to Animals Asias founder and CEO Jill Robinson, and our team at our China bear sanctuary. But first, lets find out how this project came to be...

Toj meets Jill!

This story begins in 2011 when Animals Asia was at the end of a long and gruelling investigation into Chinas dog meat trade. As Jill Robinson looked down at a cage of dogs who were moments from death, a terrified but beautiful face looked up at her.

Jill recalls the moment she locked eyes with ToZhai. I remember it like it was yesterday, her chest heaving, mouth bleeding, she was almost paralysed with fear.

Jill adopted ToZhai (her name meaning rabbit as she was rescued in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit) and she and Muppet, another dog Jill had rescued from the dog meat trade, became her faithful companions. Little did we know then what joy ToZhai - now also named Toj - would bring to us all, and what amazing things she would go on to achieve.

Toj the celebrity

Toj moved in with Muppet and Jill at Animals Asias Chengdu bear sanctuary and despite the terrible experience shed had, immediately slipped into her new life, making herself very much at home and becoming somewhat of a celebrity among the staff and visitors.

Jill explains, Toj had multiple mums and dads over the years and wrapped every single one around her paws.

We loved her vampire smile and the way she punched you when you were in the middle of a meeting to demand a cuddle or a treat. I lost count of the number of people who yelped out loud with significantly scratched legs if they were foolish enough to ignore her demands!

Toj became the ambassador for Animals Asias China-wide campaign to end the consumption of dogs and cats and she lived to see dogs removed from Chinas official livestock list in May of 2020, effectively making the dog meat trade illegal.

In a moment, everything changed

One evening earlier this year, Bear & Vet Team Director Ryan Marcel Sucaet was taking Toj and Muppet for a walk outside the sanctuary.

Although he always kept his eye on what Toj was sniffing, knowing how food-motivated she was and what dangers might lie outside the sanctuary walls, she suddenly happened upon a chicken bone which had a cyanide capsule tied to it. It had been placed there by illegal dog meat traders.

Before Ryan could even blink, Toj wolfed the poisoned chicken down. Ryan immediately called Jill in a hysterical state, unsure of what to do as Toj hated being picked but he could see she was fading. Jill simply said pic her up and RUN to the hospital, which, with Muppet in tow, he did until he reached the sanctuary gates and began shouting desperately for help.

The sanctuary team - former Resident Vet, Doris Chen, former Vet Intern, Crystal Li and Vet Nurse Natalie Faulds - sprang into action and rushed Toj to the on-site hospital. Despite their desperate efforts to save her, the poison had already taken hold and our beautiful Toj slipped away surrounded by her adoring family and friends.

Everyone was, understandably, shocked, shaken and utterly devastated. How could this happen to Toj, the cheeky, funny, larger-than-life ball of boundless energy, joy and love? And to be taken by the very industry she had already escaped and was working with Animals Asia to end? It just didnt seem fair.

And yet...in true Animals Asia style, Jill and the team decided that Tojs death would not be in vain. As Vet Nurse Natalie Faulds explained, Tojs death has fed the fire inside every person within the organisation to keep fighting for a better world for animals everywhere.

And thats exactly what we did.

Tojs legacy of kindness



Since Tojs passing, our Cat and Dog Welfare Team in China has been working on a series of publicity activities and education campaigns for residents and schools of the town where Toj was poisoned.

With the cooperation of local authorities and the local community, the team set up billboards and posters about responsible dog ownership and how to care for companion animals, showing pictures of Toj and Muppet as happy, healthy and carefree, just as all dogs should be.

A reading corner in Tojs memory was set up at a local school, Longqiao Primary, as a place for reflection and learning about compassion towards animals. Books about animal protection and environmental awareness were donated by Jill Robinson and an opening ceremony was held to officially launch the ToZhai Memorial Reading Corner.



At the ceremony, Longqiaos principal, Mr. Huang Jiyong said how proud he was to be part of this historic campaign and stated that education is of great importance in cultivating new generations of citizens to feel love, compassion and responsibility towards all beings.

Help us continue our vital education work:

Ending the cat and dog meat trade, one conversation at a time



Animals Asia has been campaigning for an end to the cat and dog meat trade for decades.

We work closely with local authorities and communities to strengthen law enforcement around this highly criminalised trade; we run public awareness campaigns; undertake grassroots outreach and conduct intensive investigations of restaurants, live animal markets and slaughterhouses as well as funding rescues and supporting shelters by local volunteer-run groups in China.

Jill is passionate about this holistic, collaborative and compassionate approach which, she says, is working:

After many years of high-profile public awareness campaigns about the cruelty and criminality of the trade and the health risks of consuming dog and cat meat, people in China are turning their backs on it.

In Tojs memory and for the thousands of dogs and cats who have lost their lives to this cruel industry, with your support we will end cat and dog meat consumption - one conversation at a time.
PLEASE NOTE: ALL ONLINE PURCHASES ARE AUTOMATIC RENEWALS UNLESS YOU EMAIL JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM OR CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE @ 256-235-9253....

Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM



For a limited time, for NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials!



After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel*


Anniston, AL (36206)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 27 - Premier Mario Draghi told the G20 conference Compact with Africa Friday that the debt of the most indebted countries must be restructured.

"The countries of the Compact with Africa have been a beacon of hope in these dark times," he said.

"During the pandemic your resilience to adverse shocks has risen, thanks to your investments in the ecological and digital transformation.

"Your experience teaches us that courageous, transforming and inclusive reforms give results".

Draghi added that the recovery had been unequal and more must be done to help poorer countries.

"In many advanced economies the pandemic is ever more under control but sadly that is not the case in the world's poorest countries.

"There have been huge inequalities in terms of access to vaccines.

"The global recovery is marked by the same disparities.

"We must do more - much more - to help the neediest countries".

Draghi stressed that vaccines had gone to 60% of rich country's people, but to just 1.4% of those in poor countries.

The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) was initiated under the German G20 Presidency to promote private investment in Africa, including in infrastructure.

The CwA's primary objective is to increase attractiveness of private investment through substantial improvements of the macro, business and financing frameworks.

It brings together reform-minded African countries, international organizations and bilateral partners from G20 and beyond to coordinate country-specific reform agendas, support respective policy measures and advertise investment opportunities to private investors.

The initiative is demand-driven and open to all African countries.

Since its launch in 2017, the CwA has sparked great interest. So far, twelve African countries have joined the initiative: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia. (ANSA).


PARIS - Paris will be opening a special office at which Afghans evacuated from Kabul will be able to file their asylum requests.



The announcement was made on Friday by the French office for immigration and integration (OFII), which has been placed in charge of receiving them. Over 2,500 Afghan nationals have arrived in France as part of evacuation operations that began after the Taliban took over the capital on August 15.



Starting this weekend, the first to arrive will have to leave the hotels where they had been quarantined to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will be able to file asylum requests.



The office will be open from Monday at the Paris prefect's office, OFII director Didier Leschi told France Presse in an interview.



Additional personnel will be deployed to ensure that the procedure runs "smoothly".



Other offices will be available in the outskirts of Paris for the same purpose, with specific hours set aside for Afghan asylum seekers.
ISTANBUL - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the Taliban had asked Turkey to run the Kabul airport using its civil technicians but that no decision had been made yet.



"We cannot afford the luxury of asking permission of anyone about with whom, where, when, and how we must have talks. In Afghanistan there is a serious lack of administration and thus we will have the talks necessary," he said, referring to a three-hour meeting with Taliban representatives in the Turkish embassy in Kabul.



"When everyone left Afghanistan," he added, "we didn't leave it."


Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have condemned a terrorist attack on Kabul airport that killed dozens of people and vowed to continue the military evacuation effort until the August 31 deadline.

Officials have said at least 13 US troops were killed alongside 60 Afghan nationals, while more than 150 people were injured, including 15 US service personnel, in a complex attack on Thursday outside Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The Prime Minister said the overwhelming majority of eligible people have already been helped to flee the Taliban by the RAF and British forces would keep going up until the last moment to evacuate others despite the barbaric incident.

Meanwhile, addressing the American people, the US president said their own airlift operation would not be deterred by terrorists.

He said the attack, consisting of two bombings and gunfire, was believed to have been carried out by an affiliate of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, Isis-K, adding: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

The Ministry of Defence said there have been no reported UK military or UK Government casualties.

On Thursday night the MoD confirmed the UK has so far evacuated 13,146 British nationals, Afghans, embassy staff and nationals from partner nations since August 13.

To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so.

After chairing an emergency Cobra meeting on Thursday, Mr Johnson said: I can confirm that theres been a barbaric terrorist attack, what looks like a series of attacks, in Kabul, on the airport, on the crowds at the airport, in which members of the US military, very sadly have lost their lives and many Afghan casualties as well.

The Prime Minister told reporters in Downing Street the evacuation programme would work flat out according to the timetable weve got.

He said: I want to stress that were going to continue with that operation. And were now coming towards the end of it, to the very end of it, in any event. And weve already extracted the overwhelming majority of those under both the schemes, the eligible persons, the UK persons, UK nationals, plus the Afghans, the interpreters, and others.

And its been a totally phenomenal effort by the UK, theres been nothing like it for decades and decades.

UK ministers were among those across the international community who paid tribute to the victims of the attack.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost loved ones in these senseless attacks today at Kabul airport.

I send my deepest condolences to the families of the American victims and offer my full support to our closest ally.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: This evening I called US secretary of state Antony Blinken to express our sorrow that US troops lost their lives in Kabul today and that more have been injured. They paid the ultimate sacrifice while helping others reach safety.

I also want to extend my condolences to the families of all those Afghans killed or injured. It is tragic that as they sought safety they have suffered at the hands of terrorists.

Todays attack is a stark reminder of the dangerous situation in which UK military and civilian personnel have been working so hard to evacuate people and we should be proud of their bravery and what they have achieved.

Meanwhile Transport Secretary Grant Shapps issued an aviation notice further advising airlines to avoid Afghan air space under 25,000 feet.

(PA Graphics)

Earlier this week the US rejected calls from the UK to extend their deadline to pull troops out past August 31, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Thursday that US forces still intend to leave Afghanistan on that date.

Mr Johnson had vowed well do everything we can to get everybody else before the deadline for British troops to depart in advance of the exit of US forces, after US President Joe Biden refused his request to extend the time frame.

But the PM conceded that although the lions share of eligible Afghans have been removed from the country, there will be people who still need help.

The US is providing security at Kabul airport, meaning other allied forces are expected to have to wind down their evacuation efforts and depart ahead of the Americans.

In his press conference, President Biden said the US would now focus on finding the culprits of the attack without large military operations.

He added: With regard to finding, tracking down, the Isis leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are, we are not certain, and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them wherever they are.
Growing numbers of local areas across the UK are recording their highest rates of new cases of Covid-19 since comparable records began, as the third wave of coronavirus continues to pick up pace across the country, new figures show.

Parts of Scotland, Wales and south-west England are all experiencing case rates higher than at any point since mass testing was first introduced in summer 2020, while areas of Northern Ireland hit a new peak in recent days.

The figures come amid warnings of a further increase in the spread of the virus in coming weeks, with pupils either back at school or soon to return, a bank holiday weekend about to begin in all nations except Scotland, and a busy calendar of sport and music events likely to attract large crowds.

(PA Graphics)

Analysis of the latest data for new cases of Covid-19, compiled by the PA news agency, shows that:

 In Scotland, 14 out of 32 local authorities are currently experiencing their highest rates on record, with West Dunbartonshire in front on 790.1 cases per 100,000 people for the week to August 22, followed by East Dunbartonshire (668.5) and East Renfrewshire (651.7). Scotlands overall rate of new cases is also at a record level, at 431.5 per 100,000.

 Three areas of Wales are currently at a record high: Pembrokeshire (407.1), Powys (292.4) and Ceredigion (286.7). Wales as a whole is currently recording 354.8 cases per 100,000 people  the highest rate since January 11.

 Mid & East Antrim is the only area in Northern Ireland currently with record case rates (590.9), but Fermanagh & Omagh (1,047.4) and Derry City & Strabane (968.2) currently have the two highest rates in the whole of the UK, and both areas hit a new peak in recent days. Northern Irelands overall rate stands at 629.3, the highest since January 5.

 In England, five areas are currently seeing record-high rates. Four are in the South West: Cornwall & Isles of Scilly (828.1), Sedgemoor in Somerset (747.7), West Devon (741.0) and Torridge in Devon (618.5). Ryedale in North Yorkshire is also at a record high of 390.1. England as a whole has the lowest rate of the four nations, at 331.4  the highest since July 25.

England is the only one of the four nations where rates are currently rising slowly rather than sharply, and is some way from hitting the sort of levels seen last month, when case rates peaked at 543.5 on July 19.

(PA Graphics)

All four nations have now experienced a similarly shaped third wave, however.

Cases began to rise from the end of May and spiked in July, although on different dates for each nation; this was followed by a partial fall in cases and a levelling off; then came a renewed increase in cases in August.

(PA Graphics)

But unlike the first and second waves of coronavirus cases, the third wave has yet to cause a similarly sharp rise in the number of hospital cases and deaths.

A total of 6,906 patients with Covid-19 were in hospital in the UK as of August 25.

This is a long way below the 39,254 patients who were in hospital at the peak of the second wave on January 18  the highest for any day since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the average number of UK deaths reported each day of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 currently stands at 110.

This compares with a peak of 1,248 on January 23.

The relatively low levels of hospital patients and deaths during the third wave so far reflects the impact of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, which has now seen nearly 78% of all people in the UK aged 16 and over fully vaccinated.

(PA Graphics)

A further significant surge in new cases of coronavirus is realistic, as pupils continue to return to school and large music and sporting events take place, an expert advising the Government has warned.

Professor Ravindra Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, told BBC Radio Fours World at One earlier this week that the rise is predictable and will happen despite best efforts, adding: 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.

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.

Scotlands deputy first minister John Swinney has already said the return of Scottish schools earlier this month contributed to a rise in cases.

Most pupils in the rest of the UK will begin returning to school from next week.

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 next month.

He told the PA news agency: In the 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 its very hard for any of us to call this now, is exactly how big that rise is going to be.

Pop-up vaccination clinics will be running at the large Reading and Leeds music festivals this weekend, as part of ongoing efforts to encourage vaccine take-up among young people.

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.

And 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.
Express your opinion! Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor.

Submit
We're glad you're here.

Enjoy an unlimited number of stories and podcasts, for free, right now. Then sign up to get some of our newsletters, which are also free, right now.

Subscribe
Online Access for Print Subscribers. Do you have a print subscription with the Argus-Press? If yes, then click here to enjoy complimentary access to our Online Content!
YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh are ensuring the security of the construction site of a new reservoir, which is being built to meet the needs of the population of Artsakh as well as the industry.

The structure under construction is located near the line of contact, thats why the presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is necessary, the Russian defense ministry quoted a representative of the peacekeepers Aleksey Kolesnikov as saying.

Here we are carrying out works in the direction of preserving artesian waters and with this purpose we requested the command of the Russian peacekeepers to ensure security. The peacekeeping contingent command provided one unit which is currently ensuring the security of our work. We thank the peacekeeping contingent for providing assistance in time, said Adam Grigoryan, a representative of a mining enterprise.

The construction of the reservoir is expected to be completed by yearend.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian addressed a letter of condolences on the occasion of the terror attacks in the Kabul international airport of Afghanistan, his Office said.

We strongly condemn the terror acts in the Kabul international airport which killed numerous innocent civilians and servicemen.

Armenia is always against any terror act against humanity, especially the participation of terrorists in military operations.

Its necessary to unite efforts in fight against international terrorism to rule out such monstrous manifestations of intolerance and ignorance to universal values.

We wish endurance and courage to the families and relatives of the victims, and to the injured  a speedy recovery, reads the Presidents letter.

On Thursday, two suicide bombers attacked crowds of people gathered near the Kabul airport. 103 people - 90 Afghans and 13 US military personnel, have been killed.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan received today the delegation led by Lieutenant-General Hasan Kaloev, first deputy chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, the defense ministry told Armenpress.

Issues relating to the military security of the CSTO member states and the further development of the CSTO military component were discussed during the meeting.

The sides paid special focus to some of the provisions aimed at improving the activity of the CSTO Joint Staff.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The summons come just two days after Mr Baghel and Mr Singh Deo met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi/Raipur: The Congress Chhattisgarh crisis intensified on Thursday with the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel being summoned again by the high command. He is expected to be in Delhi on Friday amidst the continuing power struggle between him and state health Minister T.S. Singh Deo. Insiders did not rule out a change of guard in the state, though Mr Baghel is resisting it.

The summons come just two days after Mr Baghel and Mr Singh Deo met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. After the meeting, Mr Baghel had returned to the state capital while Mr Singh Deo stayed in Delhi demanding that the assurance given in 2018 of rotational chief minister should be fulfilled by the party high command.

MLAs supporting the Baghel and the Singh Deo camp are also expected in Delhi on Friday.

When Mr Baghel returned to Raipur there were almost 30 MLAs at the airport to receive him. The chief minister reposed utmost faith in the party top leadership and did not forget to conclude his remarks saying those fuelling the 2.5-year CM rotation formula" are trying to destabilise the Congress government in the state.

Both Mr Baghel and Mr Singh Deo have maintained that they will follow the orders of the party high command under any circumstances. But their supporters are gunning for each other on the ground as well as on social media.

Mr Singh Deo's supporters claimed that the health minister was promised to be made the CM in this tenure. Sources say Mr Singh Deo has already conveyed to the party's high command that he cannot wait for more than two months for change in power. He has also said that he would resign from all party posts if his demand is not met.

In Delhi, Mr Singh Deo said, If a person plays in a team, then he can aspire to be the captain too. Its not about his thoughts or aspirations. Its about his capabilities and it is for the high command to make a decision.

He further added, He (Bhupesh Baghel) might be the chief minister for 50 years or 10 years or 2 years. This is not fixed. There is rivalry even among siblings. Healthy competitions take place. I will carry out the responsibility that is given by the high command.

Sources said that in Delhi Mr Singh Deo met several senior party leaders, including K.C. Venugopal and AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh P.L. Punia, to mount pressure on the party high command.

Sources said Mr Singh Deo has refused to budge on his position and indicated that he was not returning to Raipur as long as the issue was not resolved by the party leadership.

Sources said that Mr Singh Deo was offered the post of deputy chief minister in the Bhupesh Baghel ministry by the party high command to end the impasse, but he spurned the offer.
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday

Kabul: An Afghan official says at least 60 Afghans were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack outside Kabul airport. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. U.S. officials say 12 military service members were also killed in the attack outside the airport.

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded.

The dead include 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to two U.S. officials. They said another 12 service members were wounded and warned the toll could grow.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

A U.S. official said the complex attack was believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz and condemned the attack.

Western officials had warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport, but that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.

Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

Surgeons will be working into the night, said Marco Puntin, the charity's manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said there were casualties, including among members of the military, but gave no figure. He said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel.

Even as the area was hit, evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what's known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47," Paul Pen Farthing told Britain's Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the group's rescued animals.

He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America's longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants' brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.

Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of history's largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by America's self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31  and the evacuations must end then, too.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden spent much of the morning in the secure White House Situation Room where he was briefed on the explosions and conferred with his national security team and commanders on the ground in Kabul.

Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban's freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan.

Shortly before the attack, the acting U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling. But in an interview with ABC News, he would not give details.

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport, where the group's fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavy-handed tactics to control the crowds. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is controlled by U.S. troops.

Before the blast, the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at those gathered at one airport gate to try to drive the crowd away, as someone launched tear gas canisters elsewhere.

Nadia Sadat, a 27-year-old Afghan, carried her 2-year-old daughter with her outside the airport. She and her husband, who had worked with coalition forces, missed a call from a number they believed was the State Department and were trying to get into the airport without any luck. Her husband had pressed ahead in the crowd to try to get them inside.

We have to find a way to evacuate because our lives are in danger, Sadat said. "My husband received several threatening messages from unknown sources. We have no chance except escaping.

Aman Karimi, 50, escorted his daughter and her family to the airport, fearful the Taliban would target her because of her husband's work with NATO.

The Taliban have already begun seeking those who have worked with NATO," he said. They are looking for them house-by-house at night.

The Sunni extremists of IS, with links to the group's more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a series of brutal attacks, mainly targeting Afghanistan's Shiite Muslim minority, including a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul in which they killed women and infants.

The Taliban have fought against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have wrested back control nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion. The Americans went in following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.

Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, Canada ended its evacuations, and European nations halted or prepared to stop their own operations.

The reality on the ground is the perimeter of the airport is closed. The Taliban have tightened the noose. It's very, very difficult for anybody to get through at this point, Canadian General Wayne Eyre, the country's acting Chief of Defense Staff, said ahead of the attack.

Lt. Col. Georges Eiden, Luxembourg's army representative in neighboring Pakistan, said that Friday would mark the official end for U.S. allies. But two Biden administration officials denied that was the case.

A third official said that the U.S. worked with its allies to coordinate each country's departure, and some nations asked for more time and were granted it.

Most depart later in the week, he said, while adding that some were stopping operations Thursday. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly.

Danish Defense Minister Trine Bramsen bluntly warned earlier: It is no longer safe to fly in or out of Kabul.

Denmark's last flight has already departed, and Poland and Belgium have also announced the end of their evacuations. The Dutch government said it had been told by the U.S. to leave Thursday.

But Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said some planes would continue to fly.

Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours. We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission, he said in a tweet.

The Taliban have said they'll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility.
Bernard Wayne Taylor, 81, passed away Aug. 12, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Karen Taylor; brothers, Gerald, Harold (Loretta) and Charles (Marlena); mother-in-law, Thelma Brown; and numerous nieces and nephews. He worked as an educator at TVCC in Athens, Texas for many years before retir
DOHC

When you think about the CB750s legacy, the 70s models will normally take center stage, but Honda s Nighthawk iterations are still quite remarkable in their own right. For the majority of moto-craving petrolheads, cruising around on a machine like the 1993 MY CB750 featured above is an enchanting proposition. On that note, let's get straight to the point.This sexy beast is making its way to the auction stage at no reserve, with a current bid of just over two grand. If youre feeling inclined to participate, you ought to pay the BaT (Bring A Trailer) website a visit before Saturday (August 28), when the bidding deadline will be reached.In preparation for the sale, the Japanese marvel received a cocktail of fresh fluids, while its tires have been replaced with youthful alternatives. All things considered, we think youve got every reason to check this bike out  after we examine its main specs and features, that is. The samurai is brought to life thanks to a four-strokeinline-four powerplant, with sixteen valves and a displacement of 747cc.This bad boy will be more than happy to produce as much as 75 hp at 8,500 rpm, along with a peak torque output of 47 pound-feet (64 Nm) at around 7,500 spins per minute. The oomph is routed to a chain final drive by means of a five-speed gearbox, resulting in a top speed of 128 mph (206 kph).At the front, stopping power comes from a single 296 mm (11.7 inches) brake rotor and a twin-piston caliper, accompanied by a 180 mm (7.1 inches) drum module on the opposite end. Hondas predator rests on 41 mm (1.6 inches) air-assisted forks up front and a pair of adjustable shock absorbers at the rear. Finally, the 93 CB750 Nighthawk will tip the scales at 474 pounds (215 kg) before receiving any of the vital fluids.
FSD

Turns out Besos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2021

Musk said that the letter of protest to FCC implied that Besos (kisses, in Spanish) retired to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX. We have no idea if it was just a typo or some sort of irony regarding Bezos recent divorce and the man's name.To be precise, the letter of protest is no lawsuit, and it was not directly sent to FCC from Amazon but instead from one of its subsidiaries, Kuiper Systems LLC. As The Verge explained , Mariah Dodson Shuman, corporate counsel for that company, wrote the letter because Starlink would be causing trouble for other companies with its Gen2 satellites.According to the letter, Starlink currently uses 1,740 low orbit satellites, and it intends to launch 30,000 more of its second-generation devices. The problem is that SpaceX plans to deploy them in a different orbit, and they will be mutually exclusive.That sort of arrangement would double the technical effort of every operator faced with the task of reviewing the interference and orbital debris concerns raised by SpaceXs amendment. Interestingly, it seems SpaceX wants to adopt a similar approach to that Tesla offers its customers: it would wish FCC to beta test the satellites.Shuman states in the letter that SpaceX defends that as a convenience because that will enable the Commission to evaluate both approaches even as development proceeds. The counsel argues that it is SpaceX who must evaluate and select among different approaches. Thats what safety organizations also argue Tesla should do with Autopilot and: test them internally  with all necessary safety procedures  before releasing them to the public.Space debris is a serious concern. Astronomers have already protested that Starlink satellites may make their studies more difficult. Deploying 30,000 more with no definite plan, as Shuman states, is something the FCC should definitely analyze. If FCC listens to Kuipers letter of protest, we bet Musk will protest against FCCs bureaucracy, just like he did about Germanys process for Giga Grunheide
But the reality is much different and, just like with cars, most of the time a lot of work goes into coming up with just the right combination of elements to make a two-wheeler not only unique, but also capable of sending the right message across, whatever that message is.Because Russians are a no-nonsense people, whatever comes out of the country must scream power and an unwillingness to compromise, and thats exactly what this heavily modified 2012 V-Rod sends across.The build, called Onik, is the work of a shop that goes by the name Box39 , a group that specialized over the years in coming up with insane builds based on Harley-Davidsons now defunct line of muscle motorcycles.And they also specialize in making custom wheels, as the insane bits fitted on the Onik, just like the ones fielded by their other projects, are made in-house, and not sourced from a third-party garage.Rather small in size for a custom V-Rod (were used with 20+ inchers, whereas these ones are 18 inches front and 17 inches rear), the wheels are on the extreme side of things, design-wise, and the rear one especially makes this American two-wheeler look particularly appealing.Described by the shop as being a Harley-Davidson V-Rod in brutal form, the Onik, which boasts a number of other changes meant to go with the rims, was put together back in 2020, but we have no info on what roads those insane wheels presently spin on.
Latin NCAP helped Latin Americans discover that many of the vehicles they drive are not as safe as those sold in Europe, Japan, or the U.S. The Renault Duster and Suzuki Swift are the latest examples of that. Latin NCAP did not give a single star to any of these vehicles. While the Swift is only made in Japan and India, the Duster is produced in Brazil, hence the focus on this car for this article. If the Swift is a death trap in Latin America, that is up for the importer to solve the issue. The Duster is under direct responsibility from Renault. It gives the car the diamond badge because Dacia does not exist in Latin America.The Duster made in Romania for the European market received three stars in its latest Euro NCAP test. The report informs that whiplash protection is marginal, but the vehicle structure is apparently stable. The Duster got only three stars because head protection for the driver was poor, meaning they could die in a full-width crash due to the deceleration.If you think that could not be worse, just check the report for the Renault Duster produced by Latin NCAP. The bodyshell integrity was deemed unstable andin the side impact test, and the front passenger door opened during the trial. Finally, there was a fuel leak after the front impact test. Renault answered with the typical reply for these cases: we comply with all safety regulations and even exceed some of them. That speaks more about how little the region governments care about traffic safety than about the companys concerns with it. According to the World Bank , road traffic kills about 130,000 people in the region.Another argument Renault used was that Latin NCAP tested the same vehicle in 2019, and it scored four stars according to an older test protocol. Thats true, but there was no fuel leak, door opening, or unusually high structural intrusion with that vehicle. Taking these results into consideration, the Brazilian Duster is now worse than it used to be.Latin NCAP already detected the unstable structure in that test, which gave Renault two years to fix that. The company lost that opportunity before facing a more strict protocol, which also happens to test whiplash protection. When this test was performed, Latin NCAP discovered that a Duster driver has poor neck protection. In other words, they could snap them in a rear impact.Latin NCAP warns all car manufacturers about the change at least one year before it happens. Despite becoming increasingly more rigorous, the Latin NCAP test is still less strict than that of Euro NCAP. It would be fantastic if Latin NCAP repeated these tests with the exact requirements used in Europe. How would cars manufactured elsewhere fare? If automakers are complaining about the protocols adopted by Latin NCAP, we bet the results would be shocking.Automakers rightfully say that they are under extreme pressure in Latin America. Many customers there think they are blood-sucking parasites willing to earn millions by charging them extremely high prices for their cars. However, convert these prices to stronger currencies, and youll realize Latin American vehicles are among the cheapest in the world. Making a profit in such conditions is incredibly hard. Ford recently gave up on that and decided to become a car importer in Brazil That all raises a moral question that is not easy to answer. Theoretically, carmakers should produce vehicles with the same specifications as those sold in developed countries, charging whatever that would cost from customers anywhere. But they would probably not have how to justify factories and structures in these countries for the lower sales volumes they would have. Should they adapt to the reality of each market and offer the best they can for an affordable price? The only certainty we have is that we would not like to be in automakers shoes deciding that.
Roth, one of the pioneers of modifying cars as rolling artwork, built example after example of barely or hardly street-legal machines which featured bright custom color paintwork, space-age bubble windshields, strangely wrought and often torturous bodies, wild running lights and whacked out and often faux-fur interiors.Oddly enough, Roth didn't make his money building custom cars, he cashed in being Ed Big Daddy Roth, selling t-shirts and various kinds of accouterment based on his famous cartoon character Rat Fink . As a side note, I have a working model Rat Fink Model A electric car on the shelf next to me.Roth also did well by licensing his car designs to model and toy companies from Revell to Mattel for their Hot Wheels series.Roth's Orbitron was a sort of tone poem to celebrate the relatively new technology which was color television. The light from each of the three variously colored headlights set into the nose of the Orbitron combined, cathode ray tube style, to merge into white light. And odd as it was, this car was actually legal to drive on the street.The owner of Orbitron, Beau Bachman, who runs Galpin Auto Sports , a renowned Los Angeles car customizing shop, restored the Orbitron to its original condition. And the Koolest thing about the finished product? The super lighting effect actually works.When Roth first rolled out the Orbitron for its debut in 1964, it proved a bit of a failure at shows. According to Roth, he attributed the failure of the car as being due to the fact that the engine was hidden from view. He added that his enduring regret about the car was that he covered the engine.As a side note, Roth blamed The Beatles for the failure of the Orbitron and said at the time, the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and all model sales stopped. Guys got guitars instead of cars.Another of his creations was the Rotar, and it wasnt actually a car at all. The Rotar was in fact a very compact hovercraft. And for the record, it hasn't taken wing since one disastrous car show at Detroit's Cobo Hall back in 1964.The car shattered when one of Roth's team of assistants wound the turbine of the Rotar far too fast. That error caused one of the fans to explode into shards of shrapnel and seriously injure several innocent bystanders.According to Bachman, one of the flying turbine blades was later pulled out of the Cobo Hall ceiling after some 45 years mailed to him.Bachman claims to have the largest single collection of Ed Roth cars in existence. He also has a large collection of Roth memorabilia.
The Continental GT and Interceptor 650 models feature a 648cc engine which puts out 47 horsepower at 7,150 RPM and offers a maximum of 52 Nm (38 lbft) torque at 5,250 RPM, the secret of the new engine. Thats fairly modest, but Royal Enfield says the difference is thatand that 80% of the torque is available to the rider as low as 2500 rpm.Fuel is delivered via electronic fuel injection from a tank which offers a fuel capacity of 3.6 gallons (13 liters), but a fairly corpulent wet weight of 470 lbs. (213 kg) might prove unfortunate.Both models offer a six-speed transmission.For 2022, there are now five fresh paint schemes available for each model and you can also now get blacked-out fork gaiters, rims and fenders as well.According to Royal Enfield, the latest iteration of their bikes will roll into dealer showrooms in September, at least for the U.S. market.It seems the real news is purely aesthetic upgrades for these modern classics, and the paint schemes have new monikers: single-tone paint in Canyon Red and Ventura Blue, and two new custom dual-tone colors in Downtown Drag, Sunset Strip and an updated version of the chrome variant Mark 2.Royal Enfield says the Mark 2 Chrome INT 650 is meant to pay homage to the original Interceptor 750 and serve as a lookback moment to the golden age of 1960s California motorcycle culture. The INT 650 Twin retains the single-tone Orange Crush color and a scheme they call Baker Express, a two-tone option Enfield says has been extremely popular.The 2022 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 cafe racer now offers five new colors. The company says these schemes find inspiration in the Continental GT of the 1960s with Rocker Red Standard. They also introduced the GT in a British Racing Green Standard color.Royal Enfield says theyll continue to focus on growing the middleweight segment for motorcycles with what they say areThe 2022 models in INT 650 in Standard colors will be priced at $5,999 and set you back $6,199 for the two-tone versions. The chrome variant Mark 2 models start at $6,699. TThe Continental GT 650 model in standard single colors will be available at $6,199, and the custom two-tone versions are $6,499. The chrome variant of the Continental GT 650, Mister Clean, is available starting at $6,999.
The actor has been in England for months now, working on the seemingly-never-ending production of Mission: Impossible 7. This week, production stopped in the West Midlands, in Birmingham, where the train station was turned into a Dubai airport for an action-packed scene Cruise is now based at a Kent mansion but, for this particular scene, he spent a short while at the Grand Hotel in the city center, with a BMW X7 assigned to him on a permanent basis. Its that car that got stolen on Tuesday morning, The Sun reports.According to the tabloid, the X7 was parked inside a hotel-approved lot, within walking distance from the entrance. Using a relay device, thieves nicked it right from under the nose of Cruises security detail, including his personal bodyguard who doubles as driver. The car theft itself wouldnt have bothered the actor that much, had it not been for the fact that the X7 was packed with his very expensive luggage. All of it is gone. BMW has a long-standing partnership with the Mission: Impossible franchise, being Ethan Hunts marque of choice since the early days. When the X7 was reported missing, someone from BMW arranged for a replacement within minutes, says the tab. Police were equally quick in tracking it down and retrieving it, thanks to the tracker inside.But everything inside it had gone, an insider says, referring to Cruises very expensive luggage that was stolen. Its a huge embarrassment for the security team and the guy who had been driving it was hopping mad  but not as mad as Tom! Understandably so: somewhere out there are several pieces of luggage packed with Cruises personal belongings.Police have confirmed the X7 theft, adding that an investigation is ongoing to catch the culprits. Hopefully, CCTV footage will have caught them in the act and help with identifying them.On a more positive note, Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt will be driving and riding BMWs on the big screen again in May 2022, assuming were allowed to mingle in large enclosed spaces freely by then.
The Chinese press got to meet the nostalgic WEI at the Sanhe Classic Car Museum in Chengdu. What is written in its license plate is ?? ? ? (Fug? chao jia, according to Google Translate), which means Vintage Tide Drive. Would that be its ultimate name? Considering Ora uses Punk Cat for its Beetle-wannabe for boys and Ballet Cat for the girls, we would not be surprised if that was really the case.The official pictures of the car confirm how related it is to the Ora vehicle. Both brands belong to Great Wall, which means this WEI derivative will probably go on sale as well very soon with the same LFP battery pack options the Ora offers.The interior images show that Great Wall put a little more effort there than it did in the exterior to give the Vintage Tide Drive a unique personality. The WEI presents three screens instead of only two in the Ora, among other things. We found only similarities between the two interiors but not a single common part in the quick inspection before publishing this article. According to Autohome , the car uses LED headlights (for lower energy consumption), but that does not seem to be a concern. If it were, the front end would probably be more friendly towards aerodynamics. If the WEI Vintage Tide Drive really goes on sale, it will have a lower range than its Ora siblings unless WEI uses a different battery pack. We should learn more about that soon.
The House Intelligence Committee is planning to hold a second, classified briefing on Afghanistan when members return to Washington, D.C., in September, a committee official tells Axios.

Why it matters: The planning comes as several members of Congress demand more information from the Biden administration regarding the unfolding crisis abroad as the U.S. approaches its Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan. It also comes just hours after multiple U.S. service members and civilians were killed in Kabul Thursday morning.

Details: The House is not expected to return from recess until Sept. 20, meaning it will likely be weeks before the committee holds its briefing.

While many committee members would like to have a briefing sooner given the latest developments in Afghanistan, the committee official told Axios it's difficult to hold the update over the phone given the highly sensitive classified information.

The official added, however, that if Congress comes back into session earlier, the Intelligence Committee will likely move up the in-person briefing.

The big picture: The committee held a classified briefing on Monday  the first in-person meeting with lawmakers on Afghanistan.
Speaking at a government session in Yerevan on Friday Pashinian observed that Azerbaijani soldiers blocked sections of the Goris-Kapan that lie in the territory currently controlled by Baku shortly after he presented a five-year action plan of his government in the Armenian parliament pledging that Armenia will do its part to usher in an era of peace in the region.

I hope that the situations with roads in Syunik will be settled as soon as possible, Pashinian said.

Azerbaijan established control over several sections of Armenias main interstate highway that is also vital for connection with Iran when its forces regained several districts around Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of a 44-day war last fall.

In doing so Baku referred to Soviet-era maps showing administrative borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The roads in questions had been controlled by Armenia since the break-up of the Soviet Union and the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of large swaths of territory outside the former autonomous region proper.

Last December Russia, which had brokered a ceasefire deal to end the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, also arranged with Yerevan and Baku that Armenians will continue to use a 21-kilometer stretch of the highway that passes through Azerbaijani-controlled territory under the supervision of Russian border-guards until Armenia builds another alternative road for all types of transportation to connect two parts of the mountainous region.

Pashinian stressed that with its actions these days Azerbaijan breaks the December arrangements.

Pashinian again denied that Armenians had any relation to an alleged stabbing of an Azerbaijani border-guard in the area on August 25 that Baku used as a pretext for closing the road. The Armenian leader said Yerevan was ready for a joint investigation of the incident with the participation of representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Such a situation was not unexpected for us and in the meantime we have worked and will continue to work to build new infrastructure. But the reopening of roads in the Eyvazli and Chaizami sections can be a very good symbol of regional stability, Pashinian said.

The Armenian prime minister instructed his cabinet to pursue road construction work in Syunik, in particular, complete the reconstruction of the Tatev-Aghvani road until the end of the year as well as work on other roads to ensure reliable connection of communities with the regional center and state and interstate highways.

Earlier on Friday, Armenias Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said that problems with travel in Syunik seriously affected life of the local population, including their access to goods and medical services. He said the situation also seriously limited trade between Armenia and Iran.
There have been certain public positive signals from Turkey. We will evaluate those signals and respond to those signals with a positive signal, the Armenian prime minister said.

During a meeting with foreign ambassadors accredited to Turkey earlier this week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if Armenia takes positive steps to establish peace in the region, Turkey will respond adequately.

After the recent Karabakh war, new opportunities have been created for progress in that direction, he said. We have already stated that if Armenia responds positively to these opportunities, we will take the necessary steps.

Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations. In 1993, Turkey reacted to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh by closing its border with Armenia out of support for its regional ally Azerbaijan.

In 2009, Yerevan and Ankara attempted to normalize their relations, signing protocols to establish diplomatic relations and re-open the border. But the protocols were never ratified, while the brief rapprochement came to a close in the subsequent years.

Armenia has pursued international recognition of the 1915 mass killings and deportations of over a million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide. Over two dozen governments of the word recognize the Ottoman-era massacres of Armenians as genocide today.

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions in 2019 recognizing the Armenian genocide, as did U.S. President Joe Biden when he used the word genocide in his April 24, 2021 speech on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

Turkey refuses to recognize that the Ottoman government pursued a policy of exterminating Armenians, maintaining that hundreds of thousands of Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians died in intercommunal violence around the bloody battlefields of World War I. Turkey also disputes Armenias count of the numbers killed, putting it at 300,000.

Last year Armenia also accused Turkey of directly assisting Azerbaijan in its war against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh in September-November 2020.

Yerevan also accused Ankara of deploying terrorist fighters from Syria in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone during the 44-day conflict in which Azerbaijan regained much of the former autonomous regions territory as well as all seven surrounding districts that had been controlled by ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.

Turkey has denied any involvement in the conflict, but has repeatedly voiced support for Azerbaijan in its actions against Armenians.

Still during the war in October 2020 Armenia announced a temporary ban on the import of Turkish goods beginning in 2021. It extended the ban for another six months in July.

In its five-year action plan approved in the parliament this week the Armenian government said, however, that it supports the establishment of relations with Turkey without any preconditions.
We hope that the sides will resolve the latest disagreements in the Syunik provinces border zones and especially the Kapan-Goris road section in a way that the implementation of the goal of reopening of transportation routes and unblocking wont be disrupted, the Iranian embassy in Yerevan told the state-run Armenpress news agency on Friday.

Unfortunately, in the past two days we are witnessing a disruption of transit through this road as a result of the latest developments in the Syunik province, which has caused problems not only for the normal life of Armenias civilian population, but also a number of Iranian cargo vehicles carrying out shipments from Iran to Armenia, the embassy added.

It stressed that due to the existing difficult situation at the 21-kilometer section of the road it is required for the sides to make efforts within the framework of goodwill principle in the direction of ensuring normal course of communication and transit, until reaching an exact and concrete situation over this matter.

We are hopeful that in parallel to the ongoing negotiations over solving the existing disputes regarding the use of the Kapan-Goris route, the improvement and development works of alternative routes will swiftly take place, so that the conditions return to normal both from the perspective of Armenias citizens and our commercial relations with Armenia, the Iranian embassy said.

Citing a stabbing attack against its border guard earlier this week, Azerbaijan closed two sections of a key Armenian interstate highway that partly passes through territory that Baku regained after last years war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenias National Security Service said that negotiations with Azerbaijan with the participation of the Russian side were underway to achieve the reopening of the strategic road also used for vital trade with Iran.

On Friday, two days after Azerbaijan closed the road, Armenias Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said that problems with travel in Syunik had seriously affected life of the local population, including their access to goods and medical services. He said the situation also seriously limited trade between Armenia and Iran.

An RFE/RL Armenian Service correspondent on August 27 talked to one Iranian truck driver stuck in Syunik who complained about the uncertain situation with the road. The Iranian still said that he preferred waiting for the main road to reopen than using an alternative dirt road that he said was difficult to drive.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told his government earlier on Friday to speed up efforts on the renovation of alternative roads in Syunik to ensure reliable connection between communities and the regional center, state and interstate highways.

Pashinian claimed that by closing the road in Syunik Azerbaijan sought to discredit Armenias peace agenda for the region, but expressed a hope that the situation will be resolved soon.

Such a situation was not unexpected for us and in the meantime we have worked and will continue to work to build new infrastructure. But the reopening of roads in the Eyvazli and Chaizami sections can be a very good symbol of regional stability, Pashinian said.
In his message on Friday Armenian President Armen Sarkissian offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the act of terrorism.

We strongly condemn the act of terrorism at Kabul International Airport, which killed many innocent civilians and soldiers. Armenia has always opposed any terrorist act against humanity, especially the involvement of terrorists in hostilities. In the fight against international terrorism, it is necessary to unite forces to prevent such monstrous manifestations of intolerance and contempt for universal values, Sarkissian said, as quoted by his press office.

In his message the Armenian president also wished endurance and courage to the victims families and relatives, and a speedy recovery to the injured.

The Kabul airport attacks came as U.S. forces were helping to evacuate people desperate to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban took over this Central Asian country earlier this month.

The Islamic State, a terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

An Armenian peacekeeping contingent that was deployed in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission since 2010 ended its service and returned to Armenia in March 2021.
Armenias National Security Service (NSS) said on Friday evening that both sections of the Goris-Kapan road, namely Shurnukh-Karmrakar and Goris-Vorotan that were kept closed since late August 25 and August 26, respectively, were now open again.

The Goris-Kapan interstate road is open for all types of vehicles and for free movement of citizens, the NSS said, adding that Armenias border troops and border-guards of the Russian Federal Security Service conducted negotiations with the Azerbaijani side for the reopening of the road.

The NSS statement referred to no other details of the negotiations or any conditions on which the road section may have been reopened.

The 21-kilometer section of the Goris-Kapan road became disputed after Azerbaijan regained control over much of Nagorno-Karabakh and all Armenian-controlled districts around it as a result of last years 44-day war.

In December 2020, a month after Russia brokered a ceasefire deal to end the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, it also arranged with Yerevan and Baku that Armenians will continue to use the stretch of the highway passing through Azerbaijani-controlled territory under the supervision of Russian border-guards until Armenia builds another alternative road for all types of transportation to connect two parts of the mountainous region.

The highway is also vital for Armenian trade with Iran. Earlier on Friday the Iranian embassy in Yerevan told the state-run Armenpress news agency that Tehran hopes that the latest border crisis between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be resolved peacefully and will not jeopardize commercial ties in the region.

During the morning session of the government Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian accused Azerbaijan of trying to discredit Armenias peace efforts by closing the road, but expressed a hope that the situation will be resolved soon.

At the same time, he told his ministers to speed up their efforts on the renovation of alternative roads in Syunik to ensure reliable connection between communities and the regional center, state and interstate highways.

This situation was not unexpected for us and in the meantime we have worked and will continue to work to build new infrastructure. But the reopening of the road in the Eyvazli and Chaizami sections can be a very good symbol of regional stability, the Armenian prime minister said, referring to the two closed sections of the Goris-Kapan road.

An official report late on Friday said that Pashinian had a phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two leaders also discussed the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Armenias Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, meanwhile, also addressed the situation in Syunik in a statement, saying that problems with travel in the mountainous region had seriously affected life of the local population, including their access to goods and medical services. He said that trade between Armenia and Iran had also been hampered by the situation.
Pete Tittls Dining Out column appears in The Californian on Sundays. Email him at pftittl@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: @pftittl.
Debbie Hankins and Torie Knapp became best friends in 1975 when they were in their freshman year at North High School.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.
For Beiner, the Sullivan Chair appointment means not only joining another university but relocating thousands of milesa transition he is happily prepared to make.



At Ben-Gurion University, in Israels relatively remote Negev desert, I was the only historian in the country specializing in Ireland, he said. Moving to Boston College, a leading American university with a first-rate History Department and a distinguished Irish Studies Program, opens many opportunities to forward my research and to contribute to the global development of Irish studies.



Beiner takes a sophisticated interdisciplinary approach to examine the Irish past in relation to an ever-changing present, and how popular conceptions of national and local history are shaped not only by collective memory but also what he calls social forgetting. His work draws on concepts and sources from folklore, sociology, ethnomusicology, anthropology, politics, art, literature, drama, and other facets of cultural studies.



Official history, that which is published or otherwise viewed as authoritative, is noteworthy not only for what it recalls but what it doesntevents and details that are considered inconvenient are often relegated to oblivion, he explained. Other kinds of vernacular history persist, howeverlike oral history or folklorein which such details can be shared and maintained informally.



The outcome is therefore a complex form of social forgetting, consisting of public silence alongside private remembrance.



Beiners scholarly methodology is reflected in his 2018 book, Forgetful Remembrance: Social Forgetting and Vernacular Historiography of a Rebellion in Ulster, which explores the contrasts in how the 1798 rebellion against British rule in Irelands Ulster provincea conflict marked by an unusual, if short-lived alliance between Catholics and Protestantshas been remembered by different Irish communities and constituencies. Whereas the uprising was fervently and publicly recalled in the Catholic/nationalist south, the Protestant/Unionist northmindful of solidifying ties with Britaingradually scrubbed it from official commemoration or record, until the events of 1798 lived on more through oral histories, personal memoirs, historical fiction, and folklore.



Social forgetting, as I define it, is not total amnesia: Its more akin to when a judge instructs a jury to disregard certain inadmissible testimony, said Beiner. Officially, the jurors are expected to discount that information, but since its been brought to their attention, in all likelihood they will still keep it in their minds. The memory is essentially retained under a facade of forgetting.



Forgetful Remembrance was selected for four major international awards in the field of history-related research: the American Historical Association George L. Mosse Prize in the intellectual and cultural history of Europe since 1500; the American Folklore Society Wayland D. Hand Prize for history and folklore; the Katharine Briggs Award for a distinguished contribution to folklore studies; and the National University of Ireland Irish Historical Research Prize, which recognizes the best new work of Irish historical research.



During his year as Burns Scholar, Beiner taught a course on history and memory related to Bloody Sunday, the 1972 killings of protestors in Northern Ireland by the British Army that became a landmark event of the Northern Irish conflict, and led the seminar Commemoration Fever: Heritage, Remembrance, and Forgetting in Contemporary Ireland. He also gave a lecture on how the insights of two largely neglected Irish historians can inform current discussions of Ireland and Northern Irelands places in Europe and the wider world.



Beyond BC, Beiner had the opportunity that year to speak at academic forums at various North American universities and meet with researchers who share his interest in critically rethinking elements of Irish studies.



During my year as Burns Scholar, my research benefitted from consulting the outstanding collections of the Burns Library. I was stimulated by the intellectual caliber of the faculty and impressed by the quality of the graduate and undergraduate students. It was particularly thrilling to engage with the many eminent guest speakers who came to visit, with the support of the Irish Consul-General. I also enjoyed attending Gaelic Roots music events. All of this made it clear that Boston College is a thriving hub of Irish studies and a vibrant academic environment.



Beiner foresees a similarly eventful first year as Sullivan Chair: In addition to teaching and research, he will collaborate with other faculty and McMullen Museum of Art staff on an exhibition of photographs by acclaimed British photojournalist Martin Parr. In addition, he and Savage will co-organize a conference to mark the centenary of the Irish Civil War as well as a program of events in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Boston College also will host the Sixth International Flann OBrien Conference.



Activities such as these affirm BCs longstanding eminence in Irish studies, a diverse and dynamic interdisciplinary field, which is expanding and moving in many new directions, said Beiner, who as Sullivan Chair will seek to encourage cross-fertilization by facilitating inspirational engagements between innovative researchers.



My own expertise in memory studies stems from a keen interest in folklore that has led me to appreciate the creative and complex ways in which local communities have remembered their past. I am particularly interested in investigating supposedly forgotten episodes that have been silenced, as such explorations can reveal insights into less familiar aspects of Irish culture.



Sean Smith | University Communications | August 2021


Stay up to date on COVID-19

Get Breaking News

Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Cummins Falls State Park in Middle Tennessee has been named state park of the year.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation honored the Cookeville park for effectively managing an increase in visitors and overcrowding while enhancing safety measures, the department said in a news release Thursday.

The 306-acre (123-hectare) park used social media to inform people of river conditions, scheduled programs and activities. It also conducted more than 250 interpretation programs, held day camps for children and school programs, and hosted a weekly home-school group, officials said.

Cummins Falls also has removed invasive plants, planted native species, built two greenhouses and grown and processed sorghum, officials said.

Cummins Falls is one of 56 state parks in Tennessee. It is one of several state parks honored with a 2021 Award of Excellence at a recent park management conference at Pickwick Landing State Park.
LOGAN, W.Va. (AP)  Guided tours of elk have returned to southern West Virginia.

The West Virginia State Parks system announced that viewing tours will be held on weekends starting Sept. 11 and ending Oct. 24. They will start and finish at the Chief Logan State Park lodge in Logan County, the parks system said in a news release.

There also will be a few midweek evening tours. Morning tours start at 5:30 a.m. and evening tours start at 4 p.m.

Each tour is limited to 12 people. The tours typically will last four hours, depending on weather and viewing conditions. Groups typically walk or hike up to three miles. Tickets cost $30 and can be purchased online.

Elk have been transplanted over the past five years at the Tomblin Wildlife Management Area in Logan County. They were brought from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Southeast Texas has nearly fallen out of the cone of uncertainty for Tropical Storm Ida  expected to make landfall as a major hurricane in the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday night. But forecasters say the region shouldnt let its breath out just yet.

Ida strengthened into a storm shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, National Weather Service Lake Charles Meteorologist Donald Jones said in a Thursday briefing.

Models forecast the storm will make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane or stronger. As of Thursday evening, they showed the center of circulation heating south-central or southeast Louisiana on Sunday.

But Jones said there still is plenty of room for error both in terms of track direction, with shifts east and west still possible. That means the entire Louisiana coast and parts of Southeast Texas are not out of the woods, yet.

Continue to monitor this situation if youre in southwest Louisiana or even Southeast Texas, he said.

The storm is steered by currents in an area of high pressure over the eastern United States. There also is an area of low pressure further north. Those two factors are keeping the storm moving instead of stalling.

The cone of uncertainty extends as far west as Southeast Texas and as far East as Mississippi.

Regardless of where it makes landfall, obviously the impacts are going to exist well away from the center of circulation, he said.

Ida is expected to continue to intensify once she arrives in the Gulf of Mexico. Jones said Gulf conditions very favorable for tropical system development with virtually no wind shear and warm water temperatures.

This is going to turn into a very serious situation relatively quickly, Jones said. Weve only got two or three days here of the storm being over water before landfall. So, this storm is forecast to intensify pretty rapidly.

Life threatening storm surge and hurricane force winds, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes are expected. Hurricane-force winds are possible in Louisiana based on current projections.

Residents east of Idas landfall are expected to experience the worst part of a hurricane, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Roger Erickson said in a news release.

This system has the potential to shift further west. So, stay tuned for updated forecasts as we go into the weekend, Erickson said.

NWS forecasters expect showers and thunderstorms to create a wet pattern set up ahead of the storm. For those who are considering or may be ordered to evacuate, Jones said to be aware of the possibility for street flooding due to the daily chance of rain.

While he did not have Idas expected rainfall totals yet, he said the Weather Service generally sees an average of up to 10 inches of rainfall accompany a hurricane

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
A Kirbyville man, who stole thousands of pieces of mail from dozens of Newton County residents, has been sentenced to federal prison.

William Cody Shaver, 37, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone for federal violations in in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a Tuesday announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Shaver pleaded guilty on May 28 to possession of stolen mail and possession of fifteen or more stolen access devices. A news release from the district said he victimized 82 Newton County Residents for intended loss of more than $200,000.

Many Americans have either been directly affected by mail and identity theft or have a close friend or family member that has been victimized by mail and identity thieves, Ganjei said in the release. The EDTX is proud to partner with the Postal Inspection Service to safeguard the publics personal information and to aggressively prosecute those that would seek to steal or profit from such private information.

The Newton County Sheriffs Office received multiple complaints for stolen mail throughout the area in September 2020. Authorities executed a warrant at Shavers Kirbyville home on September 25, 2020 following an investigation.

Authorities found Shaver in possession of more than 200 pieces of stolen mail and its contents including credit cards, checks, gift cards, personal identification numbers, bank statements and other miscellaneous items. Shaver was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 3.

We understand the impact mail theft can have on our valued customers, Thomas Noyes, Inspector in Charge of the Fort Worth Division. Mail theft is a serious crime, and we will work tirelessly to find those responsible and bring them to justice, as represented in this sentencing.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service was created to protect the U.S. Mail, and we will not lose sight of that mission, he continued. The mission is often accomplished through partnerships, and we thank the Newton County Sheriffs Office for their efforts in this case. We also thank the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Texas for pursuing this case through to the end.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
A property owner caught a man attempting to deliver contraband to a federal prison on Thursday in Beaumont.

Jose Anaya-Briones, 19, of Mexico has been arrested for trespassing and possession of marijuana, according to a Jefferson County Sheriffs Office news release.

Authorities received a call around 3:30 p.m. to the 2000 block of Hillebrandt Road. The landowner had detained Anaya-Briones on his property, which backs up to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The landowner told deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office that he witnessed Anaya-Briones walking through his property toward the Federal Prison carrying a backpack.

Anaya-Briones allegedly concealed the backpack and attempted to flee the area prior to being caught. A Texas DPS Trooper arrived to assist by translating Spanish.

A deputy and his K9 partner conducted a search in the area to locate the backpack, the release said.

The search covered an area of approximately 120 yards in thick, high grass and underbrush, represenatives with the sheriffs office wrote. K9 Duc searched and discovered the backpack that was concealed under some grass and in muddy water. The backpack contained bundles of cell phones packaged in camouflaged wrappings and a bag of marijuana.

The warden and investigators from the federal prison were notified and they arrived at the location to assist. The packaged cell phones, as well as the suspects phone, were seized by the Federal investigators from the prison.

Anaya-Briones has been booked into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility. The incident remains under investigation.

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Games Wardens and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are all involved in the investigation.

A special appreciation to the landowner for being ever vigilant in contacting authorities when witnessing illegal activity, the release said.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
A Southeast Texas woman who was shot during a family argument has died.

The Orange Police Department received a call just before 12:30 p.m. Thursday for a shooting on Circle D in the Roselawn area.

Officers found Mykeisha Young, 29 of Orange, with a gunshot wound near her neck, an Orange PD news release said.

Orange police officers learned two sisters were home with their mother when the sisters began arguing, resulting in one of them being shot, the release said.

Young was taken by Acadian ambulance to St. Elizabeth hospital in Beaumont where she died a short time later.

Detectives are investigating how the gun was introduced into the fight, resulting in the death, Orange PD said.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Indonesian policemen check bodies of those killed in an overnight explosion at a nightclub in Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali, Oct. 13, 2002.

Three suspects in the 2002 Bali bombings, including the Osama of Southeast Asia, will finally get their day in court on Monday, 15 years after being incarcerated at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

By most accounts, this will be the first time that members of the media see the trio of detainees  two Malaysians and an Indonesian  since they were sent to the infamous lock-up. One analyst said their trial would only refresh allegations of the abuse and torture at Gitmo and reflect poorly on Washington, especially so soon after the Taliban took over again in Afghanistan.

Still, the proceedings will cast a spotlight back to the 2002-2003 Bali and Jakarta bombings  which left a total of 214 people dead. Because, as the spokesman for the Office of Military Commissions explained, the prosecution will read out terror charges against the three suspects who will be in the courtroom.

The defendants havent been seen in years, except by their lawyers, spokesman Ron Flesvig told BenarNews, referring to Indonesian national and alleged mastermind of the Bali bombings, Hambali, and the two Malaysians.

At this arraignment hearing, the three accused are supposed to enter a plea  that is, guilty or not guilty  but an accused can defer entering a plea as well, if the judge allows it, he said.

The accused can also waive their right to hearing the charges, but the prosecution will still read them the charges, Flesvig said.

The charges include conspiracy  prosecutors allege that the accused conspired with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and others to commit terrorist attacks across Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Hambali is said to have met Osama in 1996 in Afghanistan, the U.S. says.

Hambali, whose real name is Encep Nurjaman, was arrested in Thailand in August 2003 with Malaysians Mohammad Nazir Lep and Mohd Farik Bin Amin. They were sent to a secret CIA prison network before being moved to the prison at Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.

The Indonesian, who is called Southeast Asias Osama, faces eight terror charges related to the Bali bombings, while the two Malaysians face nine. The charges do not carry the death penalty.

A tourist sits by a memorial to the lives lost in the 2002 Bali bombings that was built on the site of the destroyed Paddys Pub on Legian Street, in Kuta, Bali, Nov. 24, 2008. [Reuters]

Hambali is very smart, creative and charismatic

The start of this trial of the Bali bombing suspects couldnt have come at a worse time for Indonesia and Malaysia, according to Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asian security expert and professor at the National War College in Washington.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan may energize militants in Southeast Asia and if Hambali was sent back to Indonesia  depending on how he pleads  Jakarta does not want that headache, Abuza said.

The Indonesian suspect Hambali was an operational mastermind for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda, the U.S. says.

And JI has been seeing a resurgence in Indonesia, Abuza said.

They are nervous about the growth of JI  when you put the operations chief of JI back in the country that is something that will motivate the [militant] community, Abuza told BenarNews.

The idea of another person who stood up and was treated horrifically by the Americans is a potential windfall for militants. He [Hambali] is a poster child for perseverance in fighting the great infidel, he said, referring to the treatment of detainees at Gitmo.

Nasir Abbas, a former JI member in Indonesia, agrees with Abuza.

Hambali is a very smart, creative and charismatic person, so people are easily influenced by him, Nasir, who now works with police in deradicalization efforts, told BenarNews.

He has managed to survive in Guantanamo all this time.  As you know, its not easy being a prisoner at Guantanamo. It is a credit point for him in the eyes of the jihadists.

Nasir said that he knew Hambali when both were training at the military academy in Afghanistan. The U.S. says Hambali fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan as well in 1986-1987.

Encep Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, is seen in this undated photo provided by the Federal Public Defenders Office, at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [Federal Public Defender's Office via AP]

US case against accused a nightmare

Indonesian officials had indicated in 2016 that if Hambali were to be released, they would be reluctant to accept his repatriation for fear that his return could spark a revival among domestic terror cells.

It appears they still feel the same way.

When BenarNews asked about the prospects for Hambalis trial, Teuku Faizasyah, the spokesman for Indonesias foreign ministry, claimed the suspect was not Indonesian.

As for Malaysia, they have been bracing for this moment, Abuza said.

The 2 Malaysians [in Gitmo] remain true believers and are very committed  they are really hardcore, said Abuza, citing information he got from Malaysian officials who traveled to Gitmo and met the accused.

Malaysia has been watching this and assumes the Americans will do something.

Malaysias counterterror police chief, Normah Ishak, reiterated what she said back in January: that the trial would give the accused an opportunity to defend themselves.

When asked whether the two Malaysians should come back home, she did not answer yes or no.

All she told BenarNews was that as Malaysians, they have the right to return home.

Abuza said he was aghast when a court date was first mentioned in January.

I was sure that a plea bargain had been reached. how will America come out of this looking good? he said.

According to the analyst, who is a regular contributor to BenarNews, the case against the three is a nightmare from a legal perspective. Any information that came from interrogating the accused is dubious, he said, because of the Gitmo torture allegations.

Which is why I was so convinced there would be some sort of agreement where Hambali pleads guilty to some charges and is returned to Indonesia, perhaps with a sentence of time served.

Tria Dianti in Jakarta, and Muzliza Mustafa and Noah Lee in Kuala Lumpur, contributed to this report.
Afghan women in burqas and children walk on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2021.

Indonesias top diplomat has called on the Taliban to form an inclusive government and respect womens rights in Afghanistan, during a meeting in Qatar with one of the fundamentalist Muslim groups political leaders.

The talks between Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy director of the Talibans political office, took place on Thursday in the Qatari capital Doha, hours before two bomb explosions killed dozens of people outside the Kabul airport.

On the sideline of my visit to Qatar, I also met with Representatives of the Taliban Political Office in Doha, Retno said via Twitter.

Indonesia, the worlds largest Islamic-majority nation, in recent years had tried to facilitate negotiations aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan. On Aug. 15, Taliban insurgents swept into power when they seized the Afghan capital after the United States withdraw its military forces that had backed the government of President Ashraf Ghani.

I conveyed to the Taliban the importance of: an inclusive government in Afghanistan; respecting womens rights; and ensuring Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorist organization and activities, Retno said.

On Friday, a spokesman for Indonesias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, declined to comment on the meeting between Retno and Stanikzai.

The Taliban returned to power 20 years after being ousted by an American-led international military coalition in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The militant group al-Qaeda launched them from its base and safe haven in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

During the Talibans five-year rule in the late 1990s, the group implemented policies that supressed womens rights, such as cutting off access to education for women and girls.

In July 2019, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Talibans co-founder, met in Jakarta with the head of Nahdlatul Ulama  Indonesias Muslim organization  who told Baradar that the warring Afghan factions should sit together and agree to a peace based on the spirit of Islamic brotherhood.

Since the Taliban took power again on Aug. 15, womens rights advocacy groups have expressed grave concern over whether the Taliban will undo progress made since 2001 in boosting gender equality and opportunities for Afghan women and girls.

Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Talibans political bureau in Doha, said in a tweet that Retno and Stanikzai had discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the future of bilateral relations.

The Indonesian delegation thanks the Islamic Emirate for the safety of its diplomats, Naeem said on his Twitter account.

Retno discussed Afghanistan during a meeting in Doha with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who is Qatars deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

She also talked about evacuation efforts at Kabuls airport, security, and the future of Afghanistan during a meeting in the Qatari capital with Zalmay Khalilzad, Washingtons special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation.

Indonesia had evacuated 26 Indonesian citizens, including diplomats serving in Kabul, using an Indonesian Air Force aircraft on Aug. 20.

The unrest at Kabul airport has prompted the Indonesian government to move its embassy in Afghanistan temporarily to Islamabad, the capital of neighboring Pakistan.

Faizasyah, the foreign ministry spokesman, said two Indonesians had decided to remain in Kabul, including a U.N. worker.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaks during a press conference with Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto after evacuating Indonesian citizens from Kabul, Afghanistan, at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase in Jakarta, Aug. 21, 2021. [Reuters]

Hotbed for terrorists

Meanwhile, Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia both condemned the bombings that took place on Thursday in and around Kabul airport, which were claimed by ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

The two simultaneous bombings hit in the evening, hours after Western embassies urged people to leave the area due to the threat of a terror attack by the regional branch of IS.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack would only further exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Malaysia calls on all concerned parties to give their utmost priority to the safety as well as protection of all civilians, including those wishing to leave the country, the ministry said in a statement.

Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law professor at the University of Indonesia, said the meeting with the Taliban was important for Indonesia to raise concerns about the impact on domestic security from the Taliban return to power.

Indonesia wants to ensure that Afghanistan will not become a hotbed for terrorists, Hikmahanto told BenarNews.

Many countries have the same concern and the foreign minister has articulated it, he said.

Wawan Hari Purwanto, a spokesman for the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), said last week that developments at the global and regional levels influenced the movement of militant groups in Indonesia.

BIN has taken anticipatory steps to strengthen early detection and early prevention, especially regarding groups that have an ideological resemblance to the Taliban, he told BenarNews.

Indonesian authorities are also investigating reports that several Indonesian militants were among those released by the Taliban from a prison near Kabul earlier this month.

In the days leading up to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Indonesian police caught dozens of suspected members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah in a nationwide sweep.

On Aug. 20, police announced that JI suspects had been plotting to carry out a terrorist attack on Aug. 17, Indonesias Independence Day.

Indonesian authorities had blamed Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda affiliate, for the 2002 Bali bombings  the nations deadliest terrorist attack. At the time, members of the group included Indonesians who had trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Indonesian veterans of the war in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.

Refugees stressed and scared

Hassan Ramazan Rateq, a 42-year-old Afghan refugee who has been stranded in Indonesia since 2016, said he worried about the safety of his family and friends back home.

I and other refugees feel more stressed and scared because our family and relatives are under the clutches of the Talibans cruelty, Hassan told BenarNews.

He called the Talibans conciliatory promises nonsense.

They have carried out house-to-house searches, locked up people who worked or had contact with the past government and non-governmental organizations, Rateq said.

Rateq said his relatives who live near Kabul were desperate to leave Afghanistan.

They are safe, but every day they are afraid. Nobody knows what will happen to them, he said.

If they had a chance to get out, they would.

Rateq was among hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers who staged a rally outside the Jakarta office of U.N refugee agency UNHCR on Aug. 24 to demand resettlement in a third country.

He and several other refugees were allowed in by UNHCR staff.

UNHCR staff said they would hold regular meetings with us to listen to our aspirations. As for resettlement, they said it would be done on a first-come-first-go basis, he said.
A dragon dance welcomes the Wuhu, a Chinese navy guided-missile frigate, as it docks at Manilas South Harbor for a port call, July 12, 2021.

The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest with China for its reported use of flares to warn off Filipino surveillance planes as they flew over contested portions of the South China Sea in June, Manilas national security advisor said Friday.

Last week, a Philippine military unit posted in the Spratly Islands said that warning flares were fired from Chinese outposts located on islets in the Union Banks to ward off Philippine Air Force planes, which were patrolling the skies above the area in mid- to late June.

True to what we have agreed upon, this was immediately put to a diplomatic protest  there was a diplomatic protest, National Security Advisor Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told a virtual news briefing, in responding to questions about Chinas use of flares in the disputed waters.

We continuously protest against what we find there to be in violation of our sovereignty and sovereign rights, Esperon said.

Meanwhile, according to an internal report by the Western Command, China fired five warning shots between June 16 and June 22 as Philippine military planes overflew the maritime region.

The report also contained images showing that China is continuing to expand its facilities in islands that Beijing occupies in the sea, including on Calderon Reef (also known as Cuarteron).

BenarNews saw parts of the report.

National Security Adviser Esperon leads a task force that oversees what Manila calls the West Philippine Sea  its exclusive economic zone and other claimed territories within the South China Sea.

We see to it that as long as we can, and are within the international rules ... if we see our sovereignty and sovereign rights violated, then we indeed launch diplomatic protests or some actions are taken to protect our national interest in the area, Esperon said.

China uses pyrotechnic signals or flare warnings to ward off our ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) team, Lt. Col. Bill Pasia, of the Western Command, told an online forum Aug. 20, according to a report in the Philippine Inquirer.

As of late Friday, it remained unclear why the military had not earlier publicized the information about the incidents involving the flares and the aircraft.

Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond on Friday to a BenarNews request for comment.

Philippine patrols

The alleged firing of flares came around the time when Manila stepped up patrols in the waters of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) amid reports that Chinese boats and ships were clustered in Philippine-claimed waters of the South China Sea.

Earlier this year, Manilas foreign affairs department had said it would file daily diplomatic protests with Beijing over the ongoing presence of Chinese ships in the EEZ.

This occurred at the height of a diplomatic spat between the two governments that began in March, when the Philippine military first flagged the presence of more than 200 Chinese fishing boats which, it alleged, were manned by militias.

Esperon noted that the increase in government patrols was not geared at monitoring Chinese activities alone.

Whether you are Chinese or any other nationality, we continuously monitor marine scientific vessels that go into our maritime domain. Without the [permission] of the Philippines, theyre immediately protested by the [foreign affairs department], Esperon said.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. While Indonesia does not regard itself as party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesia's exclusive economic zone as well.

In 2016, the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected as invalid Chinas sweeping claims over the sea region, as the tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in a lawsuit brought by Manila against Beijing.

China, however, has ignored the ruling and continues with its military expansion in the resource-rich South China Sea. In January, Beijing even passed a law that allows its coast guard to fire at ships intruding in Chinese-claimed waters.

This week, during a visit to Singapore and Vietnam, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Beijings aggressive posture in the South China Sea.

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 while in Hanoi, referring to the international treaty that sets nations rights and responsibilities in the worlds oceans.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Jeremy Berlin is the new executive chef for Mill Town's properties. He's launching a new menu at Mission. A few of the items are highlighted i
STOCKBRIDGE  A fight raging at school board meetings nationwide played out in the Berkshires Thursday after a resident sent school officials a notice saying that their masking mandates for children to curb the spread of COVID-19 is possibly unhealthy and could be a violation of human rights under the Nuremberg Code.

Great Barrington resident Dattatreya Haynes had suggested in his email that, at the least, masking mandates should be suspended pending more studies of the risks and benefits.

But officials blocked Haynes from speaking during a public comment period at the Berkshire Hills Regional School Districts School Committees meeting, held on Zoom, with 23 participants.

I think we all anticipate that what we are about to hear is the use of this forum to propagate an absurd disinformation campaign that has been trolling on social media for a year, said school committee member Richard Dohoney.

Haynes said that as a citizen he had a right to speak for three minutes. Chairman Stephen Bannon said he would adjourn.

It is the will of the chairman to decide whether the public is going to speak and your email spoke for yourself, Bannon said, noting that the district is under state orders to enforce the mask mandate.

The violation notice, which Haynes sent to officials on Wednesday, says masks could cause medical and emotional harm resulting in oxygen deprivation and depression, among other adverse effects.

His note comes days after the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education mandated masking in public schools statewide through Oct. 1. Berkshire Hills had voted earlier this month to require masks, and it was the first district in the state to mandate vaccinations for teachers. The district is planning to do extensive testing as school begins next week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, in locations with substantial or high transmission levels. Berkshire County has high transmission, according to the agency. The county had nine hospitalizations as of Wednesday, and is averaging 25 new cases a day.

Haynes says the mandate may violate the Nuremberg Code, an international code meant to prevent inhumane and unethical experiments and treatment of humans, established by the Nuremberg trials and military tribunals that prosecuted Nazis for such crimes.

In this case, Haynes says the possible violations are what amount to an oxygen deprivation medical experiment foisted on children without consent, and without having vetted other alternatives such as increased air ventilation and purification, and by not first studying the effects of masks on animals.

Case closed

The debate over whether masks are harmful to children when worn for extended periods is considered closed as medical experts continue to debunk the claim, despite resistance from some other experts. It has also been decreed a pointless debate, with masking thought to curb the spread of the virus as the U.S. continues to reel from its effects on public health, the economy and the countrys social fabric.

The American Pediatric Association is clear in its message that even extended mask-wearing is safe for children, responding to concerns about low blood oxygen levels that can lead to fatigue, headaches and dizziness, among other symptoms.

Masks will not affect your childs ability to focus or learn in school, says the APAs blog. The vast majority of children age 2 or older can safely wear face masks for extended periods of time, such as the school day or at child care. This includes children with many medical conditions.

Berkshire Hills mandates vaccines for staff, masks for everyone at Great Barrington schools The district will bargain with the teachers union over the vaccine mandate, and medical and religious exemptions will be considered and reviewed by officials and lawyers.

Yet, the nation is still torn by lingering questions, as Haynes illustrates. This has played out in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which retracted one study in July showing adverse effects on children of breathing carbon dioxide amassing at high levels inside the mask. Another study of young children in Italy found that wearing face masks for 30 minutes didnt change respiration or cause distress.

The Reuters news service has repeatedly been debunking claims whipping through social media that carbon dioxide intake from mask-wearing can reach levels in the blood that can cause dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, headaches, and on the more severe end, loss of consciousness.

While breathing in excessive amounts of CO2 [carbon dioxide] for large amounts of time can be dangerous, it is unlikely that the general public would suffer from these complications by wearing a mask, says a Reuters fact-check story. Most people would wear face coverings on short stints outside their home as a complementary measure to social isolation.

A CDC official told Reuters that CO2 levels slowly increase inside the mask. However, the level of CO2 likely to build up in the mask is mostly tolerable to people exposed to it. You might get a headache but you most likely [would] not suffer the symptoms observed at much higher levels of CO2. The mask can become uncomfortable for a variety of reasons including a sensitivity to CO2 and the person will be motivated to remove the mask. It is unlikely that wearing a mask will cause hypercapnia.

Email exchange

Earlier Wednesday committee member Richard Dohoney responded to Haynes email, telling him not to respond to his email nor to ever contact him again.

Your purported notice is factually and legally incorrect, frivolous and sent in bad faith, Dohoney wrote.

This is crazy, crazy stuff, Dohoney told The Eagle, adding that Haynes approach is blunting discourse.

Haynes, an MIT graduate and retired mechanical engineer who specialized in ventilation, told The Eagle that he had had a congenial discussion with Superintendent Peter Dillion Thursday, who he said assured Haynes that he could present the information at the meeting.

He expressed genuine interest in the subject, and we discussed steps that BHRSD is taking to address ventilation conditions, Haynes said, adding that hell also send his notice to state education officials.

Haynes said he is open and curious, and wants government agencies to also continue to examine the effects on children so the health issue can be put to bed. He wants to see more studies, particularly by the CDC.

One study of Georgia elementary schools found that the incidence of COVID cases was 37 percent lower in schools that required student and teacher masking and 39 percent lower if ventilation was improved.
The Richmond Select Board has voted to require municipal employees, not including Richmond Consolidated School staffers, to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
This poster, posted on social media, aims to spread the word that a group of North Adams residents is looking for a home for a free community refrigerator, a public fridge stocked with donations that anyone could come take at any time.
Rivian is currently awaiting various governing agency approvals to begin U.S. deliveries of its R1T electric truck. (Rivian)
In this February 2015 file photo, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul looks toward New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a cabinet meeting at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Hochul is preparing to take the reins of power after Cuomo announced Aug. 10 that he would resign from office amid allegations that he sexually harassed several women.
Colman Domingo is known in Hollywood as being one of the most stylish gentlemen to ever grace the screen but in the new film, Candyman, he goes from glam to grim.

The sequel to the 1992 classic follows a visual artist named Anthony McCoy (Emmy Award-winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his gallery director girlfriend Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) who move into a new gentrified Chicago neighborhood called Cabrini-Green. After learning about the origin of the Candyman from Cartwrights brother and Cabrini-Green resident William Burke, played by Domingo, McCoy includes the details of the tale in his artwork, unknowingly summoning the vengeful spirit.

RELATED: INTERVIEW: Director Nia DaCosta On Why Her Revision Of The Cult Classic Candyman Leans Towards All Things Black

BET.com spoke with Domingo about his reaction to watching his own scenes in the film.

I must have a very sick personality because I laughed when I saw certain scenes, says Domingo. Just to see myself that committed to the act of what I was doing seemed like an out of body experience to be honest. When youre in a moment like that, you just have to be within the characters truth in every single way.

RELATED: WATCH: Actor Colman Domingo And Mental Health And Cultural Experts Explore The Deeper Meaning Behind Candyman

Watch Domingos interview below to discover more about his role in the film.
Letitia Wright has reportedly been hospitalized after an accident on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

According to Variety, the actress is expected to be released soon and is receiving care.

Letitia Wright sustained minor injuries today while filming a stunt for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' a spokesperson told the news outlet on Wednesday (August 25).

RELATED: Letitia Wright Talks Fear Of Heartbreak And Explains Why Her 'Black Panther' Fame Keeps Her Off Dating Apps

It isnt immediately clear what exactly happened, however multiple outlets confirmed the accident involved a stunt rig and Wright suffered only minor injuries.

Variety reports the 27-year-old was filming in Boston during an overnight shoot when the accident occured. Most of the films production had been taking place in Atlanta.

The accident involving Wright is not expected to impact the movies shooting, Page Six reports as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is expected to be released July 8, 2022.

Letitia Wright is reprising her role as Shuri alongside actors Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyongo, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett.
Zoe Kravitz is officially divorced from actor Karl Glusman.

According to court docs obtained by PEOPLE, on Aug. 23, a New York judge signed off on their divorce.

Zoe, 32, and Karl, 33, reportedly met in 2016 and began dating soon after. In October 2018, Kravitz revealed that Glusman proposed to her eight months earlier during a Rolling Stone interview.

Oh yeah, Im engaged. I havent told anyone yet. I mean, I havent told the world, she told the magazine at the time. He nailed it. And I love that it wasnt this elaborate plan in Paris. It was at home, in sweatpants.

RELATED: Zoe Kravitz Has Lost Count On How Many Tattoos She Has

They married in June 2019 and split in January of 2021, PEOPLE reports.

There are currently rumors that Kravitz is now dating 41-year-old Channing Tatum.
Dylann Roofs death sentence has reportedly been upheld.

USA Today reports the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Roofs appeal, which began in January 2020. The 27-year-old white supremacist was convicted of gunning down nine Black perisioners at a Charleston church in 2015.

Roof argued he had schizophrenia and suffered from other psychological disorders. During his appeal, his attorneys argued he was wrongfully allowed to represent himself during sentencing. 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 was found guilty of killing nine people inside Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston during a Bible study on June 17, 2015. In 2017, he became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.

RELATED: Charleston Church Massacre Killer Dylann Roof Seeking To Overturn His Death Sentence

The 4th Circuit found the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof competent to stand trial.

Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship, the panel wrote in its ruling. 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.

On Wednesday (August 25), the appeals court stated the conclusion came as a result of a thorough analytical process and not as a product of emotion.

"No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did," the opinion states. "His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose."
Three people were reportedly shot and killed during a drive-by shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana as a group gathered to participate in a Milk Crate Challenge.

Newsweek reports the shooting took place on August 22 outside of Linwood Public Charter School, where a group of men were filming and participating in the viral social media trend. The craze has amassed more than 15.3 million views on TikTok, having participants attempting to cross over a pyramid of plastic crates without falling.

In video shared to Twitter, a man can be seen attempting to walk across the crates just before gunfire breaks out.

RELATED: Four Arrested After Deadly Drive-By Shooting Of 13-Year-Old In North Carolina

The gathering then disperses as the man filming the video appears to sprint for cover and yells. Get me my gun, get me my gun!

Its unclear who was firing or targeted in the crime.

KSLA reports that two people were shot outside the school at 5:36 p.m. Police were later called to a Circle K on East 70th Street at Gilbert Drive where a woman was found dead in the back seat of a car at 6:11 p.m, Police say they believe the two crime scenes are related.

Although the Milk Crate Challenge has become increasingly popular, the injuries incurred by people who do not succefully complete it are broad. For all of the people that to finish, more wind up with real injuries. "You can open up a textbook, and all injuries are on the table," Dr. Rajwinder Deu, a professor of orthopedic surgery at John Hopkins University told USA Today. "Everything depends on your fall, what angle you fall and what part of your body hits the ground first. "This challenge doesn't make any sense safety-wise.

Tik Tok has threatened to remove videos of the challenge from its platform, noting the danger risked by participants.



TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content, the company said in a statement, according to Fast Company. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has cited restrictions on his emergency powers as a reason he is no longer issuing orders to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, even as Democratic opponent Nan Whaley has called on him to issue a mask mandate for K-12 schools
Gov. Kathy Hochuls promise to get more COVID-19 rental assistance money into the hands of struggling New York tenants has taken on new urgency after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administrations temporary federal ban on evictions
Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries.

Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists
Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Donald Miller ruffled quite a few feathers when he wrote on his blog that he doesnt regularly attend church.

While I disagree with much of what he said, I wont parse through every point. Others have already done that. But Miller said one thing that bothered me very much. Actually he said two things, but they were part of the same point. His point was that the Bible does not give us specific instructions as to what church should look like, which therefore means that no one can really claim to attend a biblical church.

The reason this statement bothered me so much is that it is so blatantly false. To claim that the Bible doesnt tell us what church should look like is to ignore many, many very clear scriptures. To claim that the Bible doesnt tell us what church should look like also allows a person to substitute his own preferences for the clear teaching of scripture, which Don Miller seems to do at numerous points in his blog post.

So what does the Bible have to say about church?

1. A biblical church involves at least two people gathering together in the name of Jesus. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (Matthew 18:20). Working with a client on a team building exercise, while valuable, is not church. Church consists of believers coming together, in the same physical space, in the name of Jesus Christ. To gather together in the name of Jesus means gathering together to publicly worship Jesus, serve Jesus, and help others love Jesus. If youre not gathering together with other believers in the name of Jesus, dont call yourself a church.

2. A biblical church celebrates the Lords supper together. 1 Corinthians 11:2326 says, For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes.

Jesus commanded his followers to regularly come together to remember and celebrate his death. This is a command, not an optional add-on for the Christian life. This isnt about preference or opinion or connecting with God (a phrase Miller likes to use). The Lords supper is a communal event in which the church publicly proclaims the death of Christ. While not expressly forbidden, there isnt a single place in scripture where a person celebrates the Lords supper by themselves. A biblical church celebrates the Lords supper. If youre not celebrating the Lords supper with other believers, dont call yourself a church.

3. A biblical church is led by qualified elders. In Titus 1:59, Paul said to Titus: This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed youif anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as Gods steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Paul insisted that the churches he founded be led by qualified elders. This was so important to Paul that he left Titus behind in Crete for the express purpose of finding and appointing qualified elders for each church. In our post-modern, democratic society, the idea of eldership isnt especially popular, but it is especially biblical. If youre not being led by qualified elders, dont call yourself a church.

4. A biblical church worships in song together. Ephesians 5:1821 says, And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Notice that this passage has both a vertical and a horizontal dimension to it. We are to be filled with the Spirit, making melody in our hearts to the Lord. We are also to address one another with our psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Singing isnt just about you connecting to God or experiencing a particular emotional response. When the church gathers to sing we are also proclaiming truth to one another. Honestly, God isnt primarily concerned with whether or not we like singing or emote when we worship. He is concerned that we proclaim his goodness and glory to Him and to one another through song. If youre not singing to the Lord and to one another, dont call yourself a church.

5. A biblical church maintains corporate holiness through church discipline. Matthew 18:17 says, If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. The church really is a place of spiritual protection. Jesus expects his followers to help one another pursue holiness. If a Christian begins to engage in serious sin, Jesus expects the members of his Christian community to lovingly rebuke him. If the person refuses to repent of his sin, the entire church is expected to get involved.

This process presupposes that a Christian will be vitally connected to other Christians. The reality is, the process of discipline cant happen apart from a local church. If youre not maintaining holiness through church discipline, dont call yourself a church.

6. A biblical church is a place where Christians can use their spiritual gifts to bless one another. 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

In writing this verse, Paul was clearly assuming that the Corinthians would be gathering together on a regular basis in the name of Jesus for the purpose of worshiping together. When they gathered together, they were to use their spiritual gifts to build one another up. It is impossible to build other Christians up if youre not regularly gathering together with other Christians in the context of corporate worship. If youre not using your spiritual gifts to build other Christians up, dont call yourself a church.

Contrary to what Donald Miller says, attending church is not about tribalism, or learning styles, or opinion, or preference. Attending church is a matter of obedience.

And there really is such a thing as a biblical church.

Stephen Altrogge serves as a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church. Find out more at The Blazing Center.
What does the Bible say about dyeing your hair? You'll be surprised to know (or perhaps not so surprised to know) that many Christians differ on whether someone commits a sin if they touch up their gray roots or decide to go for a different color altogether. Full disclosure, I dyed my hair from brown to an auburn this past November. My author picture, being an older picture, doesn't contain the changes within.

It makes sense why a lot of Christians would feel the same way about dyeing hair as they do about tattoos or piercings. Many can point to Bible verses, particularly in Levitical law, that talk against such practices for cultural reasons (tattoos and piercings meant something way different than they do as fashion statements today). So we'll dive into a brief history of dyeing hair, what the Bible has to say about the subject, and whether we've committed a sin by dyeing our hair. What does the Bible say about dyeing your hair? Let's find out.

Did People in the Bible Dye Their Hair?

If they lived in Egypt, there's a possibility they did, according to GotQuestions. "Ancient Egyptians were some of the first people known to have dyed their hair. They made hair dye from henna and various other plant extracts." Granted, those in Egypt often shaved all the hair off their bodydue to widespread lice issuesand often wore wigs. But perhaps many of the wigs were dyed using henna.

Those in Israel probably didn't practice this as readily, either due to cultural reasons or simply because commercial dye really didn't become much of a thing until the twentieth century. Much like topics of dating and what television shows we can watch, we don't always have clear answers from Scripture, since such commodities didn't exist during the times of the Old and New Testaments.

With that said, let's explore what the Bible has to say about hair, in general, to see if we can get a general consensus on whether God approves or disapproves of us touching up our roots.

What Does the Bible Say about Dyeing Your Hair?

What does the Bible say about dyeing your hair? Nothing in particular. Since it wasn't a practice done in Ancient Israel. But it does have a few verses on hair. So let's dissect those.

Acts 18:18: "Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken."

Perhaps you have heard the story of Samson. Certain groups of people, such as Nazarites, took a vow not to cut their hair or touch anything dead or unclean. Paul here appears to be cutting off his hair because of a vow. So hair could be linked to vows back in the Old and New Testaments. Granted, those practices certainly haven't translated the same throughout church history. Monks were known to cut off their hair, as were nuns. Often they do and did this as an act of humility, often as a renunciation of fashion and other things of this world.

Leviticus 21:5: "Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies."

This passage may seem odd to us until we look at the general context. Canaanite priests often shaved/cut themselves in grieving practices. We'll notice how many of the things God bans in the Old Testament: tattoos, piercings, cutting of hair of priests, directly go against cultural practices of the enemies of God. God wanted his people to be set apart.

1 Peter 3:3-4: "Do not let your adorning be externalthe braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

This is often the most used verse Christians use to argue against why other believers shouldn't dye their hair. But again, we need to look at the context. Not only does the passage warn against vanity, but we need to understand that hair had different connotations in different cultures. In Greek culture, women had varying hairstyles depending if they were married, unmarried, or prostitutes. Peter, like God in the Old Testament, is trying to have the women of God be set apart from other nations.

Another issue is the braiding of hair and ornamentation of haira common practice in Greek cutlureoften had sensual connotations. "The outward adorning of the body is very often sensual and excessive; for instance, when it is immoderate, and above your degree and station in the world, when you are proud of it and puffed up with it, when you dress with design to allure and tempt others, when your apparel is too rich, curious, or superfluous, when your fashions are fantastical, imitating the levity and vanity of the worst people, and when they are immodest and wanton. The attire of a harlot can never become a chaste Christian matron."

Paul is admonishing the women to adorn themselves in modesty to prevent men from getting the wrong idea.

Is it a Sin to Dye Your Hair?

In short, probably not.

What does the Bible say about dyeing your hair? Really, not much. Our culture doesn't have the same connotations of the dyeing of hair that the braiding/adorning/etc. used to in Paul's day. Obviously, if women now throw their hair into a braid, it shouldn't cause a fellow brother to stumble. And if it does, that brother probably needs to seek the help of a biblical mentor or counselor.

With that said, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's probably a reason many Christians feel uneasy about the dyeing of hair, especially what they would deem "unnatural" colors.

1) Age is part of sin (Genesis 3) and so in dyeing our hair, perhaps we are trying to avoid the truth of our fallen nature and that ultimately we will perish, as all humans do

2) Dyeing hair can be perceived as vanity and a frivolous practice

3) Dyeing hair an unnatural color such as blue or green may seem like we're defiling our bodies from how God had originally intended it

With those arguments in mind, I think the GotQuestions article linked above puts it best that it all comes down to the heart. Are we dyeing our hair in an attempt to allure someone and as an attempt to puff up our beauty? Or are we doing it for more wholesome reasons?

With that in mind, I leave readers who are hesitant about other believers a few things to consider about other believers choosing to dye their hair.

First of all, both men and women dye their hair. Many Christians often like to point out that women are doing it to lie about their age or be provocative. But we have to be consistent in our arguments and apply it to men as wellsomething many Christians aren't eager to do (yes, men can be immodest too, if we're being consistent in how we argue).

Secondly, like tattoos, dyeing your hair can give you a chance to witness to someone. You can have a conversation with your hairstylist about God, or perhaps choose a color that symbolically represents something in the Bible. My hair is now red, which can remind me and others of the blood of Christ and his sacrifice for us.

Finally, dyeing of hair can show the creativity that God has given us. Many Christians are hairdressers. They can witness to others who stop by their station as they're dyeing their hair and use the talents God has given them to do the work well.

In short, it all comes down to the heart and motive of the person getting their hair dyed (or dyeing someone's hair).

Photo credit: Getty Images/simonapilolla

Hope Bolinger is an editor at Salem, a multi-published novelist, and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 1,100 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her modern-day Daniel trilogy released its first two installments with IlluminateYA, and the final one, Vision, releases in August of 2021. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of 2021. Find out more about her at her website.
A suicide bombing outside of the Kabul airport has left 13 U.S. service members injured and at least 169 civilians dead as Afghanistan continues to descend into chaos following President Biden's withdrawal decision.



According to the Associated Press, officials are still trying to determine the number of casualties in what the Pentagon described as a "complex attack" that included multiple explosions.



U.S. officials said that American personnel were wounded in the blast, without elaborating. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. https://t.co/iRwtbGQhq8  The Associated Press (@AP) August 26, 2021 We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.  John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) August 26, 2021

Bill weighed in on the situation on Twitter...

As predicted, the Jihadists are trying to kill as many civilians as possible in Afghanistan. Bombing at Kabul Airport today. President Biden is severely damaged because of this.  Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) August 26, 2021 Four U.S. Marines were among those killed in the explosions at Kabul airport, and three were wounded, the U.S. ambassador told staff, an official said https://t.co/ntFB0m9iDQ  The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 26, 2021 At least 10 US service members have been killed outside the airport in Kabul  from US officials according to our Pentagon team.  Bret Baier (@BretBaier) August 26, 2021


Spikevax (Moderna) vaccine is under consideration for provisional registration for 12 to 17 year olds

Recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) are under consideration for establishing drive-through COVID-19 vaccination clinic sites, particularly on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in all young adolescents in Australia.

ATAGI has recently recommended vaccination using Comirnaty (Pfizer) for adolescents from 12 years of age, especially those with specified medical conditions that increase their risk of severe COVID-19.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) registration of Comirnaty was extended on 23 July to include all people from 12 years of age and above in a two-dose schedule.

At present COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) and Spikevax (Moderna) are provisionally registered for use in individuals aged 18 years. Spikevax (Moderna) vaccine is under consideration for provisional registration by TGA for 12 to 17 year olds with a decision anticipated by early September 2021.

Vaccinating adolescents is anticipated to contribute to a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the broader population. Once a large proportion of adults are vaccinated, susceptible children and adolescents will account for a higher proportion of continued infections in the community contributing to transmission. This has been seen in countries such as Israel and the USA.
Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
Ogilvy Johannesburg has appointed Saf Sindhi as creative partner. Together with the agency's executive creative director, Peter Little, the two will drive high quality creative output across the agency's various brands and disciplines.

Safaraaz Sindhi has been appointed as creative partner at Ogilvy Johannesburg

Over the years Sindhi has worked on some of South Africas most memorable and iconic ads and campaigns. He was the creative lead on the famous KFC 'Make a Meal of It' campaign that was viewed, liked and shared by over 4.2 billion people around the world. It is one of the most successful ad campaigns SA has ever seen.Sindhi believes that a great working culture facilitates great work. I like to cultivate a work environment where everyone on the team feels as free as the artist they reference. I think that creativity serves brands best when observations are turned into insights.He started his career at Lowe Bull JHB in 2010 and then moved to FoxP2 CPT, Network BBDO and Ogilvy CPT. Over the last ten years Sindhi has honed his skills and garnered a number of local and international awards.In 2015, he became the first South African to win the prestigious Loeries Young Creative award and the Cannes Young Lions competition in the same year. In the 2016 Loeries creative rankings, he was ranked the second-best copywriter in the country at just 28 years old.Saf has been there and done that. His body of work speaks for itself, and he is held in high esteem across our industry. I am very excited by this appointment and what it will achieve both for our current and future clients, and for our team as a whole, says Little.During the course of his career, Sindhi has served on numerous judging panels both locally and internationally. In 2018, he was inducted to serve as a committee member on the board of Africa and the Middle Easts premium creative awards show, the Loeries, a position which he served with pride until 2020.
Ad Stars revealed the 2021 winners from the online awards ceremony which took place on 27 August. There were 619 winners overall, chosen from 1,726 finalists and 54 countries.

Grand Prix winners

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint (Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix, Design Grand Prix and Direct Grand Prix),

Dentsu Inc. Japan: The Toxic Dictionary for Nikkei Inc. (Print Grand Prix),

Happiness Saigon, Vietnam: Lays Crispy Subtitles for Le Thi Yen (Radio & Audio Grand Prix),

VMLY&R Singapore: Pride Pass for Manpower Group Workforce Solutions (Public Service Advertising Grand Prix),

Cheil Hong Kong: The Cost of Bullying for Samsung (Public Service Advertising Grand Prix),

TBWA Hakuhodo Japan: The First Take for The First Take (Video Stars Grand Prix).

Film and Video Stars

Wunderman Thompson Thailand: This creative is thanking a client for cancelling its work in the pandemic for TCP Group,

Taproot Dentsu India: Pooja Didi for Facebook,

Pol Oslo, Norway: Dont hate. Imitate  The Super Bowl Clapback for Audi Norway,

Ogilvy Group Thailand: Library for Monde Nissin Co. Ltd.,

Amber Communication Shanghai, China: Safely feel the real world for Durex,

Dentsu Mcgarrybowen, Taiwan: In Love We Trust for Sinyi Realty,

BBH Singapore: Its in Our Spirit for The Absolut Company.

Gigil, Philippines; Netflix 'Cupids' for Netflix,

Ogilvy Group Thailand; Library for Monde Nissin Co., Ltd.,

Wunderman Thompson Thailand; This creative is thanking a client for cancelling its work in the pandemic for TCP Group.

Design and Print

AKQA Japan; Create with Air Max for Nike,

Hakuhodo Indonesia; Sake Sushi House for Sushi Sei.

Pivot, Public Service Advertising, Diverse Insights, Outdoor, Place Brand, Radio and Audio

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia; Donation Dollar for Royal Australia Mint,

Wunderman Thompson Thailand; Destination Menu for THAI Airways,

Dentsu Inc. Japan; Tuna Scope 2020 for Kura Sushi Inc.

VMLY&R Singapores Pride Pass for Manpower Group Workforce Solutions,

Cheil Hong Kongs The Cost of Bullying for Samsung.

Havas Worldwide Portugal; The Day-After-Womens-Day Newspapers for Raparigas da Bola,

Thinkerbell Australia; The Purple Hive Project for Bega Foods,

Havas Costa Rica; The Check Ball for BlueCross BlueShield,

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia; Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint,

Special Group New Zealand; Meddle in the New Zealand Election for Every Kiwi Vote Counts.

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia; Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint,

MullenLowe MENA FZLLC; Double Moon for UAE Government Media Office,

BBH Singapore; Running Stories for BBH,

The Nine, China; Guess Which Book Is It for Yan Ji You Bookstore.

Innovation, Integrated, Interactive, Mobile, Data Insights, Social and Influencer

AKQA Brazil; Becks Frequency for Becks,

Dentsu Craft Tokyo; Yakushima Treasure  Another Live from Yakushima for Yakushima Treasure,

Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada; Worlds Oldest Esports Team for HomeEquity Bank.

Dentsu Craft Tokyo; Yakushima Treasure  Another Live from Yakushima for Yakushima Treasure,

Deloitte Australia; Carbon Thumbprint for Belong.

POL Oslo, Norway; Dont hate. Imitate - The Super Bowl Clapback for Audi Norway (two Golds),

Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, Ireland; Sleeping Flags for One.

Brand Experience and Activation, Creative E-commerce, Direct, Media, PR

BBH Singapore; Running Stories for BBH,

Clemenger BBDO Wellington, New Zealand; Voice of Racism for New Zealand Human Rights Commission,

Grey; Contract Translator for Reclame Aqui.

Impact BBDO, United Arab Emirates; The Wider Web for Etisalat,

MullenLowe, USA; Shamecards for Change the Ref.

MullenLowe MENA FZLLC; Double Moon for UAE Government Media Office,

Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive, Ireland; Sleeping Flags for One,

Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine; Motherland Pride for KyivPride.

Special Awards

Network of the Year: dentsu

Agency of the Year: Dentsu Inc.

Advertiser of the Year: WWF

Production Company of the Year: Good Oil

Ali Rez, regional executive creative director at Impact BBDO MENAP, was an executive judge at the Ad Stars 2021 Awards. He said, Ad Stars is always a wonderful show to view work from a large number of cultures, and is always an incredible learning experience. This year was no different: the jury was absolutely amazed by the variety of thinking.A total of eight Grand Prix trophies were awarded to six creative companies:There were seven Gold trophies awarded in Film:A personal favourite of mine is Pooja Didi by Taproot Dentsu India. Within a minute, I was fully invested in the story, and I didnt want it to end. I actually teared up a little. Great direction. Great storytelling. Films like this arent always destined for big awards, theyre almost too quiet and genuine for that. But Im very glad we could give this one a Gold, explains John Mescall, global executive creative director at McCann Worldgroup, who led these categories.In the Video Stars category, the Grand Prix was awarded to TBWA Hakuhodo for The First Take for The First Take.The First Take was designed to create an entirely new way for artists to record and share their music. It wasnt just a one-off piece: it was designed to scale and did just that. It was beautifully executed and supremely fit for purpose. In short, an ambitious idea executed flawlessly, that sets a very high bar for video content. I think for a few years, whenever Im interrogating a branded content piece, Ill be using The First Take as a benchmark. Wonderful, wonderful work, said Mescall.There were three Gold winners inIn Design, the Grand Prix was awarded to Saatchi & Saatchi Australia for Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint.The judges awarded two Gold trophies in Design:In Print, the Grand Prix was awarded to Dentsu Inc.s The Toxic Dictionary for Nikkei Inc. The jury also awarded one Gold trophy to Havas Middle East for LEGO News Rebuilt for LEGO Saudi Stores.Gabriela Scardaccione, global creative director at Mother, London, led these categories as an executive judge. She said, The Toxic Dictionary is a piece of craft. The colours, typeface and overall presentation are immaculate. Everyone on the jury loved this and with an almost 100% majority, it took the biggest award. If anyone has a copy they can send me, I would look forward to holding one in my hands.Last year, Ad Stars introduced the Pivot category to celebrate campaigns that have amplified and repositioned brands in response to a crisis like Covid-19. There are three Gold Pivot winners:Rez led these categories as Executive Judge. He said, The travel industry got impacted more than almost any other during this pandemic. To pivot amidst such crisis the way Thai Airways did is the stuff of great learning. They understood their customer well and took pride in what differentiates them: the wonderful food they serve on board. A worthy winner in this category.In, there were two Grand Prix winners:Rez said, The strongest thing about both these campaigns is that they go beyond just awareness and talk  they provide real solutions that address the problem and go a long way in helping overcome it.There were also five Gold PSA trophies awarded:There were no Grand Prix or Gold awards in the Diverse Insights category.In, the jury awarded four Golds:There was one Gold winner in thecategory this year: MullenLowe MENA FZLLCs Double Moon for UAE Government Media Office.In, Happiness Saigon in Vietnam won Grand Prix for Lays Crispy Subtitles for Le Thi Yen; while AKQA Brazil won Gold for Becks Frequency for Becks.Lays Crispy Subtitles is an ingenious case of not only utilizing the audio medium very creatively but doing so with the product differentiator at the very heart of the idea. Its all done in a very tongue-in-cheek, whimsical manner which is absolutely perfect for the category while doing a fantastic job of selling the appetizing crunch of the product. Winner all round, said Rez.There were no Grand Prix or Gold winners in the Innovation and Integrated categories this year, and no Grand Prix winner in Interactive. The three Gold winners in the Interactive category are:Overall, Interactive winners should make the audience want to interact with the idea. Becks Frequency belongs to the seriously? category. Im curious to try it out myself. With Yakushima Treasure, I actually played with the experience after seeing the case video. I really loved the Worlds Oldest Esports Team idea as so many gamers play war games and revel in aimless killing without understanding the chilling truth of wars, explains Natalie Lam, chief creative officer, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Publicis Groupe, who led these categories as executive judge.In Mobile, Deloitte Australia won Gold for Carbon Thumbprint for Belong. Carbon Thumbprint is an alarming use of data: concrete evidence of our impact on the environment. We all know we should limit social media and mobile usage for our mental health, and now theres another good/important reason to do so. Lets hope this concept takes on a much bigger impact, says Lam.In the Data Insights category, there are two Gold winners:Yakushima Treasure is a clever but beautiful use of data. Its just so weird and wonderful, it showed the tenacious dedication to craft during such a tough time, says Lam. In Social and Influencer, the jury awarded three Golds:In Brand Experience & Activation, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia won Grand Prix for Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint. With this idea, people will look at money differently. This coin represents generosity. This coin reminds us that there are less fortunate people out there who need our assistance. This coin is not only the actual help but a call to action for everyone to help, says Merlee Jayme, chief creative officer, Asia Pacific at Dentsu International, who led these categories as executive judge.There are also three Gold winners:Voice of Racism" is a simple way to make people who think they're anti-racism think again. Imagine listening to these real hurtful words hurled at people every day? Understanding that they may even be unconsciously contributing to this is a powerful realisation. It's good that this is being used as a learning tool in New Zealand today. Definitely something the world should learn from, says Jayme.Creative E-commerce celebrates ideas that optimise the customer journey through creative solutions. Wunderman Thompson, United Arab Emirates, won Gold for Pay Cut Whopper for Burger King.In Direct, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia won Grand Prix for Donation Dollar for Royal Australia Mint. There were also two Gold winners in Direct:In Media, there is one Gold winner: Saatchi & Saatchi Australias Donation Dollar for Royal Australian Mint. In PR, the jury awarded three Golds:Hwan-Jin Choi, Chairperson of the Ad Stars executive committee, said, Our panel of judges told us that they were amazed by the ideas they saw that are helping brands to rise, restart the economy or create meaningful ways to assist consumers. They give us optimism for the future  all winners should be very proud.This years Special Award winners are:Ricardo Adolfo, executive creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab in Japan, was a final judge at Ad Stars 2021. He said, This years Ad Stars showed that the industry has been busier than ever and always swift on adjusting to unforeseeable challenges. A considerable amount of the great work awarded was born out of new problems and fuelled by the latest tech. It was great to see that Ad Stars continues to grow with the best work not only from the region but also from all over the world.The Ad Stars 2021 Awards Ceremony was held online on 27 August. To see the full list of winners, go here
Turkish multinational consumer durables and electronics manufacturer Arcelik is expanding its portfolio in southern Africa by adding the Beko brand to its local portfolio. Beko is a freestanding home appliances brand in Europe in the white goods sector and the number one large home appliances brand in the UK.

Beko store in Durban. Source: Supplied

Africa at forefront of growth strategy

Rajan Gungiah, Beko regional marketing director for sub-Saharan Africa. Source: Supplied

Working towards sustainable design and production

Beko is being launched in SA at standalone stores at Design Quarter in Fourways, Johannesburg on 28 August and at Crescent Umhlanga Ridge in Durban on 4 September. Brands under the Arcelik umbrella in South Africa now include Defy, Grundig and Beko.Arcelik currently employs more than 2,700 staff in South Africa, with two manufacturing facilities, and is the largest manufacturer of major domestic appliances in sub-Saharan Africa.Arceliks growth strategy is to expand into regions where the middle class is growing exponentially. We see huge economic growth potential in Africa, and it is at the forefront of our expansion plans. This is why we have already made significant investment in the continent, for example, our purchase of Defy in 2011, and we are continuing to invest and grow our business in this region, says Rajan Gungiah, Beko regional marketing director for sub-Saharan Africa.Africas current population of around 1.2 billion is projected to reach 1.7 billion by 2030, with 80% of this population growth occurring in cities  making it the fastest urbanising region in the world. Consumer spending on the continent is projected to increase to $2.2tn by 2030.Arceliks purchase of Defy was the largest industrial investment yet made from Turkey into Africa. Following this acquisition, the group states that it has invested significantly in manufacturing facilities, product range, quality and design, and is increasing vertical integration in key markets.Based on this strategy, Arcelik now has assembly lines in Sudan and Ethiopia to support distribution in those countries. Beko is already available in 20 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius.According to Arcelik, Bekos focus has been on "making healthy living convenient for consumers via a wide range of appliances supporting families to make healthy choices", adding that it has broadened its brand mission to recognise that healthy living is only possible on a healthy planet. Arcelik states that Beko is therefore committed to protecting the earth by designing and manufacturing energy-efficient products and investing in resource efficiency in production, and encourages competitors to follow suit.We work hard to contribute towards a healthier planet by developing products that reduce waste. As a responsible manufacturer, we are acutely aware of the challenges the region faces, including energy and water scarcity. We firmly believe in the potential of this continent and are responding to these issues by investing in appliances that are designed with Africa in mind, says Gungiah.Arcelik has invested strongly in renewable materials and has committed to ambitious targets for greenhouse gas reduction. For instance, it has developed all-biological polylactic plastics with high temperature and degradation resistance, as well as bio-based hard polyurethane foam insulation material, which are already being used in some products, and in a solar fridge for markets with an uncertain power supply. In another innovation, fishnet material is used for oven doors and display covers.Arceliks global production operations were carbon neutral in 2019 and 2020, and its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative. The company has committed to reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to a base year of 2018.Additionally, it has set scope 3 commitments based on the International Energy Agencys greenhouse gas emission factor projections. This target aligns with the scenario to keep climate change to under 1.5 degrees worldwide, and the company challenges competitors to follow suit.
Plus 94 Research has partnered with Media Torque & Events to produce the 2021 Top Companies South Africa (TCSA), an annual reputation index study that delves into the key drivers of brand recognition and reputation. With data going back to 2001, the TCSA provides a holistic reputation index of South Africa's Top 200 Companies. The 2021 study shows that South African customers have become more critical of the brands that they support.

Unpacking Top Companies Reputation Index for 2021

As companies grapple with what the future will look like, several issues come to mind. Some of these include: how to sustain the brand when markets and industries are reorganised, whether or not to develop new products that align with the "new reality"; how to deal with the competitive landscape when consumers' spending habits are fundamentally altered, finally, how brands can address consumer concerns about health, wellness, community - as well as personal fulfilment.The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the playing field and the way in which businesses operate, how messages are packaged and products and services promoted to attract consumers. The study focuses on these changes, and the trends that have emerged resulting from the pandemic. It will explore some of the significant changes in reputation, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.Plus 94 Research used quantitative research methodologies to conduct the survey. Further open-ended questions were included to explore insights that are not easily quantified. The research was conducted face-to-face with the respondents using Tablet-Assisted Personal Interviewing (TAPI).As a general public survey, it was vital that the businesses chosen for consideration were easily recognisable by the respondents. The 2021 instalment of the survey analysed 229 top companies. The survey utilised eight crucial reputation pillars for its assessment. The pillars were weighted according to their potential impact on reputation to provide each company with a score out of 100.In addition, the TCSA uses an extensive list of reputational pillars to assess each company and reputation drivers. In addition, TCSA provides a ranking of the top companies and actionable insights into the drivers of reputation.Sifiso Falala, chief executive officer of Plus 94 Research, says, The factors that influence reputational risk have evolved, with the impact of Covid-19 shaking up perspectives on what really matters. Consumer behaviour and consumption models due to the pandemic are likely to be far longer-term than we might have initially thought. The big question has become, how can brands respond to these changes to become more agile and impactful, and drive real differentiation?For brands, this means dealing with altered market conditions because of the economic impact on all industry sectors; facing increased competition given consumers' and social "new normal", addressing sustainability, evaluating operational options and challenges presented by strategic planning in an environment of uncertainty; analysing brand reputation issues, identifying potential new products and services needed to meet consumers' needs and expectations; focusing on creative and strategic marketing campaigns and targeted advertising; and using social media effectively.The insights provided by TCSA can enable businesses to successfully benchmark their reputation against their competitors.Nthabiseng Mokake, MD Media Torque & Events, says: The focus for brands needs to be less about how they can stand out and more fundamentally about how they can be of use to consumers, especially during these testing times and beyond.Plus 94 Research will host a special webinar on Zoom to provide insights on the methodology implemented in the survey onThe winners of the 2021 Top Companies South Africa (TCSA) will be announced at an online awards event on 14 October.For more information about TCSA contact Oscar Tshifure, research director at Plus 94 Research: az.oc.49sulp@racso or +27 11 327 2020.
Publications Manager

Remuneration: to be discussed Location: Johannesburg Education level: Degree Job level: Mid/Senior Own transport required: Yes Travel requirement: Occasional Type: Permanent Company: Ankole Brand Communications

Job description

Editorial Staff

Graphic Designer/Studio Manager

Intern Staff

Management clients

Oversee and manage all aspects of producing print publications.

Manage timelines and workloads of studio manager, publications and interns to ensure deadlines are met.

Coordinate with other departments and agencies to gather information and issue design and printing assignments.

Manage the process and communication with outside vendors in relation to the production of publications.

Write, edit, and proofread content for client mailers, branding, leaflets, and booklets

Select, train, and manage interns and freelance designers, staying within the designated budget for all hired freelancers.

Create and implement a production schedule and paginations in coordination with the studio manager.

Organize proofing process, ensuring all protocols and approvals are met.

Develop distribution plans

Roll out distribution implementation plan timeously

Client services

Liaise and negotiate with customers and suppliers

Requirements

Do you have experience in Publication distribution and start-ups?The Publications Manager plays a key role to assist with production of new print and electronic publications, ensuring that products are produced on schedule, on budget, and of high quality. In the management of distribution, the person must manage the distribution of publications. Analyse existing processes and propose improvements and new methods to control costs and enhance customer satisfaction. Direct warehouse/printing operations including transportation, maintenance and order management.The successful applicant will have proven Project Management experience, a bachelors degree in journalism or communications (or relevant/related degree or work experience). Professional experience in copywriting, editing, or other communications work is a plus. Must be available to work some evenings and weekends as needed. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to take initiative, show good judgment, and manage projects from beginning to end. Manage the distribution of all client publications.Theya) excellent project management skillsb) strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills;c) Knowledge of printing specifications, paper qualitiesd) exceptional ability to manage details, multitask in a fast-paced environment, and meet deadlines; ande) work effectively both independently and as part of a team Posted on 27 Aug 12:03
Who watches the watchmen? That question from a federal judge this week came in a confrontation with the Justice Department over its targeting or charging journalists. At issue is the prosecution of a controversial host of a far-right website called Infowars. Owen Shroyer was charged with trespass and disorderly conduct during the Jan. 6th riot. However, Shroyer claims to have been present as a journalist while the Justice Department insists that he is an activist. When U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui asked for the basis of that distinction, the Biden Administration refused. The conflict exposes the problem with new regulations protecting journalists without clearly defining who is a journalist.

Recently, news reports of the Biden Administration targeting journalists in criminal investigations led to congressional hearings and a new policy that Attorney General Merrick Garland promised would protect the journalists in the future. I testified before the House Judiciary Committee on how this was just the latest in such controversies extending from the Clinton to the Biden Administrations. As I wrote on these pages at the time, the most glaring flaw is the continued failure to define who is a journalist. Without such a definition, the new reform is as worthless as the long litany of prior reforms.

Shroyer was arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds. Prosecutors also alleged that he violated an agreement not to engage in such conduct after he was removed from a 2019 impeachment hearing for heckling a Democratic lawmaker. Shroyer was openly advocating for the protest and the underlying view that the election was stolen. He marched with a crowd toward the Capitol shouting, We arent going to accept it! However, he insists that he entered the Capitol to report on the events for Infowars.

Under the Justice Department guidelines, the attorney general must approve the investigation or charging of a member of the news media with a crime. That led Judge Faruqui to ask the obvious question of whether the guidelines were followed or whether the Biden Administration simply refused to recognize Shroyers claim of journalistic status. The judge noted that The events of January 6th were an attack on the foundation of our democracy. But this does not relieve the Department of Justice from following its own guidelines, written to preserve the very same democracy.

The Justice Department however simply defied the court and said the regulations were scrupulously followed, but refused to explain how the guidelines were satisfied. John Crabb, head of the Criminal Division of the U.S. attorneys office in D.C., wrote [s]uch inquiries could risk impeding frank and thoughtful internal deliberations within the Department about how best to ensure compliance with these enhanced protections for Members of the News Media.

Faruqi was not satisfied by such refusals and noted 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 courts inquiry highlighted the fact that the earlier pledge is worthless without some ability to review such decisions and, most importantly, some definition of those protected by it.

It is not just the Justice Department that is discomforted by the question. The media itself is equally uneasy. As with the status of Julian Assange, the media would prefer not to address the distinction between Shroyer and other advocates in the media.

Newspapers like the New York Times have rallied around journalists like Nikole Hanna-Jones who have declared all journalism is advocacy. She is now going to teach journalism at Howard University and other academics are encouraging the abandonment of traditional views of objectively and neutrality in the media. Stanford journalism professor, Ted Glasser, insisted that journalism needed to free itself from this notion of objectivity to develop a sense of social justice. He rejected the notion that the journalism is based on objectivity and said that he views journalists as activists because journalism at its best  and indeed history at its best  is all about morality. Thus, journalists need to be overt and candid advocates for social justice, and its hard to do that under the constraints of objectivity.

Once you discard objectivity, the rest is easy. Schroyer was an overt and candid advocate but he was not deemed an advocate for social justice. Thus, advocacy on sites like Infowars or Fox News is not real journalism, because it is false or disinformation while advocacy on sites like the Daily Kos or CNN is based on truth.

Reporters not only now define what is true but can actively protest against those with opposing views. Recently, National Public Radio made it official and said that, for the first time, its journalists will be allowed to actively participate in protests. However, NPR will pick the causes that journalists can openly join. The rule allows reporters to become protesters for causes that support the freedom and dignity of human beings, the rights of a free and independent press, the right to thrive in society without facing discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, disability, or religion. Two examples of worthy causes offered by NPR are Black Lives Matter protests and Gay pride protests. It is doubtful that NPR would view pro-life or pro-police protests to fit that vague definition. Like the Justice Department, it reserves to itself to state which causes are worthy and which are unworthy.

Advocacy in the media is now rampant. Indeed, the White House regularly promotes the views of media figures like MSNBCs Joy Reid and the Washington Posts Jennifer Rubin who have been long criticized for their blind advocacy of pro-Democratic and anti-Republican causes. They would likely be protected under the Justice Department rules. Even when they are proven false in their assertions, they are treated as media advocates for the truth.

Advocacy reporting is the new touchstone of the journalistically woke . . . unless, that advocacy is for conservative causes or groups. I do not agree with Shroyer any more than I agree with Reid. However, they are both engaged in what is now celebrated as advocacy journalism. It is bad enough to witness the demise of traditional journalism but the Shroyer case may foreshadow an even worse future where only certain forms of advocacy will be allowed. As with NPR, what is being advocated will determine who is still a journalist. That will bring the movement of advocacy journalism to its inevitable end, leaving only advocacy in the wake of journalism.
Under His Eye, she says. The right farewell. Under His Eye, I reply, and she gives a little no

By now you've probably heard that Apple plans to push a new and uniquely intrusive surveillance system out to many of the more than one billion iPhones it has sold, which all run the behemoth's proprietary, take-it-or-leave-it software. This new offensive is tentatively slated to begin with the launch of iOS 15almost certainly in mid-Septemberwith the devices of its US user-base designated as the initial targets. Were told that other countries will be spared, but not for long.

You might have noticed that I havent mentioned which problem it is that Apple is purporting to solve. Why? Because it doesnt matter.

Having read thousands upon thousands of remarks on this growing scandal, it has become clear to me that many understand it doesn't matter, but few if any have been willing to actually say it. Speaking candidly, if thats still allowed, thats the way it always goes when someone of institutional significance launches a campaign to defend an indefensible intrusion into our private spaces. They make a mad dash to the supposed high ground, from which they speak in low, solemn tones about their moral mission before fervently invoking the dread spectre of the Four Horsemen of the Infopocalypse, warning that only a dubious amuletor suspicious software updatecan save us from the most threatening members of our species.

Suddenly, everybody with a principled objection is forced to preface their concern with apologetic throat-clearing and the establishment of bonafides: I lost a friend when the towers came down, however... As a parent, I understand this is a real problem, but...

As a parent, Im here to tell you that sometimes it doesnt matter why the man in the handsome suit is doing something. What matters are the consequences.

Apples new system, regardless of how anyone tries to justify it, will permanently redefine what belongs to you, and what belongs to them.

How?

The task Apple intends its new surveillance system to performpreventing their cloud systems from being used to store digital contraband, in this case unlawful images uploaded by their customersis traditionally performed by searching their systems. While its still problematic for anybody to search through a billion peoples private files, the fact that they can only see the files you gave them is a crucial limitation.

Now, however, thats all set to change. Under the new design, your phone will now perform these searches on Apples behalf before your photos have even reached their iCloud servers, andyada, yada, yadaif enough "forbidden content" is discovered, law-enforcement will be notified.

I intentionally wave away the technical and procedural details of Apples system here, some of which are quite clever, because they, like our man in the handsome suit, merely distract from the most pressing factthe fact that, in just a few weeks, Apple plans to erase the boundary dividing which devices work for you, and which devices work for them.

Why is this so important? Once the precedent has been set that it is fit and proper for even a "pro-privacy" company like Apple to make products that betray their users and owners, Apple itself will lose all control over how that precedent is applied. As soon as the public first came to learn of the spyPhone plan, experts began investigating its technical weaknesses, and the many ways it could be abused, primarily within the parameters of Apples design. Although these valiant vulnerability-research efforts have produced compelling evidence that the system is seriously flawed, they also seriously miss the point: Apple gets to decide whether or not their phones will monitor their owners infractions for the government, but it's the government that gets to decide what constitutes an infraction... and how to handle it.

For its part, Apple says their system, in its initial, v1.0 design, has a narrow focus: it only scrutinizes photos intended to be uploaded to iCloud (although for 85% of its customers, that means EVERY photo), and it does not scrutinize them beyond a simple comparison against a database of specific examples of previously-identified child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

If youre an enterprising pedophile with a basement full of CSAM-tainted iPhones, Apple welcomes you to entirely exempt yourself from these scans by simply flipping the Disable iCloud Photos switch, a bypass which reveals that this system was never designed to protect children, as they would have you believe, but rather to protect their brand. As long as you keep that material off their servers, and so keep Apple out of the headlines, Apple doesnt care.

So what happens when, in a few years at the latest, a politician points that out, andin order to protect the childrenbills are passed in the legislature to prohibit this "Disable" bypass, effectively compelling Apple to scan photos that arent backed up to iCloud? What happens when a party in India demands they start scanning for memes associated with a separatist movement? What happens when the UK demands they scan for a library of terrorist imagery? How long do we have left before the iPhone in your pocket begins quietly filing reports about encountering extremist political material, or about your presence at a "civil disturbance"? Or simply about your iPhone's possession of a video clip that contains, or maybe-or-maybe-not contains, a blurry image of a passer-by who resembles, according to an algorithm, "a person of interest"?

If Apple demonstrates the capability and willingness to continuously, remotely search every phone for evidence of one particular type of crime, these are questions for which they will have no answer. And yet an answer will comeand it will come from the worst lawmakers of the worst governments.

This is not a slippery slope. Its a cliff.

One particular frustration for me is that I know some people at Apple, and I even like some people at Applebright, principled people who should know better. Actually, who do know better. Every security expert in the world is screaming themselves hoarse now, imploring Apple to stop, even those experts who in more normal circumstances reliably argue in favor of censorship. Even some survivors of child exploitation are against it. And yet, as the OG designer Galileo once said, it moves.

Faced with a blistering torrent of global condemnation, Apple has responded not by addressing any concerns or making any changes, or, more sensibly, by just scrapping the plan altogether, but by deploying their man-in-the-handsome-suit software chief, who resembles the well-moisturized villain from a movie about Wall Street, to give quotes to, yes, the Wall Street Journal about how sorry the company is for the "confusion" it has caused, but how the public shouldn't worry: Apple feel[s] very good about what theyre doing.

I would say Im being unfair to him, but Im not the one who dismissed universal public opposition to a new and intensely personal form of mass surveillance as confusion.

Neither the message nor the messenger was a mistake. Apple dispatched its SVP-for-Software Ken doll to speak with the Journal not to protect the company's users, but to reassure the company's investors. His role was to create the false impression that this is not something that you, or anyone, should be upset about. And, collaterally, his role was to ensure this new "policy" would be associated with the face of an Apple executive other than CEO Tim Cook, just in case the roll-out, or the fall-out, results in a corporate beheading.

Why? Why is Apple risking so much for a CSAM-detection system that has been denounced as dangerous and "easily repurposed for surveillance and censorship" by the very computer scientists who've already put it to the test? What could be worth the decisive shattering of the foundational Apple idea that an iPhone belongs to the person who carries it, rather than to the company that made it?

Apple: "Designed in California, Assembled in China, Purchased by You, Owned by Us."

The one answer to these questions that the optimists keep coming back to is the likelihood that Apple is doing this as a prelude to finally switching over to end-to-end encryption for everything its customers store on iCloudsomething Apple had previously intended to do before backtracking, in a dismaying display of cowardice, after the FBI secretly complained.

For the unfamiliar, what Im describing here as end-to-end encryption is a somewhat complex concept, but briefly, it means that only the two endpoints sharing a filesay, two phones on opposite sides of the internetare able to decrypt it. Even if the file were being stored and served from an iCloud server in Cupertino, as far as Apple (or any other middleman-in-a-handsome-suit) is concerned, that file is just an indecipherable blob of random garbage: the file only becomes a text message, a video, a photo, or whatever it is, when it is paired with a key thats possessed only by you and by those with whom you choose to share it.

This is the goal of end-to-end encryption: drawing a new and ineradicable line in the digital sand dividing your data and their data. It allows you to trust a service provider to store your data without granting them any ability to understand it. This would mean that even Apple itself could no longer be expected to rummage through your iCloud account with its grabby little raccoon handsand therefore could not be expected to hand it over to any government that can stamp a sheet of paper, which is precisely why the FBI (again: secretly) complained.

For Apple to realize this original vision would have represented a huge improvement in the privacy of our devices, effectively delivering the final word in a thirty year-long debate over establishing a new industry standardand, by extension, the new global expectation that parties seeking access to data from a device must obtain it from that device, rather than turning the internet and its ecosystem into a spy machine.

Unfortunately, I am here to report that once again, the optimists are wrong: Apples proposal to make their phones inform on and betray their owners marks the dawn of a dark future, one to be written in the blood of the political opposition of a hundred countries that will exploit this system to the hilt. See, the day after this system goes live, it will no longer matter whether or not Apple ever enables end-to-end encryption, because our iPhones will be reporting their contents before our keys are even used.

I cant think of any other company that has so proudly, and so publicly, distributed spyware to its own devicesand I cant think of a threat more dangerous to a products security than the mischief of its own maker. There is no fundamental technological limit to how far the precedent Apple is establishing can be pushed, meaning the only restraint is Apples all-too-flexible company policy, something governments understand all too well.

I would say there should be a law, but I fear it would only make things worse.

We are bearing witness to the construction of an all-seeing-ian Eye of Improvidenceunder whose aegis every iPhone will search itself for whatever Apple wants, or for whatever Apple is directed to want. They are inventing a world in which every product you purchase owes its highest loyalty to someone other than its owner.

To put it bluntly, this is not an innovation but a tragedy, a disaster-in-the-making.

Or maybe I'm confusedor maybe I just think different.
COVID-19 wave could peak by Labor Day but not end until near Halloween
Images

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images.
What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 814-368-3173 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com.
A week after unveiling their vaccine policy for the upcoming fall semester, Brandon University administration provided some more details about their approach on Thursday morning, this time with much stronger language.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

A week after unveiling their vaccine policy for the upcoming fall semester, Brandon University administration provided some more details about their approach on Thursday morning, this time with much stronger language.

According to a news release from BU, the school is now requiring "faculty, staff and students to provide either proof of full vaccination or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test before they are able to come to campus."

The release went on to state that staff and students must be fully immunized by Oct. 31, falling in line with the provinces new public sector mandate that was announced earlier this week.

"This is an interim administrative decision made in the interests of providing some clarity and fairness to students and faculty, as well as offering the safest possible educational experience for the fall term," Thursdays statement from BU reads.

These specific details about vaccine requirements were noticeably absent from BUs Aug. 19 announcement, which strongly hinted at mandating vaccines for staff and students, but fell just short of stating it outright.

However, BU administration did admit on Aug. 19 that the development of their vaccine policy would be an evolving process throughout the remainder of the summer and into the fall, as they continued to consult with the province and various members of their university community.

"We continue important dialogue with employee, faculty, and student groups, as well as our Board of Governors, and will ensure that our final policy is reflective of this dialogue," Thursdays statement read.

"Many questions remain, and we will continue to consult with our community as we draft our full vaccine policy, which will be completed as soon as possible."

One of the many organizations that BU has been consulting with throughout this entire process is the Brandon University Faculty Association, which praised the administrations recent actions during a morning news conference in front of Clark Hall on campus.

BUFA president Gautam Srivastava told a gathered group of more than a dozen faculty members that establishing a strong vaccine mandate is important for the broader Westman community as well as the school itself.

KYLE DARBYSON/THE BRANDON SUN Members of the Brandon University Faculty Association, including president Gautam Srivastava and vice-president Jon-Tomas Godin, provide a thumbs up outside of Clark Hall on Thursday morning, showcasing their approval of the administration's recent announcement that they would, in fact, be mandating vaccines for staff and students for this upcoming academic year.

"When we leave our jobs here, we go back into the community. When our students leave campus, they go back into the community," Srivastava said. "So when we do things, we need to think of the greater good for our community."

However, BUFA vice-president Jon-Tomas Godin mentioned that the administration still needs to provide some more specific details about their vaccine mandate before the fall term begins.

"In terms of details, we need to see more dates," he said. "Weve seen a date for a second vaccination. We havent seen a date for a first vaccination. We havent seen details about what accommodations will be in place for those people who  cant get vaccinated for legitimate reasons."

As such, Godin implores his fellow BU faculty members to keep the pressure on the administration in the coming days and weeks, hoping that such advocacy will lead to further clarifications in a timely manner.

"So keep doing what youre doing," he told the gathered crowd outside of Clark Hall yesterday.

"Keep signing the petitions, keep sending us your information and we will keep pushing the employer to fill out those details and to come up with a vaccine policy that makes sense and protects everybody in our community here on the campus."

BU officials also reminded the public on Thursday morning that in-person classes for their fall term will be limited to 25 people or fewer with all other courses taking place online.

On top of that, all on-campus activity will be subject to a strict mask mandate, physical distancing regulations and enhanced sanitization measures.

Members of Assiniboine Community College, Brandons other major post-secondary institution, also unveiled their vaccine policy on Aug. 19, stating that "this policy would generally require all students, staff, contractors and visitors to the campus to be vaccinated."

However, ACC officials havent provided any further details about their vaccine mandate as of Thursday afternoon, including a timetable for when staff and students must be fully immunized.

Elsewhere in the province, post-secondary schools such as the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Red River College and the University College of the North have all established similar vaccine policies in the lead-up to the 2021-22 academic year.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter:@KyleDarbyson
A man who stored nine unlicensed guns in his residence was handed a $1,500 fine and one-year ban from owning guns on Thursday morning.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

A man who stored nine unlicensed guns in his residence was handed a $1,500 fine and one-year ban from owning guns on Thursday morning.

Trevor Hudson, 43, pleaded guilty to possession of several firearms without a licence after Brandon police received an anonymous tip in May 2020, Crown attorney Brett Rach said.

Police started an investigation and found Hudson didnt have a licence to own firearms. He applied in 2013, but was denied after he was banned from owning guns for a 10-year period in 2004, Rach said.

The "confidential informant" told police about the guns, Rach said, and police executed a search warrant at Hudsons residence.

Officers found nine guns in total, Rach said, including four heirlooms passed down from his father. The guns include non-restricted CO2 firearms, bolt-action rifles and shotguns.

Hudson took ownership of the guns and knew he needed a Possession and Acquisition Licence, but was "negligent," Rach said.

The accused said he bought two of the guns secondhand and received one from a friend, but Rach said he wouldnt tell police who he got them from. All the guns were seized by the RCMP.

Rach asked the judge to fine Hudson a total of $3,000 and to forfeit a number of the guns.

"Mr. Hudson was well aware he wasnt supposed to have these things and had them for a fair amount of time, it seems," he said.

"It just goes to show Mr. Hudson clearly does not realize the importance to which the Canadian society takes firearms charges and firearm possession is a privilege, its not a right."

Defence lawyer Katherine Bueti said it was an isolated incident and not premeditated.

She noted Hudson is extremely remorseful and was fully co-operative with the police during their investigation. He has also had a valid firearms licence in the past.

She suggested a fine of between $1,200 and $1,500 and a one-year ban from owning firearms for the incident, adding all the weapons police found in Hudsons residence were stored properly in locked safes. She said he meant to get a licence and had all the paperwork, but the pandemic got in the way.

"None of them were used, brandished or threatened to be used in any way," Bueti said. "He was following all of the rules but for his licence."

Speaking to the court by phone, Hudson said he only uses the guns to hunt for food for himself and his family.

"In order to possess weapons you need a couple of things, you need a proper storage, which you had, but another thing you need is licensing, which you didnt. Thats where you fell short," Judge Donovan Dvorak said to Hudson.

Dvorak sentenced Hudson to a $1,500 fine and banned him from owning firearms for another year. He also ordered Hudson to forfeit all the guns except the heirlooms.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
A Canadian woman stuck in Afghanistan with her parents says she's terrified she will die before she is able to return to her Ontario home and is blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Laila, left to right, Marjan and Murtaza pose in this undated handout photo. Their mother is stuck in Afghanistan and says she's worried she will die before she is able to return to the family's home in Brampton, Ont. The woman, who says her friends call her Zak, asked her full name not be revealed due to safety concerns. She says she tried to leave Afghanistan before the deadline, but was beaten by Taliban members and pushed away from the airport gates in Kabul. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Marjan

A Canadian woman stuck in Afghanistan with her parents says she's terrified she will die before she is able to return to her Ontario home and is blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Zak, who asked her full name not be revealed due to safety concerns, said Thursday the Canadian military appeared disorganized during evacuations from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital.

The 50-year-old cried and said she is angry at Trudeau for turning his back on Canadian citizens in that country.

"How can he sleep at night (if) he knows that people have family left behind?" she told The Canadian Press by phone.

"How can (the) Canadian government (say), 'We are the best country in the world,' (and turn) its back on its citizens? Could you ask him this question? Can someone ask him?"

Zak said she left her three grown children at home in Brampton, Ont., and went to Afghanistan in August to find safety for her parents as the Talibanwas taking over the country.

She twice tried to leave before the American-led military mission's Aug. 31 deadline, she said, but was beaten by Taliban members and pushed away from the gates of the airport, where she had been told to meet Canadian officials to get a flight home.

On Thursday, when the last of Canada's troops left the country, she tried again to get on a plane but was stopped by the Taliban, Zak said.

The U.S. military co-ordinated with its citizens on safer locations to meet them, she said.

"The U.S. government is calling its citizens and they gave them a space to go. They go there and they pick them up from that spot, or they send them to the hotels. They pick them up from the hotels.

"There's many ways that the Canadian government can save its citizens, but they are not."'

Zak said she got a call at 3:40 a.m. from the Canadian government.

"They are like, 'Be at the gate by 6 a.m. and take food and water with you,'" Zak said. "When it's dark, it's not safe. But I did go there earlier."

Zak said she was also told to wear red so the military could find her at the gate, where she would be screened for admission.

Taliban members were shooting guns and beating people near the gate, she said. She ran into other Canadian citizens and held onto her Canadian passport as she fell, injuring her head and knees.

There were U.S. soldiers, but the Canadian military was nowhere in sight, said Zak, who added that she waited for awhile and then left.

A few hours later, a bomb exploded where she had been waiting, she said. The blast killed 12 U.S. service members and at least 60 Afghan civilians.

"I saw so many kids there. I saw so many people and they're all dead now," Zak said through tears.

"I feel sorry for my people. These are good people with good heart. Every day now, you're just waiting death. It's a slow death for us."

Trudeau was asked about the bombing during the federal election campaign Thursday and said it was a "very difficult day." He added that Ottawa's is committed to resettling more than 20,000 Afghans in Canada. Canada boarded about 3,700 Canadian nationals and Afghan refugees onto evacuation flights in recent weeks.

Zak's youngest daughter, Marjan, 25, said Trudeau should be ashamed.

"Trudeau was more interested in his election campaign and he's saying he's balancing both. But he's obviously not and you can tell," she said.

"They were like ... 'Get to the airport.' But how are you supposed to get to the airport when people are getting shot left, right and centre? There's no way to get in."

"It might take a miracle for my mom to come home," said another daughter, Laila.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2021.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Farmer and Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan President Todd Lewis inspects canola at his farm near Gray, Sask., on Thursday, July 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis

Todd Lewis considers himself lucky.

The farmer lives in a part of Saskatchewan that received enough rain to yield an average crop, which is the best he could hope for on a day in late July. This summer was marked by some of the worst drought seen in decades, which came after a winter where not much snow fell, leaving fields with little soil moisture.

"It's not even hot and windy, it's just hot," said Lewis, sitting on the deck of his house about a half-hour drive south of Regina, where he is the fourth generation of his family to farm that land,growing canola, durum and canary seed.

Like most everyone in farming, the president of the Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan is used to changing skies and tough seasons.

And experts warn climate change means extreme weather events are set to become more common in the years to come.

For environmental leaders, this summer's deadly heat wave and wildfires in British Columbia, combined with drought across the Prairies, could shape how voters think about the issue in the Sept. 20 federal election.

"Climate change has been completely broken out of its environmental pigeonhole," said Rick Smith, president of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.

"For many more Canadians than before, climate change is about the health and well-being of their families right now, as opposed to some distant concern at some point in the future."

He believes how people even think about the issue has evolved over the past few years and is far less divisive.

The Liberals' carbon price was front and centre during the 2019 federal election with the Conservatives promising to axe the policy if they were elected, which didn't happen.

Since then, the Tories have come out with their own carbon price on fuel, with leader Erin O'Toole acknowledging the party needed a better climate plan if it hoped to win.

The Liberal government also raised Canada's 2030 targets for reducing greenhouse gas pollution and put into law a goal to hit net-zero emissions by 2050 and only sell less polluting vehicles like electric cars by 2035.

Smith says not long ago most of the people worried about climate change were experts in the environment and bureaucrats.

"And all of a sudden capital markets are fully engaged with net-zero ministries of finance. Every big company in the country is trying to figure out how to incorporate net-zero into their operation."

The Climate Action Network reported around 63 per cent of voters cast a ballot for federal parties with "strong climate platforms" in the last election.

Executive director Catherine Abreu expects that to be even higher this time around and believes how people think about climate change has matured with more people asking: "OK, what's the plan?"

"What does net-zero mean? And how are we going to be doing some real strategizing to identify those sectors that we are going to be investing in so that they provide the future of prosperity and jobs in Canada?

"And I think that's really where the conversation is headed right now."

Abreu believes that's why the Liberal government finally launched consultations about how to transition workers to a low-carbon economy, which was first promised several years earlier.

Both the federal NDP and Green Party of Canada say the Liberals aren't ambitious enough with their climate agenda, and believe the country needs to answer how it will wean itself off its reliance on fossil fuels it if hopes to cut emissions fast enough to stop the worst of climate change.

O'Toole's Conservatives voted against the Liberals' net-zero plan, stating the members of an advisory body assembled to guide the government's decision-making were "climate activists" and it didn't include representation from the oil and gas industry.

Back on Lewis's farm, he says he has observed longer stretches of both wet and dry, and questions what a changing climate means for agriculture.

He says ensuring crops have proper irrigation access is important to combat dry conditions. He adds that paying a carbon price on fuel used to dry grain, particularly after an usually wet harvest like in 2019, doesn't help things.

"It's a complicated issue, this climate change, and what's going to happen, he said.

"I think we've been pretty nimble on being able to make adjustments and I think we'll see that more and more."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick civil servants have until Sept. 13 to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be forced to wear masks and undergo regular testing, according to an internal government memo obtained by The Canadian Press.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs speaks with the media after receiving his second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Fredericton, on Friday, June 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick civil servants have until Sept. 13 to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be forced to wear masks and undergo regular testing, according to an internal government memo obtained by The Canadian Press.

The vaccine mandate was announced last week by Premier Blaine Higgs but details were only distributed internally to staff on Thursday.

Unvaccinated government workers will have to wear masks unless they are alone in their personal workspaces, and they will have to complete three rapid tests for COVID-19 each week and the more invasive PCR test once a month.

Staff who refuse to comply with the mask and testing order could be fired, and new employees will have 45 days to provide proof of full vaccination or they will be terminated.

Employees who provide a certificate of medical exemption to the vaccines will not be required to wear masks but will need to follow the testing requirements.

The memo says in the event of an outbreak in the workplace, testing requirements may be temporarily modified based on public health guidance.

Steve Drost, president of CUPE New Brunswick, which represents more than 28,000 public employees in the province, says the union won't politicize the vaccination policy by taking a position on it but is encouraging members to get vaccinated.

"We just say anybody and everybody that can get vaccinated should get vaccinated," Drost told reporters Friday in Fredericton.

Drost said he doesn't have a concern with the policy's requirement for masks and testing for people who are not vaccinated.

"I think we have to take every step possible to try and get ahead of this pandemic, and whatever health and safety requirements that public health requires, we have an obligation to follow those," he said.

Meanwhile, health officials reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and said 94 per cent of them involved people who weren't fully vaccinated.

Eleven new cases were in the Moncton region, while there were three new infections in the Edmundston area and one each in the Fredericton and Saint John regions.

New Brunswick has 160 active reported cases of COVID-19 and three people in hospital with the disease.

About 74.5 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated and 84.1 per cent have received at least one dose.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.
The Liberal campaign cancelled an early evening rally Friday after an unruly group of demonstrators denouncing Justin Trudeau and pandemic policies set off security concerns, with Trudeau himself saying that going ahead with the event would have put people at risk.

Protesters wait for Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to arrive at a campaign event in Bolton, Ont. on Friday, August 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Liberal campaign cancelled an early evening rally Friday after an unruly group of demonstrators denouncing Justin Trudeau and pandemic policies set off security concerns, with Trudeau himself saying that going ahead with the event would have put people at risk.

Dozens of local Liberal supporters, some with young children and dogs, gathered in a hotel parking lot in Bolton, Ont., northwest of Toronto, to hear Trudeau speak.

Dozens of protesters followed the Liberal campaign to the rally. They used expletives in chants, waved their middle fingers, and made references to the Nazis over megaphones as a line of police stood in front of them.

Speaking in neighbouring Brampton on Friday night, Trudeau said the campaign couldn't guarantee the safety of the people in attendance, and would have put at risk volunteers and others.

"That was not something I was willing to do," he said.

It was the third such incident Friday where Trudeau was confronted by angry demonstrators upset with his government's push on vaccine passports and vaccine mandates for travellers.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes a whistle-stop at Fisherman's Wharf in Steveston, Richmond, B.C., on Wednesday, Aug 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Protesters who oppose masks, vaccines and lockdown measures to fight COVID-19 have dogged the Liberal leader on the campaign trail, but he has usually politely waved back and often yelled through his mask, "get vaccinated."

Some have brought their children to yell at Trudeau, with one on Friday night holding an orange sign that read "I need freedom." The crowd cheered when officials announced that Friday's event was cancelled.

Trudeau remarked that he had never seen such anger and intensity on the campaign trail, even recalling going with his father out West where former prime minister Pierre Trudeau was vilified.

He said the current unrest and anger among parts of the population needed to be met with compassion, but added that science has pointed to vaccinations as the best way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have to stand strong for what we know to be true. Science is going to help us through this, it is going to be the path forward out of this," Trudeau said. "But we have to make sure we are hearing those real concerns and responding to them as best we can."

Conservatives Leader Erin O'Toole said Canada is a country where people can express their views, but must do so peacefully.

"No one deserves to be subjected to harassment and obscenities," he said Friday in a tweet.

More than 45 Liberal staff, restaurant staff, media, restaurant owners and technicians crowd into a small restaurant as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes a campaign stop in Mississauga, Ont., on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tweeted out that everyone deserves to be safe on the campaign trail.

"I am very sorry to hear this happened tonight to Mr. Trudeau and the Liberal team and I hope that everyone is OK," he wrote.

It was an uncomfortable end to the second week of the campaign where health issues dominated the day's debate. The Liberals stressed the importance of vaccination against COVID-19, the Conservatives pledged to enhance benefits for seriously ill workers and the NDP outlined a prescription for universal pharmacare.

During a stop in Mississauga, Ont., Trudeau said a re-elected Liberal government would procure enough vaccines to ensure all Canadians have access to free COVID-19 booster shots and any needed second-generation vaccines.

Trudeau also promised a $1-billion fund to assist provinces and territories that usher in a requirement for proof-of-vaccine credentials for non-essential businesses, such as restaurants and gyms, as well as public spaces.

"A vaccine mandate for non-essential businesses is a good idea," Trudeau said during his appearance at a restaurant.

However, Trudeau did not provide a direct answer when asked if he had special permission for more than the provincial limit of 25 people to crowd into the restaurant for his announcement.

British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec are moving ahead with so-called vaccine passports, and Trudeau said he hoped Doug Ford would follow, saying it was time for Ontario's Progressive Conservative premier to listen to public health officials.

The Canadian Press learned later Friday that Ontario has plans to introduce a vaccine certificate system next week, a reversal from Ford's early claims that such a system would "split society."

Visiting Thunder Bay, Ont., Singh called on the federal government to issue a national vaccine credential.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just have one central document that we get from the federal government and we can use in any province we travel to?" Singh said. "It would just make life easier."

In Corner Brook, N.L., on Friday, O'Toole said he would increase employment insurance benefits for ailing workers to 52 weeks from 26, a move that could help people fight life-threatening diseases like cancer.

"Canadian workers should know we have their backs if they become seriously ill," O'Toole said.

"I'm sure that we have all known someone, a friend, a relative who has battled cancer. We all know how devastating it is. So, we can all imagine if, on top of all that, you also had to worry that your EI benefits were running out, and that you might not be able to put food on the table for your family."

Singh pledged Friday to begin working with provinces immediately to deliver a single-payer, public pharmacare program for all Canadians.

The New Democrats say millions can't afford to take the medications they need and must skip doses, cut their pills in half, or even go without them.

"We know it doesn't have to be this way," Singh said. "We know that we can actually work together to solve this problem."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.
"Were going to have a healthy race."

 Former Manitoba MP Shelly Glover

For the first time in decades, the campaign for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba has a true footrace in the making  and theres not a man in sight.

Less than a week after former Manitoba health minister Heather Stefanson managed to convince several of her colleagues to stand in a row behind her to tout her entry into the leadership race  and the same day that the party announced the rules that will govern that race  former Manitoba MP Shelly Glover told the Winnipeg Free Press that she intends to apply to run for the Tory leadership, too.

And shes doing so out of anger. Righteous anger.

In the midst of the pandemic several months ago, the former Winnipeg police officer decided to work as an uncertified health-care aide in a southern Manitoba personal care home.

She told the Free Press in February that she was motivated to roll up her sleeves and get directly involved in seniors care after last falls COVID-related Maples care home tragedy that cost the lives of 56 residents. And she said she also wanted to make sure that her mother-in-law, a care home resident in the Southern Health-Sante Sud region, was properly cared for.

So she took a five-day course for uncertified health-care aides offered by Red River College in partnership with Shared Health that was created to relieve staff shortages during the pandemic. She eventually found work at a centre in southern Manitoba, and said she had her eyes opened to conditions inside personal care homes.

She spent six months working for this personal care home, and was on record even then, stating that Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister should have boosted funding far earlier to ensure adequate staffing during the pandemic.

"Im so mad at Pallister," she told the Free Press at the time. "Where is the money that should have gone into the personal care homes? They were the targets of this stupid virus. We knew this for months  for a year, weve known this. Why are there no staffing increases?"

Then on Tuesday, only a few hours after news broke that the PC Partys executive council would be demanding candidates post a steep $25,000 entry fee and sign up at least 1,000 new or renewing party members  and with a looming Sept. 15 deadline for meeting those conditions to boot  she decided to step in.

And she did so because of the presumptuous manner in which Stefansons team was seemingly pushing out any obstacles to a Tory leadership coronation.

"I think the rules are designed to keep everyone else out of the race, and that bothers me a lot," Glover said on Tuesday. "It makes me mad and that, frankly, is motivating me to run."

Her words were essentially echoed by Winnipeg City Coun. Scott Gillingham, who for a brief time was also considering stepping into the leadership ring. But yesterday, he posted on Twitter his decision not to do so.

"Given the tight timelines set by the Party this week, I dont believe there is enough runway for a new candidate to mount an effective challenge and so I will not be a candidate in the leadership race," he stated.

Note that Stefanson has been thinking about running for the leadership long before Brian Pallister officially stepped down this month. Deveryn Ross, a columnist with the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Free Press, wrote last weekend that he received a phone call nine months ago from someone on Stefansons team who was asking whether she could count on his support. Clearly Stefanson has had her eye on the leadership of the party for quite some time, and her longstanding ambitions have been laid bare.

For the Stefanson campaign, Glovers entry into the leadership race can be nothing short of a disaster. Glover is no "also ran," and will most certainly give Stefanson the race that the former health minister clearly never wanted.

Not only is Glover an experienced former cabinet member from the Stephen Harper government, and a veteran campaigner, she comes with none of the political baggage that Stefanson carries as a member of the Pallister cabinet.

Dont be fooled by last weeks show of force from Tory caucus members for Stefanson. Ive been hearing of significant anger in rural Manitoba toward this attempted coronation. And to be quite frank, its not a good look for the party.

Ultimately, its the party members who will judge whether Glover or Stefanson will be deemed worthy to lead Manitobas Tories. And for all we know there may yet be another contender. But at this point, making the race a clear choice between two strong women candidates should put an end to any talk of a coronation.

And for a party trying to find its way out of the political quagmire before the next provincial election, a true and healthy leadership race of the kind not seen before in this province could well act as the necessary compass.

 Matt Goerzen, editor
The business partner of alleged fraudster Bill Papas attempted to sell a multimillion-dollar home in Sydneys inner west for a knockdown price despite the surging property values in the city, raising their bankers suspicions about the sale.

The strange reversal in the value of the stately home in Rozelle did not go unnoticed by Justice Michael Lee, who quipped he didnt come down on the last shower when hearing on Friday about the eyebrow-raising listing.

The home in Rozelle that was stopped from hitting the market at a bargain-basement price. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

The property offer was raised during an application by Westpac to freeze more assets that were allegedly purchased using the proceeds of a $400 million fraud of the bank. These included a yacht in Miami that The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed earlier this month was being actively marketed for sale.

Westpac and two other lenders  Societe Generale and Sumitomo  have taken civil action in the Federal Court, accusing Mr Papas, his business partner, Vince Tesoriero, and Forum Finance of defrauding the lenders of $400 million.
Marilynne Robinson was waiting in a hotel room when a voice came into her head and she wrote I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because Im old, and you said, I dont think youre old.

Thats the first sentence of her 2004 novel Gilead, the first of four books about the same characters and themes (the others are Home, Lila and Jack). The voice of a 1950s Midwestern pastor writing a letter to his little son came as a complete surprise to her. Lo and behold, I had this mans voice in my mind, and I was very engaged by it and followed it, she says.

Her one previous novel, Housekeeping, shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize, was written more than 20 years earlier. In the intervening time she won a distinguished reputation as a teacher at the Iowa Writers Workshop and as a writer of penetrating and challenging books of essays on themes ranging across religion and philosophy, American politics and history, and nuclear pollution in Britain. But no more novels  until the Reverend John Ames showed up.

Marilynne Robinsons hopes to write again about her character Della are being hindered by the pandemic. Credit:Leonardo Cendamo

Barack Obama was one of many readers who fell in love with Ames, who is gracious and courtly and a little bit confused about how to reconcile his faith with all the various travails that his family goes through, he told her. He awarded her a National Humanities Medal for her grace and intelligence in writing. Between them the Gilead books have won much praise and many awards, including one Pulitzer Prize and two National Book Critics Circle awards.
YouGov is a polling company which seems to specialise in asking questions normally reserved for a drunken dinner party. Recently, it asked Americans and Britons the toughest question of our age: How do we solve the climate crisis and wean ourselves off fossil fuels before its too late for us all?

Just kidding! The question was: Which of the following animals, if any, do you think you could beat in a fight if you were unarmed? This head-scratcher was posed to random groups of respondents on both sides of the Atlantic, with a list of 34 animals.

Sixty-one per cent of Americans thought they could win against a goose, should its temper flare. But a Britons best bet, statistically, was to run. Credit:Getty Images

Results varied according to country. Two-thirds of British respondents were pretty certain they could best a rat, and a similar percentage also felt good about their odds against a house cat. But those were the only two animals a majority were sure about conquering.

Americans, meanwhile, were more confident in their ability to handle rats and house cats, and also geese. It was this bird on which attitudes diverged most starkly. Sixty-one per cent of Americans thought they could win against a goose, should its temper flare. But a Britons best bet, statistically, was to run, since only 45 per cent of his countrymen decided theyd emerge from the bout intact.
Schools can only reopen in October if statewide double dose vaccinations reach 70 per cent - estimated to occur in mid-October - and if their local government area has fewer than 50 cases of community transmission per 100,000 people over a fortnight. Under those rules, students who attend schools in areas that are designated hotspots would not be able to return. However, students living in hotspots but attending schools outside them can still go to class. In the eight local government areas with more than 400 cases per 100,000 people - the community transmission figures are not available for council areas - there are more than 230,000 students studying at more than 650 schools. The infection rate in the south-western Sydney local health district was 224.1 cases per 100,000 people in the August 7 surveillance report, and the rate in western Sydney was 110.8 cases per 100,000. Across the rest of the states local health districts, there were 25.5 infections per 100,000.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the back to school plan left students in hotspot areas in limbo with no plans for additional support or a guaranteed return to school. The NSW government must ensure all students can return to face-to-face learning, he said One principal in an LGA of concern said several secondary students were very sick with COVID-19, and almost none were on site each day. Loading My own view is that without a significant decrease in cases before 25 October we will not return, and we will not be able to do a face-to-face HSC, they said. We have to hope the numbers drop... they are still rising.

The government insisted HSC exams will go ahead despite being delayed until November 9, with results to be issued in January. The timing of the 9th is related around the vaccination program, said NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive Paul Martin. Some examinations might be cut from the timetable, which will be revealed in September. A meeting of more than 300 independent school heads on Friday strongly supported written exams involving a suite of subjects that would be representative of the candidature. They particularly requested that the timetable for the HSC exams be put out as soon as possible, said the chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools NSW, Geoff Newcombe. Dozens of students who contacted the Herald said they were devastated by the decision to prolong the exam period, citing fears for their health, ongoing mental strain and exhaustion from months of lockdown. School staff will also have to be vaccinated by November 8. There was no clarity on whether the mandate would extend to after-school care staff. The NSW Department of Education employs about 130,000 people, the Catholic sector 31,000 and the independent sector more than 28,000.

They would be given priority, beginning at Qudos arena from September 6. A Department of Education Survey found about 67 per cent had already had one dose, 17 per cent intended to get their first dose in the next month, and 9.4 per cent did not intend to get one in the next month, although that could include people who had booked for October. About one per cent could not get vaccinated. School staff will be given priority vaccine access ay Qudos Bank Arena from September 6, after jabs became mandatory. Credit:Brook Mitchell The voluntary survey did not ask whether staff objected to vaccination, or what area they lived in.

However, Christian Schools Australia said the mandate created significant problems for its schools. It cited a COVID-19 Recovery Tracker report that found about 15 per cent of those who had not been vaccinated did not intend to do so. If the staff in Christian schools are representative of the wider population we can expect up to 10% of teachers and other staff to have genuine concerns about vaccination, said this Christian Schools Australia Director of Public Policy, Mark Spencer. Christian schools, indeed any schools, will struggle to continue to provide high quality education if that number of staff refuse to be vaccinated. The head of the NSW Teachers Federation Angelo Gavrielatos said he had been asking for teachers to be given priority for a year. [The mandate has] potential impact on the employment of teachers that will require us to have further discussion with the department, he said. There are workforce issues to be managed. That said, we will encourage our members to be vaccinated.
In the playgrounds of western Sydneys local government areas of concern, parents are hopeful their children will be back in classrooms as soon as possible.

Meenu Monga, 50, has a son in year 6 at a school in the Cumberland area. She said remote learning had been difficult as a single parent so she hoped Matthew would return to school soon.

Meenu Monga and son Matthew are both hopeful face-to-face learning will resume soon. Credit:Kate Geraghty

I need my child to learn from school because its very hard for me to be involved with the studies because Im not very educated, she said.

Its very difficult for me to handle everything because Im a single mum so its hard for me. I cant do the job, I cant do anything  I have to stay home.
NSW students will begin returning to school from October 25, when kindergarten and year 1 students will go back to class and year 12 will get full access to their school ahead of a delayed HSC, which will begin on November 9, school principals were told on Friday.

Years 2, 6 and 11 will return on November 1, and the rest of the students will head back on November 8, which is the sixth week of term four.

However, any council area identified as one of concern under health orders will continue to learn from home until that designation is removed, the secretary of the NSW Department of Education, Georgina Harrisson, told a parliamentary inquiry.

Teachers must be vaccinated. Double doses of COVID vaccinations will be mandatory for any staff on school sites from 25 October and for all school staff from 8 November, the NSW Department of Education told principals in an email.
She has sold virtually nothing during lockdown but, if you want a story of woe, you have come to the wrong place. In the midst of the pandemic, Miss Bortolin-Papa is the burst of positivity we all need. It is tough, but I think of myself as positive, she says. Were all going to go through it. The wording is not quite correct, so she tries again: Get through it. Well all get through it. Born in Messina, Sicily, Miss Bortolin-Papa remembers migrating to Australia as a child on the passenger ship Surriento in 1952, part of the postwar wave of Italian immigrants.

The daughter of a fisherman who had a trawler at nearby Iron Cove, she grew up in Leichhardt at a time when Norton Street was full of milk bars, fruit shops, barbers, delicatessens and butchers that were usually owned by Italian families, serviced by an old-style tram to the city. Leaving school at St Fiacres at 15, she worked in a shoe store and menswear retailer  translating for Italian migrants  but always wanted her own shop. Many Italian families have since left Leichhardt, often heading west to suburbs such as Five Dock, Ashfield and Abbotsford. Some of them went to the cemetery, Miss Bortolin-Papa says. First of all, my parents. Theyre gone. And all [my mothers eight] brothers and sisters, theyre all gone. Ive got cousins, and theyre all going too. Theyre in their late 70s, 80s, 90s.

She is part of Leichhardts remaining Italian heritage that includes Bar Italia, Bar Sport, the Co.As.It Italian Association and the Italian Forum  an area officially designated Little Italy by the Geographic Names Board last year. That makes her a human reminder of the citys shifting cultural landscape. I connect with everybody, she says. Wherever I am, people stop me. While the street is far from thriving any more, Miss Bortolin-Papa aims to be in the shop seven days a week from 10am, though sometimes she will be there at night if she has to go somewhere during the day. I please myself, she says. My customers, after 48 years, they know.

Loading Miss Bortolin-Papa keeps busy during quiet times in the shop  cooking, cleaning and washing  as a clock above the door chimes with a different musical instrument every hour. At 2pm, it is the piano; trumpet at 3pm; saxophone at 4pm. As well as being in good health  thank God  her financial circumstances make her less stressed about the lack of sales. And the shop helps her stay social. From day one when I started, Ive always loved what Im doing, and I continue loving it to this day, she says. I go out of my way to give service as a JP. I go out of my way for people who want something urgently. Not only for my shop. Anything I do, anything I touch. Its my nature.
A Brighton man who discovered he had been charged with murder on a television news report while on remand has lost his fight to suppress details of his other violent charges.

Toby Loughnane, 41, fronted Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after being charged with the murder of his former girlfriend Maryam Hamka on Thursday. Ms Hamka, from Brunswick, was last seen alive in April. Her body has not been found.

Police are investigating the disappearance of Brunswick woman Maryam Hamka. Credit:Nine News

Court documents released to The Age show Mr Loughnane is accused of murdering Ms Hamka, 36, in Brighton on April 11. She was last seen by others on April 10 and later reported missing on April 15, police said.

Mr Loughnane was already in custody when he was charged on Thursday, after being remanded over earlier alleged offending against Ms Hamka.
Australians overwhelmingly believe companies that have used the federal governments $98 billion JobKeeper program to boost their profits should be made to repay the cash.

As Labor and crossbench senators try to force the government to reveal the companies that received JobKeeper and whether they had voluntarily repaid any unneeded amounts, an exclusive poll for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age shows strong support among voters for more transparency around the program.

JobKeeper helped keep many Australians off welfare support through last years lockdown, but some firms have used the program to boost profits and executive dividends. Credit:Jason South

The wage subsidy program, the single largest economic support program ever put in place by a federal government, was introduced in March last year as the country went into nationwide lockdown.

Under the scheme, businesses received $1500 a fortnight per employee to cover the cost of their wages. To qualify, businesses had to say they would suffer at least a 30 per cent fall in turnover.
The prime minister this week was in full campaign mode for the March or May election and we had a glimpse of the formidable fighter we saw in 2019. In a week when the NSW government lost control of COVID-19, the states daily new cases rising above 1,000 and hospitals under severe strain, and with Victoria on the brink, Morrison made a dramatic pivot to focus on opening the country. Prime Minister this week was in full campaign mode. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Embattled NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was firmly in step, making it clear shes determined to move when the 70% vaccine target is reached (meanwhile announcing some minor easings). It seemed incongruous that as the third wave deepened and with only a third of eligible people fully vaccinated, Morrison simply left the bad news behind and headed for the ground on which he wants to stand. In his Thursday news conference, for example, he began by hailing another day of hope, based on the latest vaccination numbers.

Morrison, backed by research, judges most voters have had enough of lockdowns and blocked internal travel. A poll published by this masthead this week showed 54 per cent of Australians believed the country could not completely suppress COVID-19, and more than six in ten favoured opening up once the target vaccination thresholds were reached. In the second year of the pandemic, public opinion appears to have swung from preoccupation with the health response to a strong desire to return to more freedom. While Morrison pivots when in political trouble, Anthony Albanese this week looked to be lumbering. With the PM accusing the opposition leader of undermining the national cabinets exit plan, Albanese knew he had to get himself out of that corner. He stressed support for the plan, but his demeanour was that of a man on the back foot. The defiant premiers of Queensland and Western Australia are in an easier short-term position. WAs Mark McGowan, in particular, with his stratospheric popularity, can tell Morrison to go jump, as in effect he did this week. After the PM invoked The Croods film to say we must emerge from the cave, McGowan played heavily to West Australians parochialism and angst towards the east.

After the PM invoked The Croods film to say we must emerge from the cave, WA Premier Mark McGowan played heavily to West Australians parochialism and angst towards the east. Credit:Peter de Kruijff This morning the prime minister made a comment implying Western Australians were like cave people from a recent kids movie. It was an odd thing to say, McGowan wrote on Facebook. I think everyone would rather just see the Commonwealth look beyond New South Wales and actually appreciate what life is like here in WA. We currently have no restrictions within our State, a great quality of life, and a remarkably strong economy, which is funding the relief efforts in other parts of the country. West Aussies just want decisions that consider the circumstances of all States and Territories, not just Sydney. Regardless of the national plan to which they agreed, McGowan and Annastacia Paaszczuk have the constitutional and political authority to handle their states transitions as they see fit. But they cant get away from the fact theyll have to make the journey, relaxing border restrictions, at some stage.

As New Zealand is now finding, a zero-COVID position, however assiduously pursued, seems an impossible dream over the longer term. Loading Without the sharp motivators of big outbreaks, WA and Queensland have vaccination rates lower than the national average, and health systems that havent been stress-tested under maximum COVID-19 pressure. WA, self-sheltered for so long, would be especially vulnerable if there were a big outbreak. At the national level, one political unknown is what the public reaction will be in the difficult transition period ahead. Will sentiment change again when there are more hospitalisations and deaths as we reopen, albeit with some continuing safeguards? With the length of the current extensive lockdowns unknown, it is not clear whether by election time well have had, or have escaped, another recession. We know this September quarter will be negative but the December quarter could go either way.
Unvaccinated people will not be able to enter restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues once NSW begins opening up after reaching a 70 per cent vaccination rate, under a proposal being considered by the state government.

Consultation with industry groups is under way to discuss the option to require all hospitality staff and patrons to prove they have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine when NSW reopens.

No jab no drink: The government is considering a proposal that would ban unvaccinated people from hospitality venues. Credit:Sam Mooy

Industry sources confirmed the plan, which would include merging vaccination certificates and QR code check-ins on either the Service NSW app or a new federal government app.

It is among the options being considered as part of the states road map out of lockdown, possibly by mid-October, which will trigger the easing of family, industry, community and economic restrictions when NSW hits the 70 per cent double-dose target.
But within seconds on Thursday, a sewage canal that flowed by the blast walls of the international airport was transformed into a mass grave, according to a video that went viral. In one section, twisted bodies mostly of young men, lay piled atop each other, some faces frozen in agony. In another section, bodies were partly submerged in the water. One man tried to pick up an unconscious youth, referring to him as bacha - child. Nearby, the wounded, their faces bloodied, were being helped up by other survivors, many of whom were sprayed with the blood and flesh of others. Videos and photos posted on social media showed some victims being rolled away in wheelbarrows and taken to emergency wards, already thinly stretched with patients, where crowds gathered to learn of the fates of their loved ones. Our hospital in Kabul was already 80 per cent full before the explosions. Now we added extra beds to admit wounded people coming from the airport in life-threatening conditions, said Rosella Miccio, head of Emergency, a medical charity that helps victims of war. In a separate statement, the organisation quoted a medical coordinator at its hospital in Kabul describing the scenes he witnessed there.

Loading Those who arrived could not speak, many were terrified, their eyes totally lost in emptiness, their gaze blank, the coordinator, identified as Alberto, was quoted as saying. Rarely have we seen such a situation. After the explosions, hundreds of Afghans scrambled for cover. People rushed to a blast wall, trying to climb the wall to escape from the explosion, recalled one man. He said he and his wife found themselves in a compound commanded by British troops, who ordered them and others to sit down. The lights are off, we are not allowed to go outside, we cannot stand, said the man, speaking from inside the compound, where he said about 600 people had taken shelter.

We are still waiting to go home, he said. British soldiers secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit:Getty Some Afghan survivors blamed the US military for bloodshed. I have become so fed up with everything, said one Afghan at the airport. F--- America, why you evacuate people and then kill them? Hundreds of elite Afghan security forces were among the crowd gathered near the gate before the blast struck, according to a former Afghan official in contact with the group who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The soldiers, many travelling with their families, had been promised passage into the military side of the airport on Thursday and evacuation flights out of Afghanistan. They were awaiting the signal to move forward when the attack occurred. At least four of the elite troops were among the dead, according to a second former official. Others had been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but he said it was unclear how many. People tend to a wounded person near the site of a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit:AP Afghanistans elite security forces, who fought and trained most closely alongside Americans, fear they are at particular risk of Taliban revenge attacks, not only because of their close ties to the United States, but also because of their involvement in night raids, interrogations and detentions of Taliban fighters. As the end date for evacuations nears, tensions around Kabul airport have spiked as thousands desperate to leave the country continue to descend on the area. Taliban leaders banned Afghans without foreign passports or green cards from entering the airport this week in an effort to prevent the evacuations from draining the country of its most skilled and educated.
Rating agency Brickwork Ratings (BWR) has revised the rating for debentures of Vodafone Idea Ltd ( VIL) from "BB-" to "B" over continuous delay in raising funds impacting its liquidity and considerable deterioration in performance in

Q1FY22.

The company's modification plea filed with the Supreme Court (SC) to allow corrections of computational errors in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) has been rejected by the SC providing no relief to the company.

The outlook on Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) remains negative.

The rating agency in a statement said that while VIL has filed a review petition in this regard, the outcome is uncertain. VIL has substantial amounts of debt maturing in FY22 (including the NCDs). Rraising adequate funds in a timely manner is imperative for timely servicing of this debt.

Additionally, the companys spectrum payments and the first tranche of AGR liabilities will also become due in the coming few months, making the availability of necessary funds all the more critical, it added.

The downgrade reflects a substantial decline in the companys subscriber base. It lost 12.40 million subscribers during Q1FY22. Moreover, it's Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) further fell to Rs 104 in Q1FY22 from Rs 107 in

Q4FY21.

The 4G subscriber base of the company, which was increasing QoQ till Q4FY21, also witnessed a decline in Q1FY22 indicating the increased amount of stress on the company.

The EBITDA has shown improvement over the past few quarters due to realisation of synergy benefits and cost cutting measures adopted by the company. But, it continues to remain lesser than financial costs.

VIL has also been urging the government to set up floor tariffs for the sector to improve its viability but no concrete development has taken place in this regard, Brickwork said.

The company has been vocal about the need for a tariff hike but has not been able to take any major action in this regard due to the high competitive intensity in the sector.

VIL has increased the prices for some of the plans, however, a meaningful impact will only come once the prices are increased across all plans and categories.

VIL, along with other telecom service operators, has been engaging with the government for a long time for a relief package to improve the viability of the sector. However, no official confirmation or announcement has been made by the government in this regard till now.

On fund raising, VIL has said that it was in active discussions with few investors and is hopeful of completing the fund raising exercise before major payments become due.

The rating agency said it will continue to monitor the developments on fund raising and companys performance on an

ongoing basis. And will take appropriate rating actions as and when warranted.
Ltd (CDEL) said it has reduced debt "significantly" and the management is putting its best efforts to get back the company on track.

According to its latest annual report, CDEL's net debt as on March 31, 2021 was Rs 1,731 crore.

"The total loan funds stood at Rs 1,779 crore which comprises of long-term borrowings of Rs 1,263 crore and short-term borrowings of Rs 516 crore," it said.

The company's net debt stood at Rs 2,909.95 crore in FY20.

Besides, the seven subsidiaries of CDEL are awaiting a report by Justice K L Manjunath, former judge of Karnataka High Court, to take a decision on the recoverability of Rs 3,535 crore.

CDEL had appointed Justice Manjunath to "suggest and oversee actions" for recovery of over Rs 3,535 crore allegedly siphoned out of the company into Mysore Amalgamated Coffee Estates Limited (MACEL), a personal firm promoted by its late founder V G Siddhartha.

"The Management of seven subsidiaries have decided to take a decision on recoverability of Rs 3,535 Crores which is due from MACEL to the subsidiaries of the Company after the receipt of report from Justice KL Manjunath," it said.

The day-to-day operations of the company are being managed by the promoters' family and a professional team with the help of the board to ensure the protection of interest of all stakeholders, it added.

"The Management of the Company is putting its best efforts to get back the company on track," it said, adding, "The debt levels have reduced significantly from the beginning of the financial year March 2021."



V G Siddhartha was found dead in early August 2019, following which the group faced pressure to repay debts. It is paring debt through sale of non-core assets.

Earlier in March 2020, CDEL had announced repaying Rs 1,644 crore to 13 lenders after concluding a deal with Blackstone Group to sell its technology business park.

In FY21, CDEL's net operational revenue on a consolidated basis was at Rs 853 crore as against Rs 2,522 crore in FY20.

During the fiscal year ended March 2021, consolidated gross revenue declined by 66.16 per cent, weighed by its coffee and multimodal logistics businesses mainly due to COVID-19 and liquidity issues after the demise of its chairman, the company said.

CDEL is present in coffee, logistics and hospitality sectors.

Its coffee business, which includes popular cafe chain brand (CCD), contributed 47 per cent of the consolidated net revenue.

Logistics business accounted for 45 per cent of revenue, while the remaining 8 per cent was from logistics.

CCD owns 572 cafes in 165 cities and 333 CCD Value Express kiosks.

"There are 36,326 vending machines that dispense coffee in corporate workplaces and hotels under the brand," it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
has affirmed private lender Yes Bank's long term issuer rating at BBB reflecting adequate levels to withstand expected stress on book and improving deposit profile. The outlook is stable.

The bank's common equity tier-1 (CET-1) stood at 11.6 per cent at the end of Q1FY22 (peak in FY21 was 13.6 per cent). It carries deferred tax assets of Rs 6,400 crore, that have been reduced from the net worth to arrive at the CET-1.

As the assets against which provisions are made get written off or sold, the agency believes the deferred tax assets would get utilised and result in an increase in CET-1, rating agency said.

The bank is expected to benefit from its association with its single largest shareholder the State Bank of India. SBI has to maintain a minimum of 26 per cent holding in the bank till March 2023, based on Yes Banks reconstruction plan. Country's largest lender currently holds a 30 per cent stake in the bank.

Its recoveries could drive profitability of the bank in FY22. The lender posted a loss of Rs 3,400 crore in FY21, mainly on account of fresh slippages of Rs 12,000 crore. The bank has maintained provision cover of 67 per cent (excluding technical write-offs) on gross non-performing assets at the end of Q1FY22 and over 90 per cent provisions on non-performing investments.

In FY21, the bank witnessed upgradation and recoveries, including cash recoveries of Rs 5,000 crore. The lender has a target of Rs 5,000 crore of recoveries in FY22, out of which it recovered Rs 600 crore in 1QFY22, rating agency said.

The bank has disbursed over Rs 5,000 crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme till Q1FY22. It does not have a material pipeline for the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Schemes disbursements or restructuring post Q1FY22.

Yes Bank's deposit Profile is improving and deposits increased to Rs 1.63 trillion in 1QFY22. Its current account-savings accounts increased almost 50 per cent (year-on-year) in Q1FY22, while the retail term deposits rose by about 40 per cent.
Industry body has urged the government to support the and R&D (ER&D) industry in making super innovation clusters in India.

These clusters could be dedicated to the development of advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, telecom- 5G security standards, healthcare, etc. It is necessary to identify a few hotspots in the country where academic research, talent, and start-ups can co-exist and create a holistic model to build Indias innovation capacity. Israel has achieved this, and Canada is trying to emulate the model too, said K S Viswanathan, vice-president (industry initiatives) at

Of the top-2,000 ER&D spenders in the world, about 48 per cent dont have presence in India and are primarily from North America, Korea, Europe, and Japan.

Viswanathan added that the industry was working with the central and state governments to attract more such to come to India.

Of the 500-600 present in the Indian ER&D space, 45-50 per cent are service providers, and 55-60 per cent are global multinational corporations (MNCs) and global contact centres.

According to Nasscoms Strategic Review for FY22, such as Accenture, DXC Technology and Capgemini moved into the ER&D segment last year, while players like Cyient, Onward Technologies, VLSI/Chip design firms and medical devices firms shifted focus to greater ER&D.

 products have a direct impact on customers, said Karthikeyan Natarajan, chief operating officer and executive director at Cyient.

According to Nasscom, Indias share in the global ER&D market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12-13 per cent to reach $63 billion by 2025 from $31 billion in 2019.

This growth is being driven by global enterprises across automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, medical devices, industrial and energy, semi-conductor, and telecom sectors.

The pandemic resulted in a global dip in ER&D spending. The ER&D global sourcing market in 2020 was $89 billion, 6 per cent less than 2019, primarily due to insourcing and carve-outs.

However, with European firms becoming more accepting of the global sourcing model, Indian service providers have begun seeing increasing traction for ER&D deals.

Natarajan said the first four to six weeks of the lockdown were challenging for ER&D projects because of plant access restrictions and lab infrastructure, but the industry bounced back.

It was challenging for the first few weeks but the teams recovered brilliantly. Wherever there was a plant interface or testing and validation requirements, projects suffered for a while. But the advantage now is that global teams have confidence in Indias ability to work remotely. We have the unique opportunity to scale our talent pool and bring in structural changes to positively influence more projects to be centred in India, he added.
The on Friday informed the that it has convened a meeting of state bar councils and proposes to formulate rules for curtailing strikes by lawyers and initiating action against advocates who participate or instigate others for abstaining from work and strikes on social media.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah was informed by senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, who is the chairman of the (BCI), that they have convened a meeting of all State Bar Associations on September 4.

"We will be holding a meeting of all the state Bar Councils and Associations on September 4 and we propose to formulate rules to curtail strikes by lawyers and to initiate action against advocates who instigate strikes on social media, Mishra said.

The bench recorded the submission of Mishra and said that it appreciates the action taken by BCI.

On the request of Mishra, the top court posted the matter for further hearing in the third week of September.

At the outset, Mishra apologised for not coming up with suggestions earlier in compliance with the court's order last year, due to the onset of pandemic.

On July 26, the top court had said it had delivered its verdict on February 28 last year and the BCI and the state bar councils were directed to give concrete suggestions to deal with the problem of strikes and abstention from work by lawyers.

It had noted that no response has been received from BCI and other state associations. The top court had asked Mishra to render assistance to the court in his capacity as the chairperson of the

On February 28 last year, the top court was irked by lawyers holding strike every Saturday for 35 years in Uttarakhand district courts over reasons like 'bomb blast in Pakistan', 'earthquake in Nepal' or 'condolence references for family members' and had warned the advocates concerned of contempt action if they persisted with it.

Holding the strike illegal, the top court had sought response from BCI and all the State Bar Councils within six weeks to suggest the further course of action to deal with the problem of strikes/abstaining from work by the lawyers.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, the top court had emphasised that at a time when the judiciary is facing serious problems of pendency and delay in disposal of cases, how can the institution as a whole can afford such four days strike in a month.

The top court had said that every month on 3-4 Saturdays, the advocates are on strike on one pretext or the other and added that had the lawyers worked on those days, it would have achieved the ultimate goal of speedy justice, which is now a fundamental right.

It had said that boycotting courts on every Saturday in the districts of Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand is not justifiable at all and as such it tantamount to contempt of the courts.

The top court had dismissed the appeal filed by the Dehradun Bar Association challenging the Uttarakhand High Court order of September 25, 2019 which had asked the lawyers' and their associations to withdraw the strike in district courts and warned them of contempt action.

The top court had said that despite the law laid down in various verdicts of the apex court, the court had time and again deprecated the lawyers for going on strikes but it continued unabated.

"Even in the present case, the advocates have been boycotting the courts on all Saturdays, in the entire district of Dehradun, in several parts of the district of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar district of the State of Uttaranchal. Because of such strikes, the ultimate sufferers are the litigants," the top court had said.

It had noted the information sent by the High Court to the Law Commission with respect to the state for the years 2012- 2016, which showed that in Dehradun district, the advocates were on strike for 455 days (on an average 91 days per year) and in Haridwar district it was 515 days (about 103 days per year).

"To go on strike/boycott courts cannot be justified under the guise of the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Nobody has the right to go on strike/boycott courts. Even, such a right, if any, cannot affect the rights of others and more particularly, the right of Speedy Justice guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution," it had said.

Referring to the Law Commission's report, the high court had noted that strikes by advocates or their abstinence from courts varied from local, to international issues, having no relevance to the working of the courts, and were seldom for justifiable reasons.

"To mention a few, bomb blast in a Pakistan school, amendments to Sri Lanka's Constitution, inter-state river water disputes, attack on/murder of an advocate, earthquake in Nepal, condoling the death of near relatives of advocates, expressing solidarity to advocates of other state bar associations, moral support to movements by social activists, heavy rains....and even for kavi-sammelans," the high court had noted in its verdict.

In its verdict, the high court had noted that "genesis of this peculiar form" of protest of boycotting work on Saturdays for over 35 years was traceable to western Uttar Pradesh, of which the aforesaid districts formed part of, before the state of Uttarakhand was created on November 9, 2000.

(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.)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai on Friday said the state will start at least five lakh COVID-19 vaccinations everyday from September 1 with the help of the Centre.

"We did five lakh inoculations on a trial basis on Wednesday. Now we will start five lakh vaccinations daily from September 1," Bommai who returned here on Thursday evening after a visit to Delhi, told reporters.

He said his visit to the national capital was mainly to meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and seek the Centre's support to start five lakh inoculations daily from September onwards.

Mandaviya assured his support and said that the Centre would supply the stock of vaccines based on the consumption of the State, Bommai added.

To a question on COVID restrictions during the Gauri-Ganesha festival next month, he said such issues will be discussed at a meeting of COVID-19 experts on August 30.

On water disputes with neighbouring states, the Chief Minister said he had a detailed discussion with Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat regarding Upper Krishna, Mekedatu and Mahadayi, Ettinahole and Upper Bhadra projects.

He also said that he had a discussion with Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi, senior lawyers Shyam Divan and Mohan Katarki and senior officials of the water resource department regarding the water disputes and asked them to speed up the cases which are before the Supreme Court.

The chief minister also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and requested her to continue the GST compensation, as it is ending in 2022. She said that a decision may be taken on this issue in the GST Council meeting, he said.

Regarding his meeting with Union Minister of Commerce and Textiles Piyush Goyal, Bommai said he has sought the Centre's support to Karnataka's proposal for a mega textile park in the state.

Goyal asked him to send the proposal and assured to offer all kinds of subsidy from the Centre for the project. The union minister also said that he would help the State in forging tie-ups with national and international textile manufacturers, Bommai said.

According to the Chief Minister, the mega textile project will generate a large number of jobs, especially for women.

(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.)
will pay compensation to flood-affected people at a higher rate as per the 2019 revised formula even though the Union government refused to change its norms, an official release said here on Friday.

"The state had requested the Union government to increase the compensation amount prescribed under its 2015 norms. But the Union government did not agree so the state has decided to apply 2019 norms for flood-relief and give higher compensation (on its part)," the release said. Then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had increased the compensation amount for flood- affected people in 2019.

in July this year affected 4.5 lakh hectares of area and destroyed crops, as per the state release.

(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 on Friday announced a welfare package of Rs 317 crore, which includes rebuilding houses, for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in

A committee would be set up soon for their welfare, which shall among other things work towards long term solutions on matters like citizenship and making arrangements for those returning to Sri Lanka, Stalin said. Making a statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said Rs 261.54 crore would be for improving infrastructure including reconstruction of houses for those living in camps, Rs 12.25 crore towards ensuring education and job opportunities and Rs 43.61 crore for raising their living standards.

Till date, 3,04,269 Lankan Tamils have arrived in since 1983 and of them 58,822 people belonging to 18,944 families are housed in 108 camps spread across 29 districts and 34,087 people are living elsewhere after due registration, he said. Assuring a dignified living for Tamil refugees, Stalin said 7,469 dilapidated tenements in camps would be rebuilt at a cost of Rs 231.54 crore and Rs 108.81 crore would be earmarked in the current fiscal for construction of 3,510 new houses in the first phase.

For improving basic amenities like drinking water, Rs 30 crore shall be allotted and every year Rs 5 crore shall be set apart for developing such facilities.

On the education front, Stalin said government would bear the tuition and hostel fees of 55 students, who are children of refugees. Fifty students in engineering and five others in agriculture and agriculture-engineering streams would get the assistance based on marks secured. Also, the government shall remit the tuition and hostel fee of all post graduate students living in camps and Rs 1 crore would be allotted for the purpose.

Announcing a hike in scholarship, he said the assistance for those studying polytechnic courses would now be Rs 10,000 from Rs 2,500. For graduate studies in arts and science streams, the scholarship shall be increased to Rs 12,000 from Rs 3,000. For graduate level vocational courses, the scholarship would be increased to Rs 20,000 from Rs 5,000 and Rs 1.25 crore shall be set apart for the initiative. For the every 300 Self Help Groups in camps, Rs 1.25 lakh would be provided as revolving and community investment fund and Rs 75,000 shall be given to 321 groups selected last year over and above the Rs 50,000 provided earlier. In total, Rs 6.16 crore would be allotted for the purpose in the current financial year.

Also, Rs 10 crore would be allotted to provide skill development training to 5,000 youngsters. The cash assistance to family heads would be increased to Rs 1,500 per month from Rs 1,000. The cash support shall be increased to Rs 1,000 from Rs 750 for adults and for children aged 12 and below, it would be Rs 500 from the present Rs 400. The increase would cost the exchequer an additional Rs 21.49 crore.

Free of cost cooking gas connection and stove would be provided to camp inmates at a one-time cost of Rs 7 crore and a subsidy of Rs 400 would be provided for five gas cylinders and Rs 3.80 crore shall be earmarked every year for this purpose. The CM also announced that the rice provided to them over and above the 20 kilo entitlement shall also be provided free of cost. Presently, they get a subsidy of 57 paisa per kilo for rice above the 20-kg slab. "The government will bear the additional expenditure of Rs 19 lakh."



Stalin also announced enhanced support in other welfare schemes including those aimed at providing clothing and cooking utensils.

The Chief Minister said the proposed committee would be for providing appropriate support to refugees living in camps and outside. It would also look into enhancing basic amenities for them.

(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.)
Even in the 19th century, workers were beginning to resent the grind of office life.

You dont know how wearisome it is to breathe the air of four pent walls without relief, day after day, British essayist Charles Lamb wrote in a letter to poet William Wordsworth back in 1822, railing against his toil in the East India Companys office in Leadenhall Street, London.

For the last 17 months, however, Lambs modern successors have mostly worked from home, liberated from what he termed official confinement. Todays white-collar staff are living through a radical transformation of professional life, one economists say is already beginning to jump-start economic productivity and accelerate innovation.

The pandemic has weakened the gravitational pull of city centers, with new forces now reshaping knowledge-based economies. Public transport journeys into cities are down, as are coffee shop sales, while demand for real estate in leafy suburbs is up. Americans spent more time on leisure and household activities in 2020, replacing commuter life with real life.

While a more permanent transformation of working life will have painful consequences for many inner-city businesses, economists see a recalibration underway that can revitalize smaller towns and suburbs. New digital tools mean that retail and hospitality  as well as knowledge-intensive industries  are already undergoing far-reaching change.

Working from home around one day a week will boost productivity by 4.8% as the post-Covid economy takes shape, according to a recent study of more than 30,000 U.S. employees co-authored by Jose Maria Barrero of Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico and others. Much of that one-off increase is projected to come from reduced commuting time, a factor not usually captured by economists.





The transformation will deliver enduring benefits, according to Steven J. Davis of the University of Chicago, who studies the evolving workplace and was one of the authors of the productivity study. The positive consequences will be there indefinitely, Davis said.

In remarks on Aug. 17, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell alluded to a fundamental shift: I think we know that were not simply going back to the economy we had before the pandemic, but it will take time to see exactly what the changes will be.

It seems a near-certainty that there will be substantially more remote work going forward. So thats going to change the nature of work, and the way work gets done, Powell said.

The clues were there before Covid-19 struck. In 2013, a landmark study by Stanford Universitys Nicholas Bloom found that working from home boosted productivity by 13%. A University of Oxford research paper in 2019 revealed that happy staff closed more sales.

Countries with stagnant productivity records will be paying close attention. In 2019, Britain lagged 15% below its pre-crisis trend for total factor productivity, according to Bloomberg Economics. Its a slump without parallel since Charles Lambs time, exacerbated by Brexit, an aging population and the pandemic. European peers have struggled, while the U.S. has found it hard to break away from the pack.

For all the optimism surrounding these tectonic shifts, some economists strike a note of caution. While recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco acknowledges that sweeping changes to the way people do business could boost efficiency, it warns against reading recent gains in productivity numbers as due to more home-working, citing data distortions.

Even the Bank of England accepts that hybrid meetings may be more challenging. A majority of managers worry about the impact of home-working on collaboration, company culture and wellbeing, according to the OECD, which also cited employers concerns about their diminished ability to observe employees at work.

A study led by the University of Chicago's Michael Gibbs found workers worked longer hours at home to perform the same task, as focused time was broken up by domestic distractions like childcare and online meetings. The report also noted that people working from home may exaggerate their productivity in surveys to encourage adoption of the practice.

Former U.K. government advisor Giles Wilkes is more bullish. The ability to deliver products in different places, make more efficient uses of property, and so forth, that is productivity driving innovation, said Wilkes, who recently published a report on Britains productivity woes.

Hybrid working represents a change in the patterns of both demand and supply in a way that moves the economy forward.





Yuri Suzuki does not miss his twice-daily 70-minute commutes. Suzuki, a partner at international design company Pentagram, used to travel on the toxic Central Line, a subway route bisecting London.

After I came back home, I felt just exhausted  I couldnt really think or create anything, Suzuki said on a Zoom call from his home in the seaside town of Margate, Kent, where he has lived since the pandemic began.

Freed from the grind of travel, Suzuki finds he is able to invest time in creative thinking long after formal working hours. That has boosted productivity, with his team taking on double the number of projects than it did before the pandemic. To socialize with his team, Suzuki plans to return to the office around once a week.

At this point, with the delta variant spreading rapidly around the world, many corporate return-to-office plans are being put on hold. But evidence from almost 18 months of the pandemic is helping to inform C-suite decisions.

A glut of companies, new and old, want to marry the benefits of remote work with the efficiency of face-to-face meetings. Alphabet Inc.s Google will let employees spend two days wherever they work best. Lazard Ltd., a 171-year-old financial advisory firm, is following suit for some staff. Asset manager State Street Corp. will close its two Manhattan offices, it said on Aug. 16. Even banking titans will allow some flexibility: Morgan Stanleys Chief Executive Officer James Gorman sees office-working at not 100% but not zero percent of total hours.





Both workers and managers tend to say that two to three days a week of working from home is ideal, said Chiara Criscuolo, who researches productivity for the OECD. Communication and professional relationships can suffer after that, she says.

While hybrid work is taking root among educated, well-paid employees, less than half the workforce has that option, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. In the U.K. just 36% of people did some during 2020, even during lockdowns.

Still, as more work happens away from traditional offices, workers will infuse a wider range of communities with their wealth and business knowledge, distributing economic gains more equitably, according to Abigail Adams-Prassl, an economist at the University of Oxford.

That will have some painful consequences. City center cafes, shops and hairdressers catering to professionals are most exposed, with Bloom, Davis and Barrero calculating that a shift to partial working from home will hit annual spending in major U.S. city centers relative to pre-pandemic levels. Manhattan alone would see a drop of 13%, they projected.

Wilkes concedes that a lot of people will be hurt by the process of change. Nevertheless, he says that the changes that weve been forced into are going to be beneficial on the whole.

Hybrid working also has the potential to encourage a more diverse range of people into the workforce, Davis believes, reducing longstanding productivity issues by making use of the skills of people who were otherwise not working or not working very much. That includes mothers and people living outside major cities. The flexibility to could also encourage older workers to stay in the labor force for longer, the U.K.s Office for National Statistics said. Thats a priority for economies confronting ageing populations.

The U.S. arm of consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP began ramping up some aspects of hybrid work  including flexibility on where and when to work and training on remote-work technology  back in 2017, says Chief People Officer Michael Fenlon. In 2018 the University of Southern California found that teams worked better and retention improved. The focus has sharpened since Covid-19 hit.

Pre-pandemic we learned that a culture of trust was essential for well-being and flexibility. Teams that adopted this were reporting stronger relationships, stronger collaboration, better teamwork and stronger relationships with clients, Fenlon said. Weve used the pandemic to become even more intentional and explicit.

Employers the world over are now grappling with that shift as they try to balance productivity growth with keeping staff creative and happy.

Its a conundrum that comes 199 years late for Charles Lamb. My theory is to enjoy life, but my practice is against it, he wrote to Wordsworth in 1822, lamenting his years spent in smoke-filled offices.

Lambs desk-bound successors  and their managers  will soon find out whether they can put their own theories into practice.
With the possibility of India hurtling towards a Covid-19 "third wave", the government on Friday cautioned that the state could witness around 60 lakh cases in such a situation.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that while around 20 lakh were affected in the first wave followed by 40 lakh in the second, the dreaded next wave may lead to over 60 lakh cases.

"Of these, nearly 12 per cent would require oxygen support during treatment... We are trying to achieve 100 percent vaccination as soon as possible," he said.

Contending that the third wave has already started in the US, the UK, Russia, and other countries, he called upon people to take extreme precautions during the upcoming festivals like Janmashtami, Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Diwali to avoid a surge in the cases.

Tope has discussed the issue with his Kerala counterpart Veena George, whose state recorded 31,000 new cases on Thursday with the Onam celebrations considered the prime reason, but the authorities have stepped up testing.

He revealed that to tackle the upcoming health crisis, the government is in the process of recruiting more doctors, nurses and other medical-paramedical staffers besides enhancing health care capacities including for juveniles.

"By September end, we plan to recruit 7,000 medical staff including 1,200 doctors. We are enhancing the production of liquid medical oxygen, increasing the number of beds in Covid hospitals, and getting 1,000 new ambulances," Tope said.

Additionally, the government has approved an increment of Rs 1,500 in the salaries of 71,000 ASHA workers for which an an amount of Rs 275 crore will be included in the budget.

Health Department officials said that at least nine of the worst-hit districts in the two previous waves "are being monitored very closely" to ensure that infections and fatalities can be controlled, besides taking measure to shield children and infants.

The situation has already become worrisome as the state has already recorded over 200 cases of the Covid-19 variant, Delta Plus, which has claimed 5 patients till date.

This week, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation authorities were stunned after 22 young students, mostly below 18, were found infected out of 95 in the St Joseph's School & Orphanage in Dongri, and the institution was promptly sealed on Thursday.

--IANS

qn/vd

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The income-tax department slaps hundreds of notices on foreign portfolio investors for allegedly filing defective returns. India lifts a ban on Boeing 737 MAX, two and a half years after the aircraft was grounded globally.

Here are the top headlines of the day:

Income-Tax notices give the jitters

The income-tax (I-T) department has slapped hundreds of notices on foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in the past few days for allegedly filing defective returns, according to the country's top tax consultants. Read more...

India allows Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to fly



Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday lifted a ban on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, two and a half years after it was grounded globally. The ban had followed two crashes killing 346 on-board. Read more...

Capacity utilisation of India Inc hits new low

India Incs asset-turnover ratio declined to a new low of around 70 per cent in FY21, indicating a further decline in capacity utilisation across sectors last financial year owing to the pandemic. This raises a question on the companies ability to kick-start a fresh round of capacity expansion. Read more...

Expense on R&D for Covid-19 drugs, vax, devices will count as CSR

Research and development of new vaccines, drugs and medical devices related to Covid-19 by companies in the normal course of business will be regarded as corporate social responsibility (CSR) for three financial years, till FY22-23, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) said through a document. Read more...

attack kills 60 Afghans and 13 US troops; Biden vows revenge

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said. Read more...
HC asks Centre to respond to pleas by FB, challenging IT Rules

The High Court Friday asked the Centre to reply to pleas by Facebook and challenging the new IT rules for social media intermediaries requiring the messaging app to trace chats and make provisions to identify the first originator of information.

The pleas have challenged the new rules on the grounds that they violate the right to privacy and are unconstitutional. Read more

schools to reopen in phased manner from Sep 1

Schools in the capital will reopen in a phased manner from September 1, according to sources.

A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday.

"Reopening of schools will begin in phased manner.

Classes for 9-12 grades will begin from September 1 and that for 6-8 grades from September 8," a source said. Read more

asks Congress leadership for freedom to take decisions

Punjab Congress chief has urged the party leadership to allow him freedom to take decisions, else he will give a befitting reply.

The Congress, however, said state chiefs are free to take their decisions within the party's norms and constitution. Read more

Electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 crore redeemed by parties in 2019-20: ADR

Electoral bonds worth Rs 3,429.56 crore were redeemed by parties in 2019-20, and 87.29 per cent of this was received by four parties the BJP, Congress, TMC and the NCP, poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said. Read more
and plan to announce an early harvest by December, according to a joint statement released by the countries on Friday.

The harvest agreement will be the way forward for an early conclusion of a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between both nations.

The statement comes a day after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his counterpart, Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan, had trade-related discussions over a video call.

So far, there have been three rounds of talks between the chief trade negotiators of both nations. In this regard, the ministers directed officials to speed up negotiations and to meet as often as required to achieve an early harvest announcement by December 2021, on an interim agreement to liberalise and deepen bilateral trade in goods and services, and pave the way for a comprehensive agreement, an official statement said.

The negotiations will take into consideration the views of business, industry, and other stakeholders, along with consultations on potential opportunities. The impact of an early harvest deal or an interim agreement before finalising the CECA will also be taken into account.

The ministers look forward to a balanced trade agreement that encourages expanded trade and investment flows to the benefit of both of our economies and people, and which reflects their shared commitment to a rules-based international trading system, an official statement said.

Last week, Goyal had said that was revamping its free-trade strategy with its top trading partners, and is gearing up towards an early harvest deal with countries such as and the United Kingdom.

In the past, a with had been put on hold because of a lack of consensus over various issues.
India's economy is expected to grow 22-23 per cent on year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the June 2021 quarter (Q1FY22) on the back of a severe contraction a year ago, government capex and exports, according to Acuite Ratings.

A double-digit sequential contraction in Gross Value Added (GVA) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is also expected vis-a-vis Q4FY21, given the severe hit impact on the services sector.

Suman Chowdhury, chief analytical officer, Acuite ratings & Research, said Q1FY22 enjoys strong support from a favourable base from last years near-complete nationwide lockdown. It had led to a massive 24.4 per cent (YoY ) contraction in Q1FY21 GDP of India.

The intensity of the second wave of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the subsequent lockdowns across almost all states disrupted the contact intensive services again in Q1. But, the growth print is likely to be supported by the relative resilience of the industrial sector, steady uptick in exports and improved government capital expenditure levels apart from the base factor.

A lower impact of the lockdowns on the industrial sector is manifested in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) print for Q1 which recorded 44.9 per cent YoY growth. The buoyancy in the export sector is reflected not only by the 86 per cent YoY growth, but also an 18 per cent growth over that in Q1FY20.

The agency said it has projected a GVA YoY growth of nearly 20.0%. However, the absolute levels of output will still be lower compared to the pre-Covid levels - first quarter of FY20. This implies that the economy still needs to cover some lost ground before embarking on a sustainable growth path.
on Friday said nations are capable of playing a leading role in achieving the 2030 (SDG) of eradicating hunger and poverty.

Tomar, who chaired the 11th Meeting of Agriculture Ministers virtually, shared efforts taken by India in preserving the agro-biodiversity and for promoting diversification of the agri-food system.

comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

He said the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform has been created to promote cooperation in agricultural research and innovations, and its implementation has been started.

In his opening remark, Tomar said, "BRICS countries are well-positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve the objectives of the 2030 SDGs (sustainable development goals) to eradicate hunger and poverty."



By increasing agri-production and increasing the income of farmers, the problem of income inequality and food price volatility can be overcome, he added.

To preserve agro-biodiversity, the minister said India has set up national gene banks for plants, animals, fish, insects and agriculturally important microorganisms, an official statement said.

Programmes on pulses, oilseeds, horticultural crops, and the recently launched National Palm Oil Mission are implemented to promote diversification of agri-food systems, he added.

Tomar further said India is focusing on capacity building in research, teaching, policy making, trade and farming of nutritious cereals, which will benefit the farmers while conserving the diversity available in this group of crops.

In the meeting, agriculture ministers of BRICS nations acknowledged the strong agricultural research base in the member countries. They also acknowledged the need to harness and share knowledge, facilitate the transfer of technologies from lab to land to provide improved solutions for enhanced productivity, especially in the face of climate change.

They stressed the need to maintain agrobiodiversity and ensure sustainable use of natural resources.

On BRICS Agriculture Research Platform developed by India, Tomar said this will promote cooperation in the areas of agricultural research, extension, technology transfer, training and capacity building.

After the meeting, a joint declaration and the Action Plan for 2021-24 for agricultural cooperation of BRICS countries and BRICS Agriculture Research Platform were adopted.

The Action Plan for 2021-24 provides for enhanced cooperation in agriculture among BRICS nations and focuses on the themes of food security, welfare of farmers, and conservation of agrobiodiversity, among others.

'Conservation and promotion of agrobiodiversity for nutrition and sustainability' was proposed as a focus area for collaboration in the Action Plan 2021-2024.

Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, and other senior officials attended the virtual meeting.

(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 Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Centre to reply to pleas by and challenging the new IT rules for social media intermediaries requiring the messaging app to trace chats and make provisions to identify the first originator of information.

The pleas have challenged the new rules on the grounds that they violate the right to privacy and are unconstitutional.

A Bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice asking the Centre, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, to file reply on the petition as well as the application for stay on the implementation of the Rules.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 22. The counsel for the Centre said the main advocate was not available and sought an adjournment which was opposed by senior advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for and Facebook, respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday imposed monetary penalties on five payment system operators for non-complying with certain provisions of the central bank.

A penalty of Rs 3 crore was levied on Transaction Analysts (India) Pvt Ltd. The said on-site inspection of Transaction Analysts (India) revealed non-compliance with directions issued by the on escrow account balances, limits prescribed for certain transactions, and KYC.

Further, penalties ranging from Rs 1-2 crore have been imposed on four white label ATM operators for non-complying with provisions of the guidelines relating to white label ATMs in India.

BTI Payments and Hitachi Payment Services were levied with monetary penalties of Rs 2 crore each and Tata Communications Payment Solutions, as well as Vakrangee, have been served penalties to the tune of Rs 1 crore each.

Off-site review of the operations of the white label ATM operators had revealed non-compliance with directions issued by the RBI on ATM deployment and maintenance of net-worth, the RBI said.
Reserve Bank on Friday hiked the ceiling on per transaction from India to to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 50,000, a move that will help facilitate retirement and pension-related payments to ex-servicemen settled in the neighbouring country.

Besides, the central bank has removed the cap of 12 in a year per remitter.

"As hitherto, banks shall accept by way of cash from walk-in customers or non-customers. The ceiling of Rs 50,000 per remittance with a maximum of 12 remittances in a year shall, however, continue to apply for such remittances," Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a circular.

While increasing the ceiling, has also advised banks to put in place suitable velocity checks and other risk mitigation procedures.

"The enhancements are also expected to facilitate payments relating to retirement, pension, etc., to our ex-servicemen who have settled/ relocated in Nepal," it said.

The circular is addressed to Chairman/ Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of all banks participating in NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer).

The Indo- Remittance Facility Scheme was launched by in May 2008 as an option for cross-border remittances from India to Nepal, with special focus on requirements of migrant workers of Nepali origin working in India.

The scheme leverages NEFT ecosystem available in the country for origination of such remittances and entails a ceiling of Rs 50,000 per remittance with a maximum of 12 remittances in a year.

The beneficiary receives funds in Nepalese Rupees through credit to her/ his bank account maintained with the subsidiary of State Bank of India in (Nepal SBI Bank Limited) or through an agency arrangement.

The enhancements to Indo-Nepal remittance facility scheme are expected to boost trade payments between the two countries, as also to facilitate person-to-person remittances electronically to Nepal.

(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.)
Evacuation flights from resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after at least one suicide bombing targeted the thousands of people desperately fleeing a takeover and killed more than 100. Large crowds milled around despite repeated warnings of more terrorist attacks, a day after 13 US service members died in the attack, just ahead of next weeks end to Americas longest war.

The window for civilian evacuations has all but closed for thousands of Afghans as many countries have either ended or are about to end airlift operations on security concerns. American President Joe Biden vowed to complete the US evacuation mission in Afghanistan, promising those responsible would pay. We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said at the White House.

The UN Security Council, currently being presided over by India, said members condemned in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks.

A official said 75 Afghans were killed and about 150 wounded in the airport violence, while the Associated Press quoted unnamed officials as saying 169 Afghans died. A final count may take time amid confusion, with many bodies dismembered or not yet identified. Also, there remained confusion around the number of explosions, with Pentagon late in the day saying only one blast hit Kabul. It said that despite earlier reports to the contrary, there was only one explosion that rocked the perimeter of Kabuls airport on Thursday, not two.

As the call to prayer echoed on Friday through Kabul along with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowds outside the airport appeared as large as ever despite the risks.

The US said more than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated from Kabul, but thousands more are struggling to leave in one of history's largest airlifts. The White House said on Friday morning that 8,500 evacuees were flown out aboard US military aircraft in the previous 24 hours, along with about 4,000 people on coalition flights. That is about the same total as the day before the attacks.

wants good ties with India



The Taliban wants good ties with all countries, including India, a top official of the militant group has said as he vowed not to allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country. We desire good ties with all countries, including India, which is an important part of the region. Our desire is that India devise its policy as per the interests of Afghan people, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told Pakistans ARY News channel


is framing rules to ban internet whose data poses potential security risks from listing outside the country, including in the United States, according to a person familiar with the matter.



The ban is also expected to be imposed on involved in ideology issues, said the person, declining to be identified as the matter is private.



Beijing said last month it planned to strengthen supervision of all firms listed offshore, a sweeping regulatory shift that came after a cybersecurity investigation into ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc just days after its U.S. listing.



Under the planned rules, the Chinese securities regulator would tighten scrutiny of overseas IPO-bound firms and ban those that collect vast amount of users data or create content that could pose possible security risks, said the person.



All internet firms would be asked to voluntarily apply for reviews with the powerful Cybersecurity Administration of (CAC) if they aim to list their shares outside China, said the person.



CAC would conduct the review, if necessary, with other relevant ministries and regulators, the person said, adding after the cybersecurity watchdog's approval would be allowed to submit an application to the securities regulator.



The Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and CAC didn't immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

The plan is one of several proposals under consideration by Chinese regulators as Beijing has tightened its grip on the country's internet platforms in recent months, including looking to sharpen scrutiny of overseas listings.



The crackdown, which has smashed stocks and badly dented investor sentiment, has particularly targeted unfair competition and internet companies' handling of an enormous cache of consumer data, after years of a more laissez-faire approach.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper first reported the new rules that would prohibit internet firms holding a swathe of user-related data from listing abroad.



SHAREHOLDING STRUCTURE



The rules being drafted would also put an emphasis on the legal responsibility of underwriters in overseas listings and require a more thorough disclosure of shareholding for those with so-called variable interest entities (VIE) structure.



The VIE structure was created two decades ago to circumvent rules restricting foreign investment in sensitive industries such as media and telecommunications, enabling Chinese companies to raise funds overseas via offshore listings.



It has been widely adopted by China's new economy companies, mainly internet firms, that are generally incorporated in the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands and therefore fall outside Beijing's legal jurisdiction.



It gives firms more flexibility to raise capital offshore, while bypassing the scrutiny and lengthy IPO vetting process that locally-incorporated companies have to go through.



Reuters reported last month that China's securities regulator was setting up a team to review plans by Chinese companies for IPOs abroad, including those using the VIE corporate structure that Beijing says has led to abuse.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China is seeking to tighten oversight of the algorithms technology use to drive their business, issuing far-reaching draft rules in Beijing's latest move to crackdown on its internet sector.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement on Friday that must abide by business ethics and principles of fairness and should not set up models that entice users to spend large amounts of money or spend money in a way that may disrupt public order.

The guidelines include a proposal that users be given the option to easily turn off recommendation services, giving consumers a greater say over an area of the internet that has also been the target of authorities in the United States and Europe.

"As far as I'm concerned, this policy marks the moment that China's tech regulation is not simply keeping pace with data regulations in the European Union but has gone beyond them," said Kendra Schaefer, head of tech policy research at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium China.





The move will directly impact some of China's biggest tech with shares in e-commerce giant Alibaba Group falling as much as 5.2% in Hong Kong. The company was not immediately available to comment.

Algorithims are used in a whole suite of technologies - from facial recognition tools to social media platforms -- and tech companies have come under fire globally for failing to protect users' privacy and for allowing the spread of disinformation.

In China, state media have accused companies of using them to pressure people into purchases and promotions.

The White House has called on tech companies to tweak their algorithms to root out false information and has singled out Facebook, while the European Union has drafted rules that threaten fines on big tech firms if they do not do more to tackle illegal content.

Under the draft guidelines, which are open for public consultation until Sept. 26, Chinese authorities will be able to inspect algorithms and request rectifications should they find problems, the CAC added.



Firms to move data from Alibaba, Tencent clouds



The Chinese city of Tianjin has asked municipally controlled companies to migrate their data from private sector operators like Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings to a state-backed cloud system by next year, according to a document seen by Reuters. The push by Tianjin, a city of roughly 14 million people, comes as China tightens controls on how companies store and manage the vast troves of data they collect.
Chinas buzzy high-tech companies dont usually recruit Cambodian speakers, so the job ads for three well-paid positions with those language skills stood out. The ad, seeking writers of research reports, was placed by an internet security start-up in Chinas tropical island-province of Hainan.

That start-up was more than it seemed, according to American law enforcement. Hainan Xiandun Technology was part of a web of front companies controlled by Chinas secretive state security ministry, according to a federal indictment from May. They hacked computers from the United States to Cambodia to Saudi Arabia, seeking sensitive government data as well as less-obvious spy stuff, like details of a New Jersey companys fire-suppression system, according to prosecutors.

The accusations appear to reflect an increasingly aggressive campaign by Chinese government hackers and a pronounced shift in their tactics: Chinas premier spy agency is increasingly reaching beyond its own ranks to recruit from a vast pool of private-sector talent.

This new group of hackers has made Chinas state cyberspying machine stronger, more sophisticated and--for its growing array of government and private-sector targets--more dangerously unpredictable. Sponsored but not necessarily micromanaged by Beijing, this new breed of hacker attacks government targets and private companies alike, mixing traditional espionage with outright fraud and other crimes for profit.





ALSO READ: China to meet economic targets with virus curbs: President Xi Jinping

Chinas new approach borrows from the tactics of Russia and Iran, which have tormented public and commercial targets for years. Chinese hackers with links to state security demanded ransom in return for not releasing a companys computer source code, according to an indictment released by the U.S. Department of Justice last year. Another group of hackers in southwest China mixed cyber raids on Hong Kong democracy activists with fraud on gaming websites, another indictment asserted. One member of the group boasted about having official protection, provided that they avoid targets in China.

The upside is they can cover more targets, spur competition. The downside is the level of control, said Robert Potter, the head of Internet 2.0, an Australian firm. Ive seen them do some really boneheaded things, like try and steal $70,000 during an espionage op.



A shopper sits in front of ground markers at an upscale retail area in Beijing. China's hackers are targeting computers from the US to Cambodia to Saudi Arabia. (Bloomberg file photo.)

Investigators believe these groups have been responsible for some big recent data breaches, including hacks targeting the personal details of 500 million guests at the Marriott hotel chain, information on roughly 20 million U.S. government employees and, this year, a Microsoft email system used by many of the worlds largest companies and governments.

The Microsoft breach was unlike Chinas previously disciplined strategy, said Dmitri Alperovitch, the chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a nonprofit geopolitical think tank.

They went after organizations they had zero interest in and exploited those organizations with ransomware and other attacks, Mr. Alperovitch said.

Chinas tactics changed after Xi Jinping, the countrys top leader, transferred more cyberhacking responsibility to the Ministry of State Security from the Peoples Liberation Army following a slew of sloppy attacks and a reorganization of the military. The ministry, a mix of spy agency and Communist Party inquisitor, has used more sophisticated hacking tools, like security flaws known as zero days, to target companies, activists and governments.

While the ministry projects an image of remorseless loyalty to the Communist Party in Beijing, its hacking operations can act like local franchises. Groups often act on their own agendas, sometimes including sidelines in commercial cybercrime, experts said.

The message: Were paying you to do work from 9 to 5 for the national security of China, Mr. Alperovitch said. What you do with the rest of your time, and with the tools and access you have, is really your business.

A grand jury indictment released last year charged that two former classmates from an electrical engineering college in Chengdu, in southwest China, marauded through foreign computer servers and stole information from dissidents and engineering diagrams from an Australian defense contractor. On the side, the indictment said, the two tried extortion: demanding payment in return for not revealing an unidentified companys source code on the internet.

Under this system, Chinese hackers have become increasingly aggressive. The rate of global attacks linked to the Chinese government has nearly tripled since last year compared with the four previous years, according to Recorded Future, a Somerville, Mass., company that studies the use of internet by state-linked actors. That number now averages more than 1,000 per three-month period, it said.

Considering the volume thats going on, how many times has the F.B.I. gotten them? Precious few, said Nicholas Eftimiades, a retired senior American intelligence officer who writes about Chinas espionage operations. Theres no way you can staff up to be able to contend with this type of onslaught.

Though their numbers make them hard to stop, the hackers dont always try hard to cover their tracks. They sometimes leave clues strewn online, including wedding photos of agents in state security uniforms, telltale job ads and boasts of their feats.





ALSO READ: China's two-week port closure to have a mixed impact on India's trade

Hainan Xiandun was set up to recruit young talent and create a veneer of deniability, prosectors said. It posted job ads on the message boards of Chinese universities and sponsored a competition.

The operations from Hainan--an island jutting into the South China Sea--sometimes reflected local priorities, like stealing marine research from a university in California and hacking governments in nearby Southeast Asian countries, according to the May indictment. Its job ad for Cambodian speakers was placed three months before Cambodian elections.

While some targets had clear espionage goals, others appeared less focused. The hackers tried to steal Ebola vaccine data from one institution, prosecutors said, and secrets about self-driving cars from another.

In January 2020, a mysterious blog with a track record of exposing Chinese state security hackers picked up the scent. The blog, Intrusion Truth, was already known in Washington circles for naming Chinese intelligence officers well before they appeared in U.S. indictments.

The operators of Intrusion Truth scoured job boards for Hainan companies advertising for penetration testing engineers, who secure networks by exploring how they could be hacked.

One posting from Hainan Xiandun stood out. The ad, on a Sichuan University computer science hiring board from 2018, boasted that Xiandun had received a considerable number of government-secret-related business.

The company, based in Hainans capital, Haikou, paid monthly salaries of $1,200 to $3,000  solid middle-class wages for Chinese tech workers fresh out of college  with bonuses as high as $15,000. Xianduns ads listed an email address used by other firms looking for cybersecurity experts and linguists, suggesting they were part of a network.

Chinese hacking groups are increasingly sharing malware, exploits and coordinating their efforts, the operators of Intrusion Truth wrote in an email. The operators have not disclosed their identities, citing the sensitivity of their work.

Xianduns registered address was the library of Hainan University. Its phone number matched that of a computer science professor and Peoples Liberation Army veteran who ran a website offering payments for students with novel ideas about cracking passwords. The professor has not been charged.

Other records and phone numbers led the blog authors to an email address and a frequent-flier account owned by Ding Xiaoyang, one of the managers of the company.

The indictment asserted that Mr. Ding was a state security officer who ran the hackers working at Hainan Xiandun. It included details the blog did not find, like an award Mr. Ding received from the Ministry of State Security for young leaders in the organization.

Mr. Ding and others named in the indictment couldnt be reached.

Though trackable for now, Chinas state security apparatus may be learning how to better hide its footprints, said Matthew Brazil, a former China specialist for the Department of Commerces Office of Export Enforcement who has co-written a study of Chinese espionage.

The abilities of the Chinese services are uneven, he said. Their game is getting better, and in five or 10 years its going to be a different story.

(Nicole Perlroth contributed reporting.)
Foreign Secretary will visit the US next week to attend events at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and hold bilateral engagements with President Joe Biden's administration.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi made the announcement on Shringla's visit at a media briefing here on Friday.

"Foreign Secretary will be visiting the US next week for multilateral as well as bilateral engagements," he said.

India holds the UNSC presidency for the month of August and Shringla will attend the wrap-up session of the Indian presidency at the global body.

"The foreign secretary will be attending events relating to the wrap-up session of our UNSC presidency, including the UNSC open briefing on the Middle-East," Bagchi said.

"After his engagements in New York, he will visit Washington DC for bilateral consultations," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tesla CEO on Friday openly criticised former Amazon founder and billionaire on Twitter, saying he has taken retirement only to file lawsuits against

Earlier this month, Bezos-owned space firm Blue Origin sued NASA for picking Musk-owned for its prestigious $2.9 billion Moon lander programme.

After the lawsuit, the US space agency put SpaceX's contract on hold for the second time.

Replying to a follower, Musk tweeted: "Turns out Bezos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against .."

Amazon this week urged the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to dismiss plans by SpaceX to launch another cluster of satellites to power its ambitious space internet service called Starlink.

Starlink is currently powered by around 1,740 low earth orbit satellites, which serve an estimated 90,000 customers globally. The company is set to launch 30,000 second-generation satellites to boost the internet network.

According to court filings, NASA voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the SpaceX contract until November 1, this year, while the US Court of Federal Claims adjudicated the case.

NASA agreed to halt SpaceX's contract on the condition that all parties agreed to "an expedited litigation schedule that concludes on November 1," a spokesperson for the agency was quoted as saying.

"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," the spokesperson added.

Blue Origin sued NASA over its April decision to pick only SpaceX's Starship rocket system for the agency's first human lunar landing system since 1972.

The US space agency was expected to pick two lunar lander prototypes (including one of Blue Origin's) but funding cuts from the US Congress led the agency to select SpaceX over Blue Origin.

Escalating his space war with Musk, Bezos in an open letter to the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson had said that his company would close the US space agency's near-term budgetary shortfall and produce a safe and sustainable lander that will return Americans to the surface of the Moon -- this time to stay.

But, despite the delays, SpaceX has made swift progress on its Starship system and has moved the programme along using mostly private funds, the report said.

The first Starship prototype bound for orbit will be ready for launch "in a few weeks," Musk tweeted.

Bezos, who founded Amazon exactly 24 years ago on July 5, 1994, officially stepped down in July this year, and former AWS executive Andy Jassy took over as the CEO of the e-commerce behemoth.

--IANS

na/rs

(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.)
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said there was a large amount of security at the airport, and alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in. About 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield, McKenzie said.

The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.

The group claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The were not believed to have been involved in the attacks and condemned the blasts.





ALSO READ: Britain warns of 'imminent attack' targeting Kabul airport amid evacuations

In an emotional speech from the White House, U.S. President said the latest bloodshed would not drive the U.S. out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled, and that he had instructed the U.S. military to develop plans to strike IS.

We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said.

U.S. officials initially said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. Another service member died hours later. Eighteen service members were wounded and officials warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.

One of the bombers struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water. Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

Emergency, an Italian charity that operates hospitals in Afghanistan, said it had received at least 60 patients wounded in the airport attack, in addition to 10 who were dead when they arrived.

Surgeons will be working into the night, said Marco Puntin, the charitys manager in Afghanistan. The wounded overflowed the triage zone into the physiotherapy area and more beds were being added, he said.

The Afghan official who confirmed the overall Afghan toll spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said one explosion was near an airport entrance and another was a short distance away by a hotel. McKenzie said clearly some failure at the airport allowed a suicide bomber to get so close to the gate.

He said the has been screening people outside the gates, though there was no indication that the Taliban deliberately allowed Thursdays attacks to happen. He said the U.S. has asked Taliban commanders to tighten security around the airports perimeter.

Adam Khan was waiting nearby when he saw the first explosion outside what's known as the Abbey gate. He said several people appeared to have been killed or wounded, including some who were maimed.

The second blast was at or near Baron Hotel, where many people, including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation. Additional explosions could be heard later, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said some blasts were carried out by U.S. forces to destroy their equipment.

A former Royal Marine who runs an animal shelter in Afghanistan says he and his staff were caught up in the aftermath of the blast near the airport.

All of a sudden we heard gunshots and our vehicle was targeted, had our driver not turned around he would have been shot in the head by a man with an AK-47," Paul Pen Farthing told Britains Press Association news agency.

Farthing is trying to get staff of his Nowzad charity out of Afghanistan, along with the groups rescued animals.

He is among thousands trying to flee. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America's longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight took off carrying those who fear a return to the militants' brutal rule. When the Taliban were last in power, they confined women largely to their home and widely imposed draconian restrictions.

Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, signaling the beginning of the end of one of history's largest airlifts. The Taliban have insisted foreign troops must be out by America's self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31  and the evacuations must end then, too.

In Washington, Biden spent much of the morning in the secure White House Situation Room where he was briefed on the explosions and conferred with his national security team and commanders on the ground in Kabul.

Overnight, warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from IS, which has seen its ranks boosted by the Talibans freeing of prisoners during its advance through Afghanistan.

Shortly before the attack, the acting U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ross Wilson, said the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling. But in an interview with ABC News, he would not give details.



ALSO READ: Pakistan is like a second home for the Taliban, says Zabihullah Mujahid

Late Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy warned citizens at three airport gates to leave immediately due to an unspecified security threat. Australia, Britain and New Zealand also advised their citizens Thursday not to go to the airport.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that any attack was imminent at the airport, where the group's fighters have deployed and occasionally used heavy-handed tactics to control the crowds. After the attack, he appeared to shirk blame, noting the airport is controlled by U.S. troops.

Before the blast, the Taliban sprayed a water cannon at those gathered at one airport gate to try to drive the crowd away, as someone launched tear gas canisters elsewhere.

Nadia Sadat, a 27-year-old Afghan, carried her 2-year-old daughter with her outside the airport. She and her husband, who had worked with coalition forces, missed a call from a number they believed was the State Department and were trying to get into the airport without any luck. Her husband had pressed ahead in the crowd to try to get them inside.

We have to find a way to evacuate because our lives are in danger, Sadat said. "My husband received several threatening messages from unknown sources. We have no chance except escaping.

Aman Karimi, 50, escorted his daughter and her family to the airport, fearful the Taliban would target her because of her husband's work with NATO.

The Taliban have already begun seeking those who have worked with NATO," he said. They are looking for them house-by-house at night.

The Sunni extremists of IS, with links to the group's more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a series of brutal attacks, mainly targeting Afghanistan's Shiite Muslim minority, including a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul in which they killed women and infants.

The Taliban have fought against militants in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have wrested back control nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion. The Americans went in following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group.

Amid the warnings and the pending American withdrawal, Canada ended its evacuations, and European nations halted or prepared to stop their own operations.

The Taliban have said they'll allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the deadline next week, but it remains unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said talks were underway between his country and the Taliban about allowing Turkish civilian experts to help run the facility.

(Associated Press reporters Sayed Ziarmal Hashemi, Rahim Faiez, Lolita c. Baldor and Joseph Krauss contributed to this story.)
Fintech and e-commerce in are raising hefty amounts of capital as global investors bet on post-pandemic technology plays, bankers and investors said, a trend that is also stoking concerns about frothy valuations.

Public equity capital raising by Southeast Asian firms has surged to a four-year high of $8.4 billion this year, data from Refinitiv shows, with such as Indonesian e-commerce firm Bukalapak attracting strong interest in its IPO.

Private equity investments have also jumped, reaching $8.2 billion, just shy of a record of $8.9 billion in 2020 and expanding the "unicorn" club of startups valued at more than $1 billion.

Near-term fundraising activity will be led by Indonesian tech group GoTo's expected completion of a $2 billion pre-IPO funding while about a dozen start-ups are looking to list regionally or in the United States over the next two years, bankers and investors said.

The hectic pace of activity comes as the COVID-19 pandemic boosts consumers' adoption of digital platforms and investors scout for internet-based that are able to grow their businesses faster in a region of 650 million people.

Cash-rich global funds are also sharpening their focus on these opportunities, given China's regulatory crackdown on technology companies.

"There's strong interest from public market investors to get exposure to the growth profile of this region," said Jeffrey Perlman, head of at buyout fund Warburg Pincus, one of the biggest investors in the region.

Startups looking to list as early as this year include Indonesian travel firm Traveloka and online classified marketplace Carousell, sources familiar with the plans said.

Regional logistics group Ninja Van and Thai e-commerce enabler aCommerce both said an IPO was a possibility but gave no timeline. Other sources said Thai startup Pomelo Fashion was considering an IPO next year.

Traveloka and Carousell declined to comment. Pomelo Fashion did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We do see more exciting companies emerge. I would be constructive on the opportunities within Southeast Asia," said Sukumar Rajah, director of portfolio management at Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity.

'REAL OPPORTUNITY'

Southeast Asia's internet economy is forecast to triple to $300 billion by 2025 from end-2020, according to a report from Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.

The total value of venture capital transactions has already hit a record $10 billion in the first half of this year, surpassing 2020's level of $8.2 billion, data from industry tracker Preqin shows.

"Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand a all these countries have large enough domestic populations where digitisation opportunities can be unicorn size," Jeffrey Jaensubhakij, chief investment officer at Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC said last month.

"The difficulty lies in which are the few business models that can really do pan-regional because that's where the real opportunity is."

The region has also attracted interest from SPACS or special purpose acquisition companies and accounts for four of eight Asia-related SPAC targets unveiled this year, Dealogic data shows.

"Investors have also been to the movie before in China and India, so they are looking to leverage that experience in a bigger way and avoid missing out on some of those same opportunities," said Perlman from Warburg Pincus.

Ride-hailing and food delivery firm Grab, struck a record $40 billion SPAC deal in April as part of a U.S. listing.

"It's rare that our part of the world gets the attention.

It's not China or India or Australia or Korea but Southeast Asia," said Hari Krishnan, CEO of regional online marketplace PropertyGuru, referring to interest from SPACs.

Singapore-based PropertyGuru agreed a $1.8 billion merger with a SPAC backed by tycoons Richard Li and Peter Thiel to list in the United States.

Singapore-based gaming to e-commerce firm Sea's stellar U.S. share performance since its listing four years ago has also encouraged investors.

However, some concerns are emerging over whether the abundant global liquidity is inflating company valuations and if they can be sustained in secondary markets.

For example, Bukalapak, which launched Indonesia's biggest IPO of $1.5 billion this month after scaling it up from $300 million, saw its shares jump 55% from its IPO price in the first few days before giving up most of its gains.

"To justify its high enterprise value to sales multiples, Bukalapak will need to maintain annual revenue growth at around 50% over the next five years, which seems like a rather difficult target," said Oshadhi Kumarasiri, equity analyst at LightStream Research.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The wants good ties with all countries, including India, a top official of the militant group has said as he vowed not to allow Afghan soil to be used against any other country.

spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also said that the group, which now rules Afghanistan, considers as an important part of the region.

"We desire good ties with all countries, including India, which is an important part of the region. Our desire is that devise its policy as per the interests of Afghan people," Mujahid was quoted as saying by Pakistan's ARY News channel on Wednesday.

The seized power in on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

"We have said it before that we won't allow our soil to be used against any other country. Our policy is clear,"



Mujahid said when asked about the possible resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State in

He was of the view that Pakistan and should sit together to resolve all their outstanding issues because both are neighbours and their interests are linked to each other, the channel 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.)
Amid chaos and mayhem, the US on Thursday (local time) evacuated 7,500 people from after a twin blast rocked Kabul airport and Baron Hotel that killed 13 US troops and injured an additional 15 service members as well as numerous Afghan civilians.

"From August 26 at 3:00 AM EDT to August 26 at 3:00 PM EDT, a total of approximately 7,500 people were evacuated from Kabul. This is the result of 14 US military flights (13 C-17s and 1 C-130) which carried approximately 5,100 evacuees and 39 coalition flights which carried 2,400 people," stated a White House official.

The first blast was reported at the Abbey Gate in Kabul airport while the second one was near the Baron Hotel.

"Since August 14, the US has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 100,100 people. Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 105,700 people," said the official.

The US flag will be flown at half-mast until the evening of August 30 to honour the victims killed in the terrorist attacks in Afghanistan's Kabul, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

US President Joe Biden said the United States has reason to believe the leaders of the Islamic State-Khorasan terror group are behind the attacks at the Kabul airport.

Biden said the Islamic State-Khorasan has planned complex attacks against US forces and in after they were released from prisons during the takeover 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 US officials in naively handed the a kill list to target Afghans who aided American forces in the country, according to a media report.

Following the takeover of Kabul earlier this month, US officials there gave the militant group a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies so they could be allowed to enter the Taliban-controlled perimeter around the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul, according to Politico.

The decision was made despite the Taliban's notorious reputation for brutally executing Afghans who helped the US military and other Western forces during the war and occupation that followed the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The move, detailed by three US and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from as chaos erupted in Afghanistan's capital city after the seized control of the country, the report said.

It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban's many checkpoints.

But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban has angered lawmakers and military officials.

Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list, said one defence official, who like spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. It's just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.

Asked about the report, President Joe Biden said he was not sure there were such lists, but also didn't deny that sometimes the US hands over names to the Taliban.

"There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through," he said.

"So, yes there have been occasions like that. To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred and they have been let through.

"I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names," he added.

The revelation came just days after it was reported that Taliban death squads have been going door-to-door to hunt down suspected Afghan collaborators, with tens of thousands of American allies potentially at risk.

A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment.

The list issue came up during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week, which turned contentious after top Biden administration officials defended their close coordination with the Taliban.

Biden officials contended that it was the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe and prevent a shooting war between Taliban fighters and the thousands of US troops stationed at the airport.

Critics argue it's putting Afghan allies in harm's way, the report said.

Following the fall of Kabul on August 15, the joint US military and the diplomatic team at the airport began giving the Taliban lists of people the US was seeking to evacuate, Politico said.

They had to do that because of the security situation the White House created by allowing the Taliban to control everything outside the airport, one US official said.

But after thousands of visa applicants started arriving at the airport, the State Department reportedly told those people to stay away until they were cleared for entry and the lists given to the Taliban no longer included the names of any Afghans.

As of Wednesday, only people with US passports and green cards were being admitted to the airport and processed for evacuation, the defence official told Politico.

(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 two men risked their lives together nearly a decade ago trying to eliminate the Taliban, dodging bullets and forever bonding in a way that can only be forged in war.

Now the American soldier and his Afghan translator were together again in Germany, shopping for a suit.

Abdulhaq Sodais's future hinges on an asylum hearing in a German court after he was denied a US visa, and US Army Veteran Spencer Sullivan was there to help him prepare.

Together, they watched videos from Sodais' hometown: The crackle of gunfire, dead bodies being carted off as black smoke billowed. Once US troops withdrew, the fragile government built over years by people like Sodais and Sullivan collapsed in just days.

I couldn't stop crying, Sodais said.

My father said the were knocking on every single door in Herat looking for guys who worked for the coalition forces.

Sullivan already lost another translator, Sayed Masoud, who was killed by the while waiting for a US visa.

It's a scar Sullivan carries deeply, the realisation that the US government is capable of the one thing he never believed: betrayal.

Sullivan was determined not to let Sodais, who used smugglers to get to Europe, suffer the same fate. So he's been helping Sodais prepare for his September 6 asylum hearing.

I made a promise to him just as America made a promise to him to protect him and save his life, Sullivan said.

I mean how can you turn your back on that promise?" Sullivan is among scores of US combat veterans working on their own to rescue the Afghans who served alongside them.

Their efforts started long before this month's chaotic rush to evacuate Afghans after the Taliban's swift takeover of as US forces withdraw from America's forever war.

Thousands of Afghans who aided US troops have spent years stuck in a backlogged and beleaguered US Special Immigrant Visa program.

The program was meant to award Afghans for their support by giving them a pathway to the United States.

But it has fallen far short, with Congress failing to approve enough visas each year, while the former Trump administration added new security requirements and bureaucratic hurdles that turned the average wait time from a few months into nearly three years. have been denied over what immigration attorneys say were minor or unjust discrepancies in their performance records.

For Sullivan, saving Sodais is about protecting a US ally. Both of his interpreters worked with the platoon Sullivan led in from 2012 to 2013.

They went on dozens of missions into villages controlled by the Taliban, taking on fire while unarmed.

In 2013, Masoud applied for a special immigrant visa after receiving death threats for his work. His application included a letter of recommendation from Sullivan.

Two years later, Masoud's application was denied. The US embassy said he had not worked for the US government or its military, but for a US firm that had a contract with the Department of Defense.

Masoud appealed and Sullivan wrote another letter to the Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, Kabul, but he got no response.

In the summer of 2017, Masoud's brother told Sullivan that Masoud had been shot by the after returning home for a relative's funeral and was dead.

Sullivan was consumed by sadness and guilt.

Like Masoud, Sodais also had applied for a special immigrant visa in 2013 and was denied.

He applied again in 2015 and 2016. Sullivan sent the US embassy in Kabul letters to support his case.

His last rejection came in 2017. After Sodais' uncle was beheaded, Sodais decided he had to find another way out.

His brother, who knew someone in a travel agency, helped him get a tourist visa to Iran, and his family knew an Afghan man living there who would end up connecting Sodais to the first of a long line of smugglers.

He decided to head to Germany, and his family sold their small general store in to fund his journey.

In the end, it took him seven months and would cost his family USD 15,000 to get to Germany. Once there, he applied for asylum but was lacking sufficient photos or documentation to support his claims and was immediately denied.

He called Sullivan, who he had not spoken to in more than a year.

I was like oh my God, he's alive!' Sullivan recounted, feeling overjoyed.

Four months later, Sullivan went to see him in Germany and offered to help his case, working to communicate with officials in the US and Germany.

For now, Sodais is safe. On August 11, Germany temporarily halted the deportation of all Afghans due to the upheaval but did not specify how long the order would last. But Sodais worries his luck will run out once deportations resume.

Really sometimes, it's really hard for me to fight against this life, he said on a Zoom call with Sullivan as he rattled off his fears over what's happening in Afghanistan, his guilt over leaving his family, and his anxiety over his future.

And how will he ever get to the United States, where he wants to live? he asks.

Sullivan interrupts, stopping his downward spiral, and reminds him to stay focused on the September 6 asylum hearing.

Step one is we keep you alive, he said. We get you asylum in Germany and everything else will follow.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An attack on a crowd gathered outside Kabuls airport on Aug. 26, 2021, has left at least 60 people dead, including at least a dozen U. S. Marines. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the coordinated suicide bomb and gun assault, which came just days after President Joe Biden warned that the group  an affiliate of the Islamic State group operating in  was seeking to target the airport and attack U. S. and allied forces and innocent civilians.

Amira Jadoon, a terrorism expert at the U. S. Military Academy West Point, and Andrew Mines, a research fellow at the George Washington Universitys Program on Extremism, have been tracking ISIS-K for years and answered our questions about who the terrorist group is, and the threat it poses in a destabilized

Who is ISIS-K?

The Islamic State Khorasan Province, which is also known by the acronyms ISIS-K, ISKP and ISK, is the official affiliate of the Islamic State movement operating in Afghanistan, as recognized by Islamic State core leadership in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS-K was officially founded in January 2015. Within a short period of time, it managed to consolidate territorial control in several rural districts in north and northeast Afghanistan, and launched a lethal campaign across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Within its first three years, ISIS-K launched attacks against minority groups, public areas and institutions, and government targets in major cities across and Pakistan.

By 2018, it had become one of the top four deadliest terrorist organizations in the world, according to the Institute for Economics and Peaces Global Terrorism Index.

Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

But after suffering major territorial, leadership and rank-and-file losses to the U. S.-led coalition and its Afghan partners  which culminated in the surrender of over 1,400 of its fighters and their families to the Afghan government in late 2019 and early 2020  the organization was declared, by some, to be defeated.

Can you tell us a little more about the groups background?

ISIS-K was founded by former members of the Pakistani Taliban, Afghan Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Over time, though, the group has poached militants from various other groups.

One of the groups greatest strengths is its ability to leverage the local expertise of these fighters and commanders. ISIS-K first started to consolidate territory in the southern districts of Nangarhar province, which sits on Afghanistans northeast border with Pakistan and is the site of al-Qaidas former stronghold in the Tora Bora area.

ISIS-K used its position on the border to garner supplies and recruits from Pakistans tribal areas, as well as the expertise of other local groups with which it forged operational alliances.

Substantial evidence shows that the group has received money, advice, and training from the Islamic State groups core organizational body in Iraq and Syria. Some experts have placed those figures in excess of US$100 million.

What are its aims and tactics?

ISIS-Ks general strategy is to establish a beachhead for the Islamic State movement to expand its so-called caliphate to Central and South Asia.

It aims to cement itself as the foremost jihadist organization in the region, in part by seizing the legacy of jihadist groups that came before it. This is evident in the groups messaging, which appeals to veteran jihadist fighters as well as younger populations in urban areas.

Like the groups namesake in Iraq and Syria, ISIS-K leverages the expertise of its personnel and operational alliances with other groups to carry out devastating attacks. These attacks target minorities like Afghanistans Hazara and Sikh populations, as well as journalists, aid workers, security personnel and government infrastructure.

ISIS-Ks goal is to create chaos and uncertainty in a bid to push disillusioned fighters from other groups into their ranks, and to cast doubt on any ruling governments ability to provide security for the population.

What relationship does ISIS-K have with the Taliban?

ISIS-K sees the Afghan Taliban as its strategic rivals.

It brands the Afghan Taliban as filthy nationalists with ambitions only to form a government confined to the boundaries of Afghanistan. This contradicts the Islamic State movements goal of establishing a global caliphate.

Since its inception, ISIS-K has tried to recruit Afghan Taliban members while also targeting Taliban positions throughout the country.

ISIS-Ks efforts have met with some success, but the Taliban have managed to stem the groups challenges by pursuing attacks and operations against ISIS-K personnel and positions.

These clashes have often occurred in tandem with U. S. and Afghan air power and ground operations against ISIS-K, although the full extent to which these operations were coordinated is still unclear.

What is clear is that the majority of ISIS-Ks manpower and leadership losses were the result of U. S. and Afghan-led operations, and American air strikes in particular.

How much of a threat is ISIS-K in Afghanistan and to the community?

As a relatively weakened organization, ISIS-Ks immediate goals are to replenish its ranks and signal its resolve through high-profile attacks. Doing so can help ensure that the group doesnt become an irrelevant player in the Afghanistan-Pakistan landscape. It is interested in attacking U. S. and allied partners abroad, but the extent to which the group is able to inspire and direct attacks against the West is an issue that has divided the U. S. military and intelligence community.

In Afghanistan, however, ISIS-K has proved itself to be a much greater threat. In addition to its attacks against Afghan minorities and civilian institutions, the group has targeted international aid workers, land-mine removal efforts and even tried to assassinate the top U. S. envoy to Kabul in January 2021.

It is still too early to tell how the U. S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will benefit ISIS-K, but the attack on the shows the continued threat posed by the group.

In the short term, ISIS-K will likely continue its efforts to sow panic and chaos, disrupt the withdrawal process and demonstrate that the Afghan Taliban are incapable of providing security to the population.

If the group is able to reconstitute some level of territorial control in the longer term and recruit more fighters, it will most likely be poised to make a comeback and pose threats on the national, regional and levels.

[This week in religion, a global roundup each Thursday. Sign up.]

Amira Jadoon, Assistant Professor at the Combating Terrorism Center, United States Military Academy West Point and Andrew Mines, Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism, George Washington University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Shares of select companies rallied upto nearly 9 per cent in intra-day trade on Friday, after being included in the derivatives segment (Futures & Options contracts) on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) with effect from today.

On August 9, the NSE announced inclusion of the futures and options (F&O) contracts of 10 additional securities for trading w.e.f. August 27, 2021 subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria. These include Can Fin Homes, Dixon Technologies, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), IndiaMART InterMESH, Ipca Lab, MCX, Oracle Financial Services, and Syngene International. The move expected to boost participation as investors and institutions can hedge underlying positions in the stock.

Among individual stocks, HAL hit a fresh 52-week high of Rs 1,399. The counter rallied 9 per cent on the NSE in intraday deals. The trading volumes jumped 1.5 times with a combined around 4 million equity shares changing hands on the NSE and BSE.

In past seven trading days, HAL has soared 31 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). On February 3, HAL 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.

Among the other individual stocks, Can Fin Homes, Polycab India, IndiaMART InterMESH, Oracle Financial Services, Syngene International, Dixon Technologies, and Ipca Laboratories gained between 2 per cent and 3 per cent in intra-day trade. In comparison, the Nifty50 index was up 0.36 per cent at 16,696 points.
Nifty futures on Singapore Exchange were up 17 points at 16,685 around 8.30 am, indicating a positive start for the benchmark indices on Friday.

Here are the top stocks to track in today's session:

SpiceJet: Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday lifted a ban on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, two and a half years after it was grounded globally. SpiceJet has one of the largest order book of the aircraft with 13 delivered and 142 in waiting.

IDFC First Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Sanjeeb Chaudhuri as the part-time chairman of the bank.

Wipro: The company has partnered with DataRobot to deliver Augmented Intelligence at scale, to help customers become AI driven enterprises, and accelerate their business impact.

SAIL: The company is aiming at reducing its net debt to a range of Rs 15,000-20,000 crore in the current fiscal if the prices and demand for the commodity remain stable, a company official told PTI on Thursday.

Adani Green: The company has approved to raise up to $750 million via bond sale overseas.

Infosys: Public Services Inc (IPS), a subsidiary of Infosys, said it has been awarded a contract by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) to digitise driver licensing, vehicle registration, and International Registration Plan (IRP) services for over 900,000 Manitobans.

JK Lakshmi Cement: Shareholders approved the reappointment of Vinita Singhania as Managing Director of the company for a period of five years effective August 1.

NLC India: Allotted 10,000 Commercial Papers of face value of Rs 5 lakh each aggregating to Rs 500 crore on August 25.

Jindal Poly Films: The company has acquired 100 percent shares of Jindal India Solar Energy and consequent thereof Jindal India Solar became wholly owned subsidiary.

Aurobindo Pharma: The company arm Eugia Pharma gets US FDA nod for its cyclophosphamide injection.

BHEL: A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the company and JSC Rosoboronexport, to cooperate and implement possible joint projects and activities with BHEL for joint production of spare parts and components for Russian-origin equipment installed onboard the Indian Navy Aircraft Carrier "Vikramaditya" and maintenance of systems and equipment of Aircraft Carrier "Vikramaditya and on other issues of mutual interest.

Dhruv Consultancy Services: The company is appointed as project consultant towards solid waste management/bio-mining, by Yawatmal Nagar Parishad, Yawatmal, Maharashtra. The estimated project cost will be Rs 64,25,160, for a tenure of 6 months.

Mahindra CIE Automotive: The company has further subscribed to 74,34,000 equity shares of ReNew Surya Alok, increasing total stake to 31.20 percent now. The company will source green energy on captive basis and optimize the power cost.
Shares of rallied 12 per cent to hit a 52-week high of Rs 107.75 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Friday on the back of heavy volumes. The stock of the defence company has zoomed 30 per cent in the past three trading days.

At 09:41 am, it was trading 9 per cent higher at Rs 104.70, as compared to a 0.38 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter jumped over seven-fold, with a combined 0.91 per cent of the total equity having changed hands on the NSE and BSE so far.

is engaged in manufacturing land-based military training simulators, driving simulators, live range equipment and anti-drone systems. It also has its own training platform to provide a realistic battle experience by integrating its entire range of product offerings.

Anti-drone systems, drones, and training solutions will continue to be the core business of and the company has all the simulators required for the legacy equipment used by the Indian Army, it said.

Indias defence industry is well-positioned to grow leaps and bounds at the backing of the aggressive policies that favour indigenous sourcing. The Ministry of Defence (MoD), through its various schemes, has boosted this process and indigenisation is taking place at a component, system, and subsystem level.

Defence exports in the country witnessed strong growth in the last two years. India targets to export military equipment worth US$ 5 billion (Rs 35,000 crore) in the next five years, Zen Technologies said in the financial year 2020-21 (FY21) annual report.

The company expects its exports to accelerate hereon, as the efforts made in the past few years will finally render its effect. Apart from this, Zen Technologies is driven to make further progress by focusing on large export opportunities within the Middle East, CIS, and Africa. The company is dedicating a core team to pursue business opportunities in the USA and other friendly countries. It also looks to enhance the AMC revenue stream, which is non-cyclical, the company said.
ADF Foods rose 1.33% to Rs 810.15 after the company said its wholly-owned US-based subsidiary will invest upto $5 million to strengthen the US distribution network.

In the company's board meeting held on 26 August 2021, it was approved that the company's wholly owned subsidiary, ADF Holdings (USA) would be making an investment upto $5 million, which would entail asset purchase and setting up of a step down subsidiary in the United States.

ADF Holdings (USA) will have a 70% stake in the share capital of the proposed step down subsidiary. The proposed subsidiary will be a distribution company and will help the company move up the value chain. This will further strengthen its penetration and distribution with the retailers with an enlarged product portfolio.

The company has been investing in building a robust distribution network with uninterrupted supply as a precursor to their increasing capacities. The last quarter, the company had commenced operations from their leased warehouse of 66,000 sq. ft. in the US, which serves as a distribution center for the company. The company also recently made additions in the senior sales and marketing team.

Commenting on the development, Bimal Thakkar, chairman, managing director & CEO, ADF Foods said, We are witnessing strong growth opportunities in our business and thus building our capabilities to tap those opportunities. A strong distribution network is the backbone of a consumer products company, and we are investing aggressively to further strengthen that network. This investment emphasizes our ambition to strengthen ourselves in the US in the long term and to expand our business there. We are sure this investment will bring significant benefits to us both operationally and financially."

ADF is a consumer-focused company and a leader in prepared ethnic food offering ready-to-eat (RTE) items, ready-to-cook (RTC) items, sauces, pickles, pastes, dips and frozen foods under its seven flagship brands. On a consolidated basis, the company reported a 28.8% rise in net profit to Rs 11.14 crore on a 16.7% rise in net sales to Rs 86.19 crore in Q1 FY22 over Q1 FY21.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Key benchmark indices are trading lower in early trade on selling pressure in index pivotals. At 9:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 221.50 points or 0.4% at 55,727.60. The Nifty 50 index was down 47.25 points or 0.28% at 16,589.65. Investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium and geopolitical tension over Afghanistan.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.08%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.13%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, is strong. On the BSE, 1251 shares rose and 1193 shares fell. A total of 119 shares were unchanged.

Stocks in news:

Infosys fell 1.1%. Infosys Public Services Inc. (IPS), a subsidiary of Infosys announced that it will enable Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), a Crown corporation that delivers auto insurance and driver services, to digitize driver licensing, vehicle registration, and International Registration Plan (IRP) services for over 900,000 Manitobans.

Wipro slipped 0.25%. Wipro announced a global strategic partnership with DataRobot, a leader in Augmented Intelligence. The partnership will deliver Augmented Intelligence at scale, to help customers become AI driven enterprises, and accelerate their business impact.

Aurobindo Pharma rose 0.49%. Aurobindo Pharma announced that its subsidiary Eugia Pharma Specialities (Eugia) has received a 505(b)(2) NDA approval from the U.S.Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for its Cyclophosphamide Injection 500 mg/2.5 mL and 1 g/5 mL vials.

Jindal Poly Films advanced 2.57%. Jindal Poly Films said the company has acquired 100% shares of Jindal India Solar Energy and consequent thereof Jindal India Solar became wholly-owned subsidiary.

Bhel gained 0.96%. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) and JSC Rosoboronexport. The MoU aims to cooperate and implement possible joint projects and activities with Bhel for joint production of spare parts and components for Russian-origin equipment installed onboard the Indian Navy Aircraft Carrier "Vikramaditya" and maintenance of systems and equipment of Aircraft Carrier "Vikramaditya and on other issues of mutual interest.

ADF Foods fell 0.31%. ADF Foods said its board approved the company's Wholly Owned Subsidiary, ADF Holdings (USA) would be making an investment upto $5 million, which would entail asset purchase and setting up of a step down subsidiary in the United States. ADF Holdings (USA) will have a 70% stake in the share capital of the proposed Step Down Subsidiary.

Global Markets:

Overseas, Asian stocks are trading mixed on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium and geopolitical tension over Afghanistan.

Traders were eying new developments in Afghanistan, which added to the risk-off sentiment. At least 60 Afghans and 13 US soldiers were killed on Thursday after two suicide bombers and several gunmen attacked crowds flocking to the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, as per reports. A further 15 US troops and more than 150 civilians were also injured in the attack. ISIS-K has reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombings at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and a hotel nearby.

Profits at China's industrial firms grew at a slower rate of 16.4% on year to 703.67 billion yuan ($108.6 billion) in July, the statistics bureau said on Friday, as elevated commodity prices and supply chain constraints from extreme weather weighed on the sector. The July growth rate compared with a 20% gain in the previous month. The pace of growth has been slowing for five consecutive months.

In US, the S&P 500 fell from a record on Thursday as investors awaited more details on the Federal Reserve's plan to pull back on monetary stimulus from the central bank's annual symposium on Friday.

On the data front, weekly initial jobless claims came in at 353,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday, a slight increase from the prior week's 349,000.

Economic growth totaled 6.6% in the second quarter, according to the Commerce Department's second reading released on Thursday. That was a slight revision upward from the 6.5% annual increase previously reported.

The highly anticipated Jackson Hole symposium from the Fed will be held virtually this year on Friday, with many central bank speakers making remarks to the media beginning Thursday. At the event, central bankers could provide updates on their plan around tapering the Fed's monthly bond purchases.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is slated to make remarks on Friday as part of the central bank's summit. The Fed has been purchasing at least $120 billion of bonds per month to bolster the economy in reaction to the pandemic.

Back home, the domestic equity barometers ended flat with some positive bias on Thursday. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, rose 4.89 points or 0.01% to 55,949.10. The Nifty 50 index added 2.25 points or 0.01% to 16,636.90.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 1,974.48 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 1,055.21 crore in the Indian equity market on 26 August, provisional data showed.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a major contract to Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) (subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra)worth Rs 1349.95 crore for the manufacture of Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare Defence Suite (IADS) for modern warships of Indian Navy. Competitive bids from Indian companies were invited by MoD through open tender wherein the systems fielded were put through detailed trials at sea to prove their capability.

IADS is a high-end underwater equipment that uses latest technology. It is designed to detect and protect warships from underwater threats.

It is a versatile system capable of operations from all sizes of warships - small, medium, and large. The complex array of sensors in water undertakes surveillance and provides inputs for signal processing and analysis. The warship then employs methods to neutralize the underwater threats.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The domestic equity barometers ended near the day's high on Friday. The Nifty closed above the 16,700 mark. Metal stocks resumed uptrend after a day's pause.

As per provisional closing data, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 175.62 points or 0.31% to 56,124.72. The Nifty 50 index added 68.55 points or 0.41% to 16,705.45.

The Nifty hit a record high of 16,722.05 in mid-afternoon trade.

The broader indices outperformed the barometers. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 1.04%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.93%.

Buyers outnumbered sellers. On the BSE, 1919 shares rose and 1279 shares fell. A total of 140 shares were unchanged.

Investors remained cautious ahead of the US Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium and geopolitical tension in Afghanistan.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 21,46,27,593 with 44,74,523 deaths. India reported 3,44,899 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 4,36,861 deaths while 3,18,21,428 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Metal index rose 1.68% to 5,495.45. The index declined 1.27% yesterday.

NALCO (up 7.93%), Ratnamani Metals Tubes (up 4.06%), Hindalco Industries (up 3.38%), NMDC (up 2.56%), SAIL (up 2.56%), APL Apollo Tubes (up 2.11%), Adani Enterprises (up 1.96%), Vedanta (up 1.55%), Welspun Corp (up 1.49%), JSW Steel (up 1.16%), Coal India (up 0.91%), Tata Steel (up 0.67%) and MOIL (up 0.77%) advanced.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) jumped 4.13% to Rs 54.15. The company said that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with JSC Rosoboronexport for joint production of equipment of Russian-origin. JSC Rosoboronexport is the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services.

Procter & Gamble Health rose 1.08% to Rs 5545.25. The company posted a 30.6% fall in net profit to Rs 33.89 crore on 41.9% rise in net sales to Rs 285.39 crore in Q4 June 2021 over Q4 June 2020.

Apollo Micro Systems jumped 6.68% to Rs 115.05. The company said it bagged an order worth Rs 59.62 crore for supplying security and surveillances systems.

Aurobindo Pharma rose 1.70% to Rs 709.95. The company announced that its subsidiary Eugia Pharma Specialities (Eugia) has received a approval from the U.S.Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) for its Cyclophosphamide Injection 500 mg/2.5 mL and 1 g/5 mL vials. The Cyclophosphamide Injection is indicated for malignant lymphomas, multiple myeloma, leukemias, mycosis fungoides (advanced disease), neuroblastoma (disseminated disease), adenocarcinoma of the ovary, retinoblastoma, carcinoma of the breast. The approved product has an addressable market size of US$ 170 million for the twelve months ending June 2021 according to IQVIA.

ADF Foods advanced 1.04% to Rs 807.90. The company said its wholly-owned US-based subsidiary ADF Holdings (USA) will invest upto $5 million to strengthen the US distribution network. The proposed subsidiary will be a distribution company and will help the company move up the value chain. This will further strengthen its penetration and distribution with the retailers with an enlarged product portfolio.

Global Markets:

European shares fell across the board while Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium.

Traders were eying new developments in Afghanistan, which added to the risk-off sentiment. At least 60 Afghans and 13 US soldiers were killed on Thursday after two suicide bombers and several gunmen attacked crowds flocking to the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, as per reports. A further 15 US troops and more than 150 civilians were also injured in the attack. ISIS-K has reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombings at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul and a hotel nearby.

Profits at China's industrial firms grew at a slower rate of 16.4% on year to 703.67 billion yuan ($108.6 billion) in July, the statistics bureau said on Friday, as elevated commodity prices and supply chain constraints from extreme weather weighed on the sector. The July growth rate compared with a 20% gain in the previous month. The pace of growth has been slowing for five consecutive months.

In US, the S&P 500 fell from a record on Thursday as investors awaited more details on the Federal Reserve's plan to pull back on monetary stimulus from the central bank's annual symposium on Friday.

On the data front, weekly initial jobless claims came in at 353,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday, a slight increase from the prior week's 349,000.

Economic growth totaled 6.6% in the second quarter, according to the Commerce Department's second reading released on Thursday. That was a slight revision upward from the 6.5% annual increase previously reported.

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. The Fed has started discussions to pull back its $120 billion a month bond-buying program by the end of this year.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The key equity indices were currently trading with decent gains in early afternoon trade. The Nifty marched towards the 16,700 mark. Pharma stocks were in demand.

At 11:27 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 116.7 points or 0.21% to 56,065.80. The Nifty 50 index added 48.05 points or 0.29% to 16,684.95.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.58% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 0.65%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1777 shares rose and 1254 shares fell. A total of 159 shares were unchanged.

Investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole symposium and geopolitical tension in Afghanistan.

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. The Fed has started discussions to pull back its $120 billion a month bond-buying program by the end of this year.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, shed 0.90% to 13.42. The Nifty 26 August 2021 futures were trading at 16,700, at a premium of 15.05 points as compared with the spot at 16,684.95.

The Nifty option chain for 30 September 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 19.1 lakh contracts at the 16,500 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 27.8 lakh contracts was seen at 16,000 strike price.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Pharma index rose 1.16% to 13,917.55. The index declined 0.85% in the past two sessions.

Cadila Healthcare (up 1.51%), Dr. Reddy's Labs (up 1.48%), Alkem Laboratories (up 1.40%), Cipla (up 1.33%), Biocon (up 1.29%), Sun Pharma (up 1.20%), Divi's Labs (up 1.14%) and Aurobindo Pharma (up 1.09%) advanced.

Stocks in Spotlight:

ADF Foods rose 1.33% to Rs 810.15 after the company said its wholly-owned US-based subsidiary ADF Holdings (USA) will invest upto $5 million to strengthen the US distribution network. The proposed subsidiary will be a distribution company and will help the company move up the value chain. This will further strengthen its penetration and distribution with the retailers with an enlarged product portfolio.

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) added 1.63% to Rs 52.85. The company said that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with JSC Rosoboronexport for joint production of equipment of Russian-origin. JSC Rosoboronexport is the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Wipro on Thursday announced a global strategic partnership with DataRobot, a leader in Augmented Intelligence.

The partnership will deliver Augmented Intelligence at scale, to help customers become AI driven enterprises, and accelerate their business impact. Wipro said the collaboration will help accelerate the execution of AI strategy and will ensure quicker data to value for businesses. The partnership will also streamline the process of infusing AI-led intelligence into customer business decisions, and positively impact their bottom line.

DataRobot is a leader in Augmented Intelligence, delivering trusted AI technology and enablement services to global enterprises competing in today's Intelligence Revolution.

The collaboration will strengthen Wipro's partner ecosystem in the dynamic Enterprise AI segment and highlight its commitment to making AI accessible. Furthermore, DataRobot's Augmented Intelligence platform will empower key stakeholders across organizations to conduct cutting edge data science at an enterprise level.

Harish Dwarkanhalli, President - Applications & Data, iDEAS, Wipro said, Our approach is to simplify AI deployment in enterprises using a democratized methodology and utilizing diverse skill sets to collaborate with our technology partners along with our Wipro Holmes AI platform.

Wipro Limited is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. Shares of Wipro were trading 0.33% higher at Rs 631 on BSE.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a veiled warning to the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane, who is locked in a bitter fight with it, on Friday said he knew a lot of things about the party and its leaders and would bring out cases "step by step".

Without taking anybody's name, he said he knew who had asked whom to throw acid on brother's wife.

Rane was speaking at a rally in Ratnagiri district as a part of his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'.

Earlier this week, he had made remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, which kicked up a row and led to his arrest on Tuesday before his release a few hours later. The episode had sparked off clashes between Shiv Sena and BJP supporters.

"I have worked with them for 39 years, I know a lot of things. I know who asked whom to throw acid on his own brother's wife. What kind of 'sanskar' is it?" the BJP leader said on Friday.

In a veiled attack on Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the president of Shiv Sena, Rane said, "What did one achieve by arresting a union minister? I will bring out cases step by step."



"A Sena boy - Varun Sardesai - had come outside my home (in Mumbai) and threatened me. If he comes next time, he won't go back," the former chief minister added.

Sardesai is a leader of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena. The Yuva Sena workers had protested outside Rane's bungalow in Mumbai on Tuesday over his remarks.

Rane, who started off his political career as a Shiv Sena worker, became the state CM in 1999. However, in 2005, he was expelled from the Sena for "anti-party activities". After that he joined the Congress and stayed there till 2017.

After quitting the Congress, he launched the Swabhiman Paksha in October 2017. In 2018, he declared support for the BJP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha on that party's nomination. In October 2019, he merged his party with the BJP. He was made the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) last month in the cabinet reshuffle.

(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.)
Congress chief has urged the party leadership to allow him freedom to take decisions, else he will give a befitting reply.

The Congress, however, said state chiefs are free to take their decisions within the party's norms and constitution.

Harish Rawat, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Punjab, said if the state chiefs will not take decisions, who else will.

Sidhu had said earlier that the party high command should give him the freedom to take decisions and he will ensure that the Congress remains in power in for the next 20 years. He said he has prepared a roadmap in this regard.

"The party high command should allow me the freedom to take decisions, else I will give a befitting reply," he said addressing a meeting in Amritsar.

Asked about Sidhu's remarks, Rawat told reporters here, "I will see the context in which has made these remarks. Mr Sidhu is the respected chief of the unit. Who will have the power to take decisions if not the state presidents."



Rawat, however, said state presidents are free to take decisions within the party's constitution and in accordance with its position.

Sidhu's adviser Malwinder Singh Mali quit from the post after his controversial remarks on Kashmir.

Amid infighting in the Punjab Congress, a number of MLAs and eight MPs attended a dinner in Chandigarh on Thursday in a show of strength in support of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Sidhu and Singh have been at loggerheads and have been making public statements against each other. Punjab is slated to go for assembly elections early next year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Inc. settled a wide-ranging class action lawsuit with U.S. app makers Thursday, announcing changes to the App Store such as giving developers more flexibility to advertise outside payment methods.

The settlement will include $100 million worth of payments to app makers ranging from $250 to $30,000 per developer, according to law firm Hagens Berman, which represented plaintiffs who claimed overcharged them fees required for distributing their programs through the iOS App Store. The new advertising policy, meanwhile, will make it easier for developers to promote alternative pricing plans and ways to pay -- without taking a cut.

Apple has long allowed developers to advertise external payment methods -- such as Netflix Inc. pointing users via email to sign up on its website instead of the app -- but has frowned upon the practice. The new policy ensures Apple cant ban developers for these communications. It doesnt, however, let developers advertise outside pricing or payment methods within apps themselves.

The company is clarifying that developers can use communications, such as email, to share information about payment methods outside of their iOS app, Apple said in a statement.

Critically for Apple, the settlement excludes more significant App Store changes that were sought by some outside developers and legislators. The company is still requiring developers to sell their apps -- as well as in-app items and subscriptions -- using Apples payment system, which takes between 15% and 30% in commissions. Apple reduced the cut to 15% for all developers that generate $1 million or less annually last year. On Thursday, it committed to continuing that policy for the next three years.

The settlement also doesnt require Apple to allow third-party app stores or the so-called sideloading of software. And the company doesnt have to further reduce its revenue share. The accord will require approval from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing this lawsuit. She is also the judge in Apples lawsuit with Epic Games Inc., which has contested the App Store policies as well. Its unclear if this settlement will affect her opinion in that higher-stakes suit with the maker of Fortnite.

Apples App Store practices have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months, with critics saying the tech giant wields too much power in the industry. U.S. Senators have griped about the gatekeeper control that Apple and Google have with their mobile operating systems and have hauled the companies into congressional hearings. And South Korea is poised to become the first country to impose curbs on the companies app marketplaces.

With Thursdays agreement, Apple said it would retain recent changes to the App Store search engine for the next three years. At the request of developers, Apple has agreed that its Search results will continue to be based on objective characteristics like downloads, star ratings, text relevance and user behavior signals, Apple said.

The Cupertino, California-based company is also expanding the number of price points developers can offer from fewer than 100 to more than 500, and it will publish an annual App Store transparency report.

That report will share meaningful statistics about the app review process, including the number of apps rejected for different reasons, the number of customer and developer accounts deactivated, objective data regarding search queries and results, and the number of apps removed from the App Store, according to Apple. And the company plans to detail more information about its app review process on its website.
The Delhi High Court Friday said it will hear in October the appeals of and challenging its single-judge order dismissing their pleas against the probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh listed the matter for October 11 while extending the time to file replies to the June 4 and 8 notices issued by CCI to and Facebook, till then.

While CCI was represented through Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, and were represented through senior advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi respectively.

WhatsApp and have also challenged the CCI's asking them to furnish certain information for the purpose of inquiry conducted by it.

The case relates to the appeals of Facebook and WhatsApp against a single judge order dismissing their pleas against the probe CCI ordered into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy.

The division bench of the high court had on May 6 issued notices on the appeals and asked the Centre to respond to it.

The single judge on April 22 had said though it would have been "prudent" for the CCI to await the outcome of petitions in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court against WhatsApp's new privacy policy, not doing so would not make the regulator's order "perverse" or "wanting of jurisdiction".

The court had said it saw no merit in the petitions of Facebook and WhatsApp to interdict the investigation directed by the CCI.

The CCI had contended before the single judge that it was not examining the alleged violation of individuals' privacy which was being looked into by the Supreme Court.

It had argued before the court that the new privacy policy of WhatsApp would lead to excessive data collection and "stalking" of consumers for targeted advertising to bring in more users and is therefore an alleged abuse of dominant position.

WhatsApp and Facebook had challenged the CCI's March 24 order directing a probe into the new privacy policy.

In January, the CCI on its own decided to look into WhatsApp's new privacy policy on the basis of news reports regarding the same.

(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.)
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Become A Subscriber

A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content.
Glen, NH (03838)

Today

Periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and consider subscribing for only $7 per month to get access to more articles and news as it happens.
Photo: The Canadian Press President Joe Biden pauses as he listens to a question about the bombings at the Kabul airport that killed at least 12 U.S. service members, from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day's deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: We will hunt you down and make you pay.

Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed the Americans and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country.

He asked for a moment of silence to honor the service members, bowing his head, and ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country.

As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, "We have some reason to believe we know who they are ... not certain. He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS assets, leadership and facilities.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the U.S. Central Command chief, said more attempted attacks were expected.

The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out many attacks on civilian targets in the country in recent years. It is far more radical than the Taliban, who seized power less than two weeks ago. The most heralded American attack on the group came in April 2017 when the U.S. dropped the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal on an IS cave and tunnel complex. The group more recently is believed to have concentrated in urban areas, which could complicate U.S. efforts to target them without harming civilians.

We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing, Biden said. These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

Biden said U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan had told him it is important to complete the evacuation mission. And we will, he said. We will not be deterred by terrorists.

Indeed, Gen. McKenzie, who is overseeing the evacuation operation from his Florida headquarters, told a Pentagon news conference shortly before Biden spoke, Let me be clear, while we are saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we are continuing to execute the mission,. He said there were about 5,000 evacuees on the airfield Thursday awaiting flights.

As many as 1,000 Americans and many more Afghans are still struggling to get out of Kabul.

McKenzie said 12 U.S. service members had been killed and 15 were wounded. Later, his spokesman, Capt. William Urban, said the toll had risen to 13 dead and 18 wounded. Urban said the wounded were being evacuated from Afghanistan aboard Air Force C-17 transport planes equipped with surgical units.

The Marine Corps said 10 Marines were among those killed. Central Command did not identify the dead by service.

In somber, sometimes halting remarks, Biden praised U.S. forces and asked for the moment of silence. Asked later about further actions, press secretary Jen Psaki said that personal calls to families would wait for notification of next of kin and that Biden might travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when the remains of the fallen service members are returned.

They were the first U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan since February 2020, the month the Trump administration struck an agreement with the Taliban that called for the militant group to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for a U.S. agreement to remove all American troops and contractors by May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September.

Thursday's attacks, came 12 days into the rushed evacuation and five days before its scheduled completion. Some Republicans and others are arguing to extend the evacuation beyond next Tuesday's deadline.

The administration has been widely blamed for a chaotic and deadly evacuation that began in earnest only after the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Talibans takeover of the country. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated so far, Afghans, Americans and others.

Thursdays attack was sure to intensify political pressure from all sides on Biden, who already was under heavy criticism for not beginning the pullout earlier. He had announced in April that he was ending the U.S. war and would have all forces out by September.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California called for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bring the chamber back into session to consider legislation that would prohibit the U.S. withdrawal until all Americans are out. Pelosis office dismissed such suggestions as empty stunts.

After the suicide bombers attack at the airports Abbey Gate, a number of ISIS gunmen opened fire on civilians and military forces, he said. There also was an attack at or near the Baron Hotel near that gate, he said.

We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said, adding that U.S. military commanders were working with Taliban commanders to prevent further attacks.

As details of the day's attack emerged, the White House rescheduled Bidens first in-person meeting with Israels new prime minister on Thursday and canceled a video conference with governors about resettling Afghan refugees arriving in the United States.

A number of U.S. allies said they were ending their evacuation efforts in Kabul, at least in part to give the U.S. the time it needs to wrap up its evacuation operations before getting 5,000 of its troops out by Tuesday.

Despite intense pressure to extend the deadline, Biden has repeatedly cited the threat of terrorist attacks against civilians and U.S. service members as a reason to keep to his plan.

In an interview with ABC News, Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said, There are safe ways to get to the airport for those Americans who still want to leave. He added that there undoubtedly will be some at-risk Afghans who will not get out before Bidens deadline.

The airlift continued Thursday, though the number of evacuees fell for a second day as the terror attack and further threats kept people from the airport and as other countries began shutting down their efforts. From 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., Washington time, about 7,500 people were evacuated, a White House official said. Fourteen U..S. military flights carried about 5,100, and 39 coalition flights carried 2,400.

The total compared to 19,000 in one 24-hour period toward the start of the week.
Photo: Micah McKerlich

By Sheila Malcolmson and Jonny Morris

If youre feeling grief, anxiety or stress around disasters and health emergencies, youre not alone.

Wildfires, smoke and extreme weather like heat waves have powerful impacts on our physical health, the environment and our mental health  for those affected today, and those living through these experiences again.

This is a very difficult time for many people in B.C. who have also been coping with the pandemic and drug poisoning crises, and the confirmation of unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School sites. These events have disproportionate effects on Indigenous and Metis peoples, as well as vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, living with a disability or with mental-health and substance-use challenges. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by these profound challenges.

There are things we can do to steady ourselves:

Prepare: Have a clear emergency plan and grab-and-go kit ready so that you can focus on other priorities.

Ask for help: Talk things through, name how youre feeling and reach out to family, friends or a helping professional. If you have been evacuated, you can also ask an Emergency Support Services volunteer about the mental health or counselling support available to you.

Help others: Assisting others can help us regain a sense of purpose and community as we confront challenges together. Small actions can make a big difference.

Its critical that we do all we can to help people access mental health supports following a disaster. Thats why the Province and other community partners, like the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA BC), are working together to co-ordinate and strengthen resources to help people cope with these circumstances.

First, confidential mental health support is available 24/7 at 310-6789 through B.C.s crisis line network. Youth aged 12 to 24 and their caregivers can check out Foundry, Foundry Virtual and the Foundry BC app. Post-secondary students can reach out at Here2Talk and health-care workers can text or call CaretoSpeak.

Second, community members affected by wildfires or floods can find support through the Provincial Health Services Authoritys disaster psychosocial team. Services may be virtual or in-person and include both individual and community-level support. The Canadian Red Cross is also in wildfire-affected communities providing a range of critical supports on the ground. If you have been evacuated, you can ask an emergency support services volunteer about these resources. If you are overwhelmed and not sure where to go for support, call 211 anytime.

Third, if you or a loved one is experiencing mental-health or substance-use challenges, you can find virtual low- and no-cost mental-health supports online, including low- and no-cost counselling services.

Our work together will continue into the fall because we recognize this summers events will continue to affect the mental health and well-being of many people throughout the province. CMHA BC and partners will provide mental health and disaster recovery courses in affected communities, including efforts led by CMHA Vancouver-Fraser to deliver their Resilient Minds program to members of the BC Wildfire Service.

All levels of government, community agencies and partners will continue to support this work as we build a robust and responsive mental health and addictions system that fosters well-being and resilience. Thats our goal and our commitment to all British Columbians.

There is hope and there is help. We encourage you to reach out and to support those around you to do the same.

Phone support:

BC mental health support phone line for 24/7 confidential support: 310-6789 (no area code needed)

KUU-US Crisis Line for Indigenous people: 1-800 588-8717

Kids Help Phone: 1 800 668-6868 or text 686868

Crisis line: 1 800 784-2433

BC 211

Sheila Malcolmson is the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Jonny Morris is chief executive officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division.
Photo: The Canadian Press

CIBC's chief executive offered an impassioned defence of Canada's banking sector the day after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made a campaign pledge to raise the tax rate for the industry.

"Banks have always been in the crosshairs, but what you want is a healthy banking system," Victor Dodig said during a conference call Thursday to discuss the bank's quarterly earnings.

"A healthy banking system helps the economy grow."

Dodig said he would not comment on specific election promises but wanted to reminded investors of the work banks did during the early days of the outbreak, when they distributed pandemic stimulus funds and deferred on loans for clients. He also noted that most Canadians benefit either directly or indirectly from the dividends and economic growth of the banks.

It's important that the government policies not discourage foreign investment, said Dodig.

"My great hope is that you don't have intervention in any particular industry sector, because that doesn't actually attract foreign capital. We need capital and we need people to come to Canada to make the country stronger and to make the country better."

On Wednesday, Trudeau proposed raising the corporate income tax rate by three percentage points on banks and insurance companies with earnings over $1 billion, which he said had come into "windfall" profits because of economic stimulus measures from the government.

The proposal also includes establishing an unspecified "recovery dividend" for the two industries that would last four years, which together with the tax increase would bring in at least $2.5 billion a year.

"This week, Canada's biggest banks are posting their latest massive profits of billions of dollars ... so as we rebuild, we're going to ask big financial institutions to pay a little back," Trudeau said.

CIBC reported earnings of $1.73 billion or $3.76 per diluted share for the quarter ended July 31, up from $1.17 billion or $2.55 per diluted share a year earlier.

The increase came as CIBC reported a $99-million reversal of credit losses for its latest quarter compared with a provision for credit losses of $525 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, CIBC says it earned $3.93 per diluted share, up from an adjusted profit of $2.71 per diluted share a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected the bank to earn $3.41 per share, according to financial market data firm Refinitiv.

On Thursday, CIBC also announced a commitment to reach net zero emissions associated with its operational and financing activities by 2050, and increased its sustainable finance target to $300 billion by 2030.

Dodig said the bank had already ramped up funding on renewable energy projects, now ranked third for North American renewable energy financing for the first half of this year, up from 26th place in 2016.

CIBC will also set up interim targets to reduce the emissions that it helps finance, and will begin reporting on their progress starting next fiscal year, said Dodig.

"The transition to a low-carbon global economy will take meaningful commitment and it's going to take action from everyone," he said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau says 500 more Canadians were flown out of Kabul on an American flight Thursday.

Canada's military mission in Afghanistan ended that day, leaving an unknown number of Canadians and their families trapped, as well as vulnerable Afghans who fear Taliban reprisals.

The Canadian withdrawal was followed by an attack on Kabul airport that killed 13 American troops and dozens of Afghans trying to flee, deaths that President Joe Biden is vowing to avenge.

Garneau says today that the Americans managed to airlift about 500 of our people if I can put it that way and says Canada had been doing the same as part of a group effort before its C-17 transport planes were withdrawn earlier Thursday.

Canada's military mission was ended as part of a staged withdrawal plan by the United States to leave by an Aug. 31 deadline. The U.S. was leading the 13-country airlift, and is responsible for the security at the airport.

Garneau says Afghanistan's neighbouring countries are in talks with the Taliban to reopen the Kabul airport to keep humanitarian aid flowing and to allow people to travel in and out.

Garneau stressed nobody knows if or when that will occur, but the Taliban is being told it is in the best interest of the country to have a functioning airport.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the speed at which the Taliban took control of Afghanistan was a surprise to him and other world leaders.

He says Canada remains committed to getting Canadians still trapped there out of the country and following through on a pledge to resettle thousands of Afghan refugees.

Trudeau said Canada and its allies did everything they could to get as many people out of Afghanistan in recent weeks on a massive military airlift from an airport that was secured by the Americans.

The Taliban stormed across the country and regained power in Afghanistan earlier this month, as the country's military, trained by Canada and its allies, collapsed.

"I think politicians and leaders around the world, I think Afghans themselves, were surprised at just how fast the Taliban were able to take over in Afghanistan," Trudeau said Friday.
I was recently on the House of Commons of Canada website and noticed that (North Okanagan Shuswap Conservative candidate) Mel Arnold (as an MP) voted against an act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) when Parliament was in session.

On numerous occasions I heard Arnold state he represented all constituents in the riding. It made me wonder just how many constituents could be negatively impacted by his voting to not support UNDRIP. I used 2016 Census data and found that approximately 7% of our riding identifies as Aboriginal. Of that amount, 49% identify as First Nations and 48% as Metis.

UNDRIP establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world. It lays out the basic rights that Indigenous peoples should be afforded. It outlines specific obligations on the part of nations in how they relate to Indigenous peoples and their land, and contains some clauses that fly in the face of Canadas historic treatment of First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Canada has a history of denial of Aboriginal rights and title and continues to have conflicts over major resource extraction projects. Some in our government are not prepared to fully face the implications of UNDRIP and how it will challenge Canadas current legal frameworks.

A main sticking point for some is Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.

Disputes over access to land, natural resources and water are at the heart of many of the recent disputes between Indigenous people and Ottawa. Indigenous peoples are often arrested and criminalized for exercising sovereignty over their traditional lands.

Patricia Doyle-Bedwell, a Mikmaq lawyer and professor at Dalhousie University, said The power of UNDRIP lies in its ability to strengthen Indigenous rights to protect land and water. That is what this is about. We are not going to have anything if we dont have our land. We have the right to our survival, our dignity, our way of being as Indigenous people."

UNDRIP is not privileging Indigenous peoples with a set of rights unique to them. It wants to make sure that Indigenous people enjoy, and benefit from, the same human rights that non-Indigenous peoples benefit from.

I expect voters would want to vote for an MP who would work towards reconciliation and an improved relationship with his/her Indigenous constituents.

Jane Weixl, Vernon
Photo: Glacier Media

Giant 10-foot-diameter pipes and a large hydro pole lie dormant at the Richmond and Delta ends of the George Massey Tunnel, awaiting a decision on where a BC Hydro transmission line will be built.

BC Hydro spent $25 million  out of a budget of $76 million  to replace a transmission line that runs in the ventilation shaft of the current tunnel with an overhead one when the plan was still to build a 10-lane bridge.

When the bridge plan was scrapped by the BC NDP government in 2017, the transmission line work also stopped.

Last week, the province announced the current tunnel will be replaced by an eight-lane immersed tube tunnel.

The pipes and poles worry Otto Langer, a Richmond environmentalist and retired DFO biologist, who would rather see a new transmission line be integrated into the new tunnel  especially for the safety of birds.

If the old one had a transmission line, why cant a new modern tunnel have one? he asks.

But hes worried that since work on the aerial line was already started, thats the route theyll go, adding sometimes its hard for society to reverse itself, even if its a mistake.

The aerial line would be a great risk to birds and even aircraft, Langer said.

Not only had one-third of the project budget been spent, but another $6 million was needed to wind down the project and settle construction claims, according to BC Hydro.

Langers hope was the old tunnel would be kept as a utility tunnel, keeping the transmission line in its current place.

The province, however, is planning to decommission the current tunnel after the new one is built, saying its not seismically safe to keep.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is working with BC Hydro to relocate the existing line  once BC Hydro learns more about the project, they will be able to determine their options to replace the transmission line, BC Hydro said in a statement.

Weve held onto the material as we are waiting for direction from the Ministry on their project and will reassess what to do with them as we learn more about plans for the tunnels replacement, the statement continued.

The new tunnel will cost $4.15 billion and is expected to be built by 2030. One lane in each direction will be dedicated for rapid buses. There will also be a separate tube for cyclists and pedestrians.
Rules, regulations, by-laws, codes of conduct, ethics and laws are put in place for the greater good and under the constitution, you have the right to question and challenge any one of them. However, it is not your right to refuse.

If you defy or break any of the above, you face consequences from the institution, society, club, organization or service facility you belong to or frequent and you could be reprimanded, suspended, dismissed, banned, expelled, fined etc.

Federal and provincial laws, municipal bylaws and family rules are there for a purpose that is in principal for the benefit of Joe and Jane Public.

Businesses should comply with the directives from the elected authorities and if they dont, take away their business licenses and close them down.

I dont have the right to drive 140 kilometres in a 100-kilometer zone. I dont have the right to not wear my seatbelt and if I do I will be fined and rightly so.

If things are going to get better, check out who you employ or engage for home services. Before you get a home service, ask if the person has been vaccinated.

If you are going to fly, ask the airline if they are checking who is vaccinated and who is not. The sooner airlines require a vaccination certificate, the sooner the spreading of the present pandemic will de-escalate and the majority of travellers will feel safer and they will fly with the safest carrier.

Michael Henderson
At least 12 US service members and 60 Afghans were killed in an attack at Kabul's airport. NOTE: Some footage has been blurred for graphic content. (Source: CNN, POOL, HAROON ZARIFY (PREFONTED), GOOGLE EARTH, DVID, CNN via CNN Wire)
Seven US Capitol Police officers are suing former President Donald Trump and Stop the Steal organizers over the January 6 riot. Trump here speaks at the "Save America March" rally in Washington, DC on January 6.
President Joe Biden was attending a pre-scheduled meeting of his national security team at the White House when reports of the Kabul Airport attack reached Washington.
House Republicans blame President Joe Biden after two explosions outside Kabul's airport on Thursday caused the first American casualties since the mass evacuation began.
Investigation and Findings

The outbreak location was an elementary school in Marin County, California, which serves 205 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade and has 24 staff members. Each grade includes 20 to 25 students in single classrooms. Other than two teachers, one of whom was the index patient, all school staff members were vaccinated (verified in Californias Immunization Registry). The index patient became symptomatic on May 19 with nasal congestion and fatigue. This teacher reported attending social events during May 1316 but did not report any known COVID-19 exposures and attributed symptoms to allergies. The teacher continued working during May 1721, subsequently experiencing cough, subjective fever, and headache. The school required teachers and students to mask while indoors; interviews with parents of infected students suggested that students adherence to masking and distancing guidelines in line with CDC recommendations (3) was high in class. However, the teacher was reportedly unmasked on occasions when reading aloud in class. On May 23, the teacher notified the school that they received a positive result for a SARS-CoV-2 test performed on May 21 and self-isolated until May 30. The teacher did not receive a second COVID-19 test, but reported fully recovering during isolation.

The index patients students began experiencing symptoms on May 22. During May 2326, among 24 students in this grade, 22 were tested. A COVID-19 case was defined as a positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antigen test result.* Twelve (55%) of the 22 students received a positive test result, including eight who experienced symptom onset during May 2226. Throughout this period, all desks were separated by 6 ft. Students were seated in five rows; the attack rate in the two rows seated closest to the teachers desk was 80% (eight of 10) and was 28% (four of 14) in the three back rows (Fishers exact test; p = 0.036) (Figure 1).

On May 22, students in a another classroom, who differed in age by 3 years from the students in the class with the index case and who were also ineligible for vaccination began to experience symptoms. The two classrooms were separated by a large outdoor courtyard with lunch tables that were blocked off from use with yellow tape. All classrooms had portable high-efficiency particulate air filters and doors and windows were left open. Fourteen of 18 students in this separate grade received testing; six tests had positive results. Investigation revealed that one student in this grade hosted a sleepover on May 21 with two classmates from the same grade. All three of these students experienced symptoms after the sleepover and received positive SARS-CoV-2 test results. Among infected students in this class, test dates ranged from May 24 to June 1; symptom onset occurred during May 2231.

In addition to the documented infections in the two initial grades, cases were identified in one student each from four other grades. Three patients were symptomatic; dates for testing were May 30 or June 2. These four students were siblings of three students with cases in the index patients class, and exposure was assumed to have occurred in their respective homes. In addition to the teacher and 22 infected students, four parents of students with cases were also infected, for a total of 27 cases (23 confirmed by RT-PCR and four by antigen testing) (Figure 2). Among the five infected adults, one parent and the teacher were unvaccinated; the others were fully vaccinated. The vaccinated adults and one unvaccinated adult were symptomatic with fever, chills, cough, headache, and loss of smell. No other school staff members reported becoming ill. No persons infected in this outbreak were hospitalized. This activity was reviewed by Marin County and was conducted consistent with applicable law.
Vietnamese exports slip 2% in July

ICR Newsroom By 27 August 2021

Total cement and clinker exports from Vietnam declined two per cent YoY in July 2021, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). The countrys cement producers supplied 3,202,346t of cementitious product to customers beyond its borders. However, when compared with June 2021, exports were up by 15 per cent.



Of the total, 1,944,217t were clinker exports, down 41 per cent YoY but up 55 per cent when compared with June 2021, when 1,255,479t were exported.



Cement exports saw a 28 per cent drop to 1,258,129t when compared with July 2020. The MoM decrease was 17 per cent from 1,519,931t in June 2021.



January-July 2021

Total exports from Vietnam in the first seven months of 2021 increased by 28 per cent YoY to 24.105Mt. Clinker exports surged 32 per cent YoY to 14.621Mt while cement export volumes advanced 22 per cent to 9.484Mt.

Published under
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Buena Vista, CO (81211)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
Information about "lights out" in Danville; Gov. Northam today pardoned seven Martinsville men who were executed for rape; Traffic advisories go up for events at the Blue Ridge Amphitheater; Lynn Street Market has shut down its store in Danville's River District.
Dr. Kevin Snider, assistant professor of Christian ethics at Lee University, earned his Doctor of Philosophy in analytical moral theology/philosophical Christian ethics from Middlesex University.

Dr. Sniders dissertation is titled The Nature of Temptation and its Role in the Development of Moral Virtue: An Exploration in Analytical Moral Theology. Based on James 1:14, the nature of human action and the role desire plays in it, Dr. Sniders dissertation argues the idea that in order for humans to develop moral virtue, they need a world that allows for experiences of temptation.

Dr. Snider began his PhD journey and joined the part-time faculty at Lee in 2013. In 2016, he became a full-time lecturer in the School of Religion. With a research specialization in analytical moral theology, Dr. Snider mainly lectures courses in Christian ethics. According to Dr. Snider, he challenges his classes to wrestle with questions about sin, sanctification, moral responsibility, and practical wisdom, and his students helped guide his research as they discussed virtue ethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of action.

My students helped shape the direction of my thesis, although they didnt know it, said Dr. Snider. While I will continue to research, and perhaps write on occasion, the real fruit of the journey, I hope, is in making me a better teacher.

Dr. Snider graduated with his masters degree in Theological Studies from Lee in 2014, his Master of Divinity from Pentecostal Theological Seminary in 2013, and his bachelors degree in Christian ministry and Bible from Lee in 2009.

He and his wife Tara have been married for 11 years and have a 7-year-old son named Luke. Outside of teaching, Dr. Snider enjoys hiking and running with his German Shepherd.

The PhD journey gave me tools to be a better liaison between students and the academic discipline, said Dr. Snider. The journey was long but my family was incredibly supportive, and I have superb colleagues and administrators who were dialogue partners and generous.
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today released the following statement after at least three terrorist attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of at least 12 U.S. service members:

Under President Joe Biden, the United States has now experienced its deadliest day in Afghanistan since 2011.

My heart grieves for the families and loved ones of these brave heroes who have now made the ultimate sacrifice. Sadly, it did not have to be this way, but it is exactly what I have feared as we have watched the chaotic and dire scenes around the airport in Kabul.

"This moment requires decisive American leadership and strength, but sadly President Biden is hiding from his duty and shirking responsibility. I know all Tennesseans join Chrissy and me in praying for our troops as well as American citizens and our allies who remain in harms way.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said, Today was the deadliest day in Afghanistan for U.S. service members since 2011. The situation in Kabul has been directly caused by the actions taken by President Biden and his national security team. Now, American lives have been lost due to this Commander in Chiefs incompetent and rushed withdrawal.

For weeks, the military, intelligence community, and members of Congress from both parties have begged President Biden to increase the security perimeter at the airport and not rely on the Taliban to protect Americans trying to evacuate the country. President Biden must throw out his self-imposed August 31 deadline and commit to rescuing every single American currently stranded in Afghanistan. Anything less is a disgrace to our nation.

It is time for President Biden to step up, be a leader, and use American strength to protect U.S. citizens and service members.
Since Monday, the Tennessee National Guard has begun supporting six additional Tennessee hospitals as they fight the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total support to 13 medical facilities across the state.

At the request of the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, nearly 55 additional Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard began supporting hospital staff with medics and administrative personnel. Guardsmen can work in many types of hospital units and help with various administrative tasks as required by the individual hospital. This augmentation of National Guard staff to support hospitals is not impacting civilian health care roles but rather freeing up health care professionals to work more effectively and efficiently, said officials.

Additional medical centers receiving National Guard support this week are Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Regional One Health Medical Center in Memphis, and Methodist Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Center in Memphis.

Currently, there are more than 155 Tennessee National Guardsmen supporting 13 medical centers statewide. There are an additional 425 Soldiers and Airmen supporting 58 Tennessee counties by assisting with COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and administrative support to health care providers at county health departments.

Since March 2020, the Soldiers and Airmen of the Tennessee National Guard have been working alongside and supporting the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and various other state and local agencies to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Thousands of Tennessee Guardsmen have volunteered to help during the pandemic. Over the last 17 months, anywhere from 250-700 Guardsmen have been actively supporting the testing and vaccination efforts across the state. This has resulted in Tennessee Guardsmen supporting the testing of more than 930,000 Tennesseans and the vaccination of over 1 million.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Tennessee National Guard is prepared and ready to support any request for assistance through TEMA.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, commenting on deadly terrorist attacks against U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, said President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other top administration officials should resign.

She said, I am devastated to hear about the servicemembers who lost their lives today. We owe a debt of gratitude to them for their sacrifice and pray for comfort for their families.

Its time for accountability, starting with those whose failed planning allowed these attacks to occur. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, and Mark Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.

The only reason we were even forced to defend the Hamid Karzai International Airport was that Joe Biden went against the advice of top military leaders and abandoned Bagram Airfield. The deadly actions of Joe Biden and his national security team put the terrorists in control.

The deaths of American servicemembers today are a direct result of Bidens weak leadership and failed withdrawal. America needs to have faith in our leaders, and we can no longer trust the Biden administration.
The Chattanooga Community Kitchen has named Olivier LeMaitre as the next CEO of the organization. He replaces Jens Christensen, who went to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga as their president and CEO in April. Mr. LeMaitre served as the CEO of the Tim Kelly group of companies in Chattanooga, as well as the VP of Sandler Training. He has also served as a consultant, ... (click for more)
Lauren Powers is a critical care nurse at the world famed Massachusetts General Hospital. Not long ago I discovered a story she had written while caring for a man who succumbed to COVID-19 entitled, I am an ICU nurse. We are drowning. She wrote the story on a popular medical website, KevinMD.com and I think both the vaccinated and unvaccinated among us should read it:

- - -

Bu Lauren Powers, Critical Care RN, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lowell, Mass.

I am an ICU nurse. I love what I do; Its not just a career: Its who I am. No other job could offer me the intimate opportunity to support and guide a total stranger through the worst (and occasionally best) days of their life.

Nowhere else would I leave feeling humbled by what I do every day. Nothing compares to that. Simply put: You dont find that sense of purpose and love for the work you do just anywhere.

Although (well over 18 months) have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to me, it feels like its only been a day, the longest and most devastating day of my life. The lines of reality blur as I continue to write March while writing the date. My only concept of time became the days I was scheduled to work, and the days I wasnt.

The sun rising and setting became a matter of coincidence as I started my 12-hour night shifts. I dont remember what my medical ICU looked like prior to COVID. I cant relate to the feelings after tough shifts because they are now considered our good days. In comparison to this pandemic -- there is no comparison to this pandemic and what it has done to me, my coworkers, and this profession.

Our typically open-concept ICU now felt like help was over a mile away, only to be summoned by fists banging on glass doors and muffled cries through a masked mouth for supplies, life-saving treatments, meds. Or to reach a physician because your patient is decompensating. Or to call a code because they are dying.

If youre lucky, someone might be nearby to hear you. I still remember smashing my fists on that glass so forcefully that I was sure it would shatter, asking my coworkers if we were resuscitating COVID patients as a man lay in bed behind me hanging onto his life by a thread.

Before, we had protocols on COVID-19 code blues, post-mortem care, family visitation. His flail chest became more pronounced with each sucking breath that the ventilator delivered. My scrubs sopping wet with sweat after three and a half hours of trying to save his life with my coworker beside me.

I scream for a backboard as I ignore the risk, and I am reminded of my own morality, fully prepared to resuscitate this man alone as our only physician was intubating next door. No plan, no orders, no protocols. Just our training and instincts as ICU nurses and a dying man who deserved more than we were able to give him.

My coworkers outside of the room frantically wave us down as we lean the man forward and place the backboard behind him. I distantly hear them wail, Hes a DNR! (Do Not Resuscitate) as I intertwine my fingers and place my palms on his sternum. I can still feel the vial of morphine they handed me roll between my fingers as I stood over this man like the angel of death.

Such a pathetic Band-aid to make the pain all better knowing damn well in my heart that we shouldve been doing more. A petty little vial after 3 hours of pouring every ounce of what I had into this man. And all I get is a tube of morphine and a syringe; thats all this man gets from us. I felt like we were giving up on him, and I didnt want to; I wasnt ready to. He was somebodys someone. Doesnt that mean anything during a pandemic?

I remember the disbelief that washed over me as the supervisor told us his wife couldnt be with him during his final moments. I feel his hand in mine, his other in Dianes, as we promise him he wouldnt die alone. We wait for the room phone to ring with his wife on the other end. His blood pressure is dropping, heart rate slowing as those outside the room try to contact his wife. She isnt answering.

I pause before giving the morphine praying we would be able to hear the phone ring over the violent alarming of the monitor as his vital signs plummeted. I reluctantly push the morphine into his veins after not being able to stand the thought of his last moments in pain. His blood pressure reads 46/20. It stays there.

We are jolted by the sound of the phone ringing, and we explain to his wife that he doesnt have much time. We tell her the unbearable truth that he is actively dying. As the phone rests by his ear, a distant voice is heard from the other end for only a few seconds, and his arterial line goes flat. No pulse. He was waiting for her.

- - -

Tears and sweat drown my face as I try to rip off my PPE and exit the room. I didnt want to leave him, but I couldnt bear another second in that reality. A whirlwind of emotions crash over me, and my knees weaken. I thought, If I can just get this gown and mask off, Ill be able to breathe again.

Even after ripping the damp N95 from my face, I was still breathless, speechless, and broken in disbelief of what happened in that room. I was suffocating. I nearly collapsed as I stepped through the barrier of his room with my coworkers there to catch me. Never in my life had I felt that level of hysteria as COVID showed us that what we were fearing was actually much worse than we couldve imagined. This became the new standard for the worst night Ive ever had.

The best way I can describe the frontlines is trying to scream as loud as you can while underwater. We are all underwater, trapped in our fishbowl-like glass rooms behind closed doors, praying that someone will hear us.

Imagine being the only thing standing between life and death for another human being, and everything you need to keep them alive is through a glass door that you cannot open. While screaming underwater. We are drowning.

* * *

Laurens cry for help is universal in the United States right now, this Delta variant far more intense, threatening and contagious. What if I told you that the letter you just read from Lauren Powers was actually written in June of 2020. What has she been through, and what do we now know since then? Get the vaccine today.

* * *

MEMORIAL HOSPITALS ACCURSED MOMENT

Chattanoogas Memorial CHI Hospital took an ill-advised moment a couple of weeks ago to rather embarrassingly announce that all persons hired in good faith by the hospital who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1 would lose their jobs. The hospital news release said the decision was "an effort to continue protecting our patients, staff and communities from this dangerous disease."

The news release did not say that booting 20 percent of the staff for brownie points during a pandemic surge is dumber than trying to push Blue Cross-Blue Shield around.

There is some belief that hospitals the size of Memorial have approximately 20 percent of the staff of 4,600 who are unvaccinated but  guess what  any nurses or staff who want to leave are in huge demand by at least 1,000 nearby hospitals in the United States. It is widely known Memorial, Erlanger, Parkridge and other health-related agencies are badly understaffed and that new applicants at other hospitals are eligible for bonuses.

Just watch  Memorial Hospital will rue this day.

royexum@aol.com
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general to ensure that the Biden Administration will faithfully defend a long-standing federal immigration statute that prohibits illegal re-entry.

The attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking written assurances by Sept. 17 that the U.S. Department of Justice will defend 8 U.S.C.  1326, the law governing illegal re-entry. The letter follows a recent district court ruling in which the Chief Judge for the District of Nevada struck down a provision that criminalizes the illegal reentry of previously deported aliens.

The state attorneys general are concerned that the DOJ will follow recent patterns of circumventing the legislative process by not defending the law, noting multiple examples in which the Biden Administration has demonstrated a habit of policymaking through the expedient of strategic surrender in litigation.

This is particularly concerning given the United States unprecedented border crisis, said officials. In July, the U.S. Border Patrol reported more than 200,000 encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest monthly figure in 21 years.

This is a long-standing statute and one of the most effective ways we have to deter illegal reentry into the United States by individuals who have been denied admission, deported or removed, said General Slatery. The federal government should act immediately and defend the law.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security has lost control of the border, lamenting that the current situation is unsustainable, that it cannot continue, that the system is getting close to breaking, and that were going to lose.

In their letter, the attorneys general explain that defense of federal immigration law is one of the most vital tools for the U.S. government to mitigate the border crisis.

The attorneys general wrote:

Given that border security had reached the breaking point before Chief Judge Du issued her opinion, just imagine what awaits if you announce your intent not to appealan announcement that would, in effect, tell already-deported aliens that they are free to try re-entering again. Indeed, acquiescing in the district courts opinion would be tantamount to announcing legalization of illegal re-entry. Moreover, under the district courts reasoning, the United States may well be unable to enforce any immigration laws, which by their nature disparately impact the many billions of people living outside of our borders.

Although the DOJ has filed a notice of appeal, that notice does not require the DOJ to ultimately appeal this monumentally incorrect ruling. The attorneys general requested that Attorney General Garland assure them in writing by Friday, Sept. 17, that the DOJ will faithfully defend the law.

Joining Attorney General Slatery are the attorneys general from the states of Arizona, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Copy of AG Coalition letter here. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-30-letter.pdf




We learned from an LA Times report that a number of U.S. students and parents are stranded outside the Kabul airport but Joe Bidens spokesperson, seemed surprised when questioned about it. If that had been Sarah Huckabee, she would have been ripped to shreds.

When Biden was asked by Peter Alexander of NBC News what he would do if Americans are still in Afghanistan after the deadline, he at first ignored the question. When pressed he answered but the feed from the White House was cut. Alexander later tweeted that Biden said, youll be the first to find out! Can you imagine the reaction if it was Trump?

Today suicide bombers killed 12 U.S. Service personnel and wounded 15 more. That was followed by a firefight at the airport gate and another explosion at a hotel. Afghan officials report a total of 90 dead and 150 more wounded (CBS, Melissa Quinn, Aug 26, 2021)

Then Politico reported that Taliban leaders were given the names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies waiting to get early entry to Kabul airport by some Biden administration officials. Apparently thats Joes plan for Americans still there.

So much for the Biden myth the adults are back in charge (CNN, June 16, 2021-Joe Bidens message to Vladimir Putin). His feeble threats of revenge only sound as weak as his message to Putin.

NBC often paraded pundits, Never-Trumpers and Democrats across their network calling for Trumps removal. So where are they now? Could it be they are more afraid of Joes replacement than they fear Joe or are they just as incompetent as he is?

Ralph Miller
During the month of September, the Jewish Federation will hold an exhibit and sale of visual art donated by local residents. Purchased items can be taken immediately. Items range from Japanese prints, needlework, realistic and abstract paintings, intaglio and lithographic prints as well as Judaica.

The majority of items are priced under $50. All items are sold as is and all prices are negotiable.



This sale is in preparation for the renovation that will begin on our facility in December," said Michael Dzik, Jewish Federation executive director. What a better time to clean out our closets. I would also like to thank the leadership of Karen Diamond, and those people who donated items for this project.

Mr. Dzik went on to say all proceeds from the sale with benefit Federation programming such as social services, the Chattanooga Jewish Film Series and others.

The Jewish Cultural Center will be open for Out of Our Closets from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 1-3, 9-10, 13-15, 17, 20 and 23-24. The exhibit and sale will close at 3 p.m. on Sept. 27. Other days in September, the Jewish Cultural Center will be closed in observance of the Jewish high holidays.

Located at 5461 North Terr., the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.






Three Georgia Northwestern Technical College Industrial Systems Technology students from the Whitfield Murray Campus in Dalton received The Governor Nathan Deal Technical Education Scholarship in recognition of their academic achievement in an industrial program.

The three students, Eric Garcia, Jonathan Garcia and Eduardo Hernandez, were recognized by their instructors for excelling in their program.

The Carpet and Rug Institute established the scholarship in 2018 in partnership with the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia. According to President and CEO of CRI and Technical College System of Georgia Board Member Joe Yarbrough, the scholarship honors former Governor Nathan Deal for his dedication to technical education in Georgia.

I am most proud of the great relationship enjoyed by the member companies of the Carpet and Rug Institute and the entire Whitfield Murray region, Mr. Yarbrough said. The students attaining the skills needed for our workforce have great career opportunities here. The desire to provide scholarship support to high-achieving students through the Governor Nathan Deal Scholarship established by the CRI is truly a privilege.

The scholarship was set up as an endowment, which gains interest over time and will fund future awards, Mr. Yarbrough added. WMC students majoring in Applied Technical Management, Automation Engineering Technology, Chemical Technology, Computer Numerical Control Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, Flooring Production, Industrial Systems Technology, Precision Machining and Manufacturing as well as Welding and Joining Technology programs are eligible for the scholarship.

We are so grateful to the Carpet and Rug Institute and its members for making these scholarships possible, said GNTC President Dr. Heidi Popham. It is a joy to see these students being recognized for their excellence and I am confident that they will bring that level of performance to the workforce as well.
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way star Ariela Danielle is defending herself against the online haters as many fans dont understand how she could invite her ex-husband, Leandro, to stay in her home with her husband, Biniyam Shibre. This 90 Day Fiance star is making a statement about how she feels about online criticism.

Ariela and Biniyam, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Aerila invites her ex-husband, Leandro to visit her and Biniyams home in Ethiopia

90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 teases plenty of conflict in Ariela and Biniyams marriage. Their already rocky relationship is tested when Ariela invites her ex-husband of 10 years, Leandro, to visit her in Ethiopia. Later in the teaser, Biniyam is wrestling Leandro, and it appears Biniyam won.

Biniyam is seen overpowering Arielas ex in a chokehold and Leandro taps out. While Biniyam may have beat Leandro in that match, hes still worried that Ariela will run off with him. In a new clip from season 3, Ariela is explaining to her friend that she gets lonely in Ethiopia by herself, and thats why shes happy that her best friend is coming to visit, meaning Leandro, not Biniyam.

Aerila defends herself against online haters

90 Day Fiance fans were shocked to find out how close of a relationship Ariela and her ex-husband Leandro have. Naturally, people began commenting about how odd the situation is. Areia didnt respond to any of the haters comments. However, one fan rushed to Arielas defense on Instagram, writing that she knows how to have an ex as a best friend.

They wrote, No way, yall are not gonna come for @arieladanielle about this! Not only does she look GOOOORGEOUS this season.. buuut as someone whose ex of 12 years is now their ride or die best friend with zero romantic intent or anything close. Ariela responded to the supportive message, Oh they are definitely going to come for me. But I know they just dont get it. And thats cool. Theyd come for me even if I donated a kidney to a homeless kitten. Cant win with the internet.

What to expect from Ariela and Biniyam on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3

Season 3 looks like there will be a lot of drama surrounding Ariela and Biniyam, largely thanks to Leandros visit. However, other things are happening between Ariela and Biniyam that are much bigger than jealousy and exes. Everything changes when they find out their son, Avi, needs emergency hernia surgery.

Ariela decides they should take Avi to the United States for medical care. Biniyam is begging her not to go out of fear she will leave him as his ex-wife had with his first child. Also teased this season, Biniyam gives Ariela a serious ultimatum to save their relationship.

Current and past cast members have explained how difficult it can be to manage online hate. While fans might think they know the situation from the show, its easily manipulated to make one person out to be wrong or the bad guy. Ariela has already been through one season, so she understands that shes not going to change peoples minds on the internet.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance Fans Think Ariela Still Has Feelings for Her Ex-Husband and Best Friend Leandro
Just ahead of the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 premiere, Corey Rathgebers fling in Peru has come to light. While he claims that his fiancee Evelin Villegas wanted a break and that they were broken up, she didnt see it like that. Evelin says in the clip that Corey admitted theres more to the story with the Peruvian woman, Jenny. The curtain is being pulled back, and theres going to be a lot to unpack this season.

Corey and Evelin, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Corey has a fling with a woman named Jenny in Peru while on a break with Evelin

Evelin told Corey that she wasnt ready to marry him in the previous season of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. In the flashback clip, Evelin told Corey, I want to walk the world with you, but not because you need me, but because we both want to. In a brand new sneak peek clip, Corey says, Evelin decided she wanted to go on a break. I took that as we were broken up. He clarified to Evelien, It wasnt taking a break. You broke up with me. She replied, At first, it was a break. This implies that even Evelin knew that it started as a break and transitioned into a breakup. So did Corey really cheat if Evelin broke up with him first?

Corey then packed a bag and left for Peru. He explained why he chose Peru specifically. He said, Its cheap, theres good surf, and its close. Thats when he met a girl named Jenny. After a month in Peru, he headed back to Ecuador to pack the rest of his belongings and leave Evelin for good.

Corey admits to Evelin that there is more to the story with Jenny

Thats when the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, and the government enforced the quarantine. He got stuck with Evelin in Ecuador. In a flashback, Evelin tells Corey, You know right now you, and I wouldnt be together if we werent stuck in quarantine. Around the same time that Evelin and Corey were locked down together, she heard that Corey had seen Jenny while in Peru through a mutual friend.

Evelin explained, I mean, of course at that time, I was mad. She didnt know the extent of the relationship, only from what Corey told her. She said, But he told me that he only hang out with her for four days. Then Evelin found out more about the secret relationship. Evelin explained, But after I kept pressuring him, he admitted that there was more to the story.

Will Evelin forgive Corey enough to marry him?

In the trailer for season 3, Corey is still in Ecuador with Evelin, trying to see their engagement through to marriage. While trying on a wedding dress, Evelin says, Most brides are excited, but I am legit terrified.

Her family and friends arent supportive of their relationship anymore. At the wedding dress shop with two friends, one of them tells Evelin in Spanish, Its so stupid that you want to marry him. Evelins hesitation could be coming from the fact that he had a fling in Peru with Jenny. However, one could argue that Corey didnt cheat because they were on a break.

Evelin isnt as innocent as she makes herself out to be, however. 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way fans remember in earlier seasons when Evelin was caught sleeping with her best guy friend while she and Corey were on a break. Fans are excited to watch this Friend-Esque drama play out in real life. Were they on a break, or were they broken up? 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 premieres on Sunday, August 29th at 8 pm EST on TLC.

RELATED: Top 3 Countries With the Most 90 Day Fiance Cast Members
Steven reveals how he and Alina fell in love in a clip for the upcoming season 3 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way. He reveals that Alina was terrified of Steven due to a stereotype that most Russians have about people of the Mormon faith. She believed Mormonism to be a cult and nearly didnt meet up with him for their first date because of it.

Alina and Steven 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Who are Steven and Alina?

25-year-old Steven is a devout Mormon from Salt Lake City, Utah. He will be traveling across the globe in hopes of marrying his Russian bride-to-be, 20-year-old Alina. The young couple met on a language app where Steven learned Russian, and Alina was learning English. In a clip of the upcoming premiere of season 3 provided by People, the pair hit it off instantly. Steven said, I started helping her English a little bit, and shes helping me with Russian.

He continued, From the very get-go, we are kind of interested in each other. So I said something kind of flirty like, Can I have your number? That kind of a thing. We started calling each other every day. And since then, we havent stopped.

Why Alina thought that Steven was in a cult

Steven revealed that his Mormon faith has always been superbly important to him. When he was 19 years old, Steven went on a mission trip and lived in Eastern Europe for two years, where he learned to speak Russian.

Alina on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way | TLC

After Alina found out Steven was a Mormon, she was worried. Steven explained, In Russia, they kind of see us as a cult, which made Alina super nervous about continuing their relationship. She was so worried. In fact, she was too nervous at first to meet up with him. He said, She didnt even want to meet up with me because she was afraid that I was going to sell her organs. After a bit of persuasion, Alina and Steven finally met in real life (with her mom there as a safety precaution, of course).

What can 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way fans can expect this season with Steven and Alina

Eventually, the two end up engaged and are ready to get married as soon as possible. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutting down the Russian border, their only chance at marriage is to go to Turkey, where they could meet and get married.

Alina and Steven, 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

According to the description that TLC provided, Once there, secrets of Stevens past and Alinas suspicions of infidelity begin to threaten their future together, and Alina questions if she truly knows the man shes about to marry.

Steven and Alina bring an energetic spirit to the franchise, even just through whats shown on the teasers. On the other hand, could they be too young to be getting married? 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way premieres Sunday, August 29th, at 8 pm EST.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3  Meet the New and Returning Couples
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has always been vocal about his beliefs. The son of a teacher, he was quick to support them in the midst of the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) upheaval. As a member of two of the most recognizable bands of the past three decades, he has a massive platform and isnt afraid to use it. He recently stepped up to defend the LGBTQ community from members of the Westboro Baptist Church in spectacular fashion on a Kansas City tour stop.

Foo Fighters | Getty Images

25 Years of the Foo Fighters

First making himself a household name with Nirvana, Grohl is now a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee twice over. Beginning with the band in 1990, Grohl released three studio albums with Nirvana. He was the bands drummer until the death of lead vocalist Kurt Cobain in 1994, when he withdrew from the public eye.

When he decided to return to the drums, he was a hot commodity. Guitar World reported that Grohl could have joined Tom Petty as a Heartbreaker. Instead, Grohl pursued his dreams of performing his own songs, deferred from his time as Nirvanas drummer. What initially began as a solo project after the death of his bandmate grew to be an overwhelming success in its own right.

Not expecting his musical offshoot to be long-lived, Grohl used a throwaway name. The Foo Fighters got their name from the militarys name for UFOs, in which Grohl takes a special interest.

Their debut was quiet, with Grohl and Nirvanas bassist Krist Novoselic agreeing to part ways to avoid carrying too much history from their previous band. 25 years later, the Foo Fighters have released 10 albums to much popular and critical acclaim, and theyre not showing any signs of slowing down.

Adding to their disco-graphy

On August 5th, members of the Westboro Baptist Church showed up to protest the Foo Fighters show in Kansas City, kicking off the third meeting between the two parties. Rolling Stone says that instead of alternative rock, protesters got an uplifting message from the bands disco-inspired alter egos, the Dee Gees, who just released their Hail Satin cover album in July.

A video transcription from the Hollywood Reporter shows Grohl asking the crowd to examine the reason for their anger, saying, Cant you just love everybody? Because I think its about love! Thats what I think. Were all about love. And you shouldnt be hating. You know what you should be doing? You should be dancing! The band broke into a cover of the Bee Gees hit You Should Be Dancing before heading to their show, continuing their Kansas City counterprotest tradition.

The Foo Fighters Rock and Troll Hall of Fame

While this is their first appearance as the Dee Gees, this is far from the first time the Foo Fighters have given Westboro Baptist Church a piece of their mind. The band has entertained members of the Westboro Baptist Church on two prior occasions. Their most recent was in 2015 when the band appeared in a pickup truck to rick-roll the protesters outside their Kansas City performance. According to Vanity Fair, this led to a friendship and even a collaboration between the Foo Fighters and Rick Astley.

The history between these two groups stretches back to 2011 when the Foo Fighters played their own Keep It Clean for the anti-gay Westboro protesters. The Guardian reports that the song about hot man muffins was repeated inside the venue as part of the ticketed performance.

RELATED: The Foo Fighters Tie for No. 1 in Most Rock and Alternative Airplay With an Interesting Band
Hearts melted and tears flowed more than a decade ago when Up arrived in theaters. Pixar and Disney had another hit. Within the first few minutes of the film, viewers grieved along with Carl and rooted for the chirpy and cheerful Russell. But the movie also introduced fans to Dug, the enthusiastic, friendly pooch whose collar enabled him to talk to humans. Disney+ is bringing him back in a new animated series that is tied directly to Up.

Dug Days from Disney/Pixar | Disney

Dug Days to drop on Disney+

Dont call it a prequel, for Dug Days is all about the present. It will feel like no time passed since we last saw Dug, Carl, and Russell trudging through the jungle. After their adventure at Paradise Falls, it seems like Carl rolled with Ellies advice to have more. The fun continues in the Dug-centric Dug Days.

According to a press release from Disney, the show will premiere on Disney+. Heres a synopsis:

Pixar Animation Studios Dug Days is a series of shorts that follows the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog from Disney and Pixars Up. Each short features everyday events that occur in Dugs backyard, all through the exciting (and slightly distorted) eyes of our favorite talking dog.

The trailer features Dug, Carl, Russell, and of course, a squirrel.

Bob Peterson writes and directs Dug Days

Animator Bob Peterson voiced Dug in the Oscar-winning Up and serves as a writer, director, and voice actor in Dug Days. Per the media release, he knows why people are so enamored with the doggie. Dug is pure of heart  hes a good soul. I think people enjoy that part of Dug, said Peterson. Plus, people love their dogs. Weve gone to great lengths to include truth in dog behavior, so they see their own dogs in Dug.

And Ed Asner reprises his role as the surly but soft-hearted Carl Fredericksen. Following Disney+s format, the show will drop episodes on Wednesday, giving fans something to look forward to this fall. Its unclear if the story will also pick up with Muntzs dogs Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, or if Kevin will appear. Who didnt love Kevin and her chicks?

Ruff day? Check out the new poster for #DugDays and give Dug a nose boop pic.twitter.com/9plmWZdjuw  Disney+ (@disneyplus) August 26, 2021

Dug Days debuts on Sept. 1

Disney+ has been rolling out a steady stream of family-friendly fare all year with Dug Days as one of its fall offerings hitting the platform on Sept 1. This follows Luca, Jungle Cruise, and the free-of-charge Aug. 27 drop of Cruella on the streamer.

Next up on Disneys animated docket is Encanto, a tale set in Colombia that follows a girl whos part of a magical family. But shes the one who is seemingly without powers. Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film drops in November 2021.

While Encanto is an entirely new story, Disney is reviving another old character with Lightyear. Finally, the beloved Space Ranger gets his own origin story in the form of a prequel. Find out where To infinity and beyond! really came from and how Buzz Lightyear became the hero everyone knows today.

Stream Dug Days on Disney+ and fall in love with Dug all over again.

RELATED: The Original Up Opening Sequence Went Over Like a Lead Balloon
Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund from Million Dollar Listing New York didnt tie season 9 in a neat bow as Serhant shares he will never truly be best friends with Eklund. The brokers ended a wild season at Steve Golds jaw-dropping listing, which was when Serhant admitted that all is not entirely copacetic with Eklund.

Meanwhile, Eklund says hes moved past their latest spat. Ryans here at the open house but you know what? Ive moved past that, he said in a confessional referring to their confrontation during the last episode. I mean, I dont need that negativity in my life. And Im closing so many deals, Im just gonna focus on that.

Why were Fredrik Eklund and Ryan Serhant feuding on Million Dollar Listing New York Season 9?

Serhant, for the most part, is focusing on his own deals, but still plans to keep Eklund at arms length. Its nice to see him twice a year, he said to Kirsten Jordan who asked about his relationship with Eklund. She joked about swapping developers back and forth and he smiled No, dont bring that up.

Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund from Million Dollar Listing New York end season 9 on a spicy note |Greg Endries/Bravo

Eklund was furious when he returned to New York only to learn that some of his developers started reaching out to Serhant. First of all, he knows I have the building, Eklund said in a previous episode. Hes got my phone number the last time I checked. Why doesnt he call me? To call a client directly is actually unethical. What is it between me and Ryan Serhant? Hes always going after my business. And I have never ever, thats the truth, pitched his buildings.

Did Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund resolve their feud on Million Dollar Listing New York Season 9?

Serhant said last weeks spat wasnt really resolved. Fredrik has been arguing with me for nine years! he said in a confessional. Im over it. Were never gonna be best friends. Were never gonna see eye to eye on everything because we are naturally born competitors. And we play in the same markets.

The brokers on #MDLNY always go the extra mile! Catch the Season Finale TONIGHT at 8/7c! pic.twitter.com/urhmY1M1eW  Bravo (@BravoTV) August 26, 2021

RELATED: Million Dollar Listing New York: Ryan Serhant Reveals Why He Used to Hate Filming the Show

He then pointed out that they both have a multi-million dollar building sale close to each other. So may the best person win, Serhant added. Jordan wondered to Serhant if they clash over business. But Serhant snarks, No hes just a broker. Shrug.

Fredrik Eklund brings drama to Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Season 13

The root of Eklund and Serhants current feud surrounds Eklunds bi-coastal business life. Eklund moved to Los Angeles before the pandemic hit, which may have provided an opening for the New York-based brokers. In fact, Eklunds New York-based partner John Gomes expressed his concern during last weeks episode. Theres something I want you to be aware about, Gomes said. Ive been hearing from a couple of different people that Ryan is out there talking about how Fredrik has left New York.

This season of #MDLLA is move-in ready! Don't miss the Season Premiere in ONE WEEK! pic.twitter.com/npYJ3ECGQz  Bravo (@BravoTV) August 26, 2021

RELATED: Bethenny Frankels Million Dollar Listing Renovation With Ryan Serhant is Still on the Market  Could Fans See It Next Season?

Eklund joined Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles as a full-time cast member and apparently brings the drama and heat to season 13. Eklund shared a teaser on Instagram. Theres a lot I want to say about this season. He added that the L.A. cast was incredible. And, They are what we say tv-gold every single one of them. Therefore I had big shoes to fill when joining.
Netflixs K-drama D.P. shows audiences the reality of Koreas mandatory military enlistment. Based on a popular webtoon, the drama stars actor Jung Hae-In as Ahn Jun-Ho, a new military recruit. What sets the army K-drama apart is its storyline. Jun-Ho tetters the edge between the military and civilian life as he is recruited to chase down military deserters.

Jung Hae-In as Ahn Jun-Ho in D.P. K-drama | via Netflix

What is Koreas mandatory military enlistment?

The K-dramas central premise centers on Koreas mandatory enlistment law. The law requires all registered Korean males between the ages of 18 to 28 to enlist in the military. Korean males can choose at what age to enlist but must register before they turn 30. The length of service varies depending on the branch of the military. On average, an enlistee can serve up to two years.

Active duty members in the army or marines can serve 21 months, while the air force requires 24 months. Not fulfilling mandatory enlistment or desertion is against the law. Koreas mandatory enlistment has been a topic of discussion for popular K-Pop idols. In some cases, the Korean government will allow K-Pop groups to delay their enlistment. Many Korean actors and artists will take a break from their careers to enlist in the army as active-duty officers or serve their time with the police force.

D.P K-drama stands for Deserter Pursuit

RELATED: Netflixs Nevertheless K-Drama Is a Mature Love Story With Perfectly Cast Leads

Ahn Jun-Ho is a new military recruit in D.P. thrust into the harsh reality of the military. Not only does Jun-Ho deal with strenuous mental and physical training, but verbal backlash and misuse of power by superiors. Jun-Ho is recruited to the Deserters Pursuit unit when a soldier jumps the fence to escape. His new role allows Jun-Ho to return to civilian life undercover to bring the deserters back for breaking the law.

Jun-Ho must maintain his discipline as a soldier but soon finds himself in a moral battle as he knows why deserters decide to flee. His team members consist of a relaxed leader who explains there are two types of deserters, There are two types of escaped soldiers. Ba****ds who are scary because you have no idea what theyll do next. And ba****ds that are just scary to try and catch. The K-drama interweaves comical and lighthearted moments but does not deter from the reality of the shame and guilt that deserters bring onto themselves.

Many popular K-Pop idols and K-drama actors have already enlisted

RELATED: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Netflix K-Drama Is a Remake of 2004 Movie

Despite the success of idols or actors, military service is still required. K-Pop and K-drama fans are often heartbroken when artists announce they will put their careers on hiatus to fulfill their mandatory duty. According to Soompi, Monsta Xs Shownu posted on the groups official fan cafe announcing his enlistment in the military as an active-duty officer starting July 22.

Shownu is not the only celebrity to enlist as SHINees Taemin has been in the military since May 31. As of August 23, actor Jang Ki-Yong has been an official active-duty soldier. Due to his enlistment date, the producers of his upcoming drama, Now, We Are Breaking Up, decided to pre-record its press conference to include the actor. As actors and idols fulfill their service, their loyal fan base anxiously wait for their return.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star Nicole Snooki Polizzi may have to face up to her past antics one day. She recently shared her worry about explaining her outrageous behavior, caught by MTVs cameras, to her daughter Giovanna. Polizzi said she is nervous if her daughter asks wheres your underwear if and when she sees past series clips.

Nicole Polizzi | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Nicole Polizzi behaved outrageously throughout Jersey Shore

Since the first moment Polizzi stepped foot into the shows iconic Seaside Heights, New Jersey beach house in 2009, Jersey Shore has been dominated by her outrageous antics. She made her reality show debut at 22 and was ready for a summer of fun when she first arrived at the shore. Polizzi quickly made a name for herself as a party girl, and her drinking binges, loud behavior, and dance expertise were something fans of the series quickly came to know and love.

Throughout the initial 6 season run of Jersey Shore, Nicole laughed, loved, and partied hard from the Jersey shoreline to Miami, to Italy, where the show took the cast to film. Alongside castmates Paul Pauly D DelVecchio, Mike The Situation Sorrentino, Angelina Pivarnick, Deena Cortese, Jenni JWoww Farley, Vinny Guadagnino, Sammi Sweetheart Giancola, and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Polizzi was a tiny dynamo who was always in search of fun.

Some of Nicole Polizzis most memorable antics

RELATED: Jersey Shore: The Unsurprising Reason Nicole Snooki Polizzi Auditioned for the MTV Series

Polizzi has been involved in some wild moments throughout the filming of Jersey Shore and Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. Her most iconic occurred after a night of partying followed by a day of drinking when she ran across the Seaside Heights boardwalk and asked, Wheres the beach? She promptly ran onto the hot sand, falling face down onto the shoreline before being carted off by cops for disorderly conduct.

She also fell off a bike, into bushes, down a set of stairs, and off a stage. Polizzi got into a car accident in Italy, ramming her vehicle into the back of a police car. On the first night, Polizzi hooked up with her future husband, Jionni LaValle; she was so intoxicated she couldnt remember his name, so she called him Bernard. The reality star also helped write the infamous note with Farley that divided the house between Giancola and Magro,

The moment Nicole Polizzi fears her daughter will question

RELATED: Jersey Shore: Nicole Polizzi Looks Ahead to Baby No. 4, How She Intends to Trick Husband Jionni LaValle

In an interview with Page Six, Polizzi realizes some on-camera moments her children, particularly daughter Giovanna, may question. While the reality star is not ashamed of her wild past, she understands that her kids may want to know just why their mother acted in a certain way.

Im really nervous about Giovanna seeing me do back handsprings in a dress and, like, my whole crotch is out. Shell be like, Mom, wheres your underwear? So that terrifies me, Polizzi admitted.

Getting arrested on the beach, and shell be like, Mom, why are you getting arrested? So, stuff like that. I also feel like it could be a lesson to be like, Kids, be way better than me because Mommy is a [expletive] show, she told us. So, I feel like I can use it to my advantage.

Nicole Polizzi proved even a mom of three can party

During the August 19 and 26th episodes of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Polizzi spent her 24 hours as a returning cast member blackout drunk. She began enjoying glasses of wine upon arriving at the shows Poconos location and soon could not recall her actions. The reality star said she enjoyed time with her roommates away from her husband LaValle, daughter Giovanna, and sons Lorenzo and Angelo.

Castmembers welcomed back a long-forgotten extra character on the show, Dren, who only reappears when Polizzi gets drunk. Dont look Dren in the eye, Farley told castmate Pivarnick upon her encounter with Polizzis drunk alter-ego.

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs Thursdays at 8/7c on MTV.
Jordan Peele, actor, comedian, and filmmaker, is a successful comedian and television host. His skit show with Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele, launched them both into stardom when it first debuted.

However, Peele has now garnered praise for his films, most notably his ventures into the horror genre. Recently, Peele announced that he is working on a new scary flick. Not much is known yet, but it is definitely something fans of Peele are going to enjoy.

Peele got his big break on Comedy Centrals Key and Peele

Key and Peele | Radhika Jones/Getty

Back in 2010, Key and Peele aired for the first time on Comedy Central. The sketch comedy show was written and produced by the duo. Not only that, but they were also the stars of the series.

The show consisted of pre-taped skits that covered a variety of topics. These included pop culture, stereotypes, social and race relations. Critics and the public alike both adored the comedy series.

Key and Peele ran for five seasons, completing 53 episodes and 1 special. During its time, the show won multiple awards. This included a Peabody Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Additional nominations include a Writers Guild Award and 16 additional Primetime Emmy Awards.

Despite being such a critical success, Peele and Key decided to call it quits. However, it was mutual because they both had other artistic endeavors.

Peele moved on to producing horror films

After the show ended, Peele went on to start producing his own films. However, this wasnt his first venture into movie making. In 2016 Peele and Key co-wrote and co-produced the comedy movie Keanu.

In 2017, Peele made his directorial debut with the horror film Get Out. It was released to universal acclaim and was the tenth most profitable movie of 2017. Peele told NPR that This [movie] is just simply my truest passion.

After Get Out, Peeles next journey in horror films was the 2019 movie Us. It premieres on March 8 at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Like his previous movie, Us was a huge success. Critics praised its storytelling, screenplay, and themes. In a review for the New Yorker, critic Richard Brody said that the movie was a colossal achievement.

Peele also has another horror film coming out soon. The supernatural slasher movie Candyman will be released on August 27, 2021.

Nope will be the title of Peeles next movie

Peele has recently announced that he is working on another horror film called Nope. The initial release date has been set for July 22, 2022. The cast will include Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun.

Unfortunately, Peele hasnt given up many details about the movie yet. The mystery surrounding it is sure to build up a lot of hype. With that being said, the movie is certain to be terrifyingly good.

Related: The Hidden Vampire Movie Reference You Might Have Missed in Jordan Peeles Us
Matt Damon is one of those actors who put in extra effort to appear authentic in front of the camera. Being a father helps him reach for certain emotions when the scene calls for them. He also will travel to places to get into character. In Stillwater, Matt Damon portrays a roughneck from Oklahoma  and he recently spilled details about his time spent getting into character.

Matt Damon played an oil rig worker from Oklahoma in Stillwater

Matt Damon at the Stillwater premiere | Michael Loccisano/WireImage

Stillwater is about an oil rig worker in Oklahoma named Bill Baker. He travels to France to visit his estranged daughter, Allison, who has been in prison for the past few years. She is serving time for the murder of her unfaithful lover, Lina. Allison learns something important that could free her.

A professor told her some second-hand information about a man who claimed to be Linas killer. Bill decides to investigate when Allisons defense lawyer refuses to open the case based on hearsay. He works with a resident named Virginie, and they discover Akim is the murderer.

Later on, Akim confesses that Allison hired him to kill Lina. In the end, the court exonerates Allison, who admits that Linas death was unintentional. Meanwhile, Bill decides to keep the truth to himself to protect her.

Damon starred as Bill, and Abigail Breslin portrayed Allison. The two of them bonded on set when Damon taught her some driving skills. Other actors in the crime drama include Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud, and Idir Azougli.

Matt Damon had help getting into character by spending time with roughnecks in Oklahoma

Discover the dramatic thriller, #STILLWATER starring Matt Damon and directed by Tom McCarthy. In our #AMCTheatres exclusive interview, the cast discuss the estranged father-daughter relationship. Watch video and get tickets: https://t.co/v7g5zmZUiu pic.twitter.com/dngh1ec0nT  AMC Artisan Films (@AMCArtisanFilms) August 19, 2021

Damon is someone who will go the extra mile to get into character before filming. His character is a roughneck from Oklahoma, so he wanted to appear authentic. In an interview with Good Morning America, Damon talks about what he did to prepare for the role.

When Damon arrived in the town in Oklahoma, he noticed how much of a different culture the place has. He explained how the people there were great, but they were wary of him and the director at first. The roughnecks were concerned that they were going to poke fun at them.

They realized that the director, Tom McCarthy, and I were like, we were really trying to get it right. They saw the story we were trying to tell had a lot of empathy for this guy, Damon said. So, these guys just took us all over the place. Took us to the oil rigs.

When Damon saw the workers at the oil rig, he stated that he could never do that type of job. The actor praised them for how hard they work.

Id never played a guy like this, Damon told Screen Rant. It was a very specific thing this kind of roughneck culture down in Oklahoma and Texas. And thankfully, we had some guys that we could go to down there who really gave us incredible access and really helped us build the character.

Amanda Knoxs story inspired Stillwater

The real world has influenced several popular movies in the past. Stillwater is one of those films that drew inspiration from a real-life event. According to Vanity Fair, the director based the script on the 2007 Amanda Knox case.

Knox is an American, and she was studying in Italy at the time. She became a suspect after the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. The court found Knox guilty, but her father remained her strongest supporter. After spending four years in prison, the highest court in Italy fully exonerated her in 2015. Knox later became a journalist and published author. However, her case did not inspire the ending, considering Allison really was responsible for the murder in Stillwater.

Interestingly, Knox did not know anything about Stillwater during its production. The movie did not impress her, and she expressed frustration that others profited from her name, noting shes tired of the distortion of her character. Knox wants to put it all behind her and return to anonymity.

RELATED: Stillwater: Oklahoma Oil Rig Worker Talks Showing Matt Damon Around to Help Him Get Into Character
Victoria Justice got an early acting start as Lola Martinez, the roommate to Jamie Lynn Spears Zoey on Nickelodeons Zoey 101 before snagging the starring role of Tori Vega in Victorious, where she continued to play a performing arts student. Though the show ended in 2013, rumored feuds with former castmates continue to follow Justice through the media. With all the connections her acting career has provided, the actor has been spotted on the arms of several different celebrity men in the past, but fans want to know: Who is Victoria Justice dating now?

Victoria Justice has been romantically linked with high-profile stars in the past

Justice has been romantically linked to a few leading men, most of whom were castmates on her projects. Creeto reports that her first power couple partner was none other than Cole Sprouse, whom she met on the set of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody in August 2004. Justice has since revealed that the actor was also her first kiss. It would be another four years before her next high-profile relationship, when she was spotted in 2008 with Josh Hutcherson, who would later rise to fame as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games franchise. The pair dated for just over a year before calling it quits.

Shortly after her relationship with Hutcherson ended in 2009, Justice was seen with English actor Nicholas Hoult, known for his roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and the X-Men franchise. They were together for six months before breaking things off in November 2009. In 2011, she was spotted with her former Victorious castmate Ryan Rottman. Their relationship lasted two years before they split in 2013. Later that year, Justice began a romance with yet another co-star, reportedly starting to date Pierson Fode after the pair met on the set of Naomi and Elys No-Kiss List. They broke things off in November 2015.

Is Victoria Justice currently dating anyone?

Victoria Justice attends the LMDM Grand Opening Party. | Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for La Maison De Makoto

Justice has successfully maintained a measure of privacy with her romantic relationships, but it appears she is currently single. She was last tied to actor Reeve Carney. They met while filming the 2016 remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show for Fox, with Justice cast as Janet Weiss and Carney as Riff-Raff. E! News broke the news of their relationship in December 2016 when they were spotted together at Just Jareds holiday party, but it was reported that the pair had been together for months prior. Justice and Carney were an item until February 2019, and the actress has not been linked to anyone since.

What Justice is working on now?

Justice has maintained a television and film presence since the finale of Victorious, working with both establishment and independent studios. In addition to starring in MTVs Eye Candy, she became the first solo female host of Nickelodeons Kids Choice Awards in 2020. Justice is the star of the upcoming Netflix comedy Afterlife of the Party, in which she plays Cassie, a party animal who suffers the consequences of partying too hard and has to make amends with everyone she wronged while she was alive. The movie is scheduled for release Sept. 2, 2021.

With that project off her plate, Variety reports that Justice will be strengthening her ties to Netflix and filming another movie for the streaming giant. She will be starring opposite Adam Demos in the romcom set to be shot in Demos native Australia. Justice plays an executive working for a wine company who travels from Los Angeles to Australia to close a deal with a client, but ends up getting romanced by a local resident while working as a ranch hand.

RELATED: What Is Victorious Star Victoria Justices Net Worth?
In this March 2 photo, pharmacy technician Hollie Maloney loads a syringe with Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021.
Ive heard Christians I love and respect say that prayer doesnt change anything. We pray in order for God to change us, they say. I get the sentiment. I, too, believe that as I pray and ask Gods will to override my own, my heart changes. Slowly, softly, sometimes painfully, I feel my desires transform. But I dont think thats all prayer does. I know prayer can also change our circumstances. Ive experienced it.

Several years ago, I was teaching a communication course at a college campus in Michigan. One particular student, Shatina, would always make her way to the back of the classroom. Most days, shed put her head down on the desk and practice not making eye contact with me for the full 90-minute class. I generally have positive relationships with my students, but Shatina never seemed interested in that. She didnt laugh at my jokes. She didnt raise her hand. She sat in the back of class and, when class was done, she left.

One day, as Shatina walked into class, a thought popped into my head: Give Shatina the money that is in your wallet.

I wondered if this thought was from the Holy Spirit. But I didnt grow up in a church culture with a strong focus on the Holy Spirit, so over time, I think Id taught myself to ignore such promptings.

I cant just hand students cash from my wallet, I thought to myself. In fact, it would be inappropriate. So I dismissed the thought as my own and taught my class as usual. When class ended, the students left, including Shatina. The second she was gone, a thought emerged in my mind again: You keep asking me to give you big opportunities, and you havent been faithful in this small one.

I still wasnt sure if I was talking to God or arguing with myself, but I knew the statement was convicting. I had been praying for God to use me, and now maybe he was and I was ignoring the opportunity. I quickly checked my wallet and saw I that had a 20-dollar bill. I ran outside and looked up and down the parking lot for Shatina but couldnt find her. I told the Lord that if this was from him, Id tried to be faithful, but apparently it was too little and too late.

This all happened on the Friday before spring break. My husband and I went on vacation the next day. I wish I could say that my entire trip was ruined by my grief over my refusal to obey what I perceived to be the voice of God. But it wasnt. During our vacation, I didnt give the situation a second thought.

But when I got back to work a week later, as soon as Shatina walked into my classroom, a thought entered my mind again: Heather, give Shatina the money you have in your wallet.

I took out my wallet and opened the zipper. This time there was 40 dollars sitting crisply inside. Okay, I thought. Ill be faithful.

When class ended, I asked Shatina to stay behind. She looked incredibly nervous. We had no relationship, and this was about to get very awkward for both of us.

I know this is going to sound very strange, I began while fumbling for my wallet, but I am a Christian. When you walked in here today, God told me to give you this 40 dollars. I am so sorry if I am making you uncomfortable. This money is not from me. This money is between you and him.

I pressed it into her hand even as I felt nervous, hoping she wouldnt file a complaint. Her face went from confusion to complete shock. Im a single mom, she said. I did not know this. She was only 19.

Before I stepped in this class, I did something I havent done in several years, she whispered, now with tears streaming down her face. I prayed.

Shatina went on to tell me that right before my class shed asked a friend for money to help her buy a box of diapers for her six-month-old baby. Her friend didnt have any, so they called the friends dad to see if he had any money he could loan her. He also said he didnt. They hung up with him, and Shatinas friend turned to her and said, I think we should pray.

Article continues below

Shatina was offended; she saw no use for prayer. If there even was a God, he didnt bother himself with her prayers. Shatina had grown up in foster care and experienced sexual assault. As a senior in high school, she moved into a halfway house. Then shed gotten pregnant and had a baby.

Shatina didnt really believe in God, but when her friend asked her to pray, she decided to be polite. The two girls, sitting right outside of my classroom, prayed to God. They didnt pray for a house, or for riches or fame. They prayed for a box of diapers. And now here I was, roughly 90 minutes later, handing her 40 dollars.

Ive never ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit again. If I had not answered that voice, whispering a second time for me to open my wallet, maybe God would have found another way to help Shatina. Or perhaps Gods response to this 19-year-old single mother who was barely able to pray actually relied in some mysterious way on my willingness to respond to the Spirits stirring.

Over the years, Shatina and I have stayed connected. God has continued to work in her life, and shes now a believer in Jesus. But even thenwhen she barely believed in God and did not even want to prayher prayer mattered. This is the God we get to serve. And this is a God I want to do my part to co-labor with.

Yes, I believe that our prayers change us. But I also believe God works through prayer to change our circumstancesbecause I was privileged to be part of Gods answer to a teenage mom from a halfway house who needed a box of diapers. I saw God answer the cry of a girl who didnt even believe in prayer.

Heather Thompson Day is the author of Its Not Your Turn, the host of CTs Viral Jesus podcast, and associate professor of communication at Colorado Christian University.

This article is part of CTs special issue Teach Us to Pray: Womens Perspectives on Deepening our Engagement in Life with God. You can read the full issue here

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.
This spring and summer, a lot of headlines about the economy sang a similar tune:

From CNN: Why American workers don't want to go back to normal

The Wall Street Journal: Job Openings Are at Record Highs. Why Arent Unemployed Americans Filling Them?

The New York Times: Why Arent People Going Back to Their Jobs?

The Washington Post: Its not a labor shortage. Its a great reassessment of work in America.

Across the country, hundreds of companies and businesses, many of them in the hospitality and service industry, were searching for employees. And they werent finding them. Some state governments began to halt the federal governments unemployment funds, worried that the cash was disincentivizing unemployed people from working. Companies and businesses began to raise salaries and add benefits. But many people werent persuaded; they werent going back to their pre-pandemic line of work.

One restaurant worker in Austin told The Washington Post:

The staffing issue has actually a lot more to do with the conditions that the industry was in before covid and people not wanting to go back to that, knowing what they would be facing with a pandemic on top of it. People are forgetting that restaurant workers have actually experienced decades of abuse and trauma. The pandemic is just the final straw.

Many of us, especially those of us who are professionals, may believe our work matters  or at least it ought to. Weve heard Christian leaders make the case for work glorifying God and theological arguments being made to stir us to good work. But is this always the case? Has this framework, instead, ever been used to dehumanize and exploit workers?

Luke Bobo serves as vice president of networks for Made to Flourish, a ministry that helps pastors and churches better understand work and economics in light of their faith. He is the author of Living Salty and Light Filled Lives in the Workplace, A Laypersons Guide to Biblical Interpretation,and Race, Economics and Apologetics.

Bobo joined global media manager Morgan Lee and executive editor Ted Olsen to discuss if the Bibles instructions about work make sense today, what is different about work in this moment, and how to navigate the additional abuse and exhaustion the pandemic has brought on.

What is Quick to Listen? Read more

Rate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts

Follow the podcast on Twitter

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen

Follow our guest Luke Bobo

Music by Sweeps.

Quick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder

The transcript is edited by Faith Ndlovu
Jesus loved data. That sounds strange since we often associate data with the rise of modern technology, but in its purest form, data is simply facts or information that can be analyzed for a specific purpose. And it has shaped the life of the church for millennia.

In fact, we can look both to Jesus and the apostle Paul for prime examples of demographic, personal, and religious data informing their approaches to ministry. Consider Jesus interactions in Matthew 9:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

As he looked upon the crowds, Jesus was gathering data. He was taking stock of peoples needs and desires, their weaknesses and hurts. As he analyzed that information, he felt motivated by compassion to act on their behalf.

Even the apostle Paul, lacking Jesus godly insight, was able to gather and utilize information to minister powerfully.

In Acts, Paul goes to the Jews at Pisidian Antioch and says, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen, explains Ed Stetzer, the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College. But when he speaks to the nonreligious in Lystra, he talks about nature, the harvest, and the ocean. And finally, when Paul goes to Athens, he says, People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious, then quotes their Epicurean and stoic philosophers.

How did Paul know that in one place he should talk about nature, and in the other he should talk about poetry, and in the other he should talk about Jewish history? Stetzer continues. Because he knew people. Fast forward 2,000 years: We have tools to know people in a way that we didnt have before, and those tools can be quite remarkable.

What Data Does

Like Jesus and Paul, when we clearly see the needs of people, we must pursue them. Why? Because data inspires action.

[Jesus] knew their hearts, Stetzer says. He knew who they were. As leaders, we too need to know our communities so that we can engage our communities.

Jesus, of course, has the advantage here; we cant look at a crowd and know their hearts. But through conversation and regular contact, we do develop an intuitive feel for how best to minister to people. We look into their eyes during the passing of the peace. We read their Facebook posts. We write down their prayer requests. These touchpoints provide us with knowledge and shape the way we serve.

Despite our best efforts, however, our perceptions of people are not perfect. Each of us carry biases and assumptions. We let personalities and dispositions override reality. And, as flawed leaders, we can draw flawed conclusions about who our people are and what they may need.

This, Stetzer asserts, is why the corrective lens of data is so essential. Data draws reality into focus. It creates nuance, Stetzer says, and it reveals where our understandings may be skewed or short-sighted.

For example, you may have assumed that millennials, used to 280-character tweets, have short attention spans. Perhaps you let that assumption shape your sermon length as you seek to draw in young families, prompting you to shorten your message.

Data tells a different story. Recent Barna and Gloo statistics show that millennials across four major regionsthe Dallas-Fort Worth area, Kansas City, Columbus and its environs, and South Floridaprefer lengthier sermons than Gen Xers or boomers do. In Kansas City, for example, 50% of millennials polled indicated a preference for sermons that lasted 31 minutes or longer; only 38% of Gen Xers and 29% of boomers said the same.

Generalizing is an understandable impulse. We cant possibly know the internal depths of every person in our congregation, so its natural that we draw conclusions about groups based on what we know of individuals. The danger comes in failing to examine our assumptions or when we entirely forget that were making them.

Gathering information has the power to release these binds of bias and prejudice. Tools like census records, city-wide forums, and online polls help us overcome our personal limitations and embrace a fuller, more accurate view of our people. Through demographic data, we can begin to ask ourselves how factors like race, education, vocation, socioeconomic status, or gender may subtly distort how we view others.

What incorrect assumptions may be limiting your congregations growth and potential? And how might investigating those assumptions lead to more effective ministry?

Knowledge Demands a Response

A few years ago, Brooke Hempell, Barna Groups senior vice president of research, and her team looked at a dataset focused on Dallas-Fort Worth. They noticed an unsettling contrast: While the city seemed to be flourishing economically and culturally, that trend did not bear out in the African American community. The financial gains many in Dallas were seeing were not occurring within, nor trickling down to, the Black community there.

Hempell points out that this information offers pastors the chance to identify and minister to those who are suffering while also highlighting areas of injustice.

Data gives them the power to advocate and to make changes that are needed, she says. Armed with this information, pastors could meet with community leaders to better understand the wealth disparities. They may prioritize faith-and-work conversations in order to educate congregants on the workforce, economy, or housing markets that contribute to these numbers. Or they may preach a series on biblical stewardship and generosity, emphasizing the importance of investing in the local community. We, as pastors, have a responsibility to learn more so that we can do better.

Data Isnt MathematicalIts Personal

Many assume data is a series of sterile numbers and spreadsheets. But data isnt mathematical; its personal. Gathering this information about your congregation is one of the easiest ways to know their needs and ensure your ministry is meeting them.

Historically, cards in bulletins, potluck lunches, and prayer meetings offered ideas of what a church may need, with foyer chats and hospital visits shaping a pastors perspective. In fact, the 17th-century English Puritan church leader Richard Baxter dedicated two full days each week to visiting with the families in his care. He saw getting to know themcompiling dataas a blessing that would lead to greater efficacy in ministry.

With the ubiquity of the internet and social media, data collection has moved from lengthy chats to laptops. Online cookies and uncleared caches now offer companies and brands invaluable insight, helping them identify exactly what kind of lighting fixture, sleep shirt, or shave gel their target market may be interested in. It no longer matters to these companies what bivocational pastors as a general category wantfar more useful is learning what you specifically want.

As businesses have pivoted from the general to the individual, author and small-church expert Karl Vaters notes, broadcasting has given way to narrow-casting. This is, of course, a massive win for businesses that want to see better returns. But is it good for individuals? If the feedback is accurateyes! Ads, offerings, and services that mirror our true needs can be of benefit to corporations and individuals alike.

This shift prioritizes what marketers refer to as need statesa focus on what an individual person needs in a particular moment. For instance, both middle managers dashing between meetings and students rushing between the classroom and library share the need for a simple snack thats healthy, quick, and easy to eat. Same need state, two very different demographics.

There was a reason why demographics targeting a particular type of person worked for a generation, Vaters says. Because pretty much everybody who looked like me wanted what I wanted to a surprisingly large degree. Thats not the case anymore. I look around and I see people like me, and they are in totally different need states. We are all in the need state for having a relationship with Christ. But then, were all in different places of recognizing that need state.

What might the needs of your congregants be? What are they lacking that you and your church could help provide? Given our post-pandemic world, its likely that many people are facing loneliness, grief, or major transitions. Maybe dating and relationships are top of mind for some of your congregants, whether guys who just graduated high school, single middle-aged women, or those divorcing during their empty nest years. Similarly, financial strain may be shared by the elderly trying to stretch their social security and by the young families living on one income.

When were able to identify these shared needs, we can better shape our ministries and resources. For example, many of your congregants may be dealing with lack of closure. They could have lost loved ones during the pandemic, experienced a career disruption, or severed contact with others in the months of social distancing. How might that awareness of your congregation inform your ministry? It has the potential to shape your next sermon series. You could train your small group leaders to help others walk through loss and grief. Or maybe you decide its time for church-wide gatherings oriented around socializing, processing, and supporting. Now that you know the need, the opportunities to meet it are only limited by your creativity.

This is the beauty of data: It isnt a set of rules or a prescriptive list. Instead, this information reveals where boundary lines exist for your congregants. When you know that many of your people share a needsomething you may determine through a tool like Gloos assessmentsyou wont waste time on endeavors that require too much and produce too little.

Its time to devote your ministerial energy to cultivating fertile ground for spiritual growth according to who, and where, your people are. Like Jesus and Paul, your ministry can be empowered by what you see, your compassion can be stirred by what you learn, and your actions can be motivated by truth. Know your people, pastor, that you might love them well.
Center Point Church pastor dies from COVID-19 after congregation fasts, prays

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Nearly two weeks after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, a beloved Kentucky pastor has died from the virus despite desperate prayers from his congregation asking the Lord to restore him back to his normal self.

Center Point Church in Lexington announced the passing Thursday of Senior Pastor Tim Parsons in a statement posted on Facebook.

We are saddened by the loss of our beloved Lead Pastor, Tim Parsons," the statement reads. "He was loved by many and he leaves an impactful legacy in the lives of thousands of people. We are grateful that he is now in the presence of the Savior he loved so deeply and proclaimed so passionately."

Parsons' health rapidly deteriorated after he was diagnosed with the virus on Aug. 9. He was hospitalized a few days later. Congregants prayed earnestly for God to restore the pastor in an online service last week. A day before Parsons death was announced, the church embarked on a period of prayer and fasting. They pleaded with God for his healing and a list of other needs.

He leaves behind his wife, Susan, and their three children.

Members and church leaders gathered at the church Thursday to comfort each other while others connected remotely.

Church officials were not immediately available for further comment when contacted by The Christian Post Friday.

In September 2005, Parsons and others planted Center Point Church on the east side of Lexington with the aim to "take everyone we meet one step closer to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ." Since then, the church has baptized hundreds and is attended by hundreds each week.

Dan DeWitt, founding director of the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity at Cedarville University in Ohio and a former vice president for communications at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, remembers Parsons as an inspiring professor who encouraged him in college.

There was a day in my undergrad when one of my professors - who I didn't think really liked me much - pulled me aside and told me he thought God had leadership opportunities for me based on some specific observations he shared with me about my life," Dewitt said in a statement on Facebook Thursday.

"That moment filled my heart with encouragement and vision. Throughout the years Tim Parsons has continued to be that kind of encourager to me. He went to be with Jesus after a battle with COVID. But man, did he live his life. And boy, did he finish strong. Thank you God for Pastor Tim. Father in Heaven, please be with his family and his church.

Dewitt further announced to his students that he planned on doing all his lessons until Labor Day through Zoom.

Given the COVID spike on campus, I will be doing all my classes through Zoom until Labor Day. Students, please stay safe. Given the online option, you can stream the class from anywhere for those who feel more comfortable heading home for now, he explained on Twitter. No one is more ready for COVID to no longer be a thing than the families of those personally impacted. We can all do our part to make wise decisions that are well-informed and aimed at serving others. Let's care well and stay well.
Biden tells ISIS-K 'we will hunt you down, make you pay' for Kabul attack, quotes Isaiah 6:8

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

President Joe Biden declared that the Islamic extremists behind the Kabul attacks that resulted in dozens of American and Afghan deaths will be brought to justice.

Muslim terrorists launched two attacks in Kabul aimed at people trying to flee the country, killing 13 U.S. Marines and one Navy Corpsman and at least 60 Afghan civilians, as well as wounding scores of others.

The White House remained silent for several hours after the terror attacks, with Biden's Press Secretary Jen Psaki canceling the noon press corps briefing until after the president's speech at 5:25 p.m. Eastern time.

At a press conference held in the East Room of the White House on Thursday evening, Biden directly addressed those behind the attacks, believed to be an Islamic State group known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).

The president declared: we will hunt you down and make you pay.

We will not forgive, we will not forget, said Biden. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

[Our commanders on the ground] made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission and we will," the president said. "And thats what I have ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

Biden said he has ordered American military leaders to coordinate attacks on ISIS-K, stressing that we will respond with force and precision." He added that these ISIS terrorists will not win.

The president also hailed the U.S. Armed Forces, holding a moment of silence for those who lost their lives. The Catholic politician quoted a line from the Old Testament passage of Isaiah 6:8, Here I am, Lord. Send me.

American military has been answering for a long time. Here I am, Lord. Send me, he continued. Each one of these women and men of our Armed Forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice of volunteering to go into harms way, to risk everything; not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.

Biden also said the Taliban has a mutual self-interest in getting people out of Afghanistan and defeating ISIS. He said there is no evidence of collusion between the two groups, but many military experts disagree.

During a Q&A the president confirmed that the U.S. has indeed given the Taliban a list of Afghan allies, U.S. citizens and green card holders they want to be evacuated, a move that some defense experts fear will lead to the torture and execution of many Afghans.

On Thursday, a suicide bomber carried out the first attack near the Abbey Gate entrance to Hamid Karzai International Airport where Afghans and Westerners are boarding flights to flee the country. Over 104,000 civilians, mostly Afghans, have been evacuated by the U.S. and its allies since Aug. 14.

The second attack was a car bomb near the Baron Hotel, which is near the Abbey Gate and where British troops process Afghans before boarding flights out of the country. It's also where 169 U.S. citizens were rescued last week after they were unable to make it through the Taliban checkpoints.

For its part, the Taliban condemned the suicide attacks in Kabul that occurred because the terrorist group allowed ISIS-K suicide bombers to pass through their checkpoints, enabling them to carry out the mass killings.

We strongly condemn this gruesome incident and will take every step to bring the culprits to justice, said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Many have been critical of the Biden administrations handling of the evacuation of American personnel and Afghan sympathizers. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican Conference, claimed that Biden has blood on his hands.

The buck stops with the President of the United States. This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Bidens weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief, tweeted Stefanik.

In a poll taken after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the Trafalgar Group found that nearly 70% of likely U.S. voters disapproved of Bidens handling of the situation.
China: Police arrest 10 kids, 18 adults in raid on worship gathering

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Police in China raided a small group of Christian worshipers from a heavily-persecuted house church in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province and arrested almost everyone, including an infant less than 1 year old, nine children and 18 adults.

Officers from Chenghua District Mengzhuiwang office forcibly entered the home of a church member, He Shan, where the small group of Early Rain Covenant Church was meeting for worship on Sunday, CBN News said.

The police claimed to have received a call reporting an illegal gathering there, the church wrote on its Facebook page, persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported, identifying the gathering as the Treading Water small group and the preacher as Dai Zhichao.

Preacher Dai asked the officers to show proper documents but the police ignored him and forcibly entered brother Hes home. In the process, the preacher was injured on his arm, as were other men who tried to help. Dais phone was also confiscated, ICC said.

A church member told ICC that many people were beaten by the police after being held in detention. When the children were rowdy, the police officers threatened to hit them on their heads, ICC said.

Police later released most of them, but Preacher Dai and brother He were put under administrative detention for 14 days. Brother He also received a fine of 1,000 RMB ($154).

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.

Over two years ago, authorities shuttered the 5,000-member church ERCC, broke down the doors of church members and leaders homes, and arrested more than 100 people. Police continue to harass and track church members, according to a recent report from the U.S.-based group China Aid.

ERCC, led by Pastor Wang Yi, has not been able to gather in person since it was shut down in 2018 when its pastor and other leaders were arrested. Wang was later sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of subversion of power and illegal business operations.

Gina Goh, ICCs regional manager for Southeast Asia, commented: The latest raid against ERCC, though nothing novel, shows a worrying trend that house churches are frequently subjected to harassment like this in the name of law enforcement, where legally flawed Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs have been employed by Beijing to crack down on house churches around the country.

Goh added that the Chinese Communist Partys constant fear of unregistered churches is both pathetic and preposterous, as it underscores President Xi [Jinping]s insecurity toward any critical mass. There is absolutely no regard for religious freedom.

Goh previously said, Beijing seeks to intimidate the leaders in hopes that the churches will dissolve due to fear. Their plot will not succeed, thanks to the resiliency of the Chinese house church. They survived the Cultural Revolution, and they will survive Xis era as well.

Under the direction of President Xi, officials from the CCP have been enforcing strict controls on religion, according to a report released in March by 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.
Court upholds death sentence for Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A federal appeals court rejected a request to commute the death sentence for Dylann Roof who killed nine members of a South Carolina church after he joined them in a Bible study.

In June 2015, Roof opened fire on those gathered at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston during a Wednesday Bible study, killing nine, all African Americans.

In various comments made online, Roof had made it clear that his actions were inspired by white supremacist ideology and a hope that a race war would ensue as a result of his actions.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a per curiam decision on Wednesday upholding the death sentence for Roof, saying that no legal record "can capture the full horror of what Roof did."

The panel rejected various claims by Roof in his appeal that errors had been made when the court concluded that he was competent to stand trial for the nine murders.

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, concluded the panel.

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.

In December 2016, a jury found Roof guilty of 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations.

"He must be held accountable for each and every action he took inside that church," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams, as reported by Reuters in 2016. "For every life he took."

In January 2017, the 22-year-old Roof was sentenced to death, making him the first person in U.S. history to be ordered executed for being found guilty of a federal hate crime.

Roof showed no visible remorse for his actions, according to The Associated Press, at one point telling jurors before they deliberated that I still feel like I had to do it.
Billy Grahams grandson showing signs of healing amid COVID-19 recovery

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A grandson of the late Rev. Billy Graham has shown signs of improvement in his health weeks after being hospitalized due to COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Jonathan Lotz, the son of evangelist Anne Graham Lotz, was released from the hospital on Aug. 1 after being admitted to the intensive care unit on July 24 as he battled the novel coronavirus.

In an update posted Thursday afternoon on Instagram, Anne Graham Lotz explained that her son, Jonathan, was improving as he continued to recover at home.

My handsome son, Jonathan, has been taken off supplemental oxygen, posted Anne. He has driven his dads truck for short distances, walked a couple of blocks with me, done the dishes after supper, and is even now getting a few things for me at the grocery store.

Anne noted that while her son was still very weak, Jonathan was still working hard at pulmonary rehab to regain his strength.

I cannot begin to express how grateful my entire family is for your prayers!! All glory to our prayer-hearing God for answering them, she continued.

Anne then quoted Psalm 28:7, The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him...

An evangelist like his grandfather, Jonathan was admitted to a North Carolina hospital in critical condition due to complications from COVID-19 and pneumonia.

Soon after he was admitted to the hospital, Jonathans condition improved and he was moved out of the ICU and began rehab while still at the medical facility.

On Aug. 1, Anne took to Facebook to announce that Jonathan was discharged from the hospital and sent home to Raleigh, North Carolina, to continue treatment.

PRAISE GOD!! Jonathan is home! declared Anne on Facebook at the time. Please, please continue to pray for his swift recovery and restoration to full health with no setbacks or complications. And that I can take good care of him. Blessing upon blessing to each of you who have helped carry him in prayer.
Oral Roberts U cancels $500K in debt owed by 646 students through govt aid program

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Through aid funding from the federal government, the Pentecostal Christian Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma has canceled over $500,000 in debt, impacting hundreds of graduate, undergraduate and online students who owed money to the Tusla-based institution.

Out of the total 4,303 students who attended the university throughout the fall 2020 and summer 2021 academic year, 646 students owed money to the school, according to ORU Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management-Residential Alison Vujnovic.

Last week, all 646 students with outstanding debt received a notice from the university that their student accounts now carry zero balance.

The rising cost of higher education is not a mystery and the kind of federal and state aid available has not risen to the cost, Vujnovic told The Christian Post in an interview. Higher education is really out of reach for many and we wanted to help those students reach over these obstacles.

The debt elimination was made possible by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The fund provides emergency financial aid for schools. Of the 646 students who received the aid, many were in jeopardy of not completing their degree due to owed funds.

HEERF was passed by Congress in March 2020 as part of the CARES Act and included about $12.6 billion in COVID-19 relief aid for schools distributed by the Department of Education. Schools that received funds are required to use about half toward emergency student aid.

With the upcoming fall semester approaching, students who received the aid will start the semester debt-free in their student accounts.

This cancellation of money that they owed will help these students focus on whats important to them and not worry about their balance, she said. Most of them have gone through tough things in this difficult year and now they can focus on their education, family, jobs and just focus on living their lives.

Its a great display of our heart towards our students," she added. "Staff and administration care deeply for students, and I pray this is one of the right things for the students, all for Gods glory."

For the students who might still struggle financially even with their prior account balances erased, Vujnovic advises them not to give up on pursuing higher education. According to ORU's website, tuition for the fall and spring semesters of 2021-2022 is listed at $30,300. Including the cost of room and board and other fees, the total estimated direct cost to the student is $40,408.

To any student who is still struggling financially, dont give up. Pursue every avenue you can, Vujnovic said. We will pursue every path with you, and we desire to see all students succeed.

ORU President William M. Wilson said the institution was founded by charismatic televangelist Oral Roberts is "mindful of the cost of a college education." In a statement, Wilson said that ORU also received several millions of dollars from the government in other COVID relief funds in the last year.

As a person who has paid for multiple university degrees myself, I realize that student debt is a severe problem for many young people," Wison said. "We are doing everything we can to assist our students financially and we are thrilled to erase this over half a million dollars from student accounts owed to the university.

ORU is recognized by US News and World Report as being tied for the No. 5 best value regional college in the west.

[W]e are committed to the value of our educational model," Wilson said. "We are grateful that we have this occasion to assist so many students in their journey to becoming Whole Leaders for the Whole World.
Va. school district pays $1.3M to settle trans student Gavin Grimm's bathroom lawsuit

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A Virginia school district has agreed to pay over $1 million to a trans-identified former student, ending a yearslong legal battle over whether the student could use bathrooms designated for the opposite biological sex.

On Thursday, Gavin Grimm, a biological female who identifies as male, settled with Gloucester County Public Schools. The school district agreed to pay over $1.3 million in attorney fees and other costs.

The settlement comes after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in the case, allowing a decision by the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Grimm to stand.

Meredith Mason of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, which helped represent Grimm, told The Christian Post via email that the case will have a broad impact.

The standing court opinion on this case is from the Fourth Circuit, which ruled that the school boards policy of forcing Gavin to use separate facilities violated Title IX and the U.S. Constitution. So even though Gavin has graduated, the school board is required by the court to change their policy, explained Mason.

This court ruling applies to the entire Fourth Circuit, which includes Virginia, North and South Carolina, West Virginia, and Maryland. Additionally, all school boards in the state are required to implement policies in line with the Virginia Department of Educations new model policies for transgender students.

A representative of the Gloucester County School Board told CP in an email that its insurance provider "has addressed the Plaintiffs request for attorney fees and costs resulting from the Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board litigation."

"The School Board has no further comment on this matter," read the email.

In 2015, Grimm filed a lawsuit against GCPS, alleging discrimination after being barred from using the boys restrooms.

As a failed compromise, Grimms high school had installed three single-use, gender-neutral restrooms that any student could use instead of gender-specific bathrooms.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert G. Doumar, a Reagan appointee, ruled against Grimm in September 2015. But his decision was overturned in April 2016 by a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit.

However, the Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts in 2017.

In August of last year, a three-judge 4th Circuit panel again ruled 2-1 in favor of Grimm. The majority contends there is a growing consensus of courts that equal protection and Title IX can protect transgender students from school bathroom policies that prohibit them from affirming their gender.

Judge Paul Niemeyer, a Reagan appointee, authored a dissent to the panel decision. He argued that the Virginia high school had "reasonably provided separate restrooms for its male and female students and accommodated trans-identified students by also providing unisex restrooms that any student could use.

In deciding not to hear the Grimm case this year, the Supreme Court court noted in its brief order that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would have granted the petition to hear the case.

Earlier this week, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated an earlier ruling in favor of a trans-identified student in Florida who sought to use school bathrooms based on gender identity. The case will be reheard before the entire 12-member 11th Circuit.

Ed Whelan, a 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, said the decision to hear the Florida case en banc "might ultimately tee the issue up for Supreme Court review."

He believes it could "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.
60% of adults under 40 say Jesus isnt only way to salvation; equal to Buddha, Muhammad Survey shows pluralistic worldview expanding rapidly among American Christians

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

More than 60% of born again Christians in America between the ages of 18 and 39 believe that Buddha, Muhammad and Jesus are all valid paths to salvation and over 30% say they either believe that Jesus sinned just like other people when He lived on Earth or arent sure, according to a new study.

Theres a striking decline in evangelical religious beliefs and practices over the last 10 years, as the number of self-proclaimed believers to hold these beliefs has increased by nearly 25%, says Probe Ministries in a statement announcing the results of its Religious Views & Practices Survey.

The study, which interviewed 3,100 Americans ages 18 to 55 in 2020 and looked at various other previous studies, saw a drop in basic biblical worldview  Gods attributes, the accuracy of the Bible, salvation and Jesus being sinless  from 47% in 2010 to 25% in 2020 among born again Christians.

The drop in the expanded biblical worldview  beliefs about Satan and morals being objective  went from 32% in 2010 to 16% in 2020.

So, the percentage of Born Again Christians with a biblical worldview (of either type) has been cut in half over the last decade, says the study, which compared the 1829 age group from 2010 with the same age group 10 years later, now 3039. This result is a startling degradation in worldview beliefs of Born Again Christians over just 10 years.

This means, even born-again Christians can have a false view of Jesus Christ and embrace a pluralistic worldview, Kerby Anderson, president of Probe Ministries, said. Pastors and church leaders just cant assume any longer that the members of their church or Christian organization have a biblical worldview.

Theres an even greater drop off among the general population, the study found. For the basic biblical worldview, theres a drop off from 13% to 6%. For the expanded biblical worldview, the decline is from 9% to just over 3%.

Anderson attributed the change to the continual and growing influence of media.

These disturbing trends are, yes, due to pastors not consistently teaching biblical theory. But they can also be attributed to young Christians who are not paying attention, who are focused  nearly exclusively, it seems  on their phones, social media and other content they deem more compelling, he said.

The study suggests, Anderson said, that we have to continue to explain the cost of salvation ... that there is no way to salvation, other than through the sacrificial and atoning death of a sinless Christ. That no one can come to the Father except through the Son, but also that anyone may come through Him.

An article about the studys findings on the Probe Ministries website notes that in the Roman Empire in AD 60, biblical worldview Christians accounted for less than 1% of the population. Three hundred years later, virtually the entire empire was at least nominally Christian.

If we will commit ourselves to proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, God will bring revival to our land, it adds.
Beloved Anglican pastor killed in crash with daughter mourned across denominations

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

The Rev. Thomas McKenzie, a beloved Anglican pastor who founded the Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, Tennessee, is being mourned by Christians across denominational lines after he was killed with his daughter Charlie in a tragic rear-end crash with a tractor-trailer Monday morning.

Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed that the crash happened around 9:50 a.m. Monday, according to WKRN. The wreck occurred just 30 minutes after the 50-year-old pastor announced on social media that he was on his way to New Mexico with his 22-year-old daughter, who was about to begin her senior year at St. Johns College.

First day of sabbatical. Driving with my kid to New Mexico. Charlies senior year at St Johns College, Santa Fe campus. Todays goal? Shamrock, Texas, he noted on Facebook.

Authorities say the crash happened on I-40 westbound at mile marker 178. The tractor-trailer driver was reportedly slowing down due to traffic when the pastors Nissan Versa rear-ended the tractor-trailer while changing lanes. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

Rev. McKenzie, who leaves behind his wife and another daughter Sophie McKenzie, revealed on Twitter Sunday Morning how excited he was for his road trip but opined about how much he would miss his church family.

Today is my last day of work before my sabbatical begins," he tweeted. "Im excited about my upcoming travels, but I know Ill miss my community. I feel sadness and some anxiety as I prepare for this mornings Eucharists."

In an email statement to congregants following the founding pastors death, Church of the Redeemer Associate Pastor Kenny Benge said the congregations sadness was deep.

Thomas was just beginning his well-deserved sabbatical. Thomas wife Laura and their daughter Sophie are now home in Nashville," Benge wrote. "Please keep Laura and Sophie in your prayers as they navigate this agonizing time. I and the staff, as well as the broader leadership of the church, are shocked and deeply saddened, as Im sure you are as well in hearing this news."

Russell Moore, the former leader of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission who is now a public theologian with Christianity Today, was a good friend of the late pastor. Moore publicly mourned McKenzie on Twitter as a great and faithful and kind man.

All of us who loved this great and faithful and kind man are grieving. @thomasmckenzie ministered to countless of us of various denominations, and we all respected him," Moore wrote in one tweet. "Pray for his family and church at this moment of great sadness."

On Tuesday morning, Moore elaborated on his experience with McKenzie in a series of tweets.

Several years ago, my friend Randall Goodgame asked @russramsey1 @thomasmckenzie and me to do an episode of @slugsandbugsofficial on An Anglican, a Baptist, and a Presbyterian Walk into a Monkey Bar. We sat in kids chairs, at a kids table, literally coloring with crayons and playing with Play-Doh, while talking about Jesus call to childlikeness. We were goofing off, making jokes. But it also happened to be the worst day of my life until that point. I drove there from a horrific meeting and was in great pain, Moore revealed.

What I remember about that day is the way father Thomas, @russramsey and @randallgoodgame stood around, laying hands on me and praying for me. And then Thomas told a dry joke that made me laugh. When this Baptist was facing some awful stuff from (some of) my own people, the Anglican and the Presbyterian were brothers to me."

Moore said the "childlikeness" he experienced that day "had nothing to do with the crayons or the swing set."

"Ive thought about that day a lot over [the] last 24 hrs," Moore stressed. "I keep remembering his gravity and his care. Hes the only man I ever looked up to for his maturity and grace while shooting water pistols at each other. He took time in that moment [to] help me w the strength to go on. I can only imagine the ministry for those in his parish. No wonder there is such grief all around the country by Anglicans, Baptists, Presbyterians, and beyond."

Congregant Susan Williams confirmed Moores assessment of McKenzies ministry in a post on Facebook in which she revealed the death of her pastor broke her heart into a million, zillion pieces.

Father Thomas gave me hope, that godly men would rise up, and call corruption what it was, and point us all back to the salvation available through our magnificent, compassionate, gracious God. He called sin, sin, but caused me to wonder at the immeasurable grace of God that reaches out to us in our weakness, enveloping us in forgiveness and mercy, Williams wrote.

I pray I will never forget the lesson he taught last Sunday, on the humility that holds the person who aspires to be useful in the Kingdom together. May humility always characterize me, and compassion, and gratefulness for the grace, and mercy, and love of my blessed Redeemer, who paid the highest price to buy my soul back out of slavery to sin.

More reactions to Rev. Thomas McKenzie's death:

Listen @thomasmckenzie was the best of us. He was all I hoped our tradition could be faithful, courageous, and generous orthodoxy. When my friends were often few, I could count on his support. Ill see him again at the resurrection of the just. Well done. You finished the race.  Esau McCaulley, Ph.D (@esaumccaulley) August 24, 2021

So heartbroken last night over the deaths of @thomasmckenzie & his daughter in a car crash, grieved for his wife & their remaining daughter & all who are devastated by the news, all I could think about was the day when God will wipe away every tear. I was moved this morning when pic.twitter.com/j9meYPN6KU  Beth Moore (@BethMooreLPM) August 24, 2021

I just heard of the loss of my dear friend, and brother priest @thomasmckenzie . I am heartbroken and speechless. He was a gift. He and his daughter were taking a road trip when the accident happened. Say a prayer for them, their family, their church, and all who loved them.  Father Dale - chaplain on the street (@FriarDale) August 24, 2021

Father Thomas McKenzie died in a car accident today. He was my friend, and he taught me of God.  Stephen Mansfield (@MansfieldWrites) August 24, 2021
Calif. church offers religious exemption letters for people opposed to COVID vaccine

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A church in California that has a history of defying pandemic lockdown orders is offering religious exemption letters for people opposed to being vaccinated against COVID-19.

KCRA News reports that after Sunday services last week, there were long lines of people waiting to pick up exemption letters from Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, led by Pastor Greg Fairrington. Some say they traveled over two hours to get a letter.

Fairrington told the outlet that he doesn't believe vaccine requirements are "right."

"America is a free country. We have freedom of religion, and if a person has a moral objection to taking the vaccine, we want to come alongside of them," he said in a video interview.

Destiny Christian Church, which averages 10,000 people online and in-person for its worship services, recently sent a statement to the Los Angeles Times explaining the importance of the exemption letters.

Fairrington said the church has gotten thousands of phone calls from doctors, nurses, educators, and first responders, in tears, fearing that their livelihoods hang in the balance because of their religious convictions.

The vaccine poses a morally compromising situation for many people of faith, stated Fairrington. The religious exemptions we are issuing speak to that, honor that, and affirm that.

Earlier this month, Fairrington and his wife, Kathy, led their congregation in a prayer for those who work in healthcare, education or other fields threatened with losing their job because they refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine on moral grounds.

Michelle Mello, a professor of law and medicine at Stanford University, told the Times that she believes the exemption letters are irrelevant since most workplaces and the courts already recognize bona fide and sincere religious exemptions.

You have to do one of two things to protect other people from the risk that you pose to them, Mello told The Los Angeles Times, getting vaccinated or getting tested regularly.

Thats not a mandate. A mandate is when you withhold an important benefit because a person declines to receive vaccination.

As the COVID vaccine becomes more widely available, many schools and businesses have required workers and others to get vaccinated or, if exempted for medical or religious reasons, to submit to wearing face masks in public and getting tested regularly.

While Destiny Church has offered to provide religious exemption letters, other Christian bodies like the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York have refused to allow their clergy to give such exemptions.

In a memorandum dated July 30, Chancellor John P. Cahill informed all clergy and staff that there is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine.

Pope Francis has made it very clear that it is morally acceptable to take any of the vaccines and said we have the moral responsibility to get vaccinated, wrote Cahill.

By doing so [a priest] is acting in contradiction to the directives of the Pope and is participating in an act that could have serious consequences to others.

The archdiocese concluded that while a person is free to exercise discretion on getting the vaccine based on his or her own beliefs, their clergy should not be active participants to such actions.

Fairrington made headlines earlier this month when he urged congregants to vote to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom during the recall election on Sept. 4. He told The Sacramento Bee that Newsom's policies during the pandemic have had "traumatic consequences for families, schools, communities, and the church."

Newsom came under fire as his administration enacted restrictions on in-person worship services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several churches disobeyed the guidelines and some challenged them in court. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling against South Bay Pentecostal Church, which sought injunctive relief against the restrictions.
Do's and Don'ts for Comforting Grieving Families After a Suicide

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

"What miserable comforters you all are!" (Job 16:2b).

After my husband died by suicide, most people were wonderful, but a few said inappropriate things that made this difficult time harder. I'm now a pastor and facilitator for Christian Survivors of Suicide support group in Dallas, and have heard many comforter "horror stories" similar to Job's over the years.

I believe most "miserable comforters" genuinely want to help the grieving person, but are making the mistaken assumption that there are "magic words" that relieve pain.

This misguided belief causes the would-be comforter to not realize how certain remarks actually feel to a person in deep grief. I asked survivors of loved ones' suicides to tell me the worst things people said to them in their times of grief, and have attempted to categorize those remarks by the feelings they invoked in the survivors.

Minimizing the loss:

"At least you have other children."

"You're strong; you can handle it."

"You have so much to be grateful for."

"Well he was bipolar, right? Could have seen that coming."

These types of comments add to the pain of grief because they attempt to reduce the loss and make it seem less painful, rather than recognizing the deep suffering the suicide survivor is experiencing.

Giving unsolicited advice:

"You need to get over it and move on."

"Be strong."

"You'll find a new girl."

As with the minimizing remarks, a grieving person needs to feel sad in the present and not think about the future right now. To grievers, these feeble attempts to motivate or cheer them up feel like the speaker is telling them to ignore the pain they are currently feeling.

Spiritualizing the loss:

"God doesn't give you more than you can handle."

"Everything happens for a reason."

"You know she's in hell, don't you?"

"He is in a better place."

No major religion teaches anymore that death by suicide automatically means hell, but this merciless thought persists, inferring that God punishes people for being sick.

In our broken world, unspeakable tragedies occur daily, but that doesn't mean God causes or approves of those tragedies.

Sadly some grieving people have turned away from God as their ultimate source of comfort because of such misguided beliefs. Similarly, assuring someone that their loved one is in heaven is not helpful to a survivor in early grief when the mindset is: "BUT I WANT HIM HERE WITH ME!"

Asking painful personal questions:

"Why do you think he did this?"

"How did she do it?"

"Did she leave a note?"

"Did you have to clean up?"

It is human nature to be curious, but probing questions about the intimate details of the suicide are invasive and hurtful. Those who genuinely care about grieving persons should let them decide when and how much they want to tell about their loved one's death.

Implying blame:

"Did you see this coming?"

"What is going on in your family? This sounds hereditary."

"Probably [something the survivor did] is what sent him over the edge."

To suggest that any of the people left behind by a suicide contributed to that death in any way is cruel. Suicide survivors almost universally struggle with thoughts like, "If I had only [fill in the blank], my loved one might still be alive."

The last thing a person suffering suicide grief needs is a statement implying guilt on their part, or that they or their family is defective.

Experts estimate that 90 percent of people who die by suicide suffer from a mental illness, whether diagnosed or not. It's no more appropriate to assign blame for a death from mental illness than it would be to look for blame in a death from another disease.

Saying negative things about the person who died:

"What a selfish thing to do."

"She chose to leave you."

"It's too bad his faith wasn't strong enough."

Although anger toward the one who died is often part of the grieving process, it is never appropriate to say negative things about the deceased to the grieving family. Any comment that implies suicide was a choice, rational or not, lacks understanding. A person who dies by suicide sees death as the only alternative to unbearable torment  not as a "choice."

Suggesting that a person in such psychological pain was trying to hurt those left behind shows a profound lack of compassion and understanding of mental illness.

If there was one change I could make in the way we talk about suicide, it would be to remove the word COMMITTED from the usual vocabulary.

The word "committed" invokes language usually reserved for crimes. Most survivors prefer saying "died by suicide," to honor their loved one's illness in a more appropriate way.

As for comments inferring the person who died by suicide was weak in faith, it's important to realize many devout Christians suffer from mental illness.

No one would dream of saying to a diabetic, "If you prayed harder, you wouldn't have high blood sugar." But it's amazing how often Christians at least suggest to those suffering from mental disorders that a stronger faith will "cure" them.

Remember how the apostle Paul struggled with the "thorn in his side"? God did not heal him, but rather offered grace.

What TO say:

We've been talking about what NOT to say; let's end with what TO say. I also asked suicide survivors what were the most helpful things people said (or that they wish they'd said) after the loss. Here is a sample of those comments.

"Tell me a good memory you have of my loved one."

"I can't imagine how much pain you're in. We hurt, too, because we loved him."

"I love you, and my prayers are with you."

"What a terrible loss for your family."

"The best thing someone could have said was NOTHING!"

"He had value; he will be missed; he was a good person."

"Focus on the way they lived and loved, not the way they died."

"How can I help you today?" (Following through with errands, grocery shopping, cleaning, going to church with them, etc.)

"I am so sorry for your loss. Words fail."

"I'm here."

And even better, many of the survivors I surveyed mentioned that the best reaction was not words at all, but a hug. They talked about being comforted by the caring presence of friends, and the assurance that others were praying for them.

The best advice to anyone who wants to comfort a suicide survivor is: "Show up, let them see you care, and respect the griever's right to feel bad for a while (guilt, anger, sadness, etc.). Too many survivors reported "friends" who avoided them altogether after their loved ones' suicides rather than to risk saying the wrong thing. Please don't do that, because that hurts most of all.
Glenn Beck, Samaritan's Purse helping Christians 'marked for death' flee Afghanistan

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

UPDATE AUG. 28 at 5 P.M. ET: Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor said at the Defense Department press briefing on Afghanistan Friday that there was only one suicide bombing attack in Kabul Thursday and not two, as previously reported.

I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber. We are not sure how that report was provided incorrectly. But we do know, it's not any surprise, that in the confusion of very dynamic events, like this, can cause information sometimes to become misreported, Taylor said at the Pentagon.

Original report:

As concerns grow over the Biden administration's ability to evacuate Americans ahead of the planned military withdrawal from Afghanistan, nonprofit organizations are working to assist U.S. citizens and Afghans seeking to flee the nation that's been overrun by the Taliban.

With less than a week until the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal of remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the federal government is working to evacuate American citizens and Afghans who risk being tortured and executed by the Taliban, a terrorist organization.

The State Department reported Wednesday that no more than 1,500 American citizens seeking to leave Afghanistan remain there.

Efforts to bring American citizens and Afghans to safety continue after two explosions in Kabul killed 13 Marines and one Navy Corpsman on Thursday. The Department of Defense attributed the attacks to the terrorist group ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the terrorist group ISIS.

On Tucker Carlson Tonight Thursday, Fox News opinion host Tucker Carlson profiled The Nazarene Fund, a charity founded by conservative radio host Glenn Beck, as one of a small number of groups that have headed to Afghanistan and the region to help evacuate people who are trapped there because the Biden administration just isnt doing that very effectively.

.@glennbeck on @TuckerCarlson says the US State Department is blocking his organization's help every step of the way, and is likely directly responsible for the death of a large group of Afghan Christians. https://t.co/RkIwc1N36xpic.twitter.com/dlRTEIG6X8  ? Your mask is a Prius for your face ???????? ???????????? (@unashamedusa) August 27, 2021

In an interview with Carlson, Beck elaborated on the progress his organization has made in evacuating American citizens and vulnerable Afghans from the country: We have pulled out 5,100 people, Christians, women, children and put them on planes.

Beck explained that the Nazarene Fund flies Afghan refugees to three nearby countries that requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation and terrorist attacks. According to Beck, The State Department has blocked us every step of the way.  The State Department and the White House have been the biggest problem.

He also accused the State Department of putting about 500 refugees, primarily women and children, in harms way: We had them inside of the airport today and one military official  ordered them to go back on the other side of the gate. I have pictures of them this morning pleading to get back through the gate and then I have pictures of blood and body parts and nothing but death in that same area. We believe that our State Department is directly responsible for what we believe were some of these people. I dont know how many survived.

An ambassador was called in Macedonia last night and [was] told not to accept any of these people as we were trying to get them off of the tarmac here to keep the airport flowing and getting these Christians out, he added.

Beck shared on his radio show earlier this week and with Carlson Thursday night that Copeland Ministries has let me borrow their jet.  Were going someplace else to open up two countries, and I dont even want to say who they are because Im afraid our State Department will call them and threaten them.

Beck warned of the dangers Christians face in Afghanistan with the Taliban in control, noting that they are marked not just for death but to be set on fire alive because theyre converted Christians. He characterized the federal governments actions regarding Afghan refugees as out and out evil.

As of Tuesday, the Nazarene Fund had raised more than $30 million. In an Instagram post, Beck stressed that I am personally paying for my and my teams' expenses with air travel courtesy of @copelandnetwork - all donated money goes to rescue those in Afghanistan and other persecuted Christians.

Samaritans Purse, a charity led by evangelist Franklin Graham, has also joined the evacuation effort, working in partnership with organizations on the ground to help desperate people fleeing Afghanistan. In a statement released Monday, the nonprofit organization announced: We have been able to sponsor flights that have brought hundreds to safety  one of our partners made three trips that brought out 700 people in one day! We have also supported the evacuation of 80 missionary families via land routes.

In addition, Samaritans Purse has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to the region to help evacuees once they flee the country. The organization is seeking hygiene items as well as comfort items and compassionate care for traumatized children and all those who have fled with just the clothes on their backs.

Samaritans Purse warned that the Taliban are Islamic extremists who are poised to force Afghanistan back into a dark and brutal state where Christians, anyone who [has] associated with Americans, women, and others face severe persecution and death.

The organization added that the leader of the underground church ministering to Christians in Afghanistan provided a first-hand ground report on the situation in the country, detailing how The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill.

During a press briefing with Thursday night hours after the terrorist attacks in Kabul, President Joe Biden confirmed that the U.S. has indeed given the Taliban a list of Afghan allies, and U.S. citizens and green card holders they want to be evacuated, a move that some defense experts fear will lead to the torture and execution of many Afghans.

As The Christian Post previously reported, Victor Marx, the CEO of the nonprofit organization All Things Possible, is working to bring an Afghan family of eight to the U.S.

Marx told CP that the family of converts to Christianity also belongs to an ethnic tribe that is loathed by the Taliban. He was first alerted to the familys plight when the sister of the familys matriarch, an Afghanistan native whose American husband once worked with him, left him a frantic voicemail asserting that they were in danger.
Pentagon reveals it's sharing intelligence with Taliban; identifies suicide bombers as ISIS-K

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

UPDATE AUG. 28 at 5 P.M. ET: Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor said at the Defense Department press briefing on Afghanistan Friday that there was only one suicide bombing attack in Kabul Thursday and not two, as previously reported.

I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber. We are not sure how that report was provided incorrectly. But we do know, it's not any surprise, that in the confusion of very dynamic events, like this, can cause information sometimes to become misreported, Taylor said at the Pentagon.

Original report:

Department of Defense officials held a press briefing Thursday following two explosions in Afghanistan that killed a dozen U.S. service members and injured many more, vowing that the terror attacks will not deter the U.S. military from its mission of evacuating Americans from the country.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby and Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, provided an update Thursday about the situation in Afghanistan.

Two suicide bombers, assessed to have been ISIS fighters, detonated [a bomb] in the vicinity of the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport and in the vicinity of the Baron Hotel, which is immediately adjacent, McKenzie said.

Baron Hotel is where 169 U.S. citizens were rescued last week after they were unable to make it past the Taliban checkpoints.

The attack on the Abbey Gate was followed by a number of ISIS gunmen, who opened fire on civilians and military forces. At this time, we know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack and 15 more service members have been injured, he added.

McKenzie elaborated on the details of the attack during a back-and-forth with the press. The attack occurred at a gate, he said. At a gate, we have to check people before they get onto the airfield. We have to ensure theyre not carrying a bomb or any other kind of weapon that could ultimately make its way onto an aircraft. So that requires physical screening. You cant do that with standoff. You ultimately have to get very close to that person.

McKenzie did not offer many details about the second bomb. When asked if there were subsequent attacks in Kabul following the aforementioned explosions at the airport and the Baron Hotel, he said, I cant confirm that there have been other attacks in Kabul. According to McKenzie, Typically, the pattern is multiple attacks  and we want to be prepared and be ready to defend against that.

The explosions come five days before the U.S. military is set to withdraw completely from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years with boots on the ground. The U.S. military has spent the past several days working to evacuate U.S. citizens in Afghanistan and McKenzie expressed confidence that this mission would continue undeterred despite the terror attacks.

McKenzie emphasized that While were saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, were continuing to execute the mission. Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens ... special immigrant visa holders, U.S. embassy staff and Afghans at risk.

As the Secretary of State said yesterday, we believe that there are about a thousand, probably a little more than 1,000 American citizens left in Afghanistan at this point. Were doing everything we can in concert with our Department of State partners to reach out to them and to help them leave if they want to leave and remember, not everybody wants to leave. Yesterday, we brought in over 500 American citizens.

When asked by The Associated Press for his assessment of the ISIS threat going forward and whether the terror attacks cut the evacuation short, McKenzie maintained that the threat from ISIS is extremely real. Weve been talking about this for several days. We saw it actually manifest itself here today, in the last few hours with an actual attack.

Throughout his remarks, McKenzie discussed a partnership with the Taliban, a terrorist group, to counter the influence of the Islamic State's Afghanistan affiliate, known as ISIS Khorasan or ISIS-K: We expect those attacks to continue and were doing everything we can to prepare for those attacks. That includes reaching out to the Taliban  to make sure they know what we expect them to do to protect us and we will continue to coordinate with them  as they go forward.

McKenzie indicated that the U.S. had shared national security information with the Taliban so that they can actually do some searching out there for us in addition to sharing his belief that some attacks have been thwarted by them.

He stressed that We cut down the information we give the Taliban. They dont get the full range of information that we have.

McKenzie suggested that If we can find whos associated with this, we will go after them. He indicated that even after the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal of remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. would continue to play an active role in the country.

Were going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan. And we are working very right now to determine attribution, to determine who was associated with this cowardly attack and were prepared to take action against them. 24/7, we are looking for them.
Theologian Russell Moore battling COVID-19 despite being vaccinated: 'Run over by a bulldozer'

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Theologian Russell Moore revealed that he's battling COVID-19 despite getting both doses of the vaccine, and said he feels as though he was run over by a bulldozer.

On Wednesday, Moore, the former president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, revealed that he, along with his wife, Maria, and their sons, was hit with breakthrough COVID.

Maria feeling ok; the older vaccinated boys were fine all along, he tweeted. I feel like Ive been run over by a bulldozer. Still, thats nothing compared to what others are experiencing around the world. Grateful.

In a follow-up tweet, Moore, who left the ERLC and now serves as the director of Christianity Today magazines Public Theology Project, revealed he feels awful and is only getting worse.

"Ive tried to watch some of yalls streaming suggestions, but since Im awake for only two-minute intervals, its really hard to follow, he wrote. Take care of yourselves, friends, this stuff is terrible.

Shortly before revealing his diagnosis, Moore had urged his social media followers to get the vaccine: The numbers are showing us: the rates of vaccinated people hospitalized is tiny. Deaths even more so. I am glad to be vaccinated, but plead with yall to do so too, he wrote.

Moore is among a rising number of individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. Researchers in Britain this week announced that protection against the virus from two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines starts to fade within six months.

The CDC notes: Some fully vaccinated people will get sick, and some will even be hospitalized or die from COVID-19. However, there is evidence that vaccination may make illness less severe for those who are vaccinated and still get sick. The risk of infection, hospitalization, and death are all much lower in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated people.

Some 59% of white evangelicals said they have already been vaccinated for COVID-19, according to an NBC News poll released this month. It also found that 69% of all adults have been vaccinated. The poll, however, did not release the survey results for non-white evangelicals.

In February, a Pew survey of 10,121 U.S. adults found that 54% of white evangelicals definitely or probably planned on getting vaccinated or already had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

In an August interview with The Washington Post, Moore blamed misinformation, often circulated on social media, for driving vaccine hesitancy among evangelicals.

I hear from pastors often who are saying, Im trying to encourage my people to be vaccinated, showing them all the things that we can do together if we are, he said. But theres a great deal of misinformation that comes through on social media feeds, and sometimes cable news networks, and that simply has much more time in the week than an hour or two hours on Sunday.

Still, the theologian said hes seen an increasing number of Christians change their minds about the vaccine after witnessing firsthand the great suffering the virus can cause.

Sadly, many people are seeing people that believed themselves to be invulnerable getting sick or dying, he said. And theres a great deal of concern about that so, that, I think, is having more of a motivating factor than even all of the public service announcements and information that we can give.

Other pastors and Christian leaders have used their platforms to encourage evangelicals to receive the vaccine, including Franklin Graham, Max Lucado and Pastor Robert Jeffress.

"For me as a Christian, it's very easy for me to support the vaccine," Graham, the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, told CNN. "Because as a Christian, Jesus Christ came to this Earth to save life."

Some studies have shown that people who've already contracted COVID-19 will likely have lifetime immunity. Similarly, a Cleveland Clinic study found that vaccinating people with "natural immunity" did not increase their level of protection. An Israeli study also found that people with natural immunity have a far greater level of protection than those who were vaccinated.
House Democrats push FDA to lift safety protocols for abortion drugs

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

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.
Mother of baby nearly hit in face by Antifa flash bomb at prayer rally slams media for ignoring violence

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A Christian mother of eight whose baby was nearly wounded when Antifa threw a flash bomb in the direction of the child's face is speaking out against the media's failure to cover the violence that's long been perpetrated by the far-left group in Portland and across the U.S.

Were it not for a friends intervention, Jamee Anatellos 8-month-old daughter could have faced serious injury from a flash bomb that Antifa threw at Christians attending a rally in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 7. Anatellos friend put her arm in front of the infants face, suffering bruises as well as welts and blisters on her arm, hands and feet.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who's gained notoriety for documenting his encounters with law enforcement officials who've been accused of selectively enforcing COVID-19 gathering restrictions in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, headlined the Courageous Truth Conference, a prayer and worship event that took place at Tom McCall Park on the Portland waterfront.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Anatello, who attended the event with five of her eight children, recalled how the presence of Antifa at the gathering caught her by surprise: Ive always judged the events really well  whats safe to take my kids to, whats not.

It never once crossed my mind that this would be an event they would show up to, she added. Anatello told CP that Antifa militants showed up at Tom McCall Park before the event even started. Noting that she arrived 20 to 30 minutes early, Anatello estimated that there was probably more Antifa there than Christians gathered for the event.

Anatello lamented the local medias lack of interest in her story. Describing Antifa as dangerous and stressing that they need to be stopped, Anatello said local media elected to focus on the alleged presence of the Proud Boys  a group frequently labeled by critics as a white supremacist organization, even though they are less white than Antifa and led by an Afro-Cuban  at the event in the days following the attack.

No local media has taken my story. I spoke with two different stations and they rejected it, she said. I believe that the reason they have not taken my story is because the narrative around here is that the Proud Boys are white supremacists when theyre not. And people around here just refuse to name Antifa as dangerous.

Anatello slammed the media for perpetuating what she characterized as an inaccurate portrayal of Antifa: Antifa has been praised as being  not just anti-fascist  they care about Black Lives Matter.  Theyve been seen on video harassing and being violent toward gay people, Asians, black people, transgenders, and the media has stayed silent toward that.  I want people to know that  that is who they are. They are racist and  dangerous.

Anatello confronted the local media as they gathered to cover a city press conference on Friday: Every single local news station denied my story! she exclaimed. You rejected it in favor of one man with an airsoft gun. No Proud Boys were present that day.

She mentioned that Antifa has been working to get her husband, who has a show on Facebook and YouTube called "The Black Conservative Preacher," to lose his job. A man with Antifa, whose supporters were among the audience, shouted at Anatello, saying, your husband is very dangerous, a claim that she firmly pushed back on.

Anatello and her husband, who were both at the prayer event, started recording video after a flash bomb nearly struck their daughter. They also captured footage showing Antifa throwing numerous flash grenades at the crowd.

The traumatic experience also had an impact on some of Anatellos older children, which she elaborated on during her interview with CP: It sent my 7-year-old into a state of shock. My 9-year-old was covered in pepper gas, and he touched his eye and it began burning and he was crying in a panic, not knowing what to do.

Before Antifa deployed a flash bomb that nearly struck her daughter, Anatello reported that they were chanting hail Satan and screaming, Wheres your God now? The mother responded to the militants by declaring: Hes watching every move you make.

Anatello remains unsure if the flash bomb was targeted at her and her family in retaliation for her remarks because we were already under attack.

My husband was standing in front of me and our children, and he was actually trying to catch some of the eggs and other things they were throwing to stop them from hitting us. And in the video, I show that we are dead center to the place that they were directing their projectiles, whatever they were throwing. They were throwing several different things: eggs, paint, bottles filled with feces and explosives.

Anatello explained that despite Antifas efforts to shut down the event, Pawlowski and others still addressed the crowd. By the time he had started speaking, however, she had already left to go to a coffee shop to wash up and seek safety. Her husband remained at the event and live-streamed Pawlowskis speech.

As a resident of Portland, Anatello has had frequent encounters with Antifa. After telling CP that every encounter has been verbally abusive in some way, she detailed a specific exchange where she made close contact with the militants last year.

We went downtown last year  this was during the day so everybody was at work but already after the downtown parks had been .... destroyed and burned and we took our Trust Jesus banner down there, she recalled. The Antifa members saw us out and started spray-painting on the ground in front of us, and they kept getting closer and closer and I asked them to please stop because the spray-paint was going into my childs face and they blamed me for  being in downtown.

Anatello, born and raised in Portland, has seriously considered moving out of the city, which was a hotspot for violence last summer, including the murder of a Trump supporter at the hands of a man who identified as an Antifa and BLM activist.

Clashes between right-wing and left-wing groups have become a common occurrence in Oregons largest city. Just this past weekend, Fox 12 Oregon reported that left-wing protesters descended on a right-wing Summer of Love rally where the two groups threw fireworks, smoke bombs and paintballs at each other.

This was the scene just a few mins ago along NE 122nd/Skidmore. Group of about 50 counter protestors came to cause trouble at the right-wing Summer of Love rally where about 100 were gathered. Some fireworks, smoke bombs, paintballs being fired back and forth @fox12oregonpic.twitter.com/p4JFZPdte9  Camila Orti (@CamilaOrtiTV) August 22, 2021
Officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt at US Capitol in Jan. 6 riot acted lawfully: police

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Authorities have cleared an unnamed police officer of wrongdoing in the death of Ashli Babbitt who was shot and killed while attempting to enter the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

In an announcement on Monday, the U.S. Capitol Police said they were not going to discipline or release the name of the officer that killed Babbitt, an unarmed U.S. Air Force veteran who attempted to climb through a smashed door pane into the House. She was shot in the neck by the plainclothes officer who was inside the chamber.

The USCP Office of Professional Responsibility determined that the officer acted lawfully and within Department policy as an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officers own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury.

The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where Members and staff were steps away, stated the Capitol Police.

USCP Officers had barricaded the Speakers Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officers actions were consistent with the officers training and USCP policies and procedures.

The announcement comes months after the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice likewise announced that they would not pursue criminal prosecution of the officer who fatally shot Babbitt.

The focus of the criminal investigation was to determine whether federal prosecutors could prove that the officer violated any federal laws, concentrating on the possible application of 18 U.S.C.  242, a federal criminal civil rights statute, stated the Justice Department in April.

The Justice Department went on to state that the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber.

On Friday, Reuters reported that the FBI had found no evidence to suggest that the Capitol riot was a coordinated attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

"Ninety to ninety-five percent of these are one-off cases," a former senior law enforcement official told Reuters. "Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized. But there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages."

Babbitt, 35, was unarmed when she joined hundreds of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol during a joint session of Congress meant to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. While some people forced their way into the Capitol, others were allowed in by Capitol police without incident.

She was shot and killed by the unnamed police lieutenant when she and others tried to get into the Speakers Lobby outside of the House chamber, which had been barricaded for the sake of protecting the members of Congress.

Some critics, among them retired police sergeant Betsy Smith, spokeswoman for the National Police Association, have questioned if the shooting of Babbitt was justified.

In an interview with NTD's The Nation Speaks back in April, Smith argued that there were many unanswered questions regarding the circumstances of the shooting.

I think that if the Justice Department has said that that officer should not be charged, then thats fine. But I think that the American public deserves to know the details of why deadly force was deployed, because there are very strict rules when we use deadly force, she stated at the time.
David Benham, pro-life activists move ahead in legal battle over unlawful arrests

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

David Benham and other pro-life activists have filed an amended complaint against North Carolina officials in response to their arrests last year while outside an abortion clinic.

Amid a statewide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Benham and a small number of sidewalk counselors went to an abortion clinic in Charlotte last year to try and persuade mothers seeking an abortion to change their minds. While there, they were cited by police and subsequently arrested.

On Monday, as part of the ongoing litigation over the incident, Benham and the other plaintiffs filed an amended complaint against the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division.

The pro-life activists are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm that has successfully argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Denise Harle, senior counsel with ADF, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that their decision to file the amended complaint was strengthened by the fact that the charges against Benham and the others were later dropped.

The dropping of the charges actually underscores why this amended complaint should prevail, said Harle. What weve added in this amended complaint is Fourth Amendment claims, based on the unlawful stop, unlawful detention, and unlawful arrests, the fact that the city and the county dropped the charges against David Benham shows that those arrests were improper.

She continued, The fact that theyre not even pursuing the charges is a pretty clear admission that theres no there, there. And thats exactly what were bringing to the federal court in this amended complaint is that those arrests themselves were a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Harle also told CP that she believed the arrests of Benham and the sidewalk counselors were a violation of the First Amendment and motivated by a targeting of free speech and animosity toward certain religious views.

The government certainly is welcomed to protect public health, but if it is going to do that, it needs to do so in an evenhanded way that has a rational basis, she continued.

What it cant do is enact a law and then apply it unfairly only to select groups of people whose viewpoint the government disagrees with.

The city of Charlotte declined to comment about the litigation when contacted by The Christian Post.

According to authorities, the April 2020 arrests were made because Benham and the others were allegedly violating state lockdown orders.

Benham, Cities4Life and Global Impact Ministries, also called Love Life, denied any wrongdoing and filed a lawsuit against Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

The suit claimed the police selectively enforced the orders, noting that the abortion clinic began filling up with clients and numerous people roamed the parks and sidewalks for recreation and exercise.

[We] were praying on the sidewalk, maintaining a safe distance from one another and others, and helping women interested in the important charitable services they offered, stated the complaint.

Despite the health and safety motivations underlying the COVID-19 restrictions, government officials cannot and should not selectively enforce those regulations. Nor should they prohibit constitutionally protected activities that do not endanger public health or safety.
Sutherland Springs church to demolish sanctuary where 26 people were killed in mass shooting

Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

The First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, which saw a shooter enter its sanctuary in 2017 and kill 26 people, has decided to demolish the building where the tragedy occurred.

At a business meeting held on Sunday after worship, members of the congregation voted 69 to 35 to demolish their former sanctuary, which had been converted into a memorial for the victims.

The church has not released a statement explaining the reasoning for the vote, but according to news station KTSA in San Antonio, the building was considered structurally unsafe.

During the worship service just before the meeting, former associate pastor Mark Collins preached the sermon, discussing how the practices of the early church are remembered, even though their physical buildings have long been lost.

Collins also said near the end of his sermon that however the congregation decided to vote on the status of the building, Gods going to use it.

I pray that the joy of this church will be full, he declared. I pray that after we have this vote, and however we vote, this old associate pastor will be here to do whatever you guys are doing.

If its to paint that old sanctuary, Gods going to use it. If its to build something new there, Gods going to use it  whatever comes of this meeting here in a few minutes, the main thing is that we honor God.

On Nov. 5, 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley, who was discharged from the U.S. Air Force after serving one year in military prison, entered FBC Sutherland Springs during a Sunday worship service and killed 26 people, including the pastor's daughter.

Kelley, who fled the scene, was then wounded by Stephen Willeford, a neighbor and National Rifle Association instructor. He later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Although Kelley had a history of anti-religious social media posts, authorities concluded that his primary motive was because his ex-wife had family who regularly attended the church.

In 2018, the congregation began to build a new worship space, which was completed a year later and held its first worship services on May 19, 2019, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other elected officials giving remarks.

This is a tangible sign as people drive through Sutherland Springs in the future they will know that this is a place where goodness triumphed over evil, said Abbott, as reported by The Associated Press at the time.

The Southern Baptist Conventions North American Mission Board, which helped to raise funds for the new worship building, took to Twitter to offer their support for the opening.

Pray for the members of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs this morning as they dedicate their new worship facility. Thank you Southern Baptists for making this possible, tweeted NAMB in 2019.

There had been some talk about demolishing the former church building early on, as Pastor Frank Pomeroy told The Wall Street Journal soon after the shooting that it might be torn down.

"There's too many that do not want to go back in there," he told WSJ in 2017. "We will probably turn it into a memorial for a while. We're playing it day by day right now."
Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

The Covid-19 pandemic may finally be slowing, but the pandemic has shone a stark light on one human problem that well never escape. One day books analyzing the pandemic will fill whole rows in libraries, but no analysis can dim the glaring human condition that we must face  the fact that were all going to die. A patient dying from ALS said it best, No one makes it out alive.

Many of us have thought more about death this past year than ever before, as few of us have been unscathed by the death of an acquaintance, a loved one, or friends loved ones. Psychologist Ronnie Janoff-Bulman explains, Once you know that catastrophe dwells next door and can strike anyone at any time, you interpret reality differently. As we reinterpret the reality of today in light of our future imminent death, let us take a hard look at just exactly how were going to leave this earth.

As a doctor who deals with terminally ill patients, I know four things are true:

1. Most of us assume we are going to live to a ripe old age. However, no one is guaranteed tomorrow. There is no time like the present for making preparations regardless of age or health status. It can provide a surprising comfort to think through and write out your final wishes. Many online assists are available to guide you through the process. We plan for many life events with intensity such as births, marriages, anniversaries, and birthdays. It is valuable to plan for this crucial time of life, and it is still life. In truth, I have seen so many living their best life once given a terminal diagnosis.

2. Those who wait until they get a grim prognosis to start pondering these matters often find the process more difficult. It is challenging to have end-of-life discussions in times of crisis when everyones emotions are more volatile. I have witnessed to so many families under stress becoming divided when opinions differ on what should be done as decision trees are presented by the medical team. In critical situations, families can focus more fully on the care and love of the patient rather than wondering what the patient would want.

3. Conversations about death and dying make most people uncomfortable, fearful or sad, even though the conversation itself does not increase our chances of dying. But, thinking through end-of-life issues within our control is not morbid  it is wise.

Take two real-life examples:

The first was my friend Lani. When she learned that she had less than 2 years to live, she fought hard, mostly for her family. I was amazed to learn that 2 years earlier she had cleaned out her closets and attic. Get rid of that stuff, she told me personally, your kids wont want it. She had prepared, so she was able to spend her last few months enjoying life and enjoying her family. I remember her bedroom in her home as being a beautiful place of quiet and peace. Thats where she passed away, surrounded by her big family.





The other example is a man named Ralph. He was far from an ideal father or husband. A robust man, he didnt seem anywhere near death, but a massive stroke brought him to the brink. Ironically, this father who had never done much for his family had prepared for his death by completing an online $5 directive known as Five Wishes. In his final months, as his children ministered to his needs according to his written directives, they got to know a dad who was vulnerable, and in his vulnerability, he became lovable. The last gift he gave his children  his planning  was the best gift he ever gave his children. And the last months of his life were the best months of his life.

People ask me how to talk about death with younger children. A recent article in Parents Magazine emphasized the importance of talking with our children about death, even when they are young, to avoid confusing, and often terrifying, feelings. I still remember how terrified I was as a child when I watched the animated film Bambi and  spoiler alert  the death of Bambis mother. My grandson was terrified in The Lion King when  spoiler alert  death claimed Mufasa.

The reality is that most kids movies feature dying or death as a prominent theme. We need to talk openly with our children about those sad and scary scenes, listening more than we talk.

4. Most faith traditions offer spiritual guidance to their adherents who are dying, and to those who love them. Every ritual must take into account the theological, practical and emotional needs of the terminal patient. Those who do not prepare seem to suffer more, and families that are left to deal with an unexpected, sudden death seem to suffer the most.

Once we are comfortable with the concept of our own death and make a plan for how were going to die, we can join with those who make light of this inescapable human condition. We can laugh with Jerry Seinfeld who says, Make no mistake about why these babies are here  they are here to replace us. And we will leave earth with the confidence that were not burdening those babies, but actually blessing our families.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A robotics company that produces driverless vehicles for grocery, pizza and prescription deliveries said Thursday it intends to spend $40 million to put a manufacturing facility and test track in the Las Vegas area.

Nuro, a firm founded in 2016 and based in Mountain View, California, announced it will build the manufacturing plant for the companys next-generation autonomous vehicle in North Las Vegas and its closed test track at the nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gov. Steve Sisolak and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen joined Nuro co-founder Jiajun Zhu to announce the project, which in March received about $170,500 in tax abatements over 10 years from the Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development.

Zhu pointed in a statement to partnerships his company has with pizza giant Dominos, supermarket owner Kroger and delivery company FedEx, and operating in Californias Silicon Valley, Houston and the Phoenix area.

We are now able to invest in the infrastructure to build tens of thousands of robots, he said.

Sisolak, a Democrat, pointed to a company promise that a $10 million capital investment will create 250 skilled tech-sector jobs during the next decade in southern Nevada.

The remaining $30 million investment would go toward long-term leases at the manufacturing and testing sites. Sisolak said the project could generate $2.2 billion in total economic value over 10 years.

Its one thing to introduce new jobs to the state  and its another thing to introduce high-quality careers to our community, Sisolak said.

Nuro is privately held and headed by Zhu and Dave Ferguson, two engineers in Googles self-driving Waymo car project.

The company received National Highway Traffic Safety Administration authorization in February 2020 to test up to 5,000 of its R2 autonomous robots delivering pharmacy items in Houston and groceries in Scottsdale, Arizona. The vehicles have package compartments, four-wheels, no pedals and no steering wheel.

Nuro said it intends by next year, with help from Los Angeles-based truck and bus builder BYD North America, to produce its third-generation autonomous vehicle at the Las Vegas facility.

It said the 80-acre (32.4-hectare) project will include the first end-of-line manufacturing facility for autonomous delivery vehicles in the United States.
BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP)  T-Mobile says it has notified nearly all of the millions of customers whose personal data was stolen and that it is truly sorry for the breach.

CEO Mike Sievert said in a written statement Friday that the company spends lots of effort to try to stay ahead of criminal hackers but we didnt live up to the expectations we have for ourselves to protect our customers. Knowing that we failed to prevent this exposure is one of the hardest parts of this event.

The company disclosed earlier in August that the names, Social Security numbers and information from drivers licenses or other identification of just over 40 million people who applied for T-Mobile credit were exposed in a recent data breach. The same data for about 7.8 million current T-Mobile customers who pay monthly for phone service also appeared to be compromised.

Sievert's statement follows a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal in which John Binns, a 21-year-old American hacker living in Turkey, told the newspaper he was responsible for the hack and blamed T-Mobiles lax security for making it possible.

Binns told the Journal he discovered an unprotected router exposed on the internet in July, and used that entry point to gain access to servers in a T-Mobile data center near East Wenatchee, Washington, a few hours east of the company's headquarters in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue.

Sievert made no direct reference to Binns on Friday but said that, in short, this individuals intent was to break in and steal data, and they succeeded.

Sievert said the breach has been contained, the investigation is "substantially complete and that customer financial information wasn't exposed. He said T-Mobile hired cybersecurity experts from Mandiant to help with the investigation and is coordinating with law enforcement.

What we can share is that, in simplest terms, the bad actor leveraged their knowledge of technical systems, along with specialized tools and capabilities, to gain access to our testing environments and then used brute force attacks and other methods to make their way into other IT servers that included customer data, Sievert wrote.

Sievert said the company has notified just about every" current customer who was affected, and is now doing the same for former customers and prospective customers who might have supplied some personal information in applying for an account. Unaffected customers will see a banner on their T-Mobile online account page letting them know their data was not exposed.

T-Mobile became one of the countrys largest cellphone service carriers, along with AT&T and Verizon, after buying rival Sprint last year. It reported having a total of 102.1 million U.S. customers after the merger.

T-Mobile has previously disclosed a number of data breaches over the years, though the most recent was the largest. Sievert said the company is taking steps to improve its security.

The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates wireless carriers, has said it is investigating the breach.
Some Florida parents are breathing a sigh of relief at the news that a judge has overturned Governor Ron DeSantis ban on in schools. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper sided with parents who sued the Republican governor and the states education department, saying the ban violates a part of the Florida constitution requiring districts to make schools safe and secure.

According to Coopers ruling, which was issued on Friday in a Zoom hearing, any order from the governor or a state agency that bans under all circumstances a face mask mandate for school children without a parental opt-out does not meet constitutional muster.

DeSantis and his attorneys attempted to justify his anti-mask efforts by claiming the order was protected by Floridas Parents Bill of Rights, a controversial piece of legislature put into law this year that grants parents rights regarding their childrens education, upbringing, and health care. This includes the ability to opt children out of comprehensive sex and health education as well as immunizations. But Cooper said the law did not give the governor the authority to ban mask mandates in schools.

Such action exceeds the authority given to the defendants under the Parents Bill of Rights law passed by the Florida legislature, he said, adding that the Parents Bill of Rights includes an exemption for limited government actions designed to protect public health.

Striking down Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on school mask mandates, Judge John Cooper makes a drunk driving analogy to show how rights can be limited if they put other people at risk. pic.twitter.com/BblhkpJTpc  The Recount (@therecount) August 27, 2021

Cooper added that masks are necessary for a safe school environment, citing the higher risk of infection to children of the Delta variant, which is now the predominant strain of the virus, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recommendation for universal masking in all K-12 schools.

We had a different, less infectious, less dangerous form of virus last year than we have this year, the judge said. As the facts change on the ground, the need or failure to need for various measures will also change.

Even before Coopers decision, many Florida school districts were planning to start the school year with mask mandates in place. At least 10 school districts imposed such mandates despite DeSantis order and his administrations threats of consequences, such as stripping funding for districts that dont comply.

Democrats in the state applauded Judge Coopers decision, which will likely go into effect next week when he issues a written ruling. The court did not have to go through legal contortion in order to come to a conclusion supported by precedent, science and common sense, said Rep. Michael Grieco (D-Miami Beach). The judge followed the law, something I wish everyone else in government would do, especially when we are talking about the health of children and educators.

A spokesperson for DeSantis, Taryn Fenske, issued a statement on behalf of the governor following the ruling. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts  frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented, Fenske said. We are used to the Leon County Circuit Court not following the law and getting reversed on appeal, which is exactly what happened last year in the school reopening case. We will continue to defend the law and parents [sic] rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case.

Floridas Department of Education also said in a statement that they intend to appeal the decision. We are immensely disappointed that the ruling issued today by the Second Judicial Circuit discards the rule of law, said spokesperson Jared M. Ochs. This decision conflicts with basic and established rights of parents to make private health care and education decisions for children.

But in his ruling, the judge countered the argument that the decision not to mask is a private health care choice, comparing not masking to drunk driving. Its our right to drink alcoholic beverages if were over 21, but we cannot get in our car and start driving around while weve had alcoholic beverages that impair our ability to drive, Cooper said. And the reason is, the driver exercising his or her right to drink is now putting at risk other people.

Masks are even more necessary in Florida now as Covid continues to ravage the state. According to calculations of CDC data by the Miami Herald, the state surpassed its record for single-day case totals on Thursday, adding 26,385 new cases. The state also leads the country in the number of people hospitalized with Covid, according to data from Health and Human Services.
A paddle boat business found its inaugural season on Lake Conroe moored after its double-decker flipped on a recent cruise carrying 53 people, one of whom later died.

The incident appears to have brought on a slight dip in tour boat bookings on the lake and incurred the vessels owners a million-dollar personal injury lawsuit. Businesses and officials on the lake, meanwhile, are assuring visitors this is an isolated case and that safety regulations are enforced.

This was really an unusual sort of rare storm event, said Jace Houston, general manager of the San Jacinto River Authority, which regulates much of Lake Conroe.

The engine-powered Lake Conroe Queen, 35 years old and fashioned after 1860s riverboats, had been operating on its namesake since June. Then winds producing 4 to 5-foot waves on Aug. 14 reportedly blew it to its side.

Those aboard, including children, ended up on a shallow spot off the Regency Point townhouse complex in the southern end of the lake. Some of the residents at the complex rescued passengers struggling in the water.

Passenger Karl Katzenberger, 80, of Montgomery, died of cardiac issues later at a hospital, however.

Obviously, it was a very quick storm that blew up. No one even saw it on the radar, said Lake Conroe Queen owner Dale Shaver when reached by phone Aug. 20 before leaving the call on hold.

A day short of a week since the tip over, the wrecker service Lewis Towing & Salvage transported the Lake Conroe Queen to the launching dock of the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables marine division.

From there, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department would take over the boat as part of their investigation, Pct. 1 Cpt. Joe Sclider said at the time. As of Tuesday, Texas PWD did not have any updates on the investigation as it remained ongoing, according to a spokeswoman.

Businesses respond

Operating tours on Lake Conroe for the last 40 years, the 375-passenger Southern Empress is an authentic paddle boat also featuring a top deck. The 289-ton, 131-foot-long and 40-foot-wide boat had to evacuate 100 passengers when it got stuck on a sandbar in March 2015, a report by The Courier detailed.

It previously got stuck on a sandbar in 2005, leaving 50 passengers stranded for four hours, the story mentioned.

Jeff Taggart has owned the Southern Empress since 2016. He said though the flat bottom boat got stuck on the lake again in September 2019, a passengers life has never been at risk.

Since the Lake Conroe Queens widely reported turmoil, Taggart noted there has been a lull in business.

We still have people booking, but the phones are a lot quieter, he said.

Taggart described the winds the Lake Conroe Queen came across before capsizing as a pop-up storm. He too said nothing pulled up on the radar that evening. While in the boats dining room past 7 p.m., the captain told a stunned Taggart they were on a weather hold.

He remembers the day having light winds before he walked out and observed rain and winds gusting at 20 mph. Opening his mobile weather app, he saw it said there were only 3 mph winds in effect.

Had we left on time at 7 oclock, we would have been out on the water and not known, Taggart said.

Built in 1999, the Little Palm yacht operates public and private events on its open air and climate controlled decks out of Waterpoint Marina on Lake Conroes southern shore. Lake Conroe Events owner James Winkler took possession of the 80-foot-long boat in 2013. He caps passenger boarding at 60 people.

The Little Palm had completed its cruise when the windstorm swept the lake the evening the Lake Conroe Queen tipped over. But Winkler still recalls a windstorm from four years ago.

We hugged one side of the cove to where the wind was kind of going over the trees and over us, so we werent in the action of it, Winkler said about the weather episode which they waited out for 30 minutes, pointing out the Little Palm crew in those instances will take to a cove or anchor down or find somewhere the wind is not as choppy.

Regulations carried out

The Little Palm and the Southern Empress crew members undergo regular training. Passengers receive spoken safety messages before departure and both boats maintain a manifest on all cruises, Taggart and Winkler said. The constables marine division and local fire officials will do surprise inspections too, the men added.

Game wardens annually inspect for safety equipment, including life jackets and ring buoys, on boats exceeding 30 feet in length, carrying more than six passengers and having a staff and operating crew, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Commander Cody Jones.

Texas PWD expects specific ratios between passengers and crew members, one of whom needs to be CPR-certified, and for all staff manning the watercraft to undergo certified boater education, Jones noted. The department also conducts mandatory drug and alcohol testing following any crashes, he mentioned.

These commercial boats are required by TPWD to have a minimum $300,000 liability insurance, Jones pointed out.

An estimated 125 businesses operating on Lake Conroes waters are expected to comply with SJRA insurance requirements, the river authoritys general manager, Jace Houston, explained.

This ensures if there ever is an accident, the public, the people that just come here to recreate, are not left without some sort of recourse. They have some place they can go to have their injuries taken care of or their damages compensated, Houston said. We tell companies you cant come here and do business if youre not gonna protect the public by carrying insurance.

Because of its size, the Southern Empress undergoes inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard every two years, Taggart said, adding the boats captains are licensed through the service branch.

Civil action taken

A lawsuit, filed Aug. 19 in Harris County, argues owners caused the Lake Conroe Queen to capsize through negligence and committed a breach of contract for failing to complete a sunset cruise. The suit is asking for more than $1 million in damages to be determined by a jury.

Houston attorney Ryan MacLeod is representing eight plaintiffs, six from Harris County and two from Montgomery County, he said in an Aug. 20 interview. MacLeod said clients ages range from their mid 20s to their 70s.

Passengers were only given life jackets about 15 seconds before the boat flipped with most unable to secure them on themselves, while others never received one, MacLeod said. Those on the top deck were never instructed to go to the bottom deck during the storm, the attorney added.

The suit contends plaintiffs inhaled the boats leaking diesel in the water the passengers were stranded in. MacLeod said some of his clients have fractured ribs and one sustained a torn ACL.

As good Samaritans pulled passengers out of the water, MacLeod said Shaver and the other three crew members immediately left the area.

There was no going around checking on people, the attorney said. The crew hightailed got out of there.

MacLeod shared a client he is representing in the suit remarked while aboard the Lake Conroe Queen that weather in the distance looked bad and asked if the boat should turn around. Owner Dale Shaver, MacLeod said, announced to passengers the storm would not affect the boat and the crew proceeded onward.

You gotta have proper emergency response protocols. Its not enough just to say, Well, this is what you should do in an emergency. Put it in writing in policy and procedure. You have to actually be able to carry it out, MacLeod said.

Despite the tumult the Lake Conroe Queen has been mired in, a presumptive riverboat rival is rooting for at least the boat owners eventual commercial success.

I hope they come back, said Jeff Taggart, the owner of the Southern Empress. I hope they dont disappear from the lake.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
A major confrontation on the abortion battlefield looms this fall, when the Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on whether Mississippi can ban abortion after 15 weeks. Thats roughly nine weeks before viability, the point at which states are now allowed to forbid abortion. To uphold Mississippis law, the court would have to eliminate its own viability rule or reverse Roe v. Wade altogether.

Given the composition of the court, there is a real chance the justices may overthrow Roe. But there is also the possibility that the court, for institutional or political reasons, may not yet want to upend that 1973 decision, which found the Constitution protects a womans right to have an abortion without undue government interference.

What then? A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit seems tailor made for a Supreme Court that wants to look as if it cares about precedent while shooting a hole through that right. The appellate court relied on a past Supreme Court ruling to give leeway to the Texas Legislature to restrict a certain abortion procedure even though there was uncertainty about the medical consequences of the stricture.

Texas is one of several states that functionally ban dilation and evacuation, the safest and most common abortion procedure used in the second trimester. In performing the procedure, a doctor dilates the cervix and then removes a fetus using forceps and possibly suction.

The Texas law at issue in the case, Whole Womans Health v. Paxton, prohibits what the Fifth Circuit called live dismemberment with forceps, requiring doctors to ensure that fetal death occurs before an evacuation takes place.

Texas argued that the additional procedures it requires to guarantee fetal death were safe and effective, especially the use of digoxin, a heart medication that can also stop a fetal heartbeat. The state also asserted that experimental methods, such as injecting potassium chloride directly into the fetal heart or cutting the umbilical cord, would not threaten patients.

Abortion rights supporters say these procedures are unreliable, untested, unsafe and often unavailable. They add that Texas has essentially criminalized what has been the go-to abortion technique in the second trimester  dilation and evacuation without the additional steps to cause fetal demise.

This law was teed up by abortion opponents to build on their last major Supreme Court victory, a 2007 decision that ended fights over the late-term procedure they called partial-birth abortion. From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, Congress and 21 states outlawed that uncommon procedure, which some critics compared to infanticide. Notably, the law passed by Congress did not include an exception for the protection of a pregnant womans health  a flash point in the subsequent litigation.

In voting 5-4 to uphold the bans, the court noted that there was documented medical disagreement over whether they would ever impose significant health risks on women. But Justice Anthony Kennedy added in his majority opinion in the case, Gonzales v. Carhart, that the court has given state and federal legislatures wide discretion to pass legislation in areas where there is medical and scientific uncertainty.

Abortion opponents got the message.

Led by the National Right to Life Committee, they argue that the Texas law is a sensible extension of the precedent set in Gonzales. Like the ban on the late-term abortions, the law focuses on a procedure primarily used in the second trimester and relies on the idea that lawmakers have freedom to maneuver when a matter is scientifically uncertain. In the Texas case, thats whether there is a safe and reliable method of ensuring fetal demise before evacuation.

When the Fifth Circuit upheld the Texas law, it was Gonzales v. Carhart all over again. Just as the Supreme Court did in Gonzales, the appellate court held that medical uncertainty about the use of digoxin and other techniques to cause fetal demise does not foreclose the exercise of legislative power in the abortion context.

The Fifth Circuit decision, should it end up before the Supreme Court, offers an escape hatch for justices who might think it is prudent to take their time dismantling abortion rights.

The courts institutionalists, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, do not want to crush respect for the federal judiciary. Honoring precedent makes the justices look more like jurists than partisans. And politically, overruling Roe also presents unique challenges.

Most Americans pay no attention to much of what the Supreme Court does, but abortion is different. A decision reversing Roe could energize abortion rights supporters to vote in 2022 and 2024 and also advance the cause of court reform. All of that means that the courts conservative majority might hesitate to get rid of Roe quickly, especially without paying lip service to precedent.

That is the genius of the Texas strategy. There seems to be no trade-off between relying on precedent and gradually eliminating abortion rights. The message of the Fifth Circuit decision was clear: The courts conservatives can have it all.

Ziegler, a professor at the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, is the author of Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present. This opinion was published by the New York Times.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP)  Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers, including two cubs, were found dead in a conservation area on Indonesia's Sumatra island after being caught in traps apparently set by a poacher, authorities said Friday.

The mother and a female cub were found dead Tuesday in the Leuser Ecosystem Area, a forested region for tiger conservation in Aceh province, said Agus Arianto, head of the conservation agency. The body of a male cub was found on Thursday about 5 meters (15 feet) away, he said.

An examination determined they died from infected wounds caused by traps, Arianto said.

He said several traps similar to ones used to capture wild pigs on farms were found in the area of the bodies.

Setting traps for pigs in a conservation area is very unlikely, Arianto said, This was intended to poach endangered animals for economic gain." He said his agency will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in an investigation.

Sumatran tigers, the most critically endangered tiger subspecies, are under increasing pressure due to poaching as their jungle habitat shrinks, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It estimated fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

It was the latest in a series of killings of endangered animals on Sumatra island. Conservationists have warned that the coronavirus pandemic has led to increased poaching as villagers turn to hunting for economic reasons.

Early last month, a female tiger was found dead with injuries caused by a snare trap in South Aceh district.

An elephant was found without a head on July 11 at a palm plantation in East Aceh. Police arrested an alleged poacher along with four people accused of buying ivory taken from the dead animal.

Aceh police also arrested four men in June for allegedly poaching a tiger with a snare trap and selling its remains for 100 million rupiah ($6,900). Days later, another Sumatran tiger died after it ate a goat laced with rat poison in neighboring North Sumatra province.
BIHAC, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  Fawad Khan anxiously scrolled down the news on his cellphone, watching the chaos at Kabul airport as thousands of his fellow Afghans try to flee the Taliban-controlled country in the waning days of a massive airlift.

Khan, 23, is stuck thousands of miles from home in a migrant camp in Bosnia, hoping to somehow reach Western Europe  and then help his brother in Afghanistan to join him.

The situation in Afghanistan is very bad, Khan said Thursday at the Lipa camp, near Bosnia's northwestern town of Bihac. So every people want to go outside of Afghanistan  they want to live (a) good future and life.

Thousands of migrants, including many Afghans, are stranded in Bosnia and other Balkan countries while trying to reach wealthy European nations in search of a better future. From Bosnia, they try to cross neighboring Croatia's closely guarded border before moving on.

While many of these Afghan migrants left their homes months, or even years ago, the Western pullout and the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan have left them feeling even more vulnerable, and concerned about those they left behind.

The Taliban have promised to restore security and not seek revenge on those who opposed them, or roll back progress on human rights. But Khan is highly skeptical.

He said he left Afghanistan two years ago as he couldn't find work and his family had no money. Constant violence and the Taliban threat had made life hard even then: If you work with American people, there was Taliban, (they) did not (let) us work with (Americans).

Now, it is even worse, he said. With the Taliban in power, simple things like going to the doctor or to a market have become harder.

I want to go to Europe because I will help my brother to bring him to Europe," Khan said.

It won't be easy. Already, he has tried 10 times to surreptitiously enter Croatia in the past four months and was forced back by Croatian police, who repeatedly have faced accusations of violence against migrants, which officials have denied.

Khan said Croatian police beat him, took his shoes and pushed him into a river and back to Bosnia. Authorities in Bosnia provided him with shoes and clothes and set him up at the tent camp Lipa where hundreds of other migrants already lived.

On Thursday, dozens of migrants in masks lined up outside tents in the camp where medical workers checked their temperatures and vaccinated them against the new coronavirus.

Khan was happy to be inoculated amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the Balkans. But his real worry was elsewhere: While he used to talk to his brother regularly on the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp, he hasn't heard from him for two weeks.

And, Khan said, with return to Afghanistan impossible, closed borders are blocking his own hopes of moving on, and eventually helping his brother.

Croatia police (is) big problem we have, he said, We want to go quickly because situation is not good in Afghanistan, we want to go quickly, we (want to) help our families. It is really tough for us."

___

Follow APs global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
ATLANTA (AP)  Nuclear regulators said Friday that they will give greater scrutiny to construction of two new nuclear reactors being built at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle after a special inspection found electrical cables were not properly separated.

Southern Nuclear Co., the unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. in charge of building the reactors, still has a chance to challenge the results before they are finalized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The special inspection lines up with what independent monitors hired by Georgia state utility regulators have long said: that contractors and Southern have done sloppy work while rushing to meet an unachievable schedule, necessitating that work be redone.

Inspectors found Southern Nuclear had multiple earlier chances to catch problems.

Leaders did not emphasize that individuals take the time to do the job right the first time, seek guidance when unsure, and stop if an unexpected condition is encountered, the commission wrote in inspection documents.

Georgia Power spokesperson John Kraft didnt say whether Southern Nuclear would contest the findings.

Many of these issues were already identified by Southern Nuclear and self-reported to the NRC, Kraft wrote in an email. "Corrective action plans have been in place, and work has been underway for months to resolve these issues, in close coordination with the NRC.

The commission released a statement and inspection documents Friday after a special inspection launched June 21 at the reactors, which are being built near Augusta. The electrical cabling systems are supposed to be designed to keep a single problem from knocking out nuclear plant equipment needed to maintain safety.

Georgia Power is a minority owner of the project, whose costs are projected to surpass $27.8 billion overall, not counting $3.68 billion that original contractor Westinghouse paid back to the owners after going bankrupt.

Other owners include most Georgia electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. Floridas Jacksonville Electric Authority and some other municipal utilities and cooperatives in Florida and Alabama are also obligated to buy power from the plant.

Southern says Vogtles Unit 3 is now projected to start operation in spring 2022, while Unit 4 is supposed to be finished in 2023. Independent monitors dispute that schedule, saying June 2022 is the earliest possible start date for Unit 3 and that the project will cost up to $1 billion more than what Southern has acknowledged so far.

The commission said it launched the review after Southern Nuclear reported about 600 instances in which work hadn't met requirements for cable separation. Inspectors found Southern Nuclear didnt adequately separate cables for reactor coolant pumps and equipment designed to safely shut down the reactor. A less significant second finding released Friday cited additional problems with how the tray system that carries electrical cables was built.

The inspectors have classified their findings with the electrical cables as having a white or low to moderate significance, one level above the lowest level of green. Still, they are enough to herald greater NRC oversight of Vogtle construction, if Southern Nuclear doesn't challenge the results and they are finalized.

The commission emphasized that it won't let Southern Nuclear load radioactive fuel at the plant until it has met all standards. The commission said because no fuel had been loaded, the public was never at risk.

The reactors, approved in 2012, were initially estimated to cost $14 billion, with the first new reactor originally planned to start generation in 2016. Delays and costs spiraled, especially after Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy in 2017.

The company says the third reactor is 99% complete and the overall project 93% complete.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP)  It was about two weeks ago when intensive care nurse Caroline Maloney stopped in her tracks as she walked toward the unit where she has spent the past year and a half caring for COVID-19 patients.

For months, her hospital's six ICU units had been nearly back to normal, not sealed off because the beds were filled with patients battling the insidious infection that had claimed many of her patients  so many that she long ago lost count.

But on this day, the doors were closed. And she knew what it meant.

I couldnt believe were doing this again, said Maloney, a 55-year-old nurse with nearly 30 years' experience. Weve closed the unit again, and here we are again.

A full 18 months into Arizonas fight against the coronavirus, 1 million confirmed virus cases and more than 18,000 deaths later, Maloney is at times upbeat, at times dejected. The see-saw of Arizona's fight against COVID-19 has been ever-present in her life. The state become a national hot spot in July 2020 and saw a fall lull before a winter surge that at times killed hundreds a day.

Maloney, a nurse for a dozen years at HonorHealths Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center whose accent reveals she hails from South Boston, first spoke with The Associated Press about her experience treating virus patients in June 2020.

At the time, she was upbeat, pleased that a good number of the really sick patients who needed ventilators in her ICU were recovering.

I really feel here at Osborn that weve had amazing outcomes, she said at the time. We have done exceptionally well. We have seen most of our patients leave the ICU  I dont have the exact numbers  but our numbers are low as far as mortality.

By January 2021, that had changed. The patients were sicker, death rates had skyrocketed, and she was more dejected. Arizona's hospitals were inundated with virus patients. On Jan. 11, the state Health Services Department reported that nearly 1,200 of the state's approximately 1,800 intensive care beds were filled with COVID-19 patients.

When she spoke with the AP on Jan. 12, the state had tallied more than 636,000 COVID-19 cases and counted 10,855 deaths from COVID-19. And she was seeing well over half her patients die, often after weeks fighting for their lives in her unit.

Her hospital had converted five of its six ICU units into closed COVID-19 wards. Equipment sat outside closed patient rooms so nurses could maintain ventilators and IV pumps without having to get fully dressed in protective gear. Those who went into rooms for patient care donned full masks and gowns and looked otherworldly.

We looked like we were going to war  and I think that we were, she said. We were raging against an unknown entity that we had no answer to.

The patients kept coming.

"I think the numbers are numbing, she said. I think for the state of Arizona, I think for the country, I think theyre abstract, I dont think theyre concrete for people anymore.

COVID-19 patients struck by the virus die a horrible death, their lungs ravaged by the disease and unable to absorb enough oxygen to support life.

Were hoping for that miracle, but you see the writing on the wall, she said. Their lungs are like steel gates, you cant expand the oxygen in their lungs.

Making it worse, their families are not allowed to be there to hold their hands. Nurses at hospitals across the nation have become the link between ill patients and their families, holding phones and tablets so patients can hear loved-ones' voices, reporting on their progress or decline.

By January, mask mandates had split the state and the country, but the COVID-19 vaccine brought a bright glimmer of hope for a way out of the pandemic.

When Arizona's winter surge had tapered off by March 5 and vaccinations seemed to be pushing new infection rates down, Maloney felt better. Her hospital, which at one point in the winter surge had filled 50 of its 60 ICU beds with virus patients, was down to just one 10-bed unit set aside for COVID-19.

We feel like we can breathe, that there is a momentary lapse right now, she said then.

And a week later, she texted with an update: Zero! Zero Covid pts in the ICU!

It was almost exactly a year since Arizona's first reported COVID-19 death.

Irony, a paradox of a year, or coincidence? Maloney texted. Ill continue to hold my cautionary breath.

Maloney, who has sung the praises of her co-workers and the support they give each other, has lived a closed life for the past 18 months. She's skipped family birthdays, canceled Christmas and largely avoided going out with friends other than a close group of co-workers. She works 12-hour shifts for days in a row, then goes home. She hasn't taken a vacation since 2019, although she did escape to Arizona's high country early this summer for several days.

But in July as vaccinations became the latest point of push-back from those questioning their efficacy or safety, the virus' delta variant began rampaging across the country. Hospitals started to fill up again in states like Florida and Texas, where vaccination rates are low and the Republican governors issued orders banning mask or vaccine mandates.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey did the same and signed legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that bars schools from requiring masks and cities and towns from mandating vaccines.

Arizona's health director, Dr. Cara Christ, said in an Aug. 6 blog post that 89% of the state's cases and virtually all the hospitalizations and deaths were among people who either were only partially vaccinated or in most cases not vaccinated at all. Christ recently left the position for a job in the private sector.

Maloney said she spoke with a nurse who recently returned from working in an out-of-state hospital hit by the delta variant's summer surge and was struck by what he said.

He goes, younger, sicker, dying quicker, she said. And thats a terrible quote."

Days later, she saw the closed doors of her ICU unit and knew her days of battling COVID-19 were back.

"I do think that theres compassion fatigue," she said. Its mentally exhausting and its physically exhausting."

She and her fellow nurses have built a camaraderie and are certain that they can get through one more surge of virus cases. But she knows some walk away after a 12-hour shift thinking what they've done is futile.

One of the hospital's doctors said he thinks all of us are suffering from PTSD, and we dont know it," she said. "So, I dont know. I dont know.

And I dont want to paint a grim picture. Its, its the same thing, Maloney said. This is what we do. We just, we get up and do it.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona surpassed 1 million COVID-19 cases Friday, becoming the 13th state to reach the grim milestone while contending with yet another major spike in infections.

The benchmark is the latest in a tumultuous year and a half where Arizona went from being touted as a pandemic success story to being the hot spot of the world and then being a model again when vaccinations became available. Now, the state, like the rest of the country, is coping with a surge  mostly of the unvaccinated  and ongoing conflicts over mask and vaccine mandates.

It ranks 13th nationwide in the number of cases per 100,000 residents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions COVID Data Tracker.

COVID-19 came early to Arizona.

In January 2020, a person with ties to Arizona State University got sick after traveling to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and became one of the first five confirmed cases in the United States. The person isolated at home and recovered.

However, within two months, more than 100 cases had been reported across most counties and the Navajo Nation.

Arizonas first death was reported on March 20, 2020, a man in his 50s in Maricopa County, followed by a second two days later.

On March 30, 2020, Gov. Doug Ducey issued a month-long stay-at-home order, allowing people to only go out for food, medicine and other essential activities. Non-essential businesses such as the Rebel Lounge, a Phoenix music club, basically had to shut down.

The clubs owner, Stephen Chilton, went about a year without staging any performances and was forced to furlough most of his staff. He canceled and rebooked shows as many as six times, all without generating any revenue.

Chilton opened his doors again in October, this time operating as a coffee shop. Full-capacity performances resumed in June but now with the delta variant, some bands are again calling off shows and Chilton is again crossing out calendar dates.

You cant have a lot of expectations  I guess thats how you manage them, Chilton said.

Backlash to Duceys stay-home order led to a crowded, largely mask-free protest at the state Capitol on April 20, 2020. Nine days later, he began easing up on his coronavirus restrictions, allowing some businesses to reopen ahead of a visit by then-President Donald Trump to a mask factory near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Meanwhile, deaths around the state inched up at an increasing pace. An outbreak took hold on the Navajo Nation and would grow to tax the health care systems across northern Arizona and New Mexico. By June 3, the Navajo Nation had recorded 252 deaths. Navajo President Jonathan Nez ordered a series of strict weekend curfews to control the disease, which continued on and off through much of 2020.

By the end of May 2020, Arizona virus deaths topped 900 and known infections surpassed 20,000. Hospitalizations hit a record high and hospitals began warning they would soon need to implement surge plans to deal with excess patients.

Despite mounting pressure, the Republican governor refused to impose a mask mandate and continued blocking local governments from instituting their own. He relented on June 17, 2020, giving cities and counties the power to require masks. Most did.

It was that month that Kristin Urquiza lost her father to the virus. She drew headlines when she partly blamed Ducey for his death, saying Mark Anthony Urquiza believed in May it was safe to go out.

She channeled her outrage into co-creating Marked By COVID, a nonprofit looking to shape policy and train people to advocate on pandemic-related matters. Urquiza sometimes thinks about where she would be had COVID-19 never happened. She never saw herself running an organization.

Having that lived experience of losing my dad, it has helped me connect with a couple of things I didnt always have, Urquiza said. I feel like it is important for me to stand up myself and thats OK to take up space and stand in my own power.

After a slowing of hospitalizations in late summer, new infections drove an overwhelming winter surge. Hospitals pleaded for more restrictions to control the spread of the disease, but Ducey declined.

I dont think the right answer is to throw hundreds of thousands of Arizonans out of work right before the holidays, Ducey said at the time.

The number of cases topped 500,000 by Dec. 28. Hospitals and intensive care units filled up, and some were forced to turn away ambulances.

At that time, Molly Elkins, 27, was three months into what would end up being an eight-month stint as an ICU nurse in Phoenix. When she started her nursing career three years ago, she wanted to work in the ICU. But she never pictured constantly being surrounded by death and crying with patients families as they said a final goodbye on FaceTime.

Worried about her mental health, Elkins switched to being a surgical nurse in May.

I would have nightmares. I would come home and still be physically and emotionally upset at the end of the day, Elkins said. I feel like Im more protective of myself. I know how to stand up for myself and put my needs first.

On Jan. 3, Arizona posted its highest count of new cases for a single day: 17,234. But with mass vaccine distribution on the horizon, there was reason for hope.

As the vaccine supply ramped up, the state expanded vaccination centers, including one that received a supportive shout out from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Citing lower case counts and rising vaccination rates, Ducey lifted remaining restrictions on gyms, restaurants and other businesses in early March.

On March 16, Arizona hit the 1 million mark for people fully vaccinated.

The state crossed 800,000 cases in early February and took six months to hit 900,000 in June. However, with the more-contagious delta variant, the next 100,000 cases came over the course of just seven weeks. As of Friday, 18,724 people have died.

Hospitals once again are sounding the alarm that their beds are filling up, their staff contending with another influx of patients. This time, the patients are almost entirely people who declined to get vaccines proven highly effective at preventing hospitalization.

Caroline Maloney, a nurse for nearly 30 years who has worked at HonorHealths Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center for more than a decade, has been in the thick of the pandemic from the start. She has seen the ebbs of flows of the virus as it surged in summer 2020, this past winter and again now.

I dont think the human brain can process it, she said of Arizona hitting 1 millions cases and 18,600 deaths. I dont think when you are an individual that you can fathom that number. Its incomprehensible.

___

Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud, Bob Christie and Paul Davenport contributed to this report.
VIENNA (AP)  A Vienna court has convicted former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption for trying to change laws to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations to his political party.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported Friday that the ex-leader of the far-right Freedom Party received a 15-month suspended prison sentence for accepting two bribes totaling 12,000 euros ($14,100).
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The board governing Mississippi's public universities voted Friday not to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite the objections of the two medical doctors who are part of the board.

During a special meeting, nine members of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees said the vaccine should not be mandated. Many said they support students getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but that shots should be voluntary.

Dr. Alfred McNair Jr. and Dr. Steven Cunningham were the only two board members who voted to mandate vaccinations.

This volunteer thing is ridiculous," said McNair, who is chief of medical staff at Biloxi Regional Medical Center. "If they had polio, it wouldnt be a volunteer thing.

Mississippi's public universities already mandate that students be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, according to Institutions of Higher Learning bylaws. Students studying in a health-related field must be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

McNair said cases among young people are rising in the state and that he's seeing children hospitalized with more severe symptoms than ever before. He said people who recover from the virus can have long-term side effects.

My point of view, taking care of these patients every day, what Im seeing is younger patients running into trouble," McNair said. These young people think theyre immune, but actually, thats where the virus is hitting and the college is just wide open for it.

Cunningham, a radiologist from Hattiesburg, said the board already tried letting students volunteer for the shots, and it hasn't been very effective.

I really think mandating is only going to be the only way to help save some of these kids, he said.

Board member Bruce Martin, an insurance agent, voted not to mandate vaccinations. He said he was vaccinated and fully supports as many students being vaccinated as is possible. But he said some people will never agree to be vaccinated, even if it's mandated.

It just boggles my mind, but they will just not do it and us mandating it is not going to make those people do it," he said. Weve taken their money, they enrolled in the school, and I dont know how in the world, youre gonna get people to be vaccinated by demanding they be vaccinated.

Member Teresa Hubbard also voted against mandating the shots. She said people enrolled in school with the expectation they wouldn't be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, she said the schools need to come up with a more aggressive plan for getting students to get vaccinated.

We've got to get those numbers up in some way, she said.

___

Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CHICAGO (AP)  Chicago officials on Friday accused DoorDash and Grubhub of harming the city's restaurants and their customers by charging high fees and through other deceptive practices when delivery and takeout business became essential to the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city officials believe their lawsuits against the delivery companies are the most sweeping of their kind brought by a city.

It is deeply concerning and unfortunate that these companies broke the law during these incredibly difficult times, using unfair and deceptive tactics to take advantage of restaurants and consumers who were struggling to stay afloat," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.

Representatives for the two companies called the lawsuits filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court baseless.

Delivery companies have been the target of legal authorities in other cities and states before, but those efforts have targeted specific policies compared to Chicago's attack on numerous elements of the companies' operations.

San Francisco's district attorney has accused delivery companies of violating California law by classifying drivers as contractors. And Washington, D.C., reached a settlement with DoorDash in 2019 after alleging the company misled customers about how much drivers received in tips.

The Massachusetts attorney generals office in July filed a lawsuit accusing Grubhub of charging restaurants illegally high fees during the pandemic. The state had capped fees for much of 2020.

According to the Chicago lawsuits, both companies advertise delivery services for restaurants without their agreement, hurting the businesses reputation when customers are unhappy about the cost or service.

City investigators also found that both companies charge higher prices for items than restaurants set on their own menus and charge more in total fees than initially disclosed to customers.

Taylor Bennett, a spokesman for DoorDash, called the suit baseless.

DoorDash has stood with the City of Chicago throughout the pandemic, waiving fees for restaurants, providing $500,000 in direct grants, creating strong earning opportunities, and delivering food and other necessities to communities in need," Bennett said. "This lawsuit will cost taxpayers and deliver nothing.

Grant Klinzman, a spokesman for Grubhub, said the company was disappointed by Lightfoot's decision to file the suit.

Every single allegation is categorically wrong and we will aggressively defend our business practices, he said. "We look forward to responding in court and are confident we will prevail.

The lawsuits don't specify a total financial penalty they're seeking. The city is asking for a fine for each violation of the city's code and an order that would stop them from violating it.
MORENCI, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan man whose three boys have been missing since 2010 declined to appear at a parole hearing in prison, authorities said.

John Skelton's decision means he probably won't be released and must wait a year for another shot at parole, said Chris Gautz, spokesman at the Corrections Department.
ELKHART, Ind. (AP)  A northern Indiana police officer fatally shot a man moments after the man had shot and killed a toddler during a domestic dispute Friday morning, authorities said.

The man was shot in an alley less than five minutes after he had fired a gun at a woman and the bullet struck and killed a 2-year-old, Elkhart Police Chief Kris Seymore said.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  American forces working under heightened security and threats of another attack pressed ahead in the closing days of the U.S.-led evacuation from Afghanistan after a devastating suicide bombing, and U.S. officials said they had killed a member of the extremist group that the United States believes responsible for it.

A U.S. drone strike early Saturday in eastern Afghanistan killed a member of the country's Islamic State affiliate, U.S. Central Command said. President Joe Biden has laid responsibility for Thursday's suicide bombing on that offshoot extremist group which is an enemy both to the West and to Afghanistan's Taliban and is known for especially lethal attacks.

The death toll in Thursday's suicide bombing rose to 169 Afghans, a number that could increase as authorities examine fragmented remains, and 13 U.S. service members.

U.S. Central Command said American officials believed the militant killed in Saturday's drone strike had been involved in planning strikes against the United States in Kabul, and that there were no other known casualties.

The U.S. retaliation comes amid a steady flow of grim warnings from the White House and the Pentagon that there could be more extremist attacks targeting U.S. forces ahead of President Joe Biden's fast-approaching deadline Tuesday to end the airlift and withdraw American personnel.

The next few days will be our most dangerous period to date" in the evacuation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, hours before the U.S. issued a security alert for four of the airport gates.

Thursday's bombing marked one of the most lethal attacks the country has seen. The U.S. said it was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since 2011.

As the call to prayer echoed Friday through Kabul along with the roar of departing planes, the anxious crowds thronging the airport in hope of escaping Taliban rule appeared as large as ever, despite the scenes of victims lying closely packed together in the aftermath of the bombing.

Around the world, newly arriving Afghan evacuees, many clutching babies and bare handfuls of belongings in plastic bags, stepped off evacuation flights in the United States, in Albania, in Belgium and beyond. In Kabul on Friday, Afghan families looked for loved ones among bodies, placed along a hospital sidewalk for identification, of bombing victims who died pleading for a seat on the U.S.-run airlifts.

Afghans, American citizens and other foreigners were all acutely aware the window was closing to get out via the airlift.

Jamshad went to the airport Friday with his wife and three small children. He clutched an invitation to a Western country he didnt want to identify.

After the explosion I decided I would try. Because I am afraid now there will be more attacks, and I think now I have to leave, said Jamshad, who like many Afghans uses only one name.

The Pentagon said Friday that there was just one suicide bomber  at the airport gate  not two, as U.S. officials initially said. A U.S. official said that the bomber carried a heavier-than-usual load of about 25 pounds of explosives, loaded with shrapnel.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary assessments of the attack. The officials who gave the Afghan death toll also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The Afghan victims ranged from a hard-working young journalist to an impoverished father, driven to to the airport by hopes of a better life.

The American dead were 11 Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier. Many had been tiny children when U.S. forces first entered Afghanistan in 2001.

One, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Mae'lee Grant Nikoui, sent a video to a family friend in the United States just hours before he was killed, showing himself smiling and greeting Afghan children.

Want to take a video together, buddy?" Nikoui asked young boy, leaning in to be in the picture with him. All right, we're heroes now, man.

British officials said two of the country's citizens and the child of another Briton were among those killed.

On the morning after the attack, the Taliban used a pickup truck full of fighters and three captured Humvees to set up a barrier 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the airport, holding the crowds farther back from the U.S. troops than before.

U.S. military officials said that some gates were closed and other security measures put in place. They said there were tighter restrictions at Taliban checkpoints and fewer people around the gates.

U.S. officials said evacuees with proper credentials still were being allowed through the gates. Inside, about 5,400 evacuees awaited flights.

U.S. commanders had briefed Biden Friday on developing plans to strike back at the Islamic State and make good on the president's vow to the attackers to hunt you down and make you pay.

Biden pronounced the U.S. effort to evacuate Americans, Afghan allies and others most at risk from the Taliban a worthy mission.

"And we will complete the mission, he said.

The Taliban have wrested back control of Afghanistan two decades after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks. Their return to power has terrified many Afghans, who have rushed to flee the country ahead of the American withdrawal.

More than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated through the Kabul airport, according to the U.S., but thousands more are struggling to leave.

The White House said Friday afternoon that U.S. military aircraft had flown out 2,100 evacuees in the previous 24 hours. Another 2,100 people left on other coalition flights.

The number was a fraction of the 12,700 people carried out by U.S. military aircraft during a brief period when the airlift reached maximum capacity.

France ended its own evacuation effort and pulled up stakes on a temporary French embassy at the airport, leaving Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. U.S. allies and others have ended or are ending their airlifts, in part to give the U.S. time to wrap up its own operations.

The Taliban have said they will allow Afghans to leave via commercial flights after the U.S. withdrawal, but it is unclear which airlines would return to an airport controlled by the militants.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad and Anna from Nairobi, Kenya. Darlene Superville in Washington and Rahim Faiez in Turkey and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed along with other Associated Press writers around the world.

___

More of AP's Afghanistan coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  Authorities arrested Congo's former public health minister, Dr. Eteni Longondo, late Friday following allegations he misappropriated more than $1 million in funds allocated by the World Bank to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longondo, who has maintained his innocence, was taken to the central prison of Makala following an hours-long court proceeding in Kinshasa, according to Inspector General of Finance Jules Alingeti.

It was not immediately known what specific charges Longondo faced or whether he had retained a lawyer.

The alleged acts of mismanagement came to light during investigations carried out at the Ministry of Health and the Central Bank of Congo, Alingeti said.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Longondo had sharply denied the allegations, stating that there has never been any misappropriation of funds from Covid-19 at the Ministry of Health.

Longondo had been appointed as health minister in 2019 and managed the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Congo prior to being replaced in April.

Congo has seen more than 54,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 1,053 deaths, though those figures are widely considered to be a vast underestimate because testing remains limited.

Vaccination efforts also faltered when the country decided not to use donated AstraZenica vaccines because of concerns about whether it was linked to fatal blood clots. The campaign has since resumed, though misinformation and apprehension about COVID-19 vaccines remains high.

Health officials also have had to grapple with other serious health crises including a measles epidemic that killed more than 7,000 people between 2019 and August 2020, and an Ebola outbreak earlier this year in Butembo.

In 2019, police arrested another former public health minister accused of misappropriating funds. Oly Ilunga denied embezzling any funds during a previous Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, but was sentenced to five years in prison and has vowed to appeal the verdict.

___

Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  As Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gears up for his reelection campaign next year, Democratic opponent Nan Whaley has called on him to take stronger action on the coronavirus pandemic.

DeWine, among the most aggressive of governors at the outset of the pandemic, has since seen his emergency powers limited by the Legislature, which is controlled by supermajorities of fellow Republicans in both chambers.

He has cited the restrictive legislation among his reasons for not imposing new mandates, as well as a belief that the vast majority of people nearly 18 months into the crisis want to make their own decisions.

The Associated Press takes a closer look at those positions:

WHAT DID WHALEY ASK OF DEWINE?

Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, last week called on DeWine to mandate mask-wearing at all K-12 schools, which would be in line with the most recent guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DeWine has strongly urged that school districts require masks, but stopped short of ordering them to do so.

Whaley contrasts the state's requirements with those in Dayton, where school and city indoor mask requirements are in place and all city employees have been required to get a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 20 or undergo regular virus testing at their own expense.

HOW DID DEWINE RESPOND?

Asked if he would exercise his power to issue temporary emergency orders, DeWine told reporters part of governing is understanding one's place in history. The statement implied that the people's appetite for government mandates may have been different in March 2020 than it is now  as evidenced by the legislative backlash DeWine has felt.

Were clearly well past the time when the state can mandate to parents, to local school districts, to parochial or private schools, what actions to take," he said. These decisions today rest with each parent, rest with the parents and rest with the school officials.

WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC WANT?

As COVID-19 cases surge around the country, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Monday showed about 6 in 10 Americans support mask mandates for students and teachers in K-12 schools.

Similar shares say teachers and eligible students should also be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the poll found.

The poll also found a sharp political divide, however. About 3 in 10 Republicans said they favor mask requirements for students and teachers and vaccine mandates in schools, compared with about 8 in 10 Democrats.

What that means in a nutshell? DeWine is playing to his base, and Whaley is playing to hers.

DID LAWMAKERS REALLY TIE DEWINE'S HANDS?

The bill that limited DeWine's emergency powers was indeed sweepingly restrictive, putting limits on orders issued by him, the lieutenant governor, state auditor, treasurer, attorney general and secretary of state.

It also prevents local health departments from issuing mass school and business orders and allows lawmakers to rescind orders or rules issued in response to an emergency, such as by the Ohio Department of Health.

But the bill, which DeWine vetoed and lawmakers overrode, did leave the governor some options that he has yet to exercise.

WHAT KINDS OF OPTIONS?

The legislation limits DeWine's declarations of emergency to 90 days barring a legislative extension. Lawmakers can also terminate an emergency order after 30 days under the bill.

When an order is terminated or expires, DeWine has to wait 60 days to reissue a substantially similar order. However, the bill gives the governor the ability to request and receive a legislative waiver of that 60-day waiting period by asking for one and getting their approval.

DeWine has never had occasion to make such a request. He hasn't tested the bill since it passed by declaring a state of emergency. That would force the Legislature to either live with it or to take a public vote against it that could become important as lawmakers seek re-election next year.

DeWine terminated Ohio's existing state of emergency on June 18. Sixty days from that date fell on Aug. 17.

___

Associated Press writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins contributed to this report.
CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP)  An explosion Thursday at a strip mall print shop in a Phoenix suburb blew off the roof and scattered debris around the building, seriously injuring four men inside the business, authorities said.

The cause of the 9:23 a.m. explosion was not immediately known, but authorities were checking for a possible gas leak in a parking lot next to the building, said Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Keith Welch, a department spokesman.

That's still under investigation, Welch said of the possible gas leak.

Welch also said it was unclear if the injured were employees or customers of the print shop.

Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, said two of the men were in critical condition in an intensive care unit with the other two in serious condition. But all four of them were expected to recover.

Foster didn't identify any of the victims, saying they were all young males who appeared to suffer second-degree propane flash burns to their arms, hands and legs.

Foster said the victims had burns ranging from 16% to 30% of their bodies and all will need surgery and extended hospital stays, but the injuries could have been worse considering the extent of the damage.

A branch library, a preschool and about a dozen businesses in the strip mall were evacuated. No injuries were reported apart from the people who were inside the print shop but a few nearby businesses were damaged, Welch said.

Authorities evacuated about 25 homes adjacent to the parking lot where authorities were checking for a gas leak, Welch said.

News video showed the building of Platinum Printing severely damaged, with debris scattered around the building, including on top at least one parked car.

It was a pretty devastating explosion," Welch told reporters. The inside of the building is completely destroyed, and if you get closer to the building, the walls have been pushed out.

The print shop's website said it provides construction documents to architects, builders and contractors.

The incident drew a huge response, with about 50 emergency vehicles and over 100 personnel from seven different agencies.
FREMONT, Calif. (AP)  A Police officer in Northern California fatally shot a man they say was suspected in a shooting at a mobile home, authorities said.

The Fremont Police Department said Thursday that officers responded to a 911 call Wednesday reporting a person had been shot in the head at Southlake Mobile Home Park and found a victim with life-threatening injuries. The victim was taken to a hospital.
A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday urged states that oppose a settlement plan with Purdue Pharma to try to work out differences with the OxyContin maker before he issues a ruling next week.

During a videoconference hearing, Judge Robert Drain warned of lengthy and expensive appeals if he approves the plan over their objections.

Time is no ones friend, he said, noting that legal delays can keep settlement money from flowing to victims of the opioid crisis and programs to address the epidemic.

He encouraged the 10 states that continue to oppose the settlement to use the next few days to negotiate with with Purdue and members of the Sackler family who own it.

It would be a real service to millions, if not tens of millions of people, if the objecting states or at least some subset of them were able to resolve their differences with the Sacklers, Drain said.

The judge said he expects to issue his ruling Wednesday on a reorganization plan for Purdue that would settle some 3,000 lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant.

The key objection for most of the states is that members of the Sackler family would be granted protection from lawsuits over the opioid crisis, even though it is the company  not the family  that is going through bankruptcy proceedings.

Recent negotiations have led to agreements not to include protection from non-opioid-related lawsuits for family members and to narrow the list of others who could be granted protection, including some law firms.

Under the plan Drain is considering, the Sacklers would lose control of Purdue and the company would be under the control of a new board appointed by government officials. Its future profits would be used to fight the epidemic, which has been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000.

Sackler family members would contribute $4.5 billion in cash and control of charitable funds. Some individual victims and their survivors would receive payments estimated to range from $3,500 to $48,000.

The bankruptcy judge also said he wanted to resolve questions about some details of the complicated settlement plan. He was focusing on insurance issues and legal agreements between Purdue and other companies in the opioid industry, including distributors and pharmacies.
WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP)  A county affordable housing committee voted to recommend approval of a rental project on Lanai, where no new affordable homes have been built in 30 years.

The Hokuao 201H Housing Project, which was proposed by billionaire Larry Ellisons company Pulama Lanai, includes the development of 150 two-bedroom rental homes on former pineapple fields. About half of the units will be market-rate priced. The project will be developed under the states fast-track approval process for affordable housing.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota troopers on Friday arrested four people protesting Enbridge Energy's Line 3 replacement pipeline project at the state Capitol.

Videos posted on social media showed law enforcement officers surrounding about a dozen protesters. About 1,000 demonstrators gathered earlier in the week for a major rally calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the replacement pipeline project.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the arrests happened after a teepee remained on the Capitol grounds Friday after the event permit expired Thursday evening. The State Patrol, which is responsible for Capitol security, met with tribal liaisons, owners of the tepee and other group leaders to come to an agreement for the group to voluntarily take the tepee down, he said in an email.

The tepee was removed by its owners while troopers provided security today. Personal property that remained at the site was also removed by members of the group, Gordon said. Some individuals were uncooperative with creating space for the tepee to come down.

He said four people were arrested for misdemeanor trespass and two more were cited and released for obstruction.

Indigenous and environmental activists who oppose the pipeline argue the project violates Native American treaty rights and will aggravate climate change and risk spills that would contaminate areas where Indigenous people hunt, fish and gather wild rice.

Line 3 starts in Alberta and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing northern Minnesota en route to Enbridges terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The 337-mile (542.35-kilometer) segment in Minnesota is the last phase in replacing the deteriorating pipeline that was built in the 1960s. Construction began in December.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Insurance companies can offer North Carolina small businesses a different kind of health coverage that limits provider options but also attempts to reduce costs in a measure heading to Gov. Roy Coopers desk.

The legislature gave final approval this week to the idea of exclusive provider benefit plans.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP)  A Vermont man has been indicted on federal charges that he stole five Tesla vehicles, including one that burned on the ice of Lake Champlain, prosecutors say.

Michael A. Gonzalez, 32, of Colchester, appeared in court Friday after being indicted Thursday on five counts of possessing and selling stolen motor vehicles, prosecutors say.

The indictment said that between September 2018 and January of this year, Gonzalez obtained four Teslas, made initial payments of $2,500 and then moved to pay the balance with wire transfers from accounts that did not have enough money in them or from fictitious accounts. Gonzalez then allegedly sold the vehicles.

In the fifth case, Gonzalez bought a Tesla in the same manner, but could not get the paperwork to sell the car. He then allegedly drove the vehicle onto the ice of Lake Champlain's Shelburne Bay on Feb. 24, 2019, and it caught fire. He then filed an insurance claim, which was rejected.

The vehicles were worth a total of approximately $607,000. They came from car dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Florida, prosecutors say.

In some cases Gonzalez allegedly made the purchases in the names of friends.

Defense attorney Chandler Matson declined to comment.

If convicted, Gonzalez could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on each count.

Gonzalez was ordered held pending another hearing next week.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP)  A man who forced his way into a Southern California home on Thursday was shot and killed by someone inside, authorities said.

Police in Newport Beach responded around 4 a.m. to reports of a man possibly having a mental health crisis or under the influence of drugs, the Orange County Register reported.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The SUV carrying Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was stopped and surrounded by a radical teachers group Friday, preventing him from leading his usual daily morning news conference.

The incident occurred in the southern state of Chiapas. Lopez Obradors vehicle was allowed to procede after a couple of hours.

The president sat inside the vehicle and refused protesters demands that he hold a meeting with them then and there. In a live stream from inside the SUV shown at the press conference, Lopez Obrador said he could not allow himself to be held hostage by special interests.

I cannot allow myself to be blackmailed by anybody, the president said. He was stopped just a few miles from the site where the news conference was to be held, and other officials already present carried on with the briefing in his absence.

But Lopez Obrador also stressed that the incident was an example of his policy of non-violence and avoiding the use of force. He noted that he was stopped on a road in front of a military barracks, but would not call out the army to disperse the protesters.

This is what (Nelson) Mandela did, this is what (Martin) Luther King did, this is what (Mahatma) Gandhi did, non-violence, Lopez Obrador said.

But the brief holding of the president was also an instance of how some of his own policies have backfired on him.

Lopez Obrador has been kinder to radical teachers than any of his predecessors, endorsing their demands for less-stringent teacher evaluations and better conditions. Past administrations had cracked down on the radical teachers' union known as the CNTE, which has been known for blockading roads, railways and entire cities.

By Friday, even Lopez Obrador admitted that the union leadership in some states had gone bad.

In Chiapas state, and also in Michoacan, the leaderships have become special interests, he said. I cannot surrender to any special interest group.

Lopez Obrador has also refused to use the presidential jet, preferring to travel with a small unarmed security detail and using commercial flights and ground transport wherever he can.

His instructions to police, soldiers and the National Guard to avoid confrontations whenever possible has also given freer reign to drug cartels, vigilantes and other groups in some areas.

It was one of the few times that Lopez Obrador has been absent from the unprecedented daily morning news conferences he has held almost every weekday since he took office Dec. 1, 2018.

When the president caught COVID-19 in late January, he handed over the news conferences to then-Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero for a couple of weeks before returning.
REDMOND, Wash. (AP)  Microsoft says it has fixed a flaw in its cloud computing platform that cybersecurity researchers warned could have enabled hackers to take over a cloud-based database product used by many big companies.

The company said Friday there's no evidence the potential opening was exploited by malicious actors or that any customer data was exposed.

The cybersecurity firm Wiz, led by former Microsoft employees, said it discovered what it called an unprecedented critical vulnerability" in Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and notified the tech giant earlier in August. Microsoft paid the firm a bounty for the discovery and said it immediately fixed the problem.

If exploited, the flaw could have affected thousands of organizations, including numerous Fortune 500 companies," according to a blog post from Wiz, which is based in Israel and California. Microsoft said Friday it affected only a subset of customers using the product.

Microsoft has already been in the hot seat over the hack of its Exchange email servers disclosed in March and blamed on Chinese spies. Its code was also abused to rifle through the emails of U.S. officials in an earlier hack pinned on Russian intelligence agents and more commonly associated with the software company SolarWinds.

The cloud platform vulnerability disclosed this week, while apparently causing no harm, raised concerns about the security of cloud services provided by the tech industry, which businesses and governments increasingly rely on.

After a White House cybersecurity summit Thursday, Microsoft pledged 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.

Federal lawmakers earlier in the year insisted that Microsoft swiftly upgrade security to what they say it should have provided in the first place, and without fleecing taxpayers.
MILWAUKEE (AP)  A suburban Milwaukee school district is meeting to possibly reconsider opting out of a federally funded free meal program, a move that met with widespread criticism from parents after school board members said they were concerned participating students would become spoiled.

The Waukesha school board planned a special meeting Monday to discuss its participation in the program. The meeting comes after parents and other advocates put pressure on the board to reconsider. The Alliance for Education in Waukesha held a rally outside the district office on Friday to call for reinstating the program.

Administrators opted into the supplemental program last year during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the school board has decided to end it, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

As we get back to whatever you want to believe normal means, we have decisions to make, Joseph Como, president of the school board, said in a meeting. I would say this is part of normalization.

Board member Karin Rajnicek said the free program made it easy for families to become spoiled. Darren Clark, assistant superintendent for business services, said he feared there would be a slow addiction to the service.

Waukesha students from low-income families will still be able to apply for free or reduced-price meals under the traditional National School Lunch Program.

In addition, as was practice before the pandemic, young students in grades lower than high school who come to school without a packed lunch, money or an accepted lunch program application, may be given cheaper meals of cheese sandwiches, finance director Sheri Stack said.

Essentially were going back to the pre-COVID times, Como said.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures decision to extend the Seamless Summer Option during the pandemic to offer free meals year-round has allowed for more COVID-safe practices by eliminating the need to collect payments and allowing meals to be served more easily in classrooms or outside.

The decision also allowed students to be fed regardless of their ability to pay, qualify, convince their parents to fill out forms, or withstand stigma associated with qualifying. Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force, said the program is vital for ensuring access to food.

All districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program were eligible to extend the Seamless Summer Option. Of the 97% of Wisconsin school districts that were eligible, Waukesha is the only one to opt out of the extension this school year, according to the state Department of Public Instruction.

Waukesha School Board Treasurer Patrick McCaffery said in a meeting he had not been aware that all school meals were being provided for free. He said he was confident that students who couldnt afford meals would be able to qualify under the traditional program.

Our administrative team has never let a large amount of kids fall between the cracks and its not going to happen next year, McCaffery said. I think anyone thats concerned about it, their concerns are not needed.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP)  First-day attendance at the Minnesota State Fair was down by roughly half as the fair returned after missing last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With simmering concern over the delta variant, and fair officials declining to require masks or proof of vaccinations, Thursday's attendance was 61,983. That's less than half of the 2019 record of about 133,000. Almost 123,000 people attended the first day of the fair in 2018.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri judge on Friday declined to weigh in on the constitutionality of a new state law forbidding local police from enforcing federal gun laws.

Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green on Friday punted the case, writing that constitutional questions need to be addressed in other pending lawsuits against St. Louis city and St. Louis County filed under the new law.

Those municipalities sued to block the law in June. In a joint statement Friday, the city and county said they plan to appeal Green's ruling.

Today's ruling is disappointing," the statement said. "We will appeal this decision to stop this dangerous and unconstitutional law.

The law denounces federal rules on firearms and subjects law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal gun laws to a fine of about $50,000 per violating officer.

The law technically took effect when Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed it in June. But because of a drafting issue, the enforcement provisions don't kick in until Saturday, bill sponsor Rep. Jered Taylor said.

I know that this probably isnt going to be the end of the lawsuits that are brought against the legislation, Taylor said. But I'm hopeful, just like what happened here, that were going to prevail and were going to protect law-abiding citizens' gun rights in Missouri.

The St. Louis-area lawsuit sought an injunction to halt enforcement of the law and to overturn it on the grounds that it violates the Constitutions Supremacy Clause, which established that federal laws in most cases supersede state laws.

The Justice Department also sent a letter to Missouri officials warning them that the state can't ignore federal law. Officials from the federal agency in a court filing this month said at least 12 Missouri officers have dropped out of federal partnerships because of the law.

Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt in a statement said Green's ruling is a victory for the Second Amendment rights of all Missourians.

Since the Second Amendment Preservation Act was passed, I promised to fiercely defend the law and Missourians Second Amendment rights," said Schmitt, who is running for U.S. Senate. "Thats exactly what we did in this case and will continue to do moving forward.
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP)  Moldovas pro-Western president was joined Friday in the capital Chisinau by her counterparts from Romania, Poland, and Ukraine to celebrate the countrys three decades of independence from Soviet rule.

Moldova, Europes poorest country, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991.

The anniversary event was held in the Grand National Assembly Square where President Maia Sandu was joined by Romanias Klaus Iohannis, Polands Andrzej Duda, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sandu said on Friday that independence has taught Moldova how heavy the burden of freedom can be.

For years the country of 3.5 million has been plagued by poverty, high-level corruption and widespread disillusionment, prompting a mass exodus of Moldovan citizens as hundreds of thousands moved aboard seeking better futures.

The anniversary comes after a snap parliamentary election on July 11 that saw Moldovas pro-reform Party of Action and Solidarity, known as PAS, which Sandu founded, win a resounding 53% of the vote. They beat a Russia-friendly electoral bloc of Communists and Socialists, led by two former presidents, which took 27% of the vote.

This gave PAS, which campaigned on a ticket to build closer ties with the European Union and to fight endemic corruption, a clear majority in the countrys 101-seat legislature.

We have learned that we must bring order to our country, Sandu, who is Harvard-educated, said Friday. Today we know that our destiny, our wellbeing, and our future are in our hands  our agreement today is that we will build a prosperous and free Moldova.

In 2014, Moldova signed a deal with the EU to forge closer political and economic ties, but corruption and lack of reforms have hampered development.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, an economist whose government was approved by parliament on August 6, said Moldovans must work together to have a country with justice, ... (and) respect for honest work.

May the next 30 years be better, Gavrilita said in a video posted Friday. Let lessons be learned, and mistakes not be repeated.

At a press conference in Chisinau, Romanias Iohannis said he supports Moldovas process of reform and European integration.

In June, the European Commission announced Moldova would receive an unprecedented 600 million-euro ($705 million) economic recovery package from the EU, but said it is conditional on judicial and anti-corruption reforms.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The Medical University of South Carolina wants lawmakers to give the hospital system $400 million of federal COVID-19 relief money to expand mental health therapy and heart and respiratory treatment across the state,

MUSC officials told a Senate panel Thursday reviewing how the state should spend the $2.5 billion of federal help that they would partner with other hospital systems so the new programs could help everyone in South Carolina, The Post and Courier reported.

Putting $200 million toward a world-class cardiovascular and pulmonary in South Carolina for South Carolina residents" could be even more important in the near future because many long-term problems in COVID-19 patients appear in the heart or lungs, said Dr. Marc Katz, chief of MUSCs cardiothoracic surgery division.

Even before COVID, we in this state had more than 13,000 deaths every year from cardio respiratory effects, and there are tens of thousands of our citizens that have long-term effects from cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, Katz said. So its something that we really need to address.

The $200 million for mental health treatment is needed because South Carolina consistently ranks toward the bottom in access to that kind of help and behavioral health inpatient admissions have increased by 6% over the past three years, MUSC President David Cole said.

There, in my opinion, is a whole wave, especially in our younger generation, of depression and anxiety that we are just starting to see the tip of the iceberg, Cole said. If we dont start to get a handle on things now, I would predict that its only going to get worse.

Lawmakers are considering dozens of plans on how to spend the $2.5 billion of around $9 billion in federal COVID-19 aid they have direct control over. The General Assembly plans a late September special session.

Both the House and Senate have special committees discussing the money.

Also, Gov Henry McMaster had his own committee of government, business and community leaders called Accelerate SC finalize their own plan this week that included money for beaches, for jumpstarting expanding Interstate 26 from Charleston to Columbia and for getting broadband to every home and business in the state.

Senators said they appreciated MUSC looking for ways to solve serious problems, but they questioned how much other hospital systems in the state would be involved and if all that money needed to go to MUSC.

"The landscape has changed in health care in this state in the last year and a half, said state Sen. Nikki Setzler, a Democrat from West Columbia.. So when we give you a large sum of money and youre making the decisions but youre still competing with some of these other entities, that changes the ballgame. So I want to know who the alliances are going to be.
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP)  The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 55 new COVID-19 cases and one more death.

The latest numbers pushed the tribes totals to 32,430 coronavirus cases and 1,400 known deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
BOSTON (AP)  The former owner of a high-end footwear and clothing store in Boston accused of discriminating against a Black man, a woman of Middle Eastern descent and other customers has been permanently barred from operating a retail business in the state and ordered to pay $220,000 under an agreement with the attorney general's office announced Friday.

The consent judgment settles a lawsuit filed in 2018 against Hicham Ali Sam" Hassan, who owned The Tannery in Boston's Back Bay, that alleged he violated state law by engaging in discriminatory behavior that included making derogatory comments and denying service to customers based on their actual or perceived race, national origin, or immigration status.

The store has since closed.

We have strong laws in Massachusetts to put an end to the kind of unlawful, unacceptable, and racist behavior that this business owner blatantly displayed in his store, Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. This settlement provides relief to the customers that were harmed and makes clear that everyone should be welcome and respected in businesses across our state.

The $220,000 will be used to pay restitution to victims and to fund anti-discrimination and racial justice programs.

Hassan denies ever discriminating against any customer, his attorney, Dan Conley, said in an emailed statement.

Mr. Hassan is an immigrant to our country from the Middle East and has been the victim of discrimination himself many times over the years," the statement said.

He is now in his 70s and managing serious health issues.

He settled this lawsuit to avoid unnecessary litigation costs, to put an end to the case and to fully focus on his health and recovery," Conley said.

According to the attorney general, Hassan in 2017 told a Black customer he didnt want his kind at the store, implied he didnt have enough money to shop there, and told him to leave.

On another occasion, when a woman of Middle Eastern descent entered the store with her husband and 8-year-old child, Hassan mocked her accent, and told her to go back to your country and clean and cook mgadara," a traditional Middle Eastern dish.

The attorney general's office also chronicled other instances of Hassan's alleged discriminatory behavior.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A man was shot to death on a Waterloo street in an apparent robbery this week, and two other men have been arrested in the case, police there said.

The shooting happened late Tuesday afternoon in front of a convenience store, the Courier reported. Officers called to the scene found Dayton Sanders, 20, of Waterloo, dead in a grassy highway median.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  For nearly 30 minutes, armed protesters from opposing groups  the far-right Proud Boys and far-left antifascists  clashed last weekend in the streets, business parking lots and school grounds of a diverse neighborhood in northeast Portland, Oregon.

Cars attempted to drive by Sunday as fireworks exploded in the road and there were confrontations between people in helmets and gas masks and armed with baseball bats, paintball guns and chemical spray.

Noticeably missing was the Portland Police Bureau.

Before the skirmish, the latest in a saga of political conflict that has plagued the city for years, officials said people shouldn't expect to see officers trying to intervene or keep the sides apart.

But the lack of intervention by law enforcement has left residents feeling terrorized and abandoned" and local and state leaders frustrated, in addition to further hurting the image of the Police Bureau that has struggled to find its footing in the city.

As soon as the fighting began and spilled out into the neighborhood, the police should have come in and stopped it, said state Sen. Michael Dembrow, a Democrat who represents a large swath of the Parkrose community where the confrontation took place. Ive heard from a number of Parkrose residents who felt exposed and betrayed by the lack of police presence. They have every reason to feel that way.

Portland is no stranger to differing political groups fighting in the streets. Nearly a year ago, a caravan of Donald Trump supporters drove through the city and were met with counterprotesters. Altercations broke out between the groups and a right-wing protester was fatally shot.

Ahead of last week's demonstrations, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he took into account legal restrictions when responding to protests, the history of officers' presence increasing tensions and the department's staffing shortage.

Police have 145 less officers than they did a year ago. In June, a team of 50 police officers, who served on a specialized crowd-control unit in Portland, Oregon, and respond to ongoing, often violent protests, resigned en masse after a team member was indicted on criminal charges.

Based on these factors, Lovell said he made the decision not to place officers in an extraordinarily unsafe position between groups of people who are highly motivated to confront one another.

Far-left antifascists gathered at Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront park early Sunday afternoon waving Black Lives Matter flags. About 8 miles (13 kilometers) away at an abandoned parking lot in the diverse Parkrose community, Proud Boys gathered and listened to speeches decrying the antifascist movement and calling for the release of those arrested during the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6.

I will say that the decision by the Proud Boys to rally in Parkrose was reprehensible on a number of levels. They chose to take their hate-filled rally outside of downtown, the usual site of protests and demonstrations, and move it to one of Portlands most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, Dembrow said.

The clash between subsets of the two groups interrupted traffic around 4 p.m. on a busy thoroughfare in the Parkrose neighborhood, and crept into business parking lots  forcing at least one gas station to close early  and onto Parkrose High School property. At least one video, shared online by a Portland Tribune reporter, showed a family with young children running to their car to escape the clash.

After 30 minutes of fighting, the two sides separated on their own.

The Oregonian/Oregon Live reported that Portland police were monitoring the fight from an airplane. In addition, as of Wednesday police had made only one arrest related to the clashes and demonstrations.

But, even as group members  many of whom officials said were from out of town or out of state  left the area, residents were left reeling by the violent events.

Michael Lopes Serrao, superintendent of the Parkrose School District, said he felt heartbroken for the community knowing some of his students and their families watched the violence from their homes. Community members were left picking up trash and remnants of paint, glass and bear mace the following days, he said.

Its confusing at best, and frustrating for many who live here. East Portlanders traditionally have felt more ignored by the city in general, so I believe this only exacerbates that concern, Lopes Serrao said. Why would you ignore one of the areas of the city that has been historically underserved. If Portland is about equity, then we should be elevating this community and protecting its vulnerability."

The idea that the lack of police presence hurt the department's already negative image was reiterated by Michael Dreiling, a professor of sociology for the University of Oregon.

If the police department is trying to manage their image, refusing to show up and enforce the law, when far-right extremists show up and instigate violence, is not a good way to do it, Dreiling said.

However, in the days following the clash, Mayor Ted Wheeler and Lovell said they stood by the police bureau's approach and said it "contained violence between the groups.

With strategic planning and oversight, the Portland Police Bureau and I mitigated confrontation between the two events," Wheeler said. And minimized the impact of the weekend's events to Portlanders.

___

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.
BOSTON (AP)  The first Dreamer to be awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship is finally poised to attend the University of Oxford after years of uncertainty about whether the U.S. would allow him to return home as a DACA recipient.

Federal immigration officials last week approved Jin Parks application to travel to England in the coming weeks, according to his law firm WilmerHale in Boston.

Park, whose family immigrated from South Korea when he was 7 years old, will be joined at Oxford by Santiago Potes, a Miami resident and 2020 graduate of Columbia University in New York who became the second American on DACA status to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship last November, according to the Rhodes Trust.

We are thrilled that two DACA Rhodes Scholars will be heading to Oxford next month to start their courses, finally knowing they can safely and legally return after their studies to the only homes they know, said Elliot Gerson, the American secretary for the British organization, which is helping prepare the visas for the two incoming students.

Potes, who graduated from Columbia with degrees in East Asian studies and Medieval and Renaissance studies, hopes to use his time at Oxford to give back to the United States, which has given me every opportunity to succeed.

Park, who currently attends Harvard Medical School in Boston, declined to comment Friday until he officially receives a copy of the approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Queens, New York, resident was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship in 2018 while attending Harvard as an undergraduate studying molecular and cell biology.

But the then-22-year-old shelved plans to attend Oxford to study migration and political theory as former President Donald Trump attempted to phase out the Obama-era DACA program.

Among the steps the Republican president took was rescinding the option for overseas travel for qualified DACA recipients. That meant if Park left the country, he would risk forfeiting his DACA status and potentially not being able to return to the U.S.

DACA recipients, commonly called Dreamers because of never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act, are protected from deportation because they were brought into the country illegally at a young age.

Trumps yearslong effort to wind down DACA faced a series of legal challenges that effectively kept the program running.

The legal battle was capped by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June that found the Republican administration did not take the proper steps to end DACA and rejected Trump's arguments that the program is illegal.

The Trump administration, in its waning days, fully restored DACA last December, beginning to accept new applications, petitions for two-year renewals and requests for permission to temporarily leave the country, which are known as advance parole.

Since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has called on the Democrat-controlled Congress to pass legislation codifying DACA, which former President Obama had created by executive action in 2012.

The Democrat has also proposed giving DACA recipients and others on temporary legal status a pathway to citizenship a s part of his campaign pledge to overhaul the nations immigration system.

But the program and its supporters were dealt another blow last month when a federal judge in Texas ruled DACA illegal, barring the government from approving any new applications, but leaving the program intact for existing recipients.

Less than 600,000 individuals were on DACA as of the end of June, down from a peak of nearly 800,000, according to USCIS, which declined to comment on Park's case, citing privacy protections. The agency also didn't say how many on DACA have sought or received travel authorization since the program was restored.

To qualify for DACA, immigrants must have entered the country by 2007 and been under age 16 when they arrived.

Park, a vocal advocate for DACA recipients since he was in high school, had applied for the scholarship as part of a broader effort to underscore how DACA recipients didnt qualify for the venerated award and others like it.

The effort led the Rhodes organization to expand eligibility for the scholarship, which was created in 1902 by British businessmen and politician Cecil Rhodes and provides all expenses for at least two years of study at Oxford.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Alex Lasry, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and son of a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, benefitted from nearly $24,000 in property tax breaks in New York and Wisconsin that are supposed to be applied only to a primary residence.

Property records from both states show Lasry received at least $23,000 in tax breaks in New York for a condominium he owned there after he moved to Milwaukee in 2014. And while he was getting that tax break, Lasry also received more than $800 in lottery and gaming tax credits on his Milwaukee condo between 2016 and 2020.

In both states, the law says the tax breaks are for primary residences only. In other words, it can only be claimed on the property where the person lives.

Lasry's campaign spokesman Thad Nation blamed the condo manager in New York for not taking the necessary steps to end the tax break after Lasry moved. Lasry has notified the condo management of the mistake and is in the final stages of selling the property, Nation said.

Lasry wants to pay back New York City and is in the process of working with the city and condo board to do that, Nation said.

Alexs primary residence is in Milwaukee, Nation said. He took all the legal steps he was supposed to in New York to end his primary residence there and was unaware that it had not ended. This is clearly a mistake on the condo managements part of failing to inform the City of New York.

The condo management company at the time, AKAM, has been replaced, and the current one, Maxwell-Kates Inc., has no records from the time that Lasry departed, Nation said.

Messages left this week with Maxwell-Kates Inc. and AKAM were not returned.

Lasry rented out the condo continuously from 2017 until 2020 when he put it up for sale, Nation said. Lasry informed the condo's management company in writing in 2014 that he had moved out, in 2016 when he signed a brokerage agreement to rent out his apartment and in 2017 when a tenant was signed, which required the board's approval.

Alex did exactly what he was supposed to do in New York," Nation said. This was the legal responsibility of the condo management to report this to the City of New York and they clearly made a mistake. There is no legal mechanism for an individual to self-report to the City, it has to go through the condo board or the condo management.

According to the New York City Department of Finance, it is up to co-op and condo boards and management companies to notify the city when there is a change of eligibility for the abatement.

Adam Leitman Bailey, a real estate attorney in New York City for 27 years who wrote the book Finding the Uncommon Deal, said Lasry is correct in that its the condo managements responsibility to make sure the abatement is not applied, especially after Lasry notified them on multiple occasions that he no longer lived there.

He did everything right except hes got to write that letter every year, Leitman Bailey said.

Lasry should have received a letter every year from the condo management company asking him to verify that the unit was still his primary residence, said Margery N. Weinstein, a New York City real estate attorney for more than 35 years who practices in condo law.

Id be very surprised if, during the past 10 years, nobody from management asked him that question, she said.

Even so, given that Lasry did inform the management company he was renting out the unit, management ought to have known the condo was no longer his primary residence, she said.

Nation said Lasry does not recall ever receiving a letter, nor does his familys office have any record of such a letter from the management company. The amount of property tax due each year remained relatively the same, so no one ever looked closely at the bill, Nation said.

Lasrys income tax returns, where he would show Wisconsin as his primary residence, are another way hes telling the government that he moved, Leitman Bailey said.

Lasry purchased the New York condo in 2012 for $3.45 million. He purchased his current Milwaukee condo for just over $1 million in 2016.

Lasry is on leave from his job as an executive with the Bucks while he runs for the Senate. There are about a dozen other Democratic candidates, including Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has not said yet whether he will seek reelection in 2022. The Democratic primary is nearly a year away, on Aug. 9.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Authorities say a suspect was killed and an officer was injured during a shootout in Portland, Oregon, Friday morning.

The Portland Police Bureau says before 6:30 a.m. officers were assisting a federal agency that was serving a warrant in North Portland. KOIN reports by the time police arrived at the scene, the involved suspect was armed inside an apartment and had reportedly been threatening to shoot federal officers.
BEIRUT (AP)  A few days after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a convoy of militants drove through the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria in cars bearing the groups white-and-black flags, honking horns and firing their guns in the air.

The celebrations by an al-Qaida affiliate in a remote corner of war-torn Syria were an expression of the triumph felt by radical Islamic groups from the Gaza Strip to Pakistan and West Africa who see Americas violence-marred exit from Afghanistan an opportunity to reassert their presence.

For such groups, the chaotic U.S. departure following the collapse of security forces it had trained for two decades is a gift, underlining their message that Washington eventually abandons its allies, and that defeating powerful armies is possible with enough patience.

The success of the Taliban opens the way for radical groups to step up their recruitment operations globally. It is much easier for them now, and there is more receptivity, said Hassan Abu Haniyeh, an expert on Islamic militants based in Amman, Jordan.

Despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week amid the U.S. troop pullout. The fundamentalist group swept into Kabul on Aug. 15 after the government collapsed and embattled President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Since then, tens of thousands of people desperate to escape a country governed by the Taliban have been trying to flee or already have been evacuated in a mammoth Western airlift.

The events unfolding in Afghanistan have given jihadi groups and U.S. adversaries reason to celebrate, and Americas allies in the region reason to feel anxious, said Abu Haniyeh. They now feel that America might drop them one day, same as it did the government of Ashraf Ghani.

There are concerns that Afghanistan will once again become a base for militants to plot against the West, much like the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the U.S. invasion.

This is the story that is going to impact and influence jihadi fighters around the globe for the next decade, the same way as the victory over the Soviets in Afghanistan in the '80s inspired the jihadis around the world during the whole 1990s and even afterwards, said Elie Tenenbaum, director of security studies center at the French Institute of International Relations.

In a twist, the Taliban victory also boosted the fortunes of their rivals in Afghanistan  a local branch of the Islamic State network. On Thursday, the affiliate claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that killed scores of people outside Kabuls airport, including 13 U.S. service members.

The Taliban now must contend with an emboldened IS, which is challenging their rule with militants that are far more radical. The group's ranks have been bolstered after the Taliban freed prisoners during an advance through Afghanistan.

An editorial in the Islamic State group's newsletter last week derided the Taliban, accusing them of collaborating with the U.S.

America actually did it. They finally raised a Mullah Bradley, the editorial said, using a name it has coined for the Taliban in an apparent reference to the U.S. fighting vehicle. The group also promised a new phase in its blessed jihad against the West.

Analysts say the Taliban's success and the U.S. withdrawal galvanizes and gives a motivational boost to Americas adversaries and jihadi groups around the world.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanons Shiite militant group Hezbollah, said in a speech Friday that what is unfolding in Afghanistan is a portrayal of Americas full defeat and the U.S. demise and failure in the region.

In northern Syria, a statement by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaida affiliate there, said the Taliban victory proved no occupation can last forever. The leader of the radical Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, congratulated the Taliban's leader on the demise of the U.S. occupation.

In Pakistan, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Mohammad Azhur, used the groups publication to cheer the Taliban victory, saying it will inspire mujahedeen, or holy warriors, the world over to continue their struggle for Islam. The groups fighters took credit for the 2019 attack in the disputed Kashmir region that killed 40 Indian soldiers and brought the nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war.

Amir Rana, executive director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, said the events in Afghanistan could inspire hard-line Sunni groups who are waging sectarian battles against Shiites. The anti-Shiite groups Lashkar-e-Janghvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan have championed the Taliban victory, raising fears they could restart their deadly activities.

Heni Nsaibia, a senior Sahel researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, said the Taliban takeover would be a motivational boost for extremists in West Africa, showing that patience and perseverance can pay off.

The biggest danger, according to the analysts, is in unstable countries with a weak central government and a history of insurgency, such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

There are echoes of 2014, when the Islamic State group sprang from the chaos of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, seized a giant stretch of territory straddling both countries, and declared a caliphate after U.S.-trained Iraqi forces collapsed. Terrorist attacks in Europe and beyond followed before IS was defeated in 2017, but attempts to regroup have been seen in the past two years, with new attacks in Iraq and Syria.

A report to the U.N. Security Council last week said the threat to international security from the Islamic State group is rising, pointing to an alarming expansion of its affiliates in Africa and its focus on a comeback in Syria and Iraq.

The report said IS and other terrorist groups have taken advantage of the disruption, grievances and development setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abu Haniyeh, the analyst in Amman, said the perceived defeat of U.S. forces in Afghanistan by a radical group is reverberating among frustrated individuals around the world and will have widespread ramifications in the coming years.

It gives hope for extremist groups the world over, he said.

___

Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris and Sam Mednick in Toronto contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results released Friday of a review ordered by President Joe Biden.

According to an unclassified summary, four members of the U.S. intelligence community say with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from an animal to a human. A fifth intelligence agency believes with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab. Analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and most agencies believe the virus was not genetically engineered.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement Friday that China continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the United States. Reaching a conclusion about what caused the virus likely requires China's cooperation, the office said.

The cause of the coronavirus remains an urgent public health and security concern worldwide. In the U.S., many conservatives have accused Chinese scientists of developing COVID-19 in a lab and allowing it to leak. State Department officials under former President Donald Trump published a fact sheet noting research into coronaviruses conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the Chinese city where the first major known outbreak occurred.

The scientific consensus remains that the virus most likely migrated from animals in whats known as a zoonotic transmission. So-called spillover events occur in nature, and there are at least two coronaviruses that evolved in bats and caused human epidemics, SARS1 and MERS.

In a statement, Biden said China had obstructed efforts to investigate the virus from the beginning.

The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them, he said. Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world.

China's embassy in Washington hit back with a lengthy statement saying the U.S. had fabricated the report and invoking mistaken American intelligence about weapons of mass destruction prior to the Iraq War.

The report by the intelligence community is based on presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China, the embassy said. Such a practice will only disturb and sabotage international cooperation on origin-tracing and on fighting the pandemic, and has been widely opposed by the international community.

Biden in May ordered a 90-day review of what the White House said was an initial finding leading to two likely scenarios: an animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak. The White House said then that two agencies in the 18-member intelligence community leaned toward the hypothesis of a transmission in nature and another agency leaned toward a lab leak.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday did not identify which agencies supported either hypothesis. But it noted some of the same hurdles facing the World Health Organization and scientists worldwide: a lack of clinical samples and data from the earliest cases of COVID-19.

In conducting the review, intelligence agencies consulted with allied nations and experts outside of government. An epidemiologist was brought into the National Intelligence Council, a group of senior experts that consults the head of the intelligence community.
BREMEN, Germany (AP)  The two men risked their lives together nearly a decade ago trying to eliminate the Taliban, dodging bullets and forever bonding in a way that can only be forged in war.

Now the American soldier and his Afghan translator were together again in Germany shopping for a suit. Abdulhaq Sodais's future hinges on an asylum hearing in a German court after he was denied a U.S. visa, and U.S. Army Veteran Spencer Sullivan was there to help him prepare.

Together, they watched videos from Sodais' hometown: The crackle of gunfire, dead bodies being carted off as black smoke billowed. Once U.S. troops withdrew, the fragile government built over years by people like Sodais and Sullivan collapsed in just days.

I couldnt stop crying, Sodais said. My father said the Taliban were knocking on every single door in Herat looking for guys who worked for the coalition forces.

Sullivan already lost another translator, Sayed Masoud, who was killed by the Taliban while waiting for a U.S. visa. It's a scar Sullivan carries deeply, the realization that the U.S. government is capable of the one thing he never believed: betrayal.

Sullivan was determined not to let Sodais, who used smugglers to get to Europe, suffer the same fate.

So he flew from Virginia to Germany to help Sodais pick out something to wear for his Sept. 6 asylum hearing.

In a world of hurt and uncertainty, buying a suit was the one thing Sullivan could control. It offered a small hope of making a difference.

A professional appearance just might convince a judge to help keep Sodais safe and uphold the sacred vow that America was unable to keep.

I made a promise to him just as America made a promise to him to protect him and save his life, Sullivan said. I mean how can you turn your back on that promise? I dont think the answer is more complicated than that. I think its actually very simple.

_____

Sullivan is among scores of U.S. combat veterans working on their own to rescue the Afghans who served alongside them.

Their efforts started long before this months chaotic rush to evacuate Afghans after the Talibans swift takeover of Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdraw from Americas forever war.

Thousands of Afghans who aided US troops have spent years stuck in a backlogged and beleaguered U.S. Special Immigrant Visa program, while frantic messages of the Taliban hunting them down have been pinging the phones of the American soldiers they helped on the battlefield.

The program was meant to award Afghans for their support by giving them and their families a pathway to the United States. But it has fallen far short, with Congress failing to approve enough visas each year, while the former Trump administration added new security requirements and bureaucratic hurdles that turned the average wait time from a few months into nearly three years.

Others have been denied over what immigration attorneys say were minor or unjust discrepancies in their performance records. Many now fear that the time they were marked as late to work, unfairly or accidentally even, may cost them their escape, and possibly their life.

____

Sodais and Masoud stood out among the dozen interpreters who worked with the platoon Sullivan led in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013.

Both interpreters went with his platoon on dozens of missions into villages controlled by the Taliban, taking on fire while unarmed.

In 2013, Masoud applied for a special immigrant visa after receiving death threats for his work. His application included a letter of recommendation from Sullivan who described him as punctual and professional, an exemplary linguist and trustworthy friend.

Granting him a special immigration visa is the least that can be done in order to express Americas gratitude for his services, Sullivan wrote.

Two years later, Masouds application was denied. The U.S. embassy said he had not worked for the U.S. government or its military. In fact, Masoud was hired by a U.S. firm that had a contract with the Department of Defense to provide linguistic services to troops in Afghanistan.

Masoud appealed and Sullivan wrote another letter to the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Kabul, providing more details of his work, but he got no response.

Sullivan reached out to other veterans to see what he could do. He learned he could pay $20,000 to get Masoud smuggled out, but he didnt want to support a criminal network. Instead, he hoped the U.S. government would come through on its end.

Meanwhile, Masouds texts to Sullivan became more sporadic as the threats escalated, forcing him to move from house to house.

He was becoming increasingly frantic and afraid," Sullivan said.

Sullivan got the last one in the summer of 2017.

Hello sir. I am so sorry to reply you late. I got a problem, Masoud wrote, apologizing for not keeping in better touch with his friend.

Hey Sayed its OK! Sullivan texted back. Are you safe?

Sullivan never got a reply.

Weeks later, Masouds brother answered an email Sullivan sent to Masouds account: Masoud had been shot by the Taliban after returning home for a relatives funeral and was dead.

Sullivan was consumed by sadness and guilt. He felt partly responsible since he had posted Facebook pictures of them and wondered if he had put his friend at risk. He wondered, too, if he could have done more to protect him.

I felt helpless, he said. I didnt know what else I could have done. Maybe I should have spent the $20,000 to pay seedy smugglers.

A year and 1/2 after his death, Sullivan got an email from the U.S. embassy in Kabul informing him that the Afghanistan Special Immigrant Visa Unit had received his recommendation letter for Masoud.

The official wanted to know if the letter was legitimate and if Sullivan would still recommend the applicant so they could begin the process. It included a photo of Masoud with his thick red hair and thin moustache.

Sullivan wrote back to the embassy to inform them that Masoud had been killed while waiting more than four years for his application to be processed.

_____

After Masouds death, Sullivan texted Sodais to tell him what had happened to his fellow translator. But he got no reply.

Like Masoud, Sodais also had applied for a special immigrant visa in 2013 and was denied. He applied again in 2015 and 2016. Sullivan sent the U.S. embassy in Kabul letters to support his case.

His last rejection came in 2017. After Sodais uncle was beheaded, and his neighbor, who worked as a fuel truck driver for coalition forces, was gunned down by the Taliban while standing in his front doorway, Sodais, who taught himself English using library books because he admired America and believed in its mission, decided he had to find another way out.

His plan would be to go to Europe by land. His brother, who knew someone in a travel agency, helped him get a tourist visa to Iran, and his family knew an Afghan man living there who would end up connecting Sodais to the first of a long line of smugglers.

Sodais left with a backpack full of clothes, and $100 worth of Iranian rials.

Along the way, he met other Afghans who worked for coalition forces also now turning to smugglers to find safe refuge.

Sodais was crammed into cars with refugees stacked on top of each on the floors. They hiked through the mountains in a snowstorm at night and dodged gunfire from Turkish border guards. He was beaten and abandoned by smugglers and jailed and beaten by police.

Meanwhile, his family back in Afghanistan was forced to move because of the Talibans growing presence in the area, and urged him to get to safety. He decided to head to Germany since Turkey and Greece were deporting Afghans at the time. His family sold their small general store in Afghanistan to fund his journey.

In the end, it took him seven months and would cost his family $15,000 to get to Germany. Once there, he applied for asylum but was lacking sufficient photos or documentation to support his claims and was immediately denied.

He called Sullivan, who he had not spoken to in more than a year.

I was like oh my God, hes alive! Sullivan recounted, feeling overjoyed.

Four months later, Sullivan went to see him in Germany and offered to help his case.

Sullivan wrote a transcript for the German court. He sent him photos of his time with his platoon and wrote to the U.S. government to get his record, which showed his contract was terminated in 2013 due to job abandonment.

Sodais says he overextended his 30-day leave after going home to deal with a back injury from the blast of an improvised explosive device during a mission.

He was rehired in 2014 by the U.S. military but his contract was administered by a civilian contractor who terminated it in 2016 due to poor job performance.

Sullivan contacted the civilian defense contractor who fired Sodais in 2016 to ask what happened since he had found his work exemplary, but she refused to help him or provide an explanation. The paperwork she signed stated only that he was being released due to incompatible skill set with the units mission.

She also would not answer questions about whether she remembered Sodais or had a security concern when contacted by The Associated Press.

Sodais said she falsely accused him of checking his personal Facebook page on the job.

Sodais fell into a deep depression after two years of waiting for a decision by the German courts. The fear of being deported was overwhelming, and he suffered headaches, back aches and other ailments from injuries from the IED blast.

In March of 2020, he tried to end his life, overdosing on pain medication. He spent nearly two months in a psychiatric ward after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

When he got out, he messaged Sullivan.

Im alive right now because of Spencer, because of him, Sodais said later.

Sullivan said hes just keeping the promise he made on the battlefield. He is helping Sodais write a book to shed light on the experience of Afghan refugees.

For now, Sodais is safe. On Aug. 11, Germany temporarily halted the deportation of all Afghans due to the upheaval but did not specify how long the order would last.

Germany is filling our moral void," Sullivan said of the U.S. government's failure to help.

But Sodais worries his luck will run out once deportations resume.

Really sometimes, its really hard for me to fight against this life, he said on a Zoom call with Sullivan as he rattled off his fears over whats happening in Afghanistan, his guilt over not being able to save his family there, and his anxiety over whether he will ever have a future.

And how will he ever get to the United States, where he wants to live? he asks.

Sullivan interrupts, stopping his downward spiral, and reminds him to stay focused on the Sept. 6 asylum hearing.

Step one is we keep you alive, he said. We get you asylum in Germany and everything else will follow.

Sullivan had to stay focused, too. Sodais was the one U.S. ally he felt he could possibly save. Days later, he would get an email from Masoud's brother, who worked for a U.S. military base, pleading for help. He included photos of his mother and uncle who were recently killed.

Sullivan knew there was little he could do since they had never worked together.

At the suit store in Bremen, on Sullivan's second visit, Sodais exited the dressing room in a black suit.

Nice! Do a spin, Sullivan joked, twirling his finger and patting his friend on back as they look in mirror. Youre looking sharp.

Sodais chuckled.

It is a moment of lightness after talking about what theyve been through and whats to come.

Before Sullivan leaves, Sodais breaks down, and Sullivan embraces him as he sobs.

Its OK, Sullivan says. Youre going to make it.

_____

Watson reported from San Diego.

_____

This story corrects that he flew from Virginia not California to Germany.
WATERBURY, Vt. (AP)  The Vermont Department of Corrections has reinstated it mandatory mask directive for staff and inmates at all facilities.

On Friday, the department reported that three inmates at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport had tested positive for COVID-19, meaning there are now four cases among inmates and six in prison staff.

The four infected inmates have been in isolation since Wednesday, and the rest of the unit is in quarantine, the department said. The entire facility, which is in full lockdown, was being tested Friday, the department said.

There are also two infected inmates and one infected employee at Northwest State Correctional Facilility in St. Albans, the department said.

A staff member at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland also tested positive this week.

The department said it stopped outside visitation at facilities with positive cases.

The department provides updates on the status in the state's correctional facilities on a COVID-19 information page its website.

___

In other pandemic related news:

HEALTH DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES

Gov. Phil Scott and Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine have been transparent about the states response to the coronavirus, the data and analysis that goes into those decisions and when adjustments are needed, Jason Malucci, the governors press secretary said, in response to the urging from more than 90 Vermont Health Department employees that the state do more to fight the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant.

The Health Department employees signed an emailed letter sent to Levine, Deputy Health Commissioner Kelly Dougherty, state Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso and others Thursday saying the current guidance is not doing all that it should to protect Vermonters and save lives.

Vermonts current public guidance encourages unvaccinated individuals to wear a mask in public spaces and does not mention the risk of COVID-19 to unmasked individuals, the letter said.

Maulucci said in a written statement that the governor values the input of the states public health professionals and other Health Department employees and his decision-making process does  and will always  include the input and perspectives of the employees in the letter.

Levine thanked the employees for sharing their thoughts.

As a department, we have to recognize that in a pandemic, public health recommendations are a significant factor, but not the sole factor in the states policy decisions. Our recommendations are weighed alongside many other aspects that have statewide implications, including areas such as mental health, substance misuse, economic security, overall public confidence, and commitment to mitigation measures and more, Levine said in message to department staff.

He said the decisions often arent easy and there will be areas of disagreement.

___

THE NUMBERS

Vermont reported 144 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to more than 27,640 cases.

A total of 30 people were hospitalized with the virus with four in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 94.86 new cases a day on Aug. 11 to 120.14 new cases a day on Wednesday.

The Associated Press is using data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering to measure outbreak caseloads and deaths across the United States.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature are seeking approval to spend up to $680,000 in taxpayer money on an investigation into the 2020 presidential election in the battleground state won by President Joe Biden.

The Assembly Organization Committee, controlled by Republicans, circulated a ballot on Friday to approve designating former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as special counsel to lead the investigation, assist the Assembly Elections Committee and hire investigators and others as needed.

The expenses were not specified, but Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who ordered the probe, said in an interview that the contract with Gableman will be for up to $680,000 for the entire investigation. The committee will vote on the spending by Monday without holding a public hearing.

The investigation is in addition to one underway by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau. That review was also ordered by Republicans.

Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump by just under 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. The result withstood numerous court challenges and a recount in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Dane counties. However, Republicans have called for investigations and pursued numerous law changes since then designed to toughen election laws.

Vos originally hired Gableman to do the election probe for $44,000 and hired three investigators at an additional cost of $28,800. But Gableman's new budget will be more than nine times bigger. Details on what the money will be spent on will be released Monday after the funding is approved, Vos said.

He said Gableman will use the money for a variety of purposes, including hiring investigators. Gableman has already traveled to Arizona to speak with Republicans working on an audit there and attended an event in South Dakota hosted by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell.

Gableman told the AP at the time that the trips were part of his fact-finding for the investigation. The Arizona audit has been widely discredited and purveyors of election conspiracy theories attended the Lindell event.

Vos' discloser of the much bigger budget comes after he met with Trump last week and promised a full investigation. Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, is spearheading yet another investigation and issued subpoenas to election clerks in Brown and Milwaukee counties, but the Legislature's nonpartisan attorneys have said they're not valid unless Vos signs them.

Vos has said he will sign subpoenas sought by Gableman, but not Brandtjen, if they are needed. Reince Priebus, the former state and national Republican Party director, said earlier this week that he anticipated subpoenas to be issued within a couple of weeks.

Democrats have excoriated the various investigations as a continuation of the big lie that Trump won, when there is no evidence of fraud on the level that would overturn Biden's win in Wisconsin. To date, prosecutors have brought charges against just two people for election fraud out of nearly 3.3 million people who voted in the state.

Vos and other Republicans have said their intent is not to change the outcome of the election, but to look for existing election laws that need improvement or new proposals. Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, earlier this month vetoed a series of Republican bills that would have made it more difficult to vote absentee.
The Plainview Lions Club met for its weekly confab at the Plainview Country Club at noon on August 25.

Lion Boss Dr. Landon Hughey, Queen Kenzi Knippa, and Princess Bella Becerra presided over the gathering. Lion Larry McNutt led the group in a few songs; Lion Norma Torres led the pledges to the American and Texas flags, and Lion Rev. Rob Lindley offered an invocation. The group also offered a separate prayer for all of the American troops overseas who are working to get Americans, allies and refugees out of Afghanistan, particularly remembering Lion Linda Morriss son, Zach Morris, who is stationed in Qatar.
Pioneer Natural Resources and its employees provided than $5.8 million in donations, grants and sponsorships to hundreds of area charities so far this year, part of the companys larger plan to transform the way nonprofits serve their communities, according to a press release.

Donations from Pioneer  the largest oil and natural gas producer in the Permian Basin  have provided "a desperately needed lifeline for dozens of charities struggling to stay afloat during a once-in-a-generation pandemic, which has seen a steep drop-off in financial support from usual donors," the press release stated.
NASA/Getty Images

It's a pivotal time for meteorologists and weather experts as we now enter the most active portion of the hurricane season.

More for you News Keep your home lit up during a power outage with...

On Tuesday night, 'Invest 99L' began circulating on social media among forecasters focusing on tropical activity in the Caribbean Sea.



But what exactly does 'Invest 99L' mean?



According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 'invest' is short for 'investigation area' also known as the area of storminess scientists are monitoring for potential tropical development. Invests are then assigned a number between 90 and 99. The 'L' is assigned because it is developing in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. If it was developing in the eastern Pacific, it would be an 'E.' Once it reaches the end of the list or 99, its starts back again to 90.



This formula is used by the National Hurricane Center to identify features they are monitoring for potential future development into a tropical depression or a tropical storm, a report by The Weather Channel states. By doing this, it allows for collection of specialized data and computer models to begin doing their job.



You know those infamous spaghetti models you see meteorologists talk about? Those come into play once an invest is underway.



On Thursday, the National Hurricane Center announced that Invest 99 has turned into tropical depression Nine. According to the National Weather Service, "a tropical depression is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained surface winds of 38 mph or less."
Mere moments after enduring a cesarean section and delivering her third child, Kalani, on Dec. 15, Tambra Morrison knew that something was wrong when she started to get an excruciating headache.

I instantly felt like my head was about to pop off, said Morrison, 32, who lives outside of Dallas. This was my third cesarean [delivery]. I had never had this feeling.

Morrison remained in the hospital for a week, where she said doctors were slow to address her pain. She was eventually released but was later readmitted due to complications. After being treated, she was sent home again  despite having high blood pressure. But within a day, Morrison was taken to the emergency room, where a different doctor determined she suffered from aggressive postpartum preeclampsia, a leading cause of pregnancy-related death.

By the time I got [there] I didn't think I was going to be going home to my kids, Morrison said. ... He was like, A lot of women dont know the signs, so a lot of women [die].

In some ways, Morrison was lucky. The number of reported maternal deaths has increased nationwide in recent decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Texas, which had a maternal mortality rate slightly higher than the national average in 2018, some of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death include cardiovascular-related issues, mental disorders, hemorrhaging and preeclampsia, characterized by extremely high blood pressure.

But many low-income women in Texas, the state with the highest uninsured rate in the nation, dont have access to the kind of comprehensive postpartum care experts say is essential to mitigate these deaths and complications that disproportionately affect women of color.

A new state law, set to go into effect Sept. 1, hopes to address that by extending the government-subsidized Medicaid coverage many new mothers in Texas rely on. Coverage will jump from 60 days after a baby is born to six months. Experts, though, worry that still isnt long enough for women to be adequately covered for the myriad health issues that can arise months after giving birth.

Its been more than six months since Morrison gave birth, but she has yet to shake the trauma from its aftereffects as she balances work with taking care of Kalani and her two other kids, Kynnedi, 12, and Kayden, 7. Morrison is still covered by Medicaid thanks to a federal public health emergency order in place because of the pandemic that requires states to keep Medicaid recipients enrolled. She worries, though, what happens once that protection is expected to end after 2021.

I wish [the state] knew we needed time, she said.

State Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, was the lead author of House Bill 133, which extends postpartum Medicaid coverage. She successfully got a majority of her colleagues in the Texas House to approve a version of the bill that would extend Medicaid for qualifying mothers to one year after they give birth. Rose said she lobbied Republican lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott, pitching the legislation as a pro-life bill. But the Senate lowered the extension to six months.

She said getting new Texas mothers six months of coverage instead of just two was still a win.

So, as it is with all other legislation, sometimes you have to start somewhere and then hopefully well build on it, she said.

Filling in the gaps



According to a 2020 state report that looked at pregnancy-related deaths in Texas for 2013, about a third of deaths occured 43 days or more after pregnancy. Black women died at almost two times the rate of white women in 2012, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. From 2011 to 2018, Black mothers and Hispanic mothers in Texas also experienced higher rates of severe maternal morbidity  pregnancy complications that harm a womans health  compared to white women.

Texas has one of the countrys strictest income eligibility limits for Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. For example, a single parent with three kids, like Morrison, has to earn $277 a month or less to be covered. But that threshold changes during pregnancy, where a woman in a family of four can earn up to $4,373 and still receive Medicaid coverage.

More than 380,000 babies were born in Texas in 2018, with almost half of them born to mothers on Medicaid, according to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. Under the new state law  and once the federal order to keep Medicaid recipients covered during the pandemic ends  mothers will get dropped six months after their babys birth if they dont meet the stricter income threshold for their own health coverage.

Thats because Texas is among states that have not expanded Medicaid to cover more low-income residents, contributing to the states uninsured population.

As chair of the states Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, Dr. Lisa Hollier sees extending Medicaid coverage to a full year as a way to address some of the leading causes of maternal mortality and health issues that can go easily unseen in the first months after a woman gives birth. According to the review committee, out of 54 pregnancy-related deaths that occured in Texas in 2013, about 90% of them were preventable at some level  signaling the importance of extended comprehensive care, Hollier said.

Women can continue to have access to see specialists, they can continue to see psychiatrists, receive the full range of medications that they might need for postpartum depression and [receive] hospitalization if that is what's necessary for them, Hollier said.

Denishea Williams said she knows all too well the need for postpartum care. After having her son, Tommie, in 2009 while attending the University of Texas at Arlington, Williams noticed a change in her mood that she later recognized as symptoms of postpartum depression. However, when she decided to address her symptoms, her post-pregnancy Medicaid coverage had already been cut off and there was little she could do.

I realized there was an issue that I was facing, something that I couldn't put my finger on, Williams said. And by the time I put my finger on it, I didn't have the support  there was no coming back to the doctor to talk about postpartum depression.

Texas does have a 12-month service under its Healthy Texas Women program that women can transition into after their Medicaid coverage expires. There is also the states Family Planning Program and coverage for before and after birth through Texas Childrens Health Insurance Program.

Although some of those programs cover things such as treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and substance use, they do not provide the full range of coverage a woman receives while on Medicaid, said Erika Ramirez, policy and advocacy director of the Texas Womens Healthcare Coalition.

It is a limited package, Ramirez said about the Healthy Texas Women program. So it's not as comprehensive like Medicaid. Continuing Medicaid coverage would be the No. 1, best situation but short of that there are some benefits women can get.

Michelle Anderson, a policy associate with the Afiya Center, a reproductive justice organization based in North Texas, said once Medicaid coverage runs out, many women turn to emergency rooms to seek health care if they have complications.

Starla Simmons, interim director of the Austin organization Black Mamas ATX, said she has seen mothers scrambling to find postpartum care and having to lean on local organizations to help guide them through the patchwork of resources available to them. The group offers holistic support services such as doula assistance, support groups and case management assistance.

Weve been seeing that need, Simmons said of mothers searching for postpartum health coverage. Once Medicaid [coverage] is over, were making referrals for all sorts of things to fill the gaps for what they could have gotten through Medicaid  its very frustrating to be in this position to have to constantly be struggling year after year to help some of our moms get what they need and what they deserve.

Changes in the Senate



While presenting the Senate version of House Bill 133 to her colleagues in the upper chamber, state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, defended the shortened extension.

The media has portrayed our version of this, as cutting it from 12 [months] to six, said Kolkhorst, who also sponsored the bill. I want to make sure that we clarify that we are adding four months, and we will become one of the first states in the nation to extend it beyond two months.

Aside from extended postpartum care, provisions the Senate added to HB 133 include transitioning case management services for children and pregnant women on Medicaid and in the Healthy Texas Women program to managed care. The state plans to move away from a fee-for-service model to contracting with managed care organizations that work with a certain network of providers.

Ramirez said that could mean better service for women experiencing postpartum issues, but the real impact of the change remains to be seen. Thats especially true for traditional family planning providers that may not have much experience working with managed care organizations.

Adriana Kohler, a policy director with the childrens policy nonprofit Texans Care for Children, said that although HB 133 is set to go into effect on Sept. 1, it could still take a while to see the actual benefits play out because it will take time for state and federal officials to secure funding.

Once the state gets necessary federal approval to use Medicaid funds for six-month postpartum coverage, women enrolled in Medicaid coverage on and after Sept. 1, 2022, would be eligible to receive extended coverage, according to the states Legislative Budget Board.

That means there could be a gap between when the federal pandemic order expires and when Texas extension of Medicaid for mothers kicks in.

The women that are going to lose out are the ones who give birth next spring and summer, Kohler said.

A recent pandemic relief bill passed in Congress presents a pathway for states to extend postpartum coverage up to a year without enduring the lengthy approval process for Medicaid funds they normally have to go through. Its an enticing option some wouldve liked the state to take advantage of, said Kohler.

Unfortunately, we did not go that route because Texas only extended [Medicaid coverage] for six months postpartum, Kohler said. This means we have to kind of do a longer process.

Mixed emotions



Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, who was a co-author of HB 133, said theres very mixed emotions in her district about the states extension to six months.

I think there were those who switched it to six months thinking that it was saving the state money, but in fact, it could end up costing us more if these women end up getting sick, have prolonged hospital stays, or they don't go to the hospital till much later and they have severe complications, Thierry said.

For Thierry, who has made maternal health a priority during her time in office and has been open about her own struggles with childbirth, the passage of HB 133 is a win, albeit a small one in the fight against systematic disparities in maternal health care.

We've got to look at this as a comprehensive solution and not just doing what we seem to be: putting Band-Aids on a hemorrhage, Thierry said. So while this is a step in the [right] direction, it's not going to get us across the finish line.

Morrison said shes been struggling with going to her postpartum checkups to monitor her preeclampsia and hasnt really been to the doctor outside of checking on her incision from her C-section. Shes also not satisfied with the options she has under Medicaid.

When I look to go find a good doctor, a lot of them are like clinics where the doctors are in and out, you may see a doctor this month but next month you see somebody else, and its a lot of doctors that you dont have access to, Morrison said.

Currently, Morrison works from home processing medical claims and earns about $19 an hour, or a little under $40,000 a year  too much to qualify for Medicaid in Texas as a parent once her pregnancy coverage expires. Her job does offer health insurance, but she said it comes with a high deductible and doesnt cover many of the services she required while pregnant.

Right now, with her Medicaid coverage temporarily in place, she continues searching for a doctor she feels truly meets her postpartum needs.

I dont want to go to somebody that just tries to patch me up, Morrison said.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
If you want your phone to really blow up, just post on social media that you are headed to Intercourse, Pennsylvania  perhaps the most curiously named village in America, if not the most curious writ large  to explore, learn, photograph and write a travelogue. As expected, the reactions came in fast and furious. The well-known fact that my sense of humor is not exactly, well, mature, rendered my pending adventure an irresistible slow pitch up the middle for a wide swath of friends, colleagues and family. To wit:

HAH. At least youll experience some kind of intercourse this summer -A friend

Enjoy innuendo paradise! -My daughter

And so on. It all got really fun when a thread between a half dozen people came together all trying to best themselves with suggested tourism slogans. Ill go ahead and leave those examples to your imagination. Suffice to say my friends are mostly a bunch of reprobates. Brilliant, though.

Fast-forward to day of road-trip departure. Six a.m., Virginia Beach, Virginia. Stahhting route to Innnntahcourrrrse chirped my flirty British female-voiced navigation thing as I pulled out from the garage. I let out a cackle, rubbed my bleary eyes, and took a deep breath, reasonably sure that this trip was going to be, well, a trip. Just over five hours later, as I ambled down Route 340 into Lancaster County on a path to my destination that was growing more scenic by the moment, a rush of wonder and mild shock struck. For there, ambling toward me (in a borough called Christiana, funnily enough), was the Amish Country tourists holy grail. A horse and buggy. Here we go, then! I said to myself with a chuckle.

The author, smirking, upon his first discovery of Intercourse Christian Josi

So yeah, It all started out kind of like a dick joke. I had no clue that I was about to experience something that was nothing close to such a thing  a place filled with an infectious and inspiring spirit that would absolutely charm the pants off of me.

Lets Go Back. All the Way Back 



If Lancaster County is the body of Amish Country in America, then Intercourse is its gently beating heart. There are a few different theories as to how the village came to be called Intercourse. My personal theory involves a late-night bet in the early 1800s between Amish elders about how to ensure that all the dumbass English  essentially Amish for gentile, or non-Amish  like me would come and spend tourist money for generations. Ive managed to gather no evidence of proof of my theory.

In reality, Intercourse wasnt Amish Country from the get-go. As lifelong resident Julie Lawson, who can be found at a magnificent old shop called The Old Woodshed Antiques in the center of town explained, Like so many places, the Irish were here first. The Amish didnt come until it felt safe enough to do so. This is where we pause and thank William Penn.

The Amish and the Atmosphere



Content, gentle people. Its remarkable. Their daily priorities involve things like milking cows and looking after one another. They have never heard of the Kardashians and social media has never factored into their lives. Color me wildly jealous. -A text sent to my daughter from the middle of a farm

Most of us, I suppose, know of Amish country from films like Witness (filmed here, an Intercourse claim to fame) and more recently the spate of ghastly Am-sploitation reality shows that these people of course didnt ask for and do not deserve. And if not for the occasional late-night talk show wisecrack, most of us would be oblivious to the very existence of Intercourse. When I asked a local English person early in my trip what the Amish thought of all of the above, the person sort of rolled their eyes at me and smirked. Ohhh  right. No television, I said, sheepishly. As per the note to my daughter above, they have not seen these things, will not see these things, and could care less about these things. God bless em.

So what is it really like? What are the Amish really like?

Upon arrival, it doesnt take very long to realize you are not entering a strict or stern homogenous religious colony  there are many non-Amish and less conservative Amish (Mennonites, for example), who have lived and worked here for generations. But you are very definitely entering another world. The Old Order (horse-and-buggy) Amish, or Plain People, as they are known and who we all come to see, dont rule the place, but they definitely lead the way in spirit. The deference shown to them around here by the English borders on the reverential. The respect is very mutual and the peace runs deep as a result.

John Fisher guides his buggy through the middle of town Christian Josi

I suppose the best bit of travel advice one could take to heart is that Amish Country is not a Disney attraction. It is not akin to a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, and the farms are private property, not petting zoos staged for the enjoyment of the English. Intercourse and its neighboring communities are real-life, real-time, functioning places. Visitors of all sorts are warmly welcomed as guests, but not coddled. The shops and attractions are very much in line with the day-to-day functioning, specialties and skills indigenous to the area. Buggy rides for hire and shoo-fly pie are about as kitschy as it gets, at least in Intercourse proper. There are no waterslides. The beauty of this place lies in its simplicity, extraordinary pastoral beauty and neighborly spirit. The best thing you can possibly do here is wander, especially off the one main drag into the farmlands.

And interact. During a delightful visit one early evening with Dan Riehl, a sixth-generation resident farmer, Old Order Amish and proprietor of the Beacon Hollow Farm Guest House, I asked him about the dos and donts for respectfully interacting with Plain People. Were just as human as anybody else, our lifestyles are just a little different. It is not nearly as strict here as many people think.

Riehl did, however, offer up some pointers for first-timers like me:

Candid photos discreetly taken are just fine, but dont ask for posed photos. Some will oblige, but they really arent supposed to and really dont like to (I subjected John Fisher, a genial driver for AAA Buggy Rides, to the candid above before I learned it was an iffy thing to do, but I am guessing the nature of his job has rendered him quite used to it).



Dont roll up to a farm, park in the driveway and knock on the door uninvited. It happens, and it is unsettling (many farms have stands set up out front where flowers, baked goods and such are offered for sale on the honor system. The Amish families love your patronage at these stands, but their existence is not an invitation to come on in!



Buggies on the street always have the right of way. Though the horses are used to people and motor vehicles, they can sometimes get spooked. If you see a horse getting a little jumpy in front of a buggy, give them as much space as possible, and 



Dont touch them! Even though they are out and about, the horses get nervous around strangers. Also, they are working, and as previously noted, Intercourse is not a petting zoo.



Dont be afraid to say hello on the street! The Amish are glad you are here and around 50% of them rely on you for at least part of their income. They do not view non-Amish as some sort of heathen species. Most are as curious about you and your life as you are theirs (though this doesnt mean they would want to be you!).

Where I Stayed, Ate and Hung Out



The village of Intercourse is tiny, but theres a lot going on and much to see, eat and buy (mostly all quality local products  furniture, meats and cheeses, quilts and such). Tchotchkes and the inevitable I Intercourse (PA) shirts are of course available, but not everywhere you look. This is not a place for partying  everything closes around 5 p.m. except for the fantastic little coffeeshop in the center of town that closes at (gasp!) 9. Everything is closed on Sunday because, as Gloria Mast, a genial born-and-raised local non-Amish who one can find at the Corner West Art & Lifestyle Gallery told me simply but insightfully, The Amish are closed on Sunday and they are not receiving guests. So best to come on a Thursday or Friday and leave Sunday, unless you enjoy not eating and seek an Amish Country ghost town experience. (There are ghosts, actually, but thats an entirely different article.)

Sarah Glick performs at the Smucker Village coffeeshop Christian Josi

In addition to the places Ive mentioned throughout, I also loved my experiences and interactions here, here and here, the latter being the only place open late night (closing at 9 p.m. in Intercourse constitutes very late night, mind you) and featuring live music, which the locals, Amish and non-Amish, come out for. On the night I was there, a young fourth-generation woman with Amish family history, Sarah Glick, was performing covers mixed with her own work in delightful fashion.

This place, Kitchen Kettle Village, is extraordinary. Featuring more than 40 high-end shops, all with a local connection, centered around a storied jam and relish manufacturing kitchen thats been in operation for nearly 70 years. Theres also an integrated Inn where the well-appointed rooms are dispersed throughout the property. I stayed in one. It was lovely.

There is also one place in particular that had a deep impact. The countryside. Words do not do it justice.

Who needs TV? Christian Josi

Getting There



For a place that seems a world away, Lancaster County is remarkably accessible. Intercourse itself is a very small village of only about 500 people located right along Old Philadelphia Pike (Route 340), which serves as its main drag and along which youll find all there really is to find (beyond the farms themselves, which spread out into an unbelievably picturesque countryside, along both sides of the Pike, which seems to go on forever).

I visited twice for this piece  as previously mentioned, I drove up from my home base of Virginia Beach for the first visit. It was about a five-hour run, much of it along the scenic and sleepy Eastern shores of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware (Route 13), which definitely helped take the sting out of it.

For my second visit days later, I came in from New York City  just under a three-hour run, mostly on I-95 and Route 276. Not as pretty, for sure, but it went by quickly. If you come in from farther away by train or plane, Intercourse is just about an hour and 20 minutes from the center of Philadelphia.

Final Thoughts



Yes, I arrived giggling inside at Intercourse, Pennsylvania. I had no idea whatsoever that I would leave enchanted, restored and a little weepy, in a good way.

I asked my new friend Dan Riehl what locals would want people to take away from a visit to Intercourse. We want people to be inspired. He pointed out that while the Amish were not evangelists, We live for God. We depend on God. We would like people to go home and live a better, more peaceful life.

And who among us cant use a little more peace right about now?

I cannot end this without one point: LGBTQ+ people and those of other marginalized communities are welcome here. Big time. There is no judgment in Intercourse.

Dan also explained to me that Intercourse, back in the day, meant fellowship. Mystery solved, though I still chuckle at my theory.

Do make room in your life to experience what Ive just experienced. Spend some time doing a lot of nothing, eating simple but exquisite food, and making new friends in glorious Intercourse and her neighboring communities that together make up the heart of American Amish Country. It will spark your spirit, lighten your heart, broaden your horizons and likely stay with you forever.

For more travel news, tips and inspo, sign up for InsideHook's weekly travel newsletter, The Journey.

The post A Weekend in Glorious Intercourse (Pennsylvania) appeared first on InsideHook.
Houston's friends in the Big Easy are bracing for what could be a devastating storm over the weekend.

Tropical Storm Ida is predicted to become a major hurricane when it makes landfall along the Louisiana or Mississippi coast. Southeast Louisiana could bear the brunt of the storm's life-threatening winds and flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

There's a chance New Orleans could face winds greater than 110 mph during the most intense times of the storm, with widespread flash flooding also possible throughout the city. Meteorologists in New Orleans are urging residents throughout the southeast part of the state to start making preparations for the storm.

Here's the latest from the local weather service station:

3 1 of 3 National Weather Service Show More Show Less 2 of 3 National Weather Service Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Prior to landfall, those along the immediate coast are bracing for alarming storm surge, which could reach up to 9 feet in many places. There is also a tornado threat, according to local meteorologists.

The storm will take only days to strengthen into a major hurricane.

We're currently in the peak of the hurricane season, an eight-week period where more, stronger storms tend to develop under warmer conditions.

Chron is looking for anyone in Houston who is already organizing relief efforts to highlight their efforts. If you know of any, email jay.jordan@chron.com or let me know on Twitter: @jayrjordan.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Florida, FL (34429)

Today

Mostly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Florida, FL (34429)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Googles Core Web Vitals (CWV) are in effect, which means businesses must embrace optimization capabilities for visual media if they hope to benefit from search engine rankings. Besides SEO, CWVs paint a picture of how engaging and performant your website really is, so its in a companys best interest to optimize toward the target metrics for the ideal user experience.

Googles CWVs are being leveraged as a way to provide a holistic picture of the quality of a user's experience, measuring the existing reality of how a website performs and how a site visitor might be able to interact. These metrics are related to loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability. Simply put, sites are now rewarded by the leading search engine for improving the visual and interactive experience for online users.

CWV metrics are starting to influence search results, and for brands, now is the time to take action  especially when it comes to optimizing for website images and videos.

More visual media requires optimization to reduce Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

In terms of website images and videos, one of the key CWV metrics is LCP, which measures the time it takes for the largest content element in the viewport to load. For most websites, this is usually a large banner image or a product image.

Right now, brands find themselves in a game-changing visual economy. In fact, HTTP Archive has noted that the media webpage is approximately 4 times its weight since 2011. Visual media is a powerful storyteller, but not if it slows down the page load time and makes users bounce off.

"Very often, the LCP of a webpage is a photo, illustration or video, said Jon Sneyers, senior image researcher, Cloudinary. Reducing the time to load, while also ensuring high fidelity, is key to improving the web user experience. This explains the rapidly evolving technology: new media codecs, optimized encoding, and responsive and progressive rendering."

There is no denying that visual media optimization has a direct impact on load time, and therefore LCP. In order for brands to score well in the LCP department, it is extremely important for visual media to load as quickly as possible. This is why businesses must embrace optimization capabilities, but in a way that does not have a negative impact on the user experience. Brands need not panic. By following these simple best practices for visual media optimization, they can ensure meaningful and memorable online experiences, while making sure their LCP scores are in that sweet spot of where they need to be:

Foster page loads by optimizing your image assets. Brands should compress images so that they take up less bandwidth but still display in high quality. Converting images and videos to newer formats such as AVIF, JPEG XL, JPEG 2000, WebP and WebM will also help with performance. As well, automatically crop, resize and format assets in response to the users browser and device. This requires automation in order to accomplish at scale.

Automate image workflows. Ensure that the correct file size is applied, preserving visual fidelity. This frees up a team to focus on creative processes instead of manually creating asset variants; cropping, reformatting, and resizing files.

Track media delivery metrics. Brands that track these metrics can more quickly identify unoptimized media or optimization, and more importantly, see exactly how media is performing or where it might inadvertently be hurting web performance.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and cache images. Deliver visual media through a CDN, or multi-CDN approach, to enhance site reliability and scalability. The key here is to cache page elements instead of loading them from the original source.

Cache assets. This allows brands to store a brands most used assets rather than sourcing them from the origin every time.

Creating an engaging website experience complete with optimized visual media that entice a user to linger is easy to achieve. By following these best practices, brands can ensure proper CWV metrics and happier customers. Googles own research suggests that when ecommerce websites meet the three Core Web Vitals thresholds, users are 24% less likely to abandon the page.

Unsure of how your website ranks in terms of visual media performance? Request your free custom web performance report and learn how you can start optimizing for user experience.

Get your FREE custom web performance report now!

For more information, visit Cloudinary.
The American Dream is often portrayed as the hook that pulls people to the United States. What is usually left out of the story is the hell many fleesometimes a hell fed by the very country in which they seek refuge. The story of US involvement in Central America is a classic example of wars inflicted on people by American-financed repressive regimes, and later, by gangs grown in the US and deported wholesale to vulnerable nations.

In this episode of How We Got Here, a podcast hosted by Columbia Journalism School faculty, a scholar sheds light on the invention of the illegal alien, its use and manipulation for the past 140 years (and counting) to exclude and exploit people of color and more recent notions of who and is not deserving of legal admission into the United States.
In 2019, Andrew Curry profiled Axel Springer, a private-equity-backed German media titan, for CJR. Founded in the 1940s as a newspaper publisher, Axel Springer had, since the mid-2000s, achieved a successful transition to the web that, as Curry wrote, few other media companies have managedscaling back its print output while launching or acquiring a range of digital properties. Those included classifieds and established media brands such as Insider, a US news site, and a fifty-percent stake in Politicos European edition. Ulf Poschardt, the editor of Die Welt, an Axel Springer paper, told Curry that the companys mantra wasnt digital first but something even firster. More first. Whats even more first than first? Super first. Hyper first. Julian Reichelt, the editor of Bild, Welts tabloid sister, said his paper was pushing into video, producing live broadcasts and slick documentaries. He described the pivot as Project Netflix.

Since Curry wrote, Axel Springer has expanded further into the US market. Late last year, it acquired Morning Brew, a newsletter company. In recent weeks, speculation swelled that Axel Springer was in talks to acquire one or another agenda-setting DC news site. It was said to be in talks with Axios, but those broke down. Then the Wall Street Journals Benjamin Mullin reported that Axel Springer was preparing to acquire all or part of Politico from Robert Allbritton, the current owner. Yesterday, that deal was finalized: Axel Springer will buy Politicos entire operationincluding Protocol, a tech site that Allbritton founded last yearand the remaining half of Politico Europe. Mathias Dopfner, Axel Springers CEO, called Politico a true North Star of digital journalism; Allbritton, who is staying on as publisher of Politico and Protocol, said hed realized that a global media behemoth would be better able than his family business to grow the sites. The deal was reportedly worth more than a billion dollarsa figure equivalent to five times Politicos annual revenue. When a reader asked Mullin how that amount compares to other recent media sales, Mullin replied with a Larry David GIF: Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.

ICYMI: Facebook transparency report turns out to be anything but

Politicos priceand Axel Springers interestreflects its reputation as a success story for digital media. (In business terms, anyway; many peers loathe its journalism.) Since Politicos debut, in 2007, the site has consistently been profitable, thanks in no small part to the high-end subscription products it markets to lobbyists and other close watchers of the DC political and policy scene. (Much of Politicos output is free, and will apparently remain so after the acquisition; when a staffer asked yesterday whether Axel Springer plans to institute a broader paywall, Dopfner reportedly responded, Were from Berlin. We dont like the concept of walls.) Politico recognized early on something airlines have known for a long time: Its a lot easier to make a lot of money from a few of your customers than a little from everyone, Nieman Labs Joshua Benton wrote yesterday; he also credited the site with pioneering email newsletters and scoopy, fast-paced online political reporting. This model, though, cant work for everyoneand in many ways, Politicos enduring digital success has been an exception rather than the norm. We ought to tap the brakes on all the what journalism can learn from Politico stuff Im seeing. The answer is, not much, Aron Pilhofer, a professor of journalism innovation at Temple, tweeted yesterday. Comparing it to your local newspaper.com is apples to oranges.

As Edmund Lee and Lauren Hirsch wrote recently in the New York Times, sites like Politico and Axios, with their relatively niche but loyal audiences, sit at one end of a media-industry barbell. Legacy national newspapers with strong print and digital subscriber bases sit at the other end; ad-supported digital publishers are balanced precariously in the middle. With Google and Facebook hoovering up online ad revenue, its been tough for the likes of BuzzFeed, Vice Media, and Group Nine, which have all consolidated to remain competitive. Each has acquired competitorsHuffPost, Refinery29, and PopSugar, respectivelyand each has recently explored, with varying degrees of finality, the prospect of going public via special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs. These arrangements, Lee and Hirsch write, come with fewer regulatory hassles than initial public offeringsbut BuzzFeed, for one, cut its valuation as part of the process, setting a bad precedent for its rivals.

These maneuvers have often come with turbulence for staff, including rounds of steep layoffs. Yesterday, Vice Media let go seventeen staffers across Vice and Refinery29. The cuts followed an announcement that the company planned to reduce its written content by as much as half and invest more heavily in video. (Cory Haik, the chief digital officer, announced the layoffs in the third-to-final paragraph of a long email extolling positive performance stats on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.) Media-watchers groaned at the hellish circularity of Vices strategydigital media companies have tried pivoting to video before, without finding a pot of gold at the end of the livestream. Vice also repeated a well-worn fallacy: that bosses are nimble at adapting to new formats but their employees arent, and need to be replaced. In a statement, the Vice union described the layoffs as a macabre annual ritual at the company. We have worked in this industry long enough to know todays metrics are tomorrows punch lines, and yesterdays pivot is todays clumsy tumble.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Yesterday, Kim Kelly, a journalist who was laid off from Vice in 2019, noted that the only thing that got me through was the support of the sites union reps at the Writers Guild of America, East. Its ironic, then, that the latest Vice layoffs came on the same day elections to the WGAEs council opened for votingelections of vital consequence to digital-media members. One slate has made the case that the pace of digital-media organizing in recent years has overwhelmed the unions resources, presenting a conflict with its traditional goal of representing TV and movie screenwriters; an opposing campaign has vigorously disputed thisnoting, among other arguments, the increasingly porous boundaries between digital media and old-school screenwriting. Kelly is a candidate on the latter platform, as is Sara David, a Vice employee; yesterday, David argued that Vices latest pivot to video should serve as a reminder that its an increasingly common media strategy to have staffers write less for digital and more for other platforms, and that all workers affected deserve union representation.

Axel Springer has pledged to put Politico in a hiring, not firing mode once the takeover is complete. But management promises are never a guarantee, andin the digital media industry, in particularpast growth is no guarantee of future success. Recently, staffers at Politico moved to form a union; Allbritton said that the decision was down to the newsroom, but also sent out a lengthy email detailing his opposition, arguing that unionization would be unfair to workers who dont want it, introduce an adversarial dynamic, and make decision making less creative and less fun. Yesterday, a staffer asked what the takeover would mean for the union push. Allbritton reportedly replied that Axel Springers ownership wouldnt affect the processand he reiterated his stance: that a union would mean troublesome workplace bureaucracy.

Below, more on the media business:

Weve seen this movie before: In 2017, Heidi N. Moore wrote for CJR that pivoting to video is a terrible idea . Hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs while shiny-object-chasing publishers are no closer to creating cohesive video strategies to replace the traffic those writers were producing, Moore wrote. Publishers who pivoted to video have forfeited the majority of their hard-won native audiences in only a year of churning out undifferentiated, bland chunks of largely aggregated snackable video. Thats no ones idea of success. Yesterday, Moore posted the article on Twitter with the message: I literally cannot believe that pivoting to video is a thing again.

Return of the SPAC: Yesterday, Forbes announced that it plans to go public through a SPAC deal. The venerable business publication, owned by Integrated Whale Media and the Forbes family, said in a news release that it had reached an agreement to merge with Magnum Opus Acquisition, a publicly traded blank-check firm, Katie Robertson writes, for the Times . The deal, which values the combined company at $630 million, is expected to close by the end of the year or early 2022.

Some bad local-news news: In 2019, CJRs Andrew McCormick profiled Bklyner , a scrappy hyperlocal news site in Brooklyn, New York, that prized print as a means to sell ads and reach members of the community. Yesterday, Liena Zagare, Bklyner s editor, announced that the site will go on hiatus early next month , with no set plans to return. Zagare cited a combination of financial struggles and personal burnout. Since I never figured out how to get paid regularly for the many hats I still wear, she wrote, I cannot hire someone to fill in while I take the time off that I need to make sure that I, too, can be sustainable.

Some good local-news news: Poynters Kristen Hare checked in with the Spokesman-Review , in Spokane, Washington, which recently revived its evening edition as an electronic paper for subscribers . So far, Hare reports, the endeavor has proven popular; the Spokesman-Review says that its seen significant growth in total pageviews and users of its e-edition, as well as a two-percent increase in digital subscriptions. It wasnt about How are we going to make this a bigger pie , Rob Curley, the papers editor, said. It was How are we going to hang on to the pie that we have when we know were going to continue to push subscription prices? 



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Biden, Trump, and the missing big picture in Afghanistan coverage

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.
FORT PIERRE, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg avoided any jail time Thursday after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor traffic charges for a crash last year in which he struck and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway.

Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to charges of making an illegal lane change and using a phone while driving, which each carry a sentence of up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine. He had been charged with three misdemeanors, but prosecutors dropped a careless driving charge as part of the deal.

Circuit Judge John Brown ordered no jail time for Ravnsborg, instead fining him $500 for each of the two counts and ordering him to pay court costs. Brown also ordered Ravsnborg to do a significant public service event in each of the next five years near the date of Boevers death  granting a request from the Boever family. But he put that on hold after Ravnsborgs attorney objected that it was not allowed by statute.

Brown was to consider that argument and rule later.

Ravnsborg didnt attend the hearing  he didnt have to and was represented by his attorney, Tim Rensch. That angered the family of the man Ravnsborg struck, Joseph Boever.

Why, after having to wait nearly a year, do we not have the chance to face him? Boevers sister, Jane Boever, asked the court.

She said her brother was left behind carelessly the night he died. And she accused Ravnsborg of running down her brother and then using his position and resources to string the case along. She said he has shown no remorse, and only arrogance toward the law.

Jane Boever also said Browns options for punishing him on the misdemeanor charges were insufficient: We do not feel a couple of fines is adequate punishment for killing a man.

Our brother lay in the ditch for 12 hours, she said. This is inexcusable.

Joseph Boevers widow, Jennifer Boever, said Ravnsborgs actions are incomprehensible and . cannot be forgiven.

Rensch pushed back hard on the familys criticism, calling the attorney general an honorable man. Rensch said Ravsnborg had been consistent from the beginning that he simply did not see Boever. And he noted that the case was not a homicide case, and its not a manslaughter case, as prosecutors had said in bringing the misdemeanor charges.

Accidents happen, people die. It should not happen. No one wants anybody to die, he said.

The Republican attorney general was driving home to Pierre from a political fundraiser on Sept. 12 when he struck Joseph Boever, who walking on the side of a highway. In a 911 call after the crash, Ravnsborg was initially unsure of what he hit, then concluded it was a deer. He said he didnt realize he struck a man until he returned to the crash scene the next day and discovered the body of Boever, who was killed at age 55.

A toxicology report taken roughly 15 hours after the crash showed no alcohol in Ravnsborgs system, and people who attended the fundraiser said he was not seen drinking alcohol.

After a months-long investigation led to prosecutors filing three traffic misdemeanors in February, Gov. Kristi Noem placed maximum pressure on Ravnsborg to resign, releasing videos of investigators questioning him after the crash. They revealed gruesome details, including that detectives believed Boevers body had collided with Ravnsborgs windshield with such force that part of Boevers glasses were deposited in the backseat of Ravnsborgs car.

Prosecutors said Ravnsborg was on his phone roughly one minute before the crash, and phone records showed it was locked at the moment of impact. Ravnsborg told investigators that the last thing he remembered before impact was turning off the radio and looking down at the speedometer.

Throughout the criminal investigation and political pressure campaign from his own party, Ravnsborg has adamantly denied he did anything heinous. He has insisted he had no idea he hit a man until returning to the crash site and that he is still worthy of remaining the states attorney general.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing. However, criminal defense attorneys said it is unlikely Ravnsborg will be sentenced to any jail time.

Its not an admission of guilt, but a finding of guilt, said criminal defense attorney Ryan Kolbeck, who has been watching the case but isnt involved in it. You rarely see jail time in these cases.

However, the crash and investigation has opened a divide among Republicans. Noem has tried repeatedly to force Ravnsborg from office and make him a pariah within the party, but he has retained support among some GOP circles. The attorney general has even been spotted working booths for local Republican groups at county fairs in recent weeks.

When people look at his record of achievements, they will find hes done a good job, said Republican state Rep. Steve Haugaard, an ally of the attorney general.

The attorney general had built his political rise on personal connections in the party. It was his dutiful attendance at local GOP events like the one he was returning from when he struck Boever that propelled him from being a party outsider to winning the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2018.

Despite the plea deal, Ravnsborgs troubles are far from over. Boevers widow has indicated that she plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Ravnsborg. And Ravnsborgs popular predecessor, Marty Jackley, is already running for his old job and has collected the support of most of the states county prosecutors. Perhaps most pressing for Ravnsborg is that legislators are once again considering moving forward with impeachment proceedings.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A clear sign that the New York City theater scene is coming back to life after its March 2020 pandemic shutdown is the September 2021 world premiere of A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet. This show  the first new musical to debut Off-Broadway since theaters went dark  is the brainchild of Alex Wyse of Beachwood and Ben Fankhauser of Orange.

Wyse, 34, is the creator and star of the acclaimed web series, Indoor Boys. He toured in Wicked and was on Broadway in Waitress, Lysistrata Jones, and Deaf Wests revival of Spring Awakening.

Fankhauser, 31, originated the role of Davey in the Broadway cast of Newsies and was a member of the first national tours of Beautiful: The Carol King Musical and Spring Awakening.

Both talked with the Cleveland Jewish News from their apartments in Manhattans Upper West Side in New York City.

The two first crossed paths when they were pre-teens, sharing the stage in a Heights Youth Theater production of Oliver in Cleveland Heights and in productions at Stagecrafters in Pepper Pike.

Even as a kid, Alex was this consummate professional, Fankhauser recalled. He showed up off-book, used physical vocabulary to express himself on stage, and if he dropped a line or a lyric  which happens  he was the master of recovery. Still is.

Alex is similarly complementary, saying We have this great history together.

They reconnected many years later when they both performed in the 2019 world premiere production of The Flamingo Kid at the Hartford Stage.

More recently, they collaborated with that shows Samantha Massell on a gorgeous rendition of Avinu Malkeinu for a Yom Kippur video presented by Brooklyn Jews, a creative community affiliated with Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet follows two nobodies who dream of writing hit songs but find themselves composing jingles for commercials. That changes when theyre plucked from obscurity by a world-famous pop star named Regina Comet, who wants them to create a new anthem to showcase her supernova pipes, and promote her new perfume.

This show is everything you want the first new musical premiering in NYC to be: whip-smart and stupid funny, packed with songs as catchy as a jingle, and only 80 minutes, said Tony award-winning lead producer Cody Lassen in a news release.

It was the perfect pandemic project, Wyse said. In a moment of frustration, as everything in the city was shutting down and with nothing on the horizon, I called up Ben and said, Can we just make something, do something creative?

They talked about putting together a concert of favorite songs, started writing their own songs and, in a Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland moment, decided to make a musical.

We poured ourselves into the work and we were fortunate enough to have people around us who were willing to work just as hard getting this produced, Wyse said. The whole thing just sort of happened.

The two wrote the book, music and lyrics for A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet. They will appear on stage as the two featured jingle writers.

Being in the show wasnt really our intention when we started writing the musical, Fankhauser admitted.

Wyse said, We just wanted to write the kind of show we would want to be in, about the kind of future we would like to see.

The musical opens Sept. 27 for a limited engagement through Nov. 14. It will be performed at the 99-seat DR2 Theatre in Union Square. For tickets, visit Telecharge.com or call 800-447-7400.

Bob Abelman covers professional theater and cultural arts for the Cleveland Jewish News. Follow Bob at Facebook.com/BobAbelman3. He was named best in Ohio for reviews/criticism in the Press Club of Clevelands 2021 All Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards.
There is a rising presence on Israels Hebrew-language media scene  Arabs. Arab reporters and commentators are now a more regular presence in the media here, and some of what they cover even goes beyond Arab affairs.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Submit a letter to the editor

The CJN provides an open forum for reader feedback and comments. Letters to the editor can be submitted via the form linked below, e-mailed to editorial@cjn.org or mailed to Letters, CJN, 23880 Commerce Park, Beachwood, Ohio 44122 (please type and double space, or write legibly). All submissions must include your full name, town of residency and daytime phone number (phone number will not be printed).

Submit a letter
A 1993 GMC Sierra truck was removed from Lake Killdeer near DeWitt on Wednesday. Sheriffs deputies are seeking the publics help in determining how the truck, which had earlier been reported stolen, ended up in the lake.
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 26)  Two inmates were killed after attempting to break out of the Marikina City Jail on Thursday, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology spokesperson Xavier Solda confirmed.

In a statement, the Eastern Police District (EPD) said at around 5:10 p.m., the two detainees grabbed the firearms of one of the jail guards.

Solda also told reporters in an interview that the perpetrators - who were facing rape charges - later held one jail nurse and one livelihood officer hostage.

A Special Weapons and Tactics or SWAT team immediately responded and the captives were freed at 6 p.m., the EPD said. The perpetrators were killed in a firefight, it added.

The hostages were also injured along with a jail officer, who suffered gunshot wounds. The wounded officer was brought to Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center and is currently in critical condition, Solda said.

Following the incident, Solda said the police regional director ordered that all jails in Metro Manila be placed on heightened alert.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  The Commission on Elections stood by its decision to award a multimillion-peso delivery courier services deal to F2 Logistics.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya said it is calling on the poll body to cancel its contract with F2 to transport election materials including ballots, machines, and other paraphernalia for the 2022 polls given its chairman Dennis Uy's close ties with Malacanang.

The Davao businessman was one of President Rodrigo Duterte's biggest campaign donors in 2016, while Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was also one of five incorporators of F2 in 2006.

"I believe that it should be rescinded for the simple reason that it compromises the credibility of the 2022 elections," Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao said in an interview.

"Technically, it may be legal as far as the Comelec is concerned, but it is patently unethical and definitely unacceptable in terms of looking at the optics behind the elections," Arao pointed out.

READ: De Lima seeks probe into Comelec's logistics contract for 2022 elections

There was a similar uproar on social media, with some urging the poll body to question the deal.

The cargo forwarder won against LBC Express, Airspeed International, and 2GO Express in a July bidding with the lowest offer of 535.99 million, against a maximum contract price of 1.61 billion.

It will also provide warehousing services as voting supplies are transported from the Comelec's main office to regional hubs and to towns and cities nationwide, as it had done in the 2019 senatorial election and in the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said the F2 deal is legal and valid.

"Our BAC (bids and awards committee) is reviewing and following the procedures under the law, so I don't see any problem that it shall be awarded to F2 logistics as long as we follow the law," she told reporters at a Friday morning event.

During a hearing at the House of Representatives, Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said the issue has been "thoroughly discussed" by the Comelec en banc prior to the approval of the contract award.

"The Law Department opined there is no such violation as we go over GPPB (Government Procurement Policy Board) rules with regard to the disqualification of a prospective bidder," said Casquejo, who heads the poll body's steering committee for next year's elections.

"The en banc agrees unanimously that there were no violations in the procurement process for the delivery of the AES (automated election system) components," he added.

A former Comelec executive said the public outcry has been overblown.

"There's nothing wrong there," former Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal told CNN Philippines.

"It's an award to provide logistics for Comelec for delivery of election paraphernalia," Larrazabal explained.

"When it gets there, everything is checked naman, all those equipment are checked and rechecked by watchers of different political parties," he added.

Larrazabal likened it to an online shopping courier, where customers can complain should the items they ordered turned out to be damaged or altered.

"From an election management point of view regarding security, I don't see any problem there," he also said, noting that greater focus should be given on more crucial items, such as the repair of vote counting machines, ballot printing, and the review of the source code for the automated elections.

Still, Kontra Daya insisted that giving the job to a Duterte ally is in bad taste.

"Is it just because of earning money, or is there something more to it than just simply earning money?" the group said.

CNN Philippines has reached out to F2 Logistics and the Udenna Group for comment but they have yet to respond.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Days after the government released 311.79 million for the unpaid special risk allowance (SRA) of health workers, the Department of Health on Friday said it has made another request for funds.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the new request sent to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will be for COVID-19 medical frontliners who weren't included in the first batch, which covered more than 20,000 healthcare workers. Over 17,600 frontliners have submitted requirements to receive their benefits, but submissions are still open, she added.

"We have already submitted an additional fund request from the Department of Budget and Management to cover for those who were not covered by the 311 million na una na nating ni-request [that we first requested]," Vergeire said in a media briefing. "Kung sakaling meron pang magsusumite sa regional offices and they will be declared eligible, tayo ay magrerequest pa rin patuloy sa DBM para makumpleto natin ito."

[Translation: If more workers will submit their requirements to the regional offices and they are declared eligible, we will request more funds from the DBM to complete these.]

Medical frontliners directly handling COVID-19 patients are entitled to the special risk allowance, but many health workers have complained they did not receive a single centavo despite attending to infected individuals.

The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) on Friday said they are giving the DOH an ultimatum in releasing their long-overdue benefits, or else there will be a mass walkout and other forms of protests on September 1.

AHW President Robert Mendoza said private and public health workers should receive their special risk allowance by August 31, which is the deadline set by President Rodrigo Duterte. Aside from the SRA, health workers are also asking for meal and food allowance.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  The Philippines is welcoming new casino applicants after President Rodrigo Duterte lifted the ban on the entry and creation of new players in the sector, the country's gaming regulator said Friday.

Andrea Domingo, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairperson, said the agency would start processing new applicants for casino operations, over three years after Duterte imposed the moratorium.

"Si Presidente ang nag issue ng moratoruim noong 2018 kaya yon ang ginawa namin walang bagong applications kaming tinanggap. Ngayon nilift na rin niya kaya pwede na ulit kaming tumanggap ng applications for casino licenses," she said in a mobile message.

[Translation: The President issued the moratorium in 2018 so that's what we did, we didn't accept any new applications. Now he has lifted it so we can once again receive applications for casino licenses.]

"I will implement this new policy effectively but coupled with a strong responsible gaming project primarily aimed at preventing minors from playing," Domingo added.

Domingo earlier said Duterte ordered a halt on new casino operations in 2018 to avoid overcrowding in the gaming industry.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  The country's genome sequencing capacity is getting a significant boost after the government allocated 295.7 million to detect coronavirus variants more effectively.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Friday said the funds were downloaded last week to buy necessary equipment and conduct training across the country.

With the new funds, Visayas and Mindanao will now be able to identify if a COVID-19 patient is infected with a variant, she said.

This will speed up the detection process since they no longer have to send samples to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in Quezon City, Vergeire added.

The PGC, meanwhile, will soon be able to double the number of samples it can review.

Once the upgrade is completed within 30 to 45 days, Vergeire said Visayas and Mindanao could process 350 samples each, while the PGC in Metro Manila can double the number of samples it can review.

From processing 750 samples weekly, the country can check 2,200 samples per week.

The Philippines has detected over 6,000 cases of the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma variants of concern.

Health officials have been cautious in declaring community transmission of the Delta variant in the country due to the limited sequencing capacity.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Senator Bong Go gave Health Secretary Francisco Duque III unsolicited advice on Friday: to "make the supreme sacrifice when the right time comes."

"For now, may hearing naman tayo dito (we have hearings here)... clear yourself and the DOH (Department of Health) and address COA's (Commission on Audit) findings," Go said during the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee's hearing on the audit report that uncovered "deficiencies" in the DOH's management of pandemic funds worth 67 billion.

"Gusto malaman ng tao ang katotohanan. Importante lumabas po kayong malinis," he added.

[Translation: The people want to know the truth. The important thing is you come out clean.]

The Special Assistant to the President also said he is already worried about the chief executive who is carrying all the problems.

"Mahal ka ng Pangulo at pinaglalaban ka niya. Alam ko mahal mo rin ang Pangulo. Desisyon mo na 'yan pagdating ng panahon," Go said.

[Translation: The President loves you and he is fighting for you. I know you love him too. It's your decision when the time comes.]

Senator Panfilo Lacson then asked if Duque was being asked to resign, to which Go responded: "Advise lang naman po yung akin na magsakripisyo po...Desisyon na po iyon ni Secretary Duque."

[Translation: It is only an advice from me to make a sacrifice. The decision is up to Secretary Duque.]

Duque said he will resign when the need comes. But for now, it is important to clear the DOH from the COA findings, he added.

There have been calls for Duque to step down over controversies hounding the DOH.

Duterte earlier revealed that he had rejected Duque's resignation twice, saying the secretary is innocent.

This week, the President said he will still not fire Duque, but will accept his voluntary resignation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  The Department of Health is looking at the possibility of allowing a shorter quarantine period for fully vaccinated health workers who were exposed to a COVID-19 patient to avoid crippling hospital operations.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Friday said their proposal to experts is to shorten the quarantine period from two weeks to just seven days. It will include testing the health workers on the 5th or 6th day before allowing them to return to duty.

However, Vergeire said the final decision will be up to the hospitals.

"May ibang ospital nang gumagawa nito. Sa tingin namin magiging feasible naman because they are regularly monitored," she said in a media briefing. "It's an option given to hospitals so that we can preserve better our health workers."

[Translation: Some hospitals are already doing this. We think this is feasible since they are regularly monitored.]

The government recently retracted its decision to allow only seven days of quarantine for fully vaccinated close contacts due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Despite the issue of a limited supply of coronavirus shots, a local executive of Masbate said the move denying the entry of unvaccinated people to the province is only aimed at preventing the further spread of the virus in the island.

Mayor Arturo Virtucio of the Municipality of Aroroy told a virtual briefing on Friday that the policy to address the "alarming" COVID-19 situation in the province has been implemented.

"Pinatupad po ito ng governor, dahil sa dami ng cases halos mapuno na ang hospitals," he stressed.

[Translation: The governor implemented it because the hospital is almost filled up due to the number of cases.]

"Noong tinesting namin ito, bumaba ito," Virtucio added. "Ngayon pinag-aaralan namin kung ipagpapatuloy ito o hindi."

(Translation: When we were testing it, the number went down. Now we are studying whether to continue it or not.]

The pandemic task force has knowledge on the implementation of the policy, he claimed.

Virtucio said the more than 300 Masbate-bound passengers who were stranded in a port in Albay province have been allowed to enter the island after they tested negative for the virus.

The provincial government shouldered the RT-PCR tests for the passengers, the mayor said, adding that allowances have also been provided.

Virtucio admitted that the local government unit has received complaints about the policy, given the scarce supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

He said the province has already asked the national government for a fresh supply of coronavirus shots.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Longer voting hours or even an additional day for casting ballots in May 2022 should COVID-19 infections remain elevated may take place, a Commission on Elections official said on Friday.

Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, who heads all preparations for the elections, said the baseline plan is to open poll precincts early and close them later so people can still vote despite physical distancing protocols.

In 2019, voting hours were set from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"Our risk management team is also looking into that whether to have it [voting period] extended for another day. That will be part of our recommendations in the event that during elections day, the pandemic is worsened," Casquejo told members of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on Friday.

"However, postponement of the elections by reason of that is not one of the options," he added.

LIST: Some things to expect in 2022 election-related activities

The commission said it is still completing its time and motion study before making a decision.

Rather than hold a two-day election, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice suggested that the poll body should just add more precincts to cater to more voters. For Comelec, this would entail additional costs for hiring additional election supervisors and more vote counting machines (VCMs).

Casquejo explained that the poll body already had to rent an additional 10,000 VCMs on top of the 97,345 it owns as it reduced the average number of voters per precinct to 800 from the previous 1,000 threshold to comply with health protocols.

"If we double the number of the machines, the price of the machine costs us 100,000+ each. But if we add additional day, we will just pay our teachers additional honorarium for 6,000-7,000," the Comelec official said.

Erice added that political parties and candidates would have to spend more for their staff who will serve as poll watchers if the voting period is extended for another day. He also said it could affect the security and credibility of the elections. However, Casquejo said they are not factoring in the expenses incurred by political parties in making this decision.

Meanwhile, Comelec pleaded with lawmakers to restore a 14 billion fund in their 2022 budget meant for honorarium, hazard pay, and other benefits of teachers who will serve as election supervisors. The Budget department slashed the amount to just 7.3 billion under the national expenditure plan submitted to Congress.

READ: Nograles says Filipino voters expected to be fully vaccinated by May 2022 polls
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Veteran broadcast journalist Melo Acuna died early Friday after his bout with COVID-19, his wife confirmed. He was 64.

He "joined his creator today at 2:30 a.m.," Ma. Jhona Acuna said through her husband's Facebook account.

The veteran journalist just announced on Tuesday that he and his wife tested positive for the disease. His wife said Thursday night that Acuna was in critical condition at the hospital.

Government officials and various organizations mourned the death of the Asia Pacific Daily correspondent and condoled with his family.

"I will remember you for asking insightful questions, framed in context, and always delivered with respect and sensitivity, not just for the institution but for the people who watch the briefing," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Facebook post. Acuna was a member of the Malacanang Press Corps.

The Department of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs, which he used to cover, also expressed sadness over his passing.

"We lost a good friend and veteran journalist with the passing of Melo Acuna," Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement. "A reporter through and through, he continued his work of delivering news while already confined at the Quezon City General Hospital."

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, of which Acuna was a longtime member and served on its board of directors, recalled how he shared the Filipino story to the entire globe.

"His fellow journalists fondly remember him for his generosity and for his expertise in covering the Catholic Church," FOCAP said in a statement. "From the annual Traslacion of the Black Nazarene to Papal visits, and even the war on drugs, you could count on him for information, perspective, and contacts."

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines referred to him as a "very good friend," and recalled how he regularly invited its leaders to his forum Tapatan sa Aristocrat, which Acuna moderated.

Acuna began his decades-long career in DWGW-IBC in Legaspi City as a full-time reporter, also becoming a Reuters stringer and correspondent for Manila Bulletin starting in 1980, according to his website.

He joined DZRV-Radio Veritas in 1994, eventually becoming its station manager in 2004.

Acuna then joined the media office of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in 2007. He was also a correspondent for China Radio International from 2010 to 2018.

He is survived by his wife, son JP, and daughter-in-law Krupska, according to FOCAP.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27)  Senators on Friday disagreed with President Rodrigo Duterte's remarks that their investigations have led to nothing.

"I am sorry that the President said that the lawmakers just hold hearings for publicity and that nothing happens, no one was put to jail, and no lawsuits have been filed. These are mere speculations," Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Richard Gordon said in a statement.

Gordon cited, among others, the Sandiganbayan's conviction of two former Immigration commissioners over bribery, the uncovering of irregularities in the Bureau of Corrections' granting of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) to inmates, and the "removal of many crooks" in the Bureau of Customs over drug smuggling at the Port of Manila.

"Kung tunay ang hangarin nyang labanan ang graft and corruption sa ilalim ng administrasyon nya, kung pwede lang, huwag syang makialam," said Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who also recalled how the President dared suspended Immigration officials to eat money rolled inside candy wrappers after the Senate conducted a hearing on the "pastillas" scam.

[Translation: If his real intent is to fight graft and corruption under his administration, please, he should stop meddling.]

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III also reminded the President that "most of his appointed officers now have pending cases and were removed because of the Senate investigation" on corruption allegations hounding state insurer PhilHealth.

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson also told Duterte to focus instead on addressing the shortcomings under the executive, which he leads. Lacson said the executive is riddled with incompetence and corruption - not just in pandemic response but in many aspects of governance.

Lacson, along with Sen. Joel Villanueva, also reminded the President about the importance of checks and balances in the government.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan emphasized there would be no Senate hearings to begin with if medical frontliners, hospital operators, and local governments weren't already "frustrated and angered by the incompetence and the stench of corruption in the affairs of the DOH."

Duterte earlier criticized how some senators were "posturing" during the chamber's investigations, calling on the public not to believe their inquiries.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established its presence in Southeast Asia to help strengthen the regions health security capacities.

CDC Southeast Asia Regional Director John MacArthur said they will focus on the growth of key public health aspects including epidemiology, surveillance, data use, laboratory science, workforce development, and emergency preparedness.

"Our regional office will work to coordinate CDCs approach to help address risks associated with the development of these new pathogens of pandemic potential, work to mitigate them at the source, and work collaboratively to prepare and address any future public health threats," MacArthur said in a telephonic press conference on Thursday.

He added that the CDC's tactical approaches aim to harmonize and strengthen surveillance efforts, build sustainable laboratory networks and new diagnostics capacity, and address border and migrant population health across the region through trainings and other programs.

The CDC opened its office in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday with US Vice President Kamala Harris attending the launch.

CDC also recently established regional offices in Georgia (Eastern Europe and Central Asia), Oman (Middle East and North Africa), and Brazil (South America).

"Its critical that we strengthen global health security even further to prepare for the next global health crisis," said Dr. Mitchell Wolfe, chief medical officer of the CDC. "Our long-term vision includes the establishment of a robust, interconnected network of about 8 to 12 regional offices around the globe.

As for the COVID-19 response, the CDC said half of the ASEAN countries are having a hard time now with increasing number of cases.

MacArthur stressed that vaccination is key in battling the pandemic.

"About half the countries in the region, including the Philippines, are having a more difficult time right now. I think the good news is through COVAX and other donations of vaccines, as were starting to see more and more countries vaccinate their people  and I think thats an important tool," he said.

The CDC said the US government has so far donated 23 million doses of vaccines in Southeast Asia and pledged additional $500,000 to the ASEAN COVID-19 response.

Earlier, the US also announced that it will donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to the global COVAX facility.

"Ultimately, the decisions on our vaccine donation are made by the White House," MacArthur explained.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 28)  The Philippines and China reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors to help accelerate recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders of both countries held a telesummit on Friday, where they underscored "the imperative for enhanced economic cooperation" as they work on their recovery after the global health crisis.

"Asia's dynamic future depends on how hard we all work together, how we respect each other and how we ensure that we as nations are mindful not just of our rights but of our responsibility," President Rodrigo Duterte said.

Duterte expressed his gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his assistance to the Philippines' COVID-19 response and support for the Build Build Build infrastructure program. He said he looks forward to the early completion of other China-funded projects, like flood control projects, railways, and connector roads.

Duterte also encouraged increased investments from the Asian superpower in key sectors like agriculture, fisheries, information and communications technology, and science and technology.

For his part, Xi thanked his "good friend and colleague" Duterte for his remarks at the World Political Parties Summit, and for his vital role in maintaining the good relationship of Beijing and Manila.

He added that China will continue to foster a "principled relationship with the Philippines" and strengthen their comprehensive partnership.

Xi also vowed continued support for the Philippines' infrastructure program and pandemic response, as well as the delivery of more rice donations - keeping his commitment to donate 10,000 metric tons of rice, of which 5,275 have already been delivered.

The Chinese leader emphasized they are ready to take on opportunities "to advance the cause of the peace and prosperity for the whole of humanity together with the Philippines."

Both also committed to continue programs to fight terrorism.
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.
Visitors to the HUB-Robeson Center are now welcomed to discover a jungle of distinctive patterns, displays of avian diversity and dynamic usage of flora as part of a new exhibit titled Wind Spirits.

Featuring a range of artwork from three artists, the exhibit is centered in the HUB-Robeson Galleries Art Alley through Nov. 7. Display cases throughout the HUB also feature detailed insight into the creation process of each artists work.

A reception for Wind Spirits will be held from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26. All are welcome to celebrate these works and continue conversation on avian conservation at the reception, according to a release.

The unique combination of varying mediums, colors and displays within Wind Spirits brings together a message of unified connectedness and awareness of the changing ecological developments worldwide that affect birds specifically.

Exhibit viewers are encouraged to reconstruct futures nourished by ecological and ancestral knowledge and to foreground interconnectivity and interdependence rather than ownership, according to the exhibit guide.

The HUB Galleries worked in tandem with Shavers Creek Environmental Center to create an exhibit that builds off of the centers current display of sculptures from the Lost Bird Program, which memorializes extinct species of North American birds.

Lindsey Landfried, curator and senior gallery manager, said via email the goal of the HUB Galleries exhibits is to bring focus to current and complex issues through service to local and global communities. Landfried said the artists featured in Wind Spirits dove into the impacts surrounding extractive economies.

Artists featured in Wind Spirits include Deirdre Murphy, Rachel Sydlowski and Tatiana Arocha.

Through a series of canvases depicting scenes familiar to images of outer space, Murphys artwork, titled Oculus Major, focuses on the migratory practices of pathogens, avian species and climate change.

Murphy's first-hand interactions and collaborations with scientists continue to inform her studio practice, the exhibit guide said. These paintings pose a mirrored likeness between illuminated, aerial images of light pollution and a fading blanket of constellations in the celestial sphere.

Murphys work also expands into two separate works that can be found in the HUB, titled Bird Nest Studies and Nest Alchemy. Both works highlight the complexities of bird nests, which Murphy studied in spring 2020.

Creating a larger-than-life canvas filled with gray monochromatic patterns and highlighted with accents of gold detailing, Arochas work reflects imagery found in nature.

Arocha, a New York-born Colombian artist, said she observes prints and textures emerging from organic materials.

From sticks that produce graphic lines to tree nuts that mimic the pattern of snake skin, Arocha uses these organic elements to then create digital prints. Arocha said her piece within the exhibit, also titled Wind Spirits, is created through a smorgasbord of these digital prints of the materials she has discovered.

Featured in a display case outside the Freeman Auditorium, viewers can directly observe examples of Arochas use of creating patterns out of items found in nature.

Most of my work has a basis in talking about the vulnerable lands in Colombia, Arocha said. Mainly, it centers around rainforests, but it has expanded into different ecosystems of Colombia that are in danger.

With a particular focus on harpy eagles, an endangered species of American birds of prey, Arocha said her piece is meant to focus on the fragility of ecosystems and the impacts humans have on animals.

Arocha said she wants to start conversations with her work and [create] ways in which people can connect to places that feel very abstract.

Working as a HUB Galleries assistant, Montsy Olivas said she is able to have hands-on experience working with artists like Arocha in helping to make their art come to life in Art Alley.

Whenever we have installations or de-installations, I get to learn more about everybody who's coming in and what theyre working on, Olivas (sophomore-art) said. I get to have really cool conversations with the artists and get them to talk about their pieces  I learn through that way of active listening.

Olivas said she has been working closely with Arocha to add the finishing details to Wind Spirits and has been able to communicate with Arocha through speaking Spanish and learning more about her work bringing South American and Latino cultures into the United States.

Using a vibrant palette of colors, Sydlowskis work presents a contrast to the colors of Arochas Wind Spirits, yet works in unison by presenting a mixture of interesting patterns that bring the work to life.

Displayed in two varying sections of Art Alley, Sydlowskis artwork is a site-specific piece that centralizes the concept of forced adaptation in unfamiliar environments. The species of birds found within her piece, titled Vivarium, are displayed in environments they would not normally inhabit, Sydlowski said.

The idea is that migratory patterns are changing, and habitable areas for these birds are shrinking, Sydlowski said. I live in New York City, so I see this on a daily basis I created this beautiful, rich composition that is entirely constructed by humans.

Through observing the continuing reduction of spaces for birds to migrate and inhabit in Manhattan, Sydlowski said her piece brings light to the idea that one day avian species may only have small, human-made constructions to rely on for vitality.

As a collage of thousands of silk-screened pieces, cut and pasted together to form the finished result, Sydlowski said her work comes together organically. She said the separate pieces build upon each other and continue to grow as the work reaches completion.

Sydlowski said she enjoys having her work displayed in a public space like Art Alley, as it is open to anyone who may be passing through. As a high school teacher, Sydlowski said she loves getting to work in spaces where students can freely come and go to interact with her work.

Having worked with Arocha before, Sydlowski said this exhibit is the first time the two have been able to meet together in person. Sydlowski said the two share similar styles of work through the use of graphic patterns and their interests in nature.

I love seeing our artwork next to one another, and it was really cool to also meet Deirdre, who I didnt know before, Sydlowksi said. I always love meeting new artists  its a great way to build your network, meet new people and make new friends.
Penn States BA Society is hosting its first ever 24-Hour Play Festival this weekend at the Playhouse Theatre.

The School of Theatre is planning on kicking off the event at 8 p.m. Friday with the BA Society, a brand new student theatre organization that oversees events.

According to Frederick Miller, the BA Societys chair, the idea for the event came from program advisor Jeanmarie Higgins.

It is an opportunity to get together, Miller (senior-theatre studies and comparative literature) said. Its simple, and we can all create art together and theatre, which we haven't been able to do.

The event will start in the Playhouse Theatre with students signed up to be either an actor, director or playwright, according to Miller.

The BA Society will then announce the theme of the event after picking from a pool of play themes.

The playwrights will then have 12 hours to write a 10-minute play based on the theme, with their scripts due at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Miller said.

Then, directors will get the script, and they also have 12 hours with their actors to memorize and stage the play. He said they will then perform at 8 p.m. Saturday.

While only students from the School of Theatre are able to participate, anyone from the public can attend for free on Saturday, according to Miller. Registration is available for students on the Penn State Theatre Studies Instagram.

Miller said the cool aspect of the event is even though there might be students who are focused on a certain position, they can sign up for whatever they want.

I am just excited to see what happens, Miller said. It is definitely weird getting everyone back in the same space again but also so exciting at the same time.

Yidi Wang  a student participating in the event  said she is excited to participate in something she hasnt tried before.

We havent been able to do anything in so long, so it is really exciting that we are doing something all together, Wang (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said. I know I am going to have a great time, and I know others will too.

MORE LIFESTYLE CONTENT
Offer a personal message of sympathy...

By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account.
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
What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com.
Raffaello-support.com scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 8 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the raffaello-support homepage on Twitter + the total number of raffaello-support followers (if raffaello-support has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the raffaello-support homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the raffaello-support homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the raffaello-support homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if raffaello-support has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the raffaello-support homepage on Delicious.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE RAFFAELLO NETWORK - Contact Page DESCRIPTION Raffaello Network Customer Support. KEYWORDS contact raffaello, contact raffaello network, raffaello network, raffaello network customer support page, customer support page, fashion support, fashion assistance, live chat customer support, live chat support, live chat customer help, customer care, cu OTHER KEYWORDS



The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Strict CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English UTF-8English DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER nginx/1.0.15 OPERATIVE SYSTEM

Operative System running on the server. The language of raffaello-support.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for raffaello-support.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
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
To quote one of Shakespeare's sager lines, "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." And we can already hear some of you out there pointing out that this was a fictional character who wanted lawyers dead so he could "break the law," but you know who you sound like? A lawyer! So, you'll just have to set that clear bias aside as you read the following cases of lawyers who suffer terrible fates. Some of them (not all) even deserved it.

5 A Florida Lawyer's Pants Caught Fire During An Arson Case

In 2017, Stephen Gutierrez was representing Claudy Charles, a Miami man whose car had caught fire. Charles set the fire himself, said prosecutors, in hopes of scoring a $100,000 insurance payout out of GEICO, while Gutierrez claimed the car had simply caught fire on its own, through some unseen collision. Gutierrez was saying that as his closing argument, when smoke started erupting from his pants. He ran out of court, to the bathroom, to put the flames out.

The battery in his e-cigarette had burst, he said, on returning to the courtroom. The judge interrogated him, and when asked why he had a battery in his pocket, Gutierrez replied, "Because I'm an idiot." But instead of thinking "huh, goddamn millennial" about the 28-year-old lawyer, or thinking "well, if pants can spontaneously combust, maybe cars can spontaneously combust too," the judge asked him something to the effect of, "Really? A fire? At this time of the trial? With this type of trial? Localized entirely within your trousers?"

The jury first feared even going to their room to discuss the case, since this was a building where fires kept breaking out, but they went through with it, and returned a guilty verdict. It helped that the trial offered video evidence of Charles trying to set fire to the car 80 minutes before it did catch fire, and then leaving to buy gasoline. The judge said he'd consider holding Gutierrez in contempt, for giving the court all that razzle dazzle. In the end, the state declined to press charges because even if the lawyer was a liar liar pants on fire, he had pulled the stunt with "a legitimate purpose, in theory," in trying to defend his client.

TBEC Review "Your honor, it is not a crime to ignite one's OWN dong."

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

But that wasn't the end. Because suddenly a bunch of scrutiny fell on Gutierrez, even as he followed the trial with a civil complaint against GEICO. Gutierrez was suing on behalf of a client who had already been found guilty criminally of insurance fraud. And so for this follow-up move, the state suspended his law license, then revoked it permanently. A couple years later, this past February, he was charged with cocaine possession. Though, him being a Florida lawyer, you might say that last part was inevitable.
U.S Border Patrol agents walk past a surfer after looking for boats involved in smuggling Sunday, July 25, 2021, in San Diego.
Yes, developers should be building within the boundaries of the city.

Infill is OK in the city but shouldn't creep into the suburbs.

No, the city should continue to spread out to accommodate those moving here.

Vote

View Results
State Sen. Matt Lesser, a Middletown Democrat who has been in the General Assembly for 13 years, has filed an exploratory committee with election regulators in an apparent first step toward running for secretary of the state.

The post will be left vacant next year by the announced retirement of Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Lesser, the co-chairman of the legislative Insurance & Real Estate Committee, filed a similar exploratory committee in 2018, but backed off from directly challenging Merrill, a former House majority leader who won the 2010 election to be the states top election official over Republican Jerry Farrell Jr. and has been reelected twice.

I think theres no more important issue than protecting voting rights, Lesser said in a Thursday afternoon interview. Connecticut has to do a better job. Modernizing our system is something that Ive been working for since I joined the legislature.

Republican Dominic Rapini of Branford, who lost the 2018 GOP primary for U.S. senator, has filed a committee in preparation to run for Merrills post. The last Republican to serve as secretary of the state was Pauline Kezer of Plainville, who held the job for one four-year term, leaving in January, 1995.

Rapini lost the 2018 GOP primary for U.S. senate to Matt Corey, who won with about 76.5 percent to Rapinis 23.5 percent. Corey in turn lost to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, 59 percent to 39 percent.

Another Democrat whose name emerges among insiders as a potential candidate for secretary of the state, Sen. Mae Flexer of Killingly, declined comment this week on possible future political aspirations. She is co-chairwoman of the legislatures Government Administration and Elections Committee.

Also someone who has been seeking support for the nomination is state Rep. Hilda Santiago, D-Meriden, who was first elected in 2012 and is a member of several legislative committees including the tax-writing Finance Committee, the Human Services Committee and the Government Administration & Elections Committee, from which election-related bill originate.

Yet another whose name comes up in discussions about the seat, Democrat Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, stopped just short of backing Lesser when asked about a possible run on a recent segment of WTNH-TVs Capitol Report with Tom Dudchik. Bermudez Zimmerman said she could support Lessers candidacy if it moved forward.

Others who have filed exploratory committees include Darryl Brackeen Jr. of New Haven, a member of the Board of Alders who is open to jobs except state treasurer, according to his SEEC filing. State Rep. Josh Elliott of Hamden has also filed a generic exploratory committee that includes possibly seeking a third term in the state House of Representatives.

Earlier versions of this article contained a typographical error in the quote from Sen. Matt Lesser who said his goal would be to protect vter rights.
NEW YORK (AP)  When it opened 2 1/2 years ago near the Hudson River, the 150-foot-tall (46-meter-tall) piece of public art known as the Vessel looked like another surefire Manhattan tourist draw. It's strange honeycomb of platforms and staircases, partially ringed by skyscrapers, offered striking views of the waterfront and quickly became an Instagram favorite.

But these days it stands closed and empty, its entrances blocked off with chains or metal barricades, after a 14-year-old boy last month became the fourth person to fatally leap from the sculpture.

____

EDITORS NOTE  This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

____

The death on July 29, a mere two months after the sculpture had reopened following previous suicides, has reinvigorated a call for real estate developer Related Companies to raise the height of the waist-high railings on the sides of the stairs and platforms.

The only thing thats going to work is raising the height of the barriers, said Lowell Kern, chair of Community Board 4, which represents residents of the area. At this point after four deaths, artistic vision doesnt matter any more.

Tall landmarks in New York City and elsewhere have long had to deal with the reality of having to balance a desire for thrilling views and aesthetics with a need for suicide prevention measures, like nets or fences.

Related, a company led by the billionaire Stephen Ross, and the studio of the Vessel's designer, Thomas Heatherwick, had implemented a number of measures at the sculpture intended to prevent deaths.

After a 21-year-old man became the third person to fatally jump from one of the Vessel's platforms, in January 2021, Related closed the structure to evaluate its options.

When it reopened last May, it had extra security personnel, signs with suicide prevention information and instituted an unusual rule: Nobody could go into the structure by themselves. They had to be accompanied by at least one other person.

That creative solution didn't work. The boy who died in July was with his family when he leaped.

Now, the sculpture is closed again. Related has said only that it will remain shut while it continues to evaluate what to do next.

Heatherwick Studios said in a statement it was distraught. It said it had exhaustively explored physical solutions that would increase safety and they require further rigorous tests, and while we have not identified one yet, we continue to work to identify a solution that is feasible in terms of engineering and installation.

The local community board had initially suggested installing taller barriers in a letter sent after the first death in 2020, but got no official response, Kern said.

High-profile locations all around the country and world have dealt with the issue of suicides, with some places installing nets or barriers, as the George Washington Bridge did a few years ago.

Some studies of suicide in New York City have found there are more deaths by long falls than by gunshots or drug overdoses.

New York University struggled with suicides in the indoor atrium at its 12-story Bobst library, first installing plexiglass barricades as a prevention measure, then upgrading to perforated aluminum screens to enclose its crosswalks when the glass didn't stop one more death.

Dozens of people have died jumping from the Empire State Building over the decades, both office windows and from the outdoor observation deck, which was ringed with a high, spiked fence after publicity around suicides there in the 1940s.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is currently undertaking a suicide barrier project expected to be completed in 2023 that would install steel netting along both sides of the entire expanse, 20 feet (about six meters) below the bridge and extending 20 feet out.

Getting the project underway took years of discussion and debate, said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, public affairs manager for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District.

There was opposition at times, from those who doubted whether barriers would work and questioned what the physical impact on the iconic bridge would be, he said.

The bridge currently has prevention efforts in place, consisting of signage as well as officers patrolling all the time, who Cosulich-Schwartz said are able to prevent the vast majority of suicide attempts.

Still, he said, there are on average about 30 suicides at the bridge annually, and there was a push for more to be done.

You talk to the families that have lost loved ones at the bridge and it becomes clear quickly that one is too many, he said. And if theres something that we can do to reduce or eliminate suicide on our iconic structure, thats something we can and should be doing.

On a recent day, visitors to the plaza where the Vessel stands were open to the idea of adapting the structure out of safety concerns.

It is beautiful and I imagine that the concept, the idea, was that in each level you have a frame of the city ... but its a failed design, said Natalia Villarejo, 38, of Puerto Rico, who was looking forward to climbing it before discovering it was closed.

I think if you could do it, and still keep the Vessel looking as good as it does within the city, it should be explored, said Eddie Mitchell, 18, of St. Louis, Missouri, visiting with a friend and their mothers.

His friend's mom, Elyse Manterfield, was even OK with permanently limiting public access.

To a certain extent, she said, it's art for art's sake and Id be OK not being able to climb it and simply experience it.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Al Capone is infamous for having been a ruthless mob boss, but one of his granddaughters says his softer side will shine through when the family auctions the Prohibition-era gangsters personal items  including diamond-encrusted jewelry with his initials, family photographs and his favorite handgun.

Capone's three granddaughters will also auction a letter he wrote to their father and his only child, Albert Sonny Capone, from Alcatraz, where the mobster served an 11-year sentence following his 1934 tax evasion conviction. In the letter written in pencil, Al Capone refers to Sonny as son of my heart.

He was called Public Enemy No. 1 after the 1929 Valentines Day Massacre of seven members of a rival bootlegger gang in Chicago by his associates.

But his granddaughter Diane Capone describes him differently.

He was very loving, very devoted to family, very generous, and the letter that we have is such a poignant, beautiful letter from a father to his son. These are things that the public doesnt know about, said Diane Capone, 77.

Diane Capone and her two surviving sisters will sell 174 items at the Oct. 8 auction titled A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone hosted by Witherell's Auction House in Sacramento.

Among the pieces are gold-rimmed porcelain fine china, ornate furniture, artwork and Dresden figurines that once decorated the Palm Island, Florida, villa where the Chicago mobster lived after his release from prison and until his death in 1947.

Also up for sale is the Colt .45-caliber pistol Capone always carried with him and used several times to protect himself, Diane Capone said.

That particular .45 was used in self-defense, and it probably saved his life on a few occasions and so, he referred to it as his favorite, she said.

Diane Capone said she didn't know if the gun was used to commit any crimes and said her grandfather, who she called Papa, was never charged with killing anyone.

He was accused of doing that, but he was never found guilty of shooting anyone, she said.

The pistol with elaborate etchings and a wooden grip will be the centerpiece of the auction and is valued at up to $150,000, said Brian Witherell, founder of Witherells Auction House.

When you think about Al Capone, you don't think Gosh, I wonder what his German porcelain figurine looks like, you wonder what his cigar humidor looks like, what his Colt .45 looks like," he said.

The sisters are also selling a diamond-encrusted pocket watch, an 18k gold and platinum belt buckle and a gold initialed AC money clip and home movies featuring Al Capone and his associates.

Witherell said he had no reservations about helping the Capone sisters and that he expects the auction to draw international attention because of the items historical significance.

We want to handle things that arent objectionable to a lot of people, but we still cant rewrite history, he said. He was a legendary figure. I think his judgment comes from somebody other than me.

Sonny Capones daughters lived quietly for decades in Northern California after moving here from Florida in 1961 following their parents breakup. That changed in 2019 when Diane Capone published a book titled Al Capone: Stories My Grandmother Told Me using her maiden name.

She said her father faced constant challenges because of his last name, including men picking fights with him for no reason and not being able to find a job. In the mid-1960s, he dropped Capone as a last name and went by Albert Francis. He died in obscurity in 2004 in Northern California, where he had lived for decades, his daughter said.

The sisters decided to sell their grandfather's personal belongings because they are all in their 70s, they are the only people who know the stories behind the memorabilia, and they are worried about a wildfire destroying the collection, Diane Capone said.

We were very fortunate that even after my grandfather died, we were very close to my grandmother and so, for years weve heard her talk about my grandfather and about their lives, and about a lot of these items that are going to be auctioned off, she said.

Nina Salarno, president of the advocacy group Crime Victims United of California, said it is undisputed that Brooklyn, New York-born Capone headed Chicago's mob during Prohibition and orchestrated the deaths of many people. She called the sale of his personal belongings an insult to his victims.

Those victims also have surviving family members, and now were glorifying what he did to them by selling his memorabilia, Salarno said.

She added: They say it was part of history, I would agree with that so, donate (his belongings) to a museum, but dont profit off of the back of victims.

Diane Capone acknowledges her grandfather led a criminal life but says that was not the person she knew. What she remembers is a doting grandfather.

My grandfather certainly did some bad things during his life. That was part of his public life, she said. He went to jail, he served his time, he paid his debt to society and after he was released, in the last years of his life, he did everything to make peace with God and with his family, and with everybody, she said.

James Finckenauer, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University who has written extensively about organized crime, said the fascination with mobsters and organized crime in the U.S. started with Al Capone after his crimes attracted intense media coverage.

The average person didn't know 99.9% of the people that might be involved in this, but they knew Al Capone. He became the poster boy for organized crime, he said.

Finckenauer said some people are fascinated with real and fictional mobsters because they think of them as having exciting lives.

Most people, from their perspective, live humdrum lives and they see these guys and their portrayal in shows like The Sopranos, as people who demand respect and live their lives as they please, he said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Tissue holders sit atop the conference table where the congressman's aides field frantic requests from constituents desperate for help in getting friends and loved ones out of Afghanistan before it's too late.

The stories have poured in by the thousands with heartbreaking pleas not to be left behind.

The tissues are used for crying breaks, one of the aides explained.

The hardest part is just the sense of helplessness," said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. Were seeing all of this, you know, anxiety, and we cant do enough.

Across the county, the offices of members of Congress have become makeshift crisis centers, flooded with requests for help getting people onto one of the last flights leaving the Kabul airport before President Joe Bidens Tuesday deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces out of Afghanistan.

More than 109,000 people have been evacuated since the Taliban takeover Aug. 14, in one of the largest U.S. airlifts in history. The work could hardly be more urgent or dangerous, as Thursday's suicide bombing attack killing 13 U.S. service member and injuring 18 demonstrated. Some 169 Afghans were also killed and scores more wounded.

Biden said after the devastating attack that the U.S. would not be intimidated, and our mission will go on." But he also acknowledged the limits of what can be done as the U.S. focuses on safe passage for Americans, while countless others remain, many fearful for their futures.

Getting every single person out is  cant be guaranteed of anybody," Biden said.

In the race against time, the lawmakers are stepping up where the other branches of the U.S. government have maxed out. Its infuriating, emotional work, the rare undertaking that crosses party lines, Republicans and Democrats working around the clock to help the friends, families and loved ones of their constituents  and helping the U.S. keep its word.

In Northern Virginia, the office of Democratic Rep. Don Beyer reports that the number of constituent requests coming in  more than 100 a day  is what they would typically have in a full month. The area is home to many Afghans as well as military personnel and defense contractors, some with ties to the region. In the adjacent congressional district, the office of Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly reports that staff has submitted the names of nearly 10,000 Americans and Afghan interpreters and others to the State Department for consideration.

Swalwells district is home to a large Afghan diaspora community. The city of Fremont has a neighborhood called Little Kabul. But from coast to coast, and across the heartland, lawmakers around the country are also seeing huge spikes in requests for help.

Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon said his office is working with more than 800 people seeking to get out of Afghanistan  a workload that grew in part because of the number of veterans working for him, including two retired colonels plus a Gold Star wife whose husband was killed in Afghanistan, who still have connections overseas. They are having some success, but more often than not, they are hearing from people who can't get through Taliban-controlled checkpoints, he said.

When you're working 18 hours a day or so for a week and people are not getting through and you hear about people dying, yeah, it's emotional," said Bacon, who served in Iraq. These guys are on the edge of their nerves."

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said many lawmakers are forwarding cases his way. I get texts every night, every hour, every half-hour, McCaul said.

The effort is personal for those members of Congress who served in the national security apparatus in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to joining Congress, Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., had provided strategic advice to Gen. David Petraeus, the former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He said his office has received more than 6,000 evacuation cases in just more than a week.

This is about the expectation of what the American handshake means to those that were willing to put their lives at risk to help us and our service members and our diplomats on the ground, Kim said.

In North Carolina, which is home to Fort Bragg, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has been working with veterans from the 82nd Airborne to help people he said they consider brothers and sisters in arms, having worked alongside the U.S. troops for years.

Theyve seen their families grow up, they spent time on the battlefield, they saw people die there, Tillis said.

Tillis pushed back against those critics, particularly in his own Republican Party, who warn against welcoming the foreigners out of fears they could be terrorists themselves. You probably ought to get to know them, maybe get to know their story and welcome them to this country, he said. We owe them a debt of gratitude for saving American lives.

On Thursday, he said his office has a list of 1,000 people in Afghanistan hes trying to help evacuate  and hes just one senator out of 100.

Focus on the math, he said. Thats one office, and its growing every single day. ... Its fairly easy to see how the number gets up in the tens of thousands.

For all the horror stories lawmakers are hearing about people being turned away or having their papers ripped, they are getting word of some successes. Bacon said his team helped arrange for the rescue of an American family by helicopter, plus the evacuation of an Afghan general and his family.

Our folks can know that, for the rest of their lives, they made a lifetime impact on a family," Bacon said. They can cherish that until the day they die."

Swalwell beamed at the photo of one little smiling Afghan girl who made it out safely. That's what keeps us going," he said.

It's like one photo of joy for hundreds of stories that are painful and may not have a happy ending."
I have been working for at least three decades to end the live trade in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), and their subsequent exploitation in circus-like shows and tourist interactions in concrete tanks and small sea pens. In the United States, I have mostly targeted those facilities that are more amusement park than aquarium, where cetacean performances have little, if any, educational value, animals are bred to supply juveniles for sale to other facilities, and minimal research takes place (if at all), despite the hype that it does.

Mystic Aquarium wasnt one of those facilities. Mystic, a nonprofit organization, did legitimate research. Certainly, they were included in my general campaign against the captive display of these species, but I rarely had cause to call them out by name. They didnt get involved in the more controversial aspects of their industry, such as displaying orcas (far too large to maintain humanely in concrete tanks), overcrowding, exporting surplus cetaceans to foreign facilities with poorer welfare standards, or capturing cetaceans from the wild.

Until now. On Tuesday, just three weeks after Havok, a young male beluga whale imported from Marineland in Canada, died at Mystic, the aquarium announced that a second, female beluga from that same import is gravely ill. Yet at the time of Havoks death, Mystic assured the public that the remaining four belugas from Marineland were in good health.

Mystic began planning to import captive-born beluga whales at least two years ago. The laws and treaties that govern the live cetacean trade are relatively weak when it comes to captive-born individuals  such individuals are typically a rubber-stamp situation, a simple matter of filling out the paperwork and off they go. From the laws point of view, these individuals were born in captivity, so whats the worry from a conservation standpoint? I dont think thats how it should be, and I am constantly working to have laws and regulations address not only conservation but also welfare issues raised by these cross-border transports. At present, however, its virtually impossible to stop an import of captive-born cetaceans into the United States for public display or research. Sometimes I dont even write in opposition to such proposed imports because they are virtually always approved.

Unless they are descendants of wild-caught cetaceans from a depleted stock. A depleted stock is one that is at 60 percent or less of its original population size. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Marineland purchased more than two dozen wild-caught belugas who came from a Russian stock that has since been declared depleted under U.S. law. U.S. law prohibits the import of any whales or their progeny from a depleted stock for the purpose of public display. This provision is meant to discourage further captures from, or trade in, a depleted stock. There is an exemption for research.

This is why Mystics proposal was to import five whales  all descendants of this depleted Russian stock of belugas  for research. But they would also be on public display. So my colleagues and I fought hard to keep the United States from becoming a market for these depleted whales and their progeny. We specifically told the U.S. government that if they allowed this import despite our protests, then they should prohibit Mystic from training these whales for performance or breeding them  to prevent the offspring from someday transitioning into display animals when the research ended. We were unhappy when the permit was issued, but the conditions we demanded were included, so we stood down.

Now Mystic, Marineland, and the agencies on both sides of the border must face the consequences of this import. Havok is dead. Another whale is seriously ill. How did this happen? How did those responsible for these whales welfare fail to note the precarious health status of these two whales? How did the animals paperwork pass muster at the border? And what if its not just those two but the other three whales as well? I am horrified to think that maybe theres something going on at Marineland that means no whales there are healthy enough for transport.

It is imperative that authorities in Canada and the United States thoroughly investigate how two (and possibly more) whales who never should have been moved at all were brought to Mystic. I was angry and saddened by Havoks death. He should never have been subjected to the stress of transport. I am appalled at the announcement that another whale is dangerously close to dying. No entity involved in this import is blameless. These whales deserved better.

Dr. Naomi Rose is the marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C.
99 cent introductory offer

Includes everything we offer online for 24-7 news. This option allows you to read unlimited stories at ctnewsonline.com, and access our e-Edition (digital replicate of the daily newspaper). $7.99 per month after the introductory offer.

This service comes with a complimentary CT Select Card allowing for local discounts.

Rates are subject to change.
An arrest warrant in the death of a Greenwich native has revealed new insight into the events leading to her discovery and the moments before she was last seen, including the text messages police say she received from the man charged with disposing her remains.

Police said the remains of Nicole Flanagan, 42, were found Aug. 13 in a plastic drum in a residential neighborhood in Ridgefield Park N.J., a small Bergen County town near the George Washington Bridge.

The discovery came a week after the mother of three was last seen alive entering an upscale apartment building in Manhattans Financial District, according to an arrest warrant in the case.

One person  Aquellio Parker, 29, of Queens, N.Y.  has been charged in the case, accused of helping to move Flanagans remains from the New York apartment to New Jersey, according to his arrest warrant.

A second individual is mentioned in the warrant, but authorities have not responded to questions about who the person is and whether they face charges.

Parkers arrest warrant establishes a rough timeline police have established from Flanagan last being seen on Aug. 6 to when her remains were discovered on Aug. 13.

Aug. 6

1:46 a.m.  Flanagans account with a ride-sharing service shows she was dropped off outside 95 Wall St. in the Financial District of Manhattan, according to an arrest warrant for Parker. As she arrives, video surveillance captures Flanagan being met by a man, later identified by police as Parker, the warrant said.

Minutes before her arrival, Flanagans cellphone received two text messages from a number utilized by Parker, the warrant said.

95 wallstreet, one message text message read, according to the warrant. Lmn (let me know) when your (sic) approaching so I can grab you from the lobby babe, another message reads, according to the warrant.

Video surveillance captures the two walk into an elevator and ride it to the floor with an apartment utilized by Parker, according to the warrant. They are then seen exiting the elevator and heading into the apartment, the warrant stated.

The address is the last known location where Flanagan was alive, according to police.

Aug. 11

11:33 a.m.  Ride-share records for Parker obtained by police show him returning to 95 Wall St., the warrant said. The warrant does not indicate when Parker left the building after entering the apartment with Flanagan on Aug. 6.

Moments later, video surveillance captures him again, this time in possession of a large drum, the warrant said.

Aug. 12

9:27 p.m.  Parker and another individual are captured on surveillance video arriving at the apartment building in a white commercial van, the warrant read.

9:43 p.m.  The two are seen on surveillance footage taking a luggage cart from the buildings lobby to the freight elevator before they exit minutes later with a drum, according to the warrant.

10:34 p.m.  A white commercial van matching the description of the one captured on video at the Wall Street apartment is logged heading over the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey, the warrant read.

10:45 p.m.  Investigators wrote in the warrant that surveillance footage shows the white van stopped for several minutes in the immediate area where Flanagans body was found at Teaneck Road and Hobart Street in Ridgefield Park, N.J.

Minutes earlier, video surveillance showed the same van traveling north on Teaneck Road before circling the area, the warrant said.

11:24 p.m.  The warrant said law enforcement databases show the white commercial van back in New York traveling across the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which spans between the Bronx and Manhattan.

Aug. 13

10:38 a.m.  The Ridgefield Park Police Department respond to Teaneck Road and Hobart Street for a report of a suspicious 55-gallon drum. When officers arrive, they found Flanagans nude body in a garbage bag inside the drum, according to investigators.

Phone records point investigators to lower Manhattan as Flanagans last known location, according to the warrant. Her phone is eventually recovered  the warrant does not say where  leading police to 95 Wall St., the warrant said.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office release a brief statement, saying human remains were found in a large plastic container left in the street. The statement did not identify Flanagan as the victim at the time.

Aug. 19

New Jersey authorities obtain a warrant for Parkers arrest, charging him with being an accomplice to disturbing, moving and/or concealing human remains; being an accomplice to desecrating, damaging and/or destroying human remains; and conspiring with a co-defendant to disturb, move, conceal and/or desecrate a deceased body.

Aug. 20

In a brief statement, the Bergen County Prosecutor's office identifies the remains found in Ridgefield Park as Flanagan. No cause of death is given. Police have said further testing is needed by the Bergen County medical examiner to determine the cause of death.

Aug. 22

Parker turns himself in to the New York Police Department. He is held pending extradition to New Jersey, according to police.

Aug. 24

The Bergen County Prosecutors Office announces the charges against Parker and his arrest in a statement.
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona county that has resisted parts of a subpoena issued by the state Senate as it reviews how it handled the 2020 election must turn over everything the Senate wants or lose all its state funding, the state attorney general said Thursday.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued the decision after a Republican senator asked him if Maricopa Countys refusal to hand over routers, passwords and other items the Senate says it needs to complete the unprecedented partisan review violated state law.

The county has turned over its vote-counting machines, servers and huge amounts of data but balked at handing over routers it uses county-wide and passwords it says it does not control. But the county board of supervisors has said the routers were never connected to election tabulation equipment but were used by every county department, including the sheriffs office, and that turning them over would compromise sensitive law enforcement information.

Brnovich, also a Republican, said that refusal to comply with the Senates subpoena violates state law and triggers another law that penalizes counties, cities or towns that have policies in conflict with laws enacted by the Legislature.

The county has until Sept. 27 to comply or it will lose all the revenue it gets from the state  about 25% of its budget, which was $2.8 billion in 2020.

County spokesman Fields Moseley said the Board of Supervisors will be meeting with lawyers to decide on a response. The board is controlled 4-1 by Republicans but has been increasingly at odds with the Senate over its 2020 election review, which board members say is being conducted by incompetent consultants who are spreading conspiracy theories.

Earlier, a lawyer for the county urged Brnovich to reject the complaint, arguing the subpoena is unenforceable because lawmakers are not in session.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in February that previous subpoenas were valid.

Our courts have spoken, Brnovich said in a statement. The rule of law must be followed.

The county could try to fight the attorney general's conclusion in court. And Brnovich's solicitor general, Beau Roysden III, wrote that nothing in his written report should be read as suggesting that county board cannot resolve the violation by turning over the materials, or negotiating a settlement with the county that resolves its security concerns.

The decision comes after a report on the vote recount to state Senate Republicans was delayed yet again Monday after the supporter of former President Donald Trump who was hired to lead the effort and several others involved contracted COVID-19.

It was the latest delay for the review, which is led by a small computer security consultant called Cyber Ninjas. It has so far taken more than double the 60 days it was originally supposed to take.

The report was commissioned by Senate Republicans and funded mostly by Trump allies promoting his unsupported election fraud narrative. It will not be immediately made public. Rather, two senior Republican senators will review it along with their lawyers and advisers to decide whether the findings are supported by evidence.

Election experts have been highly critical of the review, which Senate President Karen Fann launched late last year as Trump and his allies hunted unsuccessfully for reasons to block the certification of Democrat Joe Bidens victory in the presidential election.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)  Bernie Sanders has long argued  but not proved  that his big government populism can win over voters in the largely white, rural communities that flocked to Republican Donald Trump in recent elections.

Now, as the chief Senate shepherd of a $3.5 trillion budget proposal, Sanders believes he has another chance to test the theory.

The Vermont senator is in Trump country this weekend, promoting a budget plan packed with progressive initiatives and financed by higher taxes on top earners. He's targeting two congressional districts where Trumps vote totals increased between 2016 and 2020.

My Republican colleagues are telling everybody that Bernie Sanders and the Democrats are going to raise taxes. You're right, were gonna raise them on the richest people in this country, Sanders said to the cheers of more than 2,000 who braved sweltering heat and humidity at an outdoor amphitheater in West Lafayette, Indiana on Friday evening.

Sanders has a similar event set for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday. He's noting the difference between the two parties since congressional Republicans in years past approved tax cuts for wealthy Americans but are expected to universally oppose a plan Sanders calls the most consequential piece of legislation since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s.

It could be a tough sell for the face of the progressive movement. Republicans have already begun using Sanders  along with fellow democratic socialist and New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez  in ads warning voters that the country is edging toward socialism.

Sanders saw his political star first rise to national prominence by nearly winning the 2016 Democratic Iowa caucus, and he won that year's Indiana Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton. As he pushed his party to the left and drew in voters frustrated by mainstream Democrats, Sanders and his supporters advocated for reaching beyond the traditional base by making appeals to the white, working class that can attract Republicans or nonvoters.

He has a lot of credibility with a lot of audiences that arent just progressive, said Maurice Mitchell, national director of the progressive advocacy group the Working Families Party. He an outsider. Hes a populist. And, in fact, the thing that weve always said works best against rightwing populism is progressive populism.

But evidence that Sanders has particular sway with Trump voters is limited. According to data from the Pew Research Center, only about 3% percent of people who consistently supported Sanders during 2016 the primary season, and were confirmed to have voted in the general election, said they ultimately supported Trump, compared to 81% who reported voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in February 2020 found that 17% of Republicans had a favorable view of Sanders, roughly the same share of Republicans who had a favorable view of Biden.

Sanders is making his case anew based on a budget proposal that promises universal pre-kindergarten and tuition-free community college, while increasing federal funding for child care, paid family leave and combating climate change. It also expands health care coverage through Medicare, creates pathways to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the country illegally and encourages states to adopt labor-friendly laws.

Republicans say the plan is loaded with unnecessary spending and tax increases. But Democrats, as long as they stay united, can use their narrow advantage in each congressional chamber to muscle it through anyway.

This is the peoples budget. This is the budget that will impact tens of millions of lives in this country: the elderly, the children, the working families, the middle class, Sanders said in an interview before Friday's rally. So it is appropriate to me that the chairman of the budget committee get out and around the country, hear what people have to say. Explain what were trying to do.

Although Sanders is heading to red states, his trip isn't exactly into hostile territory. His 2016 and 2020 presidential bids were popular with college students and West Lafayette is home to Purdue University. Many of Friday's attendees were college-aged and wore Sanders shirts from his past campaigns. Some of the loudest cheers came when the senator said he supports canceling all student debt  even though the budget proposal doesn't go nearly that far.

Sanders similarly remains popular in Iowa, which means Sunday's event there may attract far more of his longstanding supporters than potentially persuadable Republicans.

Still Sanders scoffed at suggestions that his presidential campaigns were more successful at energizing wealthy liberals than at growing his party's appeal with crossover voters.

Poll after poll shows that the American people want the wealthiest people, large corporations, to pay their fair share. This is not wealthy liberals, this is working class Americans, Sanders said.

There is some bipartisan support for key parts of the budget proposal. A July AP-NORC poll found that at least 4 in 10 Republicans said they supported funding for free preschool, affordable housing, broadband internet, and local transit, and close to 3 in 10 reported supporting funding for free community college.

Sanders trip follows President Joe Biden and his allies traveling the country to promote the administrations efforts to strengthen the post-coronavirus pandemic economy. There are no plans for Sanders and Biden, two former presidential campaign rivals, to travel together to promote the proposed budget, though Sanders said he wouldn't oppose doing so.

The administration's economic agenda has been overshadowed in recent days by violence and chaos in Afghanistan. But Sanders says Americans from across the political spectrum understand that what's occurring there and with their pocketbooks back home "are separate issues.

Republicans believe Sanders hitting the road could ultimately hurt his party during next year's midterms, when control of Congress is at stake.

Democrats embrace of socialism helped us pick up seats in 2020, said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Berg "and will continue to help us in the midterms.

___

AP Director of Public Opinion Research Emily Swanson contributed to this report.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California lawmakers will wait until next year to consider decriminalizing psychedelics, with the bill's author saying Thursday that he will keep working to persuade the public and legislators that it's a good idea.

The bill would allow those 21 and older to possess for personal use small amounts of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component of so-called magic mushrooms. It also covers psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline excluding peyote, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, often called ecstasy).

It passed the Senate and Assembly policy committees before it stalled for the year.

The bill moved significantly farther than anticipated, Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said in a statement. The delay will allow supporters to capitalize on the momentum from this year while building support in the Assembly for next year.

Wiener previously removed ketamine from his bill after opponents said it could be used as a date-rape drug. He also stripped out an allowance for social sharing of the drugs on his list.

But the California District Attorneys Association was among groups that remained opposed, arguing that hallucinations can be dangerous to users and bystanders alike and that LSD has been linked to homicides.

Wiener said the decriminalization would be part of the larger movement to end the racist War on Drugs, and that research shows the drugs can help treat mental health and substance use disorders.

The University of WisconsinMadison said this week it is launching a research center to coordinate ongoing studies and education in psychedelic compounds. It cited growing evidence of their utility in treating substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The bill bars sharing with those under age 21 or possessing the substances on school grounds.

Oregon voters last year approved decriminalizing small amounts of psychedelics among other drugs, and separately were the first to approve the supervised use of psilocybin in a therapeutic setting.

Oakland and Santa Cruz are among cities including Washington, D.C.; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, that have decriminalized certain natural psychedelics that come from plants and fungi. Denver was the first U.S. city to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms for personal use two years ago.

Last month, Wiener announced that a related bill that would give opioid users a place to inject drugs in supervised settings will also be delayed until next year.

That measure would allow Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles County to start programs giving people a place to inject drugs while trained staff are available to help if they suffer accidental overdoses.

Associations representing prosecutors and narcotics officers also oppose those sites.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statement Friday on the deaths of U.S. military members killed in a terror attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Indiana grieves alongside the world on the loss of the 13 U.S. service members who put their lives on the line to protect our country," the statement said. I would ask that every Hoosier keep their families and loved ones in their thoughts and prayers. As a country and as a state we need to be unified in honoring and paying our respects to the ones who paid the ultimate price."
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Debra Furr-Holden, Michigan State University; Brooke W. McKeever, University of South Carolina; David R. Buys, Mississippi State University, and Omolola Adeoye-Olatunde, Purdue University

(THE CONVERSATION) About 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, roughly 61% of all Americans have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In some states, however, the share of vaccinated people is as low as 43.6%. There are many counties where numbers are even lower than that, leaving them especially vulnerable to surges in coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Here, four public health and communications experts from Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi and South Carolina explain how they are teaming up with nonprofits and other partners to encourage more people in their states and local communities to get these potentially lifesaving shots.

1. Closing the racial gap in Michigans COVID-19 vaccination

Debra Furr-Holden, professor of public health, Michigan State University

Initially, Michigan was one of many states with tremendous racial disparities in COVID-19 cases and deaths. As a result, the state tried to make it easier for Blacks and other people of color to get tested, acquire personal protective equipment and, once vaccines became available, get vaccines.

But as an epidemiologist who participated in the partnerships formed between the government, academics, health care professionals, nonprofits and philanthropic funders, Im concerned because African Americans are still disproportionately getting COVID-19 and dying from it. And despite our concerted efforts, Im troubled by the big gap between vaccination rates for Black people and white people in Michigan, even if these differences by race and ethnicity are dissipating across the country overall.

About 13% of Michigan residents are Black, and yet 10% of the people in the state who had gotten at least one dose of a vaccine by Aug. 16, 2021 were Black, according to the Kaiser Foundation.

This imbalance is one reason why I helped launch the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity, funded with a $6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One overarching goal of this project is to close the racial disparities gap in COVID-19 and other adult vaccinations, such as the flu and shingles.

The project is a partnership between Michigan State University, Michigan Public Health Institute, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and Community Campus Partnerships for Health. It also partners with organizations committed to reducing African American health disparities, including the NAACP, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the National Medical Association.

2. Outreach to Latinos and members of the Haitian community in Indiana

Omolola Adeoye-Olatunde, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Purdue University

Marion County, which includes Indianapolis, is racially and ethnically diverse, with nearly half the population identifying as people of color. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it had Indianas highest level of food insecurity. As of mid-August, Black and Latino residents were underrepresented among people in Indiana who had gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Roughly half of all people in Marion County had gotten at least one dose by late August 2021.

The Purdue University Center for Health Equity and Innovation, or CHEqI, where I work, partnered with the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and Walgreens to design and pilot an initiative that gave COVID-19 vaccines to people arriving for drive-thru food distribution.

Across the pilots first six vaccination events occurring between June and August 2021, 2,787 families got food and 2,465 of the food banks clients were asked about their vaccination status and interest by student pharmacists. About 60% said theyd already been vaccinated; 229 of them got vaccines by Walgreens pharmacy staff, with 14% being second-dose vaccinations.

Nearly 60% of the people who got the pilots vaccines and reported their ethnicity self-identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Numbers of vaccinations have declined since the first events in June, but student volunteers and Walgreens staff have observed that several clients who received vaccines were previously reluctant to get them. For example, one food bank client indicated they had recently canceled a scheduled vaccine appointment due to hesitancy. Upon talking to student pharmacists and Walgreens pharmacy staff for 10 minutes, and having all of their concerns addressed, they decided to get the vaccine at a Gleaners vaccine event.

We will expand this model to another central Indiana location in late August 2021. There, we should be able to serve not just more Latinos, but many members of the Haitian immigrant community and other food-insecure people. Later, we plan to try integrating access to donated food with other public health initiatives.

I believe that this collaborative model, built on longstanding trust between Gleaners and its clients, serves as a promising avenue to simultaneously address food insecurity, decrease vaccine hesitancy, increase access to COVID-19 vaccines and promote health equity in central Indiana.

3. Navigating the Mississippi RIVER

David Buys, associate professor of health, Mississippi State University

By Aug. 24, 2021, 44.8% of Mississippi residents had gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. With one of the countrys lowest vaccination rates, my states latest outbreak is filling up hospitals.

Mississippi State University is trying to increase the vaccination rate by partnering with the Delta Health Alliance, a public health nonprofit that serves communities in Mississippi and western Tennessee. Together, we are spreading awareness about the importance and safety of getting vaccinated on campus and in all 82 of the states counties, especially 32 counties in eastern Mississippi.

The new Mississippi RIVER project  RIVER stands for Recognizing Important Vaccine and Education Resources  includes more than 20 students and others who are paid vaccination ambassadors. During the 2021-2022 school year, they are educating their classmates, answering frequently asked questions and encouraging their peers to visit pop-up clinics.

This partnership is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, a federal agency. In turn, it is funding incentives for Mississippi State students to get their shots, such as $250 in bookstore coupons or a chance to win a $9,000 tuition discount through a raffle.

Additionally, through this partnership, my universitys extension service, where I do most of my work for the state, is leveraging our reach across Mississippi, including through one-on-one conversations with community members at local workplaces, festivals and other events.

4. Identifying barriers through focus groups in South Carolina

Brooke W. McKeever, associate professor of communication, University of South Carolina

Toward the end of August 2021, South Carolina ranked 41st in the U.S. in terms of the percentage of the population that had been fully vaccinated. According to state health authorities, 60.5% of all adults had gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by Aug. 20 but there are counties with much lower vaccination rates.

Researchers at the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina are working with the South Carolina Community Health Worker Association, Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services and others to increase COVID-19 vaccination throughout the state.

Together, we are working to learn what barriers still exist, what misinformation may be spreading in various communities, how we can increase trust and convince those who have not been vaccinated to get their shots amid an alarming outbreak.

Based on what we learn through focus groups, we will work with community health workers to address misinformation and communicate with those who still have concerns that are keeping them from getting vaccinated. If there are other barriers, such as access to vaccines, we will address those, too.

We are building on a wide array of partnerships  with churches, nonprofits, a community advisory board and academic researchers  to gain access to trusted individuals who can serve as important sources of health information in communities that might be difficult to reach otherwise.

Our Prevention Research Center is one of many throughout the U.S. that have been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of its COVID-19 Vaccinate with Confidence Strategy program. We hope our work with the CDC, state agencies and local nonprofits will get more South Carolina residents vaccinated, which will help protect us all moving forward.

[Research into coronavirus and other news from science Subscribe to The Conversations new science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-public-health-partnerships-are-encouraging-covid-19-vaccination-in-mississippi-michigan-indiana-and-south-carolina-166005.
WEST BEND, Wis. (AP)  An inmate in a southeastern Wisconsin county jail has been charged with killing another inmate in what the local sheriff called a vicious, unprovoked attack.

According to Washington County sheriff's officials, the 23-year-old inmate was attacked, kicked in the head 28 times at the jail in West Bend Aug. 17 and died over the weekend.

A Washington County judge on Wednesday set bond at $750,000 cash for 31-year-old George Telford, of Fargo, North Dakota, who is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and battery to a prisoner. The judge also ordered a competency exam.

Sheriff Martin Schulteis said Telford has been jailed since July 4 on a domestic incident and had no history of major discipline.

This was, for all intents and purposes, an unprovoked attack, said Schulteis. It was not a jail fight. It was an attack on a fellow human being.

The victim from Washington County had been in jail for two days on a probation hold through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, WITI-TV reported. He has not been identified.

Telford and the victim were housed in the same cellblock with five other inmates at the time of the attack, the sheriffs office said. None of the other inmates were involved or intervened in the attack.

Washington County corrections officers and medical staff responded to the cellblock after an officer saw the assault taking place, according to the sheriffs office. The officer immediately activated the emergency response protocol, which sent all inmates in the cellblock back to their cells and locked down the unit.

Telford's public defender, Andrew Leech, did not immediately return a call for comment.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis' order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. The governor's order gave parents the sole right to decide if their child wears a mask at school.

Cooper said DeSantis order is without legal authority.

His decision came after a four-day virtual hearing, and after 10 Florida school boards voted to defy DeSantis and impose mask requirements with no parental opt-out. Districts that have done so include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach and others. Cooper's ruling will not go into effect until it is put into writing, which the judge asked the parents' lawyers to complete by Monday.

Cooper said that while the governor and others have argued that a new Florida law gives parents the ultimate authority to oversee health issues for their children, it also exempts government actions that are needed to protect public health and are reasonable and limited in scope. He said a school districts decision to require student masking to prevent the spread of the virus falls within that exemption.

The law doesn't ban mask mandates at all, Cooper said during a two-hour hearing that was conducted online because of the resurgent pandemic. It doesn't require that a mask mandate must include a parental opt-out at all.

The judge also noted that two Florida Supreme Court decisions from 1914 and 1939 found that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, he said, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk, because that endangers others. There is a right to free speech, but not to harass or threaten others or yell fire in a crowded theater, he said.

In that same vein, he said, school boards can reasonably argue that maskless students endanger the health of other students and teachers.

DeSantis has dismissed the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people wear masks, questioning its legitimacy and saying it is not applicable to Florida. But Cooper said the state's medical experts who testified during the trial that masking is ineffective in preventing COVID-19's spread are in a distinct minority among doctors and scientists. He also said that while DeSantis frequently states that a Brown University study concluded masks are ineffective, the study's authors wrote that no such conclusion should be drawn.

I don't say that the governor has time enough to read a report that thick, but his advisers do ... and that statement is incorrect, Cooper said.

The governor's office said Friday that Cooper's decision wasn't based on the law and the state will appeal it.

Its not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parents' rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians, spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said in a statement. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts  frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented.

Craig Whisenhunt, one of the attorneys representing the parents, called DeSantis' actions in the case atrocious" and called him a bully in the room that is beating up children.

The path that he took showed evidence of some cowardice," he said. If DeSantis really believed the parental rights law barred districts from imposing mask mandates, he wouldn't have issued an executive order  he would have taken the districts to court and gotten a judge to block them, Whisenhunt said.

One of the parents who sued the state, Amy Nell of the Tampa area, said that when Cooper ruled, I really felt heard for the first time in a while."

Since the beginning of the school year it has felt like bizarro world. We are being told that science  what we think it is and everything we know about viruses  may be not true, said Nell, whose son is in elementary school.

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. Over the past week, new cases and hospitalizations have leveled off. There were 16,550 people hospitalized on Thursday, down from a record of above 17,000 last week  but still almost nine times the 1,800 who were hospitalized in June.

The 10 districts that have defied DeSantis order represent slightly more than half of the 2.8 million Florida public school students enrolled this year. The governor, a Republican who is eyeing a possible presidential run in 2024, had threatened to impose financial penalties on school boards, specifically threatening two districts in Democratic strongholds that voted for strict mask mandates. Democratic President Joe Biden said if that happened, federal money would be used to cover any costs.

The superintendent of one of the targeted districts, Carlee Simon of Alachua, said in a written statement that Cooper's ruling is a validation of the right of locally-elected school boards to protect their students and communities during this crisis without fear of political or financial retribution.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll conducted this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

___

Anderson reported from Tampa, Florida.
TRUMBULL  A New Haven man has been charged in connection with striking a police cruiser while fleeing a shoplifting incident last month at a local Home Depot, police said.

Juan Cartagena, 48, of Springside Avenue, stole more than $600 worth of merchandise from a Trumbull Home Depot on July 20, Trumbull police said. Cartagena stole merchandise from the Bridgeport Home Depot earlier that day, Trumbull Police said.

On July 20 around 8:30 a.m., police responded to the Trumbull store for a shoplifting in progress. A witness reported that Cartagena had exited the store pushing a shopping cart with stolen merchandise, police said.

As officers arrived, Cartagena fled in his vehicle on Monroe Turnpike, police said. Cartagena then drove south in the northbound lane into oncoming traffic, police said. He struck the front end of one of the police cruisers and continued speeding south on Route 25, leading to his escape, police said.

The police cruiser sustained heavy front-end damage, but the officers actions prevented Cartagena's vehicle from striking another vehicle head on, according to the press release. The officer was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital for injuries and released later that day, police said.

Before going to the Trumbull Home Depot, a witness observed Cartagena pushing a shopping cart with stolen merchandise outside of the Bridgeport Home Depot store, police said. Cartagena pushed an employee who was attempting to stop him and then loaded the stolen merchandise into his vehicle and fled, police said.

The same witness noticed Cartagena and his vehicle at the Trumbull store and notified police, according to the release. Officers learned Cartagena was responsible for several previous thefts from various Home Depot locations in Connecticut and was known to be violent at times when committing the crimes, police said.

Officers also learned that Cartagena is on parole and had already failed to report for his mandatory parole appointment the previous week, police said. Cartagena has an extensive arrest history for charges that include manslaughter, larceny, robbery and escape from custody, police said.

Trumbull police detectives located Cartagena near his New Haven residence and took him into custody following a short foot chase, police said.

Cartagena was charged with fifth-degree larceny, assault of a police officer, engaging in police pursuit, evading responsibility and reckless driving.

Cartagena was held on a $60,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Sept. 7.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
I went to a routine doctors appointment a few months ago. On the way home, I spied the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail, and thought, Why not sneak in a walk?

I spotted a huge mulberry tree on the path. I plucked one and put it into my mouth, but then stopped, thinking, What am I doing? What if this isnt a mulberry tree?

Now, I grew up picking mulberries with my grandfather. Wed while away summer Sundays walking his dog, gathering berries.

Years later, as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan, I tasted the white mulberry Uzbeks called toot. It was even sweeter and milder than the American kind.

All of which is to say: I know my way around a mulberry. Not just the berry, but the shape of the leaves, the color of the bark. But at that moment, I just couldnt be certain I was right. I spat out the whole thing.

After a year and a half of living in this pandemic, I just dont trust my gut anymore.

And unfortunately, right now, it feels as though I could use some solid instincts. Next week, my unvaccinated kids are set to start school  first and third grade  in person for the first time in more than year.

Half of me is desperate to send them to school with their new backpacks and their sweet best friends and their fabulous teachers, while the other half of me wants to pull them out of school, buy an Airstream trailer, drive to whichever swath on the COVID map isnt an angry red, and homeschool them.

Last year, we were able to meld both worlds. Because Im immunosuppressed  as are 100,000 other folks in the state  we were very cautious and signed up for our districts remote school option. In it, we were part of a community with district teachers, and yet we could be physically away from the kids in classrooms and lunchrooms.

But this year, the remote option is not available. Of course, until the delta variant surfaced, we wanted to go back to on-the-ground school. Even though my vaccine might be less effective because of my immunosuppressed state, we trusted that the COVID rates would keep plummeting.

Yet, faced with a virus 1,000 times more communicable than the one schools battled last year, one that has been shown to attack kids in worrisome ways, I miss the safety of the remote option. It would be nice to have until this thing burns itself out.

As the first day of school gets closer, stressed-out friends have been texting about kids who started school earlier and got COVID or had to quarantine. One friend chronicled the ups and downs of a frightening week at Connecticut Childrens with her COVID-positive 6-year-old.

On Monday, I listened to the states Virtual House Call in which doctors noted the growing rate and seriousness of COVID in children and the need for vigilant protection from the virus, but also highlighted the need for kids to be in school, citing a worrisome uptick in rates of mental health issues and obesity among those who werent in the classroom full time.

And then on Tuesday, my kiddos toured their school. They saw classrooms, administrators and friends, and it all felt encouragingly normal. They were happy. And challenged in a way they hadnt been for a while. After hiding from this thing for a long time, it looks like weve made our decision.

Boy, I hope its the right one.

Laurie Rich Salerno lives in West Hartford. Her writing has appeared in CNN, Newsweek, Discover magazine and other publications.
As most Connecticut kids begin to return back to school next week, this weekend may be the last time to squeeze in as much as summer fun as possible.

From state fairs to open-air circus acts, here are 25 things to do in Connecticut this weekend.
The US financial market is a competitive and ever-changing landscape. Over the last year, the pandemic has only heightened and illustrated this matter.

As a result, the market is now exploring alternate means to engage with customers since the more traditional means to interact with customers has changed, as brick-and-mortar locations have been abandoned throughout this period. Some of the larger financial institutions have been historically more prepared to adapt to such demanding and dynamic changes. Needless to say, credit unions have been presented with a different set of challenges from a capital perspective, whether it be financial or resource-based.

Now, more than ever, credit unions are faced with various issues that require revamping of marketing strategies, streamlining the onboarding processes, improving retention, etc.

Below are just a few of the challenges that most credit unions must be prepared to address:

Severe competition in the market

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) mentioned in its Annual Report 2020 that small credit unions face risks regarding viability due to such reasons as low returns on assets, declining membership, high loan delinquencies, etc.

Of 5,099 existing federally insured credit unions in the US, only 649 have assets of at least $500 million. In other words, if the current trend persists, there will be fewer credit unions in operation.

Difficulty of attracting the youth

The World Council of Credit Unions states that the average age of CU members is mid-to-late 40s, to be precise, in the US the median age is 47.

Millennials, in their turn, tend to have a really poor CU history which becomes one of the main challenges for credit unions today  the need to reassess offers, channels, and messages to better meet the needs of Generation Y.

Unsustainable manual labor

Excessive manual operations often lead to situations when credit unions cant deliver personalized service and shorter turn-around times for their members. The inability to reduce operational pressure leads to declining customer satisfaction and attrition.

Lack of resources

Many credit unions dont have enough budget or staff to build advanced data-driven strategies and exploit the potential market through omnichannel targeting to upscale their digital and physical presence.

Security risks

Like most financial institutions, credit unions can be vulnerable to attacks on their networks. According to AP News, the annual financial risks of direct attacks on credit unions may range from $190,000 for small organizations to more than $1.2 million for large credit unions. These figures demonstrate an acute need for crafting smart prevention measures based on accurate forecasts.

AI Automation for CUs: Why and How?

The challenges mentioned above can become a complete nightmare, but credit unions have an enormous and undeniable advantage  historical databases containing valuable information about their products, operations, clients, and their credit history. Processed appropriately, this data becomes the key to better tailoring of offers according to the clients needs, attracting and retaining more customers, predicting risks and a lot more.

But how to process such loads of data in the most efficient way? It has become increasingly clear that AI-driven enterprises have the best chance of competing with, and often beating the competition. AI transformation of business implies not only replacing human efforts with regard to repetitive manual tasks, but also creating and defining new, innovative, and forward-thinking means to engage ones customer base. Such models, once trained, can significantly increase the efficiency of the entire organization by providing timely, accurate forecasts and/or realizing trends that were previously unseen or, quite frankly, thought to be impossible.

Now, how is all of this typically accomplished with a traditional approach? You would need an army of data scientists and analysts to shovel the data and set all the ML algorithms manually, which is far from being efficient or cost-effective. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a senior data scientist in the US varies from $140,000 to $150,000 per year, and such specialists are really difficult to find and retain. Luckily, AI automation comes to the rescue.

Contrary to popular belief, AI adoption ceases to be complex, costly and time-consuming  like never before. Now, such technologies have entered the path of democratization and become accessible to credit unions of all sizes. Needless to say, even business users can build machine learning models in a matter of minutes, without special technical knowledge or coding.

Using predictive analytics is a prudent strategy for credit unions which helps them to stay ahead of the curve by automating the workflow, mitigating the risks, and predicting members behavior.

Customer risk rating is among the main CU challenges, so lets take a closer look at this case and how a no-code AutoML platform can help to address this issue more quickly.

Case: Customer Risk Rating

Issuing loans always implies certain risks with regard to the borrowers possibly failing to pay them back, so credit unions use credit scoring to forecast and minimize any possible risks associated with their borrowers. Such scoring represents an evaluation of how well the CU member can pay off debts and is usually based on many factors such as the members credit history, salary, amounts owed, etc. However, traditional approaches to credit scoring methods tend to lack sensitivity due to the high degree of standardization. As such, credit unions often reject borrowers who are credit-worthy, which means low profitability.



Today, AutoML platforms offer the ability to engage a more individualized approach to credit scoring. The creation of predictive machine learning models provides credit unions with a more accurate assessment of customers financial behavior based on not only historical data, but also on a large number of in-depth rules and potential income forecasting.



As such, machine learning enables the consideration of specific attributes of each CU member and making of transparent credit decisions, without wasting time on the repetitive manual review. In addition, such self-learning models continuously enhance their predictions once new data appears in the system. This helps to make faster decisions and increases the pool of credit-worthy members, with fewer risks.



On a Final Note



The global business impact of AI automation is hard to underestimate as some solutions are able to reduce the time for prediction making from weeks to days  or even hours  and streamline the average customers time to market by 70%.



In addition, AutoML platforms can relieve credit unions of excessive manual efforts and speed up the decision-making process, leaving more time to focus on higher priorities and corporate values, such as building trust within the community, while offering responsive and transparent customer service.



If you are looking to compete effectively in your market, Neuton.AI is a good example of such a no-code AutoML platform. To learn more about how this tool can help you solve your credit unions current challenges, contact us at welcome@neuton.ai.
The National Credit Union Administration board has recently proposed the complex credit union leverage ratio as a simplified compliance alternative to the agencys risk-based capital rule.

If finalized, CCULR will give federally insured credit unions with between $500 million and $10 billion in assets the choice between implementing the agencys risk-based capital rule or the CCULR. Credit unions will need to do the math to determine whether it makes sense to adopt the simplified CCULR or stay the course with NCUAs more granular risk-based capital rule.

CCULR is modeled on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporations community bank leverage ratio that is a simplified regulatory capital option available to FDIC-insured banking institutions. Fewer than half of the community banks that are eligible to use the community bank leverage ratio have chosen it over the FDICs risk-based capital rules. More than half of eligible community banks appear to have determined that they would have lower capital requirements under the FDICs risk-based capital rule than under the community bank leverage ratio, however, many other FDIC-insured banks have decided that the community bank leverage ratio is preferable.
Cullman, AL (35055)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
Broken Bow, NE (68822)

Today

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 67F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Donald Lee Brock, Sr. 83 of Tunnel Hill passed away Tuesday August 31, 2021 at Hamilton Medical Center. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Thelma Brock; his brother Jerry Brock and brother-in-law, John Marcus. Donald is survived by his sons, Donald Lee Brock, Jr. (Jay Ann) 
Advertisement

Canadian Dollar Outlook:

While USD/CAD rates have been carving out a potential inverse head and shoulders pattern, CAD/JPY rates appear to be working on a head and shoulders pattern themselves.

Canadian economic data has underperformed of late: the Citi Economic Surprise Index for Canada sits at +19.9, down from +31.1 at the end of July.

According to the IG Client Sentiment Index USD/ CAD rates have a near-term bullish bias.

Wings Still Clipped

The Canadian Dollar has experienced quite a bit of volatility recently. USD/CADs 20-day ATR is up nearly +30% from its August low, while CAD/JPYs 20-day ATR has increased by approximately +17%. Gyrations in US Treasury yields, US equity markets, and oil prices have hampered the Loonie  so too have growing domestic Canadian political issues.

With Canadian economic data proving relatively disappointing in recent weeks  the Citi Economic Surprise Index for Canada sits at +19.9, down from +31.1 at the end of July  the Loonie may still be facing troubles ahead.

CAD/JPY Rate Technical Analysis: Daily Chart (August 2020 to August 2021) (Chart 1)

In the update issued on August 9, it was noted that its possible that the pair is funneling into a symmetrical triangle. Nevertheless, persisting below the descending trendline from the October 2007 (all-time high) and December 2014 highs suggests traders should keep an open mindset for more downside  at least for now.

Symmetrical triangle support was breached, and price action today is producing a bearish outside engulfing bar (or bearish key reversal) on the daily timeframe. Taking a step back, its also possible that CAD/JPY is in the midst of carving out a right shoulder in a head and shoulders pattern, which would ultimately target a move closer towards 80.00. More downside looks plausible from here.

USD/CAD Rate Technical Analysis: Daily Chart (August 2020 to August 2021) (Chart 2)

On August 9 it was noted that another run up to the yearly highs near 1.2800 cant be dismissed in the short-term. USD/CAD rates spiked to a fresh yearly high last week, and an evening star candlestick pattern emerged as a near-term top. But USD/CAD rates found support against the rising trendline from the June and August swing lows, suggesting that buying interest remains strong.

This series of higher highs and higher lows has been buttressed by a potential morning star candlestick cluster forming over the past three days, an indication that gains to and through the descending trendline from the January 2016 high and September 2020 low  a dynamic level of support and resistance over the past year  is possible. As CAD/JPY rates continue to work on a head and shoulders pattern, USD/CAD rates are working on an inverse head and shoulders pattern both of which spell potentially greater weakness for the Canadian Dollar.

IG Client Sentiment Index: USD/CAD Rate Forecast (August 26, 2021) (Chart 3)

USD/CAD: Retail trader data shows 74.47% of traders are net-long with the ratio of traders long to short at 2.92 to 1. The number of traders net-long is 3.56% higher than yesterday and 89.27% higher from last week, while the number of traders net-short is 8.72% higher than yesterday and 35.75% lower from last week.

We typically take a contrarian view to crowd sentiment, and the fact traders are net-long suggests USD/CAD prices may continue to fall.

Positioning is less net-long than yesterday but more net-long from last week. The combination of current sentiment and recent changes gives us a further mixed USD/CAD trading bias.

--- Written by Christopher Vecchio, CFA, Senior Currency Strategist
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 
Ashland, KY (41101)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Showers early, then clearing overnight. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers early, then clearing overnight. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
From every great disaster there is an image that sums up its horror. In the Vietnam war, it was the terrified young girl running naked and screaming from a napalm attack. From Afghanistan it has been, for me, a British soldier holding a small baby.

The baby had been thrust into his arms by a mother desperate to protect her from being crushed by the mob at Kabul airport.

The expression on the soldiers face said everything. There was tenderness. This young man wanted to protect this tiny baby. There was also despair.

How could their Afghan journey be ending like this? He and his comrades had risked so much for so long only to see their mission end in failure and, worse, shame.

The appalling Taliban had not only won the war, they would now set about reversing the progress that had been made in turning Afghanistan into a more civilised country.

From every great disaster there is an image that sums up its horror. In the Vietnam war, it was the terrified young girl running naked and screaming from a napalm attack. From Afghanistan it has been, for me, a British soldier holding a small baby.

It may be small consolation to him and his comrades in these frantic final days, but it is possible that some good may yet come from their bravery and their sacrifices.

The reality may finally be dawning on our leaders that we cannot export  let alone impose by force  the values of a liberal Western democracy on a country with over a thousand years history of Islamic rule.

You and I may be outraged that girls cannot go to school or that an adulterer should be stoned to death. Many of us who are not Muslim, and plenty who are, regard much of sharia law as barbaric.

But for countless millions of Afghans it is we who are the barbarians. They obey the word of God literally, as it was written down many centuries ago. Sharia law is all they have ever known and all they want to know.

Our defeat raises another even more troubling question. Its not whether we will ever be capable of instilling our values. Its whether we have any right even to try.

Lets be clear that under international law, one country does have the right to attack another  but only if it is in self-defence. And America was attacked. What happened on 9/11 was the most audacious terrorist action in history. Thousands died in the very heart of Americas greatest cities.

The baby had been thrust into his arms by a mother desperate to protect her from being crushed by the mob at Kabul airport.

It was carried out by Al Qaeda who had been nurtured and encouraged by the Taliban. For the only time in its history Nato invoked Article Five of its treaty: an attack on one was an attack on all.

So it became a Nato war. And it was swiftly won. The Taliban were routed and the USA and its allies had a new country to run.

Thats when the phrase nation-building entered the political lexicon. And we, the Western allies, wanted to build according to our values. Our human rights. Our democratic government. The liberation of women. Girls going to school.

Yet we have failed because we drove Al Qaeda and the Taliban out of Afghanistan but not out of existence. The Taliban re-emerged so swiftly it made a mockery of our claims of progress.

Some say thats a defeatist view. We should have held our nerve, they say. We really were making progress. Girls were going to school. The delicate seedling of democracy was growing.

That may have been true among the middle classes of Kabul: the educated people prepared to work for the British and Americans. It was not true in the dirt-poor rural areas where most live.

You and I may be outraged that girls cannot go to school or that an adulterer should be stoned to death. Many of us who are not Muslim, and plenty who are, regard much of sharia law as barbaric.

Western soldiers were seen as alien invaders with their intimidating appearance and massive firepower. Thats why our forces were reduced to taking refuge in their vast, hugely fortified bases. All too often losing their limbs to roadside bombs when they ventured out. Or losing their lives to Taliban snipers.

The villagers did not listen to appeals for Western democracy. They listened to their imams. And to the Taliban. Many had never really gone away at all.

The inescapable reality is that when the West tries to re-invent an Islamic state in its own image it fails. Remember Iraq? I do.

I stood in the streets of Basra in 2007 watching British troops make their humiliating withdrawal. Yes, the American-led invasion had brought down Saddam Hussein  though we had always denied that was the objective  but what it failed to do was create stability in the most dangerous corner of the Middle East.

It was more than a failure. It was a catastrophe. Vast numbers have died in its aftermath. Iran is now the dominant power in the region. Its threat to the West is infinitely greater than Saddams ever was. Remember Libya? David Cameron claimed Britains military intervention ten years ago had been a success. True, Colonel Gaddafi had been caught by his enemies and hanged  but today Libya is a hell on earth. We are warned not to go there because it is riddled with crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping and armed conflict.

Yet still our leaders listened to the siren voices of intervention and nation-building. Still we patted ourselves on the back for the great progress we were making, instilling our Western values in Afghanistan. Were there not girls going to school? Indeed some were thanks to the dedication and bravery of their teachers who, we kept assuring them, no longer need fear the Taliban. How hollow those assurances ring today.

Were there not many heroic interpreters helping foreign forces to bring order to their country? Again, indeed there were. But look at the terrified faces of those massed outside the airport desperate to escape the punishment they know awaits them when the Taliban are fully in control.

And yet is it not true that our own country has been a relatively safer place for 20 years because Al Qaeda was driven out of Afghanistan? Surely that was a great prize? Again yes.

But 20 years is the blink of an eye for the Islamic fanatics who seek to destroy our democracy and replace it with a caliphate. Al Qaeda lives to fight another day. And it is not alone in its ambition.

If anyone needed proof that Islamic terrorism is still a mighty force capable of indiscriminate mass murder it arrived in the form of the suicide bomb attack outside the airport on Thursday.

Even more terrifying, intelligence sources in this country and the United States knew an attack was being planned but were powerless to stop it. And they fear another. By the time you read these words many more innocent people may well have been slaughtered. Or are about to be.

All this in a country where unbelievable sums have been invested by the West and innumerable young lives sacrificed in a doomed attempt at nation building. President Biden is being ripped to shreds for his disastrously inept handling of the American withdrawal. His reputation can never recover. But he was right when he described this as the forever war. He knew it was one we could never win.

The classic Western liberal view is that we have a moral duty to end suffering where we see it.

It is one I share. God knows Ive seen enough suffering in my years as a foreign correspondent  not least in South Africa at the height of apartheid.

But we did not seek to intervene there, let alone engage in an attempt at nation-building, for the obvious reason that we lacked the power and anyway there was no appetite for doing so. The other was that South Africa posed no threat to us. There is a single word that sums it up. Sovereignty.

A countrys laws are for it alone to make and international law comes about through the agreement of sovereign nations.

We may abhor sharia law and Islamic fundamentalism, but Islam is the second biggest religion in the world and is growing faster than any other. The sooner we acknowledge that fact, the better.

Nothing can compensate the mothers who have lost their sons in this misbegotten war.

But the mother of that young soldier protecting a baby outside Kabul airport can feel proud of him for doing his duty.

And the rest of us can only hope that our leaders have learned what may be the most valuable lesson of all. Western values cannot be imposed at the barrel of a gun.
From being blackmailed by Russian spies to best friends who betrayed their nearest and dearest for a taste of fame, the golden age of American high society was nowhere near as prim and proper as it seemed from the outside.

The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy by lawyer and journalist Michael Knox Beran illuminates the scandalous lives of the US elites known as WASPs - from Edie Sedgwick to Babe Paley.

The acronym stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant - a group not necessarily only defined by whether or not the individual fell into those specific categories, but by a 'longingness for completeness', according to Beran.

WASPs were generally upper-class and of British descent with men likely to follow the typical path of attending Groton, Harvard and the Porcelain club like their father, and their grandfathers.

The book explores the twilight years of the Wasps (1930-70), with the author -himself a Groton graduate - citing poet Robert Lowell when he noted that while once Wasps 'bred leaders like Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. Now, in characters like Francis Sedgwick, they were becoming mere headcases, Mayflower screwballs'.

Here is a look at the scandalous goings-on that shaped their lives...

Babe Paley

The woman whose best friend sold her secrets for fame

Barbara 'Babe' Paley was born in Boston in 1915 and was the youngest child of Harvey Cushing, a brain surgeon, and his wife Katharine Cushing. She is pictured in January 1954

Barbara 'Babe' Paley was born in Boston in 1915 and was the youngest child of Harvey Cushing, a brain surgeon, and his wife Katharine Cushing.

From a young age the beauty was admired for her 'willowy' figure, her 'raven' hair, and the 'classically perfect features' of her face.

Katherine, also known as Gogsie, was keen for Babe and her sisters, Betsey and Minnie, to secure a groom with a vast fortune and established family name to earn a higher place in society.

She was disappointed by Betsey's marriage, in 1930, to Jimmy Roosevelt because the family's mediocre fortune was controlled by Franklin's mother Sara, a 'tightfisted old witch', and because he was married to 'eccentric Eleanor, who omitted to shave her armpits'.

A finishing school at Westover Babe would pursue a career in fashion, soon becoming a respected editor at Vogue. She is pictured in New York

But Gogsie was more than pleased when Babe's sister Minnie caught the eye of the wealthy William Vincent Astor - and 'all but dragged her daughter' to her summer house in the Hamptons, where the marriage took place in 1940.

Babe married Stanley Grafton Mortimer Jr., a Standard Oil heir, but decided that after finishing school at Westover she would pursue a career in fashion, soon becoming a respected editor at Vogue.

Millicent Fenwick, one of her colleagues at the magazine called Babe a 'wonderfully warm human being', while one of her rivals, Gloria Vanderbilt, admitted she was a 'beautiful, kind, loyal' person'.

But by 1950 Babe realized that WASPS were going out of fashion and exchanged Mortimer for Bill Paley of C.B.S. - who tried to 'recreate the elegant negligence of a Whig country house' on a farm in Long Island.

However not long after Babe turned 40 Bill 'abandoned her sexually' and she left to 'manage the houses and head the best-dressed lists', often gracing the pages of Women's Wear Daily.

She met writer Truman Capote on Bill's plane during a flight to Jamaica, and the pair became fast friends. Babe was drawn to both 'the venom of his gossip and his 'campy high-pitched Southern whine'.

Babe married Bill Paley of C.B.S. She is pictured in front of the Remington Rand UNIVAC computer in November 1956

Babe joined the group of New York society fixtures he considered to be his best friends - which included heiress and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt.

But it wasn't long until the literary darling of the time turned on his posse by publishing their darkest secrets in an excerpt from his novel, Answered Prayer.

It revealed that Bill had been cheating on Babe and dubbed her a 'cretinous Protestant sized forty who wears low-heeled shoes and lavender water'.

Babe despised Truman ahead of her death in 1978 and while dying from lung cancer branded him a 'snake' who had betrayed her.

Fuzzy Sedgwick

The predatory eccentric artist who was 'beautiful but violent'

Francis Minturn 'Duke' Sedgwick, known as Fuzzy to his eight children, was the heir to the Sedgwicks of Massachusetts, thought to have travelled from Yorkshire to the US in 1636.

Fuzzy was born in New York City in 1904 to parents Henry Dwight Sedgwick and Sarah May Minturn. Growing up, Francis lived in the shadow of his brother Robert, who was far more of a natural athlete than he was.

While Francis was 'sickly and delicate' as a child, his elder brother went on to play for the only Harvard team to win a Rose Bowl in 1920. Robert was five years older than Francis and passed him down the nickname of the 'Duke', a title he 'clung to for the rest of his life.'

He attended Groton School in Massachusetts where he was taught by the founder and headmaster, Endicott Peabody. Both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt would later dub their teacher one of the most powerful influences in their lives.

The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy by Michael Knox Beran illuminates the scandalous lives of the US elites known as WASPS

'Confronted with a figure so supercharged with manliness, Francis wilted', writes Beran.

At school Fuzzy began suffering 'nervous collapses' which he experienced throughout his life and was sent to California to recover before he attended Harvard - of course gaining a membership to the esteemed Porcellian Club.

It was at Harvard he befriended Clarence Dillon, a financier who offered him a job in the London office of Lazard Freres. But Francis' mental health crumbled under the pressure and his banking career was over.

Charlie deForest, a schoolmate from Groton, offered Fuzzy the chance to stay in his his home in Hampshire, Tylney Hall. In the English countryside the American met Charlie's sister Alice, who he soon struck up a relationship with.

Inspired by Alice's father Henry Wheeler deForest - an American railroad executive - Fuzzy enrolled at Harvard once again, but soon decided the pressure was too immense and admitted himself into a psychiatric treatment facility.

He was diagnosed with manic-depressive psychosis and, using Alice's money, he eventually settled in Rancho La Laguna where he ostracized himself from society and raised their children in seclusion while painting, writing and sculpting in privacy.

His oldest child, Alice, who was known as Saucie, said that her father was 'ashamed not to be a banker like everyone else who took the Long Island Rail Road into town. So he commuted into New York wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella.'

She described her father as 'always nearly naked' and recalled his daily exercises by the pool in a 'little loincloth' that looked more like a 'cotton bikini'.

Saucie was sent to the Branson School in Marin County where her school friends came to know Fuzzy as 'beautiful' yet 'raffish and violent.'

A bridesmaid of his daughter Pamela would later recall how he would invite girls to his art studio like an 'emperor selecting a vestal virgin' when they were schoolgirls, later sizing up their breasts and legs.

His seventh child, Edie, was 'appalled by her father's predation' and the bridesmaid remembers the child walking in on her father 'just humping away' in his studio when she was no more than 12-years-old.

Edie Sedgwick

The tortured actress who inspired Andy Warhol

Edie Sedgwick was the Wasp 'It Girl' who became Andy Warhol's muse. She is pictured with the artist in 1965

After turning 21, Edie Sedgwick moved to New York and in early 1965, Edie met Warhol at a penthouse party hosted by American film producer Lester Persky on East Fifty-ninth Street She is pictured on the set of one of his films

The most recognizable name in the Sedgwick family is Edie, a Wasp 'It Girl' who became Andy Warhol's muse.

Her childhood was 'maimed' by her eccentric father's controlling and sexual behavior and the isolation they faced being raised alone in the California hills - suffering with 'icky feelings' as a young girl.

She too attended the Branson School in California as a child, but was removed after developing an eating disorder, and attended St. Timothy's, a finishing school in Maryland.

Later she was treated at the Silver Hill, the sanitarium in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Two of Edie's brothers killed themselves within 18-months of each other. Francis, who killed himself at Silver Hill in New Canaan in 1964 while Robert, who crashed his motorcycle into a New York City bus in 1965.

'The Sedgwicks called it 'the family disease,' a malady that oppressed their house ever since Theodore Sedgwick made his fortune in western Massachusetts in the late eighteenth century', writes Beran.

Edie made several more films with Warhol. Her time in New York 'seemed to subsist on caviar and Bloody Marys, and to live much of her life in limousines' and she was branded Vanity Fair's Girl of the Year of 1965

After turning 21, Edie Sedgwick moved to New York and in early 1965, she met Warhol at a penthouse party hosted by American film producer Lester Persky on East Fifty-ninth Street.

The artist took an instant liking to Edie, asking her to visit the Factory, his studio where they began working together.

During one of her visits Warhol was filming Vinyl - his interpretation of Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange.

He asked her to appear in the film, smoking a cigarette and flicking the ashes on a man who was being tortured.

Edie made several more films with Warhol. Her time in New York 'seemed to subsist on caviar and Bloody Marys, and to live much of her life in limousines' and she was branded Vanity Fair's Girl of the Year of 1965.

After less than a year, Warhol 'washed his hands' of Edie and after leaving his inner circle she spent the last years of her life living in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. She died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 28.

Joe Alsop

The journalist who was blackmailed by Russian spies

Famous journalist Joe Alsop was born in 1910 into old Wasp society. His grandmother was Theodore Roosevelt's sister and he followed the set path of Groton School, Harvard, and the Porcellian Club

Famous journalist Joe Alsop was born in 1910 into old Wasp society. His grandmother was Theodore Roosevelt's sister and he followed the set path of Groton School, Harvard, and the Porcellian Club.

He was teased in his younger years for his weight, love of books and 'almost ladylike interest in people's clothes and things of that nature', according to his late friend Dickie Bissell.

At Harvard he decided to use his Wasp connection to create a 'semi-comic persona, that of the foppish, epicene toff practicing the dark arts of aristocracy in a demotic age'.

He used old English phrases - though he dubbed pub food in the UK 'inedible' - and was often seen smoking Benson & Hedges cigarettes with a martini in hand.

During the Great Depression he landed a job at the New York Herald Tribune through family connections, and though he was known for his entitled demeanor - Joe was a talented reporter.

Soon his career took him to Washington to cover the Senate - once again pulling in favors from his family, dining and spending holidays with cousins Eleanor and Franklin. He was said to be 'impressed by their Wasp good taste'.

His cousin gave Joe exceptional access into the administration's plans ahead of intervening in the Second World War - which would later be turned into the book 'American White Paper'.

Joe belonged to a group of like-minded Wasps dedicated to defeating Hitler, and later, Stalin. He spent the majority of the Second World War in China helping General Claire Chennault battle the Imperial Japanese Army using American air power.

Upon his return in 1945, he started up a newspaper column called Matter of Fact with his younger brother Stewart. The opinionated column was known for warning against the of 'dangers of Soviet imperialism'.

Joe belonged to a group of like-minded Wasps dedicated to defeating Hitler, and later, Stalin. He spent the majority of the Second World War in China. He is pictured in 1947 - after becoming a newspaper columnist

Several of Joe's friend's thought the writer was asexual. But It wasn't until later in life he found the courage to profess to British philosopher Isaiah Berlin that he was homosexual.

'Oh, Joe, everybody knows that. Nobody cares', Berlin reportedly said.

Joe was not thought to have a long-term relationship, but in 1940 he had a dalliance with Frank Merlo, a charming sailor. He was also once picked up by the police in San Francisco at 'a popular gay rendezvous spot'.

In 1957, the writer was having drinks in the Grand Hotel, Moscow when he was approached by a young reporter working for Soviet propaganda services. The handsome young man was eager to chat with Joe and suggested they meet in his hotel room.

But the room was full of hidden cameras, and soon Joe was being blackmailed by Soviet intelligence agents with 'inculpatory pictures' which would be released if he didn't spy for them.

Luckily, Joe was a friend of Chip Bohlen, the American ambassador in Moscow, who told the C.I.A.'s director of covert operations Frank Wisner.

Joe wrote an account of the attempt at entrapment for the American authorities, and though the information wasn't revealed publicly until after his death in 1989, the Washington rumor mill was soon circulating tales of his affair.

During the descent of Wasp-power, Joe was satirized in a Broadway play as Joe Mayflower, 'a flamboyant toff spoiling for blood in the Far East'.

WASPS: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy by Michael Knox Beran by Pegasus Books is available for 22
A quiet laneway in locked-down Melbourne is playing host to constant queues, five days a week.

Those in the know are waiting for bread and pastries from To Be Frank, an artisan bakery inside an old warehouse in Collingwood, 10 minutes' drive north of the CBD.

Opened by Franco Villalva and Lauren Parsons just before the pandemic in December 2019, the cafe serves a smorgasbord of treats including classic baguettes, cheesy focaccias and almond croissants all made from quality Australian ingredients.

It's difficult to stand out from the crowd in Australia's undisputed culinary capital, but the draw card at To Be Frank is a truly unique specialty - a taco-shaped pastry stuffed with dulce de leche inspired by Mr Villalva's Argentinian upbringing.

North Melbourne residents wait in line for bread and pastries from To Be Frank, an artisan bakery inside an old warehouse in Collingwood, 10 minutes' drive from the CBD

It's difficult to stand out from the crowd in Australia's undisputed culinary capital, but the draw card at To Be Frank is a truly unique specialty - this Argentinian pastry stuffed with caramel

Other best-sellers include traditional pain au chocolat and two types of escargot, a spiral-shaped pastry topped with walnut and fig or chocolate and cranberry.

Also on offer are croque monsieurs, decadent ham and cheese toasties and savoury pastries stuffed with tomato, cheese and olives.

The bakery, which opens from 7.30am to 3pm Wednesday to Friday and 7.30am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, prides itself on sourcing premium stone-ground flours from certified organic producers, including the Rolling Stone Mil in Victoria.

On weekend mornings in Collingwood, you're guaranteed to pass a stream of pedestrians carrying loaves of slow-fermented bread bundled up in brown paper bags emblazoned with To Be Frank's italic-written logo.

The bakery has attracted a cult following of just over 7,000 on Instagram less than two years after baking its first batch on Bedford Street.

Melbourne food bloggers and amateur reviewers rave about its creations on social media, with many calling the pastries the best they have ever eaten.

Opened by Franco Villalva and Lauren Parsons just before the pandemic in December 2019, the cafe serves a smorgasbord of treats including classic baguettes, cheesy focaccias and almond croissants all made from quality Australian ingredients

The bakery prides itself on sourcing premium stone-ground flours from certified organic producers, including the Rolling Stone Mil in Victoria

It has attracted a cult following of just over 7,000 on Instagram less than two years after baking its first batch on Bedford Street

'I have been searching for good croissants in Melbourne and this bakery is definitely one of my favourites,' one woman wrote.

She added: 'I cannot fault any of their pastries. The almond croissant was incredible! It was so flaky with the perfect amount of sweetness.'

A second said she hasn't stopped dreaming about the Argentinian dulce de leche pastry since trying it for the first time.

Food blogger 'Chasing Pastry' described the croissants as 'little parcels of utterly delicious, melt-in-the-mouth pastry'.

He wrote online: 'I thought perfect didn't exist.'

Best-selling menu items include croque monsieurs, decadent ham and cheese toasties (pictured) and savoury pastries stuffed with tomato, cheese and olives

Other best-sellers include traditional pain au chocolat and two types of escargot (left), a spiral-shaped pastry topped with walnut and fig or chocolate and cranberry

On weekend mornings in Collingwood, you're guaranteed to pass a stream of pedestrians carrying loaves of bread bundled up in brown paper bags emblazoned with To Be Frank's logo

Orders can be placed online on the bakery's website, but with no option for delivery you'll need to live within 5km until Victoria's lockdown restrictions are lifted.

The state recorded 79 new locally acquired Covid cases on Friday, as the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta strain spreads further across northern regional areas.

An aged care home in Ehuca, 222 kilometres north of Melbourne CBD, is in lockdown after a fully vaccinated staff member tested positive to the virus.
When it comes to style, we are all inspired by what we see; whether it be a well-dressed celebrity, a blow-your-mind catwalk presentation or even a fashionable passerby.

As fashion editors, we're moved by all of the above, and then some. We're exposed to under-the-radar labels; we get a first-hand look at collections months before they hit stores; we attend VIP events; we're tapped into brands with chic-yet-cheap offerings and we shop  a lot.

To share our knowledge, FEMAIL brings you Style Swoon, a weekly series of the latest, greatest and on the verge. We hope this Friday series will serve as a buying guide and point of inspiration for all.

This week's edition: the beauty buzz.

Gender neutral beauty brand Hume (known for its Supernatural Deodorant) launched their first oil mist this week

Sans water, fillers or preservatives, the nutrient dense, 100% plant-based oil will have you saying good-bye to traditional moisturizer

Gender neutral product brand Hume (known for its Supernatural Deodorant) launched their first oil mist this week.

Sans water, fillers or preservatives, the nutrient dense, 100% plant-based oil will have you saying good-bye to traditional moisturizer.

The light mist is easy to apply, it absorbs quickly and deeply nourishes without leaving a greasy after feel.

Packaged in a sleek and compact bottle, Hume's Dry Body Oil is perfect for a man or a woman on-the-go.

Daily Mail's Style Director, Pandora Amoratis, recommends all three scents: Desert Bloom, Amber Woods and Fragrance Free.

They retail for $24.99 each or $66 for a package of three.

They retail for $24.99 each or $66 for all three

The light mist is easy to apply, it absorbs quickly and deeply nourishes without leaving a greasy after feel.

Just in time for fall, MERIT debuted its first newness since the launch of the brand in January with four new shades of its best-selling Shade Slick tinted lip oil

Just in time for fall, MERIT debuted its first newness since the launch of the brand in January with four new shades of its best-selling Shade Slick tinted lip oil.

The extended shade range features four new fashion-forward statement colors in the label's classic your-lip-but-better finish: Bel Air (a warm clear hue); Cara Cara (a soft red-orange); Taupe (a neutral tan shade); and Falcon (a deep brown).

Formulated with rosehip oil and shea butter the $24 lip tint hydrates your pucker while leaving a naturally beautiful finish that's somewhere between an gloss and a light stain.

Just in time for fall, MERIT debuted its first newness since the launch of the brand in January with four new shades of its best-selling Shade Slick tinted lip oil

The extended shade range features four new fashion-forward statement colors in MERITs classic your-lip-but-better finish: Bel Air, a warm clear hue; Cara Cara, a soft red-orange; Taupe, a neutral tan shade; and Falcon, a deep brown

The $24 lip tint is somewhere between an oil and a light stain giving a naturally beautiful finish

Launched in 1971, Great Lash Mascara has garnered a cult following.

Makeup artists and beauty junkies alike cannot get enough of the affordable mascara that conditions and thickens in a standout pink and green tube.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Maybelline has put a fresh spin on the beloved classics.

Great Lash Mascara is being offering in a limited-edition 2-Pack, featuring shades Blackest Black & Clear and 2x Very Black.

Baby Lips is also back with Great Lash-inspired packaging and shade, Melon Mania

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Maybelline has put a fresh spin on the beloved classics. Great Lash Mascara is being offering in a limited-edition 2-Pack, featuring shades Blackest Black & Clear and 2x Very Black

To commemorate 50 years, limited-edition shades of fan-favorite eyeshadow palette, City Mini, are now available.

Inspired by the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s the palettes include Rising Star, Electric Noho, Frosted Visionary and Posh Inspirer.

Baby Lips is also back with Great Lash-inspired packaging and shade, Melon Mania.

To commemorate 50 years, limited-edition shades of fan-favorite eyeshadow palette, City Mini, are now available.

On Friday, August 20th, American department store Kohls and French multinational retailer Sephora celebrated the launch of the first 70+ Sephora at Kohls locations opening this month.

The festivities took place at the Ramsey, NJ location, one of the first to debut the new fully-immersive, premium beauty destination designed with 2,500 square feet of dedicated space.

Sephora Beauty Brand Founders Mario Dedivanovic (Makeup by Mario), Dr. Dennis Grossand Laura Slatkin (Nest) were just a few VIPs in attendance.

The new beauty destination designed with 2,500 square feet of dedicated space, features everything from Fenty Beauty and Drunk Elephant to cult classics like Lancome and Bare Minerals, and emerging clean beauty brands like ILIA and Milk Makeup.

On Friday, August 20th, American department store Kohls and French multinational retailer Sephora celebrated the launch of the first 70+ Sephora at Kohls locations opening this month.

The festivities took place at the Ramsey, NJ location, one of the first to debut the new fully-immersive, premium beauty destination designed with 2,500 square feet of dedicated space

Much of the department store chain's success has been the discounts and rewards, and shopping Sephora at Kohls is no different.

Customers can earn both Kohls rewards AND Sephora Beauty Insider points.

The partnership will expand into 200 stores this fall and at least 850 stores by 2023.

Customers can earn both Kohls rewards AND Sephora Beauty Insider points

On August 10, MAKE debuted the latest innovation to their line, the refillable Super Cell Deep Moisture Cream and Acid Phase Multi-AHA Exfoliation Solution

On August 10, MAKE debuted the latest innovation to their line, the refillable Super Cell Deep Moisture Cream and Acid Phase Multi-AHA Exfoliation Solution.

Formulated with orchid stem cells, phytoceramides and essential fatty acids, Super Cell Deep Moisture Cream ($38) nourishes skin for optimal skin hydration.

The Acid Phase Multi-AHA Exfoliation Solution ($24) provides an instant glow while leaving skin soft and smooth.

Formulated with formaldehyde-free, high- purity glycolic acid along with malic, tartaric, vegan lactic and pyruvic acids, it exfoliates and brightens the skin.

Both products are perfect additions to fall/winter beauty routine.
A budget-savvy school teacher has revealed how she transformed her bedroom by adding two stylish DIY downlights next to her bed.

The transformation cost Emily Duncan, a 22-year-old first home owner from Sydney, just $78.50 after the aspiring home-flipper sourced everything she needed from Kmart.

The most expensive part of the makeover was the pair of woven lampshades which cost $29 each, Emily told FEMAIL.

A budget-savvy school teacher has revealed how she transformed her bedroom from basic to luxe by adding two stylish DIY downlights next to her bed, pictured after the transformation

The 'before' shot of the bedroom lacks the sophistication the lights bring to the room

The young woman said there were 'no tools or electricians required' for the makeover.

'I used push lights with a remote instead of hard-wiring new lights, this means that when I change my mind which we know I probably will soon, I haven't wasted hundreds of dollars,' she revealed.

Emily posted a video on Instagram showing off exactly how she made the stylish downlights, which are operated using a remote control.

The video starts with the teacher measuring the space between her bed and each wall, so she can hang the lights in the right spot.

She then marks their position using pencil before placing sticky hooks on the ceiling.

After that the young woman tied her jute string to her lampshade and stuck the remote controlled light at the base.

She then hung the lights which instantly transformed the room and inspired her followers with dozens commenting on how clever the lighting solution was.

The transformation cost Emily Duncan, a 22-year-old first home owner from Sydney, just $78.50 after the aspiring home-flipper sourced everything she needed from Kmart

The young woman completed the project on her own without the use of heavy tools or the need for an electrician

'So happy with the final product, and so proud that I did it all by myself,' Emily said, to which someone commented: 'From apprentice to tradie.'

Emily also posted the video and photographs showing off the transformation on a Kmart hacks Facebook Page.

And even regular Kmart shoppers were impressed with the hack - especially by the use of the remote-controlled lights.

Others copied the idea and said they were amazed by how easy it was to replicate.

The young woman spent $78.50 on the two lights and got everything she needed from Kmart

The camping lights, also from Kmart, are remote controlled making them perfect for the job

'You have a copy cat on your hands, yep ME. Thank you. We bought two years ago and I wanted lights like this from the roof but we just havent, now I can,' one woman said.

One woman decided she wants to do something similar down her hallway while others said the idea is perfect for people in rentals.

Emily and her partner Cam, who is a plumber, are currently renovating their home together.

They are uploading hacks, photos and lessons learned on their way on Instagram and are hoping to one day be 'professional house flippers'.
Advertisement

A one-off warehouse conversion in one of Melbourne's trendiest suburbs has a historic tie to the city's past.

The apartments inside the heritage-listed Foy & Gibson building in Collingwood, three kilometres north of the CBD, started life as the production centre of one of Australia's first and largest department stores.

But renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the space into a luxury residential complex containing 14 spacious units, all built over the former factory floor.

The penthouse apartment, which features an 'expansive open-plan living room', a private balcony and a large entertainer's kitchen, recently hit the market with a price tag of $1.45 to $1.55 million (AUD).

A one-off warehouse conversion (pictured) in one of Melbourne's trendiest suburbs has a historic tie to the city's past

Listing agent Scott McElroy of Belle Property told Daily Mail Australia that unlike many properties marketed as 'warehouse conversions', this one is the genuine article.

'It's the real McCoy,' he said.

'You get a lot of places with three-metre ceilings and a bit of red brick called a warehouse, but that's not always true.

The apartments inside the heritage-listed Foy & Gibson building in Collingwood, three kilometres north of Melbourne CBD, started life as the production centre of one of Australia's first and largest department stores

But renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the space into a luxury residential complex containing 14 spacious units (one pictured), all built over the former factory floor

The penthouse apartment (pictured), which features an 'expansive open-plan living room', a private balcony and a large entertainer's kitchen, recently hit the market with a price tag of $1.45 to $1.55 million (AUD)

The Collingwood area has been compared to New York's iconic SoHo and Meatpacking districts, which are famed for sprawling lofts, independent breweries trendy eateries

'This property is part of that precinct that was the heart of Melbourne's manufacturing back in the old days - it has a true industrial flavour that just makes it special.'

Mr McElroy said the developers who flipped the building in the late 1990s were careful to retain the original style of the warehouse.

He compared the design and surrounding neighbourhood to that of New York's iconic SoHo and Meatpacking districts, which are famed for sprawling lofts, independent breweries trendy eateries.

The Foy & Gibson apartment bears all the hallmarks of an New York City loft, from timber floors and soaring ceilings to large windows that draw in natural light

Listing agent Scott McElroy of Belle Property told Daily Mail Australia that unlike many properties marketed as 'warehouse conversions', this one is the genuine article

Mr McElroy said it is unusual spacious for an inner-city apartment, which can often feel crowded and claustrophobic

The Foy & Gibson apartment bears all the hallmarks of an New York City loft, from timber floors and soaring ceilings to large windows that draw in natural light.

Mr McElroy said it is unusual spacious for an inner-city apartment, which can often feel crowded and claustrophobic.

The asking price of $1.45million is $300,000 higher than the average price of a three-bedroom in the 3066 postcode, which was $1.1million in 2020, according to realestate.com.au.
Royal fans have gone wild over six-year-old Princess Gabriella of Monaco's DIY asymmetric fringe in the family's reunion photos.

Princess Charlene of Monaco, 43, shared a series of snaps after she was reunited with husband Prince Albert, 63, and twins Gabriella and Jacques for the first time in almost three months.

The princess, who was last seen in Monaco in January, has been joined by her family in South Africa, where she remains while recovering from a mystery operation two weeks ago.

Sharing the photos, Charlene revealed Gabriella had decided to 'give herself a haircut', explaining why the young princess had an uneven, choppy fringe.

Instagram followers loved the glimpse of normal family life and said 'all kids are the same'. Others said Gabriella wanted to be like Charlene, who debuted her own edgy shaved hairstyle in December last year.

Royal fans have gone wild over six-year-old Princess Gabriella of Monaco's dramatic new haircut in the family's reunion photos. Charlene revealed Gabriella had decided to 'give herself a haircut', explaining why the young princess had an uneven, choppy fringe (pictured)

Charlene, 43, who was last seen in Monaco in January, shared professional photographs of their reunion on Instagram (pictured) on Wednesday

Instagram followers loved the glimpse of normal family life and said 'all kids are the same'. Others said Gabriella wanted to be like Charlene, who debuted her own edgy shaved hairstyle

One posted: 'Oh goodness, they always want to fiddle with their hair. You must be thrilled to be with your family.'

Another wrote: 'We have all been there with the haircut.' A third added: 'Hahaha she copied you.'

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.

On Wednesday 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.'

Albert, 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.'

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.'

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

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.
Newlywed Lady Kitty Spencer's glamorous extended honeymoon continued yesterday with a boat trip with friends off the Amalfi Coast.

Princess Diana's niece, 30, and husband Michael Lewis, 62, are once again staying at the Il San Pietro Hotel in Positano, where rooms cost up to 3,590-a-night.

The couple first checked-in to the five-star hotel on July 27, three days after their lavish wedding in Rome. It is not known whether the couple have rented out the luxury room for the duration of the summer, or if they are enjoying a second stint.

Kitty, who has shared almost daily Instagram updates on her trip, shared a fresh batch of sun-soaked photos yesterday.

Dolce darling! Lady Kitty Spencer glamorous extended honeymoon continued yesterday with a boat trip with friends off the Amalfi Coast. She showed off this stunning D&G ensemble

Girls' trip! In another snap she is seen relaxing with Nataha Poonawalla, the executive director of the Serum Institute of India. She wore yet another chic D&G outfit for the occasion

Matchy, matchy! The girlfriends wore the same pair of strappy, D&G bejewelled sandals

In one, the society beauty poses in a beautiful D&G dress in the brand's signature gerbera and daisy print dresses with a pair of purple D&G mules.

In another snap she is seen relaxing with Nataha Poonawalla, the executive director of the Serum Institute of India.

Describing the hotel as 'home sweet home', Kitty, who was in the UK over the weekend for BFF Jemima Herbert's wedding, shared videos of their meals overlooking the azure waters.

The couple also dined out at the Rosselini restaurant in Ravello, which boasts one Michelin star.

Dinner for two: Kitty enjoyed a romantic sunset meal, overlooking the picturesque coastline

Fading late: The society beauty was either up until the early hours or woke extra early to share this photograph of the Amalfi Coast at daybreak

Dinner and a show! Kitty and Michael were serenaded by musicians during their romantic meal

It comes after the couple were spotted in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old newlywed captured her dream-holiday, starting with a few snaps of the Palazzo Avino.

The pink hotel is located high up in the hills of Ravello and offers incomparable views of the bay.

Breathtaking: The society beauty has been sharing almost daily updates from her holiday

Spectacular view: The newlyweds have been soaking up the sunshine in Italy this summer

Lady Kitty shared beautiful pictures of the hotel's pink walls and stairs which culminated in breath-taking views of the glittering water.

Dressed in an orange form-fitting cocktail dress by Dolce & Gabbana, Lady Kitty looked in her element as she took in the view from the hotel's terrace, before sitting down for dinner at Rosselini's.

On Tuesday, the heiress and model was spotted in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer on the French Riviera, enjoying dinner with her husband.

The outing came just days after Lady Kitty attended the lavish wedding of Lady Jemima Herbert to her insurance broker beau Hugo Davies at Wilton House, Wiltshire over the weekend.

The 30-year-old model wore a recycled 1650 carretto print silk chiffon D&G sundress teamed with a pair of oversized tortoiseshell sunglasses paired with a red leather clutch bag draped over her shoulder.

Lady Kitty Spencer, 30, pictured, has shared snaps of her dream Italian holiday spent eating at Michelin-starred restaurant and sleeping in five-star hotels

The model and brand ambassador for Dolce and Gabbana woke up to a terrace breakfast overlooking the Mediterranean sea, pictured

The socialite wore her blonde tresses back in a sleek low ponytail and accessorised her look with dainty gold earrings and a matching bracelet.

Kitty was among guests including Belvoir Castle's Lady Violet Manners as she attended Lady Herbert's wedding to Davies earlier this week.

The couple, who were 'old friends' before becoming romantically involved, announced their engagement in January last year but had to rearrange their nuptials twice due to the pandemic.

Both Kitty and the bride donned two outfits to the wedding, swapping elegant day outfits for more comfy party ensembles later in the night.

On Tuesday, the newlyweds were spotted in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer on the French Riviera, where they stopped for a coffee

Lady Kitty tied the knot with her long time partner Michael Lewis, 62, on July 24 in Italy, during what has now been dubbed the socialite event of the year, pictured

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.

Lady Diana's niece tied the knot with fashion tycoon Michael, in Rome in late July after three years together in a lavish weekend-long wedding complete with fireworks, a 20,000-a-night venue and a wardrobe full of custom D&G gowns.

The night before the ceremony, she wore a baby-blue tulle gown and cape embroidered with cross-stitched flowers.

Her main wedding dress was an intricate floral lace design, a high neck, long sleeves and puffed shoulders.

She changed into a double organza hand-painted silk gown embellished with flowers and crystals for the wedding dinner.

Later, she wore a cocktail dress embroidered with silver and golden bead and the morning after her big day she was seen in a mikado silk dress with cutwork inserts, embellished with sequins, applique flowers and double duchesse ribbons.
A British journalist who fled war-torn Afghanistan as a child has spoken of her heartbreaking phone call with her cousin who fears being murdered by the Taliban for being too liberal.

Nelufar Hedayat, 33, was born in Kabul but left in the late eighties, spending time in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, before arriving in London in 1994.

The documentary-maker is a regular face on British TV screens, best known for presenting CBBC's Newsround from 2011 to 2014. She has also presented for Channel 4's Unreported World, and now has her own podcast series Doha Debates.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Nelufar explained how her female cousin, who can't be named for her own safety, is 'top of the Taliban's hit list' due to her work as a University lecturer.

Nelufar Hedayat, 33, was born in Kabul but left in the late eighties, spending time in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, before arriving in London in 1994. She is pictured at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah

'My dad and I received a call from my female cousin in Afghanistan.

'My cousin was saying, "They're going to kill me. I've been too liberal. I've worked for the other side.

'"I wanted to call and say goodbye. If I never get to speak to you again, thank you for everything. We love you."'

It comes amid fears ISIS will strike again ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave following the double suicide attack at Kabul airport which killed at least 170 people, including 13 American service personnel.

The Taliban took control of Kabul on last week, securing their power over the nation by posing in the presidential palace, causing many Afghan women to desperately flee the country in fear of their own lives.

During Taliban rule in the 1990s, women were forced to wear coverings from head to toe, not allowed to work or attend schools and not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.

The documentary-maker is a regular face on British TV screens, best known for presenting CBBC's Newsround from 2011 to 2014. She has also presented for Channel 4's Unreported World, and now has her own podcast series Doha Debates. Nelufar, aged four, is pictured right with her sister Mursal, aged one, (left) in Peshawar, Pakistan

Nelufar's cousin is a teacher at Kabul University on democracy and its benefits.

'[My cousin] is everything the Taliban hates. She says she'll be on top of the Taliban hit list.'

'It is unfathomable to know what to do when you get a call like this.

'In the space of two weeks the women in my family back in Afghanistan, those that we bragged about, that had studied and educated themselves against the odds and made something of themselves, are in immense danger.

'I cannot identify my cousin any further, for fear of any attacks.'

Nelufar Hedayat, 33, was born in Kabul but left in the late eighties, spending time in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, before arriving in London in 1994

Over the last two weeks, Nelufar's family have psychologically prepared themselves for many calls like this.

'Making these calls is heart shattering. I feel completely helpless. These are the Afghans that we are leaving behind. They don't get an evacuation, they don't get saved.'



Nel added that the current situation feels like 'reliving a bad dream' because 'millions of people have been left hopeless'.

'My other aunty in Kabul is a carer for her husband who became disabled after a stroke. When we call her, she just cries and cries.

Nelufar is pictured left in 2002 in London, on her mother's first day of work experience at a Barrister's Chambers. She is pictured right in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1992

'No words exchanged between us because frankly, what can we possibly say? We cry with her.'

'For Afghans, British people and the world over, this all feels like remembering a bad dream.

'We're having to get our mouths around words we haven't uttered for a long time. Burqa, Taliban, Sharia, extremism, beheading, war.

'We're quickly learning that history has repeated itself.

'Following the US, the UK invaded a land far, far away, tried what it could through military might to get its way, and is now being forced out by the same people they have tried to destroy.'

'Millions of Afghans will be left helpless in this hopeless mess but for the lucky few that are being evacuated to other lands I can tell you they have another battle on their hands-- the biggest of which is being misunderstood.'

Nazir Ahmad (Nel's father), baby sister Mursal (left) and Nelufar on the right (age 3), in 1990

Based on her experience as an Afghan refugee to the UK in the 80's, Nel said, 'I want to warn [the Afghan refugees of today] to be brave and not let the careless attacks of being called lazy, greedy, smelly, burdensome, unwanted, and dangerous get to them.'

She added, 'I want to let them know that there are kind and understanding folk who will see their efforts as what they are: noble, ambitious, desperate, and unavoidable.'

'If I could say to the British and American people about what to do with regards to Afghanistan right now, I'd say: Be kind.

'For God's sake. Be kind and understand, we in the West are one climate catastrophe away from being made homeless by the thousands and in need of help from other nations.

'Donate to charities that you feel connected to. If you connect with the LGBTQ+ community, help queer Afghans.

Nelufar, 33, was trafficked from Kabul to London as an infant, but is now thriving as a broadcaster

'If you identify with the women of Afghanistan, donate accordingly. If you can open your spare room or flat to a refugee, there are charities that help connect refugees in need with hosts that want to help individuals directly.

'There's so much work that needs to be done.'

Nelufar previously told FEMAIL she was illegally smuggled out of Kabul in the late eighties by human traffickers, who took her and her family on a perilous journey to claim asylum in the UK.

At one point, the smugglers told Nel's family they were going to German, before the plane landed at Heathrow.

Her mother Patuni worked as a civil engineer and often travelled abroad with her friends before turf wars between different religious and political groups broken out in her native Afghanistan.

She grew up in London and eventually pursued a career in journalism, presenting for CBBC's Newsround from 2011- 2014, as well as for Channel 4's 'Unreported World.'

Nelufar (left), is pictured aged three in Peshawar, Pakistan with two friends

Now she's an independent filmmaker and a correspondent for Doha Debates, a media organisation based in Qatar that produces films, podcasts, debates, and video.

Nel's work has allowed her to stay in touch with her home country and particularly understand the role of female teachers in Afghan society.

'Back in 2011, I made a documentary about the lives of Afghan women after the fall of the Taliban in the late 90's,' she told FEMAIL.

'These women were heroes by any standard but to me above them all stood my aunty Marzia, who had taught young women, smuggling schoolbooks under her burqa. Since them Afghanistan has enjoyed a rise in girls' education like never before.'

Now, after 20 years of girls' having the right and freedom to learn and go to school, Nel says that once again her aunt has had to close the school where she was once headteacher.
Advertisement

After a whirlwind trip to France in which she got engaged to her boyfriend Ben Youcef, Sandra Lee is back home in California, where she was spotted running errands and taking out the trash.

The 55-year-old was photographed picking up her dry cleaning, talking on the phone, shopping for groceries, and moving a trash bin outside on Thursday, August 26.

She also enjoyed a solo lunch at Kayndaves Cantina in Culver City while wearing a loose-fitting black dress and sunglasses, her hair pulled back in a messy bun.

Noticeably missing was her new engagement ring, a huge stone that had been photographed on her finger shortly after Youcef popped the question in Paris earlier this month.

Back to normal: Sandra Lee is back home in California after a romantic trip to France

Dragging out the garbage: Lee, 55, was photographed running errands on Thursday and taking out the trash

Real life: She just got back from a trip to St. Tropez and Paris with her fiance Ben Youcef, 46

She enjoyed a solo lunch at Kayndaves Cantina in Culver City while wearing a loose-fitting black dress and sunglasses, her hair pulled back in a messy bun

Bare finger: Youcef proposed on the trip and Lee was photographed wearing a ring on August 14, though it wasn't on her finger yesterday as she picked up dry cleaning

Lee and Youcef, an Algerian writer and interfaith leader, had jetted off to St. Tropez earlier this month amid the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Lee's ex, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Lee and Cuomo dated for 14 years, splitting in 2009 when Cuomo reportedly cheated on her. The two never got engaged in their decade and a half as a couple.

The former Food Network star was previously married to former KB Home CEO Bruce Karatz from 2001 to 2005.

Meanwhile, Youcef is a father to five-year-old twins with his soon-to-be ex-wife, California-based realtor Apryl Stephenson. Though the pair are still legally married, they separated in 2019 and they filed for divorce in January 2020.

So when Lee and Youcef moved on from St. Tropez to Paris, Youcef popped the question.

'Ben really wanted to distract Sandra from all the news, so he whisked her away to Paris,' an unnamed source close to Youcef told the New York Post.

'He knows how hard this has been on her and he wants to make sure she feels loved and supported.'

The source added: 'Ben is incredibly protective of Sandra. They're soulmates and head-over-heels in love.'

Dressed down: She was photographed moving a large trash bin while wearing a black dress and sneakers

She struck a casual figure as she got back to real life following the getaway

Lee has previously said she is having the best summer of her life as she struggles to deal with the news of Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal and resignation

She also stopped for groceries after switching out her sneakers for a pair of sandals

She talked on the phone and held a cup of coffee as she toted around a large white purse

The couple was seen stopping by a French church in the French Riviera just hours after Cuomo announced that he was stepping down as governor, following a New York Attorney General report that found that he had sexually harassed 11 women.

Around the time Cuomo announced his resignation, Youcef appears to have popped the question.

On August 14, Lee and Youcef were photographed hugging and kissing in Paris, with Lee sporting a giant gemstone on her finger.

They were seen outside L'Avenue restaurant, Lee in a white dress and Youcef in jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket.

The couple shared a kiss and held hands and light sparkled off Lee's ring.

Soon after they were photographed, DailyMail.com broke the story that Youcef is still technically married.

When contacted by DailyMail.com his ex-wife Apryl confirmed: 'Yes, Ben and I are still married.

'We are going through a divorce and I wish Ben and Sandra the best of luck. But I have nothing more to say.'

Lee is pictured with Youcef in Paris on August 14, sporting a big ring on her finger. The couple was seen sharing a passionate kiss as they headed to upscale French bistro L'Avenue

Look at that bling! Lee wore what appeared to be a sizeable engagement ring

News of their relationship broke earlier this month, when Lee told Page Six that she had lost 25 pounds and was dating again during a UNICEF Gala in Capri.

They are believed to have met at a charity event in Santa Monica back in March, with Youcef making the first move.

A friend told Page Six they were drawn together because they are both 'grounded in spirituality,' with another saying, 'We're just happy for her. We want Sandra to be happy, she deserves it.'

And Lee, a former QVC star who later hosted her own Food Network show, does appear to be happy, telling People, 'I'm having the best summer of my life.'

Sources told the Post that friends have been rooting for them since they met in the spring, shortly after Lee moved to Malibu following her 2019 break-up with Cuomo.

'Ben is a serious and accomplished nonprofit Interfaith leader providing the call to prayer heard all around the world,' a source familiar with the couple told Page Six.

Also an actor, he had his big break when Steven Spielberg cast him as a Palestinian member of Black September in the 2005 movie, Munich. He's also landed guest spots in popular police shows Law & Order, NCIS and Chicago P.D and starred in The Algerian, based on a story he wrote.

Lee had dated Andrew Cuomo for 14 years until she broke up with him in 2019

People close to Lee said she struggled to get her life back over the past two years in the wake of her split with Cuomo, with one friend telling Page Six: 'It's very hard for Sandra to move on  she's not done licking her wounds.

'She's just trying to do the best she can to keep her head above water,' the friend said, noting that Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal 'has all been tremendously horrible and painful for her to read about.'

'Her heart was absolutely shattered,' the friend said, even though it had been 'an open secret' that Cuomo was cheating on her during their time together.

'When she split with Cuomo, she has never even spoken out about her time with him, she's always kept her mouth shut,' the unnamed friend said. 'She's just trying to find some kind of solace and happiness.'

'This is the first joy Sandra has had in years,' another unnamed friend said, 'but it's really not accurate to say she's moved on.

'She's spent the past two years in anguish since her split from Andrew. She had to move across the country to get her life back together again.'

Cuomo announced he was resigning as governor amid an attorney general's report showing that he had sexually harassed 11 women while in office; he stepped down this weekend

Lee moved to Malibu, California following the 2019 break-up, where she bought a $3.4 million beach house.

She sold her Mt. Kisko, New York home  named 'Lily Pond'  for $1.85 million last October.

But while some friends say Lee is happy and the relationship is a joy, at least one had cast some doubt on her new love.

'Ben is an opportunist,' that friend told DailyMail.com I'm sure he is loving the media attention he is getting. He craved this sort of attention for several years and now he has it. Months ago, he told people he is dating a ''celebrity,'' he was so proud to say it.'

'Poor Sandra,' added the friend. 'She's gone from a sexual predator in Andrew Cuomo to Ben, an opportunist. He has his own agenda.'
A woman has revealed how an old acne scar on her nose turned into skin cancer that left her with a gaping hole in her face and made her feel so self-conscious, she couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror.

Marketing specialist Melissa Fife, 40, from Salt Lake City, Utah, first noticed an old scar on her nose was becoming irritated at the start of 2020, admitting that she was initially embarrassed about its appearance.

During the first few months of the year, the scar had begun to grow larger, and the skin around it began to flake and become raised.

Eager to resolve the issue as soon as possible, Melissa consulted with a plastic surgeon, hoping that he would be able to reduce its appearance on her nose. Much to her surprise however, he immediately recommended that she see a dermatologist, explaining that she was showing potential signs of skin cancer.

Within a week, Melissa had had a biopsy and received an official diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma skin cancer  the most commonly diagnosed skin cancer in the US.

Changes: A marketing specialist from Salt Lake City, Utah, has revealed how an irritated acne scar on her nose turned out to be skin cancer - after visiting a plastic surgeon to get it fixed

Shock: Melissa Fife, 40, was embarrassed by the appearance of her scar when it got bigger and irritated at the start of last year - however a plastic surgeon warned it could be skin cancer

Pain: A biopsy revealed that Melissa had basal cell carcinoma skin cancer - and she had to undergo surgery to cut the cancerous tissue from her nose, which left her with a huge wound

'I've been working in experiential marketing for around a decade, and the majority of events I am required to work are outdoors,' said Melissa. 'I'm also an outdoor enthusiast  but I've always tried to wear a hat when possible and I wore high SPF sunscreens every day.

'I had a small acne scar on my nose for a few years, but in early 2020, my scar started to get irritated. Skin would flake off and it would scab easily.

'The scar started to get larger and more deformed  I was embarrassed about how it looked. I thought it was purely cosmetic and that it was my fault that it kept getting bigger.

Treatment: Melissa's cancer turned out to go deeper than doctors had though, so she had to undergo four surgeries to remove the cancerous tissue, with her wound becoming bigger and bigger each time

'I decided to see a plastic surgeon for a consultation to find out what my options were for scar revision.

'The surgeon only had to look at it for about 20 seconds to tell me that he thought it was skin cancer. He recommended that I go to a dermatologist to get a biopsy.

'I immediately scheduled an appointment, and I received the biopsy results a few days later.

'The results were conclusive  it was basal cell carcinoma skin cancer.'

Despite the diagnosis, Melissa was calm. She was reassured that the cancer had been found early and she knew she would be able to get treatment soon.

After the biopsy, she was scheduled for a small procedure called Mohs surgery - an operation done under local anesthetic, where the cancerous tissue is cut out.

Unfortunately, her cancer was deeper than doctors thought, and Melissa was told she would need to have four stages of this procedure on her nose. Between surgeries, a large, open wound remained on her nose, which she had to cover with a bandage.

'I was scheduled for a procedure called Mohs surgery,' she recalled. 'It entails cutting the cancerous skin out and examining it under a microscope to determine if all of the cancerous cells have been removed. If the doctor sees the cancer extending outside the borders of the cut, he takes a larger cut of skin.

'Each time this is done, it's called a stage. I had to have four stages because my cancer extended further than originally thought.

'The entire procedure lasted seven hours, then the doctor scheduled me for another surgery with a plastic surgeon the following week.'

On the mend: After her fourth surgery, Melissa had a skin graft taken from her collar bone, which doctors used to repair her nose

Day by day: While she was undergoing the multiple procedures, Melissa couldn't bear to look at her wound, admitting that she feared it would be 'too traumatic'

For the first few days following her surgery, Melissa found it too difficult to face looking at her wound, as she struggled to deal with the sudden change to her face. Luckily, her family were incredibly supportive, and volunteered to help her so she didn't have to look at her wound until she was ready.

After some days had passed, she decided that she needed to see the wound to understand what she had been through. Her last surgery was a reconstruction of her nose done by taking a skin graft from her collarbone.

America's most common skin cancer: What is basal cell carcinoma - and what are the warning signs? Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer - and the most frequently occurring form of all cancers, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation. There are an estimated 3.6 million cases diagnosed in the US each year - however death from BCC is very rare. Less than 2,000 people in the US are believed to die from the illness in a single year. However, as with all cancers, BCC is easier to treat when it is caught early - which means it is incredibly important to be aware of the main symptoms, which are: An open sore that doesn't heal

A red or irritated patch of skin

A small pink growth

A scar-like are that appears white, yellow, or waxy

A shiny bump or nodule that appears clear, pink, red, or white There are a number of treatment options available for BCC, however the most common include electrosurgery - in which a doctor scrapes off the cancerous tissue with a sharp, ring-shaped tool, before using heat to destroy the remaining cancer cells - and Mohs surgery - which involves a surgeon cutting out the cancerous tissue. Advertisement

'Between surgeries, I had an open wound on my nose where the skin had been removed,' she said. 'The doctor told me to keep it covered with a bandage, and change it every couple of days.

'This was very emotional for me. I didn't want to see the open wound. I felt that it would be too traumatic to see how graphic it looked  I cried several times thinking about it.

'My family members were kind enough to help me change the bandage so I wouldn't have to look at it.

'After several days, I decided it was time for me to stop avoiding seeing my wound. I knew that I wouldn't always have people around to help me, and I was going to have to do hard things on my own. I needed to see the wound in all its mess so that I could fully understand what I've been through and what I'm healing from.'

Following this operation, Melissa grew concerned, as the skin graft looked alarming and dead  but the nurse assured her that it was normal, and would get better over time. Now in the healing process, Melissa's skin graft is starting to look more pink and even, but luckily she hasn't been in too much pain.

'The second surgery was in the operating room  the surgeon recommended a skin graft. They took a section of skin near my collarbone area and grafted it to my nose,' Melissa explained.

'When I awoke, the procedure looked as though it went as planned. The surgeon had sutured a bolster on my nose  a thick, medicated bandage that keeps pressure on the skin graft.

'After a week, the bolster removed, and it looked like there was a piece of dried-up, dead zombie skin sewn on my face. The nurse assured me it was healing as expected.'

One of her nostrils is partially collapsed, but she plans to find a way to reconstruct her nose in future. After spending most of her life outside in the sun, Melissa now has to be extra-diligent about sun protection.

She always wore sunscreen before her diagnosis, but now she adds extra clothing for sun protection too. Melissa wants to encourage people to have regular appointments with dermatologists and to protect themselves from the sun.

Since her surgeries, the way she views her own beauty has changed. After her operations, she struggled to adjust to the way she looked  but she doesn't want to hide any more.

Upset: Melissa was horrified when she saw her skin graft for the first time, saying that she thought it looked like 'dead zombie skin'

Proud: However a nurse assured her that it was healing properly, and that she simply had to wait for the swelling and redness to go away

Progress: Melissa's graft looks much less swollen and red that it did after the procedure was done - and she is now sharing her story to raise awareness about skin cancer

'Currently, the color of the skin graft is starting to even out and become pink. It's also very thick  it doesn't match the thickness of the skin on my face,' she said.

'It looks as though there's a sticker made out of skin that was stuck on my face.

'One of my nostrils is partially collapsed, and has been that way since surgery, so I'm hoping that there will be a way to reconstruct the nostril and smooth out the skin graft.'

Now that Melissa is beginning to recover from her surgeries, she has been reflecting on her experience with cancer and how it has affected her.

'I once had an opera director describe how beauty doesn't necessarily mean "pretty",' Melissa said.

'When I had the open wound, I wanted to hide, but I realized I was hiding from myself.

'My appearance had been very important to me, and I couldn't bear to see my face that way.

'Since then, I've tried to make an effort to not hide. I post pictures of my nose on social media, because I want people to know they aren't alone.

'I want people to see that healing takes time, and life doesn't have to stop.

'I like to think that I haven't changed, but that would be unfair to say  I have changed.

'I'm happier, bolder, and unashamed of how I look. Most importantly, I'm grateful every day for the chance to heal.'
Hispanic Americans are more likely to get a COVID-19 test from a health worker going door-to-door than they are from a neighborhood test site, a new study finds.

Researchers from Stanford University gathered testing data from three ZIP codes in Santa Clara County in Central California.

They compared demographic data from testing at neighborhood testing sites to door-to-door canvassers who administered people tests.

While Hispanic Americans were less likely to get tested at the bigger public sites, they were 80 to 184 percent more likely to agree to get swabbed door-to-door.

The team believes this data can help health officials deploy strategies to close racial testing gaps.

Experts suggest some Hispanic Americans may avoid testing locations due to fear on immigration officials and other authorities.

Hispanic Americans are up to 184% more likely to get tested through a door-to-door program rather than a neighborhood testing site, a study finds. Pictured: A man in Ontario, California, self administers a Covid test in December, 2020

The Stanford team, who published their findings in JAMA Health Forum on Friday, created a dataset of tests from December 18, 2020 to February 18, 2021 in the 95122, 95116 and 95127 ZIP codes of East San Jose.

These areas are generally poorer contain fewer residents with lower education completion than other central California ZIP codes.

It is also an area were around 40 percent of residents due not speak English 'very well' and has a Hispanic population of over 60 percent.

There were two different tactics used by health officials to determine which neighborhoods to go to for door-to-door testing.

One was a algorithm based strategy, where a machine recommended canvass locations based on a variety of variables.

The second was strategies developed by local health care workers, using their personal knowledge of the area to determine which neighborhoods needed to door-to-door testing.

Both strategies had success in different ways.

The machine based strategies found more positive tests, as the algorithm was able to determine which areas had the most undetected cases.

'We found that allocating COVID-19 tests using machine learning can increase testing capacity, reduce demographic disparities in testing, and detect clusters of infected individuals,' researchers wrote.

'Our results demonstrate one effective, data driven method to improve equity in COVID-19 testing.'

Human developed strategies had higher uptake of the tests, though, as the people familiar with the area were able to determine which areas wanted the testing the most.

'On the one hand, uncertainty sampling displayed a higher positivity rate; on the other hand, local knowledge selection showed a higher response rate,' they continued.

'Where a network of [health workers] with local knowledge is unavailable, however, existing public health surveillance data can be used to allocate testing resources to neighborhoods with high uncertainty about the positivity rate.'

In total, 87.6 percent of people tested door-to-door were Hispanic.

Combined, though, both strategies were more successful at getting Hispanic people tested than bigger neighborhood testing sites.

Data from two neighborhood sites were gathered: from the Emmanuel Baptist Church and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

Just under half of people who tested at the church were Hispanic, and only 30 percent of those at the fairgrounds.

Researchers found that Hispanics were 80 to 184 percent more likely to get tested door-to-door than at either of the neighborhood sites.

The data opens the door to a potential strategy to close demographic gaps in testing.

Since the pandemic began, many minority communities have had less access to testing.

This is because of a lack of information, lack of ability to reach testing because of a variety of barriers or sometimes because tests were not available in their communities at all.

Research hope the strategies they lay out could be put into place in the real world.

'We found that door-to-door COVID-19 testing was associated with increased testing capacity and an increased ability to reach particular demographic groups,' they wrote.

'We also found an association between community-based strategies and an extension of disease surveillance to reduce demographic gaps, potentially reducing language barriers, distrust of public health authorities, and transaction costs to getting tested.'

Some experts believe that Hispanic Americans are less likely to get tested for COVID-19 due to a distrust for authority many immigrants have.

'Fears of being detained and questioned are one of the reasons why they are not wanting to deal with any government entitiesPeople are fearful of being engaged with the government,' said Jeanette Kowalik, Milwaukee's Health Commissioner, told Washington Post.

'There's a lack of trust.'

Kowalik points to some hardline immigration policies of the Trump administration as the source of some of their fears.

They often fear deportation or detainment from some officials, or have fears or that a positive test will make it harder to become U.S. citizens.
Advertisement

Coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise across the U.S. as a growing list of states say they are seeing record numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

On Thursday, officials recorded 161,331 cases of COVID-19 with a seven-day rolling average of 155,746, which is a 132 percent increase from the 66,999 average reported four weeks ago.

It also is the highest figure seen since January 28, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Deaths are also on the rise with 1,296 fatalities recorded and a seven-day rolling average of 1,114 - the sixth day in a row the average has surpassed four figures.

This marks a 285 percent increase from the average of 289 reported 28 days ago prior and the highest number recorded since March 20, the analysis found.

Additionally, there are 101,433 Americans hospitalized with COVID-19, the second-day this number has reached six figures, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Kentucky and Texas became the latest states to report the highest number of patients ever seen as the surge in cases overwhelms doctors and nurses.

Meanwhile, in Idaho, medical centers are so swamped that they have asked residents to volunteer to help keep the facilities open.

The U.S. recorded 161,331 new cases of COVID-19 with a seven-day rolling average of 155,746, which is a 132% increase from the 66,999 average reported four weeks ago

Deaths also rose with 1,296 fatalities recorded and a seven-day rolling average of 1,114, a 285% increase from the average of 289 reported 28 days ago prior

A total of 101,433 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 and at least eight states say they have broken records of patients occupying beds

On Wednesday, Texas reported more COVID-19 patients in its hospitals than at any other time since the pandemic began with a total of 14,255, according to HHS data.

That number is a 213 percent jump from the 4,544 patients hospitalized one month ago.

Almost 94 percent of ICU beds statewide are in use, including half of which are being used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Doctors at the University of Texas Medical Branch's Jennie Sealy Hospital, in Galveston, told ABC News that two-thirds of patients in the ICU have COVID-19 and all but one is unvaccinated.

About 47 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated, which is below the national average of almost 52 percent, federal data show.

'To have two-thirds of your ICU occupied by one disease is virtually unheard of...There are many patients that are not doing well,' Dr Shawn Nishi, an associate professor of critical care medicine at UTMB told the network.

'It's very chaotic because these patients are very unpredictable. At one moment they look great and the next moment, they're dying. It is a "hair on fire" time in the ICUs.'

She added that, unlike previous waves of the pandemic, many of the patients she treats are younger that she is.

'You will see the nurses' faces. They are the heart and soul of this institution, but a little bit of them is dying with every patient,' Nishi told ABC News.

'Half the COVID-19 patients right now are younger than I am...That's never, ever happened in my career.'

Kentucky also hit a record-high number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at 2,074, according to state health officials.

That's a spike of 385 percent from the 427 hospitalized one month ago.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sending ambulances to Kentucky to help hospitals that are struggling to transfer patients.

In Texas, a record-high 14,255 patients are hospitalized, a 213% jump from the 4,544 patients hospitalized one month ago

Kentucky also hit a record-high number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at 2,074, a spike of 385% from the 427 hospitalized one month ago

'In the case right now, the hospital is full of patients, whether it is Covid patients or other patients. Their capacity is reached,' Steven Eubank, chief of Somerset-Polaski County EMs told WKYT.

'We have to find other hospitals willing to accept these patients and that's becoming more difficult because across the state the hospitals are full.'

He added that local ambulances will be able respond to local non-Covid-related emergencies once the FEMA vehicles arrive.

In Kentucky, about 48 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and public health officials have blamed the lag in part for the state's surge.

Democratic Gov Andy Beshear's COVID-19 restrictions expired in June, and the GOP-controlled legislature has blocked him from issuing new mask requirements or capacity limits.

In Idaho, health officials say that their hospitals are so overwhelmed that they are calling on residents to serve as volunteers to help keep medical facilities operating.

'There's a wide variety of positions available, a wide variety of skill sets - we need positions in every part of the state,' said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Division of Public Health, during a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

Currently, 447 Covid patients are hospitalized, up 41percent from the 137 patients hospitalized one month ago.

HHS data shows that almost 88 percent of all ICU beds in the state are in use with about half being occupied by COVD-19 patients.

'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,' said David Jesspen, director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

'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 FEMA 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 Mary's 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.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning to Americans against using a horse dewormer to treat COVID-19 after prescriptions of the drug skyrocketed.

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medication commonly used for horses and cows to combat roundworms and other bugs.

In specific cases, it is also used on humans as anti-worm medicine, but in significantly smaller doses than is what used for livestock.

Doctors say it has no capacity to treat viruses such as COVID-19.

However, it has become popularly used by many to treat the virus, and was prescribed 88,000 times in one week, a 24-fold increase over a typical pre-pandemic week, according to the CDC.

Prescriptions of ivermectin, a deworming drug, have increased 24-fold from pre-pandemic levels. The drug has been touted by some conservative figures as a treatment for COVID-19.

Ivermectin can be used in humans, but in much smaller doses than what is used for animals. The drug is a popular horse dewormer, though some are buying veterinarian versions of the drug for use in COVID-19 treatment

'Clinical trials and observational studies to evaluate the use of ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19 in humans have yielded insufficient evidence for the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel to recommend its use,' the CDC wrote in a statement on Thursday.

'Data from adequately sized, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials are needed to provide more specific, evidence-based guidance on the role of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.'

Warnings from the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other officials have not prevented Americans from inappropriately using ivermectin.

The drug became popular in some circles after falsehoods about ivermectin's alleged ability to treat COVID-19 spread on social media after some misinterpreted earlier studies into the drug's effectiveness.

Some prominent figures in the media have pushed the drug as well.

Between March and this month, Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham promoted the drug's use as an alternative COVID-19 treatment.

In June, Sen Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, had his YouTube account suspended for posting a video recommending viewers to take ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as treatments for the virus.

Last week, Mississippi officials reported that 70 percent of recent poison control calls in the state were because of misuse of the dewormer.

Texas has reported a sharp spike in poison calls as well when compared to last year.

In August 2020, Texas reported two poison control calls related to ivermectin, reported WFAA.

This August, the state received 55 calls, a 27-fold increase.

Additionally, Texas Poison Control recorded 23 ivermectin poisoning cases from January to August 2020, compared to 150 this year - a 552 percent increase.

These figures are likely an undercount.

'America's Frontline Doctors' have become a major proponent of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. The group made headlines last year after giving a press conference in front of the Supreme Court denouncing masks and promoting the anti-malaria drug hydoxychloroquine as a Covid treatment

'It's sometimes a little difficult for us from the poison center to really grasp, you know why people are using things outside of their intended use,' Liz Petty of the North Texas Poison Center told WFAA.

'It definitely could potentially spiral out of control if the misinformation still continues to circulate out in the public.'

People are either acquiring the drug via prescription, or resorting to purchasing versions of the drug made for animals from livestock stores.

One way people are getting prescriptions is through SpeakWithAnMD.com, a website partly run by America's Frontline Doctors.

The group went viral early in pandemic last year after holding a press conference in front of the Supreme Court making unscientific claims about masks not working, and that anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine could cure Covid.

The group is now running the website, which provides online telehealth services, and prescribing the drug to patients, according to an NBC report.

An Arkansas doctor is also under investigation for prescribing the drug to thousands of COVID-19 prison patients.

Some who can not get a prescription are resorting to using versions of the drugs made for animals.

Dosages for animals is much larger than it is for humans, though, causing ivermectin users to potentially overdose on the drug.
Half of students in a California classroom tested positive for COVID-19 after a teacher came into school while infected with the Indian 'Delta' variant, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report finds.

The elementary school teacher, in Marin County, California, felt symptomatic but continued to work for two days before receiving his or her positive test result.

Occasionally, the teacher - who was unvaccinated - read aloud unmasked to the class despite requirements by the school to be masked indoors at all times.

Within one week, 12 of the 24 pupils in the class were confirmed to be infected with the virus - seven of whom sat in the front two rows.

What's more, at least six kids in separate grade tested positive for Covid as well as eight parents and siblings of students in the two grades.

The authors say the findings shows how highly transmissible the Delta variant is and recommend that all teachers and school staff members be vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid passing the disease onto children who are too young to receive the shots.

Following the teacher's test result, 12 of 24 kids in the teacher's class tested positive, including all five children who sat in the front row (above)

According to the report, which was published on Friday, the teacher worked at a school in Marin County - just north of San Francisco - with 205 students in Pre-K through 8th grade and 24 staff members.

All the staff members were vaccinated against COVID-19 aside from two, including the teacher mentioned in the study.

He or she began experiencing symptoms on May 19, including nasal congestion and fatigue, but worked the following two days.

Over that time period, the teacher reported more symptoms including fever, cough and a headache.

Although the school required teachers and students to wear mask indoors at all times, per CDC recommendations, the teacher did not wear a face covering while reading aloud to the class.

On May 21, the teacher received a positive COVID-19 test, informed the school and went into isolation until May 30.

Meanwhile, the first students in his or her class began experiencing symptoms on May 22, the day after the positive test result.

Of the 24 kids in the classroom, 22 were tested. In total, 12 children received a positive COVID-19 result.

More than half of the kids who tested positive, or seven, sat in the first two rows, meaning they were closest to the teacher.

All five kids who sat in the front row tested positive and four had symptoms, making up two-thirds of all children with symptoms.

The positive results came despite the desks being placed six feet apart and the children wearing masks while indoors.

What's more, all classrooms were equipped with portable high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filters, and doors and windows were left open.

In addition to the unvaccinated teacher and his or her students, six of 18 kids in a nearby frade were also were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 as well as siblings and parents of students in the two grades (abve)

CDC authors say the findings show how infectious the Indian 'Delta' variant is and recommend that teachers be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks. Pictured: graph shows how quickly the infected teacher spread the virus to other students and their parents

But positive test results didn't just come from the sick teacher's classroom.

In a nearby classroom, 14 of 18 students were tested for the virus and six were confirmed to be infected.

There were also eight more cases - one student each from four other grades, who were siblings of the students in the two grades, and four parents.

None of the children who were infected were eligible for vaccination because they are below age 12, the minimum age allowed to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.

According to the report, no other staff members in the school became ill and no infected adults or students were hospitalized.

The infected teacher's sample was submitted for genome sequencing and he or she was revealed to have been infected with the Delta variant.

'This outbreak of COVID-19 that originated with an unvaccinated teacher highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff members who are in close indoor contact with children ineligible for vaccination as schools reopen,' the authors wrote.

'The outbreak's attack rate highlights the Delta variant's increased transmissibility and potential for rapid spread, especially in unvaccinated populations such as schoolchildren too young for vaccination.'
About 40 percent of teenagers between ages 12 and 17 are vaccinated against COVID-19, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals.

This means that, as of July 31, 10.6 million American adolescents eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose.

Nearly one-third, 31.9 percent, are fully vaccinated.

The report comes as schools reopen around the country and cases among the youngest age group in the U.S. begin to grow, although pediatric deaths make up less than 0.1 percent of all Covid-related fatalities.

Only 42.4% of teens have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and less than one-third are fully vaccinated

Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only shot that minors are eligible to receive in the U.S.

Pfizer's jab has full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for everyone aged 16 or older, and emergency use authorization (EUA) for Americans aged 12 to 15.

When the report did a breakdown by age, it found that the 16- and 17-year-old age group is the most vaccinated among minors.

Fifty percent have received at least one shot and 40 percent being fully vaccinated.

Among those aged 14 and 15, 40 percent have been given at least one dose and 30 percent are fully vaccinated.

For teens in the 12-to-13 year old age group, 36 percent are partially vaccinated and 25 percent have both shots.

Those aged 16 and 17 were initially eligible since the start of the vaccine rollout in December 2020, while the vaccine was not given EUA for those aged 12 or older until May, explaining some of the disparity in vaccination rate.

The CDC also reports that 56 percent of parents with children aged 12 to 17 expressed desires to get their sons and daughters vaccinated.

'Given that parental vaccination status is a marker for adolescent vaccination status, vaccine hesitancy or antivaccination sentiments among parents might directly lead to missed opportunities to vaccinate adolescents,' researchers wrote.

Parents and doctors have been split over whether or not to vaccinate children throughout the course of the pandemic.

In a recent poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, parents were asked if they would get their child immunized once a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and available for their child's age group.

Only about three in 10 parents - 29 percent - of children under 18 said they would get their child vaccinated 'right away.'

The poll also found 15 percent only plan to vaccinate their children if the school requires it and 19 percent said their child will definitely not be getting vaccinated.

What's more, although children can contract COVID-19 and pass the disease on to others, they tend to not get very ill.

In fact, a recent study found natural immunity from previous COVID-19 infection may offer stronger protection against the Indian 'Delta' variant than immunity from full vaccination.

States on the west coast and in the northeast have much higher teenage vaccination rates than those in the south

There are large disparities between some states and their teen vaccination coverage.

In Vermont, the most vaccinated state in America overall, more than 60 percent of teens are fully vaccinated.

Comparatively, in Mississippi, ten percent of teens have gotten both shots.

Researchers note that western states like California, Oregon and Washington - which all have vaccination rates around 50 percent - and northeastern states like Vermont and Connecticut - which both have rates over 60 percent - are more vaccinated than many southern states, of which many are in the 30s.

As schools begin to open, and cases among children have begun to rise.

More than 180,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a 50 percent increase over the previous week, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Thousands of kids are already in quarantine due to contracting or being exposed to the virus in the school year's opening weeks, and some schools have even had to close.

'Because in-person learning fosters social and emotional development, safely returning to schools for in-person learning remains a goal,' researchers wrote.

'However, given the rapid emergence and spread of the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the increase in cases and hospitalizations among children and adolescents, ensuring high adolescent vaccination coverage is crucial to a safer return to the classroom.'

The CDC believes schools themselves could be leveraged to get more teens vaccinated.

'Vaccine administration on site at schools is an effective, evidence-based intervention that improves childhood and adolescent vaccination rates for routinely recommended vaccines,' they wrote.

'State and local governments, school administrators, community leaders, health care professionals, and public health practitioners can facilitate safer return to schools and improve equity among sociodemographic groups by prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination among adolescents and incorporating on-site school vaccinations for eligible students.'
A U.S. Army veteran died of a treatable illness while waiting for a hospital bed as doctors struggled to find a facility that would accept him.

Daniel Wilkinson, 46, of Belville, Texas - 60 miles west of Houston - started feeling ill last week and decided to visit the ER near his home, reported CBS This Morning.

He was diagnosed with gallstone pancreatitis, which occurs when gallstones block the opening from the pancreas to the first part of the small intestine.

The condition is painful but treatable as long as physicians can perform surgery to remove the small stones.

However, no hospital would admit Wilkinson for the surgery because their intensive care units (ICUs) were overflowing with patients and there was no room for him.

By the time a hospital bed did open up, it was too late and Wilkinson's organs were shutting down. He passed away within 24 hours of seeking medical care.

U.S. Army veteran Daniel Wilkinson, 46, of Belville, Texas, visited the ER last week and was diagnosed with gallstone pancreatitis. Pictured: Wilkinson during his time in the Army

Doctors in Belville didn't have the equipment to treat Wilkinson but no hospital would admit to perform the surgery because their beds were full due to a surge of Covid patients. Pictured: Wilkinson in the hospital last week

U.S. Army veteran Daniel Wilkinson, of Texas, died of a treatable illness because the Covid crisis left him without an available ICU bed even though he lives 3 houses down from an emergency room and 60 miles away from some of the greatest healthcare facilities in the world. pic.twitter.com/TK6sOO77ul  David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) August 27, 2021

'He loved his country,' his mother, Michelle Puget, told CBS This Morning.

'He served two deployments in Afghanistan, came home with a Purple Heart, and it was a gallstone that took him out.'

Puget took her son to Bellville Medical Center after her complained that he was in pain and not feeling well.

After doctors ran tests, he was diagnosed with gallstone pancreatitis

The condition occurs when gallstones block the opening from the pancreas to the first part of the small intestine, according to Cedars Sinai.

Gallstones are believed to be behind 35 percent to 40 percent of cases of pancreatitis.

This causes a backup of fluid that is treatable but can be life-threatening if patients don't seek medical care.

Dr Hasan Kakli, an emergency room physician, at Belville, said Wilkinson needed emergency surgery to remove the gallstones but that the hospital didn't have the equipment to treat him.

'If that stone doesn't spontaneously come out and doesn't resolve itself, that fluid just builds up, backs up into the liver, backs up into the pancreas, and starts to shut down those organs,' he said.

'His bloodwork even showed that his kidneys were shutting down.'

Kakil said he called hospitals across Texas for seven hours trying to find an ICU bed for Wilkinson, but many had no room due to the surge of COVID-19 patients.

In Texas, a record-high 14,255 Covid patients are hospitalized, a 213 percent jump from the 4,544 patients hospitalized one month ago.

Kakil recalled how he was so desperate for help that he posted a status on Facebook asking for help.

By the time a bed opened up at the VA hospital in Houston, Wilkinson's (left and right) condition had deteriorated and his organ were shutting down, and he passed away. Doctors say that in normal circumstances, he would have had quick 30-minute procedure and then would have been sent home

In Texas, a record-high 14,255 patients are hospitalized, a 213% jump from the 4,544 patients hospitalized one month ago

'[One] guy messages me, he's a GI specialist, he goes: "I'm in Austin. I can do his procedure, get him over."' he told CBS This Morning.

'I said: "Okay great, let's go." He texts me back five minutes later: "I'm sorry. I can't get administrative approval to accept him, we're full."'

A bed finally opened up at the VA Hospital in Houston and Wilkinson was airlifted, but, by then, his health had rapidly deteriorated.

Puget told CBS This Morning that doctors had detected air pockets in his intestines, indicating the organs were shutting down.



'They told me that I had to make a decision, and I knew how Danny felt,' she said.

'He didn't want to be that way. And, so, we were all in agreement that we had to let him go.'

Kakli told CBS This Morning that in normal circumstances, Wilkinson would have been transferred to a hospital and would have had a 30-minute procedure.

Instead, he passed away.

'I've never lost a patient from this diagnosis, ever,' he said.

'We know what needs to be done and we know how to treat it, and we get them to where they need to go. I'm scared that the next patient that I see is someone that I can't get to where they need to get to go.
As some schools across the U.S. report COVID-19 outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is saying no updates need to be made to federal guidance.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, blamed the many outbreaks that have plagued the early weeks of the 2021-22 school year on schools not following the agency's recommendations.

'I want to strongly appeal to those districts who have not implemented prevention strategies and encourage them to do the right thing to protect the children under their care,' Walensky said during a briefing Friday.

'In our outbreak investigations, large-scale quarantines or large number of cases are generally occurring in schools because schools are not following our guidance.'

She is calling on schools to implement 'multilayered' strategies the CDC has put forth in regards to masking, distancing and ventilation.





Dr Rochelle Walensky (pictured), director of the CDC, said that schools that have experienced COVID-19 outbreaks have often failed to meet guidelines laid out by her agency

Guidelines the CDC laid out for schools includes masking, increased ventilation, physical distancing and regular testing. All staff and eligible students are recommended to get vaccinated as well. Pictured: Students at a high school in Hillsborough County return for the first day of school. An outbreak in Hillsborough County that led to over 10,000 people being placed in quarantine was cited by Walensky as one of the failures to meet CDC guidelines

The prevention measures include vaccination for all eligible students and staff, masking, increased ventilation, physical distancing and regular testing.

'Schools should implement as many as these prevention layers as possible simultaneously,' she said.

'... we know these multilayered mitigation strategies work and thanks to the American Rescue Plan, schools have the resources to implement these strategies.'

Walensky noted that vaccination and masking seemed to be the two measures that were not being followed the most.

She cited two specific cases of schools not following guidance and had outbreaks as a result.

In one unnamed Northern California school, an infected, symptomatic teacher attended class and read to a students without wearing a mask.

At least 27 infections of students, staff and family were all tied back to the teacher.

In another unnamed Hillsborough County School, near Tampa, Florida, 10,400 students and 340 staff members are in quarantine after contracting or being exposed to the virus.

Walensky heralded Los Angeles County, where guidelines are being followed, for preventing cases in schools, as less transmission is happening in schools than in the general population around the U.S., per CDC data.

'Schools should implement as many of these prevention layers as possible simultaneously, and this serves to protect our children, even if there are inevitable breaches in any single layer,' she said.

Cases among children have been growing across the country, with more than 180,000 being recorded last week, a 50 percent increase over the previous week.

Date released Friday by the CDC finds that 42 percent of teens aged 12 and over have received at least one shot of a Covid vaccine.

Children can potentially spread the virus to am adult who comes into contact with them.

But they are very unlikely to fall seriously ill from the virus themselves and they make up less than 0.1 percent of all Covid deaths.

Walensky stressed that schools are safe for children to attend.

'Cases are not propagated in the schools and schools tend to be safer places for our children than the communities in terms of COVID spread,' she said.
UK renewable energy supplier So Energy has been acquired by Ireland's leading energy company ESB.

The British firm says the merger, which is set to complete in the coming months, will give it 'the backing and resources to become the next big green energy supplier in the UK'.

Both companies say their strategies align, as they already supply exclusively 100 per cent renewable electricity, and So Energy has recently launched a first-of-a-kind solar and battery storage solution for customers.

UK renewable energy supplier So Energy has been acquired by Ireland's leading energy company ESB

The merger of London-headquartered So Energy and ESB Energy GB (ESB's UK retail brand) will result in a business serving more than 300,000 customers.

The company will continue to trade as So Energy with ESB retaining 75 per cent of the new combined entity.

ESB has operated in the UK for nearly 30 years, investing more than 2billion (1.7billion) in generation assets including wind and solar while also providing EV charging infrastructure in London, Coventry and Birmingham.

In 2018, the company entered the competitive energy retail market with the launch of ESB Energy and roll-out of green tariffs and focus on customer solutions and offerings.

Marguerite Sayers, executive director of customer solutions at ESB, described the merger with So Energy as 'another significant milestone' in the firm's UK business, allowing it to enhance its customer offering and further expand.

She added: 'So Energy's customer centricity and commitment to a low-carbon future mirrors our strategy and it is our intention to build on that success.'

So Energy, which was founded in 2015 by former Macquarie energy traders Simon Oscroft and Charlie Davies, set out to be a disruptive challenger in the UK's energy retail market.

It has excelled with in-house technology in a bid to make a smooth transition to a low-carbon future.

ESB has operated in the UK for nearly 30 years, investing more than 2bn in generation assets including wind and solar while also providing EV charging infrastructure in London, Coventry and Birmingham

Commenting on the merger with ESB, So Energy CEO Simon Oscroft said: 'This new, supercharged So Energy now has the backing and resources to become the next big green energy supplier in the UK.

'We wanted a partner that shared our values and vision to scale our business in a sustainable way and develop more industry leading net zero solutions for our customers. ESB's resources, strong heritage and significant green energy investments - including their EV charging infrastructure and wind generation portfolio - will enable us to do this.

'I would also like to wholeheartedly thank our shareholders who have helped us on the So Energy journey so far.'

So Energy's co-founders will retain their stakes in the business and continue in the executive team headed by new CEO Monica Collings, currently managing director of ESB Energy.
Advertisement

The untimely death of one of the most-loved and famous women in the world touched off a global outpouring of grief and mourning. The circumstances of her death also triggered a slew of conspiracy theories about the circumstances surrounding that fateful night in a Paris underpass.

Many of these allegations were fanned by Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, who believed Establishment opposition to Dianas relationship with Dodi was driven by racism and Islamophobia.

Al Fayed was not alone in believing there had been a plot. It was an international concern, said former Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens. I think something like 65 or 70 per cent of the country thought there had been a conspiracy and that the death of someone like Diana, who was an icon... couldnt be explained away, other than that... foul play [took] place.

As the years passed and questions lingered, the Coroner of the Queen's Household asked Stevens to conduct an investigation into the allegations of a cover-up and conspiracy. The resulting 832-page report, known as Operation Paget, the Paget Inquiry or simply Paget, took almost three years and 12.5 million ($17.2 million) to complete.

Although Operation Paget put to bed many of the more extreme theories, some details of the circumstances surrounding that night, and the nights leading up to it, still cannot fully be explained. Here, we examine seven of the most persistent theories surrounding the death of the People's Princess.

THE CONSPIRACY: CHARLES HAD DIANA KILLED

Two years before her death, Diana wrote a note predicting that her husband 'is planning an "an accident" in my car, brake failure or serious head injury to make the path clear for his marrying Tiggy' (Charles's sons' former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke). Diana went on to say that 'Camilla is nothing but a decoy so we are being used by the man in every sense of the word.'

Charles was interviewed by Lord Stevens under enormous secrecy as part of the Metropolitan Police's Paget inquiry.

The interview began with Stevens producing a copy of Diana's note to Burrell and reading it aloud. He repeated Diana's allegation that the Prince had wanted to harm or kill his wife and dump his then-mistress (Charles had married Camilla in April 2005, only eight months before the Stevens' interview took place) so that he could wed the nanny of his two sons.

Stevens' first question: 'Why do you think the Princess wrote this note, Sir?'

Charles replied: 'I did not know anything about [the note] until it was published in the media.'

'[So], you didn't discuss this note with her, Sir?

'No, I did not know it existed.'

'Do you know why the Princess had these feelings, Sir?'

'No, I don't.'

Charles was polite, engaged but unable, it seemed, to throw light upon what lay behind the note. When it appeared in December 2006, the Paget report made only passing reference to Diana's claims made in the Burrell note.

'Paget had found no evidence to support Diana's expressed fears at that time, October 1995,' said a source. 'The note did not materially affect the conspiracy investigation.'

The original copy of the interview is no longer held by Scotland Yard  'It's too hot to handle. What commissioner would feel comfortable about being the custodian of that statement?' a source close to the investigation commented. Under the 30-year rule, it will not be available for public examination until 2038.

THE CONSPIRACY: DIANA PREDICTED HER OWN DEATH

Diana's royal protection officer also said the Princess often darkly joked about dying in a car crash.

'In 2008, I gave evidence at the High Court, at an inquiry into the accident led by Lord Justice Scott Baker. I told the court that Diana would frequently talk about dying in a car crash,' Ken Wharfe said.

'Sometimes, I said, she raised the subject as we set out for a weekend away in Highgrove on Fridays. I told the hearing: "Diana would begin the conversation by saying something like: 'Here we go again, I suppose we could be killed in a car accident.'" Her comments, I said, might have been prompted by what she was told by tarot card readers and crystal ball gazers. The Princess never seemed serious when she spoke of possibly being in a car crash, but joked about it.

I told the court I thought it was very much a throwaway line of Dianas, and added: "In all my years of working with Diana she never, even once, said to me that she thought that someone was out to harm her.'"

THE CONSPIRACY: THERE WAS ANOTHER CAR PRESENT IN THE TUNNEL THAT NIGHT

At least seven named witnesses gave evidence that a small white car was perilously close to the Mercedes just before it crashed  or was spotted leaving the scene immediately afterwards.

Two of the most credible were Georges and Sabine Dauzonne, who were returning home from dinner in their Rolls-Royce. They had joined the Seine embankment expressway when they saw a white Fiat Uno being driven erratically out of the tunnel.

Georges Dauzonne recalled the Fiat zig-zagging in the tunnel, coming so close to his Rolls that it almost touched the wing. Sabine recalled a 'European-looking, fair-skinned but a bit Mediterranean' man. Both recalled that the man had a 'large dog' in the back of his Fiat.

In the aftermath of the crash, suspicion came to rest on two primary figures.

JEAN-PAUL ANDANSON

One was paparazzo Jean-Paul Andanson, who was part of the armada that followed Diana and Dodi. Andanson had a similar vehicle as the one described by the Dauzonnes. The vehicle was exchanged a month after Diana's death, but police tracked it down and examined it. That would have been the end of its part in this story if not for a twist that would only encourage conspiracy theorists: On May 4, 2000, Andanson was found dead in his burning BMW in woodland in the Aveyron, 240 miles from his home. He had still been alive when the fire began, which raised questions about how the fire had been started.

Friends and associates said he had been troubled and had spoken about committing suicide in such a manner. The examining magistrate concluded Andanson had taken his own life. The state prosecutor agreed.

But Mohamed Al Fayed, father of Dodi, was apparently convinced otherwise. Andanson, he alleged, had been in Paris when Diana and his son had died and was working for the security services. It was his Fiat that was in deliberate collision with the Mercedes and he had either been assassinated to stop him talking or had been so filled with remorse that he had killed himself.

But Andanson had a watertight alibi for the night of Dianas death: He had flown to Corisca for a photoshoot that night, corroborated by toll receipts, plane tickets, a hotel booking, and the subject of the photoshoot himself.

The French investigation had concluded that Andanson had nothing to do with Dianas crash. The Paget Inquiry agreed, having devoted considerable resources towards testing the evidence.

LE VAN THANH

Between October 1997 and October 1998, the French crash investigators identified and checked 4,668 white Fiat Unos of the right age which had been registered in the two departments whose numbers had been recalled by the Dauzonnes. Only one would become a focus of interest to both the French and British inquiries into Dianas death. This belonged to bodybuilder Le Van Thanh.

Van Thanh was called in for questioning. During several hours of interrogation he denied having been the driver of the Fiat which crashed with the Mercedes. He did however admit that he was working in Paris that night.

He said he had been on duty as a security guard dog handler at a car compound in the north of the city. He performed his duties in the company of Max, his large black and tan Rottweiler.

From white to red: Van Thanh, pictured with his dog Max in September 1999, resprayed his car

The car had been resprayed red on Saturday, August 30, he claimed. In other words, hours before Dianas crash. He changed the color because he thought it would get him better kind of security jobs, a member of the Paget team recalls. Red is a lucky color in Vietnamese culture.

After examining the Uno, experts working for the French authorities reported that there was no conclusive evidence that it had been involved in a collision like the one in the Alma tunnel. The hunt for the elusive Uno was ended by the investigating magistrate in October 1998, without result.

Then came a bombshell.

In 2006, Van Thanh's father gave an interview in which he alleged that his son had resprayed his Fiat hours AFTER the Diana crash. He claimed Van Thanh had called his mechanic brother in the middle of that night and asked for his urgent help in changing the color.

Van Thanh claimed the interview was the result of a family rift, but Stevens and his chief investigator Dave Douglas did not forget Van Thanh. He was unfinished business, says the peer.

THE CONSPIRACY: DIANA WAS PREGNANT WITH DODI FAYED'S CHILD

One of Al Fayeds most incendiary claims was that Diana was pregnant when she died. Although she was not visibly expecting, the Paget Inquiry endeavored to investigate this theory years after the crash. Lord Stevens and his investigators recalled the wreck of the Mercedes from France to have it examined by a forensics team.

The team found traces of Diana's blood positively identified by DNA from the carpet inside the Mercedes. A private forensic company carried out a further test, supervised by the head of forensic science and drug monitoring at Kings College, London. No sign of the pregnancy hormone HCG was found.

'The probability from the blood sample is that she was not pregnant, said Stevens. The samples were seven to eight years old and it was a long shot but we had to give it a go. Not conclusive but on a sliding scale, no, she was not pregnant. Taken together with other eyewitness accounts, and her use of contraceptives at the time, there is a degree of certainty.

The Mail can reveal that the world-renowned fertility expert Lord (Robert) Winston assisted the Paget team in reaching this conclusion.

THE CONSPIRACY: DIANA WAS ENGAGED TO DODI FAYED

The existence or otherwise of an engagement ring was one of the most intriguing aspects of the Paget inquiry. Jeweler Alberto Repossi sold Dodi Fayed this diamond friendship ring he gave Diana shortly before the car crash that killed them.

Al Fayed alleged that Diana was in a serious relationship with his son and they intended to marry. The Establishment was not prepared to accept a Muslim as Dianas husband, nor stepfather to a future king. As a result they had to be killed.

On the evening of his death, Dodi visited celebrity jeweler Alberto Repossi's store in the Place Vendome. The hotels deputy manager then also paid a visit and returned to the Ritz with two rings. One of them was from the Dis-moi Oui (French for Say Yes to Me) range. This was later found in Dodis apartment.

However, according to Diana's friends, none of them had been told of a potential engagement, and Diana was opposed to remarrying.

Stevens believes that the first time that Dodi saw the Dis-moi Oui ring was when the Ritz manager brought it to the hotel hours before the fatal crash. 'We believe that Dodi was probably going to ask Diana to marry him and she would have said no, Stevens told the Mail.

THE CONSPIRACY: DIANA'S DRIVER WAS A SPY

Henri Paul, the driver and acting head of security at the Ritz, went off duty at 7pm the night of the crash but was unexpectedly called back to the hotel three hours later to drive Diana and Dodi home. Witnesses insist he showed no signs of being drunk, but tests found him to be three times over the legal French drunk-driving limit.

Driver Henri Paul (right) with Diana and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones.

Conspiracy theorists insist samples taken from Paul's body that night were swapped with those of an unnamed suicide victim to deceive the public about his fitness to drive that evening. But DNA tests carried out by Operation Paget proved beyond doubt samples tested by the French authorities were those of Henri Paul.

However, one curious detail remains unresolved: Several large cash deposits were made into Paul's bank accounts over the 18 months before his death that were 'inconsistent' with his salary, leaving him with funds of around 170,000 ($230,700). This would be a sum of around 316,400 ($435,000) today.

The Paget inquiry concluded that Henri may have been a 'low level' informant for the French secret service or police. It could not explain why such large sums of money had been paid into his account. However, the inquiry ruled out the theory that Henri was paid by MI6 to kill Dodi and Diana as he did not expect to be working that night and the couple's plans had changed last minute.

THE CONSPIRACY: DIANA WAS ILLEGALLY EMBALMED TO HIDE HER PREGNANCY

One of the more grim conspiracy theories from the days following Diana's death is that the People's Princess was embalmed to cover-up her pregnancy. Diana was indeed embalmed. It is claimed that this was done because her body was in a hot hospital room, and both British and hospital officials were concerned about the condition it would be in when Prince Charles and other members of the Royal Family arrived.

A French embalmer partially embalmed the body - he believed the British consul had given the go-ahead. As part of the embalming process, formaldehyde was injected - a process that made accurate tests for pregnancy impossible. It was not illegal to embalm her body in France given the circumstances.

Princess Diana's final days

Everything you need to know about Princess Diana's funeral
Israel's top Jewish religious authorities have declared they are concerned about comments that Pope Francis made about their books of sacred law and have asked for a clarification.

Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chair of the Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for Dialogue with the Holy See, wrote a letter addressed to the Vatican which said the comments appeared to suggest Jewish law was obsolete.

Vatican authorities said they were studying the letter, first seen by Reuters, and were considering a response.

Rabbi Arousi wrote the letter a day after the pope spoke about the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, during a general audience on August 11.

A letter addressed to the Vatican from an Israeli rabbi said comments which Pope Francis made on August 11 appeared to suggest Jewish law was obsolete

The pope said: 'The law (Torah) 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'

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.

The Torah constitutes the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally thought to have been composed by Moses

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.

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.

Relations between Catholics and Jews were revolutionised in 1965 and decades of inter-religious dialogue began. Pictured: Pope Francis during a private audience with Israeli Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz at the Vatican in 2016

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)
Scott Morrison's national re-opening plan gave 25 million Australians hope that life would return to normal before Christmas - but just four weeks later his dream is under threat with some states and territories refusing to play ball and forging their own paths.

The Prime Minister said his plan - which had been agreed three times by all state and territory leaders - would allow the country to 'say goodbye' to lockdowns in two stages titled phase B and phase C when 70 and 80 per cent of over 16s are vaccinated.

But the high number of cases in NSW and Victoria has spooked leaders in Covid-free states, with several threatening to keep their borders closed or require higher jab rates before scrapping lockdowns, raising the prospect that Australia will remain a divided nation for months to come.

After a national cabinet meeting on Friday, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan declared he would not 'deliberately infect' his citizens and insisted he would keep state borders closed if WA was Covid-free when it reached the 70 per cent mark.

His comments came after two truck drivers tested positive to Covid in Perth after travelling from NSW via SA and Victoria.

Some states are threatening to keep their borders closed or require higher jab rates before scrapping lockdowns, raising the prospect that Australia will remain a divided nation for months to come

The Federal Government wants to get the nation back to normal. Pictured: Police patrol Bankstown in south western Sydney on Friday

The 70 and 80 per cent rates were stipulated by the Doherty Institute which found that if optimal testing and tracing is maintained there would be only 88 Covid hospitalisations, 21 ICU admissions and 13 deaths nationally in the six months after the 70 per cent jab rate is reached.

Queensland and Western Australia both demanded new modelling to take the recent high case load into account - but the scientists came back with the same conclusion that opening with 70 per cent jabbed is safe.

Federal ministers, who want to revive the economy and give Australians their lives back, have piled pressure on states to stick to the plan by writing op-eds in local newspapers and even threatening to turn off financial support to any recalcitrant governments.

At the other end of the scale, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is moving ahead of the plan, vowing to exempt vaccinated residents from restrictions once her state hits a 70 per cent jab rate, even though the plan requires a 70 per cent rate across the nation before any one jurisdiction can move to phase B.

NSW is leading the vaccination rollout with 64 per cent of residents having received one dose compared to the nation's lowest rate of 48 per cent in WA.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured during a pre-brief for a National Cabinet meeting on Friday) wants Australia to open up once 70 per cent of adults are vaccinated

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, while initially cautious about opening up, has endorsed the plan and increasingly moved away from his Covid elimination rhetoric, acknowledging that Victorians will have to live with the virus - and South Australia has also backed the plan.

Some analysts have warned Australia should not rely too heavily on modelling because, as Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said, the country is entering 'uncharted territory' and must be prepared to adapt policy settings.

But the Federal Government is confident that vaccinations are breaking the link between cases and deaths, as shown by a comparison of outbreaks in Victoria in 2020 and NSW this year.

On the 70th day of each outbreak, Victoria had 10,349 cases and 128 deaths while NSW - where the vulnerable are largely vaccinated - had 14,684 cases and only 76 deaths.

Many Australians are desperate to get their lives back after Covid lockdowns. Pictured: Residents in Bondi, eastern Sydney on Friday

Mr Morrison - who has undoubtedly seen Nine's recent opinion poll showing 62 per cent of Aussies back the re-opening plan - says keeping the virus out of the country is not sustainable and every state needs to 'come out of the cave'.

He is also seeking to reassure nervous Australians that the plan is safe and will not result in hundreds of daily deaths as experienced in UK after its 'freedom day' on July 19.

'It's about opening safely. It's about opening smartly. It's about opening in a way that is phased. It all doesn't happen on one day,' the Prime Minister said on Friday.

Mr Morrison has formed a new taskforce to improve health systems in the states and territories before vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.

Involving senior health officials from across Australia, the taskforce will analyse both private and public hospital capacities and how the workforce will cope when staff are forced into isolation. It will report to national cabinet next Friday, The Australian reported.

But it's ultimately the state and territory leaders who hold the power to decide Australians' freedom - so will they stick to the plan?

NSW: Opening fast

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has enthusiastically endorsed the plan and already promised extra freedoms to vaccinated people once the state hits a 70 per cent jab rate.

By November, vaccinated residents could be allowed in pubs, bars and on intra-state flights, with a roadmap due to be announced soon.

Children will also return to school with Year 1 and kindergarten students going back on October 25; Year 2, 6 and 11 on November 1; and the rest on November 8, the premier confirmed on Friday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has enthusiastically endorsed the plan and already promised extra freedoms to vaccinated NSW residents. Pictured: Locals in Auburn, western Sydney

Even before the 70 per cent jab rate is reached, Ms Berejikilian has decided to allow the fully vaccinated to meet in a park with five friends in sign that future freedoms will depend on vaccination status.

The government is also planning trials next month of one-on-one industries such has hairdressing where both the customer and employee are fully vaccinated.

However, it appears that NSW may deviate from the plan by moving too fast because it requires the national jab rate to hit 70 per cent before any one state can move into phase B, the stage when vaccinated residents are exempt from restrictions.

'Get fully vaccinated, you still have time to make sure that when you start opening up, you have those options to live a freer life,' Ms Berejiklian told residents.

Victoria: Backing the plan

Daniel Andrews has also endorsed the national plan and vowed to largely scrap lockdowns when 70 per cent of his state is vaccinated.

'Seventy and 80 per cent will mean we have many more choices, many more options, and they're all better than the very challenging circumstances that we face now,' he said on Monday.

'That means that we don't have to be locked down, certainly not statewide, we don't have to have many of the rules that are essential, and our only option at this time.'

Daniel Andrews has also endorsed the national plan and vowed to largely scrap lockdowns when 70 per cent of his state is vaccinated. Pictured: Isolation checks in Shepparton, VIC

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a pre-brief for Friday's National Cabinet meeting in his office along with Prof. Paul Kelly (centre) and Lieutenant General Frewen (right)

The national plan says that lockdowns become 'less likely' when 70 per cent of over 16s are vaccinated and only 'highly targeted' when 80 per cent are jabbed.

Mr Andrews - who subjected Victorians to a 120-day lockdown last year in a bid to eliminate Covid - has conceded his state will have to live with the virus circulating in the community.

He said on Thursday his aim was to 'limit' cases until the 70 per cent jab rate was hit rather than eliminate them altogether, a marked shift in rhetoric.

Western Australia: Wants Covid zero

Mark McGowan became the first premier to cast doubt on the plan when he told Sky News on August 15 that he would continue trying to eliminate Covid-19 beyond the 80 per cent vaccination rate.

'Our preferred option is zero Covid obviously and that's what we'll attempt to do,' Mr McGowan said.

Mr McGowan doubled down on that stance after a heated meeting with Mr Morrison and other state premiers on Friday, declaring he would not risk the health of West Australians.

'The idea that we just deliberately infect our citizens, if we have no Covid when we get to 70 per cent two-dose vaccination, I just can't do,' he said.

'People would die and we would have huge dislocation. It's different for other states that have Covid-positive people.'

This is despite Sharon Lewin, the head of the Doherty Institute, declaring that once 70 per cent are jabbed 'we no longer have zero Covid as a goal'.

Mark McGowan (pictured) became the first premier to cast doubt on the plan when he said he would continue trying to eliminate Covid-19

Mr McGowan threatened to keep WA's hard border to NSW in place until the state eliminates the virus - which is looking increasingly unlikely with 1,029 cases on Thursday and 882 on Friday.

'For the foreseeable future, probably until the end of the year, we'll have to have a strong border in place with NSW because we can't run the risk of it infiltrating into Western Australia,' he said.

'When they get down to zero or minimal spread, then we can look forward to opening the border.'

Mr McGowan claimed everything he has said is 'consistent' with the national plan, which makes no mention of state borders.

But on Monday he said he wanted the Doherty modelling done again to take into account the increasing caseload in NSW.

'Everyone agreed the modelling was out of date,' he said in reference to National Cabinet meeting of premiers on August 20.

'All I'd say to everyone over east is calm down, use cool heads.

'Understand that people across Australia actually prefer not to have Covid... and the NSW model is not the way to go,' he said.

Wallabies players in the recovery area after receiving Covid-19 vaccinations in Perth on Thursday

WA's tourism industry has called for a 'no jab, no fly' coronavirus vaccination policy for all interstate arrivals to be implemented from December.

But Mr McGowan has described it as premature and showed no appetite for granting freedoms to the vaccinated.

'The thing about it is even if you're vaccinated, you can transmit,' he told reporters.

'When we get to a certain level of vaccination under the plan those sorts of things, particularly at phase D, will be possible but certainly not at this point in time.

'The real issue in Australia at the moment is what's happening in NSW and how we're going to get on top of it... rather than hypotheticals about what might happen in December or January or some point like that.'

Mr McGowan's ultra-cautious stance could cost the state jobs and travel access with Qantas threatening to pull its Sydney-Perth-London route in a move he described as 'outrageous'.

'The airline is investigating using Darwin as a transit point... given conservative border policies in Western Australia,' the company said in a statement to the ASX on Thursday.

Queensland: Will suppress Covid

Annastacia Palaszczuk has backed the re-opening plan but also demanded new modelling and vowed to continue suppressing the virus after vaccination targets are reached.

She claimed the original Doherty research was out of date because it assumed the country would only have 30 cases a day when moving to phase B - but the Institute has since clarified that the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates do not change if there are hundreds of cases.

The infection peak would be reached sooner after opening but the total deaths over six months would remain the same, it said.

Queensland Police stop cars in Coolangatta at the Queensland border on August 25. Locals need a permit to cross the NSW-QLD border

'We continue to back the nationally agreed plan for lockdowns to be minimised and restrictions to be limited when vaccination rates reach 70 to 80 per cent,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Monday.

'Our aim is always to suppress that virus but even at 70 per cent and 80 per cent vaccination rates...there will be some limited restrictions and some limited or specified lockdown.'

Queensland, which has recorded no new local cases since Tuesday, further relaxed restrictions on Friday to allow uncapped gatherings in public spaces in the south-east.

But a hard border remains in place with NSW, VIC and the ACT with no indication about when it will come down.

ACT: Wants children jabbed

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has confirmed he will unilaterally deviate from the plan.

He announced on Thursday the ACT government would be including 12-15 year olds in its 70 per cent and 80 per cent thresholds, even though the Doherty Institute modelling is based on over 16s only because younger children have less serious illness.

This is despite Mr Morrison saying this is pointless and insisting he has received no advice that it's necessary.

A nurse administers an AstraZeneca vaccination at Kenolta Medical Centre in Canberra. The city is in lockdown due to an outbreak which hit 176 cases on Friday

In a Tweet on Monday Mr Barr reminded residents that the plan allowed lockdowns at the 80 per cent vaccination rate and said it was always 'subject to change'.

'The National Plan and the Doherty Institute modelling are too often misrepresented,' he said.

'Most States and Territories insisted on important public health protections throughout the various stages of the plan and recognised that the situation could change.'

Northern Territory: Wants a higher jab rate

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has also vowed to deviate from the plan, claiming the high number of vulnerable indigenous residents in the NT means a higher vaccination rate is needed before scrapping lockdowns.

'If remote communities require a higher rate of vaccination, that impacts my policy decisions going forward,' he said on Tuesday August 10.

'I need really high vaccination rates here, probably higher than the Doherty Institute is flagging in their modelling.'

Mr Gunner has not announced what the higher rate will be.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner has also vowed to deviate from the plan. Pictured: Testing at the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin

Tasmania: Will keep border shut

Tasmanian Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff went one step further, saying he wanted everyone jabbed before the state fully opened its borders.

'I recognise the Doherty modelling and the frustration restrictions have imposed over the last 18 months.

'But we have a more vulnerable ageing population and will be guided by our public health advice,' he said on Wednesday.

Tasmania has an average age of 42.3, the highest of all states and territories as many of its young people head to the east coast for work.

'We need to get to a point where we can ease restrictions but we will not risk the safety of Tasmania,' Mr Rockliff said.

'Our focus is on vaccination. We would like to ensure more than 80 per cent of eligible Tasmanians were vaccinated before we opened up. Actually, I'd like to see every single Tasmanian vaccinated.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to state premiers during Friday's National Cabinet meeting

South Australia: Backing the plan

South Australia has backed the plan and Liberal premier Steven Marshall, who faces an election on March 19, has repeatedly endorsed it.

'Right since day one in SA, we've listened to that expert advice. The science, that evidence from the experts, has informed that national cabinet position,' Mr Marshall said on Tuesday.

'As we move forward, we know that as vaccination rates go higher, the transmissibility of the disease will go lower, the potential for people to acquire it is lower, and when they do get it, it will be with much lower symptoms, lower hospitalisation, lower admission to intensive care and, of course, a much lower chance of dying.'
Advertisement

The Pentagon has enlisted three more military bases to house Afghan refugees coming to America to escape the Taliban, spokesman John Kirby announced Friday.

Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Pickett in Virginia, and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico were all added 'to provide additional support to the U.S. mission to evacuate Afghans special immigrant visa applicants, their families, and other at-risk individuals,' Kirby said.

They join four other bases already welcoming Afghans: Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Combined the bases will have capacity to house up to 70,000 Afghans and their families. Kirby said there are 'just under 7,000' people there as of Friday.

He added that the State and Homeland Security Departments along with Health and Human Services will assist the military in coordinating the accommodation.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that Homeland Security will lead oversight efforts of the federal government's relocation efforts, including making sure all Afghans are 'screened and vetted prior to being allowed into the United States.'

The map below shows where Afghan refugees, including special immigrant visa applicants and vulnerable civilians, are being taken after they are evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport by US and coalition flights.

Approximately 12,500 people were evacuated from Kabul within a 24-hour window ending as of early Friday morning. Since August 14 about 105,000 people - mostly Afghans - were flown from the airport to intermediate staging areas before going on to the US.

A map showing some of the locations Afghan refugees are being sent to including staging areas in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany, as well as some of the 14 'temporary safe haven' locations (according to Axios) and the US bases where they will stay

Roughly 110,600 people were evacuated since President Joe Biden announced Operation Allies Refuge to get Afghan allies of the US out of the country amid now-realized fears the war-torn country would fall to the Taliban.

Thousands of people are still desperate to leave Afghanistan ahead of President Joe Biden's August 31 withdrawal deadline.

The State Department wouldn't say how many people who have been evacuated so far are Special Immigrant Visa holders.

'We don't have precise figures to provide,' department spokesman Ned Price said.

An explosion rocked Kabul outside an airport checkpoint on Thursday afternoon local time, hours after the US State Department urged people to leave immediately over an imminent terrorist threat.

At least 170 people are confirmed dead, including 13 US troops.

Until the blast, crowds of desperate Afghans and foreigners desperately tried to show their paperwork to US and NATO forces to be allowed through

Scenes of chaos were reported at the airport with stampedes at checkpoints and Taliban insurgents turning people away and even using violence to disperse crowds.

Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar are the main staging areas for refugees brought from Kabul.

As of Wednesday roughly 7,500 people were evacuated to Ramstein since August 14, where they are housed in tent cities and hangars.

More than 5,700 people are currently there. The base has a maximum capacity of 12,000, according to US European Command.

Bahrain officials have agreed to host 5,000 refugees, Reuters reports.

Because of delays in processing people and the subsequent overcrowding the Defense Department set up 14 additional 'temporary safe havens' to lessen the strain on existing staging areas.

Some of those are located in the United Arab Emirates, two more in Germany, two in Italy, two in Spain and an additional facility in Bahrain, among other places, according to Axios.

Afghan refugees arrive at Ali Al Salem Air Base, one of the temporary 'safe havens'

Evacuees arrive at Sigonella Air Base in southern Italy, another 'safe haven' location

A tent city has been erected at Ramstein Air Base to house Afghan refugees

There, refugees are vetted by law enforcement and intelligence officials.

After they are cleared for passage to the US, people who are not US citizens or green card holders are taken to Dulles International Airport in Virginia and on to the seven military bases.

However recent reports of a bottleneck at Dulles emerged as the government struggles with the logistics behind evacuating thousands of people in a short amount of time.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki attributed the delay to the government's thorough vetting of refugees.

We implement multiple layers of check, including a confirmation in some cases on landing, and that is to check the manifest and in a limited number of cases, we have vetting processes that may be unresolved, very limited. But that may lead to at times a delay in an individual's being held on the plane so that we can have that process seen through, Psaki said at Fridays White House briefing.

At the Pentagon Friday Kirby confirmed that crowding has resulted in Afghan refugees waiting hours on the tarmac to be processed.

On Monday it was reported that 650 people were housed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, according to a local ABC affiliate. As many as 10,000 people could be housed there.

In New Jersey, a nearly 25-acre parade ground at Fort Dix is now a 'tent city' in preparation for up to 9,500 Afghan refugees. They could live there for six month or up to a year, the Courier Post reports.

Fort Lee in Virginia is being aided by nearby Fort Pickett, which is also preparing to house refugees to aide with the large number of people coming in.

But signs the US government is struggling with the influx of thousands of refugees emerged in reports of unsanitary, overcrowded conditions at some facilities.

A memo from a US Central Command official that surfaced last week described Al Udeid Air Base, where the majority of people are transitioning through, as a 'living hell' where 'trash, urine, fecal matter, spilled liquids and vomit cover the floors.'

Al Udeid is located in a desert and is the closest staging area to Afghanistan.

A Doha embassy official quoted in the memo claimed there was a rat problem as well.

The Pentagon acknowledged the 'terrible sanitation conditions at Qatar' and promised conditions were in the process of improving.

After leaving the staging areas and safe haven locations, Afghans are flying to Dulles Airport in Virginia before being sent to US military bases

Afghan refugees arrive at Dulles International Airport on August 27, 2021

Temporary housing is being built for Afghan refugees at the Dona Ana Housing Area near Fort Bliss in Texas

Pictured are a row of barracks at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Refugees began arriving there earlier this week

It's not confirmed where the US is planning to send refugees after their stay at US military bases.

A number of governors, including Republican leaders in Utah, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, South Carolina and Oklahoma, have signaled openness to taking in refugees.

The governors of New York, Virginia, New Mexico and Oregon are also among those stepping up to help.

Biden was scheduled to meet with the bipartisan group on Thursday afternoon, but the meeting was cancelled after the two explosions.

Thousands of Afghans are also fleeing to the border, but their bid to escape is being thwarted at Taliban-controlled crossings.

Even those who make it out of Afghanistan have discovered there is no escape because neighboring countries are sending them back to their home country.

Leaked memo contains accounts of Al Udeid Air Base from Doha embassy staff "A humid day today. Where the Afghans are housed is a living hell. Trash, urine, fecal matter, spilled liquids and vomit cover the floors." "I spent an hour in there picking up trash... almost suffocated." "Another flight arrived and there's no resources to solve the sanitation problem." "These human beings are in a living nightmare." "No A/C." "We're in the middle of humanitarian crises [sic] that compounds itself with every flight that lands in Doha." "Hangar update. They now have a rat problem." source: Axios Advertisement

Afghans were already fleeing on foot to neighboring countries such as Iran in a bid to escape after the UK told them to head to the border. Many countries have ended their airlift operations.

But for those who have made the exhausting journey to Afghanistan's borders, freedom is not guaranteed.

The Taliban now control all of Afghanistan's main border crossing points with neighboring countries and the Islamic militants have made clear they do not want Afghans to leave the country.

Only traders or those with valid travel visas or documents are being allowed to cross the borders, reports suggest.

For those who manage to cross the border into the neighbouring countries, many are being sent back to Afghanistan.

Adam Rutland, the Executive Director at the Centre for Information Resilience, told MailOnline: 'Afghans have no good options right now. Even getting to potential exit points - the airport or land borders - is fraught with danger, particularly for those who have helped the UK and others.

'Carrying the official documents that might help them gain a new life outside Afghanistan, could be a death sentence within.

'We should also be deeply concerned that the more desperate will fall prey to human traffickers, with all the harm and misery that entails. Afghans wanting to leave are in an awful position. It's heart-breaking.'

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged the neighboring countries to keep their borders open and let Afghans through.

'The vast majority of Afghans are not able to leave the country through regular channels,' a UNHCR spokesperson said last week. 'We continue to urge all countries neighboring Afghanistan to maintain open borders, so that those seeking safety can find it.'

Meanwhile, thousands have been seen flocking to Spin Boldak in eastern Afghanistan in an attempt to cross the border into Chaman, Pakistan.

Others have been seen travelling to Torkham further south in an attempt to flee to Pakistan - but the Taliban controls the road from Kabul which makes the journey treacherous.

An image posted to Facebook shows the crowded conditions inside Al Udeid Air Base

Afghans struggle to reach the foreign forces to show their credentials to flee the country outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport before the blast that killed and injured numerous people

Journalist Harald Doornbos tweeted: 'Kabul-Jalalabad-Torkham road (Pakistan border) is wholly owned by Taliban. Impossible to use for people wanted by the Taliban. If you're in Kabul, really the only way out is to fly.'

Some desperate Afghans have turned to human traffickers to get them out of the country while others have managed to cross into Pakistan from Spin Boldak in Afghanistan in recent days, with the border crossing kept open only for those with valid documents.

Pakistan has vowed to keep out refugees and has fenced off its border but many are illegally crossing on foot, with many being taken by human traffickers to countries such as Turkey.

A people smuggler told The Guardian: It is impossible to fence the mountains and deserts,' he said. 'We have people at all entry points to receive the refugees and take them to the next destination.'

James Rogers, Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy, told MailOnline: 'Afghanistan is a landlocked country, so, logically, there should be many ways out. However, it is also a very rugged and inhospitable place, and difficult to move over  especially for groups or families.

'The conditions at some of the border crossings are reportedly worse than at Kabul airport and many surrounding countries will not be keen to accept undocumented people  even if the Taliban allows them to cross. There have already been clashes along the Afghan-Pakistani border.'
Images of the deadly United States evacuation of Afghanistan brought back horrible memories clearly for a veteran Latino soldier - one of the last American servicemen to leave Vietnam almost five decades ago.

Juan Jose Valdez and nine other Marines hid on the roof of the United States Embassy in Saigon on April 30, 1975, wondering if they were going to make it out.

'The North Vietnamese were already coming in the tanks, and we stayed down so they wouldn't look at us,' Valdez told Noticias Telemundo from his home in California.

His mission was to provide protection for the U.S. troops who were positioned at the embassy.

'You have to take care of your people, your troops, first, and if you stay there, if you stay, they kill you, they will kill you, but you are going to be the last (to depart),' the retired military veteran explained.

Juan Jose Valdez, who served in the Marines, was the last soldier to leave Saigon. Valdez was part of a group of 10 servicemen whose mission was to provide protection for U.S. troops at the embassy in Saigon and were pulled out April 30, 1975. In an interview with Noticias Telemundo, the California resident compared the Vietnam withdrawal to the chaotic scene that has unraveled in Afghanistan as the U.S. has led efforts since August 14 to remove more than 95,000 Afghans and foreign nationals, after the Taliban took over the country

Juan Jose Valdez, a Marine Corps veteran, told Noticias Telemundo that parents in Vietnam begged soldiers to take their children out of the country at the end of the Vietnam War

Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the i Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 16

Crowds of Vietnamese and Western evacuees wait around the swimming pool inside the American Embassy compound in Saigon hoping to escape Vietnam via helicopter before the arrival of North Vietnamese troops. Nearly all were left behind as the evacuation stopped at nightfall and the following day, April 30, 1975, NVA tanks rolled into Saigon and the Vietnam War officially ended

A military helicopter eventually landed on the embassy roof, but Valdez was nearly left behind when he stumbled as he climbed onto the aircraft. One of the Marines noticed him missing, then spotted Valdez barely holding on to a ramp before they helped him back up.

'I was the last' to set foot in Vietnam, he said.

Juan Jose Valdez, a Marine Corps veteran, criticized the role of the United States in Vietnam and Afghanistan: 'We spent so much money, so many weapons and many Marine and Army deaths. And for what, for what?'

U.S. Marines guard the evacuation of civilians at Tan Son Nhut airbase in Vietnam while under Viet Cong fire during the fall of Saigon on April 15, 1975

Pictures and video of Afghans with their children flooding the streets surrounding Kabul airport, desperately hoping to be evacuated from the country have taken Valdez back.

During his time in Vietnam, he remembers parents volunteering to stay behind as long as their children were removed from the country by Valdez and the U.S. troops.

'Please, at least take my children out. I'll stay, but take my little girl now,' Valdez remembers Vietnamese parents pleading.

About 7,000 people were transported out of Vietnam with the fall of the Saigon in 1975 as the Vietnam War came to an end. More than 100,000 refugees from Southeast Asia were taken out.

Juan Jose Valdez holds a photo of himself (pictured rear center) and former U.S. Marines troops assigned to guard the embassy in Saigon. The group was evacuated April 30, 1975

Crowds of people wait outside Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan on Wednesday

Valdez said the United States was wrong for overstaying in Vietnam for a war that left 58,220 soldiers dead. He also blasted the current and previous administrations for the conflict in Afghanistan that has claimed the lives of 2,420 American troop members.

'We spent so much money, so many weapons and many Marine and Army deaths. And for what, for what?,' he said.

So far, the United States has evacuated more than 95,000 Afghans and foreigners since the Taliban took over the country and President Ashraf Ghani fled on August 14

Wounded women arrive at a hospital for treatment after two blasts, which killed at least five and wounded a dozen, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Graphic images show an injured man being wheeled into hospital for treatment following the bomb blasts outside Kabul airport

On Thursday, at least 60 people, including 12 U.S. soldiers were killed and 120 wounded at the Kabul airport, when two bombs exploded outside its gates. The airport is being guarded by about 5,200 American troops.

Efforts to fly more people from Kabul International Airport stalled Wednesday following intelligence reports of attacks being planned by Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State and fierce rival of the Taliban.

ISIS-K had not claimed responsibility for the attack Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump reached an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 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. President Biden has said evacuations will be complete by August 31, but that troops may stay longer to make sure everyone gets out.
A school board in Virginia has agreed to pay $1.3 million in legal costs to the American Civil Liberties Union after the nonprofit spent six years representing a student who sued over the board's transgender bathroom ban.

Gavin Grimm's lawsuit against the Gloucester County School Board ended in June after the US Supreme Court rejected the board's appeal to reinstate its bathroom policy.

Lower courts ruled that the board's policy was unconstitutional and discriminated against Grimm because he was required to use restrooms that corresponded with his biological sex - female - or private bathrooms. He was barred from the boy's facilities in high school.

The board agreed to the pay the ACLU's legal costs in a filing made in a US District Court in Norfolk on Thursday.

Gloucester County High School senior Gavin Grimm (pictured) - a transgender student, speaks during a news conference in Richmond, Virginia

Josh Block, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, said in a statement that 'it should not have taken over six years of expensive litigation to get to this point.'

Grimm, who is now 22, said in a statement that he hopes 'this outcome sends a strong message to other school systems that discrimination is an expensive, losing battle.'

'I was bared from the bathroom at my high school seven years ago, when I was 15. Six years ago, at 16, myself and the ACLU/ACLUVA filed suit in response to that discrimination,' Grimm wrote in a tweet shortly after the court made the decision in his favor.

'Twice since I have enjoyed victories in court, and now it's over. We won.'

David Corrigan, an attorney for the Gloucester County school board, released a board statement that said its insurance provider 'has addressed' the ACLU's request to cover legal costs. The board declined to comment further.

It's unclear what the board's own legal costs have been over the years.

The Associated Press filed a request in 2018 with the school board's insurance carrier under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act seeking that information.

The Gloucester County School Board's policy required Grimm, a transgender male, to use girls' restrooms or private bathrooms

Steve Craig, managing director of the Virginia Risk Sharing Association, responded at the time that such information is exempt because the matter was still pending.

Craig declined to comment on Thursday, stating in an email that 'we can't be of assistance and can't offer any information or comment on the case.'

School systems that are insured are unlikely to suffer any long-standing financial repercussions from one lawsuit, said Francisco M. Negron, Jr., chief legal officer for the National School Board Association.

'They may see a rise in premiums just like any other insured would experience,' he said, speaking generally and not about Gloucester.

Grimm began transitioning from female to male while he was a student at his high school, located in a mostly rural area about 60 miles east of Richmond

Grimm began transitioning from female to male while he was a student at his high school, located in a mostly rural area about 60 miles east of Richmond. He had chest reconstruction surgery and hormone therapy.

Grimm's case began after his mother notified school administrators that he had transitioned to a boy as a result of his medical treatment for gender dysphoria. That was at the start of his sophomore year at Gloucester High School.

Grimm was initially allowed to use the boys restroom. But after some parents complained, students were told their use of restrooms and locker rooms 'shall be limited to the corresponding biological genders' or a private restroom.

Grimm filed his lawsuit in 2015 and argued that he suffered from urinary tract infections from avoiding school bathrooms as well as suicidal thoughts that led to hospitalization.

'Twice I have enjoyed victories in court, and now it's over. We won' Grimm wrote in a tweet shortly after the court rejected the school board's appeal to reinstate its bathroom policy

Gavin Grimm, center, a young man who has become a national face for transgender student, speaks with Josh Block, ACLU senior staff attorney before the start of a press conference

The case then pinballed through the federal courts.

It became a federal test case when it was supported by the administration of then-President Barack Obama. It was scheduled to go before the US Supreme Court in 2017.

But the high court hearing was canceled after President Donald Trump rescinded an Obama-era directive that students can choose bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

Grimm's case was heard again in US District Court in Norfolk in 2019 and by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020. Both ruled in his favor.
A brazen, daylight gunfight outside an Illinois courthouse Thursday killed two men and injured another, police say.

The 9:15 a.m. shootout in Kankakee, Illinois, began when Antonio Hernandez ambushed two men who were leaving Kankakee County Courthouse and walking toward the parking lot, police said.

Hernandez' targets were relatives Victor Andrade and Miguel Andrade, who were leaving a court hearing unrelated to the shooting, said Kankakee Police Chief Robin Passwater.

Hernandez fired a fatal shot at Victor Andrade, while Miguel Andrade ran to his car to fetch his gun and return fire. He killed Hernandez, police said.

Passwater said the three men belonged to the same gang, and the violence appeared to be the result of some unresolved, internal conflict.

'Im thankful there wasnt more victims today,' Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis told reporters. 'Theres a lot of people who went to the courthouse at this time and it couldve been a lot worse.

A third shooting victim was being treated at a local hospital, and was not a member of the gang.

Its a tragic event for the people of the City of Kankakee, Passwater said. Were going to do our best to solve it.

A local resident who heard gunfire said he looked out his nearby window to see one man lying unresponsive on the street. Another, he said, was motionless in a nearby parking lot.

A shooting Thursday morning outside a Kankakee, Illinois, courthouse killed two men

A third man was taken to hospital in an undisclosed condition, where he underwent surgery

It was easy to assume that, unfortunately, the worst had happened to them, the witness told ABC7.

Cops started pouring out of the courthouse. They did a great job.

Police said multiple firearms, including a long gun, were recovered at the scene.

Miguel Andrade is in police custody, but it was not clear whether charges will be laid. Police also arrested a second man, who police said is no longer believed to have been involved in the shooting.

Kankakee, with a population of about 26,000 and located 60 miles south of Chicago, is the ninth-most dangerous city in the state.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has issued a chilling warning about Apple's plans to begin scanning iPhone photos of users, saying the proposal will give governments terrifying access to citizen's private data.

Snowden, a former computer intelligence consultant, who in 2013 leaked classified documents to show the scale of government snooping on U.S. citizens, condemned the new plans in strong terms, and says they set a precedent which will ultimately be abused by corrupt politicians to destroy individual privacy.

He said that Apple had chosen a dangerous path with their scheme to access users' photos, and that governments will manipulate the rule to give them greater access to data they claim they need access to - such as a phone owner's presence at a protest.

The Silicon Valley giant will scan all photos linked from iPhones to the Cloud for child pornography - with images cross-checked against a database from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Apple say that any users who do not want their phones to be scanned can switch off the linkage to the Cloud. But many people do not realize their phones are synching with the Cloud - and Snowden said 85 per cent of iPhone users have their phones set up to synch to the Cloud.

He also warned that Apple's initial opt-out will inevitably be axed if its plans go ahead, meaning people's phones will ultimately be the property of corporations and governments, and used to spy on their owners.

The update was announced at the beginning of this month, and Apple said the latest changes will roll out this year as part of updates to its operating software for iPhones, Macs and Apple Watches.

Edward Snowden, who leaked classified information in 2013 showing the extent of U.S. government spying on its own citizens, has warned about Apple's plan to scan peoples' photos

All photos which are linked from your phone to the iCloud will be scanned, and if they match images on the child pornography database held by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children then they will be flagged

It marks a sea change for the company, which has long prided itself - and promoted itself - as a bastion of privacy protection in a world of increasing surveillance.

Snowden is pictured in September 2019 promoting his book via video conference

Apple was one of the first major companies to embrace 'end-to-end' encryption, in which messages are scrambled so that only their senders and recipients can read them. Law enforcement, however, has long pressured the company for access to that information in order to investigate crimes such as terrorism or child sexual exploitation.

Snowden, 38, who has lived in Russia since leaking the classified information, said that Apple was opening Pandora's Box.

'If Apple demonstrates the capability and willingness to continuously, remotely search every phone for evidence of one particular type of crime, these are questions for which they will have no answer,' he warned.

'And yet an answer will come - and it will come from the worst lawmakers of the worst governments.

'This is not a slippery slope. It's a cliff.'

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has long prided himself on his company pushing back against government demands to hand over data from peoples' phones. Snowden insists that Apple's new decision will end that protection

Snowden said that Apple's proposal would make it simple for governments to clamp down on their citizens.

'What happens when a party in India demands they start scanning for memes associated with a separatist movement?' he wrote, on his Substack newsletter.

'What happens when the UK demands they scan for a library of terrorist imagery?

Apple's headquarters are pictured in Cupertino. The company insist that ordinary peoples' photos will not be singled out, but Snowden is unconvinced

'How long do we have left before the iPhone in your pocket begins quietly filing reports about encountering 'extremist' political material, or about your presence at a 'civil disturbance'?'

Snowden said that Apple was setting out 'to erase the boundary dividing which devices work for you, and which devices work for them.'

He added: 'Once the precedent has been set that it is fit and proper for even a 'pro-privacy' company like Apple to make products that betray their users and owners, Apple itself will lose all control over how that precedent is applied.'

He pointed out that pedophiles would immediately disable the settings, which showed that rooting out sex offenders was not the real purpose of the new scheme.

'As long as you keep that material off their servers, and so keep Apple out of the headlines, Apple doesn't care,' he said.

'Apple's new system, regardless of how anyone tries to justify it, will permanently redefine what belongs to you, and what belongs to them.'
The president of ABC News is requesting an independent investigation into how the network handles sexual assault claims a day after a lawsuit claimed a senior Good Morning America producer attacked two female staffers.

President Kim Goodwin said that she won't be 'sweeping this under the rug,' and that she's heard enough 'to know we have a problem' in a conference call with staff on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Kirstyn Crawford, 31, says former GMA senior producer Michael Corn kissed her head and rubbed her legs without her consent in an Uber in 2015, when she would have been about 25 years old.

They were on a business trip to Los Angeles to cover the Academy Awards, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York state court.

'Corn grabbed Crawfords hand and told her that he wanted to be able to help her with her career,' the lawsuit says.

The pair had just left a company party, and when they got back to the hotel, Crawford helped him to his room, where Corn allegedly pulled her head onto his chest and pet her hair.

He also allegedly stumbled into her room drunk and laid down on her bed, leaving her 'shaking; she was terrified,' according to the lawsuit.

Corn has denied the allegations and called them all fabrications.

ABC News President Kim Goodwin says she's heard enough 'to know we have a problem'

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York alleges that former Good Morning America senior producer Michael Corn, above, sexually harassed two employees during business trips

Kirstyn Crawford says Corn kissed her head, rubbed her legs, and burst into her room drunk during a trip to Los Angeles to cover the Oscars in 2015, when she was around 25 years old

Jill McClain, who worked with Corn on a different show, says the producer rubbed her vagina over her jeans during a red-eye flight from Los Angeles in 2010

Goodwin, the ABC News president, joined the network in May of this year after Corn had already left in April. Neither he nor the company offered a reason for his departure.

Goodwin said the investigation would also look into the employees who handled complaints against Corn.

Crawford is currently an 'anchor producer' on Good Morning America.

The lawsuit also includes a story from Jill McClain, who worked with Corn on World News Tonight in 2010 and says she was assaulted under 'eerily similar circumstances several years prior.'

During a red-eye flight from Los Angeles, McClain says Corn 'slid his hand from [her] upper right thigh to her vagina, and began rubbing her vagina, over her jeans.'

ABC officials learned of Crawfords allegations in 2017, but an investigation into Corn's conduct was only launched after Crawford and McClain filed formal complaints to the company in February, according to the lawsuit.

Crawford, who filed the suit, worked with Corn as a producer on ABC's Good Morning America. She's still there, but Corn left with no reason for his departure in April of this year

'We can't have us investigating us. We need an independent person,' Godwin, the ABC News president, told staffers in a conference call on Thursday.

'The process has to be independent.'

Crawford's lawsuit alleges that Corn had a pattern of verbally abusive tirades, which left her feeling like she 'walked on eggshells, unsure of when Corn would explode.

'Corn would waffle between berating Crawford publicly and emailing her privately about personal and confidential matters to make her feel like she was some sort of confidante,' the lawsuit said.

McClain added her story to the lawsuit in support of Crawford, but she is not an official party.

After the incident where he rubbed her vagina on the plane from Los Angeles, McClain, who was 24 and recently engaged at the time, alleges more inappropriate comments from Corn.

'Corn - unprompted - turned to McClain and said words to the effect of, "I hope your marriage is better than mine. I wish my wife was more like you. Wouldnt it be great if the two of us could catch a flight somewhere else and spend the rest of the weekend together?" according to the lawsuit.

McClain says Corn assaulted her again in April 2011 while the pair was in London covering the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

She says Corn was 'visibly intoxicated' and followed her to her room after they left the bar.

McClain says Corn assaulted her again during a trip to London for Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding in 2011. Above, Middleton makes her way to Westminster Abbey

'In a disturbing parallel to what he would say to Crawford four years later, Corn told McClain that he cared more about her career than Sawyer ever would,' the lawsuit says.

He knocked on her door, pushed his way into the room, pinned her against a wall, and started kissing her face and neck, the lawsuit says.

'McClain froze and had a flashback to the assault on the plane. Corn backed McClain into the room, pushed her down onto the bed on her back, and got on top of her.

'Corn then grabbed the top of McClains jumpsuit as well as her bra and pulled them both down, exposing McClains bare breasts. Corn began fondling McClains bare chest.

'McClain mustered all of the strength that she could and managed to push him off of her. She yelled at Corn to leave, and Corn left the room in a huff. McClain felt violated and was in shock; she took the clothes that she was wearing and threw them in the trash.'

McClain left her 'dream job' at ABC in 2013, citing a hostile work environment.

'For one thing, McClain did not feel that she could safely report Corns conduct for fear that Corn would retaliate. But also, the prevailing hostile work environment between men and women at ABC made McClain feel that a future at ABC was unmanageable,' the lawsuit says.
Peloton has slashed the price of its original exercise bike by almost 20 per cent as fitness enthusiasts who've had their COVID vaccines return to gyms.

The exercise equipment startup has lowered the price of its original Bike to $1,495 - a nearly 20 per cent price cut from the $2,245 it costed this time last year.

This marks the second time Peloton has reduced the original Bike's price. When the Bike+ machine debuted last September for $2,495 the original bike's price was slashed to $1,895.

The popular at-home fitness equipment maker rocketed in popularity during the pandemic as people desperate to stay fit while gyms were closed bought its bikes.

That also sent the firm's stock price soaring. But gyms began reopening last fall, and masking rules relaxed further this year as the availability of COVID vaccines increased, with many people now choosing to return to the weights room and in-person group class instead.

For its first fiscal quarter of 2022, which started in July, Peloton is predicting sales will reach $800million - a reduction from 2021's $936.9million in revenue that reflects the Bike's price cut.

As of today Peloton has lowered the price of its original Bike to $1,495 - a nearly 20 per cent price cut from the $2,245 it costed this time last year

The company's stock price dropped 1.86 per cent on Thursday and year-to-date Peloton shares are down nearly 24 per cent - a wider-than-expected loss

Peloton is predicting sales will reach $800million in 2022 - a reduction from 2021's $936.9million in revenue that reflects the Bike's price cut

The forecast is well below the $1.01billion Wall Street analysts recommended, according to CNBC.

The company's stock price dropped 1.86 per cent on Thursday and year-to-date Peloton shares are down nearly 24 per cent - a wider-than-expected loss.

A Peleton spokesman sought to put a brave face on the worrying numbers in a letter to shareholders, and claimed it was slashing prices to try and attract more customers: 'We know price remains a barrier and are pleased to offer our most popular product at an attractive everyday price point.'

Peloton is searching for ways to keep revenue growing and find new customers, which has been particularly difficult after recalling their treadmill earlier this year due to the death of a child pulled under its belt, and the injuries of 29 others.

However, the company - which is worth $34billion - is beginning to shift its business plan to include treadmill sales again despite the fact that they were less profitable than those of its cycles.

Tread, a less expensive version of its original treadmill, is set to debut in the United States, Canada and the UK next week for $2,495.

The company is also rumored to be releasing additional at-home fitness equipment such as a rower, according to CNBC.

In June it launched a corporate wellness program where businesses are able to sign up and offer employees subsidized access to Peloton's digital fitness memberships. Tailored features include team-tagging and group exercises geared towards fostering office camaraderie while expanding Peloton's membership base.

Peloton recalled its $4,000 treadmills earlier this year. Tread, a less expensive version of its original treadmill, is set to debut in the United States, Canada and the UK next week for $2,495

Peloton temporarily stopped making their treadmills due to the death of a child and the injuries of 29 others. In a video released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a young boy is seen walking behind the Peloton Tread+ with a large pink ball while a young girl is on it, which gets pulled under the treadmill

Samsung, Wayfair, software giant SAP and British telecommunications firm Sky were among the first to join the program, as reported by CNBC.

According to the news station Peloton also found a problem with the way it has been accounting for inventory. An audit of their 2021 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, cited 'material weakness' in the internal controls that govern the company's financial reporting.

Peloton revealed underwhelming first-quarter revenue outlook ahead of increased commodity costs and freight prices plus plans to raise its market spending - not to mention equipment price cuts - in the coming months.

CNBC reported Wall Street expected a 45-cent loss-per-share at the end of their 2021 fiscal year. In actuality they lost $1.45 per share.

However Wall Street also predicted $927.2million in revenue and Peloton exceeded that, reporting $936.9million in sales - a 54 per cent increase from $607.1million a year earlier.

The company ended the fiscal year with 2.33million connected fitness subscribers - people who own a Peloton product and also pay a monthly fee for access to its digital workout content - which was a 114 per cent increase from the year before, according to CNBC.

Digital subscriptions do not require Peloton equipment and were up 176 per cent to more than 874,000. The company attributed the boom to free trials.

Yet the pace of growth slowed in the third quarter, partly due to the temporary halt of treadmills.

Peloton founder and CEO John Foley (pictured) hopes the company will return to profitability by 2023, which is also when its capital expenditures and investments in its supply chain will ease

Eased pandemic restrictions pose a threat to Peloton as consumers head back to gyms and trade their home workouts for group fitness classes

The next fiscal year Peloton faces stiff competition from other at-home fitness businesses such as Hydrow, Tonal, and Mirror. Eased pandemic restrictions also pose a threat as consumers head back to gyms and trade their home workouts for group fitness classes.

Peloton founder and CEO John Foley wrote in a letter to shareholders: 'The past year represented an inflection point for the connected fitness industry, with significant increases in awareness and demand following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.'

Foley hopes the company will return to profitability by 2023, as reported by CNBC, which is also when its capital expenditures and investments in its supply chain will ease.
An elderly Wisconsin man who got away with murder for more than 40 years was sentenced to consecutive life sentences Thursday for the 'depraved' 1976 killings of an engaged couple.

Raymand Vannieuwenhoven, 84, was convicted in July of fatally 1976 shooting 25-year-old David Schules and 24-year-old Ellen Matheys at McClintock Park in Silver Cliff, about 200 miles north of Milwaukee.

District Attorney DeShea Morrow called the crimes 'cold, vicious, and brazen,' during the sentencing, according to local media reports.

'Two lives snuffed out for a couple of minutes of Raymand Vannieuwenhoven's gratification,' said District Attorney DeShea Morrow during sentencing.

Judge James Morrison said the life sentences were appropriate due to the 'depraved' and 'unspeakable' nature of the crimes, WLUK-TV reported.

Raymand Vannieuwenhoven, 84, was convicted of two consecutive life sentences Thursday for the 'unspeakable' 1974 killings of an engaged couple

Ellen Matheys and her fiance David Schules were out for a walk when Vannieuwenhoven fatally shot the man before sexually assaulting and killing Matheys

The victims were camping July 9, 1976, and were on a walk when Vannieuwenhoven shot Schules dead. He then chased down the young woman and sexually assaulted her before firing two shots into her chest.

The killer lived undetected for decades in Lakewood, a northeastern Wisconsin town about 25 miles from the scene of the crime.

The father of five's arrest in 2019 came as a surprise to his next-door Wayne Sankey.

'I said, "You gotta be kidding me," Sankey told the Salt Lake Tribune. 'And then I told the wife and she couldn't believe it. "There's no way," she said. "Ray down the road?"'

Vannieuwenhoven was known by others to have a dark side, according to reports.

'I know this much - when he was drinking he was one son of a b***h,' Fred Mason, who works at a local dump, told the Tribune.

A sketch of the killer was released by the Marinette County Sheriff's Office in 1976

Police previously released composite images of how they believed the killer would have looked at the time of the crime (left) and several years later (right)

The slayings went unsolved for decades.

In 2019, investigators determined through genetic genealogy that a DNA sample taken from evidence at the crime scene came the Vannieuwenhoven family.

Police then tricked the killer into giving a DNA sample by visiting his home and asking 'if he would do a brief survey about policing in the various townships,' according to documents.

Vannieuwenhoven was charged with the murders in 2019, after living his life as a free man for more than 40 years

Police connected him to the case using genetic genealogy, the same type of technology

When he completed the survey, Vannieuwenhoven complied with the officers' request to seal the envelope with a lick, the documents said.

His DNA matched with a sample discovered inside Matheys' shorts more than 40 years earlier.

Wayne Sankey, who lived next door to Vannieuwenhoven, said he was shocked to learn of the arrest

Vannieuwenhoven was charged in March 2019 with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of first-degree sexual assault. The latter count was ultimately dismissed because the statue of limitations for such a charge had expired. There is no statute of limitations for homicide.

Prior to his sentencing Thursday, the victims' relatives shared statements in court and called for a life sentence.

'The rest of his life in prison wouldn't be much justice for what he did for David and Ellie and for the 45 years he stole from them, but at this point, it's the only justice that's left for them. I hope and pray that that justice will be handed down here today,' said Schules' sister JoAnn Mikulsky, the Wbay news station reported.

'We all just need to finally, finally find some peace.'

Relatives of Vannieuwenhoven's victims say they now hope to find some peace

Vannieuwenhoven lived in a Lakewood, Wisconsin, home about 25 miles from the scene of the crime

The genetic genealogy used in this case was previously used in April 2018 to nap the 'Golden State Killer'.

Joseph James DeAngelo admitted in court to at least 13 murders 13 rape-related charges across California in the 1970s and 80s.

WLUK-TV reported that Vannieuwenhoven gave a defiant and sometimes rambling statement during the sentencing hearing, criticizing District Attorney DeShea Morrow.

Several of the victims' family members asked Morrison to impose life sentences but Vannieuwenhoven's daughter said the only thing that Morrow proved was that her father had an affair.

Defense attorneys tried to introduce evidence implicating two other possible suspects but Morrison denied their motions, setting up a potential appeal.
Advertisement

Thousands of Afghan evacuees - including unaccompanied children - have arrived in Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which has been turned into U.S. European Command's primary evacuation hub.

Since August 20, the American Air Force base has received more than 11,000 evacuees - up from 6,500 earlier this week - and is set up to process 40 plane-loads of people a day. The base can hold up to 12,000 evacuees at once.

Base officials said about 2,500 of the 11,000 are already on the last leg of their journey to the United States.

To accommodate the large number of people, airplane hangars were quickly cleared and more than 350 tents were set up on the base's ramps with more than 10,000 cots and sleeping bags.

Living conditions are basic. The encampment contains tents for prayer and medical services (which has been busy tending to gunshot wound victims and delivering a baby), showers, Porta Johns and space for recreation.

The base also quickly procured a contract with a local vendor to provide 30,000 meals per day. Dozens of pallets of water bottles are trucked in daily, and 14 water buffaloes provide additional water.

A toddler sleeps on trash bags next to a rocking horse at Ramstein Air Base in Germany after being flown out of Kabul

A father and child from Afghanistan walk together with a medical officer after their arrival to Ramstein Air Base on August 26

Recreation areas were set up at the Ramstein Air Base for Afghan evacuees , with children spotted playing on its apron

A military medic cares for a young child at the Ramstein Air Base on August 26. Some children have arrived there alone

More than 350 of these encampments have been set up on the base's runways with prayer mats, showers, cots and sleeping bags

Evacuees from Afghanistan are seen at a temporary emergency shelter at the Ramstein Air Base on August 26

Some families were able to stick together - like the little girl and her family shown here boarding a plane from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base - but other families were separated

Reuniting families is a 'complex challenge,' Lt. Col. William Powell, chief of public affairs at the base, told The Washington Post

Many children arrived at the base safe but were separated from their parents and find themselves alone.

'The other day we had a young man hurt his arm, and so the doctor picked him up and said, "Where's your parents?" And he didn't have his parents [with him], and the translators realized he was an unaccompanied minor,' U.S. Brig. Gen. Josh Olsen told the media on Thursday.

'When you see one of those kids come off [the plane] and smile, that's my new neighbor,' Olsen told CTVNews. 'I have to take care of every single one of them and protect them.'

Afghan teenager Maryam Rezaie said she feels all alone after being separated from her family on the way to the Kabul airport.

Her dad worked for an American company and fled the Taliban so they wouldn't be targeted.

She told NBC News that she cant reach her family. Theyre not online.

'Im here all alone and I have no one,' Maryam said through tears. 'I really dont know what will happen to my family.'

A young boy peeps out of a tent set up to house people who've been evacuated from Afghanistan by US forces

Since August 20, Ramstein Air Base officials said the base has hosted more than 11,000 evacuees and about 2,500 of them are already on their way to the United States

An evacuated girl from Afghanistan sits in a temporary check-in hall and waits for a plane that will take her to Dallas in the United States at Ramstein Air Base on August 26

Evacuees from Afghanistan walk from a temporary tent to a bus at Ramstein Air Base on August 26

The military and State Department are doing everything they can to care for the children

Service members on the base have been doing everything they can care for and entertain unaccompanied children

Service members on the base have been doing everything they can care for and entertain unaccompanied children.

Ramstein Air Base officials said in they've been playing playing music for the younger children and set up recreation areas for the kids to play.

But military leaders realize this is at band-aid at best.

Reuniting families is a 'complex challenge,' Lt. Col. William Powell, chief of public affairs at the base, told The Washington Post.

He said he did not have a number for unaccompanied minors at the camp, but 'anecdotally, I know they exist.'

A State Department official, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity in line with protocol, said the U.S. government will do 'everything in its power' to bring families back together, but the 'reality on the ground' is daunting.

'Most people arrive very tired, and theres a lot of fear along with it,' Jami Malcolm, a volunteer with the American Red Cross, which is providing food and hygiene items to evacuees after landing, told paper.

'I think they are a little bewildered.'

There are an unknown number of unaccompanied minors at the Ramstein Air Base after being separated from their families at the Kabul airport

A U.S. military officer plays a ukulele for evacuees from Afghanistan at a waiting area at Ramstein Air Base on August 26

Thousands of evacuees are living in basic living conditions but have been given food, water and shelter at the Ramstein Air Base before they're flown to the United States

Men carry food to their families at the Ramstein Air Base on August 26

Evacuees left nearly everything behind except the most basic of supplies

Evacuees from Afghanistan depart a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300 aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, August 25
A young woman has revealed her terrifying long Covid symptoms eight months after she tested positive for the virus.

Maddy Bourke from Melbourne has posted two TikTok videos detailing her experience living with long Covid. Long Covid is classified as the long term effects of the virus when symptoms continue for more than 12 weeks after an infection.

In the first video posted on Thursday, she begged young people to take the virus seriously, to get vaccinated and to follow the lockdown laws.

Maddy spoke about her experience with Covid, saying she thought she was dying in the first few weeks and that her health has not improved.

She stated that just two days after she tested positive for Covid she was struggling to breathe.

8 months after her positive result she is still using an oxygen mask daily to help her to breathe normally.

Maddy was living in London at the time and said she slept most of the time she was ill.

She remarked that her mother FaceTimed with her partner during this time and was saying goodbye to Maddy as she thought that her daughter was dying over the other side of the world because she was so sick.

Maddy Bourke (pictured) has released two TikTok videos detailing what her life dealing with the long term effects of Covid is like

'The thing with Covid is that it doesn't get much better. I struggle to breathe every single day. I've got so many health problems,' she said.

Maddy followed this video up with a 'day in the life with long Covid' video, showing what her life is living with the side effects.

She has to do tasks such as going to rehab to improve her health as well as having to use an oxygen mask daily in order to assist her breathing.

She stated she had to stop walking on a treadmill while doing rehab because she couldn't breathe properly even when it was a very gentle walk.

Maddy then goes back home to use her oxygen machine to help regulate her breathing.

Viewers were quick to show their support to the young woman, with many praising her for bringing attention to the seriousness of the effects of the virus.

'As a registered nurse, thank you for sharing. This will genuinely educate people on the long term effects. Stay strong lovely,' commented one health worker.

'Thanks for sharing these details,' said another. 'Some people have become complacent and don't even realise even if you survive how long recovery can be/long term effects.'

'Thank you for sharing. So many like to pretend this doesn't exist. Hope you are able to get through it,' wrote one comment.

'There is definitely not enough info out there about long covid. Stay strong and I pray for your well-being,' said another.
'It's finally happened, we've got mating Komodo dragons.'

Those were the words of Daniel Rumsey from the Australian Reptile Park, who was visibly excited when he and his team achieved the Australian first this week.

The reptile expert, who risked his life to pair two Komodos at the zoo on the NSW Central Coast, explained why the feat is so remarkable - and equally dangerous.

'Komodo dragons are the largest living lizard species, they are virtually modern-day dragons and a bite from a Komodo dragon is one of the worst bites on the planet,' he said in a video uploaded to the Australian Reptile Park Facebook page.

Daniel Rumsey from the Australian Reptile Park was visibly excited when he and his team achieved the Australian first this week

'Dragons in captivity have been known to cause each other severely bad wounds particularly when pairing happens at the wrong time.

'If that happens it is not only bad for the Komodos, it is bad for the keepers as we might have to step in to separate the lizards, literally pull them apart - putting our hands and our arms in harm's way to stop the lizards from hurting each other.'

While it is widely believed Komodo dragons harbour bacteria in their saliva, they actually secrete venom, similar to poisonous snakes, and can kill a human within hours of a bite.

In the remarkable footage, the male dragon named Kraken is visibly keen to enter the enclosure of the female Komodo.

The dangerous process requires zookeepers to be willing to put their body on the line if the lizards become aggressive

The keepers then let him into the enclosure where the female dragon, Daenerys, is waiting.

When they come in contact, Kraken initially shows the defensive behaviours the zookeepers were worried about and Mr Rumsey warns everyone to take a step back.

But after a moment, the zookeepers confirm that the pair were successfully mating.

'Quickly guys, come on, it's happening. What we are seeing now is really positive behaviour, the female is quite receptive to Kraken,' Mr Rumsey said gleefully.

'YES! That's it! That's exactly what we've been waiting for. It's finally happened, we've got mating Komodo dragons.'

A bite from a Komodo dragon can be potentially fatal. The predator secretes venom similar to that of poisonous snakes

While this introduction was successful, Mr Rumsey explained the difficulty of pairing two of the huge lizards.

'No one has successfully bred Komodo dragons in this part of the world, what we hope to see is her digging out a nest chamber and depositing the eggs that she may be carrying,' he said.

'I love these Komodo's with all of my heart and to see these behaviours really is one of the best achievements in my career.'

In the remarkable footage, the male dragon named Kraken is visibly keen to enter the enclosure of the female Komodo

Now the zookeepers have to wait to see if they have Komodo dragon hatchlings after a long incubation period.

The world's largest lizard has an excellent sense of smell and can grow up to three metres long, making them efficient predators.

The Komodo dragon is listed as a vulnerable species, meaning they are at high risk of extinction in the wild.
Applause filled a courtroom after distraught family and friends learnt the man responsible for killing two teenagers - one of whom was his son - would not have his prison sentence reduced.

Pawel Klosowski pleaded guilty to the murder of Lukasz Klosowski and his girlfriend Chelsea Ireland, both 19, on his property at Mount McIntyre, south-east South Australia, in August last year.

The 46-year-old faced the Supreme Court in April this year and was ordered to serve 34 years without parole but appealed the sentencing, claiming it was 'manifestly excessive' and had not taken his remorse into account.

On Thursday the Court of Appeal unanimously rejected his appeal - to which distraught loved ones of Lukasz and Chelsea cried out with joy, The Advertiser reported.

Lukasz Klosowski and Chelsea Ireland, both 19, were shot dead in August last year by Lukasz' father Pawel Klosowski

The relief for family and friends who had to farewell the two teenagers came just days after the one year anniversary of their deaths.

Pawel Klosowski, 46, (pictured) had appealed the life sentence he was handed for killing his son and the teenager's girlfriend

The Supreme Court earlier heard Klosowski had been in an argument with his son before he loaded his shotgun and fired a bullet at the teenager.

He then shot through a locked bathroom door where Ms Ireland had been hiding and trying to call triple zero.

In previous submissions, Klosowski admitted he could not explain his actions and had drank a carton of beer.

'They were two wonderful people who were clearly destined to live happy  I destroyed the lives of their family and many other people,' he said.

In their judgement given on Thursday, Appeals Court President Trish Kelly and Justice Mark Livesey said the sentence handed down had been appropriate.

'(Klosowski's) murder of his son, to whom he owed duties of care and protection is difficult to comprehend. However, the sustained and purposeful brutality of the appellant's conduct was demonstrated by his pursuit of Chelsea,' they said.

Lukasz was studying journalism at the University of South Australia while working at KFC

Chelsea Ireland's mother said she and her family will forever suffer their own 'life sentence'

'As shocking and disturbing as the murder of Lukasz was, the pursuit and killing of Chelsea was simply senseless.'

Klosowski' will be 80 years old by the time he is eligible for parole

Chelsea's mother Debra Ireland outside of court said she and other grieving family members would forever suffer a 'life sentence'.

Lukasz' mother Magda Pearce said the young teens would always be in their hearts.

'We will never mention the prisoner again and we hope that he will never be mentioned again after today but we hope that our children will always be remembered,' she said.

Chelsea and Lukasz dated for several years and had travelled the world together, exploring his Polish heritage.

Klosowski will be 80 years old by the time he is eligible for parole.
UK officials left contact details of Afghan staff scattered around the abandoned Kabul embassy when they fled the advancing Taliban.

A journalist from The Times discovered documents containing contact details - including names and addresses - of Afghan embassy staff, as well as CVs from local job applicants, left in plain sight scattered on the floors of the British embassy compound.

War correspondent Anthony Loyd reported from Kabul that the papers were discovered 'scattered by the ashes of a barbecue in the backyard of a British embassy residency building' on Tuesday while the embassy was being patrolled by the Taliban after being abandoned when the group seized the city on August 15.

Loyd photographed the documents but was unable to remove them as he was being escorted by the Taliban. The Times contacted the telephone numbers listed on the documents and discovered that some of the personnel and applicants were still waiting to be evacuated - and that a number were stranded outside the airport perimeter.

Others had already been evacuated from Afghanistan or managed to flee the country on their own.

Among those left behind were three Afghan staff and eight family members, including children, The Times reported.

Loyd gave details of the missing staff to senior Foreign Office officials stationed inside Kabul airport, who then arranged their evacuation. The paper waited 24 hours before publishing an article on the discovery to ensure there was sufficient time for the individuals to be brought to safety.

A Foreign Office response reported by the paper read: 'During the drawdown of our embassy every effort was made to destroy sensitive material.'

While a source added: 'We are grateful to The Times for sharing the information retrieved with us and working with us to enable us to get these three families to safety.'

However, the fact that documents containing personal contact information on Afghan staff were apparently left out in the open at the abandoned embassy suggests that protocols on destroying sensitive information may not have been followed.

The discovery 'suggests that staff at the British embassy were careless with the lives of Afghan employees in the rush to save their own,' The Times' Anthony Loyd wrote.

The safety of Afghans who aided western diplomats and troops is of concern as international powers scramble to get their citizens out of Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Reports have emerged that the Taliban are stopping Afghans attempting to escape, including some who worked with foreign powers, from reaching Kabul airport.

The discovery of the contact details in the British embassy came as UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, on holiday at the time, declined to speak to his Afghan counterpart regarding the evacuation of interpreters just two days before the capital was recaptured by the Taliban.

On Thursday, twin blasts at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, killed more than 60 people and injured some 150 more.

The US and UK have vowed that the attacks, which ISIS affiliate ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for, will not affect evacuation efforts.

Warnings had been issued prior to the attacks that the crowds of thousands gathering by the airport in a desperate attempt to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan could become a target for an attack.
A small business owner was reduced to tears after receiving an aggressive email from a vegan 'Karen' who questioned why she received complimentary lollies with her online beauty order.

Taking to TikTok, TLC Body founder Carissa Collins, who lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, recalled her disheartening experience with the female customer on Thursday.

'Oh my god... normally emails like this wouldn't get to me too much,' Mrs Collins said in the clip. 'But today has been a day.. I literally just received an email from a customer complaining about me giving them a lolly.

'A bloody lolly in their order. Honestly how this email was worded, it was almost as if I had stabbed them or something.'

Gold Coast business owner Carissa Collins (pictured) was left in tears following an aggressive email from a 'Karen' who questioned why she was given a complimentary set of lollies with her online beauty order on Thursday

A grab of the email (pictured) where the customer questions why she was given 'sugary junk' with a beauty product she purchased online

Mrs Collins shared a screenshot of the vile email where the irate customer states she will 'no longer purchase any more products as she can't trust her word'.

She goes on to question what Mrs Collins stood to gain from 'sending someone a bit of sugary junk' before adding 'if they (lollies) were vegan I would have at least appreciated the thought'.

Most conventional lollies are produced with gelatin - which is made out of animal proteins - and isn't suitable for vegans to eat.

A shocked Mrs Collins asked her followers 'when did it become OK to speak to people like this... what the hell. I am trying to do a nice thing by giving free gifts with orders.

'If you don't like a lolly, don't eat it.'

The rogue sweets Mrs Collins included in the order were the popular gummi candy Haribo Goldbears.

The over-the-top email shocked many online with Mrs Collins humbled by the response and kind words by many of her supporters.

'I had a stressful day, so I took the email very personally,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'It is also the first negative email I have received like that.

'I really appreciated the response online, it blew me away to be honest.

'I also won't be stopping throwing in free lollies with my products, I think it is a nice touch... I guess the woman was having a bad day.'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President Joe Biden to resign after multiple explosions at the Kabul airport killed 13 US troops and as many as 60 Afghans.

She said this was 'not a day for politics' but for honoring the lives of the service members who died.

'I would say first this is a day where U.S. servicemembers - 12 of them - lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. It's not a day for politics,' she said at her press briefing.

'We would expect that any American, whether they're elected or not, would stand with us and our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members and that's what this day is for,' she added.

After Psaki's briefing, the Pentagon confirmed a 13th death.

Psaki specifically was asked about two Republican senators - Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee - but other GOP lawmakers have also called on Biden to leave the Oval Office.

'Joe Biden has now overseen the deadliest day for US troops in Afghanistan in over a decade, and the crisis grows worse by the hour. We must reject the falsehood peddled by a feckless president that this was the only option for withdrawal. This is the product of Joe Bidens catastrophic failure of leadership. It is now painfully clear he has neither the will nor the capacity to lead. He must resign,' Hawley said a statement.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki slammed Republican lawmakers who called on President Joe Biden to resign, saying it was not a day for politics

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri called on Biden to resign; Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn went a step further, calling on Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other members of the administration to quit

Blackburn went a step further, calling on Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley also to resign.

'The deaths of American service members today are a direct result of Biden's weak leadership and failed withdrawal. America needs to have faith in our leaders and we can no longer trust the Biden administration,' she said.

Neither the president nor any of his staff have any intention of resigning. But the criticism of Biden's handling of Afghanistan is ratcheting up as his approval rating is dropping down.

Meanwhile, Biden promised on Thursday to hunt down and destroy the terrorists who killed the American service personnel and Afghans in the double suicide attack on the Kabul airport.

He paid tribute to the 'selfless heroes' who died helping vulnerable people to safety, but delivered a stern warning to the people responsible.

'For those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget,' he said in an address at the White House.

'We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

He also reiterated that he stands by his decision to withdraw troops by August 31  and said that is not changing in light of recent events.

President Biden promised to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who were behind the double suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday, during an at-time emotional address in the East Room of the White House

An ISIS-K suicide bomber blew himself up amid the swarms of people outside the airport Thursday, killing 13 US service members, according to the Pentagon

Members of the Republican congressional leadership harshly criticized Biden for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan but stopped short of calling for his resignation.

'Joe Biden has blood on his hands,' Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York - a member of the House leadership team - wrote on Twitter. 'The buck stops with the President of the United States. This horrific national security and humanitarian disaster is solely the result of Joe Bidens weak and incompetent leadership. He is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.'

'Terrible things happen when terrorists are allowed to operate freely,' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. 'This murderous attack offers the clearest possible reminder that terrorists will not stop fighting the United States just because our politicians grow tired of fighting them.'

Former President Donald Trump, who has been publicly and harshly critical of Biden's handling of the situation in Afghanistan, issued a statement that offered condolences for the fallen troops and Afghans but did not call his successor out by name.

'Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the U.S.A. meant so much to them,' Trump said. 'Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack.'

'This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand,' Trump continued.

Some of the Republicans calling on Biden to step down are possible rivals to him in 2024. Nikki Haley, a U.S. ambassador to the UN under Donald Trump, is eying a White House run. She called on Biden to resign.

'Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes,' Haley tweeted. 'But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.'

And Sen. Lindsey Graham urged the administration to retake Bagram air base.

'It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Lindsey Graham, above, said of retaking Bagram

'I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on Twitter.

'We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.'

'I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Graham said.

'The retaking of Bagram would put our military at risk, but I think those involved in the operation would gladly accept that risk because it would restore our honor as a nation and save lives.'

In the Kabul attack, the first bomber was being searched by troops when he detonated a suicide vest. The second was a car bomb attack. It's unclear how the first bomber got through Taliban checkpoints and close enough to the Marines to kill them.

The death toll is thought to be the highest in a single incident in Afghanistan since 30 died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011.

In a statement, Islamic State claimed responsibility and said one of its suicide bombers had targeted 'translators and collaborators with the American army.'

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of CentCom, promised that the evacuation effort would continue despite the growing threat from ISIS and said he would 'go after' those responsible for the blasts.
Queensland announced the easing of more Covid restrictions from 4pm today as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's plan for a new 1,000-bed regional quarantine facility came under fire a day after the announcement.

Residents will be allowed to have 100 others in their homes and there will be no limit on people gathering in public spaces.

Social distancing in cafes, restaurants, pubs, galleries, indoor play areas, and places of worship will also relax.

Stadiums will be able to return to 100 per cent capacity and 200 guests will be allowed at weddings and funerals.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's announced the easing of Covid restrictions for the state from 4pm today while defending her plan for a dedicated quarantine facility near Toowoomba

Stadiums such as Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane would be able to return to 100 percent capacity from 4pm today

Covid restrictions in Queensland are due to ease from 4pm today. Masks will still be required where social distancing is not possible, particularly indoors

The state recorded zero new community cases on Friday, and one further case in hotel quarantine. It has been 21 days since Queensland had an active Covid case in the community.

Masks will continue to be required indoors when social distancing is not possible, and remain mandatory on public transport, ride share and for teachers, staff and high school students at schools.

Deputy premier Steven Miles said Queensland had been approached by the deputy premier of NSW, John Barilaro, to discuss possible changes to border restrictions to ease the pressure on cross-border communities such as Tweed Heads-Coolangatta.

The move is a change of heart by NSW, which had previously rejected suggestions from Queensland that the effective border be moved further south.

COVID RESTRICTIONS EASE IN QUEENSLAND From 4pm today Queenslanders can:  Have 100 people inside your home, including residents, and there will be no limit on people gathering in public spaces.  Social distancing rules for cafes, restaurants, pubs, galleries, indoor play areas, and places of worship  all indoor premises  change from one person per 4 square metres to one person per 2 square metres, or 100 per cent allocated seated capacity, whichever is greater.  Masks must continue to be worn indoors where social distancing is not possible. Masks remain mandatory on public transport, ride share and for teachers, staff and high school students at schools.  The one person per 2-square-metre-rule will also apply to short-term accommodation, however the density requirements do not apply in sleeping areas.  Capacity of stadiums to increase from 75 per cent to 100 per cent. Attendees must wear a mask at all times and must be seated when eating or drinking.  200 people now allowed at funerals and weddings.  Dancing now allowed indoors and outdoors, subject to the one person per 2-square-metre rule. Advertisement

The premier yesterday announced the state's new quarantine facility would be built in partnership with wealthy Queensland businessman John Wagner near Wellcamp Airport at Toowoomba.

Ms Palaszczuk said today the facility would be cheaper to build than proposed Victorian and WA facilities, and cheaper than the planned federal quarantine facility at Damascus Barracks, Pinkenba, in Brisbane.

She said international flights were already accepted at Wellcamp, answering criticism that commercial airlines have not yet committed to landing at the airport adjacent to the planned facility.

'We're getting on with it, we're building it,' she said.

'I don't personally have to approach them [airlines],' she said. 'Charter flights are allowed to land into any international airport and like I said yesterday, if you build it they will come.'

She defended her decision not to inform Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the decision to build the facility.

'He doesn't tell me a lot of things he's doing either,' she said.

The Wellcamp Airport west of Toowoomba, owned by the Wagner family, would be adjacent to the new quarantine facility

The project will be open to travellers arriving in Queensland later this year, initially with 500 beds, but there are questions about the state government's haste in proceeding with the facility.

A proposal for the facility had earlier been rejected by the federal government in June because it did not meet Commonwealth guidelines for regional quarantine, including its proximity to a hospital and because the land was privately owned.

Prime Minister Morrison said yesterday that Ms Palaszczuk's government had been 'at liberty' to build the new quarantine facility for months.

'We have made a very clear that that facility did not meet the national guidelines, and that is why we are going forward together at Pinkenba,' he said.

'They have made that decision and they could have done that months ago if that's what they wished to do. Good for them. I wish them every success.'

Ms Palaszczuk said that fears Toowoomba Hospital would be overwhelmed by Covid patients once the facility was built were baseless because patients would be airlifted to Covid-equipped hospitals in Brisbane.

There are also concerns about transporting passengers to the facility from Brisbane, with public servants considering the process a Covid-19 infection risk, The Courier Mail reported.

'We need regional quarantine facilities, it's a no brainer,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'We don't need people in hotels, we need them in regional facilities.'

The facility is expected to be finished by the end of this year, expanding to 1,000 beds by the first quarter of next year.

Ms Palaszczuk said she hoped the facility would end the need for hotel quarantine in the Brisbane CBD.

She said the Queensland government had pushed for the facility at Wellcamp since January. 'It could have been built by now,' she said.

For the next fortnight people entering Queensland will not be permitted to enter on a right of entry pass and would need to reapply for a border pass (pictured - traveller wearing a mask on arrival into Brisbane)

'If we want to open our country up and we want to open our states up, regional quarantine is part of the answer,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'This is going to be better than Howard Springs,' she said, referring to the quarantine facility south of Darwin.

Details about the cost of the project, which would be run by the Wagners, would remain commercial in confidence. Around 400-450 jobs would be generated by construction of the facility, which had already started.

Australian Defence Force personnel (left) join Queensland Police to stop cars in Griffith street Coolangatta at the Queensland-NSW border

On Wednesday Queensland introduced a two-week halt on people entering hotel quarantine for 14 days with barely two hours notice, catching out many individuals and families who were in the process of relocating.

The move followed Ms Palaszczuk's claim that interstate and international arrivals meant the state's hotel quarantine system was full and Queensland was 'being loved to death'.

'If this [facility] had been built when we first asked the Federal government, we potentially wouldn't have had to make the decision yesterday to delay hotel quarantine for two weeks,' Heath Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

Health Minister Yvette D'ath said people who had to reapply for a border pass as a result of the decision could ask for an exemption based on 'exceptional circumstances'.

Exemptions also exist for people accessing medical treatment or other special circumstances including bereavement.

She said the decision was implemented quickly to prevent a rush of people to the airport to get on flights.

'What we'd have was an even greater problem because we'd have even greater surges than what we have seen over the last couple of weeks.'

There are 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.

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.
Advertisement

Donald Trump has slammed Joe Biden for handing over a list of approved Afghan evacuees to the Taliban amid fears it will now be used by the extremist group to kill those named on it.

Calls for Biden's resignation and impeachment have mounted after at least 103 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel, were killed by ISIS terrorists in a double suicide attack on Kabul airport on Thursday.

In an emotional address to the nation, Biden vowed to 'hunt down' and 'make the terrorists pay' as he mourned the 'selfless heroes' who died helping vulnerable people flee the country.

But defense experts and Republican opposition slammed the president, saying that the tragedy only served to underscore the disastrous decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and hand power back to the Taliban.

Trump called the crisis the 'most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to our country.'

Flights resumed on Friday morning with as many as 1,000 Americans and thousands more Afghans still hoping to flee.

But their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies start to pack up. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday the 'gates were closed' and that the UK's final evacuation flights would end within hours.

Biden has pledged to 'rescue the Americans, we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on.'

However, in the latest blow to his handling of the crisis it was reported Thursday that U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport's outer perimeter.

The move was described as a gross security lapse, with one defense source telling Politico: 'Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list.'

Trump told Fox News: 'Now we're giving lists of Americans to the Taliban so now you just knock on the door and grab them and take them out ... What you are watching now is only going to get worse, it can only go one way.'

'We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.



Joe Biden (left) on Thursday was asked about a possible 'kill list' of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies, handed over to the Taliban. The list was designed to inform the Taliban who to let through to Kabul airport for evacuation. Biden said he was unaware of a specific list, but it was indeed possible. Donald Trump (right) slammed his successor last night, saying: 'Now we're giving lists of Americans to the Taliban so now you just knock on the door and grab them and take them out... What you are watching now is only going to get worse, it can only go one way'

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the terrorist attack which killed at least 90 people outside Kabul airport

Thousands were seen trying to make their way to the airport gates today as the US and its allies began wrapping up their operations

Taliban fighters using an American-made armored car stand guard outside the airport on Friday

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the airport in Kabul on Friday. In one location the Taliban have been preventing anyone from getting through

A taliban member is seen at the explosion site near the airport on Friday

Wounded women arrive at a hospital for treatment after two blasts outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Afghan refugees crouch in a group as British military secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate, in Kabul following yesterday's double bombing

ISIS has claimed responsibility for Thursday's sequence of attacks. A fighter is shown in a grab from the group's Telegram account, where they are allowed to operate

The blast was outside The Baron Hotel, at the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport. Westerners were staying in the hotel before their evacuation flights

'We're going to have to go back in': Obama's Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says US forces will have to RETURN to Afghanistan to tackle terror threats posed by Taliban and ISIS-K Paneta, a Democrat, served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration Leon Panetta said on Thursday that the Unites States military will have to return to Afghanistan to tackle terror threats posed by Taliban and ISIS-K after a suicide attack killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 90 Afghans. Paneta, a Democrat who served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration, said in an interview with Erin Burnett for her CNN show OutFront that the withdrawal of American troops left the United States in a 'very dangerous and difficult situation.' He was asked if he believed it was right for the Biden administration to stick with the August 31 deadline for removing American troops from the war-torn country. 'The bottom line is, our work is not done. We're going to have to go after ISIS. I'm glad the president said we're going to hunt them down and pay a price for what they did in killing our warriors. And we should,' Paneta said. 'We're going to have to go back in to get ISIS. We're probably going to have to go back in when Al Qaeda resurrects itself, as they will, with this Taliban. They've gave safe haven to Al Qaeda before, they'll probably do it again.' He added: 'I understand that we're trying to get our troops out of there, but the bottom line is, we can leave a battlefield, but we can't leave the War on Terrorism, which still is a threat to our security.' Burnett noted that Paneta's comments appeared to indicate that America will need to put more troops back into Afghanistan in order to prevent the threats from Al Qaeda and ISIS - the opposite of what President Joe Biden wants to do. 'Well, what we're going to be doing is counterterrorism operations. We're going to have to go after those that are responsible,' Paneta responded. 'I think we have pretty good intelligence on the leadership of ISIS. I think there's a pretty good chance we can identify who is involved with this attack. And once we are able to locate them, we have to go after them. That's what the president promised today, and I suspect we will.' He continued: 'So counterterrorism operations are going to be something we are going to have to continue to do against ISIS, against Al Qaeda, against Boko Haram. Those are terrorist groups at war with the United States. We've got to go after them.' During the interview, Paneta also said 'there's no question that it's probably Joe Biden's worst nightmare to lose 13 Marines as a result of what's happened here. This has to be the worst day in his administration.' Advertisement

Trump appeared on Hannity last night, saying he feels 'very very badly' for the Americans and Afghan allies whose names are on it.

'I think they are in great danger... whether it's interpreters or others, they were very loyal to our country,' he added.

The list was reportedly handed to the Taliban after the fall of Kabul on August 15. The Taliban has been controlling the checkpoints on the road to the airport, deciding who can get in.

It was believed that the list would help them to let US citizens and allies through the gates - but it is now feared it could be used by the Taliban as a list of its enemies to be wiped out.

As the chaos around the airport mounted, the State Department on August 25 began telling Afghans hoping to leave the country not to come, and to wait for answers instead. After August 25, Afghan names were not on the list, Politico reported.

Yet for 10 days the Taliban were being handed documents detailing those who had worked with the U.S.

The existence of the kill list was revealed days after it emerged that the Taliban have obtained the biometric data of thousands of Afghans who helped the United States, according to a Republican congressman, who said Joe Biden will have blood on his hands if the data is used to hunt down Afghan allies.

Jim Banks, who represents Indiana in the House, attacked Joe Biden on Tuesday for the fact that a significant amount of weaponry was left in Afghanistan after the U.S. troops withdrew.

A Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015, while a state senator, Banks told a press conference on Capitol Hill that the Taliban had obtained a large cache of arms and equipment left behind by the U.S, after receiving a series of intelligence briefings.

But, he added, most 'unfathomable to me and so many others' was the biometric database, which was harvested and stored on Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) devices to help ID locals working with the coalition.

The Taliban has, according to multiple reports, been going door-to-door and hunting down Afghans who worked with the Americans or the fallen government.

Biden on Thursday said he was unaware of the details of the list - but said it was quite possible that it had been handed to the Taliban, with which the U.S. is cooperating during the evacuations.

'There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through,' he said.

'So, yes there have been occasions like that.

'To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred and they have been let through.'

Biden said that he was not aware of any specific list.

'I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names,' he added.

'There may have been. But I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, that here's the names of 12 people, they're coming, let them through. It could very well have happened.'

Trump last night accused Biden of being 'weak' for allowing the Taliban to return to power, claiming he warned the Taliban they would be wiped out by F-18 jets if they tried to take Kabul.

The former president spoke on the deal he says he made with Taliban's political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Sean Hannity's show Monday night.

Trump said 'Abdul, as I like to call him, Abdul was just going to wait on us.'

Trump argued his administration 'had them totally under control'.

'Every time we saw movement we hit them with an F-18 and the movement stopped,' he said of keeping the Taliban out of Afghanistan.

'Before, they would've gotten blown away. (Now) zero resistance,' Trump said as he called Biden's decision to take the US military out of Afghanistan 'the dumbest move anybody has ever made perhaps in the history of our country, allowing this to happen'.

'This country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble,' Trump said on the segment.

A man injured in the Kabul terrorists attacks on Thursday arrives at hospital to be treated. Among those killed in the two bomb attacks were 12 US Marines and one Navy medic

Medical staff bring an injured man to a hospital in an ambulance after two powerful explosions, which killed at least six people, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

British troops guarding the airport last night after the bombing. Britain said Friday its evacuations from Afghanistan will end within hours, and the main British processing center for eligible Afghans has been closed. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News there would be 'eight or nine' evacuation flights on Friday, and they will be the last. British troops will leave over the next few days.

In this frame grab from video, people attend to a wounded man near the site of a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

Wounded Afghans lie on a bed at a hospital after a deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover

Taliban now has biometric data of Afghan allies too The Taliban have obtained the biometric data of thousands of Afghans who helped the United States, according to a Republican congressman, who said Joe Biden will have blood on his hands if the data is used to hunt down Afghan allies. Jim Banks, who represents Indiana in the House, attacked Joe Biden on Tuesday for the fact that a significant amount of weaponry was left in Afghanistan after the U.S. troops withdrew. A Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015, while a state senator, Banks told a press conference on Capitol Hill that the Taliban had obtained a large cache of arms and equipment left behind by the U.S, after receiving a series of intelligence briefings. But, he added, most 'unfathomable to me and so many others' was the biometric database, which was harvested and stored on Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) devices to help ID locals working with the coalition. 'The Taliban now has biometric devices which have the fingerprints, eye scans and the biographical information of the Afghans who helped us over the last 20 years,' Banks said. 'This administration still has no plan to get this equipment or these supplies back.' He said Biden would have 'blood on his hands' if the Taliban began hunting down people listed on the database. Advertisement

'It's only going to get worse... We had something where they didn't get near us, they were petrified of us,' he added after suggesting that this is no longer the case.

He attributed the Taliban staying out of Middle Eastern country to the deal he cut with Abdul - 'who turns out to be the leader' - in Doha, Qatar, in February of last year.

'I dealt with the leader of the Taliban. This is not a very simple man. This is not a boy scout, to put it another way,' Trump said. The former president spoke to the Taliban leader nine times over the course of 18 months before they settled on an agreement.

'This is a tough, hardened person that has been fighting us for many years, and we are using them now to protect us? Look what happened with their protection,' he added.

He then said he thinks the Taliban 'couldn't believe it' when they heard the US military was leaving and pulling out of the war'.

'In my opinion... they sent some fighters in and they was zero resistance,' he said, claiming he 'had everything under perfect control' before 'Biden came in and they saw weakness'.

'He (Biden) didn't do anything,' Trump said in frustration. 'And they took over and then we ran out and we've just destroyed the image of America, of our great country, of our incredible warriors - and they are incredible warriors but they still need leadership at the top and they don't have it.'

Trump, who released a presidential-style statement on the suicide bombing screened at the start of Hannity's show, also told how the rescue efforts to get American soldiers out of Kabul 'is about withdrawal'.

'It is not about getting out because getting out is something,' he said, calling the entire crisis a 'disgrace' and blaming Biden for the death of 13 Americans in Kabul.

Meanwhile, Trump insisted that if he were reelected his administration would've upheld the terms of his agreement with the Taliban and 'you would have seen something very nice'.

'Nobody would have even realized we had gone. Everybody would have been out. The equipment would have been out. I would have blown up all of the bases,' he said.

Taliban fighters are seen outside Kabul airport on August 19. They control the perimeter of the airport and are coordinating with U.S. officials to decide who can enter

Afghans are seen waving their paperwork at soldiers outside Kabul airport on Thursday

Taliban fighters are pictured in central Kabul on August 19

A timeline of the Kabul airport attack Around 3.30am Afghan local time: The US issues a warning telling its citizens not to come to Kabul airport unless specifically told to. Crowds outside the airport are told to disperse 'immediately' due to the threat of a terror attack. 1.30pm: The UK's Armed Forces minister James Heappey, during a round of TV interviews in the UK, admits an attack by terror group ISIS-K is 'imminent'. 5.30pm: Panic erupts among crowds outside Kabul airport as gunshots are heard. Initial reports suggest the shots were fired at an Italian C-130 plane as it took off from the airport. However intelligence reports later suggest the shots were fired into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowds. 6.15pm: A suicide bomb is detonated outside the Baron Hotel near to Kabul Airport. The hotel has been housing Western journalists. It has also been used as a staging post by western nations for evacuation. The blast is reportedly followed by small arms gunfire. 6.20pm: The Pentagon confirms the first blast. The Taliban immediately confirm a number of deaths. 7.30pm: The Pentagon confirms a second bomb has been detonated this time outside the Abbey Gate  a British controlled access point to Kabul airport. It is believed the blast took place in open access sewers where Afghan evacuees were yesterday seen waiting to be processed. 7.35pm: The two blasts are confirmed by Western officials. At least 13 people are confirmed to have died, many more are thought to have been injured. Officials say the attacks were likely carried out by terrorist group ISIS-K. 9.15pm: The Taliban condemns the terrorist attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says his group 'strongly condemns' the bombings and is paying close attention to security. The group say the death toll may be as high as 40 people. Reports suggest four US Marines have died in the attacks. 10.30pm: A third blast is heard in Kabul. Reporters on the ground say they have heard the blast near to Kabul airport. Senior health officials say the death toll is now at least 60. Reports from Associated Press say 12 US service personnel have died, including 11 Marines and a Navy medic. 11pm: Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, confirms a dozen US soldiers have died in the attacks. He says as many as 15 are injured. He says two ISIS suicide bombers carried out the attack, along with ISIS gunmen. Midnight: Joe Biden vows retaliation against ISIS-K. He says the US will not be 'deterred' and will continue its evacuation mission. Shortly after, it is confirmed a thirteen US soldier has died from his injuries. Officials say the number injured has also risen to 18. *Times are all based on local time in Afghanistan Advertisement

'We would have kept Bagram because of China and Iran and Afghanistan - to a much lesser extent - and literally nobody would have even known,' he added.

The former president harshly criticized the Biden administration for veering off his original plan with Abdul, which said the US was to get out of Afghanistan in 14 months and, in exchange, the Taliban agreed to stop attacking US military members while stopping Afghanistan from becoming riddled with terrorists.

The Taliban also agreed to start working towards a peace agreement with the Afghan government and consider a cease-fire.

Instead, 'we have been put in the worst position we could possibly be put in,' Trump told Hannity during the hour-long segment.

'It's hard to believe, actually, because a child would have understood. You get the military out last. A child would have understood that. How could they have done this to our country?'

As a result, 'the Taliban and others are dictating,' Trump said.

'They are the ones saying get out on the 31st. I think Biden wanted to stay,' he added, claiming the leader of the Taliban told Biden: 'We want you out by the 31st of there will be consequences.'

'What kind of stuff is this?' Trump questioned in disbelief, shocked that people he had 'at bay to a level that you wouldn't believe' have now killed American soldiers.

Trump repeatedly described the events unfolding in Kabul not only as 'so sad' but also as 'the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to our country'.

'We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.

He cited how Biden 'botched' his plan 'and took the military out first' rather than last, leaving $80billion worth of equipment behind.

The Taliban now has 'the best equipment, best rockets, best tanks and helicopters,' Trump said, fearing that 'this country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble'.

Criticism of Biden's handling of the crisis continued to mount throughout Thursday as the president remained out of sight before his address to the nation.

Biden began his speech with a tribute to the personnel who died, his voice cracking with emotion.

'These American service members who gave their lives - it's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate - were heroes ... heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others,' he said.

'They are part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history.'

The White House announced soon after that flags would be flown at half staff from federal buildings. At least 60 Afghans also died on Thursday when the two bombs went off amid the desperate clamour to escape Kabul.

The first bomber was being searched by troops when he detonated a suicide vest. The second was a car bomb attack. It's unclear how the first bomber got through Taliban checkpoints and close enough to the Marines to kill them.

The death toll is thought to be the highest in a single incident in Afghanistan since 30 died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011.

In a statement, Islamic State claimed responsibility and said one of its suicide bombers had targeted 'translators and collaborators with the American army.'

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of CentCom, promised that the evacuation effort would continue despite the growing threat from ISIS and said he would 'go after' those responsible for the blasts.

He said the US military had Apache attack helicopters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-15 fighters and AC-130 Gunships flying over Afghanistan and warned further attacks by the terrorists were imminent.

'We expect these attacks to continue,' General McKenzie said, saying he was particularly concerned about the risk of further car bomb attacks.

Despite the danger, he said there was no alternative but to have troops continue to search people on the ground before they board flights, and that more than 100,000 had already been checked.

One thousand Americans remain in Afghanistan but McKenzie said not all of them want to leave. He said his personnel would work to get those who do want to leave out, but that the operation was becoming increasingly difficult as the deadline approached.

The ex-Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden Robert O'Neill called it a 'sad day' and said there is 'a lot of anger and frustration from veterans' who predicted such a disaster.

'I learned a long time ago, long before the bin Laden raid - when we were in combat with these same groups of people - one of my jobs I had after we assaulted the target was called a battlefield interrogator, where we caught these weaklings who they really are and interrogated them,' O'Neill told Fox.

'What I learned and we're learning right now is they're going to lie. They lied to us. They don't need to tell us the truth because it's not a legitimate government. These are what we call terrorists.

'It's just a sad dayyou saw a lot of anger and frustration from veterans [who] were predicting what's going to happen then. It's sadness and now it's a shame.'

Republicans stepped up their attacks on Biden. Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN, and others demanded he resign or be impeached for his handling of the the withdrawal.

H.R McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, said Thursday's attack was 'just the beginning.'

'We are going to see horrible image after horrible image.

'We're going to confront the steady drumbeat of horrors inflicted on the Afghan people. What are we going to do about it?

'Are we going to give a damn? Or is this going to be like Rwanda?' McMaster told Yahoo News, referring to the 1994 slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda.

'I would not be surprised at all if ISIS-K  in fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't the case  is being used by the Haqqani network as a cutout to attack us and humiliate us on our way out,' he added.

With the Taliban in charge of the city, there has not yet been any official death toll. Witnesses suggested as many as 60 Afghans had died.

Scenes from the ground show injured Afghans being removed in wheelchairs.

Injured Afghans flee Kabul airport on Thursday night after two explosions and gunfire ripped through crowds

Crowds of people wait outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday as the evacuation mission continues

Islamic State claim responsibility for deadly Kabul airport attacks and post picture of alleged suicide-bomber on social media site By Charlotte Mitchell for MailOnline Jihadist group Islamic State (IS) have tonight claimed responsibility for the devastating twin attacks that struck Kabul, killing 12 US troops and at least 60 Afghan civilians. The group posted a statement claiming responsibility from their Telegram account on Thursday, following the attacks earlier today. The two explosions, one of which hit Kabul airport, the other a nearby hotel, had been blamed on ISIS-K, a regional affiliate of the so-called Islamic State. The splinter group is an enemy of the Taliban and operates in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri of ISIS-K was allegedly the suicide bomber responsible for one of the blasts, according to a twitter post. Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri of ISIS-K was allegedly the suicide bomber responsible for one of the blasts, according to a twitter post The blasts killed at least 90 people, including 12 US servicemen, and injured more than 150 others. Founded in 2015, ISIS-K 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. Prior to Thursday's attacks, the US had warned that the group would likely target the thousands of people gathering at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport as they attempt to flee the country following the Taliban takeover on August 15 and before the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. 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 mobile phone videos then broadcast online. In May, 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 because they do not believe women and girls should be educated. Advertisement

Norway, Poland, Holland and Canada have all stopped evacuating citizens.

General McKenzie said the US would keep evacuating its citizens despite Thursday's attack and despite an 'imminent' threat of more attacks.

The threat they are most concerned about is another car bomb, he said, but there is also intelligence to suggest ISIS wants to launch a rocket attack too.

Gen. McKenzie said the US would go after ISIS to retaliate if they can find the right groups. The threat of a suicide-born vehicle threat is 'very high.'

He also said the US was working to determine how the suicide bomber got through, and that it may have been down to Taliban incompetence.

He said there was no evidence the Taliban helped facilitate the attack.

'Clearly, if they get up to the Marines, there was a failure here. The Taliban operate with varying degrees of competence - some of these guys are good and scrupulous, and some are not,' he said.

General McKenzie is the only person from the government to speak to reporters about the fiasco. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken only tweeted about it.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: 'On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today.

'Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others. We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.

'But we will not be dissuaded from the task at hand. To do anything less - especially now - would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan.'

Republicans, outraged about the terrorist attacks in Kabul that left US personnel dead, accused President Biden of having 'blood on his hands,' as Sen. Lindsey Graham urged the US to take back control of Bagram airbase after reports of two explosions at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

'I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on Twitter.

'We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.'

'I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Graham said.

'The retaking of Bagram would put our military at risk, but I think those involved in the operation would gladly accept that risk because it would restore our honor as a nation and save lives.'

Lawmakers were briefed on the situation this week by Biden's national security team.

Meanwhile, Democrat Foreign Affairs Committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez, said: 'This is a full-fledged humanitarian crisis and US government personnel ... must secure the airport.'

'As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We can't trust the Taliban with Americans' security.'

House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring back the House so that lawmakers can be briefed on the situation.

'Today's attacks are horrific. My prayers go out to those who were injured and the families of those who were killed. I also continue to pray for the safety of our troops, the stranded American citizens, our allies and Afghan partners who remain in the area. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of the withdrawal,' the California Republican said in a statement.

'It is time for Congress to act quickly to save lives. Speaker Pelosi must bring Congress back into session before August 31 so that we can be briefed thoroughly and comprehensively by the Biden Administration and pass Representative Gallagher's legislation prohibiting the withdrawal of our troops until every American is out of Afghanistan.'

Other lawmakers submitted an outpouring of prayers for American troops on the ground and Afghans on Twitter as they, along with the rest of the world, watch and wait to see how a series of attacks on Kabul airport unfold.

Still others demanded a forceful response and called for 'resignations' out of the White House. Some warned the worst could be yet to come.

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., reupped a call for Biden to resign.

'Biden Admin views abandoned people in Afghanistan as a political nuisance. Maybe looking at them as real people instead of 'papers to push' would produce rescues rather than deaths. It's time for Biden to RESIGN NOW!!!'

'Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes,' Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted.

'But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.'

'My biggest fear is these attacks today are just the beginning of what we will continue to see as the Administration fails to get Americans and our Afghan allies out and to safety,' Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter. 'We don't need statements from the Administration right now - we need immediate resignations.'

'At what point does Afghanistan turn from 'Biden's Saigon' to 'Biden's Tehran Moment?'' questioned Rep. Ralph Norman, R-SC. The Iran hostage crisis from 1979-1981 was considered a major failure and contributor to President Jimmy Carter's loss in his reelection bid.

'President @JoeBiden- you had one job. That job continues and American lives & security depend on it. Act like it,' Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter.

Despite the escalating violence, the US's top diplomat made the astonishing claim on Thursday morning, before the explosion, that it was 'relatively safe' on the ground and people should still be able to make their way there.

Full transcript of Joe Biden's statement of Kabul suicide bombing and answers he gave to reporters' questions

By Melissa Koenig for DailyMail.com

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked - that we've been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed [was] undertaken - an attack - by a group known as ISIS-K - took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously.

They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

I've been engaged all day, and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and you've had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and I'm constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives - it's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate - they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the 'backbone of America.' They're the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

In a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down ISIS-K after American soldiers were killed in a bombing

Jill and I - our hearts ache, like I'm sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And we're outraged as well as heartbroken.

Being the father of an Army major who served for a year in Iraq and, before that, was in Kosovo as a U.S. attorney for the better part of six months in the middle of a war - when he came home after a year in Iraq, he was diagnosed, like many, many coming home, with an aggressive and lethal cancer of the brain - who we lost.

We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest; there's no way out. My heart aches for you.

But I know this: We have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you - the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary; it lasts forever.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, in the service of others, in the service of America. Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism of - the fallen this day, they're part of a great and noble company of American heroes.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Over the past few weeks - I know you're - many of you are probably tired of hearing me say it - we've been made aware by our intelligence community that the ISIS-K - an arch-enemy of the Taliban; people who were freed when both those prisons were opened - has been planning a complex set of attacks on the United States personnel and others.

This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinarily dangerous and why I have been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. And as General McKenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- this is the way it was designed to operate: operate under severe stress and attack. We've known that from the beginning.

And as I've been in constant contact with our senior military leaders - and I mean constant, around the clock - and our commanders on the ground and throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission, and we will.

And that's what I've ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here is what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans who are there. We will get out our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. Every day when I talk to our commanders, I ask them what they need - what more do they need, if anything, to get the job done. As they will tell you, I granted every request. I reiterated to them again today, on three occasions, that they should take the maximum steps necessary to protect our forces on the ground in Kabul.

And I also want to thank the Secretary of Defense and the military leadership at the Pentagon, and all the commanders in the field. There has been complete unanimity from every commander on the objectives of this mission and the best way to achieve those objectives.

Those who have served through the ages have drawn inspiration from the Book of Isaiah, when the Lord says, 'Whom shall I sendwho shall go for us?' And the American military has been answering for a long time: 'Here am I, Lord. Send me.' 'Here I am. Send me.' Each one of these women and men of our armed forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice of volunteering to go into harm's way, to risk everything - not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.

And I ask that you join me now in a moment of silence for all those in uniform and out uniform - military and civilian, who have given the last full measure of devotion.

(A moment of silence is taken.)

BIDEN: Thank you. May God bless you all. And may God protect those troops and all those standing watch for America. We have so much to do. It's within our capacity to do it. We just have to remain steadfast. Steadfast. We will complete our mission. And we will continue, after our troops have withdrawn, to find means by which we defined any American who wishes to get out of Afghanistan. We will find them and we will get them out.

Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell of NBC.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you have said leaving Afghanistan is in the national interest of the United States. After today's attack, do you believe you will authorize additional forces to respond to that attack inside Afghanistan? And are you - are you prepared to add additional forces to protect those Americans who remain on the ground carrying out the evacuation operation?

BIDEN: I've instructed the military, whatever they need - if they need additional force - I will grant it.

But the military - from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Chiefs, the commanders in the field - have all contacted me one way or another, usually by letter, saying they subscribe to the mission as designed to get as many people out as we can within the timeframe that is allotted.

That is the best way, they believe, to get as many Americans out as possible, and others. And with regard to finding, tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are - not certain - and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them.

O'DONNELL: Inside Afghanistan, Mr. President?

BIDEN: Wherever they are. Trevor from Reuters.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There has been some criticism, even from people in your party, about the dependence on the Taliban to secure the perimeter of the airport. Do you feel like there was a mistake made in that regard?

BIDEN: No, I don't. Look, I think General McKenzie handled this question very well. The fact is that we're in a situation - we inherited a situation, particularly since, as we all know, that the Afghan military collapsed 11 days before - in 11 days - that it is in the interest of, as Mackenzie said, in the interest of the Taliban that, in fact, ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is, number one. And number two, it's in their interest that we are able to leave on time, on target.

As a consequence of that, the major things we've asked them - moving back the perimeter; give me more space between the wall; stopping vehicles from coming through, et cetera; searching people coming through - it is not what you'd call a tightly commanded, regimented operation like the U.S. is - the military is - but they're acting in their interest -- their interest.

And so, by and large - and I've asked this same question to military on the ground, whether or not it's a useful exercise. No one trusts them; we're just counting on their self-interest to continue to generate their activities.

And it's in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. And like I said, even in the midst of everything that happened today, over 7,000 people have gotten out; over 5,000 Americans overall.

So, it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of mutual self-interest. And - but there is no evidence thus far that I've been given, as a consequence by any of our commanders in the field, that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today both in front of the hotel and what is expected to continue for - beyond today. Aamer, Associated Press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You have spoken again powerfully about your own son and the weight of these decisions. With that in mind - and also what you've said: that the longer we stay, the more likelihood that there would be a major attack - how do you weigh staying even one more day, considering what's happened?

BIDEN: Because I think what America says matters. What we say we're going to do and the context in which we say we're going to do it, that we do it - unless something exceptional changes.

There are additional American citizens, there are additional green card holders, there are additional personnel of our allies, there are additional SIV card holders, there are additional Afghans that have helped us, and there are additional groups of individuals that have contacted us from women's groups, to NGOs, and others, who have expressly indicated they want to get out and have gathered in certain circumstances in groups, on buses and other means, that still presents the opportunity for the next several days, between now and the 31st, to be able to get them out. And our military - and, I believe, to the extent that we can do that knowing the threat, knowing that we may very well have another attack - the military has concluded that's what we should do. I think they're right. I think they're correct.

And after that, we're going to be in a circumstance where there are - will be, I believe, numerous opportunities to continue to provide access for additional persons to get out of Afghanistan, either through means that we provide and/or are provided through cooperation with the Taliban.

They're not good guys, the Taliban. I'm not suggesting that at all. But they have a keen interest.

As many of you have been reporting, they very much would like to figure out how to keep the airport open. They don't have the capacity to do it. They very much are trying to figure out whether or not they can maintain what is the portion of an economy that has become not robust, but fundamentally different than it had been.

And so there's a lot of reasons why they have reached out not just to us, but to others, as to why it would be continued in their interest to get more of the personnel we want to get out. We can locate them. Now, there's not many left that we can assess that are - want to come out. There's some Americans we've identified - we've contacted the vast majority of them, if not all of them - who don't want to leave because they have sig- -- they're dual nationals, they have extended families, et cetera. And there's others who are looking for the time. So, that's why we continue.

I'll take a few more questions, and - but, you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BIDEN: I didn't pick you, but that's okay.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you - you say that 'what America says matters.' What do you say to the Afghans who helped troops, who may not be able to get out by August 31st? What -

BIDEN: I say -

QUESTION: What do you say to them?

BIDEN: - we're going to continue to try to get you out. It matters. Look, I know of no conflict, as a student of history - no conflict where, when a war was ending, one side was able to guarantee that everyone that wanted to be extracted from that country would get out.

And think about it, folks. I think it's important for - I know the American people get this in their gut. There are, I would argue, millions of Afghani citizens who are not Taliban; who did not actively cooperate with us as SIVs; who, if given a chance, they'd be onboard a plane tomorrow.

It sounds ridiculous, but the vast majority of people in communities like that want to come to America, given a choice. So, getting every single person out is - can't be guaranteed to anybody because there's a determination, all who wants to get out as well. At any rate, it's a process. I was really pointing to you, but - you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There are reports that U.S. officials provided the Taliban with names of Americans and Afghan officials to evacuate. Were you aware of that? Did that happen? And then, sir, did you personally reject a recommendation to hold, or to recapture Bagram Air Force Base?

BIDEN: Here's what I've done on the - ask this - I'll answer the last question, first. On the tactical questions of how to conduct an evacuation or a war, I gather up all the major military personnel that are in Afghanistan - the commanders, as well as the Pentagon. And I ask for their best military judgment: what would be the most efficient way to accomplish the mission. They concluded - the military - that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul. And so, I followed that recommendation.

With regard to-- there are certain circumstances where we've gotten information - and quite frankly, sometimes from some of you - saying, 'You know of such and such a group of people who are trying to get out and they're on a bus, they're moving' - from other people - 'and this is their location.' And there have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said, 'This' -- for example, 'This bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through.' So, yes, there have been occasions like that. And to the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred -- they've been let through.

But I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names. I don't - there may have been, but I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean it's not - it didn't exist, that, 'Here's the names of 12 people; they're coming. Let them through.' It could very well have happened. I'll take one more question.

QUESTION: Mr. President, can I -

QUESTION: Mr. President, right here. Mr. President -

BIDEN: Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy that I know in the press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Is that - is there -thank you.

BIDEN: That's you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there had not been a U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan since February of 2020. You set a deadline. You pulled troops out. You sent troops back in. And now 12 Marines are dead. You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things have unfolded in the last two weeks?

BIDEN: I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late.

But here's the deal: You know - I wish you'd one day say these things - you know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return, the commitment was made - and that was a year before - in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces. Remember that? I'm being serious.

QUESTION: Mr. President -

BIDEN: No, I - I'm asking you a question. Be a - because before I -

QUESTION: Donald Trump is not the President right now.

BIDEN: No, no - now wait a minute. I'm asking you a question. Is that - is that accurate, to the best of your knowledge?

QUESTION: I know what you're talking about. But, Mr. President, respectfully -

BIDEN: What?

QUESTION: Since -I don't think that the issue that -- do you think that people have an issue with pulling out of Afghanistan, or just the way that things have happened?

BIDEN: I think they have an issue that people are likely to get hurt - some, as we've seen, have gotten killed - and that it is messy. The reason why - whether my friend will acknowledge it and was - reported it - the reason why there were no attacks on Americans, as you said, from the date until I came into office, was because the commitment was made by President Trump: 'I will be out by May 1st. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.' That was the deal. That's why no American was attacked.

QUESTION: And you said that you still - a few days ago, you said you squarely stand by your decision to pull out.

BIDEN: Yes, I do. Because look at it this way, folks - and I'm going to - I have another meeting, for real. But imagine where we'd be if I had indicated, on May the 1st, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date; we were going to stay there. I'd have only one alternative: Pour thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won, relative - is why the reason we went in the first place.

I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan - a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country, and is made up - and I don't mean this in a derogatory - made up of different tribes who have never, ever, ever gotten along with one another.

And so, as I said before - and this is the last comment I'll make, but we'll have more chance to talk about this, unfortunately, beyond, because we're not out yet - if Osama bin Laden, as well as al Qaeda, had chosen to launch an attack - when they left Saudi Arabia - out of Yemen, would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban completely controlled Afghanistan at the time, would we have ever gone?

I know it's not fair to ask you questions. It's rhetorical. But raise your hand if you think we should have gone and given up thousands of lives and tens of thousands of wounded.

Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging - first to get bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and prevent that from happening again.

As I've said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States. We don't have military encampments there; we don't keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us.

Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war. Thank you so much.

President Joe Biden promised on Thursday to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who killed 13 American service personnel and dozens of Afghans in a double suicide attack on Kabul airport.

He paid tribute to the 'selfless heroes' who died helping vulnerable people to safety, but delivered a stern warning to the Islamic state offshoot behind the blasts that killed 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy medic and another service member screening evacuees at the airport gates.

The two locations targeted in the bombings were the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, where US troops were screening Afghans for evacuation, and the nearby Baron Hotel, where thousands including Afghans, Britons and Americans, were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

The Pentagon warned there is still an imminent threat of attack at the airport and have now been told to draw up strike plans to hit ISIS-K assets and leadership.

'For those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget,' Biden said in an address at the White House. 'We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

Biden spoke to the nation Thursday and took questions from the press after a day of consulting with his national security team and senior generals, while Republicans said he had 'blood on his hands' and demanded he resign or be impeached.

He admitted that he must take responsibility for everything that has happened in Afghanistan since deciding to withdraw  including the deaths of 13 service members - but stood by his decision to leave by August 31 and insisted the military timeline wouldn't change.

'Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy I know in the press,' Biden said, directing his final question of his briefing to Fox News' Peter Doocy.

'You set a deadline, you pulled troops out, you sent troops back in and now 12 Marines are dead,' Doocy said in a press conference before the latest confirmed service member death.

'You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things unfolded in the last two weeks?' he asked

'I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late,' he said, before saying he had inherited a commitment to leave Afghanistan from the previous administration.

'Here's the deal, you know ... as well as I do that the former president made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1.'

Biden revealed that he already asked his commanders for plans to strike back at the Afghan Islamic State offshoot that was responsible for the attack.

'I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities,' he said.

'We will respond with force and precision at the place we choose and a moment of our choosing.'

President Biden promised to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who were behind the double suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday, during an at-time emotional address in the East Room of the White House

The White House tore up Biden's schedule, postponing his first meeting with the new Israeli prime minister, so he could huddle with his national security team and get the latest assessments from Kabul before delivering an address a little after the scheduled 5pm start time

Wounded Afghans lie on a bed at a hospital after a deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover

The blast was outside The Baron Hotel, at the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport. Westerners were staying in the hotel before their evacuation flights

The Pentagon first publicly confirmed the blasts shortly after 6pm Kabul time on Thursday, and later confirmed a staggering US military death toll that is the highest in one day in Afghanistan since 2011.

General Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, said that the attack on the Abbey Gate unfolded after at least one suicide bomber was able to get through initial Taliban screening points.

The Taliban maintains an outer perimeter around the airport, and is supposed to screen Afghans before they reach US-manned checkpoints. McKenzie speculated that the bomber may have slipped through due to incompetence among the Taliban militants.

As Marines were conducting a pat-down at a secondary checkpoint, the apparent suicide bomb detonated, creating scenes of carnage that were shared on social video.

Biden puts his head in his hands during an exchange with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy while taking questions

The bomb at the Abbey Gate struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water.

The filthy canal was filled with bloodsoaked corpses, some being fished out and laid in heaps on the canal side while wailing civilians searched for loved ones.

Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

Biden has been under intense pressure to justify his decision to withdraw by August 31, after the way in which the Taliban raced across the country and captured the capital. That pressure reached fever pitch on Thursday as Republicans called for Biden's resignation or impeachment.

Administration officials have been forced to negotiate with Kabul's new rulers in order to ensure Westerners and vulnerable Afghans could reach the airport.

Warnings had grown in recent days that ISIS-K was planning a major attack. Other nations suspended their evacuation work and began flying their last remaining staff and military personnel out of the country.

But Biden said the U.S. would continue with the operation to rescue another 1000 Americans believed to still be in Kabul.

'We will not be deterred by terrorists,' he said. 'We'll not let them stop our mission.'

A bloodied patient was laying in the recovery unit at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital after being injured in the deadly explosions

A wounded man walked out of an emergency room in Kabul bloodied and with an IV bag in hand

A man who was severely injured in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul laid in a hospital bed on August 26, 2021 waiting for professional care

Criticism of his handling of the crisis mounted throughout the day as Biden remained out of sight. The White House did not issue a statement and the Secretary State and Secretary of Defense also failed to appear.

Biden began his speech with a tribute to the personnel who died, his voice cracking with emotion.

'These American service members who gave their lives - it's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate - were heroes ... heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others,' he said.

'They are part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history.'

The White House announced soon after that flags would be flown at half staff from federal buildings.

At least 60 Afghans also died on Thursday when the two bombs went off amid the desperate clamour to escape Kabul.

The first bomber was being searched by troops when he detonated a suicide vest. The second was a car bomb attack. It's unclear how the first bomber got through Taliban checkpoints and close enough to the Marines to kill them.

The death toll is thought to be the highest in a single incident in Afghanistan since 30 died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011.

In a statement, Islamic State claimed responsibility and said one of its suicide bombers had targeted 'translators and collaborators with the American army.'

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of CentCom, promised that the evacuation effort would continue despite the growing threat from ISIS and said he would 'go after' those responsible for the blasts.

He said the US military had Apache attack helicopters, MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-15 fighters and AC-130 Gunships flying over Afghanistan and warned further attacks by the terrorists were imminent.

'We expect these attacks to continue,' General McKenzie said, saying he was particularly concerned about the risk of further car bomb attacks.

Despite the danger, he said there was no alternative but to have troops continue to search people on the ground before they board flights, and that more than 100,000 had already been checked.

One thousand Americans remain in Afghanistan but McKenzie said not all of them want to leave. He said his personnel would work to get those who do want to leave out, but that the operation was becoming increasingly difficult as the deadline approached.

Republicans stepped up their attacks on Biden. Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN, and others demanded he resign or be impeached for his handling of the the withdrawal.

H.R McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, said Thursday's attack was 'just the beginning.'

In this frame grab from video, people attend to a wounded man near the site of a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

A man injured in the Kabul terrorists attacks on Thursday arrives at hospital to be treated. Among those killed in the two bomb attacks were 11 US Marines and one Navy medic

Medical staff bring an injured man to a hospital in an ambulance after two powerful explosions, which killed at least six people, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Horrifying footage from Kabul airport shows dozens of Afghans lying in blood after two ISIS suicide bombers attacked crowds who were hoping to flee the Taliban

Wounded women arrive at a hospital for treatment after two blasts, which killed at least five and wounded a dozen, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Medical and hospital staff bring an injured man on a stretcher for treatment after two powerful explosions, which killed at least six people, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

In this frame grab from video, a medical worker attends to a person wounded in a deadly explosion at the Kabul airport, at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan

ISIS has claimed responsibility for Thursday's sequence of attacks. A fighter is shown in a grab from the group's Telegram account, where they are allowed to operate

'We are going to see horrible image after horrible image.

'We're going to confront the steady drumbeat of horrors inflicted on the Afghan people. What are we going to do about it?

'Are we going to give a damn? Or is this going to be like Rwanda?' McMaster told Yahoo News, referring to the 1994 slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda.

'I would not be surprised at all if ISIS-K  in fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't the case  is being used by the Haqqani network as a cutout to attack us and humiliate us on our way out,' he added.

With the Taliban in charge of the city, there has not yet been any official death toll. Witnesses suggested as many as 60 Afghans had died.

Norway, Poland, Holland and Canada have all stopped evacuating citizens.

General McKenzie said the US would keep evacuating its citizens despite Thursday's attack and despite an 'imminent' threat of more attacks.

The threat they are most concerned about is another car bomb, he said, but there is also intelligence to suggest ISIS wants to launch a rocket attack too.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, left, refused to take questions at a briefing on Thursday afternoon and instead let General Kenneth F. McKenzie, the commander on the ground, speak to reporters via Zoom

Gen. McKenzie said the US would go after ISIS to retaliate if they can find the right groups. The threat of a suicide-born vehicle threat is 'very high.'

He also said the US was working to determine how the suicide bomber got through, and that it may have been down to Taliban incompetence.

He said there was no evidence the Taliban helped facilitate the attack.

Among critics on Thursday as Trump's National Security Adviser, H.R McMaster, who said the attacks were 'just the beginning'

'Clearly, if they get up to the Marines, there was a failure here. The Taliban operate with varying degrees of competence - some of these guys are good and scrupulous, and some are not,' he said.

General McKenzie is the only person from the government to speak to reporters about the fiasco. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken only tweeted about it.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement: 'On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today.

'Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others. We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.

'But we will not be dissuaded from the task at hand. To do anything less - especially now - would dishonor the purpose and sacrifice these men and women have rendered our country and the people of Afghanistan.'

Republicans, outraged about the terrorist attacks in Kabul that left US personnel dead, accused President Biden of having 'blood on his hands,' as Sen. Lindsey Graham urged the US to take back control of Bagram airbase after reports of two explosions at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

'I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on Twitter.

'We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.'

'I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Graham said.

'The retaking of Bagram would put our military at risk, but I think those involved in the operation would gladly accept that risk because it would restore our honor as a nation and save lives.'

Lawmakers were briefed on the situation this week by Biden's national security team.

Meanwhile, Democrat Foreign Affairs Committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez, said: 'This is a full-fledged humanitarian crisis and US government personnel ... must secure the airport.'

'As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We can't trust the Taliban with Americans' security.'

House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring back the House so that lawmakers can be briefed on the situation.

'Today's attacks are horrific. My prayers go out to those who were injured and the families of those who were killed. I also continue to pray for the safety of our troops, the stranded American citizens, our allies and Afghan partners who remain in the area. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of the withdrawal,' the California Republican said in a statement.

'It is time for Congress to act quickly to save lives. Speaker Pelosi must bring Congress back into session before August 31 so that we can be briefed thoroughly and comprehensively by the Biden Administration and pass Representative Gallagher's legislation prohibiting the withdrawal of our troops until every American is out of Afghanistan.'

Other lawmakers submitted an outpouring of prayers for American troops on the ground and Afghans on Twitter as they, along with the rest of the world, watch and wait to see how a series of attacks on Kabul airport unfold.

Still others demanded a forceful response and called for 'resignations' out of the White House. Some warned the worst could be yet to come.

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., reupped a call for Biden to resign.

'Biden Admin views abandoned people in Afghanistan as a political nuisance. Maybe looking at them as real people instead of 'papers to push' would produce rescues rather than deaths. It's time for Biden to RESIGN NOW!!!'

'Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes,' Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted.

'But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.'

Injured Afghans flee Kabul airport after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive outside the Baron Hotel, killing multiple people and injuring at least three US troops

Scenes from the ground show injured Afghans being removed in wheelchairs.

Injured Afghans flee Kabul airport on Thursday night after two explosions and gunfire ripped through crowds

Afghan people who want to leave the country continue to wait around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021

'My biggest fear is these attacks today are just the beginning of what we will continue to see as the Administration fails to get Americans and our Afghan allies out and to safety,' Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter. 'We don't need statements from the Administration right now - we need immediate resignations.'

'At what point does Afghanistan turn from 'Biden's Saigon' to 'Biden's Tehran Moment?'' questioned Rep. Ralph Norman, R-SC. The Iran hostage crisis from 1979-1981 was considered a major failure and contributor to President Jimmy Carter's loss in his reelection bid.

'President @JoeBiden- you had one job. That job continues and American lives & security depend on it. Act like it,' Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter.

Despite the escalating violence, the US's top diplomat made the astonishing claim on Thursday morning, before the explosion, that it was 'relatively safe' on the ground and people should still be able to make their way there.

There is still no indication of when Biden may speak.

A White House official told DailyMail.com on Thursday: 'The President met with his national security team this morning, including Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, Chairman Milley, and commanders on the ground.

'He will continue to be briefed on updates on the evolving situation throughout the day.

'There will be updates to the President's schedule, which we will share as they become available.'

Earlier on Thursday, US troops on the ground closed gates at the airport and the State Department warned people not to congregate at the airport. Britain told its citizens to run for the Pakistan border instead.

The Taliban claimed Kabul on August 14 and there has been a frantic scramble to get Western citizens and Afghan allies out of the region by August 31, the Taliban's ceasefire deadline.

Injured Afghans are removed from Kabul airport in the Baron Hotel, next to the airport in Kabul, after a suicide bomb attack on Thursday evening

A large explosion has ripped through crowds at Kabul airport's Abbey Gate, with reports of multiple casualties and the eruption of gunfire following the blast

ISIS K- THE CHILLING NEW FACE OF TERROR IN AFGHANSTAN 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. 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 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. 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. 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. Advertisement

Before the blasts on Thursday, the Pentagon denied claims that the US was going to withdraw within 36 hours.

Press Secretary John Kirby offered no date for when troops would leave, saying only they would stay in Afghanistan until the 'end of the mission'.

It offers little hope to the Americans on the ground who are stuck behind Taliban lines, unable to get to the airport.

Overnight, 5,100 people were flown out of Kabul on US military planes. Another 8,300 were saved by coalition flights.

The total - 13,400 - was drastically less than the 19,000 rescued in the previous 24 hours.

Now, the flights that were already leaving half-empty, will

Ross Wilson, the Acting US Ambassador in Afghanistan, said on Thursday his office was making 'phone calls' but that many Americans didn't leave when they had the chance and are now on their own.

'We have through the State Department been placing phone calls to virtually all those who have registered with us to find out are they still in Afghanistan, are they interested in leaving Afghanistan, do they need help.

'People chose not to leave - that's their business, that's their right. We regret now that many may find themselves in a position that they would rather not be in,' he told CBS This Morning on Thursday.

Britain is now telling its citizens that anyone who hasn't yet been able to get out should make a run for the border and seek refuge in Pakistan.

Hameed Ullah, the head of the Coronavirus Health team at the Chaman border, said 18,000 people a day were crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan - 6,000 more than usual.

Biden has promised to get every American out by August 31 but it is becoming increasingly unlikely with hundreds still scattered around the country. He is due to host a conference call with governors on Thursday at 3pm to determine where Afghan refugees will be housed.

CNN's source said on Thursday that 200 had been evacuated overnight, bringing the total 500 down significantly.

The source estimated that of the 500 Blinken was talking about, there are now only 150 waiting to be evacuated.

It remains unclear if any more citizens have been able to get in touch with the State Department since Blinken spoke.

There are still 1,800 Afghans who worked at the US Embassy in Kabul and are waiting to be flown out but the mission is winding down on Friday, the source said.

'American citizens are still trickling in but their priority has shifted to local staff,' the source said.

The United States, Britain and Australia told their citizens in the early hours of Thursday to clear the airport over fears of a deadly car bomb blast.

The US said that citizens outside three gates in particular should 'leave immediately', while Britain and Australia told anyone near the airport to clear the area entirely.

Among those still stranded are dozens of students from a San Diego school, who flew to Afghanistan with relatives to visit family and got stuck.

They did not all travel together but went with their families in smaller groups. One of the groups has now returned to the US, leaving 19 still stuck in Kabul.

The bomb threat on Wednesday was given amid fears extremist group ISIS-K, the Islamic State branch based in Afghanistan, was plotting an attack with multiple car bombs by deploying recently-freed prisoners.

A US soldier places a 'gate closed' on one of the crowded entrances of Kabul airport as hundreds of desperate Afghans wait to board flights earlier on Thursday The US is now working to evacuate everyone they can in the next 36 hours and will then withdraw - two days earlier than the Taliban's 31 deadline

Crowds of people wait outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday as the evacuation mission continues

Taliban fighters - one armed with a US standard issue M4 assault rifle - stand guard outside Kabul airport on Wednesday

USAF personnel help Afghan refugees to board a C-17 military transport jet at Kabul airport on Tuesday

It comes as the number of evacuation flights are falling rapidly after Biden held firm to the August 31 deadline.

Ross Wilson, the Acting US Ambassador in Afghanistan, claimed in an interview on Thursday morning that it was still 'relatively safe' to go to the airport, despite the growing ISIS threat before the explosion

France said it will stop flying from Kabul on Friday, Poland has already left and Holland is expected to finish today.

Meanwhile, Britain could stop flying by tonight.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Wednesday there were up to 1,500 Americans still trapped in Afghanistan and that 500 had been in touch with the government to ask for help getting to the airport.

Since then, 350 have been evacuated, according to CNN, which leaves just 150 of the 500 the government knows about still waiting to be rescued.

British armed forces minister James Heappey this morning warned there is 'very credible reporting' of an 'imminent' and 'severe' threat to the airport.

The former British Army Major told LBC radio he had been given 'lines today for what might happen if the attack happened while I was doing this media round.'

Heappey added: 'I don't think everybody should be surprised by this, Daesh, or Islamic State, are guilty of all sorts of evil.

Troubling video 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

The State Department tweeted last night: '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.

'Those at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.'

'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

The order to leave the gates was issued at 3:30am local time in Kabul on Thursday morning.

It came as a 345-seat evacuation flight organized by a Washington DC-based philanthropist left Kabul Airport almost empty because its intended passengers could not get past the Taliban.

The jet - laid on by George Abi-Habib, co-founder of development firm Sayara International, had just 50 of passengers in its cabin, amid fears terrorists are now plotting a car bomb attack against Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport.

One of the passengers had to crawl through a sewage pipe just to make it into the airport, he told The Wall Street Journal.

'We can't expect everyone to crawl through a sewer pipe to safety,' Abi-Habib said.

Another of Abi-Habib's 240-seat charter flights heading to Ukraine left with 70 seats empty after U.S. soldiers wouldn't let passengers through to board the aircraft.

'It's total chaos,' said Warren Binford, a law professor at the University of Colorado who has been working on evacuation efforts.

'What's happening is that we're seeing a massive underground railroad operation where, instead of running for decades, it's literally running for a matter of hours, or days.'

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.

Erik Prince, founder of controversial private military firm Blackwater, was selling seats on a plane out of Afghanistan for $6,500.

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.

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.

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.

Afghanistan's chilling new face of terror: 'ISIS-K' slaughter patients in their hospital beds, bomb girls schools... and see the Taliban as far too liberal. Their latest victory? Joe Biden is running scared of them, writes GUY ADAMS

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

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

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'.

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.

ISIS-K published this photo in an effort to project unity and strength just days before hundreds of fighters admitted defeat and surrendered

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.

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.

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.

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.

Full transcript of Joe Biden's statement of Kabul suicide bombing and answers he gave to reporters' questions

By Melissa Koenig for DailyMail.com

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked - that we've been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed [was] undertaken - an attack - by a group known as ISIS-K - took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously.

They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

I've been engaged all day, and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and you've had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and I'm constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives - it's an overused word, but it's totally appropriate - they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the 'backbone of America.' They're the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

In a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down ISIS-K after American soldiers were killed in a bombing

Jill and I - our hearts ache, like I'm sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And we're outraged as well as heartbroken.

Being the father of an Army major who served for a year in Iraq and, before that, was in Kosovo as a U.S. attorney for the better part of six months in the middle of a war - when he came home after a year in Iraq, he was diagnosed, like many, many coming home, with an aggressive and lethal cancer of the brain - who we lost.

We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest; there's no way out. My heart aches for you.

But I know this: We have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you - the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary; it lasts forever.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, in the service of others, in the service of America. Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism of - the fallen this day, they're part of a great and noble company of American heroes.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Over the past few weeks - I know you're - many of you are probably tired of hearing me say it - we've been made aware by our intelligence community that the ISIS-K - an arch-enemy of the Taliban; people who were freed when both those prisons were opened - has been planning a complex set of attacks on the United States personnel and others.

This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinarily dangerous and why I have been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. And as General McKenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- this is the way it was designed to operate: operate under severe stress and attack. We've known that from the beginning.

And as I've been in constant contact with our senior military leaders - and I mean constant, around the clock - and our commanders on the ground and throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission, and we will.

And that's what I've ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here is what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans who are there. We will get out our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. Every day when I talk to our commanders, I ask them what they need - what more do they need, if anything, to get the job done. As they will tell you, I granted every request. I reiterated to them again today, on three occasions, that they should take the maximum steps necessary to protect our forces on the ground in Kabul.

And I also want to thank the Secretary of Defense and the military leadership at the Pentagon, and all the commanders in the field. There has been complete unanimity from every commander on the objectives of this mission and the best way to achieve those objectives.

Those who have served through the ages have drawn inspiration from the Book of Isaiah, when the Lord says, 'Whom shall I sendwho shall go for us?' And the American military has been answering for a long time: 'Here am I, Lord. Send me.' 'Here I am. Send me.' Each one of these women and men of our armed forces are the
A North Carolina high school teacher has been suspended without pay for nine weeks after refusing to wear a mask at work, in defiance of her school district's rules.

Aurora Preston, who teaches at South Johnston High School, said she had worn a face mask in the previous school year, but now doesn't think they're effective in slowing transmission of COVID-19, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

Preston claims it should be her constitutional right to decide whether to wear a mask - and the outlet noted that her Facebook page has been filled with statements such as 'my body, my choice' and 'freedom to choose.'

'It is not the job of government agencies to dictate when and where it is appropriate to utilize the rights afforded to me by being a citizen of the US,' Preston said in a statement to The News & Observer.

'It is their job to uphold the Constitution affording these rights to all of the citizens all of the time.'

She added: 'If someone disagrees with that stance, it would that person's right and it's wonderful to have that choice to do so.'

Aurora Preston, who teaches at South Johnston High School, said she had worn a face mask in the previous school year

She said she stopped wearing the mask because she now doesn't think they're effective in slowing transmission of COVID-19

The teacher had shown up to work maskless last week for a teacher workday to prepare for the new school year

The teacher had shown up to work maskless last week for a teacher workday to prepare for the new school year. She was told to stay alone in her classroom for several hours before being sent home.

Joe Preston said that his wife's job status with the Johnston County Public Schools system will be reviewed at the end of the nine-week leave.

The Johnston County school board voted on July 29 to make face masks optional. But the board voted August 10 to require masks - joining more than three-dozen North Carolina school districts that reversed their decision to make masks optional.

The school district said in a statement Wednesday that it will not comment on confidential personnel matters.

'It's not about the masks. It's about government control versus individual liberty. That's how we personally feel about it,' Joe Preston said in an interview with The News & Observer.

'We feel that a mandated vaccine is on its way, which she's obviously not going to comply with.'

The Prestons have since set up a GoFundMe with a target of raising $6,000 - the amount the family said it would lose from her nine weeks of leave without pay.

'She is taking a stand to fight for all of us. Unfortunately we depend on her income,' Joe Preston wrote on the fundraiser.

He added: 'In the event this changes and she is allowed to teach again without a face covering this will be taken down. Any extra money will be donated to others in this cause or charity.'

Data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services shows that there have been 1.181.191 cases in the Tar Heel State.

Currently, there are 3,552 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina.

There have been 4,758,016 people considered fully vaccinated after two doses of a vaccine, and 384,714 considered fully vaccinated after receiving single-dose shots like Johnson and Johnsons. Just 49% of the states total population is considered fully vaccinated.

Face mask mandates in school districts have become a divisive issue in recent months, with furious anti-maskers filmed rounding on experts who've called for the face coverings to be implemented at school board meetings.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning compulsory mask mandates in schools in his state, although many districts have vowed to defy him.

Children under 12 are not currently eligible to receive COVID vaccines, and might not be able to get the shot until later this year.

Teachers and parents in favor of masks say this means students should be encouraged to continue to wear masks.

Critics claim mask rules inhibit learning, and also point to statistics showing that children are less likely to fall seriously-ill with COVID, although many youngsters have suffered severe side effects or even died as a result of contracting it.
One of Sydney's most in demand beauticians will use a loophole in the Covid health orders to offer services in her local park - much to the delight of the city's celebrity set who have thrown their support behind the plan.

Eyebrow artist Kristin Fisher, who owns a salon in Double Bay, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, has already been 'overwhelmed' with support since announcing on social media she would offer treatments in Guilforyle Park.

Ms Fisher said the services would only be offered to fully vaccinated customers and who live within a 5km radius.

'Eyebrows in the park from September 13. Who's in?' she posted to Instagram on Thursday night - just hours after Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced fully vaccinated Sydneysiders would be allowed to meet with four friends for 'outdoor recreation' from that date.

Kristin Fisher, who owns a popular eyebrow business, said she would legally be able to take appointments with clients who also live within 5km of the park

A brow technician in Double Bay, in Sydney's affluent east, has garnered the support of a huge chunk of her clientele by proposing treatments in her local park

Poll Would you go to a beauty or hair appointment in the park? YES NO Would you go to a beauty or hair appointment in the park? YES 186 votes

NO 191 votes Now share your opinion





The new rules will come into effect from midnight on Monday, September 13, and only apply for those outside of the 12 local government areas of concern.

There were no changes made to hairdressing or beauty services, which have been barred since June 26.

Ms Fisher has assured clients it's 'classified as legal' - so long as they're all double vaxxed. Ms Fisher, who is also fully vaccinated, explained the park makeovers would abide by the rules by having two therapists, two clients and one administration worker - with each client taking 20 minutes.

Public health orders can only be enforced by New South Wales police officers, and a Woollahra Council spokesman said rangers do not have the authority to issue fines.

A spokesman for NSW Police said it was a matter for NSW Health to clarify the legality of Ms Fisher's scheme, but the department could not be reached for comment.

Ms Fisher told Daily Mail Australia there shouldn't be any difference between her proposal and that of personal trainers, who will be legally able to work with four clients from midnight, September 13.

Ms Fisher argued there shouldn't be any difference between her proposal and that of personal trainers, who will be legally able to work with four clients from the September 13 date

Some of Ms Fisher's most well-known clients jumped at the opportunity to have their brows touched up sooner than expected

Kate Waterhouse, the daughter of horse trainer and businesswoman Gai, and designer Brooke Testoni both also indicated they'd be keen to book an appointment

'If PT's can do it, surely we can too... Looking good is also great for your mental health,' she said.

Some of Ms Fisher's most well-known clients jumped at the opportunity to have their brows touched up sooner than expected.

Instagram influencer Indy Clinton was one of the first to lock in an appointment, saying: 'I will be there before the sun even rises. Count me in'.

Celebrity stylist Suze Eskaner instantly asked where she could book, while model Steffanie Tzeneros joked: 'Pls my eyebrows are connecting'.

Kate Waterhouse, the daughter of horse trainer and businesswoman Gai, and designer Brooke Testoni both also indicated they'd be keen to book an appointment.

Instagram influencer Indy Clinton was one of the first to lock in an appointment, saying: 'I will be there before the sun even rises. Count me in'

Ms Fisher is already double jabbed and ready to go, and understands she'd only be able to fulfil appointments with fully vaccinated clients

Other clients said Ms Fisher had sparked a trend.

'I'm also going to see if my hairdresser will do a full head of foils, cut and blow dry in the park too,' one said.

'Also an injectables station,' another added.

Ms Fisher has been hailed as a 'genius' among her clients and fans for the plan.

'They keep telling small businesses to pivot,' she said in response to the compliments. 'Well here you go.'

Former Channel Seven reporter Jessica Ridley also expressed an interest in the service

Ms Fisher is no stranger to throwing together a last minute event in a crisis.

Back in January 2020, she organised a bushfire charity event at Double Bay markets which attracted the support of over 400 Australian fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands and raised $250,000.

All proceeds went directly to the Australian Red Cross, WIRES Wildlife Emergency Fund, New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Wildlife Victoria.

The market was first slated to be held in the same park she's planned to do business, but was so popular it was later moved to the Intercontinental.
The 'decline in willingness of Britons to pay the TV licence fee is going to become a real challenge for the BBC, media minister John Whittingdale warned yesterday.

A million households have stopped paying the charge over the past two years, according to the corporations annual report.

The pandemic led to a 700,000 decline in licences purchased in the last financial year.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Mr Whittingdale said: I think it is inevitable that certain trends which are now already clearly visible will continue.

A million households have stopped paying the charge over the past two years, according to the corporations annual report [File photo]

One is the switch away from linear viewing. The second is in the longer term the decline in willingness to pay the BBCs licence fee.

And those are going to put real challenges on all of the UK public service broadcasters. So I think this debate about how we sustain public service broadcasting is only just beginning.

Viewers who only use streaming services such as Netflix to watch on-demand shows do not need a TV licence.

Last year ministers kicked off negotiations on how much the licence  currently 159  will cost from 2022. In the festival closing debate, Mr Whittingdale defended the decision to launch a consultation on whether to privatise Channel 4.

The channel is currently owned by the Government and receives its funding from advertising, but could be sold off to a private buyer.

Playwright James Graham, who was behind hit TV drama Brexit: The Uncivil War, warned during the debate that privatising Channel 4 could end up with the UK becoming a cultural colony of America with fewer British series shown.
Microsoft has warned thousands of its online cloud customers - including Fortune 500 firms like Coca-Cola, Exxon-Mobil, and Citrix - that their data may have been exposed to intruders.

The company revealed a major flaw in its flagship Azure Cosmos DB database service on Thursday, which could allow hackers to read, change or delete data saved in the cloud, according to an internal email and a cyber security researcher.

That flaw was discovered by a research team at the security company Wiz, who discovered it was able to access keys that control access to databases held by thousands of companies.

'This is the worst cloud vulnerability you can imagine. It is a long-lasting secret,' Wiz co-founder Ami Luttwak told Reuters. 'This is the central database of Azure, and we were able to get access to any customer database that we wanted.'

Microsoft agreed to pay Wiz $40,000 for finding the flaw and reporting it, according to an email it sent to Wiz. Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft's flagship software. Further details on what firms like Coke and Exxon use the software for have not been shared, but it is often used to manage prescription transactions, or managing flows of customer orders.

Microsoft faced a major set back on Thursday when it was revealed that their cloud computing service had a major flaw that left its customers' information vulnerable to hackers

Wiz co-founder Ami Luttwak, right, and his team warned Microsoft of the vulnerability on August 12. Pictured to the right, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, whose Atlanta HQ is pictured above, were left vulnerable due to the flaw in the Microsoft's Azure cloud system

Microsoft said it had no immediate comment.

Microsoft's email to customers said it has fixed the vulnerability and that there was no evidence the flaw had been exploited. 'We have no indication that external entities outside the researcher (Wiz) had access to the primary read-write key,' the email said.

Because Microsoft cannot change the access keys by itself, it emailed the customers Thursday telling them to create new ones.

Luttwak, a former chief technology officer at Microsoft's Cloud Security Group, said the flaw could have had serious effects.

Luttwak's team found the problem, dubbed ChaosDB, on August 9 and notified Microsoft August 12, Luttwak said.

The flaw was in a visualization tool called Jupyter Notebook, which has been available for years but was enabled by default in Cosmos beginning in February. After Reuters reported on the flaw, Wiz detailed the issue in a blog post.

Luttwak said even customers who have not been notified by Microsoft could have had their keys swiped by attackers, giving them access until those keys are changed.

Microsoft only told customers whose keys were visible this month, when Wiz was working on the issue.

Microsoft's flagship Azure cloud service holds the data of thousands of customers. Its access keys were left vulnerable and could have allowed hackers to access customer's databases

The disclosure comes after months of bad security news for Microsoft.

The company was breached by the same suspected Russian government hackers that infiltrated SolarWinds, who stole Microsoft source code.

Then a wide number of hackers broke into Exchange email servers while a patch was being developed.

A recent fix for a printer flaw that allowed computer takeovers had to be redone repeatedly.

Another Exchange flaw last week prompted an urgent U.S. government warning that customers need to install patches issued months ago because ransomware gangs are now exploiting it.

Problems with Azure are especially troubling, because Microsoft and outside security experts have been pushing companies to abandon most of their own infrastructure and rely on the cloud for more security.

But though cloud attacks are more rare, they can be more devastating when they occur. What's more, some are never publicized.

A federally contracted research lab tracks all known security flaws in software and rates them by severity. But there is no equivalent system for holes in cloud architecture, so many critical vulnerabilities remain undisclosed to users, Luttwak said.
Deliveries of food, fuel and packages will potentially be disrupted after truck drivers across Australia agreed to a strike from midnight.

The 24-hour strike by 7,000 Toll drivers is over a proposal by the employer to open up work to labour hire casuals and contractors.

The Transport Workers' Union said delivery of vaccines and essential medical supplies will not be disrupted by the strike.

Negotiations between the drivers and Toll over a new enterprise bargaining agreement broke down, with the union claiming the company wants to cut overtime paid to permanent employees and bring in casuals and contractors on lower wages.

The 24-hour strike by 7,000 Toll drivers is over a proposal by the employer to open up work to labour hire casuals and contractors

Transport Workers Union rep Ian Buckingham speaks to striking truckies in Brisbane, Queensland

Drivers fear transport companies are attempting to casualise the workforce and push wages down

The Transport Workers' Union said delivery of vaccines and essential medical supplies would not be disrupted by the strike.

Allan Beacham, president of Toll Global Express, told ABC News that the company was prepared to manage the disruption caused by the strike.

'We have been planning for this event, we didn't want it to happen and we will leave no stone unturned today to actually ensure that we put parcels on the doorsteps and groceries on the shelves,' he said.

Mr Beacham said Toll would 'draft in' casual and subcontractors to meet its delivery commitments around the country, perhaps confirming the union's fears.

Toll is one of Australia's largest transport companies, with Coles, Woolworths and McDonalds as customers. It also supplies many retailers, hospitals and other industries.

It's expected deliveries of certain products could be affected during the strike action due to fewer drivers.

Up to 15,000 other drivers may also go on strike as a result of the enterprise bargaining process currently underway with the major transport companies

Up to 15,000 other drivers may also go on strike as a result of the enterprise bargaining process currently underway with the major transport companies.

The TWU said the transport companies are attempting to casualise the workforce and push wages down.

'Drivers know all too well what happens when conditions and pay are dragged down in transport: stressed, chronically fatigued drivers are forced to work long hours, speed and skip rest breaks resulting in deaths and injuries on our roads,' TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said.

Mr Beacham disagreed that workers would be worse off as a result of the current negotiations.

'Over the past three years we have reduced our casuals and outside hires by over 30 percent,' he claimed.

'We are not planning to erode any overtime or conditions, nor are we planning to erode job security conditions.'
NSW students will begin returning to the classroom on October 25 - with all kids set to be back at school by November 8 - as Gladys Berejiklian continues to push ahead with opening up the state on the back of soaring vaccination rates.

Schools will reopen despite NSW recording another 882 Covid-19 cases and the deaths of two men in the state from the virus overnight.

Both of them had underlying health conditions and had received only one vaccination dose.

The NSW premier said more than 80 per cent of the cases found in the past 24 hours were in west and south-west Sydney.

Ms Berejiklian announced the state's schools will start returning to face-to-face learning from October 25 as she revealed 62 per cent of eligible adults in NSW had now received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Year 12 students will start sitting their HSC exams - which usually take place at the end of October - from November 9.

Covid-19 vaccinations will be mandatory from November 8 for all school staff, who will have priority access to the jabs from September 6 to ensure they are immunised in time.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said all high school students and staff will have to wear a mask and large-scale gatherings including assemblies will be banned.

The staggered return to the classroom will begin with Year 1 and kindergarten students on October 25 and Year 2, 6 and 11 on November 1.

A Sydneysider walks in Bondi in the city's eastern suburbs on Friday morning during the ninth week of lockdown restrictions. NSW has recorded 882 cases overnight

HSC exams for Year 12 students will begin on November 9 (Pictured, students waiting to be vaccinated at Sydney's Qudos Arena pop-up clinic)

A mother home schools her children in Wollongong in July. Year 1 and kindergarten students will be the first to return to the classroom on October 25, followed by Year 2, 6 and 11 students on November 1

Campbelltown LGA residents are pictured outside the Glenquarie vaccination hub on Friday

HOW SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM IN NSW A staggered return to the classroom in NSW will begin with Year 1 and kindergarten students on October 25. Year 2, 6 and 11 students will return to school on November 1. The other year groups will be allowed back at their desks from November 8. HSC exams - which have been pushed back from their usual October start date - will begin on November 9. Teachers must be fully vaccinated by November 8. Measures to reduce Covid-19 transmission include: Staggered break times No mixing between year groups or visitors to school campuses Mandatory mask-wearing for high school students, with face coverings strongly recommended for those in primary school Advertisement

The state government has already carried out a vaccination blitz to immunise all 75,000 Year 12 students in NSW before they return to the classroom for their final exams.

Ms Berejiklian said health officials would now turn their attention to ensuring teachers have had both doses.

'We will be having a special vaccination day for teachers on September 6 and a special week for teachers to make sure they are vaccinated at least before the 8 November,' she said.

'It is a very planned way moving forward and I'm just hopeful that this brings joy to many children and parents who are really doing it tough.'

The timeline though includes an agreement that schools will revert back to home learning if there are more than 50 infectious cases per 100,000 people in their local government area.

The state's crisis cabinet is understood to have considered scrapping HSC exams entirely this year because study and teaching has been thrown into chaos by lockdowns.

But the potential mental health damage was considered too great and the October return and November HSC plan was approved instead.

Ms Berejiklian said the re-opening of schools would give Year 12 students certainty about when they can move on with their lives; officials plan to have marked all HSC exams by January 15.

'We're confident this will give people certainty that things will return to some level of normality sooner rather than later,' she said.

Of Friday's new cases, 325 were found in western Sydney and 265 were detected in the south-west Sydney local health district.

NSW recorded another 882 cases and the deaths of two men in the state overnight

Officials have listed Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Greenacre, Punchbowl and Condell Park as the suburbs of most concern.

The virus meanwhile continues to spread through regional parts of the state - which are in lockdown until at least September 10.

Officials found 42 cases in western NSW, including 25 infections in Dubbo, four in Orange, four in Narromine and nine in Wilcannia.

Ms Berejiklian said on Friday the re-opening of schools would give Year 12 students certainty about when they can move on with their lives

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said authorities were in no position yet to consider easing restrictions outside of Sydney.

'Its easy to say lets open up parts of regional NSW but no community is an island so we will look at a regional approach if there is a chance, in two weeks,' he said.

The regional towns of Tamworth, Merimbula and Brewarrina were among the areas with Covid-positive sewage detections in the past 24 hours.

The announcement came as the federal government announced healthy Australian children aged 12 to 15 can receive the Covid-19 vaccine from September 13.

The NSW state government has been trying to vaccinate all 75,000 Year 12 students ahead of the intense four-week exam schedule to enable the return to class. (Pictured, students being vaccinated at Sydney's Qudos Arena pop-up clinic)

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended the jab for all kids in that age group on Friday.

Previously the vaccine was only recommended for 12 to 15 year olds if they were Aboriginal or had underlying conditions.

'We will allow that to commence and on 13 September people will be able to make those bookings,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Many Western countries including Canada and the US have been inoculating teenagers with Pfizer since May.

ATAGI is also likely to recommend the Moderna jab for this age group, although those plans are still being finalised.

Pfizer is the only vaccine currently registered for under 18s in Australia. Moderna and AstraZeneca are registered for over 18s.

With Covid numbers continuing to rise in NSW, plans have also reportedly been considered to restrict face to face exams to areas where Covid cases are low. (Pictured, a stock image of students in class at a Sydney school)

Friday's rise in cases follows an Australia-record 1,029 Covid infections being announced in NSW on Thursday.

Ms Berejiklian dropped a major hint that Sydney will be freed from lockdown on October 18 when NSW reaches a 70 per cent Covid-19 vaccination rate.

The premier on Thursday said the state was seven weeks away from vaccinating 70 per cent of its eligible population - which would trigger a significant easing of the state's stay-at-home restrictions.

The state government is working towards October 18 as NSW's likely re-opening date once that target is reached, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Greater freedoms are on their way for vaccinated residents in NSW with the government earmarking a date of October 18 for the state's reopening (pictured, masked Sydneysiders in lockdown)

In the meantime, Ms Berejiklian is considering trialing industries where both customers and staff are vaccinated including salons and hairdressers to prepare for a larger reopening of the hospitality industry.

Those small-scale 'trials' will be a litmus test for the wide-scale easing of hospitality capacity limits as long as they aren't linked to high levels of transmission.

Ms Berejiklian has rallied industries, including pubs and restaurants, to prepare for the mid-October date.

The premier on Thursday said she was already working with industry leaders to prepare plans to reopen at that time.

'We're calling upon industry and citizens to get ready for when we hit that 70 per cent double dose. We are already starting to work with industry stakeholders on how we can go back to safely open up,' she said on Thursday.

'Get fully vaccinated, you still have time to make sure that when you start opening up, you have those options to live a freer life.'

Greater freedoms for vaccinated Australians have already been granted for the coming weeks as the state plans its roadmap out of the relentless lockdown.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant (pictured, right, with Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday) is working towards an October 18 reopening for the state

Outdoor gatherings of up to five immunised people living outside of LGAs of concern are permitted from September 13, including an extra hour of outdoor recreational activity for vaccinated residents in hotspots.

While the government admitted a jump to 80 per cent vaccination rate was difficult, they were confident 70 per cent is a more realistic target.

Ms Berejiklian said she was committed to giving people freedom despite sky-rocketing case numbers.

LATEST NSW COVID EXPOSURE SITES Anyone who attended this venue is casual contact and must self-isolate until they receive a negative result. Windale: Windale Takeaway - Saturday August 21, 5:35pm to 5:45pm Wellington: Metro Petroleum - Sunday August 22, 10:30am to 10:40am Wellington: Coles - Sunday August 22, 9:20am to 10:15am Dubbo: Officeworks - Wednesday August 18, 4:45pm to 5pm Dubbo: Dominos Pizza - Wednesday August 18, 6:55pm to 7:10pm Berkeley: Coles - Saturday August 21, 11:10am to 11:25am Orange: 7-Eleven Molong Road - Saturday August 21, 2pm to 10pm, Friday August 20, 2pm to 10pm Orange: 7-Eleven Bathurst Road - Saturday August 21, 7am to 3:15pm Advertisement

A Dubbo Domino's takeaway shop is also listed as Covid-19 exposure site after being visited by a positive case

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian granted Sydneysiders some freedom from September 13 allowing outdoor gatherings of up to five people who are fully vaccinated (pictured, residents exercising during Sydney's lockdown)

More than 80 per cent of Thursday's new cases were found in west and south-west Sydney (pictured, shoppers in Ashfield in the city's inner-west)

The greater freedoms were announced on Thursday which included an extra hour of recreational activity for fully vaccinated residents in hotspot LGAs (pictured, locked-down residents enjoying takeaway coffee)

'We're a government that assesses the risk but also assesses our wish to live with this virus,' she said.

'We know that people coming together is what people miss the most.'

'From the various options we looked at, that was the option that met the mental health needs and wellbeing of our community, but also provided the lowest-risk setting.'

Residents taking advantage of the new rules will need to carry proof they are fully-vaccinated at all times.

The new freedoms come after NSW hit Ms Berejiklian's target of getting six million jabs in arms by the end of August a week early.
A doctor is suing a high-end dating agency after she was paired with a man who was less than six feet tall.

Eileen Moore has demanded a $4,995 refund for her joining fee and a letter of apology from Elite Introductions.

She has taken her matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribune where she claimed the dating agency set her up with a man called David who did not meet her height requirements.

'I was not expecting them to find me love, I was expecting them to find me a man who met the criteria I wanted,' she said on Thursday.

Eileen Moore has demanded a $4,995 refund for her joining fee and a letter of apology from Elite Introductions

Elite Introductions has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Its chief executive is Trudy Gilbert

Dr Moore was searching for 'Mr Right' when she joined the exclusive dating agency in 2019.

'I was at a stage where I was ready to settle down, get married and start a family,' she said.

'I was a career woman, I was 36  I was ready to embark on the next chapter of my life.'

The international company has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Its chief executive is Trudy Gilbert.

The dating agency caters to well-educated professionals who are looking to match with an 'intellectual, financially secure and confident partner'.

Dr Moore said she was searching for a candidate who was of Australian/Irish descent, raised as a Roman Catholic and was taller than six feet.

She explained height was important because the rest of her family were tall and she was considered to be the short one.

The tribunal heard that Dr Moore explained her requirements to the agency's 'psychotherapeutic consultant' Lisa Hayes.

She claimed she was then contacted by Ms Hayes who claimed to have found a suitable suitor who was 'relationship ready'.

Ms Hayes had told Dr Moore than David was overseas at the time and only mentioned the pair were 'around the same height' later on, the tribunal heard.

Dr Moore said she was 'gobsmacked'.

Dr Moore has taken her matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribune where she claimed the dating agency set her up with a man called David who did not meet her height requirements

Dr Moore said she felt obligated to meet up with David but did not see him for a second time.

The doctor claimed she tried to contact Ms Hayes on several occasions, but did not receive a response.

Tribunal member Danielle Galvin suggested Dr Moore reach a private settlement and doubted she would receive a refund.

Dr Moore is is hoping to get the $4,995 refund and apology letter on top of the legal costs and extras for alleged misleading conduct, bullying and breach of verbal contract.

Her matter will return to the tribune in February 2022.
Shoppers have been left bemused after trying to check into a Coles with a rather unfortunately placed QR code.

A video taken at Coles in Croydon, in Melbourne's east, has gone viral on social media site Reddit showing their QR check in code placed on the sliding entrance door of the store.

However, shoppers have been left unable to sign in as the automatic doors move the QR code out of view when they approach the door.

The person filming the video walks up to the door and shows the QR code disappearing behind the other side of the door as he approaches, leaving no time to be able to scan the code to check into the venue.

Posted to a Melbourne enthusiasts group, Reddit users have commented on the hilarity of the video, poking fun at the ridiculousness of positioning of the code.

'I think you may have stumbled onto the set of a potential Mr Bean sketch,' said one, with another replying how easily they could see that occurring.

'As a proud boy of Croydon I can say; Croydon, you continue to be a bogans paradise, keep it up,' another wrote.

'This reminds me of when I had to point out to a worrying number of people at my workplace that having a sign-up sheet posted behind a window's pane of glass wouldn't get the desired response,' wrote one amused worker.

'It's like a race to scan them,' said another.

A video has been posted to Reddit showing an unfortunately placed QR code that disappears before shoppers can access it (pictured)
The US has suffered the worst loss of life in Afghanistan in a decade after two suspected suicide bombers killed at least 13 US troops near the Kabul airport Thursday.

One blast detonated at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, where US troops were screening Afghans for evacuation following the Taliban's takeover of most of the Central Asian country on August 14.

The other blast took place at the nearby Baron Hotel, where thousands including Afghans, Britons and Americans were told to gather in recent days before heading to the airport for evacuation.

As many as 60 people are feared dead by Afghan estimates.

The estimated 13 US troops who died represent the largest US death toll in Afghanistan since August 5, 2011, when a Chinook military helicopter was shot down by a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade in the Maidan Wardak province southwest of Kabul.

Thirty-eight people - 30 US forces and eight Afghans - were killed in that attack, according to The Guardian.

Thursday's blasts killed at least 13 US troops, including 11 Marines, a Navy medic, and another service member screening evacuees at airport gates

The suicide bombings were carried out by ISIS-K, according to the US. Afghan officials estimate that as many as 60 people died and 140 people were wounded in total

US Republicans are calling on Biden to resign following the chaos amid hurried evacuations

A wounded woman arrives at a hospital for treatment after the two blasts on Thursday

The blasts targeted the Baron Hotel and the Abbey Gate of the airport. Above, volunteers and medical staff push an injured man on a gurney for treatment

Thursday's attacks are the first US deaths in Afghanistan since February 2020, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Vivian Salama.

President Joe Biden is pinning the blame on ISIS-K, the Central Asian offshoot of the Islamic State.

On Thursday, he paid tribute to the 'selfless heroes' who died helping vulnerable people to safety, but delivered a stern warning to the Islamic state offshoot behind the blasts that killed 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy medic and another service member screening evacuees at the airport gates.

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, according to the Associated Press.

Thursday was the deadliest day in Afghanistan since August 5, 2011, when the Taliban shot down a Chinook, seen above after the crash, carrying 30 US troops and eight Afghans

'For those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget,' Biden said in an emotional address at the White House on Thursday.

'We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

On Thursday, the bomb at the Abbey Gate struck people standing knee-deep in a wastewater canal under the sweltering sun, throwing bodies into the fetid water.

The filthy canal was filled with blood-soaked corpses, some being fished out and laid in heaps on the canal side while wailing civilians searched for loved ones.

Those who moments earlier had hoped to get on flights out could be seen carrying the wounded to ambulances in a daze, their own clothes darkened with blood.

The Pentagon warned there is still an imminent threat of attack at the airport and have now been told to draw up strike plans to hit ISIS-K assets and leadership.

Biden took questions from the press after a day of consulting with his national security team and senior generals, while Republicans said he had 'blood on his hands' and demanded he resign or be impeached.

He admitted that he must take responsibility for everything that has happened in Afghanistan since deciding to withdraw  including the deaths of 13 service members - but stood by his decision to leave by August 31 and insisted the military timeline wouldn't change.

President Joe Biden pauses as he takes questions about the Kabul bombings on Thursday

He said: 'We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

'Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy I know in the press,' Biden said, directing his final question of his briefing to Fox News' Peter Doocy.

'You set a deadline, you pulled troops out, you sent troops back in and now 12 Marines are dead,' Doocy said in a press conference before the latest confirmed service member death.

'You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things unfolded in the last two weeks?' he asked

'I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late,' he said, before saying he had inherited a commitment to leave Afghanistan from the previous administration.

'Here's the deal, you know ... as well as I do that the former president made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1.'

Biden revealed that he already asked his commanders for plans to strike back at the Afghan Islamic State offshoot that was responsible for the attack.

'I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities,' he said.

'We will respond with force and precision at the place we choose and a moment of our choosing.'

Afghan health officials gave various estimates of the death toll on Thursday, ranging from at least 30 dead to more than 60, and from 120 wounded to 140, according to the New York Times.

A Taliban spokesman cited at least 13 civilians killed and 60 wounded.

Republicans stepped up their attacks on Biden.

Nikki Haley, former US ambassador to the UN, and others demanded he resign or be impeached for his handling of the the withdrawal.

Republicans, outraged about the terrorist attacks in Kabul that left US personnel dead, accused President Biden of having 'blood on his hands,' as Sen. Lindsey Graham urged the US to take back control of Bagram airbase after reports of the two explosions at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

'I have advocated for days that the Bagram Air Base should be reopened as the Kabul airport is very difficult to defend and has been the only evacuation outlet,' the South Carolina Republican wrote on Twitter.

'We have the capability to reestablish our presence at Bagram to continue to evacuate American citizens and our Afghan allies. The biggest mistake in this debacle is abandoning Bagram.'

'I urge the Biden Administration to reestablish our presence in Bagram as an alternative to the Kabul airport so that we do not leave our fellow citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind. It is not a capability problem, but a problem of will,' Graham said.

'The retaking of Bagram would put our military at risk, but I think those involved in the operation would gladly accept that risk because it would restore our honor as a nation and save lives.'

Lawmakers were briefed on the situation this week by Biden's national security team.

Meanwhile, Democrat Foreign Affairs Committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez, said: 'This is a full-fledged humanitarian crisis and US government personnel ... must secure the airport.'

'As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We can't trust the Taliban with Americans' security.'

President Biden has refused to extend the deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying he's been locked in by former President Donald Trump's deal with the Taliban to leave

The US has evacuated about 82,000 people from the country so far

Above, refugees are evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday

House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring back the US House, which is currently on recess and not meeting, so that lawmakers can be briefed on the situation.

'Today's attacks are horrific. My prayers go out to those who were injured and the families of those who were killed. I also continue to pray for the safety of our troops, the stranded American citizens, our allies and Afghan partners who remain in the area. Our enemies have taken advantage of the chaotic nature of the withdrawal,' the California Republican said in a statement.

Over 7,000 US service members and over 8,000 contractors have died in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, according to the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University.

The biggest toll of war appears to be emotional and mental, as more than 30,177 US service members and veterans of the post-9/11 wars have killed themselves, according to the institute.

Full transcript of Joe Biden's statement of Kabul suicide bombing and answers he gave to reporters' questions

By Melissa Koenig for DailyMail.com

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked - that weve been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed [was] undertaken - an attack - by a group known as ISIS-K - took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously.

They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

Ive been engaged all day, and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and youve had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and Im constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives - its an overused word, but its totally appropriate - they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the 'backbone of America.' Theyre the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

In a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down ISIS-K after American soldiers were killed in a bombing

Jill and I - our hearts ache, like Im sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And were outraged as well as heartbroken.

Being the father of an Army major who served for a year in Iraq and, before that, was in Kosovo as a U.S. attorney for the better part of six months in the middle of a war - when he came home after a year in Iraq, he was diagnosed, like many, many coming home, with an aggressive and lethal cancer of the brain - who we lost.

We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like youre being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest; theres no way out. My heart aches for you.

But I know this: We have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you - the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary; it lasts forever.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, in the service of others, in the service of America. Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism of - the fallen this day, theyre part of a great and noble company of American heroes.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Over the past few weeks - I know you're - many of you are probably tired of hearing me say it - weve been made aware by our intelligence community that the ISIS-K - an arch-enemy of the Taliban; people who were freed when both those prisons were opened - has been planning a complex set of attacks on the United States personnel and others.

This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinarily dangerous and why I have been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. And as General McKenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- this is the way it was designed to operate: operate under severe stress and attack. We've known that from the beginning.

And as Ive been in constant contact with our senior military leaders - and I mean constant, around the clock - and our commanders on the ground and throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission, and we will.

And that's what I've ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here is what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans who are there. We will get out our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. Every day when I talk to our commanders, I ask them what they need - what more do they need, if anything, to get the job done. As they will tell you, I granted every request. I reiterated to them again today, on three occasions, that they should take the maximum steps necessary to protect our forces on the ground in Kabul.

And I also want to thank the Secretary of Defense and the military leadership at the Pentagon, and all the commanders in the field. There has been complete unanimity from every commander on the objectives of this mission and the best way to achieve those objectives.

Those who have served through the ages have drawn inspiration from the Book of Isaiah, when the Lord says, 'Whom shall I sendwho shall go for us?' And the American military has been answering for a long time: 'Here am I, Lord. Send me.' 'Here I am. Send me.' Each one of these women and men of our armed forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice of volunteering to go into harms way, to risk everything - not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.

And I ask that you join me now in a moment of silence for all those in uniform and out uniform - military and civilian, who have given the last full measure of devotion.

(A moment of silence is taken.)

BIDEN: Thank you. May God bless you all. And may God protect those troops and all those standing watch for America. We have so much to do. It's within our capacity to do it. We just have to remain steadfast. Steadfast. We will complete our mission. And we will continue, after our troops have withdrawn, to find means by which we defined any American who wishes to get out of Afghanistan. We will find them and we will get them out.

Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell of NBC.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you have said leaving Afghanistan is in the national interest of the United States. After today's attack, do you believe you will authorize additional forces to respond to that attack inside Afghanistan? And are you - are you prepared to add additional forces to protect those Americans who remain on the ground carrying out the evacuation operation?

BIDEN: I've instructed the military, whatever they need - if they need additional force - I will grant it.

But the military - from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Chiefs, the commanders in the field - have all contacted me one way or another, usually by letter, saying they subscribe to the mission as designed to get as many people out as we can within the timeframe that is allotted.

That is the best way, they believe, to get as many Americans out as possible, and others. And with regard to finding, tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are - not certain - and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them.

O'DONNELL: Inside Afghanistan, Mr. President?

BIDEN: Wherever they are. Trevor from Reuters.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There has been some criticism, even from people in your party, about the dependence on the Taliban to secure the perimeter of the airport. Do you feel like there was a mistake made in that regard?

BIDEN: No, I don't. Look, I think General McKenzie handled this question very well. The fact is that we're in a situation - we inherited a situation, particularly since, as we all know, that the Afghan military collapsed 11 days before - in 11 days - that it is in the interest of, as Mackenzie said, in the interest of the Taliban that, in fact, ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is, number one. And number two, it's in their interest that we are able to leave on time, on target.

As a consequence of that, the major things we've asked them - moving back the perimeter; give me more space between the wall; stopping vehicles from coming through, et cetera; searching people coming through - it is not what you'd call a tightly commanded, regimented operation like the U.S. is - the military is - but they're acting in their interest -- their interest.

And so, by and large - and I've asked this same question to military on the ground, whether or not it's a useful exercise. No one trusts them; we're just counting on their self-interest to continue to generate their activities.

And it's in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. And like I said, even in the midst of everything that happened today, over 7,000 people have gotten out; over 5,000 Americans overall.

So, it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of mutual self-interest. And - but there is no evidence thus far that I've been given, as a consequence by any of our commanders in the field, that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today both in front of the hotel and what is expected to continue for - beyond today. Aamer, Associated Press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You have spoken again powerfully about your own son and the weight of these decisions. With that in mind - and also what you've said: that the longer we stay, the more likelihood that there would be a major attack - how do you weigh staying even one more day, considering what's happened?

BIDEN: Because I think what America says matters. What we say we're going to do and the context in which we say we're going to do it, that we do it - unless something exceptional changes.

There are additional American citizens, there are additional green card holders, there are additional personnel of our allies, there are additional SIV card holders, there are additional Afghans that have helped us, and there are additional groups of individuals that have contacted us from women's groups, to NGOs, and others, who have expressly indicated they want to get out and have gathered in certain circumstances in groups, on buses and other means, that still presents the opportunity for the next several days, between now and the 31st, to be able to get them out. And our military - and, I believe, to the extent that we can do that knowing the threat, knowing that we may very well have another attack - the military has concluded that's what we should do. I think they're right. I think they're correct.

And after that, we're going to be in a circumstance where there are - will be, I believe, numerous opportunities to continue to provide access for additional persons to get out of Afghanistan, either through means that we provide and/or are provided through cooperation with the Taliban.

They're not good guys, the Taliban. I'm not suggesting that at all. But they have a keen interest.

As many of you have been reporting, they very much would like to figure out how to keep the airport open. They dont have the capacity to do it. They very much are trying to figure out whether or not they can maintain what is the portion of an economy that has become not robust, but fundamentally different than it had been.

And so there's a lot of reasons why they have reached out not just to us, but to others, as to why it would be continued in their interest to get more of the personnel we want to get out. We can locate them. Now, there's not many left that we can assess that are - want to come out. There's some Americans we've identified - weve contacted the vast majority of them, if not all of them - who dont want to leave because they have sig- -- they're dual nationals, they have extended families, et cetera. And there's others who are looking for the time. So, thats why we continue.

I'll take a few more questions, and - but, you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BIDEN: I didnt pick you, but thats okay.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you - you say that 'what America says matters.' What do you say to the Afghans who helped troops, who may not be able to get out by August 31st? What -

BIDEN: I say -

QUESTION: What do you say to them?

BIDEN: - we're going to continue to try to get you out. It matters. Look, I know of no conflict, as a student of history - no conflict where, when a war was ending, one side was able to guarantee that everyone that wanted to be extracted from that country would get out.

And think about it, folks. I think it's important for - I know the American people get this in their gut. There are, I would argue, millions of Afghani citizens who are not Taliban; who did not actively cooperate with us as SIVs; who, if given a chance, they'd be onboard a plane tomorrow.

It sounds ridiculous, but the vast majority of people in communities like that want to come to America, given a choice. So, getting every single person out is - can't be guaranteed to anybody because there's a determination, all who wants to get out as well. At any rate, it's a process. I was really pointing to you, but - you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There are reports that U.S. officials provided the Taliban with names of Americans and Afghan officials to evacuate. Were you aware of that? Did that happen? And then, sir, did you personally reject a recommendation to hold, or to recapture Bagram Air Force Base?

BIDEN: Here's what I've done on the - ask this - Ill answer the last question, first. On the tactical questions of how to conduct an evacuation or a war, I gather up all the major military personnel that are in Afghanistan - the commanders, as well as the Pentagon. And I ask for their best military judgment: what would be the most efficient way to accomplish the mission. They concluded - the military - that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul. And so, I followed that recommendation.

With regard to-- there are certain circumstances where we've gotten information - and quite frankly, sometimes from some of you - saying, 'You know of such and such a group of people who are trying to get out and they're on a bus, they're moving' - from other people - 'and this is their location.' And there have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said, 'This' -- for example, 'This bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through.' So, yes, there have been occasions like that. And to the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred -- they've been let through.

But I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names. I don't - there may have been, but I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean it's not - it didn't exist, that, 'Here's the names of 12 people; they're coming. Let them through.' It could very well have happened. I'll take one more question.

QUESTION: Mr. President, can I -

QUESTION: Mr. President, right here. Mr. President -

BIDEN: Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy that I know in the press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Is that - is there -thank you.

BIDEN: That's you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there had not been a U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan since February of 2020. You set a deadline. You pulled troops out. You sent troops back in. And now 12 Marines are dead. You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things have unfolded in the last two weeks?

BIDEN: I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late.

But here's the deal: You know - I wish you'd one day say these things - you know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return, the commitment was made - and that was a year before - in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces. Remember that? I'm being serious.

QUESTION: Mr. President -

BIDEN: No, I - I'm asking you a question. Be a - because before I -

QUESTION: Donald Trump is not the President right now.

BIDEN: No, no - now wait a minute. I'm asking you a question. Is that - is that accurate, to the best of your knowledge?

QUESTION: I know what you're talking about. But, Mr. President, respectfully -

BIDEN: What?

QUESTION: Since -I don't think that the issue that -- do you think that people have an issue with pulling out of Afghanistan, or just the way that things have happened?

BIDEN: I think they have an issue that people are likely to get hurt - some, as we've seen, have gotten killed - and that it is messy. The reason why - whether my friend will acknowledge it and was - reported it - the reason why there were no attacks on Americans, as you said, from the date until I came into office, was because the commitment was made by President Trump: 'I will be out by May 1st. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.' That was the deal. That's why no American was attacked.

QUESTION: And you said that you still - a few days ago, you said you squarely stand by your decision to pull out.

BIDEN: Yes, I do. Because look at it this way, folks - and I'm going to - I have another meeting, for real. But imagine where we'd be if I had indicated, on May the 1st, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date; we were going to stay there. I'd have only one alternative: Pour thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won, relative - is why the reason we went in the first place.

I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan - a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country, and is made up - and I don't mean this in a derogatory - made up of different tribes who have never, ever, ever gotten along with one another.

And so, as I said before - and this is the last comment I'll make, but we'll have more chance to talk about this, unfortunately, beyond, because we're not out yet - if Osama bin Laden, as well as al Qaeda, had chosen to launch an attack - when they left Saudi Arabia - out of Yemen, would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban completely controlled Afghanistan at the time, would we have ever gone?

I know it's not fair to ask you questions. It's rhetorical. But raise your hand if you think we should have gone and given up thousands of lives and tens of thousands of wounded.

Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging - first to get bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and prevent that from happening again.

As I've said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States. We don't have military encampments there; we don't keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us.

Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war. Thank you so much.
Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children as young as 12 amid mounting frustration with scientific advisers who are yet to approve the move.

Ministers are reportedly concerned that the UK is at risk of becoming an 'outlier' as other nations, such as Germany, France, Spain and the US, push ahead with giving coronavirus jabs to children aged between 12 and 15.

On Wednesday, NHS England bosses told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out to 12 to 15-year-olds in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term.

But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) - which advises Number 10 on jabs - has yet to give a green light to the plans.

It claims the small risk of side effects may still outweigh the benefit due to the fact young children are very unlikely to be badly ill with Covid.

The body's current advice is that children in the age group should only be given a jab if they have particular health conditions which put them at increased risk from the disease.

The delay has prompted frustration within Government, according to The Times.

It comes amid news that ministers are also now embroiled in a dispute with family campaign groups over whether or not they can refuse consent for their children to be vaccinated.

Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children as young as 12 amid mounting frustration with scientific advisers who are yet to approve the move

Speaking of the official frustration over the MHRA's caution, a senior official source told The Times: 'Boris wants to crack on with it. Everyone wants to get on with it.

'We're increasingly an outlier, there's frustration with the JCVI. It's like a black box, nobody knows what's going on in there.

'One small organisation is hindering the entire vaccination programme. We're at risk of losing the gains we've made in vaccinating people.'

But a source within the organisation said the scientists would not be 'bounced' by politicians into speeding up the process.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's jabs have been linked to myocarditis, a rare heart problem believed to affect around one in 20,000 young people.

But Britain's medical regulator, the MHRA - separate from the JCVI - has already said that both vaccines are safe and effective for 12 to 15-year-olds.

It means that ministers are only now waiting for the JCVI's scientists to make a decision.

Parents have raised concerns at the proposals to offer 12 to 15-year-olds in England a jab, despite assurances from the Education Secretary that consent would always be sought.

Latest Public Health England data showed Covid cases are rising fastest among 10 to 19-year-olds (green line). The second highest infection rate was in 20 to 29-year-olds (yellow line), but this had fallen compared to the previous week. Approving Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds will help curb the spread of the virus in the age group

Latest estimates from a symptom-tracking app suggested under-18s had the second highest number of Covid cases in the country (blue line). Only 18 to 35-year-olds had a higher number of Covid cases (orange line). The data is from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study

But parental rights organisation UsForThem, which was founded in May 2020 following the decision to close schools, said it had been flooded with calls from parents worried they would have no say.

Molly Kingsley, UsForThem's co-founder, told the Telegraph: 'Yes you have to ask for parental consent, but this begs the question of what is going to happen if consent is withheld?

'This is profoundly murky and it shatters any remaining trust parents have in the Government.

'It strikes me that given the uncertainty about whether a 12-year-old is competent to consent, there are serious liability issues for schools that press ahead with this on school premises.'

She added: 'Medical procedures rely on informed consent. Asking children to make a decision of this magnitude is totally inappropriate.'

Britain's national roll out has already inoculated almost nine in ten adults in the country

The JCVI is under pressure to approve Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds. Professor Devi Sridhar (left) on Thursday said they should approve the jab for teenagers because the Delta variant was 'flying through schools'. But SAGE scientist Professor Russell Viner (right) said they were 'right to be cautious' about jabbing the age group

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told ITV news on Thursday: 'Parental consent will always be sought.

'If JVCI do reach a decision that children should be able to receive a vaccine, parental consent would always be asked before they receive that vaccine.'

Scientists at war over jabbing children: Experts say youngsters may get 'better and longer immunity' if they catch Covid naturally Scientists were at war over vaccinating children against Covid on Thursday after it was revealed the NHS has put plans in place to jab secondary school pupils without their parent's consent. Health service bosses have told trusts to be ready to roll out jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds in two weeks, in a sign the country is edging closer towards routinely jabbing youngsters. Experts pushing back against the move argued it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months. Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline the world will need to live with Covid for years if not decades  so having a generation of children with natural immunity would help prevent cases spiralling later down the line. He said natural infection could be a 'a better first step in the lifelong co-existence' with the virus than rolling out the jabs. But the move to jab healthy kids for Covid has been backed by several high profile experts who have warned the virus could 'rip through' the country again if children are allowed back into schools with no protection. Latest figures from Public Health England's (PHE) surveillance report showed secondary school children have the highest rate of infection in the country despite schools not even being back yet. And a survey revealed almost two thirds of children would like to get a jab. Children have only a small risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid and a vanishingly small chance of death, while Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are associated with rare cases of heart inflammation in young people. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said the risks of side effects currently outweighs the dangers posed by Covid itself for most children. And he added 'as much as half' of all teens would already have had the virus, referencing estimates from the Office for National Statistics, and therefore have natural immunity already and not need a jab. Professor Hunter also said that vaccinating children would be purely for the benefit of adults, which could be seen as ethically 'dubious'. Advertisement

He added: 'It would be reassuring for parents to have that choice as to whether children would be able to have that vaccine but it always has to be based upon parental consent.'

Despite the need to wait for the JCVI's decision the NHS has drawn up plans to offer Covid vaccines to children aged between 12 and 15 when schools return in September.

On Wednesday, NHS England bosses told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term.

Figures show that, despite schools being out for summer, secondary-aged children are fuelling the third wave of infections along with older teens and young adults. There are fears there could be an explosion in cases when classrooms go back next week.

Leaked emails reveal NHS trusts in England have until 4pm on Friday to have plans in place for the rollout in children.

All 16 and 17-year-olds are already being invited for the Pfizer vaccine and don't need permission from a parent or guardian to get one.

But only under-16s who live with vulnerable people or who have immune weaknesses themselves are being invited at present.

On Thursday, some experts called on No10's top scientists to approve vaccinations for teenagers, warning that the Delta variant would 'fly through schools'.

But others said they were 'right to be cautious' about vaccinating over-12s.

Scientists pushing back against the move argued it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes within months.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is not being recommended for under-40s in Britain because it has been linked to very rare blood clots.

NHS England's regional offices emailed trusts yesterday to tell them to draw up the plans, reports The Telegraph.

They were told to have the plans ready by 4pm on Friday, and be able to roll out the first doses to the age group from September 6 when schools return.

Emails revealed the aim is to inoculate three quarters of 12 to 15-year-olds by the date November 1.

They also say children should be deemed 'Gillick competent to provide own consent' over jabs. This refers to a legal decision in 1985, which ruled that a teenage girl could obtain contraception without her parents' involvement.

The JCVI has previously insisted there is not enough data to support a roll out in this group. But the newspaper reports further research on this is about to be published.

The top committee has been showing signs that it could approve vaccines for secondary school children.

In July, they said: 'The minimal health benefits of offering universal Covid vaccination to children do not outweigh the potential risks.'

But just two weeks later deputy chief medical officer and committee member Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it was 'more likely, rather than less likely' that jabs would be offered to 12 to 15-year-olds.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: 'No decisions have been made on vaccinating 12-15 year olds and it is inaccurate to suggest otherwise.

This chart shows the Covid infection rates by age groups in England over the last three months. A darker colour (purple and blue) means an age group has a higher infection rate, while a lighter colour (yellow and green) means it has a lower infection rate. Latest data reveals that 15 to 19-year-olds have the highest Covid infection rate in England at 929.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in 107 being infected

'Ministers have not yet received further advice from the JCVI on this cohort. We continue to plan for a range of scenarios to ensure we are prepared for all eventualities.'

Immunity acquired by natural Covid-19 infection 'is greater than that gained from having Pfizer vaccine, study finds Immunity acquired via infection from Covid-19 is superior to that gained from the Pfizer vaccine, according to a new study. Researchers at Maccabi Healthcare and Tel Aviv University examined the health outcomes of more than 76,000 Israelis. The citizens were split into three groups: those who had had two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine; people who had previously been infected but were unvaccinated; and those who had been previously infected but had had only one dose of the jab. According to Unherd, the researchers found that people who had been fully vaccinated but not infected were much more likely to have a 'breakthrough' coronavirus infection than those who had already been infected and recovered. 'This study demonstrated that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalisation caused by the Delta variant,' the authors concluded. However, the study has not yet been peer reviewed. But its findings were described by infectious diseases expert Professor Francois Balloux as a 'bombshell'. If the findings are confirmed, they would likely weaken the case for vaccinating children. Advertisement

There are more than 2.6million children aged 12 to 15 in England, according to population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Latest Department of Health data showed 15 to 19-year-olds in England had the highest Covid infection rate in the country at 929.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in 107 being infected.

Children aged 10 to 14 had the fifth highest infection rate at 354.2 per 100,000, or one in 282.

The Department of Health has split the population into 19 different age groups to help monitor Covid infections. People aged 20 to 24, 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 had a higher infection rate than 10 to 14-year-olds.

Separate estimates from Health data science company ZOE showed there are almost 16,000 Covid cases a day among under-18s, the second highest rate in Britain.

Professor Tim Spector, a top epidemiologist who leads the app, said it was likely cases would continue to rise, especially when schools return.

It is not clear whether NHS Trusts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also been asked to draw up plans to vaccinated secondary school children.

But all four nations follow advice from the JCVI on which age groups should receive the Covid vaccine.

It also not clear whether 12 to 15-year-olds could be offered two doses should the JCVI recommend they are vaccinated. Currently 16 to 17-year-olds are only being offered one jab.

The JCVI is coming under pressure to approve Covid vaccines for over-12s from some scientists.

Professor Devi Sridhar, a global public health expert at Edinburgh University, said 12 to 15-year-olds should be offered the vaccine 'urgently' with the Delta variant set to 'fly through schools'.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think right now, if we know the options with Delta, given how infectious it is, is that either you're going to be exposed to Covid without any protection or you can be exposed and have a vaccine.

'And we should be offering teens that vaccine so they have that protection before going back to schools.'

She added that the JCVI were being 'very cautious', which was costing the country valuable time.

'They're waiting and watching and I guess the issue with a pandemic is that waiting and watching costs time,' she said.

'And time is the currency now that matters because it's not like we can wait and watch and in six months say 'OK, it's safe, let's vaccinate'.

School pupils should be tested for Covid twice a week when term starts 'to avoid a new wave' 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 launching a major advertising drive aimed at parents and teenagers, urging them to do their duty. 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. Advertisement

'In those six months if a large percentage of 12 to 15-year-olds get infected, in some ways they've lost that window of time and so I think perhaps they don't feel the urgency that they should be feeling given it's an emergency situation and we have Delta, which is so infectious. I mean, it's just flying through schools as we know.

'But not just here, Germany, Denmark, even places like New Zealand and Australia are struggling with Delta compared to the original virus.'

But SAGE scientist Professor Russell Viner backed the JCVI this morning, and said they were 'right to be cautious' about the decision to vaccinate over-12s.

He told the Today programme: 'We would be vaccinating teenagers largely to protect adults, because the benefit to them is low, and if we're going to do that the safety bar needs to be exceptionally high.'

Professor Viner said scientists needed to 'really bottom out the risk' posed by a rare heart inflammation that has been reported as a side effect of the Pfizer jab.

'My belief is that once we have more data and we have really bottomed out the risk from this rare heart inflammation, that in a few months we will undoubtedly be doing this  but it is right to be cautious.'

Professor Spector has also backed the JCVI's more cautious approach to inoculating the age group.

He told MailOnline: 'We believe that the government and JCVI are proceeding with appropriate caution as this is a very new situation for everyone and the last thing we want to do is give people booster vaccines that don't need it.

'We hope there will be an announcement soon on the booster strategy.'

Britain has been accused of being sluggish to roll out the Covid vaccine to other age groups, as its vaccination drive fell behind other countries.

US regulators approved Pfizer's jab for 12 to 15-year-olds in May, and has already got at least one dose to 40 per cent (7million) of the age group.

The EU's regulator also gave the age group the green light to get the jab at the end of May, with many countries quick to start rolling it out.

France began inoculating 12 to 15-year-olds in June, and more than 40 per cent (2million) have already received a first dose.

Italy started rolling out jabs to the age group from July with the aim of inoclating them before schools return. The Netherlands also began rolling out the jabs to secondary school children in July.
Two masked men fired shots into a Staten Island hair salon on Wednesday, striking a teenage girl and a woman with bullets.

A 17-year-old girl suffered a graze wound to the head and a 35-year-old woman was shot twice in her backside at Bousso African Hair Salon at 63 Victory Boulevard when the unidentified men opened fire around 3.50pm.

Surveillance footage shows the two gunmen dressed in all-black casually walking up to the salon. The taller man stops and holds a gun up to the business as the other keeps walking as if the shooting were unplanned.

A video clip from inside the salon, which is packed with customers, then shows the shorter gunman shooting into the center of the glass window.

The customers frantically run for safety as the clip cuts back to the shooter firing at least three more bullets though the shattered glass.

Two masked men fired shots into a Staten Island hair salon on Wednesday, striking a teenage girl and a woman with bullets. A 17-year-old girl suffered a graze wound to the head and a 35-year-old woman was shot twice in her backside

After firing multiple shots both gunmen sprinted away from the scene

Both gunmen are then seen sprinting away from the scene.

The victims were taken to Richmond University Medical Center and are in stable condition, as reported by the New York Post.

NYPD Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,500 reward for information leading to the suspects' arrests.

Tips can be submitted to NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), online or via Twitter @NYPDTips.

A video clip from inside the salon, which is packed with customers, showed one of the gunmen shooting into the center of the glass window

The shooting took place at Bousso African Hair Salon at 63 Victory Boulevard in Stated Island around 3.50pm Wednesday

The Staten Island shooting comes amid a surge in crime in New York City, with more than three shootings happening since the beginning of May, when two adults and four-year-old Skye Martinez were hit with stray bullets.

The alleged gunman Farrakhan Muhammad reportedly fled the Big Apple after the shooting and was arrested days later in Florida.

Then on June 27 a US Marine was injured by a ricocheting bullet at W 45th St and Seventh Avenue.

Sixteen-year-old break-dancer Avon Darden was allegedly trying to shoot a rival dancer when he hit Samuel Poulin, 21, in the back as he, his wife and his family were walking down the sidewalk.

Avon Darden, 16, handed himself over to cops at the Midtown South Precinct station house ten days after a shooting that left two adults and a four-year-old injured. He is pictured in surveillance footage while cops searched for him

Sixteen-year-old Darden was allegedly trying to shoot a rival dancer when he hit US Marine Samuel Poulin (pictured), 21, in the back

Darden later turned himself in at the Midtown South precinct station house while accompanied by his mother

Darden later turned himself in at the Midtown South precinct station house while accompanied by his mother.

And on July 13 NYPD officers responded to calls reporting shots fired near Seventh Avenue and 41st St in Midtown around 12.40am. At least four shots were fired after a driver in a white Mercedes clipped a 32-year-old motorcyclist in the bus lane.

According to NYPD data, there have been 7.1 per cent more shooting incidents, with 4.4 per cent more victims.

Felony assaults are up 5.2 per cent from last year, as of August 22, with misdemeanor assaults up 2.4 per cent.

Murders have decreased, from 291 reported during the same time frame in 2020 to 287 reported thus far in 2021.

Grand larcenies have also increased 1.6 per cent, with grand larcenies from automobiles reaching an increase of 19.3 per cent.

Additionally rapes have increased 6.1 per cent and hate crimes have nearly doubled.
Weeping with relief  days of unimaginable horror etched on their faces  they dragged barefoot children and clutched their meagre belongings in plastic bags or battered suitcases.

Yesterday, 1,400 Afghan evacuees arrived at Gate 12 of Heathrows Terminal 4. They were about to start their new lives in Britain.

Blinking back tears, Malalai Hussiny was one of the first to arrive with her parents, two brothers and five sisters. The youngest is ten.

The 19-year-old student, who dreams of a new life as a journalist in the UK, had spent the previous four days sleeping on rocks with her family outside Kabul airport, begging for a place on a mercy flight.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (second left) talks to Malalai Hussiny (wearing a green headscarf), a refugee from Afghanistan who arrived on a evacuation flight at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 this morning

Blinking back tears, Malalai Hussiny (pictured) was one of the first to arrive with her parents, two brothers and five sisters

Refugees from Afghanistan arrive on a evacuation flight at Heathrow Airport on August 26, 2021 in London

English teacher who helped educate soldiers at Afghan Sandhurst dies a week after being caught in crossfire at Kabul airport By Richard Marsden for the Daily Mail A teacher of English who worked alongside British Council workers at Afghanistans equivalent of Sandhurst Military Academy died in hospital after being caught in crossfire at Kabul airport. Noor Ahmad Amiri, 26, was queuing with his two brothers and their wives to enter the airport when chaos broke out last week. He died on Wednesday after spending more than a week in hospital. The incident has increased the alarm among fearful colleagues who worked for the British Council in Kabul  and who say they should have been evacuated weeks ago. One group, who worked for the British Council teaching English to civil servants, have been denied evacuation by the UK. One of Mr Amiris elder brothers, Amir Khan Daneshwar Amiri, described his brother, who was unmarried, as a role model of ethics and service to people. Mr Amiri, his two brothers and their wives had all been granted US special immigrant visas. After Mr Amiri was shot in the neck, the rest of the family were told to continue through the airport and flown to camps in the Middle East. A fourth brother  an officer in the Afghan National Army  and his wife were unable to get to the airport. They remain in Kabul, in hiding with the Amiri brothers mother and sister. Its really dangerous for all our family. Everyone is afraid and in hiding, said Amir Amiri. A female friend of Noor Amiri, who worked for the British Councils scheme teaching English to Afghan civil servants, said she has been in constant fear since his death. The woman, also in her 20s, said: We served them, we did our best. I dont know why the British Council have left us behind. The British Council said the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme is managed by the Ministry of Defence and it has no say in the decision-making process over eligibility. Advertisement

Her father, who worked at the British Embassy in Kabul as a painter, had been emailed by officials and told to come into the embassy for biometric fingerprinting and new passports.

But by the time the documents were ready, the embassy was surrounded by the Taliban, who learned of the familys details.

Terrified, the family-of-nine installed a camera on their front door and kept a watching vigil at all hours to monitor approaching militants, waiting for their opportunity to flee.

Finally at 1am on Sunday, they seized their chance and raced to the airport.

Yesterday Miss Hussiny spoke directly to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was there to greet arrivals. She said: I am happy to be here. There was so much fear in the last few days.

'We didnt know if we could get out. As a woman, there was no fear before, but in the last few days I didnt know if we would survive.

Miss Patel told her: Im so sorry.But you are here now and you are safe. Thats the most important thing.

Border officers told how they heard harrowing stories of Afghans being beaten en route to Kabul airport, with some bearing bloodied wounds on arrival here.

Tim Kingsberry, director of Border Force Heathrow, said: Three men showed me marks on their backs and legs where they had been whipped.

'One of them was a former cadet at Sandhurst. He told me he had been whipped and beaten by the Taliban.

I met another family the first day with a small baby around six months. They said they lost their child as they went through the gates and the fence.

'They got to the other side in the melee, but their little girl was gone. Other family members somehow got the child to them.

Yesterday some of the evacuees appeared shell-shocked, sitting in silence staring straight ahead, leaving cans of drink on their seats unopened.

Others were overcome, with some women sobbing as aid workers handing out colouring books to children.

One Border Force officer who speaks Farsi said: Straight away, they want to ask how do I get my child into a school.

'Thats all they want. They dont ask about food or drink. They want to know about schools for their children.

People are turning up with nothing. I had a family with five children and the little girl had wet herself. They were begging for a change of clothes as they didnt have anything. Just the clothes they were standing up in.

'Yesterday people were coming in with bandages on their feet, no shoes, just limping through.

Ian Denison, assistant director of Border Force at Heathrow, described how the terminal had been transformed into a refugee processing centre with less than 24 hours notice, having been mothballed in the pandemic. Around five flights a day started landing from Tuesday.

The Home Secretary met Afghans arriving at London Heathrow Airport today including Ms Hussiny, 20, and her family

Home Secretary Priti Patel said today that the Government wants to avoid Afghan refugees travelling to the UK unsafely

I only got the call at 4am on Monday We had to mobilise everything at speed. Within hours, a fingerprinting station and field hospital had been set up and crates of food, toys and supplies brought in.

'Although parts of the terminal remained eerily quiet yesterday with duty-free shops shuttered and cafes closed, Gate 12 was a hub of activity with dozens of Border Force officers, medics, aid workers and military intelligence officers working side by side.

Nearby, doctors in hospital scrubs and ambulance staff were dealing with a number of distressed refugees.

Over three hours, they face a series of ID checks on their documents before all are photographed and fingerprinted.

Counter-terrorism officers also carry out a final check before they are granted six months leave to remain in the UK.

They are then taken to quarantine hotels where they will stay for the next ten days and get Covid jabs. Local authorities will then be asked to find housing and schools.

Miss Hussiny said: I feel mixed emotions. Yes, it is a new life but I have left family and friends behind.

'But the help the UK has given us has made me very happy. Now my family is safe and I want to say to the British public: thank you very much.

Hell... for the translator whose wife was too ill to battle through the airport crush and join him here

By David Williams for the Daily Mail

A former translator fears his wife, who recently won the right to join him in his new home in the UK, is stranded in Afghanistan after the British dragged their feet in getting her out.

His feelings on hearing of the bomb attacks at Kabul airport yesterday were bittersweet as she had been too ill to try to push her way through the crush on to a flight after several days queueing in sky-high temperatures.

Mohammad said: It is a blessing that for the first time in a week my wife was not there.

'This is evil and a reason why people must be rescued but I fear this will end the evacuation.

Rohina, 21, was one of ten wives of interpreters to win a court battle earlier this month to be brought to the UK.

A former translator, Mohammed (pictured left) fears his wife, Rohina (pictured right) who recently won the right to join him in his new home in the UK, is stranded in Afghanistan after the British dragged their feet in getting her out

They had all been engaged to be married when their husbands had been quickly relocated to the UK amid fears for their safety.

The men returned to Afghanistan to re-marry, but the wives were initially denied permission to relocate because they had not yet married when the men had first come to the UK.

Four times during the past week, Rohina had battled for hours to reach Kabul airport after being told by UK officials an evacuation flight was available for her, but each time she was forced back.

Twice she collapsed unconscious and was trampled on by the seething crowds. Once she had to be carried clear, her feet covered in blood from being crushed.

Mohammad, 30, a former frontline interpreter, said: It is heartbreaking to hear her cries. She is exhausted and needed medical treatment.

'It is impossible for her to try again. The Taliban has closed routes to the airport and there are still many people around the gates.

I fear that unless the British can help her in another way then she will watch the final flight leave without her. It is sad and cruel. It should not have been this way.

Mohammad and Rohina are bitter that they have not had a chance to build a life together in the UK since they married in 2017.

The couple had been engaged when Mohammad, who worked for four years with UK troops on the frontlines of Helmand, was relocated in 2015 and he returned to marry two years later.

His feelings on hearing of the bomb attacks at Kabul airport yesterday were bittersweet as she had been too ill to try to push her way through the crush (pictured) on to a flight after several days queueing in sky-high temperatures

Because of the immigration rules, she was unable to join him and had to apply for a visa.

Had they been married when he relocated, she would have been allowed to come to the UK automatically.

Rohina tried for more than two years for a visa  the processing delayed by Covid  but to her dismay in April she was refused by the British embassy in Kabul, one of ten wives of ex-translators in the UK who were rejected.

In desperation the families began legal action against the British Government to allow them to join their husbands in this country.

Their cases were highlighted by the Daily Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

The courts ruled in favour of the wives this month and urgent visas were granted, but by then the Taliban was advancing on Kabul.

Mohammad said: Why did it take the courts to rule on such a simple matter? The delay could cost a life.
Healthy Australian children aged 12 to 15 will be able to get the Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine from September 13.

Australia's vaccine experts recommended the jab for all kids in this age group on Friday.

Previously the vaccine was only recommended for 12 to 15 year olds if they were aboriginal or had underlying conditions.

Healthy Australian children aged 12 to 15 will be able to get the Pfizer vaccine from next month. Pictured: A teenager getting vaccinated in Poland

'We will allow that to commence and on 13 September people will be able to make those bookings,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

'Principally I would see that happening, especially through the GP network and that provides the opportunity for family vaccinations.'

Many Western countries including Canada and the US have been jabbing teenagers with Pfizer since May.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is also likely to recommend the Moderna jab for this age group, although this is still being finalised.

Pfizer is the only vaccine currently registered for under 18s in Australia. Moderna and AstraZeneca are registered for over 18s.

Covid-19 vaccine trials for children under 12 are ongoing to determine safety and dosage, with results due in a few months and a decision in the US expected in early 2022.

A health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to a minor at a vaccination centre in Santiago, Chile on June 23

It remains to be seen whether Australian states and territories will include children in the vaccination rates required to open up.

Doherty Institute modelling which says lockdowns can be phased out once 70 per cent are vaccinated is based on over 16s only because younger children have less serious illness.

But ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has confirmed he will unilaterally deviate from the plan, announcing on Thursday the ACT government would be including 12-15 year olds in its 70 per cent and 80 per cent thresholds.

Mr Morrison said he has received no advice to include children in the thresholds.

'I don't see the point of that,' he said.

Children will be allowed to return to school in locked-down Sydney on October 25

The Prime Minister will meet with state and territory leaders on Friday at 2pm to discuss the national re-opening plan.

Queensland and WA have expressed concerns about opening up with high case numbers in NSW.

Additional modelling shows that opening with high case numbers will 'not lead to more deaths' over six months once vaccination rates hit 70 and 80 per cent.

The Doherty Institute found that if optimal testing and tracing is maintained there would be only 88 Covid hospitalisations, 21 ICU admissions and 13 deaths nationally in the six months after the 70 per cent jab rate is reached.

The plan requires all states and territories to each hit the 70 per cent rate before any one state can move to phase B.

The NSW state government has been trying to vaccinate all 75,000 Year 12 students ahead of the intense four-week exam schedule to enable the return to class. (Pictured, students being vaccinated at Sydney's Qudos Arena pop-up clinic)

But NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has already declared she will not wait for slower states to give her residents the freedoms available in this phase, such as exempting the vaccinated from restrictions.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, while initially cautious about opening up, has endorsed the plan and increasingly moved away from his Covid elimination strategy.

But restriction-free Queensland and Western Australia - where residents can have parties and go to the pub - vowed to continue eliminating Covid and demanded new modelling to take into account high case numbers NSW and VIC.
Blood pressure tablets should be considered for all over-50s even if they do not have high blood pressure, according to an Oxford professor.

The pills have been found to reduce the risk of strokes, heart attacks, heart disease and heart failure in older people, even if their blood pressure was normal to start with.

Professor Kazem Rahimi led a team analysing more than 350,000 people given blood pressure tablets  such as ACE inhibitors and beta blockers  or a dummy pill.

People aged 55 to 84 were 9 per cent less likely to suffer a cardiovascular event for every small drop in their blood pressure  which could be achieved by taking one daily tablet.

Oxford professor believes blood pressure tablets should be given to all over-50s as study finds they reduce risk of stroke, heart attacks, heart disease and heart failure (stock image)

The professor of cardiovascular medicine said: We saw a reduction in risk among people who were in the normal range for blood pressure, or where it was moderately elevated, as well as in those with high blood pressure.

That suggests everyone aged 50 or over should be considered for blood pressure tablets.

GPs are often cautious in prescribing these drugs because they dont want to over-medicalise people with normal blood pressure, but this study shows these preventative drugs reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes for these people, in all age groups.

Critics argue that artificially lowering blood pressure could reduce blood flow to the heart and brain, potentially causing memory problems or strokes. But the study authors found no evidence of increased deaths among older people given blood pressure tablets. Their analysis, published in The Lancet medical journal, looked at 358,707 people from 51 separate studies on blood pressure pills.

They were followed up for an average of four-and-a-half years to see if they suffered heart attacks, strokes or heart disease, and if they were taken to hospital with heart failure or died from it.

The risk of these events was reduced by 22 per cent in under-55s for every 5mm reduction in their systolic blood pressure  the lower number in a blood pressure reading. The risk was cut by 9 per cent in people aged 55 to 84 for each 5mm reduction in blood pressure  which can be achieved by taking approximately one tablet.

Professor Kazem Rahimi (pictured) led a team analysing more than 350,000 people given blood pressure tablets  and found people aged 55 to 84 were 9% less likely to suffer a cardiovascular event

The actual rate of cardiovascular events was reduced more in older people given blood pressure-lowering medications, because they tend to suffer more heart attacks and strokes so benefit more from treatment. The effect on the risk of cardiovascular events was similar for those with all rates of blood pressure. Treatment is only routinely given to people with substantially elevated high blood pressure.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says that over-80s in the UK should have blood pressure below 150/90. Professor Rahimi suggests age-based guidance like this should be scrapped.

His team did not find a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events for people aged 85 and over, but only a small number of these were available for analysis.

He said: Older people have an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, so doctors should not withhold blood pressure tablets from them. It would be simple to calculate their risk, and whether the drugs are needed, based on factors such as age, blood pressure, their cholesterol level, whether they smoke and if they have diabetes.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, of the British Heart Foundation, which helped to fund the research, said: Our risk of heart attack and stroke increases as we age and this study reinforces the importance of controlling blood pressure to reduce that risk.
A father who demanded his family stay five metres away from him during lockdown has been found guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour.

Peter Copland, 66, arranged time slots for when his wife and children could use the large kitchen in their family home.

The retired engineer introduced the bizarre measures as he and his wife Maria divorced after 33 years of marriage.

Exeter magistrates found Copland guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour as well as of one charge of assaulting his then wide.

'We realise this was a very difficult period for all involved,' the Justices of the Peace (JP) said on Thursday.

The court heard how Copland emailed his then wife about the five metre rule and kitchen schedule, as well as transgressing the rules.

Maria said she accepted the demands to avoid further confrontation.

However, the JPs concluded that Copland's attitude and demeanour were not a practical and pragmatic approach to the break up and were rather 'inflexible' and became 'intimidating and domineering'.

Peter Copland, 66, arranged time slots for when his wife and children could use the large kitchen in their family home

The prosecution stated that Copland twice assaulted his then wife over a weekend in August 2020.

In one alleged incident, he pushed her backwards after a row in the kitchen. The argument was over the couple's 18-year-old son having gone to the kitchen for a drink when it was Copland's turn to use the room.

He claimed he brushed past Maria as she was blocking his exit but then said he did not push past her.

The argument ended with the couple's son throwing Fanta over Copland.

Exeter Magistrates Court was told that two days later, the couple's daughter came into the kitchen during her father's slot to grab some keys from a drawer, which led to another argument.

Under the rules, the couple's children were meant to knock on the kitchen door before entering if it was not their turn to use the room. The couple's 21-year-old daughter said that her father had introduced a two metre rule before extending it to five.

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 said he worked in Saudi Arabia to pay the 5,000 a month mortgage and claimed his family did not welcome him home, nor give him a hug or respect him when he returned home.

Copland said the house also had a smaller kitchen where the family could have made snacks and coffee outside their allotted times but claimed they instead 'invaded my space'.

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

After one bust up, Copland went to their lounge - what was called their 'safe space' - and paraded around and taunted them in a tit-for-tat move.

Copland - who has no previous convictions - denied that, but said he did go into the room 'in the heat of the moment' and the row led to the Fanta being thrown over his head by his teenage son.

He said of the emails to his wife about the rules: 'I put everything down logically. Maria could have responded but never did.

'I have been a loving father for many years. They have not wanted for anything. Respect is a big thing in life.'

The prosecution said he used 'harsh words' against his family and acted in a childish way.

He said he had pushed past his wife and she lost her balance and fell backwards.

His former wife told the court: 'I just wanted him to leave us alone.'

She was accused of 'persistently breaching the kitchen rules to antagonise him' and replied: 'He would say that wouldn't he.'

She also denied trying to get him out of the house before it was sold.

Copland was bailed to appear for sentence next month. He was cleared of one charge of assault on his then wife.

The couples Devon home has been sold and their divorce finalised.
Notorious Sydney gang rapist Mohammed Skaf could be granted parole to leave jail within weeks after authorities confirmed it was appropriate in a hearing on Friday.

Skaf, 38, has spent two decades in prison and been denied parole several times since 2018 when he was first eligible for release.

State Parole Authority chair David Frearson told Friday's parole hearing Skaf's offences were "clearly horrendous" but there needed to be a safe integration for him back into society.

His full-term custody sentence of 23 years expires in January 2024.

Mohammed Skaf in a police photo taken at the time of his arrest in October 2000. He could be granted parole to leave jail within weeks

An artist's impression of how Mohammed Skaf looked when appearing at his adjourned parole hearing in February

Mohammed Skaf (left) is seen trying to help lift a girl from the sand while Tayyab Sheik (right) is seen leaning over the other girl, shortly before both were arrested by police

He has now spent more than half his life in prison after he was convicted for a series of terrifying rapes in Sydney throughout 2000 involving another 14 men including his ringleader brother Bilal.

SKAF GANG RAMPAGE: A TIMELINE August 10th, 2000: Two teenagers (one 17 and the other 18) were offered drugs. They were taken by car to the gang, who were waiting at Northcote Park in Greenacre. They were forced to perform sex acts on eight men. August 12th, 2000: Mohammed took a 16-year-old friend to his brother and friends. Bilal and another male raped the girl in front of 12 men. August 30th, 2000: Woman known only as Ms C was raped by Mohamed who told her he was going to 'f**k her Leb style'. She was taken to a separate location and raped and assaulted by 14 men for for six hours. September 4th, 2000: Two girls were attacked at a train station and taken to a home where they were assaulted by three men over a five hour period. Advertisement

The State Parole Authority has delayed its decision multiple times as it considered what supervised community reintegration opportunities were available to such a case.

The preferred pathway for Skaf was to participate in an external leave program.

Skaf then would be able to leave for work, education or other approved reasons, but would be supervised at all times and return to prison each night.

But following COVID-19 restrictions external day leave for all NSW prisons was cancelled from June with no date set for this to resume.

It also remains problematic that Skaf continues to blame his victims and remained "a denier after all these years," Judge Frearson told a review hearing in February.

No convicted sex offender who had taken part in such disturbing crimes, denied their part in the offending and was considered an above-average risk to the community has been granted status for leave, Judge Frearson said.

Due to the nature of Skaf's crimes, one of his conditions will be mandatory electronic monitoring, among others.

Skaf must complete a Real Understanding of Self-Help (RUSH) program before the judge said he would publish his decision in the coming weeks.

"You need to be very very careful, you stay out of trouble and co-operate, if you're given parole, you must abide strictly by the conditions," Judge Frearson told Skaf on Friday.

"If you don't you have to come back."

"Of course," Skaf said.
Donald Trump has claimed he warned the Taliban leader his organization would be eviscerated by US F-18 jets if they moved to retake Kabul - and claims the group's success is because they know Joe Biden is too weak to punish them.

The former president spoke on the deal he says he made with Taliban's political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Sean Hannity's show Monday night.

Trump said 'Abdul, as I like to call him, Abdul was just going to wait on us.'

Trump argued his administration 'had them totally under control'.

'Every time we saw movement we hit them with an F-18 and the movement stopped,' he said of keeping the Taliban out of Afghanistan.

'Before, they would've gotten blown away. (Now) zero resistance,' Trump said as he called Biden's decision to take the US military out of Afghanistan 'the dumbest move anybody has ever made perhaps in the history of our country, allowing this to happen'.

'This country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble,' Trump said on the segment.

'It's only going to get worse... We had something where they didn't get near us, they were petrified of us,' he added after suggesting that this is no longer the case.

Former President Donald Trump phoned in to Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Thursday night to slam the Biden administration for using 'zero resistance' on the Taliban when they moved into Afghanistan

Trump told Hannity that 'this country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble'. He warned that 'things are only going to get worse'

He attributed the Taliban staying out of Middle Eastern country to the deal he cut with Abdul - 'who turns out to be the leader' - in Doha, Qatar, in February of last year.

'I dealt with the leader of the Taliban. This is not a very simple man. This is not a boy scout, to put it another way,' Trump said. The former president spoke to the Taliban leader nine times over the course of 18 months before they settled on an agreement.

'This is a tough, hardened person that has been fighting us for many years, and we are using them now to protect us? Look what happened with their protection,' he added.

He then said he thinks the Taliban 'couldn't believe it' when they heard the US military was leaving and pulling out of the war'.

'In my opinion... they sent some fighters in and they was zero resistance,' he said, claiming he 'had everything under perfect control' before 'Biden came in and they saw weakness'.

'He (Biden) didn't do anything,' Trump said in frustration. 'And they took over and then we ran out and we've just destroyed the image of America, of our great country, of our incredible warriors - and they are incredible warriors but they still need leadership at the top and they don't have it.'

Trump, who released a presidential-style statement on the suicide bombing screened at the start of Hannity's show, also told how the rescue efforts to get American soldiers out of Kabul 'is about withdrawal'.

'It is not about getting out because getting out is something,' he said, calling the entire crisis a 'disgrace' and blaming Biden for the death of 13 Americans in Kabul.

Meanwhile, if Trump insisted that if he were reelected his administration would've upheld the terms of his agreement with the Taliban and 'you would have seen something very nice'.

In a pre-recorded segment before phoning in to speak to Hannity Trump expressed his condolences for the families and innocent people who died 'in this act of evil'

During the segment Trump slammed Biden for being 'weak' and using 'zero resistance' against the Taliban

'Nobody would have even realized we had gone. Everybody would have been out. The equipment would have been out. I would have blown up all of the bases,' he said.

'We would have kept Bagram because of China and Iran and Afghanistan - to a much lesser extent - and literally nobody would have even known,' he added.

The former president harshly criticized the Biden administration for veering off his original plan with Abdul, which said the US was to get out of Afghanistan in 14 months and, in exchange, the Taliban agreed to stop attacking US military members while stopping Afghanistan from becoming riddled with terrorists.

The Taliban also agreed to start working towards a peace agreement with the Afghan government and consider a cease-fire.

Instead, 'we have been put in the worst position we could possibly be put in,' Trump told Hannity during the hour-long segment.

'It's hard to believe, actually, because a child would have understood. You get the military out last. A child would have understood that. How could they have done this to our country?'

As a result, 'the Taliban and others are dictating,' Trump said.

'They are the ones saying get out on the 31st. I think Biden wanted to stay,' he added, claiming the leader of the Taliban told Biden: 'We want you out by the 31st of there will be consequences.'

'What kind of stuff is this?' Trump questioned in disbelief, shocked that people he had 'at bay to a level that you wouldn't believe' have now killed American soldiers.

Trump repeatedly described the events unfolding in Kabul not only as 'so sad' but also as 'the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to our country'.

'We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.

He cited how Biden 'botched' his plan 'and took the military out first' rather than last, leaving $80billion worth of equipment behind.

The Taliban now has 'the best equipment, best rockets, best tanks and helicopters,' Trump said, fearing that 'this country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble'.
The US Army's top sergeant major was heavily criticized online for sending a post to highlight Women's Equality Day and diversity in the army amid the ISIS-K suicided bombing attacked that killed 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston, The U.S. Army's most senior enlisted member who serves as an advisor on enlistment efforts, received a backlash for his tweet, which said, '#WomensEqualityDay reminds us were smarter and more lethal when we come together as an inclusive, cohesive team.

Many called out Grinston's tweet, saying the post was tone deaf after the chaos at Kabul turned deadly on Thursday.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston's tweet created an uproar on August 27

Michael Grinston, pictured, is the U.S. Army's most senior enlisted member

Criticisms against his post came in following the suicide bomber attack at Kabul airport

Mike Roffall criticized the tweet and accused Grinston of pushing a 'woke' agenda during a time of crisis. 'Why would you even consider posting this at a time like this," he wrote.

One Twitter user even went as far as to call for Grinston's resignation.

'Your statement on diversity and inclusion while our marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen are in harms way conducting an elaborate and difficult mission is evidence enough that you should resign ASAP,' wrote Patrick Sansevere.

Many people on Twitter condemned Grinston for his statement on the social media platform

Thirteen U.S. service member were killed and 15 more were injured in two bomb attacks outside Kabul airport on Thursday, while reports suggest explosions across the city have continued into the night.

Jihadist splinter group ISIS-K are believed to be behind the two earlier blasts outside the gates of Kabul airport, where thousands of Afghans have been awaiting for evacuation by Western forces.

Senior health officials in Kabul say the death toll could be as high as 90, with 150 more people believed to be injured.

Speaking at a press conference in the US tonight, General McKenzie told reporters: 'As you know, two suicide bombers, assessed to be ISIS fighters, detonated in the vicinity of the Abbey Gate at the airport and in the vicinity of the Baron Hotel.

'The attack on the Abbey Gate was followed by an attack by ISIS gunmen, who opened fire on civilian and US forces.

In a stark warning, he also said the US believed Kabul could face more attacks in the near future, saying: 'We believe it is their desire to continue these attacks and we expect those attacks to continue and we're doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks'.

Grinston later sent out condolences to the families of those killed in the attack

Grinston later tweeted to acknowledge the situation at Kabul airport.

'Our deepest sympathies go out to the Families of those killed in todays attack. May their sacrifice be remembered and honored for all time,' he wrote.

Grinston was sworn in as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army on Aug. 9, 2019, and has held every enlisted leadership position in the role.
Leon Panetta said on Thursday that the Unites States military will have to return to Afghanistan to tackle terror threats posed by Taliban and ISIS-K after a suicide attack killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 90 Afghans.

Paneta, a Democrat who served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration, said in an interview with Erin Burnett for her CNN show OutFront that the withdrawal of American troops left the United States in a 'very dangerous and difficult situation.'

He was asked if he believed it was right for the Biden administration to stick with the August 31 deadline for removing American troops from the war-torn country.

'The bottom line is, our work is not done. We're going to have to go after ISIS. I'm glad the president said we're going to hunt them down and pay a price for what they did in killing our warriors. And we should,' Paneta said.

'We're going to have to go back in to get ISIS. We're probably going to have to go back in when Al Qaeda resurrects itself, as they will, with this Taliban. They've gave safe haven to Al Qaeda before, they'll probably do it again.'

He added: 'I understand that we're trying to get our troops out of there, but the bottom line is, we can leave a battlefield, but we can't leave the War on Terrorism, which still is a threat to our security.'

Leon Paneta said in an interview with Erin Burnett that the withdrawal of American troops left the United States in a 'very dangerous and difficult situation'

Paneta, a Democrat, served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration

Burnett noted that Paneta's comments appeared to indicate that America will need to put more troops back into Afghanistan in order to prevent the threats from Al Qaeda and ISIS - the opposite of what President Joe Biden wants to do.

'Well, what we're going to be doing is counterterrorism operations. We're going to have to go after those that are responsible,' Paneta responded.

'I think we have pretty good intelligence on the leadership of ISIS. I think there's a pretty good chance we can identify who is involved with this attack. And once we are able to locate them, we have to go after them. That's what the president promised today, and I suspect we will.'

He continued: 'So counterterrorism operations are going to be something we are going to have to continue to do against ISIS, against Al Qaeda, against Boko Haram. Those are terrorist groups at war with the United States. We've got to go after them.'

During the interview, Paneta also said 'there's no question that it's probably Joe Biden's worst nightmare to lose 13 Marines as a result of what's happened here. This has to be the worst day in his administration.'

U.S. troops helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule braced for more attacks on Friday after Islamic State struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport on Thursday, killing scores of civilians and at least 13 U.S. troops.

Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport. At least two blasts and gunfire rocked the area, witnesses said.

ISIS said one of its suicide bombers targeted 'translators and collaborators with the American army.' U.S. officials also blamed the group and vowed retribution.

A wounded Afghans lie on a bed at a hospital after a deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul after two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport

General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said military leaders were on alert for more ISIS attacks - possibly including rockets or car bombs targeting the airport.

'We're doing everything we can to be prepared,' he said.

Biden said on Thursday that he had ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility.

'We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,' Biden said during televised comments from the White House.

Corpses were in the canal by the airport fence, video from the scene showed, some being fished out and laid in heaps while wailing civilians searched for loved ones.

'I saw bodies and body parts flying in the air like a tornado blowing plastic bags,' said one Afghan who had been trying to reach the airport. 'That little water flowing in the sewage canal had turned into blood.'

Zubair, a 24 year-old civil engineer, who had been trying for nearly a week to get inside the airport, said he was close to a suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the gate.

Afghans struggle to reach the foreign forces to show their credentials to flee the country outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan

'Men, women and children were screaming. I saw many injured people - men, women and children - being loaded into private vehicles and taken toward the hospitals,' he said.

A Taliban spokesman described the attack as the work of 'evil circles' who would be suppressed once foreign troops leave.

Western countries fear that the Taliban, who once sheltered Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, will allow Afghanistan to turn again into a haven for militants. The Taliban say they will not let the country be used by terrorists.

The United States would press on with evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, McKenzie said, noting that there were still around 1,000 U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.

In the past 12 days, Western countries have evacuated nearly 100,000 people. But they acknowledge that thousands will be left behind when the last U.S. troops leave at the end of the month.

Full transcript of Joe Biden's statement of Kabul suicide bombing and answers he gave to reporters' questions

By Melissa Koenig for DailyMail.com

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked - that weve been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed [was] undertaken - an attack - by a group known as ISIS-K - took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously.

They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

Ive been engaged all day, and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and youve had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and Im constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives - its an overused word, but its totally appropriate - they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the 'backbone of America.' Theyre the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

In a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down ISIS-K after American soldiers were killed in a bombing

Jill and I - our hearts ache, like Im sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And were outraged as well as heartbroken.

Being the father of an Army major who served for a year in Iraq and, before that, was in Kosovo as a U.S. attorney for the better part of six months in the middle of a war - when he came home after a year in Iraq, he was diagnosed, like many, many coming home, with an aggressive and lethal cancer of the brain - who we lost.

We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like youre being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest; theres no way out. My heart aches for you.

But I know this: We have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you - the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary; it lasts forever.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, in the service of others, in the service of America. Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism of - the fallen this day, theyre part of a great and noble company of American heroes.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Over the past few weeks - I know you're - many of you are probably tired of hearing me say it - weve been made aware by our intelligence community that the ISIS-K - an arch-enemy of the Taliban; people who were freed when both those prisons were opened - has been planning a complex set of attacks on the United States personnel and others.

This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinarily dangerous and why I have been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. And as General McKenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- this is the way it was designed to operate: operate under severe stress and attack. We've known that from the beginning.

And as Ive been in constant contact with our senior military leaders - and I mean constant, around the clock - and our commanders on the ground and throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission, and we will.

And that's what I've ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here is what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans who are there. We will get out our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. Every day when I talk to our commanders, I ask them what they need - what more do they need, if anything, to get the job done. As they will tell you, I granted every request. I reiterated to them again today, on three occasions, that they should take the maximum steps necessary to protect our forces on the ground in Kabul.

And I also want to thank the Secretary of Defense and the military leadership at the Pentagon, and all the commanders in the field. There has been complete unanimity from every commander on the objectives of this mission and the best way to achieve those objectives.

Those who have served through the ages have drawn inspiration from the Book of Isaiah, when the Lord says, 'Whom shall I sendwho shall go for us?' And the American military has been answering for a long time: 'Here am I, Lord. Send me.' 'Here I am. Send me.' Each one of these women and men of our armed forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice of volunteering to go into harms way, to risk everything - not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.

And I ask that you join me now in a moment of silence for all those in uniform and out uniform - military and civilian, who have given the last full measure of devotion.

(A moment of silence is taken.)

BIDEN: Thank you. May God bless you all. And may God protect those troops and all those standing watch for America. We have so much to do. It's within our capacity to do it. We just have to remain steadfast. Steadfast. We will complete our mission. And we will continue, after our troops have withdrawn, to find means by which we defined any American who wishes to get out of Afghanistan. We will find them and we will get them out.

Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell of NBC.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you have said leaving Afghanistan is in the national interest of the United States. After today's attack, do you believe you will authorize additional forces to respond to that attack inside Afghanistan? And are you - are you prepared to add additional forces to protect those Americans who remain on the ground carrying out the evacuation operation?

BIDEN: I've instructed the military, whatever they need - if they need additional force - I will grant it.

But the military - from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Chiefs, the commanders in the field - have all contacted me one way or another, usually by letter, saying they subscribe to the mission as designed to get as many people out as we can within the timeframe that is allotted.

That is the best way, they believe, to get as many Americans out as possible, and others. And with regard to finding, tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are - not certain - and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them.

O'DONNELL: Inside Afghanistan, Mr. President?

BIDEN: Wherever they are. Trevor from Reuters.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There has been some criticism, even from people in your party, about the dependence on the Taliban to secure the perimeter of the airport. Do you feel like there was a mistake made in that regard?

BIDEN: No, I don't. Look, I think General McKenzie handled this question very well. The fact is that we're in a situation - we inherited a situation, particularly since, as we all know, that the Afghan military collapsed 11 days before - in 11 days - that it is in the interest of, as Mackenzie said, in the interest of the Taliban that, in fact, ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is, number one. And number two, it's in their interest that we are able to leave on time, on target.

As a consequence of that, the major things we've asked them - moving back the perimeter; give me more space between the wall; stopping vehicles from coming through, et cetera; searching people coming through - it is not what you'd call a tightly commanded, regimented operation like the U.S. is - the military is - but they're acting in their interest -- their interest.

And so, by and large - and I've asked this same question to military on the ground, whether or not it's a useful exercise. No one trusts them; we're just counting on their self-interest to continue to generate their activities.

And it's in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. And like I said, even in the midst of everything that happened today, over 7,000 people have gotten out; over 5,000 Americans overall.

So, it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of mutual self-interest. And - but there is no evidence thus far that I've been given, as a consequence by any of our commanders in the field, that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today both in front of the hotel and what is expected to continue for - beyond today. Aamer, Associated Press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You have spoken again powerfully about your own son and the weight of these decisions. With that in mind - and also what you've said: that the longer we stay, the more likelihood that there would be a major attack - how do you weigh staying even one more day, considering what's happened?

BIDEN: Because I think what America says matters. What we say we're going to do and the context in which we say we're going to do it, that we do it - unless something exceptional changes.

There are additional American citizens, there are additional green card holders, there are additional personnel of our allies, there are additional SIV card holders, there are additional Afghans that have helped us, and there are additional groups of individuals that have contacted us from women's groups, to NGOs, and others, who have expressly indicated they want to get out and have gathered in certain circumstances in groups, on buses and other means, that still presents the opportunity for the next several days, between now and the 31st, to be able to get them out. And our military - and, I believe, to the extent that we can do that knowing the threat, knowing that we may very well have another attack - the military has concluded that's what we should do. I think they're right. I think they're correct.

And after that, we're going to be in a circumstance where there are - will be, I believe, numerous opportunities to continue to provide access for additional persons to get out of Afghanistan, either through means that we provide and/or are provided through cooperation with the Taliban.

They're not good guys, the Taliban. I'm not suggesting that at all. But they have a keen interest.

As many of you have been reporting, they very much would like to figure out how to keep the airport open. They dont have the capacity to do it. They very much are trying to figure out whether or not they can maintain what is the portion of an economy that has become not robust, but fundamentally different than it had been.

And so there's a lot of reasons why they have reached out not just to us, but to others, as to why it would be continued in their interest to get more of the personnel we want to get out. We can locate them. Now, there's not many left that we can assess that are - want to come out. There's some Americans we've identified - weve contacted the vast majority of them, if not all of them - who dont want to leave because they have sig- -- they're dual nationals, they have extended families, et cetera. And there's others who are looking for the time. So, thats why we continue.

I'll take a few more questions, and - but, you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BIDEN: I didnt pick you, but thats okay.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you - you say that 'what America says matters.' What do you say to the Afghans who helped troops, who may not be able to get out by August 31st? What -

BIDEN: I say -

QUESTION: What do you say to them?

BIDEN: - we're going to continue to try to get you out. It matters. Look, I know of no conflict, as a student of history - no conflict where, when a war was ending, one side was able to guarantee that everyone that wanted to be extracted from that country would get out.

And think about it, folks. I think it's important for - I know the American people get this in their gut. There are, I would argue, millions of Afghani citizens who are not Taliban; who did not actively cooperate with us as SIVs; who, if given a chance, they'd be onboard a plane tomorrow.

It sounds ridiculous, but the vast majority of people in communities like that want to come to America, given a choice. So, getting every single person out is - can't be guaranteed to anybody because there's a determination, all who wants to get out as well. At any rate, it's a process. I was really pointing to you, but - you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There are reports that U.S. officials provided the Taliban with names of Americans and Afghan officials to evacuate. Were you aware of that? Did that happen? And then, sir, did you personally reject a recommendation to hold, or to recapture Bagram Air Force Base?

BIDEN: Here's what I've done on the - ask this - Ill answer the last question, first. On the tactical questions of how to conduct an evacuation or a war, I gather up all the major military personnel that are in Afghanistan - the commanders, as well as the Pentagon. And I ask for their best military judgment: what would be the most efficient way to accomplish the mission. They concluded - the military - that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul. And so, I followed that recommendation.

With regard to-- there are certain circumstances where we've gotten information - and quite frankly, sometimes from some of you - saying, 'You know of such and such a group of people who are trying to get out and they're on a bus, they're moving' - from other people - 'and this is their location.' And there have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said, 'This' -- for example, 'This bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through.' So, yes, there have been occasions like that. And to the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred -- they've been let through.

But I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names. I don't - there may have been, but I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean it's not - it didn't exist, that, 'Here's the names of 12 people; they're coming. Let them through.' It could very well have happened. I'll take one more question.

QUESTION: Mr. President, can I -

QUESTION: Mr. President, right here. Mr. President -

BIDEN: Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy that I know in the press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Is that - is there -thank you.

BIDEN: That's you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there had not been a U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan since February of 2020. You set a deadline. You pulled troops out. You sent troops back in. And now 12 Marines are dead. You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things have unfolded in the last two weeks?

BIDEN: I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late.

But here's the deal: You know - I wish you'd one day say these things - you know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return, the commitment was made - and that was a year before - in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces. Remember that? I'm being serious.

QUESTION: Mr. President -

BIDEN: No, I - I'm asking you a question. Be a - because before I -

QUESTION: Donald Trump is not the President right now.

BIDEN: No, no - now wait a minute. I'm asking you a question. Is that - is that accurate, to the best of your knowledge?

QUESTION: I know what you're talking about. But, Mr. President, respectfully -

BIDEN: What?

QUESTION: Since -I don't think that the issue that -- do you think that people have an issue with pulling out of Afghanistan, or just the way that things have happened?

BIDEN: I think they have an issue that people are likely to get hurt - some, as we've seen, have gotten killed - and that it is messy. The reason why - whether my friend will acknowledge it and was - reported it - the reason why there were no attacks on Americans, as you said, from the date until I came into office, was because the commitment was made by President Trump: 'I will be out by May 1st. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.' That was the deal. That's why no American was attacked.

QUESTION: And you said that you still - a few days ago, you said you squarely stand by your decision to pull out.

BIDEN: Yes, I do. Because look at it this way, folks - and I'm going to - I have another meeting, for real. But imagine where we'd be if I had indicated, on May the 1st, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date; we were going to stay there. I'd have only one alternative: Pour thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won, relative - is why the reason we went in the first place.

I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan - a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country, and is made up - and I don't mean this in a derogatory - made up of different tribes who have never, ever, ever gotten along with one another.

And so, as I said before - and this is the last comment I'll make, but we'll have more chance to talk about this, unfortunately, beyond, because we're not out yet - if Osama bin Laden, as well as al Qaeda, had chosen to launch an attack - when they left Saudi Arabia - out of Yemen, would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban completely controlled Afghanistan at the time, would we have ever gone?

I know it's not fair to ask you questions. It's rhetorical. But raise your hand if you think we should have gone and given up thousands of lives and tens of thousands of wounded.

Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging - first to get bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and prevent that from happening again.

As I've said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States. We don't have military encampments there; we don't keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us.

Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war. Thank you so much.
A teacher of English who worked alongside British Council workers at Afghanistans equivalent of Sandhurst Military Academy died in hospital after being caught in crossfire at Kabul airport.

Noor Ahmad Amiri, 26, was queuing with his two brothers and their wives to enter the airport when chaos broke out last week.

He died on Wednesday after spending five days in hospital.

The incident has increased the alarm among fearful colleagues who worked for the British Council in Kabul  and who say they should have been evacuated weeks ago.

Noor Ahmad Amiri, 26, was queuing with his two brothers and their wives to enter the airport when chaos broke out last week

One group, who worked for the British Council teaching English to civil servants, have been denied evacuation by the UK.

One of Mr Amiris elder brothers, Amir Khan Daneshwar Amiri, described his brother, who was unmarried, as a role model of ethics and service to people.

Mr Amiri, his two brothers and their wives had all been granted US special immigrant visas.

After Mr Amiri was shot in the neck, the rest of the family were told to continue through the airport and flown to camps in the Middle East.

A fourth brother  an officer in the Afghan National Army  and his wife were unable to get to the airport.

They remain in Kabul, in hiding with the Amiri brothers mother and sister.

Its really dangerous for all our family. Everyone is afraid and in hiding, said Amir Amiri.

The incident has increased the alarm among fearful colleagues who worked for the British Council in Kabul  and who say they should have been evacuated weeks ago. Pictured: Security personnel assist with evacuation of the people waiting outside the airport in Kabul on August 25

A female friend of Noor Amiri, who worked for the British Councils scheme teaching English to Afghan civil servants, said she has been in constant fear since his death.

The woman, also in her 20s, said: We served them, we did our best. I dont know why the British Council have left us behind.

The British Council said the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme is managed by the Ministry of Defence and it has no say in the decision-making process over eligibility.

Heaven and hell in the battle to flee Kabul: Lucky 1,400 evacuees begin new life in Britain - but translator's sick wife was too ill to get through crowd to airport with him

By Rebecca Camber for the Daily Mail

Weeping with relief  days of unimaginable horror etched on their faces  they dragged barefoot children and clutched their meagre belongings in plastic bags or battered suitcases.

Yesterday, 1,400 Afghan evacuees arrived at Gate 12 of Heathrows Terminal 4. They were about to start their new lives in Britain.

Blinking back tears, Malalai Hussiny was one of the first to arrive with her parents, two brothers and five sisters. The youngest is ten.

The 19-year-old student, who dreams of a new life as a journalist in the UK, had spent the previous four days sleeping on rocks with her family outside Kabul airport, begging for a place on a mercy flight.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (second left) talks to Malalai Hussiny (wearing a green headscarf), a refugee from Afghanistan who arrived on a evacuation flight at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 this morning

Blinking back tears, Malalai Hussiny (pictured) was one of the first to arrive with her parents, two brothers and five sisters

Refugees from Afghanistan arrive on a evacuation flight at Heathrow Airport on August 26, 2021 in London

Her father, who worked at the British Embassy in Kabul as a painter, had been emailed by officials and told to come into the embassy for biometric fingerprinting and new passports.

But by the time the documents were ready, the embassy was surrounded by the Taliban, who learned of the familys details.

Terrified, the family-of-nine installed a camera on their front door and kept a watching vigil at all hours to monitor approaching militants, waiting for their opportunity to flee.

Finally at 1am on Sunday, they seized their chance and raced to the airport.

Yesterday Miss Hussiny spoke directly to Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was there to greet arrivals. She said: I am happy to be here. There was so much fear in the last few days.

'We didnt know if we could get out. As a woman, there was no fear before, but in the last few days I didnt know if we would survive.

Miss Patel told her: Im so sorry.But you are here now and you are safe. Thats the most important thing.

Border officers told how they heard harrowing stories of Afghans being beaten en route to Kabul airport, with some bearing bloodied wounds on arrival here.

Tim Kingsberry, director of Border Force Heathrow, said: Three men showed me marks on their backs and legs where they had been whipped.

'One of them was a former cadet at Sandhurst. He told me he had been whipped and beaten by the Taliban.

I met another family the first day with a small baby around six months. They said they lost their child as they went through the gates and the fence.

'They got to the other side in the melee, but their little girl was gone. Other family members somehow got the child to them.

Yesterday some of the evacuees appeared shell-shocked, sitting in silence staring straight ahead, leaving cans of drink on their seats unopened.

Others were overcome, with some women sobbing as aid workers handing out colouring books to children.

One Border Force officer who speaks Farsi said: Straight away, they want to ask how do I get my child into a school.

'Thats all they want. They dont ask about food or drink. They want to know about schools for their children.

People are turning up with nothing. I had a family with five children and the little girl had wet herself. They were begging for a change of clothes as they didnt have anything. Just the clothes they were standing up in.

'Yesterday people were coming in with bandages on their feet, no shoes, just limping through.

Ian Denison, assistant director of Border Force at Heathrow, described how the terminal had been transformed into a refugee processing centre with less than 24 hours notice, having been mothballed in the pandemic. Around five flights a day started landing from Tuesday.

The Home Secretary met Afghans arriving at London Heathrow Airport today including Ms Hussiny, 20, and her family

Home Secretary Priti Patel said today that the Government wants to avoid Afghan refugees travelling to the UK unsafely

I only got the call at 4am on Monday We had to mobilise everything at speed. Within hours, a fingerprinting station and field hospital had been set up and crates of food, toys and supplies brought in.

'Although parts of the terminal remained eerily quiet yesterday with duty-free shops shuttered and cafes closed, Gate 12 was a hub of activity with dozens of Border Force officers, medics, aid workers and military intelligence officers working side by side.

Nearby, doctors in hospital scrubs and ambulance staff were dealing with a number of distressed refugees.

Over three hours, they face a series of ID checks on their documents before all are photographed and fingerprinted.

Counter-terrorism officers also carry out a final check before they are granted six months leave to remain in the UK.

They are then taken to quarantine hotels where they will stay for the next ten days and get Covid jabs. Local authorities will then be asked to find housing and schools.

Miss Hussiny said: I feel mixed emotions. Yes, it is a new life but I have left family and friends behind.

'But the help the UK has given us has made me very happy. Now my family is safe and I want to say to the British public: thank you very much.

Hell... for the translator whose wife was too ill to battle through the airport crush and join him here

By David Williams for the Daily Mail

A former translator fears his wife, who recently won the right to join him in his new home in the UK, is stranded in Afghanistan after the British dragged their feet in getting her out.

His feelings on hearing of the bomb attacks at Kabul airport yesterday were bittersweet as she had been too ill to try to push her way through the crush on to a flight after several days queueing in sky-high temperatures.

Mohammad said: It is a blessing that for the first time in a week my wife was not there.

'This is evil and a reason why people must be rescued but I fear this will end the evacuation.

Rohina, 21, was one of ten wives of interpreters to win a court battle earlier this month to be brought to the UK.

A former translator, Mohammed (pictured left) fears his wife, Rohina (pictured right) who recently won the right to join him in his new home in the UK, is stranded in Afghanistan after the British dragged their feet in getting her out

They had all been engaged to be married when their husbands had been quickly relocated to the UK amid fears for their safety.

The men returned to Afghanistan to re-marry, but the wives were initially denied permission to relocate because they had not yet married when the men had first come to the UK.

Four times during the past week, Rohina had battled for hours to reach Kabul airport after being told by UK officials an evacuation flight was available for her, but each time she was forced back.

Twice she collapsed unconscious and was trampled on by the seething crowds. Once she had to be carried clear, her feet covered in blood from being crushed.

Mohammad, 30, a former frontline interpreter, said: It is heartbreaking to hear her cries. She is exhausted and needed medical treatment.

'It is impossible for her to try again. The Taliban has closed routes to the airport and there are still many people around the gates.

I fear that unless the British can help her in another way then she will watch the final flight leave without her. It is sad and cruel. It should not have been this way.

Mohammad and Rohina are bitter that they have not had a chance to build a life together in the UK since they married in 2017.

The couple had been engaged when Mohammad, who worked for four years with UK troops on the frontlines of Helmand, was relocated in 2015 and he returned to marry two years later.

His feelings on hearing of the bomb attacks at Kabul airport yesterday were bittersweet as she had been too ill to try to push her way through the crush (pictured) on to a flight after several days queueing in sky-high temperatures

Because of the immigration rules, she was unable to join him and had to apply for a visa.

Had they been married when he relocated, she would have been allowed to come to the UK automatically.

Rohina tried for more than two years for a visa  the processing delayed by Covid  but to her dismay in April she was refused by the British embassy in Kabul, one of ten wives of ex-translators in the UK who were rejected.

In desperation the families began legal action against the British Government to allow them to join their husbands in this country.

Their cases were highlighted by the Daily Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

The courts ruled in favour of the wives this month and urgent visas were granted, but by then the Taliban was advancing on Kabul.

Mohammad said: Why did it take the courts to rule on such a simple matter? The delay could cost a life.

The British Council said: 'Though the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is managed by the UK Ministry of Defence and we are not involved in the decision-making process.

'We are working tirelessly to ensure that ARAP applications of all former and current colleagues receive the fullest consideration possible.

'For those who have applied but not heard back yet, or wishing to appeal a rejection, we urgently encourage them to contact ATREU (the Afghan Threat and Risk Evaluation Unit) by emailing localstaff-afghanistan@mod.gov.uk to provide further evidence now that the eligibility criteria has been widened by the UK government.'
Four jockeys including top rider Jamie Kah have been fined for breaching Victoria's lockdown restrictions by staying at a Mornington Airbnb.

Jamie Kah, Ethan Brown, Ben Melham and apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray were at the Melbourne rental home with two other people on Wednesday night.

Police were called to the Tallis Drive property due to a noise complaint just before midnight, reportedly after a tip-off from an estranged partner of one of the jockeys.

'Upon arrival officers located six people inside, all allegedly outside their five km radius and in breach of curfew,' Victoria Police said in a statement.

They have each been fined $5452 for breaching the directions of the Chief Health Officer.

The four jockeys, who are all in isolation, have been banned from race meetings for 14 days meaning Kah and Melham won't be racing Group 1 Memsie Stakes favourites Behemoth and Beau Rossa respectively at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday.

Champion jockey Jamie Kah (left) and three other riders including apprentice Celine Gaudray (right) have been fined for breaking Melbourne's lockdown for an Airbnb party

The four jockeys were all outside of their 5km radius and breaking Melbourne's curfew when they were found at an Airbnb in Mornington Peninsula (stock above), police allege

In a statement on twitter, Kah said she wanted to apologise for her behaviour.

'I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed with myself,' she said.

'There is no excuse for what I have done and I have let myself down, my family and friends, the racing industry and all Victorians who are doing the right thing in this lockdown.'

'I deserve the penalty handed down by the stewards and will take the time to reflect on my actions and its impact on so many people.'

A two day racing tribunal inquiry into the incident concluded on Friday.

The suspension begins at midnight on 26 August 2021 and expires at midnight on 25 November 2021.

The jockeys have been banned from race meetings and licensed venues for at least two weeks, and until cleared by stewards and negative COVID-19 tests have been provided.

But they will be allowed to do trackwork, jump-outs and official trials after September 9.

Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson on Thursday issued a statement condemning the riders' actions.

'These individuals could have put at risk the very continuance of our sport and also blatantly disregarded the broader community implications through their selfish and thoughtless actions,' he said.

He cautioned the breaches did not reflect the rest of the industry, which was working hard to comply with the rules.

'To see all of that potentially thrown away by the reckless behaviour of a small few is incredibly disappointing and far from what is expected of our industry participants,' he said.

He also warned of the 'critical need' for the industry to follow COVID-19 directives ahead of the Spring Racing carnival.

Jockey Ben Melham won't be racing Group 1 Memsie Stakes favourite Beau Rossa at Melbourne's Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday

Ethan Brown was one of four jockeys stood down for 14 days after alleged Covid breach

RV stewards found the jockeys had breached state government stay-at-home orders, and in so doing the requirements of the racing body.

The jockeys have been banned from race meetings and licensed venues for at least two weeks, and until cleared by stewards and negative COVID-19 tests have been provided.

Victoria's health minister Martin Foley slammed the jockeys for the alleged breach.

'We are all bitterly disappointed. We are always disappointed when people do not follow the rules and we understand racing Victoria are taking immediate measures and would take more measures and will send a strong message,' he said on Friday.

It comes after Dan Andrews unleashed on 'selfish' Victorians for waiting up to a week to get tested despite having symptoms, with 79 new cases recorded on Friday.

The Victorian Premier said the harsh stay-at-home measures would remain in place if residents continue to 'break the rules'.

'The longer people break the rules, the longer these rules will be on,' Mr Andrews warned.

The state's sixth lockdown is scheduled to end on September 2, but with a high number of mystery cases and people infectious in the community, it is expected to be extended.

'We will make all of those decisions based on the most up-to-date advice and at the moment, with another six days to go, it is too early to make that call,' Mr Foley said.

Victorians trapped in their sixth gruelling coronavirus lockdown were warned by Daniel Andrews (pictured on Thursday) that the harsh stay-at-home measures would remain in place if residents continue to 'break the rules'

Several state premiers have voiced their concern that ending Australia's zero-Covid strategy by doing away with lockdowns and crippling interstate border closures could see a surge in infections and deaths.

But expert number-crunchers at the Doherty Institute have revised a report for National Cabinet's four-phase reopening plan, with their data finding it would be safe to end many onerous restrictions even with high cases numbers once 70 per cent vaccination coverage is reached.

In recent weeks the Queensland, Western Australian and Victorian governments threatened to renege on the national plan as daily infection rates in New South Wales continued to surge - surpassing 1,000 cases for the first time on Thursday.

The four-phase plan indicates Australia can move into phase two when 70 per cent of the adult population is fully-vaccinated.

With only one third of people aged 16 and over now double-dosed, Australia is not likely to reach the target until the end of October if current vaccination rates are maintained.

Based on that assumption, coverage of 80 per cent is expected to be completed in November - but overseas, including in the UK, US and Israel, vaccination rates have dropped significantly after the 60 per cent mark.

Mr Andrews had previously voiced concerns about opening up with skyrocketed infection rates, but later maintained he's committed to the National Cabinet plan.
Students that have been stuck completing their schoolwork from home during the lengthy NSW lockdown will finally be allowed to return to the classroom from October 25.

The changes were announced during Friday's Covid-19 press conference where it was revealed another 882 cases had been recorded across the state.

All children are expected to be back at their desks by November 8, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, after having spent months learning at home.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the return to the classroom will begin with Year 1 and kindergarten students on October 25 and Years 2, 6 and 11 students on November 1.

The remaining year groups will head back to school on November 8.

Year 12 students studying for their delayed HSC exams will have full-time access to school campuses for study purposes from October 25.

Their exams which usually begin in October have been pushed back to start on November 9.

Students that have been stuck completing their schoolwork from home during the NSW lockdown will finally be allowed to return to the classroom from October 25 (stock)

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUDENTS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL Students will start returning to school from October 25 with all students back by November 8 Large gathering such as assemblies, band practice and choir will be banned Year groups will be separated and breaks such as recess and lunch will be staggered between students Year 12 students studying for their delayed HSC exams will have full-time access to school campuses for study purposes from October 25 High schoolers and teachers must wear masks while primary students are 'strongly recommended' to do the same Teachers must be vaccinated by November 8 No external visitors will be allowed to attend the school Advertisement

Vaccinations for all school staff will be mandatory from November 8 while large-scale gatherings such as assemblies, band practice and choir will all be banned.

Year groups will also be kept separate from each other and breaks such as recess and lunch will be staggered between the students.

High schoolers and staff will have to wear masks with Ms Mitchell adding primary students would also be 'strongly recommended' to do the same.

No external visitors will be allowed to attend the school.

'We know that the best teaching and learning happens in the classroom, but we also know it's really important for the social and emotional wellbeing of our students to be with their friends and back with their teachers,' Ms Mitchell said.

The plan though includes an agreement that schools will revert back to home learning if there are more than 50 infectious cases per 100,000 people in their local government area.

The state government has already carried out a vaccination blitz to immunise all 75,000 Year 12 students before they return to the classroom.

Ms Berejiklian said the state would now turn its attention to ensuring teachers have had both doses.

'We will be having a special vaccination day for teachers on September 6 and a special week for teachers to make sure they are vaccinated at least before the 8 November,' she said.

'It is a very planned way moving forward and I'm just hopeful that this brings joy to many children and parents who are really doing it tough.'

Year 12 students studying for their delayed HSC exams will have full-time access to school campuses for study purposes from October 25 (pictured Year 12 students at vaccination hub in Sydney)

A mother home schools her children in Wollongong in July. Year 1 and kindergarten students will be the first to return to the classroom on October 25, followed by Year 2, 6 and 11 students on November 1

The state's crisis cabinet is understood to have considered scrapping HSC exams entirely this year because study and teaching has been thrown into chaos by lockdown.

But the potential mental health damage was considered too great and the October return and November HSC plan was reportedly approved instead.

Meanwhile, NSW has suffered another two deaths from the virus, both were in men who had underlying health conditions and had received only one vaccination dose.

The two men who died were aged in their 60s and 90s.

The NSW premier said more than 80 per cent of the cases found overnight were in west and south-west Sydney.

The federal government have also announced healthy Australian children aged 12 to 15 can receive the Covid-19 vaccine from September 13.

Australia's vaccine experts recommended the jab for all kids in that age group on Friday.

Previously the vaccine was only recommended for 12 to 15 year olds if they were Aboriginal or had underlying conditions.

'We will allow that to commence and on 13 September people will be able to make those bookings,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
A Sydney pizza shop worker who participated in the gang rape of a drugged teenager in the back of his restaurant has been jailed for at least eight years.

It took a jury just two hours to find Ricardo Audish, 42, guilty of three charges of aggravated sexual assault in company in a southern Sydney eatery in October 2016.

His victim has since suffered the overwhelming and long-term consequences of trauma leading to clinical depression and a suicide attempt where she was hospitalised for a month, the NSW District Court was told on Friday.

Judge David Arnott said the despicable criminal conduct involved the degrading sexual abuse of an intoxicated 18-year-old woman who was effectively 'passed around' the various men.

Ricardo Audish, 42, was found guilty of three charges of aggravated sexual assault in company in a southern Sydney eatery and jailed for 13 years

The woman had consented to sex with her boyfriend in a toilet cubicle, before he told her 'all the other boys want to have sex with you now', to which she replied 'hell no'.

After she was given a bong that is suspected to have been spiked, Audish, who was 38 at the time, was the first of three men to have unprotected sexual intercourse with the woman who 'did not and could not consent,' given she was substantially intoxicated, Judge Arnott said.

CCTV footage showed her 'sure-footed' walking and sometimes jogging upstairs before the incident, compared to after where she is seen walking slowly, stumbling and leaning on a pole for 17 minutes to regain balance.

A passer-by later found the teenager on a road weeping, shaking and disorientated, and called emergency services.

She later revealed: 'They all took turns in me,'.

The 42-year-old married man originally denied working at the time of the assault and later said the pair did not have intercourse, but a co-worker's statement and forensic DNA evidence proved he was lying.

Judge Arnott found Audish has shown no remorse or contrition but that he has reasonable prospects of rehabilitation given the opportunistic nature of his offending.

Audish's barrister, Greg James QC, submitted that he was suffering from PTSD at the time of the attack, having experienced a deprived and brutalised childhood in Iraq and that he was a 'good family man'.

But his upbringing in Iraq does not make this offending more understandable, and his mental health issues were more likely due to his impending court trial, the judge said.

Audish was sentenced to a total term in prison of 13 years and will be first eligible for parole on December 24, 2028.

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck has claimed the US State Department is blocking his efforts to rescue Afghan Christians from the threat of being 'burned alive or crucified' by the Taliban.

Beck said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that the organization he supports, the Nazarene Fund, has flown 5,100 Christians and other refugees out of Afghanistan since it fell to the Taliban earlier this month.

But he claimed that on Thursday morning, shortly before the deadly bombing outside the Kabul airport, the group had 500 Afghan Christians inside the airport ready to depart, only to have them ordered back outside the gates by officials.

Beck said that he feared members of that group were among the scores killed in the suicide bomb attack that ripped through the crowd just outside one of the airport gates.

'We believe that our State Department is directly responsible for what we believe were some of these people,' Beck told Fox News, 'I don't know how many survived.'

'The State Department has blocked us every step of the way,' he continued.

'The State Department and the White House have been the biggest problem,' he said, even as other countries tried to coordinate on the efforts.

The number of Christians in Afghanistan is thought to be below 20,000, perhaps as low as 1,000, but is difficult to gauge because many practice their faith underground for fear of retribution.

Proselytizing and conversion from Islam were already effectively banned in Afghanistan under the Western-backed national government, and the return of the Taliban brings the threat of more harsh treatment.

In an interview with FOX News host Tucker Carlson, radio host Glenn Beck said the State Department has been blocking his efforts to free Christian Afghans, who could face persecution under the Taliban

Beck said that his group has helped evacuate 5,100 Afghan Christians such as the group above, but blamed the State Department for 'blocking' the effort at every turn

Beck said he feared that some Christians his group was trying to help were killed after being ordered to leave the Kabul airport. Above, clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 twin suicide bombs

.@glennbeck on @TuckerCarlson says the US State Department is blocking his organization's help every step of the way, and is likely directly responsible for the death of a large group of Afghan Christians. https://t.co/RkIwc1N36x pic.twitter.com/dlRTEIG6X8   Your mask is a Prius for your face   (@unashamedusa) August 27, 2021

Beck told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he is currently in a Muslim Middle Eastern country, but refused to name the country or two others he says have accepted his refugees, over fears the US State Department will hobble his rescue operation.

Beck also said Islamic countries - which he refused to name over fears of US government meddling - had been far more welcoming to the people he'd saved than America.

He said: 'I mean, it's really interesting. We have open borders and closed airports. One group of people are exploited, raped, and killed by drug cartels and the other group of people are raped, exploited or crucified by terrorists. It seems to be a pattern with the Biden administration.'

'In fact,' he said, 'an ambassador was called in Macedonia last night and told not to accept any of these people as we were trying to get them off of the tarmac here to keep the airport flowing and getting these Christians out.'

Beck's organization, the Nazarene Fund, has helped pull 5,100 Christians and families that could be persecuted from the country in the last several days

Beck has raised nearly $30 million for the group, which has funded the escape effort

'We haven't really been able to move anybody for about 12 hours,' he said Thursday night, adding: 'Our mission is now changing greatly.'

'We have to send people into even greater danger to try to smuggle these Christians out who are marked not just for death, but to be set on fire alive because they are converted Christians.'

His organization is now working to set up refugee camps in two other countries, he said, but he did not want to name them 'because I'm afraid our state department will call them and threaten them.'

'It's really really interesting,' Beck then mused. 'We have open borders and closed airports. One group of people are exploited, raped, and killed by drug cartels and the other group of people are raped, exploited or crucified by terrorists.

'It seems to be a pattern with the Biden administration.'

Carlson asked: 'So it's Islamic countries, Muslim countries, that are more willing to accept Christian immigrant from Afghanistan than our State Department?'

Beck answered: 'This country that I'm in, I begged them last night to let me tell them -- tell the world who they are. They have more compassion for these Christians than our American government. It is insulting, embarrassing, and wrong.

'So I believe what our government is doing now is out and out evil.'

He raised nearly $30 million to get the Christians out of the country, but has since expanded his efforts to include others who could be persecuted under Taliban rule

Beck has raised nearly $30 million to get Christians out of the country, according to Christian Today. Some of that money, he said included a loan he signed for personally and a 'significant' donation from TV host Bill O'Reilly.

He said the initiative was intended to free Christians, who could be 'summarily executed' just for having a Bible app on their phone, but has since expanded to include others as thousands of Afghans wait to be rescued from the country.

'At this point, it's like, if you're a Christian, if you're a female judge  I don't care, get on the plane,' he said in one of his daily updates on his efforts on Tuesday.

By Thursday, he said in a post on his Instagram, he had saved more than 5,000 people from prosecution, posting a photo of 'one of the last planes to leave Kabul before the bombings' that was 'full of women, children and families.'

'We will not forget those left behind,' he wrote, noting: 'Our mission there gets tougher and more dangerous.'

'We also still have more work to do as now we have 5,100 refugees sitting in another country wondering who will claim them.

'Sadly, but certainly, not America,' he wrote, claiming President Joe Biden 'will only take people the cartels will charge, exploit and rape, certainly not those other people that are marked for death due to his policies.'

'These refugees are Good and faithful servants that make me embarrassed to call myself Christian,' Beck said.

In an update on his Instagram Thursday, he said it has become more difficult for the organization to rescue those in need in recent days

It is unclear how many Christian Afghans and other minority members are still left in the country, although in 2013, the State Department estimated there were roughly 2,000 to 3,000 Christians living in Afghanistan, according to the University of Notre Dame.

On the international front, though, Beck has said he has received 'an amazing outpouring of countries that will take Christians,' including Zimbabwe, which, he said, 'is struggling itself.'

'The spiritual warfare going on right now. Everything has been a battle,' he said, according to CBN News. 'Its a battle of good vs. evil.'

Beck added that he will not leave anyone behind 'ever, ever, ever,' even as the Taliban's August 31 deadline for evacuations near.

'Call your senator, call your congressman. Tell them to put the heat on the State Department,' he told his viewers. 'This is an abomination on what is happening.'
Supermarket giants are working furiously to feed a third of the population of a Victorian country town that has been trapped in Covid isolation for more than a week.

Shepparton, located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, on Friday remained a ghost town eight days after a Covid-19 outbreak was discovered, sending the entire state of Victoria into its sixth hard lockdown.

Australian Defence Force troops rolled into town on Thursday as desperate locals pleaded for emergency assistance amid food shortages resulting from the lockdown orders.

A soldier from the Australian Defence Force acts as back-up while Victorian health officials check on Shepparton people trapped in isolation on Friday

Those not ordered to isolate in Shepparton were finally able to get food on Friday. An outbreak of Covid there eight days ago locked down the entire state

With a third of the town of Shepparton forced into isolation, the town remained a ghost town on Friday

With supermarket shelf stackers, suppliers and other staff all ordered to quarantine for 14 days, online orders for basic essentials skyrocketed.

On Friday, Coles Online reported it had increased capacity by 350 per cent, with the number of vans delivering orders up from two to seven.

Trapped town folk are now receiving basic essentials from supermarkets in Wodonga, Bendigo and Craigieburn.

Shepparton News, which is providing residents with near minute-to-minute updates on the Covid crisis, has reported a 630 per cent volume increase on the usual number of Coles Online orders being delivered to homes in Shepparton on Friday.

As the crisis threatened to spiral out of control just yesterday, food was being trucked in from as far away as Melbourne.

While shelves appeared well stocked on Friday morning, by midday supplies of basic essentials such as bread and milk were beginning to dwindle.

The town's plight made national news on Thursday when reports emerged that some residents had not been able to obtain food for days.

So dire was the situation that the town was left vulnerable to something as basic as fire, with 24 of its 30 Country Fire Authority firefighters in isolation.

One welfare organisation delivered more than 250 help packages on Thursday, with businesses as far away as Echuca on the NSW border chipping into help.

While thousands have already been tested in Shepparton, testing stations were relatively quiet on Friday

Members of the Navy have been deployed to Shepparton to help test thousands of locals

Shepparton residents line up for a coffee on Friday. Most of the town's shops have been closed

The sound of silence remained over Shepparton on Friday with about 16000 people trapped in isolation - a third of the population

It was the day Victorian Premier Daniel Andrew dispatched the state's deputy emergency management commissioner Deb Abbott, as well as other senior departmental officials, to Shepparton to co-ordinate relief.

Troops remain on the ground and on Friday could be seen going door-to-door backing up health officials as they checked to make sure the community was isolating as instructed.

About 70 ADF personnel will support testing and door-to-door checks over the next one-to-two weeks, with up to 25 members trained and deployed on Thursday afternoon.

About 16,000 residents in the region, which has a population of 65,000, are believed to be self-isolating, forcing the closure of food distributors, supermarkets and pharmacies due to staff shortages.

Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said some local tier-one exposure sites, particularly those involving schools, could be downgraded early.

'In the next 24 to 48 hours, I'm hopeful we might be able to see some of those exposure sites have their tier rating reclassified,' he said on Friday.

ADF Personal are seen out the front of the Hospital in Shepparton as Covid numbers increased in Shepparton in Friday

Groceries are beginning to move again to trapped Shepparton people who have been forced to isolate

The bakery section of IGA in North Shepparton is seen looking mostly empty on Friday

While spirits in Shepparton have been buoyed somewhat by the increased availability of basic supplies, tension threatens to boil over among the town's large indigenous community.

More than 6,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Shepparton community.

On Friday, indigenous rapper Adam Briggs threw fuel on the fire when he openly called the town 'racist' after a front page article by the Shepparton News failed to represent a member of the indigenous population in an article aimed at promoting community support.

'Shepparton has the largest Indigenous population in Victoria. Hows our representation on the front page of Todays paper?' he posted to Twitter.

'The town I grew up in is Racist AF.'

His comments stirred a flurry of anger from sections of Shepparton's Aboriginal community, who rallied behind his comments.

The publication quickly apologised to Briggs and the indigenous community.

'This is a good point and a reminder media organisations can always strive to be more diverse and representative of their communities,' it wrote.

'I understand Briggs was on our initial list of contacts to reach out to. It is disappointing he wasn't in our paper today as such a valued member of our community.'

indigenous rapper Adam Briggs was enraged by a news article that failed to represent Shepparton's large Aboriginal community

Signs at the local IGA in North Shepparton informing customers of staff shortages due to isolation from the increasing Covid numbers

Coles was working overtime to restock supermarkets and get groceries out to those isolated in Shepparton on Friday

A woman goes for an early morning exercise around the Shepparton Lake on Friday

Others remain angry that they had been forced to isolate and effectively fend for themselves for days until relief arrived.

Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said the government had taken too long to send help to suffering Shepparton residents.

'Great Scomo & Gladys can help by going and stocking the shelves at woolies for me and helping my team members while I'm safe at home under my Stop and Stay Order,' one Shepparton woman posted to social media on Friday.

'People of Shepparton might need more than messages,' another wrote.

Addressing reporters on Friday, Covid commander Jeroen Weimar conceded the spread of the virus throughout Shepparton had caught health officials off guard.

The town had gone almost a year without recording a single active case of the virus until this month.

'We think we have good control and support around our contact tracing and response in Shepparton but it shows you how quickly these clusters can blow up in a short period of time,' he said.

ADF staff test a Shepparton man for Covid-19 on Friday

Shepparton people trapped in isolation still have days to serve before they can be released

He praised locals for their response to the crisis, with three quarters of 6000 primary close contacts having returned negative test results and continuing with their isolation.

Several exposure sites have also been reviewed with some downgraded, including a primary school.

About 500 primary close contacts are expected to be released from isolation on Friday when they complete a negative test result.

'We know of course how hard it is to isolate, particularly when so many people in the town are isolating at this point in time and I think in particular to the various local and statewide support services that are now working so hard to keep the Shepparton community safe and supported at this very difficult time,' Mr Weimar said.

Goulburn Valley Health, in partnership with the Victorian Government and the Greater Shepparton City Council, will hold another online community information session tonight between 6pm and 7pm.

The forum will address the current situation in Greater Shepparton and emergency relief available to families and individuals.
Covid-positive Anthony Karam, a trucking and excavation businessman, was arrested by NSW Police after he allegedly failed to isolate

A Covid-positive businessman accused of being 'public health enemy number one' allegedly went into hiding because he was scared police would 'harass' him in isolation, his family claim.

Anthony Karam, 27, was arrested by officers dressed in full PPE and carrying battering rams at his younger brother's unit in Wentworth Park, in Sydney's west, about 5.30pm on Thursday.

It came a week after authorities took the extraordinary step of naming the alleged Covid fugitive, accusing him of him of failing to isolate, breaching health orders and putting the public at risk.

A family source told Daily Mail Australia that the trucking businessman and his parents had caught Covid after one of his brothers was infected at work.

Karam tested positive on August 14, thirteen days ago. However, the source claimed Karam put down his parent's address when he presented for testing at a NSW Health clinic.

He was allegedly concerned police would 'harass' him.

Authorities took the extraordinary step of identifying Karam and his illness, out of fears the public had been placed at risk

Video showed the 27-year-old being led out of a Wentworth Park unit by police on Friday, wearing a gown, mask and face visor. Karam told a reporter he had 'proof' he had been isolating the whole time, contrary to the police allegations

'When symptoms began to show, Anthony got tested, but put his parents' address on his Covid test because he was witnessing how much harassment comes from authorities for having Covid,' the source claimed.

'They arrive at any time of the day and without warning, bang on the door as hard as they can.'

Officers have previously alleged that Karam gave authorities an incorrect address. NSW Police regularly check up on Covid patients and close contacts to ensure they are isolating.

The family source claimed: 'Anthony was giving an ultimatum saying that he can either go into hotel quarantine (for weeks) or they would throw the book at him.

'He tried to negotiate but they were firm with their options.'

Police repeatedly failed to find Karam after his positive test almost a fortnight ago and last Friday pleaded for the public's help finding him.

It was the first time authorities have used Section 62 of the Public Health Act to publicly identify a New South Wales resident and their medical history.

NSW Police released footage of Karam coughing in the elevator of an apartment building.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant also took the unprecedented step of releasing a statement warning the community to avoid approaching him.

Police released footage (above) of Karam coughing in an apartment building elevator during the manhunt

Police have since charged Karam with 13 offences and on Friday he was formally refused bail at Bankstown Local Court

The family source claimed Karam had then gone into isolation at his youngest brother's home.

The source claimed Karam had at one point offered to FaceTime police officers and NSW Health during the manhunt, an offer which was apparently refused.

Immediately following his arrest this week, Karam insisted he had done nothing wrong.

'I have proof I've been isolating the whole time - so you do what you like,' he told Seven News.

Karam was charged with 13 offences, including nine counts of failing to wear a fitted face covering indoors in common property, failing to comply with public health orders and self-isolation orders, and 'not prevent spread of a Category 2 - 5 condition'.

He did not apply for bail during a brief appearance at Bankstown Local Court on Friday, due to problems in setting up a video link, given his Covid-positive status. Bail was formally refused.

The state reported 882 Covid cases and two deaths overnight.
President Joe Biden on Thursday raised eyebrows after claiming the US would cooperate with the Taliban to continue its Afghanistan evacuation efforts after his self-imposed August 31 deadline.

'We're going to be in a circumstance where there will be, I believe, numerous opportunities to continue to provide access for additional persons to get out of Afghanistan, either through means that we provide and/or are provided through cooperation with the Taliban,' the president said.

The Taliban is currently coordinating the evacuations with the U.S., because they want the Americans to leave.

Biden has repeatedly rejected the idea of extending the deadline to ensure that American citizens, green card holders and Afghans who worked to help the U.S. troops were safely evacuated before his military left.

On Thursday he said he thought the Taliban, which has been at war with the U.S. for 20 years, would assist the evacuation of any stragglers even after the troops leave, even though one of the group's latest security appointments has been designated a terrorist by the US government.

Joe Biden on Thursday said he thought the Taliban would work with the United States beyond August 31, and help evacuate any left behind

Evacuees are pictured boarding a plane, organized by the French Air Force, on Thursday night. Biden said he does not intend to keep the U.S. military in the country beyond August 31, but believes the Taliban will help the U.S. with further evacuations

Taliban fighters who control the airport area are pictured on Tuesday in Kabul

Biden suggested that the threat of sanctions, pariah status and economic collapse could be leveraged to make the Taliban continue to help with the U.S. wish list of evacuations.

'They're not good guys, the Taliban. I'm not suggesting that at all,' he said.

'But they have a keen interest.

'As many of you have been reporting, they very much would like to figure out how to keep the airport open. They don't have the capacity to do it.

'They very much are trying to figure out whether or not they can maintain what is the portion of an economy that has become not robust, but fundamentally different than it had been.

'And so there's a lot of reasons why they have reached out not just to us, but to others, as to why it would be continued in their interest to get more of the personnel we want to get out.'

Afghans who worked with foreign powers are seen on Thursday, desperately holding aloft their documents as they hope to be grabbed from the crowd and put on a flight out of Kabul

Biden's critics pointed out that the Taliban is far from an ally of the U.S. - and they are currently holding a U.S. citizen hostage.

Mark Frerichs, a civil engineer from Illinois, had lived in Kabul for a decade, working on various development projects, when he was abducted in January 2020 in the capital city, according to U.S. officials.

His captors soon turned him over to the Haqqani Network, one of the more brutal groups working under the Taliban umbrella.

Mark Frerichs, a contractor from Illinois, poses in Iraq in this undated photo. A civil engineer from Illinois who has lived in Kabul for 10 years, he was captured by the Taliban in January 2020 and is believed to be the only American in Taliban hands

Yet Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, head of U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan, have referred to the Taliban in written documents as 'our Afghan partners,' according to two defense officials.

Some of Biden's sharpest critics on Fox News, such as host Sean Hannity, even predicted a mass hostage situation could unfold in Kabul, with the number of people left behind after August 31.

The situation was made all the more dire by the revelation on Thursday that U.S. military officials had handed the Taliban a list of Afghans who had worked with them and of U.S. citizens.

The list was designed to grant them safe passage through Taliban checkpoints so they could make their way to the airport.

But one defense official told Politico it amounted to a 'kill list', because it could be used to identify and execute Afghans who helped the US war effort there.

Biden's confidence that the Taliban could help with evacuations comes as the Islamists try to form a government, having captured the Afghan capital on August 15.

Senior Afghan figures such as former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, leader of the High Council for National Reconciliation, have met with top Taliban leaders.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, who led the Doha talks with Trump administration officials that saw the deal reached for the U.S. to withdraw, is seen as among the most likely to head up a new government. Some worry that Karzai and Abdullah could support, giving an air of legitimacy to the Islamists and Baradar, who is seen as an 'acceptable' face of the group.

But another key figure, Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, has been made security minister for Kabul - further undermining Biden's optimistic view that the Taliban could help the U.S.

Western intelligence officials say Haqqani's appointment is alarming and undercuts Taliban promises to tread a more moderate path than the movement did when it ruled the country from 1996 to 2001.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Haqqani a global terrorist in February 2011, offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

He is also included on the United Nations terrorist list: his stepbrother, Jalaluddin Haqqani, founded the Haqqani Network and in the 1980s was one of the first to raise arms against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, with the backing of Pakistan and the US.

In recent years they have become known for their ties to al-Qaeda.

Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, pictured on August 20 delivering a sermon in a Kabul mosque while holding his gun, has been made head of security for Kabul

'The fact we have Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani in charge of Kabul security is dismaying,' a British intelligence official told VOA.

'The Haqqani and al-Qaeda have a long history together, you could argue they are intertwined, and it is highly unlikely they will cut ties.'

Retired senior British diplomat Ivor Roberts told VOA that assigning members of the Haqqani network to oversee the security of Kabul is akin to the 'fox being put in charge of a chicken coop.'

Roberts, a senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit network that researches extremist groups, said he was surprised at the move.

'I thought from the PR point of view, the Taliban was being a bit smarter than that,' he said.

'Instead, they're putting forward the worst elements of their loose coalition, which sends a terrible signal to women, girls and civil society. And I think it increases the possibility of Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for international terrorism again.'

He added: 'I don't think they will ever cut ties with al-Qaeda. They're deeply embedded with al-Qaeda and always have been.'

Full transcript of Joe Biden's statement of Kabul suicide bombing and answers he gave to reporters' questions

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked - that weve been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed [was] undertaken - an attack - by a group known as ISIS-K - took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously.

They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

Ive been engaged all day, and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and youve had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and Im constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives - its an overused word, but its totally appropriate - they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the 'backbone of America.' Theyre the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

In a news conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down ISIS-K after American soldiers were killed in a bombing

Jill and I - our hearts ache, like Im sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And were outraged as well as heartbroken.

Being the father of an Army major who served for a year in Iraq and, before that, was in Kosovo as a U.S. attorney for the better part of six months in the middle of a war - when he came home after a year in Iraq, he was diagnosed, like many, many coming home, with an aggressive and lethal cancer of the brain - who we lost.

We have some sense, like many of you do, what the families of these brave heroes are feeling today. You get this feeling like youre being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest; theres no way out. My heart aches for you.

But I know this: We have a continuing obligation, a sacred obligation to all of you - the families of those heroes. That obligation is not temporary; it lasts forever.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, in the service of others, in the service of America. Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism of - the fallen this day, theyre part of a great and noble company of American heroes.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Over the past few weeks - I know you're - many of you are probably tired of hearing me say it - weve been made aware by our intelligence community that the ISIS-K - an arch-enemy of the Taliban; people who were freed when both those prisons were opened - has been planning a complex set of attacks on the United States personnel and others.

This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinarily dangerous and why I have been so determined to limit the duration of this mission. And as General McKenzie said, this is why our mission was designed -- this is the way it was designed to operate: operate under severe stress and attack. We've known that from the beginning.

And as Ive been in constant contact with our senior military leaders - and I mean constant, around the clock - and our commanders on the ground and throughout the day, they made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission, and we will.

And that's what I've ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

I've also ordered my commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership, and facilities. We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing. Here is what you need to know: These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans who are there. We will get out our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members who continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. Every day when I talk to our commanders, I ask them what they need - what more do they need, if anything, to get the job done. As they will tell you, I granted every request. I reiterated to them again today, on three occasions, that they should take the maximum steps necessary to protect our forces on the ground in Kabul.

And I also want to thank the Secretary of Defense and the military leadership at the Pentagon, and all the commanders in the field. There has been complete unanimity from every commander on the objectives of this mission and the best way to achieve those objectives.

Those who have served through the ages have drawn inspiration from the Book of Isaiah, when the Lord says, 'Whom shall I sendwho shall go for us?' And the American military has been answering for a long time: 'Here am I, Lord. Send me.' 'Here I am. Send me.' Each one of these women and men of our armed forces are the heirs of that tradition of sacrifice of volunteering to go into harms way, to risk everything - not for glory, not for profit, but to defend what we love and the people we love.

And I ask that you join me now in a moment of silence for all those in uniform and out uniform - military and civilian, who have given the last full measure of devotion.

(A moment of silence is taken.)

BIDEN: Thank you. May God bless you all. And may God protect those troops and all those standing watch for America. We have so much to do. It's within our capacity to do it. We just have to remain steadfast. Steadfast. We will complete our mission. And we will continue, after our troops have withdrawn, to find means by which we defined any American who wishes to get out of Afghanistan. We will find them and we will get them out.

Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell of NBC.

QUESTION: Mr. President, you have said leaving Afghanistan is in the national interest of the United States. After today's attack, do you believe you will authorize additional forces to respond to that attack inside Afghanistan? And are you - are you prepared to add additional forces to protect those Americans who remain on the ground carrying out the evacuation operation?

BIDEN: I've instructed the military, whatever they need - if they need additional force - I will grant it.

But the military - from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Chiefs, the commanders in the field - have all contacted me one way or another, usually by letter, saying they subscribe to the mission as designed to get as many people out as we can within the timeframe that is allotted.

That is the best way, they believe, to get as many Americans out as possible, and others. And with regard to finding, tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are - not certain - and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them.

O'DONNELL: Inside Afghanistan, Mr. President?

BIDEN: Wherever they are. Trevor from Reuters.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There has been some criticism, even from people in your party, about the dependence on the Taliban to secure the perimeter of the airport. Do you feel like there was a mistake made in that regard?

BIDEN: No, I don't. Look, I think General McKenzie handled this question very well. The fact is that we're in a situation - we inherited a situation, particularly since, as we all know, that the Afghan military collapsed 11 days before - in 11 days - that it is in the interest of, as Mackenzie said, in the interest of the Taliban that, in fact, ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is, number one. And number two, it's in their interest that we are able to leave on time, on target.

As a consequence of that, the major things we've asked them - moving back the perimeter; give me more space between the wall; stopping vehicles from coming through, et cetera; searching people coming through - it is not what you'd call a tightly commanded, regimented operation like the U.S. is - the military is - but they're acting in their interest -- their interest.

And so, by and large - and I've asked this same question to military on the ground, whether or not it's a useful exercise. No one trusts them; we're just counting on their self-interest to continue to generate their activities.

And it's in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. And like I said, even in the midst of everything that happened today, over 7,000 people have gotten out; over 5,000 Americans overall.

So, it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of mutual self-interest. And - but there is no evidence thus far that I've been given, as a consequence by any of our commanders in the field, that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today both in front of the hotel and what is expected to continue for - beyond today. Aamer, Associated Press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. You have spoken again powerfully about your own son and the weight of these decisions. With that in mind - and also what you've said: that the longer we stay, the more likelihood that there would be a major attack - how do you weigh staying even one more day, considering what's happened?

BIDEN: Because I think what America says matters. What we say we're going to do and the context in which we say we're going to do it, that we do it - unless something exceptional changes.

There are additional American citizens, there are additional green card holders, there are additional personnel of our allies, there are additional SIV card holders, there are additional Afghans that have helped us, and there are additional groups of individuals that have contacted us from women's groups, to NGOs, and others, who have expressly indicated they want to get out and have gathered in certain circumstances in groups, on buses and other means, that still presents the opportunity for the next several days, between now and the 31st, to be able to get them out. And our military - and, I believe, to the extent that we can do that knowing the threat, knowing that we may very well have another attack - the military has concluded that's what we should do. I think they're right. I think they're correct.

And after that, we're going to be in a circumstance where there are - will be, I believe, numerous opportunities to continue to provide access for additional persons to get out of Afghanistan, either through means that we provide and/or are provided through cooperation with the Taliban.

They're not good guys, the Taliban. I'm not suggesting that at all. But they have a keen interest.

As many of you have been reporting, they very much would like to figure out how to keep the airport open. They dont have the capacity to do it. They very much are trying to figure out whether or not they can maintain what is the portion of an economy that has become not robust, but fundamentally different than it had been.

And so there's a lot of reasons why they have reached out not just to us, but to others, as to why it would be continued in their interest to get more of the personnel we want to get out. We can locate them. Now, there's not many left that we can assess that are - want to come out. There's some Americans we've identified - weve contacted the vast majority of them, if not all of them - who dont want to leave because they have sig- -- they're dual nationals, they have extended families, et cetera. And there's others who are looking for the time. So, thats why we continue.

I'll take a few more questions, and - but, you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

BIDEN: I didnt pick you, but thats okay.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you - you say that 'what America says matters.' What do you say to the Afghans who helped troops, who may not be able to get out by August 31st? What -

BIDEN: I say -

QUESTION: What do you say to them?

BIDEN: - we're going to continue to try to get you out. It matters. Look, I know of no conflict, as a student of history - no conflict where, when a war was ending, one side was able to guarantee that everyone that wanted to be extracted from that country would get out.

And think about it, folks. I think it's important for - I know the American people get this in their gut. There are, I would argue, millions of Afghani citizens who are not Taliban; who did not actively cooperate with us as SIVs; who, if given a chance, they'd be onboard a plane tomorrow.

It sounds ridiculous, but the vast majority of people in communities like that want to come to America, given a choice. So, getting every single person out is - can't be guaranteed to anybody because there's a determination, all who wants to get out as well. At any rate, it's a process. I was really pointing to you, but - you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. There are reports that U.S. officials provided the Taliban with names of Americans and Afghan officials to evacuate. Were you aware of that? Did that happen? And then, sir, did you personally reject a recommendation to hold, or to recapture Bagram Air Force Base?

BIDEN: Here's what I've done on the - ask this - Ill answer the last question, first. On the tactical questions of how to conduct an evacuation or a war, I gather up all the major military personnel that are in Afghanistan - the commanders, as well as the Pentagon. And I ask for their best military judgment: what would be the most efficient way to accomplish the mission. They concluded - the military - that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul. And so, I followed that recommendation.

With regard to-- there are certain circumstances where we've gotten information - and quite frankly, sometimes from some of you - saying, 'You know of such and such a group of people who are trying to get out and they're on a bus, they're moving' - from other people - 'and this is their location.' And there have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said, 'This' -- for example, 'This bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through.' So, yes, there have been occasions like that. And to the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred -- they've been let through.

But I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names. I don't - there may have been, but I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean it's not - it didn't exist, that, 'Here's the names of 12 people; they're coming. Let them through.' It could very well have happened. I'll take one more question.

QUESTION: Mr. President, can I -

QUESTION: Mr. President, right here. Mr. President -

BIDEN: Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy that I know in the press.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Is that - is there -thank you.

BIDEN: That's you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, there had not been a U.S. service member killed in combat in Afghanistan since February of 2020. You set a deadline. You pulled troops out. You sent troops back in. And now 12 Marines are dead. You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way that things have unfolded in the last two weeks?

BIDEN: I bear responsibility for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late.

But here's the deal: You know - I wish you'd one day say these things - you know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return, the commitment was made - and that was a year before - in return, he was given a commitment that the Taliban would continue to attack others, but would not attack any American forces. Remember that? I'm being serious.

QUESTION: Mr. President -

BIDEN: No, I - I'm asking you a question. Be a - because before I -

QUESTION: Donald Trump is not the President right now.

BIDEN: No, no - now wait a minute. I'm asking you a question. Is that - is that accurate, to the best of your knowledge?

QUESTION: I know what you're talking about. But, Mr. President, respectfully -

BIDEN: What?

QUESTION: Since -I don't think that the issue that -- do you think that people have an issue with pulling out of Afghanistan, or just the way that things have happened?

BIDEN: I think they have an issue that people are likely to get hurt - some, as we've seen, have gotten killed - and that it is messy. The reason why - whether my friend will acknowledge it and was - reported it - the reason why there were no attacks on Americans, as you said, from the date until I came into office, was because the commitment was made by President Trump: 'I will be out by May 1st. In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.' That was the deal. That's why no American was attacked.

QUESTION: And you said that you still - a few days ago, you said you squarely stand by your decision to pull out.

BIDEN: Yes, I do. Because look at it this way, folks - and I'm going to - I have another meeting, for real. But imagine where we'd be if I had indicated, on May the 1st, I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date; we were going to stay there. I'd have only one alternative: Pour thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won, relative - is why the reason we went in the first place.

I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan - a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country, and is made up - and I don't mean this in a derogatory - made up of different tribes who have never, ever, ever gotten along with one another.

And so, as I said before - and this is the last comment I'll make, but we'll have more chance to talk about this, unfortunately, beyond, because we're not out yet - if Osama bin Laden, as well as al Qaeda, had chosen to launch an attack - when they left Saudi Arabia - out of Yemen, would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban completely controlled Afghanistan at the time, would we have ever gone?

I know it's not fair to ask you questions. It's rhetorical. But raise your hand if you think we should have gone and given up thousands of lives and tens of thousands of wounded.

Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging - first to get bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and prevent that from happening again.

As I've said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States. We don't have military encampments there; we don't keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us.

Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war. Thank you so much.
A young man battling serious health conditions has shared his experience getting the Pfizer vaccine in a bid to encourage other young Australians to get the jab.

Harrison Kefford, 27, suffers from Crohn's disease, osteoporosis, liver disease and a string of other conditions that severely impact his immune system.

But the Melbourne man, who was forced to quit his job as an artist manager as a result of his illnesses, was eager to do his bit and get vaccinated against Covid-19.

He took to TikTok to share the innocuous side effects he experienced after getting the jab and urged other young Australians to take the pandemic head on and inform themselves about the vaccines.

'Our demographic has waited to so long to get the jab as we've often been perceived as the 'healthy' ones,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Harrison Kefford (pictured) has posted a TikTok explaining his experience getting the Covid vaccine while being immunocompromised

Mr Kefford said the overload of information about vaccines and Covid on news sites, television and social media could be overwhelming for young people.

He said it was important for people his age to see the experiences of other people in their demographic before making their own decisions.

'Social media is an incredibly important tool in helping young people understand what it is like to go through the experience of receiving the jab,' he said.

The 27-year-old said he made the TikTok to show people who were feeling scared about getting the jab that it was okay to feel that way, urging them to speak to their GP about their concerns rather than writing off the vaccines.

'They (doctors) are the best point of contact for information around getting vaccinated rather than listening to someone on social media shedding fear and dangerous information,' he remarked.

'The landscape and their situation is already hard enough without having someone who isn't educated on the matter telling them things that are so wrong. Everyone's bodies are different but from someone who has a number of chronic illnesses... I did it and I am feeling fine thus far.'

In his TikTok, Harrison revealed the side effects he experienced after the jab were sore shoulders, minor loss of appetite, sore abdomen, tiredness/lethargy and a headache.

He said the minor symptoms only lasted three days.

Harrison uses his social media to bring awareness to the multiple chronic illnesses he suffers from to connect with other young people

Harrison posted the video while in hospital getting treatment in an oncology ward for his Crohn's disease and CIDP, which is a rare autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the myelin sheaths.

These are the fatty coverings on the fibres that insulate and protect the nerves around the body.

He went on to urge young Australians to book in their vaccines if they haven't already done so.

Harrison uses his social media accounts to bring awareness to chronic illnesses in the hope that other young people will be able to connect to his experiences and story.

'My content is centred around my experiences navigating and dealing with my multiple chronic illnesses. It can be a daunting and challenging thing to deal with when you're young, so I think it's important to find other people your age to connect with.'

'As much as it's a challenging thing to live with, I also think humour and being able to laugh about your experiences is important too, so I try to make it as accessible as possible,' he said.

He said that he wants to help those who are directly impacted by these conditions as well as inform those who are not affected in understanding what it's like to live with a chronic illness.

'My whole thing is about hopefully helping to normalize the space not just for those affected but those who aren't too!'

Viewers have praised the young man for sharing his experience and his honesty around his illnesses.

Many others with illnesses also shared their experiences receiving the vaccine.

He stated that he wants to show people who are feeling anxious that it's ok to feel that way but to get them to voice their concerns to a GP or specialist to better inform themselves about the vaccine

'Thanks for being honest about your side effects and letting people know not to be scared,' one wrote.

'I have managed epilepsy, and stage 4 endometriosis and had my vaccine. Had two days of feeling like i was getting the flu then I was 100% better,' wrote another.

'As someone who is also immunocompromised, I've been hooked up to a respirator in ICU. The vaccine is a way better experience,' added a third.

The Australian Government Department of Health states that anyone looking into getting the Covid vaccine should ask their GP or specialist to discuss their medical history and individual circumstances if they are concerned about vaccination and the effect on existing conditions.

For some, the Pfizer vaccine is recommended over AstraZeneca. The Department of Health has information on medical conditions that fall into this category.
A Queensland teacher who took sick leave to attend Melbourne Cup Day functions and travel interstate with her school principal husband has avoided a conviction for fraud.

Suzette Maree Webster's actions were 'more stupidity than any great intention to deceive' but clearly fraud, acting magistrate Peter Cooke said in sentencing the 56-year-old on Friday.

Webster admitted committing the fraud while working as a teacher at Wellers Hill State School in the Brisbane suburb of Tarragindi.

She was charged after an investigation by the state's corruption watchdog into her husband John Leonard Webster.

Brisbane school teacher, Suzette Maree Webster (pictured) pleaded guilty to fraud after an investigation uncovered 17 days of sick leave she wasn't entitled to

He is facing charges of misusing a corporate credit card and dishonestly obtaining money relating to school activities.

Crime and Corruption Commission investigators found text messages that didn't correlate with her being at work when she should have been, defence barrister Joshua Jones told Brisbane Magistrates Court.

Webster was first charged with 14 counts of fraud, but all but one were dismissed by the prosecution.

She pleaded guilty to the remaining charge relating to 17 days when she took sick leave she was not entitled to between August 19, 2015 and November 7, 2018.

On three days she attended Melbourne Cup functions, while on others she went interstate with her husband who was on school trips.

Of the 17 days she took, three were spent at Melbourne Cup day functions with her husband

Soon after the fraud was detected Webster paid back $6600 which was the value of the sick leave benefit she had received.

Mr Jones told the court teachers are called on to do much more than one would consider their job entails and there was a culture at the time of people taking sick leave in return.

'It was a perception that because of a significant number of overtime hours that were done that were not renumerated it was OK,' he added.

'It wasn't just her - that doesn't excuse it ... but it also mitigates the criminality in the sense that it was a cultural thing, not a deceitful thing.'

Webster acknowledged her actions were wrong, but Mr Jones said her behaviour didn't equate to that of people who forged medical certificates.

Webster - who had accumulated more than 31 weeks of sick leave - had been suspended for almost two years with pay over the low-level offending.

The court heard she had worked in regional Australia during her career, running tutorials in her own time to improve education levels.

Mr Cooke accepted Webster was 'extremely remorseful' and has had a 'long and fine career as a teacher'.

Ms Webster was handed a $1000 good behaviour bond which would be paid if she offended again within 12 months

'Sadly it may come to an end and that's a result of your actions,' he told Webster in sentencing her.

'It appears to me that it was perhaps more stupidity than any great intention to deceive; nonetheless it's clearly fraud.'

He sentenced Webster to a $1000 good behaviour bond which she would have to pay if she offended again within 12 months.

No conviction was recorded.

John Webster's matters are listed for mention in the same court on September 12.
A court officers' union in New York has defended its decision to 'dox' the state's top judge by revealing the addressed for her homes in the Hamptons and Westchester County to protest her mandatory vaccine edict.

Dennis Quirk, president of the New York State Court Officers Association, posted the addresses for Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to Facebook after the state required court workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Doxxing is the act of posting personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers belonging to someone on the internet in order to publicly shame them, a tactic that's derived from 1990s hacker culture.

Defending the decision to reveal DiFiore's addresses, Quirk told the New York Daily News: 'She has no problem with security. She has two officers and a state trooper sitting outside her house 24 hours a day, so there is no safety risk,' Quirk claimed.

Dennis Quirk, president of the New York State Court Officers Association, posted the addresses for Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to Facebook after the state required court workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

He added that every prior Chief Judge 'had one court officer in one car' but that DiFiore 'has two big, $70,000 SUVs' that travel with her 'wherever she goes.'

New York State Police have been helping with DiFiore's security in the past several months, a spokesman for the agency confirmed to the Daily News.

Quirk wrote that the Office of Court Administration (OCA), which operates under the direction of Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks, held a conference call this week with court unions.

'OCA had no information when they will mandate the vaccine, testing and medical and religious exemptions,' Quirk wrote in the post.

Quirk wrote that the Office of Court Administration (OCA) held a conference call this week with court unions

He added that the court unions held another conference call on Wednesday in which the unions agreed on a 'three-prong approach' in combating the vaccine mandate.

Quirk said that the unions agreed to request impact bargaining, file a grievance and file a Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) action.

'We also discussed some demonstrations at the Chief Judge's homes,' Quirk wrote before revealing her addresses.

Judge DiFiore announced on Monday that all 15,600 court employees in New York have until September 7 to get vaccinated or agree to be tested weekly for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, all judges and non-judicial staff have until September 27 to get the jab.

In a video posted to the New York State Court's website, DiFiore gave an update about how the coronavirus pandemic has been affecting the state's judicial system.

'We have made important and necessary changes to our health safety protocols in response to the increasing COVID positivity rate driven by the new Delta variant,' she said.

She added: 'Employees who do not submit proof of testing will not be permitted to report to work, and must charge their time as annual or compensatory leave.'

'With the FDA soon expected to ... give full approval to one or more of the COVID vaccines, many public and private employers have announced their intention to mandate the vaccination of their workforces,' she said.

'Now, after much discussion and deliberation, we intend to do the same.'

In a video posted to the New York State Court's website, DiFiore gave an update about how the coronavirus pandemic has been affecting the state's judicial system

OCA spokesman Lucian Chalfen warned that Quirk's post was 'extremely serious' and that consequences for it would be 'forthcoming,' the New York Daily News reported.

'Advocating for union members does not include creating security risks and jeopardizing the safety of the chief judge or the court officers and state troopers on her security detail. What kind of law enforcement officer does that?' Chalfen said.

He added: 'We take this posting on Facebook extremely seriously and consequences for this action are forthcoming.'
The man who was convicted for killing Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 is likely to be paroled Friday after the Los Angeles District Attorney has said he won't argue against his release.

Sirhan Sirhan faces his 16th parole hearing Friday for the 1968 killing, and for the first time no prosecutor will be there to argue he should be kept behind bars.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, a former police officer who took office last year after running on a reform platform, says he idolized the Kennedys and mourned RFKs assassination but is sticking to his policy that prosecutors have no role in deciding whether prisoners should be released.

Sirhan Sirhan, seen here in 1969, faces his 16th parole hearing Friday for the 1968 killing, and for the first time no prosecutor will be there to argue he should be kept behind bars

The 77-year-old Sirhan has served 53 years for the first-degree murder of the New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy

Sirhan told the panel in 2016 that if released, he hoped he would be deported to Jordan or live with his brother in Pasadena, California, where the family has owned a home since 1963.

His brother, Munir Sirhan, has said in the past that he and Sirhan are the only living members of their family that remain and he welcomes his brother's return.

'I just want to hear his footsteps on the porch,' Munir told one interviewer. 'I just want to hug him and tell him, 'Welcome home.'

That decision is best left to California Parole Board members who can evaluate whether Sirhan has been rehabilitated and can be released safely, Gascon told The Associated Press earlier this year. Relitigating a case decades after a crime should not be the job of prosecutors, even in notorious cases, he said.

'The role of a prosecutor and their access to information ends at sentencing,' Alex Bastian, special advisor to Gascon, said in a statement Thursday.

The 77-year-old Sirhan has served 53 years for the first-degree murder of the New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy. RFK was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.

Conspiracy theories have lived for decades about a second shooter, as well as the possibility that Sirhan was under hypnosis or a patsy. Even Kennedy's son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told the Washington Post in 2018 that he doesn't believe Sirhan Sirhan was the killer.

Kennedy's son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told the Washington Post in 2018 that he doesn't believe Sirhan Sirhan was the killer

'I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country. I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn't commit.'

Kennedy, an author and environmental lawyer, supports re-opening the investigation into his father's murder.

Gascon rationalized his own decision by saying he admired Kennedy's father, while Sirhan is 'the kind of individual that we all like to hate.'

'I can get very emotionally wrapped around my personal feelings (about) someone that killed someone that I thought could have been an incredible president for this country,' Gascon said. 'But that has no place in this process. Just like it doesnt for the person nobody knows about.'

Sirhans new defense attorney, Angela Berry, said she couldnt agree more.

RFK was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary

She plans to argue that the boards decision should be based on who Sirhan is today and not about past events, which is what the board has based its parole denials on before. She said she plans to focus on his exemplary record in prison and show that he poses no danger.

'We cant change the past, but he was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole,' Berry told the AP on Thursday. 'To justify denying it based on the gravity of the crime and the fact that it disenfranchised millions of Americans is ignoring the rehabilitation that has occurred and that rehabilitation is a more relevant indicator of whether or not a person is still a risk to society.'

Sirhans hearing will be presided over by a two-person panel that usually announces its decision the same day. After that, the Parole Board staff has 90 days to review the decision, and then it is handed over to the governor for consideration.

The Parole Board would not say if the Kennedy family or anyone else submitted statements opposing Sirhans release

The Parole Board would not say if the Kennedy family or anyone else submitted statements opposing Sirhans release. Attempts to reach the Kennedy family for comment were unsuccessful.

Sirhan was sentenced to death after his conviction, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

At his last parole hearing in 2016, commissioners concluded after more than three hours of intense testimony that Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime.

Sirhan's brother, Munir Sirhan, has said in the past that he and Sirhan are the only living members of their family that remain and he welcomes his brother's return

Berry said California laws approved since 2018 support her case. One she plans to point out to the board favors releasing certain older prisoners who committed crimes at a young age when the brain is prone to impulsivity. Sirhan was 24 at the time of the assassination.

Sirhan has in the past stuck to his account that he doesnt remember the killing. However, he has recalled events before the crime in detail - going to a shooting range that day, visiting the hotel in search of a party and returning after realizing he was too drunk to drive after downing Tom Collins cocktails.

Kennedy served as the US Attorney General for his brother, John F. Kennedy

Just before the assassination, he drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman to whom he was attracted. The next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody. At his 2016 hearing, he said he felt remorse for any crime victim but couldnt take responsibility for the shooting.

After 15 denials for his release, Berry said its difficult to predict how much of an impact the prosecutions absence will have on the outcome.

'I like to think itll make a difference. But I think everybody is not impervious to the fact that this is political,' she said.
Police are warning business owners to thoroughly check all of the cash notes they receive after two recent instances of counterfeit $50 notes being passed over.

The fake currency - which bizarrely features 'character' writing with blue ink on both notes - were fraudulently used at a couple of businesses in the space of four days at Port Augusta, north of Adelaide.

Both yellow counterfeit notes were also torn at the top and bottom.

Genuine $50 first polymer series notes feature a a seven-pointed star and the Australian Coat of Arms as well as a clear window, which is part of the banknote.

The fake currency - featuring 'character' writing with blue ink on both notes - were fraudulently used at a couple of businesses at Port Augusta, north of Adelaide, between August 20 and 23

Edith Cowan, the first Australian woman to serve as a member in parliament, and David Unaipon, a renowned Indigenous author and inventor, are the two faces seen on the notes.

'While the notes might be convincing at a quick glance, there are certain defective features,' SA Police said on their Facebook page.

'Be vigilant when receiving cash and urge staff to take the time to inspect any money to ensure it is legitimate.'

The police also stated it is best to compare counterfeit notes to genuine bank notes, and if anyone comes across fake notes to secure them and immediately notify authorities.

The counterfeit notes look very different to the authentic new Australian $50 notes (pictured above)

Images of the counterfeit notes were a source of amusement for many on social media, who couldn't believe they were accepted as legal tender.

'Wow! Very authentic! I could hardly tell the difference,' one person said sarcastically.

A second spoke for many when they said 'if you can't spot obvious fake notes, you probably shouldn't be handling cash.'

Anyone with information about the counterfeit notes should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Australians look set to have good value overseas flights in coming months but may pay more for regional travel when Covid lockdown restrictions are eased.

Qantas is now taking bookings for international flights before they resume in mid-December with Sydney to Singapore among the first to be available.

The federal government is yet to repeal the March 2020 ban on travelling overseas for a holiday but the flying kangaroo airline is confident 80 per cent of the working age and adult population will be fully vaccinated before Christmas.

The Covid pandemic has seen Qantas cement its market share, to the point it had 74 per cent of the domestic market by March 2021 as its key rival Virgin Australia struggled to survive.

Australians look set to have good value overseas flights but may pay more for regional travel when Covid restrictions are eased

Qantas, however, isn't nearly as dominant in the international space with Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and British Airways set to provide plenty of competition.

IBISWorld aviation analyst Tom Youl said Qantas was likely to offer good deals in late 2021 and early next year to get Australians flying overseas again, after nearly two years of being kept at home.

'That's a potential strategy. There is a pretty good case that discounts are the way to go to invigorate travel again,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We're talking about that international market, getting people back in the air and building up that scale, with scale being vital to airline profitability.'

During the last financial year, Qantas made an after tax loss of $1.728billion with international holidays banned and state borders closed, on and off.

From the end of 2020, after Melbourne emerged from its big lockdown, Qantas offered discount domestic airfares to lure travellers, before prices went up again.

Qantas is now taking bookings from international flights before they resume in mid-December with Sydney to Singapore among the first to be available (pictured is the Rain Vortex indoor waterfall at Changi Airport)

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

Mr Youl said that strategy was likely for overseas flights.

'When domestic flights picked back up again, there were cheap flights that became available but from there we saw prices pretty steadily increase, airfare levels a little bit higher than what we saw prior to the Covid pandemic,' he said.

'We're likely to see a similar playbook implemented by Qantas.'

Before the pandemic, Australians were offered good value airfares as Virgin Australia made losses year after year to take away market share from Qantas.

Virgin is now under the control of American private equity group Bain Capital which means it is more focused on cutting costs than challenging the dominance of Qantas.

Regional carrier Rex has since moved to the more lucrative Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane routes, as Qantas competed more actively in the less profitable regional routes in a bid to become the dominant player outside the capital cities.

With competition reduced on regional routes, prices were expected to increase as Covid restrictions within Australia were gradually eased.

'There's going to be reasonably strong demand for domestic travel even when international borders open up,' Mr Youl said.

'In terms of the aviation space, there's going to be strong demand there so there's a pretty strong case for domestic airfares, particularly to regional areas, being elevated over the next year or two.'

Some overseas flights are cheaper than flying to parts of regional Australia.

An economy one-way Qantas flight from Sydney to Singapore on December 18 on Thursday was available for $741.

Some overseas flights are cheaper than flying to parts of regional Australia. An economy one-way flight from Sydney to Singapore on December 18 on Thursday was available for $741

By comparison, a return Sydney to Broken Hill flight on Rex in September and October costs $778, which is certainly a lot more expensive per kilometre than Singapore

By comparison, a return Rex flight from Sydney to Broken Hill, in the far west of New South Wales, in September and October costs $778, which is certainly a lot more expensive per kilometre than Singapore.

Qantas announced on Thursday that from mid-December, it would fly from Australia to first-world destinations with high vaccination rates including the United States, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand, along with 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 admitted on Thursday a requirement for fully vaccinated Australians to quarantine for 14 days upon their return from overseas was a threat to profitable international travel.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce admitted on Thursday a requirement for fully vaccinated Australians to quarantine for 14 days upon their return from overseas was a threat to profitable international travel

'One of the biggest unknowns in all of this is the quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers entering Australia and there are a number of trials that are starting around the country,' he said.

'If it is still 14 days in a hotel, demand levels will be very low and this schedule won't be feasible.'

Qantas announced 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 destinations include Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg.
The Taliban have obtained the biometric data of thousands of Afghans who helped the United States, according to a Republican congressman, who said Joe Biden will have blood on his hands if the data is used to hunt down Afghan allies.

Jim Banks, who represents Indiana in the House, attacked Joe Biden on Tuesday for the fact that a significant amount of weaponry was left in Afghanistan after the U.S. troops withdrew.

A Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015, while a state senator, Banks told a press conference on Capitol Hill that the Taliban had obtained a large cache of arms and equipment left behind by the U.S, after receiving a series of intelligence briefings.

But, he added, most 'unfathomable to me and so many others' was the biometric database, which was harvested and stored on Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) devices to help ID locals working with the coalition.

Congressman Jim Banks on Tuesday said it was 'unfathomable' to him how the Taliban had managed to obtain the HIIDE devices - Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment

A HIIDE device is pictured in use in Iraq. It is unclear how many of the devices were in service in Afghanistan, and whether their databases have been accessed

'The Taliban now has biometric devices which have the fingerprints, eye scans and the biographical information of the Afghans who helped us over the last 20 years,' Banks said.

'This administration still has no plan to get this equipment or these supplies back.'

He said Biden would have 'blood on his hands' if the Taliban began hunting down people listed on the database.

Banks revelations were also reported by The Intercept, which detailed the workings of the biometric devices.

The website was told by a Joint Special Operations Command official and three former U.S. military personnel that the Taliban obtained the devices, which are known as HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment.

HIIDE devices contain identifying biometric data such as iris scans and fingerprints, as well as biographical information, and are used to access large centralized databases.

They reported that it is not known how many Afghans are on the database, or whether the Taliban has been able to access the information.

Taliban fighters stand guard outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Tuesday

A soldier stands guard on the perimeter of Kabul airport on Tuesday

An Army Special Operations veteran told the site that the Taliban may well not be able to operate the devices.

But, he said, the Pakistani intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), would have the skills to access the data. The ISI is known to work with the Taliban.

'The Taliban doesn't have the gear to use the data but the ISI do,' the veteran said.

Annie Jacobson, who wrote a book about the gathering of data by the Pentagon, told NPR in January that the Pentagon wanted to catalogue millions of people - but it was unclear whether they managed to do so.

'The original goal by the Defense Department was to capture biometrics on 80 per cent of the population of Afghanistan,' she said.

'Approximately 25 million people was the goal.

'It's unknown [if they reached it] because these statistics are jealously guarded by the Defense Department and they're not available from the government of Afghanistan.'

A U.S. military contractor told The Intercept: 'We processed thousands of locals a day - had to ID, sweep for suicide vests, weapons, intel gathering, etc.

'[HIIDE] was used as a biometric ID tool to help ID locals working for the coalition.'

U.S. soldiers are pictured in Kunar province in Afghanistan in August 2006, working alongside members of the Afghan National Border Police. U.S. forces regularly took the details of Afghans they encountered for their database

A paratrooper scans the iris of another using a Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, or HIIDE, system during training in January 2012 in Fort Polk, Louisiana

Banks said that 'due to the negligence of this administration,' the Taliban had also got their hands on 75,000 vehicles; over 200 airplanes and helicopters; 600,000 small arms and light weapons; night vision goggles and body armor.

He added that the Taliban now have 'more Black Hawk helicopters than 85 per cent of countries in the world.'

Many pointed out that much of the equipment was deliberately left behind by the Americans, for use of the Afghan national forces.

Furthermore, the Taliban could not necessarily fly the planes and helicopters, and certainly lacked the skills to maintain them without assistance from China, Pakistan or other countries.

A viral video showed a Black Hawk on the ground with its engines whirring, which the poster claimed was being operated by the Taliban - although it was impossible to see who was inside, and the helicopter did not take off.

The Black Hawks that the U.S. government supplied to the Afghans were refurbished ex-U.S. Army UH-60A models, according to The Drive, which deliberately did not have the latest technology.

However, the Taliban's capture of the arsenal was certainly a PR coup for the Islamists.

Banks' critics also pointed out that the figures he cited were incorrect.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction - an office created by Congress to oversee the spending in the country - reported on June 30 that there were 167 usable aircraft, including 23 A-29 attack planes and 33 UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopters in Afghanistan.

There has been no full accounting of how much aircraft or other military equipment was still there in mid-August, when the Taliban regained control.
The biological father of Eminem's adopted child Stevie died of a cocaine and fentanyl overdose in August 2019, according to a recently released autopsy report.

Eric Hartter was found dead by his mother in an abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan after years of drug addiction, but the actual cause of his death was not known until recently.

'Postmortem toxicology disclosed cocaine breakdown products and fentanyl within the blood. The combined use of these drugs increase the risk of sudden death,' the autopsy report states.

Stevie Laine Mathers, 19, who previously went by Whitney, is the biological daughter of Hartter and Eminem's ex-wife Kim Scott, 46. Stevie recently came out as non-binary, and uses the pronouns she, he and they.

Eric Hartter died of a cocaine and fentanyl drug overdose in an abandoned house in 2019

Stevie Mathers, 19, claimed Oscar-winning rapper Eminem didn't tell them Hartter was her real dad in a since-deleted TikTok posted earlier this month

Scott and Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, met as teenagers. They were married once in 1999 for two years and a second time in 2006 for just a few months.

The pair have one biological daughter named Hailie Jade, 25.

The Academy Award-winning rapper adopted Stevie in 2005, when she would have been about three.

In a since-deleted TikTok video earlier this month, Stevie revealed that Eminem, 48, claimed to be her real father up she was shown articles of Hartter's death in 2019.

'He's not your real dad. You're adopted,' reads a caption on the video.

'No he is my real dad,' Stevie mouths before turning their head to the other side as if speaking to someone else. 'You're my real dad right? Am I adopted?'

'I am your real dad.'

It continues: '*gets sent an article of my biological dads death and shows my grandma,

'I'm sorry they wouldn't tell you about him,' the video says at the end.

Eminem also adopted Alaina, 28, the daughter of Scott's twin sister Dawn, who battled drug addiction before her death in 2015.

Eminem, 48, adopted Stevie in 2005, when she would have been about three years old

Stevie is the daughter of Hartter and Eminem's ex-wife Kim Scott, who allegedly tried to kill herself last month before she was found in a pool of her own blood in her bathroom

Hartter's death was reported by RadarOnline, and his autopsy report was released Thursday by The Sun.

According to court documents, Hartter had been arrested in December 2018 after allegedly stealing $200 worth of Red Bull from a CVS.

While in jail, he was arrested for the second time in 24 hours for felony contraband involving fentanyl and methamphetamine, for which he was sentenced to 153 days in jail and 24 months of probation.

Stevie came out as gender fluid on TikTok earlier this month, adding that she goes by all pronouns.

Kim Scott and Eminem met as teenagers. They were married once in 1999 for two years and a second time in 2006 for just a few months

Her mother, Scott, was rushed to the hospital after a bloody suicide attempt last month at her home in Detroit, Michigan.

The incident came days after Kim's mom passed away on July 24, 2021.

In a 911 call obtained by The Sun, an unidentified female is heard telling the dispatcher she was checking in on Kim after growing concerned for her safety.

The woman claimed Kim 'just tried killing herself' and added: 'There's blood everywhere on the bathroom floor.'

'Do you know if she's conscious right now ma'am,' the dispatcher asked, to which she replied, 'She is, she's yelling at me not to call the police.'

'Ok, what did she do, did she have a gun, a knife or something, you said there's blood?' he asked.

'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.''

Officers were told there was a possible note left in the nearby bedroom, and they were provided with a small cardboard shipping box covered in 'haphazard messages' to her family.
The Texas House of Representatives on Thursday passed the voting bill so reviled by Democrats that they fled the state to deny the quorum needed to hold a vote on it.

The six-week political showdown drew to a close when three of the fleeing Democrats, who had warrants out for their arrest, gave up their fight and returned to work. The returning lawmakers said they'd brought the national attention they wanted to the bill and had spurred Congress to take up federal voting legislation.

The bill passed 79-37 mostly along party lines. It will now proceed to a vote in the Senate on Friday, where it's expected to pass, before heading to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch supporter of the measure.

During hours of fiery debate on Thursday, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan instructed lawmakers not to use the word 'racism' in reference to the bill.

Phelan rebuked Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa when she asked whether intentional discrimination against people of a certain race was 'racism.'

'We can talk about racial impacts of this legislation without accusing members of this body of being racist,' Phelan said.

'Respectfully, I'm not accusing members of this body,' Hinojosa replied.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels in with a quorum present at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Aug. 19, 2021

On August 6, Texas Rep Vikki Goodwin (2nd from the right) shared in her Facebook account this photo of her and other Texas democrats in Capitol Hill. She wrote: In full disclosure, I have been in DC with my fellow Democrats for most of the last 25 days, including today when we held our press conference on the last day of this Special Session

Democrats have asserted the bill, which would standardize voting hours 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., ban drive-thru and overnight early voting and mail voters would also be asked to verify their identities with a state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, discriminates against minorities.

It would also empower partisan poll watchers and prevent elections officials from sending out unsolicited mail ballots. Republicans have denied charges that the bills impede voters of color and said the bill would bolster election security, even though they did not find evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

'I am convinced that because our elections were safe, secure and successful that we are not here really to deal with what I termed the pretext of the policy goals  incidents of fraud or likelihood of fraud,' said Democrat Rep. Rep. Rafael Anchia, according to the Texas Tribune.

Anchia listed off federal court rulings that found lawmakers engaged in intentional discrimination when they drew up strict voter ID laws.

'I know people bristle at certain terms that are used so I'll just say [the Legislature has] been intentionally discriminatory,' Anchia said.

State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, left to right, Rep. Garnet F. Coleman, D-Houston, and Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, enter the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Aug. 19, 2021. They ended a 38-day standoff that began when some of their colleagues fled to Washington. The trio dropped their holdout, paving the way for Republicans to resume pushing an elections overhaul

Rep. Ana Maria Ramos (D) fumed that they 'threw us under the bus'

The three Democrats who returned to the Capitol drew the ire of many of the over 50 who decamped to Washington on July 12 on chartered planes to deny Republicans the minimum members needed to conduct business.

'We were literally on caucus calls for 2 hours this morning and none of the defecting Democrats mentioned they were planning on helping the Republicans pass voter suppression bills. Guess what the other defecting Democrats have accomplished by going back-NOTHING!' Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos wrote in an angry tweet.

Growing impatience among Republicans had led to escalating threats that missing lawmakers could face arrest, but officers never appeared to do more than leaving warrants at Democrats homes.
Vice President Kamala Harris canceled her planned trip to stump for embattled California Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of his recall election just hours after it was reported that at least 13 American service members in Afghanistan were killed.

Harris was originally scheduled to appear with Newsom at the Stop the Republican Recall car rally at the historic Cow Palace outside of San Francisco on Friday in an effort to increase Democratic turnout in the September 14 election.

But as the vice president made her way back from a trip to Singapore and Vietnam, her spokeswoman, Symone Sanders tweeted she would be heading back to Washington D.C. after visiting Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Thursday afternoon.

A short while later, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Newsom's campaign spokesman Nathan Click announced the rally was canceled, even though the details of the logistics for the scheduled drive-in event had been unveiled.

It is unclear whether it will be rescheduled, amid reports of tight polls between Newsom and his Republican rivals, with radio host Larry Elder currently believed to be the strongest challenger.

Vice President Kamala Harris has canceled her trip to stump for California Governor Gavin Newsom, right, ahead of the September 14 recall election in the wake of American soldiers' deaths in Kabul

Her spokeswoman confirmed on Twitter that after she visited Joint Bas Pearl Harbor-Hickam Thursday afternoon, she would return to Washington, D.C.

Harris, a former California Senator and Attorney General, was supposed to be the main draw of the campaign event, according to KTLA, as Newsom slips in the polls.

He was elected in 2018 with overwhelming support, but now only has a thin margin to keep his seat against a Republican-led effort to oust him for his handling of the COVID pandemic and the state's worsening homeless problem, according to Mercury News.

Newsom sparked particular outrage last November when he was filmed dining inside the ultra-exclusive French Laundry restaurant while urging Californians to stay home.

In recent weeks, KTLA reports, he has tried to focus his messaging on women and voters of color, a group Harris is uniquely poised to speak to as the nations first female vice president, and the first black and South Asian person to serve in the role.

She had previously served as the state's attorney general, before becoming a United States senator.

But as the chaos in Afghanistan continues to unfold, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a professor of public policy communication at the University of Southern California, said it may have been smart for Harris to cancel the trip.

She added that a visit from President Joe Biden, who White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said before the attacks would campaign for Newsom, could actually be a negative for the Newsom campaign.

'I dont see any reason, on either end, that its absolutely necessary, let alone positive, for the president to take time to go campaign for Gavin Newsom right now,' she said.

Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff are pictured boarding Air Force Two in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 26 while en route back from her trip to Asia

Afghan officials said at least 60 Afghan citizens were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack by ISIS-K

The Biden administration has been heavily criticized for its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, leading to a quick Taliban take over, and causing panicked evacuations of thousands of Americans and roughly 100,000 American green card holders, allies and vulnerable Afghans desperate to escape Taliban rule.

Thousands more had packed around the airport trying to get on flights out when terrorists attacked the primary gate being used to access the area secured by U.S troops.

At least 13 US servicemembers were killed and 15 more were wounded in the twin bomb attacks Thursday outside the gates of Kabuls international airport, where Marines were processing people attempting to board evacuation flights.

Afghan officials said at least 60 Afghan citizens were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack by ISIS-K.

Newsom took the oath of office as lieutenant governor under Harris when she was the state's attorney general. He had hoped to use her now to boost Democratic turnout in California's September 14 recall election

Meanwhile, Newsom is continuing to face a tough race.

About one tenth of the 22 million registered voters have already cast ballots in the September 14 recall election, with Republican radio host Larry Elder leading in the polls.

If he were elected, he would become the state's first black governor, though the heavily liberal state has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.

On a Tuesday campaign call, Black women leaders argued Newsom is a better ally to the black community than Elder, as Newsom warns his libertarianism and conservatism is wrong for the state.
Tucker Carlson branded President Joe Biden 'a lunatic with no self-respect' on Thursday after the Kabul suicide bomb killed 13 U.S. service personnel.

Carlson made his comments at the start of his nightly opinion talk show after the horrific bombings outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

He started the talk show with a monologue in which he suggested that someone who 'hated the country' and wanted to 'humiliate America for good' would use Afghanistan to do that, alluding to Biden.

Carlson said it would 'humiliate everyone involved' to withdraw from Afghanistan after a war that has lasted 19 years and turn the war 'into a welfare program' while spending trillions of dollars to do so.

'When crowds of desperate people showed up, as they inevitably would, begging to be evacuated, you'd be certain to give preference to the foreign nationals, the ones you might hate you and prefer Sharia law to democracy,' Carlson said.

'They would get the first seats on the plane. As for your own citizens, the people you exist to protect, we just wish them luck and leave them behind.'

Tucker Carlson branded President Joe Biden 'a lunatic with no self-respect' on Thursday after the Kabul suicide bomb killed 13 U.S. service personnel

He continued: 'Then, having done all of that, you go on television back in your own country to brag about what an amazing job you've done. You'd call yourself a hero. You'd compare your evacuation of Kabul to the Berlin airlift.'

'And that way, once you done that, the rest of the world would know you're not simply incompetent and weak, but you're also delusional. You are a lunatic with no self-respect,' Carlson said.

Carlson said that enemies of the United States took 'advantage' of America's 'diminished condition' with the suicide bombing.

'In moments like this, Americans turn instinctively to their president for perspective and leadership. It doesn't matter if they voted for him, They want to be reassured by the man in charge,' Carlson said.

'But Joe Biden did not reassure them, he didn't even appear. For hours, Biden remained hidden and silent. Finally, the White House announced that Joe Biden would speak to the country at 5 p.m. this afternoon. But even then, he didn't show.'

Carlson said that when Biden did eventually speak, it was 'it was hard to believe this is the man in charge of our country.'

'Joe Biden is fading before our eyes. He began by muttering something irrelevant and weird about his late son, Beau, whom he described as the U.S. attorney in Kosovo, as is if that position exists,' Carlson said.

Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015, with his father convinced the disease was brought on by exposure to toxic chemicals during a tour of Iraq.

'And then Biden pledged his voice weak and halting, speaking at a pace half of what a normal person speaks at, that he was going to somehow hunt down and punish the people who killed our Marines today.'

Biden had said on Thursday: 'To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, no, this. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

'No, you won't, unfortunately. The tragedy today was not a complete surprise. There was intelligence suggesting it might happen just hours before the attack,' Carlson said.

He added: 'It's all so humiliating. Serious people are laughing at us, which is probably the point of doing it.'

He started the talk show with a monologue in which he suggested that someone who 'hated the country' and wanted to 'humiliate America for good' would use Afghanistan to do that, alluding to Biden

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday

Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover

Carlson also mocked Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., who had provided updates about the suicide bombers on Thursday.

McKenzie had said: 'It was a failure by the Taliban to operate with varying degrees of confidence. Some of those guys are very scrupulously good. Some of them are not.'

'The other thing we do is we share versions of this information with the Taliban so that they can actually do some searching out there for us. And we believe that some attacks have been thwarted by them,' McKenzie said.

'We share a common purpose to as long as we kept that common purpose aligned, they've been useful to work with. They've cut some of our security, some of our security concerns down.'

Carlson retorted: 'Joe Biden doesn't really need the U.S. military to protect the Kabul airport because the Taliban now have that covered. General Kenneth McKenzie explained this today at a press conference.'

'Now, some of those Taliban guys are very scrupulously good. That was the official word from the Biden administration,' Carlson said.

'Keep in mind what the general said. He said after the Taliban let a suicide bomber through a checkpoint at the airport that killed 13 Americans. But still, we're going to trust them. The Biden administration trusts the Taliban enough tonight, apparently to share classified intelligence with them.'

He continued: 'So we now share a common purpose with the Taliban, that's the head of the US military telling us that. So naturally, the Taliban are now in charge of protecting our citizens.'

'Hey, America, here's your new bodyguards. The bad news is, they're the Taliban.'
Apology to Jennifer Croker

On 10 November 2020, Daily Mail Australia reported on a traffic collision which involved Sydney lawyer, Jennifer Croker. The story included a claim that Ms Croker remained in the vehicle following the collision even as the emergency team arrived at the scene 12 minutes later, implying that Ms Croker was uncaring for the injured motorcyclist.

Daily Mail Australia wishes to clarify that Ms Croker did exit her vehicle immediately following the collision, and that in the following days, Ms Croker endeavoured, through NSW Police, to contact the injured motorcyclist to enquire about her welfare, to send flowers and apologise for the unfortunate accident.

Daily Mail Australia apologises to Ms Croker for any hurt and damage caused to her by the report.
Advertisement

Hurricane Ida is expected to strengthen into Category 4 storm before hitting southern Louisiana and Mississippi, the National Weather Service warned on Friday.

'The time to act is NOW. Hurricane Ida is now forecast to make landfall as a category 4 hurricane. This will bring SIGNIFICANT impacts to Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. No major changes to the track at this time, moved just a touch to the east,' the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted.

The NWS added: 'Along with the change to a Category 4 landfall we also now have upgraded to a Hurricane WARNING for parts of southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Damaging winds are expected with Ida and could reach the coast by Saturday night.'

The agency said that a storm surge warning is also now in effect for the likelihood of life-threatening storm surge in some areas of southeaster Louisiana and coastal Mississippi - while a storm surge watch is in effect for the potential of life-threatening storm surge for outer areas.

As the storm plowed into Pinar Del Rio, Cuba on Friday night, the NWS continued to post alarming tweets warning that Hurricane Ida shows 'no signs on weakening.'

'If Ida maintains a good inner core it will intensify quickly as it enters the Gulf. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THIS! If you are asked to evacuate, LEAVE or you're putting your life in danger!' the NWS asserted.

Heavy rainfall and flooding have already began to affect Mississippi ahead of Ida's suspected US landfall on Sunday morning.

A postal woman looked out the window of her truck as the rain pours down with gray skies loom behind her vehicle.

Other Mississippi drivers braved the rough rain and bumper high waters in parts of Pass Christian on Friday afternoon.

Local radar forecasts the state to be drenched with rain, battle significant winds, and experience pop-up tornados as Hurricane Ida rolls in.

Cuba was hit by Hurricane Ida around 5pm and is expected to roll over the western tip for the next few hours

New Orleans residents line up in the rain to collect the free sandbags being handed out ahead of the storm

Citizens are using anything to transport the heavy bags to their homes, including shopping carts and carrying the bags by hand

After the New Orleans mayor called for evacuations, citizens can be seen grabbing their suitcases and heading for a safer ground in the pouring rain

Hurricane Ida is expected to strengthen into Category 4 storm before hitting southern Louisiana and Mississippi, the National Weather Service warned on Friday

Mississippi faces being in the 'right front quadrant' of the storm after it makes landfall in Louisiana, leaving its gulf coast to experience the strongest wind and chances of tornado, according to WJTV News 12.

By Monday or Tuesday, central and south Mississippi will experience sustained winds up to 40mph with wind gusts up to 50 or 70mph. Heavy winds could damage or tear down power lines.

The Mississippi Insurance Department is encouraging all residents who will affect to check their insurance and prepare their homes for the storm by tying down heavy objects, move to higher ground if located in a flood plain, review an evacuation plan and prepare an emergency supply kit.

Brave Mississippians traverse the flood roads outside of their homes. Mississippi is expected to experience heavy rainfall and flooding as Ida rolls into the US on Sunday

Keep an eye on the skies: Mississippi is expected to experience tornados on Monday and Tuesday as Ida tears through the Gulf coast of the state. Mississippians are already experiencing rough weather conditions as workers and residents drive through heavy rain

New Orleans has called for mandatory evacuations as Ida is upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it makes landfall on the Isle of Youth.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is calling for all residents who live outside of the city's levee protection zone to evacuate ahead of Ida.

Hurricane Ida could cause an 11-foot storm surges in the coastal city for areas outside of the levee zone and be accompanied by dangerous winds and heavy rainfall, according to NOLA Ready.

An Emergency Operation Center (EOC) will be open a 24-hour hurricane activation site on Saturday. And the city's public transportation system RTA will shut down once wind speeds hit 35mph, according to a Fox 8 reporter. The city has already suspended its ferry service.

They warn residents that high winds will likely cause power outages and heavy rainfall could potentially provide dangerous flood conditions.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is calling for mandatory evacuations for those who are outside of the protection of the city's levee zones (red) and voluntary evacuations for those around to consider leaving (yellow)

All residents outside of this zone are being evacuated. Those in the zone only have a voluntary evacuation plan in order at the moment

New Orleans public schools have also canceled classes for Monday in preparation for the storm. And will start allowing neutral high ground parking on Saturday to let residents move their cars from dangerous low ground sections.

The city is also handing out free sandbags until 6pm for residents to grab while supplies last as people start boarding up their storm shutters on their homes.

Crews from Flood Protection Authority East are removing wall barriers to prepare to close the floodgates in the coming days. New Orleans has 350 miles of floodgates and levees.

Ida is on track to hit New Orleans on the same date as the devastating Category 3 storm Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city 16 years ago.

'August 29th is a very critical date in our city's history and in all of our memories, that date taught us to be ready and resilient and that's what we will do together,' said Collin Arnold, the city's director of emergency preparedness, told NBC.

Other Louisiana residents have started prepping for Hurricane Ida as it is expected to strengthen into a hurricane today as it passes over the western tip of Cuba and could bring 130mph hour winds and two feet of rain to the US.

Jefferson, Louisiana, residents are filling up their gas tanks and stocking up on bags of ice to preserve food in case the power goes out.

Pelican Ice workers, Corey Williams and John Smith, hurriedly refill the freezers at a gas station in preparation for the storm.

The weather channel estimated that wind speeds will reach 130mph by early Sunday morning as it nears Louisiana

The storm could affect parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee

Hurricane Ida is strengthening in the Caribbean and has hit Cuba around 5pm today. It is expected to intensify rapidly as it passes through the warm waters of the Gulf before hitting Louisiana and Florida border as a potential Category 3 hurricane.

As of 5pm, the National Hurricane Center reported Ida was 90 miles from Havana, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 80mph with high gusts up to 55mph and is moving northwest at 15mph.

The US Air Force and NOAA reported the storm is strengthening in the Caribbean and has the potential to make landfall in the US as a Category 3 due to Louisiana's warm shoreline.

The National Hurricane Center said: 'Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Sunday.'

New Orleans public schools have canceled classes on Monday in preparation for the storm and the potential power outages

Crews from Flood Protection Authority East have started to remove wall barriers in preparation to allow the floodgates to be closed in coming days

New Orleans have 350 miles of floodgates and levees zones to help protect the city of the hurricane's wrath. There's a potential for 11 foot storm surges in areas outside of the city's levee zones

Coastal Louisiana residents have started to board up their storm shutters as the city prepared for Ida to hit on the 16th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

The storm is expected to hit Cuba as a hurricane later today.

As of 8am, the Air Force and Reserve and NOAA reconnaissance aircraft indicated the center of the storm was over Grand Cayman. The storm will move away from the Cayman Islands over the course of the morning and pass by the Isle of Youth and western Cuba later today.

It is expected to move over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico tonight and Saturday before approaching the US northern Gulf coast on Sunday.

Jefferson, Louisiana, residents stocked up on gas at the RaceTrac gas station ahead of Hurricane Ida, who potential to bring two feet of rain and up to 130mph winds

John Smith (left) and Corey Williams (right) from Pelican Ice stock up a local gas station freezer ahead of the storm

The men brought in loads of ice to the gas station for residents to purchase. Loading up on ice can help preserve frozen food longer and provides clean drinking water as it melts

Ida is approximated to pass along the Florida panhandle around 8pm on Saturday before moving into Louisiana and Alabama Sunday morning into Sunday evening.

As far up as Tennessee could get tropical storm weather as early as Monday morning.

A storm surge warning has been issued for the Sabine Pass to the Alabama/Florida border, as well as for Vermillion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Mobile Bay.

The surge could be as much as two to six feet bigger than normal tide levels along the immediate coast of the Isle of Youth to western Cuba and will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Hurricane Ida is expected to roll through the Cayman Island this morning on it's way to Cuba (pictured). The storm could become a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in the US

The storm is moving northwest at 15mph with winds up to 80mph with high gusts. Wind speeds could get up to 115mph as it nears Louisiana. The storm is expected to make landfall in the US on Sunday morning

The destructive timeline of Hurricane Ida as it nears the US and Cuba Hurricane Ida is strengthening in the Caribbean as it moves toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida/Louisiana border. With wind speeds up to 80mph with high gusts and the warm shoreline off Louisiana, TS Ida has the potential to make landfall in the US as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm is expected to make landfall in the US on Sunday morning on the shoreline of Louisiana. Expected times for TS Ida to cause tropical storm conditions on its way to landfall in Louisiana: Friday 8pm: Cuba Saturday 2am: Tip of Florida Saturday 8pm: Florida's panhandle Sunday 8am: Make landfall on the Louisiana shoreline Sunday 8pm: Inland Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi Monday 8am: Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee Wednesday 7pm: Parts of Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Montana, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina Source: National Hurricane Center, The Wall Street Journal Advertisement

With the combination of dangerous storm surges, water levels in normally dry areas could reach as high as two to 11 feet from Alabama to parts of California.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 90 miles from the center and hurricane-force winds extend 20 miles.

Wind speeds could reach over 100mph as the storm strengthen.

WCVB's meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon estimates wind speeds to be around 115mph on the shoreline of Louisiana Sunday afternoon. It is estimated that wind speeds will stick around 100mph through Monday before decreasing to 40mph on Tuesday afternoon.

Ida is expected to cause six to 10 inches of rain, with maximum totals being 15 inches across Jamaica. The Cayman Islands and western Cuba are expected to get eight to 12, with a maximum of 20 inches.

Heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding and mudslides for these areas.

Southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and Alabama can expect eight to 16 inches of rain, with a maximum of 20 inches as the storm moves in on Monday.

The National Hurricane said: 'This is likely to result in considerable flash, urban, small stream, and riverine flood.'

A hurricane watch has been placed on Cameron, Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border, and the metropolitan area of New Orleans.

Grand Cayman dropped its tropical storm warning, but it still remains in place for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

A record 11 named storms struck the U.S. in 2021. Just this month, four tropical storms - Danny, Elsa, Fred and Henri - made landfall in the U.S.

In 2020, Hurricane Harvey killed 68 people. Thousands in Texas fled their homes in kayaks and swam through watery streets, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said that it would take years to repair the damage incurred.

As the storm rolls through the Caribbean, it is affecting oil ridge workers in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. energy companies began airlifting workers from Gulf oil platforms and moved vessels ahead of a powerful hurricane forecast for the weekend on Thursday.

Hurricane Ida was swirling in the Caribbean Sea and forecast to march through the main oil-producing region of the Gulf today.

Louisiana declared a state of emergency and called on residents to prepare for a major hurricane.

Ida is expected to strike the central Gulf Coast with a life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and heavy rains, the National Hurricane Center said. It could make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane packing winds of up to 115 miles per hour.

'This storm has the potential for rapid increases in intensity before it comes ashore because of extremely warm waters off Louisiana,' said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist at DTN, which provides weather advice to oil and transportation companies.

The storm is expected to pass through western Cuba this morning before passing along the Florida panhandle on Saturday before hitting Louisiana on Sunday morning

Wind speeds could get up to 115mph by Sunday afternoon over the shoreline of Louisiana and continue 100mph winds into Monday before decreasing to 40mph on Tuesday afternoon

Seven things you should have on you during a hurricane Your medication Cash, in case power is out Important documents First-aid kit Bottled water Flashlight Pet supplies Source: The Weather Channel Advertisement

U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline prices rose in the past two trading sessions because of concerns around the storm, traders said.

BP PLC, BHP, Chevron, Equinor and Royal Dutch Shell removed workers from offshore facilities, spokespeople said. BHP and Chevron evacuated non-essential staff while Equinor said it is preparing to move workers off its Titan platform.

BHP, BP and Shell said they have begun to shut in production at offshore platforms. Chevron said its production remained at normal levels on Thursday, while Occidental Petroleum and Hess Corp said they are monitoring weather conditions.

Gulf of Mexico offshore wells account for 17 per cent of U.S. crude oil production and five per cent of dry natural gas production. Over 45 per cent of total U.S. refining capacity lies along the Gulf Coast.

Exxon Mobil Corp said it was preparing its 520,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Baton Rouge, Louisiana refinery for severe weather, but operations were normal on Thursday.

Phillips 66 operations at refineries in Lake Charles and Alliance, Louisiana, 'will be adjusted based on the storm's progression,' spokesman Bernardo Fallas said.

Preparations for ninth named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season comes nearly four years to the day after Hurricane Harvey hit the U.S. Gulf Coast and dumped several feet of rain in areas of Texas.
Britain's High Street has lost 83 per cent of department stores since the collapse of BHS in 2016.

Just 79 of the main shops remain open compared to 467 five years ago, new data shows.

Commercial property information firm CoStar Group found over two-thirds of buildings are unoccupied, with 237 yet to be taken over by a new business.

The company followed the country's main brands - including BHS and Debenhams - since 2016.

The study, undertaken in July, found since then the number of stores they occupy on the high street has shrunk from 467 to 79.

It means 388 has closed, including 237 left empty and 52 with plans to change it into another business.

Britain's High Street has lost 83 per cent of department stores since the collapse of BHS in 2016 (file photo)

CoStar followed the country's main brands - including BHS and Debenhams (file photo) - since 2016

The firm's head of analytics Mark Stansfield told the BBC: 'The data undoubtedly highlights the acceleration of change in the retail sector in recent years, which the pandemic has only exacerbated.'

He continued: 'We are increasingly seeing forward-thinking real estate owners getting ahead of the problem and reshaping what are key assets in our town centres to provide a focal point for regeneration.

'I think we'll see many more plans come to light in the coming months. With these store closures come new opportunities.'

CoStar Group said BHS was a prime example of the problems for firms on the high street.

The clothing chain collapsed five years ago but since then a quarter of its former stores remain empty.

CoStar Group said BHS was a prime example of the problems for firms on the high street (file photo)

Part of its store in Edinburgh has been transformed from an asbestos-ridden site into a Premier Inn.

At the top of the six floors offices are being finalised and the basement is expected to be turned into a bowling alley.

The Scottish capital is among those to be heavily hit by the loss of shops from the high street.

It has seen four of its main department stores go under in the past few years but there are plans to replace some of them.

The former House of Fraser of Princes Street is being transformed into the Johnnie Walker Whisky Experience.

Unlikely Edinburgh, smaller areas north of the border are struggling to replace stores on the high street.

BHS collapsed five years ago but since then a quarter of its former stores remain empty (file photo)

The Scottish border town of Dumfries still has the old Debenhams store empty despite it being its biggest retail unit.

Locals are trying to buy it and turn it into a cinema or food court but are struggling to raise the funds.

Debenhams, which collapsed in May, is one of the worst cases of high street stores that remained empty in the past few years.

A staggering 149 of its addresses remain vacant, according to data from CoStar Group.

Researchers have been looking at planning applications and speaking to property agents and landlords for the report.

In a glimmer of hope for the high street, they found Next has taken over some Debenhams stores for its new beauty concept.
Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban for Britain could be housed at Pontins holiday parks, reports say.

Sources say the beach break firm has shown interest in hosting hundreds of families fleeing the crisis.

Home Office officials are said to have looked at two of the company's six sites in England and Wales.

It comes as Boris Johnson vowed to continue the evacuation despite a 'barbaric' terrorist attack at Kabul airport that left dozens of people dead including US troops.

The Prime Minister said on Thursday the 'overwhelming majority' of eligible people have already been helped to flee the Taliban by the RAF.

Sources say the beach break firm has shown interest in hosting hundreds of families fleeing the crisis (file photo)

But the influx of families has put councils in Britain under pressure to build more homes or open up more rentals, the Telegraph reports.

Another option reportedly being touted in to house them in military accommodation that was previous expected to be destroyed.

Afghanistan was put on the UK's red list which means those coming from the war-torn country have to quarantine for ten days.

The are housed in hotels run by private security firm G4S and are not charged for their stay.

The PM has vowed to continue the evacuation following the 'barbaric' terrorist attack at Kabul airport that left dozens of people dead including US troops last night.

The Prime Minister said on Thursday the 'overwhelming majority' of eligible people have already been helped to flee the Taliban by the RAF and 'we are going to keep going up until the last moment' as the deadline rapidly approaches.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed two blasts occurred in a 'complex attack' outside Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Home Office officials are said to have looked at two of the company's six sites in England and Wales. Pictured: Afghans at Heathrow yesterday

A US general said gunmen from so-called Islamic State (IS) had opened fire on civilians, and the terror group later claimed responsibility for the atrocity, according to multiple reports, following earlier suggestions that Afghanistan splinter cell Isis-K was behind the attack.

Officials have said at least 72 people were killed, including 11 US Marines and one US Navy medic, and that more than 150 people were injured, including 15 US service personnel.

The Ministry of Defence said there have been no reported UK military or UK Government casualties.

After chairing an emergency Cobra meeting on Thursday, Mr Johnson said: 'I can confirm that there's been a barbaric terrorist attack, what looks like a series of attacks, in Kabul, on the airport, on the crowds at the airport, in which members of the US military, very sadly have lost their lives and many Afghan casualties as well.'

The Prime Minister told reporters in Downing Street that the evacuation programme would work 'flat out' according to 'the timetable we've got'.

'That's what we're going to do because the overwhelming majority of those who are eligible have now been extracted from Afghanistan,' he added.

US president Joe Biden addressed the American nation from the White House, and warned those responsible for the attack: 'We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

He vowed to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the blasts, which he blamed on the IS group's Afghanistan affiliate, saying there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban.

Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, told a news conference that IS gunmen had attacked civilians and that further attacks were likely.

The Prime Minister told reporters in Downing Street that the evacuation programme would work 'flat out' according to 'the timetable we've got'. Pictured: Afghans at Heathrow yesterday

The general said his 'working assumption' is that a suicide bomber approached US service personnel near the Abbey Gate of the airport, where there was then an explosion followed by gunfire directed at US military personnel and civilians.

He said another bomb went off in the vicinity of the Baron Hotel, where the UK has been processing Britons and Afghans eligible for evacuation after the Taliban seized control of the nation.

Gen McKenzie said: 'The attack on the Abbey Gate was followed by a number of Isis gunmen who opened fire on civilians and military forces.'

'The threat from Isis is extremely real,' he said, adding the US will continue its evacuation mission and that he does not expect any further US troops will be flown in to assist.

An official in Kabul said at least 60 Afghans were killed and 143 others wounded in the airport attack.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his group 'strongly condemns' the attack and alleged it happened in an area under US control.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps issued an aviation notice further advising airlines to avoid Afghan air space under 25,000 feet.

Armed forces minister James Heappey had earlier warned that there was 'very credible reporting' of an 'imminent' and 'severe' terror threat.

He had urged people queuing outside the airport to move to safety amid concerns surrounding the IS terror cell.

Alicia Kearns, a member of the foreign affairs and national security strategy committees, said there had been 'many hurt' in an attack near the Baron Hotel.

The Conservative MP tweeted: 'A bomb or attack with gun fire at northern gate of Baron's Hotel. Worried this will devastate evacuation - so many hurt. My heart is with all those injured and killed.'

A local witness told PA he heard the explosion by Kabul airport as he was walking to evening prayer.

Ahmad, whose name has been changed for security reasons, said he is safe as he was some distance from the blast.

'First was explosion, and then firing started, I mean... heavy gunfire,' he said. 'But even far away people were running... there's alarm.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the reports from Kabul were 'devastating', adding: 'Our thoughts are with all those killed and wounded, serving personnel supporting the evacuations and all those desperately trying to leave.'

The evacuation effort was already under extra strain after a warning on Wednesday night from the Foreign Office for UK nationals near the airport to leave and head for safety due to the 'ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack'.

Mr Johnson had vowed 'we'll do everything we can to get everybody else' before the deadline for British troops to depart in advance of the exit of US forces, after President Joe Biden refused his request to extend the time frame.

But the PM conceded that although the 'lion's share' of eligible Afghans have been removed from the country, 'there will be people who still need help'.

The US is providing security at Kabul airport, meaning other allied forces are expected to have to wind down their evacuation efforts and depart ahead of the Americans.

Mr Heappey had said eight RAF flights managed to lift 1,988 people from Kabul within the past 24 hours, taking the total since the Taliban began its march to power to 12,279.

Pontins has been approach for comment.
One of the most loathed criminals in Australian history is poised for release within weeks after spending more than half of his life in prison over 'horrendous' pack rapes.

Mohammed Skaf, 38, was jailed two decades ago for his role in a three week rampage where more than a dozen men including his ringleader brother Bilal violated young Sydney women in the lead up to 2000 Olympics.

Mohammed, then 17, led the pack-rape of an 18-year-old girl in August 2000, where the victim was sexually assaulted more than 40 times by 14 men, including himself, and taunted as an 'Aussie pig'.

Weeks earlier, Mohammed lured another teenage girl to a park in Greenacre where she was pinned down and raped by his railway worker sibling Bilal and another man, while up to 12 other men watched on.

Mohammad is now inching closer to the end of his jail sentence and looks increasingly likely to be released soon, despite parole authorities hearing earlier this year that Mohammed still blames his victims and remains a 'denier'.

The State Parole Authority heard on Friday that Mohammed is likely to be released on stringent parole conditions in the near future. Alternative prison day release programs have been cancelled due to Covid.

The Skaf gang cases sparked unprecedented community anger and revulsion at the time. Daily Mail Australia today republishes extracts of an insider account of the trials by the original sentencing judge, Michael Finnane QC.

Mohammed Skaf has been locked up for more than half his life over brutal pack rapes of young women in Sydney in August 2000

Skaf is still unrepentant about his crimes and still blames his victims. Above is an artist's impression of how he looked when appearing at his adjourned parole hearing in February

Railway worker Bilal Skaf was the ringleader of the gang of young Lebanese males who went on a gang rape rampage shortly before the 2000 Olympics. He remains behind bars

Michael Finnane, QC, has written a memoir called The Pursuit of Justice which includes a chapter on the notorious Skaf rape trials he presided over as a NSW District Court judge

Finnane is often asked about the Skaf case, sometimes by strangers, at social functions and on other unexpected occasions.

'What caused the unprecedented public interest in the Skaf trials, what set them apart from all other sexual assault trials, was the repeated attacks in a short time frame by a gang with a carefully planned strategy,' Finnane writes in his memoir, The Pursuit of Justice.

'These were not random attacks and, in my view, they were aimed at creating terror in the community.

'Sexual intercourse without consent must be the worst crime after murder, because it involves a person invading the body of another, usually violently. It is a crime that assaults human dignity.

'During the sentencing process at the end of the Skaf trials, I expressed the view that what this gang did was worse than murder. I continue to hold that view.

'What the Skaf gang did was to enable multiple men to defile and degrade four young women. None of these young women will ever forget their experience at the hands of this gang.'

Finnane has compared the Skaf gang's depravity to outrages committed by invading armies in times of war.

Bilal Skaf's brother, Mohammed Skaf, (pictured) was originally sentenced to 32 years in prison. He lured a 16-year-old girl he knew from school into being pack raped in August 2000

Mohammed Skaf, like his fellow rapists, never showed public remorse for his terrible crimes and is still a 'denier'

One of the young women pack raped by the Skaf gang speaks to the media after Mahmoud Chami was sentenced to 18 years' jail with a minimum term of 10 years in August 2002

'It seemed clear to me that these men were sending out a message to the community in Sydney,' he writes.

'Skaf and the members of this gang clearly wanted public recognition for what they had done.'

Finnane had been a judge of the New South District Court for a little more than a year when appointed to hear the Skaf gang trials, the first of which commenced on December 13, 2001.

On that day Bilal Skaf, Belal Hajeid and Mohammed Ghanem sat behind bullet-proof glass in the dock of a court room within Sydney's Downing Centre complex.

Prospective jurors were told the trial might last a month and would involve allegations that the three accused men, with several others, sexually assaulted two young women against their will.

Finnane told these citizens that evidence might come out showing that those on trial were Lebanese by origin but that was irrelevant to the question of whether they had committed any offence.

He told them they could expect there to be media publicity and that they should ignore anything they read outside court. There were other standard instructions then the trial began.

Former judge Michael Finnane, QC, has said of Bilal Skaf and his fellow pack rapists: 'Skaf and the members of this gang clearly wanted public recognition for what they had done'

The following is an edited extract of The Pursuit of Justice by Michael Finnane, QC:

THE FIRST TRIAL

All three accused were Australian citizens whose parents had come from Lebanon. The three of them lived with their parents in houses in the suburbs surrounding Bankstown. Bilal Skaf was the eldest and was about 21 years of age. Skaf was a small man, rather thin, with black hair and a sharp face. The other two were also fairly small, but with the sorts of faces that could easily be forgotten. Skaf clearly was the leader. His demeanour in the court room said that.

The two victims were schoolgirls who were wandering around a shopping centre at Chatswood on 10 August 2000 about nine o'clock at night. Skaf and the other two men made their acquaintance by speaking to them politely in the shopping centre. Skaf did all the talking and suggested a trip in a car and puffing some marijuana.

Apart from the three men I have indicated who were on trial, there was also in the car they were travelling in, which was a white van, a young man with an intellectual disability, fourteen years of age, who later pleaded guilty to a series of sexual assaults. I directed that he be known only as 'H', but his identity was not revealed in this first trial. Many months later he pleaded guilty to a series of sexual offences that included the events of this night.

There was another man, later identified as Y, who took part in the events on this night. He later pleaded guilty to some of the offences and when he did, I directed that he not be identified by his name. I had good reasons for doing this.

Another four men were in a red van that followed the white van. When they got into the white van, the two girls discovered the presence of the other two men. The identity of the four men in the red van has never properly been revealed. The two girls were unaware of the red van until sometime after the men in the white van conveyed them to a park at Greenacre some hours later.

A woman who was 18 when raped by the Skaf gang leaves the NSW District Court after the sentencing of Mahmoud Chami; she is supported by the Salvation Army's Major Joyce Harmer

Pack rapist Bilal Skaf, wearing orange prison overalls, hides his head between his knees as he is taken from the NSW Supreme Court after one of his sentencing hearings in July 2006

These two girls did not expect to be driven over the Harbour Bridge. They believed they would be driven around Chatswood, have a few puffs of marijuana and would then go home. They had hardly ever been over the Harbour Bridge and were quite concerned when that happened.

The people in the white van went through the city and stopped at a McDonald's in Stanmore. The girls in the car were very concerned at this point, but too scared to get out and run away. Skaf was talking on a mobile phone to other people in Arabic. This also caused these girls great concern. However, when the van finally stopped, it was at a park in Greenacre. The girls had no idea where they were and were obviously terrified. It was nearly midnight.

Bilal Skaf did most of the talking to the girls and called himself 'Adam'. He made and received most of the Arabic language phone calls, which were used to tell the men in the red van who he had with him and where they were going. He remained the dominant figure and was the person who directed everything that later happened on that night in the park at Greenacre.

In the park, each girl was dragged by the neck to a different part of the park and forced to let these men have oral sex with her. In other words, each man forced his penis into her mouth and ejaculated. Skaf used condoms and threw them on the ground. The gang also crash-tackled, punched and kicked these girls and stole items of jewellery that they had on them.

The men in the red van also sexually assaulted them in the same fashion, as well as punching them and kicking them. The two girls were then abandoned in the middle of the night in an area they did not know and forced to humiliate themselves by seeking assistance at around midnight from two people who were returning home from a social event.

Nine of the Skaf gang rapists who were convicted over crimes committed in western Sydney

The plan was to kidnap, degrade, sexually assault and humiliate. It seemed clear to me that these men were sending out a message to the community in Sydney. They wanted wide publicity.

The evidence of the two girls was probably sufficient in its own right to identify Bilal Skaf because he had many conversations with them on the night and he left a condom full of his semen in the park where he and others sexually assaulted these two girls. However, the victims' descriptions of the other men who attacked them were quite vague, as could be expected.

The trial was quite tense. Each girl was questioned by the Crown prosecutor first and then cross-examined by each of the counsel for the accused.

The evidence of the two girls was given in closed court hearings but I permitted the press to have access to the transcripts of the evidence on the basis that the names of the two girls were not revealed and no photographs were taken of them. I also prohibited the taking of any photographs of the accused, two of whom were on bail. The press was also prevented from providing any likenesses or descriptions of the accused or their racial origins.

Because the two complainants could only give vague descriptions of Hajeid and Ghanem, their counsel cross-examined the complainants to establish doubts about their identification. The complainants clearly identified Skaf, whose counsel suggested to each complainant that she had consented to having sexual intercourse with him.

Former District Court judge Michael Finnane believes pack rape gang leader Bilal Skaf (pictured) will remain a danger to the community; he originally jailed Skaf for a record 55 years

Each girl denied this and gave evidence that Skaf, and those with him in the white van, persistently put pressure on them to engage in oral sex in the van on the way to Greenacre. Each of them also denied agreeing at any time, in the van or in the park, to oral sex with these men and the men in the red van.

At the end of the Crown case, the case against Skaf looked strong, but the case against Ghanem and Hajeid looked weak because of the identification problems.

Bilal Skaf, however, elected to give evidence. Apart from denying that any offences had happened and claiming that the two girls consented to everything, his evidence also placed Ghanem and Hajeid at the park in Greenacre and confirmed that they also had taken part in sexual activity with the two girls. This surprising evidence was used by the Crown to bolster its case about identification. There was no doubt about Skaf's involvement because, apart from his own admissions, the DNA evidence linking him to the events was very clear. At no point, however, did he identify the men in the red van.

Another curious feature in the trial was Skaf's bold assertion that he was a man of good character. This meant that the Crown could seek my consent to cross-examine him to show that he was a man of bad character. He had convictions for offences of dishonesty and it was thus easy for the Crown to establish that he was a man of bad character. I gave that consent. Counsel for each of the other accused, as well as the Crown, then attacked Bilal Skaf in cross-examination, suggesting he was a liar. Thus, the Crown Prosecutor and the counsel for Hajeid and Ghanem joined forces to attack Bilal Skaf. Conviction of Skaf was inevitable.

Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen, SC, helped put the Skaf pack rape gang behind bars. Former judge Michael Finnane writes that Bilal Skaf was 'almost contemptuous' of Cunneen

Neither Ghanem nor Hajeid gave evidence and their cases were run on the basis that the girls could not identify them but that, of course, became very difficult for them when Bilal Skaf gave evidence that placed them at the park. They could not suggest the girls consented to sexual intercourse because they claimed not to have been there.

Skaf, through his counsel, suggested the two girls consented to everything that happened but that, of course, had difficulties since he not only sexually assaulted these girls, but those in the gang, including him, assaulted them and robbed them of their jewellery, their watches, their mobile phones and their money. There was also evidence that each of the accused and the men in the red van abused the girls, calling them 'sluts' and threatened retribution on them if either of them had VD or AIDS. Who could believe anyone would consent to being assaulted, robbed, abused and threatened?

When he gave evidence, Bilal Skaf was cocky in his manner and almost contemptuous of the Crown prosecutor. Frequently, whilst sitting in the dock, he clicked his fingers towards his counsel, summoning him over. He also clicked his fingers towards my court officers, ordering them to get him water. When they obliged, he crushed the foam cups and spread the debris onto the court floor. He acted throughout the trial as someone who wanted to be noticed. His co-accused on the other hand, were quiet and restrained in their manner.

Former District Court judge Michael Finnane has written: 'During the sentencing process at the end of the Skaf trials, I expressed the view that what this gang did was worse than murder'

A criminal trial commences with the Crown prosecutor calling evidence, after making a short opening address, then each of the accused in turn calls evidence in his case if he wishes to do so. In this case, only Bilal Skaf gave evidence. I cannot recall any other evidence being presented by him or on his behalf.

Following this, the Crown prosecutor made a closing address dealing with all aspects of the case and putting forward arguments as to why there should be convictions in each case. Counsel for each of the other accused addressed the jury then. Each of Ghanem and Hajeid's counsel put forward arguments that they had not been properly identified and were not present. I then summed up the entire case, dealing with all the evidence, all the arguments and the law that applied.

When I commenced the summing up, I said this: This is the twenty-first century since the birth of Christ; we are not in the nineteenth, eighteenth or seventeenth centuries. Whatever they might have done in those centuries, the law is now perfectly clear - any woman is entitled to refuse consent to sexual intercourse at any time. There is no concept in our law that there is a category of person called loose women who are deemed somehow to consent and certainly there is no law that merely because a young woman might give an indication that she was friendly with someone and didn't protest too much when they were laying hands on her that she therefore was consenting to anything. That is not the law.

Two victims, aged 17 and 18, were driven in a white van through the city and stopped at the McDonald's restaurant at Stanmore (pictured). They were too scared to get out and run away

I considered that I should say these words because it was important that the jury and anyone listening to the trial, including the accused, have a full realisation that a woman has to do nothing more than refuse consent. She does not have to fight to the death to protect herself from sexual assault. It was important that I told the jury this because each of the girls had certainly agreed to get in the white van.

I also told the jury that 'this is not a court of morals' and explained that they might not approve of the conduct of some of the participants because they thought they were acting immorally, but that was not the question at all. What they were asked to decide was whether these three men, or any one of them, had committed the criminal offences with which they had been charged and they could only decide the accused had committed those offences, or any of them, if they were unanimously satisfied of that beyond reasonable doubt.

I also told them to put out of their minds any religious or racial views they had. There was no evidence that any offences were committed because of religious or cultural or racial reasons and, in fact, there had been no mention of religion at any time in the trial.

I then had to give them quite complex directions about the facts in the trial and the law, which has its complexities. For example, I had to explain that sexual intercourse was not, as many people might think, only penetration of the vagina of a woman by the penis of a man, but extended to penetration of any part of the body of a person by any part of the body of another. So that putting a penis in the mouth of a woman, in law, was sexual intercourse. If the Crown proved to the satisfaction of the jury and beyond reasonable doubt that it was done without consent, then the Crown case on that charge was established.

Skaf gang member and rapist Mohammed Sanoussi is released from prison in October 2013

There were a series of instances of forced oral intercourse by each of the accused men and H, as well as Y and the men in the red van. Bilal Skaf was charged with every instance of forced sexual intercourse by anyone in the gang on the basis that he was an accessory before the fact to every crime and was just as responsible as the man who carried it out. This was also the position for the assaults and the robberies committed on the two victims. He was the gang boss and the organiser of everything that happened.

The jury considered this very carefully and were out considering their verdicts for a number of days but, when they came back, they convicted the three accused on all charges. I remanded all of them in custody. Until this point, Hajeid and Ghanem had been on bail.

At some time after this first trial began, I was informed that there were other trials involving the same men and other men in which kidnapping, forced sexual intercourse and other assaults were involved. I was the judge who dealt with these trials.

When the verdicts came in after the conclusion of this trial, I informed counsel that I would not sentence their clients until all trials concerning them had concluded. There was no application that I should do otherwise.

Convicted pack rapist Mohammed Ghanem was released from prison in December 2015

Mohammed Sanoussi (pictured) pleaded guilty to his role in the Skaf gang rapes in 2000

What made this trial startlingly different from most rape trials of which I was aware were four matters: 1. None of the accused or the victims had been drinking alcohol and none had been taking drugs, even though having marijuana was an inducement offered to the two girls. 2. This was a criminal conspiracy involving two groups of men, that was carefully coordinated by mobile phones. 3. It was obviously carefully planned and skilfully executed. 4. Sexual intercourse without consent was the principal crime contemplated and committed. The gang assaulted the two girls, by punching and kicking them and, of course, by dragging them across a park by the neck. They also robbed the girls. However, these crimes were of secondary importance.

THE SECOND TRIAL

The second trial had two accused only, Bilal Skaf and Mohammed Skaf, his younger brother. This trial concluded on 11 July 2002 and concerned events of 12 August 2000, only two nights after the attacks on the two girls from Chatswood.

At the time, Mohammed Skaf was still a schoolboy and attended the same school as the victim, to whom he was known as 'Sam'. They were quite friendly at school and he suggested that she come with him on a drive to go and look at the Harbour Bridge on a Saturday. Both Mohammed Skaf and the victim went and saw her mother and got her consent as the trip was going to be on a Saturday night. The girl was just sixteen years old.

Gang member Mahmoud Sanoussi (left) was convicted with his brother Mohammed (right)

Skaf gang members Mohammed (left) and Mahmoud Sanoussi (right) were jailed for pack rape

When the victim went to get into the car, however, she saw two other men there whom she did not know and did not expect would be there. It was about 9pm at this stage. Instead of taking her to the Harbour Bridge, Mohammed Skaf drove her to a park in Greenacre. All three men put pressure on her to agree to have sex with them but she refused. This went on for some time and eventually Mohammed Skaf used a mobile phone to summon his brother Bilal.

Bilal Skaf and up to eleven other men who were never identified, then turned up in a van sometime later. This large group of men got out of this van. Bilal Skaf was one of the people who then approached the victim whom he grabbed by the hair. He and the others who accompanied him then dragged the unfortunate girl to the middle of the park where they pulled of her clothes and proceeded to run their hands over her body. A number of the men penetrated her vagina with their fingers. Bilal Skaf raped her vaginally and another man, whom she could not identify, also raped her vaginally.

The victim managed to break free and run across the park to a telephone box. Meanwhile Bilal Skaf and others with him got into the van in which they had come to the park and drove around to the telephone box where one of them produced a gun and ordered her to get inside. By this time she was hysterical. Luckily, a man came around the corner, saw her plight and approached her. The men in the van departed quickly and the man took her to his flat, calmed her down and helped her call a friend who eventually came and took her home.

Belal Hajeid was part of the Skaf gang of teenagers who raped girls and young women in parks and public toilets in western Sydney during the build-up to the 2000 Olympic Games

Mohammed Skaf was charged, like his brother Bilal, with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent because he had arranged for the girl to be made available to his brother and others to have sexual intercourse with the victim. The evidence showed Mohammed Skaf to be a treacherous bully who betrayed the trust of the victim and made her, a sixteen-year old school girl, available to his brother and ten or eleven other men.

The young girl who was the victim of these rapes could identify Mohammed Skaf, whom she knew well. She was able to identify Bilal Skaf because he made a point of shoving his face close to hers and saying, 'I'm Sam's brother, Sam.'

Both of the Skafs were convicted. Evidence was presented to show the layout of the park, the positioning of lights and buildings in the park and evidence was given by the complainant that these events happened at night time.

THE THIRD TRIAL

In the third trial, the accused were Bilal Skaf, Mohammed Skaf, Mohammed Ghanem and Mahmoud Chami. This trial concerned violent sexual assaults on a young woman of 18 who was travelling home by train on an afternoon on 30 August 2000. She was reading a book of English literature, when a group of men led by Mohammed Skaf surrounded her and commenced to assault her indecently. After being indecently assaulted on the train, she was then forced off the train and was taken up the steps of the Bankstown railway station.

An 18-year-old woman was forced off a train at Bankstown station after being indecently assaulted by a group led by Mohammed Skaf. She was later raped 40 times by 14 attackers

The victim was taken from the station area and forced into public toilets where four men in this group sexually assaulted her, with one of them assaulting her twice. A mobile phone was then used by someone in this group to secure the attendance of another group who arrived in a car. The victim was then taken by car to a car park near the Bankstown Trotting Club where she was vaginally raped once and orally raped twice.

Then another car arrived with the offenders Chami and two other men, one man known as Nike Sam. When later interviewed, Chami claimed that Bilal Skaf told him, 'There's a slut at the Bankstown Trotting Club.' There was no doubt in my mind that when Chami and Hajeid arrived, they both knew that this unfortunate young woman had already been raped in the toilets at Bankstown and in a car in the car park at the Bankstown Trotting Club.

In this next car, the victim was repeatedly indecently assaulted, threatened with death when something that looked like a gun was held to her head and raped vaginally three times and orally five times. She was also raped vaginally by another man who also forced oral sex on her. Bilal Skaf again had vaginal sex with her.

Another car then pulled up which had in it, amongst others, Mohammed Skaf. The four men in this other car all raped this unfortunate young girl, who was then hosed down until she was soaking wet and forced out of the car that she was in near the Catholic Club at Lidcombe. Skaf and the members of this gang clearly wanted public recognition for what they had done. By this time, she had been kidnapped and raped vaginally, orally and anally more than forty times by fourteen men.

Pack rapist Bilal Skaf (left) was caught with a number of sick cartoons he had drawn in Supermax, including this depiction of his ex-girlfriend being raped at gunpoint (right)

The trial for these ofences was particularly horrifying. The young girl was subjected to extensive questioning by counsel for each of the accused and repeatedly it was suggested to her that she had consented to everything and/or was exaggerating or lying. I thought she was a particularly brave young woman who refused to give in to any of these suggestions. Her evidence was very powerful. In the witness box, she clutched a small doll in her hands and gave firm and clear evidence. Major Joyce Harmer of the Salvation Army was in court as a support person for her and I am sure this helped her greatly when she was giving evidence.

The same trial process occurred as happened in the first trial and during my summing up I made the same remarks about the entitlement of a woman to say no. Ghanem was convicted of various offences at this trial but was later acquitted by direction of the Court of Criminal Appeal, which ruled that certain evidence tendered by the Crown, and allowed by me to be given in the trial, should not have been admitted. This was evidence of incriminating phone calls between him and Chami. This then meant there was not sufficient evidence against him of identification. The complainant, who had been sexually assaulted by fourteen men something like forty times over four hours, could not identify him. Ghanem's convictions for his participation in the attacks that were the subject of the first trial, however, were confirmed.

Michael Finnane (far left) with the Salvation Army's Major Joyce Harmer, who supported rape victims during the Skaf trials. Major Harmer is next to her husband Major Hilton Harmer

When I came to reflect on the facts of this trial, I again found myself wondering what it was that caused Bilal Skaf and the others with him to behave in such a depraved and violent fashion against a completely helpless girl. As well as these men who went to trial, there were four other men who subsequently pleaded guilty to participating in this spate of sexual assaults. One of them was a fourteen-year-old boy with an intellectual disability who was known, following directions by me, as H, and two brothers, Mahmoud Sanoussi and Mohammed Sanoussi.

The last person to plead guilty was a friend of Mohammed Skaf. Those who pleaded guilty, were given lesser sentences than those who pleaded not guilty, because the law provided for this. If a person who is guilty, pleads guilty, anxiety and stress to the victims is removed and it is reasonable to give lesser sentences. The law provides that a discount of up to 25 per cent is appropriate to be given if the plea of guilty is given at an early time.

There were others who have never been brought to trial. The identities of the men in the red van on 10 August have never been established. Those accompanying Bilal Skaf on 12 August, perhaps ten, perhaps eleven men, have not been brought to trial and many of those involved in the horrific spate of sexual assaults on 30 August 2000 have not been brought to trial. In my view, all of these men remain a continuing threat to the Sydney community and particularly to young women.

Those involved in these crimes committed them between 10 August and 30 August 2000 on three separate occasions. Mobile phone technology was used on each occasion to coordinate the attacks, which were well planned and carried out with determination by young men, one as young as fourteen, the oldest being Bilal Skaf at twenty-one years of age.

Michael Finnane has written a memoir after leaving the New South Wales District Court

When I came to sentence Bilal Skaf, I sought submissions from his counsel who told me that he had a psychologist's report but was instructed by his client not to present it. It is a common matter during the process of sentencing criminal offenders that their counsel would present psychological evidence, sometimes psychiatric evidence and other evidence to create as strong a subjective case for the offender as could be presented. It came as a surprise to me that nothing was going to be presented to me by counsel for Bilal Skaf.

I pointed out at the time that he was likely to get the biggest sentence ever imposed for these sort of offences and surely he would want to present something to ameliorate his part in these crimes. His counsel acknowledged the force of what I had said but again said that he would be presenting no evidence. He put to me in submissions that the offences had taken place over a twenty-day period and I should impose a sentence that ensured his client spent no more than twenty years in jail. He agreed that his client showed no remorse and no contrition.

Bilal Skaf sat throughout the sentencing process looking as if he could not care less about any of it. His attitude was the same throughout the trial. Indeed, when he was being taken away after I imposed sentence on him, he turned to me and said, 'And I am innocent, you c***t!' This reflected his complete contempt for the court process and his rejection of any notion of contrition or remorse.

To my mind, the community deserved to be protected from Bilal Skaf for many years. I do not believe he will ever acknowledge the seriousness of what he did. He will remain a threat to the community.

Gang rapist Bilal Skaf pictured in Goulburn's Supermax prison with his mother Baria who was banned by prison authorities after she smuggled letters from her son out of the jail

Pack rapist Bilal Skaf, pictured with his mother Baria (in head scarf) at Goulburn's Supermax jail, was attacked by two other inmates in April 2015 and sustained 'serious facial injuries'

My sentence on him was substantially reduced by the Court of Criminal Appeal, which also reduced the sentences on some of the others involved, but not all of them. I have no intention of attempting to justify my sentences. My views on sentence were not those of the judges of the Court of Criminal Appeal, but their sentences prevail.

What is still difficult for me to understand is why this serious criminal conspiracy involving so many young men was launched. There was no obvious reason. Unlike many of the rape cases of which I am aware, there was no previous contact between any of the perpetrators and the victims, except for the second one in which Mohammed Skaf selected a sixteen-year-old from his school to be a victim. However, Bilal Skaf and the other actual rapist had never met her before. Why did the gang first of all go to a shopping centre at Chatswood? Why was the third victim plucked from a train?

The fact is that right up to the present, none of the perpetrators have ever said why they became involved in these crimes. They were an attack on society, but why? What was it that caused Bilal Skaf to carefully plan this series of attacks on young women in Sydney? Why did those who joined him, become involved? These are questions that will probably never be answered.

The Pursuit of Justice, published by New Holland Publishers, RRP $35, is available from all good book retailers or online at New Holland Publishers.
Parents are using Facebook and WhatsApp groups to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 - with some claiming they were able to get ten-year-olds jabbed.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds on Friday, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed teenagers will be eligible for GP clinic bookings from September 13.

But anxious parents managed to jump the queues at mass vaccination clinics in Sydney using booking links shared in Facebook and WhatsApp groups after the NSW Health website opened appointments hours before the new Pfizer approval.

Some parents claimed they were able to vaccinate children as young as ten by saying they forgot to bring their papers, reported News.com.au.

Pfizer is yet to be approved by the ATAGI for children under 12 years old.

Anxious parents use links shared in Facebook and WhatsApp groups to book in children as young as ten years old for Pfizer jabs (pictured, stock image)

Healthy school children aged 12-15 years old were approved for Pfizer by ATAGI on Friday and will be able to book an appointment from September 13 (pictured, mass vaccination hub at Sydney's Olympic Park)

Vaccination link exchanges were also circulating Facebook and WhatsApp groups at Sydney private schools with some securing a same day booking and other slots filled over the weekend, reported the news outlet.

The Federal Government announced healthy children aged between 12 to 15 years are able to receive the jab with Health Minister Greg Hunt urging parents to check eligibility criteria before booking.

'I would encourage all parents from September 13 to visit the eligibility checker and book your child in for their vaccination, so we can ensure all Australians are protected from COVID-19,' he said.

Previously the vaccine was only recommended for the age group if they were Aboriginal or had underlying conditions.

But health experts have since extended the age criteria with the expectation about one million children aged 12 to 18 years old will have access to the vaccine by the end of this year.

'We will allow that to commence and on 13 September people will be able to make those bookings,' Mr Morrison said.

Many Western countries including Canada and the US have been inoculating teenagers with Pfizer since May.

ATAGI is also likely to recommend the Moderna jab for this age group, although those plans are still being finalised.

Pfizer is the only vaccine currently registered for under 18s in Australia. Moderna and AstraZeneca are registered for over 18s.

The federal government announced the new vaccine rollout on Friday for 12 to 15 year olds to receive Pfizer from September 13 - with the expectation one million 12 to 18 year olds will have access to the jab by the end of this year

The announcement for the new age group from ATAGI came on Friday in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and minimise disruptions to face-to-face learning.

'Vaccinating adolescents is anticipated to contribute to a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the broader population,' said the medical regulator.

'Once a large proportion of adults are vaccinated, susceptible children and adolescents will account for a higher proportion of continued infections in the community contributing to transmission.

This comes as NSW students will begin returning to the classroom on October 25 - with all kids set to be back at school by November 8.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian continues to push ahead with opening up the state on the back of soaring vaccination rates, despite recording another 882 Covid-19 cases on Friday.

Schools will start returning to face-to-face learning from October 25 with Covid-19 vaccinations made mandatory for all staff from November 8.
Joe Biden is due to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for their first face-to-face talks at the White House on Friday.

Their meeting was postponed on Thursday after two ISIS suicide bombers at Kabul airport killed at least 103 people, including 13 US soldiers.

Bennett expressed his deepest condolences for the attacks and said Israel shared with the U.S. in its sorrow.

'On behalf of the people of Israel, I share our deep sadness over the loss of American lives in Kabul, Bennett said in a statement. Israel stands with the United States in these difficult times, just as America has always stood with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the United States.'

Biden and Bennett's meeting is aimed at resetting the tone of U.S.-Israeli relations and finding common ground on Iran despite differences on how to deal with its nuclear programme.

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will hold their first face-to-face meeting Thursday

The two leaders will try to turn the page on years of tensions between Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was close to former President Donald Trump, and the last Democratic administration led by Barack Obama with Biden as his vice president.

Bennett, a far-right politician who ended Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister in June, is expected to press Biden to harden his approach to Iran and halt negotiations aimed at reviving an international nuclear deal with Tehran that Trump abandoned.

Biden will tell Bennett that he shares Israel's concern that Iran has expanded its nuclear program but remains committed for now to diplomacy with Tehran, a senior administration official said.

In their conversation, Bennett is expected to push Biden to give up his quest to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

Ahead of his trip Bennett said he would tell Biden 'that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing' and not to reenter 'a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.'

But Biden has expressed his support for reviving the 2015 landmark deal brought about by the Obama administration but scuttled in 2018 by Donald Trump.

American indirect talks with Tehran have stalled, however, and Washington continues to keep sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, White House has said it plans to bring up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the two leaders met.

Bennett has said he will not allow a Palestinian state while he is in office. The Biden administration has expressed its support for a two-state solution that, by definition, includes an independent Palestinian state.

Yet the White House has held off reopening the U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, a move that is seen as a show of support for Bennett.

Bennett and Biden have never met - a rarity for the American president who knows most everyone thanks to his more than 40 years in politics. But they have spoken on the phone. Biden called Bennett two months ago shortly after he was sworn in as prime minister, replacing Netanyahu in office.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Willard Hotel on Wednesday

Bennett's visit comes as Biden is dealing with the forthcoming August 31st deadline to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan as the administration works to evacuate remaining Americans and their allies from that country.

The visit gives Biden an opportunity to demonstrate business as usual with a key partner while contending with the complex situation in Afghanistan. Biden's biggest foreign policy crisis since taking office has not only hurt his approval ratings at home but raised questions about his credibility among both friends and foes.

The Israeli PM met separately Wednesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss Iran and other issues. The visit is his first to the U.S. as prime minister.

Iran remains one of the thornier issues on the table ahead of the Oval Office meeting.

Trump's decision to withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal led Tehran to abandon over time every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment. The country now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 63%, a short step from weapons-grade levels, compared with 3.67% under the deal. It also spins far more advanced centrifuges and more of them than were allowed under the accord, worrying nuclear nonproliferation experts even though Tehran insists its program is peaceful.

The Biden-Bennett sit-down comes weeks after Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in as Iran's new president.

Raisi, 60, a conservative cleric with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has suggested he'll engage with the U.S. But he also has struck a hard-line stance, ruling out negotiations aimed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias - something the Biden administration wants to address in a new accord.

Administration officials acknowledged that Iran's potential 'breakout' - the time needed to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon - is now down to a matter of months or less.

Biden will tell Bennett that he shares Israel's concern that Iran has expanded its nuclear program but remains committed for now to diplomacy with Tehran, a senior administration official said.

Briefing reporters ahead of the meeting, the official said: 'Since the last administration left the Iran nuclear deal, Irans nuclear program has just dramatically broken out of the box.'

The official said that if the diplomatic path with Iran fails, 'there are other avenues to pursue,' but did not elaborate.

Bennett is also looking to turn the page from his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. Bennett wants to move on from Netanyahu's combative public style and instead manage disagreements constructively behind closed doors between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

President Joe Biden had strained relations with Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu - above the two men are seen together in 2016 when Biden was vice president

Netanyahu had a close relationship with Trump after frequently clashing with Barack Obama. Biden, who has met with every Israeli prime minister since Golda Meir, had his own tensions with Netanyahu over the years.

During his latest White House campaign, Biden called Netanyahu 'counterproductive' and an 'extreme right' leader.

Biden waited nearly a month after his election before making his first call to Netanyahu, raising concerns in Jerusalem and among some Netanyahu backers in Washington that the two would have a difficult relationship. The president called Bennett just hours after he was sworn in as prime minister in June to offer his congratulations.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal Jewish advocacy group J Street, said Bennett is intent on building a positive working relationship with the Biden administration.

But Ben-Ami, whose group supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, noted that the two leaders are out of sync on several issues in addition to Iran. Bennett opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and supports expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which Biden opposes.

Bennett, 49, the son of American immigrants to Israel, has been a vocal proponent of settlement building.
Copenhagen has overtaken Tokyo to be named as the safest city anywhere in the world in a new report - just pipping Toronto to the crown.

The research, which is published by The Economist every two years, previously ranked the Danish capital eighth overall, with Tokyo holding the top spot.

However, following the last two year period, in which the Covid-19 pandemic has gripped the world, Copenhagen has claimed this year's crown as the overall safest city in the world.

The study also ranked London as the joint 15th safest city in the world, tied with San Francisco.

Copenhagen (pictured) has overtaken Tokyo to be named as the safest city anywhere in the world in a new report

The research, which is published by The Economist every two years, previously ranked the Danish capital eighth overall, with Tokyo holding the top spot. Pictured: Toronto which was ranked second in the 2021 report

The report ranked the safety ratings of cities around the world based on five distinct categories: Digital Security, Health Security, Infrastructure Security, Personal Security and the newly incorporated Environmental Security.

Copenhagen outranked former leaders Tokyo in four out the five categories, with the Japanese capital only ranking higher on health security.

The Danish capital received an overall safety score of 82.4 and was closely followed by Toronto which was scored 82.2.

Despite this, the Danish capital only led the world one of the five categories - Personal Security.

When asked in the report about what makes Copenhagen such a safe city, lord mayor Lars Weiss said: 'One key factor that makes Copenhagen such a safe city is its low crime rate, currently at its lowest level in more than a decade. We focus greatly on early intervention with preventive initiatives.

The report ranked the safety ratings of cities around the world based on five distinct categories: Digital Security, Health Security, Infrastructure Security, Personal Security and the newly incorporated Environmental Security. Pictured: Singapore, which was named third safest city

Sydney (pictured), which ranked fourth overall, led the world when it came to Digital Security in the report

'Copenhagen is also characterised by great social cohesion and a relatively narrow wealth gap. It is a mixed city where both the cleaning assistant and the CEO meet each other at the local supermarket and have their kids in the same school.'

Despite this, the lord mayor did concede that the city still has a problem dealing with 'repeat youth offenders'.

Commenting on ranking Copenhagen as their safest city, the Economist wrote: 'Toronto and Copenhagen do noticeably better in the new environmental security pillar than do any of the top-three cities from earlier years.

'Copenhagen is definitely a worthy overall leader and Toronto a well-deserving runner-up, but as much because of long-term success in making residents secure as from any particular improvements in the last two years.'
New Zealand has seen its zero Covid policy crumble in recent days as the country registers a record number of new infections despite their draconian lockdown measures.

Authorities on Friday reported 70 new cases of Covid in the largest single day jump of the latest outbreak, all in the city of Auckland, with the total number of cases now at 347.

In response, Jacinda Ardern extended the nationwide lockdown until August 31, while the hardest-hit areas of Auckland and Northland will remain in level 4 lockdown beyond that date.

New Zealand had been largely virus-free, barring a small number of cases in February, but questions have been raised about the country's slow vaccination rollout and reliance on lockdowns amid rising cases.

Jacinda Ardern extended the nationwide lockdown until August 31, while the hardest-hit areas of Auckland and Northland will remain in level 4 lockdown beyond that date

The latest figures are the highest since last April last year when the record of 89 new daily cases was set

The latest figures are the highest since last April last year when the record of 89 new daily cases was set.

Ardern said the outbreak may be reaching a peak: 'We may be seeing the beginning of a plateau of cases, but caution is still required.'

Though the rest of the country except Auckland and Northland will move down to level 3 restrictions from September 1, this still means that businesses can only operate for online orders and contactless services, and bars and restaurants will remain shut.

Public venues will also remain closed, while the number of people at weddings and funerals are limited to 10 people.

'Yes, you might be able to order some food, but there is not a lot more in terms of freedoms,' Ardern acknowledged, before declaring that nearly 2 million people residing in Auckland and neighbouring Northland will remain in full level 4 lockdown, possibly for another 2 weeks.

Ardern's tough lockdowns and international border closure in March 2020 helped rein in Covid, but the government now faces questions over a delayed vaccine rollout, as well as rising costs in a country heavily reliant on an immigrant workforce.

Only 21% of the country's 5.1 million people has been fully vaccinated, the slowest pace among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping.

Covid cases in New Zealand reached near record levels on Friday despite the country's harsh lockdown measures

Though the rest of the country except Auckland and Northland will move down to level 3 restrictions from September 1, this still means widespread closures of businesses, restrictions on public gatherings and very little freedom of movement

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson said the lockdown extension was 'disappointing'.

'While the government absolutely has to weigh any decision-making with the impact on public health, the reality is that ongoing lockdowns cannot be part of our long-term future,' Watson said.

Opposition leader Judith Collins said earlier this week: 'At a time when New Zealanders have the harshest lockdown in the world and have lost our freedoms because of the government's failure to vaccinate and secure the border, [the lockdown extension] by Jacinda Ardern is unfathomable.'

Australian PM Scott Morrison, who has presided over similarly harsh lockdowns in response to relatively few cases, had said of New Zealand's approach: 'Any state and territory that thinks that somehow they can protect themselves from Covid with the Delta strain forever, that's just absurd.

'I mean, New Zealand can't do that. They were following an elimination strategy. They're in lockdown. The way through is to get to those 70 per cent and 80 per cent (vaccination) marks and open safely.'

People wait in line outside a vaccination clinic in the Bankstown suburb of Sydney which is experiencing record cases

New Zealand recorded another 70 community cases on Friday. Pictured: the normally busy Arras Tunnel lies empty in Wellington

Meanwhile, the Australian federal government looks to press states to stick to a national reopening plan once the country reaches a 70-80 percent vaccination rate, including a staggered back-to-school plan from late October.

Around 31 percent of people aged over 16 have been fully vaccinated, while 54 percent have had at least one dose.

The national cabinet, a group of federal and state leaders, meet on Friday to discuss the plans against a backdrop of concerns by some states given the persistently high daily infections in Sydney even after two months under lockdown.

New South Wales recorded 882 new cases, most of them in state capital Sydney, down from the record 1,029 on Thursday as officials struggle to quell the Delta outbreak.

An empty playground at Frank Kitts Park during level 4 lockdown in Wellington, New Zealand
Boris Johnson could grant permission for a second Scottish independence referendum if 60 per cent of Scots want one, a Cabinet minister has suggested.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has floated 60 per cent support as the potential threshold for the UK Government giving the green light to a re-run of the 2014 vote.

However, he insisted that such a level of support would have to be demonstrated in opinion polls 'over a reasonably long period' and stressed he does not believe the backing is there currently.

SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants a second independence referendum to take place during the early part of the new Holyrood parliament.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has floated 60 per cent support as the potential threshold for the UK Government giving the green light to a re-run of the 2014 vote

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly dismissed calls for a second vote on splitting up the UK

A recent Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times suggested that 48 per cent of Scots supported leaving the UK

Mr Johnson has repeatedly dismissed the SNP's calls, arguing the first vote was supposed to be a once in a generation event.

Following around six months of consistent polling showing majority support for separation last year - with one poll going as high as 58 per cent in favour - the tide has seemingly turned in 2021.

A recent survey by Panelbase for the Sunday Times published earlier this month found 48 per cent of the 1,287 respondents supported leaving the UK while 52 per cent were in favour of the Union.

Michael Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, suggested earlier this year that the PM could eventually soften his stance on holding another ballot.

He hinted Westminster would not stand in the way of a referendum if wanting to hold one was clearly the 'settled will' of voters.

Asked what he believed could constitute the 'settled will', Mr Jack told Politico: 'If you consistently saw 60 percent of the population wanting a referendum  not wanting independence but wanting a referendum  and that was sustained over a reasonably long period, then I would acknowledge that there was a desire for a referendum.'

However, he stressed 'thats not where we are and its not how I perceive things to be'.

Mr Jack said he believed he has the same view as the public which is that 'now is not the time to be having a referendum'.

Mr Johnson's most recent rejection of holding a second referendum came earlier this month when he said another vote is 'not top of my agenda'.

The PM made clear during a visit to Scotland that he had no desire to give the green light to major constitutional upheaval.

He said his priority was for the whole of the UK to continue 'bouncing back together' from the coronavirus crisis.
A comedian wrongly accused of appearing in a government vaccination ad has debunked claims by anti-vaxxers that the hospitalised patients are paid actors.

Mitch Garling shared a screenshot of the conspiracy theory with his fans on Friday, saying: 'People keep sending me this. Apparently I'm an actor pretending to have Covid.'

'This isn't me. I don't have Covid.'

Earlier this week NSW Health released the confronting video filmed by Concord Hospital respiratory specialist, Dr Lucy Morgan, featuring three young Sydneysiders telling their stories.

The clip features construction worker Fawaz Dandan, 50, pharmacy worker Ramona El-Nachar, 30, and tradie Osama Ahmad, 35, explaining how the illness has floored them and pleading with Australians to get vaccinated.

Ramona El-Nachar (left) is a pharmacy worker featured in the NSW Health video. Some anti-vaxxers have falsely claimed she is really actress Ramona Rose Khoury (right)

A TikTok account pushing conspiracy theories on Thursday falsely claimed to have exposed the vaccine video as a lie.

The TikTok user claimed Ms El-Nachar was actually an actress named Ramona Rose Khoury and called Concord Hospital asking to speak to Ms Khoury, only to be told there was no-one there by that name.

He used this as 'evidence' the ad was fake, when in fact it proved nothing as he asked for the actor he baselessly claimed was in the video rather than the real patient in hospital.

Conspiracy theorists also claimed that tradie Mr Ahmad was actually Mr Garling - a Sydney actor and comedian.

'I started getting a bunch of messages calling me a sell out and a piece of sh*t which doesn't happen that often so I looked into it,' Mr Garling said in a post to Instagram.

Mr Ahmed (left) was in Concord Hospital with the disease but conspiracy theorists falsely claimed he was really Sydney comedian Mitch Garling (right) who took to Instagram to call the claims 'nonsense'

Anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists have been desperately scouring actor profiles online to try and find people who look similar to those in the video

'I found out people are using my StarNow profile and saying that I am an actor sitting in a hospital pretending to have Covid,' he said.

'Look I am an actor... but I've never pretended to have Covid - he doesn't even look like me, he has a beard that's it. It doesn't make any sense.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia Mr Garling said he was shocked at the claims he was in the video has not been anywhere near a hospital recenlty.

'My hair alone proves that's not me, it's grown very long working from home and that guy's hair is short. You can see that in posts I've put up this week. It would be impressive if my hair grew that long in a matter of days.'

'I think people pushing these conspiracy theories are just grabbing onto anything they can to cause drama.'

The video from the Sydney Local Health District of NSW Health was released on Wednesday as more than 1000 NSW residents fight for their lives in hospitals across the state, with 117 being treated in overwhelmed Covid intensive care units by Friday.

The ad sparked a flood of desperate posts from conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers.

'Paid actors u should be ashamed of yourselfs (sic),' one person wrote to Facebook.

'Seriously, can not believe you think we are that bloody stupid! All three are paid actors, and yes there is evidence to show this if needed,' another person said who did not provide any evidence.

'Paid actors it's been proven what a joke! Stop believing the government and the news, all the people fearing it please open your eyes,' added a third.

'How is it that these people can't have visitors but a reporter has unlimited access to these patients?' a fourth said.

In the ad, Mr Fawaz is filmed 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.'

Mr Fawaz had been booked in to get the Pfizer jab for October, before being struck down before the appointment.

Ms El-Nachar 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.'

Ms El-Nachar 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'.

'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.'

Mr Fawaz is filmed lying face-down barely able to speak in his hospital bed. 'Today I am really bad: my fever, my headache, my breathing,' he said

Ms El-Nachar 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'.

'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.'

Concord Hospital respiratory physician Associate Professor Lucy Morgan (pictured) said many of her Covid patients had stories of misinformation prior to falling ill

Osama, 35, 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.

The video was filmed by Dr Morgan who works treating the patients in Concord Hospital.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sydney Local Health District, NSW Health and Dr Morgan for comment.

The video is from the Sydney Local Health District at Concord Hospital in Sydney (pictured)
Advertisement

Parents are demanding they are given the final say on whether children get vaccinated against Covid at school in the coming weeks.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday revealed parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teenagers could still receive a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead  but claimed such a scenario would be extremely rare.

Campaign groups have hit back at the plans to push through the inoculation drive to school pupils, claiming that children could be 'peer-pressured' into making 'inappropriate' decisions.

NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term.

And Whitehall insiders say Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the Joint Committee for Vaccination's (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs  delay in approving plans.

The controversy reached boiling point today when actor Laurence Fox claimed he would remove his and ex-wife actress Billie Piper's children from school if parental consent is not required for jabs.

Scientists have been at war for months over whether to push ahead with expanding the rollout, with many experts claiming it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months.

Professor David Livermore, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline natural infection could be a 'a better first step in the lifelong co-existence' with the virus than rolling out the jabs.

Meanwhile, An Israeli study today suggested natural immunity from previous Covid infection could offer stronger protection against the Indian 'Delta' variant than immunity from full vaccination.

Britain's national roll out has already inoculated almost nine in ten adults in the country

Latest Public Health England data showed Covid cases are rising fastest among 10 to 19-year-olds (green line). The second highest infection rate was in 20 to 29-year-olds (yellow line), but this had fallen compared to the previous week. Approving Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds will help curb the spread of the virus in the age group

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured) yesterday said parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teens could be given a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead

Laurence Fox drags his kids into anti-vaxx row: Actor says he'll BAN he and Billie Piper's boys from school Laurence Fox, who shares two sons with former wife, actress Billie Piper, 38, says he will educate them at home instead. Pictured: The couple with one of their children as a baby in 2008 Laurence Fox says he could remove his children from school because of his opposition to the Governments Covid vaccination programme. Fox, 43, who played Sergeant Hathaway in ITV detective series Lewis, has two sons with his former wife, actress Billie Piper, 38. Fox says he will educate them at home rather than let them be vaccinated without his consent. Every parent who loves their children should resist this insanity, said the actor-turned-political campaigner. I will not be sending my kids back to school. I will educate my kids at home from now on. 'The rushed vaccination of children, for no reason whatsoever, shows how deeply morally corrupt this regime has become. 'I look forward to reading with them at home and staying the hell away from the authorities. Advertisement

Parental rights organisation UsForThem, which was founded in May 2020 following the decision to close schools during lockdown, said it had been flooded with calls from parents worried they would have no say in vaccination.

Molly Kingsley, UsForThem's co-founder, told the Telegraph: 'Yes you have to ask for parental consent, but this begs the question of what is going to happen if consent is withheld?

'This is profoundly murky and it shatters any remaining trust parents have in the Government.

'It strikes me that given the uncertainty about whether a 12-year-old is competent to consent, there are serious liability issues for schools that press ahead with this on school premises.'

She added: 'Medical procedures rely on informed consent. Asking children to make a decision of this magnitude is totally inappropriate.'

School leaders have also voiced their concerns about how the rollout would go ahead without parental consent.

Steve Chalke, founder of a trust that runs 50 schools around the country, said children being allowed to override their parents' wishes would be 'highly contentious'.

And general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers Paul Whiteman said the responsibility to choose whether children should be vaccinated should not be in schools' hands.

He said decisions on 'promotion, enforcement or policing' of vaccines should be left to medical professionals and not thrust into the hands of teachers.

UK Medical Freedom Alliance, a group of health professionals and academics, has drawn up a template legal letter from parents to schools informing them consent has not been given for their child to be vaccinated.

The group  which campaigns for informed consent for vaccines  says vaccinating without consent 'may be considered unlawful and potentially assault' in the letter.

And actor-turned-activist Mr Fox said he would start home-schooling his children if consent is not required for vaccination.

But the education secretary has continued to insist parents will be given consent, despite officials admitting the opposite yesterday.

Mr Williamson told ITV news: 'Parental consent will always be sought.

'If JVCI do reach a decision that children should be able to receive a vaccine, parental consent would always be asked before they receive that vaccine.'

He added: 'It would be reassuring for parents to have that choice as to whether children would be able to have that vaccine but it always has to be based upon parental consent.'

Ministers are reportedly concerned that the UK is at risk of becoming an 'outlier' as other nations, such as Germany, France, Spain and the US, push ahead with giving jabs to children.

But the JCVI has yet to give a green light to the plans to move on the rollout.

It claims the small risk of side effects may still outweigh the benefit due to the fact young children are very unlikely to be badly ill with Covid.

The body's current advice is that children in the age group should only be given a jab if they have particular health conditions which put them at increased risk from the disease.

The delay has prompted frustration within Government, according to The Times.

Speaking of the official frustration over the MHRA's caution, a senior official source said: 'Boris wants to crack on with it. Everyone wants to get on with it.

Latest estimates from a symptom-tracking app suggested under-18s had the second highest number of Covid cases in the country (blue line). Only 18 to 35-year-olds had a higher number of Covid cases (orange line). The data is from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study

Natural immunity from Covid infection could be stronger than vaccination in protecting against Delta variant Natural immunity from previous Covid infection may offer stronger protection against the Indian 'Delta' variant than immunity from full vaccination, a new study suggests. Researchers compared people who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine to unvaccinated individuals who had recovered from the virus. They found that participants with natural immunity were up to 13 times less likely to contract Covid than those who were given two jabs. The team, from Maccabi Healthcare and Tel Aviv University note that their study  which has not yet been peer-reviewed  has many limitations including the more highly transmissible Delta variant being dominant at the time and participants not being required to be tested. The study looks at breakthrough infections and does not discourage vaccination with a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finding unvaccinated people still have five times as many Covid infections and 29 times as many hospitalisations as those who've had their shots Advertisement

'We're increasingly an outlier, there's frustration with the JCVI. It's like a black box, nobody knows what's going on in there.

'One small organisation is hindering the entire vaccination programme. We're at risk of losing the gains we've made in vaccinating people.'

But a source within the organisation said the scientists would not be 'bounced' by politicians into speeding up the process.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's jabs have been linked to myocarditis, a rare heart problem believed to affect around one in 20,000 young people.

But Britain's medical regulator, the MHRA  separate from the JCVI  has already said that both vaccines are safe and effective for 12 to 15-year-olds.

It means that ministers are only now waiting for the JCVI's scientists to make a decision.

Despite the need to wait for the JCVI's decision the NHS has drawn up plans to offer Covid vaccines to children aged between 12 and 15 when schools return in September.

On Wednesday, NHS England bosses told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time.

Figures show that, despite schools being out for summer, secondary-aged children are fuelling the third wave of infections along with older teens and young adults. There are fears there could be an explosion in cases when classrooms go back next week.

Leaked emails reveal NHS trusts in England have until 4pm on Friday to have plans in place for the rollout in children.

All 16 and 17-year-olds are already being invited for the Pfizer vaccine and don't need permission from a parent or guardian to get one.

But only under-16s who live with vulnerable people or who have immune weaknesses themselves are being invited at present.

On Thursday, some experts called on No10's top scientists to approve vaccinations for teenagers, warning that the Delta variant would 'fly through schools'.

But others said they were 'right to be cautious' about vaccinating over-12s.

This chart shows the Covid infection rates by age groups in England over the last three months. A darker colour (purple and blue) means an age group has a higher infection rate, while a lighter colour (yellow and green) means it has a lower infection rate. Latest data reveals that 15 to 19-year-olds have the highest Covid infection rate in England at 929.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in 107 being infected

Risk of blood clots 'much higher' from Covid infection than AstraZeneca's vaccine, major UK study finds BBC radio presenter Lisa Shaw (pictured above), 44, died at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in the city just over three weeks after her first dose of the vaccine, heard coroner Karen Dilks The risk of blood clots is 'much higher' in people who catch Covid compared to those who get a Covid jab, a major UK study has found. Britain, like several other countries in Europe, currently does not give the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 40 after it was linked to clotting disorders in the spring. But the latest Oxford University study suggests the risk from clots is higher from the virus itself than the British-made vaccine. In the biggest study of its kind, researchers looked at the medical records of 29million people in England who had either tested positive or had a vaccine by April. Among those who caught Covid, 12,614 per 10million suffered blood clots in a vein who would not have otherwise developed the condition. Whereas the risk among those given the AstraZeneca vaccine was significantly lower at 66 per 10million. For Pfizer's vaccine  which uses a different technology to AstraZeneca's jab  the researchers did not spot any links between the jab and a clotting complication. The latest findings suggest that countries with scare resource that are still restricting use of AstraZeneca's vaccine should turn to the jab which has saved thousands of lives in the UK alone. It comes after a coroner yesterday concluded BBC presenter Lisa Shaw died due to complications from the AstraZeneca vaccine in what is believed to be the first time a Covid jab has officially been ruled the underlying cause of death in the UK. The otherwise healthy 44-year-old, who worked for BBC Radio Newcastle, died in May after developing headaches following her first dose of the British-made vaccine. Advertisement

Scientists pushing back against the move argued it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes within months.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is not being recommended for under-40s in Britain because it has been linked to very rare blood clots.

NHS England's regional offices emailed trusts yesterday to tell them to draw up the plans, reports The Telegraph.

They were told to have the plans ready by 4pm on Friday, and be able to roll out the first doses to the age group from September 6 when schools return.

Emails revealed the aim is to inoculate three quarters of 12 to 15-year-olds by the date November 1.

They also say children should be deemed 'Gillick competent to provide own consent' over jabs. This refers to a legal decision in 1985, which ruled that a teenage girl could obtain contraception without her parents' involvement.

The JCVI has previously insisted there is not enough data to support a roll out in this group. But the newspaper reports further research on this is about to be published.

The top committee has been showing signs that it could approve vaccines for secondary school children.

In July, they said: 'The minimal health benefits of offering universal Covid vaccination to children do not outweigh the potential risks.'

But just two weeks later deputy chief medical officer and committee member Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it was 'more likely, rather than less likely' that jabs would be offered to 12 to 15-year-olds.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: 'No decisions have been made on vaccinating 12-15 year olds and it is inaccurate to suggest otherwise.

'Ministers have not yet received further advice from the JCVI on this cohort. We continue to plan for a range of scenarios to ensure we are prepared for all eventualities.'

There are more than 2.6million children aged 12 to 15 in England, according to population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Latest Department of Health data showed 15 to 19-year-olds in England had the highest Covid infection rate in the country at 929.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in 107 being infected.

Children aged 10 to 14 had the fifth highest infection rate at 354.2 per 100,000, or one in 282.

The Department of Health has split the population into 19 different age groups to help monitor Covid infections. People aged 20 to 24, 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 had a higher infection rate than 10 to 14-year-olds.

Separate estimates from Health data science company ZOE showed there are almost 16,000 Covid cases a day among under-18s, the second highest rate in Britain.

Professor Tim Spector, a top epidemiologist who leads the app, said it was likely cases would continue to rise, especially when schools return.

It is not clear whether NHS Trusts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also been asked to draw up plans to vaccinated secondary school children.

But all four nations follow advice from the JCVI on which age groups should receive the Covid vaccine.

Covid cases in Scotland have spiked to new highs after schools returned last week. Today there were 4,925 cases, up almost 50 per cent on the previous week. There were 3,613 on Friday compared to 1,542 the previous week

100,000 AstraZeneca doses could be thrown away because they are close to expiry Around 100,000 AstraZeneca Covid vaccine doses could be thrown away because they are close to expiry, it has been revealed. Leaked emails show NHS plans to collect excess doses from GPs have been 'seriously delayed', meaning jabs could expire by the end of the week. A doctor told GP magazine Pulse Today: 'This risks at least tens of thousands of doses being thrown in the bin, if not more than 100,000 nationally.' Doctors in Frimley, Kent and Medway, Surrey Heartlands, Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire, Southampton and the Isle of Wight have been told spare doses will be collected in the 'second "mop-up" round', meaning they could expire. The email said: 'The plan is in place and ready to go but has unfortunately been held up by ministers at Government level. 'It is of great disappointment to all concerned that we are still waiting for an update on when this will take place.' Advertisement

It also not clear whether 12 to 15-year-olds could be offered two doses should the JCVI recommend they are vaccinated. Currently 16 to 17-year-olds are only being offered one jab.

The JCVI is coming under pressure to approve Covid vaccines for over-12s from some scientists.

Professor Devi Sridhar, a global public health expert at Edinburgh University, said 12- to 15-year-olds should be offered the vaccine 'urgently' with the Delta variant set to 'fly through schools'.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think right now, if we know the options with Delta, given how infectious it is, is that either you're going to be exposed to Covid without any protection or you can be exposed and have a vaccine.

'And we should be offering teens that vaccine so they have that protection before going back to schools.'

She added that the JCVI were being 'very cautious', which was costing the country valuable time.

'They're waiting and watching and I guess the issue with a pandemic is that waiting and watching costs time,' she said.

'And time is the currency now that matters because it's not like we can wait and watch and in six months say 'OK, it's safe, let's vaccinate'.

'In those six months if a large percentage of 12 to 15-year-olds get infected, in some ways they've lost that window of time and so I think perhaps they don't feel the urgency that they should be feeling given it's an emergency situation and we have Delta, which is so infectious. I mean, it's just flying through schools as we know.

'But not just here, Germany, Denmark, even places like New Zealand and Australia are struggling with Delta compared to the original virus.'

But others have questioned whether moving the rollout onto children would be in children's best interest.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said the risks of side effects currently outweighs the dangers posed by Covid itself for most children.

And Professor Livermore told MailOnline: 'It is clear that the vaccine-mediated protection wanes significantly within four to six months. Even government advertising acknowledges this.

'On the other hand, reinfection remains rare among those infected in the first wave, over a year ago.

'Accordingly it is plausible - not proven - that natural infection will give children a better first step in the lifelong co-existence that we all are now going to "enjoy" with this now endemic virus.'

He continued: 'There is no direct reason to vaccinate children and adolescents against Covid. They are extremely unlikely to suffer severe disease if infected.

'Rare but serious side effects have been associated with the vaccines, including blood clots and myocarditis. For older adults and the vulnerable, these are small hazards compared with those from Covid infection, and being vaccinated is obviously prudent.

'But for children the risk/benefit ratio is far less clear, and may reverse. The JCVI initially were against vaccinating children on this logic and have provided no clear reason for a change of view.'

'Taking these three points together I can see no good reason to vaccinate under-18s, let alone 12-year-olds.'
Detectives looking for Claudia Lawrence began searching in gravel pits and a fishing lake following an environmental survey commissioned by church landowners.

The area in Sand Hutton, eight miles from the missing chef's York home, was the subject of an investigation of terrain and surroundings around two years ago.

Its results are understood to have been passed to relevant authorities and this week police search teams arrived at the site unannounced.

The rights to use the land is currently held by the York & District Amalgamation of Anglers, who fish in the pits, which are now filled with water.

A source told MailOnline: 'Police arriving at the land came as a complete surprise to everyone outside of the force.

'It came after an environmental survey was announced for the area a few years ago.

'What has come out of that has come as a shock to everyone.'

North Yorkshire Police has consistently refused to explain what sparked the search of the land this week.

Police continued their search today in the woodland and the lake in Sand Hutton

Officers used large sticks to bring back leaves and grasses to look for any clues

The police searches started earlier this week with no announcements before officers arrived

Machinery pumps have been used to filter out the lake to make it easier to look for clues

Claudia Lawrence failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009

It today again did not respond to a request for a comment when contacted by MailOnline.

The Church of England said it was unable to provide any further information but confirmed it was working with the force.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'The Church Commissioners for England have been made aware of police activity which is taking place at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, Yorkshire.

'Whilst we are unable to say how long this activity may last, the Commissioners will continue to support North Yorkshire Police with their requirements and apologise for any disruption caused.'

A spokesman for the amalgamation of anglers said: 'The Trustees of York & District Amalgamation of Anglers have been made aware of the ongoing police investigation at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits and are thoroughly co-operating with all organisations involved.'

Miss Lawrence was reported missing after she failed to arrive for work at the University of York on March 18, 2009.

The police's sudden interest in the area at Sand Hutton to the east of York could only have been sparked by new information, a friend told MailOnline on Wednesday.

Specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are expected to spend days at the site.

The fishing spot near York, is being searched by police investigating the suspected murder

Police divers are currently searching the waters at a fishing lake at Sand Hutton in an effort to crack the 12-year-old case

Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International, a diving forensic team not involved in this search, told MailOnline it appeared as if they were trying to displace silt and debris on the lake floor.

He said: 'I think what they are doing is using a suction dredge that will remove gravel and leaf mould from the pit by sucking it to the surface where is passes through a mesh to enable the forensic teams to look for any evidence.

'This suction dredge is controlled by a diver on the bottom in a specific grid pattern so nothing is missed.

'They will also be conducting fine fingertip searches over the same area and using underwater metal detectors for items of jewelry and other evidence.

'I would imagine they are searching with some very good intelligence.'

On Wednesday Martin Dales, a friend of Miss Lawrence's 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.

'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.'
Emmanuel Macron has promised the EU will always back Ireland in a rumbling row with the UK over post-Brexit border rules.

The French President said during a visit to Dublin that 'we will never let you down' and 'we will stand by you'.

He also insisted that the bloc will 'make sure' that the UK complies with the Northern Ireland Protocol as he fired a warning shot at Boris Johnson.

Emmanuel Macron has promised the EU will always back Ireland in a rumbling row with the UK over post-Brexit border rules

Boris Johnson wants the EU to renegotiate the Northern Ireland Protocol but the bloc is refusing to budge

Mr Johnson wants to renegotiate the protocol after it caused disruption to trade and inflamed community tensions.

But the European Commission has repeatedly ruled that out and said while the rollout of the protocol could be improved, all changes must be within the parameters of the already agreed framework.

Under the protocol, Northern Ireland remains in the customs territory of the UK  but customs checks and controls are applied to goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

This is because under the terms of the Brexit deal Northern Ireland remains effectively in the EU's single market for goods.

Mr Macron issued a warning to the UK that it needs to commit fully to all aspects of the trade deal agreed last year.

At the same time, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he hoped that there was enough 'political will' to solve the outstanding issues between the EU and the UK.

Mr Macron was in Dublin for a one-day visit yesterday, during which he met with the Taoiseach for talks.

Mr Macron said that the EU will ensure that the UK sticks to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said: 'We will make sure that the agreements signed after very lengthy negotiations will be complied with, when it comes to fisheries or some well-known protocols.'

At the end of June, the UK and the EU agreed a three-month extension to a grace period on chilled meats entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The French President met with rish Taoiseach Micheal Martin in Dublin for talks yesterday

The ceasefire came after the UK had threatened to unilaterally extend the grace period if Brussels refused to budge.

The protocol has been a source of contention in Northern Ireland  with unionist leaders calling on the agreement to be scrapped or renegotiated.

Mr Macron said that Ireland would never be let down by France or the EU when it comes to Brexit.

He said: 'From the beginning of the British referendum, Europe has been united and stood in solidarity. It will remain united.

'It is an existential for the solidarity and unity of the European Union. We will never let you down.'
Boris Johnson will only reimpose coronavirus restrictions if the number of deaths is heading for more than 50,000 a year, it was claimed today.

The Prime Minister has reportedly privately accepted that there could be 30,000 or more Covid-19 deaths in the next 12 months.

Government advisers told the i newspaper that they believed an acceptable level of deaths had been set at approximately 1,000 a week.

Downing Street has outright rejected the claim, insisting: 'There is no set number of acceptable deaths from Covid. This claim is categorically untrue.'

Boris Johnson will only reimpose coronavirus restrictions if the number of deaths is heading for 50,000 a year, it was claimed today

The newspaper said two Government advisers believed a cost-benefit analysis would be used by ministers to determine at what point curbs should be introduced.

One source told the newspaper: 'The Prime Minister is minded to implement another lockdown or new restrictions only if the figure of annual deaths looks like it's going to go above 50,000.'

The claims came after another 140 coronavirus deaths were recorded yesterday as infections and hospital admissions crept up again.

Yesterday's death toll marked a 24 per cent rise on last Thursday and means the country is now averaging 110 virus fatalities every day  the highest in five months.

There were also another 38,281 infections in the past 24 hours across Britain, an increase of nearly five per cent on the previous week, according to the Government's Covid dashboard.

Latest hospital data showed there were 818 patients admitted with the virus on August 22  a small 1.7 per cent rise week-on-week.

A fierce debate has been raging for months over what level of deaths from coronavirus should be viewed as tolerable.

Independent experts warned in June that achieving zero Covid deaths was 'impossible'.

Experts have previously suggested that the UK should focus on reducing annual coronavirus deaths to similar levels as the flu

They said the focus should be to bring deaths down to levels comparable with flu  which kills roughly 17,000 people in England annually and up to 50,000 in a bad year.

That sentiment was hinted at by ministers who said when the final restrictions were lifted that the UK will have to learn to live with the virus.

Michael Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, said at the time that while ministers need to do 'everything we can to protect people', it was important for the public to 'accept' that there would continue to be Covid deaths after rules were eased.
Furious Scots have blasted tourists visiting the country's version of Route 66 as huge campervans hog streets and owners defecate 'on the side of the road'.

Locals slammed visitors for ruining the scenic 516-mile route from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh while they are on staycation.

They claimed travellers are 'clogging up the road' while others take part in 'outdoor toileting' in unofficial places.

One female camper appeared to have been caught short and fouled in a bin on a site in Sutherland.

The woman hovered over the rubbish as she left her deposit - despite public toilets being just 500m away.

Locals slammed visitors for ruining the scenic 516-mile route from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh while they are on staycation. Pictured: One female camper appeared to have been caught short and fouled in a bin on a site in Sutherland

Locals slammed visitors for ruining the scenic 516-mile route from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh while they are on staycation

The North Coast 500 goes around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle.

The route is also known as the NC500 and was launched in 2015, linking many features in the north Highlands of Scotland in one touring route.

The attraction scooped Travel magazine's Value For Money Award 2018, less than three years after it first launched.

But livid locals have had enough and blasted visitors for making their life a misery, with huge traffic jams and reports of people going to the loo in public places.

Writer and blogger Gale Brown said she was worried about the tourism boom in the area.

The North Coast 500 goes around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle

She told Today: 'I absolutely understand why people want to come and do the route. It's a beautiful area.

'I think one of the issues that we're feeling locally is that there has been a lot of promotion of the route but that hasn't really been backed up with infrastructure.

'So things like toilets and and bins and so on. There has been a bit of an inappropriate disposal of motor home waste, camp fire remains, there's been human waste left around sometimes, outdoor toileting...'

A man, who did not want to be named, added: 'Horrendous. The amount of campervans, the amount of traffic... I think it's clogged up too much.'

Meanwhile Geoff, who has run a chip van in John O'Groats for 15 years, welcomed visitors.

He told the Today programme: 'It's become like one of those things you put on a bucket list.

'I think NC500 has brought extra tourism to places that haven't expected the boom that it has brought.'

Earlier this month the woman in Kinlochbervie, Sutherland, was pictured going to the toilet on a bin.

Locals watched on in horror as she continued the act despite being 500m away from the loo.

Margaret Meek, 70, told the Sun: 'It's not the first time. The community has a small campsite with campervans and five service pitches, it's been there since 2016.

'These people came and parked up at the pier and decided to poo and pee. There are toilets 500m from where they were doing their business - and 2ft away there are signs.

'It's the final straw. It's been observed more than a few times. In the last couple of weeks, six people were seen coming off a yacht up onto the pier and doing their business.

'And not too far away from here a group of motorcyclists camped a couple of weeks ago when they left next to their campsite was their poo and toilet paper.'

She added: 'This is where people take their children to the water and it's really near to the shop.'

Despite the mixed reactions to the forming of the route, travel experts have hailed it as positive for Scottish tourism.

Despite the mixed reactions to the forming of the route, travel experts have hailed it as positive for Scottish tourism

Travel magazine previously said: 'When it comes to the crucial ''stop-and-get-out-scenery-per-'kilometre' ratio, Scotland's circuitous route of its Highland coastline proves you don't need a pricey trip to the States to get your road trip fix.

'Go in spring for sparkling lochs, valleys puff-balled with blossom, and views of the mineral-blue sea lapping spotless, strawberry-blonde beaches.'

It added: 'Cosy B&Bs line the route, such as the converted Auld Post Office, set among rolling farmland in Caithness near John O'Groats.'

The stunning tourist route has had a positive impact on visitor numbers and business trade, according to a report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The study, carried out by the Glasgow University's Training and Employment Research Unit, estimates the route attracts around 29,000 additional visitors and 9million more in spending in its first year.

The research drew upon various data, including figures from tourism information centres along the NC500 that showed an average 26 per cent increase in visitor numbers since it opened.

This compares with a six per cent average increase across Highland.

The stunning route runs from Inverness, to the Kyle of Lochalsh on the West Coast, via the rugged north coast to John O'Groats, before heading down the east coast, completing the loop in Inverness.

Unmissable sights along the road include mountain ranges, Ben Hope and Suilven, the fairytale grand castle, Dunrobin, the Ardvreck castle ruins and the breathtaking Achmelvich and Dornoch beaches.

The route can be completed in a long weekend, or over several weeks on a more leisurely schedule and can be explored as a loop or in part.

The NC500 has previously been hailed as one of the greatest drives in the world by CNN and top travel magazines.

A fifth of the route is on single track roads and there have been particular motoring issues at places like Durness in Sutherland and Applecross in Wester Ross.
A gay man trapped in Kabul has said the Taliban 'are hunting us' as he gave a harrowing description of what a life under the extremists' rule would look like for the LGBTQ+ community.

The man, whose identity has been concealed for his own safety, said the Taliban would take pleasure in hunting down and killing LGBTQ+ people in an exclusive interview with MailOnline.

'They kill us very brutally. Not like the others who they kill with a gun or a bullet.

'They will use fire, or they will behead or stone us, and they will enjoy it - it's acceptable to them.'

He went on to say his best friend committed suicide because 'no one was here to listen to his voice'.

'I tried to encourage him, to give him hope, but he's not coming back and I can't forget that moment.

'He was living like a shadow, and he went like a shadow.'

The man, whose identity has been concealed for his own safety, said the Taliban would take pleasure in hunting down and killing LGBTQ+ people

The future for the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan became particularly bleak when the Taliban rose to power just weeks ago

Under the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Sharia Law, homosexuality is strictly prohibited and punishable by death - often in particularly brutal ways

The future for the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan became particularly bleak when the Taliban rose to power just weeks ago.

Afghan laws already prohibited homosexuality, as people who engaged in same-sex sexual behaviour received prison terms and were widely persecuted.

But under the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Sharia Law, homosexuality is strictly prohibited and punishable by death - often in particularly brutal ways.

In an interview with Fox News earlier this week, US Special Forces sniper Tim Kennedy, who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, said he had personally seen Taliban fighters burning homosexuals alive and throwing them off of roofs.

Nancy Kelley, chief executive of LGBT rights charity Stonewall said: 'For years LGBTQ+ Afghans have had to endure routine discrimination, abuse and persecution, including by the state.

'With the Taliban in power we expect this situation to deteriorate further,' she told i News.

Meanwhile, allied forces are cutting short their evacuation operations in the wake of terror attacks orchestrated by an ISIS affiliate group yesterday.

The double suicide attack carried out by ISIS-K militants at the gates of Kabul airport killed at least 108 people, including 13 American service personnel, and prompted Western forces to bring a swift end to their evacuation campaigns.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK evacuation mission in Afghanistan will end 'in a matter of hours' and the 1,000 people already inside Kabul airport will be the last to be flown out.

The effort will now focus on evacuating UK nationals and others who have already been cleared to leave and are already at the airport.

So far, Britain has evacuated more than 13,700 British nationals and Afghans, representing the second biggest airlift by the country's air force after the Berlin Airlift in 1949, the UK defence ministry said.

US President Joe Biden promised on Thursday to hunt down and destroy the ISIS-K terrorists who conducted the deadly attack, but has been criticised for giving a list of approved Afghan evacuees to the Taliban amid fears it will now be used by the extremist group to kill those named on it.

A relative mourns next to the body of a loved one who died in the airport bomb blast at a hospital in Kabul on Friday

Distraught relatives load in a car the coffin of a victim of the twin suicide bomb attack at a hospital in Kabul on Friday
North Korea may be submitting its detainees to a form of torture by enforcing stress positions, beatings and hard manual labour on them, according to a report by the UN.

The report, which is due to be presented at the UN general assembly in September, analysed intelligence reports and first hand accounts to evaluate human rights concerns within the country.

Focusing on the period between August 2020 to July 2021, the report also includes accounts recorded between 2010 and 2019.

North Korea had been approached to contribute to the findings in the report, but the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had not received a reply when the report was produced.

North Korea tortures its detainees by exerting them to stress positions, beatings and hard manual labour, according to a report by the UN. Pictured: King Jong Un

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who compiled the document, says in it that the North Korean's treatment of detainees may 'constitute torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment'.

One account recorded from a former detainee alleges that guards beat her with a stick, chair and a leather belt.

She said: 'Some detainees were asked to place their heads on the bars [of the cell] and the guards would beat us with a club we were just like punching bags to them.'

The report that other punishments handed out to inmates for minor rule infractions included ordering cellmates to perform 1,000 squats after one of them was caught snoring in their sleep, with more elderly residents ending up fainting from the effort.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who compiled the document, says in it that the North Korean's treatment of detainees may 'constitute torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment'

While another former inmate said that security personnel utilised stress positions.

Speaking in the report, they said: 'In the fixed position, you had to be on your knees with the rest of your body off the ground, with your hands extended forward; you had to stay like that for hours. If you moved, they made you stick your hands out and hit them with a cane.'

The report also includes a gruesome account from one woman who claims that 'the skin on my face tore open, my chin became dislocated and four of my teeth were knocked out' after being hit with firewood.

One of the main challenges facing North Korea, and the world during August 2020 to July 2021 was the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a reduction in the nation's trading with China - sparking a difficult economic situation.

One account recorded from a former detainee alleges that North Korea beat her with a stick, chair and a leather belt. Pictured: Stock image of a North Korean prison guard

The UN report writes that food supplied to detainees was inadequate and of low quality, with two separate former inmates claiming to know of others who had perished from malnutrition.

The substandard food supplied only exacerbated the situation for many, who were then also forced to carry out labour - and were punished for missing targets by having rations cut or with beatings.

North Korea has long denied the existence of forced labour camps, but the UN writes in its report that the threat of being sent to a 'kwanliso', or political prison camp, is well known throughout the country.

The report comes after earlier this year, when North Korea banned citizens from discussing Kim Jong UN's weight loss and told people that gossip is a 'reactionary act'.

Recent pictures from show Kim Jong Un waving to a crowd of enthusiastic military officers looking noticeably slimmer in his trademark Mao suit

Government authorities have insisted the despot is eating less 'for the sake of the country' as it grapples with severe food shortages and claimed Kim is healthy.

Speculation about Kim's health started after photos showed the despot looking increasingly thin after he apparently shed up to 44 pounds earlier this year.

But efforts to stifle gossip about Kim's weight have failed, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Sources said neighbourhood watch units had made official statements warning people discussions about Kim's health were banned.

'The neighbourhood watch unit also said the sudden weight loss is not due to a health problem, but rather that he is suffering in solitude for the sake of the country and people in crisis', the anonymous source said.

South Korea's spy agency reported Kim (pictured in 2018) had bulked up to 285 pounds, having piled on around 90 pounds since taking power in 2011, 'bingeing on food and drink'

It was reportedly the first time officials in North Korea have addressed speculation around Kim's weight loss or heath as it is usually considered a taboo topic.

But some residents told RFA they were pleased to see their leader slim down 'as the way he appeared before he lost weight seemed to be more dangerous to his health'.

Another source said North Koreans were pleased at Kim's weight loss because he was so large 'it had become difficult for him to walk'.

Some observers say Kim - who is about 5ft8in tall and has previously weighed 308 pounds may have lost between 22 and 44 pounds.
Two truck drivers have tested positive to Covid after arriving in Perth from New South Wales.

The men aged 23 and 29 travelled via Victoria and South Australia and visited several sites en route and in Western Australia.

Premier Mark McGowan said the pair had been tested before leaving NSW on Wednesday, as part of routine screening for freight drivers, ABC News reported.

Premier Mark McGowan said the Covid-positive truck drivers had been tested before leaving NSW on Wednesday, as part of routine screening for freight drivers

Both have received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and had worn masks while outside their truck.

They are now in quarantine at Perth's Westin Hotel.

'The men eventually arrived at a warehouse in Kewdale last night,' Mr McGowan said.

'They reportedly slept in their truck last night and had minimal contact with others throughout their travel.'

The two truck drivers stopped at this Widgiemooltha Service Station (pictured)

On the way to Perth the men stopped at Yellowdine Roadhouse near Southern Cross, a Norseman petrol station, and a checkpoint on the South Australian border.

Four close contacts have been identified so far.

One person from the SA border, one person from BP truck stop at Norseman, one from a Yellowdine roadhouse, and one from the Kewdale warehouse who are all currently in a two-week quarantine.

The truck drivers' employer told WA Health after the results pinged back from the test they took when they first left NSW.

Mr McGowan confirmed the two cases would not send WA into a lockdown.

But he did say the result showed that Covid can show up anywhere and urge Western Australians to get vaccinated.

The announcement came after Friday's national cabinet meeting, at which the premier defended his refusal to agree to drop borders once the nation achieved 70 per cent vaccination coverage.

'The whole idea that at 70 per cent vaccination you deliberately infect people, I just can't tolerate it,' he told reporters.

'(It) would just be a catastrophe. So I'm just not going to do it,' he said.

An exposure site was declared for this Southern Cross Shell service station (pictured)
Advertisement

Desperate Afghans trying to flee Kabul have returned to airport where they risk the constant threat of another suicide bombing as the final hours of evacuation tick down.

Flights resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 170 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel. The Pentagon today confirmed there was just one suicide attack, correcting an earlier statement which said a second bomber struck the Baron Hotel.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

The suicide attack led Jamshad, who gave just his one name, to come early Friday with his wife and three small children, clutching an invitation to a Western country he didn't want to name.

This was his first attempt to leave, he said: 'After the explosion I decided I would try because I am afraid now there will be more attacks and I think now I have to leave.'

Also seeking to flee was Ahmadullah Herawi, who said: 'Believe me, I think that an explosion will happen any second or minute, God is my witness, but we have lots of challenges in our lives, that is why we take the risk to come here and we overcome fear.'

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today the UK's final evacuation flights would end within hours, as he admitted that around 1,100 Afghans eligible for evacuation would be left behind, while up to 150 Britons would not be flown home.

Washington said on Thursday that more than 100,000 people had been safely evacuated from Kabul, but that as many as 1,000 U.S. citizens are still struggling to leave.

The Pentagon said today around 5,400 people are inside the airport awaiting evacuation and that the U.S. would continue rescue efforts right up 'until the last moment.'

Joe Biden promised to 'rescue the Americans, we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on.'

But as the crowd becomes more frantic as the deadline looms, so too does the risk of a further terror attack.

Wallace said: 'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving. The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

Crowds of Afghans outside the airport walls on Friday. Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban , but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

Crowds around the entrance to the airport are seen in satellite images taken on Friday

Men stand around in the sweltering heat outside Kabul airport hoping for the chance to catch a flight away from the fallen Afghanistan

Children were among the throngs of people outside Kabul airport on Friday despite the constant risk of another terror attack

Crowds of Afghans, including children, crowd around a coach outside the airport. Many are still arriving despite the constant threat of another bombing

Crowds are seen yesterday (left) before an ISIS suicide bomber blew himself up killing scores of people (right) packed inside a canal around the perimeter of the airport

A Taliban fighter stands guard as bloody rags strew the ground where a suicide bomber blew himself up on Thursday

Taliban fighters stand guard as they block the road to Kabul airport on Friday, a day after the deadly blasts

Injured victims of the airport bomb blast, receive treatment at a hospital in Kabul on Friday as they are comforted by relatives

Distraught relatives load in a car the coffin of a victim of the twin suicide bomb attack at a hospital in Kabul on Friday





Sweden said Friday it had ended its evacuations out of Kabul, after airlifting more than 1,100 people to Sweden in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.





Those evacuated included embassy employees and their families, locally employed guards and their families, members of the armed forces and 500 Swedes, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.

Italy's last evacuation flight from Kabul will leave Afghanistan in the "next few hours", with a top NATO envoy on board, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Friday.





The UN refugee agency has estimated that up to half-a-million people could flee from Afghanistan in a 'worst case scenario' over the coming months.





The agency said on Friday that it would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who were already registered as refugees abroad - nearly all of them in Pakistan and Iran.

The agency cited estimates that 558,000 people had been internally displaced within Afghanistan this year due to armed conflict.

Crowds of people gathered at Kabul's Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after the bombings outside the airport.

A boy sobbed in the back of a car, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city's hospitals.

Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.

Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the 'troubles' of his home country.

'He wanted to fly abroad,' Majeed told AFP.

'Unfortunately, he's missing after the back-to-back blasts.'

Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.

'I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them,' he said.

'Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him.'

Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but 'such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that's because of the troubles here.'

Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.

One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.

The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.

In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the 'situation is still quite critical'.

'Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long - the last surgery was at 4am.'

'We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care.'

The bombings on Thursday marked the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

In an emotional speech, President Joe Biden blamed the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, far more radical than the Taliban militants who seized power less than two weeks ago.

'We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on,' Biden said. But despite intense pressure to extend Tuesday's deadline, he has cited the threat of terrorist attacks as a reason to keep to his plan.

A distraught boy is seen huddled inside the boot of a car next to the coffin of a loved one who was killed in the blast on Friday

Injured Afghans are seen with bandages covering their wounds at a hospital in Kabul on Friday after they fell victim to the terrorist attack

Taliban forces block the roads around the airport in Kabul on Friday following the deadly terrorist attack by ISIS-K

Relatives load in a car the coffin of a victim of the August 26 twin suicide bomb attack on Friday

A Taliban fighter stands guard after a suicide bombing at Kabul airport

Wounded women arrive at a hospital for treatment after a blast outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Injured Afghans flee Kabul airport on Thursday night after a bomb exploded

Medics treat wounded Afghans at a hospital in Kabul on Friday after they were injured in the terrorist attack yesterday

An Afghan man lays on a bloodied hospital bed with a bandage on his head and hand after he was wounded in the attack

The Taliban, back in control of Afghanistan two decades after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, insist on the deadline.

The Trump administration in February 2020 struck an agreement with the Taliban that called for it to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for the removal of all U.S. troops and contractors by May; Biden announced in April he would have them out by September.

The scenes at the airport on Thursday, with people standing knee-deep in sewage and families thrusting documents and even young children toward U.S. troops behind razor wire, have horrified many around the world as far-flung efforts continue to help people escape.

But those chances are fading fast for many. Some U.S. allies have said they are ending evacuation efforts, in part to give the U.S. time to wrap up its evacuation work before getting 5,000 of its troops out by Tuesday.

Britain said Friday its evacuations from Afghanistan will end within hours, and the main British processing center for eligible Afghans has been closed. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News there would be 'eight or nine' evacuation flights on Friday, and they will be the last. British troops will leave over the next few days.

Taliban fighters carrying weapons are seen blocking the way for Afghans to make it to Kabul airport on Friday

A suitcase and backpacks of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the terror attack on Friday

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the suicide bomb blast on Friday

Pakistani soldiers are seen checking the documents of people before crossing into Afghanistan at the Chaman border point in Pakistan on Friday

A Taliban fighter stands amid the clothes and belongings of Afghans who were waiting to be evacuated when the bomb hit

A young boy holds his knees in his arms while he sits in the boot of a car next to the coffin of a loved one who died in the terrorist attack

A map showing the various entrances to Kabul airport and the site of the explosions which targeted a gate which was being manned by US troops

The Spanish government said it has ended its evacuation operation. And the French European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, said on French radio Europe 1 that France will end its evacuation operation 'soon' but may seek to extend it until after Friday night.

Untold thousands of Afghans, especially ones who had worked with the U.S. and other Western countries, are now in hiding from the Taliban, fearing retaliation despite the group's offer of full amnesty. The militant group has claimed it has become more moderate since its harsh rule from 1996 to 2001, when it largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music and held public executions.

But Afghans in Kabul and elsewhere have reported that some Taliban members are barring girls from attending school and going door to door in search of people who had worked with Western forces.

No one knows how effective the Taliban will be at combating the Sunni extremists of IS, who have links to the group's more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq and have carried out a series of brutal attacks in Afghanistan, mainly targeting its Shiite Muslim minority.
A murder probe was under way today after the death of a 'beautiful' mother-of-four on a housing estate in North Wales.

Scores of floral tributes, balloons, photographs, written messages, candles and teddies were left on the pavement yards from the semi where Co-op worker Jade Ward, 27, was found dead on Thursday morning.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police crime scene investigators were at a taped-off house in Chevrons Road, Shotton, and a blue and white tent was in the front garden. It is believed Jade lived with her mother and had been married.

Jade's sister Taylor Wesley has now set up a GoFundMe page which has already raised more than 3,400 for Jade's children.

'Our beautiful Jade was sadly taken from us on the 26th august 2021 in such a cruel and sad way! Our lives will never be the same without you baby girl a piece of us all went with you Jade,' she wrote on the page.

Zack Robinson, her cousin, said she had four sons. He said: 'I am lost for words. It's a piece of everybody in the community who has gone. It will never be the same without her.'

Jade Ward, 27, was found dead at a property on Chevrons Road in Shotton, Flintshire, following reports of 'an incident' on Thursday morning

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder at an address on Chevrons Road in Shotton

Police officers at the scene of a suspected murder at an address on Chevrons Road

Taylor Wesley said: 'She had four beautiful boys. It's very, very tragic. No-one knows much at the moment about what happened.

'We were best mates. She was my soul sister. We used to go on day trips. There was never a day we didn't see each other. She had four kids and I have four as well.

'She was a much-loved member of the community, a devoted mother who lived and breathed for her children and worked part-time.

'There's a feeling of total shock in the local area. We are doing a balloon release tomorrow.'

Kennedy Plant added: 'There was always a smile on the face, always so happy. She loved life.'

Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Salisbury-Jones said: 'We would like to reassure the public that there is no ongoing threat to the wider community.

Police officers at the scene of a suspected murder at an address on Chevrons Road

Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Salisbury-Jones said: 'We would like to reassure the public that there is no ongoing threat to the wider community'

'Specially trained officers are supporting the family of the deceased.'

Taylor said they wished to raise money for Jade's sons to help them 'have the best start' following the tragedy and 'give them the best Christmas'.

She added that a balloon release would be held on Chevrons Road at 3pm on Saturday, with everybody welcome to attend and pay their respects - and said people could bring balloons of any bright colour to reflect Jade's 'bright personality'.

A North Wales police spokeswoman said: 'Shortly before 9.20am this morning, we were made aware of an incident at a property on Chevrons Road, Shotton.

'A 27-year-old woman was sadly found deceased at the scene. A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and an investigation is underway.'
He has already become this summer's cause celebre, but now backers of doomed alpaca Geronimo really can wear their support on their sleeves.

The marked-for-death mammal is now the face of t-shirts and bags on special merchandise devoted to him.

An official online store has gone live selling Save Geronimo branded goods.

It was launched yesterday, with the animals owner Helen MacDonald, 50, announcing it on Geronimos Facebook page.

Geronimo the alpaca has been designated for culling by Defra after TB test positive

Owner Helen is now selling T-shirts and bags to fund the animal's campaign for justice

Geronimo with Helen, who wants to meet the Government to discuss saving the alpaca

The merchandise range offers men, women, and childrens t-shirts, branded with a drawing of Geronimos face, and the words SaveGeronimo underneath.

Adult-sized t-shirts cost 20 and are available in either grey, purple, or light blue, while the childrens t-shirts are offered in either pink or white, and cost 14.

The merch store also offers cream-coloured tote bags with the same design on them, for 10.

T-shirts and bags have been designed by custom t-shirt brand Teemill, which creates merch from organic cotton in a renewable energy-powered factory.

Helen, from Wickwar, Glos., posted a link to the online store on Geronimos Facebook page on Thursday, writing: Introducing the Save Geronimo shop.

The plight of the animal has become a national outrage as supporters want him to live

The T-shirts cost 20 each and there are also bags available for 10 from Helen's store

We have seen many requests for #savegeronimo t-shirts so here are the details of how you can further support the Save Geronimo campaign.

And the Facebook post has already been inundated with over 100 comments from people confirming they have placed their orders for a t-shirt or a bag - or both.

The website also encourages shoppers to post selfies of themselves sporting their Geronimo merch to social media, using the hashtag SaveGeronimo.

And it assures customers that all proceeds from the store will go towards Geronimos campaign fund for justice.

Last week, Helen called Geronimo the most famous animal in the world, in a Tweet that also accused the government of ignoring me and inflicting mental harm on my family.

She has called for an urgent meeting with the Government as time runs out for him to be culled.

Geronimo has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and owner Helen Macdonald, 50, who farms alpacas at her home in Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, believes the tests are returning false positives.

The destruction warrant is valid until September 4 and Ms Macdonald wants the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to allow Geronimo to be tested for a third time or let him live to aid research into the disease.

'With just over a week left on Geronimo's death warrant, we are still trying to work constructively with Defra on this,' Ms Macdonald said.
Heart-stopping photographs show daredevil 'extreme campers' pitching their tent on the side of a massive 300ft cliff.

The tent was barely visible as it remained well-camouflaged halfway down the edifice Cligga Head near Perranporth, Cornwall.

Cligga Head also features 'The Prison', a well-recognised perilous collapsed cave only accessible by sea.

The tourists camping on the 300ft cliff are believed to be 'extreme' or 'wild' campers - daredevil adventurers who like to stay in dangerous locations.

Pictures (above) show a tent barely visible as it remained well-camouflaged halfway down the 91m edifice Cligga Head near Perranporth, Cornwall

Jamie Turnbull of 'Perrans Above' photo gallery took the incredible drone photographs of the green tent, which was remarkably hard to see against the rockface.

He said: 'Extreme camping. Cornwall is busy and camping spots are at a premium, but this is extreme. Can you spot the tent?'

Cornish cliffs have suffered a number of serious landslides in recent years with areas of the coast able to fall at any minute.

Earlier this week, two 'idiotic' tourists were spotted dicing with death as they peered over the edge of a 120ft cliff in Dorset.

The two men were spotted teetering on the edge of the chalk cliffs at Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, after straying off the coastal path to walk out to the narrow ledges.

The scenes came months after a 28-year-old man narrowly avoided death after he slipped and plunged 120ft off the cliff after reportedly getting too close to the edge while taking a selfie.

The tourists who pitched their tent down the 300ft cliff (pictured) are believed to be 'extreme' or 'wild' campers - daredevil adventurers who like to stay in dangerous locations

He was saved by landing in four feet of water, with rescuers saying it was a 'miracle' he survived.

In recent months, coastguards have warned about the dangers of tourists getting too close to the cliff edges.

Speaking about the latest photos taken at Old Harry Rocks, a Swanage coastguard spokesman said: 'It is really disappointing that someone has done this despite all the signs and warnings about the dangers there.

'The rocks here are very loose and crumbly - we have a real problem with erosion there because of footfall, so it is concerning seeing people get so close to the edge.

'If this behaviour continues we are going to see a serious injury or a death.

'I just don't understand why people are putting themselves at risk. These cliffs are very loose and it only takes a small slip for you to go over the edge. It just isn't worth the risk.

'On average there are one or two incidents of people falling at that exact location every year. A man almost died at there in May.

'The cliffs may look beautiful but they are very dangerous. 'People need to keep a distance from them, both at the top and at the bottom because of rock falls.'

Their green tent (pictured), which is remarkably hard to see, was spotted by Jamie Turnbull of 'Perrans Above' photo gallery, who took the photo on his drone

Earlier this month, large rocks and piles of debris were left strewn across the beach in Seatown, Dorset, after huge chunk of Britain's Jurassic Coast came crumbling down.

The landslip occurred on the coast at Seatown on Saturday after recent heavy rain made the porous sandstone that makes up the 180 million-year-old cliff substantially weaker.

Hundreds of tons of mud and earth fell on to a remote area of the beach which luckily does not attract many visitors.

On April 13, a 4,000-ton rockfall, described as the biggest in 60 years, gave way from the sandstone cliff causing boulders the size of cars to plummet near Seatown.

Last summer, a huge chunk of rock fell away from the edge of a cliff in Tregudda Gorge, between Trevone Bay and Padstow in Cornwall.

Two walkers, who were just metres away, had a lucky escape as the cliff crumbles into the sea ahead of them.

Last year, the coastguard warned a wild camper at nearby Portreath about the dangers of cliff falls in the area.
The victim of a 'horrific' homophobic murder has been named as detectives appeal for help in catching his killer.

Ranjith Kankanamalage, 50, was found with 'blunt force trauma' injuries to his head in a cemetery in London's East End.

His body was discovered in Tower Hamlets Cemetery on the morning of Monday, August 16th.

Local residents said that the graveyard was well known as a 'cruising' spot for gay men, but gangs of youths had also been gathering there during lockdown.

Police say that the victim - also known as 'Roy' - had lived in the area for several years. His family are being supported by specialist officers.

The murder is being is being treated as a homophobic hate crime, although detectives say they are 'keeping an open mind' as the investigation continues.

Ranjith Kankanamalage, 50, (above) was found with 'blunt force trauma' injuries to his head in a cemetery in Tower Hamlets, London

Police patrols have been stepped up in the area and officers have been working with LGBT+ advisory groups and charities to inform and encourage members of the community to stay safe in the wake of the incident.

Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, Police Commander for Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: 'This is a horrific murder and my thoughts are with Ranjith's family and loved ones.

'Whilst such incidents are thankfully still very rare in London, I want to reassure that community that my officers and specialist detectives are working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.

'I also want to be really clear that there is no place, at all, in London for any form of hate crime and the Met is absolutely committed to tackling it and supporting victims. We are here for you.'

He added: 'A crucial part of our work, and especially during this investigation, is community support and engagement, and I am really grateful for the support we are receiving from LGBTQ+ organisations during this difficult time, where they are assisting my teams in keeping the community updated.

'This is a live investigation and I would urge the community to work with us and to tell us what they might know about Ranjith and what's happened to him.

'The slightest piece of information could prove crucial to the investigation.

'You can contact Crimestoppers anonymously, or speak to the charities mentioned. But what matters most is that you make the call if you know anything.'

Local residents said that the graveyard (above) was well known as a 'cruising' spot for gay men, but gangs of youths had also been gathering there during lockdown

Detective Superintendent Pete Wallis, of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'My officers are working 24/7 with local colleagues and drawing from resources across the Met.

'We will stop at nothing to bring justice to Ranjith's family, who have been left devastated following this awful incident.

'I need anyone who has information to contact us immediately. Have you seen someone in the park or area who was acting suspiciously? It is imperative that you tell us what you know.

'Ranjith's s family are devastated, and your information could help us bring them justice.'

Derek Lee, of the LGBT+ Advisory Group, said: 'We are a voluntary group of independent advisors working closely with the local police, local council and the homicide team on this case.

'We are making sure that LGBT+ issues are addressed in the investigation of this tragic death as well as the wider police response regarding safety in Tower Hamlets and the whole of London.

'If you have any information, please contact the police, Crimestoppers or the LGBT+ charity, Galop.

'The investigation team is clear that they are only interested in information relevant to the case and your privacy will be respected.'

A 36-year-old man arrested in connection with the investigation has been released on bail.
Farmers today warned they could have to start destroying healthy pigs after a shortage of HGV drivers and agricultural workers left 70,000 of the animals stranded on farms.

The National Pig Association is the latest industry body to sound the alarm over the impact the UK's supply chain crisis is having on the economy.

Surplus pigs are costly to farmers due to penalty charges levied by processors when they breach their target size and the cost of feeding and housing the animals.

The National Pig Association is the latest industry body to sound the alarm over the impact the UK's supply chain crisis is having on the economy

Senior Policy Adviser Charlie Dewhirst told MailOnline: 'It's a massive problem and it's getting worse by the week.

'There is a massive shortage of labour and lorry drivers needed in the industry.

'The longer the animals stay on the farm the bigger they get and less money they are worth because farmers have deals with the buyers.'

Asked if there were fears of animals dying on yards, he said: 'We haven't reached that stage yet but it could happen.

'It's the thing we all fear most. I don't know how many weeks we can last.'

Chief executive Zoe Davies echoed his concerns, telling the FT: 'If they dont do something soon we will have to destroy perfectly healthy pigs.'

Neil Furniss, an arable farmer from Shropshire with more than 1,000 acres, described the situation as 'chaos'.

He said he had heard of a chicken farmer who had thousands of birds burnt because he could not get them transported.

Mark Coulman, national chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association, told MailOnline that abattoirs are now running at 70% capacity.

Chief executive Zoe Davies echoed his concerns, telling the FT: 'If they dont do something soon we will have to destroy perfectly healthy pigs'

One farmer from Hemswell in Lincolnshire, described the issues he was having getting stock from his farm to processing plants.

There is a waiting time of three weeks with one national merchant,' he said.

Haulage is as tight as everyone makes out. It doesn't help that bulk tipper work attracts lower rates than other haulage.

Another, from West Yorkshire, added: Its bad. I know local to me three drivers left last week for more money.

He just decided to take the three vehicles off the road and quit the work they were doing, then he gets the firm he was working for whining at him, but they don't want to pay anymore for the job.

The government's post-Brexit points-based immigration regime focuses on highly skilled workers and those with well-paid job offers.

Ministers are resisting pressure to introduce a new temporary visa for lower-skilled workers to fill gaps in the jobs market.

HGV drivers are in particularly short supply. Industry experts say the shortage is largely the result of a double-whammy of Brexit, which led to thousands of EU drivers going home, and coronavirus.

Lockdown hit the training of new drivers and some 40,000 HGV driver tests were cancelled.

Bella Italia in Leicester Square said they recently ran out of pizza dough and white wine, so had to turn some customers away

Today is emerged that Italian restaurant chain in central London has been forced to tell customers they'd run out of pizza and wine.

Bella Italia in Leicester Square said they recently ran out of pizza dough and white wine, so had to turn some customers away.

Restaurants, including Bella Italia and Zizzis have had to strike tens of items from their menus because of delays in deliveries.

Supermarkets and fast food companies like Greggs, McDonalds, Nandos and KFC have also been heavily affected.

The shortages are being blamed on Covid travel restrictions preventing drivers from entering the UK.

Jamie Bruce, 27, the deputy manager at Bella Italia on Leicester Square, said: "Since McDonalds and Nandos featured in the news, people have been a lot more understanding.

But its been rough, a couple of weeks ago we ran out of pizza dough. So you can imagine an Italian restaurant without pizzas. Drinks have also been a massive problem - wine and soft drinks in general.

Yesterday when I opened, I had to cancel 45 different items off of my till. Deserts have also been a shambles - I ran out brownies and cookie doe.

Fortunately I got a delivery today, so deserts are back on. But we still havent got any white wine, so people can have Rose.

Its fine with walk-ins, but its the summer holidays and weve had a lot of bookings. Fortunately were on Leicester Square, so we get a lot of walk-ins.

A Greggs employee on Chiswick High Street said: I think all deliveries have been affected by the supply chain issues. You know, if you walk into a supermarket, it seems there are more gaps on the shelves these days.

I mean we didnt receive our steak bakes today, but I think its a general problem.

"Its not only because of Brexit, but also COVID and the travel restrictions.
Twelve people have died and at least 50 people have been injured following a series of explosions at an arms depot in southern Kazakhstan, the Central Asian country's emergencies ministry has said.

An official statement said emergency services workers and military staff were among victims of the blasts at an in the southern region of Jambyl yesterday.

Nearby villages were evacuated by authorities while emergency services attended to the wounded, and rail links to the city of Almaty were closed.

A video shared on the Telegram messaging app showed a column of smoke billowing from a fire before a powerful explosion sent flames shooting out.

While the initial death toll was nine, a search by rescue workers uncovered the bodies of a further three staff who had been helping to put out the fire which began on Thursday evening.

Spokesman Talgat Uali said that the operation to put out the fire is now continuing.

Twelve people have died and at least 50 people have been injured following a series of explosions at an arms depot in southern Kazakhstan, the Central Asian country's emergencies ministry has said

Another clip showed debris and army missiles ignited by inferno flying through the sky in long arcs as the fire raged.

The defence ministry said that a fire had broken out at the ammunitions depot and 'quickly spread to storage facilities where engineering ammunition is stored.'

Several explosions followed, the defence ministry said.

'The explosions stopped over time, but the fire continues,' the statement added.

Regular incidents at Kazakhstan's Soviet-era military depots have proved a headache for the government in recent years, with another depot near the southern town of Arys seeing three lethal explosions take place in the last decade.

An official statement said emergency services workers and military staff were among victims of the blasts in the southern region of Jambyl yesterday. Above: A video clip showed debris and army missiles ignited by inferno flying through the sky in long arcs as the fire raged

The defence ministry said that a fire had broken out at the ammunitions depot and 'quickly spread to storage facilities where engineering ammunition is stored'

The defence ministry noted that some of the munitions stored at the Soviet-era depot in Jambyl had been transferred from the facility in Arys, where there have been calls to resettle the town's entire population of 45,000.

The emergencies ministry said that the scattering radius of the fragments was up to 1.25 miles.

'According to preliminary data, more than 500 tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT) were stored in the warehouse,' the ministry said.

Kazakhstan is close to Kyrgyzstan, which shares frontiers with neighbouring states to Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

All the ex-Soviet republics in the region are deeply concerned at the possible spread of the Taliban and Islamic terrorism to their countries with the collapse of the Western-backed government in Afghanistan.

At an emergency government meeting Friday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan had 'systemic problems' with its ammunitions storage.

The emergencies ministry said that the scattering radius of the fragments was up to 1.25 miles. Above: The moment of the huge blast

At an emergency government meeting Friday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan had 'systemic problems' with its ammunitions storage

A view of a damaged house in Kaynar village, around 650feet away from the warehouse where the blast took place

He called on authorities to investigate the disaster and provide help for the families of military personnel and rescuers who he said died 'heroically in the line of duty'.

The emergencies ministry said that the scattering radius of the fragments was up to two kilometres (1.25 miles).

'According to preliminary data, more than 500 tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT) were stored in the warehouse,' the ministry said.

Defence Minister Nurlan Ermekbayev said Friday that he would leave his post over the incident if President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted his resignation.

The Jambyl regional government said Friday morning that of more than 80 people who received treatment for injuries, 28 remained in hospital with six in serious condition.

But 'their lives are not in danger,' the statement said.

Tokayev said local residents had not been hurt during the incident.

The Jambyl authorities said more than 80 children were among those evacuated from nearby villages following the incident.

Around 1,200 people were taken to schools in Taraz, a city of over 300,000 people, which is about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the facility.

A government commission has been set up to establish the cause of the fire, while Ermekbayev said arson was being considered as a potential trigger for the blaze.

A huge pillar of smoke could be seen rising high into the sky from the site of the explosions

Emergency services worked to evacuate people from nearby villages and all road and rail links into the area were closed

Buildings located near to the military base could be seen damaged, with shards of glass scattered on the ground

Huge glass panes at the front of this hotel could be seen having been smashed by the force of the explosions and the following shockwaves

Mr Yermekbayev said a fire which ignited the explosion may have been 'sabotage' without giving more details.

'This maybe a violation of safety requirements, spontaneous combustion, or a chemical reaction.

'Deliberate arson or sabotage is not excluded.'

The defence ministry said that two of the men who died were part of a fire brigade at the base who were attempting to put out the blaze, while a third was guarding the depot at the time of the explosions.

Kazakh defence minister Nurlan Yermekbayev (pictured) said a fire which ignited the explosion may have been 'sabotage' without giving more details - and he also offered his resignation

The emergencies ministry said that the scattering radius of debris fragments was up to 1.25 miles

A government commission has been set up to establish the cause of the fire, while Yermekbayev said arson was being considered as a potential trigger for the blaze

On Thursday, President Tokayev had said on Twitter that the injured were soldiers and emergency services workers.

Among those killed by the blasts, were Sergeant Marat Meshinbay and Corporal Ruslan Zhanbolatov, both 40, who were first responders, who suffered 'injuries incompatible with life.'

Colonel Armen Kapezov, a military prosecutor, died in the explosion, and military guard Orazbek Dalibayev, 52, was also killed.

Local authorities said more than 80 children were among those evacuated from nearby villages following the incident.

Around 1,200 people were taken to schools in Taraz, a city of over 300,000 people, which is around 19 miles from the facility.

A government commission has been set up to establish the cause of the fire, while Yermekbayev said arson was being considered as a potential trigger for the blaze.
A former chief of China's top anti-corruption watchdog has been charged with accepting 460 million yuan - around 51 million - in bribes.

Dong Hong, 67, who occupied the position of deputy leader of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) until 2018, was brought to trial on Thursday at the Intermediate People's Court of Qingdao in eastern China.

Prosecutors accused Dong of accepting bribes totalling 460 million yuan across two decades of his political career, including during his time as the anti-corruption chief for the Communist Party.

In addition to his position at the CCDI, Dong was also a personal aid to Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan, and before that to party elder Bo Yibo.

Dong 'confessed to his crimes and expressed repentance' according to the court, which was subsequently adjourned with sentencing expected at a later date.



Dong 'confessed to his crimes and expressed repentance' according to the court, which was subsequently adjourned with sentencing expected at a later date.

Prosecutors accused Dong of accepting bribes totalling 460 million yuan across two decades of his political career, including during his time as the anti-corruption chief for the Communist Party, reported state-TV station CCTV

Dong first stepped into an important role within the Chinese government in 1983 when he served as an aide to Bo Yibo, and prosecutors believe that Dong's long and devious history of corruption started as early as 1999, when he was secretary to Wang Qishan.

He began to work with Wang in 1998 before working his way up the ladder, first as part of the Hainan provincial party committee, then in Beijing's municipal government, at the party's Central Literature Research Office, and on the CCDI's central inspection team.

Dong was named a leader of the CCDI inspector group after Xi Jinping became the party's general secretary in 2012.

CCTV's report said nearly 20 people attended the trial  fewer than usual, with social distancing being observed. The audience included deputies to the National People's Congress, members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and some journalists.

A Chinese lawyer who has been involved with previous high profile corruption cases told the South China Morning Post that Dong may receive a suspended death sentence or life imprisonment.

Though an incredibly serious offence, the amount of money he is accused of taking in bribes is considerably lower than the 1.8 billion yuan of Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of Huarong, one of China's largest state-controlled asset management firms.

Lai was sentenced to death for accepting the eye-watering sums of money along with other corruption charges and was executed in January.

According to the lawyer, there have been a number of similar cases to that of Dong's in the past in China.

'Xing Yun, the former Inner Mongolia head of public security, was given a suspended death sentence in 2019 for accepting 449 million yuan in bribes. Dong's case looks similar,' said the lawyer.

'Another similarity is that Xing was also detained for investigation years after he retired.'

Lai Xiaomin, former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co., was sentenced to death on January 5, 2021 for soliciting 189 million in bribes

A Chinese lawyer who has been involved with previous high profile corruption cases told the South China Morning Post that Dong may receive a suspended death sentence or life imprisonment (Pictured: Lai Xiaomin

Dong was detained by the CCDI last October for 'serious violations of the law and party discipline', a euphemism for corruption.

The CCDI accused its former investigator of having 'totally lost his ideals and convictions', having been 'disloyal to the party' and having 'engaged in superstitious activities and intervened in disciplinary and law enforcement matters through illegal means'.

Dong was also accused of indulging in extravagance by 'frequenting private clubs and attending banquets that might have compromised how he discharged his official duties'.

His case was handed over to the judiciary in April, after he was stripped of his party membership and all retirement benefits.
A public campaign is being mounted to add a penis to the dragon on the Welsh flag - with civil servants tasked with tackling the delicate proposition.

More than 300 people have so far signed an official Welsh Government petition to add a new permanent fixture to the famous red dragon that flies on Welsh public buildings.

Supporters are anticipating similar success after the Royal Mint added a penis to their Welsh dragon on millions of coins five years ago.

Coin artists at the Royal Mint based in Llantrisant, near Cardiff, put the added extra value to the dragon on 1 and 20 coins.

Now proud supporters want every red dragon on the Welsh flag to get one too - even though it is a mythical creature.

More than 300 people have so far signed an official Welsh Government petition that will be discussed by officials in Senedd

The public campaign aims to add a penis to the famous red dragon on the Welsh flag - with civil servants tasked with tackling the delicate proposition

Under Welsh Senedd rules, any petition with more than 50 backers has to be discussed by the official Petition's Committee.

Artist Rhyn Williams created the online petition after researching ancient depictions of the rampant Welsh dragon with full tackle.

His petition argues that by depicting Welsh dragons 'standing proud', it helps the nation to 'portray dominance and leadership'.

It reads: 'When the Royal Mint depict our dragon, they recognise that he has a penis.

'But for some reason, our government does not, and although some may find the topic amusing, this imagery is important if we are to carry on flying it for centuries to come.'

He posted a link to the petition on his Facebook page saying: 'Who the hell knows why the poor sod was turned into an eunuch, it could be down to obscenity, it could be down to forgetting to include it, or it could be down to politics, where those responsible for producing the flags removed it to symbolise Wales' role within the British kingdom.

'This confusion has bewildered many artists, poets, songwriters and authors alike for centuries by mistaking his sex.

'But what we do know is that the penis is still being added via royal imagery so this should convince the Welsh government to add a penis to our flag.'

The next milestone for his petition needs 10,000 backers needed before it's considered for a full debate in the Welsh Assembly HQ in Cardiff Bay.

Supporters are anticipating similar success after the Royal Mint added a penis (above) to their Welsh dragon on millions of coins five years ago

But included among the reasons for civil servants to reject a petition is if it is deemed to be 'a joke, an advert or nonsense' - or pass it on to the four-strong Petitions Committee chaired by Labour's Jack Sergeant.

Supporter Dan Gynnig said: 'St George may have tried to slay a dragon with a sword - but we all known the penis mightier than the sword.'

Fellow backer Bobby Hedley said: 'You have to get it all in proportion. You don't want it dragging around and get in trouble with the boys in blue.'

The Royal Mint say the latest 20 dragon coin came from a design supplied by the College of Arms.

A spokeswoman said: 'The Welsh dragon is an enduring symbol of Wales and this coin is designed to celebrate the spirit of its people.'
Advertisement

England's Covid outbreak continued to grow last week with the R rate creeping above one for the first time in a month, an array of official measures revealed today.

The reproduction rate - which measures how quickly the pandemic is growing - is between 1.0 and 1.1, according to the UK Health Security Agency. The figure, which reflects the situation the country faced almost a month ago, stood at between 0.9 and 1.2 in the agency's update last week.

Meanwhile, separate data estimated 756,900 people in England, or one in 70, would have tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week ending August 20. This was up 9 per cent on the previous spell, the Office for National Statistics said.

The data, based on tens of thousands of random Covid tests, showed 1.39 per cent of people had Covid - but as many as 1.8 per cent tested positive in Yorkshire and other badly-hit parts of the country.

And up to 3.5 per cent of school-aged children had the virus, amid fears cases will surge as children head back to the classroom in England and Wales next week. Infections more than doubled in Scotland last week after lessons resumed. Schools have yet to go back in Northern Ireland, which saw the biggest uptick in cases.

Nicola Sturgeon today insisted Scotland is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown', despite a record number of new Covid cases and a steep rise in patients in hospital with the virus.

It comes as hundreds of thousands head to festivals and people prepare to enjoy the bank holiday weekend, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 71F.

Music-lovers are being urged to take a Covid test before they attend events such as Reading and Leeds Festivals, and not to visit older or vulnerable people in the days afterwards in an attempt to stop the virus spreading.

Dozens of tents are lined up in one of the camping areas as Leeds Festival gets underway

Scotland is 'not currently considering a lockdown' despite a record number of Covid cases, Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown' despite a record number of new Covid cases and a steep rise in patients in hospital with the virus, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister told a coronavirus briefing that 6,835 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours - the second time in a week that a record, new, daily figure has been reported. The number of coronavirus patients in Scotland also continues to rise, with 479 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 53 on the previous day and an increase from 312 one week ago. A total of four deaths of coronavirus patients were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 8,103. Ms Sturgeon cautioned that the rise in cases was partly due to a record number of tests being taken on Thursday. And she said that 'none of us want to go backwards to even limited restrictions'. 'Some of the speculation you might be reading in the media is not accurate,' she said. 'We are not currently considering a circuit breaker lockdown.' She said the Scottish Government was closing monitoring any rise in serious illnesses and 'people being hospitalised'. 'In the past seven days we have reported more new cases than at any previous time in the pandemic, although I refer back to my point about higher levels of testing, but case numbers have roughly doubled over the course of the past seven days,' Ms Sturgeon said. 'It's important to point out that case numbers are rising across the UK just now, but after a period of slower increases in Scotland the rise here is particularly sharp at the moment. 'That is possibly, at least in part, a reflection of the fact that our schools return earlier, with the increased interactions that come with that.' Advertisement

Data from the HSA revealed the R rate may be as high as 1.1 nationally and reaching 1.2 in parts of the country.

The figure can be used as a guide as a general trend of the outbreak in the country, with a rate above one meaning the outbreak is growing.

An R rate of 1 to 1.1 means on average, every 10 infected with Covid will pass the virus on to 10 or 11 others.

And the pandemic growth rate in England is between zero and two per cent, according to the HSA, meaning the number of new infections could be rising by two per cent every day.

But the figures represent the transmission of the virus two to three weeks earlier, giving a rearview mirror view of the outbreak.

This is because of the delay in someone being infected, developing Covid symptoms and requiring NHS care.

The latest figures reveal the South West as the worst-hit region, where the R rate was as high as 1.2 and cases were growing by four per cent every day.

The rate also reached 1.2 in the East and South East, while cases were growing by three per cent a day in those areas.

And the gold-standard ONS data - which is used by ministers to track the state of the outbreak - showed infection levels increased across the UK.

In England, the proportion of people testing positive for Covid continued to be highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (1.8 per cent) and the North West (1.6 per cent).

In London, 1.5 per cent of people were infected in the most recent week, compared to 1.4 per cent one week earlier.

Cases were also on the rise in the East Midlands (1.4 per cent), the South East (1.3 per cent) and West Midlands (to 1.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, infection levels stayed static in the North East (1.3 per cent) and dropped in the East of England (1.2 per cent) and the South West (0.9 per cent).

And 3.5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-old tested positive, the highest out of any age group, with cases shooting up from 2.9 per cent one week earlier.

The figure equates to one in 30 people in the age group testing positive.

And cases also increased among 11 to 15-year-olds, with 2.5 per cent testing positive, compared to 2.3 per cent in the previous seven days.

Cases fell among those aged 25 to 34, as well as in children aged two to 10, but increased in all age groups over 35.

It comes as the UK is set to have its biggest weekend of live music in two years, with more than 100,000 people attending Reading and Leeds music festivals and some 40,000 going to All Points East in London.

Susan Hopkins, PHE strategy response director and Test and Trace Chief Medical Advisor said: 'Festivals are a great opportunity for people to come together after what has been an incredibly difficult year and we want everyone to enjoy themselves.

GCSE and A-Level results parties 'fuel Covid spike among 16 to 21 year olds' as experts warn Bank Holiday weekend may trigger a nationwide surge before schools return in a fortnight GCSE and A-level results parties are behind the spike in Covid infections among 16- to 21-year-olds, according to a health chief. MailOnline analysis of Department of Health data shows case rates are climbing quickest in people aged 15 to 19, jumping by nearly 50 per cent in a week just seven days after GCSE results were released on August 12. And two separate surveillance studies yesterday showed the current uptick in cases across the country is being fuelled by infections in young people. Public Health England (PHE) figures showed secondary school children have the highest rate of infection in the country despite there still being a week before schools open for the Autumn term. People aged 10 to 19 in England and Wales had a case rate of 616.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 22, up a third week-on-week from 472.5. And King's College London's symptom-tracking ZOE study showed cases were highest in 18- to 35-year-olds, closely followed by under-18s. Mike Sandys, director of public health for Leicestershire, said festivals and exam results parties are behind the surge in young people. He said the area has been 'disproportionately' affected by the wave of cases among under-18s. It comes as health officials braced for a wave of infections across all age groups over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. Around 500,000 people are expected to festivals while millions more will travel to tourists over the weekend and experts fear record case levels in teenagers seen in Cornwall and Devon after Boardmasters festival could be replicated across the country. Advertisement

Fury over plans to vaccinate children against Covid as parents demand final say 'to stop youngsters being peer-pressured into inappropriate decisions' Parents are demanding they are given the final say on whether children get vaccinated against Covid at school in the coming weeks. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday revealed parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teenagers could still receive a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead  but claimed such a scenario would be extremely rare. Campaign groups have hit back at the plans to push through the inoculation drive to school pupils, claiming that children could be 'peer-pressured' into making 'inappropriate' decisions. NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term. And Whitehall insiders say Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the Joint Committee for Vaccination's (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs  delay in approving plans. The controversy reached boiling point today when actor Laurence Fox claimed he would remove his and ex-wife actress Billie Piper's children from school if parental consent is not required for jabs. Scientists have been at war for months over whether to push ahead with expanding the rollout, with many experts claiming it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months. Advertisement

'However, it's important to know that at least 1 in 50 young people currently have Covid.

'Therefore, do a test before you go, wear a face covering if you're travelling to and from the festival if you're using public transport and socialise outside as much as possible.

'If you test positive or have any symptoms then do not attend.'

She added: 'It's especially important to be cautious when you leave the festival and when you get home as you may well have caught Covid while you've been away.

'Make sure you take an LFD test when you get home and then test twice a week after having mixed with a large group of people, as you could have Covid without having symptoms.

'Try and avoid seeing older or more vulnerable relatives so that you don't pass anything on.'

Meanwhile, Covid infections increased across the rest of the UK.

In Scotland, 36,700 people tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week ending August 20, equating to 0.7 per cent of people, or one case per 140 people.

Seven days earlier, on the week ending August 14, just 25,900 were infected, equating to one in 200 people.

It follows schools reopening across Scotland for the autumn term last week. In England and Wales, schools broke up later, so do not return until next week.

The rising figures caused Ms Sturgeon to warn that Scots could be dragged back into tougher coronavirus restrictions amid the biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The First Minister earlier this week raised the prospect of reintroducing some curbs despite the successful vaccine rollout.

She also said that existing regulations, including mandatory face masks and limits on capacities at major events, are likely to be extended again next week.

And cases also appeared to be on the rise in Wales, with 25,200 people being infected in the most recent week, compared to 23,500 in the previous set of figures.

Last week, one in 120 people in the country were infected with Covid, around 0.83 per cent of the population, the ONS estimated.

Infection rates were highest in Northern Ireland, where 2.36 per cent of the population tested positive, around one in every 40 individuals. Some 43,300 people were infected, up from 35,300 one week earlier.

But the ONS warned the data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is less certain than England, because the sample size of participants is smaller.

Its figures are also a lagging indicator due to how the estimates are made. People can test positive for several weeks after getting infected.

Whereas official daily figures look at new cases, and offer the most up-to-date view of the true state of the outbreak.

Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University, said the ONS figures are 'a bit depressing' but not surprising, as the official daily figures already confirmed cases were rising across the UK throughout August.

But it's important to see infection rates confirmed in the ONS estimates, because the results come from a representative sample of people who are tested only to measure the progress of the pandemic, he noted.

So the data is not affected by changes in who is being routinely tested, which can bias the dashboard counts, Professor McConway said.

He said: 'Infection levels are really high in England and in Northern Ireland. They are quite a lot lower in Wales and in Scotland, but confirmed case numbers on the dashboard have been rising quickly in both of those countries recently, so things look problematic there too.'

'It's just about possible that the reopening might have contributed a bit to the increase in infections [in Scotland], but the effect on the latest figures is unlikely to be large, given that it generally takes a few days after an infection contact for the infection to become detectable.

'It's true that vaccines have much reduced the risk that someone will end up in hospital or die, if they become infected with the virus. But they haven't reduced the risk to zero.

'The last time that infections were at the level they now are in England, according to the [ONS figures], was the end of January.'

At that point, there were 2,300 hospital admissions and 1,100 deaths linked with the virus, while now there are around 770 admissions and 80 fatalities, Professor McConway said.

He added: 'Obviously the position is better than it was at the end of January  but it's still not good, and the latest dashboard figures and models indicate that things are going to get worse in the short term.

'What I'd like to hear is an explanation of what policy actions are being taken by the UK Government to take this into account, with an explanation of the choices that have been made, even if the choice is not to change anything.

'I've heard very little about policy on Covid for England recently, apart from the welcome encouragement for people to get vaccinated, and some changes in the rules for foreign travel. What's the plan, please?'
An ex-pat Brit who was rushing home from Bali to visit his cancer-stricken father who was given days to live was handed the devastating that his father had died before he was able to get to him.

This week James Gospel, who lives and works in Bali, was told his father Gerald could die at any moment from his advanced-stage bowel cancer and immediately tried to arrange to rush to his bedside.

But unfortunately his plans were scuppered when he contacted the Department of Health - who do offer exemptions to quarantine rules in extreme compassionate circumstances - to be told he didn't qualify to go to stay with his father.

James was in the process of arranging flights back to the UK when he was given the devastating news his father had died.

Speaking from Bali, he said: 'Unfortunately my dad passed away last night. It was peaceful and he was surrounded by family.'

Mr Gospel said he still intends to return to see his mother and other family members and hopes he can arrange the trip in time to attend the funeral.

James Gospel, 34, (right) who lives and works in Bali was told his father Gerald could die at any moment from his advanced-stage bowel cancer and immediately tried to arrange to rush to his bedside

Gerald Gospel, 66, a retired accountant from Nottingham, has bowel cancer and was told last week that it had reached such an advanced stage that it was terminal and that he could die at any point

Speaking earlier this week, James said: 'I don't know what more evidence they need for me to qualify on compassionate grounds - if I don't sort this out urgently I will never see my father again.'

Gerald, 66, a retired accountant from Nottingham, had bowel cancer and was told last week that it had reached such an advanced stage that it was terminal and that he could die at any point.

When told this heartbreaking news his son James, 34, who has lived in Bali for four years with his wife Nova and their two-year-old daughter Bailee, immediately tried to arrange to race back to the UK.

His mother, teaching assistant Lyn, 60, was desperate for him to come and happy for him to stay at their house - but to his shock has been told he can't.

Because Bali, part of Indonesia, is on the red list of covid countries James knew he would have to take a Covid test before travel and then quarantine when he reached the UK - but because his father could die at any point believed the authorities here would allow him to do this at his parents home in Nottingham so that he could have that precious time with them.

Instead he was told that they were insisting that he still comply with the hotel quarantine rules with the sole exemption being that he could make a single day visit to his parents before going back to the hotel.

James, like his father an accountant, told Mail Online: 'My parents have both been double vaccinated so there is no risk to them and they're desperate for me to join them.

'And it makes no sense for me to be allowed to make a day trip to see them - then go back to a hotel.Surely if I was carrying the virus that would actually double the chances of me passing it to anyone else as I'd be making two journeys instead of one.

'This decision is not only heartless, it's also senseless.'

The letter from a Department of Health official stated: 'I appreciate this will be disappointing for you I appreciate your concern about your father's condition.

'Whilst we are unfortunately not able to grant you an exemption from managed quarantine, I can confirm that we would be content to approve an exception, on compassionate grounds, to enable you to visit your father once, on a day visit, after you have entered managed quarantine.'

Because Bali, part of Indonesia, is on the red list of covid countries James knew he would have to take a Covid test before travel and then quarantine when he reached the UK

James is now investigating whether there is any appeal route open to him - and hoping the latest travel review may downgrade Indonesia to amber.

Currently the rules mean if you travel to the UK from a red list country you face a compulsory hotel quarantine on return even if fully vaccinated.

It lasts for ten full days after your arrival day, there is no option of Test to Release on day five, and the bill comes to 2,285 for 11 nights for a single adult with further requirements involving additional PCR tests and passenger locator forms,

The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
President Joe Biden will begin his Friday in the Situation Room with his national security team, getting an update on Afghanistan

President Joe Biden will begin his Friday in the Situation Room with his national security team, getting an update on Afghanistan, before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after their sit down was delayed by a day.

One day after 13 U.S. service members and 90 Afghanis died in a suicide attack in Kabul, Biden is dealing will a crisis his administration hoped to avoid as it winded down America's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan.

Flags are flying half-staff at the White House and other federal buildings after Biden ordered them to do until August 30th to honor those killed.

The president's Thursday came to a standstill as his schedule 2as cleared of events for him to focus on the crisis.

His meeting with Bennett, their first face to face sit down, was pushed to Friday.

Bide and Bennett spoke Thursday night. Bennett expressed his condolences and said Israel stood by the US.

Biden thanked Bennett 'for his understanding regarding the change in the time of their meeting,' according to the Israelis.

Other members of the Biden administration scrambled their schedules to join the president.

Vice President Kamala Harris, flying back from a trip to Asia, is skipping a previously scheduled stop in California to campaign for Gov. Gavin Newsom, to rush back to Washington D.C. and join Biden in Friday's briefing.

The crisis is reaching critical mass for Biden's presidency.

The photos from the bombings in Afghanistan dominated the news as Republicans slammed the president for his handling of the crisis, claiming his decision to leave the country, along with the rushed evacuation, led to American deaths. Some called for his resignation.

Biden's approval rating plunged from its high marks and has challenged one of the central arguments he made for his election to the Oval Office - that he is a competent, seasoned leader.

Thursday was the deadliest day in Afghanistan for the U.S. military since 2011.

The president will contact the families of the 13 US service members who were killed, CNN reported.

'Any day where you lose service members is maybe the worst day of your presidency,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. 'And hopefully there's not more.'

Biden, in an emotional speech, vowed revenge.

'We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,' he said in remarks at the White House.

He said he had instructed his national security advisers to develop response plans to the attack but it's unclear when those plans will be ready.

The American flag on the roof of the White House flies at half staff in honor of U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff arrive at Joint Base Andrews on Friday morning after Harris upended her schedule to return to Washington D.C. early and join a national security briefing on Afghanistan

President Joe Biden meets with his national security team for a briefing on Afghanistan in the Situation Room on Sunday - Secretary of State Tony Blinken is on right, to Biden's left are National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley

Biden also said the evacuation of Americans and its allies from Kabul will continue. And he pledged to stick to his August 31st deadline amid calls from Republicans and some Democrats to extend.

On August 26, a total of approximately 7,500 people were evacuated from Kabul, according to the White House. This is the result of 14 US military flights, which carried approximately 5,100 evacuees, and 39 coalition flights, which carried 2,400 people.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated since August 14, the day the U.S. started to wind down operations.

Meanwhile, more attacks in Afghanistan are expected after the two explosions rocked Kabul on Thursday - a suicide bomb attack at the city's airport's Abbey Gate and another nearby at a hotel. The terrorist group ISIS IK claimed responsibility.

The military expects more attacks, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie said. He noted the U.S. estimates that around 1,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan.

After meeting with his national security team behind closed doors on Friday morning, Biden will pivot to sitting down with the Israeli prime minister.

The two leaders have divergent views on the Iran nuclear deal and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both of which are expected to be major topics of conversation during their Oval Office sit down.

Bennett and Biden will also look to form their own relationship after the American president had strained relations with Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu.

In their conversation, Bennett is expected to push Biden to give up his quest to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

Ahead of his trip Bennett said he would tell Biden 'that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing' and not to reenter 'a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.'

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will hold their first face-to-face meeting Thursday

But Biden has expressed his support for reviving the 2015 landmark deal brought about by the Obama administration but scuttled in 2018 by Donald Trump.

American indirect talks with Tehran have stalled, however, and Washington continues to keep sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, White House has said it plans to bring up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when the two leaders met.

Bennett has said he will not allow a Palestinian state while he is in office. The Biden administration has expressed its support for a two-state solution that, by definition, includes an independent Palestinian state.

Yet the White House has held off reopening the U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, a move that is seen as a show of support for Bennett.

Bennett and Biden have never met - a rarity for the American president who knows most everyone thanks to his more than 40 years in politics. But they have spoken on the phone. Biden called Bennett two months ago shortly after he was sworn in as prime minister, replacing Netanyahu in office.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Willard Hotel on Wednesday

President Joe Biden had strained relations with Bennett's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu - above the two men are seen together in 2016 when Biden was vice president

Iran remains one of the thornier issues on the table ahead of the Oval Office meeting.

Trump's decision to withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal led Tehran to abandon over time every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment. The country now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 63%, a short step from weapons-grade levels, compared with 3.67% under the deal. It also spins far more advanced centrifuges and more of them than were allowed under the accord, worrying nuclear nonproliferation experts even though Tehran insists its program is peaceful.

The Biden-Bennett sit-down comes weeks after Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in as Iran's new president.

Raisi, 60, a conservative cleric with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has suggested he'll engage with the U.S. But he also has struck a hard-line stance, ruling out negotiations aimed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias - something the Biden administration wants to address in a new accord.

Administration officials acknowledged that Iran's potential 'breakout' - the time needed to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon - is now down to a matter of months or less.

Biden will tell Bennett that he shares Israel's concern that Iran has expanded its nuclear program but remains committed for now to diplomacy with Tehran, a senior administration official said.

Briefing reporters ahead of the meeting, the official said: 'Since the last administration left the Iran nuclear deal, Irans nuclear program has just dramatically broken out of the box.'

The official said that if the diplomatic path with Iran fails, 'there are other avenues to pursue,' but did not elaborate.

Bennett is also looking to turn the page from his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. Bennett wants to move on from Netanyahu's combative public style and instead manage disagreements constructively behind closed doors between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

Netanyahu had a close relationship with Trump after frequently clashing with Barack Obama. Biden, who has met with every Israeli prime minister since Golda Meir, had his own tensions with Netanyahu over the years.

During his latest White House campaign, Biden called Netanyahu 'counterproductive' and an 'extreme right' leader.

Biden waited nearly a month after his election before making his first call to Netanyahu, raising concerns in Jerusalem and among some Netanyahu backers in Washington that the two would have a difficult relationship. The president called Bennett just hours after he was sworn in as prime minister in June to offer his congratulations.
Advertisement

A group of American war veterans in Kabul are secretly saving hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families who helped them in the war but have now been left for dead as the US withdraws from Afghanistan.

The group of special op soldiers includes retired Green Berets and SEAL Team commanders who launched the mission, which they are calling Pineapple Express, after one of the Afghan commandos they served with contacted them to say he was on the run from the Taliban. His visa had not been approved when the Taliban took over on August 14 and thousands ran for the airport.

The special ops soldiers first devised a system with US troops at the airport where they sent their comrades to a gate and told them to identify themselves with the password 'pineapple' to be put on a plane by the Marines on the ground. Some also showed the troops pictures of pineapples on their phones.

After successfully getting hundreds through that way, the special ops teams started going into Kabul, behind enemy lines, to rescue more of their comrades and their families in the cover of darkness.

It's unclear how long they have been in Afghanistan and how they got there but some of those involved spoke to ABC News about the mission on Friday, explaining they simply could not leave their comrades behind.

'I just want to get my people out,' said one of the retired troops involved while another said the Afghan allies they were saving had a prouder sense of Democracy than some Americans.

Their astonishingly courageous efforts have saved hundreds while Biden and his team have bungled the evacuation mission by haphazardly telling some US citizens and allies to go to the airport while rejecting visas for others and leaving any Americans to fend for themselves. They are one of several ad-hoc volunteer groups on the ground that are frantically trying to save people before time runs out.

The disastrous government rescue mission became even more tragic on Thursday when ISIS bombers targeted the crowds at the airport, slaughtering 170 people with a suicide bomb that also killed 13 US troops.

It has since emerged that Biden's administration also gave a list of Afghan allies' names to the Taliban in the naive hope they would then help get them out. Former President Donald Trump called it a 'kill list' that all but guaranteed their deaths.

The US now one of the only nations still evacuating from Kabul amid increasing threats of another ISIS attack.

A group of volunteer Afghanistan veterans smuggled into Kabul this week to save hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families by getting them to the airport to be put on flights out of the city. The men made their own way into Kabul after watching the bungled evacuation from afar. The ad-hoc group have been able to get more than 600 vulnerable Afghans to the airport to be put on flights

Afghan refugees are pictured on one of the flights out of Kabul after being escorted to the airport by a group of volunteer special ops veterans

Some of the Afghans being helped by Pineapple Express were injured in yesterday's suicide bomb attack but it's unclear if any were killed. The US has just four days to get as many s 1,000 Americans out plus another 5,000 Afghans who helped in the war.

General Kenneth McKenzie, who is running the US operation on the ground in Kabul, warned on Thursday that another ISIS attack - specifically a car bomb similar to one used on Thursday - was imminent.

The death toll from the attack at the airport is now 170. Thirteen US troops were killed, the first American lives lost since the evacuation carnage began on August 14.

All evacuation flights must stop by Tuesday night and the US must start putting troops and equipment on the planes soon.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family. Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.' Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea, part of Pineapple Express mission

It leaves a tiny window of opportunity for thousands of people who want to flee to get out, diminishing the hope of many Afghans who have not been given special interest visas and must now make a run for the border in Pakistan or stay and live under Taliban rule.

One of the veterans who took part in the Pineapple Express mission was a retired Green Beret known as 'Lawrence of Afghanistan'.

'I have been involved in some of the most incredible missions and operations that a special forces guy could be a part of, and I have never been a part of anything more incredible than this.

'The bravery and courage and commitment of my brothers and sisters in the Pineapple community was greater than the U.S. commitment on the battlefield. I just want to get my people out,' he told ABC News

Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea accompanied a U.S. citizen, who served as an operative, and his Afghan father and his father on foot.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family.

'Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.'

Before Thursday's attack, another 130 were smuggled to the airport to be put on flights.

'Dozens of high-risk individuals, families with small children, orphans, and pregnant women, were secretly moved through the streets of Kabul throughout the night and up to just seconds before ISIS detonated a bomb into the huddled mass of Afghans seeking safety and freedom,' Army Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret commander, told ABC.

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

This is the aftermath of Thursday's attack outside Kabul airport. 170 people were killed in the bomb attack and more are imminent, American generals warned

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport

Discarded suitcases and debris outside the gate of the airport where one of the suicide bombs went off on Thursday, killing 170 people

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 suicide bomb

Relatives transport the coffin of one of the victims of the attack away from the airport on Friday morning

Western countries have been scrambling for the last two weeks to get their people out of Afghanistan before the deadline and their missions were hurried even more when President Joe Biden refused to extend it this week.

RACE TO EVACUATE FROM KABUL ONGOING EVACUATIONS US Russia Turkey FINISHING FRIDAY Britain France Denmark Spain Italy ALREADY FINISHED Canada Poland Holland Norway Germany Australia Belgium Sweden Hungary Advertisement

Thursday's suicide attacks - which claimed the lives of 13 US troops and 90 Afghans - were the final nail in the coffin for many.

Britain's evacuation flights will finish on Friday, despite there being dual nationality citizens still stuck along with some allies.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday: 'It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process.

'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving.

'The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

Canada has also halted flights, leaving some citizens behind.

'The government of Canada recognizes that there are a number of people in Afghanistan, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, their families, and applicants under programs for Afghans, a government notice sent out last night, that was obtained by CBC News, said.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, the acting chief of the defense staff, said most of the Canadian personnel still in the country left but a small contingent stayed behind to support allies on the ground who have no hope of getting out.

Biden - who crumbled under questioning on Thursday night when confronted with the airport attack death toll - refused to push back the deadline to give allied countries more time to get their people out.

'It is in our interest to leave on time, on target,' Biden said on Thursday night.

The US is relying on the Taliban's cooperation to let people through to the airport.

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport's outer perimeter.

The move was described as a gross security lapse, with one defense source telling Politico: 'Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list.'

Trump told Fox News: 'Now we're giving lists of Americans to the Taliban so now you just knock on the door and grab them and take them out...

'What you are watching now is only going to get worse, it can only go one way.'

'We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.

Only US citizens and visa holders are being removed, and in the next few days, the focus will turn to removing troops and equipment.

Afghan refugees arriving at the Rota Air Base in Spain on Friday. The airbase is shared by American and Spanish military forces

President Joe Biden crumbled on Thursday night as he took questions from reporters about the suicide bomb attacks

British soldiers secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The last British flights will leave today

On Thursday, General Kenneth McKenzie, the commanding general on the ground, said he expected more bomb attacks at the airport, but that the mission would continue despite the threat.

President Biden has been widely condemned for creating the crowds at the airport that ISIS attacked by failing to get everyone out of the region before withdrawing his troops abruptly earlier this year.

It took just 11 days for the Taliban to sweep through the country that the US maintained peace in for nearly 20 years.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

People are still pouring into the canal which surrounds the perimeter of the airport, standing in waters which were yesterday filled with the blood of scores of people after a bomb tore through the crowd.

Footage from the ground revealed a scene of utter despair, with shouts and cries among the Afghans, some seen clambering up walls out of the canal and others wading through with luggage atop their heads.

In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

Desperate enough to risk their lives: Afghans trying to flee Kabul return to fetid canal where suicide bomber blew himself just the day before, in almost hopeless attempt to get on one of the last planes out

Desperate Afghans trying to flee Kabul have returned to the fetid canal outside the airport where a suicide bomber blew himself up as the final hours of evacuation tick down.

Flights resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a double suicide bombing killed at least 103 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today that the 'gates were closed' and that the UK's final evacuation flights would end within hours.

He said soldiers would try to 'find a few people in the crowds' but admitted that not everyone will be flown out to safety.

Wallace estimated around 1,100 Afghans eligible for evacuation would be left behind by the UK, while up to 150 Britons would not be flown home.

Washington said on Thursday that more than 100,000 people had been safely evacuated from Kabul, but that as many as 1,000 U.S. citizens are still struggling to leave.

TODAY and YESTERDAY: Crowds pack into the open sewer which runs around the airport perimeter (left) just hours after it was the scene of carnage when a suicide bomber blew himself up

Afghans desperate to flee the country returned to the fetid canal which runs the perimeter of Kabul airport

Joe Biden promised to 'rescue the Americans, we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on.'

But as the crowd becomes more frantic as the deadline looms, so too does the risk of a further terror attack.

Wallace said: 'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving. The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

People are still pouring into the canal which surrounds the perimeter of the airport, standing in waters which were yesterday filled with the blood of scores of people after a bomb tore through the crowd.

Footage from the ground revealed a scene of utter despair, with shouts and cries among the Afghans, some seen clambering up walls out of the canal and others wading through with luggage atop their heads.

Taliban fighters stand guard as they block the road to Kabul airport on Friday, a day after the deadly blasts

In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

Crowds of people gathered at Kabul's Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after the bombings outside the airport.

A boy sobbed in the back of a car, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city's hospitals.

Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.

Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the 'troubles' of his home country.

'He wanted to fly abroad,' Majeed told AFP.

'Unfortunately, he's missing after the back-to-back blasts.'

Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.

'I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them,' he said.

'Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him.'

Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but 'such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that's because of the troubles here.'

Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.

One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.

The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.

In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the 'situation is still quite critical'.

'Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long - the last surgery was at 4am.'

'We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care.'

The bombings on Thursday marked the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
MPs have slammed Joe Biden's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan as they told the US President: 'This is what defeat looks like.'

Britain's evacuation effort in Kabul has entered its final hours, with Mr Biden facing growing criticism over his decision to stick to his August 31 exit deadline.

Ministers have admitted approximately 1,000 Afghans who are eligible to be brought to Britain could be left behind amid fears they will be targeted for reprisals by the Taliban.

MPs have now warned Britain could face the 'biggest hostage crisis' in its history as they demanded the Government deliver on its promises to protect people who helped the UK forces during the conflict.

Some have called for the Government to adopt an 'open door' policy for any eligible people who manage to escape to the countries surrounding Afghanistan.

Senior Tories said Mr Biden's conduct has been 'completely disastrous', claiming that the US President is either 'past it or out of his depth'.

Labour MPs said Mr Biden's decision to reject calls from the UK and other NATO allies to extend the withdrawal has left Britain at a foreign policy 'crossroads', with the Special Relationship seemingly not as strong as it once was.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Government 'must take its fair share of the responsibility and has serious questions to answer' about why so many people have been left behind.

It came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that two British nationals and the child of another British national were killed by yesterday's terror attack outside Kabul airport, with two more injured.

MPs have slammed Joe Biden's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan as they told the US President: 'This is what defeat looks like.'

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said this morning that the UK's evacuation effort had now largely ended processing new evacuees and the airlifts had a 'matter of hours' left.

He said flights remained ongoing and insisted the mission had not been curtailed by the terror attack that killed US troops and civilians queuing up to flee the Taliban.

Despite airlifting nearly 14,000 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks, Mr Wallace said 'the sad fact is not every single one will get out'.

Mr Wallace said the RAF has rescued 'double' the number of Afghan nationals who supported the British effort in Afghanistan compared to what had been predicted, with the figure under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy (Arap) expected to hit 10,000 on Friday.

But hundreds will be left behind, with Mr Wallace telling LBC Radio: 'We think there will be circa between 800 and 1,100 Arap that didn't make it.'

Mr Biden said last night that the US's airlift operation would 'not be deterred by terrorists'.

He said: 'We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

The US President is facing mounting criticism from MPs over his handling of the withdrawal.

Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told Sky News: 'There is a possibility we may find ourselves with the biggest hostage crisis the UK has ever seen.

'Over 3,000 entitled people were said to be in Afghanistan at the beginning of this process, I don't know how many it is now.'

He continued: 'This is what defeat looks like... defeat means you don't control the situations anymore. Defeat means you don't have a voice in the debate. Defeat means you don't get a say.

'We have just been defeated. We have no influence over Kabul anymore, we have no influence over the behaviour of the Taliban except by asking them nicely and luring them with aid to help people who they are quite happy to kill, so frankly what influence that is I am not very convinced at the moment.'

Mr Tugendhat said the situation in Afghanistan 'is not a military defeat' but the result of a 'political decision... very unwisely made in the White House'.

He urged ministers to do everything they can to help those Afghans who have been left behind.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said the British Government has 'serious questions to answer' about why so many Afghan citizens who are eligible to come to the UK have been left behind in Kabul

He said: 'Those who stood up for us deserve the protection that they are entitled to expect because we promised it.'

Sir Keir said the airlift operation has been a 'remarkable effort in unimaginably difficult circumstances'.

'However, with the withdrawal we face the heart-breaking reality that people have been left behind, including many to whom we owe so much,' he said.

'The British Government must take its fair share of the responsibility and has serious questions to answer about how, despite having 18 months to prepare, their failure to plan and inability to influence others has contributed to this tragic political failure.'

A senior Tory MP said Mr Biden's handling of the withdrawal had been 'completely disastrous'.

They said: 'He gives every impression of either being past it or out of his depth. Trump started this process and he had his faults but I dont think Trump would have handled this as ineptly as Biden has.

He has managed to alienate his NATO allies and really the whole exercise is appalling.

It is probably the most worrying thing to happen to the NATO alliance since it was first implemented.

The UK evacuation effort in Kabul is now entering its final hours. US soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps are pictured in position guarding the airport today

A Labour MP said the manner of the US withdrawal has left the UK at a 'crossroads'.

They said: It creates real problems for UK foreign policy because I think Global Britain has been predicated on we are going to be with the United States, but if the United States take this type of attitude where whatever we say they just ignore it, I think it is a crossroads. Where does our foreign policy go now?

The MP said the UK must now accelerate its work with the countries surrounding Afghanistan to ensure citizens who escape can be helped as they argued Britain should adopt an 'open door' policy to welcoming those eligible who make it out.
Police in suburban Chicago were preparing to dig up the backyard of a home where two hoarder brothers claimed to have buried the bodies of their mother and sister.

Excavation work was set to get under way on Friday in the 3900 block of South Center Avenue in Lyons, located 14 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.

According to local police, the case began unfolding on Thursday, when officers were called to a home on South Center Avenue to perform a welfare check on two brothers, both in their 40s, after they had not been seen for some time.

Brothers Michael and John Lelko speak to reporters outside their home in Lyons, Illinois, where police are preparing to dig up the backyard in search of the bodies of their mother and sister, which they claimed to have buried after their deaths

Police were called to the home in the 3900 block of South Center Avenue in Lyons for a welfare check after one of the Lelko brothers had not been seen for some time

The inside of the brothers' home is pictured. The brothers had to exit their home through a window because of the clutter inside blocking the doors

Police found the home to be crammed top to bottom with garbage and debris, including bottles of urine, feces smeared everywhere, and no running water or working toilets

Several cats and dogs were found running around the property

A utility company also reported that water had not been used at the home, sparking concerns that the inhabitant had died.

Police found the home to be crammed top to bottom with garbage and debris, including bottles of urine, feces smeared everywhere, and no running water or working toilets.

Several cats and dogs were found running around the property.

'It was multiple liters of urine,' Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion told ABC 7 Chicago. 'Every room, the front door, the backdoor were completely barricaded with debris, boxes.'

The brothers, who were said to have physical and mental health issues, had to exit their home through a window because of the clutter inside blocking the doors.

Neighbor Martha Aranda Castaneda told Fox 32 that she had not seen one of the Lelkos in over a year.

'That's the first time I saw him, when [police] took him out,' she said.

Police said they interviewed the two brothers and learned that their mother died in 2019, and that her death may have been an accident that involved their sister, who then also died.

Speaking later to reporters, the brothers, identified as John and Michael Lelko, claimed that their mentally ill sister had pushed their mother down the stairs in 2015, and that the older woman, in her 70s, ultimately succumbed to a stroke, according to WGN.

Police said they found the residence to be crammed with trash and bottles containing urine; it had no running water or working toilets

Tents are set up outside the Lelko residence in preparation for Friday's excavation in search of the human remains

The Lelko brothers also reportedly said that their sister died of COVID-19 in 2019, which raised suspicions within the police because the first known cases of the virus in the US were only reported in January 2020.

Police said the brothers told them they buried their mother and sister in their backyard among the carcasses of animals because of COVID-19 fears, and also to save on funeral costs.

The state of Illinois has no records of those deaths.

The Lelkos were taken to a hospital for medical treatment, but have not been arrested or charged with any crime.

They were later discharged and put up in a hotel, but walked over to their house, still wearing blue hospital gowns, to speak to reporters after seeing news reports on television about the impending excavation in their backyard.

Police said they are treating the case as a homicide investigation for evidence-gathering purposes at this time
Air travel has seen it's biggest dip since May amid the surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

This week the Transportation Security Administration reported its lowest air travel numbers of the summer after hitting its highest traffic of the year at the beginning of August, CBS News reported.

TSA reported over 1.4 million people went through its checkpoints on Tuesday and over 1.5 million on Wednesday, a sharp dip from the 2.2 million reported in early August and the lowest number the agency has reported since May.

Transportation Security Administration checkpoint travel numbers for the week of Aug 20- Aug 26 over the last three years

Rising concerns about the COVID surge has led travelers to cancel their flights in record numbers causing a huge dip in summer air travel

The decline might be attributed to the current COVID surge sweeping the nation.

More than 100,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 for the first time in eight months as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues.

According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 101,050 hospital beds are occupied by people receiving treatment for the virus.

This is a 147 percent increase from the 40,791 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 four weeks ago and the first time this number has hit six figures since late January during the deadly winter 2020-21 surge.

TSA reported over 1.4 million people went through its checkpoints on Tuesday and over 1.5 million on Wednesday, a sharp dip from the 2.2 million reported in early August

The decline might be attributed to the current COVID surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus

This week the TSA reported its lowest air travel numbers of the summer after hitting its highest traffic of the year at the beginning of August

A recent survey from Cars.com found 'rising concerns' over COVID forced a fifth of travelers planning to fly to cancel their flights and drive instead.

The survey also found that over 60 percent of travelers state they are concerned about the delta variant while traveling and nearly a quarter of travelers surveyed said they changed their destination due to an uptick of COVID-19 cases in a particular area- specifically Florida, which is seeing a 19.8 percent positivity rate among tested individuals.

'There's a lot more anxiety with airlines, with hotels, with cruise lines and all members of the travel industry right now compared to just a couple of months ago,' travel analyst Henry Harteveldt told CBS News.

As air travel opened up again following lockdowns airlines have had to deal with a rise of unruly passengers aboard flights.

This year, the FAA imposed a zero-tolerance policy for interfering with or assaulting flight attendants that carries a fine of up to $35,000 and possible jail time.

Of the 3,900 cases reported, the FAA has opened 682 investigations into possible violations of federal laws.

The number of cases under investigation are about three times the number the agency has had to deal with in the last 15 years.
Advertisement

A vegan Extinction Rebellion protester who is also a politics student stripped off again today before posing topless next to a police officer as the activists caused more chaos by daubing red paint over City of London buildings.

Laura Amherst, 31, who lives in Brighton, has made a name for herself during this week's demonstrations in the capital by dancing topless with just two XR stickers covering her naked breasts.

Miss Amherst drives a hybrid car and lives with her boyfriend in a home with renewable energy. She has said her boyfriend and father back her decision to strip off, but 'this is my body and I'm my own woman'.

And the activist, who claims to be a committed member of XR along with her boyfriend, was at it again today as her fellow protesters daubed red paint over the Standard Chartered headquarters and Guildhall building.

Today, the demonstrators were also seen protesting outside the Bank of England as they continued to bring major disruption to the capital's streets while the first week of a planned fortnight of action continues.

Extinction Rebellion climate activist Laura Amherst, 31, poses next to a police officer during the XR protest in London today

Miss Amherst, 31, from Brighton, has made a name for herself by dancing topless during this week's protests (pictured today)

Miss Amherst, in the City of London today, has said she is doing the topless protest to 'draw attention to the climate crisis'

Miss Amherst is a vegan who drives a hybrid car and lives with her boyfriend in a home with renewable energy

Miss Amherst had earlier posted on Instagram, encouraging people to join her at the protest at the Bank of England today

Miss Amherts poses with a fan while carrying out another topless Extinction Rebellion protest in Oxford Circus on Wednesday

Miss Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University, also stripped off at the protests at Oxford Circus on Wednesday

Politics student Miss Amherst, who has been attending the XR protests this week, is pictured in her Facebook profile pictures

Miss Ahmerst has said dancing topless 'brought a nice energy to the protest and was also a very body positive thing to do'

Earlier this week Miss Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University, told MailOnline of her naked protests: '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. 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.

'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, adding: 'We are doing all that we can to save the planet.'

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion sit over the entrance to Standard Chartered's headquarters in London today

Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall in the City of London today after it was daubed in paint

A climate activist from Extinction Rebellion on top of fake blood smeared on the floor of London's Paternoster Square today

Extinction Rebellion demonstrators are marching in the City of London today as their two weeks of protest action continues

Extinction Rebellion activists sit on the entrances to Standard Chartered's headquarters today after daubing it in red paint

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion shout as others sit on the entrance to Standard Chartered's headquarters today

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion gather around the entrance to the headquarters of Standard Chartered today

Activists targeted the City of London Corporation's headquarters at the Guildhall today where police were later pictured

Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall in London today after it was daubed in red paint

A police officer stands in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall today after it was daubed in paint

Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall following the action by Extinction Rebellion today

Samba bands chanted and hundreds of XR demonstrators handed out stickers to City workers during what they called a 'Blood Money' march targeting financial institutions and bankers in the capital.

Some of them dressed as suffragettes while others pretended to bankers and covered their hands in fake blood, with the aim of bringing about more awareness over investments in fossil fuels.

City of London Police said its officers were in attendance and 'a number of arrests have been made for criminal damage'. Scotland Yard has not yet confirmed any arrests today, but the week's total stood at 289 yesterday.

A City of London Police spokesman said today: 'The City of London Police is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and British Transport Police to appropriately and proportionately respond to protest activity in the City of London.

'Officers are currently in attendance at a number of locations in the City to ensure balance between the right to protest and the rights of Londoners to go about their daily lives.'

This afternoon, several protesters climbed on top of Standard Chartered's headquarters and covered it in red paint, which XR claimed represented the 'blood of ancestors and slaves who haven't been forgotten'.

Activists during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London today which is part of the two-week demonstration by the group

A climate activist from the Extinction Rebellion group on top of fake blood smeared on the floor of Paternoster Square today

Members of Extinction Rebellion dancing in fake blood in Paternoster Square in London this afternoon

Protesters cover Paternoster Square in fake blood and coins during an Extinction Rebellion 'Blood Money' march

Members of Extinction Rebellion dancing in fake blood at Paternoster Square in London this afternoon

: Protesters cover Paternoster Square in fake blood and coins during an Extinction Rebellion demonstration today

Activists during an Extinction Rebellion climate protest in London this afternoon

Others targeted the City of London Corporation's headquarters at the Guildhall, where a line of police were photographed outside after the building had also been daubed in red paint.

XR co-founder Gail Bradbrook told the Guardian: 'It's one thing for a nose-ringed activist like me to (call for change), but what we really want is people in the City to come out and say 'yeah we need to change course'.'

Dr Bradbook also hit out at a political economy that is 'hell bent on economic growth'  and XR has also been urging City workers to anonymously blow the whistle on stories about their companies.

It comes after activists descended on Buckingham Palace yesterday on a fourth day of chaos. Demonstrators daubed paint on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the palace gates and dyed its fountain water red.

Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion organisation march through the City of London today

Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

Demonstrators during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in the City of London today

Demonstrators dressed as suffragettes during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England today

Demonstrators during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in the City of London today

Demonstrators hold banners as the Extinction Rebellion action continues outside the Bank of England in London today

Demonstrators hold placards during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in London today

Demonstrators dressed as bankers with red paint on their hands take part in the Extinction Rebellion protest today

Demonstrators dressed as suffragettes during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England today

The protesters, from an offshoot group called Animal Rebellion, held banners reading Animal Agriculture: A Royal Blood Bath. The fountain vandals were immediately arrested.

Thousands of people have been trapped in gridlock in the centre of the city as traffic was halted and public transport held up in the groups's week of protest.

Yesterday demonstrators, estimated to be in the low thousands, also blocked off Hyde Park Corner and protested at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

And in response to a video showing activists in a bizarre performance centred around a broccoli, policing minister Kit Malthouse tweeted: 'Please go back to your homes and jobs Extinction Rebellion and let all those cops get back to fighting crime.'

An Extinction Rebellion climate activist paints his face during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion with fake blood on their hands demonstrate at the Bank of England today

An Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a protective face mask looks on during a protest outside the Bank of England today

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion with fake blood on their hands demonstrate outside the Bank of England today

Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

Extinction Rebellion climate activists take part in a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

An Extinction Rebellion climate activist holds a newspaper as he sits down during a protest outside the Bank of England today

A climate activist from the Extinction Rebellion group demonstrates outside the Bank of England in the City of London today

Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

An Extinction Rebellion climate activist with a painted face takes part in a protest outside the Bank of England today

Extinction Rebellion climate activists take part in a protest outside the Bank of England in London today

Extinction Rebellion has set up camp for two weeks on Blackheath Common in South East London, pictured today

The video, from a previous protest in London by the group, recently went viral after being posted online again. It includes people crowding around the vegetable and pointing at it. At one point, one covers it with a hat.

Actress Emma Thompson also urged the public to join Extinction Rebellion's protests yesterday.

The 62-year-old, who was previously mocked for travelling 5,400 miles from Los Angeles to the group's climate protests in London by private jet in 2019, said people must 'help in whatever ways they can'.

She said in a video yesterday that the activists were not 'dropout, anarchistic outsiders', adding: 'They are rebels, if you like, who have the greatest cause in human history, nothing less than the survival of the planet.'

The Metropolitan Police said they arrested seven protesters yesterday, bringing the week's total to 289.
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton says the conditions inside the Kabul airport are harrowing and 'crazy,' and says he saw U.S. military members break down over their efforts during his secret trip that drew the ire of party leaders.

Moulton is speaking about what he saw on the ground during a stealthy trip to get a look at the evacuation  which the Pentagon and White House immediately blasted as an imprudent strain on precious resources.

Moulton, who did four tours in Iraq with support from the local population and who has been an advocate for doing more for Afghans seeking special visas, says it gave him a close-up look at the desperation and squalor on the ground.

'I've never seen more people cry, just salty Marines, seasoned State Department veterans just break down in tears, talking about their work, and hugging me, and saying thank you for coming,' the Iraq War vet told New York Magazine in an account of what he saw and how he got there.

Rep. Seth Moulton (left), then a Marine Captain, stands alongside both American and Iraqi soldiers in Iraq. Lt. Col Ehab Hashem Moshen is in the center of the second row. Moulton has spoken about the value added by local translators and others

His mini 'codel,' taken along with GOP Rep. Peter Meijer, gave Moulton a first-hand look at conditions, after having spent months trying to call attention to the plight of Afghans who assisted U.S. forces.

He said evacuees were cramped 'in 120-degree heat literally sheltering under aircraft wings, which is not safe, by the way.'

'They're in hangars, some of them are just on the tarmac, and it's crazy,' he told the publication.

'We understood as one only can from being on the ground in Kabul that we were never going to finish this in time, even if we extended to September 11th,' he said of what he saw  in a trip that preceded Thursday's deadly bomb attack the U.S. assessed was carried out by ISIS-K.

He had harsh words for how the Biden Administration handled the situation.

'The thing that everybody needs to understand, even if you completely agree with the Biden administrations decision to withdraw, the way they have handled this has been a total f****** disaster,' he said. He said it will be 'measured in bodies, because a lot of people are dying because they cant get out.

'As crazy as this sounds, we need a positive relationship with the Taliban to have any hope of getting out the thousands of people we'll leave behind down the road,' he said.

He defended his trip has having 'had the lightest footprint of any codel in history'  without providing precise details on how exactly he pulled it off.

'Our goal was to be as efficient as possible at finding the truth and saving a few lives,' he said of he and Meijer, who also served in Iraq.

Moulton and his former Iraqi translator Mohammed Harba

Moulton tweeted out an 'indescribable' image of what he saw on his trip, which was criticized by military brass and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Hundreds of people, some holding documents, gather near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021

People are crowded before Thursday's attack, along a canal near the Abbey Gate at Kabul's airport, Afghanistan August 26, 2021 in this still grab obtained by REUTERS from a video

Moulton did four tours in Iraq before he was elected to Congress

Moulton says he was an Iraq War critic, but went so no one else would have to go in his place. He is pictured during one of his four tours there. He spent about 15 hours on Tuesday at the airport in the capital city of Kabul, the epicenter of America's messy withdrawal from the nearly 20-year war there.

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the military airport in Kabul on August 27, 2021, as the Pentagon said the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan still faces more possible attacks

Navy medic Max Soviaks (left), Marine Rylee McCollum (center) and David Lee Espinoza, 20, who were both killed in the ISIS blast at Kabul airport

The two lawmakers flew to the United Arab Emirates commercially before finding passage on military flights into Kabul. He says they used vacant space inside a crew cabin aboard the C-17 aircraft.

'Look, man, when you've been in the Middle East as long as I have, it's not that hard to find a friend who can get you on a flight,' was all he would allow.

Moulton has long been pushing efforts for the government to focus on evacuating Afghans who assisted U.S. forces. He recalls the assistance he got from translators and others while serving in Iraq.

He claims his requests to form an official congressional 'CODEL' were denied, although the House Armed Services Committee says he never made a formal request.

'They're in hangars, some of them are just on the tarmac, and it's crazy,' Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said of the conditions of evacuees in Kabul

'Peter and I had been talking for a while about going to Kabul because all our official requests had been denied  which I had made many over months, not just recently,' he told New York.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both slammed the trip as diverting attention from the evacuation, with some staffers blasting it as an ego trip.

'Any member that I have heard that might go, I explain to them that I don't think they should,' McCarthy said during a briefing. 'I think it creates a greater risk. You've got enough Americans over there to be held hostage. They would make a point out of member of Congress.'

Pelosi said during her own remarks on the matter: 'This is deadly serious. We do not want members to go.'

'You need the approval of your committee chair in order to do that. And we have put out the word to committee chairs there ain't going to be no planes or this or that for people going to the region,' she continued.

According to his website, Moulton joined the Marines months before the Sept. 11th attacks. 'As the leader of an infantry platoon, he was among the first Americans to reach Baghdad in 2003,' it says. 'He served four tours in Iraq, a war he disagreed with and spoke out againstbut he was proud to go, so no one had to go in his place.'

Earlier, Moulton, who put together an ill-fated 2020 presidential campaign, defended his actions in an interview with the the Boston Globe.

'I don't care one bit about anonymous quotes from Washington when I'm saving the lives of our allies,' Moulton told the paper in a phone interview from Doha, Qatar on Wednesday.

'I got several not just families but groups through the gates,' Moulton said of his time in Kabul. 'It's amazing that people think this is about politics when it's about innocent lives and saving people who have given everything to us from torture and death.'

'Every single person that we can get through the gates who is one of our allies, that is the difference between freedom and death,' he added.

He reiterated: 'The scoldings mean nothing when we're saving a few lives.'

Despite the conditions described by Moulton, and the threats exposed by Thursday's suicide bombing, desperate Afghans trying to flee Kabul have returned to airport as the final hours of evacuation tick down.

Flights resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 170 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel. The Pentagon today confirmed there was just one suicide attack, correcting an earlier statement which said a second bomber struck the Baron Hotel.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

Washington said on Thursday that more than 100,000 people had been safely evacuated from Kabul, but that as many as 1,000 U.S. citizens are still struggling to leave.

The Pentagon said today around 5,400 people are inside the airport awaiting evacuation and that the U.S. would continue rescue efforts right up 'until the last moment.'

'Biden faces a day of reckoning': GOP leader Kevin McCarthy piles into president over Afghan debacle as Rep. Meijer urges Congress to take back war powers and Rep. Cawthorn calls for the 25th Amendment

GOP lawmakers have been calling for Biden to leave office since the Kabul blasts

An Islamic State suicide attack killed at least 170 people there on Thursday

House Minority Leader McCarthy hinted at the possibility of impeachment proceedings after all Americans were evacuated from Afghanistan

Rep. Meijer, a veteran, mourned the loss of 13 US service members including 10 Marines on Thursday and blamed Biden's 'reckless' handling of the crisis

Biden promised retribution for the attacks but has yet to move his August 31 deadline for a full withdrawal from the Taliban-controlled country

Rep. Cawthorn appealed to Kamala Harris to 'find the courage' to push Biden out

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

By Elizabeth Elkind, Politics Reporter for DailyMail.com

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned President Joe Biden that he faces 'a day of reckoning' over the Afghanistan crisis on Friday and appeared to hint at possible impeachment proceedings after Americans were evacuated from the Taliban-controlled country.

'Look, I'm extremely frustrated with this president,' McCarthy said in a press conference.

He said a president needs to have 'the faith, the trust, and the confidence' of Americans - which he said Biden lost on Thursday after a devastating attack on Kabul airport slaughtered at least 170 people and 13 US troops.

A suicide attack by ISIS-K near the Abbey Gate checkpoint of Hamid Karzai International Airport killed and injured hundreds and took the lives of 10 US Marines.

'There will be a day of reckoning, and we have a constitutional right,' the Republican lawmaker threatened.

But for now, McCarthy said the main focus should be evacuating Americans still stranded in Afghanistan.

McCarthy seemed to hint at future Republican-backed impeachment motions in a Thursday press conference

'When that day passes, we can take up anything that - to hold accountable for the actions that have been taken, the lies that have been given, the mis-decisions that put Americans in harm's way, and the decision to leave Americans behind,' he said.

'That choice and that answer should never be given by the president of the United States.'

He also criticized Biden over his August 31 deadline for a full withdrawal - a decision that came despite pleas from fellow heads of state and lawmakers here at home.

'Why would President Biden pick the Taliban over our allies ands over Americans?' he questioned.

Republican Rep. Peter Meijer also heckled Biden's handling of the chaos in Afghanistan late Thursday night, and urged Congress to reclaim its war powers authority to prevent future crises.

After the deadly blasts at Kabul airport Meijer posted on Twitter grieving the loss of 13 US service members in the 'horrific attack' on Kabul airport Thursday.

Rep. Peter Meijer, a veteran, sent condolences to the families of service members killed in the deadly Kabul airport blasts Thursday and blamed Biden's 'reckless withdrawal'

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul

The dead body of an Afghan is laid on the ground at a hospital in Kabul on August 27, the day after the explosions

The day after the explosions Taliban forces remain blocking the roads around the airport

He said his 'heart is absolutely broken' for the families of the fallen troops and their fellow troops.

'On Tuesday I saw Marines bravely managing chaos at Abbey Gate. Today, the grave risk they took to save countless lives was made terribly clear,' Meijer wrote on Twitter, referencing a widely criticized trip he and Rep. Seth Moulton took to the airport amid the evacuation effort.

'This was a position they should not have been in, but President Bidens reckless withdrawal gave them no other choice.'

'Congress needs to reclaim its authority over war powers to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.'

The Constitutional duty to formally declare war belongs to Congress, but measures passed under the George W. Bush administration expanded the president's authority to conduct military operations abroad.

Meijer, a veteran, penned an op-ed with two other lawmakers in May also calling for Congress to repeal the authorizations for use of military force.

Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a vocal critic of the Biden administration, went a step further and asked Vice President Kamala Harris to take on the 'grim remedy' of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office.

Rep. Peter Meijer (left) and Rep. Madison Cawthorn (right) are just two of the lawmakers criticizing Biden for the chaos in Afghanistan

A letter from GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn to Vice President Kamala Harris asks her to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from power

Biden vowed retribution against those responsible for carrying out the Kabul airport attacks in a speech on Thursday

'As the person that works closest with the President, you are also the one who best knows the differences between the perception the West Wing wants to project and the ugly reality,' he wrote Wednesday. 'I have become increasingly convinced of what you already know, President Biden is no longer capable of discharging the duties of his office.'

Under Biden's watch Cawthorn said the US has seen 'an undefended border,' 'rising inflation' and 'American honor being lost in a craven retreat from the Taliban.'

'The crises that I mentioned above requires a President that is operating at the peak of his cognitive powers. It seems obvious now that this is no longer the case,' he wrote.

On those grounds, he asked Harris to 'find the courage' to initiate the process of booting Biden from office.

Harris, who only recently returned to the US after a diplomatic tour in Southeast Asia, released a statement Thursday night honoring the victims of the deadly Kabul attack.

'Doug and I grieve for the Americans we lost, we pray for the Americans injured in the attack, and our hearts go out to their loved ones. We also grieve for the Afghan civilians killed and injured,' the vice president said.

Rep. Brian Mast also questioned Biden's mental capabilities in a CNN interview on Thursday night.

Rep. Brian Mast said Biden's promise for revenge is 'as hollow as his head' in a Thursday CNN interview

U.S. soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division escort evacuees to buses for onward movement during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 25

U.S Sky Dragon soldiers help Afghan evacuees at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 24

Asked about Biden's promise to hold the Kabul airport attackers responsible, the lawmaker said 'his words are as hollow as his heart and his head.'

Mast said he was filled with 'rage' at the president for his handling of the crisis.

Biden on his part vowed retribution to those responsible in a speech on Thursday.

'To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget,' he said.

'We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.'

But American voters' confidence that Biden can stick by his duty in the face of his looming withdrawal deadline is slipping.

The president's approval rating is at an all-time low of 47.2 percent on Friday, according to data aggregator FiveThirtyEight.

A majority of respondents to YouGov poll conducted this week 'strongly disapprove' of Biden's handling of Afghanistan.

In line with GOP lawmakers, 77 percent of Republicans expressed strong disapproval - less than 10 percent view it favorably at all.
A Texas father who organized local protest against pandemic restrictions and mandates is fighting for his life with covid as doctors tell his family his chances of recovery are 'slim to none,' according to his pregnant wife.

Caleb Wallace, 30, has been unconscious, ventilated and heavily sedated in the ICU at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo since August 8 after first being hospitalized on July 30.

When he first began experiencing symptoms of the virus just four days before his hospitalization he refused to get tested instead treating himself a cocktail of Vitamin C, zinc, aspirin and ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that has been falsely touted by some as an effective treatment.

This month the FDA issued a warning begging Americans to stop taking the anti-parasitic drug intended for livestock as a treatment or covid tweeting: 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.'

Caleb was very resistant to turn to professional medical help but 'every time he would start to cough, it would turn into a coughing attack, and then that would cause him to completely go out of breath,' his pregnant wife, Jessica Wallace told the San Angelo Standard-Times.

Caleb Wallace, 30, is one of the founders of the 'Freedom Defenders' a local San Angelo group fighting against covid restrictions, mask mandates, and vaccines

Wallace has been unconscious, ventilated and heavily sedated in the ICU at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo since August 8

On Wednesday, his wife Jessica Wallace posted a 'heartbreaking update' of his condition to Facebook writing that doctors have 'run out of options for him and asked if I would consent to a do not resuscitate'

'He was so hard-headed. He didn't want to see a doctor, because he didn't want to be part of the statistics with COVID tests.'

By Saturday, August 21, Caleb will have spent more than 12 days on a ventilator.

Jessica posted a heartbreaking update on Wednesday to her Facebook page: 'He's not doing good. It's not looking in our favor, his lungs are stiff due to the fibrosis. They called and said they've run out of options for him and asked if I would consent to a do not resuscitate. And it would be up to us when to stop treatments.'

'My heart just can't. I can't imagine my life without him. I'm sorry if I don't respond to any calls or texts or messages, I am just broken up.'

Just a few weeks before being hospitalized Caleb helped organize 'The Freedom Rally' which was advertised as a protest against 'government being in control of our lives.' The father of three- with another on the way next month- is one of the founders of the 'Freedom Defenders' a local San Angelo group fighting against 'COVID-19 tyranny.'

The group actively fought covid restrictions for an 'open Texas' and opposed masks and vaccines. As one of the founding leaders, alongside Coco Simpson, he gave interviews questioning public health measures and scientific findings and organized rally's and protest against covid restrictions.

In an open letter written to San Angelo Independent School District on April 10, Wallace condemned lockdowns and mask mandates. He falsely claimed there is 'little evidence that masks worked for anyone.'

'What have been the benefits of lockdowns and masking? I say to you that there is ZERO benefit to this continued practice.'

He ended the letter demanding that the school district 'rescind ALL COVID-related policies immediately!'

The Wallace family has called Caleb on FaceTime every night for the past three weeks. Caleb is unable to respond as he has been unconscious for over two weeks now

By Saturday, August 21, Caleb will have spent more than 12 days on a ventilator

The family is expecting their fourth child, Emsley Jean Wallace, on September 27. Jessica has created a GoFundMe page to raise money for household ad medical bills which she as an expecting stay-at-home can not cover

In a promotional video for the group posted to crooksandliars.com in October Caleb explains what the 'Freedom Defenders' are standing for: 'We're fighting to get people to work. We're fighting for people to get on their feet. We're fighting for people to start talking with their neighbors and to have conversations instead of shutting down or looking at their phones all day. Let's start opening up with each other.'

'If we don't start doing something now. We're gonna lose much more than we bargained for.'

Unfortunately, it now looks like Caleb might be what Jessica loses. She described his chances of recovery as 'slim to none' without advanced medial care and has created a GoFundMe page to cover household bills and Caleb's medical bills.

The stay at home is expecting the couple's fourth child on September 27.

'I need help with mortgage, water, electricity and necessities for the girls. Anything helps at the moment. I'm trying to prepare for this month and the next.'

'With being this far along in pregnancy I can't get a job and after delivery I'll need a few weeks to recover.'

The family has called Caleb on FaceTime every night for the past three weeks but at this point Caleb is unable to respond to his young girls.

The girls tell Caleb how their day went, how much they love and miss him, and how badly they want him home.

'Keep fighting, daddy,' the girls told their sick father on Thursday during the video chat, according to the Standard-Times. 'We miss you.'

Texas joined a growing list of states that are seeing record numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a surge that is overwhelming doctors and nurses and afflicting more children.

Intensive care units around the nation are packed with patients extremely ill with covid like Caleb.

The same day Jessica posted the Facebook update on Caleb's condition, Texas reported more covid patients in their hospitals than at any other time since the pandemic began, 14,255 and 2,074, respectively, according to US Department of Health and Human Services data.

Texas has been experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases along with the country as the highly-contagious Delta variant continues to spread
Peloton shares fell 8 percent after the company was subpoenaed by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security for information related to its reporting of injuries associated with its equipment.

The company also said Friday that the Securities and Exchange Commission is 'investigating our public disclosures concerning these matters.'

Peloton shares were down nearly 8 percent Friday, following a disappointing fiscal fourth-quarter financial report.

The company said in a filing that they expect revenue to fall 14.6 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2021.

They also announced Thursday that they're cutting the price of the Peloton Bike - the product that was the cornerstone of its popularity - to $1,495 from $1,895.

Peloton shares fell 8 percent after the company was subpoenaed by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security for information related to its reporting of injuries associated with its equipment

The disclosures in an SEC filing arrive a day after the company posted a loss for its most-recent quarter, showed slower revenue growth, and cut the price of its most-popular product. A portion of the latest quarters loss stemmed from the recall of its treadmill machine.

In May, Peloton recalled about 125,000 of its treadmills less than a month after denying they were dangerous despite the death of at least one child and injuries to 29 users.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned on April 17 that people with children and pets should immediately stop using the Tread+

Customers are now able use a four digit code to unlock the $4,295 Tread+. The machines will also lock after 45 seconds not being used. Users were asked to update their software the next time they next log, the company said.

Peloton shares were down nearly 8 percent Friday, following a disappointing fiscal fourth-quarter financial report

In a post on its site Peloton describes the new 'Tread Lock' feature as 'safety feature that automatically locks the Peloton Tread+ after you put your Tread+ to sleep or after 45 seconds of inactivity outside of a class'.

Peloton CEO John Foley admitted in May that it was a mistake not to recall their treadmills sooner.

He said: 'We did make a mistake by not engaging earlier in the process. [The] most important thing is the safety of our members'.

Explaining the potential design flaws of the Tread+, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlighted the individual rubberized slats which make up its running surface, rather than the single rubber running band found on most rivals.

The Tread+ also sits higher off the ground than other treadmills, and lacks a rear guard. That makes it easier for people, pets or objects to get sucked underneath it and stuck there.

The machine was linked to the death of one child and the injuries of 70 others, including a different youngster who was sucked under one but survived.

That prompted the the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a safety warning about the machines in April but Peloton refused to recall them.

It finally agreed earlier this month.

One runner had described the moment her Peloton treadmill threw her into wall and ripped off her skin after she lost her footing.

One woman she fell facedown on the Tread+ May 2019, becoming trapped between a wall and the machine and leaving her with burns and bone fractures.

A father, Brandon Ratliffe, had told Good Morning America that his six-year-old daughter suffered severe abrasions to her legs after she was sucked under the family's Tread+.

A father, Brandon Ratliffe, had told Good Morning America that his six-year-old daughter suffered severe abrasions to her legs after she was sucked under the family's Tread+

He shared photos of his daughter, Jocelyn, that showed bruising and severe scrapes on her legs. Jocelyn was dragged under the device feet-first, her dad said.

And one former employee told Insider: 'There's some stuff that I've had to troubleshoot for members personally, which led me to believe that this thing should not be used by anyone at all.'

The company had said that there's no reason to stop using the treadmill as long as children and pets are kept away from it at all times, it is turned off when not in use, and a safety key is removed.

One runner had described the moment her Peloton treadmill threw her into wall and ripped off her skin after she lost her footing

But the safety commission said that in at least one episode, a child was pulled under the treadmill while a parent was running on it, suggesting it can be dangerous to children even while a parent is present.

The company, best known for its stationary bikes, has seen its sales explode during the pandemic as virus-wary people have avoided gyms and worked out at home.

Treadmills account for around 12 per cent of Peloton's revenue, with the bulk of their cash coming from its stationary bikes, and subscriptions to online exercise classes.

The company estimates about 10 per cent of the recalled treadmills will be returned between now and the end of June, but said others may be returned later since people have until November of next year to get a full refund.

A three-year-old boy suffered horrific third-degree burns after getting trapped underneath a 'defective and dangerous' Tread+.

Sarah and Ygal Saadoun, of Brooklyn, New York, filed a lawsuit against Peloton in July in New York State Supreme Court regarding the severe injuries their son suffered.

They claim their son was sucked under the Peloton Tread+, which retails for more than $4,200, at their home in July last year.

A three-year-old boy suffered horrific third-degree burns after getting trapped underneath a 'defective and dangerous' Tread+

The boy became trapped under the treadmill's 'rotating belt' and it continued to run while he was underneath it, the lawsuit says.

He suffered third degree burns to his back and sides as a result of the incident.

The little boy has been left with permanent scarring and disfigurement, as well as 'shock, emotional distress, pain and suffering', according to the lawsuit.

The Saadouns argue that Peloton knew, or should have known, that the treadmill was 'extremely and unreasonably dangerous'.
Scientists are currently growing the Delta Covid variant in laboratories with the aim of intentionally infecting volunteers.

British researchers are developing the samples to use in challenge trials  which see participants paid up to 4,500 for taking part.

Two trials by Imperial College London and the University of Oxford started in London in March with the goal of developing new vaccines and treatments.

Forty healthy, young volunteers have already been exposed to the original Wuhan strain, under careful supervision.

But the next stage of trials will infect participants with Delta, the more transmissible strain which is now dominant across the UK.

Challenge-trial partner hVivo and colleagues in the Netherlands have been growing the variant, according to Andrew Catchpole, the company's chief scientific officer.

Mr Catchpole, a virologist, said the variant  which is being grown from an original human sample  has proven harder to develop than the original Wuhan strain.

hVivo scientists and colleagues in the Netherlands are growing the Delta Covid variant in British labs to infect volunteers who will be paid 4,500 in trials

Dr Catchpole told the Wall Street Journal: 'Delta has been more difficult. Not all clinical samples grow as readily in cell cultures.'

But researchers now have nearly enough of it to begin early-stage testing.

During the growing process, scientists check to make sure the virus does not mutate differently to the naturally occurring variant.

hVivo hopes to transfer the Delta virus to London in the coming weeks for further production in a second lab.

WHAT ARE CHALLENGE TRIALS? Challenge trials involve intentionally infecting healthy people with viruses then giving them a shot of a vaccine to see if the jab can clear the virus. These studies have been done with many illnesses, including malaria, typhoid and flu. But, unlike those illnesses, there is no treatment that prevents someone from falling badly ill with Covid. Because of the ethical implications, so far none of the 23 clinical trials of coronavirus vaccines currently being carried out around the world have used the controversial study method. Instead they are relying on participants who have caught the disease by accident in the community. Advertisement

It aims to have produced around half a litre by November, with the trials using the strain set to begin at the end of the year.

Respiratory-viral infection specialist Dr Garth Rapeport said: 'Its not that dissimilar to making vaccines. It has to be highly controlled and regulated.'

He helped set up the trials initially and said the rapid spread of Delta has made the original strain being studied largely irrelevant.

Researchers are encouraging people aged between 18 and 30 years old, who are at the lowest risk of falling seriously unwell with Covid, to volunteer for the study.

Trialists are only accepted if they have no previous history or symptoms of Covid, no underlying health conditions and no known risk factors for the disease, such as being overweight or smoking.

Anyone interested in taking part is asked to take part in extensive screening that includes blood tests, X-rays, heart scans and physical examinations to make sure they are not vulnerable to Covid.

Researchers said they were only looking to recruit 'the most healthy' Brits.

After passing the examinations, volunteers were originally infected with the original strain of coronavirus which has been circulating in the UK since last February. They were monitored 24 hours a day.

The challenge study is being delivered by a partnership between the No10's Vaccines Taskforce, Imperial College London, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and drug researcher hVIVO.

The study will initially aim to help doctors understand how the immune system reacts to different levels of coronavirus and how a person who is infected with Covid virus transmits infectious particles into the environment.

But it's hoped that vaccine candidates shown to be safe in early studies will then be trialled on the participants to accelerate their approval.

Vaccines are normally tested using two groups of people, both of which need to contract the disease naturally, with one given the vaccine and the other used as a control.

Traditional clinical trials require tens of thousands of participants to boost the chance of some of them being infected with coronavirus in the community.

But, in challenge trials, the pool of volunteers can be much smaller because every person is guaranteed to be infected with the disease.
An Oklahoma mom who bragged about rescuing 10 Afghan girls from the beleaguered country has 'dramatically compromised' the children's safety, a lawyer representing the group says.

Allyson Reneau, a Harvard graduate with a master's degree in international relations, shared with Today a harrowing tale of flying to Qatar, and spending a sleepless night at the U.S. embassy preparing the paperwork necessary to help plot the girls' escape.

Reneau - who was on the board of Explore Mars when the organization flew the Afghan Girls Robotic Team to its annual Humans to Mars Conference in 2019  said she spent two weeks working with the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

Ultimately, she said, she helped the girls cross through 'the US military side' of the Kabul airport, where they were protected from the Taliban.

The seemingly feel-good tale is not a reflection of the way the rescue actually played out, an attorney for the Afghan Girls Robotics Team said Wednesday in a cease-and-desist letter sent to Reneau.

Allyson Reneau shared her account of rescuing 10 girls from Taliban-controled Afghanistan with media outlets such as Today and CNN

Her claims are helping the Afghan Girls Robotics Team are false, said a lawyer representing the group

The cease-and-desist letter said Reneau's 'false statements have dramatically compromised the safety of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team'

The letter ordered Reneau to stop claiming to be affiliated with the Afghan Girls Robotic Team, or suggesting she had any role in the reported escape.

'It is highly unfortunate that you would use such a tragically horrible situation while Afghanistan is literally imploding from within for what appears to be your own personal gain,' the team's attorney Kimberly Motley wrote in the letter.

'Furthermore, the Qatar government has confirmed that they have no idea who you are and that you were not involved in any material way with the girls leaving Afghanistan. It is unlawful for an individual to make deliberate statements that intend to harm a person's safety without factual evidence or based on hearsay. Your false statements have dramatically compromised the safety of the Afghan Girls Robotics team in and out of Afghanistan.'

Motley said Reneau used recycled, old pictures to imply she had 'anything to do with their immensely stressful and dangerous' escape.

An Oklahoma woman helped evacuate 10 girls on the Afghanistan all-girls robotics team.



"I knew ... it would require some pretty powerful people, which is a little above my pay grade and my network. But I just couldn't sit on my hands and do nothing," Allyson Reneau said. pic.twitter.com/pLjz8PioHp  New Day (@NewDay) August 20, 2021

Reneau, who worked with the robotics team in 2019, used old and recycled pictures to imply she continued to be associated with the group, says a cease-and-desist lawsuit

Reneau shared her claims of rescuing the girls from the Taliban takeover during a recent media blitz

Doing so, she said, impacted the safety of the girls who escaped as well as the robotics team members who remain in Afghanistan.

'We have repeatedly communicated to you to stop spreading false information and yet you continue,' Motley said.

Reneau shared her own account of the experience during a media circuit, and said she and a team in the Middle East were still working to help 25 additional robotics team members.

'It's [a] very narrow window of opportunity,' she said of rescuing the first group of girls. 'I knew that if I didn't run through that door now - it's now or never. Sometimes you only get one chance.'

The rescue claim came after the Taliban took over Afghanistan following the US's exit from the war-torn country. Its chaotic departure led to fear, violence, and chaos, with some Afghans clinging to the outside of departing military plane in a desperate bid to escape.

Motley told Dailymail.com that it wasn't clear which girls Reneau was claiming to rescue.

'One group in Mexico weren't even in Afghanistan when everything imploded they were in Pakistan,' she said. 'And another group is in Qatar. And still others are in Afghanistan.'

Reneau who was on the board of Explore Mars when the organization flew the Afghan Girls Robotic Team to its annual Humans to Mars Conference in 2019

This is not the Reneau's first time in the spotlight.

She first made headlines in 2011 when she returned to college 30 years after she dropped out to raise her 11 children.

She enrolled in Harvard University at 50 years old and commuted over 3,000 miles per week for three years to get her master's degree in international business relations.

Before graduating in May 2016, she studied piano performance at Julliard, the famous private performing arts conservatory in New York City.

Reneau's Harvard thesis on the United States Space Policy has won awards and has been repeatedly published. She was nominated as the 2019 Harvard Emerging Leader of the Year.

Kimberly Motley, an international human rights lawyer who represents the Afghan Girls Robotics team, sent a letter a cease-and-desist letter to Reneau, ordering her to stop taking credit for the rescue

The Afghan Girls Robotics Team was started by the Digital Citizens Fund, which strives to provide education and technology to girls around the world who would otherwise not have access to quality schooling.

Elizabeth Schaffer Brown, a Digital Citizens Fund board member, released a statement to Dailymail.com in response to Reneau's Afghanistan claims.

'At this time, the attention and the focus should be on the girls,' she said. 'It is their accomplishments and bravery that have won the hearts of so many. They are the heroes. They have lived with risk for years.'

Reneau did not respond to a request for comment.
An Airbnb holiday house where top jockey Jamie Kah and three other riders held a lockdown-breaching party was 'totally trashed', a cleaner has claimed.

The cleaner found what she believed to be blood stains and wine marks smeared on the floors and even the couch at the lavish short-stay rental in Mornington, south of Melbourne, when she arrived on Friday afternoon.

Several other workers and steam cleaners were required to scrub the three-level property, which sold for $1,225,000 last year.

Jockey Jamie Kah issued an apology via Twitter on Friday writing, 'I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed with myself'

Several cleaning crew, steam cleaners and a mobile pool cleaner were required to scour an Airbnb property (pictured) on Friday that held illegal party attended by star jockey Jamie Kah

The Mornington Airbnb owners were reportedly under the impression the booking was made by essential workers according to an apology letter penned to neighbours

'The place was totally trashed, an absolute mess,' the cleaner told the Herald Sun.

'There was blood everywhere, on the couch. The red wine looked like it had been walked through the house.'

A neighbour, who wished not be named, told the Herald Sun she knew the owners of the house, saying they were 'extremely apologetic and angry about what happened'.

She also heard the police bang on the door of the rental home just after midnight, saying: 'It got really noisy. You could literally hear everything.'

Top rider Kah, fellow jockeys Ethan Brown and Ben Melham, and apprentice Celine Gaudray were fined for staying at the rental with two other people on Wednesday night.

Police were called to the Tallis Drive property due to a noise complaint just before midnight, reportedly after a tip-off from an estranged partner of one of the jockeys.

'Upon arrival officers located six people inside, all allegedly outside their 5km radius and in breach of curfew,' Victoria Police said in a statement.

All six were fined $5,452 each for breaching the directions of the chief health officer.

The four riders also pleaded guilty to charges laid by racing stewards, of 'failure or refusal to comply with an order, direction, or requirement of the stewards or an official'.

Champion jockey Jamie Kah (left) and three other riders including apprentice Celine Gaudray (right) have been fined for breaking Melbourne's lockdown for an Airbnb party

Stewards suspended the racing licences of all four jockeys for three months, meaning none of them can ride in the 2021 Spring Racing carnival.

Kah has apologised for her behaviour.

'I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed with myself,' she said in a statement on Twitter.

'There is no excuse for what I have done and I have let myself down, my family and friends, the racing industry and all Victorians who are doing the right thing in this lockdown.

'I deserve the penalty handed down by the stewards and will take the time to reflect on my actions and its impact on so many people.'

Cleaners described the rental as 'totally trashed' witnessing blood and wine stains on the carpet and couch

A two-day racing tribunal inquiry into the incident concluded on Friday.

The suspension expires at midnight on November 25.

The stewards said they took into account the riders' guilty pleas and expressions of remorse, but the penalties had to be sufficient to deter others from COVID breaches.

Any appeal must be lodged within three days.

Jockey Ben Melham won't be racing Group 1 Memsie Stakes favourite Beau Rossa at Melbourne's Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday

Ethan Brown was one of four jockeys stood down for 14 days after alleged Covid breach

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said he was 'bitterly disappointed' with the jockeys.

'We are always disappointed when people do not follow the rules and we understand Racing Victoria are taking immediate measures and .. will send a strong message,' he told reporters on Friday.

Racing Victoria chief executive Giles Thompson condemned the riders' actions.

'These individuals could have put at risk the very continuance of our sport and also blatantly disregarded the broader community implications through their selfish and thoughtless actions,' he said in a statement on Thursday.

He also warned of the 'critical need' for the industry to follow COVID-19 directives ahead of the Spring Racing carnival.

The racing industry has been allowed to keep operating under COVID restrictions and Racing Victoria says more than 750 race meetings have been held safely since the pandemic began.

Last year's Melbourne Cup carnival was held without spectators at the usually packed Flemington Racecourse.
An American man dressed as a U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested in Arizona for smuggling a group of undocumented migrants in a 'cloned' agency vehicle.

Alexander Celaya-Ortiz was taken into custody during the early hours of August 21 in Sells, Arizona.

Celaya-Ortiz was allegedly spotted driving a Chevrolet Tahoe bearing U.S. Customs and Border Protection markings in the town of Three Points along State Route 86.

He then passed a checkpoint without stopping, according to a United States District Court District of Arizona court document.

The white 2010 Tahoe model featured the green stripes and light bars commonly used by official CBP vehicles. The smugglers had also cloned the license plate and markings of a real CBP truck.

But agents - who had been tipped off that a cloned vehicle was being used to ferry migrants - became suspicious because the paint job was too clean for the 2010 model vehicle, the Washington Times reports.

Agents ran the vehicle's license plate and matched it to an agency vehicle that was later found parked at the Three Points Border Patrol Station.

Celaya-Ortiz was later seen driving in the vicinity of Sells as he headed south on Federal Route 19 and later turned back in direction of the checkpoint on State Route 86.

FAKE: Smugglers took a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe and outfitted it with stickers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection

REAL: An official vehicle of the U.S. Border Patrol parked near United States-Mexico border fence at Friendship Park in San Ysidro, California

Border Patrol officers attempted to get Celaya-Ortiz to stop at the roadside inspection spot, but he allegedly refused to comply, causing them to set up a tire deflection device further down the road.

After the truck was brought to a complete stop, Celaya-Ortiz allegedly ran out of the vehicle and left the migrants behind.

He was found hours later with the assistance of a sniffer dog and an air support unit, officials said.

Authorities recovers a two-radio with a lapel microphone and a green shirt with a Border Patrol patch sewn on it.

Guatemalan migrant, Wilson Ponce-Gonzalez, said he paid $12,000 to be smuggled from his native country to the Unites States, the court document showed.

While he was unaware that he was going to be transported in the cloned Border Patrol SUV, he claims the smugglers told him that 'he would be picked up in a special method that was very secure and would get him where he wanted to go in the United States.'

Orellana Ana-Elisa , also of Guatemala, claims she paid about $11,600 to be brought illegally to the United States.

She said she 'was told by the smugglers that she was going to get picked up in a method that would guarantee she would get to where she wanted to in the United States,' the court document indicated.

Mexican national Juan Aquino-Sanchez was smuggled from Altar, Sonora, where he said he reached a deal to pay $9,000 for his illegal passage into the United States.

According to the court record, Aquino-Sanchez 'was told he paid a special price because he would be picked up in a cloned Border Patrol ride' and that 'smugglers had previously attempted this method of using a cloned Border Patrol vehicle and were successful.'

Sandra Portillo, whose nationality was not released by the court, told investigators that she met a young man in Altar, Sonora, who promised to get her across the Mexico-United States border.

Portillo agreed to pay $3,500 when she arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, and was set to pay an additional $2,500, but did not know she would be traveling in the bogus Border Patrol vehicle.
President Joe Biden's national security team warned the president on Friday that another terror attack was 'likely' in Kabul as the White House continued to grapple with the fallout from a suicide attack that killed 13 American service personnel a day earlier.

Biden spent the morning huddled with his national security team in the situation room receiving updates from commanders in the field.

He was briefed on plans to attack ISIS-K leaders, the Islamic State offshoot believed to be responsible for the killings.

'They advised the president and vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul Airport,' said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

A little later Biden promised U.S. troops would continue the 'worthy' mission to evacuate American nationals and Afghan allies despite the danger.

He paid tribute to the lives lost as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House for their first meeting.

'Let me begin by once again acknowledging the bravery and the sacrifice that our military makes every single day.

'The loss of those Americans, Marines and sailor and army personnel, is tragic.' he said in the Oval Office.

'Losing a son or daughter is like being sucked into a black hole.'

Biden has promised to hunt down the terrorists of ISIS-K who planned the attack at Kabul airport and the Pentagon said troops remained on alert for further bombings.

President Biden said 12000 more people had been rescued from Kabul in the past 24 hours as he promised the U.S. would continue its 'worthy mission' despite Thursday bombing

Biden welcomed the new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House for their first meeting on Friday. Their talks were expected to focus on the threat posed by Iran

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the military airport in Kabul on August 27, 2021, as the Pentagon said the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan still faces more possible attacks

In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies people are loading on an aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021

The White House is under intense pressure to defend its handling of the rapid withdrawal, which is due to finish on Tuesday. But Biden made clear he would not be taking reporters' questions.

He said he had been briefed this morning on Thursday's attacks and measures being taken to keep troops safe.

'The mission that's being performed is dangerous and now comes with significant loss of American personnel, but it's a worthy mission,' he said, adding that 12,000 people had flown out of Kabul airport in the past 24 hours.

He moved on to welcoming Bennett and drew a line under the crisis engulfing his administration.

'Im not going to take any questions - because of the prime minister being here - on Afghanistan now,' he said.

For his part, Bennett said Israel stood with the U.S.

'I want to extend our condolences for the loss of Americans service members in Kabul,' he said.

Their meeting was scheduled for Thursday but had to be postponed as Biden huddled with his national security team to draw up a response to the double suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. troops.

Psaki said the president had been briefed by commanders on Friday morning about their plans to attack ISIS-K.

'The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date,' she said.

'The president reaffirmed with the commanders his approval of all authorities they need to conduct the operation and protect our troops, and all reported back that they have the resources they believe they need to do so effectively.'

Before the bloodshed upended the schedule, Bennet made clear he would use the visit to steer Biden away from any return to the Iran deal.

He told his cabinet that he would deliver a clear message.

'This is the time to stop the Iranians, not to give them a lifeline in the form of re-entering an expired nuclear deal,' he told ministers before leaving for Washington.

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)

'Iran is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a nuclear weapon,' Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told ambassadors on Wednesday

Bennett met Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday for talks that focused on Middle East security.

'Prime Minister Bennett stressed that alongside the strategic alliance between the US and Israel, Israel will continue to insist on its right to maintain military supremacy in the Middle East and would continue to do everything necessary in this regard,' said his spokesman after the talks.

In the run up to Friday's meeting, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz delivered a warning to ambassadors in Tel Aviv.

'Iran is only two months away from acquiring the materials necessary for a nuclear weapon,' he said on Wednesday.

The 2015 deal retains the backing of Europe, but it was unpicked by President Donald Trump in 2018, who said Tehran's backing of terror groups and development of missiles meant it breached the spirit of the agreement.

Since then Iran has stepped up enrichment of uranium, far beyond the limits set by the deal.

The Biden administration has tried to revive the deal but talks in Vienna ended without agreement in June.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrived back in Washington on Friday morning, after canceling plans to stump for embattled California Gov. Gavin Newsom to instead join President Joe Biden at the White House as officials monitor warnings of more bomb attacks in Afghanistan.

She was scheduled to join Biden's national security team in the situation room a day after two suicide attacks killed 13 U.S. service members at Kabul airport.

Harris was originally due to appear with Newsom at a Stop the Republican Recall car rally outside San Francisco on Friday in an effort to increase Democratic turnout in the September 14 election.

It was to be the final leg of the vice president's trip to Singapore and Vietnam, but the schedule was upended by the suicide bombing in Kabul.

After visiting Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Thursday afternoon, word emerged that the rally was canceled.

Instead Air Force Two touched down at Joint Base Andrews a little before 8am on Friday.

The vice president and her husband Doug Emhoff emerged wearing jeans and blazers before boarding Marine Two for the short hop to Washington.

She did not stop to talk to her traveling press pool and answer questions about the administration's response to the killings.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrived back at Joint Base Andrews with her husband Doug Emhoff on Friday morning after abandoning plans to campaign in California for Gov. Gavin Newsom to help deal with the unraveling crisis in Afghanistan

In an at times emotional address on Thursday, President Biden promised to hunt down ISIS-K and make them pay after the terror group claimed responsibility for the double suicide attack

An ambulance is seen at the explosion site near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, where dozens of Afghans were killed as they tried to find safe passage out of the country

Her spokeswoman confirmed on Twitter that after she visited Joint Bas Pearl Harbor-Hickam Thursday afternoon, she would return to Washington, D.C.

Top of the situation room agenda is likely to be how the U.S. can make good on Biden's promise to make the killers of ISIS-K pay for the attack.

And they will have to decide how to respond to fears of more bombings as U.S. troops oversee the final phase of the Kabul evacuation.

'For those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget,' said Biden in an address at the White House a day earlier .

'We will hunt you down and make you pay.'

He said he had already asked for 'operational plans' on how to attack the leadership and assets of the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate.

In a Pentagon briefing, spokesman John Kirby said the evacuation operation was braced for more violence.

'We are prepared and expect future attacks,' he said.

It is unclear whether the rally will will be rescheduled, amid reports of tight polls between Newsom and his Republican rivals, with radio host Larry Elder currently believed to be the strongest challenger.

Harris, a former California Senator and Attorney General, was supposed to be the main draw of the campaign event, according to KTLA, as Newsom slips in the polls.

He was elected in 2018 with overwhelming support, but now only has a thin margin to keep his seat against a Republican-led effort to oust him for his handling of the COVID pandemic and the state's worsening homeless problem, according to Mercury News.

Newsom sparked particular outrage last November when he was filmed dining inside the ultra-exclusive French Laundry restaurant while urging Californians to stay home.

In recent weeks, KTLA reports, he has tried to focus his messaging on women and voters of color, a group Harris is uniquely poised to speak to as the nations first female vice president, and the first black and South Asian person to serve in the role.

She had previously served as the state's attorney general, before becoming a United States senator.

But as the chaos in Afghanistan continues to unfold, Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a professor of public policy communication at the University of Southern California, said it may have been smart for Harris to cancel the trip.

She added that a visit from Biden, who White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said before the attacks would campaign for Newsom, could actually be a negative for the Newsom campaign.

'I dont see any reason, on either end, that its absolutely necessary, let alone positive, for the president to take time to go campaign for Gavin Newsom right now,' she said.

Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff are pictured boarding Air Force Two in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 26 while en route back from her trip to Asia

Afghan officials said at least 60 Afghan citizens were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack by ISIS-K

The Biden administration has been heavily criticized for its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, leading to a quick Taliban take over, and causing panicked evacuations of thousands of Americans and roughly 100,000 American green card holders, allies and vulnerable Afghans desperate to escape Taliban rule.

Thousands more had packed around the airport trying to get on flights out when terrorists attacked the primary gate being used to access the area secured by U.S troops.

At least 13 US servicemembers were killed and 15 more were wounded in the twin bomb attacks Thursday outside the gates of Kabuls international airport, where Marines were processing people attempting to board evacuation flights.

Afghan officials said at least 60 Afghan citizens were killed and another 143 were wounded in the attack by ISIS-K.

Newsom took the oath of office as lieutenant governor under Harris when she was the state's attorney general. He had hoped to use her now to boost Democratic turnout in California's September 14 recall election

Meanwhile, Newsom is continuing to face a tough race.

About one tenth of the 22 million registered voters have already cast ballots in the September 14 recall election, with Republican radio host Larry Elder leading in the polls.

If he were elected, he would become the state's first black governor, though the heavily liberal state has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.

On a Tuesday campaign call, Black women leaders argued Newsom is a better ally to the black community than Elder, as Newsom warns his libertarianism and conservatism is wrong for the state.
Joe and Jill Biden's rescue pup Major is spending more time in Delaware as a new cache of Secret Service emails reveal the German Shepherd bit more people than the White House previously disclosed.

The three-year-old dog bit agents every day for a week in March in addition to nipping staff and a White House visitor.

'As we've stated previously, Major has had some challenges adjusting to life in the White House. He has been receiving additional training, as well as spending some more time in Delaware, where the environment is more familiar to him and he is more comfortable,' Jill Biden spokesperson Michael LaRosa told DailyMail.com on Friday.

'Major may come and go to Delaware, as the First Family often does as well. When he's in Delaware, he stays with family friends,' he added.

The dog is there now as is first lady Jill Biden.

In March, it was revealed Major was receiving additional training after biting a security official. While there were two incidents revealed, the new information on Friday reveals the dog attacked more people than the administration had disclosed.

Emails from the Secret Service, received by the watchdog group Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal the dog actually bit one agent twice, nipped other security personnel, snapped at a staffer who works upstairs in the White House residence, and bit a visitor to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue twice.

In the 36 pages of emails, Secret Service staff document over and over again Major's attacks on personnel, where he broke skin, tore an agent's overcoat, and caused a few to seek medical attention.

Joe and Jill Biden's rescue pup Major is spending more time in Delaware as newly revealed emails show he bit more people that the White House previously disclosed - above the dog is seen on the South Lawn in March

No names were revealed - neither the victims nor many of those who sent emails about the incidents. The email messages also were redacted of personal information and photos of the bite marks.

But the messages make clear the agents who guard the complex and the first family were worried about Major's biting.

'He's been an issue lately,' one agent wrote of the dog in March.

Major was last seen by DailyMail.com at the White House on March 31, where he was on the South Lawn, leashed and led by a staffer, with Champ, the Bidens' older dog who died in June.

At the time, Major had returned from a training session in Wilmington after one of his biting incidents became public.

The first couple also told NBC's 'Today Show' at the end of April that the dog was back at the White House.

Jill Biden defended her pooch: 'He is such a sweet loveable dog, he really is.'

But the emails make clear there were other incidents involving the dog, who the Bidens adopted from a shelter in Wilmington in 2018 and named after their late son Beau, who was a major in Delaware National Guard.

On March 5, a visitor to the White House was bitten on the arm twice when the dog went after him.

'Attempting to ascertain severity of injury. Pass holder walked out of (redacted) and dog made bline to him. Got his arm twice. A group was standing there at time,' an agent wrote.

A residence staffer was also bitten, an agent flagged, simply noting that a dog did it.

'Was it Major,' another agent responded.

'Minor. Did break the skin,' came the response.

'Sorry. Meant was it Major, the name of the younger German Shepard. He's been an issue lately,' the agent answered.

'Dog: Major. Injury: Minor,' the person said in reply.

Joe Biden in November 2018 with Major, when the family adopted him from the Delaware Humane Association

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, joined by White House Grounds Superintendent Dale Haney and her granddaughter Maisy Biden, play with the Biden's dogs Major and Champ on the South Lawn of the White House; Champ died in June

Major on the South Lawn in March with the Bidens' older dog Champ, who died in June

Major in the Oval Office earlier this year

Over the next few days the agents again raised the issue of Major's biting again and again. German shepherds are known to be territorial, aggressive dogs and protective of their families.

One wrote on March 6: 'Major attempted to bite SA (redacted) this evening. He didn't make contact with agent's skin, but did bite a hole through his overcoat. This marks the third day in a row someone has been bitten by Major (Thursday USSS SA & Friday Pass Holder).'

The person added: 'I just wanted you to have visibility. I think it's definitely worth bringing up during Monday's meeting with staff.'

And a Secret Service staffer wrote on March 8: 'We had another dog bite incident this morning. This was the 2nd time SA (redacted) was bitten. Please see the below write-up and pictures. The 1st picture is from today. The 2nd picture is from 3/1/21, the first time SA (redacted) was bit. SA was seen by the residence Doc and was referred to the EEOB Clinic for additional care.'

The details about the incident and the photos were redacted by the Secret Service.

'At the current rate an Agent or Officer has been bitten every day this week (3/1-3/8) causing damage to attire or bruising/punctures to the skin,' the person noted.

There was a long email chain about biting incidents but not all were described in the released emails.

One person responded to the concerns: 'The dogs are being transported to Delaware and will stay there for an undetermined time. The family will use a trainer they have used previously.'

'Were the dogs sent home because of the biting?' a Secret Service staffer asked.

A colleague responded: 'Pretty positive.'

At the time, the Bidens' older dog Champ was still alive although he did not prove a calming influence on his fellow pooch.

There were also incidents with Major at the Biden's family home in Delaware.

'This weekend in Wilmington, there were 3 minor incidents where Major nipped/ brushed up and nudged Shift SAs,' an agent wrote on March 1.

Agents were advised to stand their ground when dealing with the dog.

'Panicking or running with only embolden animals so stand your ground and protect your hands/fingers by pockets or behind your back,' the email read.
A meth-abusing mum who lived in squalor with four of her six children claims she has turned her life around and overcome her addiction.

Photos taken by shocked police at Glenys Kupfer's filthy home in Blair Athol, Adelaide, in March 2019 show rubbish and furniture strewn throughout every room.

Faeces was found on the floors of the kitchen, lounge room and bathroom, there were not enough beds for the children, and the fridge was full of rotting food.

The kitchen was piled with dirty dishes, toys and bedding were scattered around the house, and unwashed clothes were heaped up in the laundry.

The dining room was in an appalling state with broken furniture and rubbish on the floor

When police knocked on the door to the house they found there were not enough beds for the number of children

Glenys Kupfer (pictured), 34, plead guilty in Adelaide Magistrates court to failing to provide proper food, clothing and housing to four of her six children

The fridge was barely stocked and the food that was there was left to spoil (pictured)

Kupfer, 34, pleaded guilty in Adelaide Magistrates court this week to four counts of failing to provide adequate food, clothing and accommodation for her youngest children - then aged eight, three, two and 12 months, NCA Newswire reported.

Her lawyer Edward Stratton-Smith told the court Kupfer's 'very heavy' meth addiction was compounded by the stress of being a single parent and the 'violent' death of her brother which she witnessed.

But Mr Stratton-Smith said his client had since turned her life around and was off drugs.

'In the two years since, she's a very different person to then  her singular focus is her children,' he told the court.

The house in Adelaide's north had garbage and clothes covering the floors (pictured)

The kitchen was piled with dirty dishes, a broken chair was knocked over on the floor and unwashed clothes were heaped up in the laundry

Faeces was found on the floors of the kitchen, lounge room and bathroom, and there were too few beds for the number of children

After her court appearance last week Kupfer, a New Zealand citizen, took to social media to in a lengthy post claiming she was no longer the same person.

'I am not proud of this woman, but this was me. I say was me because I am not the woman in this video and the children suffering through the horrors of addiction are also not the victims they once were,' Ms Kupfer wrote.

'When the police showed up and took my boys. I was faced with four choices. Go back to my motherland to the safety of my government, keep going in active terror where let's face it I felt safe, kill myself, or fight the inner demon inside me,' she said.

She claimed she had turned her life around 'for the children that I love with everything I am' in the August 18 post.

After her court appearance last week Kupfer, a New Zealand citizen, took to social media to in a lengthy post claiming she was no longer the same person

'That demon was the only thing keeping me from saving my children - the children that I love with everything I am,' she wrote.

'I'm not who I was  I crawled from the depths of hell to become (this) me for my children.'

One of her brothers responded by sharing his support saying she had spiralled into addiction in the space of six months after meth 'locked onto her', but had since recovered.

'I love you and hope your story of determination to battle for your boys is an inspiration for others struggling with meth,' he wrote.

Prosecutor Scott Mesecke told the court her police interview showed she understood the home was 'unkept' and that she was struggling with four children.

He added the 'dishevelled' property was 'clean and tidy' when officers visited again three months later in June.

Kupfer will face court again in September.
A woman whose body was found lying next to a main road was killed elsewhere before being dumped in the undergrowth, police revealed today.

The body of Helen Anderson, 41, was discovered by a member of the public by the northbound A3 slip road, leading out of Guildford, Surrey, at around 3pm on Monday.

Surrey Police said it believes mother-of-four Ms Anderson, of Finsbury Park, London, was killed elsewhere and her body left in the place it was found in the early hours of Monday morning.

A murder investigation has since been launched by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team and remains ongoing after two people were arrested.

A murder investigation has been launched after the body of mother-of-four Helen Anderson, 41, was discovered by a member of the public

Officers were called to the northbound A3 slip road, leading out of Guildford in Surrey, at around 3pm on Monday where the body was discovered by a member of the public

Ms Anderson's family, including her four children, have since paid a glowing tribute to her and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Speaking after her death, her family said: 'Our dear sister and daughter has gone. We loved you. In this life you faced many challenges and still you had a big heart. Goodbye dear Helen.'

A 52-year-old man with links to the Finsbury Park, north London, area was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder and a 51-year-old man from Hackney, north London, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Both men remain in custody.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Emma Vickers said: 'Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Helen's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

'We are doing everything possible to ensure those responsible for Helen's death are held to account and we are making significant progress with our enquiries.

'However, we would continue to encourage anyone who has any further information to contact us and help us with this investigation.'

The force is asking for anyone who was in the area between 3am and 4.30am and who saw someone, or a vehicle, acting suspiciously to contact police.

Surrey Police also asked for anyone with dashcam, CCTV or smart doorbell footage which may help the investigation to get in touch.

Surrey Police said it believes Ms Anderson was killed elsewhere and her body left in the place it was found in the early hours of Monday morning

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Emma Vickers said: 'From further inquiries, we believe that the body was left at the location in the early hours of Monday morning between 3am and 4.30am.

'We are appealing to the public who may have been in the area around that time and have any further information or dashcam footage to contact us as they may be able to assist us with this investigation.

'I would also like to reassure local residents that we believe the two men we have arrested were known to the victim, and continue to reassure the Surrey public that there is a dedicated team of officers working tirelessly on this investigation to ensure that whoever is responsible for this heinous crime is brought to justice.'
T-Mobile's top executive is apologizing for a malicious cyberattack that exposed 50 million users' data to hackers.

Attacks like this are on the rise and bad actors work day-in and day-out to find new avenues to attack our systems and exploit them, chief executive Mike Sievert said in a statement released Friday. We spend lots of time and effort to try to stay a step ahead of them, but we didnt live up to the expectations we have for ourselves to protect our customers. Knowing that we failed to prevent this exposure is one of the hardest parts of this event.

On behalf of everyone at Team Magenta, I want to say we are truly sorry.

The names, social security numbers, and other personal data of nearly 50 million current, former, and prospective T-Mobile customers were stolen during a data breach earlier this month.

When confirming the security violation August 17, T-Mobile said it had closed the entry point used to gain access to its system, and that it was investigating with the highest degree of urgency.

T-Mobile chief executive Mike Sievert says he's 'truly sorry' for a cyberattack that exposed the personal data of about 50 million people

A 21-year-old hacker has taken credit for the breach, saying it was surprisingly easy to swipe data from its servers

With the malicious cyberattack now contained and T-Mobiles internal investigation complete, Sievert said the communications giant is now working to prevent future incidents from happening.

A 21-year-old American hacker living in Turkey has claimed responsibility for the data theft, and told The Wall Street Journal that he used an unprotected router to access the personal records of T-Mobile customers.

'I was panicking because I had access to something big,' John Binns told the newspaper. 'Their security is awful.'

Binns, who provided screenshots and evidence to back up his claim, said that the entry point allowed him to hack into the company's data center in Washington state, where stored credentials allowed him to access more than 100 servers.

Breaking into T-Mobiles systems was surprisingly easy, Binns said.

He found the unprotected router by scanning T-Mobile's known internet addresses for weak spots using a simple tool available to the public, he told the Journal.

Once inside, he said it took about a week to access the servers that contained personal data about the carrier's millions of current and former customers.

The breach first came to light when hackers began offering customer data for sale on the dark web. Binns declined to say whether he had sold any of the stolen data.

The man who leads the technological behemoth did not directly reference the self-confessed hacker in his latest statement.

But Sievert did say that in short, this individuals intent was to break in and steal data, and they succeeded.

About 7.8 million current customers and 40 million former or prospective customers who applied for credit with the carrier had their sensitive information stolen, T-Mobile said.

The names, phone numbers, and account PINS of an additional 850,000 active prepaid customers was also swiped.

Some T-Mobile customers have sued the company for damages in Seattle federal court

The company is offering two years of identity protection services with McAfee's ID Theft Protection Service and has recommended eligible T-Mobile customers sign up for 'scam-blocking protection' through Scam Shield.

Some T-Mobile customers sued the company for damages last Thursday night in Seattle federal court, saying in a proposed class action that the cyberattack violated their privacy and exposed them to a higher risk of fraud and identity theft.

The Seattle field office of the FBI is investigating the breach.

Sievert also announced Friday that T-Mobile has entered into long-term partnerships with Mandiants cybersecurity experts, as well as consulting firm KMPG LLP.

We know we need additional expertise to take our cybersecurity efforts to the next leveland weve brought in the help, he said in the statement. These arrangements are part of a substantial multi-year investment to adopt best-in-class practices and transform our approach. This is all about assembling the firepower we need to improve our ability to fight back against criminals and building a future-forward strategy to protect T-Mobile and our customers.
A family says a Kansas man who needed critical care following a routine procedure died waiting for a spot in the ICU because too many COVID patients were taking up beds.

Robert Van Pelt, 44, died after waiting three days for an ICU bed to open up after he flatlined while undergoing a routine medical procedure under light sedation, his family said in a GoFundMe set up to help pay for funeral expenses.

After going several minutes without oxygen Van Pelt was revived and had to be life-flighted to the nearest emergency hospital with a cardiac team but was not able to get immediate care because COVID patients took up too many hospital beds.

Robert Van Pelt, 44, (pictured) died after waiting three days for an ICU bed to open up after he flatlined while undergoing a routine medical procedure under light sedation

Robert Van Pelt's family is mourning the father and husband after he could not find an open ICU bed due to an influx of COVID-19 patients filling up hospitals

COVID deaths in Kansas have risen significantly over the last month as the state is running out of ICU beds

'There are a lot of people who don't believe the hospitals are full. That's really hard to listen to when one of my friends' husband was lying in a hospital dying because he couldn't get the treatment he needed because the beds were full,' family friend Liz Hamer told KWCH.com

His family said Kansas hospitals reached out to 20 states, trying to find just one available ICU bed, but there wasnt a single ICU bed open and emergency rooms were full.

'The family will never know if having an open hospital bed or open neuro ICU beds, specifically in any of the 20 states, could have found urgent care,' Hamer said. 'They'll never know if that could have kept him here. And that's something that's extra hard for them to carry right now.'

By the time St. Francis hospital in Wichita had an ICU bed open for Van Pelt, it was too late for the 44-year-old.

Van Pelt's story might become more common as the COVID surge, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant, has left thousands of Americans hospitalized and in critical care.

His family said Kansas hospitals reached out to 20 states, trying to find just one available ICU bed, but there wasnt a single ICU bed open and the E.Rs were full

Family friend Liz Hamer (pictured) says Van Pelt's family wants to spread awareness about the current state of hospitals

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 the Department of Health and Human Services , 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.

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.

Hamer says Van Pelt's family wants to spread awareness about the current state of hospitals.

'People need to understand this is a real present danger for families,' she told KWCH.com 'Car accidents happen, heart attacks happen, trauma happens, and there may not be care for you in the hospital if we can't get this under control.'
An aerospace engineer who carried out a string of 'dine and dash' crimes at gastro pubs and hotels while trying to impress his girlfriend has been jailed for eight months, a court heard.

Alan Rogers, of Hadleigh in Suffolk, failed to pay for a hotel stay and meals including expensive steaks and fine wines in a gastronomic crime spree at a series of high-establishment venues last year.

The 46-year-old wept as he was jailed for eight months at Ipswich Crown Court today after he admitted three charges of fraud and asked for 15 other offences to be considered.

The court heard how the father-of-two had defrauded 18 pubs and restaurants in Suffolk and Norfolk out of 2,325 over nine months last year.

In each case, he offered payment on genuine bank cards which were then declined and he promised to come back and pay later, but failed to do so.

Judge Emma Peters told him that he had targeted restaurants out of greed to try and impress his girlfriend. She said: 'Sometimes when people are short of money, they commit offences through sheer desperation in order to survive.

'This is not the case here.'

Suffolk Police had announced last November that they were hunting a couple who had enjoyed meals and drinks without paying in eateries across the county.

Rogers was initially arrested with a 43-year-old woman, but she was later released without charge and told she faced no further action.

Aerospace engineer Alan Rogers and his girlfriend pictured on CCTV at one of the pubs which he defrauded in a dine and dash crime

Judge Peters said none of the restaurants which were defrauded were simple cafes where Rogers could have bought a cheap meal 'to stop being hungry'.

She said: 'They included high end establishments where you ordered high end steaks and high end wines and had lovely meals while enjoying yourself.'

Judge Peters said many of the businesses targeted by Rogers last summer had been struggling as a result of the first coronavirus lockdown and were desperate for customers.

She told him: 'When others were eating out to help out, you were eating out to help yourself. You had no intention of paying. You were expert at this fraud and did it over and over again.

'It was a sustained fraud at the expenses of businesses which were doing their best to survive. You were going out week after week to impress your partner, taking her out for lengthy and impressive dinners at impressive places, knowing you would never pay.

'Those businesses were desperate. Their very survival was on the line and you took advantage. This offending was planned over a period of time with a large number of victims.'

Judge Peters said she accepted that Rogers had mental health problems, but she said only a custodial sentence was appropriate. She jailed him for a concurrent eight months on each charge.

Suffolk Police undated handout photo of former aerospace engineer Alan Rogers

The court heard how Rogers ran up an outstanding bill of 824 during a ten night stay at the Sugar Beat restaurant in Swainsthorpe, Norfolk.

He also ran up a bill of nearly 200 on a meal at the Marquis in Layham near Hadleigh, although he later paid 100 in cash after being challenged by staff members who saw him in the street at a later date.

The court heard that the third charge related to the non payment for a 136 meal at The Lighthouse in Aldeburgh.

Other pubs and restaurants which were defrauded included Hintlesham Hall near Ipswich, the George pub at Hintlesham and the Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh.

Rogers and his companion also ran up a 97.20 bill for a Sunday lunch meal of soup, prawn cocktail, roast pork and vanilla cheesecake washed down by five Peroni beers and four Pimms and lemonades at the Bird In Hand pub in Wreningham, Norfolk.

He also failed to pay a bill of 146 at the Barn Brasserie restaurant at Great Tey, Essex, and another for 95 at the Waterfront Bistro in Ipswich.

Prosecutor Richard Potts said hospitality businesses were 'one of the worst areas of the economy' affected by the Covid pandemic.

He said that Rogers and his girlfriend had initially been welcomed by the owner of the Sugar Beat as they were his first customers after the first lockdown ended.

Nicola May, defending, said Rogers had given up work to care for his father who had Parkinson's disease.

She added: 'Around that time, there was a decline in his mental health. He would accept that there was an element of trying to impress his partner and there was an element of escapism.'

Miss May said that he had carried out the frauds while experiencing financial difficulties, and was apologetic and remorseful.

Alan Rogers pictured arriving today at Ipswich Crown Court before he was jailed

She added that he was also self-medicating with alcohol at the time and drinking around three bottles of wine a day.

Rogers was finally caught out after failing to pay a 54.65 bill at the Swan Inn pub in Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, on October 28 last year.

Swan Inn landlady Julie Penney, 52, who runs the pub with husband Stephen, 53, said the couple had tucked into sausage and mash, butternut squash and carrot soup with two double vodkas, two pints of Guinness and a bottle of Shiraz red wine to take away.

Mrs Penney publicised the incident on a pub owner's Facebook page, and soon found other hospitality businesses which had lost out to the same couple.

She said she knew of 20 pubs and restaurants where Rogers had struck, although some businesses had not gone to police and others had not yet made statements.

Mrs Penney said the couple had booked a table in advance and stayed two hours in the pub.

She said: 'I only realised there was a problem when the waitress came to tell me that their card did not work. It was coming up with a message, saying 'Card not supported'.

'I tried swiping it and then putting in a smaller amount for contactless payment, and putting in the numbers manually but it still didn't work.

'The man was saying he didn't know what the problem was. Then he said he only lived down the road and would pop in the next day to pay.

'I didn't worry because I had his name and address. But I still had not heard from him by the next evening so I tried to ring the number he gave me and found out a digit was missing.

'Then I remembered I had his email from his booking, and that had his number on so I texted him and he replied again that he would be in with the cash.'

Mrs Penney said she went round later to put a note through the door of the address that Rogers had given her and was told by the new tenant that he had moved out months earlier.

She added: 'It is just shocking. I think they were eating out the whole time at other people's expense. I want to see justice done to protect other businesses from them.'
Advertisement

Parents are still split down the middle on whether 12-year-olds should get Covid vaccines, as Nicola Sturgeon announced Scotland is 'ready and raring to go with plans to jab children.

Pfizer's and Moderna's jabs have already been approved for 12- to 17-year-olds by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) but the JCVI has yet to formally recommend them for youngsters.

NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks, amid fears the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term.

Whitehall insiders claim Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the JCVI's delay in approving plans, which has left little time for children to get vaccinated before returning to classroom.

Some concerned parents have already hit out at the move, claiming even with vaccines there is 'nothing we can do' to stop children becoming infected and spread the virus to older people because jabs are not as effective in cutting transmission.

GP Renee Hoenderkamp said despite supporting vaccines for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, she would not be keen on her own daughter getting jabbed against Covid because of safety concerns surrounding the rare heart condition myocarditis.

But other mothers say the decision on whether to receive a vaccine should rest with children themselves.

It comes as Scotland's national clinical director said the country will be 'ready to go' with a vaccine programme for 12- to 15-year-olds as soon as experts give the go-ahead for them to be jabbed.

Professor Jason Leitch made the commitment as First Minister Ms Sturgeon urged No10's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to make a decision quickly on whether youngsters in the age group should receive the injections.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (left) announced Scotland is 'ready and raring to go with plans to vaccinate over-12s against Covid. GP Renee Hoenderkamp (right) said despite supporting vaccines for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, she would not be keen on her own daughter to have a jab because of safety concerns surrounding the rare heart condition myocarditis

NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out to all over-12s in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term. Pictured: 16-year-old festival goer Lottie Beard getting a vaccine jab at a walk-in Covid vaccination clinic at Reading Festival today

Covid cases in Scotland have spiked to new highs after schools returned last week. Today there were 4,925 cases, up almost 50 per cent on the previous week. There were 3,613 on Friday compared to 1,542 the previous week

But concerned parents today were divided on whether extending the rollout to children would have any benefit to the infection rate in the wider community.

Writing on mumsnet, one said: 'If the Government were honest about the next four months, they'd say children are probably going to catch Covid, there is nothing to stop this happening.

'Lots of families will probably catch it off children, school staff will probably catch it off children too. Education is going to be disrupted again if the above happens. No way around it.'

They added: 'But it could be "over" by November when the bad weather kicks in and older folk start getting ill as per usual circumstances.'

Fury over plans to vaccinate children against Covid as parents demand final say Parents are demanding they are given the final say on whether children get vaccinated against Covid at school in the coming weeks. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday revealed parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teenagers could still receive a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead  but claimed such a scenario would be extremely rare. Campaign groups have hit back at the plans to push through the inoculation drive to school pupils, claiming that children could be 'peer-pressured' into making 'inappropriate' decisions. NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term. And Whitehall insiders say Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the Joint Committee for Vaccination's (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs  delay in approving plans. The controversy reached boiling point today when actor Laurence Fox claimed he would remove his and ex-wife actress Billie Piper's children from school if parental consent is not required for jabs. Scientists have been at war for months over whether to push ahead with expanding the rollout, with many experts claiming it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months. Professor David Livermore, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline natural infection could be a 'a better first step in the lifelong co-existence' with the virus than rolling out the jabs. Meanwhile, An Israeli study today suggested natural immunity from previous Covid infection could offer stronger protection against the Indian 'Delta' variant than immunity from full vaccination. Advertisement

Others were more keen to see jabs dished out in order to stop the Delta variant ripping through schools and disrupting learning.

One wrote: 'I simply dont see how schools cant be disrupted. If school age children remain largely unvaccinated and there is no isolation of household contacts then a virus will do what viruses do.

'Given the speed and transmissibility of the Delta variant I cant see any other scenario playing out.

'It wont take government policy to close schools, it will happen of its own accord when staffing and pupil numbers are low enough due to high numbers off sick.'

But Dr Hoenderkamp said she was not satisfied the benefits of vaccines outweigh the potential risks from myocarditis.

Writing for Mail+ she said: 'Its important to say that Im completely pro the normal UK vaccination schedule for children. It has been a force for good. My daughter has had every single one due, and an extra one that I paid for.

'But all of these vaccines have a long history of use and long-term safety data with which I am happy and sure that the benefits for my daughter outweigh the risks.

'So why am I anti the Covid one? The answer is actually quite simple. We give people medication or vaccines when the risk of them not having it is greater than the risk of them having it.

'In other words, that the benefit-to-risk ratio is satisfied. In my opinion, when it comes to this vaccination, this threshold has not been met.'

Other mothers say the decision should rest with children themselves, who are mature enough at the age of 12 to make informed choices on their bodies.

Writing in the Independent, she said: 'Personally, Id have no qualms about my nine-year-old daughter having the vaccine, if she wanted it, even now.

'If shes mature enough to ask me questions about sex, relationships and puberty  which she does, frequently  and to sit and listen to the answers, then shes mature enough to think about what she wants to do with her body when it comes to getting vaccinated, too.'

Ms Sturgeon suggested she wanted to push ahead with vaccinating children as coronavirus cases across Scotland have soared, with a record 6,835 new infections reported on Friday.

With schools having returned in Scotland earlier in August, she stressed the importance of a decision being made on whether to vaccinate more secondary school pupils.

Teenagers aged 16 and 17 are already being given the Pfizer vaccine, in line with JCVI advice.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking at a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing, said: 'I really hope that the JCVI feel that the evidence allows them very, very soon to recommend vaccination for all 12 to 17-year-olds.'

Professor Leitch added: 'We are ready for when that advice comes, the vaccination programme is ready to go.'

Ms Sturgeon said 'ideally' a decision on this would have been taken in time to allow secondary school pupils to get vaccinated before going back to school after summer.

She noted: 'Scottish schools go back earlier than elsewhere in the UK and I would have ideally liked that to have been the case before our schools go back, but the sooner we get to that point where the JCVI feels the evidence allows them to make that recommendation, I hope they do that quickly.

'There are many countries across the world that are already vaccinating 12 to 17-year-olds, clearly there are expert groups there who think this is safe to do.

'I suppose if I was making a plea to the JCVI, it is not for me to tell them what decision to reach, they have got to do that on the basis of the evidence, but please make it quickly.

'Because I would really like, assuming we get advice saying it is safe to do, I would really like to get on with vaccinating 12 to 17 year olds as quickly as we possibly can.'

But scientists told MailOnline that nothing has changed in the data to suggest the risks of vanishingly rare heart inflammation is any less common in young people than it had been when the JCVI initially decided not to extend the rollout.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) in the US  which has already begun jabbing over-12s  shows the risk of myocarditis after a Pfizer first dose remains the same as it ever was.

Likewise, the current rise in infections in late teens and predicted rise in cases next week when children return to classes was already predicted.

And Professor David Livermore, a microbiologist at the University of East Anglia, suggested the move could may have been caused by political pressure.

He said: 'The core facts haven't changed  children and adolescents are at minimal risk from severe Covid, meaning that the very rare but occasionally serious side effects of vaccines are likely to be the greater hazard.

'This is the absolute converse of the situation for the elderly, where vaccination, including boosters, is warranted.

'Only the Government can say what motivates them. The spike in infections as schools return in Scotland? Pressure from the teaching unions? Or just a general sense of panic leading to the desire to jab anything in sight?

'The JCVI remains very cautious. The pressure isn't coming from them, and there is nothing here that constitutes "Following the science".'
Sharon Stone took to her Instagram on Friday while on a photoshoot in Italy, begging her fans to pray for her 11-month-old nephew and godson, River, who said said was discovered in his crib with 'total organ failure.'

River Stone is the youngest child of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha, who live in Ohio with their three children.

'My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w[sic] total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle,' wrote the Basic Instinct star in a caption accompanying a photo of the baby lying in a hospital bed in a tangle of wires and tubes.

Actress Sharon Stone pleaded with her Instagram followers to pray for her 11-month-old nephew and godson, River Stone, after he experienced 'total organ failure'

River is the youngest child of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. The family live in Ohio with their three children

Tasha Stone revealed in this heartbreaking Facebook post that even if her baby lives, he will never be the same again

It is unknown at this time what happened to the child.

Tasha Stone, River's mother, wrote an impassioned plea for prayers on her Facebook page, revealing that her son was in a coma at Childrens UPMC in Pittsburgh after being airlifted there on Thursday.

'This is the HARDEST thing I have ever had to post but I am BEGGING everyone and anyone who prays please pray HARD for River,' 'Every single second of this is literally killing me. I just want my sweet sweet boy back.

'The doctor said if he does pull through he will never be the same. Please I am begging for prayers that my baby can be healed and come back with his family who love him so very much. I am beyond heartbroken.'

Tasha Stone said River was in a coma after being airlifted to a hospital in Pittsburgh. The boy was born in September 2020

DailyMail.com reached out to the married mom-of-three for a comment and was awaiting a reply.

Multiple members of the extended Stone family have been dealing with serious health problems in recent months, including cases of COVID-19.

Last year, Sharon announced the passing of her grandmother and godmother from complications associated with the virus.

The actress's sister, Kelly, and her husband, Bruce, also contracted the disease but recovered.

Sharon is starring in a photoshoot for Dolce & Gabbana in St Mark's Square in Venice, Italy

Stone, 63, previously revealed that she lost grandmother and godmother to COVID-19 last year

Based on some of the comments that were left on Tasha Stone's Facebook page, her husband, Patrick, has been struggling with an unknown illness.

Sharon's post asking for prayers has drawn tens of thousands of comments from well-wishers, with A-listers like Kate Hudson, Sharon Osbourne and director Ava DuVerney expressing their support.

The 63-year-old Ratched actress was on location in Venice, Italy, starring in a glamorous ad campaign for Dolce and Gabbana.
Advertisement

Images of President Joe Biden hanging his head during tense exchanges with reports after the deadly suicide attack in Kabul are being called by some a 'defining' moment of his presidency.

The memorable scene unfolded at the end of Biden's press conference on Thursday, as Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed him on the disastrous pullout from Afghanistan, where 13 US troops and scores of Afghan civilians were killed in two suicide blasts.

The 78-year-old president was visibly emotional as he vowed revenge on ISIS-K, but while reporters from a pre-approved list asked him questions, he appeared lost for words at times and and frustrated in others, gripping his notebook and widening his eyes.

During the exchange with Doocy, Biden pressed the reporter to acknowledge that he remembered that Donald Trump had made a deal with the Taliban to withdraw -- then hung his head down toward the podium as Doocy pressed him on whether the manner of the withdrawal had been sound.

Photos of the moment quickly spread around the globe, featuring on the front pages and websites of the liberal-leaning New York Daily News and Washington Post as well as the conservative-leaning Fox News and New York Post.

Local daily papers such as the Terre-Haute, Indiana Tribune Star, the Roanoke Times in Virginia, and the Hot Spring, Arkansas Sentinel-Record also featured the image on their front pages Friday.

Internationally, the UK Telegraph ran the photo prominently alongside a commentary stating that Biden 'has blood on his hands and his presidency will not recover.'

In Germany, WELT ran the image with a story reading: 'Joe Biden had campaigned with foreign policy experience and reliability. The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has ruined that reputation'

Brazil's Folha de S. Paulo also ran the image with a neutral original story

Other sites like the Toronto Star and Egypt's Al-Ahram ran similar images with neutral text from the Associated Press - a U.S. news agency

The Buenos Aires Times in Argentina featured the image on its homepage with the headline 'Deadly Kabul attack shakes Biden's Afghan exit strategy'

The Russian state-owned news site RT did not appear to run the image but was particularly biting against Biden with its commentary

In Germany, WELT ran the image with a story reading: 'Joe Biden had campaigned with foreign policy experience and reliability. The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has ruined that reputation.'

The Buenos Aires Times in Argentina featured the image on its homepage with the headline 'Deadly Kabul attack shakes Biden's Afghan exit strategy.'

The Argentine article published text from American news site Bloomberg calling the bombings a 'trying day' for Biden's presidency and characterizing the president as having taken responsibility for 'all that's happened of late.'

Brazil's Folha de S. Paulo also ran the image with a neutral original story while other sites like the Toronto Star and Egypt's Al-Ahram ran similar images with neutral text from the Associated Press - a U.S. news agency.

The Russian state-owned news site RT did not appear to run the image but was particularly biting against Biden with its commentary, with an article simply headlined 'Biden Following Orders.' The outlet is registered as a foreign agent in the United States.

'Horror in Afghanistan on Thursday, as terrorists strike killing and wounding U.S. Troops. Wait until you see how one MSNBC analyst reacted to the news of the attacks,' the RT article reads. 'Plus, President Biden reveals during a press conference he is only answering questions from reporters he was told to call on.'

Stripped of specific context, the image resonated across the political spectrum, with liberals interpreting it as a moment of somber, emotional reaction to the loss of US life, and conservatives insisting it portrayed shame and weakness.

The New York Daily News was among outlets featuring the image of Biden hanging his head, saying that the president was 'emotional' as he vowed to 'hunt down terrorists'

Fox News displayed the image in a banner above a headline claiming that Biden's administration is 'teetering'

The Washington Post featured the image with a headline calling the situation 'the most volatile crisis of his presidency'

The UK Telegraph ran the photo alongside a political commentary stating that Biden 'has blood on his hands and his presidency will not recover'

'The deep grief on President Biden's face as his eyes swelled with tears was painful to watch,' wrote New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin. 'But his personal suffering cannot exonerate him from the responsibility for what happened in Kabul.'

The Washington Post news section called Thursday's attack 'the most volatile crisis of his young presidency' noting that 'it may take time to show whether he can maintain his image as an able president with solid instincts.'

Republican strategist Matt Whitlock called the moment 'a defining image' while conservative commentator Benny Johnson similarly labeled it 'the defining photo of the Biden Presidency.'

The conservative Daily Caller remarked on Twitter that the image was an 'optics disaster'.

Writing for Fox News, opinion columnist James Jay Carafano said that Biden at the press conference had 'delivered more excuses why the hole he dug isn't getting deeper.'

The New York Times avoided using the image of Biden hanging his head. The newspaper noted in the news section that Biden's defense of the Afghanistan withdrawal was 'unlikely to satisfy his critics, including some members of his own party, who disagreed with the way Mr. Biden brought an end to the war.'

The Associated Press caption on a photo of Biden hanging his head described it thus: 'President Joe Biden pauses as he listens to a question about the bombings at the Kabul airport that killed at least 12 U.S. service members.'

Speaking later on Thursday to his network, Doocy reflected on his exchange with Biden, which came at the end of the press conference.

Though Biden had a prepared list of reporters to call on, he appeared to go off-script when he called on Doocy, whom he called 'the most interesting guy that I know in the press.'

'We were happy that the president took our question on a day that is very somber and very important to a huge portion of our viewing audience,' Doocy remarked later to Fox News host Sean Hannity. 'It's been a very somber day.'

President Joe Biden bowed his head as he listened to a question from Steve Doocy of Fox News as he took questions after giving an update on the situation in Afghanistan and the deaths of 13 servicemembers

The Drudge Report featured the image of Biden above the headline 'Disaster' on Friday

Some local newspapers such as the Terre Haute Tribune-Star led their front pages with an image of the moment

Doocy was one of the six members of the press the president called on at the briefing.

The reporter asked him: 'There had not been a U.S. service member killed in combat since February of 2020. You set a deadline, you pulled troops out, you sent troops back in, and now 12 Marines are dead,' using the death toll that has since been updated to confirm an extra fatality.

'You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way things have unfolded the last two weeks?' Doocy asked.

Biden griped his notebook with both hands and was quick with his first answer.

'I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late,' he responded.

He then tried to blame it on Donald Trump, saying Trump planned to be out by May 1 and that he delayed it.

'You know  I wish one day you'd say these things. You know as well as I do that the former President made a deal with the Taliban that he would get all American forces out of Afghanistan by May 1. In return the was made - that was a year before.

'In return for the commitment, the Taliban would continue to attack others but would not attack any American forces. Remember that? I'm being serious. I'm asking you a question,' he said.

'Is that accurate to the best of your knowledge, yes or no,' said Biden, trying to get Doocy to commit to an answer about Trump's blame in the affair.

'The deep grief on President Biden's face as his eyes swelled with tears was painful to watch,' wrote New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin. 'But his personal suffering cannot exonerate him from the responsibility for what happened in Kabul'

The Sentinel-Record of Arkansas also selected the iconic image for its front page on Friday

Though the moment was brief, it was captured by numerous photographers and became an iconic image for many

It came as Biden pressed Doocy to answer a question, but the reporter responded with his own question pressing Biden

Doocy responded by saying, 'Do you think the people have an issue with the way things have happened?'

Clearly frustrated, Biden put his head in his hands.

He lifted his head, took a breath to compose himself and answered.

'I think they have an issue that people are likely to get hurt. Some as we've seen have gotten killed, and that it is messy.

'The reason why, whether my friend will acknowledge it or has reported it, the reason why there were no attacks on Americans as you said from the day I came into office was because a commitment was made by President Trump: I will be out by May 1.

'In the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans That was the deal. That's why no American was attacked.'

Biden seemed content with his answer and braced for the follow up question. His eyes widened and his body tensed. His hands dropped to in front of his body.

'So you squarely stand by your decision to pull out,' Doocy asked.

The president dug his heels in and demonstratively said, 'Yes, I do.'

'Because look at it this way folks, and I have another meeting for real. But imagine where we'd be if I had indicated on May the first that I was not going to renegotiate an evacuation date. We were going to stay there,' he said.

Thursday's terror attack, which Biden attributed to ISIS-K, now poses a major political and military challenge

This is the bloody aftermath at Kabul airport on Friday. Blood-soaked clothes and discarded shoes are scattered across the ground in front of a lone Taliban fighter at one of the airport's gates

'I'd have only one alternative: to pour thousands of troops back into Afghanistan to fight a war that we had already won relative to the reason why we went in the first place.

'I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan, a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country.

'And is made up of different tribes who have never ever ever got along with one another. So as I said before, and this is the last comment I'll make, we'll have a chance to talk about this unfortunately beyond because we are not out yet.

'And so, as I said before -- and this is the last comment I'll make, but we'll have more chance to talk about this, unfortunately, beyond, because we're not out yet -- if Osama bin Laden, as well as al Qaeda, had chosen to launch an attack -- when they left Saudi Arabia -- out of Yemen, would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? Even though the Taliban completely controlled Afghanistan at the time, would we have ever gone?

'I know it's not fair to ask you questions. It's rhetorical. But raise your hand if you think we should have gone and given up thousands of lives and tens of thousands of wounded.

'Our interest in going was to prevent al Qaeda from reemerging -- first to get bin Laden, wipe out al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and prevent that from happening again.

'As I've said 100 times: Terrorism has metastasized around the world; we have greater threats coming out of other countries a heck of a lot closer to the United States.

'We don't have military encampments there; we don't keep people there. We have over-the-horizon capability to keep them from going after us.

'Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war.'

Biden's handling of the withdrawal has been almost universally condemned.
Deaths fell by 12.3 per cent to 100, compared to 114 the week before, the statistics also showed

Meanwhile, hospitalisations - which lag behind cases - crept up by another 10.5 per cent

The figure includes a record 6,835 in Scotland, which has seen infections spiral since schools returned

Britain's daily Covid cases rose by just 2 per cent in a week today with another 38,046 positive tests recorded

Advertisement

Britain's daily coronavirus cases rose by just two per cent in a week today as another 38,046 positive tests were recorded across the home nations.

The figure, published by the Department of Health, included a record-high of 6,800 in Scotland, which has seen infections spiral since children returned to school last week.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today insisted officials were not considering a circuit-breaker lockdown north of the border, to stem the surge in infections.

Meanwhile, hospitalisations  which lag behind cases because of how long it can take for the infected to become seriously ill  crept up by another 10.5 per cent. Some 948 patients were admitted to hospital on August 23, the most recent day figures are available for.

Deaths fell by 12.3 per cent on the week before, the statistics also showed. A further 100 victims were added to the Government's official toll today, compared to 114 last week.

It comes amid fears the bank holiday weekend will trigger a spike in cases, which has prompted health chiefs to urge youngsters to stay safe at festivals such as Reading and Leeds.

And there are fears the return of schools will trigger another spike, with SAGE papers today warning of 'high levels' of Covid in classrooms by the end of September.

Meanwhile, data today revealed England's outbreak was already growing before the bank holiday weekend, with the R rate now above one and up to one in 70 people infected on any given day last week.

High levels of Covid likely in schools by end of September, Government told Experts have warned that it is 'highly likely' there will be large levels of coronavirus infection in schools by the end of September. Advisers have told the Government to plan for this outcome, and said it remains uncertain as to whether the high prevalence might be as a result of spread of the virus within schools or in the community. In a newly published document from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O), experts said the vaccine rollout  which currently extends only to 16-year-olds and above  will have made 'almost no difference' to many pupils. Currently only 12 to 15-year-olds who are most at risk from Covid or who live with people at-risk are eligible to be jabbed. In light of the warning, the leader of the largest teaching union in the UK has called on the Education Secretary to support schools to 'consider face coverings from day one of term' alongside social distancing where possible. Meanwhile, the school leaders' union has called the document 'extremely worrying', adding that the situation is 'on a knife edge' as term approaches. The experts say it is highly likely there will be exponential increases of the virus in school-aged children after classes return, and note that measures in place before the new term, such as bubbles and stricter rules on isolating, will no longer apply. Advertisement

It comes as:

England's R rate is between 1 and 1.2, with Covid cases growing by up to two per cent each day, figures from the UK Health Security Agency revealed;

One in 70 people in England tested positive for Covid in the seven days up to August 20, according to data from the Office for National Statistics;

Some 2.36 per cent of the population in Northern Ireland had Covid last week, the highest rate ever recorded;

Health chiefs warn people to be cautious as hundreds of thousands head to festivals across the country this weekend;

Schools returning next week is likely to causes infection levels to spike, scientists warn the Government;

Scotland is 'not currently considering a lockdown' despite a record number of Covid cases, Nicola Sturgeon says;

GCSE and A-Level results parties 'fuel Covid spike among 16 to 21 year olds' as experts warn Bank Holiday weekend may trigger a nationwide surge before schools return in a fortnight.

The official daily figures, which are updated every day, revealed 38,046 people tested positive for Covid.

The latest number brings the rolling seven-day average to 34,177  the highest it has been in a month.

Meanwhile, 6,853 infections were recorded in Scotland, as cases continue to reach new highs.

Prior to the latest peak in infections, cases reached a high of 3,922 in Scotland on June 28 in the midst of the third wave, which coincided with the Euro 2020 football tournament.

The new hospitalisation figures bring the rolling seven-day average to 894  the highest figure since July 27.

And the number of Covid fatalities recorded in the UK  which includes everyone who died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus  stayed flat.

Deaths linked with the coronavirus fell sharply after the peak at the beginning of the year  when the UK recorded 1,359 deaths in a single day on January 19  due to the lockdown.

Fatalities then remained low due to the success of the vaccine rollout, but began ticking upwards in July as restrictions eased.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has 'privately accepted' that 50,000 people will die from Covid a year  some 137 deaths a day, it was revealed today. The i reported that the Prime Minister will only consider a lockdown if fatalities breach that threshold.

Meanwhile, 55,140 first vaccine doses were dishes out today and 114,936 second doses were administered. Some 47.9million over-16s (88.2 per cent) have now had their first dose, while 42.3m (78 per cent) are fully immunised.

Dozens of tents are lined up in one of the camping areas as Leeds Festival gets underway

Scotland is 'not currently considering a lockdown' despite a record number of Covid cases, Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown' despite a record number of new Covid cases and a steep rise in patients in hospital with the virus, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister told a coronavirus briefing that 6,835 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours - the second time in a week that a record, new, daily figure has been reported. The number of coronavirus patients in Scotland also continues to rise, with 479 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 53 on the previous day and an increase from 312 one week ago. A total of four deaths of coronavirus patients were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 8,103. Ms Sturgeon cautioned that the rise in cases was partly due to a record number of tests being taken on Thursday. And she said that 'none of us want to go backwards to even limited restrictions'. 'Some of the speculation you might be reading in the media is not accurate,' she said. 'We are not currently considering a circuit breaker lockdown.' She said the Scottish Government was closing monitoring any rise in serious illnesses and 'people being hospitalised'. 'In the past seven days we have reported more new cases than at any previous time in the pandemic, although I refer back to my point about higher levels of testing, but case numbers have roughly doubled over the course of the past seven days,' Ms Sturgeon said. 'It's important to point out that case numbers are rising across the UK just now, but after a period of slower increases in Scotland the rise here is particularly sharp at the moment. 'That is possibly, at least in part, a reflection of the fact that our schools return earlier, with the increased interactions that come with that.' Advertisement

It comes as data from the UK Health Security Agency revealed the R rate in England may be as high as 1.1 nationally and reaching 1.2 in parts of the country.

The figure can be used as a guide as a general trend of the outbreak in the country, with a rate above one meaning the outbreak is growing.

An R rate of 1 to 1.1 means on average, every 10 infected with Covid will pass the virus on to 10 or 11 others.

And the pandemic growth rate in England is between zero and two per cent, according to the HSA, meaning the number of new infections could be rising by two per cent every day.

But the figures represent the transmission of the virus two to three weeks earlier, giving a rearview mirror view of the outbreak.

This is because of the delay in someone being infected, developing Covid symptoms and requiring NHS care.

The latest figures reveal the South West as the worst-hit region, where the R rate was as high as 1.2 and cases were growing by four per cent every day.

The rate also reached 1.2 in the East and South East, while cases were growing by three per cent a day in those areas.

And the gold-standard Office for National Statistics (ONS) data  which is used by ministers to track the state of the outbreak  showed infection levels increased across the UK.

In England, the proportion of people testing positive for Covid continued to be highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (1.8 per cent) and the North West (1.6 per cent).

In London, 1.5 per cent of people were infected in the most recent week, compared to 1.4 per cent one week earlier.

Cases were also on the rise in the East Midlands (1.4 per cent), the South East (1.3 per cent) and West Midlands (to 1.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, infection levels stayed static in the North East (1.3 per cent) and dropped in the East of England (1.2 per cent) and the South West (0.9 per cent).

And 3.5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-old tested positive, the highest out of any age group, with cases shooting up from 2.9 per cent one week earlier.

The figure equates to one in 30 people in the age group testing positive.

And cases also increased among 11 to 15-year-olds, with 2.5 per cent testing positive, compared to 2.3 per cent in the previous seven days.

Cases fell among those aged 25 to 34, as well as in children aged two to 10, but increased in all age groups over 35.

It comes as the UK is set to have its biggest weekend of live music in two years, with more than 100,000 people attending Reading and Leeds music festivals and some 40,000 going to All Points East in London.

Susan Hopkins, PHE strategy response director and Test and Trace Chief Medical Advisor said: 'Festivals are a great opportunity for people to come together after what has been an incredibly difficult year and we want everyone to enjoy themselves.

GCSE and A-Level results parties 'fuel Covid spike among 16 to 21 year olds' as experts warn Bank Holiday weekend may trigger a nationwide surge before schools return in a fortnight GCSE and A-level results parties are behind the spike in Covid infections among 16- to 21-year-olds, according to a health chief. MailOnline analysis of Department of Health data shows case rates are climbing quickest in people aged 15 to 19, jumping by nearly 50 per cent in a week just seven days after GCSE results were released on August 12. And two separate surveillance studies yesterday showed the current uptick in cases across the country is being fuelled by infections in young people. Public Health England (PHE) figures showed secondary school children have the highest rate of infection in the country despite there still being a week before schools open for the Autumn term. People aged 10 to 19 in England and Wales had a case rate of 616.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 22, up a third week-on-week from 472.5. And King's College London's symptom-tracking ZOE study showed cases were highest in 18- to 35-year-olds, closely followed by under-18s. Mike Sandys, director of public health for Leicestershire, said festivals and exam results parties are behind the surge in young people. He said the area has been 'disproportionately' affected by the wave of cases among under-18s. It comes as health officials braced for a wave of infections across all age groups over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. Around 500,000 people are expected to festivals while millions more will travel to tourists over the weekend and experts fear record case levels in teenagers seen in Cornwall and Devon after Boardmasters festival could be replicated across the country. Advertisement

Fury over plans to vaccinate children against Covid as parents demand final say 'to stop youngsters being peer-pressured into inappropriate decisions' Parents are demanding they are given the final say on whether children get vaccinated against Covid at school in the coming weeks. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday revealed parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teenagers could still receive a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead  but claimed such a scenario would be extremely rare. Campaign groups have hit back at the plans to push through the inoculation drive to school pupils, claiming that children could be 'peer-pressured' into making 'inappropriate' decisions. NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term. And Whitehall insiders say Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the Joint Committee for Vaccination's (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs  delay in approving plans. The controversy reached boiling point today when actor Laurence Fox claimed he would remove his and ex-wife actress Billie Piper's children from school if parental consent is not required for jabs. Scientists have been at war for months over whether to push ahead with expanding the rollout, with many experts claiming it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months. Advertisement

'However, it's important to know that at least 1 in 50 young people currently have Covid.

'Therefore, do a test before you go, wear a face covering if you're travelling to and from the festival if you're using public transport and socialise outside as much as possible.

'If you test positive or have any symptoms then do not attend.'

She added: 'It's especially important to be cautious when you leave the festival and when you get home as you may well have caught Covid while you've been away.

'Make sure you take an LFD test when you get home and then test twice a week after having mixed with a large group of people, as you could have Covid without having symptoms.

'Try and avoid seeing older or more vulnerable relatives so that you don't pass anything on.'

Meanwhile, Covid infections increased across the rest of the UK.

In Scotland, 36,700 people tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week ending August 20, equating to 0.7 per cent of people, or one case per 140 people.

Seven days earlier, on the week ending August 14, just 25,900 were infected, equating to one in 200 people.

It follows schools reopening across Scotland for the autumn term last week. In England and Wales, schools broke up later, so do not return until next week.

The rising figures caused Ms Sturgeon to warn that Scots could be dragged back into tougher coronavirus restrictions amid the biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The First Minister earlier this week raised the prospect of reintroducing some curbs despite the successful vaccine rollout.

She also said that existing regulations, including mandatory face masks and limits on capacities at major events, are likely to be extended again next week.

And cases also appeared to be on the rise in Wales, with 25,200 people being infected in the most recent week, compared to 23,500 in the previous set of figures.

Last week, one in 120 people in the country were infected with Covid, around 0.83 per cent of the population, the ONS estimated.

Infection rates were highest in Northern Ireland, where 2.36 per cent of the population tested positive, around one in every 40 individuals. Some 43,300 people were infected, up from 35,300 one week earlier.

But the ONS warned the data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is less certain than England, because the sample size of participants is smaller.

Its figures are also a lagging indicator due to how the estimates are made. People can test positive for several weeks after getting infected.

Whereas official daily figures look at new cases, and offer the most up-to-date view of the true state of the outbreak.

Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University, said the ONS figures are 'a bit depressing' but not surprising, as the official daily figures already confirmed cases were rising across the UK throughout August.

But it's important to see infection rates confirmed in the ONS estimates, because the results come from a representative sample of people who are tested only to measure the progress of the pandemic, he noted.

So the data is not affected by changes in who is being routinely tested, which can bias the dashboard counts, Professor McConway said.

He said: 'Infection levels are really high in England and in Northern Ireland. They are quite a lot lower in Wales and in Scotland, but confirmed case numbers on the dashboard have been rising quickly in both of those countries recently, so things look problematic there too.'

'It's just about possible that the reopening might have contributed a bit to the increase in infections [in Scotland], but the effect on the latest figures is unlikely to be large, given that it generally takes a few days after an infection contact for the infection to become detectable.

'It's true that vaccines have much reduced the risk that someone will end up in hospital or die, if they become infected with the virus. But they haven't reduced the risk to zero.

'The last time that infections were at the level they now are in England, according to the [ONS figures], was the end of January.'

At that point, there were 2,300 hospital admissions and 1,100 deaths linked with the virus, while now there are around 770 admissions and 80 fatalities, Professor McConway said.

He added: 'Obviously the position is better than it was at the end of January  but it's still not good, and the latest dashboard figures and models indicate that things are going to get worse in the short term.

'What I'd like to hear is an explanation of what policy actions are being taken by the UK Government to take this into account, with an explanation of the choices that have been made, even if the choice is not to change anything.

'I've heard very little about policy on Covid for England recently, apart from the welcome encouragement for people to get vaccinated, and some changes in the rules for foreign travel. What's the plan, please?'
The TV producer was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years

Insanally, of London, spent more than 108,137 on one debit card, court heard

He used a company credit card to buy the shows while working for Ventureland

A National Geographic documentary producer has avoided jail after spending more than 100,000 on online sex shows using a company card.

Mark Johann Insanally, 55, who worked with Bear Grylls, previously admitted fraud between October 2019 and November 2020, at Croydon Magistrates' Court.

Insanally, from London, used a company credit card to access online porn and used the Chaturbate adult website, a hearing at Inner London Crown Court heard on Friday.

Insanally was working for Ventureland at the time, where his job as a producer was to organise the logistics of production which was 'millions of pounds over budget', prosecutor Peter Lancaster told the court.

From 2019 onwards, he was working on a documentary film project for the company, where he was 'entrusted with the credit card', the judge said.

When the company accountant became suspicious and asked Insanally, who worked on a National Geographic documentary, for receipts he was told the money was for 'accessing archive material', said Mr Lancaster said.

Mark Johann Insanally (pictured), 55, who worked on a National Geographic documentary, has avoided jail after spending more than 100,000 on online sex shows using a company card

The fraud continued and Insanally later said the money was for 'research in the United States', Mr Lancaster said.

But when they were spotted again, he confessed to having an addiction to online pornography, particularly adult chat sites, and said he had paid to watch sex shows.

Insanally spent more than 108,137 on one debit card, the court heard. He left Ventureland in 2020 and the swindle was uncovered as the payments stopped.

'I'm deeply remorseful to those who had put their trust in me,' wrote Insanally in a statement of mitigation.

'I am embarrassed, ashamed and humiliated that I allowed my abhorrent behaviour to spiral out of control,' he said.

A victim impact statement from Ventureland read out in court said the incident had a 'grave financial impact on the company and damage to the reputation of the company'.

Defence lawyer Kieran Galvin, mitigating, said Insanally has medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and lives with and cares for his sister.

He said his sister, who is housebound due to a heart condition, moved in with him after the death of his nephew, which had a 'huge impact' on the family.

Mr Galvin added that Insanally lost work as a result of the case but has begun reconnecting with the industry again to re-establish himself.

Prior to these criminal proceedings, Insanally had a yearly income in the region of 100,000, but is currently unemployed.

Holby City actor Jeremy Sheffield, who previously worked with him, gave Insanally a character reference statement, which was read out to the court by Mr Galvin.

It said: 'I cannot speak more highly than anyone of Johann. I would trust him with my life, he is a precious friend, generous spirit and a gentle soul.'

Insanally (pictured with his lawyer) spent more than 108,137 on one debit card, the court heard. He left Ventureland in 2020 and the swindle was uncovered as the payments stopped

Insanally has started specialist therapy to help him get over his addiction to sex, and to help him come to terms with his homosexuality.

He was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He has been ordered to undertake 15 days of rehabilitation which the court heard he has already booked.

He has also been ordered to pay back Ventureland 20,000 within 12 months and was also given a curfew with an electronic tag to last until December 26.

Sentencing, Judge Gavin Millar said: 'You worked, very successfully for the film production and festival sector. You are of previous good character and expressed remorse almost immediately.'

He added: 'You became addicted to Chaturbate. [The accountant] initially accepted your explanation that the payments were for archive footage he believed employees in America were sourcing.'

But the judge accepted that being a man of his 'generation and background', he has had 'no obvious means of or language to be at ease with his sexuality'.

The judge also said that it would be the 'right thing' for the industry to give Insanally work again.

'You have plenty left to give and hopefully the industry will recognise that and you will re-emerge,' he added.

'I hope the therapy helps. I hope you come to terms with your sexuality.'

Insanally, who appeared in person at the hearing, responded from the dock: 'Thank you.'
Advertisement

The fathers of two of the Marines killed in the bomb attack on Kabul airport on Thursday are blaming Biden for their deaths, saying he turned his back on the troops on the ground with his chaotic evacuation attempt that made them sitting ducks for ISIS-K.

Thirteen US troops were killed along with 170 Afghans at the airport when a single suicide bomber detonated his vest.

Among them were Navy Corpsman Max Soviak, Army Staff Sgt Ryan Knauss, and Marines Hunter Lopez, Rylee McCollum, David Lee Espinoza, Kareem Nikoui, Jared Schmitz, Daegan Page, Taylor Hoover, Humberto Sanchez and an unnamed special forces soldier.

McCollum's wrestling coach and a close family friend told DailyMail.com that 'heads should roll' over the debacle.

Ben Arlotta said he is furious at the Biden administration and blames the White House for putting soldiers in an unnecessarily dangerous position.

'It's a junk show, an absolute junk show. Not just for Rylee but for every serviceman and woman over there. They were put in a very terrible spot. In my opinion this entire circumstance has been mismanaged from every level,' he told DailyMail.com.

'The only thing I can hope for is that accountability isn't forgotten. Because for the 13 men who were killed yesterday, heads need to roll for the way things have gone.

Nikoui's father Steve told The Daily Beast on Friday: 'They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security. I blame my own military leaders Biden turned his back on him. That's it.'

Schmitz's father, meanwhile, said: 'Be afraid of our leadership or lack thereof. Pray every day for the soldiers that are putting their lives at risk, doing what they love which is protecting all of us.'

White House Secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words when asked on Friday about Biden's pledge to track down the terrorists responsible for the deadly attack, saying that the president 'does not want them to live on the earth any more.'

Her remarks came a day after Biden vowed that 'we will hunt you down and make you pay.'

Soviak's sister said in an Instagram post: 'He was a f****** medic. There to help people and now he is gone and my family will never be the same.'

Soviak, believed to be in his early 20s, was named by his high school in Ohio. McCollum was named by his high school in Wyoming while Espinoza, 20, was named by the local police department in Laredo, Texas, where he was born. McCollum was expecting his first child with his wife. He was deployed to Afghanistan in April.

Nikoui's father added that he was relieved when his son signed up as a Marine when Trump was in office because he 'really believed this guy didn't want to send people into harm's way.'

The Pentagon revealed it was just one suicide bomb yesterday and not two, killing 170 people

Defense chiefs warned of the imminent threat of another ISIS attack in Afghanistan

Britain, France, Denmark and Spain all stopped evacuating citizens; U.S., Turkey and Russia remain

Republicans called for Biden's resignation; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would face a 'day of reckoning'

It was revealed that Taliban fighters killed ISIS leader Abu Omar Khorasani when they took control of Bagram prison on August 15, but they also freed 'thousands' of ISIS-K fighters

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday said the government 'can't guarantee' that all Americans who want to get out will get out of Afghanistan after August 31

Marine Kareem Nikoui, pictured with his mother, was killed on Thursday. His father said he blames Biden for abandoning them in Kabul

Marine Hunter Lopez, from Coachella Valley, California, was the son of a captain and a deputy with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office

Humberto Sanchez of Indiana was killed in Thursday's attack on Kabul airport

Navy Corpsman Max Soviak (left) and Marine Rylee McCollum (right) were both killed in the ISIS blast at Kabul airport

Jared Schmitz (left) and David Lee Espinoza, 20 (right)

Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, 31, from Utah, was among the 13 U.S. military personnel killed in the attack on Thursday

Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, a Marine from Omaha, Nebraska, was killed in an attack by ISIS-K at Kabul airport on Thursday

President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday. He did not take questions but made a brief statement on Afghanistan, saying it was a 'dangerous but worthy mission'

Vice President Kamala Harris arrived back at Joint Base Andrews with her husband Doug Emhoff on Friday morning after abandoning plans to campaign in California for Gov. Gavin Newsom to help deal with the unraveling crisis in Afghanistan

Ryan Knauss, 23, from Tennessee, was among the U.S. military personnel named on Friday as having died in the attack.

Knauss' family and friends said he attended Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee.

He joined the military shortly after graduation, according to 10News.

His stepmother told the site he loved to laugh, help his wife Alena in her garden, and enjoyed working with his hands to build things.

He had just finished Psychological Operations training and was hoping to serve in Washington, D.C.

Evelena Knauss, his paternal grandmother, told The Daily Beast: 'We were led to think that it was 12 Marines and one Navy, and we knew our grandson was in the Army.

'So we were praying for the families of the Marines, not knowing our grandson was one of the ones who lost his life.

'You just don't think it will be yours, I'm sure that you've heard that before.'

Knauss joined the Army right out of high school, and had already served one nine-month tour in Afghanistan, his grandmother explained.

'And then he was deployed back on this mission,' she said.

'He had just completed a course of psychological operations... Making quite impressive steps in the military. Very bright and very committed. Driven... Young.

'It's been a very sad day for us. It shouldn't have had to happen this way.'

Ryan Knauss, from Tennessee, was among the 13 U.S. service members who died in Thursday's explosion in Kabul

Knauss was hoping to work in Washington DC after his deployment in Afghanistan

Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover was among the 13 U.S. military members killed in Thursday's explosion

Hoover was described by his father Darin as 'my hero'

Hoover is pictured with his mother, Kelly Barnett. Friends and family paid tribute to the Marine, describing him as a ray of light

Hoover (center) is pictured at work with fellow soldiers. He was killed in a suicide bombing on Thursday at Kabul airport

The 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul blast Max Soviak, 22, Navy corpsman from Berlin Heights, Ohio Soviak was a 2017 graduate of Edison High School in Milan, Ohio, where he played football, according before eventually moving to Guam. Soviak described himself on Instagram as a 'patriot' and his pictures showed him enjoying an active lifestyle on boats, beaches, and mountains. He was also proud of his military service, posting photos with his fellow servicemen and commenting on photos of his friends. Rylee McCollum, 20, Lance Corporal in the Marines from Riverton, Wyoming McCollum loved the military from the age of three, and at the age of 18 brought his father Jim the enlistment forms to sign. He loved American history, and enjoyed wrestling, mixed martial arts, and training children in the sport. McCollum's goal after the Marines was to become a history teacher and wrestling coach, his father said. He married Jiennah in the summer of 2020, and their first child is due in September. David Lee Espinoza, 20, a Marine from Laredo, Texas Espinoza was born in Laredo and grew up in Rio Bravo, attending Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Laredo. He joined the Marines on leaving high school. Espinoza was on his second deployment, his mother Elizabeth Holguin told DailyMail.com - adding that he was brave, and wanted to be there. Kareem Nikoui, 20, a Marine from Norco, California Nikoui had sent home a video of himself giving candy to Afghan children the day before he was killed. His father Steve said Kareem loved the Marines, and was eager to deploy to Afghanistan. Steve described his son as devoted to his career in the military, but said he was angry at Biden for the way the withdrawal was handled. Hunter Lopez, 22, a Marine from Indio, California Lopez was the son of a captain and a deputy in the Riverside County, California, sheriff's office, according to a Facebook post by Sheriff Chad Bianco. Lopez had planned on following in his parents' footsteps and becoming a deputy when he returned home, the post said. Taylor Hoover, 31, a Staff Sgt in the Marines from Utah Hoover graduated from Hillcrest High School in 2008, where he played football. He was described by family and friends as a joy and a ray of light. His father said he was his hero. Jared Schmitz, 20, a Marine from Wentzville, Missouri Schmitz was stationed in Jordan on his first deployment and was sent to Afghanistan in recent weeks, his father said. 'As his parents, of course, we were terrified,' Schmitz said of his son, a 2019 high school graduate. 'I don't have words for how upset we are.' Ryan Knauss, 23, an Army Staff Sgt from Knoxville, Tennessee Knauss attended Gibbs High School before joining the Army. His stepmother said he loved to laugh, help his wife Alena in her garden, and enjoyed working with his hands to build things. She said he had just finished Psychological Operations training and was hoping to serve in Washington, D.C. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, a Marine from Omaha, Nebraska Page grew up in Red Oak, Iowa, and the Omaha-metro area. A longtime Boy Scout, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps after he graduated from high school according to the statement. 'He enjoyed playing hockey for Omaha Westside in the Omaha Hockey Club and was a diehard Chicago Blackhawks fan. He loved hunting and spending time outdoors with his dad, as well as being out on the water. He was also an animal lover with a soft spot in his heart for dogs,' the family said. Humberto Sanchez, a Marine from Logansport, Indiana Sanchez's death was announced by the mayor of Logansport. He said that Sanchez had not yet even turned 30 and 'still had his entire life ahead of him.' Friends paid tribute to a joker who was always making people laugh. Advertisement

Taylor Hoover, from Utah, was also named among the 13.

His father, Darin Hoover, said he was a hero.

'Soooooo glad I got to see him before he left.' he said.

'I love you son!!! You're my hero!! Please check in on us once in a while. I'll try to make you proud!!'

Hoover's uncle, Jeremy Soto, said he 'spent his entire adult life as a Marine, serving. Doing the hard things that most of us can't do.'

An aunt, Brittany Jones Barnett, said he was 'a joy to be around'.

'Always a smile. Always respectful. A joy to be around. He is adored beyond measure,' she wrote on Facebook.

'The world has lost a true light. Our hearts are broken.

'Shock, disbelief, horror, sadness, sorrow, anger and grief.'

And she paid tribute to his commitment to the cause.

'Thank you sweet boy for the ultimate sacrifice,' she said.

'For giving your life for us all. Fighting for freedom and giving absolutely everything you had. You will never ever be forgotten. We love you so much.'

Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, California, identified 22-year-old Hunter Lopez as one of U.S. Marines killed in the suicide bombing.

Lopez was the son of Captain Herman Lopez and Deputy Alicia Lopez.

'I am unbelievably saddened and heartbroken for the Lopez family as they grieve over the loss of their American Hero,' Bianco wrote.

'Before joining the Marine Corp, Hunter proudly served in our Sheriff's Explorer Program.

'Our entire department is mourning this tragic loss.

'The Lopez family exemplifies the meaning of Service Above Self.'

According to a statement from the Riverside Sheriff's Association, Lopez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.

'Hunter, who was 22 years old at the time of his death, planned on becoming a Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy after returning from is current deployment,' read the statement.

A family friend of a Rylee McCollum told DailyMail.com that 'heads should roll' over the disastrous U.S. exit and that the young soldier's family is 'absolutely broken'.

Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, 20, was one of the 13 servicemen killed by a bomb blast in the Afghan city Thursday.

The Wyoming-born Marine's wrestling coach and close family friend, Benjamin Arlotta, told DailyMail.com that even in diapers McCollum would stand watch on his porch with a toy rifle; first said he wanted to be a Marine aged eight; and signed up on his 18th birthday.

In a glowing eulogy to the young expectant father, whose new baby is due in three weeks, Arlotta described McCollum as a 'personal hero' and a 'fantastic brother, fantastic uncle, and a wonderful friend'.

'I was his wrestling coach since he was six. He was one of the best. A great kid, a great young man and an American patriot. He loved being a Marine,' Arlotta said.

'He was just a good man all around. We're all hurting pretty bad.

'It's impossible. I'm sitting here with the family right now  with his dad and two sisters, his brother-in-law and niece. They're shattered, they're absolutely broken. The entire community is.'

Arlotta, 37, said he is furious at the Biden administration and blames the White House for putting soldiers in an unnecessarily dangerous position.

'It's a junk show, an absolute junk show. Not just for Rylee but for every serviceman and woman over there. They were put in a very terrible spot. In my opinion this entire circumstance has been mismanaged from every level,' he told DailyMail.com.

'The only thing I can hope for is that accountability isn't forgotten. Because for the 13 men who were killed yesterday, heads need to roll for the way things have gone.

'We're just seeing the beginning of it. It's not over, it's only going to get worse. Everybody in the country needs to be praying for our servicemen and women right now. They have a scrap out in front of them.

'Sadly those 13 Marines aren't going to be the last ones to perish because of these terrible decisions that were made.'

Recalling fond memories of the young Jackson Hole native, the wrestling coach told a heartwarming story of McCollum's determination.

'When he was 13 he came into the competition season 32lbs heavier than where he wanted to be,' Arlotta said.

'He told me he would lose it. We made a bet. I was going to quit chewing tobacco if he could get down there. That was September, by the time the state championship rolled around in January he had made weight.

'He entered the wrestling tournament at that weight and I quit chewing that day.

'He was first and foremost a man of his word. If he said he would do something, by goodness gracious he stood right in front of you until he did it.'

McCollum moved to California for training. His pregnant wife Jiennah 'Gigi' Crayton lives in the San Diego area.

The 20-year-old lance corporal wanted to be a soldier since childhood, first telling his parents he would join the Marines age eight.

'We were driving back from his first state wrestling tournament, I was riding with his family,' said Arlotta.

'We asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said he wanted to be in the Marines.

'He enlisted on his 18th birthday,' the coach added.

'When he actually enlisted his recruiter told him he could be anything, he could do any job. He swore up and down he wanted to be an infantryman.

'If you know Rylee, you know you can't talk him out of a damn thing, so that's what he did.'

While still in diapers, McCollum would 'stand guard' with his toy rifle out on his parents' porch, his ex-coach said. And when it came to being ready to lay down his life for his country, he said the young solder would not have flinched.

'He was first and foremost a Marine. When it came down to doing his duty he was ready to stand up for it, absolutely,' Arlotta told DailyMail.com.

McCollum's sister Cheyenne told DailyMail.com her brother had wanted to be a Marine since he was a toddler  and that his own baby is due in just three weeks.

He married Jiennah in the summer of 2020, and their first child is due in September.

'Rylee was an amazing man, with a passion for the Marines. He was a son, a brother, a husband and a father with a baby due in just three weeks,' said Cheyenne.

'He wanted to be a Marine his whole life and carried around his rifle in his diapers and cowboy boots.

'He was determined to be in infantry and this was his first deployment.

'Rylee was sent to Afghanistan when the evac began. Rylee was manning the check point when he suicide bomb went off.

'Rylee wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach when he finished serving his country.

'He's a tough, kind, loving kid who made an impact on everyone he met. His joke and wit brought so much joy. To his friends and teammates and coaches, he was family.

'Rylee will always be a hero not just for the ultimate sacrifice he made for our country but for the way he impacted every life around him for the better.

'Making us stronger, kinder, teaching us to love deeper. We love you Rylee,' she said.

Regi Stone, whose son Eli enlisted around the same time as McCollum, described him as 'smart, strong and courageous' and said he drew comfort when the two hung out together.

'We always knew that Rylee had his back and my son his,' Stone told Reuters, adding that he got to know McCollum during visits for dinner at their house.

'He's a defender. He loved his country and wanted to make a difference.'

McCollum played football before graduating from Wyoming's Jackson Hole High School in 2019.

'Saying that I am grateful for Rylee's service to our country does not begin to encapsulate the grief and sadness I feel today as a mother and as an American,' State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said in a statement.

'My heart and prayers are with Rylee's family, friends, and the entire Jackson community.'

Jared Schmitz's father Mark rang a local Missouri radio station to pay tribute to his late son.

'He was not the type that liked to just sit around and get his four years done and walk away,' Mark Schmitz told KMOX.

'He wanted to be in a situation where he actually made a difference.'

Schmitz said his son had been stationed in Jordan before being called to Afghanistan two weeks before the attack.

The last publicly visible post on Jared Schmitz's Facebook page was a July 29 photograph of him at the archeological site of Petra, in Jordan.

A friend commented that he hoped Schmitz was staying safe, to which Schmitz replied: 'always my guy'.

David Lee Espinoza was a 20-year-old U.S. Marine from Rio Grande, Texas.

His mother, Elizabeth Holguin, told DailyMail.com on Friday: 'He was a very good person. He served his country.

'He helped in any way he could. He was there (in Afghanistan), helping innocent people.

'This was his second deployment; he first made a trip to the Middle East and arrived in Afghanistan for about a week.

'I prayed every day,' she said.

The last time they spoke was four days ago, she said.

'I just told him to be careful, that I was worried about him and I couldn't wait for him to come back,' Holguin said.

'He told me he was fine and not to worry. He was brave. If he was scared, he didn't show it.'

She said she holds no animosity toward the president, saying her son 'wanted to be there.'

Holguin learned her son was dead when she received a phone call Friday at 2:30 a.m.

Officials in Indiana confirmed that Corporal Humberto Sanchez was also among the dead.

Sanchez graduated from Logansport High School in 2017. He also attended Columbia Elementary.

'Like many, I have been heartbroken over the recent loss of the 13 U.S. service members who were murdered in the terrorist attacks against our evacuation efforts in Kabul, Afghanistan,' Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said in a statement on Facebook.

'Even more heartbreaking is learning the news today that one of those killed was from right here at home in Logansport, Indiana.

'This young man had not yet even turned 30 and still had his entire life ahead of him. Any plans he may have had for his post-military life were given in sacrifice due to the heart he exhibited in putting himself into harm's way to safeguard the lives of others.'

Sanchez's friend Kennedy Rhiannon Rickerd wrote on Facebook: 'Humberto Sanchez throughout school you were always making everyone in the room laugh & I will remember that side of you when I think about you always, RIP.'

Their identities emerged on Friday as Pentagon officials revealed there was only one suicide bomber at Kabul airport on Thursday and not two, as previously claimed - adding to confusion over the attack and fears for the ongoing operation on the ground.

Nikoui said he knew his son was dead when he saw two Marines approaching his home on Thursday at 7.15pm PST.

David Lee Espinoza was a 20-year-old U.S. Marine from Rio Grande, Texas. He is pictured with his mother, Elizabeth Holguin, who told DailyMail.com on Friday that he was a 'good person'. She last spoke to him four days ago

Max Soviak, from Ohio, is seen in 2018. He graduated from Edison High School in Milan, Ohio, in 2017

Daegan Page (left) from Nebraska was among the 13 U.S. military servicemen who died in Thursday's attack

Daegan Page (third from left, rear), who was killed in an attack by ISIS-K at Hamid Karzai Airport in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, is seen with fellow Marines in photos from his Instagram page

Page, from Omaha, was a member of the 2nd Battalion Marine Regiment based at Camp Pendleton, California

He said he sat with the two emotional Marines, who cried more than he did, and then had them leave.

'I was actually trying to console them. But at the same time, I just wanted them to get out as soon as possible so that no one from my family came back and saw them.

'I thought it appropriate that I be able to tell them,' he said.

Nikoui told Tucker Carlson on Fox News that he then realized his relatives might want to see the Marines.

He asked them if they could wait outside, while his family returned from a football game.

'They sat out there for four hours,' he said. 'I was in awe and just humbled by their performance.'

Nikoui told The Daily Beast that his son, who was based at Camp Pendleton in California, would often bring other Marines home on the holidays if they couldn't get back to their own families.

'My wife and I felt very honored that [since] these other boys weren't around their homes, that we were able to provide some sort of family life for them.

'He really loved that [Marine Corps] family. He was devoted - he was going to make a career out of this, and he wanted to go. No hesitation for him to be called to duty,' he said.

Nikoui told Carlson he was angry at the 'turkey shoot' the Marines were working with.

'I'm a carpenter; I've never served. But even I could see that that was a dangerous situation,' he said.

Steve Nikoui, father of Kareem Nikoui, appeared on Fox News on Friday night and fought back tears as he told of the moment the Marines came to tell him his son was dead

Speaking outside the four-bedroom home today, a relative told DailyMail.com that Kareem's family were inside signing the documents required to repatriate him.

He added: 'They're totally devastated and they need some time. All the family are here and we're supporting them.'

A steady stream of people have been seen coming and going from the home all day, among them some of Kareem's colleagues from the Camp Pendleton Marine base in San Diego.

Earlier today, Kareem's mother Shana Chappell posted angrily on social media, blaming Vice-President Kamala Harris for the loss of her son.

Kareem's death is also being mourned by his home city of Norco - a small community of 26,000 people nicknamed 'Horsetown' that sits 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

Confirming his death, the city released a message of condolence that read: 'The City of Norco mourns the loss of Norco resident U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kareem Mae'Lee Grant Nikoui who was killed in action while stationed at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

'The U.S. Marine, who graduated from Norco High School in 2019 and served in JROTC, was committed to serving his country and is survived by his mother, father and siblings.'

The city also promised to inscribe his name on the Lest We Forget Wall at the memorial plaza that sits in a park downtown.

Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez (left) of Indiana was killed in Thursday's attack

Sanchez's friend Kennedy Rhiannon Rickerd (pictured, with Sanchez) wrote on Facebook: 'Humberto Sanchez throughout school you were always making everyone in the room laugh & I will remember that side of you when I think about you always, RIP'

Hunter Lopez, pictured in his dress uniform, comes from a California law enforcement family, headed by his dad, Riverside County Sheriff's Captain Herman Lopez (2nd L) and his mother, Deputy Alicia Lopez (2nd R)

Lopez was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. He planned to follow his parents into the Riverside County Sheriff's Office after completing his deployment

Soviak, left, was in his early 20s and was from Ohio. Kareem Nikoui (right) from California wanted to stay in the Marines his whole career, his family said on Friday

Rylee McCollum was due to become a father. He is pictured with his pregnant wife, right, shortly before deploying to Afghanistan in April

This is the tragic final Instagram post by Max Soviak, one of the young Marines killed in the ISIS-K attack on Thursday

There is now confusion over how the military confused one explosion with two on Thursday.

Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Army General Hank Taylor said: 'We do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel. It was one suicide bomber.

'We're not sure how that report was provided incorrectly but we do know that in the confusion of very dynamic events like this, can cause information to sometimes to be misreported or garbled.'

General Taylor also confirmed on Friday that the U.S. is sharing the names of citizens and Afghan allies with the Taliban, but claimed it is so the Islamists ensure they can get through to the airport.

Former President Donald Trump said on Thursday night that it equates to giving them a 'kill list' of enemies and where to find them.

There is growing frustration among DC politicians - who are now calling for Biden to be impeached or resign.

On Friday, he refused to take questions on it during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and called it a 'dangerous but worthy mission'.

Vice President Kamala Harris returned to DC on Friday from Guam after shying away from the crisis since it began on August 14.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Friday the President must face a 'day of reckoning' for how he has handled the situation.

'Look, I'm extremely frustrated with this president,' McCarthy said in a press conference.

He said a president needs to have 'the faith, the trust, and the confidence' of Americans - which he said Biden lost on Thursday after a devastating attack on Kabul airport, which killed at least 170 people and 13 US troops.

'When that day passes, we can take up anything that - to hold accountable for the actions that have been taken, the lies that have been given, the mis-decisions that put Americans in harm's way, and the decision to leave Americans behind,' he said.

'That choice and that answer should never be given by the president of the United States.'

At the Pentagon briefing on Friday, Kirby revealed that thousands of terrorists from ISIS-K, the group responsible for the attack at the airport, escaped from Bagram prison earlier this summer after Biden's troops cleared out from the base, leaving it to outnumbered Afghan forces to supervise them.

U.S. troops abandoned the base overnight on July 2.

The prisoners were filmed being freed by the Taliban on August 15.

Military experts have pinpointed the sudden, overnight withdrawal of US troops from Bagram on July 2 as the moment the U.S. gave Afghanistan away.

In the 24 hours since Thursday, the U.S. has only evacuated 300 Americans from Kabul but up to 1,000 remain stranded.

The government claims not everyone wants to leave, but they cannot get in touch with everyone to check.

The flag at the White House is flying half-staff in honor of the Marines killed in Thursday's attack by ISIS

Flags at military cemeteries are also flying at half-staff. A women visits the grave of her loved one in San Diego's Miramar National Cemetery

A flag flies at half staff in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Friday in tribute to the 13 U.S. service members killed the day before

Neighbor's tie yellow ribbons to flags in front of the family home of U.S. Marines Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover in Sandy, Utah on Friday

White House Press Secretary said on Friday for the first time that the US could not 'guarantee' that every American who wants to leave Afghanistan after August 31 will be able to

Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Army General Hank Taylor said: 'I can confirm that we do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel'. He and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also revealed that the US is giving information to the Taliban of citizens and refugees

MG Taylor offers an update on yesterdays attack at the Abbey Gate. pic.twitter.com/LLRlehWEkS  Department of Defense  (@DeptofDefense) August 27, 2021

McCarthy also criticized Biden over his August 31 deadline for a full withdrawal - a decision that came despite pleas from fellow heads of state and lawmakers here at home.

'Why would President Biden pick the Taliban over our allies ands over Americans?' he questioned.

Republican Rep. Peter Meijer also heckled Biden's handling of the chaos in Afghanistan late Thursday night, and urged Congress to reclaim its war powers authority to prevent future crises.

After the deadly blasts at Kabul airport Meijer posted on Twitter grieving the loss of 13 U.S. service members in the 'horrific attack' on Kabul airport.

He said his 'heart is absolutely broken' for the families of the fallen troops and their fellow troops.

'On Tuesday I saw Marines bravely managing chaos at Abbey Gate.

'Today, the grave risk they took to save countless lives was made terribly clear,' Meijer wrote on Twitter, referencing a widely criticized trip he and Rep. Seth Moulton took to the airport amid the evacuation effort.

'This was a position they should not have been in, but President Biden's reckless withdrawal gave them no other choice.

'Congress needs to reclaim its authority over war powers to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.'

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed there were two blasts, tweeting on Thursday: 'We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties.

'We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.'

It has also emerged that Biden's administration gave a list of Afghan allies' names to the Taliban in the naive hope they would then help get them out.

Trump called it a 'kill list' that all but guaranteed their deaths.

The U.S. now one of the only nations still evacuating from Kabul amid increasing threats of another ISIS attack.

Western countries have been scrambling for the last two weeks to get their people out of Afghanistan before the deadline, and their missions were hurried even more when Biden refused to extend it this week.

A US Air Force aircraft takes off from the military airport in Kabul on Friday, as the Pentagon said the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan still faces more possible attacks

In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies people are loading on an aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday

This is the aftermath of Thursday's attack outside Kabul airport. 170 people were killed in the bomb attack and more are imminent, American generals warned

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport

Hospitals in Afghanistan are now packed with people who were injured in the blast on Thursday

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

Discarded suitcases and debris outside the gate of the airport where one of the suicide bombs went off on Thursday, killing 170 people

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 suicide bomb

Relatives transport the coffin of one of the victims of the attack away from the airport on Friday morning

Thursday's suicide attacks - which claimed the lives of 13 US troops and dozens of Afghans - were the final nail in the coffin for many.

RACE TO EVACUATE FROM KABUL ONGOING EVACUATIONS US Russia Turkey FINISHING FRIDAY Britain France Denmark Spain Italy ALREADY FINISHED Canada Poland Holland Norway Germany Australia Belgium Sweden Hungary Advertisement

Britain's evacuation flights will finish on Friday, despite there being dual nationality citizens still stuck along with some allies.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday: 'It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process.

'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving.

'The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the U.K.'

Canada has also halted flights, leaving some citizens behind.

'The government of Canada recognizes that there are a number of people in Afghanistan, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, their families, and applicants under programs for Afghans, a government notice sent out last night, that was obtained by CBC News, said.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada's acting chief of the defense staff, said most of the Canadian personnel who were still in the country have left, but a small contingent stayed behind to support allies on the ground who have no hope of getting out.

Biden - who crumbled under questioning on Thursday night when confronted with the airport attack death toll - refused to push back the deadline to give allied countries more time to get their people out.

'It is in our interest to leave on time, on target,' Biden said on Thursday night.

The U.S. is relying on the Taliban's cooperation to let people through to the airport.

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport's outer perimeter.

The move was described as a gross security lapse, with one defense source telling Politico: 'Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list.'

Trump told Fox News: 'Now we're giving lists of Americans to the Taliban so now you just knock on the door and grab them and take them out.

'What you are watching now is only going to get worse, it can only go one way. We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.

Only U.S. citizens and visa holders are being removed, and in the next few days, the focus will turn to removing troops and equipment.

Afghan refugees arriving at the Rota Air Base in Spain on Friday. The airbase is shared by American and Spanish military forces

President Joe Biden crumbled on Thursday night as he took questions from reporters about the suicide bomb attacks

British soldiers secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The last British flights will leave today

On Thursday, General Kenneth McKenzie, the commanding general on the ground, said he expected more bomb attacks at the airport, but that the mission would continue despite the threat.

Biden has been widely condemned for creating the crowds at the airport that ISIS attacked by failing to get everyone out of the region before withdrawing his troops abruptly earlier this year.

It took just 11 days for the Taliban to sweep through the country that the U.S. maintained relative stability in for 20 years.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the U.S. and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

People are still pouring into the canal which surrounds the perimeter of the airport, standing in waters which were in Thursday filled with the blood of scores of people after a bomb tore through the crowd.

Footage from the ground revealed a scene of utter despair, with shouts and cries among the Afghans, some seen clambering up walls out of the canal and others wading through with luggage atop their heads.

In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

US special forces vets launch mission to get Afghan allies out amid Biden's chaotic withdrawal

As the U.S. fumbles to get the remaining citizens out, a group of American war veterans in Kabul are secretly saving hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families who helped them in the war but have now been left for dead as the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan.

The group of special op soldiers includes retired Green Berets and SEAL Team commanders who launched the mission, which they are calling Pineapple Express, after one of the Afghan commandos they served with contacted them to say he was on the run from the Taliban. His visa had not been approved when the Taliban took over on August 14 and thousands ran for the airport.

The special ops soldiers first devised a system with U.S. troops at the airport where they sent their comrades to a gate and told them to identify themselves with the password 'pineapple' to be put on a plane by the Marines on the ground. Some also showed the troops pictures of pineapples on their phones.

After successfully getting hundreds through that way, the special ops teams started going into Kabul, behind enemy lines, to rescue more of their comrades and their families in the cover of darkness.

A group of volunteer Afghanistan veterans smuggled into Kabul this week to save hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families by getting them to the airport to be put on flights out of the city. The men made their own way into Kabul after watching the bungled evacuation from afar. The ad-hoc group have been able to get more than 600 vulnerable Afghans to the airport to be put on flights

It's unclear how long they have been in Afghanistan and how they got there but some of those involved spoke to ABC News about the mission on Friday, explaining they simply could not leave their comrades behind.

'I just want to get my people out,' said one of the retired troops involved while another said the Afghan allies they were saving had a prouder sense of democracy than some Americans.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family. Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.' Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea, part of Pineapple Express mission

Their astonishingly courageous efforts have saved hundreds while Biden and his team have bungled the evacuation mission by haphazardly telling some U.S. citizens and allies to go to the airport while rejecting visas for others, and leaving some Americans to fend for themselves.

They are one of several ad-hoc volunteer groups on the ground that are frantically trying to save people before time runs out.

Some of the Afghans being helped by Pineapple Express were injured in Thursday's suicide bomb attack but it's unclear if any were killed. The U.S. has just four days to get as many as 1,000 Americans out - plus another 5,000 Afghans who helped in the war.

General Kenneth McKenzie, who is running the U.S. operation on the ground in Kabul, warned on Thursday that another ISIS attack - specifically a car bomb similar to one used on Thursday - was imminent.

The death toll from the attack at the airport is now 170. Thirteen US troops were killed, the first American lives lost since the evacuation carnage began on August 14.

All evacuation flights must stop by Tuesday night and the US must start putting troops and equipment on the planes soon.

It leaves a tiny window of opportunity for thousands of people who want to flee to get out, diminishing the hope of many Afghans who have not been given special interest visas and must now make a run for the border in Pakistan or stay and live under Taliban rule.

One of the veterans who took part in the Pineapple Express mission was a retired Green Beret known as 'Lawrence of Afghanistan'.

'I have been involved in some of the most incredible missions and operations that a special forces guy could be a part of, and I have never been a part of anything more incredible than this.

Afghan refugees are pictured on one of the flights out of Kabul after being escorted to the airport by a group of volunteer special ops veterans

'The bravery and courage and commitment of my brothers and sisters in the Pineapple community was greater than the U.S. commitment on the battlefield. I just want to get my people out,' he told ABC News

Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea accompanied a U.S. citizen, who served as an operative, and his Afghan father and his father on foot.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family.

'Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.'

Before Thursday's attack, another 130 were smuggled to the airport to be put on flights.

'Dozens of high-risk individuals, families with small children, orphans, and pregnant women, were secretly moved through the streets of Kabul throughout the night and up to just seconds before ISIS detonated a bomb into the huddled mass of Afghans seeking safety and freedom,' Army Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret commander, told ABC.

Desperate enough to risk their lives: Afghans trying to flee Kabul return to fetid canal where suicide bomber blew himself just the day before, in almost hopeless attempt to get on one of the last planes out

Desperate Afghans trying to flee Kabul have returned to the fetid canal outside the airport where a suicide bomber blew himself up as the final hours of evacuation tick down.

Flights resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a double suicide bombing killed at least 103 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today that the 'gates were closed' and that the UK's final evacuation flights would end within hours.

He said soldiers would try to 'find a few people in the crowds' but admitted that not everyone will be flown out to safety.

Wallace estimated around 1,100 Afghans eligible for evacuation would be left behind by the UK, while up to 150 Britons would not be flown home.

Washington said on Thursday that more than 100,000 people had been safely evacuated from Kabul, but that as many as 1,000 U.S. citizens are still struggling to leave.

TODAY and YESTERDAY: Crowds pack into the open sewer which runs around the airport perimeter (left) just hours after it was the scene of carnage when a suicide bomber blew himself up

Afghans desperate to flee the country returned to the fetid canal which runs the perimeter of Kabul airport

Biden promised to 'rescue the Americans, we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on.'

But as the crowd becomes more frantic as the deadline looms, so too does the risk of a further terror attack.

Wallace said: 'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving. The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

Taliban fighters stand guard as they block the road to Kabul airport on Friday, a day after the deadly blasts

In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

Crowds of people gathered at Kabul's Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after the bombings outside the airport.

A boy sobbed in the back of a car, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city's hospitals.

Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.

Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the 'troubles' of his home country.

'He wanted to fly abroad,' Majeed told AFP.

'Unfortunately, he's missing after the back-to-back blasts.'

Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.

'I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them,' he said.

'Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him.'

Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but 'such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that's because of the troubles here.'

Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.

One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.

The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.

In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the 'situation is still quite critical'.

'Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long - the last surgery was at 4am.'

'We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care.'

The bombings on Thursday marked the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
A staff attorney for Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey was arrested on Wednesday on a child solicitation charge.

Chase Tristian Espy, 36, of Vestavia Hills was booked into the Jefferson County Jail just before 9:30 pm on August 25 on a felony charge of child solicitation by computer. He posted a $30,000 bond and was released just before 2 am on Thursday.

The Birmingham attorney served as deputy general counsel for Gov. Ivey's administration. Ivey's office confirmed on Thursday morning that he had been fired.

Chase Tristian Espy, 36, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail just before 9:30 pm on Wednesday, August 25 on a felony charge for child solicitation by computer

Espy had been working for the governor's office since about May, according to personnel records.

He also practiced with Birmingham law firm Balch & Bingham. Julie Wall Khoury, a spokeswoman for Balch & Bingham, said in a statement following his arrest that Espy 'was terminated by Balch & Bingham nearly one year ago.'

His LinkedIn page has been taken down.

According to jail records, Homewood police arrested Espy on the charge for an incident that allegedly took place on March 25 at midnight.

Homewood police Sgt. John Carr confirmed to The Birmingham News that Espy was arrested by the department's Special Investigations Unit.

No additional information was released, but Carr said the operation is part of an ongoing effort by the Homewood Police Department to combat crimes involving the exploitation of children.

Gov. Ivey's office confirmed that he was terminated the day after his arrest and worked in the office 'for only a few months'

The department would not release Espy's arrest record for the sex crime. He does not appear to have any other criminal filings.

Ivery's office released a statement: 'The allegations against Mr. Espy are serious, tragic and shocking. While he was employed by our office for only a few months, Mr. Espy has been terminated.'

'As this is an ongoing investigation, no further information is available at this time.'
Two vicious dog attacks occurred in Houston on Thursday, with a 12-year-old boy suffering serious injuries to his face after being attacked by a husky while getting off a school bus.

The attack took place just hours after a man was critically injured by two pit bulls only a few miles away elsewhere in the city, in what has become one of the highest ranked areas for dog bites and fatal dog attacks nationwide.

The first incident, which was captured on 'horrific' surveillance video according to authorities, took place at 6:30 am in the 4300 block of Queens Retreat Drive, where a 67-year-old man was taking an early morning walk.

Deputies with Harris County Precinct 4 told KPRC 2 that a pair of pit bulls crossed the street and confronted the man, who attempted to back away from the dogs as they pounced and attacked him.

The man was flown via Life Flight to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Elmer Lavigne, a retired sheriff's deputy, told the outlet that the attack occurred in his front yard. Lavigne said he shot one of the dogs while attempting to help the man, while another deputy shot the other pit bull after it bit an animal control officer twice.

KPRC 2 reports that both dogs are reportedly still alive, with deputies taking their owner into custody for questioning. Charges are pending against him, according to the outlet.

Two vicious dog attacks occurred in Houston on Thursday, with a 12-year-old boy suffering serious injuries after being attacked by a husky and a man critically injured by two pitbulls

Surveillance video captured one of Thursday's vicious dog attacks, where a 67-year-old man sustained critical injuries by two pit bulls

Deputies told KPRC 2 that a pair of pit bulls crossed the street and confronted the man, who attempted to back away from the dogs as they pounced and attacked him

The first incident took place at 6:30 am in the 4300 block of Queens Retreat Drive, where the man was taking an early morning walk

'When I came out, the dogs turned around and went to attack us. I shot him through the shoulder and it didnt even stop him,' Lavigne said.

Video footage of the vicious attack shows neighbor Darrel Berryman, who lives across the street from the victims home, running across the lawn in an effort to scare the dogs off.

'I heard somebody saying, "Help, help, help." Thats when I said, "Something aint right,"' said Berryman.

'I ran over here and saw two pit bulls. The man couldnt move,' Berryman said. 'They had him by his face... I told my granddaughter to call 911.'

The man was not identified by authorities.

The victim sustained serious injuries to his upper body, lower body, face and neck. Meanwhile, paramedics were forced to give him two units of blood on the scene due to extreme blood loss.

The 12-year-old boy (pictured) suffered gruesome facial injuries after a husky attacked him as he got off his school bus Thursday afternoon

Pictured: America's most dangerous dog breeds involved in fatal attacks between 2005 and 2017, with pit bull's taking the top spot, being responsible for 284 deaths

Hours later and just 10 miles away, a 12-year-old boy was brutally attacked by a husky as he got off the school bus on Tree House Lane on Thursday afternoon.

The dog tore at the boy's face, arm and leg before he climbed on top of a car to escape the attack.

Candice Green, the boy's aunt, told KPRC 2 that the dog literally bit half of his facial skin off.

'Hes my nephew and I pray he gets better, cause his whole face is gone on the side,' Green said.

'He shouldnt have to be scared to get off the bus and jump on top of a car. He should be able to walk home with no hesitation, no problems or anything,' Green said.

Texas, and Houston in particular, is one of the country's worst areas for dog bites and deadly canine attacks.

'Hes my nephew and I pray he gets better, cause his whole face is gone on the side,' Candice Green (pictured) told KPRC 2

The boy was brutally attacked by a husky as he got off the school bus on Tree House Lane (pictured) on Thursday afternoon

Houston remains the worst US city for dog attacks on postal workers, with 85 attacks reported in 2019. Los Angeles came in second with 74 attacks, and Chicago in third with 54

Between 2005 and 2017, there were a total of 433 deaths caused by dogs in the US, with 62 of them occurring in Texas.

On average from 2013 to 2016, 1671 dog bites occurred each year in unincorporated Harris County, where Houston is located per area attorney Brian White, who specializes in dog bite lawsuits.

And Houston remains the worst US city for dog attacks on postal workers, with 85 attacks reported in 2019. Los Angeles came in second with 74 attacks, and Chicago in third with 54, according to the US Postal Service.

Meanwhile, pit bulls continue to top the list of America's most dangerous dog breeds, having been responsible for 284 fatal attacks on humans from 2005 to 2017. The second breed on the list, Rottweilers, came in a distant second with 45.

Huskies, the breed responsible for Thursday's attack on the 12-year-old boy, were involved with 13 fatal dog attacks on humans in that same time frame, according to Statista.
A manhunt is underway for a mother and father suspected of abducting their two-year-old daughter and taking her to Spain as detectives say they are growing 'increasingly concerned' for the child's welfare.

Kelly Gibson, 35, and Lee Rogers, 39, are believed to have boarded a flight from Glasgow to Alicante with their daughter, Gracie-May Rogers, on Tuesday.

In a CCTV image shared by Lancashire Police, the child, from Lancaster, is seen being pushed in her pram by her now-wanted parents, who are donning protective face masks.

Investigators believe the trio arrived at Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, at 9.35pm on August 24 - although there has been no reported sighting of the family.

Officers are treating it as a missing child case and are desperately hunting Gibson and Rogers on suspicion of abducting the young girl.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'We are treating Gracie-May as a missing child and both Kelly Gibson, 35, and Lee Rogers, 39, are now wanted on suspicion of child abduction.

Kelly Gibson, 35, and Lee Rogers, 39, are believed to have boarded a flight from Glasgow to Alicante with their daughter, Gracie-May Rogers, on Tuesday (Pictured together at Glasgow Airport)

Investigators believe the trio arrived at Alicante, on the Costa Blanca, at 9.35pm on August 24 - although there has been no reported sighting of the family

Gracie-May (pictured) from Lancaster, was last seen with her mother at around 10am Tuesday

'We are working closely with our law enforcement and child protection partners in Spain in a bid to bring Gracie-May home safely.

'We are appealing to anyone who sees the family or who has information on where they may be to get in touch as a matter of urgency.'

Detective Inspector Andy Ellis said: 'We are growing increasingly concerned, especially for the welfare of Gracie-May and Kelly Gibson, and we would appeal to anyone who sees the three of them together or separately to get in touch urgently.

'The last information we have is that the family landed in Alicante on Tuesday evening but as there have been no confirmed sightings since then it is possible that they have moved on.

'We appreciate that this incident may cause concern for some people but we are working closely with our partners in the Spanish Police and our overriding priority is the safe return of this young child.'

Anyone with information is urged to call Lancashire Police on 101 quoting log 0621 of August 25.
A baby girl who was kidnapped from a Mexican hospital just hours after she was born by a woman dressed as a nurse has been found abandoned in a street four miles away.

The newborn, who has not even been named yet, was taken from Occidente General Hospital in Zapopan in the western Mexico state of Jalisco.

Police said that the mother was approached in the gynecology ward hours after the birth by a woman dressed in a blue hospital scrub set, who informed her that she had to take the newborn over to the hospital nursery.

But when the mother later asked to see her baby, the hospital staff informed her that they did not have any records showing the child had been taken to the nursery area.

Security camera footage showed the fake nurse - who has not been identified - carrying a large green bag and leaving the hospital.

Local authorities scrambled to search for the baby.

The girl was found Thursday morning four miles away on a street in the Zapopan neighborhood Arcos de Zapopan after residents came across the abandoned green bag and looked inside.

The child was rushed to back to Occidente General Hospital, where she was reunited with her parents and placed under observation.

A surveillance camera at Occidente General Hospital in Zapopan, Mexico, shows a woman dressed as a nurse moments before she snatched a baby girl from a nursery

A paramedic in Zapopan, Mexico, holds a newborn baby who was found abandoned on a street Thursday morning, just a day after she had been kidnapped from Occidente General Hospital

Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro tweeted that the baby was in 'perfect condition.'

'The baby that was stolen yesterday from Occidente General Hospital is back in her mother's arms today, and it is a reason for joy and gratitude to each officer and person who made it possible,' he wrote.

The suspect had stuffed the girl into the bag when she escaped from the hospital shortly after 5pm local time on Wednesday.

Authorities did not say how much time the child spent in Arcos de Zapopan after she was dropped off.

Still image of a security camera in Zapopan, Mexico, shows the kidnapper carrying a green bag with a newborn girl stuffed inside moments after she had taken the child from Occidente General Hospital on Wednesday

A baby (pictured) in Mexico was abducted Wednesday from a hospital in Zapopan, Jalisco, by a woman who was posing as a nurse. The child was located safely on Thursday morning

A father stands next to an incubator where his newborn daughter rested a day after she was kidnapped from Occidente General Hospital in Mexico

Jalisco Attorney General Genaro Solis revealed Thursday that the same woman had been stopped from abducting a baby from Occidente Medical Center in Zapopan several days earlier.

The kidnapper remained on-the-run as of Friday morning.
Former Capitol Police Chief Terrence Gainer said that President Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters share some of the blame in Ashli Babbitt's killing, after the Capitol police officer who shot her unveiled himself this week.

Gainer insisted that Lt. Michael Byrd, who discussed the incident with Lester Holt in an interview that aired on NBC Nightly News on Thursday, had been 'doing his duty.'

'Lt. Byrd was doing his duty, and I think the others that were outside with her in that doorway, yelling and screaming and breaking in there, they owe some responsibility for this too,' Gainer said on CNN's 'New Day' on Friday.

'I feel bad that she got herself in that position,' Gainer said of Babbitt. 'He didn't shoot someone who was a supporter of President Trump. He shot someone who was in the midst of criminal activity. Trying to get in and do harm to members of Congress.'

'Lt. Byrd was doing his duty, and I think the others that were outside with her in that doorway, yelling and screaming and breaking in there, they owe some responsibility for this too,' former Capitol Police Chief Terrence Gainer said on CNN

Ashli Babbitt, above, was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to breach a door near the House chamber on Jan. 6

Gainer said that Babbitt was shot not because she was a supporter of President Trump but becuase she was 'in the midst of criminal activity'

'That hurts, and I know that would trouble her parents, it would trouble me, but he did his job. He did what was expected.'

Gainer said he knows the halls of the Capitol, specifically the door Babbitt was trying to force her way through, 'very, very well.' He said that Babbitt was 'just a few feet' from entering the House chamber where lawmakers were hiding.

'The people doing this weren't people on a stroll in the Capitol,' Gainer said. 'For whatever reason they came in there, at that moment, at that door, on that floor, they were insurrectionists. They were involved in criminal activity. There's no doubt about that.

Gainer said that Capitol Police 'never cared' how someone got elected, or what political persuasion they were.

'The men and women of the United States Capitol Police protect them all equally, and I think Lt. Byrd demonstrated that, and the more people keep trying to turn this into some type of conspiracy theory, some execution, including the ex-president, including sitting members of Congress, are doing an injustice to us all.'

The Metropolitan Police Department for months refused to name Byrd for his own safety.

The Metropolitan Police Department for months refused to name Lt. Michael Byrd as Babbitt's killer for his own safety

Protestors inside the room after Ashli Babbitt is shot by Capitol Police inside the US Capitol, Washington DC. January 06 2021

Ashli Babbit lies wounded after being shot by police inside the US Capitol, Washington DC. January 06 2021

But explaining his decision to finally come forward, Byrd - a 28-year veteran of the force - said: 'I showed the utmost courage on January 6, and its time for me to do that now.'

Referring to the 60 to 80 members of Congress trapped by the riot, he added : 'I know that day I saved countless lives.

'I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And thats my job,' Lt. Byrd said.

'I'm hearing about the breaches of different barricaded areas, officers being overrun, officers being down.'

Babbitt's family's lawyer said in previous interviews that Babbitt didn't brandish a weapon, wasn't in close proximity to any members of Congress and 'not an imminent threat of death or serious injury to anyone.'

Byrd said he had no idea if the person he shot was carrying a weapon. It was only later that night that he found out the rioter was a woman who was unarmed.

'I was taking a tactical stance. You're ultimately hoping that your commands will be complied with, and ultimately they were not,' Byrd said.

Babbitt's family's lawyer has argued he never gave commands. He told Holt during the interview he yelled multiple times, 'Stop. Get back.'

Then he fired a single fatal gunshot, striking Babbitt in the left shoulder, 'as a last resort.'

'You're taught to aim for center mass the subject was sideways, and I could not see the full motion of her hands or anything so I guess her movement caused the discharge to fall where it did,' Byrd said.

'I tried to wait as long as I could. I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors.

'But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.'

He was also asked about his thoughts on Donald Trump calling Ashli Babbit's death a 'murder.'

Byrd said: 'It's disheartening, if he was in the room or anywhere and I was responsible for him, I was prepared to do the same for him.'
A Florida judge has blocked Governor Ron DeSantis' executive order banning mask mandates in schools, ruling that the governor overstepped his authority.

Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that DeSantis' order is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.

Cooper said DeSantis' order 'is without legal authority.'

His decision came after a three-day virtual hearing, and after at least 10 Florida school boards voted to defy DeSantis and impose mask requirements with no parental opt-out.

Cooper's decision will lift the ban on mask mandates imposed in 10 of the state's 67 countywide school districts, including most of the largest.

The districts represent more than half of the state's 2.8 million public school students enrolled this year.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured last week) overstepped his authority by banning mask mandates in schools, a judge has ruled

Masked children this month at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando

School children wearing face masks arrive on the first day of classes at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando

Cooper said that face mask mandates that follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are 'reasonable and consistent with the best scientific and medical opinion in this country' and that DeSantis violated the law when it banned school districts from requiring masks.

Cooper said that while the governor and others have argued that a new Florida law gives parents the ultimate authority to oversee health issues for their children, it also exempts government actions that are needed to protect public health and are reasonable and limited in scope.

He said a school district's decision to require student masking to prevent the spread of the virus falls within that exemption.

The judge also noted that two Florida Supreme Court decisions from 1914 and 1939 found that individual rights are limited by their impact on the rights of others. For example, he said, adults have the right to drink alcohol but not to drive drunk. There is a right to free speech, but not to harass or threaten others or yell 'fire' in a crowded theater, he said.

'We don't have that right because exercising the right in that way is harmful or potentially harmful to other people,' Cooper said. He added that the law 'is full of examples of rights that are limited (when) the good of others ... would be adversely affected by those rights.'

DeSantis has dismissed the masking recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as not applicable to Florida, but Cooper cited numerous Florida laws and statutes covering health care in nursing homes, prisons and elsewhere that say state decision-makers should give great weight to CDC guidelines.

DeSantis, a Republican who is eyeing a possible presidential run in 2024, had threatened to impose financial penalties on school boards that vote for strict mask mandates. Democratic President Joe Biden has said if that happens, federal money will be used to cover any costs.

DeSantis' office slammed the 'incoherent' decision in a statement and said they planned to appeal the ruling immediately.

'Its not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parents rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians,' the statement said. 'This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts  frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented.'

'We will continue to defend the law and parents rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case,' the statement added.

Orange County, home to the city of Orlando and Disney World, on Tuesday became the latest large district to impose a mask mandate after positive tests for COVID-19 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.

In Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, the Broward County School Board told the Department of Education that it wont back down on its requirement that students wear masks. Its policy, like that of most other districts, gives parents a medical opt-out for students. The board said giving parents the unlimited right to send their kids to school without a mask would infringe on the rights of other parents who want their children to be safe.

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.

'We believe that the district is in compliance. We don't believe that we have done anything inappropriate as it relates to the executive order and the rule of the Department of Education,' Rosalind Osgood, chairwoman of the Broward School Board, said Tuesday.

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.

About 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers should be required to wear face masks while in school, according to a poll conducted this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Advertisement

The hunt is on for the men who orchestrated the terror attack on Kabul airport that killed at least 170 people including 13 US troops, after Joe Biden warned 'we will hunt you down and make you pay'.

Early suspicion is likely to fall on Khalil Haqqani, the self-appointed head of security at Kabul airport who has links to ISIS-K - the splinter group which has claimed responsibility for the deadly blast.

Along with his nephews Sirajuddin and Anas, Khalil helps to run the Haqqani network which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and responsible for some of the deadliest and highest-profile attacks within Afghanistan over the course of America's 20-year war.

Though it is part of the Taliban, observers believe the Haqqani network - based in Afghanistan's east, with rumoured bases across the border in Pakistan - enjoys a great deal of autonomy due to its fearsome reputation.

That means, unlike the rest of the Taliban which is ideologically opposed to ISIS, the Haqqanis are thought to have cooperated with the ISIS-K splinter group to carry out attacks between 2019 and this year.

For that reason, Khalil - who was pictured in Kabul just a few days ago despite having a $5million American bounty on his head - is likely to face scrutiny over how the bomber who attacked Kabul airport was able to get through Taliban checkpoints and reach a gate being manned by US troops before detonating his device.

Khalil Haqqani, the self-appointed head of security at Kabul airport, has links through the Haqqani network which he helps lead to ISIS-K - the splinter group that has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on the airstrip

Haqqani, a wanted terrorist with a $5million bounty on his head, was pictured in Kabul just last week giving a speech at a mosque in which he promised to bring security to Afghanistan (above)

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the terrorist attack which killed over 100 people outside Kabul airport

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb which killed at least 170 people. Blood can be seen splattered across the clothes and walls

British troops were seen securing the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate in Kabul on Thursday following the bombing

The British soldiers are seen securing the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel on Thursday night near a road which leads to the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport

As the BBC's chief defence correspondent Frank Gardner put it: 'The challenge for [ISIS] was to get past checkpoints which they obviously managed to do, and that will inevitably prompt some questions as to whether somebody in the Taliban administration nodded them past.

'There is no evidence of that so far but that is an avenue that the US will want to pursue...

'There are [sympathies within the Taliban for ISIS-K] and I think the common link here is probably the Haqqani network... You have got links, tenuous links but links, between the Haqqani network and some ISIS members.'

Khalil is the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network which formed in the late 1970s to fight against the Soviet occupation and which - for a time - was trained by the CIA.

The group continued to be a major force within Afghanistan after the Soviets departed, and formed part of the Taliban administration that ruled during the 1990s before the US invaded.

Khalil is the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the terrorist network and the Taliban's deputy leader

In the wake of the invasion, the Haqqanis are thought to have aided Bin Laden's escape from Tora Bora before turning their attention to attacking US troops.

Khalil is known to be well-connected to both jihadist groups and legitimate governments. As well as working with the CIA in the 1980s, he is thought to have links to Pakistani intelligence as well as to al Qaeda and ISIS.

As a leader of the Haqqani network, he has been connected to some of the worst atrocities carried out during the US war in Afghanistan - including the September 2011 attacks on the US Embassy, International Security Assistance Force headquarters, the Afghan Presidential Palace, and the Afghan National Directorate of Security.

The group is also thought to have put together one of the largest IEDs ever discovered - a 61,000lbs bomb found near a US base on the Pakistani border in 2013 that, thankfully, failed to detonate.

Khalil is currently a senior leader within the organisation, though he is not its supreme leader. That title belongs to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the eldest son of founder Jalaluddin who is now also the Taliban's deputy leader.

In recent years, the Haqqani network has been linked to attacks carried out by ISIS-K which included a gun and bomb attack on a maternity ward in Kabul in which heavily pregnant women and newborns were killed.

According to Dr Sajjan Gohel, of the Asia Pacific Foundation, 'several major attacks between 2019 and 2021 involved collaboration between IS-K, the Taliban's Haqqani network and other terror groups based in Pakistan.'

Khalil was seen in Kabul just last week, giving a speech to crowds at the city's largest mosque in which he vowed that 'Afghan security' was his top priority.

'If there is no security, there is no life. We will give security, then we will give economy, trade, education for men and women. There will be no discrimination', he told the crowd which applauded his words.

Khalil was designated a terrorist leader by the US in 2010 and a $5million bounty was placed on his head, which remains in place to this day.

Injured victims of the airport bomb blast, receive treatment at a hospital in Kabul on Friday as they are comforted by relatives

Horrifying footage from Kabul airport shows dozens of Afghans lying in blood after a ISIS suicide bomber attacked crowds who were hoping to flee the Taliban

A Taliban fighter stands guard on Friday at the site of a powerful explosion, which killed scores of people

With high-profile posts in the new administration and a deputy leadership role within the Taliban, the Haqqani family now look set to become a prominent role in post-America Afghanistan.

Questions swirled about Khalil's involvement in the Kabul airport bombing as it was revealed that two Britons and the child of another British national were killed in the attack - alongside 13 US Marines.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab mourned the 'innocent people' and called it a 'tragedy' that they were 'murdered by cowardly terrorists' as they tried to bring their loved ones to the UK.

'I was deeply saddened to learn that two British nationals and the child of another British national were killed by yesterday's terror attack, with two more injured,' he said in a statement.

'Yesterday's despicable attack underlines the dangers facing those in Afghanistan and reinforces why we are doing all we can to get people out. We are offering consular support to their families.

'We will not turn our backs on those who look to us in their hour of need, and we will never be cowed by terrorists,' he added.

The announcement of the three deaths came as Pentagon officials said that there was only one suicide bomber involved in the attack, and not two as had been previously claimed, further adding to the fears and confusion over the ongoing evacuation operation on the ground.

Speaking at a briefing on Friday, U.S. Army General Hank Taylor said: 'I can confirm that we do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel. It was one suicide bomber. In the confusion of very dynamic events can cause information to get confused.' He added: 'We're not sure how that report was provided incorrectly', adding that it was 'important to correct the record.'

Thousands of desperate Afghans are arriving at the airport despite the constant threat of another terrorist attack after the bombing which killed at least 170 people, including 13 American service personnel.

But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace admitted earlier that up to 1,100 eligible Afghans and another 150 Britons will be left behind. Mr Wallace said that the last UK flights would leave within hours.

Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the Foreign Affairs committee, said this filled him with 'anger and shame' and warned 'we may find ourselves with the biggest hostage crisis the UK has ever seen.'

The former Lieutenant Colonel said the UK now has 'no influence' over the Taliban except by asking them to help people 'they are quite happy to kill.'

A relative mourns next to the body of a loved one who died in the airport bomb blast at a hospital in Kabul on Friday

The daylight reveals the bloodied clothes and belongings of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated area before the bomb was detonated

Meanwhile, a growing number of MPs from across the political spectrum have accused the Government of 'failing' in its mission to keep Afghan staff safe by not completing the evacuations.

Mr Tugendhat added: 'Defeat means you don't get a say... we have just been defeated, we have no influence over Kabul anymore.'

'We have no influence over the behavior of the Taliban except by asking them nicely and luring them with aid to help people who they are quite happy to kill,' he said, adding that this is 'our moment to stand with' the people left in Kabul.

Mr Tugendhat's grave warning comes after Mr Wallace said British forces will try to 'find a few people in the crowds' that they are able to evacuate but admitted that not everyone will be flown out to safety.

The effort will now focus on evacuating UK nationals and others who have already been cleared to leave and are already at the airport.

Mr Wallace said: 'We will process the people that we've brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately in the airfield now and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours.'

'It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process,' he added.
Over 40% of Jewish students say they or someone they know has been physically threatened for being Jewish, according to a new survey.

Respondents gave accounts of being spat on, told to pick up pennies, being 'beaten up' by frats because they were Jewish, a Swastika carved into a Jewish student's dorm room door, and a student body president telling a Jewish student 'all Jewish men look alike and are ugly'.

DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a copy of the shocking results from the poll of 506 students and alumni of US universities conducted by anti-bigotry organization Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF).

A staggering 95% percent of Jewish college students and recent graduates who answered the survey felt that anti-Semitism is a problem on their campuses.

Nearly 80% of Jewish students and recent graduates said they were the target of offensive or threatening anti-Semitic comments or knew someone who had been targeted.

44% of students and recent grads said either someone they know or they themselves had been physically threatened because they were Jewish.

A new survey reveals over 40% of Jewish college students say they or someone they know has been physically threatened for being Jewish

The survey was conducted by anti-bigotry organization Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF)

The survey was conducted online between March 25 and June 14 this year. It had 509 American respondents who were aged 18-29 and self-identify as Jewish current students or recent graduates of a four-year undergraduate degree program in the US.

Avi Gordon, executive director of the ACF, told DailyMail.com he was saddened but not surprised by the results of their survey

The report also includes anonymous written descriptions from 137 respondents of their personal experiences with campus anti-Semitism.

One 26-year-old man from a southeastern university wrote: 'I've had pennies thrown at me by people saying 'you gonna pick that up Jew?'

A current female student, 20, at a midwestern university said: 'I was having a conversation with a guy in my dorm and when I mentioned I was Jewish he made a joke about gassing me and when I explained that it was hurtful and not funny he spit on me.'

A midwestern graduate, 28, said 'I was an RA [resident advisor] for residence life. Someone carved a swastika into my door The person responsible was never caught.'

Another recent southeastern US graduate said his fraternity brothers were 'jumped' for being Jewish.

'3 of my fraternity brothers were walking home from the bars one night and right outside their house they got jumped and beaten up by members of another fraternity for the sole reason of them being Jews,' the 23-year-old wrote in the survey.

Another 19-year-old student studying at a private northeastern institution said: 'I was called a k**e b***h and threatened physically.'

According to the survey, 69% of students and grads say they have avoided certain places, events, or situations at school because they are Jewish, and 62% of students who said they were the target of an anti-Semitic incident did not report it.

Avi Gordon, executive director of the ACF, told DailyMail.com he was saddened but not surprised by the results of their survey.

The students in the survey reported accounts of being spat on, told to pick up pennies and being 'beaten up' by frats

DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a copy of the shocking results from the poll of 506 students and alumni of US universities

'We've had anecdotal evidence of what's been going on, but no hard data to show the reality on the ground for undergraduates and recent alumni,' he said.

'We wanted to be able to quantify that and understand what current students are really thinking about the campus climate.

'The survey results are shocking but it's confirmation of these anecdotal experiences that we've heard from students on a regular basis.

'It's upsetting, it's unacceptable, and it shows how important our work is trying to stem the tide and have university administrations understand this is an issue that needs to be taken seriously and needs to be addressed directly.'

Despite the large proportion of students experiencing anti semitism on campus, 80% said they always or usually feel safe identifying as a Jew on campus, while 20% said they rarely or never do.

Some alumni wanted to distinguish between anti Semitism and legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and its foreign policy including its conflict with Palestine.

'A lot of reasonable people I socialized with and learned from (students and faculty alike) do not support Israel's occupation of Palestine,' a male midwest graduate, 26, wrote.

'Anti-Semitism is a major issue globally but I do not feel that it is more pronounced on college campuses than otherwise.

'I think lack of support for Israel is often conflated with anti-Semitism and that is a shame.'

Other respondents said faculty also were responsible for anti semitism on campus, and acted with impunity.

In 2018, Columbia University professor Elizabeth Midlarksy's New York City office was vandalized with swastikas. Midlarksy, who is Jewish, is also a prominent Holocaust researcher

'Professor was incredibly anti-Semitic (Jews did 9/11; Jews own the media etc),' one 25-year-old female grad of a northeastern college wrote.

'Friend and I filed a 30 page report (and met with) multiple deans on his anti-Semitism. We received a 1.5 page letter stating that we misconstrued his comments and he did nothing wrong. Then they offered him tenure.'

'I often have to hide being Jewish to fit in and so my professors can like me,' a current 22-year-old female student at a Mid West school wrote.

'Having students' voices heard is so important,' Gordon told DailyMail.com. 'I think many feel marginalized on campus right now.

'Anti-Semitism is something that gets ignored or falls by the wayside in many administrations. They point to their robust study abroad program with a partner university in Israel or what have you, which is great, but it doesn't mean there's not a problem on campus.

'Administrations need to take this threat seriously. This is not just a minor issue or transient. Administrations need to come out in full support of Jewish students on campuses.'

A copy of ACF's report on their survey can be found at https://www.campusfairness.org/survey/.
Chilling new video shows the moment a Miami Beach murder suspect aimed a gun and opened fire on a random passerby on Tuesday, just moments before police say he shot and killed a tourist from Colorado having dinner with his wife and baby son.

Harrowing new details have emerged in connection with the deadly shooting that claimed the life of a young father in Miami Beach on Tuesday, including how the suspected killer pointed a gun at the victim's one-year-old son and said, 'It's time to die.'

Tamarius Davis, 22, a UPS driver from Georgia, was arrested on a count of murder for allegedly gunning down Dustin Wakefield, 21, as the victim shielded his son with his own body after the armed suspect threatened to kill the child, a family member revealed.

Just moments before the killing unfolded at the La Cerveceria restaurant on Ocean Drive at 6.30pm, a man believed to be Davis was caught on video walking outside the nearby Winter Haven Hotel.

Scroll down for video

Video shows Miami Beach murder suspect Tamarius Davis, left, aiming a gun and shooting at a man walking outside a hotel on Tuesday

The first shooting took place outside the Winter Haven Hotel, which is located just 150 feet away from the scene of the second shooting

This image provided by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows Davis (left), who police say 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

In the brief recording, first obtained by the Miami Herald, Davis, dressed in a multicolored shirt and khaki shorts, looks down at a black handgun in his hands mid-stride, then pauses, aims the gun at a man with long hair walking in front of him on the sidewalk and pulls the trigger.

The man looks behind his shoulder as he makes his escape unharmed.

Davis looks down and casually walks away, headed towards the nearby Mexican restaurant where Wakefield and his family were dining outdoors.

Four minutes later, police arrived to find the married construction worker from Castle Rock, Colorado, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Wakefield's uncle, Michael Wakefield, told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the gunman, whom he slammed as a 'dirt bag,' approached his nephew and other relatives at random.

'The suspect came up to Dustin and said  its time to die,' Michael recounted in a Facebook Messenger exchange. 'The suspect pointed the gun at my nephew['s] son then Dustin replied back to him saying hes just a baby and then Dustin stood in front of hes [sic] son and then he was shot.'

According to the uncle, who was not present during the attack but was told about it by Dustin's mother, his nephew sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including to the head.

As it was previously reported by news outlets citing eyewitness accounts, Davis then allegedly celebrated by dancing over Dustin's body as he lay dying on the ground.

'You cant wrap your head around this type of evil,' the uncle said.

Video showed Davis celebrating the killing by dancing, reportedly on top of Wakefield's body

Michael added that he was not surprised that Dustin had put himself in harm's way to protect his son, saying that despite his young age, Dustin was an 'old soul with honor and pride' who always put his family first.

'Dustin was a true light in this world,' he added.

After his arrest, Davis, of Norcross, Georgia, told investigators he shot Dustin because he 'was high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered,' according to his arrest report.

Michael Wakefield vehemently rejected Davis' explanation, arguing that being under the influence was no accuse for his actions.

'The moment he took the drugs It was a conscious decision on his part that changed his life and Dustins life forever in his own hands,' the uncle stated. 'We have to be accountable for our decisions that we make in life...'

The victim's family are still grappling with many unanswered questions, including how Davis ended up at the restaurant on Tuesday? Where did he get the gun, and why did he choose to attack Dustin?

When asked what would he like to tell Davis, if given the chance to address him, Michael Wakefield replied: 'I would say to him its too bad you didnt have five minutes to sit down and talk to Dustin you wouldve walked away after that conversation friend for life.

'You took away Dustins life. But Dustins Spirit and light will shine bright for the rest of time.'

The uncle added: 'I hope Dustins face and spirit never leaves your mind and soul.'

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.

The incident took place at La Cerveceria restaurant in Miami Beach on Tuesday

A photo of the Winter Haven hotel, where the gunman first opened on a passerby before allegedly killing Dustin Wakefield moments later

A witness told CBS Miami that after the shooting, Davis celebrated by dancing over or 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.'

Dustin's father and stepmother, Matt and Angela Wakefield, released a statement to Denver7, highlighting their son's 'love and generosity,' and praising his act of heroism that saved his baby's life.

'For us, his family, he was the best son/brother/uncle/cousin/nephew/grandson you could ask for,' the Wakefields stated. 'His heart always put others first, even from a young age. As a man, he was a faithful and loving husband. Karina is the love of his life, and she knows it. His love for her should inspire us.

'As a father he was full of love and pride. His son knows he is loved. As a friend, there is not a person alive who did not feel his kindness, acceptance and love always from him.'

The statement continued: 'We take great pride and comfort in the fact that we were blessed with the man who stepped in front of the bullet to save others. He has always been and he will continue to be our hero.'

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 is pictured during his initial court appearance on Wednesday. Judge Mindy Glazer ordered him held without bond

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 did it, I did it, I did it' 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 as a UPS driver, 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, Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Davis held in the Miami-Dade County Jail without bond, telling him: 'you shot and killed somebody in cold blood.'

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support Wakefield's family, including his wife of two years and their son.
Republicans Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Mike Waltz are calling on President Biden to recognize resistance leaders Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan's vice president under Ashraf Ghani, and Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan's last major outpost of anti-Taliban resistance, as the 'legitimate government representatives of Afghanistan.'

'We ask the Biden administration to recognize that the Afghan Constitution is still intact, and the Afghan Taliban takeover is illegal,' they wrote in a statement.

'After speaking with Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh and representatives of Ahmad Massoud, we are calling on the Biden Administration to recognize these leaders as the legitimate government representatives of Afghanistan,' said Graham, S.C., and Waltz, Fla., an Afghanistan veteran.

'These leaders chose to stay and fight for the freedoms of the Afghan people and oppose extremism,' the lawmakers wrote. 'They have established a safe haven in the Panjshir valley for Americans left behind, our allies and those seeking freedom from Afghan Taliban rule. They will also be on the front lines.'

In the Panjshir valley less than an hour north of Kabul is the last region not under Taliban control after the Islamist groups lightning-fast takeover of Afghanistan. Fighters there held off the Soviets in the 1980s and the Taliban a decade later under Massoud's father, Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Today, the younger Massoud and Afghanistan's former vice president hole up in the valley as they vow their forces are ready to fight, and call for Western aid.

Days after Afghanistan's President Ghani fled the nation, Saleh declared himself 'caretaker' president.

Massoud says his resistance group in the Panjshir Valley has been joined by 'Afghan special forces and other soldiers 'disgusted by the surrender of their commanders,' and a total of several thousand anti-Taliban fighters. About 150,000-200,000 of Afghanistan's 38 million people live there.

Republicans Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Mike Waltz are calling on President Biden to recognize resistance leaders Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan's vice president under Ashraf Ghani, and Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan's last major outpost of anti-Taliban resistance, as the 'legitimate government representatives of Afghanistan

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces stand guard on a hilltop in the Astana area of Bazarak in Panjshir province on August 27

Armored of a militia loyal to Ahmad Massoud, son of the late Ahmad Shah Massoud, line up, in Panjshir province, northeastern Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces personnel prepares to take his position on an armoured humvee at an outpost in Kotal-e Anjuman of Paryan district in Panjshir province on August 23

'I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father's footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban,' Massoud wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post. 'We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my father's time, because we knew this day might come.'

But even as Massoud has said he's ready to fight, he called for the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. 'We do not want a war to break out,' he said earlier this week, according to Reuters.

'We want to make the Taliban realize that the only way forward is through negotiation,' he said.

Rep. Louie Gohmert on Thursday called on the Pentagon to leave its weapons with resistance fighters in the north.

'On the 20th anniversary of 9-11, Biden will have disgracefully prevented our military from protecting Americans abroad, figuratively bowing to the very bloodthirsty organization that instigated 9-11,' Gohmert, R-Texas, said in a statement. 'Exit Afghanistan but leave US weapons with those militia who defeated the Taliban in the north in 2001-2002.'

Meanwhile, Republicans continued their calls for President Biden to resign over his handling of the Afghanistan evacuation.

'Look, I'm extremely frustrated with this president,' GOP Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy said in a press conference Friday.

He said a president needs to have 'the faith, the trust, and the confidence' of Americans - which he said Biden lost on Thursday after a devastating attack on Kabul airport slaughtered at least 170 people and 13 US troops.

A suicide attack by ISIS-K near the Abbey Gate checkpoint of Hamid Karzai International Airport killed and injured hundreds and took the lives of 10 US Marines.

'There will be a day of reckoning, and we have a constitutional right,' the Republican lawmaker threatened.

Republican Rep. Peter Meijer also heckled Biden's handling of the chaos in Afghanistan late Thursday night, and urged Congress to reclaim its war powers authority to prevent future crises.

He said his 'heart is absolutely broken' for the families of the fallen troops and their fellow troops.

'On Tuesday I saw Marines bravely managing chaos at Abbey Gate. Today, the grave risk they took to save countless lives was made terribly clear,' Meijer wrote on Twitter, referencing a widely criticized trip he and Rep. Seth Moulton took to the airport amid the evacuation effort.

'This was a position they should not have been in, but President Bidens reckless withdrawal gave them no other choice.'

'Congress needs to reclaim its authority over war powers to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.'

The Constitutional duty to formally declare war belongs to Congress, but measures passed under the George W. Bush administration expanded the president's authority to conduct military operations abroad.
Friends and family have told of their shock and disbelief over the death of New York City escort Nicole Flanagan, the girl they knew for her '100-watt smile' and how she ended up 'thrown out like trash,' stuffed in a barrel by the roadside.

The 42-year-old's body was found naked in a 55-gallon plastic barrel in a New Jersey suburb on August 13.

Today she was memorialized at a small service in St Mary's Catholic Church in the heart of her hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut - 40miles but a world away from the one in which her life ended.

One of Flanagan's oldest high school friends who asked not to be named told DailyMail.com: 'It's just hard to believe, it's so sad and so shocking. I keep remembering the girl I knew, with the 100-watt smile and I keep asking myself, "What happened"?'

'I was so shocked to learn what she was doing for a living but I don't judge her and no matter what a person does nobody deserves to end up like Nicole did.'

The body of New York City escort Nicole Flanagan, 42, was found naked in a 55-gallon plastic barrel in New Jersey on August 13

Friends and loved ones described Flanagan (pictured left in her Greenwich High School Yearbook photo) as a 'good' and 'loving' person who had a rough home life growing up and ended up making 'a series of bad choices'

The friend continued: 'I think the sad truth is you are who you hang out with. It's the power of influence and she started hanging out with the wrong people after high school.

'It wasn't just one thing with her, it wasn't just one mistake. It was a series of bad choices and mistakes and in the end the majority wins.

'She was a good and loving person. It's just so sad.'

With its luxury stores, tree-lined streets, and white picket fences the gulf between the Connecticut life for which Flanagan seemed destined, and the one in which she ended up, is jarring.

Aqueillo Parker, 29, believed to be a member of New York City's notorious SNOW gang, turned himself in to NYPD on Sunday in connection to Flanagan's death.

He has been charged on numerous counts including the disturbing, disposing and/or destroying of human remains and doing so with a co-defendant.

Parker's arrest warrant obtained by DailyMail.com sheds more light on the events leading up to her death and her body's disposal.

According to the documents, Flanagan met him at an upscale building in Manhattan's Financial District around 1:45am on August 6.

Flanagan's brother spoke during the service and described his sister as 'a good person and a good mother,' who was his 'best friend' growing up

'An analysis of the victim's cellular phone revealed that minutes prior to her arrival and meeting with Parker, a cellular telephone number utilized by Parker texted the victim, "95 wallstreet," and "Lmn when you're approaching so I can grab you from the lobby babe",' the warrant states.

Flanagan was last seen getting into an elevator with him and heading up to an apartment where she is believed to have stayed until August 12.

Police have not released any information as to what took place in the days and nights that Flanagan spent there, but ride-share records obtained for Parker show that he returned to the apartment at 95 Wall Street around 11:30 on August 11.

Aquellio Parker, 29, from Queens has been charged with helping dispose of a body

Surveillance camera footage captured the man carrying a 'large drum' which appears to match the one in which Flanagan's remains were found.

Parker was caught on surveillance camera along with another individual arriving at the apartment in a large white commercial van around 9:30pm on August 12, when the two were seen grabbing a luggage cart from the building's lobby and bringing it to the freight elevator.

According to the warrant: 'Several minutes later, Parker and the other individual are seen exiting 95 Wall Street with a drum matching the description of the one recovered in Ridgefield Park.'

The van was recorded traveling across the George Washington Bridge a little after 10:30pm that night and was later recorded circling near Teaneck Road and Hobart Street before stopping 'for several minutes' around 10:45pm in the area where Flanagan's body was found.

Speaking to the New York Post in the days after the discovery Bronx friend, Katrina Galloway, 47, claimed that Flanagan 'always feared for her safety,' and lived a risky life as a high-class escort who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.

An arrest warrant obtained by DailyMail.com sheds more light on the events leading up to Flanagan's death and her body's disposal

According to the probable cause affidavit, Parker was seen on surveillance footage with another individual exiting 95 Wall Street 'with a drum matching the description of the one recovered in Ridgefield Park.'

The description of Flanagan in her later years makes little sense to those who knew her as a carefree girl growing up with her brother, Thomas, in Connecticut.

According to one who spoke to DailyMail.com: 'She was pretty carefree. She wasn't one of those kids who joined in much in school - she wasn't into sport or debate or anything like that but she was happy.'

The friend recalled that home life was not always easy for Flanagan, saying: 'Her parents were divorced and I know her mom had some issues but she sorted them out I think.

'She was pretty much raised by a single father and lived with her brother and him and her grandfather. She kicked against it a bit and she bickered with her brother sometimes but what teenage girl doesn't?'

For his part Thomas Flanagan, 46, who embraced mourners on the steps of St Mary's Friday has described his sister as 'a good person and a good mother,' who was his 'best friend' growing up.

The only trouble the high school friend could recall Flanagan getting into in those teenage years was that she used to smoke pot at school and had a temper.

Parker, who turned himself in to NYPD, has been charged on numerous counts including the disturbing, disposing and/or destroying of human remains and doing so with a co-defendant

Police in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, were called to reports of a suspicious barrel left in the street (pictured) earlier this month

Flanagan's body was found in New Jersey after allegedly being carted out of 95 Wall Street in the barrel

The friend said: 'I would always be one to let things go but you didn't want to be on the wrong side of Nicole. She'd stand up to things and it sometimes got her into trouble.

'But she was a good kid.'

Flanagan's closest high school friend admitted: 'We never spoke about the future. I was thinking about that the other day, after I heard what had happened.

'I never knew what Nicole wanted to do with her life. I don't know that she did. She just kind of went day by day.'

Flanagan had her first child Aaron, now in his twenties, by Stamford, Connecticut local Raymond Underwood, 49, when she was just out of high school.

According to the friend: 'Aaron's father was a good guy, a good kid but they were just really young and it didn't work out.'

Perhaps life could have been very different for Flanagan if it had.

The friend said: 'Over the years our lives just started pulling apart. She started hanging out with people who I would say were a bad influence and I guess they won out in the end.'

According to Galloway, Flanagan worked as a receptionist, performed medical coding and did clerical work in an accounting office after graduating high school.

'She liked to shop, she loved to go out, loved to look nice. She did it before this other life she lived. The life before was a great life,' she said.

Mourners gather in Greenwich for the funeral of Nicole Flanagan. A guest is seen holding a memorial photo of the slain mom outside

Ashes were seen being taken into a car in Greenwich, Connecticut

Flanagan had two other children, a daughter, Tayana, in her teens, and a son, Xavier, now six.

But criminal records obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that all was not well with the young mother as far back as 2007 when she was charged with creating a public disturbance.

The misdemeanor was dismissed with nothing more than a small fine but the following year she faced more serious charges  in a family violence case in August 2008.

Then she was charged with Assault in the third degree and Threatening in the second degree. She was sentence to one year on each count with three years probation and her sentence suspended.

Two years later, in 2010, she was arrested once more and charged with breach of the peace and criminal mischief in the third degree and sentenced to six months in jail, a sentence that was once again suspended as she was given one year probation.

In 2011 she was charged with violating her probation and in 2012 her probation was revoked. It was around this time that she quit Connecticut for good and moved to the Bronx, the part of New York City in which she was living at the time of her death.

General view of Nicole Flanagan's family home in Greenwich, Connecticut

According to Galloway she started dancing in clubs in the Bronx and Queens and moved from that into working as an escort.

She became estranged from her family and the life she once led though she remained, friends said, a loving mother and locals who recall her from the block in which she lived in the Bronx told DailyMail.com that she was always 'happy and friendly' when she stopped into her local Dunkin Donuts each day.

Speaking shortly before her small funeral, the woman to whom Flanagan was closest during her high school years told DailyMail.com: 'She reached out to me a couple of years ago on Facebook. I hadn't heard from her in years.

'She said something like, 'It's so good to have found you,' and we were going to try and meet up but we never found the time. I guess I'll always wonder about that and kind of regret it.

'I didn't really know what was going on in her life at the time but to be thrown away like trash I would never have imagined this for her in a million years.'
Sirhan Sirhan is pictured arriving today for his parole hearing. It was his 16th parole hearing Friday for fatally shooting U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968

Robert F. Kennedy's assassin was granted parole Friday after two of RFK's sons spoke in favor of Sirhan Sirhan's release and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars.

The decision was a major victory for the 77-year-old prisoner, though it does not assure his release.

The ruling by the two-person panel at Sirhan's 16th parole hearing will be reviewed over the next 90 days by the California Parole Board's staff.

Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it.

Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan's remorse and pushed for his release if he's not a threat to others.

'I'm overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face,' he said. 'I think I've lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love.'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spoken in favor of Sirhan's release in the past, continued to vouch for Sirhan.

The New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was assassinated on June 6, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.

Sirhan, who was convicted of first-degree murder and has served 53 years, has said he doesnt remember the killing or his confession.

In this May 9, 1968 file photo, Senator Robert F. Kennedy speaks to the delegates of the United Auto Workers at a convention hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Prosecutors for the first time are not opposing the release of Sirhan Sirhan

RFK was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary

Just before the assassination, Sirhan drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman he was attracted to, and the next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody

His lawyer, Angela Berry, argued that the board should base its decision on who Sirhan is today.

Prosecutors declined to participate or oppose his release under a policy by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, a former police officer who took office last year after running on a reform platform.

Gascon, who said he idolized the Kennedys and mourned RFK's assassination, believes the prosecutors' role ends at sentencing and they should not influence decisions to release prisoners.

Sirhan, who was in a blue prison uniform with a paper towel folded like a handkerchief and tucked into his pocket, smiled as Kennedy spoke.

The 77-year-old told members of the California Parole Board at this 16th bid for freedom that he had learned to control his anger and was committed to living peacefully.

'I would never put myself in jeopardy again,' he said. 'You have my pledge. I will always look to safety and peace and non-violence.'

Some Kennedy family members, Los Angeles law enforcement officers and the public submitted letters opposing Sirhan's release, Parole Board Commissioner Robert Barton said at the start of Friday's virtual proceeding, where Sirhan appeared from a San Diego County prison.

'We dont have a DA here, but I have to consider all sides,' Barton said, noting he considered arguments made in the past by prosecutors opposing his release, depending on their relevance.

Sirhan, pictured in a blue prison uniform with a paper towel folded like a handkerchief and tucked into his pocket, smiled as Douglas Kennedy spoke

Sirhan, pictured at his hearing today, was convicted of first-degree murder and has served 53 years. He has said he doesn't remember the killing

Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan, has acknowledged he was angry at Kennedy for his support of Israel.

When asked about how he feels about the Middle East conflict today, Sirhan broke down crying and temporarily couldn't speak.

'Take a few deep breaths,' said Barton, who noted the conflict had not gone away and still touched a nerve.

Sirhan, pictured in a prison mugshot on August 25, 2021

Sirhan said he doesn't follow what's going on in the region but thinks about the suffering of refugees.

'The misery that those people are experiencing. It's painful,' Sirhan said.

If released, Sirhan could be deported to Jordan, and Barton said he was concerned he might become a 'symbol or lightning rod to foment more violence.'

Sirhan said he was too old to be involved in the Middle East conflict and would detach himself from it.

'The same argument can be said or made that I can be a peacemaker, and a contributor to a friendly nonviolent way of resolving the issue,' Sirhan said.

Paul Schrade, who was wounded in the shooting, also spoke in favor of his release.

Conspiracy theories have lived for decades about a second shooter, as well as the possibility that Sirhan was under hypnosis or a patsy.

Even Kennedy's son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote a letter of support Friday, told the Washington Post in 2018 that he doesn't believe Sirhan was the killer.

'I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father. My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country. I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn't commit.'

Douglas Kennedy, left, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said he was moved to tears by Sirhan's remorse and he should be released if he's not a threat to others. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right,who has spoken in favor of Sirhan's release in the past, wrote in favor of paroling Sirhan.

Kennedy, an author and environmental lawyer, supports re-opening the investigation into his father's murder.

Sirhan's attorney told the AP before today's hearing: 'We cant change the past, but he was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

'To justify denying it based on the gravity of the crime and the fact that it disenfranchised millions of Americans is ignoring the rehabilitation that has occurred and that rehabilitation is a more relevant indicator of whether or not a person is still a risk to society.'

Sirhan was sentenced to death after his conviction, but that sentence was reduced to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

At his last parole hearing in 2016, commissioners concluded after more than three hours of intense testimony that Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime.

Berry said California laws approved since 2018 support her case, one she plans to point out to the board if it favors releasing certain older prisoners who committed crimes at a young age when the brain is prone to impulsivity.

Sirhan was 24 at the time of the assassination.

Barton said the board was required to give 'great weight' to youth parole eligibility.

In this June 5, 1968, file photo, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy addresses campaign workers in Los Angeles. At his side are his wife, Ethel, and his California campaign manager, Jesse Unruh, speaker of the California Assembly

Sirhan has in the past stuck to his account that he doesnt remember the killing.

However, he has recalled events before the crime in detail - going to a shooting range that day, visiting the hotel in search of a party and returning after realizing he was too drunk to drive after downing Tom Collins cocktails.

Just before the assassination, he drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman. The next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody.

At his 2016 hearing, he said he felt remorse for any crime victim but couldnt take responsibility for the shooting.

Sirhan told the panel then that if released, he hoped he would be deported to Jordan or live with his brother in Pasadena, California.
Advertisement

Pentagon officials said on Friday that there was only one suicide bomber at Kabul airport on Thursday and not two, as was previously claimed, adding to confusion over the attack and fears for the ongoing operation on the ground.

Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Army General Hank Taylor said: 'I can confirm that we do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel. It was one suicide bomber. In the confusion of very dynamic events can cause information to get confused,' he said.

He did not say whether the bomb that went off was car bomb or bomber in a vest. Both were described on Thursday on the ground and by Washington officials. The Pentagon's Press Secretary, John Kirby, was among those who confirmed both of the blasts.

At the same briefing on Friday, Kirby revealed that thousands of terrorists from ISIS-K, the group responsible for the attack at the airport, escaped from Bagram prison earlier this summer after Biden's troops cleared out from the base in July, leaving it to outnumbered Afghan forces to supervise them.

The prisoners were filmed being freed by the Taliban on August 15.

Thirteen US troops were killed along with 170 Afghans at the airport on Thursday when a single suicide bomber detonated his vest. The first four have been named; Navy medic Max Soviak and Marines Rylee McCollum, David Lee Espinoza and Kareem Nikoui.

Military experts have pinpointed the sudden, overnight withdrawal of US troops from Bagram on July 2 as the moment the US gave Afghanistan away.

It adds to confusion and fear over who was responsible for Thursday's attack and what will now happen to the people left on the ground.

Since Thursday, the US has only evacuated 300 Americans from Kabul but up to 1,000 remain stranded. The government claims not everyone wants to leave but they can't get in touch with everyone to check.

General Taylor also revealed on Friday that the US is sharing the names of citizens and Afghan allies with the Taliban, but claims it is so the fighters ensure they can get through to the airport.

Former President Donald Trump said on Thursday night that it equates to giving them a 'kill list' of enemies and where to find them.

Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Army General Hank Taylor said: 'I can confirm that we do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel'. He and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also revealed that the US is giving information to the Taliban of citizens and refugees

Timeline of terror and confusion: How the Pentagon said there were two bomb blasts on the ground - before they were forced to row it back AUGUST 26: 8.59AM Pentagon spokesman John Kirby starts the day by tweeting about the evacuation efforts, before the first blast. He wrote: 'Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours. We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission 10:30AM Pentagon briefing is pushed back following reports of the first blast in Kabul. Around that time sources in Kabul and journalists start to report there has been a second explosion near the Baron Hotel outside Hamid Karzai international airport. France's ambassador to Afghanistan David Martinon tweeted that a second explosion 'is possible' There was no official confirmation of the explosion, but there were reports from US officials that US troops had been injured. 10:34 AM The Pentagon confirms the first explosion. John Kirby tweets: 'We can confirm that the explosion near the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport has resulted in an unknown number of casualties. We will continue to update. 10:57 AM The Pentagon initially confirms there has been a second explosion. John Kirby tweets: 'We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties. We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.' 3:00 PM Pentagon holds their delayed briefing on the Kabul suicide attack. General McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the press: 'So, we think one suicide bomb at Abbey gate. Don't know if it's male or female just don't have that information. Don't know much about the second bomb. Except one went off in the vicinity of the Baron Hotel. Which as you're aware is a deeply bunker structure. And as far as I know, no, there were no UK military casualties. As a result of that. There were multiple reports on the ground of multiple explosions on the ground at the time amid the chaos. Some suggested there could have been as many as six or seven and others believed American forces were destroying weapons and equipment in controlled explosions. 6:30 PM Media accounts also post information that proves inaccurate. The Reuters news agency reports at least two blasts rocked the area, citing witnesses. The Associated Press also reported on two attacks, citing U.S. and Afghan officials. AUGUST 27: 10:30 AM Pentagon officials said there was only one suicide bomber at Kabul airport on Thursday and not two, as was previously claimed, adding to confusion over the attack and fears for the ongoing operation on the ground. Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Army General Hank Taylor said: 'I can confirm that we do not believe there was a second explosion at or near the Baron hotel. It was one suicide bomber. In the confusion of very dynamic events can cause information to get confused,' he said. I can confirm for you that we do not believe that there was a second explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, that it was one suicide bomber. We're not sure how that report was provided incorrectly,' Fact-box text Advertisement

Kirby also said they could not rule out that the Taliban was involved in Thursday's attack, saying: '

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed there were two blasts, tweeting on Thursday: 'We can confirm that the explosion at the Abbey Gate was the result of a complex attack that resulted in a number of US & civilian casualties.

'We can also confirm at least one other explosion at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate. We will continue to update.'

The disastrous government rescue mission became even more tragic on Thursday when ISIS bombers targeted the crowds at the airport, slaughtering 170 people with a suicide bomb that also killed 13 US troops.

The latest demonstration of the 'fog of war' in Kabul came as President Joe Biden's national security team warned the president on Friday that another terror attack was 'likely' there as the White House continued to grapple with the fallout from a suicide attack.

Biden spent the morning huddled with his national security team in the situation room receiving updates from commanders in the field.

He was briefed on plans to attack ISIS-K leaders, the Islamic State offshoot believed to be responsible for the killings.

'They advised the president and vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul Airport,' said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

A little later Biden promised U.S. troops would continue the 'worthy' mission to evacuate American nationals and Afghan allies despite the danger.

It has since emerged that Biden's administration also gave a list of Afghan allies' names to the Taliban in the naive hope they would then help get them out. Former President Donald Trump called it a 'kill list' that all but guaranteed their deaths.

The US now one of the only nations still evacuating from Kabul amid increasing threats of another ISIS attack.

Western countries have been scrambling for the last two weeks to get their people out of Afghanistan before the deadline and their missions were hurried even more when President Joe Biden refused to extend it this week.

President Biden again paid tribute Friday to the lives lost as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House for their first meeting.

'Let me begin by once again acknowledging the bravery and the sacrifice that our military makes every single day.

'The loss of those Americans, Marines and sailor and army personnel, is tragic.' he said in the Oval Office.

'Losing a son or daughter is like being sucked into a black hole,' he said.

Biden has promised to hunt down the terrorists of ISIS-K who planned the attack at Kabul airport and the Pentagon said troops remained on alert for further bombings.

Thursday's suicide attacks claimed the lives of 13 US troops and 90 Afghans, with multiple troops receiving medical treatment for injuries at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Britain's evacuation flights will finish on Friday, despite there being dual nationality citizens still stuck along with some allies.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday: 'It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process.

'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving.

'The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

Canada has also halted flights, leaving some citizens behind.

'The government of Canada recognizes that there are a number of people in Afghanistan, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, their families, and applicants under programs for Afghans, a government notice sent out last night, that was obtained by CBC News, said.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, the acting chief of the defense staff, said most of the Canadian personnel still in the country left but a small contingent stayed behind to support allies on the ground who have no hope of getting out.

Biden - who crumbled under questioning on Thursday night when confronted with the airport attack death toll - refused to push back the deadline to give allied countries more time to get their people out.

'It is in our interest to leave on time, on target,' Biden said on Thursday night.

The US is relying on the Taliban's cooperation to let people through to the airport.

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport's outer perimeter.

The move was described as a gross security lapse, with one defense source telling Politico: 'Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list.'

Trump told Fox News: 'Now we're giving lists of Americans to the Taliban so now you just knock on the door and grab them and take them out...

'What you are watching now is only going to get worse, it can only go one way.'

'We look like fools all over the world. We are weak, we are pathetic, we are being led by people that have no idea what they are doing,' he added.

Only US citizens and visa holders are being removed, and in the next few days, the focus will turn to removing troops and equipment.

On Thursday, General Kenneth McKenzie, the commanding general on the ground, said he expected more bomb attacks at the airport, but that the mission would continue despite the threat.

President Biden has been widely condemned for creating the crowds at the airport that ISIS attacked by failing to get everyone out of the region before withdrawing his troops abruptly earlier this year.

It took just 11 days for the Taliban to sweep through the country that the US maintained peace in for nearly 20 years.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

People are still pouring into the canal which surrounds the perimeter of the airport, standing in waters which were yesterday filled with the blood of scores of people after a bomb tore through the crowd.

Footage from the ground revealed a scene of utter despair, with shouts and cries among the Afghans, some seen clambering up walls out of the canal and others wading through with luggage atop their heads.

In one location, dozens of Taliban members armed with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

AUGUST 15: Prisoners are freed from a prison on Bagram air base by the Taliban. The US left the base on July 2 in the middle of the night and handed it over to Afghan forces

Marine Kareem Nikoui, pictured with his mother, was killed on Thursday. His father said he blames Biden for abandoning them in Kabul

Navy medic Max Soviaks (left), Marine Rylee McCollum (center) and David Lee Espinoza, 20, who were both killed in the ISIS blast at Kabul airport

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

U.S soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps in position guarding the at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 27, 2021

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb, which killed scores of people including 13 US troops, at Kabul airport

Discarded suitcases and debris outside the gate of the airport where one of the suicide bombs went off on Thursday, killing 170 people

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 suicide bomb

Relatives transport the coffin of one of the victims of the attack away from the airport on Friday morning

This is the aftermath of Thursday's attack outside Kabul airport. 170 people were killed in the bomb attack and more are imminent, American generals warned

Afghan refugees arriving at the Rota Air Base in Spain on Friday. The airbase is shared by American and Spanish military forces

President Joe Biden crumbled on Thursday night as he took questions from reporters about the suicide bomb attacks

British soldiers secure the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The last British flights will leave today

US special forces vets launch mission to get Afghan allies out amid Biden's chaotic withdrawal

As the US fumbles to get the remaining citizens out, a group of American war veterans in Kabul are secretly saving hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families who helped them in the war but have now been left for dead as the US withdraws from Afghanistan.

The group of special op soldiers includes retired Green Berets and SEAL Team commanders who launched the mission, which they are calling Pineapple Express, after one of the Afghan commandos they served with contacted them to say he was on the run from the Taliban.

His visa had not been approved when the Taliban took over on August 14 and thousands ran for the airport.

The special ops soldiers first devised a system with US troops at the airport where they sent their comrades to a gate and told them to identify themselves with the password 'pineapple' to be put on a plane by the Marines on the ground. Some also showed the troops pictures of pineapples on their phones.

After successfully getting hundreds through that way, the special ops teams started going into Kabul, behind enemy lines, to rescue more of their comrades and their families in the cover of darkness.

It's unclear how long they have been in Afghanistan and how they got there but some of those involved spoke to ABC News about the mission on Friday, explaining they simply could not leave their comrades behind.

'I just want to get my people out,' said one of the retired troops involved while another said the Afghan allies they were saving had a prouder sense of Democracy than some Americans.

Their astonishingly courageous efforts have saved hundreds while Biden and his team have bungled the evacuation mission by haphazardly telling some US citizens and allies to go to the airport while rejecting visas for others and leaving any Americans to fend for themselves.

They are one of several ad-hoc volunteer groups on the ground that are frantically trying to save people before time runs out.

Some of the Afghans being helped by Pineapple Express were injured in yesterday's suicide bomb attack but it's unclear if any were killed.

The US has just four days to get as many s 1,000 Americans out plus another 5,000 Afghans who helped in the war.

General Kenneth McKenzie, who is running the US operation on the ground in Kabul, warned on Thursday that another ISIS attack - specifically a car bomb similar to one used on Thursday - was imminent.

The death toll from the attack at the airport is now 170. Thirteen US troops were killed, the first American lives lost since the evacuation carnage began on August 14.

All evacuation flights must stop by Tuesday night and the US must start putting troops and equipment on the planes soon.

It leaves a tiny window of opportunity for thousands of people who want to flee to get out, diminishing the hope of many Afghans who have not been given special interest visas and must now make a run for the border in Pakistan or stay and live under Taliban rule.

One of the veterans who took part in the Pineapple Express mission was a retired Green Beret known as 'Lawrence of Afghanistan'.

'I have been involved in some of the most incredible missions and operations that a special forces guy could be a part of, and I have never been a part of anything more incredible than this.

'The bravery and courage and commitment of my brothers and sisters in the Pineapple community was greater than the U.S. commitment on the battlefield. I just want to get my people out,' he told ABC News

Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea accompanied a U.S. citizen, who served as an operative, and his Afghan father and his father on foot.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family.

'Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.'

Before Thursday's attack, another 130 were smuggled to the airport to be put on flights.

'Dozens of high-risk individuals, families with small children, orphans, and pregnant women, were secretly moved through the streets of Kabul throughout the night and up to just seconds before ISIS detonated a bomb into the huddled mass of Afghans seeking safety and freedom,' Army Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret commander, told ABC.

A group of volunteer Afghanistan veterans smuggled into Kabul this week to save hundreds of Afghan Special Forces troops and their families by getting them to the airport to be put on flights out of the city. The men made their own way into Kabul after watching the bungled evacuation from afar. The ad-hoc group have been able to get more than 600 vulnerable Afghans to the airport to be put on flights

Afghan refugees are pictured on one of the flights out of Kabul after being escorted to the airport by a group of volunteer special ops veterans

Desperate enough to risk their lives: Afghans trying to flee Kabul return to fetid canal where suicide bomber blew himself just the day before, in almost hopeless attempt to get on one of the last planes out

Desperate Afghans trying to flee Kabul have returned to the fetid canal outside the airport where a suicide bomber blew himself up as the final hours of evacuation tick down.

Flights resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a double suicide bombing killed at least 103 people, including 13 U.S. service personnel.

Thousands of men, women and children are still trying to flee the Taliban, but their hopes are fading fast as the US and its allies are packing up their rescue operations ahead of the Tuesday deadline.

'He was not willing to let his father and his brother behind; even it meant he would die. He refused to leave his family. Leaving a man behind is not in our SEAL ethos. Many Afghans have a stronger vision of our democratic values than many Americans do.' Retired SEAL Commander Dan O'Shea, part of Pineapple Express mission

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said today that the 'gates were closed' and that the UK's final evacuation flights would end within hours.

He said soldiers would try to 'find a few people in the crowds' but admitted that not everyone will be flown out to safety.

Wallace estimated around 1,100 Afghans eligible for evacuation would be left behind by the UK, while up to 150 Britons would not be flown home.

Washington said on Thursday that more than 100,000 people had been safely evacuated from Kabul, but that as many as 1,000 U.S. citizens are still struggling to leave.

TODAY and YESTERDAY: Crowds pack into the open sewer which runs around the airport perimeter (left) just hours after it was the scene of carnage when a suicide bomber blew himself up

Afghans desperate to flee the country returned to the fetid canal which runs the perimeter of Kabul airport

Joe Biden promised to 'rescue the Americans, we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on.'

But as the crowd becomes more frantic as the deadline looms, so too does the risk of a further terror attack.

Wallace said: 'The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving. The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.'

People are still pouring into the canal which surrounds the perimeter of the airport, standing in waters which were yesterday filled with the blood of scores of people after a bomb tore through the crowd.

Footage from the ground revealed a scene of utter despair, with shouts and cries among the Afghans, some seen clambering up walls out of the canal and others wading through with luggage atop their heads.

Taliban fighters stand guard as they block the road to Kabul airport on Friday, a day after the deadly blasts

In one location, dozens of Taliban members with heavy weapons about 500 yards from the airport were preventing anyone from venturing forward.

Crowds of people gathered at Kabul's Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after the bombings outside the airport.

A boy sobbed in the back of a car, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city's hospitals.

Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.

Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the 'troubles' of his home country.

'He wanted to fly abroad,' Majeed told AFP.

'Unfortunately, he's missing after the back-to-back blasts.'

Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.

'I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them,' he said.

'Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him.'

Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but 'such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that's because of the troubles here.'

Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.

One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.

The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.

In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the 'situation is still quite critical'.

'Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long - the last surgery was at 4am.'

'We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care.'

The bombings on Thursday marked the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
Adam Sandler's father-in-law was arrested in Florida after smuggling a loaded gun into the Broward courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale in his briefcase, but he has claims the entire incident was nothing more than an accident.

On Thursday, Broward County lawyer and former member of the Florida House of Representatives Joseph Titone, was taken into police custody after a courthouse security checkpoint alerted authorities to a Colt .38 Special revolver in Titone's briefcase, courthouse news and gossip site Justice Advocacy Association of Broward was the first to report.

The 75-year-old is the father to Jackie Sandler and father-in-law of comic actor Adam Sandler. The couple married back in 2003 and have two children together.

However, Titone insists the incident was the result of a harmless mistake, telling the outlet that the gun's presence was a result of botched plans to attend a nearby gun range.

Joseph Titone (pictured) was taken into police custody on Thursday after a courthouse security checkpoint alerted authorities to a Colt .38 Special revolver in Titone's briefcase

Former Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani (left) and Titone (right) pictured together

Pictured: Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler attend the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Jackie is Joseph Titone's daughter

'It was an accident,' Titone said. 'Evidently I put this gun in my briefcase at one point, intending to take it to the gun range, but that never happened.'

'I forgot it was there.'

Sandler's father-in-law's revolver was fully loaded with six bullets at the time of his arrest, with Titone claiming it had likely been in the briefcase since before the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020.

According to the police report, Titone was charged with the unlicensed carrying of a concealed firearm, which is a third-degree felony.

While he maintains he hasn't been officially charged as of yet, Titone believes the issue isn't going away anytime soon.

'Ill probably have to go to court to explain it, and I will,' he said.

'This was an honest mistake.'

The decision to file a formal criminal case against him is now in the hands of the Broward State Attorneys Office.

The 75-year-old was caught smuggling a loaded gun into the Broward courthouse (pictured) in downtown Fort Lauderdale in his briefcase

Sandler married Titone's daughter back in 2003. They have two children together

This isn't the first brush with trouble for Titone, with the father-in-law to Adam Sandler having been sued for fraud in 2019 for allegedly defrauding an investor.

Titone was also disbarred from practicing law in 1992 for double charging a client, according to Miami Herald.

In that case, Titone ultimately pleaded guilty to perjury and unlawful compensation and was sentenced to a year suspended jail sentence along with four years' probation, the Sun Sentinal reports.

He was prohibited from practicing law for five years as a result of that case, and was eventually reinstated to the Florida Bar, where he had been a member since 1975.

Between 1982 and 1988, Titone served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives.

Sandler is best known for his time on 'Saturday Night Live' in the 1990s, as well as movies 'Happy Gilmore' and 'Billy Madison.'
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made plain Friday that President Biden expects U.S. assets to kill the terrorists who ordered the attack on the airport in Kabul amid the evacuation of Americans and Afghans.

She added her own dose of colorful language, a day after Biden stated bluntly to those who carried out the attack that 'we will hunt you down and make you pay.'

Asked at a Friday press briefing to explain exactly what Biden meant, Psaki responded: 'I think he made clear yesterday that he does not want them to live on the earth any more.'

She was responding to a question from Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy about whether Biden 'is going to order a mission to kill the people responsible, or would he be satisfied if they are captured?'

'I think he made clear yesterday that he does not want them to live on the earth any more,' White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, asked about President Biden's vow to 'hunt' down those who carried out the attack at the Kabul airport

Later, she pushed back at a question on whether it would be harder for the U.S. to strike at the terrorists once the U.S. pulls its last forces out of Afghanistan.

She said the U.S. has 'enormous capabilities and capacities' for 'consistently hunting and tracking down terrorists around the world.'

She and Biden have made the case that the terror threat has metastasized since Sept. 11th, with would-be terrorists around the world, including in locales where there is not a U.S. troop presence.

She spoke a day after Biden gave a flash of fury on a day when a terror attack the U.S. assesses was carried out by ISIS-K led to the death of 13 U.S. troops and more than 160 Afghans.

We will hunt you down and make you pay,' President Biden said after Thursday's attack

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

Backpacks and belongings of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the August 26 suicide bomb

Navy medic Max Soviaks (left), Marine Rylee McCollum (center) and David Lee Espinoza, 20, who were both killed in the ISIS blast at Kabul airport

'To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,' Biden said. 'I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command, he added.

Psaki described the effort as a kill mission, rather than one designed to kill or capture the perpetrators.

President Barack Obama gave an order to hunt to Osama bin Laden

President Barack Obama gave an order to kill Osama bin Laden, although CIA lawyers also drafted a memo on how to detain the terror leader.

In his Thursday remarks, Biden also indicated the U.S. might have information on who may have ordered the attack.

The U.S. had shared information in advance of the attack on a heightened threat level at the airport.

'And with regard to finding, tracking down the ISIS leaders who ordered this, we have some reason to believe we know who they are  not certain  and we will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them,' Biden said.

Biden and the Pentagon have pointed to ISIS-K as the likely perpetrator of the attack, but the government has not shared evidence of who was behind it amid the chaos on the ground. At a Pentagon briefing Thursday, officials noted that the Taliban is essentially providing security beyond the airport, and it is not known whether the bomber made it through a checkpoint.
Several progressive lawmakers wrote to leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on Friday to plead with them to act with the 'highest levels of urgency' to combat evictions after the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden's moratorium.

The lawmakers asked the leaders to work to revive the national eviction moratorium after the Supreme Court ruled congressional action is needed.

'Millions of people who are currently at risk for eviction, housing insecurity, or face becoming unhoused desperately look to their elected representatives to implement legislation that will put their health and safety first and save lives,' the letter read.

The effort was led by Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley and signed on by more than 60 Democrats, including former Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush, who led a sleep out on the Capitol steps when the moratorium faced its end before the CDC expanded it.

The letter was led by Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (right) and signed on by over 60 Democrats including Rep. Cori Bush, who led a sleep out on the Capitol steps earlier this month to protest the expiration of the eviction moratorium

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, seen above with Rep. Bush during the sleep out, also signed on

The lawmakers noted the Delta variant has kept COVID cases rising in the United States, making housing a critical health issue.

'The impending eviction crisis is a matter of public health and safety that demands an urgent legislative solution to prevent further harm and needless loss of human life. Allowing an eviction crisis to take hold will only erase the gains weve made and put our recovery further out of reach,' they wrote.

The group of liberals stopped short of asking the speaker to bring Congress back early - the House is scheduled to return on September 20th - but did push for urgent action.

'The eviction moratorium has ended. If we do not act, this will undoubtedly lead to the increased spread of COVID-19, more deaths, and community wide trauma. We implore you to act with the urgency this moment demands and include an ambitious legislative solution to extend the eviction moratorium in a must-pass legislative vehicle,' they wrote.

Bush, who led a five-day sleep out on the Capitol steps earlier this month before the Biden administration extended the moratorium, vowed to fight on.

'We were outside the Capitol for 5 days. Rain. Heat. Cold. If they think this partisan ruling is going to stop us from fighting to keep people housed, theyre wrong. Congress needs to act immediately. For every unhoused or soon to be unhoused person in our districts,' she wrote on Twitter.

Pelosi called the ruling 'arbitrary and cruel' in a statement. She said Rep. Maxine Waters, the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, is looking for ways to get money allocated in an earlier round of COVID relief funding to states and communities faster.

About $45 billion set aside for rental insurance is waiting to go out the states.

'The House is assessing possible legislative remedies,' she said without getting into specifics. 'Families must be protected during the pandemic, and we will explore every possible solution.'

When the moratorium faced expiration at the beginning of August, Pelosi urged Biden to take action, saying it must come from the executive branch. Democrats did not have the votes in the House to extend the moratorium.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new 60 day moratorium, which the Supreme Court struck down in a 6-3 decision split between the court's conservative and liberal justices.

The White House sent a letter to governors and local leaders encouraging them to enact their own eviction moratoriums on a local level.

'The Department of Treasury and the Secretary of HUD sent a letter calling on all governors, mayors, county officials to put in place their own moratorium,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday. 'There are seven states across the country who have done that.'

In Thursday night's ruling, Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett voting to end the eviction moratorium, with Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan voting to keep it.

'It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken,' the court wrote. 'But that has not happened. Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination. It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts.'

Liberals in Congress pleaded with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to take action

Real estate groups in Georgia and Alabama had argued this point and told the high court that the moratorium caused property owners across the nation significant financial hardships, USA Today reports.

Property owners had to continue to pay expenses while not receiving payments from renters. They were also banned from evicting nightmare tenants, who were given free reign to make their neighbors' lives a misery.

As of August 25, nearly 90% of the federal funds meant to help landlords make up for the loss of funds had not been distributed, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

Roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August.
Former child actor Matthew Mindler, best known for his role opposite Paul Rudd in the 2011 comedy Our Idiot Brother, has disappeared from his college in Pennsylvania this week.

According to the Millersville University police, Mindler, a 20-year-old freshman, was last seen on campus on Tuesday night. He was reported as missing the following night after failing to return to his dormitory room and skipping classes.

Police wrote in an Instagram post that Mindler was spotted walking from the West Villages residence hall toward the Centennial Driver parking lot at around 8.11pm on Tuesday.

Matthew Mindler (left), a freshman at Millersville University and a former child actor who starred opposite Paul Rudd (right), vanished on Tuesday after walking out of his dormitory

The Millersville University Police have released a screenshot from security footage, showing Mindler in a hallway in the West Villages residence hall on Tuesday night

Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania

As seen in a screenshot from security video, the student was wearing a white Millersville University hooded sweatshirt with black stripes on the arm, a black face mask, dark-colored jeans and sneakers. He was carrying a black backpack.

Campus police filed a missing person report with the National Crime Information Center on Thursday.

Mindler's IMDB page lists eight acting credits in films and television shows, including in the 2013 short Frequency, which directed by his older brother, cinematographer Derek Mindler.

Mindler's IMDB page lists eight acting credits in films and television shows. He is pictured in 2011 attending the Los Angeles premiere of Our Idiot Brother

Mindler is pictured in a scene with Emily Mortimer, who played his mother in Our Idiot Brother

His biggest role to date was in Our Idiot Brother, which follows Rudd's character, an idealistic farmer who upends the lives of his three sisters, played by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer.

Mindler portrayed Mortimer's son, River.

Midler has not acted since 2016, when he appeared in the TV movie Chad: An American Boy.

Millersville University President Daniel Wubah sent a letter to the students addressing Mindler's disappearance, reported WGAL.

'Matt's health and safety are paramount and I know our thoughts are with him, his family and friends,' Wubah wrote in part. 'Our police department is continuing efforts to locate Matt in conjunction with regional law enforcement agencies. They are following every lead and appreciate your attention to this effort.'

Anyone with information on Mindlers whereabouts is being asked to contact the Millersville University Police at 717-871-4357.
Advertisement

Ever since we were ejected from Afghanistan on Thursday I have been unable to get the faces of those we left behind out of my mind.

As our convoy for the airport swung out of the iron gates of the hotel compound that had been taken over as the British evacuation base, we drove past thousands of people still begging for a chance to leave.

We passed the sewage canal where hundreds stood knee deep in stinking water, pleading to have their cases heard by the soldiers on the other side of the canal.

A short distance away we were taken through the fortified Abbey Gate entrance to the airport where thousands more people were still waiting to join the queue, hands in the air holding passports and paperwork.

We had been reporting in this small and crowded area constantly. It was just hours after we drove through for the last time that we learned of the two suicide bombs detonated by Isis-K fanatics, one outside the hotel and one at Abbey Gate.

Scores lay dead and its agonising to think that among the bloodied and mutilated corpses were perhaps people we had interviewed only hours before.

Afghans lie on beds at a hospital after they were wounded in the deadly attacks outside the airport in Kabul

Sky News correspondent Stuart Ramsay (pictured) was ejected from Afghanistan on Thursday and has struggled to forget the faces of thousands of people he and others left behind in the country

Horrifying footage from Kabul airport shows dozens of Afghans lying in blood after a ISIS suicide bomber attacked crowds who were hoping to flee the Taliban

Medical and hospital staff bring an injured man on a stretcher for treatment after two blasts, which killed at least five and wounded a dozen, outside the airport in Kabul yesterday

Volunteers and medical staff unloaded bodies from a pickup truck outside a hospital in Kabul after the two suicide bombs at Kabul airport

A man covered in blood was placed on a stretcher and rushed to hospital by volunteers and medical staff after the deadly bombing on Thursday

We had fought to stay on in Kabul but ultimately were kicked out on the orders of the MoD or Whitehall, or both. I suspect the prospect of the withdrawal being filmed in excruciating detail was a risk the Government wasnt prepared to take.

Finally we joined a queue of people boarding through the enormous jaws of a C17 transporter plane. I watched as an elderly couple, holding hands, looked back at the Afghan mountains looming over the airport. Mountains that are the very essence of Afghanistan.

It seemed to me they were saying goodbye, one last look at their country. They clutched each other for a moment and turned. They will never come back.

On landing in Doha, we left our fellow travellers on the runway. Split from them by our passports and privilege. The evacuees were told to sit and wait on the tarmac. They are, of course, the fortunate ones because they got out of Afghanistan. But their lives have been altered immeasurably in just over a week.

A bag each is all they have. They will go to countries, communities and cultures that are utterly alien. At least they will survive.

We still feel guilty about departing  me, my producer Dominique, Sky colleague Martin, and our cameraman Toby. An easy exit for a group of journalists guaranteed safety by our soldiers.

Ill bear that guilt for some time and Ill accept the jibes and scorn for leaving. But I will say this: if we hadnt been there, nobody would have seen any of the scenes of horror and desperation that have engulfed this entire operation. Ive reported on the pain and grief of the war in Afghanistan for two decades. But I cant think of anything worse than the horrors Ive seen in the past two weeks.

The daylight reveals the bloodied clothes and belongings of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated area before the bomb was detonated

The British soldiers are seen securing the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel on Thursday night near a road which leads to the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport

Medical staff bring an injured man to a hospital in an ambulance after two powerful explosions, which killed at least six people, outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

Wounded women arrive at a hospital for treatment after two blasts outside the airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021

My last visit, about seven years ago, was to cover the election of the current president, Ashraf Ghani, who promised his people a new era of governance and a move towards lasting peace and prosperity.

Those dreams are now shattered  as became clear when I returned to Kabul on August 12.

I am still scratching my head as to how a superpower was brought to its knees by a bunch of blokes driving around in pick-up trucks with Kalashnikovs in the back. The biggest mistake came in 2002.

Just as the war against the Taliban had effectively been won, the decision was made to switch resources to the war in Iraq.

The focus changed, the Taliban grew and grew in strength, and we have been playing catch-up ever since.

The most surprising thing about the suicide bomb attacks was the Wests confident warnings that they might happen.

If their intelligence is that good, how did we reach a point where we didnt know that all these cities were going to fall so quickly? And why was the evacuation planned on the basis of Kabul being held for a considerable period of time, only for it to capitulate in a day and a half?

In general, the Talibans battle plans seem to be drawn up on the back of a cigarette packet. But over the last few weeks they cleverly exploited the Kabul governments failure to get vital supplies to forces out in the field.

Hemmed in very quickly with little resupply, those forces gave up fighting.

The Talibans masterstroke lay in offering to let them go if they gave up without resistance.

In some cases, it was left to local police forces to defend their neighbourhoods.

One of my most distressing interviews was with Farida Khurasani whose husband and brother, both police officers, were killed by the Taliban in the northern city of Kunduz after they were attacked in their police station. She told me they were burnt to death.

She escaped with her two children and I found them sleeping rough in Kabuls Shahr-e Naw park, along with some 1,800 other families fleeing the fighting once again raging across Afghanistan.

Like so many of the people we met, Farida was angry at the government and felt abandoned.

Throwing dirt in the air, she yelled: Look what we are living in!

There are many such impromptu camps spread across the country, full of equally enraged and frightened people.

Initially we were based in the centre of Kabul and it was from the roof of our hotel that we saw the first Taliban fighters enter the city.

At a news conference they said they recognised the rights of women that Islam gave them and they would be able to go to school and teach and work in hospitals.

This stance should set alarm bells ringing: a sharia interpretation of womens rights, which by all western standards and much of the rest of the world, isnt at all a respect for womens rights, as we know them.

I immediately noticed a difference driving around Kabul compared with the days before.

People on the streets were no longer wearing jeans and T-shirts, they had changed into traditional shalwar kameez clothing, and virtually no women were to be seen.

At the airport, we watched the horrific scenes that unfolded as tens of thousands of people camped on the approach road tried to rush their way through, with people at the front of the queue crushed to death.

So terrible were the images that, as we sent the footage featuring dead bodies back to the UK, we had to warn our editors to steel themselves for the distressing content.

Medics treat a victim of the attack at a hospital in Kabul. Hospitals in the city are struggling to cope with the number of people injured in the blast

A young boy holds his knees in his arms while he sits in the boot of a car next to the coffin of a loved one who died in the terrorist attack

Is this a stabilised withdrawal from Afghanistan? I thought. It looked like death to me, death trying to reach freedom.

What hit me every time I went outside the hotel compound was the number of very young children enduring all of this.

It must be so, so terrifying for them. Its noisy, and there are constant gunshots and shouting  it is heartbreaking.

In the coming days the crowds were brought under control by armed Taliban fighters acting as security guards and administering vicious beatings with canes.

There was nothing the Paras could do but hold the line and every day leading up to our departure seemed worse.

Among the thousands still queuing in burning temperatures there was growing panic.

The hours were counting down towards the August 31 deadline for withdrawal, and they knew it.

The only chance now for those who served as translators for the British forces, along with others deemed to have worked against the Taliban, is to return to the villages where their kin may protect them.

But the Taliban are in those villages too and they may be informed on by neighbours willing to sell them down the river.

One hope lies in a possible uprising. I wouldnt discount it because young people born in the past 20 years (nearly two thirds of Afghans are under 25 years of age) are used to Western ways, the internet and smartphones and wont want to go back to some sort of medieval nonsense run by a bunch of criminals.

And they are, by and large, just that, the most influential security people within the Taliban organisation belonging to the Haqqani Network, a cartel that sells opium around the world.

Further down the chain are the vicious thugs who take over villages and towns and act like gangsters rather than spiritual leaders.

We know that because people we are close to are already getting messages saying things like: You owe me $4,000 and if you dont pay me Im going to kill you.

Ive been struck by the whole families Ive seen fleeing Afghanistan.

Theres a huge brain drain going on and, as other countries are prepared to take them in, Afghanistan will be left with a rump of bearded men who go to the mosque but are not capable or experienced or educated enough to run a country.

Right now, it looks as if thats what the country will end up with  the trillions of dollars spent, the thousands of lives lost, the sheer scale of the international presence in this poor landlocked country all coming to nought.

The upset, the pain, and the deaths  including 457 British troops and 2,352 Americans  almost defy comprehension.

Shortly before writing this I phoned a British Army officer back at the Baron Hotel and asked him how things had been in the hours since our departure.

Grim, he said, explaining that between 15 and 30 hardcore Taliban had taken over the entrance and were beating people.

I asked if the withdrawal scheduled for Tuesday was going to end badly. 100 per cent, Stuart, he replied. 100 per cent.

What a ridiculous, expensive, awful, bloody waste.
The White House delivered a blunt message to Americans stuck in Afghanistan on Friday: If you're not out by August 31 then we cannot guarantee we will get you out.

During her regular briefing, President Biden's Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that diplomatic efforts were already under way to set up pathways to allow Americans and other nationals to leave after the deadline - but that would rely on working with the Taliban.

'Obviously we need to figure out the operational mechanisms,' she said.

Officials insist they are on course to bring home the last 500 Americans but with U.S. troop numbers already drawing down the clock is running down on the evacuation.

A suicide attack on Thursday that killed 13. U.S. service personnel has only raised the stakes in the high risk effort to keep flying people out of Kabul.

On Friday, Biden was warned that more attacks on the airport were expected.

During her regular briefing, Psaki was asked whether the White House could guarantee that anyone who wanted to get out of Afghanistan could leave after Aug. 31.

'I don't think we can guarantee,' she replied, before adding that the president had directed the secretary of state to work with other nations to secure means for Americans, third country nationals, and Afghans with visas, 'to leave the country even after the US military presence ends.'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she could not guarantee that anyone who wanted to leave could get out of Afghanistan once U.S. troops gave up Kabul airport on August 31

Earlier President Biden said U.S. troops would continue with their 'dangerous' but 'worthy' mission to evacuate people from Afghanistan

U.S. Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) gives a child a chemical light to play with during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

U.S. Marines are providing security at Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuation flights carry thousands of people to safety. On Friday the White House said 12,500 people were rescued in the previous 24 hours

The Taliban would have to be part of that conversation, she added.

'In order to continue to evacuate any American citizen who was not yet prepared to leave, who wants to leave, third country nationals, and Afghans with visas we will need to coordinate with the Taliban,' she said.

Time is running out for that diplomatic push.

The Taliban have made clear they will not tolerate American forces staying a day past the end of the month and Biden has so far said he will abide by his own deadline.

That has meant Afghans who worked with the U.S. military, government soldiers and other vulnerable people thronged the airport, despite the risk, in recent days.

The White House said another 12,500 people were rescued in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 105,000 since the day before the Taliban took over Kabul almost two weeks ago.

That included at least 5100 Americans, said Psaki.

'We've received confirmation within the last day more than 300 additional Americans were evacuated, she said.

'Based on our outreach there are approximately 500 American citizens we are working with who want to leave.'

One of the first priorities will be to work out a way to keep the airport open.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said air traffic experts had assessed Hamid Karzai International Airport with a view to trying to maintain operations.

But he said: 'With the U.S. military set to depart by Aug. 31, I think that it is probably unreasonable to expect that there will be normal airport operations on Sept. 1.'

Turkey has offered to provide technical help to run the airport. But its demand to deploy troops to protect staff may not be acceptable to the Taliban.

Biden spent the morning with his national security team being briefed by commanders on the ground as they digested the impart of the huge suicide bombing in Kabul.

A map showing some of the locations Afghan refugees are being sent to including staging areas in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany, as well as some of the 14 'temporary safe haven' locations (according to Axios) and the US bases where they will stay

Until the blast, crowds of desperate Afghans and foreigners desperately tried to show their paperwork to US and NATO forces to be allowed through

He was told about their plans to go after ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate believed to be behind the attack.

And he was warned that another terror attack was likely.

'The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date,' said Psaki.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon enlisted three more military bases to house Afghan refugees coming to America to escape the Taliban, announced spokesman John Kirby announced .

Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Pickett in Virginia, and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico were all added 'to provide additional support to the U.S. mission to evacuate Afghans special immigrant visa applicants, their families, and other at-risk individuals,' Kirby said.

They join four other bases already welcoming Afghans: Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Combined the bases will have capacity to house up to 70,000 Afghans and their families. Kirby said there are 'just under 7,000' people there as of Friday.
The only woman to ever hold a high-ranking position with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel has flipped on her former bosses and given 'substantial assistance' to federal investigators.

Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 60, was sentenced by a Chicago federal court to 10 years in prison for her role as a drug smuggler with the notorious cartel - a comparatively light sentence in return for her cooperation.

Fernandez Valencia broke down in tears and begged her family for forgiveness as she was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in Chicago on Wednesday.

'I wish I could find the words to convince you of how sorry I am,' the Mexican native said through an interpreter. 'I want to take advantage of this opportunity to ask forgiveness from my children and from my family.'

Despite the 10-year sentence, Fernandez Valencia could be out in as few as three years, due to time already served and good behavior.

Meanwhile the cartel's former kingpin El Chapo is serving a life sentence in Colorado.

Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, the only woman to ever hold a high-ranking position with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, has flipped on her former bosses and given 'substantial assistance' to federal investigators

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, is serving a life sentence at a super maximum facility prison in Colorado

Judge Coleman cautioned that Fernandez Valencia's willingness to work with the federal government could put a target on not only her, but her family.

Fernandez Valencia ventured into the drug trade in 1990 by trafficking drugs to the U.S. from Mexico.

She was arrested in 1998 and served 10 years in California prison before she was released and deported.

But she returned to the cartel as soon as she was back in Mexico.

Fernandez Valencia was apprehended by the Mexico Federal Police in Culiacan, Sinaloa, on February 10, 2016, a year after the United States government had requested an arrest warrant with the purpose of extraditing her.

She was eventually turned over to U.S. federal agents in 2017.

She appeared before a Chicago court on June 27, 2019 and pleaded guilty to one count each of narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.

But her sentencing was delayed until this week while she assisted feds who were tackling cartel investigations.

Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia (pictured in police custody in 2016) pleaded guilty in 2019 to one count each of narcotics trafficking and money laundering conspiracy

Federal investigators said Fernandez Valencia played an important role in shipping 3,500 pounds of marijuana from 2009 to 2010, and was also involved in trafficking close to 30 kilos of cocaine each week to the Los Angeles area during the same time period.

She paused her drug trafficking activities when her brother, Manuel Fernandez Valencia, was arrested in Mexico in 2010.

However, she returned to methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine distribution from 2012 to 2013, and also hired smugglers to deliver the drugs from Tijuana, Mexico into California.

She moved the Sinaloa Cartel's drug trade proceeds from Los Angeles to Guadalajara, and raked in a three percent fee for the money that she moved.

Her sibling, Manuel, was sentenced in December 2016 to 27 years in prison for trafficking cocaine for the Sinaloa Cartel and rival Beltran-Leyva Organization.
Former President Trump said that Osama bin Laden 'had one hit,' the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, but that his administration took out two 'monsters' Qasem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump compared the al-Qaeda leader and mastermind behind 9/11, bin Laden, a terrorist taken out by the US under President Obama, to the two 'nastier' terrorists taken out under his administration.

Al-Baghdadi was the founder and leader of ISIS and Soleimani was one of Iran's most powerful commanders.

'We took out the founder of Isis, al-Baghdadi, and then of course Soleimani. Now just so you understand, Soleimani is bigger by many, many times than Osama bin Laden. The founder of ISIS is bigger by many, many times, al-Baghdadi than Osama bin Laden,' Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday.

'Osama bin Laden had one hit, and it was a bad one, in New York City, the World Trade Centre. But these other two guys were monsters. They were monsters. And I kept saying for years why aren't they getting them? For years, I said it. I got them,' he said.

'Osama bin Laden had one hit, and it was a bad one, in New York City, the World Trade Centre. But these other two guys were monsters. They were monsters. And I kept saying for years why aren't they getting them? For years, I said it. I got them,' Donald Trump said on the 'Hugh Hewitt Show'

Trump compared the al-Qaeda leader and mastermind behind 9/11, bin Laden, a terrorist taken out by the US under President Obama, to the two 'nastier' terrorists taken out under his administration

The 9/11 attacks killed 2,996 people in the US, taking down the Twin Towers in New York City. Hijackers crashed two planes in the World Trade Center, hijacked another that crashed in Shanksville, Pa., and a third that crashed into the Pentagon.

Bin Laden was also believed to have a hand in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, where over 200 died, but was also behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, where

'Isis is tougher than the Taliban, and nastier than the Taliban. And Isis was watching, and then they were, they didn't exist anymore,' Trump said.

He spoke after over 100 were killed Thursday, including 13 Americans, in attacks believed to have been carried out by ISIS-K as the US completes its hasty withdrawal from Kabul after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Bin Laden was killed in 2011 by a group of Navy SEALs who raided his compound in Pakistan. Al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019 in a military raid in northwest Syria, where he detonated a suicide belt.

In January 2020, Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Soleimani outside an airport in Baghdad.

Trump also told Hewitt he would have 'bombed the hell out of the Taliban' had they violated the peace agreement he struck with them in February 2020 and 'they never would have come into Kabul.'

'They just wouldn't do it.'

Trump, appearing on Fox News' 'Hannity' on Thursday, argued his administration 'had them [the Taliban] totally under control.'

'Every time we saw movement we hit them with an F-18 and the movement stopped,' he said of keeping the Taliban out of Afghanistan.

'Before, they would've gotten blown away. (Now) zero resistance,' Trump said as he called Biden's decision to take the US military out of Afghanistan 'the dumbest move anybody has ever made perhaps in the history of our country, allowing this to happen'.

'This country has never seen stupidity like this and our country is really in trouble,' Trump said on the segment.

'It's only going to get worse... We had something where they didn't get near us, they were petrified of us,' he added after suggesting that this is no longer the case.

Trump claimed 'had everything under perfect control' before 'Biden came in and they saw weakness'.
After another 90 days of investigation, the intelligence community still has not determined the origins of Covid-19.

Agencies are divided on the virus' beginnings, with four members of the US intelligence community saying with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from animal to human. A fifth intelligence agency put moderate confidence into the theory that coronavirus originated in a lab.

Analysts agreed that the virus was not engineered as a bioweapon, according to an unclassified summary of the report released Friday.

The intelligence community laid blame for its vague findings on the Chinese Communist Party, saying that to determine the pandemic's origins with confidence they would need cooperation from China.

'China's cooperation most likely would be needed to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of Covid-19. Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the United States,' the report read.

President Biden in a statement after the report's release promised his administration's efforts to unveil the pandemic's origin 'will not rest,' while taking a swipe at China's lack of 'transparency.'

'The United States will continue working with like-minded partners around the world to press the PRC to fully share information and to cooperate with the World Health Organization's Phase II evidence-based, expert-led determination into the origins of COVID-19  including by providing access to all relevant data and evidence,' Biden said.

'We will also continue to press the PRC to adhere to scientific norms and standards, including sharing information and data from the earliest days of the pandemic, protocols related to biosafety, and information from animal populations. We must have a full and transparent accounting of this global tragedy. Nothing less is acceptable,' the president continued.

The intelligence community laid blame for its vague findings on the Chinese Communist Party, saying that to determine the pandemic's origins with confidence they would need cooperation from China

Agencies are divided on the virus' beginnings, with four members of the US intelligence community saying with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from animal to human

One intelligence agency, put moderate confidence into the theory that coronavirus originated in a lab, specifically the according to an unclassified version of the new report

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus line up outside a bakery shop to buy cookies in Shanghai, China, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Biden ordered the intelligence community to conduct the 90-day review in May after a a report from intelligence agencies saying that they had 'coalesced around two likely scenarios,' the animal-to-human transmission theory and the theory that it had spilled out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

China's foreign ministry issued a threat to the US ahead of the report's release.

'Scapegoating China cannot whitewash the U.S.,' Fu Cong, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' arms control department, told reporters, according to Reuters.

'If they want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept the counterattack from China,' he said.

Republicans had long been demanding a more robust investigation into the virus' origins, with many peddling the theory that the virus did originate in a lab.

In April last year, President Trump said he had a 'high degree of confidence' that the novel coronavirus came from a lab and claimed to have seen evidence to support his certainty.

At first, scientists were convinced that COVID-19 emerged naturally, crossing from an animal host to humans much like previous coronavirus outbreaks.

But this year a string of senior scientists admitted they may have leapt to conclusions.

At the same time, details emerged about how staff at the Wuhan Institute of Virology sought hospital treatment for COVID-like symptoms in November 2019.

Congressional Republicans released their own report which accused Beijing of one the 'greatest cover-ups in human history' over the origins of Covid-19.

The Republicans' report cited 'ample evidence' that scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology - aided by U.S. experts and funds - were working to modify coronaviruses to infect humans and such manipulation could be hidden.

Its authors cited a stream of open source information, including satellite imagery showing a surge in visitors to local hospitals, long before cases were reported emerging from a nearby market.

And it reports how scientific papers written by researchers prove the WIV was doing dangerous genetic modification research - so-called 'gain of function' experiments - in unsafe laboratories.
Hes the City grandee with an equally grand title, handed the task of turbo-charging the British economy with new investment in the post-Brexit era.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Kt, must have seemed the perfect fit to make the transition from the boardroom to become Minister for Investment in a true-blue Boris Johnson government.

After all, here was a man with perfect Thatcherite credentials, who rose from the Civil Service to hold top roles in some of Britains biggest financial groups.

His appointment in March last year to be a Minister of State and sit in the House of Lords was widely welcomed. But one things for sure  it wasnt in my family. I was appalled he had risen to such high office.

Ive never met the man and know nothing about his character.

Lord Grimstone, 72, Minister for Investment, is pictured above. You wont see mention of his period at Candover in his profile on the Government website or his LinkedIn page. Thats because his stewardship of the private equity firm ended in acrimony and a humiliating apology to shareholders

However, I do know that he was among those significantly to blame for the sudden and catastrophic demise of the pioneering private equity company founded by my late father, Roger Brooke.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Candover Investments went from being a titan of the venture capital industry to a dying body on life support in a matter of months.

Ultimately, disastrous decisions by Chairman Gerry Grimstone and his Board of Directors were to blame for what was, in my fathers eyes, an avoidable tragedy.

I recall this sorry episode, not to score a cheap point against a Government minister, but because Lord Grimstone took it upon himself this week to preach about the wonders of private equity as he spread the message of the UK attracting investment from abroad to help weather the economic storm.

He claimed British companies perform better after foreign buyouts: All our research shows that overseas-invested companies in the UK are more productive. They generate more jobs than UK companies, they generate more intellectual property and they export more.

He also defended the private equity firms besieging top British businesses, telling the Financial Times: The days have gone when private equity was all about asset-stripping. The best private equity firms look to build, not knock down.

Forgive me, but those words ring rather hollow from a man who helped knock down a successful company built from nothing over three decades.

Lord Grimstone joined the Board of Candover in 1999, the year my father retired as chairman. He, in turn, became chairman in 2006 and, by the time he left in 2010, the decision had been made to slowly wind down the company.

My father blamed the new regimes reckless pursuit of bigger profits through excess borrowing.

They gambled that the good times would continue  and when the financial crash struck, the company suffered a mortal blow.

These days my father would probably be referred to as old school. He was proud that when he ran Candover the company never borrowed a penny. Along with institutional investors it attracted to fund buyouts, Candover bought a slice of equity, but not through borrowing.

Things became very different under Lord Grimstone and, as far as my father was concerned, it was this debt, along with bad investment decisions, that caused Candover to spiral into voluntary liquidation.

It was all so different back in 1980 when Roger Brooke borrowed an idea from the U.S. to start a venture capital fund.

An Oxford Classics graduate, he began his career in the Foreign Office before moving into business. He became managing director of EMI for a few months before a takeover left him unemployed.

From a single-room office in the City he set up Candover  named after the area near our Hampshire home  and used a spare phone to drum up investors from the City.

Unlike some of todays private equity vultures, who chop up companies and asset-strip to make a quick profit, his was a venture capital firm dedicated to growing small enterprises into big businesses.

Roger Brooke is pictured above. These days my father would probably be referred to as old school. He was proud that when he ran Candover the company never borrowed a penny. Along with institutional investors it attracted to fund buyouts, Candover bought a slice of equity, but not through borrowing

He called them management buy-outs and, as a young man in my teens and early 20s, I would be forced to listen to my father speak endlessly about his business model over Sunday lunch.

In those early days the idea was to back the managers of undervalued subsidiaries of larger companies to buy them out and run them better.

Managers will work harder and do a better job if their own cash is invested in the company, he would say.

Candover found institutional investors to put money into a fund to finance these buyouts. Candover charged a fee and took its own slice of equity. He chose wisely and the firms he backed flourished.

After two years and only a handful of deals, Candover was regarded as one of the UKs leading buyout specialists. In 1984 the company was listed on the stock exchange.

He took huge pride in transforming the successes of all manner of companies. My father became a wealthy man through his success but spent little on himself and rarely discussed money; what he was passionate about was building great businesses.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Kt, must have seemed the perfect fit to make the transition from the boardroom to become Minister for Investment in a true-blue Boris Johnson government

His obituary, in The Times, read: By the time Brooke stepped down as Candovers chairman in 1999 the firm had handled more than 100 deals and, in its own way, had reinvigorated large swathes of British industry.

After Candover, he went on to do other things. He invested in science and health projects and was given an OBE in 2004 for his charitable and community work.

Probably his one regret was leaving Candover to follow a new path under new leadership.

And so we return to Lord Grimstone, 72, our unpaid Minister for Investment. You wont see mention of his period at Candover in his profile on the Government website or his LinkedIn page.

Thats because his stewardship of the private equity firm ended in acrimony and a humiliating apology to shareholders.

After becoming Candover chairman in 2006 he was clear about the direction it would now take.

He told The Times: One of the great beauties of this industry is that it has grown in capacity into a very large industry. The private equity business is getting bigger and bigger. The last fund raised by Candover, at 3.6 billion (2.4 billion), looked like a good size. Now bigger and bigger funds are going to be raised. It is always a good thing for businesses to move forward. If they do not, they end up moving backwards.

In 2008, Candover ignored the lessons of my fathers safety-first policy and borrowed to invest 900 million in a new buyout fund.

It also made several disastrous investments which later had to be written off. When the global crash put the worlds financial sectors into meltdown, Candover was left in dire straits. It was forced to cancel its legally-binding commitment to the new fund.

The value of the companies it had invested in fell dramatically and it suddenly had a huge debt burden to carry. My father was deeply upset at this sudden collapse  at one point the share price fell 90 per cent.

He briefly toyed with the idea of trying to take charge of the business again, but discussions with former colleagues led to nothing and he watched his company gradually die before his own death in December 2012, aged 81.

At the 2009 annual general meeting, Grimstone was forced to face angry shareholders and, in his role as chairman of the company, carry the can for its shortcomings.

With the company up for sale, he apologised for its dramatic decline, adding that he was horrified at the consequences of decisions we took . . . with the benefit of hindsight, we were wrong and the board was wrong.

One shareholder suggested Grimstone should be sheep-dipped for following the herd and raising debt to finance its 1 billion fund commitment.

He replied: I have never been sheep-dipped, it doesnt sound a pleasant process.

The chairman was re-elected to the Board but quit the following year. Since then, Candover has sold off its assets and returned cash raised to shareholders.

The process of liquidating the company has been a long one but is now almost complete.

However, no damage was done to Lord Grimstones career by mistakes made while he was at the helm of Candover.

He remained at Standard Life (where he served as chairman while also being chairman of Candover) and was instrumental in the merger with investment company Aberdeen. He also became group deputy chairman of Barclays and chairman of its UK corporate banking subsidiary, Barclays Bank PLC.

But in the Brooke household his past failures were never forgotten.

My 84-year-old mother Nancy is a dignified woman who would never let a swear word pass her lips. But she didnt pull any punches when asked about Grimstone and his pronouncements on the private equity industry yesterday.

Ill leave the last word to her. When he became chairman of Barclays I changed banks on a matter of principle. I hate the man because he ruined Candover.

Yesterday, Lord Grimstone declined to comment.
On a card in his breast pocket, Joe Biden keeps a tally of members of the U.S. armed services who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Until Thursday, none had died on his watch.

The deaths of at least 13 American servicemen and more than 150 others in a double suicide bomb and gun attack in Kabul has plunged Biden into the greatest crisis of his presidency.

It has also helped reveal the essence of the man who said he would lead us out of the chaos of the Trump era.

A politician who came to power on a ticket of competence, empathy, foreign policy experience and simply not being Donald Trump has been found out.

And some of his former supporters now think that even Trump might have made a better fist of America's catastrophic departure from Afghanistan.

Liberal Americans who, from the street parties of Chicago to the dinner parties of Manhattan, rejoiced in his election as the great saviour are waking up to the fact that his feet are most certainly made of clay.

This in an America which is still recovering from the Trump years, when they put up with a president regarded as a worldwide laughing stock and national embarrassment.

Suddenly, they're beginning to realise that what came after Trump could be even worse.

The deaths of at least 13 American servicemen and more than 150 others in a double suicide bomb and gun attack in Kabul has plunged Joe Biden (pictured) into the greatest crisis of his presidency.

Biden's faltering, rambling public appearances following the ignominious retreat from Kabul  coupled with the evident fury of Western allies over what has happened in Afghanistan  have been a hammer blow.

In my 15 years of reporting from America, I have seldom seen such a sense of shock and disappointment.

Where there was hope, now I see concern  genuine fear that Biden, flailing already at the age of 78, will be here for another three years.

The Biden/Harris poster  he and Kamala Harris, his Vice-President, were the so-called dream team  has gone missing from the front window of a house on my block and, I don't doubt, from many other homes. Biden's name is no longer an easy topic for New York dinner conversations.

Everybody here used to love 'Joe', a politician of principle, but politics is suddenly a tricky subject  no one particularly wants to admit they backed a phoney to replace Trump the monster.

The tragedy is that it was all so predictable. But because of their loathing of Trump, many who voted for Biden wilfully ignored his evident inadequacies.

The country's cravenly pro-Democrat media turned a blind eye to the obvious for too long. They chose to forget that Barack Obama reportedly used to roll his eyes at Biden's shortcomings as a senator and even as his Vice-President.

They overlooked the fact that Obama had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support his White House bid, suspecting he'd be terrible in the Oval Office.

The most striking thing about Biden's woefully uninspiring presidential campaign, as I reported on it, was the fact that it was based on one central premise  that Biden had the best chance of beating Trump.

The rest hardly mattered: the question of his intelligence, his judgment and his competence was of secondary importance.

The U.S.  and the world  is now paying the price for such misguided myopia.

While Biden spent 50 years working his way up to the top job in Washington  convincing millions that here, finally, was a man who could reunite America and restore its world leadership  it's taken just a few days for the whole edifice to crumble.

True, polls show that most Americans want to get out of Afghanistan and research has shown that few of them, typically, are much exercised by what's going on around the other side of the world.

And while ordinary voters were unsettled, to put it mildly, by those shocking pictures of Afghans falling out of the sky from a U.S. transport plane, they mostly accepted Biden's casual assurances that there was always likely to be some collateral damage from pulling out of the troubled country.

The images of dead U.S. servicemen returning in flag-draped coffins will be a very different matter, however.

Nothing is quite so likely to grab ordinary Americans' attention nor bring home to them the terrible weakness behind Biden's claim that he was pulling out of Afghanistan to save U.S. lives.

Tom Leonard: A politician who came to power on a ticket of competence, empathy, foreign policy experience and simply not being Donald Trump (pictured) has been found out

How darkly ironic now seem Biden's words from a few days ago when he was defending his decision to ignore his generals and specialists on Afghanistan: 'How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghans  Afghanistan's civil war, when Afghan troops will not? How many more lives  American lives  is it worth? How many endless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?'

If the obvious answer to that question now is 13, that's probably only the start. The latest attack was the deadliest day the U.S. military has had in Afghanistan since 2011.

Among Biden's many pledges to the American people, the most profound was that after the rollercoaster ride of the Trump presidency, when crazy military entanglement often seemed only a Tweet away, he would protect them.

The Senate old-timer, best known for making embarrassing gaffes and delivering interminably dull speeches, might not have been the world's most exciting politician, said his PR spinners, but he was at least reliable.

President Biden's reputation as 'Mr Safe Pair of Hands' now lies in shreds at the bottom of a stinking, blood-soaked sewer in Kabul. His Senate-floor gaffes have translated into grotesque blunders on a world stage.

Biden has been particularly outspoken in the past about his determination to protect American servicemen.

He rarely wastes an opportunity to remind people about his late son Beau's Iraq war service record (particularly if it distracts attention from his chaotic, drug-troubled other son Hunter) and likes to end speeches by saying 'May God protect our troops'.

He didn't spare his country that pious invocation on Thursday evening when, after a day of embarrassing White House silence over the Kabul outrage, he finally addressed his country.

Dead bodies are seen in body bags outside the Vezir Ekber Han Hospital following the explosions at Kabul airport

What we saw was a frail, confused-looking old man reading ponderously and woodenly, off an autocue, a speech that appeared to have been intentionally written with short, staccato-like sentences and few long words so he wouldn't stumble in his hour of need.

'It's been a tough day,' the President began in his usual folksy way before getting swiftly to how, having lost a military veteran son himself  though Beau died of cancer not an ISIS bomb  he and wife Jill understood what the families of Kabul must be going through.

The Bidens' 'hearts ache for all those Afghan families who lost loved ones, including small children, who have been wounded in this vicious attack, and we're outraged as well as heartbroken,' he said, in contrast to his stance a few days ago when he waved away terrible footage of Afghans falling from U.S. planes as old news.

Large numbers of his fellow countrymen and women are suckers for sentimentality, but the use of his son's death in such circumstances seemed so shameless that some were repelled by it.

They'll remember that only last month Biden was arrogantly scoffing at the inevitability of Taliban victory and breezily foreseeing an orderly U.S. withdrawal.

So much for this supposed foreign policy expert's powers of prediction. And judging by the scepticism in yesterday's U.S. media, Americans are similarly unimpressed by his tough-guy assurance that: 'We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.' How exactly does the U.S. do that when it's desperately trying to get out of Afghanistan  home to the group that is believed to be responsible  by Tuesday?

'Here's what you need to know: these ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans in there. We will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on,' Biden said. 'Americans will not be intimidated.'

If the last few days haven't been about the world's greatest military power losing in the most humiliating manner possible after being intimidated by a bunch of rag-tag guerrillas, what have they been about?

Like so much in his latest terrifyingly unconvincing address, Biden's hollow promises seemed to have been spoken by a man who had seen them for the first time when they appeared on his screen.

He did no better without the autocue, giving a Press conference in which he answered a set of questions from a string of pre-selected journalists before stumbling when a reporter from Fox News  very much not part of the cosy media cabal that has cushioned the Biden administration from awkward questions  pressed him on what he took the blame for.

'You said the buck stops with you. Do you bear any responsibility for the way things have unfolded the last two weeks?,' said the journalist. 'I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late,' Biden responded.

Except he then didn't. He stood by his controversial decision to withdraw troops so rapidly and  in what has become his default mode since taking office  blamed everything once again on Donald Trump for making the initial decision to withdraw. It is an excuse that is getting very tired, and even his supporters know it.

Biden has previously suffered two brain aneurysms and has a heart condition which makes the muscle beat too fast, causing dizziness and confusion.

Even an NHS cardiologist in Britain last week joined the growing chorus of voices questioning whether Biden is physically and mentally up to being President.

Alarmingly, at the press conference the Leader of the Free World gave every impression of finding the job too much: some of his sentences were worryingly incoherent and at one point he suddenly stopped talking, bowing down his head on to his hands as they gripped his notebook.

It looked like he was praying for deliverance  unless he was looking at the prompt cards he famously took to his first press conference.

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the August 26 twin suicide bombs at Kabul airport which killed 13 US troops

Significantly, Democrats and their supporters are openly daring to break ranks with Biden.

And already, just a few months after his January inauguration, Republicans are demanding his head, calling on him to resign or be impeached.

The Kabul massacre 'was the direct result of horribly misguided decisions from President Biden' said congressman John Katko, the most senior Republican on the Homeland Security Committee.

'Our Commander-in-Chief has been missing in action and has failed to rise to this pivotal moment in our history.'

Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Republicans in questioning the Biden administration's flawed security arrangements at Kabul airport, while few of the President's party have risen to his defence.

Many Democrats still fear that any criticism of Biden, however deserved, will damage their party.

Yet even a columnist from the Left-wing New York Times attacked such craven behaviour, saying 'their political fate is nothing next to the fate of Afghans on the wrong side of the Taliban'.

Dismay in all quarters is undoubtedly mounting. And while Democrats won't publicly claim, like senior Republicans, that Biden has 'blood on his hands', his withdrawal strategy is so lamentable that many of them must surely privately agree.

How could he possibly have allowed his administration's disastrous decision to abandon the Bagram U.S. Air Base, about 25 miles away from Kabul airport and far more secure, before the civilian evacuation was finished, they ask. (The military was ordered to leave the base in the middle of the night without its new Afghan commander being informed).

How could the U.S. have allowed a reported $85 billion worth of military hardware to fall into the hands of the delighted Taliban? According to Republican Congressman and former Navy reservist Jim Banks, they now have hundreds of aeroplanes and helicopters, tens of thousands of armoured vehicles and 600,000 small arms and light weapons courtesy of U.S. forces.

The fact is that in a few short months of his Presidency, Biden has managed to undo any gains in stability and democracy made during the West's intervention in Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban stronger, better equipped and more powerful than ever, while the suicide attacks demonstrated that the remnants of ISIS have also found support there.

What a terrible betrayal of the thousands of lives lost  British, American, Afghan and others  in the past 20 years.

The ramifications could not be more serious. It is not just that enemies of the West such as ISIS have taken immediate advantage to unleash bloodshed and carnage.

There is also the danger that the chaos, disruption and terror in Afghanistan might spread across the border into nuclear-armed Pakistan, which is beset by threats from radical Islamist terrorist groups that security experts warn will feel empowered by the U.S. retreat.

The humiliation of America will also inevitably encourage China and Russia to become ever more brazen and aggressive.

It's difficult to imagine how even Donald Trump could have left a bigger mess in so short a time. And yet the world has another three years of Biden at the helm.

It's a terrifying thought but, according to former U.S. ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, it could be even more bleak.

'Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes,' she tweeted.

'But that would leave us with [far-Left deputy President] Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.'

God help us, indeed. Joe Biden warned the Kabul bombers that 'we will not forgive, we will not forget'. Nor will the watching world ever forgive or forget what he's done in Afghanistan.
Carla Faith, 58, was found guilty by a jury on 26 counts of misdemeanor child abuse

A former daycare worker and her employee were found guilty of child abuse after hiding 26 children behind a 'false wall' in her basement.

Carla Faith, 58, and one of her employees, Christina Swauger, were found guilty by a jury on 26 counts of misdemeanor child abuse.

In November 2019, Authorities found 26 children under the age of three children behind a false wall in the basement of Faith's Play Mountain Place day care in Colorado Springs after parents complained of overcrowding at her home.

She had been operating the daycare with a license for just six kids and, it is believed, when police arrived she hid the kids from view. Officers persevered because they could hear the children inside.

The child abuse charges could mean three to twelve months in jail for Faith (pictured)

Swauger, (pictured) an employee at the daycare, was also convicted by the jury of 26 counts child abuse, one for each child found in the basement

When the police entered the home they found a 'false wall' which led to the basement.

Once they got to the basement, they found the 26 children and two adults.

According to the affidavit, many of the children had soiled or wet diapers and were sweaty and thirsty, gazette.com reported.

'Officers immediately began working with [The Colorado Department of Human Services] to release the children back to their parents,' he said.

Authorities shut down that property and another three that she was operating.

District Attorney Michael Allen celebrated the guilty verdict as he stood with the families of some of the victims in front of the El Paso County Combined Courthouse.

The Play Mountain Place daycare (right) where the children were found in November 2019

'It's all on behalf of every single one of these people here today,' he said. 'They deserve justice, and I think that this gives them a sense of justice.'

The family members attended most of the court trial that included police body camera footage of the daycare and 'some pretty heavy testimony,' Deputy DA Andrew Herlihy said.

Following the verdict a parent said the trial was emotional and the families would need time to heal, gazette.com reported.

'It's going to take help, for our kids especially, to move on after the trauma that they've gone through,' Vanessa Nagel said.

During closing arguments, defense attorney Josh Tolini tried to convince the jury the situation was not as bad as it seemed and the children were not continually kept in cramped spaces.

'They were spread out, fed, got naps, and did arts and crafts,' he said. 'They were loved.'

At one point Tolini argued there was evidence the kids were well taken care of because they were happy, prompting a parent walked out of the courtroom, KOAA.com reported.

A jury found Faith guilty of 26 counts of knowing and reckless child abuse without injury, as well as charges for running a child care facility without a license and attempting to influence a public servant.

Swauger, an employee at the daycare, was also convicted by the jury of 26 counts child abuse, one for each child found in the basement.

A no-bond warrant has been issued for another employee of the daycare who did not appear in court, the DA's office said.

When she is arrested, she too will go to trial, gazette.com reported.

The child abuse charges could mean three to twelve months in jail.

Faith and Swauger are scheduled for sentencing in October.
Advertisement

Sajid Javid last night told the NHS to start preparing to jab children as young as 12 as Sage committee scientists warned a large Covid wave was likely to hit schools next month.

The Health Secretary said he was putting plans in place so the country was ready to hit the ground running if the JCVI  the Governments independent advisers  gave the go-ahead to jab younger children.

The NHS has been told to start recruiting and training staff to go into schools to give pupils Covid jabs early next term, if theyre approved. Headteachers will be told to prepare space where the vaccines can be given or be ready to allow pupils time out of lessons to get the jab elsewhere.

It is the clearest signal yet that ministers expect the jab for younger children to be approved imminently.

It came as experts warned the Government to plan for a surge in infections at the end of September, following the return of children from the summer holidays. Their fears were detailed in a document from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O).

Its advisers said it was highly likely there would be an exponential increase in infections among school-aged children after classes returned.

And they noted that measures in place before the new term, such as bubbles and stricter rules on isolating, would no longer apply.

Mr Javid said it was important for the NHS and schools to be prepared.

He said offering all teenagers a coronavirus jab will solidify our wall of protection against the disease in a move that will pile pressure on the JCVI to approve the move.

Writing in The Times, Mr Javid said that with the rise of the Delta variant, the more the population is protected by a vaccine, the more protection society as a whole will have from Covid-19.

The Department of Health stressed parental consent will be sought before vaccinating children, although it is unclear if children can overrule their parents.

It also emerged last night that secondary school and college pupils will need to wear face masks in communal areas outside of their classrooms in areas of the south-west of England, as extra support was pledged in response to a rise in coronavirus cases.

The Health Secretary said he was putting plans in place so the country was 'ready to hit the ground running' if the JCVI  the Government's independent advisers  gave the go-ahead to jab younger children

The Department of Health said that from Friday, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay local authority areas will get help to increase vaccine and testing uptake, and deliver public health messaging.

The vaccine is available for those aged 16 and over or for 12 to 15-year-olds who are most at risk from Covid. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has yet to advise lowering the age due to concerns the Pfizer jab may be linked to a rare form of heart inflammation.

But other scientists have accused the panel of dithering and called for children to be jabbed immediately.

Schools and colleges in England are being encouraged to maintain increased hygiene and ventilation from September, but year group bubbles and face-covering requirements have been removed.

Unions have called for more action to ensure schools are kept as safe as possible.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said current safety requirements were not sufficient to prevent a rise in cases.

He added: To prevent a sharp rise in cases, the watchwords must be ventilation, air filtration, masks, vaccines and vigilance.

The Government yesterday reported a further 100 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, and there have been a further 38,046 cases.

Schools and colleges in England are being encouraged to maintain increased hygiene and ventilation from September, but year group 'bubbles' and face-covering requirements have been removed.

Unions have called for more action to ensure schools are kept as safe as possible and education is not disrupted further.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said current safety requirements were 'not sufficient' to prevent a rise in cases.

He added: 'To prevent a sharp rise in cases, the watchwords must be ventilation, air filtration, masks, vaccines and vigilance.'

The Government yesterday reported a further 100 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, and there have been a further 38,046 cases.

Delta Covid variant is TWICE as likely to land patients in hospital as well as being more infectious, study shows The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospital admission, a study has found. It was already known that the Covid strain first identified in India is up to 50 per cent more transmissible than the previous dominant Alpha variant, which emerged in Kent. But the largest study to date comparing the two now shows those infected with the Delta strain are 2.26 times more likely to be admitted to hospital. Delta is also 1.45 times more likely to see people entering A&E needing emergency treatment. Scientists claimed this is more proof that the same traits which make the variant spread faster also increase levels of the virus in those it infects, which results in them becoming more severely ill. The authors of the study, led by Public Health England and Cambridge University, said their results should be used by hospitals to plan  especially in areas where the Delta variant is on the rise. Dr Anne Presanis, a senior statistician at the university, said: 'Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic. 'Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individual's risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patient's risk of severe illness and hospital admission.' Commenting on the results, Dr Zania Stamataki, a viral immunologist at Birmingham University, said: 'Taken together with previous studies showing that Delta is 50 per cent more infectious than Alpha, evidence mounts that we are dealing with a very dangerous variant.' Some 74 per cent of the participants in the study  which was published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases  were unvaccinated. But among the vaccinated  the vast majority of whom had only had one dose  those infected with the Delta variant may have had almost twice the risk of hospitalisation compared with those who had the Alpha variant. But this figure is uncertain because there were too few vaccinated patients to provide a precise estimate. Advertisement

Britain's daily Covid cases rise by 2% in a week to 38,046 as hospitalisations creep up by 10% but deaths drop by 12.5% to 100

Britain's daily coronavirus cases rose by just two per cent in a week yesterday as another 38,046 positive tests were recorded across the home nations.

The figure, published by the Department of Health, included a record-high of 6,800 in Scotland, which has seen infections spiral since children returned to school last week.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today insisted officials were not considering a circuit-breaker lockdown north of the border, to stem the surge in infections.

Meanwhile, hospitalisations  which lag behind cases because of how long it can take for the infected to become seriously ill  crept up by another 10.5 per cent. Some 948 patients were admitted to hospital on August 23, the most recent day figures are available for.

Deaths fell by 12.3 per cent on the week before, the statistics also showed. A further 100 victims were added to the Government's official toll today, compared to 114 last week.

It comes amid fears the bank holiday weekend will trigger a spike in cases, which has prompted health chiefs to urge youngsters to stay safe at festivals such as Reading and Leeds.

And there are fears the return of schools will trigger another spike, with SAGE papers today warning of 'high levels' of Covid in classrooms by the end of September.

Meanwhile, data today revealed England's outbreak was already growing before the bank holiday weekend, with the R rate now above one and up to one in 70 people infected on any given day last week.

High levels of Covid likely in schools by end of September, Government told Experts have warned that it is 'highly likely' there will be large levels of coronavirus infection in schools by the end of September. Advisers have told the Government to plan for this outcome, and said it remains uncertain as to whether the high prevalence might be as a result of spread of the virus within schools or in the community. In a newly published document from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O), experts said the vaccine rollout  which currently extends only to 16-year-olds and above  will have made 'almost no difference' to many pupils. Currently only 12 to 15-year-olds who are most at risk from Covid or who live with people at-risk are eligible to be jabbed. In light of the warning, the leader of the largest teaching union in the UK has called on the Education Secretary to support schools to 'consider face coverings from day one of term' alongside social distancing where possible. Meanwhile, the school leaders' union has called the document 'extremely worrying', adding that the situation is 'on a knife edge' as term approaches. The experts say it is highly likely there will be exponential increases of the virus in school-aged children after classes return, and note that measures in place before the new term, such as bubbles and stricter rules on isolating, will no longer apply. Advertisement

It comes as:

The official daily figures, which are updated every day, revealed 38,046 people tested positive for Covid.

The latest number brings the rolling seven-day average to 34,177  the highest it has been in a month.

Meanwhile, 6,853 infections were recorded in Scotland, as cases continue to reach new highs.

Prior to the latest peak in infections, cases reached a high of 3,922 in Scotland on June 28 in the midst of the third wave, which coincided with the Euro 2020 football tournament.

The new hospitalisation figures bring the rolling seven-day average to 894  the highest figure since July 27.

And the number of Covid fatalities recorded in the UK  which includes everyone who died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus  stayed flat.

Deaths linked with the coronavirus fell sharply after the peak at the beginning of the year  when the UK recorded 1,359 deaths in a single day on January 19  due to the lockdown.

Fatalities then remained low due to the success of the vaccine rollout, but began ticking upwards in July as restrictions eased.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has 'privately accepted' that 50,000 people will die from Covid a year  some 137 deaths a day, it was revealed today. The i reported that the Prime Minister will only consider a lockdown if fatalities breach that threshold.

Meanwhile, 55,140 first vaccine doses were dishes out today and 114,936 second doses were administered. Some 47.9million over-16s (88.2 per cent) have now had their first dose, while 42.3m (78 per cent) are fully immunised.

Dozens of tents are lined up in one of the camping areas as Leeds Festival gets underway

Scotland is 'not currently considering a lockdown' despite a record number of Covid cases, Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland is 'not currently considering a circuit-breaker lockdown' despite a record number of new Covid cases and a steep rise in patients in hospital with the virus, Nicola Sturgeon has said. The First Minister told a coronavirus briefing that 6,835 new cases had been reported in the past 24 hours - the second time in a week that a record, new, daily figure has been reported. The number of coronavirus patients in Scotland also continues to rise, with 479 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid-19, up 53 on the previous day and an increase from 312 one week ago. A total of four deaths of coronavirus patients were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 8,103. Ms Sturgeon cautioned that the rise in cases was partly due to a record number of tests being taken on Thursday. And she said that 'none of us want to go backwards to even limited restrictions'. 'Some of the speculation you might be reading in the media is not accurate,' she said. 'We are not currently considering a circuit breaker lockdown.' She said the Scottish Government was closing monitoring any rise in serious illnesses and 'people being hospitalised'. 'In the past seven days we have reported more new cases than at any previous time in the pandemic, although I refer back to my point about higher levels of testing, but case numbers have roughly doubled over the course of the past seven days,' Ms Sturgeon said. 'It's important to point out that case numbers are rising across the UK just now, but after a period of slower increases in Scotland the rise here is particularly sharp at the moment. 'That is possibly, at least in part, a reflection of the fact that our schools return earlier, with the increased interactions that come with that.' Advertisement

It comes as data from the UK Health Security Agency revealed the R rate in England may be as high as 1.1 nationally and reaching 1.2 in parts of the country.

The figure can be used as a guide as a general trend of the outbreak in the country, with a rate above one meaning the outbreak is growing.

An R rate of 1 to 1.1 means on average, every 10 infected with Covid will pass the virus on to 10 or 11 others.

And the pandemic growth rate in England is between zero and two per cent, according to the HSA, meaning the number of new infections could be rising by two per cent every day.

But the figures represent the transmission of the virus two to three weeks earlier, giving a rearview mirror view of the outbreak.

This is because of the delay in someone being infected, developing Covid symptoms and requiring NHS care.

The latest figures reveal the South West as the worst-hit region, where the R rate was as high as 1.2 and cases were growing by four per cent every day.

The rate also reached 1.2 in the East and South East, while cases were growing by three per cent a day in those areas.

And the gold-standard Office for National Statistics (ONS) data  which is used by ministers to track the state of the outbreak  showed infection levels increased across the UK.

In England, the proportion of people testing positive for Covid continued to be highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (1.8 per cent) and the North West (1.6 per cent).

In London, 1.5 per cent of people were infected in the most recent week, compared to 1.4 per cent one week earlier.

Cases were also on the rise in the East Midlands (1.4 per cent), the South East (1.3 per cent) and West Midlands (to 1.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, infection levels stayed static in the North East (1.3 per cent) and dropped in the East of England (1.2 per cent) and the South West (0.9 per cent).

And 3.5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-old tested positive, the highest out of any age group, with cases shooting up from 2.9 per cent one week earlier.

The figure equates to one in 30 people in the age group testing positive.

And cases also increased among 11 to 15-year-olds, with 2.5 per cent testing positive, compared to 2.3 per cent in the previous seven days.

Cases fell among those aged 25 to 34, as well as in children aged two to 10, but increased in all age groups over 35.

It comes as the UK is set to have its biggest weekend of live music in two years, with more than 100,000 people attending Reading and Leeds music festivals and some 40,000 going to All Points East in London.

Susan Hopkins, PHE strategy response director and Test and Trace Chief Medical Advisor said: 'Festivals are a great opportunity for people to come together after what has been an incredibly difficult year and we want everyone to enjoy themselves.

GCSE and A-Level results parties 'fuel Covid spike among 16 to 21 year olds' as experts warn Bank Holiday weekend may trigger a nationwide surge before schools return in a fortnight GCSE and A-level results parties are behind the spike in Covid infections among 16- to 21-year-olds, according to a health chief. MailOnline analysis of Department of Health data shows case rates are climbing quickest in people aged 15 to 19, jumping by nearly 50 per cent in a week just seven days after GCSE results were released on August 12. And two separate surveillance studies yesterday showed the current uptick in cases across the country is being fuelled by infections in young people. Public Health England (PHE) figures showed secondary school children have the highest rate of infection in the country despite there still being a week before schools open for the Autumn term. People aged 10 to 19 in England and Wales had a case rate of 616.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 22, up a third week-on-week from 472.5. And King's College London's symptom-tracking ZOE study showed cases were highest in 18- to 35-year-olds, closely followed by under-18s. Mike Sandys, director of public health for Leicestershire, said festivals and exam results parties are behind the surge in young people. He said the area has been 'disproportionately' affected by the wave of cases among under-18s. It comes as health officials braced for a wave of infections across all age groups over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. Around 500,000 people are expected to festivals while millions more will travel to tourists over the weekend and experts fear record case levels in teenagers seen in Cornwall and Devon after Boardmasters festival could be replicated across the country. Advertisement

Fury over plans to vaccinate children against Covid as parents demand final say 'to stop youngsters being peer-pressured into inappropriate decisions' Parents are demanding they are given the final say on whether children get vaccinated against Covid at school in the coming weeks. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday revealed parental consent would be needed for the rollout to be expanded to children aged 12 to 15. But officials admitted teenagers could still receive a jab without their parents giving the go-ahead  but claimed such a scenario would be extremely rare. Campaign groups have hit back at the plans to push through the inoculation drive to school pupils, claiming that children could be 'peer-pressured' into making 'inappropriate' decisions. NHS England bosses have already told trusts to be ready to expand the roll out in just two weeks' time as scientists warned the virus will 'rip through schools' unless pupils are immunised before the new term. And Whitehall insiders say Boris Johnson wants the NHS to 'crack on' with vaccinating children. The Prime Minister has reportedly become frustrated with the Joint Committee for Vaccination's (JCVI)  which advises No10 on jabs  delay in approving plans. The controversy reached boiling point today when actor Laurence Fox claimed he would remove his and ex-wife actress Billie Piper's children from school if parental consent is not required for jabs. Scientists have been at war for months over whether to push ahead with expanding the rollout, with many experts claiming it may be better for children to catch Covid and recover to develop natural immunity than to be reliant on protection from vaccines, which studies suggest wanes in months. Advertisement

'However, it's important to know that at least 1 in 50 young people currently have Covid.

'Therefore, do a test before you go, wear a face covering if you're travelling to and from the festival if you're using public transport and socialise outside as much as possible.

'If you test positive or have any symptoms then do not attend.'

She added: 'It's especially important to be cautious when you leave the festival and when you get home as you may well have caught Covid while you've been away.

'Make sure you take an LFD test when you get home and then test twice a week after having mixed with a large group of people, as you could have Covid without having symptoms.

'Try and avoid seeing older or more vulnerable relatives so that you don't pass anything on.'

Meanwhile, Covid infections increased across the rest of the UK.

In Scotland, 36,700 people tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week ending August 20, equating to 0.7 per cent of people, or one case per 140 people.

Seven days earlier, on the week ending August 14, just 25,900 were infected, equating to one in 200 people.

It follows schools reopening across Scotland for the autumn term last week. In England and Wales, schools broke up later, so do not return until next week.

The rising figures caused Ms Sturgeon to warn that Scots could be dragged back into tougher coronavirus restrictions amid the biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The First Minister earlier this week raised the prospect of reintroducing some curbs despite the successful vaccine rollout.

She also said that existing regulations, including mandatory face masks and limits on capacities at major events, are likely to be extended again next week.

And cases also appeared to be on the rise in Wales, with 25,200 people being infected in the most recent week, compared to 23,500 in the previous set of figures.

Last week, one in 120 people in the country were infected with Covid, around 0.83 per cent of the population, the ONS estimated.

Infection rates were highest in Northern Ireland, where 2.36 per cent of the population tested positive, around one in every 40 individuals. Some 43,300 people were infected, up from 35,300 one week earlier.

But the ONS warned the data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is less certain than England, because the sample size of participants is smaller.

Its figures are also a lagging indicator due to how the estimates are made. People can test positive for several weeks after getting infected.

Whereas official daily figures look at new cases, and offer the most up-to-date view of the true state of the outbreak.

Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University, said the ONS figures are 'a bit depressing' but not surprising, as the official daily figures already confirmed cases were rising across the UK throughout August.

But it's important to see infection rates confirmed in the ONS estimates, because the results come from a representative sample of people who are tested only to measure the progress of the pandemic, he noted.

So the data is not affected by changes in who is being routinely tested, which can bias the dashboard counts, Professor McConway said.

He said: 'Infection levels are really high in England and in Northern Ireland. They are quite a lot lower in Wales and in Scotland, but confirmed case numbers on the dashboard have been rising quickly in both of those countries recently, so things look problematic there too.'

'It's just about possible that the reopening might have contributed a bit to the increase in infections [in Scotland], but the effect on the latest figures is unlikely to be large, given that it generally takes a few days after an infection contact for the infection to become detectable.

'It's true that vaccines have much reduced the risk that someone will end up in hospital or die, if they become infected with the virus. But they haven't reduced the risk to zero.

'The last time that infections were at the level they now are in England, according to the [ONS figures], was the end of January.'

At that point, there were 2,300 hospital admissions and 1,100 deaths linked with the virus, while now there are around 770 admissions and 80 fatalities, Professor McConway said.

He added: 'Obviously the position is better than it was at the end of January  but it's still not good, and the latest dashboard figures and models indicate that things are going to get worse in the short term.

'What I'd like to hear is an explanation of what policy actions are being taken by the UK Government to take this into account, with an explanation of the choices that have been made, even if the choice is not to change anything.

'I've heard very little about policy on Covid for England recently, apart from the welcome encouragement for people to get vaccinated, and some changes in the rules for foreign travel. What's the plan, please?'
The wife of animal charity founder and former marine Pen Farthing last night spoke of her joy that her husband and his furry friends looked to be on their way home.

Kaisa Markhus, who fled Afghanistan last week for her native Norway, was eating dinner with her father in Oslo when Pen video-called her from inside Kabul airport. You should have seen the smile on my face, she said.

Following Thursdays carnage, Kaisa knew her husband was planning another attempt to reach the airport  but had no idea when or if he would make it safely to Kabul.

Talking exclusively to the Daily Mail about Pens dramatic evacuation, she said: Hes now inside the airport and we had a quick video call. The second I saw him safely inside... you can imagine.

Her husband and his animals escaping Kabul is the dream she has clung to ever since she was flown out of the city on a near-empty flight.

She learned last night that Pen, having made it through Taliban checkpoints, had been finally allowed to board a flight with 150 rescue cats and dogs from his Nowzad charity  but he was forced to leave his staff members behind.

I know Pen had a very hard choice. He faced that same choice when he was inside the airport with his staff and their families on Thursday and the animals and the staff were not allowed through, says Kaisa.

The wife of animal charity founder and former marine Pen Farthing (pictured together) last night spoke of her joy that her husband and his four-legged friends looked to be on their way home

She learned last night that Pen, having made it through Taliban checkpoints, had been finally allowed to board a flight with 200 rescue cats and dogs from his Nowzad charity

So, he went back to the compound to ensure everyone was safe and to discuss with them what to do. They decided he should go to the airport again with the dogs.

'He was devastated to leave his staff but knew that by removing both the dogs and himself he would remove two big risk factors.

The founder of Kabuls Nowzad animal shelter, Paul Farthing  known as Pen  had been attempting to arrange a freedom flight in an operation dubbed Operation Ark.

British soldiers helped load the animals on to a privately chartered plane last night as they prepared to return to the UK.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the group were assisted through the system at Kabul airport by the UK Armed Forces.

Last night his supporter and animal rights campaigner Dominic Dyer told the Mail: Pen is OK, but he is very stressed.

'He has no choice but to leave and bring the animals with him. We are looking forward to getting them to the UK.

We are very pleased weve got him out and are very grateful to the British Government for their help, and for the support of the Armed Forces.

Understandably, Kaisa is wary of counting her chickens. I wont celebrate until he has landed, she says. Were still working on solutions to evacuate the staff.

The plane will be going to [the Uzbekistan capital] Tashkent but they dont know when. He only arrived outside the airport late this afternoon. It was quieter there because of Thursdays bombings.

Kaisa Markhus, who fled Afghanistan last week for her native Norway, was eating dinner with her father in Oslo when Pen video-called her from inside Kabul airport

As we spoke yesterday afternoon  before news of her husbands evacuation was known  she was sitting at her mothers dining room table in a top borrowed from her sister and a newly bought pair of jeans.

She had fled Kabul with nothing but a toothbrush and some deodorant. Even the book she had been reading was left behind on the table beside the double bed that, until ten days ago, she shared with Pen.

That they may soon hold each other again  and can start to plan their married life together  is enough to bring her to tears.

I cried as I was leaving Kabul, she says. I was one of the lucky ones. When I was in the Norwegian camp at the airport there were three kids  babies  I was playing with whod been separated from their parents. We had to leave them behind.

I thought, I wont see Kabul again. I might not see Pen again. I was crying for those babies. What the f*** is this crisis about that were leaving small kids behind who have no one?

She showed me a short video on her phone of the children playing at the airport. The soldiers and evacuees fussed over the poor little souls.

Two days later, I heard Norway had decided to bring them [the babies] over here. I told Pen on the phone that the babies were in Norway now.

'His first reaction was tell them we want to adopt one. I want kids with Pen.

The hope in her voice couldnt be further removed from the distraught woman Id spoken to earlier this week.

On Thursday she feared the worst when, having been advised by the British Government to go to Kabuls airport to board a charter plane to safety, Pen  along with his 25 staff, their immediate families and 150 crated cats and dogs  was turned away at the last moment.

I was fearing for his life, Kaisa said. I had this heavy feeling. When he was outside the airport I was afraid because I hadnt heard from him.

His group had been caught up in the hellish scenes on Thursday as Isis-K bombs killed at least 170 people, including 13 US military personnel.

Pen and his staff were tear-gassed and shot at as they fled for their lives.

When they got out he called me he said oh, Kaisa Jan [an Afghan endearment meaning dear], hell just broke loose. Ive had an AK gun in my chest twice now.

The former Royal Marine, who founded the Nowzad animal shelter in Kabul, has been engaged in a desperate attempt to board an RAF evacuation flight in recent days

Mr Farthing's group also narrowly avoided the airport suicide bomb blasts which rocked the area earlier this week, killing 12 US serviceman and up to 90 Afghans. Above: Wounded Afghans in hospital after the blasts

Two boys embrace each other as they weep in the parking lot at Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, in Kabul, after the blast

MoD sources last night made clear that Mr Farthing and his convoy did not get preferential treatment and were not on board a military flight.

While Mr Farthings supporters said he had been turned away by the Taliban on Thursday, sources said he may have gone to the wrong gate.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace initially dismissed Operation Ark, saying it would put people before pets in the rush to flee Kabul.

He later agreed to seek a slot for the plane carrying out the mercy mission, but insisted the convoy would not be able to jump the queue.

There were suggestions by Mr Farthings supporters that his change of tone was prompted by an intervention from Boris Johnsons animal-loving wife Carrie  but this was denied by Downing Street sources.

Asked if Mr Farthing had been a diversion to the overall evacuation mission, Mr Wallace yesterday told LBC: I think it has taken up too much time of my senior commanders dealing with this issue when they should be focused on dealing with the humanitarian crisis.

However, he added: I hope he comes back, he was advised to come back, his wife came back last Friday, so I hope he does as well.

The only sadness for Kaisa now is that Pen has been forced to leave his beloved staff behind.

When the Taliban took over Kabul, I thought if you have to put all the animals to sleep, do it. There will be other dogs but you cant do anything if youre dead, she says.

But then I realised something. Pen has a mother, a brother and me. We are his three family members.

'Many of his staff have not gone home to their families during lockdown but stayed to help him.

'When there was a big kidnapping threat here a few years ago they wouldnt go home. They stayed in the office to protect him. They are his family.
Former translators and their families reacted with fury yesterday after they were left behind by Britain as the mercy flights ended and Kabuls airport gates closed on them.

They accused the UK of abandoning to the Taliban men who had risked their lives beside British soldiers and said they felt betrayed.

Dozens of ex-interpreters are among 1,100 eligible Afghans and more than 120 British citizens who were forced to stay behind last night as the extraordinary evacuation entered its final hours.

Former frontline interpreter Hussain, 48, who was feared to have been a casualty in the Isis-K bombing at the airport as he waited with his family for two days, said: We have been left to the enemy we fought with the British.

When I heard it, I wished we had been killed in the explosion at the airport. It would be less painful to be killed instantly than for the Taliban to find me and deal with me in their wild cruel way.

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the terrorist attack which killed over 100 people outside Kabul airport

A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of the suicide bomb which killed at least 170 people. Blood can be seen splattered across the clothes and walls

Musa, 35, a former supervisor of interpreters, said: The British killed the Taliban with my help and now they will want to kill me because I have been made available to them.

Witnesses said when it became clear the British had closed their gate providing access to the airport for the final time, there was screaming and tears from those outside. Some beat it with their fists, while others tried to climb over it.

Hundreds of translators and their families have been rescued in the 13-day airlift but campaigners estimate at least 50 entitled to relocate are being left behind.

Sixty were blocked on security grounds and another 40 have not responded to calls from the Afghan team handling their cases, raising concerns they are missing. Incredibly, 20 were said to be still waiting for a decision on their cases.

Among those also stranded are former translators who are British citizens and went back to bring their families to the UK. Wives who were recently granted visas after a court battle to join their interpreter husbands in Britain are also left behind.

During six years of its award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign, the Mail has highlighted the plight of hundreds of translators. It helped bring about four changes in government policy, opening the way for many of those fearing for their lives to come to the UK.

British troops were seen securing the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel, near the Abbey Gate in Kabul on Thursday following the bombing

Former translator Rafi Hottak, who was blown up on the frontlines and is now relocated in Britain, said: The Government should be praised for showing compassion to allow many translators and their families to come to the UK in recent times. But it has been too slow, too mean for many years, and this has resulted in brave men being left behind.

The Betrayal of the Brave campaign has been tireless in its support of translators when no one wanted to listen  it has brought about change and saved many lives, which we will never forget.

The translators left behind now need it more than ever and we know it will be there for us.

In Kabul, Hussain said his neighbours wanted him and his family out. They felt it was not safe to live beside an enemy of the Taliban.

I feel disgust and fear at being deserted, he added. I am responsible for six children  three of mine and three of my sisters. I thought that was secure with the promise of life in Britain but now with me a target, they face uncertainly, misery and, for me, death.

The British soldiers are seen securing the perimeter outside the Baron Hotel on Thursday night near a road which leads to the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport

Hussain said he had gone to the British rendezvous point after being called for his flight. Despite reaching British soldiers, he had failed to make it into the airport.

I was so close, he said. We were called to the gate by the British but then not let in. It is heart-breaking because, I think, Britain put the lives of many others before the interpreters.

Musa said: I am being left to them by the government of the men I could have died for. This is a disaster for me and my family  I was told to return home and wait for my call. The call did not come.

I am pleased for those who have escaped but this has been a betrayal of all those left behind. If one translator is killed because he could not be rescued, then all of our blood is on the hands of Britain.

We're left with nothing

Ullahs family sold their home  and belongings  as they prepared for a new life free from the threat of the Taliban. Now, in the former translators own words, they have been abandoned by Britain.

The 33-year-old is not just upset but confused  having been called by officials earlier this week to arrange his evacuation.

Ullahs family sold their home  and belongings  as they prepared for a new life free from the threat of the Taliban. Pictured: Ullah

Ullah had worked for Britains Special Forces as part of a team known as 444, running a spy ring in the heart of Helmand. When the call for a flight came, he, his wife and four children were in their home city of Kandahar  where Taliban fighters had twice come to his home looking for him. They were killing people secretly. They can do what they want now, he said.

The message from the British said to urgently go to Kabul airport. We knew it was dangerous to travel and I was being hunted. But it was more dangerous to stay, so we left within an hour, with just the small bag we had been told to bring.

The most important thing, we thought, was that we had the visa that would take us to the UK. But now that seems to have meant nothing. We were told to wait for the call to the airport but there has been nothing.

Now I am very worried. We never believed we could be abandoned. We have nothing but a small bag. We were told we would be relocating and sold everything, including our home and belongings.

Of being told to leave Afghanistan for a third country, he asked: How to do that when you are wanted in a country full of an enemy you once fought?

After the bombs, everyone is frightened. My family were crying all night. We saw what happened... it was like a battlefield.

'Sorry' can't stop bullets

Aziz was waiting to be called to a flight out of Afghanistan. Instead, the Mail had to break the news yesterday that the British Governments airlift efforts had effectively ended.

Aziz reacted with silence. Then anger. Then tears. We didnt deserve this. The British said they would save us... we didnt spare anything when we stood beside them. Translators were killed, injured, lost legs. But still we supported them. Still we risked our lives for them. How can we not be bitter when we are being left behind? Shame on your country.

The 40-year-old, who spent ten years with British forces, said: We told them there were better ways for this to be organised. The Americans have been collecting people in buses and taking them to the airport, but not us, not those who risked the most to save the lives of your soldiers.

Aziz (right) was waiting to be called to a flight out of Afghanistan. Instead, the Mail had to break the news yesterday that the British Governments airlift efforts had effectively ended.

Two boys embrace each other as they weep in the parking lot at Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, in Kabul, after the blast

Aziz was initially called to an evacuation flight earlier this week. Having battled to the rendezvous point along with his family, two of their children passed out amid the crush  leading him to take the heartbreaking decision to turn back. He later returned to the airport, but left again after warnings of a potential terror attack. Kabuls deadly bombings took place minutes after he left the scene.

Back at his hotel, he followed emailed instruction from the British team and waited for their next message. He is still waiting.

I will hide myself, I have no choice, he said. I worry very much about what will happen if the Taliban find me. We are being left behind with an apology from the UK Government. An apology will not shield us from attack.

Im waiting for phone call that will never come

Sharif fled his home city of Lashkar Gah hours before his home was seized by insurgents as a military base. Now he is hiding in Kabul.

The 31-year-old former translator said: If the Taliban find me, then they will want to kill me. To them I am a traitor. This is the consequence of the British leaving without me and my family.

I am sick with worry. I did not think it was possible  even after the bomb  that we would be left behind. There has been no communication at all. We have been waiting for the call to go to the airport for days now and it did not come. Now, it will never come.

Sharif (right) fled his home city of Lashkar Gah hours before his home was seized by insurgents as a military base. Now he is hiding in Kabul

The father of four added: We know the Taliban has been going door to door, looking for those like me who worked for the West.

They dont want to invite us for tea. They want to punish us, and that will mean one thing.

We should not have been left here. It is a betrayal of those who risked their lives for UK soldiers. Reaching any country from Kabul will be difficult and dangerous.

He now fears people will betray me to the Taliban, adding: I am a stranger here and they will point us out wanting favour from the new rulers.

For Britain to leave us here puts me in danger and they will know that.

Sharif, who looked after a team of 120 British Army translators, won approval to relocate to the UK just ten days ago following the personal intervention of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

He was among 88 former interpreters initially blocked from coming here because they were dismissed from their jobs. Sharif says he was not sacked and simply resigned.

He found out about his termination in 2018 when he applied to relocate to Britain.
The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospital admission, a study has found.

It was already known that the Covid strain first identified in India is up to 50 per cent more transmissible than the previous dominant Alpha variant, which emerged in Kent.

But the largest study to date comparing the two now shows those infected with the Delta strain are 2.26 times more likely to be admitted to hospital.

Delta is also 1.45 times more likely to see people entering A&E needing emergency treatment.

The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospital admission, a study has found

Scientists claimed this is more proof that the same traits which make the variant spread faster also increase levels of the virus in those it infects, which results in them becoming more severely ill.

The authors of the study, led by Public Health England and Cambridge University, said their results should be used by hospitals to plan  especially in areas where the Delta variant is on the rise.

Dr Anne Presanis, a senior statistician at the university, said: Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic.

Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individuals risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patients risk of severe illness and hospital admission.

It was already known that the Covid strain first identified in India is up to 50 per cent more transmissible than the previous dominant Alpha variant, which emerged in Kent

But the largest study to date comparing the two now shows those infected with the Delta strain are 2.26 times more likely to be admitted to hospital. Above: Covid cases in South Korea are rising after the Delta variant reached the country. But the UK's number of infections is still much higher

Commenting on the results, Dr Zania Stamataki, a viral immunologist at Birmingham University, said: Taken together with previous studies showing that Delta is 50 per cent more infectious than Alpha, evidence mounts that we are dealing with a very dangerous variant.

Some 74 per cent of the participants in the study  which was published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases  were unvaccinated.

But among the vaccinated  the vast majority of whom had only had one dose  those infected with the Delta variant may have had almost twice the risk of hospitalisation compared with those who had the Alpha variant.

But this figure is uncertain because there were too few vaccinated patients to provide a precise estimate.
The UK was last night plotting the elimination of Isis-K leaders responsible for the Kabul atrocity as it emerged that two British nationals and the child of another Briton were among at least 170 killed in the attack.

Ministers said they were prepared to take action to deal with the terror threat as the death toll continued to rise following the suicide bomb blast which signalled the biggest single loss of American troops in Afghanistan for a decade.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the deaths of two British adults as well as injuries to two others. It is understood the child who died was a teenager.

Mr Raab said: These were innocent people and it is a tragedy that as they sought to bring their loved ones to safety in the UK they were murdered by cowardly terrorists.

Yesterdays despicable attack underlines the dangers facing those in Afghanistan and reinforces why we are doing all we can to get people out. We are offering consular support to their families.

We will not turn our backs on those who look to us in their hour of need and we will never be cowed by terrorists.

The UK was last night plotting the elimination of Isis-K leaders responsible for the Kabul atrocity as it emerged that two British nationals and the child of another Briton were among at least 170 killed in the attack

Ministers said they were prepared to 'take action' to deal with the terror threat as the death toll continued to rise following the suicide bomb blast which signalled the biggest single loss of American troops in Afghanistan for a decade. Above: The aftermath of the blast

Papers left in embassy put Afghan allies in danger The Defence Secretary has expressed fury at Foreign Office staff who left documents identifying vulnerable Afghans at the British embassy. Ben Wallace said the security lapse was 'clearly not good enough' as it left the details of those who had been working with Britain free for the Taliban to find. Speaking to LBC yesterday, he added that the Prime Minister would be 'asking some questions' about the failure to destroy the potentially life threatening information. And Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said the debacle would form part of an upcoming Commons inquiry with 'evidence already coming in'. The blunder emerged when Anthony Loyd, a reporter for The Times, came across the documents while accompanying a Taliban patrol. Papers scattered around a barbecue were found to identify seven Afghans  including a senior embassy figure. They also revealed the details of two people applying for jobs. Some of the staff members had already been evacuated to the UK, The Times found when reporters called the numbers listed. But the fate of at least two job applicants remains unknown. The Foreign Office said 'every effort was made to destroy sensitive material'. Advertisement

Heartbreaking tributes began emerging last night to those named among the dead. Boris Johnson branded the attack contemptible while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was incredibly sad to learn that British nationals had lost their lives.

He added: Getting your family to safety should not cost you your life. We must urgently help those left behind to avoid any more tragic deaths.

Yesterday it emerged that the fatalities were the result of a single suicide bomb attack rather than two blasts as previously believed.

An Isis-K terrorist is thought to have detonated a suicide vest in the middle of families waiting for evacuation flights near a sewage canal by the airport.

Afghans were still desperate to escape yesterday as the clock ticked down on evacuation efforts with hundreds queuing by the sewage canal where bodies lay just hours earlier.

Among the dead was Muhammad Niazi, a British Afghan who had travelled from London to help get his family inside the airport, according to the BBC.

Last night his youngest child, eldest daughter and wife were still missing.

His brother Abdul Hamid, who survived, said: I saw some small children in the river [canal]. It was so bad. It was doomsday.

It is not thought that Mr Niazi was one of the British fatalities reported by the Foreign Office. At least 13 US military personnel were killed in the attack, including Navy medic Max Soviak, from Ohio, who was in his early 20s.

Yesterday his sister Marilyn described him as a beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his own drum, annoying, charming baby brother.

She added: He was just a kid. He was a f****** medic. There to help people. And now he is gone and my family will never be the same.

His former school said he was well respected and liked by everyone who knew him.

Three US marines killed in the attack were named yesterday as Rylee McCollum, David Lee Espinoza and Kareem Nikoui.

Yesterday Mr Nikouis father Steve, of California, expressed anger that his son had been sent to Afghanistan as a paper pusher with the Taliban providing security.

He insisted: I blame my own military leaders... Biden turned his back on him. Mr McCollum, from Wyoming, graduated from high school in 2019 before joining the Marine Corps

Among the dead was Muhammad Niazi, a British Afghan who had travelled from London to help get his family inside the airport, according to the BBC. Last night his youngest child, eldest daughter and wife were still missing. Right: One of Mr Niazi's daughters

Facebook pages appearing to belong to him and his wife show wedding photos from May and indicate that the couple were expecting a child.

Wyoming governor Mark Gordon wrote on Twitter: Im devastated to learn Wyoming lost one of our own in yesterdays terrorist attack in Kabul. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Rylee McCollum.

Mr Espinoza, 20, was named by police in Laredo, Texas, where he was born.

The names of three other young marines killed also emerged on Facebook last night.

Tributes were paid to Hunter Lopez, 22, from California, Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover from Utah, and Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, 20, from Missouri.

Earlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace indicated that Britain was ready to target Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan after the group claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

The splinter group Isis-K is named after Khorasan province, a historical swathe of eastern Afghanistan. Members view the Taliban as moderates.

Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: We are already on a mission to deal with Isis, whether they are in Iraq, Syria or anywhere else where they pose an imminent threat to UK citizens and indeed the interests of that country, or where we operate for mutual self-defence.

At least 13 US military personnel were killed in the attack, including Navy medic Max Soviak (pictured), from, Ohio, who was in his early 20s

Marine Rylee McCollum was another of the US troops to lose their lives in the blast

Jared Schmitz (left) and David Lee Espinoza, 20 (right) both also lost their lives

If Isis, as it clearly does, poses an imminent threat to the UK and its people, then under international law we have the right to take action and we will take action where we see that threat emerge  and we have the ability to do that.

Mr Wallace refused to be drawn into the type of action, but insisted the UK had the capabilities to deal with terror threats.

Later he suggested that the Armed Forces could target the leadership of Isis-K in the hope of eliminating the threat from lower-level fighters.

He told Times Radio: There are lots of methods to find who is in charge.

Referencing the mission to hunt down an Islamic State leader in north-west Syria in 2019, he added: If you remember the United States raided and killed Al Baghdadi, the leader of Isis. It is possible to find the leadership of Isis around the world.

Joe Biden earlier vowed to hunt down those behind the suicide bombing and make them pay.

Last night the US Presidents security team were warning that another terror attack was likely in Kabul.

The UKs ability to process any more evacuations from Afghanistan is now extremely reduced, the Ministry of Defence warned last night.

It said that 14,543 people had been extracted from Kabul since August 13, including 8,000 Afghans and their families under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  The decision to flee their home Thursday in the mountains above Lake Tahoe became clear when Johnny White and Lauren McCauley could see flames on the webcam at their local ski resort.

Even as ash rained down under a cloud of heavy smoke, the couple wasnt panicked because they had an early warning to leave their home near Echo Summit, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the lake, and wanted to avoid last-minute pandemonium if the wildfire continued its march toward the tourist destination on the California and Nevada border.

You dont want everyone in the basin panicking and scrambling to try and leave at the same time, McCauley said.

Firefighters were facing changing weather conditions that could push the fire closer to the Tahoe Basin, a home to thousands and recreational playground for millions of tourists who visit the alpine lake in summer, ski at the many resorts in winter and gamble at its casinos year-round.

Winds and temperatures were expected to pick up in coming days while humidity drops, said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director of the state firefighting agency.

Thats what's closing the window of opportunity weve had to make progress and really get hold of the fire, Berlant said.

Echo Summit, a mountain pass where cliff-hanging U.S. Route 50 begins its descent toward Lake Tahoe, is where firefighters plan to make their stand if the Caldor Fire keeps burning through dense forest in the Sierra Nevada.

Everythings holding real good along Highway 50," said Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Cody Bogan. "The fire has been backing down real slowly ... weve just been allowing it to do it on its own speed. Its working in our favor.

The fire is one of nearly 90 large blazes in the U.S. There were more than a dozen big fires in California, including one that destroyed 18 homes in Southern California, which has so far escaped the scale of wildfires plaguing the north all summer.

A new fire broke out Thursday in the Sierra foothills forcing evacuations near the historic Gold Rush town of Sonora, just dozens of miles from Yosemite National Park.

Fires in California have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate while also blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.

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.

The Caldor Fire has been the nation's top firefighting priority because of its proximity to Lake Tahoe, where its tourist economy should be in full swing this time of year.

This is the week before Labor Day weekend  a busy weekend, normally, South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin said. That is not going to be the case this year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency noted in a report on the fire that social, political, and economic concerns will increase as the fire progresses toward the Lake Tahoe Basin. The agency did not immediately respond to a request to elaborate beyond that statement.

Visitors are still crowding the highway that loops the massive lake and riding bikes and walking the beaches, but many are wearing masks. The lake, known for its water clarity and the granite peaks that surround it, has been shrouded in dense smoke that has reached hazardous levels.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority reversed its advice from earlier in the week and recommended tourists postpone their travel. Previously the group that promotes tourism on the south side of the lake advised letting visitors decide whether to cancel their trips amid smoke and approaching fire.

Carol Chaplin, the president and CEO, said hotels and lodges were in lockstep with public safety officials.

They understand that this is not the experience that their guests are used to or look forward to, she said.

Irvin issued an emergency proclamation Thursday so the city that's home to Heavenly Ski Resort can be better prepared if evacuation orders come and be reimbursed for related expenses.

The last time the city declared a wildfire emergency was during the 2007 Angora Fire, which destroyed nearly 250 homes in neighboring Meyers and was the last major fire in the basin.

Not far from the neighborhood that was largely wiped out in that fire, residents hurried to clear pine cones and needles from their roofs and gutters to prepare for the possibility of fire.

The Angora Fire, which was driven by strong winds and took residents by surprise, burned just 3,100 acres, fewer than 5 square miles.

The Caldor Fire has burned over 139,000 acres  or 218 square miles (565 square kilometers)  and was only 12% contained Thursday.

Retired fire district captain Joe McAvoy, who lost his own home in the fire, said wildfires larger than 100,000 acres were once-in-a-lifetime events in his career. Not anymore.

Now it seems like theyre all 100,000 acres," McAvoy said. Its way more extreme. ... Now (fires) are 100,000 acres and its like, Oh, yeah, big deal. You know, its every fire.

___

Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber and John Antczak contributed 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.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Hundreds of parents in Mexico have resorted to filing for court injunctions to get coronavirus vaccines for their children after the government refused to consider vaccinating those under 18.

In the U.S. and other countries, childhood vaccinations are already underway, but Mexican officials have downplayed the risk for minors. That is despite the 613 deaths and 60,928 confirmed COVID-19 cases among people under 18 in Mexico to date.

About 15 parents have won the injunctions and got their children shots as the government presses schools to return to in-person classes Monday.

Alma Franco, a lawyer in the southern state of Oaxaca, was one of the first to seek vaccination for her children through the constitutional appeals known in Mexico as "amparos." Such appeals ask a judge to strike down, freeze or reverse a government action that may violate the plaintiff's rights.

Franco won the appeal and got a vaccine shot for her 12-year-old son, and then posted a copy of the appeal on social media so others could essentially copy and paste it and file their own.

I am a mother, and I would not want any family to be in mourning because the Mexican government failed to defend the health of children, said Franco, 48. She said an estimated 200 parents have followed her path to try to win vaccines.

Local media reported that 15 such injunctions have been granted so far and 31 rejected.

Ingrid Nattalie, a 13-year-old middle school student in the northern city of Mexicali, across the border from Calexico, California, was also got a shot, something her family's lawyer, Jorge Lizarraga, called a legal triumph.

Mexico's medical health safety board has approved Pfizer shots for use in people as young as 12. But in Mexico, only the government is currently able to import and administer the vaccines  so far giving around 57 million doses to those over 18, enough to cover 64% of adults with at least one shot.

To date, Mexico has suffered about 257,000 test-confirmed deaths. But because so little testing is done, official excess-death counts suggests the real toll is around 400,000.

The United States and 11 countries in Latin America have started vaccinating youths aged 12 to 17, in part because young people are believed to play a role in spreading the disease. But Mexico's under-18 population hasn't been included in the vaccination programs, which are free.

Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the government's point man for the pandemic, said under the age of 18, there is a much lower risk of getting COVID, above all a severe case, and the risk of dying is practically nil.

Dr. Andreu Comas, a professor at the medical school of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, said children are getting caught up in Mexico's third wave of the virus, though severe cases are less frequent than in adults.

Comas said children are big carriers and propagators of the disease.

The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been urging parents to send their kids back to school for in-person classes, which have been suspended for almost 1 1/2 years, saying it is necessary for children's intellectual and social development.

Many parents agree on the need to return to classes, but say it could be too much of a strain to do so without vaccines.

The children have been locked up at home for a year and a half, amid fear," Franco said. This (vaccination) gives them some security and certainty that things will be better for them if they get infected.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, speaking during a visit to Athens Friday, criticized Turkey, saying its current leadership is not committed to the principles of democracy and rule of law.

Menendez, the Democratic senator from New Jersey, is in Greece to attend events celebrating Greeces 200th anniversary of independence from the Ottoman Empire, from which the Turkish republic emerged.

We all aspire for a Turkey that is a bridge between east and west, a strong NATO ally, a secular government committed to the principles of democracy and rule of law, Menendez said in brief statements after meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. Unfortunately, under (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan that has not been the reality, so we must deal with the reality that we have.

Neighbors and fellow NATO members Greece and Turkey have long been at odds over a series of disputes, including territorial rights in the Aegean Sea that separates the two countries, and over energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Relations have been tense over the past year, particularly over exploratory drilling rights in the Mediterranean areas Greece claims as its own exclusive economic zone.

Turkey has issued, in violation of all rules of law, a threat of war against Greece if it exercises its inalienable right for the expansion of territorial waters of (its) islands, Dendias said in his remarks. It is the only country in the international community that has issued a threat of war, casus belli, against another country.

Reporters were not allowed to be present for the statements and the two did not take any questions from the press.

Greece says it maintains its right to extend its territorial waters from the current six to 12 nautical miles around its Aegean islands. Turkey has said such a move would constitute a cause for war, arguing it would block its own access to the Aegean. In January, Greek parliament voted to extend its waters along its western coastline, on the other side of the country, to 12 miles.

Greeces western coastline faces Italy and borders Albania at its northern tip. But the expansion was aimed at asserting the countrys right to implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which set the 12-mile limit in 1982.

We believe in the context of international law, so therefore we believe that each countrys rights and its exclusive economic zones need to be observed. We believe that when theres conflict, different issues, they need to be resolved under the rule of law and in the appropriate forums and not by force, Menendez said.

We have an inflection point in global history at this time. It is a choice between two different views, the senator said. One that we share, that promotes democracy, human rights, the rule of law, fulfillment of the individual dream, and that permits open societies in which to achieve that. The other is an authoritarian view that oppresses people, ultimately seeks to coerce economically nations, and undermine of the rule of law, both at sea and elsewhere.

After his meeting with Dendias, Menendez met with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who awarded him with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer at the Presidential Palace.
City of Plainview staff and council members continue to mull over budget numbers.

The council on Tuesday approved a maximum tax rate they can consider for the next fiscal year.

With a vote of 4-1, the council approved a maximum rate of 0.8844 (the De Minimis Tax Rate) meaning any tax rate they consider for the fiscal year 2022 cant be higher. It was emphasized that this is simply a maximum proposed rate, it is not a definitive rate.

Mayor Charles Starnes, Council members Nelda VanHoose, Larry Williams and Mayor Pro-Tem Susan Blackerby approved the maximum rate. Council member Teressa King voted against. Council members Norma Juarez and Evan Weiss were absent.

During discussions, City Manager Jeffrey Snyder explained the rate would give the council wiggle room if any adjustments need to be made to the proposed budget before the council considers it for adoption.

The tax rate proposed to the council last week is 0.8418/$100 valuation (the same rate as what was adopted last year) with a proposed tax levy of $7,309,729. The impact on the average $100,000 homestead comes out to $762.86 for the year.

The first of two public hearings to adopt the tax rate and budget for the next fiscal year is Sept. 14. The council will meet again on Sept. 28 for the second hearing and to adopt the budget.

During Tuesdays meeting, the council also discussed the bond projects to relocate the police department and to build a new fire station.

The council approved a maximum price for construction of $7,320,000 for both projects. Kirk Hewitt, chief estimator for the project with Lee Lewis Construction, said his team has been working with city leaders, including Police Chief Derrick Watson and Interim Fire Chief Bobby Gipson, to come up with a fair price point for the work to be done on both facilities.

The projects include relocating the police department to the building beside it, which currently houses City Hall. City Hall will soon move to the old Centennial Bank building at 201 W. 6th Street. The city is currently waiting on a furniture package to be able to move its operations over.

When that happens, contractors will begin work inside 901 Broadway. Hewitt shared some renderings of the building to the council noting that it would need minor interior demolition work and the installation of an elevator before the Police Department will be able to move over.

Construction of Fire Station No. 2 will be from the ground up. He shared renderings of that building with the council, too.

The Council also approved a consent calendar including the sale of a trust property at 706 Ash Street to Doug and Tiffany Barnes for $1,000; financial reports; previous meeting minutes; and excused absence for Juarez and Weiss.
If matching your nails to your outfit sounds like a dream, a membership-based San Antonio salon can bippity bop it into your life.

Microfiber hair wraps are the only reason my hair is so...

Prose Riverwalk, owned by mother-daughter duo Andrea Fascinetto and Dolores Novak, is less than a year old and the first in Texas. The concept is part of a national network of salons offering memberships for all the pampering you want. When MySA first reported the opening with an introductory $119 sign-on price, social media posts went viral.

On average, I pay about $80 for one mani-pedi visit, not including a tip. I understood the hype  a $119 membership would pay itself off after two visits. These days, the membership price is $159 a month.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

After one visit, I regret not getting in on the special price. The biggest deterrent for me signing up to be one of Prose's first clients back in September was parking. Prose is located inside the fairly new Frost Tower in the middle of downtown San Antonio. The thought of lurking through tight downtown streets, searching for parking doesn't exactly inspire zen vibes, but Prose has the situation handled with validated parking for up to two hours in the Frost Tower Garage.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

How it works

Prose offers the standard $159 a month membership. The package includes all the manicures and pedicures you want per month, plus discounts on retail products and the Beauty Bar, which is Prose's in-house aesthetics arm offering eyelash extensions, waxing and more.

Prose does welcome walk-in guests like myself who aren't part of the membership. I had the signature gel manicure ($45) and express pedi ($30).

There's also memberships as low as $52, which is the starter option, giving clients $52 worth of services. The entire family (or up to 4 members) can get unlimited manis and pedis for $299 a month. Split that four ways and it's about $75 per person for unlimited pampering.

The experience

Prose's sleek boutique is full of clean and natural elements. Walls are decorated with poppy art from local Anarte Gallery. A playlist ranging from Stevie Nicks to Doja Cat plays lightly in the background.

I often feel rushed, or herded, at most salons, but the Prose staff was the opposite. My visit was near the end of business hours, but the calm feel of the space hit me before I even picked out my color.

Ashly Riddle, who worked on my nails, and I were able to chat throughout my manicure and collaborated on a design we both found Instagram-worthy. She used a "blooming" effect that made my nails look like lava lamps or a cotton candy sky, I still can't decide.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

My wine glass never ran dry in between services.

Madalyn Mendoza, MySA.com

Brenda Lee took care of my pedi. I warned her that I wear heels and sandals often, so my soles might be a little rough. Though my pedi was an "express" option, lasting about 20 minutes, she was able to restore them back to silky smoothness.

With "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" playing softly over the speakers, a glass of wine and a foot massage, I felt as if I was on PTO two days early.

Though the serene atmosphere sent me into vacation mode, Prose's in-and-out service inspired the idea of slipping away for a lunchtime pedicure floating in my mind whenever the return to office day comes.

More polish

Prose offers a wall of retail beauty items that Fascinetto says are all female-owned and vegan and cruelty free.

Additional services or treats can be added on for an additional charge.

Prose is open daily and on most holidays. Find them at 111 W Houston Street.
SOMERTON, Ariz. (AP)  Its a Thursday evening in Somerton, Arizona, and parents and students packed inside a middle school gym are roaring for the schools wrestling team at decibels that test the eardrum.

The young wrestlers are seventh and eighth graders who will be among the first to attend this towns first public high school, which was approved just weeks ago after years of lobbying by local officials. The overwhelmingly Hispanic community has grown enough over the last decade that its also building a new elementary school.

But the Census Bureau says Somerton actually lost 90 residents during the that time, putting its official population at 14,197 people, not the 20,000 that the mayor expected.

So were trying to make sense of where these numbers are coming from, because they do not make sense whatsoever, said City Manager Jerry Cabrera, who cited 853 new homes over the past decade as evidence of growth.

An accurate census is crucial for the distribution of hundreds of billions of federal dollars, and it determines how many congressional seats each state gets. But a review by The Associated Press found that in many places, the share of the Hispanic and Black populations in the latest census figures fell below recent estimates and an annual Census Bureau survey, suggesting that some areas were overlooked.

For the share of the Black population, the trend was most visible in southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, including Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. For the Hispanic population, it was most noticeable in New Mexico and Arizona.

In Somerton, about 200 miles southwest of Phoenix near the Mexico border, community leaders were incredulous.

This is not true. This is not real numbers, you know. They dont know our community. They did not do what needed to be done to count our people, and its just ridiculous. It cant be, said Emma Torres, executive director of Campesinos Sin Fronteras, an organization that advocates for farmworkers. The group was heavily involved in promoting the census.

Most Somerton residents use post office boxes. A majority are Spanish-speaking farmworkers, and many lack reliable internet access.

Community leaders say they are used to an undercount, but the notion that they lost residents is unfathomable.

Here, where an annual tamale festival to raise money for college students attracts thousands of visitors, local schools are over capacity as enrollment grew by nearly 12% from 2010 to 2019. And after years of having to bus students at least 10 miles north to Yuma, Somerton finally met the threshold for its own high school.

While there is nothing new about undercounts, and no census is perfect, there is strong evidence that undercounts in the 2020 census are worse than in past decades, said Paul Ong, a public affairs professor at UCLA, whose own analysis of Los Angeles County this month concluded that Hispanics, Asians and other residents were undercounted.

The big-picture implication is it will skew the redistricting process, our undercounted neighborhoods will be underrepresented and populations that are undercounted will be shortchanged when it comes to the allocation of federal spending, Ong said.

The AP analysis comes with caveats. The Census Bureau says the census figures should be considered more accurate than the agency's American Community Survey or vintage population estimates. Additionally, the American Community Survey has margins of error, and the population estimates are edited in a way that pushes some people who identified as some other race in the 2010 count into more traditional racial categories such as white, Black and Asian.

Bureau officials say it's too soon to speculate on whether individual communities were undercounted. The full extent of whether the statistical agency missed certain populations, or overcounted others, wont be known until early next year, when it releases results of a survey used to measure how good a job it did counting every U.S. resident.

Black and Hispanic communities historically are undercounted, and there was greater concern about an undercount in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made people afraid to interact with strangers, and natural disasters, which made it difficult for census takers to reach some residents. There were also attempts at political interference by the Trump administration, including a failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the census form.

The AP review revealed figures that suggest some communities were overlooked.

Outside Baton Rouge, in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, for instance, the 2020 census figures show the share of the Black population to be 23.4%, but 2020 population estimates and the 2019 American Community Survey placed it at 44%. The area is home to the 5,500-inmate Louisiana State Penitentiary, and group housing like prisons, dorms and nursing homes were among the toughest places to count people during the census because of COVID-19-related restrictions.

In counties along the Colorado and New Mexico border, the share of the Hispanic population in the census was lower than those in the estimates and survey, anywhere from 4 to 7 percentage points.

The Census Bureau said in a statement that tribal, state and local governments can ask for a review of the numbers if they think they census figures are inaccurate, but that will not change the numbers used for redistricting or congressional seats.

Despite facing a pandemic, natural disasters and other unforeseen challenges, the 2020 census results thus far are in line with overall benchmarks," the statement said.

Cabrera said the city is pulling data to show that the 2020 count was off and plans to appeal.

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya worries about the city's share of state revenues. He says Somerton's sales tax revenue, school enrollment and building permits have gone up in the past few years. Developers continue to build.

As it did in many Latino communities, the pandemic had an outsized effect in Somerton. Latinos were almost twice as likely to become infected and more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Somerton, few people have jobs they can do from home. Anaya says there was a point last summer when the Somerton zip code had the highest infection rate in Arizona.

This time it was just chaotic here during the summer. We all had family members that were in the hospital or dying or infected with COVID. So it was very scary, Anaya said.

Back at the home of the Somerton Middle School Cobras, Principal Jose Moreno bragged about his city's tight-knit community, where wrestling is a source of pride. Moreno paced around the gym and joined the cheering as the young boys battled the San Luis Scorpions.

Moreno said finally meeting the threshold for a high school means local educators get to keep working with kids they have taught from kindergarten through eighth grade.

I accept the challenge, I really do, in trying to continue the traditions that we have here at the middle school, in the city, in the things we value. And so you have that small-time feeling here, and you know we definitely want to keep that going, Moreno said.

As for the match, the Cobras gave the Scorpions a whupping, beating them 90 to 6.

___

Schneider reported from Orlando, Florida. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

Galvan covers issues impacting Latinos in the U.S. for the APs Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/astridgalvan
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  The fiance of a South Carolina woman reported missing in March 2020 has been charged with her death.

With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office and the Gwinnett County Police Department, authorities Tuesday arrested Michael Lee Wilkerson during a traffic stop in Buford, Georgia, multiple news outlets reported. He is being held at the Gwinnett County jail with no bond and is awaiting extradition to Greenville, South Carolina. It was unknown if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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.

___

This story corrects the spelling of district community liaison Fraidoon Hashemi's last name.
Some San Antonio school districts are holding to their mask mandates despite the Texas Supreme Court tossing them out.

This is the only face mask my child will wear

After the Supreme Court sided with Gov. Greg Abbott on August 26, reinforcing his executive order banning mask mandates, San Antonio-area school districts were sent back to square one on their mask requirements.

Some area schools immediately responded to the Texas Supreme Court's decision, while others have not released public statements at the time of this article.

Several school districts still don't have any kind of mask mandate or requirements, including Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, Comal ISD and Boerne ISD.

For the school districts upholding mask mandates and requirements, it's unclear what kinds of repercussions they will face. The executive order threatens to pull public funding.

Below are the school districts who have responded to our requests for comment or released public statements. School districts who have not responded or released a statement by the time of this article include Southside ISD and Southwest ISD.

Northside ISD

Northside ISD released a statement on August 26 saying it would uphold its August 17 temporary mask mandate despite the Texas Supreme Court's decision.

"We believe that we have an ethical obligation to our students and staff to keep them safe." the statement reads. "We also believe that the universal use of face coverings prevents illness and quarantine that takes students and staff away from in-person instruction."

San Antonio ISD

This San Antonio school district mandated masks for all students and staff, and mandated vaccines for all staff. Thursday's Supreme Court decision only affects the mask mandate, which San Antonio ISD says it will keep in place.

"Please know, this is not about politics," says Superintendent Pedro Martinez in a letter. "This is a matter of public health and safety, and we are taking a firm stand."

As for the vaccine mandate, Attorney General Ken Paxton has a pending lawsuit against Martinez.

North East ISD

North East ISD implemented temporary mask mandate on August 19, but it will no longer enforce that mandate according to its updated safety protocols.

"We wanted to be transparent with our community and let them know we could not go against the law and try to enforce a mask mandate," says NEISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor. "However, masks continue to be an expectation in North East ISD."

Alamo Heights ISD

The school district also implemented its own temporary mask mandate on August 21, and after the court's decision it will no longer enforce that mandate.

However, Alamo Heights ISD Superintendent Dana Bashara says in a letter from the district that she strongly encourages students, staff and teachers to wear masks.

"This does not change the need for us to use all the tools that helped us keep our schools open last year, including the wearing of masks," Bashara says in the letter.

Edgewood ISD

Edgewood ISD's Superintendent Eduardo Hernandez posted to Twitter on Thursday that the school district will also continue to enforce its mask mandate.

Harlandale ISD

Harlandale ISD sent a statement to MySA saying that it would continue to enforce its mask mandate.

"Since day one our commitment and priority has been the health and safety of students, staff and parents," the statement says.

South San Antonio ISD

Brad Domitrovich, a spokesperson with South San Antonio ISD, says in an email statement that the district will continue to enforce its mask mandate.

"Throughout this legal back-and-forth on masking, South San ISD has always remained on the side of safety first and modeling compassionate care for our students, staff and community," Domitrovich says.

Correction: The previous article contained information from an old statement on from East Central ISD regarding mask requirements. It has removed the information until it receives new info.
Courtesy, San Antonio Zoo

Soon, San Antonio Zoo jaguars will have a larger habitat, which will provide them with more space to roam, and a new way for guests to encounter the giant cats.

Skip the Line: San Antonio Zoo General Admission Ticket Viator viator.com $25.00 Shop Now

The zoo broke ground on an innovative catwalk in April. Once complete, guests will be able to see jaguars stalk the tracks overhead. San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow shared exclusive photos with MySA showing the installation of the main track on Thursday.
Josie Norris, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

San Antonians wanting to make the most out of one of the last weekends of summer will unfortunately be disappointed by the turn in weather.

More for you News 5 North Face jackets you can get for under $75 from...

A strong thunderstorm moved into San Antonio Friday afternoon, bringing intense intervals of rain, sporadic lightning strikes, and winds between 20 and 40 miles per hour. Residents should seek shelter if outside and avoid flooded roadways. Remember, San Antonio: Turn around, don't drown.
If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be wondering if it is worth hiring a lawyer. Maybe youve reached out to the insurance of the at-fault driver and found them to be less than helpful. Perhaps youre concerned that your injuries may negatively impact your ability to work and provide for your family. Maybe you are just stressed out and want to know what your options are.

In nearly all car accidents resulting in injury or significant material damage, it is worth getting a lawyer to help with your car accident claim. This is especially true if your car accident resulted in serious and/or debilitating bodily injury.

Keep in mind that hiring a lawyer does not mean going to court. In fact, the majority of personal injury cases settle without going to trial. A lawyer can help you with all aspects of your claim and so you are not left footing the bill for someone elses negligence or reckless behavior.

Why You Should Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident

While it is possible to settle a car accident claim without representation, a car accident lawyer can help streamline the process and maximize your financial compensation while also protecting your rights as an injured person. They can also help to take on some of the stress that comes from dealing with the at-fault drivers insurer so you focus on more important things like getting better.

Among the ways a car accident lawyer can help you with your claim are:

Offering Sound Legal Advice  Laws surrounding liability and traffic codes are complex. They can also vary from state to state. A car accident lawyer will be familiar with the laws and regulations of the state they practice in and can advise you on the issues that may affect your case. They can also help you avoid potential pitfalls that may negatively impact your claim.

Keeping Up with Deadlines  You only have a set amount of time to make a claim and recover compensation. For example, your car accident may be subject to a statute of limitations which limits the time for filing a claim or case in your state. Lawyers are familiar with the deadlines that may affect your claim, so your case is always moving forward.

Gathering Documentation  One of the first things a car accident lawyer will do is gather all available information that may pertain to your crash and your case. From police reports to witness statements to medical records, a lawyer's focus is to demonstrate the viability and value of your case with evidence. Detailed records can make or break a case, and a lawyer can make all the documents for your case are in order.

Calculating Your Damages  Plaintiffs can recover a variety of damages following a car accident. In addition to medical expenses and damage to your vehicle, car accident lawsuits often seek lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and additional economic and non-economic damages you were otherwise unaware of. A lawyer can ensure all your costs and damages are included in your claim and that any settlement will account for those damages.

Dealing with the Insurance Companies  Nobody likes dealing with insurance companies, especially when that company is not their own. It is also important to remember that the insurer of the at-fault driver does not what to pay you what your case is worth. The job of the adjuster is to limit the financial liability of their employer and pay you as little as possible. A lawyer will protect your best interest and handle negotiations to help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Taking Your Claim to Trial  What if the at-fault drivers insurance decides not to offer a fair settlement? What if they decide it is cheaper to take you to court than to pay you fair compensation? Do you take a low-ball offer or fight?

Though the chances of your case going to trial are low, having a car accident lawyer handling your claim means your case has been getting prepared for trial since day one. Having a lawyer also means you are less likely to lose your case based on technicalities or procedural errors. A lawyer can also protect you from defense and cross-examination tactics.

What Kind of Compensation Can My Lawyer Help Me Secure?

While every case is different, your car accident lawyer may help you receive compensation for:

 Medical costs

 Future medical expenses

 Lost wages

 Loss of earning capacity

 Pain and suffering

 Emotional distress

 Disability

 Cost of physical therapy

These are only a few of the damages you can recover in a car accident lawsuit. To learn about the damages that apply to your car accident case, call Thomas J. Henry Law to speak with a car accident attorney near you.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, call Thomas J. Henry Law for a FREE case consultation. We will review your claim confidentially and with no obligation. Should you choose to hire our law firm following that consultation, we will take immediate action on your case and help you along your path to financial and physical recovery.

Thomas J. Henry Law Offices in TX:

 Speak to an Austin car accident lawyer:

-Phone Number: (512) 520-0221 (attorneys available 24/7, nights and weekends)

-Address:4401 West Gate Blvd Suite 200, Austin, TX 78745 (walk-in Monday through Friday)

 Speak to a Corpus Christi car accident lawyer:

-Phone number: 361-254-7873 (attorneys available 24/7 to assist you)

-Address: 521 Starr Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (walk-in Monday through Friday)

 Speak to a San Antonio car accident lawyer:

-Phone number: 210-941-2191 (attorneys available 24/7 to assist you)

-Address: 5710 W Hausman Rd, Suite 108, San Antonio, TX 78249 (walk-in Monday through Friday)
IM Doc vis e-mail:

In August and September of last year  Texas Florida and the rest of the south were getting killed  and then it kind of let up by October.

And just like last year  the action moved to the Northern Tier  Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Dakotas, and Nebraska and the surge started right around Labor Day  and crescendoed through NOV and DEC  just like it is right now. In OCT and NOV last year  it began the surge into the upper Midwest and New England  and the West Coast  and then eventually into the South again 

We are starting just like we did last year 

And Texas and Florida are slowly receding just like last year.

And we are on a definite upswing here  almost literally the same week it started last year.

It is so far exactly like last year as far as the timing and geography. Thankfully  the case numbers and deaths are not as high so far.
Just as importantly, why is the regulator laying off 20-25% of its workforce in the midst of a global pandemic?

On August 13, the UK government published a response to a freedom of information request in relation to the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)  the UKs equivalent of the FDA. The question it was in response to enquired as to whether or not the agency had received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The answer was yes:

We do receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as other sources outside government such as WHO. This funding mainly supports work to strengthen regulatory systems in other countries

The current level of grant funding received from the Gates Foundation amounts to approximately $3 million. This covers a number of projects and the funding is spread across 3-4 financial years. We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The story didnt attract much attention at the time. In fact, not a single newspaper or broadcaster even bothered to cover it, perhaps because there didnt see much in it. After all, $3 million (with an m) is not even that much money these days. And the Gates Foundation (GF) is a charitable organization  the biggest of its kind, with roughly $60 billion in assets  so what could possibly be wrong with it granting funds to an organization in charge of deciding which pharmaceutical products and medical devices reach the market and which dont? Well, quite a lot, actually.

Blatant Conflict of Interest

Firstly, $3 million may not be a lot of money to the GF but its still a substantial sum to the cash-strapped MHRA. Secondly, the Gates Foundations roughly $60 billion in assets include, among other things, shares and other forms of investments in some of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies, whose products the MHRA has to regulate on a regular basis. Those companies include Sanofi, Merck, Eli Lilly and Company and Abbott Laboratories, all of which have developed or are developing covid-19 treatments and/or vaccines that are yet to receive authorisation in the UK. They also include Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, which together have developed and marketed the most profitable vaccine in history.

This is a blatant conflict of interest. Its also worth noting that the MHRAs former CEO, Ian Hudson, now works as a senior advisor at the GF.

When it comes to global healthcare, the GF is anything but a disinterested third party. Its co-founder, Bill Gates, is as committed as ever to intellectual property rights. In January we learned that Gates had played a key role in convincing Oxford University to drop a prior commitment to donate the rights to its vaccine to any global drug maker. The idea was was to provide the vaccine to poorer countries at a low cost or even free of charge. But Gates persuaded the British university to sign a vaccine deal with AstraZeneca instead that gave the pharmaceutical behemoth exclusive rights and no guarantee of low prices.

We have also learnt that Gates was instrumental in blocking attempts by a coalition of countries led by South Africa and India to bring a patent waiver proposal to the World Trade Organizations TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Council. A waiver would allow poorer countries to produce the vaccines themselves. And that would massively accelerate global take-up of vaccines, which could help in the global fight against Covid. But Gates argued that poor countries were not prepared to scale up manufacturing. A waiver would also eliminate incentives for future research, he said. His argument won the day and even today the TRIPS waiver is still under discussion at the WTO, going nowhere slowly.

In an article for Wired magazine Mohit Mookim, a former researcher at the Stanford Center for Ethics in Society, asks whether we should be surprised that a monopolist-turned-philanthropist maintains his commitment to monopoly patent rights as a philanthropist too?

Throughout the last two decades, Gates has repeatedly advocated for public health policies that bolster companies ability to exclude others from producing lifesaving drugs, including allowing the Gates Foundation itself to acquire substantial intellectual property. This continues through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now we learn that the foundation, with its vast holdings in pharmaceutical companies and substantial intellectual property interests, has also been helping to fund the MHRA for the past four years. In other words, an organization that has poured billions of dollars into the research and development of vaccines, other novel treatments and medical devices has also been funding the UK agency responsible for approving those vaccines, novel treatments and medical devices. .

The MHRA is not the only public health agency in the UK to have benefited from the foundations largess:

Public Health England, a health watchdog set up by the Government in 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and combat health inequalities, has received $7,785,336 from the foundation. The agency is set to close in the coming months and will be replaced by the Orwellian-titled UK Health Security Agency.

Health Data Research UK has received $3.5 million from the GF since the pandemic began. The organisation has courted controversy in recent months for its role in bringing together the health and biometric data of all 55 million of the NHS patients. That data was then supposed to be flogged to any interested third parties, but the plan was scrapped at the last minute due to public opposition.

The GF has also partnered with the UK Governments UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which began life in 2018 with a budget of 6 billion, ostensibly to support science and research in the UK.

Funding Crisis

As I wrote last week, the UK Government is ramping up its plans to privatise the NHS. This is leaving many parts of the health system starved of funds, which in turn opens up fresh opportunities for private-sector companies, trusts and foundations. The MHRA, like the FDA, is primarily funded by the user fees it charges its customers (i.e., the companies it regulates).

In the US, user fees fund account for around 65% of the FDAs operating budget for regulating prescription drugs. In the case of the MHRA, 100% of its budget for regulating medicines comes from user fees. Its other activities are funded by a combination of private and public sources. The MHRAs regulation of devices is primarily financed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with approximately 10% of its revenue derived from fees. The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) raises around half of its revenue from fees charged for services.

Nonetheless, the MHRA is facing a funding crisis. And its largely a result of Brexit. Before the UKs departure from the EU, in January this year, the MHRA formed part of the European system of medicines approval. Under that system, national regulators can serve as rapporteur or co-rapporteur for any given pharmaceutical application, providing most of the verification work on behalf of all members. It was an important source of fee-income but now its dried up. And the government is not replacing it.

As a consequence, the regulator has announced plans to lay off between a fifth and a quarter of its 1,200-strong workforce as part of cost-cutting measures. According to the FT, the goal is to transform how the MHRA operates by redeploying staff to new areas of regulation and science. Documents leaked to the British Medical Journal reveal that the MHRA is offering early redundancy packages to staff from its divisions on vigilance and risk management of medicines (not exactly comforting), licensing, devices, inspection enforcement and standards (also not comforting), as well as its committee secretariat. The document, marked official sensitive, also notes that the MHRAs income is forecast to fall by 15-20% in the next financial year and beyond.

Despite the drastic downsizing, the MHRA says it wants to still serve as a world-class regulator that delivers positive outcomes for patients while modernizing the services it provides to industry. With 15-20 percent less operating income and 20-25 percent fewer workers, thats likely to be a tall order.

User Fees: A Principal-Agency Problem

User fees are being used more and more to fund medicine regulators around the world. They are seen as a way of shifting some of the financial burden to manufacturers who stand to benefit from the sale of of medicines. But they also raise serious ethical issues. In a 2017 blog post for the BMJ, Joel Lexchin, a professor emeritus at the School of Health Policy and Management at York University, warned that the widespread introduction of user fees had created a principal-agent problem.

When the FDAs operating budget used to be funded exclusively by the government (up til the early 90s), there was essentially one principle and one agent in each interaction. Each of their roles was relatively clear. The principle needed something done (in this case, patients in the US needed effective, safe medicines to be approved and ineffective and/or unsafe medicines to be blocked) and the agent (in this case, the FDA) was contracted to do the task. However, since the introduction of user fees a new principal has been added (the pharmaceutical industry) and now the regulatory agency has two principals with directly competing values:

In the case of the public, the primary value is to have effective and safe drugs, but in the case of the pharmaceutical industry, its primary goal is to get its products through the approval system as quickly as possible and to sell those products to as wide an audience as possible. At times, it seems that regulatory agencies prioritize the latter at the expense of the former. Shortly after Canada introduced user fees, the head of the part of Health Canada that regulates prescription drugs issued a memo in which he said that the client is the direct recipient of your services. In many cases this is the person or company who pays for the service. The one page document focused on service to industry and relegated the public to the secondary status of stakeholder or beneficiary

User fees are reauthorized in the US on a five year cycle. When they came up for renewal in 2007, a number of prominent American commentators, including Marcia Angell, a former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and Jerry Avorn, a leading pharmacoepidemiologist, opposed its reauthorization and instead called for increased Congressional appropriations in order to allow the FDA to undertake its responsibilities free from any apparent conflict-of-interest.

Safety in a world of user fees is of paramount concern, concluded Lexchin. That was was back in 2017. Four years on, we are in the biggest health crisis of our lifetimes and the tasks performed by medicines regulators are more important than ever. New experimental vaccines and therapeutic treatments are rolling off the line in record time. But theyre also being authorised in record time  in some cases despite scant evidence of benefits (e.g., Remdesivir). And theyre earning record profits for their manufacturers. At the same time, promising repurposed off-patent medicines that do not offer lucrative financial returns are largely being ignored or are even being demonised by our medicines regulators.

In its quest to remain globally relevant as it loses money and staff and in the absence of increased government support, the MHRA will need to raise even more funds from the companies it regulates. Further handouts from the likes of the Gates Foundation will also be welcome, one can imagine. But that, one can imagine, will come with even more strings attached.
My position with Nashville Post has evolved since 2000 when I began work with the now-defunct The City Paper. TCP became a Post sister pub in 2008 (when I began some Post work) and folded in 2013. I have worked mainly with the Post since late 2011.

Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
(Natural News) In 2020, the proposition that COVID-19 countermeasures would come to include forced vaccination and vaccine passports, resulting in a segregated society where only those participating in the COVID injection experiment have human rights, was labeled a wild conspiracy theory unworthy of discussion.

(Article by Joseph Mercola republished from LewRockwell.com)

Fast-forward to Aug. 2, 2021, and Forbes announces, No Vax, No Service: Heres Where Bars and Restaurants Across U.S. Are Requiring Proof of Vaccination.

No jab, no dining

According to Forbes, high-profile restaurant chains like Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality are leading the way, requiring all staff and indoor diners in New York City and Washington D.C. to prove theyve received the required doses of COVID-19 injections, starting Sept. 7.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed the decision, saying others will follow  and indeed, they did, with de Blasio himself announcing Aug. 3, that proof of vaccination will be mandatory for all indoor dining, visiting gyms and going to movie theaters in the city:

This is a miraculous place literally full of wonders, Mr. de Blasio said. If youre vaccinated, all thats going to open up to you. But if youre unvaccinated, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in many things.

Several New York City eateries were already checking vaccination status, and during the last week of July, the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance urged its 300 members to require proof of COVID-19 injection or a negative COVID test for patrons wanting to have a drink indoors.

Several Los Angeles restaurants, bars and comedy clubs are also following suit, as are more than 60 establishments in Seattle. Vaccinated-only restaurants have also popped up in Oakland, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Boulder, St. Louis and New Orleans.

Since COVID countermeasures are a global lockstep operation, the same segregation trend is emerging in other countries as well. On the other hand, in Florida, where I live, businesses are prohibited by law from requiring customers to show proof of participation in the COVID jab experiment.

No jab, no job

A growing number of private companies are also requiring workers to participate in human medical experimentation or forfeit their job. As reported by Axios, this includes Facebook, Google, Twitter, Lyft, Uber, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Washington Post, BlackRock, Ascension Health, Netflix, Walmart, the Walt Disney Corporation and Morgan Stanley.

As mentioned, Florida prohibits businesses from requiring customers to provide proof of COVID vaccination, but it does not bar companies from mandating vaccination for its employees.

For now, Disneys jab mandate only pertains to salaried and nonunion hourly employees, but according to Yahoo!News, Disney is in negotiations with union officials who represent theme park employees and members of its movie and TV production crews. The goal is to extend the vaccine mandate to union employees as well.

In May, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decreed that it is legal for companies to require employees to get the COVID shots. This despite the fact that the four available COVID injections are only authorized for emergency use and are as yet unlicensed. Testing is not expected to conclude for another two years.

No jab, no business

Private companies also have the right to not mandate COVID shots, of course, but standing up for workers right to choose could hamper their ability to conduct business at all, as PayPal is now vowing to block transactions and cancel accounts held by extremists and anyone endangering at-risk communities, which could include just about anything at this point.

Seeing how the White House is promoting the idea that people who question the safety and effectiveness of COVID shots are killing people and the Center for Countering Digital Hate labels anti-vaccine rhetoric as a form of hate speech, is it a stretch to suspect PayPal will start taking down the accounts of so-called anti-vaxxers?

Business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs who speak out against other official narratives probably face the same risk. Venture capitalist David Sacks recently commented on the situation:

When I helped create PayPal in 1999, it was in furtherance of a revolutionary idea. No longer would ordinary people be dependent on large financial institutions to start a business  But now PayPal is turning its back on its original mission. It is now leading the charge to restrict participation by those it deems unworthy  [W]e are talking about  shutting down people and organizations that express views that are entirely lawful  If history is any guide, other fintech companies will soon follow suit  When  your name lands on a No-Buy List created by a consortium of private fintech companies, to whom can you appeal? As for the notion of building your own PayPal or Facebook: because of their gigantic network effects and economies of scale, there is no viable alternative when the whole industry works together to deny you access. Kicking people off social media deprives them of the right to speak in our increasingly online world. Locking them out of the financial economy is worse: It deprives them of the right to make a living. We have seen how cancel culture can obliterate ones ability to earn an income, but now the cancelled may find themselves without a way to pay for goods and services. Previously, cancelled employees who would never again have the opportunity to work for a Fortune 500 company at least had the option to go into business for themselves. But if they cannot purchase equipment, pay employees, or receive payment from clients and customers, that door closes on them, too.

If this trend continues, which it probably will, might people who question COVID shots and/or refuse to participate in human experimentation be barred from having a credit card or a bank account?

No jab, no food

Some are promoting even more severe punishment for the unvaccinated. Yet, its not enough for some thought leaders that unvaccinated individuals cant enter a bar or restaurant, and might lose their ability to send or receive money for goods and services using PayPal (and potentially other digital transaction services).

For example, CNN anchor Don Lemon recently suggested unvaccinated people ought to be barred from buying food and have their drivers license taken away.

Id like you to conduct a thought experiment, and think this through from start to finish. What would your life be like if you were:

Barred from driving. Barred from working and earning a paycheck. Barred from sending or receiving money online. Barred from having a bank account and credit card. Barred from eating food at a restaurant (assuming you somehow got the cash to pay for it). Barred from buying food in a grocery store (again, assuming you somehow got the cash to pay for it).

Are Lemon and countless others actually saying it is acceptable to make half the U.S. population homeless and starve them to death in order to, theoretically, prevent the spread of an infection that, so far, has had a 99.74% survival rate?

Mob morality

To understand whats really happening and what Lemons rhetoric is accomplishing, I highly recommend reading Charles Eisensteins article Mob Morality and the Unvaxxed. Its an excellent and thought-provoking piece. Heres a few chosen excerpts:

We would like to think that modern societies like ours have outgrown barbaric customs like human sacrifice  we dont actually kill people in hopes of placating the gods and restoring order. Or do we?  Not just any victim will do as an object of human sacrifice. Victims must be, as [legal scholar Roberta] Harding puts it, in, but not of, the society. That is why, during the Black Death, mobs roamed about murdering Jews for poisoning the wells. The entire Jewish population of Basel was burned alive, a scene repeated throughout Western Europe. Yet this was not mainly the result of preexisting virulent hatred of Jews waiting for an excuse to erupt; it was that victims were needed to release social tension, and hatred, an instrument of that release, coalesced opportunistically on the Jews  Combatting hatred is combating a symptom. Scapegoats neednt be guilty, but they must be marginal, outcasts, heretics, taboo-breakers, or infidels of one kind or another  If they are not already marginal, they must be made so  [D]efying left-right categorization is a promising new scapegoat class, the heretics of our time: the anti-vaxxers. As a readily identifiable subpopulation, they are ideal candidates for scapegoating. It matters little whether any of these pose a real threat to society  their guilt is irrelevant to the project of restoring order through blood sacrifice  All that is necessary is that the dehumanized class arouse the blind indignation and rage necessary to incite a paroxysm of unifying violence. More relevant to current times, this primal mob energy can be harnessed toward fascistic political ends  Sacrificial subjects carry an association of pollution or contagion; their removal thus cleanses society. I know people in the alternative health field who are considered so unclean that if I so much as mention their names in a Tweet or Facebook post, the post may be deleted  The publics ready acceptance of such blatant censorship cannot be explained solely in terms of its believing the pretext of controlling misinformation. Unconsciously, the public recognizes and conforms to the age-old program of investing a pariah subclass with the symbology of pollution  This program is well underway toward the Covid-unvaxxed, who are being portrayed as walking cesspools of germs who might contaminate the Sanctified Brethren (the vaccinated). My wife perused an acupuncture Facebook page today  where someone asked, What is the word that comes to mind to describe unvaccinated people? The responses were things like filth, assholes, and death-eaters. This is precisely the dehumanization necessary to prepare a class of people for cleansing  To prepare someone for removal as the repository of all that is evil, it helps to heap upon them every imaginable calumny. Thus we hear in mainstream publications that anti-vaxxers not only are killing people, but are raging narcissists  and tantamount to domestic terrorists.

Dangerous territory ahead

If deep down in your gut you sense that were speeding into dangerous territory, youre probably right. The vaccinated public are actively encouraged and manipulated both by media and government officials into literally despising and wishing death upon the unvaccinated, and this is indeed a very dangerous thing. It breeds mob mentality devoid of reason and logic, which can have tragic consequences.

Why is fascism so commonly associated with genocide, when as a political philosophy it is about unity, nationalism, and the merger of corporate and state power? Eisenstein asks. It is because it needs a unifying force powerful enough to sweep aside all resistance. The us of fascism requires a them. The civic-minded moral majority participates willingly, assured that it is for the greater good. Something must be done. The doubters go along too, for their own safety. No wonder todays authoritarian institutions know, as if instinctively, to whip up hysteria toward the  unvaccinated. Fascism taps into, exploits, and institutionalizes a deeper instinct. The practice of creating dehumanized classes of people and then murdering them is older than history  The campaign against the unvaccinated, garbed in the white lab coat of Science, munitioned with biased data, and waving the pennant of altruism, channels a brutal, ancient impulse.

The Constitution still offers some measure of protection in the U.S., but it may be naive to assume it will be adhered to in the long term unless we the people demand it. In Australia, military are now roaming the streets of Sydney to make sure no one strays beyond their front door, as the country has implemented one of its strictest lockdowns yet.

Fanning the flames of anger and hatred, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stated that vaccinated Australians might be able to regain some of their mobility once the vaccination rate reaches 70%, and broad lockdowns may be avoidable altogether if the vaccination rate hits 80%.

If you get vaccinated, there will be special rules that apply to you, Morrison told reporters. Why? Because if youre vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk.

A rational person might question whether Morrison would actually hold true to his word. A person blinded by anger probably wont, but will instead direct their frustration onto the holdouts that prevent the vaccination rate from reaching that magical threshold where they believe freedom will be restored.

Read more at: LewRockwell.com and MedicalFascism.news.
(Natural News) A group of doctors from several South Florida hospitals staged a walkout to protest against unvaccinated Americans. The medical professionals said people who do not get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine are responsible for a surge of hospitalizations. However, the protest appeared to be an abandonment of their duties to take care of patients  both inoculated and not.

The 75 doctors held the walkout on Aug. 23 following a surge of COVID-19 cases in southern Florida. The state reported 21,329 new COVID-19 cases and 228 deaths on that day. Some in the group expressed discontent with the high number of Palm Beach residents turning down the COVID-19 vaccine. Thus, they also called on Floridians to get inoculated at the soonest.

Two doctors who joined the protest voiced their thoughts on the matter. Palm Beach Internal Medicines Dr. Rupesh Daria said: We are exhausted. Our patience and resources are running low and we need your help. Meanwhile, Jupiter Medical Centers Dr. Ahmed El-Hadded warned of the dangers of the highly infectious B16172 delta variant. This variant is deadlier: It is impacting the lungs quicker, it is eating away at the lungs, it is causing more problems  and the patients are dying quicker, he said.

Dr. Ethan Chapin, El-Haddeds colleague at Jupiter Medical Center, also expressed his sentiments. Were not just going in to work and working long hours, but were seeing people who dont need to be in the hospital, who are healthy and young, who dont have the co-morbidities that we typically see, and theyre getting this from a preventable illness, he said.

Chapin continued that treating patients who could have avoided hospitalization if they were inoculated can be frustrating. He said: The irony is difficult to deal with sometimes. Its [them] trying to reach out to us when weve already extended our hand to help them. [Theyve] pushed it aside and ignored our advice, and then they come back asking. [Its] frustrating and heartbreaking. (Related: Florida hospital caught trying to MURDER covid patient to boost death numbers.)

Doctors walkout a violation of the Hippocratic Oath

The walkout conducted by the 75 doctors could constitute a violation of the Hippocratic Oath, which says doctors must do no harm to their patients regardless of their vaccination status.

Protests such as the Aug. 23 gathering left emergency rooms possibly without staff members  endangering patients in the process. However, a spokesperson for the group of doctors told Business Insider that all participants were off duty.

The medical professionals who joined the protest said a huge chunk of COVID-19 cases they recently saw were unvaccinated. They claimed that many of their unvaccinated patients expressed regret about not getting the COVID-19 vaccine sooner. Some doctors even stood outside their hospitals before the protest and spoke out against the high number of individuals refusing inoculation.

Furthermore, the doctors who took part in the protest pointed out that more children have been hospitalized in recent weeks because of the delta variant. Nevertheless, infectious disease specialist Dr. Leslie Diaz doubled down on vaccination. The vaccine still remains the most effective and reliable way to stop this madness, she said.

Incidentally, the protest by the Florida doctors happened on the same day as the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) full approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine. In a statement, the FDA confirmed that the New York-based companys Comirnaty vaccine is now fully approved for use in people 16 years old and above.

Comirnaty was initially granted emergency use authorization (EUA) in December 2020 before its full approval on Aug. 23. The FDA statement noted that the vaccines use in those aged 12 to 15 years old was still under EUA. Furthermore, Comirnatys use as a booster dose for certain people with weakened immune systems was also under EUA. (Related: 2 things mainstream media didnt tell you about FDAs approval of Pfizer vaccine.)

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. Todays milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic, Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said.

MedicalTyranny.com has more about doctors pushing for COVID-19 vaccines at the cost of breaking their sworn oath.

Sources include:

BigLeaguePolitics.com

People.com

BusinessInsider.com

FDA.gov
(Natural News) A disturbing video out of France shows desperate shoppers being blocked from entering a supermarket by police because they dont have COVID passports.

(Article by Sean Adl-Tabatabai republished from NewsPunch.com)

The footage shows residents, some with children, being blocked from buying essential food items by security guards.

The guards then begin pushing one woman away as the crowd becomes more upset.

A number of police officers then begin physically assaulting the frightened shoppers.

France people not allowed into supermarkets without"covid passports".pic.twitter.com/BsjKMT4Dgm  Ruthann (@TeaBoots) August 19, 2021

Summit.news reports: The entire world has had it with this insane bullshit, responded one Twitter user

Now theyre denying people access to food in France  if they dont take an unapproved FDA vaccine for a virus with a 99.7% survival rate.

Although Frances COVID passport law mandates proof of vaccination to enter larger shopping malls, those with a surface area of less than 20,000 square meters are supposed to be exempt.

Under the the draconian law, people in France who enter a bar or restaurant without a COVID pass face 6 months in jail, while business owners who fail to check their status face a 1 year prison sentence and a 45,000 fine.

As we highlighted earlier this week, anecdotal evidence suggests many businesses arent checking for COVID passports, perhaps spooked at images that showed many bars and restaurants to be almost empty after the scheme began.

Although police made a visible show of patrolling establishments to check peoples medical papers on the first day that the program began, this appears to have abated.

However, people who cant show proof of having taken the jab are still banned from using inter-city public transport.

President Emmanuel Macron ludicrously defended vaccine passports last week by claiming they protected peoples freedom, which is like arguing that locking people up is for their own safety.

Read more at: NewsPunch.com and MedicalTyranny.com.
(Natural News) An Ohio judge has ordered a man to get the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine as a requirement for his continued freedom. Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Wagner commanded 21-year-old Brandon Rutherford to get inoculated as part of his probation. Rutherford, who was convicted of fentanyl possession, said he and his attorney will fight against Wagners order.

Wagner told Rutherford during an Aug. 4 sentencing hearing: Im going to order you, within the next two months, to get a [COVID-19] vaccine and show that to the probation office. The magistrate continued: Im just a judge, not a doctor, but I think the [COVID-19] vaccines a lot safer than fentanyl which is what you had in your pocket. Rutherford will face up to 18 months in state prison if he refuses to get vaccinated, the New York Post reported.

Rutherford wore a face mask during his sentencing hearing. As he stood in front of Wagner to await his sentence, the judge asked him why he had a face covering on. He told the judge that he was not yet inoculated and he had no plans to do so. I had the mask on because I heard the [COVID-19 case] numbers were back up, Rutherford later told Cincinnati news channel WCPO 9.

According to the 21-year-old, he has been avoiding trouble and wants to find work. However, he is worried that he will be jailed for refusing to get inoculated against COVID-19 and that a prison record will make it more difficult for him to start anew.

I dont plan on getting it, [and] I dont want it. So for him to tell me that I have to get it in order for me not to violate my probation is crazy. Im just trying to do what I can to get off this as quickly as possible, like finding a job and everything else, but that little thing can set me back, Rutherford told WCPO 9.

Wagners order clearly disregarded Rutherfords freedom to choose

Wagner defended his decision to order Rutherfords inoculation in a statement. He said that it was his responsibility as a judge to rehabilitate the defendant and protect the community. Wagner continued: Judges make decisions regularly regarding a defendants physical and mental health  such as ordering drug, alcohol and mental health treatment.

Rutherford meanwhile reiterated that he does not plan on obeying Wagners unfair order, adding that he and his attorney plan to fight back. Attorney Carl Lewis, who represented Rutherford, said it was the first time he heard a Hamilton County judge order someone to get vaccinated. (Related: Divorce court judge orders ex couple to get coronavirus vaccine.)

When you hear that, youre like, I dont think the judges are within their powers to do that,' Lewis said of Wagners order. The attorney continued: If [Wagner] truly believes that hes within authority to order the individual to get a vaccine, then well have a legal issue to address.

Lewis was not the only lawyer who shared the same sentiment about Wagners order. Speaking to the Daily Mail, New England-based attorney Norman Pattis called the vaccination order frankly terrifying and an abuse of the [courts] discretion. According to Pattis, the Hamilton County judge mandating Rutherfords vaccination went beyond the magistrates power.

Its not like Im out here getting into any more trouble or anything like that. But because I dont take a [COVID-19] shot, they can send me to jail. I dont agree with that, Rutherford said. Requests for comment sent by WCPO 9 to Wagners staff about the court order were left unanswered.

Other judges have followed Wagners footsteps

However, Wagner was not the first judge who ordered a convicted individual to get vaccinated as part of their probation. Judge Richard Frye of Franklin County also ordered a number of defendants to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Ohio Capital Journal mentioned the case of Cameron Stringer, who pleaded guilty for one count of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.

Frye sentenced Stringer to two years of probation. He mandated that Stringer submit to random drug testing, avoid further trouble with the law and return a stolen firearm to its rightful owner. Frye also ordered Stringer to get a COVID-19 vaccine within 30 days and show proof of inoculation to the countys probation office. (Related: Judge in Ohio essentially sentences man to DEATH by covid vaccine for minor weapons violation.)

The Franklin County magistrate defended his decision to order COVID-19 vaccination in an interview, saying that he just wants the defendants to be safe in the community. Frye said: I think its a reasonable condition when were telling people to get employed and be out in the community. However, he did not speculate about defendants objecting to vaccination for religious, philosophical or medical reasons.

MedicalFascism.news has more articles about people being forced to get vaccinated against their will.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com 1

NYPost.com

WCPO.com

LifeSiteNews.com 2

OhioCapitalJournal.com
(Natural News) The mainstream media and the Biden administration are apparently colluding to trick Americans into getting an experimental coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The scheme started with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Aug. 23.

In its approval letter, the FDA acknowledged that there is a significant amount of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine  produced under emergency use authorization (EUA)  still available for use while the pharmaceutical company has insufficient stocks of the newly licensed vaccine called Comirnaty.

The FDA ruled that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine under the EUA should remain unlicensed but can be used interchangeably with Comirnaty. It also pointed out that the licensed Comirnaty vaccine and Pfizers existing COVID-19 vaccine under EUA are legally distinct.

Under the circumstances, it was abundantly clear that the granting of full approval was a calculated move to encourage businesses and schools to impose vaccine mandates and enable Pfizer to unload inventories of its COVID-19 vaccine under EUA.

With the announcement that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is now licensed, Americans will wrongly assume that vaccine mandates are lawful. (Related: Liberty Counsel: FDA approval doesnt mean Pfizer shots are safe.)

Potential recipients have the right to refuse experimental COVID-19 vaccine

There is a huge real-world difference between products approved under EUA compared with those fully approved by the FDA.

EUA products are experimental under U.S. laws. Both the Nuremberg Code and federal regulations state that no one can force a human being to participate in the experiment. Under U.S. laws, it is unlawful to deny someone a job or an education because they refuse to be an experimental subject. Potential recipients have an absolute right to refuse experimental vaccines.

On the other hand, U.S. laws permit employers and schools to require students and workers to take licensed vaccines.

EUA-approved 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 Comirnaty vaccine is subject to the same product liability laws as other U.S. products. Licensed adult vaccines, including Comirnaty, do not enjoy any liability shield. People injured by the Comirnaty vaccine could potentially sue for damages. Jury awards could be astronomical, so Pfizer is unlikely to allow any American to take a Comirnaty vaccine until it can somehow arrange immunity for the product.

Mainstream media quick to report that vaccine mandates are now legal

Members of the mainstream media were quick to report that vaccine mandates are now legal for military, healthcare workers, college students and employees in many industries following the full approval given to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine by the FDA.

The Pentagon promptly announced it will go ahead with its plan to force members of the military to get vaccinated against the virus following the announcement of the vaccines full approval.

New York City announced on the same day that all public school teachers and other staffers will have to get vaccinated. One of the first to implement the requirement was the State University of New York (SUNY) system, which has nearly 400,000 students and more than 85,000 faculty members spread across its 64 campuses.

Several other prominent institutions are expected to impose vaccine mandates after consultation with their Boards of Trustees and state officials.

More likely than not, employees and students would get Pfizers experimental COVID-19 vaccines under EUA  the same vaccine linked to cases of heart inflammation in teenagers and young adults and found to be ineffective at preventing symptomatic infections.

A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 30 found that 397 children between the ages of 12 and 17 were diagnosed with heart inflammation after receiving Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. In June, Israels Ministry of Health also identified over 200 cases of heart inflammation in men between 16 and 30 years old, a vast majority of those happening at the younger end of that range.

Data published by Israel in July also found that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine was just 40.5 percent effective on average at preventing symptomatic infections.

An analysis, which was carried out as the delta variant became the dominant strain in Israel, appeared to show waning effectiveness of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. It was only 16 percent effective against symptomatic infections for those who had two doses back in January. For people that had received two doses by April, the efficacy rate against symptomatic infections stood at 79 percent.

Biden, Fauci endorse vaccine mandates

President Joe Biden also endorsed the apparent scheme to trick Americans into getting experimental vaccines. (Related: Biden administration mulls COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers amidst surge of cases following widespread vaccinations.)

Let me say this loudly and clearly: If youre one of the millions of Americans who said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA, it has now happened, Biden said. The moment youve been waiting for is here. Its time for you to go get your vaccination. Get it today.

Biden also called for more private companies to implement vaccine mandates.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci went as far as saying that the time has come for a nationwide vaccine mandate.

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, Fauci said.

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.

Biden, Fauci and the mainstream were ignoring the fact that the FDA has not granted full approval to COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The federal agency has also not granted full approval to any COVID-19 vaccine for children between ages 12 and 15.

The vast majority, if not all, of COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S., are unlicensed EUA products.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

DailyMail.co.uk

CNBC.com

InfoWars.com
(Natural News) Milley should have studied Muslim rage, instead of white rage.

(Article by Daniel Greenfield republished from FrontPageMag.com)

I want to understand white rage, and Im white, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whined at a congressional hearing.

He might have done better to understand Muslim rage.

A week after his testimony, the Taliban had not only doubled their number of districts, but possessed hundreds of captured U.S. armored vehicles, along with artillery and drones.

The Pentagons spokesman told reporters to ask the Afghan military about the gear.

In May, Milley had shrugged off questions about whether the Afghan military would survive. We frankly dont know yet. We have to wait and see how things develop over the summer.

The Afghan military was beginning to fall apart while Milley was defending critical race theory.

A week earlier, the New York Times had described demoralized Afghan forces abandoning checkpoints and bases en masse. Two days after Milleys disgraceful performance, the media reported that even the Taliban were surprised at how fast they were advancing.

At the beginning of July, the Biden administration abandoned Bagram Air Force Base. A week later the Taliban reclaimed the Panjwayi District where the Jihadist movement had gotten its start, seized the largest border crossing with Iran and the millions in revenue that came with it.

The United States Army responded by announcing that it was putting a renewed emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and equity or DEI. Had the brass ordered it as diversity, inclusion, and equity, the resulting acronym would have been more reflective of the real world.

While the Taliban were conquering Afghanistans rural provinces and then moving on to besieging its cities, the Army was wrestling with the effective messaging that demonstrates why DEI efforts are critical to the success of the Army. The new messaging would explain how the talents of a diverse workforce that included language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity were vital to whatever its mission was.

The Taliban, who were mostly Sunni Islamist Pashtun tribesmen, would spend the next two months demonstrating that diversity was not a strength, but a serious weakness.

While the Afghan government and its military were divided between diverse tribal factions, some of whom would flee to Iran and others to Uzbekistan (depending on whether they were Hazaras or Uzbeks) while the Pashtuns would surrender to their fellow Taliban tribesmen, the Taliban showed that unity would stomp diversity in the face and then dance on its grave.

Meanwhile the military brass in this country, as discussed in my recent pamphlet, Disloyal: How the Military Brass is Betraying Our Country, was busy dividing our own military from within in pursuit of diversity, pitting black and white service members against each other in critical conversations and urging them to accuse their country and services of systemic racism.

As the Army brass were striving to establish the Army as a global leader in DEI, Americas enemies were plotting to become global leaders in land, power, and military victories.

By late July, Milley admitted that, Strategic momentum appears to be sort of with the Taliban.

By sort of, Milley meant that the Taliban had more than doubled their territory again and were marching on half of the provincial capitals.

Few reporters asked follow-up questions about the sort of because the leading story in D.C. was an anti-Trump book which flatteringly portrayed Milley as preventing a Trump coup.

No one, from the media to Milley, cared about the actual coup underway in Afghanistan.

This department will be diverse. It will be inclusive, Bidens Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin insisted. Im committed to that. This department is committed to that. The chairmans committed to that.

While Bidens brass were pledging allegiance to diversity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to the Peoples Republic of China. Yi praised the Taliban as a a pivotal military and political force and mocked the United States.

The United States Army was busy developing and implementing a strategic plan to advance DEI across the Total Force as the Taliban seized the capitals of Helmand and Herat.

But the Navy faced its own crisis when Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr. warned at a DEI panel at the Sea Air Space conference that removing photos from promotion boards, a diversity measure from last year, actually undermined diversity because the brass no longer knew exactly how many minorities they were artificially promoting to fit diversity quotas.

While the Navy was grappling with this dark night of the soul, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Jones with the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion received the Navy Cross for his heroism during a six-hour battle with ISIS last year during which he rescued a French ally and risked his life to try and rescue two wounded comrades.

Jones continued fighting until forcibly evacuated.

Sadly, Jones is a straight white man from Kansas, and doesnt really fit the DEI template, but in happier diversity defense news, the new Navy Secretary is an immigrant, the first female sailor graduated from Naval Special Warfare training, and the Naval Institute published a confession by Lieutenant Commander David Elsenbeck that he was unconsciously biased and a member of the dominant group in a society suffering from institutionalized and historically ingrained bias.

Eisenbeck urged immediate bias education.

American POWs used to be starved, beaten, and had bamboo shoots driven under their fingernails without repeating the Marxist dogma they were being indoctrinated with. But hardly a week goes by now without another litany of Marxist confessions at military struggle sessions.

The Taliban, who actually are a member of the dominant group, began swallowing up a series of provincial capitals and marrying off young girls to their Jihadists. Back home, the Virginia Military Institutes first-ever Chief Diversity Officer, Jamica Love, announced that she intended to pursue institutional change to transform the VMIs culture. Thats what the Taliban were also up to.

While the Taliban advanced, CIA Director William Burns commented that increasing diversity and inclusion was among his top priorities. We cannot be effective around the world if everybody looks like me, he complained. To that end the CIA had unrolled an ad campaign featuring a Latina cisgender intersectional worker wearing a pink gender power clenched fist t-shirt. But the widely hated woke ad was only the tip of the agencys diversity iceberg.

At CIA, we dont just leverage diversity, equity, and inclusion; we embrace and celebrate it, an agency diversity report insisted. This ethos must be woven in to our day-to-day tasks.

How were diversity and equity woven into the task of monitoring the Talibans advance?

No one knows. But, like the military, the CIA went on holding critical conversations in which minority employees were encouraged to spout racism accusations.

Sonya Holt, Deputy Associate Director of CIA for Talent for Diversity and Inclusion, who had started out as a mere recruiter, assured that through DEI, the Agency will be better prepared to address intelligence challenges and support its customers.

While CIA officers were learning how diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to mission success, the agency began belatedly considering how to extract its assets from Afghanistan.

Recent intelligence reports warned that Kabul could fall to the Taliban within years.

But while the CIA tried to figure out how it would collect intelligence on the Taliban after the withdrawal, its employees did have the benefit of 15 affinity groups including ANGLE (Agency Network of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Officers and Allies), DAC (Deaf Advisory Council) and SALAAM (South Asian Leadership and Advisory Membership.)

The CIA was also working to hire neurodiverse personnel, which it defined as people suffering from ADD, Dyslexia, or Tourettes Syndrome. Or as the CIA wokely put it differences labeled with these syndromes.

Key Afghan figures had warned that there was a conspiracy underway to hand Afghanistan to the Taliban. The drumroll surrenders of cities and much of the Afghan military appeared to confirm that backroom deals had been made. The obvious players able to pull off such deals were Pakistans ISI spy agency, the original backers of the Taliban, along with Turkey and Qatar.

Bidens CIA director had turned to Pakistan in the hopes of allowing the agency to run a spy base in the country that had harbored Osama bin Laden. The Biden administrations military and diplomatic response to the Taliban was being run out of Qatar. And it had handed security at Kabul Airport over to Turkey before frantically taking it back when the Taliban took the city.

The CIA should have been on top of this, but it had better things to do with its time.

An unclassified intelligence community report did warn that the Taliban was broadly consistent in its restrictive approach to womens rights.

The Taliban have now taken over Afghanistan, but its not all bad news on the military front.

While Trump administration Pentagon nominees were overwhelmingly white and male, the Biden administration says 54% of its national security nominees ? to the Pentagon, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development ? are women, 40% are people of color, and at least 7% identify as LGBTQ, the publication thrillingly reports.

Better yet, recent weeks saw two LGBTQ women confirmed to top military positions. Air Force Undersecretary Gina Ortiz Jones is the first out lesbian to serve as undersecretary of a military branch, while Shawn Skelly, the assistant secretary of defense for readiness, is the first out transgender person in the job and highest-ranking out transgender defense official in U.S. history.

The State Department is doing its part by asking the Taliban to form an inclusive and representative government. And if they refuse to have as many neurodiverse black transgender defense officials as us, Biden wont give them any more humvees, artillery, choppers, or drones.

The Taliban may have won Afghanistan, but were winning the diversity race. And since diversity is more important than winning wars or being a military superpower, were beating the Taliban. Not to mention Russia, China, and Iran in the field of transgender defense officials.

As I warned in the David Horowitz Freedom Centers booklet, Disloyal: How the Military Brass is Betraying Our Country, wokeness is leading our military to disaster, disgrace, and defeat.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, (sorry, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is at the heart of everything that Bidens military does and our performance reflects the focus on DEI.

Afghanistan is a disaster, but well have the most diverse military in the world or DEI trying.

Read more at: FrontPageMag.com and IdentityPolitics.news.
(Natural News) Health authorities worldwide have promoted the use of face masks to curb the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite this, countless papers have shown that these masks caused more harm than the disease they aim to prevent. The number of articles critical of face coverings has only increased more than a year after the pandemic started.

Great Game India (GGI) outlined more than 30 articles proving that face masks were useless against SARS-CoV-2. Among these was a statement by two respiratory protection experts from the University of Illinois Chicago. Lisa Brosseau and Margaret Sietsema penned the commentary on face masks, which was written in April 2020  one month after the pandemic began.

In their commentary, Brosseau and Sietsema refused to recommend the general public to mask up. One reason they cited for this was face coverings caused people to relax other efforts to curb COVID-19 spread due to the masks providing a sense of protection. Our review of relevant studies indicates that cloth masks will be ineffective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, whether worn as source control or as [personal protective equipment], the two pointed out.

Brosseau and Sietsema cited a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that looked at how different materials filtered out particles. The institute analyzed commercial cloth masks, sweatshirts, T-shirts, towels and scarves.

As expected, the NIOSH study found that N95 respirators could filter out more than 95 percent of particles  while cloth masks only blocked 10 to 30 percent. T-shirts showed 10 percent filtration efficiency, while sweatshirts had 20 to 40 percent efficiency. Scarves only filtered 10 to 20 percent of particles and towels managed to filter 40 percent. Nevertheless, the NIOSH study found that all cloth masks and materials failed to block particles 0.3 micrometers in size  which easily entered the lungs. (Related: Dozens of peer-reviewed science papers prove that face masks are dangerous, ineffective.)

Meanwhile, the two experts noted that medical masks exhibited almost the same results as cloth-based counterparts. Given that medical masks were made from a wide range of materials, most of these exhibited an efficiency of between 30 percent and 50 percent. Surgical and other medical masks may likely have some utility as a source control  from a symptomatic patient in a healthcare setting to stop the spread  and limit the lateral dispersion of cough particles, they wrote.

Mask mandates actually caused increase in coronavirus cases

Another article critical of face masks cited by GGI came from the Swiss Policy Research (SPR) website. According to the SPR piece, mask mandates by different governments actually contributed to a rise in COVID-19 cases. It included COVID-19 data from a number of European countries that required people to mask up.

Such trends were observed in Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, France and Belgium. Some U.S. states also exhibited the same pattern, such as California and Hawaii  incidentally Democrat-led states.

The SPR article also included a comparison between the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Despite having both Republican governors, the two had very different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The north imposed mask mandates and restrictions on businesses, while the south did not.

COVID-19 figures from the two states show North Dakota having higher case counts during the fall 2020 case surge. Both North Dakota and South Dakota almost have the same number of cases prior to the surge.

Ultimately, the GGI article echoed the sentiment of British expert Dr. Colin Axon, who described masks as comfort blankets. According to Axon, some cloth masks have gaps that cannot be seen by the naked eye where infected particles can pass through.

[Members of the] public were demanding [that] something must be done  [and] they got masks. It is just a comfort blanket. But now it is entrenched, and we are entrenching bad behavior, Axon said. He continued: All around the world, you can look at mask mandates and superimpose [them] on infection rates. [You] cannot see that mask mandates made any effect whatsoever. (Related: Doctor raises serious doubts about effectiveness of face masks, busts common misconceptions.)

Pandemic.news has more articles about the uselessness of face masks against COVID-19.

Sources include:

GreatGameIndia.com

CIDRAP.UMN.edu

SWPRS.org

Telegraph.co.uk
(Natural News) The government of the United Kingdom has released new data showing that the vast majority of delta variant deaths are occurring among people who got fully vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Only one third of all deaths supposedly caused by the delta variant are occurring in people who did not get the jab, which clearly shows that Operation Warp Speed is an utter failure  assuming that saving lives was the goal, anyway.

From February 1 through August 2, the U.K. recorded 742 deaths allegedly caused by the delta variant. Of these, 402 were fully vaccinated while 79 had received just one shot. The remaining 253 cases were unvaccinated.

You can view the official government report outlining the data at this link.

If you get covid having been vaccinated, according to this data, you are much more likely to die than if you were not vaccinated! writes Chris Waldburger on his Substack.

Obviously some allowance must be made for more elderly people being vaccinated, but not enough to change the bottom line: This vaccine is not nearly as effective as advertised.

Covid vaccinations must stop in the best interest of public health

In every country where Fauci Flu shot uptake is high, including in Israel, deaths and hospitalizations are soaring.

A whopping 60 percent of all new hospitalizations in Israel are fully vaccinated patients who are now being told by their government that they need a third booster shot in order to stay safe against vaccine-caused mutations.

The powers that be will not admit there is something terribly wrong, Waldburger adds, calling for a complete recalibration of global policy as the only moral option here.

They will not acknowledge the clear science that people with natural immunity, and the young and healthy, do not need to take the risks of these injections.

Waldburger also explains that natural immunity, meaning real immunity, is the best way to go. Vaccine-induced immunity, if you can even call it that, lasts for only a very short time at best. At worst, it destroys natural immunity forever, leaving a person prone to a lifetime of disease.

You can learn more about natural immunity and why it is superior to vaccine-induced immunity.

How many more new variants will emerge from the booster shots?

Now that this is becoming widely apparent with Wuhan Flu shots, governments around the world are ramping up the booster shot propaganda, claiming that a semi-annual injection is necessary for the fully vaccinated to stay immune to disease.

This makes no sense, of course, as the first two jabs clearly did nothing to promote immunity while leaving the injected prone to disease. The apparent hope, however, is that the injected will turn off their brains and just obey the orders.

Once the booster shot campaign really gets going and additional needles are plunged into arms, we expect a slew of new variants, likely even more deadly than the last, which will drive calls for a fourth booster, and so on and so forth, forever.

The plan would seem to be to so destroy peoples immune systems with these shots that they are forever reliant upon Big Pharma and the government to give them their next hit of immunity every six months or so.

The truth is probably that the 253 unvaccinated deaths were from other causes, not covid or delta, speculated one commenter at Chris Waldburgers blog.

Historians will look back and call this the malignant hypochondria era, wrote another. So there really is something going around thats far more pernicious than Covid-19.

Chinese Virus injections are a death sentence. To keep up with the latest, visit ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

ChrisWaldburger.Substack.com

Gov.uk

NaturalNews.com

Biznews.com
(Natural News) New Zealand Minister for COVID-19 Response Chris Hipkins accidentally called on people to spread their legs during a press conference. Hipkins made the slip of the tongue on Aug. 22, when he made remarks about New Zealanders exercising outdoors amid the countrys Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. The minister also gave an update on the countrys COVID-19 case counts in the same press briefing.

Hipkins spoke about New Zealanders maintaining proper social distance when he made the blunder. It is a challenge for people in high-density areas to get outside and spread their legs when they are surrounded by other people, he said during the press briefing. Hipkins meant to say stretch instead of spread, but it was too late when he realized he uttered the wrong word. He bumbled through the rest of his statement following his slip of the tongue.

The ministers response did not go unnoticed by Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, who was standing next to Hipkins. Bloomfield raised his eyebrows and smirked following Hipkinss gaffe. Hipkins later corrected himself with a chuckle  saying he would go and stretch his legs. He continued that the media would all have fun with him later.

Later that day, Hipkins took to social media and posted a photo poking fun at his own gaffe. The picture had this caption: That moment when you realize that what you had intended to say and what you had actually just said werent the same. At least Ive given you all something to laugh about.

True enough, Hipkinss slip went viral on social media  with many New Zealanders on Twitter poking fun at the blunder. One user tweeted: Keep socially distanced when out spreading your legs. Another user wrote: Chris Hipkins accidentally saying spread their legs instead of stretch is exactly what we needed today.

New Zealands COVID-19 lockdowns are no laughing matter

Even though Hipkinss blunder gave New Zealand something to laugh about, it did little to change the heavy mood in the country following a nationwide lockdown. Authorities imposed a lockdown following the spread of the highly infectious B16172 delta variant.

Before the August 2021 lockdown, New Zealand had been lauded for its virus-free status since February. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, New Zealand only saw 26 deaths due to COVID-19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern received praise from many countries across the globe for her handling of the pandemic.

However, the entry of the delta variant in New Zealand put Arderns approach under scrutiny. Initially, one COVID-19 case from the delta variant was first reported on Aug. 17. The strain first reported in India spread fast in the country, with more than 100 cases being recorded on Aug. 23.

Also on Aug. 23, Ardern extended the countrys nationwide lockdown by three days  until midnight on Aug. 27. The lockdown in Auckland  New Zealands largest city and the epicenter of the current COVID-19 outbreak  was also extended until Aug. 31. (Related: RESISTANCE IS FUTILE: New Zealand extends repressive COVID-19 lockdown to give government more time to vaccinate entire country.)

The prime minister told reporters during a news conference at the capital Wellington: We dont yet believe that we have reached a peak of this outbreak, or necessarily the edge of it. That does mean the safest option for all of us right now is to hold the course for longer.

Ardern also defended her use of lockdowns to address COVID-19 during the same press conference. For now, everyone is in agreement  [that] elimination is the strategy. There is no discussion or debate among any of us about that, because that is the safest option for us while we continue to vaccinate our people, she said. (Related: New Zealand promises to HUNT PEOPLE DOWN for not submitting to covid-19 vaccinations.)

Victoria University of Wellington political analyst Bryce Edwards said Arderns government is being judged differently in how it responded to COVID-19 in 2021 compared to the previous year. This time around, people are much more skeptical about how the [Ardern] government has been handling all of the COVID-related issues, he said.

Based on data from Johns Hopkins University, New Zealand recorded a total of 3,160 COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths.

Pandemic.news has more articles about New Zealands response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources include:

DailyStar.co.uk

GlobalNews.ca

Reuters.com

Coronavirus.JHU.edu
(Natural News) Parts of the Middle East are becoming uninhabitable as the region combats persistent drought and high temperatures. The ferries that once shuttled tourists to and from the little islets in Irans Lake Urmia are now sitting idly on what is rapidly becoming a salt plain.

Urmia was the Middle Easts biggest lake just two decades ago, with its local economy a thriving tourist center of hotels and restaurants.

People would come here for swimming and would use the mud for therapeutic purposes. They would stay here at least for a few days, said Ahad Ahmed, a journalist in the former port town of Sharafkhaneh as he confirmed CNN images of individuals having fun with the lake in 1995.

Drought in Middle East likely caused by humans

Lake Urmia has lost more than half its size  from 5,400 square kilometers (2,085 square miles) in the 1990s to just 2,500 square kilometers (965 square miles) today. There are legitimate concerns that the lake will disappear entirely.

Charles Iceland, the worldwide director of water on the World Resources Institute (WRI), said that some Middle Eastern countries are pumping huge amounts of water from the ground for irrigation as they seek to improve their food self-sufficiency. (Related: Islamic State uses water to control population in dry Middle East  is this Californias future?)

Theyre using more water than is available routinely through rain. And so groundwater levels are consequently falling because youre taking water out faster than its being replenished by the rainfall, he said. Both declining rainfall and increasing demand in these countries are causing many rivers, lakes and wetlands to dry up.

Nothing has changed.

In 2016, researchers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concluded that 1998 to 2012 were drier than any other period in the Middle East for at least the past 900 years, and that the drought was likely caused by humans.

The consequences of water becoming even more scarce are dire  areas could become uninhabitable; tensions over how to share and manage water resources like rivers and lakes could worsen; and more political violence could erupt.

Urmia has shrunk largely because so many people have exploited it. Some of the dams built in its basin mainly for irrigation have reduced the flow of water into the lake.

Drought affects water quality in Iran

Water woes are already a deadly issue in Iran. At least three protesters were killed in clashes with security officers in demonstrations against water shortages. Iran is experiencing some of the driest conditions in five decades, according to the countrys meteorological service.

The Middle Easts winters are projected to get drier the more the world warms. While the summers will be wetter, the heat is expected to offset its water gains.

The problem is, with this whole temperature rise, whatever rainfall will come will evaporate because it is so hot, Mansour Almazroui, director at Saudi Arabias King Abdulaziz University. The other thing is, this rain is not necessarily going to be usual rain. Theres going to be extreme rainfall, meaning that floods like those happening in China, in Germany, in Belgium, these floods will be a big problem for the Middle East.

These changes are not only having an impact on the amount of water available, but they are also affecting quality. Lake Urmia is hypersaline, which means its very salty. As it has shrunk, the salt concentration has increased and gotten so extreme that using it for irrigation is damaging farmers crops.

Kiomars Poujebeli, who farms tomatoes, sunflowers, sugar beet, eggplant and walnuts near the lake, said that the salty water has been disastrous. He added that the day the soil will become unfarmable is not far away.

Water scarcity could lead to conflicts

In Jordan, one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, people have become used to living with very little water. The country relies on the Jordan River system, which also runs through Israel, the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon.

Conflict has flared several times around the river system in the past. Its a transboundary problem also seen in other parts of the region along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, as well as in northern Africa along the Nile. Jordan, Israel and Syria have gotten better at coordinating the management of the river system they rely on, but tensions often erupt. Experts have long warned that water scarcity could lead to more conflict.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that Jordanians will have to divide their per capita use of water by the end of the century. (Related: Taiwanese president appeals to constituents to conserve water as country faces severe drought.)

Most Jordanians on lower incomes will live on 40 liters a day for all their needs  drinking, bathing and washing clothes and dishes. The average American today uses around 10 times that amount.

Jordan now has a critical shortage of water  water reaches the houses in Jordan once or twice a week, even in the capital Amman, Daniel Rosenfeld, a professor with the Program of Atmospheric Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The capital actually has existential problems right now, already, Rosenfeld said.

Studies show that groundwater levels in parts of the country are dropping by well over one meter a year. Waves of refugees from many countries in the region have put more pressure on the already stressed resource.

Water Authority of Jordan General Secretary Bashar Batayneh said that the country needs more funding from the rest of the world to deal with this increased demand for water.

Jordan bore the heavy load of the Syrian refugee crises on behalf of the international community and was deeply impacted regarding water. Refugees cost the water sector over $600 million per year while Jordan received a fraction of this amount from the international community, Batayneh said.

He added that Jordan had much less rain in 2020 than it did the previous year, putting more than a quarter of water resources at risk and halving drinking water sources.

Follow WaterWars.news for more news related to water and droughts.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

CBC.ca

HummingZone.com
(Natural News) Under the limp-wristed leadership of Justin Trudeau, Canada is on a mission to build back better and implement a Great Reset  code-names for communism and population control. This system of control and subjugation is escalating into mandatory vaccines for travel, employment, buying and selling. The Prime Minister is currently threatening everyones civil liberties over this issue, establishing a two-tiered society, a totalitarian dictatorship, a medical Apartheid.

Its not enough to force the population to seek permission to go about their normal lives. Its not enough to threaten body autonomy and consent at every turn. Its not enough to coerce the population to line up for experiments that replicate bioweapons in their blood, while turning a blind eye to the blood clots, neurological damage, severe illness and heart inflammation that is plaguing the vaccinated.

Arrogantly, the Canadian government just ordered 293 million doses of covid vaccine for a population of 38 million people. Thats enough clot shot to vaccinate every man, woman and child SEVEN TIMES OVER in the years ahead!

Are bi-monthly bioweapon injections coming to Canada?

Canada just signed a contract with Moderna to supply 20 million doses of experimental mRNA for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The contract also leaves room for an additional 15 million doses each year. Earlier in the year, Trudeau announced that Canada had also secured a deal with Pfizer, stockpiling 35 million boosters for 2022 and an additional 33 million boosters for 2023. The contract leaves room for an additional 60 million doses for the next two years and 60 million boosters for 2024.

By implementing a system of vaccine enslavement, Canadian authorities can hold peoples freedoms hostage and intimidate people to take as many doses of spike protein as they so command. As public health authorities stockpile 293 million doses for the coming years, it appears that bi-monthly bioweapon injections are now likely.

Just months ago, the covid-19 vaccines were hailed as a miracle of science that were putting an end to the pandemic. These false promises of propaganda were played out in a calculated and timely fashion, to convince people that the shots were saving lives and all freedom would soon be restored. But now, just a few months later, the narrative has changed and there will be NO END to mask mandates, censorship, travel restriction, contact tracing, deprivation of human rights, forced fraudulent testing, vaccines mandates, isolation and internment.

Should Canada build new hospitals and stockpile body bags, as they force death on their people?

Covid-19 has always been about enslavement, forced vaccination and totalitarianism, and governments are never going to relinquish their ill-gotten power as they promise to protect you.

Never mind the fact that these new mRNA drugs are still in clinical trials and are proven dangerous to the cardiovascular system, with tens of thousands of body bags to show for it. In just a three-month time span, Moderna received over 300,000 adverse event reports from consumers, reports that were never presented to any government surveillance systems, as required by law.

The heavily vaccinated nations of Great Britain, Australia and Israel are currently locked down in a fourth wave of high hospitalizations because the vaccines have destroyed the human immune response through antibody dependent enhancement and by putting selective pressure on spike proteins to mutate.

As hospitalizations mount, a new report shows that children and young adults are twelve times more likely to experience myocarditis from the vaccines than previously thought. Pfizers clinical trials show that adverse events are ten times more prevalent after the second dose of spike proteins. What might happen to a persons cardiovascular system after three, four, five doses? Does the rate of vaccine injury and depopulation go up by a multiple of ten with each subsequent shot? As Canada prepares to inoculate citizens multiple times each year, should the government also build new hospitals and stockpile body bags? Or will authorities protect themselves by continuing to build internment camps, to round up and blame the unvaccinated for all the crimes perpetuated by the government and pharmaceutical companies?

Sources include:

LifesiteNews.com

GlobalNews.ca

Finance.Yahoo.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) recent decision to fully approve the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine from Pfizer was premature, arbitrary, and capricious, says Childrens Health Defense (CHD), which is now filing a legal challenge against the corrupt federal agency.

On August 23, the FDA decided to approve Comirnaty, a rebranded version of the Pfizer-BioNTech injection that previously had emergency use authorization (EUA), for individuals 16 years of age and older. The old version of the jab can still be administered to people between the ages of 12-16 under EUA.

Immediately following the FDA decision, CHD announced plans to sue the federal agency for putting pharmaceutical interests over the best interests of Americans, who increasingly face bodily assault from the medical fascists who want them forcibly penetrated with mRNA needles.

With over 13,000 reported deaths from COVID shots, we are deeply concerned about the impact on health, both short- and long-term, stated CHD President Mary Holland.

We intend to challenge this approval and licensure. We do not believe that this approval will significantly affect the trajectory of the pandemic, as we know that these shots are less than 50% effective against the variant in circulation now.

Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talked about all this in a recent episode of Brighteon Conversations, which you can watch below:

Covid vaccines are causing a public health disaster

In the entire 30-year history of the federal governments Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), there has never been a class of injections more deadly than Fauci Flu shots. According to the latest official figures, which are likely on the low end, more than 13,000 people in the United States alone have died as a result of the jabs.

With that said, it is astounding that the FDA would rush into approving Pfizers version, which will probably soon be followed by approval of the others. Does the FDA not care about human life?

As it turns out, the FDA could not care less about it. In fact, the agency has yet to even address the elephant in the room, which is resulting in untold thousands of people taking the jab and suffering serious adverse events as a consequence.

Current VAERS data shows that nearly 600,000 people in the U.S. have suffered some kind of adverse event following their injections. Since the system relies on self-reporting, there are likely many more cases out there that have not been officially logged.

What this means is that the Chinese Virus injections being administered under Operation Warp Speed are the true pandemic. Anyone who takes the shots is a serious public health threat, not only to themselves but also to others onto whom they are shedding spike proteins and other disease-causing substances.

While the U.S. government has said it will begin booster doses of mRNA vaccines the week of September 20, there is actually no evidence that Covid-19 boosters will provide increased protection against infection, or that they are effective against the delta variant or other new variants, warns Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D., an internal medicine physician and vaccine expert, about the next phase of the plandemic.

For other vaccines, such as mumps and pertussis, there is no evidence that booster doses after the initial course add measurable protection.

Booster shots or not, CHD is vehemently opposed to any and all vaccine mandates as a matter of principle. By awarding approval to the Pfizer shot, the FDA is paving the way for more of them, and CHD is hoping to nip it in the bud before more Americans are told they must get injected in order to live.

The latest news stories about Wuhan Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

TheNewAmerican.com

NaturalNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Our lords and masters have squeezed every ounce of tyranny they can out of the COVID-19 pandemic and now theyre exploiting it further to squeeze the remaining malcontents in our society  mostly white, Midwestern, conservative, Trump supporters  into line by disrupting our livelihoods.

Food suppliers are now warning anew that they are having a harder time keeping store shelves stocked amid supply chain and worker shortages that were created and exacerbated by the globalists in our government who are making one big push to enact their liberty-stealing counter-revolution before Donald Trump manages to win the presidency again in 2024.

Bloomberg News reported that the supply chain issues arent going to go away time soon:

Some of the largest U.S. food distributors are reporting difficulties in fulfilling orders as a lack of workers weighs on the supply chain.

Sysco Corp., North Americas largest wholesale food distributor, is turning away customers in some areas where demand is exceeding capacity. The company also said prices for key goods such as chicken, pork and paper products for takeout packaging are climbing amid tight supplies. In particular, production has slowed for high-demand, labor-intensive cuts like bacon, ribs, wings and tenders, Sysco said.

There are certain areas across the country that are more challenged by the labor shortage and our volume of orders is regularly exceeding our capacity, said Sysco Chief Executive Officer Kevin Hourican in a client letter earlier this month. This has, unfortunately, led to service disruptions for some of our customers.

According to an analysis by DecaData, a firm that tracks transactions between manufacturers and shoppers, retailer demand is pushing up against manufacturers ability to get enough product out the door as they begin stockpiling for the approaching holiday season.

The data show that in July, the number of times that suppliers capped or limited customer orders was twice the number of times in January.

Another large food distributor, United Natural Foods Inc., is also having difficulty getting product to stores on time. The company is blaming labor shortages as well as delays in receiving some imported products like coconut water, cheese, spices, and other goods as the reason for the delays.

We anticipate additional supplier challenges in the short term with gradual improvement through the fall and winter, a United Natural Foods representative told Bloomberg. The companys top priority is to support customers by working diligently to recover and bring their shelves back to normal inventory levels as quickly as possible.

There is also a shortage of workers, due in no small part to the fact that the government is continuing to pay people to stay home, basically. Outsized unemployment benefits stemming from COVID relief bills is the culprit, which was intentional by majority Democrats who constantly try to find ways to hook more and more Americans on the government teat.

Some distributors like Sysco are working aggressively to hire both truck drivers and warehouse staff, offering referral and sign-on bonuses as well as additional money to retain current employees.

The whole food sector is experiencing massive labor shortages, according to Benjamin Walker, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Merchandising at Baldor Specialty Foods, which is based in New York. Service levels are the lowest Ive seen in my 16-year career, and it doesnt seem like its going away anytime soon.

He went on to tell Bloomberg finding truck drivers is next to impossible, he said, while noting the double whammy of freight costs, which he says are rising daily.

This is going to get worse before it gets better, by the way, and there are a lot of experts who are saying so. As such, if youve got the means and there is supply in your area, better stock up now on food and other necessities.

Sources include:

Bloomberg.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) They were supposed to be rare, but breakthrough cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19)  meaning infections in people who are fully vaccinated  now account for at least 30 percent of all new cases in the Los Angeles area.

Back in March, the figure was two percent, jumping to 20 percent in June once the media started talking about the delta variant. Now, as of July, 30 percent of all new cases of the Chinese Virus are occurring in people who got jabbed in accordance with government guidelines.

Officials in L.A. County say that 98 percent of all new cases of the Wuhan Flu are showing up as delta cases, suggesting that this is now the dominant strain of the virus that is circulating among Angelenos.

What is worse, as the vaccination rate in L.A. has increased, so have the number of hospitalizations, which have been steadily rising over the past three months. This would suggest that the injections, procured under Operation Warp Speed, are spreading more disease.

Fully-vaccinated people represented only 5% of L.A.s hospitalized Covid patients in April, reported Deadline. Of the nearly 5.15 million fully-vaccinated county residents as of Tuesday, 27,331 have tested positive.

According to L.A. Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer, hospitalizations in the area have been steadily rising for more than a month.

Lets be clear: They definitely have covid, Ferrer declared in a press conference. Were not inflating our cases.

Officials admit that vaccine immunity is waning

The fully vaccinated were supposed to have been protected from delta and all other variants, at least according to Tony Fauci. Now, though, they are getting sick and having to be hospitalized.

How is this happening if science is to be trusted? The latest excuse is that vaccine immunity is now waning, particularly among older people who are getting sick and dying at an increased rate.

Israel is a case-in-point, as it was among the earliest adopters of Fauci Flu shots, now boasting one of the highest compliance rates. Despite this, hospitalizations among the fully vaccinated in Israel have spiked by 1,000 percent.

We may be starting to see a little bit of the waning of protection (provided by vaccines), particularly among older people, Ferrer says about a similar phenomenon taking shape here in the United States. I share the concern.

Still, Ferrer wants everyone to keep getting injected because in her view the number of sick and dying would be much higher if we did not have the vaccines at all.

With these high rates of community transmission, more fully vaccinated people are getting post-vaccination infections, she says. However, this very same information also makes it clear how much protection fully-vaccinated people have.

Most of us that are fully vaccinated, we dont get infected. And if we do get infected, we dont end up hospitalized and they are very unlikely to tragically lose their life to Covid if fully vaccinated.

All of this was only supposed to last two weeks last spring, as you may recall. America was promised that 14 short days would be enough to flatten the curve, and here we are more than a year later with a continuous slew of medical fascism offenses barreling down the pike.

Vaccines provide immunity to disease, wrote one commenter at Deadline, specifying that they dont provide reduced symptoms to a disease like covid vaccines are said to do.

This is a treatment, not a vaccine, this same commenter added. These vaccines are going to prove to be a mistake in how they were designed and how they were administered.

The latest news about injuries and deaths caused by Chinese Virus injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Deadline.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) More than a dozen U.S. military personnel were killed and dozens more wounded in well-coordinated attacks on their positions at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, leading scores of Republican lawmakers to call on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to either resign or be impeached and removed from office.

The attacks began with a pair of suicide bombings on a gate manned by American Marines and U.S. Army personnel as evening approached in the southwest Asian country, but explosions continued to rock the airport in the hours that followed, according to multiple reports.

Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the U.S.A. meant so much to them, former President Donald Trump said in a statement. Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack.

This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand, Trump continued. May God bless the U.S.A.

Fox News reported on the numbers of casualties as of mid-afternoon Thursday, quoting ranking U.S. military officials:

The head of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan says 12 U.S. service members were killed in the suicide attack outside the Kabul airport. 15 others were wounded.

Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command says two suicide bombers carried out the complex attack, which he attributed to ISIS.

McKenzie said ISIS gunmen also opened fire.

McKenzie confirmed U.S. service members by saying, its a hard day today.

The attacks were launched at the masses of people gathered at the airport trying to get flights out as Taliban officials and fighters tighten their grip on the country and an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline for the U.S. and NATO quickly approaches.

By late afternoon Thursday, according to CNN, officials said that at least 60 people were killed and 140 wounded. About 1,000 Americans, most of whom say they want to leave, remain in the country, U.S. officials said.

As of today we have 5,000 evacuees on the ramp awaiting air lift. Since August 14, weve evacuated more than 104,000 civilians, over 66,000 by the United States and over 37,000 by our allies and partners.  As the secretary of state said yesterday, we believe there are about a little more than 1,000 Americans left in Afghanistan at this point, McKenzie told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

And though the threat from ISIS is extremely real, the evacuation will continue, said McKenzie.

He added that despite the attacks, U.S. troops remain engaged in bringing evacuees into the airport.

We are continuing to bring people onto the airfield. We just brought a number of buses aboard the airfield over the last couple or three hours. Well continue to process and flow people out. The plan is designed to operate under stress and under attack. And we will coordinate to make sure its safe for American citizens to come to the airfield. If its not, well tell them to hold and work other ways to get them to the airport. Well continue to flow them out until the end of the month, he said.

I will tell you this: Any time you build a noncombatant evacuation plan like this and you bring in forces, you expect to be attacked. We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said earlier.

Its tragic that happened today. Its tragic there is this much loss of life. We are prepared to continue the mission.  I think we can continue to conduct our mission even while were receiving attacks like this, he added.

Several Republicans called on both Biden and Harris to step down.

Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted. But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and General Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee added.

If President Trump can be impeached over a phone call, then the time has come to IMPEACH Biden for gross negligence in Afghanistan. Americans deserve better. We deserve better than someone who willfully IGNORES the WORST crisis in decades, Rep. Ronnie Jackson of Texas, the former White House physician, wrote.

Sources include:

USAFeatures.news

CNN.com

FoxNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Mainstream media articles are beginning to question the effectiveness of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines as more and more vaccinated people get infected and the boosters now being widely proposed.

A recent Bloomberg article stated: Vaccinated people appear to be getting the coronavirus at a surprisingly high rate. It added that theres a growing concern that vaccinated people may be more vulnerable to serious illness than previously thought.

The article also mentioned the small beach town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, where one of the best-known outbreaks among vaccinated people occurred. Thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people gathered there over the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the holiday.

About three-fourths of the 469 infections recorded after the parties were among vaccinated people.

The Daily Beast, which has spent much of the pandemic shaming the vaccine-hesitant, is now admitting that the number of infections in ultra-vaxxed Israel is soaring. Earlier this month, Israels Ministry of Health reported that 64 percent of the countrys 400 COVID-19 patients in serious condition were fully vaccinated.

The countrys preliminary vaccine data published in July also found that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine was just 40.5 percent effective on average at preventing symptomatic infections.

The analysis, which was carried out as the delta variant became the dominant strain in Israel, appeared to show a waning effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine. It was only 16 percent effective against symptomatic infections for those who had two doses back in January. For people that had received two doses by April, the efficacy rate against symptomatic infection stood at 79 percent.

Getting infected gives more protection against variants than getting vaccinated

Some are asking whether catching COVID-19 now is better than more vaccines. A recent headline from UK government-funded BBC asked: Whats the best way to top up our immunity?

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, the article stated.

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, said Eleanor Riley, an immunologist from the University of Edinburgh.

You get a broader immune response after being infected with the virus than vaccination. That means if you had a real humdinger of an infection, you may have better immunity to any new variants that pop up as you have immunity to more than just spike [protein], said Riley. (Related: COVID-19 natural immunity vs vaccine-induced immunity guide.)

Our innate immune system protects us from a multitude of pathogens, thereby preventing these pathogens from causing disease. Suppression of innate immunity, especially in the younger age groups, can become very problematic.

As the innate immune system cannot remember the pathogens it encountered  innate immunity has no so-called immunological memory  we can only continue to rely on it provided we keep it trained well enough.

Training is achieved by regular exposure to a myriad of environmental agents, including pathogens. Thus, lockdowns and mask mandates are possibly stunting the training of our innate immune system.

Mass vaccinations not going to stop COVID-19 transmissions

Scientists are beginning to realize that mass vaccinations are not going to wipe out SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They are now recommending that the virus be allowed to circulate throughout the population.

We dont have anything that will stop transmission, so I think we are in a situation where herd immunity is not a possibility and I suspect the virus will throw up a new variant that is even better at infecting vaccinated individuals, Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told a parliamentary panel earlier this month.

Pollard argued that if mass testing was not stopped, the UK could be in a situation of continually vaccinating the population. He said that only those with symptoms should be tested while others should go about their daily lives.

Herd immunity not achievable

Infectious disease expert Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at University of East Anglia, told the same panel that vaccination would not bring about herd immunity. He said it was time to stop concentrating on supposed cases rather than actual infections. (Related: Study: 2 in 3 Indians have natural immunity against coronavirus, meaning herd immunity is already achieved.)

We need to start moving away from just reporting infections or just reporting positive cases admitted to hospital, to actually start reporting the number of people who are ill because of COVID, said Hunter, who also advises the World Health Organization (WHO) on the virus. Otherwise we are going to be frightening ourselves with very high numbers that actually dont translate into disease burden.

According to recent reports, analysis by Public Health England has shown that vaccinated and unvaccinated people have a similar viral load when they catch the virus and likely have the same odds of transmitting it to others.

Icelands state epidemiologist has arrived at the same conclusion.

We really cannot do anything else but allow the virus to take its course in order for the population to achieve herd immunity, said Porolfur Gudnason, chief epidemiologist of Icelands Directorate of Health. We need to try to vaccinate and better protect those who are vulnerable, but let us tolerate the infection. It is not a priority now to vaccinate everyone with the third dose.

Mass vaccinations fuel spread of new variants

In March, vaccine expert Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche urged governments to stop vaccination drives. He said in an open letter that vaccinations will fuel the spread of new dangerous variants of the virus.

Vanden Bossche said the ongoing mass vaccination drives are likely to further enhance adaptive immune escape as none of the current vaccines will prevent replication or transmission of viral variants.

Immune escape is a term used to describe when the host  in this case humans  is no longer able to recognize and counter a pathogen such as a relevant variant or mutant of SARS-CoV-2.

The more we use these vaccines for immunizing people in the midst of a pandemic, the more infectious the virus will become, Vanden Bossche wrote. With increasing infectiousness comes an increased likelihood of viral resistance to the vaccines.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

Bloomberg.com

CNBC.com

BBC.com

Dryburgh.com
(Natural News) The village of Lexington in Michigan discovered that fluoride from China was added to its water supply. Water utility companies commonly added fluoride in drinking water to help reduce tooth decay. However, Lexington residents expressed concern that the communist country is adding other toxic chemicals to the fluoride in order to poison the towns water supply.

The discovery made a number of Lexington residents upset. Restaurant owner Steve Stencel said: Its not good at all, buying our drinking water treatment chemicals from a communist nation that is our enemy. I am surprised that any municipality would buy fluoride for its drinking water from China. Our country needs to know this is happening.

Meanwhile, an apparel store owner in the village said he initially had no idea of Chinas involvement in the towns water supply. The store owner expressed concern when he learned of the fact. Its scary. I cant help but think of the What if?, he said.

Residential real estate developer Doug Varty said he was not comfortable with the use of Chinese-made fluoride in drinking water. His new subdivision being serviced by water from Lexingtons water treatment plan only added to his worries. Varty said: Surely, we have American products they can use. Buying American is the way to solve the problem. If they have an alternative, they should buy it.

Lexingtons water plant is responsible for supplying drinking water to under 3,000 customers in the village and several neighboring communities. Lexington uses a granular form of fluoride, while neighboring Port Huron uses powdered fluoride for treating its drinking water. According to Lexington Village Utilities Director Chris Heiden, the water treatment plant has used Chinese fluoride for years without any problems.

Heidens remarks were confirmed by a former employee who revealed: While I was working there, I saw the Chinese fluoride in 50-pound plastic bags stacked on the floor. I was surprised and appalled. Another employee, this time from the Port Huron water plant, said the city had been using powdered fluoride for its water supply. However, the unreliable Chinese supply chain forced Port Huron to source its fluoride from a Belgian company. (Related: Is your areas water supply prone to fluoride hacking?)

Drinking water fluoridation a possible means of attacking the U.S.

Author and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expert Jeff Nyquist said fluoride in drinking water is definitely a potential attack vector for Beijing. However, he added that the risk of getting caught in the act is holding back the Chinese government from doing so. Nyquist said: If the Chinese government says, Oh, you make fluoride there for the water for the Americans? Hey, weve got an extra little secret sauce for your American fluoride  that is certainly possible. (Related: Chemical manufacturer nearly poisons water supply of Michigan town.)

Stencel also agreed with Nyquists sentiments, sharing one instance in his previous career. Before he became a restaurateur, he once demonstrated a strength-testing machine to a truck equipment supplier in the Detroit area. The supposedly inspected and certified Chinese-made grappling hooks we tested failed before they reached half of the stress load they were certified for. That could kill someone. I cant trust whats coming from China, Stencel said.

Whether the fluoride came from China or elsewhere, drinking fluorinated drinking water is tantamount to drinking poison itself. According to the World Health Organization, drinking excessive amounts of water with fluoride gives rise to a disease called fluorosis. Those affected by dental fluorosis have stained and pitted teeth, with their teeth enamel showing signs of severe damage.

Skeletal fluorosis is caused by excessive fluoride from drinking water accumulating in the bones for many years. Early signs of skeletal fluorosis include joint pain and stiffness. Those affected by severe skeletal fluorosis experience changes in their bone structure. Furthermore, their ligaments may calcify and harden  resulting in pain and muscle weakness.

Some local officials in the U.S. moved quickly to address the issue. Worth Township Supervisor Walt Badgerow recently passed a resolution that banned the township government from buying Chinese products if there is an alternative. His resolution carried a significant weight given that the township buys its drinking water from the Lexington water treatment plant.

Badgerow said: From the moment I learned of the use of Chinese-made fluoride by the Lexington water plant, I was appalled. In light of the CCPs track record of foisting tainted pet food on our country  I am very wary of [its] quality control. I wont drink water with Chinese chemicals in it. He made reference to Chinas melamine-tainted pet food scandal in 2007, which saw many products recalled following the death of a number of pets.

CommunistChina.news has more articles about how Chinese products threaten U.S. national security.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

WHO.int
(Natural News) The U.S. Navy is currently developing a non-lethal weapon that uses a targets own voice against them, rendering them unable to speak.

Called the Acoustic Hailing And Disruption (AHAD) system, the handheld device records a targets voice using a long-range microphone. It then amplifies it and plays it back on two distinct tracks, one nearly simultaneous with the original speaker and another with a slight delay of a few hundred milliseconds.

AHAD then focuses these tracks onto the target, using a phenomenon called delayed auditory feedback to confuse the target.

Due to the delayed auditory feedback effect, the target speakers concentration will be disrupted, making it difficult for them to continue speaking, reads a patent description of the device, which is credited to Christopher a Brown, of the Naval Surface Warfare Center near Bloomington, Indiana.

Nave spending millions on sonic weapons

AHAD works through the use of a parametric speaker. This is a speaker that directs high-intensity sound into a relatively small area  similar to how lasers do so with light.

This also means that the recorded chatter would be inaudible to anyone else. Bystanders would simply see the target having trouble speaking for no obvious reason.

The concept of using sound-based non-lethal weapons isnt new. Armed forces have been using long-range sonic technology on ships, checkpoints and other vehicles for decades. Theyre often used to warn people theyre approaching a restricted area.

It is an audible cue to let people know not to come any further  targeting someone with a warning tone and speaking through this device, said Navy Lt Cmdr Lance Lantier of one such device in 2009. Non-lethal weapons provide warfighters escalation-of-force options. Its a matter of how we can first try to alter someones behavior without using lethal force.

The Navy has awarded millions of dollars to companies, such as Genasys, to develop and deliver non-lethal sonic weapons, ever since the bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000. The thinking is that these devices can much more effectively deter attackers than warning shots. Immobilizing with ear-splitting alarms without actually killing them.

That said, existing devices rely on inputs from operators to be effective. The AHAD system, on the other hand, is the opposite. It functions purely by turning a targets own voice against them, effectively disorienting them into silence.

When AHAD will see action is unknown. Browns patent for it was only approved in June, so it might be a while before it enters the hands of U.S. warfighters.

Disorienting non-lethal weapons on the rise around the world

AHAD is just the latest non-lethal weapon designed to confuse a target into submission.

One particular device, the Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), has made the news in recent years for its use by local law enforcement as a means of non-lethal crowd control.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Russia outfitted two warships with a special optical interference weapon that can induce vomiting and even hallucinations in targets. Called the 5P-42 Filin, the weapon emits a dazzling strobe-like beam that can disrupt an enemys eyesight  causing them to miss their target and even induce nausea  without causing permanent damage.

In addition, the device can also suppress infrared lasers and night-vision devices, as well as the guidance systems of anti-tank guided missiles, at a range of up to three miles.

Interestingly enough, AHAD may give clues to the cause of the so-called Havana Syndrome. This is a mysterious set of illnesses that have hit U.S. diplomats and intelligence agents in Cuba and elsewhere. (Related: Mysterious Havana syndrome affects more American diplomats, soldiers and spies than previously thought.)

AHADs effects are similar to the symptoms experienced by the victims of Havana Syndrome, lending credence to the theory that its caused by a clandestine sonic device used by a foreign adversary.

Follow MilitaryTechnology.news for more on advanced non-lethal weaponry similar to AHAD.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TaskAndPurpose.com

Independent.co.uk
(Natural News) Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, Aug. 25, issued a memorandum directing the secretaries of all military departments to immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the armed forces, and impose ambitious timelines for implementation.

With the support of the president, I have determined that mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus disease is necessary to protect the Force and defend the American people, Austin said.

Notice of the order came just two days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fully approved the Pfizer coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The Pentagon had previously said that it expected to mandate the vaccine no later than Sept. 15.?An official deadline for full vaccination has not been announced.

Austin did not mention in the memo the possible adverse effects of the available COVID-19 vaccines, most of which are under emergency use authorization (EUA).

The mandate is essentially forcing the military to take part in the biggest vaccine experiment in history, which is tantamount to treason considering the high probability of having unnecessary deaths among the members of the armed forces. (Related: Bidens Pentagon taking massive risk by ordering ALL military personnel to get experimental COVID-19 vaccine.)

Most available COVID-19 vaccines are under EUA

The FDA acknowledged that Pfizer has insufficient stocks of the newly licensed Comirnaty vaccine available. The FDA also pointed out that the licensed Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine under EUA are legally distinct. Meaning, most of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. dont have full approval of the FDA.

Just recently, the FDA added a warning to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines about possible link to cases of myocarditis in teenagers and young adults.

Myocarditis is a condition that involves inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include fever and fatigue, as well as shortness of breath and a very specific type of chest pain. Patients tend to say their chest hurts more when they lean forward. The pain tends to subside when they lean back.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Work Group noted that the risk of myocarditis following vaccination with the mRNA-based vaccines in adolescents and young adults is notably higher after the second dose and in males.

Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology in their COVID-19 vaccines, while Johnson & Johnson uses the more traditional virus-based technology. According to VaST, the data suggests a likely association of myocarditis with mRNA vaccination in adolescents and young adults.

Public health officials tried to downplay the issue by calling the cases of myocarditis in vaccinated individuals mild, but a cardiologist who treated a patient suffering from the condition after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 said that no case of myocarditis is mild.

Myocarditis reduces your hearts ability to pump and can cause rapid or abnormal heartbeats. Severe cases of myocarditis can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.

Vaccine resistance in military remains strong

With more than 800,000 members of the armed forces yet to take the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine resistance in the military remains strong.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby noted in a press conference on Wednesday that there is a wide discrepancy among the branches of the military concerning their members vaccination status: The Navy has 73 percent of its members fully vaccinated; the Air Force, including Space Force, has 57 percent fully vaccinated;?the Marine Corps has 53 percent fully vaccinated; and the Army has 40 percent fully vaccinated.

Kirby insisted that the Pentagons mandate is a lawful order and we fully anticipate that our troops are going to follow lawful orders.

Aspals Legal, a web resource for military lawyers, argued that a law that violates rights is unworkable. It might be [a] lawful order, but when so many refuse to take a questionable treatment, how do you punish them effectively? Aspals Legal asked.

Unvaccinated troops could lose pensions, other benefits

Some unvaccinated troops have said theyd get the COVID-19 vaccine once its required, but others are flatly opposed. Now that the vaccine is mandated, a refusal could constitute failure to obey an order and may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

A Marine official has already started conditioning the mind of his subordinates.

Internal emails reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the Marines will lose their pensions, tuition assistance and access to the G.I. bill, along with other military benefits, if they refuse the COVID-19 vaccination.

An Aug. 18 email from Col. Teague Pastel, a commanding officer at the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., told colleagues that although vaccines are still voluntary, the military believes they will become mandatory in the near future.

Pastel wrote that the penalties for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine should be in line with others for insubordination, including administration separation, a demerit in the Marines personal file, as well as the forfeiture of various retirement and financial benefits.

Please continue engaging with our troops on the importance of vaccinating, and stress that it is still voluntary at this time. However, once the vaccine becomes mandatory they need to be prepared to separate and potentially lose benefits, Pastel wrote. If the Marines are not willing to lose the benefits then they should just get the vaccine now.

FDAs full approval opens door for vaccine mandates

Pastel sent the email before the FDA granted full approval to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine, which opened the door for the military to mandate it for its members. The move was rather predictable. (Related: FDA vaccine approval leads blue states to order the mass slaughter of teachers, workers and first responders.)

The whole FDA stamp of approval is merely a facilitator for forcing shots on unwilling Americans.?The fallout was seen immediately with a wave of vaccine mandates from companies, universities and organizations that were waiting for the final FDA authorization that would assuage any niggling of conscience or fears of legal reprisal, Celeste McGovern wrote in her blog at LifeSiteNews.com.

This FDA stamp gives them the full green light to impose their will on others and to abuse medical freedom of conscience and the universal principle of informed consent.

McGovern also noted that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is still experimental as its clinical trials dont end until May 2023.

Follow Immunization.news for more news related to coronavirus vaccines and vaccine mandates.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

DailyMail.co.uk

APNews.com

FreeBeacon.com
(Natural News) Thirteen members of the U.S. troops and at least 90 Afghans have been killed in two suicide bomb attacks at Kabul Airport just hours before the evacuation deadline.

Thousands of people have gathered at the Kabul Airport over the past 12 days, hoping to be evacuated out of Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power. Thirteen U.S. service members  12 Marines and one Navy medic were killed in the explosions, while 15 others were injured.

At least 90 Afghans were also killed and 140 more were hurt in the attacks.

Other blasts were also heard in Kabul in the hours after. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, sharing a photo of one of the suicide bombers online. A U.S. official also confirmed that the first blast was caused by a suicide bomb, while initial reports suggested that the second explosion was a car bomb.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said one explosion occurred near buses lined up outside Abbey Gate, while the other is close to the nearby Baron Hotel.

A source said that the attacks in Kabul might be an ongoing event with more to come and American forces in Afghanistan are now braced for more violence.

One of the bombers reportedly hit people standing in a wastewater canal and sent bodies flying into the water upon explosion.

President Biden said on Thursday evening that he was heartbroken by the violence and vowed to retaliate for the attacks. He also promised to continue evacuation efforts.

We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said in his remarks at the White House. He also instructed national security advisers to develop response plans to the attacks. (Related: Violence continues in Afghanistan as thousands of American civilians await evacuation while Biden fiddles.)

U.S. continues evacuation

Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters that the U.S. planned to continue its evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies in the wake of the events. The U.S. had evacuated about 100,000 people since August 14, the day before the Taliban took Kabul. There are still about 1,000 Americans remaining that need to be evacuated.

McKenzie said that the U.S. would continue to coordinate with the Taliban on security outside the airport gates and share information with the militant group. He also said that the groups fighter had been searching individuals en route to the airport but did not know how a suicide bomber could get through the checkpoints.

If we can find who is associated with this, we will go after them, he said.

Deadliest combat fatalities since 2011

The American deaths on Thursday were the first military combat fatalities in Afghanistan since February 2020. With 13 troops killed, it is also the deadliest since August 2011, when militants shot down a Chinook helicopter, killing 31 Americans and seven Afghans, as well as a military dog.

The deaths were the kind of military loss Biden reportedly said he was trying to avoid by ending the 20-year war with the country. The president acted against the advice of his generals by deciding to withdraw the American troops from a war that he no longer believed was in the best interest of the United States or its allies.

However, the rapid takeover by the Taliban caught the administration off-guard and set in motion an evacuation in which 6,000 troops attempted to secure the Kabul Airport against the Taliban and terror groups.

At the time of the attack, the airport gates were packed with thousands of Afghans seeking entry, in defiance of earlier warnings from Western governments of an imminent attack by the Islamic States regional offshoot.

The attacks came after several American allies said they were halting evacuation flights from Afghanistan, leaving citizens and thousands of Afghans who were cleared for entry. Airlift opportunities disappeared amidst warnings of an imminent terrorist attack as the U.S. began winding down operations in Kabul ahead of the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

It remains unclear whether a military response of any kind is in the works or if the U.S. troops on the ground can strike back while securing the airport for more evacuations.

Find more updates at NationalSecurity.news.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

WSJ.com

NYTimes.com
Every year, large amounts of plastic find themselves in rivers and oceans, causing harm to the environment and human health. But what if it could be pulled out of water with magnets' power?

Plastic Waste

Growing up, Fionn Ferreira spent a lot of time exploring the coastline close to his hometown called Ballydehob in south-west Ireland. But the more he spends most of his time on the protected, shingle-strewn coves close by, he became more shocked by the huge amounts of plastic waste he saw scattered across both the beach and in the sea.

He said: "It didn't look nice to me - the coloured bits of plastic all along the shore."

All over the world, humans generate approximately 300 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly, and not less than 10 million tonnes find themselves in our oceans - comparable to a truck load of waste each minute.

But what really concerned Ferreira was the plastic he couldn't see. Microplastics are pieces of materials tinier than five millimetres and are either directly from the products humans use or are produced as larger plastic objects disintegrated in the environment.

They are everywhere - they have even been discovered at the base of the deepest ocean trench in the world and lodged in Arctic sea ice.

Also Read: Microplastics Can Accumulate and Transport Harmful Metals in the Environment

Where can Microplastics be Found?

Ferreira, who is currently 20-year-old and studying chemistry at Groningen University in the Netherlands said: "I got really anxious when I found out about microplastics. These plastics are going to be in our environment for thousands of years. We are going to be dealing with them long after we stop using plastic."

As he got more knowledge about the impact microplastics has on the environment, Ferreira started searching for ways to fight them. And his unexpected finding on his local beach gave him the inspiration for a new way to get rid of these tiny, ubiquitous plastics from rivers.

Microplastics can be found in our cosmetics, clothes, and cleaning products. An average of 700,000 microplastic fibres can be produced from one load of laundry. Not more than a millimetre in length, these fibres find their way into water bodies, and there fish and even corals eat them. Due to their minute size, microplastics can penetrate filtration systems, and this makes it very hard to avoid them.

The Discovery

In a 2018 study, plastic contamination can also be seen in bottled water, with 93% of 259 bottled water samples having microplastics.

As per recent research, humans often breathe in and ingest microplastics in the course of their daily lives. A 2019 study carried out by researchers at the University of Newcastle discovered that all around the world people take in an average of 5g of plastic weekly, comparable to a credit card. The effect this intake of microplastics has on our health is still not well understood.

Ferreira combined vegetable oil with iron oxide powder in order to make a magnetic liquid, also called ferrofluid. Then he blended in microplastics from different everyday items like paint, plastic bottles and car tyres, and water from laundry.

After the microplastics merge into the ferrofluid, Ferreira made use of a magnet to get rid of the solution and leave only water behind.

Ferreira's method was 87% effective at getting microplastics out out water after 5,000 tests.

Related Article: 20 Companies are Responsible for 55% of the World's Total Plastic Waste, Report Shows

For more news, updates about microplastics and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The manatee population off the coasts of Florida had been dying off at an 'unprecedented rate', and officials say this could be a result of their collapsing ecosystem.

A preliminary state data between January 1, 2021 and August 13, 2021 shows at least 912 deaths from the average 578 manatee deaths every year between 2015 and 2020. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the manatee mortality rate was due to starvation, specifically in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, where lack of seagrass has led to malnutrition among manatees.

Official reports confirm that around 40% of them were 'severely emaciated' and below expected body weight.

The manatees were believed to have perished from an almost entirely manmade disaster; from decade-long water pollution from farming and real estate development that "pushed their ecosystem to the brink".

2021: Deadliest Year for Florida Manatees

According to Mike Walsh, a co-director of aquatic animal health at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, the Indian River Lagoon where manatees thrive "was decimated by overgrazing and algal blooms that block sunlight."

Thousands of manatees who seek shelter in the warm waters found themselves in tepid discharge of coastal power plants instead.

"When we put in power plants, we complicated the situation because we provided warm-water sources that aren't necessarily in the best places (for manatees)," said Walsh.

Manatee caretakers say that the animals suffered for months in a very inhumane way, as many lost nearly half of their weight.

"They have been eating their body from the inside, trying to stay alive because there is no food. 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," said Jon Peterson who rescues wildlife at SeaWorld Orlando.

Some of the species' population may have survived, but their health gets poorer by the day, and will most likely affect their reproduction as well.

Also read: For the First Time in 40 Years, Blue Whales Return to Spain's Atlantic Coast

Seagrass Famine from Human Development

Manatees mainly depend on seagrass for food, but seagrass meadows in the Indian River Lagoon have been suffocated due to coastal developments and runoffs from agriculture.

"Basically all of the system has been declared impaired because the nutrient loads are too high," said Charles Jacoby, an environmental scientist at the St John's River water management district.

These nutrient loads had nourished intense algal blooms which block out sunlight and kill seagrass, ushering a devastating decade for the lagoon.

Monica Ross, a research scientist from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute said that they are now monitoring the manatees and how to better protect them in the future winters.

Although repairing the ecosystem of the Indian River Lagoon could cost $5 billion and take 20 years to complete, Duane De Freese, executive director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program said that they are in a "well-directed, running start."

Also read: Invasive Cane Toads Resort to Cannibalism as a Survival Tactic in New Environment
According to Syria's state news agency and satellite images released Wednesday, a major oil spill triggered by a power plant leakage in one of the country's oil refineries is extending along the Mediterranean country's coast.

Syria's Environment Department Control Action

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the spill had reached the coastal town of Jableh, which is 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the refinery in Baniyas. Syria's environment department and the municipality of the coastal province of Latakia had put all related departments on high alert. Work to clean the coast in the rocky sections is currently ongoing, according to the report.

Syria's government had announced the control of a gasoline leak from one of the tanks at Baniyas Thermal Station a day earlier.

Planet Labs Inc. satellite pictures, released on Wednesday, depicted a large oil spill spanning 25.5 square kilometers (about the area of JFK Airport). The slick was not visible in a photo taken on Monday, implying that whatever caused the spill occurred later.

The chairperson of the Tartous Workers Union's Electricity Workers Syndicate, Dawoud Darwish, blamed cracks in one of the thermal station's fuel tanks. He stated that the tank held 15,000 tons of fuel.

The majority of Syria's oil reserves are outside of government control however, the country's two refineries are under government control and operational. Damascus is now reliant on Iran for gasoline, but US Treasury sanctions have hampered the supply chain, which stretches across Syria, Iran, and Russia.

For over a year, there have been a series of mystery attacks on vessels in Mideast waterways, notably off Syria's coast. They have arrived amid escalating regional tensions between Iran, Israel, and the US.

Israel has been attacking what it claims are Iranian-linked sites in Syria on a regular basis in recent years and has increased these assaults this year in what Western intelligence sources describe as a shadow war to weaken Iran's influence.

Also read: Can 'Oil-Eating' Bacteria in Canadian Arctic Help Clean Up Oil Spill?

Oil Tank Explosion in The Coast of Syria





An oil tanker exploded off the coast of Syria on Sunday, triggering a small fire in one of its engines, according to state media.

The crew rapidly extinguished the fire on the ship, which was located off the coast of Syria's Mediterranean port of Banias. Fortunately, there were no deaths, according to the report.

According to industry experts, the refinery in Banias, along with another in Homs, serves a substantial portion of the country's need for diesel, heating fuel, gasoline, and other petroleum products.

Syria has been increasingly reliant on Iranian oil exports in recent years, but tighter Western sanctions on Iran, Syria, and their allies, as well as a foreign currency shortage, have made getting enough fuel more difficult.

In recent weeks, there have been rumors of IDF strikes in Syria on Hezbollah and Iranian outposts. According to the SANA, a claimed Israeli airstrike struck a facility in Latakia and Tartus on Syria's Mediterranean coast on Tuesday.

Also read: Mediterranean Beach Closed as Angry Local Cows Attack Tourists
In this frame grab from video, people attend to a wounded man near the site of a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Artist Winfred Rembert was remembered as a New Haven treasure with an irrepressible spirit when he died last March at age 75. He was very open about the story of his youth in Jim Crow Georgia.

He told it in dozens of interviews since his discovery by the art world 20 years ago. He told it in an award-winning 2011 documentary, All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert. But mainly he told it in the paintings he taught himself to make on leather.

In them he laid down his memories of sun-scorched cotton fields, jumping juke joints, brutal chain gangs and horrific lynchings  one of them his own. His depictions of town life are alive with human activity, marking him as a folk artist. But his paintings of cotton fields can be highly patterned, almost quilt-like. And his chain gang paintings border on the abstract. One of the most prized, All Me, bunches dozens of convicts into a single organism.

Adelson Galleries / Contributed /

Now Rembert is about to tell his story once again  this time at length in a book, Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artists Memoir of the Jim Crow South, publishing Sept. 7. The chain gang chapter has already been excerpted in the The New Yorker and it could be Remberts final masterpiece, introducing him to his biggest audience yet.

Bloomsbury/ Contributed photo

It also will introduce a lesser known Rembert. Gone is the public raconteur who seemed to relish sharing his story. Replacing him is a more introspective Rembert, still struggling to explain to himself, as well as the world, the injuries inflicted on him in his youth, mainly by racism, but also by his own abandonment.

The book opens with teenage Rembert fleeing police for a crime he does not remember committing to seek sanctuary with a mother he hardly knew. She had given him away when he was three months old to be raised by a great aunt in rural Cuthbert, Ga. He follows railroad tracks to reach her and when he does, she challenges him: What are you doing here?

I wanted to turn and walk away to somewhere in the world where no one knew who I was. I felt like a nobody. I felt like nothing, Rembert wrote in the book. She spoke to me grossly, like she didnt want to see me.

The voice is Remberts own, but it is one he himself amended working with an unlikely collaborator: Erin I. Kelly, a Tufts University philosophy professor whose focus is on ethics and criminal justice. In an interview, Kelly said she first encountered Remberts art in 2015 when she was looking for cover images for an academic book of hers to be titled The Limits of Blame.

Art  2021 Estate of Winfred Rembert / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Art  2021 Estate of Winfred Rembert / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

I was googling Lawrence (the painter Jacob Lawrence) and I thought, Hah! I havent seen those Lawrence paintings before. And then when I looked more closely, I saw it was Rembert, Kelly said.

Kelly was not alone in seeing the similarity. Rembert, who learned to use leather when he was working in prison, has been compared to both Lawrence  best known for his depiction of the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the North  and to Romare Bearden.

She soon met Rembert at McBlain Books, the antiquarian book store in Hamden that first exhibited his work. Nudged by proprietor Phil McBlain, she and Rembert began working together on the memoir in March 2018. By then, Rembert felt a sense of urgency. In poor health, he feared he would die before finishing it.

Over the next two years, Kelly and Rembert met a couple of times a month at his home in the Newhallville section of New Haven, often with his wife Patsy present. His new voice emerged from the back and forth method they settled into.

Wed talk and Id write up pieces of the interview I thought would work in the book and I would read it back to him as a chapter and ask if that was what he wanted, Kelly said. And hed come up with more thoughts, or make corrections, or add something here or there.

Renan Ozturk/ Contributed photo

The process opened Kellys eyes. One thing I learned that I didnt know from viewing the paintings and watching the documentary was the sense of fear and terror that people were living with in Cuthbert and I presume other areas of the South as well, she said.

In the book, Rembert says, With my paintings, I tried to make a bad situation look good. You cant make a chain gang look good in any way besides putting it in art.

Part of the books power derives from the contrast between his colorful, orderly paintings (often reproduced on full pages) and the text, where the casual cruelty of Jim Crow racism becomes vivid.

On the chain gang, prisoners could be confined for days in a cramped sweat box for punishment. Meanwhile in Cuthbert center, there was a laughing barrel, where any Black person could be stopped and ordered to laugh at any White persons joke, the book details.

When Rembert, who had escaped from jail, was strung up by his heels by a lynch mob, he recalled in the book what was going through his mind as a deputy approached him with a hooked knife.

That kind of thing was designed to keep you humble, Rembert comes to realize. As an artist, the act of recollection and creation sometimes made him physically ill. Eventually he was diagnosed with PTSD.

Altogether Rembert spent nine years in jail, prison or on chain gangs. After his release in 1974, he married Patsy and moved north. Their first stop in Connecticut was in Bridgeport, where the son and grandson of the great aunt he called Mama lived. He worked as a longshoreman, got injured on the job and, desperate, discovered there was money to be made in the drug trade.

Kelly said she cannot know how Remberts family (he and Patsy eventually had eight children of their own and sheltered many more) will react to his book. But she guarantees he approved every word himself. He saw the final proof just before he died.

The opening chapter about following railroad tracks to find his mother corresponds with their very first interview, Kelly said. In it, Rembert says he always wanted to paint himself walking on those railroad tracks, but couldnt.

Over the course of their interviews, he did manage to make the painting though. Titled Looking for My Mother, it shows a boy climbing the tracks as if it were a ladder and is the image that closes the book. It was a very joyful thing that he was able to do it, Kelly said.

In the text, Rembert explained that he painted the picture so viewers would see him moving forward. Its just a long, lonesome railroad just as far as I can see, but Im not going to let that stop me, he says. Im going to see my mother and if I can make it to her, I think Ill be alright.

This story has been updated to reflect the length of time Rembert spent in jail and prison.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama is seeing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in school-age children, an increase officials say is likely fueled by the highly contagious delta variant and is causing some schools to temporarily switch to remote learning.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said Thursday that 5,571 children ages 5 to 17 were reported to have contracted COVID-19 last week. That compares to 702 cases in school-aged children during the same week last year, when more than half of students were studying remotely and the delta variant was not circulating.

State Health Officer Scott Harris pointed to the more contagious delta variant as the most likely explanation.

The numbers are staggering, Harris said of the increase. We want to remind people that everyone needs to be vaccinated who is eligible, that is everyone 12 and up. We strongly recommend universal masking in schools.

The numbers represent a seven-fold increase in cases over that timeframe last year, although hospitalizations and deaths in children remain relatively rare, according to state numbers.

Of the nearly 2,900 patients in state hospitals with COVID-19 on Thursday, fewer than 50 were children, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. State health officials have said about 6% of infected children develop the lingering symptoms known as long COVID.

Harris said a state dashboard that lists school cases should resume reporting Friday.

Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey said the number of schools implementing temporary remote learning is growing every day and it is growing exponentially.

The delta variant is so much more contagious. It certainly has been more contagious among youth. We are seeing that, Mackey said.

We never anticipated there would be this kind of spike not in schools but a community-wide spike, that would hit the week we began to open school. It was the perfect storm, Mackey said.

Lee, Cullman and Lawrence counties are among those that this week announced a temporary return to remote learning for some individual schools.

Cullman County Superintendent Shane Barnette said five schools in that system will switch to remote learning for the next two weeks. The decision came after one-third of students there were absent either because they tested positive for COVID-19 or were in quarantine because of being in close contact with someone who did.

The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is the number one priority in our school district, Barnette said.

Shelby County Schools on Thursday announced the system would begin requiring masks to be worn in schools. State officials have left decisions on masks to local systems.

Superintendent Lewis Brooks wrote to parents that the move, gives us the best chance to stay in school without a complete shutdown."

Mackey urged parents to be patient.

These are challenging times for teachers and principals. We know that it is frustrating for them and for parents, but parents just need to be patient. Well get through this difficult spike, Mackey said. He also urged people to talk to their medical provider about getting vaccinated to slow the spread and not have another spike.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Californias parole board voted Friday to free Robert F. Kennedys assassin after two of RFKs sons went against several of their siblings' wishes and said they supported releasing him and prosecutors declined to argue he should be kept behind bars. But the governor ultimately will decide if Sirhan Sirhan leaves prison.

Douglas Kennedy was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968. He told a two-person board panel that he was moved to tears by Sirhans remorse and that the 77-year-old should be released if hes not a threat to others.

Im overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face, he said. Ive lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love.

Six of Kennedy's nine surviving children said they were shocked by the vote and urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to reverse the parole board's decision and keep Sirhan behind bars.

He took our father from our family and he took him from America," the six siblings wrote in a statement late Friday. "We are in disbelief that this man would be recommended for release.

The statement was signed by Joseph P. Kennedy II, Courtney Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Maxwell T. Kennedy and Rory Kennedy.

But another sibling, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has spoken in favor of his release in the past and wrote in favor of paroling Sirhan. He said in the letter that he met him in prison and was moved by Sirhan, who wept, clinching my hands, and asked for forgiveness.

While nobody can speak definitively on behalf of my father, I firmly believe that based on his own consuming commitment to fairness and justice, that he would strongly encourage this board to release Mr. Sirhan because of Sirhans impressive record of rehabilitation, he said in a letter submitted during the hearing to the board.

Sirhan, whose hair is now white, smiled, thanked the board and gave a thumbs-up after the decision to grant parole was announced. It was a major victory in his 16th attempt at parole after hes served 53 years. But it does not assure his release.

The ruling will be reviewed over the next 120 days by the boards staff. Then it will be sent to the governor, who will have 30 days to decide whether to grant it, reverse it or modify it. If Sirhan is freed, he must live in a transitional home for six months, enroll in an alcohol abuse program and get therapy.

Robert F. Kennedy was a U.S. senator from New York and the brother of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. RFK was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary. Five others were wounded.

Sirhan, who insists he doesn't remember the shooting and had been drinking alcohol just beforehand, was convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death after his conviction, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972.

At his last parole hearing in 2016, commissioners concluded after more than three hours of intense testimony that Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime.

On Friday, Sirhan again said he didn't recall the killing, but he made multiple attempts to show nonetheless he takes responsibility for the harm he caused.

Sen. Kennedy was the hope of the world ... and I harmed all of them and it pains me to experience that, the knowledge for such a horrible deed, if I did in fact do that, said Sirhan, appearing on camera from a San Diego County prison at the virtual proceeding, wearing his blue prison uniform, a paper towel folded as a handkerchief peeking from his shirt pocket.

Parole Board Commissioner Robert Barton said Sirhan showed he was a different man from not only 1968 but 2016.

We saw the improvement that youve made, and all of the other mitigating factors, and we did not find that your lack of taking complete responsibility for the crime as proof of currently being dangerous to society, Barton said.

Barton said Sirhan had made a concerted effort to follow the board's suggestions from 2016. That included enrolling in more than 20 programs focused on self-help, controlling his anger and other emotions. Barton noted that Sirhan did so even during the coronavirus pandemic.

Because of laws passed in 2018, the board was required to take into account this time the fact that he had suffered childhood trauma from the conflict in the Middle East, committed the offense at a young age and is now an elderly prisoner.

The board found that despite the magnitude of the crime, he wasnt likely to reoffend and didnt pose an unreasonable threat to public safety.

Not withstanding its atrocity, its impact, not just on the families and the victims and the nation as a whole and perhaps the world as a whole  if you were sentenced to life without parole that would be a different matter, but you were sent to life with parole," Barton said.

Barton said the board's decision was not influenced by the fact that prosecutors did not participate or oppose Sirhans release under a policy by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, a former police officer who took office last year after running on a reform platform. Gascon, who said he idolized the Kennedys and mourned RFKs assassination, believes the prosecutors role ends at sentencing and they should not influence decisions to release prisoners.

Obviously they opposed in the past and even if they had opposed it today, our decision would be the same," Barton said.

The Los Angeles Police Department, relatives of some of the victims and members of the public submitted letters opposing Sirhans release.

The California District Attorneys Association denounced the prosecution's absence.

This is one of the most notorious political assassinations in American history and the killer is being considered for release without benefit of a representative on behalf of the people of California. That is disgraceful," El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, the association's president said.

Sirhan's lawyer, Angela Berry, had urged the board to base its decision on who Sirhan is today and not what he did more than 50 years ago.

Sirhan said he had learned to control his anger and was committed to living peacefully.

You have my pledge. I will always look to safety and peace and non-violence," he told the panel.

Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan, has acknowledged he was angry at Kennedy for his support of Israel. When asked about how he feels about the Middle East conflict today, Sirhan broke down crying and temporarily couldnt speak.

Take a few deep breaths, said Barton, who noted the conflict had not gone away and still touched a nerve.

Sirhan said he doesn't follow what's going on in the region but thinks about the suffering of refugees.

The misery that those people are experiencing. Its painful, Sirhan said.

If released, Sirhan could be deported to Jordan, and Barton said he was concerned he might become a symbol or lightning rod to foment more violence.

Sirhan said he was too old to be involved in the Middle East conflict and would detach himself from it.

The same argument can be said or made that I can be a peacemaker and a contributor to a friendly nonviolent way of resolving the issue, said Sirhan, who told the panel that he hoped to live with his blind brother in Pasadena, California.

Paul Schrade, a union leader and aide to RFK who was among five people wounded in the 1968 shooting, also spoke Friday in favor of Sirhan's release.

___

Melley reported from Los Angeles.

____

Corrects that decision undergoes 120 day review by staff not 90.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A grassroots group on Thursday recalled the centennial of a deadly fight to organize West Virginia coal miners in urging Sen. Joe Manchin to support higher wages and better voting protections.

Members of the Poor Peoples Campaign invoked the Battle of Blair Mountain after traveling by motorcade from Madison in Boone County to the state Capitol in Charleston. A century ago, the fight for miners' rights ended in surrender to federal troops though their struggle has lived on as a rallying cry for workers' rights in West Virginia.

Group members have repeatedly pressed the influential moderate Democratic senator and called for a diverse coalition of working people to apply pressure on Manchin, who has opposed a $15 federal minimum wage and a bill known as the For the People Act.

The bill has been touted as the answer of Democrats to a state level-GOP push to enact voting restrictions following the 2020 election. It passed the House in March, but has bogged down in the Senate. Manchin ultimately declared he couldnt vote for it because it lacked bipartisan support.

The Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, has held several rallies this year in West Virginia to bring focus on Manchin, this time drawing comparisons to the Battle of Blair Mountain.

In late August 1921, a police chief sympathetic to miners who wanted to improve their lives was fatally shot. That spurred thousands of miners to embark on a march, leading to the 12-day battle in which 16 men lost their lives.

The bottom line is, 100 years ago, black and white miners were fighting against two things," Barber said. "They were fighting against the bosses that were controlling the politics, and being paid in scrip. And they got tired of it.

Today Manchin is blocking people from getting their due. And hes blocking voting rights, which is allowing the elite to control who get elected. Its all wrong. And thats why 100 years later, we would be dishonoring them if we werent standing up for this.

Manchin said in a statement later Thursday that every American and West Virginian deserves to make a living wage. We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

Instead of a $15 minimum wage, he has proposed an $11 minimum wage indexed to the cost of living, which he said would ensure no one working 40 hours a week is living below the poverty guidelines while also removing Congress from the constant battle to raise the minimum wage year after year.

Manchin said a bipartisan group of senators also continues to discuss voting rights legislation that will ensure "accessible, fair and secure elections across the United States for years to come. Pushing through legislation of this significance on a partisan basis may garner political points but will inevitably only increase the political polarization of America.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach a reasonable agreement on an $11 federal minimum wage that protects working Americans without burdening our small businesses and on voting rights legislation that protects the right to vote for every American.

The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan is planning multiple events to remember the centennial of the Battle of Blair Mountain over the Labor Day weekend.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Nebraska's hospitals are even more crowded now than they were at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in November, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Thursday as he announced a staffing emergency to try to address a severe shortage of health care workers.

The state's hospitals were treating a 3,162 patients as of Wednesday, up from 3,074 on Nov. 20, when the number of known cases was at its all-time high.

Most of the recent hospitalizations aren't virus-related, however, and Ricketts said the increase was driven by patients seeking treatment for other medical problems. According to state data, hospitals are currently treating 337 virus patients  about 11% of total hospitalizations. In November, the hospitals counted 987 virus patients, accounting for 32% of hospitalizations.

Ricketts said he declared the emergency after consulting with the states hospital administrators. But he stopped short of calling it a COVID-19 emergency, which would allow the state to once again disclose daily case information.

Nebraska stopped publishing daily information in July, but now releases weekly data without as much detail. Ricketts announced the end of the official state virus emergency in late June.

The reason were not doing a COVID emergency is because this is a hospital staffing emergency. Were being very specific, Ricketts said at a news conference, noting the increase in non-virus hospitalizations.

Some health officials have been critical of the decision to stop releasing the detailed information, arguing that it makes it harder to track the the virus and potentially slow its spread.

We are in many ways flying blind, said Dr. James Lawler, one of the leaders of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The new staffing emergency waives various state licensing and education requirements for health care workers to try to encourage more people to take jobs at Nebraska hospitals. Ricketts said it will continue through at least the end of the year.

The Republican governor also issued a health order, effective Monday, that will require hospitals to limit certain non-essential surgeries that can be postponed four or more weeks to ease pressure on health care workers.

Ricketts said state officials will continue to monitor the situation and take other steps as appropriate," but declined to give specifics. He said the number of non-virus patients is likely up because of people who had postponed medical treatment earlier in the pandemic.

He also repeated his opposition to mask and vaccine mandates, although he has repeatedly urged residents to get vaccinated voluntarily and said that vaccines are safe and effective. The state denied Douglas County's request to impose a mask requirement earlier this week.

Ricketts said his administration would continue to focus on hospital capacity, as it has throughout the pandemic. He said the goal is to ensure that hospitals beds and ventilators are available for anyone who needs one, and the state has consistently met that benchmark.

___

Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (AP)  A gunman opened fire at a popular Southern California pier complex and wounded two people, prompting a stampede of people fleeing the scene before police killed him, authorities said.

The shooting Wednesday night at the Redondo Beach Pier sent people running to get away, and police tweeted for people inside businesses on and near the pier to stay inside. The landmark horseshoe-shaped pier has shops, restaurants, bars and expansive areas for fishing and sightseeing.

Numerous 911 calls reported a lone suspect shooting at citizens around 8:20 p.m., a police statement said. The suspect was shot after officers responded and he fled down a rock embankment toward the ocean's water line, where he was found dead, the statement said.

KTLA-TV reported that witnesses said the shooter was in the pier parking lot and began randomly shooting at people on the pier.

The suspect, described only as a man in his 30s, did not seem to know the people he had fired on, Los Angeles County sheriffs Lt. Brandon Dean said.

It was indiscriminate shooting, Dean told the Los Angeles Times.

People near the shooting described chaos when the gunman opened fire.

It was a stampede of people on the pier, and we were all running in the same direction to get off the pier, witness Patricia Shafik told KCBS-TV.

The suspect was armed with a handgun and a knife, according to a statement from the sheriffs department, which was assisting local police.

The victims, a man and a boy, suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to their lower torsos, the sheriffs department said. They were hospitalized in stable condition. Authorities did not immediately identify the suspect.
KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP)  Two men were killed and another was injured on Thursday in shootings outside a northern Illinois courthouse stemming from a long-running internal gang dispute, authorities said.

The shootings occurred after one of the victims, Victor Andrade, emerged from the Kankakee County Courthouse and was fatally shot by Antonio Hernandez, Kankakee Police Chief Robin Passwater said during a news conference.
While Gov. Ned Lamont awaits word from federal authorities on the expected flow of Afghan refugees into Connecticut, his administration is negotiating with resettlement agencies on housing, the most expensive need for families who are expected to arrive at the rate of 100 people per month starting in September.

Chris George, executive director of the New Haven-based Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, said Friday he thinks the state will help in finding places for Afghan families. That will happen after an extensive vetting process that starts at the Kabul airport, continues at air bases in Europe and the Middle East and is completed at U.S. military bases, where resettlement agencies are finally contacted.

Nineteen volunteers from the Connecticut Air National Guards 103rd Airlift Wing will journey to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington, N.J. to help with logistics and medical support for refugees being evaluated and housed there temporarily, Major Gen. Francis Evon, adjutant general of the Connecticut National Guard, said Friday.

Our people are trained professionals who understand the urgency, complexity and importance of this mission, Evon said in a statement.

State government has a limited role, though it will include several departments, including social services. Federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services are the major liaisons between families evacuated by the military and resettlement agencies including IRIS, the Bridgeport-based Connecticut Institute for Refuges and Immigrants and others.

Were certainly in contact with the immigration authorities down in Washington, D.C., Lamont said after an unrelated event in Danbury on Friday. They contract with IRIS and a couple of our other immigration groups in the state and well be prepared to do what they ask us to do.

George singled out U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, for helping hundreds of people try to navigate the evacuation process.

Himes, whose district covers Fairfield County, said Friday that his Washington office has responded to 400 cases involving 700 people, ranging from U.S. citizens to people who might have been civilian employees of the military but do not have proper paperwork beyond a photo of a family member with military personnel.

College friends have reached out on Facebook, Himes said, noting that while ethics rules limit his work on Social Security issues to residents of the congressional district, there are no such restrictions for the evacuation of Kabul. Weve gotten cold calls out of nowhere. Its comes from every which way.

Himes recalled that the last time he visited Kabul was in early 2020, when he was in a group including House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California. He drew parallels between the defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan.

There is a lot of soul searching to be done here, Himes said, recalling the rosy assessments of generals and admirals in January 2020. The culture of the military is such that a colonel cannot become a general if youre telling the truth. Its not part of their culture.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, said that a large number of the Afghan refugees, many of whom have applied for the Special Immigrant Visa program, are at U.S. military facilities in Qatar and Kuwait awaiting further vetting. Courtney said his office has fielded about 120 calls, mostly from Afghans with family connections in the United States.

President Bidens budget included $3 billion for security forces in Afghanistan which obviously has become completely moot, he said, adding that he could see Congress reallocating some of that funding to Special Immigrant Visa program to expedite processing.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services will develop case files on refugee families as they arrive and along with the private resettlers, will try to help them succeed in their new homes.

Historically, states have not put up much of their own money from their own state budget to refugee resettlement, George told an online audience of more than 200 supporters, advocates, potential volunteers and media Friday afternoon.

Of course, they do something in some ways thats just as important. Governors have been very welcoming and supportive of refugee resettlement, so thats a positive thing, George added. But in terms of financial or in-kind assistance, we are having conversations with state government now about how they can help financially with housing and its looking very positive, so Im optimistic about that.

Its too early in the evacuation process to detemine the states full role, Lamont said Thursday.

There has been no outreach yet to Connecticut on how we can support those refugees, Lamont said. Generally Ill be there listening and responsive...I havent gotten any asks from the White House yet, but again provided the vetting is serious, well be supportive. Were getting more and more people out every day.

While IRIS has already helped resettle some Afghani people arriving since the surprise fall of the Asian nation to Taliban troops earlier this month, other groups are waiting.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford is not involved in the resettlement of Afghan families at this time but we are eager to participate in the effort when we are presented with the opprounity to do so, John Noonan, director of development and communications for that agency, said Friday. Catholic Charities has been involved in resettlement operations since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

The U.S. Department of Defense on Friday authorized military bases in Virginia, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Texas and New Mexico to provide temporary housing for thousands of Afghans whose escapes from the embattled region have been aided by the military. The Connecticut Air National Guard group is joining that mission.

CT Insider staff writers Julia Bergman and Peter Yankowski contributed to this report.
HARTFORD  Newly elected state Sen. Ryan Fazio was sworn in as the newest GOP member of the legislature before a vocal crowd of supporters in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol on Thursday morning.

Surrounded by friends, family and fellow Republicans, Fazio took the oath of office from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and spoke briefly as he officially began representing the 36th District, which covers all of Greenwich as well as portions of Stamford and New Canaan.

I know and love our community and our state, Fazio said after he was sworn in. And while our state faces immense challenges, I know with a positive change in our state government that Connecticut can succeed like never before. There is always hope.

Fazio was elected last week in a special election to fill the remainder of the term of Alex Kasser, a Democrat who resigned unexpectedly in June. She was who was elected last November to her second term, which runs through the end of 2022.

Fazio lost in a match-up against Kasser in 2020, but last week he defeated Democratic candidate Alexis Gevanter and petition candidate John Blankley in the special election.

In his remarks at the Capitol, Fazio thanked the voters for placing their trust in me and became emotional when speaking about his grandmother, Anne Gadaleta, who passed away Wednesday. He said she was the person most on my mind as he took the oath.

No one did more to support and encourage my love of country and interest in government from the time I was very young than she did, Fazio said. She was the last surviving of 21 children in her Irish-Catholic family, which sounds like Im making it up. But Im not. Its true.

She was born in the Great Depression, and her family didnt have two nickels together. But she told me that she always felt rich because she had faith in God and family and friends, he said. I know I am a rich man today because I have faith and family and friends. And I promise you I will always show the same faith and devotion to doing what is right as your state senator that my grandmother showed her whole life.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Fazio led the crowd, which included his parents, stepmother, sister and a brother, in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Now that he has taken office, Fazio will soon be assigned to committees by the Republican Senate leadership. Those assignments are still under discussion, Fazio said Thursday.

In addition to his family, several prominent Greenwich political figures were on hand for the swearing in, including First Selectman Fred Camillo, who is a former state representative, as well as Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and former state Sen. L. Scott Frantz, who previously held the seat.

Fazio was also welcomed to the state Senate and the GOP caucus by Sen. Kevin Kelly, the Republican Senate minority leader. However, Democrats retain a 23 to 13 seat majority in the state Senate after this seat changed party control.

In the first few minutes I met Ryan Fazio, it was immediately clear to me that he cares about the people he represents, Kelly said while serving as an unofficial master of ceremonies at the event. He cares about our state. He cares about making a difference. He embodies the next generation of Connecticut leadership.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Update Required

To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Comcast is certainly serious about boosting its corporate networking business. Or the cord cutters are really causing some damage. Maybe both. Either way, Comcast Business just announced plans to acquire privately-held Masergy Communications, an SD-WAN and cloud-based security specialist.

Comcast is a public company, but Masergy is not, so terms of the deal were not disclosed. Masergy was acquired by private equity firm Berkshire Partners in 2016.

Comcast currently has its own SD-WAN offering through a partnership with Versa Networks, but its geared toward small businesses. Nabbing Masergy gives Comcast greater access to the enterprise. Masergy specializes in managed SD-WAN and secure communications, as well as cloud-based unified communications solutions. The company says it has more than 1,400 customers in almost 100 countries.

Masergys product offerings include managed SD-WAN, unified communications as a Service (UCaaS), call center as a service (CCaaS) and managed security solutions. Its SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) services are offered through Fortinet, while its cloud access security broker (CASB) is provided by Bitglass and its UCaaS is offered in partnership with Cisco Webex.

Most important for Comcast, though, is that Masergy has a mature channel program it has been building for its 20 years of operation. Having Masergy is a significant leap for Comcasts business ambitions.

This gives Comcast a boost in its drive to compete with Verizon and AT&T as well, not to mention helps diversify its business at a time when consumers are ditching cable TV.
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Periods of rain and becoming windy. Rain may be heavy late. Low near 60F. NE winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Periods of rain and becoming windy. Rain may be heavy late. Low near 60F. NE winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Periods of rain and becoming windy. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. NE winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Periods of rain and becoming windy. Rain may be heavy late. Low 61F. NE winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities.
Tropical Storm Henri didn't turn out to be as damaging to Connecticut as predicted.

But it did create the perfect storm for social media users to disparage the forecast of Connecticut meteorologist Rachel Frank who said she got "venomous" comments about her coverage of the storm for Hartford-based FOX61 from viewers who insulted her appearance and intelligence.

Frank's "challenging" week sounded familiar to fellow meteorologists and television journalists across Connecticut. When Ashley Baylor saw Frank's tweet, she said she contacted Frank to offer support.

I reached out to Rachel right after her post, said Baylor, a meteorologist at New Haven's WTNH. I invited her out to lunch on Tuesday just to talk and get our minds off what happened...Many of us have been there  we know how it feels to receive hate messages after a forecast didn't perfectly come to fruition.

There are several forecasts available to public these days, Baylor said, which further complicates weather forecasting and its perceived accuracy by the public.

Sadly, with computer models becoming easily available, all these armchair (social) MEDIAorologists have come on to the scene in recent years with their OWN public forecasts even though they don't have a degree or certification, she said in an email. Not only do they post their own forecasts, but often, I see them go with the worst-case scenarios to get the page views. It's beyond frustrating. I don't like having to talk people off a ledge because they're scared of something they saw on so-and-so's page.

Brad Field, the former chief meteorologist for NBC Connecticut for 34 years and current chief meteorologist at New England Skywatch Weather, said its something hes encountered throughout the course of his time on TV making weather predictions.

In my career, I experienced many doubters and critics, he wrote in a Facebook message. I largely ignored [them], but tried to see the grain of truth within the criticism and grow from that.

So when he saw Franks tweet about the venomous comments she received, he offered words of encouragement to a fellow Connecticut meteorologist.

As far as Rachel is concerned, we have MANY very good, very dedicated meteorologists in Connecticut, he said via Facebook. Rachel is among our best!

Melissa Cole / Contributed Photo

Meteorologist for WFSB in Rocky Hill Melissa Cole also shared support on social media for Frank.

When it comes to Tropical Storm Henri  or any storm  Cole said that meteorologists have nothing to gain by hyping things up.

At the end of the day, were doing the best job possible to provide the most accurate and at times life-saving information to the public, she said. On Saturday morning, things looked bad for Connecticut. Our forecasts evolved as the storm track evolved throughout the next 24 hours.

Meteorologists are constant targets for criticism across the country, according to Baylor, and while she noted that shes been very lucky with the feedback shes received from viewers, shes no stranger to being on the receiving end of critical comments.

I cant even tell you the number of times someone has said [or] written, Meteorologist  the only job you get paid to be wrong, she said. After the Henri coverage, I had a lot of support, but sadly, its the troll comments that stick out. I had one guy write, Shouldve been a meteorologist. I love people who say this  it has the underlying tone that we are paid to be wrong.

Ashley Baylor / Contributed Photo

Cole said she makes a point of supporting her fellow female meteorologists, especially now that many more of them are on TV.

When I first started out at WFSB in 2003, I was the only female meteorologist in the market. Today, I love that there is at least one, if not two female meteorologists at every station, she said. I personally see it as less of competition, and more of a camaraderie  women supporting women, especially in the STEM field. I love following them all on social media and often like or comment on their posts.

Cole is also no stranger to receiving statements like the ones Frank got after Henri. In her first weekend on air in Connecticut, Cole said several people emailed her to say, No offense to you, but I just dont like it when a woman does the weather.

Knowing that there hadnt been a female forecaster in the market for quite some time before her arrival, Cole said the comments were difficult to receive.

I remember feeling crushed and even second guessed myself at times, but I just kept showing up and doing the best job I could, she said. About six months into the job, some of those emailers actually reached back out to apologize for their remarks.

FOX61 news director Richard Washington said in a statement that Frank "provided life-saving information to our viewers during our coverage of Tropical Storm Henri.

"While so many appreciated her dedication, as is typical with social media, she also received hurtful and hateful comments," he wrote. "FOX61/CW20 doesnt tolerate this type of online behavior and fully supports Rachel and all of the journalists who work to serve the greater good of our communities."

While he said he and the station "won't be making any further comment" on the matter, state meteorologists offered additional words of support for their fellow forecaster  and for those looking to get into the field.

Cole said she tries to focus on the kind comments she gets.

My skin has grown thicker over the years, despite the rise of social media and the easy ability to type a comment and click send, she said. But for every negative comment, there seems to be a hundred good ones, so I try and focus on that instead.

Field said he advises up-and-coming forecasters to pause before answering any naysayers.

Listen, but do not react immediately  once you send, it's out there for eternity, he said. I always strived to win over my critics and in many cases, I did.

Even though it's "not as easy or as glamorous as people think, Baylor said she and her fellow TV meteorologists love what they do, and she urged future meteorologists to not get caught up in criticism.

You cant go after all of them, and often, theyre looking for a fight  youll drive yourself insane, she said. True viewers and fans will be supportive and back you when someone gets out of line. Persevere, and stay excellent.
GREENWICH  First Selectman Fred Camillo is pushing back against criticism of his new mask and vaccine mandates issued in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases in town.

On Friday, Camillo announced a mandate starting Monday to require masks in common areas inside town-owned buildings and private businesses, including offices, stores and restaurants.

Im getting some emails and text messages from people citing studies that say masks are no good and theyre not working, Camillo said Wednesday during his weekly update on COVID-19.

The American Journal of Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, the annals of internal medicine, the CDC, the local health department, the state health department, doctors and Greenwich Hospital all cant be wrong on this, he said as he warned residents to avoid misinformation on the internet.

And when it comes to those who say that masks infringe on freedom, Camillo said he cant buy it.

I could attack that argument all day long, but ... Ive found with certain people youre never going to convince them of the dangers of COVID-19, he said. I always tell people, if you dont care about your own health, care about your neighbor or your family member (then dont wear a mask). And if you dont care about them, that says an awful lot.

Ultimately, Camillo said the overwhelming majority of people are doing the right thing, and were very proud of them. The complaints, he said, are coming from a minority of people who just dont want any restrictions.

As of Wednesday, 81 new cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed in town since Aug. 18, bringing the total up to 5,478 since March 2020, he said. Of those cases, the town Department of Health considers 69 to be active, which is down nine cases since last week.

And for the first time in months, a resident diagnosed with the virus died, bringing the local death toll to 90, Camillo said.

Mask measures

The first selectman said the mask requirement may be for a short time  just until the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations drops.

We can get to the other side of this quicker by just having a minor inconvenience for however long, Camillo said. I dont think its even going to be that long, but we need to do it. Otherwise it will be long, and you will have event cancellations and capacity limits will be imposed on us by the state. Were trying to stay ahead of that.

Many of the complaints have come from gyms, which say the mask rule is costing them business, he said.

The intent here is not to hurt businesses, said Camillo, who said he uses a mask while at the gym to send that message. But he said he knew some gyms had been allowing patrons to take off their masks before the delta variant hit.

We want to send the message that were taking this seriously, Camillo said. When youre in a common area, put it on.

He further explained where masks should be worn.

If youre at a table or at a desk, you dont have to wear one. Youre far away from people, he said. If youre in line at a store, youre in a common area. If youre walking around in a busy hallway thats a common area.

Camillo said he expected to meet with Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday to discuss several issues, including the response to COVID-19 and the delta variant.

The town will release more guidance on the policy by the end of the week, Camillo said.

Rules on vaccines

In his mandate last Friday, Camillo also required all town employees to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing for the virus. The deadline is Sept. 27  the same date set by the state for all state employees as well as employees in nursing homes and public schools to meet the same requirement.

There has been no pushback from town employees, Camillo said.

The number of fully vaccinated residents, among the 52,000 who are eligible, is up to 77.62 percent, he said. And the number who have gotten at least one shot is more than 84 percent.

We are doing well there and hopefully these measures that we put in place will get us through this period where people are coming back to town and unfortunately are bringing the virus with them from other locations, Camillo said.

He and Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly said they hope more residents get vaccinated now that the federal Food and Drug Administration has given full approval for Pfizers vaccine.

The lack of approval was the No. 1 reason weve heard people say theyre not getting it, Kelly said. If this was a barrier to people, Im very hopeful that they will take that to heart and then theyll move forward and take the vaccine.

As of Wednesday, Greenwich Hospital was treating 11 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, with two in the intensive care unit with one on a ventilator, she said. Of the 11 hospitalized patients in town, 10 had not been vaccinated, Kelly said.

Overall at the Yale New Haven Health System, of which Greenwich Hospital is a part, there are 136 COVID-19 patients, an increase of 19 since last week. Kelly said that 100 of those patients had not been vaccinated.

The important message here is, please, its not too late to get your vaccine, she said.

Greenwich Hospital has resumed administering vaccinations for immunocompromised residents who need a third booster shot through its location at 500 W. Putnam Ave. Kelly said eligibility for boosters could expand in the coming weeks based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccines are also available for free at local pharmacies, including at CVS or Walgreens.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates in schools will not remain in place, Leon County's 2nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge John Cooper ruled Friday.

The court said that under the law the defendants "did not have the authority for a blanket mandatory ban against face mask policy, that does not provide a parental opt-out. They simply do not have that authority," the judge said.

The order will not take effect until the written order is issued, Judge Cooper said. The court expected the written order to be issued early next week.

Judge Cooper cited evidence presented, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for universal masking of students and teachers. He called the health care agency "the gold standard" as part of his decision.

"I have heard significant evidence concerning the medical and scientific basis for face mask policies and I conclude this evidence demonstrates that face mask policies that follow CDC guidance at this point in time are reasonable," he said.

One of the plaintiffs, Lesley Abravanel of Boca Raton, said she was elated.

"The judge clearly went on the side of science and medicine and our children and democracy," Abravanel said during a virtual news conference. "It was madness that we even had to sue the governor to get to this point, but I mean we did. And we prevailed. Thankfully the facts matter."

Attorney Charles Gallagher called the ruling, "significant in protecting the rights of children in Florida across the board."

A spokesperson for DeSantis issued a statement saying the state will appeal the judge's decision.

"It's not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parent's rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts -- frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented."

The ruling comes after a four-day hearing in the case of parents from Miami-Dade, Orange, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Alachua counties who filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, the Florida Department of Education, and the Florida Board of Education over the executive order banning mask mandates in schools.

The governor's executive order directed the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health to issue emergency rules that give parents a choice on whether their children should wear masks in class.

The ruling comes as a growing number of Florida school districts have issued local mask mandates that do not include a parental opt-out, as is required by the governor's executive order.

Ten districts so far, including Broward, Alachua, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Sarasota, Duval, Indian River, Orange have mask mandates without parent opt-out options.

"While we are sure this is the first of many legal proceedings, the judge in this case basically echoed what Superintendent Hanna said to the school board Tuesday night: that we were in compliance with the Parents Bill of Rights," said Chris Petley, Leon County Public Schools communications coordinator.

"The actions of this school board when they adopted mandatory face coverings in schools is consistent with the judge's ruling. We will continue to make the health and safety of students and staff top priority," Hillsborough County Public Schools said in part in a written statement to CNN.

So far, the Florida State Board of Education had said it will cut funding to 2 of the 10 counties that issued mask mandates, Broward and Alachua.

The US Secretary of Education sent a letter to the districts last Friday stating that any financial penalties could be covered with federal dollars. It is unclear what effect -- if any -- cutting funds would have on the districts.

The legal team representing the parents suing the state has scheduled a news conference for Friday.

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education echoed DeSantis' statement saying the ruling conflicts with parental rights.

"We will continue to fight to make sure every child has access to education. We are committed to the fundamental rights of parents and will push forward on appeal to ensure that this foundation of democracy is upheld," the department said in the statement.

Judge Cooper spent two hours laying out his ruling today.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
Dolly Monceaux was unvaccinated when she found herself fighting the coronavirus last week from a hospital bed in a Mississippi ICU, unable to see family and struggling to breathe or sleep.

"You don't know you're gonna get it, and then you get it and you're sick," Monceaux told CNN on Wednesday, breathing through an oxygen mask at Pascagoula Hospital - Singing River Health System. "You don't know whether you're gonna live or die."

The 82-year-old, from Jackson County, Mississippi, had been "on the fence" about the Covid-19 vaccine, but as she continues fighting the virus in the hospital, she has a new perspective, she said.

"All my family wasn't going to get the shot, but now we are," Monceaux said. "All my family."

The first thing she wants to tell her family when she finally gets to see them, Monceaux panted, is "to go get the shot."

She is one of thousands of unvaccinated people in Mississippi who are quickly overwhelming hospitals and health care workers throughout the state. As Mississippi struggles to contain its newest virus wave, the state is also preparing for the chaos Tropical Storm Ida, which could be a major hurricane along the US Gulf Coast this weekend, may bring.

Mississippi just set a new daily record for Covid-19-related deaths, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said Tuesday. Of the 895 staffed ICU beds reported across the state, more than 92% are in use and more than 59% of those beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Between July 29 and August 25, 90% of hospitalizations and 87% of deaths due to Covid-19 occurred in people who were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, according to the Mississippi Department of Health. Only 2% of overall cases were among vaccinated people.

"I think what's most interesting is the detachment, the complete lack of connection between what we see out in the community with what's happening in these hospitals," Dr. Ijlal Babar, who runs the ICU at Pascagoula Hospital, told CNN.

Babar, also the director of pulmonary and critical care at Singing River Health Systems, said the hospital can't expand Covid-19 capacity fast enough. Although they cleared beds to serve more patients, they lack the staff needed to open them.

Mississippi now has at least 2,000 fewer nurses than it did at the beginning of the year, according to the Mississippi Hospital Association's Center for Quality & Workforce. The staff shortages add to the growing strain on the state's hospital system -- both due, in large part, to the pandemic.

The vast majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated.

"It's exhausting, both mentally and emotionally," Babar said. "I think the most difficult thing emotionally that we are having to deal with now is what do we do with people who been on the ventilator for weeks and weeks and weeks and aren't getting better?"

But there is a small ray of hope, with the hospital's vaccination clinic seeing an uptick in people getting shots.

One of those newly convinced people is 19-year-old Isabelle Smith, who has asthma and got such a bad case of the virus that she couldn't get out of bed.

Her mother, Robin Walls, who is vaccinated and tried to convince Smith to get the vaccine, thought her daughter might die.

"I told her, 'I'm backing off; I did all I could do,'" Walls said. "She finally came around."

Antibody therapy is helping patients -- and hospitals

To try to curb hospital stays, Singing River Health System established a site for monoclonal antibody treatment, known as mAbs, for outpatients who have the virus but don't yet need a bed.

Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who've contracted Covid-19 but do not have severe cases.

The antibodies, which help keep the disease from progressing, are administered shortly after diagnosis and within 10 days of symptom onset. Studies suggest they don't help people with severe cases or those already on oxygen.

People with newly diagnosed cases have been clamoring for the treatment, said Chris Ayers, Singing River Health System's lead clinical pharmacist.

"I've been through disasters, hurricanes, tornadoes, things like that, but I've never seen anything like this," Ayers told CNN. "Literally, the phone is ringing off the hook."

On the treatment site's long list of patients is Edith Jordan, who is unvaccinated and tested positive last week for the coronavirus, which she believes she contracted from a family member.

Though she believes in the seriousness of the virus and has contracted it herself, Jordan still won't get the vaccine, she said.

"I'm just not trustful of the data behind it," she said. When asked what data she is referring to, she declined to respond.

While studies show that mAbs are highly effective at preventing high-risk patients from developing severe Covid-19 symptoms, they aren't a cure or an option for everyone.

"After about 60 days, these antibodies have done what they've done, they've flushed the virus out of your system, and then they disappear," Ayers said. "They don't stay circulating in your body unlike natural antibodies do, that are caused through your immune system either naturally or through exposure or a vaccine."

Still, not everyone thinks like Jordan.

Like Monceaux and Smith, Amanda Dunning is singing a different tune after contracting the virus.

"I was hesitant about the whole Covid thing in the beginning, I was like, 'It's no big deal, I'm not going get it,'" Dunning, 35, told CNN. "I don't wish this on anybody. It's hard. It's extremely hard."

Despite initial concerns about the vaccine -- and after speaking to professionals about it and doing more research -- she has decided to get the shot.

"Until you catch it or until you truly have a loved one that's going to catch it, it's not going to hit you full force," Dunning said. "I feel like Mississippi needs to come together, band together, including our government and our state officials, and say, 'Look, now's the time.'"

"I'm convinced. Please just get the vaccine," she added. "I did a 180, and it's because of getting Covid."

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
The Perseverance rover isn't letting any Martian dust settle under its wheels. It's preparing to collect a core sample from another rock on Mars after its first attempt earlier this month amounted to a crumbly pile.

The rover has moved on and driven 1,493 feet (455 meters) to a ridge called "Citadelle," which is French for "castle," that overlooks the floor of Jezero Crater. Billions of years ago, a lake filled this crater. Samples collected from the crater will eventually be returned to Earth by future missions and could reveal if ancient life ever existed on Mars.

This week, Perseverance will use a tool on its robotic arm to abrade, or scrape away, at a rock nicknamed "Rochette." Abrading the rock and taking photos of what lies beneath its surface will allow Perseverance's science team on Earth to assess if the rock can withstand being cored by the rover's drill.

If the rock shows promise, Perseverance will attempt to take a core sample from it next week.

"There are potentially older rocks in the 'South Seitah' region ahead of us, so having this younger sample can help us reconstruct the whole timeline of Jezero," said Vivian Sun, one of the mission's scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement.

Scientists have a better feeling about Citadelle than the rover's previous attempt of the Roubion rock on the crater floor. The ridge is topped with a rock layer that seems more resistant to wind erosion than the rock within the crater floor that Perseverance tried to sample on August 6.

"The boulders of Citadelle provide good targets for another coring attempt because they are very solid in appearance, a conclusion supported by the fact that they stand high in the landscape even after eons of erosive action," wrote Ken Farley, Perseverance's project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, in an update.

The flat polygonal-shaped rock Perseverance initially tried to sample is an example of a "paver stone." The rock crumbled and broke apart into powder that couldn't remain in the sample tube. However, the tube was filled with a sealed up sample of Martian atmosphere -- something scientists were planning to capture anyway.

"By returning samples to Earth, we hope to answer a number of scientific questions, including the composition of Mars' atmosphere," Farley said. "That's why we're interested in an atmospheric sample along with rock samples."

For the next sampling attempt, the team has added a new step to the process. Once the sample is collected, the team will use the rover's cameras located on its mast to look inside the tube and then take a pause. This will allow the team to make sure there is a rock core in the tube before it's sealed and stored on the rover.

While Perseverance is parked on Citadelle, it will use its radar to peer down beneath the rock layers and train its cameras on other potential rocks of interest in the area.

Looking ahead

Once Perseverance explores Citadelle to the team's satisfaction, it will likely trek west to South Seitah, which is expected to have different types of rocks.

The Ingenuity helicopter recently conducted some aerial scouting of this area during its 12th flight on August 16. Ingenuity captured 10 images from a height of 33 feet (10 meters) over 169.5 seconds during its most complex flight yet.

"From a science perspective, these images of South Seitah are the most valuable Ingenuity has taken to date," Farley said. "And part of their value may be in what they are not showing. Sedimentary layers in rocks are not readily apparent in the image, and there may be areas that could be difficult to negotiate with the rover. There is work to do by our science and rover driving teams to understand better how to respond to the new data."

And the science team hasn't given up on trying to sample those Martian paver stones, even after the first unsuccessful attempt. The rover will encounter them again when it loops back around to the landing site.

Many of the paver stones are "light colored and heavily wind-polished 'whalebacks' that protrude upward from the sandy Martian surface," Farley said. The others are orange.

"The orange color is from iron being leached from primary minerals and reprecipitated (to precipitate again). as iron oxide. Basically, rusting rock," Farley said. "My suspicion is that had we attempted coring on a whaleback the result would have been different."

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
STOCKBRIDGE  Piedmont Henry Hospital has become a silent war zone in the wake of the most recent COVID-19 wave.

Rooms in the Intensive Care Units are full, but its quiet. There are no visitors, and patients cant communicate with hospital staff; theyre unconscious and intubated due to the disease.

The hospital and its staff have been pushed to the limit. The 236-bed facility has ballooned to nearly 300 beds. Places where staff and visitors ate lunch or purchased gifts have been transformed. Theyre now filled with beds and equipment to care for ill patients. Every available space has been modified to treat the sick.

On Aug. 24, the hospital broke its own record of 291 patients. The former record of 287 patients was recorded in March 2020. Of those admitted, two-thirds are COVID patients.

This wave of COVID is worse, said Piedmont Henry Hospital CEO Dr. Lily Henson. Our patients are younger this time around. Were working really, really hard, and right now were just hanging on.

She said staff are exhausted and frustrated the virus has surged again.

This wave is largely self-inflicted, she said. We have the vaccine.

While there are breakthrough cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control, vaccinated individuals have a reduced likelihood of requiring hospitalization or dying.

Staff Shortage

Like hospitals around the country, Piedmont Henry is experiencing a staffing shortage in nearly every job family, from environmental services, transporters, phlebotomists and nurses.

Henson said after the first round of COVID in 2020 several nurses, many of the most experienced, opted to retire. As younger nurses come on board, many are choosing to pursue other career options after experiencing whats happening in hospitals today.

She said at the end of the day, many more duties are falling onto the shoulders of nurses because they simply dont have the staff. Henson, alongside executive directors and managers, has been on the floors taking out trash, cleaning rooms, delivering meals, transporting patients and doing what they can to alleviate some of the work asked of nurses.

We want them operating at the highest levels of their license, Henson said. Were doing what we can.

Registered Nurse Monica Newland has been caring for COVID patients since the start of the pandemic. She, too, is tired and frustrated, but this time around Newland said things are different.

Last year we were heroes, she said. Now people are angry with us because were struggling again. Weve been doing our part, but the community isnt doing theirs to get vaccinated, and here we are.

Its more than just frustration. Staff are watching and coping with the loss of patients, many of whom are around their age.

Its tough to watch, and it takes a toll, Henson said.

Ripple Effect

Though the number of hospitalized residents appears low as compared to Henry Countys overall population, the number of patients requiring hospitalization is overwhelming.

Henson said the soaring numbers have an effect on everything that touches the hospital, from overrun urgent care centers to emergency medical services.

All non-emergency elective medical procedures have been paused to adjust for staffing shortages and space. Henson said she struggled with that decision knowing how the pause will affect doctors, surgeons and their staff who may be left under or unemployed.

I had to choose to close our operating rooms so we could take care of patients, she said.

Emergency Room Visits

Henson is all but begging residents who are not experiencing a medical emergency to see a primary care physician or visit a QuickCare location rather than coming to the hospitals Emergency Department.

Piedmont Henry has one of the busiest emergency departments in the state, treating approximately 90,000 annually pre-pandemic.

On Monday, Aug. 24, Henson said the hospital was forced to institute its internal disaster code due to the number of patients in the ED. The code stopped ambulances from bringing additional patients, diverting them to other hospitals, to allow for the 171 waiting patients to be triaged, screened and cared for.

Henson called it a perfect storm.

She said officials called every one available to the hospital to help. Staff set up two outdoor triage areas to handle the influx of patients.

How quickly a patient sees a doctor or nurse depends on the severity of their illness. Henson explained patients are assigned a number of 1-5 with 1 being something like a stroke or heart attack. Those patients are treated first. Others who fall lower on the scale are seen as space and staff become available.

She said the ED operated for three hours under the internal disaster code.

We did then and were doing now all we can to care for everyone, Henson said. It just may take a little longer for some.

Despite the overwhelming numbers, Henson said she wants the community to know that no one will be turned away if they need treatment.

Shes urging those who are unvaccinated to get the shot and for everyone to wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands.

Were here to serve the community and were doing our darnedest, but right now the hospital really feels like a war zone.
Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, faces his 16th parole hearing Friday seeking a release from prison -- this time with no opposition from prosecutors.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has no plans for his prosecutors to speak out during Sirhan's parole hearing scheduled for Friday, affirming his stance that the role of a prosecutor ends at sentencing.

"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," said Gascon adviser Alex Bastian in a statement, noting that the parole board has all the pertinent facts and evaluations, along with behavior during incarceration.

"Our office policies take these principles into account and as such, our prosecutors stay out of the parole board hearing process," Bastian said.

Gascon's office said the previous practice, typical of many district attorneys across the country, involved almost always objecting to inmate releases, based solely on the circumstances of the crime and not of the actions of the inmate in the years following. The new directive aims to leave the decision up to the parole board.

Sirhan, 77, shot Kennedy to death in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles following a campaign event in which Kennedy celebrated primary victories in his run for the Democratic nomination for president in 1968.

Initially sentenced to death for the murder, Sirhan's punishment was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the California State Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional.

Angela Berry, Sirhan's attorney, did not comment on the upcoming hearing but provided sentencing memorandums which focus on her client's youth at the time of the murder -- he was 24 -- and his childhood. Describing Sirhan as a Palestinian who became a refugee at age four, he "witnessed atrocities most of us only see in movies or in our worst nightmares" before emigrating to the US as a teenager.

If released on parole, Sirhan plans to live with his only surviving brother in Los Angeles, according to the filing.

An attorney for the Kennedy family did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CONYERS - A car break-in suspect who led Conyers Police on a chase in a stolen mortuary van on Aug. 25 turned himself in the next to the Rockdale County Jail. During the chase, a body on a gurney rolled out of the van.

Police were looking for Kijon Griffin, 23, of Atlanta as a suspect in several car break-ins. They spotted him near a Conyers mortuary Wednesday afternoon as crematory workers were taking a body out of a van. Griffin jumped into the van and took off, with a gurney with the body on it sliding out of the open back doors of the van and into the parking lot. The workers were able to secure the body.

Griffin led police on a chase on I-20 west into DeKalb County, He allegedly hit multiple cars during the chase before one of the vans tires blew out near Wesley Chapel Road. Griffin exited the van and fled into the woods.

Conyers Police, assisted by DeKalb County Police and K-9s, the Georgia State Patrol and a HERO unit secured a perimeter in the area, but were unable to capture Griffin.

He turned himself in Thursday morning and is facing numerous charges including entering auto, motor vehicle theft, and fleeing and attempting to elude police officers.
In the space of just a few years, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan has seized on the country's instability to become one of the region's most feared terror groups.

ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing attack outside Kabul airport on Thursday, which targeted a frantic Western evacuation operation and killed 13 US troops and more than 90 Afghans. The group provided no evidence to support the claim but US officials have said it was likely behind the atrocity.

It was ISIS-K's most globally consequential action to date and drew a promise of retribution from US President Joe Biden.

But the group, known in full as ISIS-Khorasan, has been responsible for thousands of deaths since its 2015 formation.

Its members operate in central Asia, and the group's name comes from its terminology for the area that includes Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In 2018 it was ranked the world's fourth deadliest terror group, claiming more than 1,000 lives, mostly in Afghanistan, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, which monitors global terrorism annually.

Since then the group's growth has been limited and its militants have fought the Taliban. But they have capitalized on uncertainty in Afghanistan in recent months to launch brutal attacks, and the impending withdrawal of troops by the United States threatens to give them a window in which to regain strength.

How was ISIS-K formed?

The group is a branch of ISIS, the terror group that first emerged in Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, controlled a huge stretch of territory stretching from western Syria to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The original group had its self-declared caliphate ended by US-backed forces in recent years.

But the connection between ISIS-K and its apparent parent group is not entirely clear; the affiliates share an ideology and tactics, but the depth of their relationship with regards to organization and command and control has never been entirely established.

US intelligence officials previously told CNN that the ISIS-K membership includes "a small number of veteran jihadists from Syria and other foreign terrorist fighters," saying that the US had identified 10 to 15 of their top operatives in Afghanistan.

Its earliest members included Pakistani militants who emerged in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province around a decade ago, many of whom had fled Pakistan and defected from other terror groups, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Counter-terrorism analysts estimate its strength now at around 1,500-2,000, but that number may soon grow. Some captured ISIS-K fighters were being held in prisons near Kabul, which the Taliban overran as their offensive accelerated.

What do they want?

Key figures involved in the formation of ISIS-K included Taliban defectors -- such as former Taliban member Abdul Rauf Aliza, who was briefly held at Guantanamo Bay and was killed in a US drone strike in 2015 after joining ISIS.

But the group has a mutual hatred of the Taliban, and attracts those with views even more radical than the Taliban.

Unlike the militant group that has seized power in Afghanistan, ISIS and its affiliates have little interest in political governance.

"ISIS believes that only God can rule. And even though the Taliban is attempting to establish an Islamic emirate, that's not enough for ISIS," Colin Clarke, author of "After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future of the Terrorist Diaspora," told CNN before the Kabul airport attacks took place.

In any place they control, Clarke said, ISIS-K "are going to implement extremely harsh Sharia law. And they're going to rule with an iron fist. They want to attract and recruit the most ardent sociopaths in the country and wanton violence helps them bring other fighters into the organization that have a similar mindset."

ISIS-K have intentions that stretch beyond the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan; they intend to "establish a Caliphate beginning in South and Central Asia, governed by sharia law, which will expand as Muslims from across the region and world join," according to CSIS.

And its hatred of the West, including the United States, also features prominently in their agenda. ISIS-K "has mocked and threatened the United States in its official media streams and called for lone-wolf attacks in the West," the organization said.

What attacks has the group been responsible for?

According to UN figures, ISIS-K launched 77 attacks in the first four months of this year.

The group has carried out some of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Afghanistan, with several mass casualty suicide bombings in the capital, Kabul.

ISIS-K was believed to be behind a horrific car bombing attack outside a girls' high school in May that killed at least 85 people.

The group was particularly active during its peak around 2018. In July of that year, an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 128 people at an election rally in Mastung, Pakistan, one of the bloodiest attacks anywhere in the world in 2018.

According to a US State Department report, the group relied heavily on suicide bombings -- the same tactic used in the Kabul airport blasts on Thursday.

The report found that in 2018, the group conducted 15 attacks in public places and killed 393 people. They included a bombing that killed 68 at a large public demonstration in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The group declined in strength after the US targeted its fighters across the region. But in 2019, Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of US Central Command, told reporters during a visit to Afghanistan that they still posed a major threat both in the region and abroad.

And the Institute for Economics and Peace warned that despite the group's decline, it was "believed to still have sleeper cells in cities such as Kabul and Jalalabad," and its militants continued to pose a threat to the Taliban.

The group has built up a presence in eastern Afghanistan in recent years, especially in the provinces of Nangahar and Kunar. Last August, the group attacked the main prison in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangahar, in an effort to free dozens of its supporters who had been captured by the Afghan army and police.

This January, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said it foiled an attempt by the group to assassinate a key US diplomat, Ross Wilson, in Kabul. And in June the group claimed responsibility for an attack on an international demining charity, the Halo Trust, that left 10 people dead and 16 others wounded.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
During a press conference on Aug. 25, Dr. Aaron Crum, Pikeville Medical Centers chief medical officer, emphasized how stressed and overwhelmed the healthcare system in the county and state has become with this recent surge of new patients, who are requiring hospitalization from COVID-19.
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Difficulty breathing is the most common symptom before cardiac arrest, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.

Breathing problems more frequently preceded cardiac arrest than chest pain. Since difficulty breathing is also a sign of other health conditions, we hope our findings will stimulate further research to help emergency medical dispatchers distinguish between symptoms of a pre-arrest condition versus other medical issues." Mr. Filip Gnesin, study author, research scholar, North Zealand Hospital, Hillerd, Denmark

There is limited knowledge on whether there are warning signs for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Information on warning signs and early symptoms would enable medical professionals to assess whether a patient is at risk of developing a cardiac arrest and potentially prevent it.

This study examined symptoms reported by patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest contacting emergency medical services within 24 hours prior to the arrest.

The researchers identified patients from the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from 2016 through 2018 and had phoned the Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services up to 24 hours before their arrest. The researchers systematically evaluated these pre-arrest calls and noted symptoms reported by the caller, who could be the patient or a bystander. Finally, these patients were linked to nationwide databases to collect other data such as survival.

Of 4,071 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 481 (11.8%) had pre-arrest calls. The median age of patients with pre-arrest calls was 74 years and 59.9% were men. The most commonly reported symptoms were breathing problems (59.4%), confusion (23.0%), unconsciousness (20.2%), chest pain (19.5%) and paleness (19.1%).

An urgent medical response was dispatched in 68.7% of calls reporting breathing problems compared to 83.0% reporting chest pain. Regarding survival, 81% of patients reporting breathing difficulty in a pre-arrest call died within 30 days compared to 47% of those reporting chest pain.

Mr. Gnesin said: "More than 10% of patients experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had a phone call to the emergency medical services up to 24 hours before their arrest either made by themselves or a bystander. Breathing difficulty was the most common complaint and much more common than chest pain. Despite this, compared to chest pain, patients with breathing issues were less likely to receive emergency medical help and more likely to die within 30 days after the arrest. These findings indicate that breathing problems are an underrated warning sign of cardiac arrest."

He added: "Although our study shows that some patients with cardiac arrest present characteristic pre-arrest symptoms, these symptoms are not unique to this patient population. We hope that creating awareness ofbreathing problems as a common early symptom of cardiac arrest will contribute, together with more research, to identifying more characteristics specific to cardiac arrest so that it can be predicted and possibly prevented in the future."
Heart attacks and strokes are the main causes of death and loss of productive years globally. These clinical complications are caused by atherosclerosis, which is a chronic disease that leads to the accumulation of LDL cholesterol and immune cells in the inner layer of arteries and thereby resulting in the build-up of atherosclerotic plaques.

Researchers from the Department of Laboratory Medicine of the Medical University of Vienna in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and the University of Cambridge (UK) have identified that a cytokine called A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL) plays a major protective role against the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The study was now published in the prestigious journal "Nature".

The investigators found that genetically engineered mice that do not express APRIL developed more atherosclerosis. They further confirmed this discovery by injecting mice with neutralizing antibodies against APRIL, which also lead to the development of bigger atherosclerotic plaques. APRIL binds immune receptors that are predominately expressed by B lymphocytes and thereby regulates antibody production and the survival of antibody-producing cells. Because of these properties, APRIL is being explored as a therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases.

We initially hypothesized that the protective properties of APRIL against atherosclerotic plaque formation are mediated via its ability to regulate B lymphocyte responses that play a crucial role in atherosclerosis. However, this hypothesis was wrong. We then focused on an unappreciated non-immunological property of APRIL that is its ability to bind to proteoglycans." Dimitrios Tsiantoulas, Research Group Leader, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna and Study's Lead Author

The authors demonstrated that APRIL is produced in high amounts directly inside the arteries where it binds to the proteoglycan Perlecan (or heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2), which is a large molecule that decorates the inner layer of arteries. The investigators showed that administration of neutralizing antibodies against APRIL in mice that express a genetically engineered form of Perlecan, which APRIL cannot bind, had no effect on atherosclerotic plaque development. "These data clearly show that the protective properties of APRIL in atherosclerosis are mediated by its ability to bind to proteoglycans in arteries" says Christoph Binder, Professor of Atherosclerosis Research at the Department of Laboratory Medicine of the Medical University of Vienna and senior author of the study. Perlecan has previously been shown to promote the retention of LDL cholesterol, which according to the present study can be mitigated by APRIL. Furthermore, the authors identified a specific anti-APRIL antibody that enhances the binding of APRIL to proteoglycans and reduced atherosclerosis in mice. "The development of therapeutics that increase the binding of APRIL to proteoglycans could be a new line of treatment for atherosclerotic disease" says Dimitrios Tsiantoulas.

Furthermore, the authors investigated the relevance of APRIL in atherosclerotic disease in humans. Using several tools, which were developed by Pascal Schneider, Senior Researcher at the University of Lausanne and co-author of the study, the investigators discovered that human blood contains an additional and previously unknown form of APRIL that they named non-canonical APRIL (nc-APRIL). In contrast to the known form of APRIL, which they call now canonical APRIL (c-APRIL), nc-APRIL binds only proteoglycans and does not bind to immune receptors. "By analysing blood samples from more than 3,000 patients we found that levels of nc-APRIL in the blood predict risk of death from cardiovascular disease, which provides evidence that the interaction of APRIL and proteoglycans may play a role atherosclerotic disease in humans" says Christoph Binder.
During fetal development, cells should migrate to the outer edge of the brain to form critical connections for information transfer and regulation in the body. When even a few cells fail to move to the correct location, the neurons become disorganized and this results in focal cortical dysplasia. This condition is the most common cause of seizures that cannot be controlled with medication in children and the second most common cause in adults.

Now, an interdisciplinary team studying neurogenetics, neural networks, and neurophysiology at KAIST has revealed how dysfunctions in even a small percentage of cells can cause disorder across the entire brain. They published their results on June 28 in Annals of Neurology.

The work builds on a previous finding, also by a KAIST scientists, who found that focal cortical dysplasia was caused by mutations in the cells involved in mTOR, a pathway that regulates signaling between neurons in the brain.

Only 1 to 2% of neurons carrying mutations in the mTOR signaling pathway that regulates cell signaling in the brain have been found to include seizures in animal models of focal cortical dysplasia. The main challenge of this study was to explain how nearby non-mutated neurons are hyperexcitable." Professor Jong-Woo Sohn, Department of Biological Sciences

Initially, the researchers hypothesized that the mutated cells affected the number of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in all neurons, mutated or not. These neural gates can trigger or halt activity, respectively, in other neurons. Seizures are a result of extreme activity, called hyperexcitability. If the mutated cells upend the balance and result in more excitatory cells, the researchers thought, it made sense that the cells would be more susceptible to hyperexcitability and, as a result, seizures.

"Contrary to our expectations, the synaptic input balance was not changed in either the mutated or non-mutated neurons," said Professor Jeong Ho Lee from the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering. "We turned our attention to a protein overproduced by mutated neurons."

The protein is adenosine kinase, which lowers the concentration of adenosine. This naturally occurring compound is an anticonvulsant and works to relax vessels. In mice engineered to have focal cortical dysplasia, the researchers injected adenosine to replace the levels lowered by the protein. It worked and the neurons became less excitable.

"We demonstrated that augmentation of adenosine signaling could attenuate the excitability of non-mutated neurons," said Professor Se-Bum Paik from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering. The effect on the non-mutated neurons was the surprising part, according to Paik. "The seizure-triggering hyperexcitability originated not in the mutation-carrying neurons, but instead in the nearby non-mutated neurons," he said.

The mutated neurons excreted more adenosine kinase, reducing the adenosine levels in the local environment of all the cells. With less adenosine, the non-mutated neurons became hyperexcitable, leading to seizures.

"While we need further investigate into the relationship between the concentration of adenosine and the increased excitation of nearby neurons, our results support the medical use of drugs to activate adenosine signaling as a possible treatment pathway for focal cortical dysplasia," Professor Lee said.

The Suh Kyungbae Foundation, the Korea Health Technology Research and Development Project, the Ministry of Health & Welfare, and the National Research Foundation in Korea funded this work.
Among all patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), the risk of dying of cancer was higher than that of dying of other causes, but mortality varies by primary tumor site, according to a new study published in the August 2021 issue of JNCCN-;Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. It is the first population-based cohort study to describe factors associated with cancer-specific death after a NET diagnosis.

Neuroendocrine tumors are very unique in that they are often slow growing indolent cancers. They have very heterogenous behaviors. While some metastatic tumors can threaten patients' survival, other localized tumors do not. Therefore, it was important to understand cause of death and the exact burden of cancer on mortality in different sub-groups of patients with NETs." Julie Hallet, MD, MSc, Lead Author, University of Toronto

"Our results show that some patients with non-metastatic NETs are more likely to die of other causes than NET. This is crucial to inform patients and make decisions regarding treatment. It is important to make sure that treatment does not present a higher risk than the NET itself. For example, small pancreas, stomach or rectal NETs can be safely monitored."

The retrospective study of 8,607 patients whose health data were stored at ICES, the not-for-profit research institute in Toronto, Canada, found that the highest risks of cancer-specific death occurred in patients with bronchopulmonary and pancreatic NETs. For non-metastatic gastric, small intestine, colonic, and rectal NETs, the risk of non-cancer death exceeded that of cancer-specific deaths. Advancing age, higher material deprivation, and metastases were associated with higher hazard ratios of cancer-specific mortality; while being female and having a higher comorbidity burden were associated with a higher proportion of cancer-unrelated death, according to the researchers.

"This article sheds an important light on the complex issue of predicting long term survival and the factors associated with it in NETs," said Whitney S. Goldner, MD, Professor in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center; and Vice-Chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Neuroendocrine Tumors.

"NETs are a very heterogeneous group of malignancies, so they require individualized treatment recommendations for each primary tumor site. It is insightful to learn about the different patterns of both cancer and non-cancer specific mortality specific to primary tumor site as well as other contributing factors. This article will be helpful to inform future guidelines regarding monitoring and treatment of different NETs and enable providers to provide NET site-specific counseling."

Researchers also noted that examination of factors associated with cancer-specific and non cancer-related death showed that efforts to address cancer-specific death in NETs "should include special considerations for older adults and socioeconomically deprived patients to ensure they can access and receive care during their cancer journey."

The study appears in the August issue of JNCCN. This issue of the journal also includes the announcement of a new impact factor of 11.908 for the past year. That figure has grown steadily since 2017, when it was at 6.471. The impact factor of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly average number of citations of articles published in the journal during the previous two years. With the current impact factor, JNCCN ranks 23rd of 331 oncology journals, putting it in the top 7%.
Up to 15% of people will experience kidney stones, and for 50% of those that do, they will recur. It is therefore important to understand as much as possible about how kidney stones form to improve both prevention and treatment. A team of scientists led by Osaka University and Nagoya City University has reported a technique that provides the most detailed picture of kidney stone components yet, shedding new light on the processes involved in stone formation. Their findings are published in Scientific Reports.

Most kidney stones are primarily made of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals. The CaOx makes up about 90% of the kidney stoneknown as the mineral componentwhile a mixture of numerous different proteins provides what is known as the protein matrix.

Determining how these different components interact is key to understanding the complex multi-step kidney stone-formation processes, and consequently providing better outcomes for patients. Many different methods have been used to analyze the structure of kidney stones. However, none have been able to show multiple proteins and the inorganic crystal structure at the same time.

The researchers used a technique developed for geology to obtain very thin slices of real kidney stones. They then labeled three different proteins in the stone sections with fluorescent labels with distinct colors. The labelsgenerally used for biological experiments such as cancer screeningallowed the proteins to be observed using a microscope, revealing the distribution of each protein in relation to the CaOx crystals.

We were able to determine the locations of three different calcium-binding proteins that are essential to the formation of kidney stones. This gave us an indication of how the proteins participate in CaOx crystal growth." Mihoko Maruyama, Study Corresponding Author, Associate Professor, Osaka University

Two of the proteins were found to be incorporated into the CaOx crystals, whereas the third protein was distributed around the crystals. Yutaro Tanaka, the first author, and researchers also determined that the proteins inside the CaOx crystals were arranged differently depending on the particular type of CaOx crystal involved.

"We hope that the insight we have gainedin addition to future findings that will be possible thanks to our techniquewill lead to better experiences for kidney stone patients," says Associate Professor Atsushi Okada, another corresponding author from the medical field. "Both the dissolution and prevention of kidney stones could be a reality for patients in the future."
As the election to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom approaches, abortion-rights groups are warning that Californians' right to an abortion is on the ballot.

Newsom, a Democrat, himself tweeted that "abortion access" is at stake.

"There's no question that if a Republican is elected, access to abortion in California will be restricted," Jodi Hicks, president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said at a press conference in July.

But this message is strategic and is more about firing up left-leaning voters than it is about policy, said Rob Stutzman, a Republican political strategist.

"There's no indication from polling in this election that [abortion] is at all what Californians think this election is about," Stutzman said. "This fits into the type of campaign that they're running, which isn't persuasion; it's motivation to turn out."

In reality, California has some of the strongest abortion protections in the country and restricting them would be difficult for a replacement governor to accomplish with only a little over a year remaining in the term, opposition from an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature  and the right to abortion enshrined in the state constitution.

Although governors can veto legislation, set budget priorities and make regulations through state agencies, only small-scale change would be possible and would almost exclusively affect women on Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid insurance program for low-income people.

"I dont think abortion is going to be severely restricted in California," said Laurie Sobel, associate director of women's health policy for KFF. "Its more subtle than just slashing laws that are on the books  it's not being supportive" of progressive new laws.

Restrictions adopted by other states  such as laws that require ultrasounds before abortions or regulations that make it hard to open abortion clinics  likely wouldn't fly in California without a friendly legislature, Sobel said.

Yet reproductive rights groups have painted Californians' right to access abortion as threatened by the Sept. 14 recall election. Newsom appeared with Planned Parenthood leaders Wednesday night to say California's role as an abortion-rights standard-bearer is more important than ever because other states are increasingly restricting access and the U.S. Supreme Court will decide this year whether to uphold the seminal Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationally.

None of the four leading Republican recall candidates responded to calls and emails about their positions on abortion.

Larry Elder, a conservative radio host who is the leading replacement candidate in most polls, has been the most outspoken on the issue. He has called abortion "murder" and Roe v. Wade "one of the worst decisions that the Supreme Court ever handed down." Businessman John Cox has called himself "pro-life" in previous campaigns, but said he prefers not to talk about social issues, and state Assembly member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) has received endorsements and positive ratings from anti-abortion groups. Former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer has said he supports abortion rights.

Every registered voter will receive a ballot in the mail, though voters will also have in-person voting options. If Newsom is recalled in the Sept. 14 election, his replacement would take office in late October, and would serve the remaining portion of Newsom's term, until January 2023. A replacement could run for a regular four-year term in the November 2022 election.

State law establishes a woman's right to an abortion, generally until a fetus could survive on its own. And the state constitution includes a right to privacy that the Supreme Court of California has ruled protects abortion, even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The state Supreme Court has also struck down laws that limit abortion or require parental consent. State law requires every state-regulated health plan, public or private, to cover the procedure.

Still, abortion-rights advocates argue that having a right doesn't always mean being able to access treatment, and that an anti-abortion governor could find ways to make the procedure less accessible. Experts say there are three primary ways a replacement governor could restrict access:

Vetoing bills or budget items (the governor has line-item veto power over the state budget) would be one of the most direct ways. State Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) introduced a bill this year to eliminate cost sharing for abortion for Medi-Cal patients, which awaits a committee hearing before heading to the Assembly for a final vote. She said she still would have introduced the measure under an anti-abortion administration, but that it would have been an "uphill battle" on every front.

Democrats, who have a supermajority in both houses of the legislature, could override a governor's veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers. The last time that happened was in 1980.

Susan Arnall, director of outreach and engagement at the Right to Life League, said an anti-abortion governor could help bring balance to the Capitol by vetoing "anti-life" legislation, even if lawmakers end up overriding the veto. "That at least delays things. It slows the process down, and that's helpful," she said.

Governors have broad power to change how Medi-Cal, which covers roughly half the abortions in the state, funds abortion.Cal funds abortion. For instance, an anti-abortion governor could work through the Department of Health Care Services to set Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for abortion so low that no doctors could afford to perform the procedure. Or the governor could make the process of getting paid by Medi-Cal so difficult that providers wouldn't bother. These and other bureaucratic hurdles could add up, making it harder for someone to get an abortion as quickly as they need one, said Fabiola Carrion, the National Health Law Program's interim director of reproductive and sexual health. "This is particularly a concern with people who live in central California and rural areas" where patients must drive long distances to find a provider. "Abortion is already a time-sensitive service."

At the end of the year, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to rule on whether mifepristone, a prescription drug used in medication abortions, can continue to be dispensed via telemedicine without seeing a provider in person  a service the agency approved provisionally this year. If the FDA allows the telemedicine option to continue, it will require the state to update its Medi-Cal provider manual. A new governor could install a director at the Department of Health Care Services who wouldn't update the manual, and Medi-Cal enrollees who want medication abortion might have to see their provider in person first.

"California already has abortion deserts within our own state," Hicks said. Even a barrier that seems small "still matters for someone trying to get services."

Democratic consultant Rose Kapolczynski said the threat an anti-abortion governor could pose to abortion access is real, regardless of how long that person held office. Newsom's replacement would immediately have to start running for reelection, she said, which provides the incentive to do big things in the first year.

"The Newsom team knows they need to do everything they can to motivate Democrats to mail in their ballots, and theyre talking to those voters about the issues they care most about," Kapolczynski said. "Its completely legitimate to talk about what happens if the recall succeeds."

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Fine particle pollution may be one reason why Black women have double the risk of developing Alzheimer's than white women, suggests new research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

For decades, research has shown the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease in the United States is dramatically higher among African American populations than in non-Hispanic white populations. Scientists have suspected a variety of contributing factors, but the underlying reasons have remained unclear.

Now, a new study in The Journals of Gerontology, conducted in collaboration with researchers across the country, points to environmental neurotoxins  specifically, ambient fine particles in the air known as PM2.5  as possible culprits in the disproportionate number of African Americans, particularly Black women, affected by dementia.

Zeroing in on fine particle pollution as a factor in racial/ethnic disparities

"Data increasingly show that older people are more likely to develop dementia if they live in locations with high PM2.5, and African American populations are more likely to live in neighborhoods near polluting facilities  like power-generating and petrochemical plants  that emit the particulate matter," said corresponding author Jiu-Chiuan Chen, MD, associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "Our study demonstrates that older Black women live in locations with higher levels of PM2.5, and we ask whether their elevated exposure could account for the higher numbers of Alzheimer's cases. The evidence does reveal a positive association."

After adjusting for risk factors such as smoking, education, income, diabetes, hypertension, and BMI, Black women still had roughly two times greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than white women, the researchers found.

Chen and his colleagues report two major novel findings in their study, both with important implications. The first is that the increased risk of Alzheimer's disease in older Black women may be partly explained by their elevated exposure to PM2.5; the second is that older Black women are more susceptible to its adverse effects.

Our work offers the scientific community an important perspective on the study of dementia; namely, that we must have a greater awareness of environmental racism that can impact brain aging and disproportionately affect people of color. There is also a key regulatory takeaway, which is that we have to continue enforcing the Clean Air Act, with its mandate to provide a safe margin for air quality that will protect the health of susceptible populations." Jiu-Chiuan Chen, MD, Study corresponding author and Associate Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Air pollution and brain health

The study grew out of a long-standing partnership between USC faculty and researchers with the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study based at Wake Forest University. This research focused on studying Black women compared to non-Hispanic white women because Black women carry the greatest burden of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in the US. As it begins to unravel the complexities of racial disparities in Alzheimer's disease, the study also elucidates the need for future research.

"Our study suggests that PM2.5 may contribute to the difference in Alzheimer's disease risk based on race, and we also demonstrated that older African American women may be more susceptible to the particulate matter, but we still don't know why," Chen says. "Why are these particles more neurotoxic to Black women than to non-Hispanic whites? Going forward, we plan to look for answers by studying the effects of things like nutrition and brain structure."

When he was first recruited to USC in 2009, Chen set out to develop a new research program to study the health effects of air pollution exposure beyond its well-known impact on airways and lungs.

"At the time, I was one of the first faculty members studying environmental influences on brain health," Chen recalls. "Today, the university has several leading programs, funded by the National Institutes of Health, examining how air pollution exposures affect neurodevelopment and brain aging. An increasing number of USC faculty are trying to better understand whether and why air pollution can cause more damage to the human brains in minority populations or communities with social disadvantages. Our study is just the beginning of vital scientific work that needs to be done."
An analysis of data from 1.5 million people has identified 579 locations in the genome associated with a predisposition to different behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, including addiction and child behavioral problems.

With these findings, researchers have constructed a genetic risk score -; a number reflecting a person's overall genetic propensity based on how many risk variants they carry -; that predicts a range of behavioral, medical and social outcomes, including education levels, obesity, opioid use disorder, suicide, HIV infections, criminal convictions and unemployment.

This study illustrates that genes don't code for a particular disorder or outcome; there are no genes 'for' substance use disorder, or 'for' behavior problems. Instead, genes influence the way our brains are wired, which can make us more at risk for certain outcomes. In this case, we find that there are genes that broadly influence self-control or impulsivity, and that this predisposition then confers risk for a variety of life outcomes." Danielle Dick, Ph.D., Joint Senior Author, Commonwealth Professor of Psychology and Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University

The study, "Multivariate analysis of 1.5 million people identifies genetic associations with traits related to self-regulation and addiction," was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience and was conducted by a consortium of 26 researchers at 17 institutions in the United States and the Netherlands.

It was led by Dick; Philipp Koellinger, Ph.D., professor of social science genetics at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Kathryn Paige Harden, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin; and Abraham A. Palmer, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.

The study is one of the largest genome-wide association studies ever conducted, pooling data from an effective sample size of 1.5 million people of European descent. The researchers' genetic risk score has one of the largest effect sizes -; a measurement of the prediction power -; of any genetic risk score for a behavioral outcome to date.

"It demonstrates the far-reaching effects of carrying a genetic liability toward lower self-control, impacting many important life outcomes," said Dick, a professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department Human and Molecular Genetics in the School of Medicine at VCU. "We hope that a greater understanding of how individual genetic differences contribute to vulnerability can reduce stigma and blame surrounding many of these behaviors, such as behavior problems in children and substance use disorders."

The identification of the more than 500 genetic loci is important, the researchers said, because it provides new insight into our understanding of behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, collectively referred to as "externalizing" and that have a shared genetic liability.

"We know that regulating behavior is a critical component of many important life outcomes -; from substance use and behavioral disorders, like ADHD, to medical outcomes ranging from suicide to obesity, to educational outcomes like college completion," Dick said.

Characterizing the genetic contributions to self-regulation can be helpful in myriad ways, she said.

"It allows us to better understand the biology behind why some people are more at risk, which can assist with medication development, and it can allow us to know who is more at risk, so we can put early intervention and prevention programs in place," she said. "Identifying genetic risk factors is a critical component of precision medicine, which has the goal of using information about an individual's genetic and environmental risk factors to deliver more tailored, effective intervention specific to that individual's risk profile."

The researchers noted, however, that having a higher risk profile isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"For example, CEOs, entrepreneurs and fighter pilots are often higher on risk taking," Dick said. "DNA is not destiny. We all have unique genetic codes, and we're all at risk for something; but understanding one's predisposition can be empowering -; it can help individuals understand their strengths, and their potential challenges, and act accordingly."
Two state government websites in Georgia recently stopped posting updates on covid-19 cases in prisons and long-term care facilities, just as the dangerous delta variant was taking hold.

Data has been disappearing recently in other states as well.

Florida, for example, now reports covid cases, deaths and hospitalizations once a week, instead of daily, as before.

Both states, along with the rest of the South, are battling high infection rates.

Public health experts are voicing concern about the pullback of covid information. Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called the trend "not good for government and the public" because it gives the appearance of governments "hiding stuff."

A month ago, the Georgia agency that runs state prisons stopped giving public updates on the number of new covid cases among inmates and staff members. The Department of Corrections, in explaining this decision, cited its successful vaccination rates and "a declining number of covid-19 cases among staff and inmates."

Now, a month later, Georgia has among the highest covid infection rates in the U.S.  along with one of the lowest vaccination rates. But the corrections department hasn't resumed posting case data on its website.

When asked by KHN about the covid situation in prisons, department spokesperson Joan Heath said Monday that it currently has 308 active cases among inmates.

"We will make a determination whether to begin reposting the daily covid dashboard over the next few weeks, if the current statewide surge is sustained," Heath said.

Another state website, run by the Department of Public Health, no longer links to a listing of the number of covid cases among residents and staffers of nursing homes and other long-term care residences by facility. The data grid, launched early in the pandemic, gave a running total of long-term care cases and deaths from the virus.

Asked about the lack of online information, public health officials directed a reporter to another agency, the Department of Community Health, which explained that covid information on nursing homes could be found on a federal health website. But locating and navigating that link can be difficult.

"Residents and families cannot easily find this information," said Melanie McNeil, the state's long-term care ombudsman. "It used to be easily accessible."

Georgia gives updates on overall numbers of covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state five days a week but has recently stopped its weekend covid reporting.

Other states also have cut back their public case reporting, despite the nation being engulfed in a fourth, delta-driven covid surge.

Florida had issued daily reports on cases, deaths and hospitalizations until the rate of positive test results dropped in June. Even when caseloads soared in July and August, the state stuck with weekly reporting.

Florida has been accused of being less than transparent with covid health data. Newspapers have sued or threatened to sue the state several times for medical examiner reports, long-term care data, prison data and weekly covid reports the state received from the White House.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat running for governor in 2022, has repeatedly questioned Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision to delay the release of public data on covid cases and has called for restoring daily reporting of covid data.

Nebraska discontinued its daily covid dashboard June 30, then recently resumed reporting, but only weekly. Iowa also reports weekly; Michigan, three days a week.

Public health experts said full information is vital for a public dealing with an emergency such as the pandemic  similar to the government reports needed during a hurricane.

"All the public health things we do are dependent on trust and transparency," Benjamin said.

A government, when removing public data, should provide a link redirecting people to where they can get that data, he said. And if a state doesn't have enough staff members to provide regular data, he said, that argues for investment in staff and technology.

People in prisons and long-term care facilities, living in close quarters indoors, are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases such as covid.

"They are usually hotbeds of disease," said Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist who tracks covid in Georgia. Family members "want to know what's going on in there."

Prison data has been removed or reduced in several states, according to the UCLA School of Law's COVID Behind Bars Data Project, which tracks the spread of covid in prisons, jails and detention facilities.

The group said Alaska provides only monthly updates on covid cases in such facilities, while Florida stopped reporting new data in June.

When Georgia stopped reporting on covid in prisons, the project found, only 24% of employees reported being vaccinated. Prison workers can spread the virus inside the facilities and then in their homes and the community.

The group reports that at least 93 incarcerated people and four staffers have died of covid in Georgia and that the state has the second-highest case fatality rate, or percentage of those with reported infections who die, among all state and federal prison systems.

"Right now, if there was a massive outbreak in prisons, there would be no way to know it," said Hope Johnson of the COVID Behind Bars Data Project.

Recent Facebook posts point to cases at Smith State Prison in southeastern Georgia.

Heath, when asked about cases there, said Tuesday that the prison has 19 active covid cases and its transitional center has one.

Mayor Bernie Weaver of Glennville, the Tattnall County town where the prison is located, said he hasn't been told about recent covid cases at the prison. But he noted that Tattnall itself has had a spike in cases. The county has a 26% vaccination rate, among the lowest in the state.

KHN senior correspondent Phil Galewitz contributed to this report.
Most symptoms of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients are resolved within 12 months, however, around one half still experience at least one persistent symptom, a study of 1,276 patients from Wuhan, China, published in The Lancet, has found.

Around one in three people still experienced shortness of breath and lung impairments persisted in some patients, especially those who had experienced the most severe illness with COVID-19 (at 12 months, 35.7% patients who underwent additional lung health tests had diffusion impairments - reduced flow of oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream [87/244]). Overall, COVID-19 survivors were less healthy than people from the wider community who had not been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (matched for age, sex and pre-existing conditions).

Our study is the largest to date to assess the health outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 survivors after 12 months of becoming ill. While most had made a good recovery, health problems persisted in some patients, especially those who had been critically ill during their hospital stay. Our findings suggest that recovery for some patients will take longer than one year, and this should be taken into account when planning delivery of healthcare services post-pandemic." Professor Bin Cao, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China

Long-term effects of COVID-19 have been widely reported and are an increasing concern. A previous study (by the same researchers) reporting outcomes from 1,733 hospitalized COVID-19 survivors after six months found that around three-quarters of patients had persistent health problems. The new study includes 1,276 patients from the same cohort to assess their health status after 12 months.

Patients had been discharged from Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan, China, between 7 January and 29 May 2020. They underwent detailed health checks at six and 12 months (taken from the date they first experienced symptoms of COVID-19) to assess any ongoing symptoms and their health-related quality of life. These included face-to-face questionnaires, physical examinations, lab tests, and a six-minute walking test to gauge patients' endurance levels.

The average (median) age of patients included in the study was 57 years. Patient outcomes were tracked for an average (median) of 185 days (six-month check) and 349 days (12-month check).

Many symptoms resolved over time, regardless of the severity of initial COVID-19 disease. The proportion of patients still experiencing at least one symptom after one year fell from 68% at six months (831/1,227) to 49% at 12 months (620/1,272). This decrease was observed regardless of the severity of COVID-19 the patients had experienced when hospitalized.

Fatigue or muscle weakness was the most commonly reported symptom with around half of patients experiencing this at six months (52%, 636/1,230), falling to one in five patients at one year (20%, 255/1,272). Almost one third of patients reported experiencing shortness of breath at 12 months, which was slightly higher than at six months (30% at 12 months [380/1,271] vs 26% at 6 months [313/1,185]). This was more prevalent in patients who had been the most severely ill and had been on a ventilator during their time in hospital (39%, 37/94), compared to those who had not required oxygen treatment (25%, 79/317).

At the six-month check, 349 study participants underwent a lung function test and 244 of those patients completed the same test at 12 months. The proportion of patients experiencing diffusion impairment did not improve from six months to 12 months and this was seen across all groups regardless of how ill they had been when hospitalized (Scale 3, no supplemental oxygen required during hospitalization: 21% at 6 months [12/57], 23% at 12 months [13/56]; Scale 4, required supplemental oxygen: 26% at 6 months [32/124], 31% at 12 months [36/117]; Scale 5-6, required ventilation during hospitalization: 57% at 6 months [39/69], 54% at 12 months [38/70]).

Also at the six-month check, 353 study participants given a chest CT scan. Around one half of them showed lung abnormalities on their scan and were offered a repeat scan at 12 months (52.7%, 186/353). Of the 118 patients who completed the scan at 12 months, the proportion of patients with abnormalities decreased substantially across all groups but was still high, particularly in the most critically ill group (Scale 3: 39% [11/28]; Scale 4: 40% [21/52]; Scale 5-6: 87% [33/38]).

At the 12-month check, 1,252 of the patients reported their work status before and after being discharged from hospital. Around half of the patients had retired before COVID-19 (53%, 658/1,252), reflecting the older age of the study group (median age of 57 years). Of the patients who had been employed full or part-time before falling ill, the majority had returned to their original job (88%, 422/479) and most had returned to their pre-COVID-19 level of work (76%, 321/422) within 12 months. Among those who did not return to their original work, 32% cited decreased physical function (18/57), 25% were unwilling to do their previous role (14/57), and 18% were unemployed (10/57).

Compared with men, women were 1.4 times more likely to report fatigue or muscle weakness, twice as likely to report anxiety or depression, and almost three times as likely to have lung diffusion impairment after 12 months. People who had been treated with corticosteroids during the acute phase of their illness with COVID-19 were 1.5 times as likely to experience fatigue or muscle weakness after 12 months, compared to those who had not been treated with corticosteroids during their illness. The authors say these findings will be important to follow up in future research to better understand why COVID-19 symptoms persist in some people.

When compared with people of the same age, sex and pre-existing health problems who had not had COVID-19, hospitalized survivors were more likely to experience pain or discomfort at 12 months (29% COVID-19 survivors [337/1,164] vs 5% wider community [53/1,164]). They were also more likely to experience mobility problems (9% [103/1,164] vs 4% [41/1,164]). All of the symptoms recorded in the study questionnaire were more prevalent in people who had had COVID-19, compared with people from the wider community who had not had COVID-19.

Lixue Huang, one of the study authors, from Capital Medical University and China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China, said: "We did not have baseline data for the study participants from before they fell ill with COVID-19. However, the health status of matched people from the community who have never had COVID-19 gives us a useful comparison and can help us to understand the impact of the disease on survivors' quality of life." [1]

Mental health is an important consideration in the recovery of COVID-19 patients. Slightly more patients experienced anxiety or depression at one year than at six months (23% at 6 months [274/1,187] vs 26% at 12 months [331/1,271]) and the proportion was much greater in COVID-19 survivors than in matched people from the wider community (26% [300/1,164] vs 5% [59/1,164]).

Xiaoying Gu, one of the study's authors, from Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China, said: "We do not yet fully understand why psychiatric symptoms are slightly more common at one year than at six months in COVID-19 survivors. These could be caused by a biological process linked to the virus infection itself, or the body's immune response to it. Or they could be linked to reduced social contact, loneliness, incomplete recovery of physical health or loss of employment associated with illness. Large, long-term studies of COVID-19 survivors are needed so that we can better understand the long term physical and mental health consequences of COVID-19." [1]

The authors note their study was focused on a single hospital and so patient outcomes may not be generalizable to other settings. Additionally, the study included only a small number of patients who had been admitted to intensive care (94/1,276) and findings relating to the most critically ill patients should be interpreted with caution.

A Lancet editorial published at the same time says: "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need to understand and respond to long COVID is increasingly pressing. Symptoms such as persistent fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, and depression could debilitate many millions of people globally. Yet very little is known about the condition With no proven treatments or even rehabilitation guidance, long COVID affects people's ability to resume normal life and their capacity to work. The effect on society, from the increased health-care burden and economic and productivity losses, is substantial. Long COVID is a modern medical challenge of the first order."

It continues: "The scientific and medical communities must collaborate to explore the mechanism and pathogenesis of long COVID, estimate the global and regional disease burdens, better delineate who is most at risk, understand how vaccines might affect the condition, and find effective treatments via randomized controlled trials. At the same time, health-care providers must acknowledge and validate the toll of the persistent symptoms of long COVID on patients, and health systems need to be prepared to meet individualized, patient-oriented goals, with an appropriately trained workforce involving physical, cognitive, social, and occupational elements. Answering these research questions while providing compassionate and multidisciplinary care will require the full breadth of scientific and medical ingenuity. It is a challenge to which the whole health community must rise."
Scientists from the South Ural State University (SUSU) have conducted a CFD Study for monitoring the spread of respiratory viruses in closed spaces. According to the researchers, the new development will prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viral infections in spaces where people study or work like educational institutions or offices. The results were published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Respiratory viral infections are transmitted from person to person primarily through airborne droplets as a result of direct or indirect contact. Distances between people in closed spaces do not always provide protection against viruses due to air circulation. That is why the proper positioning of barriers is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses in enclosed areas.

The SUSU scientist has conducted a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) study that allows to analyze droplet flows in the air and to determine the effective location of barriers protecting people in a room.

The approach of CFD is a combination of computer codes and programs that allows the simulation of different physical and chemical processes. It is used in almost all areas of research, while CFD itself is applied in a wide range of scientific fields  from supersonic aviation to bio-energy and others. The study simulates the real situation in classrooms as accurately as possible." Afrasyab Khan, Senior Researcher of the Department of Hydraulics and Hydro-pneumatic Systems, Polytechnic Institute, SUSU

According to him, thanks to the CFD, enterprises will be able to maintain a normal pace of work and avoid quarantine during adverse epidemiological situations.

This study is a starting point for detailed examination of various scenarios by using the theoretical and experimental approaches. Cooperation is planned at both national and international levels." Afrasyab Khan, Senior Researcher

In the future, the scientists plan to develop the strategy based on such CFD studies through which in different scenarios like offices, railway stations, airports, harbors, and factories, SOP's will be established to work without shutting the operations down.
A review of the available literature on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on adult mental health in the UK by Public Health England has revealed a decline in mental health across the UK population since the beginning of the pandemic. The review article, which is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, has provided a detailed description of possible risk factors and protective behaviors.

Study: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK: A rapid systematic review. Image Credit: CameraCraft/ Shutterstock

Background

The outbreak of COVID-19, a novel disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has significantly impacted many countries' socioeconomic and healthcare structures, including the UK. As an outcome of multiple national lockdowns and strict control measures, a considerable proportion of the UK population has faced temporary or permanent job loss. As reported by several studies, financial insecurity due to pandemic-related restrictions has negatively impacted the mental health of the adult population in the UK.

In the current study, the scientists have systematically reviewed all available literature describing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK. Moreover, they have examined which populations have been affected most by the pandemic and the protective factors that can be used as supportive interventions to boost mental health.

Study design

In the review, scientists included all journal articles and preprints reporting primary quantitative or qualitative findings on adult mental health in the UK during the pandemic. They specifically analyzed depression, anxiety, stress, self-harm, and suicide as most commonly experienced mental health symptoms. They screened more than 4000 articles published between March 2020 and March 2021, and finally selected 102 articles for review.

Important observations

As reported in the review article, the prevalence of adverse mental health problems increased significantly in the UK adult population during the first lockdown in March 2020 compared to pre-pandemic years.

Anxiety and depression

A sharp increase in anxiety and depression cases was observed when the first lockdown was introduced, followed by a gradual decline. In contrast, fewer than expected referrals to primary care mental health services were observed during the lockdown. This could be because of the unavailability of GP appointments or the fear of contracting the disease. Regarding referrals to secondary care services, a gradual and long-term increase was observed following an initial drop at the beginning of the first lockdown.

Self-harm and suicide

In Oxford and Derby, comparatively reduced self-harm cases were reported in hospitals during the first lockdown. Among reported cases of self-harm, lack of support services, isolation, and physical or psychological abuse were identified as primary causative factors. In contrast, Birmingham experienced an increased reporting of self-harm cases during lockdown.

There was no evidence indicating any change in suicide rates during the pandemic; however, more adults reported experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Overall, a correlation was found between pandemic-related stress and anxiety and negative body image, body dissatisfaction, and abnormal eating behaviors.

What are the possible risk factors?

The highest impact of the pandemic on mental health was observed among women, young adults, people belonging to the LGBTQ community, socio-economically deprived people, people with pre-existing health conditions, and people who contracted COVID-19.

The incidence of physical and psychological abuse, self-harm and suicide thoughts, loneliness, and over-drinking was higher among women than men. However, recovery from adverse mental health issues was faster for women than men.

Among young adults, students were particularly at risk of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. In general, younger people with low income or a history of mental illness experienced more anxiety during lockdown. Worse mental health was experienced by people with financial insecurity, unemployed people, and those relying on government benefits.

A relatively higher impact of lockdown on mental health was observed in people living alone or experiencing a poor relationship with a partner. Similarly, a gradual worsening of mental health was observed in people living with children.

Inaccessibility to social and medical support services had negatively impacted the mental health of children and young adults with physical or mental disabilities and those with dementia.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients experienced more post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms than non-hospitalized patients with milder symptoms. In general, people who spent more time watching COVID-19 related news, or those with a feeling of loneliness due to self-isolation, experienced more depression and anxiety.

What are the protective factors?

People who remained connected to friends and family experienced better mental health consequences. Similarly, people with a pet experienced good mental health during lockdown.

Regarding lifestyle-related factors, people who regularly practiced yoga, meditation, or other physical exercises experienced an overall improvement in mental health during lockdown.

Study significance

A negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been observed in the adult population of the UK. As identified in the current report, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and strengthening social networks are the key to maintain a good mental health status during pandemics.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Abbey Road on the River begins tomorrow. Do you plan to attend?
Goldsboro, NC (27530)

Today

Mostly 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

Mostly 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.
What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 574-583-5121 or email cgrace@thehj.com.
(Newser)  The name of a baby girl born last weekend aboard a military aircraft evacuating her mother out of Afghanistan has been revealedand it's in honor of the plane that carried her family away from the Taliban-seized country. Gen. Tod Wolters, the head of the US European Command, told reporters Wednesday that the infant born Saturday has been named Reach, after the "Reach 828" call sign for the C17 aircraft, per the AP. Although two other babies have been born over the last week to evacuee parents, those two made their way into the world at a German hospital, making Reach the only newborn to claim "born on a plane" honors.

story continues below

The baby was born in the plane's cargo bay after the aircraft landed at Germany's Ramstein Air Base. At one point, the pilot descended to a lower altitude to help increase the plane's air pressure, which in turn helped stabilize the low blood pressure of the mother, who'd gone into labor during the flight. US Army Captain Erin Brymer, the registered nurse who delivered Reach, was "expecting the worst, hoping for the best," she tells CNN. "When I evaluated the patient, we were past the point of no return," she recalls. "That baby was going to be delivered before we could possibly transfer [the mother] to another facility." Brymer says she knew all would be well when "the baby came out screaming."

Meanwhile, Wolterswho notes the baby is in good condition, as is her familyhas big hopes for this infant. "As you can well imagine, being an Air Force fighter pilot, it's my dream to watch ... Reach grow up and be a US citizen and fly United States Air Force fighters in our Air Force," he joked during his presser. The Military Times notes there's no word on what the other two babies were named. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  Germany publishing company Axel Springer said Thursday that it has signed a deal to buy US-based Politico and the tech news site Protocol from founder Robert Allbritton. Axel Springer already owns US properties including the online media company Insider and the business-oriented Morning Brew. Under the deal, the German publisher will also acquire the 50% stake in Politico Europe that it didn't already own. Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Doepfner said Politico had "disrupted digital political journalism and set new standards," the AP reports. "Objective quality journalism is more important than ever, and we mutually believe in the necessity of editorial independence and nonpartisan reporting," he said in a statement.

story continues below

The deal is valued at more than $1 billion, per the New York Times. Allbritton will continue as publisher of Politico and Protocol, according to the statement, while the leadership teams of both sites will remain in place and operate separately from Axel Springer's other US brands. Politico has some 700 employees in North America, while its European counterpart has almost 200. Axel Springer was established after World War II. Its company ethos includes a commitment to "democracy and a united Europe," support for the Jewish people, a rejection of extremism, and emphasis on the alliance between the US and Europe. The company is majority-owned by US investment firm KKR and publishes German newspapers such as the Bild tabloid and Welt daily.

(Read more Politico stories.)
(Newser)  The group claiming responsibility for Thursday's bombings near Kabul's airport, which killed 13 US service members and at least 95 Afghans, is the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K. This is the affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan. What we know:



How it formed: ISIS-K formed in late 2014. ISIS representatives sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan "were essentially able to co-opt some disaffected Pakistani Taliban and a few Afghan Taliban [members] to join their cause," Seth Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) tells NPR. Some more extremist Taliban members have also defected in recent years amid Taliban attempts to negotiate with the US, per the AP.

story continues below

A Taliban enemy: Khorasan refers to a historic area that included parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, according to CSIS. Islamic State Khorasan is not to be confused with the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaeda cell operating in Syria. Indeed, ISIS-K is a rival of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, per NPR. Thursdays bombings were meant to show the Taliban doesnt have control of the area, experts tell NBC News.

Khorasan refers to a historic area that included parts of modern day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, according to CSIS. Islamic State Khorasan is not to be confused with the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaeda cell operating in Syria. Indeed, ISIS-K is a rival of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, per NPR. Thursdays bombings were meant to show the Taliban doesnt have control of the area, experts tell NBC News. Ideology: Like the Taliban, ISIS-K governs under a strict interpretation of Islamic law and is known to carry out public executions. But "IS accused the Taliban of drawing its legitimacy from a narrow ethnic and nationalistic base, rather than a universal Islamic creed," according to Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation. The group is considered "more extreme" than the Taliban, per NBC.

Attacks: CSIS tallies almost 100 attacks by ISIS-K in Afghanistan and Pakistan as of 2018. Militants often strike using suicide bombs, though shootings are common, too. The group was responsible for the storming of Kabul's largest military hospital in March 2017, leaving 49 dead and 90 wounded, according to the Stanford center.

CSIS tallies almost 100 attacks by ISIS-K in Afghanistan and Pakistan as of 2018. Militants often strike using suicide bombs, though shootings are common, too. The group was responsible for the storming of Kabul's largest military hospital in March 2017, leaving 49 dead and 90 wounded, according to the Stanford center. 'Nearly eradicated': The group was "nearly eradicated" from its main base in eastern Afghanistan in late 2019, per a report from the Congressional Research Service. It's now thought to have about 2,000 fighters "in the east but also in northern Afghanistan." The group claimed responsibility for a bombing at a girls school in Kabul this May.

Jihad: "The threat from ISIS is extremely real," Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said in a Pentagon briefing following Thursday's attacks. A Defense Department official told the AP that the Trump administration had sought to negotiate with the Taliban in the hope that the US would have a regional ally in the fight against ISIS-K, which has "embraced the Islamic State's call for a worldwide jihad against non-Muslims."

"The threat from ISIS is extremely real," Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said in a Pentagon briefing following Thursday's attacks. A Defense Department official told the AP that the Trump administration had sought to negotiate with the Taliban in the hope that the US would have a regional ally in the fight against ISIS-K, which has "embraced the Islamic State's call for a worldwide jihad against non-Muslims." What's next: There are fears of more attacks in the coming days, as well as fears that, with the US withdrawal, Afghanistan will again become a base for extremists looking to target the West. But administration officials argue the US retains the capacity to manage the threats with its military and intelligence assets in Gulf states and other areas, per the AP.

(Read more Islamic State stories.)
(Newser)  Heavily armed Taliban fighters were on patrol outside Kabul's airport Friday as evacuation flights resumed a day after Thursday's horrific scenes. The death toll from Thursday's twin suicide bombings has now risen to more than 100, including 13 US troops, the AP reports. Officials say at least 95 Afghans were killed, though the true toll could be higher. Morgues are at capacity and officials say many bodies are still unclaimed because the victims' relatives are in distant provinces. President Biden vowed Thursday night to "hunt down" members of ISIS-K, the regional Islamic State affiliate, which has claimed responsibility for the attack. More:

US gave Taliban lists of names. Some lawmakers and military officials have been outraged by reports that American officials gave the Taliban lists of names of Americans and Afghan allies so they could get past the group's checkpoints, Politico reports. With the Taliban's history of killing collaborators with foreign forces, one defense official describes the move as putting the Afghans on a "kill list." National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne acknowledged that the US has "shared information with the Taliban that has successfully facilitated evacuations from Kabul."

story continues below

Crowds return to airport . Crowds of people desperate to flee the Taliban takeover have returned to the airport, but they now number in the hundreds, not the thousands seen before Thursday's attacks, the New York Times reports. Thousands more are fleeing the country by land to Pakistan.

. Crowds of people desperate to flee the Taliban takeover have returned to the airport, but they now number in the hundreds, not the thousands seen before Thursday's attacks, the New York Times reports. Thousands more are fleeing the country by land to Pakistan. Workers' papers found at British embassy. Ben Wallace, Britain's defense secretary, says he is concerned by reports that papers identifying Afghan workers and job applicants were found on the ground in the country's Kabul diplomatic mission, the Guardian reports. Embassy staff had failed to destroy the papers, which could lead to Taliban reprisals, when they abandoned the building as the Taliban entered Kabul. Wallace said Friday that the UK's evacuation mission is now in its final hours and "the sad fact is not every single one will get out."

Who are ISIS-K? The Washington Post looks at the history and objectives of the group, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2015. Their "main goal right now is to stay politically relevant, disrupt efforts to stabilize the country, and also undermine the Afghan Talibans credibility," says US Military Academy assistant professor Amira Jadoon.

The Washington Post looks at the history and objectives of the group, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2015. Their "main goal right now is to stay politically relevant, disrupt efforts to stabilize the country, and also undermine the Afghan Talibans credibility," says US Military Academy assistant professor Amira Jadoon. More attacks feared. General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, says American forces are on the alert for more attacks, potentially including rocket attacks on the airport, reports Reuters. McKenzie says some intelligence has been shared with the Taliban and he believes "some attacks have been thwarted by them."

(Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  Spike Lee has re-edited the final episode of a four-part HBO series on the Sept. 11 terror attacks after criticism that it gave a platform to conspiracy theorists. NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021, the first episode of which aired Sunday, explores how New York City has weathered events like the coronavirus pandemic and the Sept. 11 attacks. The controversy lay in a discussion of the Twin Towers' collapse in the final episode, per the New York Times. S. Shyam Sunder, who led a three-year investigation for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, was interviewed alongside a dozen members of the Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth group, who believe a controlled demolition occurred.

story continues below

"My approach is put the information in the movie and let people decide for themselves," Lee told the Times in an interview published Monday. But he also said he hoped for a congressional investigation of the collapse, as does the Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. "The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperature's not reached," Lee said. As for Building 7, "when you put it next to other building collapses that were demolitions, it's like you're looking at the same thing."

Critics quickly pounced. Slate's Jeremy Stahl said Lee "presents the truth behind 9/11 as an open debate between two equally valid sides," though the group's claims "have been debunked a thousand times." He also noted the conspiracy group's founder, Richard Gagewho's described the COVID-19 pandemic as a "hoax" and "false flag event"was among the interviewees. "I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgement Until You See The FINAL CUT," Lee said Wednesday, noting he was "back in the editing room," per the Washington Post. The entire 30-minute discussion on the towers' collapse was ultimately removed, cutting the episode, which airs on Sept. 11, from 2 hours to 90 minutes. (Read more Spike Lee stories.)
(Newser)  Students likely didn't expect their first day of school at Springs Charter School to kick off with a lockdown. But that's exactly what happened at the school in Temecula, Calif., after two siblings refused to wear face masks, a violation of the California Department of Public Health's mandate for public schools. The incident occurred Aug. 19, when junior Victoria Nelson and her brother, senior Drew Nelson, showed up at the school sans face coverings, claiming it went against their religious beliefs, reports FOX 11. Drew, 17, says he was sent to the principal's office right away, while administrators note 16-year-old Victoria wouldn't put her mask on or leave her classroom.

story continues below

Victoria says her teacher eventually had the other students leave the room then blocked Victoria from going with them. Deputies were called, and, per a later email from the assistant principal to parents, the school then went on "soft lockdown," meaning students were locked in but teaching continued, reports NBC News. The siblings' father, Gary Nelson, says Victoria did go down to the principal's office when asked, but the principal wasn't there, so she returned to class. FOX 11 has audio of what it says is the principal confronting Victoria in the classroom, telling her, "I need you to stand up or we will have to physically remove you from this classroom."

The student's reply: "Please don't touch me." In a letter from principal Rebecca Fabozzi to the Nelsons, Fabozzi outlined all of the ways in which the siblings had violated school policies, then banned them from coming back to campus. They haven't been expelled, but instead will be on independent study at home, with access to their teachers, curriculum, and other resources. Nelson says they were told his son and daughter will be charged with trespassing if they show up at the school again.

"We thought the school would care what we believe in, but they just didn't even care enough to listen," Victoria tells FOX 11. Nelson, meanwhile, touches on how the family's Christianity comes into play. "The Bible says we're made in the image of God, and Satan tries to cover that up," he tells NBC. "A mask is a sign of oppression." He adds that a Muslim or Jew would've had their accommodations met. The school says in a statement "there are no religious exemptions in the state mask order, nor has the right to an exemption even been recognized by the Supreme Court because it's a neutral law of general application to protect public health." (Read more face masks stories.)
(Newser)  Zarifa Ghafari, one of Afghanistan's first female mayors who earlier this month said she was waiting for the Taliban to kill her, has made it to safety in Germany but is already imagining her return to her country. The 29-year-old former mayor of Maidan Shar describes the pain she felt after her father, a senior member of the Afghan military, was gunned down outside his home in Kabul last year, allegedly by the Taliban. Leaving Afghanistan, she tells the BBC, "was more painful than losing my dad."

story continues below

She hadn't planned on leaving, at least not until the Taliban regained power. Then militants showed up at her home and beat her security guard, she says. She believes she was a target as a proponent of women's rights. Ghafari therefore arranged for a car to take her family to Kabul airport on Aug. 18. She hid in the car's footwell. "When we reached the airport gate, there were Taliban fighters everywhere," she says. But she was unseen and managed to board a flight to Istanbul, with help from the Turkish ambassador in Kabul.

Now in Dusseldorf, Ghafari thanks the German people for "saving" her, per Reuters. But "I'll never be able to manage the pain inside my heart," she tells the BBC. "That's my country  I struggled for years to make it [there]." She doesn't believe the Taliban when it says women will retain an active role in society"their words never match their actions"but still she hopes to return when it is safe. She's even willing to talk with the Taliban. "Foreign forces are not coming to help us. It's our time to solve the issues with the Taliban," she tells the BBC. "I'm ready to take this responsibility." (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
/

Giuliani: US Has 'Gone Off the Rails,' Not Me

Trump ally goes off to NBC on FBI, rumors of an alcohol problem, perception that he's changed
(Newser)  Leaving the boardwalk in Yellowstone National Park's thermal areas can get you killedor, if you survive, fined and jailed. A 26-year-old Connecticut woman who walked directly on thermal features during a visit to the Wyoming park last month has been sentenced to a week in jail, plus $2,040 in fines and fees, CNN reports. "Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, its better than spending time in a hospitals burn unit," Acting US Attorney Bob Murray said in a statement. The park says the scalding water below the thin ground in the area can cause severe burns. At least 20 people have died in Yellowstone's hot springs including a man who was dissolved after slipping into a pool 225 yards from the boardwalk in 2016.

story continues below

"For those who lack a natural ability to appreciate the dangerousness of crusty and unstable ground, boiling water, and scalding mud, the National Park Service does a darn good job of warning them to stay on the boardwalk and trail in thermal areas, Murray said, per the Powell Tribune. Madeline Casey, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of foot travel in a thermal area, was ordered to serve the week in jail before Jan. 31 next year. She has been banned from the park for two years. (Last year, an Idaho man was fined and banned from the park after cooking chickens in a hot spring.)
(Newser)  The Fukushima nuclear plant is going to run out of room soon to store radioactive water that keeps building up. Solution: Japan will build an undersea tunnel and starting pumping the tainted water into the ocean, reports AFP. The water will be treated to remove most, though not all, of its radioactivity. Under the plan, the tunnel will be encased in concrete and run more than a half mile from the plant into the ocean. The government says all will be safe because the ocean will dilute what remains of the radioactivity, though fishing communities who ply those waters say the perception alone will hurt them economically.

story continues below

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, acknowledges the concern but says the decision to encase the pipe in concrete is designed to ease "reputational damage," per the AP. Neighboring nations such as China and South Korea also have voiced concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency has signed off on the plan, and TEPCO hopes to have the tunnel ready by the spring of 2023. The waterincluding water that was used to cool the plant after it was crippled in a 2011 tsunamiis currently being held in storage tanks.

However, the amount keeps increasing because of rain and groundwater, and those tanks need to go as part of a larger plan to decommission the entire plant by 2051. Three decades may seem like a long time, but an official with IAEA says it may not be long enough, because too little is known about melted fuel inside the plant's damaged reactors, per the AP. "Honestly speaking, I don't know, and I don't know if anybody knows," said Christophe Xerri when asked about the prospects of making the deadline. He called on Japan to conduct more studies of the reactors. (Read more Fukushima Dai-ichi stories.)
/

Airport Attack Is Now One of the Deadliest in 20-Year War

Death toll jumps to 170 and is expected to grow
(Newser)  Now a hurricane, Ida made landfall in Cuba on Friday and was on track to cross the Gulf and hit Louisiana hard Sunday as a Category 3 storm. "The forecast track has it headed straight towards New Orleans. Not good," said a senior scientist with the Climate Service, per the AP. Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered everyone who lives outside the protection of the city's levee system to not wait until Saturday or Sunday to evacuate. "Now is the time," Cantrell said. Ida posted maximum sustained winds of 75mph Friday afternoon, said the National Hurricane Center, which expected a hurricane warning to be issued for the region before the day was over. Parts of Cuba already are under a hurricane warning, per NBC.

story continues below

While over the Gulf, forecasts say, Ida will develop into a major hurricane before making landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sundayexactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, causing an estimated 1,800 deaths in the region. Rain is a concern along the Gulf Coast. As much as 16 inches could fall on southeast Louisiana to the Mississippi coast and Alabama by Monday morning. "The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location," the weather service said, "where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves."

A storm surge at high tide could push water over levees. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency on Thursday and asked for a pre-landfall Federal Declaration of Emergency on Friday. A dozen counties already issued their own states of emergency. Warning residents that the state is expecting a direct hit, Edwards said, "By Saturday evening, everyone should be in the location where they intend to ride out the storm." A retired New Orleans police officer was one of the many people buying supplies for his family at a Costco, where dozens of cars waited for gas. Wondell Smith was on duty during Katrina. "I know what that looks like," he said. (Read more hurricane stories.)
(Newser)  Elon Musk has said part of the reason the Texas power grid had such a catastrophic failure last winter is that it has no way to store electricity. The Tesla CEO might think he has the answer; a subsidiary of his company has filed an application with the Texas Public Utility Commission to sell electricity in the state, CNBC reports. "In Texas, there was a peak power demand, and ... because the grid lacks the ability to buffer the power, they have to shut down power," Musk told investors earlier this year. "There's no power storage." Musk's company happens to be building large batteries near Houston.

story continues below

Tesla's Megapack business involves a 100-megawatt energy storage system that can be connected to the grid. It holds enough electricity to run about 20,000 houses on a hot day, per CNN. Texas can't get help from other states when it runs low on power because its grid isn't connected to anybody else's. Approval of Tesla's application would allow him to sell electricity directly to consumers. He's built large batteries elsewhere, but they've been used to help other companies, not to sell power retail. Musk tweaked the nonprofit that manages the grid on Twitter in February, when millions of Texans lost power for days.

Tesla Energy Ventures would differ from its many Texas competitors in the unregulated market, per Texas Monthly. In addition to being able to sell power taken from the grid and stored, it could let consumers with solar panels easily sell it excess power. Only large commercial customers have that ability now. Tesla also wants to build a couple of 250-megawatt batteries in Texas that would serve wholesale power companies. The Tesla filing could be approved in November. Musk said last year that his energy business could one day be as large as Tesla Automotive. (Read more Tesla stories.)
(Newser)  With the Texas House back in business, Republicans pushed a broad election overhaul through on Friday and sent it to the Senate. The legislation already cleared the Senate but had to go back to reconcile minor differences between the two versions. The package then will go to Gov. Greg Abbott, who supports it, for his signature making it law. The vote was 80-41, the Hill reports. House Democrats opposed to the measure had fled to Washington to prevent the chamber from having a quorum and to seek federal legislation to trump the Texas bill, but they started returning last week. Democrats contend the Texas measure will raise obstacles to marginalized voters trying to participate in elections, per CNN.

story continues below

"This is your bill. Your idea. And you would be responsible for the consequences," Democratic Rep. Senfronia told Republicans. Senfronia, who said she had to pay a poll tax to vote in Texas before 1966, said they'll pay politically for the bill, and it won't be years, she assured them. "It'll be sooner than you think." Like Democrats in Florida, Georgia, and elsewhere who have been unable to block new voting restrictions, the ones in Texas can only turn to Congress for national protections. Rep. Chris Turner, Democratic Caucus chair, said the Democrats' trip "led to the US House passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act sooner than anticipated. Now, the US Senate must do the same to protect Texas voters from continued Republican attacks on their freedom to vote."

The Texas legislation would reverse changes that local officials made last year, such as allowing 24-hour voting and drive-through polling places; give new authority to partisan poll watchers; and limit mailing absentee ballot applications, per the New York Times. Democrats mostly were unable to pass amendments limiting the bill's effects during debate Thursday and Friday, as they argued it will be harmful to Black and Latino voters. "We knew we wouldn't be able to hold off this bill forever," Turner said. As the debate began, Speaker Dade Phelan told House members he "would appreciate members not using the word racism this afternoon." (Read more Texas stories.)
Shamokin, PA (17872)

Today

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 54F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Localized flooding is expected.
North Pole resident David White, 40, died while sheep hunting in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. White's body was found near Jacksina Creek, where he apparently had drowned.
Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

Submit here
Kevin Goodman/Office of the governor

Gov. Mike Dunleavy talks with the media outside the Westmark Hotel after meeting June 10 with the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), has expressed her deep gratitude to all well-wishers on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Council.

The congratulations we received on the anniversary of the Royal Order establishing the Supreme Council for Women 20 years ago have had the best effect on us, HRH Princess Sabeeka said in a statement.

We are particularly proud of the good wishes, impressions and feelings that those congratulations have conveyed. We thank everyone who joined us in marking this auspicious occasion that is dear to our hearts, with its high moral value. It is a national milestone that holds a special significance within the comprehensive development process full of achievements during the reign of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH Princess Sabeeka praised the great interaction of official, private, civil and media institutions that voiced support for Bahraini women and demonstrated responsibilities towards the evolving status of women.

The facts and figures they regularly publish show the extent of change and development of women's participation in the Kingdom of Bahrain, she added.

The commitment of these institutions is also clear in their programs, initiatives, plans and policies as they endeavor to achieve the required balance and reduce gaps that may affect the integration of womens and family needs into national legislation and within government policies and their participation in societal affairs, she said.

HRH Princess Sabeeka reiterated the Councils commitment to its institutional approach based on the values of justice, partnership and competitiveness that Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 seeks to achieve with the highest levels of prosperity for Bahraini families under the focus and care of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, who is exerting sincere and commendable efforts, to ensure Bahraini women are today among the highest government priorities.

HRH Princess Sabeeka also expressed her deep appreciation to the honorable women of Bahrain who are doing their utmost to carry out their national responsibilities and family duties in the best way.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, yesterday stressed the importance of strengthening Bahrains bilateral ties to open up new horizons of cooperation and coordination in various fields and enhance growth and prosperity.

Bahrain, HRH Prince Salman said, is committed to the principles of good neighbourliness and maintaining solid relations with friendly nations and the international community in a way that back the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

His Royal Highness was interacting with the five newly appointed ambassadors of Bahrain to China, Indonesia, Thailand, France and Brazil at the Riffa Palace.

The newly appointed ambassador are Dr Muhammad Ghassan Sheikho (China), Ahmed Abdulla Alhajeri (Indonesia), Muna Abbas Radhi (Thailand), Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (France), and Badr Abbas Al Helaibi (Brazil). Prince Salman congratulated them and wished them all success in performing their duties.

His Royal Highness also commended the efforts of Bahrains ambassadors to strengthen bilateral relations with various countries.

Prince Salman also praised the integral role played by Bahrains diplomatic missions to enhance the Kingdoms credentials across various international and regional forums.

For their part, the new ambassadors expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to meet His Royal Highness and their appreciation of His Royal Highnesss commitment to supporting the Kingdoms foreign policy.

The ambassadors pledged to strengthen the Kingdoms diplomatic relations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, also attended the meeting.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is the first Arab country to implement an integrated curriculum to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, said a top United Nations Industrial Development Organization official.

Dr Hashem Hussein, the Head of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation for Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain, said the organisation would coordinate with the League of the Arab States and the Union of Arab Chambers to implement this approach in other Arab nations.

Promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship through education is one of the most important priorities for countries, and that is what Bahrain is keen to implement, he added.

UNIDO, he said, is documenting this experience of Bahrain in partnership with the United Nations. Fifty-three countries around the globe are now following Bahrain Model for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Programme for its quality, he added.

The success of these programmes also encouraged the organisation to establish business incubators in schools during next year with a focus on artificial intelligence, especially in technical and vocational schools.

Dr Hussein was at the virtual closing ceremony of the third edition of the initiative to promote innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve Sustainable Development Goals for secondary school students.

He praised its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education for the competition, despite the pandemic.

He said the organisation held an intensive programme to train 450 teaches during the past years to enrich the programme with outstanding initiatives and programmes.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The long-awaited housing project for journalists is set to kick-start soon.

The master plan of the project has been completed and is awaiting approval, Bassim Al Hamar, the Housing Minister, told the President of Bahrain Journalist Association, Isa Al Shaiji, yesterday.

The Housing Ministry, he said, is expecting project clearances by the end of this year.

Upon receiving necessary clearances, the ministry, he said, will start working on the project at Hoorat Sanad, the project site.

Explaining further, the minister said, the Housing Ministry plans to execute the project in multiple phases.

The project, in its first phase, will have 50 housing units, the minister said during a meeting with the BJA board members.

The project is part of the comprehensive development march spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the minister told BJA President Isa Al-Shaiji and board members.

The minister wished BJA members every success, lauding the national role played by the Bahraini press. Al-Shaiji affirmed his readiness to cooperate with the Housing Ministry, especially for ensuring social stability for journalists.


Thank you for trusting us for your local news coverage. You have reached the maximum number of free articles per month. Subscribe today for unlimited access to News-Press NOW. It's a fast and easy way to support local journalism.
Have an opinion on a recent story or event around the University of Cincinnati? Let us know what you think!

If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click the button below to email David Rees, editor-in-chief. For news tips or story ideas, contact one of our editors.

Email the editor
DANBURY  A family-owned business that got its start three generations ago with a fruit and vegetable market in Bethel is clearing ground on the west side to build a 45,000-square-foot Caraluzzis Danbury Market and liquor store.

The newest Caraluzzis location on Mill Plain Road was approved in 2014 but was held up by an unsuccessful lawsuit and appeal by a nearby package store owner, who claimed there wasnt enough distance between his liquor store and the approved Caraluzzis as required by Danburys zoning code.

In the meantime, the citys west side boomed with residential development and commercial construction.

We are seeing a real period of growth on the west side, said Caraluzzis attorney, Tom Beecher. There is more on the way with housing being built at The Reserve and housing planned at the Summit.

The Reserve is an approved 550-acre residential subdivision where 1,980 condominiums and apartments have been built of 2,160 that were approved. The Summit is a 1.2 million-square-foot development of offices, apartments and a $99 million career academy that is nearing the construction phase.

The leader of the Danbury areas business community said Caraluzzis investment in the west side would fuel economic growth.

Caraluzzis already has a liquor store near Danbury Airport.

Having a family-owned business come over to the west side is creating a lot of excitement, said P.J. Prunty, the president and CEO of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce. This is a huge asset for our community, and residents are looking forward to having a grocery store of this caliber come to Mill Plain Road.

On Thursday the 4.5-acre Caraluzzis site across the street from the Holiday Inn Express near Interstate 84s Exit 2 was a landscape of dirt hills and heavy earth-moving equipment, as workers tended to the foundation.

The project could be completed as soon as May, a site supervisor for the construction contractor said.

The 102 Mill Plain Road location would be the fourth Caraluzzis market location, after Bethel, Wilton and Newtown; and the third wine and spirits store, after Bethel and Danbury Fairgrounds.

But for almost three years, the approved Danbury Caraluzzis was in limbo over a measurement issue.

A neighboring Mill Plain Road package store owner objected to the Zoning Commissions 2014 approval of Caraluzzis request to sell grocery beer and package store liquor.

A state Superior Court judge upheld Danburys approvals in 2016, ruling that the city followed the proper application of the method for measuring the 2,000-foot separation distance between package stores, according to court documents.

In 2017, the state Appellate Court upheld the lower court decision by denying the package store owners petition.

Prunty said the customer-oriented approach of the family-owned business set it apart from chain store competitors.

This is a much-needed resource and a very welcome addition for residents of the west side, Prunty said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
RACINE, Wis. (AP)  A Republican attorney who has tried unsuccessfully to overturn the results of Wisconsins 2020 presidential election filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging that Racine city officials did not turn over election-related documents as required by the state open records law.

The lawsuit came from Erick Kaardal, an attorney for the conservative Thomas More Society and a former secretary and treasurer for the Republican Party of Minnesota. He has been trying to prove that a group with ties to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had too much influence over the voting process in Wisconsins five largest cities.
BOSTON (AP)  A man charged with stabbing a rabbi outside a Jewish school in Boston was ordered held without bail Thursday pending a dangerousness hearing as his attorney described him as suffering from severe mental illness.

Khaled Awad, 24, faces charges on nine indictments including armed assault with intent to murder, violating an individuals constitutional rights and carrying a dangerous weapon on school grounds.

Awads defense attorney, Janice Bassil, said Thursday that Awad has a history of severe mental illness and often experiences hallucinations.

This is a very ill individual, said Bassil, according to the Boston Globe.

Investigators said security camera footage showed Mr. Awad, 24, approaching Rabbi Shlomo Noginski outside the Shaloh House in the citys Brighton neighborhood as a childrens camp was underway. Noginskis style of dress made him identifiable as an Hasidic Jew, investigators said.

Awad drew a weapon that appeared to be a gun and made what the victim interpreted to be a demand for the keys to the school van, investigators said. When Noginski attempted to hand over the keys, Awad rejected them and instead motioned for him to enter the van in an apparent attempt to isolate him.

At the same time, Mr. Awad put away the weapon and pulled out a knife. Noginski used the moment to run to a nearby park where Awad chased him and attacked him with the knife, investigators said. Noginski was stabbed nine times and suffered serious wounds to the upper left chest near his heart and deep lacerations to his left arm.

Awad, who is originally from Egypt, was being held at Bridgewater State Hospital for an evaluation of his mental health following a July 8 hearing in Brighton District Court.

During Thursday's court hearing, a clinician said Awad has bipolar disorder, has not been taking psychiatric medication while in Massachusetts and was deemed incompetent to stand trial in Florida, where he faced criminal charges last year.

His lawyer said Awad is now on a medication that appears to have stabilized him.

Noginski, an Israeli citizen with 12 children, was released from the hospital the day after the stabbing. The attack has been condemned by Bostons Jewish community.

District Attorney Rachael Rollins said the alleged attack was a hate crime.

It is imperative that we denounce hatred and bigotry in any form and respond clearly and firmly when we encounter it, Rollins said in a press release Wednesday after a grand jury returned indictments against Awad.

Awas has been charged with: armed assault with intent to murder; aggravated assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon (knife); assault by means of a dangerous weapon (gun); assault and battery for the purpose of intimidation resulting in bodily injury; violating an individuals constitutional rights; two counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon; and two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon on school grounds.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A Mississippi woman has been arrested for illegally receiving more than $34,000 in food benefits, state officials said.

Investigators with the Mississippi Department of Human Services, in a news release Wednesday, said Tiffany Combest, 36, received an over-issuance of SNAP benefits for multiple children who were no longer living with her. Combest is being held on $5,000 bond in the Jones County jail. It was unknown if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
NEW YORK (AP)  The chief executive of the sexual harassment victims advocacy group Time's Up resigned Thursday amid outrage over revelations that its leaders advised former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration after he was first accused of misconduct last year.

Times Up CEO and president Tina Tchen said in a statement that she's spent a career fighting for positive change for women but was no longer the right person to lead the #MeToo-era organization.

I am especially aware that my position at the helm of TIME'S UP has become a painful and divisive focal point, where those very women and other activists who should be working together to fight for change are instead battling each other in harmful ways, she wrote.

The group's chief operating officer, Monifa Bandele, will serve as interim CEO.

Tchen's resignation comes after the Aug. 9 departure of the organization's chair, Roberta Kaplan. Both women had been the target of ire from Time's Up supporters over the idea they had offered any help to Cuomo, who resigned Monday, three weeks after an investigation overseen by New York's attorney general concluded he sexually harassed at least 11 women.

The report detailed Cuomo's attempt to discredit his first public accuser, Lindsey Boylan, after she accused him last December of making inappropriate comments, but before she explicitly detailed allegations of unwanted touching and kissing.

Text messages obtained by The Washington Post show that Tchen initially discouraged other Time's Up leaders from making any public comment about Boylan's allegations. Later, top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa asked Kaplan  her attorney  to review a letter the governor's supporters intended to circulate attacking Boylan's credibility.

Ms. Kaplan read the letter to the head of the advocacy group Times Up, and both of them allegedly suggested that, without the statements about Ms. Boylans interactions with male colleagues, the letter was fine, the report said, without explicitly naming Tchen.

The letter was ultimately never released.

Later, after Boylan expanded on her allegations against Cuomo, T ime's Up called for an investigation.

Boylan noted Thursday that Tchen's resignation statement didn't include an apology.

Its sad that @TinaTchen still cant take responsibility for the harm shes caused, Boylan tweeted. That sentiment was echoed by another Cuomo accuser, Charlotte Bennett.

Instead of offering a sincere apology to the survivors, activists and allies shes harmed, @TinaTchen goes out the same way our former Governor did  listing her accomplishments, pointing the finger at others, and attempting to justify her inexcusable behavior. Good riddance.

Tchen declined further comment.

Time's Up got its start in January 2018 amid outrage over sexual misconduct by the film producer Harvey Weinstein. More than 300 women in entertainment  from television powerhouse Shonda Rhimes to actresses Reese Witherspoon and Eva Longoria  signed an open letter that established them as founders.

Its high-profile debut continued with that month's Golden Globes, in which attendees donned black and sported Time's Up pins to call attention to the movement for gender equality.

Tchen previously served as an assistant to then-President Barack Obama, chief of staff to then-first lady Michelle Obama and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. She co-founded the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund in 2017, along with Kaplan and two other women. The fund was established to help everyday survivors with legal costs, and had raised nearly $22 million less than a year after its founding.

In a statement Thursday, the Time's Up board praised Tchen's tenure, saying she has made a difference in the lives of so many and we are grateful for her hard work and impact. But accepting her resignation was a measure of accountability, the board said.

This isn't the first time the advocacy group has been roiled by leadership issues. Tchen took the helm in 2019, after former WNBA president Lisa Borders stepped down as president and CEO following sexual misconduct allegations against her own son.

Tarana Burke, the founder of #MeToo and a member of Times Ups extended board, offered her perspective on the troubled waters earlier this week to The Associated Press. She described Times Up as a young organization with good intentions thats now grappling with how to wield power.

I think they have to do a lot of soul searching and at the end of the day," she said. It may come out the other end to be that they have to figure out how to work differently, that they have to relinquish some of the power and they have to sacrifice some of the wins in order to do the work well, in the way that people trust.

___

Associated Press reporter Jocelyn Noveck contributed to this report.
DAN: TSX-V (Canada)

JE9N: FSE (Germany)

DRRSF: OTC (USA)

SAGUENAY, QC, Aug. 26, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Arianne Phosphate (the "Company" or "Arianne") (TSXV: DAN) (OTC: DRRSF) (FRANKFURT: JE9N), a development-stage phosphate mining company, advancing the Lac a Paul project in Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, reported its financial results for the three-month and six-month period ended June 30, 2021. All amounts are in Canadian dollars unless noted.

Financial and Operational Highlights

In April 2021 , the Company announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with the Port of Saguenay regarding the future site of a maritime loading facility on the north shore of the Saguenay River. This Agreement will allow for both the Company and the Port to finalize details surrounding the costs, construction and operations of the facility from which, Arianne will be shipping its phosphate concentrate globally. The final agreement will cover the use of the facility for an initial period of 30 years, thereafter renewable twice for periods of 10 years.

, the Company announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with the Port of Saguenay regarding the future site of a maritime loading facility on the north shore of the Saguenay River. This Agreement will allow for both the Company and the Port to finalize details surrounding the costs, construction and operations of the facility from which, Arianne will be shipping its phosphate concentrate globally. The final agreement will cover the use of the facility for an initial period of 30 years, thereafter renewable twice for periods of 10 years. In April 2021 , Arianne partnered with the Quebec Center of Geomatics (CGQ), to advance research and development on a new method for the design and future monitoring of the Company's tailings operations. This work will use geomatic and remote sensing tools combined with artificial intelligence that should greatly improve the safety aspects of Arianne's operations.

, Arianne partnered with the Quebec Center of Geomatics (CGQ), to advance research and development on a new method for the design and future monitoring of the Company's tailings operations. This work will use geomatic and remote sensing tools combined with artificial intelligence that should greatly improve the safety aspects of Arianne's operations. In May 2021 , Arianne announced that Jeffrey Beck assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors. Brian Ostroff became President of the Company.

, Arianne announced that assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors. became President of the Company. On June 4, 2021 , the Company closed an equity financing in the amount of $5,750,000 financing. Under the terms of the financing, Arianne issued 11,500,000 units at a price of $0.50 per unit. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one-half warrant. Each full warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.71 until June 4, 2023 .

, the Company closed an equity financing in the amount of financing. Under the terms of the financing, Arianne issued 11,500,000 units at a price of per unit. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one-half warrant. Each full warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of until . On August 10, 2021 , Arianne announced that it had engaged Lytham Partners to provide investor relations services to the Company. The engagement of Lytham Partners will allow Arianne to continue its outreach program that had commenced in the first quarter of 2021.

, Arianne announced that it had engaged Lytham Partners to provide investor relations services to the Company. The engagement of Lytham Partners will allow Arianne to continue its outreach program that had commenced in the first quarter of 2021. On August 10, 2021 , the Company announced subject to regulatory approval, the extension on the term of 628,228 common share purchase warrants issued as part of a private placement which closed on August 21, 2019 for gross proceeds of $691,050 . Each of the warrants, which were part of the units being issued, entitled its holder to purchase one common share of Arianne at an exercise price of $0.75 per common share until August 21, 2021 . Arianne has elected to extend the expiry date of the Warrants to August 21, 2024 . No other warrant terms are amended.

Financial Summary

Arianne is a development-stage company and, as such, did not generate revenue or positive cash flow in Q2 2021. In the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Company incurred net losses of $1.5 million (M) for the three-month period and $5.9M for the six-month period. For the same period in 2020, the net loss incurred was $0.8M for the three-months period and $2.6M for the six-month period. The higher losses are explained by borrowing costs that were previously capitalized. Since the Company is currently in a period of raising funding for its project development through financing and offtake agreements and, is not carrying on substantial technical work, the Company is expensing its borrowing costs until further technical work is done on the project.

Arianne's Management Discussion and Analysis and condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the threemonth and six-month period ended June 30, 2021 are available on the Company's website and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Qualified Person

Jean-Sebastien David, P.Geo., Qualified Person by NI 43-101, has approved this release. Mr. David is also the Company's Chief Operating Officer.

About Arianne Phosphate

Arianne Phosphate ("Arianne Phosphate Inc.") (www.arianne-inc.com) is developing the Lac a Paul phosphate deposits located approximately 200 km north of the Saguenay/Lac St. Jean area of Quebec, Canada. These deposits will produce a high-quality igneous apatite concentrate grading 39% P 2 O 5 with little or no contaminants (Feasibility Study released in 2013). The Company has 185,389,469 shares outstanding.

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.

Follow Arianne on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariannephosphate

Twitter: http://twitter.com/arianne_dan

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ArianneResources

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arianneresources

Resource Investing News: http://resourceinvestingnews.com/?s=Arianne

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities regulations in Canada and the United States (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, anticipated quality and production of the apatite concentrate at the Lac a Paul project. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects, "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or the negatives thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: volatile stock price; risks related to changes in commodity prices; sources and cost of power facilities; the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements; the estimation of labour and operating costs; the general global markets and economic conditions; the risk associated with exploration, development and operations of mineral deposits; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of exploration, development and production; risks associated with currency fluctuations; environmental risks; competition faced in securing experienced personnel; access to adequate infrastructure to support mining, processing, development and exploration activities; the risks associated with changes in the mining regulatory regime governing the Company; completion of the environmental assessment process; risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued exploration and development activities at Lac a Paul project may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issue of common shares; the risk of litigation. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued exploration activities, no material adverse change in commodity prices, exploration and development plans proceeding in accordance with plans and such plans achieving their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, 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 the 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 forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Arianne Phosphate Inc.

For further information: Source: Jean-Sebastien David, COO, Tel. : 418-549-7316, [email protected]; Info: Brian Ostroff, President, Tel. : 514-908-4202, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.arianne-inc.com/fr/


OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 24, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - As the world continues to face the greatest public health crisis in generations, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is urging federal political parties and candidates to make health care an election priority. The next federal government has an opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring an effective COVID-19 pandemic response, supporting the health workforce and building a health care system that works for all Canadians.

"The pandemic exposed devastating systemic gaps in the country's health care system, and we have all paid the price for that," says Dr. Katharine Smart, CMA president. "This election, Canadian expect political parties to make significant commitments to reset our health systems."

In anticipation of this vital conversation, the CMA has released Reframing Health, a four-pillar policy roadmap. It calls on all political parties to make the following commitments to Canadians:

Lead an effective COVID-19 response: Maintaining strong federal leadership is central to Canada's pandemic response. The federal government must enable increased vaccination rates, develop a vaccine passport system for international travel, deploy a domestic vaccine certificate program, and invest in a safe and sustained return to in-school learning.





Maintaining strong federal leadership is central to pandemic response. The federal government must enable increased vaccination rates, develop a vaccine passport system for international travel, deploy a domestic vaccine certificate program, and invest in a safe and sustained return to in-school learning. Build a health system for the future: The federal government must deliver increased, long-term, and sustained health funding to the provinces and territories, as well as deploy national standards for long-term care and invest in enhanced home and community care. The government must also transform Canada's Public Health capacity, commit to addressing the social and structural determinants of health, and implement a plan to address climate change and its growing health impacts.





The federal government must deliver increased, long-term, and sustained health funding to the provinces and territories, as well as deploy national standards for long-term care and invest in enhanced home and community care. The government must also transform Public Health capacity, commit to addressing the social and structural determinants of health, and implement a plan to address climate change and its growing health impacts. Invest in the health care workforce: Health care workers continue to struggle with extreme fatigue and burnout as the pandemic stretched from weeks to months. The federal government must invest in health workforce planning, support nation-wide licensure for medical practitioners, and implement a Primary Care Access Fund to expand access to vital family doctors and primary health care providers. Investments in Canada's health care workforce planning are needed to improve access to care while ensuring the well-being of health workers.





Health care workers continue to struggle with extreme fatigue and burnout as the pandemic stretched from weeks to months. The federal government must invest in health workforce planning, support nation-wide licensure for medical practitioners, and implement a Primary Care Access Fund to expand access to vital family doctors and primary health care providers. Investments in health care workforce planning are needed to improve access to care while ensuring the well-being of health workers. Commit to reconciliation and anti-racism: Structural inequities have a direct impact on health outcomes. We urge the next federal government to implement all the Calls to Action set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and lead a nation-wide anti-racism plan.

"We are asking each and every candidate to stand up for health," says Dr. Smart. "We cannot accept the status quo. Our patients, health workers and communities need better."

In its capacity as a non-partisan organization focused on advocacy, the CMA will be using the core recommendations outlined above to assess the commitments made by major political parties during this campaign.

About the CMA

The Canadian Medical Association is the national voice of the medical profession. Our focus is on creating strong and accessible health systems, fostering well-being and diversity in medical culture, and ensuring every person in Canada has equal opportunity to be healthy. In partnership with physicians, medical learners, patients and others, we advance these goals through advocacy, knowledge sharing and granting.

SOURCE Canadian Medical Association

For further information: To schedule an interview or for further information, please contact: CMA Media Relations: [email protected], 613-227-4102
TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2021 /CNW/ - The Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada (Neighbourhood Pharmacies) has released its 2021 federal election platform entitled "Unlocking Pharmacy's Potential as a Healthcare Partner ." The platform provides 5 key recommendations responding to two core issues: creating public health capacity and promoting access to medications.

"During the pandemic, pharmacies have offered critical support in ensuring continuity of patient care, safeguarding the medication supply and providing COVID-19 vaccination and testing services. But there are even more opportunities to unlock pharmacy's potential," says Sandra Hanna, CEO, Neighbourhood Pharmacies. "Canada is known globally for having a strong, accessible healthcare system. As a partner to public health, primary care providers and governments pharmacy can help respond to some of the pressures faced by the healthcare system, especially through promoting policies that lead to improved access to medications and public health."

As federal leaders navigate the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and reflect on the future needs of our healthcare system, Neighbourhood Pharmacies provides five key recommendations to further unlock the pharmacy sector's potential as a healthcare partner:

To increase Canada's capacity in public health, Neighbourhood Pharmacies is calling on all parties and candidates to:

Build Immunization Capacity Expand Point-of-Care Testing Enhance Opportunities to Fight the Opioid Crisis

To better support improved access to medications through a robust, sustainable pharmaceutical supply Neighbourhood Pharmacies recommends that the elected government promote policies that:

Prioritize Medication Coverage for the Uninsured and Underinsured Balance Drug Pricing with Patient-Centred Value

"During the pandemic, government recognized and designated pharmacies as an essential service," says Hanna. "Government, communities and Canadians can continue to choose pharmacies as a trusted partner in providing high-quality, accessible healthcare to all."

With over 35,000 pharmacy professionals working in Canada's 11,000 community pharmacies, which are accessible by 95 per cent of Canadians living within five kilometers of a community pharmacy, the pharmacy sector is poised to continue stepping up beyond the pandemic. Neighbourhood Pharmacies and its members stand ready to support the federal government as it charts the future of healthcare.

____________________________________________________________

About the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada

Neighbourhood Pharmacies represents Canada's leading pharmacy organizations, including chain, banner, long-term care, specialty pharmacies, grocery chains, and mass merchandisers with pharmacies. We advocate for pharmacies' role in caring for Canadians, both behind and in front of the counter. We aim to advance sustainable healthcare for all stakeholders by leveraging close to 11,000 pharmacies conveniently located in virtually every community throughout the country. Pharmacies are integral points of patient care.

Related Links

https://www.neighbourhoodpharmacies.ca/

SOURCE Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada

For further information: [email protected]

Related Links

https://www.neighbourhoodpharmacies.ca/


The Thursday attack was the deadliest day for US forces in Afghanistan in roughly a decade. At least 60 Afghan civilians also died in Thursday's bombings.

US President Biden on Thursday (local time) vowed the United States will carry out strikes against the group responsible for the bombings that killed a dozen Americans.

To those who carried out this attackknow this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, Biden said in prepared remarks from the East Room of the White House.

The President further added the US has some reason to believe the US knows the identities of the ISIS leaders who ordered the attacks. We will find ways of our choosing, without large military operations, to get them  wherever they are.

Biden in his message said he asked military commanders for plans to strike ISIS-K, saying the US will respond with precisionat a place that we choose, and the moment of our choosing.

The Commander in Chief also declared the US would carry out its plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the month.

We can and we must complete this mission and we will, Biden asserted. And thats what Ive ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation.

Pentagon officials said two suicide bombers, determined to be affiliated with ISIS, were involved in the attack. One bomb went off near a gate just outside Hamid Karzai International Airport, followed by gunfire, and another bomb exploded near the Baron Hotel a short distance away.

The Thursday attack was the deadliest day for US forces in Afghanistan in roughly a decade. At least 60 Afghan civilians also died in Thursdays bombings.

The President held a moment of silence and offered condolences to the families of U.S. service members who died in the Kabul explosion. In his message, Biden called the American service members who lost their lives heroes and the best the country has to offer.

The lives we lost today were lives given in the service of liberty, the service of security, the service of others, in the service of America, he said. Biden stressed I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan, a country that has never once in its entire history been a united countryit was time to end a 20 year war

The Biden administration had bluntly warned just days earlier of the increasing likelihood of a terrorist attack around the airport the longer U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan. Officials had in recent days sought to focus attention on rapidly escalating efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan civilians who aided the U.S. war effort or who were considered vulnerable populations under Taliban rule.

The U.S. has evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan since the end of July. The State Department said earlier Thursday there were roughly 1,000 Americans remaining in the country, roughly 700 of which are taking steps to leave.

At a Pentagon press conference, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said 15 U.S. troops are among the injured. He said the attacks were carried out by two suicide bombings, followed by gunfire. A U.S. official told The Associated Press the attack is definitely believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. While McKenzie didnt blame ISIS-K, he did say the threat from ISIS-K is very real.

McKenzie added the evacuation has now taken 104,000 people out of Afghanistan, including nearly 5,000 Americans. He estimates about 1,000 Americans remain. Aug. 31  this coming Tuesday  is the administrations planned withdrawal deadline.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday (local time) ordered that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the federal government till August 30 to honour the victims of Kabul attack.

While honouring the victims of the attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Biden said, As a mark of respect for the US service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 30, 2021.

US President also directed that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth, he added.

Earlier, US President said the United States has reason to believe the leaders of the Islamic State-Khorasan terror group are behind the attacks at the Kabul airport.

Biden said the Islamic State-Khorasan has planned complex attacks against US forces and others in Afghanistan after they were released from prisons during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

As many as 13 US troops were killed and 15 service members were injured including numerous Afghan civilians in twin bomb blasts outside Kabul airport on Thursday. The first blast was reported at the Abbey Gate in Kabul airport while the second one was near the Baron Hotel.
HAMDEN  Visitors to Hamden Plaza once used to see the Ghost Parking Lot, an iconic art installation of 20 cars covered in asphalt.

Soon, the site will offer a different attraction: a Starbucks with a drive-thru.

Its one of several new businesses coming to the plaza, according to co-owner Andrew Bermant, who said a DSW shoe store, expected to open in January, will occupy the former site of DressBarn and Phoenix Buffet.

A branch of the tech repair store uBreakiFix also will open within the next couple of months, he said.

Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

Were very pleased with where we are right now in the market, and I also want to compliment the town and the mayor for their effort processing the approvals for the DSW and Starbucks projects, Bermant said.

Its a lot of work all coming at one time, and they have really worked diligently to help us through this process, he said.

The plaza has been a fixture in Hamden since the 1950s, when Bermants father, David Bermant, purchased and developed the property.

Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

While it already is home to a Starbucks, the current location does not have a drive-thru. Andrew Bermant said management is in negotiations with several potential tenants to fill the old Starbucks location once the new one opens, which may take until spring.

Theres a certain irony to the news: the space that will make way for a drive-thru was where artist James Wines in 1978 created the Ghost Parking Lot to represent the countrys reliance on cars.

/ Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

But the piece deteriorated over the following 25 years, and was demolished in 2003 after failed efforts to raise the necessary funds to refurbish it.

Over the decades, skateboarders and bicyclists used the rising cars as ramps, causing the asphalt to crumble and rust from the cars underneath, the Register reported when it was torn down.

I think it was a great sculpture, Bermant said. But he noted not everyone was a fan of the piece.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

I will tell you this, Bermant said, however. It became a landmark. People know Hamden Plaza for the Ghost Parking Lot.

It wasnt the only artwork installed in the plaza.

My father got very involved with kinetic art. ... He thought it was the art of our time and so he began collecting the pieces and installing them in his shopping centers (because) he thought that the art should be viewed by the public, Andrew Bermant said.

He would swear that it increased the number of shoppers at each shopping center, he said.

Two sculptures remain, Bermant said: Crystals by Clyde Lynds and Windamajig by George Rhoads, who died in July.

Meghan Friedmann / Hearst Connecticut Media /

According to the New York Times, Rhoads was known for mazelike sculptures featuring moving balls, like 42d Street Ballroom, which is located at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York.

The parking area was so iconic that in 2014, the Hamden Arts, Recreation and Culture Department had the official 2014 Holiday Ornament feature the Ghost Parking Lot and the Hamden Plaza.

When it was demolished, Wines told the Register he was disappointed but not surprised that his sculpture was torn down.

If (the sculpture) was in a museum, it wouldve been preserved, he said.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
The three Connecticut residents had to weigh the danger of one of them  a former interpreter for Americans in Afghanistan  leaving that country with his family after the Taliban had taken control.

The former interpreter, Atifullah, had been living in Connecticut on a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, but returned to his native Afghanistan because he wanted to bring his wife and children here, according to Matt Schmidt, associate professor at the University of New Haven and former instructor of strategic and operational planning at the Armys Command and General Staff College.

Then Atifullah needed help. Hearst Connecticut Media is using just his first name for safety reasons.

About 900 Americans were stuck in Afghanistan, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Friday. He said Saturday that number was about 350 Americans. An attack outside the airport in Kabul Thursday killed 13 Americans and at least 170 Afghans.

Schmidt learned of what was occurring because he and Mike Kuszpa are on the same listserv in New Haven. Atifullah is Kuszpas former interpreter in Afghanistan. The issue was whether Atifullahs papers were in order: Schmidt said that if Atifullah made it through the checkpoints at Hamid Karzai International Airport, but was then turned away, he likely would not make it back.

Schmidt, turning to a former student who now works in the State Department, said he was able to help the government link Atifullah and some of his key records  a passport and a green card. He, Kuszpa and Atifullah spoke, weighing the danger. They initially decided against it; then Atifullah ventured out for the uncertain journey.

Atifullah made into the custody of U.S. soldiers last Wednesday.

We knew he was safe at this point, said Schmidt. I was in tears.

After traveling, Atifullah is now in Washington, D.C., hoping to return to New Haven, Schmidt said.

Blumenthal said the Afghans who are trying to flee Afghanistan include special forces who raided the Taliban. The Taliban know who they are and they have targets on their backs.

My office is working night and day on behalf of Connecticut residents who came here maybe years ago and went back maybe for a wedding or a funeral or some family event.  There are Connecticut residents who have tried to escape across borders. Frankly, were unsure at this point where they are and whether theyve made it.

The crisis has called for resettlement agencies, such as Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services in New Haven, to find extraordinary and creative ways to try to get people out of Afghanistan.

We have 11 families, clients of ours, that are stuck in Kabul right now, said IRIS Executive Director Chris George during a webinar Friday afternoon. A number of staff members have been in touch with them, calling them on the phone  taking pictures of their green cards.

Volunteers and IRIS staff have been communicating with Afghans via WhatsApp to help them fill out repatriation assistance request forms. Its critical to have these forms filled out because that is how the State Department knows they are eligible to leave and can notify them to come to the Kabul airport, according to Ann OBrien, director of community engagement for IRIS.

Weve got English language teachers who are suddenly involved full-time trying to fill out forms and trying to coordinate with families on the ground trying to get them into the airport, George said.

In addition to 32 Afghans who have arrived in Connecticut, OBrien said, We have roughly 45 clients that we have been in contact with who are in transit back to the United States from Afghanistan, and for those clients all but seven of them  our staff helped them complete the repatriation form online.

We have at least 50 clients, likely more that are still in Afghanistan and are not close to boarding flights, she said. That number is not even close to the hundreds of applications we are trying to process.

Those with green cards, giving an immigrant permanent resident status, may have been resettled by IRIS years ago but went back to Afghanistan for personal reasons. Others have SIVs, given to Afghans who worked for the U.S. military as translators, interpreters and in other jobs.

However, SIVs only permit the visa holder and immediate family to evacuate. That leaves parents, siblings and other relatives behind, causing tremendous worry for those who leave.

During this evacuation we also realized that there are not just green card holders  or Special Immigrant Visa holders that need to get out, George said. We have an obligation to bring them and their families out. There is no way thats going to happen by the 31st (of August) and we have no idea how they will get out after that.

For those who do evacuate, the stress and trauma continue. Youre luckily escaping from Kabul but youre leaving dozens of relatives and friends behind. Youre feeling worried about them. Youre feeling guilty that you made it out, he said.

Once you get in the United States, your phone is ringing nonstop and youre getting text messages and emails from the people you left behind, pleading for help. It is just crushing, and were worried about them, George said. And indirectly, its also very difficult for my staff who are getting that next phone call from the Afghan whos made it out.  Staff are hearing these same stories about the Taliban going door to door or people hiding in safe houses.

Ive never been more proud of the people Ive worked with at IRIS but its difficult, he said.

There have been reports of Afghans trying to cross the border into Pakistan and being shot by Pakistani security forces, George said. The Taliban have closed the borders, he said.

OBrien said those who are in the process of getting SIV status will be processed by the State Department just as SIV holders are. Others who are not eligible, including women, children, journalists who are outspoken against the Taliban, will be processed in a different category and at the outset will not be eligible for the same benefits that SIV provides, she said.

Those people will have to apply for asylum, meaning they will not be able to work until their first hearing. How are they going to eat? How are they going to live? she asked. After their first hearing, asylum seekers can get limited work authorization.

These restrictions dont apply to typical refugees, who become legal permanent residents of the United States as soon as they arrive. Its easy, relatively speaking, not easy but easier to get a person like that an apartment, because they are helped to get a job within the required six months.

It also will be a challenge to resettle the largest number of refugees IRIS ever has been asked to take in. The State Department had assigned IRIS a total of 400 refugees for the upcoming year. Were being asked to resettle another 300, an almost unimaginable total of 700, George said. The highest total was 530 in 2016.

If there is no housing, if there are no apartments to put people into, then thats a major obstacle, he said. He said IRIS will be approaching universities to see whether there is extra dorm space.

OBrien said the original plan was to settle 250 people in New Haven, 100 in Hartford and 50 among the community groups that have been trained to resettle refugees just as IRIS case managers do, including assisting with getting jobs, adjusting to American culture, education, health care and legal issues.

The United States has far more rules and regulations about employment as well as societal rules about how to get the next job than they have experienced before, OBrien said. Basic things like references are unknown to most refugees.

She said this year the United States was expected to take in 125,000 of the 290,000 refugees around the globe who are designated as eligible to be resettled by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. That is just one percent of the worlds 2.9 million refugees, she said.

How eligibility is determined is super unclear, OBrien said. The thought of being an asylum officer in that system is unbearable. How do you choose?

In the normal process, each refugee is screened by the UNHCR, then they sit in a camp or in an urban situation for an undefined period of time until their case reaches a point where they are identified as eligible for resettlement [and] assigned to a U.N. member country, OBrien said. We do additional screening that often takes two years. In Afghanistan now, none of that can happen.

OBrien said the first 90 days are critical. The key is English and employment, she said. If their English is not strong enough to even get entry-level positions, then we really go hard on the English.

Safety

Blumenthal said the U.S. military is reaching out and attempting to provide a path for escaping to the airport to some of the American citizens and Afghans who can be transported.  They cant necessarily reach everyone. They want to avoid unnecessary conflict with the Taliban and they have to do it in a way that doesnt raise unacceptable risk for the people who are doing it.

Schmidt, excited that Atifullah is safer, began making plans for the families to get together for pizza in New Haven. He suggested Sallys; Atifullah countered with Modern.

He said the episode had added to the impact Afghanistan has had on his life. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. changed the course of his life as a young man; he worked for the military; hes had students who have served for four tours; he had students who died there.

Its pretty special to be able to eek out this one small victory, said Schmidt. I think its important for Americans to remember, for a small percentage of their friends and neighbors in this country, this war has been ever present for 20 years.  These people are real, and unlike in World War II in many cases, I think you dont see the scars, physical and mental ... theyre coming out in these last few days.

Those scars and difficulties were all the more present for Afghans. Atifullah worked with the U.S. for 15 years, Schmidt said  a significant chapter in his life. He and his families faced either a more limited future in Afghanistan, where, even if he was able to live safely, the abilities of women will be curtailed, or a hard adjustment to a different culture in America.

Schmidt said he was glad to have played a role in getting Atifullah out. Atifullah and his family had shown the true bravery, Schmidt said, but the episode still would be a notable marker in his own life.

This is almost certainly going to be one of the most important things Ive done in my life, the tiny, tiny thing Ive done in this, said Schmidt.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to correct that Sen. Blumenthal Friday was referring to Americans in Afghanistan, not Connecticut residents. The headline also was updated.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  New Hampshire's congressional delegation is pressing the Biden administration to reopen the U.S.-Canada border to vaccinated Canadians, saying businesses in the state are hurting from a ban on nonessential travel.

The U.S. government recently extended the ban to slow the spread of COVID-19, until at least Sept. 21. Canada opened its side of the border to vaccinated U.S. travelers Aug. 9.

U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and U.S. Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas met Thursday with representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian Consul in Boston, and state business leaders to discuss the effects of the ban.

Our businesses and tourism sector are feeling the economic impact, which they already cant afford as they fight to get their feet back on the ground following the financial fallout from the pandemic," Shaheen said in a statement. I understand the serious challenges posed by the rapid spread of the Delta variant and the urgent need to keep people safe, but we also know this is vastly due to an epidemic spurred by the unvaccinated. These are difficult decisions, but I believe there is a responsible way to get this done."

Hassan said she does not see the reason for extending the border closure even longer, when Canadian vaccination rates exceed our own, and while Canada is willing and able to admit U.S. visitors."

The travel restrictions have been in place since early in the pandemic in March 2020 and repeatedly extended while allowing commercial traffic and essential crossings to continue.

___

LAWSUIT-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Four New Hampshire residents filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a decision by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu's administration to end unemployment benefits under the federal CARES Act nearly three months earlier than they were scheduled to run out Sept. 6.

The lawsuit filed in Hillsborough Superior Court in Nashua against the state of New Hampshire and New Hampshire Employment Security and its commissioner asks a judge to reinstate the benefits dating back to June 19, when they were ended. Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states where the benefits were ended early.

New Hampshire was among the first to expand eligibility for unemployment benefits when the pandemic first struck. Thousands of people were collecting unemployment benefits, including $300 per week supplemental payments either from the state or a federal program created during the pandemic. The state decided to end the extra payments June 19 because the unemployment rate had dropped and given the abundance of available jobs, Sununu had said.

Mike Perez, an attorney representing the four residents, said neither state nor federal law gives New Hampshire Employment Security the authority to abandon a program known as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance before it expires.

Ben Vihstadt, a spokesperson for Sununu, said in a statement that when the state announced over three months ago that it would be ending participation in the enhanced federal employment benefits, it was met with resounding support from people across the aisle."

Vihstadt said the lawsuit, filed less than two weeks before the federal programs expire, is nothing more than a political stunt as the state moves ahead with one of the fastest rebounding economies in the country."

___

DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK VISITORS

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has gone back to a more restrictive visitor policy and has resumed COVID-19 testing for patients being admitted.

The changes took effect Wednesday, in the interest of continuing to protect the health and safety of patients and Dartmouth-Hitchcock staff, and our communities," the center said in a news release. It said the policies are a result of substantial levels of statewide community transmission of COVID-19."

Under the revised visitor policy, adult inpatients are allowed one visitor a day. Pediatric inpatients are permitted to have two caregivers, who can't be changed once they are designated. For outpatient visits, both adults and children are permitted one caregiver. Two caregivers are allowed for newborn/infant appointments.

The center said for births, two adult support people are permitted during the entire stay: before, during and after the birth. Two adult support people may spend the night during labor and delivery, and one adult support person may stay overnight before and after the birth. These designated people cannot change.

The center also will resume COVID-19 testing for any patient being admitted to the hospital, regardless of vaccination status, and prior to surgical procedures in select circumstances.

___

THE NUMBERS

More than 106,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, including 356 cases announced Friday. Five new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 1,415.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past two weeks from 165 new cases a day on Aug. 11 to 277 new cases a day on Wednesday.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PHOENIX (AP)  Tenant advocates and court officials were gearing up Friday for what some fear will be a wave of evictions and others predict will be just a growing trickle after a U.S. Supreme Court action allowing lockouts to resume.

The high court's conservative majority late Thursday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban placed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The action ends protections for about 3.5 million people in the United States who say they faced eviction in the next two months, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from early August.

We are incredibly disappointed in the Supreme Court ruling and ask Congress and Governor (Doug) Ducey to take action to prevent what will likely be tragic outcomes for thousands of Arizona families, said Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the nonprofit organization Wildfire that is helping distribute government rental assistance in Arizona.

Lives are literally at risk as the pandemic continues to surge and families lose their homes, especially during this time of extreme heat, she said, referring to Phoenix's triple-digit temperatures.

Wildfire is encouraging tenants to keep applying for rental aid and work with their landlords to develop plans for making payments until the assistance is available, she said.

Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, worries about the thousands of older people who potentially could be affected by about 9,000 pending eviction cases in the county.

Book said hes been trying to find people at risk new places to live, but many haven't taken the situation seriously because the moratorium has been extended numerous times.

But some local officials around the U.S. say the court's action is unlikely to set off the flood of evictions some advocates predict.

Scott Davis, spokesman for the Maricopa County Justice Courts that handle the bulk of Arizona's evictions, said he does not expect anything dramatic overnight. He said how things play out will depend on how landlords and their attorneys decide to handle cases.

We know that eviction case filings over the last 17 months are down about 50% from pre-pandemic, Davis said.  Some believe there will be a large flood of case activity; others believe it will be just a light sprinkle, which builds gradually over time. Again  its up to landlords.

Davis emphasized no one can be evicted immediately without due process, and the cases could take weeks to be carried out in the courts.

The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin said Friday that landlords rarely evict anyone who is only a few hundred dollars behind on rent. It said the average eviction judgment for unpaid rent in Wisconsin is more than $2,600.

Contrary to dire predictions by tenant advocates, there will NOT be a tsunami of eviction filings in Wisconsin or in most parts of the country, the landlord trade association said. There will NOT be 11 million people suddenly made homeless.

The court's action does not affect the temporary bans on evictions placed by a handful of states, including California.

The Treasury Department and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge on Friday sent a letter to all governors, mayors and county officials, urging them to implement their own eviction bans, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Seven states have taken the steps. More states can take the steps," Psaki said.

She noted that quicker disbursement of rental assistance money could also help stave off evictions.

In Detroit, Ted Phillips, executive director of the United Community Housing Coalition, said the court's action could prompt more eviction cases.

We suspect ..., theres probably a large number of cases where landlords never bothered applying for an order of eviction because, well, why bother if theres a moratorium, Phillips said.

The court's move wasn't a huge surprise. The justices had allowed an earlier pause on lockouts to continue through July, but they hinted in late June they would take this path if asked again to intervene. The moratorium had been scheduled to expire Oct. 3.

The court said in an unsigned opinion that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reimposed the moratorium Aug. 3, lacked the authority to do so under federal law without explicit congressional authorization. The three liberal justices dissented.

Congress is on recess for a few weeks and is unlikely take immediate action on legislation.

But key progressive lawmakers Friday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, to consider passing legislation to extend the moratorium during the pandemic.

One option would be to include an evictions measure in the upcoming budget infrastructure packages that Congress will consider when lawmakers return in September.

"The impending eviction crisis is a matter of public health and safety that demands an urgent legislative solution to prevent further harm and needless loss of human life, read the letter from Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, Cori Bush, D-Missouri, Jimmy Gomez, D-California, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York. It was signed by 60 lawmakers.

Pelosi said Friday the House is assessing possible legislative remedies.

Congress has approved more than $46.5 billion in rental assistance, but so far state and local governments have distributed 11% of that money, just over $5 billion, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

In Kansas, the states Housing Resources Corporation is pushing to process hundreds of rental relief applications after hiring and training more than 100 new employees to help. Still, most assistance money hasn't been distributed.

Landlord organizations blamed the slow rollout on requirements imposed by Congress that many applicants find cumbersome.

Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus, president and CEO of the Arizona Multihousing Association, said many mom-and-pop rental owners are teetering on bankruptcy, with about $500 million in rent unpaid statewide.

Despite such intense financial pressure, Arizona property owners have worked with residents to keep them in their homes, to keep them safe from the pandemic, and to help them qualify for eviction relief that has been slow to arrive for a year and a half, LeVinus said. We have strongly encouraged our members to keep working with residents to avoid evictions in every possible instance.

___

Associated Press writers Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Anna Nichols in Lansing, Michigan; David Fischer in Miami and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP)  Holloman Air Force Base is among several military installations that will take in Afghan refugees, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday.

The base near Alamogordo joins others in Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey that temporarily will provide housing, along with medical and other support for up to 50,000 refugees, their families and other vulnerable Afghans, said Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby.
NEW HAVEN  All city employees will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or submit to weekly testing under an emergency order Mayor Justin Elicker signed, Elicker announced Friday afternoon, flanked by Director of Health Maritza Bond and Corporation Counsel Patricia King.

The order applies to about 2,000 municipal employees, including part-time employees, interns, seasonal employees and provisional employees. It does not apply to about 4,000 Board of Education employees who are covered by a previous executive order put in place by Gov. Ned Lamont, Elicker said.

The mandate is that employees have to get vaccinated or submit to testing, Elicker said at a press conference outside City Halls back door.

The employees will be required to upload their vaccine information into the citys new COVID-19 vaccine and testing portal between Sept. 7 and 14. The formal policy, which Elicker said is similar to mandates in Illinois, California and Minnesota, goes into effect Sept. 27, he said.

Employees who do not comply will face disciplinary action and will not be allowed to come to work, Elicker said.

Were really working toward compliance, said King. We are not trying to use this policy as a way of inflicting discipline.

She said later, I expect there will be some leeway with these employees to get them to comply.

Elicker added, however, We expect employees to abide by this policy. ... We will hold people accountable.

As Elicker, Bond and King spoke, several city union heads stood behind a bank of reporters and photographers, listening. They declined to comment.

Elicker said he would be meeting with union leaders later in the afternoon.

King said the mandate furthers the citys goals of providing a safe workplace and protecting city employees. Because the city has a wide variety of employees, some of whom are more comfortable with computers than others, Weve worked hard to be user-friendly, she said.

The city needed a policy that was going to work for a wide variety of people, King said.

Were excited to be implementing this executive order, said Bond, who added that it could only be put in place following a well thought-out process.

In New Haven, Were still seeing a significant rise in cases, Bond said. In this county, we are in a surge. ... So its really critical for us to have something that can effectively rein-in exposure and transmission of the virus thats also thoughtful, she said.

A number of other Connecticut municipalities, including Stamford and Norwalk, already have implemented similar mandates, and have employed similar protocols, Bond said.

The governors executive order, which applies to school employees throughout the state, is set to expire Sept. 30, the date that the governors emergency powers also expire. But it could be extended, officials said.

Bond what that while the city still is categorized as having a high transmission rate, we are not at 68 percent of residents having received at least one dose of a vaccine  with 61 percent of city residents having received two doses.

Thats incredible! Bond said.

Fifty-eight city residents currently are hospitalized  about 30 percent of them being vaccinated people with breakthrough cases, she said.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
ORANGE  There wont be a distance learning option in town schools this year, but many other aspects will look familiar to last year, including mask-wearing in school and on buses, cohorts and a minimum distance between desks.

The plan, subject to change depending on state recommendations, was laid out at a recent Board of Education meeting by Superintendent of Schools Vince Scarpetti and Michael Gray, director of business operations, who also gave a facility report.

School starts Aug. 30 in town.

In addition to Scarpetti updating daily guidelines and preparation for opening, Gray announced that all students are eligible in the 2021-22 school year to continue to get free hot lunch under a USDA national waiver program for which school officials applied.

Gray encouraged parents to take advantage of the free hot lunch , as it helps the school cafeterias.

In promoting the concept, Gray said if a student doesnt like a lunch there will be more exciting alternatives that kids like, such as hot dogs and hamburgers, rather than items such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cheese sandwiches.

Hopefully more people will take advantage of those lunches  they are good, they are delicious and it does help our cafeteria, as well, Gray said.

Scarpetti said distance learning will be available to any student required to quarantine, but there is no routine option.

Decisions about who gets quarantined and doesnt in the case of possible exposure to COVID-19 will be made on a case-by-case basis, he said.

While masks will be worn in school and on the bus, per Gov. Ned Lamonts order in effect until at least Sept. 30, students in Orange will be allowed without masks outdoors at physical education and recess, Scarpetti said.

There are factors that will be considered if students were to be exposed to an unmasked student who later tests positive, including the amount of exposure time, he said.

He said the recommendation is three feet of distance between students when possible, and school desks are that far apart or more.

If someone in a cohort tests positive, the others in the cohort dont have to quarantine if they are asymptomatic, he said.

In keeping with the recommendation, cohorts will continue, but instead of teachers going to different classes, students will travel to them, Scarpetti said.

In answer to a Board of Education members question, Scarpetti said he is not encouraging parents to drive their children to school as he did last year.

But there will remain strict rules on the bus  masks, assigned seats to aid in contact tracing, and filling back to front, exiting front to back, Scarpetti said. Gray said the bus drivers will have masks if a child forgets to bring one.

He said bus drivers also will be required to wear masks and buses will be cleaned between runs to different schools, as many are used to service the middle and high schools.

Gray told the board the ventilation system filters in the schools have been changed for the start of the school year and will continue to be replaced every three months. The filters can be hard to get these days, but the school system has plenty, as they stocked up, he said.

Gray said although they remain vigilant about cleaning and disinfecting the schools, a lot has been learned about the virus since the beginning, including that its not generally spread through surfaces.

Scarpetti noted Orange decided not to participate a health directive in which parents would volunteer to get their children tested regularly so that asymptomatic cases could be caught and stem the spread.
MADISON  A $770,000 state grant, earmarked for repairs to the towns seawall, will help preserve the regions coastline, a problem that became all the more urgent during the recent tropical storm.

The funding will allow Madison to address the issue before it gets out of hand, according to Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who gathered with state and local leaders Friday afternoon at Garvan Point Beach.

State Rep. John-Michael Parker, D-Madison, First Selectman Peggy Lyons, and other officials attended the event.

Further issues could have occurred as a result of Tropical Storm Henri, but the area was spared significant damage, she said.

I think, especially with the close call we had last weekend, its very clear our beaches are threatened, Bysewicz said.

Madison will soon receive the state money, which requires matching funds, for coastal resilience and beach restoration efforts. The project will kick off with a replacement of the seawall. Work is estimated to cost $1.5 million.

The current sea wall is insufficient, Bysewicz said. It will eventually fail.

Even before the recent threat tropical storms have posed, the project was considered to be badly needed, Lyons said. For at least the past five years, it was part of the towns capital plan, but unforeseen issues and increasing costs prevented it from happening, she said.

Its been a recognition that we need to handle these things now, Lyons said.

In fact, the town had already taken steps toward starting the project. A contractor was hired to assess options and Coastal Resiliency Commission was formed in 2019.

Graham Curtis, an engineer and vice chairman of the commission, said that so far, this is the most important issue the group has experienced. Its the first of many projects that are coming, he said.

The preliminary plan includes replacing the nearly 50-year-old steel wall that surrounds Garvan Point with a new concrete one. We figured it was the most durable, Curtis said.

The planning work is only just beginning, he added.

A section of the upcoming federal infrastructure bill will allot money to coastline resilience efforts, Bysewicz said, and Madison and other towns can apply for these funds when they are made available.

Lyons expressed excitement that work is finally underway. Were thrilled that were getting going, she said.

She emphasized the importance of preserving the environment, especially when the space is also heavily used by the community. She called Garvan Point and the surrounding area a treasure for past and, hopefully, future generations. During the height of the pandemic, it was used as a safe public gathering space, she added.

Its one of Madisons town jewels, Lyons said.

Bysewicz echoed that sentiment. It draws people from all over, the lieutenant governor said. It brings people to downtown Madison.

Afterward, Bysewicz and Lyons toured small businesses downtown, then checked out the new $15 million renovation at E.C. Scranton Public Library.
The Proprietor of Tanko Salihu Islamic school Tegina, Rafi local government area of Niger State, Mallam Idris Umar and father of an abduct...

The Proprietor of Tanko Salihu Islamic school Tegina, Rafi local government area of Niger State, Mallam Idris Umar and father of an abducted child who died in captivity said he is pained that he is unable to give his son a proper burial.

Umar whose four children were among the 91 children kidnapped on the 30th of May,2021, said this while fielding questions from Journalists in Minna.

The deceased child was said to be between 8 and 9years old.

Umar said he sees the death of his child as the will of God said he would have felt better if he was buried properly.

Though, I see the death of his child as Gods will, I would have been more fulfilled if the child had died at home to give him a befitting burial. I thank Allah that the other three are alive and also other children that were kidnapped. Their continued stay with the bandits was a traumatic experience for all of us

 But, despite, all that happened, today everyone is happy over the release of the entire children. We thank God that all our pains and sufferings are over, he said.

Sharing similar emotions, the Head Teacher of the Islamiya, Alhassan Ahmed expressed pains as well as joy over the release of the children, after a long stay in the hands of the bandits.

He said ransoms were paid to secure the freedom of the children and that parents have no regrets for whatever amount they paid to the bandits for the safety and release of their children.

Except for the child that we lost, we thank Allah that all of them returned alive and well.

However, Ahmed was tactical on the amount of ramsons paid, saying, on the issue of ransoms payment, I meant the ones gathered by the parents, dont mean the state government.
The Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has said suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus must vac...





The Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has said suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus must vacate office.

Tambuwal said Secondus must leave office in obedience to the court order sacking him.

The chairman of the PDP Governors Forum spoke while addressing newsmen yesterday after an emergency meeting of the forum in Abuja.

Tambuwal also expressed the Forums readiness to support the acting National Chairman of the party, Yemi Akinwonmi.

We are a law-abiding party that believes in the rule of law. So when a High Court in Port Harcourt restrained Secondus from parading himself as national chairman of the party, we advised ourselves that was the way to go. We must comply with that court order.

We had Akinwonmi presiding over the meeting of the National Working Committee today and he came to brief us on their decision which is in line with the previous meeting of the Governors Forum and the meeting of stakeholders that there should be NEC meeting on Saturday, where we shall be discussing issues about the national convention by the grace of God, which is still holding in October.

The road can be bumpy but the most important thing is that we are still holding together strongly and that is what we assure our members and teeming supporters across the country.

We are the hope of Nigeria and the hope of the future and we earned that confidence and trust of Nigerians and we are not going to betray it, he said.

Recall that a Rivers State High Court had ordered Secondus to vacate the office of the PDP National Chairman.

However, Justice Nusirat. I. Umar, a vacation Judge of the Kebbi State High Court, had yesterday reinstated Secondus back to his office.

Meanwhile, Yemi Akinwonmi, had declared himself as the authentic National Chairman of the opposition party.

PDP also confirmed Akinwonmi as the acting National Chairman.
Zamfara State Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged involvement of politicians working ag...

Zamfara State Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has expressed dissatisfaction over the alleged involvement of politicians working against the restoration of peace in the State.

Governor Matawalle who was seriously angry with Nigerian politicians disclosed in a phone interview that politics now in Nigeria has become a do-or-die affair, saying that democracy is supposed to be the government of the people by the people.

The Governor wondered why some people who claim to be the leaders of the masses would turn back and begin to kill, maim and kidnap those they falsely claim to be protecting.

Reacting to the recent attack on NDA, the governor said that no place in Nigeria was safe in the entire Northern region, calling for urgent action to address the ugly trend.

It is unfortunate if the bandits can go up to NDA and kidnap the officers. I think the government has to look into it and maybe declare a state of emergency on security in the entire northern region.

Some people have been calling on the government to declare a state of emergency on education and other sectors but the lives of the citizens are more valuable than education.

I still insist that state of emergency has to be declared first on security so that the security personnel can be mobilised for more purposeful assignments in some parts of the country to deal with these criminals.

If Zamfara to Sokoto could not be accessed due to insecurity, we are in trouble. Many of our rural areas are inaccessible as a result of banditry and the bandits have taken over many parts of the state.

 Even my administrations jingles towards ending insecurity in the state has proved unsuccessful because politicians are sabotaging my efforts.

Residents of the state should not see me as a leader that does not care for the people he is leading. Many people do not know that I am grieved over what is happening in my State.

Just yesterday, we concluded with the repentant bandits to secure the release of the people that were kidnapped in Rini village; about 83 of them and people are there to receive them.

We are working round the clock with the Police Commissioner on how to make people sleep with their two eyes closed but unfortunately some miscreants are still taking the laws into their hands.

The Governor accused some politicians of supplying logistics to the bandits for political gains, pointing out that it was bad to play politics with security.

I have been saying times without number that the issue of security is for all the citizens, not just for the security personnel or the government.

But it is unfortunate that here in the North, some politicians are happy with what is happening because they think that when people are being killed, they have the chance to come out and campaign; to blackmail the sitting Governors, the President and other politicians.

Matawalle also accused social media handlers who are being used by what he described as disgruntled politicians to be posting negative content on the security situation in the State in order to create tension and confusion.

He called on the Police Commissioner to arrest such social media handlers and bring them to book to serve as deterrent to others.

I asked the State police boss to take serious measures because sometimes, these people will post an attack even before it happens and after it happened. How did they know this?
Playwright, Professor Wole Soyinka has called on the government of the Republic of Benin to release Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo...

Playwright, Professor Wole Soyinka has called on the government of the Republic of Benin to release Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, to continue his journey.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Friday during an interactive session titled, Sanctions on the loose: Chasing the gnat with a sledgehammer, the elder statesman said the secessionist didnt commit any crime against Nigeria.

Men of the Department of State Services on July 1, 2021, raided the Ibadan, Oyo State, home of the activist, killed two and arrested 12 of his aides.

Igboho later fled to the Republic of Benin where he was arrested alongside his wife on July 19, 2021, by the International Criminal Police Organisation at the Cadjehoun Airport in Cotonou on their way to Germany.

His wife, Ropo, was released and Igboho is facing illegal migration charges in the West African country and seeking asylum to evade Federal Government request for his extradition to face allegations of stockpiling arms which he had denied.

The Nobel laureate said Igbohos offence was resisting tyranny of Fulani herdsmen against his people in Oyo State.

Soyinka said, I refuse to believe that Igboho committed any offence except agitating against Fulani tyranny on his people. He peacefully demonstrated his position. I cant consider that to be decided a criminal. Agitating for secession is not a criminal act as long as its done peacefully. You dont have to criminalise that.

Details later
Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, has said that he would not want to Cristiano Ronaldo return to the Premier League. According to the German tact...





Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, has said that he would not want to Cristiano Ronaldo return to the Premier League.

According to the German tactician, the Portugal interest would make life difficult for Chelsea if he joins either Manchester United or Manchester City.

The Portugal legend Ronaldo is widely considered one of the best players of all time, and Tuchel lamented his return to the Premier League.

The five-time Ballon dOr winner has told Juventus he wants to leave the club and is in advanced talks with former club Manchester United after negotiations with Manchester City broke down.

I dont think its good if he plays for any of our rivals! Tuchel told the press on Friday.

If he ends up in the Premier League, its good for the Premier League and shows how competitive and how difficult this league is.

At the same time, it will make life harder for us. Im hearing it now for the first time so lets wait and see what happens.
Teen and tween girls can learn computer coding in a fun and safe environment through Girls Who Code, a weekly club for sixth to 12th graders to learn about computer science hosted by the New Orleans Public Library. Participants will build coding and creativity skills while spending time with supportive peers and role models.

By helping female and nonbinary-identifying individuals to get involved in the technology center, Girls Who Code is on a mission to change the face of coding. Supportive male-identifying individuals are also welcome to join.

The club meets from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Monday through Nov. 22 via Zoom. New members are always welcome. Sign up for Girls Who Code at nolalibrary.org/events.

A limited number of library computers will also be available for members to use for attending club meetings. To reserve a library computer or for more information, email adenisco@nolalibrary.org or call (504) 596-2638

VOTING INFO: Are you almost 18 and not yet registered to vote? Maybe you're younger and not sure why you should care? Tune into the librarys virtual program What's voting got to do with you? for insight on the importance of local elections with Antoinette Williams, a graduate of McDonough 35 High School and Xavier University who ran for school board when she was 21.

This virtual panel, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 2, is intended for ages 11-17 to discuss how each elected office affects everyone, even those younger than voting age. Participants will leave with ideas about how to advocate for change regardless of age. Email mfleming@nolalibrary.org with questions. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.

WHAT IF?: The New Orleans Public Librarys What If? speculative fiction short-story book club will meet Sept. 4 at 11:30 a.m. on Zoom.

Speculative Fiction is an umbrella term covering a wide range of fiction, from sci-fi and fantasy to ghost stories and fairy tales. Any fiction that deals with nonreality generally falls under this category.

Septembers titles are A Village in the Big City by Can Xue and Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit  Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts by Ken Liu. The stories will be available either in the library catalog or in free online literary magazines.

Contact Meliki at maddison@nolalibrary.org for more information about the club or for PDF copies of the stories. Participants may also suggest stories for upcoming sessions.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library. Visit nolalibrary.org/events to register.

GET CRAFTY: Yarn and thread artists of all ages are invited to the librarys Virtual Yarn Arts Craft Circle at 3:30 p.m. Sept.2. Sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library, participants can share skills and techniques to learn from and with one another while working on their own projects.

The group will meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month through December. New members are always welcome. Register at nolalibrary.org/events

Dr. Gabriel Morley is director of the New Orleans Public Library.
Jefferson and St. Bernard parish school officials appear content to let the COVID-19 Delta variant largely run its course by implementing only modest mitigation measures  and even rolling back some safeguards put in place last year to control the significantly less deadly version of the virus.

Considering 11 children in Louisiana have died as a result of Covid and infection rates among school-aged children are skyrocketing, it's an approach to public health policy that one expert says has turned kids, who are largely unvaccinated, into sitting ducks.

It doesn't make sense to me, Tulane epidemiologist Dr. Susan Hassig told Gambit. We were offering remote back then but we're not offering remote now when we've got even more transmission and more people hospitalized.

Ted Beasley, a spokesperson for Jefferson Parish schools, acknowledged the district was expecting positive cases during the school year because of the virus' prevalence in the state. As long as the virus is present in our community, we are prepared for cases among students, employees and families, he said in a statement to Gambit.

When school districts initially began planning for the 2021-2022 school year, new Covid cases were declining, live music and other events were returning and scheduled for the fall, and officials were easing restrictions across the state. But then in July, Delta began rapidly spreading in the area and cases started to surge.

Rather than account for the new variant, officials in St. Bernard and Jefferson Parish opted to stick to the loosened rules  and since then, teachers say the implementation of those standards hasnt been smooth.

The biggest change from last year is that Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes are no longer offering a virtual option to all students nor are they implementing a hybrid model where students learn from school some days and from home others. That means a lot more students and staff are on school campuses.

Neither district is checking the temperature of staff and students, though Hassig says that may have been more pandemic theater anyway. Field trips, which were discontinued altogether last year, are now allowed in a limited capacity. And before Gov. John Bel Edwards reinstated the statewide indoor mask mandate on Aug. 2, both districts only recommended masks rather than requiring them.

Additionally, there are no longer set maximum group sizes in either parish, which last year ranged from 10-50 people in a room depending on which phase of restrictions the state was in. Buses no longer have capacity limits either, though Jefferson Parishs pandemic Start Strong Plan does note that Families are encouraged to drive their children to school if possible.

They planned for one virus and now we've got another one, Hassig said. They set their plans back when transmission was low and they haven't changed it now that transmission is high.

Through Aug. 22, 6,111 students and 837 employees have tested positive for Covid in K-12 schools, according to data compiled by the Louisiana Department of Health and released Wednesday. That means likely tens of thousands have already quarantined in the state.

In Jefferson Parish, between Aug. 15-21, 3,014 students, teachers and other staff were quarantined from public schools, including 54 employees. Of those, 412 people, including 45 employees, tested positive for the virus, according to the district.

During the same period, St. Bernard Parish reported 107 positive cases, including five employees, resulting in an additional 387 individuals being quarantined.

John Ehret High School teacher Brian Williams said last year his school used to send individual emails for each new positive case at the school, but now theyre sending notifications with a total count of new cases instead.

Jeremy Williams (no relation to Brian Williams) had two children who were among those quarantined in Jefferson Parish last week. It was the first time theyd been back to school in person since the pandemic started, as they opted for Jefferson Parishs virtual option last year.

His second grader at Airline Park Elementary was sent home the fourth day of school through Monday, Aug. 23. In fact, the entire second and third grade had to quarantine. Then, his high schooler at Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies was notified the weekend after school started that hed have to stay home until Tuesday, Aug. 24 because of a potential exposure on the bus.

While his kids were out, they were given Google Classroom assignments they needed to complete at home rather than live virtual instruction. He said though his children had learned to navigate virtual learning last year, they still had questions about what needed to be submitted online and had trouble getting clear answers from some of the teachers and the schools about what they needed to do.

They're kind of left to their own devices, Williams said. There was no support network. If we called with simple questions, the school might answer them. But there was nothing beyond that. So literally the kid on their own with their parent if the parent can help.

One Jefferson Parish elementary school teacher, whose identity Gambit is preserving because she fears reprisal from the district, said shes been posting assignments online for her quarantined students, but that she doesnt believe her students know theyre supposed to be turning them in online.

I don't even think they know they have to do that because this happened so suddenly in the school year, she said. They're still rolling all of that stuff out yet they're supposed to utilize it all immediately. We just haven't even set all that up yet.

Overall, its been frustrating. Theres a lack of communication. Theres a lack of responsiveness, Williams said. While we were going into last year with more unknowns about the pandemic, we were better prepared for a situation where the case counts werent as high, it wasnt affecting kids [to this extent]. This year  Im sure youve seen the memes  the school board plans are like, Step 1: Open schools. Step 2: Freak out.

Both districts say they are working with the state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine their ongoing Covid policies.

"Just like last school year, our Start Strong Jefferson plan aligns with recommendations from the Louisiana Department of Health and the CDC," Beasley said. "In fact, the CDC continues to recommend that children return to full-time in-person learning given new evidence on the Delta variant. We will continue to follow the guidance of medical professionals."

At the moment, schools have only close contacts of infected staff or students quarantine. The CDC currently defines a close contact as someone who was within six feet of a person who tests positive for a total of 15 minutes or more within two days prior to illness onset. But that determination was made with less transmissible versions of Covid, and its unclear if its still sufficient guidance with Delta.

For schools, the latest CDC guidance only recommends students maintain at least three feet of physical distance between students within classrooms.

A St. Bernard teacher and parent told Gambit that when a student tests positive, a person comes into the classroom and measures the perimeter around that students desk to determine close contacts. But little else is done to determine who may have come in contact with the student. I have been asked if we have done any group work but not much more than that, she said.

That approach leaves an enormous number of opportunities for school spread uninvestigated. For example, it does not necessarily take into account possible transmission between students while in hallways.

In other areas like buses, some of which are being quarantined, schools are at best uneven in how they enforce the rules.

The Jefferson Parish elementary school teacher said last week that two buses at her school had been quarantined but that shes seen several students who rode the bus back in school anyway. She said in these instances, teachers only noticed at the end of the day once the students bus didnt show up to pick them up.

We had a whole bus that had to be quarantined, yet those kids got dropped off to school in the morning by their parents, the teacher said. And during dismissal, they're just sitting there because all the buses have already been called, and we're like, 'Well why are you still here?'  It's like, 'Oh my lord, like how did you slip through the cracks all day long while you're supposed to be quarantined?'

There's been at least two or three of those in our hall every single day, she added.

Between the two quarantined buses, one grade quarantined the first week and two others quarantined the next week at her school, it's been an interesting two weeks so far, we'll put it that way, she said.

Because the virus is more transmissible, more children are getting infected as a whole.

On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health reported that kids ages 5 through 17 made up the highest rate of new cases per 100,000 people of any age group in Louisiana over the last week.

That was the first time that's ever happened, which is really quite daunting to think about, said Hassig, the epidemiologist.

According to Fox 8, doctors at Childrens Hospital in New Orleans said recently there have been about 18 children hospitalized with Covid there daily  and about half of them are less than two years old.

Additionally, children in K-12 schools are largely unvaccinated. Only children ages 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and vaccination rates remain low among that age group.

Anyone unvaccinated is at high risk of exposure and infection with Delta circulating the way it is right now, Hassig said. So unfortunately, the young ages are unable to be vaccinated or are vaccinated at relatively low levels at this moment in time, so they're kind of sitting ducks.

Despite these numbers coinciding with the start of the school year, its hard to tell if the return to school is contributing to the spread among children or just a product of the Delta variants prevalence in Louisiana, according to Hassig. But she said a lack of mitigation protocols and adherence to them could make in-person learning an issue.

I think that especially if schools aren't being rigorous with their mitigation protocols, with masking and distancing to the degree possible and keeping kids from spending much time at all, if any, unmasked in the presence of other kids ... that there is a real possibility that school itself could be a problem, Hassig said.

Meanwhile, Brian Williams, the John Ehret teacher, said because of the Delta variant this school year has been much more stressful than last year, especially because his school has significant Latino and Black populations, two groups that have been hit particularly hard by Covid.

He says one of his classes has more than 30 students, which would be a lot even if there wasnt a global pandemic.

It really just feels like Covid is in the classroom with you, he said. And it's just kind of terrifying the amount of responsibility that myself and other teachers feel trying to keep kids safe in a situation that ... I feel is not safe.

Despite ongoing pandemic, school boards in suburban parishes eliminate quarantine days for teachers By the second week of August, 80 Jefferson Parish public school employees were out quarantining due to potential exposure to COVID-19. But onc
The Slidell City Council routinely handles business in quick fashion, but the body's Aug. 24 meeting could have been clocked with an egg timer.

With no items on the regular agenda and no comments from council members, Mayor Greg Cromer or Police Chief Randy Fandal, only 3 minutes, 6 seconds elapsed between Council President Leslie Denham calling the meeting to session to the time she gaveled it complete.

Slidell often passes a number of agenda items on its consent calendar, which requires only one vote rather than individual votes on different matters. That was the case on Aug. 24, when the council budgeted $82,000 in federal rescue grants for supplies and materials at the municipal airport, OK'd $102,488 for a pump for the city's water department, and moved $59,721 from the West Hall Avenue/Carroll Road bike path fund to a culvert program.

The City Council also appointed Athena Tzuanos to a four-year term on the Harbor Center District Board of Commissioners, reappointed Kurt Bozant and Betty Thomas to four-year terms on that board, reappointed Danielle Boudreaux Parker to a four-year term on the city's Civil Service Board and appointed Megan Haggerty to fill an unexpired term (ending Dec. 1) on the city's Board of Zoning Adjustment.

The council is scheduled to meet again Sept. 14.

Deadline to vote in Oct. 8 election looms

Sept. 8 is the last day St. Tammany Parish citizens can register to vote in person for the Oct. 9 primary election.

Identification with a parish address must be presented to register.

The registrar's Covington office is located at 601 N. Jefferson Ave., and the Slidell Office is located at 520 Old Spanish Trail, Suite 2F. Office hours are from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The Slidell office is closed from 1 until 2 p.m. for lunch.

All registration applications sent by mail must be received or postmarked by Sept. 8, as well.

St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Anyone registering to vote online through Geaux Vote can do so through Sept. 18.

For more information, call (985) 809-5500.

St. Tammany Parish voters will vote on nine different proposals on Oct. 9, including four amendments to the state Constitution and four separate property tax renewals that provide a collective 42.72 mills for St. Tammany Parish School System operations.

Also on the ballot is parish government's fourth stab at getting a parishwide tax passed to fund operations at both the St. Tammany Parish Courthouse and the parish jail. Voters previously rejected three other attempts at funding proposals, but this one is pared back  a 4/10-cent, seven-year sales tax that is expected to raise an estimated $22.24 million annually to operate those buildings.

Andrew Canulette

Mandeville's Cushman named to state board

Brig. Gen. Michael A. Cushman, of Mandeville, was recently appointed to the Louisiana Military Family Assistance Board by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The Military Family Assistance Board is responsible for establishing rules for funding need-based claims submitted by families of activated military personnel and travel assistance for deployed military personnel.

Cushman was the principal adviser to the Undersecretary of the Air Force and director of the NRO on all Reserve Forces. He currently serves on several programs in support of veterans in need.
Less than three months after a hail of bullets outside a graduation party cut down a 12-year-old girl and wounded two others, Orleans Parish prosecutors have filed felony charges against 10 men suspected of having a hand in the deadly Memorial Day weekend ambush.

The indictment, handed up by a grand jury Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, doubles the number of names linked to the slaying of Todriana Peters on Delery Street in the Lower 9th Ward.

Todriana had just completed the sixth grade at Schaumburg Elementary School in New Orleans East when she was killed. Family members said she loved cooking, trendy fashion and recording herself engaging in dance battles.

Half of the defendants  Dorian Ratliff, Tyrese Riley, Pernell Young, Marcus Venible, and Raquian Bell  were in custody Wednesday.

Todriana Peters, 12, killed in crossfire of retaliatory attack for earlier gun battle: NOPD The shooting that killed a 12-year-old girl outside a graduation party in the Lower 9th Ward was retaliation for an earlier gun battle, the Ne

Authorities arrested four more in early-morning raids in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish on Thursday: Albert Major, Ahmaj Lynch, Broderick Andrews and Samuel Mack Jr.

Only one defendant remained at large: BJon Jarrow.

All 10 men face charges of second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and two counts each of attempted murder.

While the indictment doesnt delve into details, law enforcement sources familiar with the matter said the defendants were allegedly driving together when they began exchanging gunfire with another vehicle on May 30.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Investigators suspect that the defendants later spotted a car resembling the vehicle they were shooting at  an Infiniti  outside a party honoring graduates of Chalmette High School, which is in St. Bernard and relatively close to the Lower 9th Ward. The group allegedly began firing at the Infiniti, killing Todriana and injuring two men near her.

The targeted Infiniti belonged to one of the wounded men. Todriana happened to be standing next to him after an older cousin brought her to the party so they could charge their cellphones in another relatives car outside the gathering, her family has said.

Police caught a break after allegedly recovering a car belonging to Ratliff in St. Bernard and finding Venible with a key to the vehicle.

Ratliff, Venible, Riley and Young were each booked in June on arrest warrants linking them to Todrianas death. Police booked Bell on the same warrant Wednesday, when the indictment charging all 10 defendants in the case was still under seal.

An 11th man was arrested in June. But investigators later found evidence that the man in question was not involved in the shooting, or even near the Lower 9th Ward at the time, so prosecutors dismissed his charges.

+6 Charges dropped against suspect in killing of Todriana Peters, 12; not thought to be involved New Orleans prosecutors on Tuesday dropped charges against a man who had been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of a 12-year-old

In Louisiana, anyone convicted of murder faces mandatory life imprisonment. Attempted murder convictions can carry up to 50 years in prison.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has scheduled a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Friday to discuss the charges along with Todriana's parents, Todd Peters and Katrina Lambert.

Bail amounts and arraignment dates weren't immediately available.

Staff writer Matt Sledge contributed to this report.
Police in Houston have arrested two suspects in a botched robbery last weekend that left an off-duty New Orleans police officer dead and another member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club seriously wounded, according to authorities.

Frederick Jackson, 19, and Anthony Jenkins, 21, are charged with capital murder and attempted capital murder.

There's also a third, unidentified "person of interest" in the case who hasn't been charged, officials said.

The arrests were the first public breaks in a case where investigators had gone silent since 13-year veteran Detective Everett Briscoe was shot and killed outside an upscale restaurant last Saturday. It came hours before a public visitation for the officer was scheduled at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.

"This is a heartbreaking time for the victims' families, and in many ways for the entire cities of Houston and New Orleans," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "I pray that this development provides some amount of relief for the family as they prepare to lay Officer Briscoe in New Orleans to rest Saturday."

Police said in their initial account that Briscoe, Dyrin D.J. Riculfy and other members of the Zulu club on a guys trip were gathered on the patio of the Grotto Ristorante when two hooded men approached and ordered them to put their hands up. The apparent robbery ended with Briscoe, 41, dead and Riculfy, 43, seriously wounded. The robbers fled the scene with nothing, according to police.

Friends and family members of the victims were left to wonder at what motivated the brazen, daytime stick-up in a high-traffic part area near the Galleria shopping mall.

Earlier this week, officials said the reward for information leading to arrests had been raised to $100,000. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also asked the public for help solving a case that's generated outrage in two Gulf Coast cities.

Behind the scenes, police apparently zeroed in on a trend that has plagued high-end retailers in the Galleria area and other parts of Houston recently, known as jugging.

Thieves in the area have staked out shops, waiting until customers walk out with purchases in hand to strike.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

At least one such robbery attempt turned fatal earlier this year, and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner in June warned residents to be on alert.

"In some areas that (are) not used to violent crime, some of our affluent areas, just understand something -- don't go about your regular day, leaving the jewelry store or the bank," he said. "When you drive on your street, please make sure no one's following you."

The Italian restaurant where Briscoe and Riculfy were shot shares a strip mall with a high-end boutique jeweler. Meanwhile, Riculfy was known to wear expensive watches and jewelry. One friend said that he was wearing an expensive watch when he was shot.

After joining the New Orleans Police Department, Briscoe spent the bulk of his career investigating homicides across the city as well as persons crimes reported in the 1st District, which patrols areas such as Mid-City and Treme. His survivors include his wife, Terrell, and their two sons, ages 10 and 16.

Riculfy, a husband and father who is the owner of a luxury bus rental company, has since been at a hospital in a medically-induced coma fighting for his life, according to relatives.

"There is some relief that these people have been apprehended, but it will not bring Everett back," City Councilman Jay H. Banks, a member of Zulu himself, said when informed of the arrests. "There is some relief that some justice will be served, ... but the nightmare these families are going through is unbelievable."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

+3 Zulu starts scholarship fund for sons of slain NOPD detective Everett Briscoe Just before New Orleans police detective Everett Briscoe left for the fateful trip to Houston where he was killed last weekend, he had finishe
Plaquemines Parish has issued a mandatory evacuation for the parish's entire East Bank and much of the West Bank south of Belle Chasse as Hurricane Ida makes its way toward Louisiana.

The evacuation goes into effect at 3 p.m. Friday.

"I'm hoping people heed our warning," Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine said. "We could get 11-foot storm surge in the Myrtle Grove area. If that crosses Highway 23, it'll close down my main artery and people won't be able to get out."

The West Bank evacuation area extends from the Alliance Refinery to Venice. A voluntary evacuation was issued from the community of Oakville to the refinery.

Lepine estimates the evacuation order effects about 6,800 residents, most of whom live on the West Bank in communities that include Port Sulphur, Empire and Buras.

"This is a very different storm than the ones we had last year," said Patrick Harvey, the parish's emergency preparedness director. He said Hurricane Zeta, a Category 3 storm when it struck the Louisiana coast in October, caused wind damage and minor flooding in Plaquemines.

"Ida could be a Category 3 but we're preparing for a 4," Harvey said. "We're worried about surge and that it may slow down and put added rainfall on us."

The parish is opening an emergency shelter in West Monroe. Residents seeking shelter will be taken by school buses starting at 7 a.m. Saturday from these pickup locations:

 Port Sulphur Government Building

 Boothville Elementary School

 Buras Auditorium

Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

 Percy Griffin Community Center.

Masks are required on the bus and at the shelter to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The parish has opened sandbag locations at the following locations:

 Plaquemines Parish Government Complex, PROWM Building (333 F. Edward Hebert Blvd, Belle Chasse, LA 70037)

 Port Sulphur YMCA, 278 Civic Dr, Port Sulphur, LA 70083

 Buras YMCA, 36342 Hwy 11, Buras, LA 70041

 Boothville Area across from Boothville-Venice Elementary School

 Davant Community Center, 15577 Hwy 15, Braithwaite, LA 70040

 Braithwaite Auditorium, 1253 LA-39, Braithwaite, LA 70040

Residents should bring their own shovels and only take 10 bags. Bags will be provided.
Three major Sewerage & Water Board pumps  two in Lakeview and one in New Orleans East  are out of service as Tropical Storm Ida speeds through the Gulf of Mexico on a projected collision course with the Louisiana coast.

Drainage Pump Station 12, which is near Lake Marina Drive and covers areas of Lakeview from City Park to Jefferson Parish, will be completely offline during the storm, S&WB officials said Thursday. Other nearby stations are expected to have enough capacity to pick up the slack, but the outage nevertheless raises questions about how the lakefront area will weather the storm.

The S&WBs power system, which has been the main focus of concern in recent years due to a series of turbine failures, is currently capable of producing a bit more electricity than needed on the archaic standard that much of the system uses. But the small amount of surplus power will still leave little room for error should something go wrong during the storm.

[UPDATE: The S&WB says it may be able to get another turbine up and running ahead of Ida]

Ida was near Jamaica Thursday evening and forecasters expected it to rapidly intensify as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico, with forecasts predicting it could strengthen to near Category 3 strength before striking the coast Sunday evening. The track Thursday evening predicted the storm would make landfall on Grand Isle before continuing north toward Baton Rouge but the forecast cone extended from the Mississippi to the Texas borders.

+8 Ahead of Tropical Storm Ida, here's where to get sandbags in the New Orleans area As a Tropical Storm Ida threatens the Louisiana coast with heavy rain, local officials are putting out sandbag materials for the public to prepare.

Estimates on Thursday suggested the storm could drop between 10 inches and 15 inches of rain from 1 a.m. Sunday through 7 a.m. on Tuesday, a massive amount that could potentially overpower New Orleans pumps even at their full capacity.

Overall, 96 out of the S&WBs 99 main drainage pumps are ready for Ida. However, Drainage Pump Station 12 only has a single pump, capable of moving 1,000 cubic feet of water per second. Since that one is down, any water in that area will have to flow through culverts and canals to other parts of the drainage system.

Another pump of the same size is down at the massive Drainage Pump Station 6, a key element of the system that pumps water from the western portion of New Orleans and eastern parts of Metairie into the 17th Street Canal. That pump represents a bit more than 10% of that stations full capacity.

Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up

S&WB officials said they do not believe having Pump Station 12 out of commission will leave Lakeview unprotected from the storm. Spokesperson Grace Birch said in an email that because the Fleur De Lis Canal runs across that area and ties into the basin covered by Pump Stations 6 and 7, equipment there will be able to drain the neighborhood.

Pump Station 12 is a relatively small part of the overall drainage system but has caused problems in the past. The station wasnt manned during the August flood in 2017, leaving much of the area flooded and unable to drain. More recent flooding this March saw the stations pump go into reverse, leading to another round of street flooding in the area.

A third pump is down at Drainage Pump Station 14 near Jahncke Road in New Orleans East. It accounts for about a quarter of the capacity at that station.

The S&WBs drainage system is reliant on a variety of in-house equipment that can produce electricity at 25-hertz, an archaic standard used by some of its century-old pumps. About half the pumping capacity in the system relies on that standard, while the other half uses more typical 60-hertz power from Entergy New Orleans, which is delivered to the stations using underground transmission lines.

In recent years, problems with the turbines and generators that provide the 25-hertz power has been a primary concern. The situation is better now than it was during last years hurricanes, when equipment failures left the system limping along with barely enough power to handle its pumps, but it is still vulnerable should there be an additional failure.

The current main workhorse of the S&WBs system is known as Turbine 5, and was brought online in recent months after being under repairs since an explosion in late 2019. That turbine is bolstered by a series of smaller generators, equipment known as frequency changers that can convert Entergys power, and Turbine 6, a relatively small turbine that produces 60-hertz power but can also be converted for use by the 25-hertz pumps.

Combined, those system give the S&WB about 57 megawatts of 25 hertz power. Thats slightly more than the highest estimates of what it would take to run the pumps at their full capacity without causing the canals that carry water out of the city to overflow.

But it also means that there is little backup should Turbine 5 fail.

One other major turbine, Turbine 4, is undergoing repairs. That turbine failed ahead of Hurricane Zeta last year. S&WB Executive Director Ghassan Korban told the City Council last month that it had been taken offline again. It is not expected to be ready for testing before Saturday, likely meaning it will be out for the current storm. Two other turbines used in recent years are out of service permanently.
As soon-to-be Hurricane Ida moves towards southeast Louisiana, some greater New Orleans area schools are closing campuses or moving to virtual classes.

The following schools have closings and alternative plans as a result of the incoming storm.

Check school websites for more information.

Click here for the latest forecast and track.

ORLEANS PARISH

Archdiocese of New Orleans schools have canceled both virtual and in-person classes on Monday. The archdiocesan administrative offices will also be closed on Monday.

NOLA Public Schools and the district central office will be closed on Monday.

Benjamin Franklin High School: Campus will close at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and remain closed until Wednesday morning.

Delgado Community College: All locations closing at noon Friday until Tuesday. Only essential personnel will remain on site.

International High School: All in-person and remote classes are canceled Monday and Tuesday.

Loyola University: Starting at 3:30 p.m. Friday, all classes are canceled and non-essential personnel will be released. Classes are also canceled Monday.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College: Campus will be closed on Monday.

Tulane University: Campus will be closed Monday. All online and in-person classes are canceled Sunday and Monday.

The University of Holy Cross: All in-person and remote classes scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 28, and Monday, Aug. 30, have been canceled.

UNO: Starting at 12:00 p.m. Friday, all classes are canceled and only essential employees will be required to be on campus. Classes are also canceled Monday. Students who live in on-campus residence halls should prepare to shelter in place.

Ursuline Academy New Orleans: Campus will close by 3 p.m. Friday and will remain closed through Monday.

Xavier University: Campus will close at 5 p.m. on Friday. Classes are canceled for Monday and will be remote on Tuesday.

Tulane University: Campus will be closed on Monday and classes, both online and in-person, have been canceled for Sunday and Monday. Saturday classes will be held.

JEFFERSON PARISH

Jeerson Parish Schools and administrative buildings will be closed Monday, and all school and district activities and events have been canceled.

Concordia Lutheran School: School will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up

Grand Isle School: School will be closed on Friday.

Herzing University: Closed through Monday.

Metairie Park Country Day: School will be closed on Monday.

St. Martins Episcopal School: After school activities have been canceled for Friday and after care will end at 5:00 p.m. School will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

ST. TAMMANY PARISH

St. Tammany Parish public schools: Schools and administrative offices will be closed on Monday

Lake Castle Slidell Private School: School will be closed Monday.

St. Margaret Mary Elementary: In-person and virtual learning canceled has been canceled for Monday.

TERREBONNE PARISH

All public schools and district administrative buildings in the parish will be closed on Monday.

LAFOURCHE PARISH

All schools and offices of the Lafourche Parish School District will be closed on Monday.

ST. CHARLES PARISH

All public school extracurricular activities scheduled for Friday have been canceled. All classes, including in-person and E-learning, are canceled Monday. Administrative offices will also be closed on Monday.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH

All after-school activities scheduled for Friday in St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools are canceled. Public schools and administrative offices will be closed Monday.

WASHINGTON PARISH

Bogalusa City Schools will be closed on Monday.

School officials can email newstips@theadvocate.com if you have a closure to announce.

Don't miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters here. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page here.
As Tropical Storm Ida heads toward the Gulf coast, some parish officials in southeast Louisiana have called for mandatory or voluntary evacuations.

Click here for the latest storm forecasts and information.

Here's a running list of the parishes with mandatory or voluntary evacuations.

MANDATORY

Grand Isle

A mandatory evacuation is in effect as of 10:30 a.m. Friday. All campers, RV's and boats need to evacuate.

Terrebonne Parish

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, a mandatory evacuation is in effect for all residents of Terrebonne Parish. Curfew at 6 p.m. Friday evening.

St. Charles Parish

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, all residents will be subject to a mandatory evacuation by no later than 5 p.m. that evening.

Lafourche Parish

Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up

As of 5 a.m. Saturday, a mandatory evacuation is in effect for all residents, especially those in low-lying areas, mobile homes and RVs.

Plaquemines Parish

A mandatory evacuation is effective at 3 p.m. Friday for the entire East Bank of Plaquemines Parish, and the West Bank of Plaquemines Parish from Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery to Venice.

VOLUNTARY

St. John Parish

A voluntary evacuation order is in effect for St. John the Baptist Parish, announcing a shelter of last resort open today at 6 p.m. at Emily C. Watkins School at 938 LA 628 in LaPlace.

Jefferson Parish

A voluntary evacuation order is in effect for Jean Lafitte, Lower Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria as of 9:30 a.m. Friday. Residents should bring vehicles, boats and campers to higher ground.

Orleans Parish

LaToya Cantrell called for a voluntary evacuation for residents inside levee protection. She said in a 5:30 p.m. press conference that there was not enough time to call for contraflow and a mandatory evacuation.

Don't miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters here. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page here.
Hurricane Ida has formed and is expected to make landfall Sunday in Louisiana near Category 4 strength, forecasters with National Hurricane Center said Friday.

Hurricane watches have been issued for Louisiana, including metro New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

The latest track has Ida coming ashore Sunday, bringing life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and heavy rain to southeast Louisiana. Sunday also is the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

As 1 p.m., Hurricane Ida had winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 storm, according to data from the Hurricane Hunters.

The storm is strengthening on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, and forecasters said Hurricane Ida could have winds of 120 mph before landfall. Category 4 hurricanes have winds of at least 130 mph.

Ida is expected to dump up to 20 inches of rain over southeast Louisiana through Monday morning, forecasters said.

Officials urged residents to prepare for the storm Friday and Saturday, before conditions deteriorate overnight Saturday.

Here's what to know about Hurricane Ida as of 1 p.m.

Where is Hurricane Ida?

Hurricane Ida made landfall on the Isle of Youth as of 1 p.m., forecasters said.

It's moving northwest at 15 mph and is about 145 miles east of the western tip of Cuba.

On the forecast track, the center of Ida will pass over western Cuba later Friday and move over the southeastern and central Gulf of Mexico late Friday and Saturday.

Steady to rapid strengthening is expected when Ida moves over the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, forecasters said, and Ida is expected to be a major hurricane -- Category 3 storm or stronger -- when it approaches the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 20 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles.

Watches and warnings in effect

Watches and warnings have been issued related to Hurricane Ida. They include the Louisiana coastline and metro New Orleans. The hurricane watch will likely be upgraded to a warning later Friday, forecasters said.

A watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the next 48 hours. A warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the next 36 hours.

A hurricane warning is in effect for:

Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and Artemisa, and the Isle of Youth

A storm surge watch is in effect for:

Sabine Pass to Alabama/Florida border

Vermilion Bay, Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Mobile Bay

A hurricane watch is in effect for:

Cameron, Louisiana, to the Mississippi/Alabama border

Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans

The following parishes are included: Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, Terrebonne, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John The Baptist, West Feliciana.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque and Havana

A tropical storm watch is in effect for:

Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up

Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border.

20 inches of rain possible

The rain from Ida is likely to start Sunday, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Slidell said.

Total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 16 inches are likely, but some areas in southeast Louisiana, coastal Mississippi and Alabama could get 20 inches through Monday morning, they said.

The heavy rainfall is likely to result in considerable flash, urban, small stream and riverine flooding, forecasters said.

Ida is forecast to turn northeast as it moves inland later Monday with rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches possible across southern and central Mississippi.

Storm surge

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, forecasters said.

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves.

The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.

Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Miss., including Lake Borgne: 7-11 feet

Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana, to Morgan City, Louisiana, including Vermilion Bay: 4-7 feet

Ocean Springs to MS/AL border: 4-7 feet

MS/AL border to AL/FL border including Mobile Bay: 3-5 feet

Lake Pontchartrain: 4-6 feet

Lake Maurepas: 3-5 feet

Sabine Pass to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge: 2-4 feet

Wind could start Saturday night

Hurricane Ida is expected to deliver a "wide swath of life-threatening, damaging winds" across portions of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi, forecasters said.

Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area late Saturday night or Sunday. Hurricane conditions are possible in the hurricane watch area in Louisiana and Mississippi late Saturday night or Sunday.

Expect widespread power outages, tree damage and structural damage across southeastern Louisiana, forecasters said.

Life-threatening rip currents

Swells generated by this system will affect the Cayman Islands and Cuba on Friday.

Swells will begin reaching portions of the Gulf Coast on Saturday night or early Sunday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, forecasters said.

Read the full 1 p.m. advisory. The National Hurricane Center will release its next update at 4 p.m.

Storm categories

Ida is the ninth named storm of the 2021 hurricane season. The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5).

On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the wind categories are:

Tropical storm: 39 to 73 mph

Category 1 hurricane: 74 to 95 mph

Category 2 hurricane: 96 to 110 mph

Category 3 hurricane (major hurricane): 111 to 129 mph

Category 4 hurricane: 130-156 mph

Category 5 hurricane: 157 mph and higher

Staff writers Missy Wilkinson and Liam Pierce contributed to this story.

Don't miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page.
Earl Smith, 83, former resident of Moore, OK passed away peacefully at his home in Longmont, CO. Earl was born in Depew, OK to John and Ethel Smith. He retired in 2000 from Rose State University as an accounting Professor. Graveside service will be held at Oakdale Cemetery, Depew, OK on Sept
Williamsport, Pa. - The Loyalsock Township School Board met in an emergency meeting at the high school auditorium on Thursday, Aug. 26 to discuss the district's health and safety plan for the 2021-22 school year, an action each school district has been required to make in exchange for federal monies from the American Rescue Plan.

Recently, Gov. Tom Wolf called on state legislators to institute a mask mandate, prompting leaders in the legislature to say mask requirements should remain a local decision, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

An executive session was held before the Loyalsock Township School Board meeting.

Three board members attended the public meeting wearing masks.

"The question is, how do we keep all students in school. We are not here to politicize this conversation," said board president Dr. Carolyn Strickland.

Strickland noted Lycoming County's move to high status of virus transmission.

Many parents, on both sides of the masking argument, attended the meeting, during which speakers became passionate.

A school district parent, who also is a physician, indicated that school boards are empowered to make the decisions about masking, but said members were not qualified to judge students health and safety as non-physicians.

Another parent, whose child has cystic fibrosis, delivered an emotional plea to the school board. "To us, it signals we don't care that some members of the community actually do need protection. Please have the courage to do the right thing, and follow the [CDC] guidance," she said.

Another speaker, donning a Lycoming County Patriots shirt, said how the virus is not real and that it is a government-controlled idea.

Township resident Jeff Breon said, "I suspect there are some in attendance, and on the school board, that fail to understand the scope of coronavirus. Those quoting misinformation are quoting facebook, social media, or celebrities. This debate is being politicized by people with one letter behind their name."

District Superintendent Gerald McLaughlin said, "We will continue to follow CDC guidelines on quarantining."

A discussion was initiated by board member Valerie Komarnicki, who was in attendance via videoconference, about the question of universal masking based on CDC guidelines. It was determined the district is not fully compliant with CDC guidelines.

"This whole thing is incredibly difficult. We want to do the right thing. There is no clear path on either side. Is it my right to tell a parent what to do with their child? I don't beleive in that. The bottom line is we care about the kids. I'm just at a loss here," said board member Bob Leidhecker. "You don't know the amount we care about these kids. This is extremely difficult. I'm not ready to vote on this."

Board member Charles Edmonds, Ed. D., said the district needs to look at what is going on in the community. "The system is not perfect, but it's the best we have. Pretending there is not a high risk [of transmission] is irresponsible on the back of individual rights."

The board seemed to mostly agree balance was what they were after for the time being.

Strickland said "I dont want any chid to feel like they don't have a place in this district. For me, it's all about balance. Given the local data and what we know happening in our own hospitals, opinions of our local doctors, we have to do something that is proactive as opposed to being reactive. That is out of respect for all roles we play here."

Leideckher commented on the roles school board members play in their communities and how important it is to make the right decision. "We're not trying to tell you how to raise your kids. A shortened time frame makes sense to me. We don't want to bury our heads in the sand. We can't step back and say 'I care about my kid only.' We are a team, we look out for eachother. There has to be a compromise."

Strickland made a motion for a roll call vote to modify the school districts health and safety plan, "To state that masking will be required in accordance with CDC recommendations."

The motion was second by board member Melvin Wentzel, and passed by a vote of 5-3. Voting in favor were Carolyn Strickland, Melvin Wentzel, Bob Leidhecker, Charles Edmonds, and Christina Kiessling. Voting against the changes were Valerie Komarnicki, Hal Gee, and Michael Zicolello.

The board decided to review the districts masking policy at another meeting on Sept. 8., five days after the start of the new school session.

After the meeting, a group of students were asked their opinion about the masking requirements. "I think they should keep them," one student said. "If they don't we're going to be just like we were last year."
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access.

Its an event that comes just once every ten years. No, not the emergence of a new brood of cicadas or another recession or the blooming of a corpse flower.

The special occasion is the drawing of new political maps, prompted by the release of new decennial census data. The process may seem wonky, but redistricting is really the foundation of almost everything in our democracy, Suzanne Almeida of Common Cause told Spotlight PA.

Here are a few ways to make sure your voice is heard.

Attend a meeting

The Republican-controlled legislature will draw the congressional map through a bill that must be approved by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

After a not-very-transparent process in 2011, Republicans in the state House have vowed that this time around will be different. Rep. Seth Grove  chair of the House State Government Committee, where consideration of the map will begin in the chamber  is holding several regional meetings through October that will be live-streamed.

The Senate State Government Committee has held a few meetings to solicit input but has yet to announce future dates.

Pennsylvanias state House and Senate maps, meanwhile, are drawn by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, which consists of four legislative leaders and an appointed chair. The panels next hearing will be held Aug. 24 in Harrisburg and additional dates will be announced.

Submit feedback

The Legislative Reapportionment Commission is accepting testimony through its website, while the House State Government Committee is accepting written testimony based on region.

The committee also has a tool that allows people to comment on the current congressional map and one that lets Pennsylvanians define their own community of interest  a critical idea in mapmaking that helps keep people with similar goals and concerns grouped together in the same district.

So much of what were used to is lawmakers not listening to us, Almeida of Common Cause said. We need to collectively hold the people drawing the maps to task.

Draw your own map

Unlike a decade ago, there are now several free tools  including DistrictBuilder and Daves Redistricting  that allow anyone with internet access to build their own congressional and legislative maps.

David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the good-government group Committee of Seventy, said thousands of people have drawn their own maps as part of the Draw the Lines initiative. This allows them to see that its possible to draw maps with compact, contiguous districts, as required by the state constitution, that dont unfairly benefit one political party over another.

That map-drawing power has been democratized, he said.

Lawmakers involved in both congressional and legislative redistricting are soliciting maps drawn by average Pennsylvanians. You can upload your own House and Senate maps to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission and a congressional map to the House State Government Committee.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.




Harrisburg, Pa.  The Pennsylvania State Police issued a warning this week about a telephone scam that targets individuals who are mandated to comply with the Pennsylvania's Sex Offender Registry.

The scam begins with a telephone call from an individual who claims to be a law enforcement official to an offender listed on the PSP Megan's Law website.

The caller claims the offender is not in compliance with their registration requirements, and sometimes, the caller claims to hold a warrant for the offender's arrest. The caller also claims the issue can be resolved if the offender obtains some form of cash card and arranges a money transfer.

According to the PSP, they do not solicit convicted sex offenders for any type of monetary compensation to gain compliance with registration requirements.

Anyone who receives such a telephone call should not initiate any type of financial transaction, but rather attempt to verify the caller's phone number, obtain as much information as possible about the caller, take detailed notes on the caller's instructions provided and immediately report the call to their local law enforcement agency.

Issues concerning compliance with registration requirements can only be resolved by an offender appearing at an approved registration site or by personal contact with a law enforcement official.

The PSP invites registrants to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law Section at 1-866-771-3170 with any questions regarding their compliance status.
Sullivan County, Pa. -- Comcast announced a recent network expansion to bring gigabit broadband internet to its service area in Sullivan County. Comcast also plans to investment in five additional Pennsylvania counties  together connecting nearly 3,400 rural homes and businesses.

The Sullivan County expansion, which includes the boroughs of Eagles Mere and Laporte, covers 1,315 homes and businesses. This expansion will be followed by additional extensions in the Sonestown and Muncy Valley areas, ultimately covering 170 more Sullivan County homes by Fall 2022.

"I applaud Comcast and their investment in Sullivan County," said State Senator Gene Yaw. "These past 18 months have been difficult for everyone, but especially for those living in rural areas that lack broadband service, and who were expected to learn and work from their homes. I appreciate Comcast's commitment to closing the digital divide in Sullivan County and addressing the needs of our unserved and underserved residents."

This coverage will expand to other counties. Comcast expects to include 185 homes and businesses in Colerain Township in Lancaster County by Fall 2022, and network expansions are already underway to pass 1,725 homes and businesses in parts of Northumberland County (Turbotville Borough and Delaware, Lewis and Turbot townships), Montour County (Anthony and Limestone townships) and Columbia County (Madison Township) by the end of 2021.

"This announcement changes the very landscape of opportunities for our friends and neighbors," said PA Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), who represents Colerain Township. "High speed broadband access opens up a new world of educational access to residents today, and for future generations who will call our community home."

These network expansions follow investments made by Comcast in the past 27 months that have already delivered broadband to 8,800 rural homes and businesses in Cambria, Clearfield, Fayette and Somerset counties in Pennsylvania; Preston and Ohio counties in West Virginia; and Garrett County in Maryland.

The company is actively considering extensions to bring Xfinity Internet, the award-winning Xfinity X1 video platform, Xfinity Home, Xfinity Voice and Xfinity Mobile to more customers.

"We have committed to investing in and expanding our network to ensure that more customers across our region have the critical broadband connections they need for their educational, professional and personal lives," said Toni Murphy, senior vice president of Comcast's Keystone Region. "We are proud to connect these rural communities with fast, secure and dependable internet service that is built to meet their needs today and into the future."

Residential customers in these areas will eventually be able to take advantage of Xfinity's full suite of internet products. Xfinity Internet Essentials, for example, brings broadband into the home for low-income families for $9.95 per month; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps; advanced WiFi technology capable of delivering speeds faster than a Gig to support the ever-increasing number of connected devices in their homes; xFi, a digital dashboard to control their home WiFi network that includes Advanced Security protecting every device on the network from malware and security threats; and Flex, a free 4K platform for internet-only customers that seamlessly delivers their streaming content.

Comcast's Xfinity Gigabit Internet service is delivered using Comcast's existing network architecture and the connections that are already in most customers' homes. Since 2017 alone, Comcast has devoted more than $15 billion to strengthening and expanding its national network  including building more than 39,000 new route miles of fiber.
Instant unlimited access to all of our content on www.northcoastcitizen.com.

The North Coast Citizen E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street!

This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers.

The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement.
Support Local Journalism

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing.
Coleen Brooks is a longtime resident of Gordon County. She retired as director and lead instructor for the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Adult Education Department in 2013. She can be reached at coleenbrooks1947@gmail.com.
Former Roman Harry Musselwhite is the author of Martin the Guitar, co-creator of The Dungball Express podcast and is an award-winning filmmaker.
More doctors joined the Franciscan Physician Network, where they are welcoming new patients across Northwest Indiana.

A gastroenterologist and nurse practitioner joined Franciscan Physician Network in Michigan City and Porter County, while an obstetrician and gynecologist is now seeing new patients in Munster.

Gastroenterologist Kevin Burke and Nurse Practitioner Alexandrea Burnett are welcoming new patients at Franciscan Physician Network Woodland Health Center in Michigan City.

Burke will additionally see patients at Franciscan Physician Network Valparaiso Specialty Health Center at 2590 Morthland Ave., and Burnett also will welcome patients at Franciscan Physician Network Emergency Center Chesterton at 770 Indian Boundary Road.
Northwest Indiana's top builders took home honors at the recent Construction Awards Banquet.

More than 60 firms were recognized for project outcomes, high-level performance and workplace safety that exceeded national averages.

The Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable and the Portage-based Construction Advancement Foundation jointly held the annual awards ceremony. They recognized a variety of projects, contractors and companies, including for excellence in safety standards and innovation.

As an industry, Northwest Indiana construction has been evolving rapidly. Builders are consistently facing new challenges with a determination to succeed, and were proud of them, said Dewey Pearman, executive director of CAF.

NIPSCO, U.S. Steel, Cargill and many other major employers from across the Calumet Region were on hand for the awards ceremony. Past winners have included some of the largest construction projects in Northwest Indiana, including the $4.2 billion modernization of the BP Whiting Refinery, which was converted to process more crude oil from the oil sands region in Canada.
CROWN POINT  A Chicago man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for his role in a robbery that led to a Hammond man's shooting death and wounded another man in 2017.

Lucky R. Tyler, 21, pleaded guilty in June to robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 2 felony, and a firearm enhancement.

Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez sentenced him to 18 years for robbery and seven years for the firearm enhancement. The two sentences must be served consecutively.

Tyler admitted he worked with co-defendants Justin M. Mitchell, 26, and Paradise Haynes, 23, both of Chicago, to plan a robbery that resulted in the death of Khalil Carter, 19, on Oct. 31, 2017, at an apartment in the 500 block of Pointe Drive in Hammond.

Carter's cousin was wounded in a shootout that occurred after Mitchell pointed an assault-style rifle at Carter and Carter's cousin and announced, "It's a caper," according to court records.

Tyler was represented by attorney Steven Mullins. Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Keith Anderson handled the case for the state.

Haynes pleaded guilty in October and could face 10 to 30 years in prison at sentencing.
Stokes subsequently was charged in July 2020 in an alleged violent attack on a man over money and a pursuit in which Stokes is accused of pointing an assault-style rifle at police. He's pleaded not guilty in both cases and is being held on a combined bond of $200,000 surety or $20,000 cash.

Stokes and three other people are accused of beating a man and tying him up with duct tape May 26, 2020, because they suspected the man of stealing money.

The man told police Stokes and his co-defendants duct-taped his arms, legs and mouth and forced him to sit under a table at a home in the 3000 block of Wabash Street in Gary.

At one point, Stokes pointed a rifle at the man's head, then put a bag over the man's head while talking about how easy it would be to shoot the man, court records allege.

Stokes and his co-defendants went through the man's pockets and took $50 and his cellphone, court documents state.

They also went to the man's house and took another $200 and a 9 mm pistol from his bedroom, then released the man and threatened to kill his relative and shoot up his house if he went to police, records allege.
CROWN POINT  Lake County prosecutors dropped charges Thursday against an East Chicago man, who had been scheduled to stand trial next week in a murder case.

Donovan J. Harris, 31, was indicted by a grand jury in December 2017 on a count of murder in the shooting death May 15, 2017, of 35-year-old Thomas Richardson in the 4100 block of Tod Avenue in East Chicago.

Police said they found Richardson in an alley with gunshot wounds. He later died at a hospital.

Few details about the shooting were released, because Harris was charged by way of indictment.

Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Judith Massa wrote in a motion to dismiss that the state was "unable to meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

Lake Criminal Court Judge Diane Boswell granted the state's motion to dismiss Friday.

Defense attorney John Cantrell said Richardson's death stemmed from a chaotic shootout sparked by an argument among people in the neighborhood.

Harris' friend was arguing with one of Harris' neighbors, and multiple people began yelling at each other, Cantrell said.
The 42-year-old father reportedly told police his girlfriend approached him recently with a request from Winchip for the woman to perform sex acts on video with her son. The father informed her he had no interest in participating, he told police.

Yet when in the hospital recently for treatment of COVID-19, the father told police he was going through his phone and found the sexually explicit videos involving their son.

"(The father) stated he was 100% confident that the male in the videos was his son," police said.

The alleged victim told investigators his father forced them to do the videos and that his mother "fake child molested him," a court document states.

The father had not been charged in the matter as of Friday morning.

The child said the videos were shot at their apartment and a hotel where the used to live in Muscatine, Iowa, investigators said. The boy said his father would sometimes hold the phone to record the videos, and other times his mother would record the videos when they were alone.

"Victim 1 stated they placed a pillow over his face during the videos so he would not see any bad stuff," the charging information reads. "Victim 1 knew that the videos were sent to Hank."
A letter to parents from McCall dated Aug. 15 said VCS supports the Porter County Health Departments position and encourages families to review the recommendations and make decisions that are best for their children.

Multiple parents commended the board for the way VCS handled COVID-19 last year. One speaker said she was proud of Valpo schools last year, but this year is disappointed.

One speaker started her comment by saying how upset she is that the board is in the position it is.

The school board should not be making such public health decisions, but you are, she said.

As a respiratory neurophysiologist, she went on to say that masks are annoying, but they do not cause harm and are the best tool we have, other than vaccinations, in this pandemic.

Earlier in the meeting, McCall said the district has been planning for the return to school this year since last school year. He said they were successful last year and will continue to be this year.

The health and safety of our kids, their social emotional well-being and their academic success is our charge, he said. We are invested in our kids.
Schools across the Region have received millions of dollars from the federal government for COVID-19 relief, but higher enrollment doesnt mean more money.

If enrollment isnt determining how much money these schools are receiving, then what is?

According to the Indiana Department of Education, allocations for the second and third wave of funding, ESSER II and III, were determined using a formula based on the districts proportional share of the Title I allocation. Title I provides financial assistance to schools with high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families to ensure all children meet state standards.

Although the Title I formula dictated how much money each district received, it could be spent on both Title I and non-Title I schools, IDOE said.

Gary Community School Corp., School City of Hammond and School City of East Chicago are receiving the most money, respectively, when looking at total funds allocated to each district.
The company completed a bankruptcy sale of its assets and operations in June to Conexio Care, Inc. and Coras Wellness and Behavioral Health. The settlement agreements and consent judgments between Connections and the United States must be approved by the bankruptcy court, and the final amount of any recovery will be limited by the availability of funds in the bankruptcy estate.

The False Claims Act settlement partially resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two former Connections employees, who are continuing to pursue additional claims against the company and former CEO Catherine Devaney McKay.

Federal authorities are also continuing to pursue claims for violations of the Controlled Substances Act against McKay and two other Connections executives, William Northey and Steven Davis. Davis has denied the allegations against him and sought to have them dismissed. A judge has yet to rule a motion by McKay arguing that some of the allegations are barred by the passage of time, and that the government should be forced to provide a more definite statement providing specific details regarding the basis for other allegations. Prosecutors filed a motion last week seeking a default judgment against Northey for failing to respond to the complaint.
Venice has endured war, plague and conquest in its 1,200 years as Queen of the Adriatic, but after the last two years, many of its jewelers are struggling to stay open.

On Nov. 12, 2019, more than 85 percent of the 120 islands that make up the city were inundated with as much as six feet of water, a result of high tides and a storm surge driven by strong winds.

Leslie Ann Genninger, a glass jewelry artisan whose studio is in the Dorsoduro neighborhood, said her display tables were submerged. The glass was broken so I had to redo about 80 or 90 percent of the pieces, which took eight months, she said. Water was knee-deep in St. Marks Square, forcing the Nardi jewelry shop there to close for two months.

On March 9, 2020, the citys first coronavirus lockdown was ordered. Since then the Veneto region, of which Venice is the capital, has been Italys second hardest hit region in the pandemic (following Lombardy), with more than 439,800 cases reported as of early this month.
With his time in office coming to a close, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City has staked much of his legacy on reopening schools during the pandemic, putting in-class learning at the center of his push to get the city running again.

On Thursday, the mayor laid out a safety plan aimed at reassuring parents and educators anxious about the return to classrooms, with different sets of rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated students, only days after he announced a vaccine mandate for all school staff.

The announcement is part of Mr. de Blasios effort to prove that the city can keep the largest school district in the country safe, even without a remote learning option, amid the spread of the more contagious Delta variant  and with roughly 600,000 more children back in classrooms. About 350,000 students opted into in-person learning last year at some point during the hybrid school year.

Think about a child who hasnt been inside a classroom in a year and a half; thats not supposed to happen, we cant let that happen anymore, Mr. de Blasio said during a news conference on Thursday.
Orders by New York judges  one in the Bronx and one in Manhattan  that two defendants appearing in their courts get vaccinated raise important questions about the line between civic responsibility and civil liberties, legal observers say, though neither defendant appeared to object.

A number of experts who reviewed the orders disagreed as to whether they were justified, or whether one or both could represent an overstep  a debate that underscores the legal and ethical complications that have emerged around vaccination requirements.

In one case, Judge Jeffrey Zimmerman, 61, of the Bronx County criminal court, explained that the defendant, William Gregory, had been accused of crimes  including drug possession, criminal trespass, shoplifting and criminal contempt  that showed he had placed his own interest above others. In getting the vaccine, the judge argued, Mr. Gregory would be doing the opposite, and so vaccination would represent a form of rehabilitation.

The second order came from a federal judge in Manhattan, Jed S. Rakoff, who granted the release of a defendant, Elouisa Pimental, who was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, on the condition that she get vaccinated.
This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the pandemic. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

Oregon faces its worst outbreak

Throughout most of the coronavirus pandemic, Oregon has been a success story, ranking 46th in the nation in deaths per capita as it maintained some of the countrys most stringent restrictions.

But the state is now recording more cases each day than at any point in the pandemic and hospitalizations have reached a new peak, fueled by counties where only about one-third of residents have been vaccinated.

To quell the surge, Gov. Kate Brown has issued a mandate that will take effect on Friday, requiring that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks, even when gathering outdoors. That goes well beyond what any other state has done in battling this years summer surge.

She said in an interview that more restrictions may be needed as the coming days unfold and the state tries to keep in-person schooling on track.
It will most likely take a while for the backlog of eviction cases in many states to result in the displacement of renters. But tenant groups in the South, where fast-track evictions are common, are bracing for the worst.

In recent days, Mr. Bidens team has been mapping out strategies to deal with the likely loss of the moratorium, with a plan to focus its efforts on a handful of states  including South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio  that have large backlogs of unpaid rent and few statewide protections for tenants.

The administration had at first concluded that a Supreme Court ruling in June had effectively forbidden it from imposing a new moratorium after an earlier one expired at the end of July. While the administration had prevailed in that ruling by a 5-to-4 vote, one member of the majority, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, wrote that he believed the moratorium to be unlawful and that he had cast his vote to temporarily sustain it only to allow an orderly transition. He would not support a further extension without clear and specific congressional authorization (via new legislation), he wrote.

Congress did not act. But after political pressure from Democrats, a surge in the pandemic and new consideration of the legal issues, the administration on Aug. 3 issued the moratorium that was the subject of the new ruling.

The administrations legal maneuvering might have failed, but it bought some time for tenants threatened with eviction. In unusually candid remarks this month, President Biden said that was part of his calculus in deciding to proceed with the new moratorium, which was set to expire Oct. 3.

Congress declared a moratorium on evictions at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but it lapsed in July 2020. The C.D.C. then issued a series of its own moratoriums, saying that they were justified by the need to address the pandemic and authorized by a 1944 law. People unable to pay rent, the agency said, should not be forced to crowd in with relatives or seek refuge in homeless shelters, spreading the virus.

The last moratorium  which was put in place by the C.D.C. in September and expired on July 31 after being extended several times by Congress and Mr. Biden  was effective at achieving its goal, reducing by about half the number of eviction cases that normally would have been filed since last fall, according to an analysis of filings by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.
Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The House voted along party lines on Tuesday to start hashing out the details of a $3.5 trillion partisan package to enact huge swaths of President Bidens economic and social agenda, while setting a deadline of Sept. 27 to act on a $1 trillion bipartisan package for physical infrastructure.

The vote, however, came a day later than expected, after a day of frantic negotiations among Democrats.

Why? Heres the short answer: As a train carrying the policy agenda and political fate of the Democratic Party chugged by, 10 members of the partys 220-member House caucus brought it to a screeching halt, let it start up again in exchange for a three-day shift in an unenforceable deadline, and declared victory in decoupling two cars that are still quite clearly coupled.

The longer answer starts with the fragility of the Democratic caucus, which controls Congress by the narrowest of margins and includes an uneasy alliance of progressive and conservative factions, either of which is capable of blowing up the train.
Georgia toughened identification requirements for absentee voting. Arizona authorized removing voters from the rolls if they do not cast a ballot at least once every two years. Florida and Georgia cut back sharply the use of drop boxes for mail-in ballots.

All of these new voting restrictions would have been rejected or at least softened if a federal civil rights protection from the 1960s were still intact, experts in election law said.

For decades, the heart of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a practice known as preclearance, largely detailed under Section 5 of the statute. It forced states with a history of racial discrimination to seek approval from the Department of Justice before enacting new voting laws. Through preclearance, thousands of proposed voting changes were blocked by Justice Department lawyers in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

In 2013, however, Section 5 was hollowed out by the Supreme Court, as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote in a majority opinion that racial discrimination in voting no longer constituted a significant threat.
President Biden on Thursday denounced a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport that killed at least 13 American service members and injured 18 more, saying that the frantic evacuation of U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan will continue even as he pledged to hunt down those responsible for the attacks.

Mr. Biden spoke after the U.S. military sustained one of its highest single-day American tolls during its 20-year Afghanistan campaign.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, the president said. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

The bombs were set off near a crowd of families at the airport gates who were desperately hoping to make one of the last evacuation flights out. Gunfire was reported in the aftermath of the explosions.
BERLIN  In what is a first in Germany, the city state of Hamburg will allow restaurants, hairdressers, clubs and religious institutions to bar entry to unvaccinated adults or those who have not built up immunity through a Covid infection. The businesses can then forego strict limits on indoor seating, dancing and mandatory minimum distancing requirements.

Masks, when not eating, will remain obligatory.

Currently people can show documentation of a recent negative Covid test and be allowed into these spaces. But starting this weekend, Hamburg vendors can sign up for the voluntary programs that bar unvaccinated people.

Its totally voluntary. Everyone can decide whether they go ahead or not, said Daniel Schaefer, a spokesman for the city.
In early September 1945, amid the rubble of a bombed-out Berlin, the Afro-Caribbean conductor Rudolph Dunbar stepped onto a podium and bowed to an enthusiastic audience of German citizens and American military personnel.

The orchestra had gathered in an old movie theater functioning as a makeshift concert hall in the newly designated American zone of the city. First on the program was The Star-Spangled Banner. Then came a fairly standard set of orchestral pieces, with Carl Maria von Webers Oberon Overture followed by Tchaikovskys Pathetique Symphony. But one piece stood out from the rest: William Grant Stills Afro-American Symphony. When it premiered in 1931 in Rochester, N.Y., it was the first symphony by a Black American to be performed by a major orchestra.

Stills symphony received a robust round of performances in the United States in the 1930s. That decade was a watershed for Black composers like him, who finally managed to convince powerful American ensembles to perform their music. The Afro-American Symphony was quickly followed by Florence Prices Symphony in E Minor, in 1933, and William Dawsons Negro Folk Symphony, in 1934. These works appeared frequently on concert programs in America at the time  and then disappeared.
In a video interview, Corrin discussed saying goodbye to Diana and the significance of having a nonbinary queer person play such an internationally beloved figure. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Your season of The Crown was generally well liked and received 24 Emmy nominations, the most of any series this year (tied with The Mandalorian). How has its reception felt to you? Is it different from your expectations?

Its a weird thing, expectation. I dont know what I expected. I was sort of waiting in trepidation to see what it would be like, and then with the pandemic, I think that things were just so different. Because we didnt get to have a wrap party together to actually celebrate the end of filming, and then when the series came out, weve all been in isolation for a year, and then obviously we havent been able to go to award shows together. So its very strange. I think in normal circumstances, it would have been very hard to comprehend everything, and the pandemic made it even weirder. So it doesnt feel real, especially awards stuff.

I remember in the midst of everything, when the series was coming out and the whole cast was feeling sad that we werent together, and it was strange I wasnt experiencing anything in real time. My friend who I live with said, The most important thing is the work that youve done  that at that moment, everyones at home watching the series, and it means that everyones 100 percent focused on your work and not what youre wearing at different press interviews, or where youre going.

Dianas relationship to the press and the tabloids is explored in The Crown. What is it like to become a known person? Does that make you identify more with Diana?

Its a very weird thing to get your head around. Its a very invasive, intrusive sort of thing to happen. And I remember when I got the part, Benjamin Caron, the producer, said: Lifes going to change a lot when this comes out. And even when the role is announced, if theres moments that you feel overwhelmed by it or scared by it, or if you get followed or if your picture ends up in a newspaper or anything, use it, because thats exactly how she would have been feeling. Use all the emotions around it, use the excitement, use the curiosity, use the fear. So it was very helpful.
Pound Unbound

To the Editor:

R. O. Blechmans Sketchbook (Aug. 8) makes an absurd omission of the poetry for which Ezra Pound has been rightly recognized and celebrated for decades.

Nor does he sketch in any attention to Pound from his fellow writers, many of whom visited him in the mental hospital. Elizabeth Bishops poem Visits to St. Elizabeths is a powerful description of that experience.

Blechmans serve-him-right, simplistic zeal betrays the complexities of the poet who wrote, of a Paris metro:

The apparition of these faces in a crowd:

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Susan Donnelly

Arlington, Mass.



To the Editor:

Ezra Pound was not betrayed by his words. He was a blatant antisemite, not just someone who used antisemitic language; Pound believed Jews were detestable and bent on global dominion. After he had collaborated with the Italian Fascist government during World War II by delivering hundreds of propaganda broadcasts and writing innumerable articles in support of the Axis powers, he was accused of treason. He was not committed to the St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital because of that accusation; rather, he was remanded there because he was deemed incompetent to stand trial.
INSEPARABLE

By Simone de Beauvoir

Translated by Sandra Smith

Its impossible to read about Simone de Beauvoirs life without thinking of your own, the biographer Hazel Rowley wrote in her foreword to the English translation of Beauvoirs Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter. How did the image of this turbaned Frenchwoman in a severe, 1940s-style suit, sitting beside Jean-Paul Sartre at a table in the Cafe de Flore or La Coupole and writing all day long, become the avatar of a generation?

For its true that, at least for Francophile intellectuals coming of age in the wake of feminisms second wave, the Beaver  a nickname bestowed on the young Beauvoir by a philosopher friend, because, he said, beavers like company and they have a constructive bent  casts a very long shadow. Existentialism may have been out of fashion during my student days (ceding pride of place to post-structuralist theory), and few among my contemporaries may have made it all the way through The Second Sex, Beauvoirs two-volume feminist classic, published in 1949, when French womens right to vote was scarcely five years old. But the famous opening line of that works Book 2  One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman  with the liberty implicit in that pronouncement, to shape ones own destiny in response to circumstances, was something we took radically to heart.

And the kinds of women we hoped to become were deeply influenced by her example: a prodigiously industrious novelist, memoirist and philosopher, allied with Sartre but with the courage to live and love in complete independence, an activist for decades in defense of political, social and emotional freedom. We didnt so much read Beauvoir; we wanted to be her, to share in her extraordinary life, her intellectual and amorous adventures.

Now along comes Inseparable, a short, never-before-published, autobiographical novel written by Beauvoir in 1954, the same year that The Mandarins  her 600-plus-page epic about French intellectuals in the immediate aftermath of World War II, seeking and often failing to find reasons to continue living, loving and writing  won the prestigious Prix Goncourt.
We will not forgive

Dozens of people, including at least 13 U.S. troops, were killed in attacks by two suicide bombers in the crowds outside Afghanistans main airport yesterday, hours after Western governments had warned of an imminent Islamic State attack. Estimates of the toll range from at least 30 to more than 60. Follow live updates here.

The bombs were set off near a crowd of families at the airport gates trying to get onto evacuation flights, as these maps show. See the latest footage from Afghanistan.

Speaking from the White House on Thursday evening, President Biden vowed that the U.S. would retaliate against ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate responsible for the attack, and addressed the attackers directly: Know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay, he said. Read the full transcript.

Quotable: More than 250,000 Afghans who worked with the U.S. are expected to be left behind. I kept thinking, after everything I did for the Americans, said one interpreter, who was eventually evacuated after a global effort, after all my hard work and risking my life, now this is what happens to my family? They are leaving us to die here.
The airport appeared to be largely locked down on Friday. Early in the day, the White House said that 12,500 people had been evacuated from Afghanistan in the previous 24 hours. American officials believe another terror attack in Kabul is likely, said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.

Among the dead are a former Afghan police officer who had hoped to help his family escape. His son, Ruhullah, pictured above, went missing after the blast, and only resurfaced at his fathers funeral.

Rylee McCollum, a 20-year-old Marine from Wyoming, was one of the first American victims to be identified publicly among the 13 U.S. troops killed in the blast. Some of them, like McCollum, were babies when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. Now, they are among the last casualties of Americas longest war.
Lloyd Dobyns, an award-winning NBC News correspondent who in the early 1980s was the co-anchor of the innovative television newscast NBC News Overnight, died on Sunday in Mebane, N.C., northwest of Raleigh. He was 85.

His son Kenneth said the cause was complications of a series of strokes.

Mr. Dobyns worked for NBC News in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and won more than two dozen awards for reporting, writing and anchoring. He was probably best known for working with Linda Ellerbee on NBC News Overnight, the first of several late-night news programs begun by the broadcast networks in an attempt to compete with the 24-hour news coverage introduced in 1980 by CNN.

Lloyd Allen Dobyns Jr. was born on March 12, 1936, in Newport News, Va. After serving in the Army, he began his broadcasting career in 1957 as a reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va. Three years later, he became a news anchor at WAVY-TV, the NBC affiliate in Virginias Tidewater area. He later became the station's news director.

In 1969 he moved to New York, where he worked first as managing editor for news at WNEW-TV, then as part of the NBC News team. He was a foreign correspondent before returning to New York to anchor the TV newsmagazine Weekend, for which he won a Peabody Award in 1975.
Rivian is one of the best-positioned electric vehicle start-ups, Asad Hussain, senior mobility analyst for PitchBook, said by email. The companys focus on the relatively untapped premium electric truck market should allow it to gain rapid market adoption.

The leaders of Rivian and Tesla are also starkly different. Teslas chief executive, Elon Musk, has been a brash and combative force in the automotive industry, making big promises and engaging in public feuds with individuals and government agencies. Mr. Scaringe is understated and has been measured in his public statements and promises.

Still, both executives are immersed in the details of their business. Mr. Musk has said he has slept at his companys main factory in Fremont, Calif., at important moments when Tesla was ramping up production. Mr. Scaringe is also a frequent presence at Rivians factory in Normal, Ill., and workers there refer to the color of robots and safety lines directing the flow of people as R.J. Blue. He has been known to weigh in on vehicle colors, including one known as launch green.

This year, a state judge in California allowed Tesla to proceed with a lawsuit in which it contends that Rivian stole intellectual property by hiring away employees. Rivian has said the lawsuit has no merit and is intended to hurt a fast-growing competitor.

Though Rivian has existed in some form since 2009, it faced frequent skepticism through much of the last decade over a product that seemed distant and speculative, Mr. Scaringe said in an interview in June.

In the very beginning, on Day 1, Year 1, the risk of starting a business like this is enormously high, and the likelihood of success was very low, he said. Thats just true. And I had to accept that.

But Mr. Scaringe said he remained confident in his team and in the strategic plan they had assembled: First, raise enough money to develop core technologies  software, battery architecture, mechanical systems  that could support vehicles for both consumers and commercial customers; then raise more capital to mass produce trucks and vans.
The drama was filmed in London over 10 days in April this year, and was broadcast here by the BBC in June, in the same week that the government delayed the lifting of restrictions because of a surge in the Delta variant of the virus. As it premieres in the United States, just over half of Americans are fully vaccinated, but the long-term effects of the pandemic  physical, psychological and financial  are still being felt.

Ive never written anything as immediate as this, Kelly said in a phone interview. The script required little research, beyond observing day-to-day events, he added: Its the one event weve all been through.

Perhaps thats why a number of recent films have tackled the strains of life in a pandemic. Locked Down, starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, throws an improbable heist into its story of a bored, bickering couple. Lock Down Love and The End of Us play out as more straightforward romantic comedies, in which being forced apart or together makes couples reassess. If Together stands apart, it is because fury and horror at what is happening in the wider world run in parallel to the central love story.

Writing the movie was a cathartic experience, Kelly said. There are a lot of people out there who are really angry. They lost people, and they know they died alone, he said. We still havent got anywhere near processing what weve been through.

Before Kelly approached Horgan about starring in Together, she had little interest in making a lockdown film: She had already turned down scripts based on the pandemic, she said. In the shows she was working on, including the BBC comedy Motherland and the second series of Aisling Beas This Way Up, the current circumstances were more or less glossed over, she added. Then she read Together.

I could see it was really important, Horgan said of the script. Of course, its rooted in Covid. But it transcends that, as a voyeuristic, in-depth X-ray of a relationship. For that reason, Horgan doesnt think people will feel fatigued by the events of last year and a half while watching it. If it was just related to the pandemic, you couldnt watch an hour-and-a-half of it, she said.
In a campaign rally-style announcement in Harlem, Ms. Hochul and the Rev. Al Sharpton offered opening remarks before Mr. Benjamin emerged to Jay-Zs Empire State of Mind.

I never in a million years would have imagined I would be standing here as the lieutenant governor of the state of New York. But God had bigger plans for me, Mr. Benjamin said. Our community needs government to work and thats what we will do for the state of New York.

[Read more about Mr. Benjamin and his time in politics.]

Benjamins background

Mr. Benjamin ran for State Senate during a special election in 2017 and won the Democratic Partys pick for the seat, which represents a large swath of Upper Manhattan, after a convention vote in March. He defeated his Republican opponent and took office that June.

The senior assistant majority leader in the State Senate, Mr. Benjamin has long been a supporter of criminal justice reform. He has backed efforts to close Rikers Island and supported legislation on a range of criminal justice issues, including ending cash bail and solitary confinement, and reforming parole laws.
As the Taliban swept through Afghanistan in August, a Gen Z alt-right group ran a Twitter account devoted to celebrating their progress. Tweets in Pashto juxtaposed two laughing Taliban fighters with pictures meant to represent American effeminacy. Another said, the words auto-translated into English, Liberalism did not fail in Afghanistan because it was Afghanistan, it failed because it was not true. It failed America, Europe and the world see it.

The account, now suspended, was just one example of the open admiration for the Taliban thats developed within parts of the American right. The influential young white supremacist Nick Fuentes  an ally of the Arizona Republican congressman Paul Gosar and the anti-immigrant pundit Michelle Malkin  wrote on the encrypted app Telegram: The Taliban is a conservative, religious force, the U.S. is godless and liberal. The defeat of the U.S. government in Afghanistan is unequivocally a positive development. An account linked to the Proud Boys expressed respect for the way the Taliban took back their national religion as law, and executed dissenters.

The far right, the alt-right, are all sort of galvanized by the Taliban essentially running roughshod through Afghanistan, and us leaving underneath a Democratic president, said Moustafa Ayad, executive director for Africa, the Middle East and Asia at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank devoted to countering violent extremism. Theyre looking at Afghanistan, he said, from a standpoint of us getting owned, in the parlance of the internet.

This is not the first time that right-wing American extremists have been inspired by Muslim militants; several white supremacists lauded Al Qaedas attacks on Sept. 11. The difference now is that the far right has grown, and the distance between the sort of right-wingers who cheer for the Taliban and conservative power centers has shrunk.
Its a cautionary tale: Across southern Europe and beyond, countries  Turkey, Italy and Algeria among them  have struggled to respond to wildfires, as decades of underinvestment have withered the states ability to protect its citizens. In Greece as elsewhere, to have any chance of mitigating climate catastrophe, the state must reverse much of what it has done for the last 30 years  and commit to the patient, long-term task of investing in environmental resilience. Otherwise Athens, streaked by smoke, could become Europes first uninhabitable capital city.

The roots of this summers fires in Greece go back to the postwar period, when breakneck urbanization  spurred by flimsy, often illegal building sprees  lured tens of thousands from the countryside to Athens. Entire coastlines were despoiled with concrete for the sake of touristic development, while colossal tracts of countryside, long overseen by shepherds and olive farmers with stakes in the well-being of the land, were emptied of many of their handlers. Even more devastating, on a global scale, was the environmental damage committed by Greeces ship-owning magnates, whose ceaseless transport of hydrocarbons, combined with a stranglehold over the countrys political system, made them some of the worlds most stupendous agents of planetary desecration.

Even so, at least until the late 1980s, the state played a large role in securing public welfare. But over the next decade, that started to change. In search of immediate profits, the government sold off chunks of the countrys public sectors, among them telecommunications, electricity and gas. Responsibilities once held by the state fell to private interests, whose priority was to turn a profit off them, or to private citizens, who were left to pick up the pieces.

Take Greeces firefighting sector. Though nominally under the states care, it suffered from under-resourcing: In the 90s, the government annually deployed a small force of just 4,500 permanent firefighters  aided by thousands of seasonal hires  to stamp out summer blazes. Little attempt was made to harness resources for the long-term care of forestland that might prevent the onset of fires in the first place. Exacerbating the problem, in 1998 the liberal administration, as part of its bid to decentralize government further, uncoupled the task of firefighting from that of forest management altogether. Efforts to stymie fires became tangled in bureaucracy.

It got worse. The financial crash of 2008 and the ruthless austerity that followed  insisted on by the European Union countries now dispatching troops of firefighters to Athens  forced the Greek government to operate within strict budgetary requirements. With only minimal control over its own finances, it stripped back the firefighting budget by more than 100 million, or $118 million. The result was considerable abandonment. In recent weeks, as their homes burned in Evia, residents threw up their arms in despair. The state is absent, said one villager. We were fighting alone, said another.
After his yearlong tour of the United States in 1824, the aging Lafayette returned to France in 1825 to settle in to something like retirement. But during his time away, political life had taken a turn for the worse. The death of the relatively moderate King Louis XVIII  who had been brought to the throne in the wake of Napoleons rule  meant that his younger brother, the archreactionary Comte dArtois, now reigned as King Charles X.

While Louis attempted to rule from the middle, Duncan notes, Charles tossed any pretense of moderation or compromise with liberals. Nearly four decades earlier, in July 1789, Charles fled France, one of many counterrevolutionary emigres. For thirty-five years he harbored dreams of undoing the Revolution, Duncan writes of the newly installed monarch. Now he finally had his chance.

Lafayette tried to stay out of domestic politics but events were conspiring in ways that would compel his re-entry. In early 1827, the kings prime minister, Joseph de Villele, introduced a bill that would make it impossible to operate a newspaper critical of the regime. In April 1829, after taking insults from the Paris National Guard at an event held to celebrate the anniversary of his return to the city 15 years earlier, Charles disbanded it. That same year, the liberal opposition made headway in the Chamber of Deputies, winning enough power to take a vote of no confidence on a subsequent prime minister, Jean Baptiste Gay, the comte de Martignac. Charles fired Martignac and replaced him with Jules de Polignac, an intransigent ultraroyalist.

Unsurprisingly, things only escalated from there. In February 1830, Charles gave a royal address bristling with contempt for his liberal opponents in the national legislature. Those deputies  who at this point included Lafayette  responded with a letter of protest, to which the king responded by dissolving the chamber and calling for new elections.

This announcement set off a wave of protests and political mobilization across France, Duncan writes. Desperate to change the subject, Charles and Polignac launched a war to seize and occupy Algiers, an early instance of wagging the dog. (It would be another 130 years before France left. In the initial war of conquest, more than 500,000 Algerians were killed, and it didnt stop there.) Charles also promoted his preferred candidates in the upcoming legislative elections, in hopes of winning a slate of deputies who backed him and his priorities.

Heres Duncan:

None of it worked. In the elections held between July 5-19, 1830, the liberals triumphed. They elected more deputies than ever and now commanded a clear majority in the chamber.

The victory would be short-lived because a week later, on July 26, King Charles would try to take power for himself. On that day, Charles issued four ordinances, each decreed by fiat:

The first suspended freedom of the press. The second dissolved the recently elected Chamber of Deputies before they even met. The third completely reorganized elections  reducing the number of deputies, changing eligibility requirements to exclude all but the wealthiest voters, and summarily disenfranchising three-fourths of the electorate. The fourth called for elections under the new rules to be held in September.

Lafayette could not help but act. He rushed to Paris, met with opposition leaders and gave his moral support to those armed Parisians who had seized the Hotel de Ville and fortified their position with barricades all around central Paris. With the support of the public behind him, Lafayette took command of a remobilized National Guard.

My dear fellow citizens and brave comrades, he said, the confidence of the people of Paris once more calls me to the command of the popular force. I have accepted with devotion and joy the powers that have been confided in me, and, as in 1789, I feel myself strong in the approbation of my honorable colleagues, this day assembled in Paris.
The ocean has always glowed.

The Greeks and Romans knew of luminous sea creatures as well as the more general phenomenon of seawater that can light up in bluish-green colors.

Charles Darwin, as he sailed near South America on a dark night aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, encountered luminescent waves. He called it a wonderful and most beautiful spectacle. As far as the eye could see, he added, the crest of every wave was bright  so much so that the livid flames lit the sky.

Now, scientists report that ocean bioluminescence can be so intense and massive in scale that satellites orbiting five hundred miles high can see glowing mats of microorganisms as they materialize in the seas. Last month in the journal Scientific Reports, eight investigators told of finding a luminous patch south of Java in 2019 that grew to be larger than the combined areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

It was an epiphany, said Steven D. Miller, lead author on the bioluminescence study and a specialist in satellite observations at Colorado State University. When a hidden wonder of nature comes to light, he added, it captures your imagination.
The oddball reptile must have been stunning to behold. With a giant, mohawk-style crest, a birdlike beak and a body covered in something resembling but not quite fur, the pterosaur probably stuck out even among the other exotic creatures of the early Cretaceous Period. Its sprawling wingspan indicated that it almost certainly flew, but probably only for short distances because of its long neck and large crest. It most likely spent a good deal of time foraging on the ground, the researchers say.

The crest, the researchers suspect, was a blessing and curse. Individuals endowed with larger-than-average headgear may have been more likely to attract a mate. The trade-off? Greater vulnerability to predators. (Die young and leave a beautiful corpse, perhaps.)

Pterosaur fossils are rare. Their bones are extremely fragile, even more so than birds, the researchers say.

A lake with fluctuating salinity that was created when Africa and Brazil separated was ideal for fossil preservation. Researchers have access to many fish preserved with their internal organs from that region. Mr. Beccari suspects their pterosaur specimen may have died by the lake, or by a river that dragged the body along into the lake.

We think at the bottom of the lake there was no oxygen, so no animals or bacteria could decay the animal, Mr. Beccari said. If it managed to get to this part of the lake it would be safe from decomposing.
It was an awkward first encounter. In March, 2011, when Jennifer Chu was 19 and the single mother of three-year-old daughter Orianna, she was introduced to Charonton Barber, a 2002 U.S. Naval Academy graduate.

Feeling insecure because Oriannas father had been Ms. Chus only previous relationship, she was unusually quiet when Mr. Barber entered the Prado Spa & Salon in West Palm Beach, Fla., where she worked as assistant manager while attending Florida Atlantic University. I was blown away by Charontons good looks but so nervous I barely spoke, said Ms. Chu, now 29, and a real estate agent with Chu Barber Group at Exit Realty Mizner in Boca Raton.

Mr. Barber was born in Lansing, Mich., and raised in Georgetown, S.C., where his father, Brendon M. Barber, Sr., is currently mayor. He lived in Miami working as a project manager for Critical Path Construction when a mutual friend encouraged him to meet Ms. Chu.

I thought she was attractive and sweet but I spoke more to her work associate, said Mr. Barber, now 44, and a real estate agent/project manager with Ms. Chus team at Exit Realty Mizner, as well as a lender with Paramount Residential Mortgage Group in Tampa, Fla. Since my friend spoke highly of Jennifer, I texted her the next day.
About an hour into her first date with Edward Andrews Larkin in August 2019, at a wine bar in San Francisco, Rachelle Louise Soderstrom was ready to call it a night. The couple had matched on Bumble, and although Ms. Soderstrom thought Mr. Larkin was nice, she didnt see a second date in their future. As they were finishing their second glass of wine, which was supposed to be their last, their waiter mistakenly delivered two more full glasses. When Ms. Soderstrom and Mr. Larkin explained that they hadnt ordered more wine, their waiter told them they could have it for free  it couldnt go back in the bottle.

After the third glass of wine, we really hit it off, Ms. Soderstrom, 39, said with a laugh.

They finished their wine and continued their date at the Battery, a private social club where Ms. Soderstrom is a member. They ended up talking for hours, and bonded over their shared memories of Pentwater, Mich., a beach town on Lake Michigan where they had both spent summers when they were children.

By the end of the night, there was a sense that it was something, Mr. Larkin, 32, said. It wasnt just a first meeting that wasnt going to pan out.

The couple made plans to meet up for a hike a few days later, and before long were spending their weekends road-tripping up and down the California coast. On one trip, Mr. Larkin wore a polyester shirt he had impulsively bought after seeing it advertised on Instagram. What had arrived was much less attractive than he thought it would be, and at dinner Ms. Soderstrom jokingly told him that if things were going to continue between them, he would have to get rid of the ugly shirt.
Mutual friends from their teen years had told Sapna Maheshwari that Devjoy Sengupta was a keeper at 17. She was not about to let him go when they met more than a decade later.

Incredibly, we had two mutual friends who went to a high school program in New Jersey with Devjoy, said Ms. Maheshwari, 34, a business reporter at The New York Times who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

They remembered him as wonderful, smart and worth meeting, she said. When I met him he was all of those things, and more.

The two met in November 2016 on the League, a dating app that supplies the names of mutual friends who can provide the kind of background information that could lead to a love connection, or an outright rejection.
One evening in March 2020, Angeline Disante, 29, was tasting teriyaki steak on a stick to be served at her wedding on April 15. Once the pandemic hit, Ms. Disante and her fiance rescheduled the wedding for Nov. 28. Not surprisingly, that one had to be postponed as well.

Her venue in New Rochelle, N.Y., still had one date open for a third attempt; coincidentally, her photographer, videographer, hair and makeup artists, florist, D.J., and dais bedazzler were also available. It was a Saturday night in September, the holy grail of New York nuptials. It was also the 20th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

I told them, Cross that date off your list, recalled Ms. Disante, who is engaged to a police officer. Her brother is also a police officer, and there were many more on the couples guest list. I wouldnt even consider 9/11, she said. There was no way I was doing it.

She is doing it.

Maybe its a result of all the ceremonies and receptions postponed because of Covid-19. (They had to happen at some point.) Maybe its because, after 18 months in takeout-stained joggers, the love-affirming vitality of putting on a gown or tuxedo feels imperative. Maybe its a statement on how long we can cling to a collective national pain. But at least for this year, Sept. 11 is ready for romance.
Western states arrived at this crucible in large part because of their own doing. The original multistate compact that governs the use of the Colorado, which was signed in 1922, was exuberantly optimistic: the states agreed to divide up an estimated total amount of water that turned out to be much more than what would actually flow. Nevertheless, with the building of the Hoover Dam to collect and store river water, and the development of the Colorados plumbing system of canals and pipelines to deliver it, the West was able to open a savings account to fund its extraordinary economic growth. Over the years since, those states have overdrawn the rivers average deposits. It should be no surprise that even without the pressures of climate change, such a plan would lead to bankruptcy.

Making a bad situation worse, leaders in Western states have allowed wasteful practices to continue that add to the material threat facing the region. A majority of the water used by farms  and thus much of the river  goes to growing nonessential crops like alfalfa and other grasses that feed cattle for meat production. Much of those grasses are also exported to feed animals in the Middle East and Asia. Short of regulating which types of crops are allowed, which state authorities may not even have the authority to do, it may fall to consumers to drive change. Water usage data suggests that if Americans avoid meat one day each week, they could save an amount of water equivalent to the entire flow of the Colorado each year, more than enough water to alleviate the regions shortages.

Water is also being wasted because of flaws in the laws. The rights to take water from the river are generally distributed  like deeds to property  based on seniority. It is very difficult to take rights away from existing stakeholders, whether cities or individual ranchers, so long as they use the water allocated to them. That system creates a perverse incentive: Across the basin, ranchers often take their maximum allocation each year, even if just to spill it on the ground, for fear that, if they dont, they could lose the right to take that water in the future. Changes in the laws that remove the threat of penalties for not exercising water rights, or that expand rewards for ranchers who conserve water, could be an easy remedy.

A breathtaking amount of the water from the Colorado  about 10 percent of the rivers recent total flow  simply evaporates off the sprawling surfaces of large reservoirs as they bake in the sun. Last year, evaporative losses from Lake Mead and Lake Powell alone added up to almost a million acre-feet of water  or nearly twice what Arizona will be forced to give up now as a result of this months shortage declaration. These losses are increasing as the climate warms. Yet federal officials have so far discounted technological fixes  like covering the water surface to reduce the losses  and they continue to maintain both reservoirs, even though both of them are only around a third full. If the two were combined, some experts argue, much of those losses could be avoided.
Apple, in a legal settlement announced on Thursday with a group of app developers, said it would allow developers to urge customers to pay them outside their iPhone apps.

The move would allow app makers to avoid paying Apple a commission on their sales and could appease developers and regulators concerned with its control over mobile apps, including strict policies designed to force developers to pay it a cut of their sales.

The settlement appears to be a small price to pay for the worlds richest company to avoid another extended legal fight that could have posed major risks to its business by targeting the iPhone App Store. In practice, some major companies, such as Spotify, already push their customers to evade Apples commissions.

Apple is still awaiting a decision from a federal judge in a separate lawsuit that was filed by Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite, and that seeks to force Apple to allow app developers to avoid App Store commissions altogether. Consumers, too, have sued Apple over its app commissions, in a case that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to go forward in federal court and that is seeking class-action status.
Standing before a local school board in central Indiana this month, Dr. Daniel Stock, a physician in the state, issued a litany of false claims about the coronavirus. He proclaimed that the recent surge in cases showed that the vaccines were ineffective, that people were better off with a cocktail of drugs and supplements to prevent hospitalization from the virus, and that masks didnt help prevent the spread of infection.

His appearance has since become one of the most-viewed videos of coronavirus misinformation. The videos  several versions are available online  have amassed nearly 100 million likes and shares on Facebook, 6.2 million views on Twitter, at least 2.8 million views on YouTube and over 940,000 video views on Instagram.

His talks popularity points to one of the more striking paradoxes of the pandemic. Even as many doctors fight to save the lives of people sick with Covid-19, a tiny number of their medical peers have had an outsize influence at propelling false and misleading information about the virus and vaccines.

Now there is a growing call among medical groups to discipline physicians spreading incorrect information. The Federation of State Medical Boards, which represents the groups that license and discipline doctors, recommended last month that states consider action against doctors who share false medical claims, including suspending or revoking medical licenses. The American Medical Association says spreading misinformation violates the code of ethics that licensed doctors agree to follow.
As travelers prepare for their next vacation, among the essentials to take along  like a toothbrush, wallet and phone charger  could be proof of vaccination for Covid-19, depending on where they are booked to sleep.

As coronavirus cases surge again across the country, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, a small number of hotels in the United States have announced that they will require proof of vaccination from guests and staff.

Accommodations such as PUBLIC Hotel, Equinox Hotel and Wythe Hotel, all in New York City, Urban Cowboy Lodge in Big Indian, N.Y., a hamlet in the Catskill Mountains, and Pilgrim House in Provincetown, Mass., are among the first in the United States to announce that they will require evidence of vaccination, via a physical card or a digital verification, from their guests.

The precedent for hotels requiring vaccination is already being set beyond the contiguous United States. In August, Puerto Rico issued an island-wide vaccine mandate that requires guests and staff at all hotels, guesthouses and short-term rentals, including Airbnb, to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours before their visit. If a person is staying longer than a week, they will need to present negative tests to hotel staff on a weekly basis.
A Florida court on Friday rejected an effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials to prevent mask mandates in schools during the states worst Covid-19 outbreak yet.

Judge John C. Cooper of the states Second Judicial Circuit said that Floridas school districts may impose strict mask mandates on students to curb the spread of the coronavirus, handing a defeat to Governor DeSantis, whose administration has vehemently insisted on leaving masking decisions to childrens parents.

In a lengthy ruling from the bench, Judge Cooper sided with parents of students in various school districts who had argued that Floridas Constitution requires keeping schoolchildren safe and secure, and masks would help accomplish that in a pandemic. Florida had previously indicated that it would appeal any adverse ruling to a more conservative appellate court.

Lawyers for Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, and the Florida Department of Education had countered that a parents bill of rights enacted by state lawmakers earlier this year gave parents the right to decide if their child should wear a mask. Judge Cooper disagreed, saying the new law doesnt ban mask mandates and in fact gives school districts the discretion to impose them.
Theres always the same resistance  Oh my God, youre going too far, said Martha Haakmat, a Black diversity consultant who serves on the board of Brearley. We just want to teach kids about the systems that create inequity in society and empower them rather than reinforcing systems of oppression.

Studies show that very young children, she said, are aware of skin color. Better to address it  Yes, that woman has Black skin. What do you think of that?  than to let children view white skin as the baseline.

More broadly, Ms. Haakmat said, private schools need to sidestep white old boy networks in hiring and integrate antiracism into the curriculum: If you teach statistics, why not touch on economic and racial inequality? Or use biology classes to teach of eugenics and how race has framed the way we think of humans? That, she said, is thoughtful antiracism.

Critics, a mixed lot of parents and teachers, argue that aspects of the new curriculums edge toward recreating the racially segregated spaces of an earlier age. They say the insistent emphasis on skin color and race is reductive and some teenagers learn to adopt the language of antiracism and wield it against peers.

The nerves of some parents were not soothed when more than 100 teachers and staff members applauded Daltons antiracism curriculum and proposed two dozen steps to extend it, including calling on the school to abolish any advanced course in which Black students performed worse than students who are not Black.

A group of Dalton parents wrote their own letter to the school this year: We have spoken with dozens of families of all colors and backgrounds who are in shock and looking for an alternative school.

This upswell of parental anger, fed also by discontent with Daltons decision to teach only online last fall, led the head of school, Jim Best, who is white, to leave on July 1. Daltons diversity chief resigned under fire in February.
WASHINGTON  President Biden on Friday used his first meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel to underscore that working closely with a longstanding ally in the Middle East was still a focus of his administration, even as the crisis in Afghanistan has opened him up to criticism that he is ceding ground in the wider region to extremists.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday but delayed a day because of the deadly terrorist bombing at the airport in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. service members, also offered Mr. Biden a brief break from the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the opportunity to project the confidence of a president consulting with a supportive foreign ally.

I look forward to us establishing a strong personal relationship, Mr. Biden said, sitting in the Oval Office next to Mr. Bennett. He said the focus of the meeting was to demonstrate an unshakable partnership between our two nations. Both men wore masks.

The two leaders have significant policy differences. In an interview with The New York Times several days before Fridays meeting, Mr. Bennett said he would oppose American-led attempts to reinstate a lapsed nuclear agreement with Iran and would expand West Bank settlements that Mr. Biden opposes.
Lt. Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot a rioter during the Jan. 6 attack, defended his actions in a televised interview on Thursday, saying that pulling the trigger had been a last resort that had prevented the mob from killing lawmakers.

I know that day I saved countless lives, Lieutenant Byrd told NBC Nightly News, publicly identifying himself for the first time. I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And thats my job.

The Capitol Police and federal prosecutors had kept his identity private, saying that he and his family had received death threats. Former President Donald J. Trump and far-right Republicans have portrayed the rioter he shot, Ashli Babbitt, as a martyr and suggested without evidence that she was a victim of premeditated murder.

Lieutenant Byrd organized and coordinated the defense of the House chamber on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol and beat police officers while Congress counted electoral votes to formalize President Bidens victory.
The C.I.A.s new mission will be narrower, a senior intelligence official said. It no will longer have to help protect thousands of troops and diplomats and will focus instead on hunting terrorist groups that can attack beyond Afghanistans borders. But the rapid American exit devastated the agencys networks, and spies will most likely have to rebuild them and manage sources from abroad, according to current and former officials.

The United States will also have to deal with troublesome partners like Pakistan, whose unmatched ability to play both sides of a fight frustrated generations of American leaders.

William J. Burns, the agencys director, has said that it is ready to collect intelligence and conduct operations from afar, or over the horizon, but he told lawmakers in the spring that operatives ability to gather intelligence and act on threats will erode. Thats simply a fact, said Mr. Burns, who traveled to Kabul this week for secret talks with the Taliban.

Challenges for the C.I.A. lie ahead in Afghanistan, the senior intelligence official acknowledged, while adding that the agency was not starting from scratch. It had long predicted the collapse of the Afghan government and a Taliban victory, and since at least July had warned that they could come sooner than expected.

In the days after the Sept. 11 attacks, C.I.A. officers were the first to meet with Afghan militia fighters. The agency went on to notch successes in Afghanistan, ruthlessly hunting and killing Qaeda operatives, its primary mission in the country after Sept. 11.

It built a vast network of informants who met their agency handlers in Afghanistan, then used the information to conduct drone strikes against suspected terrorists. The agency prevented Al Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base to mount a large-scale attack against the United States as it had on Sept. 11.

But that chapter came with a cost in both life and reputation. At least 19 personnel have been killed in Afghanistan  a death toll eclipsed only by the agencys losses during the Vietnam War. Several agency paramilitary operatives would later die fighting the Islamic State, a sign of how far afield the original mission had strayed. The last C.I.A. operative to die in Afghanistan was a former elite reconnaissance Marine, killed in a firefight in May 2019, a grim bookend to the conflict.
WASHINGTON  American intelligence agencies have not been able to determine if the coronavirus pandemic was the result of an accidental leak from a lab or if it emerged more naturally, according to declassified portions of a report to the White House that were released on Friday.

The nations spy agencies, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said, are unlikely to reach a conclusion without more cooperation from China or new sources of information.

In a statement, President Biden said the United States would continue working to understand the origins of the virus and he called on China to be more transparent about what led to its emergence there in late 2019 before spreading rapidly across the globe.

We will do everything we can to trace the roots of this outbreak that has caused so much pain and death around the world, so that we can take every necessary precaution to prevent it from happening again, Mr. Biden said. Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the Peoples Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it.
That may suggest that judges ought not consider the political party of the president under whom they retire, but Justice Breyer seemed to reject that position.

He was asked about a remark from Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died in 2005, in response to a question about whether it was inappropriate for a justice to take into account the party or politics of the sitting president when deciding whether to step down from the court.

No, its not inappropriate, the former chief justice responded. Deciding when to step down from the court is not a judicial act.

That sounded correct to Justice Breyer. Thats true, he said.

Progressive groups and many Democrats were furious over Senate Republicans failure to give a hearing in 2016 to Judge Merrick B. Garland, President Barack Obamas third Supreme Court nominee. That anger was compounded by the rushed confirmation last fall of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald J. Trumps third nominee, just weeks after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and weeks before Mr. Trump lost his bid for re-election.

Liberals have pressed Mr. Biden to respond with what they say is corresponding hardball: expanding the number of seats on the court to overcome what is now a 6-to-3 conservative majority. Mr. Biden responded by creating a commission to study possible changes to the structure of the court, including enlarging it and imposing term limits on the justices.

Justice Breyer said he was wary of efforts to increase the size of the court, saying it could erode public trust in it by sending the message that the court is at its core a political institution and result in a tit-for-tat race to the bottom.

Think twice, at least, he said of the proposal. If A can do it, B can do it. And what are you going to have when you have A and B doing it?
With the courts decision looming, the Treasury Department rolled out changes to the program on Wednesday, including additional attempts to absolve local governments of federal punishment if they provided money to those who do not actually need help. The agency issued 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 giving states permission to send bulk payments to landlords and utility companies in anticipation of federal payouts to tenants.

The Supreme Courts ruling divided lawmakers along party lines on Friday, with Republicans applauding the decision and Democrats demanding legislative action to address a looming eviction crisis.

A group of progressive House Democrats wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, calling on congressional leaders to include an extended moratorium that would last through the end of the pandemic in upcoming legislation. An effort by House Democrats to extend the eviction ban failed in July.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Friday that Mr. Biden would welcome congressional action. Barring that, she said the White House was focused on finding other ways to ease the burden on renters by encouraging the delay of evictions and getting financial assistance out the door more quickly.

A senior White House official said there were no long-shot measures that the administration was waiting to deploy. It will continue to see if agencies like HUD can do more to stall evictions and it will accelerate efforts to get states to pump out relief money faster.

The wave of evictions is coming at a fragile juncture for the economic recovery and as the fiscal support that Congress approved during the initial stages of the pandemic is winding down.

The effect on tenants will vary tremendously from state to state and city to city, said Diane Yentel, the president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The pandemic made things worse. Many school bus drivers retired or quit out of fear of becoming exposed to the virus in an enclosed space, a risk some new drivers were also reluctant to take. Some quit over mask mandates, while others were furloughed or got sick, further diminishing the pool.

As the start of the 2021-22 academic year approached, officials sounded the alarm. HopSkipDrive, which conducted a national survey of 1,186 transportation and district officials, said that efforts to prepare for the coming school year would be hobbled by the shortages. The National School Transportation Association, which represents bus companies, warned this year that new drivers would not be able to fill the shortfall caused by furloughs and the loss of drivers from the work force.

The training of replacements is not keeping pace. It can take up to eight weeks for a driver to get a commercial license, the association said. Additional training is required for drivers who transport children with special needs and behavioral issues.

The nations 13,000 school districts spend about $22 billion on student transportation every year, according to the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents drivers across the United States and Canada. That pays for about half a million yellow buses that ferry more than 25 million children to and from schools, the union said.

Covid came and it was the perfect storm, said John Costa, the international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
California parole commissioners recommended on Friday that Sirhan B. Sirhan should be freed on parole after spending more than 50 years in prison for assassinating Robert F. Kennedy during his campaign for president.

The recommendation from the two commissioners does not necessarily mean Mr. Sirhan, 77, will walk free, but it most likely puts his fate in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat facing a recall election that will determine his political future. A spokeswoman for Mr. Newsom declined to say whether he would approve the recommendation, only that he would consider the case after it is reviewed by the parole boards lawyers.

The parole hearing was the 16th time Mr. Sirhan had faced parole board commissioners, but it was the first time no prosecutor showed up to argue for his continued imprisonment. George Gascon, the progressive and divisive Los Angeles County district attorney who was elected last year, has made it a policy for prosecutors not to attend parole hearings, saying the parole board has all the facts it needs to make an informed decision.

At the hearing, which was conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Sirhan said he had little memory of the assassination itself, but he said he must have brought the gun to the scene.
At first light, the Taliban arrived and drove the group away from the airport with whips, he said. Still wet with sewage, Ruhullah had walked until he found a bus that took him across the city. He just got here, said Jamil, his uncle, who was watching nearby. Hes been missing until now.

When Husseins body was ready and wrapped in a white shroud, his relatives and neighbors carried him into the mosque, where the mullah was waiting. They laid him in a green blanket at the front, his face exposed. God is great, they chanted between prayers, five times, as prescribed by Shiite custom.

Most of the men filed out. It was the womens turn to see the deceased. They parted the curtain separating their side of the mosque, and Husseins wife began weeping loudly as she approached. Oh, God, why did you leave us? Mahera wailed, staggering. Why?

At the edge of the room, Ruhullah, hearing his mother, crouched and began to cry for the first time.

Outside the mosque, a small convoy of vehicles had assembled. After the women had said goodbye, his kinsmen carried out Husseins body and placed it in a van. The mourners drove out of the township, and into the hills overlooking Kabul.
The attack also killed 13 U.S. service members, and one of the first to be identified was Rylee McCollum, 20, a Marine who had been on his first overseas deployment, according to his father. He was one of 10 Marines, two soldiers, and one Navy medic killed in the attack, according to defense officials.

On Friday, the Pentagon changed its earlier statement that there were possibly two suicide blasts set off at the airport by ISIS-K, instead saying it was just one. The explosion hit right near the airports Abbey Gate, at a security chokepoint that squeezed together an enormous crowd that U.S. troops were checking for entry.

It was not only fear that trimmed the crowd at the airport Friday, what had been a constant mass since the Taliban assumed power nearly two weeks ago. Taliban fighters with Kalashnikov rifles kept people farther away from the airports entrance gates, guarding checkpoints with trucks and at least one Humvee.

Flights to evacuate people already within the airport resumed soon after the bombing. But the airport itself was largely locked down on Friday.
A devastating suicide bombing attack at Kabuls airport on Aug. 26 killed about 170 civilians and 13 U.S. troops.

The organization that claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts is known as Islamic State Khorasan Province.

Heres what we know about the group.

What is ISIS-K?

The group, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISIS-K or ISIS-KP, is an Afghan affiliate of the central ISIS group in the Middle East. ISIS-K, founded in 2015 by disaffected Pakistani Taliban, is smaller, newer and embraces a more violent version of Islam than the Taliban, which just toppled the U.S.-backed government of Afghanistan after a two-decade insurgency.
One day I was drinking from a two-liter Coca-Cola bottle and thought, I could use this bottle for a thigh, and I could use a one-liter bottle for the shin. I thought I could make a robot using recycled things. Its very cheap. Its suitable.

In building Athena, Mr. Karimi also had in mind using her to help disabled children adapt to orthotic devices and exercises.

I wanted to make a robot and fix sensors in the orthotics so that when the child moves his knee, the robot knee moves too, he said. I wanted the robot to copy the gait, hand movements, everything. Beyond that, he added, a robot can makes an injured child happy.

Mr. Karimi was born in 1970, the seventh of eight children, and grew up in the Afghan cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul. His father was a director in the customs office.

I always intended to work as an electrical engineer, he said. I love electric work.

But in the mid-1980s, his eldest sister, a doctor, convinced him to study nursing as a way to keep off the front lines. This was the time of the mujahedeen resistance to the Russian occupation. At age 18, Mr. Karimi was drafted by the government and assigned to hospital duty.

The Russians left in 1989, and the American-backed mujahedeen overthrew the Communist puppet government in 1992. Mr. Karimi hid for months. As a government soldier, I would have been killed, he said. Eventually he set up a small medical shop in Mazar-i-Sharif.

A year later, he started work for the U.N.s Comprehensive Disabled Afghan Project, a program that helped more than 100,000 land mine victims. By the time he fled Mazar-i-Sharif in 2016, he was supervising a team of 14, including seven technicians, in a workshop run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan.
ATHENS  A giant puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl named Amal has been traveling across Turkey and Greece for much of the past month. It is the first leg of a 5,000-mile journey, one that is rich in symbolism as a new migration crisis looms in Europe following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

The puppet is the lead character in an ambitious theater project called The Walk that aims to draw attention to the refugee experience by following a route similar to that taken by some Syrians who escaped the civil war in their country.

Little Amal and her handlers plan to cross eight countries and dozens of cities in an 8,000-kilometer bid to shine a light on the plight of millions of displaced refugees.

But Amal, who is 12 feet tall and walks with the aid of the team of puppeteers accompanying her, is not welcome everywhere.
ROME  An Italian government official resigned on Thursday after coming under fierce criticism for his proposal to rename a park in his hometown after the fascist brother of Italys former dictator, Benito Mussolini.

The proposal to rename the park after Arnaldo Mussolini was made earlier this month by the official, Claudio Durigon, an under secretary in the economy ministry who is a member of the right-wing League party.

It reignited a debate over the memory of Benito Mussolini in a nation still struggling to reconcile its fascist past. Unlike other countries that agreed long ago on a blanket condemnation of their authoritarian rulers, debates still flare frequently in Italy over whether a distinction should be made between what Mussolinis supporters view as the good he did during his 1922-1943 rule and the atrocities he ordered.

The case is a clear example of how history can be revised in Italy these days, said Andrea Mammone, an Italian historian at Royal Holloway University of London. Fascist ideology and culture are present again not just in smaller, extremist movements, but also in major national parties.
Caleb Wallace, a leader in the anti-mask movement in central Texas, became infected with the coronavirus and has been in an intensive care unit for the past three weeks, barely clinging to life, his wife, Jessica, said.

Mrs. Wallace said that her husbands condition was declining and that doctors have run out of treatment options. On Saturday he will be moved to a hospice at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas, so that his family can say their goodbyes, she said.

Mr. Wallace, 30, has lived in San Angelo for most of his life and works at a company that sells welding equipment. He checked into the Shannon Medical Center on July 30. Mrs. Wallace set up a GoFundMe page that has collected over $35,000, to cover the cost of medical bills.
A former Freshman Follies cast, one of the philanthropy events the Greek community puts on every fall.
Every year, hundreds of people from Indias Uttarakhand state engage in Bagwal, a brutal stone-pelting battle that often leaves dozens with severe injuries that require medical attention.

Bagwal literally means fight with stones, so its a pretty fitting name for a celebration thats all about hurling big stones at the opposing side. Four clans gather in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand to take part in the unique event, despite the danger of getting seriously injured by the stones flying through the air. In fact, bloody wounds are the whole point of Bagwal as legend has it that the Hindu deity Barahi struck a deal with humans to rid them of demon invaders in exchange for a sacrifice in the form of blood.

Photo: Indian Express

The story goes that Devidhura, the town that hosts Bagwal every year, was once invaded by demons. Unable to fend off the threat themselves, the four local clans  Walik, Chamyal, Lamgaria, and Gaherwal  prayed to Barahi to save their lives. The goddess agreed on the condition that a human sacrifice be made to her each year, so the clans took turns to sacrifice one of their own.

One year, when the time came for one of the clans to sacrifice their last youth in honor of Barahi, the boys grandmother prayed to the goddess to spare him. The deity heard her prayer and offered the clans an alternative: each year on Rakhi day, members of the four clans would hurl large stones at each other and the blood spilled in the process would replace the human sacrifice.

Its unclear when the Bagwal tradition began, but it is at least several centuries old and the descendants of the four clans still abide by their ancestors pledge, so much so that in 2013, when authorities tried altering the ceremony by replacing the stones with fruits and rubber balls, no one agreed. After all, the sacrifice of blood is the whole point of the celebration.

This year, the Bagwal stone-pelting battle of Devidhura was supposed to be a low-key affair this year, due to Covid-19, but devotees turned up in large numbers, eager to pelt the opposing clans with large stones. Interestingly, stones were banned by a high court years ago, but participants didnt much care about that.

Bagwal only lasted seven minutes this year, but that was enough to leave 77 of the 300 brave devotees with injuries that required subsequent medical attention. Thats nothing new, to be honest, as in 2019, the number of injuries was about 100. But then again, thats the whole point of the celebration, to spill blood in honor of Barahi.



Bagwal isnt Indias only stone-pelting celebration. Years ago we also wrote about Gotmar Mela, another centuries-old tradition.
Tim Bell

The weaponization of communications and the rise of the notorious British PR firm and its leader Tim The Fixer Bell, is the subject of the Influence documentary that was a finalist in the grand jury prize category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.

Bell Pottinger imploded in September 2017 after it fomented racial tensions in South Africa in support of its beleaguered former president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family.

The firm also was the go-to firm for the Bush II administrations selling of the Iraq war. It hauled in $500M from 2004 to 2011 for its work on behalf of the Pentagon, CIA and National Security Council.

Bell rose to power after serving as the image-maker of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Influence directors Diana Neille and Richard Poplak have made the film free to watch for people living in the UK and South Africa to help arm citizens with the information they need to better understand the industry, according to the documentarys website.

Americans may buy/rent the firm on the Apple, Google and YouTube platforms or through providers Comcast, Verizon Fios and Dish.

View the trailer.
Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has been engaging with the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works (OPW) Patrick ODonovan, the ESB and Waterways Ireland in an attempt to have concerns around potential flood damage to the Castle Callows area of Lusmagh fully addressed.

Deputy Nolan said that she has been contacted on the matter by concerned farmers and landowners on numerous occasions in the 15 months.

Deputy Nolan went on to say that the central issue involves too many sluice gates along the River Shannon at Shaughnessys Bridge being open at the same time:

The farmers and landowners that I have been working with are all of the clear view that by continuing to open too many of the gates at the same time, a serious flooding risk to the Castle Callows area of Lusmagh is being created.

"I have consistently raised the same matter with the Minister since May of this year.

"At that point in May the Minister informed me that in accordance with its guidelines, Waterways Ireland were operating the sluices at the New Cut and Meelick based on a number of factors including water levels at Banagher Bridge, rainfall levels and levels upstream to Lough Ree.

"He also stated that on the 8th May that it was necessary to open sluices at both locations in accordance with the guidelines and that all sluices had been open since 21st May 2021.

"However, I have been informed by those working on the land that in fact all sluices have been open since July of 2020 and that this is what is giving rise to the sustained flood risk to the Callows area of Lusmagh.

"I will be seeking to have this matter resolved as it is totally unacceptable for farmers, homeowners and landowners to be left in such a precarious and uncertain situation, concluded Deputy Nolan.
Instagram is celebrating International Dog Day by unveiling the most popular dog breeds on its platform.

Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Labradors, Collies and Huskies are the most paw-pular dog breeds in Ireland, according to the image-sharing app.

With over 97,000 people in Ireland posting more than a quarter of a million times about dogs on Instagram since May, its clear that Ireland is a nation of dog lovers.

People in Ireland are also barking mad for the dog and dog face emojis, which have been used by more than 56,000 people, 114,000 times on Instagram since May, alongside popular hashtags including #dogsofinstagram.

With the rise in dogs being surrendered by owners since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, animal welfare organisations have been working hard to rehome dogs and raise awareness of the pandemic puppy.

In the last 3 months, theres been over 12,000 posts and comments about rehoming dogs by 9,500 people in Ireland across Facebook and Instagram. There has also been a surge in the use of hashtags such as #adoptdontshop, #rescuedog, #rescuedogsofinstagram and #rescuedismyfavoritebreed as people across Ireland support these organisations in rehoming rescue dogs.

Wicklow Animal Welfare is one of many organisations that relies on Instagram to connect potential owners with dogs in need of a new home. Miriam Peters, who helps run the charitys Instagram profile said:

This year, we have rescued and rehomed hundreds of dogs through Instagram. Alongside the dogs we rescue on a normal basis, we are now inundated with what we term Covid surrenders. Its heartbreaking for the dogs who have been let down by people. As a voluntary organisation, founded by Fiona Gammell, we rely entirely on the goodwill of our supporters. With 14,000 followers and growing, Instagram plays a huge role in helping us communicate with our community, encouraging them to support and donate to help cover costs associated with rescuing dogs.

On Facebook, over 300,000 people in Ireland are part of 27,000 active Groups about dogs. More than 57,000 of these people are part of Groups dedicated to rehoming dogs such as My Dog and Dog Trust Ireland Lost & Found Dogs. Melanie Kevelighan, who runs the Dogs Trust Ireland Lost & Found Dogs Group which has more than 14,900 members, said:

We will be spoiling the dogs in our care and celebrating those lucky pooches who are enjoying the day in their forever homes. Unfortunately, weve recently been experiencing a huge increase in the volume of people contacting us to surrender their dog as Covid-19 restrictions ease. While most of us humans are delighted with the easing of restrictions and the return to normal life, not everybody feels the same, especially many of our furry friends.

"We have lots of tips and tricks to help prepare your dog for spending more time in their own company, and to teach them vital skills that they can apply in any situation. To receive your free interactive Life After Lockdown - Bark to Basics pack, please sign up via our website: DogsTrust.ie/BarkToBasics

Without a doubt, people across Ireland love celebrating dogs both online and offline. Round of appaws for some of Ireland's most loved dogs this International Dog Day; Misneach and Brod who are President Michael D. Higgins Bernese Mountain dogs; Stephen Byrnes' new rescue pup from Wicklow Animal Welfare; Roz Purcells two rescue dogs Wilko and Myla; Bobby Dassler the mini dog with a big personality and Cockalier Bertie The Blogger.
What's Included

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com.




Uyghurs population in Afghanistan fears that they will be extradited back to China on account of their status as "Chinese migrants" after the Taliban hostile takeover of the war-ravaged country.

Since Taliban terrorists seized control of Afghanistan following the pullout of US forces earlier this month, triggering an unabated chaotic exodus of thousands of civilians and foreigners, advocacy groups have been saying they fear the worst for the country's estimated 2,000 Uyghurs, Radio Free Asia reported.

An Uyghur woman who has been living in Kabul with her Afghan husband for more than 10 years said that she fears both Taliban repression and mistreatment of women and being returned to China on account of their status as 'Chinese migrants'.

"I'm terrified they're going to come looking for me because I 'belong to China,'" the woman added.

Mamat, an Uyghur man whose ancestors have come from China also expressed concerns and said "the roughly 80 Uyghur families in Kabul are living in confusion and fear about life under the Taliban."

"Kazakhstan is taking Kazakhs out of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan is taking Uzbeks out, Turkey and all the other countries are taking their own citizens away, but no one is even asking about how we're doing. No one is helping us [Uyghurs]," he added.

Several people also informed that the Taliban terrorists are now going into homes of people from the Uyghur community and kidnapping girls, Radio Free Asia reported.

Earlier this month, a US-based research and advocacy group has also released a new report documenting the complicity of Pakistan and Afghanistan in China's transnational repression of Uyghurs.

The report by Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (Oxus), discerns different methods used by the Chinese government against Uyghur communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Last month, Netherland's Arnhem city had also broken cooperation chains with their sister city of Wuhan while terming Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs as 'genocide'. (ANI)


Kerala is recording over 30000 new Covid cases per day, accounting for about 70 per cent of new cases in the country.

Amid the rising cases of Covid-19 in Kerala, news agency Reuters published a story on Thursday (August 26) night titled Kerala's COVID-19 lessons for India and Modi's government praising Kerala Model. The Chinese tech giant, Huawei, sponsored the story.

Kerala recorded 31,445 new Covid cases on Wednesday (August 25) and 30,007 new cases on Thursday (August 26).

The Communist government of Kerala, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had provided three days of relief from restrictions on the occasion of Bakrid. The Supreme Court had criticised the Kerala government for providing relief during Bakrid.

The Communist-run Kerala state government in India has been criticised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its handling of Covid-19. However, a Reuters analysis show the states methods have helped catch infections early and reduce the death rate, posted Reuters on Twitter, with the link of the story.

However, Reuters deleted the tweet later.

This article by @ReutersIndia is sponsored by Huawei. Grand collaboration between liberals, Indian Commies and Chinese, posted Dr. Vijay Chauthaiwale, head of Foreign Affairs Department of the BJP, on Twitter.

Reuters, in its story, reported, Vilified by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party for its high COVID-19 cases, Kerala's apparent poor record may actually hold crucial lessons for the country in containing the outbreak as authorities brace for a possible third wave of infections.

The Chinese tech giant, Huawei, is banned in many countries for its links with the Chinese Communist Party and allegations of snooping on its customers through its high-tech devices.




Dibya Kamal Bordoloi

Centres bid to improve North Easts waterway connectivity under ACT East Policy.

Guwahati: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, attended the MoU signing programme between Inland Water Authority of India & Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Ltd. on Thursday (August 26) for setting up a new Ship Repair Facility at Pandu in Guwahati.

As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the design and implementation of this project with the best standards would be ensured. The technical support is to be provided by IIT Madras. The facility, also known as Slipway, is to be developed on a land of 3.67 acres provided by the Government of Assam and is expected to be completed by August 2023. The facility is to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 75 crores.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister said that nearly 200 vessels are plying on the rivers of Assam and for repairing these vessels needs to take to Kolkata. Now, with this facility in Guwahati, repairs will be done here, saving time and money.

He said that prime minister Narendra Modi has been emphasising the development of roads, railways, waterways, airways, and internet connectivity in the NE.

The chief minister also thanked Union Minister Sonowal for setting up the Slipway at Pandu and announcing plans to build a modern convention centre at the Pandu Slipway site. He also requested the Union Minister for setting up a maritime cum shipping institute in Assam so that required manpower for the emerging sector can be created while also generating employment opportunities for local youth.

Dr. Sarma said, Our civilisations prospered by the rivers and under Prime Minister Modis leadership, we are harnessing the power of the rivers to bring prosperity and growth. Mongla and Chittagong Ports in Bangladesh are being connected with waterways of the state and it will open up vast opportunities for trade & businesses, he said.

Speaking at the programme, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that Prime Minister Modi has relentlessly pushed for NEs growth through Act East Policy. BBIN & ASEAN countries have been brought closer to the NE region through Act East Policy.

Before independence, the British used to export Assams products like timber, coal etc through the waterways to other parts of the world and we must harness the rivers for revolutionising water transport here, Sonowal said.
Nirendra Dev

New Delhi: At least 60 civilians and 12 US service members were killed as Islamic State claimed responsibility for the dastardly Kabul attacks on Thursday, August 26. It turned out to be the deadliest day for US forces in a decade, subjecting President Joe Biden to face sharper criticism.

The evacuation of western forces and others from Afghanistan plunged into deeper crisis as multiple explosions and at least one attack by a gunman in Kabul near the airport and other locations killed scores throwing the entire world into a panic.

In an address to the nation, Biden described the deceased US service personnel as heroes and asserted: We will not forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. We will not be deterred by the terrorists.

India strongly condemned the bomb blasts in Kabul.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

"Todays attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists," India said in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

Vice President of the 'ousted' Afghanistan government, Amrullah Saleh, has said The Taliban were not having sanctuaries there. The whole of Pakistan was in the service of the Taliban,

US officials have confirmed on Thursday, 12 US service members were killed and 15 injured. Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the airport attacks on the groups Telegram account.

Two suicide bombers and a gunman struck one of the main entrances to Kabuls international airport just hours after western intelligence agencies warned of an imminent threat to the ongoing, urgent evacuation operation. At least 60 Afghans were also killed and 143 wounded in the airport attack. Most of the victims had been waiting to get into the airport and on an evacuation flight and were crowded together in and around a sewage canal adjacent to the airport.

Joe Biden said he had asked commanders to strike back, but the head of US Central Command, Gen Kenneth McKenzie, spoke about 'cooperation' from the Taliban. He said 'cooperation with the Taliban' had probably thwarted earlier attacks and that the cooperation would continue.

Gen Kenneth McKenzie said the US would also "continue to execute the mission" to evacuate people despite the attack. The US has set a deadline of August 31 for the withdrawal of its troops. President Biden has rejected calls from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other allies for an extension.

On Thursday, Johnson said the operation to evacuate people would continue "according to the timetable we have got."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's national security adviser, Moeed Yusuf, has said that the western countries and the US have embarrassed themselves by not listening to Pakistan about the lack of local support of the Ghani administration earlier and now needs to cooperate with the Taliban.

It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan was a haven for terrorist groups when the Taliban were in power in the 1990s till October 2001 when they were ousted.

The Taliban have never broken their alliance with al-Qaeda over the last two decades despite military pressure and two years of negotiations in Qatar, Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, has said, according to CNBC.
Nirendra Dev

New Delhi: Hours before multiple explosions at Kabul left the US and rest of the world shell-shocked and in agony, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has told an all-party meeting that frequent firing incidents near the airport and inside Afghan capital" created massive hurdles for evacuation.

Dr Jaishankar also said that till Thursday morning (August 26), out of a total 565 evacuated, 15 were from other nations.

The floor leaders from various parties in Parliament have been also told that the Government had sensed troubles brewing in Afghanistan sometime back and had therefore ordered the scaling down of the Embassy in Kabul from June 2021 itself.

As part of that exercise, evacuation from Kandahar was carried out on July 10 and 11, and evacuation from Mazar-e-Sharif on August 10-11. The evacuees included 112 Afghan nationals, including Hindus and Sikhs. Of them, 175 were from Embassy Personnel and other Indian nationals - 263. The government has also introduced an E-visa system for Afghan nationals. The Minister reportedly said the Taliban have not kept their word as per Doha deliberations.

The Doha pact, signed between Taliban leaders and the US in February 2020, had envisaged religious freedom and democracy, with a government in Kabul that represented all sections of Afghan society. Sources said the Minister told the leaders that the Govt of India has also facilitated the evacuation of Indians by other agencies

Besides frequent firing incidents near the airport and inside Kabul, the Minister also said there were other issues in Kabul, such as multiple checkpoints by various groups, at times issues at the airport Landing permissions delays, Overflight Clearances from relevant countries and coordination on the ground.

He also told them a Special Afghan Cell set up by MEA on August 16 was able to coordinate repatriation and other requests from Afghanistan in a streamlined manner. The cell has an Operational system in place 24X7 for responding to requests over calls, emails and WhatsApp messages manned by more than 20 MEA officials. It has attended 3014 calls, responded to 7826 Whatsapp Messages and answered as many as 3101 Emails.

A series of security advisories were issued on June 29, July 24, August 10 and August 12 2021. Indian nationals were advised to leave immediately and had also been given a warning of discontinuation of commercial airlines.

Dr Jaishankar underlined that at present, Indias priorities in the circumstances include evacuation of Indian nationals and safety of our diplomatic personnel along with assistance to Afghan nationals in distress.

New Delhi is also keen to provide leadership in the 'Neighbourhood First' policy and thus has been coordinating with some neighbouring countries and tried to help evacuation of third party nationals. In between, India chaired the UNSC special meeting on Afghanistan.


Guwahati: With the rising water level of the mighty river Brahmaputra, the flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Friday with nearly 86,000 people hit by the deluge across seven districts, an ASDMA report says.

According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Bongaigaon is the worst affected district, where almost 53,000 people are in distress, followed by Dhemaji (over 16,000) and Chirang (over 13,200).

At present, 174 villages are underwater and 5,147 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, ASDMA said.

Incessant rains in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh raised the water level of the river Brahmaputra, causing an overflow of waters in its tributaries. The fresh floodwater drowned almost 92 villages in Bongaigaon, 42 villages in Chirang districts in lower Assam and 26 villages in Dhemaji district in North Assam. Other flood-affected districts are Biswanath, Sonitput, Kokrajhar and Dibrugarh.

The release of excess water from the Kurichu dam in neighbouring Bhutan raised the water level of the Aai river in the Bongaigaon district causing sudden flooding in Bongaigaon and Chirang districts.

Taking precautions of the rising water level of river Brahmaputra, the ferry services between river island district Majuli and Jorhat have been suspended until further order. In another matter of concern, it is said that the water level in the lower Subansiri dam also rose and reports of water overflow panicked the people in the downstream areas. But authorities stated that there is nothing to worry about the rising water level and it is under control.

The district authorities are running 34 relief camps and distribution centres in four flood-affected districts. Almost 6,592 people have taken shelter in these flood relief camps.

Many roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure have been damaged by floodwaters in the affected districts, district authorities said.
New Delhi: The Government of India 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 in the country from

August 15.

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.

This was announced by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences, and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh. He said that instructions to this effect had been conveyed to the members of BIRAC led by its Chairperson, Dr. Renu Swarup, who is also Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), 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 Indias 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.

He exhorted the senior officers to make efforts to reduce the turnaround time while supporting the startups to retain the edge over the private sector. He also called upon the Board of Directors of BIRAC to give startup applicants particular themes to focus on different aspects of tackling Covid-19.

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.2128 crore to more than 1,500 startups, enterprises, and SMEs. From supporting less than 50 biotechnology startups in 2012 with funding of less than Rs. 10 crores, the BIRAC is now funding over 5,000 biotech startups with over Rs. 2500 crore. By the year 2024, the BIRAC targets to support more than 10,000 biotech startups.



Earlier, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the e-office of BIRAC, and the BIRAC e-Office software was made live today. BIRAC e-Office Lite software has been deployed on NICSI server in testing mode from 1 st August 2021. The Union Minister of State said that the Digital India Mission is an ambitious project that will promote the country's prosperity by encouraging transparency and good governance.



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.



Ms. Anju Bhalla, Joint Secretary, DST, and Managing Director, BIRAC, and senior officers of BIRAC and DBT were also present at this event.

Courtesy: Indian Science Wire
Continuing its process of witch-hunting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government filed yet another case against news portal OpIndia Editor-in-Chief Nupur Sharma and its CEO Rahul Roushan.

The copy of the new FIR was never uploaded either on the West Bengal polices website or CIDs website. Nupur and Rahul got to know of the FIR when they received a summons from the CID.

The West Bengal government, perturbed by our coverage, got a series of FIRs registered against me personally and other editors of OpIndia in 2020. My husband and I were also interrogated for hours back then. 3 FIRs that we knew of were stayed by the Supreme Court in June 2020. It appears that a 4th FIR was also registered, said Nupur in a statement.

She added This FIR was never uploaded on the website of either the state police or the CID. The same was brought to our attention when I, Nupur J Sharma and OpIndia CEO Rahul Roushan got a notice by the CID.

Through senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, the OpIndia team had approached the Supreme Court and the matter has been listed for Friday.

Nupur expressed hope that as the Supreme Court had protected her in the past from the vendetta of the West Bengal government, it will protect her this time too.

We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! Were going to live on! Were going to survive! she posted on Twitter.




The fast-changing scenario in Afghanistan is being seen as a serious humanitarian crisis, especially for women and girls, by Israel.





Rony Yedidia Clein, Charge D' Affaires at the Embassy of Israel in India expressed concern about the situation in Afghanistan which has been taken over by the Taliban and the recent blasts in Kabul that killed over 50 people.

"We are shocked and saddened by the terror attack that happened last night which killed dozens of people. It's a horrible incident. We are very very concerned about the humanitarian crisis that is going on there. This crisis is particularly affecting women and girls," Clein told ANI.



Charge D' Affaires further added "all of a sudden women are going from a 'position of strength' to be under 'burqa'. "They are not been allowed to go out all of a sudden. Women and girls are in a very vulnerable position. We see this as very much problematic for the progress of Afghan people and for women in general. The state of Israel is very very concerned about this."



She expressed her concern about the ongoing developments in the war-ravaged country in an annual meet for Indo-Israel agricultural project.



On Thursday, Afghanistan reported twin blasts in two separate places. The first blast was reported at the Kabul airport as the second blast happened near the Baron Hotel that killed and injured several civilians and US troops.



External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said that all political parties including the government have a "strong national position" on developments concerning Afghanistan and the Centre has approached this current situation in the "spirit of national unity".



With the Taliban declaring victory in Afghanistan, thousands of people were seen rushing to the airport to save them from Taliban rule. Several countries including India are in an ongoing process of evacuating their citizens from Afghanistan.



Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport on Thursday. (ANI)


The COVID-19 scare has reached an alarming level in Kerala with the state recording more than 30,000 cases consecutively for three days. Kerala recorded 32,801 cases and 179 deaths on Friday (August 27). TPR rate has risen to an alarming level of 19.22 Per cent. Malappuram district recorded the highest COVID cases on Friday (4032). The total number of deaths in Kerala has raised to 20,313.

India on Friday reported 44,658 Covid cases and 496 deaths. As per reports, the state of Kerala attributed to nearly 70 per cent of the Covid tally.

32,801 COVID cases were reported while 1,70,703 samples were tested.
MK Muneer, senior Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, is an MLA from the Koduvally constituency in Kerala and served as a minister in the Kerala government.



Senior IUML leader, MLA, and former minister in the Kerala government, MK Muneer, received death threats over a Facebook post in which he had criticised the Taliban for unleashing brutality on the Afghan people. Muneer received the threat letter on Wednesday (August 25).



The letter warned that if Muneer did not delete the Anti-Taliban post, he and his family would be eliminated. The letter also warned that Muneer would meet the fate of Professor TJ Joseph in Thodupuzha, whose hands were chopped off in 2010 on allegations of blasphemy.



Muneer was getting multiple threats online after he published the post on Facebook last week. The commentators on his post asked him not to defame the Taliban and Islam. The Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15 and have unleashed a fresh torrent of terror. In a suicide blast at Kabul airport, more than 60 people were killed, including 14 American soldiers.




Kolkata: Amid the cloud of uncertainty because of the COVID pandemic, the idol makers of Kumartuli in Kolkata are hopeful of doing better business in Durga Puja this season compared to the last year.



Speaking to ANI, artisan Mintu Pal said, "The situation has improved from what it was in 2020. Because of COVID, we suffered huge losses last year. Now we hope to recover that money. Even just a month ago, the condition was very bad. At that time, we were not receiving orders. It is after Rath Yatra that we are getting orders."



Pal said that due to receiving orders late, the idol makers are working very fast.



"This time we have started work accordingly as the order arrived. We have very little time in hand. We have to complete the work within one month. Just 40-45 days left for the Puja," he stated.

Pal said initially, they were worried over whether the Durga Puja will be held or not. He said that many organisers settled for smaller idols of 6-7 feet height instead of the average 12-13 feet because of the lack of funds and sponsorships.

"It is also being said that the third wave of COVID is likely to come in September-October. For this reason, people are a little worried. Last year, our income reduced by 40 per cent. This year also we are expecting losses because people keep requesting to reduce the size of idols, but they do not understand that the materials and effort required in making them remain the same," he explained.

Pal said that he makes 40-45 idols every year, but the orders are a little less this year. Pal also receives orders from abroad.

"The idols that were to go abroad have been sent because only a few days are left for the Puja. I have sent the Durga idols to New Jersey and other places in the USA, Berlin and Singapore. In 2019, eight idols were sent abroad from my workshop and about 100 idols from Kumartuli. This year only about 30 to 35 idols have been sent abroad," he said.

Kumartuli is a locality of the artisan community in Kolkata that supplies idols of gods and goddesses to various parts of the country and abroad. The artists earn the most during the Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal.

Artists are busy finishing idols of Goddess Durga at the Kumartuli workshop with splashes of hope.

Courtesy: ANI
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the new National Education Policy fulfils the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure all round development of the new generation along with education and skill promotion.

Madhya Pradesh becomes the second state after Karnataka to implement the National Education Policy 2020. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the implementation of the National Education Policy in the presence of Governor Mangubhai Patel on Thursday. Higher Education Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, Vice Chancellors of various universities and research scholars attended the programme organized at Bhopal.

Speaking on the occasion Governor Mangubhai Patel said that the educational institutions of the state should become flying launch-pads for the students so that they can touch the infinite heights of life. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the new National Education Policy fulfills the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure all-round development of the new generation along with education and skill promotion.

The Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan has said that Madhya Pradesh is the pioneer state to implement the National Education Policy 2020. Union Minister has congratulated the people of Madhya Pradesh and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan through a tweet.
Dibya Kamal Bordoloi

DNLA militants set 5 trucks on fire that killed at least five people.

Guwahati: In a horrific incident, at least five people were killed near Diyungmuk in Assams Dima Hasao district late Thursday night after their trucks were set on fire allegedly by members of the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA). The DNLA militant opened indiscriminate fire at five trucks and later set them ablaze on Thursday (August 26) night in Assams Dima Hasao district. The incident took place around 9:30 pm on Thursday, August 26, at Dayangmukh, Dima Hasao district.

Assam Police said the terrorists fired several rounds at the truck drivers and other people before setting seven trucks on fire. Security personnel rushed to the spotRangerbeel on Umrangshu Lanka Roadand recovered the bodies. Dima Hasao SP Jayant Singh said, Information we got from the ground was that ten suspected militants, who first fired from automatic weapons, set the trucks ablaze. We suspect the militant organisation DNLA to be behind this attack. Police and Assam Rifles are carrying out a massive combing operation in the area, searching for the militants.

The trucks were carrying coal and clinkers for a cement manufacturing plant in Lanka in the Hojai district. Sources said that DNLA was demanding ransoms from the cement company. Upon not getting the ransom, the militant organisation killed the innocent truck drivers in a barbaric manner.
More than 61 crore 22 lakh vaccine doses of COVID-19 have been administered in the country so far under a nationwide vaccination drive. Over 79 lakh 48 thousand vaccine doses were administered to the eligible beneficiaries in the country during the last 24 hours.

The Union Health Ministry in a statement said that the country reported 44 thousand 658 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The country's active caseload is currently at three lakh 44 thousand and 899. The active cases constitute 1.06 per cent of the total reported cases so far.



The Ministry said, a total of 32 thousand 988 patients also recovered from the infection during the last 24 hours taking the total recoveries to more than three crore 18 lakh 21 thousand. The recovery rate currently stands at 97.60 per cent. The Ministry said, the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 2.10 per cent which is less than three per cent for the last 63 days.

The Ministry said, testing capacity has been substantially ramped up and more than 51.49 crore tests for COVID-19 have been conducted so far.

(AIR)
New Delhi: Mars is the fourth planet of the solar system from the Sun outwards. Popularly known as the Red Planet, Mars is half the size of the Earth, and with the temperature dropping down to minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit it is considered to be one of the coldest planets. It has one-third of the gravity of Earth and is full of canyons, volcanoes, and craters. Yet, studies conducted through satellites and robots have indicated that Mars is a planet of many possibilities.



Earth keeps getting rocks of different shapes and sizes from Mars. One of the most controversial was Allen Hills 84001, a Martian meteorite that struck the Earth in 1996. It was found to contain shapes resembling small fossils. The study attracted a lot of media attention, but nothing came out of it. In 2018, again, there was a flurry of activities when another study found another meteorite rock to be carrying signs of organic molecules. It was speculated that the molecules might have formed on Mars through chemical reactions.



After a lot of unsuccessful attempts, in 1996, two crafts launched by the United States of Americas NASA - Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Pathfinder successfully reached the planet.



Mars Pathfinder carried a small robot onboard named Sojourner. It was the first wheeled rover to explore a planets surface. NASA then launched Mars Odyssey in 2001, which discovered a vast amount of ice beneath the surface of the Red Planet, indicating the possibility for life on the planet. This accelerated the study on Mars, and one after the other, NASA kept sending crafts to it.

In 2003, Mars passed closest to Earth in 60,000 years. NASA took the opportunity to launch two rovers, nicknamed Spirit and Opportunity, which studied different regions of the Martian surface. Both rovers discovered signs that water once flowed on the planet's surface. In 2008, NASA launched the mission Phoenix in search of water and succeeded. Several space research organisations in other parts of the world have also sent their spacecraft and have gathered a pile of evidence that indicates the possibility for life on Mars.



India launched its first mission to Mars in November 2013, and it entered Mars orbit in September 2014.



It was Indias first attempt to reach another planet, and it was highly successful. The mission cost Rs 450 crore, making it one of the least expensive missions to Mars to date. The cost was lower than the money put into making the science fiction film, Gravity.



While the mission was designed to work for a period of six months, it is now in its seventh year running.



It has returned thousands of pictures of the Red Planet, adding up to over two terabytes. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now working on a second Mars mission. It has asked the scientific community for suggestions for experiments that may be carried out and is in the process of receiving these inputs. Once we get these suggestions, we will prepare a project report. Then we will go to Space Commission, ISRO Chairman Dr. K.Sivan said.

All these research activities over the past several years have captivated the imagination of the world and have led to the generation of a dream of human colonisation of planet Red in the future. However, it is currently just an idea. Evidence found till now suggests that there was a time when Mars had a livable habitat. Scientists and researchers are looking for the future possibilities of sustainable life on Mars.



The idea to colonise Mars is directly connected to the benefits for humankind. It may enable the growth of humans as a species as it could enable economic benefits. A colonised Mars may also help if anything apocalyptic were to happen in the future that would demand the immediate evacuation of human species from earth. However, there are some risks involved with it.

Courtesy: Indian Science Wire


After the brutal terrorist attack at the Kabul Airport, Afghanistan's 'caretaker' President Amrullah Saleh on Friday (August 27) said that they had evidence in hand which showed links of the IS-K cells with the Taliban and the Haqqani network operating in Kabul. The leader remarked that the Taliban denying links with ISIS was equivalent to Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura and said that they had 'learned well' from their masters.

Saleh tweeted, Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in Talibs & Haqqani network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with ISIS is identical/similar to denial of Pak on Quetta Shura. Talibs hv leanred vry well from the master. #Kabul

Saleh had been critical of Pakistan for its support for Taliban terrorists. He had hit out at Pakistan's attempt to create chaos on Afghan soil and had stated that the Quetta Shura council was nothing else but a title for the Pakistan military to implement its plans.

The Quetta Shura was formed after the collapse of the Taliban Government in 2001. The organisation consisted of senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban such as Mohammed Omar who fled to Pakistan's Quetta in Balochistan after US troops retaliated in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
One important aspect of Chinese policy is the covert effort to establish colonies in other countries.

There is a well-crafted plan behind Chinas push towards global supremacy. The contours of one of its sordid elements, a biological weapons programme, is becoming clearer by the day as the mystery behind the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic unravels. Certain others, like the countrys aggressive moves towards smaller neighbours, have already put Asia on alert. The military alliances in the Asia Pacific are being reworked.

However, one important aspect of Chinese policy has not received the attention it deserves. It is the covert efforts to establish colonies in other countries. The stated intention is an investment, particularly in food production. But the lessons of history make one believe that China will ultimately take control of the food security of a large number of nations, including some in the developed world. This, together with Chinas debt-trap diplomacy, can deprive many countries of their internal security and even national sovereignty.

The operation of the plan began with Chinese companies, which are mostly agencies of the government, like ZTE, buying or taking on long lease vast tracts of fertile land in countries around the world. In developed countries, the land is taken over by buying out existing companies. Several million hectares of land has already gone to Chinese hands. The crops cultivated are mostly cereals, millets, corn and oilseeds, and there are poultry, dairy and meat farms. The claim is that the products are exported to China because only about 10 per cent of the countrys land is cultivable. A curious fact is that mostly high-protein products are sent to China.

The list of these countries is quite long (Chinas Foreign Agriculture Investments, EIB-192 USDA, Economic Research Service) [1]. They extend from New Zealand and Australia to Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam in Asia; D R Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Mali, Angola, Senegal, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Cameroon, Mozambique, Benin, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania and Togo in Africa; and Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia, Bahamas, Brazil and Jamaica in Latin America and the Caribbean. Chinese companies run farms in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Italy, France and the United Kingdom in Europe.

WH Group, a Chinese-controlled company, now owns the worlds largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods of the United States of America. Smithfield, together with three Western pharmaceutical companies, is doing research in genetic engineering with funds from the U.S. Department of Defense. Quite intriguing, given the allegations surrounding the origins of the coronavirus. In China, there are farms growing pigs that weigh more than 500 kilos. One can imagine the extent of manipulation of genes that has gone into this. What is the guarantee that an American company in Chinese hands will be an honest partner in research in critical areas?

At first glance, the Chinese agricultural invasion may appear to be a boon to the hungry billions of the world. But the picture becomes somewhat disturbing when seen against Chinas evident imperialistic tendencies.

Unlike in the case of Western multinational companies, which are privately run and have profit-making as their prime motive, operations of the state-controlled Chinese companies are certain to be designed to suit Chinas national interests. They will be interested in gradually taking control of agriculture in the host countries. Food is power. This power can be used to bring the host countries to their knees. In case of an international conflict, food can be used as a powerful weapon against adversaries. A country like China may not hesitate even to sabotage agriculture in powerful host countries with the treacherous use of technology, like terminator technology.

Chinas debt-trap diplomacy has enabled it to control land and other resources in many countries. For instance, Sri Lanka borrowed $1.1 billion to build a port at Hambantota and, unable to repay it, had to lease out to China the port and 6,000 hectares of land. Again, recently, the Sri Lankan parliament passed a bill granting China sovereign control over the Colombo Port City, a special economic zone and international financial facility China is building as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

The land that went to China along with the Hambantota port is bustling with activity. "Many Sri Lankans see all this construction, and they're proud of their district having these facilities. What people don't seem to understand are issues of environmental impact, human rights and labour," the US National Public Radio reported quoting Bhavani Fonseka, a lawyer at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a think tank in Colombo.

"If you go to any project site, it's the Chinese who have the jobs. Job creation hasn't come for locals. Will these [Chinese] workers settle here? Is this becoming a colony? Very few people are asking these questions," said Fonseka.

Shades of colonialism, for sure. And plenty of reasons for countries like India to worry. For the activity concerned goes on at a place only a few hundred kilometres away from the southern tip of the Indian mainland. No wonder if it finally turns out to be military facility.

The colonial characteristics of Chinese presence are even more evident in Africa. The Ogun State Free Trade Zone in Nigeria is a collaborative venture of the local authority and a large number of Chinese companies. According to Financial Times, Wilson Wu, managing director of the zone, says, It is like managing a country. We have our own customs, our own police, our own operations. The government of Nigeria provided the land. We used all our own money to build everything else.

That is, a state within a state. Nigeria is notorious for civil strife. If needed, China can bring in Peoples Liberation Army contingents to protect its economic interests. And the soldiers will stay on, which means the country will have a Chinese military base. Boko Haram, the fanatical Islamist rebel group, operates freely in the country. One day the Chinese can, or may be called upon, to takes sides. That is precisely what the English East India Company did in India.

A curious aspect of Chinas worldwide acquisition is that it now controls a large number of ports in different continents. China Overseas Port Holding Company, a state-run firm, operates the Gwadar port in Pakistan. The Darwin port in Australia is in the control of Landbridge Group, another Chinese firm, on a 99-year lease. China has invested in the Melbourne port. China has a 0.5 square kilometre military base in Port of Doraleh, Djibouti. A Chinese government company has controlling stake in the Piraeus port in Greece. The web of Chinese controlled ports extends to other European countries and the Americas.

Control of ports means control of global trade, which also means the capability to sabotage the economic interests of rival countries. Chinese companies (meaning government) together own a huge fleet of ships. The trade arm has reached almost every corner of the world. It not very difficult for the military arm to encircle the world.

China, unlike democratic countries, is a silent, cunning operator. The power structure there is opaque and what the authorities in Beijing are up to next is anybodys guess. The rest of the world has to keep its eyes and ears open. The responsibility for this lies particularly with the Western governments because it was the reckless pursuit of profit by Western corporates, with support from their governments, that created the China of today.


New Delhi: A new weapon against the debilitating infection of Chikungunya could soon be in the offing. A multi-country Phase II/III clinical trial of a vaccine led by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) began in Costa Rica on Tuesday. It is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with support from the Ind-CEPI mission of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India.



IVI is advancing the vaccine's clinical development named BBV87 through Phase II/III randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 2-dose regimen in healthy adults at nine clinical trial sites across five countries with endemic Chikungunya.



The Global Chikungunya vaccine Clinical Development Programme (GCCDP) seeks to develop and manufacture an affordable Chikungunya vaccine to achieve WHO prequalification to enable its distribution in low- and middle-income countries, consistent with CEPIs core commitment to equitable access, affordability, and sustainability.



As needed, CEPI or Bharat Biotech International Ltd may propose a third-party for manufacturing of a stockpile of the investigational product to be used for further clinical trials in outbreak conditions to advance vaccine development, or under an emergency use authorization in emergencies, based on national or international guidance (such as by the WHO).



Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, said: The vaccine candidate is an ingenious, well-researched vaccine. The human trial has begun an important trial phase in furthering the evaluation of safety and immunogenicity.



Dr. Sushant Sahastrabuddhe, acting Associate Director-General at IVI and Principal Investigator of GCCDP, said: The start of this trial in Costa Rica is a significant milestone in the effort to make available a safe, effective, and affordable Chikungunya vaccine for the one billion people around the world at risk of Chikungunya virus infection.



The launch of the trial furthers CEPIs US dollars 3.5billion plan, launched in March 2021, to tackle future epidemics and pandemics. CEPI first partnered with IVI and BBIL in June 2020, providing up to US dollars 14.1 million for vaccine manufacturing and clinical development of the BBV87 vaccine candidate.



The funding is supported by the European Unions (EUs) Horizon 2020 programme. The consortium was also supported with a grant of up to US dollar 2.0 million from the Indian Governments Ind-CEPI initiative to fund the set-up of GMP manufacturing facilities for the vaccine in India and subsequent manufacture of clinical trial materials.



It is very encouraging to witness the commencement of Phase II/III study of BBV87 in Costa Rica. This milestone is a first step towards developing a promising vaccine candidate against Chikungunya, an exhausting disease, said Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT.



BBV87 vaccine is an inactivated whole virion vaccine based on a strain derived from an East, Central, South African (ECSA) genotype.

Inactivated virions technology has a safety profile that potentially makes this vaccine accessible to special populations, such as the immunocompromised and pregnant women, that some other technologies cannot reach.



Courtesy: India Science Wire
Yogi Adityanath's government has been focusing on improving the health infrastructure in the state ever since he took the oath.

Fighting with the Covid pandemic in the last 14 months, the country and governments across India have realized the dire need for accessible, high-quality medical infrastructure and need for trained medical practitioners like never before. As soon as Yogi took the oath of office, he knew that law and order and health infrastructure in the state are in shambles. He was cognizant that creating medical infrastructure, upgrading medical facilities, and training medical practitioners is not a one-day task. So started from day one.

When Yogi became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, only 15 out of 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh have functioning medical colleges or institutes. Yogi gave the steep target of One district, One Medical College, to his team. Yogi and his team strategically divided the task into four phases and what has been achieved in the last 4.5 years is impressive. Let me take you through all four phases.

Phase 1 of Yogi Governments One District, One Medical College, UP MissionActivating seven existing structures

In Phase 1 of its mission, the Yogi government took the seven medical college structures built by the previous government and made them functioning. That required equipping them with all the required medical equipment, hiring doctors, professors, and other required medical staff, and getting the regulatory clearances from the Medical Council of India (MCI) for teaching the MBBS and allied courses.

In the 1st Phase, medical college structures were built in previous governments in the districts of (1) Ayodhya, (2) Basti, (3) Bahraich, (4) Firozabad, (5) Shahjahanpur were activated and operationalized.

In Phase 1 itself, (6) Cancer Institute in Lucknow was also operationalized - Linear Accelerators, X-Rays and equipment procured, doctors appointed, and first OPD and later IPD was also started along with the medical college. Additionally, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (Dr. RMLIMS), which catered to post-graduate (PG) students, was opened even for undergraduate (UG) MBBS students.

Phase 1 of the yogi government added almost 700 MBBS seats to the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Phase 2 of Yogi Governments One District, One Medical College, UP MissionAdding nine new Medical Colleges in UP

In phase-2, eight (8) district hospitals were taken up for up-gradation from district hospitals to medical colleges. Academic blocks and hospital up-gradation in these eight districts have reached the LOP-1 stage, and applications have been filed for National Medical Commission (NMC) inspection and clearance. This implies that the construction work required for teaching the first two years of pre-clinical courses in MBBS is complete. These eight new medical colleges are in (8) Deoria, (9) Eta, (10) Fatehpur, (11) Gazipur (12) Hardoi, (13) Mirzapur, (14) Pratapgarh, and (15) Siddhartha Nagar. The medical college in (16) Jaunpur, which had been approved by the previous government, but had been stalled, has been resurrected and is expected to be operational by August 2021.

The construction work for taking the LOP1 permission from MCI is over in all the medical colleges in these nine districts and pre-clinical departments (Microbiology, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, etc.) can be started now and as per the MCI procedure, and after two years second Letter of Permission (LOP2) will be taken for starting clinical departments (Gynecology, Surgery, Medicine, etc.). The government has sanctioned the requisite number of doctors, nurses, and para-medical staff to ensure that the undergraduate MBBS teaching can start in the academic session of 2021-22. These nine colleges will add almost 900-1000 more MBBS seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Phase 3 of Yogi Governments One District, One Medical College, UP MissionAdding 14 new medical colleges in UP

In phase three of the One District, One Medical College mission, the Yogi government has planned a new set of medical colleges in 14 more districts.

These districts are - (17) Kanpur Dehat, (18) Kaushambi, (19) Chandauli, (20) Bulandshahar, (21) Orai, (22) Kushinagar, (23) Gonda, (24) Pilibheet, (25) Bijnour, (26) Lakheempur Khiri, (27) Sultanpur, (28) Lalitpur, (29) Sohanbhadra and (30) Amethi.

In almost all of these 14 districts, the land is identified, finance committee approval has been taken, cabinet approvals are taken, tenders floated on EPC mode on fixed time and fixed price arrangement to enable the work to be over on time and within the budget. Environmental clearance, local body clearance, demolition clearance for any existing old structure have all been obtained in 13 districts, contractors have been selected, and construction has begun on the ground. Only in Amethi, the cabinet approval is awaited.

Earlier UP used a contractual mode for its construction work, which has the scope of delays and cost overruns. The new contracts are executed on a fixed price and fixed time mode. These 14 medical colleges will be operational by next year, with MCI approval for LOP1 and the addition of 1300-1400 MBBS seats for the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Phase 4 of Yogi Governments One District, One Medical College, UP MissionServing the unserved Districts

In phase 4, the Yogi government has targeted the unserved districts, where there are neither private nor government medical colleges. The Yogi government has identified 16 underserved districts and announced in the most recent budget that the government would build medical colleges in these districts through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The Yogi government will also use the Government of India's (GoI) plan, which provides a 30% capital subsidy to private entrepreneurs who participate in a public-private partnership (PPP) for a medical college project in underserved areas.

Yogi government is also working on Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University, Lucknow, which will later regulate the curriculum, examination, and academic norms in all the medical colleges of Uttar Pradesh, the same way as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (APJAKTU) is an umbrella body for all the engineering and technical education colleges in Uttar Pradesh.

Conclusion

One must be surprised with such absolute clarity of thought and vision in UP CM Yogi Adityanath for Medical Care and Public Health, which otherwise is considered a complex and nuanced topic. If you dive into his life before becoming the Chief Minister, you will get the answer. Yogi Adityanath administered large-scale medical facilities like 350+ bedded Guru Shri Gorakshdham Hospital, Guru Shri Gorakshnath School of Nursing, and a large Guru Shri Gorakshnath Blood Bank as part of Mahant of Gorakhnath Mutt. As a member of parliament, he has raised multiple questions on Japanese Encephalitis, child malnutrition, demand for AIIMS-Gorakhpur, and other public health-related topics. In a recent interview with the ex-Director of AIIMS-Delhi, Dr. MC Mishra, said that Yogi Adityanath is an expert public health professional, and he is instrumental in a drastic reduction in Japanese Encephalitis cases in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

(The writer is an author and Policy Analyst)
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
As much as we worry about reporting facts with words, there are images that are able to render an idea better than a thousand words. That is what is happening in Afghanistan these days. The tragedy and suffering is made more eloquent by the images of a thousand socio-political analyses, abounding in the media and the public debates of these days. Among this images there are two that touched the consciences of many people: a mother pushing her child over the barbed wire and a father lifting his child to a soldier on the other side of the barricade. What could drive a parent to do something so tragic, so painful? It brings to mind the gesture of Jochebed, Moses mother, who, driven by the same desperation, pushes her son into the waters of the Nile in a last attempt to save him. She abandons him so he might be saved. The emotional short-circuit lies in the juxtaposition of these two words: abandonment and salvation. I think that only a parent can understand the full extent of the pain of such a gesture. Yet in the tragedy of that separation there is a declaration of love: I am willing to let you go so that you may live. Too quickly in the biblical text we shift our gaze to the gesture of Moses, but I think we must find the courage to stop at the waters of the Nile that carry away the basket with the baby inside, while his sister Miriam tries to see where her brother will end up.

Sooner or later in life, in every loving relationship, one needs to reach the maturity of a similar separation: to let go so that life can become possible. But just as for Moses and for Afghan children, this gesture is not the celebration of a separation as the fruit of maturation, but a traumatic separation that is the fruit of violence and oppression. However, in our powerlessness we can become like Miriam and feel the responsibility of continuing to keep our gaze on these children to see what will become of them, and to try, like she did, to find a way for a necessary reconnection to happen.

Something similar is narrated in Cormac McCarthys novel, The Road. In an apocalyptic atmosphere a father and son try to save their lives by setting out on a journey they know little about. But in the end the father cant do it. He feels he is at the end and urges his son not to give up, to continue, to go on even without him: The man took his hand, wheezing. You need to go on, he said. I cant go with you. You need to keep going. () This has been a long time coming. Now its here. Keep going south. Do everything the way we did it. () I want to be with you. You cant. Please. You cant. You have to carry the fire. I dont know how to. Yes you do. Is it real? The fire? Yes it is. Where is it? I dont know where it is. Yes you do. Its inside you. It was always there. I can see it. Once again history sets a tragedy before us. We have the responsibility not to extinguish the hope, of saving the fire, of protecting life especially that of the weakest, knowing that behind them there are those who are willing to sacrifice themselves so this may happen. The opposite of terrorism is this kind of love. Jesus himself love us with this kind of love.

Luigi Maria Epicoco
The wounds of the Korean war are still painful. We will pray intensely for reconciliation, peace and the reunification of the Korean peninsula. And we will entrust Korea to the intercession of our martyrs. These are the thoughts shared by Archbishop Lazarus You Heung-sik, Bishop emeritus of Daejeon  whom Pope Francis has appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy  in an interview with LOsservatore Romano. While preparing for his late July arrival in Rome, he described the spirit with which the Korean Church was experiencing the National Day of Prayer for Reconciliation, which was celebrated on 25 June. The event, instituted by the Korean Episcopal Conference in 1965, commemorates 25 June 1950, the date the war began between North and South Korea, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, concluding with an armistice that ...

This content is reserved for Subscribers Dear Reader,

access to all editions of LOsservatore Romano is reserved for Subscribers. Click here to subscribe Subscribe by 30 September to take advantage of the promotional price of 20 per year.
The following is a translation of the Holy Fathers Message, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and sent to Bishop Francesco Lambiasi of Rimini on the occasion of the 42nd edition of the Meeting for Friendship among Peoples, held in Rimini from 20 to 25 August, on the theme The courage to say I.

Most Reverend Excellency,

The Holy Father is delighted that the Meeting for Friendship among Peoples is once again taking place in person and sends you, the organizers and all the participants his greetings with the wish for a fruitful outcome.

The title chosen  The courage to say I , taken from the Diary of the Danish philosopher Sren Kier-ke-gaard, is extremely significant at a time when we need to start off again on the right foot, so as not to waste the opportunity provided by the crisis of the pandemic. Restart is the watchword. But it does not happen automatically, because freedom is implied in every human initiative. As Benedict xvi reminded us: Freedom presupposes that in fundamental decisions, every person ... is a new beginning. Freedom must constantly be won over for the cause of good (Spe Salvi, 24). In this sense, the courage to risk is first and foremost an act of freedom.

During the first lockdown, Pope Francis called everyone to exercise this freedom: Even worse than this crisis is the tragedy of squandering it (Homily for Pentecost, 31 May 2020).

Despite imposing physical distancing, the pandemic has placed the person, the I of each person, back at the centre, in many cases provoking a reawakening of fundamental questions about the meaning of existence and the utility of living that had been dormant or, worse still, censored for too long. It has also inspired a sense of personal responsibility. Many have borne witness to this in different situations. Faced with sickness and pain, faced with the emergence of a need, many people have unflinchingly said: Here I am.

Society has a vital need for people who are responsible. Without a person there is no society, but a random aggregation of beings who do not know why they are together. The only glue left would be the selfishness of calculation and self-interest that makes us indifferent to everything and everyone. Moreover, the idolatries of power and money prefer to deal with individuals rather than with persons, that is, with an I focused on its own needs and subjective rights rather than an I open to others, striving to form the we of fraternity and social friendship.

The Holy Father does not tire of warning those with public responsibilities against the temptation to use people and discard them when they are no longer needed, instead of serving them. After what we have experienced in this time, it is perhaps more evident to us all that the person is the point from which everything can start again. Certainly there is a need to find the resources and the means to get society moving again, but what is needed above all is someone who has the courage to say I with responsibility and not with selfishness, communicating with his or her own life that the day can begin with reliable hope.

But courage is not always a spontaneous gift and no one can give it to himself (as Manzonis Don Abbondio used to say), especially in a time like ours, in which fear  which reveals a profound existential insecurity  plays a role so decisive that it blocks a great deal of energy and impetus towards the future, which is increasingly perceived as uncertain, especially by young people.

In this sense, the Servant of God Luigi Giussani warned of a twofold risk: The first danger [...] is doubtfulness. Kierkegaard notes: Aristotle says that philosophy begins with wonder, and not, as in our times, with doubt. Systematic doubt is, so to speak, the symbol of our time.[...] The second objection to the decision of the self is meanness.[...] Doubt and indulgence, these are our two enemies, the enemies of the self (In cammino 1992-1998, Milan 2014, 48-49).

Where, then, can the cour-age to say I come from? It comes from that phenomenon called encounter: Only in the phenomenon of encounter is the possibility given to the self to decide, to make itself capable of welcoming, of recognizing and welcoming. The courage to say I is born in the face of truth, and truth is a presence (ibid., 49). From the day he became flesh and came to dwell among us, God has given man the possibility of emerging from fear and finding the energy of goodness by following his Son, who died and rose again. The words of Saint Thomas Aquinas are enlightening when he states that the life of every man would seem to be that wherein he delights most, and on which he is most intent (Summa Theologiae, ii-ii, q. 179, a. 1 co.).

The filial relationship with the eternal Father, which is made present in persons reached and changed by Christ, gives consistency to the self, freeing it from fear and opening it to the world with a positive attitude. It generates a will to goodness: Every authentic experience of truth and goodness seeks by its very nature to grow within us, and any person who has experienced a profound liberation becomes more sensitive to the needs of others. As it expands, goodness takes root and develops (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 9).

It is this experience that instils the courage of hope: Encountering Christ, letting [oneself] be caught up in and guided by his love, enlarges the horizons of existence, gives it a firm hope which will not disappoint. Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on Gods faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness (Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei, 53).

Let us consider the figure of Saint Peter: the Acts of the Apostles report these words of his, after he had been strictly forbidden from continuing to speak in the name of Jesus: Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. (4:19-20). Where does this coward who denied the Lord find his courage? What happened in this mans heart? The gift of the Holy Spirit (Pope Francis, Homily at Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, 18 April 2020).

The profound reason for the courage of the Christian is Christ. It is the Risen Lord who is our security, who makes us experience profound peace even in the midst of lifes storms. The Holy Father hopes that during the week of the Meeting the organizers and guests will give living witness, taking on the task indicated in the programmatic document of his pontificate: Many  are quietly seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face, even in countries of ancient Christian tradition. All of them have a right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 14).

The joy of the Gospel instils the boldness to set out on new paths: We must be bold enough to discover new signs and new symbols, new flesh  particularly attractive for others (ibid., 167). This is the contribution that the Holy Father expects the Meeting to give to restarting, in the awareness that the security of faith sets us on a journey; it enables witness and dialogue with all (Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei, 34), no one excluded, because the horizon of faith in Christ is the entire world.

In entrusting this message to you, Your Excellency, Pope Francis asks for your remembrance in prayer and gives his heartfelt blessing to you and the leaders, volunteers and participants in the 2021 Meeting.

I, too, express my best wishes for the success of the event and I avail myself of the occasion to express my deepest reverence

Pietro Card. ParolinSecretary of State
In February 2019, Pope Francis invited the presidents of every episcopal conference to the Vatican for a Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church to address the issue of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy. A similar meeting focusing on the region of Central and Eastern Europe will take place in Warsaw from September 19-22. In this article, Fr Federico Lombardi puts this regional meeting into the context of the Churchs journey thus far.

The Church must confront the challenges present in todays world, the most fundamental being the faith and the proclamation of the God of Jesus Christ, with all the grandiose cultural and anthropological transformations present. There are also specific challenges, however, that profoundly influence the life of the Church and its evangelizing mission. One of the most critical challenges that has emerged in the last few decades, is that of the sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy. This has undermined the Churchs credibility and, therefore, its authority and its capacity of proclaiming the Gospel credibly. It has cast the shadow of inconsistency and insincerity over the Church as an institution, and on the entire community of the Church as a whole. This is indeed extremely serious.

Over time and with experience, beginning with the sexual abuse of minors  which is the most serious  we have learned to broaden the perspective to include various aspects. Thus, today, we often speak of abuse suffered by vulnerable persons. And we know the abuses sustained are not only sexual, but also abuse of power and conscience, as Pope Francis has often stated.

In addition, it is necessary to remember that the problem of abuse, in its various manifestations, is a general problem in human society, in the countries we live in and on the various continents. It is not a problem exclusive to the Catholic Church. Rather, those who study the issue objectively and as a whole, have seen that there are different regions, places, and institutions where it is dramatically widespread.

At the same time, it is only right that the Church look specifically at the problem since, as has already been noted, its credibility and constancy is at stake. The Church has always insisted on its teaching regarding sexual behavior and respect for the human person. Therefore, even if we know that this is not a problem that exists exclusively in the Church, we must be absolutely serious about it and understand that it has a terrible impact in the context of ecclesial life and on the proclamation of the Lords Gospel.

In particular, what is at stake is the depth and truth of relationships between people whose dignity is to be profoundly respected. As Christians and as Catholics, we pride ourselves on recognizing the primacy of the dignity of the person who is the image of God. So, the abuse of a person, the lack of respect, considering others as objects, not being attentive to their sufferings, and so on, is a sign that something specific and fundamental is missing in our faith and in our vision of the world.

In the latest reform of the Churchs penal code, there is an aspect that might seem purely formal, but is instead very significant from this point of view. The crimes of sexual abuse were inserted under the heading of offences against human life, dignity and liberty. They are not scandalous actions or deeds considered unworthy of the clergy. Rather, the emphasis is placed on the Churchs understanding that the dignity of the person is central and must be respected as and because we are the image of God. This is absolutely fundamental. The fact that a conversion is taking place and we have begun to more seriously listen to and respect each individual person, even the smallest and weakest, is one of the most important steps on the journey in our time toward the conversion and purification of the Church to regain its credibility.

The 2019 Meeting: responsibility, accountability, transparency

Without going through the entire history of the tragic events and the Churchs response regarding the sexual abuse of minors, we can, for simplicitys sake, begin with the February 2019 Meeting. It was convened by the Pope as a global moment, in which the entire Church (represented by members of every Episcopal Conference, in which representatives of institutes of consecrated men and women also participated), gathered together to become aware of and dedicate itself to continue to more effectively embrace the path of renewal.

The organization of that Meeting revolved around three main points (the Acts were subsequently published in the book published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana entitled Consapevolezza e purificazione  Awareness and Purification).

First of all, becoming aware of and embracing responsibility for the problem and the issues connected to the sexual abuse of minors and others; the importance of profound and compassionate listening and understanding, which leads to the openness to participate in the consequences, the suffering, the seriousness of what has happened and is happening. Listening and compassion as the starting point in forming the conviction that needs to be adopted. Then, of course, there is the need for justice to be done for crimes that have harmed others. Another aspect is that of prevention so that such crimes never be committed again, or at least, that becoming more and more rare, this tragic reality can be controlled. This implies the formation of all who work within the ecclesial community, and specifically, the formation of competent people who can act as reference points for dealing with the problem. In short, awareness and responsibility in facing the issue go together.

Another very important and crucial point is accountability so as to overturn the culture of covering up or concealing the problem. One of the tragic aspects of this crisis is that it has brought a serious situation to the surface, to the awareness of the public (even though at times people knew what was happening)  a way of dealing with the sexual abuse of minors that had become systemic, often interpreted as natural, kept in the shadows or swept under the carpet, due to embarrassment or to defend the honour of the families or the institutions involved, and so on. This tendency to hide the issue needs to be replaced by the tendency to be accountable for what has been done, even by those in leadership roles. This tendency to cover up abuse was so widespread at every level, even more serious when done by those in positions of responsibility (superiors of communities, bishops, etc.). Thus, bringing things to the light and making sure that everyone is accountable for their actions is a way to make sure that we are moving toward transparency, responsibility and justice  another absolutely necessary step forward in the process.

The third point that was talked a lot about during the Meeting was transparency, which is a consequence of the first two. This does not only mean admitting that crimes were and still are being committed, talking about them and focusing on them. Certainly, facing the truth of the facts is essential. But transparency also means knowing and making known what is being done in response, what the procedures are by which the Church, in all of its manifestations, is facing and dealing with the issue, what measures it is taking, what the verdicts are regarding the guilty parties, and so forth. In this way, both the ecclesial and civil community becomes aware not only of the faults and crimes committed, but also of the journey the community is consciously engaged in and by which it is responding to this problem.

Important steps taken since the 2019 Meeting

But if the Meeting in 2019 was supposed to be a common point of departure, it needs to be recognized that subsequently many steps were taken by the Pope and Church leadership that implemented all of the main tasks identified during that Meeting. What are they?

Firstly, already by the end of March, Pope Francis had issued an Apostolic Letter promulgating new laws and guidelines pertaining to the Vatican and the Holy See which broadened the perspective beyond the abuse of minors to include vulnerable persons. Then on 9 May 2019, he promulgated a very important new law for the entire Church, the Motu Proprio Vos estis lux mundi  You are the light of the world  in which the Pope legislated that an office be organized in every diocese to receive reports and to initiate the canonical procedures in response to the sexual abuse of minors. In addition, he also established that every priest and religious who becomes aware of such abuse is obliged to report it. The Pope also extended an invitation to members of the laity to report such abuse as well. Now, all priests and men and women religious are obliged in conscience to report cases regarding the sexual abuse of minors that they are made aware of; this obligation applies not only to minors, being the most serious, but applies also to other vulnerable persons or other abuses that include the use of violence. Once again, members of the laity are also invited to do so. In order to report abuse, the offices established to receive the reports must be publicized.

This is one of the most decisive steps. Of course, it needs to be ascertained whether all of this is being implemented. However, the law is already in place for the entire Church. It is an absolutely fundamental step the Pope took, probably the most important in the last twenty years regarding this issue. Furthermore, the same law instituted a process that involves the reporting of superiors at the highest levels  superiors general of institutes of consecrated life, bishops and cardinals  not only those accused of sexual abuse of minors, but also those who cooperate(d) in covering it up. Therefore, concrete steps toward responsibility and accountability have been radically implemented.

Yet another step taken leading toward greater transparency took place in December 2019 when Pope Francis abolished the papal secret that previously covered cases of the sexual abuse of minors. This allows clearer and easier collaboration to take place between ecclesiastical and civil authorities than had previously been the case. Finally, the famous Vademecum that had been developed was published in July 2020. This document was a direct request brought to the February 2019 Meeting, and had been indicated early on in the Meeting by Pope Francis as one of the Meetings first objectives. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith compiled it. Although not containing anything new, it is a well-presented document that presents in an orderly manner and clearly explains what every bishop or other person in authority needs to know and what they need to do in different situations. It is an extremely necessary tool, even though it did not receive a lot of attention when it was published. It was, however, a key suggestion requested by the participants in the 2019 Meeting, and it was accomplished.

Even more recently, on the Solemnity of Pentecost 2021, Pope Francis promulgated a reform of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law. This portion of Canon Law contains a summary of the Penal Sanctions in the Church. The new version rewords and reorganizes the previous version in such a way that the new norms established throughout the years dealing with the sexual abuse of minors and other issues are now contained in a well-organized way in the Code of Canon Law. Prior to this date, the legislation remained scattered throughout a whole series of documents and other types of interventions.

It can now be confirmed beyond a doubt that all the things we expected from the Pope and the Holy See in the aftermath of the 2019 Meeting have been accomplished.

But something else can be added. In this same period, in November 2020 to be exact, the voluminous McCarrick Report was published by the Vatican Secretariat of State. Ordered by Pope Francis himself, this investigation revealed the details regarding the grievous scandal that rocked the Church in the United States and throughout the world, and how it was possible that someone guilty of such abuse could have climbed to the heights of ecclesiastical responsibility as the Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, DC. The publication of this report can also be considered a painful, but very courageous, step in the direction toward transparency and demonstrates the desire to account for crimes and to own responsibility even at the highest levels of the Church.

Thus, we are before an enormous, difficult and painful problem, that touches the Churchs very credibility. Although this is true, it is not at all true that nothing has been done or that nothing, or next to nothing, is being done. On the contrary, it can be unhesitatingly stated that the universal Church has faced and is facing the problem, that it has taken necessary steps to establish norms, procedures and laws to deal with it correctly.

The next steps forward: from norms to practice

Of course, this does not mean that everything has been done, because as we know, it is one thing to establish norms or create a framework, and quite another to change the situation, by enforcing them. The upcoming September Conference of the Church in Central and Eastern Europe in Warsaw on the protection of minors and vulnerable persons is, in fact, taking this direction. Every geographic and ecclesiastical area possessing certain commonalities from the historical and cultural point of view need to reflect on where they are and need to identify what needs to be done concretely to effectively enforce the guidelines of the universal Church at the local level.

This has been done in other geographic regions. For example, a large conference for Latin America was held in Mexico about a year ago. The pandemic interrupted many other plans and caused delays. However, conferences are being planned, or have already taken place, on various continents, conferences similar to that planned for the countries making up Central and Eastern Europe. These regional meetings are also necessary steps on the common journey of the universal Church applied specifically to geographical, cultural and ecclesial regions.

To conclude, much has been done at the general and normative levels, in addition to gaining concrete experience. In some areas more has been done, and in other areas, less. Meetings are necessary for the circulation of knowledge and insight into the concrete and efficacious ways to face the problem. We are on a journey and we will remain on the journey. But the road on which it is necessary to move quickly and without uncertainties is now substantially and sufficiently delineated. This road must be taken to heal suffering, apply justice, prevent future abuse, restore trust and credibility within the ecclesial community and in the Churchs mission for the good of the world.

Father Federico Lombardi, sj
The situation in the country collapsed after the withdrawal of international troops, which began on 1 May and was already 95% completed, well before the official 11 September deadline. In recent months rebels took control of dozens of rural districts and then launched attacks on the countrys principal cities. 11 August: the Taliban conquer the city of Faizabad in northern Afghanistan. It is the ninth provincial capital to fall into the hands of the insurgents in less than a week. 13 August: the city of Ghazni, in the province of the same name in south-eastern Afghanistan, also falls. It is just the precursor to the attack that will lead to the conquest of another key city: Herat. 15 August: Kabul falls. The Taleban seize possession of the capital without a fight. President Ghani is in flight, along with thousands of people. As ...

This content is reserved for Subscribers Dear Reader,

access to all editions of LOsservatore Romano is reserved for Subscribers. Click here to subscribe Subscribe by 30 September to take advantage of the promotional price of 20 per year.
Terrie Woods (center), of Sherwood, Arkansas, drops in for a May 19, 2021, visit to Linda Dawson's (left) Snips of Thread Quilt Shop in Humeston, Iowa. Also there is Jill Tueth, Snyder's of Humeston owner. Woods said she and her husband, Tom, like stopping at small towns for unique shops.
Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years?

Then consider helping fund our endeavors. Around the world, communities are grappling with what journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. We believe The OU Daily and Crimson Quarterly magazine provide real value to this community both now by covering OU, and tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals.

If youre able, please SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Acting swiftly on President Joe Biden's promise to retaliate for the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport, the U.S. military said it used a drone strike to kill a member of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate Saturday.

The strike came amid what the White House called indications that IS planned to strike again as the U.S.-led evacuation from Kabul airport moved into its final days. Biden has set Tuesday as his deadline for completing the exit.

Biden authorized the drone strike and it was ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet publicly announced.

The airstrike was launched from beyond Afghanistan less than 48 hours after the devastating Kabul attack that killed 13 Americans and scores of Afghans with just days left in a final U.S. withdrawal after 20 years of war. U.S. Central Command provided few details; it said it believed its strike killed no civilians.

The speed with which the U.S. military retaliated reflected its close monitoring of IS and years of experience in targeting extremists in remote parts of the world. But it also shows the limits of U.S. power to eliminate extremist threats, which some believe will have more freedom of movement in Afghanistan now that the Taliban is in power.

Central Command said the drone strike was conducted in Nangarhar province against an IS member believed to be involved in planning attacks against the United States in Kabul. The strike killed one individual, spokesman Navy Capt. William Urban said.

It wasnt clear if the targeted individual was involved directly in the Thursday suicide blast outside the gates of the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans were desperately trying to get in as part of the ongoing evacuation.

The airstrike came after Biden declared Thursday that perpetrators of the attack would not be able to hide. We will hunt you down and make you pay, he said. Pentagon leaders told reporters Friday that they were prepared for whatever retaliatory action the president ordered.

We have options there right now, said Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor of the Pentagons Joint Staff.

The president was warned Friday to expect another lethal attack in the closing days of a frantic U.S.-led evacuation. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden's national security team offered a grim outlook.

"They advised the president and vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul airport, Psaki said, echoing what the Pentagon has been saying since the bombing Thursday at Kabul airport.

Late Friday, the State Department again urged Americans to stay away from airport gates, including the New Ministry of Interior gate.

Few new details about the airport attack emerged a day later, but the Pentagon corrected its initial report that there had been suicide bombings at two locations. It said there was just one  at or near the Abbey Gate  followed by gunfire. The initial report of a second bombing at the nearby Baron Hotel proved to be false, said Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor of the Pentagon's Joint Staff; he attributed the mistake to initial confusion.

Based on a preliminary assessment, U.S. officials believe the suicide vest used in the attack, which killed at least 169 Afghans in addition to the 13 Americans, carried about 25 pounds of explosives and was loaded with shrapnel, a U.S. official said Friday. A suicide bomb typically carries five to 10 pounds of explosives, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary assessments of the bombing.

Biden still faces the problem over the longer term of containing an array of potential extremist threats based in Afghanistan, which will be harder with fewer U.S. intelligence assets and no military presence in the nation.

Emily Harding, a former CIA analyst and deputy staff director for the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she doubted Bidens assurances that the United States will be able to monitor and strike terror threats from beyond Afghanistans borders. The Pentagon also insists this so-called over the horizon capability, which includes surveillance and strike aircraft based in the Persian Gulf area, will be effective.

In an Oval Office appearance Friday, Biden again expressed his condolences to victims of the attack. The return home of U.S. military members' remains in coming days will provide painful and poignant reminders not just of the devastation at the Kabul airport but also of the costly way the war is ending. More than 2,400 U.S. service members died in the war and tens of thousands were injured over the past two decades.

The Marine Corps said 11 of the 13 Americans killed were Marines. One was a Navy sailor and one an Army soldier. Their names have not been released pending notification of their families, a sometimes-lengthy process that Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said involves difficult conversations.

Still, sorrowful details of those killed were starting to emerge. One Marine from Wyoming was on his first tour in Afghanistan and his wife is expecting a baby in three weeks; another was a 20-year-old man from Missouri whose father was devastated by the loss. A third, a 20-year-old from Texas, had joined the armed services out of high school.

Biden ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country in honor of the 13.

They were the first U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan since February 2020, the month the Trump administration struck an agreement with the Taliban that called for the militant group to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for a U.S. agreement to remove all American troops and contractors by May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September.

Psaki said the next few days of the mission to evacuate Americans and others, including vulnerable Afghans fleeing Taliban rule, will be the most dangerous period to date.

The White House said that as of Friday morning, about 12,500 people were airlifted from Kabul in the last 24 hours on U.S. and coalition aircraft; in the 12 hours that followed, another 4,200 people were evacuated. Psaki said about 300 Americans had departed and the State Department was working with about 500 more who want to leave. The administration has said it intends to push on and complete the airlift despite the terror threats.

Kirby told reporters the U.S. military is monitoring credible, specific Islamic State threats in real time.

We certainly are prepared and would expect future attempts, Kirby said. He declined to describe details of any additional security measures being taken, including those implemented by the Taliban, around the airport gates and perimeter. He said there were fewer people in and around the gates Friday.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Darlene Superville and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the drone strike took place in Nangarhar province, not Nangahar.
The Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) has been making headway on various summer projects, one of which includes various studies to help it better understand the current situation and plan for the future.

As the delegated authority for Midland and Gladwin Counties, the group recently shared its recent discoveries.

Flood studies

According to these updates, completed flood studies have helped establish the dams new capacities. These studies include hydrology and hydraulic studies to determine the regional rain and flood frequency.

On its website, FLTF explained that data from the flood studies will be used to determine a spillway capacity for each of the four dams.

Spillway capacity for all dams will be greater than (the) Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) requirements because the methodology used in risk-informed decision-making procedures is being considered as the new state of Michigan standard for inflow design flood, the group wrote on its website.

FLTF described the inflow design flood (IDF) as the spillway capacity needed by a dam.

"Flood studies represent one of four critical issues for the FLTF Lake Restoration Plan for Secord, Smallwood, Edenville and Sanford dams, and their completion is an important milestone toward restoration of the lakes," FLTF shared on its Facebook page earlier this month.

Whats next?

For Secord and Smallwood dams, the anticipated next steps include establishing the inflow design flood in late 2021; establishing "the Progress" through 90% design by early 2022; and beginning construction in the second half of 2022.

The planned timeline is slightly longer for Edenville and Sanford dams. The estimated timeframe for a few activities includes completing stabilization construction work by early 2022; "full reconstruction design" engineering to start in 2022 with the inflow design by the end of next year; and construction to begin in 2023.

Lowered lake levels

When will levels be restored? According to FLTF, high level tasks were reviewed in order to understand what efforts are required to bring up each lakes water levels.

Future activities could include:

Flood modeling

Engineering and construction

Environmental permitting

Financing

Funding

Special Assessment District

FLTF also released an estimated schedule for the Special Assessment District. The Four Lakes Special Assessment District consists of lakefront properties as well as backlot properties that have access to the lakes, the boundaries of which were confirmed by the 2019 Lake Level Order after numerous public meetings and resolutions from the Gladwin and Midland County Boards of Commissioners.

This year, "release the roll estimates and methodology to USDA" will take place in November. The following includes plans into next year:

Public communications  December 2021  May 2022

Computation of costs completed  January 2022

Public input on operations and maintenance assessments  Starting in February 2022

Assessment hearing(s)  May 2022

(Respective) County Board of Commissioners approval  June 2022

Time allowance for appeal  June 2022 through August 2022

Operation assessment to be on 2022 Winter taxes (due to respective counties in August 2022)

According to FLTF, Capital Special Assessment roll, both timing and amounts, are "highly dependent" on state funding. However, the group notes capital assessments will likely be determined lake by lake and will start near the year that construction begins - if needed.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in accordance with a proclamation issued by President Joe Biden, has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across the State of Michigan to be immediately lowered to half-staff through Monday, Aug. 30, to honor and remember the American service members who died in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.

We are forever indebted to the heroic service members, who laid down their lives in service to our nation to protect those seeking safety and freedom, Whitmer stated. The attack in Afghanistan is a global tragedy, and my thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed, the troops who were injured in the attack, and the countless Afghans killed and injured. We are praying for the safety of the U.S. service members still on the ground in Afghanistan continuing the mission.

On Thursday, two suicide bombers struck a crowd outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 13 American service members, and injuring dozens of others. Officials have not yet released the names of those killed in the attack.

The State of Michigan remembers the victims 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. 31.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, issued a statement late Thursday night regarding the attacks in Kabul.

The terrorist attacks at the Kabul airport are a horrific tragedy. My prayers go out to the families of those who were killed and to those who were injured, and I continue to pray for the safety of our troops as well as the American citizens and our allies who remain stranded, Moolenaar stated. It is imperative President Biden take action to protect those who are in danger and I hope Speaker Pelosi will bring Congress back into session to pass legislation to prevent the withdrawal of American troops until all of our citizens have been evacuated.

The Associated Press reports 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, according to the Associated Press.
To the editor:

While I believe the Midland Daily News should welcome all opinions, printing letters full of misinformation does not serve the public.

Mr. Whiteside wrote on Aug. 17 that Biden asked OPEC to increase production while he is shutting down domestic sources then claimed that Democrats would rather buy from Russia and OPEC than from American oil workers. It is true that Biden asked OPEC to boost production, and he has cancelled new leases, but that hardly supports Mr. Whiteside's opinion. What do further facts say?

First, oil imports declined sharply during most of Obama's tenure while U.S. production rose. After Trump took office, oil imports increased for three years over the level in Obama's final year, 2016. Furthermore, during his first three years and despite public criticism of OPEC Trump also asked OPEC to increase production. The oil leases, etc., Mr. Whiteside is upset about Biden cancelling were producing oil yet, so they had no impact. It wasn't until COVID-related decreases in the demand for oil a mere seven months before the 2020 election that Trump reversed himself and wanted OPEC to decrease production.

It is true that US production remains low, but according to industry executives, that's not for reasons Mr. Whiteside implies. Quoting the CEO of Occidental Petroleum: "It would be very hard for the US oil and gas industry to get back to over 13 million barrels a day. I don't think that's going to happen. Too much investment would be required." Wall Street has also shown reluctance to invest more in oil that is expensive to reach. As usual, it comes down to money. But despite reluctance to spend more going after hard-to-reach oil, the major companies have started investing in renewable energy, and they were doing that while Trump was still in office.

All of these facts are readily available from government and respected business sources that lean conservative. People simply need to look for facts before repeating unfounded beliefs.

JAN BAUMGRAS

MDN subscriber
We are writing to strongly recommend you require universal masking in the coming school year. As community pediatricians, we are the physicians who provide healthcare to the majority of children in Midland County and the surrounding areas. We have spent our adult lives working to become experts in their health and well-being. We wish nothing more than to get to the other side of this pandemic having done all we can to keep our children and their families physically and emotionally well. We work hard to practice evidence-based medicine, and our recommendations are based in fact and science. We firmly reject the politicization of the masking issue that has occurred during the pandemic.

In accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), we strongly advocate that all policy considerations for school plans should start with the goal of keeping students safe and physically present in school. Remote learning was detrimental to the educational attainment of students of all ages and exacerbated the mental health crisis among children and adolescents. When in-person school services were not available during the pandemic, disparities worsened, especially for children who are English language learners, children with disabilities, children living in poverty, and children who are Black, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native.
Director of Content and Operations

Spencer McKee is OutThere Colorado's Director of Content and Operations. In his spare time, Spencer loves to hike, rock climb, and trail run. He's on a mission to summit all 58 of Colorado's fourteeners and has already climbed more than half.
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
Photo: (Photo : Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Outbreaks in schools due to high community transmission and the lack of preventive measures, such as requiring face masks, have contributed to the spike in COVID-19 cases in kids.

Health experts said that while specific age groups' cases are starting to plateau or dip by three to seven percent a week, the COVID-19 cases in kids will keep rising if schools won't implement mitigating measures or a larger part of the community has been fully vaccinated.

In an interview with USA Today, Jason Salemi of the University of South Florida College of Public Health said that cases are becoming "more pronounced" among the children because most are in school full time. As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed orders banning schools from issuing mask mandates, some school districts have decided to close so soon after the opening of classes as thousands of kids have to be isolated or quarantined to prevent virus transmissions.

Read Also: Mandatory Vaccination Coming for New York City School Workers

Rising COVID-19 Cases in Kids Across U.S.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association said that there were 180,000 cases of school children with COVID-19 across the U.S. in the week ending August 19. This has been a significant rise from the cases at the end of July, which was at 38,000.

The experts also noted that over 22 percent of the cases in hospitals in August involved children, which ticked up from 3.6 percent from the previous month. On the other hand, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that pediatric cases now average 303 hospital admissions per day compared to a year ago.

Mayo Clinic pediatrician Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin said that the reality at the hospitals is scary and concerning as many children are left unprotected from the virus. While kids are more resilient against COVID-19 symptoms than adults, some can still end up with severe manifestations requiring admission to the intensive care unit. In rare cases, some children develop an inflammatory syndrome called MIS-C.

Based on records from various public health services, states with the highest spike in COVID-19 cases in kids are Oklahoma, Ohio, Louisiana, and Kentucky. The CDC noted that the vaccination rates for these areas are below the nation's average rate.

"Contagiousness can be curbed by achieving higher and higher vaccination rates," San Francisco pediatrician Dr. Sunitha Kaiser said.

Low Percentage of Vaccinated

Nationally, the vaccination rate for kids has yet to reach an ideal rate. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved vaccines for children under 12 years old, kids 12 and older may have full immunization of either Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

However, based on the CDC, only 44 percent of children between 16 and 17 years old across the U.S. have been double jabbed, while 34 percent of children from 12 to 15 years old have had their COVID-19 shots. Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said that health officials should keep persuading unvaccinated adults to get the jab because they will also make the choices for their kids.

In the meantime, schools with kids who are not yet eligible for vaccination must adhere to COVID-19 safety measures. Dr. Andi Shane of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta told USA Today that they've opened schools in Georgia for the last three weeks but have not had any spikes in COVID-19 cases in kids due to masking school children vaccinating eligible individuals.

Related Article: Lawmaker Press FDA for Approval of COVID Vaccines for Kids Below 12
Photo: (Photo : DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)

Jeff Feingold, the founder of the non-profit organization Hope & Comfort, has been recognized as a CNN Hero for his work to end hygiene insecurity in disadvantaged families.

Hygiene insecurity is another pressing issue among the impoverished population already dealing with lack of food and homelessness. Feingold's work on Hope & Comfort covers access to basic needs like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, sanitary pads, and diapers which aren't part of the food stamp benefits.

Feingold realized a need for hygiene products when he dropped off his first food donations to a local charity in 2010.

"The social worker told me that hygiene products were hard to get, and food stamps didn't cover them," Feingold told CNN.

Read Also: Milk Crate Challenge Earns 82 Million Views on Tiktok, Doctors Warn Parents About Injuries

It Started with His Daughter

Feingold realized that he could fulfill a need and help curb hygiene insecurity after speaking with the social worker, whom he met when he brought in donated items as a thanksgiving for his daughter Gracie's second birthday. Following that conversation, Feingold spoke with other non-profits and social workers about food insecurity to learn more about what he could do.

By 2011, the dad launched Hope & Comfort and used his money to purchase toiletries and other basic grooming and hygiene needs. His kids and his wife would help with repacking the items before he'd bring them over to various organizations and shelters, food banks, and youth houses in Massachusetts.

Feingold has also tapped different retailers, manufacturers, and distributors for the supplies, particularly specialty products like the right shampoo for a Black or Brown person's hair texture.

Since the establishment of Hope & Comfort, Feingold estimated that they had distributed almost three million products to 200 non-profits. They also hired workers to help out with the repacking and distribution from a bigger warehouse that has been the center of their operations.

Feingold aims to give out two million items for 2021 alone, especially when washing up with soap is an important aspect of protection from COVID-19 transmissions.

His kids still volunteer at the warehouse. This small idea of starting a donation drive was the dad's way of creating a teachable moment for his son and daughter, which has now benefitted an entire state.

Aside from donating, Hope & Comfort conducts hygiene insecurity education for potential volunteers and has been researching "next-generation delivery systems" that will streamline their operations.

Unspoken Crisis in America

Hygiene insecurity is America's unspoken crisis. No one goes to the streets to demand soap or period products, while toiletries are taxed instead of subsidized when it's as widely needed as food and medicine.

In 2017, a survey revealed that one in three families in the U.S. couldn't afford diapers that would keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy. For some parents, their earnings are better spent on food and paying the electric bill than buying diapers that cost between $18 to $25 a week.

A study funded and released by Kimberly-Clark (Kotex) in 2021 also showed that period poverty has increased to 35 percent since 2018, affecting women's physical and mental health. About 24 percent of Black and Latina women can't afford to buy period products, while 38 percent said they often miss work or school if they have a period because they don't have the needed supplies. Some 68 percent of the study's respondents believe that this should become a public health issue.

Related Article: Baby Formula Recall: 76,000 Units Flagged for Iron Insufficiency
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions
Last Friday we reported that a memo to staff, sent by human resources and retail head Deirdre OBrien, strongly encouraged staff to get vaccinated. The company has yet to require vaccinations or testing, though it's upping its testing program to as many as three at-home coronavirus tests per week.

Today, Apple launched a new internal web page, sent a memo to employees and is hosting internal talks as part of the campaign. Sumbul Desai, Apples vice president of health efforts, and Kristina Raspe, vice president in charge of real estate, are also hosting talks to encourage employees to get the shots.

The Memo plainly requested that everyone who has access to the vaccine and is able to get vaccinated, to do so as soon as you possible.

The companys web page for employees discusses Covid-19s delta variant and explains how a vaccine could help prevent its spread. The company also emphasized that the version made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE has received official approval from the FDA. For more, read the full Bloomberg report.

A report today claimed that A small-but-growing body of research suggests the highly contagious Delta variant raises your risk of serious illness. Studies from Scotland, Canada and Singapore thus far claim that patients with the Delta variant have longer stay at the hospital and ICU units.

While more research is needed, Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease fellow in Stanford University's division of infectious diseases and geographic medicine, said any signals that delta might cause more severe infections are concerning, given how many people remain unvaccinated and susceptible to this virus.

Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious diseases specialist with McMaster University in Hamilton who is familiar with the three papers stated that "People are ending up more in hospital, more requiring oxygen, more requiring ventilation  at younger ages."
Payson, AZ (85541)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 59F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 59F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Getting a speedier, roomier, and more secure portable drive just got a lot cheaper, but only for today. B&H Photo is selling the 2TB Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD for $270Remove non-product link. Thats $90 off the MSRP and well below current prices elsewhere. The deal is only available for the silver model and expires Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

We've previously reviewed the T7 Touch, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors Choice Award. Its also the runner-up as our pick for the best-performing USB drive of 2021. Its the fastest portable USB SSD weve tested, and incredibly affordable for a secure drive, we said at the time of our review.

Samsung says the T7 Touch supports read speeds up to 1,050 megabytes per second, which is pretty close to what we found in our tests. We also found sequential write speeds were around 925 megabytes per second.

The T7 Touch connects to PCs via USB 3.2 Gen 2, while the internal connection is handled by NVMe. This external SSD is also rocking a fingerprint scanner for added security and 256-bit AES encryption.

If you need speedy external storage with more security than your average consumer drive, today is the day to pick it up.

[Todays deal: 2TB Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD for $270 at B&H PhotoRemove non-product link.]
President Akufo-Addo has appointed a former petroleum executive with a strong financial background to head the multi-billion dollar industrial park project, designed to establish Ghana as the hub for the petrochemical industry in the West African region.



In line with section 14 (1) of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation Act, 2020 (Act 1053), the President recently named Charles Owusu as the Chief Executive Officer of the newly established Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC).



Charles Owusu has been instrumental in putting up the pillars for the creation of the PHDC right from the onset. His recommendation, therefore, from the sector minister to the President comes as no surprise.



The President, with the approval of the Council of State, has also constituted the governing body for the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation.



The Council of State gave approval on 18th August and the board is expected to be sworn in by the Minister for Energy, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh next week.



PHDC Governing Body



The PHDC governing body comprises the chairman, Awulae Annor Adjaye ll, Presidents nominee; Mr. Charles Owusu, CEO of the PHDC; Mr. Kwame Asante Nsiah, Representative of the Free Zone Authority; Mr. Humphrey Ayim Darke, Representative of the Association of Ghana Industries; Mr. Senyo Kwasi Hosi, Representative of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors.



The rest are Mr. Yaw Agyemang-Duah, an expert in the downstream Petroleum Industry; Mr. David Ampofo, Representative of Ghana Upstream Petroleum Chamber; Maame Ofewah Sarpong and Hon. Samuel Erickson Abakah, both being nominees of the President on the Board.



The Task



The PHDC is to realise a long-standing dream of getting Africa to set up an integrated petroleum industry that will ensure that the continent better exploits and realises the value chain optimum of its rich oil and gas resources. The President views this as also line with the African Continental Free Trade Area project.



This is also seen as timely, as the emerging global energy transition phenomenon requires that oil-rich countries like Ghana look beyond the mere production and sale of crude oil and gas for fuel purposes and for value-addition abroad.



For example, Ghana is yet to monetise its gas or oil resources as feedstock for a range of products, including plastics, fertilisers, chemicals etc.



The Presidents vision, according to the policy document, is to develop a modern, diversified, efficient and financially sustainable energy economy that will ensure that all Ghanaian homes and industries have access to an adequate, reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable supply of energy. This is to assist the people meet their social and economic needs and will support the countrys accelerated growth and industrialisation agenda in a fast-integrating Africa.



The Petroleum Hub Project



Mr. Peter John Amewu, then Ministry for Energy, received approval from Cabinet at its 48th meeting on 14th February 2019 to commence the implementation of the masterplan for the development of a petroleum hub in the Western Region.



Per the masterplan, when fully realised, the overall value of the petroleum hub is estimated to be in the range of US$60 billion. The entire multi-billion project, though facilitated by Government, is designed to be purely private sector funding, attracting investors across the petroleum value chain.



West Africas first integrated oil and gas infrastructure will be set on a 20,000-acre land, Domunli enclave, in the Jomoro Municipality, Western Region. At its peak it can house 3 refineries with 300,000 bpsd capacity minimum each, 5 petrochemical plants, jetties and port infrastructure, 10million cubic meters storage tanks, gas infrastructure and ancillary infrastructure.



The role of Government, besides setting up the institution to drive the project, is to provide land, offsite infrastructure, tax incentives and other amenities towards the project. The project will be implemented in three phases over the next decade.



Profile of Charles Owusu



Charles Owusu, until recently, served as technical advisor to the Minister for Finance on petroleum and energy policy. He analyzed, assessed and provided sustainable growth strategies in the energy sector to provide reliable and affordable power, strengthening the balance sheet of the SOEs in the sector, as well as reducing the sectors related NPLs within the banking sector due to the legacy debts in the energy sector.



He also designed policies, procedures and controls to ensure the legacy debts within the energy sector are settled, as well as building a resilient, vibrant and affordable power infrastructure. Mr Owusu developed a strategy to revamp the domestic revenue mobilization in the area of people, technology and processes to build a robust and integrated Revenue Authority.



Prior to joining Ministry of Finance, Charles was a Senior Tax Consultant in charge of assignments in the area of corporate tax, transfer pricing, health checks and tax due diligence. His experience cuts across most sectors of the economy; including oil & gas, power, shipping & ports, mining, telecommunication, consumer and manufacturing sectors.



Charles worked with Blue Ocean Investments Limited (Bulk Oil Distribution Company), now Puma Energy as Business Analyst, in the area of bulk oil importation, petroleum pricing and trading techniques, stock analysis, financial analysis, as well as business development for three years.



Mr Charles Owusu also worked with the Energy Commission of Ghana as project accountant under the Technical Directorate. He was an Adjunct-Lecturer for Executive Management Programme in Oil and Gas at Central University College-Ghana, lecturing on international petroleum fiscal regimes, and energy markets & policy.





Source: asaaseradio.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Dredge Masters Limited has received a commendation for refurbishing the Children's ward at the Korle-Bu teaching hospital (KBTH). The leading provider of cutting-edge modern technological dredging services in Ghana and across the African continent had taken the move as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.



The Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, commended Dredge Masters for heeding their call to give the second floor of the Child Health Department a facelift.





According to him, one unique aspect of this department was its heroic deeds in constantly and tirelessly working to saving the lives of children.



Hence, he commends the leaders and staff of the department for their tremendous work in saving lives.



The staff at this department are doing a solid work and need to be commended, cautioning that any nation that jokes with the health of its children does so at its peril, he noted.



Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah said about 6,000 children are admitted yearly at the department not only with normal cases but also with very complicated ones.



"We all must come together and support the Korle Bu Child Health Department to secure the health of our children, the CEO of KBTH appealed.



He assured that management of the hospital will ensure that the facilities provided are maintained to give quality service.

The Head of the Child Health Department, Professor Christabel Enweronu Laryea, was full of gratitude towards the work done by Dredge Masters.



We are very grateful to Dredge Masters and Jospong Group of Companies for coming to our aid. It is one of the biggest supports the department has received, she elatedly expressed.



She lamented that it was very difficult managing the ward, in terms of its infrastructure, many of which were in a very deplorable state, especially looking at the fact it was one of the oldest departments of KBTH.





She said so many Ghanaian children have passed through the department. She furthermore called on other cooperative bodies, NGOs to help restore other floors of the department.



According to the Deputy Managing Director of Dredgre Masters Limited Mr. Samuel Borquaye, the refurbishment forms part of the Company's Corporate Social Responsibilities.



Mr. Borquaye in his address stated that Dredge Masters, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies(JGC) is eager to embark on such projects as part of their efforts in reaching out to the communities.



"Indeed as a company, we own it as special responsibilities to reach to our communities to offer as such support as we can.



However, it is sometimes difficult to identify relevant projects that will be impactful and sustainable, so when the call came for us to support this project, we were very happy knowing the kind of impact that it will have on our children and the country, he said.

According to him the project which cost 1,823,200.41 Ghana cedis will serve as an impaction of lives.



Adding that the project which about three months to be completed includes; removal and replacement of aluminium framed and sliding windows, removal and replacement of defective doors with half air cubon doors among other things.



The rest includes the provision of kitchen cabinet and painting of the entire facility, providing of artwork for the children, removal and replacement of all floor tiles in the washrooms, all offices and all other rooms at the unit, changed the entire Belfast sinks, mounted hand sanitiser dispensers, paper towel handrail, tissue dispensers, automatic hand dryers, fixed new water closets, wash hand basins, showers, taps and mirror in the various washrooms of the department.



Additionally, he said Dredge Masters changed the main furniture of the ward which included the provision of three (3) fire extinguisher, four (4) 42 Samsung Smart TVs, twenty- two (22) bedside lockers, eight (8) conference chairs, four (4) writing tables, four (4) swivel chairs, one (1) Microwave, one (1) metal cabinets with glass, one (1) BP Sphygmomanometer of different size of Cuff, one (1) Pulse Oximeter among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Three persons including a woman, have been killed by a herd of stray elephants in Yunyoo/Nasuan and the East Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region after the animals raided the area on Wednesday afternoon.

One of the deceased identified as, Mr Fuseini Mbieni, aged 42 is said to have been killed by the stray animals after he attempted to ward them off his farm.



Two unidentified persons were also attacked and killed after taking shots of the animals.



The animals said to have migrated from their habitation in a forest reserve in neighbouring Togo to graze in the area also destroyed large acres of farmlands.



The Daily Graphic gathered that; the aggrieved residents also launched an attack on the animals and gunned down three of them following the incident. They, however, later shared the meat among themselves.



Briefing



The Acting North East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Robert Anabiik Anmain confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic and said police had commenced investigation into the matter.



He explained that the animals raided the area and an attempt by the residents to ward them off destroying their crops, the elephants stamped on one of the farmers, killing him instantly, adding that The body of the deceased farmer is completely mutated.



The animals then moved to different communities and killed two persons.



He said the bodies have since been conveyed to a morgue at the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu for autopsy.



Eyewitness account



According to an eyewitness, Mr David Kpatia the residents were following the stray elephants and taking some shots so later I saw the aggressive elephants attacking two of the deceased persons who were at close range with them, stepping and killing them instantly".



He said of the one deceased, Fuseini Mbieni who was a resident of Gbintiri was also killed on his farm after he attempted to ward off the rampaging elephants.



Elephants raid



This is not the first time elephants have attacked residents in the Northern part of the country.



Last year, residents in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region who farm along the wildlife forest reserve in Sakote had their farmlands destroyed by stray elephants.



About 300 acres of farmlands were destroyed with an estimated damage cost of GH80,200.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An Official of the Town Planning Department of La_ Nkwantanan Madina Municipal Assembly has embarked on a demolition spree on supposed Government Reserved Lands within the La- Nkwantan Madina Municipal Assembly with the excuse that the demolition exercise has been duly sanctioned by the Assembly.



This is in view of the fact that Government is yet to appoint a new Municipal Chief Executive to the municipality. The exercise has so far seen the demolition of several hundreds of Stores and other properties of businessmen women and residential property owners.



The affected people say no adequate notice was given before embarking on the exercise. The situation has brought untold hardship to occupants of those said lands, especially during this time of COVID- 19, which has largely affected the fortunes of the generality of businesses, the world over.



With Governments globally giving stimulus packages to businesses to keep them afloat, LANMMA, the Municipal Authority has chosen to compound the already dire situation of business on Government lands within their jurisdiction.



The said official, Offei Odame is said to be carrying out this exercise without the permission of the assembly. Sources within the assembly say the exercise was not sanctioned by the assembly thus making the said officer complicit in illegal demolition.







On Thursday the said officer clashed with officials from the Ghana Highways Authority who came to visit the site opposite the Accra Training Technical College ( ATTRACO).





According to them, the assembly has no right to demolish properties especially when the assembly had earlier been accused of selling the land to other individuals before the present occupants.



This is after a woman showed up claiming occupancy to the whole ATTRACO stretch of lands.

According to the official from Ghana Highways " You are from the planning department of the assembly what does this demarcation tell you. Why to sell lands to individuals in the past when you know it is government lands".

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Aware of the potential benefits of Blockchain and concerns about barriers to adoption, Blockchain Network, initiated Ghana Blockchain annual conferences in 2017. This created a forum for all interested parties to freely dialogue and address challenges with an interest to showcase solutions for Ghana.



Ghana is gearing up to hold the fourth Ghana Blockchain Conference in Accra. Following the huge success of the first three Ghana Blockchain Conferences, the Organisers, Blockchain Network will host the fourth Conference, themed Blockchain for digital transformation, from Thursday 29th -30th September2021. It will be four hours session from 09.00 - 13;00 daily and will be virtual.



For the past several years, Blockchain and cryptocurrency have gradually gained worldwide recognition. Blockchain, the digital distributed ledger technology for recording an ordered set of transactions securely for cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Etherum, etc, has generated a lot of interest in the business sphere. This technology provides a cryptographic identity for users, peer-to-peer transactions among users, and a payment record of transactions.



Blockchain provides means for the storage of ordered permanent records. This makes it possible to create a digital ledger of transactions shared among a distributed network of computers.

The same ordered permanent storage structure and mechanism has found useful applications in several other areas relevant in our development and adoption of ICTs.



The annual conference provides a platform for collaboration between Stakeholders, Government Agencies, Financial Institutions, and the Blockchain community as a whole. It also seeks to deepen the multi-stakeholder approach to Governance of Blockchain and engage the community to balance innovation and regulation.



The virtual conference will be held over two days of four hours daily from 09:00-13:00 GMT and will feature Plenary Sessions, Key Note Presentations, Panel Discussion, etc focusing on Blockchain technology

Potential Speakers, Partners, Participants, Blockchain enthusiasts should please visit the website to submit Proposals, Register or Partner with us, etc.



The Blockchain Conference is aimed at creating awareness and forum to network with peers, create a good policy environment for Blockchain technology to flourish, knowing the policy issues, meeting stakeholders and share best practices, having first-hand demos on some of the tools, and hearing from the experts. For further information, please visit http://ghanablockchainconference.org/register



Blockchain Network is a Non-Profit organization established as a forum for Blockchain community engagements, networking & sharing of best practices.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Malis former prime minister, Boubeye Maiga, has been arrested for his role in the purchase of a presidential plane during the rule of deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, his lawyer has said.



The exact reason for the arrest was not clear, but it was related to Malis purchase of a jet in 2014 for $40m, his lawyer, Kassoum Tapo, told the Reuters news agency by phone on Thursday, without giving further detail.



We have not seen the case file and until then we cannot speak further, he said.



The Justice Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.



Critics at the time claimed that the Keita administration overpaid and that the deal was corrupt. It led to a political scandal that hurt Keitas presidency and spooked lenders.



The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank froze financing to the West African country as a result.



It was not clear what evidence prosecutors have against Maiga or why he was arrested now. He served as prime minister from 2017-2019 and is seen as a possible candidate in the presidential vote that interim authorities promise to hold next year following Keitas removal as president last August.



The transition is being led by Assimi Goita, the Malian colonel who led the coup and is now interim president.

Source: Aljazeera









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has expressed disgust over the spate of crimes in recent times in Ghana.



Recently, there seems to be an increase in crimes with particular emphasis on armed robbery and ritual killings.



Months ago, some teenagers were arrested for killing a 11-year old boy for money rituals.



Also, days ago, a 28-year old surveyor, Richard Appiah, was caught with severed human bodies hidden in a refrigerator in his house.



The suspect reportedly murdered a 12 and 15-year old young men and a yet-to-be-identified man in his living quarters at Alaska near Abesim on Friday, August 20, 2021.



The Police, after arresting him, retrieved some body parts of the murdered children.



Discussing corruption and crime-related issues on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Kwesi Pratt called for attention on the mental health of people in the country.



According to him, Psychologists have discovered that every person has some mental defect, so it is about time mental health is taken very important in addressing crimes in the country.



"It's about time we take a critical look at our mental health," he stressed.





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.

Featured Video
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has advised the general public to buy packaged, bottled, and canned foods and consumables from permanent shops.



This would make it easier to trace unwholesome and expired goods and products in the market.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Daniel Nti, a Senior Regulatory Officer at the FDA said it is dangerous to buy canned foods and consumables from hawkers and wayside traders.



He said food safety was essential to advancing human health, stressing that while the authority intensifies surveillance and monitoring to ensure wholesome food in the market, it was also imperative for the public to buy food items from shops.



If we buy consumables from permanent shops, it would be very easy to identify these shops and investigate any expired or unwholesome product, Mr Nti stated.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, on Thursday (26 August) made a GHC50,000 donation to the National Cathedral project.



He made the donation when the board of trustees for the National Cathedral project paid a courtesy call on him at his office.



The board of trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat has rolled out the Ketewa Biara Nsua initiative to raise half of the US$200 million needed to build the edifice. Ghanaians are being encouraged to make a GHC100 donation towards the project.



The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has also urged Ghanaians of all religious persuasions to voluntarily contribute to the construction of the National Cathedral.



Plans for the construction of a National Cathedral continues to generate lively debate, and although the government insists it will be funded by the private sector and serve as a multi-purpose national edifice, some have raised concern about its usefulness and cost.



Speaking at the Adabraka Official Town branch of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on Sunday 22 August 2021, Dr Bawumia underscored the importance of the Cathedral, and urged all to help build it for Ghana and for the glory of God.



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.



A voluntary, national contribution for the construction of the Cathedral would further cement Ghanas standing as a religiously-diverse country living at peace with itself.



Ghana is Africas second most peaceful country, with adherents of many religions living and working together to build the nation. The construction of the Cathedral would be add further to our enviable record of peaceful co-existence, he said.



Features of cathedral

The president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, accompanied by senior members of the Clergy, laid the foundation stone for the Cathedral on 5 March 2020 to signal the start of construction. A National Cathedral Secretariat has since been set up to raise funds from individuals and the private sector for its construction, while work continues apace.



The cathedral will house a series of impressive chapels, a baptistery, a 5000-seat two-level auditorium, a grand central hall, music school, choir rehearsal, art gallery, shop and multi-use spaces. It will also be home to Africas first Bible Museum and Documentation Centre, dedicated to Christianity and nation-building in Ghana.



A new ceremonial route and landscape will be linking the Cathedral site to Ghanas prominent, celebratory landmarks  Independence Square, Osu Cemetery, the State House and Africa Unity Circle.

Source: asaaseradio.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The 60-year-old man and his daughter who were arrested for allegedly operating an eatery, locally known as chop bar, on a pavement of the newly constructed Pokuase Interchange have been granted bail by the Accra Regional Police Command.



Kwame Addo, the operator of the chop bar, and Comfort Dartey, 32, his daughter, were picked up on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.



They were arrested after a video of a man pounding fufu, a popular local dish of usually cassava and plantain served with soup, went viral.



In the video, a man and a woman are seen pounding the fufu by the recently outdoored interchange, with many social media users condemning them for indiscipline.



Speaking on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM Wednesday evening, the public relations office of the Accra Region Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), MS Juliana Obeng said the two are expected at the station today, Thursday, August 26, 2021, for further investigation.



Its a father and a daughter we arrested in connection with a chop bar being operated by these two persons. These two persons have been granted bill but they have been cautioned for causing a public nuisance. We are hoping to see them tomorrow (Thursday, August 26, 2021) and then we will continue with an investigation, she stated



The four-tier Interchange said to be the first of its kind in West Africa and second in Africa, was opened to traffic by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, July 9, this year.



The project was financed with a loan from the African Development Bank.







Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Policies and Research (INSTEPR), Kwadwo N. Poku, has alleged that the acquisition of $36 million electric meters in 2016 was a grand scheme designed by some NDC appointees to defraud the state.



He has, therefore, petitioned the Special Prosecutors Office to investigate the circumstances under which the deal was cooked, but the country never benefitted even though all the contract sum of $36 million was paid.



In his petition to the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, the Executive Director said that the reports show that key appointees within the NDC government in 2015/16 planned this transaction to defraud the state through acquisition of electric meters for ECG.



After our press release on this transaction and published by various leading newspapers, the Institute received further information and reports which affirmed our initial belief that this transaction was a grand scheme of fraud. We have therefore submitted these reports to the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute this former government appointee and their accomplice, he said.



He explained that what is disturbing from this information is that the Energy sector has become an area where people entrusted with the finances of this country, seem to siphon millions of state money into private accounts. Most of our civil servants will stand aloof because of job security. All the checks and balances in our public sector are ignored when a Minister writes that money should be moved, or this payment should be made.



We have come across numerous questionable payments totaling over GH112, 596,555.88 to a company called First Grace Limited within 2015 and 2016. There is also a payment of GH238,633,370.61 paid out to 21 companies through a government agency, for whom these companies have done no work or engaged in a contract. All these information is included in our petition to the Special Prosecutor.



Fraud Uncovered



According to Mr. Poku, the Ministry of Power through the Ministry of Finance under the Mahama-led NDC administration, made a payment of $36 million to a company called L&R Investment and Trading Company Limited for the supply of single-phase and three-phase electric meters to Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).



He said the total contract price for the supply of the meters were $39,999,566.44, to be supplied over a period of twenty-six (26) weeks, but when the contract was signed, an advanced payment of $12 million was allegedly made to L&R Investments plus a Letter of Credit (LC) of $24 million and ever since, nothing has been heard about the deal.



According to him, in September 2016, the Ministry of Power wrote to the Managing Director of ECG, informing him of an $80 million financing secured by the government for the procurement of electric meters and said the letter stated that local Ghanaian companies will be given $40 million.



Messrs. L&R Investments and Trading Company, whose local representatives are Messrs First Grace Limited, were given $40 million. The ministrys letter instructed the managing director of ECG to initiate discussion with the said suppliers with the view of entering into contract for the supply of these electric meters. The ministry also asked for immediate response to their letter to facilitate cabinet and parliamentary approval, Mr. Poku alleged.



He continued that the management of ECG on their part upon receipt of the ministrys letter engaged Messrs. L&R Investments and six local Ghanaian companies. After ECG had evaluated the proposal from L&R Investment, a pre-contract meeting was held in October 2016, between the technical team of ECG and the Managing Director, in the name of Mr. Tao Wenhui for L&R Investment.



He said at this meeting, the Scope of Supply, Technical Classification, Due Diligence, Pilot Studies, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and Training of ECG metering Staff were discussed and agreed, adding the two key conditions before the supply of the meters after signing the contract were the pilot study to assess the meters for two months and the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT).



$12m Payment



Mr. Poku said that after the contract was signed and L&R given an initial payment of $12 million, the meters that were to be provided as samples (200 electric meters) for the pilot studies were not sent to ECG and the agreed travel of three representatives from ECG to undertake the Factory Acceptance Tests in China before the manufacturing of the said meters did not take place.



Without any of these conditions being met, the management of ECG was sent shipping documents for containers of meters at Tema Port. ECG informed L&R Investment that they cannot accept the containers because they have not followed the process agreed to as per their contract. After months of back and forth with L&R Investments, the containers of meters were cleared from the Tema Port to stop the accrual of demurrage. The meters in the containers were not the specification as per the supply contract, Mr. Poku alleged.



According to Mr. Poku, when the $12 million was paid, only $4 million was transferred to prepare for the containers that brought the meters that did not meet the specifications of the ECG.



INSTEPR was told that the said contract was terminated in 2017 after legal consultations on the non-performance by L&R Investment. This company after months of not conforming to the agreed conditions of their contract, went ahead to discount the $24 million Letter of Credit (LC) given to them under the contract. We have sighted documents that state that on the 16th of August 2017 at a time when Capital Bank Limited had ceased to be a bank under the laws of Bank of Ghana, Capital Bank discounted the LC and made a payment of USD $22.5 million to L&R Investment, he added.



He said INSTEPR wants the government to find out why no action has been taken in four years to trace the people behind L&R Investment and Trading Company in Ghana and also probe why the initial $12 million was paid to First Grace Limited, and the people behind this company, as well as Capital Banks role in the whole deal.



We do not want to draw any conclusion since this matter should be under investigation, but I am sure every Ghanaian will agree with me that we need some answers and accountability now from our leaders on this fraudulent transaction, he added.







Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The National Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) Constituency Officers Welfare (NCOW), on Wednesday 11th August 2021, paid a courtesy call on Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture at his office at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to present a citation for being a distinguished patriot to the party and the country as a whole.



The National Executive of the welfare association of the Constituency officers led by the Secretary of the Association, Jeffrey Edward Osei, who doubles as the NPP Constituency Chairman of Ayawaso West Wuogon, presented a citation to Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a man christened as the Legend due to his peerless contributions to Ghana and Africa in the sector of Agriculture especially at the very vicious and grievous periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Presenting the citation to the Minister, the Secretary of NCOW noted that, before the Workshop which saw the inauguration of a welfare scheme for the constituency officers, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto was notified by the Association and he came to the aid of the Association as typical of the Minister regarding his commitment, dedication and passion for the Tradition of the Party.



Speaking to the media after the presentation, Jeffrey Edward Osei added that, due to Dr Owusu Afriyie Akotos selfless contributions toward the success of the workshop, the Leadership of the Welfare Scheme in addition to the entire NPP constituency officers are full of gratitude, and as a result, would like to express our appreciation and also seek for Gods blessings and favour for him in all his endeavours.



It is also the Associations fervent prayer that the purpose, visions and goals of the Minister for the Party and Nation realise fruition, he added.



The citation reads Thank you, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto for your many invaluable and indispensable contributions to the NPP and the Country as a whole. Your unquestioned loyalty, dedication, and enormous contribution toward establishing the NPP Constituencies Officers Welfare deserve praise and commendation. We applaud and honour you for your stupendous contribution to the creation of this welfare scheme and other human-centred activities. Continue soaring higher in your endeavours.



Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto however commended the Association for their show of gratitude and pledged to continue to support them in all their activities for continued strengthening and sustenance of the base and tradition of the Party.



The successful workshop, which birthed the inauguration of the NPP Constituency Officers Welfare, was held at the Capital View Hotel, Koforidua, Eastern region between 16th and 18th July 2021. The Workshop was held at the behest of the NPP Constituency Chairmen across the 275 constituencies of the Country.



The primary objective of the workshop was to institute a Welfare Scheme for NPP Constituency Executives. The earlier proposed name for the Scheme was the National Constituency Chairmen Welfare Fund(NCCWF) but was later changed to NPP Constituency Officers Welfare upon further and broader consultations.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has provided financial assistance to the Bono Regional Secretariat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), ahead of the partys constituency Annual Delegates Conference, scheduled for Thursday, August 26 to Sunday, August 29, this year.



The support will help ease the burden of the 12 constituencies in the Region, as the party prepares for a resounding victory in Election 2024, a statement issued and signed by Mr Seth Asare Bediako, the Bono Regional Communications Director of the NPP said.



It said the conference would discuss pertinent issues relating to Election 2024 and strategize to widen the party's votes in the general election.



It said further discussions would also centre on identifying and addressing peculiar challenges that confronted the party in the 2020 general election.



The conference is under Article 7(27) and Article 9(25) of the NPPs constitution which states there shall be Constituency and Regional Annual Delegates Conference respectively as communicated by the General Secretary of the party, Mr John Boadu, the statement explained.





The party in the region is highly impressed by the overwhelming generosity shown by his Excellency the Vice President in this regard and we assured him the money would be used judiciously to get its optimum benefit, it 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.

Featured Video
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa claims circumstances that led to the 2020 general election must not be repeated.



He described the 2020 polls as the bloodiest election ever in the history of Ghana under the supervision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



According to him, the situation has compelled him to petition the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the circumstances and seek justice for the Innocents who were killed.



He maintained that President Nana Addo benefitted from the bloody election whiles discussing his petition to CHRAJ in an interview with NEAT FM's morning show 'Ghana Montie'.



Adding that, We are all at risk if this should happen again in the next elections".



Listen to interview below





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."The complainants demand that the Commission conduct investigations into the NESTFs activities during the December 2020 elections at the Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra Region, and Northern Regions of the Republic of Ghana," the petition states."The Complainants also demand that the investigation identify officials of the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed Forces responsible for the unlawful acts the subject matter of the present complaint and the persons under whose command and instructions they acted."The Complainants finally demand that the investigation identify the role played by the Ministers of the Interior and Defence in terms of instructions and orders in relation to the conduct resulting in this complaint, and the lack of leadership or proper oversight to prevent, stop or respond in a manner to curb the violations".

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
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









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A woman looks at the Quebec government's new vaccine passport called VaxiCode on a phone in Montreal, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Wildland firefighter Ty Feldinger works on steep terrain to put out hot spots remaining from a controlled burn the BC Wildfire Service conducted to help contain the White Rock Lake wildfire on Okanagan Indian Band land, northwest of Vernon, B.C., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Neil Khurana, left, and Sean Reavie of Put on the Cape: A Foundation for Hope showcase the action figures the teen collected.
Support local journalism

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free.

Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.


Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune.

You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month.
Vermillion, SD (57069)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
WSOP 2021: COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Players, Update on Staff

August 27, 2021 Jon Sofen

Update 8/30:

PokerNews reached out to WSOP officials to inquire if dealers and staff will be required to have been vaccinated. They offered the following statement:

As with all Caesars Entertainment Team Members, WSOP Team Members are strongly encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Caesars is committed to making vaccination easy and accessible for all Team Members. Additionally, the Company is providing significant incentives for Team Members who choose to be vaccinated."

In addition, PokerNews several other follow-up questions including:

What will happen if a player is caught trying pass off illegitimate/forged vaccination documents? Will they be banned?

The Nevada governor has said masks are not required at events where everyone has been vaccinated. How come the WSOP will require masks? Could this potentially change?

How will the WSOP know if someone tests positive for COVID? Will the WSOP be conducting any testing?

Has the WSOP considered allowing unvaccinated individuals who have antibodies to attend the WSOP? Could this become a possibility?

"For all your other questions, we recommend reviewing the FAQ and release as we wont be responding beyond them," the WSOP official offered."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

All attendees at the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas  players, media, and spectators  must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19, the WSOP announced in a Friday press release.

Earlier this month, the WSOP introduced Rule 115, which permits staff to remove any player who is suspected to have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. The WSOP then clarified that confusing rule last week by stating that those who are vaccinated wouldn't be removed.

Rule 115 likely won't come into play as often as many expected now that proof of vaccination is required for everyone in attendance at the Rio.

"One of the primary reasons for the vaccination requirement is to avoid rule 115 ever being invoked at the 2021 WSOP," said Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director, told PokerNews. "However, all gaming licensees in the state of Nevada are required to follow the guidance of the CDC. Should there be an unfortunate incidence of a rare breakthrough case for a fully vaccinated player, and the WSOP staff receives information to determine that patron has tested positive for COVID-19, appropriate action would need to be taken given positive cases must individually quarantine according to CDC guidelines. What todays announcement ensures, in addition to providing the safest and most comfortable environment for players, is that there will not be any disqualification due to contact tracing, as no fully vaccinated player would be required to quarantine due to close exposure to a positive case."

The WSOP isn't the only major event in Nevada going down this route. The NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, which play at Allegiant Stadium just off the Strip, announced earlier this month that fans must be vaccinated to attend games, and the popular Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in October is also requiring the same.

Vaccination Rule Details

Not only are players ineligible to compete in bracelet events without proof of vaccination, but they also can't even register without a vaccination card. And they must be fully vaccinated, meaning two doses (if applicable, depending on the shot).

This is not a decision we have taken lightlyit is made with no agenda beyond protecting player eligibility and the operations of a unique televised gaming event, said Stewart. The nature of poker is to be in close proximity with your opponents for extended periods of time, and a seat at the World Series of Poker is a commitment for both our company and the participants. We want players to be excited for their return to the WSOP, while offering the greatest level of protection and limiting complications during the tournament this fall.

Players are only required to show proof of vaccination one time. So, if they're already in the system as vaccinated, they won't again have to provide their vaccine card. The WSOP will utilize a free mobile app and Health Pass feature so the players can quickly and easily upload vaccine cards.

That app is only for US residents. Other alternate documentation including physical vaccination cards, & state/country-specific health passes will be verified at the Belize room prior to first registration.

For those who aren't yet vaccinated and want to play in WSOP bracelet events or daily deepstacks and cash games at the Rio during the series, the 2021 World Series of Poker begins September 30, so there's still time to get the jab in time to compete. All attendees must be fully vaccinated, which means you'll need a 14-day window following the last dose, per CDC guidelines.

As for face masks, they are currently still required in all Nevada businesses. Unless that mandate changes, players and staff won't be permitted to enter the Rio without a face covering on.
"HITRII999" opened to 82,400 and was called by fellow Russian player "Nes1989" on the button and Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani in the big blind. The flop fell and Garagnani check-folded to a continuation bet worth 102,102 and the call by "Nes1989".

"HITRII999" slowed down on the turn and check-called for 280,000, which led them to the river. "HITRII999" checked once more and "Nes1989" bet 720,000 with 770,871 behind. That triggered a check-raise to 1.6 million by "HITRII999" and "Nes1989" called all-in.

They revealed for the nut straight but "HITRII999" had that beat with for the effective nuts. And just like that, the money bubble has burst and the remaining 20 players are now on a break until Saturday, August 28.

The full chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Information for the report comes from law enforcement agencies. Not all calls for service are included. The status of arrests reported may change after further investigation. Individuals arrested or suspected of crimes are considered innocent until proven guilty.

Dallas Police Report

Friday, Aug. 13

At 12:19 a.m., police responded to a car fire on Southeast Dimick Street.

At 3:36 a.m., police responded to a car fire on Northwest Kersey Drive.

At 11:23 a.m., Dawn Perry was lodged in the Polk County Jail on Polk CC warrant.

At 1:23 p.m., Harmony Michell was lodged in the Polk County Jail for felony domestic assault IV (with an infant present).

At 6:33 p.m., a person reported that he was scammed out of $500 on Southeast Pine Street.

Saturday, Aug. 14

At 1:09 p.m., police seized meth and miscellaneous paraphernalia from a room in the 200 block of Orchard Drive, after staff found it on a nightstand. A friend let officers into the room to remove the items for destruction.

At 1:32 p.m., a theft was reported from Walmart.

At 1:42 p.m., a theft was reported from Walmart.

At 2:04 p.m., Jamie Drake was cited and released for both thefts from Walmart and a Benton County warrant.

Sunday, Aug. 15

At 1:35 a.m., police cited and released Sabra Troxell for theft II and conspiracy, and Jack Petersen for theft II conspiracy and trespass I, for Walmart theft case from last month.

At 8:32 a.m., police recovered a stolen vehicle out of Portland on East Ellendale Avenue. The registered owner was contacted and will drive up to Dallas and pick it up.

At 2:08 p.m., a theft was reported from Walmart.

Monday, Aug. 16

At 12:31 p.m., police received complaint of pigs, ducks, and chickens living in a house in the 500 block of East Ellendale.

At 3:30 p.m., police responded to a person who was dead on arrival on Northwest Boardmore Court.

At 3:55 p.m., a person reported that one of her rings was stolen off her nightstand on Southwest Sheila Street.

Tuesday, Aug. 17

At 1:14 a.m., Austin Talerico attempted to elude police from near the courthouse. He ditched his car in the 900 block of Southeast Academy and police located him on foot. He was lodged in the Polk County Jail for DUII, elude, and other crimes.

At 2:20 a.m., police received a report that five teenage subjects stole a Glock 19 on Northwest Hillcrest Drive. Not much info on suspects as it was dark. Gun was entered as stolen.

At 7:17 a.m., a car clout case as reported on Northwest Reed Lane.

At 10:02 a.m., a police received a report of a stolen silver 2014 Ram 1500 and yellow 1970s vintage Suzuki dirt bike on Northwest Reed Lane.

At 10:25 a.m., a sex offense was reported on Southeast Court Street.

At 12:17 p.m., a person reported that their vehicles were keyed on Northwest Hillcrest Drive. Possible tied to car clout.

At 11:28 p.m., Riley Savage was lodged in the Polk County Jail on a post-prison supervision warrant.

Thursday, Aug. 19

At 1:25 p.m., a theft was reported in the 100 block of West Ellendale Avenue. Person forgot $60 in cash out of the self checkout machine.

At 11:35 p.m., vehicle vs. pedestrian crash on Northwest Jasper Street. No injuries.

Polk County Sheriffs Office

Monday, Aug. 16

At 7:39 a.m., a report of an abandoned pickup truck in the park n ride at Rickreall Road and Ford Street.

At 9:47 a.m., a resident reported possible trespassing on her neighbors property in the 26700 block of Salmon River Highway. A deputy found evidence someone had been there, but found no one present.

At 10:45 a.m., a deputy contacted a female subject walking eastbound on Highway 22 near Mill Creek Road. She was fine, but admitted she might have an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court. The deputy confirmed the warrant and cited and released her.

At 11:28 a.m., a report of a catalytic converter stolen from an s RV sometime between July 15 and Aug. 5 while it was stationed at the Rickreall Mini Storage at 10255 Rickreall Road.

At 1:29 p.m., a motorist reported a road rage incident at Pacific Highway South and Gwinn Street where another motorist break checked him and flashed a nickel plated 1911 handgun at him. Deputies tracked down the other motorist who explained he braked for pedestrians in a crosswalk and denied owning a handgun. He allowed a search of his vehicle and deputies found nothing.

At 3:55 p.m., a deputy investigated the illegal dump of an RV interior on Weyerhaeuser property at Black Rock Road and Socialist Valley Road. Nothing identifying the RV owner was found.

At 9:53 p.m., a resident in the 2200 block of 27th Avenue Northwest confronted his neighbor about possibly stealing a marijuana plant. The resident threatened his neighbor, advised he should shoot him then went back to his home next door and fired a pistol into the ground four times. The resident was arrested for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing.

At 5:32 p.m., a report of a two-vehicle accident on Highway 223 at milepost 2. The driver that was rear ended was taken to West Valley Hospital.

At 10:04 p.m., a subject was sitting in front of the Sheriffs Office at 859 Main Street in Dallas, saying he had been shot and pointing at a pile of dirt on the ground saying it was blood. Deputies determined he had not been shot and the dirt wasnt blood. The subject requested medics who arrived and advised he was light headed. He was transported to the hospital.

Tuesday, Aug. 17

At midnight, a report of a single vehicle, non-injury crash where a vehicle eastbound on Cooper Hollow Road that failed to negotiate about a 90 degree turn to the right. The driver failed and continued across the westbound lane, into the deep ditch then struck a tree. Front drivers side tire was ripped off during the crash. There were no injuries to the single occupant.

At 4:58 a.m., a deputy attempted to pull over a motorist for failure to remain on the right side of the road. The driver fled the deputy through Dallas. After the deputy lost sight of the driver, a second deputy found the driver a couple blocks from where he parked in the 850 block of Main Street. He admitted to attempting to elude and also exhibited several indicators of impairment. He was arrested and cited for attempt to elude (misdemeanor and felony), reckless driving and driving under the influence of an intoxicant  alcohol (after he registered a BAC of .15%). He was also cited for driving while suspended, fail to drive on the right and fail to obey an officer.

At 10:35 a.m., two dogs were found abandoned by a transient at Roths at 1130 Wallace Road. The dogs were taken to the Willamette Humane Society.

At 7:28 p.m., a report of a two vehicle, rollover crash on Highway 99W at milepost 50.

At 11:06 p.m., a report of illegal fireworks being used in the 24700 block of Yamhill River Road.

Wednesday, Aug. 18

At 4:55 a.m., a subject was arrested for using fentanyl at Spirit Mountain Casino, located at 27100 Salmon River Highway.

At 8:37 a.m., a resident in the 8800 block of Hebo Road reported two of his neighbors dogs got onto his property, entered his barn, grabbed a kitten his granddaughter was feeding, shook it in its mouth and ran off with it. The neighbor was cited for having Potentially Dangerous Pets.

At 11:17 a.m., a doctor who practices in Salem but lives within Polk County reported his DEA prescription number was being fraudulently used at six Portland pharmacies starting Aug. 17. The unknown suspect(s) called in with different names and asked to fill controlled substances. Each time the pharmacy called the doctor for verification and the prescription was denied. The doctor reported this to the DEA and he needed a case number for the DEA to issue him a new number.

At 12:55 p.m., two nuisance kittens (cute, cuddly, engine loving) were found at Public Works, 941 SW Clay St. A deputy picked them up and took them to Harmony New Beginnings.

At 3:24 p.m., a resident in the 200 block of Church Street, who often invites the homeless in to stay with her, reported a transient stole her keys, used her car without permission and then stole over $1,000 worth of items from her storage unit. Although she was able to get some items back, she wants to press charges.

At 8:47 p.m., a motorist was stopped for speeding 73 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 near Brown Road. The driver was cited for driving while suspended.

At 6:39 p.m., a male subject with an outstanding warrant turned himself in to the Polk County. A deputy cited and released him for failure to appear on a driving under the influence of an intoxicant arrest.

Thursday, Aug. 19

At 5:50 a.m., while on a call in the 28800 block of Salmon River Highway, the deputy learned of another incident 2800 block of Andy Riggs Road. A female subject reported a male subject hit her when told to leave. He then punched her car causing the windshield to crack, and he broke off the blinker knob. The male subject was arrested for Assault IV - felony and Criminal Mischief I.

At 11:10 a.m., while responding to a report of an illegally parked car in the 6500 block of Harmony Road, a deputy saw another vehicle backing away from the reported vehicle illegally on the wrong side of the road. That driver was cited for driving while suspended, driving uninsured and his vehicle was towed.

At 12:57 p.m., someone was bit trying to coral a chihuahua on the loose in the 17700 block of Brown Road. A deputy collected the dog and took it to Harmony New Beginnings.

At 3:05 p.m., a report of a single vehicle accident with minor injuries in the 2900 block of Brush College Road.

At 4:26 p.m., a motorist was stopped at Wallace Road and Musgrave Lane for speeding over the Marion Street Bridge. The driver was cited for driving while suspended and driving without insurance.

At 4:58 p.m., a deputy witnessed a motorcycle speeding 83 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22. Rather than, stopping, the motorcyclist sped off at speeds over 100 mph. The deputy terminated the pursuit at milepost 16.

At 4:45 p.m., a report of a three-vehicle crash with occupants trapped and injured in the 3700 block of Independence Highway.

Friday, Aug. 20

At 1:37 a.m., a male and female were cited for disorderly conduct after fighting in the street in the 100 block of Sheldon Avenue.

At 8:54 a.m., a motorist was cited for speeding 82 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 22 at milepost 15.

At 10:14 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of Lombard Street reported his neighbors dog got loose and attacked a goat on his property. The neighbor was cited for Dog as a Public Nuisance.

At 9:41 p.m., a new boater was high centered on a gravel bar about 100 yards from either shore and is surrounded by shallow water on the Willamette River at RM 101. A deputy and good Samaritan were unable to dislodge the boat or tow it free.

Saturday, Aug. 21

At 1:37 a.m., a motorist was stopped for speeding on Highway 22 at milepost 18. The driver was cited for driving while suspended and warned for speeding.

At 5:09 a.m., a motorist was stopped in the 2200 block of East Ellendale Avenue due to it being all over the road. The driver refused a field sobriety test and refused to provide breath sample. A search warrant was granted and blood was drawn. The driver was criminally cited and released for driving under the influence of an intoxicant - alcohol and also for failure to provide breath sample.

At 1:24 p.m., an officer with the Oregon National Guard reported a male and female were caught kissing in the kitchen of the Dallas Armory at 12830 Westview Drive. The military needed to report the incident to the local law enforcement as part of their investigation.

At 6:03 p.m., a Female Husky was found on Corvallis Road, just south of Suver Road. With no tags or collar, the dog was transported to Dallas Pound and lodged there.

At 9:24 p.m., deputies responded to a call of a driver swerving in lane a 2400 block of Salem Dallas Highway. The license plate came back stolen out of Washington County. The driver had a parole warrant from Clackamas. The driver was arrested for the stolen plate and outstanding warrant.

At 11:19 p.m., a report of a single vehicle accident where a pickup truck ran into a tree near the 3500 block of Lucas Road.
On Facebook this week, Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga issued a statement about refugees fleeing from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

We believe its not a human right for someone to once get up on one side of the world and decide to go and live in another part of the world from now on, Varga wrote in the August 23 post.

That is false.

In fact, the right to freedom of movement and choice of residence, and the right to seek and enjoy asylum in any country of the world, are specified in Articles 13 and 14 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Distinct from treaties, the UDHR is a non-binding document. However, it is a constitutional foundation of the U.N. Charter, as well as part of the International Bill of Human Rights. All U.N. member states, must accept the obligations of the Charter and be able and willing to carry out those obligations.

Hungary has been a U.N. member state since 1955 and thus is obligated to follow the Charter and Bill of Human Rights. Violators can be suspended or expelled.

Apart from the U.N. obligations, Hungary is a member of the European Union, which also provides rights for asylum seekers and refugees under The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and its base treaty, the Geneva Convention.

The CEAS states that the countries of EU must become an area of freedom, security and justice open to those who, forced by circumstances, legitimately seek protection. It also states that Member States are bound by obligations under instruments of international law.

The Geneva Convention affirms the principle of non-refoulement, meant to ensure that asylum seekers are not sent back to a place of persecution.

As controversy has surged in Europe over refugees from conflicts in Syria, Libya, Iraq and now Afghanistan, Hungary has developed a reputation as an unwelcoming, even hostile place.

To block refugee inflows, the Hungarian government has built wire fences along the countrys borders and granted only 8% of asylum applications, the lowest in Europe, where the average approval rate is 45%.

Hungary also deported thousands of refugees, ignoring the European Court of Justices ruling that such deportations violated the EU law.

So far, Hungarian border guards have sent about 5,000 refugees back to Serbia since December 17, 2020, the day the verdict was announced. Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban, and several members of his government repeatedly have confirmed they intend to continue the practice, Deutsche Welle reported on August 2.

In 2018, the Hungarian government stopped providing food to the refugees who appealed its denial to grant them asylum and were kept in camps awaiting the court ruling. The authorities prevented people from buying their own food and blocked humanitarian donations, NPR reported at the time.

Those who stayed spent months in isolation in special quarantine camps, amid complaints of hunger from a daily ration of a piece of bread, a can of sardines and a tiny jar of marmalade, The New York Times reported.

On August 25, the Hungarian Interior Ministry announced that it evacuated from Afghanistan 240 people (114 adults and 126 children) who cooperated with the Hungarian forces stationed in Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission, and who faced potential retribution from the Taliban.

These refugees have been transported to migrant facilities and are being held in quarantine, the ministry said.

The EU has amended its asylum laws several times in the last decade in response to refugee flows from wars and instability in Africa and the Middle East.

By the U.N.s estimation, some 5.2 million refugees, mostly from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, had reached European shores by the end of 2016. Thousands died on their desperate journey, the U.N. said.

In 2018, some 138,000 people tried to reach Europe by sea, and more than 2,000 drowned.

By 2019, the refugee flow to the EU slowed. Now, the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan has renewed concern about a new influx.

The fall of Afghanistan to Taliban  panicked European politicians who are terrified of another mass movement of Muslim asylum seekers, The New York Times reported on August 18.

The Times said that in the case of Afghanistan, Europeans may feel a higher moral responsibility compared to other wars because many of its member states were part of the military coalition that invaded the country after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States.

Since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban on August 15 through August 26, President Joe Biden said the U.S. had evacuated more than 100,000 people from Kabul, including American citizens and their families and Afghan allies.

The U.S. has pledged to continue efforts to evacuate Afghans even after the August 31 deadline for pulling troops from the country. On August 26, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, But our commitment to getting American citizens out, who may not be ready to depart, continues. There is no deadline on  theres no end of that deadline  end of that timeline, I should say, to getting our Afghan partners out.

The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated that between January and August 16, some 72,375 Afghans had fled from the conflict seeking asylum in foreign countries.

On August 17, the U.N. Refugee Agency issued a non-return advisory for Afghanistan. As the situation remains fluid and uncertain, UNHCR continues to call for access to territory to allow civilians fleeing Afghanistan and to ensure respect for the principle of non-refoulement at all times  the prohibition on returning people to situations of danger, the statement said.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said, States have a legal and moral responsibility to allow those fleeing Afghanistan to seek safety, and to not forcibly return refugees.
BMW is getting ready to announce a new vehicle that will be produced at its South Carolina plant, although the company is keeping details under wraps.

Oliver Zipse, the German automaker's chairman, let the news slip during an Aug. 26 interview on the CNBC cable television network.

"At the end of the year, we will make an announcement to build another high-end car from this manufacturing site," Zipse said. "It is not a successor model, it's a brand new model, high-end for the American market but also for the world market."

Zipse did not name the model, but industry forecaster LMC Automotive has said the car will be a crossover sports utility vehicle called the X8. BMW already makes the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 at its Spartanburg County campus.

LMC said the X8 will be a two-row luxury vehicle based on the X7's frame.

BMW spokesman Steve Wilson said he could not provide additional information on the vehicle.

"It is our policy to not comment on future models," he said.

Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email

Sign Up!

Photographs of a prototype show an SUV with a slanted roof similar to the X2, as opposed to the flat roof of the X5 and X7 or the coupe-like roof of the X4 and X6, according to the Motor Authority website.

Zipse told CNBC that a formal announcement will be made by the end of this year, with sales expected to start in 2022.

Automotive researcher Edmunds said the X8 will be unlike any vehicle produced by BMW's rivals.

"The BMW X8 is somewhat uncharted territory for a German automaker," Edmunds reported. "It's been a while since one brand out of the Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz triumvirate has developed a vehicle that doesn't match up with what the other two produce. But that will be the case with the forthcoming X8, a large SUV that ditches the third row and adopts a sportier roofline."

The Motor1 website posted a video of a camouflaged X8 on a test drive at a track in Germany.

BMW's Upstate campus in Greer is the company's largest in the world. It can produce 1,500 vehicles every day and is a pillar of the South Carolina's $27 billion-a-year automotive industry.

The $11.4 billion factory has produced more than 5 million vehicles since opening in 1994 and currently employs about 11,000 workers. Roughly 70 percent of the vehicles built at the site are exported to other countries, with the majority leaving through the Port of Charleston's Columbus Street Terminal.
Two proposed hotels approved for sites near the historic City Market have been granted extensions after the owner disputed a decision that threatened to remove them from the queue of downtown accommodations projects.

Property owner Rainbow Market Group LLC missed a key filing deadline in 2020 that would have given it another year to start work on the 50-room properties  one with an Anson Street address and the other on Market Street.

Such requests are routine and are approved in most instances. State law allows for five one-year extensions of so-called vested rights.

In this case, though, the requests were submitted to the city several months after the Dec. 31 deadline had passed.

Zoning administrator Lee Batchelder had advised board members earlier this year that he thought they did "not have the authority to grant such an extension when the vested right is expired.

The majority of the board agreed with him and denied the request.

Rainbow Market Group, which public records show is affiliated with Marc Cothran of the Upstate and Charleston-based Gramling Brothers Real Estate & Development, appealed the decision in state court under the name Rainbow Market LLC. It also requested mediation in an effort to settle the dispute quickly and privately.

The city and the property owner reached an agreement earlier this month that gives the company both of the extensions it wanted.

Sign up for our business newsletter. Our twice-weekly newsletter features all the business stories shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email

Sign Up!

City Council was presented with details at its Aug. 17 meeting on Daniel Island.

Rainbow Market had two main arguments for why the extensions should be allowed, according to the presentation. First, the company said city rules are unclear as to when extension requests must be filed. Also, it said that it missed the 2020 deadline because of "COVID-related delays and confusion."

The mediation settlement extends Rainbow Market's hotel plans to next Dec. 31, as if the developer had filed the paperwork on time. City Council unanimously approved it without discussion.

As part of the agreement, the property owner will "ardently begin the submission for their preliminary review" with Charleston's Board of Architectural Review, City Council was told. Design plans for each of the properties were first submitted in 2016, but haven't they come back before the BAR for several years.

Securing those approvals is critical to moving any project closer to the construction phase.

Drawings for the proposed Anson Street hotel that were filed with the city in mid-2016 showed a four-story building and a colonnaded front portico.

At the Market Street address, the BAR determined in 2016 that the pink facade on the existing structure should be incorporated into the project.

Rainbow Market Group paid $8 million for the downtown properties in 2014.
Editor's note: An update of this story appears below.

COLUMBIA  A Twitter account featuring pictures of Lexington-Richland Five school board contender Haley Griggs that included posts mocking minority communities and questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship was deleted hours after the candidate received questions about the account.

Griggs said she did not write the tweets and suggested the posts came from political foes, but she did not respond when asked later what happened to the account.

Griggs, an Irmo nurse practitioner, is considered a front-runner among four candidates in the Oct. 12 special election for a Lexington-Richland Five board seat. She received endorsements from board Chairwoman Jan Hammond and trustee Catherine Huddle.

The district covering Irmo and Chapin, a fast-growing, wealthier area northwest of Columbia, is in turmoil with the sudden resignation of reigning S.C. Superintendent of the Year Christina Melton. The board clashed with Melton over reopening classrooms and mask rules. She received a $226,000 severance.

The special election will fill the seat belonging to Ed White, who stepped down mid-meeting in June to protest Melton's resignation. He said the superintendent left amid pressure from some board members, including Huddle, who created a "hostile and abusive work environment."

Griggs wants to join an all-White board that oversees a district where a third of the 17,500 students are Black. All four candidates running in the special election  Griggs, financial consultant Jeff Herring, college student Joshua Lazenby and district parent Tifani Moore  are White.

The account with the mocking tweets used a handle with Griggs' maiden name, @Haley_Porter, and dated back to a time when she was attending the University of South Carolina.

The account's avatar was Griggs standing with another woman, and the timeline's 2,500 tweets included photos of her trying on new clothes, holding a Christmas present and standing next to a presidential candidate.

The account included a 2012 response to a tweet from Obama: 1 way you arent leveling with the AMERICAN people  you arent American. #gobacktokenya.

Another tweet from the account said: Whenever I see an Obama sticker the first thing I wonder is if people had Hitler stickers on their cars in the 30s.

A tweet took aim at then-first lady Michelle Obamas pet cause in 2012: If you cant control your kid from getting obese then you dont deserve kids. Dont take it out on the rest of us! #michelleobama.

Another tweet praised "Saturday Night Live" because it makes fun of Asians so well.

Griggs told The Post and Courier that she had a Twitter account while attending USC but could not recall if she used the handle @Haley_Porter.

After she was told about the tweets on the @Haley_Porter account, Griggs suggested she was hacked.

"I'm involved in church, that's never been my outlook on people of other races, and I've never held that sentiment," Griggs said Aug. 25. "I still don't.

"You know things can get hacked, accounts can get taken over so I don't recall making those specific tweets," she added. "That does not sound like something I would say."

In response to follow-up questions, Griggs sent a text message Aug. 25 declining further comment on the account.

"Anybody who knows me knows that these attacks from our opposition are not who I am," Griggs said in her text. "I'm running for school board in our diverse community to improve all corners of District Five."

Hours after Griggs' was asked about the account, which had been dormant since 2014, it was deleted. Griggs did not respond to multiple messages on Aug. 26 and 27 asking what happened to the account.

An S.C. political campaign expert said hacking or spoofing social media accounts is not unheard of, but would be an unusual tactic to use in a local school board race because of the expense.

Social media, particularly for new and unknown candidates, is a treasure trove for opponents, said Joel Sawyer, a political strategist and consultant who served as communications director for former Gov. Mark Sanford. Someone would have to spend a lot of money to put that on a voters radar. If youre talking about a local government or school board race, thats something where you only have to make it matter for 400 or 500 people.

Update

Griggs acknowledged Aug. 28 to writing posts on the @Haley_Porter account, and asking Twitter to remove the dormant profile from her days in college.

After review, Im sure I did make some tweets that some may have viewed as insensitive, she wrote on her Facebook campaign page. I was in college and made a lot of comments on pop culture. As you mentioned, people grow and change and are not the same person they were at 18.

"After review, I reached out to Twitter to remove the account because it does not accurately portray who I am as a person. While I am not attempting to ignore or diminish what happened, I am continuing to move forward with the issues facing our district."
COLUMBIA  South Carolinas COVID-19 units are filling up faster than ever before.

As of Aug. 27, across Prisma Health hospitals in the Midlands and Upstate, the state's largest health care system is treating 464 patients for COVID-19  an increase of 30 patients from one day prior, and up from 12 patients total two months ago.

Prisma is quickly approaching its January 2021 peak of 546 coronavirus patients.

Our current surge, the trajectory is much steeper, and we expect to surpass our peak," said Dr. Steve Shelton, incident commander and emergency medical physician for Prisma Health in the Midlands. "This is serious business for us.

The story is the same at hospitals across the Midlands, where all available nursing staff are being called in and working overtime to care for the surge of sick patients. That's why doctors are speaking out, telling people the vaccine is safe and effective, encouraging mask wearing and social distancing.

We are within a very, very near and dire situation with respect to capacity and resources, said Dr. Brent Powers, chief medical officer at Lexington Medical Center.

Lexington Medical has gone from four COVID patients in the hospital to 190 just six weeks later, with 41 of those patients on ventilators.

We have hit an all-time high watermark in our 50-year history on ventilators," Powers said. "At one point last week, we had close to 70 patients on ventilators. Unfortunately, some of those patients have not survived.

And MUSC Health Columbia has gone from one COVID patient three months ago to the virus now affecting 25 percent of its inpatients.

There's never been a time in my career that I can recall when 25 percent of our hospital capacity was taken up by a single disease entity, Dr. Kale Davis, chief of staff and medical director of emergency medicine.

As is true nationwide, the majority of those hospitalized are unvaccinated  88 percent at Lexington Medical, 86 percent at MUSC and 93 percent at Prisma. Of the vaccinated breakthrough cases at Prisma, the majority have been among elderly and chronically ill individuals.

Lexington Medical Center saw this latest surge coming back in July, as positive test numbers started to rise.

We then started to see our admission rate increase. This is the natural wave and what we've seen with every wave," Powers said. "What we're seeing now, unfortunately, is deaths. In the month of August we had 47 people die.

The average age of those dying of the disease at Lexington Medical has fallen from 75 to 68. The youngest this month was four years old.

That's led to the hospital delaying treatment of other conditions, like a doctor in the OBGYN department delaying biopsies meant to detect endometrial cancer.

We closed one of our surgery centers. We are pulling nurses from administrative functions and are deploying them again in the patient care areas. We're pulling staff from our ambulatory offices and pulling them back into the hospital setting, Powers said.

If you do that more than a couple of weeks, there are significant real patient outcomes," he said.

At MUSC Columbia, staff are shuffling patients to make more room.

What ends up happening you fill up your resources," Davis said. "We offer bonuses for extra staff to come in. Our nurses are all working overtime. Most every one of them is picking up extra shifts and that's contributing to massive fatigue.

That's the harsh reality hospitals say they are facing  COVID cases are rising faster than health systems can handle.
GREENVILLE  The top doctors of every hospital system in the Upstate took the rare step of collectively pleading with the public to get vaccinated as their facilities fill, workers quit, and people struck with the Delta variant of COVID-19 are "younger, stronger and stay sick longer."

The characterization of the new wave of patients compared to the winter surge came from Dr. Wendell James, Prisma Health-Upstate's chief medical officer, who said those not vaccinated account for more than 95 percent of hospitalized cases.

"What can you do to help us?" James asked in a virtual press conference Aug. 26 that included the heads of Prisma, Bon Secours St. Francis, Spartanburg Regional, AnMed Health and Self Regional Healthcare. "In short, please get vaccinated. That is the golden bullet that we all have to avoid this turning into a bigger problem than it already is."

The situation is dire, the doctors said.

This past June, Self Regional, which primarily serves Greenwood County, had weeks with zero patients suffering from COVID-19, chief medical officer Dr. Matthew Logan said. Today, there are 38 patients. Out of 10 currently being treated in the intensive care unit, 9 are not vaccinated.

"We are seeing our sickest patients being in the unvaccinated group," Logan said.

The overflow of patients at hospitals elsewhere is creating a "trickle-down effect." Self Regional typically sends pediatric patients to Greenville but must now find room to treat the surging number of children, Logan said.

The numbers bear out across the Upstate in similar rates among bigger hospitals.

Across Prisma's network in both the Upstate and the Midlands, which James said serves half of South Carolina, 436 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 410 are not vaccinated. Within that group, 96 are in intensive care  91 of them unvaccinated. All but two of the 54 patients on ventilators are not vaccinated.

The doctors said that those who are vaccinated and are in serious condition almost exclusively had grave underlying health conditions to start.

"This has become a disease of the unvaccinated," James said.

The Delta variant spread has yet to play out completely but the trendline is foreboding. To reach 436 patients in Prisma's system took eight weeks, according to its statistics released Aug. 26. By comparison, the surge in the first wave of the pandemic from March to mid-July of 2020 took 19 weeks to reach 304, a testament to what doctors characterize as Delta's hyper-contagiousness.

Sign up for our Greenville weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email

Sign Up!

Prisma's numbers show the current surge in hospitalizations short of its peak of 546 in January.

In South Carolina, 46.9 percent of those eligible have been fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. That number does not account for residents under 12, who still are not eligible for vaccination.

In Spartanburg Regional's five hospitals, 224 patients have been admitted for COVID-19, chief medical officer Chris Lombardozzi said. Among those, only five are vaccinated.

In his plea, Lombardozzi said that the same people who rely on doctor expertise to deliver their babies should trust them on the effectiveness of vaccines, which have eradicated diseases in the past. The people dying are suffering, he said.

"This is not a benign disease," Lombardozzi said. "This is a terrible, terrible disease."

This wave is seeing a higher rate of younger people succumbing to the disease. There are more pediatric patients but also particularly those between ages 40 and 50, said Dr. Brad Mock, AnMed's chief medical officer. The reason, he said, is because the older members of the population, seeing how susceptible they were during the first wave, sought vaccinations in higher numbers.

For anyone who doubts the development of the vaccines, Bon Secours chief clinical officer Dr. Surabhi Gaur said that science has borne out their safety and effectiveness.

Gaur said she could understand those who early on were skeptical, or those waiting for approval by the Federal Drug Administration. But with FDA approval this week of one of the three vaccines  Pfizer, also referred to by the brand name Comirnaty  and study of those administered worldwide, there is no more hesitancy warranted.

"We have literally watched the world's largest clinical trial," she said.

The third wave of COVID-19 has caused some nurses and other workers to leave the profession altogether, creating a shortage of help, the doctors said.

"They're done," James said. "They're fried."
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop.

Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News

Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time.

Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up!

Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.
Dozens of Charleston-area faith leaders are calling on the Medical University of South Carolina to do more in its work to address health disparities in the region.

More than 50 faith leaders joined the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, a multifaith coalition that tackles issues ranging from housing to health care, on Aug. 23 outside St. Patrick Catholic Church in downtown Charleston. They urged MUSC to fund two mobile medical units, which would be managed by nonprofit Fetter Health Care Network.

"Goodwill is great," said the Rev. Byron Benton, pastor of North Charleston's Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. "But good deeds are even better."

The two-room, fully furnished vans would cost about $815,000, according to the justice ministry. CAJM is also asking MUSC to fund a year of personnel costs related to the units. CAJM's online statement is available at bit.ly/mobile-units.

"We believe these specific units, or something similar to it, are necessary in order to close the gap and provide effective health care  primary health care, for our community," Benton said.

CAJM agreed to study the issue after almost 1,000 ministry members gathered virtually last fall to discuss barriers to medical care access. Since November 2020, the ministry has spoken with 20 national and local health care officials and has studied data to conclude many people in the tri-county region struggle to access good health care because of obstacles related to the lack of trust toward medical professionals, unaffordable costs and lack of transportation.

Census estimates in 2019 noted there were 83,000 uninsured residents in the tri-county region. The 2019 census estimates contains the most recently released health care data breakdown by county.

Many Black and Brown people do not feel comfortable navigating a medical system that is dominated by White people, faith leaders said.

"People can't get to the doctor, afford a doctor, or they do not trust the doctor," Benton said.

CAJM said the new mobile units would help those who lack health care access. Fetter's mobile health units provide primary care and medical homes for people on a sliding scale, regardless of insurance status.

The issue of fair access to medical care also has moral implications, CAJM leaders said.

Benton said the ministry's call aligns with the Bible's Micah 6:8, which notes the Lord's requirement is to "do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God."

Charleston City Councilman Keith Waring attended the rally in support of the ministry and its call to action.

"I don't know if there's a more sincere group behind community initiatives," Waring said.

Rhulaunda Donald lost her Medicaid coverage after giving birth to her second child.

But even with health insurance through her job, Donald, who is diabetic, couldn't afford the copays for regular checkups.

Additionally, her car had broken down, so transportation was limited. Donald's health further declined.

She thinks she would have fared better if she had better access to affordable medical care during her moment of need.

"A mobile unit definitely would've helped," Donald said. "It shouldn't have been that big of a struggle in the country we live in."

MUSC has not agreed to funding the mobile health units, but discussions about CAJM's request are ongoing, spokeswoman Heather Woolwine said.

MUSC is pursuing funding strategies and partnerships for new medical buses in the area.

"We are pursuing funding strategies and partnership opportunities for new mobile units in our area with Fetter and are reliant on the details of those opportunities to commit to a realistic and comprehensive timeline for implementation," Woolwine said.

The hospital has also signed an affiliation agreement with Fetter that establishes a framework for improving access to health care for underserved populations.

Additionally, the hospital has hundreds of studies and programs aimed at addressing disparities. These include free care clinics, telehealth specialty care offered around the state by health experts, financial assistance programs and patient and family advisory councils that work to help improve access.

The hospital also delivers about $152 million in unfunded care annually, and has numerous STEM and related pipeline programs to encourage more underrepresented minorities to become health care providers, Woolwine said.

Fetter said said it would be willing to provide health services to those in need if provided with the mobile units. Transportation is among some of the barriers to health care access, Fetter CEO Dr. Aretha Polite-Powers said.

The network rolled out vaccine clinics over the past year and witnessed the impact made by mobile health units.

"It's evident that taking services to the community is very important," Polite-Powers said.
NORTH CHARLESTON  The South Carolina chapters of Communities in Schools have merged into one, allowing the nonprofit to reach more students with its social and emotional support programs.

The nonprofit previously had three affiliates: in North Charleston to serve the Lowcountry, in Columbia to cover the Midlands and in Greenville to cover the Upstate. As of Aug. 16, Communities in Schools of South Carolina serves all of those students from its offices on Turnbull Avenue in North Charleston.

Through its programs, the organization provides access to resources and support that will allow it to overcome barriers to success. It places site coordinators, who are trained adults, into schools to work with students individually and help guide them to graduation.

The nonprofit serves about 18,200 students in 34 schools across the state.

The merger ultimately allows Communities in Schools to expand those programs, said Kristin Garner, vice president of external affairs. For two years, the group has been planning to expand within the state, but only in the past year did it become obvious that the merger was needed.

We all know that COVID showed huge disparities and educational inequalities throughout the state, particularly with rural communities and high-poverty, under-resourced communities, Garner said. That is who benefits the greatest from the work that we do.  Its more relevant now than ever.

Site coordinators who work for the organization have seen firsthand the impacts of the pandemic on students across the state.

For many students, balancing social and emotional tasks, such as managing their home life, taking care of siblings and dealing with the stress of the pandemic, got in the way of learning.

A lot of our students have great family structures, but a lot dont, President and CEO Jamie Cooper said. Their family units, their guardians, their parents, were having to figure out ways to get by financially, which really amplified a lot of the negative situations those students were placed with.

The nonprofits site coordinators were able to help those students during in-home visits, Cooper said. For a lot of the students, the ability to work one-on-one with a site coordinator helped them push past dropping grades and behavioral issues.

Communities in Schools locations Communities in Schools of South Carolina in now operated out of a main office in North Charleston, but people can reach affiliates in the Midlands and the Upstate directly. Here's how to contact the organization: Main office: 1691 Turnbull Ave., Suite 200, North Charleston; 877-920-3633 Midlands region: P.O. Box 8884 Columbia, SC 29202; 803-254-9727 Upstate region: P.O. Box 10308, Greenville, SC 29603; 864-564-1853 Visit cisofsc.org to find out more information about the nonprofit.

Going into the merger, Communities in Schools is especially focused on expanding its programs and reach in rural communities. While many schools in highly populated areas, like Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, have site coordinators, the nonprofit hasnt been able to have as great of an impact in the more-rural parts of the state.

With a merged office, the organization can better pool its resources to get into more rural communities and help those students, who often have lower graduation rates than their more urban counterparts.

We know that the resources are lacking, Garner said. Its not unique to South Carolina, this is an issue in rural communities throughout the country.

The merger also allows for a better understanding of each region of the state and more collaboration, Garner said.

The nonprofit has plans to pool data from all regions of the state to help inform its decisions. Communities in Schools plans to use that data to advocate for student support with state officials.

There is so much power with us being one united entity, Garner said.

It comes at a time when school districts are receiving more funding than ever to cover learning loss during the pandemic. The nonprofit hopes it can be considered as one of the community organizations that districts turn to to help boost graduation rates and improve social-emotional learning for students.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
Sundays editorial, Meet the new 526 extension, really got my attention. The cost and the years involved in getting to this point with this project leave me in shock.

My shock is because for the last 10 years concerned citizens have asked for the reduction of noise in the Interstate 26 corridor, westbound from the U.S. Highway 52 connector to about the U.S. Highway 78 interchange.

My shock comes with seeing the costs of the I-526 project: past, present and future.

My shock comes with knowing that the Coastal Conservation League has expressed concerns with the environmental blight that this project will cause.

My shock comes from the 10 years of making requests for noise reduction for more than 300 homeowners.

And the shock that this traffic corridor has grown exponentially over the past 10 years.

In the months to come, the greater I-26 corridor will include the opening of a Walmart distribution center in Ridgeville as part of its unprecedented growth.

In addition, the corridor has seen increased usage with the opening of the Hugh Leatherman Terminal.

I am shocked because we did not get the response we expected over health issues that could be exacerbated by highway noise.

These problems, which the New England Journal of Medicine calls Lowcountry health issues, include heart disease, sleep deprivation and hypertension.

I am shocked because in 2010, the homeowners in the noise corridor started on a journey to create a dialogue with every relevant governmental agency. We are thankful that Charleston County did an extensive and comprehensive noise study with two different agencies. We were told that our request for noise reduction was not reasonable or feasible.

The state Department of Transportation is involved in the I-526 project, which will increase the traffic on I-26.

Why isnt noise reduction for this negatively impacted corridor included in this highway project?

Livability and quality of life are at the heart of the American dream.

VIRGINIA W. JAMISON

North Charleston City Councilwoman

District 3

Longshadow Lane

North Charleston

Say no to 526 extension

I agree with the Sunday editorial on Alternative G of the Interstate 526 extension plan.

As a Johns Islander, I am an eyewitness to the problems accumulating weekly from years of dawdling and inaction.

Committing upwards of a billion dollars to a short, 35 mph parkway to be built over delicate ecosystems that will not see traffic for at least 10 years is absurd beyond comprehension.

West Ashley, Johns Island and James Island all have adequate networks of roads. What they dont have is the benefit of competent planning and leadership at the state, county and city levels.

Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email

Sign Up!

Take the Main Road Corridor project as an example. The planning, studies and alternatives began seven years before the iPhone was invented.

And how does Main Road look today? Well, if you could see around, over or underneath the bumper-to-bumper line of dump trucks, cement trucks and heavy equipment haulers clogging the road, then you would see it hasnt changed at all.

Heres a better alternative: Scrap Alternative G and the extension plan altogether. Allocate just a fraction of the billion dollars right now, while costs are predictable, to expanding Maybank Highway, Main Road, Savannah Highway and Folly Road. And do it in an environmentally, historically and equitable way.

No more dawdling. Take action now.

DAVID B. GROCE

Acorn Drop Lane

Johns Island

Negligent leaders

Kudos to College of Charleston professor Joseph Kelly for his commonsense and courageous commentary in Tuesdays paper.

Articles like his and columnist Brian Hicks point out the egregious failure of our political leadership to protect the citizens of this state from sickness, and even death.

They have decided to be quislings and appeasers, to borrow Mr. Kellys phrase, rather than do what medical experts have said should be done to protect the population from this virus, and the other variants that may follow because we havent shut this one down.

The deaths resulting from this failure of leadership may not amount to genocide, like the Great Hunger in Ireland, but this surely amounts to callous negligence of public health and safety for political expediency.

We must remember this at the ballot box, and hold elected officials responsible for the additional illness and deaths, because they are.

ELAINE JOHNSTON

Camp Road

Charleston

Where is UN?

I am troubled by the absence of United Nations peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan over the past several weeks.

The United Nations has lost a lot of its gravitas in recent years, which is unfortunate in our tumultuous world.

What we need for the future of this planet is a stronger, more robust global peacekeeping body.

I do not see how this planet will survive without such an organization.

GEORGE I. BONIFACE

Parc Vue Avenue

Mount Pleasant
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
COLUMBIA  In a bid to significantly expand behavioral health and cardiovascular services across the state, officials from the Medical University of South Carolina are asking state lawmakers for more than $400 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds to launch a pair of major new partnerships.

The proposal came in an Aug. 26 meeting of a state Senate panel that is soliciting requests as they decide how to spend $2.5 billion sent to the state from the $1.9 trillion "American Rescue Plan Act" that passed out of Congress earlier this year.

About $208 million would be directed toward improving mental health and substance abuse treatment and $200 million to cardiovascular and respiratory services, with plans for MUSC to form alliances with other hospital systems to cover the entire state.

MUSC President David Cole said both ideas stem from growing demands for mental health and heart services in South Carolina's health care systems that have been "significantly exacerbated by COVID-19."

On behavioral health, South Carolina ranks 43rd out of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, primarily because of poor access to services, Cole said. Meanwhile, behavioral health inpatient admissions have increased by 6 percent over the past three years, with more substantial rises in the Pee Dee region and among minors.

"There, in my opinion, is a whole wave, especially in our younger generation, of depression and anxiety that we are just starting to see the tip of the iceberg," Cole said. "If we don't start to get a handle on things now, I would predict that it's only going to get worse."

Dr. Marc Katz, chief of MUSC's cardiothoracic surgery division, said the $200 million toward heart services could help establish a "world-class cardiovascular and pulmonary in South Carolina for South Carolina residents."

"Even before COVID, we in this state had more than 13,000 deaths every year from cardio respiratory effects, and there are tens of thousands of our citizens that have long-term effects from cardiovascular and pulmonary disease," Katz said. "So it's something that we really need to address."

Legislators on the five-member panel expressed some initial appreciation for MUSC's proposal and said they understood the depth of the problem. But they pressed for more details on which other health care systems would be involved in the project and who would have control of the money.

Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email

Sign Up!

State Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, said he agreed with Cole that MUSC would be easier to hold accountable than a private, for-profit hospital.

"But the landscape has changed in health care in this state in the last year and a half," Setzler said. "So when we give you a large sum of money and you're making the decisions but you're still competing with some of these other entities, that changes the ballgame. So I want to know who the alliances are going to be."

Setzler also expressed concerns that the initial presentation suggested only 9 percent of the resources would be directed toward his home area of the Midlands, with higher shares going to the Pee Dee, the Lowcountry and the Upstate, in that order.

Cole responded that they hope to enlist every health care system in every region of the state to participate in the partnerships but suggested they were cautious about moving too far forward with the plan before getting some indication that funding would be provided.

While Cole acknowledged that some health care systems may choose not to join, he said their hope is that as many as possible will team up and put their individual preferences to one side in a collective effort to aid the state.

"This is not a stiff arm to exclude," Cole said. "This problem is way bigger than any one institution, so it would be naive and silly on our part to say somehow we're able to do all this. We fully anticipate this is a partnership."

Gov. Henry McMaster's "accelerateSC" task force released their own recommendations about how to spend the $2.5 billion federal COVID relief funds earlier this month, with significant chunks going toward broadband expansion and infrastructure. MUSC's idea was not included in that report.

Mark Sweatman, MUSC's chief of governmental affairs, said the organization was not asked to participate in the accelerateSC process, whereas top lawmakers encouraged them to draw up a plan to address the state's mental health needs that have been worsened by the pandemic, prompting the Aug. 26 presentation.
U.S Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, co-sponsored an article of impeachment against President Joe Biden following the recent deaths of American service members during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"It is time to take action and remove the sitting President from office due to his gross negligence that undermined our national security, led to the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, and resulted in a grave humanitarian crisis," Duncan tweeted on Aug. 27.

It isn't clear if any other GOP members in South Carolina's delegation have signed on to the article of impeachment measure, but many have been vocal in calling for Biden to resign or be impeached after the attacks at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The airport is the epicenter of already contentious evacuation efforts. The attacks killed at least 13 U.S. service members and 60 Afghans on Aug. 26.

U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, called on Biden to step down from office.

"President Biden, you yourself said The Buck stops here. Do the American people a favor. Resign and turn the job over to someone who can handle it," Rice said in a statement.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham called for Bidens impeachment and added the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is the most dishonorable thing the commander in chief has done maybe in modern times.

Additionally, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson took aim at Biden by saying his hasty plan to pull out of Afghanistan is costing American lives.

Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email

Sign Up!

As I said in the Congressional Record on Monday, President Joe Biden is endangering American families, the Republican from the Lexington area said in media statement. The war is not over, and his policies will directly affect families of America and our allies.

Additionally, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, alongside U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of State Antony Blinken claiming the cabinet head did not properly advise Biden and abandoned American interests in Afghanistan.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, has not openly criticized Biden following the death of the American service members. But he did offer his condolences for the fallen.

"My prayers are with the families of the U.S. service members who lost their lives in todays attack, as well as the troops who remain in Kabul carrying out this critical mission," Clyburn said. "We must honor their sacrifice by pursuing a wise course for our country at this dangerous juncture."
This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance site NerdWallet. The content is for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Sara Rathner is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SaraKRathner.

RELATED LINKS:

NerdWallet: What Is Cryptocurrency? Heres What You Should Know https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-crypto-guide
Advice for first-time kayakers from Reading teens who tried the Schuylkill Sojourn
Our departure from Afghanistan under the supervision and alleged protection of the Taliban represents a historic humiliation of the United States. Executing a sophisticated attack [update: the Pentagon has now revised its account] at the Kabul airport, terrorists killed at least 13 U.S. troops and 95 Afghans. Dozens more were injured. The attack deepened our humiliation and erased another administration talking point.

The casualties fill our hearts with rage and sorrow. There must be an accounting and accountability.

President Biden took to the lectern in the East Room of the White House to make a statement and field a few questions. The White House has posted the transcript here. I have posted the White House video below.

Here are 12 thoughts and observations in the form of bullet points.

 Biden is spent. His remarks were pathetic and stupid. He gives human form to our humiliation. He embodies it. Anyone can see that.

 Charles Lipson rendered this concise verdict after the attack but before Bidens remarks: This deadly fiasco didnt just happen on his watch. It happened because of his decisions, a series of fundamentally bad ones, taken by the President himself. Anyone can see that too.

 Our political system does not offer an appropriate remedy for the epic failure of the Biden administration. Has any president ever stood so exposed in the opening months of his administration? Have we ever had a more ridiculous vice president than Kamala Harris standing next in line? Next in line after Kamala Harris is Nancy Pelosi. Next in line after Nancy Pelosi is Patrick Leahy.

 Biden vowed: To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. His vow made me reflect on Bidens literal memory issues. He cant even remember the name of his Secretary of Defense  you know, the General.

 It is hard to take Bidens vow seriously in the context of our retreat and surrender. It has a Monty Python quality to it.

 The word mission appears 12 times in Bidens remarks. Biden asserted, for example: We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation. What is the mission? I infer that the mission is to bug out by the Biden/Taliban deadline of August 31. That is the mission from which we will not be deterred.

 The terrorist attack demonstrated the weakness of our reliance on the Taliban to provide security at the airport. Anyone can see that too. It is an essential element of our humiliation. Matt Continetti explores this component of our humiliation in Biden Subcontracts U.S. Security to Terrorists.

 In response to the question posed by Trevor from Reuters following his remarks Biden explained the interest of the Taliban in facilitating our retreat and surrender. Biden doesnt even understand the interest of the United States. He and his administration certainly dont understand the Talibans perception of its interest.

 Biden did not dispute and partly confirmed the Politico story U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate. Subhead: The White House contends that limited information sharing with the Taliban is saving lives; critics argue its putting Afghan allies in harms way.

 Biden asserted that our abandonment of Bagram comported with the advice of his military advisers: They concluded  the military  that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul. And so, I followed that recommendation. Can that be true?

 Whether that is true or false, it comported with Bidens remarks over the past two weeks. Biden has routinely passed the buck and blamed everyone but himself for the events of the day. He is without shame.

 Quotable quote: Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly ODonnell of NBC. Bidens minders in the daycare operation at the White House have failed to impress on him that he is to omit their instructions from his remarks.

NOTE: For my heading I have adapted the heading on Austin Bays Strategy Page column The Deadly Consequences of Bidens Bugout.
I didnt watch Joe Bidens statement about the attack on Americans and others at the Kabul airport. Less than a year into his presidency, Ive reached the point where I cant stand to watch the guy  this, even though his appearances have been sparse.

This report on Bidens comments show them to be lame and stupid. Biden said:

We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission. We will continue the evacuation. We will rescue Americans, we will get our Afghan allies, and the mission will go on.

But the mission is, in essence, ignominious surrender. Are the perpetrators of the bombing supposed to be cowed or impressed that Biden wont be deterred from turning Afghanistan over to terrorists?

We will not be deterred are fine words when America is on the march. They are pathetic words when America is in full retreat.

Biden also said to the perpetrators:

We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

How does Biden propose to hunt anyone down in Afghanistan? It was difficult enough to hunt down Osama bin Laden when we had a huge force in that country. Indeed, we never caught up with the 9/11 mastermind while he was in that country.

With no military presence in Afghanistan and no Afghans in their right mind willing to work with us again, it seems unlikely that we can hunt down anyone there.

Biden claimed we have some reason to believe we know who they [the perpetrators] are, and we will find ways for our choosing, without large military operations, to get them, wherever they are. (Emphasis added.)

To me, this sounds like Biden doesnt actually know who is behind the attack and has no clear idea where those who might be responsible are. Nor, as I suggested above, are we in a good position to find out. Were leaving Afghanistan and its unlikely well be able to keep track of whats going on there  at least not to the degree required for Biden to fulfill his promise of vengeance.

Maybe Biden will rely on intelligence from the Taliban. Such reliance would be consistent with his approach to the entire surrender. Its conceivable that the Taliban will want the U.S. to strike at some rival group of terrorists. Whether, in this improbable scenario, the Taliban would give us accurate information is very much in doubt.

I hope Biden keeps his pledge to hunt down those responsible for the killing of Americans at the Kabul aiport. But I doubt not only whether the U.S. has the capability to redeem Bidens words, but whether Biden uttered them with a high degree of seriousness.

I suspect that Biden mouthed them because someone on his media team thought they might impress Americans. Id be surprised if any of his words did.
ADVERTISEMENT

Zenith Bank posted N106.1 billion in after-tax profit for the six months to June, 2.2 per cent higher than what it reported in the same period of last year, becoming the first of the Big 5 banks to release its mid-year earnings scorecard.

The mild profit rise drew support from a 42.3 per cent jump in net income on fees and commission, helping to dampen the pressure coming N13 billion slump in interest and similar income, the audited financials of Nigerias second biggest by asset and market value issued on Friday shows.

That was achieved against a background of weaker gross earnings, which at N345.6 billion compares with the N346.1 billion recorded at half-year 2020, when the pangs of the pandemic outbreak forced lenders in Nigeria to look the way of restructuring the loans in their books.

READ ALSO:

I dont think that we can expect any dramatic increase in performance  from banks. For one, the performance wasnt that bad in H1 last year, so I dont see that they are coming from a very low base point, Timchang Gwatau, senior research analyst at broker and investment bank Meristem Securities Limited told CNBC Africa last Friday.

You also have the constraints on interest income, which is the key source of revenue for banks.

Zenith Banks pre-tax profit was up 2.6 per cent at N117.1 billion, just as earnings per share rose 2.4 per cent to N3.38.

Meanwhile, the tier 1 lender has said it will pay shareholders an interim dividend of N0.30 per share totaling N9.4 billion for the period under review.

Shareholders whose names appear in the companys register of members by September 10 will be eligible for the payout, Zenith Bank said in a separate document seen by PREMIUM TIMES. Payment is scheduled for September 20.

Shares in Zenith Bank closed in Lagos on Friday at N24.30 per unit, trading up 0.41 per cent.
ADVERTISEMENT

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says all 28 states that established Judicial Panels on EndSARS have completed their assignments, except Lagos States panel which will be ready by October.

NEC had in the wake of violent EndSARS protests against police brutality of 2020, directed states to constitute Judicial Panels of Inquiry to investigate complaints against the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS) and other police units.

Me Osinbajos spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Thursday, said the vice president presided over a virtual meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) anchored from the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The vice president said that eight states had turned in their reports as the council looked forward to discussing them in full at its next meeting when all the states would have made their submissions.

Already eight states: Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Rivers, have submitted reports of their respective panels, while Lagos State has also submitted an interim report, he said.

Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, made a presentation to NEC on At-Risk Children (& Youth) Programme.

The memo was to acquaint the council with the mission of the programme.

She said the programme was to ensure the integration of at-risk children and young adults by creating opportunities for skills and empowerment to reduce their vulnerabilities.

The council also received a memo from Mohammed Haruna, the Chief Executive of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

Following President Muhamadu Buharis approval of the implementation of remittance of one per cent of the federation account as contained in the establishment Act as NASENI Statutory fund, NEC also endorsed.

The council also received the Progress Report of the NEC Adhoc Committee Interfacing with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, on behalf of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, informed the council about the new vaccination drive which moved on further to seven states by August 25.

By the end of September, Federal Government will get a reasonable amount of vaccine doses.

The ad-hoc committee interfacing with the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 is to work hand in hand with the staff of National Primary Health Care in administering the vaccine.

In Lagos, the number of Covid-19 cases rose last week; as at yesterday positivity rate rose from 10 to 10 .5 per cent.

States should ensure that mandatory isolation is observed; there is an increase in the usage of oxygen, Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

He said that the Delta variant had remained the dominant variant in the country recently and was present in eight states. (NAN)
A lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, on Friday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the State Security Service (SSS), to release 13 aides of Yoruba nation secessionist agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Mr Olajengbesi decried the refusal of the SSS to honour a clear order of court granting his clients bail, and threatened to commence contempt proceedings against the Director General of the spy agency, Yusuf Bichi, if the court order was not complied with within 48 hours.

By planning to institute a contempt suit, the lawyer will be asking the court to jail Mr Bichi, if he fails to comply with the order releasing the detainees.

SSS operatives had, in a midnight raid on July 1, arrested 12 associates of Mr Igboho and killed two others at his Ibadan home, Oyo State.

The detainees include, Abdullateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde (Aka Lady K), Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, and Jamiu Noah.

Others are Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwafelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.

Following an application by Mr Olajengbesi, a Federal High Court judge in Abuja, Obiora Egwuatu, granted bail to the 12 aides on August 4.

But since meeting their bail conditions and and the judges order for their release served on the SSS some days ago, the detainees are still being held by the secret police without charge.

Such blatant disregard for, and contemptuous, spiteful and insolent disrespect for an order of court if allowed to fester would undermine the very integrity of the court, Mr Olajengbesi said on Friday.

He said the continued incarceration of Mr Igbohos aides by the SSS amounts to surrendering the freedom and rights of the twelve detainees to the whims and caprices of an agency that has gone rogue and thrives in willful disobedience of court orders.

In the light of this, we are giving the SSS, particularly its Director General, 48 hours and not an hour more, within which to fully obey and comply with the release order of the court in favour of all twelve detained associates of Mr Sunday Igboho or face contempt proceedings before a court of competent jurisdiction., Mr Olajengbesi warned.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the lawyer to five Buhari-Must-Go activists, Tope Temokun, had to initiate a contempt suit against the SSS boss before they were released.

Inhumane, degrading treatment of the detainees

At the Friday briefing, Mr Olajengbesi revealed that his clients were being subjected to all forms of Inhumane treatment by the SSS.

Amoda Babatunde (Aka Lady K), the only female, is being forced by the SSS to change clothes before male detainees, the lawyer alleged.

He catalogued other acts of gross violation of the detainees rights to include sleeping on the bare floor of their cells and lack of access to medical doctors, as well as physical torture.

The detainees, he said, since their abduction by the secret police have been languishing in the latters dungeon without reprieve despite the subsisting court order granting them bail.

Three days ago, Mr Egwuatu struck out an application by the SSS against the bail granted some aides of Mr Igboho.

Following an application by Mr Olajengbesi, the judge, granted the detainees bail on August 4.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dissatisfied with the ruling, however, the SSS filed an application urging the judge to reverse the bail granted four of the detainees.

The detainees lawyer had described the SSS application as strange.

The judge threw out the Nigerian secret polices application following its withdrawal by the services lawyer, Idowu Awo.

Mr Awo said his agency had decided to file an appeal against the bail granted four out of the 12 detainees, instead of asking Mr Egwatu to reverse his previous ruling granting bail to them.

The judge subsequently struck out the motion following the no-objection response from the detainees lawyer, Sunday Adebayo.
ADVERTISEMENT

Armed bandits have killed one person and abducted seven others in Dadah, Tukurawa and Gandamasu in Zurmi local government area of Zamfara State.

The bandits attacked the villages on Thursday night, reportedly over the villagers failure to pay levies imposed by the hoodlums.

Zurmi is one of the local government areas in the state worst-hit by banditry. It shares boundaries with Jibia local government of Katsina.

Some of its communities touch the dreaded Rugu forest where bandits have established fortresses.

In Thursdays night attack, a youth leader in the area, Abdullahi Yusuf, said one person was killed while seven people were abducted in Dadah village.

READ ALSO:

Four of those abducted were women. What we have found out is that some of the villages did not pay levies imposed by the bandits, which led to the attacks, he added.

He said the people of Gidan Zago had paid N800,000 imposed on them while those of Tsakauna agreed to work on the bandits farmlands.

Mr Yusuf said the bandits have now imposed N9 million on Takurawa, N2 million on Dadah and N2.5 million on Gidan Shaho.

He added that from what their organisation found out, the villagers have agreed to pay the money.

People of Kurunkudu village in Bakura local government area have also been reportedly paid the bandits N200,000 as levy.

Hamza Muhammad, a resident of Bakura, told Premium Times that the money was paid following an agreement between some communities and the bandits in the area.

The police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Shehu, was unavailable for comment as at the time of filing this report as he did not pick calls or or reply text messages sent to his phone number.
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, on Friday, said one of the kidnapped pupils from Salihu Tanko Islamic School Tegina on May 30 died in the captivity of their abductors.

The governor disclosed this on Friday when he received 90 of the pupils who were freed by the bandits on Thursday after payment of ransom by the parents.

Mr Bello received the children at the Government House, Minna.

The governor at a press conference following the reception for the children, confirmed the death of one of the children but did not explain the circumstances.

The children have been medically examined and declared fit to join their families, except for four of them who will require more medical attention, Mr Bello said.

In total, 91 children were kidnapped and we have received 90. Unfortunately, we lost one of them. May his soul rest in peace, the governor said.

The governor added that alongside the 90 children, there were two other abducted people who have been released as well, making the total number received as 92.

Meanwhile, the management of the Islamiyya school had put the numbers of the children abducted as 136.

Mr Bello expressed concern over the incessant attacks by outlaws across the state, saying that their activities have been discouraging parents from sending their children to school.

The governor vowed that the criminals responsible for the kidnap of the pupils will be arrested and brought to justice.

This goes to show the sickness and madness in the heads of some people. Otherwise, I cannot explain or imagine why you should abduct an innocent three-year-old child and keep him or her for over 80 days.

This has affected the morale and confidence in people and has made even parents to think twice before they send their children to school.

However, I can assure you that we will do whatever it takes to bring them to justice. We have put in place all necessary measures to hunt down and prosecute those involved in this heinous act, Mr Bello said

The governor also thanked the security operatives, his Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Rafi Local Government Chairman and all those who contributed to the release of the abductees.

ADVERTISEMENT
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration (NAFDAC) has been indicted by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance for extra-budgetary spending.

At the interactive session on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework on Thursday, the committee disclosed that the agency had been spending its operating surplus without appropriation by the National Assembly.

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) also confirmed that NAFDAC had a liability to the government totalling N13.5billion.

Victoria Adiwu, a member of FRC Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, informed the lawmakers of the liability.

In 2018, the agencys total revenue was N14.8 billion and had an approved budget of N8.9 billion but only remitted N669 million to the treasury.

The committee chairman, James Faleke (APC, Lagos), had earlier queried the accounts of the agency.

He noted that the agency should account for the N4.9billion surplus.

If your aggregate revenue is N14.8billion andeven in 2018, government-funded you. Your total expenditure was N8.9 billion, what it means to me is that we have an extra of about N5 bilion. You remitted N669 million, what happened to the N4.9 billion.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the agency used N3.1 billion from its operating surplus in 2018 to pay the debt she inherited.

She also said the agency was lacking equipment to operate when she joined the agency.

In 2018, that was the year the N3.01 billion debt that I inherited was paid. I inherited N3.2billion debt. It was in 2018 that we paid that, but that is not showing here (in the statement).

The actual situation in NAFDAC, when I joined, 80 per cent of the equipment were not working, no vehicle, no laptops, no computers for even directors. So we rolled over the excess from our 2019 revenue to 2020.

The Senate Committee on Health and their House counterpart approved for us, to make up for the losses of the previous year. As we speak, we are building states and zonal offices in seven states. So, whatever has not been done, we are trying to catch up. The committee on health approved for us to spend that rolled up money, she said.

A member of the committee, Muktar Ahmed (APC, Kaduna), urged the agency to request more funding instead of the illegal approach of spending without budgetary approval.

Why dont you make it in such a way that you ask for an increased budget that will cover all these things you are taking money illegally to do, so that you will not run into trouble every year, spending what has not been appropriated for you.

I will suggest that you sit down with the committee that is over sighting you, and of course, the budget office and the ministry of finance to streamline these things, Mr Ahmed said.

Earlier, Mr Faleke, asked the DG if the agency would consider pulling out of the budget.

Can your agency pull out of the budget, so that the government will not give you budget? Because I can see that you can fund yourself. So pull out of the budget. I am asking you, can you pull out of the budget?

ADVERTISEMENT

The DG responded that her agency will consider pulling out if the government could continue to take care of the personnel cost of the agency.

If our personnel can be taken care of, we can pull out of the budget. When you are catching up on many years of losses, you cannot pull out of the budget. We are digitalising our system to block leakages. And it is a progressive effort, it is not something we can do in a year or two years. If things are the way they are now in the next five years, NAFDAC will be able to pull out. Until then, NAFDAC cannot pull out, she said.

Mrs Adeyeye also gave an update on the revenue performance of the agency.

She stated that the agency had generated N5 billion out of the projected N23billion.

The committee directed that the agency should reconcile with the FRC.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for the review of Nigerias revenue allocation formula in favour of the states and local governments.

Mr Okowa made the call at the Ripples Nigeria Dialogue held in Lagos on Wednesday.

Under the current revenue sharing formula, the federal government takes about 52.68 per cent, the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory get 26.72 per cent and the 774 local governments share 20.60 per cent.

Also, the nine oil-producing states of the Niger Delta receive 13 per cent revenue as derivation to compensate for ecological damage of oil production in the region.

This formula was designed during President Olusegun Obasanjos Administration.

But in 2019, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) said it was considering the review of the formula for the three tiers of government because of the current economic realities.

Mr Okowa argued that the current arrangement where the federal government pockets the lion share of the countrys revenues would not bring about the development it yearns for.

We need to re-work the revenue allocation formula, we cant continue to give the federal government too much power and allow the states to suffer, Mr Okowa said.

He lamented the failure of the government to effect the recommendations from the five-year interval review by RMAFC.

The governor reiterated the need for a new constitution for the country, a position he canvassed in June during the public hearing organised by the National Assembly committee on constitution review.

He expressed regrets that there was lack of political will to devise a new constitution, which he said centralises political and economic powers at the federal level and emasculates the component states.

The 1999 Constitution (as amended) centralizes political and economic powers in the federal government and emasculates the states by denying them powers to secure their own territories and control their natural resources for the development of their territories and people, he said.

Mr Okowa also lamented the growing rate of unemployment among the nations youth population, adding that it was a major reason for unrest in the country.

He said the youth no longer see a future for themselves.

Nigerian youth feel hard done by Nigerias current climate of hopelessness, massive unemployment, insecurity of lives and property, poor quality disruption-ridden educational system, inaccessibility to quality health care, rising cost of living, and a ruling class living extravagantly in the face of the widening gulf between the rich and poor.

Truth be told, many of our youth see no future for themselves in this country, the governor said.

He stressed the need for a quick youth-friendly policy formulation before the country loses its youth brains to other countries.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, (FUT Minna), Olu Obafemi, has said that the institution had the highest graduate employability index among all specialised universities in Nigeria.

In addition, it ranks fourth overall in terms of producing the most employable graduates in the country, he added. Mr Obafemi, a professor of English and Dramatic Literature, said this when he led council members and management of the institution on a visit to the palace of Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, the Deji of Akure, in Akure.

Similarly, the university is unmatched, by its peers, in terms of grants won by its researchers in different fields, as confirmed by its key funding agency, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFund), he told the Deji, who is also the Chancellor of the university.

Mr Obafemi stressed that the performance of the universitys staff and students over the years was a testament to the institutions substantial attainment of the goals of its founding fathers.

He identified gross inadequacy of students hostel accommodation as the major challenge facing FUT Minna, saying, the university is only able to accommodate about 10 per cent of its students in its hostels.

Given this, we believe that with your background in the building environment and as one of the founding fathers of the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), your blessings and long-standing professional contacts will attract to the university positive changes in the area of hostel accommodation.

Since our inauguration on July 1, 2021, the new Council, the 13th in the universitys history, under my leadership, has held a meeting with the management, as well as interactive sessions with the Senate of the university.

We also took a tour of some of the facilities in the university. Based on what we have seen, and indeed what we know, Kabiyesi, I am pleased to inform you that the Federal University of Technology, Minna, is a leading and performing specialised university in Nigeria.

I must also state that it is clear to us, from our very robust interactions, that members of the Senate and the university are vibrant and committed to the wellbeing and progress of the university, the pro-chancellor said.

Responding, Oba Aladelusi lauded the support of the federal government to the institution, while assuring the council and the management of the university of his fatherly support and counsel to further move the institution to enviable heights.

I am very delighted to receive you today and I want to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for the honour given to Akure kingdom, in appointing me Chancellor of the institution.

We are not taking this opportunity for granted, the Deji added, according to a statement issued on Thursday from the palace, in Akure, by Micheal Adeyeye, the media aide to the traditional ruler.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has extended the Right of Way (RoW) evacuation deadline for mechanics operating under Berger/Kara Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, to November 30.

Mr Fashola extended the ultimatum at an inspection of the bridge on Thursday in Lagos.

He lamented that the technicians, operating under the auspices of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association, (NATA), Ojodu Abiodun branch, defied an initial evacuation order in January to regroup at the location.

He warned that the government would be left with no option other than to enforce the law if they defied the new order.

Mr Fashola added that ongoing rehabilitation/reconstruction of the highway would soon extend under the bridge, in addition to the coming ember months repairs by the ministry.

The minister said activities of the mechanics often caused damage to the roads and bridges, stressing that ongoing construction work along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway would soon extend to the axis.

We gave you notice to evacuate this place and look for (a) new location.

This place belongs to the federal government. Since 1974, governments of Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo gave this land to the federal government for construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

This is not the right place to carry out your trade; it is not safe for you and also not safe for the infrastructure, he said.

Responding to appeals for alternative space, Mr Fashola advised the association to officially engage the Ogun government to make the request, promising to help them fast-track the process.

He educated the mechanics on the dangers of their activities, constituting road abuse and damage, costing the government huge revenues to fix.

The General Secretary of NATA, Nurudeen Sonibare, had earlier appealed that the federal government should provide an alternative location for the over three hundred workers at the site to ply their trades.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, said the cost of staying together as a nation is cheaper than the cost of dividing Nigeria.

Mr Obasanjo said the many enemies who dont want to see the countrys continued co-existence would fail.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media Kehinde Akinyemi, the former President eulogised Sunday Mbang, the prelate emeritus of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, for his steadfastness which had kept their relationship intact over the years and described him as a lover of Nigeria.

Mr Obasanjo spoke at the Book Launch titled: My Life and Times. A Memoir by Sunday Mbang organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library and supported by Access Bank PLC, held at the Admiralty Centre, Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

While speaking on the celebrant, the ex-president assured the respected Christian leader that the enemies of Nigeria wont win.

READ ALSO:

We are here to honour somebody we should honour, and learn from him (Mbang), to show that we genuinely love and appreciate him for the service he has rendered to the Christian community in this country and world over.

And to assure him that whatever happens, we will continue to work for unity, peace, security and progress of this country.

I know that these are things that are dear to his heart. We want to assure you that Nigeria will continue to exist because the cost for Nigeria not to continue to exist is much more than the cost for us to make Nigeria to continue to exist.

There are many people high and low  who can be described as enemies of Nigeria but they will not win over those who are friends of Nigeria.

The celebrant recalled how he nurtured friendship with Mr Obasanjo and since then we have become brothers, but of different mothers.

Also at the event, the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the occasion, Udom Emmanuel, thanked the former President and the celebrant for keeping together over the years, assuring that they would remain his fathers.
ADVERTISEMENT

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have denied reports that they asked the embattled National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, to quit his position.

The governors denied the reports in a statement by the Director-General of the PDP Governors Forum, Cyril Maduabum, on Friday in Abuja.

The governors, during their meeting on Thursday, reportedly asked Mr Secondus to resign despite an order of a Kebbi State High Court reinstating him to the position.

The court reinstated him hours after he stepped aside following an order of the Rivers State High Court restraining him from parading himself as the national chairman of the main opposition party.

Mr Secondus had handed over to the deputy national chairman (South), Yemi Akinwonmi, that Thursday.

The governors explained in the statement that they merely endorsed the NWC resolution adopting Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, the Deputy National Chairman, South as acting National Chairman of PDP, and the holding of the NEC meeting of PDP on Saturday, 28th August, 2021.

Read the full statement:

PDP GOVERNORS FORUM DENIES ASKING SECONDUS TO QUIT

The PDP Governors Forum hereby categorically denies the insinuation in some media, that it had asked Prince Uche Secondus to quit as National Chairman of PDP, in spite of the Kebbi State High Court Order reinstating him.

The PDP Governors Forum at its emergency meeting on Thursday, 26th August, merely endorsed the NWC resolution adopting Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, the Deputy National Chairman, South as acting National Chairman of PDP, and the holding of the NEC meeting of PDP on Saturday, 28th August, 2021.

For the avoidance of doubt, this warped interpretation of the statement of the Chairman of the PDP-GF, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, after their emergency meeting on Thursday is clearly mischievous. At the time Tambuwal spoke on Thursday night, the Kebbi State High Cout Order had not been received by the Forum, and consequently was not discussed or commented upon.

This clarification has become necessary to set the facts straight.

Hon CID Maduabum, LL.M,

Director General,

PDP GOVERNORS FORUM
ADVERTISEMENT

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 12-man Inter-Ministerial Committee, to plan the Nigerias 61th independence anniversary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria will turn 61 on October 1.

Inaugurating the committee, on Thursday, in Abuja the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said that the idea behind the early plan was to begin demonstration in visible terms to achieve the best result.

The idea behind this is to begin demonstration in visible terms, President Muhammadu Buharis desire to use minimal resources, financial (human and materials), to achieve optimal result.

The committee under the Chairmanship of the SGF, has Ministers of Information, Interior, Federal Capital Territory, Investments, Trade and Industry, and Health, as well as the Inspector-General of Police, Director-General DSS, as members.

Others are; Commander, Guard Brigade, Permanent Secretary, State House (Liaison with the National Mosque and State House security), Permanent Secretary, General Services Office in SGF (Liaison with Ecumenical Centre), Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Office in SGFs office.

The proposed activities for the 61th anniversary, according to Mr Mustapha include, concluding activities for Nigerias 60th anniversary, which according to him are, Church Service on Sunday, September 26 and Jummat Prayers on Friday, October 1 and Award Night slated for Sunday, October 3.

National broadcast and Independence Day Parade at the Eagle Square on Friday Oct. 1., the SGF explained.

Also, Niyi Adebayo, who is the Minister of Investments, Trade and Industry, and head of the sub-committee, highlighted that the committee had already formed its members to make the celebration a huge success.

Mr Adebayo said the sub-committee would undertake the exhibition of made-in-Nigeria products in collaboration with Business Visa Training Company Limited, a showcase of local dances indigenous to the people of each of Nigerias six geopolitical zones.

This is in collaboration with Toastmasters Communications Limited.

The exercise will also include, photo exhibition to showcase Nigerias political history from independence to date and its rich cultural heritage,  he said.

Mr Adebayo disclosed that the Ministry of Information and Culture would anchor the whole exercise in collaboration with a private sector operator, RAA Heritage Global Resources Limited.

The minister said that the Federal Government would use the occasion to recognise exceptional Nigerians who have made significant contributions to the growth of the national economy. (NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Rano Local Government Area of Kano State, on Wednesday, enacted a bye-law banning men and women from meeting together in public places at night.

The local government said this was due to reported cases of immoral activities between girls and boys, including divorcees.

It said lovers can now only meet at day time to discuss.

According to the local government information officer, Habibu Faragai, the council chairman, Dahiru Muhammad, announced the law at a security committee meeting attended by residents and traditional leaders.

Mr Muhammad said the committee had raised alarm over the high rate of immorality in the LGA, adding that the concern guided the council to come up with the new law.

He said the law was meant to sanitise the council area of immoral activities occurring during night discussions between the opposite sex.

The council boss directed the states Hisbah board (moral police) and other security agents at the local level to ensure compliance and arrest defaulters.

Also, the district Head of Rano, Mannir Tafida-Abubakar, called on village and ward heads as well as Imams across the council area to ensure that residents comply with the new law.

Mr Tafida-Abubakar said there are about three major issues bordering on immorality happening in the area and had become a source of concern to residents.

Parents most welcome the decision and support it. If parents do not cooperate and such things happen again, the affected will face the consequences of their negligence, the traditional ruler said.

The state government had banned opposite sex from boarding the same commercial tricycles in 2019.
ADVERTISEMENT

Nigerian governors have resolved to help to facilitate dialogue between the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the federal government and affected states.

This is aimed at ending the ongoing strike by the doctors.

The governors made the decision at the 33rd teleconference meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) on Thursday.

This was made known in a comminique signed by the chairman of the Forum, Kayode Fayemi.

The 25-day-old industrial action by the resident doctors, has continued to take its toll on the countrys healthcare facilities.

The doctors are, amongst others, demanding payment of COVID-19 inducement allowances and medical and life insurance for frontline doctors.

The strike was one of the issues discussed at the NGFs meeting.

Following an update by Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab regarding the ongoing strike action by members of NARD, the Forum resolved to take a mediatory role to facilitate dialogue between NARD and the affected states, part of the statement read.

Further plans as to how the mediation will be done were not disclosed in the comminique.

Similarly, the governors also received an update on the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out for the country. And members stated their commitment to provide leadership and oversight for the effective flag-off and implementation of the second phase of the vaccination exercise.

The NGF also resolved to take additional measures to curb the resurgence of the spread of the virus by working with the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) to develop applicable guidelines.

Having received a report on the emerging cases of cholera in some parts of the country, the Forum resolved to take a holistic approach to addressing health security challenges by domesticating the National Action Plan for Health Security with the support from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). This includes building core health security capacities in surveillance, laboratory network, emergency operations and workforce in all states.
The National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has resumed office barely 24 hours after he handed over to his deputy, Yemi Akinwonmi.

Mr Secondus received a handover note from Mr Akinwonmi on Friday at the partys national secretariat in Abuja, a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, said.

A Kebbi State High Court had on Thursday reinstated the embattled national chairman four days after a Rivers State High Court issued an order restraining him from parading himself as such.

In obedience to the Rivers court sitting in Port Harcourt, Mr Secondus, an indigene of the state, handed over to Mr Akinwonde, who is the deputy chairman of the party (south) in line with the partys constitution.

READ ALSO:

At the brief handover, the national chairman pledged to continue to provide astute leadership to the party.

He added, We obeyed the court order from Port Harcourt. We also obey the one of yesterday (Thursday).

This is a party that follows the rule of law, that obeys court orders, Mr Secondus said.

The chairman resumed ahead of the extended meeting of the Board of Trustees of the main opposition party, which was slated for 10am on Friday.

Read the full statement:

Secondus resumes as Elder Akinwomi hands over

The National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus on Friday took over the affairs of the party.

Prince Secondus who was obeying the purported experte order of a Degema High Court in Rivers State had stayed away but got reinstated after a Kebbi High Court presided over by Justice Nasirat.i. Umar directed him to resume.

Sequel to that Prince Secondus who had stayed away even though not served resumed and the Deputy National Chairman South, Elder Yemi Akinwomi who held forth in his absence upon receipt of the new Court order handed over to him.

At the brief handover, Prince Secondus pledged to continue providing astute leadership to the party.

Elder Akinwonmi also announced his receipt of the court order which he presented to the caucus meeting.

Signed

Ike Abonyi

SA media

ADVERTISEMENT
The National Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has proposed October 30 to 31 for the partys elective national convention.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Chairman, PDP Governors Forum, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the resolutions of the caucus meeting on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Tambuwal, who said the venue of the convention was yet to be determined, added that the recommendation would be submitted to the National Executive Council (NEC) for ratification.

We have just rose from our 40th meeting of the national caucus of our great party, PDP, where we have resolved to submit to the NEC of our party tomorrow

recommendation from the national working committee for the National Convention of our party to be held between Friday Oct. 30 and Saturday Oct. 31.

The venue will be determined tomorrow by the NEC.

Also this distinguish body had empaneled eight distinguish leaders of our party under the leadership of former President of the Senate, Sen. David Mark.

The committee is to interface with our leaders who are involved in these issues of court so that all court matters can be now withdrawn and then for normalcy to continue to return to the party, he said.

Mr Tambuwal appealed to all well meaning members of PDP in the interest of the party to shield their swords and embrace peace, saying Nigerians was waiting for PDP.

I believe that we have the capacity to resolve whatever issues we have internally, he said.

Mr Tambuwal, responding to question on if the meeting discussed the new court order from Kebbi State High Court order that reinstated Uche Secondus as PDP National Chairman, said the party was yet to be served the order.

In view of the fact that we are yet to receive that court order, we empanel this committee. It is part of what this committee is going to look at via the party and all the parties involved accordingly, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that although Mr Secondus had returned to office, the caucus meeting was presided over by the partys acting national chairman, Yemi Akinwonmi.

Speaking earlier, Mr Tambuwal assured PDP caucus that the governors were working together for the benefits of the party and the country.

ALSO READ: Twist as another court restores Secondus as PDP chairman

He said that with the assemblage of PDP personalities at the meeting no issue could remain insurmountable.

The governors of the party are ready to continue to work for the party, for their respective states for us to continue to deliver good governance. I believe at the end of this meeting we shall see the light at the end of the tunnel, Tambuwal said.

The Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said that the PDP National Assembly caucus was behind effort to make PDP chart a way for Nigeria.

Mr Abaribe said the National Assembly was aware that Nigerians were waiting for PDP to show the way.

ADVERTISEMENT

So, what we want to do is to ensure that PDP gives Nigeria the best type of adminstration come 2023, he said.

.(NAN)
The United States government has charged three men with attempted illegal importation of arms and ammunition to Nigeria.

The defendants, who are all residents of Maryland in the U.S., are: Wilson Nuyila Tita, age 45, of Owings Mills, Maryland; Eric Fru Nji, age 40, of Fort Washington, Maryland; and Wilson Che Fonguh, age 39, of Bowie, Maryland.

Announcing the fresh indictment on Friday, the United States Attorneys Office in the District of Maryland said the defendants conspired with each other and with others to export from the U.S. to Nigeria defence articles and items identified on the United States Munitions List (USML) and the Commerce Control List (CCL) without first obtaining export licences.

They allegedly made these moves from at least November 2017 through July 19, 2019.

The defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal from the United States that those items were being shipped from the Port of Baltimore in Maryland to Nigeria and at least one other location in Africa.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly contributed funds for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, reloading materials and other equipment for shipping overseas, the statement announcing the approval of the charges by a federal grand jury earlier on Thursday, read, in part.

The indictment also alleged that the defendants and their co-conspirators communicated about their efforts and plans to ship weapons and ammunitions using an on-line encrypted messaging application and code words in order to conceal their activities.

As detailed in the indictment, the defendants and other conspirators concealed the firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in heavily wrapped packages and duffle bags, and inside sealed compressor units, placing those items into a shipping container destined for Nigeria without obtaining the requisite licenses from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce, the statement added.

It stated further that, as part of the conspiracy, one of the co-conspirators allegedly caused the submission of electronic export information to the U.S. government for the container which listed materially false information as to the identity of the exporter and the intermediate and ultimate consignee, as well as the ultimate destination of the containers contents.

The indictment alleged specifically that on January 17, 2019, the defendants and their co-conspirators exported, attempted to export, or caused to be exported to Nigeria articles on the USML the export of which was controlled under the Arms Export Control Act, without first having obtained the required license or written approval from the U.S. Department of State, specifically: 38 semi-automatic firearms; over 35,000 rounds of ammunition; and 44 magazines.

Arms exported

They were also said to have on that same day, allegedly exported to Nigeria one Bushnell Trophy Rifle Optic and one Burris AR Rifle Scope.

The exportation of the items was sent to being controlled under the Commerce Control List, without first having obtained the required license or written approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Finally, the indictment alleges that the defendants transported 28 firearms with obliterated serial numbers, including 18 rifles, the statement added.

Federal jury returns indictment

The statement said on Friday that a federal grand jury has returned the indictment charging the three Maryland residents with four counts.

Federal charges approved by the grand jury, according to the statement, include conspiracy, violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the Export Reform Control Act, related to the export of firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria.

The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge, James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division, the statement said.

Punishment

The statement said if convicted, the defendants each face a mandatory sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison each for violating the Arms Export Control Act and for violating the Export Control Reform Act; and a maximum of five years in federal prison for transportation of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties, it added.

ADVERTISEMENT

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The defendants were each expected to have an initial appearance on Friday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. DiGirolamo beginning at 3:00 p.m.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt, the Attorneys Office said in the statement. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

Seven charged in related cases

Seven defendants have been charged in related cases and of those six have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

The revelation about the allegation of illegal importation of arms and ammunition into the country is coming amid worsening insecurity situation in country fuelled by perpetrators who are believed to be better equipped than the Nigerian police.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives has expressed concerns about the reported censorship of Channels TV by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over the stations interview with Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State.

Mr Ortom recently appeared on Sunrise Daily a programme of the television station during which he was interviewed on the state of the nation.

The governor spoke on the general insecurity in the country and also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of habouring an agenda to fulanise Nigeria.

The Presidency, however, cautioned Mr Ortom against making divisive statements.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the NBC issued a query to the television station over the interview.

The PDP Caucus in the House, in a statement by its leader, Kingsley Chinda, on Friday, said it is monitoring widespread reports that members of Staff of Channels Television have been invited to the office of the (Directorate of State Services DSS) for interrogation in connection with their handling of the programme.

The PDP lawmakers said instead of the president to face other issues confronting the country, the Buhari administration had preoccupied itself with how to strangulate the media.

We must first register our deep concern that whilst the nation drifts into a near Hobbesian state amidst the raging insecurity currently engulfing the nation, the daily carnage experienced across Benue and Plateau States and elsewhere in the country, kidnappings of innocent citizens including school children, to the unprecedented violent attack on the National Defence Academy- one of the most hallowed symbols of Nigerias `sovereignty, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is preoccupied with hounding perceived enemies of the administration and stifling the press, acts which are antithetical to democratic ethos, the statement said.

ALSO READ: PDP NEC holds Saturday as party caucus proposes October for national convention

The caucus questioned the legality of the Broadcasting Code invoked by NBC against Channels Television.

It said: Nigerians would recall that the legality of the Broadcasting Code, invoked by the NBC against Channels Television, is still a matter of contention before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division in Suit No.: FHC/SUIT NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/1136/2020 between Rep. Kingsley Chinda & 8 Ors (for themselves and on behalf of the PDP Caucus House of Reps) v. Minister of Information & 2 Ors.

NBC is unrelenting in its brazen application of the Broadcasting Code for the purpose of stifling free speech and gagging the print and electronic media across the Country. This no doubt, is geared to protect the palpable inefficiencies of the present administration; intimidate dissenting voices and erode standard democratic ethos.

The caucus asked Mr Buhari to release all journalists being held currently in the country.
The family of Boniface Enwerem, a robbery suspect arrested by the police in Lagos since 2018, has approached the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate the protracted detention of the suspect and his alleged murder in custody.

Paul Dike, the suspects uncle, appeared before the panel on Friday, representing the Enwerem family.

According to an affidavit sworn to the panel by Mr Dike, Mr Enwerems relatives could not reach him on December 18, 2018.

Six days later, they read in the Vanguard newspaper that he had been arrested for armed robbery.

Mr Enwerem and another suspect were arrested by operatives attached to Ilasamaja Division for allegedly attacking and robbing bank customers who had gone to withdraw money from banks at Sadiku/ Ilasamaja, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

According to Vanguard newspaper, a customer who had gone to withdraw N350,000 stepped out of a bank at about 2 p.m., and the suspects, Mr Ewerem, 46, and Joseph, 42, ordered him to bring the money at gunpoint.

One of them according to eyewitnesses fired a shot into the air as he snatched the money from the customer and zoomed off in their operational motorbike.

Luck, however, ran against them as policemen from Ilasamaja chased and caught up with them. Angry members of the community requested that the suspects be handed over to them with an apparent intent to carry out jungle justice on them, the reports read.

Family approach panel

The uncle to the suspect, Mr Dike, said he got a call from Oluchi Nwaubani, Mr Enwerems fiancee, on December 18, 2018, that she had tried multiple times to reach him on the phone without any response.

I personally tried to reach Boniface Enwerem on the phone but his number was still unreachable from the 18th-24th of December 2018.

I made a report of a case of missing person at the Ojo Police Station on the 24th day of December, 2018, and the police informed me that the best solution to finding the whereabouts of Boniface was to track his number.

I cooperated with the police with respect to tracking his number and was asked to pay the sum of N60,000 to facilitate the operation, which I did, Mr Dike said.

He further narrated that on December 25, 2018, he got a call from one Messrs Salisu and Bawa, both officers at the Ojo Police Station, that Enwerems number was traced to a building in Lekki Phase 1, but on getting to the location, they discovered it was an abandoned building.

Mr Dike said after the search, he received another call from the police, where he was shown an online report from the Vanguard newspaper that his nephew alongside one Joseph were arrested for robbery.

Based on the details as contained in the said Vanguard newspaper publication, I made a visit to the Illasamaja Police Station on the 27th of December 2018 due to the fact that the 25th and 26th were Public Holidays.

Upon arrival at the llasamaja Police Station, I was directed to the Divisional Crime Officer who confirmed the said incident as published in the Vanguard and other newspapers and further notified me that My nephew had been transferred to Matori SARS Station at Ladipo.

Mr Dike said at the Ladipo station, he was informed that his nephew had been transferred to the SARS Station at Ikeja, but on getting there, he was told Mr Enwerem was never brought to the Ikeja station.

I made frantic efforts by calling serving and retired police officers to assist in ascertaining if indeed my nephew was at the SARS Ikeja Station. I was made to part with huge sums of money in exchange for information as to the whereabouts of my nephew, all to the avail up until today, Mr Dike said.

ADVERTISEMENT

He added that he hired a lawyer, Okechukwu Ohumaraeze, who gathered that Mr Enwerem was, indeed, arrested and paraded on the suspicion of armed robbery and had been transferred to SARS Ikeja.

He paid a visit to SARS Unit Ikeja where he met with the head of the unit, who confirmed to him that Mr Boniface Enwerem was in their custody. He also requested for his men to bring the pistol Mr Boniface was apprehended with at the point of robbery. He further advised Mr Okechukwu Ohumaraeze esq. to stay away from the matter, as he was a fine lawyer and should not accept such a case, the affidavit reads.

Mr Dike said the lawyer could not continue his services because he could not afford his fees as a result of money he had expended on searching his nephew.

ALSO READ: Kaduna judicial panel of inquiry receives 28 petitions

Mr Dike said the family hired another lawyer but all efforts to locate Mr Enwerem failed, urging the panel to unravel the mystery behind the whereabouts of his nephew.

Demands

Stating the demands of the family, Mr Dike said the judicial panel should mandate the police to arraign Mr Enwerem and allow the law take its natural cause, to determine his guilt or otherwise, as against the illegality of his protracted detention.

The family also demanded a compensation of N100 million in the instance that he had been killed in detention.

In the alternative, and as we have been made to believe by those close sources within the Nigerian Police Force system, that our son might have been extra-judicially murdered by SARS officials, as its in their usual barbaric culture.

We accordingly demand a monetary compensation on the sum of N100 million for the irreparable hurt and pain which has been caused by the Nigeria Police and its SARS operatives on our son and clan, Mr Dike said.

Mr Dike, who supplied the phone number of the OC SARS to the panel, said his nephew was never taken to court nor allowed to see any family member.

The counsel to the family, Bernard Oniga, applied for the summons of the DPO of Ilasamaja and their former lawyer, Mr Ohumaraeze, to appear before the panel to assist in the case.

Doris Okuwobi, the chairperson of the panel, who granted leave for summons of the lawyer and DPO adjourned the matter till September 7.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, on Friday, gave the Nigerian police an ultimatum to either charge Glory Okorie, an alleged spy for the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to court or release her.

Miss Okorie was arrested by the operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), a tactical unit of the police, on June 17, 2021 in Imo State and subsequently transferred to Abuja.

Detained without charge since her arrest, the suspect has now been in illegal custody for 71 days as of Friday.

In his ruling on an ex parte application filed by the detainees lawyers, the judge, Sylvester Okorie, on Friday, ordered the respondents  police authorities  to charge her to court on or before August 31, 2021, should their be any case against her.

In the alternative to the order directing the police to charge the suspect, the court ordered the respondents to release Miss Okorie on bail in the sum of N2million with a surety.

Mr Oriji said the surety must be a civil servant not less than Grade Level 12 in the federal civil service.

It is hereby ordered as follows that, the respondents shall charge the application to court on or before 31 August, 2021, if they have any case against her.

If the applicant is not charged to court as aforesaid, the respondents are ordered to release her on bail upon fulfilment of the following conditions.

The applicants shall enter a bail bond in the sum of N2,000,000 with one surety in like sum, to report to the respondents whenever they are ready to charge her to court, the court held.

The suspects lawyer, Ihensekhein Samuel, had filed the application on August 24, specifically, suing the Inspector General of Police, Tunde Disu, a deputy commissioner of police heading the IRT, and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), as the respondents.

He had urged the court to order the release of Miss Okorie on bail from unlawful incarceration by the police for over two months.

Public outcry over Okolies detention

Last Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanded the release of Miss Okories release from illegal police detention which had lasted about 71 days as of Friday.

Reacting to the development in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, said the only alternative open to the police was to charge her to court.

Mr Ojukwu, who was quoted in a statement released by the commission on Tuesday, described the detention as a gross violation of human rights, adding that it must be accounted for to serve as a deterrent.

The commission is therefore using this medium to demand the immediate and unconstitutional release of the detainee or in alternative charge her to a court of competent jurisdiction so that she will enjoy the right to fair hearing and the opportunity to defend the allegations against her, if any, Mr Ojukwu had said.

ESN, believed to be the military arm of the outlawed separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been blamed for various violent activities in the South-east and South-south regions.

Similarly, Amnesty International, which had called for her release on Monday, said she was apprehended by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), a tactical unit of the Nigerian police, headed by Tunde Disu in Imo State on June 17, 2021.

The international human rights watchdog said she was later moved to Abuja where she has been denied access to her family members and lawyer in violation of her rights.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr Ojukwu noted that the unprofessional conduct of the police cannot be tolerated in the 21st Century, adding that perpetrators of such heinous crime must be immediately brought to justice.

Expressing sadness over the claims of her being used as slave by police officers, Mr Ojukwu noted that the detainee was washing clothes, sent in errands to buy stuffs for officers, tortured by some of the officers in charge of her detention hence the need for her release without further delay.

We will not hesitate to condemn such unprofessional conduct which undoubtedly resulted in further violation of the rights of the lady in question because her rights to freedom of movement and liberty among several others had been allegedly violated with impunity by the very personnel charged with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens, the NHRC boss was quoted in the statement.

Police allegations

The police had announced the arrest of 21-year-old Ms Okolie, accusing her of being complicit in the series of deliberate and well-coordinated attacks on security formations and other critical national infrastructures in the South-east and South-south regions.

The deputy public relations officer of the police, Aremu Adeniran, said Ms Okolie was arrested in Imo State, adding that she had aided the police in the arrest of one of the ESNs top leader they identified as Onye Army.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that Ms Okolies arrest comes amidst reduced attacks by gunmen believed to be ESN members in the South-east and South-south regions of Nigeria.
ADVERTISEMENT

The majority of us, however, are very conscious of the challenges facing Nigeria but believe with pride that its promise could become a reality and work for its coming greatness, with the skills, pride and assertiveness that Nigerians are known for worldwide. Lugard, he reminded us, never intended Nigerians to become a proud and assertive people; damn him, that is what we are and on a daily basis; believers in the Nigeria project are emerging.

Yesterday, the African Polling Institute organised a spirit raising event in Abuja, focused on a debate on social cohesion in Nigeria. The topic would normally generate a sombre, pessimistic and fatalistic rendition of yet another descent into the doldrums. My favourite poet and defender of the Nigeria idea, the poetry slam maestro, Dike Chukwumerije set the stage for optimism, rolling out a performance centred on the idea that the existence of Nigeria and Nigerians is self-evident. Yes, it s true, he said, that some people have given up on Nigeria and want out. There are yet others who would have loved Nigeria to be but have deep doubts about its future and live paralysed in the agony and fear of what could have become. The majority of us, however, are very conscious of the challenges facing Nigeria but believe with pride that its promise could become a reality and work for its coming greatness, with the skills, pride and assertiveness that Nigerians are known for worldwide. Lugard, he reminded us, never intended Nigerians to become a proud and assertive people; damn him, that is what we are and on a daily basis; believers in the Nigeria project are emerging.

The event was the unveiling of the 2021 social cohesion report by the Africa Polling Institute. They interrogated a cross-section of Nigerians and the results are interesting. 49 per cent of Nigerians are disappointed in their country, while 42 per cent feel truly proud of Nigeria. Not surprisingly, 65 per cent of citizens expressed concern that Nigeria is today more divided than it was four years ago. It is however revealing that 82 per cent of respondents said that they are comfortable with their dual identity of being both Nigerian and members of their different ethnic groups. That is the comfort zone from where we can build the ranks of the believers in the Nigeria project. The problem is that we are in an unfortunate period of decline. In the 2019 survey, 55 per cent of citizens said they were truly proud of being Nigerians. In the current (2021) survey, the number has declined dramatically to 42 per cent. The key finding is that governance matters and most Nigerians believe that there is lack of equity and justice in governance, which is a challenge that can be addressed. The lesson is that building support for the Nigerian project requires the building of trust, equity, social justice and inclusive governance. If and when the next government takes that path, pride and commitment in building the Nigeria of our dreams will begin to grow again.

The survey reveals what we all know. That Nigerians are angry at the massive corruption in government and the ongoing run of looting the treasury. Secondly, that there is a crisis of citizenship, summarised in what Nigerians call the lack of true federalism, accompanied by the neglected call for restructuring. Thirdly, there is widespread consternation on the inability of the political class to deepen democratic practices, as they remain self-serving in their actions and are actually rolling back democratic gains.

The special guest, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in his speech, made the case that Nigerians know that we have been on the path of nation-building for too long to seriously consider the option of secession. We have developed transport links, markets and numerous interdependent economic activities that can only deepen and consolidate, he argued. For him, we are a resilient people who can surmount present challenges

The keynote speaker, Dr Hussaini Hassan emphasised the issue of the imperative of inclusiveness. Social cohesion, he explained, is not about developing a homogenous society. It is about creating pathways to inclusiveness in a diverse society. He also drew attention to the absence of uplifting and explanatory governmental narratives on the challenges facing the country. He gave examples of the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping and banditry, where the absence of governmental narratives and concrete action have opened the gateway to citizens explanations, which often are drawn from conspiracy theories that erode trust in not just government, but also in the nation.

The special guest, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in his speech, made the case that Nigerians know that we have been on the path of nation-building for too long to seriously consider the option of secession. We have developed transport links, markets and numerous interdependent economic activities that can only deepen and consolidate, he argued. For him, we are a resilient people who can surmount present challenges and so while nation-building is hard work, we should all commit ourselves to do the work involved. In telling our stories, we are too attracted to the negative ones and we need to focus on the good narratives  of Christians saving Muslims and Muslims saving Christians during moments of violence. The same should be in terms of ethnic and community strife. He also called for a move away from attributing evil acts committed by criminals to ethnic communities, and concluded on the note that optimism must prevail because we are an unbreakable people and we, Nigerians, will prevail.

If those who exercise state power cannot use it to improve the lives and livelihoods of citizens, then they would have to be replaced. Our state must also recover the capacity to have the monopoly of the use of legitimate violence in society. The armed forces must the rebuilt. As the state recovers, our traditional and religious institutions, as well as civil society, have huge roles in playing their parts in the war against ongoing insurgencies.

My impression is that at the end of the day, the success of the Nigeria project will depend on our ability to engage in the task of the reconstruction of the Nigerian state. We cannot allow our political community to continue to crumble and suffer the outcome of state collapse, which Thomas Hobbes had assured us will make our lives nasty, brutish and short. Rebuilding the state must take the form of a new approach based on good governance, in which there is effective, transparent and accountable use of public resources to provide public goods for citizens. If those who exercise state power cannot use it to improve the lives and livelihoods of citizens, then they would have to be replaced. Our state must also recover the capacity to have the monopoly of the use of legitimate violence in society. The armed forces must the rebuilt. As the state recovers, our traditional and religious institutions, as well as civil society, have huge roles in playing their parts in the war against ongoing insurgencies.

Given the huge security challenges facing the country, it is important that Nigeria as a nation devises effective strategies that will stem insurgency and create conditions for the protection of human rights and the deepening of democracy. The armed forces have a significant role to play in this regard. Nigerians are particularly concerned about the rules of engagement for military operations within the civilian population. There are military operations in virtually all the states of the country. This means that the normal process of the Police being in charge of internal security issues no longer operates. At the same time, the military have not been traditionally trained to engage in this arena and their rules of engagement might not be suitable for the new role thrust upon them. It is important in this context to publish, debate and revise the rules of engagement to ensure that they are in conformity with human rights principles. We cannot give up on the Police. We must expand the Police, train them and build their capacity for effective law enforcement on the basis of the principles of the rule of law.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day  then to proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! The sole reason why humans were sent to this world was because Allah could test their sincerity towards their Lord. Then depending on their deeds, He will judge and admit them either in paradise or hell. A bit of a background before I get into the subject. The Noble Quran states:

Indeed we offered obligatory duties (Al-Amanah/Trust) to the heavens, the earth, the mountains, but they declined to bear it and feared (Allahs torment). But man undertook it. Indeed he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results). [Quran, 33:72]

Heres a narrative to the above Quranic verse:

After Allah created the universe, He offered Al-Amanah (Trust/ Obedience/Obligatory duties of His religion) to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains on the grounds that if they fulfilled them, He would reward them; and if they failed, He would punish them. Due to the challenges and high risk involved they felt they wont be able to fulfill that responsibility. As a result the three declined Allahs offer.

For some it might be difficult to comprehend how can inanimate objects have life. If so, please know everything that is created prostrates and submits to Allah. Please read here:

Then Allah turned to Adam (AS) and said to him: I have offered the Al-Amanah to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they could not bear it. Will you take it on? Adam said, O Lord, what does it involve? Allah said, If you do good, you will be rewarded, and if you do evil, you will be punished. So Adam took the Al-Amanah and bore it. So when Adam (AS) was sent down to this world, he was commanded by Allah to worship none but Him, follow Islamic fundamentals and spread the message of Tawhid (oneness of Allah) to his children too.

The Noble Quran states:

Do people think that they will be left alone because they say We Believe and they will not be tested? [Quran, 29:2]

With that background, let us try and come back to the topic, Why trials from Allah. According to the Quran and Sunnah there are two direct causes for our afflictions and calamities; in addition to the wisdom of Allah in what He wills and decrees The two main reasons are explained below:

1. We asked for it

One of the reasons for the trials, affliction and calamities in this world is due to our sins and acts of disobedience we have committed  whether they constitute kufr (disbelieving in Allah), looting or spending public treasury extravagantly, refusing to help or assist the needy and poor people, or are major or minor sins committed by the leaders and the led (or leaders and their followers). For instance, abandoning Salah (prayer) can also inflict trials from Allah. Read the following verse from The Noble Quran:

And let those who oppose The Messengers command (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways) beware; lest some Fitnah (trials, afflictions, calamity) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them. [Quran, 24:63]

Heres another verse from The Noble Quran:

but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself (because of your sins). [Quran, 4:79]

And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. [Quran, 42:30]

Allah Almighty also states in the Quran:

ADVERTISEMENT

(He) Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. [Quran, 67:2]

Allah tests the one who committed sins with trials or calamity so as to examine the sincerity of His servant, and if the person falls in line. The trial also serves as the means of requital and immediate punishment in this world, so that Allah forgives His servants on the day of resurrection. So do not despair if you are tried by Allah. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

This people of mine is one to which mercy is shown. It will have no punishment in the next world, but its punishment in this world will be trials, earthquakes and being killed. [Abu Dawud]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) also said:

If Allah sends punishment upon a nation then it befalls upon the whole population indiscriminately and then they will be resurrected (and judged) according to their deeds. [Bukhari]

The Noble Quran says:

We shall certainly test you, until We ascertain those of you who (sincerely) strive and those who are steadfast (in Allahs Religion); and We shall test your affairs (to distinguish the liars from the truthful). [Quran, 47:31]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

If Allah wills good for His servant, He hastens his punishment in this world, and if He wills bad for His servant, He withholds from him (the punishment for) his sin, until He requites him for it on the Day of Resurrection. [Tirmidhi]

The hastening of punishment in this world expiates the sin and the believer may not have to pay for it in the Hereafter when he is resurrected. In the same chain it is reported that The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He tests them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas whoever shows discontent with it incurs His wrath. [Tirmidhi]

With that lets try to understand the second reason why trials and afflictions do appear and why one should patiently endure.

2. Allah wishes to do good to a believer

The other reason for the trials, affliction and calamities in this world is that Allah wants to raise the status of a patient believer. If the believer bears it with acceptance and patience, then he will be recorded in the books with Allah as one of the victorious. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

If Allah wants to do good to someone, He afflicts him with trials. [Bukhari]

Doing good to a believer means raising the believer in the rank in the hereafter. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) also said:

A man will be tested according to his level of religious commitment. If his religious commitment is solid, his test will be more severe, but if there is any weakness in his religious commitment, he will be tested according to his level of religious commitment. And calamity will continue to befall a person until he walks on the earth with no sin on him. [Tirmidhi]

Respected brothers and sisters! Know that calamities befell the Prophets and the righteous people persistently. The Messengers and Prophets of Allah such as Adam (AS), Ibrahim (AS), Yunus (AS) and others, including Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) were tested to the extreme. Allah tested Adam (AS) with expulsion from Paradise, and He tested Yunus (AS) with being swallowed into the belly of the fish. Ibrahim (AS) had to undergo four great tests by Allah. But by means of these tests and trials, Allah raised them in status because of their patience and seeking reward with Him. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

If a certain status has previously been decreed by Allah for a person, and he does not attain it by his deeds, Allah afflicts him in his body or wealth or children. [Abu Dawud]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed. [Bukhari and Muslim]

The Noble Quran also says:

Or do you think that you shall enter Paradise without such (trials and tests) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, When will the help of Allah come? [Quran, 2:214]

The Noble Quran also says:

During trials or affliction Allah advises His servants,  and be patient over what befalls you. [Quran, 31:17]

The Noble Quran says:

Most certainly you will face tests and trials in your wealth and in your persons. You will definitely hear much painful abuse from those who have been given The Book before you (Ahlul-Kitab) and from those who worship many gods (Idolaters). But if you are patient and fear Allah, then that will be the determining factor in all affairs. [Quran, 3:186]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

On the Day of Judgement, when the people who were tried and tested (in this world) are given their rewards, the people who were pardoned (in life), will wish that their skins had been cut off with scissors while they were in the world. [Tirmidhi]

The Noble Quran says:

And know that your wealth and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward. [Quran, 8:28]

Dear brothers and sisters! In the end I will say everything happens for the best. And Allah knows what you dont know.

Various references from the Quran and Hadith highlighted above proves that requital in this world is not separate from the requital in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, there could be reasons other than the two mentioned above that necessitates trial and test from Allah and can be looked at by understanding the circumstances of the calamity.

For instance, if the one who is affected is a Kafir (a non-believer), then his calamity cannot raise him in status. Because the one who did not believe in Allah in this world will have no weight before The Lord of The Worlds on the Day of Resurrection. In fact via trials Allah may want to indicate this non-believing servant who the true Lord is  many have reverted to Islam because of this; and through trials some have gone astray.

If the one who is affected is a believer who commits sin openly or is a blatant evildoer, then it is most likely that he is being requited and punished with the trial. Because expiation of sins comes before raising in status, and the sinner is in greater need of expiation for his sins than of being raised in status.

If the believer is a devoted worshipper, obedient and righteous, and there is nothing between him and Allah but true servitude, gratitude, praise, repentance and submission to Allah, then it is most likely that the trial is a kind of honour and raising in status (recall my note above on the trials for The Prophets).

If the one who is tried by Allah shows displeasure and cribs along, then his trial may not raise him in status, because a believer who is not patient is not a true believer in the eyes of Allah. So in this case it is most likely that the trial is a requital and punishment.

Thus in summary if someone lacks patience, panics and complains then the sign can be considered as punishment and requital. And if someone is patient, does not complain, continues to fulfill the commands of Allah and is engaged in worship, then the sign is erasing of sin and getting raised in the status in the eyes of Allah..

So during the times of trials, tests and suffering one should always think positively of Allah, in all the situations, for whatever comes from Allah is for your good and He is The Protector of the pious and Oft-Forgiving and The Most Merciful. It is said:

Nothing happens except by the will of Allah.

And for the good news

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Five are regarded as martyrs: Those who die of the plague, drowning, being crushed, the martyr in the cause of Allah and stomach illness. [Bukhari and Tirmidhi]

For example, lets say theres an earthquake, which is one of the kinds of calamity from Allah. A believer gets crushed under the building and dies as a result. He will be consider as a martyr. Just like an organisation or an army unit has hierarchy, similarly in Islam the status of a Muslim is dependent on his deeds. So the rank of a martyr is very high indeed, and comes after the Prophets and Siddiqs in status.

And heres the best part.

There will be special category of people who will be admired by the martyrs and the Prophets. They are those who loved each other in this world just for the sake of Allah. Subhanallah! This is based on the following saying by The Prophet (Peace be upon him):

Those who love each other for the sake of My Majesty shall be upon podiums of light, and they will be admired by the Prophets and the martyrs. [Tirmidhi]

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Muharram 18, 1443 A.H. (August 27, 2021).
When a man has practised for 50 years in his line of training and yet believes much is still in store for him in the profession, the fellow cannot be ordinary. Nyaknnoabasi loves the smell of books. His collection of the written word, in digital and hard copies, is a reflection of how his mind works. In the last 50 years, hardly has any day passed that he has not contributed to knowledge and problem-solving by giving out information in various formats to people

Nyaknnoabasi Ossos story is an account of a great intellect  signposted by passion, diligence, and top-notch organisational sense, with no eye for personal gain. Nyaknnoabasi is a librarian who has given the job a meaning that is outside the run of the mill. In his thinking and practice, a library is not only about books. It is principally concerned with a meticulous, purpose-driven management of information and knowledge. Librarianship, he insists, is about a diligent search for relevant information, the processing of the findings, their storage in retrievable formats, and their maximal use to meet set needs.

When a man has practised for 50 years in his line of training and yet believes much is still in store for him in the profession, the fellow cannot be ordinary. Nyaknnoabasi loves the smell of books. His collection of the written word, in digital and hard copies, is a reflection of how his mind works. In the last 50 years, hardly has any day passed that he has not contributed to knowledge and problem-solving by giving out information in various formats to people  even from the pulpit where he serves as a pastor.

Always pregnant with freshly-minted ideas, Nyaknnoabasi has refused to slow down. His inner mind is the mental equivalent of a construction site; always busy. He has an unparalleled enthusiasm for books; and believe me, he has acquired and read not a few of them. He adores biographies. The next thing he consumes with such fervour is gospel music.

At 67, Nyaknnoabasis routine is unusual. He cannot be found sleeping in the afternoon. He goes to bed late in the evening and is religiously awake before midnight. From then till the following evening, his brain and his hands are at work.

A few years ago, someone moved into the neighbourhood where I live. I was ignorant of the persons identity. Then one morning, I had a telephone call. As I tried to establish the identity of the caller, an authoritative voice silenced or rather pre-empted my enquiry with: My name is Nyaknnoabasi Osso. I am your new neighbour, and I am at your gate. I was out of Abuja. On my return, we met. That meeting is still on.

Today August 27, Nyaknnoabasi is 67 years old. Imagine that little boy from an unremarkable village called Ete in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State. Once upon a time, he sold kerosene by the roadside so that he could go to school. Primed to study Medicine; he got attracted to the aroma of new books. That was in 1971. The boy has since become a man  a father and a grandfather. Lets start from the beginning.

His mother had eight of them; all boys. He was the last. Seven died before he was born. None died at birth. They were all born alive and celebrated before death visited. Some died just before their first birthdays. They simply slept and did not wake up. None of them lived long enough to see the others birth. The unproven belief was that the same child was making the rounds of torture in the family.

Therefore, when the last child was born, no one gave him a chance of survival. Prior to his birth, his mother had given up on child-bearing. His father vowed to remain committed to his only wife  no second wife, no concubine.

But that was not to be. His mother decided to do what the Biblical Sarah did with Abraham when their marriage produced no child. She told the husband: Im not going to stay here alone and die alone. Im going to get you someone  someone that will give us children. She found the husband a beautiful young woman; as wife.

The man, a committed Christian, protested. But he later succumbed to some social pressure; and accepted the free-will offering from his wife. Both entered the other room. However, to show his first wife that his love for her was still strong and intact, he spent most of the nights with her. Two excitements unfolded in quick succession: both women became pregnant; almost at the same time.

Nine months later, it was delivery time. While the labour lasted, the senior wife was obviously more interested in the unborn baby than her own life. She pulled the midwife aside and verbally declared her will: if I die in the process, this baby should be named Nyaknnoabasi, meaning I have given him to God. From multiple premonitions and the advantage of personal history, she was convinced, though without any tangible proof, that another boy was on the way.

Soon, words reached her husband in the farm: your wife is in labour. He quickly left everything, mounted his bicycle and pedalled breathlessly in the direction of the local birth attendant. Before the expectant father reached the birth spot, the baby was in the safe hands of the midwife. A boy! As soon as he set his eyes on the baby, with teary eyes, he declared, I am leaving this one in Gods hands  Nyaknnoabasi. There was no consultation between husband and wife over the name. It came by divine, spontaneous inspiration.

Fast forward. The child, Nyaknnoabasi Osso, was special in many ways. From the community primary school, he passed through the legendary Regina Coeli Secondary School founded by Irish missionaries in 1955. Both in First School Leaving Certificate Examination and the West African Examination Council tests, he emerged with the best scores, in science and art subjects. Life was difficult for him. Though he was the only child of his mother, his father however had 10 other children from the second wife. But his mother was determined to give him the best education  both formal and informal.

His mother did something peculiar. As a way of guarding against another sudden death, she never allowed Nyaknnoabasi to sleep in the afternoon  afraid that he would not wake up. She had experienced the same nightmare from her deceased children. It was time to avoid the risk. When he moved into the dormitory during his secondary school days, the village elders collectively sent a message to the school authority: exempt this boy from siesta; he is a special case.

when he went for the interview, he was enraptured by the smell of new books, and was irresistibly charmed by the manner books were arranged on the shelves. It reminded him of how his mother used to arrange clothes and kitchen utensils back home. She drummed it into him that a disorganised person always led a purposeless life.

From Ette in Ikot Abasi where he was born, his first trip outside his State was to the University of Ibadan, where his uncle, Professor Eno Jumbo Udo, lectured. With excellent performance in the sciences, Nyaknnoabasi was already programmed to study Medicine. But that did not happen because he was instead offered admission to study Chemistry. He stubbornly turned it down because he could not endure the smell of chemicals.

This implied that he had to wait for the next entrance examination. With that decision, he condemned himself to certain undesirable home chores. For 10 months, he was a babysitter. As the only child of his mother, he had never taken care of a baby before then. There was no time to learn. He had to feed the baby and wash the napkins. At night, he washed plates and polished the wooden tiles. His bedtime was 2 a.m. Wake up time was 5 a.m.

Then came the good news. One of his friends; Ukoyen, a post-graduate student, informed Nyaknnoabasi of a vacancy for a library assistant at the university. He applied, and got the job. That was in 1971. He was 17. It marked the beginning of a journey with a one-way ticket.

ADVERTISEMENT

In fact, when he went for the interview, he was enraptured by the smell of new books, and was irresistibly charmed by the manner books were arranged on the shelves. It reminded him of how his mother used to arrange clothes and kitchen utensils back home. She drummed it into him that a disorganised person always led a purposeless life.

Driven by a gigantic zeal, Nyaknnoabasi applied and was admitted to the library school. But his uncle refused to pay his fees; insisting that his nephew must study Medicine. Almost frustrated, Nyaknnoabasi sought help from far and near. He pulled through.

On graduation in 1975, he met Professor Donald Ekong, Vice Chancellor of the newly established University of Calabar (UNICAL). It was on Ekongs invitation that Nyaknnoabasi left U.I. on a leave of absence to work at the UNICAL library. On arrival in Calabar, he was informed that Ekong was out of the country. What? By divine direction, an old classmate introduced him to Chief Ekei Essien Oku  one of Nigerias earliest chartered librarians and the first woman chief librarian in Nigeria. He had an instant job.

One Monday morning, Nyaknnoabasi noticed a familiar face in the library. He had not met Ray Ekpu before; but had read his column the previous day in Sunday Chronicle  a paper edited and made famous by Ray. He walked up, greeted Ray, and offered to help with any information the editor needed. Conversation started.

Ray got curious and asked: I have not seen you before, are you new here? Nyaknnoabasis impressive self introduction fetched him a lunch invitation. Ray informed him of the absence of a good library at the Nigerian Chronicle and asked for a feasibility study.

That assignment took the young librarian to major media organisations across Nigeria. His rich, voluminous report led to the establishment of one of the best media libraries in Nigeria. Unfortunately that library is no more. It was razed down recently during a mass protest against police brutality.

His effort was rewarded with a job offer, which he could not reject. Encouraged by Ray, Nyaknnoabasi travelled to both the U.S. and U.K., made contacts and got loads of books from international bodies. He loved it!

Shortly after, Dele Giwa, the then editor of Sunday Concord, was in Calabar for the Nigerian Guild of Editors conference. He stopped over to see his friend, Ray. When he needed materials to write his column, Ray proudly referred him to Nyaknnoabasi.

Something dramatic happened when Nyaknnoabasi pulled out a folder from his drawer containing cuttings of Deles writings from Daily Times to the Sunday Concord. Dele was visibly impressed. That encounter triggered a relationship that eventually took Nyaknnoabasi to Newswatch magazine in 1984.

It was at Newswatch that his career assumed international prominence. His first assignment was to gather background materials and develop a data bank of 1,000 issues, which the magazine considered important to focus on as it took off. This took Nyaknnoabasi back to high profile media houses in the U.K. and the U.S.A.

I thought I was merely going to pay a brief tribute to a neighbour on his 67th birthday, and 50 years of unprecedented professional achievements. But I have ended up writing a biography; because it is impossible to condense the life of Nyaknnoabasi Osso in few words! Let me simply say: happy birthday, Sir! Congratulations!

He visited the BBC Media Enquiry Services; TIME magazine; The Economist; the Financial Times; the New York Times; the British Library at Corlindale, North London; Europa Publishers, CNN, Newsweek; Whos Who in America, World Almanac Book, Editors and Publishers, among others.

Besides gathering the required data, his principal mission was to understudy, return and build a media library that would compete with the best anywhere in the world. It is believed by those who should know that he did a good job of it.

At a time, Nyaknnoabasi became more popular at Newswatch than most of the journalists there. The popular belief was that any information Nyaknnoabasi could not provide in two minutes, or at least tell you the sure way of getting, did not exist.

Mysteriously, he did this at a time the computer or the internet was unheard of in this part of the world. It still remains a puzzle how he did it. As if that was not enough, he went ahead to publish the globally acclaimed reference book: Newswatch Whos Who in Nigeria, 1989.

This was one of the high points of his professional ingenuity. The book, a compendium of background data on Nigerias most outstanding individuals, attracted international commendations and subtle enquiry: How did he do it?

As soon as the book came off the press, Americas Department of State bought 300 copies and invited Nyaknnoabasi over. They wanted to be briefed on how he managed to get all the information in the book, in a country that was completely blind to or slim on information management.

During his six weeks stay in the U.S. as an international visitor, Nyaknnoabasi was taken to Columbia University School of Journalism, where he had interactive sessions with the authority, on the book. He also had sessions with library officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon. They needed to know how Newswatch Whos Who in Nigeria was conceived and executed without the required technology for such a project.

On his return to Nigeria, Nyaknnoabasi was decorated with various awards by recognised professional bodies. One day, he read a story in the Sunday Times about African Leadership Forum  an international leadership think-tank established by the retired military ruler, General Olusegun Obasanjo. While others saw the report as a mere news item, Nyaknnoabasi turned it into a huge opportunity. Twenty four hours after one phone call, he had lunch with the retired General. It was the beginning of a new phase of a working relationship that lasted for 25 years.

Drawing from his international exposure, Nyaknnoabasi submitted a proposal to Obasanjo for the establishment of the first Presidential Library in Africa, located in Abeokuta. Though put in abeyance for several years when Sani Abacha sent Obasanjo to jail, the proposal was dusted up in 1998, with Nyaknnoabasi placed directly in charge of its execution.

This created opportunities for him to visit four Presidential Libraries in the United States. He met with three living American presidents, including the late President George Walker Bush, President Jimmy Carter, and President Bill Clinton. He couldnt meet the late Donald Reagan in person; but he interacted with members of his family. He even attended a Sunday School Class with Carter and family.

Located on a 32-hectre land in Abeokuta, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the brainchild of Nyaknnoabasi Osso, is the first of its kind in Africa.

While serving with President Obasanjo as special assistant on library, research and documentation, Nyaknnoabasi underwent a study of information management system at the Executive Office Library in the White House. During the period, he interfaced extensively with officers of NARA  the National Archives and Record Administration. The tutelage prepared him for his assignment in the Villa.

I thought I was merely going to pay a brief tribute to a neighbour on his 67th birthday, and 50 years of unprecedented professional achievements. But I have ended up writing a biography; because it is impossible to condense the life of Nyaknnoabasi Osso in few words! Let me simply say: happy birthday, Sir! Congratulations!

Sam Akpe is a journalist and editor.
Historically, the creation of Enugu State 30 years ago by General Ibrahim Babangidas regime significantly transcended providence. It was largely the outcome of a tenacious struggle for the emancipation of the people of Wawa-speaking area (Enugu and Abakaliki) of Igboland, by the founding fathers of the state.

Both perceptually and in reality, it was a sustained agitation against injustice meted to a people (Wawa) who were honest, patient, intelligent and hardworking. The spirit of the dogged struggle was to birth and bequeath to its people and future generations a state anchored on peace, development, unity, equity and justice.

Enugu as the capital city of Nigerias Eastern Region; East Central State; old Anambra State; old Enugu State, when Abakaliki (now part of Ebonyi State) was part of it and the present Enugu State, has come a long way on the side of history. It is home for all Igbo, politically, socio-culturally and economically.

Sustaining the Founding Fathers Dreams

The creation of Enugu State on August 27, 1991, brought unbridled excitement and a sense of accomplishment to the founding fathers. It consummated the liberation of the Wawa people to live freely in a society founded on the pillars of peace, equity and justice.

No wonder, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, in his 2015 inaugural address, recommitted himself to the dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the state to take up the gauntlet of the struggle for the emancipation of the Wawa man from where our heroes past stopped.

Governor Ugwuanyi also vowed, in accordance with the ideals and aspirations of the founding fathers of Enugu State, to deploy government services to create fair and equal opportunity for every willing citizen to make a living, educate our children, and enjoy life in a peaceful and secure environment, while pursuing vigorously, employment generation, enhanced social services and good governance, rural development, security and justice.

This sound vision, the governor has dexterously accomplished in spite of avalanche of challenges confronting the nations economy, security and public health, among others.

In a recent forum, Governor Ugwuanyi reiterated his commitment to the sustenance of these noble, lofty ideals and the principles of equity and justice in running the affairs of the state, reassuring that his administration will, at its end, bequeath to all, a just, equitable, peaceful, united and prosperous Enugu State that has ascended more rungs on the development ladder.

Quest For Equity and Justice Ahead of 2023

This pronouncement was in response to the recent demand by the people of Enugu East Senatorial District, at a well-attended mega rally, in Enugu, that it is their turn to produce the next Governor of Enugu State in 2023, in the spirit of equity and justice, and based on the long established rotational template in the state.

Speaking at the rally, themed: Oganiru Enugu East Senatorial District, the Convener and Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, stated that it was the unanimous stance of the people of Enugu East Senatorial District that Gov. Ugwuanyi has a major role to play in the choice of his successor since his predecessors enjoyed such privilege during their tenures as governors of the state.

They therefore requested Governor Ugwuanyi to uphold the long established rotational arrangement among the three senatorial districts of the state, namely Enugu East, Enugu West and Enugu North. Enugu East Senatorial District comprises six local government areas of Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Isi-Uzo, Nkanu East and Nkanu West.

Aligning with the Speakers position at the rally, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye announced that the party has zoned its governorship position in 2023 to Enugu East Senatorial District.

The APC chairman eulogised Governor Ugwuanyi for his uncommon leadership qualities as a peaceful, humble and development-oriented governor.

In his speech, the former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, expressed optimism that Gov. Ugwuanyi will endorse his successor from Enugu East Senatorial District, stressing that Gburugburu will give Ndi Enugu East Senatorial District governor in 2023; we are only waiting for the time to come to know who will be the next governor from our zone.

On his part, former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, endorsed the stance of the people of Enugu East Senatorial District at the rally and commended the organizers of the event for galvanizing the people of the zone to come and appraise the existing rotational principle of zoning in Enugu State.

Sen. Nnamani lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for the peace being enjoyed in Enugu State, expressing confidence that the governors disposition to peace and good governance will guarantee a peaceful transition in 2023, where a candidate from Enugu East Senatorial District will be elected governor of the state.

Enugu Wests Endorsement and PDPs Rotation Agreement

ADVERTISEMENT

Lending their support, a few months after, the people of Enugu West Senatorial District converged on Awgu Local Government Secretariat and declared that it is the turn of Enugu East Senatorial District to produce the next governor of Enugu State in 2023, based on the principles of equity and justice as well as the existing rotational arrangement, which was reaffirmed by the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the State Caucus meeting of the Party in 2013.

Speaking at the massive rally tagged: Ife-Emelumma Enugu West Unity Rally for Gburugburu, which was graced by Gov. Ugwuanyi (on invitation), his deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ubosi, State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Augustine Nnamani, present and former members of the National and State Assemblies, Chairmen of Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu, Oji-River and Udi LGAs, Traditional Rulers, the Clergymen, youth and women groups, among others, the Convener and Chairman of the Central Organising Committee of the rally, Senator Ben Collins Ndu, told Gov. Ugwuanyi that the people of Enugu West Senatorial District have assembled to speak with one voice that the zoning of the governorship seat of the state favours Enugu East Senatorial District.

Senator Ndu who disclosed that the people of Enugu West Senatorial District are 100 percent in support of Gov. Ugwuanyi and his decisions in respect of his successor in 2023, maintained that they firmly stand by the decision of the State Caucus of the PDP in 2013, that the governorship position of Enugu State should rotate to Enugu East Senatorial District after the expiration of the turn of Enugu North Senatorial District presently occupied by the governor.

The Convener revealed that he seconded the motion moved by Chief Hon. Dubem Onyia, at the said PDP Caucus meeting of July 7, 2013, that the governorship position of the state should rotate to Enugu North Senatorial District in 2015, with an understanding that it should rotate to Enugu East Senatorial District in 2023, after the turn of Enugu North Senatorial District.

Senator Ndu pointed out that the PDP meeting of 2013 was attended by the party leaders such as the then State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Engr. Vita Abba, then Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime (from Enugu West Senatorial District), then Deputy President of the Senate and the current Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, then Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odo, other members of the National and State Assemblies who were members of the Caucus and members of the Partys Board of Trustees from the state, among others.

He added it was based on the PDP decision on zoning of the governorship position that Rt. Hon. Ugwuanyi from Enugu North Senatorial District emerged the governorship candidate of the party and thereafter the Governor of Enugu State in 2015.

What we are saying in Enugu West Senatorial District is that in Enugu State, governorship position rotates among the three senatorial districts. You (Ugwuanyi) are a beneficiary of the motion I seconded in 2013 that the governorship seat should rotate to Enugu North Senatorial District. The motion was amended by Dr. Charles Egumgbe that after Enugu North Senatorial District, it would be the turn of Enugu East Senatorial District. The amendment was adopted by the Caucus at that meeting, Senator Ndu said while displaying the minutes of the meeting and other documents.

In their goodwill messages, other speakers at the unity rally, such as all the members of the State House of Assembly in Enugu West Senatorial District, Chairmen of the five LGAs in the zone, members of the State Executive Council (EXCO), the PDP LG Chairmen, the Traditional Rulers, the youth and women, former House of Representatives member, Rt. Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, former Minister of Aviation, Amb. Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, Chief Anayo Onwuegbu, among others, endorsed the pronouncement made by the Convener, reiterating that it is the turn of Enugu East Senatorial District to produce Gov. Ugwuanyis successor in 2023.

Governor Ugwuanyis Response

Addressing the mammoth crowd at the rally, Gov. Ugwuanyi did not mince words in rekindling his unwavering commitment to the sustenance of a peaceful, united and prosperous Enugu State, saying: In doing so, we shall be consultative, just and equitable.

His words: Having listened to all the speeches, I now understand that Ife Emelu Mma mantra, is both a statement of fact and a philosophy; a philosophy that situates and inspires a just and equitable dispensation of political leadership in our polity.

In its literal sense, it is ofo; an invocation of the divine spirit to bear witness to our acts of justice and equity.

Your message is therefore clear. It is understood in all ramifications. May God grant your prayers and hearts desire.

A Brief History of Enugu Guber Rotational Transitions

In 1999, Senator Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani from Nkanu West LGA in Enugu East Senatorial District occupied the exalted seat at the Lion Building as the Governor of Enugu State for two consecutive tenures of eight years, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which ended on May 29, 2007.

Senator Nnamani who could have ordinarily advanced a cause for his successor to emerge from his senatorial district (Enugu East), championed and spearheaded a rotational zoning process among the three Senatorial Districts of Enugu State, which led to the emergence of a candidate of the PDP from Enugu West Senatorial District, in the person Barr. Sullivan Chime, as his successor in 2007.

It was based on this rotational arrangement that the offices of the Deputy Governor and Speaker of the State House of Assembly were zoned to the other two senatorial districts, Enugu East and Enugu North, respectively.

Shortly after the successful reelection of Chime in 2011 as Enugu State Governor, the debate on the sustainability of the zoning arrangement as played out in the two consecutive transitions in 2007 and 2011, occupied the major part of the PDP-led government of the former governor.

The agitation that it was the turn of Enugu North Senatorial District to produce Chimes successor, as the last senatorial district to benefit from the triangular rotational arrangement, in the spirit of equity and justice, was spontaneous and justifiable.

It was a trajectory that was unanimous and endearing to the dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of Enugu State, who painstakingly struggled for the emancipation of the Wawa people of Igboland, for them to enjoy peace, freedom, love, unity, development and political stability, laced with justice and equity.

The recent revelation at the Enugu West Ife-Emelumma rally that the PDP reaffirmed a rotational zoning formula in 2013 which favoured Enugu North Senatorial Zone to produce Chimes successor in 2015, with a caveat that, after eight years, it will move to Enugu East Senatorial Zone, and thereafter Enugu West, connotes peace, equity and justice.

The governors message

As we celebrate Enugu State at 30; as Gov. Ugwuanyi continues to dedicate his time and energy to the sustenance of peace and entrenchment of good governance in spite of the nations economic, security and public health challenges; as the debate on 2023 keeps occupying the minds of discerning members of the public, one important message by the governor remains that in the fullness of time, dialogue, justice and equity shall take pre-eminence.

He (Ugwuanyi) is grateful that beyond our election, God has been with us all the way. His blessings have afforded us peace and unity. His speed has taken us through far-reaching developmental milestones. His love has sheltered us from the menace of COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic challenges. His mercy has navigated us through the #EndSARS protests and recent spikes of insecurity, adding that in every adversity, He (God) has made us stronger, more peaceful, more united and more determined to succeed as a people. Enugu State is truly in the hands of God.

Louis Amoke writes from Enugu.
ADVERTISEMENT

Resolute on contributing its quota to Nigerias progressive growth and development, Seven-up Bottling Company Limited (SBC) has supported and celebrated young and promising Nigerian graduates through its prestigious 7up Harvard Business School Scholarship Program. In 2021, the bottling giant is once again sponsoring a deserving Nigerian youth on a fully-funded MBA program at the prestigious Harvard Business School.

This years recipient, Desayo O. Ajisegiri, comes from a modest background. Having been inspired by the tenacity and courage of her mother, she sailed through adverse circumstances to graduate from Howard University, Washington DC with Summa Cum Laude honors and has dedicated herself to impacting the world through a fusion of entrepreneurial and humanitarian initiatives that solve current global challenges.

During her time in college, Desayo who had been a quarterly survivor of malaria found a way to prevent malaria by investing in a detergent that could fortify ones clothes, serving as a repellent and insecticide to dangerous mosquitoes. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for solving problems also led her and her friends to start up a micro-investing platform  Trove, that allows Nigerians invest in U.S stocks from the comfort of their homes while on their phones.

Desayo O. Ajisegiri joins Misan Rewane (2011), Olujimi Williams (2012), Mayowa Kuyoro (2013), Oluwasola Olaniyan (2014), Bankole Makanjuola (2015), Chidozie Ibekwe (2016), Ahmed Alimi (2017), Ulunma Izejiobi (2018), Anyanwu Maureen Uzoamaka (2019), and Abdul Rahman Buhari (2020), who have benefitted from the fully funded two-year programme at Harvard Business School.

SBC believes in the power of people to drive innovation and change. In line with its mission to inspire extraordinary people to create great ideas that make communities better, SBC continues to partner with Harvard Business School to train transformational leaders who would contribute to national growth and development.

Restating the companys unwavering support for the Nigerian youth and its commitment to Nigerias development, the Managing Director at SBC, Ziad Maloouf, said, We believe in the transformational difference great leadership has on a country. One person can make a huge difference in the trajectory of a people and their development. Thats what this scholarship is about. We are on a mission to inspire extraordinary people to create exceptional ideas. Going further to explain the choice of this years recipient from the list of applications received, Mr Maloouf said, Desayo has proven her mettle and passion for people and development, as evident in her work to enhance the financial status of Nigerians. We believe we have identified a leader Nigeria will be proud of. By contributing to her story, maybe we can do our part to change the wider narrative about Nigeria.

Speaking on the importance of the unique initiative, the Chief Corporate Services Officer, Yemi Faseun, emphasised the multiplier effect of leadership. He said, We cannot change the world all at once; however, we can change our world one person at a time. The 7up Harvard Business School Scholarship gives us the opportunity to do that. We wish our 2021 winner, Desayo, the best and look forward to the remarkable impact she would have on the country.

In attendance at the event, alongside key stakeholders and representatives from the company, were members of the National Youth Corps Service (NYSC), who were challenged by Desayos story. They remarked on the impact it has made on their lives, as they take courageous steps towards achieving their dreams.

In an eloquent remark, Desayo Ajisegiri expressed her gratitude as she was unveiled as the 11th recipient of the 7up Harvard Business School Scholarship, at SBCs newly renovated headquarters in Ijora, Lagos. Desayo challenged the youth to remain tenacious and promised to uphold the values upon which the scholarship was awarded. Having mentored 15 Nigerian college students in the U.S through college into Medical schools, Phd programs, and corporate careers, Desayos passion for community improvement and rehabilitation was evident. This in addition to other sterling qualities that singled her out amongst thousands of entries received.

The scholarship recipient plans to come back to Nigeria upon completing her education at the Harvard Business School to float her micro investing platform. She believes that her team has only scratched the surface as they plan to empower Nigerians with the means to make wealth.

Rounding up her speech, she encouraged Nigerian youths and aspirers like her to follow their passion and believe that their dreams are valid. Admonishing the young audience, Desayo said, You have to step into the drivers seat of your life and do your own part of the equation. I didnt know I was going to win the scholarship but I planned the whole year ahead of my application to HBS. Now I am here and going in fully funded by SBC. It is amazing. So do your own part, keep your eye on the goal and the vision and be optimistic.
ADVERTISEMENT

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Tuesday in Benin appealed to the Nigerian Army to set up a base in crime-prone areas in the state, especially on the Benin  Auchi Road axis.

Mr Obaseki made the appeal while hosting the Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, who led other senior officers on a courtesy visit to Edo Government House.

He said: First, l have to commend you and your men for the cooperation weve continued to enjoy from your end.

Having said that, I want to add that we are having security challenges in the state such as kidnapping, especially between the Benin  Auchi axis.

We have military formations in Edo South, also Auchi and Agenegbode, both in Edo North Senatorial District.

And because the 120 kilometers between them do not have any military presence, it has been difficult for the military to respond either from the South or North when there is an incident.

While I appeal to the Nigeria Army to heed our request, the state government will give all necessary support if the army can consider setting up a forward operating base between the distance of the North and South senatorial districts.

This will help us cover the axis where we are beginning to experience a lot of kidnappings and robbery incidents.

The governor, who said the 4 Brigade has been very helpful during communities in crisis in the state, appealed to the army to set up a special squad to help tackle restiveness in communities.

We also appeal if they can assist us with a special squad to support our efforts in calming the restiveness we are seeing around communities largely because of land disputes.

We have laws in place that will help us deal with these issues.

But by the time some of these communities find out that we now also have heavily armed military personnel within their communities, peace will return to such areas.

I want to say that we are very happy with you and we will continue to support you by providing some logistics to function optimally, he said.

Mr Yahaya, a Lieutenant-General, had informed the governor that he was in Benin on a working visit to formations and units to interact with officers and men as well as to motivate them for greater responsibility.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said that residents without proof of COVID-19 vaccination would be barred from public facilities and large gatherings.

Mr Obaseki, who made this known during the flag-off of the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination in Benin, said only those vaccinated would have access to public places and large gatherings.

He lamented the increasing cases of COVID-19 infections in the state, adding that the governments efforts were geared towards mitigating the spike in the number of cases.

With what we have seen so far, COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay. This is the third wave and there is nothing that points to the fact that other waves will not come.

What we are likely to see is intermittent waves of this pandemic. We are not going to shut down Edo State but we will make sure we protect all Edo citizens.

Therefore, I have come out with the following regulations, beginning from the second week of September 2021.

Large gatherings as well as high traffic public and private places will only be accessed by persons who have proof of taking at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

ALSO READ: Obaseki wants army to help tackle restiveness over land disputes in Edo

Such people will not be allowed to worship in churches and mosques. There will be no access to banking halls and event centers without proof of vaccination at the gates, Mr Obaseki said.

Mr Obaseki said that adequate arrangements had been made with security agencies to prevent anybody without a vaccination card from accessing any of the public places.

The governor said the state was aiming at vaccinating 60 per cent of its population within the next one year.

According to the governor, Edo has so far collected 6,306 samples out of which 203 cases have been confirmed while four persons have died from the third wave.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Friday handed over to the Muslim community in Nsukka two mosques rebuilt by his administration.

The mosques were destroyed following a protest in the area last year.

Mr Ugwuanyi had on the heels of the crisis dispatched the Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Cosmas Ugwueze, and security agencies to the scene to restore peace and normalcy.

The governor further directed the immediate rebuilding of the two affected mosques and consequently detailed the council chairman to liaise with the leadership of the Muslim community in Nsukka to redesign and rebuild the mosques.

Handing over the rebuilt mosques to the Nsukka Muslim community on Friday, Governor Ugwuanyi thanked God that the incident did not lead to any loss of life. He was represented by the Chairman of Nsukka LGA, Mr Ugwueze.

The governor thanked the Christian and Muslim communities for sustaining the existing peace in Enugu State, reassuring them of his commitment to continue to protect everyone resident in the state.

In a message of appreciation presented Momoh Mumuni, a professor, the Muslim community thanked the governor for rebuilding the mosques.

Mr Momoh said by his action, the governor demonstrated high level of compassion, tolerance, resilience, dedication, commitment, bridge-building spirit; and has exhibited sincere passion for which we have known you since your days; and harbor no grudges against anybody living in your domain.

You (Ugwuanyi) have demonstrated unparalleled record for your kind gesture, by quickly putting together and deploying all your arsenal, energy, strategies and dragnets to ensure the avoidable crises that led to the miscarriage of annoyance to our worship place (mosque) did not reach the point of no-return, the professor told the governor.

We will continually to pray for Gods wisdom, direction and strength upon you as you pilot the affairs of this great state. Thank you for extending your unreserved help to all kinds of people in the state irrespective of their state of origin, religion, belief and race.

Despite the political jingoism and all forms of fragile environment, you remain much focused on the service of humanity all to the glory of God. What a perfect gentleman! What a trusted ally!! We sincerely appreciate you and God bless you sir.

ALSO READ: Exhibition of Igbo masquerades underway in Enugu

The Muslim community equally thanked the Chairman of Nsukka LGA, Mr Ugwueze for the role he played during the incident, pointing out that he demonstrated wisdom and maturity in calming frayed nerves.

The Chief Imam, Nsukka Central Mosque, Yakubu Omeh, also thanked God that nobody died during the protest and lauded Governor Ugwuanyi for his prompt intervention.

Speaking on behalf of the Bishops of Catholic and Anglican Dioceses in Nsukka, as well as the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nsukka Chapter, Emeka Ngwoke, commended the governors gesture towards promoting peace and harmonious co-existence in Enugu State.

Mr Ngwoke urged residents of the state to continue to live in peace and harmony for other states to emulate.

In his goodwill message, a farmer, an indigene of Mbu in Isi-Uzo LGA, who recently relocated his farming business to Enugu State, Sani Nnaji, expressed delight at Governor Ugwuanyis timely intervention.

He said it was because of the peace entrenched by the governor that encouraged him to relocate his investments to Enugu State.
ADVERTISEMENT

An independent election observer group, Yiaga Africa, has predicted that poor turnout of voters will pose a major threat to the success of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

The group stated this while briefing reporters in Awka on Wednesday as parts of its pre-election monitoring activities in the state.

A board member of Yiaga Africa, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said there were no visible signs to suggest that insecurity would hamper the election.

Mr Nwagwu said the trend where no winner had emerged with more than 300,000 votes in Anambra which had two million voters since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, was ugly and unfortunate.

He said security threats had always been there in the past and should be guarded against.

The major challenge, he said, is to get the electorate to come out and cast their votes.

He said Yiaga Africa was engaging with relevant stakeholders, including the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, traditional rulers, the media and political parties to change the narrative of elections in the state.

Mr Nwagwu said the group would deploy 548 workers to polling units, collation centres and other layers of the election process.

He urged residents of the state who had attained voting age to endeavour to register and ensure that they cast their votes on the Election Day.

Another board member of Yiaga Africa, Nnamdi Aduba, decried the level of docility among politicians which was responsible for outcomes that were different from the real process.

Mr Aduba, a professor, said observer findings were good evidence in times of disputes.

In his presentation, the Project Manager at Yiaga Africa, Paul James, said the group would deploy Watching The Vote to 250 of the 5,720 polling units in the state to capture the true situation on the election day.

Mr James said the technology was successfully used in elections in Africa and that activities of Yiaga Africa were used as a guide for producing a better electoral environment in Nigeria.

(NAN)
The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Akin Abayomi, says the state government is constructing a 500-bed facility Psychiatric Hospital to promote mental healthcare delivery in the country.

Mr Abayomi made this known at the Vanguard Mental Health Summit on Thursday in Lagos with the theme: Mobilising for Systemic Change and Better Mental Healthcare in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit was organised in collaboration with OISA Foundation.

The commissioner said that 15 hectares of land have been secured at Ketu Ejirin area of the state for construction of the hospital, which, on completion, would enhance mental healthcare delivery, not only in Lagos State, but also in the country at large.

The state home psychiatric hospital is undergoing construction, which is geared toward enhancing mental health delivery.

After this is completed, beside it will be an annex of 1,000 beds rehabilitation home where young people with mental health illness will be taken care of.

It will be a comprehensive rehabilitation home with recreational, vocational and occupational centres for total rehabilitation of people with psychiatric illness.

People with mental health disorders need vocational training. They need recreation. They need to be able to roam around in a very scenic environment.

So, we have chosen this location in Ketu Ejirin.

Its nice, green and lush. 15 hectares of land is a lot of land so that the mental health patients who are admitted to this facility will have a very serene environment for their mental healing.

Also, the Lagos Mental Health Law, 2019 has been established in the state and is functional, Mr Abayomi said.

The commissioner, however, urged residents to take advantage of the Lagos State established mental health helpline called Lagos Lifeline by dialing 09090006463 to access mental health information and help including telephone counselling, social support and referral where appropriate.

Olugbenga Owoeye, Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, identified stress and depression as among the leading triggers of mental health issues, especially in this era of COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Owoeye identified stress and poor working conditions as the root causes of mental health problems in Nigeria.

Stress is not peculiar to Lagos State; its a global phenomenon. We all know the stress factors and scenarios involving stress-related issues.

Social determinants of mental health problems are societal problems that disrupt optimal mental health.

Mental health impedes the achievement and development of other health. It contributes to poverty and accounts to four of the 10 leading causes of disability, Mr Owoeye said.

Also, the President, Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), Taiwo Sheikh, called for the passage of the Mental Health Bill presently before the National Assembly.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr Sheikh said that passage of the bill was necessary to enhance mental delivery in the country and address the challenges and stigmas faced by people with mental health illnesses.

He, therefore, stressed the need for an increase in funding and allocation to mental health, saying that only three per cent of the budgetary allocation to the health sector was given to mental health in Nigeria.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Friday says the pipeline leakage in the Ikotun/Igando area of the state is currently under control.

The Director-General of the agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, while giving an update on the situation said the leakage was caused by vandals.

There was panic in the Ikotun/Igando area following the leakage of the pipeline.

A resident told PREMIUM TIMES that they noticed the leakage at Omoboriowo Street, Pipeline Bus Stop Igando-Ikotun road around 3 a.m. on Friday.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the PMS flow from the pipeline has been successfully stopped, while repairs of the vandalised pipeline have commenced. Operations ongoing.

Confirming the incident in an earlier statement, he said they observed that a very large volume of PMS was gushing out of the NNPC pipeline.

Further investigation revealed that the heavy flow of PMS was caused by suspected pipeline vandalism and bunkering in the early hours of August 27, he said.

Presently, there is no loss of life and property, serious sensitization, public education and awareness are ongoing in the entire community.

This is to avoid any form of open flame and burning to avoid any form of explosion or any other secondary incident.

READ ALSO:

Responders at the incident scene are LASEMA, LRU Fire, Lagos State Fire Service, NSCDC, NNPC, LASTMA and LNSC.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said three fire trucks are currently on the ground to forestall a fire outbreak, while the NNPC maintenance team is working to stop the flow to commence repairs.

Appeal

The agency also appealed to traders at the Ikotun market not open the market for operations today, restrict movements around Ikotun, Igando and other sensitive areas where the spilt content of vandalised pipeline.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the content had spread far to other areas through drainages, adding that residents should desist from using any flammable light of whatever nature, to prevent an explosion.
Students in Ogun State have raised an alarm over an alleged influx of illegal firearms into the country through the states borders.

The students, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Association of University Students (NAUS), and National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS), said at a press conference that the state command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) was becoming toothless in fighting smuggling.

The press conference was jointly addressed by the Chairman of NANS in the state, Damilola Simeon; National President of NAOSS, Gbemileke Ogunrombi; and the National Vice President of NAUS, Adebowale Abdul-Adeniran.

The students accused the Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command 1, Peter Kolo, of gross ineptitude, absolute incompetence and visible indifference in securing the borders of Ogun State.

The students said the upsurge in smuggling and the influx of illegal firearms into Nigeria had worsened insecurity in the country. They said the development might threaten the smooth running of academic activities in the state if not speedily curbed.

According to the students, there has been a severe and steady decline in the service delivery of Nigerian Customs Service, thereby breaking the trust and mutual relationship between the agency and Ogun State citizens.

Beyond smuggling of contraband products, they now take advantage of the Nigerian Customs Services nonchalant attitude to sneak in arms and ammunitions.

The relaxed attitude of the Nigerian Customs Service is slowly turning Ogun State into a hotbed for gun-running, thereby jeopardizing the security of the armless citizens and our students.

More than ever, the circulation of unregistered and unlicensed guns on the street has massively increased. If this trend continues, we may start experiencing gunfights with heavy casualties across our campuses.

The students, however, urged the Customs to work in synergy with other sister security agencies to nip the problem in the bud, saying this steady decline has exposed students and the general public to grave danger by the unabated actions of smugglers in the state.

When asked how the students were able to ascertain that the arms came in through the borders and not locally made, Mr Ogunrounbi said, the customs themselves arrested a smuggler with ammunition sometime ago, probably because he didnt pay to book his way.

If he had paid to book his way, that is how the gun would have found its way to Ogun State and will be used in terrorising the general public. The police sometimes parade some gun runners who smuggle ammunitions into Ogun State.

The common slangs in Ogun State now whenever their is a little misunderstanding among our youths is I will go to Idiroko and come back or I will send money to them over there to bring it for me, which means I will go to Benin Republic to get gun or send money to them to help me smuggle it in before I come to fight you. This madness need to be stopped.

We are doing our best

Contacted, the spokesperson of the command, Hammed Oloyede, said the achievements of the NCS in Ogun under the watch of Mr Kolo, negated every allegation made by the students bodies.

Mr Oloyede said he wondered where the students got the claim of the influx of firearms, asking what they have done as patriotic citizens to assist the NCS in intelligence gathering.

I believe you have been seeing some of our press releases and press conferences on our performance on anti-smuggling. That alone has negated their claims.

We are doing our best, we are making seizure of contraband items. So, what are they saying? Have they forgotten that we have several unapproved routes in Ogun State? Despite that, we do not rest on our oars. We are making concerted efforts to ensure that smuggling is reduced drastically.

I dont know where they got their fact or statistics from. As patriotic citizens, when you observe some certain things, you state the efforts you are making to reduce smuggling to the barest minimum.

ADVERTISEMENT

If someone is doing everything to combat smuggling and someone somewhere is making allegations that could be regarded as baseless, its uncalled for, its unfounded. Are they blind to the good works we have been doing? Its disheartening, its uncalled for. They should not forget the nature of our borders, yet we are still policing it. They dont know what theyre talking about.

They should just cooperate with us. If they have information, they should release it; if they have intelligence, they should tell us, the NCS spokesperson said.
ADVERTISEMENT

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has restricted movement around the Ikotun and Igando areas of Lagos State, following a spillage of petrol from a ruptured pipeline in the area.

The pipeline leakage was purportedly from the activities of vandals.

Ibrahim Farinloye, Acting Zonal Coordinator, Southwest Zonal Office, NEMA, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

Mr Farinloye appealed to the Ikotun Market population not to open for businesses, due to the incident.

He also advised residents of Igando and Ikotun, affected by the spillage to desist from using any flammable lighter of whatever nature to prevent an explosion.

According to him, the ruptured pipeline has been repaired but its content has spread to other areas, through the drainage system.

He said: About 4.30 a.m., we received a report of fuel spillage at Omoboriowo Street on Igando road axis, with petrol spilling inside gutters and drainages.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Lagos State Fire Service were contacted.

NNPC shut down the valves to suffocate the supply of further content.

Efforts are ongoing to decapitate the efficacy of the Premium Motor Spirit, in order to prevent an explosion.

The spilled content in the drainage system has been traced up to Ikotun.

Mr Farinloye assured residents that blanketing operations were ongoing to prevent an explosion.

He said officials of NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency Fire Unit, Lagos fire service, and the Police were on the ground to monitor the situation.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have paid a visit to the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

The lawmakers delegation, led by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, said they had lengthy discussions with Mr Tinubu, according to a statement by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, has been in London since July amidst rumours that he is ill.

But the lawmakers said the party leader is hale and hearty.

Last month, Mr Tinubus aide issued a statement saying his principal is not hospitalised in the UK and would be back shortly.

Among the lawmakers who visited Mr Tinubu were Temitope Adewale, chairman of the House committee on Transportation; Nureni Akinsanya, chairman of the House committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development; as well as Sylvester Ogunkelu, chairman of the House committee on Overseas Investments and SDG.

READ ALSO:

Mr Obasa said Mr Tinubu was his jovial self and had discussions with the team on issues of national importance.

He added that the visit was necessary considering the position of the former governor as a leader in the country, a mentor and benefactor to many Nigerians.

Asiwaju remains amazingly passionate about Nigeria. He is hale and hearty.

We had a lengthy discussion about developments in the country; he was in high spirit, cheery, witty as usual and remains optimistic about the progress of the country, Mr Obasa said.

The lawmakers joined a train of highly placed Nigerians who had visited Mr Tinubu in the UK, following his absence at key party events including the Lagos State local government elections and APCs ward congresses.

Two weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari visited the former governor, just before he departed London for Lagos.

Two APC governors, Rotimi Akeredolu and Kayode Fayemi of Ondo and Ekiti states respectively, have also visited Mr Tinubu in London.
ADVERTISEMENT

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has evacuated a three-week-old baby, the mother and undergraduate students of Lagos extraction at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, following the recent attacks and killings in the state.

The first set of evacuees, comprising 64 UNIJOS students and the three-week-old-baby, named Daniella, who was reported to have been delivered shortly before the crisis in the state by the mother, Manya Banfe, a 200-Level student, arrived in Lagos on Friday afternoon and met with Governor Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos State Secretariat, Ikeja, before being released to their families.

The evacuation came just as the neighbouring Ogun State began a similar move, this week, to return stranded students and youth corps members from Jos to Abeokuta.

The students, who were accompanied by security agents and government officials, arrived at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa at 1:56 p.m. with their belongings in a luxury bus and other vehicles after long hours of journey from Jos to Lagos.

The students, who were so excited to be evacuated from crisis-hit Jos and other parts of Plateau State currently experiencing violence and killings in the last few weeks, sang praises and showered praises on Governor Sanwo-Olu and top officials of the Lagos State Government for rescuing them from what they described as the war zone.

While receiving the students, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the evacuation shows that Lagos State Government had the capacity to respond to any emergency when it concerns the people of the State, especially the youth.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said welfare packages had been arranged for the students to return to their families safe and sound.

The governor, who thanked God that no student from Lagos lost their lives in the incident and during the rescue operation, urged them to observe COVID-19 safety protocols and not to lose touch with their studies, as they returned to Lagos.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Kasali Adeniran, said the evacuation of students and indigenes of Lagos State was another landmark event by the Sanwo-Olu administration.

Mr Adeniran also restated the incumbent administrations commitment to the safety and security of Lagos citizens, noting that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu government has demonstrated good governance in providing an enabling environment as well as being on point when it comes to safety and security of lives with the evacuation of the UNIJOS students.

Speaking on behalf of the UNIJOS students, a 200-level student of the Department of Religion and Philosophy of the institution, Clinton Shotikare, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for coming to their rescue.

On behalf of other students, I am saying a big thank you to the Lagos State Government, especially the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. We appreciate the Governor and the State Government for evacuating us from Plateau State. We feel happy, honoured, grateful, and safe. We feel the impact of government, he said.

Mr Shotikare, who said they had been experiencing tense situations and sleepless nights since the beginning of the Plateau State crisis, urged Lagos State Government not to relent on its efforts to rescue other Lagosians, especially students who were still stranded in the University of Jos and other parts of Plateau State.

A student in the Department of Pharmacy, UNIJOS, Edward Christiana, also appreciated Governor Sanwo-Olu for evacuating the students from Jos.

I am really grateful for what Lagos State Government has done for us. We are so thankful. Some of us had even lost hope when 24 hours curfew was declared in Plateau State. But Lagos State Governor came to our rescue and evacuated us from Jos.

We, the students of University of Jos really appreciate Lagos State Government. We appreciate Governor Sanwo-Olu for his goodwill and hardwork, ensuring our safe arrival to our friends, families, and loved ones. We pray that God will continue to bless and strengthen you, she said.
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
FERNANDO ALBA/STAFF PHOTOStudents walk past a welcome sign by SUNY Plattsburgh on Rugar Street Thursday, the day freshmen were allowed to move in on campus. The college will welcome nearly 5,000 students back to classes Monday, Aug. 30, many of whom are moving into residence halls this week. New this fall is the requirement that all students be fully vaccinated.
EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After receiving a request for assistance from El Dorado County Animal Services, which is housing some 1,500 animals, the American Humane Rescue Team has deployed to Northern California to help care for animals sheltering from the dangers posed by the Caldor Fire. American Humane responders are joining a team of highly trained animal first responders already on the ground.

"The Caldor Fire is a threat to human and animal lives  American Humane is there to ensure that families can safely evacuate while their cherished companions are kept safe from harm," said Robin R. Ganzert, Ph.D., president & CEO of American Humane. "It is our duty, not just as animal lovers but as humans, to ensure that at-risk animals are protected, and that the helpless are given shelter and resources during this trying time."

The ferocious Caldor Fire has already burned more than 136,000 acres since it began on August 14, destroying hundreds of residences. Thousands of structures, both commercial and residential, remain in the fire's path. Fire officials are working around the clock to keep families safe. American Humane animal first responders are helping to care for more than 500 cherished dogs, cats and other small animals who are sheltering without their beloved family members.

Whenever disasters strike, the American Humane Rescue Team leaps into action. American Humane carefully monitors developing situations before deploying resources, including highly trained staff, volunteers, food and medical supplies, in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Providing care for stranded, injured and lost animals in the wake of a natural disaster requires around-the-clock attention to the physical and mental wellbeing of each individual animal.

The American Humane Rescue team was founded more than 100 years ago during World War I when the U.S. Secretary of War requested assistance caring for injured horses in war-torn Europe. Since then, American Humane's team of animal first responders have been on the ground for virtually every disaster in our nation's history, from Pearl Harbor, to 9/11, to Hurricane Katrina, to the devastating wildfires in Butte County, California and everything in between.

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization. Founded in 1877, American Humane is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals, and our leadership programs are first to serve in promoting and nurturing the bonds between animals and people. For more information or to support our work, please visit www.americanhumane.org.

SOURCE American Humane

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


FUKUOKA, Japan, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunshi Lab ("bunshi" meaning molecule in Japanese) has raised approximately 180 million yen (*1) for the "Bunshi Mask" through "Makuake," a Japanese crowdfunding website. Now, Bunshi Lab is launching a much-awaited global sales campaign for the product.

(*1) 180 million yen is about US$1.6 million (US$1.00 = 110 yen as of August, 2021).

(Image1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI7fl_WycJz104.jpg)

The Bunshi Mask is a top-of-the-line face mask created from the spirit of Japan's omotenashi (hospitality) and craftsmanship. It has sold a cumulative total of more than 200,000 pieces in only four months, as it has been loved by many people immediately after being put on sale in Japan. Keen to deliver the Bunshi Mask from Japan to the world, Bunshi Lab launches its global sales campaign through Indiegogo.

- Bunshi Mask project page on Indiegogo website

Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bunshi-mask-minimal-stylish-and-high-spec/reft/27136189/pr0827

Start date: Aug. 27 (Friday), 2021

- Perks: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI1fl_w1C8nU82.jpg

- Delivered to 9 countries:

U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Singapore

About Bunshi Mask

(Image2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI8fl_86vs5Ja1.jpg)

The following are the main features of the Bunshi Mask, a next-generation face mask that strikes a balance between high performance and beautiful minimalist design:

- The Bunshi Mask blocks against more than 99% of fine particles.

(Image3: https://videos.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PM1fl_7fZiwb4a.mp4)

It uses the latest nanofiber filter invented by Akihiko Tanioka (*2), professor emeritus at Tokyo Institute of Technology (*3), which blocks against more than 99% of fine particles.The Bunshi Mask can protect its users firmly and effectively as it uses finer mesh for its filter than that of the surgical N95 mask.

(*2) Professor Tanioka (professor emeritus) is a leading expert in the field of nanofiber.



(*3) Tokyo Institute of Technology, often called "MIT of Japan," is one of the top universities in Japan.

(Image4: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI3fl_7DNh7wGl.jpg)

Furthermore, the Bunshi Mask allows users to breathe with ease as it uses the latest nanofiber, and it becomes an environment-friendly mask supporting a sustainable society as it is made out of materials from recycled PET or polyethylene terephthalate. It can also help reduce the number of times for it to be washed thanks to the effects of ultraviolet disinfection because it is UV-resistant.

- Its design is beautiful from every angle.

(Image5: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI6fl_4O76ai84.jpg)

The Bunshi Mask has a well-thought-out design to draw out the charm of the wearer's face. Moreover, its surface has luster and looks gorgeous.

- Using "top-end knit cotton fabric"

It uses a top-end knit cotton fabric treated by the so-called "silhouette" processing, the quality of which is higher than gauze fabrics. It lends itself a premium feel as it is gentle on the skin and gives a dry wear feeling. Another attractive feature is that it does not wrinkle easily even after washing.

(Image6: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106774/202108259196/_prw_PI5fl_bwLRf6ST.jpg)

- The mask has already proven successful in crowdfunding in Japan:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202108259196-O2-ukhdiB2x.pdf

For more information, please visit:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202108259196-O1-UAZX3DMT.pdf

*The Indiegogo Trademarks used in this press release are property of Indiegogo, Inc.

SOURCE Bunshi Lab
"Cap rates for corporate leased QSR properties declined by 20 basis points to 5.00% while QSR properties leased to franchisees declined by 43 basis points to 5.40%," says Randy Blankstein, President, The Boulder Group. "The primary contributing factor to the decline in cap rates is related to the increased investor demand for net lease properties with a drive-thru component."

Demand for net lease QSR properties outpaced the overall net lease sector in the past twelve months. The premium associated with net lease QSR properties was 76 basis points in the second quarter of 2021 compared the prior year (60 basis points).

"Following the loosening of in-person dining restrictions related to Covid-19, properties with drive-thru still continue to command significant investor demand," adds Jimmy Goodman, Partner, The Boulder Group. "This trend is expected to increase as tenants seek locations with drive-thru capabilities to facilitate pick up and third party delivery."

Brands including Chipotle and Shake Shack have added drive-thru lanes to their newest concepts and other QSR veterans like Taco Bell have announced prototypes with up to four drive-thru lanes.

"The majority of the QSR sector is leased to franchisees," John Feeney, Senior Vice President, The Boulder Group adds. "However, those properties with a corporate backing command a 40 basis point premium over franchisee backed assets."

There is a further premium associated with the upper echelon of credit backed tenants in the QSR sector. Investors view QSR brands Chick-Fil-A and McDonald's as best in-class. Accordingly, these two tenants represent the lowest cap rates in the sector and even the overall net lease sector. In the second quarter of 2021, properties leased to Chick-Fil-A and McDonald's had cap rates of 3.70% and 3.85% respectively.

The single tenant QSR sector will continue to garner demand as investors seek net lease investments with drive-thru capabilities in the lower end of the price spectrum ($1  $3 million). "A bifurcation between corporate/large franchisees and smaller franchisees will continue as investors seek the security that larger guarantors offer," according to Blankstein. One-off transactions will continue to be dominated by private and 1031 exchange buyers. Institutional investors will remain primarily interested in sale leaseback portfolios in order to achieve economies of scale.

To view the full report: https://bouldergroup.com/media/pdf/Net-Lease-QSR-Report.pdf

About The Boulder Group

The Boulder Group is a boutique investment real estate service firm specializing in single tenant net lease properties. The firm provides a full range of brokerage, advisory, and financing services nationwide to a substantial and diversified client base, which includes high net worth individuals, developers, REITs, partnerships and institutional investment funds. Founded in 1997, the firm has arranged the acquisition and disposition of over $6 billion of single tenant net lease real estate transactions. From 2012-2020, the firm was ranked in the top 10 companies in the nation for single tenant retail transactions by both Real Capital Analytics and CoStar. The Boulder Group is headquartered in suburban Chicago.

Press Contact:

Randy Blankstein

8475620003

https://www.bouldergroup.com/

SOURCE The Boulder Group

Related Links

https://www.bouldergroup.com


DALLAS, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carry The Load, a non-profit that provides active ways to connect Americans to the sacrifices of our nation's military, veterans, first responders and their families, is offering ways for people to unify and strengthen communities across the nation. Carry The Load encourages Americans to show the families that the death of their loved one mattered.

Here are ways people can get involved:

"This Patriot Day, serve others, teach our youth about unity and always remember those left behind." Stephen Holley, CEO Tweet this

National Day of Service, Friday, September 10  in collaboration with the National Cemetery Administration, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, volunteer to clean headstones and beautify sacred grounds.

 in collaboration with the National Cemetery Administration, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, volunteer to clean headstones and beautify sacred grounds. Heroes Challenge, Saturday, September 11  participate in-person or virtually in a workout to test your strength while raising funds to support our military, veterans, first responders and their families.

"After serving on active duty post-9/11, many of us returned home having lost good men and women whom we served alongside," says Stephen Holley, co-founder, president and CEO of Carry The Load. "This Patriot Day, I want to challenge Americans to do an act of service in their community, teach the next generation about how 9/11 unified our nation and always remember those left behind."

By participating in a Heroes Challenge workout, volunteering at a VA National Cemetery or donating in honor of a hero, people can show support for not only those who died on 9/11, but those who continue to serve and sacrifice daily for our freedom. All activities are family-friendly, follow local COVID-19 guidelines and registration is required. Everyone will receive a list of people who died on 9/11 and a bib to write a name of someone to honor and remember.

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Carry The Load Board Member Todd Boeding adds, "It showed us that as Americans we come together in times of strife. No 9/11 date should ever pass without Americans coming together and remembering why we have our freedom."

ABOUT CARRY THE LOAD

Carry The Load is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2011 by veteran U.S. Navy SEALs with a mission to provide an active way to honor and remember our nation's heroes by connecting Americans to the sacrifices made by our military, veterans, first responders and their families. To learn more, visit http://www.carrytheload.org. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media Contact:

Renee Cossman

[email protected]

SOURCE Carry The Load

Related Links

carrytheload.org


PHOENIX, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centuri Group, Inc. ("Centuri"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SWX), today announced closing of the acquisition of Riggs Distler & Company, Inc. and its affiliates ("Riggs Distler"). Founded in 1909 and based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Riggs Distler has extensive relationships and long-term Master Service Agreements (MSA) with nearly all of the major investor-owned electric utilities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and provides unionized installation and repair services to its utility customers.

The addition of Riggs Distler provides Centuri a strong union electric platform enabling new service offerings to combination gas and electric utility customers and expansion of Centuri's geographic reach with virtually no overlap in existing customer base. In addition to turnkey solutions for utility providers, Riggs Distler is the only provider in the region with a full suite of civil, mechanical, electrical, and fabrication capabilities.

Paul M. Daily, President and Chief Executive Officer of Centuri, said, "Riggs Distler is an exceptional company with a seasoned, energetic leadership team and substantial growth opportunities in electric services, renewable energy, and 5G telecom. This is a transformational transaction for Centuri that adds a unionized electric services platform to our current utility infrastructure portfolio, significantly advancing our goal to encompass our customer's growing needs by providing 360 degrees of service."

The additional opportunities in 5G telecom and renewable power generation that Riggs Distler brings further advances both companies' commitments to support clean energy delivery and reduce carbon emissions. As a long-standing member of the communities in which it operates, Riggs Distler's community engagement programs also align with Centuri's guiding principles for sustainability and commitment to giving back.

"Riggs Distler has established itself as the region's premier utility services contractor for more than 110 years. Now with 100+ years of experience to support our 100-year plan, we are excited about the path ahead and the bright future with more career opportunities for all employees across the expanded Centuri enterprise," said Daily.

Stephen Zemaitatis Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Riggs Distler, said, "We are proud to join Centuri, a company that shares our century-old core values of commitment to safety, operational excellence, and delivering high-quality, competitive, and essential services to customers. United, we will benefit from greater financial strength, growth, and diversification. We look forward to deepening our customer relationships and creating meaningful opportunities for our employees as part of the Centuri family."

Riggs Distler will operate as a standalone subsidiary of Centuri within the company's Power Group. Mr. Zemaitatis and his current senior leadership team will continue to lead Riggs Distler.

About Centuri Group, Inc.

Centuri is a comprehensive utility infrastructure services enterprise dedicated to delivering a diverse array of solutions to North America's gas and electric providers. Through sound investment, shared services, and an unwavering commitment to the safety of our employees and the communities we serve, Centuri supports the performance of its operating companies across the U.S. and Canada.

https://nextcenturi.com/

About Riggs Distler & Co., Inc.

Founded in 1909, Riggs Distler self-performs turnkey union construction solutions in the utility, telecom, and industrial markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

https://riggsdistler.com/

SOURCE Centuri Group, Inc.

Related Links

https://nextcenturi.com/


BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheetah Mobile Inc. (NYSE: CMCM) ("Cheetah Mobile" or the "Company"), a leading internet company, today announced that it plans to release its second quarter 2021 financial results before the market opens on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021. The earnings release will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.cmcm.com.

Cheetah Mobile's management will hold a conference call on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021 at 7:00 A.M. Eastern Time or 7:00 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:

International: +1-412-902-4272 United States Toll Free: +1-888-346-8982 Mainland China Toll Free: 4001-201-203 Hong Kong Toll Free: 800-905-945 Conference ID: Cheetah Mobile

The replay will be accessible through September 14th, 2021 by dialing the following numbers:

International: +1-412-317-0088 United States Toll Free: +1-877-344-7529 Access Code: 10159259

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.cmcm.com.

About Cheetah Mobile Inc.

Cheetah Mobile is a leading internet company. It has attracted hundreds of millions of monthly active users through an array of internet products such as Clean Master, Security Master and several casual games. The Company provides advertising services to advertisers worldwide as well as value-added services including the sale of premium membership and in-app virtual items to its users. Cheetah Mobile is also committed to leveraging its cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to power its products and make the world smarter. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 2014.

Investor Relations Contact

Cheetah Mobile Inc.

Tel: +86 10 6292 7779

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Cheetah Mobile
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- June 19 Museum, Inc. announces the appointment of Mr. Douglas Matthews to its Board of Advisors. Mr. Matthews' involvement with Galveston Juneteenth Celebration started on June 19, 1980, when he served as Galveston Assistant City Manager, celebrating with Texas State Representative Al Edwards at Galveston's Ashton Villa.

Kevin L. Jackson, Paul Judson, Mark Judson, and Douglas Matthews meet at the historical marker, located outside The Custom House in Galveston, Texas. Recognized as a "Birthplace of Juneteenth," this majestic building is where U.S. Major General Gordon Granger and 2000 federal army troops announced the emancipation of all slaves on June 19, 1865.

Twenty-four years ago, Douglas also helped start the Juneteenth Banquet at Old Central Cultural Center, established in 1885 as the first African American High School in Texas. Douglas Matthews was Galveston City Manager and has worked with The University of Texas Medical Branch. He also serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the Juneteenth Proclamation Program at Ashton Villa, drawing large crowds each year. In 2006 while serving as Chairman of the Texas Juneteenth Advisory Committee, he helped lead the construction and installation of the Juneteenth Lawmaker Statue installed by the State of Texas, honoring State Representative Al Edwards.

In 2015, in recognition of the 150th Anniversary of Juneteenth, the Galveston City Council passed a resolution honoring Douglas Matthews' generous support of Juneteenth.

About June 19 Museum Inc.

June 19 Museum, Inc. develops world-class tourist destinations dedicated to the Juneteenth Holiday. The Customs House Juneteenth Museum will feature world-class exhibits, a boutique hotel, a restaurant, and a learning center to support the Galveston, Texas community. Learn more about June 19 Museum Inc at http://june19museum.com

Media Contact Information Mark Judson (877) 836-0490 [email protected] Kevin Jackson (877) 836-0490 [email protected]

SOURCE June 19 Museum Inc
BALDWIN CITY, Kan., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Before joining the faculty at Baker University, Narbeli Galindo spent most of her working life in the corporate world. She most recently served as the director of international affairs and trade for the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, appointed by then-Mayor Sly James to promote the city as an economic development player worldwide. She also worked nationally and internationally for global corporations such as Pfizer, AT&T, Sprint, and Cerner. And as an entrepreneur, she has run two companies: Narbeli's Imports LLC and GlobalEITtrade.

Narbeli Galindo

So, it was only natural given her experience and expertise that when she arrived at Baker on August 1, 2020, to serve as the William Everett and Mary Ellen Mealman Endowed Chair of Business Leadership and Innovation, Galindo was tasked with creating and building a program from the ground up to educate and aid local and global entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses by providing them the tools and knowledge to ensure they succeed.

Galindo's project is ready for liftoff.

The Executive Leadership and Entrepreneurship Certificate is set to launch Sept. 7. For 12 weeks studentsaspiring and established entrepreneurswill be immersed in the world of business and entrepreneurship. They'll have direct access to real-life knowledge, guidance, funding, and mentorship from many of the most accomplished and respected business leaders in the Kansas City area and beyond. The objective is to gain the skills needed to launch a new business venture and make it thrive. It is designed not only for people seeking to start a new initiative, but also for entrepreneurs who have established a business and want to expand in the United States or globally. Additionally, it will guide foreign companies who want to enter the U.S. market and grow locally.

"This is a program that's going to give students resources, tools, and mentorship," Galindo said. "Students will learn what is available in starting and growing a business. They'll learn from professionals and implement real-world experience from local and global sources."

Through a combination of instructors and guest lecturers, students will learn how to match start-up ideas to the right opportunity and learn how to access key local and international resources.

"What many don't understand is that 96 percent of consumers are outside the United States," Galindo said.

Students will learn how to devise and deliver a successful business pitch, how to properly protect investments and interests and assign fair valuation to a business. They'll learn the financing process with investors, branding, and marketing. They'll also meet with leaders from key organizations and government and local programs and learn about government funding and export programs from officials from such organizations as the U.S. Commercial Service, World Trade Center Kansas City, Department of Economic Development, and Small Business Association.

"This program is customizable to every industry and kind of company," Galindo said. "It's 12 weeks, very condensed. Students will have expectations to complete certain projects and deliverables. Anyone can take the course and learn, but it's up to them to do the work to earn the certificate."

And, as Galindo says, the course "doesn't end at the end of three months." Students will have full access to mentoring from instructors and guest speakers for at least one year after completing the certificate.

Kirk Haskins, interim dean of Baker's School of Professional and Graduate Studies, believes a successful launch of this program will aid the university in exploring the viability of adding more certificate programs to meet the growing demand for industry credentials among area employers.

"This program is a good way to explore the market," Haskins said. "It's timely in that it's what Kansas and Midwest educational entities are focusing on. Baker can be at the forefront in providing programs valued by students and employers, of recognizing a need and providing an educational solution."

Learn more about the Executive Leadership and Entrepreneurship Certificate.

Media Contact

Jason Hannah

Executive Director of Marketing, Communications, and External Relations

Baker University

913-344-1216

[email protected]

SOURCE Baker University
EL PASO, Texas, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Heroes Foundation (HHF), the non-profit organization founded by Hunt Military Communities (HMC), announced today that it will host a one-hour webinar in observance of National Suicide Prevention Month at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, September 24, 2021. Joining HHF in this effort are Stop Soldier Suicide , the first national, veteran-founded-and-led 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on military suicide prevention, and Blue Star Families , the nation's largest non-profit dedicated to supporting military families and strengthening communities across the United States.

According to the Watson Institute, 17 veterans commit suicide per day. Military suicides have now climbed four times higher than deaths in war operations since 9/11. Combining totals of both active-duty service members and veterans, an estimated 30,177 have died by suicide, compared to the 7,057 deaths of the post 9/11 wars.

The live webinar will consist of an in-depth conversation between the key speakers, followed by a Q&A opportunity for all attendees. Topics of focus will include the impact of combat experience on mental health and suicidality, warning signs and diagnosis of PTSD, and impacts of COVID-19 on mental health among the military.

"Military suicides are a devastating and all too common loss among military families. It's crucial that we continue to increase awareness and teach prevention to our active-members, veterans, and their loved ones," said Chuck Eastman, Stop Soldier Suicide Community Affairs Manager and Veteran. "The more high-risk clients we're introduced to, the more suicides we can prevent."

Chuck will be one of the key speakers on the webinar, alongside Katy Burndine, Stop Soldier Suicide Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Jessica Strong, Blue Star Families Co-Director of Applied Research and Army Spouse, and Jason David, Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and active duty Chief Master Sergeant.

"We are grateful to partner with Stop Soldier Suicide and Blue Star Families in our efforts to shed more light on such a vital topic," stated Brian Stann, CEO of Hunt Military Communities and Chairman of the Hunt Heroes Foundation. "By joining forces, we have a much greater chance of reaching veterans and active-duty service members who have yet to find the support that is available to them."

The webinar will be conducted via Zoom. Attendees are encouraged to register at NSPM.HuntHeroesFoundation.org . If attendees are unable to register, the event will also be accessible on Friday, September 24, 2021 at the same link.

This event will also be accessible via teleconference by dialing 877-853-5257, meeting ID 827 0338 7449 (inside the U.S.) at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the event. International numbers are also available.

For those unable to join the live event, a replay of the webinar will be available after the event.

###

About Hunt Heroes Foundation

Formed in 2018, the Hunt Heroes Foundation proudly serves military families, partners, and communities through opportunities and ideas generated by our people and partnerships. Together, the HHF will discover new ways to ensure we help bring a positive change to the communities in which we live and work.

About Hunt Military Communities

Hunt Military Communities, the largest military housing owner, offers unsurpassed quality and service to more than 165,000 residents in approximately 52,000 homes on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations across the USA. We do this through our core values: safety, kindness, efficiency, enthusiasm and selflessness and our 5-Star Service commitment. With a 50-year legacy and a partnership with the Department of Defense, HMC strives to ensure the integrity of our military communities and the families who live there. For more information, visit www.huntmilitarycommunities.com .

About Stop Soldier Suicide

Founded by three Army combat veterans in 2010, Stop Soldier Suicide is the nation's first 501(c)3 organization dedicated solely to the prevention of service member and veteran suicide. Veterans are at 50% higher risk of killing themselves than their peers who have not served. SSS' mission is to reduce the military suicide rate through the use of enhanced data insights, focused client acquisition, and best-in-class suicide intervention services with a goal of a 40% reduction by 2030. The organization provides service members and veterans of all branches and all generations  regardless of discharge status  with free, personalized care at no cost to them. SSS is not DoD or VA-affiliated, and is not government funded.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the nation's largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness. Its distinctive approach builds stronger communities around military families through knowledge and programs that address the unique needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families' nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families an important voice that informs policymakers and its military family programs. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families to strengthen the troops, their families, and our nation as a whole. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org .

SOURCE Hunt Companies

Related Links

https://huntcompanies.com/


DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell Analysis Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cell analysis market reached a value of US$ 16.4 Billion in 2020. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% during 2021-2026. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Cell analysis refers to an umbrella term for a wide variety of technologies that are utilized to study genetic and phenotypical characteristics of a cell. Its objective is to gain insights into the mechanisms of cellular functionality that requires an understanding of the cellular components, such as the DNA, RNA, protein content and cellular metabolites. Cell analysis is typically done to understand population heterogeneity, identifying minority sub-populations of interest, as well as discovering unique characteristics of individual cells. It further aids in gene and protein identification, and epigenomics, as well as understanding the factors that underlie cell health, proliferation and death.



Cell analysis is utilized across academic and research laboratories, hospitals, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical, for studying stem cells, immunology, neurology, non-invasive prenatal diagnosis and in-vitro fertilization. Furthermore, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, along with the development of advanced therapies for the treatment of cancer, are encouraging technological advancements in cell analysis. For instance, Fluidigm Corporation, a US-based company, announced the introduction of a REAP-seq (RNA expression and protein sequencing) that will help researchers to understand the mechanisms of cancer progression and immune response. The increasing investments by governments of several nations in extensive research and development (R&D) activities in the life science sector are acting as another major growth-inducing factor. Other factors, such as the rapid expansion of the biopharmaceutical and biotechnological companies and significant growth in the healthcare industry, are expected to further create a positive outlook for the market.

Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Agilent Technologies Inc., BD Biosciences, Bio-RAD Laboratories Inc., Danaher Corporation, Illumina Inc., Merck KGaA, Miltenyi Biotec, Olympus Corporation, PerkinElmer Inc., Promega Corporation, Sysmex Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, etc.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global cell analysis market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global cell analysis market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the product?

What is the breakup of the market based on the analysis type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the technique?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global cell analysis market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology

3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Cell Analysis Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Product

6.1 Flow Cytometry Products

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 qPCR Products

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Cell Microarrays

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Microscopes

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Spectrophotometers

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast

6.6 Cell Counters

6.6.1 Market Trends

6.6.2 Market Forecast

6.7 HCS Systems

6.7.1 Market Trends

6.7.2 Market Forecast

6.8 Others

6.8.1 Market Trends

6.8.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Analysis Type

7.1 Cell Identification

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Cell Viability

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Cell Signaling Pathways/Signal Transduction

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Cell Proliferation

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Cell Counting and Quality Control

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Cell Interaction

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast

7.7 Target Identification and Validation

7.7.1 Market Trends

7.7.2 Market Forecast

7.8 Single-Cell Analysis

7.8.1 Market Trends

7.8.2 Market Forecast

7.9 Others

7.9.1 Market Trends

7.9.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Techniques

8.1 Molecular Approaches

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Image-Based Approaches

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by End-User

9.1 Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies and CROs

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Hospitals and Diagnostic Laboratories

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Research Institutes

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Cell Culture Collection Repositories

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Others

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region



11 SWOT Analysis



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Agilent Technologies Inc.

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 BD Biosciences

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Bio-RAD Laboratories Inc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.3.3 Financials

14.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.4 Danaher Corporation

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.5 Illumina Inc.

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.6 Merck KGaA

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 Miltenyi Biotec

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8 Olympus Corporation

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8.3 Financials

14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.9 PerkinElmer Inc.

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.10 Promega Corporation

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.11 Sysmex Corporation

14.3.11.1 Company Overview

14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.11.3 Financials

14.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.12 Thermo Fisher Scientific

14.3.12.1 Company Overview

14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.12.3 Financials

14.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hw1hie

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Japan B2B Payment Services Voice of Customer, 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Japanese government encourages a shift toward cashless through initiatives such as the tax rebate program and open banking law reform.

As the proportion of customers using cashless transactions rises, businesses increasingly seek solutions to complement their B2B2C needs. A staggering 55% and 70% of companies received payments today are from consumers and SMEs, respectively. B2B2C payments needs are driving B2B payment solutions development, while demand for B2B solutions alone is far lower.

The publisher studied 101 businesses in Japan between January and February 2021 to assess the current state of the industry and uncover actionable insights to drive digital B2B payment services in Japan.

The study found that the digital B2B payments transaction value looks set to register a 3.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2026. There is room for improvement for financial services providers serving the B2B space, particularly in fees, as 69% of companies surveyed think that the current fees are too high. About one-third of polled companies feel that transaction fees for local and international transactions should be lower. Besides fees, companies' ability to cope with fluctuations in payment volumes and cash flow problems are key issues that need to be addressed.

Market developments point to the untapped potential beyond digitizing businesses. Harvesting the opportunity with industry digitalization is often matched with the adoption of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, robotic process automation (RPA), and cloud. Whereas digitization can lead to automation of the payment process, digitalization is much more than that and can lead to more efficient and effective use of resources. It can facilitate more advanced functionality, including dynamic payment routing that can solve customer pain points.

In Japan, business potential does not always translate into business success. Size does matter. The reality on the ground is that despite the need, Japanese companies are in no rush to embrace change.

Nevertheless, change is on the horizon as business needs challenge the inertia resisting change. Already, we see partnerships providing added value and businesses getting the benefits. The momentum is building, with credit card market participants establishing a comprehensive B2B payments ecosystem through partnerships with accounting services, transportation services, and office supplies providers.

This study covers Japan. This report's target audience includes financial services providers and payment services providers keen on understanding the financial services needs of business customers in Japan.

Companies Mentioned

JCB

Mizuho

MUFG

Sumitomo

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zai58d

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


DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) will webcast its participation in the 2021 Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference at 9:40 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, September 8. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Hsu will discuss the company's strategies for generating shareholder value.

A link to the broadcast and related presentation slides will be provided through the Investors section of Kimberly-Clark's website at www.kimberly-clark.com.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's nearly 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

[KMB-F]

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/648588/Kimberly_Clark_RGB_Blue_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Related Links

http://www.kimberly-clark.com


"At LGA we know that success is much more than the bottom line. We work hard to create an inclusive culture with the needs of our employees at the forefront of our efforts. By surveying all of our associates we ensure their voices are heard. I am elated to receive this certification for our sixth consecutive year; it is a testament to all of our dedicated employees whose efforts make LGA's achievements possible while advancing our company into the future." said Barbara Esau, VP of Human Resources at LGA.

88% of employees said they feel good about how the company contributes to the community

"The 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. Earning this designation means that LGA is one of the best employers in the country as determined by employees."

Strengths that contributed to LGA's Certification include:

88% of employees said they feel good about how the company contributes to the community

85% indicated management is honest and ethical in its business practices

84% agreed they were made to feel welcome when joining the company

82% believed that people care about each other

For more information please visit: https://www.lgamerica.com/about-us/careers

About Legal & General America

LGA is part of the worldwide Legal & General Group. For over 70 years, the Legal & General America companies have provided financial protection through life insurance for American families. With more than $57 billion in new coverage issued in 2020, LGA is ranked in the top five of U.S. life insurers. For more information, please visit https://www.lgamerica.com/about-us/careers.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work, is a global people analytics and consulting firm, helping companies of all sizes produce better business results by focusing on the work experience for every employeeOver the past 25 years, we have captured the views of more than 100 million employees globally, helping organizations around the world identify and build high-trust, high-performance cultures.

Legal & General America life insurance and retirement products are underwritten and issued by Banner Life Insurance Company, Urbana, MD and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York, Valley Stream, NY. Banner products are distributed in 49 states and in DC. William Penn products are available exclusively in New York; Banner does not solicit business there. The Legal & General America companies are part of the worldwide Legal & General Group.

SOURCE Legal & General America (LGA)

Related Links

https://www.lgamerica.com


CARROLLTON, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NerdsToGo , a leading computer and technology repair services franchise, is looking to grow its footprint in the Dallas Metroplex by approximately 30 new units by 2024, as demand for in-home technology solutions continues to increase with more professionals working from home.

"Remote work is a part of the 'next normal,' and we see a huge opportunity for managed IT services for both small and medium-sized companies," said Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer at Propelled Brands. "We see great growth potential in the DFW Metroplex and are confident that our proven business model along with the support and resources provided, will allow franchisees to thrive."

In September 2020, NerdsToGo was acquired by Propelled Brands. Under new leadership, the NerdsToGo brand and its franchisees will receive ongoing training, support and unparalleled resources that will position the brand as a leader among the industry and in the local communities it serves.

"When I was in search of a franchise that allowed me to build a business to help my community, I found NerdsToGo, and immediately gravitated toward it because of the growth opportunity it presented," said Woody Huffines, owner of the McKinney NerdsToGo franchise. "Now, being acquired by such a successful umbrella brand, I am looking forward to the mature infrastructure and drive that NerdsToGo will now be able to adopt."

NerdsToGo is currently seeking qualified franchisees to be owner operators to help the brand grow across the United States. Prospective franchisees do not need experience in information technology but should have a strong desire to grow a successful business in their local community, developing relationships with small business owners to become their outsourced IT department.

The initial investment for a NerdsToGo franchise is approximately $146,200 - $217,050, including a $49,750 franchise fee. Ideal candidates have a net worth of $300,000 of which $80K is liquid. Additionally, NerdsToGo offers a special incentive for veterans and first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee  a savings of $24,875.

For information about the NerdsToGo franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679)

About NerdsToGo, Inc.

NerdsToGo, Inc. launched its original location in Guilford, CT in 2003 and quickly became the emerging leader in providing computer and technology-based services to both the small and medium-sized business market and the residential market. NerdsToGo began franchising in 2017 and quickly grew to 25 independently owned franchise locations in 16 states. In 2020, Fastsigns Holdings Inc. acquired GTN CAPITAL GROUP, LLC, the parent company of NerdsToGo.

In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, the corporate umbrella that includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia where FASTSIGNS centers operate under the SIGNWAVE brand, NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand acquired in September 2020, and Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza in June 2021. With a focus on business-to-business franchises and the people behind those businesses, Propelled Brands will help each franchise confidently navigate forward based on their unique position, momentum and purpose.

NerdsToGo locations provide the total solution in computer and technology support to customers, and the company's signature service is delivered by sending a Nerd onsite to customer locations in a well-branded, eye-catching Nerd Van. Customers can also receive service through remote support or by visiting a local NerdsToGo service center. NerdsToGo acts as the IT department for small to medium sized businesses by helping to design, implement and support IT networks, provide data backup & continuity services, cybersecurity solutions, cloud services, remote support, vendor management services and overall routine maintenance.

For information about the NerdsToGo franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679).

Media Contact:

Clarissa Rios | BizCom Associates

972.352.7601 | [email protected]

SOURCE NerdsToGo
NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde , founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating:

Sykes Enterprises, Inc. (SYKE) relating to its proposed acquisition by Sitel Group. Under the terms of the agreement, SYKE shareholders will receive $54.00 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: http://monteverdelaw.com/case/sykes-enterprises-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



(SYKE) relating to its proposed acquisition by Sitel Group. Under the terms of the agreement, SYKE shareholders will receive $54.00 in cash per share they own. Community Bankers Trust Corp. (ESXB) relating to its proposed acquisition by United Bankshares, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, ESXB shareholders will receive 0.3173 shares of United per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/community-bankers-trust-corp. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



(ESXB) relating to its proposed acquisition by United Bankshares, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, ESXB shareholders will receive 0.3173 shares of United per share they own. J. Alexander's Holdings, Inc. (JAX) relating to its proposed acquisition by SPB Hospitality LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, JAX shareholders will receive $14.00 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/j-alexanders-holdings-inc-0. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



(JAX) relating to its proposed acquisition by SPB Hospitality LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, JAX shareholders will receive in cash per share they own. QAD Inc. (QADA) relating to its proposed acquisition by Thoma Bravo . Under the terms of the agreement, QADA shareholders will receive $87.50 in cash per share. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/qad-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.



(QADA) relating to its proposed acquisition by . Under the terms of the agreement, QADA shareholders will receive in cash per share. Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. (CORE) relating to its proposed acquisition by Performance Food Group Co. Under the terms of the agreement, CORE shareholders will receive $23.875 in cash and 0.44 shares of PFG per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/core-mark-holding-company-inc-0. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020I SS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in any of the above listed companies and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

http://www.monteverdelaw.com


CAIRO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced recently it forged the contract to supply equipment to juwi for the 36 MW off-grid solar farm and a 7.5MW battery energy storage system at Sukari gold mine operated by Centamin in Egypt. The project will be the largest solar-plus-storage plant located at a mine site, significantly facilitating the energy transition for minerals in the MENA region.

The project is located near the Red Sea, facing the challenge of scorching heat and high corrosion. Sungrow offers the 1,500V 6.25MW PV inverter solution and the highly integrated energy storage system with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The turnkey design makes it efficient on transportation, installation and O&M. Equipped with smart forced air-cooling technology and C5 high anti-corrosion capability, the solution can operate stably without derating in harsh conditions. Moreover, the solution enables higher yields in compliance with bifacial solar modules.

The project is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2022. It will cut the mine's diesel consumption by approximately 20 to 22 million liters per year and thus offset between 53,000 and 60,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions annually. The solar-plus-storage micro-grid installation will enable Centamin to tangibly reduce its mine's electricity bills, as the operator will partially shift away from fuel, which is often volatile in price.

"We're excited to support the decarbonization of the mining industry and drive down energy costs for our customers. We are delighted to partner with entities such as Sungrow to unlock long-term benefits for all our stakeholders," said Amiram Roth-Deblon, Director Global Business Initatives at juwi AG, the EPC company.

"We would love to provide the best of environmental sustainability with cutting-edge PV and storage portfolio as a pivotal player in the industry. The solar-plus-storage micro-grid solution is also an ideal solution for regions with power outages or high power demand," said Alvin Shi, Managing Director of Sungrow MENA region.

A growing number of mining companies have made significant headway to cut their electricity costs and the environmental impact of their daily operations. Taking the first place according to market share in MENA, Sungrow is striving for unrelenting improvement on products and services to support resource industry to go green.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 154 GW installed worldwide as of December 2020. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 24-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

About the juwi group

The juwi group is one of the leading specialists for renewable energies. The German renewable energy pioneer has been offering complete project development as well as other services relating to the planning, construction and operation of renewable energy systems for 25 years. The juwi group's business areas include projects with wind and solar energy as well as hybrid systems with storage systems for industrial applications.

Juwi was founded in 1996 in Rhineland-Palatinate. The company is now based in Worrstadt near Mainz and has been part of Mannheim-based MVV Energie AG, one of the largest municipal energy providers in Germany, since the end of 2014. The juwi group employs around 850 people worldwide and has projects on every continent. There are branches in: Germany, Italy, Greece, South Africa, the USA, Japan, Australia, India as well as the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.

To date, juwi has implemented more than 1,000 wind energy systems with an output of more than 2,400 megawatts at around 180 locations worldwide; in the solar segment there are around 1,800 PV systems with a total output of more than 3,000 megawatts. Together, these energy systems generate around nine billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year; In purely mathematical terms, this corresponds to the annual requirements of around three million households in Germany. For the implementation of the energy projects, juwi has initiated an investment volume of almost ten billion euros over the past 25 years.

SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.sungrowpower.com


BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) announced today the promotion of Joseph T. Liotine to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer. In this new role, Liotine will be responsible for all global operations. This change is effective September 1, 2021.

Joe Liotine Winn Everhart

Whirlpool Chairman and CEO, Marc Bitzer said, "I've had the good fortune of working with Joe for many years and I'm continually impressed with his strategic thinking related to the everyday execution of our business. He's an exceptional leader with a clear vision to exponentially grow our brands around the globe. During the past 18 months in particular, Joe has demonstrated his preparedness for this next step with outstanding results in North America during a very challenging time on every dimension."

Liotine is currently Executive Vice President and President of Whirlpool's North America Region. In addition, he leads both the Global KitchenAid Small Domestic Appliances business as well as Global Information Systems. Liotine was named Executive Vice President and President, North America Region in November 2014. Previous to this assignment, he was President of U.S. Operations and has held a variety of roles with increasing responsibilities such as Vice President of Marketing for the North America Region where he led: Brand Management, Digital Marketing, Product Marketing, and Consumer Insights.

Liotine began his career with Whirlpool Corporation in 2004 serving the company in a variety of sales, strategy and marketing roles. He spent three years managing Canada operations before returning to the U.S.

Prior to joining Whirlpool, Liotine held positions within Quaker Oats and PepsiCo. Liotine holds a master's degree in business administration from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree from Illinois State University.

Whirlpool Corporation also announced today that Winn Everhart will succeed Liotine as the company's Executive Vice President and President of the North America Region. Everhart joined Whirlpool Corporation in October 2020 as Senior Vice President overseeing U.S. commercial and business operations including Brand and Strategy, Product Marketing, Sales, Consumer Services and Integrated Supply Chain including U.S. and Mexico plants. In his new assignment, effective September 1, Everhart will also join Whirlpool's Executive Committee.

Liotine commented, "Winn has very quickly immersed himself in the industry and already demonstrated the leadership traits that will continue to accelerate our North America region forward. His strong general management skills and consumer experience orientation will help fuel our future growth and reinforce our portfolio with our consumers who depend on us each and every day."

Prior to coming to Whirlpool, Everhart spent nearly two decades at the Coca-Cola Company, where he most recently served as General Manager for the company's Philippines operations. In that role, Everhart and his team were responsible for developing the strategic vision, brand marketing, and overall company communication within the Philippines while partnering with various strategic business partners and franchisees, Coca-Cola Femsa and then Coca-Cola Bottling Investment Group. Everhart held a wide variety of strategic and operating roles, gaining broad domestic and international experience during his tenure at Coca-Cola.

Everhart holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master's degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Bitzer added, "I have great confidence in both Joe's and Winn's ability to deliver on our mission of improving life at home for consumers around the world. We are very well positioned to make an even greater impact in the years to come with their leadership."

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is committed to being the best global kitchen and laundry company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. In an increasingly digital world, the company is driving purposeful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit and Yummly. In 2020, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 78,000 employees and 57 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

WHIRLPOOL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Whirlpool that speak only as of this date. Whirlpool disclaims any obligation to update these statements. Forward-looking statements in this document may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding exponential brand growth globally and future growth and acceleration in the North America region. Many risks, contingencies and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from Whirlpool's forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning these risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Whirlpool's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K.

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation

Related Links

http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com


ZHENGZHOU, China, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhengzhou is the earliest habitat of the Chinese nation and the birthplace of the Chinese civilization, nourished by the Yellow River. With no doubt, the city is one of the best places to represent China's history and traditional culture and a major exporter of Chinese culture.

Now, Zhengzhou has been well-known among hundreds of millions of overseas Chinese people as one of the country's oldest cities but also the best metropolis to link the central China to the world.

Chime Culture Co., Ltd Chime Culture Co., Ltd

Every year on the third day of the third month on the Chinese lunar calendar is the birthday of this Chinese common ancestor and also the day when Huangdi (or Yellow Emperor) united the nation and established the first nation in the country's history, according to folklore.

The ceremony was held in Zhengzhou city, Chime Culture Co., Ltd is responsible for the international promotion of this event.

"Same Root, Same ancestors and Same Origin; Peace, Concord and Harmony" has been always the theme of the grand ceremony in the past years and also the trend of Chinese history for all Chinese people to seek common ground and self-identity on the earth.

Meanwhile, Zhengzhou is modernizing and globalizing itself, and the feeling is palpable as the new meets the old. The city and its inhabitants have also changed with the times, become more open and communicative with people from outside the country.

Now, the city is on its way to become a new showcase for the country's modern culture and innovation in arts and culture.

It is reported that the ceremony contains nine items on its agenda, namely, golden age ritual music, presenting flower baskets, washing hands and offering incense, making bows, reciting elegiac address, singing carols, performing music and dance for worship, praying for China, and wishing for harmonious Heaven, Earth and People.

The whole audience performed the ritual of worship and bowed three times to the statue of the Yellow Emperor, expressing infinite respect of the descendants for the founder of Chinese civilization.

"The sky was black and the earth was yellow; the universe was vast and a dark whole. The Chinese nation has a long history, and the Chinese culture has a deep root. He enlightened the ignorance; he created the civilization. Our great ancestor is of great virtue and grace," Qi Xuchun, vice chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, read the ancestor worship ode to the audience. Chinese people overseas, or in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan read the ancestor worship ode online at the same time.

To the rhythmic, elegant and solemn ancient music, the beautifully-dressed-up dancers danced with bamboo sketches in hand, celebrating the birthday of the Yellow Emperor with a brand new choreography, which expressed the common wishes of all the sons and daughters of the Yellow Emperor with their charming dance.

In summary, Welcome tozhengzhou, China -- no matter where you are, either for seeking cultural identity and heritage, or looking for business opportunities from the city's latest development in cultural and creative industry.

Media contact:

Tao Cai

[email protected]

086-13592533899

SOURCE Chime Culture Co., Ltd
PARK RIDGE, Ill., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) encouraged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop national standards of practice for healthcare professionals to ensure its facilities provide the highest quality of care for the nation's veterans.

In an Aug. 25 letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, AANA President Dina Velocci, DNP, CRNA, APRN, highlighted the importance of allowing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other providers within the VA to work at the top of their education and training. "Given the VA's well established federal supremacy, there is no doubt the VA can and should create national practice standards that are reflective of the full scope and education of healthcare providers."

National standards of practice will allow all healthcare professionals working in the VA system to have consistent scope and requirements of practice, notwithstanding any state license, registration, or other requirements. Since nearly one-third of all VA medical facilities have one or more sites of care in another state, and 14 percent of licensed healthcare professionals employed by the VA have a state license, registration, or certification in another state than their main VA medical facility, having national standards of practice would allow these providers to care for veterans where and when they need it most.

"The development of national standards of practice is critical to ensuring that our veterans have access to the care they deserve and will ensure continuity of care," Velocci said in the letter. "Every veteran should be able to access that care in any VA facility. Ensuring that national practice standards for non-MD/DO providers are robust and allow providers to practice to the top of their scope will help to increase access to care, reduce wait times for veterans at VHA facilities, and reduce costs."

AANA's letter also stressed that during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the VA waived unnecessary regulations that the national standards of practice should make permanent. For example, during the pandemic, AANA collaborated with the VA on a travel nurse program to help ensure CRNAs were available in COVID hotspots, even if that meant traveling across state lines. "Through this partnership, CRNAs were able to bring their advance skills, including advanced airway and ventilator management, placement of invasive lines and monitors, and skill as team leaders, to help treat the sickest COVID patients, illustrating the need for national standards that allow providers to work at the top of their scope."

Earlier this year, AMVETS, one of the largest veterans' service organizations in the United States, called for similar standards during testimony in front of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. AMVETS, in their testimony, stated that the creation of national practice standards was also necessary to implement the new joint VA-Department of Defense electronic health record system.

This interoperability system will help ensure that there is no disruption in healthcare for active members of the military as they transition to veteran status. "AMVETS believes these new national practice standards must be inclusive of all health care services that its health care professionals are authorized to provide in any state. Anything short of fully comprehensive practice standards will unnecessarily limit Veteran access to care and negatively impact Veteran access and health outcomes," according to their testimony.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
LAFAYETTE, La., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Acadian Kitchens LLC, the home of Ragin' Cajun Foods & Cajun's Choice Louisiana Foods, has acquired a 35,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Lafayette, Louisiana for $1,200,000. The new building is located just off I49N at 3136 NE Evangeline Thruway.

The company and its brands have been seeing rapid growth over the last couple of years and quickly outgrew their current 10,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in nearby Broussard.

CEO Paul Leleux said, "We are currently enjoying rapid growth thanks to our customers  both new and old - who are finding, buying, and loving the authentic flavors and quality of our products. We believe our new facility will help further this growth and expand our reach to retailers and consumers throughout the United States."

Acadian Kitchens recently partnered with brandRUSSO in Lafayette on a complete rebrand, redesign and relaunch of their Ragin' Cajun foods brand. Consumers and retailers have been very supportive of the new look and the new items that are coming with the relaunch.

"We are committed to remaining authentic to our Cajun culture and to this area. We expect our brands and products to grow significantly over time and we're very proud to produce them right here in Lafayette, the heart of Acadiana," says Ryan Schemmel, Chief Commercial Officer at Acadian Kitchens.

About Ragin' Cajun Foods & Acadian Kitchens LLC:

At Acadian Kitchens, we carefully fuse the authentic and diverse tastes of Louisiana's Creole and Cajun cultures to bring you traditional, bold, hand-crafted flavors in our flagship brands and products from the heart of Acadiana: Acadian Kitchens, Ragin' Cajun Foods & Cajun's Choice.

Acadian Kitchens LLC of Lafayette, Louisiana has a long and rich tradition of manufacturing and marketing the best tasting and highest quality seasonings, sauces, box dinners, bean products and other specialty foods of Acadiana. The company is owned and operated by management and a team of veteran food industry investors at Evanston Partners LLC.

Our brands and products are sold nationally in Retail/Grocery Stores, Foodservice channels, on Amazon and https://www.acadiankitchens.com/.

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12882792

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Acadian Kitchens LLC

Related Links

http://www.acadiankitchens.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers have developed a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) to screen and identify youth at risk for attempting suicide. Adaptive Testing Technologies (ATT), the leader in the design, testing, and implementation of large-scale mental health assessment tools, announces the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY) is available for license.

The rate of suicide among adolescents is increasing in the US, yet many adolescents at risk remain unidentified and receive no mental health services. The CASSY is the first validated universal screen for suicide risk in pediatric emergency departments and other settings where large-scale screening for suicidality occurs. The CASSY is a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) that represents a scientific breakthrough in pediatric suicide risk screening and measurement.

"The CASSY is a powerful and unique tool, different from any other standard evaluation available for assessing suicidality in youth, with unmatched accuracy, precision, and efficiency," said Hannah Wulczyn, MPA, Project Director, Adaptive Testing Technologies. "CASSY gives providers the information they need at their fingertips to make informed decisions while virtually eliminating burden for both the provider and the patient. As organizations, health systems, researchers, and most importantly patients, their families and caregivers know that making a difference in even one life can change the trajectory of many others, the CASSY offers an unparalleled opportunity to revolutionize the way we measure suicide risk. CASSY enhances ATT's extensive list of mental and behavioral health assessment tools and will be a valuable addition to the toolkits of providers throughout the country."

According to data published in JAMA Psychiatry, the CASSY algorithm has demonstrated a sensitivity of 82.4% and a specificity of 80% in predicting a future suicide attempt in the 3 months following their emergency department visit. CASSY goes beyond a simple dichotomization of risk and provides the probability of a suicide attempt within the next 3 months. The results suggest this screener could serve as an easy-to-use way for providers to detect youth suicide risk in emergency department settings. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

"The CASSY is a new, well-validated, and easy-to-use tool for recognizing suicide risk in young people," said study lead, Cheryl King, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. "Developed specifically to screen youth in emergency departments, the CASSY requires less than two minutes of a youth's time to complete -- then provides information to the care team about the youth's level of suicide risk and suicide warning signs. The CASSY has the potential to be a game changer in our suicide prevention efforts."

A suicide screener that can quickly and accurately identify youth suicide risk would help emergency department providers, for example, implement universal screening in these settings. Five institutions within the U.S. Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN), including researchers out of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, recruited youth between the ages of 12 and 17 in collaboration with 13 emergency departments.

Youth who were admitted to an emergency department at the study sites during randomly selected shifts completed self-report questionnaires assessing suicide ideation and rumination; history of suicide attempts; self- injury; depression; hopelessness; alcohol and drug misuse; family, school, and social connectedness; physical and sexual abuse; and other factors that have been found to be related to suicide risk. Youth and their parents then received follow-up calls three months after the initial screening to learn if the youth had tried to end their life in the intervening months. The researchers used these data, and data that resulted from the second phase of the study that tested the ability of CASSY to predict suicide risk in a new set of youth, aged 12 to 17, who presented to 14 PECARN emergency departments and one Indian Health Service emergency department, to create the CASSY.

For more information on CASSY licensing or for a demonstration, please contact Hannah Wulczyn at [email protected] or visit the ATT website at www.adaptivetestingtechnologies.com.

About CASSY

The Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY) is the first prospectively validated universal screen for suicide attempt risk in pediatric emergency departments. The CASSY is a computerized adaptive test (CAT) that represents a scientific breakthrough in pediatric suicide risk screening and measurement. The 72-question item bank covers suicidal ideation and behavior, and suicide related items drawn from the domains of psychopathology, PTSD, social adjustment, sleep, substance use, anger, and aggression. The mean number of adaptively administered items is 11 (range, 5-21). In an average of 84 seconds, youth can be adaptively screened for suicide risk and their suicide risk quantified in terms of the probability of a suicide attempt in the next 3 months. This process can be used on a standalone basis or integrated via an API so that the CASSY can be seamlessly integrated with an electronic health record system. The CASSY is available in English and Spanish, with built-in optional audio to aid in literacy issues and further ease of use. The Flesch Reading Ease score for the CASSY is 80.4 with a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 6.0.

About Adaptive Testing Technologies

Adaptive Testing Technologies (ATT) is the leader in the design, testing, and implementation of large-scale mental health assessment tools based on multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) and Computerized Adaptive Diagnostic (CAD) technologies. These tools are utilized by health professionals to assess a variety of mental health conditions  including depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis, PTSD, substance use disorder, suicide risk, ADHD, and assess Social Determinants of Health. The CAT-MH and K-CAT represent the first and only validated, comprehensive, multidimensional item-response-theory-based adaptive screening and measurement systems in the world. They provide levels of precision and accuracy that is far beyond what can be achieved using traditional fixed-length mental health assessment scales and can be administered anywhere at any frequency, in or out of the clinic, to any sized population. ATT's tools are currently being utilized in emergency departments, psychiatric and primary care clinics, telemedicine, student health clinics, perinatal medicine clinics, child welfare settings, substance use disorder programs, federal and state mental health programs, employee assistance programs, criminal justice systems, and the SAMHSA national mental health and substance use disorder prevalence study. The tools are available worldwide and are currently being used in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, India, and Chile.

MEDIA CONTACT: Dawn Maniglia Hannah Wulczyn, MPA

TogoRun Adaptive Testing Technologies

[email protected] [email protected]

917.862.5444 312-878-6490, Ext. 505

SOURCE Adaptive Testing Technologies
SEATTLE, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As we see the heartbreaking images from Kabul and mourn the tragic loss of service members and civilians working to bring Americans home, we are humbled to play a small part in aiding those who have served our country.

Alaska Airlines is honored to support the critical humanitarian airlift mission and the U.S. military as it coordinates the evacuation of individuals and families from Afghanistan. Alaska will operate military charter flights to provide transportation within the U. S. and stands ready to provide additional support to the Department of Defense in their mission.

We are proud to support our military service members and grateful to all our employees who have served our country around the world, many of whom have reached out to offer their assistance during this time of need. Our values drive us to do the right thing and be kind-hearted, and we will bring this same sense of service to these operations and those we welcome on board as our guests.

Alaska has supported humanitarian efforts in the past, including the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of thousands of Yemenite Jews to Israel in 1949.

These charter operations are confidential and separate from the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program and related activations.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


CULVER CITY, Calif., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A commitment to innovation in architectural lighting guided California business owners and brothers Jake and David Hakimi to team with the Mark Cuban-backed online marketplace for American-made products to showcase their newest collection of commercial-grade lighting for healthcare, industrial kitchen, workspace and retail applications. Alcon Lighting, headquartered in Los Angeles, announced that the company will offer their unique line of lighting products where shoppers now find American-made products on WeCultivate.

Commercial-grade linear pendant in yellow by Alcon Lighting

"I'm a big believer in buy American, invest in America," Mark Cuban told FOX Business when he invested in the New Jersey-based enterprise. "Cultivate can be a big step forward."

"Mark is a true visionary," Cultivate's founder and CEO Harsh Khurana said. "He invested in us before the product was even a proof of concept. He's the only person I reached out to as a VC, and within a couple days, he said, 'Let's do this.'"

The coronavirus pandemic reinforced Americans' demand for goods made in the U.S.A., particularly critical medicines and medical supplies, because the new virus constricted international trade and locked businesses down across the country, underscoring America's dependence on Chinese-made products and supply chains as well as Chinese government controls. Using Cultivate's website, shoppers can browse American-made products directly from the platform's search tool or add Cultivate's browser extension.

Khurana notes that adding businesses such as Alcon Lighting to Cultivate's e-commerce platform is of mutual value to both companies, pointing out that over 1,000 U.S. businesses have joined Cultivate. Business owners get products featured on the site, and consumers are at liberty to trade in the U.S. economy directly through Cultivate, which features companies that produce U.S.-made products that match Cultivate's criteria. "This really resonates," Khurana said. "This is the land of opportunity. ... America is full of hungry, genius entrepreneurs."

Cultivate's affirmative philosophy aligned with two young entrepreneurs of one of the nation's leading commercial lighting companies. "I admire Mark Cuban's competitive spirit and commitment to entrepreneurship, so when he talked about investing in Cultivate for its founding ideal of high-quality, American-made products, it caught my attention," said Alcon Lighting Chief Digital Officer and Co-Owner David Hakimi. "Our family business was born in Southern California and it's a part of who we are. It's our conviction that a healthy, thriving community begins at home. So we strive to source parts, components and supplies from manufacturers making the highest quality products here in the U.S.A. After studying Cultivate's site and approach, we decided to act." Hakimi, who runs the business with his brother, Jake, the Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner, and their rapidly growing team of creative professionals, added that this is the moment to emphasize American-made products.

"Communities have been drained, stifled and challenged in recent months," he observed. "Our customers, who are often architects and interior designers, contractors and property owners, want to simplify lighting for a variety of purposes," he said, citing recent case studies such as fitness, healthcare and commercial lighting projectsincluding a Texas property for shared office space. "They want intelligent lighting systems that stand up to today's highest design and technology standards," Hakimi explained. "They also want products that last. They want it made, shipped and delivered with reliability and accountability. We're enthusiastic about working with Cultivate to distribute our American-made lighting products."

Please direct media inquiries to Steve Hollowell at gm[at]alconlighting.com.

Related Images

alcon-architectural-led-lighting.jpg

Alcon Architectural LED Lighting

Commercial-grade linear pendant in yellow by Alcon Lighting

large-square-commercial-grade.jpg

Large Square Commercial-Grade Chandelier

Oversize square chandelier in black by Alcon Lighting

SOURCE Alcon Lighting, Inc.
PHOENIX, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, American Green (OTC: ERBB) announced that it will be expanding its e-commerce presence by launching on Groupon.com . American Green's premium CBD and Hemp products will be able to be purchased with vouchers located on the Groupon.com platform beginning next month (Sept 2021). The company is excited to add sales from Groupon as another revenue stream and hopes to echo or exceed the success it is currently enjoying following its launch on Amazon.com .

David G. Gwyther, American Green's president said, "We are extremely excited to offer our CBD products on Groupon.com. There are very few e-commerce outlets that sell CBD directly to consumers, and Groupon is by far the largest and most successful platform. Groupon has over 24 million customers nationwide. Consumers throughout the country will now have direct access to all of our CBD and Hemp products on Groupon.com."

"American Green is always looking for innovative ways to introduce its CBD and Hemp products to new prospects and new marketplaces. Groupon is perfectly aligned with our goals with respect to pioneering new ideas that drive rapid growth in e-commerce environments," said Kevin Davis, VP President of Sales for American Green.

The American Green offers will be optimized and marketed under Groupon's proprietary methods which include but are not limited to: flash sale offers, remarketing campaigns, utilization of additional channels (such as the Groupon app and partner websites) and other online advertising channels.

American Green's Online Emporium continues to demonstrate year-over-year growth and sales of American Green-brand CBD and Hemp products and now expects to generate more revenue in September 2021 and beyond with another internet giant - Groupon.com.

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.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 maybe 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.
HUDSON, Fla., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, one of twenty-one health care communities in the Health Services Management portfolio, presented a $15,600 check to the PHSC Foundation last Friday. Their donation solidifies their commitment to students enrolled in their Practical Nursing (PN) program at Pasco Hernando State College. Each of twelve students will receive $1,300 in scholarships to ease the financial burden of tuition this year.

Bear Creek Nursing Center Check Presentation

"September 15, 2021 will mark the 40th year anniversary of Bear Creek Nursing Center. We are proud to be part of this diverse and growing Pasco County community, and also very proud to be giving back to this community that we love and grew up with!" said Maria Owens-Wicker, Administrator at Bear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

NursingProcess.org ranks PHSC's LPN program first of more than 160 LPN programs approved by the Florida Board of Nursing.

About Bear Creek Nursing Center

Bear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a leading short and long-term skilled nursing care facility and rehabilitation care center located in Hudson, Florida. Their primary focus is to help individuals recover after a major or minor surgery, acute illness and providing respite care for caregivers in need of a short recuperation. For more information: https://www.bearcreeknursingcenter.com/

About Health Services Management

Health Services Management has extensive experience and a proven track record as an operator, manager, and owner of skilled nursing and long-term care communities since 2000 and currently operates nineteen skilled nursing facilities, and two assisted living communities in Florida, Texas, Indiana, and Tennessee. The Health Services Management network proudly employs more than 2,000 individuals and has developed multiple long-lasting strategic partnerships in each of the communities that it serves. The management team continuously seeks out and evaluates facilities for acquisition to provide continued company growth. For more information: https://www.HSMgroup.org

Media Contact: Laurie Stogniew

Bayshore Marketing Group

[email protected]

727-316-5578

SOURCE Bear Creek Nursing Center
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) today announced that on August 25, 2021 the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per common share for the third quarter of fiscal 2021.

The dividend will be paid on September 24, 2021, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 10, 2021.

About Big Lots, Inc.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is a neighborhood discount retailer operating 1,422 stores in 47 states, as well as a best-in-class ecommerce platform with expanded capabilities via BOPIS, curbside pickup, Instacart and Big Lots NOW with same day delivery. The company's product assortment is focused on home essentials: Furniture, Seasonal, Soft Home, Food, Consumables, and Hard Home. A Fortune 500 company and ranked #1 on Total Retail's 2020 Top 100 Omnichannel Retailers list, Big Lots' mission is to help people Live BIG and Save Lots. The company strives to be the BIG difference for a better life by delivering unmatched value to customers with the ultimate bargain and treasure hunt shopping experience, being a "best place to work" culture for associates, rewarding shareholders with consistent growth and top-tier returns, and doing good in local communities. For more information about the company, visit www.biglots.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and such statements are intended to qualify for the protection of the safe harbor provided by the Act. The words "anticipate," "estimate," "approximate," "expect," "objective," "goal," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "may," "target," "forecast," "guidance," "outlook" and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. Similarly, descriptions of objectives, strategies, plans, goals or targets are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to the expectations of management as to future occurrences and trends, including statements expressing optimism or pessimism about future operating results or events and projected sales, earnings, capital expenditures and business strategy. Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions concerning future conditions that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. Although the company believes the expectations expressed in forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of knowledge, forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, any one or a combination of which could materially affect business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Forward-looking statements that the company makes herein and in other reports and releases are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, developments related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, current economic and credit conditions, the cost of goods, the inability to successfully execute strategic initiatives, competitive pressures, economic pressures on customers and the company, the availability of brand name closeout merchandise, trade restrictions, freight costs, the risks discussed in the Risk Factors section of the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors discussed from time to time in other filings with the SEC, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. This release should be read in conjunction with such filings, and you should consider all of these risks, uncertainties and other factors carefully in evaluating forward-looking statements.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures the company makes on related subjects in public announcements and SEC filings.

SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.biglots.com


Get Free Access to all Industry Challenges

Key Insights Provided for Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Companies

In addition to analysis on how key challenges are expected to impact construction businesses, BizVibe company profiles contain numerous high-quality insights to help users discover, track, compare, and evaluate suppliers or sales prospects. These insights include:

Relevance and influence of industry trends and challenges, segmented by region

Press releases and news coverage referencing key trends and challenges

Risk of doing business score, segmented by operational, financial, compliance, and country risk

Top company competitors at the global, regional, and national levels

Names of top company decision makers, including job titles and social profiles

Company financials such as annual revenue, profitability ratios, and management effectiveness

View 50+ Company Data Points for Free

Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Product and Service Categories

BizVibe's platform provides access to over 10 million buyer and supplier company profiles. Businesses from more than 200 countries are categorized into 40,000+ product and service categories, each providing detailed insights tailored to the needs of procurement and sales teams globally. The highway, street, and bridge construction industry group features 5,000+ company profiles categorized into multiple product and service categories, enabling clients to identify and connect with potential new business partners across diverse market segments.

Product and service categories for the highway, street, and bridge construction industry include:

Highway construction services

Road construction

Bridge construction

Underpass construction

Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories

BizVibe for Buyers and Sellers

BizVibe is a modern B2B platform dedicated to connecting buyers and sellers from around the world. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe is designed to help companies generate leads, shortlist suppliers, request proposals, and identify global companies. Evaluate companies side-by-side to compare key metrics and initiate productive partnerships.

Buyers use BizVibe to discover suppliers from among more than 5 million companies using advanced search filters and comparison tools. Features for buyers include:

Shortlist potential suppliers

Track and compare companies

Set up custom news alerts

Quickly create and customize RFIs

Explore BizVibe's buyer services: https://www.bizvibe.com/buyers

Sellers can take advantage of BizVibe's smart sales intelligence tools to discover, evaluate, and communicate with prospects across 300+ categories. Features for sellers include:

Identify and qualify sales prospects

Receive customized prospect recommendations

Analyze and evaluate potential buyers

Integrate CRMs for efficient data transfer

Discover BizVibe's seller tools: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers

About BizVibe

BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and helps sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today.

Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

Email: [email protected]

+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/

SOURCE BizVibe

Related Links

https://www.bizvibe.com/?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=prn&utm_campaign=t6_bsh_week34_2021&utm_content=2373


ATLANTA, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Panoramic Ventures today announced that Blooksy is the winner of its third Startup Showdown, the monthly pitch competition for entrepreneurs designed to showcase and fund early-stage technology companies. Blooksy, a cloud-based software platform that has everything authors need to easily write and publish their books, received a $120,000 investment from Panoramic and gained access to its Founder Success Program.

Other companies that reached the Startup Showdown finalist round this month included:

BoxedUp, the first on-demand rental marketplace that allows equipment owners to ship their products to customers, instead of relying on in-person transactions.

Makeena, which helps people shop healthier and more sustainably while saving them money.

NuLife, a person-centered, tech-assisted, mobile-addiction treatment and recovery platform.

Symba, the only mobile-first real estate CRM that helps agents manage their business.

Blooksy Simplifies the Book Publishing Process

Blooksy helps authors write and format their books through easy-to-use templates and also offers the ability to share manuscripts with others in real-time for feedback. Authors will also soon be able to hire editors and book cover designers as well as publish directly to online retailers and book-printing partners through the platform.

"This is the tool I wish I'd had while writing my books," said Anthony "AJ" Joiner, who developed the concept for Blooksy as a multi-published author who has also helped over 150 other authors to publish their books over the last five years. "We intend to use the investment from Startup Showdown to complete the existing product features on our roadmap and amplify our marketing efforts."

Blooksy is already used in limited beta by over 100 authors to write their books and has a wait list of hundreds more. The platform aims to make the writing and publishing process easier and more efficient, helping more people get their thoughts and ideas out into the world and their books into the hands of readers.

According to Publishers Weekly, combined print book and e-book sales hit 942 million units in 2020.

The Startup Showdown series is hosted by Panoramic Ventures, the venture capital investment team of BIP Capital, one of the most active VC firms in the Southeast. Panoramic is led by highly successful entrepreneurs and investors Paul Judge and Mark Buffington.

"Out of hundreds of applicants for our August competition, Blooksy won for its end-to-end solution that makes writing and self-publishing an easier, faster process," said Panoramic Managing Partner Paul Judge. "The innovation we're seeing at Startup Showdown is truly remarkable and the momentum keeps building. Over the course of our first three pitch events, we've hosted more than 300 mentoring sessions. We're looking forward to our first-ever hybrid event taking place in-person and online next month."

Startup Showdown Hosted LIVE in Miami on September 30

The next pitch competition will be held on Thursday, September 30 at 7 p.m. EST and will be a hybrid event taking place in-person at Le Rouge in Miami and will also be broadcast globally.

The application period is open now until Monday, September 6 for Miami-based companies to pitch in the September 30 Miami Startup Showdown. To apply, go here.

Startup Showdown is hosted monthly, with applications accepted year round. Every application submitted for Startup Showdown is reviewed by the Panoramic investment team, which narrows the applicant pool to 25 semifinalists for each event.

Ultimately, five Startup Showdown finalists are selected for each event to pitch in front of a panel of guest judges with $120,000 on the line.

To register to attend the September 30 event, go here.

About Startup Showdown

Hosted by Panoramic Ventures, Startup Showdown is a monthly pitch competition open to early-stage software and tech-enabled service businesses. For each competition, participants will be narrowed to 25 semifinalists who benefit from a Mentor Day with industry leaders. Ultimately, five finalists in each competition pitch their innovation to a panel of guest judges with a $120,000 investment on the line. For more information, visit startupshowdown.vc or follow Startup Showdown on Instagram or Twitter @showdownvc.

About Panoramic Ventures

Panoramic Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Atlanta that takes a "wider-view" approach to investing by targeting the Southeast and Midwest and placing a focus on diverse founders and university startups. Panoramic opens new doors for overlooked founders, giving more entrepreneurs access to capital to build leading tech companies. For more information, visit www.panoramic.vc or follow Panoramic Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter @panoramicvc.

Media Contact:

Kathy Berardi

[email protected]

678.644.4122

SOURCE Panoramic Ventures

Related Links

http://www.panoramic.vc


BROOKSVILLE, Fla., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Friday, Brooksville Healthcare Center, one of twenty-one health care communities in the Health Services Management portfolio, proudly presented a check for $15,600 to the Practical Nursing (PN) program at Pasco Hernando State College.

Brooksville Healthcare Center donated $1,200 for twelve scholarships available to currently enrolled students in the nursing program this year. They will also provide training, mentoring, and internships at their facility for the enrolled LPN students.

Brooksville Healthcare Center Check Presentation

"We are honored to contribute to the next generation of Healthcare Heroes. You all are needed more than ever. We wish you the best as you begin your journey!" stated Jason Duplantis, Administrator at Brooksville Healthcare Center.

NursingProcess.org ranks PHSC's LPN program first of more than 160 LPN programs approved by the Florida Board of Nursing.

About Brooksville Healthcare Center

Brooksville Healthcare Center, located in Hernando County, Florida, is a 180-bed non-profit skilled nursing community specializing in physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

About Health Services Management

Health Services Management has extensive experience and a proven track record as an operator, manager, and owner of skilled nursing and long-term care communities since 2000 and currently operates nineteen skilled nursing facilities, and two assisted living communities in Florida, Texas, Indiana, and Tennessee. The Health Services Management network proudly employs more than 2,000 individuals and has developed multiple long-lasting strategic partnerships in each of the communities that it serves. The management team continuously seeks out and evaluates facilities for acquisition to provide continued company growth. For more information: https://www.HSMgroup.org

Media Contact

Laurie Stogniew

Bayshore Marketing Group

[email protected]

727-316-5578

SOURCE Brooksville Healthcare Center
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- C2 Communications, a national award-winning public relations and marketing firm, has partnered with Excel Guyana, Inc. to raise awareness of the diverse business growth opportunities, infrastructure improvements and joint-venture construction projects needed to support Guyana's oil and gas boom.

For more than 30 years, the executive leadership team at Excel Guyana has been building business in the CARICOM region with a local presence in Guyana since 2010. The firm is committed to operating in Guyana with integrity and supporting the local economy by establishing relationships that benefit the regional workforce and elevate the local community.

"Our team has always sought to have a positive impact in the communities that we serve. We are excited to partner with an organization that is leading the way to a brighter future for the Guyanese people," said Cyndee Woolley, President of C2 Communications.

According to ExxonMobil, recent exploration of the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana revealed a significant new oil discovery increasing yields of recoverable resources estimated at 9 billion barrels of oil. ExxonMobil expects to have six projects to develop its current recoverable resource online by 2027, with the potential for as many as ten. Global oil, gas and energy companies are investing heavily in the region, which has led to projections of 20.9% economic growth by the World Bank (June 2021).

"While the positive growth and impact of the oil and gas industry is highly visible, our goal is to work with the Government of Guyana and the business community to create sustainable economic growth in the region. This includes everything from improving roads and utilities, to supporting the projected influx of workers with upwards of 50,000 housing units," said Kris Sammy, Chief Executive Officer of Excel Guyana.

As a resident of Guyana, Sammy has helped new and foreign companies establish profitable local business investments in the area. He is the co-founder of AlphaGold Corp, a mining project generator focused on the Guiana Shield, and he is a Trade & Investment Committee member with The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). Additionally, Excel Guyana is an active member of The American Chamber of Commerce Guyana (AmCham), Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA), Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association, and the Guyana Oil & Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC).

For more information, visit www.ExcelGuyana.com.

SOURCE C2 Communications
SINGAPORE, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cherie gallery from TreasureGate Pte Ltd (Singapore) is globally recognized as a cutting-edge gallery that offers NFT and traditional art. It recently finished its exhibition in London with a flourish, successfully entering the European market. Notably, Cherie sold NFT artwork for a whopping total of $200,000 on August 17, 2021, at its London exhibition located at 175 Robert Dashwood Way. The company's aim is to craft an inclusive worldwide art gallery that content creators can highly benefit from.

Cherie's NFT show in London UK

However, the Cherie London exhibition was not the gallery's first success. On July 22, 2021, Cherie held an exhibition in New York City that combined contemporary and traditional art, debuting a modern artwork gallery complete with lively music, fashion, models, and a catwalk.

Furthermore, Cherie is backed by the AR7 tech team from TreasureGate Pte Ltd (Singapore), a blockchain tech start-up company that has concentrated its efforts on fostering and furthering the art industry at large. Cherie extends unique opportunities to artists from around the world by utilizing NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. These digital assets are used as individual identifiers for physical assets on a blockchain, paving the way for authenticated ownership and security among content creators and buyers alike.

With this cutting-edge development in technology applied to the art industry, Cherie Gallery has been able to partner with a myriad of industries, companies, and individuals. In addition, this contemporary art gallery collaborates with the following licensed content creators to sell secured NFT artwork:

1. Chiba Shinichi  Chiba Shinichi is globally known as Sonny Chiba. He is a famous martial artist and Japanese actor with a creative flair.

2. Kitahara Teruhisa  Kitahara Teruhisa is also called the "Father of Toy." This is due to the fact that he has founded the largest toy museum in the world, called Kitahara Museum. He points to the fact that he receives immense inspiration from Hollywood animation movies.

3. Buster and Glen  Buster and Glen is a pseudonym for the famous NFT artist, whose true identity remains unknown. He is located in the United States and has cited his primary source of inspiration as Japanese classic animations. The Japanese classic animations that Buster and Glen finds himself particularly inspired by include Astro Boy, Galaxy Express 999, Ultraman, and more.

4. Inoue Bunta  Inoue Bunta is a Japanese-style painter with a wide range of art types. For example, he designs spatial art, tattoos, character design, and Japanese oil paintings.

With Cherie's NFT artwork marketplace making waves across the world, more events will soon launch. In addition, content creators and artists who wish to join this global venture are encouraged to contact and sign up with Cherie Gallery, where they can trade in a unique way that is secure and tamper-proof.

Name of Press Contact: Kenneth Koh

Phone: +6569781496

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE TreasureGate Pte Ltd
During their time in space, the crew have experienced many other unforgettable moments.

The first thing the three astronauts did after arriving at Tianhe on June 17 was to start opening packages. Back in May, the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 was launched ahead of the crewed mission, delivering more than six tons of goods and materials to the space station. The more than 160 packages contained not only various parts and equipment to be installed and tested, but also the basic supplies for the astronauts.

These included more than 120 kinds of space food carefully prepared by nutritionists. In the module, the astronauts enjoyed various dishes, teas, juices and more, adding to the joy of "earth-dwellers" below. In addition, the crew work as each other's health care assistants, regularly taking blood samples and conducting tests as well as routine ultrasounds. They exercise on the space station's specially designed treadmill and exercise bike to keep fit in a microgravity environment. The friendly astronauts also interact with netizens on earth from time to time: Posting a video after watching the Tokyo Olympic Games, or sending wishes on "Chinese Valentine's Day,"  really made known their presence in space.

These seemingly trivial things and relaxing scenes are actually very meaningful and important. According to its plan, China will finish building the space station in 2022. This manned mission aims to test key technologies in the construction and operation of the station in orbit, including bioregenerative life support systems, and technologies for supporting astronauts' long-term stay and conducting extravehicular activities.

Moreover, since the International Space Station, which has been in orbit for decades, could be retired as early as 2024 or possibly in 2028, construction of China's station becomes even more significant.

Sometimes people hear arguments that treat space exploration as a "competition of interests" or "more political than scientific." However, astronauts from different countries live and work in space, showing their appreciation and empathy for each other, such scenes are touching  humans are born with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, and the vast universe carries the hopes and dreams of all mankind. After all, space is open to all. Space exploration should not and cannot exclude anyone.

Previously, to board the Chinese space station, astronauts from Germany, France, Italy and other countries worked hard learning Chinese and came to China for training, eating and living with Chinese astronauts like family. Nine projects from 17 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Kenya and Japan, have also been approved to conduct experiments on the Chinese space station. More people could be expected to visit the new China-made home in outer space, where they can work together to seek a better future.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

China's space station: Warm, open new home in outer space

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-08/27/content_77718318.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn
Financial Summary

In 2021H1, CICC posted

total revenue and other income of RMB14.5 billion , representing an increase of 37.8% year on year;

, representing an increase of 37.8% year on year; net profit [Note 1] of RMB5.0 billion , representing an increase of 64.1% year on year;

of , representing an increase of 64.1% year on year; weighted average return on net assets (ROE) of 7.0%.

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had

total assets of RMB618.1billion , representing an increase of 18.5% compared with the end of 2020

, representing an increase of 18.5% compared with the end of 2020 net assets[Note 1] of RMB78.8 billion , representing an increase of 10.0% compared with the end of 2020.



BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- China International Capital Corporation Limited ("CICC" or "the Company", stock code: 3908.HK, 601995.SH) announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2021. The Company recorded total revenue and other income of RMB14.5 billion in the first half of the year, up 37.8% compared to the same period last year; and net profit[Note 1] was RMB5.0 billion, up 64.1% year on year; and the weighted average return on net assets (ROE) was 7.0%. The Company's businesses continued to grow, with total assets of RMB618.1 billion as of 30 June 2021, up 18.5% from the end of 2020; and net assets[Note 1] of RMB78.8 billion, up 10.0% from the end of 2020.

In the first half of 2021, with sustained recovery of the domestic economy and booming capital markets, CICC actively leveraged its expertise to serve the real economy through multiple financial channels. The Company closely followed the national policy of "Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality", and was fully committed to green finance development. The Company has actively seized strategic development opportunities in the securities industry, steadily advanced the implementation of the "Three + One" strategies, i.e. digitization, regionalization, internationalization and "One CICC", and continued to maintain a solid momentum of all business lines.

Maintained high-quality development across the board and comprehensively improved service capabilities

The investment banking business achieved significant growth for both the increment and growth rate. In first half of 2021, investment banking business closed total of 563 deals, up 48% compared to the same period last year; total amount of the deals exceeded RMB800 billion, almost doubled compared to same period of 2020. CICC maintained its leading position in domestic and overseas equity business. It closed 7 A-share IPOs acting as the sponsor, with an aggregate sponsored amount of RMB13,111 million. Achieving an outstanding performance in overseas equity business, the Company closed 15 Hong Kong IPOs acting as the bookrunner, with an aggregate lead underwriting amount of US$1,966 million, which was four times as compared to 2020H1. The refinancing business continued to develop, and the Company completed 14 A-share follow-on offerings, with an aggregate lead underwriting amount of RMB35,078 million, ranking No. 2 in the market. In terms of debt and structured financing, CICC ranked first in terms of the convertible bonds offering amount, and the underwriting amount, market making, strategic investment and research coverage of infrastructure publicly-offered REITs. CICC maintained its leading position in the offshore bonds offering and achieved historical breakthroughs, and it ranked first in terms of the overseas debt capital raising amount and overseas convertible bonds offering amount of PRC-based companies. At the same time, the Company continued to reinforce its leadership in the M&A business, ranking No.1 in the PRC M&A market with a market share of approximately 17.9%.

The equities business actively responded to the national strategy, continued to accelerate the pace of transformation and upgrading, continued to strengthen customer coverage, products and services, and at the same time improved integrated comprehensive service capabilities. In the first half of 2021, all product lines of the equities business maintained strong momentum and the equities business saw a significant year-on-year increase in business revenue, with a balanced structure of domestic and overseas, on-exchange and OTC business revenues. The institutional client base continued to be consolidated and the customer coverage of the Company in long funds, insurance companies and hedge funds continued to remain at a high level. The trading market share reached a high record, and the mutual fund investment research ranking was constantly improved. The Company continued to develop and innovate, and the product business scale steadily increased. At the same time, it gave full play to the advantages of cross-border business, and the equities business maintained a leading QFII coverage in the domestic market for 18 consecutive years. The market share of CICC in Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect continued to remain high, once again won the Most Active Broker Award on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect.

The FICC business forged ahead with focus on client service, and growing its market scale. The Company continued to strengthen product innovation, released many innovative businesses, and continued to build an all-round fixed-income service and support platform covering market making, financing, and cross-border businesses. Despite volatilities in the market, the trading business continued to showcase sound trading and risk control capabilities, and capture market opportunities. The FICC business continued to strengthen infrastructure development, advanced the integration of business and technology, and vigorously promoted digital transformation. In the second half of the year, the FICC business will continue to promote business transformation, enhance its comprehensive client service capabilities, and develop a first-class market-making platform for FICC products cross-border, cross-market and cross-platform.

The asset management business continued to enrich its product layout and continuously enhanced its comprehensive client service capabilities. The Company aims to build a world leading all-round asset management institution by developing innovation strategies, promoting the construction of the investment and research system, expanding client coverage, promoting the transformation of digital construction, strengthens risk management and control as well as improving management efficiency. As of June 30, 2021, the AUM of the Asset Management Department of the Company was RMB939,397 million, representing an increase of 83.1% compared with the end of 2020. We had altogether 660 products under management, most of which were under active management. CICC Fund Management continued to invest in capacity building of the investment and research team, maintained steady operations, and strived to improve long-term performance. The AUM of CICC Fund Management amounted to RMB69,226 million, and the size of mutual funds increased to RMB68,027 million, representing an increase of 26.0% compared with the end of 2020.

The private equity investment business achieved long-term stable development. It continued to improve its market position, made strategic investments in emerging industries, and accelerated the implementation of carbon-neutral funds to closely follow China's Goals of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality. The types of funds managed by CICC Capital mainly includes domestic corporate equity investment funds, fund of funds, US dollar funds, real estate funds, and infrastructure funds. The industries covered include high technology, high-end manufacturing, comprehensive healthcare and consumption. CICC Capital established industrial funds in the high-end manufacturing sector through strong cooperation with leading industry groups; actively expanded investment in new products in the middle market and accelerated the raising of funds product. CICC Capital accelerated regional layout, providing a full range of services to support technological innovation and investment in various regions through funds of funds and direct investment funds. Through excellent investment management and effective risk control, as of June 30, 2021, the assets under the CICC Capital's management through a variety of ways amounted to approximately RMB303,215 million. In the second half of 2021, CICC Capital will make strategic investments in emerging industries and accelerate the implementation of carbon-neutral funds to closely follow China's Goals of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality.

The wealth management business has been under steady progress in transformation and maintained a good momentum of growth. In terms of product allocation business, the Company continued to provide high-quality investment analysis through the Company's professional research capabilities and screened out high-quality products for clients. As of June 30, 2021, the product assets exceeded RMB200 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 91%. In addition, the Company continued to strengthen product innovation capabilities and accelerated the deployment of asset allocation products. As of June 30, 2021, the buy-side fee-based assets [Note 2] reached RMB50 billion. In the trading business, the market share further increased to 2.33%. At the same time, the Company expanded the scale of international business, achieving a rapid growth in overseas revenue year-on-year. The Company continued to optimize the business segmentation strategy, with the private wealth management business growing rapidly and the business for the mass and affluent customers growing steadily.

CICC Research focuses on the global markets and is committed to serving public policy

The scope of CICC's research products and investment analysis ranges from macro economy and market strategy to fixed income, financial engineering, asset allocation, commodities and other industries. As of June 30, 2021, the research team employed more than 240 highly experienced, high-caliber professionals covering more than 40 sectors and over 1,200 companies listed on stock exchanges in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, New York, Singapore, Frankfurt, London and Paris.

Since its establishment in 2020, based on the expertise and experience of CICC research, CICC Global Institute (CGI) has adhered to a rigorous, solid and forward-thinking attitude, aiming to build itself a China's high-end think tank to serve the national strategies. It successfully held forums and released important reports on carbon neutrality and green economy. CGI aims to support public policy research and decision-making, build domestic and international communication platforms, actively carry out foreign cooperation, and enhance research coverage and market influence. CGI has been widely recognized and praised by the market for its independent, objective and insightful research products.

Outlook

In the future, facing the current strategic opportunities for the great development of the securities industry, CICC will always adhere to the original aspiration of serving "for the nation" and integrate its own development into the overall development of the country. It will keep on the "client first" value, focusing on client needs and deepening the comprehensive financial service capabilities. CICC will continue to improve its comprehensive competitiveness, invest into the future, scale up efforts in digitalization, regionalization, and internationalization, and provide long-term and stable financial support for the enterprises. It will concentrate on serving the real economy, improve residents' assets preservation and appreciation, and usher in a new stage of high-quality development.

Note [1] Net assets refer to total equity attributable to shareholders of the Company. Net profit refers to net profit attributable to shareholders of the Company [2] Including paid solutions based on buy-side investment advisory services, such as China 50, Mini 50, fund investment advisory, and various themed FOFs

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC):

China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC, 3908.HK/601995.SH) is a top tier investment bank, founded in China in 1995, providing first-class financial services to corporates, institutions and individuals worldwide. As the first international joint-venture investment bank in China, CICC plays a unique role to support China's economic reforms and liberalization through providing comprehensive one-stop domestic, overseas, and cross-border financial services including investment banking, equities, FICC, asset management, private equity investment, wealth management and research. Headquartered in Beijing, CICC has over 200 branches in Mainland China and offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, London, San Francisco, Frankfurt and Tokyo. For more information about CICC, please visit www.cicc.com

SOURCE China International Capital Corporation Limited

Related Links

http://www.cicc.com


ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rebuild SoCal Partnership (RSCP) is pleased to announce that the City of Needles has received funding for a much-needed new well from the California State Water Resources Board (SWRCB).

The City of Needles worst fears were realized In July when the only well that supplies the community with portable drinking water failed. The city was able to identify the replacement part and repaired the well within 24 hours. The city relied on storage tanks during this outage to get through the day in temperatures exceeding 115 degrees. By the time the spare part was installed, and the well was returned to operations approximately 16 feet of water remained in the storage tanks. The city's distribution system has over 200 leaks a year and they continue to increase.

The city of Needles has received $1.9 million from the State Water Resources Control Boards to fund a much-needed well to provide drinking water to Needles. The city has officially accepted these funds. On Monday, August 30th. Rebuild SoCal Staff will be on site to be on hand for the announcement as well as record a multi-episode version of the podcast and to produce a video.

An additional $1.1 million in funds has also been approved for a booster station. Though the city is grateful for this much needed funding, there is still much work to be done on behalf of its citizens.

"We are very pleased that our persistent efforts helped the City of Needles receive this much needed funding," said Rebuild SoCal Partnership Executive Director, Jon Switalski. "Our belief is that water rights are at the heart of equity in California and that it is a human right."

"While we are grateful that the California State Water Resources Control Board will be funding a new well for the City of Needles, there is still so much work to be done," said Rainie Torrance, Assistant Utility Manager for the City of Needles.

Current needs for the City of Needles include:

The city does not have adequate storage for emergency preparedness of fire protection There is no backup generator for the only well. The City's mains are primary Asbestos-cement (AC) pipe that dates to the early 1960s and service laterals are a mixture of copper and orange berg that dates to the 1950s. The city has over 200 service lateral breaks and has experienced major main breaks.

The fight in the City of Needles for water funding is gaining statewide publicity and was highlighted last month in a front-page article in the Los Angeles Times. A link to the article can be found here.

ABOUT THE CITY OF NEEDLES - Needles is a city in eastern San Bernardino County, California. It lies on the western banks of the Colorado River in the Mohave Valley subregion of the Mojave Desert, near the borders of Arizona and Nevada and roughly 110 miles (180 km) from the Las Vegas Strip.

It is the easternmost city of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area. Needles is geographically isolated from other cities in the county. Barstow, the nearest city within the county, is separated from Needles by over 140 miles of desert and 2 mountain ranges.[5] The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95. The population was 4,844 at the 2010 census, up from 4,830 at the 2000 census.

Needles was named after "The Needles", a group of pinnacles in the Mohave Mountains on the Arizona side of the river to the south of the city. The large Mohave Native American community shares the nearby Fort Mojave Indian Reservation and the town. Needles is a gateway to the Mojave National Preserve.

ABOUT REBUILD SOCAL PARTNERSHIP  The Rebuild SoCal Partnership, (RSCP) is an organization that represents 2,750 construction firms and more than 90,000 union workers in all 12 Southern California counties. Based in Anaheim, California  RSCP is dedicated to working with elected officials and educating the public on the continued need for essential infrastructure funding including airports, bridges, ports, rail, roads, and water.

Rebuild SoCal Partnership is the producer of the Rebuild SoCal Zone Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms where podcasts are available.

To learn more about the RebuildSoCal Partnership please visit www.RebuildSoCal.org.

SOURCE Rebuild SoCal Partnership
BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Congratulations to Dr. Li Yang, Associate Professor of Marketing and Academic Advisor for the Integrated MBA Program at CKGSB, whose research article, "Modeling Dynamic Heterogeneity Using Gaussian Processes" has been selected as one of four finalists for the Journal of Marketing Research's 2021 Paul E. Green Award. Dr. Li's paper offers a new modelling and computational methodology for big data in marketing to more precisely understand the changing individual's behaviors and preferences.

This paper introduces a new model that can flexibly capture the changing individual's preferences over time. Modelling of people's preferences is fundamental to marketing, given its role in helping firms segment and target the market. Yet limited attention has been paid towards understanding the dynamics or changes within an individual's preferences over time, despite its relevance in many contexts. Professor Li's paper demonstrates how a common assumption in the literature that the population mean of the heterogeneity distribution evolves over time, but that an individual's parameter trajectory remains at a fixed distance from this evolving mean can lead to biased model estimates, including for fundamental factors, like price elasticity.

This paper is among the first in marketing to build on the gaussian process (GP) methodology, while the hierarchical GP specification that Professor Li's paper develops is new to the literature, more broadly. These innovations allow the analysing of statistical information both across people and time simultaneously. This novel framework offers greater flexibility, generality and precision, as illustrated in the paper.

Professor Li shares this recognition with Ryan Dew, Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and Asim Ansari, William T. Dillard Professor of Marketing at Columbia Business School, Columbia University.

The Paul E. Green Award recognizes the best article in the Journal of Marketing Research within the last calendar year that demonstrates the most potential to contribute significantly to the theory, methods and practice of marketing research.

The Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business is China's first privately-funded and research-focused business school with over 40 full-time faculty members dedicated to gaining a deeper understanding of the various areas in business management from a global perspective. After receiving the news, Dr. Li says, "Thank you to CKGSB for providing flexible working environment and generous financial support to conduct my research."

SOURCE Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CoinFlip , the world's leading cryptocurrency ATM operator, today announced its ranking as No. 60 on the annual Inc. 5000 list, making it the top ranked cryptocurrency company in 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.

Recently, CoinFlip was named the 2021 No. 1 fastest-growing company in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business, with a 5-year growth rate of 1,715,091.9% and revenue of $50 million in 2020. Over the past few years, the company has expanded to over 2,700 ATMs across 47 states, taking its place on the frontline of a financial revolution where cryptocurrency and blockchain technology can empower those who have been left behind by legacy financial institutions.

"The CoinFlip team is extremely honored to be recognized as the highest ranked crypto company on this year's Inc. 5000 list and have our name listed alongside such innovative businesses. Our company is growing exponentially and working quickly to ensure that everyone has access to cryptocurrency as the industry moves closer toward mass adoption," said Ben Weiss, CEO of CoinFlip. "With this achievement, we aim to continue to grow our team, broaden our product suite, and expand our geographic footprint. We're looking forward to another year of success and want to congratulate all of the other leaders who placed alongside us on this prestigious list."

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 honorees, 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.

"We are both proud and humbled by Inc.'s recognition which helps us solidify our place in leading a global cryptocurrency movement centered on financial inclusion and literacy," said Kristoffer Dayrit, President and COO of CoinFlip. "This honor would not be possible without our tremendous staff at CoinFlip who provide around the clock support to our customers, our business partners who help us champion the benefits of cryptocurrency, and our customers who continue to grow with us and provide feedback on how we can build our company and products to fit their needs."

"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."

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 .

For more information about CoinFlip, please visit www.CoinFlip.tech and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn.

More on CoinFlip:

CoinFlip is the leading Bitcoin ATM operator globally, with over 2,700 machines worldwide supporting the buying and selling of nine major cryptocurrencies with cash. CoinFlip's goal is to give the world quick, easy, and secure access to the benefits of cryptocurrency. The company cuts typical transaction fees by half, offers an incredibly simple user experience, and introduced 24/7 customer support, which has now become an industry standard. In 2020, CoinFlip launched Trade Desk, a high-end cryptocurrency over-the-counter trading experience with no investment minimums and no hidden fees. Trade Desk gives investors secure access to buy and sell cryptocurrencies of any dollar volume from one of the leading names in the crypto space.

Founded in 2015, CoinFlip is headquartered in Chicago. It was named the 2021 #1 fastest-growing company in Chicago by Crain's and awarded the 2021 Silver Stevie  Award for Customer Service. For more information about CoinFlip, please visit www.CoinFlip.tech .

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 year's 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 world's 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 www.inc.com .

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ .

SOURCE CoinFlip

Related Links

http://coinflip.tech/


BENSALEM, Pa., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the upcoming September 7, 2021 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the case filed on behalf of investors who purchased 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").

Investors suffering losses on their DiDi investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to [email protected].

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.

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 ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. 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 these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020, by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contacts

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith

Howard G. Smith, Esquire

215-638-4847

888-638-4847

[email protected]

www.howardsmithlaw.com

SOURCE Law Offices of Howard G. Smith

Related Links

http://www.howardsmithlaw.com/


ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global genome engineering market is projected to experience substantial expansion avenues in the forecast period of 2019 to 2027. This growth is on the back of many crucial factors, including increased investment by pharmaceutical companies for new product development activities and rising demand for synthetic genes from all across the globe.

The concept of genome engineering is applied in animal genome engineering, plant genome engineering, and cell line engineering.

A new study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) states that the global genome engineering market is projected to reach the valuation of US$ 9.59 Bn by the end of forecast period from 2019 to 2027. The total valuation of the market was recorded at US$ 3.69 Bn in 2018.

Strong expertise with attention to detail makes our market research reports stand apart, Request a Report Sample here - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4671

Genome Engineering Market: Key Findings

Rise in Adoption of CRISPR Technology Owing to Its Varied Advantages

The CRISPR technology is gaining traction from the past couple of years, owing to various advantages it offers. The technology is user-friendly in nature and offers high precision level. In addition, it can be utilized efficiently for the alteration of endogenous genes in biomedically significant cell types as well as in life forms that are difficult to manipulate by conventional techniques.

Surge in Number of Cancer, Autoimmune Diseases Globally Boosts Demand for Cell Line Engineering

The notable growth in the number of people living with varied critical health issues such as cancer and autoimmune diseases has resulted in increased need for precise and cost-effective treatment solutions. This scenario is promoting diverse research and development activities and creating lucrative avenues for the expansion of cell line engineering technology.

Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Genome Engineering Market  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=4671

Genome Engineering Market: Growth Boosters

Many universities across the globe are encouraged for the research and development activities in the synthetic biology. As a result, they are seen offering noteworthy amount in the form of funding for such researches. This scenario is acting as one of the key drivers for the growth of the global genome engineering market.

Major companies engaged in the pharmaceutical industry have realized the importance of gene editing technologies in order to develop efficient treatment options for varied genetic disorders. As a result, they are entering into collaboration agreements with gene editing companies for the development of advanced treatment solutions. This is expected to favor the growth of the global genome engineering market.

Increased funding from several government authorities from across the globe for genomic research is anticipated to fuel market expansion in the upcoming years

The concept of plant genome editing is foreseen to experience numerous technological advancements in the near future. Localized trait stacking, safe harbor integration, epigenetics, and non-integrative editing are some of the key areas of such advancements. A significant growth in the production of genetically modified crops is expected to help in market development in the upcoming years.

The U.S. is expected to dominate the North America genome engineering market, due to extensive genome editing research activities in the country

TMR offers custom market research services that help clients to get information on their business scenario required where syndicated solutions are not enough, ask for custom research here - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=4671

Genome Engineering Market: Key Players

The report profiles key players operating in the genome engineering market. The report provides critical data such as the company overview, product portfolio, financial overview, recent developments, and key business strategies of each player operating in the market.

Some of the key players working in the market are:

GenScript

Applied Stem Cell, Inc.

Integrated DNA Technologies, Inc.

Horizon Discovery Group plc

New England Biolabs

Lonza Group Ltd.

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.

OriGene Technologies, Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.,

Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC.

Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

Purchase Premium Research Report on Genome Engineering Market - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=4671<ype=S

The global genome engineering market has been segmented as follows:

Global Genome Engineering Market, by Technology

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)



Transcription activator-like effector nuclease (Talen)



Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN)



Other Technologies

Global Genome Engineering Market, by Application

Cell Line Engineering



Animal Genome Engineering



Plant Genome Engineering



Other Application

Global Genome Engineering Market, by End-User

Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies



Academics



Clinical Research Organizations

Global Genome engineering Market, by Region

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France





Italy





Spain





Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan





Australia & New Zealand

&



Rest of Asia Pacific



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Rest of Latin America



Middle East & Africa

&

GCC Countries





South Africa





Rest of Middle East & Africa

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Synthetic Biology Market: According to the report, the global synthetic biology market was valued at US$ 4.96 Bn in 2018 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 26.3% from 2019 to 2027, rise in demand for biologic drugs for treating various chronic conditions, decline in cost of DNA sequencing and synthesis, technological advancements, and entry of new players are anticipated to drive the global synthetic biology market

Stem Cells Market: As per the market report by Transparency Market Research, the global market for stem cells is projected to reach a value of US$270.5 bn by the end of 2025. The market is likely to exhibit a strong 13.80% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. The rapid development of the infrastructure that is required for the stem cell banking and processing, especially in developing economies is predicted to encourage the growth of the global stem cells market in the coming years. Moreover, the favorable regulation for stem cells is likely to support the market growth in the near future.

About Us

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY  12207

United States

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Follow Us: Twitter | LinkedIn

Blog: https://tmrblog.com/

Press Release: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/genome-editing-engineering-market.htm

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
WEST CONCORD, Minn., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ellingson received an Industry Leader Award in 2021 for excellent safety performance within their industry from the National Safety Council. The Industry Leader Awards are one component of the NSC Occupational Awards Program, which recognizes outstanding safety achievements of NSC members and represents the top 5% of member companies that qualified for the NSC 2021 Occupational Excellence Achieve Award (based on 2020 calendar year data). Winners were selected based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, lowest total incidence rate and employee work hours. Ellingson had a NAICS score of 23 in the 100,000-999,999 hours worked category and was one of only 33 organizations recognized in the entire United States.

"We are tremendously proud of our employees who continue to be leaders when it comes to safety," said Shawn Elmer Tweet this Ellingson received an Industry Leader Award in 2021 for excellent safety performance within their industry from the National Safety Council. Ellingson was one of only 33 organizations recognized in the entire United States. Ellingson had a NAICS score of 23 in the 100,000-999,999 hours worked category and was one of only 33 organizations recognized in the entire United States.

"We are tremendously proud of our employees who continue to be leaders when it comes to workplace safety," said Shawn Elmer, Ellingson Director of Employee Health & Safety. "This has been unprecedented year and our employees, especially those out in the field, went out of their way to keep safety at the forefront of their work and it showed. A sincere thank you and congratulations to all of our employees on prioritizing safety."

In the past year, Ellingson has also been recognized locally for their commitment to safety. In April, Ellingson was recognized for excellent in workplace safety and health. Ellingson was one of 221 Minnesota employers to be honored through the award program coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council.

In December, Ellingson received the Minnesota Safety Council Governor's Workplace Safety Award of Honor. This award has been honoring Minnesota employers since 1934.

In the North Dakota, the Ellingson team was award the North Dakota Safety Council Workplace Safety Merit Award for showing an Experience Modification Rate below 1. This was the fourth year in a row they received this award.

"We take the safety of our employees, customers, vendors and the public very seriously. From company leadership to new hires, we hold all employees accountable for worksite safety", states Jeremy Ellingson, Ellingson COO. In a year that has challenged all of us, we are tremendously proud of our employees who continue to work safe each and every day".

Ellingson employees, and the company as-a-whole has worked together keeping safety in the foremost important aspect of their day-to-day job. Each year, the hard work and dedication towards safety in the workplace is shown with reduced injuries and a positive workplace safety culture and attitude.

About Ellingson

Founded in 1970, Ellingson, Ellingsoncompanies.com, is a family owned, independent water- and infrastructure-management company providing safe, technology-driven construction planning, design and installation services. The company is driven by the same customer-focused values and work ethic it was founded upon and has earned a reputation for quality, safe trenchless solutions in the agriculture, wet and dry utilities and oil and gas industries.

Becky Fix

701.893.9030

[email protected]

SOURCE Ellingson

Related Links

https://ellingsoncompanies.com/


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.

Assessing Impact on Critical IT infrastructure and Software System

Fetch Pandemic-Driven Insights on Energy-Based Aesthetic Devices Market

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

Unlock the Potential Advantages of Technavio's Subscription Platform

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Similar Reports:

Energy-based Non-invasive Medical Aesthetic Treatment System Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Aesthetic Lasers and Energy Devices Market by Technology and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024

Key Market Participants Analysis

Alma Lasers GmbH

The company operates in a single business segment that manufactures medical aesthetic devices. The company offers aesthetic devices for medical and aesthetic laser with Alma Q, Pico clear, and Sinon 2.

Bausch Health Companies Inc.

The company offers aesthetic devices such as Fraxel laser, Vaser, Clear plus brilliant laser, Thermage through its subsidiary, Solata Medical.

Candela Corp.

The company offers aesthetic devices through brands such as Frax Pro, Nordlys, Gentle Pro Series, PicoWay, Vbeam Prima, Profound, Co2RE, Ydun, eTwo, VelaShape 3, Vbeam Perfecta, Sirius, and Elos Plus series.

Get a report snapshot here to obtain a detailed market share analysis of market participants during COVID-19 lockdown:

https://www.technavio.com/report/energy-based-aesthetic-devices-market-industry-analysis

Energy-Based Aesthetic Devices Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Energy-based aesthetic devices market is segmented as below:

Product

Laser



Light



Ultrasound



Radio Frequency

Geography

North America



Asia



Europe



ROW



The energy-based aesthetic devices market is driven by increasing demand for aesthetic procedures, an increase in the number of private clinics and treatment options, and an increase in disposable income. In addition, other factors such as the emergence of combination treatments and home-use devices, rising demand for minimally invasive and non-invasive procedures, and rising medical tourism are expected to trigger the energy-based aesthetic devices market toward witnessing a CAGR of 6.06% during the forecast period.

Get Actionable Insights on each Contributing Segments. Download Free Sample Report: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44115

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
TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Environmental 360 Solutions Inc. ("E360S", or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received a significant strategic investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. ("Oaktree"). Oaktree's investment will support the continued growth of the Company.

"We are thrilled to partner with Founder and CEO, Donato (Danny) Ardellini, his exceptional leadership team and existing investors. We look forward to supporting E360S' growth and continued success", said Jared Parker, Managing Director at Oaktree. Mr. Parker will join the E360S board.

E360S' Founder and CEO, Danny Ardellini, added, "We look forward to this strategic partnership between E360S and Oaktree. The Oaktree team brings a tremendous amount of experience and resources that will enable us to continue to execute on our robust pipeline of acquisitions and organic growth initiatives across North America. Since inception, E360S has grown through 21 acquisitions and several greenfield developments thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire E360S team."

UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to Oaktree in connection with the transaction and Goodmans LLP served as legal advisor, and Miller Thomson LLP served as legal advisor to E360S.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About E360S

Founded in November 2018 by industry veteran Donato (Danny) Ardellini with the support of Almada Inc., a Toronto-based private equity and venture capital investor, and strategic investments by Canadian Business Growth Fund ("CBGF"), and OPSEU Pension Plan Trust Fund ("OPTrust"). E360S has completed 21 acquisitions since inception. The Company provides environmental and waste management solutions to municipalities as well as to industrial, commercial and institutional customers. E360S is based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and operates in various regions of Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. E360S is dedicated to becoming North America's leading and most trusted environmental management company.

About Oaktree

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments with US$156 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. In 2019, Toronto based Brookfield Asset Management acquired a majority interest in Oaktree. Together, Brookfield and Oaktree provide investors with one of the most comprehensive offerings of alternative investment products available today. For additional information, please visit Oaktree's website at http://oaktreecapital.com

SOURCE Environmental 360 Solutions

Related Links

https://www.e360s.ca


CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Face Mask Market by Nature (Disposable, Reusable), Material Type (PP, PU, Polyester, Cotton), Type (Surgical, Respirator), End-Use (Hospitals & Clinics, Industrial & Institutional, Personal/Individual Protection), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Face Mask Market is projected to grow from USD 21.5 billion in 2021 to USD 2.7 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of -33.7% from 2021 to 2026.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=244623608

Browse in-depth TOC on "Face Mask Market"

99  Tables

46  Figures

186  Pages

View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/face-mask-market-244623608.html

The market is projected to witness tremendous growth from 2019 to 2021, followed by a sharp decrease in the years till 2026. Factors contributing to the exponential growth and then decrease during the forecast period in the spread of the COVID-19 globally, and the possible decrease in the spread of the novel coronavirus after the years 2021. Other factors such as the rise in consumer awareness pertaining to the importance of face masks, and the surge in social media marketing to encourage a positive attitude towards wearing masks, are driving the demand for face masks globally.

By type, respirator segment is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment of face mask during 2019 to 2021

By type, the respirator type segment of the face mask market is projected to be the fastest-growing segment from 2019 to 2021. The primary reason propelling the growth of this segment is the N-series mask, which are considered to be the most efficient protection against the spread of COVID-19

By nature, the reusable segment is estimated to record the highest growth in the face mask market during the forecast period

By nature, the reusable segment is projected to record the highest growth in the global face mask market during the forecast period. The high growth of the reusable face mask segment is majorly attributed to their low cost and the huge shortage of disposable face mask, globally. These factors are estimated to drive the growth of the reusable segment in the face mask market during the forecast period.

By end-use, personal/individual protection is expected to grow with the highest CAGR in the face masks market during the forecast period

By end-use, personal/individual protection is expected to grow with the highest CAGR in the face masks market during the forecast period. The personal/individual protection segment includes face masks used by the general public for respiratory protection against airborne infections or air pollution. The growth in this segment is mainly attributed to the growing awareness about protection against probable pandemics and respiratory diseases.

Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=244623608

Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing region in the global face mask market during the forecast period

Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market for face mask during the forecast period. The enhanced demand for face mask in the growing economies in China and India, the growth and enhancement in healthcare infrastructure in South-East Asian countries, the rising geriatric population in countries like Japan, increasing investments in the healthcare industry, expansion of private-sector hospitals to rural areas, and rapid economic growth are driving the demand for face masks in the Asia Pacific region.

The 3M Company (US), Honeywell International Inc. (US), Kimberly-Clark (US), Cardinal Health, Inc. (US), Owens & Minor, Inc. (US), Alpha Pro Tech, Ltd. (Canada), Ambu A/S (Denmark), Cantel Medical Corp. (US), Shanghai Dasheng Health Products Manufacture Co., Ltd (China), Medline Industries, Inc. (US), Molnlycke Health Care AB (Sweden), Prestige Ameritech (US), Makrite (Taiwan), CNTUS-SUNGJIN (South Korea), and Irema Ireland (Ireland), are the key players in Face Mask Market.

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=244623608

Browse Adjacent Market: Yarns, Fabric and Textile Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Protective Gloves Market by Material (Latex, Nitrile, Neoprene, Leather), Type (Re-Usable, Disposable), Application (Chemical, Mechanical, Biological), End-Use Industry (Healthcare, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas) - Global Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/protective-gloves-market-201863872.html

Respiratory Protection Equipment Market by Product Type (Air-purifying Respirators, Supplied Air Respirators), End-use Industry (Healthcare & pharmaceuticals, Defense & Public Safety Services, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Mining) - Global Forecast to 2022

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/respiratory-protection-equipment-market-26333088.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.

Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/face-mask-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/face-mask.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
BEDFORD, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine have honored Senior Living Properties as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in Aging Services. This is Senior Living Properties' first time being named to this prestigious list, this year coming in at third place. Earning a spot means that Senior Living Properties is one of the best companies to work for in the country.

Senior Living Properties is GPTW and Fortune List Certified

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services award is based on analysis of survey responses from more than 220,000 current employees. In that survey, 82% of Senior Living Properties' employees said Senior Living Properties is a great place to work. This number is 23% higher than the average U.S. company.

"Considering the incredible challenges our employees have faced during this unprecedented time, I am overjoyed by this achievement," said CEO Cassie Mistretta. "SLP employees are kind, motivated, and determined when facing any challenge. The recognition of these employees' hard work, dedication and commitment to providing love and attention to each of our customers is truly a validation of their strength of character."

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization.

Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.

"We are incredibly proud of The Best Workplaces for Aging Services. They fought bravely and saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Dr. Jacquelyn Kung, CEO of Activated Insights, the partner of Great Place to Work in senior care. "Years of research has shown how great workplaces contribute to lower employee turnover and better quality of life for seniors. These honored workplaces showcase the compassion and stories behind the research. Our biggest congratulations and appreciation go to these awardees."



About Senior Living Properties

Headquartered in Bedford, SLP Operations LLC provides health care services, including skilled nursing, long-term care, physical and occupational rehabilitation, speech therapy, Alzheimer's care, wound care management, and respite care. With approximately 3,100 health care team members, Senior Living Properties operates 52 skilled nursing and rehabilitative care centers in rural Texas cities - San Angelo, Borger, Knox City, Carthage, Centerville, Childress, Coleman, New Braunfels, Pampa, Abilene, Brownwood, Electra, Burkburnett, Graham, Hamilton, Haskell, Lubbock, Jacksonville, Waco, Kaufman, Lake Jackson, LaPorte, Lindale, Llano, Flatonia, Giddings, Overton, Palestine, Paris, Temple, Snyder, Sweetwater, Gainesville, Orange, Texas City, Mineola, Levelland, Johnson City, Comfort, Burleson, Commerce, Garland, Lancaster, Mansfield, Granbury, Willis, Conroe, Diboll, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Learn more at seniorlivingproperties.com, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

Media Contact:

Taylor Pittman

[email protected]

817-410-7300

SOURCE Senior Living Properties
DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Four trial lawyers from the Fears Nachawati Law Firm are honored in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, including firm founders Majed Nachawati and Bryan Fears for their work on behalf of plaintiffs in complex litigation.

Best Lawyers recognized firm Partner Steve Schulte for personal injury litigation, while Partner Brice Burris received "Ones to Watch" honors for personal injury litigation  a designation reserved for early and midcareer practitioners.

The firm's reputation has grown as it has taken on leading roles in high-profile national multidistrict litigation, including litigation on behalf of communities ravaged by highly addictive opioid painkillers. The firm also represents individuals who have been injured by cancer-causing herbicides, including Roundup and paraquat, and defective medical products such as IVC blood filters.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and among the most well-regarded attorney guides in the country. Attorneys are selected based on nominations from peers practicing in the same area and geographical region. These are then vetted by the Best Lawyers research staff before the final honorees are selected. Those chosen represent the top five percent of practicing attorneys in the United States.

Best Lawyers is just one of numerous accolades the firm and its attorneys have received this year. In June, the Lawdragon legal publication honored Mr. Nachawati and Mr. Fears among its 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers. In April, Mr. Nachawati and firm Partner Darren McDowell were selected by D Magazine to its annual Best Lawyers in Dallas list.

Fears Nachawati Law Firm represents individuals in mass-tort litigation, businesses and governmental entities in contingent litigation, and individual victims in complex personal injury litigation. The largest and most diverse products liability law firm in the nation, Fears Nachawati was ranked No. 1 nationally in products liability filings in federal court over the past three years. For more information visit https://www.fnlawfirm.com.

Media Contact:

Robert Tharp

214-458-4007

[email protected]

SOURCE Fears Nachawati Law Firm

Related Links

https://www.fnlawfirm.com


ATLANTA, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With temperatures frequently exceeding 90 degrees across much of the state and the heat index near 100, Georgia Power is reminding customers that the company offers energy assistance programs to those in need of help paying or reducing their monthly energy bill.

Assistance when you need it

Georgia Power offers energy assistance programs in communities across Georgia and has established partnerships with nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations to assist income-qualifying customers with their energy costs. The company's programs are offered to help meet the changing needs of customers across the state, proactively identify solutions to meet their specific needs and help determine eligibility for utility assistance and other programs:

Home Energy Efficiency Assistance Program (HEEAP)  Georgia Power customers have the opportunity to contribute funds to help make energy efficiency improvements for income-qualifying residents in their own community that will be added to funding provided by Georgia Power. These upgrades may include air sealing of gaps, cracks and leaks, sealing of heating and air delivery ducts, attic insulation, HVAC service and repair, LED light bulbs, smart/ wi-fi thermostat, and electric water heater blanket and pipe wrap. Customers can donate on a statewide level, or focus giving to a specific region of the state at www.georgiapower.com/HEEAPDonor.

 Georgia Power customers have the opportunity to contribute funds to help make energy efficiency improvements for income-qualifying residents in their own community that will be added to funding provided by Georgia Power. These upgrades may include air sealing of gaps, cracks and leaks, sealing of heating and air delivery ducts, attic insulation, HVAC service and repair, LED light bulbs, smart/ wi-fi thermostat, and electric water heater blanket and pipe wrap. Customers can donate on a statewide level, or focus giving to a specific region of the state at www.georgiapower.com/HEEAPDonor. Georgia Power's Income-Qualified Senior Citizen Discount  Georgia Power customers 65 years of age or older who meet the income requirements for eligibility can receive up to $24 a month off their bill.

Georgia Power customers 65 years of age or older who meet the income requirements for eligibility can receive up to a month off their bill. The Salvation Army's Project SHARE  Established in partnership with The Salvation Army, Georgia Power customers can provide assistance to residents in the same community for expenses, such as utility bills, housing, food and medical necessities. Customers can donate $1 , 2, 5 or $10 on their monthly bill to support their neighbors in need. Georgia Power matches $1.50 for each dollar donated up to $1.5 million .

Customers can learn more about the company's energy assistance programs and apply at www.GeorgiaPower.com/EnergyAssistance.

Tips, tools & resources

Georgia Power offers efficiency tips and tools that can help all customers save money and energy throughout the year. Hundreds of easy energy tips, whether you own a home or rent, are available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/EnergyEfficiency.

Simple summer tips to save money and energy include:

Think Thermostat  Heating and cooling costs make up nearly half of your average power bill. Set manual thermostats to 78F in the summer for peak efficiency and make the most of programmable thermostats, which help decrease energy use based on your lifestyle. Each degree cooler can increase your bill by 4%.

 Heating and cooling costs make up nearly half of your average power bill. Set manual thermostats to 78F in the summer for peak efficiency and make the most of programmable thermostats, which help decrease energy use based on your lifestyle. Each degree cooler can increase your bill by 4%. Use your Fans  Using a ceiling fan costs only about $1.50 a month and will help you feel cooler without having to adjust your thermostat.

 Using a ceiling fan costs only about a month and will help you feel cooler without having to adjust your thermostat. Air Vents  To maintain consistent temperatures throughout your home, keep air vents and registers clear of obstructions such as furniture, curtains and rugs.

 To maintain consistent temperatures throughout your home, keep air vents and registers clear of obstructions such as furniture, curtains and rugs. Trim Plants and Change Filters  To ensure your HVAC unit receives proper air flow, change any filters and trim plants around your outside unit.

 To ensure your HVAC unit receives proper air flow, change any filters and trim plants around your outside unit. Food Storage - Set your refrigerator thermostat between 35F and 38F, and your freezer to 0F to run at peak efficiency.

Set your refrigerator thermostat between 35F and 38F, and your freezer to 0F to run at peak efficiency. Heat in the Kitchen  Reduce the temperature inside your home by cooking food in the microwave or stove top instead of the oven when possible. Match pots and pans to the burner size to minimize heat loss. Use lids on pots to keep in heat.

Additionally, Georgia Power's My Power Usage program, a free service connected to many Georgia Power online accounts, allows customers to track their daily energy use online, project their monthly bill and stay within a set energy budget.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power

Related Links

http://www.georgiapower.com


DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Drainage Consumables Market - Global Industry Revenue Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global drainage consumables market size is predicted to grow from $1,604.0 million in 2019 to $1,823.1 million by 2024, at a 2.8% CAGR between 2020 and 2024.



This is because chronic diseases and many of the acute ones often lead to a dangerous accumulation of fluids and gases inside the body, which regularly need to be removed. For instance, respiratory diseases and cancer often cause pleural effusion, a buildup of fluid in the lungs, which makes it difficult and painful to breathe.

Similarly, the rising incidence of many other diseases the diagnosis and management of which involve the removal of blood, lymphatic fluid, pericardial effusion, urine (straight from the bladder), or cerebrospinal fluid for analysis is propelling the drainage consumables market advance.



During the coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing measures, and movement restrictions have become the new normal. Most of the hospital departments have been closed, with healthcare professionals being pulled into COVID care, thus negatively impacting the demand for drainage consumables.

Additionally, the shutdown of manufacturing plants and difficulties being faced by the representatives of medical device companies in interacting with healthcare givers has hurt product sales. Moreover, the drainage consumables market has been negatively hurt by the deferment of clinical trials and product approvals by most of the regulatory authorities.



In the past, the largest share in the drainage consumables market was held by the drainage bags category, under segmentation by product type. Drainage bags are frequently replaced at hospitals in order to prevent the transmission of urinary tract infections (UTIs) from one patient to another.



The urinary category is predicted to continue dominating the drainage consumables market in the years to come, under the application segment. Drainage bags and catheters are widely used on patients suffering from chronic kidney diseases (CKDs); thus, with an increase in the prevalence of these conditions, the usage of drainage consumables for urinary applications will also rise.



Till now, North America has contributed the highest revenue to the drainage consumables market on account of the surging prevalence of CKDs, especially in the U.S. Similarly, the growing incidence of CKDs and other chronic diseases and booming population of the elderly are projected to drive the industry in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region at the highest CAGR in the near future.



Major companies in the global drainage consumables market are

Johnson & Johnson

Smith & Nephew PLC

Stryker Corporation

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.

ConvaTec Group plc

McKesson Corporation

B. Braun Melsungen AG

Becton, Dickinson and Company

Medline Industries Inc.

Cardinal Health Inc.

Medtronic plc

Cook Medical LLC

Baxter International Inc.

Teleflex Incorporated

Boston Scientific Corporation

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Research Background



Chapter 2. Research Methodology



Chapter 3. Executive Summary



Chapter 4. Introduction

4.1 Definition of Market Segments

4.1.1 By Product Type

4.1.1.1 Drainage bags

4.1.1.2 Catheters

4.1.1.3 High/low-vacuum consumables

4.1.1.4 Reservoirs

4.1.1.5 Others

4.1.2 By Application

4.1.2.1 Urinary

4.1.2.2 Wound

4.1.2.3 Pleural

4.1.2.4 Ventricular

4.1.2.5 Biliary

4.1.2.6 Others

4.2 Market Dynamics

4.2.1 Trends

4.2.1.1 Launches of new drainage consumables

4.2.1.2 Rising interest of foreign manufacturers

4.2.2 Drivers

4.2.2.1 Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases

4.2.2.2 Improving healthcare infrastructure

4.2.2.3 Frequent change of drainage consumables to avoid infectious diseases

4.2.2.4 Supportive government initiatives for healthcare sector

4.2.2.5 Growing geriatric population

4.2.2.6 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast

4.2.3 Restraints

4.2.3.1 Regulations governing drainage consumables

4.2.3.2 Problems pertaining to infectious waste management

4.2.3.3 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast

4.3 Impact of COVID-19



Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast

5.1 Overview

5.2 By Product Type

5.3 By Application

5.4 By Region



Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 7. APAC Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 8. Europe Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 11. Competitive Landscape

11.1 Company Share Analysis

11.1.1 Global

11.1.2 U.S.

11.1.3 Europe

11.1.4 Competitor Analysis

11.1.4.1 Performance of major players

11.1.4.1.1 Global

11.1.4.1.2 U.S.

11.1.4.1.3 Europe

11.1.5 Major Product Offerings of Key Players

11.2 Strategic Developments in the Market

11.2.1 Mergers and Acquisitions

11.2.2 Product Launches

11.2.3 Partnerships

11.2.4 Other Developments



Chapter 12. Company Profiles

12.1 Business Overview

12.2 Product and Service Offerings

12..3 Key Financial Summary

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/260hy1

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market is Driven by the Aging and Shrinking Skilled Labor Force" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2020, the global industrial exoskeletons market generated a revenue of $62.7 million. Growth is driven by high injury cost and the aging and shrinking skilled workforce in industries.

This report analyzes the global industrial exoskeletons market from 2017 to 2025. The market is segmented into passive industrial exoskeletons and powered industrial exoskeletons and both segments are examined in detail (revenue and unit shipment forecast analysis, competitive analysis).

The Rest of World (RoW), led by Japan, is the largest market for industrial exoskeletons - it accounted for almost 49.1% in terms of revenue share in 2020. Europe and North America contributed 33.6% and 17.3%, respectively. Japan's aging population is the main growth driver. The country has the highest global median age population and the largest share (28.2%) of population aged 65+. Driven by higher acceptance, the RoW market is estimated to grow from $30.8 million in 2020 to $228.2 million in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49.3%.

Among the end-use industries, the manufacturing industry (driven by the automotive sector) held the highest revenue share of 59.3% in 2020; it is projected to grow from $37.2 million in 2020 to $271.4 million in 2025 at a CAGR of 48.8%. The transport industry is the second-largest user of exoskeletons, contributing a 32.6% revenue share in 2020.

The construction industry accounted for 7.7% in 2020 and is forecast to register a CAGR of 44.7% from 2020 to 2025. Construction industry growth will be driven by the increasing adoption of powered exoskeletons in shipbuilding and marine construction.

By product segment, powered industrial exoskeletons constituted a 64.8% revenue share in 2020, and this number is expected to increase to 69.9% in 2025. This trend indicates the growing adoption of powered industrial exoskeletons.

Growth opportunities are also analyzed, and the focus is on claims validation (reduced musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and improved productivity) and geographic expansion and mergers and acquisitions (M&As).

For the total market, growth drivers and restraints are examined, along with new product technology analysis, regional opportunity analysis, standards and regulations, current adoption scenario, and potential risks in terms of exoskeleton usage. Recent use-cases are also studied and revenue and unit shipment forecast and competitive environment are analyzed.

Key Topics Covered:

Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Key Findings

Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market Scope of Analysis

Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market Segmentation

Key Growth Metrics for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Distribution Channels for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Drivers for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Restraints for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Forecast Assumptions, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Key Competitors for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Need Assessment for the Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Pros and Cons for Industrial Exoskeleton Use

Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market Growth Parameters

Occupational Hazards Outlook, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Global Passive and Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Product Comparison

Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market, Product Analysis Based on Type of Injury Prevention

New Product Technology Analysis, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Manufacturing Bases, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Regional Opportunity Analysis, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Standards and Regulations, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Potential Risks, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Current Adoption Scenario - Major Industries, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market - Recent Use-Cases

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Percent Revenue Forecast by Product, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Percent Unit Shipment Forecast by Product, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by Product, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by Region, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by End-Use Industry, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast Analysis, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Environment, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Analysis, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Key Growth Metrics, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Pricing Forecast Analysis, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by Region, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by End-Use Industry, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast Analysis, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Environment, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Analysis, Global Passive Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Opportunity Analysis, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Key Growth Metrics, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Pricing Forecast Analysis, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by Region, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue Forecast by End-Use Industry, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Revenue and Unit Shipment Forecast Analysis, Global Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Environment, Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Competitive Analysis, Powered Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Opportunity Universe, Global Industrial Exoskeletons Market

Growth Opportunity 1 - Research/Test Validation Pertaining to Reduced MSDs and Improved Productivity to Drive Growth

Growth Opportunity 2 - Geographic Expansion Coupled with Mergers and Acquisitions by Manufacturers to Gain a Competitive Advantage

Next Steps

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3adciz

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


NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Dive has added a new report to its offering titled, "Software Defined Radio Market by Frequency Band (High Frequency, Very High Frequency, and Ultra-High Frequency), Component (Transmitter, Receiver, Software, and Auxiliary System), Platform (Land, Airborne, Naval, and Space), End User (Defense and Commercial), and Regional Analysis (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027."

Research Dive in its latest published report estimates that the Global Software Defined Radio Market will generate $16,455.8 million and exhibit a CAGR of 4.4% from 2020 to 2027.

Download PDF Sample Report of Software Defined Radio Market

Market Dynamics

The demand for advanced military communication system is rising with increasing military expenditure across the globe. In addition, a number of commercial sectors, such as cargo, transportation, oil & gas exploration, and others are increasingly adopting software enable radio communications due to its advantages. These factors are predicted to boost the growth of the global market during the forecast period. However, the risk of security breach in SDRs is expected to hamper the market growth during the estimated timeframe.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the global software defined radio market during the pandemic. The decline in the growth rate of the market is majorly attributed to disruption in transportation and supply chain of products to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Besides, various sectors such as commercial aviation, shipping, and other have been affected due to the pandemic, resulting in reduction in utilization of software defined radios in these sectors. However, many leading companies of the market are adopting strategies such as partnerships and agreements to sustain their business during the tryig times.

Access Our Comprehensive Analysis Of The IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON GLOBAL SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO MARKET

Key Segment Findings of the Market:

The research report segments the global software defined radio market into frequency band, component, platform, end user, and region.

Based on frequency band, the high frequency sub-segment is expected to value for $7,785.5 million by 2027 and subjugate in the global industry throughout the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing demand from naval forces for radio communication systems.

by 2027 and subjugate in the global industry throughout the forecast period. This is mainly due to increasing demand from naval forces for radio communication systems. Based on component, the software sub-segment is projected to surpass $3,903.0 million and witness fastest growth during the forecast period. This growth can be majorly attributed to the rising demand of digitization in diverse industries, such as defense, telecommunications, banking, government, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail to perform specific operations.

and witness fastest growth during the forecast period. This growth can be majorly attributed to the rising demand of digitization in diverse industries, such as defense, telecommunications, banking, government, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail to perform specific operations. Based on platform, the airborne sub-segment accounted for $3,298.2 million in 2019 and is predicted to observe a rapid growth by 2027. The rising demand form commercial & defense aviation sector for SDR systems is expected to contribute to the sub-segment's market growth.

in 2019 and is predicted to observe a rapid growth by 2027. The rising demand form commercial & defense aviation sector for SDR systems is expected to contribute to the sub-segment's market growth. Based on end user, the commercial sub-segment is estimated to hold the largest share in the market grow at a CAGR of 3.8 % during the forecast timeframe. The rising utilization of communication systems in various industries such as infrastructure, oil & gas, and others is driving the sub-segmental market growth.

Based on region, the North America market for software defined radio valued for $3,733.2 million and expected to hold a dominant position in the global industry by 2027. The presence of well-established defense industry and the countries with high military expenditure such as U.S. are factors projected to accelerate the regional market growth in the coming years.

Get Additional 20% OFF on Report Customization: Grab PROMO CODE

Top Prominent Market Players of Software Defined Radio Industry

Northrop Grumman L3Harris Technologies, INC. General Dynamics Corporation BAE Systems Thales Group Leonardo S.p.A Elbit Systems Ltd. Rohde & Schwarz Texas Instruments Incorporated

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 2020, L3Harris Technologies, an American technology company, defense contractor & information technology services provider, received a third low-rate initial production (LRIP) order by the U.S. Army under the HMS IDIQ (Handheld, Manpack, & Small Form-Fit IDIQ)contract valued at US$95 million. The aim of the U.S. army is to bring AN/PRC-158 software denied radios (SDRs) to the battlefield. According to the company, the army expects to purchase approximately 65,000 HMS Manpack radios under the IDIQ.

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 Software Defined Radio

Global Software Defined Radio Market to Rise at a CAGR of 4.4% and Surpass $16,455.8 Million by 2027, Owing to Technological Advancements

All You Need to Know About Software Defined Radio

Related Trending Topics:

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.

Contact:

Mr. Abhishek Paliwal

Research Dive

30 Wall St. 8th Floor, New York NY 10005

(P) +91-(788)-802-9103 (India)

Toll Free: 1-888-961-4454

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: https://www.researchdive.com

Blog: https://www.researchdive.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/research-dive/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ResearchDive

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Research-Dive-1385542314927521

SOURCE Research Dive
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Gold Royalty Corp. ("GRC") (NYSE American: GROY) is pleased to announce that it will host a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, August 31 at 11:00 am EST.

David Garofalo, CEO & Chairman of Gold Royalty Corp, and John Griffiths, Chief Development Officer will be providing shareholders and interested stakeholders a final update on the Gold Royalty and Ely Gold Business Transaction and will provide an overview of Gold Royalty and recent portfolio acquisitions. The presentation will be followed by an question-and-answer session where participants will be able to ask any questions they may have of management.

To register for the Town Hall Meeting, please click this link: https://www.bigmarker.com/ftmig1/Gold-Royalty-Corp-Town-Hall-Webinar-August-31st

About Gold Royalty Corp.

Gold Royalty Corp. is a gold-focused royalty company offering creative financing solutions to the metals and mining industry. Its mission is to acquire royalties, streams and similar interests at varying stages of the mine life cycle to build a balanced portfolio offering near, medium and longer-term attractive returns for its investors. Gold Royalty's diversified portfolio currently consists of net smelter return royalties on gold properties located in the Americas.

SOURCE Gold Royalty Corp.
NORFOLK, Va., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Clean Express Auto Wash has been recognized as the top-ranked car wash in multiple cities as part of the annual "Best Of" contest sponsored by Virginia Media. Formerly known as The Virginian-Pilot's People's Choice Award, "Best Of" is a contest where Hampton Roads consumers nominate and vote for their favorite businesses in numerous categories.

Green Clean Express placed first in Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Norfolk, winning the Gold "Best Car Wash" award in all three cities. The company also grabbed second place Silver honors in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, making it the clear favorite among consumers across Southside Hampton Roads.

"At a time when we are expanding steadily across the region, it is deeply gratifying to be recognized with "Best Of" awards in all of the cities in which we currently operate," said Shawn Everett, founder of Green Clean Express. "Our Team Members take great pride in offering our customers the best car wash experience possible, and we're very appreciative that our efforts do not go unnoticed."

About Green Clean Express Auto Wash:

Green Clean Express uses advanced car wash technology to deliver superior washes at affordable prices, backed by friendly, knowledgeable service and environmentally responsible business practices. Green Clean's fast, high-quality washes include free self-serve vacuums and are 100% satisfaction guaranteed. With the CleanPass Unlimited Wash Club, Members can wash all they want at any Green Clean Express location starting at $17.99 a month. Hours of operation include Monday  Saturday 7am-8pm and Sunday, 9am-6pm. For more information, please visit www.greencleanexpress.com.

About Express Wash Concepts:

In May 2021, Green Clean Express was acquired by Express Wash Concepts (EWC), the parent company of Central Ohio-based Moo Moo Express Car Wash, Dayton, Ohio-based Flying Express Car Wash, Greater Cleveland and Pittsburgh-based Clean Express Auto Wash and CleanTown USA, and Toledo-based Meyers Auto Wash. EWC plans to open more than 50 additional locations by the end of 2022, with 20 of those under the Green Clean Express brand across Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.expresswashconcepts.com.

SOURCE Express Wash Concepts

Related Links

https://www.expresswashconcepts.com


Hearing Scheduled for September 23, 2021

No party to the RSA nor any of their respective representatives shall take any step to advance or impede the regulatory process for the closing of the transaction contemplated by the RSA between the period from September 1, 2021 to September 23, 2021

NEW YORK and TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. ("iAnthus" or the "Company") (CSE: IAN) (OTCPK: ITHUF), which owns, operates and partners with regulated cannabis operations across the United States, announces a further update on its Recapitalization Transaction.

As described in the Company's new release dated August 23, 2021, on August 20, 2021, iAnthus received a Notice of Application from Gotham Green Partners, LLC and Gotham Green Admin 1, LLC (the "Applicants"). The Applicants seek, among other things, a declaration that the Purported Notice is effective. In the alternative, the Applicants seek an order rectifying the Restructuring Support Agreement dated July 10, 2020 (the "RSA") to permit the Outside Date to be extended and prohibiting the Company from terminating the RSA without further order of the court.

iAnthus intends to respond to the application and ask that it be dismissed with costs. The Notice of Application has been issued under Ontario Superior Court of Justice Court File Number CV-21-00667501-00CL.

On August 24, 2021, parties to the application appeared for a case conference before a judge of the Commercial List (Superior Court of Ontario). At the case conference, the court scheduled the hearing of the application for September 23, 2021. The court's endorsement in connection with the case conference was received by iAnthus on August 26, 2021 and reads as follows:

"Endorsement of Justice Hainey following case conference on August 24, 2021

The Application in this matter is scheduled to be heard on the merits for one day on September 23, 2021 , before Justice Penny . During the period from September 1, 2021 to the hearing of the Application on September 23, 2021 , the parties are to maintain the status quo. In particular, during such period without further order of the Court: except to the extent provided for in paragraphs (ii) and (iii) below, the parties remain bound by the covenants and other terms and conditions of the RSA; no party may terminate the restructuring support agreement dated July 10, 2020 , as amended (the "RSA"); and No party to the RSA nor any of their respective representatives shall take any step to advance or impede the regulatory process for the closing of the transaction contemplated by the RSA, or otherwise have any communication with the applicable state-level regulators concerning the transaction contemplated by the RSA or the other counterparties that are parties thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit the parties from advising applicable state-level regulators where approvals remain pending, of the terms of this endorsement. A decision as to whether further interlocutory relief is required following the hearing of the Application and pending the release of a decision on the merits shall be addressed before Justice Penny at the hearing of the Application. The parties have agreed on a timetable for the delivery of materials related to the Application which is attached hereto."

TIMETABLE

Step Parties Deadline Responding Record iAnthus August 31, 2021 Reply Record, if any Applicants/Debenture Holders September 3, 2021 Cross-Examinations All by September 10, 2021 Applicant Factum Applicants/Debenture Holders September 14, 2021 Respondent Factum iAnthus September 17, 2021 Reply Factum, if any Applicants/Debenture Holders September 21, 2021 Hearing All September 23, 2021

About iAnthus

iAnthus owns and operates licensed cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.iAnthus.com.

COVID-19 Risk Factor

The Company may be impacted by business interruptions resulting from pandemics and public health emergencies, including those related to COVID-19. An outbreak of infectious disease, a pandemic, or a similar public health threat, such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19, or a fear of any of the foregoing could adversely impact the Company by causing operating, manufacturing, supply chain, and project development delays and disruptions, labor shortages, travel, and shipping disruption and shutdowns (including as a result of government regulation and prevention measures). It is unknown whether and how the Company may be affected if such a pandemic persists for an extended period of time, including as a result of the waiver of regulatory requirements or the implementation of emergency regulations to which the Company is subject. Although the Company has been deemed essential and/or has been permitted to continue operating its facilities in the states in which it cultivates, processes, manufactures, and sells cannabis during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no assurance that the Company's operations will continue to be deemed essential and/or will continue to be permitted to operate. The Company may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of its control, which could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results, financial condition, and the trading price of the Company's common shares.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of management, are not guarantees of performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in Company's reports that it files from time to time with the SEC and the Canadian securities regulators which you should review including, but not limited to, the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "believe", "should" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's financial performance, business development and results of operations, the Notice of Application and the timing and outcome of the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction.

These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or circumstances discussed or reflected in these statements will be achieved or will occur. If such forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by the Company or any other person that it will achieve its objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

SOURCE iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ianthus.com/


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Immix Biopharma, Inc. ("ImmixBio") today announced a clinical trial and supply agreement with BeiGene, Ltd. to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of combining IMX-110, a Tissue Specific Therapeutic with TME Normalization Technology, with BeiGene's anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab, for the treatment of various solid tumors, in the U.S. and internationally.

Under the terms of the agreement, ImmixBio will evaluate the combination of IMX-110 with tislelizumab in a Phase 1/2a trial in patients with advanced solid tumors.

"ImmixBio is proud to showcase our Tissue Specific Therapeutics (TSTx) platform to the world. Promising data from our ongoing IMX-110 clinical trial, from pre-clinical studies in a genetic mouse model of pancreatic cancer showing IMX-110 turning "cold" tumors "hot," and IMX-110 in combination with murine anti-PD-1 demonstrating extended survival in a genetic mouse model of pancreatic cancer versus multi-drug combinations in the literature, have demonstrated substantial rationale to combine IMX-110 and tislelizumab," said Ilya Rachman, MD, PhD  ImmixBio CEO. "We have high hopes that IMX-110 in combination with tislelizumab could expand the population of cancer patients experiencing extended remissions."

About IMX-110

IMX-110 is a Tissue-Specific Therapeutic built on ImmixBio's TME Normalization Technology encapsulating a poly-kinase inhibitor and apoptosis inducer delivered deep into the tumor micro-environment, or TME. ImmixBio's TME Normalization Technology enables IMX-110 to circulate in the bloodstream, then exit through porous tumor blood vessels, and accumulate in the TME. IMX-110 then simultaneously attacks all 3 components of the TME (cancer associated fibroblasts, or CAFs; tumor-associated macrophages/immune cells, or TAMs, and cancer itself), severing the critical lifelines between the tumor and its metabolic and structural support. IMX-110's TME Normalization Technology causes tumor apoptosis, a non-inflammatory tumor-cell death (vs. necroptosis, which results in repeat reignition of the inflammatory cascade leading to tumor progression).

IMX-110 is currently being evaluated in a phase 1b/2a open-label, dose-escalation/dose-expansion safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic study in patients with advanced solid tumors in the United States and Australia.

About Tislelizumab

Tislelizumab (BGB-A317) is a humanized IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody specifically designed to minimize binding to FcR on macrophages. In pre-clinical studies, binding to FcR on macrophages has been shown to compromise the anti-tumor activity of PD-1 antibodies through activation of antibody-dependent macrophage-mediated killing of T effector cells. Tislelizumab is being developed internationally as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies for the treatment of a broad array of both solid tumor and hematologic cancers.

The China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted tislelizumab market authorization in four indications, including full approval for first-line treatment of patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in combination with chemotherapy. Tislelizumab is not approved for use outside of China.

In January 2021, BeiGene and Novartis entered into a collaboration and license agreement granting Novartis rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize tislelizumab in North America, Europe, and Japan.

About ImmixBio

ImmixBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of Tissue-Specific Therapeutics (TSTx) in oncology and inflammation. Our lead asset, IMX-110, is currently in phase 1b/2a clinical trials for solid tumors in the United States and Australia. Our proprietary System Multi-Action RegulaTors SMARxT Tissue-Specific Platform produces drugs that accumulate at intended therapeutic sites at 3-5 times the rate of conventional medicines. Our TME Normalization Technology allows our drug candidates to circulate in the bloodstream, exit through tumor blood vessels and simultaneously attack all components of the tumor micro-environment, or TME. We have uncovered fundamental biological systems that link oncology and inflammation. In addition to oncology, our pipeline includes Tissue-Specific Biologic candidates to treat inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Learn more at www.immixbio.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws, including statements regarding the clinical development of IMX-110 in combination with tislelizumab, ImmixBio's and BeiGene's roles and responsibilities in the collaboration, the opportunity and potential benefits of their product candidates both as monotherapies and in combination, and other information that is not historical information. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the ability of ImmixBio and BeiGene to develop and receive regulatory approvals for the combination therapies in the collaboration; the risk that the potential benefits of the collaboration do not materialize or do not outweigh the costs; the ability of ImmixBio and BeiGene to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of their respective drug candidates as monotherapies or in combination; the clinical results for such drug candidates, which may not support further development or marketing approval; actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials and marketing approval; ImmixBio's and BeiGene's ability to achieve commercial success for their marketed products and drug candidates, if approved; ImmixBio's and BeiGene's ability to obtain and maintain protection of intellectual property for their respective technology and drugs; BeiGene's and ImmixBio's reliance on third parties to conduct drug development, manufacturing and other services; BeiGene's limited operating history and BeiGene's and ImmixBio's ability to obtain additional funding for operations and to complete the development and commercialization of their drug candidates; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BeiGene's and ImmixBio's clinical development, commercial and other operations. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. For further discussion of these and other risks, see ImmixBio's or BeiGene's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and neither ImmixBio nor BeiGene undertakes a duty to update such information unless required by law.

Contacts

ImmixBio

Gabriel Morris

Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

+1 (888) 958-1084

SOURCE Immix Biopharma, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.immixbio.com


SEATTLE, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rewarded engagement company Influence Mobile today announced it was recognized as one of Washington's Best Workplaces by the Puget Sound Business Journal. Influence Mobile came in at the third spot in the small company category based on how the company scored in employee satisfaction surveys, benefits and compensation, leadership transparency, workplace perks and more.

Led by founder and CEO Daniel Todd, Influence Mobile has always had an employee-first philosophy. Over the years as a business leader Todd has learned that what people care most about is having real ownership in their job, and having things clearly communicated to them. He instills these principles at Influence Mobile, promoting flexibility, encouraging social interaction and recognizing employees' contributions to the success of the company - which has been more important than ever during these unprecedented times.

"Our motto at Influence Mobile is simple: treat others the way you want to be treated," said Todd. "It may seem cliche but I have found that when you follow that mantra both in your personal life and in the workplace, you tend to make decisions that are better for everyone. It's really proven to work as we've had no one leave the company voluntarily in the last five years."

In addition to providing competitive benefits, wages and bonuses, Influence Mobile offers volunteer and mentorship opportunities with local organizations, hosts non-mandatory virtual happy hours to keep staff connected and recently commissioned a new team to help brainstorm ways to improve everyone's work/life balance which included sending out surveys to better get to know what the staff's current needs and likes are.

"We've been able to exceed our metrics and goals as a company because of the dedication and commitment from our employees at Influence Mobile," continued Todd. "I am so proud to see this team recognized for their success, especially during such times of uncertainty. I can't wait to see what we do next."

Winners were recognized during a virtual awards ceremony on August 26. For more information about Influence Mobile, visit www.influencemobile.com.

About Influence Mobile

Founded in 2012, Influence Mobile is a rewarded gaming platform that entices and nurtures high-value mobile gamers by engaging them with relevant rewards. With its owned and operated apps, including Rewarded Play, the GooglePlay Store's top rewarded gaming app in the US, Influence Mobile boasts a community of highly-engaged players that create ongoing value for its growing list of clients.

SOURCE Influence Mobile
High-resolution, 3D data is essential in guiding conservation research

Intermap continues to innovate, building on its 102-year legacy of delivering rapid, actionable intelligence from the sensor to the operator

DENVER, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Intermap Technologies (TSX: IMP) (OTCQX: ITMSF) ("Intermap" or the "Company"), a global leader in geospatial content development and intelligence solutions, today announced a new collaboration with The Snow Leopard Trust to provide high-resolution elevation models to scientists who are researching snow leopard behavior to aid the conservation of the species.

The Snow Leopard Trust started the first long-term study of snow leopards in the Tost Mountains in Southern Mongolia in 2008. The snow leopard is a top predator with a habitat range of over two million km2, but scientists estimate there may be only 3,900  6,400 snow leopards left in the wild. Researchers seek to learn more about snow leopard ecology, such as how the snow leopards use the mountainous terrain, to guide the conservation of the species. Intermap is an acknowledged expert at modeling complex, dynamic mountainous terrain in austere environments. Intermap is supporting this exciting project by providing 3D digital elevation models (DEMs) in Southern Mongolia.

The Snow Leopard Trust is currently exploring whether snow leopards stay longer at kill sites in rugged terrain, which offer better escape routes and hiding places. Intermap's NEXTMap high-resolution, 3D digital elevation model and all-domain routing analysis will be used to conduct studies along with the GPS tracking data from snow leopard collars to follow their movement and determine if terrain ruggedness affects the amount of time they spend at kill sites. The Snow Leopard Trust began their study using a 30-meter resolution DEM. The initial results were unclear because cliffs, hills and other terrain features are not well represented in a coarse DEM. Intermap's high-resolution, 3D elevation datasets are readily available to be integrated into studies like this or other all-domain command and control analysis for any location in the world. The Snow Leopard Trust was able to access Intermap's high-resolution DEM for the study area and start scenario modeling along with data collected in the field in a quick and efficient manner.

Using Intermap's DEM, the preliminary results suggest that terrain did affect snow leopard behavior around kill sites where there was adequate conceal and cover. Researchers found that snow leopards stayed longer at kill sites of their largest prey when the kills were made in rugged terrain. They also found that snow leopards stayed longer at the kill sites of wild prey, compared with domestic prey, when the prey were larger in size. Located just miles from the Chinese border, the Tost Mountain region covers Mongolia's two largest, strictly protected areas. These results suggest that potential risk from humans changed how snow leopards behave at their kill sites in the Tost Mountain region. This study will help The Snow Leopard Trust gain more insight into the patterns of snow leopards and develop ways to help conserve the species.

Read more about the study here.

Research continues Intermap's 102-year history of innovation and rapid delivery of information from sensors to decision makers

The snow leopard research is the latest in Intermap's 102-year history of innovation. The Company has powered a diverse array of projects, ranging from aerial photography and national mapping programs to data collection with proprietary sensors, creating customer-specific analytics in insurance, aviation, telecom and rail markets and now conservation efforts in Mongolia. Intermap's roots date back to 1919, when its predecessor, Pennsylvania Aero Service Corporation (Aero Service), was founded. Aero Service is the oldest flying corporation in the world and used aircrafts to collect aerial photos of Philadelphia with a camera attached to the plane's cockpit cowling. Aero Service participated in several major projects, including aerial surveying work for the U.S. Geological Survey and for the European and Pacific theaters during World War II. After a series of strategic acquisitions from 1961 to 1997, Intermap became a listed company and continued to acquire and develop cutting-edge remote sensing capabilities. Intermap commercializes its technology and 3D data library, creating leading products and solutions that offer non-expert users the ability to subscribe to geospatial solutions.

"We are pleased to support the Snow Leopard Trust's conservation efforts in Mongolia," said Patrick A. Blott, Intermap Chairman and CEO. "Intermap's high-resolution terrain data is a rapid, efficient and accessible solution for the researchers to analyze the mountainous terrain in the snow leopard habitat and learn more about their behavior. We are building on our history by innovating and developing the future of geospatial intelligence with next-generation technology and capabilities. Our vertically integrated software and solutions simplify large-scale geospatial data challenges and allow non-expert users to get answers quickly and efficiently down range at the edge, anywhere and in any environment. We are continuing to build partnerships with key industry players to serve government and commercial clients around the world."

Learn more about Intermap's history here.

Intermap Reader Advisory

Certain information provided in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast", "will be", "will consider", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although Intermap believes that these statements are based on information and assumptions which are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are necessarily subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Intermap's forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties pertaining to, among other things, cash available to fund operations, availability of capital, revenue fluctuations, nature of government contracts, economic conditions, loss of key customers, retention and availability of executive talent, competing technologies, common share price volatility, loss of proprietary information, software functionality, internet and system infrastructure functionality, information technology security, breakdown of strategic alliances, and international and political considerations, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed Intermap's Annual Information Form and other securities filings. While the Company makes these forward-looking statements in good faith, should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Intermap or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities law.

About Intermap Technologies

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Intermap (TSX: IMP;OTCQX: ITMSF) is a global leader in geospatial intelligence solutions. The Company's proprietary 3D NEXTMap elevation datasets and value-added geospatial collection, processing, analytics, fusion and orthorectification software and solutions are utilized across a range of industries that rely on accurate, high-resolution elevation data. Intermap helps governments build authoritative geospatial datasets and provides solutions for base mapping, transportation, environmental monitoring, topographic mapping, disaster mitigation, smart city integration, public safety and defense. The Company's commercial applications include aviation and UAV flight planning, flood and wildfire insurance, environmental and renewable energy planning, telecommunications, engineering, critical infrastructure monitoring, hydrology, land management, oil and gas and transportation. For more information, please visit www.intermap.com.

SOURCE Intermap Technologies Corporation

Related Links

https://www.intermap.com/


MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper (NYSE: IP) global papers spinoff, Sylvamo Corporation, will host an Investor Day event Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. until noon EDT (9-11 a.m. CDT).

All interested parties are invited to attend the event at investors.sylvamo.com, which launches next week. Registration is required. A replay will be online approximately two hours after the call.

In December 2020, International Paper announced plans to spin its global papers business into a separate, publicly traded company in late 2021. The spinoff is subject to final approval by the International Paper board of directors. Sylvamo is currently a subsidiary of International Paper.

Sylvamo will employ approximately 7,000 colleagues in Europe, Latin America and North America.



About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Russia. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, employ approximately 48,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries. Net sales for 2020 were $21 billion. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.

SOURCE International Paper

Related Links

https://www.internationalpaper.com/

http://www.internationalpaper.com


STOCKHOLM, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a leading innovative, digital, and sustainable hygiene and health company, Essity will describe the company's strategy and continued transformation journey, as well as its work to achieve the Group's goal of profitable growth, net zero emissions by 2050 and improved well-being for people across the globe. The company's management and employees will present the path forward with a focus on customer and consumers, innovation and brands, digitalization and e-commerce, climate transition, and diversity and inclusion.

Essity is changing the lives of a growing number of people through digital innovations and sustainable solutions. The day will provide insight into the development of Essity's unique product offerings, such as TENA SmartCare, Tork EasyCube, Tork PaperCircle, Libresse Period Pants, Cutimed Wound Navigator, Lotus Sans Tube, and Zewa tissue produced with wheat straw.

To follow our livestreamed Capital Markets Day, visit:

https://www.essity.com/capitalmarketsday2021/

The above link will contain information for those who wish to ask questions over the course of the day.

A very warm welcome!

Add Essity's Capital Markets Day 2021 to your calendar

For further information, please contact:



Per Lorentz, Vice President Corporate Communications, +46 8 788 52 51, [email protected]

Johan Karlsson, Vice President Investor Relations, +46 8 788 51 30, [email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/essity/r/invitation-to-essity-s-capital-markets-day-2021,c3404573

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15798/3404573/1460065.pdf Invitation to Essityas Capital Markets Day 2021 https://news.cision.com/essity/i/essity-cmd-2021,c2948237 Essity CMD 2021

SOURCE Essity
WINNIPEG, MB, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Medicure Inc. ("Medicure" or the "Company") (TSXV: MPH) (OTC: MCUJF), a cardiovascular pharmaceutical company, today reported its results from operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.

Quarter Ended June 30, 2021 Highlights:

Recorded total net revenue from the sale of products of $5.09 million during the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 compared to $2.68 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 ;





during the second quarter ended compared to for the second quarter ended ; Recorded total net revenue from the sale of AGGRASTAT  of $2.8 million during the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 compared to $2.6 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 ;





of during the second quarter ended compared to for the second quarter ended ; Net loss for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 was $639,000 compared to net income of $19,000 for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 ;





was compared to net income of for the second quarter ended ; Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA1) for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 was $158,000 compared to adjusted EBITDA of $263,000 for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020

Financial Results

Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $5.09 million compared to $2.68 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Net revenues from AGGRASTAT for the three months ended June 30, 2021 were $2.8 million compared to $2.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. ZYPITAMAG contributed $403,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $103,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Marley Drug, which was acquired in December 2020, contributed $1.87 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), contributed $22,000, during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $17,000 during the three months ended June 30, 2020.

Net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were $10.02 million compared to $5.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Net revenues from AGGRASTAT for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were $5.4 million compared to $5.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. ZYPITAMAG contributed $564,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $266,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2020. Marley Drug contributed $3.97 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, SNP contributed $70,000, during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $48,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Despite the impact from COVID-19, the volume of AGGRASTAT sold in Q2 2021 was consistent with demand in Q2 2020. The Company continues to show strong patient market share with AGGRASTAT, and demand from hospitals, driven by the Company's sales and marketing team. There was an increase in demand for ZYPITAMAG, which was facilitated by sale through Marley Drug and the Company expects growth in ZYPITAMAG revenues going forward. Marley Drug sales remain consistent, and the Company expects growth in sales as marketing is expanded.

Adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2021 was $158,000 compared to $31,000 for Q1 2021 and compared to $263,000 for Q2 2020. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2021 is the result of changes in research and development spending and fluctuating costs as the company works to integrate and optimize the Marley Drug operation.

Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $189,000 compared to negative $1.02 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2021 is the result rising ZYPITAMAG sales, reduction of operating costs, and net revenue from the Marley Drug acquisition.

Net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $639,000 or $0.06 per share compared to net income of $19,000 or $0.00 per share for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The change in the net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2021 is the result of changes in research and development spending and fluctuating costs as the company works to integrate and optimize the Marley Drug operation.

Net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $1.688 million or $0.16 per share compared to $1.445 million or $0.13 per share for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The change in the net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 is the higher amortization expense as a result of the Marley Drug acquisition, partially offset by net revenue from the Marley Drug acquisition.

At June 30, 2021, the Company had unrestricted cash totaling $2.46 million down from $2.716 million of unrestricted cash held as of December 31, 2020. Cash flows provided from operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 totaled $682,000 compared to $1.793 million used for the six months ended June 30, 2020

All amounts referenced herein are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Notes

(1) The Company defines EBITDA as "earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other income or expense" and Adjusted EBITDA as "EBITDA adjusted for noncash and other unusual items". The terms "EBITDA" and "Adjusted EBITDA", as it relates to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 results prepared using IFRS, do not have any standardized meaning according to IFRS. It is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Conference Call Info:

Topic: Medicure's Q2 2021 Results

Call date: Monday, August 30, 2021

Time: 7:30 AM Central Time (8:30 AM Eastern Time)

Canada toll: 1 (416) 764-8659

North American toll-free: 1 (888) 664-6392

Passcode: not required

Webcast: This conference call will be webcast live over the internet and can be accessed from the Medicure investor relations page at the following link: http://www.medicure.com/investors

You may request international country-specific access information by e-mailing the Company in advance. Management will accept and answer questions related to the financial results and operations during the question-and-answer period at the end of the conference call. A recording of the call will be available following the event on the Company's website.

About Medicure Inc.

Medicure is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the U.S. cardiovascular market. The present focus of the Company is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection and ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets in the United States, where they are sold through the Company's U.S. subsidiary, Medicure Pharma Inc. Medicure also operates Marley Drug, Inc. ("Marley Drug"), a pharmacy located in North Carolina that offers an Extended Supply mail order drug program serving 49 of 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Marley Drug is committed to improving the health status of its patients and the communities they serve while reducing overall health care costs for employers and other health care consumers. For more information visit www.marleydrug.com. To learn more about The Extended Supply Generic Drug Program call 800.286.6781 or email [email protected]. For more information on Medicure please visit www.medicure.com. For additional information about AGGRASTAT, refer to the full Prescribing Information. For additional information about ZYPITAMAG, refer to the full Prescribing Information.

To be added to Medicure's e-mail list, please visit:

http://medicure.mediaroom.com/alerts

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information: Statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "may", "plans", "will", "estimates", "continues", "anticipates", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. federal securities laws (such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are hereinafter collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements, include estimates, analysis and opinions of management of the Company made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors which the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond the Company's ability to predict or control that may cause the actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, the Company's future product revenues, expected future growth in revenues, stage of development, additional capital requirements, risks associated with the completion and timing of clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval to market the Company's products, the ability to protect its intellectual property, dependence upon collaborative partners, changes in government regulation or regulatory approval processes, and rapid technological change in the industry. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about: general business and economic conditions; the impact of changes in Canadian-US dollar and other foreign exchange rates on the Company's revenues, costs and results; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for the Company's research and development projects; the availability of financing for the Company's commercial operations and/or research and development projects, or the availability of financing on reasonable terms; results of current and future clinical trials; the uncertainties associated with the acceptance and demand for new products and market competition. The foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of factors, other than as may be required by applicable legislation. Additional discussion regarding the risks and uncertainties relating to the Company and its business can be found in the Company's other filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities or the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and in the "Risk Factors" section of its Form 20F for the year ended December 31, 2019.

AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) is a registered trademark of Medicure International Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Financial Position

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

Note June 30, 2021 December 31, 2020 Assets





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents

$ 2,460 $ 2,716 Restricted Cash

1,000 1,394 Accounts receivable 3 & 8 5,356 5,253 Inventories 4 4,591 5,139 Prepaid expenses

968 1,174 Total current assets

14,375 15,676 Noncurrent assets:





Property, plant and equipment

1,599 1,640 Intangible assets 5 11,902 13,596 Goodwill

2,907 2,986 Other assets

143 156 Total noncurrent assets

16,551 18,378 Total assets

$ 30,926 $ 34,054 Liabilities and Equity





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$ 6,836 $ 6,979 Current portion of royalty obligation 6 281 362 Current portion of acquisition payable 5 620 637 Holdback Payable 12 1,111 1,876 Current Portion of Contingent Consideration 12 1,989 1,925 Income taxes payable

160 164 Current portion of lease obligation

366 367 Total current liabilities

11,363 12,310 Noncurrent liabilities





Royalty obligation 6 206 335 Acquisition payable 5 1,156 1,132 Contingent Consideration 12 53 51 Lease obligation

928 1,080 Total noncurrent liabilities

2,343 2,598 Total liabilities

13,706 14,908 Equity:





Share capital 7(b) 80,915 80,917 Contributed surplus

10,394 10,294 Accumulated other comprehensive income

(6,833) (6,497) Deficit

(67,256) (65,568) Total Equity

17,220 19,146 Total liabilities and equity

$ 30,926 $ 34,054 Commitments and contingencies 9(a) & 9(d)













Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Net (Loss) Income and Comprehensive Loss

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

Note Three

months

ended June 30,

2021 Three months

ended June 30,

2020 Six months

ended June 30,

2021 Six months ended June 30,

2020











Revenue, net

$ 5,086 $ 2,676 $ 10,022 $ 5,686 Cost of goods sold 4 & 5 2,047 1,476 3,974 3,018 Gross profit

3,039 1,200 6,048 2,668











Expenses









Selling 8 2,535 971 5,303 3,040 General and administrative 8 571 770 1,156 1,570 Research and development 8 705 98 1,286 956



3,811 1,839 7,745 5,566











Other Income:









Recovery of expenses 9(b) (491) - (491) -











Finance (income) costs:









Finance (income) expense, net

117 (380) 238 (307) Foreign exchange (gain) loss, net

172 (278) 175 (1,146)



(202) (658) (78) (1,453) Net (loss) income before income taxes

$ (570) $ 19 $ (1,619) $ (1,445) Income tax (recovery) expense









Current

69 - 69 - Net (loss) income

$ (639) $ 19 $ (1,688) $ (1,445) Other comprehensive income (loss):









Item that may be reclassified to profit or loss









Exchange differences on translation of foreign subsidiaries

(100) (1,258) (336) 233 Other comprehensive income (loss), net of

tax

(100) (1,258) (336) 233 Comprehensive loss

$ (739) $ (1,239) $ (2,024) $ (1,212)











(Loss) earnings per share









Basic 7(d) $ (0.06) $ - $ (0.16) $ (0.13) Diluted 7(d) $ (0.06) $ - $ (0.16) $ (0.13)

Condensed Consolidated Interim Statements of Cash Flows

(expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)





For the six months ended June 30 Note 2021 2020 Cash (used in) provided by:





Operating activities:





Net loss for the period

$ (1,688) $ (1,445) Adjustments for:





Amortization of property, plant and equipment

187 149 Amortization of intangible assets 5 1,575 1,236 Sharebased compensation 8(c) 100 174 Write-down of inventories 4 - 311 Finance income, net

238 307 Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss

(34) (842) Change in the following:





Accounts receivable

(92) 2,400 Inventories

548 (1,092) Prepaid expenses

206 903 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

(143) (3,599) Interest received, net

(15) 31 Royalties paid 6 (200) (326) Cash flows (used in) from operating activities

682 (1,793) Investing activities:





Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

(161) - Acquisition of intangible assets 5 (232) - Cash flows used in investing activities

(393) - Financing activities:





Purchase of common shares under normal course issuer bid 8(b) (2) (154) Repayment of lease liability

(171) - Payment of Holdback 12 (372) - Cash flows used in financing activities

(545) (154) Foreign exchange gain (loss) on cash held in foreign currency

- 230 (Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

(256) (1,717) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

2,716 12,965 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

2,460 $ 11,248

SOURCE Medicure Inc.

Related Links

www.medicure.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National PTA and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids announced today a new collaboration to raise awareness of and help prevent e-cigarette and other tobacco use among youth. With 3.6 million kids using e-cigarettes, including nearly 1 in 5 high school students, youth e-cigarette use is rampant, and as kids return to school in personmany for the first time in 18 monthsthe problem could become even more serious. Through their collaboration, National PTA and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will develop resources for PTAs across the country to educate parents and support the elimination of flavored tobacco products, which surveys show are widely used by youth.

"Since our founding, PTA has been the conscience of the country when it comes to issues that affect children and youth. Our mission is to improve the education, health, safety and well-being of children and help them reach their fullest potential," said Anna King, president of National PTA. "This mission and our collaboration with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is more important than ever to protect our nation's youth."

As part of the effort and with support from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, National PTA will provide $10,000 in grant funding to local PTAs. Local PTAs will use the funding to host events for families in their school communities to help them learn about e-cigarette use among youth and what they can do to prevent their children from using e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. National PTA and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will also provide local PTAs with resources and advocacy tools to lead anti-tobacco efforts within their communities. Further, National PTA and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will survey parents and families to collect perspectives on parent, school and community impacts and experiences with tobacco use, with a focus on vaping and flavored tobacco.

"We are thrilled to partner with National PTA to provide resources needed to educate parents and teachers about the dangers and prevalence of youth tobacco use, with a particular focus on e-cigarettes," said Portia Reddick White, vice president of strategic partnerships at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We also look forward to working with parents and teachers to advocate for the policies needed to protect kids' health, including the elimination of flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. As National PTA is such a trusted resource for parents, this is a unique opportunity to broaden the coalition of advocates needed to address the continuing threats to our kids from tobacco use."

National PTA adopted a resolution on Electronic Cigarettes and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Individuals Under 21 in 2016. National PTA and PTAs nationwide have been advocating in support of legislation, regulation and/or other national, state and local measures to address the manufacturing of and ingredients in e-cigarettes and other ENDS; to prohibit the advertising, marketing and sale of e-cigarettes and other ENDS to individuals under the age of 21; and to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and other ENDS in public places and on school grounds. National PTA's collaboration with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids builds on the association's commitment to educating individuals under the age of 21, parents, school boards and local officials on the dangers of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.

"National PTA and PTAs nationwide work hard every day to solve problems facing our children, families and schools; bring knowledge, tools and resources into the everyday lives of families; raise our voices at the national, state and local levels; and make sure students are safe, healthy and have what they need to thrive," added Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director. "Addressing and protecting our nation's youth from e-cigarette use is an important part of this work."

About National PTA

National PTA comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.

About The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is the leading advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the United States and around the world. Through strategic communications and policy advocacy campaigns, Tobacco-Free Kids works to change public attitudes about tobacco and promote proven policies that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives.

SOURCE National PTA

Related Links

http://www.pta.org


GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Onion Global Limited ("Onion Global", the "Group" or the "Company") (NYSE: OG), a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable and future brands to young people in China and across Asia, today announced the launch of "ZIPLAB", the Group's first New Retail showroom in Guangzhou. ZIPLAB is positioned as a multi-super brand store presenting various fashion categories. ZIPLAB will create a completely fresh offline shopping experience to lead the "New Retail, New Way and New Consumption" concept and is divided into categories according to the characteristics of young people and their consumption habits. The store will implement the new retail concept of "Three to One", which entails in-store + online show + live broadcast experiences. The flagship store in Guangzhou is in the core shopping district, covering an area of over 350 square meters. Onion Global initially aims to display more than 200 popular brands in the store. The Group currently owns three ZIPLAB showrooms, one in Guangzhou and the other two in Hainan Province.

Expanding marketing channels to deepen brand image

China's online traffic has entered a red sea market with increasingly fierce competition. The country's new online users are gradually fading, leading to an increase in both the cost of acquiring traffic and monetization pressures for e-commerce platforms. Therefore, having an offline presence is an important complement to our user acquisition strategy. Onion Global is dedicated to the strategy of omni-channel marketing and incubation for brands, in which offline stores can provide a good brick-and-mortar marketing channel.

The ZIPLAB New Retail showroom is an important add-on measure for Onion Global to expand its existing sales channels from online to offline. It will help the Group build a closed-loop ecosystem for brand partners, and provide the opportunity for us to directly interact with consumers, increasing the feedback we receive for brand incubation and optimization. This will also help us improve our brand incubation capabilities and deepen our overall brand image.

It is also beneficial for the brands to have their own offline community to operate their omni-channel marketing strategy, which will help facilitate the initial phases of a brand launch and improve their overall growth prospects. Offline shopping experiences can meet the bespoke needs of consumers, thus improving brands repurchase rates and users' engagement. Ultimately, this will lead to more solidified partnerships between Onion Global and various brands.

Digitizing brand selection empowers offline stores

Boasting a strong brand database, Onion Global has in -depth cooperation with more than 4,000 brands from 43 countries and regions. The Group also has an extensive community with over 700,000 KOCs. With hundreds of millions of purchasing behavior data points and the KOC user interaction information, the Group can leverage the data to build precise models for brand incubation tools. Currently, ZIPLAB does not only showcase popular brands representing international fashion trends, but also some of the newly launch domestic fashion brands. ZIPLAB also showcases some niche overseas brands as well. Going forward, we can accurately make procurement decisions for the offline stores based on brand retention rate data in certain segments, and we can constantly iterate the mechanisms to predict the growth. This will ultimately help us replace unpopular brands and cherry-pick the best brands globally.

Mr. Cong (Kenny) Li, Founder and CEO of Onion Global, commented, "We remain fully committed to our mission of 'Becoming the Dream Factory of Lifestyle Brands,' and aim to provide a better lifestyle for the younger generation by increasing our efforts for new brand incubation and predicting consumption trends. The launch of ZIPLAB enables us to create a new marketing setting from online to offline while simultaneously elevating the synergies between consumers, products, and channels. The brand platforms focusing on new consumption trends represented by Onion Global will become an important force in leading the formation of a new pattern of domestic and international 'dual circulation'."

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, the Company's forecasts, general observation of the industry and business outlook, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "target," "aim," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "potential," "estimates" "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Onion Global's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Onion Global does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

About Onion Global Limited

Onion Global Limited (NYSE: OG) is a next-generation lifestyle brand platform that incubates, markets and distributes the world's fresh, fashionable and future brands, which we refer to as "3F brands," to young people in China and across Asia. The Company's mission is to be the dream factory of lifestyle brands for young people. The Company's platform offering an integrated solution to develop, market and distribute new and inspiring branded products, thereby reshaping the lifestyle shopping and consumer culture in China. Onion Global Limited has been listed on New York Stock Exchange since May 2021.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.msyc.com/.

Investor Relations Contact

In China:

Onion Global Ltd.

Investor Relations

E-mail: [email protected]

Christensen

Mr. Eric Yuan

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +86-10-5900-1548

In United States:

Christensen

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel: +1-480-614-3004

SOURCE Onion Global Limited

Related Links

http://ir.msyc.com/


MIAMI, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reisha Perlmutter is pleased to present an exhibition of new oil paintings featuring international champion free diver and muse Ashleigh Baird in the brilliant waters off of the Lucayan Archipelago in the northern West Indies.

"I was inspired to create a series about the connection to the natural world and the universal joy and sense of communion it gives us. The visual language of painting is an incredible mechanism of communication which transcends the barriers of psychological and physical isolation felt by so many," said Perlmutter.

30" x 48" oil on canvas 2021 by Reisha Perlmutter

In this exhibition, the artist and the viewer alike must breathe deeply as free diver model Baird escapes into a world beneath the surface, revealing an aquatic landscape of light and reflections. Through her mastery of breath and awareness of body, she has adapted to the ocean as home. Perlmutter describes this series of works as "inspired by the philosophy of Emerson's Self Reliance and the pursuit to know oneself," a collision of the force of the sea and a woman's strength in her command of the physical boundaries of her body.

This series explores the union of body and ocean as one visually through the value of figure and environment holding equal weight and realization in the works. A departure from the classic posturing of female models by male artists to objectify them, these paintings embrace the fluidity and spirit of the female body as it moves through the ocean. Perlmutter's ongoing feminist exploration of the body has created space for women to explore what it means to connect with and love the body they live within and celebrate the individuality of that expression.

Perlmutter for the first time has also produced and directed a series of short films to accompany the Paradise exhibition, allowing the audience to be transported to the crystalline waters and simultaneously to the saturated colors and creative nest of her studio.

ABOUT REISHA PERLMUTTER

Reisha Perlmutter was born in Naples, Florida, in 1990. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Between her undergraduate and graduate degrees, she attended residencies in Italy and France, focusing on traditional atelier studies. She completed her MFA from the New York Academy of Art with a concentration in figurative and anatomical painting.

Her work is best known for representational imagery of women and water, where she explores the relationship between body and environment as well as perceptions of beauty. Her work is collected and shown internationally. She has participated in museum shows domestically and internationally. Her work has also been shown at prestigious auction houses, including Christies and Sothebys in New York.

NOTES TO EDITORS

This is the artist's second direct to collector solo exhibition following up on the successful debut of 2020's SURFACE TENSION. Private in-person viewing available by appointment in Miami Beach, FL, Fall 2021, digital viewing room opens to the public online Sept. 20, 2021.

All images (c) Reisha Perlmutter courtesy of the artist.

For more information and additional images please contact DK Johnston: [email protected] 415.298.3475

INSTAGRAM @ReishaPerlmutter FACEBOOK @Reisha Perlmutter

Related Images

d-rive.jpg

Derive

30" x 48" oil on canvas 2021 by Reisha Perlmutter

photograph-of-the-artist.jpg

Photograph of the Artist

SOURCE Reisha Perlmutter
CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "People Counting System Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Type (Unidirectional, Bidirectional), Technology (Thermal Imaging, Video-Based), Offering, End-User (Retail Stores, Supermarkets, Shopping Malls), Region  Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the People Counting System Market size is projected to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2026 from an estimated USD 0.9 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2021 to 2026. The incorporation of people counting system for end users such as retail stores, supermarkets, and shopping malls, and transportation are among the factors driving the growth of the people counting system market.

Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=206905443

By type, the bidirectional segment is projected to hold the largest share of people counting system market during the forecast period

The market for bidirectional is expected to hold the largest share of people counting system market during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the advantages such as retail analytics, queue management, staff optimization, and space utilization. These people counting systems can identify whether a person is walking in or out of the entrance. They allow end users to count the number of visitors on a particular floor or zone, along with the direction they used to enter/exit. Sensors used in bidirectional people counting systems can scan areas 200 times/seconds, which allows them to work on the accuracy of more than 95%.

By technology, video-based technology is projected to witness the growth at highest CAGR during the forecast period

The video-based technology is projected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to significant demand for accuracy as this technology is capable of providing a more precise count of visitors compared to other technologies. These systems have a ~95% accuracy and can count in both directions; they may be linked with modern analytical systems that help end users with in-store analytics, dwell time measurement, queue management, etc.

By offering, the hardware segment is projected to hold the largest share of people counting system market during the forecast period

The offering segment is projected to hold the largest share of the people counting system market, during the forecast period. The capacity to gather more precise data necessary for giving an exact visitor count plays a crucial role in expanding the market for hardware offerings. Companies have been substantially investing in the development of additional technology that can operate in severe settings without affecting the efficiency of people counting systems.

Browse in-depth TOC on "People Counting System Market"

272  Tables

81  Figures

317  Pages

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=206905443

By end user, the retail stores, supermarkets, and shopping malls end user is projected to witness growth at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The retail stores, supermarkets, and shopping malls end user of the market is projected to record the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2026. The increased number of shopping malls in emerging nations such as Brazil, India, and China contributes to the growth of the people counting system market. Retailers can also benefit from people counting systems by obtaining key performance indicators (KPIs) that characterize their current business scenarios. Further, the top companies have been enhancing their product portfolios and cracking deals by signing agreements with various retail stores, shopping malls, and supermarkets to improve customer retention by adopting people counting systems.

By region, North America to hold the largest share of the people counting system market throughout the forecast period

North America is projected to account for the largest share of the overall people counting system market in 2026. The increased adoption of people counters in the region is attributed to the existence of technologically advanced retail stores and shopping malls, stadiums, banks, and amusement parks. It is also predicted to grow at a considerably high rate due to the presence of a significant number of airports that require visitor counting and tracking solutions. Further, some major players such as InfraRed Integrated Systems Ltd (IRISYS), RetailNext, and Teledyne FLIR LLC are headquartered in North America which spur the growth of the market.

Integrated Systems Ltd (IRISYS) (US); Sensormatic Solutions (US); RetailNext (US); HELLA Aglaia Mobile Vision GmbH (Germany); V-Count (Turkey); FootfallCam (UK); Eurotech (Italy); Axiomatic Technology Ltd. (UK), DILAX Intelcom GmbH (Germany); IEE S.A. (Luxembourg); SensMax Ltd (Latvia); are some of the key players in the people counting system market.

Key Market Players:

Apple (US), Microsoft (US), IBM (US), Alphabet (US), Amazon (US), Sensory (US), CANTAB Research (UK), Baidu (China), iFLYTEK (China) and SESTEK (Turkey) are among the key players operating in the speech and voice recognition market.

Related Reports:

Automated Passenger Counting System Market with COVID-19 Impact, by Technology (IR, ToF, Stereoscopic Vision), Passenger Information System Market by Type (Display System, Mobile Applications), Application and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

Smart Retail Market by System (Smart Payment Systems, Intelligent Vending Machines), Application (Foot-traffic Monitoring, Inventory Management), Retail Offering (Fast-moving Consumer Goods, Hardlines & Leisure Goods), & Geography - Global Forecast to 2025

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/people-counting-system-market.asp

Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/people-counting-system.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
SHANGHAI, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 24, Qeeka Home (01739.HK, operator of Jia.com in China) (the "Company"), a SaaS enabled solution platform serving China's interior design and construction sectors, released its H1 2021 financial results. For the first half year of 2021, the Company's total revenues increased by 66.5% year-over-year to 524 million RMB (approx. US$81 million), while revenue from the SaaS and Extended Services business rose by 38.4% to 309 million RMB. Adjusted net profit attributable to shareholders improved to 20.54 million RMB, up 286.3% year on year.

The solid growth in revenue was attributed to Qeeka Home's implementation of its SaaS strategy, which assisted home improvement and interior design firms in adapting to industry changes and in embracing new industrial forms. The roll-out of the strategy helped the home improvement sector recover, while significantly enhancing the Company's operational efficiency. "Aggressive and effective empowerment initiatives have helped us to increase the amount of business we receive from our active paying merchants and enhance their stickiness, as well as significantly heighten our appeal to the home improvement firms and interior designers that have not yet registered on our platform," said Qeeka Home chairman and CEO Deng Huajin.

Revenue from the main business grew 38.4%, with SaaS services as the core driver

As one of the largest service platforms serving China's home improvement sector, Jia.com continued the roll-out of its SaaS service platform strategy, providing home improvement firms with comprehensive business solutions covering marketing, supply chain procurement and SaaS services, helping them to improve their core competitiveness in terms of marketing, branding and supply chain, to precisely target potential customers, reduce costs and increase efficiency, while empowering them to expand efficiently.

During the first half of 2021, the minor COVID-19 outbreaks in China nevertheless impacted industrial production and people's daily lives. Against this backdrop, the digital transformation of virtually every industry in China became an inevitable "must do". For a long time, the home improvement and interior design sectors, due to their inherent nature, had been characterized by many pain points such as low access threshold, long industry chain, great dependence on offline delivery and difficulties in standardization and transformation. The pandemic hit home improvement firms that had not yet started their digital transformation hard, leaving them struggling or even experiencing negative growth.

Having been a player in the home improvement and interior design sectors for many years, Qeeka Home has collected a massive amount of industry data and practical experience by virtue of having served tens of thousands of firms. This has led Qeeka Home to be a driver in improving the efficiency of the industry by empowering the digital upgrade of the firms. The Company supports across-the-board digital upgrades of home improvement firms covering all chains, providing a practical path for the firms to cope with the COVID-19 crisis and realize rapid transformation.

The interim report shows that Qeeka Home's businesses currently consist of two main segments - SaaS and Extended Service Business as well as Interior Design, Construction and other Business. The SaaS and Extended Service Business segment is further broken down into sub-segments including SaaS, Marketing Services and Supply Chain Service. As the Company's core business, the SaaS and Extended Service Business booked revenue of 309 million RMB for the first half, up 38.4% year-on-year. SaaS subscription fees reached 15.33 million RMB, up 52.5% year-on-year, while marketing revenue rose to 265 million RMB, up 38.8%.

Qeeka Home said that the solid growth was mainly driven by the increase in revenue from the SaaS and Extended Service Business due to the increase in the number of active paying merchants, and by the continuous optimization and adjustment in the Company's internal structure. This has improved the organizational and operational capabilities of the team and resulted in significant cost reduction and efficiency gains. At the end of the first half of 2021, the number of new paying merchants on the platform had climbed to 1,082, with a merchant retention rate of 93%, a testament to the company's sound growth.

With the gradual increase in the industry-wide digitalization rate, Qeeka Home's SaaS-enabled strategy began to serve as the industry's digital infrastructure, providing a one-stop solution to the home improvement firms that need to digitize their marketing, operation and supply chain services. Meanwhile, the strategy also became Qeeka Home's core growth driver.

Active paying merchants increase by 33.8%: improving industrial efficiency through digitalization

China's home improvement and interior design market is valued at some trillion RMB, with demand for home improvement and the outfitting of new homes remaining stable. According to the 2020 China Internet Home Improvement Industry Report published by Fastdata, the overall size of the market in 2020 had reached 2.61 trillion RMB. Despite the market's massive size, the Matthew Effect of accumulated advantage in the industry is obvious. The digitalization rate is low, with only 9.7% of transactions happening online and only 19.2% of the firms having undertaken or in the process of digitalizing. As a result, actively embracing digital transformation has become a consensus across the industry.

As a professional service platform serving the industry, Qeeka Home, by grasping the opportunities brought about by the industry's ongoing digital transformation, has adjusted and optimized its own development logic and service system. The Company has also put further focus on integrated SaaS solutions for home improvement firms based on SaaS subscription services, which are synergistically empowered by marketing services, supply chain procurement and innovative value-added services. In other words, Qeeka Home hopes to use its rich big data and technology-enabled capabilities to help home improvement firms solve the operational inefficiency and frequent inability to truly compete due to the lack of digitalized operations.

Qeeka has assumed a leadership role in the provision of home improvement and interior design SaaS solutions. As for digital marketing, Qeeka Home has not only collected a huge number of sales leads, but also helped home improvement and interior design firms achieve efficient transformation by optimizing big data matching, building a high-quality home improvement content ecosystem, upgrading user protection plans and creating live streaming tools.

In terms of supply chain empowerment, Qeeka Home has joined forces with many high-quality building materials brands in China and abroad, to create a comprehensive supply chain covering main materials, accessories and soft furnishings, helping the firms procure products via digital means, greatly reducing back-end procurement costs and improving procurement efficiency. Enhanced offerings have also become another venue for attracting new customers.

Digital marketing and supply chain empowerment can better help home improvement firms reduce costs and increase efficiency, and Qeeka Home's innovative value-added services can better help these firms improve service quality and establish a good brand image, enhancing their ability to provide superior services. Qeeka Home's special services include the Qijia Bao consumer protection plan and the Merchant Service Integrity Alliance. The Qijia Bao consumer protection plan is so well known across the industry that it is often referred to as the sector's "Alipay" (China's leading merchant payment solutions provider), and has become a standard service that protects the rights and interests of users on the Jia.com platform. The Merchant Service Integrity Alliance requires the firms in the Alliance to meet credible service standards by setting up dynamic labels.

Both the Qijia Bao consumer protection plan and the Merchant Service Integrity Alliance both act as incentives for merchants to strive to provide excellent service process and quality, protecting shoppers' interests. After years of iteration and optimization, all of Qeeka Home's special services have matured and earned good reputations. Qeeka Home empowers merchants with its good brand image and standardized services, which not only strengthens the shoppers' trust in the merchants, but also enhances the merchants' capabilities.

Data shows that the number of active paying merchants on the Jia.com platform increased by 33.8% to 5,667 during the first half of 2021. The merchant loss rate dropped by half while the retention rate was further improved. The 93% retention rate is the result of the merchants' satisfaction with Qeeka Home's services. Home improvement firms that opt for digital transformation are the direct beneficiaries of Qeeka Home's SaaS empowerment strategy, while the improvement in the competitiveness and service quality of the firms will ultimately benefit consumers and do wonders for the user experience.

Qeeka Home plans to continue consolidating its position as the most impactful home improvement SaaS service provider in China, while continuing to expand its partnerships with merchants based on its SaaS strategy, in a move to further improve merchant retention rate, help home improvement firms improve their services and management capabilities, further reduce costs and increase efficiency, and enhance user experience.

About Qeeka Home



Qeeka Home (01739.HK, domestic operator of Jia.com) is one of the largest SaaS enabled solution platforms in Interior Design & Construction (IDC) Industry in China. The company provides marketing service, supply chain service and other innovative value-added services to thousands of IDC service providers through the SaaS platform. Qeeka also operates several well-known IDC brands in China and provides consumers with capital protection and independent inspection services. Qeeka Home was founded in 2007 and listed on the main board of HKSE on 2018.

For more information, please contact:



Qeeka Home CFO

Mr. Leo Kang

Phone: (+86) 021-61740163

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Qeeka Home
HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend to stockholders of $0.06 per share. The dividend is payable on October 15, 2021, to stockholders of record as of October 1, 2021.

About Quanta Services

Quanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering comprehensive infrastructure solutions for the utility, communications, pipeline and energy industries. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining energy and communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope. For more information, visit www.quantaservices.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release (and any oral statements regarding the subject matter of this press release) contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations regarding the declaration, amount or timing of any future dividends; expectations regarding Quanta's business or financial outlook; and Quanta's ability to deliver increased value or return capital to stockholders; as well as statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, involve or rely on a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict or are beyond our control, and reflect management's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements are made. We caution you that actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted by our forward-looking statements and that any or all of our forward-looking statements may turn out to be inaccurate or incorrect. Forward-looking statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and by known or unknown risks and uncertainties , including, among others, market, industry, economic, financial or political conditions outside of the control of Quanta, quarterly variations in operating results, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows, capital requirements, reinvestment opportunities or other financial results; the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; trends and growth opportunities in relevant markets; requirements relating to dividends under Delaware law and the credit agreement for Quanta's senior credit facility; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Quanta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020, Quanta's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended Mar. 31, 2021 and Jun. 30, 2021 and any other documents that Quanta files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Quanta's documents filed with the SEC that are available through the company's website at www.quantaservices.com or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Quanta does not undertake and expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Quanta further expressly disclaims any written or oral statements made by any third party regarding the subject matter of this press release.

Investors - Kip Rupp, CFA, IRC

Quanta Services, Inc.

(713) 341-7260

SOURCE Quanta Services, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.quantaservices.com


Results Presented at ESC 2021 Show Micra TPS Compares Favorably to Traditional Pacemakers

DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced new data from the Micra Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) Study, the largest evaluation of leadless pacemakers to date, which showed the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) was associated with a 38% reduction in reinterventions and a 31% reduction in chronic complications at 2-years compared with traditional transvenous (TV-VVI) pacemakers. The data were presented virtually today in a late-breaking trials presentation at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2021.

"There is considerable evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of leadless pacemakers, but limited data evaluating their long-term outcomes compared to traditional pacemakers in a real-world setting," said Jonathan P. Piccini, M.D., associate professor of medicine and director of cardiac electrophysiology at Duke University Medical Center. "The results from this study further support the connection of a lower risk of complications with leadless pacing compared with traditional transvenous single chamber pacing. These data should help guide physicians as they determine the best pacing options for their patients."

The Micra CED study is a continuously enrolling, observational, cohort study evaluating claims-based complications, utilization and outcomes of Micra TPS in the U.S. Medicare fee-for-service population. It is the first study to use Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative claims data to evaluate clinical outcomes of leadless pacing in the real-world setting and compare outcomes to a contemporaneous cohort of patients implanted with transvenous-VVI pacemakers.

The CED study used statistical adjustment to account for differences in patient characteristics at baseline. Although Micra patients had more co-morbidities than transvenous VVI patients, the adjusted results showed patients with Micra had significantly fewer reinterventions compared to patients with TV-VVI devices (Micra 3.1% vs. TV-VVI 4.9%; adj. P=0.003) including significantly fewer system revisions, device removals, and upgrades to cardiac resynchronization therapy. Micra TPS patients also had significantly fewer chronic complications at 2-years (Micra 4.6% vs TV-VVI 6.5%; adj. HR 0.69, 95% CI: 0.60-0.81, P<0.0001). Although Micra patients had more comorbidities than transvenous-VVI patients, there was no difference in adjusted all-cause mortality at 2-years compared to the transvenous comparator population (adj. HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.91-1.04, P=0.37).

Researchers evaluated 6,219 patients implanted with Micra VR TPS and 10,212 patients implanted with traditional TV-VVI pacemakers; they compared system reinterventions, chronic complications, and all-cause mortality at 2-years after implant. Overall, patients implanted with Micra TPS were sicker (with a greater comorbidity burden) than TV-VVI patients, with higher rates of end stage renal disease (ESRD) (12.0% vs. 2.3%) and renal dysfunction (48.8% vs. 42.1%), and a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score (5.1 vs. 4.6).

"As part of our commitment to improving outcomes for patients needing pacing therapy, we embraced the opportunity to evaluate our devices in a real-world setting," said Rob Kowal, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of the Cardiac Rhythm Management business, which is part of the Cardiovascular Portfolio at Medtronic. "The results presented at ESC further reinforce the significant advantages of leadless pacemakers and support earlier findings that show a reduced risk of complications with Micra TPS. These data should assist physicians and patients to select the most appropriate, individualized pacing option to meet their goals."

Micra TPS is the only leadless pacing system available globally. Recently, Medtronic announced that more than 100,000 patients have received a Micra device worldwide.

About the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS)

Micra TPS is a leadless pacemaker option for patients who only require pacing in the right ventricle. Comparable in size to a large vitamin, Micra is less than one-tenth the size of traditional pacemakers yet delivers advanced pacing technology to patients via a minimally invasive approach. During the implant procedure, the device is attached to the heart with small tines and delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device.

Unlike traditional pacemakers, Micra does not require leads or a surgical "pocket" under the skin, so potential sources of complications related to leads and pockets are eliminated - as are any visible signs of the device.

Micra received CE Mark in 2015 and was approved by the FDA in 2016.

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. Medtronic strives to offer products and services of the highest quality that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc ( www.medtronic.com ), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies  alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

Contacts:





Ryan Mathre Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-651-335-2338 +1-763-505-4626

SOURCE Medtronic plc

Related Links

http://www.medtronic.com


LOMPOC, Calif., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation, a national nonprofit advocacy organization, today called on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to step in and make changes to a planned wild horse helicopter roundup on the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area in Colorado.

"With the private sector struggling with hay availability, prices, wildfires and drought, this is not the right time for the Bureau of Land Management to target these smaller wild horse populations -- especially those that are easily trackable, with very young foals on the ground, and that have had a more than five-year investment in a fertility control program," said Neda DeMayo, president of Return to Freedom.

"This is an opportunity to highlight an important partnership between nonprofits and the BLM, and to show how appropriate compromise can be done effectively even when climate and range conditions must and should be prioritized."

Last year, volunteers darted 300 mares on the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area with safe, proven and humane fertility control. This has been a significant investment of time and resources. The mares in the program should be returned to their home range.

The Bureau of Land Management plans to permanently remove 733 of the estimated 896 wild horses from Colorado's beloved Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area herd in a helicopter roundup set to run Sept. 1-27.

While RTF recognizes the concerns about forage, photos and videos taken this month show the horses looking healthy and recent rains have alleviated concerns about lack of water.

Specifically, RTF is urging that the BLM:

Reduce the number of wild horses to be removed; work with volunteer organizations to remove fewer horses based on predicted outcomes which could be achieved with increasing and/or continued darting;

Booster and release, if captured, any of the 300 mares that last year were treated with fertility control and maintain accurate, transparent data;

Ensure that all mares rereleased are at least started on the PZP fertility control vaccine so in future they would only need a booster (note: a percentage will not respond to the vaccine);

Replace plans for a helicopter gather with a bait-and-trap gather because of concerns about horses and foals, in particular, being run over rough terrain and keeping family band structures intact;

Focus removals on adoptable horses between the ages of 2-5 years old to increase successful adoptions to well-screened adopters, allowing older mature horses to live out their lives on the range.

Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation (RTF ) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to wild horse preservation through sanctuary, education, conservation, and advocacy since 1998. It also operates the American Wild Horse Sanctuary at three California locations, caring for 500 wild horses and burros. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram for updates about wild horses and burros on the range and at our sanctuary.

SOURCE Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation

Related Links

https://returntofreedom.org


As the destination for emerging and established designers for the next generation consumer, REVOLVE brings its curated assortment to life, making its debut at NYFW with a visually-stunning, interactive and elevated experience with 13 specially selected designers. Set in a 17,000 square-foot space, each brand will have a designated room transformed to reflect the vision and inspiration for the brand's collection designed exclusively for REVOLVE. This museum-like exhibition will highlight each brand, and in true REVOLVE style, will immerse attendees in inspirational content, compel them to capture content at every turn, share on social media, and inspire them to shop. Attendees can shop on site via the REVOLVE Gallery IRL pop-up shop presented by Afterpay or via QR code and will also be available for immediate purchase on REVOLVE.com .

"Our mission is to always offer the most premium product from brands we know our customers will love, with a shopping experience that inspires discovery. With the new REVOLVE Gallery concept, we're offering our customers the opportunity to interact with our brands in an exciting, elevated setting that really brings that experience to life," says REVOLVE Co-Founder and Co-CEO Mike Karanikolas.

REVOLVE Gallery will host a private invite-only reception on September 9 for VIPs, influencers, and media, and will open to the public on September 10 and 11 from 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm daily. Guests can RSVP for appointments via www.revolve.com/content/NYFashionWeek starting August 26, 2021, 9AM EST. Guests will enter through 375 10th Avenue, New York, NY, 10001 (cross streets 10th Ave & 31st St). Proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 72 hours (3 days) of attending REVOLVE Gallery must be shown prior to entry. Masks will be required by attendees.

REVOLVE GALLERY BRANDS FEATURED:

Afterpay - Afterpay is the presenting partner for Gallery IRL pop-up shop and the exclusive payment partner of REVOLVE during NYFW. In collaboration with Afterpay, REVOLVE will be running a social sweepstakes where two lucky fans will be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the next REVOLVE Festival.

- Afterpay is the presenting partner for IRL pop-up shop and the exclusive payment partner of REVOLVE during NYFW. In collaboration with Afterpay, REVOLVE will be running a social sweepstakes where two lucky fans will be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the next REVOLVE Festival. Bronx and Banco - The Bronx and Banco collection pulls together strong yet lustrous elements including metal and glass in an assortment of sensually fluid silhouettes. The presentation will draw inspiration from a futuristic Tokyo scene with bright colors and giant lightbox displays.

- The and Banco collection pulls together strong yet lustrous elements including metal and glass in an assortment of sensually fluid silhouettes. The presentation will draw inspiration from a futuristic scene with bright colors and giant lightbox displays. Cotton - Cotton Incorporated is a not-for-profit founded in 1970 and funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers to support the global cotton industry through research and promotion of cotton. The brand behind The Fabric of Our Lives will host an educational and experiential presentation on cotton sustainability and fashion, while showcasing cotton fabrics with iconic looks from various brands found in The Cotton Shop at REVOLVE. The presentation will link the brand's core ethos and inspire the use of and desire for all things cotton.

- Cotton Incorporated is a not-for-profit founded in 1970 and funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers to support the global cotton industry through research and promotion of cotton. The brand behind will host an educational and experiential presentation on cotton sustainability and fashion, while showcasing cotton fabrics with iconic looks from various brands found in The Cotton Shop at REVOLVE. The presentation will link the brand's core ethos and inspire the use of and desire for all things cotton. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty - As REVOLVE's official makeup sponsor, Charlotte Tilbury will debut a custom exhibit room that transports attendees straight to the red carpet. Enjoy your own supermodel moment in front of Charlotte's megawatt camera installation and discover the brand's Super Nudes makeup collection, inspired by the '90s supermodel era.

- As REVOLVE's official makeup sponsor, will debut a custom exhibit room that transports attendees straight to the red carpet. Enjoy your own supermodel moment in front of Charlotte's megawatt camera installation and discover the brand's Super Nudes makeup collection, inspired by the '90s supermodel era. Chillhouse - Chillhouse, the destination for modern self-care, will be the official nail service sponsor for REVOLVE Gallery .

- Chillhouse, the destination for modern self-care, will be the official nail service sponsor for REVOLVE . Eaves - With a minimalist, neutral space, the Eaves room will create a calm, meditative space with organic shapes and textures as well as a multimedia installation to display the collection.

- With a minimalist, neutral space, the Eaves room will create a calm, meditative space with organic shapes and textures as well as a multimedia installation to display the collection. Farai London - Redefining womenswear, Farai London , produces adventurous bold and empowering pieces. Their room creates a Miami Vice fantasy, showcasing a retro, technicolor atmosphere.

- Redefining womenswear, , produces adventurous bold and empowering pieces. Their room creates a Miami Vice fantasy, showcasing a retro, technicolor atmosphere. For Love & Lemons - The set design inspiration draws from Soul Train and Studio 54 with bright lights and big energy. Step into the For Love & Lemons disco where you'll find a superstellar, glowy fantasy.

- The set design inspiration draws from Soul Train and Studio 54 with bright lights and big energy. Step into the For Love & Lemons disco where you'll find a superstellar, glowy fantasy. GHD - The official hair sponsor for Gallery , adored by stylists and celebrities, will provide flawless salon styles for each of the REVOLVE models.

- The official hair sponsor for , adored by stylists and celebrities, will provide flawless salon styles for each of the REVOLVE models. Hims & Hers - The official wellness partner of Gallery . Hims & Hers mission is to provide a digital front door to a new kind of healthcare system, one that provides greater access to high quality, convenient and affordable care. No matter who a person is, where they come from, what they look like, or if they have insurance or notHims & Hers connects consumers with licensed medical professionals and enables everyone to seek health and wellness care.

- The official wellness partner of . Hims & Hers mission is to provide a digital front door to a new kind of healthcare system, one that provides greater access to high quality, convenient and affordable care. No matter who a person is, where they come from, what they look like, or if they have insurance or notHims & Hers connects consumers with licensed medical professionals and enables everyone to seek health and wellness care. House of Harlow 1960 - Nicole Richie's House of Harlow 1960 will create a room to transport consumers into a mythical forest of natural beauty. The collection itself was inspired by 1970's Lux Lounge with an afterhours glamour feel mixed with notes of bohemian textures, prints and colors. Nicole imagines what it would be like to bring those elements into the forest by combining moody Hollywood glamour with Earth's natural rich palettes of ochres, rusts and olive greens to ground the collection.

- House of Harlow 1960 will create a room to transport consumers into a mythical forest of natural beauty. The collection itself was inspired by 1970's Lux Lounge with an afterhours glamour feel mixed with notes of bohemian textures, prints and colors. Nicole imagines what it would be like to bring those elements into the forest by combining moody glamour with Earth's natural rich palettes of ochres, rusts and olive greens to ground the collection. Lovers + Friends - This presentation will exhibit retro femme future with highly curated design and shapes that will be truly pleasing to the eye. The pink pastel and futuristic design elements create a sleek, sophisticated and minimalistic space.

- This presentation will exhibit retro femme future with highly curated design and shapes that will be truly pleasing to the eye. The pink pastel and futuristic design elements create a sleek, sophisticated and minimalistic space. LoveShackFancy - The LoveShackFancy collection is rich in detail, flattering silhouettes, soft hues, and intricate lace which will be reflected throughout their presentation. LoveShackFancy will display an enchanting vintage-inspired romantic setting, evoking fields of lavender to delight your senses.

- The LoveShackFancy collection is rich in detail, flattering silhouettes, soft hues, and intricate lace which will be reflected throughout their presentation. LoveShackFancy will display an enchanting vintage-inspired romantic setting, evoking fields of lavender to delight your senses. LPA - LPA Creative Director, Pia Baroncini's vision of a Sicilian village is brought to life in her LPA brand display. The living tableau will reflect a quintessential Italian village square complete with lemon trees, outdoor tables, and plenty of Casa Italiana influence.

- LPA Creative Director, vision of a Sicilian village is brought to life in her LPA brand display. The living tableau will reflect a quintessential Italian village square complete with lemon trees, outdoor tables, and plenty of Casa Italiana influence. Ronny Kobo - A mirrored maze will contain the Ronny Kobo collection, best known for standout prints, upscale versatility, and timeless silhouettes. Like a giant mirrored vanity, this room will reflect high-fashion and a concept crafted to perfection.

- A mirrored maze will contain the Ronny Kobo collection, best known for standout prints, upscale versatility, and timeless silhouettes. Like a giant mirrored vanity, this room will reflect high-fashion and a concept crafted to perfection. SET Active - Evocative of a contemporary art museum, the SET Active room will showcase an interactive video installation, deconstructed product display and fluorescent tubes of light.

- Evocative of a contemporary art museum, the SET Active room will showcase an interactive video installation, deconstructed product display and fluorescent tubes of light. Tell Your Friends - With sunset silhouettes and deep shadows, the Tell Your Friends room will draw inspiration from rolling hills and ornamental grass incorporating the beauty of nature and celebration of life.

@REVOLVE

#REVOLVEGallery

About Revolve Group, Inc.

Revolve Group, Inc. (RVLV) is the next-generation fashion retailer for Millennial and Generation Z consumers. As a trusted, premium lifestyle brand, and a go-to online source for discovery and inspiration, we deliver an engaging customer experience from a vast yet curated offering of apparel, footwear, accessories, and beauty styles. Our dynamic platform connects a deeply engaged community of millions of consumers, thousands of global fashion influencers, and hundreds of emerging, established, and owned brands.

We were founded in 2003 by our co-CEOs, Michael Mente and Mike Karanikolas. We sell merchandise through two complementary segments, REVOLVE and FORWARD, that leverage one platform. Through REVOLVE, we offer an assortment of premium apparel and footwear, accessories, and beauty products from emerging established and owned brands. Through FORWARD, we offer a highly curated assortment of iconic and emerging luxury brands. For more information, visit www.revolve.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains ''forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical or current fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements about future multi-brand fashion showcases and pop-up shop customer experiences. Forward-looking statements include statements containing words such as "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results or outcomes and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; demand for our products; general economic conditions; our ability to react to customers in a cost effective manner; the strength of our brand; competition; system interruptions; our ability to fulfill orders; and other risks and uncertainties included under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

SOURCE REVOLVE Group, Inc.
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger (NYSE: KR) Mid-Atlantic Division associates in the Richmond/Hampton Roads bargaining unit have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement between the company and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 400.

Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division will invest $27 million in wage increases and benefits during the three-year term of this new agreement.

"We are pleased we could reach this agreement to support our Richmond/Hampton Roads area associates and our company. Under the terms of the new agreement, associates will receive significant pay increases, affordable and comprehensive health care, and continued investment in their pension fund," said Lori Raya, president of the Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division. "The new agreement comes after thoughtful and productive work by both the company and the union bargaining committees. We thank our associates for ratifying the agreement and for the excellent service they provide for our customers every day."

The new collective bargaining agreement covers more than 2,900 associates working at 21 stores in Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Tidewater in eastern Virginia.

About Kroger Mid-Atlantic Division:

Kroger's Mid-Atlantic Division operates food stores, pharmacies and fuel centers in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. We are dedicated to Kroger's Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit and to create #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Minority Health Association (NMHA) recently launched the "Flex for Checks" program to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations through a monetized reward program. With assistance from an $11.1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the program is intended to help mobilize health care workers and expedite vaccines for the overall safety of our country. Right at Home, a global in-home care organization with over 35,000 caregivers nationwide, is focused on helping the NMHA do just that.

"What the NMHA has put together is truly remarkable," said Kerin Zuger, Chief of Strategic Growth for Right at Home. "Right at Home is dedicated to doing whatever we can to support getting home care professionals back to work, and putting an end to the devastation clients, caregivers and the country has endured."

The Flex for Checks program is set up to reward home care agencies and their workers and clients for getting vaccinated and encouraging other community members to do the same. The more people a participant of the program encourages to get vaccinated, the larger financial reward the participant receives.

"The deep experience and tremendous talents of our agency partners are crucial to the deployment of our Flex for Checks program," said Burgess Harrison, Executive Director, NMHA. "Nothing like this has been done before in the manner where home care agencies, workers, consumers, pharmacies and software companies come together and flex their arms in the fight of our lives against COVID-19."

Unvaccinated home care workers are eligible to receive $75 per shot to get vaccinated and $25 per shot thereafter. Non-home care workers are eligible to receive up to $50 per shot. Beyond that, any participant or agency can receive an additional $25 for anyone they encourage to register and get vaccinated. "For those living on limited income, this may be just the incentive they need," said Zuger.

The NMHA is also offering toolkits, training and support to provide answers and unbiased information from reputable sources, so home care business owners can speak confidently to their staffs.

For additional information on how to participate in this program, please visit www.flexforchecks.org.

About Right at Home: Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities who want to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff. Each caregiver is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured before entering a client's home. Right at Home's global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 600 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries. For more information on Right at Home, visit www.rightathome.net or read the Right at Home blog at www.rightathome.net/blog.

About the NMHA: The National Minority Health Association, founded in 1988 by Dr. David L. Dalton, Chairman, and CEO, UNIVEC Conglomerate, Inc. (UNVC), achieved its initial mission of ensuring the establishment of Offices of Minority Health in all 50 states. Today the NMHA is adding to its mission and deploying new programs that utilize patient-centered, value-based care, and new ways of enhancing care to patients where they are, lowering costs, and improving outcomes for minority and underserved communities. To find out more, visit www.theNMHA.org. Become a member of the NMHA Health Equity Action Leaders network (HEAL) and join the fight for health equity.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lauren Turner

Mainland

312.526.3996

[email protected]

SOURCE Right at Home

Related Links

http://www.rightathome.net


TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PROTEOR USA today announced RUSH ROGUE 2, a new PDAC Verified vertical shock fiberglass prosthetic foot. RUSH ROGUE 2, built off the success of the original RUSH ROGUE design, provides K3/K4 amputees optimal vertical shock relief and axial rotation decreasing impact on the residual limb and socket for maximum comfort and energy return; its slimmer profile and lighter weight reduces fatigue during daily life and high impact activities.

RUSH ROGUE 2

"RUSH ROGUE 2 is a game changer; the added vertical shock absorption and axial rotation gives patients a high energy returning foot that is also lightweight with a slim profile," says Matt Swiggum, President and CEO at PROTEOR USA. "This is just the beginning; more exciting products from PROTEOR USA are coming soon. #HumanFirst."

Key features and benefits of the RUSH ROGUE 2 include:

- Redesigned Vertical Shock Rotator is 32% smaller in volume for a slimmer profile

- Reduced overall product weight by 10.5% decreasing fatigue during activities

- Increased vertical shock absorption by 240% reducing impact forces on the residual limb

- Added 88% more axial rotation reducing socket pressure while increasing comfort

RUSH ROGUE 2 received PDAC Verification for the traditional foot module (L5987 + L5984), RUSH ROGUE 2 H2O water solution (L5987 + L5984), and RUSH ROGUE 2 EVAQ8 elevated vacuum system (L5987 + L5984 + L5781).

July 1, 2021, RUSH ROGUE 2 replaced the original RUSH ROGUE. For more information on RUSH ROGUE 2, visit https://www.proteorusa.com/rogue2.

About PROTEOR USA

PROTEOR USA, a subsidiary of PROTEOR France, is comprised of three trusted brands that include PROTEOR France, RUSH Foot (previously Ability Dynamics), and Freedom Innovations who are in constant pursuit of innovation with the best possible outcomes in mind. Committed to developing the most comprehensive product portfolio in the Orthotic & Prosthetic industry by putting the #HumanFirst and delivering extensive and progressive product lines to include everything today's prosthetic wearer needs to LIVE THE LIFE THEY LOVE.

Media Contact:

Shannon Dwyer

PROTEOR USA

[email protected]

949.383.9233

SOURCE PROTEOR USA
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, announces the successful recruitment of its 14th breakaway team (and ninth from Merrill Lynch) this year as it welcomes Cape Rock Private Wealth to its network of partnered independent firms. With $150 million in assets under management and based in Jackson, Missouri, Cape Rock is led by Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor Justin Martini who had been with Merrill Lynch as Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager since 2005.

"As Sanctuary continues to expand into more markets around the country, Cape Rock Private Wealth marks our second partner in Missouri," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "Our network already has partners in 20 states with offices on both coasts and we expect to add significant new territories soon. We've enjoyed phenomenal growth since our launch less than three years ago because of the strength of our platform, which is one of the reasons why Sanctuary is becoming the destination of choice for advisors like Justin who have decades ahead of them in this industry."

"I've wanted to work on my own for a long time because it gives me a lot more flexibility in terms of what I'm able to do for clients," explained Justin Martini, Managing Director, Senior Wealth Advisor, Cape Rock Private Wealth. "Sanctuary's hybrid platform gives me a lot in terms of oversight, compliance, technology and a broad range of solutions that I wouldn't have if I went completely independent. Sanctuary provides the support I've grown accustomed to, but the independence to run my business the way I want to run it."

Justin Martini began his financial services career in 1998 and later joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where he spent the last 16 years. His successful wealth management practice is made up of a small number of high-net-worth clients, a business model that allows him to provide individualized advice that helps his clients achieve their financial goals. He is a graduate of Southeastern Missouri State University and lives on a small farm near Cape Girardeau with his wife, and two children.



"Justin is just the latest next gen advisor who has discovered that partnered independence with Sanctuary Wealth will allow him to build a business that will stand the test of time," said Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth. "His business model is based on building strong advisor/client relationships that allow him to provide individualized advice that helps his clients achieve their long-term financial goals. As a partner in our network, he has access to a much wider range of investment solutions and best in class technology that will allow him to do more for his existing clients while also growing his practice to the next level."

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms across 20 states with over $17.0 billion in assets under advisement. The Sanctuary Wealth Group includes the fully owned subsidiaries Sanctuary Advisors, a registered investment adviser, and the broker-dealer Sanctuary Securities, as well as Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Tax and Family Office.

CONTACT:

Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

[email protected]

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Founding Partner and Adult, Child, and Adolescent psychiatrist at Nevada Mental Health & Healthy Minds, Dr. Khurana provides high-quality, evidence-based, and patient-centered psychiatric services in the outpatient clinic. The group provides Psychiatry for Intensive Outpatient (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), and the Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Dr. Khurana works with multiple organizations to resolve issues in relation to Mental Health Programming, Staffing, Service Delivery, Operations, and Management. Dr. Khurana also teaches medical students, residents, and Fellows for the University of Nevada and Touro University.



Sapandeep Khurana, MD, FAPA, DFAACAP

With 20 years of experience as a physician, Dr. Khurana believes in treating all patients with the care that he would provide a friend or family member. This means taking time with patients and having the Medical Staff supervised by double board-certified psychiatrists. He practices using the biopsychosocial model of psychiatric disorders and applies elements of cognitive behavioral therapy during his medication management visits. He specializes in treating PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety problems, and childhood-onset issues like ADHD, Autism, and other neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders. He believes that the earlier a child is provided with quality mental health care, the fewer problems they will experience later in life.



He completed medical school from the Government Medical College in Amritsar, India, and worked in cardiothoracic surgery in India before moving to the United States. He then attended Graduate school for Masters in Behavioral Science at San Diego State University. He then completed a Psychiatric residency and Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, where he also served as Chief Fellow in his last year.



He has been awarded for his years of diligent work with the Humanitarian Award and the Leadership Award during his training at the University of Virginia. To stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the field, he is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.



He maintains an active affiliation with the AMA, and is the President-Elect for the Nevada Psychiatric Association.



Dr. Khurana would like to dedicate this recognition to his parents, his wife of 9 years, Mrs. Elizabeth Khurana, and their two children together, as well as to his teachers and mentors at the University of Virginia.



For more information, please visit www.nevadamentalhealth.com.

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


WRIGHT CITY, Mo., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- School bus workers at Ecco Ride in Wright City, Mo. have voted overwhelmingly in favor of an excellent three-year contract that will significantly improve wages for drivers and monitors represented by Teamsters Local 610.

In addition to a significant wage increase over the next three years, the new collective bargaining agreement includes a number of improvements  increases in daily guarantees, new health care benefits, 401k language and even recruitment rewards for workers to help with the labor shortages facing the school bus industry.

Ecco Ride School Bus Monitor Bethany Crawford has been at the Wright City location since 2016 and she served on the negotiating committee. The new agreement will cover 40 school bus workers in Wright City represented by Local 610.

"It was a very exciting opportunity to set the standard for our area," said Crawford. "Since becoming Teamsters three years ago, we have increased wages 75 percent for drivers and 46 percent for monitors. This should send a message to other school bus workers who aren't making what they're valued that they are worth more. We finally have a livable wage and it's magnificent."

Crawford noted that the clear communication with the company made the bargaining process "smooth and easy."

"With this new contract, the Teamsters are setting an industry standard for school bus workers in Northwest Missouri," said Jeff Hall, Local 610 President and Business Agent. "I'd like to thank everyone involved in this process for ensuring that we were able to solidify an agreement that both the company and the workers are pleased with."

Wright City workers will join Local 891 members that are also already represented by the Teamsters at Ecco Ride. Teamsters Passenger Transportation Director Rick Middleton congratulated the group on their achievement.

"Congratulations to the Wright City workers who fought hard for a contract that reflects the immeasurable value that these workers bring to their students and to their communities," said Middleton. "This is an example of the positive things that happen when you have a group of workers who are dedicated to their jobs and one another."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 610
MCKINNEY, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Selerix Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based benefits administration and employee engagement software, announced today it has been included in the 2021 Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Selerix began across a dining room table in California, and its path to becoming one of the nation's fastest-growing private companies was paved by an exceptional company culture, proven technology, and industry-leading customer service. Selerix delivers flexible and integrated benefits administration, employee engagement, and ACA compliance solutions to a current user base of over 18,000 employers and more than 8.3 million employees. Relied on by employers, brokerage firms, third-party administrators, and carriers, Selerix's software currently supports the enrollment and administration of over $14 billion in core and voluntary annual premium.

"We're honored to be recognized by the Inc. 5000, joining the ranks of iconic companies such as Pandora, 7-Eleven, Zipcar, and Zappos.com," said Selerix President Lyle Griffin. "Being recognized as an Inc. 5000 member is a testament to our enthusiasm for delivering innovative solutions that matter for our clients and in our industry."

"Our extraordinary team has grown Selerix into the trusted and respected brand that we are today," Griffin added. "After nearly two decades, we are still fueled by the same goals and passion for this business as on day one."

Selerix's solid history and brand recognition, along with new partnerships and integration capabilities, has made the organization profitable every year since its inception  including during the pandemic.

Selerix continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of stakeholders in the benefits industry. Its plug-and-play technology has enabled the company to integrate with virtually any vendor. From payroll and HCM platforms to decision support and billing, Selerix continues to expand its reputation as a go-to partner in the hyper-competitive HR landscape.

About Selerix

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 industry-leading 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 employees, our suite of solutions is trusted by groups in diverse industries, including healthcare, education, hospitality, retail, transportation/logistics, state and local government, nonprofit, high technology, and industrial services.

About the Inc. 5000

The Inc. 5000 began as the Inc. 500 in 1982, a list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. In 2007 the list expanded to the Inc. 5000, which allowed it to showcase a broader spectrum of success. Today, companies are ranked by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. Inc. also highlights women- and minority-run companies.

SOURCE Selerix Systems
NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against DiDi Global Inc. f/k/a Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc. ("DiDi" or the "Company") (NYSE: DIDI) and certain of its officers and directors. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 21-cv-06603, is a securities class action brought by Plaintiff under Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") on behalf of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded DiDi securities: (a) 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 (the "IPO" or the "Offering"); and/or (b) between June 30, 2021 and July 21, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired DiDi securities (a) pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement issued in connection with the IPO, and/or (b) during the Class Period, you have until September 7, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

DiDi purports to be the world's largest mobility technology platform. Its four key components are: shared mobility, auto solutions, electronic mobility, and autonomous driving. 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, hitch, and other forms of shared mobility services.

On June 10, 2021, DiDi (then named Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc.) filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the SEC to register its Class A ordinary shares, which, collectively with subsequently filed amendments on Forms F-1/A and F-1MEF, a registration statement on Form F-6, and a June 30, 2021 prospectus on Form 424B4 (the "Prospectus"), forms part of the registration statement for the Company's IPO (the "Registration Statement").

In the IPO and pursuant to the Registration Statement, including the Prospectus, the Company sold approximately 316,800,000 American Depositary Shares ("ADSs" or "shares") at a price of $14.00 per share, not including the underwriters' option to sell an additional 47,520,000 ADSs. The Company received proceeds of approximately $4,331.6 million from the Offering, net of underwriting discounts and commissions.

The complaint alleges that the Registration Statement was materially false and misleading and omitted to state material adverse facts. Throughout the Class Period, including in the Registration Statement, 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 that: (i) DiDi's apps did not comply with applicable laws and regulations governing privacy protection and the collection of personal information; (ii) the Cyberspace Administration of China ("CAC") had already asked DiDi weeks or months prior to the IPO to delay its IPO to conduct a self-examination of its network security and because of national security concerns; (iii) the Company was likely to incur heightened regulatory scrutiny and adverse regulatory action by ignoring the CAC's request to postpone the IPO; (iv) as a result of the foregoing, DiDi's apps were reasonably likely to be taken down from app stores in the People's Republic of China (the "PRC" or "China"), which would have an adverse effect on its financial results and operations; and (v) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On July 2, 2021, multiple news outlets reported that the CAC had posted an announcement that the CAC had launched an investigation into DiDi to protect national security and the public interest.

Also on July 2, 2021, DiDi issued a press release entitled "DiDi announces CyberSecurity Review in China," confirming that the Company was under investigation and stating that "pursuant to the announcement posted by the PRC's Cyberspace Administration Office on July 2, 2021, DiDi is subject to cybersecurity review by the authority." The Company's press release also states "[d]uring the review, DiDi is required to suspend new user registration in China."

On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.87 per share, or approximately 5.3%, to close at $15.53 per share on July 2, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On Sunday, July 4, 2021, DiDi issued a press release entitled "DiDi Announces App Takedown in China[,]" which announced, in relevant part, that the CAC ordered smartphone app stores to stop offering the "DiDi Chuxing" app because the DiDi app "collect[ed] personal information in violation of relevant PRC laws and regulations." Though users who previously downloaded the DiDi 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 "[w]eeks before Didi Global, Inc. went public in the U.S., China's cybersecurity watchdog suggested the Chinese ride-hailing giant delay its initial public offering and urged it to conduct a thorough self-examination of its network security, according to people with knowledge of the matter." Subsequently, Bloomberg and other sources reported on July 6, 2021, that the CAC had asked DiDi at least three months earlier to delay its IPO because of national security concerns.

On this news, the Company's share 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.

On July 9, 2021, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "China Orders Stores to Remove More Apps Operated by Didi: Cyber watchdog says the apps illegally collect personal data" which reported, among other things, that "China ordered mobile app stores to remove 25 more apps operated by Didi Global Inc.'s [] China arm, saying the apps illegally collect personal data, escalating its regulatory actions against the ride-hailing company"; that "[t]he cyber watchdog also banned websites and platforms from providing access to Didi-linked services in China"; that "Didi said it will follow the authorities' orders" and "guarantees personal data security"; that "[t]he latest regulatory actions could further dent Didi's business in its home market, which the company relies heavily on for revenue"; and that "[s]ome rivals have already started marketing more aggressively in recent days in an effort to steal market share."

On July 12, 2021, before market hours, the Company issued a press release entitled "Didi Announces Takedown of Additional Apps in China" which announced, inter alia, that "the CAC stated that it was confirmed that 25 apps operated by the Company in China, including the apps used by users and drivers, had the problem of collecting personal information in serious violation of relevant PRC laws and regulations"; that "[p]ursuant to the PRC's Cybersecurity Law, the CAC notified app stores to take down these apps and cease to provide viewing and downloading service in China" and required the Company to "rectify the problem to ensure the security of users' personal information"; and that "[t]he Company expects that the app takedown may have an adverse impact on its revenue in China."

On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.87 per share, or approximately 7.23%, to close at $11.16 per share on July 12, 2021, further damaging investors.

On July 16, 2021, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "China Sends State Security, Police Officials to Didi for Cybersecurity Probe" which reported, among other things, that "China sent regulators including state security and police officials to Didi Global Inc.'s [] ride-hailing business on Friday as part of a cybersecurity investigation"; that "[p]otential outcomes include financial penalties, suspensions of business licenses and criminal charges"; and that "[t]he large number of ministries participating in the probe also highlights the breadth of the data Didi holds and that is now coming under regulatory scrutiny."

On July 18, 2021, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled "In the New China, Didi's Data Becomes a Problem" which reported on the amount and types of data the Company holds and compiles, including that, among other things, "[u]sers turn over their cellphone numbers, which in China are linked to their real names and identifications"; that "[t]hey also often voluntarily share photos, frequent destinations such as home and office, their gender, age, occupation and companies"; that "[t]o use other Didi services such as carpooling or bike sharing, customers might also have to share other personal information including facial-recognition data"; that "[d]rivers must give Didi their real names, vehicle information, criminal records, and credit- and bank-card information"; that "[t]he 25 million daily rides on its platform in China feed a database of pickup points, destinations, routes, distance and duration"; and that "a Guangdong province transportation official said the company hadn't fully complied with regulations . . . ."

On this news, the Company's share price fell $0.91 per share, or 7.6%, to close at $11.06 per share on July 19, 2021, further damaging investors.

Finally, on July 22, 2021, before market hours, Bloomberg published an article entitled "China Weighs Unprecedented Penalty for Didi After U.S. IPO" which reported, inter alia, that "Chinese regulators are considering serious, perhaps unprecedented, penalties for Didi Global Inc. after its controversial initial public offering last month"; that "[r]egulators are weighing a range of potential punishments, including a fine, suspension of certain operations or the introduction of a state-owned investor"; that "[a]lso possible is a forced delisting or withdrawal of Didi's U.S. shares"; and that "Beijing is likely to impose harsher sanctions on Didi than on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which swallowed a record $2.8 billion fine[.]"

On this news, the Company's share price fell $3.44 per share, or nearly 30%, over the next two trading days to close at $8.06 per share on July 23, 2021, further damaging investors.

As of the time the Complaint was filed, the price of DiDi ADSs continues to trade below the $14.00 per ADS Offering price, damaging investors.

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]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Koninklijke Philips N.V. ("Philips" or the "Company") (NYSE: PHG) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and docketed under 21-cv-04606, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Philips securities between February 25, 2020 and June 11, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Philips's securities during the Class Period, you have until October 15, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Philips operates as a health technology company in North America, Greater China, and internationally. The Company's products include, among others, Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure ("Bi-Level PAP") and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ("CPAP") devices, as well as mechanical ventilators. Bi-Level PAP machines pump air under pressure into the airway of the lungs. Bi-Level PAP machines have a higher pressure when users breathe in and lower pressure when users breathe out. CPAP machines keep users' airway open by providing a continuous stream of air through a mask. CPAP machines are devices prescribed to people with obstructive sleep apnea to keep their airways open during sleep. Bi-Level PAP and CPAP machines use Polyester-based polyurethane, a sound abatement foam, to reduce sound and vibration.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Philips had deficient product manufacturing controls or procedures; (ii) as a result, the Company's Bi-Level PAP and CPAP devices and mechanical ventilators were manufactured using hazardous materials; (iii) accordingly, the Company's sales revenues from the foregoing products were unsustainable; (iv) the foregoing also subjected the Company to a substantial risk of a product recall, in addition to potential legal and/or regulatory action; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On June 14, 2021, Philips issued a voluntary recall of certain of its Bi-Level PAP and CPAP devices, as well as mechanical ventilators, after finding that the sound abatement foam used in the devices can degrade and become toxic, potentially causing cancer.

On this news, Philips' stock price fell $2.25 per share, or 3.98%, to close at $54.25 per share on June 14, 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]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against RenovaCare, Inc. ("RenovaCare" or the "Company") (OTCMKTS: RCAR) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and docketed under 21-cv-13930, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities between August 14, 2017 and May 28, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired RenovaCare securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2021 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

RenovaCare is a development stage company that has not generated any revenue since its inception and has no commercialized products. Its activities primarily consist of research and development, business development, and capital raises. It owns the CellMist System, which consists of a treatment method for cell isolation for the regeneration of human skin cells and other tissues (the CellMist Solution) and a solution sprayer device to deliver cells to the treatment area (the SkinGun).

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) at the direction of the Company's controlling shareholder and Chairman, Harmel Rayat ("Rayat"), RenovaCare engaged in a promotional campaign to issue misleading statements to artificially inflate the Company's stock price; (ii) when OTC Markets Group, Inc. ("OTC Markets") inquired, RenovaCare and Rayat issued a materially false and misleading press release claiming that no director, officer, or controlling shareholder had any involvement in the purported third party's promotional materials; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were defective; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On May 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued a litigation release stating that RenovaCare was being charged with alleged securities fraud. According to the SEC's complaint, between July 2017 and January 2018, Rayat "arranged, and caused RenovaCare to pay for, a promotional campaign designed to increase the company's stock price." Specifically, "Rayat was closely involved in directing the promotion and editing promotional materials, and arranged to funnel payments to the publisher through consultants to conceal RenovaCare's involvement in the campaign." When OTC Markets requested that RenovaCare explain its relationship to the promotion, the complaint alleges that "Rayat and RenovaCare then drafted and issued a press release and a Form 8-K that contained material misrepresentations and omissions denying Rayat's and the company's involvement in the promotion."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $0.66, or 24.8%, over three consecutive trading sessions to close at $2.00 per share on June 2, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Yalla Group Limited ("Yalla" or the "Company") (NYSE: YALA). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Yalla and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On May 19, 2021, Swan Street Research ("Swan Street") published a report addressing Yalla, entitled "Is Yalla Group a Multi $B Fraud? The 'Clubhouse of the Middle East' UAE Tech Unicorn that Never Was". The Swan Street report alleges, among other things, that the Company inflates its metrics, including revenue, and characteries Yalla's financial statements as "not credible".

On this news, Yalla's American depositary share ("ADS") price fell $1.31 per ADS, or 7.15%, to close at $17.01 per ADS on May 19, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

www.pomerantzlaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sistas In Sales (SIS), the leading global organization serving women of color across the sales sector will host its 4th Annual Summit on Thursday, September 16th and Friday, September 17th, 2021. The Summit's theme, "Your Power in Preparation," is a call to action to create a 2022 life plan for the personal and professional development of women of color in sales, while raising awareness of unique and immediate career opportunities in this sector.

This two-day event will virtually bring together hundreds of attendees for keynotes, workshops, breakout sessions, and panels led entirely by women of color. In keeping with the SIS tradition, this year's speaker slate includes a dynamic group of thought leaders in business, media, tech, social impact, and wellness.

Virtual Summit 2021 will welcome Peggy Alford, Executive Vice President of Global Sales at PayPal, and Facebook and Macerich Board Member as its opening keynote speaker. In addition to PayPal, Alford served in senior executive leadership roles at eBay, Rent.com, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative before her historic election to Facebook's Board as its first Black woman director. Alford's keynote will be in conversation with Caroline Clark, author and former Chief Brand Officer, Women of Power at Black Enterprise. The Summit will also welcome back Bonita C. Stewart, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Google, as its closing keynote speaker. Last year, Stewart shared insights, advice, and wisdom from her illustrious career and book, A Blessing: Women of Color Teaming Up to Lead, Empower, and Thrive (Bookclick 360) with more than 1,500 attendees. Additional summit speakers include SELF Editor-In-Chief Leta Shy; Nationwide Financial Senior Vice President, Retirement Institute, Kristi Martin Rodriguez; ServiceNow Senior Vice President, Global Go-to-Market, Vanessa Smith; DoorDash Vice President, Enterprise Sales & Business Development, Shanna Preve; and Pinterest Global Head of Sales Solutions, Yaslyn Daniels.

Tickets are available at the SIS Virtual Summit 2021 website: https://sistasinsales.com/summit2021/

SIS is thrilled to welcome back Conde Nast, Google, and Workday as Presenting Sponsors for Virtual Summit 2021. Other sponsors include Twilio, Attentive, Pinterest, Gong, DoorDash, WarnerMedia, Dataminr, KeepTruckin, Salesforce, Slack, Fairmarkit, Pride Global, Zillow, ServiceNow, Splunk, Oracle, Wunderkind, LinkedIn, Experian, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks and Sprinklr.

Sponsors may contact [email protected] to learn more about opportunities for Virtual Summit 2021.

Now in its fourth year, the SIS Summit continues to transform careers through networking, career advancement, and professional mentorship for women of color desiring to excel in sales while serving their communities. Virtual Summit 2021 will approach professional development from the perspective of helping attendees create an ecosystem of success through learning, skill development, community building, and self-care.

"SIS was born from my desire to see women of color WIN," said Chantel George, Founder of Sistas In Sales. "We've made a lot of progress  but the fact remains that only 13% of Fortune 500 senior sales positions are held by women of color, and we only hold 2% of Fortune 500 board seats. These numbers must change  and for us to win, we need access; we need information; we need allyship  and most importantly, we need each other. The SIS Virtual Summit 2021 will provide all this and more to everyone who joins us this September."

About Sistas In Sales, Inc.:

Since 2017, Sistas In Sales (SIS) has worked to empower women of color through distinct networking, training, and career opportunities across the sales sector. SIS is the first national organization to serve women of color in professional sales careers with more than 3,500 members across the US. SIS's membership represents a broad range of diverse women in media, software, finance, IT, education, and tech sales - with a focus on sharing knowledge and resources to build community, sisterhood, and empowerment through mastering the sales craft. To learn more, please visit www.sistasinsales.com. Follow SIS on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Slack.

Press Contact:

Christen James

[email protected]

646-413-8686

SOURCE Sistas In Sales

Related Links

http://www.sistasinsales.com


OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sodoro + Mooney + Lenaghan continues to build its insurance defense expertise and experience by hiring attorney Kalli P. Gloudemans. With a specialization in workers compensation, Gloudemans' tenacity for finding creative and effective strategies on every case aligns perfectly with the firm's focus on advocating for their clients' best interests.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Gloudemans received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she graduated magna cum laude. She came to love Nebraska while attending the University of Nebraska College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor degree with distinction. During her time in law school, Kalli completed a concentration in litigation skills, was a member of the University of Nebraska College of Law National Trial Team, and was nominated to the Order of the Barristers, a national honorary organization for law students who demonstrate exceptional skill in trial advocacy.

Gloudemans is licensed to practice law in Nebraska and Iowa. She serves as a board member of the Nebraska State Bar Association Workers' Compensation section and is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and Nebraska State Bar Association.

"Kalli has the experience, wisdom, and instincts necessary to ensure her clients always receive the legal product and customer service they deserve, '' says Patrick Sodoro, Managing Partner at SML. "She knows the insurance industry inside and out, and understands how to defend her clients' cases. We know we can depend on her attention to detail and preparation to assure a zealous defense."

Sodoro + Mooney + Lenaghan is a full-service law firm answering to the legal needs of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota.

For more information, or to contact the team at Sodoro + Mooney + Lenaghan, go to smllawoffice.com or email Kelsey Sievers at [email protected] or (402) 504-9346.

SOURCE Sodoro + Mooney + Lenaghan

Related Links

http://smllawoffice.com/


TOKYO, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- StockGraphy Inc. and Epic Games, Inc. conclude reseller agreement of RealityCapture. With the conclusion of this agreement, StockGraphy launches "BEGIN3D.com", the website for selling RealityCapture and transmitting information about industrial use cases of 3D technologies in Japan.

About our website"BEGIN3D.com"

StockGraphy and Epic Games conclude reseller agreement of RealityCapture. BEGIN3D, the website for selling RealityCapture and transmitting information about industrial use cases of 3D tech will be launched.

BEGIN3D.com is the website for selling RealityCapture and transmitting information about industrial use cases of 3D technologies operated by StockGraphy for Japanese users. BEGIN3D.com will continue to update information to strive to popularize 3D technologies and photogrammetry in Japanese industries.

The URL of "BEGIN3D.com"

https://www.begin3d.com/

(Japanese language only.)

About RealityCapture

RealityCapture is the state-of-the-art photogrammetry software solution. Create high-precision 3D models from images and/or laser scans automatically.

It is currently the fastest solution on the market, which brings effectivity to your work and allows you to focus on your targets.

RealityCapture is used for the following production purposes.

Assets for Games

Visual effects and virtual reality

2D/3D mapping

Surveying

Digital Twins

Cultural heritage

Full body scanning

3D prints

 2021, Epic Games, Inc. Epic Games, the Epic Games logo, RealityCapture, RealityCapture logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All rights reserved.

Contact

For inquiries regarding work requests, please contact the following URL.

https://www.stockgraphy.com/#contact

Related Images

stockgraphy-epicgames.jpg

StockGraphy-EpicGames-RealityCapture

StockGraphy and Epic Games conclude reseller agreement of RealityCapture. BEGIN3D, the website for selling RealityCapture and transmitting information about industrial use cases of 3D tech will be launched.

SOURCE StockGraphy Inc.
OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, SVA Architects and The Unity Council joined BRIDGE Housing to celebrate the Groundbreaking of Casa Suenos, the third stage of the award-winning Fruitvale Transit Village in Oakland, CA. Located at 3511 East 12th Street in Oakland, CA, the Groundbreaking ceremony brought together state-wide and regional elected officials, project partners, stakeholders, and service providers. A transit-oriented development (TOD), Casa Suenos is less than a five-minute walk from the Fruitvale BART station. As a continuation of the original Fruitvale Transit Village redevelopment, the project demonstrates how community-based development can serve and honor societal needs.

Chris Iglesias, Chief Executive Officer of The Unity Council, states, "Originally conceived as market-rate housing, Casa Suenos was wisely transformed to essential worker housing, critical to regional housing health. Our development feels that we are awakening the land and returning it to how it was supposed to be used: from the people to the people."

Casa Suenos Groundbreaking Speakers

The Casa Suenos Groundbreaking included speakers:

Secretary Lourdes M. Castro Ramirez, Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, State of California

Michelle Starratt , Housing Director, Alameda County Housing & Community Development Department

, Housing Director, Alameda County Housing & Community Development Department Mayor Libby Schaaf , City of Oakland

, Councilmember Noel Gallo, City of Oakland , District 5

, District 5 Patricia Wells , Executive Director, Oakland Housing Authority

, Executive Director, Oakland Housing Authority Smitha Seshadri , Executive Vice & President, BRIDGE Housing

, Executive Vice & President, BRIDGE Housing Chris Iglesias , Chief Executive Officer, The Unity Council

, Chief Executive Officer, The Unity Council Colleen Chawla , Director, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency

, Director, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency Jessica Buendia , Acting Executive Director, Strategic Growth Council

, Acting Executive Director, Strategic Growth Council Cecile Chalifour, Managing Director, Community Development Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

George Galvis , Executive Director, CURYJ (Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice)

About Casa Suenos: Fruitvale Transit Village Phase IIB

Fruitvale Transit Village Phase IIB, Casa Suenos, is the third stage of the award-winning mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented development of the Fruitvale Transit Village. Casa Suenos will provide 181 affordable homes, designed to serve essential workers. Homes range from studios to 3-bedroom apartments, for households earning 20  80 percent of area median income (AMI). Additionally, 46 of the units will be set aside for the region's chronically homeless, with permanent supportive services provided by Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. The project will also include 7,500 square feet of affordable commercial retail space for a local nonprofit organization, and will be only steps away from the Fruitvale BART station and the planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line.

"In this third phase of transformative transit-oriented development that began with the Fruitvale Village, we're excited to bring 181 affordable homes for families to the heart of the neighborhood, including 46 apartments reserved for people who have experienced homelessness," said Smitha Seshadri, Executive Vice President of BRIDGE Housing. "With SVA Architects' thoughtful design, Casa Suenos will be a welcoming, beautiful place for future residents to call home."

About the Fruitvale Transit Village

Completed in 2004, the Fruitvale Transit Village is widely recognized as one of the nation's first transit-oriented developments and a national model for development without gentrification. Replacing a surface parking lot, Phase I of the Fruitvale Transit Village was a catalyst in the development of multiple community services around a mass transit hub. The Fruitvale Transit Village includes more than 115,000 square feet of space for community services, as well as 40,000 square feet of space for retail, including multiple restaurants, financial services, and health services. It also houses a commuter bicycle parking center, as well as a large public gathering area called the Pedestrian Plaza. The mixed-use buildings also include 47 units of mixed-income rental housing. The site is located less than 100 feet away from one of the busiest BART stations in the region and a station for eleven bus lines. The second stage of development, Phase IIA or Casa Arabella, was completed in 2019 and added 94 units of affordable housing to the community.

Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, CEO of SVA Architects, says, "We're excited to continue our work on the Fruitvale Transit Village that we began nearly 20 years ago with The Unity Council. Working with BRIDGE Housing and this exceptional development team, it's been rewarding to see how the Fruitvale Transit Village's new retail, community services, and affordable housing has helped support the residents, and enrich the community. Casa Suenos will also honor the Fruitvale neighborhood's diverse culture, sustain a community service provider, and address Oakland's essential worker housing needs."

About The Unity Council

The Unity Council is a non-profit Social Equity Development Corporation with a 55-year history in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Our mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant communities where everyone can work, learn, and thrive. Learn more at www.unitycouncil.org.

About SVA Architects, Inc.

Founded in 2003, SVA Architects has become one of the Country's most innovative and respected design and planning organizations. The award-winning firm specializes in urban planning, architecture, and interior design of public, private, and mixed-use projects. SVA Architects values institutional and public environments as the foundation of a community and the backdrop against which we live, learn, work, worship, and play. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana with offices in Oakland, San Diego, and Honolulu. For more information, visit www.sva-architects.com.

Media Contact: Itzel Diaz-Romo Media Contact: Beth Binger The Unity Council BCI Cell: (510) 302-7646 Mobile: (619) 987-6658 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE SVA Architects, Inc.

Related Links

https://sva-architects.com


DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sylvan Avenue Tavern (SAT) sailed smoothly through its first official opening week at Sylvan Thirty, bringing its signature take on artisan pizza and a wide menu, along with craft beer, a full bar, tavern games like pool and pinball, and a shaded rooftop patio that overlooks downtown Dallas.

Sylvan Avenue Tavern Sylvan Avenue Tavern

A sibling to the popular Bryan Street Tavern (BST), SAT plans to inspire the same devotion in locals, enticing people to enjoy a true neighborhood tavern experience with a varied scratch-made menu featuring Dallas Morning News "Readers Choice for Best Pizza in DFW," salads, wings, sandwiches and pastas. The bar is more than just cold beerthere is a thoughtfully curated selection of craft cocktails with premium spirits and a bar staff who aims to please. TVs adorn most walls making SAT an ideal place to catch a game. SAT is the only restaurant/bar in the area with a late-night kitchen open until 2AM.

"It's been a long road with many unforeseen pandemic delays, but we've finally arrived," said Joe Hinkson, SAT owner. "We've just had our first full week, and I'm thrilled with the reception. The place looks awesome  we love this space and the crowd. And we're already beginning to build a good rapport between staff and locals and see a lot of Oak Cliff families gathering to catch up and unwind. We love seeing repeat faces and hope to be that neighborhood spot where everyone always feels welcome." Hinkston is partenred with Stephen Forte and longtime BST bar manager, Adam Navan to launch SAT.

Using the same award-winning recipe that put BST on the Dallas culinary map, the kitchen rolls its own pizza dough and never uses premade ingredients from a can or a bottle. Gluten-free crust and build-your-own options are available.

The menu is the star at SAT with a fully scratch-made menu. Popular menu items include:

Starters: West Dallas Deviled Eggs, Kirkwood Caprese Salad, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and Tito's Fried Jalapenos.

West Dallas Deviled Eggs, Kirkwood Caprese Salad, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and Tito's Fried Jalapenos. Seasoned Prime Beef Burgers: All burgers are made with handmade patties cooked to order, with options for skinny fries, tater tots, or a salad on the side. Some special burgers include  The Wake & Bake Burg er with bacon, egg, Gouda, and fried jalapenos; The Black & Bleu Burger with bleu cheese crumbles, garlic aioli, and bacon jam; and The Panhandle Burger with a certified Akaushi patty from the Texas panhandle with lettuce, tomato, and pickled onions, served medium rare. There is also a customizable plant-based option made with Impossible meat.

All burgers are made with handmade patties cooked to order, with options for skinny fries, tater tots, or a salad on the side. Some special burgers include  er with bacon, egg, Gouda, and fried jalapenos; with bleu cheese crumbles, garlic aioli, and bacon jam; and with a certified Akaushi patty from the panhandle with lettuce, tomato, and pickled onions, served medium rare. There is also a customizable plant-based option made with Impossible meat. Other Favorites: Signature Bone-In Wings and Boneless Bites with your choice of housemade sauces or dry seasonings; comforting pasta dishes with house made marinara, bolognese or alfredo sauces; Fish N Chips; loaded subs, sandwiches and hearty salads with impressive homemade dressings; and special desserts to round out each meal, like Creme Brule or the award-winning Alex's Lemon Ice Box Pie.

Guests can look forward to the addition of happy hour, weekly events, community partnerships and brunch soon. In the meantime, Hinkson says, "Stop by and say hello. I promise we have a barstool with your name on it."

Located at 1888 Sylvan Avenue, #F250, inside the Sylvan Thirty complex off I-30, Sylvan Avenue Tavern is now open for regular business, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. For the latest schedule of special tavern events and menu updates, visit www.satdallas.com, IG & FB: @sylvanavenuetavern

Media Contact:

Meredith Vachon

512-363-6485

[email protected]

SOURCE Sylvan Avenue Tavern
In the 2021 America's Best Employers by State list announced Aug. 24, the academic medical center ranked third out of 100 Florida companies and first among health care and social organizations. In 2020, Tampa General was 14 th out of 100 top employers in Florida and third in the health care and social industry category. For the Best Employers for Women designation, released July 27, Tampa General moved from 24 th in 2020 to 13 th in 2021 out of 300 employers nationally.

"In the past 17 months of the pandemic, our team members proved that they are warriors and heroes. They have been dedicated, flexible and compassionate and they truly deserve these honors," said John Couris, CEO and president of Tampa General. "Our vision is to be the safest and most innovative academic health system in America and our team is the driving force."

Tampa General employs nearly 8,500 team members at more than 80 owned or affiliated locations in the Tampa Bay region. A core part of the hospital's approach to building its culture is encouraging team members to be authentic and transparent. The voices and ideas of team members are highly valued, and Tampa General provides multiple channels for team members to offer feedback, ask questions, give ideas and challenge the status quo. These include a team member engagement survey, an idea submittal program that links directly to hospital administration via the team member portal, team member rounding where questions are welcomed, and town halls.

When COVID-19 began shutting down businesses, Tampa General took immediate steps to minimize the impact on its team. "We focused on supporting our team members and keeping them whole," said Couris. As of May 31, Tampa General invested $13.5 million in team member pandemic response initiatives, which included:

Supplemental Work: A supplemental staffing pool to help team members continue earning if their regularly scheduled shifts were affected by cancellations of elective surgeries.

A supplemental staffing pool to help team members continue earning if their regularly scheduled shifts were affected by cancellations of elective surgeries. Premium Contributions Suspended: The hospital covered the team member portion of the medical plan premium and short-term disability premium for all hourly team members during the period elective surgeries were paused. Team members were not required to repay these premiums.

The hospital covered the team member portion of the medical plan premium and short-term disability premium for all hourly team members during the period elective surgeries were paused. Team members were not required to repay these premiums. Pandemic Pay: Tampa General created a 20 percent pay differential for all team members providing direct care to COVID patients for the entirety of their shifts.

Tampa General created a 20 percent pay differential for all team members providing direct care to COVID patients for the entirety of their shifts. Team Member Emergency Fund: Tampa General's Team Member Emergency Fund was enhanced to help team members suffering financial hardships during this time. A special grant program provided up to $600 for eligible team members to purchase back-to-school supplies, including laptops for their children. This initiative stemmed from a team member idea.

Tampa General's Team Member Emergency Fund was enhanced to help team members suffering financial hardships during this time. A special grant program provided up to for eligible team members to purchase back-to-school supplies, including laptops for their children. This initiative stemmed from a team member idea. Team Member Wellness Support: In addition to our on-site wellness program, and generous benefits, numerous virtual resilience and emotional support group programs have been developed and implemented to support team members during this time.

Strong benefits, generous accumulated time off, flexible work schedules and supportive solutions, and a robust training and career development program that provides many job advancement opportunities for Tampa General team members are all part of what makes Tampa General a great place to work and deserving of this award. Tampa General truly focuses on caring for the team member physically, mentally and emotionally.

"When I joined Tampa General in April 2021, what immediately stood out is that the hospital puts people first and works every day to foster a people-oriented culture," said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief people and talent officer, Tampa General. "Despite the challenges of COVID, we continue to look for ways to support our team."

Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to compile both the America's Best Employers by State and America's Best Employers for Women lists.

The America's Best Employers by State list is divided into rankings for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It was compiled by anonymously surveying 80,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 500 employees on a rolling basis from October 2020 to June 2021. The rankings seek to demonstrate how perceptions of companies differ from state to state based on local leadership and economies.

The America's Best Employers for Women list was compiled by surveying 50,000 Americans, including 30,000 women, working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. Representation at the executive and board levels were considered, as were initiatives to improve gender equity and recent or unresolved allegations regarding discrimination or misconduct.

About Forbes

Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 32 licensed local editions in 71 countries. Forbes Media's brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit the Forbes News Hub or Forbes Connect.

About Tampa General Hospital

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,041-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospitals, and one of the top 4 hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal 2020 provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy

Sr. Communications Specialist

(813) 844-7322 (direct)

[email protected]

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital

Related Links

http://www.tgh.org


LAKE FOREST, Ill., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tenneco Inc. (NYSE: TEN) will participate in the 2021 RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference to be held virtually on Friday, September 10, 2021. The webcasted fireside chat discussion is scheduled to begin at 11:20 a.m. Eastern. Matti Masanovich, chief financial officer, and Kevin Baird, chief operating officer, will provide information regarding matters impacting Tenneco's outlook and the Company's strategy.

The live webcast can be accessed by going to the "Investors" portion of the website at www.investors.tenneco.com . A replay of the webcast will be available through October 10, 2021.

About Tenneco

Tenneco is one of the world's leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of automotive products for original equipment and aftermarket customers, with full year 2020 revenues of $15.4 billion and approximately 73,000 team members working at more than 270 sites worldwide. Through our four business groups, Motorparts, Performance Solutions, Clean Air and Powertrain, Tenneco is driving advancements in global mobility by delivering technology solutions for diversified global markets, including light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial, motorsport and the aftermarket.

Investors and others should note that Tenneco routinely posts important information on its website and considers the Investor section, www.investors.tenneco.com, a channel of distribution.

Visit www.tenneco.com to learn more.

SOURCE Tenneco Inc.
DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Thailand Telecoms Industry Report - 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides analyses of revenue and market forecasts as well as statistics of the Thailand 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 THAILAND 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

Thailand Telecoms Industry Report at a Glance

The author expects the Thailand telecommunications industry to grow strongly thanks to the defensiveness nature of the industry, despite the political uncertainties, amid an uncertain economic outlook due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With already strong mobile phone penetration and robust fixed broadband take-up among households, future growth is likely to remain solid despite subdued growth in the young working population and an ageing population over the long term.

Forecasts show that mobile subscriptions will continue to grow in the 2019-25 period and fixed broadband subscribers will also continue to grow and increase its household penetration over the same period. The ratio of the telecommunications sector revenue to GDP is declining from a peak in 2015, sliding down every year since then.

Following the telecoms market expansion over the last 5 years, the publisher forecasts sustained revenue growth to 2025, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, fuelled by data monetisation as long as data pricing stays rational amid the diminishing impact of declining legacy voice and SMS revenue.

Mobile revenue is growing faster than mobile subscription numbers leading to ARPU growth as the market transitions from 2G & 3G to 4G mobile data services.

The author expects the overall telecoms market to grow through to 2025 after a marked slow down in 2016 due to legacy 2G voice & SMS revenue pressure partially offset by mobile data growth.

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 Thailand Telecom Towers Infrastructure Landscape

9 Thematics / Opportunities

10 Telco M&A Transaction Database

Companies Mentioned

3BB

Advanced Info Service (AIS)

CAT Telecom

CS Loxinfo

DTAC

DTIF

Jasmine

JASIF

NBTC

Symphony

Triple T

Telephone Organization of Thailand Corp (TOT)

True Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8ru0bj

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


PHOENIX, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- James W. "Bill" Oxford, national commander of The American Legion, issued the following statement about today's terrorist attacks in Afghanistan:

"As an organization of wartime veterans, The American Legion profoundly feels sorrow for the needless loss of life that occurred today. The United States has been blessed by the caliber of the men and women who served there. While we fully support their service, we recognize that nation-building is not the role for the U.S. military. It is time for us to leave and to evacuate all Americans, allies and their families as safely and efficiently as we can. We also support any efforts to strike back hard against those who committed these ruthless acts."

About The American Legion

The American Legion is the largest veterans service organization with nearly 2 million members in more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Chartered by Congress in 1919, The American Legion is committed to mentoring youth and sponsoring wholesome community programs, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security and continued devotion to servicemembers and veterans.

Contact: John Raughter, Media Relations

[email protected] or 317-630-1350

SOURCE The American Legion

Related Links

http://www.legion.org


Citizens Trust Bank opened its doors for business in 1921 and has been a beacon of strength and financial empowerment for all who have encountered the brand. From its beginnings on Auburn Avenue, in the greater Atlanta downtown community, its history and legacy are the foundation that supports the vision to empower future generations.

100 years in the community, the proclamation was authored to commemorate the Bank's commitment to its founding principles: Financial stability and business development, the importance of thrift or savings and making homeownership possible for all people.

The proclamation recognizes the bank's foresighted leadership that has afforded Citizens Trust Bank to navigate countless initiatives for support of banking, trade and commerce within the community. From the need to start the bank, in the 1900's, to the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's, to the powerful awareness and the present-day movement through social media to support community economics, Citizens Trust Bank takes pride in offering competitive, responsive financial solutions to meet the growing financial needs of an entire community.

"We are truly appreciative and honored to receive this recognition from Councilman Westmoreland and the Atlanta City Council," stated Cynthia N. Day, President and CEO of Citizens Trust Bank. Standing on the strong shoulders of the Bank's founding fathers, we thank our customers and partners for their support. The vision and commitment of our Board of Directors and leadership team allow us to continue to innovate and grow for our next generation of customers. These partnerships along with our dedicated employees set the stage and reconfirm our promise to be a trusted partner in the continued success of our communities for the next 100 years," concluded Day.

"Citizens Trust Bank's ongoing commitment in the areas of financial stewardship, community involvement and financial education is the key to our community's well-being and long-term quality of life," said Councilman Matt Westmoreland, Atlanta City Council, "We are grateful for their partnership and the contributions they've made to sustaining the financial health of the communities we both serve," added Westmoreland.

Commemorating this milestone, the bank's year-long celebration includes special partnerships with local, state and national organizations to continue to empower, inform and educate future generations about the historical significance and continued importance of the Bank's impact on economic equality and the financial well-being of its communities.

Some of the year's celebratory and community engagement events include:

Donation of 100-year-old bank documents to be shared, publicly for future exhibition and historical preservation;

Citizens Trust Bank's historical marker ceremony;

Access to Business Capital , Build Wealth Through Homeownership and You and Your Money seminar series;

, and seminar series; Small Business Technical Assistance workshops : How to Write a Business Plan, Market Your Business for Success, Information Technology, Record keeping/Accounting and Human Resources management insights;

Feature Citizens Trust Bank's customers through personal impact stories and testimonials;

Interactive activities to promote collaboration, future thinking, and public engagement on the Company's social media channels; and,

A Celebratory Gala.

About Citizens Trust Bank

Celebrating 100 years in the community, Citizens Trust Bank remains committed to providing personalized service and financial solutions to meet the growing needs of the community. Through a legacy built on economic equality and well-being, we go beyond meeting the needs of offering banking solutions; our mission is to empower our customers and future generations for financial success.



The bank takes pride in offering its financial solutions throughout metropolitan-Atlanta and Birmingham and Eutaw, Alabama. Through its parent company, Citizens Bancshares Corporation, the Bank offers its common stock over-the-counter to the public under the trading symbol CZBS and can be found at www.ctbconnect.com.

SOURCE Citizens Trust Bank

Related Links

http://www.CTBconnect.com


ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The current state of trading platforms is complex with restrictions regarding crypto-related features. One of the biggest problems is transferring a large number of assets across different networks through network bridges. Not every asset can be swapped while bridges might have a dozen cryptocurrency pairs to swap between. This is where Rubic comes in, enabling at launch the ability to swap over 7,500 assets across three blockchain networks.

The Problem

Rubic

Currently, many projects have created their own cross-chain solutions and integrated bridges. This has significantly changed the world of DeFi, but there are still issues while transferring assets to another network. Even the most popular bridges, like the Binance Bridge, have numerous restrictions that make the process difficult. Every bridge has a list of specific assets available for swapping across networks and some of them have swap limits and time restrictions. Even if users would like to swap their tokens using bridges and DEXs, it will be a complicated and time-consuming process.

The complexity of swaps takes too long and is far too expensive for the simple act of transferring assets across networks. But the days of complicated cross-chain swaps are about to end.

Rubic to the Rescue

Rubic's main goal in DeFi is to unite all blockchain networks into one place and help DeFi users easily swap all 7,500 assets in the easiest and most profitable way.

We've created a tool that will enable traders to swap any asset, on any network, quickly and without unnecessary steps. Our Cross-Chain Routing feature will launch with three major blockchains: Ethereum, Polygon and the BSC. Soon, we are planning to add new blockchains such as Harmony, Solana, Fantom and more.

The difference between Rubic and other solutions on the market is the convenience of executing a transaction. Rubic combines the first (bridge) and the second steps (exchange) into one Swap, offering the best route, taking into account the liquidity and cost of gas.

The number of total DeFi users surpasses 3 million people, and DEX trading volume is $816 billion for the last year. The average number for DEX traders over a week is more than 200,000, and approximately 40% of them are facing the problem of multi-step transactions. We strive to achieve high performance and satisfy the needs of more than half of crypto traders with Rubic's Cross Chain Routing solution.

Rubic: https://rubic.exchange/

Rubic is a multi-chain DEX aggregator, with instant & cross-chain swaps for Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Harmony, Tron & xDai, limit orders, fiat on-ramps and more.

Twitter https://twitter.com/CryptoRubic

Telegram https://t.me/cryptorubic_chat

Medium https://cryptorubic.medium.com/

Discord https://discord.gg/zmf9QF2Vuh

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuFejvCuMtepW-4nx1DNFfg

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RubicDEX/

Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Rubic/

Related Images

image1.png

SOURCE Rubic

Related Links

https://rubic.finance/


LAS VEGAS, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parking REIT, Inc. ("The Parking REIT" or the "Company") announced today that an affiliated entity of Bombe Asset Management LLC, a Cincinnati, Ohio based alternative asset management firm ("Bombe"), has completed its $125 million investment in the Las Vegas-headquartered company. The investment, originally announced in January 2021, called for an investment of $35 million in cash plus the contribution of parking assets and other property valued at more than $90 million in exchange for operating partnership units valued at $11.75 per unit and warrants to purchase The Parking REIT common stock.

As part of the transaction, Bombe's affiliate acquired 1,549,324 shares of common stock of The Parking REIT at $11.75 per share from Vestin Realty Mortgage I, Inc., Vestin Realty Mortgage II, Inc. and Michael V. Shustek (collectively, the "Advisor") and the Advisor's affiliates.

The Advisor also surrendered its claim to 400,000 shares of common stock due to the Advisor from The Parking REIT on December 31, 2021, and contributed 175,000 shares of common stock to a settlement fund. Proceeds from the purchase of the shares from the settlement fund will be used for the benefit of the Company's common stockholders. The settlement fund was created as part of the settlement of three class action lawsuits in which The Parking REIT was named as a defendant.

Michael V. Shustek has stepped down as a director and officer of The Parking REIT, effective immediately. Manuel Chavez will serve as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Parking REIT and Stephanie Hogue will serve as President of The Parking REIT.

Effective August 25, 2021, The Parking REIT's Board of Directors elected Jeffrey Osher, Lorrence Kellar, Damon Jones, Danica Holley, Manuel Chavez, and Stephanie Hogue as new members of the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Osher is the founder and Managing Member of the hedge fund No Street Capital LLC. Mr. Kellar, formerly an executive with Kmart and Kroger, is member of the board of directors of each of Acadia Realty Trust and The Spar Group. Mr. Jones serves as the Chief Communications Officer at The Procter & Gamble Company, a position he has held since March 2020. Ms. Holley has served as Global Medical REIT's Chief Operating Officer since March 30, 2016. Shawn Nelson, a member of The Parking REIT Board since 2017 and the independent committee that elected to move forward with the transaction, remains a member of The Parking REIT Board.

As previously announced, a tender offer will commence promptly to purchase, subject to the offer conditions, up to 900,506 of The Parking REIT's outstanding shares of common stock for $11.75 per share in cash. Offering materials to The Parking REIT's stockholders describing the tender offer's terms and conditions will be distributed accordingly.

About The Parking REIT, Inc.

The Parking REIT, Inc. is an internally-managed, publicly registered, non-listed real estate company that invests primarily in parking lots and garages in the United States. Its post-transaction assets include 40 parking facilities located in 16 states. For more information, please visit TheParkingREIT.com.

About Bombe Asset Management

Bombe Asset Management is a privately-held alternative asset management company specializing in the optimization of infrastructure, transportation, and distribution real estate assets. It is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This document shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Bombe will file tender offer materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Company will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement with respect to the tender offer. The tender offer materials (including an Offer to Purchase, a related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement will contain important information, which should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the tender offer. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS, THE SOLICITATION / RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You may obtain a free copy of the tender offer materials (including an Offer to Purchase, a related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents), the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and other relevant documents filed by the Company with the SEC at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC will be available free of charge on the Company's website at TheParkingREIT.com or by directing a written request to The Parking REIT, Inc.

Forward-looking statements

The information contained in this press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "potential," "intend," "expect," "endeavor," "seek," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "could," "project," "predict," "continue" or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe existing or future plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations, liquidity and/or financial condition or state other forward-looking information. Statements, among others, relating to The Parking REIT's ability to complete the announced transaction and generate future growth and deliver returns are forward-looking statements, and The Parking REIT cannot assure you that it will achieve such results. The ability of The Parking REIT to predict future events or conditions or their impact or the actual effect of existing or future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain, in particular due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although The Parking REIT believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, The Parking REIT can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements, including as a result of those factors set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Additional risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the parties' ability to recognize the benefits of investments generally, including potential synergies; failure of an investment to achieve its plans and objectives generally; risk that proposed investments may disrupt operations or pose difficulties in employee retention or otherwise affect financial or operating results. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and The Parking REIT undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time, unless required by law. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect The Parking REIT's view only as of the date of this press release.

Contact:

Julie Leber

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1391

[email protected]

SOURCE The Parking REIT, Inc.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services personnel are preparing resources to meet the immediate needs of survivors and first responders in communities across the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Ida, the first major hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in 2021, is expected to make landfall along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast on Sunday, August 29.

"We are no stranger to hurricanes like Ida," said Emergency Disaster Services Director of The Salvation Army's Southern Territory, Jeff Jellets. "Preparations for this storm come in the middle of ongoing long-term relief efforts for the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida after recent storms. The immediate impacts could be devastating, but the long-term impacts could be tragic."

Ida is forecasted to bring hurricane-force winds capable of downing trees, widespread power outages, structural damage, and a storm surge of 7-11 feet. Heavy rain is also expected to reach 8-16 inches, with isolated 20-inch totals Sunday into Monday, which could trigger flash flooding and river flooding that could linger for several days after the storm. "The continued generosity of the public is essential in allowing our organization to serve those affected for as long as we are needed," Jellets said.

With a presence in nearly every ZIP code in the country, The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to respond with services tailored to local community needs. In preparation for response efforts, several steps have been taken to serve those impacted:

Locations for Incident Command centers are being identified across the potential impact zone.

Mobile feeding units are being prepared for deployment to serve food, drinks, and emotional and spiritual care to survivors and first responders.

o Each mobile feeding unit can serve 500 to 1,500 meals per day.

o Each mobile feeding unit can serve 500 to 1,500 meals per day. Fixed corps locations are being prepared to provide feeding and other needed support to those affected.

In addition, Salvation Army disaster personnel are collaborating with federal, state, and local emergency management agencies and other partners to respond to and monitor ongoing impacts and evolve response efforts as needed. In light of the pandemic, The Salvation Army has evolved service delivery with extra precautions such as social distancing at food distribution sites, adapted feeding models, and updated personal protective equipment requirements.

A digital media kit with current and historical Emergency Disaster Services assets can be found here.

For more information on The Salvation Army's continued response, visit salvationarmyusa.org or disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

To make a financial gift to support ongoing disaster relief efforts:

Donate online: give.helpsalvationarmy.org

Donate by phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

Media Contact

Bishop Wash | [email protected] | (972) 854-1586

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army annually helps 30 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. During times of disaster, 100 percent of designated donations to The Salvation Army are used for immediate response and long-term efforts. In the first-ever listing of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country's largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.

SOURCE The Salvation Army

Related Links

http://SalvationArmyUSA.org


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As we return to in-school learning after extended time away, it's vital we make sure all systems are "go" once that day arrives. Gloria McDaniel-Hall, Ed. D., senior curriculum and instruction specialist, National Heritage Academies (NHA), offers several tips.

Dr. McDaniel-Hall, based in Chicago, has been with NHA since 2008 in several administrative roles. She is also a university assistant professor in educational leadership. Dr. McDaniel-Hall separates her suggestions for a safe return into three buckets: psychological, physical, and education-focused ways to prepare.

Psychological:

Parents  take care of yourselves. Make sure you have someone with whom to process your feelings. You can't help others for long if you don't take care of yourself first.

Prepare your child(ren) for the ways that school will be different. Most people really enjoy physical connections with others, so this may be a hard change, especially for youngsters.

Ask your child(ren) how they are feeling about returning to school. Let them know they can share those feelings and you will help process them or find a resource. Anticipate there may be things your child will initially struggle with in terms of classroom management and behavioral expectations.

For young ones, visit the school and their classrooms. Have them meet and speak with their teachers.

Ask a lot of questions. Connect with other parents. Establish playdates, carpooling options, even get additional ideas for return preparation. Try to maintain this circle of friends.

Get excited! Discuss the positive aspects of returning.

Physical:

Determine the social distancing directives within your school; discuss how this will look with your child(ren).

Be sure your child knows not to share things like pencils, water bottles, and other supplies with classmates.

Practice safety habits such as coughing or sneezing into your elbow, conversations from a distance, and wearing masks daily at home for a few hours.

Check your child's temperature daily. If they are demonstrating any symptoms, do not send them to school; however, make sure you have a way of getting their homework.

Education-Focused:

Get back into the routines of school, sooner rather than later. Set times for waking up, eating, reading, and going to bed. Be positive, not punitive about this.

Set aside a "study time" starting now. During this time, remove distractions, such as the television, and focus on school-related activities. This time can then become homework time once school begins.

Make use of your library. The children's librarians' love to help find books to use for study times.

Advise the teacher or school leaders if your child is having trouble with the transition once school begins.

Most importantly, enjoy going back to school and make this the best school year ever!

About National Heritage Academies:

National Heritage Academies, is a network of 98 tuition-free, public charter schools across nine states, serving more than 60,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For information, visit nhaschools.com.

SOURCE National Heritage Academies

Related Links

www.heritageacademies.com


DENVER, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Todd Burnham, founder of Colorado's Burnham Law Firm, is scheduled for a keynote presentation at MENSA's World Gathering on August 28 in Houston, Texas.

MENSA World Gathering attendees, all members of the exclusive ultra-high IQ global community, will consider Burnham's presentation: Comeback - Epic Rebound Strategies Post Divorce, Injury or Business Trauma based on his upcoming eponymously titled book wherein he shares:

His discovery that among thousands of clients his firm had represented, some surprisingly quickly recovered from the trauma of divorce, accident injury, or business failure, whereas;

Others remained in a Purgatorial limbo for years focused on trying to get back what they lost.

His observations of process commonalities among the successful comebacks from marital splits, physical injuries from auto and other accidents, and the psychological trauma of a business collapse or painful litigation, and;

His distillation of the tools, tactics, and strategies used by the uber resilient to properly Comeback following a new path to reach surprising life and career heights.

"This audience is ideal to consider and opine on strategies proven to get quickly past life's bad breaks and on to a new and better pathway to success and happiness," said Burnham.

The MENSA world conference marks the start of author Burnham's speaking tour.

Media Contact

Mr. Burnham is represented by Elite Lawyer Management, managing agents for remarkable American attorneys.

Media inquiries: [email protected]

MENSA: An international society with the membership qualification standardized testing results in the population's top 2%. The nonprofit's purpose is to conduct research in psychology and social science, identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity and serve as a means for stimulating intellectual and social contacts among its membership.

Todd Burnham: Founded Burnham Law, a fast growing multi-office Colorado-based divorce, custody, injury, business litigation, and criminal law firm. A veteran podcaster and media commentator on legal and social issues, Burnham's upcoming book: Comeback  Epic Rebound Strategies, is set for release through Sutton Hart Press.

Sutton Hart Press: An award-winning non-fiction publisher of thought provoking information from high authority leaders. Upcoming and recent titles include Gregory Glover's Immortality, Inc., Steven Hochfelsen's Profits of Denial, and celebrity divorce lawyer Dror Bikel's bestseller The 1% Divorce  When Titans Clash.

SOURCE Elite Lawyer Management

Related Links

https://www.elitelawyermanagement.com


WESTPORT, Conn., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- True Green Capital Management LLC ("TGC") is pleased to announce the sale of a 79-megawatt portfolio of 28 operating solar projects located in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and Tennessee.

The projects in the portfolio sell energy and environmental benefits to various utilities, municipalities, and corporations. The portfolio produces nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy annually. The projects come from TGC's earlier private equity funds, with capital invested between 2011 and 2016. For each of the 28 assets, TGC originated, project financed, oversaw construction and operations, and risk managed the environmental commodities and power.

"With this transaction we are pleased to have largely exited our private equity Fund I and II portfolios, delivering an attractive return to our Limited Partners while demonstrating TGC's execution capabilities across the full asset cycle, during the last decade," said Panos Ninios, TGC's Managing Partner.

"This sale is proof-of-concept of TGC's ongoing strategy of constructing portfolios of distributed solar assets with diversified cash flows," said Chris Kirkman, Managing Director at TGC.

KeyBanc Capital Markets and Kirkland & Ellis LLP represented TGC in connection with this transaction.

About True Green Capital Management LLC

True Green Capital Management LLC ("TGC") is a specialized renewable energy infrastructure private equity firm based in Westport, Connecticut. Having developed the capabilities of an operating renewable energy focused company, TGC has raised and deployed three private equity funds invested into distributed solar power generation portfolios across fourteen U.S. states delivering clean, renewable energy. The firm was founded in July 2011 and is led by a team of investment professionals with a proven track record and a demonstrated capacity to originate, finance, construct, and operate distributed renewable power generation projects.

CONTACT: [email protected], 855-335-5900

SOURCE True Green Capital Management LLC
Florida's largest cannabis company celebrates grand opening of new, larger location to meet growing consumer demand in St. Augustine

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 27, 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 a new dispensary in St. Augustine, Florida. The new, larger location replaces Trulieve's previous store in St. Augustine to meet the increased demand of consumers in the area.

The new dispensary is conveniently located at 1650 US Hwy 1 S, Suite 101, St. Augustine, FL 32084 and will begin serving customers on Saturday, August 28th. With expanded square footage, additional parking, and more POS terminals, Trulieve's investment in the new location reflects the Company's commitment to ensuring medical cannabis patients in Florida can rely on Trulieve for an unparalleled retail experience in addition to safe, reliable access to the medications they rely on.

Trulieve invites the community to join the grand opening festivities on Saturday, which will include live music, partner giveaways, and local food truck, Fried Chicken Kitchen. All patients  from those new to Trulieve to the dedicated Truliever community  will be eligible for a 25% in-store discount at the new dispensary on opening day.

ANNOUNCING: Trulieve St. Augustine Grand Re-Opening

WHERE: 1650 US Hwy 1 S, Suite 101, St. Augustine, FL 32084

WHEN: Saturday, August 28, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.

"Trulieve is relentlessly dedicated to providing the industry's best customer experience for Florida's medical cannabis patients and we're excited to serve the St. Augustine community with a better experience than ever," said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve.

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 90 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/


HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Weidai Ltd. ("Weidai" or the "Company") (NYSE: WEI), a leading auto-backed financing solution provider in China, today announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2021, which have not been audited or reviewed by the Company's independent registered accounting firm.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Operational Highlights

Loan balance

Total loan balance as of June 30, 2021 was RMB2.3 billion (US$0.4 billion).

Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Financial Results

Net revenues in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB535.9 million (US$83.0 million). Among net revenues, loan service fees were RMB531.0 million (US$82.2 million), other revenues were RMB6.7 million (US$1.0 million) and net financing expense was RMB0.2 million (US$32 thousand).

Provision for loans and advances in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB114.1 million (US$17.7 million).

Operating costs and expenses in the six months ended June 30, 2021 were RMB364.6 million (US$56.5 million). Among operating costs and expenses, provision for financial guarantee liabilities was RMB78.0 million (US$12.1 million), origination and servicing expenses were RMB200.0 million (US$31.0 million), sales and marketing expenses were RMB14.5 million (US$2.2 million), general and administrative expenses were RMB58.3 million (US$9.0 million), and research and development expenses were RMB13.8 million (US$2.1 million). Share-based compensation expenses in the six months ended June 30, 2021 were RMB5.5 million (US$0.9 million), which are included in origination and servicing expenses, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses.

Income from Operations in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB57.2 million (US$8.9 million).

Income tax expenses in the six months ended June 30, 2021 were RMB453.0 million (US$70.2 million).

Net loss in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB397.1 million (US$61.5 million).

Net loss attributable to Weidai Ltd.'s ordinary shareholders in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB395.5 million (US$61.2 million).

Adjusted net loss in the six months ended June 30, 2021 was RMB391.6 million (US$60.7 million).

Regulatory Developments

In July 2021, Weidai, in coordination with the relevant governmental authorities, commenced the repayment of outstanding net principal balances to all investors (the aggregate principal invested by a certain investor minus the aggregate amount that has been withdrawn by such investor) on the Company's platform. As of the date of this earnings release, all such outstanding net principal balances on Weidai's platform have been fully repaid.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses adjusted net loss, a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. The Company believes that adjusted net loss helps identify underlying trends in its business by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses. The Company believes that adjusted net loss provides useful information about its operating results, enhances the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the Company's management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Adjusted net loss is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as an analytical tool, and when assessing the Company's operating performance, cash flows or liquidity, investors should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for net loss, cash flows provided by operating activities or other consolidated statements of operation and cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release.

About Weidai Ltd.

Weidai Ltd. is a pioneer and leading auto-backed financing solution provider in China supported by sophisticated and effective risk management system and technology. The Company transforms used automobiles, a type of "non-standard" collateral, into investable assets, to provide accessible credit for China's small and micro enterprises, and connects the borrowers with institutional funding partners through its platform.

For more information, please visit http://weidai.investorroom.com/ .

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.4566 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 30, 2021 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in 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," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Weidai may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the SEC, 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 Weidai's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions, and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited the following: Weidai's goal and strategies; Weidai's expansion plans; Weidai's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Weidai's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its solutions and services; Weidai's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with borrowers, investors and financial institutions and other platform participants; general economic and business conditions; Weidai's assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing regulations and governmental policies relating to the online consumer finance industry in China; and Weidai's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain listing of its ADSs on the NYSE, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with the NYSE's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Weidai does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Christensen

Mr. Rene Vanguestaine

Tel: +86-10-5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In US:

Christensen

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Tel: +1-480-614-3004

E-mail: [email protected]

WEIDAI LTD. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (All amounts in thousands, except share data, or otherwise noted)



As of June 30,

2021

RMB

US$







ASSETS Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents 333,512

51,654 Restricted cash 187,997

29,117 Loans and advances, net 397,081

61,500 Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net 330,380

51,168 Other receivables due from special account 797,108

123,456 Amounts due from related parties 9,540

1,478 Total current assets 2,055,618

318,373 Non-current assets:





Long-term investments 13,574

2,102 Loans and advances, net -

- Prepaid expenses and other non-current assets 10,188

1,578 Property, equipment and software, net 32,665

5,059 Total non-current assets 56,427

8,739 Total assets 2,112,045

327,112







LIABILITIES AND EQUITY





Current liabilities (including current liabilities of the

consolidated variable interest entities and subsidiaries

without recourse to the Company of RMB1,732,593

(US$268,345) as of June 30, 2021):





Payable to institutional funding partners and online investors 11,618

1,799 Current account with online investors and borrowers 245,411

38,009 Income tax payable 303,751

47,045 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 273,594

42,373 Amounts due to related parties 5,006

775 Contract liabilities 93,437

14,472 Total current liabilities 932,817

144,473 Non-current liabilities (including non-current liabilities

of the consolidated variable interest entities and

subsidiaries without recourse to the Company of

RMB1,768 (US$274) as of June 30, 2021):





Contract liabilities 1,768

274 Total non-current liabilities 1,768

274 Total liabilities 934,585

144,747







Shareholders' equity





Class A ordinary shares (par value of US$0.000002 per

share; 35,390,055 shares issued and outstanding as of

June 30, 2021) -

- Class B ordinary shares (par value of US$0.000002 per

share; 35,071,400 shares issued and outstanding as of

June 30, 2021) 1

- Additional paid-in capital 1,247,339

193,188 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,510)

(389) Retained earnings (69,726)

(10,799) Total Weidai Ltd. shareholders' equity 1,175,104

182,000 Noncontrolling interests 2,356

365 Total equity 1,177,460

182,365 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 2,112,045

327,112

Weidai Ltd. UNAUDITED INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATION LOSS (All amounts in thousands, except share data, or otherwise noted)



Six Months Ended

June 30, 2021

RMB

US$







Net revenues:





Loan service fee 530,978

82,238 Other revenues 6,667

1,033 Financing income 3,355

520 Less: Funding costs (3,567)

(552) Net financing loss (212)

(32) Business related taxes and surcharges (1,490)

(231) Total net revenues 535,943

83,008 Provision for loans and advances (114,114)

(17,674) Net revenues after provision for loans and

advances 421,829

65,334







Operating costs and expenses:





Provision for financial guarantee liabilities (77,956)

(12,074) Origination and servicing (200,038)

(30,982) Sales and marketing (14,517)

(2,248) General and administrative (58,273)

(9,025) Research and development (13,826)

(2,142) Total operation costs and expenses (364,610)

(56,471)







Income from operations 57,219

8,863 Interest expense, net (842)

(130) Government subsidies 2,187

339 Other expenses, net (2,662)

(412) Net income before income taxes 55,902

8,660 Income tax expenses (453,029)

(70,165) Net loss (397,127)

(61,505) Net loss attributable to noncontrolling

interests 1,651

256 Net loss attributable to Weidai Ltd.'s

ordinary shareholders (395,476)

(61,249) Loss per share:





Basic and diluted (5.61)

(0.87) Shares used in earnings per share

computation:





Basic and diluted 70,461,455

70,461,455

Weidai Ltd. Reconciliation of GAAP And Non-GAAP Results (All amounts in thousands, except share data, or otherwise noted)



Six Months Ended

June 30, 2021

RMB

US$







Net loss 397,127

61,505 Add:





Share-based compensation expenses (5,494)

(851) Adjusted net loss 391,633

60,654

SOURCE Weidai Ltd.

Related Links

http://weidai.investorroom.com/


Primary Health Properties (PHP) is the leading investor in modern healthcare properties in the UK & Ireland.

PHP is a UK based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) with a clear objective to create progressive returns to shareholders through a combination of earnings growth and capital appreciation.

PHP achieves this by investing in healthcare real estate in the UK and Ireland let on long term leases backed by a secure underlying covenant funded mostly by government bodies.

The Group's portfolio comprises over 300 primary healthcare facilities, both completed and committed, the majority of which are GP surgeries, with other properties let to NHS organisations, pharmacies and dentists.
Ltd ( ) is set to be a large beneficiary as the presidents of China, Russia and Mongolia have signed off on the establishment of a new rail corridor between Russia and China through Mongolia.



In August 2015, Aspires rail subsidiary, Northern Railways LLC received the green light to build and operate a 547 kilometre railway to extend Mongolias national rail network from the city of Erdenet to its flagship Ovoot Coking Coal Project in Mongolia.



The new 3,500 kilometre rail corridor requires the development of 1,414 kilometres of rail to complete the route. The Erdenet to Ovoot 547 kilometre route is part of this undeveloped section.



The establishment of this new rail corridor confirms that the Erdenet to Ovoot railway has developed from being a rail connection to a large coking coal project, to now being part of an important new trade infrastructure route.



David Paull, managing director, commented:



It is very significant news that the Erdenet to Ovoot railway is now recognised as a key part of a new rail trade route between Russia and China through Mongolia.



"This new corridor will be of significant long term value to the people of Mongolia.



"The Erdenet to Ovoot railway has now officially moved from a rail extension to service a world class coking coal deposit, to a strategic piece of rail infrastructure to facilitate Chinas Silk Road Initiative and Mongolias Step Road trade initiative.





Erdenet to Ovoot access to funding



As Erdenet to Ovoot is now part of the new Northern Rail Corridor and part of Chinas One Belt One Road Trade Infrastructure Policy, it now becomes, subject to the completion of a feasibility study, a priority funding project.



Aspire may soon be able to access funding from Chinas Policy Banks, Sinosure, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and funds such as the Silk Road Fund which has been specifically established to support the establishment of One Belt One Road logistics infrastructure.





Background



Aspire is the largest coal tenement holder in Mongolias Northern provinces and is the 100% owner of the Ovoot Coking Coal Project which is the second largest coking coal project by reserves in Mongolia.



The Ovoot project development is dependent on the construction of the Erdenet to Ovoot railway which is being progressed by Aspires subsidiary Northern Railways.



Production from the Ovoot project can coincide with the commissioning of the Erdenet to Ovoot railway.



Aspire also currently owns a 50% interest in and is the operator of the Ekhgoviin Chuluu Joint Venture (ECJV), and has an option to increase its ownership to 100% of the ECJV.



The ECJV owns a 90% interest in the Nuurstei Coking Coal Project which has a 12.85 million tonne JORC resource.





Analysis



The inclusion of the Erdenet to Ovoot railway in the Northern Rail Corridor is a massive boost and a momentous important milestone for Aspire as it increases the certainty of its construction which is required for the development of Ovoot.



Subject to the completion of a feasibility study, the Erdenet to Ovoot railway may receive priority funding from Chinas Policy Banks, Sinosure, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and funds such as the Silk Road Fund.



The inclusion of the Erdenet to Ovoot railway in the Northern Rail Corridor enhances the value adding opportunity for Ovoot Coking Coal to be blended with Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi non coking coals.



This announcement and recognition of the rail corridor as a key part of a new rail trade route between Russia and China through Mongolia and should ensure that Ovoot, the second largest coking coal project in Mongolia, by reserves, gains in prominence and in priority for development.

As pieces of newsflow and significance go, they do not get much better than this one.
A 5mln placing in July will provide funds for the programme

( , ) said it remains on track to start drilling in China later this year at the Jade prospect.

A 5mln placing in July will provide funds for the programme, while in Indonesia negotiations are underway over a gas sales agreement as the Mako field moves towards a final investment decision.

Drilling at Jade will require additional funding for final drilling preparation activities and the drilling (and testing) programmes and Empyrean added it was confident of meeting the full funding commitment after the July fundraise.

In a statement alongside results for the year to March 2020, Tom Kelly, chief executive, said "Empyrean's focus during the year was largely to complete the critical de-risking work required ahead of the planned drill campaign in China, which is now on track to commence during 2021 with the drilling of the Jade prospect.

In addition, following the exploration and appraisal success achieved in Indonesia in late 2019 the operator Conrad and the joint venture partners are working through all of the practical steps to put this exciting project into production.

The group is still in its exploration phase so generated no revenues in the year to end-March, 2021, while losses for the year fell slightly to US$953,000.
A look at Friday's major share movers on the London Stock Exchange

Shares in Nanosynth Group PLC, up 41% at 1.16p, were the best performers in London after the company updated on a distribution agreement in India.

Following the recent launch of the companys Pro Larva anti-viral mask in India, Nanosynth is looking to make delivery of 250,000 masks in the next few weeks, with the remainder of the initial order to follow.

These masks will, in part, be distributed to interested parties in India, with whom its distribution partner, VKE has been in discussions, to help establish the level of demand and timeframes for future orders.

2.35pm: Aura aglow after upgrading resource estimates at the Tiris Uranium Project in Mauritania

Aura Energy Limited was up by a tenth in the afternoon after upgrading the resource estimates at the Tiris Uranium Project in Mauritania.

The miner reckons it holds 56mln pounds, which is 10% more than initially calculated.

"We are very excited by this Resource Upgrade at the Tiris Uranium Project, as it confirms our belief that the Resource will continue to increase in size as further exploration work is undertaken, said chief executive and managing director Peter Reeve.

The company continues to seek operating and capital expenditure cost reductions, whilst concurrently planning future exploration activities to further increase resource size and the potential of the opportunity. With Stage 2 exploration initiatives now underway, including an opportunity review to lower operating costs and capital expenditure, Aura is also exploring the potential positive impact on Tiris operating cost from vanadium by-product recovery.

1.50pm: Amigo edges higher after swinging to profit

( ) advanced 2% to 8.09p as it turned a profit in the latest quarter after it left the amount it had set aside for settling customer complaints little changed.

The controversial money lender said in its fiscal first-quarter (April-June) results that the provision for settling complaints had been left broadly unchanged from the end of the previous fiscal year at 338mln.

"The extremely challenging situation facing Amigo, resulting from the significant liability for compensation payments for historical lending, provides the context for our first quarter results, said Mike Corcoran, the chief financial officer of Amigo.

Within this context, the performance of the business in the first quarter has been better than anticipated. As Amigo is not currently lending, the business is cash generative and our cost reduction programme has been effective. The level of collections remains robust with the impact of Covid-19 less than originally projected.

12.45pm: Bidstack higher after partnership with Suji Games

Bidstack Group PLC added 8% to 2.02p at lunchtime after signing a partnership with independent Turkish developer Suji Games for the free-to-play simulation title Hyper Airways.

Hyper Airways is an animated simulation game that has been downloaded more than 5 million times and is available on both iOS and Android. The game puts the player in control of an aeroplane and its passengers as they fly through obstacles and take care of those onboard throughout the flight.

According to Newzoo, it generated revenues of US$86.3bn in 2020, with hyper-casual games at the forefront of rapid growth. Figures from Sensor Tower showed that in 2020 hyper-casual games represented almost a third of all mobile game downloads.

11.35am: Travel sector reacts to UKs latest green list update

Travel stocks weakened on Friday after the latest update of the UKs lists for international travel.

Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Azores, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Lithuania were added to the green list, while Montenegro and Thailand are now deemed high risk and were moved to the red list.

( ) and ( ) plc were down 2% to 313.8p and 4,885.5p respectively, while easyJet plc shed 1% to 803.3p before lunchtime.

10.25am: ( ) takes off after upbeat update

( ) PLC rose 9% to 91.8p in mid-morning after noting it has continued to trade strongly in the face of some strong headwinds.

Travel restrictions and general uncertainty around the pandemic dont appear to have impeded the firms progress as it said it would deliver a first-half profit of not less than 3.7mln.

We continue to see a strong recovery in our private Jets division, the aviation services group said.

The UK has exceeded pre-Covid levels over the summer months as we have welcomed a number of first-time private jet flyers, in addition to seeing increased demand from many of our existing customers.

9am: East Imperial early riser after new supply agreements Down Under

( ) was one of the few early risers on Friday morning, up 13% to 13.75p after unveiling a series of significant new supply agreements across Australia and New Zealand.

The self-professed purveyor of ultra-premium beverages will supply Countdown stores and New World supermarkets in New Zealand.

It has also secured an agreement with Metcash, one of Australia's largest wholesalers, to stock its beverages to independent retailers across Australia. Metcash supplies and supports more than 10,000 independent retailers and over 90,000 wholesale customers across the food, grocery, liquor and hardware industries.

"This is a significant step forward for East Imperial as we look to accelerate our retail offering, a core element of our growth strategy, said chief executive and founder Tony Burt.

I'm delighted that since our listing in July we have added over 600 outlets across Australia and New Zealand. The team continues to work on similar placements throughout the wider Asia Pacific and US regions."
Market Update: Friday 27 August 2021 Helium One (LON:HE1): Completion of 2021 drilling campaign, Tanzania Prospex Energy (LON:PXEN): NED Board appointment confirmed

Oil & Gas Daily Flow

Non-Independent Research; Marketing & Sales Commentary - MiFID II exempt information  see disclaimer below

Click for PDF

Market Update: Friday 27 August 2021

Helium One (LON:HE1): Completion of 2021 drilling campaign, Tanzania

Prospex Energy (LON:PXEN): NED Board appointment confirmed

Energy Prices

Brent Oil US$71.8/bbl vs US$71.5/bbl yesterday

WTI Oil US$68.2/bbl vs US$67.5/bbl yesterday

Natural Gas US$4.37/mmbtu vs US$4.12/mmbtu yesterday

Oil Price News

BP has confirmed the Company intends to spin off its assets in Iraq by setting up a joint venture with PetroChina which will manage Iraqs largest oilfield Rumaila as the supermajor is looking to invest more in low-carbon energy sources and become a net-zero business by 2050

BP and PetroChina are creating a new standalone joint venture company, Basra Energy, to run Rumaila together with Iraqi state-held Basra Oil Company

The new venture will have access to external financing

The new joint venture will operate Rumaila through 2034, when the current contract expires, and will allow BP and PetroChina to continue investing in the oilfields operations

The Iraqi government approved BPs spin-off plan, Iraqs oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismaael said in a separate statement

Reports have been circulating for more than two months that BP was considering creating a separate company to manage its Iraqi assets

In June, The Wall Street Journal reported that BP was considering spinning off its Iraqi operations, including its holding in the worlds third-largest oilfield, Rumaila

BP was said to be working on the plan to create a new company together with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the owner of PetroChina, which is BPs partner in the field alongside the Iraqi state-owned Basra Oil Company

BPs presence in Iraq began in Kirkuk in the 1920s when the company helped Iraq to locate, produce, and export oil from Baba Gurgur, which was the largest oil field in the world at the time

Rumaila, the third-largest producing field in the world, is estimated to have around 17bnbbls of recoverable oil remaining

With BP as an operator, the Rumaila oilfield produces 1.5MMbopd, or around a third of the crude oil pumped in OPECs second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia

Oil production at Rumaila has increased by 40% since 2010

Gas Price News

September natural gas futures surged higher yesterday, buoyed by a tight government storage print and a rebound in liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand

The prompt month hit a US$4.193/mmbtu intraday higher and went on to settle at US$4.184, up 28.7 cents from Wednesdays close

The October contract jumped 28.6 cents to US$4.211

After two days of small day/day price changes, Thursdays storage data came as a surprise along the Nymex futures curve

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a 29Bcf injection for the week ending 20 August, surprising far to the downside of projections and sending futures to their highest settlement since December 2018

Company News

Helium One (LON:HE1): Completion of 2021 drilling campaign, Tanzania

Share Price: 9p, Market Cap: 55.4m

HE1 has confirmed the Company has completed its 2021 exploration drilling campaign with the identification of a working helium system in the Rukwa Basin.

Drilling has demonstrated seal, reservoir, and trapping geometries as well as identified a charge mechanism in the basin away from known surface seeps.

The identification of a well-developed sealing claystone 130m thick at the top of the Karoo Formation demonstrates sufficient sealing capacity in the basin to support the trapping of helium gas within the untested reservoir formations beneath.

Additional helium shows on multiple horizons, including beneath marginal sealing clays in the Red Sandstone Formation and shallow traps in the Lake Bed Formation, indicate potential for multiple prospective intervals within a productive system.

Tai-2, which was completed without identifying helium gas, has provided valuable information on shallow trapping potential.

The well targeted continuation of a 2.2% helium show identified in a sandstone interval at 70.5m in Tai-1: A high-grade gas show which potentially indicates free gas in the subsurface.

Wireline logging of Tai-2 demonstrated continuous clay over this interval, suggesting that the reservoir in Tai-1 pinched out against clay, which provides both vertical and lateral seal.

The Company believes that the new shallow target traps offer an opportunity for a low-cost route to explore and develop a helium gas deposit.

Current seismic data does not accurately resolve trapping styles at a shallow depth.

The Company is therefore reviewing several alternative low-cost geophysical techniques to test over known structures in the Tai area, before deployment over a wider area in the basin.

Drilling of the shallow traps will be cheaper than testing deep targets and could potentially be conducted using a light-weight water-rig, or similar rig capable of producing a stable hole, possibly opening the option to conduct drilling operations over the wet-season.

HE1 remains sufficiently financed for the proposed exploration programme with a cash position of 10m.

By focussing on using various geophysical techniques to reduce geological risk and improve drill targeting, the Company remains committed to cost-effective exploration.

The Company plans for rapid deployment of Phase 2 exploration activities and is working to mobilise various geophysical investigations before the commencement of seasonal rains in November.

Our take: The fact that Tai-2 was completed without identifying helium gas will come as another disappointing update for shareholders following Tai-1 earlier this year. Nevertheless, results from Tai-1 have shown a prolific basin with helium shows identified at multiple levels from near surface to basement. Tai-2 has verified the potential for development of newly identified Shallow traps within the Lake Bed Formation, which has the capacity to open a pathway to low cost exploration and development of near surface gas deposits.

Prospex Energy (LON:PXEN): NED Board appointment confirmed

Share Price: 2.9p, Market Cap: 4.3m

Prospex has confirmed that Alasdair Buchanan has been appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director of the Company with immediate effect.

Alasdair is a highly experienced upstream oil and gas professional with considerable experience at senior executive and board director level with multi-national global service companies.

Our take: Another high-level appointment to the board will come as welcome news to shareholders in our view. With the Selva gas field in Italy due to come online in 2022, a work programme in place to increase electricity generation at the El Romeral power plant in Spain, and the ongoing.

Research  Oil & Gas

Sam Wahab - 0203 470 0473 / 0784 385 5037

sam.wahab@spangel.co.uk

Sales

Richard Parlons  020 3470 0472

Abigail Wayne  020 3470 0534

Rob Rees  020 3470 0535

Grant Barker  020 3470 0471

SP Angel

Prince Frederick House

35-39 Maddox Street London

W1S 2PP

+SP Angel employees may have previously held, or currently hold, shares in the companies mentioned in this note.

Sources of commodity prices

Oil Brent, WTI - ICE

Natural Gas - NYMEX

Disclaimer Non-Independent Research

This note has been issued by SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP ("SP Angel") in order to promote its investment services and is a marketing communication for the purposes of the European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) and FCA's Rules. It has not been prepared in accordance with the legal requirements designed to promote the independence or objectivity of investment research and is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of its dissemination.

SP Angel considers this note to be an acceptable minor non-monetary benefit as defined by the FCA which may be received without charge. In summary, this is because the content is either considered to be commissioned by SP Angel's clients as part our advisory services to them or is short-term market commentary. Commissioned research may from time to time include thematic and macro pieces. For further information on this and other important disclosures please the Legal and Regulatory Notices section of our website Legal and Regulatory Notices

While prepared in good faith and based upon sources believed to be reliable SP Angel does not make any guarantee, representation or warranty, (either express or implied), as to the factual accuracy, completeness, or sufficiency of information contained herein.

The value of investments referenced herein may go up or down and past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Where investment is made in currencies other than the base currency of the investment, movements in exchange rates will have an effect on the value, either favourable or unfavourable. Securities issued in emerging markets are typically subject to greater volatility and risk of loss.

The investments discussed in this note may not be suitable for all investors and the note does not take into account the investment objectives and policies, financial position or portfolio composition of any recipient. Investors must make their own investment decisions based upon their own financial objectives, resources and appetite for risk.

This note is confidential and is being supplied to you solely for your information. It may not be reproduced, redistributed or passed on, directly or indirectly, to any other person or published in whole or in part, for any purpose. If this note has been sent to you by a party other than SPA the original contents may have been altered or comments may have been added. SP Angel is not responsible for any such amendments.

Neither the information nor the opinions expressed herein constitute, or are to be construed as, an offer or invitation or other solicitation or recommendation to buy or sell investments. Opinions and estimates included in this note are subject to change without notice. This information is for the sole use of Eligible Counterparties and Professional Customers and is not intended for Retail Clients, as defined by the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA").

Publication of this note does not imply future production of notes covering the same issuer(s) or subject matter.

SP Angel, its partners, officers and or employees may own or have positions in any investment(s) mentioned herein or related thereto and may, from time to time add to, or dispose of, any such investment(s).

SPA has put in place a number of measures to avoid or manage conflicts of interest with regard to the preparation and distribution of research. These include (i) physical, virtual and procedural information barriers (ii) a prohibition on personal account dealing by analysts and (iii) measures to ensure that recipients and persons wishing to access the research receive/are able to access the research at the same time.

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP is a company registered in England and Wales with company number OC317049 and whose registered office address is Prince Frederick House, 35-39 Maddox Street, London W1S 2PP. SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority whose address is 12 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN.

Recommendations are based on a 12-month time horizon as follows:

Buy - Expected return >15%

Hold - Expected return range -15% to +15%

Sell - Expected return < 15%
MGC Pharma PLC (LON:MXC, ) Co-founder and Managing director, Roby Zomer joins Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam to discuss the details of the landmark deal signed with an American drug distributor worth a minimum US$24mln over the next three years.

The tie-up with AMC Holdings will see MGC supplying the phytomedicine products CannEpil, CogniCann and CimetrA for use in clinical trials.

An initial order for US$3mln will be placed five days after a national clinical trial number has been granted. The additional US$21mln will come in years two and three.
Gap and Barclays have agreed to issue co-branded and private label credit cards in the US to Gap customers from next year

( ) (LSE:BARC.L) announced that it is buying a portfolio of Gap-branded credit cards worth US$3.8bn.

Barclays said its US subsidiary Barclays Bank Delaware is buying the portfolio from Synchrony Bank. The acquisition follows an agreement announced in April between Gap and Barclays to issue co-branded and private label credit cards in the US to Gap customers beginning in the second quarter of 2022.

Barclays has in recent years partnered with brands including American Airlines, JetBlue and Wyndham Hotels, Reuters reported.

The report said the lender has moved in recent years from trying to push credit cards through its own brand, to partnering with more established names in industries such as travel and leisure.
( ) has unsurfaced up to 132 g/t gold during a resampling program on historical drill core from the Santa Teresa Gold Project in Baja California, Mexico.

The gold explorer evaluated core from 22 holes drilled during a 2008 exploration campaign, discovering bonanza-grade gold hits that could bode well for a diamond drilling program that got underway in June 2021.

Comet also retrieved rock chip and soil samples from the projects quartz vein outcrops and waste dump material near historical workings, uncovering as much as 9.5 g/t gold.

Meanwhile, a metallurgical test-work program indicates that most of Santa Teresas gold is free milling, meaning high levels of the precious metal can be recovered without pressure leaching or other chemical treatment.
Marvel Gold Ltd (ASX:MVL) is a Mali-focused gold explorer with advanced exploration projects and extensive landholdings in the West African countrys south and west.

The company has assembled a portfolio of five gold projects in Mali through a mix of acquisitions and joint ventures and among its projects, Tabakorole is most advanced with an existing resource of 910,000 ounces grading 1.2 g/t gold with opportunities to expand along strike and via regional exploration.

It also owns 100% of the Chilalo Graphite Project, a world-class fully permitted graphite project in southeast Tanzania, for which it is assessing all options including a possible demerger and IPO.
The technical report shows impressive surface sampling results over a substantially expanded tenement control footprint, which support the robust prospectivity of the extensive Halleck Creek project area.

Allanite with metamict-isotropic core rimmed with epidote in quartz/feldspar.

( )s expanded Halleck Creek Project in the US has revealed consistently high-grade surface samples with total rare earth oxides (TREO) averaging more than 3,000 parts per million (ppm).

The 2021 Technical Report of the Wyoming Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project report prepared by World Industrial Minerals (WIM) shows impressive surface sampling results over a substantially expanded tenement control footprint, which support the robust prospectivity of the extensive Halleck Creek project area.

The report provides an overview of the Halleck Creek Project area, regional and local geology, recent claim-staking activities, general mineralogy of the host rocks and summarises assays of rock samples collected across the project area.

ARR has filed for exploration drilling permits and JORC 2012 compliant exploration targets are being determined.

Shares have been up more than 30% to an intra-day high of A$0.215.

Report highlights

The highest grade observed in the samples collected in 2021 are:

The surface samples also host high-value neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) with average values of 742 ppm for Overton Mountain and 661 ppm for Red Mountain study areas

The magnet rare earth oxides, NdPr, comprises 22% of TREO at an ideal 4:1 ratio.

A 62% increase of area under claim control, with 63 new lode claims staked, adding 1,193 acres (483 hectares).

The total area under mineral claim control (tenement area) is about 3,109 acres (1,257 hectares)

Accelerates timetable for exploration

ARR managing director Keith Middleton said: The release of this report unveils the latest expansion and analysis of our Halleck Creek REE project.

We are extremely excited about the results of the surface sampling.

The TREO grades and the grades of key elements of Neodymium (Nd) and Praseodymium (Pr) in our surface samples accelerates the timetable to perform additional exploration of the project area.

US domestic rare earths supply chain

The continuous trend of high-grade mineralisation of the exposed and accessible Red Mountain pluton presents a high-value opportunity for drilling 100 metres or deeper over significant acreage.

The report supports further development of the US domestic Rare Earths supply chain.

Downstream US magnet manufacturers will benefit from using a domestic raw material source upon passing of the recently introduced H. R. 5033 ``Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing Production Tax Credit Act of 2021''.

Using a domestically sourced REE would increase the tax credit by 50% for each kilogramme of magnet manufactured.

Halleck Creek acquisition

The company completed the acquisition of the project from Zenith Minerals in June 2021 after the US-based leadership team successfully earned unanimous government approvals of the four associated exploration leases totalling 1,844 acres with the State of Wyoming.

This success reinforces the companys strategy of basing key business and technical leadership near the US projects, activating their local relationships and knowledge of appropriate procedures.

After careful data analysis and the additional surface sampling, ARR created shareholder value by adding lode claims (tenements).

ARR staked additional areas, providing a more complete claim of the control area, especially in the geologic anomaly area known as the Red Mountain Pluton.

The 63 new lode claims, staked in 2021, added 1193 acres (483 ha), representing an increase of 62% compared to the acquisition from Zenith Minerals.

Easily accessible

The Halleck Creek project is accessible by state highways and locally maintained roads from Wheatland, Wyoming. Major rail and interstate highways are within 50 kilometres of Halleck Creek.

Electric power runs to the project area.

Halleck Creek is in the Laramie anorthite complex of the Precambrian age. The Red Mountain Pluton is the predominant are earth oxide bearing formation at Halleck Creek.

The Red Mountain pluton ranges in composition from fayalite monzonite, clinopyroxene quartz monzonite, and biotitehornblende quartz syenite to granite.

The total mineral area controlled by ARR at Halleck Creek covers 3,109 acres (1257 hectares).

ARR controls 68 unpatented lode claims at Halleck Creek covering 1265 acres (512 hectares and four state mineral leases covering 1,844 acres (745 hectares).

Halleck Creek resides in the Laramie anorthite complex of the Precambrian age.

The Red Mountain Pluton is the predominant Rare Earth Oxide bearing Formation at Halleck Creek.

The Red Mountain pluton ranges in composition from fayalite monzonite, clinopyroxene quartz monzonite, and biotitehornblende quartz syenite to granite.

Surface Sampling

Since 2010, 259 valid samples have been collected across the Halleck Creek Project Area, with around 200 surface samples collected in 2021.

The highest grade observed in samples collected in 2021 are: TREO: 5,756 HREO: 552 Magnet Minerals Oxide: 1,433

In about 197 surface samples in the Overton Mountain and Red Mountain study areas, the average TREO is about 3,349 ppm TREO and 3,002 ppm TREO, respectively.

The surface samples also host high-value NdPr with average values of 742 ppm for Overton Mountain and 661 ppm for Red Mountain study areas, with an average of 702 ppm.

Exploration drilling

ARR is proposing to drill five core holes on BLM land and claims in the northern area of Overton Mountain.

Notice of Intent documents have been filed with the regional BLM field office in Rawlins, Wyoming.

ARR plans to drill additional exploration holes on state land and leases in the southern Red Mountain area.
The phytomedicine group has been the top riser in London on Thursday

( , , , ) has been the top riser in the whole of the London Stock Exchange on Thursday, after investors got excited about a US$24mln deal with AMC Holdings.

The tie-up with the American drug distributor will see MGC supplying the phytomedicine products CannEpil, CogniCann and CimetrA for use in clinical trials.

Roby Zomer, MGC co-founder and managing director, said that the deal provides a pipeline for strong revenue streams over the next three years.

The Australian group is harnessing the power of plants to address unmet medical needs, known in science as phytomedicine. The total addressable market for all of its programmes is worth a whopping 60bn, according to analysts at Proactive.

CannEpil and CogniCann are being studied for treatment-resistant epilepsy, dementia and Alzheimer's and are both at mid-stage clinical trials.

They are MP Line cannabinoids, so they are derived from cannabis. The family includes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is an intoxicating compound but which also has valuable medical properties, and also cannabidiol (CBD) which is non-intoxicating.

The main market for cannabinoids is Australia, as they are prescribed for several indications including nausea caused by chemotherapy, cancer pain, palliative care and anorexia associated with chronic illness among others.

MGC is also supplying patients in Brazil and work is being done to enter the UK, where the medicinal cannabis market is expected to boom in the short term.

CimetrA, instead, is based on food supplement ArtemiC, which contains four natural active ingredients: Artemisinin, Curcumin, Boswellia serrata. ArtemiC is already being sold in Australia.

CimetrA is its pharma version and is at the final stage of trials, targeting the cytokine storm  a common symptom in severe COVID-19  and other autoimmune indications.

The group is very active in the phytomedicine space and has research collaborations with academic institutions such as RMIT University, Epilepsy Action Australia, Lenis and the Medicinal Cannabis Council.

Shares climbed 67% to 3.47p on Thursday afternoon.
Emmersons joint venture partner has earmarked $10.5 million to fund exploration across Tennant Creeks Northern and Southern project areas.

( ) continues to uncover exploration upside at the Mauretania project within the Tennant Creek Mineral Field (TCMF), with a drone magnetics survey and drilling campaign hinting at further gold mineralisation.

The precious and base metals explorer believes its recent field activity may have identified extensions to the projects oxide and primary gold zones, advancing its open-pit potential.

In tandem, Emmersons joint venture partner, Tennant Consolidated Mining Group (TCMG), has bought a 700,000-tonne-per-annum carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing plant, which will be transported and assembled in Tennant Creek in the first half of 2022.

The ASX-lister intends to conduct further studies and exploration at Mauretania ahead of mining activity, including a JORC resource estimate.

Potential for further mineralisation

Emerson Resources managing director Rob Bills said: This drill program at Mauretania was aimed at closing off the mineralisation outside of the conceptual open pit boundary.

However, exciting results from the new drone survey and first high-grade intersection into the primary gold mineralisation now expand the potential for further extensions to both the oxide and primary gold zones.

The next phase at Mauretania includes undertaking further studies ahead of mining including a JORC resource estimate.

The proof-of-concept drone survey over Mauretania provides confidence in identifying similar subtle magnetic anomalies within the Tennant Creek Mineral Field that have been overlooked or not present in the lower resolution, fixed-wing surveys."

Purchase of CIL mill

Bills added: Our joint venture partner, TCMG, is fully funding the advanced mining studies at Mauretania as part of the $5.5 million earn-in and small mines joint venture over the Northern Project Area at Tennant Creek.

The recent purchase of a CIL mill by TCMG will accelerate the establishment of a central milling facility in Tennant Creek  unlocking multiple stranded gold assets in the region and when in production, Emmersons free carried 6% gold production royalty.

Survey says

Recently, the Mauretania project, within TCMFs Northern Project area, has been an area of focus for the Emmerson exploration crew.

So far, the companys ultra-high-resolution drone magnetic survey has identified further extensions to the ironstones that host high-grade gold and copper at the prospect.

The 10,000-square-kilometre survey is now 80% complete, with the proof-of-concept drone survey delineating the known Mauretania magnetic anomaly.

As a result, EMN is confident it can identify similar anomalies in the future that may have been previously overlooked.

Newly available ultra-high-resolution drone magnetic survey tools.

Drilling to unlock Mauretania potential

Recently, drilling took place at the Mauretania project to test for extensions to the shallow gold oxide zone outside the prospects conceptual open-pit boundary.

Some of the assay results, uncovered outside the high-grade gold mineralisation within the future open-pit, include:

25 metres at 2.57 g/t gold and 0.24% copper from 93 metres, including 3 metres at 6 g/t gold and 3 metres at 5.2 g/t gold and 0.51 % copper;

30 metres at 0.44% copper and 0.30 g/t gold from 57 metres; and

45 metres at 0.39% copper from 84 metres, including 3 metres at 1.6% copper.

To support the mine planning process, three geotechnical drill holes were also completed, with one intersecting ironstone and returning 3.6 metres at 1.14 g/t gold from 43.5 metres.

However, the highlight of this program, announced early last month, was the 3.95-metre intersection at 57 g/t gold.

EMN believes this result, in conjunction with the new drone magnetic anomaly to the northeast, bodes well for expanding Mauretanias mineralisation.

This primary gold mineralisation occurs roughly 100 metres below the conceptual pit floor, but within the footwall of a massive hematite, give or take magnetite ironstone.

Interestingly, gold associated with hematite, postdating the early magnetite ironstones, underpins Emmersons exploration model and has been the hallmark of other discoveries at the Goanna, Monitor and Edna Beryl projects.

Driving gold exploration with TCMG

Ultimately, TCMGs recently purchased 700,000-tonne-per-annum CIL process plant, which comes with a recently overhauled crushing and grinding circuit and a Nelson Gravity Concentrator, will accelerate the timeline to commissioning and first gold production.

The dismantling, transportation and repositioning of the mill remain contingent on permitting, stakeholder engagement and establishing infrastructure at TCMGs preferred location at its Nobles Nob gold tailings project.

More broadly, Emmersons strategic alliance with TCMG covers a number of stipulations.

So far, the Hong Kong-based asset management firms subsidiary has earmarked $10.5 million to fund exploration across Tennant Creeks Northern and Southern project areas.

In exchange, TCMG has the option to earn a 75% stake in both regions, as long as it provides at least $10.5 million in project funding between now and 2026.

The joint venture partner must also produce a combined 60,000 ounces of gold across both landholdings within five years.

Under this agreement, the ASX-lister will also receive a 6% gold production royalty from all small mines.

Its also guaranteed 6% of a minimum 60,000-ounce gold production royalty across both sites.

Finally, Emmerson has established a major mines joint venture with TCMG, which means it will retain as much as a 40% stake in any discovery with more than 250,000 ounces of gold equivalent.

Next steps

Moving ahead, Emmerson will advance the Tennant Creek asset on two main fronts.

Work on mining economic assessments will see EMN undertake advanced scoping studies on existing projects such as Mauretania, Chariot, Malbec West and Black Snake under the JV with TCMG, where it is anticipated that some will advance to JORC compliant resource estimates in late 2021.

These projects will provide feed for TCMGs mill and support a see-through valuation of the emerging Emmerson royalty business.

Under the joint venture, the costs associated with this phase of work are covered 100% by TCMG.

In accordance with Emmersons accelerated exploration strategy, drilling is set to recommence in October on Emmersons 100% owned Tennant Creek projects, Edna Beryl and Hermitage.

The planned Jasper Hills drilling, which will be conducted under the terms of the landmark joint venture agreement with the Marntula Corporation, remains subject to approval from the Aboriginal Area Protection Authority.
The company believes Niobes rubidium resources could compare to the Tiantangshan rubidium deposit, the biggest rubidium deposit in the world.

( ) could be sitting on a world-class rubidium resource after identifying an initial exploration target within the Niobe prospect at Windimurra Project in Western Australia.

The company has a conceptual exploration target of 33,000-150,000 tonnes of resource, grading at between 696 and 1,457 parts per million rubidium oxide over an area bound an 80-metre by 65-metre region of detailed historical drilling.

Interestingly, this target represents less than half of the Niobe Pegmatite 1, while further exploration is required to establish a potential rubidium mineral resource.

Looking ahead, drilling at the Niobe Project is set to commence in late September and will also target the lithium potential of the mapped pegmatites.

Company shares have soared to be as much as 31.8% higher to 56 cents intraday.

Rubidium potential

Aldoro chairman Joshua Letcher noted the commercial potential of the historical grades and quoted internationally renowned geologist Dr Minlu Fu in todays ASX announcement.

Based on the news of the Mining Association of Guangdong Province of China, a major rubidium deposit called the Tiantangshan rubidium deposit, was discovered in Guangdong province in 2019.

It was reported that the Tiantangshan rubidium deposit with resources of Rb2O over 100,000 tonnes at the average grade 0.109% Rb2O, is the biggest rubidium deposit in the world.

On May 8, 2019, the Guangdong Provincial Government made an announcement saying that, as the project will be very profitable, the Provincial Government will invest multi-billion RMB to exploit this rubidium project in the next five years.

It seems that the potential resources of the Niobe rubidium project of Aldoro Resources may be in the same order with the Tiantongshan rubidium deposit with analyses of greater than 1.5% rubidium oxide and is associated with other valuable elements, such as lithium, caesium and tantalum.

Map shows the rubidium exploration target, mapped pegmatites and proposed areas for drilling.

Historical drilling informs rubidium potential

Aldoro has re-evaluated the Niobe tantalum prospects potential for rubidium based on historical drilling conducted by Pancontinental Mining Limited between 1984 and 1986.

All up, 31 close interval holes were drilled, while downhole sampling was conducted at 1-metre intervals, creating 809 samples and returning up to 1.09% rubidium oxide.

Historical drilling indicated a shallow dipping pegmatite, northerly dipping sheet that plunges to the northwest, flares at the surface and gently tapers with depth and in drill profile ranges from 25 to 35 metres in true thickness but tapers off to the northeast.

Apart from the Niobe pit area, where trial mining of tantalum was conducted, and nine reconnaissance holes drilled into Pegmatite 2, the pegmatite field with tenement P59/2173 has not been tested for rubidium, lithium and caesium.

Tantalum was mined in 1996, with 20 tonnes of tantalum heavy mineral concentrate produced onsite from a small shallow pit with the tailings left on-site.

The drill geochemical assays show there is no association between tantalum and rubidium, lithium and caesium, so it is implied that the majority of the exploration target remains on-site.
This preclinical work will help strengthen Emyrias intellectual property relating to our synthetic cannabinoid platform. Importantly, this work will help guide the novel formulation, delivery, and dosing strategies of our platform as we prepare our drug development programs for pivotal clinical trials, says MD.

Emyria Ltd has engaged leading North American preclinical contract research organisation (CRO) Calvert Labs to conduct a range of preclinical and animal pharmacokinetic, bioavailability and toxicology studies to help rapidly optimise Emyrias novel, synthetic cannabinoid drug platform.

The market has so far responded well to the news with Emyria shares 2.56% higher to A$0.20 in morning trading.

Calvert will focus on generating preliminary toxicology and pharmacokinetics data enabling human clinical trials for Emyrias platform to begin.

The appointment of Calvert comes just a week after Emyria aligned itself with leading drug manufacturer Altasciences, to deliver a range of proprietary, synthetic cannabinoid-based (CBD) capsules utilising a unique drug delivery approach. Calvert is an Altasciences company.

"Help strengthen IP"

We are delighted to be working closely with Calvert Labs, an Altasciences company and world-class preclinical CRO", Emyrias managing director Dr Michael Winlo said.

This preclinical work will help strengthen Emyrias intellectual property relating to our synthetic cannabinoid platform.

"Importantly, this work will help guide the novel formulation, delivery, and dosing strategies of our platform as we prepare our drug development programs for pivotal clinical trials.

Altasciences has been tasked with conducting complement bioanalysis at its offices in Laval, Quebec.

MSA supports registration programs

Emyria has signed a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Calvert to conduct preclinical studies to rapidly optimise Emyrias novel, synthetic cannabinoid drug platform.

The first study is set to start in October.

This study will help Emyria finalise dose formulation prior to commencing EMD-003 pivotal trials, targeting registration with the TGA.

It will also support additional drug development programs pursuing registration with the FDA and other global regulators.

EMD-003 is focused on reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress and is aiming to be a Schedule 3, over-the-counter, low-dose pure cannabidiol drug, which will be the first to make use of Emyrias proprietary, synthetic dose form.

Calverts track record

Calvert has a proven track record of performing FDA-approved studies across a broad range of therapeutic indications.

The company has extensive experience in neurological and psychological diseases and has a large pool of neuropsychopharmacology models to assist in the conduct of complex neuropsychological drug development.

This experience is highly complementary to Emyrias work with symptoms of psychological distress.

As Calvert is an Altasciences company, Emyria gains further access to integrated, full-service solutions include preclinical safety testing, clinical pharmacology and proof of concept, bioanalysis, program management, medical writing, biostatistics, clinical monitoring, and data management, all customisable to specific sponsor requirements.
The achievements of FY21 are important in our journey as a company and help set a strong foundation for Paradigm to grow, says interim chair and CEO.

( ) has tabled its FY21 report, reflecting on regulatory and commercial achievements as it works to develop an analgesic for the most common form of arthritis.

The health stock, which is focused on commercially repurposing drugs in a new, patented therapeutic application, is working to translate a historic candidate known as pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) or Zilosul into a treatment for osteoarthritis pain.

Over FY21, the ASX-lister submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Zilosil and is working to commence a global phase three trial with the candidate before years end.

Looking ahead, Paradigm remains committed to advancing its osteoarthritis clinical program and other pipeline indications in a bid to bring PPS to the market and help improve pain and mobility in millions of people who suffer from joint stiffness.

The companys regulatory and commercial push comes as the number of people impacted by osteoarthritis is set to increase by two-thirds between 2020 and 2030.

Investing in clinical development

Commenting on the companys progress to date, Paradigm interim chair and CEO Paul Rennie said: Much of the investment in FY21 was focused on identifying and then meeting the requirements of the regulatory pathways for clinical development for the lead programs.

Infrastructure and organisational support were strengthened for current and upcoming clinical trial activities.

We engaged key opinion leaders and industry experts to work alongside our in-house teams to enhance success in advancing the programs.

Investment will continue as we progress with both the global clinical pivotal program and projects to optimise commercial and partnering attractiveness for Zilosul.

In his CEO report, Rennie continued: The achievements of FY21 are important in our journey as a company and help set a strong foundation for Paradigm to grow.

There have been many achievements during FY21, and we look forward to continuing to achieve significant progress over the next 18 to 24 months, a pivotal period for Paradigm.

Where Zilosul can fit in the treatment process.

Financials

PAR brought in $20,550  its first company revenue  from its operations over FY21, as well as roughly $8.9 million in other income.

The biopharma stock tabled a $34.3 million loss over the 2021 financial year, up from the previous years $12.3 million dip into the red because of a considerable increase in research and development (R&D) spending.

Paradigm expensed roughly $33.5 million on R&D activities over the period  more than double the $14 million recorded over FY20.

The ASX-lister kicked off the financial year with more than $103.9 million in the bank and ended the period with $71 million to continue operations.

Drive towards commercialisation

Over the 2021 financial year, Paradigm hit several milestones as it worked to build its organisation and support Zilosils development.

In January this year, the biotech underwent a rebrand at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, emphasising its repurposing mission when it comes to treatment candidates.

The ASX-lister also incorporated a US entity to back the candidates clinical program, with chief medical officer Dr Donna Skerrett appointed to lead the branchs clinical team.

As it prepared for the phase three trial, Paradigm worked to evolve its commercial function and conducted 26 pre-clinical trials centred on injectable PPS.

The company recorded its first revenue from Zilosul sales over the financial year by implementing the pay-for-use provision via the Therapeutic Good Administrations (TGA) Special Access Scheme (SAS).

At present, product sales are expected to be modest because Paradigm is rationing the product available for the SAS to prioritise supply for its pivotal clinical trial program.

However, the SAS does provide an option for patients who are not eligible to participate in Paradigms clinical trials to access therapy under the guidance of their physician.

Investigating PPS efficacy

In terms of regulatory activities, the biotech submitted its IND application with the US FDA and secured ethics approval for the upcoming phase three trial, which is set to kick off next quarter.

Paradigm also achieved Orphan Drug indication from Brazils National Health Surveillance Agency and ethics approval for a phase two trial.

This will investigate PPSs safety and tolerability compared with a placebo in patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VI, a progressive condition that causes many tissues and organs to enlarge, become inflamed or scarred, and eventually waste away.

The phase two study will be the largest clinical trial using PPS in patients with MPS, while a study with MSP I patients in Australia has also been initiated.

Paradigms MPS program has received Orphan Drug Designation status in the US and European Union for MPS I and MPS VI.

The company has also made preclinical progress with PPS in two new indications, heart failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Topline results from that research are expected in 2021s final quarter.

It brings the number of potential PPS indications currently being explored for development to seven.

Looking ahead

Fresh board appointments in FY21 prepared Paradigm for the new financial year, with Helen Fisher and Amos Meltzer joining as non-executive directors and Dr Donna Skerrett appointed as to an executive director role.

The company said Fisher, previously a tax partner at Deloitte; Meltzer who has a background in science and commercialisation and is an intellectual property lawyer; and Dr Skerrett, who has three decades of experience in clinical research and development, bring a wealth of experience to the team.

Rennie said of the new joiners: These appointments improve the composition of the board in terms of independence, gender diversity and will contribute to the success of Paradigm into the future.

Capping off the annual report, Rennie concluded: We remain focused on progressing our Phase 3 osteoarthritis clinical program and other pipeline indications to bring PPS to market to improve pain and mobility for the millions of people who suffer from arthralgia driven by injury, inflammation, ageing, degenerative disease, infection, or genetic predisposition.

In what has been at times a challenging year with the interruptions that COVID-19 has presented to all the companys programs, Id like to thank our dedicated staff for the progress and achievements they have made throughout FY21.

The company is well placed to continue the development of PPS for treatment of osteoarthritis and other conditions.
The investment in Brainworks demonstrates MMJs expertise to secure a private negotiated investment in unlisted businesses which are not generally available to Australian retail and institutional investors, says chairman.

( , ) has completed a US$1 million investment in Brainworks Foundry Inc, an integrated digital health and pathology company operating in the United States.

The investment was part of a pre-IPO equity financing of US$3.7 million to fund the expansion of Brainworks Medio Labs laboratory testing operations in the US.

The ASX listed company has made the investment through its existing cash reserves.

Broadened investment mandate

MMJ chairman Peter Wall said: The investment in Brainworks demonstrates MMJs expertise to secure a private negotiated investment in unlisted businesses which are not generally available to Australian retail and institutional investors.

Brainworks represents continued deployment of funds in accordance with its investment strategy following the broadening of MMJs investment mandate in 2020.

MMJs investment in Brainworks comprises 1,234,568 shares representing approximately 7% of Brainworks issued capital on completion of the proposed US$3.7 million capital raising initiative.

Medio Labs service

Medio Labs is a commercial laboratory testing service operated by Brainworks.

This service has designed a best-in-breed, highly scalable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing process, using DNA barcoding, which reduces the cost and turnaround time of next-generation gene-sequencer analysis for COVID19 samples.

The testing process was first deployed for COVID-19 PCR testing in October 2020 after receiving an Emergency Use Approval from the US FDA.

Gene sequencing pathology lab

Brainworks plans to use the proceeds from the offer in establishing its first larger-scale gene sequencing pathology lab in Alameda, California.

This will allow the US-based company to service up to 150 markets across the US and provide end-to-end gold-standard PCR COVID testing in under 24 hours with results to be delivered via the secure Brainworks digital health platform.

MMJ investments

MMJ is an Australian-listed specialist investment company that offers the opportunity to invest in a globally diversified portfolio holding investments in private (typically pre-IPO) and public companies in high growth industries.

Its current investments are largely minority holdings in Australian and offshore cannabis-related businesses with investments being added in other high growth industries but not limited to natural resources, healthcare and software services technology.
GEV is developing the worlds first large-scale compressed hydrogen ship (CH2 Ship) design, to support the transportation of green (zero-emission) hydrogen, which could be used to decarbonise hard-to-reach heavy greenhouse gas-emitting industries.

Edisons modelling suggests potentially attractive internal rates of return (IRR) from a range of scenarios. The lowest IRR scenario would have a diluted net present value (NPV) of 18 cents per share.

( ) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Province Resources Ltd and Total Eren to support a technical and commercial feasibility study on the export of green hydrogen from the HyEnergy Project.

Under the terms of the MoU, GEV will undertake a feasibility study to evaluate the technical and commercial feasibility of exporting green hydrogen from the HyEnergy Project in Western Australia's Gascoyne region.

The scope includes transport from the onshore hydrogen gas production facility to an offshore ship-loading buoy and then on to nominated Asia Pacific markets utilising GEVs compressed hydrogen shipping solution.

Edison believes that if the study is successful, it could open the door to commercialising clean compressed hydrogen shipping from Australia to South-East Asia and similar operations in Europe, giving GEV a first-mover advantage.

The research firms 18 cents per share valuation implies an upside of 157% on GEVs current share price of 7 cents.

Extract from Edisons initiation of coverage on July 23, 2021:

Global Energy Ventures (GEV) is one of the first transport companies to offer the prospect of genuinely emission-free hydrogen production and inter-regional hydrogen transport solutions.

Its innovative C-H2 Ship design has been approved and is in the early stages of development and construction prior to an expected launch in 2026, most likely serving markets in South-East Asia, but with exciting applications in offshore energy production in Europe too.

Our scenario models suggest IRRs of between 10% and 19%.

C-H2 Ship

The C-H2 ship would have twin, 1,000 tonne capacity tanks in the hold that will be pressurised to 250 bar.

The vessel will ultimately be powered by a fuel cell that will create energy from green hydrogen stored in the ships hold, implying zero emission fuel for transportation.

Therefore, the C-H2 Ship has green cargo, and the cargo itself offers zero-emission fuel for transportation. With the exception of the vessel construction, this solution could have zero carbon emissions and could be a vital differentiator for GEV as it helps corporates towards decarbonisation targets.

Extract from Edisons Signing of MOU update on August 23, 2021:

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) recently signed between GEV and the HyEnergy Project partners will potentially confirm the validity of GEVs own scoping study.

The study highlighted the cost advantage of compressed hydrogen shipping, the technical feasibility of GEVs compressed solution and confirmed the potential production costs of green hydrogen in Western Australia.

If HyEnergys own scoping study concludes with a positive outcome, it could prove to be the catalyst that genuinely kick-starts GEVs compressed hydrogen transportation solution.

We maintain our existing financial forecasts.

Market opportunity: Renewable energy imbalance

Australia is blessed with plentiful renewable energy sources (wind and solar) and relatively limited local demand given the population.

By contrast, several countries in South-East Asia have pledged to decarbonise their economies but have challenges in achieving targets given the geographies.

GEV is looking to address this imbalance by transporting surplus energy in the form of green hydrogen from northern and western Australia to areas of high demand in its novel compressed hydrogen vessels.

Valuation: NPV calculation implies attractive IRRs

Our original modelling suggested potentially attractive IRRs from a range of scenarios which fit with this potential project in terms of the location, scale of production and timing, being around 2026 for first shipments.

The cost of the study is expected to fall within existing forecasts, which already include expected fundraises to develop both the vessels and to finance studies such as this one.

There are, however, considerable risks to achieving the expected returns including funding, hydrogen availability, hydrogen pricing, the fact that the hydrogen market is at an early stage of development and that the vessel design is novel.
CEO Tony Swiericzuk will continue his association with the company as a board member and as a consultant to ensure a smooth transition to the new CEO.

( , , , ) has thanked outgoing chief executive officer Tony Swiericzuk for his contribution to the company since joining in November 2018.

The company has today announced the resignation of Swiericzuk from the CEO role but he will continue as a board member and as a consultant to ensure a smooth transition to the new CEO, as well as providing ongoing strategic and technical advice.

In a statement, Salt Lake Potash said: The companys board would like to thank Swiericzuk for the energy and commitment he brought to the CEO role.

Tony has guided the permitting, financing, development and construction of the Lake Way Project, positioning SO4 as an industry leader in Western Australia.

SO4s board is in advanced discussions with a replacement CEO and will be in a position to announce the new CEO in a couple of weeks.

The statement said: The board is committed to the success of the Lake Way project and the larger vision of SO4 becoming a major global exporter of seaborne SOP.
A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors US and Canada newswires

Australis Capital, doing business as AUDACIOUS, posted fiscal fourth-quarter results that saw its revenue soar 405% year-over-year thanks to the company's 51% stake in commercial crops facility management firm ALPS, even though the deal was closed less than a month before the fiscal year ended. For the period ended March 31, 2021, the Las Vegas cannabis company earned a pre-tax net income of $3 million, compared to a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million in the fiscal 4Q of 2020. The company benefited from increases in value in its Body and Mind holdings, favorable legacy settlements and cost reductions led by the new management team and other revaluations, said the company. The acquisition of ALPS more than doubled revenues for all of FY 2021 even though the company only owned ALPS for the last 23 days of the fiscal year, noted the company.

( , ) has announced that it shares will graduate from the OTCQB Venture Market and begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol MVMDF effective August 27, 2021. Mountain Valley said graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among US investors.

Kwesst Micro Systems Inc said the TSX Venture Exchange has conditionally accepted the listing of 3,536,057 common share purchase warrants of Kwesst Micro Systems Inc issued in connection with its oversubscribed brokered private placement of 3,536,057 units, which closed on April 29, 2021. The TSX-V has advised that the warrants will be listed for trading on the TSX-V under the symbol KWE.WT effective at market open on Aug. 31, 2021. The offering consisted of 3,536,057 units issued at a price of $1.25 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share of Kwesst and one warrant. Each warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of the company at a price of $1.75 for a period of 24 months ending April 29, 2023.

( ) has announced that its CLIA/CAP-certified lab Provista Diagnostics has successfully completed the validation studies required to put the Kogene Biotech PCR Variant Test Kit (Kogene Variant Kit) into production. Todos added that it expects to launch variant testing in September 2021. The company said the Kogene Variant Kit is a PCR kit capable of identifying the key mutations associated with specific SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the key P681R mutation identified in the Delta variant, that allows Todos to categorize the lineage of the strain responsible for a positive test result.

Altiplano Metals Inc saw its copper grades increase yet again during its July production run from the Farellon copper-gold mine in Chile. Over the month, Farellon produced around 4,020 tonnes of copper-gold material at a grade of around 1.52%  a 2% increase in copper grade, according to a release from the company. Altiplano also increased the amount of tonnes extracted by 11.5% compared to the month of June 2021, it told shareholders.

( ) Ltd. has reported financial results for the second quarter of 2021, showing record quarterly revenues achieved and significant growth for its Talicia and Movantik drugs. For the three months ended June 30, 2021, RedHill posted net revenue of approximately $21.5 million while maintaining gross margin above 50%. The increase was attributable to a rise in revenues from Talicia and Movantik despite the challenging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic environment. RedHill noted that its focus on initiatives to drive Movantik market growth and gain market share had resulted in a strong quarterly performance for Movantik, registering a 5.6% increase in new prescriptions. In addition, Talicia achieved a record quarter, delivering more than 10% growth in prescription volume, compared to the previous quarter. RedHill's cash balance as of June 30, 2021, was approximately $71.5 million.

( , ) has announced that Denny's restaurants across Canada will be offering select NATERA meat-alternative entrees on their menus. The Vancouver-based company said that following a menu test of NATERA products at five Denny's restaurants in British Columbia, guests can now look forward to enjoying NATERA Seasoned Chick-Un Tenders and NATERA Chick-Un Nuggets at 71 Denny's across Canada later this Fall. Naturally Splendid also revealed that Bar One, a restaurant under the Denny's Canada brand, will be offering select NATERA plant-based, meat-alternative entrees shortly after the Denny's launch at all 13 locations in British Columbia and Alberta.

NEO Battery Materials Ltd said it has received three additional prototype requests from global-tier battery materials and metals manufacturers and an automotive company. This latest request follows the first samples of NEO's silicon anode prototype that were previously sent out. The company notes it is currently in the process of manufacturing more prototype samples to meet the demand and is refining the prototype for further improvements in performance.

Kootenay Silver Inc said it has unearthed a potential new high-grade zone known as the East Block within the Columba Silver project, in Chihuahua State, Mexico. The discovery was made as part of the 2021 phase II drill program during expansion drilling east of the JZ Zone. Hole CDH-21-101 returned results indicative of high-grade areas on the property seen in the F, B and D Veins and JZ zone.

( , , ) announced positive preclinical results from research on its Family 3 group of psilocybin compounds that could significantly improve the sustained effectiveness and safety profile of microdosing practices. The company said in a statement that research on the compounds, comprised of long-acting psilocybin side-chain restricted analogs, demonstrated extended duration of action and decreased effect size at the 5-HT2A receptor.

( , , ) has provided an update on its Phase I diamond drilling program at the Skaergaard Project in eastern Greenland. The company said it commenced drilling in July and has prioritized the northern part of the Skaergaard deposit, including several areas being drilled to determine the open-cut potential at the site. Historically, these priority areas were never drilled at Skaergaard due to the focus on defining a resource in the southern part of the deposit. Major Precious Metals noted that the successful completion of the drill holes within key priority areas by September has the potential to both upgrade and significantly expand the existing mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Skaergaard.

( ) Ltd, a provider of secure access solutions and intelligent data collection, has reported that its second-quarter revenue reached a record high, increasing by two-thirds year-over-year. For the three months ended June 30, 2021, the company generated $1.78 million in revenue, versus $1.08 million in the same quarter a year earlier, a 66% increase. Safe-T attributed the revenue jump to increased demand for its privacy platform and growing partnerships for its ZoneZero solution. Another highlight of the quarter was the recently-announced acquisition of CyberKick, the company added.

( , ) Inc has announced a non-brokered private placement consisting of 43,750,000 units of the company at a price of C$0.08 per unit to raise gross proceeds of C$3.5 million, to be used to complete the very first drill program on its Fortuna gold and copper project in Ecuador and for general working capital. The drill program is expected to be approximately 3,000 meters and is a follow up to the recent discoveries made during the surface exploration work over the past 18 months, the company said in a statement. This includes Wayka's trench T6, which sampled 17.63 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 3 meters (m).

( ) has reported second-quarter 2021 revenue of C$1,030,518, a 5% year-over-year increase, as the company expanded the existing market for its Primary English Program (PEP) into an additional province in China. Lingo Media also recorded a net profit of C$707,561 for the quarter ending June 30, 2021, up from C$624,329 during the same period last year. We are pleased to see the maintenance and growth of our recurring royalty stream from our PEP business in China even in the face of COVID, Lingo Media CEO Gali Bar-Ziv said in a statement.

Tocvan Ventures Corp has told investors it plans to start a trenching program at its Pilar gold and silver project in Mexico in October as the company recapped on the findings of a successful drill program completed in June this year. The 20-hole Phase 2 drill program expanded the so-called Main zone 30 metres (m) to the northwest and 150m to the southeast and defined a new mineralized trend over a 500m strike, parallel to the Main zone. At the Triple Vein zone, one hole also hit a narrow silver-rich zone with gold.

( ) Ltd. has announced results of a new preclinical study demonstrating strong inhibition by its investigational oral pill opaganib (ABC294640) of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Delta variant replication while maintaining cell viability at relevant concentrations. Working with the University of Louisville Center for Predictive Medicine, the company noted that opaganib was studied in a 3D tissue model of human bronchial epithelial cells (EpiAirway) to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of opaganib in inhibiting the Delta (Indian) variant. RedHill said this adds to the previously reported work that showed opaganib also inhibits Beta (South African) and Gamma (Brazilian) SARS-CoV-2 variants. "There is growing evidence in support of the possible key role played by sphingosine kinase-2 in the replication of RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, irrespective of mutations at the spike protein. This makes inhibition of this intra-cellular enzyme a promising therapeutic target for treating COVID-19 disease," said Dr Reza Fathi, RedHill's Senior VP, R&D.

( , , ) said that during the second quarter, it had made great progress on its shovel-ready Posse Gold Project on its Mara Rosa Property in Goias State, Brazil, as it continued to explore its financing options. Heading into a pivotal period for Posse, Amarillos strategy is to make the necessary expenditures to stay on schedule for Posse while minimizing its financial exposure until it obtains full construction financing. Amarillo is gearing up to start building its 100,000-ounces-per-year operation at Posse. For its second quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Toronto-based company had C$40.5 million on hand, most of which is invested in short-term savings and investment accounts awaiting deployment for constructing Posse, exploration, and general corporate purposes.

( ) Corp said it had achieved "stable" second quarter and first half results despite the impact of the pandemic as it outlined plans to continue to grow the business via acquisitions, partnerships and creating new products. The firm, which provides out-of-hospital pain management services in Canada and has a focus on medicinal cannabis, said it ended the period to June 30 this year with $6.4 million in cash after raising $13.8 million gross from a private placing, giving it the firepower to execute on operational and expansion plans.

Silver ( , ) Ltd released an encouraging exploration update on recent work at the Cambridge project in western Nevada, which is a joint venture with Auburn Gold Mining LLC. In May, the company completed a detailed soil geochemical survey over the known gold mineralization trends on the property, and results defined clear gold-in-soil anomalies coincident with the Price Lode, Cambridge Mine and North trends. Surveys also defined a 1,350 m long anomaly along the Price Lode trend with peak response of 5,070 parts per billion (ppb) gold in an area of known gold mineralization, Silver Range said.

( ). has announced that the air quality and wastewater permit applications for its Net-Zero 1 project have been filed with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources. "These permit applications are on schedule and represent the first of the permits necessary for the construction of Net-Zero 1, said Chris Ryan, Gevos president and chief operating officer, in a statement. We are happy to work closely with Pinnacle Engineering, a world-class engineering firm known for specializing in environmental permitting, to draft our permits. These combined efforts are focused on minimizing environmental impact and establishing the lowest CI (Carbon Intensity) score possible.

( ) said assay results from recent drilling at its Pau de Merenda (PDM) target at the Cuiu gold district in northern Brazil suggest the presence of a much larger gold-in-oxide blanket than previously envisaged. In a drilling update, the junior resource company said results from ten additional reconnaissance RC (reverse circulation) drill holes at PDM have expanded the recently identified gold-in-oxide blanket to 800 x 300 metres (m) in size. The blanket remains open in three of four directions, the company added.

American Manganese Inc has announced the successful production of electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) in the final stages of the Wenden Stockpile reclamation and advanced material processing project in Arizona. The company said it has conducted multiple stages of bench-scale tests on the Wenden Stockpile material that confirm the viability of its patented manganese recovery process to produce EMM. The project was funded by an award in late 2020 from the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to perform lab-scale work on the US government's 322,000 metric ton manganese stockpile located near Wenden and assess the viability of production using American Manganese's ground-breaking recovery process.

( , ) unveiled a new technical report on its Gaocheng (GC) operation that increases the resources and reserves on the silver-zinc-lead project. The report outlines mineral reserves of 4.131 million tonnes in the combined proven and probable categories at a grade of 94 grams per ton (g/t) silver, 1.5% lead, and 3.2% zinc, containing about 12.5 million ounces of silver, 135 million pounds of lead, and 293 million pounds of zinc. As for the resources, the report reveals 10 million tons inclusive of mineral reserves, grading 82 g/t silver, 1.2% lead and 2.8% zinc, for about 26.4 million ounces of silver, 265 million pounds of lead and 619 million pounds of zinc.

Kodiak Copper Corp announced it was restarting its drill program at its MPD copper-gold porphyry project in Southern British Columbia after work was temporarily halted last week due to wildfires. "With improved conditions, wildfire risk to our operations has been reduced, allowing the company to resume work," the explorer said in a brief statement. Thanking fire fighters and first responders, the company's CEO Claudia Tornquist added that the "short interruption" would not have a "material impact on the large exploration program we are undertaking at MPD this year".

Nextech AR Solutions Corp said it has closed the previously announced acquisition of UK-based spatial computing company ARWAY Ltd, in an all-stock transaction. The deal will also see Nextech hire key founders Baran Korkmaz and Nikhil Sawlani. ARWAYs spatial mapping platform uses AI to scan and recognize surroundings for hyper-accurate location-based 3D mapping.

( , ) has announced the revenue-generating deployment of four Safe Entry Stations at the upcoming Palm Tree Music Festival in New York. The event will be held on August 29 in Westhampton Beach as part of the company's reseller partnership with the US-based JUICEWORKS. In a statement, Predictmedix said the festival will serve as a unique opportunity to demonstrate its proprietary AI-enabled screening solution to representatives from local, state, and federal government agencies, the military, and tier-1 event organizers in attendance.

Empower Clinic Inc has announced the appointment of Annette Robinson to its inaugural global advisory board, which the company said is designed to advance its strategic goals through expert advice and guidance. Robinson, a pharmacist by trade with 37 years of industry experience, is currently president of the British Columbia Pharmacy Association and is the board representative for the Canadian Pharmacists Association.

( ) Vehicles Corp, a designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles, announced that it will bring its flagship three-wheeled, single-occupant, SOLO EV to the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, the industrys largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. The four-day event will kick off on August 31 at the Long Beach Convention Center, in California. ( ) will occupy Booth #1907. The carmaker said it is proud" to be the official sponsor of the ACT Ride and Drive event on September 1 with SOLO test drives available for interested attendees.

( , ) said it has been selected to participate in a virtual trade mission to Mexico presented by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT) in collaboration with the Toronto Regional Board of Trade. The selection was based on its CO2 Delivery Solutions application as a clean technology. The objective of the virtual clean tech mission, from September 20-23, is to attain a targeted six pre-screened, high-impact business-to-business meetings coordinated by Global BMT Consulting. Global BMT is a market intelligence company focused on international business, marketing, and trade consultancy that has been retained by the MEDJCT to introduce Ontario-based clean technology companies entering the Mexico market to targeted potential customers and distributors.

i-80 Gold Corp. said its application to the OTC Markets Group Inc for the company's common shares to begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market has been accepted. The company noted that its common shares will begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market on Thursday, August 26, 2021, under the ticker symbol IAUCF after qualifying for an upgrade from the OTC Pink market. "This is exciting news for the Company and will allow for a broad set of shareholders to invest in i-80. We are pleased to be accepted onto the OTCQX and believe this is the next step in unlocking the value of our Nevada-focused mining company", Ryan Snow, chief financial officer of i-80 said in a statement.

( ) Company Ltd. has announced that its common shares are anticipated to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on or about August 31, 2021, under the symbol NSR. In addition to listing and trading on the NYSE in US dollars, Nomad's common shares will continue to be listed and traded in Canada on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in Canadian dollars under the symbol NSR. Shareholders that purchased their Nomad common shares 'over-the-counter' or OTC, including shareholders whose shares are denoted in their institution/broker account with the symbol NSRXF, are advised to monitor their account to ensure their holdings are updated to reflect the NYSE listing and trading symbol, as Nomad expects OTC quotations for its common shares to cease in connection with the NYSE listing. Nomad's common shares will also continue to trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol IRL.
For the period ended March 31, 2021, the cannabis company earned a pre-tax net income of $3 million, compared to a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million in the fiscal 4Q of 2020

Australis said the acquisition of ALPS 'more than doubled revenues for all of FY 2021 even though the company only owned ALPS for the last 23 days of the fiscal year'

Australis Capital, doing business as AUDACIOUS, posted fiscal fourth-quarter results that saw its revenue soar 405% year-over-year thanks to the company's 51% stake in commercial crops facility management firm ALPS, even though the deal was closed less than a month before the fiscal year ended.

For the period ended March 31, 2021, the Las Vegas cannabis company earned a pre-tax net income of $3 million, compared to a pre-tax loss of $10.6 million in the fiscal 4Q of 2020.

The company benefited from increases in value in its Body and Mind holdings, favorable legacy settlements and cost reductions led by the new management team and other revaluations, said the company.

The firm said its efforts led to a reduction of 22% in adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization losses for full year fiscal 2021, compared to FY 2020.

The acquisition of ALPS more than doubled revenues for all of FY 2021 even though the company only owned ALPS for the last 23 days of the fiscal year, noted the company.

Australis added that Green Therapeutics was acquired towards the end of fiscal 2021 and will contribute more substantially to revenues in FY 2022 once the licenses are transferred over to complete the balance of the acquisition.

On a pro forma basis, assuming ALPS and Green Therapeutics were both consolidated from January 1, 2021, fiscal 4Q revenue would have totaled $1.6 million, compared to reported revenue of $0.5 million for the quarter. Similarly, Australis would have clocked up $5.3 million in full year fiscal 2021 revenue instead of $0.7 million as reported.

Cash and marketable securities remained level at $16.3 million at the end of the quarter, compared to March 31, 2020. Net working capital stayed strong at $16.4 million.

Total assets roughly doubled to $79.1 million in just one quarter with the two acquisitions, said the company, while adding that owners' equity almost doubled as well to $57.9 million.

Strong outlook for fiscal year 2022

For the 1Q quarter ended June 30, 2021, the company said unaudited preliminary consolidated revenue is estimated at $1.7 million, up 277% from the previous quarter due to the overall growth in the ALPS business.

"Achieving a five-fold increase in our revenues for the quarter, even with ALPS consolidated for only 23 days and no contribution booked from Green Therapeutics, shows the impact of AUDACIOUS transitioning from an investment company to an operating company and reflects the speed at which we are executing," Australis Capital CEO Terry Booth said in a statement.

"In the short time since our new leadership team took over, AUDACIOUS has executed on numerous growth transactions and cleaned up legacy issues.

The firm said that through its partnership with Belle Fleur it had validated its strategy, which will see us move into Massachusetts without spending Capex on facilities, while securing the long-term supply of high-quality, cannabis to fuel the scale up of our award-winning brands.

The latest addition to our family, LOOS, is positioned for rapid growth in California, as well as other states in which we operate or intend to move into," said Booth. "And this is only the very beginning. Going forward, shareholders can anticipate strong growth, accretive transactions, clever partnerships and multi-state expansion in a capital light way.

CFO Jon Paul noted that in just one quarter Australis is a much stronger company solidified by its recent acquisitions.

"As a new management team, we successfully restructured several matters, with almost all disputes now fully resolved. We have rebuilt the finance team and strengthened other areas by bringing in seasoned executives with deep connections in the cannabis industry, said Paul. We also streamlined costs by pivoting away from cash burning fintech operations, along with reducing personnel costs, professional fees and other corporate costs.

Australis also transitioned to new auditors, Baker Tilly, which acquired the companys previous auditors Squar Milner.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Cabral Gold CEO Alan Carter joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news their recent drill program at the Cuiu Cuiu gold district in northern Brazil has expanded the recently identified 2nd gold-in-oxide blanket to 800 x 300m in size. The blanket remains open in three of four directions.

Carter telling Proactive they still have more results from drilling including six follow-up RC holes completed within the Machichie SW vein, and 8 diamond drill holes and 38 RC drill holes at the MG gold deposit.
Over 97% of votes cast were in favour of the merger, which will result in the company becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greenlane in an all-stock, tax-free business combination

KushCo said it expects the merger to create a leading ancillary cannabis company serving a premier group of customers

KushCo Holdings Inc has said its stockholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of its proposed merger with Greenlane Holdings Inc at a special meeting held on August 26, 2021.

The California-based company said over 97% of votes cast supported the merger, which will result in it becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greenlane in an all-stock, tax-free business combination. Greenlane's stockholders have also approved the merger.

Our stockholders have spoken loud and clear that they overwhelmingly support this merger," KushCo co-founder, chairman and CEO Nick Kovacevich said in a statement. "We believe they recognize the opportunity for us to create one of the industry's leading ancillary companies, with the right size, scale, strategy, and talent to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities ahead of us."

KushCo said it is committed to finalizing the integration planning process with Greenlane to ensure the best possible start as a combined company.

The company previously said it expects the merger to create a leading ancillary cannabis company serving a premier group of customers, including many of the leading multi-state operators and licensed producers, top smoke shops in the US and millions of consumers globally.

Kovacevich will lead the combined company as CEO, while Greenlane co-founder Aaron LoCascio will serve as president and Greenlanes Bill Mote and Adam Schoenfeld will become the chief financial officer and chief strategy officer, respectively.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, announced on March 31, 2021, KushCos stockholders will receive roughly 0.25 shares of Greenlane Class A common stock for each share of KushCo common stock. This is expected to result in KushCo stockholders owning approximately 49.9% of the combined companys common stock and Greenlane stockholders owning the remaining 50.1%.

KushCo has established itself as a premier provider of ancillary products and services to the global cannabis and CBD industries. The company has been operating for more than 10 years, selling more than one billion units to growers, processors, producers, and brands across North America, South America, and Europe.

Greenlane is a global house of brands and one of the largest sellers of premium cannabis accessories, child-resistant packaging, and specialty vaporization products to smoke shops, dispensaries, and specialty retail stores, as well as direct to consumer through its online e-commerce platform.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
In the second quarter to June 30, the company posted revenue of $32.8 million, an increase of 205% on the $10.8 million seen in 2Q, 2020

"Q2 was a strong quarter for Planet 13," said Larry Scheffler, the co-CEO of Planet 13

( , ) reported a big increase in revenue and a narrowing loss in its latest quarter as the company's flagship luxury SuperStore dispensary in party city Las Vegas continues to attract customers.

In the second quarter to June 30, the company posted revenue of $32.8 million, an increase of 205% on the $10.8 million seen in 2Q, 2020.

The net loss before tax was $0.9 million versus a loss of $3.3 million in the year-earlier period.

"Q2 was a strong quarter for Planet 13. With tourism back, the Superstore's in-store experience is once again proving that it is on the list of must-visit destinations for any trip to Vegas," said Larry Scheffler, the co-CEO of Planet 13, which also operates dispensary operations in Orange County, California.

He added the cannabis company was seeing strong growth and an increasing share of the Nevada market every month and that its product brands were also gaining traction.

"Along with stellar performance from our Nevada operations, 2021 has been about securing our next growth opportunities," Scheffler added.

Bob Groesbeck, Co-CEO of Planet 13, also told investors: "I'm proud to say we opened our Orange County location on time and on budget.

"We are now focused on growing consumer awareness that will ultimately drive the sales we know are possible from that location.

Subsequent to the quarter, we also won a dispensary license for the Chicago area giving us a clear path for our next SuperStore. Supported by a robust M&A pipeline and over $130 million in cash, Planet 13's future is bright."

As reported earlier in August, Planet 13 Illinois LLC had won a Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization License in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin region from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

"Chicago has been one of the main target markets for a Planet 13 SuperStore with its rapidly growing cannabis sales, large population base, and attraction as a tourist destination," Scheffler had said.

At 112,000 square feet, the firm's SuperStore in Vegas is the biggest cannabis store in the world and attracted a million visitors in 2019.

The companys ambition is to operate ultra-high-end dispensaries in tier-one markets nationwide and to sell its brands in both the company's branded stores and wholesale.

Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
The company said it plans to funnel the gross proceeds towards its marketing initiatives and general working capital

It announced a non-brokered private placement of 8 million units of the company at a price of US$0.25 per unit

Wellness Inc (TSX:CBD.U, ) has announced a non-brokered private placement of 8 million units of the company at a price of US$0.25 per unit to raise gross proceeds of US$2 million.

The Denver, Colorado-based health and wellness CBD company said it plans to allocate the gross proceeds of the placement to general working capital and marketing initiatives.

In the financing, each unit is comprised of one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional share at a price of US$0.50 per share for a period of four years from the closing date of the private placement, expected on or about September 12, 2021.

The closing of the private placement is contingent on several conditions, including receiving regulatory approvals, including approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

All securities issued under the private placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation, noted the company.

The company enjoys high visibility as its family of brands  ( , ), Probulin Probiotics, Biome Research, and HF Labs  are widely distributed to around 4,000 retailers spread across all 50 states in the US and select international locations.

In addition, HempFusions wholly-owned subsidiary Probulin Probiotics, is one of the fastest-growing probiotics companies in the US, according to data technology company SPINS. Since gut health is the next big wellness trend, Probulin Probiotics is poised for high-octane growth.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Emphasising a focus on developing policies and other operational interventions to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) at city level, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Rajiv Ranjan Mishra on Thursday said tackling implementation challenges for reuse of treated wastewater will help achieve the goal.

Touching upon the work done within NMCG in collaboration with industries and ministries, Mishra said this is an aspirational topic and industries are already being mobilised to achieve it.

"We need to focus on overall water cycle including the ecological and economical need and nothing should be wasted. We should not let out wastewater in the rivers and should consider naming this water differently based on its functionality for recycle and reuse," Mishra said at a virtual event where NMCG hosted the third 'Meet & Mingle' session on 'Zero Liquid Discharge Cities' on the final day of the Stockholm World Water Week 2021, a release said here.

The DG shared that NMCG in collaboration with GIZ India has developed a national level framework for reuse of treated wastewater in India. He mentioned that Mathura Refinery project is a good example of wastewater reuse initiative of NMCG by collaborating with industries.

Global Water Lead of KPMG, Sumouleendra Ghosh, while moderating the session, explained how the ZLD is a well-known concept but currently associated with industries only.

"It is time to extend ZLD concept to Indian cities as well. We all are aware of climate change manifesting its threats through water related issues in the form of floods, inundation, sea level rise or droughts. Many Indian and global cities are already facing threats of acute water security and to manage and mitigate the risk we need to emphasize on recycle and reuse of treated wastewater," Ghosh said.

GIZ's Jeremy Bird elaborated on the National Water Reuse Framework (NWRF) for India. Highlighting that various countries are using the treated water for different purposes such as industrial use, recreational activities and so on, he pointed out that India needs to incentivize the whole concept to push for implementation at a larger scale, the release said.

Municipal Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation, Banchhanidhi Pani and chairman of Nagpur's Vishwaraj Group Arun Lakhani spoke of their experiences with using treated water for industry in their respective cities. Rajneesh Chopra, the global Head of VA Tech Wabag Ltd. spoke about the experiences from Chennai.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) Dr Nupur Bahadur shared her thoughts on the importance of research and development through the Centre of Excellence. BK Agarwal, the CEO of the Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd was invited to elaborate on Mathura Refinery, wherein NMCG is also involved.

IIT Kanpur's Professor Vinod Tare mentioned that the Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) has also mentioned the concept of ZLD in the context of River Ganga. He primarily suggested to reuse treated wastewater on the basis of geographic locations. He also mentioned that it is important to have situation and area specific standards for reuse purposes, the release added.
New York, Aug 27 : In the bloody aftermath of two deadly suicide bombings near Kabul airport on Thursday, top US military veterans are warning of "nightmare" scenarios if US forces delay their exit from Afghanistan beyond August 31.

"If we stay against the will of the Taliban -- on Wednesday morning -- the nightmare scenario is light machine gun fire, and a dozen mortar rounds, closing down their evacuation of our forces. At which point, we've got a real problem," retired four star general Barry Richard McCaffrey said in a television interview on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Taliban made it clear that they would not accept US military presence at the airport beyond August 31. That date is a result of deals struck with the Taliban -- first by the Donald Trump administration and follow-through action by the Joe Biden administration.

Trump committed to the Taliban that the US would get all American troops and contractors out by May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September. The US is now 12 days into its chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan and five days before its scheduled end.

The Pentagon confirmed that at least 13 US service members have been killed in the Thursday attacks and at least 18 are reported wounded.

ISIS-K, far more radical than the Taliban who seized power less than two weeks ago, claimed responsibility for the Kabul bombings.

As many as 1,000 Americans and millions of Afghans are still struggling to get out of Kabul. Biden has vowed that US military commanders in Afghanistan will complete the evacuation mission. "And we will," he said. "We will not be deterred by terrorists." "Keep your eye on the challenge here," McCaffrey told NBC. "The challenge is to complete the extraction of US forces, and then deal with the consequences."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Moscow, Aug 27 : Russia confirmed 19,630 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 6,824,540, the official monitoring and response centre said on Thursday.

The country reported a record 820 daily deaths, taking the nationwide death toll to 179,243. The number of recoveries increased by 19,661 to 6,092,818, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, reported 1,712 new cases, taking the city's total to 1,560,501.

More than 35.5 million Russians have reportedly been fully vaccinated so far.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Patna, Aug 27 : The crowd funding initiative towards the treatment of 10-month-old Ayansh who is suffering from a unique disease -- Spinal Muscular Atrophy, has got a major setback after his father was sent to jail in a 10-year-old forgery case.

The forgery case was opened against Alok Singh, Ayansh's father, after he came to the limelight for raising funds to purchase an injection worth Rs 16 crore for his son.

Alok has surrendered in Ranchi's lower court which sent him to jail. He is facing charges related to co-ordinating with the youth for admission at a Merchant Navy college in 2011. An FIR has been registered in Pandra police station in Ranchi.

For his son's treatment, he has started crowd funding and people from across the world has donated Rs 6.85 crore so far.

"I have been facing charges of raising funds in the name of my son's disease. I want to say that the allegation levelled against me is completely wrong. I will not apply for bail until injection will not be purchased and my son would not get the needle," Alok said after surrendering in the court.

"I was not aware of the forgery case in Ranchi. After he surrendered... it is showing to have a bad impact on the process of fund raising. The mass movement for raising funds is expected to get slow in future," his wife Neha Singh said.

"Following his surrender, people are making so many false allegations against him. It may affect our fight with the disease my son is suffering from. I request the people to avoid making false allegations against him. The state or central government has not given a single penny towards this fund," she added.
New York, Aug 27 : US officials handed the Taliban names of Americans, green card holders and Afghan allies to evacuate, according to a bombshell report by Politico on the darkest day of Joe Biden's young presidency.

Days after Kabul fell to the Taliban, two suicide bombers and gunmen from the ISIS-K -- far more radical than the Taliban -- attacked crowds of fleeing Afghans at Kabul airport on Thursday. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans, 13 US troops, and injured at least 18 US service members.

Anger and shock are rippling through Washington on the scale of outsourcing Americans' exit routes to the Taliban -- which has a long history of brutality towards US service members.

"Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list," Politico quotes a US defence official as saying. "It's just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean," the official is quoted as saying.

When asked about this reported list, US President Joe Biden acknowledged - in general terms - that there's plenty of communication between the Taliban and US forces.

"There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through," he said.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of US Central Command has spoken in similar ways about the Taliban in recent days, ever since the US kicked off its chaotic and rushed withdrawal. On Thursday, in the first Pentagon briefing after the Kabul bombings, Gen. McKenzie outlined detailed security coordination with the Taliban as a tool to get Americans to safety.

Even as Biden administration officials defend their approach of collaborating with the Taliban on the final bend of a 20 year war, the Taliban's enemy ISIS-K has stormed into a newly created power vacuum.

A US Defence Department official has said the Trump administration wanted to pull out of Afghanistan in the hopes of joining forces with the Taliban against ISIS-K.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Dhaka, Aug 27 : Battered by the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh has extended`the closure of all secondary and higher secondary educational institutions.

Bangladesh's Ministry of Education said in a statement on Thursday that the government had extended the closure of the institutions till September 11, reports Xinhua news agency.

Previously in phases the government extended the closure of the educational institutions to August 31 due to the worsening Covid-19 situation.

According to the statement, the latest decision was taken after consideration of the safety of school and college students, teachers, institution employees and guardians.

On the other hand, the government has announced the reopening of the universities in the country from October 15.

Education Minister Dipu Moni made the announcement after a high-level meeting on Thursday, saying relevant authorities must complete vaccination of their students and teachers before reopening their universities from October 15.

Bangladesh first announced on March 16 last year to close all educational institutions in the country in an effort to halt the spread of the Covid-19.

Since March last year, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district, and the total number of cases has risen to 14,82,628 with 25,729 deaths so far.
Dublin, Aug 27 : The US' decision to not extend the deadline for withdrawing from Afghanistan beyond August 31 has put "all of us in a situation which is no more under control", French President Emmanuel Macron said here.

Macron made the remarks on Thursday at a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin during his one-day working visit to Dublin, reports Xinhua news agency.

Asked if the US and its allies have betrayed their moral responsibility following Washington's decision, Macron said that he would rather not use the word of "betrayal".

He said that it is not safe for other countries to continue to carry out evacuations due to the US decision.

"We want to work hard and well until the very last minute to do the maximum operations, and be sure of the security and safety of our people," Macron added.

France has so far helped the evacuation of 2,600 people including some 2,000 Afghan citizens at risk and the evacuation is still ongoing, said Macron.

"I cannot guarantee that we will be successful because the security situation is not under control," the President added.

Macron arrived in Dublin on Thursday morning.

He was first welcomed by Irish President Michael Higgins before a meeting with Martin at the Government Buildings, during which both sides discussed issues of common concern apart from the Afghanistan issue.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27 : It was on May 20 that Pinarayi Vijayan scripted a new chapter in Kerala's political history by becoming the first incumbent full-fledged Left government to be sworn in for the second time in a row and 100 days later, following the turn of various events, it looks like as if he has nothing much to show.

If it was the Covid management he and his Left government did after the country's first case was detected in January 2020, which was largely instrumental in getting him a second term. But now, it is the Covid management during the second term that is getting him the maximum criticism.

As on date, Kerala has around 65 per cent of the new daily cases being reported in India. It has also the maximum active cases and not to mention the maximum deaths. Vijayan has come under attack from the Congress and the BJP who says, if he took credit for the way he managed it last year, then he should come forward and apologise for the way things are now and the biggest grouse against him is after July 23, he has gone off the radar and has not appeared for his customary daily Covid press briefings either, which literally won him his second term.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, unlike his predecessors who has been talking less and observing more on what's happening, said that he will not even give a pass mark for the 100 days of Vijayan's second tenure.

"Normally a 100-day period is not enough to assess any government. But since Vijayan has returned to power, it is a continuation and hence we can assess and I doubt if in the history of the state has any government taken such a beating. Just look what's happening in the fight against Covid, he has miserably failed on all counts and Kerala leads the rest of the country in Covid. I will not even give him a pass mark for his 100-days in office," said Satheesan.

Vijayan who now prefers to interact only through press statements, however, said the opposition is trying to instil a sense of fear in the minds of the people through their campaign.

"This is being done to take away the people's support to this government. If the Kerala model of tackling Covid is wrong, which is the model that should be adopted. The second wave arrived in Kerala late and the density of population is high in the state. All these are known to the opposition," said Vijayan.

Apart from handling of Covid, Vijayan's tackling of the over Rs 500 crore illegal tree felling scam, which took place in October last year based on a controversial order and was later cancelled, also appears to have taken the sheen of the 100-days in office.

Incidentally, two people who hail from Dharmadom, the home turf of Vijayan, one a TV journalist -- Deepak Dharmadom and another a top forest official -- N.T.Sajan, have come under the scanner of the opposition for their role in hushing up the case. This has caused heartburns for Vijayan, which forced State BJP president K. Surendran to take potshots at Vijayan. Surendran said the state is eagerly waiting to hear Vijayan speak on the massive Covid spread and also on the illegal tree felling case.

"Vijayan himself is shielding the corrupt in the illegal tree felling case," said Satheesan.

The million dollar question now going around is when will Vijayan return to address the media and the likelihood is that it might happen any time now and until then, the opposition will make merry.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
August 27 : Kriti Sanon impressed everyone with her last release 'Mimi' .The film focuses on surrogacy where Kriti is seen playing the role of a surrogate mother. The music of the film is given by maestro AR Rahman and the songs are a big hit amongst the audience. The dance number 'Param Sundari' has now crossed 100 million views and the actress thanks to her fans with a special post.

Thanking her fans, the actress wrote, "100 MILLION for our Param Sundari. Big Big Big Thank you. Loving all the videos and edits.

Kriti has danced very beautifully in the song and the internet is filled with reels on the same. The actress also thanked her fans for pouring so much love on the film Mimi on the one-month release anniversary of the film.

Recently, the actress turned muse for Manish Malhotra for his collection Nooraniyat and she looked breathtaking dressed as a bride in Manish's couture.

On the work front, Kriti has a list of films in her kitty. She will be seen in 'Hum Do Hamare Do' opposite Rajkummar Rao. She will be seen with Akshay Kumar in 'Bachchan Pandey'.

She will be seen in 'Bhediya' alongside Varun Dhawan. She will also be seen portraying the role of Sita in Adipurush starring Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan.
August 27 : Every actor once gets to play a role in his life which becomes a career-defining role. After his debut in 2012 with the film 'Student of the Year' , Sidharth Malhotra has finally played that career-defining role in his latest release 'Shershaah'. The actor is currently basking in the success of the film and has now graced the digital cover page of Man's World India magazine.

Sharing the cover page with his fans, he wrote, "Breaking Blues." The actor is looking super amazing on the cover.

Termed as the performance of the year, Sidharth's role in Shershaah of late Captain Vikram Batra has earned him appreciation not only from his fans and industry friends but real-life army heroes who are also super impressed with the way he has portrayed the life of an army man on screen.

The film Shershaah directed by Vishnuvardhan is streaming on Amazon Prime and with each passing day, the film is getting more and more love from everyone. The film ranks higher than most of the recent war dramas.

On the work front, the actor will be seen in 'Mission Majnu' that celebrates the hard work of the RAW agents. The film is based on real-life events. It will be directed by Shantanu Bagchi and produced by RSVP and Guilty By Association.

He will also be seen in 'Thank God' which is directed by Indra Kumar. The film is an entertaining slice of life comedy with a message. It stars Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh alongside him in lead roles.
Lucknow, Aug 27 : UP minister of state for Jal Shakti, Baldev Singh Aulakh, has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that Rampur district, which is his constituency, would ready to welcome Hindus and Sikhs who are being evacuated from Afghanistan.

The minister wrote, "Hindu and Sikh families displaced from Afghanistan are being evacuated to India by the central government. I sincerely request you to settle them in Rampur district. There will be no inconvenience." He further stated that: "The residents of Bilaspur tehsil in Rampur (where most are from the Sikh community) are ready to give land to the displaced brothers and sisters." Aulakh said that he took this up with the centre after talking to his constituents.

"During Partition, people were given shelter in the state's Terai region (now Uttarakhand). They worked hard. Now the region is the state's rice bowl," he said.

"I have spoken to the people of Bilaspur. They are happy to accept Sikh and Hindu families who have been displaced from Afghanistan because of the Taliban. The families can be given agricultural land on contract by the state to ensure their life is back on track," he added.

The community is also setting up three Guru Granth Sahibs at Gurdwaras in Bilaspur. "We consider the Guru Granth Sahib as a living Guru. Its daily recitation is mandatory. After our initiative, I am sure other states will also offer to help rehabilitate our brothers and sisters from Afghanistan." said Aulakh.
Prayagraj : , Aug 27 (IANS) The Allahabad High Court has said that violence, torture and deaths in custody have always been a concern for the civilized society.

The court made this observation on Thursday while denying bail to a policeman booked for custodial death of a man in 1997.

Rejecting the bail application of the policeman Sher Ali, Justice Samit Gopal observed, "Custodial violence, custodial torture and custodial deaths have always been a concern for civilized society. Time and again the judicial verdicts of the apex court and other courts have shown their concern and anguish in such matters." The court also quoted the judicial verdicts of the apex court in the case of D.K. Basu Vs State of West Bengal, where the apex court, while expressing its anguish over custodial deaths, had issued guidelines for arrest in order to check such incidents.

The complainant, Sanjay Kumar Gupta alleged that on December 28, 1997 some policemen came to his house and took away his father Gorakh Nath a.k.a Om Prakash Gupta.

Later, he was informed that his father had died due to a heart attack.

The complainant alleged that his father was mercilessly assaulted due to which he died in the police station itself.

An FIR was registered against the applicant under section 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 304 (culpable homicide) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.
Hyderabad, Aug 27 : Inspired by the idea of Kakatiya Heritage Trust that succeeded in getting UNESCO World Heritage Site tag for the 12th century Ramappa Temple, Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) plans to form a trust which will work for the preservation of 3000-year old Menhirs site at Mudumal in Narayapet district.

The proposed trust will make efforts to get UNESCO World Heritage Site for the ancient archaeological site. The decision to form a trust comes after a delegation led by TITA global president Sundeep Makthala took up the issue of conservation of the site with Union Minister for Culture G. Kishan Reddy.

The minister asked TITA to come up with a dossier documenting the historical and other aspects of the ancient site.

Sundeep Kumar met Prof Panduranga Rao one of the founding members of the Kakatiya Heritage Trust and discussed the process and efforts involved in getting UNESCO tag to the Kakatiya-era temple so that a similar process can be followed in getting UNESCO recognition to the ancient heritage site in Mudumal in Narayanpet district. He also examined the KHT dossier drafted for the Ramappa Temple.

Prof Rao played a crucial role in getting the heritage tag to the Ramappa temple. He represented the case of an ancient temple with UNESCO officials at its headquarters in Paris and put forward a proposal to include the site in the UNESCO list.

Sundeep Makthala said that recognising the efforts of KHT, they came up with the idea of forming a trust to take up the cause of getting heritage tag for Mudumal Menhirs. He said that more such talks will be held with KHT members to further the Association's cause.

Appreciating the efforts of the TITA chief, Prof Rao said that he will visit the Mudumal site and study the place. He also promised to help the new trust in drafting of the dossier on the ancient site and make efforts to ensure the Mudumal site gets UNESCO tag for its heritage value.

TITA delegation had met Kishan Reddy on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum appealing to him to take steps to include Mudumal Menhirs site in the tentative nomination list for World Heritage Site tag from India. The minister suggested to the delegation to come up with a comprehensive report on the importance of the archaeological site in the form of a documentary.

Kishan Reddy assured the TITA delegation that he would take up the issue with officials of his department and discuss the action plan needed to include the site in the tentative nomination list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Minister praised TITA for making efforts for the preservation of the ancient site at Mudumal and coming up with the demand for its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The TITA team submitted a report of the Menhirs site which TITA prepared after its members led by its chief Sundeep Makthala visited the site recently. The delegation said that the development of the ancient site will boost tourism opportunities and pave the way to ample growth in the region.
Damascus, Aug 27 : A batch of local armed men from Syria's southern province of Daraa were evacuated to the rebel-held areas in the northern part of the country under a Russian-mediated deal to defuse months-long tension, according to a local media report.

A total of 45 armed men and some of their family members left by buses for northern Syria on Thursday after they refused to reconcile with the Syrian authorities in Daraa, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

The evacuation is part of a deal to restore security in Daraa, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the armed men who were evacuated on Thursday were the second batch.

It said the Syrian authorities wanted 100 armed men to leave Daraa for the rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

On August 24, a 48-hour truce went into force in Daraa to prepare for the evacuation of the armed men.

Russian military police entered the neighbourhoods in Daraa al-Balad area to prepare for the evacuation.

Following the withdrawal, the Syrian government's institutions will return to Daraa amid efforts to facilitate the return of thousands of people who fled the area.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently placed the number of internally displaced people in Daraa's al-Balad area and surrounding areas in the province at 38,600, including almost 15,000 women and over 20,400 children.

The Syrian army entered Daraa in 2018 after the rebels there were dislodged to the rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib.

However, the tension has continued in Daraa with attacks taking place occasionally.
Kolkata, Aug 27 : With the demand for a separate state growing stronger, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit the two districts of North Bengal in the first week of September. Though the Nabanna officials are tight-lipped about her visit, sources in the Chief Minister's office said that she is likely to go to North Bengal between September 6 and 9.

There are also plans for her to visit Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. The CM is likely to hold an administrative meeting at Uttar Kanya -- the north Bengal branch of the state secretariat.

She will hold a review of various projects in North Bengal. She might also meet some of the leaders of the hills during her visit. Though Aneet Thapa is likely to float his own party and the power equation of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is changing for which the state government is keeping a close watch.

"Earlier Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's North Bengal trip was cancelled owing to bad weather. She will see the developmental works being done by the Trinamool government and is also likely to see problems being faced by the people there," said the sources.

It can be recalled that on June 16, BJP Alipurduar MP John Barla had demanded a separate statehood for North Bengal and claimed that people there were being deprived of development.

Last week West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh initially supported the Union Minister's demand, but later, because of the pressure from within the party, the state BJP president backtracked from his earlier comments.

Political experts are of the opinion that the chief minister's visit to North Bengal in this situation is politically significant. It is likely that she would not only oversee the developmental works but try to understand the pulse of the people of this region. She had already stated on Wednesday that the BJP will never be able to divide Bengal and Bengal will remain intact.

Sources felt that the CM might hold a public meeting in Alipurduar or Jalpaiguri though Trinamool leaders are unwilling to say anything on the issue right now. She might try to negate the proposed theory of dividing Bengal and carving out North Bengal from the rest of Bengal -- which several BJP MPs are propagating.
Tel Aviv, Aug 27 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cancelled a planned visit to Israel because of the situation in Afghanistan, authorities in the Jewish state have confirmed.

According to the authorities, Merkel told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that she needs to call off the visit in order to stay in Germany for the evacuation of German soldiers from Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency.

Bennett, who is currently in the US, spoke with Merkel from his hotel in Washington and expressed hope that the Afghanistan withdrawal will be successful, according to his office.

The Prime Minister added that he hoped to host Merkel in the future, the office said.

Merkel was slated to arrive in Israel on Saturday for her first visit to Jerusalem since Bennett took office in June.

During her visit, she was scheduled to meet Bennett as well as President Isaac Herzog.

Merkel, who will step down as chancellor in September after nearly 16 years in office, last visited Israel in 2018.
Baghdad, Aug 27 : Iraqi President Barham Salih has said an upcoming conference in Baghdad will establish a new order based on common regional security and economic interdependence.

Salih told local media on Thursday that the Iraqi Neighboring Countries Conference "will contribute to easing regional tensions and crises, and support the path of constructive dialogue", reports Xinhua news agency.

The President also confirmed the need to continue the fight against terrorism as well as corruption, as they are closely linked to violence and extremism.

On Wednesday, Nizar al-Khairallah, spokesman of the regional conference, said the dialogue will focus on economic and investment cooperation, adding that the representatives from the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the G20, and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will attend as observers.

Iraq has recently stepped up its preparations for the conference, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday and attended by representatives from Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria, in addition to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
New Delhi/Washington, Aug 27 : The Talibans new self-proclaimed chief of security in Kabul, Khalil Haqqani of the Haqqani Network with close ties to Pakistans ISI, was designated a terrorist by the US government 10 years ago and is subject to a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

In 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen, then the top US military officer, told Congress that the Haqqani Network was a "veritable arm" of the ISI, Pakistan's main intelligence service, NBC reported.

The Taliban itself was never designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation, but the Haqqani Network, which has close ties to Al Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence, has long held that distinction.

The Haqqani Network, which officials say functions like an organised crime family, has been blamed for the kidnapping of several Americans as part of a wide-ranging kidnap-for-ransom business, NBC reported.

Khalil Haqqani has served as the group's chief of operations, said Doug London, who ran CIA counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan before he retired, the report said.

In 2018, in that role, he approved suicide bombings against US forces and Afghan civilians, London said.

He also was a CIA partner when the agency was arming and training the precursor to the Taliban against the Soviet invasion, London said, NBC said.

He was designated a terrorist by the US government in 2011. The State Department rewards narrative for Khalil Haqqani says he "has also acted on behalf of Al Qaeda and has been linked to Al Qaeda terrorist operations".

"He was the senior emissary to Al Qaeda leadership and the senior go-between with Pakistani intelligence," said London, author of a new book, "The Recruiter", about his CIA career.

"He makes a lot of the day-to-day decisions for the Haqqani Network." Khalil Haqqani was a CIA partner when the agency was providing weapons to the Afghan rebels in the 1980s to fight Soviet troops, London said. He is the uncle of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also a wanted terrorist subject to a $5 million reward.
Chennai, Aug 27 : Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has directed the deans of some government medical colleges in the state to collect a bond amount of Rs 50 lakh from specialist doctors who have skipped government postings.

Director of the DME, Narayana Prasad has written letters to the deans of government medical colleges citing the cases of 112 doctors who had completed the higher specialty courses in 2021 and chose to not take up government service during the recent online transfer counseling.

According to the Tamil Nadu government norms, doctors who have completed specialty courses from government medical colleges and those who are not in government service will have to pay a bond amount that was agreed upon during their admission.

Prasad further wrote in his letter that the doctors were unwilling to work in Tamil Nadu government service and have failed to take up postings available in their specialty department in government medical colleges.

He also urged to issue a show-cause notice as a first step.

The DME Director called upon the deans to initiate action against the non-service postgraduates in higher specialty streams after the show cause notice.

The bond amount, according to the letter has to be recovered through Revenue recovery act with immediate effect.

The DME has directed the deans to send an action taken report within August 31 on this issue.

All the super-specialty seats in Tamil Nadu is filled by the Director-General of Health Services under the All India Quota and a bond are mandatory for non-service doctors.

The Madras High Court on October 6, 2020, ordered that postgraduate medical students admitted under the All India Quota have to compulsorily serve the state government for a period of two years.

While speaking to IANS, Prasad said: "The state has reduced the bond amount from of Rs 2 crore which was till last year to Rs 50 lakh now. The doctors opted out of serving the state government even after there were vacancies during the counselling. The government will take strict action against the erring doctors and have already written to the deans of government medical colleges to produce an action taken report before August 31." He also expressed unhappiness that the doctors did not serve the government even during the Covid period.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Christie's announces Asian Art Week, a series of auctions, viewings, and events, from September 17-29. This season presents six auctions featuring over 1,000 objects from 5,000 years of art spanning all epochs and categories of Asian art comprising Chinese archaic bronzes through Japanese art to modern Indian and Pakistani painting.

From a Tang-dynasty parcel-gilt silver 'rhinoceros' dish to huanghuali furniture and Japanese metalwork, the six distinct sales of Asian Art Week bring together in numerous eclectic works and objects from across the vast continent. Other highlights include paintings by South Asian modernist Narayan Shridhar Bendre and 16th-century Tibetan masters, rare woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai and a Qianlong-Jiaqing-period Kesi 'twelve symbols' dragon robe.

All works will be presented in an exhibition from September 17 at Christie's New York. Additional information on the individual auctions is included in the following pages. Press images can be downloaded here.

ASIAN ART WEEK | LIVE AUCTION OVERVIEW Important Japanese Art, September 21, 2021 | 10 a.m.

Christie's auction of Important Japanese Art spans 270 lots of classical Japanese art. This season's sale features an important collection of top quality articulated metal sculptures and prints with notable provenances. The print section includes rare and significant works by ukiyo-e masters such as Toshusai Sharaku, Utagawa Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai. Other highlights include major lacquer paintings and lacquer works by Shibata Zeshin and a metal piece by Kagawa Katsuhiro. Browse the full sale here.

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, September 22, 2021 | 8:30 a.m.

This season's sale features works from across India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia, including property from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, sold to benefit future acquisitions. The sale highlights several important Tibetan paintings, including a 16th century Lamdre lineage painting of two Sakya masters, a black ground painting of Chatrabhuja Mahakala, and a rare 16th century painting of the arhat Pendola. The sale also presents a group of Indian paintings, including a folio from the famed 'Tehri Garhwal' Gita Govinda series, and Himalayan bronzes, including a large 18th century Tibeto-Chinese gilt figure of Ushnishavijaya and bronzes from the collection of India House with early provenance. Browse the sale here.

South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, September 22, 2021 | 11 a.m.

Christie's annual live auction of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art brings together exceptional works from private collections across the world, celebrating a wide variety of artistic practices from the South Asian subcontinent and its diaspora across the 20th and 21st centuries. Highlights of the auction include an imposing diptych from Akbar Padamsee's groundbreaking Mirror Image series, and Orange Nude, a formative work by Tyeb Mehta from 1961. Also featured are significant works by pioneering artists Rabindranath Tagore and Jamini Roy, and modern masters Narayan Shridhar Bendre, Maqbool Fida Husain, Francis Newton Souza, Ram Kumar, Jehangir Sabavala, and Bhupen Khakhar that are completely fresh to the market. Other highlights include a significant set of photographs by Nasreen Mohamedi, and a selection of important works by Pakistani and Bangladeshi artists Anwar Jalal Shemza, Sadequain, Ismail Gulgee and Mohammad Kibria. Browse the full sale here.

Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, September 23-24, 2021 Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art features works from notable institutions, including India House and the Indianapolis Museum, as well as from important private collections such as the Junkunc and Winston

F.C. and C.Z. Guest collections. Highlights of the sale include a Tang- dynasty silver 'rhinoceros' dish, a pair of important 17th-century Dali marble-inset horseshoe-back armchairs, a magnificent Yongzheng-Qianlong period imperial zitan armchair, and a Qianlong-Jiaqing period Kesi 'twelve symbols' dragon robe. Browse the sale here.

Asia! September14-28 2021 | Online In an Asian Art Week first, Christie's is pleased to present a pan-Asian online sale featuring a curated collection of works spanning across India, the Himalayas, China, Korea, and Japan. The sale offers a selection of works of various media, including Japanese prints, huanghuali furniture, Chinese and Himalayan bronzes, and Indian court paintings. With a wide range of estimates, Asia! presents opportunities for both burgeoning and established collectors of Asian art. Browse the sale here.

From Artist to Woodblock: Japanese Prints, September 19-29, 2021 | Online From Artist to Woodblock: Japanese Prints, features a fine selection of iconic woodblock prints by master artists from the 18th to the 20th century, including Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Kawase Hasui. The prints encompass a wide breadth of genres, including beauties, actors, landscapes, mythological subjects and warriors. Browse the sale here.

SEPTEMBER 2021 | ASIAN ART WEEK SALES LIVE AUCTIONS:

Important Japanese Art | September 21, 2021

Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art | September 22, 2021 South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art | September 22, 2021 Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art | September 23-24, 2021

ONLINE SALES:

Asia! | September 14-28, 2021

From Artist to Woodblock: Japanese Prints | September 19-29, 2021

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
San Francisco, Aug 27 : A gunman was killed by the police after he injured two people in a shooting incident at a Southern California beach pier, authorities said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night at the Redondo Beach Pier in Redondo Beach, a coastal city in Los Angeles County, said the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in a statement on Thursday.

Detectives learned that officers assigned to the Redondo Beach Police Department responded to the location regarding a gunshot victim call and an active shooter.

Upon their arrival, the officers located two victims, one male Hispanic juvenile suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower torso and a male Hispanic adult also suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower torso, according to the department.

Police officers searched the area and were able to locate the suspect, who was armed with a handgun and a knife.

When officers tried to take the male adult suspect into custody, they opened fire and hit the suspect in the upper torso, according to the police.

Officials said the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene and the two victims were transported to a local area hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries and are in stable condition.

The suspect randomly opened fire at the pier during the shooting, reported KABC-TV, Los Angeles' ABC affiliate TV station.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said homicide detectives are assisting Redondo Beach Police Department with the shooting investigation.
Houston, Aug 27 : The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily allowed Governor Greg Abbott's ban on school mask mandates, blocking Bexar County from continuing to defy his executive order.

"The status quo, for many months, has been gubernatorial oversight of such decisions at both the state and local levels," the court said in its ruling on Thursday, granting Abbott emergency relief to enforce his ban amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

"That status quo should remain in place while the court of appeals, and potentially this Court, examine the parties' merits arguments to determine whether plaintiffs have demonstrated a probable right to the relief sought," the court said.

The decision overrules an earlier district court's ruling, forcing Bexar County to reconsider how to move forward with its health and safety requirements amid new surges of coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

Abbott on Wednesday announced an executive order banning Covid-19 vaccine mandates, two days after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine.

"No governmental entity can compel any individual to receive a Covid-19 vaccine," read the order, which excludes places like nursing homes and state-supported living centres.

As a result, public institutions in Texas including state agencies, local governments, universities, public schools and any other entities that receive public funding are banned from compelling employees to get the shots or asking people who use their services for proof of vaccination.

Meanwhile, Abbott asked lawmakers to consider legislation addressing whether state or local governments could issue vaccine mandates, and if so, which exemptions should apply.

Key pandemic metrics in Texas continued to reach levels not seen since the last spike in the winter.

The state is in the back of the pack nationally, with 46.2 per cent of Texans fully vaccinated, according to local media reports.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mysuru : Aug 27 (IANS) The special team investigating into the case of Mysuru gang rape case has recorded the statement of the male friend of the victim, said police sources on Friday. The friend has narrated the horror they went through on August 24.

The youth stated that the place they went has been familiar to him and he used to jog every day on that stretch. He has told police that all the accused were between the age group of 25 to 30 years.

"After the classes, at about 7.30 p.m., we went on bike. I went in front of the JSS Ayurvedic college road and reached the spot after going through Water tank kacha (not asphalted) road which is known to me. We were taking a walk on that stretch when all of a sudden six men surrounded us," he told the police.

He explained that they started beating him with sticks. One slender fellow among them smashed his forehead with a small boulder. He was attacked until he became unconscious. "When I woke up, I found four people surrounding me. I asked where my girlfriend is. Two of them dragged her out of the bush and laid her beside me. She seemed unconscious and injuries were found all over," he has told police.

The rapists further snatched his mobile and made him call his father to arrange for Rs 3 lakh immediately. It is not yet known whether rapists got the money before releasing the girl and her male friend.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the rapists had stripped her and made video of the incident. They had threatened both that if they spoke about it, their video would be made viral. The incident came to light after the girl got admitted to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) Praveen Sood to visit Mysuru and hold a meeting with the officers to expedite the investigation.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra who is in Mysuru, visited the Chamundi hill. Speaking to reporters, he said that he had prayed to Goddess Chamundeshwari to take care of the crimes. "I have prayed to the goddess to absolutely stop crimes from taking place rather than asking just for prevention," he maintained. He also said that he had prayed before the deity to give strength to him as well as the police department.

He further said that it has become tough for the police to crack the case as they are not getting proper inputs from the victims. The boy is talking to the police. There is no information available on the accused persons.

Additional DGP Pratap Reddy who is in-charge of the special team said, the gang rape incident is a challenging case for the police. The officers are conducting investigations without the statement of the girl. The investigation is based on the statements of the male friend of the victim, he said.

Case has been registered under IPC 376 D (gang rape) and 397 (dacoity). Five teams have been formed to crack the case. Bright officers have been roped in from other districts. "The Karnataka Police have cracked many difficult cases. We will solve this case and arrest the culprits. Regain the confidence and trust of people," he said.
Kabul, Aug 27 : The situation in Afghanistan is "a crisis in a crisis" and it will be essential that humanitarian actors and international community do not close their eyes on the ongoing crisis, said an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Florian Seriex, spokesman of the ICRC, told Xinhua news agency on Thursday that the situation of many Afghan people was tragic before, and it remains so.

"There are no fights in Kabul fortunately, but there were fights in other regions, in other cities, and as we work in the whole country we were very concerned by the issues of fights," he said.

"It was a very worrying moment. We saw a flow of wounded people arriving to our hospitals. We saw destroyed infrastructure, people that lost their houses and possessions." Seriex told Xinhua that until now, the ICRC has received guarantees from the Taliban forces on both local and national levels that they can continue to work with the objective of helping the Afghan population.

"We have relations with the Taliban for several years. We work in places that are controlled by the Taliban for a very long time." The official said they continue to receive medical equipment for the hospitals they work with.

He assured that at the moment there are enough medical stocks and equipment for the 46 medical centres and the two hospitals that are managed by the ICRC in the country, so they can answer the immediate humanitarian needs on the ground.

"Concerning other needs for the population, we know there was an increase of prices, shops were closed for a few days, banks too, but now it seems that the whole system is starting again," he said.

Seriex said that currently there are more than 1,800 ICRC people working in Afghanistan, one of the biggest that the organisation operates abroad.

"All of our centres are operational. We might not have as many staff as before and fewer people have come in the last few days, for various reasons, but these centers are open," he said.

As for the situation about Covid-19, Seriex told Xinhua that from what he gathered from his colleagues, "it's the least of the patients' concerns" because the people there have so many other priorities.
Wellington, Aug 27 : The last flight by a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) C-130 Hercules aircraft evacuating people from Afghanistan's capital Kabul has in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a briefing on Friday.

Ardern said that that no NZDF personnel were in Kabul at the time of the explosions which occurred at the airport on Thursday as they had all safely departed on the final flight, reports Xinhua news agency.

NZDF have confirmed that no New Zealand evacuees were left within the Kabul airport.

So far, 276 New Zealand nationals and permanent residents, their families, and other visa holders have been evacuated from Kabul.

Of these, 228 have already departed the UAE for New Zealand, Ardern said.

She added that a further group of 100 people, including New Zealanders and Australians, were taken out on NZDF's last flight out of Kabul.

Over the course of the mission, the NZDF aircraft was able to undertake three flights out of Kabul and had brought out hundreds of evacuees who are destined for both New Zealand and Australia, said Defence Minister Peeni Henare.

He added that Australia also brought out a number of those destined for New Zealand.

It was not yet clear when the deployed NZDF personnel and the C-130 aircraft will arrive in New Zealand.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : River water disputes are not a new phenomenon in India! This one is set in Southern India in the 1st century CE. With the Pandyas conquered, the Cheras all but vanquished and the attention of the king fixed on other lands, Tamilakam is flourishing under Chola rule.

Trade in the Chola capital, Puhar, is booming, and King Karikalan's most ambitious infrastructure project is finally becoming a reality: a dam, the Grand Anicut, is being constructed to divert the waters of the Kaveri, to the elation of farmers across the land - and the discontent of the trader class. Amid all this, the arrival of a Roman ship carrying the merchant prince Marcellus sets off a series of events that will alter the fate of Tamilakam.

Marcellus is here for more than the spices, gems and circus animals; he is here on a mission from his father, one that will lead him right into the underbelly of this prosperous realm. He encounters spies and robbers, monks and dacoits, innkeepers and street vendors, each with hidden motives - but the Roman has his own secrets, which threaten to set ablaze the simmering tensions that divide the kingdom.

Rich in historical detail, Veena Muthuraman's action-packed "The Grand Anicut" (Hachette) is a fascinating journey into one of the greatest periods in Indian history.

Veena Muthuraman was born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram, India. She took the long and winding path through Chicago and London to Edinburgh in Scotland where she currently lives. Her debut collection of short stories, A Place of No Importance, set in a place reminiscent of where her roots lie in rural Tamil Nadu, was published in 2016. Her stories and reviews have appeared in Eclectica, Wasafiri and Scroll.in, among other publications. "The Grand Anicut" is her first novel.
Kabul, Aug 27 : All the gates of the Kabul airport were closed on Friday following the deadly twin bombings a day earlier that killed 90 people, including 13 US personnel, and the crowds outside have been cleared, a witness said.

"I drove a group of people to the airport early morning. We failed to reach the airport as Taliban soldiers did not allow vehicles to approach the airport, I drove them back to their home," a cab driver Mohammad Quraishi told Xinhua news agency.

On Thursday evening, a suicide bombing rocked a gate of the airport where a crashing crowd was waiting for evacuation flights, and later another explosion hit the nearby Baron Camp, a former coalition base.

The ensuing gunfight lasted for hours, according to reports.

"The coalition forces and a group of Afghan security forces who remained in the airport after Taliban took over shut all gates, including the main gate, and no crowd was seen as I saw from long distance," Quraishi said.

Besides the victims, over 150 people were also injured in the deadly attacks, for which the extremist Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility.

Dozens of evacuation flights were conducted during Thursday night and early Friday.

Nearly 6,000 US troops have been deployed at the Kabul airport to secure the airlifting operation since the Taliban's takeover of the city on August 15.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kabul, Aug 27 : Amrullah Saleh, who has declared himself acting President of Afghanistan, has said that the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) has its roots in Taliban and the Haqqani Network.

The IS-K is said to have taken responsibility for the devastating bombings at the Kabul airport on Thursday which killed at least 90 people, including 13 US service members.

"Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in Talibs & Haqqani Network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with IS is identical/similar to denial of Pakistan on Quetta Shura. Talibs have learned very well from the master," Saleh said in a tweet.

A Taliban official claimed that at least 28 of the Afghans killed in Thursday's attacks were Taliban members.

Evacuation of civilians have now been accelerated after the attacks, a Western security official told a global news wire, adding that flights are taking off regularly US President Joe Biden has sworn revenge on the attackers, saying he would "hunt them down"

The Haqqani Network, which officials say functions like an organized crime family, has been blamed for the kidnapping of several Americans as part of a wide-ranging kidnap-for-ransom business, NBC News reported.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Taliban militants that have captured Kabul and most of Afghanistan "will be a threat to Central Asia and the world", a senior member of the Panjshir Valley-based National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) told The Moscow Times.

"Russia should be concerned about the rise of the Taliban. The country will become a terrorist hub that will endanger Central Asia and Russia itself," Fahim Dashty told The Moscow Times by phone from the Panjshir Valley, where his resistance group has gathered as the country's last holdout against the Taliban.

The Panjshir region is famous for having successfully fought off invasions by Soviet forces in the Soviet-Afghan war from 1979-1989 as well as by the Taliban in the 1990s.

The NRF is currently led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a powerful guerrilla commander who led the resistance against the former Soviet Union.

Dashty was a close ally of Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated in a suicide bombing instigated by Al Qaeda and the Taliban on September 9, 2001, an attack in which he was also injured.

He now acts as spokesperson for the slain commander's son.

On Wednesday, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the greatest threat posed by the Taliban was the "enormous" amount of arms the groups had captured as American troops hastily exited the country.

"The first and major threat is that the Taliban received an enormous amount of weapons. Enormous," Shoigu said, adding that he believed the Islamists now had hundreds of armoured vehicles, aircraft and helicopters.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, Aug 27 : South Korea's nuclear envoy will visit Washington this weekend to discuss issues on the Korean Peninsula, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said on Friday.

Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will make a four-day trip to Washington between August 29 to September 3 at the invitation of Sung Kim, US special representative for North Korea, reports Xinhua news agency.

During the visit, Noh will meet the officials from the US Department of State and the White House to continue the close consultations, which the two sides had during the American nuclear envoy's trip to Seoul earlier this week.

During the meeting in Seoul, Noh and Kim discussed the possible humanitarian assistance to North Korea, calling for Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table.

The Foreign Ministry said it anticipated that an in-depth discussion can be made between South Korea and the US during Noh's Washington trip for the early resumption of the Korean Peninsula peace process.

Denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the US have been stalled since the second summit between top leader Kim Jong-un and former Anerican President Donald Trump ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
Lucknow, Aug 27 : While addressing a Sainik School event in Uttar Pradesh, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday stressed on the need for discipline in every walk of life to ensure development of the country.

Speaking at the diamond jubilee celebration of the Manoj Pandey Sainik School here, Kovind said Sainik Schools played an important role in moulding the personality of students and preparing them to serve the country.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the opening of 100 Sainik schools in the country, of which 16 would be in Uttar Pradesh, the President added.

"This Sainik school in Uttar Pradesh has started admitting girls since the past three years which is a major step towards women empowerment," he said.

He could not visit Kargil despite several attempts as adverse weather conditions prevented him, the President added.

"I hope to visit Kargil and pay my tributes to the brave martyrs in October. I have heard the slogan 'Mera har kaam, desh ke naam' which deserves to be embraced by all," he said.

He recalled the contribution of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister the late Sampurnanand, who had set up a Sainik school in the state.

The President appealed to the Union government and the administration to ensure that traffic was not held up for long during VIP movement.

"I have come to know about the problems that people face because the traffic is held up for a prolonged period of time. At most, traffic should be stopped for a few minutes to allow VIP movement. Emergency vehicles like ambulances should be given way. You can stop my convoy, too, to allow an ambulance to pass," he said.
Mysuru, Aug 27 : In a major breakthrough in the Mysuru gang rape case, the special team investigating the crime has managed to obtain vital clues on the gruesome incident.

According to sources, the police have zeroed in on four students of a reputed engineering college in Mysuru.

The police have obtained their tower locations from the crime spot. When the police tried to reach the suspects, they were not found.

After an inspection at their college, the police found out that the four students did not attend an examination scheduled on Wednesday, a day after the incident.

However, tower locations confirmed their presence in Mysuru on Tuesday.

The police strongly suspect that the four students committed the crime and disappeared after it came to light, the sources said.

Among the four students, three are from Kerala and one from Tamil Nadu.

Special teams have obtained all details from the college and are on their way to Kerala and Tamil Nadu to inquire about them.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra is holding a press conference after chairing a meeting with top police officers in Mysuru.

It is expected that he is going to make a major announcement in connection with the case.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Bar Council of India (BCI) on Friday informed the Supreme Court that it will frame rules to curb lawyers' strikes and also initiate action against those who provoke advocates, via social media platforms, to abstain from court hearings.

Senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, chairman BCI, submitted before a bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah that they have convened a meeting of all state bar associations on September 4. Mishra informed the bench that BCI has convened a meeting with all bar associations. Mishra submitted, "We propose to formulate rules to curtail strikes by lawyers and to initiate action against advocates who instigate strikes on social media".

At the beginning of the hearing, Mishra apologised for not coming up with suggestions earlier in compliance with the court's order last year. He cited the onset of Covid pandemic as the reason for the same.

The top court recorded Mishra's submissions and appreciated the action taken by BCI. During the earlier hearing, the top court had sought assistance from the BCI chairman to deal with the lawyers' strike issue. After hearing arguments, the bench scheduled the matter for further hearing in the third week of September.

The top court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue. It had said boycotting courts on every Saturday in the districts of Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, is not justifiable, rather it tantamount to contempt of court. Noting that 3-4 days lawyers were on strike during a month, the top court observed if lawyers were to work on those days, it would have helped in achieving speedy justice.

The top court, on July 26, cited its February 28, 2020 judgment, where the BCI and state bar councils were directed to come up with suggestions to curb lawyers' strike and their boycott of court proceedings. The top court had asked the BCI chairman to assist it on the issue.

The top court in its February judgment expressed concern on lawyers' holding strike every Saturday for 35 years in Uttarakhand district courts over reasons like "bomb blast in Pakistan", "earthquake in Nepal" or "condolence references for family members".
Canberra, Aug 27 : Amid the third wave of the pandemic, Australia on Friday approved vaccination against Covid-19 for all individuals from 12 years of age, extending the current recommendation for those aged 16 years and older.

Earlier in the day, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advised the government that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective for children aged 12-15, reports Xinhua news agency.

"ATAGI concludes that the benefits of offering COVID-19 vaccination to all younger adolescents aged 12-15 years outweigh the known or potential risks," it said in a statement.

"As such, ATAGI recommends inclusion of this age group in the Australian Covid-19 vaccination program over time." Following the announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Canberra that vaccine appointments for children would open in September.

"Principally I would see that happening especially through the General Practitioner (GP) network, and that provides the opportunity for family vaccinations, for the family to go along together across those age groups." On Friday, Australia reported 982 new locally-acquired cases of Covid, as the country continued to battle the third wave.

Of the news cases, 882 were from New South Wales (NSW), the current epicentre.

Victoria, the second-most populous state reported a further 79 new cases, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded another 21, the highest in three days.

So far, about half the Australian population in NSW, Victoria, and ACT is still in lockdown.

As of Friday, there has been 47,840 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Australia, with 989 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Chennai, Aug 27 : The Madras High Court order on making bumper-to-bumper insurance cover for all new private cars sold from September 1 may not stand legal scrutiny as the court cannot compel an individual to insure his property, said legal and insurance experts.

"It is patently untenable order and would not stand legal scrutiny if the vehicle makers or any other aggrieved party goes on appeal," D. Varadarajan, a Supreme Court advocate specialising in company/competition/insurance laws, had told IANS.

"The court's intent to provide insurance cover to the occupants of a private car is laudable. It comes under the Third Party cover. But the court by its order cannot compel a person to cover his vehicle under 'bumper-to-bumper' insurance policy," Americai V. Narayanan, Chairman, ICM Insurance Brokers Pvt Ltd told IANS.

Vehicle insurance policies are two parts -- own damage (insurance for the vehicle against damage, theft) and third party liability (liability for third parties).

The third party insurance cover is mandatory whereas the insurance cover for vehicle damage is not mandatory.

The Madras High Court order is for making insurance cover for vehicles mandatory.

"In my humble opinion, such sweeping order amounts to judicial amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act. Only the Supreme Court has special powers under Article 142 whereby it can pass any order necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it," Varadarajan remarked.

"The court has gone beyond the brief and jurisdiction while the intention is laudable," Narayanan added.

The court order will surely be music for the insurers and a jarring note for the vehicle buyers and vehicle makers.

The insurers will get a lump sum payment upfront on purchase of every new car and the insured is locked in for five years whereas the vehicle makers may suffer reduction in sales as the five-year insurance premium will add to the buyer's cost.

Narayanan said the bumper-to-bumper insurance cover will cost higher than the comprehensive insurance cover as the claims under the former will be settled on replacement cost basis while under the latter depreciation will be applied on the component cost.

Commenting on the lack of awareness on the part of car owners about the liability for occupants of the car the court while hearing a case ordered: "Therefore, this court directs that whenever a new vehicle is sold after 01.09.2021, it is mandatory for coverage of bumper-to-bumper insurance every year, in addition to covering the driver, passengers and owner of the vehicle, for a period of five years." "Thereafter, the owner of the vehicle must be cautious in safeguarding the interest of driver, passengers, third parties and himself/herself, so as to avoid unnecessary liability being foisted on the owner of the vehicle, as beyond five years, as on date there is no provision to extend the bumper-to-bumper policy, due to its nonavailability," the court ordered.

Only last year the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) withdrew the long-term motor insurance package policy.

Following a Supreme Court ruling, IRDAI had directed the general insurers to issue only three-year motor third party policies in the case of new cars and for two-wheelers, third party policies for five years with effect from September 1, 2018.

The IRDAI also advised general insurers to offer long-term package policy (own damage and third party) for three or five years or one year.

The insurance regulator also asked the insurers to offer standalone own damage insurance for vehicles from September 1, 2019 as the third party portion was already covered for three or five years.

The new norms boosted the insurers' revenue in a great manner as the total premium for a new two-wheeler was about Rs 8,000 and for a car was about Rs 40,000.

As most of the vehicle's purchases were made with a loan, the lenders insisted on comprehensive or package insurance cover.

However, the IRDAI decided to withdraw the long-term package policy owing to various reasons.

These included actuarial pricing being a challenge for insurers for long-term own damage cover, distribution of package policies having its own challenges due to affordability factors for a large section of vehicle owners, and the possibility of forced selling due to financial interest/being linked to loans being high.

saddled with a long-term product with no flexibility in change options, and the 'No Claim Bonus' structure was not uniform among insurers and could lead to confusion and dissatisfaction amongst the policy-holders.

With Covid pandemic hitting the country, automobile sales plunged and high insurance premiums was one of the reasons cited by the vehicle makers for people not buying new ones.

This in turn also impacted the revenues of the insurers.

"The Madras High Court order is confusing. Now IRDAI have to instruct the insurers to issue five year package policy with bumper-to-bumper cover," a senior insurance industry official told IANS preferring anonymity.

According to Varadarajan, it is a settled law that the occupants of a private car and the pillion rider on a two wheeler are third parties -- first party insurer, second party vehicle owner and others are third party.

He said it is for the vehicle manufacturer's body to arraign the Ministry of Surface Transport and IRDAI in a case to resolve the puzzle.

Narayanan said the Madras High Court could have made insurance cover for the occupants of a car compulsory under the third party insurance cover instead of ordering a compulsory bumper-to-bumper policy for five years.

He also suggests taking a personal accident insurance cover which is much more cost effective and provides wider cover.

Meanwhile, the court also ordered circulation of the judgement by the Additional Chief Secretary, Transport Department, Chennai, to all the insurers and the said officers must ensure that the above direction is followed scrupulously in letter and spirit without any deviation.

The court posted the matter for September 30 for reporting compliance.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Tokyo, Aug 27 : Rakesh Kumar came up with a brilliant performance in the ranking round to maintain hopes of a medal as all three Indians in the Compound archery section made it to the elimination rounds at the Tokyo Paralympics Games on Friday.

Kumar was the best placed among the three Indians, registering a personal best score of 699 in the 72 arrow ranking round in Men's Individual Compound Open competition at the Yumenoshima Ranking Field. Shyam Sunder Swami was placed 21st in the men's section with a score of 682.

In the Women's Individual Compound Open, India's Jyoti Baliyan was ranked 15th with a season-best score of 671. She also made it to the elimination rounds that will be conducted on Saturday.

In Men's Compound Open, China's He Zihao was leading after the ranking round with a personal best effort of 705. Kumar finished with 699, the same as Iranians Ramezan Biabani and Alisina Manshaezadeh. Biabani took the second spot ahead of Kumar as he had shot 18 arrows in the inner 10 rings (Xs) as compared to 17 by the Indian and 16 by Manshaezadeh.

Swami, the other Indian in the Men's Individual compound Open section, finished 21st after tying with two others on 682 points. He had to be satisfied with the 21st spot as he had fewer Xs compared to Great Britain's John Stubbs and Finland's Jere Forsberg, who was ranked 19th and 20th, respectively.

Jyoti and Rakesh's combined scores gave India a total of 1370, putting them in sixth place in the Mixed Team competition behind China (1388), Russian Paralympic Committee (1386), Turkey (1378), Iran (1376), and Great Britain (1376). India will take on Thailand in the Mixed Team pre-quarterfinals.

Kumar had a superb first half of 36 arrows as he tallied 348 out of a possible 360. He started with 59 out of 60. He shot each of his first arrows in the six rounds of six arrows in the inner 10. He had scores of 59, 57, 59, 58, 58, 57 in the first half.

The 35-year-old from Katra near Jammu who took up archery only in 2016, shot even better in the second half with 351 out of 360 with a perfect 60 in the penultimate round in the 72 arrow ranking round.

Kumar, who lost his ability to walk after sustaining an injury to his spinal cord in a road accident in 2009, had scores of 58. 58, 59, 59, 60, 57 - a score of 8 on his last arrow being the only disappointing score in the entire series.

Both Kumar and Swami were given a bye into the 1/6 Elimination round. Kumar will take on Sulaiman Sulaiman of Iraq while Swami will face Matt Stutzman of the USA. Jyoti will take on Ireland's Kerrie-Louise Leonard in the 1/16 Elimination round.
Ratnagiri : , Aug 27 (IANS) Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane on Friday resumed his 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' -- abruptly suspended after his arrest, magisterial custody followed by bail on Tuesday -- and launched a vigorous attack on the Shiv Sena, which retaliated in equal measure.

Simultaneously, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis were closeted in a private meeting in Mumbai, sparking off political speculation of a possible truce between the now-warring ex-allies.

Continuing to breathe fire aggressively despite a soar throat, Rane said that the Disha Salian case has not yet ended and threatened to "expose" the Sena 'bit-by-bit' over the coming days.

"What did they achieve by arresting a Union Minister like this," Rane asked in an apparently anguished voice, adding that after his health improves, he would again hammer the Shiv Sena.

Hitting back, Shiv Sena Lok Sabha group Leader Vinayak Raut -- who wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding Rane's dismissal from the Union Cabinet -- said even his party "would unmask Rane" on various issues including the suspicious death of his distant relative Ankush Rane in April 2009.

The party's newspapers, 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana' had on Thursday demanded to know "who was responsible for the disappearances of persons like Shridhar Naik, Ramesh Govikar, Satyavijay Bhuse and Ankush Rane (Narayan Rane's distant cousin)" and demanded a fresh probe into these cases by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

"Even Fadnavis has raised many issues in the past... All we have to do is to order a re-investigation into these cases," warned Raut, accusing the BJP of foisting Rane only to "corner the Shiv Sena by hurling false allegations".

Undeterred, Rane attacked the ruling MVA government, saying it has done nothing for the people of the state in the past two years, no aid has yet reached the flood-hit people of Konkan and western Maharashtra, while the farmers and ordinary folks continue to suffer.

The central minister assured that he would take up the cause of the (coastal) Konkan people, especially the mango, cashew and other cultivators who lost heavily due to the recent floods, with the Centre and try to get maximum help for them.

Rane's 'Yatra' had come to a grinding halt on Tuesday after his sudden arrest midway, from his camp in Sangamner, in connection with the 'slap slur' against the CM Thackeray, which sparked off huge protests all over the state and counter-protests by the BJP.

He was taken to Raigad and produced before the Mahad Court Judicial Magistrate First Class S.S. Patil, who upheld his arrest as "justified", sent him to Magisterial Custody for 10 days till September 4, and later granted him conditional bail the same night.

This has made him the first Union Minister to be arrested in the past 20 years, and only the third in the country so far, after the Chennai Police in 2001 nabbed DMK's Murasoli Maran and T.R. Baalu, both former Union Ministers in the government of the late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Nur-sultan, Aug 27 : Four servicemen were killed and dozens injured in a series of explosions at an ammunition deport in the Kazakh city of Taraz, authorities said on Friday.

At a press briefing here, Defence Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev said that several people were also reported missing, reports Xinhua news agency.

There are no civilians among the dead and injured, he noted.

The depot of the engineering and sapper brigade of the Ministry is located in the village of Kainar.

Residents of the four nearby villages were being evacuated, while patrolling was underway in evacuated settlements to prevent looting.

Railways and highways around the area are blocked, the Ministry said.

Russian broadcaster RT reported earlier that the fire has resulted in at least six explosions, leaving 66 people injured, and 28 of them were still being treated in hospital.

Although there were no new explosions at the ammunition warehouse, the fire is still raging, the Kazakh Defence Ministry was quoted as saying.

Causes of the incident are still unknown, but the Ministry said it can be caused by the burning of stored TNT.

A commission had been set up to determine the cause.
Tokyo, Aug 27 : The Japanese cabinet on Friday decided to utilise 1.4 trillion yen ($13 billion) of reserve funds, mainly for purchasing additional Covid-19 vaccines and securing medicines.

The government has allocated about 841.5 billion yen of the total amount to procure more jabs and promote its vaccination rollout as the country is struggling to curb a recent surge in Covid-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 235.2 billion yen was earmarked for the "antibody cocktail" treatment, Finance Minister Taro Aso told a press conference.

According to overseas clinical trials, the treatment decreases the risk of hospitalisation or death for patients.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a news conference two days ago that in response to "urgent tasks", the government will use the reserve funds for anti-Covid measures such as securing enough vaccines and drugs for the antibody cocktail treatment.

Despite Japan is relatively slow in vaccination progress compared with other developed economies, the country aims to finish inoculating all eligible people in the nation who wish to receive shots sometime between October and November, Suga said.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Covid-19 crisis has challenged organisations on a global scale and employee experience (EX) remains at the heart of it. Heres a timely guide on how to engage today's rarest resource - talent - as it reveals the secrets for not only hiring and retaining top talent, but on building a deeply engaged workforce for organisational success.

"Winning With Employees: Leveraging Employee Experience for a Competitive Edge" (SAGE India) by D.N. Venkatesh, Professor in OB & HR at the Goa Institute of Management, unfolds the mantra of turning employee experience into fuel for customer satisfaction, profit, and growth of the organisation.

With deep industry insights, the book shows that before an organisation can deliver a transcendent customer experience (CX), it must first build a superlative employee experience (EX). To this end, it covers several aspects of execution of EX strategy across all facets of HR functions.

Touching upon managing multi-generational workforce, it talks about various aspects of change and transformation that an organisation must undergo to become 'experience focused'. Last but not the least, the book guides readers on the journey of creating a place where people do not need to show up but want to show up to work.

Thoroughly researched, this book blends in-depth interviews and expert insights to examine the role of HR, crowdsourcing strategies, and performance management processes that help transform the digital workplace. It talks about various touchpoints between the employer and the employees ranging from hiring, onboarding, performance, rewards, L&D, and employee exit.

Commenting on the change in work dynamics and sustaining employee engagement in the wake of the pandemic, the author said: "Covid has brought into focus the urgency for organisations to deal with hybrid workplaces and hybrid talent. This calls to seamless connection and customisation of all facets of HR services to their employees. This book offers both strategic and operational insights that will help organizations and HR leaders to redesign their processes/policies to align them to digital and hybrid workplaces." D.N. Venkatesh has 30 years of experience across industry, academics and research. In his current role, apart from facilitating learning for students of PGDM, he is involved in designing and delivering of executive learning programs and offers HR consulting solutions to organisations. He is actively involved with industry bodies like NIPM, CII and AIMA.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea by National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenging a Bombay High Court order, which upheld bail to an alleged member of IS, Areeb Ejaz Majeed, on February 23 this year. Majeed was arrested on November 29, 2014, by the Mumbai ATS. Later, the case was handed over to the NIA.

Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing NIA, submitted before a bench comprising Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and A.S. Bopanna that Majeed was a terrorist who went to Syria, and he initially went to Iraq in May, 2014 on a pilgrimage visa but left for Syria to join IS.

Raju added that Majeed came back to the country to carry out blasts at police headquarters and he was also allegedly trying to recruit Indians as well as non-residents to join the terrorist organisation for carrying out activities.

Raju further argued that it was a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

However, the top court declined to entertain the special leave petition by the central agency. The bench noted that the accused had been in prison for more than five years and the trial court had put stringent conditions on his bail. The trial court had passed the order to release him on bail on March 17, 2020. Advocate Farrukh Rasheed appeared for Majeed on caveat.

The agency also alleged that the accused had come back to India with a motive to carry out 'lone wolf attack' kind operation. Raju added that decent behaviour can't be a ground for bail to him by the trial court.

According to the NIA, he was trained in handling of weapons and firearms and also allegedly actively involved in terrorist activities in Iraq and Syria. The agency relied upon alleged social media posts of co-accused to allege that Majeed had returned to India for terrorist activities.

After hearing the arguments, the top court noted that it will not interfere with the high court's order which upheld the trial court's order.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday openly criticised former Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos on Twitter, saying he has taken retirement only to file lawsuits against SpaceX.

Earlier this month, Bezos-owned space firm Blue Origin sued NASA for picking Musk-owned SpaceX for its prestigious $2.9 billion Moon lander programme.

After the lawsuit, the US space agency put SpaceX's contract on hold for the second time.

Replying to a follower, Musk tweeted: "Turns out Bezos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX..." Amazon this week urged the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to dismiss plans by SpaceX to launch another cluster of satellites to power its ambitious space internet service called Starlink.

Starlink is currently powered by around 1,740 low earth orbit satellites, which serve an estimated 90,000 customers globally. The company is set to launch 30,000 second-generation satellites to boost the internet network.

According to court filings, NASA voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the SpaceX contract until November 1, this year, while the US Court of Federal Claims adjudicated the case.

NASA agreed to halt SpaceX's contract on the condition that all parties agreed to "an expedited litigation schedule that concludes on November 1," a spokesperson for the agency was quoted as saying.

"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," the spokesperson added.

Blue Origin sued NASA over its April decision to pick only SpaceX's Starship rocket system for the agency's first human lunar landing system since 1972.

The US space agency was expected to pick two lunar lander prototypes (including one of Blue Origin's) but funding cuts from the US Congress led the agency to select SpaceX over Blue Origin.

Escalating his space war with Musk, Bezos in an open letter to the NASA Administrator Bill Nelson had said that his company would close the US space agency's near-term budgetary shortfall and produce a safe and sustainable lander that will return Americans to the surface of the Moon -- this time to stay.

But, despite the delays, SpaceX has made swift progress on its Starship system and has moved the programme along using mostly private funds, the report said.

The first Starship prototype bound for orbit will be ready for launch "in a few weeks," Musk tweeted.

Bezos, who founded Amazon exactly 24 years ago on July 5, 1994, officially stepped down in July this year, and former AWS executive Andy Jassy took over as the CEO of the e-commerce behemoth.
August 27 : Shilpa Shetty, who has resumed her role as a judge of the reality show Super Dancer Chapter 4, after her husband Raj Kundras arrest, has been sharing cryptic posts from time to time. The Hungama 2 actress shared yet another life lesson and motivational quote on her Instagram story today.

Shilpa took to her Instagram stories and shared a screenshot from a book that talked about making mistakes in life. The chapter of the book starts with a quote by Sophia Loren, and it read as, Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life. The page further read, We cant have an interesting life without making a few mistakes here and there. We hope they wont be dangerous or mistakes that hurt other people. But there will be mistakes. We can see our mistakes as things wed like to forget  or as our most interesting, challenging, and stimulating experiences. Not because of the mistakes themselves, but because of what we learn from them. The page ends with a sentence in bold, Im going to make mistakes. I will forgive myself and learn from them. While sharing the motivational lesson, Shilpa added a sticker to it that read, Made a mistake, but its ok.

Image Source: Instagram/theshilpashetty Shilpa Shetty says made a mistake, but its ok

Yesterday, Shilpa had shared another post to her Instagram story with a caption, "Liv every moment!"

The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection from arrest to Raj Kundra in a case filed in 2020 in connection with broadcasting of sexually explicit content on an OTT platform. The businessman is accused of being the owner of a mobile application that streamed and distributed the content. Kundra was arrested in a separate case on similar charges on July 19. In the 2021 case, however, the Bombay High Court on August 7 rejected petitions by Kundra seeking release from judicial custody.
Patna Aug 27 : The mutilated body of a CPI-ML leader, who had been reported missing, was found in Bihar's Bhojpur district on Friday.

The deceased, Nemu Lal, had been missing from his home since Wednesday morning. His body was found in an agriculture field in Chilhar village.

The killers had chopped off his fingers, nose and ears. Scratch marks were also found on other parts of the body, police said.

The deceased was a resident of Chilhar village. The area around the village is known for many killings in late 1990.

The relatives of the deceased claimed that the missing complaint of Nemu Lal was given to the Azimabad police station on Wednesday but they could not trace him.

After the incident, a large number of villagers blocked the Sakkadi Nasriganj state highway near Azimabad police station for over six hours. They demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Ansu Kumari, the SHO of the Azimabad police station, managed to remove the agitating villagers from the highway after assuring them of the immediate arrest of the killers.

"We have registered an FIR against unknown persons and a probe is currently underway. We are examining the call details of the victim to find some clues about this murder," the officer said.
Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is facing the challenge of 'Lingayat Panchamasali' agitation for reservation which is scheduled to go on for one long month.

The challenge has become a litmus test for him as the 'Most Backward Castes Awareness Forum' has submitted a memorandum urging him not to bring Panchamasali Lingayats in the list of the 'Other backward Classes' (OBC).

Adding to the woes, Panchamasali seer Jayamrutynjaya swamiji has vented out his ire on former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa's son B.Y. Vijayendra alleging that he had tried to misguide the whole movement.

The agitation demanding reservation started on Thursday (August 26) from Male Mahadeshwara hills in Chamarajanagar district. The one-month long agitation is named as Pratigna Panchayat. The organisers have planned to create awareness at every taluk level under the leadership of Jaya Mruthyunjaya swamiji.

The government headed by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had promised to sanction reservation for the Panchamasali sub sect on the floor of the House. At the time, a 600 kilometer padayatra was undertaken from KudalaSangama to Bengaluru demanding reservation.

Jaya Mruthyunjaya swamiji has stated that Yediyurappa was misguided by his son Vijayendra on the movement. The community, which comprises the lion's share of population among the Lingayat community supported Yediyurappa. Now, they are looking forward to a leader who can support them, he added.

Presently, Lingayats who fall into lower income groups can claim reservation under 3 B reservation quotas along with Jains, Christians and others. Some sub castes can claim under 3A category. However, if reservation is provided under 2 A category, which has 15 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC), it would boost the prospect of getting government job opportunities for Panchamasalis.

Yediyurappa during his tenure had directed the Commission for Backward Classes to submit a report in this regard. The report, however, has not been submitted yet. Since, the Panchamasali community has begun the agitation, the ruling BJP especially Chief Minister Bommai is facing a daunting task of managing the situation..

Minister for Industries Murugesh Nirani, senior BJP leaders Aravind Bellad and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, belong to the Panchamasali sub caste, and all were aspirants for the Chief Minister's post but failed to make it.

Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swamiji has made an announcement that the deadline given to the government (September 15) to provide reservation is nearing and Chief Minister Bommai should initiate steps to provide reservation. "We will back that individual or party who extends support to us," he underlined.

The Bommai government which has to face Zilla Panchayat, taluk panchayat elections very soon is facing a real challenge in dealing with the situation.
Lucknow, Aug 27 : Retired IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has bene arrested by the Lucknow police on the basis of an SIT report which found him prima facie guilty of conspiring to save BSP MP Atul Rai, who is an accused in a rape case.

The alleged rape victim had died earlier this week, days after she attempted self-immolation outside the Supreme Court in the national capital. Her companion, who had also immolated himself, also died.

Thakur tried to resist his arrest, but the cops bundled him into a police jeep and took him to the Hazratganj police station.

Hours before his arrest on Friday, the retired IPS officer had announced that he is floating his own political party.

Thakur also said that he would contest the Assembly elections against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur.

The complainant and her companion had set themselves on fire outside the Supreme Court on August 16, after levelling serious allegations against the police and other authorities, including Thakur, SSP Amit Pathak and a judge, of conspiring against her.

The woman had lodged a rape case against Atul Rai on May 1, 2019 with the Lanka police station.

Rai, who had filed nomination as the BSP candidate from the Ghosi parliamentary seat, won the elections as an absconder and later surrendered before the court on June 22, 2019. He has been in jail since then.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurga Thakur said on Friday that all possible efforts are being made to evacuate Indian nationals from Afghanistan.

Talking to the media here, Thakur said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has also appraised the floor leaders of all political parties about the situation and how the government has been successfully evacuating Indians from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the war-torn nation.

He also said that three Swaroops of Shri Guru Granth Sahib have been flown back to Delhi safely.

At the all-party meeting on the situation in Afghanistan held at the Parliament House on Thursday, Jaishankar had said that the situation in Afghanistan has been very critical after the Taliban seized power on August 15, adding that evacuating the remaining Indians from there remains a top priority for the Government.

"India is trying to evacuate as many people as possible from Afghanistan," he had said.
Chennai, Aug 27 : The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government may get into reform mode post the local body elections likely to be held by the end of 2021, say party leaders and industry experts.

"Though a white paper on the Tamil Nadu government finances spoke about the necessity to hike tax rates and other things for those who can bear it, the state budget that was presented was a usual one. Perhaps the state government may get into reform mode after the local body elections," K.C. Palanisamy, former AIADMK MP and MLA, told IANS.

Palanisamy said the local body elections may be held before the end of 2021 or February 2022.

Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan after declaring 'once in a generation reforms a must' and 'business as usual' approach cannot continue while presenting the white paper on the state government's finances, came out with a relatively populist budget.

As per the white paper, reforms/restructuring in state government undertakings, statutory boards, power utilities, mobilisation of tax revenues, mode of subsidy deliveries were on the cards.

"As a debutant Finance Minister, he might have taken a soft approach with his first budget which is an interim budget," Palanisamy said.

Industry experts said Finance Minister Rajan's budget is nothing but a status quo or an extension of the previous AIADMK government's budget.

"The white paper set the expectation that the Finance Minister will provide a reform budget to reduce the state debt. One could agree that he needed more time to come up with the actual reforms but least expected was the transformation roadmap, a timeline," Sriram Seshadri, Founder and Managing Partner, Disha Consulting and formerly Partner and Managing Director, Accenture India, told IANS.

According to him, a white paper lays down the problem, analysis, probable solution.

On the other hand, the government's white paper laid out the problem statement which was well known and the expectations were there on reform proposals in the budget which surprisingly did not happen, Seshadri said.

"As an economist, I feel satisfied that the budget didn't provide for any of the poll promises. For an economist the white paper gave an expectation that there would be a reform and transformation roadmap but the budget was disappointing," he added.

According to him, nothing was there in the budget for beefing up the state revenues while the debt was increasing.

"Tamil Nadu will cross the debt of Rs six lakh crore mark by 2021 end. Only solace is during the budget discussions in the state Assembly, the Finance Minister has said some of the poll promises will not be met such as revising the old pension scheme for government employees," Seshadri added.

He said if there is a reform agenda with the DMK government it has to be rolled out soon and not wait for the next year's budget.

However, he agreed that the government will take some reform steps mainly targeted subsidies to poor sections of the society, refine the rules for ration cards and revenue optimisation initiatives like tax reforms.

"Already Tamil Nadu's economy is the fourth largest in the country and will slip to fifth or sixth place soon. Hence, the state should regain the momentum, cut the red tape and enable ease of doing business both in MSME and large industries," Seshadri said.

While the government's popularity endures it should take some tough decisions to reduce government spending, disinvestment and make announcements to attract investment, he said.

"Sterlite Copper (copper smelter unit of Vedanta Ltd in Tuticorin) closure is one of the stumbling blocks for investors to invest in a big way because there is no guarantee to their investment. The government should enable reopening of Sterlite within the guidelines of the pollution control norms. Likewise closely monitor to optimize revenue on the natural resources, mining and sand. The government gets less than Rs 1,000 crore revenue whereas the potential is much higher," he added.

However, the signs of change in the government are seen in the budget by not implementing its populist poll promises like Rs 1,000 per month dole to the female head of the family.

"Instead the government had decided to conduct a study to identify eligible beneficiaries. This move is new as in the past the state government used to disburse financial assistance for almost all ration card holders," K. Puhazhendi, Director, Perfint Healthcare, told IANS.

Referring to Rajan's statement that the governance will be data-based, Puhazhendi said the government can mine data available in its own departments/municipal corporations.

The smart ration cards are linked with Aadhar cards.

Puhazendhi said the government employees themselves form a big database so that undeserved subsidies can be stopped.

"Data on property taxpayers, land owners, vehicle registrations, power consumers, ration card holders, data about government employees, shops and business establishments, factories and other data are available with different departments," Puhazhendi said.

The government can collate and gather from the people with help of door-to-door data gathering. This could be a starting point to build a database and target the subsidies and other government schemes, he added.

Stressing that the government's focus should be on making each department, municipal corporations self-financing, Puhazhendi called for a freeze on government hiring and investment should be made in information technology systems to digitise the services.

It is high time the state government goes in for public-private partnership in the tourism sector. The state government owns several hotel properties which are in need of private investment and management.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Hyderabad, Aug 27 : Thieves tried to loot cash after breaking into two ATMs in two separate incidents in Telangana on Thursday night, but failed.

In the first incident which occurred in Hyderabad, two men entered a ICICI Bank ATM kiosk in KPHB, and in an attempt to steal the cash from it, they broke it open with iron rods. They removed the display of the machine but failed to take out the cash.

After failing in their attempt, they left empty-handed. The incident occurred around 10.45 p.m.

According to police, the futile attempt to rob the ATM was recorded on CCTV camera in the ATM kiosk. Police were trying to identify and trace the accused.

In Nizamabad district, a similar attempt was made to loot cash from the Canara Bank and adjacent ATM at Mangalpahad on late Thursday. Police said a four-member team of burglars gained entry into the bank and tried to break open the lockers.

The burglars damaged an almirah and other items but did not find any cash. They tried to take out cash from ATM machine in the same premises. However, they failed in their attempt.

Police were examining footage from surveillance cameras in the area to identify the thieves.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited the Eastern Air Command headquarters at Shillong and reviewed the progress of operational goals. He highlighted discussions on ways to optimise full spectrum combat readiness.

He also highlighted the increasing importance of the Eastern Air Command in the overall strategic perspective amid the emerging threats from China.

He visited the Eastern Air Command from August 26-27 for the Commanders' Conference. The two-day conference reviewed the progress of operational goals set for the Command and highlighted discussions on ways and means to optimise full spectrum combat readiness.

While addressing the Commanders, the CAS highlighted the increasing importance of the Eastern Air Command in the overall strategic perspective.

He expressed satisfaction at the build-up and strengthening of capability and infrastructure at various stations including Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the Eastern sector.

Bhadauria urged the Commanders to enthuse the younger air warriors to put their training and skills to full use in their assignments to upgraded and new generation systems and weapon platforms.

He appreciated the contribution of all personnel of the Eastern Air Command in their consistent efforts to improve their operational output backed by a strong maintenance and administrative support system.

The Air Force Chief awarded trophies to stations for achieving excellence in Operations, Maintenance and Administration.

Air Force Station Tezpur was awarded the trophy of 'Best Flying Station - Pride of EAC' and Air Force Station Salua was declared the 'Best Non-Flying Station'.
San Francisco, Aug 27 : Popular social media app Snapchat is upgrading its visual search features and putting them at the centre of its app.

The app is now rolling out changes it announced back in May during its Partner Summit event. The updates include more prominent placement of the "scan" feature -- now located directly under the camera's shutter button -- and new capabilities that will suggest lenses and music based on your surroundings.

Snap has been experimenting with visual search, called "scan" since 2019. The feature allows Snapchat users to identify plants and music, solve math problems and scan food and wine labels with the in-app camera, reports Engadget.

But up until now, much of this functionality was easily overlooked as it required a few extra taps to access. With the update now rolling out, "scan" visible whenever the camera is open, the report said.

Snapchat is also adding a few new features it previewed earlier this year, like the ability to shop for outfits by pointing the camera at articles of clothing. It's also adding Camera Shortcuts, which will suggest a combination of augmented reality lenses and music based on your surroundings.

The company has also integrated scanning abilities into its latest AR Spectacles, which can similarly suggest lenses based on what's around you (unlike previous versions of Spectacles, the newest ones aren't for sale just yet).
Kolkata, Aug 27 : As the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal continues to mount pressure on the Election Commission of India for conducting bypolls in the state, the BJP has criticised the ruling party for its 'double standards' on conducting polls in Bengal.

Speaking on the issue, state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said, "They (Trinamool) are saying that there is no Corona in the state. If that is so, why are they not allowing local trains to operate? Why are they not allowing schools to open? "For the last one year, they have not conducted civic polls because of the pandemic. Just because of Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool is now putting pressure on the ECI for conducting the bypolls. All the municipalities and the corporations are being run by the administrators for the past one year. There is no elected body. This cannot happen in a democratic country. There cannot be two different rules on the same issue. They should come out clean first.

Ghosh's reaction came after a delegation from the ruling party met the poll panel on Thursday, and urged it to conduct the pending by-elections in the state before six months.

The Trinamool delegation included Saugata Roy, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Jawhar Sircar, Sajda Ahmed and Mahua Moitra.

"Our meeting with the Election Commission was very cordial. The poll body said that its purpose is to hold elections and not withhold the polling process. We told the EC that the situation is conducive to hold the polls as the number of Covid cases has declined in the state.

"We also submitted Covid statistics of all the seven constituencies where bypolls are pending. The EC has said that it will consider the matter. We are hopeful for a fair response from the poll panel," Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said at a press conference after the meeting with EC.

In a memorandum submitted to the poll panel, the Trinamool said that Covid cases in the state have come down to 830 from 70,000 and the time is right to hold the polls.

The delegation also requested the EC not to conduct the bypolls during the festival season beginning in October.

Earlier, the poll panel had sought the opinion of the political parties on holding the by-elections in Bengal.

Moitra also suggested that the EC may hold the by-elections in a phased manner (in three to four phases) in seven constituencies.

Seven Assembly seats are lying vacant in Bengal, including Bhawanipur in Kolkata where elected MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay resigned from the post to make way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee, who lost in the Assembly polls against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram, is likely to contest from this seat.

The Dinhata and Santipur Assembly seats fell vacant after BJP leaders Nisith Pramanik and Jagannath Sarkar resigned as MLAs to retain their Parliament memberships.

Similarly, elections could not be held in Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad due to deaths of the candidates. The Kharda seat fell vacant in North 24-Parganas district after Trinamool candidate Kajal Sinha passed away before he could celebrate his victory.

The Gosaba seat also fell vacant after Trinamool's Jayanta Naskar, who won the elections, succumbed to Covid-19 in June.
Chandigarh, Aug 27 : Punjab Congress President Navjot Sidhu's controversial adviser Malwinder Mali resigned on Friday, a day after AICC general secretary Harish Rawat asked for the advisers' resignations saying their stands were unacceptable to the Congress.

Interestingly, the resignation comes in the wake of Sidhu telling the party High Command that, "I can't be dummy chief".

Reacting to Sidhu's assertion, Rawat said, "Who says he is." Speaking at a party function in Amritsar city, Sidhu said "if he is allowed to work according to his own policy of hope and faith, he will ensure Congress rule in the state for 20 years".

"But if you don't allow me to take decisions, then I can't help anything," Sidhu said without mincing words.

Speaking about the Punjab model Sidhu said, "Punjab model means people make policies for trade, industry and power. Giving power of people back to the people." The power struggle between Sidhu and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is on as the latter's confidante and Cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi hosted a dinner at his residence here on Thursday.

A total of 58 MLAs and eight MPs attended the dinner and expressed their confidence that the party would win the 2022 polls under the leadership of Amarinder Singh.

"The journey has started today," Sodhi informed in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Sidhu's advisor Mali in a statement after his resignation said, "Anti-Sikh forces that can't tolerate the emerging Punjab model, issue-based and solution-based politics of transparency and accountability, which has dawned in the backdrop of the long-drawn peaceful 'kisan andolan', have a nefarious design to derail the dialogue process that has started taking shape." He alleged a hateful campaign had been launched against him by political leaders -- Amarinder Singh, Vijay Inder Singla, Manish Tiwari (Congress); Sukhbir Badal, Bikram Majithia (Akali Dal); BJP secretary Subhash Sharma and Raghav Chadda of the AAP.

Mali said these politicians would be responsible if any harm comes to him.

Mali had triggered a controversy over his provocative social media post on Kashmir.

Taking strong exception to the patently anti-national and pro-Pak comments of two of Sidhu's aides, a group of Punjab Congress ministers and MLA had called for strong action under the law against Mali and Pyare Lal Garg.

The statements of both these newly appointed advisors of Sidhu were clearly against India's interests, and detrimental to national security, said ministers Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka.

Besides stringent legal action against them, they had also urged the Congress national leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party as well as the country.
Mumbai, Aug 27 : With the possibility of India hurtling towards a Covid-19 "third wave", the Maharashtra government on Friday cautioned that the state could witness around 60 lakh cases in such a situation.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that while around 20 lakh were affected in the first wave followed by 40 lakh in the second, the dreaded next wave may lead to over 60 lakh cases.

"Of these, nearly 12 per cent would require oxygen support during treatment... We are trying to achieve 100 percent vaccination as soon as possible," he said.

Contending that the third wave has already started in the US, the UK, Russia, and other countries, he called upon people to take extreme precautions during the upcoming festivals like Janmashtami, Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Diwali to avoid a surge in the cases.

Tope has discussed the issue with his Kerala counterpart Veena George, whose state recorded 31,000 new cases on Thursday with the Onam celebrations considered the prime reason, but the authorities have stepped up testing.

He revealed that to tackle the upcoming health crisis, the Maharashtra government is in the process of recruiting more doctors, nurses and other medical-paramedical staffers besides enhancing health care capacities including for juveniles.

"By September end, we plan to recruit 7,000 medical staff including 1,200 doctors. We are enhancing the production of liquid medical oxygen, increasing the number of beds in Covid hospitals, and getting 1,000 new ambulances," Tope said.

Additionally, the government has approved an increment of Rs 1,500 in the salaries of 71,000 ASHA workers for which an an amount of Rs 275 crore will be included in the budget.

Health Department officials said that at least nine of the worst-hit districts in the two previous waves "are being monitored very closely" to ensure that infections and fatalities can be controlled, besides taking measure to shield children and infants.

The situation has already become worrisome as the state has already recorded over 200 cases of the Covid-19 variant, Delta Plus, which has claimed 5 patients till date.

This week, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation authorities were stunned after 22 young students, mostly below 18, were found infected out of 95 in the St Joseph's School & Orphanage in Dongri, and the institution was promptly sealed on Thursday.
Kolkata, Aug 27 : In a major decision, the Calcutta University has waived tuition fees for the next semester in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made via a notification issued by the university, making it the first educational institute in the state to waive tuition fees of the students. Other universities are expected to follow suit.

For the last few days, demand was growing for a fee waiver, as many people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, while several students are not in a position to meet the financial requirements of the educational institutions.

Due to Covid-19, all schools/colleges have stopped offline classes for over a year now. While online classes are on, one doesn't need to travel to the educational institutions. Therefore, multiple student bodies and a section of parents have been repeatedly demanding a fee waiver.

Much to their relief, the Calcutta University issued a notification on Thursday wherein it not only waived all tuition fees for the next semester, but also said that the arrears of the previous semester have also been waived.

CU Vice Chancellor Sonali Chakraborty Banerjee said, "Many families have lost their income due to overcrowding. Many students have lost their parents. We have waived all the fees keeping in mind all of them." The decision has been taken keeping in mind the Covid situation, the notification said.

According to sources in the university, the move will benefit nearly 13,000 students studying in undergraduate and post-graduate streams.

"We have partially opened the library. We have decided not to collect late fees from many students who could not return books on time," Chakraborty said.
Kabul/New Delhi, Aug 27 : Chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport may be masking a greater worry for the West: Unintended export of Islamist terrorists out of Afghanistan in the garb of evacuees.

There is growing concern among the western allies that Islamist terrorists may have successfully infiltrated the thousands of Afghans and other foreigners, and some of them may have actually boarded planes for Europe and the US.

The concern is sourced from Pentagon, and no less than US President Joe Biden remarked on Sunday that "terrorists may seek to exploit the situation and target innocent Afghans or American troops".

Officially, the US is yet to formally comment on the threat.

The western media, based on Pentagon briefings, is claiming that nearly a hundred evacuees could be on intelligence watchlists as suspected terrorists, with possible ties to the ISIS.

These evacuees were separated from the thousands of refugees at various military bases in West Asia and Europe. The US, suspecting as much, has strategised that all planes taking off from Kabul would first stop at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar or a few others in NATO countries.

The Guardian, on the other hand, has reported that "people posing a 'direct threat' to the UK were found among potential Kabul evacuees".

The newspaper says: "Six people deemed a 'direct threat' to the UK have been flagged in security checks of would-be evacuees from Kabul, amid broader warnings that the Islamic State terror group is targeting British soldiers and officials at the airport." All of them were on the UK's "no fly" list. The paper quoted Kevin Foster, a junior immigration minister, as saying: "We've had more hits on our 'no fly' list, that is people who are a direct threat to this country if they were able to come here, in the last week in the context of Afghanistan ... than we would normally expect in a year of normal flights and travel [from the country]".

The Americans have installed their defence department's Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). It essentially recognises people of interest from a gigantic data base of suspected terrorists and insurgents and mercenaries from the world over, using biometrics, facial recognition and even physical clues and surveillance videos.

An initial screening in Qatar rang alarm bells about an evacuating Afghan. He may have ties with the Islamic State of Afghanistan. He has been detained for a full-fledged verification of his antecedents.

The officials are tight-lipped about the rest of the suspicious cases, though it is learnt that an exhaustive investigation has been launched to check them out. There are no details at which base they are detained.

The worst-case scenario the American internal security agencies are preparing for is the presence of sleeper cells among the evacuees. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the terror groups may have encouraged some civilians without any criminal background and who have remained under the security radar throughout their adult lives to leave the country like other Afghans fearing for their lives.

The other possibility is terrorists and mercenary fighters escaping from jails overrun by the Taliban forces in the last weeks of fighting. The terror groups would have had enough time to plan and select their fighters to flee the country as refugees.

After the final screen checks are done, thousands of Afghans will enter the US in a few days or weeks. They will be housed at military bases in Texas, Wisconsin and Virginia, which house the toughest data bases and recognition equipment.

Defense One said that while close to 70,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul and many more thousands are expected to fly out by August 31, the challenge for the Americans is setting up a screening system to tackle the crowds that comprise one of the "fastest and largest air evacuation operations in the military's history".

It reported: "The agents were struggling with old vetting systems and could not integrate all of the information needed, such as the Defense Department's biometric database information, said a second official who is familiar with the vetting process. 'CBP (Customs and Border Protection) on the ground has old tech and they don't know how to use it, integrate it,' the official said. 'And there's not enough people to process' all the evacuees. It can take up to an hour for the system to crunch the data and tell a screener whether a person is 'green'- cleared - or 'red' and a potential security risk, which has been part of the reason for large backlog of evacuees stuck at bases now." Apart from the United States, several other countries in Europe and West Asia are also evacuating people from Kabul. They are now on double alert to ensure terrorists or terror sleepers do not enter their countries as genuine refugees.

Many Afghan refugees are travelling to the US using Special Immigrant Visas which are offered to those who have helped the American military forces by serving as interpreters. Lives of these interpreters and thousands of others who helped in other capacities are in danger if they remain in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule.

The Daily Mail quoted a State Department spokesperson as saying: "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. We are surging resources to evaluate each case and process these as efficiently as possible to protect homeland security."
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday said that the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) is in search of new partners and might take place early next year if the Tata Motors agrees with the deal.

The PWL hasn't taken place since 2019. There was a Covid-19 scare as well as the tussle between the WFI and league promoters ProSportify reportedly halted the progress of the league.

Speaking to IANS, Brij Bhushan said that the federation is in talks with Tata Motors to "help the league as well".

"Maine purane walo ko namaste kar di. Badi mushkil se picha chudaya (I said no to them with folded hands, escaped with great difficulty. I know how I managed the money and gave it to them to leave. Now, I want Tata to help our league also, like it has been helping us in other ventures.

"PWL has helped many young grapplers. World champions and Olympic medallists participated in it and it was really very encouraging for our grapplers. They benefited from it. So, if all goes well Covid-wise and if Tata also agrees, then we can have the league early next year when the schedule allows," the WFI said.

Praising India's wrestling stars in Tokyo, the WFI chief said that the grapplers are making the country proud in every major events since the past four Olympics.

"I am really proud of each one of our wrestler. Some missed by a whisker but better luck next time," he said before signing off.

IANS cs/akm
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27 : Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday said that the state expects to complete the first dose of vaccination for all aged 18 and above by September 30.

With Kerala now becoming 'Covid's Own Country', leading the country in all major indicators like daily cases, total active cases, and also in number of deaths, the Kerala government has gone on high alert and she said even though the mantra is testing, tracing and treatment, at the moment, vaccination is also of prime concern.

"By now, 70 per cent of the population have received the first dose of vaccine, while 25 per cent have got both the doses. Our target now is to see that the every person above age 18 gets their first dose of vaccine by September 30. We are now waiting for 1.11 crore doses to come," George said.

She pointed out that Kerala has the maximum reporting of cases and the undercounting index is 6:1 in the state, against 33:1 nationwide.

"In Kerala, we had the second wave which began in April and on May 12, we had the highest number of new cases which was 43,529 and the test positivity rate was 29.76 per cent. From that we brought it down to as low as 10 per cent and now it has again gone up again. If we look at the scenario during Onam 2020, the state had 1,563 cases which went up three times in September and seven times in October," George said.

"We will have to continue to be cautious and we will have to be careful that we don't bring in more cases by violating the protocols, as we have a huge under 18 age population and for them till now, there is no vaccination." Meanwhile, with Covid spread raging and the state government facing flak from various quarters, it has been decided that every Sunday will see a strict lockdown.

The previous two Sundays -- August 15 being Independence Day and August 22 - main Onam -- saw no restrictions and with cases now peaking, the government on Friday announced that from now on until further notice, Sundays will be locked for all regular activities and only shops selling essential items can open.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been criticised for "disappearing from the scene" and not addressing the media for the past more than a month, is still to emerge and while many expected that he might make an appearance on Friday, it has not taken place.
Mumbai, Aug 27 : When all the main leaders of the Indian Freedom Movement were shunted to jail in the last phases, it was the brave women and plucky young girls of Mumbai who kept the struggle for Independence alive and even suffered for it, said 92-year-old freedom fighter Rohini Gavankar, here on Friday.

A Parsi woman, Bhikaji R. Cama had inspired the country to have its own flag and even hoisted the first flag of India, while grand-daughters of the legendary Dr Dadabhai Naoroji -- Perin D. Captain and her sisters -- went door-to-door selling Khadi products to weaken the British rule, she said.

Sharing a treasury of memories Gavankar told an official webinar on the 75 years of Indian Independence how the movement had become practically rudderless with the arrest of all prominent leaders in its last phases.

"It was left to the girl students and ordinary women to keep it alive They took up a host of activities on their own, and many were even penalized for it," she recalled.

Even before the young Indira (Nehru) Gandhi's famed Vanar Sena (Monkey Army), Mumbai's Usha Mehta had launched her Manjar Sena (Cat Army) here which was entrusted with mocking and teasing the British Police and the armed forces, said Gavankar.

Later, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had greatly appreciated the role played by Mumbai's women in the freedom struggle during the 1930-1940 decade and called "their efforts an inspiration for the whole nation".

On her own personal involvement, Gavankar said when she was around 14 years old, one of her brothers faced jail and a death sentence, another took part in the 'Prati Sarkar' - a guerrilla-style movement launched around 1943 - against the British regime.

"I used to mobilise children and sing patriotic songs loudly, I played the role of a messenger in the Prati Sarkar movement," Gavankar said.

Later, the Prati Sarkar threw up a host of top leaders, legislators, parliamentarians, chief ministers, union ministers and a deputy PM, besides heads of various political parties. The late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had demanded a memorial for the movement.

Historian and writer Anuradha Ranade said over 300 rebellions occurred during the tyranny of the British East India Company during 1757-1857, and due to the divisive and unjust policies of the British, many organisations emerged across India.

"One of them was Bombay Presidency Association, founded in 1885. The Indian National Congress was originally Indian National Union; however, in the Bombay Session of 1885, it was renamed as 'Indian National Congress'," Ranade said.

That historic session took place in Congress Bhavan near Elphinstone Road with 72 participants, of whom 18 were from Mumbai which was the epicentre of India's freedom struggle. South Mumbai was the prime location to hold demonstrations against British policies.

Academician Aruna Pendse explained how the native residents of Mumbai participated in the Salt Satyagraha.

"Mumbaikars of that era used the locations of Mahalakshmi and Chowpatty to perform Salt Satyagraha. Events in 1942 showed the multi-coloured and multi-ethnic nature of Mumbai," said Pendse.

Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, the Mumbai Gujarati trading community plunged into the freedom struggle with the Marathi people also participating in a big way.

"People like Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta encouraged women to participate in the freedom struggle and the city remained the epicentre but the movement started spreading to other parts of the country," she added.

Mass scale political rallies first started in the then Gowalia Tank, now the historic August Kranti Maidan from where Gandhiji gave the clarion call for the British to 'Quit India' in August 1942. Later, Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan and other venues also became popular for political rallies.

The webinar was organised by I&B Ministry-PIB, to mark the 75-year celebrations of Indian Independence.
New Delhi, Aug 27: Globalisation integrated economies and with economic integration came economic warfare. But along with that, securing economic ties has become equally important.

Amid a rapidly changing geopolitical order, the definition of national security is undergoing alterations. It is no longer about securing borders and geopolitical relationships.

In fact, the most critical lesson that pandemic has taught us is that economic overdependence on any one country can be detrimental to any domestic economy. We witnessed an almost complete standstill in many manufacturing units, especially in Europe, when Wuhan shut down.

Now, economic overdependence becomes even more of a problem in the context of India and China. Why? It is because geopolitically, China and India continue to have a turbid relationship.

Unlike India and Pakistan, where wars and border skirmishes have ensured minimal economic integration, the picture is different in case of India and China. Despite war and border conflict, the economies of India and China are fairly well integrated, even though one could say it is one sided. It was assumed that economic integration between the two countries will help eventually resolve all border disputes, or at the very least, prevent any serious escalations. However, that has not been the case. Economic tension between India and China erupted because of the border skirmishes last year.

For the first time in a long time, India decided to react not just geopolitically, but also economically to mark her dissatisfaction.

Chinese apps were banned, foreign direct investment rules amended to make investments coming in from China more difficult. Strong signals were sent out to Beijing that Chinese investments will not be welcome in India until security concerns are attended to and dealt with. Given the unprecedented severity of India's economic retaliation to Chinese investments, it is necessary to understand to what extent India will be willing to carry these through and how would this impact India and the future of Chinese investments in the country.

After all, India and China are not economies that function in silos and any economic retaliation from either country will have an impact of the other. In this context, the question that we ask is, what is the future of Chinese investments in India? Trade between India and China

Between 1992 and 2019, China's imports from India grew at a compounded annualised growth rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent, while India's imports from China grew at 25 per cent. The most significant period of divergence between China and India took place between 2009 and 2015. During this time, India's exports to China actually saw a decline, while India's imports from China grew at a CAGR of 11 per cent. While for India, China remains the largest import partner and the third largest export partner, for China, India contributes to merely 1 per cent of China's total imports.

For China, India is an important export market by virtue of potential and market size.

Even so, India receives only 2.6 per cent of China's total exports. The USA and European Union (EU), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are still the largest markets for Chinese exports. For India, China is the largest import partner. It is therefore essential to understand what kind of products India actually imports from China.

The largest share of imports from China is electronics and machinery, followed by chemicals, metals, plastics or rubber, and textiles. These have been consistently the top five product imports by India. The pressure of India to react not just politically and militarily to the recent problems at the border, but also to react economically.

Domestic demands have reduced, if not completely stop, Chinese investments in Indian companies and re-assessing existing investments, to alter the terms of trade including a ban on imports from China, and to re-evaluate various bilateral treaties India has with many countries to review any indirect imports from China. The hope is that these initiatives will drive up manufacturing in India, a core priority of the incumbent government's Make in India initiative.

The government's own e-marketplace, GEM, has already made it mandatory for their vendors to state the origins of the product, ostensibly to track the kind and volumes of imports from China in terms of both final products and components. This has been extended to e-commerce platforms in India as well.

There is much debate on how India must react economically vis-a-vis China. India's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are already worried about how any ban on imports will affect the production lines and drive up costs. There is also concern over whether India can build scale in production for certain commodities that have not quite been part of India's production basket.

It is under such circumstances that India is evaluating Chinese investments in India.

How has China engaged economically with India China has been engaging with India broadly in three ways. First, through FDI investments, through which economic assets are created in the country that contribute to the exchequer, provides jobs, and also meets local demand. Second, by way of investments into technology and startup companies. This particular form of investment has come under more flack than the first. The third has been through Chinese exports to India. This too has come under significant flack for various reasons.

Anecdotally, both civil society and policymakers agree that China is an important economic partner to India. There is also cognisance of the fact that geopolitical tensions and border tensions can have a detrimental impact on both economies especially related to trade. Furthermore, the Indian policymaker is somewhat also bound by the national sentiment.

In the last one year, the Indian policymaker has made many kneejerk policies more as a means of posturing than to cause any long term harm.

Sample this. The change in Press Note No. 3 was motivated more by the impact of the pandemic and India was not the only country to bring about changes in regulations that subjected some FDI to greater scrutiny. Other countries that adopted similar measures were Australia, Germany, France, and Italy. For the most part, these changes were believed to be temporary and were viewed as a means to fortify the domestic economy and businesses. Hence, when this was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for an "Atmanirbhar Bharat" or a self-reliant India by reducing India's imports from China and instead focus on India's own manufacturing capabilities, as he announced a Rs 20,000 crore or approximately $256 billion economic package to accelerate the slow paced economy, was no surprise.

All these measures were oriented towards boosting a pandemic-affected economy.

However, things took a completely different turn after the military clashes between the Indian army and the Chinese PLA in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

Slogans for boycotting Chinese products and adopting domestically produced goods gained traction, causing serious dip in the sale of goods produced by Chinese companies. For India, it was no longer about self-reliance alone, it had now transformed into a strong track two diplomatic response.

India took this opportunity and banned 59 Chinese apps, some of which were under scrutiny for long due to concerns on data security and privacy of their user base. Some of these apps were immensely popular in the country and earned a lion's share of their revenue just from India.

This move was widely debated in India. While most were in favour of the app ban, the economic impact of the ban on India did not go unnoticed.

Startups that were relying on Chinese investments were suddenly left in the lurch since many of their prospective investors were now banned in India. Interestingly, there has been little discussion around the impact of closure of some these banned app's offices in India and the resultant unemployment, though there have been no estimated number per se.

Whether the Indian government even considered this outcome of the app ban is questionable.

The app ban was followed by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, making amendments to its public procurement policy under the General Financial Rule 2017. The amendments ensured that no country that shares a land border with India would be eligible to bid for public projects, unless the company was registered with the "Competent Authority" which would be DPITT, and only with approvals from both Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affair.

In September 2020, the Government tightened its rules for Free Trade Agreements (FTA), specifically taking measures against dumping of substandard and cheap goods. It is not uncommon for countries to route white label goods through countries with whom India has favourable FTA to avoid paying higher duty.

As of January 2019, India had levied 99 anti-dumping duties against Chinese products. Of these the majority were on chemicals. Of all countries, China probably has the highest number of anti-dumping duties levied against them and also the most number of anti-dumping investigations.

As of 2020, there are 90 products from China that have anti-dumping measures and there are 24 ongoing investigations against China.

The first and constant priority for India has been to reduce her import dependence on China. This is for three reasons. First, India has to reduce her imports to manage the current account deficit (CAD). Two, while some of the import from China may be high technology goods, there are also a significant number of products imported for which India currently has or can build quite easily domestic manufacturing capabilities.

One report suggests that India can reduce the trade deficit with China by almost $8 billion in just one financial year.

The third reason is one of sound geopolitical and economic reasons. An over dependence of one economy on another economy is not healthy, unless the bilateral relationship is more of less equitable or there is co-dependency. In the case of India and China, the dependence is one sided.

Lack of cohesive policy What is most disturbing is that India does not seem to have any medium or long term strategy with regard to how to approach investments from China. There seems to be no cohesive approach adopted by policymakers. Multiple ministries and policymakers have issued directives and regulations, ostensibly in the interest of promoting domestic business and manufacturing and also as a way of reacting economically (by disengaging) to a geopolitical problem.

It has been a year since the border skirmishes and there has been some de-escalation that has happened between the two countries. However, it is still largely unclear on what will be the next steps with regard to Chinese investments in India.

Ideally the government must create a short term, medium term, and long term strategy with regard to Chinese investments in India.

This is particularly important since any decision with regard to this will involve several central ministries and also state governments. Furthermore, multiple angles, such as, the economic impact on the Indian economy, WTO compliance, India's domestic wherewithal, geopolitics, and national security, must all be carefully considered.

Currently there appears to be little clarity to the issue at hand.

As a result, multiple ministries have their own agenda and perspective at play, and not surprisingly, many of these are at cross purposes. There are however few common perceptions. The first is that India is over dependent on China. Second, the terms of trade are not in favour of India and the trade deficit must be reduced. Third, any step taken to stymy Chinese investments in India will have an adverse impact on the Indian economy.

The debate currently surrounds whether the Indian economy has the wherewithal to deal with the adverse impact and emerge more self-reliant or whether this will worsen India's economic condition and it is the answer to this debate that will lead India to create a more comprehensive economic and security strategy with respect to China.

(Nirupama Soundararajan is Chief Executive Officer, Pahle India Foundation. The views are personal) (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Islamic State-Khorasan might have taken the responsibility for the suicide attacks in Kabul on Thursday that left at least 90 dead, but the Taliban faction partially in control of security in Kabul over the past several days, the Haqqani network, must also be scrutinised, writes Sajjan M. Gohel in the journal Foreign Policy.

In addition to being a guest teacher at the London School of Economics, Gohel is the International Security Director for the London-based Asia-Pacific Foundation.

Ultimately, the attack strategically benefits the Haqqani network as it will likely speed up foreign departures and prevent the prospect of further evacuations, he wrote.

"The murky nature of Islamic State-Khorasan's relationship with the Haqqani network as well as Pakistani terrorist groups presents a complex arrangement of tacit cooperation between several terrorist organisations," he said.

"So do its intricate ties to the Pakistani military and intelligence community. That has dire implications for Afghan and global security, especially as Pakistan is so keen for the international community to recognize and legitimise the Taliban," the article said.

Gohel said it's often said that there's a clear split between Islamic State-Khorasan and the Taliban, but the harsh reality of terrorism and politics in Afghanistan is the situation is never black and white.

Sworn enemies can fight each other one day and collaborate for mutual gain the next day. These groups are intertwined and interconnected. Their tribal and marriage ties ensure ideological separations do not cause permanent fault lines.

The Haqqani network also established close ties with Pakistan's powerful yet notorious Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which provided it weapons, training and financial support.

The ISI also provided shelter to much of the Taliban leadership that has now returned to Afghanistan, including the Quetta Shura faction. The primary reason the Haqqanis were able to endure for the last 20 years was because they benefited from safe havens within Pakistan that gave their fighters the ability to launch cross-border attacks and fall back when required, Gohel added.

Gohel said there has, in fact, been a tactical and strategic convergence between the Islamic State-Khorasan and the Haqqanis, if not the entirety of the Taliban.

The Haqqani network is a family-clan enterprise and consists of siblings, cousins and other members through marriages.

Gohel said whichever faction was in charge of evacuation security should be asked why the perimeter was not properly controlled and why Taliban checkpoints that had stopped many Afghans from reaching the airport nevertheless failed to stop the attackers.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Congress General Secretary in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat on Friday met interim President Sonia Gandhi and apprised her of the situation in the state.

"Punjab situation is under control... I have apprised her about the situation in the state," he told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting comes in wake of some "rebel" MLAs seeking time from Sonia Gandhi to press for removal of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, even as state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is not letting up on attacks against the Chief Minister.

Rawat has been facing tough task to balance both sides in Punjab as Sidhu and Amarinder Singh are at loggerheads.

Recently, rebel legislators reached Dehradun to apprise Rawat about the "mood of the public" against the Amarinder Singh-led government in the state. Around 20-odd party legislators have been demanding replacement of Amarinder Singh, claiming he failed to fulfil the 2017 poll promises.
Nagpur, Aug 27 : A Biman Bangladesh flight, from Muscat to Dhaka, made an emergency landing at Nagpur airport after its pilot suffered a heart attack mid-air, officials said on Friday.

The Boeing 737 aircraft, with 126 passengers on board, was cleared for landing shortly before 11.45 a.m. and the pilot rushed to a local hospital.

The medical emergency happened when the aircraft was overflying Chhattisgarh and it contacted the Kolkata air traffic control (ATC) for priority landing.

It was advised to contact, and divert to, the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport for the emergency landing which went off uneventfully and all passengers on board are reported safe, said the officials.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Faridabad Municipal Corporation told the Supreme Court that it has taken possession of around 150 acres of forest land after demolishing unauthorised construction around Khori Gaon, including ten farmhouses.

In a compliance report filed in the top court, the civic body said an additional four weeks should be granted to remove all encroachments on the forest land.

"The Municipal Corporation, Faridabad carried out its planned demolition drive against unauthorised structures standing on the subject municipal corporation land at Khori area in revenue estate of village Lakkarpur... the corporation took possession of approximately 150 acres of land after demolition," said the report.

The civic body said notices have been served to violators in other villages also, apart from Khori village. It also informed the top court that it has temporarily arranged for food, shelter, medicines, toilets etc, at Radha Soami Satsang Bhawan adjacent to the 150 acres land where encroachments were cleared. "The corporation is arranging cooked food which is served on regular basis from July 16 onwards at Radha Soami Satsang Beas," added the compliance report.

During the hearing on Friday, the civic body informed the Supreme Court that rehabilitation policy for those who were residing in Khori village has been finalised.

However, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing some of the residents of the village, submitted before a bench comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari that statements made by the state earlier regarding rehabilitation were "completely false".

"We have found a shocking state of affairs... We have put it on record here," contended Gonsalves. At this, counsel for the civic body informed the bench that he will place the rehabilitation plan copy on record.

The bench asked the state as well as the corporation to file their responses on Gonsalves' application and said it would hear the matter on September 6.

The top court, on June 7, had directed Haryana and the Faridabad Municipal Corporation to remove "all encroachments", consisting around 10,000 residential constructions, in Aravali forest area near the village.
Mumbai, Aug 27 : The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has cautioned investors against dealing in unregulated investment schemes.

The exchange noted that some unregistered entities and unregulated internet-based platforms are targeting gullible investors with false promises of exorbitant returns on their investment schemes and products.

"Investors are advised to deal only with SEBI registered stockbrokers and check the registration details of the said entity they are dealing with, since it allows recourse to regulatory action," it said in a statement.

It has suggested investors not to transfer funds or securities to the stockbroker under any arrangement or agreement of assured returns.

Investors are alerted not to fall prey to fraudsters sending emails and SMSs luring to trade in stocks promising huge profits or trading in unregistered products, it said.

The bourse has also advised investors to refrain from any investments arising out of a contract in securities which are not permitted, or which are not made subject to bye laws, rules and regulations of the exchange.

"Investors are also cautioned not to transfer funds, for the purposes of trading to anyone, including an authorised person or an associate of the broker, other than a SEBI registered stock broker," the NSE said.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra, said on Friday that the governmnet is fully committed to the welfare of the freedom fighters of the country.

Speaking at a meeting of the committee of eminent freedom fighters, the minister said that freedom fighters participated in the freedom struggle with full dedication and the nation can never forget their invaluable contributions.

Mishra also said that as per the directives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the government is taking all possible steps to provide the best of facilities to the freedom fighters.

Veteran freedom fighters from across the country who attended the meeting were also honoured by the minister.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has a separate division for freedom fighters, known as the 'Freedom Fighters & Rehabilitation Division'. It has two wings -- Freedom Fighters Wing and Rehabilitation Wing.

The Freedom Fighters Wing is responsible for matters relating to the grant of Central Samman Pension and other welfare measures to the freedom fighters.

The Rehabilitation Wing deals with residual matters relating to relief and rehabilitation of displaced persons from East and West Pakistan; rehabilitation assistance to Sri-Lankan refugees, repatriates from Sri-Lanka; and the Tibetan refugees staying in India, including grant of protected area permits for visits to the Tibetan settlements etc.
New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/ IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 27 : Amid the political crisis on the issue of rotational chief ministership in Chhattisgarh, CM Bhupesh Baghel has shown his strength in Delhi with his supporter MLAs coming to the national capital where they met senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and PL Punia.

The Baghel camp claims the support of 56 MLAs from the Congress' 70 members in the 90-member assembly. Former Sarguja scion TS Singh Deo is also camping in Delhi.

The Congress high command has summoned Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to Delhi on Friday to take a final call on whether the powerful OBC leader should be allowed to continue as the CM or be replaced by TS Singh Deo.

Baghel met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for more than three hours as political temperatures within the Congress in Chhattisgarh soared as 56 party MLAs backed Baghel and were ready to parade before the party high command in New Delhi.

The Congress has 70 MLAs in the 90-member House in the mineral-rich state, but still everything is not well within the grand old party as Singh Deo is pushing hard in his bid to replace Baghel, saying he was promised in late 2018 that he would succeed Baghel after the latter completes two-and-a-half-years of his term.

Analysts in Chhattisgarh have been surprised at the way the Congress high command is attempting to handle the matter as Singh Deo lacks acceptability among the party cadres and appeal among the masses.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : Twitter is the 'porn hub' of social media, DisinfoLab said in a new report.

Shockingly, despite Indian laws and Twitter's own policies, even child porn and rape videos are freely available. Worse, Twitter's lax policy has allowed a massive psy-war targeting communal harmony, the report said.

Twitter has a full-fledged porn industry -- from live web cam to other 'off-line services'. Numerous NSFW content selling websites openly advertise themselves on Twitter, including those who show their registration in India, it added.

These activities are not run in hiding but in broad day light, advertising with hashtags! Live porn is openly sold on Twitter using the #IndianCamGirl hashtag involving a nexus of 'service providers', it said.

The fact that the hashtag started in 2017, involves several Influencers, and is used regularly is a testament to Twitter's unwillingness to address these concerns.

In the garb of such 'services', personal data of the users are being mined, to be used for criminal activities from 'sextortion' to rape, to sexual exploitation of minors, leading to grave consequences, including suicides.

Anti-social/anti-India elements are taking advantage of this 'free porn' environment of Twitter, weaponising the content. An elaborate psy-war is being waged to damage India's communal harmony, particularly between Hindus and Muslims, the report said.

"Hundreds of fake handles are running coordinated campaigns, dehumanising the women of both religions. These handles pretend to be Hindus (#hstuds) when demeaning Muslim girls (#mslut); and Muslim (#mstud), while demeaning Hindu girls (#hslut)," it added.

The behavioural pattern of these handles - creation date, activity, location and hashtag - clearly establishes an organised campaign designed to harm social harmony. Surprisingly, despite obvious Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB), Twitter doesn't seem to take any actions, the report said.

Twitter, the US based for-profit company, seems obliged to follow only US laws, while showing complete dis-regard to India's IT Rules, which prohibits adult content on social media. Twitter doesn't even make any attempt to implement the laws, doable with basic location filter, the report said.

Contrast it with other social media platforms which do far better content management, and continue to strive to keep social media space clean. Shockingly, Twitter seems blind to even most obscene contents, including child porn despite a 'child sexual exploitation policy'.

Twitter claims to have a 'zero tolerance' policy towards child pornography - and yet seems to make zero efforts to counter this menace. It's important to remember that this content is available to even under age users, as Twitter doesn't filter 'sensitive content' to even young users, the report said.

Equally shocking is freely available 'rape videos' on Twitter, which is prohibited even under Twitter's policy of 'gory content'. Even those video posts, which have words that could trigger filter mechanism are freely available, including the gang-rape video of a young girl, the report said.

Twitter has also failed to filter obscene content for young users. Even a minor user on Twitter can access most obscene content if they wish to. Worth noting that Twitter could easily filter particular kind of content on age and location restriction, if it wished to, DisinfoLab said.

"To access Twitter Hub, one need not even own a Twitter account. An open Google search could land anyone, even a minor, to most gory and vulgar contents available on Twitter with just a click on 'view sensitive content'. Seems #Google also needs to take measures to control it," the report added.
New Delhi, Aug 27: The Imran Khan government, which is already under pressure for being unable to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, has reasons to be seriously worried after the ISIS-K driven twin bomb blast in Kabul left at least 100 dead and many injured.

Islamabad has been in the grip of an intense of "triumphalism" as the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops but "deep down" there are concerns as it could once again be in the spotlight for its direct links with terror outfits.

Pakistan based think tank Tabadlab estimated a cumulative real GDP loss of approximately $38 billion that Pakistan has incurred between 2008 and 2019 on account of FATF grey-listing.

Given that Islamabad has been making all attempts to come out of this list, it would hope that the Taliban 2.0 are different from the earlier avatar and that they put up a more liberal and inclusive face.

Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan, speaking at the webinar organised by India Writes Network, noted that while there is a sense of triumphalism in Pakistan at the defeat and "humiliation" of the US in Afghanistan, Islamabad too never expected the "unilateralist" Taliban to grab power so rapidly.

"I don't think they expected quite such a walkover..and certainly, they are worried about the implications now of a Taliban, which is unilateralist, which is backward looking, which draws Western and the US negative sentiments, and makes Pakistan again, the eye of Western and American censure," Raghavan said.

The China angle Concerns for Beijing have also risen especially after the recent suicide attack at Gwadar in Balochistan province - close to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction site. The attack was targeted at Chinese nationals. In another major setback, last month, a blast on a bus in Pakistan's Khyber-Paktunkhwa in July left nine Chinese nationals dead.

Also read: Pakistan admits China is furious with Islamabad on CPEC security "Undercurrents between the two allies (Pakistan and China) have emerged after the attacks ...for China CPEC is a jewel in the crown and the latter will be closely monitoring security related issues...the recent attacks have suddenly changed the contours," an analyst told India Narrative.

Taliban-- a problem for Pakistan too The Taliban comprise several factions, few of which are anti-Pakistan.

According to Brookings, the beneficiary of the collapse of the Afghan government is likely to be the Pakistan Taliban who have been at war with the Pakistani army for years. The Afghan Taliban that have a "murky relationship with their Pakistani fellow believers" are anti-Shiite. "That will increase sectarian tension in Pakistan which has a much larger Shiite population than Afghanistan," the report said.

"From whatever one knows about the history of the 1990s, controlling groups, controlling militias, such as the Mujahideen earlier, or the Taliban now, is not an easy process. So, I don't think we should ever magnify the Pakistani establishment or the Pakistani military or the ISI to be supermen, that they can exercise the extent of control, which in fact, the Taliban itself does not have, over itself," Raghavan said.

In a move that stumped Pakistan, the Taliban freed all 4000 fighters affiliated to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). An earlier report by India Narrative said that the "TTP's leaders are seen threatening Pakistan and promising to establish Khulafat system and Sharia in Pakistan." The TTP has been responsible for the majority deaths of civilians and security forces since 2007. In December 2014, it carried out a ghastly attack at Peshawar Army Public School leaving more than 130 children and staff members dead.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Mumbai, Aug 27 : The Reserve Bank of India's Deputy Governors M.K. Jain and M. Rajeshwar Rao held discussions with the MD and CEOs of all 11 Small Finance Banks (SFBs) on Friday.

The discussion was also attended by the RBI's Executive Directors S.C. Murmu, Saurav Sinha, and Rohit Jain, CGMs, Department of Supervision, Ajay Kumar Choudhary and Monisha Chakraborty, said an RBI statement.

Deputy Governors recognised the contribution of the SFBs towards financial inclusion by extending credit and reaching out to the underserved sections of society.

The discussion was carried out across a range of themes such as evolution of the business models of SFBs, enhancing Board oversight and professionalism, further improvements in assurance functions -- compliance, internal control and risk management.

They also talked on the need to build up these banks' IT infrastructure both for enhanced customer experience and for cyber security resilience, among others. Further, the stress build-up due to Covid-19 and the mitigation measures for continued resilience of books of SFBs also formed part of the discussion.

Fruitful discussion was held in which the MD and CEOs shared their experiences and ideas on the need to work together so that stated objective is achieved for which differentiated licences were issued.

Challenges and the way forward were also deliberated upon so that SFBs continue to be important players in the Indian financial intermediation space and contribute in the financial inclusion journey of the nation.
New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Wasim Sarvar/ IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel address to media after meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday, August 27, 2021 (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 27 : The much-hyped meeting between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel lasted three hours on Friday but saw no decision being taken on a leadership change, party sources said.

After the meeting, Baghel said that he has invited Gandhi to visit the state.

"I have apprised him of everything and discussed political as well as administrative issues... have requested Rahul Gandhi to visit Chhattisgarh," he said.

The Congress high command had summoned Baghel to Delhi on Friday to take a final call whether the powerful OBC leader should be allowed to continue as the Chief Minister or be replaced by T.S. Singh Deo, scion of the Surguja royal family.

Political temperature within the Congress in Chhattisgarh has all of a sudden soared as 56 party MLAs are openly backing Baghel and they are ready to parade before the party high command in New Delhi. A majority of them have already landed in the national capital.

Congress has 70 MLAs in the 90-member House in the mineral-rich state, but still everything is not well within the party as Singh Deo is pushing hard in his bid to replace Baghel, saying he was promised in late 2018 that he would succeed Baghel after the latter completes two and half years.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Gujarat government to table the report of inquiry commission, headed by Justice (retd) D.A. Mehta, in connection with the fire incidents at hospitals in Rajkot and Ahmedabad last year, on the first day of next Assembly session.

As Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted it will be appropriate that commission's report is first tabled in the House or it will set a wrong precedent, a bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah told Mehta to communicate its view on the tabling of the report to the Gujarat government.

The bench noted that the victims' counsel seek the report of the commission, therefore it will be appropriate if it is tabled in the House first.

Mehta submitted he will request the government table the report as soon as possible, as the next Assembly session is scheduled in September. He sought three weeks' time.

The direction from the top court came during the hearing of a suo motu matter on the proper treatment of Covid-19 patients and dignified handling of dead bodies in the hospitals. The top court had taken cognisance of the matter following the fire incidents in the hospitals last year.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing some victims' families, sought compensation for the victims. He added in order to file their response, the report of the commission should also be shared with them.

The Supreme Court on July 19 had observed that hospitals have become large industries thriving on human distress, and it is better they are closed. It added that the state governments can provide better hospitals, instead of permitting private hospitals operate from small residential buildings.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court by residents of Khori village in Haryana's Faridabad, highlighting the deplorable conditions at temporary shelter facility set up for those whose houses have been demolished, and families have been "reduced to a bare animal existence and there no partition for privacy for women and lactating mothers".

Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, representing the residents of Khori village, told IANS that a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar issued notice on the application.

The application sought direction for appointment of a monitoring committee to look into the manner in which temporary shelter and other facilities are being provided to the residents of Khori Gaon and present its conclusions before the top court.

The application said the facilities at the temporary shelter provided at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas are woefully inadequate.

"It is submitted that the temporary shelter facility is a shed which is completely exposed to the elements, with a mud floor, and no partition for privacy for women and lactating mothers... they continue to live in extreme poverty and without a roof over their heads, while they and their families have been reduced to a bare animal existence," said the application.

The application said the shelter facility has no space for families to carry and store their belongings, which were left in the open after their homes were demolished. Parikh said that most displaced persons for Khori Gaon have requested that if a temporary shelter facility is given to them, it should have the bare minimum requirements, that is, it should protect them from the elements such as the rain, sun and heat, and that it should have some provision to protect the privacy of women who simply cannot spread a mat on the floor and sleep in view of the public.

The petitioners sought the committee to be headed by a retired judge of the top court or a high court, and have at least one expert on the issue of rehabilitation and displacement, one expert on the issue of health and nutrition, and at least one woman member.

On Friday, a bench comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari asked the state as well as the Faridabad Municipal Corporation to file their responses on the application, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on September 9.

The top court, on August 3, had said all unauthorised structures standing on Aravali forest land in Khori village will have to be demolished and its order in the matter is "very clear".
Nagpur, Aug 27 : A potential disaster was averted as a Biman Bangladesh flight, from Muscat to Dhaka, made a safe emergency landing at the Nagpur airport after the pilot reportedly suffered a heart attack mid-air, officials said here on Friday.

The Boeing 737 aircraft, with 126 passengers on board, was cleared for landing shortly before 11.45 a.m. and the pilot rushed to a local hospital.

An alternative Biman Bangladesh aircraft with 8 crew members from Dhaka is expected to reach Nagpur later to take back the passengers stranded here, the officials said.

The medical emergency happened when flight BG-22 was overflying the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and it contacted the Kolkata air traffic control (ATC) for priority landing.

The flight was advised to contact, and divert to, the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport for the emergency landing which went off uneventfully.

All the passengers on board were reported safe, said the officials.
New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 27 : Mumbai, the financial capital of the country - a high-risk city facing the recurring onslaught of extreme weather events, including cyclone - has become the first big city in India and South Asia to launch its Climate Action Plan.

Aimed at better future planning and growth, keeping in tune with climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is developing the Climate Action Plan to be completed after public consultation in two months' time.

Maharashtra Minister of Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Aaditya Thackeray, on Friday launched the Climate Action Plan and also the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) website to seek suggestions and inputs from experts and citizens from the megacity. The event took place in Mumbai and several people from across the state and outside attended it virtually.

The MCAP will focus on six action tracks to introduce sector-specific strategies for mitigation and adaptation that can lead to implementable climate projects that contribute to the city's resilience.

The six thematic action areas are sustainable waste management, urban greening and biodiversity, urban flooding and water resource management, building energy efficiency, air quality, and sustainable mobility.

For Mumbai to adapt to changing climatic scenarios, a vulnerability assessment using satellite imagery has been completed to identify the critical risk factors.

There is a national level Climate Action Plan, and there are respective states' climate action plans, but Mumbai is the first big city to plan for mitigative and adaptive measures in view of the climatic changes happening rapidly.

A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted sea-level rise threat for coastal areas and increased, erratic precipitation for areas such as Mumbai, leaving the Maharashtra capital vulnerable.

Mumbai took the lead to draft its Climate Action Plan by the end of 2021 in compliance with the guidelines and ambitious standards of 'C40' that it joined in December 2020. MCGM is receiving technical support from the World Resources Institute India (WRI), engaged as a knowledge partner.

Citizens will be able to submit their recommendations until September 20, and the process of finalising the action tracks under MCAP is expected to be ready by November, closer to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). The actionable tracks would set goals for 2030, 2040 and 2050.

"We are talking of 2030 and 2050, but given the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme climate events that Mumbai has witnessed, especially during the last 4-5 years, do we really have that much time? The time for action is now as any further delay would make Mumbai unsuitable to live in over the next decade," Thackeray said at the launch event in Mumbai.
Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Friday that the government would ensure 5 lakh Covid-19 vaccinations in the state from September 1.

"Union Health Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya has assured us of providing 5 lakh doses of Covid vaccines every day. We should be able to do it to achieve 100 per cent vaccination in the state at the earliest," he said.

He said that he had met Mandaviya during his New Delhi visit, told him about their goal of administering 5 lakh vaccinations everyday from September 1, and he assured all help.

"We are making necessary arrangements to reach the target of 5 lakh vaccinations every day. 5 lakh vaccination target was achieved two days ago in the state," Bommai added.

He also said that Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goel has agreed to the establishment of a mega textile park in Karnataka. "He has asked me to come with a proposal. It will create employment on a large scale, especially for women," he said.
New Delhi: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar with Anurag Singh Thakur will brief the press on cabinet decisions at National Media Center New Delhi on Wednesday, August 18, 2021. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar with Anurag Singh Thakur will brief the press on cabinet decisions at National Media Center New Delhi on Wednesday, August 18, 2021. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 27 : BRICS countries are well-positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate hunger and poverty, India's Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday.

"By increasing agricultural production and increasing the income of farmers, the problem of income inequality and food price volatility can be overcome," Tomar said as he chaired the 11th Meeting of BRICS Agriculture Ministers held virtually.

The Ministers of Agriculture from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) deliberated on the theme 'BRICS Partnership for Strengthening Agro Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Security' and also adopted a joint declaration covering a wide range of focus areas for future cooperation amongst BRICS countries and the Action Plan for 2021-24 for agricultural cooperation of BRICS countries and BRICS Agriculture Research Platform, an Agriculture Ministry release said.

BRICS brings together the major emerging economies of the world, hosting 41 per cent of the world's population, contributing 24 per cent of the world GDP and over 16 per cent share in world trade.

Tomar also highlighted the efforts made by India in preserving agro-biodiversity by establishing and maintaining the National Gene banks for plants, animals, fish, insects and agriculturally important microorganisms at different Bureaus. "India is focusing on capacity building in research, teaching, policy-making, trade and farming of nutritious cereals, which will benefit the farmers while conserving the amazing diversity available in this group of crops," he said.

He noted that the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform (BARP) has been created to promote cooperation in agricultural research and innovations and its implementation started on Friday. The BARP will promote cooperation in the areas of agricultural research, extension, technology transfer, training, and capacity building.

The documents for the Joint declaration of BRICS Agriculture Ministers were discussed in depth in the meetings of BRICS Agricultural Experts and BRICS Working Group on Agriculture at the senior officers' level, the release said.

The Action Plan of 2021-24 for Agricultural Cooperation of BRICS Countries, provides for enhanced cooperation in the field of agriculture amongst them and focuses on the themes of food security, welfare of farmers, conservation of agro-biodiversity, resilience of food and agricultural production systems, promotion of digital agricultural solutions etc, which are integral to the sustainable development of agriculture, the release added.

Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Kailash Choudhary and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Secretary Sanjay Agarwal were among those who attended the virtual meeting.
Patna, Aug 27 : The Bihar government on Friday clarified that the upcoming new Patna airport will be constructed in Bihta and there is no plan to shift it to Chapra in Saran district.

Water Resources Development Minister Sanjay Jha said that the state government has handed over the required 4,905 acre land to Airport Authority of India (AAI). "Now, it is up to the AAI to start construction in Bihta," he said.

"The AAI demanded the said land for the construction of runway, parallel taxiway, Doppler high frequency omni range, isolation bay and glide path. We have allocated the land to the AAI," he said.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had written to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the expansion and construction of airports in the state. Soon after this letter, a report was published about Bihta airport being shifted to Chapra.

Besides Bihta, the Bihar government has also earmarked 50 acres for Purnea airport, 121 acres for the expansion of Raxaul airport and 75 acres for Muzaffarpur airport. It is also providing 78 acres for the expansion of Darbhanga airport, where the AAI will construct a new civil enclave terminal building, cargo, multi level parking and fire station.
New Delhi, Aug 27: US President Joe Biden will have to do a lot of answering with the twin blasts at Kabul that killed 13 American Army personnel. Even before the blasts, Biden had come under severe criticism for a thoroughly unplanned and ill executed evacuation job of US citizens from Afghanistan. But the attacks have now made Biden's task even more challenging.

According to Al Jazeera more than 70 Afghans, including 28 Taliban members, were among those killed in the bombings.

"With the Kabul blasts, he (Biden) will have a tough job at hand (in stabilising the situation), especially as expectations from his people were high (after he defeated former President Donald Trump). The Afghanistan debacle shows that neither has he managed to keep his home front happy nor the global community," an analyst told India Narrative.

New Delhi, which had been cementing its relations with the US, may also "gently and gradually recharter" its Washington policy in the wake of the recent incidents.

The US President in a press briefing after the ghastly attacks promised to "hunt" down the terrorists."I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command," he told reporters at the White House after the bombings.

"At this point, Americans may not be willing to even trust his words," the analyst, however, said.

Biden, who decided to pull out of Afghanistan, had full support of the Americans but the "botched execution of that decision" has been "indefensible." "It's now time for Biden to be honest. He owes that to our troops, to our allies, and to the American people," Steven Roberts, who teaches politics and journalism at George Washington University wrote in an article published byBrookings.

Meanwhile, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said that across the world there are worries about the reliability and credibility of the US as a guarantor of security.

"It would be foolhardy to take American credibility on external commitments as a given. While there are fewer doubts about US commitments to Europe and the NATO, the looser arrangements in the Indo-Pacific leave open many questions," the ORF paper stated.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Karnataka BJP lawmaker Poornima Srinivas on Friday backed Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, whose comments on the gang rape victim had stirred controversy, saying that he was "concerned about the safety of women".

Srinivas, a first-time MLA, urged the media not to take his statements negatively. "I request you to take those statements positively. The minister wanted women and girls to be careful," she said.

"Generally, people observe and come to help if women are troubled. But, during nights, women will not get help. Womanisers will also wait for this opportunity and they think no one will rescue the victims. Even after puja in the temple, if you get late, you are exposed to danger," she said.

"The concept of safety should be understood by women and girls themselves. However, they are also free to go anywhere at any time, we can't stop them," she added.

Jnanendra has stated that the woman victim should not have gone to such a lonely place late in the evening.

Tourism Minister Anand Singh went to another extreme and stated Dubai model of punishments should be given in India for heinous crimes like gang rape. "However, ours is a democracy and it is not possible," he said.

Congress MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar also said that the rapists should be punished in such a way that the very thought of committing such a crime shouldn't occur to them. "They go to the extent of committing gang rape, video graph the crime and extort from the victims... they must be hanged," she said.

Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa expressed confidence that the culprits will be arrested by Saturday and they will be taught a lesson.
Srinagar, Aug 27 : The President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), G.A. Mir, was not allowed by the authorities to proceed to Kishtwar on Friday where some Congress activists were injured during protests a day before.

Mir told IANS over phone, "I was going to Kishtwar to meet some of our youth Congress activists who were injured in police lathi charge in the town yesterday. I had crossed the Sinthan Top, but was stopped by a large contingent of police at the Potato Farm.

"I told the policemen that I was going to Kishtwar with my son and wanted to express solidarity with the youth injured during yesterday's protests. But I was not allowed to move forward and remained stranded at Potato Farm for four hours. Now I am coming back to Srinagar." A statement issued by JKPCC leaders, including former legislators, has criticised the authorities for using force against peaceful Congress protesters and for not allowing the JKPCC president to visit Kishtwar.
Hyderabad, Aug 28 : Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A. Revanth Reddy may face action from the state government for his continued verbal attacks on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

An indication in this regard came on Friday when the working president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), K. T. Rama Rao, referred to Union minister Narayan Rane's recent arrest in Maharashtra for his 'slap' slur against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery.

"In Maharashtra, they arrested a central minister. If you want us to do the same, we will do it," Rama Rao said while talking to reporters here.

Rama Rao, a cabinet minister and the son of Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, warned that TRS will not keep quiet if anybody talks whatever he likes about KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known.

He said Rane was arrested in Maharashtra for his 'slap' remark, while in Telangana, some opposition leaders are using abusive words against the chief minister and even talking of 'killing' him.

"There is a limit to patience. We have told them this many times. Should we tolerate this kind of language being used against a leader who fought for and achieved Telangana state, held many positions in his long political career and who has been blessed as a two-time chief minister by the people," Rama Rao asked.

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, said that unable to tolerate the attacks anymore, TRS leaders are also responding. He referred to Isaac Newton's theory that for every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction.

He also defended Labour Minister Malla Reddy's counter attack on Revanth Reddy, saying the minister has more 'josh' and excitement.

He said that those who are into politics should speak in a civilised manner.

KTR also alleged that some individuals in the guise of journalists are saying whatever they like about the chief minister, adding that freedom of speech also has some limitations.

He also targeted Revanth Reddy by calling him a stooge and a 'benami' of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu.

"The main opposition party found nobody to lead and so it imported from TDP a man who was caught red-handed with wads of currency notes," KTR said, referring to Revanth Reddy's arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the 'cash for vote' scam in 2015.

The TRS leader also stated that KCR during the Telangana movement might have said something out of anger because of the situation then as the youth were committing suicide, but there is no reason to use unparliamentary words to attack him.

A bitter critic of KCR and his family, Revanth Reddy has been making bitter attacks on the chief minister ever since he took over as TPCC chief last month.

Addressing public meetings, the Congress leader has said that if the Congress is voted to power in the next elections, KCR would be sent to jail.

KTR recalled that an opposition leader had earlier called KCR 'battebaaz' (cheat). He was referring to the attack on the CM by former TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Following the blast incident at the Kabul airport on Thursday evening, the Indian authorities are now working on other ways to rescue the remaining Indians from Afghanistan, sources said here on Friday.

In view of the threats of more attacks near the Hamid Karjai International Airport in Kabul, it has become quite risky to take the Indian workers there, the sources said, adding that a batch of over 150 Indians were taken away by the Taliban from the airport to the nearby Alokozai compound where their documents were inspected.

The Indian authorities have been mulling over possible safe land passage from Afghanistan to the neighbouring countries like Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to take out Indian nationals, the sources added.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also asked the Indian missions in the neighboring countries to be on alert. They have been asked to coordinate with the local governments for Indian chartered planes.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We have evacuated over 550 people in six separate flights, either from Kabul or Dushanbe. Of these, over 260 were Indians. The government has also facilitated the evacuation of Indian nationals through other agencies. We were in touch with various countries, like the US and Tajikistan."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Eight years after the Supreme Court moratorium on dam construction in the Upper Ganga region, three Union Ministries and Uttarakhand have reached a "consensus" to allow construction for as many as seven hydropower projects, including one of them destroyed in the February 2021 flash floods.

The Ministries of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Jal Shakti, Power and the state have together reached a consensus on the seven projects to be implemented, according to an affidavit filed by the Joint Secretary, Environment, Forests and Climate Change Sujit Kumar Bajpayee ten days ago in connection with an ongoing case regarding dam projects in Uttarakhand post the 2013 disaster which had witnessed over 5,000 deaths, damage to property and infrastructure projects.

The seven projects are 1,000 MW Tehri stage II project, 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad project, 444 MW Vishnugad Pipalkote project, 99 MW Singholi Bhatwari project, 76 MW Phata Buyong project, 15 MW Madhmaheshwar project, and 4.5 MW Kaliganga II project. Of these, the Tapovan Vishnugad project was destroyed due to flash floods in Dhauli Ganga basin in Chamoli district in February.

Post the 2013 Kedarnath disaster, the Supreme Court had formed an experts committee - termed as the Expert Committee I in the government affidavit - that had documented how the government tweaked rules to accommodate hydropower projects in Uttarakhand and had warned against building more dams, especially in the para-glacial region.

After the government had accepted this report, the Supreme Court lifted the total ban across Uttarakhand and kept on hold two dozen-odd projects - the current seven are part of that list, all under construction, with five of them having environmental clearance and two, being small capacity, not needing it.

In May 2015, the Supreme Court formed yet another committee, mostly comprising government officials and scientists in various capacities, termed as the expert body II in the affidavit. This expert body II had cleared six projects, the government told the court, and said, it will consult other ministries too. Months of to-and-fro letters from one ministry to other, the Environment Ministry finally told the Supreme Court that there is a consensus on seven projects.

However, not all are happy with the decision.

Ravi Chopra, environmentalist and founder director of the People's Science Institute (PSI) at Dehradun, who had headed expert body I that produced a report on the 'Assessment of Environmental Degradation and Impact of Hydroelectric Projects during the June 2013 Disaster in Uttarakhand', said: "Ideally, there should be a complete moratorium on dam constructions in the Himalayas, particularly in Uttarakhand." "Many of these dams have been designed on the basis of very little rainfall data. Normally, we need 100 years of data for dam designs, but if not 100, at least have for 30-40 years. Here, for example, Singholi Bhatwari project, they barely have 17 years of data," Chopra said.

"Even if they had 30-40 or 100 years of data, it would be irrelevant today. We are seeing such a heavy level of destruction in Uttarakhand in this monsoon and perhaps akin to what occurred only in 2013 during the time of Kedarnath disasters. The world climate is changing very rapidly and this is becoming more and more evident every year. Therefore the old data are completely irrelevant for designing our dams." "Nature dismantled Tapovan Vishnugad once, how many times more you want to destroy it?" he asked, sounding frustrated.

Chopra also said he stands by the first expert body report and that the report of the second expert body should be ignored "because it was a highly motivated report".
New Delhi, Aug 28 : India, at the 7th meeting of the BRICS Environment Ministerial 2021 on Friday, stressed on the need for taking concrete, collective global actions against global environment and climate changes, guided by equity, national priorities and circumstances, and the principles of 'Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC)'.

The Environment Ministers adopted the New Delhi Statement on Environment, which is aimed at furthering the spirit of Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus in Environment among the BRICS Nations.

BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, termed as emerging economies and together fighting for climate justice at global negotiations.

Indian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired the meeting from Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, as the other Environment Ministers from BRICS countries joined virtually. The meeting was preceded by the BRICS Joint Working Group on Environment meeting on August 26, a release from the Environment Ministry added.

Yadav said that 2021 is a very crucial year not only for the BRICS but for the whole world as well, as there is UN Biodiversity COP 15 in October and annual climate change meet (UNFCCC COP26) in November. He emphasised that BRICS countries can play a very significant role in addressing the contemporary global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, marine plastic litter, etc.

Referring to the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report "Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science", he said: "The report has given enough, may be the last signal, for taking concrete, collective global actions against global environmental and climate challenges." He informed the BRICS Ministerial that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is today leading by example by taking several robust steps in the field of renewable energy, sustainable habitats, creation of carbon sinks through additional forest and tree cover, transition to sustainable transport, e-mobility, mobilising the private sector to make climate commitments, etc.

He also stressed the importance of resource efficiency and circular economy, conservation of wildlife and marine species or biodiversity, and concrete actions taken by India on climate change and biodiversity. "BRICS countries being hotspots for biodiversity can tell the world how we have been conserving such mega diversity since time immemorial, and can also play a very significant role in combating the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.

The key areas proposed in the BRICS Environment Ministers' Statement 2021 are guided by the issues, which may have primacy in COP 15 and COP 26, the release added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Jaipur, Aug 28 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, known for his simplicity, got his angioplasty done on Friday after registering himself with the new-launched state health services scheme as a common citizen.

Suffering from chest pain since Thursday night, Gehlot underwent coronary angiography, angioplasty, and stenting at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital here.

Giving information about the Chief Minister's health, SMS Medical College Principal Dr Sudhir Bhandari said Gehlot had mild discomfort in chest along with cervical spondylosis and radiculopathy.

"He was having atypical symptoms of heaviness on right side of chest, back and right arm. His ECGs were normal." With his atypical symptom, Bhandari advised him to do cardiac work out.

"As a disciplined patient, Gehlot agreed for all the investigations with a request that 'I would like to get everything done in SMS', because of his utmost faith in SMS doctors and infrastructure," said Bhandari.

He was registered as a common man, in newly-launched Rajathan Government Health Scheme Scheme and was subjected for CT Coronary Angiography and was found to have 90 per cent blockage in one of the main arteries.

"This finding was matching with his non-specific symptoms and he was advised cardiac intervention. Hon'ble CM immediately consented to go ahead and he was shifted to cardiac cath lab where he was subjected to coronary angiography, angioplasty and stenting.

"The procedure was uneventful and post procedure he is recovering well. He is asymptomatic and cheerful," Bhandari said, adding that Gehlot has been suffering from Post-Covid syndrome and this cardiac complication seems to be a part of post-Covid complication.

"Otherwise his cardiac status was absolutely healthy before the pandemic with CT coronary angiography normal." The CM expressed his gratitude for all the wishes which was receiving for speedy recovery.
Chennai, Aug 28 : Tamil Nadu water Resources Minister S. Duraimurugan on Friday said that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has no jurisdiction over the proposed Mekedatu dam, as the matter is sub judice.

Noting there were reports on the CWMA discussing the Mekedatu dam issue, he held that it does not have any jurisdiction to discuss it at all.

Responding to questions of members in the Assembly, the octogenarian DMK leader said: "We have filed a petition in the Supreme Court against construction of a dam at Mekedatu and we have also filed a contempt petition in the Central Water Commission against the detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed dam. When the matter is in the Supreme Court, it is sub judice to discuss the issue in the Cauvery Water Management Authority. It is the stand of Tamil Nadu that it cannot be discussed." He hoped that Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, who is the son of former Chief Minister S.R. Bommai who was close to late DMK patriarch Kalaignar Karunanidhi, would not deviate from justice. Also recalling that S.R. Bommai was a towering leader of Karnataka and had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Central government misusing Article 356 to dismiss elected state governments, Duraimurugan expressed hope that a person with such a rich legacy would always stand by justice.

The minister said that he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the latter had told him clearly that his ministry would accept the DPR only if Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry grants permission.

Duraimurugan agreed with AIADMK member K. Sengottayian that none could defeat Tamil Nadu if everyone stood together. He cited the example of all the parties in the state standing united against the imposition of Hindi while supporting the two language policy.

He said that it was only after the state had approached Supreme Court on the suggestion of Karunanidhi that the state could get 205 TMC of water from the Cauvery river.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : As part of its probe into the serious cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered 11 separate cases -- filed earlier by the local police in the state -- the agency said on Friday.

To probe the cases, the Centre has provided CRPF security cover to the CBI teams amid apprehension of locals and the state administration disrupting the investigation.

The agency said that so far it has registered eleven separate cases after being handed over the probe by the Calcutta High Court.

The first case was earlier registered at the Gangnapur poice station in Nadia district on May 3 against 12 accused persons and unknown others charged with attacking a victim with bamboo sticks and choppers.

The second case was earlier registered at the Kotulpur police station in Bankura district on July 4 against three accused on the allegations that they along with other unknown persons had abducted a victim on May 6, whose body was found near a pond two days later.

The third case was earlier registered at the Chapra police station in Nadia district on May 14 against eight persons accused of assaulting a man with chopper.

The fourth case was earlier filed at the Indus police station in Bankura district on June 10 against 30 accused and other unknown persons on the allegations that they had attacked few houses in the area with weapons and had also sexually harassed the female members. They also allegedly kidnapped a person and later hanged him from a tree.

The fifth case was earlier registered at the Nabagram police station in Murshidabad district on May 10 against three persons accused of gang-rape.

The sixth case was registered at the Narkeldanga police station in Kolkata on May 2 against 7-8 unknown persons accused of attacking a victim with sticks.

The seventh case was earlier registered at the Bhatpara police station in North 24 Parganas district on June 6 against four persons accused of visiting the house of a victim and abusing him and other family members. One of the accused allegedly hurled a bomb on the forehead of the victim, leading to his death.

The eighth case was earlier filed at the Tufanganj police station in Coochbehar district on May 5 against 16 persons accused of assaulting two persons of which one died.

The ninth case was earlier registered at the Kotwali police station in Nadia district on June 14 against 10 persons for allegedly breaking into the house of the complainant with weapons.

"They allegedly ransacked the house of the complainant and dragged out her husband, who was later shot dead," the CBI stated.

The 10th case was earlier filed at the Ketugram police station in East Burdwan district in connection with the brutal killing of a 22-year-old youth.

The 11th case was earlier registered at the Usthi police station in South 24 Parganas district against six persons accused of assaulting the complainant and his family members. The complainant's younger son lost his life after being shot from a close range.
Bengaluru, Aug 28 : Recalling 'encounter' deaths by Hyderabad police, of the four accused involved in the rape and murder of a young woman doctor in 2019, former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said the state government should take leaf out of Telangana Police's book while handling the horrific gang rape case of a young college student in Mysuru.

Speaking to reporters in Chennapatna, Kumaraswamy said taking harsh steps like 'shoot and kill' are necessary to curb such brutal crimes. Noting the reports that the accused were drinking alcohol at the crime spot, he said that the Karnataka government should bring in tough laws to stop alcohol consumption in deserted places.

The former chief minister is the latest among politicians to court controversy for their comments on the gang rape of a young girl in Mysuru on Tuesday. The last two days have seen leaders of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress crossing swords over the issue, and making controversial statements.

According to police, the incident had taken place on Tuesday night at about 7 p.m., when the girl was returning home with a friend. She had gone to an isolated Chamundi hills area with him. The gang of six youths in an inebriated state waylaid the victim and her friend near isolated Lalithadripura and committed the crime.

The accused attacked the boy who was with the girl with a small boulder and sexually assaulted the girl. The victim is said to have come to Mysuru for studies from Uttar Pradesh.

The state government has taken up the matter very seriously and investigation is on to track down the culprits.
New Delhi, Aug 28: NATO forces are winding up their evacuation missions from Afghanistan ahead of the August 31 deadline set by the US for troop withdrawal. While some EU countries announced their last flights on Thursday five days ahead of the deadline, Britain said on Friday that it plans to complete its evacuations out of Afghanistan "in a matter of hours".

France has also announced that it will end its evacuation operations from Kabul on Friday.

The decisions appear to have been taken in view the sharp deterioration in the security situation at Kabul.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: "We will process those people that we have brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now. And we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowd, where we can, but overall the main processing has now closed and we have a matter of hours." UK along with the US and Australia had warned its citizens to stay away from Kabul airports on Thursday morning amid intelligence reports of an imminent bomb attack. The information had turned out to be correct with the deadly twin suicide bombings later at night claiming 60 lives and injuring 100 people.

According to Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), the Netherlands said it will carry out its last evacuation flight from Kabul on Thursday.

Denmark said its last flight carrying troops and diplomats had already left Kabul's airport.

Poland and Belgium have already ended their evacuations and withdrawn all military personnel from Afghanistan.

Hungary said its army had evacuated all Hungarian citizens from Afghanistan.

The DW report said the German military has completed its airlift operations from Kabul airport.

Earlier before the blasts took place, a spokesperson for the German Defence Ministry had told DW that the security situation at the Kabul airport had "deteriorated further and the threat of a terror attack is becoming increasingly concrete".

Through the airlift efforts, Germany's Bundeswehr managed to safely evacuate over 5,100 people, including more than 3,600 Afghans.

It's not clear how many German nationals are still left in the country. The German Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that some 200 German citizens are still believed to be in Kabul.

The number has even been rising "because people continue to report to us", a spokesperson said.

(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
New Delhi, Aug 28 : A day after twin blasts in Kabul airport by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-KP), the security agencies have been put on high alert, apprehending terror threats over India.

"Though our security forces on high alert and have raised extra-vigil on the western and northern borders with Pakistan, the Kabul blasts on Thursday have raised a security concern for us", a senior official in the security set up said, adding that additional steps has be taken in view of the Taliban and now the IS-KP.

A former research associate of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MPIDSA) and teacher of International Relation in Delhi University Prof Sanjeev Srivastava also opined that with the entry of IS-KP in Afghanistan was an alarm bell for Indian agencies which needed to revisit the strategies in view of changed scenario.

"Though both ultra outfits were against each other in the past and its entry in the war ravaged country is not a good sign for India. The Narendra Modi government has adopted zero tolerance against terrorism but we need to be on highest alert," Srivastava said.

Reacting on the IS-KP entry to Afghanistan, the former diplomat Vishnu Prakash said, "Any rival of Taliban, whether it is ISIS, ISKP or any kind of extremist organization of Afghanistan, this is an additional threat to India, but we are quite capable of handling them."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Aug 28: For the last 24 hours guns are silent in the famed Panjshir valley as negotiations between the Northern Alliance, the flagbearer of armed resistance, and the Taliban, the new rulers of Afghanistan, begin.

According to news emerging from Panjshir, both the groups had their first direct talks on Wednesday and Thursday, which, so far, have remained inconclusive. The dialogue was held in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, neighbouring Panjshir.

"After three hours of discussion, it was decided that both delegations will share the message with their leadership and resume the negotiations to reach a durable peace in the country. It was also decided that the parties should not attack each other until the second round of negotiations," Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, a representative of the resistance front told the Tolo news.

Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance movement did not participate in the first round of the talks.

"There were some of the former ministers, some of the former MPs (members of parliament), not only from Panjshir, but from other provinces, too," Fahim Dashty, who is working closely in Panjshir with Ahmad Massoud, was quoted as saying by the news channel.

Despite the de facto ceasefire, the dialogue, as expected did reach any firm conclusion. Yet the outlines of the agenda for talks did emerge. The Taliban wanted to discuss the future of Panjshir, while Massoud's representatives wanted to discuss the structure of the future government. The Panjshir resistance has made it clear that the future government of the country will have to be an inclusive one where there will be equal rights for the women and minorities.

And in the meeting Massoud's representatives were more focused on the overall structure of the governance system. Since there were big gap between the two sides' demands-a power sharing deal as proposed by the resistance and the status of Panjshir by the Taliban-- both sides decided to take the messages to their leaders and it is expected they will meet soon.

"We are still waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. Despite this, we have all the military preparations as well," Massoud told the media that he will never surrender the Panjshir valley to the extremist group, but is ready for a dialogue.

The Taliban has claimed that their fighters have surrounded the Panjshir Valley and they want peaceful negotiations.

"The enemy is under siege. We are fighting for a peaceful settlement and trying to solve the problem through negotiations," says Taliban's spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid.

Massoud, the son of legendary Afghan rebel commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, is presently residing in the Panjshir valley along with former vice-president and "acting" president Amrullah Saleh.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Hazara leader and chairman of the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan has announced support for Massoud's fight for inclusive government. Mohaqiq is also known to be close to the Iranians, who share close ethnic and linguistic bonds with the Hazara, mainly residing in the Bamiyan plains, north of the famous Salang pass in the Hindukush mountain ranges.

"We support Ahmad Massoub -- if the Taliban do not comply with an inclusive government and attack Panjshir Valley," Mohaqiq observed.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
The First Harvest OZ Fund seeks to invest primarily in proprietary conventional, organic, and niche market indoor farming operations and greenhouses.

The $100 Million First Harvest OZ Fund launches seeking accredited investors for investment into High-Tech Hybrid Farming Ventures throughout the country. The Fund is raising their Series A Round. The Fund is already targeting several specific locations, including one in Upstate New York. The process of getting projects approved by local authorities is already underway.

Advanced Indoor Farming

The First Harvest OZ Fund seeks to invest primarily in proprietary conventional, organic, and niche market indoor farming operations and greenhouses. These investments will be structured as opportunity zone business investments. The best part of the investment is that the marketplace is guaranteed to grow over time and the industry has realized an average 30% return on capital, which, when coupled with the benefits of the opportunity tax incentives, yields a significantly higher actualized return than the same type of conventional investment.

For further details, see the Lettuce Make You Money section.

Why First Harvest OZ Fund?

Our Mission

Establish a new benchmark for the productive efficiency, profitability, and use of resources in food production through high tech and proprietary technologies to grow and produce fresh, healthy, tasty, nutritious food to fill in current shortfalls and prepare for future demands while improving the quality of life for workers in safe, disaster resistant facilities.

Local Impact

Every million dollars of investment will create approximately 10 permanent full-time direct jobs. According to the Department of Labor, these direct jobs will create approximately 19 induced jobs. This equates to hundreds of full-time, year-round jobs per 100 million of capital investment. These local jobs will create a lasting increase in the median income in the opportunity zones where the facilities are built.

Business Investment Advantage

Non-business investments, such as hotels, apartments, office space, etc., are, by nature, static; they generate a specific impact on the local economy that does not tend to increase over time. Conversely, business investments are active; they consistently produce additional boosts to the local economy, allowing them to compound their impact and profitability over time. Since OZ investments must be held for 10 years in order to receive the full tax benefits, they will naturally stick around to reap these increasing rewards, making business investments a more natural fit.

Filling a Need

U.S. food production demand is expected to increase by 90% by 2050 to keep up with the increases in demand. First Harvest will provide opportunities to help overcome food shortages and combat food deserts by providing up to 50x the produce per acre and up to 100x the produce per gallon of water. Most store chains in the US lack sufficient supply of living varieties to keep their stores in stock, and many stores struggle to keep sufficient supply of even non-organic produce to meet demand at all their locations, which is what has caused food desserts in the fresh produce market. Additionally, there is a significant undersupply of produce that caters to niche markets, such as Kosher.

Environmental Impact

Controlled environment farming will decrease the negative impact on the environment from farming by using less water, eliminating fertilizer runoff, and minimizing carbon footprint. The daily production that can be achieved with this new methodology combined with its scale will increase availability of food with significantly longer shelf life after the consumer has purchased it and, therefore, decrease the waste of fresh produce. Based on estimates from the USDAs Economic Research Service, 31 percent of food is lost at the retail and consumer levels, with most sources reporting that the largest waste ratios exist in the fresh fruits and vegetables market.

Lettuce Make You Money

This investment opportunity is being offered as an OZ Fund because it makes the investment even more lucrative for the investors. First Harvest Fund has structured the payouts of profit to cover the capital gains taxes when they are due at the end of year 5.

Illustration of $1,000,000 of Capital Gains Standard Investment VS OZ Investment:

Standard Investment

$ Invested $630,000 After TAX

30% Return Yield $189,000

47.62% Return Yield $300,000

75.5% Return Yield $476,200

OZ Investment

$ Invested $1,000,000 Since the TAX is deferred

30% Return Yield $300,000

47.62% Return Yield $476,200

75.5% Return Yield $755,873

As indicated by the illustration, for the same amount of realized return with a conventional investment, the relative rates of return on capital would have to be over 50% higher. This means that the OZ fund investment methodology has significant advantages over any other investment type into the same business sector. First Harvest Fund has targeted 30% to 50% returns so conventional business investments would have to have relative yields of 50% to 75% in order to realize the same profits.

Capital Gains on the Gains

If the business interest starts off at $1,000,000 investment and by year 10 it grows to $3,500,000 in value and an investor exits their position, they get to keep the entire new $2,500,000 capital gains earned that are federally tax free. This is a 250% net gain for 250% profit after tax. To have the same yield in a conventional investment coming from the $630,000 after tax, an investor would have to have a 496% net gain, which would yield a 400% profit after tax in order to realize the same after tax gains.

All of this comes together to help First Harvest OZ Funds investments to be more lucrative than traditional methodologies in the same markets, giving the Fund yields in safe industries that would not otherwise be possible.

Help the World:

First Harvest OZ Fund wants to make a difference in the global food supply. With help, this is possible. Together, we can solve the food volume problem, as well as make food fresher and more consistent for everyone.

Investment Managers and their biographies:

The Fund will engage Farsight Partners as its exclusive external Investment Manager pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement. The Investment Manager has highly qualified individuals who will oversee the investment process and overall management of the Fund.

Below are the professional backgrounds of some of these individuals:

Clint Goolsby

Fund Manager

Clint Goolsby has a background education in engineering, physics, biochemistry, genetics, and economics. In 2009 he took over Goolsby Enterprises. In 2014 he started Farsight Partners. In 2017 he became VP of Development for FirstFruits Harvest. While there, he worked on designs for advanced hydroponics facilities with three large agricultural development companies and participated in multiple feasibility studies at various sites throughout the country. After realizing significant room for improvement in the design methodologies, he spent the next 2 years developing a new proprietary system for advanced controlled environment hydroponics. The improvements include new proprietary racking systems, channels, and overall system design for maximizing production per acre while decreasing labor costs.

Dr. Sheila Bhattacharya

Fund Administrator

Dr. Sheila Bhattacharya has been involved with the research and commercial greenhouse industry for over 20 years. She has a doctorate degree in Plant Physiology from Punjab University. Sheila continued her career with postdoctoral research at Duke University and Tuskegee University. During this period, she published several research papers on Controlled Environment growing.

Sheila then entered the commercial horticulture industry and worked in greenhouse production management for large companies and oversaw large operations in Arizona, California, New York, and North Carolina. Sheila was elected as President, Director and International Director for International Plant Propagator's Society and remained on the executive board for 12 years. Sheila was awarded the Hind Ratan Award by Government of India in 2009 for her contributions to science and industry. She held Team Lead and Directors positions in large commercial greenhouse operations and, to date, has published over 40 research papers during her career. She took the challenge of entering the Cannabis industry in 2019 and became successful in cannabis production from seed to sale for a NY state-based company. Sheila continues to be part of the dynamic Agriculture and Horticulture industry.

Sheila will be directly involved in turning the new high-tech designs into a reality and managing the day to day operations of facilities.

Sudhan Shawn Shrestha

General Partner

For over 20 years, Shawn has been involved in sales across a diverse set of industries including construction, insurance, and farming. Shawn was able to build two separate construction companies into multi-million dollar revenue businesses. Afterward he moved into insurance. As a sales team manager with Health Markets, he was able to grow their revenue in the Dallas area by over 400%. Recently he started an agency in affiliation with IHC Specialty Benefits. As the sales team leader and agency owner he has grown this new agency from $5 million per year to over $25 million in less than 2 years.

In 2017, he helped Clint start Farsight Partners as a high-tech farming initiative to help prevent future food shortages. He is well positioned and fully qualified to lead our sales team for expanding the brands that we produce.

CONTACT

First Harvest Opportunity Zone, LLC

General Partner: Sudhan Shawn Shrestha

Website: https://www.FirstHarvestOZFund.com

Call: (682) 219-7426

Email: Info@FirstHarvestOZFund.com

This Fund is 3rd Party Administered by OZ Invested.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We caution you that such statements are simply predictions and actual events, or results may differ materially. These statements reflect our current expectations, and we do not undertake to update or revise these forward-looking statements, even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied in this, or other statements will not be realized. Further, these statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. This is not an offer to sell Units in the Fund. Any sale of Units will be made solely in connection with the Confidential Private Placement Memorandum of the Fund and related documents. The Confidential Private Placement Memorandum includes important risks, uncertainties, and certain conflicts of interest, many of which are beyond our control, that could impact an investment in the Fund.
Dr. Chalabianlu(Dr. Emin Chelebi ) Dr. Aminreza Chalabianlu ( Dr. Emin Celebi) is a 37-year-old surgeon, dentist, implantologist, and film producer and is the director and founder of a specialized dental clinic in Tehran.

The best personal brand award at the seventh round of the Middle East, North Africa & Asia ceremony was won by Dr. Aminreza Chalabianlu.

The winner of the best personal brand award received his award from the former prime ministers of Italy, Belgium and Sweden and some other world well-known individuals who attended the event.

The seventh round of the Middle East, North Africa & Asia organized with the cooperation and scientific support of the University of Zurich, Switzerland (ZHAW) and hosted by Turkey, Istanbul.

As the largest and most famous Switzerland state university, the University of Zurich is among the top universities in the world possess an excellent stance in various fields such as law and economics.

The event held at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul, was attended by more than 400 successful business men from the region who competed for the best performer in two categories namely the best Corporate Brand Award & Best Personal Brand Award of the Year.

Applicants submitted their application to be evaluated by the jury constituted by representative professors and experts around the globe.

Judgements were made based on various benchmarks such as marketing quality and the activity of good services during the coronavirus pandemic and post-COVID-19, winner were recognized and awarded by some of the worlds top individuals and celebrities.

Dr. Aminreza Chalabianlu (Dr. Emin Celebi) is a 37-year-old surgeon, dentist, implantologist, and film producer and is the director and founder of a specialized dental clinic in Tehran.
Through their clinical work and their research, Drs. Bahary and Beriwal are dedicated to finding new and better ways to attack cancer and to change our patients lives for the better.

Allegheny Health Network (AHN) today announced the recruitment of two nationally recognized physician-researchers in radiation oncology, medical oncology and molecular genetics from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to assume high level roles at the AHN Cancer Institute.

Nathan Bahary, MD, Ph.D., a medical oncologist, was most recently the Medical Director of the Pancreatic Cancer Program, Co-Director of the UPMC Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence and Co-Director of the UPMC Phase II program. He is known for his research and clinical activities in the field of gastrointestinal cancers in general, and particularly in pancreatic cancer.

Sushil Beriwal, MD, MBA, formerly deputy director of radiation services and director of brachytherapy at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and medical director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, will take the role of Academic Chief of Radiation Oncology at AHN Cancer Institute. Dr. Beriwal specializes in the treatment of gynecologic, breast and prostate cancers, with an emphasis on high-dose brachytherapy for cervix, uterine, vaginal and breast cancers, along with prostate seed implantation, image-guided radiation therapy, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Bahary and Beriwal, two exceptionally talented and accomplished cancer specialists to our team, said David L. Bartlett, MD, Chair, AHN Cancer Institute. Through their clinical work and their research, they are dedicated to finding new and better ways to attack cancer and to change our patients lives for the better. We look forward to the extraordinary contributions they will make in helping to further establish AHN Cancer Institute as a nationally leading provider of highly advanced, pioneering oncology care.

Dr. Bahary earned his MD degree at the Cornell University School of Medicine and his PhD in genetics at Rockefeller University. He served a clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School, was an intern and resident at Beth Israel Hospital, and did postdoctoral work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Womens Hospital.

Building on his work at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Bahary is using insights gained by studying vertebrate development to determine how cancers grow. Clinical trials emanating from this research will continue at AHN Cancer Institute, and are expected to lead to the development of new targeted agents and immunologic strategies for treating cancer. At AHN Cancer Institute, he will serve in the roles of Academic Chief of Medical Oncology and Director of the AHNCI clinical research program.

Dr. Bahary is a member of the NCI Pancreatic Task Force, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) where he serves on the ECOG GI Steering Committee, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Society for Clinical and Translational Science (SCTS), National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NASBP), Pancreatic Cancer Research Team (PCRT), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS). He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the PCRT Award of Excellence and the National Pancreas Foundation Courage Award. His clinical and basic science work has led to over 130 peer reviewed publications.

Dr. Beriwal was designated last year as a Fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (FASTRO), the worlds most prestigious society for radiation oncology professionals. Since its inception, the FASTRO designation has been awarded to only 366 of ASTROs more than 10,000 members worldwide. It recognizes physicians and medical physicists for their far-reaching contributions to the field of radiation oncology and their progress in advancing cancer research, education and patient care.

He is also a fellow of the American Brachytherapy Society and a recipient of the Societys Presidents Award. He serves on the NRG Oncology Breast and Cervix Committee. He has been part of developing ABS and ASTRO guidelines for management of cervix, endometrium and vaginal cancer and served as senior editor of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Beriwal is actively involved in clinical research with more than 300 peer reviewed publications. His research interests include 3D image-based brachytherapy and outcome analysis for breast, prostate and gynecological cancers.

Dr. Beriwal graduated from Calcutta University and received his medical degree and completed a residency at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. He completed an internship in radiation oncology at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, PA, and a residency at Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University Hospital. He also received an M.B.A. degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

At AHN Cancer Institute, Drs. Beriwal and Bahary join a multi-disciplinary team of more than 200 physicians and 500 advanced-practice oncology professionals. Clinicians within the Institute annually deliver more than 150,000 cancer treatments to more than 11,000 patients at clinical sites across western Pennsylvania.

About Allegheny Health Network  and the AHN Cancer Institute

Allegheny Health Network, a Highmark Health Company, is a western Pennsylvania-based integrated healthcare system that serves patients from across a five-state region that includes western Pennsylvania and the adjacent regions of Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. The Networks Cancer Institute employs more than 200 physicians and 500 oncology professionals who provide a complete spectrum of oncology care at 24 affiliated oncology clinics, including access to state-of-the-art technologies and new therapies being explored in hundreds of clinical cancer trials. The Cancer Institute has the only cancer program in the Pittsburgh region accredited as an Integrated Network Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and its radiation oncology program is the largest in the country accredited by the American Society for Radiation Oncology. AHN Cancer Institute is a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certified practice, and is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer. AHN also has a formal affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, one of the nations 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, for research, medical education and clinical services.
We are very excited to have Gia as a part of the Bluewater family. She gets the progression of the sale. In direct-to-consumer marketing, the creative structure absolutely matters, Gias success in delivering creative with effective sales messaging makes her a key addition to our team.

Bluewater, a direct-to-consumer marketing and advertising agency that has fully converged services including production and creative, media planning and buying, commerce and sales support with analytics, announces the hiring of Producer Gia Ferrulo.

She onboards as the agency begins its exciting journey of adding new brands to its client roster and expanding their already impressive studios under the executive leadership of CEO Rob Fallon and President and COO Gina Pomponi.

In a word, Gias a firecracker! Shes got a knack for hearing a brands voice in her head, but her real superpower is orchestrating the execution of the creative messaging, said Fallon. When I think about the products and brands shes successfully brought to the consumer in live shopping and the energy it takes to pull that off, it excites me having Gia on our team.

Gia Ferrulo is a veteran marketing and creative producer who is highly experienced in connecting artistic vison with brand strategy across multiple platforms. Gia brings over 20 combined years of experience in production, retail advertising, business development and management consulting. Her past positions include Supervising Producer for HSN, where she worked as production lead for HSNs on-air culinary business and Tony Little Brands. She also worked on the digital side, leading HSN.coms seasonal sitewide takeovers and special partnerships for global brands such as Disney, Toyota, and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

As a Producer, Ferrulo brings significant experience to the table as a brand advocate and storyteller. Gias a proven leader in all aspects of production and is further elevating Bluewaters creative ideation and award-winning production.

Pomponi said, We are very excited to have Gia as a part of the Bluewater family. She gets the progression of the sale. In direct-to-consumer marketing, the creative structure absolutely matters, Gias success in delivering creative with effective sales messaging makes her a key addition to our team.

Bluewater is an Inc. 5000 company and an Adweek Top 100 Fastest Growing Agency, employing over 100 people in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Spain.

About Bluewater:

Bluewater has one core metric of success: yours. Were a direct marketing and advertising agency converging all the services needed to be relevant to consumers where they live, work and play. Our experienced, talented team of converged professionals make us remarkable. We attack the work differently. We are always inquisitive. The pride and accountability we put in our work is at the root of what makes us better. Just ask to see our results. Visit the company website at https://bluewater.tv or on LinkedIn @bluewater-media.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) was awarded $50,000 from Thunderbirds Charitiesthe charitable giving arm of the Thunderbirds, host of the Waste Management Phoenix Opento support community youth academically and emotionally.

The grant will help the youth development organization combat the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth in the communities BGCS serves in the northeast Valley.

The challenges our youth are facing today loom heavy and test their resiliency, said Ivan Gilreath, BGCS President and CEO. Our Clubs are well-equipped to provide the support and assistance youth need to bounce back. Thunderbirds Charities funding is so important in our ability to do what we do best under these new circumstances, help kids succeed.

The Club uses fun, project-based learning that engage its members in discovery, creative expression and group work in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Thunderbirds Charities funding will also support emotional wellness programs that help kids become resilient with positive coping strategies, and provide emotional wellness training for Club staff.

Every kid can benefit from the safe environment, our caring youth development professionals, and our award-winning programming. Parents also find comfort in knowing they have a partner in helping their child find success. After this past year, kids need us more than ever, said Gilreath.

BGCSs Clubhouses in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, North Phoenix, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Haulapai Nation in Peach Springs are open to all youth ages five to 18. No child is turned away for inability to pay and BGCS provides more than $1.2 million in program assistance annually.

Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale at http://www.bgcs.org.

###

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER SCOTTSDALE

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale (BGCS) serves thousands of youth at eight Clubs located within the communities of Scottsdale, North Phoenix, Fountain Hills, Mesa, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Hualapai Nation, and an outreach site in Anthem. Research shows that when compared to their peers, Club members have a higher interest in pursuing STEM careers, volunteer more in their local communities and are more physically active. No matter the circumstances that bring a child to us, our youth development professionals help them set and achieve personal, academic and creative goals. We work to prove that every kid has what it takes. Great futures start here.

ABOUT THUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES

Thunderbirds Charities was established in 1986 as the charitable arm of the Phoenix Thunderbirds. Its purpose is to grant funds generated by the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This mission of Thunderbirds Charities is to support organizations that assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Each year, Thunderbirds Charities solicits grant proposals that support at-risk youth and families, community outreach/quality of life, education, improving the lives of the physically and mentally challenged or work to eliminate domestic violence, homelessness and poverty.
BranderGroup Published in Inc Magazine 2021 The work we do for the internet is meaningful. The entire team here feels like they are making a positive contribution to the world - Jake Brander, President

Brander Group Inc was recently ranked #6 overall on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America in 2021. Due to Brander Groups fascinating story, contributions to the global economy and unique industry, Inc. Magazine also chose to feature a story on the company and its founder.

Brander Group assists leading global internet service providers (ISPs) by giving them access to critical connectivity assets called IPv4 addresses. These IP addresses enable these ISPs to expand their internet services; a convenience that we all rely on in our daily lives. The deployment of artificial intelligence and internet of things has resulted in our daily appliances, cars, websites and apps relying on IPv4 addresses to communicate with each other. Brander Group helps provide these integral IPv4 addresses to global ISPs, cloud providers, hosting companies and data centers so they can support the growth and expansion of our connected global economy.

Companies need to allocate significant resources into readdressing their networks to make IPv4 addresses available to sell. COVID has caused these companies to focus their efforts on more pressing matters, which has resulted in re-addressing efforts to decrease or cease altogether. Consequently, the supply of IPv4 address has reduced significantly. At the same time, there have been a tremendous increase in demand for IPv4 addresses from ISPs, video streaming providers, and hosting companies as the global workforce and economy have transitioned to work from home.

On the other side of the business, Brander Group has assisted over 60 schools and universities monetize their unused IPv4 addresses. The educational institutions then put that money back in to the schools by improving infrastructure and creating scholarships for students.

The team at Brander Group has developed a proprietary system to uncover dormant IPv4 address blocks, find their owners, and help them bring their IP addresses to market. Brander Group verifies IPv4 subnet ownership, runs a comprehensive blacklist check (which ensures IP addresses have not been abused), helps modify BGP on routers, assists in removing old routing records, and finally helps organizations develop a network re-addressing strategy.

Brander Group adds value to companies looking to buy IP addresses by helping them qualify for pre-approval to receive IP addresses. This includes creation of a budget and an ethical use case for submittal to their local internet registry. Finally, Brander Group post sales support fully manages the entire process and keeps the buyer and seller up to date until the transfer completes, which usually takes around 2-3 weeks. The company has a streamlined process to assist clients in ARIN, RIPE, APNIC and LACNIC regions.

In 2019, Brander Group also launched IPv4Connect, an online marketplace where organizations can safely buy and sell IPv4 addresses. IPv4Connect completed 475 IP address transfers in 2020, making it the largest and most reputable online platform to buy IP addresses.

As the development of the internet continues to unfold, Brander Group will continue to make a positive impact with the global service providers.
CGTN America presents Tsol Food, a series of short documentaries delving into the rich stories of Chinese food in the United States.

Inspired by the iconic Chinese-American dish General Tsos chicken, Tsol Food explores dishes and culinary techniques that have been preserved, adapted and invented by the Chinese diaspora and their descendants, resulting in a unique cultural phenomenon that continues to evolve.

The series consists of bite-sized episodes written and hosted by award-winning food author Gerald Tan, whos now eaten his way through six continents.

In the pilot, Tan uncovers the history of Peking duck and the dishs unique role in the establishment of China-U.S. ties back in the 1970s. Another episode introduces audiences to celebrated Chinese-American chef Tim Ma fighting against racism and AAPI hate through food.

Each season features new dishes, restaurants and chefs in a different city. The first focuses on Washington, DC  while the upcoming season in September will see Tsol Food in Los Angeles.

Check the series out and See the Difference.

Click here to watch Tsol Food: https://america.cgtn.com/2021/07/30/tsol-food

(This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.)
Be Inspired: Weekly Inspirations for Servant Leaders: a uniquely inspiring collection of spiritual activities. Be Inspired: Weekly Inspirations for Servant Leaders is the creation of published authors Christian and Michel Pantin. Dr. Christian Pantin, a loving husband and father, is a native of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago who graduated from South Carolina State University before going on to complete a doctorate from Valdosta State University. Dr. Michel Pantin is a devoted wife and mother who currently works as a human capital leader in a local public school system overseeing talent acquisition.

Christian and Michel Pantin share, Do you need a little inspiration?

Be Inspired is filled with over fifty-two weeks of practical, creative, devotional readings. The Pantins have written an engaging, educational, and empowering devotional inspired by their Christian faith, family upbringings, and professional roles. Be Inspired invites servant leaders (i.e., parents, educators, pastors, ministers, mentors, community activists, managers, etc.) to stay inspired while serving others. It is written as if the authors are serving with you and cheering you on. In Be Inspired, you will be reminded of the many gifts and character traitsBrilliance, Eagerness, Innovativeness, Nobility, Sincerity, Passion, Influential, Resourcefulness, Empathy, and DevotednessGod has placed inside of you to assist you as you serve others. Whether you need inspiration for yourself or you need words to inspire others, you will love the Pantins words of inspiration as you fulfill your God-granted assignment.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Christian and Michel Pantins new book is a powerfully inspiring selection of affirmations and key scripture.

Balancing ones roles can be taxing; however, the authors approach to maintaining a healthy, optimistic life of faith is an encouraging and empowering opportunity for spiritual realignment.

View a synopsis of Be Inspired: Weekly Inspirations for Servant Leaders on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Be Inspired: Weekly Inspirations for Servant Leaders at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Be Inspired: Weekly Inspirations for Servant Leaders, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Carl F. Bierdeman's new book Christianity According to Jesus: John 17: The Final Reformation from Christian Faith Publishing sends a powerful, articulate message to the Christian community that it needs to change to conform to what Jesus has taught about eternal life.

Bierdeman shares, Just before Jesus was crucified, he met with his disciples to tell them the way to eternal life. He told them they needed to know God the way he knew God. He prayed that their spirits be one in the same with the spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) the same as his spirit was one in the same with the spirit of God. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, I and the Father are one.. To be spiritually related to God through the Holy Spirit is the way God wants to know us and is the way to Heaven. Jesus showed us that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him. God will give us the Spirit the same way he gave it to Jesus if we obey him.

About 1500 years after Jesus told his disciples and those who were to follow (us) how to get to Heaven, the Catholic Church had turned Christianity into something that wasn't even close to what Jesus was talking about. There were a number of reformers who risked being burned at the stake by going against the Catholic Church. Two of these men, Martin Luther and John Calvin (and others) came up with their own teachings which attracted followers and also led to the many different Protestant and Evangelical denominations we have today. The problem is none of these reformers taught what Jesus told his disciples. We still need a final reformation.

View a synopsis of Christianity According to Jesus: John 17: The Final Reformation on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Christianity According to Jesus: John 17: The Final Reformation at

traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Christianity According to Jesus: John 17: The Final Reformation, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Grapevine Dental is a tremendous addition to the DCA family," stated Dave Pegg, Chief Development Officer," and we couldnt be more excited to be their partner of choice."

Dental Care Alliance (DCA) announces the addition of Grapevine Dental to its growing family of allied practices. Located in historic Grapevine, an area that is central to both Dallas and Fort Worth, TX, Grapevine Dental has been creating healthy smiles in the community since 2007.

Led by Dr. Michael Colangelo, Grapevine Dental is a highly productive practice that offers exceptional preventive, general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry including the placement of dental implants. Dr. Colangelo and his exceptional team work closely with each patient to offer customized treatment plans and budget-friendly solutions to meet every lifestyle.

The addition of Grapevine Dental brings DCAs footprint in Texas to 30 allied practices. This marks DCAs sixth affiliation in 2021 so far, and continued aggressive growth is expected in the remainder of the year. DCAs partnership approach to affiliation appeals to entrepreneurial doctors who are interested in allying with a growth-oriented team of experts with a proven track record.

Its an honor when DCA has the opportunity to partner with and support a practice with whom we are both strategically and culturally aligned, stated David Pegg, Chief Development Officer. Grapevine Dental is a tremendous addition to the DCA family and we couldnt be more excited to be their partner of choice.

Dental Care Alliances mission is to advance the practice of dentistry by partnering with and supporting dental professionals to create a lifetime of healthy smiles. DCA currently supports over 335 allied practices with more than 750 dentists across 20 states. DCAs allied practices represent all dental specialties and treat patients under more than 85 brand names.

###


Who Will I Serve?: a potent exploration of spiritual growth. Who Will I Serve? is the creation of published author Enrique T. Martinovic, a native of Argentina who immigrated to the United States with his loving wife, Marta. Together, they have eight children total, two who were born in Argentina and the others who were born in the United States.

Martinovic shares, Based on my own experience, my life, my dream, and my nightmare, I discovered and revealed the mystery of captivity and freedom in the spiritual world.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Enrique T. Martinovics new book is a compelling retelling of a powerful spiritual experience in the authors life.

Martinovic shares a deeply personal story in hopes of encouraging others to seek God and find a deeper sense of faith.

View a synopsis of Who Will I Serve? on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Who Will I Serve? at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Who Will I Serve?, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Harvey | Harvey-Cleary headquarters With a stabilized, reputable tenancy and strong underlying real estate fundamentals, this deal is representative of FD Stonewaters single-tenant strategy that has realized tremendous success.

FD Stonewater has completed the acquisition of the Harvey | Harvey-Cleary headquarters, a 55,624-square foot, Class A suburban office building in Houstons Westchase submarket. The headquarters property is 100% leased to Harvey | Harvey-Cleary, a privately held, full-service general contractor with offices in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Washington, DC. The 15-year sale-leaseback was completed as part of FD Stonewaters single-tenant investment program and caps more than a year and a half of collaboration on the deal.

Harvey | Harvey-Cleary has been headquartered in Houston since its founding in 1957. The company acquired the Westchase vacant property in 2019 and subsequently completed significant capital upgrades and interior renovations transforming the property into a modern, collaborative workspace. The building benefits from the areas considerable population and economic growth and close proximity to major vehicular arteries and transit hubs.

FD Stonewater Principal Andrew Schwartzman commented, We are excited to see this deal come to fruition after many months of collaboration with Harvey | Harvey-Cleary. We greatly value our relationship with them as a trusted service provider and partner. With a stabilized, reputable tenancy and strong underlying real estate fundamentals, this deal is representative of FD Stonewaters single-tenant strategy that has realized tremendous success.

Harvey | Harvey-Cleary President, Kevin Rogge, stated, our relationship with FD Stonewater has grown steadily over the past decade and has been marked with many great successes. This deal is really the culmination of many years of collaborating on business pursuits. We are looking forward to seeing this through and continuing our strong partnership.

About FD Stonewater

FD Stonewater is a fully integrated real estate investment, development, and brokerage firm headquartered in Arlington, VA. Collectively, the firms leadership has a track record of more than $10 billion in investment acquisitions and advisory services, with over 45 million square feet of lease transactions completed and $1 billion of active and completed development and construction management nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.fdstonewater.com.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP continues to expand in key practices with the addition of Charles W. ("Chip") Azano who joins the firms Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice as of counsel in the Boston office. In addition, the Boston office added associates Amanda Leese and Brittany M. Fisher, who joined the firms Corporate and Litigation Practices, respectively.

Azano is an experienced bankruptcy and restructuring attorney, who maintains a national, commercial restructuring practice. He frequently represents institutional investors, indenture trustees, bondholders and noteholders in bankruptcy, receiverships, and out-of-court restructurings. He has a broad practice representing distressed tax-exempt debt holders in various sectors, including senior living, energy, hospitality, and manufacturing.

Im excited to join Greenberg Traurig, and I look forward to reuniting with several former colleagues, Azano said. The firms reach across the U.S. presents an attractive platform, allowing our team to work on cases all over the country from Massachusetts to California. The depth and breadth of the Greenberg Traurig team allows us to offer clients a deep bench of experience in areas and jurisdictions critical to their businesses.

Colleen A. Murphy, shareholder in the firms Public Finance & Infrastructure Practice in Boston, and Kevin J. Walsh, Restructuring & Bankruptcy shareholder in Boston, previously worked with Azano at Mintz. Murphy joined Greenberg Traurig in February 2020 and Walsh joined in October 2020. Azano will expand this team, which represents trustees and bondholders in high yield distressed municipal bond investments in and out of court.

Were delighted to have Chip, Amanda, and Brittany join the team, said Terence P. McCourt and David J. Dykeman, co-managing shareholders of the firms Boston office. We remain focused on strategically growing the Boston office in key practice and industry areas important to our clients. We are excited to continue to attract top legal talent and great lateral hires.

Leese, who joins the firms Corporate Practice, represents private companies in a variety of strategic engagements, including acquisitions, divestitures, co-investments, and joint ventures. Fisher joins the firms Litigation Practice and focuses her practice on commercial litigation, white collar defense, and eDiscovery matters.

Since January of 2020, the firms Boston office has increased in size with a total of 76 attorneys practicing in the areas of bankruptcy and restructuring, corporate, emerging technology, energy, environmental, financial services, gaming, governmental affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, real estate, and tax.

About Greenberg Traurigs Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice: Greenberg Traurigs internationally recognized Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice provides clients with deep insight and knowledge acquired over decades of advisory and litigation experience. The team has a broad and diverse range of experience developing creative and effective solutions to the highly complex issues that arise in connection with in- and out-of-court reorganizations, restructurings, workouts, liquidations, and distressed acquisitions and sales. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the firms vast resources and invaluable business network, the team helps companies navigate challenging times and address the full range of issues that can arise during their own restructurings or dealings with other companies in distress.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com


Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, continues to expand its Salt Lake City office with the addition of Nathan Hurlbut as a shareholder. He joins the firm from Stoel Rives, LLP.

We are excited to welcome Nate to Greenberg Traurig, as we continue to strategically expand our presence in Salt Lake City to meet client demand, said Greenberg Traurig CEO Brian L. Duffy. Our attorneys offer deep local experience backed by GTs global platform and resources. Were delighted that we are attracting skilled attorneys such as Nate, along with other terrific recent hires.

GT opened the Salt Lake City office in 2020 and has been rapidly expanding, with four other shareholders joining in recent months  Lauren E. H. DiFrancesco in Litigation, Scott Irwin in Banking & Financial Services, Michael F. Thomson in Restructuring & Bankruptcy, and former U.S. Attorney John Huber in White Collar Defense and Special Investigations. Greenberg Traurigs Salt Lake City attorneys are consistently ranked as leaders in their fields by publications such as The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Mountain States Super Lawyers, and Utah Legal Elite.

Nate and the other recent hires help us expand the range of services we can offer to clients in Utah and beyond, said Salt Lake City office co-founding shareholders Annette Jarvis and Peggy Hunt. Nathans experience in the region will be a strong asset to our clients across the country.

Hurlbut has deep experience managing private mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions and takes pride in delivering the highest level of service to his clients. He enjoys leading both buyers and sellers through the entire transaction process, drawing on his experience to offer unique perspectives and practical strategies to approach even the most challenging deal issues. Nate manages the drafting and negotiating letters of intent, stock or asset purchase agreements, merger agreements, earnouts, indemnities and all other key transactions documents.

Hurlbut acts as a strategic advisor to his clients regarding both legal and business issues. He serves as outside general counsel to several corporate clients and regularly advises companies and investors regarding formation and structuring of new businesses, private equity and debt financings, recapitalizations,

Im thrilled to join Greenberg Traurig and take advantage of the firms global platform and entrepreneurial culture to grow my business and collaborate with colleagues around the globe on cutting-edge legal issues, Hurlbut said.

Hurlbut earned his B.B.A. from St. Norbert College and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

About Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice: With more than 500 corporate and securities lawyers, Greenberg Traurig's Corporate Practice focuses on the business objectives of our clients. We work together to provide clients with the legal and market experience needed to manage and close the most complex transactions, as well as provide practical counsel on clients' day-to-day operations.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Daddys Best: Stories and Tales Best Told by Daddy: an eclectic collection of narratives meant for fathers to share with little ones. Daddys Best: Stories and Tales Best Told by Daddy is the creation of published author I'Kallu Judah-Judah, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who is the founder and president of the Albert Tibbs Evangelistic Association (ATEA) in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Judah-Judah shares, I am unapologetically in awe and humbled by the sovereign grace and godly design of the position of daddy. To be called by God to serve in this sacred sphere of humanity is at once both simply and profoundly amazing.

Daddys Best is a book of ideas that are translated into stories and tales, which when read or told by daddies are transformed into the power of dreaming, doing, and being in the heart of children that has infinite heights and everlasting dimensions. This is eminently important because dreamers and doers are trailblazers, dreamers and doers are history makers.

Therefore, you cant influence if you dont engage. Influence their destiny by engaging them in the best that you are and can be and by instructing them in teaching moments, play moments, meal moments, traveling moments, and sleeping moments.

This book is written for Gen Xers, millennials, and generally new fathers to simply encourage the daddys best in you to be made available for your child or children and for you to experience and be blessed together as God reveals the daddys best in you. I pray that fathers everywhere, by whatever means God used to place this book in their hands, would accept the divine charge to be a daddy, a daddy that will be responsible to shape the destiny of their children by this and mainly the greatest story ever told. When this is accomplished, together we will have transformed our world to its kingdom best and we will have been at our daddys best.

I salute every father that has chosen to accept his God-given and blessed position and duty as daddy. I pray with you as you ascend in this glory of God.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, I'Kallu Judah-Judahs new book is an important reminder of the blessing that fatherhood truly is.

With charming stories and creative illustrations, readers will find an enjoyable opportunity for family togetherness and lessons on key moral concepts.

View a synopsis of Daddys Best: Stories and Tales Best Told by Daddy on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Daddys Best: Stories and Tales Best Told by Daddy at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Daddys Best: Stories and Tales Best Told by Daddy, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Anna Marie and Her Little Brother: A Trip to the Store: an encouraging approach to an important object lesson. Anna Marie and Her Little Brother: A Trip to the Store is the creation of published author Kathryn Williams Woods, who was raised in the Maple Hill community of North Carolina.

Williams Woods shares, Anna Marie and her little brother are on their way to the store to buy candy. What lesson will Anna Marie learn when she faces a decision between right and wrong? Will her little brother help her make a good decision?

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Kathryn Williams Woodss new book is a thoughtful tale about learning that theft is wrong no matter what.

With key moral lessons within an engaging narrative, Williams Woods hopes to help children with the concepts of right and wrong from a spiritual perspective.

View a synopsis of Anna Marie and Her Little Brother: A Trip to the Store on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Anna Marie and Her Little Brother: A Trip to the Store at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Anna Marie and Her Little Brother: A Trip to the Store, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys host 1st annual cornhole tournament in Valparaiso, IN. The cornhole tournament gives Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys another way to give back to the community and thank locals for their support, all the while doing something fun together.

Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys announces that their law firm will host their 1st annual cornhole tournament at the beautiful Central Park Plaza in the heart of downtown Valparaiso, IN on Friday, October 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Total prize values equals $4,500 with 1st place winners receiving $3,000, 2nd place winners to be awarded $1,000, and 3rd place winners will be gifted with $500 in prizes from local businesses. There will also be amazing food, chilled beverages, and other fun activities for family members and friends who show up to cheer on their favorite team.

This tournament will be played in teams of two with a registration fee of $50 per team. The official tournament rules and signup sheet can be found at LernerAndRowe.com. Participants can also easily pay their teams registration fee online.

Other family fun highlights of the cornhole tournament include live music from NAWTY (one of Northwest Indianas favorite local bands), delicious food options prepared by Big Rig BBQ that bring both the heat and the meat, and chilled adult beverages found in the beer tent. Lastly, the kiddos can enjoy a mini pumpkin carving contest, apple cider, and yummy treats!

Attorney Glen Lerner shares why the law firm decided to host a cornhole tournament: Were so excited for our first annual cornhole tournament. Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys is more than just a law firm, and we show that through our charitable events like the backpack giveaway and turkey giveaway. However, we wanted to find another way to give back to the community, thank them for their support, and do so in a fun way. What better way than to host a cornhole tournament with a big cash prize! We hope people will enter a team and come out to enjoy a fun evening with family and friends.

If you have any questions or need help signing-up, please contact our Outreach Director, Arianna Baiz, by calling 312-590-2634 or emailing abaiz@lernerandrowe.com.

More About Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys

Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys is a powerhouse law firm in representing personal injury clients. Attorneys Glen Lerner and Kevin Rowe have grown their law firm into one of the largest personal injury firms in the country, with over 50 attorneys and nearly 400 support employees located in Indiana, Arizona, Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, and Tennessee. The law firms continuous exalted levels of success can be attributed to the high levels of respect and dignity shown to victims and family members hurt in an accident.

For those injured outside one of the previously listed states, Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys has an established network of attorneys across the country, ready to help. The firm takes pride in nourishing these relationships, as they know a personal injury attorney can make all the difference in obtaining fair compensation for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the victims of tortious conduct.

For more information about Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys in Indiana, please call 219-227-4993. To connect with the law firm socially, follow Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys on Twitter and Instagram, or become a fan of its Facebook page.

Also, visit lernerandrowegivesback.com to learn more about the many other community services that the lawyers and legal support team of Lerner and Rowe actively support.
Lloyd Dobyns, Jr. was a 1953 graduate of Fork Union Military Academy. During his career in journalism Dobyns was honored with 28 national awards including the George Foster Peabody medal, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, a Humanitas prize, and two Christopher Awards.

We note today with sadness the passing this week of Lloyd Dobyns, a member of our Fork Union Military Academy Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, at the age of 85.

Dobyns became a familiar face on television's network news in the 1970s and 1980s as an NBC reporter and anchor, covering stories around the world and creating innovative television news magazine shows such as "Weekend" and "Overnight" in the days long before the 24-hour cable news networks. Dobyns was best-known for hosting news magazine shows that took an in-depth look at the stories of the day. Stories that might get 90 seconds of coverage on the nightly news shows might receive ten minutes of in-depth reporting on a Dobyns-anchored news show.

In 1975, he was awarded the prestigious George Foster Peabody medal for his work on the show "Weekend." The Peabody award committee said, "Felicity of style and polished journalistic professionalism are the distinctive wellsprings at the source of 'Weekend', produced and written for NBC by Reuven Frank and Lloyd Dobyns. A once-a-month magazine of television, inquiring into the off-trail, 'Weekend' is hereby honored not only for its content, but also as an instructive example of how the language can be employed with grace and precision."

In 1977, he was honored by Fork Union Military Academy and inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

"Lloyd was a man ahead of his time, said Richard C. Wald, former president of NBC News, now Fred Friendly Professor of Professional Practice in Media and Society at Columbia University. He had what is now called edge. In service to that style he brought experience, intelligence and a subversive humor that made anything he did identifiably Dobyns."

Lloyd Dobyns was born in Newport News, Virginia, and attended Fork Union Military Academy, graduating in the Class of 1953. He served in the US Army for two years before attending Washington & Lee University to study journalism. He began his news career at WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia, and continued moving up the markets and ranks of broadcast journalism. He worked at WAVY in the Tidewater, Virginia, area, rising to news director, before moving to New York to work as managing editor of WNYW. He next worked for the network news at NBC from 1969 until his retirement in 1986.

The show "Weekend" was created by Executive Producer Reuven Franks, who was a two-time president of NBC News. When asked by reporters to describe Dobyns, the new show's host, Franks replied, "Well, he writes like David Brinkley and looks like Charles Bronson."

The show was smart and well-written, as well as being groundbreaking in its format and its quirky, irreverent style, starting with its opening theme music which was the guitar intro to "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones, and ending with Dobyns' trademark catchphrase, "And so it goes..." (most likely taken from Kurt Vonnegut's 1972 novel Slaughterhouse-Five in another sign of Dobyns' literate style).

Linda Ellerbee joined the show as co-host in late 1978. The pair were reunited to host the late night news show "NBC News Overnight" that premiered on July 5, 1982 in a time slot following "The David Letterman Show" on NBC. This show earned a Silver Baton award from the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, which described the show as "possibly the best-written and most intelligent television news anywhere.''

In 1980, Dobyns was the host of a widely-viewed and important documentary on American productivity titled "If Japan Can, Why Can't We?" that had a major impact on US corporations. The documentary compared the corporate productivity boom then occurring in Japan to the falling rates of productivity in US corporations. The documentary introduced Dr. Edward Demings to the American market as an expert on corporate productivity and helped usher in the Total Quality Managment movement in American business.

Following his retirement from NBC, Dobyns co-authored two books on quality management.

Dobyns then turned to teaching and held the Ayers Chair in the communications department at Jacksonville State University in Alabama until returning to his native Virginia in 2004.

I learned a lot about journalism and how to deliver it by watching Lloydhere was an old-school journalist inventing a new school of journalism every night on NBC," said Brian Williams, a chief anchor at MSNBC. "Lloyd was wry without being snarky, he was smart but never pedantic, he was dry by design...but never boring. He firmly believed: he was a delivery system. The news was the star of the broadcast."

During his career in journalism Dobyns was honored with 28 national awards including the George Foster Peabody medal, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, a Humanitas prize, and two Christopher Awards. He was granted an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the University of North Carolina in 1992. In 2003, he was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame.

Lloyd Dobyns' obituary has been published by the Lea Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina.


Eric Rosenberg, D.O. and Alanna Nattis, D.O., from Babylon, NY won highly competitive awards at 2021 ASCRS Meeting Its very rewarding that our research department is putting out world class research that competes on the national and international stagebut not just with other private practices but large-scale academic practices." -Dr. Eric Rosenberg

Two Long Island-based SightMD ophthalmologists were participants and award winners at the 2021 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Annual Meeting, which took place in July in Las Vegas, NV.

Husband and wife, Eric Rosenberg, D.O. and Alanna Nattis, D.O., from Babylon, participated in several events at the conference. They served as instructors and also moderated panel discussions. Most notable were their presentations of papers on Intracanalicular Dexamethasone Insert for Post-Corneal Crosslinking Inflammation and Pain, which were awarded for Best Paper in Session and Best of the Best Paper. Additionally, Dr. Rosenberg won the "Best Teaching Case in Complicated and Challenging Cases" award.

The ASCRS meeting is considered to be among the most important annual national and international conferences for anterior segment, glaucoma, and cataract surgeons, with a focus on developing technologies and notable scientific advancements.

It was nice to be able to do an in-person conference again after last year, when the pandemic shut everything down, said Dr. Rosenberg. There were a lot of novel and new things presented at this conference, because its been two years worth of research and advancement that have taken place and it was nice to be engrossed in that atmosphere of learning about developing technology to provide the best for our patients.

Being selected to present at the ASCRS is a highly selective process and one that is considered an honor. SightMD had two scientific films, one electronic poster presentation and eight research studies accepted for presentation, two of which went on to win awards for Best of Session and Best Overall Paper.

Every year, thousands of doctors submit proposals on research items that theyre working on, and only a handful of those doctors are asked to stand at the podium and present their research. Dr. Rosenberg said. Its very rewarding that our research department is putting out world class research that competes on the national and international stagebut not just with other private practices but large-scale academic practices. These are people who have million dollar-funded research departments, and were winning awards right next to them.

Dr. Alanna Nattis is Director of Research at SightMD and was responsible for half the papers that were submitted to the ASCRS this year, including the Best of the Best Paper. She says it was amazing to have such a notable presence among other academic presenters at this years ASCRS meeting considering the level of competition.

Im incredibly proud of the work being recognized at ASCRS, Dr. Nattis said. Weve been able to build upon the studies weve been doing at SightMD, and several of them were highlighted and chosen among thousands of other submissions. Were continuing to grow as a department, and we had a major presence at the ASCRS, and I think that says a lot for our practice and the research department. A lot of major universities show up to this meeting and theyre the ones that dominate, but we had a significant presence there so thats something that Im really proud of.

The Awards

The first paper to win Best of Session (awarded for best podium presentation given for that subset of papers, one award per 15-20 presentations), was entitled "What's Light Got to Do With It?" which focused on SightMDs NGENUITY 3-D digital visualization project. This study compared the light intensity percentage and light exposure time of coaxial illumination in routine cataract surgery using a 3-D digital visualization system (NGENUITY) versus a conventional surgical operating microscope.

SightMD was the second in the state of New York to adopt this technology, and it allows us to visualize cataract surgery on a 55' OLED 3-D TV in the operating room, so were no longer coupled to the binoculars that we used for cataract surgery, Rosenberg explained. Now we can operate with the large TV and under a high level of magnification and a high level of detail like weve never been able to see before. That project (detailed in the paper) looked at the total light intensity that I used while doing the cataract surgery. I found that I can use significantly less light because the computer thats attached to the TV up gains the amount of light intensitymeaning that my patients do better post-operative day one in terms of vision. They come back to their best-corrected vision almost immediately after surgery, in addition to using less light at the time of cataract surgery. Light can be toxic for the retina, so the less light we use during surgery, the better it is for our patients.

The second paper to win, entitled Demodex for the Rest of Us, went on to win Best of Session as well as Best of the Best. This paper focused on the analysis of eyelashes from two large medical tertiary centers to determine the prevalence of demodex (a small mite that lives in skin and can potentially cause blepharitis, eye irritation, and dry eye symptoms) in the regular population.

Its something that ophthalmologists never really looked at before now, Rosenberg said. Were showing that there is pretty high prevalence of it, and we should be looking for it to treat our patients. We found that demodex can be present in up to 70 percent of patients that present to us with blepharitis. With this particular paper, we published an algorithm on the likelihood of a patient having demodex based on a wide range of factors.

The 2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting"Best Teaching Case in Complicated and Challenging Cases"was based on a video, Traumatic Cataract: Cataract Extraction with Intraocular Lens Implantation + the "In-N-Out" Procedure, that Dr. Rosenberg submitted about a new technique called the In-N-Out procedure he invented to treat iridodialysis by repairing the iris.

There is only one of these awards per meeting, and it is one of the most coveted awards of the meeting, Dr. Rosenberg explains. The conference has a symposium thats for complex cataract surgery. Videos from all over the world are submitted for that symposium, and only six videos are selected to be presented on the main stage during the meeting. World-renowned experts evaluate and select only one of those six videos as the best in complex cataract teaching cases.

About the Ophthalmologists

Dr. Eric Rosenberg specializes in advanced corneal transplant techniques and procedures (including DMEK and crosslinking), traditional and laser-assisted cataract surgery, laser vision correction, and complex anterior segment surgery. Dr. Rosenberg is currently seeing patients in Babylon, West Islip, and Plainview, NY.

Dr. Alanna Nattis specializes in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery and is the Director of Clinical Research for SightMD. Dr. Nattis is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology and Surgery at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Nattis is currently seeing patients in Babylon and Amityville, NY.
All have a need to use data more dynamically, but not all have had that opportunity

MarksNelson has launched its first proprietary product, MN Navigator. The subscription-based data analytics solution gives small and mid-sized companies access to internal and industry data in formats that help them spot trends and business opportunities.

The Kansas City-based accounting firm created the product in response to a gap in the marketplace, where performance analytics software available to larger organizations tends to be cost prohibitive for smaller companies. The solution is structured in four levels  bronze, silver, gold, and platinum  that offer different frequencies and depth of data reporting. Smaller companies can enter the business intelligence arena at the lower levels and grow over time.

MN Navigator pulls together data that may be siloed within disparate internal systems, providing additional insights that will enhance decision making and measurably improve performance.

MarksNelsons clients have a wide range of sophistication, complexity, and size. All have a need to use data more dynamically, but not all have had that opportunity, said MarksNelson partner Brandi DiGiorgio. MN Navigator affordably fills that niche, going beyond static data and providing visuals that illustrate a companys data and clarify the path toward better business management. The product can specifically target areas where businesses struggle or have a hard time getting actionable information.

MarksNelson supplements MN Navigators data reporting by consulting with subscribers to help them understand what the results mean and how they can be applied to better business decision making. Together, the product and MarksNelsons consultants serve as a compass that guides smaller companies to success.

All businesses, regardless of industry, have business questions they want to evaluate before making the next strategic or tactical move, DiGiorgio said. MN Navigator gives them validation and insights needed to answer key questions, such as how to optimize profitability, evaluate staffing model challenges, identify which customers or products are most profitable, or understand what top salespeople are doing so those successes can be replicated across a sales team.

MN Navigators gold and platinum levels combine information from multiple sources, including company and comparative industry data, into a powerful visual tool that pinpoints trends and patterns. The platinum level is a best-in-class business intelligence platform powered by BUCSanalytics. Lower-level data reporting is available for firms that may not yet need the power of the gold and platinum levels but want to sample the insights MN Navigator provides.

Onboarding is as simple as a company identifying a business problem it wants to solve and supplying MarksNelson with related business data. MarksNelson then executes reporting through MN Navigator.

# # #

About MarksNelson LLC

MarksNelson LLC, an accounting and business advisory firm headquartered in Kansas City, helps clients safeguard and grow their businesses. The firm has deep accounting and business advisory experience in a variety of sectors, especially real estate, insurance, manufacturing and distribution, and construction. To learn more and make the move forward with MarksNelson, visit marksnelsoncpa.com.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Family Childbirth & Children's Center at Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD "I extend our thanks to the physicians, nurses, and staff of Family Childbirth & Childrens Center and our quality team for their hard work in achieving the Level III Perinatal Center redesignation." -- David N. Maine, M.D., President and CEO, Mercy Health Services

The Family Childbirth & Childrens Center at Mercy Medical Center has earned re-designation as a Level III Perinatal Center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS).

Level III perinatal care is provided by hospitals caring for high-risk mothers and newborns, as well as women requiring care normally provided at level I and level II perinatal care services. These hospitals, like Mercy, operate NICU's and can receive transports from other hospitals.

A family-centered facility for expectant mothers, newborn babies, pediatric patients, families and visitors, located within Mercys Mary Catherine Bunting Center, The Family Childbirth & Children's Center includes a team of OB-GYNs and pediatricians focused on complete care for children, newborns and new moms.

The 5-year designation is the result of Mercys strict adherence to numerous standards set forth in Marylands Emergency Medical Services regulatory framework including, overall Obstetrical Unit and Neonatal Unit capabilities, the presence of key providers and professionals, certain technology, lab and imaging capabilities, education programs, multi-disciplinary quality improvement programs, and much more. The designation demonstrates Mercys commitment and capability to provide complex obstetrical care and neonatal care.

On behalf of myself, the Sisters of Mercy, and the entire Mercy family, I extend our thanks to the physicians, nurses, and staff of Family Childbirth & Childrens Center and our quality team for their hard work in achieving the Level III Perinatal Center redesignation. Your continuing commitment to quality enables Mercy to further its mission of providing excellent clinical services within a community of compassionate care, said David N. Maine, M.D., President and CEO, Mercy Health Services, Mercy Medical Center.

Founded in 1874 in downtown Baltimore by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a 183-licensed bed acute care university-affiliated teaching hospital. Mercy has been recognized as a top Maryland hospital by U.S. News & World Report; a Top 100 hospital for Womens Health & Orthopedics by Healthgrades; is currently A-rated for Hospital Safety (Leapfrog Group), and is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet Hospital. For more information about Mercy, visit http://www.mdmercy.com, MDMercyMedia on Facebook, Twitter, or call 1-800-MD-Mercy.
As the only dermatologic surgeon in Cobb County offering this technology, I plan to be a trainer for future providers in the state of GA. There is currently no other device on the market like BeautiFill, and we are excited to be one of the first to share it with our patients, says Dr. John Kayal.

Believing that everyone deserves access to premier skincare and facial rejuvenation technology, Kayal Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists has recently acquired the state-of-the-art, BeautiFill system by Alma Lasers, Inc. It is the first laser-based system designed to optimize the process, time and quality of autologous fat transfer for complete aesthetic contouring of areas such as the facial folds around the mouth, cheek area, hands, breasts and buttocks. BeautiFill combines laser, suction and fat processing into one simple step, allowing physicians to quickly harvest and process high-quality fat for immediate reimplantation to address volume loss. This innovative device is a closed system which also greatly reduces the risk of infection. BeautiFill is a device that integrates a laser into the liposuction process, allowing rapid but gentle fat removal. At the same time, it isolates the highly viable fat cells that can be used for immediate reimplantation to address volume loss on small to large areas. The laser loosens the fat cells from surrounding tissue without damaging them, which makes for the rapid harvesting of fat cells. Moreover, it has a uniquely designed collection system that isolates the fat from the aspirate, making this an all-in-one fat harvesting/fat grafting system.

As the only dermatologic surgeon in Cobb County offering this technology, I plan to be a trainer for future providers in the state of Georgia. There is currently no other device on the market like BeautiFill, and we are excited to be one of the first to share it with our patients, says Dr. John Kayal.

More About John Kayal, MD:

Marietta dermatologist, Dr. Kayal is a native of northern New Jersey. He completed his internship at Yale University followed by a dermatology residency at Emory University. After residency, he pursued a fellowship in Mohs micrographic surgery. He is board-certified in dermatology and is a fellow in the American Academy of Dermatology as well as the American College of Mohs Surgery. Since 2003, Dr. Kayal has served patients from his Marietta dermatology office, where he maintains a strong commitment to providing the highest standard of care for many different medical dermatological conditions, as well as aesthetic and cosmetic services with a cutting-edge medspa. Dr. Kayal welcomes new patients and participates with most insurance plans.

Kayal Dermatology & Skin Care Specialists is located at 141 Lacy Street, NW Suite 200 in Marietta, GA. For more information about services offered please call (770) 426-7177 or text (478) 249-0370. Visit our website at https://www.nwgadermatologists.com/.


Beezar Bush: The Bush and the Rescue: a unique perspective on a familiar biblical story. Beezar Bush: The Bush and the Rescue is the creation of published author Vickie Borshow-Gibson, a loving wife, grandmother, and busy homesteader who is thankful for the full life God awarded.

Borshow-Gibson shares, Have you ever wondered why you exist? Does your child ever ask, Why arent other kids like me?

This book touches on historical issues that will affect us even to this very day. It involves a journey that so many have never thought of taking. Yet, Beezar Bush had no other options.

Beezar Bush also pondered those questions above. His plant life reveals the tough road he will venture into.

When Beezar was at the lowest point in his plant life, something happened to him. He did not understand the ultimate value of his existence and this chance meeting in the desert of Mt. Sinai. This meeting not only affected Beezar and every offspring of plants he could ever put forth, but it also had a redemptive outcome for the people of Israel. Of course, this viewpoint is from Beezars experience of it. Beezar was invited into a redemptive factor for a future event, in which his bush offspring will be used again in a redemptive and selfless act of a very brave and holy man approximately 1,500 years later.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Vickie Borshow-Gibsons new book is a compelling opportunity for biblical discourse with young readers.

Borshow-Gibsons take on the familiar tale of Moses and the burning bush is one that will explain the importance of trusting in Gods plan to any student of the Bible.

View a synopsis of Beezar Bush: The Bush and the Rescue on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Beezar Bush: The Bush and the Rescue at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Beezar Bush: The Bush and the Rescue, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
The KansasCityCIO ORBIE winners demonstrate the significance of strong technology leadership in these uncertain times. Over the past year, CIOs are leading in unprecedented ways and enabling the largest work-from-home experiment in history, according to Tabitha Sarris, Executive Director of KansasCityCIO. The ORBIE Awards are meaningful because they are judged by peers - CIOs who understand how difficult this job is and why great leadership matters.

The 2021 KansasCityCIO ORBIE Award winners are:

 Alan Lowden, CIO, H&R Block received the Leadership CIO of the Year ORBIE.

 Bill Graff, SVP & CIO, Cerner Corporation received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $4 billion annual revenue.

 John Jacobs, SVP & CIO, JE Dunn Construction received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations up to $4 billion annual revenue.

 Jason Kephart, CIO, Terracon Consultants received the Large Corporate ORBIE, for organizations up to $1 billion annual revenue.

 Sean Jennings, EVP & CTO, UnitedLex received the Corporate ORBIE, for organizations up to $500 million annual revenue.

 Rob Dickson, CIO, Wichita Public Schools received the Nonprofit/Public Sector ORBIE for Government & Education organizations.

The CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards is the premier technology executive recognition program in the United States. Since inception in 1998, over 1,500 CIOs have been honored as finalists and over 350 CIO of the Year winners have received the prestigious ORBIE Award. The ORBIE honors chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. Finalists and winners are selected by an independent peer review process, led by prior ORBIE recipients, based upon:

 Leadership and management effectiveness

 Business value created by technology innovation

 Engagement in industry and community endeavors

The KansasCityCIO ORBIE Awards keynote was delivered by Becky Blalock, former Fortune 500 CIO, New York Times Best Selling author, consultant, and board member to several organizations. Nearly 250 guests attended virtually, representing leading Greater Kansas City organizations and their technology partners.

The 2021 KansasCityCIO ORBIE Awards was made possible by the following sponsors:

 Underwriters: Concord & Google Cloud

 Gold sponsors: Fortinet & TriCom

 Silver sponsors: Workday, ServiceNow, VMWare, Zscaler, HPE, Snowflake, & Salesforce

 Bronze sponsors: Protiviti & Okta

 Media partner: Kansas City Business Journal

 National partner: YearUp

 About KansasCityCIO

KansasCityCIO is the preeminent peer leadership network of Greater Kansas City chief information officers. KansasCityCIO is one of 21 chapters of the InspireCIO Leadership Network, a national membership organization comprised exclusively of CIOs from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare and nonprofit institutions.

KansasCityCIO is led by a CIO Advisory Board, supported by an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives ensure programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CIOs and members.

 Achieve your leadership potential through KansasCityCIO: http://www.KansasCityCIO.org

 Stay connected with KansasCityCIO at: http://www.linkedin.com/company/KansasCityCIO
Light Up the World One Village at a Time Women of Global Change Founder, Dame Shellie Hunt said "The opportunity to provide a light for families and children, creates a world of growth, opportunity and sustainability that changes lives. Home lighting, so a child can read a book before bedtime is not possible unless we help to make it so."

Women of Global Change (WGC) on Sunday, August 29th at 10 am PDT is hosting a virtual event to Light Up the World in support of the WGC Philippines Chapter as they bring solar power to families homes. WGC encourages sustainability and education to those most in need with service projects throughout the globe. Lovanne Gallo, Philippine WCG Chapter President shared, It is a simple light, but for them, this makes a BIG impact for their lives- We are giving the Dumagat Tribe Families a hope to survive, see each other at a table at night and provide a light for children to read. This solar initiative also impacts climate change through conservation and the reduction of energy.

To support this mission the Summer Solstice Event focuses on the power of negotiations and wealth growth for members around the world. Author of the Go Pink Rules of Engagement, Accredited Toastmasters Speaker, veteran, and government contractor: Eldonna Lewis Fernandez, will be speaking about how to successfully negotiate in business. Members of Women of Global Change are often building out their international businesses and Eldonna has created one using her negotiation skills. Eugene Gold, the founder of Argus Merchant Services and ranked number 64 in Fortune 5000, is a financial maverick and will teach attendees about how to create more wealth with increased sales and better international payment possibilities. It is possible to be the CEO of your dreams with the right resources, network and service.

The Women of Global Change is an international multiple-award-winning non-profit 501c3 organization whose impact has crossed into multiple continents. The Women of Global Change has been honored by the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, also WGC has received White House awards for their service accomplishments, and recognitions from four U.S. Presidents, plus many International Magistrates and more with over 50,000+ families served globally to date.

WGC participates in educational initiatives, business networking events, and national and international projects of betterment through a variety of different programs, social impact missions, and leadership practices. WGC members work together in business, power, and spirit to provide a better world for women, children, and all humankind.

The Chapter has already been able to help 25 families in the village with their efforts and with a donation of $150.00 it is possible to light up another home and give a family a lifeline of opportunity. All tickets purchased for this event and donations are tax-deductible and a blessing to those less fortunate.

Join the Women of Global Change and light the world of a family.
At first glance, using hefty works of literature as an inspiration for board-book primers may seem an oxymoron. But a closer look reveals the well-synchronized playfulness and sly sophistication of Gibbs Smiths BabyLit series, which introduces children to bits and pieces of classic novels long before they enter a classroom. The Utah-based publisher is celebrating the 10th anniversary of BabyLit, which along with its spinoffs and add-ons, has close to 95 individual titles currently in print, has been translated into 12 languages, and has sold more than two million copies in North America alone.

The series was the brainchild of Suzanne Taylor, a 23-year veteran of Gibbs Smith, who now serves as the companys chief creative officer. More than a decade ago, I noticed that there was a resurgence of interest in classic literatureand an interest in finding new ways to explore it and respond to it, she recalled. And the idea of redefining the notion of classics to share them with babies occurred to meit was really a lightning-strike moment!

Her idea also ignited the enthusiasm of two very talented other Gibbs Smith staffersJennifer Adams and Alison Oliverand BabyLit was conceived. It was kismet, Taylor said. Our team of three created BabyLit, based on the premise that babies are brilliantthey come to us much smarter than we give them credit for. Our job is to coax the brilliance out of them.

Given that impetus, the BabyLit team first devised savvy baby primers which, Taylor explained, represented a more diverse way of teaching child concepts. The series creators mined beloved classics to find kid-pleasing, plot-driven motifs to explore, as evidenced in such offerings as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Camping Primer, The Odyssey: A Monsters Primer, and Around the World in 80 Days: A Transportation Primer, all written by Adams and illustrated by Oliver.

A List Takes Shapeand Morphs

Adams underscored the unique synergy between BabyLit titles and the classics on which theyre based. This is an unusual series of board books in that it takes big, weighty classics and makes them for the littlest readers, she said. But its important to note that these books are not retellings. A retelling of Anna Karenina for a three-year-old would be ridiculous! [In a shrewd paring-down, BabyLits tie-in to Tolstoys 1877 masterpiece is Anna Karenina: A Fashion Primer.] The series features primers that teach age-appropriate concepts for babies, but use the characters, settings, and storylines of classic novels to do so. When the books are working at their best, they are functioning on two levelsfor the child and also for the adult.

Over the past decade, BabyLit has grown its author and illustrator roster and the lists range of targeted age levels and formats to encompass BabyLit Storybooks, slightly longer stories for readers ages three to five; Lil Libros, a bilingual Spanish-English line; two board-book biography series, Little Naturalists and Little Poet; alphabet and counting books by Greg Paprocki; All Aboard! travel guides to such child-appealing destinations as the National Parks, London, and Paris, created by Hailey and Kevin Meyers; puzzles and games inspired by classic lit; and playsets with punch-out characters and settings to enable readers to re-enact the stories.

This fall, the publisher will add four books to the BabyLit catalogue: two Little Naturalists titles, Wangari Maathai Planted Trees and George Washington Carver Loved Plants, both written by Kate Coombs and illustrated by Seth Lucas; and two nature-themed concept books by Greg Paprocki: B Is for Bison: A National Parks Primer and Trees: A Count and Find Primer.

Gibbs Smith has also expanded its scope of relationships with various book creators, publishers, and organizations, including the southern California-based In a World with Books, a provider of free books to underserved children, to which the publisher will donate product whose value equals 5% of in-person or online bookstore BabyLit sales in 2021.

Forecasting BabyLits next 10 years, Taylor hinted at doing some fun things in the future, adding, People can depend on us to continue to go beyond the borders of traditional childrens books and provide content to help turn our brilliant babies into brilliant contributors to our world. Creating the BabyLit brand has been wonderful, and we will continue to go full steam aheadand leave no creative stone unturned.

Adams believes it is a publishing path well worth pursuing. I love that we are giving the classics to readers at the earliest agemaking them theirs, she said. The hope is that when children encounter the actual classics as young adults and adults, they will already have an affinity for them and will go on to embrace those books in their lives. Youre never too young to fall in love with the classics.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a $3.5 trillion budget framework that paves the way for vast investments in the nations social and physical infrastructure. But with a September 15 deadline looming for legislators to earmark how that money will be spent, the most critical advocacy work in a generation now faces library supporters seeking a potentially game-changing, once-in-a-lifetime funding boost for the nations libraries.

In an advocacy alert this week, the American Library Association urged library supporters to move quickly in urging their legislators to include funding for libraries in the bill.

The total amount of the bill is $3.5 trillion, and the technical term for that is: 'a lot of money, said Gavin Baker, ALA deputy director for public policy and government relations. Congressional leaders have called this a transformational piece of legislation, and they are really trying to do a lot in this one package.

But the process, Baker explains, is not exactly standard procedure. With the Senate and House now having passed their own spending bills, Congress will use the budget reconciliation process to approve a final budget, a maneuver that allows the Senate to bypass filibuster rules and bring the final measure to a straight up or down vote.

This is a little bit outside your standard Schoolhouse Rock process, Baker told PW. It gives the different committees of Congress a certain amount of money to spend, totaling $3.5 trillion, and it tells the committees to figure out how to spend this money and send us legislation to that effect no later than September 15.

In other words, with the resolution passed this week Congress has decided on the size of the pie, Baker explains. Now its up to the committees to decide how to slice it up. And while September 15 is the deadline on paper, Baker stresses that library supporters must act swiftly.

The reality is some aspects of this are likely to be done and decided prior to September 15, so the next two weeks are really the most crucial. At the same time, September 15 is likely not going to be the end of the process, so it is likely we will continue working on this after September 15. But the further along the process goes, if youre if youre not in it, its going to be increasingly difficult to get into it, Baker said.

In an August 6 column urging librarians to redouble their advocacy efforts, PW columnist Sari Feldman said the budget bill represents an inflection point for libraries.

With billions in federal funding at stake to build, rebuild, and to reinvest in Americas libraries and library services, library supporters must see this moment for what it is: an opportunity to truly transform libraries and the future of federal library support, Feldman wrote. Just think of the difference we can make in peoples lives with todays powerful information technology, and with the kind of major government investments now on the table. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by.

Baker agrees that libraries are on the cusp of a transformational moment.

"We spent the last four years of the Trump administration working to keep IMLS from being eliminated and that was highly motivating to so many people in the library community who understand how crucial that funding is, he said. Well, the amount of money were talking about in the Build Americas Librarys Act alone, for example, is about 25 times the amount that libraries get from IMLS every year. Were talking about getting the equivalent of the next quarter century of federal library funding potentially in one fell swoop.

 Were talking about getting the equivalent of the next quarter century of federal library funding potentially in one fell swoop. 

Indeed, the Build Americas Libraries Act is one of the pieces of legislation the library community has been advocating for in 2021. Sponsored by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), it would provide $5 billion to address the critical infrastructure needs of Americas libraries.

This week, Build Americas Libraries Act (H.R. 1581) got a huge boost, with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus endorsement. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is proud to endorse the bicameral, bipartisan Build Americas Libraries Act, said chair Raul Ruiz, in a statement. Libraries across our country need funding to make critical updates to their facilities and to help ensure equitable access to language and accessibility tools, information services, and career and research services."

In a statement, ALA president Patty Wong praised the endorsement. Were thrilled the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has joined the broad and growing support for these crucial investments in libraries, Wong said. "As Congress prepares the Build Back Better budget package, libraries must be included.

The Build America's Libraries Act now has 149 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, 30 cosponsors in the Senate, and has been endorsed by more than 30 organizations, including ALA, the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, North Americas Building Trades Unions, and the American Federation of Teachers.

Baker, meanwhile, told PW that while ALA is strongly advocating for the Build Americas Libraries Act, the broader goal is for libraries to secure funding for renovation and reconstruction.

The details of the legislation are not nearly so important here as the amount of funding, Baker explained. Its not inaccurate to say that we want the Build Americas Libraries Act to be passed, but its a little more accurate to say that we want the funding for the Build Americas Libraries Act to be included in this package. Basically, the ask is for Congress to include funding for library renovation and construction in the budget reconciliation package equivalent to the Build Americas Librarys Act.

Library supporters can visit the ALAs Office for Public Policy and Advocacy for resources on how to contact and engage with their local representatives. And library leaders are encouraging a robust effort from library supporters given the transformational impact the potential boost to library funding now on the table could have in communities across the nation.

Congress is calling this reconciliation bill the Build Back Better package, which I think is a perfect fit for exactly what this bill is about for libraries, Baker said. The pandemic has really highlighted how much libraries can adapt and how libraries can still provide crucial services even if nobody is in the building. But it has also highlighted just what is missing if were not there with that physical presence. Ive had so many people say to me how they cant wait to get back into the library, that they miss bringing their kids there, or just going there and feeling the vibrancy of the community and seeing their friends and neighbors. Weve all been so disconnected during this pandemic. With this funding, not only can we repair the damage of the pandemic, we will be able to make our buildings and our facilities stronger, safer, more efficient, more accessible, and more sustainable than they ever have been."
Premium online access is only available tosubscribers. If you have an active subscription and need to set up or change your password, please click here

New to PW? To set up immediate access, click here.

NOTE: If you had a previous PW subscription, click here to reactivate your immediate access. PW site license members have access to PWs subscriber-only website content. If working at an office location and you are not "logged in", simply close and relaunch your preferred browser. For off-site access, click here. To find out more about PWs site license subscription options, please email Mike Popalardo at: mike@nextstepsmarketing.com.
If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.

Submit
New York City, NY (11385)

Today

Windy...strong thunderstorms this evening will give way to a steadier rain overnight. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low 63F. S winds shifting to NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Windy...strong thunderstorms this evening will give way to a steadier rain overnight. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low 63F. S winds shifting to NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles follows the esteemed detective from London to St Petersburg as he hunts down a suspected serial killer, the infamous Jack the Ripper. The drama unfolds in stunning locations in 19th century Russia, with new characters Dr Kartsev and Sophia joining Sherlock to solve a series of mysterious cases. Launched in November 2020 , subscription-based service Salto, a joint initiative between, offers 10,000 hours of programs, including catch-up content from 19 different channels belonging to the three partners, as well as premieres of upcoming shows, and fresh content available for streaming.Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles (a START original series produced by START and SREDA, is globally distributed (ex Russia and CIS but including the Baltics and Ukraine) by ZDF Enterprises. It originally premiered in Russia on the subscription-based streaming service START in 2020 and made its linear debut on TNT earlier this year.The drama was written by Oleg Malovichko and directed by Nurbek Egen. Prior to ZDF Enterprises acquiring the licensing rights, the series was sold by START to Japans NHK Enterprises for the AXN Mystery channel. The new series will be available for the Saltos audience under the title Sherlock Les Chroniques Russes in autumn 2021.Commenting on the deal, Robert Franke, VP ZDFE.drama, ZDF Enterprises , said: French fans of the worlds most famous private investigator will be in for a real treat with this Russian spin on Sherlock. This high-end drama series delivers on all fronts: top acting talent, a great script and beautifully filmed.The deal represents the second that ZDF Enterprises has struck with Salto after the thriller series The Crimson Rivers (Les Rivieres Pourpres) and was brokered by Mirela Nastase, director ZDFE.drama, ZDF Enterprises and Thomas Crosson at Salto.
Spreading the format fruther across the world, ITV Studios award-winning format Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Is heading to Russia.

Russian celebrities will travel to a jungle in South Africa, where they will face gruesome challenges and terrifying tasks in order to win food for the camp. The first episode of the show will air this autumn on TNT.

Lika Blank, creative producer at TL Vision, said: We put together a gutsy, motivated cast, who really pushed themselves. It was tough getting a contestant to shout Im A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! Many of them showed us another side of themselves  both the young bloggers, and the long-familiar faces. They really went for it and sank their teeth into every opportunity.

In the UK, Im A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! will return to Gwrych Castle, Abergele in North Wales.
Wall Street is obsessed with COVID these days and rightly so.

The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), based on surveys of supply-chain managers, is generally regarded by the financial market as the best overall leading indicator of economic cycles. The data for August released this week paint a picture of diverging momentum among some of the largest economies in the world, especially in the most important sector of these economies  the service sector:

While the US service PMI fell again (to 55.2), its third consecutive month of decline, the Chinese service PMI jumped by more than four points to 54.9.

While the UK service PMI fell to a 6-month low, German service PMI came in near its multi-year high reached last month.

What is driving this economic divergence?

The answer should be obvious to anyone following cross-country COVID-19 trends:

In the US, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases has been surging since the start of July to reach 150,000 a day this week. The number of new cases in China also went up in July, but by much less and, over the past two weeks, it has dropped below 30 a day.

In the UK, the number of new cases, after falling back sharply in late July/early August, is creeping up again. In Germany, the number of new cases has been rising too, but very slowly, with the absolute level currently only a quarter of that of the UK.

If diverging COVID-19 trends in these countries are driving their diverging economic momentums, the question must necessarily be asked: what is the driver behind this divergence of pandemic trends?

In Chart 1, I have ranked the 30 OECD countries that are currently experiencing the highest volume of new cases relative to their population by their average daily new COVID cases per million people. The UK, and the US, each with nearly 500 cases per million, are close to the top of the field, just behind Israel, with over 800 cases per million.

What is it about Israel, the UK and the US, that they are struggling more than other countries to control the outbreak of the Delta variant?

Is it their vaccination penetration? Chart 2 shows that the UK and Israel are in the top third of the same 30 OECD countries in terms of the share of their population that have received full vaccination. Even the US (with only 50% of its population fully vaccinated) is in the second third of these OECD countries.

Is it their social distancing requirements? Chart 3 shows that the US and Israel are both in the top third among the 30 OECD countries in terms of the stringency of their policy response, at least according to the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. Even the UK is in the second third.

What the above suggests is that if we are to explain why Delta is wreaking more havoc in Israel, the UK and the US than elsewhere, we have to dig deeper. Adding to the mystery is the fact that the correlation between new COVID cases per million and the share of the fully vaccinated population for our 30 OECD countries is a positive number (14%). Go figure!

As different as Israel, the US, and the UK are from each other, they do have one distinction in common. They were among the first countries to procure and administer COVID vaccines. Indeed, by May 24, exactly three months ago, Israel had already fully vaccinated 57% of its population, the UK 34% and the US 39%. By comparison, by that date Canada had only fully vaccinated 4% of its population and Sweden 11%.

Is it possible that the fact Israel, the UK, and the US were the first to come out of the gate means they are now the first to see the effectiveness of the vaccines wearing off?

To test this hypothesis, I calculated the correlation between the average new daily cases per million and the share of population that became fully vaccinated OVER THE PAST THREE MONTHS for our 30 OECD countries. Out came a comfortingly negative number of -48%. In non-technical terms, this means that at least these countries, those that completed vaccination of a higher share of their population over the past three months have right now on average lower number of new cases per million people.

So, we have found one reason why Israel, the UK and the US have had such trouble containing the spread of the Delta. By the simple fact that they did the heavy lifting much earlier on, they only fully vaccinated an additional 3% (Israel), 29% (UK) and 13% (US) of their population since May 24.

To check the robustness of the observation, I then ran a simple linear regression of the number of new cases per million people on (1) the share of the population that became fully vaccinated over the past 3 months and (2) the stringency of the policy response lagged by 2 months.

What I find is that for every 10% increase in the share of population receiving full vaccination over the past three months, the number of new daily cases per million people drops by 40. I find that policy response matters too but its estimated coefficient is less statistically significant than that of vaccination (although that could be due to the difficulty of measuring and comparing policy responses). The model has an explanatory power of 30%, although if we are to drop countries like Mexico and Colombia it improves significantly.

These results lend support to the growing concerns that the effectiveness of vaccines may be waning faster than previously thought.

They also make clear that the race for a third booster shot is now on. Here, Israel, the UK, and the US are moving at very different speeds.

Israel, the first mover in the third booster shot, has completed administering more than 1.5 million shots over the past two weeks and is now continuing with people under 40.

The UK government announced two weeks ago that they plan to administer 32 million third booster shots in September.

The US is way behind the other two countries, with the Biden administration announcing that the third booster shot will start only on September 20.

With only 13% of the US population having received their full vaccination in the past three months, the fact that Americans must wait almost another month before they can get a third booster shot is worrying, especially given the re-opening of the schools next week and the arrival soon of cooler weather that will drive people indoors.

The Biden administration has made mandating masks and vaccination as their policy priority. The analysis in this article suggests that the greatest challenge facing the US may not be those Americans who have chosen not to be vaccinated, but those who, though having been vaccinated, are facing a waning of protection from the virus.

David Woo is the former head of Economics Research at Bank of America.
The dust has still only begun to settle after one of the most harrowing assaults on South Africas stability, its economy and its very social fabric.

But recently amid a brisk South African winter, only days before we annually commemorated the legacy of our Rainbow Nations founder, Nelson Mandela Day, did thousands of people descend upon our streets, making off with everything from essential foodstuffs to luxury items. In the provinces of Gauteng and Kwa-Zula Natal, entire shopping centers were burnt to the ground after looters ransacked them, costing the nation in total over $3 billion (USD) of damages, shaving nearly 1% off our headline GDP growth for 2021 in a near instant, while moreover, leaving hundreds injured or dead.

What happened during those days was not just a natural response to a country with the highest inequality rate in the world, but also an attempt to foment civil war. What has happened in South Africa this week has been a combination of many factors and a confluence of many causes; Jacob Zuma being jailed on a contempt charge that he caused himself; a cabal of politically connected crooks realizing that the tide was finally turning in favor of Ramaphosas new dawn because of the confidence he has given to organs of state that had been hollowed out to do their jobs; and, an incredibly downtrodden mass of people without jobs or any hopes of ever being employed.

When infrastructure began to be targeted, with schools torched, community radio stations ransacked of their equipment, and major economic distribution centers burned to the ground, when people were being dropped off at strategic locations with petrol in hand to start fires, it was clear that this was not a popular uprising fueled by the anger and hopelessness of, for example, the 75% of youth unemployed throughout the country. This was not just a natural response to the scenario of a country with the highest inequality rate in the world.

Lets be clear. This was not being done for the poor of South Africa, but an attempt to foment civil war; a chance for a small group of individuals to escape being held accountable for their own acts of corruption  and then benefit economically from the chaos they themselves helped create.

But then something quintessentially South African happened. South Africans began standing up and stated, not in my name. As the chaos threatened to destroy the provincial economy of KwaZulu-Natal and bring the economic powerhouse of Gauteng to a standstill, the contagion was containedand ultimately neutralizedby the will of the people.

In the absence of obvious police intervention, communities started self-organizing; people formed human chains around shopping centers to stop them from being demolished. Taxi drivers, the essential private/public transport solution in a country bereft of a proper public transport system and the bane of every other road user, emerged as unexpected guardians of public spaces and shops.

Other community organizations formed roadblocks, stopping cars entering townships and checking them for contraband affecting citizen's arrests and confiscating loot where necessary. In many ways, it hearkened back to the community activism of the 1980s, when the mobilization of the people internally was as great a weapon in the struggle against apartheid as the international isolation of the regime.

When I submitted this column, many of the same newly-created organizations were still hard at work, cleaning up the mess that the criminals had caused. In many cases, theyve been joined by other South Africans; white, colored and Indian, all picking up brooms and getting to work in trashed township shopping centersor if not there in-person, giving money to help the needy and start the process of rebuilding.

There is also a reckoning presently at hand; upholding rule of law is sacrosanct to preserving the social fabric of any democracy, and our 27-year old democracy is no different.

An organized mobilization campaign, utilizing guerilla-style tactics not unlike those that existed under the previous apartheid system however in this case, executed across social media, has been reportedly behind much of the uprising; and now, the perpetrators behind it are being held responsible.

It has been further reported that organizations such as the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) forces, indeed incited targeted violence that spread through KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng like a wave of terror, utilizing hash-tags on social media to crowd source and bring criminality to centralized locations, such as #cyrilmustresign, #freejacobzuma and #shutdownSA.

Case in point, there was a well-coordinated attack on ATM machines during the unrest. These machines were not attacked by the masses. Organized criminals used the chaos as cover to professionally extract cash from ATMs, to then use the cash to pay off more criminals to create more chaos, a strategy which was applied during the apartheid days.

As we move on from the wreckage of this week, we are faced with two certainties: that justice and upholding rule of law has never been more vital than it is now, and there is no time left to lose to address the structural inequalities that are only getting worse in South Africa  this is our biggest challenge as we face our new dawn.

We have to create a new social compact. We have to create sustainable jobs. Business has to work with the government to create private public partnerships (PPP) to transform a public service that has become bloated, overpaid and inept.

While South Africa presently undertakes what has been recorded to be one of the slowest post-Covid economic recoveries in the world, we cannot look back; we have to create hope once again.

South Africa is a phenomenal country, with its own unique paradoxes and contradictions. However its people, not its enviable mineral wealth or natural resources, are its greatest jewels.

Many of those people have tragically been sorely treated by wave after wave of unfulfilled and often cynical promises by our government. Promised a better life, jobs and houses that would never come, leaving millions waiting as the gap between the masses and the empowered elites metastasized into a massive tumor that just threatened the lifeforce of this nation.

In Africa, veld fires are known as terrifying phenomena that raise everything in their path, leaving swathes of devastation, but then, with the rains that inevitably follow, come the green shoots of brand-new growth.

Yes, we have immense challenges. Many of them remain unresolved after decades of colonialism and decades of apartheid. Most of them have worsened by a decade of kleptocracy, which festered under the surface of our day to day lives until it finally tested our collective mettle. The government cant fix these issues on their own.

But we also have the greatest asset of allthe resilience of a nation which has often threatened to splinter into its constituent parts but to date, thankfully, never has.

This has been our darkest hour, but we can take solace from the fact that it is always followed by the brightest new dawn. If we are to achieve this we have to work together, all of us, whether we are here at home or part of the South African expatriate diaspora that reaches to every corner of the globe. As we have seen in the kindness and humanity that followed the destruction this week, there is no action that is too small or too insignificant if it is positive.

During these events, the evil that lurks beneath, exposed itself  and was met by the good that is the true character of this wonderful country. A very real outcome of that will be a further strengthening of vital institutions that were hollowed out in the State Capture era.

This young country passed its greatest stress test actually with flying colors.

Nelson Mandela and his generation bequeathed us the blueprint for a future in which South Africa belongs to all who live in it, with equal and equitable access to all its wealth for the benefit of all. It is incumbent upon us to start building South Africa 2.0, a generation later.

The good news is that there are many of us determined to do just that.

Ivor Ichikowitz is an African industrialist and philanthropist, sponsor of the acclaimed, annually-held African Youth Survey (AYS), and one of New Africans 100 Most Influential Africans of 2020.
Biden Facing His Biggest Crisis Yet. He Will Survive It

The majority of Americans support the withdrawal from Afghanistan. That's why his approval ratings will bounce back in the long-run
Good morning, its Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, the day of the week when I reprise quotations intended to be uplifting or educational. Today, Ill provide several, in honor of the United States Marine Corps, which lost 10 from its ranks Thursday in Kabul. Two U.S. Army soldiers, and a U.S. Navy sailor died in terrorist attacks that also killed and maimed scores of Afghan civilians, many of them children. Eighteen additional U.S. service personnel were wounded, some grievously. Meanwhile, the mission of airlifting Americans and their allies continues.

They are a part of the bravest, most capable and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth, and they are a part of simply what I call the backbone of America, a shaken but resolute Joe Biden said yesterday at the White House. They are the spine of America. The best the country has to offer.

The president has expressed these sentiments previously, and I agree with him completely, a point Ill revisit in a moment. First, Id point you to RCPs front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors, including the following:

* * *

Grim and Weary, Biden Remains Resolute After Bombings. Phil Wegmann reports on the presidents remarks yesterday.

The Roots of American Failure in Afghanistan. At RealClearWorld, Ivan Eland considers presidential decisions made at the start of the war on terror.

War in Afghanistan Is Not Over. At RealClearDefense, Chris Mason explains the rationale for supporting resistance fighters in Panshir Province, where the countrys vice president and defense minister are leading the anti-Taliban charge.

After Upheaval, a Better South Africa Emerges. At RealClearMarkets, Ivor Ichikowitz hails the widespread citizen activism that arose as anarchists tried to foment civil war in some provinces.

Solyndra on Steroids? At RealClearEnergy, Larry Behrens warns of parallels between the failed solar company propped up in 2009 by the Obama-Biden administration and largesse afforded the green power industry in the new administrations $3.5 trillion spending plan.

Debt Trap Creates Ugly Look for CA Beauty Industry. At RealClearPolicy, Daryl James assails the states regulation of cosmetology schools, which has proved costly to students.

Christian Schools Outperform Public Schools During COVID. At RealClearEducation, Todd Graves spotlights the findings from a new survey.

Recovering the Foundation of American Political Life. At RealClears American Civics portal, Mike Sabo highlights a civics course for D.C. policymakers.

* * *

There are many colorful descriptions of U.S. Marines, almost all of them attesting to the bravery, dedication, and fighting ability of leathernecks -- or jarheads, to use another nickname for Marines. Some of these quotes are attributed correctly. (If you want a quotation of the fake variety, Google Marines and Eleanor Roosevelt.)

But among those that are accurate, here are four of my favorites:

-- I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold. (First Lt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC, 96th Company, Battle of Soissons, France, July 1918).

-- They [female Marines] dont have a nickname, and they dont need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines. (Lt. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, USMC, 1943).

-- Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue. (Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, March 1945).

-- The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight! (U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Frank E. Lowe, January 1952).

After watching Joe Biden speak from the East Room on Thursday, my thoughts went out not only to the families of U.S. Marines who died in Kabul, but also to those felled in Americas other recent wars and deployments. Two in particular: Brian McPhillips, a young Marine lieutenant killed in Iraq in the first days of the 2003 invasion, was a family friend. Bill Cahir, a journalist I knew and liked and admired, who enlisted in the Marine Corps after 9/11, was killed in Afghanistan during his third deployment -- at age 40. I think of Brian and Bill often.

Although Thursday was the deadliest single day for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan in 10 years, there have been far more tragic ones. On Oct. 23, 1983, two explosives-laden trucks driven by suicide bombers in Beirut attacked the compound of a U.N.-backed multinational peacekeeping operation. One of them struck the building where French paratroopers were sleeping, killing 58. A second truck utterly obliterated the four-story concrete structure housing 350 American military, killing 241 and wounding most of the rest. Among the dead were 220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and three Army soldiers. It was the deadliest day for the Marine Corps since Iwo Jima. Ronald Reagan, who was ultimately responsible for the deployment, as Joe Biden is today, called it the saddest day of my presidency, perhaps the saddest day of my life.

If there was any consolation at all for Reagan, it was that a newly minted Marine Corps lance corporal named Joseph G. Hickey hadnt yet arrived in Beirut. His father, Ed Hickey, had worked for Reagan in Sacramento and in Washington, and the two families were close, so Reagan knew Joe since he was a boy. On Sept. 23, 1983, exactly one month before the carnage in Lebanon, Reagan wrote him a letter. It began this way:

Dear Joe: Sometimes people ask me: What is the hardest part of your job? Theres never any doubt about my answer. The hardest thing I ever do is to send brave young men like you into areas of danger.

In the last paragraph, Reagan ended on a high note. Some people work an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference to the world. But the Marines dont have that problem.

And thats our quote of the week.

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
Images from the aftermath of the bombings, the single deadliest day for the United States military in a decade, had reverberated on cable news for hours before the president stepped to the lectern. Maimed Afghans. Crying Afghan families. Crippled survivors carted off in wheelbarrows. Grim-faced officers preparing to knock on the door of a widow or parents of a fallen Marine, sailor or soldier.

Been a tough day, Biden half-whispered, knowing that the most enduring images from the attacks on the Kabul airport are yet to come. Thirteen flag-draped coffins. At least. That is the current number of U.S. service members who lost their lives when two suicide bombers tore apart a desperate crowd trying to enter the airfield and exit the country.

Eighteen more were wounded, according to Pentagon officials who warned that the death toll could grow in the coming days. Early reports indicated that more than 60 Afghans are also dead with another 140 wounded. The two blasts, one at the airport gate and another at a nearby hotel, were part of "complex attack coordinated by an Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan right as the United States races to complete its evacuation.

In the East Room of the White House late Thursday afternoon, Biden mourned and defended his decision to withdraw and promised vengeance.

We are outraged as well as heartbroken, the president said, noting how he and the first lady know of loss first-hand. His son, Beau Biden, had returned from a tour in Iraq only to battle brain cancer at home. And we lost, he explained, likening his past pain to the loss that military families are now enduring. You get this feeling like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest, he told reporters  and the nation. There's no way out.

The president had spent much of the day in the Situation Room, the command center deep in basement of the West Wing where he said his generals made it clear that we can and we must complete this mission. Biden said he remains committed to the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline agreed upon with the Taliban.

Even as Americans continued their headlong evacuation ahead of that date, Biden vowed that retribution would come: To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will hunt you down and make you pay.

The portrait of George Washington, the one that Dolly Madison famously refused to abandon before the British torched the White House in the War of 1812, was to the right of the president as he spoke about the consequences of Americas longest war. In particular, Biden had to explain how the Taliban, once the enemy, were a critical part of the U.S. retreat. It is in their self-interest that we leave when we said, he said, and that we get as many people out as we can.

Earlier in the day, news broke that administration officials had given the Taliban a list of names of American citizens and Afghan allies to wave into the outer perimeter of the Kabul airport. Given the tenuous peace with the Taliban and the fact that their minions are already going door-to-door in some parts of the country hunting U.S. allies, one Defense Department official complained to Politico, Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list. In answer to a reporters question in the East Room Thursday, Biden acknowledged there were occasions when the administration passed along names, although in his telling it was very different.

The president conceded that U.S. military officials have informed the Taliban that, For example, This bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through. So, yes, there have been occasions like that.

I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names, Biden added. There may have been. But I know of no circumstance. It doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, that Here's the names of 12 people, they're coming, let them through. It could very well have happened.

All eyes, including those of the president, remain on the Kabul airport because it is the last and only exit from that chaotic country. Before Thursdays attacks, administration allies repeatedly compared the evacuation efforts to the Berlin Airlift of the Cold War. And since flights began leaving in earnest on Aug. 14, it has been the final glimpse of Afghanistan for more than 100,000 evacuees. The problem? Many others trying to flee the country, including U.S. citizens, have not been able to get past the Taliban and to the airfield.

Some critics have questioned the wisdom of leaving the more easily defended Bagram Air Base  the sprawling facility abandoned by the U.S. in the middle of the night last month  to the Taliban. Did the president personally reject recommendations to hold onto that airfield or to recapture it? Biden explained his thinking Thursday:

He gathered up all the major military personnel that are in Afghanistan. He asked for their best military judgement about how to do the job. They concluded, the military, that Bagram was not much value-added, and it was much wiser to focus on Kabul, he said. And so, I followed that recommendation.

Anger over that decision, compounded by recent American casualties along with the general chaos that has accompanied the withdrawal, fueled a wave of Republicans calling for Bidens resignation. Before the president even began speaking, Sen. Marsha Blackburn said that he, his vice president, and top military advisers should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.

His remarks did not change her mind. The Tennessee Republican told RCP afterwards that the administration had no plan and no strategy. They put Americans directly into harms way, causing American casualties. She reiterated, Resignations are needed.

When White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked to respond, she said that such questions were inappropriate in the wake of tragedy: It's not a day for politics, and we would expect that any American, whether they're elected or not, would stand with us in our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists, wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members.

A Democratic strategist wasnt as guarded. Republicans are in no position to lecture the current president, the source said, given that many on the right pushed Biden to leave in May, that the previous administration signed a catastrophic peace deal with the Taliban, and that, as a condition of that agreement, forced the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters from prison. Now theyre more eager to play politics with the lives of American service members than they are to condemn the f------ terrorists who just committed murder with suicide vests, the source told RCP. Its repulsive and weak.

If the president was aware of those politics, he made no mention of them in the East Room. He was more focused on the geopolitical concerns of the country, noting that while he did not trust the Taliban, it is in their self-interest that we leave when we said and that we get as many people out as we can. Back in the briefing room, his spokeswoman added that the governments commitment to get U.S. citizens out would not run out at the end of the month.

Was Biden trying to prepare the nation for the harsh reality that some Americans might be left behind? There are some Americans who may not have decided to leave by the 31st, Psaki responded. That is possible. Yet, there are apparently Americans who want to leave but report that they cant get past the Taliban and into the airport.

That fact hasnt escaped the president, who was softspoken when he addressed reporters. He had spent much of the day in the windowless Situation Room until that point, taking in the grim news as it came. And later in the afternoon, as thunderstorms boomed and lightning flashed over the White House, a U.S. Marine guard was posted outside the Oval Office, signaling the presidents presence. When he fielded questions, Biden seldom raised his voice or even bristled. But one exchange clearly left him exhausted.

I bear responsibility for fundamentally all that's happened of late, Biden told a reporter from Fox News. He continued, though, adding that I wish you'd one day say these things: that his predecessors agreement with the Taliban had compounded the issue. During a back-and-forth about how the withdrawal was handled, the president folded his hands around his binder and bowed his head.

He looked up when asked if he stood by his decision. Yes, I do, Biden said, explaining that his answer would have to be abbreviated because he had another meeting, for real. America only went into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks to get Osama Bin Laden, he said. Had that terrorist been in another country, Yemen, for example, Would we have ever gone to Afghanistan? And while the threat from terrorism is global, he explained, that does not require military encampments in every location.

Ladies and gentlemen, Biden said, it was time to end a 20-year war.
As the world watches in horror, the leaders of history's mightiest country are begging a terrorist group not to harm defenseless Americans left in a crumbling, trillion-dollar trap of our own design. Considering we hold all the receipts, it's worth asking how we got here. The main problem, of course, is President Joe Biden's botched withdrawal. It's scary that the people running our country can be that incompetent. Pulling out American troops before the safe withdrawal of American citizens would be a hilarious concept if it weren't what actually happened. Leaving sophisticated American military technology for these terrorists is equally mind-boggling.

If America has any hope of moving beyond its current depressed state, we each need to look introspectively at the role we have had in our own decline. In Afghanistan, as with most issues, there's plenty of blame to go around. The two opposite sides of the Afghanistan debate are the nation-building crowd and the "no forever wars" crowd. Biden's blunder aside, there are questions each side should be asking themselves that they probably aren't.

First, those who pushed for nation building in Afghanistan should explain how the past 20 years were worth the money and, more importantly, the lost lives. After 9/11, America had a right, even an obligation, to target al-Qaida and remove the Taliban government that supported it. However, the failed democracy-building exercise in the wake of that justified action cost too much money and left too many American soldiers killed and injured. It was never going to work.

In his memoir, President George W. Bush said we "had a strategic interest in helping the Afghan people build a free society," because "a democratic Afghanistan would be a hopeful alternative to the vision of the extremists." The problem, now proven, is America does not have the ability to create liberty-loving democracies out of whole cloth. Bush himself said this during the 2000 election, when he specifically campaigned against nation building. The idea of trying it out in a place as complicated, divided and corrupt as Afghanistan was borderline insane. For America to move forward, those who pushed the nation-building policies should be willing to engage directly on what happened and on what they have learned about America's limitations.

On the other extreme is the crowd railing against "forever wars." After the blunders in both Iraq and Afghanistan, most Americans want a reduced role overseas. The risk is that the reaction to excessive American interventionism is excessive American isolationism. The post-World War II era, defined by muscular U.S. leadership and advanced U.S. troop deployment in many places around the world, has been successful by historic standards. The world is always a mess. But you can't look at the past 70 years compared with the 70 prior and argue that U.S. leadership hasn't added stability and saved lives. U.S. leadership has not been perfect, but it has been better than any other alternative.

After spending too many years, lives and dollars, the U.S. war in Afghanistan largely ended during the Trump administration. Since then, we have had a very small number of U.S. troops involved primarily in advisory and coordinating roles. This doesn't excuse the years of mistakes or make the losses worthwhile, but the gains were worth preserving. In the past year or so, the situation in Afghanistan had largely stabilized with as few as 2,500 American troops on the ground. The Afghan army that the U.S. trained, the one that folded like a tent once we withdrew, was largely able to hold its own with guidance, coordination and leadership from the U.S. They had serious issues with corruption and leadership, but their biggest problem was their complete dependence on U.S. technology. The U.S. military trained them that way. It's in America's interest to disrupt groups like al-Qaida and ISIS; having an Afghan army to do it for us (with U.S. coordination) so American troops don't die doing it is better than a lot of alternatives.

The U.S. has thousands of troops stationed all over the world. Europe is still full of U.S. troops. Parts of Asia are as well. Yet nobody is claiming World War II or the Korean War are forever wars. When did zero American troops on the ground become the standard, and is that a standard we really want? Those are questions the "no forever wars" crowd needs to answer. If we could have held a small base in Afghanistan and kept 2,000 troops as advisers to hold off the Taliban, would that have been better than what we have now? On the flip side, if we do face a renewed terrorist threat in Afghanistan after full U.S. withdrawal, are we going to be able to counter it effectively? Will cruise missiles from thousands of miles away really be enough? We can't fly our bombers over without risking conflict with a neighboring country. None of that is easy.

History is often a series of corrections turning into overcorrections. The reality is that neither side is 100% right or wrong. The U.S. needs to act with far more caution and respect for the American people's hard-earned tax dollars, the lives of the soldiers we put in danger and the difficulty of entanglements overseas. However, this can't mean that the standard is action only with no risk at all to U.S. troops (as Biden seems headed for in Afghanistan). In Afghanistan, a counterterror operation turned into nation building. Just because we'd learned that nation building was not possible in a state like Afghanistan, should we have completely abandoned the original mission? Or should we have paired it down to something more realistic and sustainable? Leaving Islamic fundamentalists to rule in a vacuum is not ideal. We should have had this conversation years ago. Instead, we may be having it in the wake of the next terrorist attack we don't see coming.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/26/2021



ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Katie Thurston has fired back at critics claiming she's still "obsessed" with her exes from Season 17 who are now appearing on Bachelor in Paradise.On Tuesday night, Katie shared her live reactions to Bachelor in Paradise's third seventh-season episode on Instagram Stories, and most of her comments were directed at men from her season.Katie watched Thomas Jacobs , for example, and said, "I feel like I'm watching my season."She also noted Thomas "looks good with the facial hair," adding, "I'll give him that."Katie then joked about how Aaron Clancy and James Bonsall had found "their next victim" in Thomas and that Thomas needed to "watch out."Katie later disagreed with Thomas saying Tre Cooper is "not emotionally strong." Katie argued that on the contrary, "Tre is a man! Tre knows how to embrace his emotions."Katie went on to watch Thomas sitting down for a group chat with a handful of her exes -- including Connor Brennan , Aaron, James and Tre."IDK what is even happening. I'm just in awe that I've made out with all these guys. Wait. Not [ Karl Smith ]," Katie wrote on footage of the show.Katie also playfully didn't appreciate hearing Connor sang a song on the beach about his love interest, Maurissa Gunn, a song he had previously written for Katie on her season."That was my song! I have no words," Katie complained.Katie then shared a screenshot of a DM she had received from one of her followers.The troll wrote to Katie, "Imagine being engaged [to 17 winner Blake Moynes ] and you're still obsessing over her exes."Katie fired back to the message, "Imagine being secure enough in your relationship and still supportive of a group of men who went through something no one else will understand."Katie has insisted in recent days that she's very happy in her relationship with Blake and their engagement is definitely still on.Katie, however, confirmed on her Instagram Stories that she's not in a rush to wed Blake.When her sister texted her, "How soon do you guys plan on getting married?" Katie replied, "Not soon at all. He's Canadian... So we have a lot to work through first."Katie subsequently explained how Blake can currently only stay a total of 60 days in the United States on a Tourist Visa given he's a citizen of Canada."We really do have a lot we have to look into," Katie shared, "and we just haven't yet -- before we can really plan anything else."Katie recently visited Toronto and explored Blake's hometown and stomping grounds, but she plans to move into a San Diego, CA, apartment by the beginning of September. For now, she's in New York and revealed earlier this month that she intends to have Blake join her soon in The Big Apple.When Blake proposed marriage to Katie on finale, he said being Katie's last man standing felt like a fairy-tale and they had a connection that initially seemed too good to be true."I know how great of a wife you're going to be and mother you're going to be. But I know there's things that scare you," Blake told Katie."I know that you in the past have talked about how you've had to compromise who you are to make relationships work, and I don't want you to do that. But I can't give you what you came her for.""Because you deserve a lot more than that. You deserve the world, and I'm excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward... Will you marry me?"Katie shouted in reply, "Yes!"Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
Vanessa Estelle Williams, who reprises her 1992 role in the horror movie Candyman, said the 2021 film, in theaters Friday, was filmed from the victims' perspective.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We're speaking to a whole intergenerational system of trauma and violence," Williams told UPI in a phone interview. "It's the history of America."

Candyman is a Black supernatural killer who stalks urban cities. The Candyman in 1992 was Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd, who also appears in the new film). The son of a slave in late 1800s New Orleans, Robitaille was lynched for his love affair with a white woman.

In 1992, residents of the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago could summon the Candyman by saying his name five times in a mirror. He would appear and kill the speaker with the hook he had in place of his right hand.

Anne-Marie McCoy (Williams) was one of the Cabrini-Green residents. When a new Candyman terrorizes modern-day Cabrini-Green, Anne-Marie warns the new inhabitants to take him seriously.

"She knew from her experience that it wasn't a legend," Williams said. "It was an actual fact of her life and one that she worked so hard to recover from."

The 1992 film was based on the Clive Barker short story, The Forbidden. Bernard Rose wrote and directed it. The new film is co-written by Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. DaCosta also directed.

Williams, 58, said the new filmmakers used Candyman to address how racial violence begets more violence. The new Candyman is another Black man who fell victim to racial violence. Williams recalled Peele's take on the film.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

"He says the center of this movie is about the eternal dance between monster and victim, and the racial history of this country," Williams said.

Police violence is one topic the new film incorporates. DaCosta's film also addresses how modern-day Cabrini-Green became a gentrified suburb in which artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) lives with his girlfriend, Brianna (Teyonah Parris).

"Nia talked about gentrification as another form of violence against the community," Williams said. "[A street] goes from being Malcolm X Boulevard to being David Bowie Drive."

Universal Pictures, which is releasing Candyman, also made a discussion of racial violence part of the film's marketing. Viewers can visit www.candymanmovie.com/impact and view a roundtable talk in which experts on social issues, mental health and horror movies discuss how Candyman addresses Black culture.

"For me, the way the movie talks about the whole history of violence against Black men and the Black community is the most horrifying thing," Williams said. "It's the thing that's haunting and the thing that's really real."

Williams said she hopes a fictional horror movie like Candyman can illuminate these social issues for audiences. She said the apparition with the hook is scary, but his motivations stem from the real world.

"We can leave the movie theater and know that a man with a hook isn't necessarily going to come and rip you open," Williams said. "But these systems of racism that are in place are something that we have to navigate."

Williams said she was not even sure Universal would reveal she was in the new film, since having her character appear would offer clues for the fans. So, Williams said, she was pleased when trailers included a moment of Anne-Marie shushing Anthony before he can say Candyman's name.

"I think the Candyman fans know exactly what's going on," Williams said. "They recognize everything."

Anne-Marie's final moment leaves her future in question. Williams said at the end of her scene with Anthony, Anne-Marie's stability is in question.

"She's about to lose it," Williams said. "She's going to completely collapse, so I don't know what happens to her."
TRAVERSE CITY  The medical director for the Grand Traverse County Health Department contends county commissioners crossed the line from illogical to irresponsible when they passed a resolution that curbs messaging public health officials distribute in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think its important for the health department to be free to advise and opine on important matters, said Dr. Michael Collins, who has been with the GTCHD since 1993. Advising, educating and offering opinions are an important part of the health departments functions.

County commissioners voted to enact the Vaccine Awareness and Medical Autonomy resolution on Aug. 18. It bans the county from mandating a COVID-19 vaccine or proof of a negative COVID test for its employees.

The latest on COVID-19 Continuing coverage of COVID-19 and its impact. If you have a question about the novel coronavirus pandemic and haven't been able to find an a

Collins penned an opinion column in response to the resolution that appears on page 3A of todays Record-Eagle.

In addition to the mandate bans, the resolution alters messaging distributed by the Grand Traverse Health Department, which must now include information that encourages people to talk to their health care provider about the risks and benefits associated with the vaccine.

The resolution also says the county will not encourage employers in the county to establish mandates that hinder medical autonomy, such as vaccines and testing.

The resolution essentially gags the department, not only from making recommendations designed to keep the public safe, but also from promoting the vaccine or expressing an opinion, Collins said.

It fairly nakedly says that we shall not encourage other employers from adopting measures that would hinder the spread of the virus, Collins said.

Collins, who is 78, said he is not afraid of repercussions from the county for speaking out against the resolution as he is a contracted employee with the health department. If he is let go he can live with that, he said.

Integrity is more important than that, he said.

Commission Chair Rob Hentschel said he hasnt discussed the resolution with Collins, though acknowledged the medical directors First Amendment rights to criticize those who are essentially his bosses.

Hentschel also said he thought Collins made assumptions about what is in the resolution and what is not.

The resolution is about medical autonomy and it sounds like the contracted medical director doesnt believe in medical autonomy, apparently, I dont know, I havent talked to him about what his views are, Hentschel said.

The resolution isnt anti-vaccine, but rather pro-individual liberties, Hentschel said, adding he thought the health department was preaching this message about vaccines, while not enough conversations were being had about possible side effects.

People are terrified because COVID has become a cult  and you can quote me, Hentschel said. People are treating masks and vaccines  its this cultish following that has become a religion to some people where theyre going to blast their neighbor if they dont do it the way they do. Thats just not America.

The resolution was not prompted by any county action that would have mandated vaccines. County Administrator Nate Alger has said employees are being counted on to use their own judgement when it comes to vaccines, testing or quarantining when infected with the virus.

The resolution and Collins rebuke comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations across the Munson Healthcare system, mostly driven by the highly-contagious Delta variant, reached 44 Thursday, with 27 of them at the Traverse City medical center.

In all there have been 45,053 COVID cases in northern Michigan and 871 deaths, according to information at the Munson tracker.

Hentschel said he hoped passing the resolution would enable and encourage people to do their own research, consider their own situation and what was best for their own health.

The resolution passed on a vote of 5-1 after more than two hours of public input  much of it from those who support it. Commissioner Betsy Coffia voted against, saying no one on the board has the expertise or education to manage a public health crisis.

Hes right, Coffia said of Collins stand against the resolution, adding Hell yes I am, and you can quote me on that, when asked whether she is standing by her no vote.

The resolution was approved despite a letter from Munson Healthcare officials to commissioners stating the hospital does not support the resolution.

Munson Healthcare believes that it is critical to continue to address this pandemic and any other health crisis with science and the best epidemiologic practices available, the letter states, which includes the consistent message that vaccines are one of the most powerful tools available to fight the pandemic.

Vaccines stop the spread of the disease and decrease the chance the virus will mutate even more than it already has, the letter stated.

It was signed by Dr. Christine Nefcy, Munsons chief medical officer; Dr. Christopher Ledtke, infectious disease specialist; and Dr. Jim Whelan, medical director.

Collins said the health department is adopting a policy of silence on the issue while still doing great work in vaccinating people, testing and contact tracing.

But were going to be essentially quiet as far as public opinion and doing anything that would seem to violate that resolution, he said.

This story has been corrected to say the county will not encourage area employers to establish mandates that hinder medical autonomy, such as vaccines and testing.
Katonah, NY (10536)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain, some heavy early. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain, some heavy early. Low 59F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
The University of Georgia chapter of the United Campus Workers of Georgia held a demonstration in front of the Administration Building on Friday afternoon, protesting the University System of Georgias decision to not implement mask or vaccine mandates for the fall semester.
Greenville, NC (27833)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 67F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 67F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
FILE - In this March 6, 2017, file photo, Gloucester County High School senior Gavin Grimm, a transgender student, speaks during a news conference in Richmond, Va. The Gloucester County School Board has agreed to pay $1.3 million in legal costs to the American Civil Liberties Union after the nonprofit spent six years representing a student who sued over the board's transgender bathroom ban
The Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce has updated its calendar of events for August and September. Note: Members should check on whether the meeting will be held virtually or in person before they attend any event. For more information and registration, go to nwctchamberofcommerce.org or call 860-482-6586.

The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce has once again partnered with E&M Consulting, Inc. to produce our Membership Directory.

The publication will be available in both print and digital formats. E&M will be managing the project, including advertising sales and layout/graphic design. They are extremely professional and produce a high-quality publication, and we ask that you give them a moment of your time.

E&M will be contacting all members about the advertising opportunities available. The publication is made available to every member  a great opportunity to promote and give your company additional exposure.

If you have any questions, or would like to advertise, please contact an E&M sales associate at 800-572-0011 ext.8005 or advertising@emconsultinginc.com. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.

Events

Aug. 31, Health Insurance Executive Breakfast, 8 a.m., Green Woods Country Club, Winsted. Registration required.

Sept. 9, Legislative Reception at Northwestern CT Community College, 7:30 a.m., Northwest CT Community College, Winsted. For details, call or visit the website.

Sept. 14, 5-7 p.m., Business After Hours, hosted by Five Points Center for the Visual Arts, University Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 14, 5-7 p.m., Business After Hours, hosted by Five Points Center for the Visual Arts, University Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 23, Chamber's Board of Directors Meeting, 8 a.m., chamber office.

Meetings

Sept. 1, WOW Womens Forum Advisory Committee, 8;30 a.m. To join this committee, which oversees and organizes the annual womens forum, call or visit the website.

Sept. 2, Membership Committee, 8 a.m., for information, call or visit the website.

Sept. 7, Small Business Council, 8 a.m., registration information, call or visit the website.

Sept. 8, Leads Group 2, 8:30 a.m., chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Leads Group 3, 9 a.m., chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 13, Leads Group 1, noon, chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 14, 8 a.m., Leads Group 4, chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 15, Health Council, 8 a.m., chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington. To learn more about this group, call or visit the website.

Sept. 21, Insurance Committee, 8 a.m., chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 22, Leads Group 2, 8:30 a.m., chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington.

Sept. 23, Chamber's Board of Directors Meeting, 8 a.m., chamber office.

Sept. 27, Leads Group 1, noon, chamber office, Kennedy Drive, Torrington

JoAnn Ryan is president and chief executive officer of the NW CT Chamber of Commerce. You can reach her by email: joann@nwctchamberofcommerce.org or phone: 860-482-6586.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Arkansas reported 32 new COVID-19 deaths Thursday, as the University of Arkansas said it would no longer allow its parking lots to be used for a motorcycle rally that's drawn complaints over being held during the state's virus surge.

The Department of Health said the state's COVID-19 death toll since the pandemic began reached 6,806. The state also reported more than 2,300 new coronavirus cases.

Arkansas ranks fifth in the country for new cases per capita, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University researchers.

The state reported more than 31,000 vaccine doses given, a major spike compared to recent days. A Health Department spokeswoman, however, said some of the doses reported Thursday were data adjustments and did not occur in the previous 24 hours.

The number of people in the state hospitalized with COVID-19 dropped by 43 to 1,325. The number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators dropped by two to 352, a day after the state hit a new high.

There are 528 COVID-19 patients in the state's intensive care units. Thirty of the state's ICU beds are currently available, though it was unclear how many are equipped for COVID-19 patients. The state on Tuesday ran out of ICU beds for coronavirus patients, the first time that happened since the pandemic began.

The University of Arkansas said it was canceling its agreement for the Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally scheduled to begin next month to use the Fayetteville campus' parking lots. The move comes a day after Washington Regional Medical Center urged that the event, expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people, be postponed.

Organizers for the rally did not immediately respond to an email. The voicemail listed for the event's number was full.

We have determined and informed the organizers of the BB&BBQ event that we believe it is in the best interest of the community that we terminate the license agreement that would have allowed organizers to use university parking lots for this years event," UA Spokesman Mark Rushing said in an email.
ASHLAND, Ala. (AP)  An east Alabama cabinet factory is planning a $15 million expansion that will create more than 200 new jobs, Gov. Kay Ivey's office said Thursday.

Wellborn Cabinet Inc., a family-owned business which already employs more than 1,300 people in rural Clay County, will add four buildings to its plant in Ashland, which makes bath and kitchen cabinets. The project includes a mill, a paint facility, day care and health facilities.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Carolina are reaching levels only seen in the worst days of the pandemic before vaccines were widely available, leading hospitals to warn unless the spike in cases is curbed soon there will be dire consequences.

There were 6,697 new cases of the disease reported Friday in South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported.

The only days with more cases reported since the pandemic started 18 months ago were 7,680 cases on Jan. 6 and 7,450 on Jan. 8.

The expected surge in new cases once children returned to school across South Carolina and the proliferation of the highly transmissible delta variant has fueled a spike that requires our attention and legislative consideration of the removal of masking restrictions," the health agency wrote in a statement.

The Republican-dominated General Assembly in June passed an item in the state budget threating to take state money away from school districts that require masks. Back then, South Carolina was averaging 150 new COVID-19 cases a day. Now that average is above 4,500 new cases.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is one of the biggest defenders of the mask ban and hasn't directly addressed the pandemic since Aug. 9.

Hospitalizations and deaths are also rising. South Carolina is averaging 30 deaths a day after being at less than three deaths a day in mid-summer.

Doctors across the state have held news conferences this week with grim warnings. They have all repeatedly said this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Around 90% of the COVID-19 patients in hospitals have not been fully vaccinated.

Hospitals across the state are warning of full emergency rooms and ICUs. Prisma Health, which operates hospitals in about half the state, had 464 COVID-19 patients Friday. The hospitals in the Midlands and Upstate had 12 on July 2, officials said.

Lexington Medical Center last week had almost 70 patients on ventilators last week, the most in the 50-year history of the hospital. The only reason the hospital hasn't set another record is several patients died, said Dr. Brent Powers, chief medical officer for the hospital.

The hospital has started plans to curtail elective procedures and clear room for extra patients. But at some point, nurses, doctors and other staff can only put in so many hours, Powers said.

The fear, and you can see it in everyones eyes at these meetings  is this going to be a three-to-four-week thing or is this going to be a three-to-four-month thing? Powers said. If its three to four months, our community is going to suffer in ways that I dont think it has ever experienced before.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Kansas hospitals are clamoring for traveling nurses as the number of COVID-19 patients rises to levels last seen in January.

The state had 407 open travel nurse positions as of Monday, according to data from Aya Healthcare, a leading travel nursing agency. Employers are willing to pay big dollars, with advertised positions in Kansas and Missouri topping $5,600 a week, The Kansas City Star reports.

You cant fault them for wanting to take advantage of this opportunity," said Kelly Sommers, director of the Kansas State Nurses Association. She said nurses are making three times more traveling than they could in a regular job.

Robin Allaman, chief nursing officer at the 25-bed Kearny County Hospital in tiny Lakin, told The Associated Press that the rising prices are making it hard to hire traveling nurses.

There is somewhat of a bidding war going on for those staff members, so you may think you have someone coming the next day and then only to call and find out that they have canceled your contract and accepted one for much higher pay, she said.

Cindy Samuelson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital Association, said in an email to the AP that the demand for traveling nurses over the last month in a region that includes Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska has increased anywhere from 35% to 127%, depending on the type of position.

The association has floated several options to address the demand, including additional funding to offset the cost to retain and recruit staff. The money, which would presumably go toward pay and benefits for staff, would help keep these burned out staff members across our communities retained, Samuelson said.

Additional measures proposed by the association include helping small, sometimes rural, hospitals keep acutely ill patients in their facilities. This could involve more extensive consultations between doctors at larger hospitals that have handled many COVID-19 patients and those at smaller facilities with less experience.

The association has also discussed finding ways to refer more rural patients transferred to large hospitals back to their small community hospitals after they improve, as well as providing flexibility around licensing to make sure professionals coming from other states can begin working quickly.

In a letter Wednesday, Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, urged Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to act on a serious shortage of nurses in hospitals. He raised the possibility of using federal COVID-19 funds for sign-on bonuses, overtime pay and other incentives.

Kelly also expressed concerns about the staffing problems in a news conference last week. She has promoted vaccinations as a way to reduce infections and has encouraged schools to require masks. Most of the state's largest districts  including Wichita and Shawnee Mission  are now doing so.

On Wednesday, she posted a link on Facebook to a new YouTube video calling for parents to get children over 12 vaccinated, have all youngsters wear masks in school and to test regularly.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank /

A New Hartford woman was sentenced to a week in jail for walking on thermal ground in Yellowstone National Park, according to Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray.

Madeline Casey, 26, was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, $40 in fees and a $1,000 community service payment to the parks Forever Geological Resource Fund. Casey appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming on Aug. 18 for sentencing.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Few Palestinians in the occupied West Bank get to board an airplane these days. The territory has no civilian airport and those who can afford a plane ticket must catch their flights in neighboring Jordan. But just outside the northern city of Nablus, a pair of twins is offering people the next best thing.

Khamis al-Sairafi and brother Ata have converted an old Boeing 707 into a cafe and restaurant for customers to board.

Ninety-nine percent of Palestinians have never used an airplane. Only our ambassadors, diplomats, ministers and mayors use them. Now they see an airplane and it is something for them,' said Khamis al-Sairafi.

After a quarter century of effort, the brothers opened The Palestinian-Jordanian Airline Restaurant and Coffee Shop al-Sairafi on July 21.

Families, friends and couples turned up for drinks in the cafe situated below the body of the plane. Many others came to take photos inside at a price of five shekels (about $1.50) per person.

Customers said they were motivated to visit after seeing pictures of the renovated plane circulating online. For a long time, I have wanted to see this place. I wish I had seen this place before it was turned into a cafe, said customer Majdi Khalid.

For years, the jetliner sat along the side of a major highway in the northern West Bank, providing endless fodder for conversation for passersby baffled by its hulking presence.

The 60-year-old identically dressed twins' dream of transforming the airplane into a cafe and restaurant was born in the late 1990s when Khamis saw the derelict Boeing aircraft near the northern Israeli city of Safed.

At the time, the plane already had an illustrious history. The aircraft was used by the Israeli government from 1961 to 1993 and flew then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the United States in 1978 to sign Israel's historic peace agreement with Egypt, according to Channel 12 TV.

It was later bought by three Israeli business partners who dreamed of turning it into a restaurant, but the project was abandoned following disagreements with local authorities, the station said.

After tracking down one of the owners, the brothers agreed to buy it for $100,000 in 1999. They spent an additional $50,000 for licenses, permits and to transport it to the West Bank.

Khamis said the then-mayor of Nablus, Ghassan Shakaa, quickly approved the transportation and renovation of the airplane.

Moving the plane to Nablus was a 13-hour operation, requiring the wings to be dismantled and the temporary closure of roads in Israel and the West Bank. At the time, Israel and the Palestinians were engaged in peace talks and movement back and forth was relatively easy.

The al-Sairafi brothers were successful traders and scrap metal merchants. They regularly traveled to and from Israel buying pieces of metal that they then sold and smelted in the West Bank. They also owned a successful waste disposal business and used their earnings to build an amusement park  including a swimming pool and concert venue  on the same patch of land where the plane was placed.

But they said their project was put on hold after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in late 2000.

An Israeli military checkpoint was built nearby, they said, preventing customers from the nearby city of Nablus from reaching the site. The checkpoint remained for three years and the Israeli military took over the site. The project collapsed.

They even built tents under the wings of the plane, Ata al-Sairafi said.

The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

For nearly 20 years, the airplane and the site were abandoned. After the uprising faded out in the mid-2000s, the brothers scraped by with their waste disposal business and the small amusement park in Nablus they opened in 2007.

After more than a decade of saving, they decided in 2020 to begin rebuilding what they lost, this time starting with the renovation of the airplane. The coronavirus crisis, which included multiple lockdowns, hit the Palestinian economy hard and caused further delays.

Following months of work, the aircraft is almost ready for full service. The interior is freshly painted, fitted with electricity and nine tables and the doors are connected to two old sets of airstairs allowing customers to board safely. The nose of the plane has been painted with colors of the Palestinian flag and the tail with Jordanian colors.

The cafe is already open and the brothers hope to open the restaurant next month. They plan to install a kitchen below the body of the plane to serve food to customers on board.

However, their long-term goal of re-building the amusement park and swimming pool remains a long way off. The pair said they were disappointed they had not received financial support from the municipality and are looking for investors.

God willing, I hope the project works and that it becomes the best it can be, said Ata al-Sairafi.
Obituaries for the Miami County Republic are free for the first 70 words. More information may be presented for an additional fee. For fee information, please consult your funeral director or call (913) 294-2311.



Funeral homes may fax information to (913) 294-5318 or email to obits@miconews.com. Please include your contact information. Photos may be emailed in jpeg format. Deadline to run in the printed paper is 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The Miami County Republic publishes on Wednesday.



Private-party obituaries are taken 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays.

Go to form
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on August 27, stated that India, at the 7th meeting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) Environment Ministerial 2021, stressed the need for taking concrete collective global actions against the environment and climate challenge guided by equity, national priorities and circumstances, and the principles of Common but differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).

The meeting was held virtually at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, under the chair of India and was participated by the Environment Ministers from the BRICS nations. This was preceded by the BRICS Joint Working Group on Environment meeting on 26th August 2021.

Chairing the meeting, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, stated that India has given due importance to BRICS and said that 2021 has been a very crucial year not only for the BRICS nations but for the whole world as well. He emphasized that BRICS members should initiate and play significant roles in redressing the contemporary global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution and marine plastic litter.

'Maybe last signal for taking concrete global actions against climate challenges'

Referring to the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Sixth Assessment Report Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science, Yadav said that the report might be the last signal for taking concrete collective global actions against global environmental and climate challenges.

Additionally, Yadav informed the BRICS members that India has set an example under the visionary leadership of PM Modi by taking robust steps in multiple fields including renewable energy, sustainable habitats, creation of carbon sinks through additional forest and tree cover, transition to sustainable transport, e-mobility, and mobilizing the private sector to make climate commitments. Yadav also mentioned the importance of Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy, Conservation of Wildlife and Marine Species or biodiversity, and concrete actions taken by India on climate change and biodiversity.

BRICS Countries being hotspots for biodiversity can tell the world how we have been conserving such mega diversity since time immemorial, and can also play a very significant role in combating the Covid-19 pandemic., stated the Environment Minister.

In the meeting, the delegates accepted New Delhi's statement on the environment and advancing the spirit of 'cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus in the environment' among the BRICS members.
Kathmandu, Aug 27 (PTI) India has donated relief materials worth Rs 80 million (800 lakh) to Nepal as part of humanitarian assistance to help the affected families in 15 flood-hit districts of the country.

In view of the recent destruction and loss of life caused by floods and landslides, the entire consignment will be distributed through NepalIndia Women Friendship Society (NIWFS) and Pragyik Vidyathi Parishad (PVP) in coordination with the local governments, the Indian embassy here said in a statement.

The relief materials includes tents, plastic sheets, sleeping mats and medicines for distribution among flood and landslide affected families in 15 districts of Nepal, it said.

This gift is part of the Government of Indias periodic humanitarian assistance and flood and landslide relief material support to Nepal, the statement said.

On behalf of the Government of India, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of India, Namgya C Khampa, handed over consignments to Chanda Chaudhary, MP and President of NIWFS, and Narayan Dhakal, National Organising Secretary (PVP), it said.

The affected districts are Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Siraha, Saptari, Rupandehi, Gorkha, Manang, Sindhupalchok, Rasuwa, Dolakha and Dhading across Nepal, it added.

Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains across Nepal left nearly 40 people dead and wounded over 50 others, the Home Ministry said last month.

A total of 790 houses have been inundated, 519 homes, 90 cowsheds and 19 bridges were destroyed due to the floods and landslides, it had said. PTI SBP MRJ MRJ

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
As a part of India's periodic humanitarian assistance, on behalf of the central government, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu handed over a relief package to Nepal on Thursday, August 26. This came after neighbouring country Nepal witnessed a series of devastating floods and landslides. The Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of India, Namgya C Khampa, provided food relief consignment to Nepal's Member of Parliament and President of the Nepal-India Women's Friendship Society (NIWFS), Chanda Chaudhary, and Narayan Dhakal, who is the National Organizing Secretary of Pragyik Vidyarthi Parishad (PVP).

India provides relief consignment to Nepal government

The relief consignment provided by India contained (Nepali rupees) NPR 8 crore worth of relief materials like tents, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, and medicine for distribution among flood and landslide-affected families in 15 flood-driven districts of Nepal. The government of India has handed over relief materials worth NPR 4 crore 73 lakhs to the Nepal-India Women's Friendship Society along with NPR 2 crore 50 lakhs to Pragyik Vidyarthi.

Parishad, President of the Nepal-India Women Friendship Society, after receiving the package, said, "The materials include tents, plastic sheets, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, medicines, and others. They will be distributed to 9 districts. The flood relief materials will be distributed among the affected families in the Province 2 districts of Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha, Saptari, and Rupandehi of Province 5".

"Some flood-ravaged districts of Nepal will get big-sized tents, tarpaulins, small family-sized tents, sleeping mats, and medicine. The Pragyik Vidyarthi Parishad will carry out relief distribution in the mountainous districts of Sindhupalchok, Rasuwa, Manang, Dhading, Dolakha, and Gorkha, a total of 6 districts, and we are working on it, "said the National Organising Secretary of PVP. "All the measures and attempts are being carried out to outweigh the hardships and situational difficulties experienced by people on the ground, and aim to improve the situation, which has always been our aim and concern. We hope that these relief materials will play a major role in providing relief to people, "Khampa added.

IMAGE: ANI

(With ANI Inputs)
On Thursday, the Border Security Force (BSF) Officers in West Bengal seized a smuggler trying to escape the border with 6.8kg silver jewellery worth 3.43 lakhs from India to Bangladesh. The smuggler was caught by BSF personnel of 112 Battalion of the South Bengal Frontier on Thursday, while he was illegally smuggling silver ornaments estimated to be 3,43,658, the BSF had said in a statement. The smuggler was trying to escape the country through the Border Out Post Amudia.

BSF Personnel in West Bengal catches smugglers with silver ornaments worth 3.43 lakhs

As per an ANI report, BSF said in a statement, "Two BSF intelligence personnel at Border Out Post Amudia laid a trap near Chituri village and also informed the Company Commander about it following intelligence inputs. The BSF personnel tracked a suspicious person, travelling on a bicycle to Chituri village and they decided to follow him. The smuggler tried to escape the scene to evade being caught, however, he was grabbed by the BSF team led by the Company commander who reached the area at the right time.

"After a while, they saw a suspicious person on a bicycle coming towards Chituri from Balti village. The BSF intelligence personnel tried to stop him but the smuggler tried to run away. At the same time, the Company Commander along with his team reached the spot and the person was apprehended," said the BSF. After he was caught, the smuggler was searched and the BSF recovered silver ornaments from his possession. Bakul Ghazi, 37, a native of Tarali Dakshin Pada in North 24 Parganas, has been identified as the smuggler captured.

During preliminary interrogation, the smuggler revealed that he does petty smuggling work for his survival and that the recovered silver jewellery was taken from one Bapi, a resident of Datta Para village in North 24 Parganas. The material was to be delivered to one Shahid belonging to Kakdanga village in Satkhira district in Bangladesh," said the BSF. According to the BSF, the smuggler was to be paid 1,000 for smuggling the silver jewellery to its designated mission and the seized person and silver ornaments were handed over to Customs Office Tetulia for further legal action.

(With Inputs from ANI)

(Image: ANI)
Hours after Punjab Congress's Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's advisor Malvinder Singh Mali resigned from the post, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday demanded that Mali be arrested on charges of sedition and treason over his contentious remarks on Jammu and Kashmir. Mali was designated as the advisor to Sidhu on August 11.

'Mali's comments are an insult to our jawans getting martyred along the borders'

Rebuking Mali's comments, senior leader of the SAD, Bikram Singh Majithia said, "Mali's comments are an insult to our jawans who are getting martyred every day along the border with Pakistan."

In a statement, Majithia said Mali quitting from the post of Sidhu's adviser will not serve enough and that there is a need to set an example to convey a message to many that no one will be entitled to raise questions on India's unity or threaten its sovereignty. "The government should book Mali on charges of sedition and treason," Majithia said.

CM @capt_amarinder must book @INCPunjab President @sherryontopps former adviser Malwinder Mali for sedition & treason for terming Kashmir as India-occupied territory. He was trying to incite people against their own country. pic.twitter.com/KIJHdqiQCB  Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) August 27, 2021

Mali remark courts controversy

Sidhu's advisor, Mali, through a social media post, had recently courted controversy on the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier on Sunday, Mali wrote on Twitter, "Kashmir is a separate country, and India and Pakistan are illegal occupants." Mali had reportedly questioned if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. He had also stated, "Kashmir is a 'country' of Kashmiri people."

Malvinder denies 'advisor' post to Sidhu

On the other hand, in a statement posted on his Facebook page earlier on Friday, Mali said, "I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu." In another Facebook post, he had claimed that the question of his resignation does even not arise for he had never accepted the post of advisor. "Neither accepted any post nor resigned from any post," Mali had maintained in the Facebook post.

Speaking about Sidhu's meet with traders and industrialists on Thursday, SAD leader Majithia said, "Where were these people during the last four-and-a-half years? Why did they not meet industrialists and traders earlier?"

Meanwhile, the SAD leader also questioned the Punjab Congress Chief, Sidhu of sharing 'one' achievement that he had made as the Punjab minister or as an MP before.

(With PTI inputs)

Picture by Facebook, PTI
Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat on Friday met party president Sonia Gandhi to brief about the political situation in the state amid growing tensions between two factions of the party- Sidhu and Amarinder camp. Following his meet, the leader claimed that the situation is in control in Punjab, hoping that all the fractions will work together in the state.

"Today I informed her (Sonia Gandhi) about the grievances. I hope that all 2-3 sides will understand each other and respect each other's sentiment and will work together. Some things have become problematic this time we will try to amend them. The situation is in control in Punjab," Rawat said.

Punjab Congress crisis

Assembly elections in Punjab will take place early next year and Congress High Command and AICC in charge of the state Harish Rawat on several occasions have reiterated that the party will be contesting the 2022 Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. However, this announcement didn't go well with some Congress leaders.

After it was announced that Amarinder Singh will lead the party, a delegation of seven leaders including four leaders and three MLAs from Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu's group met Rawat and demanded Singh's removal as the CM face. On Wednesday, PPCC general secretary Pargat Singh had confirmed that "there is growing resentment in MLAs against CM Amarinder Singh."

Navjot Singh Sidhu on the other hand hit out at the Congress and said that he "will not spare anyone" if not given freedom in decision-making. The recently appointed party's Punjab chief said that he has asked the high command to allow him to make decisions for the party. Allow me to take decisions and I will ensure that Congress prospers in the state for the next two decades. Otherwise, I will play brick to brick," Navjot Sidhu said while addressing a meeting in Amritsar. Sidhu added that he has prepared a roadmap for building the party.

Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh's loyalists on Thursday held a show of strength. A dinner meeting called by cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, where the Chief Minister took centre stage, was attended by 58 MLAs and 8 MPs. In a tweet, media advisor to Punjab CM, Raveen Thukral informed that the leaders present at the meeting are showing confidence in Captain.

The steps taken to maintain stability in Punjab congress with an elevation of Navjot Sidhu to PPCC chief was shattered as Amarinder Singh showed his displeasure over the remarks by Sidhu's advisors Malvinder Mali and Pyare Lal Garg over Kashmir and Pakistan.

In a social media post, Mali had suggested, "Kashmir is a separate country, and India and Pakistan are illegal occupants. It belongs to the people of Kashmir." Following the backlash, Mali tendered his resignation, pointing a finger at Congress leadership for his decision. Pyare Lal Garg, another advisor of Sidhu, said that criticism of Pakistan by Amarinder Singh was "not in the interest of Punjab."
As the political crisis continues in Punjab Congress and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh remains at loggerheads with Navjot Singh Sidhu, the opposition AAP demanded a floor test in the upcoming State Assembly session. A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party, led by Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema met Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore on Friday, demanding a floor test against the Congress government. The delegation handed over a letter to the governor, stating that the Congress party in Punjab has "split into pieces."

Punjab Congress has been embroiled in an internal conflict between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Capt Amarinder Singh factions. The fresh row erupted after several ministers and legislators sought the replacement of the chief minister, saying they have lost faith in him over the issue of unfulfilled promises.

They questioned the ability of Capt Amarinder to honour the unfulfilled poll promises such as  delay in providing justice in the desecration of a religious text in 2015, arrest of "big fish" involved in drug rackets, and scrapping power purchase agreements.

CM Amarinder to lead Congress in Punjab Polls

On Wednesday, the Navjot Singh Sidhu camp failed to convince AICC Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat to remove the CM from the assembly poll leadership position. Following the request, reportedly, Rawat agreed to discuss the escalating tension in Punjab Congress with party president Sonia Gandhi. Speaking to the media earlier, Harish Rawat reiterated that Congress would contest the 2022 Assembly election under the leadership of Amarinder Singh.

Trouble had mounted for the Chief Minister when over 20 legislators met at state Cabinet Minister Tript Bajwa's residence raising a banner of revolt against him. The meeting came in the wake of Amarinder Singh launching a tirade against Navjot Singh Sidhu's advisors Malvinder Singh Mali and Pyare Lal Garg for their controversial statements.

On Friday, Malvinder Singh tendered his resignation, alleging that the Congress high command is not focused on 'issue-based politics of transparency and accountability'. He has also alleged that some people are against the emerging 'Punjab Model' and have derailed the dialogue process. He claimed that the party is not open to changes that are in favour of the state and expressed willingness to collaborate with other like-minded leaders.

(Image credit: PTI)
Amritsar, Aug 27 (PTI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday demanded that Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's former adviser Malvinder Singh Mali be booked for sedition and treason over his controversial comments on Kashmir.

Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said Mali's comments "are an insult to our jawans who are being martyred every day along the border with Pakistan".

This comes hours after Mali quit as adviser to Sidhu.

In a statement, Majithia said Mali quitting as adviser to Sidhu isn't enough and there is a need to set an example to send out a message that no one will be allowed to play with the country's integrity or jeopardise its sovereignty.

"Mali should be booked on sedition and treason charges by the government," he said.

In a recent social media post, Mali had waded into the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. He had also said, "Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people." In a statement posted on his Facebook page earlier on Friday, Mali said, "I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu." In another Facebook post, he claimed that the question of his resignation does not arise as he never accepted the post.

"Neither accepted any post nor resigned from any post," Mali said in the post in Punjabi.

On Sidhu's meeting with traders and industrialists on Thursday, Majithia said, "Where were these people during the last four-and-a-half years? Why did they not meet industrialists and traders earlier?" The SAD leader also asked Sidhu to share one achievement he made as Punjab minister or as an MP prior to that. PTI JMS SUN DIV DIV

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Palaeontologists have uncovered the fossil of a four-legged whale in what used to be an ancient sea bed. The new species have been discovered among rocks in Egypt's Western Desert's Fayum Depression that was once flooded. The remains are estimated to be 43 million years old. According to 9News, after researching the fossil at Mansoura University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Centre, experts concluded that the new species, named Phiomicetus Anubis after the Egyptian 'god of death', was most likely a top predator.

The whale was 3 metres long and 600 kgs

According to a report published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it was likely semi-aquatic and could migrate between land and sea. The biologists say that the species represents an essential milestone in early whale evolution. The whale was estimated to be three metres long with a body mass of 600 kilogrammes.

Hesham Sallam, the founder of Mansoura University's Vertebrate Paleontology Centre, posted on Twitter, "Our new paper documents a new ancient amphibious four-legged cetacean from Egypt, which elucidates a transitional phase in early whale evolution."

Our new paper documents a new ancient amphibious four-legged cetacean from Egypt, which elucidates a transitional phase in early whale evolution!#Sallam_Lab #Egypt pic.twitter.com/VKLxppUx4R  Hesham Sallam (@heshamsallam) August 25, 2021

Crocodiles and small mammals, as well as the offspring of other whales, would have been among the creature's prey. Abdullah Gohar, a graduate student from Mansoura University, told Live Science that It was an effective, active predator. He believes it was the "god of death" for most of the creatures that lived around.

The species was discovered in the Kuldana Formation in northern Pakistan and lived between 56 million and 41 million years ago, according to Daily Express. According to palaeontologists, it would have been a transitional stage between terrestrial and aquatic whales. The finding of the Phiomicetus Anubis adds to the knowledge of the evolution of whales.

Cetaceans adapted to living in water within 10 million years

Natural History Museum in London says that the whale's early relatives gradually moved to an aquatic existence, gaining traits that would allow them to thrive in this environment. According to the Daily Express, the museum claims that within 10 million years, cetaceans had acclimated entirely to live in water. The museum further said that while it may appear to be an extended period, it is quite short in evolutionary terms.

Image Credit: @heshamsallam/Twitter
A team of archaeologists and researchers have recovered DNA from the remains of a hunter-gatherer woman. The teenager had died 7200 years ago on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The analysis of the fossil revealed that it belonged to a girl aged 17 or 18. It is believed to be the first time that ancient human DNA has been discovered in Wallacea, a group of islands between mainland Asia and Australia.

DNA of a teenage girl who died 7,200 years ago

The study conducted by researchers and archaeologists has been published in the journal, Nature. The remains of the woman, nicknamed Besse, were excavated in 2015 from a cave named Leang Panninge. The researchers estimated that Besse was about 17-18 years old at the time of her death. According to the study, the analysis shows that this ancient individual was a distant relative of Aboriginal Australians and Papuans.

The findings show that about half of her genetic makeup is with present-day Indigenous Australians, and people in New Guinea and the Western Pacific islands. In addition, DNA was inherited from the now-extinct Denisovans, distant cousins of Neanderthals, whose fossils have only been found in Siberia and Tibet. Ancient DNA from Besse's inner ear bone supports previous claims that Toalean foragers were connected to the earliest modern humans to invade Wallacea about 65,000 years ago, the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians and Papuans.

The remains of a mysterious hunter-gatherer woman named Besse is a rare genetic fossil find, says Prof Adam Brumm @ARCHE_Griffith. She belonged to a Sulawesi group with an ancestral history unlike any previously known population @Nature @GU_Sciences. https://t.co/ljneKYuBBT  Griffith University (@Griffith_Uni) August 26, 2021

The researchers have suggested that she may have belonged to the Toalean people, who are thought to have lived in Sulawesi at the time. Professor Adam Brumm from Griffiths Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution informed that it is the first complete skeleton that has been found alongside "securely dated artefacts of the Toalean culture". In the statement published on the University website, Professor Brumm added that Toaleans were early hunter-gatherers who lived in seclusion.

"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," said Professor Brumm in the statement.

IMAGE: Pixabay/RepresentativeImage
The Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday informed that Indian researchers have now discovered three supermassive black holes from three galaxies merging together. According to the release, the black holes are merging to form a triple active galactic nucleus, a compact region at the centre of a newly discovered galaxy that has a much higher-than-normal luminosity. The ministry also informed that the spotting of the rare occurrence in a nearby universe indicates that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple accreting supermassive black holes thus increasing the possibility of detecting more such rare occurrences.

Indian researchers detect rare blackhole merging

The press release by the ministry noted that the rare occurrence was detected by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. The team consisting of Jyoti Yadav, Mousumi Das, and Sudhanshu Barway along with Francoise Combes of College de France, Chaire Galaxies et Cosmologie, Paris, while studying a known interacting galaxy pair, NGC7733, and NGC7734, detected unusual emissions from the centre of NGC7734 and a large, bright clump along the northern arm of NGC7733. Their investigations further showed that the clump is moving with a different velocity compared to the galaxy NGC7733 itself. The scientists meant that this clump was not a part of NGC7733; rather, it was a small separate galaxy behind the arm. They named this galaxy NGC7733N.

Indian researchers discover three supermassive black holes from three galaxies merging together to form a triple active galactic nucleus in our nearby universe



Read more: https://t.co/y8BDohOTg5 pic.twitter.com/1ekpWglTBQ  PIB India (@PIB_India) August 27, 2021

The finding notes significance as supermassive black holes is usually difficult to detect because they do not emit any light. However, these black holes reveal their presence by interacting with their surroundings. In case dust and gas from the surroundings fall onto a supermassive black hole, some of the mass is swallowed by the black hole, but some of it is converted into energy and emitted as electromagnetic radiation that makes the black hole appear very luminous. They are called active galactic nuclei (AGN) and release huge amounts of ionized particles and energy into the galaxy and its environment. Both of these ultimately contribute to the growth of the medium around the galaxy and ultimately the evolution of the galaxy itself.

The study published as a letter in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, used data from the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard the first Indian space observatory ASTROSAT, the European integral field optical telescope called MUSE mounted on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and infrared images from the optical telescope (IRSF) in South Africa. The UV and H-alpha images also supported the presence of the third galaxy by revealing star formation along with the tidal tails, which could have formed from the merger of NGC7733N with the larger galaxy. Each of the galaxies hosts an active supermassive black hole in their nucleus and hence form a very rare triple AGN system.

According to the team of researchers, a major factor impacting galaxy evolution is galaxy interactions, which happen when galaxies move close by each other and exert tremendous gravitational forces on each other. During such galaxy interactions, the respective supermassive black holes can get near each other. The dual black holes start consuming gas from their surroundings and become dual AGN. The IIA team also explains that if two galaxies collide, their black hole will also come closer by transferring the kinetic energy to the surrounding gas and the distance between the blackholes decreases with time until the separation is around a parsec (3.26 light-years).

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
NASA made 42 launches to get the gigantic orbiting laboratory International Space Station (ISS) in space in 1998. Since then it has hosted astronauts on space missions from over 19 countries. But now, ISS will soon be retired with no replacement from the space agency. Angela Hart, manager of the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Program Office at NASA told the reporters that the International Space Station (ISS) has been approved to operate only through December 2024, post which the agreements struck by NASA with its international partners end.

However, NASA is expected to support a new generation of space stations by private entities after International Space Station (ISS) retires. NASA is planning to develop new commercial space stations for future low Earth orbit missions (LEO), reports suggest. ISS is an amazing system, but unfortunately it won't last forever, Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight development at NASA headquarters told the media.

The plan to defund the space station was incorporated when former US President Donald Trump introduced the budget proposal on February 11, last year. There was no mention of Americas involvement in the International Space Station, and the proposal called for NASA to sell shares of ISS by 2025. The plan however attracted condemnation, including from former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, who had, at the time, warned that cutting funding for the station would be a step backward for the space agency and certainly not in the best interest of the country.

The Assembly of NASAs ISS that was completed in 2011 involved five partner countriesCanada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Initially, there were plans to operate it just until the year 2020, but the US later decided to extend its life until 2024. But now as its timeline to retirement nears, NASA has other plans in the pipeline.

The Expedition 65 crew worked on botany and biology research while the cosmonauts took a break from spacewalk. Credit: NASA

Spacewalker Thomas Pesquet is attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm to install the stations second new solar array. Credit: NASA

NASA Administrator expects orbiting lab to last until 2030

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on August 25 at the 36th Space Symposium that the space station is assuredly retiring in 2024 but he still expects the orbiting lab to last to 2030. "We expect to expand the space station as a government project all the way to 2030. And we hope it will be followed by commercial stations," Nelson said during a "Heads of Agency" panel on Wednesday.

Hurricane Henri was pictured nearing the US east coast from the space station ISS. Credit: NASA

NASA plans to deploy a commercial space station as China has already begun the installation of its own Tiangong space station. However, speaking at a media conference, Nelson said that the US is prohibited to conduct bilateral space activity with China. Unfortunately, I believe we're in a space race with China, he said.

LIVE NOW: NASA Administrator @SenBillNelson speaks at #SpaceSymposium on upcoming missions, why we're returning to the Moon with #Artemis, and how NASA brings value to everyday life. https://t.co/yKOZ67TXS6  NASA (@NASA) August 24, 2021

"I'm speaking on behalf of the United States, for China to be a partner. I'd like China to do with us as a military adversary, like Russia has done, I would like to try to do that. But China is very secretive, and part of the civilian space program is that you've got to be transparent, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

Since its launch, ISS has logged 1,10,000 laps around Earth and has been housed at some point by a total of 553 astronauts. But now, the ISS will be steered into the Pacific Ocean. Although making room for other possibilities, former astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, now a professor at MIT told reporters, There are lots of potential uses, such as scientific investigations or the rivate enterprise could turn it into a space hotel.
Upcoming SpaceX launches could be impacted this year owing to the shortage of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) in the United States, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell has suggested. The US is witnessing another wave of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant and has seen a record number of hospitalisations in the last month. With Liquid Oxygen being diverted for COVID treatment in the US, SpaceX believes that the shortage could jeopardize its upcoming launches. Liquid oxygen or LOX is used for SpaceX's next-generation Raptor engines a propellant or rocket fuel.

Addressing the 36th annual Space Symposium in Colorado, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said, "We're actually going to be impacted this year with the lack of liquid oxygen for launch," He added, "We certainly are going to make sure hospitals have liquid oxygen that we need. But for anybody that has liquid oxygen to spare, you can send me an email."

The anticipation of the delay in future missions comes after SpaceX put its Starlink internet satellite on hold since June 30. Although delays in upcoming launches are expected, SpaceX has not specified the missions which could face the possible setback.

US records highest number of COVID patients in hospitals

The US is in the grip of a fourth wave of COVID-19 infection owing to the Delta variant. The nation is clocking over 1,100 deaths a day on average and projections have predicted that the deaths could rise to nearly 1,400 a day by mid-September. The number of Coronavirus patients in US hospitals breached 100,000 on Thursday- the highest level since eight months of the pandemic. Just in the last month, COVID-19 hospitalizations have more than doubled and as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 500 people with COVID are being admitted each hour. The country is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and December 1. According to the University of Washington, an additional 98,000 Americans will die by the start of December, for an overall death toll of nearly 730,000.

(With Agency Inputs)
The Albanian government said that the first group of Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan arrived in the Albanian capital Tirana early Friday morning. A government spokesman confirmed the arrival without giving more details. A civilian airplane of the Egyptian Almasria Universal Airlines was seen landing at the Tirana international airport with men and women, children and elderly people leaving it.

Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka and U.S. Ambassador to Tirana Yuri Kim were present at the airport. A government spokesman, speaking anonymously due to security reasons of the operation, said before the planes arrival that 171 Afghans were expected.

The Afghans were first taken to military tents, where they had a rapid virus test, other medical and psychological assistance and registration before being moved to hotels. The government has said the Afghans may stay at least a year while proceeding with applications for special visas for final settlement in the U.S. Prime Minister Edi Rama has said that the tiny Western Balkan country may house up to 4,000 Afghans. Albania was among the first to offer temporary shelter to the Afghans leaving their country after all western military left and the Taliban took power.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid the Afghanistan crisis, Greece has said that it will not become a gateway to Europe for Afghan asylum seekers. The Talibans sweeping advance on August 15 has sparked fears that Europe could face a migration crisis similar to that in 2015. Now, to stop a repeat of scenes six years ago, several Greece ministers, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has shown concern towards another possible large influx of migrants and refugees from Afghanistan.

According to The Guardian, Greeces PM earlier this week spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the developing situation in Afghanistan. Last week, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi clearly stated that Greece will not be a gateway to Europe for illegal Afghan migrants. Speaking on Greeces Skai TV, he noted that Greece does not border Afghanistan, and there are countries to the east of us who could provide initial protection where necessary. He added that Turkey was a safe country for Afghan citizens.

Greece border wall

Moreover, Greece has also completed a 40-kilometre wall on its border with Turkey and installed a surveillance system to prevent possible asylum seekers from trying to reach Europe after the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan. Greeces citizens protections minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said that the country took the latest action so that borders remain safe and inviolable. The Greek government has already said that it would not allow refugees to cross into Europe and would turn people back.

It is worth mentioning that according to figures from the UN refugee agency, asylum seekers from Afghanistan have made up 45 per cent of arrivals to the Greek islands so far this year. Additionally, more than one million people escaping war and poverty in the Middle East crossed over from Turkey into the EU in 2015  including in boats over the Aegean Sea. About 60,000 stayed in Greece as more travelled north into other countries.

While the anti-migrant sentiment is running high in Greece, international organisations have urged countries to act quickly to safeguard those at risk in Afghanistan, urging them to expedite visas, provide emergency evacuation, offer resettlement, and cease all deportations to Afghanistan. European Commissions chief spokesman has also urged EU member states to come up with safe legal pathways for people who are particularly at risk to travel from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to Europe. EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen had also urged the European Union members to accept Afghanistan migrants fleeing Kabul following the takeover.

(Image: AP)
The former vice-chancellor of Austria, Heinz-Christian Strache, has been sentenced to 15-month imprisonment on corruption charges. This came after a Vienna court found the former chancellor guilty of giving political favour to a hospital and trying to change the laws to favour a private hospital in exchange for donations. According to media reports, judge Claudia Moravec-Loidolt announced that Strache manipulated the system in exchange for party donations worth up to 12,000 and a lucrative offer of a yacht holiday in Corfu.

Former vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache found guilty in 'Ibizagate' case

The former FPO leader, who served as vice-chancellor of Australia from 2017 to 2019, was first caught in a sting operation that shook Austrian politics to the core. The 6-hour-long-secret recording exposed the Austrian leader as he was seen discussing the dirty politics he wanted to play for the 2017 elections. The sting operation is popular with the name "Ibizgate" scandal. Strache was accompanied by a woman who presented herself as the niece of a Russian oligarch who was ready to invest in Austria in the drunken meeting. At the same meeting, Strache was offered hefty financial assistance for running his campaign in exchange for manipulation of the law. He was asked to change the Austrian law if he came to power in favour of the hospital so that all public tenders go into the account of that hospital. A hidden camera captured the meeting, and the video clip was later released to the media in 2019, which resulted in Austria's government collapse. Meanwhile, there are several other stories as well, which came to light after investigation.

Notably, after Strache's party came into power, the law was amended as discussed in the drunken party. The new law introduced by Strache's government helped hospitals like Grubmuller to receive money from the public health insurance fund. He is also accused of misusing party funds to pay for his luxurious lifestyle during his 14 years at the party.

Image Credit: AP
Amid Western attempts to help people flee Taliban controlled Afghanistan ahead of a full American pullout, Italian state radio announced that Italys last airbridge flight, with 109 Afghan citizens evacuated from Kabul, has landed in Rome. According to AP, an Italian state radio reporter, who was aboard the flight, said that the C-130 had taken off earlier on August 27 from Pakistan. The radio added that Italys consul was going to stay at Kabul airport.

By Friday, Italy had evacuated more than 4,900 Afghans. For now, it is unclear if other persons, who might have received clearance to come to Italy but hadnt been able to make it to Kabul airport, might be evacuated via other nations flights. The Italian ambassador, on the other hand, had left on one of the first flights in the air bridge coordinating from Rome visas for Afghans who assisted the Italian military, worked in humanitarian organisations, or as rights advocates.

Afghan evacuation

Some other countries, including Canada, have also ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats. A Canadian general announced on Thursday that evacuations from Kabul's airport have come to an end. All other countries must leave the airport before the Americans can complete their mission, General Wayne Eyre, the country's acting chief of defence staff, said. Almost 3,700 people have been evacuated on Canadian military planes.

Several countries, on the other hand, have not yet said as to when they plan to stop their operations. But after the Taliban insisted the US stick to the Doha agreement, US President Joe Biden said he will follow the 31 August deadline for completing the US pullout. Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of the US longest war and the Taliban's takeover, as flight after flight landed to pull out those who fear a return to the militants' rule.

Twin blasts at Kabul airport

Meanwhile, two suicide bombers and gunmen opened fire on throngs of Afghans at Kabul's airport, turning a sight of desperation into one of terror on Thursday. According to Afghan and American officials, at least 60 Afghans and 12 Americans were killed in the attacks. This was followed by a second explosion at the Hamid Karzai International Airport near the Baron Hotel.

Biden issued a strong statement over the Kabul blasts and vowed to avenge the deaths of the 13 servicemen. Addressing the nation from the White House, President Biden also asserted that the US would continue to evacuate its citizens and the mission will go on. He said that he is looking at plans to strike ISIS-K assets, who took the responsibility for the attack.

(With inputs from AP)


Amidst escalating tensions, Sweden and Germany, on August 27, withdrew evacuation aid from conflict-torn Afghanistan. The evacuation process "has been completed," Sweden Foreign Minister Ann Linde told AP, but not everyone was able to leave the country. Meanwhile, Germany also ended its evacuation flights with 300 first nationals still stuck amid dangerous conditions in the Afghanistan capital, Kabul.

Klockan 12 kommer jag att meddela beslut rorande  evakueringsinsats i Kabul. UD och Sveriges ambassad Kabul meddelade foljande igar, det galler fortsatt: (1/2)  Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) August 27, 2021

Adding details on the exit, Foreign Minister Ann told the media that "we have not reached the ambition of evacuating even more Swedes" along with the civil society groups and former local employees of Armed Forces, AP reported. Blaming the Taliban forces for the premature withdrawal, Linde added, "reason why (evacuation) didn't work is partly (because) the Taliban stopped Afghan citizens that we had managed to get to the airport." However, she indicated a "later stage" that could follow the current exit. "Sweden will be able to help several of the armed forces, former local employees and Swedish citizens still in Afghanistan," she added.

On the other hand, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that Germany has initiated direct contact with the German nationals who are left behind in Afghanistan, for an "organised departure" from the troubled nation. He also added that a German envoy has met the Taliban for peaceful evacuation of "endangered Afghan nationals." Meanwhile, Maas also informed that Germany has planned to fortify embassies in Afghanistan's neighborhood. Furthermore, Mass is all set to begin a three-country tour to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in order to urge humanitarian support for the recovery of the threatened Afghan citizens and first nationals.

Unter extrem schwierigen & hochgefahrlichen Bedingungen haben unsere Kolleg*innen gemeinsam mit #Bundeswehr in #Kabul & #Taschkent uber 5000 Menschen evakuiert. Auenminister @HeikoMaas empfing sie heute Morgen am Flughafen in Berlin, um ihnen fur ihren Einsatz zu danken.  Auswartiges Amt (@AuswaertigesAmt) August 27, 2021

Before calling off the evacuation mission on Thursday, the German military extricated over 4,000 Afghans and 500 German nationals out of the war-ridden country. Similarly, Sweden has managed to recover about 1,100 citizens, including first nationals, local hires, journalists and European Union employees from the Taliban-captured nation.

World leaders mourn Kabul twin blasts

In a major incident on Thursday, twin blasts at Kabul Airport killed over 90 Afghans and 13 U.S soldiers stationed at the airport. Leaders across the world, including Swedish and German Foreign Ministers, Chinese Foreign Minister Zhao Lijian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many more have strongly condemned the twin explosions and expressed grief over the death of the citizens and soldiers. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has vowed to retaliate against the ISIS-K (organisation that claimed responsibility for the blasts). "We will not forgive. We'll not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP/representative
Javad Zarif, who served as the Foreign Minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 bid farewell to diplomacy on August 24. During his elaborative tenure, he made significant contributions to shape the Islamic Republics foreign policy and international relations, and was also a key negotiator in the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.

Global reactions to Zarif's resignation

Last week, Zarif took to Twitter to announce that he has now shifted to full-time teaching and research. Resharing the same, Cavusoglu reckoned that it was a pleasure to cooperate on issues of common concern. Furthermore, asserting that his brother Javad is an intellectual and successful diplomat, the Turkish lawmaker said that Zarifs contributions to bolstering the Turko-Iranian ties will always be remembered.

Dear Brother Javad, it was a pleasure to cooperate with you on issues of common concern. As a prominent intellectual & successful diplomat, your contribution to relations between  and  will always be remembered. @JZarif https://t.co/iDYY8xZnrg  Mevlut Cavusoglu (@MevlutCavusoglu) August 26, 2021

Meanwhile, Venezuela's Nicholas Maduro-led administration also extended wishes to their long term ally. We send our gratitude, our sincere embrace & our greatest appreciation to our brother Javad Zarif for his support & solidarity with Venezuela," Venezuelan Chancellery said. It is imperative to note that despite stringent sanctions by the US, Iran has been exporting oil to fuel-starved Venezuela.

We send our gratitude, our sincere embrace & our greatest appreciation to our brother @JZarif for his support & solidarity with Venezuela. You can always count on the unconditional friendship of the Venezuelan people & we wish you many successes in your new functions.  pic.twitter.com/tU9qp9HoOu  Cancilleria Venezuela  (@CancilleriaVE) August 26, 2021

Jan Eliasson, Former Foreign Affairs Minister of Sweden also took to Twitter to wish his Iranian counterpart the 'best'.

All the best for your life outside government, Javad.

We met first in Geneva 1988 working on ending the Iran/Iraq war.

Later,in different roles at the UN and in our countries, lastly on the crucial #IranDeal.

Your voice on peace and security and the role of diplomacy is crucial.  Jan Eliasson (@JanKEliasson) August 24, 2021

Iran's political change

Earlier in August, Iran underwent a major political change after ultra-orthodox Ebrahim Raisi replaced Rouhani as the countrys president. The hardliner is tasked with resuming a fragile nuclear deal - a significant achievement of his predecessor, pulling Iran out of a lethal health crisis, and re-establishing a balance of power in the region. Soon after assuming office, he addressed a large crowd of supporters at his oath-taking ceremony and vowed to pull all stops to resume the JCPOA deal, but clarified that he wont bow in front of the western powers.

After four decades of diplomacy, I move on to full-time teaching and research.



I'll continue to pursue and promote global understanding and encourage "positive-sum" dialogbased on empathy, mutual respect and equal footing.



Looking forward to continuing the exchange of views. pic.twitter.com/QZb0nuaFqX  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 24, 2021

Zarif resigns with an apology

Zarif resigned on August 24 with speculations of his aide Amir-Abdollahian replacing him. Two days later, he released a statement asking forgiveness from Iranian residents for not being able to protect national interests. He said that he would continue to promote global understanding and dialogues but now at the University of Tehran.

We have certainly not achieved all our foreign policy goals in the last eight years. History will judge both the value of our achievements and the causes of our failures. But we have always tried our best, together with good and worthy colleagues, to make foreign policy elevate peace, health, and welfare of the people, and protect the rights of the nation, the national economy, and the development of the country, he said. He added, Forgive me but to protect the national interest. I could not always speak as I liked and even defend my actions. And I testify that in four decades of service in foreign policy, I had no criteria other than the interests of the people of this country. Now I intend to continue the same task in another field at the University of Tehran.

Image: JZarif/Twitter
The Lebanese parliament on Friday, 27 August 2021, told the judge who is investigating last year's Beirut port explosion that he had exceeded his powers by issuing a subpoena for caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Judge Tareq Bitar, the lead investigator into Beiruts devastating port explosion, on Thursday, issued a subpoena for the premier for interrogation next month after he failed to show up for questioning. On August 4 last year, a colossal blast, triggered by illegal storage of ammonium nitrate, killed more than 214 people, injured over 6,000 people and obliterated the Paris of the East. In the aftermath, a probe into the explosion was initiated and last month judge Tareq Bitar confirmed charges of negligence against outgoing PM Hassan Diab and three former ministers.

According to the Associated Press, Judge Tareq Bitar has ordered the country's security forces to bring PM Diab to the main courthouse in the capital 24 hours before the new date, September 20. This is not the first time a minister has been called in relation to the blast probe. Previously, four former ministers were called but they were safeguarded by the Lebanese Parliament against questioning. Diab himself refused to be interrogated last year after he was summoned by the then lead investigator Fadi Sawan.

Beirut explosion

A colossal explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on August 4 killing over 157 and injuring over four thousand people. An investigation to find the exact trigger of the explosion is underway, however, officials are blaming tons of ammonium nitrate stored inside the safe house for the destruction. Recently, the countrys Prime minister Hassan Diab revealed that the dangerous warehouse, which exploded stored 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate for the past 6 years.

However, he said that he would not like to pre-empt the investigation. Calling it a catastrophe, he demanded the strictest punishment for those responsible. President Michel Aoun also condemned the unacceptable storage of the dangerous material, declaring a three day mourning period in the country. In addition, he has also announced a release of 100 billion Lira of emergency funds to tackle the devastation. In the aftermath of the explosion, the Countrys Defense Council has said that those responsible would be face maximum punishment.

Image: AP
Amid the Afghanistan crisis following the takeover by the Taliban, Pakistan allegedly open-fired at the Afghan refugees trying to enter its borders, reports stated on Friday. In the said firing, three Afghan refugees are reported dead while many others have been injured, thus putting under scanner the real intention of the Imran Khan-led administration, which all this while has been claiming to support Afghanistan.

Pakistan's hypocrisy exposed

On August 15, right before the Ashraf Ghani-led government surrendered, and the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan, Pakistan had closed its border, which in normal circumstances, allowed the inflow and outflow of over 6,000 people of both countries.

However, soon after the news of the Taliban capturing Afghanistan spread, Imran Khan in a statement said that the Afghans had "broken the shackles of slavery". There were celebrations witnessed in the neighbouring country of Afghanistan for days- There were flags of the terrorist group spotted in certain areas, including that in a women's madrasa. A video also surfaced on social media in which the students of Jamia Hafsa from Lal Masjid in Islamabad could be heard singing 'Salam Taliban' - a song glorifying the violence caused by the terrorist group.

The real intention was exposed recently, when a spokesperson of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the party of the Imran Khan government, Neelam Irshad Sheikh, said that the terrorist group would help Pakistan in conquering Kashmir. "The Taliban are saying that they are with us and they will help us in Kashmir," Sheikh said during a TV news debate.

Taliban involved in Kabul blasts?

The firing comes a day after twin explosions were reported outside the Kabul airport. The first blast took place at the Abbey Gate, which is used by US citizens vetted for evacuation flights, and moments after, at the Baron Hotel, which is reserved for the military of the western army, and does not allow civilians, a second blast took place. In the dual attacks, according to Afghan and American officials, at least 95 Afghans and 13 Americans were killed.

Afghanistan caretaker president Amrullah Saleh has alleged that they had evidence in hand which showed links of the Taliban and the Haqqani network with the ISIS-K, the main conspirator of the attack as stated by the United States.
Zain Qureshi, a member of Pakistan's National Assembly and the son of Pak's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, during the global Debate at 9 pm with Republic's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Friday, was left speechless when asked a simple question which required a one-word answer- a simple 'yes' or 'no'. The question was, "Was Osama bin Laden a terrorist?"

Imran Khan, while speaking in Pakistan's National Assembly in Islamabad on June 25, 2020, had termed the US troops' killing of Osama Bin Laden in 2011 as a 'shameful incident'. The Pakistan Prime Minister, in his speech in the assembly, had lamented the fact that their former ally US had not even informed the authorities before entering the country, and had later called the most-wanted now-dead terrorist 'a martyr'.

Pakistan leader silenced on the question on Osama bin Laden

When faced with the same question on Arnab's debate, Zain Qureshi who did not see it coming, by several modes and means, first tried to dodge it but when that did not help, he settled with 'Osama bin Laden was not a friend. He did not bring any benefit to Pakistan.' When pressurized further by Arnab Goswami, the Pakistan Minister unwillingly blurted out that nobody 'condones' Osama's actions, and that his 'terrorist organization' is banned in the country.

Clearly cornered by this point, Shah Mehmood Qureshi's son also ended up saying that the organizations of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar are 'all banned' in Pakistan. Then he was confronted with the truth by Republic's Editor-in-Chief that the IS-KP network has been recruiting from the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba which are all sheltered by Pakistan, in response to which, Zain Qureshi once again had no reply.

#WipeOutPakTerror | 'Was Osama Bin Laden a terrorist - Yes or No?' Watch Zain Hussain Qureshi, Parliamentary Secretary Finance (MNA), Pakistan, answer Arnab's question #LIVE here - https://t.co/NWgtMkjnrK pic.twitter.com/ko21zbDDNV  Republic (@republic) August 27, 2021

Zain Qureshi then went on to claim that Pakistan in fact was a victim of this 'war of terror'. "We have lost 80 thousand lives in our country, we have lost over 150 Billion Dollars from our economy," he said.

Chris Alexander, Canadas former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, was also part of the debate and said," In the eyes of everyone, it's Pakistan that enforced a military solution on Afghanistan, they invaded at a much larger scale than even Russia and Putin's invasion of the Ukraine" Replying to him, Zain Quresh reiterated, "The peace process Mr. Alexander keeps talking about was in fact facilitated by Pakistan; the Doha talks have been facilitated by Pakistan, and our Foreign Minister (Shah Mehmood Qureshi) who you have been calling the Taliban Foreign Minister has been trying to negotiate, and pave way for an inclusive government."

When asked why Pakistan and its administration were so interested, he put the blame of it all on the United States. "It was the United States which asked Pakistan to negotiate and bring the Taliban to the talking table," underlining that like 'us', they do not have the privilege of 'sitting back and watching' as they share 2700 km long border with Afghanistan- the Durand line which pertinently is not even acknowledged by the war-torn country.
Amidst an overwhelming global refugee crisis, the UK has announced that it would provide temporary homes for up to 140 refugees who have previously worked with British forces. Since August 13, a total of 13,708 people have been evacuated by British troops from the Afghanistan. Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans, including contractors and security guards, who aided the British troops during their deployment in the Asian country have been left to their fate as London continues to lift its protection.

We have been informed by the Home Office of its plans to temporarily house refugee families who have worked with our military forces in Afghanistan.

Read more at: https://t.co/RH88X27hmD pic.twitter.com/NTxTQaK5o8  West Northamptonshire Council (@WestNorthants) August 25, 2021

On Wednesday, the leader of the West Northamptonshire Council Jonathan Nunn asserted that the Afghan residents had supported the British forces in dangerous and challenging times and now it was not their turn to support those who were crisis-hit. Reiterating his willingness to support the displaced Afghans, he announced that the council will provide accommodation and support until the government resettles the refugees with long-term homes.

In the days ahead, we will be involving and working closely with local community and faith groups in this process and it will become clearer as to how our council and local communities are able to support these families to help give them the best start possible, Nunn said in a statement.

Amrullah Saleh exposes Pakistan

Recently, the caretaker president of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh spoke to Republic Media Network, wherein he revealed details of a possible deal with the Taliban, the role of Pakistan in the conflict and the colossal misjudgment of the American administration. Labelling the Taliban as barbaric, brutal and vengeful, Saleh asserted that the Afghan government was unwilling to take part in the Taliban Emirate'. He also highlighted the role of Pakistan in fuelling the war and supporting the insurgents. The US should acknowledge publicly it is Pakistan defeating them, not Taliban who do not know what are they fighting for.

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.

Image: AP
Following the twin blasts outside the Kabul airport which shocked humanity, Russia has come forward, strongly condemning the attacks- claimed by the Islamic State group. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday said that Kremlin remains "seriously concerned" about the terror unfolding in Kabul.

Unfortunately, pessimistic forecasts are being confirmed that terrorist groups and organizations that have settled there, the Islamic State first and foremost, and its derivatives, would take advantage of the chaos that has arisen in Afghanistan, Peskov said during a press briefing, reported AP.

Affirming that Moscow is concerned, Peskov further said that the incident "adds tension" to the war-torn nation that has been in turmoil since the Taliban took control over most of Afghanistan earlier this month.

Israel, Saudi Arabia & others condemn Kabul attack

Israeli diplomat in India, Rony Yedidia Clein on Friday condemned the terrorist attack at Kabul airport. "Such a tragic, horrible terrorist attack on American forces and Afghani people who were at the airport. The state of Israel is shocked and Saddened by this terror attack last night," she said.

She further said that Israel is deeply concerned about the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan. "We thought maybe things would start getting normal but it seems that it's just getting worse and deteriorating," Clein added.

Saudi Arabia has also strongly condemned the attacks at Kabul airport and reaffirmed that such criminal acts counter religious principles and human values. The kingdom added that it stands with Afghan people at this time of crisis.

Albania also condemned "the horrific terrorist attack". The European country's Prime Minister Edi Rama also said that the country could house up to 4,000 Afghans. French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attacks at Kabul airport.

Twin blasts in Kabul

Two explosions struck in the area outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday evening. The first blast, a case of suicide bombing, was reported close to Abbey Gate, the main entrance to the Kabul airport. Another blast was reported near the Baron Hotel. In the incident, at least 95 people were killed, including 13 US troops. Islamic State-affiliate ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, the US has vowed retribution.
After the brutal twin blasts in Afghanistan, the 'caretaker' President Amrullah Saleh stressed that the world must join hands to fight against looming terrorism and must not bow down and it is the only ray of hope amid the present situation.

Amrullah Saleh ignites spirit to fight terrorism, calls the world to unite to battle terrorism with synergy

Speaking about the horrendous bomb attacks, in a tweet, Saleh called the world leaders to collectively battle the terrorist regime with synergy. Charging people up with hope and spirit to not let down guards against terror, Saleh iterated that people should not lose this battle psychologically. He said, The world must not bow to terrorism. Let's not allow Kabul airport to be the site for the humiliation of humanity & "rules-based world order". Let's believe in our collective effort and energy. Defeatist psyche puts you under more risk than terrorists. Don't die psychologically.



The world must not bow to terrorism. Let's not allow Kabul airport to be the site for humiliation of humanity & "rules based world order". Let's believe in our collective effort and energy. Defeatist psyche puts you under risk more than terrorists. Don't die psychologically. https://t.co/pVOeheQAKp  Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 27, 2021

Meanwhile, Former Afghan Vice President Saleh on Friday alleged that they had evidence in hand which showed links of the IS-K cells with the Taliban and the Haqqani network operating in Kabul. The leader remarked that the Taliban denying links with ISIS was equivalent to Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura and said that they had 'learned well' from their masters.

Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in the Talibs & Haqqani network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with ISIS is identical/similar to denial of Pak on Quetta Shura. Talibs he learned very well from the master. #Kabul

Saleh lambasts Pakistan for creating chaos in Afghanistan

Earlier, Saleh hit out at Pakistan's attempt to create chaos on Afghan soil, and had stated that the Quetta Shura council was nothing else but a title for the Pakistan military to implement its plans. The Quetta Shura was formed after the collapse of the Taliban Government in 2001. The organisation consisted of senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban such as Mohammed Omar, who fled to Pakistan's Quetta in Balochistan after US troops retaliated in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. American intelligence had reported that Pakistan's ISI had extended its support to the Quetta Shura.

Bombings kill at least 95 Afghans, 13 US troops

Meanwhile, Thursdays bombings near the international airport in Kabul have reportedly killed at least 95 Afghans along with 13 US troops, as stated by American and Afghan officials. August 26 also marked the deadliest day for the United States soldiers since August 2011. Officials have also noted on Friday that the actual toll of the incidents could be much higher. One of the officials, who spoke to the media on the condition of anonymity, said that other people might have taken bodies away from the scene.

The responsibility for the attack has been claimed by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-K) prompting US President Joe Biden to pledge retaliation and completing the evacuation of Afghans. He has promised to take revenge for the deaths of US service members and Afghans who died in both attacks. Biden said, We will hunt you down and make you pay.

Image: Twitter
Campaigners have welcomed the new agreement designed to protect the garment workers in Bangladesh which is signed by the likes of H&M and Inditex, which owns Zara and Bershka. As per a report in The Guardian, the latest accord has replaced another separate agreement which is signed by over 200 global fashion companies after the Rana Plaza factory fire in 2013 which claimed the lives of over 1,100 people. Now, with the agreement, these companies would face legal action if the health and safety standards for the garment workers were found to have shortcomings or if they did not handle the problems in a given time period.

Since 2013, more than 38,000 inspections have been reportedly carried out leading at least 200 factories to lose their contracts due to poor safety standards. That agreement is set to expire by the end of this month and the negotiations for the new pact to handle the issue were protracted. Meanwhile, the Union leaders were concerned that the legally binding elements were being threatened and that the progress made after 2013 would be undermined along with the campaigns launched to improve the safety standards in the garment factories.

New agreement managed by RSC

The new agreement, as per the report is managed by Ready-Made Garments Sustainability Council (RSC). It is valid until October 2023 and the companies agreeing to sign it pledge to expand the general health and safety for workers beyond fire and building safety. The report stated that the accord would ask the firms to enhance the human rights due diligence along supply chains and making the same commitment to garment workers in at least one other nation.

Reportedly, the signatories have agreed to meet in six months time to discuss the countries in consideration, with the aim of implementing the changes within a time period of two years. The deal has been lauded by campaigners and union leaders. Ayesha Barenblat, the chief executive of the ethical fashion advocacy group Remake, told the Business of Fashion: This, I think, is truly a model of building back better. Meanwhile, Valter Sanches, the general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said: This international accord is an important victory towards making the textile and garment industry safe and sustainable.

IMAGE: AP
A huge explosion outside the Kabul airport took the lives of at least 13 on Thursday evening amid the chaotic evacuation efforts from Afghanistan. Shortly after, another blast was reported at the nearby Baron Hotel which was reserved for the western military and did not allow civilians. As even more blasts have been reported through the night, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement on what has been deemed a 'complex attack' by the US and offered 'condolences' on behalf of the terrorist organisation that has now come into control of Afghanistan.

Calling out the Taliban, which has been accorded a false sense of respectability by the US and its NATO allies in an effort to justify their disastrous withdrawal from the war-torn nation, former Indian representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, made a witty remark on how it is unwise to distinguish between the different terror groups operating in the region.

Syed Akbaruddin attacks Zabihullah Mujahid's tweet

Taliban 'spokesperson' Zabihullah Mujahid attempted to give an alibi to the terrorist cohort he represents, even as unnamed US officials were quick to blame ISIS-K for the attack. Interestingly, the Pentagon, in its press statement hours after the attack, made no mention of ISIS. In response to the tweet of the Taliban 'spokesperson', Syed Akbaruddin wrote, "Fox, wolf, jackal, coyote have the same lineage. None should be in charge of the hen house. Else the innocent suffer".

Taliban acknowledges Pakistan as 'their second home'

After Afghanistan's acting President Amrullah Saleh 'exposed' Pakistan's clandestine support to the Taliban while speaking to Republic Media Network earlier on Thursday, the insurgent group has described the Imran Khan-led country as their 'second home', exposing the worst-kept secret that several western nations are now being called out for not acknowledging. The Taliban, while showing its support to Pakistan, claimed that it would not allow any activity on Afghan soil that is not in the interest of the neighbouring country, which it said was its second home, concluding by saying "We look forward to further deepening of ties with Pakistan."

Image Credits -
After the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels seized the northern Ethiopian town of Lalibela, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, India, on Thursday, 26 August, appealed to the international community to provide all necessary support to the African country during this time of crisis.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Peace and Security in Africa, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti said that there is an urgent need to scale up efforts consistent with UN guiding principles for humanitarian assistance. He added that Ethiopia needs all the support it can get from the international community.

The conflict in Tigray broke out last year in November when the Ethiopian government accused the TPLF of attacking a regional military base to hijack weapons and arm the anti-government militia. Since then the conflict has had a severe impact on the country's citizens.

India condemns atrocities committed against civilians

The Indian envoy also strongly denounced and condemned atrocities committed by armed groups against civilians, including children, in Ethiopia. He called for prosecution for those responsible for human rights violations and sexual violence perpetrated in Tigray.

Taking note of efforts of the Government of Ethiopia and its leadership in addressing the situation, Tirumurti said, "(We) welcome the establishment of a Regional Emergency coordination Centre in Semera comprising federal institutions/regional counterparts, WFP and UNOCHA, to facilitate movement of trucks along afar routes to Tigray and to coordinate emergency assistance to displaced people." Underscoring the importance of mutual trust, engagement, dialogue, and reconciliation, for lasting peace and stability, Tirumurti said that the solution to the conflict must be Ethiopian-led and within the constitutional framework of Ethiopia.

Ethiopian military operation in Tigray

Since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the military offensive in Tigray, regular forces from Amhara, a large region abutting the south of Tigray, have been fighting alongside federal troops. The Ethiopian forces have also launched a military operation in the conflict-torn region, with Eritrea reportedly sending its troops to help Addis Ababa.

Tirumurti said that the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Government of Ethiopia on 28 June 2021 was an important step. He, however, added, "Unfortunately, the opportunity provided by the ceasefire seems not to have been grasped, with the continuing aggression and belligerence of one side, and the spread of fighting beyond the Tigray region."

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP/ANI)
Indonesia's navy on Wednesday, 25 August 2021, said that it has seized a Bahamian-flagged tanker MT Strovolos and its crew off the coast of Sumatra that was wanted on charges of an organised oil heist, according to multiple reports. The vessel was seized on July 27 after Phnom Penh issued a red notice via INTERPOL to seize the vessel after it allegedly stole nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil from Cambodia. Indonesia's navy stated that it was questioning the crew of the vessel at a base in Singapore, which includes 13 Indians, three Bangladeshis and three other employees from Myanmar. The contested vessel, 183-metre (600-foot) in size, was sailing from Thailand to Indonesia's Batam island when it was seized by Indonesian Naval forces.

Indonesian Navys First Fleet commander Arsyad Abdullah said in a statement that his forces will not hesitate to take stringent action against any criminal activity that takes place in Indonesia's jurisdictional territory. The vessel was sailing from Thailand to Indonesia's Batam island when it came under the Indonesian Navys radar. Reports suggest that the vessels identification system was at the time turned off, and it was anchored illegally in the Indonesian waters. The Navy stated that the Bangladeshi captain risks facing a $14,000 penalty for breaching the maritime laws and up to one year of imprisonment if proven guilty. Singapore's KrisEnergy had rented the now seized vessel to Cambodia for storage in its bid to extract its own oil, authorities said, according to several agencies.

Oil heist reports inaccurate, says operator company

Operator for Bahamas-flagged products tanker, however, denied the allegations of oil heist calling the reports inaccurate. Even as the vessel was detained transiting the Indonesian waters for anchoring without permission, it dismissed the charges about illegally transporting Cambodian crude oil. The ships captain stated that the vessel had to stop by off Batam to conduct a long-overdue' crew change. But the Indonesian Navy had no knowledge of approvals from the government. The ships operator, World Tankers Management, argued that the vessel had sailed to Indonesia purely for humanitarian reasons and is operating within the scope of its charter.

The company denied oil heist reports, saying that the ships charterers loaded a cargo of crude oil at Cambodias Apsara field in the Gulf of Thailand on the understanding that the cargo belonged to the charters. The incident occurred in May. It further added, in a statement, that Strovolos and its crew sailed to Thailand for refuelling and Indonesia for crew change as the men had remained on board since September.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the crew transfer was never conducted and the charter was eventually terminated, the ships company asserted in a statement. It added that in Thailand, the ship was boarded by the Royal Thai Navy, but was not detained and was allowed to sail at the request of the Cambodian government and the intervention of lawyers, the IMO and the Bahamas Maritime Authority.

The company stressed that it was worried about the safety of its crew as the Cambodian Government is making wrongful allegations alleging that the crew committed criminal offences in relation to the vessels departure from the Apsara field to refuel. And now the Bangladeshi Captain of the tanker is being accused of anchoring a ship in Indonesian territory without permission.

The vessel has been wrongly charged with stealing the cargo. It is not and has never at any time been our intention to misappropriate the cargo, World Tankers Managements statement read. Our crew are entirely innocent and blameless in this matter and should not come to bear the brunt of commercial and political issues, it added.

(With Inputs from AP)
Kazakhstan Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev on August 27 said that four servicemen were killed and a dozen injured in a series of explosions in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz. According to Russian broadcaster RT, the powerful blasts wounded a total of 28 people, who are now being treated in hospital. The blasts began Thursday at a defence ministry ammunition warehouse in Taraz, forcing authorities to evacuate nearby villages.

According to Al Jazeera, the blasts followed a fire at the facility, deputy defence minister Ruslan Shpekbayev said on Thursday. Separately, traffic and railway officials said that they were closing off a road and a railway passing through the region. In a series of tweets, Kazakhstan President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev said that at least 30 of the wounded were military servicemen or emergency workers and the incident was being investigated.

There is an operational headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the fire. A criminal case was initiated. Mobilized units of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergencies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The railway service has been temporarily suspended, the President said in a tweet.

Zhambyl region was visited by the Ministers of Defense, Emergency Situations and the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs. It was decided to evacuate residents of nearby villages. About 30 employees of the regional emergency department and the military were injured, he added in another post.

Four villages evacuated

The defence ministry also informed that residents of four villages, including one of 250 people less than a kilometre from the site of the blast, were being evacuated. The explosion had taken place not far from a major road connecting provincial centre Taraz to Almaty, the countrys business hub and biggest city. The explosions stopped over time, but the fire continues, the defence ministry informed.

Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that back in 2019, four people were killed and dozens injured in a similar accident in the Kazakh town of Arys in the adjacent Turkestan region. Blasts at a munitions depot forced authorities to evacuate the whole town of approximately 44,000 people. That recent blast was the third lethal explosion in the towns vicinity in the space of a decade.

(Image: AP/Instagram)




Kazakhstans emergencies ministry on August 27 said that nine people have died following a series of explosions at an arms depot in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz. The ministry informed that emergency services workers and military staff were among victims of the blasts that tore through a defence ministry ammunition warehouse on Thursday. The officials added that currently, four people are still missing and feared dead. The defence ministry said that a fire had broken out at the Jambyl ammunitions depot, and it then "quickly spread to storage facilities where engineering ammunition is stored. Several explosions followed, the ministry added. It said that the explosions stopped over time; however, the fire continues.

Criminal case initiated

Traffic and railway officials said they have closed off the road and a railway passing through the region. In a series of tweets, Kazakhstan President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev said that the wounded were military servicemen or emergency workers, and the incident was being investigated. A criminal case was initiated, the president added.

The defence ministry also informed that residents of four villages, including one of 250 people less than a kilometre from the blast site, were being evacuated. The emergencies ministry said that the scattering radius of the fragments was up to two kilometres. The explosion had taken place not far from a major road connecting provincial centre Taraz to Almaty, the countrys business hub and biggest city.

Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that back in 2019, four people were killed and dozens injured in a similar accident in the Kazakh town of Arys in the adjacent Turkestan region. Blasts at a munitions depot forced authorities to evacuate the whole town of approximately 44,000 people. That recent blast was the third lethal explosion in the towns vicinity in the space of a decade.

Image Credit: AP/Instagram
Myanmar will vaccinate the minority Muslim community of Rohingya against COVID-19, said the spokesperson for its ruling military on August 27 while adding that no one will be left out in its immunisation campaign. Myanmar was engulfed in a fresh crisis earlier this year as the junta toppled the democratic government and claimed control while triggering nationwide protests amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh during the military operations in 2017 and the ones who still remain in the country, flagged several instances of discrimination and mistreatment in the country. Myanmar does not recognise the Muslim minority as its citizens. Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun has said that the ruling authorities were making progress in reducing the COVID-19 cases in the country and ramp up vaccinations. He also said that the plan is to vaccinate half of the population against Coronavirus, by the end of this year.

Zaw referred to Ronhigya as 'Bengalis'

Myanmar has registered 2,635 new Coronavirus infections and 113 additional deaths due to COVID-19 on August 26 even as the publicly reported numbers have drastically decreased after hitting the peak in July. Zaw said that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the Southeast Asian nation would include the Rohingya in Maungdaw and Buthidaung districts bordering Bangladesh and referred to them as Bengalis.

Bengalis, is the term used to describe the Rohingya in the Buddhist majority Myanmar as they are regraded unwanted immigrants from the neighbouring nation. In a regular news briefing, the junta spokesperson said, They are also our people as well...We will not leave anyone behind." However, it still remains unclear if the Coronavirus vaccination campaign would extend to Rohingya Muslims living in the crowded camps in Rakhine state or the qualification criteria for the same.

As per The Associated Press, around 600,000 Rohingya remains in Myanmar but over 100,000 of them live in squalid and crowded displacement camps. The issue remains sensitive in the country while the international courts are seeking to determine if genocide was committed by the government forces in 2017.

(IMAGE: PTI/AP)


The Nepal government has appointed Prabhu Ram Sharma as Chief of the Army Staff. This comes after the cabinet raised the name of Sharma as the most eligible person to hold the topmost rank in the Nepal Army. Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari agreed with the cabinet's request and approved the name of the veteran soldier. In July, the cabinet held a meeting to appoint the new army chief, as the incumbent army head, Purna Chandra Thapa, was taking leave from August 8. The newly appointed Army Chief will take office on September 9, 2021.

Nepal government appoints Prabhu Ram Sharma as the new Nepal Army Chief

The new Army Chief, Prabhu Ram Sharma, is an alumnus of the National Defense College in India and hails from Kathmandu. He marked his entry into the Nepal Army as a member of the Purano Gorakh Battalion. Notably, Sharma is going to be the first Army Chief to come from the Brahmin community in Nepal's history. He holds a master's degree in history from Tribhuwan University and a master of philosophy in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras.

Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari approves a recommendation from cabinet to appoint General Prabhu Ram Sharma as Chief of Nepal Army. He will be taking the charge from September 9th.



(Pic Source: Nepal Army) pic.twitter.com/0gfUQUuVs6  ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2021

The Chief of Army Staff is the supreme leader and chief executive of the Nepalese Armed Forces. The Army Chief directly reports to the Defense Ministry and is appointed for a tenure of only 3 years. In Nepal, the selection of the Army Chief is only done by the President on the recommendations of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and can only be removed by the President. Earlier, Nepal welcomed its new Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, after former PM K P Sharma Oli stepped down from the position.



Image Credits: ANI
India and Nepal have traditionally maintained strong ties, and India has played an important role in the development of Nepal's health sector. Umesh Shrestha, Nepal's state minister for health spoke as Nepal got medicinal oxygen from India at a rate of 960 litres per minute (LPM). Shrestha spoke at the virtual handover of an oxygen plant developed with Indian assistance at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

Thanks to India for being there with Nepal to fight against COVID-19 !!

960 LPM Medical Oxygen Plant gifted to.



@AmbVMKwatra handed over oxygen plant developed by @DRDO_India & installed at BPKIHS Dharan to @MohpStateMin Hon. Umesh Shrestha today.#IndiaNepalFriendship pic.twitter.com/PTG6NKZqyP  Mohan Bisht (@mohanbisht_20) August 26, 2021

Health Minister Shrestha expects supply of COVID-19 vaccinations from India

Health Minister Shrestha said, "Before 26 years, the Nepali health sector which received support and help from Indian Government already was another milestone for Nepal. Especially, the Province no. 1, 2 of Nepal and Indian states of Bihar Bengal, the Dharan based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences has been providing great support which is evident to all." He also expects the supply of vaccinations that they require, particularly the Covishield vaccine be delivered from India.

On Thursday, August 26, India handed over a 960 LPM Medical Oxygen Plant to the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. The plant is designed to provide 5 Litres Per Minute per person, with a total capacity of 960 LPM. According to the officials, it has the potential to serve 200 patients at once. Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal stated that this donation represented India's continuous support to Nepal in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vinay Kwatra said, "this is the first of its kind (technology to be used) in South Asia, definitely first in Nepal and we would be happy to work with the government of Nepal, with the Health Ministry, with the Provincial Government, other institutions to install more and more such plants depending on their needs and requirements. In the framework of co-operation which benefits both Nepal and India, this one is a grant in assistance plant and we are very happy that this would contribute to the continuing strengthening of the health infrastructure in Nepal."

India is the first country to develop this technology

India is the world's first country to develop this technology, which uses the Pressure Swing Absorption technique and molecular sieve technology to create oxygen straight from ambient air. The development of a medical oxygen plant would help hospitals avoid relying on rare oxygen cylinders, simplifying the logistics of shipping cylinders and ensuring a constant and stable oxygen supply available 24 hours a day.

With Inputs from ANI

Image- @mohanbisht_20/Twitter
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee Afghanistan in a worst-case scenario in the coming months.

The UNHCR says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly, with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing the country. This figure would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who already are registered as refugees abroad  nearly all of migrating to Pakistan and Iran.

The upsurge of violence across the country and the fall of the elected government may have a serious impact on civilians and cause further displacement, it said.

According to UNHCR data, 558,000 people have been internally displaced within Afghanistan due to armed conflicts this year alone  four in five of them being women and children. UNHCR estimates that the number of displaced will rise, both internally and across the border, the UNHCR said.

Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO of the Asia Pacific Refugee Network on Friday, warned of coming darkness in Afghanistan amid a tragically intertwined series of crises. The UN agency is seeking nearly $300 million for its response plan for inter-agency requirements.

'Keep borders open for refugees'

Earlier on Monday, the UNHCR asked Afghanistan's neighbouring countries to keep their borders open for Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban rule. At a UN press conference on August 23, the UN refugee agencys spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said, UNHCR is calling on neighbouring countries to keep their borders open in light of the intensifying crisis in Afghanistan.

"The situation on the ground across the country remains extremely fluid and as the scrambling Afghans flee danger, they must be able to find refuge in the neighbouring nations," she added.

"While widespread fighting has decreased since the takeover of the country by the Taliban on Sunday, the full impact of the evolving situation is not yet clear. Many Afghans are extremely anxious about what the future holds, said Shabia Mantoo.

The country has been facing the worst after its government collapsed and the Taliban took over Afghanistan, followed by its President fleeing the nation. The sudden victory of the Taliban has sparked chaos at Kabul's airport, from where America and allied nations are trying to safely evacuate thousands of citizens and allies.

(With inputs from agency)
Amrullah Saleh Says Roots Of IS-K In Taliban, Haqqani Network; Calls Pakistan The 'master'

In the aftermath of the twin explosions at the Kabul Airport, Afghanistan's 'caretaker' President Amrullah Saleh on Friday alleged that they had evidence in hand which showed links of the IS-K cells with the Taliban and the Haqqani network operating in Kabul. The leader remarked that the Taliban denying links with ISIS was equivalent to Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura and said that they had 'learned well' from their masters.

Read full story here

India Condemns Kabul Attacks At UNSC, Says 'need To Stand United Against Terrorism'

India's Permanent Representative to United Nations, T S Tirumurti condemned the Kabul explosions at the UNSC meeting on Thursday, sending India's heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved. The Indian Envoy stated that the twin blasts had reinforced the need to stand united against terrorism and those who provide sanctuary to terrorists. Addressing the UNSC meeting on Ethiopia, T S Tirumurti said, "We begin by strongly condemning the terrorist attack in Kabul today.

Read full story here

Kerala: MLA MK Muneer Gets Death Threat Letter For Facebook Post Against The Taliban

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLA MK Muneer received an anonymous threat letter on Wednesday which asked him to take down his anti-Taliban posts or face repercussions. The threat letter, which was titled "Taliban - a wonder", said that it was hurting Muslim sentiments in general. Muneer, who is also an ex-minister, was additionally warned of a similar fate to Kerala professor TJ Joseph, who had his palms chopped off by radical groups in 2010.

Read full story here

Kabul: At Least 12 US Service Members Killed In Suicide Attack, Dozens Wounded

In the waning days of airlift for refugees fleeing the Taliban control when two suicide bombers and gunmen opened fire on throngs of Afghans at Kabul's airport, turning a sight of desperation into one of terror. According to Afghan and American officials, at least 60 Afghans and 12 Americans were killed in the attacks. Americans and others are still being evacuated, according to a U.S. general in charge of the evacuation. US Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie said the airport was heavily guarded, and different routes were being employed to get evacuees in.

Read full story here

UK PM Boris Johnson Condemns Kabul Airport Attack, Acknowledges 'time Is Of The Essence'

Suicide bombing attacks at the Kabul Airport on 26 August has slowed down evacuation efforts of countries helping their nationals flee Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Reacting to the bombings, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that time was running out to evacuate people stranded in Afghanistan but asserted that a majority of those who were eligible to come to Britain had been evacuated. Speaking after an emergency meeting to discuss the Afghanistan situation, Boris Johnson said, "The barbaric terrorist attack in Kabul shows the importance of continuing Operation PITTING to the end.

Read full story here

Neeraj Chopra Set To Miss Diamond League; Shifts Focus Onto Jam-packed 2022 Season

Indias golden boy Neeraj Chopra has opted not to participate in any further events this year as he aims to rest and recuperate after a packed schedule last month. The 23-year-old, who became Indias first gold medallist in track and field events, has been off training after a bout of illness and eyes a strong comeback next year in what will be an action-packed calendar. Chopra had insisted on participating in the Diamond League this year but ultimately decided to take a break and return next year with the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games in mind.

Read full story here

Om Birla Comments On India's Stance On Terrorism; Highlights Pak Support To Taliban

The incidence of terror attacks has been increasingly reported across the world. Commenting on India's stance on terrorism, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday, August 26, said India has always been against terrorism and expansionism and is capable of defending its borders. Speaking from Ladakh, Om Birla said expansionist policies lead to disputes on borders and India has always been against expansionism. Birla is currently in Ladakh for the Parliamentary Outreach Programme for the empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Union Territory.

Read full story here

Chidambaram Positive About Poll Results, Says Atmosphere 'favourable' For Congress In Goa

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said that the Congress is "battle-ready" for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls. The newly-appointed AICC election observer for Goa arrived in the coastal state to discuss strategies ahead of the polls which are scheduled early next year. Chidambaram in his first address as the election observer claimed that the political atmosphere in the state was "extremely favourable" for the Congress party.

Read full story here

Amid Chhattisgarh Congress Crisis, 20 MLAs Head To New Delhi To meet Party High Command

The Chhattisgarh Congress crisis seems to be getting deeper as multiple MLAs on Thursday headed to New Delhi to meet the High command of the party. As many as 20 MLAs from Chhattisgarh have headed to New Delhi, however, Republic sources reveal that the Congress top brass has not called them for any meeting also there has been no discussion held any kind of meeting.

Read full story here

Amarinder Singh, Aides Host Dinner Meeting With 58 MLAs And 8 MPs Amid Punjab Power Tussle

Amid the ongoing Punjab crisis, Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday had a show of strength as the Chief Minister took center stage at a dinner meeting with 58 MLAs and 8 MPs from the party. The meeting came a day after multiple Punjab Congress leaders showed resentment over the decision of the CM leading the party in the upcoming Assembly polls. The grand dinner meeting was hosted by cabinet minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi at his residence.

Read full story here

Republicworld.com
Russia has fined social media giants Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp for not complying with Russian legislation. Russia's internet watchdog said on Thursday that the three web giants failed to abide by the rules for storing data of Russian users on domestic servers. The authorities fined foreign internet companies with a hefty fine, which included 15 million rubles against Facebook, 17 million rubles against Twitter, and WhatsApp was fined four million rubles in a first-time law breach of law case, confirmed Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor).

The Russian government fined Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp for breach of law

The Russian authorities have tightened up the country's internet segment, as President Vladimir Putin has accused western social media platforms of breaching Russian laws. According to legislation passed by Russia in 2014, the personal data of Russian users must be stored on local servers. Despite the law, the microblogging platform and Facebook were penalised earlier for not complying with country media law, whereas the internet giant Google was fined last month.

Roskomnadzor on Thursday said that there are many companies who are sincerely complying with the rules, including Apple, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Samsung, PayPal, and Booking.com, among others. It must be noted that the Russian government has started taking strict actions against foreign tech giants, in particular for failing to remove content at the request of Roskomnadzor. In January this year, when the country was witnessing a massive protest against opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Russian government accused internet platforms of interfering in the country's domestic affairs. Putin complained that the social media platforms were provoking violence inside the country, as they did not remove the posts on social media calling for minors to join the protest. Putin last month accused the social media giants of increasing their influence on the people.



IMAGE: AP
In a recent turn of events, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said that the Taliban has asked Turkey to operate Kabul airport. He further added that no decision has been made on the matter yet.

The Taliban have made a request for us to operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this matter, he told a news conference at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport before leaving for a trip to Bosnia. He added: We will make a decision after the administration (in Afghanistan) is clear.

Erdogan said that a meeting with the Taliban lasting more than three hours took place at the Turkish embassy in Kabul, without saying when the meeting took place. If necessary, we will have the opportunity to hold such meetings again.

The president added that the evacuation of Turkish troops from Kabul, which began on Wednesday, was ongoing. He condemned Thursday's attacks.

The prospect of Turkey operating Hamid Karzai International Airport after the withdrawal of NATO troops was first raised in June but seemed to have passed when the Taliban took Kabul on August 15.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday warned of "a humanitarian catastrophe " unfolding in Ethiopia' Tigray region.

"The unity of Ethiopia and the stability of the region are at stake," Guterres said in a briefing to the Security Council.

He called for an immediate ceasefire and the launch of national political dialogue.

Outlining the severity of the situation, the UN chief said the military frontlines in Tigray have reached the regions of neighboring Amhara and Afar.

Meanwhile, the leader of Tigray forces in Ethiopia has expressed the commitment to a negotiated end to the nine-month war that has killed thousands and left nearly half a million people facing famine.

The United Nations secretary-general on Thursday warned there is no military solution.

The prospect for talks between Ethiopias government and the Tigray leadership, who dominated the national government for 27 years before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office, remains deeply challenging.

Ethiopias government earlier this year declared the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front a terrorist group, and the United States told Thursday's meeting that the government has not responded positively to calls for talks.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Reports from the Abbey Gate of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport show that a blast was reported there on Thursday. In a video accessed by Republic TV, dozens of people can be seen outside the airport. Notably, Abbey Gate is mostly used by diplomats and evacuees who are usually betted for evacuation.

Even after the attack, many Afghans, as the clip shows, have thronged towards Kabul airport to flee the war-torn nation, in the hope to evacuate Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover in the last few weeks.

Twin explosions stuck in the area outside the Kabul airport. In the incident, 95 people were killed, including 13 US troops. Following the incident, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Canada have announced their decision to halt evacuation operations.

US vows retribution

United States President Joe Biden, in a ,presser blamed ISIS-K responsible for Thursday's event. He also vowed retribution. Holding Islamic State-affiliated terrorists responsible for the attack, Biden said, "To those who carried out this attack as well as anyone who wishes America harm know this. We will not forgive. We'll not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. We'll rescue the American citizens from Afghanistan. We'll get our Afghan allies out and our mission will go on."

The POTUS also said that the US is planning to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities. ISIS-K is a regional affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group that is active in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Reportedly, it recruits jihadists from both Afghan and Pakistan, particularly defecting members of the Afghan Taliban.

Meanwhile, Pentagon is bracing more attacks as the US is reaching its August 31 deadline to evacuate troops and citizens from Afghanistan. Marine Corps general Frank McKenzie during a news briefing said that these types of attacks are expected to continue and "we are doing everything we can to be prepared."
The use of the indigenous language Quechua by the Head of President Pedro Castillo's Cabinet inside Peru's Congress caused sparks to fly Thursday.

The kerfuffle was just another example of the open discord growing between Castillo supporters and his vocal detractors.

After greeting his fellow Peruvians in Quechua, considered a native language used by millions of indigenous people in Peru, Guido Bellido was quickly reprimanded by the Head of Peru's Congress and asked to "speak Spanish."

"I would appreciate as would the other members, because I also do not understand you," said Maria del Carmen Alva pointedly. "Now that you have said hello in Quechua, you could speak in Spanish please."

Bellido responded that by not speaking in Quechua the Congressional proceeding was "practically leaving them to one side" referring to Peru's largely indigenous population.

Official data from 2017 states that 13% of Peruvians, some 4 million people - most of whom reside in the Andes mountains - speak Quechua.

Outside in the streets of Lima both anti-Castillo and his supporters marched to voice their opinions.

The police were able to keep the two vociferous groups apart as they met at the rear of the congress building but frustrations mounted on both sides.

"We do not want him to vacate we want him to work," said supporter Daniela Ramos.

Castillo, a leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his country's poor, took office in July and has faced repeated calls to resign.

The rural teacher who has never held political office before is Peru's first president of peasant origin.

Castillo faces a deeply divided Congress that will make it extremely challenging for him to fulfill his ill-defined campaign promises to aid the poor, who are now estimated to make up about a third of the country's population.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
President Joe Biden welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the White House on Friday.

Their bilateral meeting was delayed by one day after the deadly bombing in Afghanistan on Thursday that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members who died included 10 Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier.

The military has not identified them or given a service affiliation for the last victim.

This comes as the United States pressed on with the monumental airlift from Afghanistan on Friday amid tighter security measures and fears of more bloodshed.

The U.S. warned that more attacks could come ahead of Biden's fast-approaching deadline to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan by Tuesday.

Two officials said the Afghan death toll in Thursday's bombing rose to 169, while the U.S. said it was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

Biden blamed the attack on Afghanistan's offshoot of the Islamic State group, which is a lethal enemy of both the Taliban and the West.

Biden and Benett also spoke about the ongoing threat of Iran and keeping a nuclear weapon out of its reach.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid growing concern over the fast spread of the deadly Delta variant of Coronavirus, the United States of America is registering a record surge in the number of patients hospitalised for the COVID-19 in recent weeks. According to a report by the New York Times, the worst-affected state seems to be Florida which is logging the most number of hospitalizations and deaths than on any previous point during the pandemic. On average, the state is reporting more than 200 COVID-19 deaths each day, by far the highest numbers in the United States presently. The report also suggested that while the Food and Drug Administration has already issued full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the country's delta-driven cases are posing a serious threat.

42 out of 50 states reporting rise in COVID-19 cases

Meanwhile, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows that cases are rising in 42 out of the country's 50 states, whereas, deaths are now increasing in 43 states, the worst tally since December 2020. The data also shows that the average for daily cases in Florida reached over 23,000 on the weekend, which is at least 30 per cent higher than the state's previous peak in January. Meanwhile, Tennessee's health commissioner Lisa Piercey said that the state reported as many as 14,000 paediatric cases in the last week, making it 57 per cent higher than the previous week. Showing her concerns, she added that children are now making up 36 per cent of the new cases in the state. The states like Kentucky and Texas are also seeing a steep rise in cases where intensive care units (ICUs) are overflowing with COVID-19 patients.

Surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by Delta variant

The US public health officials have claimed that the recent surge in COVID cases is largely fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant. According to reports, the officials said that this variant is basically targeting unvaccinated people in the country. The situation is particularly grim in the Southern part of the country, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, they added. As far as the vaccination rate of the country is concerned, a little over 50 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, while more than 70 per cent of adults have received at least one dose. Meanwhile, the country's top health officials recently announced that the booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines would be available for all adults in America beginning next month. It should be mentioned that the US remains the worst-hit country with 38,231,787 cases, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France.

(Image Credits: AP/Fusion Medical Animation/Unsplash)
Ever since the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen crossed international borders, the US has continued to be the most affected country, facing multiple waves in almost two years. Now, the countrys Health and Human Services reports that the total hospitalisations in the country have reached an eight-month high of over 100,000 on August 26. With a resurgence in COVID caseload, triggered by the highly transmissible Delta variant, hospitalisations have more than doubled in the month of July and continue on the upward trajectory.

According to the latest tally by worldometers, the country has reported a total of 39,342,153 cases, out of whom 651,956 people have lost their lives. Despite over 30,732,120 people successfully beating the infection, hospitalisations have increased significantly. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 500 COVID patients were admitted to the hospital last week.

According to the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the state of Florida has the highest number of coronavirus hospitalisations. It is followed by the states of Texas and California. However, HHS clarified that despite Florida leading the number of hospitalised patients, the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia have reported the highest requirement of ICU beds.

Surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by Delta variant

The US public health officials claim that the recent surge in COVID cases is fuelled mainly by the highly infectious Delta variant. According to reports, the officials said that this variant is targeting unvaccinated people in the country. The situation is particularly grim in the Southern part of the country, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, they added. As far as the vaccination rate of the country is concerned, a little over 50 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, while more than 70 per cent of adults have received at least one dose. Meanwhile, the country's top health officials recently announced that the booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines would be available for all adults in America beginning next month. It should be mentioned that the US remains the worst-hit country, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France.

Image Credit: AP
Former US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, expressed his condolences to the family members of US personnel who lost their lives in a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport on 26 August.

"Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the USA meant so much to them," Trump, adding, "Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack." The former US president also said in a statement that the incident should never have been allowed to happen.

"This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand," he continued, "May God bless the U.S.A.".

On Wednesday, Trump had slammed his successor President Joe Biden on his Afghan policy. Trump said, Biden surrendered Afghanistan to terrorists and left thousands of Americans for dead by pulling out the military before our citizens. He added, Now we are learning 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."

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! (sic) the former US president said in his statement.

Trump's role in the Aghan crisis

When Trump took charge as US president in 2017, there were just under 10,000 US military troops in Afghanistan. On being asked what his strategy for the withdrawal of troops would be since al-Qaeda head Osama Bin Laden had been successfully killed by US troops in Pakistan, Trump had asserted that conditions on the ground would dictate any decision-making.

In the next few years, Afghanistan witnessed several terror strikes orchestrated by the Taliban. However, in February 2020, a deal was negotiated that set the tone for a full American military and NATO evacuation in exchange for the Taliban promising to cut tall ties with terror groups, including al-Qaeda. This came to be known as the Doha Agreement, after the Qatari capital where it was signed. The initial deadline for withdrawing all US forces was set for May 2021.

Doha Agreement and release of prisoners

The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, as it was formally called, had not included the Afghan government in talks in Doha causing some friction between the USA and former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. The Trump administration also influenced the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, including 400 criminals convicted of serious crimes like murder.

The move was made with the aim of having better diplomatic relations with the Taliban. In a similar move, when the Taliban took over the Afghan government this month, they released a number of prisoners. As per reports, some of them were affiliated with ISIS.

Coordinated international response to Afghan crisis

Leaders across the world severely condemned the terrorist attack on Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on 26 August. Among them, US President Joe Biden said that he is considering strikes against Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) assets.

Watch as I deliver remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the U.S. service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded. https://t.co/NBv02m3Bpm  President Biden (@POTUS) August 26, 2021

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Both sides agreed that close counter-terrorism cooperation should be maintained. They also addressed the formation of a coordinated international response to Afghanistan's situation.

ISIS-K claims responsibility for terror attacks

At Baran Camp near Kabul Airport, an Islamist militant suicide bomber managed to reach a huge gathering of translators and collaborators with the American troops and detonated his explosive belt among them. According to reports, the attack killed 72 individuals and injured over143 people, including Taliban combatants.

According to the ISIS-K statement, the bomber evaded US security procedures and targeted a camp where US forces were gathering paperwork for those who had cooperated with the military. There was no mention of a second suicide bomber or gunman in the statement.

The terror group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the deadly double attack at Kabul airport on the group's Telegram account: SITE monitoring  ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2021

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP)
In major developments after the Kabul Airport attack, US President Joe Biden has vowed to retaliate against the ISIS-K for their blasts in Kabul Airport. The suicide blast followed by gunfire on Thursday claimed the lives of at least 95 Afghans and 13 US Army personnel. Meanwhile, President Biden has also ordered to continue evacuation amidst the surmounting chaos and terror in the Afghanistan capital. Check out Republic TV's global coverage below:

#LIVE | From Kabul to USA: Tune in to watch Republic's global coverage on #KabulAttacks as Joe Noser reports from Tennessee.



Watch here - https://t.co/RZHKU3wOei pic.twitter.com/yKsI1B1n5p  Republic (@republic) August 27, 2021

Republic TV had connected with special correspondent Joe Noser from Tennessee to gather updates on the situation. As per his report, the US has decided to continue the extraction of Americans and asylum seekers until August 31. On Thursday, the US had successfully evacuated people from Kabul despite the 'fluid on-ground security situation.' Meanwhile, the US administration and the allies' intelligence services have sent out another set of imminent threat alerts in Kabul on Friday.

As far as updates about the US response to the double attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul are concerned, President Biden has pledged to launch a retaliatory strike. However, the move by the US military forces is "quite unsure." The plan and execution could only be possible after the US intelligence is provided with the "actual ISIS-K targets" in Afghanistan.

Evacuation process "highly unlikely" after August 31 deadline

As per insider details from Republic sources about the evacuation process, the US government has decided to stick to the August 31 deadline as of now. Following the stalled evacuation-centered negotiations between Taliban and the CIA Director William J Burns, the extension now seems "highly unlikely."

The decision is also fuelled by the premature withdrawals of coalition partners like France and Spain. However, even if there is room for an extension that will only be determined after the complete withdrawal of evacuation aids on August 31.

Meanwhile, there is widespread introspection going on in the US administration about the slightest chance of mismanagement in terms of the hasty withdrawal of Foreign Defence Forces from Afghanistan. However, amidst global pressure and self-realisations, the US is currently focused on getting their nationals, Afghans and citizens of Allies out of the war-torn country.

Image: AP/Republic TV
US Vice President Kamala Harris has declared that the United States "welcomes stiff competition" but "does not seek conflict" with Beijing. Speaking at a news conference, Harris said that they will continue to "speak up" on issues like the South China Sea, reported Business World. She made these comments before she ended her Southeast Asian visit to Hanoi on August 26.

US VP Kamala Harris ends Southeast Asian tour

Addressing the news conference, Harris emphasised that the US "does not seek conflict" with Beijing but added that they will "speak up on issues like the South China Sea." US Vice President Kamala Harris on August 26, said that in her dialogue with Vietnamese leaders, she raised issues of human rights abuses and restrictions on political activism. Furthermore, Harris said that she urged the Vietnamese Government about the release of political dissidents. While Harris did not reveal the details regarding her discussion with the Vietnamese leaders, but she confirmed that she raised this issue, according to AP. It is worth mentioning that Vietnam has been facing criticism for imposing restrictions on freedom of expression. To strengthen the relationship of the US with the Southeast Asian countries, Harris was on a week-long visit to the region, where she interacted with top leaders of Singapore and Vietnam.

Harris accused China of 'bullying' in South China Sea

During her Southeast Asia tour, US Vice President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the US in challenging Chinas "bullying" in the South China Sea. Harris added that they need to find ways to make China follow the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea. In addition, Harris expressed support for sending an additional US Coast Guard cutter to Vietnam for helping them in defending its security in the disputed waterway. Kamala Harris accused China of "coercion and intimidation" to support the unlawful claims in the disputed regions of the South China Sea.

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, said Harris.

(IMAGE: AP)

(Inputs from AP)
Two people were killed and another was injured Thursday morning in a shooting near the courthouse in the small northern Illinois city of Kankakee, the mayor said.

Kankakee Police chief Robin Passwater said during a press conference that both the suspects were taken into custody.

Curtis did not provide any other details about the victims or the suspects. His assistant, David Guzman, said the area has been secured and that there is no longer any danger to the public.

Kankakee is a community of about 26,000 people located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Chicago.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Tropical Storm Ida formed in the Caribbean on August 26 and the forecasters also said that its track appeared to be aiming at the US Gulf Coast. The situation also prompted Louisianas Governor John Bel Edwards to declare a state of emergency and forecasters to announce a hurricane watch for New Orleans. He said, By Saturday evening, everyone should be in the location where they intend to ride out the storm.

Further, the United States National Hurricane Center has said that Ida was expected to pass through the tobacco-rich western stretch of Cuba as the tropic storms starting on the afternoon of August 27 before eventually gaining strength and reaching the Gulf Coast by August 29 (local time). The Hurricane Centre has also said, There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday, especially along the coast of Louisiana.

As per The Associated Press, Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami said, Ida certainly has the potential to be very bad.

Unfortunately, all of Louisianas coastline is currently in the forecast cone for Tropical Storm #Ida, which is strengthening and could come ashore in Louisiana as a major hurricane as Gulf conditions are conducive for rapid intensification.#lagov #lawx  John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 26, 2021

Hurricane watch in effect in the US

In the wake of the situation, a hurricane watch was reportedly in effect for Cameron, Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama border including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans. As per the update on Thursday night, Ida had sustained the maximum winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was travelling northwest at about 12 mph (19 kph). The tropical storm was mainly centred about 65 miles (105 kilometres) southeast of Grand Cayman and 365 miles (585 kilometres) southeast of the western tip of Cuba. The winds extended as far as 70 miles (110 kilometres) from the centre.

Initially, the storm was forecast to deliver between 6 to 12 inches of rain over parts of Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman Islands. It was previously noted that it had the potential to reach some other isolated areas. Forecasters even warned of flash floods and mudslides, tidal storms along with large and destructive waves. the Cayman Island government reportedly said that the non-essential government officers were closed at 2:30 PM (local time) on August 26. It also ordered the activations of four shelters.

Tropical Storm #Ida Advisory 4: Ida Strengthens as the Center Passes Through the Cayman Islands. Air Force Reserve and Noaa Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Enroute to Investigate the Storm. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 27, 2021

IMAGE: AP

(With Inputs from AP)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stopped at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to meet with servicemembers while on her way back to Washington, D.C. She had planned also to stop in California to appear with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall attempt. But Harris scrapped that stop to head straight to Washington, her office announced.

The vice president is returning from a weeklong trip to Southeast Asia during which she met with top officials in Singapore and Vietnam in a bid to strengthen U.S. engagement in the region to counter Chinese influence there.

Harris unveiled a number of new U.S. agreements and aid for both countries in areas including cyberdefense cooperation with Singapore and coronavirus aid to Vietnam, which is struggling with a new surge in the virus and low vaccination rates.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email please call (208) 542-6777 for help.



We get it. You don't want to see the ads.

We'd just ask you to understand that those ads help us pay the bills  and our reporters. Please, consider white-listing the Standard Journal in your ad-blocker or, even better, purchase a subscription so that you can help support quality local journalism.
A construction employee works on the upper floors at the buidling site of the Wuhan Greenland Center skyscraper in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, Sept. 28, 2020.

China's new measures to rein in property investment are raising questions about a wave of crackdowns on private enterprises, internet platforms and tech firms.

In one of the latest moves, Bloomberg News reported on Aug. 12 that private equity firms would be barred from receiving required registrations from the government-backed Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) for property investments, effectively blocking funds for real estate projects.

The restriction is seen as a response to recent decisions made by leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at a Politburo meeting on economic policies and priorities for the second half of the year.

At the July 30 meeting, the top leadership stressed that as a long-term mechanism for the smooth functioning and healthy development of the property market is being established, an overall restructuring of the industry would be in order, the official English-language China Daily said.

The investment restriction is seen as another hurdle for property developers, who have already faced tougher regulation of bank loans and trust funding, Bloomberg reported.

Real estate development has been subject to over 320 new regulations or amendments since the start of the year, according to Centaline Property Agency Ltd., the report said.

While the restrictions and restructuring plans appear to be part of a new wave of pressure on the private sector, many threads of previous policies have contributed to the property rules.

The most frequently cited factor is President Xi Jinpings dictum that housing is for living in, not for speculation.

The populist slogan reflects social and economic pressures that have been building for over a decade as property prices have raced ahead of average incomes, turning empty apartments into stores of wealth for those with money to invest.

The wealth gap between urban property owners and migrant workers from rural areas has been perpetuated by rising real estate prices, clashing with CCP claims of ending extreme poverty and creating a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Despite advances in earnings since 2013, the average income of rural dwellers in China remained 39 percent of that of urban residents last year, according to official figures cited by Nikkei Asia.

Investors bullish on property market

Property prices have continued to climb despite the maze of restrictions on investment. Commercial housing sales rose 21.5 percent in the first seven months of the year in terms of floor area and 30.7 percent in terms of value, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported last week.

In an attempt to curb prices, authorities have suspended land sales in some major cities, choking off a revenue source that earned 8.4 trillion yuan (U.S. $1.3 trillion) for local governments last year, Bloomberg said separately on Aug. 16.

Chinas property curbs have also been driven by the government's push to reduce financial risks.

Concerns have grown over investments in major real estate developers like the Evergrande Group, with estimates of outstanding debt running as high as U.S. $300 billion (1.9 trillion yuan), The New York Times said.

The governments pressures on real estate development also reflect its resistance to calls for more investment-led stimulus to revive economic growth and COVID-19 recovery.

Investors remain bullish on the property sector despite the new rules, shifting their focus to projects that provide new housing for rent in keeping with the overall restructuring of the industry and government policies, Reuters said.

But alternate readings of the government's intentions have not been ruled out, particularly with respect to recent crackdowns on private enterprises and technology companies.

In recent months, the government's heavy-handed regulators have demonstrated a nasty habit of finding fault with high-flying private companies just as they have launched public offerings, leading to disastrous losses for investors.

The pattern was set last November with the suspension of a U.S. $34-billion (220-billion yuan) initial public offering by the Ant Group, an ambitious on-line microlending venture. Months later, the government imposed record anti-monopoly fines against its e-commerce parent Alibaba, founded by billionaire Jack Ma.

Since then, a series of badly-timed investigations, enforcement actions and regulatory measures have disrupted investments and plans of China's far-flung platform providers and technology companies.

Jack Ma has vanished from public view, adding to investor anxieties. Over U.S. $1 trillion (6.47 trillion yuan) in market value has been wiped off the books, reports say.

In April, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) and other regulators slapped sweeping restrictions on 13 internet-based businesses, curbing their collection of personal and credit data, and demanding restructuring of their business models.

Technology, e-commerce and communications giants including Tencent Holdings Ltd., ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing Technology Co., and ByteDance Ltd. were all targeted.

Investors, analysts, and company executives believe the government is just getting started in its push to realign the relationship between private business and the state, with a goal of ensuring companies do more to serve the Communist Partys economic, social and national security concerns, The Wall Street Journal said on Aug. 6.

The government has stepped up the pressure with new rules that it says are needed for cybersecurity.

Draft revisions required tech companies with over 1million pieces of personal data to be subject to cybersecurity reviews before seeking listings abroad, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Aug. 20.

Final versions of the Personal Information Protection Law have yet to be published, but drafts require companies to get user consent for data collection and strict rules for transferring data outside the country, according to CNBC.

Recent government interventions in the tech sector have spanned corporate interests from the online video game business of Tencent Holdings to the operations of for-profit tutorial companies, which were banned by an order of the cabinet-level State Council last month.

Since the Ant Group suspension, regulators have taken more than 50 actions against private companies for alleged antitrust violations and other issues, according to a Goldman Sachs Group report.

The market value of six leading technology companies in China has dropped by over 40 percent since February, The Wall Street Journal said.

A common denominator

It may be difficult to draw a straight line between the e-commerce crackdowns and the funding restrictions for property development, but it is inescapable that all of the recent regulatory targets are private enterprises.

In the face of rising criticism, a regulatory official denied the existence of any such connection, Xinhua reported Thursday.

The crackdown is non-discriminatory and by no means targeting private and foreign enterprises only, said Han Wenxiu, an official of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs.

The purpose of tougher regulation is to ensure healthier, more sustained and longer-term development, Han said.

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that regulators are working on new rules that would bar Chinese companies with large amounts of sensitive consumer data from listings in the United States.

The wave of regulatory measures has been unusually arbitrary, value destructive, and abrupt. The power of the party and the state to control private enterprise is a common denominator, regardless of cost.

While the tech sector has struggled to comply with the regulatory push, the government's ban on tutorial companies may have set a new standard for regulatory overreach and flimsy rationale.

The State Council order of July 19 barred licenses and investment in tutorial institutions because they may raise educational costs, posing a potential disincentive for President Xi Jinpings three-child policy.

The move threatens to decimate Chinas U.S. $120-billion (778-billion yuan) private tutoring industry, Reuters said.

This is unprecedented. A whole industry was almost wiped out overnight. And it just underscores how hard it is to quantify risks tied to investing in China, Alex Au, managing director of Alphalex Capital Management, told The Wall Street Journal.

While the government's regulatory responses have been impulsive, its policies seem to be following at least two streams. One is oriented toward controlling societal conditions, while the other aims to keep pace with technological change.

The crackdown on education fits the long pattern of periodic attacks on property investment. Its standard central government behavior, said Derek Scissors, an Asia economist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

The central government doesn't care if a few major developers die or the private education sector largely disappears, Scissors said.

In comparison, the tech sector must grow, yet it needs to be tightly controlled for the party leadership to feel secure, he said.

Regulation of the tech sector has been typically behind the curve of innovation by the private sector, exposing investors to sudden risks and losses.

Private investment is dynamic, so its the natural target for regulators and they are usually late in understanding the situation, regardless of the industry. But tech is genuinely strategic, while the others are not, Scissors said.
Cambodia's government should now investigate how so much oil could have been taken out of the country so easily, NGOs say.

Indonesian navy personnel detain crew members of the Bahamas-flagged tanker M.T. Strovolos after its seizure in the waters off Riau Islands, Indonesia, in a photo released by the Indonesian navy on Aug. 25, 2021.

A tanker with nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil that went missing last month may have left Cambodia unnoticed due to loopholes in enforcement, a ruling party spokesman said Friday, while local NGOs called on the government to investigate any possible official role in the alleged theft.

The M.T. Strovolos, the ship carrying the oil, was seized by Indonesian authorities on July 17 when the Bahamian-flagged tanker anchored off Sumatra with its identification system turned off, three days after Phnom Penh issued an Interpol red notice about the alleged theft.

Sok Ey San, spokesperson for Cambodias ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, said on Friday that loopholes by authorities might have contributed to the tankers slipping away from Cambodia, but that proper follow-up led to the arrests.

When we lost the tanker, we asked for international help, such as Interpol, to intervene. In general, we have now done everything we are supposed to do, he said.

The Indonesian navy made its arrest of the ship and its captain and crew only on the basis of navigational violations, though, and not in response to the Interpol notice, said Navy spokesperson First Admiral Julius Widjojono, speaking in response to a request for comment by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

In the diplomatic note or red notice sent by the Cambodian government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there was no request for the return of the crude oil to Cambodia, Widjojono said. The return of evidence will depend on a court decision, he added.

Call to investigate

Cambodias government must now thoroughly investigate how so much oil could have been taken so easily out of the country, one NGO worker told RFA, adding that local authorities may have been involved in allowing the theft.

We need to investigate this case thoroughly and release a report to the public. How could they steal such a large amount of crude oil? said Yong Kim Eng, president of the Peoples Centre for Development and Peace.

Transparency International Cambodia (TI Cambodia) Executive Director Pech Pisey also called on Phnom Penh to work with the Indonesian government to bring back the Strovolos to resolve outstanding questions with the Singapore-based oil and gas company KrisEnergy, which had rented the tanker-ship for oil storage.

It is important to bring the tanker back in order to resolve this issue with other relevant parties, he said, adding that the oils theft should serve as a lesson to Cambodia for its future dealings with foreign investors.

Tanker's crew not paid

KrisEnergy, which had worked with Phnom Penh to support Cambodias efforts, abandoned in 2019, to extract its own petroleum, had filed for liquidation in June but was unable to pay the tankers crew, according to a report by the AFP wire service.

Speaking to RFA on Thursday, Cambodian government spokesperson Phay Siphan said that Cambodias Foreign Ministry and embassy in Indonesia have asked the Indonesian government to return the tanker and its oil, but had so far received no reply.

The loss of the Strovolos and its oil is an embarrassment for Cambodia, said Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, the founder of Cambodias Mother Nature environmental protection group.

This has affected the reputations of [Prime Minister] Hun Sen and Cambodia. Cambodias government has no transparency and is full of corruption, and corruption may have been involved [in the tankers escape], he said.

I dont believe that Cambodia will get the tanker back any time soon. It could take years. And this will also affect other investors, he said.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Sources say the paper has ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United Front overseas propaganda work.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the U.S. subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based Chinese-language newspaper to register as a foreign agent, recent filings show.

Sing Tao U.S., whose parent company owns the Sing Tao Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, has been determined by the DOJ to be engaged in "political activity" under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA.

Sing Tao has said it disputes its status as a foreign agent, as it is neither "controlled nor influenced" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The move comes after Hong Kong businessman Charles Ho sold his stake in June to Kwok Hiu-Ting, daughter of mainland real estate developer Kwok Ying-Shing, for H.K.$370 million, who owns the Kaisa Group.

Under FARA, entities or individuals deemed by Washington to be promoting foreign influence in the country, or owned by or acting under the direction of foreign governments or organizations, must register as foreign agents.

The registration involves filing updated details every six months of their activities on U.S. soil, as well as details of payments received from overseas, and of those made to others.

The filings show that Sing Tao U.S. was in receipt of nearly U.S.$3.8 million weeks before its first registration, and commands a budget of U.S.$9.8 million for its news operation.

More than half of Sing Tao's U.S. content is syndicated copy produced by a company called Star Production, based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

State-owned international broadcaster China Radio International (CRI)'s U.S. branch has also recently been registered as a foreign agent.

A cover operation

Joseph Long, former assistant editor-in-chief for Hong Kong's pro-China Commercial Daily, said it is a fairly open secret among journalists in the city that the Sing Tao Daily is a CCP-linked organization.



"It's a fairly open secret that it is an underground CCP organization," Long told RFA. "Based on my understanding of the CCP system and Sing Tao, I can say with certainty that some people who have taken on the functions of the United Front Work Department also do United Front work among the Chinese community in the United States."

RFA was unable to confirm Long's assertion independently. However, an online search of company records revealed that at least two of the company's directors -- since the change of ownership -- serve on the committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body to the rubber-stamp National People's Congress (NPC).

A source familiar with the industry told RFA that the U.S. move made sense, given that the Kaisa group is "a white glove operation" with the full power of the CCP behind it.

Long said he agreed with that assessment, saying the Kaisa Group was a cover operation for the CCP's media operations.

The Sing Tao News Group had declined to respond to requests from RFA for comment at the time of writing on Friday.

'Objective facts, high-quality content'

The paper's website published a three-point statement on its homepage, stating that the company's five U.S. subsidiaries have recently registered as foreign agents in accordance with FARA.

"As a media organization, Sing Tao will uphold the mission of reporting objective facts and high-quality content, and provide readers with neutral and unbiased news reports," it said.

The Sing Tao Daily is one of Hong Kong's longest-running newspapers, founded in 1938 by Aw Boon Haw, a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman.

Facing financial troubles, his daughter Sally Aw sold the controlling stake to a private equity fund of Lazard in 1999. It was acquired in 2001 by Charles Ho's listed company Global China Technology Group.

Another source said that Sing Tao News Corp. has really made most of its money in overseas markets in recent years, especially in the American Chinese community, where it is highly influential.

Its reporters may now face problems applying for press accreditation to report on Congress.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A recent poll also finds strong levels of support for formal diplomatic recognition of the democratic island.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attends the inspection of a Republic of China Navy fleet in Keelung, March 8, 2021.

More than 50 percent of the American public would support U.S. military intervention to defend Taiwan against invasion by China, according to a recent opinion survey in the U.S.

"When asked about a range of potential scenarios, just over half of Americans (52 percent) favor using U.S. troops to defend if China were to invade the island," the Chicago Council Survey said in a report on its website.

"This is the highest level ever recorded in the Councils surveys dating back to 1982, when the question was first asked."

Survey data showed that a majority of Americans supported a range of U.S. policies towards Taiwan including official recognition as an independent country, inclusion in international organizations, and a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement, it said.

"Chinese intimidation of Taiwan has increased since 2016, demonstrated by naval drills in the Taiwan Strait, incursions into Taiwanese airspace, and economic coercion targeted at Taiwanese industries," the report said.

However, 47 percent believed the U.S. shouldn't sell arms or military equipment to Taiwan, compared with 50 percent who believed it should.

Sixty percent of Republicans polled supported military intervention over Taiwan, compared with 50 percent of Democrats.

Sixty percent of poll respondents saw Taiwan either as an ally or a necessary partner, while 61 percent saw China as a rival or an adversary.

Ye Yaoyuan, an associate professor in the Department of International Studies and Contemporary Linguistics at St. Thomas University said the results come at a time of widespread anti-China sentiment in the U.S.

"This friendly attitude towards Taiwan is of course also related to anti-China attitudes among the American public," Ye said.

"They know that China just wants to invade Taiwan, and Taiwan doesn't like China," he said. "It's a case of my enemy's enemy is my friend."

Influence on policymakers

Weng Luzhong, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University, Texas, agreed.

"Support for Taiwan is inversely proportional to antipathy to China. The increase in antipathy to China is completely equivalent to the increase in support for Taiwan," he said.

Weng cited a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in June showing that 69 percent of respondents had negative attitudes towards China.

But he added: "There is still a big gap between disgust and hatred."

"That is to say, Americans may not like China, but they don't necessarily feel they have to fight it," Weng said.

But he said the poll could sway policymakers.

"Now we see that there is a public willingness to send troops to support Taiwan, that's a point of reference," he said. "If something happens in the Taiwan Strait, there is a far greater likelihood that the U.S. will support [Taiwan]."

"Will it send troops? I think that's looking like a yes right now," Weng said.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The North Korea-China border may remain closed for some time, analysts in Seoul say.

People walk below the Friendship Bridge, which spans the Yalu River between China and North Korea, in the Chinese city of Dandong, Feb. 22, 2019.

Ethnic Chinese stranded in North Korea when the border was closed last year amid coronavirus concerns have been allowed by Pyongyang to return home, but only after promising not to return to the reclusive country before the end of 2023, sources say.

The closure of the Sino-North Korean border and suspension of all travel and trade at the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020 has devastated a North Korean economy highly dependent on China. Commerce has dried up, factories lay idle for lack of raw materials, and food prices have jumped sharply as shortages mount.

The ethnic Chinese, called Hwagyo in Korean, were authorized to leave for China on July 14, and quickly departed the country, but were made to sign documents pledging not to come back, a source living in China recently told RFAs Korean Service.

When the Hwagyos came out of North Korea, they signed promises that they would not re-enter North Korea through the end of 2023, RFAs source said, citing information learned from a conversation with one of those who returned, and speaking on condition of anonymity.

Many ethnic Chinese traveled regularly to and from North Korea on business before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and were left out of work and cut off from their families when the border closed, the source said.

Stranded in North Korea, the Hwagyos were unable to receive living expenses from their relatives in China or even to attend family members funerals, he said.

So they asked North Korean authorities for permission to leave, and the authorities allowed them to do so on the condition that they not come back to North Korea for a certain period of time, the source said.

In July RFAs Korean Service reported that in previous months three ethnic Chinese in the North Korean cities of Wonsan and Chongjin had died of starvation under the heavy coronavirus restrictions.

Border may remain closed

The North Korea-China border may remain closed for some time, as the situation with the spread of COVID-19 in China has not improved, analysts in Seoul say.

There was a rumor that the border would be opened in August, but I think the possibility was always very low, said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, based in Seoul.

North Korea may still be feeling a sense of crisis as the recent situation in China regarding the novel coronavirus has been unstable, he said.

Pyongyang has not allowed foreign arrivals into North Korea since January 2020, Cho said, adding that the body of a North Korean trade worker who died in the Chinese border city of Dandong is rumored to still be kept in a freezer at Dandong Hospital.

The Hwagyos have now left for China, but I dont think theyll be able to come back to North Korea until the pandemic ends, he said. It is highly probable that the Hwagyos recognized this, and have left the country only after promising not to return.

Resumption of trade under review

Also speaking to RFA, South Koreas Ministry of Unification said that plans for a resumption of trade between the two countries are under constant review, with North Korea maintaining quarantine facilities in the border cities of Sinuiju and Uiju and the seaport of Nampo, and adopting a Law on the Disinfection of Imports.

No progress has made yet toward actually opening the border, though, a Ministry official said.

We are closely monitoring the trends along the border, but there has been no change so far, the official said, adding that some goodsmainly fertilizers and farming equipment not banned by international sanctionsare being delivered by sea, but that nothing has been seen coming across by land.

The several thousand Chinese residents of North Korea are not recent immigrants from the Peoples Republic of China. Most entered the Korean peninsula at a time when the Republic of China (ROC) controlled the Chinese mainland or during the Chinese Civil War (1927-1949).

RFA reported in mid-July that about 90 Hwagyo arrived by bus in the Chinese border city of Dandong, after crossing the Yalu River from North Koreas Sinuiju.

Reported by Yong Jae Mok for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Jinha Shin. Written in English by Richard Finney.
"Everything is a problem now. Getting food is a problem, and money is also a problem," says Rakhine refugee Ma Saw Yin.

Rakhine refugee Ma Saw Yin (C) prepares a meal for her family in the Ngazin Yaing Chaung refugee camp in Sittwe, the capital of western Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Nine months after a ceasefire brought relative calm to Myanmars western Rakhine state following a bitter two-year military conflict, Oo Thein Lwin and Ma Saw Yin are still trapped in a refugee camp, recalling when they grew their own food and found regular work in their village.

The couple were driven from their home last year by a conflict that erupted in late 2018 between Myanmars military and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group that says it is fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine people in what they consider to be their historic homeland on the Bay of Bengal coast.

Before the ceasefire agreed by both sides for November 2020 elections, fighting in Rakhine and adjacent Chin state had killed 300 civilians, injured more than 700 others, and, at its peak, displaced roughly 230,000 people to makeshift refugee camps, temples, and the homes of relatives.

The ceasefire remains intact and Rakhine state has been an island of relative quiet in a country where many regions have erupted in protest and conflict as local militias and ethnic armies fight Myanmars military to reverse the coup that ousted Myanmars elected government on Feb. 1.

But the coronavirus pandemic, landmines, and lingering fears of junta troop reinforcements have stopped Oo Thein Lwin and Ma Saw Yin and some 100,000 Rakhine refugees from going home.

We didnt suffer much until recently. My husband used to work outside the home and I sometimes sold produce in the market, Ma Saw Yin told RFAs Myanmar Service.

"Everything is a problem now. Getting food is a problem, and money is also a problem. Living here is a great challenge, she said.

With food in short supply, the couple are living on taro roots they pick outside the Ngazin Yaing Chaung refugee camp in Sittwe, the Rakhine state capital.

The camp has been home for the couple and their two young daughters since they fled shelling and an intimidating military troop buildup more than a year ago.

When we fled from the village, I had only the clothes on my body. Everything was left behind, said Ma Saw Yin.

They are among 200 people from from 40 refugee families who settled in the Sittwe camp after fleeing two villages in Paletwa township, a Rakhine majority area of nearby Chin state, close to Bangladesh.

The masonry jobs her husband, Oo Than Lwin, used to pick up in Sittwe, and donations from well-wishers. have dropped off during lockdowns to combat the coronavirus.

But now with COVID, we cannot go out and there are no jobs because of the shutdown. My children do not even have snacks. We can't even buy medicine for health issues, added Ma Saw Yin. She said she feeds her family on taro plants and roots she picks near the camp.

When we lived in our village, we grew sesame and could sell our produce at the market. It was fine while we were there, Oo Than Lwin told RFA.

We could store food for the entire year. Now they are all gone. So well just have to bite the bullet. Whether we like it or not, well have to face the challenge ourselves in the refugee camp, he said.

Rice running out

According to the Rakhine Nationalities Association (REC), an NGO, there are over 60,000 refugees in camps and another 40,000 people living outside organized shelter facilities.

Normally, the government provides rice for them, just rice. But even that rice is not enough, said Pinnya Sekka, a leader at the camp. In the past, we received support from World Food Program, but not anymore.

This month, people have to borrow from each other, promising to pay it back when they can get a job, said Pinnya Sekka.

RFAs calls to Rakhine State authorities went unanswered.

In July, the junta said it was working on a plan to repatriate Rakhine refugees, but added that some areas were still not safe yet to return to.

"If I could go home today, I would leave straight away. I dont want to live like a refugee. I have never lived like this, said Ma Saw Yin, whose village is about 130 km (80 miles) north of Sittwe.

Even if I could go home now, I don't have money to pay for the trip."

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
Middle School students Gyuldrak and Yangrik had opposed a new Chinese education policy mandating classroom instruction only in the Chinese language.

Tibetan students Gyuldrak and Yangrik are shown under arrest in Darlag county in Qinghai's Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Aug. 24, 2021.

Authorities in northwestern Chinas Qinghai province have detained two Tibetan students accused of opposing the use of the Chinese language as the only medium of instruction in Tibetan schools, Tibetan sources say.

Identified as Gyuldrak and Yangrik, the two 19-year-old residents of Darlag county in Qinghais Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture were taken into custody on Tuesday by Chinese police, a Tibetan living in the region told RFA.

The two Middle School students are believed to have drawn police attention by speaking on the WeChat social media platform against a Chinese policy mandating, beginning in September, that all classes in local schools be taught only in Chinese.

Tibetan parents are being instructed to pick up the new Chinese-language textbooks in place of the older Tibetan texts when they go for COVID-19 testing, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The new language policy has already aroused widespread opposition among Tibetans in neighboring Sichuan, where Tibetan private schools have been closed and children sent to government schools amid parents concerns for their childrens connection to their native Tibetan language and culture.

Gyuldrak and Yangrik are now being held at the Darlag county police station, RFAs source said.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses in the monasteries and towns deemed illegal associations and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say.

Reported by Sangyal Kunchok for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Veranika Tsapkala has been an integral part of the largely female-led push to unseat Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian leader of Belarus since 1994.



After her husband's bid to run in the country's presidential election last August was rejected on claims that he had falsified signatures needed to get on the ballot, Tsapkala teamed up with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a reluctant candidate who only joined the race after her husband's bid was also nixed. Lukashenka had made sure to disqualify potential challengers, but apparently didn't see Tsikhanouskaya as one -- dismissing women as "poor things."



Joined by Marrya Kalesnikava, the trio attracted crowds that swelled in size, tapping into Belarusians' building frustrations with Lukashenka's authoritarian rule. For many Belarusians, the tipping point perhaps came with Lukashenka's perceived mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his refusal to institute any lockdown measures, triggering some of Europe's highest coronavirus infection rates.



On the campaign trail, Tsikhanouskaya clenching her fist, Kalesnikava making a heart sign, and Tsapkala signaling a V for victory quickly became iconic symbols of the election.



"The rallies that we held in each city were unique in their own way," recounted Tsapkala, 38, in a recent interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service. "In one city, we met many older people, grandmothers, who told us about their lives: how they raised their children, who had then been forced to leave the country. In other cities, we met people with disabilities, and, in others, we met with poets and musicians. Each rally was incredible in its own way."



"There was all that positive energy coming from the people," she added. "It was an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life. For me, the 2020 campaign was one of the highlights of my life and I will never forget it."



"I miss the times when we were a trio, when we traveled together, supported each other, going on stage," Tsapkala said. "Masha (Kalesnikava) and I had the experience of performing on stage, albeit not on a daily basis, and then Sveta (Tsikhanouskaya) had no experience on stage at all. She was very afraid, and we supported each other in every way. We were like three sisters."

Hopes Dashed

Hopes for change were quickly dashed on election night when Lukashenka was declared the landslide winner, triggering large protests in Minsk and elsewhere that were met by a brutal crackdown.



Amid the turmoil, Tsapkala ultimately left, fleeing Belarus first for Poland in what would be a many-nation, yearlong odyssey.



Tsikhanouskaya was forced to flee Belarus for neighboring Lithuania a day after the disputed vote and has largely become the global face of the democratic Belarusian opposition to Lukashenka, meeting with world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in July.

Kalesnikava, who had first headed the presidential campaign of Viktar Babaryka before his own presidential bid was ended by embezzlement charges that he denies, did not leave, although Lukashenka's security apparatus tried to push her out.



Kalesnikava was arrested on September 7 in Minsk by masked men and taken to the Ukrainian border the next day along with two associates. Ordered to cross the border, Kalesnikava refused, tearing up her passport instead. She was then taken back to Minsk and jailed.



She is now on trial on charges of attempting to seize power by unconstitutional means, publicly calling for actions against national security, and creating and leading an extremist group. If convicted, Kalesnikava faces up to 12 years in prison.

"For me personally, it was very difficult leaving Belarus," Tsapkala said of her own travails. "Because that is my homeland, my home, my mother is buried there, and I haven't been to her grave for more than a year. It was not easy for me."



"When we left Belarus, Valer first went to Russia with the kids, because at the time there was no border between Belarus and Russia, no passport control," she said, referring to her husband, Valer Tsapkala. "After that, we went to Ukraine, and from there Poland, then Latvia, and now we are in Greece. Why did we go to so many countries? At first, we went to all the countries bordering Belarus to meet with the leadership of these countries and speak with them about the situation in our country."

Tsapkala said the decision to relocate to Greece had much to do with economics.



"I needed to get a job because for more than a year we'd been living off our personal savings, as well as the money that Valer earns as a global consultant on information technology," Tsapkala explained.

Her husband, 56, had co-founded a high-tech incubator in Minsk and has political and diplomatic experience as well, having headed Lukashenka's first presidential campaign in 1994 and served as ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2002.

Tsapkala rejects any suggestion her husband's business success was due to his early ties with Lukashenka.



"Until 2005, he was in fact a civil servant; he was an ambassador," she said. "Valer was one of a few who was able to bring the experience he acquired in the United States and applied it at home, creating the Hi-Tech Park, the most successful project in the 27 years of the Lukashenka regime. But since 2005, he has not been a government official."



Tsapkala scoffed at claims by Lukashenka that his foes are financed by the West.



"During this entire time, we have not received any outside help," she said. "So, I always laugh when Lukashenka accuses opposition leaders and politicians of living off grants or other money from the West, and so on. Just speaking for ourselves, we have not received a dime of outside help. That is why we decided that I also needed to return to work, because we needed something to live on, to feed the kids," Tsapkala said.

Unpacked Suitcases



In the early days abroad, Tsapkala said she was convinced they would be returning home sooner rather than later.



"For the first five months abroad, I didn't even unpack my suitcases," she explained. "I'm not kidding. During that time, we were in and out of a lot of apartments because we were moving from country to country. But every day I expected and hoped that today or tomorrow we will go back home. That's why I didn't unpack my suitcases. And literally only at the beginning of this year, I unpacked several of our suitcases for the first time."



Now in Greece, Tsapkala is also devoting time to the Belarusian Women's Fund, which she created and said "was a logical step after we were in a trio with Svyatlana and Maryya, and after Maryya was illegally jailed."

According to Tsapkala, the Belarusian Women's Fund has collected testimony from women in Belarus who were imprisoned or experienced torture and humiliation. Based on this testimony, Tsapkala said, a case has been sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.



Much of the Belarusian opposition leadership is either under arrest, in jail, or in exile. And Lukashenka, while an international pariah, still remains in power. But Tsapkala is convinced, Lukashenka's rule will ultimately come to an end.



"My dream, like the dream of most Belarusians, is to finally end this inhumane regime," she said. "I have no doubt that this regime will fall because it cannot be otherwise. We are free, and we continue our struggle. Even though Valer and I have had to return to normal jobs, we have not abandoned our social activism for one minute."

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Tony Wesolowsky based on an interview by Anna Sous
Belarus has ordered the closure of the countrys largest independent journalists' organization as a crackdown on media and civil society intensifies following last year's disputed presidential election.

The order to liquidate the Belarusian Association of Journalists came on August 27 after the Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry.

The formal reason for the liquidation order is that the association did not correct alleged violations identified by the Justice Ministry during an inspection launched in June.

Crisis In Belarus Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka ramps up pressure on NGOs and independent media as part of a brutal crackdown against protesters and the opposition following an August 2020 election widely considered fraudulent.

Specifically, two of the association's six branches allegedly ended their lease contracts. The association denied this but was unable to provide supporting documents because its office was sealed after searches and confiscation of equipment in July.

The head of the association, Andrey Bastunets, said its work will go on.

We will continue to do our job, regardless of the decision of the courts, which clumsily fulfill the political order of the authorities, Bastunets told the Associated Press. Expanding the space for freedom of speech has been the mission of the organization for over a quarter of a century, but now the darkest times have come in Belarus.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists has been active since 1995 and is a member of the International Federation of Journalists. It has more than 1,300 members who work in radio and television and for various publishing companies.

Since 1997 it has monitored violations of freedom of expression and media rights. It has a network of correspondents throughout Belarus who collect information about the state of the media in their regions.

Security forces last month raided the offices and homes of several independent journalists across Belarus, including the premises of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Minsk, as part of a sweep targeting the media.

The association said last week that 33 media employees were behind bars.

The government also has blocked the websites of major independent media, such as BelaPAN, a private news agency.

Belarus also canceled accreditation for foreign news organizations after massive protests began in August 2020 following a presidential election that gave authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in office.

With reporting by AP
Bulgaria announced on August 26 that it will bolster its border with Greece and Turkey with between 400 and 700 soldiers amid growing concern in Europe over an influx of migrants from Afghanistan.



The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has stoked fears of a repeat of Europe's 2015 migration crisis, when more than 1 million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East arrived in the bloc. Many migrants crossed from Turkey and took the so-called Balkan route to wealthier EU countries.



"The pressure on the Bulgarian border is increasing, which requires the government to act, and it is doing just that," Defense Minister Georgi Panayotov said.

The soldiers would be available to help police and gendarmes with "constructing barriers and surveillance, he added.



The Interior Ministry has said there is increased migratory pressure in recent weeks on the border with Turkey and Greece.



In a sign of Europe's concerns about Afghan migrants, the Slovenian presidency of the EU announced that an emergency meeting of the blocs interior ministers will be held Brussels on August 31.



Greece and non-EU member Turkey are also concerned about a new migration wave to Europe and have begun to coordinate a response.



Turkey hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and 300,000 Afghans, in addition to migrants and refugees from other parts of the world.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on August 19 that Turkey has no responsibility to be "Europe's refugee warehouse."



Greece became a front-line state during the European migration crisis, although arrivals from Turkey have dropped since 2016 when the EU reached a deal with Ankara to stem the flow in exchange for billions of dollars of financial support.



Turkey and Greece have recently hardened their borders due to concern about Afghan migrants.

With reporting by AFP
SOFIA -- Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev has given a third and final mandate to form a government to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) after two other political parties gave up efforts to set up a coalition following last month's inconclusive vote.

If the third attempt to build a majority in the fractured parliament fails, as expected, Radev will have to dissolve parliament, appoint an interim government, and call new polls within two months -- the third this year.

"We know we are facing a test as a nation. We will try everything," BSP leader Kornelia Ninova said after receiving the mandate on August 27.

The prolonged political uncertainty could hamper the European Union's poorest member state's ability to effectively deal with a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and tap the blocs multibillion-euro coronavirus recovery fund.

In the July 11 elections, the BSP won 36 seats in Bulgaria's fragmented 240-member parliament -- behind the There Is Such A People (ITN) partys 65 seats and the center-right GERB partys 63 seats.

The GERB party of former long-serving Prime Minister Boyko Borisov returned a mandate to the president on August 20, after the antiestablishment ITN party failed to form a minority government.

Many politicians are already considering holding this years third parliamentary elections together with the presidential polls.

Some members of parliament have said that if a third attempt fails, as most analysts expect, general elections and the first round of a presidential vote should be held together on November 7.

An April general election also resulted in a deadlocked parliament that failed to produce a government, forcing Radev to appoint a caretaker cabinet to lead the Balkan country until the July elections were held.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a series of changes to the countrys electoral laws that include a reduction in the number of parliamentarians, the presidents press service announced on August 27.

The changes were included in a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments that were approved in April.

As a result of the changes to the electoral laws, the number of members in parliament -- the Jogorku Kenesh, or Supreme Council -- will be reduced from 120 to 90 seats. Of these, 54 seats will be elected through national party lists and the remaining 36 will be decided in individual district races.

The April 11 referendum came three months after Japarov was elected president following a tumultuous period that saw the ouster of the previous government amid protests over October parliamentary elections and months of political wrangling over the country's future.

Japarov proposed drafting a new constitution in November 2020 as he emerged from the turmoil as acting president in the wake of the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.

He easily won the presidential election in January, while a referendum held in tandem saw voters opt for a presidential system that was the centerpiece of the proposed constitutional amendments.

Some in the former Soviet republic have criticized Japarov, saying the new constitution was being rushed through to create an authoritarian system while concentrating too much power in the hands of the president.

Japarov was among several prominent politicians freed from prison by protesters during the October unrest. He had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for hostage-taking during a protest against a mining operation in northeast Kyrgyzstan in October 2013.

He maintains the charges against him were politically motivated.
A court in Russia's northwestern region of Pskov has ruled that the mass killings of Soviet citizens in the area during World War II were an act of genocide.

According to the court ruling on August 27, 75,000 civilians and 377,000 military personnel were killed during the war in the Pskov region, which at the time was divided between the Leningrad and Tver regions.

The court also said that the region's more than 192,000 residents were forcibly taken to Germany and the Baltic states.

The probe into the killings was launched after a mass grave was found a year ago near the village of Moglino, where a Nazi camp for Soviet prisoners of war was located.

Similar investigations into events that occurred in wartime more than 75 years ago have taken place in other parts of Russia as well in what officials have cast as part of an effort to establish facts and pursue justice.

But some critics say the probes are part of a continuing push by President Vladimir Putin's government to enshrine a positive narrative of the country's history, and counter what it claims are efforts abroad to equate the Soviet Union's wartime role with that of Nazi Germany.

In October 2020, a court in another Russian region, Novgorod, recognized the mass killings of Soviet citizens in the village of Zhestyanaya Gorka as an act of genocide.

The Soviet Union's death toll in World War II was the highest among all countries involved in the war.

According to official data, the Soviet Union lost some 27 million people between 1941-1945. However, some experts and historians say that the total number is actually higher.
Romania will soon conduct a census of its brown bear population using DNA for the first time, with tensions high between villagers fearing further attacks and conservationists warning against looser hunting laws. Incidents with hungry bears descending into villages have sparked the ire of residents in a country that has seen a creeping encroachment on wildlife habitat and around 100 bear attacks over the last three years. A hunting-ban loophole that allows the shooting of so-called nuisance bears is already being abused, say activists, who fear a rise in killings if the census finds the protected species is faring better than expected. Sport hunting -- which attracts "trophy" seekers from all over the world -- has been banned since 2016.

But in a recent controversial case, environmentalists accused a Liechtenstein prince of killing a huge male brown bear, named Arthur, on a March hunt in the Carpathian Mountains -- using a permit to shoot a female bear seen as a nuisance to residents. Activists say the 17-year-old Arthur was the country's largest, observed for years in the area. The prince denied the killing. Yet while the hunting-ban loophole may be abused, residents are also fed up with rampant bear attacks -- and want protection. In July, a bear killed a 26-year-old shepherd and seriously injured another in the eastern part of the forested and mountainous Transylvania region. "The situation has become untenable," Marton-Csaba Bacs, mayor of Bixad village in central Romania, told AFP. "Every day, bears ransack orchards and attack sheep. They even entered the courtyard of the clinic.... The villagers are frightened." In neighboring Harghita, Environment Minister Barna Tanczos's home county, bears were seen on a train-station platform and even in a restaurant kitchen, according to the police, who were called upon 12 times in a single weekend last month to keep them away. In this tense context, the results of the census may lead to a tug of war between environmentalists and hunters. While activists welcome the census project, they fear it could lead to the hunting ban being lifted if authorities deem there are too many bears. "Collecting samples and interpreting statistics in a transparent way is crucial," Cristian Papp of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) told AFP.

Romania has long been known as having the largest population of brown bears in the European Union, but just how many of the species actually roam the Carpathians remains unknown. In the coming months, 400 experts and volunteers will take samples of feces and hair for DNA analysis, thanks to an EU fund of 11 million euros ($13 million), Tanczos told AFP. Authorities say figures from the 1990s of more than 6,000 brown bears spread across some 30 percent of the country, especially in the Carpathians, are underestimated. But conservationists and some research suggest that number could be overestimated by thousands. Whereas the methodology used so far -- counting tracks in mud and snow -- is unreliable, the collection of scat and fur will make it possible to create a database of samples, each one duly stamped with a barcode, according to the minister. The procedure can provide a wealth of information, including an animal's sex and family ties, says Robin Rigg, president of the Slovak Wildlife Society, who has used the same methodology to count wolves.
A number of leading Russian news journals and websites have joined forces to protest against the targeting by authorities of a growing number of independent media outlets and journalists under Russias controversial foreign agent law.

In a text published online on August 27 and addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, the group of independent media  including Forbes, Novaya gazeta, Dozhd, and Meduza  issued six demands, including the rescinding of a law labeling certain independent media and journalists as foreign agents.

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 television channel, Current Time.

The Russian law, first passed in 2012 and amended several times since, now requires designated media to label all of their content with an intrusive disclaimer. Some media have complied, even amid fears that the labels would scare off advertisers. At least one designated Russian news outlet has closed. Meduza has resorted to crowdfunding to continue operating.

RFE/RL has not labeled its content, resulting in the Justice Ministry imposing tens of millions of dollars in fines. RFE/RL has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and has also moved to shift some of its employees and operations out of Moscow to Kyiv and elsewhere.

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has said that Russia was attempting to fine RFE/RL's Moscow bureau out of existence.
Hundreds of Tajiks from the southern town of Kulob say they're prepared to join anti-Taliban militias in Afghanistan. The Afghan fighters are based in the Panjshir Valley, a predominantly ethnic-Tajik region that has repelled Taliban incursions in the past. Some Tajik officials say it would be illegal for volunteers to cross the border to join the fight -- but others say the call to arms nevertheless sends a message to the Taliban.
Opposition activist and writer Islom Kholboev says Uzbek authorities have arrested one of his sons without giving a reason for his detention.

Kholboev, who lives in self-imposed exile in Turkey, told RFE/RL on August 27 that officers from the Interior Ministry's anti-terrorism unit arrested his son, Jamol Kholboev, in Tashkent last week after he arrived from Turkey to renew his passport.

Islom Kholboev said that his son was arrested unlawfully and was not allowed to see his lawyers while in custody, where he may face torture.

Interior Ministry spokesman Shokhruh Ghiyosov did not say why Kholboev was arrested, but told RFE/RL that "no laws were violated" in his apprehension. He did not elaborate.

According to the Kholboev, his son's arrest can be linked to the writer's new book issued in Turkey recently, in which he describes torture in Uzbekistan's penitentiary system and corruption among the Central Asian nation's authorities.

Jamol Kholboev's lawyer, Arslan Shaimardanov, told RFE/RL that all of his requests to meet his client and to receive court papers on his arrest have been ignored.

Kholboev emigrated to Turkey along with his extended family in 2014.
MANSFIELD  On Wednesday, Aug. 25, GOAL Digital Academy started the 2021/2022 school year -- the institution's 20th anniversary.

For this 20th year of operation, many things have been added to enhance students learning, including the hiring of 12 new staff members and the use of Final Forms for orientation, the school stated in a press release.

"As we welcomed students back to school, their health and the health of our staff has been of the utmost importance, so we have continued to monitor closely guidelines from state and local government," said marketing manager Casey Clark. "At this time, masks are recommended but not required.

"This year, we are thrilled that 12 new faces will be greeting students throughout our learning labs."

 Megan Moore: Grade 6-8 Social Studies Teacher, Marion Lab.

 Eric Uhde: Educational Advocate, Galion Lab.

 Richard Guins: 6th Grade ELA, 6-8 Teacher, Galion Lab.

 Michael Thompson: Technology, Mansfield Lab.

 Stephanie Andrews: Intern, Delaware Lab.

 Lance Hood: Educational Advocate, Mansfield Lab.

 Matthew Alexander: Spanish Teacher/Math Tutor, Mount Vernon Lab.

 Lyndsay Witmer: K-2 Teacher, Mansfield Lab.

 Chelsea Lee: Transition Coordinator, Mansfield Lab.

 Dakota Parrish: K-12 Music Teacher, Traveling.

 Sean Flannery: Technology, Mansfield Lab.

 Beth Pemberton: Special Education Aide/Tutor, Mended Reeds.

Just as the new staff will be helping students throughout the year, GOAL students started the year off right as the implementation of Final Forms streamlined the orientation process.

Final Forms simplified everything, which has allowed our Educational Advocates to mentor our new and returning families," said guidance counselor Heather Allen. "It's not only about the nuts and bolts of signing up for school, but allows them focused, interactive one-on-one time with the kids, giving us a new fresh start to the school year."

GOAL Superintendent Tish Jenkins welcomed students back for the new school year with some special encouragement.

"As we step into a new school year, I think of renewed hope, joys of learning, new opportunities of exploration, reflection, growth and above all a spirit of resilience and gratitude," Jenkins said. "I welcome you to the new academic year that has come with a new hope. Hope that after the dark clouds of COVID 19, a silver lining of getting back to normal life from the new normal will appear soon.

"New normal is what we have adapted to in pandemic times."

GOAL Digital Academy serves 12 counties in Central Ohio with its seven locations, and celebrates students diverse learning styles, interests and talents by going beyond academics and providing students with well-rounded opportunities to meet new people and engage in their passions.

GOAL offers regular family education and networking opportunities and continually works to remove family or community barriers that impact student success.
BELLVILLE -- Lyle Beveridge loved going on runs with his golden retriever Finnigan.

Now, a group of Bellville residents are hosting a 5K to help raise funds for a dog park named in his honor.

The Pups in the Park 5K will take place on Sept. 11. at the American Legion Park in Bellville. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the chip time race will begin at 8:30 a.m. Non-runners are invited to enjoy a casual stroll with their furry friends from 9 a.m. to noon. Visitors are asked to leash their dogs.

There will also be food and canine-related vendors set up at the park from 8 a.m. to noon.

Registration for both the 5K and the Family & Dog Fun Walk are $30. Pregistration is available online. The first 50 people registered will receive a t-shirt and commemorative medal.

Runners and walkers will use the B&O bike trail for the event.

Bellville's new dog park

The Bellville Dog Park - Finnigan's Run will be located just north of town, behind the B&O Bike Trail opposite the bike trail parking lot on State Route 97. The parking lot will be expanded to accommodate visitors as part of the park project.

The five-acre plot will be completely fenced in and comprise of two sections -- a 3.5-acre section for big dogs and a 1.5-acre portion for small dogs. The land for the park was donated to the village by Jim Gorman, retired president and board member of Gorman-Rupp Pumps.

The park land is currently being used to grow soybeans. Fencing will go up this fall after the beans are harvested.

Grass seed will be planted either in the fall or next spring, depending on the weather. As soon as the grass takes hold and the fence is up, the park will open to the public, committee member Judy Golden said.

The park committee, made up of Jerry Simon, Judy and MacKenzie Golden and Bellville Mayor Teri Brenkus, is currently in the first phase of fundraising for the project.

The group has already raised about $24,000, Judy Golden said. Once they reach $30,000, matching funds will be available from the Richland County Foundation.

The first phase of fundraising will cover the costs of fencing and reseeding the property. Golden said it will also cover the cost of an accessible paved walking path if prices don't increase between now and the installation.

Since Bellville has no parks levy, the amount of money raised beyond phase one will determine what extra features go into the park.

The committee hopes to add land features like hills and tunnels for the dogs. If enough money is raised, they may even add an arena for shows and obedience classes.

Golden said community members are also welcome to donate items like trees, benches and doggie drinking fountains.

Supporters of the park can make monetary donate on Venmo by searching Bellville Dog Park in the business section (@dogpark). Checks can be mailed to the village office at 142 Park Place, Bellville, Ohio, 44813. Please write ATTN Dog Park on the envelope or Dog Park in the memo.
MANSFIELD: It was well known that Dick Cleckner knew quality when
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.

|
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with more showers at times. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Roanoke Rapids, NC (27870)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 62F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 62F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Rutland, VT (05701)

Today

Rain. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavier rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavier rainfall possible.
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.
Danvers, MA (01923)

Today

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. 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

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. 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

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Showers with the chance of some thunder this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
For many people, celebrating Labor Day with some fireworks is a must. Its a great way to cap off summer and have a little fun with family and friends. However, figuring out where to buy fireworks can be a little challenging. If youre looking for places to buy fireworks for Labor Day, heres what you need to know.

Learn the Rules About Fireworks on Labor Day

Before you buy any fireworks, its important to understand the rules in your area. In Massachusetts, there is a complete ban on all consumer fireworks. In Ohio, Illinois, and Vermont, the laws about fireworks are stringent, limiting the typical shopper to just novelties.

In the remaining 46 states, as well as Washington, DC, consumer fireworks are legal. However, the types of fireworks that are allowed can vary. Many states only permit specific kinds, so youll want to research whats legal in your area.

Additionally, youll want to check for burn bans in your city and county. Even if a state typically allows fireworks, a burn ban can make firing any off illegal. The goal of a burn ban is to prevent wildfires and similar blazes during dry conditions. If a burn ban is in place, even shooting legally acquired fireworks can get you into trouble.

Where to Buy Fireworks for Labor Day

1. Roadside Fireworks Stands

One of the best options for buying fireworks for Labor Day is roadside stands. If fireworks are legal in your area and demand is high enough, some stands are open for the September holiday.

The biggest benefit to heading to a roadside fireworks stand is the selection. Many of them stock a range of fireworks, including everything from small novelties to larger aerials. Additionally, you might be able to purchase individual fireworks a la carte instead of relying solely on packages.

However, many fireworks stands also stock packages or use unique bundle pricing. In those cases, it might make it easier to get a variety of fireworks all at once and for a competitive price.

2. Walmart

If youre looking for novelties or simple fireworks packages, Walmart might have everything you need. The retailer does stock fireworks for some United States holidays. If demand for fireworks on Labor Day is high enough in your area, your nearest Walmart might be your perfect shopping destination.

You can also find some fireworks for sale on the Walmart website. What youre allowed to purchase online does vary. You can only buy legal fireworks at the delivery address and if they meet shipping safety requirements. As a result, the selection may be minimal.

3. Target

Like Walmart, Target stores may also sell specific kinds of fireworks. In most cases, youll find predesigned bundles or novelties, suggesting that demand in your area is high enough to justify the retailer stocking them.

However, you wont find options on the Target website. There arent boxes of sparklers or poppers available like youll find at Walmarts site, so youll need to shop elsewhere if you cant find what you need at your nearest Target store.

4. Costco

Some Costco locations do sell fireworks. Usually, they are limited to classic novelties or curated packages. Exactly whats in the package may vary, as Costco will only sell fireworks that align with local law.

Additionally, the selection tends to feature fewer options than what youll find near the 4th of July. It is also important to note that, in some cases, Costco warehouses that have fireworks available close to Independence Day dont sell any near Labor Day. Often, this is because demand is lower for the September holiday, causing some locations to opt-out of stocking fireworks.

5. Fireworks Stores

In some states, you can find retail fireworks stores in strip malls or similar retail centers. Usually, these are operated by major fireworks manufacturers or distributors, and some are only open during typical fireworks seasons, like near Labor Day, Independence Day, and New Years Eve.

With this option, you get a classic retail experience. However, the operator determines whats available. You may be limited to specific kinds of fireworks or particular brands. With fireworks stores, you may find packages and have the option to buy individual fireworks, giving you more flexibility than you might get with other retailers.

6. Drug Stores

In some cases, drug stores like CVS or Walgreens may sell some small novelties or packages. However, thats far more common near the 4th of July holiday than for Labor Day. Still, if demand in your area is high enough, it may be worth checking your local drug store to see if anything is available.

7. Fireworks Websites

There are a variety of fireworks websites that will ship specific fireworks to residential addresses. In some cases, the sites are run by distributors, while manufacturers operate the others.

Generally, whats available for shipping is going to be a bit limited. Certain items arent safe to put in the mail, reducing what many stores can send to residential addresses. As a result, you may only see some novelties or specific packages available.

If you go this route, make sure to do your research. Not all firework seller sites are reputable, so its wise to do a bit of digging before you hand over any personal information. Try to find legitimate online reviews for the online retailer to see if anyone reports an issue. Make sure the site is secure. If anything feels off, dont go forward with the purchase.

Similarly, if you see a website that says itll ship items that are unlawful to send through the mail or other consumer shipping methods, thats a red flag. If one advertises the ability to get illegal fireworks, thats a bad sign.

Do you plan on buying fireworks this Labor Day? If so, will you use one of the options above, or will you head somewhere else? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Read More:

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. Check out these helpful tools to help you save more. For investing advice, visit The Motley Fool.


Close

ispace, a Japanese lunar space transportation startup, is working on a bigger lunar lander model that will be manufactured in the United States and is expected to launch by 2024.

The Tokyo-based firm said that the new lander, codenamed Series 2, is built to withstand the chilly lunar night, perhaps for up to a two-week stay on the moon's surface. Space Watch Global said that the spacecraft may also land on either the near or the far side of the moon, as well as its polar regions.

ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said in a statement that Series 2 will allow them not only to expand their capacities but also to give their customers more access and opportunity.

Space.com, citing the Japanese firm, reported that the next-generation moon lander will be utilized on ispace's third scheduled moon trip a few years from now. The lander is larger than the company's first lander in size and cargo capacity, measuring about nine feet in height and 14 feet in width, including legs.

The vehicle will be able to carry up to 500 kilos to the moon's surface and 2,000 kg to lunar orbit. TechCrunch said that the Series 1 plane, which will take off to the skies in 2022 and 2023, has a cargo capacity of only 30 kg.

What Makes This Rover Different?

Kyle Acierno, CEO of ispace's U.S. business, said per SpaceNews that they will collaborate with Draper and General Atomics over the next few months to prepare for the next NASA CLPS task order. The collaboration with Draper, a CLPS contractor, is critical if ispace intends to participate in the NASA program with its Series 2.

Firstpost said that ispace features several payload compartments and sophisticated guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) system to guarantee that the vehicle lands safely on the moon's surface. Draper, an engineering firm with a strong presence in the space sector, is providing the GNC technology. Draper is also one of 14 contractors that are qualified for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

ALSO READ: Japan Presents New Space Resource Law; Plans to Join the Return to the Moon

The lander passed its preliminary design assessment, according to ispace, and the next stage will be manufacture and assembly, which will be done in collaboration with General Atomics, a defense and aerospace technology firm, according to CNBC.

ispace To Focus on Making First Two Lunar Trips

ispace is working on its first two lunar trips, which will take place in 2022 and 2023. They are also making the next-generation lander in Colorado, and they plan to build the vehicle there as well.

The lander's debut came shortly after ispace revealed the completion of a $46 million Series C fundraising series, with funds set to go toward the company's second and third missions.

The Series 1 lander is currently undergoing final construction of the flying module at a facility in Germany operated by space launch corporation ArianeGroup, according to the firm. The client manifest for the first trip is filled, but ispace stated that payload capacity for the second mission is still available.

The company previously stated that it will take the United Arab Emirates' rover to the moon in 2022. During the cruise phase, ispace will carry the Emirati rover to the moon, provide wired connection and power, and join in wireless communication on the lunar surface, according to the Japanese startup company.

ispace will launch this mission from Florida using Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

RELATED ARTICLE: Japan's Baseball-Sized Transforming Robot Ball To Land on Moon in 2022, What Can It Do?

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The guard in a control room at Iran's notorious Evin prison springs to attention as one by one, monitors in front of him suddenly blink off and display something very different from the surveillance footage he had been watching.

Cyberattack, the monitors flash. Other guards gather around, holding up their mobile phones and filming, or making urgent calls. General protest until the freedom of political prisoners" reads another line on the screens.

An online account, purportedly by an entity describing itself as a group of hackers, shared footage of the incident, as well as parts of other surveillance video it seized, with The Associated Press. The alleged hackers said the release of the footage was an effort to show the grim conditions at the prison, known for holding political prisoners and those with ties abroad who are often used as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

In one part of the footage, a man smashes a bathroom mirror to try to cut open his arm. Prisoners  and even guards  beat each other in scenes captured by surveillance cameras. Inmates sleeping in single rooms with bunk beds stacked three high against the walls, wrapping themselves in blankets to stay warm.

We want the world to hear our voice for freedom of all political prisoners, read a message from the online account to the AP in Dubai.

Iran, which has faced criticism from the United Nations special rapporteur over its prison conditions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to its U.N. mission in New York. Iranian state media in the country have not acknowledged the incident at Evin.

However, several embarrassing hacking incidents have struck Iran amid ongoing tensions over its accelerated nuclear program and as talks with the West over reviving the atomic accord between Tehran and world powers remain on hold.

Four former prisoners at Evin, as well as an Iranian human rights activist abroad, have told the AP that the videos resemble areas from the facility in northern Tehran. Some of the scenes also matched photographs of the facility previously taken by journalists, as well as images of the prison as seen in satellite photos accessed by the AP.

The footage also shows rows of sewing machines that prisoners use, a solitary confinement cell with a squat toilet and exterior areas of the prison. There are images of the prison's open-air exercise yard, prisoners' bathrooms and offices within the facility.

Much of the footage bears timestamps from 2020 and this year. Several videos without the stamp show guards wearing facemasks, signaling they came amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Though there is no sound in the videos, they speak to the grim world faced by prisoners at the facility. One sequence shows what appears to be an emaciated man dumped from a car in the parking lot, then dragged through the prison. Another shows a cleric walking down the stairs and passing by the man, without stopping.

Guards in another video are seen beating a man in a prisoner's uniform. One guard sucker-punches a prisoner in a holding cell. Guards also fight among themselves, as do the prisoners. Many are crammed into single-room cells. No one wears a facemask.

The account that shared the videos with the AP calls itself The Justice of Ali, a reference to the Prophet Muhammads son-in-law who is revered by Shiites. It also mocks Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

It claimed to have hundreds of gigabytes of data from what it described as a hack conducted several months ago. It did not answer questions about who was involved in the leak.

The account linked the timing of its leak to the recent election of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line acolyte of Khamenei involved in the execution of thousands in 1988 at the end of the Iran-Iraq War.

The Evin prison is a stain on Raisis black turban and white beard, the message on the screens in the prison control room also read.

Iran, long sanctioned by the West, faces difficulties in getting up-to-date hardware and software, often relying on Chinese-manufactured electronics or older systems. The control room system seen in the video, for instance, appeared to be running Windows 7, for which Microsoft no longer provides patches. That would make it easier for a potential hacker to target. Pirated versions of Windows and other software are common across Iran.

In recent months, Iran's railroad system was targeted by an apparent cyberattack. Other self-described hacker groups have published details about Iranians alleging hacking on behalf of the theocracy. Meanwhile the most-famous cyberattack  the Stuxnet virus that destroyed Iranian centrifuges at the height of Western fears over Tehran's program  is widely suspected to have been an American and Israeli creation.

Evin prison was built in 1971 under Iran's Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It housed political prisoners then and later, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution swept the shah from power.

While in theory under the control of Iran's prison system, Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions.

After Iran cracked down on protesters following the disputed 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many of the arrested protesters ended up in Evin. Lawmakers later pushed for reforms at Evin, following reports of abuses at the prison  which led to the installation of the closed-circuit cameras.

Problems continued, however. Reports by U.N. Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman repeatedly named Evin prison as a site of abuses of prisoners. Rehman warned in January that Iran's entire prison system faced long-standing overcrowding and hygiene deficiencies" and insurmountable obstacles for responding to COVID-19.

Prisoners of conscience and political prisoners have contracted COVID-19 or experienced symptoms, with many denied testing or treatment or suffering unnecessary delays in receiving test results and treatment, he wrote.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
A Puget Sound fire chief is refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in defiance of the state's mandate that makes vaccination a condition of employment for most state employees and health care workers.

The FDA and CDC just said to stop using certain N95 masks

Vashon Island Fire and Rescue Chief Charles Krimmert has declared that he does not intend to get vaccinated despite the mandate issued by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this month that requires Washington state employees, contractors and health care workers to show proof of vaccination in order to retain employment. Firefighters and EMTs also fall under the mandate.

Krimmert was chosen as chief in 2016 and started in the position in 2017. He has over 16 years experience as a firefighter, EMT and volunteer officer with the department. Krimmert has not stated a religious or medical exemption for refusing the vaccine.

"If the district wants to keep me, they'll keep me, if they want to fire me, they'll fire me," Krimmert told the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber.

Vashon Island's Board of Fire Commissioners met in a special session on Thursday to discuss the personnel matter and voted 4-1 to prevent Krimmert from administering healthcare services as an EMT until he is vaccinated. According to the chief's report posted by Krimmert, only 9% of the department is currently not vaccinated against COVID-19 and could be at risk for dismissal.

Under the new mandate, workers have until Oct. 18 to prove to their employer that they're fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus or apply for an exemption for medical or religious reasons. If they can't, they could be subject to a "non-disciplinary dismissal." Exemptions for personal or philosophical objections are not permitted under the new order, and Inslee emphasized that those seeking medical or religious exemptions would be thoroughly vetted.

The mandate comes as cases and hospitalizations are surging again in the state, largely fueled by the more transmissible delta variant and slowing vaccination rates. This week, state health experts said cases in Washington have nearly quadrupled since July and fear hospitalizations are nearing an all-time high.

"In just a couple of months, the Delta variant has ravaged our state. It has preyed particularly on those who are unvaccinated," said state Health Secretary Umair Shah. "Those unvaccinated persons, unfortunately, have largely driven our rising cases and hospitalizations."

According to Public Health  Seattle and King County data, 94.1% of residents ages 12 and up on Vashon Island have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Other Washington fire departments have expressed concern about how the new vaccine mandate would impact staffing levels. In Pierce County, 30% of the department's members are still not vaccinated against COVID-19, and fire chiefs are worried that the mandate will cause firefighters to quit or retire early.

Pierce County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 726, the union representing the fire fighters, sent a letter to Inslee on Monday to signal their opposition to the mandate and ask for alternatives for unvaccinated workers that would allow them to retain their employment, including mask wearing, weekly testing and social distancing.

"The decision regarding the vaccine is complex and personal; we believe our members should retain the ability to make their own decisions on personal health matters," wrote the union in the letter sent Monday. "None of our members can simply be replaced, nor should they have to be for making a distinctly personal choice."
Despite numerous challenges set forth by the coronavirus pandemic, apartment building construction has remained strong across the country. In fact, over 330,000 new rental units are expected to be delivered nationwide this year, according to a recent report conducted by RENTCafe.

However, despite the nationwide boom in rental housing, the report found that Seattle and five other U.S. cities are seeing a significant decline in apartment construction.

According to RENTCafe's findings, apartment construction in the Seattle metro area is down 19% compared to 2020, with the number of projections set to reach a 5-year low in 2021. Of all the cities compared in the report, the everything rent-related blog found Seattle to have the second-largest decline in construction rates.

In total, the Seattle metro area is expected to have only 7,574 new units available by the end of the year. This is significantly lower than the 9,359 available rentals in 2020.

Over the last five years, RENTCafe found a steady decline in the number of new apartment rentals in the Seattle metro area. In 2017, there were 13,350 new rental units available. In 2019, that number dropped to 11,571 units.

Seattle proper is expected to add 3,799 new units this year, one of the top projections in RENTCafes examinations. But despite the steep increase, it doesnt match the amount necessary to bring Seattle out of its downward trend.

Redmond, a popular city in the Seattle metro area, is adding an expected 1,220 new units this year.

Nationwide, RENTCafe found only a 2.5% decrease in new apartment construction, which is impressive given the challenges of the pandemic, including lack of qualified workers, lumber costs, funding, permits and temporary shutdowns.

In other parts of the country, new unit construction is booming. The report cites that the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is expected to construct the most units for the fourth year in a row: 21,173 new units in 2021.

New York City retained its second-place spot in the report with an expected 19,375 new units to hit the market this year. However, RENTCafe says to keep all eyes on the Phoenix area, which came in third in the report this year after ranking 8th in 2020 for new construction units and 15th in 2019. Phoenix and the surrounding areas could offer as many as 16,000 new apartment rentals in 2021.
HOUSTON (AP)  Two men have been arrested in the fatal shooting of an off-duty New Orleans police officer during a holdup while he was dining at a Houston restaurant, police said Friday.

Frederick D. Jackson, 19, and Anthony Rayshard Jenkins, 21, each have been charged with capital murder and attempted capital murder, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. Jail records do not list attorneys for them.

New Orleans police Detective Everett Briscoe, 41, was killed in the Saturday shooting and his friend, Dyrin DJ Riculfy, 43, was shot and wounded. Houston police said Friday that Riculfy remained hospitalized in critical condition.

We are very pleased and thankful for the quick arrests made by the Houston Police Department in connection with the murder of Everett Briscoe," New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said in a statement. "I want to thank Chief Troy Finner and this team for keeping us informed the whole way. As a man who dedicated his life to justice, Everett Briscoe will hopefully rest easier knowing individuals involved in his death will face theirs.

Briscoe and Riculfy were dining on the patio of the Grotto Ristorante when two men wearing hoodies approached them and tried to rob them, police said. One or more of the suspects then fired at the victims, striking them both.

Patrons were cooperating with the gunmen, witnesses told police, until one of the suspects fired shots before they fled in a nearby vehicle. Police later identified Jackson and Jenkins as suspects. Jenkins was taken into custody on Wednesday and Jackson was arrested Thursday, police said.

Ogg said prosecutors were seeking no bond for Jackson and Jenkins. She said both men were free on bonds when the shooting happened.

At the time of the shootings, Jenkins was out on a bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, while Jackson was out on bond for an aggravated robbery, Ogg said.

Police said they are also looking for a third man who is considered a person of interest and is being sought for questioning.

Briscoe, a 13-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, was in Houston while vacationing with friends. Both Briscoe and Riculfy were members of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and were taking the trip with club members, The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported.

Friends and family gathered at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on Friday for a public viewing of Briscoe, whose uniformed body lay in a casket surrounded by floral arrangements and wreaths in his memory with two officers standing guard. A funeral is scheduled Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Xavier University Convocation Center.

Briscoes death has led to an outpouring of sorrow among those who knew him. During a news conference earlier this week to discuss the case, a visibly distraught Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson spoke about how Briscoe was planning to get a criminal justice degree at Southern University of New Orleans, in part to set an example for his eldest son about the value of education.

Briscoe leaves behind a wife and two children.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Akis Tsochadzopoulos, a once prominent Greek socialist politician who held nearly a dozen ministerial positions over two decades but later fell from grace, was convicted and imprisoned in one of Greeces highest profile corruption trials, died Friday, the successor to his former party confirmed. He was 82.

Tsochadzopoulos had been suffering from severe health problems for several years, particularly after his conviction in 2013. He was sentenced to 20 years, but was released in 2018 on health grounds. Greeces state broadcaster ERT said the former minister died in a hospital in Piraeus, the port of Athens, from organ failure and sepsis.

A founding member of the formerly powerful PASOK party, Tsochadzopoulos had been a close aide to late prime minister Andreas Papandreou and served as defense minister from 1996 to 2001. It was one of 10 ministerial positions he held since 1981, when PASOK rose to power and became one of two parties that dominated Greek politics for nearly three decades.

Born on July 31, 1939, Tsochadzopoulos studied civil engineering in Germany, where he lived for around 16 years until the mid-1970s. His political career began in the early 1970s, when he became a member of a resistance party against the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-74. He served as a lawmaker without break from 1981-2007, representing the northern city of Thessaloniki where he grew up.

He became a founding member of PASOK along with Papandreou, and was named minister for public works in the first PASOK government in 1981. He held ministerial posts in nearly all governments the party held until 2004, including the defense, interior, public order, development and transport portfolios.

In early 1996, Tsochadzopoulos launched a failed bid for the prime ministers post after an already severely ill Papandreou resigned from the position. His bid for the PASOK party leadership after Papandreous death later that year also failed, but he continued his political career as a prominent party member and minister.

But it was his 1996-2001 tenure as defense minister that would eventually lead to his downfall. He began coming under fire from some quarters for what critics had described  and he denied  was a lavish wedding to his second wife in Paris in 2004, and for the purchase of a luxury apartment facing the Acropolis in Athens in 2010.

The couples finances came under scrutiny, and the former minister was arrested in April 2012 and remanded in custody. He was convicted the following year after one of Greeces most high profile corruption cases, on money laundering charges linked to bribes for major arms procurements contracts, mostly in the late 1990s, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Tsochadzopoulos denied all the charges.

In 2017, a panel of judges ruled in favor of releasing the former minister on a 200,000 euro bail on health grounds, after he was hospitalized and underwent heart surgery. He had said at the time he could not raise the bail money.

He secured early release again the following year, and was released on health grounds in July 2018.

PASOK has since become part of a coalition, Kinal, which issued a terse message of condolence Friday.

Akis Tsochadzopoulos was a founding member of PASOK. He participated in top government and party positions, Kinal said. But it is known that for many years now, PASOK had differentiated  based on its principles and values  its position against him fully and radically. Condolences to his family.

Tsochadzopoulos is survived by his wife Vicki Stamati and their son, as well as a son and a daughter from his first marriage.
TIRANA, Abania (AP)  Albania on Friday housed its first group of Afghan evacuees who made it out of their country despite days of chaos near the Kabul airport, including an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

A government statement said an Egyptian Almasria Universal Airlines plane landed at the Tirana international airport at 3:20 a.m. (01:20 GMT) carrying 121 people, including 11 children. It was not clear whether this was the first flight after the two suicide bombings in Kabul that killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 American troops.

It was the fear from such attacks which pushed us our utmost that these citizens come soonest to Albania, where they are away from danger and fear for their lives, Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said. She and U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim were at the airport to greet the evacuees.

A government source said the flight from Kabul was organized by a U.S. non-governmental association and there was a stopover in Tbilisi, Georgia before landing in Tirana.

After the plane landed in Tirana, the passengers were supplied with facemasks and had their information processed in a military tent before they were taken on buses to hotels in the nearby western port city of Durres. The Albanian government will supply them with food, transportation, security and other necessities, according to the foreign minister.

Prime Minister Edi Rama visited some of the evacuees at the Golem coastal resort, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital Tirana. A handout video from his office showed an unnamed Afghan woman telling him that she felt as if she had come from hell to paradise.

The government plans to allow the evacuees to stay in Albania for at least a year before they move to the United States for final settlement.

Albania may temporarily house up to 4,000 Afghans, people who would be at risk in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Xhacka said they include pedagogues, artists, intellectuals, activists of the civil society, human rights organizations or those of women.

Kim praised the Albanian government for agreeing to host evacuees.

As they have always done, the people of Albania are once again providing hospitality & protection to those in greatest need, the U.S. ambassador tweeted. We are proud to call you a friend & ally. Thank you.

Albania's foreign ministry said that two more planes bringing evacuated Afghans are expected in Albania late Friday.

-

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday that diplomacy was his first option, but he would consider other options if his effort to revive the Iran nuclear deal fails.

Biden made the comments as the two sat down for their first face-to-face meeting since Bennett was sworn-in as prime minister in June.

We're putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us, Biden said during an Oval Office meeting that was delayed by the suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan. But if diplomacy fails, we're ready to turn to other options.

Asked what other options Biden might be mulling, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment.

Bennett arrived at the White House aiming to dissuade Biden from returning to the Iran nuclear deal that was brokered during the Obama administration and later scrapped by President Donald Trump.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018, Tehran over time has abandoned every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment. The country now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 63%, a short step from weapons-grade levels, compared with 3.67% under the deal. It also spins far more advanced centrifuges and more of them than were allowed under the accord, worrying nuclear nonproliferation experts even though Tehran insists its program is peaceful.

Bennett said he came with his own strategy to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions that he would discuss in private with Biden. He expressed satisfaction that the two leaders were in sync on the notion that Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

Iran is the worlds number one exporter of terror, instability, and human rights violations," Bennett said. "And as we sit here right now the Iranians are spinning their centrifuges in Natanz and Fordo. And we got to stop it, and we both agree.

The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed for one day as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. troops.

The two spoke by phone Thursday evening, with the Israeli leader offering Biden condolences. In their Oval Office meeting, Bennett again offered his condolences over the loss of U.S. service members.

Bennett made clear his opposition to an Iran deal, arguing that Tehran has already advanced in its uranium enrichment and that sanctions relief would give Iran more resources to support Israels enemies in the region.

These very days illustrate what the world would look like if a radical Islamic regime acquired a nuclear weapon," Bennett said. "That marriage would be a nuclear nightmare for the entire world.

The Israeli leader met separately Wednesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss Iran and other issues. The visit is his first to the U.S. as prime minister.

Bennett told his Cabinet before the trip that he would tell the American president that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing and not to reenter a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant.

Biden has made clear his desire to find a path to salvage the 2015 landmark pact negotiated by the Obama administration. But indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have stalled and Washington continues to maintain crippling sanctions on the country as regional hostilities simmer.

Bennett's Washington visit comes weeks after Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in as Irans new president.

Raisi, 60, a conservative cleric with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has suggested he'll engage with the U.S. But he also has struck a hard-line stance, ruling out negotiations aimed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias  something the Biden administration wants to address in a new accord.

Administration officials acknowledged that Irans potential breakout  the time needed to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon  is now down to a matter of months or less.

But a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the talks, said the administration sees the maximum pressure campaign employed by the Trump administration as having emboldened Iran to push ahead with its nuclear program.

Bennett is also looking to turn the page from his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu had a close relationship with Trump after frequently clashing with President Barack Obama. Biden, who noted Friday that he has met with every Israeli prime minister since Golda Meir, had his own tensions with Netanyahu over the years.

During his latest White House campaign, Biden called Netanyahu counterproductive and an extreme right leader.

Biden and Bennett also have their differences. Bennett opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and supports expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which Biden opposes.

The two sides played down the Palestinian issue Friday in an apparent attempt to avoid any public friction at this early stage of their relationship.

Given the poor prospects for progress in diplomatic talks with the Palestinians, both men appeared to be more interested in shoring up the new Israeli government in their first in-person talks.

-

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed reporting.
Rents in Seattle are climbing back to where they would be if the pandemic-related slowdown had never happened.

A new market report from Seattle-based Zillow found that typical rent in Seattle rose to $2,125 in July, marking a 6.2% increase year over year. The company estimated that typical rent would have been $2,194 if pre-pandemic trends had continued.

Rising rental prices are being felt across the country as the economy continues to slowly recover from the impacts of the pandemic. Nationwide, Zillow found that rents rose to $1,843 in July, up a total of 9.2%  or $156  from the same time last year.

Despite the current increase in COVID-19 cases being experienced in Washington and nationwide, experts noted that the current increases are erasing any small affordability gains renters made amid the pandemic. During the height of the winter surge last year, rents in Seattle saw dramatic declines and dropped by 20% year over year, but began to stabilize earlier in the spring.

"With the economy continuing to reopen, employees receiving more long-term guidance on remote work, and as students find their way back to college campuses, the rental market is picking back up," said Nicole Bachaud, Zillow economic data analyst, in a news release. "As high demand puts pressure on rents and incomes are unable to keep up, affordability will become more of a challenge in the coming months."

Rents for single-family homes are at a 16-year high according to another study, with prices increasing by 7.7% in the Seattle area in June compared to the same time last year. The average renter living in a single-family home in the Seattle metro area now pays $2,833 per month.

But some experts are predicting that the housing market may begin to cool down heading into the fall months, providing some relief for those looking to buy a home. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) found that competition for homes in Seattle eased slightly in July, with brokers adding more listings and less homes going under contract.

Zillow also found that home inventory in Seattle was up 4.6% in July from the previous month, but still down 6.7% compared to July 2020.

"All signs point to the likelihood that the housing market is beginning to ease off the gas pedal," said Bachaud.

While inventory appears to be increasing slightly, home values are continuing to soar. The average home value for the Emerald City was priced at $670,473 last month according to Zillow, up 2.6% from June and a staggering 22.7% compared to the same time last year.

Another study estimated that prices would soar by 18% in Seattle over the next year driven by historically low inventory. And it's not homes in the city that are seeing increases in prices: suburban counties along the Interstate 5 corridor have also seen sharp jumps in price.

"Prices in Lewis County are up 54.2% from the July 2019 level, Snohomish County is up 40.6%, and Island County is up 44.3%," said James Young, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington. "The search for value in the suburbs with sharp price increases suggest households are making their housing preferences known. They want to own rather than rent."
Keene, NH (03431)

Today

Rain likely. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Localized flooding is expected.
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Friday, Aug. 27, and state lawmakers are considering a statewide vaccine mandate. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

In February, the San Francisco school board stripped Lowell High School of its academic-based admissions in a controversial fast-tracked proposal. The argument was that by getting rid of the competitive process, it would boost diversity at the elite school, which has been plagued by racist incidents.

So has the new lottery process helped bring in a more diverse student body?

Recent state data shows this years ninth-grade class will have more Black and Hispanic students combined than at any time in at least 25 years.

Read more from Emma Talley about the significant shift.

Also: Many Silicon Valley tech companies made promises to diversify their workforces last summer. But has any significant progress been made?

Coronavirus updates

California State Assembly

 California lawmakers could consider legislation this fall or early next year that would create a statewide coronavirus vaccine mandate. Also: Oakland announced Thursday it is working with union leaders to create a vaccine mandate for city workers.

 Dreamforce has reduced its event size in San Francisco to hundreds of attendees, by invitation only, instead of a previously announced cap of 5,000 people.

 Should Bay Area residents be worried while waiting for boosters?

Around the Bay

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

 And end in sight? After a flurry of court filings this week, Oakland police may be glimpsing the end of federal oversight after 18 years.

 Still no answers: Investigators have ruled out two causes of death in the case of the former San Francisco family who died on a remote Mariposa County hiking route.

 A dramatic decline: San Franciscos jail population is declining. Is it because of Chesa Boudins policies?

 California wildfires: The Caldor Fire, only 12% contained, continued advancing toward Lake Tahoe, prompting the first evacuation warnings inside the Tahoe Basin.

 Recall election: A Chronicle analysis of private Facebook groups shows many recall supporters have pushed a stream of false or unsupported claims about next months election. Also: V.P. Kamala Harris cancels rally with Gov. Gavin Newsom after the attack in Afghanistan.

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.

 Neighborhood outrage: S.F. wants to put homeless hotels around the city, but some neighborhoods are resisting.

 A long time coming: After 13 years, construction has finally begun on an affordable housing project in SoMa.

 A new car czar? California could name an electric-car czar to meet ambitious climate goals. Also: San Francisco autonomous car company will source solar power for its all-electric fleet from two California farms. And: What its like to ride in a Waymo robot car.

Tracking the drought

Chronicle Digital Team

Nearly the entire state is in extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requesting a 15% voluntary reduction in water use statewide. While not a mandate, the governor is encouraging conservation measures.

The Chronicle is now tracking restrictions for the 15 Bay Area water districts that serve the most residents. On the interactive map, you can enter your address to find your water district and the level of water shortage in your area.

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.
The latest crisis in Afghanistan has already displaced nearly 550,000 people from their homes since the beginning of 2021, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many of those fleeing will find shelter in neighboring countries, but others will likely resettle farther away, including in the U.S.

California  and specifically, the Bay Area  is home to some of the largest Afghan communities in the U.S. More than 66,000 people of Afghan ancestry live in the state, according to 2019 data from the U.S. census. It has both the largest overall population of those reporting Afghan ancestry, and the second highest share of people identifying as Afghan at about 266 per 100,000 people (Virginia has the highest share). The city of Fremont, where a portion of its Centerville district has been unofficially renamed Little Kabul, is among the largest hubs for Afghan Americans.

The growth of the diaspora in California is the result of several different waves of conflict-driven migration, including the wave caused by the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, said Farhad Yousafzai, who runs the community group Afghans Living in San Francisco Bay Area. Word traveled to people fleeing that there were established communities in that region. Thats where people wanted to go  nearby to their own people, he said.

Humanitarian agencies are expecting an influx of refugees and migrants from Afghanistan into the U.S. as evacuations continue. The Biden administration reportedly asked to prepare to resettle as many as 50,000 people ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline.

Though exactly how many people will go where is still being assessed, recent trends show that California is a top destination for people coming from Afghanistan. Out of all U.S. states, California had the highest number of refugees from Afghanistan arrive between October 2020 and July 2021, which is the latest data available from the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. As legal residents, refugees may reside in any place in the U.S. that they choose.

But refugees, whose statuses are determined by the United Nations, are just a small portion of the people who are evacuating Afghanistan and coming to the U.S.

Many more people have come, and continue to come, through a process called the Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, which gives Afghans who worked for the U.S. government a pathway to migration to the U.S. The U.S. Congress has authorized 8,000 additional visas to this program in light of the current crisis in Afghanistan.

Yousafzai of the Bay Area Afghans community group came to the U.S. in 2014 through the SIV program. The former purchasing manager for the U.S. military arrived first in Oakland  a place he said he decided on based on word-of-mouth recommendations. When I got the visa, I searched and asked people where I should go, he said. They pointed him to the Bay Area.

Fremont has long been known as the flagship Afghan community of the U.S. Its the base for many agencies that help refugees and recent migrants from Afghanistan, like the Afghan Coalition, adjust and connect with other people from their culture, Yousafzai said.

But Afghan communities in other parts of the Bay Area and the U.S., including in Sacramento where he now lives, have also been expanding in size and influence in recent years, he said. Thousands of Afghans are now engaged with each other, he said. We are very much involved and integrated in the culture [more] than ever before, he added.

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.

These growing communities of people from Afghan ancestry in the Bay Area are working collectively and separately to aid those who are fleeing violence, and preparing for when they arrive in the region. Some of those efforts include initiatives led by government agencies, such as the Fremont Family Resources Center, a nonprofit support agency run by the city of Fremont.

The Center recently set out to raise $100,000 to aid Afghans relocating to the Bay Area including for housing expenses, said Geneva Bosques, the citys director of communications and legislative affairs. That goal, as of Thursday afternoon, was close to being met. At the end of the day, were pushing politics aside and really focusing on the people. If people are coming to our community, were going to be welcoming. Fremont is a compassionate community, she said.

There are still many unknowns about how many people will go where, and if people will choose to come to Fremont or another nearby city instead, she said. The money raised is intended to be flexible, so that it can be used to help people settle in the greater Bay Area.

The people in the Bay Area have responded to the call for help, Bosques said. Many of them have a deep connection to Afghanistan; donations have often included personal messages and memories. Its heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. That really continues to put the dire situation in front of us and helps motivate us to keep moving forward to do whatever we can to support this humanitarian effort at the local level, Bosques said.

Yoohyun Jung is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: yoohyun.jung@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @yoohyun_jung
Rejecting arguments by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other death penalty opponents, the state Supreme Court unanimously upheld Californias rules for juries in capital cases Thursday and said jurors need not agree on reasons for a death sentence or reach their conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. But one justice said the law was constitutionally questionable and should be reconsidered in a future case.

In the case of a Los Angeles man sentenced to death for two gang-related murders, the court had taken the rare step of asking the opposing sides, and other interested parties, to file arguments on whether the states instructions to jurors violate legal or constitutional requirements that death verdicts be unanimous. The current rules for penalty trials allow jurors to reach different conclusions about a defendants actions and criminal record as long as they all agree death is the appropriate punishment.

In response, Newsom, who imposed a moratorium on executions in March 2019, told the court that tightening standards for death verdicts would reduce racial discrimination as well as arbitrary sentencing. Several district attorneys, including Chesa Boudin of San Francisco, filed similar arguments, while most county prosecutors defended the current system.

A ruling against the jury instructions could have granted new sentencing trials to hundreds of condemned prisoners, or even all 699 inmates on the nations largest Death Row. Instead, the court upheld Donte McDaniels death sentence for the two murders and said the instructions do not violate a defendants right to a unanimous verdict.

The dispute involved jurors deliberations once they find a defendant guilty of a capital crime and then must decide whether it should be punished by death or life in prison without parole.

The jurors must first decide whether the crime involved aggravating factors  for example, that the murder was gang-related, had multiple victims, was motivated by the victims race, religion or nationality, or was particularly heinous, atrocious or cruel, or that the killer had committed other murders.

Under the current rules, once each juror finds at least one aggravating factor, they then weigh those against any factors in the defendants favor, like mental problems and outside pressures, and vote on sentencing. Defense lawyers argued that those are factual questions which, like a jurys findings of guilt, must be decided unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt. The court disagreed.

The jurys ultimate decision selecting the penalty in a capital case does not constitute fact-finding, Justice Goodwin Liu said in the 7-0 decision. While jurors must agree, unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt, on the facts of a defendants guilt, he said, in the penalty phase they must only decide  unanimously, but for individual reasons  whether a death sentence is justified.

In an unusual action, Liu also issued a separate concurring opinion, not endorsed by the other justices, that said the California law may violate constitutional standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Apprendi case in 2000. That ruling said trial judges cannot increase a defendants sentence based on the judges assessment of the crime or the defendants record unless the jury has found those facts beyond a reasonable doubt.

There is a serious question whether our capital sentencing scheme is unconstitutional in light of Apprendi, Liu said. I urge this court, as well as other responsible officials sworn to uphold the Constitution, to revisit this issue at an appropriate time.

The court did not address Newsoms assertions of racial discrimination.

The governor was dismayed by the ruling.

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 death penalty fails by every measure: It discriminates against people who are mentally ill, Black, Brown, and low-income, Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for the governor, said in an email. Its irreversible, and irreparable in the event of human error. It does not keep Californians safer.

Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose lawyers argued to uphold the current jury rules, said in a statement from his office that he believes the death penalty is deeply flawed and immoral and that he would work with the governor, legislators and others to help bring more justice into our criminal justice system.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, who filed arguments in support of the death penalty rules, said the ruling preserves the sentences of Californias worst murderers, including McDaniel.

McDaniel was 24 when he and a companion, Kai Harris, entered a Los Angeles apartment in April 2004 to demand money for a gang-related drug sale, according to prosecutors. Harris fatally shot two people, and McDaniel shot and wounded two others. Both were convicted of two murders and sentenced to death in 2009. Harris separate appeal is pending.

The case is People vs. McDaniel, S171393.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Crews continued to battle a wildfire threatening the historic Gold Country town of Sonora in Tolumne County on Friday and worked to determine damage to structures in the blaze.

The Washington Fire was holding at 81 acres and was 10% contained Friday morning, Cal Fire said. Some evacuation orders, including for downtown Sonora hotels, were downgraded to warnings, though the downtown area remained on alert for possible evacuation.

The Washington Fire started Thursday when two vegetation fires near Highway 108 merged.

Cal Fire spokeswoman Emily Kilgore said damage assessment crews were in the area but said she had no information yet on the extent of damage to houses and other structures. Some structures were damaged by the flames, according to reports, but it was not clear whether they were homes.

Highway 108 was reopened through the area on Friday. Power remained out for some parts of Sonora due to downed power lines, officials reported.

Fire crews were working to extend and strengthen containment lines on Friday, Kilgore said. Rising temperatures, falling humidity and shifting, possibly gusty, winds were expected to challenge firefighters, she said.

Evacuation centers were open at the Tuolumne Memorial Hall and the Westside Pavilion for recreational vehicles and trailers.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

The Washington Fire started less than a day after the Airola Fire in Calaveras County just across the Parrots Ferry Bridge from Tuolumne County. Evacuation orders and road closures in the area were lifted but warnings remain for Douglas Flat and Murphys, as well as parts of Vallecito, including Moaning Cavern. The fire was 700 acres and 35% contained as of Friday morning.

See a map of all the blazes burning across California here.

Anna Buchmann and Michael Cabanatuan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE  From the idle boats bobbing on deserted Lake Tahoe to the thick smoke walling off the view at Inspiration Point, signs of the Caldor Fires march toward the lakes busy southern shore were everywhere on Friday.

Winds picked up late this week, pushing the 2-week-old, 145,000-acre fire within about 12 miles of the Tahoe Basin early Friday and closer to landmarks including the town of Strawberry and the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort. About 40 miles away on the western flank of the blaze, firefighters were battling to protect hundreds of houses in Pollock Pines as new evacuations were ordered Friday night near Pleasant Valley.

Weve had one heck of a firefight, Cal Fire spokesperson Dustin Martin said at a Friday evening briefing. Firefighters on the ground are working over 24 hours into 48 hours due to limited resources, just to make sure that we can continue to keep our foot on the gas.

With more than 34,000 people already evacuated in the surrounding mountain communities, Lake Tahoe officials reversed course from earlier this week and advised visitors to stay away. Locals gathered where they could, while they could, to process the threat of fire after a strange year and a half of pandemic tourism, an influx of remote workers, and friction about the regions future.

One such gathering place was the Cold Water Brewery in South Lake Tahoe, where owner Debbie Brown said shed keep the doors open as long as she could. While longtime residents knocked back IPAs and burgers on Friday afternoon, Brown said her kitchen staff planned to start making daily lunches for officials coordinating the fire response.

Tracy Barbutes/Special to The Chronicle

When youre in a storm on a boat, what is everybody looking for? Brown said. Theyre looking for a beacon of light.

That light was getting harder to see on Friday afternoon down Highway 50 at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort. Live cameras broadcast a blanket of gray smoke over a chairlift and the giant pine trees that line 2,000 acres of slopes at the Twin Bridges resort.

Over the past two weeks, Sierra-at-Tahoe General Manager John Rice has watched the fire go from 15 to just 3 miles away from the resort on Friday. Rice, who himself lives in an evacuation warning zone in Christmas Valley, has been busy carrying out a 36-page wildfire prevention plan with the help of a firefighting crew sent by his insurance company with chainsaws, weed whackers and fire retardant gel for the buildings.

Our snowmaking guns are pointed at the buildings and ready to go, to turn the water on, Rice said, though hes holding out hope that it wont come to that.

Most of the fire that first sparked Aug. 14 near Grizzly Flats is still burning to the west of the resort, on the south side of Highway 50. But winds have also stoked a spot fire on the north side of the highway that fire crews rushed to control as evacuation zones were expanded, said Cal Fire captain and public information officer Keith Wade.

As of Friday evening, more than 18,300 structures were threatened, and air quality readings were at dangerous levels over 500.

That was todays focus, Wade said Friday afternoon, to contain that incident over there and not let that fire spread.

At the same time, fire crews farther west braced for approaching flames in Pollock Pines, said Cal Fire spokesperson Capt. Stephen Horner. Crews plowed fire lines with bulldozers, dropped water and retardant, and set small controlled fires to deprive the area of fuels. Dozens of firefighters are stationed in the area in preparation for the fire to burn up to their containment line, Horner said.

With the fire active on multiple fronts, Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said this week that protecting the Lake Tahoe area was the No. 1 priority in the nation. Hundreds of additional firefighters and aircraft arrived to fight the fire  3,200 on Friday, Horner said, with more coming  but Cal Fire officials warned that hot temperatures and afternoon winds could hamper the effort.

Ethan Swope/Associated Press

Evacuations were extended Thursday from Twin Bridges to Echo Summit, with officials issuing the first warnings to prepare to vacate inside the Tahoe Basin. Residents of cabins and houses in rural Christmas Valley between Highway 89 and Echo Summit were advised to prepare to leave the area.

Mark Strasburg lives in Christmas Valley and didnt waste time moving photos of his kids, important papers, guns and vehicles to a friends home in Tahoe Keys outside the evacuation zone. Strasburg and that friend, Erik Anders, were having lunch at the brewery in South Lake Tahoe on Friday as he recounted fire precautions he had taken, like removing 18 trees in recent years.

Both men spoke of how much more the Sierra Nevada seems to have been affected by extreme wildfires  and the smoke that comes with them. But lately, its been unusually bad.

The worst part about it is, Im actually getting used to it, Strasburg said. Its absolutely the weirdest thing.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Flames have not yet entered the Tahoe Basin, but smoke from the fire has poured into the area, turning the usually cerulean skies yellowish-gray and filling them with floating ash.

Despite the dismal skies and spreading fire, Horner of Cal Fire was still optimistic that firefighters would keep the fire from spilling out of the mountains and into the basin.

Its still a ways away, he said. I think well get a handle on it before it reaches the basin.

Meanwhile, farther north, the massive Dixie Fire grew to 752,920 acres. Its the second-largest fire in state history. The conflagration, which started July 14 in the Feather River Canyon in Plumas County, possibly from a PG&E equipment failure, has raged through parts of Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Lassen counties, including Lassen National Park.

Tracy Barbutes/Special to The Chronicle

The fire was 47% contained Friday, but fire officials said light winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity levels forecast over the weekend may keep fueling the fire. The blaze is most active near Taylorsville, and crews have also built containment lines to protect Quincy and Greenhorn, all in Plumas County. More than 4,700 firefighters are battling that fire.

In the Mother Lode, the Airola Fire in Calaveras County, which ignited Wednesday, held at 700 acres and was 50% contained, and the Washington Fire, which started Thursday in Sonora, was 100 acres and 25% contained Friday. The Bennett Fire in Grass Valley was 59 acres and 80% contained.

Back in South Lake Tahoe, brewery owner Brown said the culprit in the fires is clear: climate change, which is causing rising temperatures that dry out vegetation more and make each spark more likely to cause devastation.

A black-and-brown sign outside Cold Water relays the challenge in more universal terms: Save our planet, read the big white letters. Its the only one with beer.

J.D. Morris, Lauren Hepler and Michael Cabanatuan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com, lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris @LAHepler @ctuan
A San Francisco man has been arrested and charged with murder in an Aug. 16 Portola neighborhood homicide, one of four deadly shootings to take place in the city in a span of five days this month.

Police obtained an image of the suspect, whom they identified as 20-year-old Deandre Reid, that linked him to the shooting at the 2400 block of San Bruno Avenue, according to a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department.

The victim, a 33-year-old man, was located at the scene by police and taken to the hospital, where he died a short time later.

The suspect had fled the scene by the time officers arrived, police said.

Homicide investigators obtained a warrant for Reids arrest and located him Wednesday at the 5800 block of Horton Street in Emeryville, where he was taken into custody, officials said.

Prosecutors are charging Reid with murder and personal use of a firearm, and are asking a judge to detain him pending trial, according to a officials with the San Francisco District Attorneys Office.

We have been devastated to learn of this senseless and tragic loss, said Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for the DAs office.

About two months earlier, on June 1, Reid was stopped, searched and arrested for several gun charges after police said they saw him leaving the back seat of a car with a similar description to one used in a burglary, according to court records and prosecutors.

A judge released Reid from jail a day later to a case management program, prior to prosecutors reviewing the case.

Prosecutors charged him with three crimes  prohibited possession of a firearm, concealing a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm  to which he pleaded not guilty, court records show. But Reids attorneys filed a motion to suppress the gun evidence, saying that police had lacked a lawful basis to stop and search Reid, Marshall said.

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.

Police initially believed that the Honda Accord officers saw Reid exiting had resembled a car used in a burglary a week earlier, despite it having different license plates. Police soon realized that the cars had other differences, however, and determined they were not one in the same, prosecutors said.

After reviewing materials and watching body-worn camera footage of the case, prosecutors believed they couldnt overcome the defenses motion, Marshall said, and determined the gun couldnt be admitted as evidence in court. Prosecutors eventually dismissed the case.

Without the gun, Marshall said, there was no way to move forward.

Police have to date arrested suspects in three of the four cases in the rash of deadly shootings between Aug. 13 to Aug. 17, and prosecutors have charged three suspects with murder.

Reid is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
San Franciscos jail population has plummeted since the start of 2020. Like many counties across the state, the county released hundreds of people from its local facilities to stave off COVID-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic.

But the difference between San Francisco and other counties in California is what happened after the initial decline. The data suggest that while the county was not alone in substantially reducing its jail population at the start of the pandemic, it has kept that population low for longer than most other California counties  and thats probably due, at least in part, to District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whose office had already prioritized reducing jail populations prior to the pandemic.

The Chronicle analyzed population data for jails and other local facilities from the California Board of State and Community Corrections to examine jail population trends. From January to May 2020, the statewide jail population fell by 29%. San Francisco lowered its jail population by about 38%  more than the state average but behind 10 other counties, including three in the Bay Area.

However, from May 2020 to March 2021, the latest month with data available, the statewide jail population per capita ticked back up by 19%. For instance, Solano and San Mateo counties both reduced their jail populations by more than San Francisco initially; however, both counties jail populations rebounded in the subsequent months, particularly Solanos, which rose 70% from its May 2020 low.

San Francisco, on the other hand, barely increased its jail population during that time period. The number of people in San Francisco county jails went up by just 5% from May 2020 through March 2021.

While county jail populations have increased since last May, theyre still mostly lower than they were pre-pandemic. As of March 2021, the statewide jail population remained about 16% lower than in January 2020.

San Francisco has kept its jail population even lower than the statewide average. It remains 35% lower than it was pre-pandemic, going from 133 to 87 people per 100,000 county residents. (Its average jail population has stayed around 87 per 100,000 as of July, per the sheriffs website.)

Even before reducing its jail population in response to COVID-19, San Francisco already had a lower jail population per capita than most other populous counties in the state. Its January 2020 incarceration rate was 133 per 100,000, lower than all but three counties with 100,000 people or more: San Mateo, Contra Costa and Marin.

Jail populations statewide typically consist mostly of people awaiting trials or sentencing but also include people with prison sentences who have been transferred from state prisons. San Franciscos jail population consists almost entirely of the former, with just 19 sentenced incarcerated people among the countys 764-person jail population as of July.

So how did San Francisco reduce its jail population by so much at the start of the pandemic and manage to maintain that lower number?

Rachel Marshall, communications director at the San Francisco District Attorneys office, said the office reduced its population quickly by implementing multiple strategies at once, helped along by the policies of the director of Jail Health Services, Dr. Lisa Pratt, who recommended that the county reduce its jail population from 1,000 to 700 to 800 to allow for social distancing measures.

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.

After Pratts recommendation on March 24, according to Marshall, the office conducted a thorough review of the jail population to figure out whom they could safely release. They let go people with 60 days or fewer remaining in their sentences; they released people charged with misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies; and they reviewed the cases of every person incarcerated in the jails to identify those who could feasibly be placed in housing, released on probation or brought out of the jails.

Many other counties adopted at least some population-reducing policies at the start of the pandemic  for instance, San Mateo and Sacramento counties both released people with 60 days or fewer remaining in their sentences. And on March 20, the state Judicial Council issued guidance setting bail at $0 for people accused of lower-level crimes in every county, a more moderate version of Boudins decision to end cash bail entirely prior to the pandemic.

But where San Francisco differed was in the multitude of policies implemented quickly  and in the district attorneys long-term goals, which COVID-19 allowed the office to realize more quickly than might have occurred otherwise, Marshall said.

The principle of reducing incarceration is very much a part of this offices mission, she said. We were able to reduce that population much faster than wed envisioned, because the pandemic forced us to be under a pressure cooker.

Because the population-reducing measures implemented by the district attorney early on fit so well with Boudins long-term goals, many have stayed in place for longer than other counties. For instance, the office still reviews every case individually. And it still doesnt allow cash bail, unlike most other counties, which were able to start setting bail for lower-level offenses again in June. Its likely that many of these reforms will remain in place throughout Boudins time in office, pandemic or not.

This general approach and way of working is going to continue. The DA office is going to individually determine whether someone should stay in custody and doing (so) in a collaborative way, Josie Halpern-Finnerty, director of the Safety and Justice Challenge project for the District Attorneys Office, told The Chronicle. Theres no going back, only going forward.

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
After a flurry of court filings this week, Oakland police may be glimpsing the end of a withering federal oversight period that has now gripped the department, and City Hall, for 18 years.

The prospect tantalizes city officials who are weary of the back-and-forth effort to complete 51 reforms assigned to the department  a process that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

It all stems from a class-action lawsuit in 2000, brought by plaintiffs who claimed they were falsely arrested on drug charges and accused four West Oakland officers  known as the Riders  of assaulting and conspiring to frame them. Although the officers were found not guilty in a parallel criminal trial, the civil case resulted in a settlement requiring the Police Department to adopt dozens of measures to improve the way it tracks, trains and disciplines officers.

On Monday, in his 74th progress report to the court, federal monitor Robert Warshaw signaled a striking shift in tone. Whereas previous reports excoriated police leadership, this one expressed cautious optimism that the department can enter the final stages of this long process.

While ending formal federal oversight could still be at least a year away, even the plaintiffs attorneys say they want to wrap it up, despite a lingering high-profile investigation and other stumbles.

The time has come to finish, attorney John Burris told The Chronicle on Thursday morning. Theres gonna always be screw-ups. You cant not end this because of screw-ups.

The bigger question, Burris said, is, Whats in place to hold (officers) accountable? Do you have a process of fair evaluation and investigation, and then consistency of discipline?

His colleague James Chanin was more wary.

While Chanin acknowledged that the department has made strides, he voiced concern about a recent police scandal, involving a racist and sexist Instagram account that surfaced last year. Police command staff sent a department-wide email last September, saying they had come across the account and found that some officers followed it, but did not start an Internal Affairs investigation until January.

Were not giving an unqualified, Were out, Chanin said. Were giving a qualified, Were ready to talk about leaving, were ready to talk about what compliance looks like, were ready to do those things.

On Wednesday, Burris and Chanin submitted a filing that praised the department, its chief and the Oakland Police Officers Association for their commitment to completing the 51 tasks. Oakland still has to finish five of them, including one related to use-of-force investigations and another linked to complaint procedures at Internal Affairs, the filing said.

The attorneys also recognized Oaklands progress toward cultural change in the police force and its commitment to constitutional policing.

Mayor Libby Schaaf echoed that sentiment on Thursday, but said Oakland would not be satisfied even if its police force becomes a national model. She referred to debates over policing that have spread through the country and become particularly intense in Oakland, where some political leaders are advocating to shift money and duties away from officers, and toward civilian responders.

We know that policing is a deeply divisive and polarizing issue in this moment, as it should be, Schaaf said, standing at the transit village outside Fruitvale BART station. Oakland is dedicated to not just being the best but being what this community wants. Thats a complicated issue.

The city has been here before. Chanin remembered being in talks with former Chief Sean Whent to wind down the settlement agreement in 2015, a year in which a policing expert from the Obama White House recognized Oakland for efforts to boost community policing. Then, in 2016, a teenager came forward with a startling accusation, saying she had been sexually trafficked by several Oakland officers as a minor. Whent abruptly resigned, and the department cycled through two interim chiefs in nine days.

Hopefully, this will end better than that did, Chanin said of the current negotiations.

Former Oakland police Chief Howard Jordan, who presided over the department from 2011 to 2013, during one of the most adversarial periods of the settlement, has his doubts.

Until the judge signs the order, a year from now, saying that the department is in full compliance, I will reserve my judgment as to how this will all play out, Jordan said, unable to stifle a chuckle.

Others are also skeptical about whether Oakland can pull it off, or whether the Police Department is ready to go it alone.

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.

Rashidah Grinage, spokesperson for Oaklands Coalition for Police Accountability, argued that there are still deficiencies in Internal Affairs investigations, some of which have been overturned by the Police Departments Executive Force Review Board. She also cited incidents in which officers allegedly did not properly use their body-worn cameras.

Grinage hopes Oaklands Police Commission is prepared to serve as a successor agency once federal oversight ends.

Commission Chair Regina Jackson sounded an upbeat note on Thursday.

I am absolutely hopeful that we can get out from under the NSA (negotiated settlement agreement) within the next year or two, Jackson said.

Jackson went on to applaud current police Chief LeRonne Armstrong for his integrity and work ethic, while criticizing previous department leadership for not taking the settlement seriously.

As for the current police chief, who recently marked his first six months in the role, he was not ready to celebrate.

We have not crossed the finish line, Armstrong told reporters on Thursday, during a news conference about a nonfatal police shooting the previous day.

The conference itself was a sign of the departments heightened efforts to engage the public, the chief said.

Rachel Swan and Sarah Ravani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan, @SarRavani
A new CDC report finds that an unvaccinated Marin County teachers COVID infection led to numerous students being infected. A different study, of nearly 1,400 San Francisco COVID cases, yielded concerning insights into breakthrough infections. And the trajectory of the coronavirus caseload in the U.K. may hold warning signs for the Bay Area.

Resources on COVID-19 and Californias reopening: For detailed maps and new city-by-city Bay Area data, check out The Chronicles Coronavirus Tracker. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Latest updates:

Delta variant doubles chances of hospitalization in COVID patients, study finds: People who get infected with the delta variant of the coronavirus are about twice as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who caught the ancestral strain of the virus, according to a study out of the U.K. published Friday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. Researchers with Public Health England examined more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases that occurred between March and May, when the delta variant became dominant in Britain, to analyze the data on hospitalization rates.

CDC director blasts school districts not following protocols: As COVID-19 outbreaks send more children to hospitals and force thousands of students into quarantine across the United States, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday scolded districts that are not following the classroom safety guidance issued by the agency. "Unfortunately many schools have opted not to implement these recommended tools," Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing. "We recognize and are closely following cases and hospitalizations in children at the same time as school is reopening. In our outbreak investigations, large-scale quarantines or large numbers of cases are generally occurring in schools because schools are not following our guidance, particularly our recommendation for teachers as well as students age 12 and older to be vaccinated and for everyone, right now, to be masked." There were over 180,000 new pediatric COVID cases nationwide in the week ending Aug. 19, reaching levels of the previous winter surge of 2020-21, according to data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Giants' player was vaccinated when testing positive: As a result of Donovan Solanos breakthrough case, the San Francisco Giants began exercising more caution than usual to guard against COVID-19, reports The Chronicles John Shea.

White House sticking with 8-month booster plan for now: White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the federal government is sticking with plans to recommend COVID-19 booster doses to eligible Americans eight months after they are fully vaccinated. "That has not changed," Psaki said, adding Biden would take recommendations from the FDA and CDC before announcing any changes to the timeline. Israel's decision to offer boosters after six months sparked an earlier conversation about moving the date forward in the White House, but Biden has not yet committed to that. "Obviously, we make our own assessments based on our health and medical experts here in the United States. And nothing has changed on that front."

China continues to 'hinder' investigation into COVID origins, Biden administration says: A U.S. intelligence report looking into the origins of the pandemic has concluded with no clear answers. President Biden said in a statement on Friday said our efforts to understand the origins of this pandemic will not rest, noting the lack of cooperation from the Chinese government. The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them. The report said Beijing "continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame(s) other countries, including the United States."

Sacramento County hospitals are at capacity: The countys health officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, announced Thursday that the county had run out of hospital beds and asked members of the public to avoid going to the emergency room unless they were having a true emergency. The county is working with the state, she said, to identify additional resources should numbers increase, which could mean having to transport (patients) to another county. Currently, there are 420 cases of COVID-19 in Sacramentos hospital; 106 of those are in the intensive care unit.

CDC study of a Marin school shows how delta can spread: A new study of a Marin classroom by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds the delta variant of the coronavirus can spread rapidly in schools with unvaccinated staff and students. During May 23-June 12, there were 26 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases that occurred among Marin County elementary school students and their contacts following exposure to an unvaccinated infected teacher. "The attack rate in one affected classroom was 50%; risk correlated with seating proximity to the teacher," the study found. Read the story here.

More than half of adolescents in U.S. at least partially vaccinated: Biden administration officials say that half of U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 17 have gotten at least their first COVID-19 vaccine, the Associated Press reports. We have now hit a major milestone, White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters at a Friday briefing. This is critical progress as millions of kids head back to school. The vaccination rate among teenagers is growing faster than among any other age group, he added.

Booster timing could be shortened, Bloomberg reports: President Biden said that a booster shot five months after the prior shot was being discussed, Bloomberg White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs said on Twitter. Officials have previously said eight months was a likely interval, though six months is also being considered.

UCSF study has worrying findings about breakthrough infections: A study of nearly 1,400 Bay Area residents who had COVID-19 between February and June found that people with breakthrough cases were more likely to be infected with a variant that contains mutations more resistant to neutralizing antibodies elicited by the vaccine. More broadly, the study suggests that if there emerges a predominant variant after delta that causes another peak in new cases, vaccines will likely be less effective against it. The study, led by UCSF virologist Dr. Charles Chiu, was posted on a pre-print server Wednesday and has not been peer-reviewed. The study also found that people with breakthrough symptomatic infections are probably as infectious as unvaccinated individuals with COVID; this is true for several circulating variants including delta. Read The Chronicles story about the study here. Asymptomatic breakthrough cases are not likely a significant source of spread, the study found.

Florida judge blocks governors mask ban in schools: A judge has ruled that Florida school districts may impose mask mandates, the Associated Press reports. The judge agreed with a group of parents who claimed in a lawsuit that Gov. Ron DeSantis ban on the mandates is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper said DeSantis order is without legal authority.

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.

U.S. could see up to 100,000 more COVID deaths in 2021: One influential model, from the University of Washington, projects an additional 98,000 Americans will die of COVID-19 by the start of December, for an overall death toll of nearly 730,000, the Associated Press reports. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces. Behavior is really going to determine if, when and how sustainably the current wave subsides, said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. We cannot stop delta in its tracks, but we can change our behavior overnight.

Vallejo to consider mask mandate: Officials in the Solano County city of Vallejo next week will consider issuing a mandate requiring everyone to wear masks in public indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status. If the City Council approves the resolution at a special meeting Tuesday, Vallejo would follow Benicia as the second city to adopt such a mandate in Solano County. The proposed resolution notes that Solano is the only Bay Area county that has not put such a requirement in place. Solano health officer Dr. Bela Matyas said at Benicias council meeting Tuesday that he continues to oppose a countywide mandate. He said small gatherings were fueling Solanos coronavirus surge, KTVU reported, and cited a stronger political dislike of mask-wearing in some parts of the county. If approved, the Vallejo mandate would apply to everyone age 4 and older and go into effect immediately.

Should Bay Area residents be worried while waiting for boosters?: Last week, amid reports that the immunity COVID-19 vaccines provide may wane over time, the Biden administration announced it would begin offering boosters s to the general population beginning the week of Sept. 20. In fact, boosters are already widely available through drugstores in many Bay Area counties, and some people are taking it upon themselves to get theirs now. So, should you be running to get your third dose? Health experts say theres no rush  at least for most people. Read the story here.

Oakland aims to require COVID vaccines for all city workers: Oakland announced Thursday it is working with labor leaders to create a vaccine mandate for city workers. Under the proposed policy, as a condition of employment, all Oakland city employees would be required to report their vaccination status by Oct. 15  and be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. Read the story here.

Dreamforce convention will be limited to hundreds of people, vaccination and invitation required: Saleforces Dreamforce convention has reduced its event size in San Francisco a second time as the delta variant fuels a surge in cases. The September conference will be limited to hundreds of attendees, down from a previously announced cap of 5,000 people, and invitation-only. Read the story here.

Bay Area health officials double-down on return to in-person learning: Representatives from health departments of 12 Northern California counties, including those in the Bay Area and the city of Berkeley, issued a statement Thursday asserting support of full in-person school, despite a steady rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations in the region driven by the delta variant. We know that when rates of COVID are high in our communities, cases will appear at schools, just as they do in other settings, they said in the joint letter reaffirming a statement from June advocating for reopening schools, adding that schools have protocols in place to slow the spread of the virus. Schools are offering only limited remote learning options, often for children with health issues. In San Francisco, we are seeing cases of COVID-19 among children, however the percentage of pediatric cases has been consistent over time including this most recent surge, said Alison Hawkes of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Statewide vaccine mandate weighed by California lawmakers: California lawmakers could consider legislation this fall or early next year that would create a statewide coronavirus vaccine mandate for employers, as well as for bars, restaurants, gyms and other venues. Read the story here.

7 counties in Northern California are seeing all-time high rates of hospitalized COVID patients: Rural California counties are reeling under the latest COVID-19 surge as the delta variant rips across the state and strains already-limited resources in mostly vaccine-hesitant communities. Patients have to wait for beds. Burned-out nurses want to quit. In county after county, intensive care units, which care for the sickest patients, are full. Read the story here.

CDC will meet next week on booster shot rollout: An advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet on Aug. 30 to discuss a framework for rolling out supplemental vaccine doses. The White House is expected to recommend booster shots for all Americans within 6 to 8 months of having received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Intensive care units are nearly full across the Kansas City area, creating challenges for hospitals battling to keep up with the high number of COVID-19 patients.

The Kansas City Star reported that 215 ICU beds in the region were in use last week  the most since the onset of the pandemic  and that number has grown almost every day since. As of Wednesday, 224 people were hospitalized in ICUs, according to hospital data tracked by the Mid-America Regional Council, a regional planning agency.

The data includes hospitals in Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas.

Kansas City isn't unique in Missouri. Data posted Friday on the state's COVID-19 dashboard showed 690 ICU patients across the state among 2,395 people hospitalized with COVID-19.

On Friday, Gov. Mike Parson rescinded the COVID-19 related state of emergency that was put in place on March 13, 2020, and replaced it with a narrower state of emergency that focuses on the health care system.

Parson, a Republican, said in a statement that the changes acknowledge the progress the state has made when it comes to the pandemic, particularly now that vaccines are available. But he continued regulatory and other procedures that will allow the still-struggling health care system to respond to increased caseloads.

In addition to the rising number of cases, health care workers blame the severity of the illnesses, staffing shortages and the refusal of so many to get vaccinated for the challenges hospitals are now facing. Kansas City-area hospitals have had to transfer patients, both with and without COVID-19, as far away as Chicago and Oklahoma City.

It just breaks my heart that were at this point, said Allison Edwards, a doctor and the owner of a small direct primary care clinic in Midtown Kansas City. I dont even know how to begin to ration care. How do you start to make these decisions of where to put your priorities when business as usual cant happen?

The state dashboard on Friday cited 2,158 newly confirmed cases and 26 additional deaths. Missouri has reported 624,239 cases and 10,435 deaths since the pandemic began.

After twice voting down a countywide mask mandate, the St. Louis County Council on Friday adopted a resolution supporting a July 26 mask order by Democratic County Executive Sam Page and Acting Public Health Director Faisal Khan.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the council's four Democrats supported the measure; the three Republicans abstained, arguing the resolution was nonbinding. They said they wouldnt support a mask mandate if it were legally binding.

Page's initial mask mandate was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. A judge last week enjoined the county from enforcing the order since it hadn't received council approval.

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.

With vaccination rates still lagging in St. Louis, the city is offering an event Friday and Saturday with two purposes: Forgiveness for outstanding warrants, and a chance to get vaccinated. Even more incentive: Those who show proof of full vaccination can get $100 off their fines and court fees.

City leaders say the warrant forgiveness program allows anyone with outstanding warrants to resolve the charges without fear of arrest on city charges, and without the expense of posting cash bond. A vaccination clinic will also be on-site.

Only 46.2% of St. Louisans have initiated vaccination, about 5 percentage points lower than the state as a whole. Nationally, 61.1% of Americans have initiated vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The original conception of the event was to make vaccination clinics available at the same time as the amnesty to give people the opportunity to get vaccinated, Municipal Judge Newton McCoy told St. Louis Public Radio. That idea was later expanded to give an incentive to those who have already been vaccinated.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouris Republican secretary of state on Thursday said an investigation by his office found two people voted at least twice during the 2020 general election.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said two people voted in person in St. Charles County and also sent in mail-in ballots to Florida.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  State labor officials warned Thursday that unemployment benefits are scheduled to come to a close for about 50,000 New Mexico residents in early September, as the federal government ends supplemental payments to people who lost jobs or self-employment income during the pandemic.

Employers are warily watching whether those individuals will return to work and stabilize the state's unemployment insurance trust fund that is sustained by payroll taxes. The fund has been whipsawed by the pandemic and related financial crisis, while employers were temporarily shielded from tax rate increases.

New Mexico had the nations highest June unemployment rate, at 7.9%. The state is bracing for the expiration Sept. 4 of four federal programs that boosted the maximum weekly unemployment benefit per worker of roughly $484 in New Mexico to $784, while temporarily extending benefits to the self-employed and gig-economy workers.

Workforce Solutions Secretary Ricky Serna told a panel of state legislators that roughly 67,000 resident are currently receiving unemployment benefits, down from a record high of 148,000 in June 2020.

Of those, only 14,000 receive standard state unemployment benefits, the longstanding program sustained by payroll taxes and a state-managed trust fund. The remainder are unlikely to continue receiving benefits.

Serna outlined efforts by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state Legislature to shield employers from tax increases associated with unprecedented payouts of $3.7 billion in unemployment benefits since the outset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Serna said special hold harmless legislation enacted in June 2020 was successful in shielding employers from major tax rate increases as unemployment claims surged during the pandemic, depleting a $460 million unemployment trust and saddling the state with $284 million in debt.

Fewer businesses saw an increase, and overall that increase to those businesses was smaller, when you make a comparison to the prior year, Serna said. So the provisions that this legislature put in place to hold businesses harmless were really effective.

The state unemployment trust was replenished in June to its pre-pandemic balance of $460 million, thanks to a new tranche of federal pandemic relief authorized in March by President Joe Biden after he won congressional approval.

New Mexico Business Coalition President Carla Sonntag said employers are wary that the federal government might extend supplemental employment benefits, possibly influencing individual decisions about whether to return to work. She says high unemployment rates inevitably draw down the unemployment trust and could lead to payroll tax increases when rates are recalculated in 2022.

We have been flowing (money) out of the fund, and we don't have enough people employed where businesses are paying to replenish the fund, she said. So we're not finding the equilibrium we've had before.

At the same time, state unemployment officials say they are grappling with a surge in attempts to hijack unemployment benefit payments and federal bonuses away from New Mexico residents.

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.

Serna said thousands of New Mexico residents last weekend received fraudulent text messages asking for claim information.

He said the balance of paid unemployment claims flagged for fraud has decreased to roughly $68 million, down from an estimated $120 million earlier in the year, as suspicious claims are investigated and cleared or referred to prosecution.

Separately, the state has made overpayments of unemployment benefits estimated at $130 million under circumstances not associated with fraud.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, offered incentive payments of between $400 and $1,000 over the summer for people who return to work before the expiration of the extra federal unemployment payment.

About 22 states, mostly led by Republican governors, already have stopped accepting the $300 weekly federal supplemental over concerns that it may discourage people from returning to work when jobs are available.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  The State Ethics Commission on Thursday said the superintendent of Pittsburgh's public schools submitted negligent reimbursements for travel and was improperly paid for days off when he was not working for the school district.

The three-page order also said Superintendent Anthony Hamlet violated ethics rules by taking money for public appearances, speeches or presentations related to his public position.

The commission ordered him to pay $1,750 to the state and $6,200 to the school district and to forfeit 14 vacation days. He was also directed to file amended financial disclosures for 2016-2018.

At a news conference Thursday in Pittsburgh, Hamlet said it was a great day for him, ending a two-year process that has been a cloud over him, even though I know I have done nothing wrong.

With this review behind me, it looks like a fresh start, he said in a video message.

His attorney, David Berardinelli, said the violations were the result of clerical errors, lack of ethics training and Hamlets contract letting him receive pay for speeches even though that type of compensation is not permitted under state law.

While it does not excuse the errors on the forms, Dr. Hamlet and his team never received any formal ethics training on the forms or in general on Pennsylvania ethics laws," Berardinelli said. That will be remedied and training from the commission itself is going to be arranged so that Dr. Hamlet and all staff members file complete and wholesome forms moving forward.

School board President Sylvia Wilson told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the board was reviewing the report. We want to be able to sit down and talk about it ourselves, Wilson told the paper.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  An exhibition at a Polish state museum that opened Friday features the works of provocative artists in what organizers describe as a celebration of free speech, and a challenge to political correctness and cancel culture on the political left.

Some critics, however, accuse organizers of giving a platform to antisemitic and racist messages under the pretense of defending freedom of expression.

"Political Art, which features the works of nearly 30 artists, is the second exhibition at the Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art under director Piotr Bernatowicz, who was appointed by Poland's populist conservative ruling party in 2019.

Since it came to power in 2015, the Law and Justice party has harnessed the country's cultural institutions in a mission to promote conservative and patriotic values  including the art center housed in a reconstructed castle that has showcased experimental and avant-garde art in Warsaw for 30 years.

The museum says the Political Art show provides a space for rebellious artists sometimes shunned elsewhere. The exhibition includes works critical of the authoritarian regimes in Russia and Belarus, works by women from Iran and Yemen critical of oppression in the Muslim world, and others that use swastikas or symbols rooted in the Holocaust in an apparently ironic way.

The most controversial person included is Dan Park, a Swedish provocateur who has been jailed on hate crimes in Sweden. In 2009, Park placed swastikas and boxes labeled Zyklon B  the gas used in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust  in front of a Jewish community center in Malmo.

A demonstration took place outside the museum as visitors arrived for the opening, with protesters confronting Park and one large banner saying: State promotion of fascism.

The Jewish community in Poland strongly protested the inclusion of Park. In an open letter to the museum director, rabbis and other Jewish representatives argued that promoting such artists offends all people in a country where 6 million Polish citizens  half of whom were Jews  were murdered during World War II.

Free expression is essential to a democratic society, but free expression still has limits," Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said.

At a news conference on Friday, the director, Bernatowicz, said he could understand the position of the Jewish organizations, acknowledging that some of the work is provocative and controversial. But he said the Jewish representatives should see the exhibition before criticizing it.

I am not creating a platform propagating any types of Nazi or neo-Nazi views, Bernatowicz said. "I am creating a platform for art to be expressed.

Several artists at the news conference said they received emails from antifascists the day before, warning them that works were being shown by far-right artists.

Some said they were unsettled by that message, including Emma Elliott, an antifascist artist whose works explore how women are usually the first targets of fascist regimes. But she and the others present  including two Jewish artists  defended the exhibit as an important platform for different voices.

Yes, I find some of the images here not only disturbing but offensive, said Marc Provisor, an Israeli artist. "But I think its important for the writers of those letters to come (and) face what disturbs you.

Separately, an anti-fascist network in Poland also condemned the attempts to use Polish art institutions to platform artists infamous for their neo-Nazi sympathies.

Among the works by Park being shown in Warsaw is a poster that presents Anders Behring Breivik, the right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway, as a supposed model for the clothing brand Lacoste.

Another provocateur is Uwe Max Jensen, a Danish artist who did a performance at Friday's opening in which he waved a Confederate flag, stripped naked, painted his body black with the help of another artist, and dragged himself on the floor as he repeated the words I can't breathe! Those were the last words spoken by George Floyd, the Black man whose murder by a police officer triggered a racial reckoning in the United States.

Protesters surrounding him shouting fascist!"

The exhibit also features works by Lars Vilks, a Swedish artist who lives under police protection for making a drawing of a dog with the head of the Prophet Muhammed. The drawing upset many Muslims in 2007 and brought Vilks death threats from extremists.

Ahead of the opening, a Yemeni-British artist who has also received death threats for works critical of Islam, Tasleem Mulhall, met Vilks for the first time. When she learned of his background, she hugged him and told him she admired him.

Also included in Political Art is a wall of photos of Ugandans holding up IDs. It is part of a project by Danish conceptual artist Kristian von Hornsleth, who persuaded 340 Ugandan villagers in 2006 to legally change their names to Hornsleth in exchange for pigs and goats.

Hornsleth  the artist who helped apply black pain to Jensen's body  said the work was a critical commentary on the inability of Western development aid to help people in Africa, but some saw his work as racist.

Co-curator Jon Eirik Lundberg, a Norwegian who runs the Laesoe Kunsthal gallery in Denmark, denied that the show promotes racism, and said its aim is to fight for freedom of speech in defense of democracy.

The best way to protect any minority is to make sure there is freedom of speech, he said.

Hornsleth, the artist who photographed Ugandan villagers, said: "Even if this show was right-wing and crazy, it should be allowed because its art. But its not  its really about creating a space in which anybody can disagree about anything.

Political Art runs through January 16.
WASHINGTON  The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport.

U.S. Central Command said the U.S. conducted a drone strike against an Islamic State member in Nangahar believed to be involved in planning attacks against the U.S. in Kabul. The strike killed one individual, and spokesman Navy Capt. William Urban said they knew of no civilian casualties.

It wasnt clear if that individual was involved specifically in the Thursday suicide blast outside the gates of the Kabul airport, where crowds of Afghans were desperately trying to get in as part of the ongoing evacuation from the country after the Talibans rapid takeover.

The airstrike fulfilled a vow President Joe Biden made to the nation Thursday when he said the perpetrators of the attack would not be able to hide. We will hunt you down and make you pay, he said. Pentagon leaders told reporters Friday that they were prepared for whatever retaliatory action the president ordered.

We have options there right now, said Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor of the Pentagons Joint Staff.

___

MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 US presses on with evacuations despite fears of more attacks

 Taliban success in Afghanistan seen as boost for extremists

 Couple hopeful for childrens future after escape from Kabul

 Explainer: How dangerous is Afghanistans Islamic State?

 US soldier loses 1 Afghan translator; fights to save another

 Deadliest days for U.S. troops in Afghanistan

 Biden left with difficult choices after deadly Kabul attacks

 Afghanistans top high school graduate fears for her future

___

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

TIRANA, Albania --- The Albanian government on Saturday said 154 Afghans evacuated from their country fearing the Taliban arrived on two charter flights.

A government spokesman confirmed the arrivals, organized by a U.S. nonprofit organization, without giving more details.

The Afghans were taken from Tiranas international airport to a student housing area to stay for a couple of weeks before moving to hotels in other cities.

A first group of 121 Afghans, which came a day earlier, has been housed at a tourist resort not far from the capital Tirana.

The Afghans are first taken to military tents for COVID-19 tests, medical and psychological assistance and processing of their identification data.

The the government has said that as many as 4,000 Afghans may stay at least a year in Albania while proceeding with applications for special visas for final settlement in the U.S.

___

PARIS  France ended evacuation operations on Friday and its team at the makeshift French Embassy at Kabuls airport pulled up stakes.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly announced that evacuations drew to a close with nearly 3,000 transferred out of Afghanistan.

The team at Frances embassy in Kabul reached Abu Dhabi before returning to France, the statement said, suggesting that Ambassador David Martinon was returning home, too. A French base in Abu Dhabi has been the transit points for French evacuees before heading to Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron had said on Thursday that the ambassador and other diplomatic staff would leave Kabul in the next few days aboard one of the last French flights out. He said the ambassador would maintain his posting but for security reasons he will be operating from Paris for the time being.

The statement by the ministers said that France would continue its work of sheltering Afghans who are threatened, including after Aug. 31.

We are continuing with our efforts with Taliban officials to guarantee they will in no way hinder the departure of those who wish to leave after Aug. 31, the statement said.

___

WASHINGTON  The suicide bomber who killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport carried about 25 pounds of explosives, loaded with shrapnel, a U.S. official said Friday.

The massive amount of explosives and spray of shrapnel created such a large blast that it killed U.S. troops who were inside the airport gate as well as troops and Afghans outside, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary assessments of the bombing.

A more routine suicide bomber will often carry from five to 10 pounds of explosives.

According to officials, the bomber got to within several yards of the Kabul airport gate, where Afghans were crowded in as part of the ongoing chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.

___

ISTANBUL  Turkey has pulled out all its civilians and military from Afghanistan except for a small number of technicians, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, while appearing to criticize the manner of the U.S. withdrawal.

We transported our citizens to our country. Currently we have a small number of technical elements. Apart from this, we have withdrawn all our teams, Erdogan told a news conference in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Countries that say they are the strongest in the world should leave the places they enter much more carefully, he said. Leaving these countries by handing them over to terrorist organizations has a high cost.

In an apparent reference to the Taliban and the Islamic State group, Erdogan said there was a conflict between terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and it is unthinkable that Turkey or any other country will profit from their conflict.

Earlier Friday, Erdogan said Turkey was in talks with the Taliban over providing technical support to keep the airport running after NATO forces leave.

The prospect of Turkey operating Hamid Karzai International Airport after the withdrawal of foreign troops was first raised in June but seemed to have passed when the Taliban took Kabul on Aug. 15.

___

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. Security Council has added its voice to the outpouring of denunciations of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport.

The council called the attack deplorable and said in a statement on Friday that deliberately targeting civilians and people helping them evacuate is especially abhorrent.

The Islamic State suicide bomber struck amid a crowd of people trying to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban overran the country earlier this month. The attack killed well over 100 Afghans and 13 members of the U.S. military.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in remarks to reporters Thursday.

Security concerns prompted the U.N. to relocate some personnel from Afghanistan to the Kazakh capital of Almaty in recent days.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that about 3,000 Afghan nationals and 200 international staffers are continuing their work for the U.N. inside Afghanistan the world body is continuing to provide humanitarian aid.

___

WASHINGTON  President Joe Bidens national security team has told the president that another terror attack is likely in Kabul, and that maximum force protection measures are being taken at the airport in the Afghan capital.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not go into detail on the assessment Biden received from his team one day after a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and scores of Afghans outside the airport.

Psaki says the next few days of the mission to evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghans fleeing Taliban rule will be the most dangerous period to date.

Biden has said that he intends to complete the evacuation by his Tuesday deadline.

___

ROME  Italys final Air Force flight out of Kabul has 58 Afghan civilians aboard, including many children.

Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini said the evacuees, who departed from Kabul airport early on Friday evening on a C-130, would arrive in Rome on Saturday morning.

The evacuation brings to 5,011 the number of people Italy was able to airlift to safety out of Kabul. All but 121 of them are Afghan citizens. The minister said that number is far higher than initially estimated.

Three previous flights either arrived in Rome already on Friday or were expected to touch down in Italy later in the evening. Italys consul in Afghanistan, who had directed evacuation logistics at Kabul airport, and an Italian diplomat in charge of the NATO countries evacuations also took Italys last flight out.

Today ends the 20-year commitment of the Italian armed forces in Afghanistan, said Gen. Luciano Portolano, the interforce commander of the evacuation mission.

Italys military contingent, which had been based in western Herat province, was one of the Wests larger forces in the country following the U.S.-led invasion in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In the evacuation effort, Italys air force flew 87 flights over 15 days. About 228 Afghan citizens were flown to Italy in June, after Italy closed down the Herat base.

___

LONDON  The U.K. says two British citizens and the child of another Briton were among those killed in the suicide bomb attack at Kabuls airport.

It was unclear if the British victims were dual nationals and also Afghan citizens.

The government says two other Britons were wounded in the attack, which killed 169 Afghans, according to a preliminary count, and 13 American troops. A final count of those killed as they queued in hope of getting an evacuation flight might take time amid confusion, with many bodies dismembered or not yet identified.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the Britons killed were innocent people and it is a tragedy that as they sought to bring their loved ones to safety in the U.K. they were murdered by cowardly terrorists.

Britain has evacuated almost 14,000 U.K. citizens and Afghans from Kabul in an airlift that is in its final hours Friday.

___

BUCHAREST, Romania  Romanias foreign ministry says it has evacuated five Afghan citizens from Kabul with the support of international partners.

Friday's statement said the Afghans include a student with a scholarship in Romania and two journalists with their family members. It did not specify which international partners helped evacuate the Afghans, who the ministry said are safe outside Afghan territory.

Romanian authorities have said they are making sustained efforts to evacuate Afghan citizens, such as those who worked with Romanian troops, as well as journalists, students, human rights activists, judges and their families.

These steps are taking place in an extremely complex, volatile and unpredictable security context, the ministry said.

Romanian officials last week said that a number of Afghan citizens have been earmarked for evacuation to Romania, but none could make it safely to Kabul airport last week when Romanias military launched three evacuation flights.

So far, 49 Romanians have been evacuated from Afghanistan, 17 on Romanian flights and the rest with international partners. Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said Thursday that nine Romanians remain in Afghanistan, but they do not want to be evacuated.

___

BERLIN  German authorities are preparing for dozens of people wounded in Thursdays attack at Kabul airport to arrive at the U.S. Air Base Ramstein, from where they will be transported to nearby hospitals.

The head of the Kaiserslautern regional authority said on Friday that about 30-40 men, women and children with in some cases very serious injuries were expected. It wasnt clear whether they were civilians or soldiers, or what nationalities they have, said Ralf Lessmeister.

Rescue services and surrounding hospitals have been put on alert to receive the wounded, he said. The U.S, military operates a large medical facility at nearby Landstuhl.

___

WASHINGTON  The Pentagon says it has determined that the attack at the Kabul airport on Thursday involved only one location and not two as was previously reported.

The Pentagon said there was one Islamic State suicide bomber, who struck at the Abbey Gate, where desperate Afghans were crowding to try and enter Kabul airport grounds and where U.S. troops were conducting security checks.

Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director for regional operations on the Pentagons Joint Staff, told reporters on Friday that there was no second explosion near the Baron Hotel near the airport.

He said the bombing at the Abbey Gate was followed by direct gunfire from north of the gate  part of what the military has called a complex attack. Taylor said they have no more details on the identity of the shooters. Taylor attributed the incorrect initial U.S. report about a second explosion to confusion.

In its claim of responsibility late Thursday, IS said one of its fighters carried out the bombing and posted a purported photo of the bomber, posing with his explosives vest before the attack.

Two officials said 169 Afghans died, but a final count might take time amid the confusion. The U.S. said 13 troops were killed in what was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.

___

ROME  Russias foreign minister says the first priority after the evacuations from Afghanistan is to ensure security, especially with nations bordering the war-torn country.

Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Rome after meeting with Italys premier and foreign minister on Friday that Russia wants to better understand what role our Western partners see for Russia on Afghanistan.

Lavrov referred to Premier Mario Draghis determination to use Italys current presidency of the Group of 20 industrial and emerging-market nations to work closely with Russia and China on Afghanistan.

Lavrov said he pressed Italy to also involve Iran and Pakistan in any such multi-national effort. Those two countries, which are not G-20 members, border Afghanistan.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio called Russias role essential as countries scramble to forge new policy now that Taliban forces control Afghanistan.

Only coherent and shared global action will be effective toward the new authorities in Kabul, Di Maio said.

Lavrov said that Russia is ready to respect the accords reached with the Taliban. Draghi said he hopes to convene a special G-20 meeting on Afghanistan sometime in September.

___

AMMAN, Jordan  The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the first group of Afghan citizens flown to Jordan earlier this week have left the Arab kingdom for the United States.

The Foreign Ministry said 800 Afghan citizens departed at dawn Friday and that their passage through Jordan was according to a prearranged agreement the kingdom made with the United States. The agreement stipulates that Jordan would have a maximum of 2,500 Afghans pass through its territory on their way to the US.

The Foreign Ministry said the arrival and departure of this first group of Afghans was completed in under a week and that Afghans could continue to transit through Jordan to the United States until the end of Aug.

It added that Afghan citizens that pass through Jordan for this short transit period have no status as refugees in the kingdom.

___

THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The Dutch defense ministry says the countrys final flight carrying Kabul evacuees has landed at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport.

The ministry says that two flights that arrived in the Netherlands on Friday carried a total of 187 passengers; all but two of them were Dutch nationals.

The last Dutch evacuation flight left Kabul on Thursday, the day two suicide bombings killed more than 100 people. No Dutch military or diplomatic personnel were harmed in the bombings.

___

ISLAMABAD  The Pakistani military says the situation along the border with Afghanistan is normal and that there have been no Afghan refugee crossings since the Taliban took control of the neighboring country earlier this month.

Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar told a news conference on Friday that the crossings remain open for trade and for Afghans with valid travel documents. But it's not a free-for-all, he said.

Pakistan had facilitated the evacuation of about 5,500 foreigners from Kabul in the past two weeks, he said, and deployed additional troops along the border to ensure there are no illegal crossings.

He said that the Taliban leadership has assured Pakistan they will not allow any militant group to use Afghan soil for attacks against Pakistan in the future.

___

GENEVA  The U.N. refugee agency is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee from Afghanistan in a worst-case scenario in the coming months.

UNHCR says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last week remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly, with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing.

The agency said that would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who already are registered as refugees abroad  nearly all of them in Pakistan and Iran.

The upsurge of violence across the country and the fall of the elected government may have a serious impact on civilians and cause further displacement, the plan said.

The agency cited estimates that 558,000 people have been internally displaced within Afghanistan due to armed conflict this year alone  four in five of them women and children. UNHCR estimates that the number of displaced will rise, both internally and across border, it said.

Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO of the Asia Pacific Refugee Network, in an online UNHCR news conference on Friday, warned of coming darkness in Afghanistan amid a tragically intertwined series of crises.

The U.N. agency is seeking nearly $300 million for its response plan for inter-agency requirements.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Finnish officials said on Friday that the Nordic countrys evacuation efforts in Afghanistan ended a day earlier and that some people had been evacuated for humanitarian reasons.

Finland has managed to evacuate a total of 330 people, including about 150 Finnish citizens and people with staying permits in Finland, according to local broadcaster YLE. Another 80 people were EU delegates and NATO personnel.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said decisions were made to evacuate for humanitarian reasons and that some of those included minors and orphans.

Small children that were in danger of being trampled on by the masses were brought to safety, Haavisto told a news conference. The Finnish Immigration Service said that about 80 people has sought asylum, some of them minors, YLE reported

___

MADRID  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his country will work to bring out Afghans who were left behind after Spain closed its evacuation operation on Friday.

Sanchez said that Spain managed to evacuate over 2,200 people in the past 10 days. He thanked civil servants, aid workers and members of the military who took out the highest quantity of men, women and children in the shortest time possible.

You make us proud, Sanchez said at a televised press conference on Friday. Mission accomplished.

The prime minister didnt respond to questions by The Associated Press about how many were left behind but, without offering details, said that Spain will continue working on a new phase to bring them out.

Sanchez said that 17 flights out of Kabul and Dubai in the past 10 days had brought to a military base in the outskirts of Madrid a total of 2,206 people, including 1,671 Spaniards or Afghan nationals linked to Spains work in Afghanistan; 333 who worked for the EU and their relatives; 131 with the United States; 50 linked to NATOs operations and 21 on behalf of Portugal.

The last few people were expected to land in Madrid later on Friday.

Sanchez condemned the attack that killed scores at the Kabul airport on Thursday. He added that Spain had always expressed doubts about the decision to pull out of Afghanistan by the former and current U.S. administrations, adding that its consequence will be global security challenges, including migratory flows.

The desire of the Spanish government is to work together within the European Union and NATO to solve them, he said.

___

ROME  Italys foreign minister has confirmed that the last Italian military flight evacuating people from Afghanistan will depart from Kabul later on Friday.

Luigi Di Maio said that among those aboard the departing C-130 Air Force aircraft will be the Italian consul, who had stayed on in Kabul at the airport to oversee the evacuation of Italians and foreigners, as well as the top NATO diplomat, Stefano Pontecorvo, who is Italian.

Also aboard will be Italian Carabinieri paramilitary police and Italian soldiers who helped maintain security for evacuations carried out by Italy. All the Italians who wanted to return to Italy have returned, Di Maio said. Some 4,900 Afghan citizens were also evacuated to Italy, the minister told reporters.

___

MOSCOW -- Moscow has strongly condemned the bombings in Kabul and remains seriously concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Unfortunately, pessimistic forecasts are being confirmed that terrorist groups and organizations that have settled there, the Islamic State first and foremost, and its derivatives, would take advantage of the chaos that has arisen in Afghanistan, Peskov told a conference call with reporters Friday.

It adds to the tensions in Afghanistan and remains the cause of the Kremlins serious concern, Peskov said.

___

STOCKHOLM  Sweden says that its evacuation from the Kabul airport has been completed but that not everyone got out.

Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Friday that we have not reached the ambition of evacuating even more Swedes along with the civil society groups and former local employees of the Armed Forces.

The reason why it didnt work is partly because the Taliban stopped Afghan citizens that we had managed to get to the airport, she said.

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.

Linde hopes that a later stage Sweden will be able to help several of the Armed Forces former local employees, and Swedish citizens still in Afghanistan.

Linde said that we have managed to evacuate more than 500 Swedes, but also local hires and some womens activists and journalists and EU employees with families. In total, Sweden has evacuated about 1,100 people.

___

BERLIN  Germany says it believes that about 300 of its citizens are still in Afghanistan after the country ended its evacuation flights from Kabul.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Friday there are also some 10,000 Afghans who worked for German forces or for other reasons had been identified as entitled to evacuation. But its unclear how many of those might have found a way out other than on German flights.

The German military flew 5,347 people out of Kabul, including more than 4,000 Afghans and some 500 Germans, before ending its evacuation mission on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that Germany is in direct contact with the remaining German citizens on ways to support an organized departure from Afghanistan.

He said officials are in talks with the Taliban and others on the possible future civilian use of Kabul Airport and will try to facilitate the departure of endangered Afghans.

Germany plans to beef up staffing at its embassies in neighboring countries. Maas said he will travel to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan starting Sunday to discuss how to get Afghans quickly and safely from their countrys border to German embassies. He said Germany will offer those countries support in dealing with the humanitarian fallout of events in Afghanistan.

___

BEIJING - China says it condemns the attacks on Kabul airport and is ready to work with the international community to address the threat of terrorism and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a source of terrorism again.

The comments from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday afternoon were Beijings first comments on the suicide bombings.

Zhao said no Chinese were killed or injured in the Thursday attacks and that China had advised its citizens in the country to strengthen security precautions.

Meanwhile, we have requested the relevant parties to take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, Zhao told reporters at the daily briefing.

China has kept its embassy in Kabul open and recently hosted talks between the Taliban and its ambassador, while piling on criticism of the U.S. over the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport.

Zhao also reiterated Chinas concerns over what Beijing says is a threat to its security constituted by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, whose ability to mount anti-China operations has long been questioned.

The head of the Afghan Taliban has made it clear to China that he will never allow any forces to use Afghan territory to do things detrimental to China, Zhao said.

We hope that the relevant parties will take effective measures to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan and the personal safety of the Afghan people and foreign citizens there, he said.

Zhao has not mounted any large-scale evacuation of its citizens from the country or dispatched personnel to aid in the effort to maintain security at the airport.

___

ISTANBUL  The Taliban have asked Turkey to operate Kabul airport but no decision has been made yet, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

The Taliban have made a request for us to operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this matter, he told a news conference at Istanbuls Ataturk Airport before leaving for a trip to Bosnia.

He added: We will make a decision after the administration (in Afghanistan) is clear.

Erdogan said there was a meeting with the Taliban that lasted more than three hours at the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, without saying when the meeting took place. If necessary, we will have the opportunity to hold such meetings again.

The president added that the evacuation of Turkish troops from Kabul, which began on Wednesday, was ongoing. He condemned Thursdays attacks.

The prospect of Turkey operating Hamid Karzai International Airport after the withdrawal of NATO troops was first raised in June but seemed to have passed when the Taliban took Kabul on Aug. 15.

___

TOKYO  Japan said Friday it is pursuing efforts in Kabul to evacuate its citizens and local staff who worked for the Japanese embassy and development agencies, despite the deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters Friday that Japan is concerned and closely watching developments.

The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but we plan to continue our efforts to accomplish the safe evacuation of Japanese nationals and local staff, he said.

There may be little time left for evacuation. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a governing party meeting on Thursday that operations would have to be mostly finished by Friday given the deadline.

Japan sent four military and government aircraft to Kabul and a nearby country earlier this week to evacuate its citizens as well as selected Afghan people  local staff who worked at the Japanese embassy and development agencies including Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA.

___

MADRID  A U.S. military aircraft has flown around 400 people evacuated from Afghanistan to the navy base of Rota, in southern Spain  the first group of up to 4,000 people expected there.

The flight landed at 9:40 a.m. local time on Friday, a statement from the U.S. embassy in Spain said. U.S. officials, American and Spanish soldiers, Red Cross workers and base volunteers are in charge of processing the arrivals.

The Rota navy base and the nearby air force base of Moron, both hosting a significant U.S. military presence, have been overhauled during the past few days to welcome the evacuees.

Photos on the bases official social media sites showed a big warehouse converted into a canteen and a basketball court filled with dozens of makeshift beds. Soldiers were also photographed putting up tents.

A bilateral agreement signed last week between the governments of Spain and the U.S. is allowing the evacuation to the two bases of up to 4,000 people while they are being cleared for continuing their trips to the U.S. The Spanish government has put a 15-day cap for the Afghans stay in the bases, which are owned by the Spain.

___

PARIS  Frances European affairs minister says France will end its evacuation operation in Kabul soon but may seek to extend it until after Friday night.

Clement Beaune said on French radio Europe 1 France continues its operation at the moment in order to evacuate as many people as possible.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France has identified several hundred people, including French nationals and a majority of Afghans, who remain to be evacuated.

Macron was speaking after two suicide bombings killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 American troops near Kabul airport.

Before the explosions, the French prime minister had said that France would end its operation on Friday evening.

___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Norways Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said Friday she regrets that it was not possible to help everyone this time around as the last plane of evacuees from Afghanistan landed in Oslo.

Eriksen Soereide told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the plane carried 128 people -- including Norwegian citizens and others who qualify for entry and Afghans in need of protection. So far, Norway has evacuated 1,098 people.

Another plane which will be the last one with evacuees, is scheduled to arrive later Friday.

This will be the very last plane with people who have received help to travel from Kabul this time, she added.

The operation ends after yesterdays horrific terrorist attack that claimed many lives. We have all the time been clear that the time window could be short, both due to the security situation and because a deadline has been set for completion.

___

ROME  Italys last air bridge flight with 109 Afghan citizens evacuated from Kabul has landed in Rome.

An Italian state radio reporter who was aboard said the C-130 had taken off earlier on Friday from Pakistan. The radio said Italys consul was staying on at Kabul airport.

The Italian ambassador had left on one of the first flights in the air bridge, coordinating from Rome visas for Afghans who assisted the Italian military, worked in humanitarian organizations, or as rights advocates.

By Friday morning, Italy had evacuated more than 4,900 Afghans, nearly all of them since mid-August. It wasnt immediately known if other persons, who might have received clearance to come to Italy but hadnt been able to make it to Kabul airport, might be evacuated via other nations flights.

___

MADRID  The Spanish government says it has ended its evacuation operation from Afghanistan with the arrival in Dubai early on Friday of the two military aircraft that have carried Spaniards and vulnerable Afghans out of the Taliban-controlled country.

The last flights carried Spanish aid workers, Afghan collaborators and their relatives, as well as the last 81 soldiers and diplomats that Spain kept at the Kabul airport, a statement from the Spanish government said. They were expected to arrive in Madrid later on Friday.

Spain has evacuated a total of 1,900 Afghan nationals, the statement said. Those include not only workers for the Spanish forces and embassy, and their relatives, but also people who collaborated with the United States, Portugal, the European Union, NATO.

___

LONDON  Britain says its evacuations from Afghanistan will end within hours, and the main British processing center for eligible Afghans has been closed.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace says the U.K. has closed its processing center at a hotel near the airport, and the airports Abbey Gate has been closed. Two suicide bombings nearby on Thursday killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 American troops.

Wallace says about 1,000 people at the airfield will be flown out and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours.

He told Sky News it was a sad fact that some people would be left behind.

U.S. forces are due to leave the airport by Tuesday.

___

ISLAMABAD  Pakistani authorities are asking hotels in the capital, Islamabad, to stop taking reservations in order to make room for foreigners who are passing through after being evacuated from Afghanistan.

The overnight request asked hoteliers to halt new reservations for 21 days, giving priority to foreign guests with flights transiting via Islamabad. No current guests were to be affected.

The arrangements come after two suicide bombers attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport, killing at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

___

WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand says it was not able to get everybody it wanted out of Afghanistan in time before the deadly attacks near Kabuls airport brought its rescue mission to an end.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday she is not yet sure how many people were left behind or whether they were New Zealand citizens, residents or visa holders. She said the New Zealand military had gone to great lengths to try and find people in recent days and had been able to fly several hundred people to safety.

We went to extraordinary efforts to bring home as many as we could who were either New Zealanders or who had supported New Zealand. But the devastating thing is that we werent able to bring everyone, Ardern said. And now, we need to look to see what we can do for those who remain.

Both Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly condemned the attacks that took place Thursday. Morrison described them as evil and inhuman.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  The leader of Tigray forces in Ethiopia has expressed the commitment to a negotiated end to the nine-month war that has killed thousands and left nearly half a million people facing famine, while the United Nations secretary-general on Thursday warned there is no military solution.

In a letter to U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, seen by The Associated Press ahead of Thursdays U.N. Security Council meeting on the crisis, Debretsion Gebremichael said the Tigray side requires an impartial mediator, among other conditions.

But he warned that the African Union, whose headquarters are in Ethiopia, cannot provide any solution to the war that the continental body endorsed early in the fighting. That complicates the AU initiative announced Thursday to appoint former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as its special representative to the Horn of Africa.

The prospect for talks between Ethiopias government and the Tigray leadership, who dominated the national government for 27 years before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office, remains deeply challenging. Ethiopias government earlier this year declared the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front a terrorist group, and the United States told Thursday's meeting that the government has not responded positively to calls for talks.

Meanwhile, the conflict has spread in recent weeks into Ethiopias Amhara and Afar regions, displacing hundreds of thousands of people, while Abiys government has called all able citizens to war, urging them to stop the Tigray forces once and for all. The heated rhetoric on both sides has led to growing international calls for an immediate cease-fire.

The further the resurgent Tigray forces advance outside the Tigray region, the greater the harm to the ethnic Tigrayans for whom they act, Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimani told the Security Council meeting, while urging Ethiopia to be prepared to lift the terror designation. He also encouraged the African Union to step up.

What began as a political falling-out now threatens to destabilize Africas second most populous country, while abuses have been committed by all sides in the mix of armed groups that include those from neighboring Eritrea.

The world's worst hunger crisis in a decade continues to worsen.

Guterres at Thursday's meeting criticized the de facto humanitarian blockade of the Tigray region of 6 million people, with food warehouses there now empty, and the United States warned that if these impediments continue, large numbers of people will starve to death.

With sadness and disbelief, we are once again discussing the possibility of a manmade famine in Tigray," Norway's Deputy Ambassador Trine Heimerback said, referring to Ethiopia's catastrophic starvation crisis in the 1980s.

The aim is to exterminate Tigrayans by starving them to death, Debretsion's letter asserted.

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.

Ethiopian Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie told the meeting that his country is improving the process for the delivery of aid. Ethiopia's government has accused Tigray forces of looting and impeding the delivery of aid.

The TPLF is standing between Ethiopia and peace, he said, accusing it of being bent on destabilizing the country of 110 million people. We are open to working with all well-intentioned partners, he added.

The war that began in November has affected all Ethiopians and has already drained over a billion dollars from the countrys coffers, Guterres said.

But the Security Council appears largely powerless to take significant action on the crisis, as permanent member China expressed its opposition to external interference in Ethiopia's affairs. Both China and Russia warned that sanctions by individual countries, as the U.S. imposed this week against the chief of staff of Eritrea's defense forces, would only worsen the conflict.
As a resident of the Outer Richmond District, Im relieved that the Great Highway has been reopened to its intended purpose as one of the major north-south traffic routes in western San Francisco  at least for most of the work week.

I say most because, surprisingly, the reopening that is ostensibly to help hardworking residents commute to their jobs and students to get to school ends for the weekend on Friday at noon.

This doesnt make sense: Anyone who goes to work or school five mornings a week has to come home five afternoons or evenings a week, not four. It makes more sense to have any weekend closure start after the Friday evening commute.

Matt Springer, San Francisco

Destructive bills

Regarding Straining to do anything about housing (Editorial, Aug. 25): The editorial refers to state Sen. Scott Wieners SB10 as light touch. I must disagree. Its touch is about as light as a sledgehammer to the head.

The bill allows city councils and boards of supervisors to override voter-approved ballot measures, undermining the citizen-initiative process granted by the state constitution. It also allows cities to bypass Californias environmental protection law, putting natural and historic resources at risk.

Most Californians agree that we need more affordable housing. But SB9 and SB10 will only make the affordability crisis worse and destroy countless neighborhoods in the process. It is a clear example of single-minded overreach that is ultimately detrimental to the California Democratic Party.

SB10 will destroy single-family neighborhoods, undermine homeownership opportunities for families of modest means, promote gentrification and displacement, threaten historic resources, require no affordable housing, bypass local planning and environmental review, and make no provision for infrastructure impacts. There are better ways of creating more housing without destroying single-family homes and neighborhoods.

Keith Weber, San Mateo

Voting is essential

Voting on the recall is essential. Ramifications could be significant and enduring. The key issue for me is control of the U.S. Senate. If Sen. Dianne Feinstein resigns or becomes unable to serve (she is 88) and we have a Republican governor, he or she will appoint a Republican to replace Feinstein. The risk of handing the Senate over to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell far outweighs local control of land use, masks or lunch at The French Laundry. Remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Vote!

Pat Marriott, Los Altos

A great game to play

Regarding Easy to get hooked playing pickleball (Bay Area & Business, Aug. 21): That was an excellent article on pickleball. As a physician and avid player, I highly recommend the sport, as it gives individuals an opportunity to exercise, even with some minor physical limitations.

It also enhances social connectivity between peers and members of different age, gender and cultural groups. Staying active, avoiding isolation and having something to look forward to helps enhance the joys of life. That said, with its growing popularity, we need to have more pickleball courts.

Alan Rosenstein, San Francisco

Our own worst enemy

In regards to Pass the infrastructure bill before its too late (Letters, Aug. 25): While the declining Roman Empire (ca. fifth century C.E.) faced deadly epidemics and climate change caused famines, which contributed to its final fall, I think a better analogy for the challenges of our times can be found 500 years earlier. It was during the fall of the Roman Republic (ca. first century B.C.E.) that violent partisanship, massive income inequality, growing militarism and a succession of populist demagogues and dictators led to civil conflict and the end of a democratic republic that had lasted for hundreds of years. Global warming is a real and present danger, and yet it is we who are our own worst enemy, now as in the past.
Regarding 2015 victims: Many still waiting from PG&E settlement fund (Front Page, Aug. 24): Yes, theres a drought in California! But we can each do something to help.

The Chronicle article made it clear that 90% of the state is either in an extreme drought or exceptional drought. What can we do? In order to make a difference, we have to ask ourselves: Where does most of the water get used?

The answer is that the dairy and cattle industries use over 50% of the water. Its easy to give up dairy because there are so many delicious plant-based milk and ice cream products. Its just as easy to give up beef! Did you know that it takes over 1,800 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, 660 gallons of water for a  -pound burger? Plant-based products like Beyond Beef and Impossible Burger use a fraction of that much water. And they taste great, too. So please help save our water: ditch dairy and beef!

Paul Sconfienza, Santa Rosa

Compassionate care

In Doctors are under stress (Letters, Aug. 25), an Oakland resident writes, Getting compassionate care at Kaiser Permanente has always been a long shot. My only experience with Kaiser Oakland was in relation to the Womens Health Initiative, but my family and I have been San Francisco Kaiser members for over 40 years. During that time we have dealt with dozens of doctors, nurses and other health care providers. I cant recall any of us ever getting anything but compassionate care.

Leslie Wellbaum, San Francisco

Build tiny homes

Regarding We shouldnt dump on trash can plans (Aug. 25): So San Francisco wants to replace the citys 3,000 street-side trash cans because the existing containers somehow fail to properly contain the citys trash. But there are problems. In addition to the $20,000 cost of the prototypes and the anticipated $3,000 unit cost of the final barrels, the three design options look more like safe-deposit vaults designed by space aliens. Only two of the models include storage spaces for recycling cans and bottles.

Basic truth: A trash can should not cost so much that thieves might be tempted to steal one and hold it for ransom. What else could you by for $20,000? How about two tiny houses from Home Depot? Whats the better investment: storing trash or housing people? These ready-to-go, prefab mini homes are attractive and affordable with prices running from $6,000 to $19,000. And for $23,000, you can purchase a homey, two-story 16-by-20-by-21-foot Tuff Shed. Nuff said.

Gar Smith, Berkeley

Kudos for enforcement

Regarding Suspensions in S.F. vaccine dispute (Aug. 20): Kudos to San Francisco for having the political will and guts to enforce its vaccination mandate on city employees. A person may rightfully chose to forgo vaccination for sincerely held personal reasons and thereby endanger his or her own health, but those who would willfully chose to threaten the health and lives of fellow workers and the citizens they serve should find a new line of work.

Ron Romined, Woodside

Broken recall system

Californias recall system is clearly broken and must be reformed along constitutional lines, to respect the will of the voters. We cannot allow a disgruntled minority party (in this case, the Trumpian GOP) to overturn the results of a free and fair election of a popular governor just because they know they can never win an election legitimately. Having said that, if right-wing Larry Elder becomes the new GOP governor through this electoral fraud, I will stand in line to sign the first petition to recall Larry Elder.
Listen on your favorite app

Sutro Tower may be the most beloved landmark among San Francisco residents, and now we all have a PhD in the Sutro's history and present. Sutro spokesman Dave Hyams joins co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight to talk about what exactly Sutro does in 2021, the constant maintenance and some wild trivia. Did you know that there's so much concrete underneath Sutro Tower that the center of gravity is below ground? And no mayor has ever been to the top. (Be the first London Breed!) Also in this episode, we give a Total SF Book Club update, and replay Daniel Handler's very funny S.F.-centric accordion version of "Should I Stay or Should I Go."
The campaign to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a conspiracy theory problem, and it just might siphon off votes that could aid its cause.

In an illustration of the fallout from Donald Trumps Stop the Steal lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, California recall supporters have unleashed streams of unfounded allegations on Facebook and other online forums, suggesting the state will continue in mass voter fraud to keep Newsom in power.

We all know 2020s [sic] election was stolen from President Trump, a woman wrote last month in a private Facebook group run by the pro-recall campaign to rally support in Orange County. If we cant guarantee election integrity, the Dems will cheat again.

We can vote all day but if its in a corrupt voting system its not going to matter! a recall supporter from San Bernardino County wrote, also last month, in the campaigns public Facebook group, which is statewide and has 25,000 members.

These views are anything but isolated, according to a Chronicle analysis of two months of posts and comments on the recalls official Facebook pages. Supporters have repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories and other false or unsupported claims about next months election, as well as the pandemic and other issues.

On Aug. 15, for example, nearly half of the 47 posts published to the pro-recall campaigns public Facebook group, RecallGavin2020.com  Home Page Public Forum, contained either overtly false claims, references to popular conspiracy theories, or expressions of concern about election rigging in either the body of the post or the comments.

The intensity of these assertions  which have been amplified by the Republican front-runner in the election, radio host Larry Elder  has prompted both recall supporters and voting experts to worry they could diminish trust in the election and even discourage some people from voting altogether.

Distress at that level can make people feel like this election  or any election  may be not worthy of their time, said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy. And as we know, from the polls and lots of research thats happened post-2020, Republicans are much more likely to believe the election was stolen, much more likely to distrust the electoral process. And I think its just dangerous ground. Its not good for a democracy.

Many recall supporters appear to be aware of the danger, raising the issue in online forums though not necessarily correcting false assertions.

In response to the San Bernardino County residents comment about alleged corruption, a fellow recall backer wrote, Please vote even if you have doubts about the credibility of our system. If Newsom cheats, your vote is a fingerprint for evidence. Theres a freight train of forensic audits heading to every state. He will get caught.

Orrin Heatlie, the organizer of the Newsom recall petition, said in interviews that he is concerned that election-related myths might decrease voter turnout. Policing disinformation, he said, has become a never-ending chore, but a necessary priority for the campaign, officially known as the California Patriot Coalition  Recall Governor Gavin Newsom.

If people feel their vote wont count, they wont vote, Heatlie said.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

He said his team appointed roughly 240 volunteer administrators to moderate the campaigns dozens of Facebook groups. In general, each county has one, some metro areas do too, and there are a handful of statewide groups. Heatlie said these moderators are trained to take down posts that contain what they consider to be clear misinformation, including references to the QAnon conspiracy theory.

We have strict policies regarding the content that we allow to be posted on these groups. Its got to be related to California politics and the recall, Heatlie said. Sometimes a post will get through and if we find out about it, then we remove them.

And if a particular administrator lets too many false claims fly? Then theyre removed from the group, he said.

But The Chronicle found many false or unfounded posts that were not removed. Heatlie said the campaign doesnt have the bandwidth to screen every comment, and acknowledged that some posts by recall supporters concerned about fraud are not removed but challenged.

Sometimes the discussion is good, he said, because people will point that out and the discussion that ensues helps people figure out the reality of the situation.

Facebook, which according to Heatlie has removed some posts and comments from these groups, has Community Standards that bar the misrepresentation of who can vote, qualifications for voting, whether a vote will be counted, and what information and/or materials must be provided in order to vote.

Facebook relies on artificial intelligence and third-party fact-checkers to flag or remove content it determines is in violation. In a 2018 blog post, Facebook Product Manager Tessa Lyons described the limitations of this approach, saying, Even where fact-checking organizations do exist, there arent enough to review all potentially false claims online. It can take hours or even days to review a single claim.

Told of the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the groups affiliated with the recall campaign, a Facebook spokesperson said via email: We connect people with reliable information about when and how to vote ahead of elections. We enforce our rules prohibiting voter suppression and other policies, including in private groups, using a combination of machine learning and teams of people.

But whatever increased policing social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter have done has not stopped the sharing of false information about voting by some recall supporters.

They have their eggs in one basket because they will cheat the election, a member of an Orange County recall group wrote on July 14. Millions of ballots going to people who dont [sic] exist. Etc etc.

Thats were [sic] the fraud will begin, another group member responded. With mailing out ballots. Then we will have dead people voting and illegals just like in the presidential election.

Several academic studies and journalistic efforts have shown that these allegations are unfounded.

Stanford researchers, for example, studied universal mail-in voting in Washington state. In a report last year, they said cases of voter fraud in which someone allegedly cast a ballot on behalf of a deceased person were extremely rare. The cases made up about 0.0003% of the more than 4.5 million votes cast in the state from 2011 to 2018, the studys authors wrote, and even the few cases may reflect two individuals with the same name and birth date, or clerical errors, rather than fraud.

In a 2017 study, researchers at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School investigated improper noncitizen votes across 42 jurisdictions in 12 states and found that fraudulent voting by noncitizens accounted for 0.0001% of votes cast.

The absence of fraud reinforces a wide consensus among scholars, journalists and election administrators: voter fraud of any kind, including noncitizen voting, is rare, the authors wrote.

Heatlie, the recall leader, said he had concerns about the integrity of voting by mail in the past. I was adamantly opposed to mail-in ballots, because they lend themselves more readily available for fraud, he said.

Chronicle photo illustration from Getty Images elements

But, he said, in the current campaign, his approach to mail-in voting has taken a complete turn. Ive seen firsthand how apathetic and lazy the voting population is in California.  You have to make it as easy as possible for people to cast their vote otherwise they just wont do it, he said. Im for mail-in ballots. I think its going to make everything easier for people to cast their vote.

Conspiracy theories about voter fraud exploded after the 2016 election, when Trump falsely claimed he won the popular vote. Trump put this whole thing on steroids, said Lorraine Minnite, a public policy professor at Rutgers University and author of the 2010 book The Myth of Voter Fraud.

The same year, Trumps adviser and friend Roger Stone helped introduce the slogan Stop the Steal, which became an organized campaign and a rallying cry at sometimes violent protests across the country in the aftermath of Trumps loss in the 2020 election, including Januarys storming of the U.S. Capitol.

So what you get at the end is a solid base of extremism which is convinced of the illegitimacy of the 2020 election, said Lawrence Rosenthal, the chair and lead researcher of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies. And so, in order to maintain the credibility, the enthusiasm, or the emotional commitment of this movement, it requires consistent, repeated, nonstop assertions of misinformation.

Posts of conspiracy theories about the recall are not unique to Facebook. The recall campaign has published unsupported claims on its website, RecallGavin2020.com, in the form of voter testimonials.

DO NOT let it be like 2020 and the Biden steal. Act now, act hard, because if we dont take California back NOW, itll be to (sic) late, wrote a recall supporter identified as J From Orange County.

Newsom is from a family that is/was involved with the mafia, wrote Lori From Sonoma County.

Heatlie told The Chronicle he was unaware of these testimonials and would look into them.

Speaking for himself and not the campaign, Heatlie criticized Elder, the leading Republican candidate, for incorporating conspiratorial rhetoric into his public comments. On Aug. 19, Elder tweeted an article from the Gateway Pundit, a far-right news site, that falsely claimed Californias mail-in ballot had features designed to facilitate fraud.

The ballot design elements discussed in the article are standard, a Chronicle fact check shows. For instance, a pair of small holes in the return envelope  described in the article as a scheme to allow Newsom backers to look inside and selectively discard pro-recall ballots  are tactile aids for visually impaired voters to indicate where to sign their names. They also serve as a visual check for elections officials to ensure a ballot has not been left inside an envelope uncounted.

Ying Ma, a spokesperson for Elder, told The Chronicle that the candidate was trying to stimulate discussion about the integrity and competence of the election process.

Just because he posts something doesnt mean hes making an allegation, Ma said. We want to make sure every vote is counted.

Minnite, the Rutgers professor, said misinformation about voter fraud and mail-in ballots is probably inspired, at least in part, by confusion surrounding recent changes to some rules and procedures. Many changes were introduced in 2020 to minimize the risk of voters contracting the coronavirus at the polls.

At least one recent change to the recall election process, though legal, was a political move that fueled doubts about fairness. Democratic lawmakers adopted new rules this summer that bypassed several steps in the recall certification process, allowing the election to take place at least a month sooner than it would have otherwise, a move seen as benefiting Newsom.

I think whats happened is the fraud argument got sort of woven into this other argument about the rules changing, Minnite said.

Representatives from the campaign to stop the recall effort, led by Newsom, did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

The secretary of states office, which oversees elections, called voter discouragement the biggest threat posed by election-related conspiracy theories, and said it was working to inoculate voters against election misinformation when it arises.

We believe misinformation draws from confusion and concern, the office said in a statement, so we try to meet that confusion and concern with accurate, transparent explanations to commonly misunderstood questions, like breaking down the security features of our voting systems or illustrating how to vote on a ballot.

Romero, of the Center for Inclusive Democracy, said she didnt expect major Stop the Steal-style protests if Newsom fights off the recall attempt, but said it would be foolish to rule anything out.

I think the only thing we can say for certain is that if Newsom survives, the conviction will be widespread in this world that it happened because it was rigged, said Rosenthal, the Berkeley researcher. Thats almost a given.

Kaylee Fagan is a Bay Area freelance writer. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
When affordable housing builder Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp. first bid on the parking lot at Fifth and Howard back in 2007, there were plenty of reasons to think it was a crazy idea.

After all, at $12 million, the 32,000-square-foot parcel was expensive, and two well-capitalized condo developers were also chasing the property, bidding up the price. Furthermore, the Mayors Office of Housing didnt have the money to fund the development. Even if they were able to convince the city to fund the land acquisition, where would the money come from to construct it?

For TNDC executive director Don Falk, those were questions to be grappled with later. After all, how many chances do you get to buy a site smack in the middle of SoMa?

The Mayors Office of Housing had virtually no money but they had the vision and understanding to realize how important this project was, said Falk.

It took 13 years  and nearly as many false starts and dead ends  but on Thursday, Mayor London Breed joined developers and construction workers from Swinerton on the site to celebrate the start of construction of 203 apartments, which will be affordable to families earning between 75% and 120% of area median income, about $100,000 to $159,000 for a family of four people. The project is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Breed emphasized that 40% of the residents would be picked from applicants living within one square mile of the site. She said she looked forward to welcoming the first residents to the building with a house key and gift basket.

There is nothing like seeing kids walk into their own bedroom and seeing that little bed made up with Smurf bedding  or whatever the kids are into these days, said Breed. Its going to put a smile on a lot of faces.

Even by the glacial standards of housing development in San Francisco, TNDCs efforts to build some affordable apartments at Fifth and Howard streets was excruciatingly slow. The project started when George W. Bush was president and Gov. Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco. The firm that TNDC originally partnered with, Citizens Housing, went belly up in the Great Recession.

TNDC brought in a new partner, Curtis Development, and spent years negotiating with four different market rate developers on a variety of mixed-income developments where high-end units would have subsidized the affordable ones. None of those deals came to fruition.

Meanwhile, South of Market transformed with an influx of tech workers and new offices and apartments to cater to them. Across Fifth Street street, an aqua-blue-and-white Intercontinental Hotel opened, lending the block a bit of a Miami vibe, while next door the Dugoni School of Dentistry built a campus. To the south, along the west side of Fifth Street, rose 463 swanky apartments with a French bakery and acai bowl spot downstairs, while to the north a new office building took shape.

The neighborhood building boom underscored the benefits of tying up land for future projects in a constrained market like San Francisco, according to Falk. The value of the Howard Street parking lot kept climbing  reaching $50 million at one point before the pandemic.

It shows the power of landbanking, said Falk. People criticize the fact that it takes so long but the other side of that is, imagine if we were buying the property right now?

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.

Meanwhile, San Francisco voters passed a $600 million affordable housing bond, which will pay off the project along with money from an array of other sources, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the California Housing Finance Agency Middle Income Program, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and California Debt Limit Allocation Committee.

The long wait also paid off in other ways. The city upzoned the site from 80 feet to 300 feet, and it was also subdivided into two parcels, which will allow more housing. The 203-unit building will take up about 63% of the lot, leaving enough room for a second 30-story building with 240 units.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

For Rudy Corpuz, who grew up near the site and runs the SoMa youth organization United Playaz, the 203 units will help preserve whats left of what used to be a thriving neighborhood of predominantly Filipino immigrants.

We dont just want to have buildings named after Filipinos, we want the Filipino families to stay, be able to live and die in the community, he said. Over 200 units of affordable housing? Come on, man, you know that its needed here in San Francisco.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com
Adult mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus have been identified in parts of the South Bay, officials said.

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District said in a press release Friday that the infected mosquitoes were detected in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.

The county will be coordinating a mosquito control treatment in ZIP codes 94086, 94087 and 95051 beginning Monday evening at 10 p.m., and will not require residents to relocate, the district said.

Those who wish to reduce their exposure to the pesticides are encouraged by the county to close their windows and remain indoors for the three-hour duration of the treatment.

This follows a treatment in parts of Gilroy held Thursday evening after mosquitoes were found in the area.

Four counties in the Bay Area  Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma  have reported West Nile virus activity, according to an activity map posted by the California Department of Public Health. Only Solano County has reported any human infections.

But the first human death of West Nile virus in California in 2021 took place in July, when an individual in San Luis Obispo County died from complications of the virus.

As always, health officials recommend that individuals drain standing water regularly and limit outdoor activities when mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn.

The first cases of West Nile virus were reported in California in 2003; since then, 339 people have died from the virus and more than 7,000 have been infected. Most people infected with the virus do not report any sickness.

The Vector Control District did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.
From far away, the caution tape and sheet of paper attached to an interpretative placard in Muir Woods National Monument could be mistaken for routine maintenance. In fact, the parks latest project is quite the opposite.

Alert: History Under Construction, the paper reads. Everything on this sign is true but incomplete.

The sign contains information about the parks founding, along with a timeline of the parks history and photographs. Credit for saving the parks treasured redwood and creek habitat is given to influential, philanthropic white men, the paper explains.

While they undoubtedly contributed to the forest becoming a national monument, part of our duty in the National Park Service is to tell the full story of how that happened, the paper says. Look at the timeline below to see the parks history under construction.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The alterations to the sign also include yellow sticky notes posted on the timeline and offering information about the original, indigenous managers of the forest as well as the role of women in the creation of Muir Woods. Facts about the existence and impacts of racism are also sticky-noted.

In step with a larger racial reckoning, this innovative project is part of collaboration between Muir Woods staff members and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) interpretative team. In keeping with the mission of the National Park Service, the team aimed to share a more complete history of Muir Woods, explains GGNRA public information officer Julian Espinoza. They used a technique called audience-centered interpretation, Espinoza says, which goes beyond a regurgitation of facts and promotes critical thinking.

The existing sign explaining the timeline of Muir Woods is accurate but lacks some context, Espinoza says. The History Under Construction temporary exhibit was created after our staff thought up a creative and engaging way to expand upon that timeline and provide a learning opportunity to park visitors.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Before the staff marked up the timeline, which is entitled Path to Preservation, its first item was the 1872 establishment of Yellowstone National Park, the worlds first national park. And while that was certainly an important precedent, the staff of Muir Woods felt that other events that took place long before were also crucial to the establishment of the park. They added four sticky notes to a blank area to the left, starting with the stretch of time when 20,000 Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people managed the land and conducted prescribed burns, taking care of the forest.

Other insertions include a note for 1769, when Spanish missionaries began using the labor of Bay Area's indigenous people, who then grappled with disease, slavery and genocide (which created a disruption in the stewardship of the land). An 1861 note tells how Congress extinguished the Indian title to the land that became Muir Woods, and an 1869 note mentions how John Muir  the famous naturalist for whom the park is named  included racist language in writings about indigenous people.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The Sierra Club publicly criticized Muir (the clubs own founder) last year, stirring up controversy over his writings, while Save the Redwoods League renounced the racism of its own co-founder, white supremacist Madison Grant. But other white men involved in the conservation of Muir Woods also have problematic  though lesser-discussed  aspects of their legacies. And those are now part of the timeline.

For an 1898 item about the man referred to as The Father of American Forestry, the Muir Woods staff also felt more information was needed. Gifford Pinchot appointed Chief of what is now the US Forest Service; advocates scientific forestry, the item reads. The staff added,  and eugenics,  defined as controlled selective breeding of human populations (as by sterilization) to improve the populations genetic composition. Eugenicists often targeted nonwhite people, labeling their races as inferior and socially undesirable. Pinchot, who for 10 years served on the advisory council of the American Eugenics Society, has a Muir Woods tree named in his honor.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Another pair of timeline items added by the staff expound on the background of Congressman William Kent, who with his wife Elizabeth Thatcher Kent donated 295 acres that became Muir Woods. One note explains how Kents anti-Asian policy and rhetoric laid the groundwork for Japanese incarceration during World War II, while a second note emphasizes how in 1920, Kent advances the expansion of Californias Alien Land Laws, preventing non-citizens from owning or leasing land. These laws complicate immigration from Asia and create a more hostile environment for Asian immigrants in California.

The notes also address overlooked contributions of women, for instance, when the California Club  an elite womens club  in 1904 launched the first-ever campaign to save the land that would become Muir Woods. Federal recognition of tribes (or lack thereof) appear in the notes, too.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

The reaction to the exhibit, which will remain on display for the next six months, has thus far been very positive, Espinoza says. Because its a small park, theres a lot of engagement between visitors and staff, he added.

On Twitter, Mother Jones publisher Steve Katz offered feedback. Paid a visit to Muir Woods today with the family, and @MuirWoodsNPS is doing some seriously creative narrative shifts in the official park history," he tweeted. " Bringing in a deeper, more complex, and more troubled history of this jewel of the National Park System."
California's Caldor Fire continued to push northeast toward Lake Tahoe overnight, and on Friday morning, officials said flames are threatening Strawberry, a small community with an historic lodge along Highway 50 where firefighters have implemented structure protection in recent days.

This is what you need in your wildfire preparedness kit,...

"This is one of our more challenging areas of the fire that continues to be pushed by that wind coming out of the southwest," Cal Fire spokesperson Tim Ernst said in a morning briefing. "Weve had numerous spots that continue to challenge that dozer line."

The fire is an estimated 2 miles away from the community, closing the gap that was estimated at 4 miles on Thursday. Cal Fire spokesperson Stephen Horner said protecting Strawberry will be a focus Friday.

The Strawberry Lodge, established in 1852, posted an update Aug. 20 that it was under mandatory evacuation order and closing.

"Sending powerful mojo your way for a fully safe outcome. Been stopping by Strawberry every year since 1951," one Facebook user responded.

The 143,941-acre fire that has been burning since Aug.14 triggered a series of new evacuations Thursday, including some Tahoe area communities.

Officials released evacuation orders for Twin Bridges to Echo Summit; from Highway 50 south to the county line of Amador and Alpine; and Highway 50 north to Flag Pole Peak.

Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Evacuation warnings went into effect for Christmas Valley from State Route 89 west to Echo Summit; Highway 89 due west to Watershed Ridge and south to the county line of Amador and Alpine; Highway 89 south from Luther Pass Road to Picketts Junction; and west on Highway 88 to Kirkwood.

"The fire continues to progress toward the northeast, toward the Strawberry Area and South Lake Tahoe," said Henry Herrera, a forester with Cal Fire who is serving as a public information officer on the Caldor Fire. "It hasnt approached aggressively but that is the direction the winds are blowing, and we do continue to see spot fires in that area."

Herrera said the evacuations were issued out of an "abundance of caution" to allow firefighters to focus on battling flames rather than evacuating residents in an urgent situation.

The El Dorado County Sheriff posted an evacuation map online.

The Caldor Fire ignited in heavy timber in the Eldorado National Forest near the small town of Grizzly Flats south of Pollock Pines, burning a destructive path through the community of about 1,200 people. Photos from the aftermath show an elementary school, a post office and homes that were turned into piles of ash.

Cal Fire said 469 single residents and 11 commercial properties have been destroyed. Damage assessments are still underway, and a map of damaged structures is available from Cal Fire.

The fire has been burning along Highway 50, a main artery between Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. The road has been closed since last Friday. Flames jumped the highway over the weekend, with a spot fire that has now grown to thousands of acres.

"As we move along the 50 corridor, this has been an extremely active area especially in the last day," Ernst said. "During the last 24 hours we had crown runs that moved through this area, which is extreme fire behavior, movement of fire through an area, which caused this entire area to be completely torched. That has caused a lot of damage of trees and things to fall down to the road. This road is extremely treacherous right now. And although we had this level of fire behavior in this area, firefighters were able to protect all the structures in this area as of this morning."

Weather conditions are expected to be somewhat favorable through the weekend. While temperatures are expected to get into the 90s, winds are forecast to be generally light. The strongest winds have been in the afternoon, and Horner said similar conditions are expected Friday.
It has been more than three weeks since seven Bay Area counties mandated that all individuals  regardless of vaccination status  wear masks indoors in response to the surge of the delta variant.

Each of the seven counties (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Sonoma) is now reporting either a decline or plateau in new cases  though the mask mandate may not be the primary reason why, experts said.

The falloff is most pronounced in San Francisco, where the seven-day average for new daily cases peaked at 303 on Aug. 2  the day the mask mandate was announced  and has since plummeted to 166 as of Aug. 18, the last day the city reports complete case data.

A look at graphs from other county health sites reveals something similar: a plateau or decline sometime in the middle of August that is close enough to the imposition of the indoor mask mandate to where experts are not convinced it altered the trajectory of the surge.

San Mateo County Health

Marin Health and Human Services

Contra Costa Health Services

"I think it was a bit everything," said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at UCSF. "We had pressure to get more people vaccinated due to fear of delta, employer mandates or new vaccine passport policies in places like San Francisco. We had increased testing abilities to control outbreaks, and we were in the middle of summer and people could go outdoors. We had all those things going, so it's hard to say this one thing did it and these five didnt; it was the combination that did the trick, and now we're turning the corner."

Solano County is the one Bay Area county that did not issue an indoor mask mandate (Napa County later followed the original seven in issuing one). Despite the absence of a mask mandate, Solano's case curve looks very much like other Bay Area counties.

Solano County Public Health Department

"You can kind of use Solano County as a control group with no mask mandate but you kind of cant because we did a lot of things regionally relatively simultaneously against a backdrop of increasing vaccination," Rutherford said. "That makes it hard to isolate a single intervention as the reason cases are dropping, especially when we had high levels of vaccination to start with, which is a unique situation in United States, where maybe only Vermont has something similar."

Rutherford believes the biggest reason cases are dropping is the fact the Bay Area already had high vaccination rates to begin with, and therefore would not see as large of a delta variant-driven surge.

Dr. Fenyong Liu, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, agrees that vaccination is the most important factor, and added that human behavior had already changed before the seven-county mask mandate was issued  which explains both why cases started to level off before the mandate could have impacted transmission rates and why Solano County's curve looks the way it does.

"Two weeks before the mandate there was so much news coverage about the delta variant and the surge," he said. "I think that taught people that COVID was not going away and they adjusted their behavior. People become more careful again, they moved things outside, they started distancing again, they avoided crowds or stopped going to the gym. I think that change in peoples behavior made an impact.

"But the biggest thing is the vaccination rate. Because most breakthrough cases are asymptomatic or mild and people wont necessarily know if they're infected, we just ran out of unvaccinated people who will have a really severe complication once infected. If vaccinated people are infected, it's really, really rare to have severe complications."

Liu believes that between the Bay Area's high vaccination rate and increased natural immunity among unvaccinated residents from the recent delta spike, the region should generally be well-protected going forward  assuming another variant that escapes vaccine protection does not surface. On the other hand, Rutherford believes that true "herd immunity" will not be achieved until children can be vaccinated.

"I think we'll see some uptick when people come go back inside in November," he said. "How much will depend on vaccination and boosting. Pfizer is now considering boosters sixth months out vs. eight months out, which would accelerate the boosting rollout into October and November. That could possibly blunt the breakthrough cases and curb transmission."
LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II will attend the United Nations climate change conference in Scotland in November, organizers said Friday.

British official Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 conference, said he is absolutely delighted the queen will be at the event, which is due to be held in Glasgow Nov. 1-12.

Details of the monarchs schedule have not been released.

World leaders, climate campaigners and activists from around the world are due to attend the U.N. conference, which was postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The host, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, hopes to secure emissions-cutting commitments to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times. Countries agreed that goal at a 2015 conference in Paris, but a U.N. report this month said the world is on course to break the 1.5C threshold within a decade.
BOSTON (AP)  Federal investigators arrested three individuals Thursday on charges of conspiring to deceive banks into allegedly processing more than $150 million in credit and debit card payments on behalf of merchants involved in prohibited and high-risk businesses, including online gaming, debt collection, debt relief, online pharmaceuticals and payday lending. A fourth individual remains at large.

Two of the individuals  Ahmad Andy Khawaja, 49, of Los Angeles and Thomas Wells, 74, of Martin County, Florida  were charged with wire fraud conspiracy.

Two others  Mohammad Moe Diab, 45, of Glendale, California, and Amy Ringler Rountree, 38, of Logan, Utah  were charged with wire fraud conspiracy and bank fraud conspiracy.

Diab, Rountree and Wells were arrested Thursday and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, investigators said. Khawaja was charged in a December 2019 indictment with campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice. He remains a fugitive.

A 2018 investigation by The Associated Press showed Khawajas company helped pornographers, shady debt collectors and offshore gamblers access the international banking system, often by using dummy foreign corporations and fake websites to disguise the underlying business.

The reporting was based on thousands of internal company records obtained by the AP.

Khawaja was the owner and chief executive officer of Allied Wallet, Inc., a payment processing company headquartered in Los Angeles that served merchants doing business over the internet. Diab served as chief operating officer and Rountree was the vice president of operations, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts.

Allied Wallet obtained access to services that enabled them to accept debit and credit card payments over global electronic payment networks run by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and other cards.

The company served as an intermediary between merchant clients and financial institutions. Wells, through his company, Priority Payout, introduced merchant clients seeking payment processing to Allied Wallet.

Investigators allege the four engaged in a scheme to defraud the card brands and others by fraudulently inducing them to provide payment processing services to merchants engaged in prohibited or high-risk transactions, as well as to merchants that were terminated for fraud, chargeback or other compliance concerns, by knowingly misrepresenting the types of transactions the merchants were processing and the true identities of the merchants.

The defendants allegedly created shell companies, designed fake websites that purported to sell low-risk retail and home goods and used industry-standard codes that miscategorized the true nature of the transactions, investigators said, ultimately fraudulently obtaining more than $150 million in payment card processing through more than 100 sham merchants.

The records obtained by The AP showed the company did so while Khawaja, Allied Wallet and top executives contributed at least $6 million to Democratic and Republican candidates and groups. The donations earned Khawaja access to Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign and a post-election Oval Office visit with Donald Trump.

The charge of wire fraud conspiracy brings with it a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

Khawaja did not return a message sent to his email address at Allied Wallet. A call to Allied Wallet was not answered.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Ohio's correctional agency terminated seven employees Friday after officials say prison guards used excessive and unjustified force against a Black inmate before he died in custody in February.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction sent a notice of removal to five corrections officers, a supervisor and a licensed nurse following an investigation into the in-custody death of 55-year-old Michael McDaniel.

Security footage released by the agency in July showed McDaniel collapsing on his own and being taken down to the floor by prison guards at least 16 times before he died at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, a Columbus suburb, on Feb. 6.

Were responsible for what happened in that video, director Annette Chambers-Smith told reporters in July, after releasing surveillance footage of the incident. There is no question about that.

One of the officers involved, Heath Causey, is accused in the records released Friday of performing a take-down of McDaniel while the inmate was being escorted outside without shoes and a coat and while wearing a ripped white t-shirt, causing his body to veer off the walking path and land face-down in a snow-covered area.

The disciplinary records also state Lt. Bruce Brown took no steps to stop McDaniel from falling to the ground and failed to call for assistance to safely transport him to the medical facility after correction officers used excessive force.

The majority of the encounters appear to happen as more than half a dozen officers looked on. The department concluded the 16 times McDaniel hit the ground were avoidable and due to neglect of care by the staff handling him.

Once McDaniel arrived at the medical center, the report says his medical examination took less than a minute and the unidentified nurse who treated him did not do a standard exam or check his vital signs.

The guards then escorted McDaniel back outside the facility where he collapsed for the last time before CPR was initiated and an ambulance was called. He died shortly after.

Four hours later, the agency says Jamie Dukes, a licensed nurse, signed a medical document that McDaniels refused care. However, Ms. Dukes was not in the room to actually hear Inmate McDaniel refuse treatment, the records state. The agency said McDaniel never refused treatment and Dukes was also terminated Friday. There is no surveillance footage in the exam rooms.

Chris Mabe, the president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing correctional officers, said the union could not comment on the removals as it remains under investigation through their administrative grievance process.

Its certainly a tragedy anytime someone dies, but everyone involved in this incident is entitled to their due process rights, Mabe said in a statement. Additionally, we do not, nor does the agency, know all the facts of this case yet, despite what the Director said.

He added, "We shouldnt get ahead of the facts.

The Franklin County Coroners office had declared McDaniels death a homicide and ruled the cause as a stress-induced sudden cardiac death. The autopsy detailed injuries to his head, face, shoulders, wrists, hands, knees, feet, toes and abdomen. McDaniel also had multiple rib fractures, and the coroner found evidence of heart disease.

Prison officials say three other staff involved in the incident previously resigned, some before the investigation was even completed.

This is not what we trained people to do, Chambers-Smith said last month. Not everyone is suited to correctional work and those who are not suited should be removed.

A county prosecutor will make a decision on any criminal charges against the prison employees.

___

Farnoush Amiri 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.
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.

Bustamante, who now runs a consulting firm, supports the partys 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.

Theres nobody, Leigh said of the 46 replacement candidates on the ballot, summing up the opinions of many beleaguered California Democrats. Theres 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.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Alaska this week reported its highest daily number of resident COVID-19 cases so far this year as health officials struggle to keep pace with testing and contact tracing and hospitals juggle a surge in patients with staff shortages and admissions for other conditions.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and members of his administration on Thursday announced plans aimed at increasing staffing to help with COVID-19 cases, including speeding the licensing process for health care workers and seeking federal contracts for more workers, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said hospital staffing is a concern.

Alaska reported 701 resident COVID-19 cases on Thursday, one of the highest daily rates since the start of the pandemic. That number may be lower than the real number of infections, health officials said, because of testing and contact tracing backlogs.

According to the state hospital association, hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 are nearing pandemic highs. Combined with staff shortages and busy summertime admissions, Alaska's health care system faces the threat of being overwhelmed, providers and state officials said.

Health care providers are deciding which patients get intensive care unit beds and are struggling to transfer severely ill patients to other overwhelmed facilities.

As far as were concerned, the crisis we have been warning about is here, said Jared Kosin, president and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. And we need to act like that. It looks like its going to get a lot worse.

Health care officials have urged Alaskans to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors to slow the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Health care providers have said that most of the severely ill COVID-19 patients have been unvaccinated.

Dunleavy, a Republican, told reporters Thursday that Alaskans should talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated if thats what they want to do.

We know what we need to do. People know what they need to do, Dunleavy said. They need to have conversations with their doctor and make a decision, if thats what they want to do. If they dont, then they have to understand that they run the risk of getting infected, especially with this variant that is highly contagious.

Asked if that is an effective way to encourage vaccination, Dunleavy said, This isnt North Korea. You dont dictate to people how they live their lives.

I think its the best strategy. Its 2021. This isnt some place in Europe in 1939. You have conversations with folks. ... You have conversations with your doctors. You have conversations with your friends ... People arent stupid, he said.

Dunleavy was infected with the coronavirus in in February. His office has said that Dunleavy decided to be vaccinated in June.

State health officials have that said that 54% of Alaskans 12 or older are fully vaccinated.
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP)  Design plans have been finalized to add crew quarters to a state ferry that hasnt been in service since it was built because intended routes would go beyond limits for employee working hours.

The Alaska Marine Highway System intends to open the bidding process to install crew quarters on the Hubbard within the next two months, the Ketchikan Daily News reported Friday. Construction could be completed within eight to 10 months.

Federal Highway Administration funds will pay for the upgrades. The state ferry system's general manager, John Falvey, declined to detail the engineers estimate to do the work because that could influence the bidding process.

However, numerous media reports have said it would cost up to $15 million each to add crew quarters to the two Alaska Class ferries, the Hubbard and its sister ship, the Tazlina, matching an appropriations request the state transportation department made to the Legislature in 2020.

Both ferries are 280-feet (85-meters) long and cost $60 million each to build. They can each carry 300 passengers and 53 vehicles.

The Hubbard and the Tazlina were envisioned to make day trips between Juneau, Haines and Skagway. Because of that, neither was built with crew quarters.

Officials changed the routes in 2019. The Tazlina replaced the fast ferry Fairweather in Lynn Canal. The plan was to have the Hubbard replace an older state ferry, the Aurora, and continue its route in Prince William Sound since the dock in Haines had not yet been modified to allow the ferries to load and unload cars quickly enough to comply with the U.S. Coast Guards 12-hour crew work limit.

That 12-hour clock also prevented the Hubbard from completing runs between Whittier, Cordova and Valdez within the allotted window without getting hotel rooms nightly for the crews, a costly endeavor, Falvey said.

Instead, adding crew quarters will allow the Hubbard to go to any of the system's ports.

Still to be decided is where the Hubbard will operate after construction of the crew quarters is complete and all necessary certificates are obtained. It could make runs in southeast Alaska or in Prince William Sound.

Also uncertain at this point is how the state will proceed with work on the Tazlina.

We dont know yet what were going to do with the Tazlina yet, Falvey said. Were going to do one boat at a time.
Currently Reading

Alert: Police say gunmen have released 15 students in northern Nigeria, the 2nd group of pupils freed in the last 24 hours.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. government has opened a mass COVID-19 vaccination site for arriving Afghans near Dulles International Airport, where some of the thousands fleeing the Taliban are now arriving daily.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday confirmed that the site  which was set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency  has begun administering vaccinations to the Afghan evacuees. A second mass vaccination site is expected open in the coming days for evacuees who will be arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The White House announced earlier this week that it was working to provide vaccinations to medically eligible evacuees upon arrival in the U.S.

Biden administration officials were intent on making sure that evacuees are vaccinated as soon as possible after arriving in the country and decided that the most efficient way to do so was to set up a vaccination site at Dulles Expo Center, where many of the arriving evacuees are receiving medical screenings and being temporarily housed before being transferred to military bases in New Jersey, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Texas.

The shots  the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine  are being administered by the National Disaster Medical System team, and State Department translators are on hand at the site to answer questions about the shots.

The Pentagon said the only transit point until Friday has been Dulles. Civilian flights with refugees are expected to begin going into Philadelphia on Friday as well. White House officials noted that refugees are required to get vaccinated as a condition of their entry.

Evacuees are also tested for the virus upon arrival and quarantined if they test positive. Data was not available on how many of the evacuees, many who were tested prior to leaving Kabul, have tested positive for the virus since arriving in the U.S.

The U.S. government also on Thursday opened a mobile vaccination unit at Dulles airport to provide COVID-19 shots to evacuating American citizens and green card holders who fled Afghanistan.

A tiny percentage of Afghanistan's 40 million people have been vaccinated for the virus. As of Aug. 20, about 1.2 million doses had been administered in Afghanistan, according to the World Health Organization.
AUG. 20  AUG. 26 2021

From Afghan refugees landing in Germany and Spain, to the ongoing wildfires across Southern Europe and climate protesters clashing with police in London, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published in the past week by The Associated Press from Europe and Africa.
ATLANTA (AP)  A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court's ruling that said requiring voters to provide their own stamps for mail-in ballots and ballot applications does not amount to an unconstitutional poll tax.

The American Civil Liberties Union and its Georgia chapter filed a lawsuit in April 2020 saying that Georgia's postage requirement for absentee ballots and ballot applications effectively imposes a poll tax and is therefore unconstitutional. The challenge was brought on behalf of voters and a group seeking to empower communities of color, the Black Voters Matter Fund.

We hold that the fact that absentee voters in Georgia who decide to vote by mail must pay their own postage is not a tax or unconstitutional fee on voting, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Branch wrote in the opinion for a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

That affirmed an August 2020 ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg in Atlanta.

We are disappointed in the outcome. The ACLU of Georgia will continue to protect the sacred fundamental right to vote, ACLU of Georgia legal director Sean Young said. When asked if they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said, All legal options remain on the table."

Totenberg had acknowledged the potential difficulties of in-person voting, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, but she said that the fact that it's available means that the postage requirement is not tantamount to an unconstitutional poll tax.

The 11th Circuit opinion notes that Georgia voters can cast a ballot in two main ways  in person or using the absentee process. They can vote in person on Election Day or during an early voting period. Absentee voters can return their ballots by mail, put them in a drop box or bring them directly to the county election office.

While voting often involves incidental costs like transportation, parking, child care, taking time off work, and for those who choose to vote absentee by mail  the cost of a postage stamp, those incidental costs do not mean that Georgia has imposed an unconstitutional poll tax or fee on its voters, the 11th Circuit opinion says.
LONDON (AP)  Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Friday to shift heaven and earth to bring more Afghans to the U.K. once Britain's airlift from Kabul airport ends in the coming hours, with hundreds of people eligible for evacuation left behind.

Britain has evacuated almost 14,000 U.K. citizens and Afghans from Kabul in the two-week operation, but the final flights are departing on Friday. Hundreds of U.K. troops at the airport are due to leave in the next few days.

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said that about 1,000 Afghans authorized to come to Britain, and as many as 150 U.K. citizens, have not made it to the airport and will likely be left behind.

Johnson said Britain will try to get more people out of Afghanistan after Aug. 31, when the U.S.-led mission ends.

There will sadly be people who havent got through, people who might qualify, Johnson told reporters. What I would say to them is that we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out, we will do whatever we can in the second phase.

Its unclear how that might happen. U.K. officials hope some people may be able to leave Afghanistan overland for neighboring countries such as Pakistan, where their claims to come to the U.K. could be processed.

That will depend on cooperation from the Taliban, however.

Tens of thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans who worked with them have sought to leave the country since the Talibans swift takeover this month in the wake of U.S. forces departure.

The desperate, chaotic exodus turned deadly on Thursday, when a suicide bomber struck crowds queuing near the airport in Kabul. The attack killed 169 Afghans, according to a preliminary count, and 13 American troops.

Two British citizens and the child of another Briton were among those killed, the U.K. government said Friday. Two other Britons were injured. It was unclear whether the British victims were dual U.K.-Afghan nationals.

Johnson denied that the rushed departure amounted to a national humiliation for Britain, which fought its first war in Afghanistan in the 19th century. The U.K. was the second-largest partner in the 20-year NATO military campaign in Afghanistan, after the United States. Some 150,000 British troops have served in Afghanistan since 2001, and 457 were killed there.

The timing of this is certainly not the one that this country would have chosen, and I think that everybody understands that," Johnson said.
DHAKA,Bangladesh (AP)  At least 22 people died when a Bangladeshi passenger boat sank with more than 100 aboard, and the driver of a cargo vessel suspected of colliding with the boat was arrested, officials said Saturday.

The boat sank Friday evening in a large body of water in the eastern district of Brahmanbari, 82 kilometers (51 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka.

No passengers were believed missing after nearly 24 hours of search efforts, said Emon Sarker, a duty officer with the districts fire service and civil defense, who also provided the final death toll. That's after initial reports said around 50 passengers were missing, citing local officials and media.

Maybe many swam to safety. There was no passenger list. It happens here. Today, nobody came to us looking for any missing people, Sarker said by phone.

Bangladesh is a delta nation where water transport is heavily used to move people and goods. But deadly accidents are common due to unskilled operation and poor enforcement of safety rules. The country is crisscrossed by 230 rivers, and during the monsoon season some low-lying areas fill with water and are also used by boats.

Sarker said the sunken boat was still submerged and would be brought to shore Sunday.

The cargo boat's driver and two assistants were caught by locals in the Bijoynagar area and turned over to the authorities, said Anisur Rahman, district police superintendent.

Local police official Imranul Islam initially provided the figure of 21 dead, speaking by phone late Friday. Survivors said about 100 people were aboard. Local news reports, quoting the areas top government administrator, Hayat-Ud-Dola, said about 50 people were missing.

A witness said two cargo vessels hit the boat, which sank quickly, Dhaka-based The Daily Star newspaper reported.

I was grazing cattle on the bank. I heard a loud noise and saw the cargo vessels hitting the passenger trawler. I saw the trawler sinking quickly, witness Nurul Amin told the paper.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  Bulgaria's president on Friday handed a mandate to the third-largest political party in parliament to form a government following the failure of two previous attempts.

Despite the vague chances of the Socialist Party's success, leader Kornelia Ninova, said her party would invite three groups that emerged from anti-corruption protests last year to discuss creating a viable coalition government.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  A 46-year-old man was found dead at San Diego Central Jail and a cellmate was arrested on suspicion of killing him, police said Thursday.

Richard Lee Salyers was unresponsive when deputies discovered him in his cell on the evening of August 22, according to a police statement. Medical staff were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  School disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic resulted in significant drops in math and reading test scores for Minnesota students, according to state education officials.

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments results released Friday show proficiency rates fell 11 percentage points to 44% in math and 7 points to 53% in reading, since 2019.

The statewide assessment results confirm what we already knew  that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our students learning and they need our help to recover, Education Commissioner Heather Mueller said.

The Trump administration let states cancel their spring 2020 tests as the pandemic began to take hold and schools transitioned to distance learning. This year, Minnesota largely tried to administer its tests as usual even though some school districts and states got partial waivers from the Biden administration.

About 77 percent of eligible Minnesota students completed their tests. That's down from the usual 98 percent.

Stacey Gray Akyea, research director for St. Paul Public Schools, said the districts low test participation rates cast doubt on how much they can learn from the data, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Were still doing some of those analyses to see if we can generalize across student groups, she said.

Nonetheless, the district will be taking a close look at the results to understand where students are now as we come into the fall, she said, and how far are they from where they normally would have been.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Hospital facilities and public health agencies are scrambling to add capacity as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide. But many Idaho residents don't seem to feel the same urgency.

Volunteers are helping with contract tracing at the Central District Health Department, and health education classrooms are being converted into COVID-19 treatment units in northern Idaho. On Thursday, some Idaho hospitals only narrowly avoided asking the state to enact crisis standards of care  where scarce health care resources are allotted to the patients most likely to benefit  thanks in part to statewide coordination.

Meanwhile, unmasked spectators sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the showing arena at the Western Idaho Fair this week as kids maneuvered livestock around the ring. At West Ada School District, Idaho's largest school district, 21% of students had officially opted out of the district's mask requirement before the first day of school ended on Thursday.

Our forecast is bad, to put it real bluntly, said Dr. Frank Johnson, chief medical officer for St. Luke's Health System.

Coronavirus-related hospital admissions have been doubling every two weeks since July 24, he said. Thursday there were between 162 and 170 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in St. Luke's facilities.

If we take that over the next two weeks and double that, we're in a real, real difficult state that is well above any of the prior peaks that we had, Johnson said. We don't have room for those numbers to double.

Neighboring states are in similar straits. St. Luke's has been getting regular calls from overwhelmed facilities in Oregon, Washington and Nevada looking for places to send patients. Oregon has contracted with a private medical company to send crisis teams of nurses, respiratory therapists and paramedics to its hardest-hit hospitals in hopes of easing some of the load. Idaho's public health leaders have requested help from FEMA, but the state is competing against others also requesting the same aid.

And because hospitalizations generally occur about two weeks after the patient is first infected with coronavirus, the state's climbing number of positive tests could mean any help may not come soon enough for some patients. More than 1,000 newly confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday and the daily number of new cases has been trending steadily upward.

Hospitals and public health officials have frequent conference calls as they try to shuffle patients to the places where resources are still available. The calls are clinical in nature, but at times incredibly grim.

One of our partners in the state earlier today hit the point where they had had a patient intubated down in their emergency department, needing to keep that patient alive as they were trying to find a bed for that patient because they couldn't care for them there, Johnson said. They were thinking about who they could take off a ventilator so they could put that patient on a ventilator  that's a crisis level of care. We were at that level today."

It's difficult, but understandable to see many Idaho residents acting like coronavirus isn't a big deal, Johnson said.

"Most of our patients in our state here in Idaho are not going to require hospitalization for COVID," Johnson said. In terms of the proportion of the population, yeah, it's not most people that are in that situation, so I get it that people don't see that right in front of them.

But it's not just COVID-19 patients who will be affected by limited hospital capacity. On Thursday, as St. Luke's was struggling to find beds for coronavirus patients across the state in need of ICU care, three new patients came in with strokes in need of the same beds.

We're having trouble and we will have trouble accommodating the needs of our community if they have an emergency, Johnson said. If a kid comes in with pediatric trauma and we're stressed on space and capacity, we are going to have a hard time taking care of them.

Last winter when hospitals were overwhelmed, masking and social distancing helped turn the tide. Now, with vaccination also available, the public can again help hospitals maintain capacity, he said. Roughly 98% of the COVID-19 patients in St. Luke's ICU are unvaccinated.

Regardless of their opinions on COVID, we want to make sure that we have capacity for them, Johnson said.
HAVANA (AP)  Cuba's government said Thursday it will recognize  and regulate  cryptocurrencies for payments on the island.

A resolution published in the Official Gazette said the Central Bank will set rules for such currencies and determine how to license providers of related services within Cuba.

The popularity of such currencies has grown among a technologically savvy group in Cuba as it has become harder to use dollars, in part because of toughened embargo rules imposed under former President Donald Trump.

The Central American nation of El Salvador recently announced it would recognize use of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as a way to encourage remittances from its citizens living abroad.

The currencies, which can wobbly wildly up and down in value, are usually independent of any central bank and use widely distributed blockchain computer codes to keep track of transfers.

Because they can be used for long-distance transactions that are supposedly anonymous, they are often popular with people attempting to evade government regulations  presumably including U.S. restrictions on sending money to places such as Cuba.

The resolution says the Central Bank can authorize use of cryptocurrencies for reasons of socioeconomic interest but with the state assuring that their operations are controlled. It also explicitly noted that operations could not involve illegal activities.

A local cryptocurrency expert, programmer Erich Garcia, said some Cubans are already using such devices, often via gift cards, for online purchases.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Prosecutors said Friday they plan to seek the death penalty for a 29-year-old convicted felon accused of killing three men during an apparently random string of Las Vegas-area robberies.

John Anthony Carrillo faces three murder charges in the deaths of Ruben Garcia, 36, Abraham Acosta, 32, and Miles Smith, 55, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
KABUL - Thousands ofanxious Afghans seeking a new future were once again massing at Kabul's airport on Thursday, waiting to be frisked by the U.S. Marine Corps at Abbey Gate. There were five days left before the departure of the Americans, five days to escape a nation suddenly under control of the Taliban.

But as the crowds pressed forward to the gate, their entry point to a new life, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt. A second explosion followed at the nearby Baron Hotel, then gunfire.

"People were burning alive, people could not breathe," said one Afghan eyewitness, who was with his wife and other family members waiting for an evacuation flight.

"Dead people were everywhere," said a second Afghan man who, like other eyewitnesses, spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals. "I saw a woman in blood, wrapped up in a blanket covered in blood."

By nightfall, the full extent of the carnage came into clearer focus. At least 13 U.S. troops were dead and an additional 18 wounded, one of the deadliest assaults on U.S. soldiers in the past two decades of conflict here and the first U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan since February 2020.

The total number of casualties remained uncertain late Thursday. One person with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said 40 people were killed and 120 injured. He said the death toll was expected to rise, and other reports late Thursday put the tally far higher.

The Taliban, who seized control of the country earlier this month, have promised to prove they can govern the nation and maintain security.

But within seconds on Thursday, a sewage canal that flowed by the blast walls of the international airportwas transformedinto a mass grave, according to a video that went viral. In one section, twisted bodies mostly of young men, lay piled atop each other, some faces frozen in agony.

In another section, bodies were partly submerged in the water. One man tried to pick up an unconscious youth, referring to him as "bacha" - child. Nearby, the wounded, their faces bloodied, were being helped up byother survivors, many of whom were sprayed with the blood and flesh of others.

Videos and photos posted on social media showed some victims being rolled away in wheelbarrows and taken to emergency wards, already thinly stretched with patients, where crowds gathered to learn of the fates of their loved ones.

"Our hospital in Kabul was already 80% full before the explosions. Now we added extra beds to admit wounded people coming from the airport in life-threatening conditions," said Rosella Miccio, head of Emergency, a medical charity that helps victims of war.

In a separate statement, the organization quoted a medical coordinator at its hospital in Kabul describing the scenes he witnessed there.

"Those who arrived could not speak, many were terrified, their eyes totally lost in emptiness, their gaze blank," the coordinator, identified as Alberto, was quoted as saying. "Rarely have we seen such a situation."

After the explosions, hundreds of Afghans scrambled for cover. "People rushed to a blast wall, trying to climb the wall to escape from the explosion," recalled one man. He said he and his wife found themselves in a compound commanded by British troops, who ordered them and others to sit down.

"The lights are off, we are not allowed to go outside, we cannot stand," said the man, speaking from inside the compound, where he said about 600 people had taken shelter.

"We are still waiting to go home," he said.

Some Afghan survivors blamed the U.S. military for bloodshed.

"I have become so fed up with everything," said one Afghan at the airport. "F--- America, why you evacuate people and then kill them?"

Hundreds of elite Afghan security forces were among the crowd gathered near the gate before the blast struck, according to a former Afghan official in contact with the group who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The soldiers, many traveling with their families, had been promised passage into the military side of the airport Thursday and evacuation flights out of Afghanistan. They were awaiting the signal to move forward when the attack occurred.

At least four of the elite troops were among the dead, according to a second former official. Others had been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but he said it was unclear how many.

Afghanistan's elite security forces, who fought and trained most closely alongside Americans, fear they are at particular risk of Taliban revenge attacks, not only because of their close ties to the United States, but also because of their involvement in night raids, interrogations and detentions of Taliban fighters.

As the end date for evacuations nears, tensions around Kabul airport have spiked as thousands desperate to leave the country continue to descend on the area. Taliban leaders banned Afghans without foreign passports or green cards from entering the airport this week in an effort to prevent the evacuations from draining the country of its most skilled and educated.

But the restrictions have only fueled anxiety among those looking to flee. Afghans who have camped out for days around the airport say Taliban guards have become more violent as the crowds have grown larger.

Within hours of Thursday's attacks, another larger explosion could be heard miles away from the airport in central Kabul, rattling windows and kicking up dust. Initial, unverified reports said the larger explosion also struck near the same airport gate, rattling the nerves of an already jittery city.

A U.S. Defense Department official later said it had been a controlled explosion done by U.S. forces. The reason was unclear, but troops will sometimes destroy equipment rather than allow it to fall into the hands of others.

- - -

Raghavan and Mehrdad reported from Doha, Qatar. The Washington Post's Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
Some of the deadliest days for U.S. troops in Afghanistan:

Aug. 26, 2021: Two suicide bombers and gunmen attack crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabuls airport in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks kill at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

Dec. 21, 2015: A suicide attacker rams an explosives-laden motorcycle into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol, killing six American troops. The soldiers were targeted as they moved through a village near Bagram Airfield.

Oct. 2, 2015: 11 people, including six U.S. service members, are killed when a U.S. Air Force C-130J transport plane crashes.

Dec. 17, 2013: Six U.S. service members are killed when a helicopter crashes.

May 4, 2013: Seven U.S. soldiers and a member of the NATO-led coalition are killed as the Taliban continued attacks as part of their spring offensive.

March 11, 2013: A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan kills five American service members. Two U.S. special operations forces were gunned down hours earlier in an insider attack by an Afghan policeman in eastern Afghanistan

Aug. 6, 2011: A helicopter is shot down by an insurgent armed with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing 30 American troops and eight Afghans.

May 26, 2011: Nine NATO service members are killed, including seven U.S. troops who died when a bomb exploded in a field where they were patrolling on foot.

April 19, 2011: An Afghan officer kills eight U.S. airmen and one U.S. civilian during a routine meeting at an Afghan air force headquarters compound in Kabul.

Sept. 21, 2010: A helicopter crashed in a rugged section of southern Afghanistan, killing nine. The Defense Department said three were Navy SEALs and one was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare unit. Five were soldiers from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Aug. 27, 2010: Homemade bombs kill three U.S. troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

June 8, 2010: Seven American troops, two Australians and a French Legionnaire are killed. A U.S. contractor training Afghan police also died in a suicide attack.

Oct. 27, 2009: Eight American troops die in two separate bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan.

Oct. 26, 2009: 11 American soldiers are killed in separate helicopter crashes. One chopper goes down in western Afghanistan, killing seven soldiers and three civilians working for the U.S. government. In a separate incident in the south, two other U.S. choppers collide while in flight, killing four American troops.

Oct. 3, 2009: Eight U.S. soldiers are killed when their outpost in Kamdesh, Nuristan, is attacked by as many as 300 militants. Another soldier dies in Wardak province when a bomb detonates while he attempts to disarm it.

July 13, 2008: Nine American soldiers are killed when their remote outpost in Wanat, Nuristan, is attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Another soldier dies in Kajaki Sofla when his vehicle strikes a roadside bomb.

Feb. 18, 2007: A U.S. helicopter crashes in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province, killing eight American troops.

May 5, 2006: 10 American soldiers die in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash during combat operations in eastern Afghanistan.

June 28, 2005: 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter are killed when their MH-47 Chinook helicopter is shot down by insurgents. Three U.S. sailors also die the same day.

April 6, 2005: 15 U.S. service members and three American civilians are killed when their helicopter goes down in a sandstorm while returning to the main U.S. base at Bagram.

Jan. 29, 2004: An explosion at a weapons cache kills eight U.S. soldiers.

March 23, 2003: A U.S. Air Force helicopter on a mercy mission to help two injured Afghan children crashes in southeastern Afghanistan, killing all six people aboard.

March 4, 2002: Seven American soldiers are killed when two helicopters come under fire.

Jan. 9, 2002: A U.S. military refueling plane that was resupplying troops in Afghanistan crashes in Pakistan, killing all seven Marines aboard.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Authorities in northern Nigeria announced three separate groups of kidnapped students were freed within a 24-hour period, prompting speculation late Friday that large ransoms had been paid to the gunmen blamed for a spate of recent abductions.

Among those now free are some of the youngest children ever taken hostage in Nigeria, a group of 90 pupils who had spent three months in captivity. Hours after those youngsters were brought to the Niger state capital, police in Zamfara state said that 15 older students also had been freed there.

Then late Friday, word came of a third hostage liberation in Kaduna state. Thirty-two more of the students taken from a Baptist high school in early July also had been freed, according to the Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The wave of releases comes after more than 1,000 students have been kidnapped since December, according to an AP tally. While earlier school abductions had been blamed on Islamic extremists in the northeast, authorities have only said that bandits are behind the latest kidnappings for ransom.

The happiness cant be quantified, said Yahya Aliyu Babangida, 54, a teacher whose two children aged 7 and 17 were among those who had been kidnapped from the Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Tegina in late May.

Gunmen at first kidnappers even the preschoolers, only to leave them behind when they could not keep pace in the nearby forest. Some who spent months in captivity were just 4 years old, and authorities said Friday that one child had died during the ordeal. Several others were undergoing medical treatment after their release late Thursday.

They are exposed to this harsh weather, no food, mosquitos everywhere, he said. Some of them had never been outside the comfort of their homes.

News of the childrens release was celebrated across Nigeria, where abductions have stepped up pressure on the government to do more to secure educational facilities in remote areas.

But questions remained Friday about how much ransom had been paid to secure the childrens release, and if so whether that could in turn fuel further abductions by the unknown armed groups referred to locally as bandits.

Muhammad Musa Kawule, 42, acknowledged paying intermediaries in hopes of securing his 6-year-old daughters freedom.

I spent a lot of money but today, Im happy, he told The Associated Press on Friday. He did not specify how much he had paid nor whether government officials had been involved.

The youngsters were later brought to the Niger state capital, Minna, where they underwent medical check-ups and met the governor. Video showed scores of children as young as kindergartners come out of white minibuses, the little girls wearing long blue hijabs known as chadors.

While Nigeria has seen scores of school abductions for ransom, the Niger state kidnappings left people aghast because the children were so young. The ramifications also could be long lasting as parents reconsider whether to send their children to school.

This has affected the morale and confidence of the people and has even made parents think twice before they send their children to school, Niger state Gov. Abubakar Sani Bello said of the childrens abduction. We will do whatever it takes to bring (the kidnappers) to justice.

As the attacks have mounted across the north, there are also signs they are becoming more violent.

After one kidnapping at a university in Kaduna state earlier this year, gunmen demanded ransoms equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars. They killed five students to compel other students parents to raise the money and later released 14.

Also Friday, Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said that 15 other students had been handed over to officials on Friday, 11 days after they were abducted from the College of Agriculture and Animal Science in Nigerias troubled northwest.

It was not immediately clear how they were rescued, but the students are now being looked after by Zamfara state officials and will soon be reunited with their parents, authorities said.

___

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press journalists Ajayi Taiwo Oluwole in Minna, Nigeria and John Shiklam in Kaduna, Nigeria also contributed.
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  An environmental group that wants to end public-land grazing has outbid a rancher in central Idaho for a grazing lease on state land that includes habitat for bull trout and steelhead.

Western Watersheds Projects bid of $8,200 last week won the 20-year grazing lease on 620 acres (250 hectares) in central Idahos Sawtooth Valley in Custer County.

The group and the Idaho Cattle Association say it's possible other state grazing leases could be sought by other environmental groups.

Bidding on the lease for the allotment that is bordered on the west side by Idaho State Highway 75 started at $250 at the auction held by the Idaho Department of Lands in Jerome. Western Watersheds will also have to pay an annual $800 fee based on the number of sheep or cattle authorized for the allotment.

That's still a screaming deal, said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, noting that private-land grazing fees are about three times that much. Certainly, at those prices, the parcel is a lot more valuable for conservation than it is for grazing livestock.

Molvar said the group will not graze livestock but instead convert the grazing lease into a conservation lease and allow the area to be used by wildlife, notably a herd of 50 pronghorn that frequent the area. Elk and bighorn sheep are also in the region.

He also said sections of two streams running through the parcel, Fourth of July Creek and Champion Creek, will be protected. The new lease takes effect on Jan. 1.

The current leaseholder, Michael Henslee of Plateau Farms, didn't return a call from The Associated Press on Friday. Plateau Farms has both sheep and cattle, grazing in locations from southern to central Idaho.

Cameron Mulrony, executive vice president of the Idaho Cattle Association, said the auction result was disappointing.

Its a big concern when we start taking productive ground that is properly managed and properly grazed and decide were going to convert it, he said.

He said ranchers are themselves conservation-minded in keeping lands healthy while also preventing overgrowth that could result in wildfires.

The leased area allows grazing amounting to 112 AUMs, or animal unit months. One AUM is the amount of forage necessary to feed one cow, or one cow with a calf less than six months of age, or one bull for one month. Five sheep or five ewes with lambs are considered one AUM.

Mulroney said the $8,200 upfront cost for the lease would have likely made it difficult to profit on the land with grazing.

The Idaho Department of Lands manages more than 1,100 grazing leases on 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers) that are mostly in the southern two-thirds of the state.

The Idaho Land Board, comprised of the governor and four other statewide elected officials, directs the Department of Lands and is constitutionally required to maximize long-term profit. In all, the board manages about 3,900 square miles (10 million square kilometers) that generate money mainly for public schools.

The Land Board is open for business on those lands. It does have some discretion, but is typically required to take the best deal.

In this case, the conservation lease was the use that won the auction and made the most money for the Public School Beneficiary, Sharla Arledge, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Lands, said in a statement.

In the 1990s, Western Watersheds Project, then known as Idaho Watersheds Project, won a grazing lease at an auction but was denied the lease by the Land Board, which awarded the new lease instead to the rancher who had the previous lease.

The group sued and prevailed when the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the Land Board didn't have that discretion. That court decision made possible the new lease in the Sawtooth Valley.

Molvar said it was an expensive way to achieve conservation and not applicable to all public lands, but worth it in an area rich with wildlife and that's also a tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Sawtooth Valley is one of the crown jewels of Idaho that is really valuable for wildlife and for fisheries, he said.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Two West Virginia airport improvement projects will receive funding from the U.S. Transportation Department.

The funding for the projects totals $1.9 million, West Virginia U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced Thursday.

Morgantown Municipal-Walter L. Bill Hart Field will receive $1.6 million, while Eastern West Virginia Regional/Shepherd Field in Martinsburg will receive $350,000.

Manchin said West Virginia's airports are critical to our state economy. As a pilot, he said he is familiar with the importance of maintenance and upgrades for airport facilities.

Capito said the state's airports are needed to grow the local economy.

Its important we make the necessary investments to help improve, repair, and expand the capacity of our regional airports," she said.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Connecticut's plan for using $110 million in federal pandemic relief funds to reopen the state's K-12 schools for in-person learning, while addressing the effects of lost instructional time last school year and reducing education gaps over the long-term, has been approved by the federal government, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday released the remaining $369 million in federal pandemic relief funds for education to the state. With this latest batch, Connecticut will have received approximately $1.1 billion under the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, according to federal figures. The state previously received $737 million in March.

When combined with other federal COVID-relief funds for education, Connecticut has received roughly $1.7 billion since the start of the pandemic, according to the state Department of Education.

This historic level of funding allows us, as one educational community, to be bold and innovative as we forge our path to a transformative and equitable recovery," said Connecticut Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, in a written statement.

The Associated Press, relying on data published or provided by states and the federal government, for the first time tallied how much money was granted to nearly every district in the country.

A review of approximately $155 billion of the $190 billion in pandemic aid the federal government has provided schools shows Connecticut lags behind most states in per pupil funding. Nationally, the median per pupil amount is around $2,800. But for Connecticut, its $1,578.32, according to the preliminary analysis.

The states cities generally have received much larger amounts per pupil. Hartford Public Schools tops the list, with $8,543 per student. New London received $7,942 per pupil, compared to $7,779 for New Britain; $7,709 for Norwich; $7,523 for Waterbury; and $7,457 for Bridgeport. The bulk of allocations to states are made using the formulas that heavily favor districts with high concentrations of poverty.

In contrast, smaller communities received much less, often about several hundred dollars. Tolland public schools received $210 per pupil, while the amount is $237 for Wilton; $324 for Eastford and $367 for Simsbury.

Besides supporting the return of in-person learning, Connecticut's plan attempts to address lost instructional time through high-dosage tutoring to support students with specific learning disabilities," a statewide K-8 model curricula and extended access to online/digital platforms to accelerate learning and provide students the chance to recover credits they have lost.

Federal funding will also be used to cover the cost of expanded pathways to educator certification," with a focus on multilingual and special education educators, as well as educators of color and male educators, according to Connecticut education officials.

Additionally, there are plans to use funds to address students' mental health challenges as they transition back into the classroom, including providing on-site mental health specialists from community mental health agencies. Some federal money is expected to be used to bolster educators' involvement with families while also covering the cost of expanded afterschool programs and summer learning.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP)  A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Friday, killing at least 10 workers and injuring several others, police and a government spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze in the congested Mehran Town neighborhood. TV footage showed firefighters dousing the flames, as ambulances continued transporting victims to a government hospital.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A former state court judge who was reprimanded for cursing and throwing a pocket U.S. Constitution against a courtroom wall in an outburst over a jurors apparent attempt to avoid jury service said he will seek the Republican nomination for Nevada secretary of state.

Richard Scotti told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday he'll run on his experience as a business lawyer, business owner and judge.
HONOLULU (AP)  State legislative leaders have called on Hawaii's governor to fire the Maui district health officer for promoting the use of drugs to treat COVID-19 that haven't been approved for this use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Sen. Roz Baker, a Democrat who represents south and west Maui, said Dr. Lorrin Pang was potentially harming the lives of Hawaii's most vulnerable citizens because people will be inclined to believe him because of his position.

Hes undermining the whole public health message and public trust by going along with these  for lack of a better term  conspiracy theories and bad information, Baker told The Associated Press on Thursday. So I think he needs to be canned as soon as possible because hes a direct threat to my constituents.

Baker is chairperson of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. Together with the Senate president, House speaker and House and Senate health committee chairs, she sent a letter to the governor on Wednesday asking for Pang's removal.

Pang didnt immediately respond to a voicemail message left at his Wailuku office.

Gov. David Ige said in a statement that he couldn't comment on personnel matters, but he urged people to look at the science and listen to credible sources" such as the Hawaii Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Pang supported the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat COVID-19, so long as the drugs were administered at the right time and at the right dosage.

Its a matter of timing, Pang told the newspaper. You give the wrong thing at the wrong time, it is very dangerous.

Ivermectin is often used in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals. The FDA has not approved its use to treat or prevent COVID-19 and says its not an anti-viral drug. It has approved invermectin tablets at specific doses for parasitic worms. It can also be used topically to treat head lice.

The FDA has approved hydroxychloroquine to treat malaria and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Last year, it revoked emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients after a large clinical trial found it failed to decrease the likelihood of death or accelerate recovery. An FDA safety review later found instances of serious heart rhythm, liver and kidney problems in patients who took the drug for COVID-19.

Pang is co-founder of the Pono Coalition for Informed Consent, which has shared misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine online, the Star-Advertiser reported. However, he told the newspaper he supports the states efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccinations.

I thought in this day and age, we look at people for what they are, not who they associate with, Pang said.

His government job includes administering public health programs and acting as the health director's principal public health representative for the district.

The governor, in his statement, called the coalition's actions irresponsible and potentially harmful, and he urged residents to get vaccinated to protect their families and communities.

In remarks about Pang on the Senate floor, Baker mistakenly said the two drugs were not approved for human consumption.

Baker said what she should have said is that the FDA has warned that the use of the drugs to treat COVID-19 can be dangerous and even deadly.

Speaking to the Senate, Baker said she has also asked the Board of Medicine to determine whether it can revoke Pangs medical license.

She said people dont need to be treated by quacks.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabamas top health official said Friday that he and his colleagues are intensely frustrated as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, a surge he partly attributed to people who have refused to get vaccinated or change their behavior.

The state is grappling with an intensive care unit bed shortage, and federal medical teams and mobile morgue units have been sent to hospitals in the south.

We are really in a crisis," Health Officer Scott Harris said during his Friday briefing. Weve said that over and over for several weeks. We need people to understand that you, yourself  if youre hearing these words  youre the person whos going to make a difference. You need to be responsible for your behavior. You need to do what it takes to not continue this situation. I dont know how much longer were going to be able to do this.

Alabama ranks fourth for new cases per capita  behind Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi  and continues to have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

So much of what were seeing is preventable, Harris said when asked about what was causing his frustration. Were seeing this because people dont want to get vaccinated, and they dont want to change their behavior. They would rather have an argument about masks than have an argument about how we keep our children safe or how do we protect Alabama hospitals. It is very frustrating for all of us.

Scott said the state again, had a very difficult week. Hospitalizations were at 2,887 Friday, right under the record 3,087 set in January. He said the state is also seeing a surge in virus cases among school-age children.

A state dashboard reporting virus cases in schools was reactivated Friday, showing more than 4,000 cases reported this week. The number is low, state officials said, because only 52 of 143 school districts have reported.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said Thursday that 5,571 children ages 5 to 17 were reported to have contracted COVID-19 last week. That compares to 702 cases in school-age children during the same week last year, when more than half of students were studying remotely, and the delta variant was not yet circulating.

Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association, said intensive care units typically have about 25% of beds free, but the state now has a net negative of beds because many hospitals are over their capacity.
SPRING CREEK, Nev. (AP)  High-speed fiber-optic internet is finally making its way to a remote northeast Nevada community  brought by a company that delivered telegraph service to the area in 1889 and telephone seven years later.

The Elko Daily Free Press reports that CC Communications started the project July 28 to supply broadband to Spring Creek.
LONDON (AP)  A huge fire broke out at an industrial park in the central England town of Leamington Spa on Friday, sending up dramatic plumes of dark smoke that could be seen for miles.

The emergency services evacuated nearby properties and told people living in the surrounding area to close their windows and doors. Local lawmaker Matt Western said the fire might involve chemicals from a plastics business.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Intensive care units are nearly full across the Kansas City area, creating challenges for hospitals battling to keep up with the high number of COVID-19 patients.

The Kansas City Star reported that 215 ICU beds in the region were in use last week  the most since the onset of the pandemic  and that number has grown almost every day since. As of Wednesday, 224 people were hospitalized in ICUs, according to hospital data tracked by the Mid-America Regional Council, a regional planning agency.

The data includes hospitals in Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas.

Kansas City isn't unique in Missouri. Data posted Friday on the state's COVID-19 dashboard showed 690 ICU patients across the state among 2,395 people hospitalized with COVID-19.

On Friday, Gov. Mike Parson rescinded the COVID-19 related state of emergency that was put in place on March 13, 2020, and replaced it with a narrower state of emergency that focuses on the health care system.

Parson, a Republican, said in a statement that the changes acknowledge the progress the state has made when it comes to the pandemic, particularly now that vaccines are available. But he continued regulatory and other procedures that will allow the still-struggling health care system to respond to increased caseloads.

In addition to the rising number of cases, health care workers blame the severity of the illnesses, staffing shortages and the refusal of so many to get vaccinated for the challenges hospitals are now facing. Kansas City-area hospitals have had to transfer patients, both with and without COVID-19, as far away as Chicago and Oklahoma City.

It just breaks my heart that were at this point, said Allison Edwards, a doctor and the owner of a small direct primary care clinic in Midtown Kansas City. I dont even know how to begin to ration care. How do you start to make these decisions of where to put your priorities when business as usual cant happen?

The state dashboard on Friday cited 2,158 newly confirmed cases and 26 additional deaths. Missouri has reported 624,239 cases and 10,435 deaths since the pandemic began.

After twice voting down a countywide mask mandate, the St. Louis County Council on Friday adopted a resolution supporting a July 26 mask order by Democratic County Executive Sam Page and Acting Public Health Director Faisal Khan.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the council's four Democrats supported the measure; the three Republicans abstained, arguing the resolution was nonbinding. They said they wouldnt support a mask mandate if it were legally binding.

Page's initial mask mandate was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. A judge last week enjoined the county from enforcing the order since it hadn't received council approval.

With vaccination rates still lagging in St. Louis, the city is offering an event Friday and Saturday with two purposes: Forgiveness for outstanding warrants, and a chance to get vaccinated. Even more incentive: Those who show proof of full vaccination can get $100 off their fines and court fees.

City leaders say the warrant forgiveness program allows anyone with outstanding warrants to resolve the charges without fear of arrest on city charges, and without the expense of posting cash bond. A vaccination clinic will also be on-site.

Only 46.2% of St. Louisans have initiated vaccination, about 5 percentage points lower than the state as a whole. Nationally, 61.1% of Americans have initiated vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The original conception of the event was to make vaccination clinics available at the same time as the amnesty to give people the opportunity to get vaccinated, Municipal Judge Newton McCoy told St. Louis Public Radio. That idea was later expanded to give an incentive to those who have already been vaccinated.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indianas governor can go ahead with a lawsuit challenging the increased power state legislators gave themselves to intervene during public health emergencies, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The justices issued a one-page order saying they voted 4-1 to reject arguments for blocking Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb's pursuit of the lawsuit with private lawyers representing him.

It was the second time this month the court denied motions from Republican Attorney General Todd Rokitas office that the lawsuit shouldnt be allowed to proceed at this time because of the state constitutions ban on individual legislators being subject to civil court action during legislative sessions.

Holcombs lawsuit argues a law passed in April over his veto by the Republican-dominated General Assembly is unconstitutional because it gives lawmakers a new power to call themselves into a special legislative emergency session during statewide emergencies declared by the governor.

The Supreme Courts ruling comes as Marion County Judge Patrick Dietrick has scheduled a Sept. 10 hearing on the lawsuit's merits.

Holcomb and some legal experts maintain the Indiana Constitution allows only the governor to call the General Assembly into special session after its annual session ends. Republican legislators advanced the law following criticism from many conservatives over a statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions that Holcomb imposed by executive orders.

Joe Heerens, general counsel for the governors office, said in a statement that the Supreme Courts ruling allows the lawsuit to proceed without delay and that he looked forward to Holcombs case being presented to the judge.

The attorney generals office criticized the Supreme Court for not following what it said was the plain text of both the Indiana Constitution and state statute" of when legislators can be forced to respond to lawsuits.

Ignoring that protection sets a dangerous legal precedent, seemingly inconsistent with the rule of law, Rokita said in a statement.

Dietrick ruled in July against Rokitas arguments regarding legislative immunity. The judge also rejected the attorney generals claims that he alone has the authority to represent the state in court and can decide whether the new law is allowed under the state constitution. Dietrick ruled that Rokita  who unsuccessfully challenged Holcomb for the 2016 Republican nomination for governor  cannot unilaterally block the governor from taking actions to defend his constitutional powers.

The General Assembly typically would have formally adjourned this year in late April. However, it remains legally in session awaiting meetings expected in late September to vote on the redrawing of congressional and legislative election districts because of delays in receiving census data for that work.

Holcombs lawyers argued that the Legislature isnt currently convened at the Statehouse for any purpose whatsoever, let alone to undertake what is traditionally considered legislating activity.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  The chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday signed an order making masks mandatory in areas controlled by the courts, a contrast to a state law that bans similar mandates in public schools where children have resumed classes amid rising numbers of coronavirus cases.

The order signed by Chief Justice Susan Christensen said all people entering court-controlled areas must wear a face covering regardless of the persons vaccination status. This requirement applies statewide and does not depend on a particular countys or areas positivity rate or transmission status, Christensen wrote.

She said the court reviewed recent revisions to the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding mask wearing in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.

On Friday, all but one of Iowas 99 counties were in the those categories as the state experiences a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations to a level not seen since January.

The order requiring masks contradicts Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds' long-term policy against mask mandates. In May, she signed a law that bans cities, counties and school districts from requiring masks.

Reynolds has been put on notice by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who said in a letter last week that the Iowa law is against science-based strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19" and is contrary to CDC guidance for preventing the spread of the virus."

Reynold lashed out at President Joe Biden after receiving the letter and suggested the CDC has no scientific proof that masks work to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Asked Friday why judges, juries and lawyers need such protection but not children and teachers, Reynolds' spokesman Pat Garrett responded: The state Supreme Courts decision doesnt change the legislation the governor signed into law. She believes wearing a mask should be a choice not a mandate.

The courts have been asked to weigh in on the issue. On Thursday, Reynolds and other state officials were sued by a Council Bluffs woman with small children seeking an order requiring the state to issue a universal mask mandate for all students and school personnel until a voluntary plan can be implemented that segregates mask-wearing students and staff from those who opt not to wear masks.

Iowa is among nine states that have banned schools from implementing universal mask mandates.

The seven-day moving average of cases in Iowa has surpassed 1,000 a day and has been increasing since late June. An update Wednesday from the Iowa Department of Public Health indicated 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%. Hospitalizations increased nearly 23% in the past week with 498 people hospitalized.

Some businesses, including hospitals, also have been mandating vaccines. The CDC reported Friday that Iowa had 51.4% of the population fully vaccinated, which ranked 23rd in the nation.

About 200 people protested vaccine mandates Friday outside MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines, the Des Moines Register reported.
CHICAGO (AP)  The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been transferred to a hospital focused on physical rehabilitation after receiving treatment for a breakthrough COVID-19 infection while his wife, Jacqueline, has been moved to an intensive care unit, according to a family statement released Friday.

Jonathan Jackson, one of the couples five children, said that his father's COVID-19 symptoms are abating.

Jackson has Parkinson's disease and Jonathan Jackson said he will receive intensive occupational and physical therapy at The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

Jacqueline Jackson is not on a ventilator but is receiving increased oxygen in the ICU at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Jonathan Jackson said.

Both of our parents are continuing to receive excellent medical care, he said. We urge that you continue to keep them in your prayers because we know this is a serious disease.

Jesse Jackson is 79, and Jacqueline is 77. They were admitted to the hospital on Saturday.

Jackson, a famed civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, is vaccinated against the virus. He received his first dose during a publicized event where he urged others to receive the vaccine too.

Jackson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Jacqueline, also a civil rights activist, has not been vaccinated. He said his wife didnt get vaccinated because she has a preexisting condition they were worried about. He did not elaborate.

Generally, public health experts strongly encourage people with existing health conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, to get vaccinated as they are at increased risk for severe illness.

Family members have said the Jacksons were admitted to the hospital in part because of their age and that both have been responding positively to treatment. They have been married nearly 60 years.
MIAMI (AP)  A Florida judge on Thursday rejected a self-defense claim by a white man accused of pulling a gun and yelling racial slurs in a traffic confrontation with a group of Black teenagers protesting housing inequality on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alberto Milian ruled following a two-day hearing that Mark Bartlett, 54, of Broward County, did not act reasonably in getting out of his SUV and pulling a pistol on the teenage protesters who had stopped traffic near the Brickell Bridge in downtown Miami, the Miami Herald reported.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Thursday ahead of Tropical Storm Ida, warning all of the state's coast is in the forecast cone of what could become a major hurricane in coming days.

Edwards called on residents to immediately begin storm preparations. The governor said in a news release that the emergency declaration is an administrative step that authorizes use of state resources to aid in storm response efforts.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  A Maine man who was falsely accused of reckless conduct and criminal threatening five years ago has been awarded $90,000 in damages from the lawsuit filed against his accusers.

U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ruled John Charron was a victim of classic malicious prosecution.

Two men, identified as Christopher Moss and Eric Pilvelait, submitted false statements that led to Charrons arrest, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Deputies investigated the scene and determined Charron drove his tow truck at the Pontiac Sunfire the two men were in after an altercation.

Judge Woodcocks decision cleared the deputies of any wrongdoing while acknowledging the failures in the investigation.

The utter falsity and extreme seriousness of these allegations establish Mr. Moss and Mr. Pilvelait acted with malice and without probable cause, Woodcock wrote. Mr. Moss and Mr. Pilvelaits intent to shift criminal responsibility for the Sunfires demise onto Mr. Charron and away from their own acts, which they may have committed while under the influence of alcohol, further supports the Courts finding that they acted with malice.

Woodcock found that the men weaponized the legal process to deprive Charron of his right to due process.

Charron said Thursday that he's pleased with the judgment even though there is no guarantee he will see any of the money if the men cannot pay.

Charrons attorney, Greg McCullough, is appealing the part of the decision that granted the sheriffs deputies qualified immunity.

The police were supposed to be the check here and they failed miserably, he said.

John Wall, an attorney for the York County deputies who were named in the lawsuit, declined to comment.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP)  A man accused of capital murder in the 2019 death of a college student he occasionally dated pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge that took the death penalty off the table.

Brandon Theesfeld, 24, of Fort Worth, Texas, entered the plea to first-degree murder before Lafayette County Circuit Judge Kelly Luther, multiple news outlets reported.

We were facing the death penalty, defense attorney Tony Farese said. Based on the facts of this case, we were able to obtain the best result possible, which was reduction of a charge to first-degree murder.

Under the plea agreement, Theesfeld has a chance of freedom when he turns 65 under a conditional release provision, Farese said.

Theesfeld was arrested July 24, 2019, for the slaying of Ally Kostial, 21, of St. Louis. Both were students at the University of Mississippi and had dated occasionally, authorities have said.

News outlets report Kostial believed she was pregnant before her death and Theesfeld's text messages suggested he wanted her to have an abortion and met her four days before her body was found during a routine patrol by Lafayette County Sheriff's Department deputies. A preliminary autopsy report said she died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Theesfeld also posted on social media about having a gun before Kostials death.

Asked during the hearing if he killed Kostial, Theesfeld replied, Yes sir. He then apologized to Kostial's family.

The prosecutor in the case read statements from the victims family sharing how her loss changed their lives.

Luther then accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Theesfeld to life in prison.

Its a very sad day for both families, Farese said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Kansas City man admitted Friday that he shot a zTrip taxi driver 26 times at close range during a robbery.

Derron D. Nevels, 20, pleaded guilty in federal court to robbery and discharging a firearm during a violent crime that occurred after the driver picked up Nevels on Dec. 4, 2018.

Prosecutors said when the vehicle arrived at Nevels' destination, he held a rifle to her head and demanded she give him everything. A second person standing outside the vehicle hit the driver as she struggled with Nevels over the rifle. Nevels then fired about 26 shots at the driver, prosecutors said.

Nevels and another suspect returned to the scene about 10 minutes after the attack and retrieved his cell phone from the back seat.

The driver survived the attack but continues to suffer from serious injuries caused by the shooting, according to court documents.

Two co-defendants, Bailee Anna Maria Prieto, 21, of Kansas City, Kansas; and Melani Yitzel Collazo Jimenez, 23, of Kansas City, Missouri have pleaded guilty to being accessories after the robbery.
WENTZVILLE, Mo. (AP)  One of the 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan was a Marine who grew up in the St. Louis area.

KMOX Radio reports that 20-year-old Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz of Wentzville, Missouri, was among those killed Thursday. His father, Mark Schmitz, said Marines came to his home at 2:40 a.m. Friday to confirm his son's death.
MILWAUKEE (AP)  Milwaukee police fatally shot a man they say was armed with a handgun and refused commands to drop it, making him the third person killed by police in the city in the last 10 days.

Insp. Willie Murphy said officers tried to pull the man over for driving recklessly in the Sherman Park neighborhood shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday.

The driver fled, crashed his vehicle about a mile away and took off running.

"A foot pursuit ensued. The suspect was armed with a handgun and refused to drop the gun after several commands. Two officers discharged their firearms, subsequently striking him, Murphy said at a news conference Thursday night.

Murphy declined to answer questions about whether the man pointed the gun at officers or whether he shot at officers, saying the shooting was under investigation, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The man, a Milwaukee resident, was taken to a hospital, where he died, Murphy said. Police have not yet identified him.

No one else was injured. Police say they have recovered the mans gun.

On Sunday, Greenfield police shot and killed Tyran Lamb, 31, after a traffic stop and a pursuit into Milwaukee. According to police, Lamb shot at officers after crashing his car, striking one in the chest. The officer remains hospitalized.

Milwaukee police fatally shot 42-year-old Broderick Shelton Jr. on Aug. 16 after they say he fired a weapon as officers approached at a gas station.
PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP)  Police in Montenegro said they seized over 1 ton (2,000 pounds) of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas.

The seizure is the biggest in the history of Montenegro, police said Friday on Twitter.

Officers discovered the cocaine, which was divided into 1,250 packages, on Thursday night in Mojanovici, a village near the capital, police said in a statement earlier on Friday.

Montenegrin media reported that police blocked off a broad area during the search operation. Police said two people were arrested but did not provide any details.

The seizure demonstrated power and determination in fighting organized crime and Montenegro's reliability as an international partner, police said.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic said later Friday he was proud of the team that dealt the biggest blow to drug traffickers in the history of Montenegro.

Our children and our citizens won't be held hostages to organized crime, Krivokapic said on Twitter. We've only just started!

The small Adriatic Sea nation of some 620,000 people needs to root out organized crime and corruption to move forward in its bid to join the European Union. Montenegro already is a NATO member.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  A grand jury has charged a municipal official with embezzling more than $100,000 from the South Dakota Association of Highway Superintendents.

Brookings County States Attorney Dan Nelson announced Friday that Duane Buthe has been indicted, the Argus Leader reported. Buthe, 41, served as highway superintendent in Minnehaha County from 2010 until last year. He became the public works director in the city of Brookings this past March.
BANGKOK (AP)  A spokesman for Myanmars military-installed government said Friday that COVID-19 vaccines will be given to members of the countrys persecuted Rohingya ethnic group.

The Muslim minority was the target of a fierce counter-insurgency campaign in 2017 that some critics charged amounted to ethnic cleansing or genocide. The Rohingya face widespread discrimination and most are denied citizenship and other basic rights.

Government spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun made the announcement at a news conference in the capital Naypyitaw, where he also said the authorities are trying to vaccinate 50% of the countrys population this year.

Myanmar, whose poor public health system was weakened further by the political turmoil caused by the armys February takeover from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, has been facing a devastating outbreak of the coronavirus, although in the past month the daily number of reported new cases and deaths has been falling.

Health authorities on Thursday reported 2,635 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 383,514 since the pandemic began. Another 113 deaths brought the total to 14,850. About 8.2% of the countrys 54 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the website Our World in Data, which compiles global statistics..

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh after security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in August 2017 began their harsh crackdown following an attack by insurgents. The crackdown included rapes, killings and the torching of thousands of homes.

An estimated 600,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar but more than 100,000 of them live in squalid and crowded displacement camps.

Zaw Min Tun said Bengalis living in the western state of Rakhine, including the population townships of Maungdaw and Buthidaung, will be vaccinated. The government uses the term Bengali for members of the Rohingya minority, which it doesnt recognize as an official minority group native to Myanmar. Many members of other ethnic groups consider them to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

International courts are seeking to determine whether genocide was committed by the government forces in 2017. A U.N.-established investigation has recommended the prosecution of Myanmars top military commanders on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) 

A North Carolina couple split a nearly $1 million lottery jackpot thanks to two identical tickets, a sudden windfall the pair say they will put to good use.

The North Carolina Education Lottery says Luther Cannon bought two tickets for Sunday's Cash 5 jackpot at a convenience store in Rocky Mount. He punched in his numbers and gave one of the tickets to his wife, Constance.

When they saw his numbers won a $997,400 jackpot, Constance Cannon said she started crying.

Its just amazing that we won this amount of money, she said in a statement issued by the NC Education Lottery. We can pay off our house and pay off our cars and be able to do something for our family.

The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598, according to the NC Education Lottery, which is run by the states government.

The Nash County couple went to Raleigh earlier this week to claim their prize. After taxes, the Cannons each got $352,830.
HONOLULU (AP)  The Hawaii Senate on Friday voted to approve Gov. David Ige's nomination of Native Hawaiian attorney Sonja McCullen to serve on the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

Senators voted 24-0, with one senator excused, to confirm MuCullen, who currently serves as a deputy prosecutor in Honolulu.

Sen. Karl Rhoads, the chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said his panel found McCullen to be well-qualified for the position.

All the testimony submitted was in support of Ms. McCullen's appointment to the Intermediate Court of Appeals and testifiers commended her knowledge of the law and industrious work ethic, Rhoads said before the vote.

McCullen has served as a clerk for a Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Paula Nakayama and as an attorney for United Public Workers.

She taught Hawaiian studies and language for five years at Waianae High School during what she called her first career as a teacher.

McCullen emerged as Iges choice after the Senate rejected his initial appointee, Daniel Gluck, the executive director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission and former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

Glucks supporters commended his keen legal mind, his dedication to social justice and his fairness. But critics complained it was inappropriate for Ige to appoint Gluck, a white man, when it has been decades since any Native Hawaiians had been appointed to either the state appeals or supreme courts.

Testifiers said lived experience matters for judges, and it was vital for the states top courts to have people with Hawaiian knowledge and background, pointing to former Chief Justice William Richardson as an example.

With Richardson at the helm from 1966 to 1982, the Hawaii Supreme Court applied Hawaiian concepts  like the idea that certain resources like water could not be privately owned  to the law. It declared that new land created by lava belongs to the state, not those who own adjacent property.

Richardson's court has also been credited with helping expand Native Hawaiian rights and giving the public more access to beaches.

Under Hawaii law, the governor selects appointees to the appeals and supreme courts from a list provided by the state Judicial Selection Commission.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A man from the Las Vegas area won the $1 million grand prize Thursday to cap an eight-week coronavirus vaccination jackpot program that Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak created for successfully promoting coronavirus inoculations.

The prize winners were introduced by their first name and last initial at a live event hosted by the governor at the Las Vegas Convention Center, by aides at a satellite gathering at the Sierra Arts Foundations Riverside Gallery in Reno, and streamed to the internet.

Sisolak, a Democrat, urged people to still get shots even though the promotional program called Vax Nevada Days was over.

State health data showed the percentage of vaccinated state residents increased about 10% between the time the prize pool was announced in mid-June and it ended on Thursday.

Nearly 100% of people being hospitalized with COVID-19 in Nevada are unvaccinated, Sisolak said, calling those severe illnesses preventable.

As the scientists say, and health experts keep telling us, vaccines are the only way we will end this pandemic once and for all, he said.

The prize program launched June 17 with $5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to induce unvaccinated people to get shots.

It put Nevada on a list of states offering unconventional incentives to revive sluggish vaccination programs amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and deaths attributed to the more contagious delta variant.

Nevada has about 3.1 million residents. About half the population age 12 or older, or 1.4 million, had received at least one shot by June 17, and almost 43% of eligible people were fully inoculated.

By Thursday, the population that received at least one shot had grown to more than 61% and the fully vaccinated percentage was almost 51%.

The number of vaccinations administered statewide  after peaking at more than 25,000 in mid-April  went down from about 7,000 per day in mid-June to fewer than 5,000 a day in mid-July before returning to around 7,000 daily in recent weeks.

The prize program made state residents who received at least one vaccination since December, along with vaccinated military members in Nevada and their dependents, automatically eligible to receive prizes ranging from fishing licenses to college tuition and cash prizes from $1,000 to $250,000.

The program had almost 2,000 winners, but just one grand prize winner of $1 million.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday she was in talks to call a special session of the state legislature after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's temporary federal ban on evictions, just days ahead of the expiration of the state's own ban Aug. 31.

I am in talks with the Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker to call a special session to address the impending eviction crisis, given the Supreme Courts decision, Hochul said in statement Friday afternoon. Our teams will be working through the weekend to address how best to deliver relief to renters and homeowners in need as quickly as possible.

The court's ruling Thursday gave new urgency to Hochul's efforts to aid tenants behind on their rent because of pandemic financial hardship.

The state since the spring has been working to dole out more than $2.4 billion to provide up to 12 months of past-due rent directly to landlords on behalf of eligible low- and moderate-income renters, but the program got off to a slow start.

As of Monday, it had distributed $200 million for 15,500 households. Another $600 million worth of aid has been approved based on applications from tenants, but has not been distributed yet because of trouble identifying and contacting landlords.

On her first day in office Tuesday, following the resignation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Hochul said she wanted the cash to go out faster, with no more excuses and delays." She said she would hire more staff and assemble a team to identify and remove barriers that have stalled the release of funds.

People who apply for aid through the program can still be protected from eviction for up to a year, even after the state's moratorium expires Tuesday. Hochul encouraged people to get their applications in immediately. The state has received about 170,000 applications so far.

In the meantime, tenant advocacy groups are pushing lawmakers to extend the moratorium. One bill would extend the moratorium through October. Some advocates say it should last until June.

If we allow thousands of households to be evicted while the State works on improving the roll-out of its program, this additional investment will amount to far too little, and come much too late, to prevent a massive increase in poverty and hardship in New York, said Jason Cone, chief policy officer for the anti-poverty Robin Hood Foundation.

If it is extended, the moratorium may also have to be reworked after another recent Supreme Court decision struck down a state policy allowing tenants to pause eviction proceedings simply by signing a form declaring they had a financial or health hardship due to COVID-19. The court said landlords are entitled to a court hearing where they can challenge the veracity of the tenants claim.

Senate Housing Committee Chair Brian Kavanagh, a New York City Democrat, said hes optimistic the legislature will pass an extension and rework the moratorium to comply with the decision. Hochul said Friday she's exploring all options."

Landlords opposed to an extension say fears of a flood of evictions are overstated because of likely bottlenecks in housing courts.

In May, the Cuomo administration awarded a $115 million contract to the Virginia-based consulting firm Guidehouse to roll out the rent relief program.

The contract outlines performance standards the company must meet or face penalty: its application portal, website software and servers must be functional over 99% of the time each month, for example.

But in the weeks after the state started taking aid applications June 1, dozens of tenants and their advocates told The Associated Press in interviews that the state's online-only application process was plagued with glitches that erased applications in progress and prevented tenants from uploading documents.

New York City resident Helen Morley is among those still waiting for an answer to an application she submitted in mid June seeking $9,100 to cover five months of rent.

She called the application portal horrific and horrible, saying she could not check her application status for two months because she was assigned the wrong application number, and hotline workers were unhelpful for weeks. Her landlord has been been understanding so far, but shes scared.

The incompetence, I just dont understand it, she said.

Guidehouse referred a request for comment to the state.

The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, which oversees the rental assistance program, has not penalized the company. OTDA spokesperson Justin Mason said the office is continually evaluating Guidehouses performance.

State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat on the Assemblys housing committee, said she believed the company had failed to meet performance metrics. She also faulted the Cuomo administration, saying it waited too late to hire extra workers to help with the deluge of applications.

At least 1.1 million New York households that rent have at least one family member who was economically affected by the pandemic, according to state estimates.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy established a task force Friday to aid Afghan refugees coming into the state.

Murphy, a Democrat, signed an executive order creating the Task Force on Afghan Refugee Assistance with the aim of ensuring New Jersey is prepared to receive and assist those coming into the state.

New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is currently receiving Afghans, with military officials proposing taking up to 9,500 people for up to a year.

Murphy had earlier said the state would assist with refugees. Friday's order is the first public action taken to address the influx of people. It's unclear how many so far have come into the state.

The state's adjutant general and commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Brig. Gen. Dr. Lisa Hou will head the task force. Hou is an Afghanistan veteran and served as a field surgeon and the sole medical provider on an Afghanistan National Army base, according to Murphy.

She was responsible for providing advanced medical care for more than 600 coalition soldiers, contractors and foreign nationals in the combat zone, the administration said in a statement.

Among the responsibilities of the task force will be: managing internal efforts among state departments to welcome and support refugees and special immigrant visa holders; coordinating communications with the federal government; and overseeing emergency health care services among other things.

Refugee support groups welcomed the news.

Avigail Ziv, the executive director for New York and New Jersey of the International Rescue Committee, said she looks forward to working with the task force.

Alain Mentha, the executive director of Welcome Home Jersey City, called it excellent news" and said there is a lot of good will in New Jersey that the task force could help refugee groups capitalize on.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday that Dulles International Airport will no longer be the sole entry point for Afghan evacuees  the Philadelphia airport will now take them as well.

During a press call, Northam called the evacuation effort one of the largest airlifts in history and said that as of Friday morning, 14,000 evacuees had already arrived at the airport.

The Pentagon has said it has evacuated more than 110,000 people. It takes evacuees several days to arrive in America, because evacuees are first taken to other nations, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Spain, Germany and Bulgaria, so many thousands more are still on their way to the U.S.

The addition of Philadelphia may help relieve a chokepoint at Dulles, where some evacuees have reported waiting 24 hours or more to be processed before going on to the next step of their journey.

Grant Neely, a spokesman for Northam, said Friday that it is helpful that Philadelphia is now taking evacuees. He said there's no concern for now that Dulles can't handle the numbers coming in. He acknowledged that some evacuees have faced long waits as they deal with Customs and other federal requirements, but he said the process has improved over time.

Evacuees are tested for COVID-19, Northam said, and vaccination clinics have been set up. Officials, though, said that so far they have been lightly used.

These people are just coming out of a war zone. Theyre landing in a new country. And so I think a lot of it is going to be educational," Northam said. "I dont think this is something you just automatically want to say, You need to get a shot. So were trying to at least handle some of these individuals with respect and, you know, kid gloves, rather than saying, Do this, do that."

Non-citizens arriving from Afghanistan are taken to the Dulles Expo Center after being processed at the airport and then to one of several military bases. Three of those bases are in Virginia  Quantico Marine Corps Base, Fort Pickett and Fort Lee.

Northam said those military bases are prepared to ramp up to house thousands of evacuees if necessary.

From the military bases they are resettled in communities in Virginia and elsewhere. Northam said evacuees spend an average of five days at the military bases, before moving to homes with help of agencies including Commonwealth Catholic Charities and Lutheran Family Services.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Noting that the COVID delta variant is spreading like wildfire among the unvaccinated in our community," the leaders of an Oregon coastal county said Friday they no longer have capacity to store the bodies of those who have died and are asking the state for a refrigerated morgue truck.

The spread of COVID in Tillamook County has reached a critical phase, the county board of commissioners said in a statement. They said that from Aug. 18 to Aug. there were six new COVID-19 deaths in the county, surpassing the five total COVID-19 deaths that occurred during the first 18 months of the pandemic.

That is six tragic deaths in six days. We grieve for our friends and neighbors and their families. We are so very sorry for your loss, Commissioners Mary Faith Bell, David Yamamoto and Erin Skaar wrote.

A local funeral home is licensed to hold nine bodies and has been at capacity since last week, they said.

Due to increased COVID mortality and the anticipation of additional deaths, we have ordered a refrigerated morgue truck from the state, the commissioners said.

They urged people to get vaccinated, saying that 86% of the newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases are among unvaccinated individuals.

As Oregon shatters its record for daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to overwhelm the health system, an outdoor mask mandate was reinstated in the state on Friday. Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to reimplement an outdoor mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents since the delta variant resulted in a surge of COVID-19 cases.

People 5 and older, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks in most public outdoor settings  including large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible, such as festivals and concerts. The rule does not apply to fleeting encounters, such as two people walking by each other on a trail or in a park.

The mandate that had been previously announced is part of a growing list of statewide requirements  including an indoor mask mandate and vaccine requirements for health care workers, teachers and state employees  implemented in Oregon in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,207 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The previous record, set earlier in the month, was 2,971. Since the start of the pandemic there have been 268,401 reported coronavirus cases in the state.

Over the past month, coronavirus cases, fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, have overwhelmed hospitals in the Pacific Northwest state. As of Friday, 1,098 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized, beating the states record set the previous day by 18 people. Prior to this month, the record was 622, set in November when vaccines were not yet available.

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.

Currently, there are just 40 adult intensive care unit beds available in Oregon. Currently, more than 90% of the states ICU and hospital beds are full. Health officials say the overwhelming majority of people hospitalized are unvaccinated.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased 990% in Oregon since July 9, according to health officials. Many hospitals have canceled elective surgeries, and some patients are housed in hallways instead of rooms.

On Friday Oregons U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will supplement medical staff at six hospitals in southern and central Oregon, where there are critical staffing needs.

The heartbreaking and harrowing accounts that nurses, doctors and staff shared with me last week in Bend and Medford speak directly to their need for immediate assistance as they work long hours caring for Oregonians filling their hospitals, Wyden said.

On Wednesday, Brown announced that crisis teams of hundreds of nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and nursing assistants are being deployed to regions of the state hardest hit by a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations that have stretched hospitals to the limit.

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.

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.

-

Andrew Selsky reported from Bend, Oregon. 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.
GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP)  A paramedic who was found dead in his South Carolina home was stabbed and bled to death, authorities said.

Jonathan Pressley Wells, 50, found found dead Tuesday in his Greenwood home by deputies checking on him after he didn't show up for work, the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office said.
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP)  A judge has ordered a western Michigan couple to pay $30,441 to their son for getting rid of his pornography collection.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney's decision this week came eight months after David Werking, 43, won a lawsuit against his parents.
HILLSBORO, Mo. (AP)  Police in eastern Missouri have arrested a man who was being sought for an attack with a machete and who had a previous conviction for firing a crossbow and assault rifle at an acquaintance.

Ted Treece, 31, of High Ridge was arrested Thursday evening, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He was charged in at-large warrants Wednesday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, the. He has no listed attorney.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A man was shot to death early Friday in a south Kansas City neighborhood, and police were asking the public for tips in finding the shooter.

The shooting happened shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, when officers were called to an area around East 112th Street and Bristol Terrace near Ruskin High School, police said in a news release.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Pulitzer Prize Board announced a special citation Friday for people in Afghanistan who risked their safety to help produce news stories and images from their war-torn country.

From staff and freelance correspondents to interpreters to drivers to hosts, courageous Afghan residents helped produce Pulitzer-winning and Pulitzer-worthy images and stories that have contributed to a wider understanding of profoundly tragic and complicated circumstances, the board said.
LONDON (AP)  The U.K.'s defense chief promised Friday to get to the bottom of a security lapse that saw documents identifying Afghan staff members and job applicants left behind at the abandoned British Embassy in Kabul.

Times of London reporter Anthony Loyd said he found the papers scattered on the ground as he toured Kabuls abandoned diplomatic district with a Taliban escort this week.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said clearly its not good enough that the documents were left unsecured. He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be asking some questions about what had happened.

Well find out and get to the bottom of it, Wallace told LBC radio.

Thousands of citizens who worked with Western forces have been trying to leave Afghanistan, fearing reprisals now that the Taliban control the country.

Loyd said the documents included the name and address of a senior embassy staff member, the contact details for other employees and the resumes and addresses of people applying to be interpreters.

He called the phone numbers he found and learned that some of the staffers had already left Afghanistan but others were still in the country, including three Afghan employees and eight family members stranded outside Kabul's airport as they tried to leave.

The government said they were eventually found and taken to safety. The Times said the fate of at least two of the job applicants remains unknown.

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said it would hold an inquiry into how the documents got abandoned during the hurried departure of U.K. diplomats from the embassy as the Taliban advanced on Kabul earlier this month.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that during the drawdown of our embassy every effort was made to destroy sensitive material.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Sirhan Sirhan faces his 16th parole hearing Friday for fatally shooting U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and for the first time no prosecutor will be there to argue he should be kept behind bars.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, a former police officer who took office last year after running on a reform platform, says he idolized the Kennedys and mourned RFKs assassination but is sticking to his policy that prosecutors have no role in deciding whether prisoners should be released.

That decision is best left to California Parole Board members who can evaluate whether Sirhan has been rehabilitated and can be released safely, Gascon told The Associated Press earlier this year. Relitigating a case decades after a crime should not be the job of prosecutors, even in notorious cases, he said.

The role of a prosecutor and their access to information ends at sentencing, Alex Bastian, special advisor to Gascon, said in a statement Thursday.

The 77-year-old Sirhan has served 53 years for the first-degree murder of the New York senator and brother of President John F. Kennedy. RFK was a Democratic presidential candidate when he was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after delivering a victory speech in the pivotal California primary.

Gascon said he admired Kennedy while Sirhan is the kind of individual that we all like to hate.

I can get very emotionally wrapped around my personal feelings (about) someone that killed someone that I thought could have been an incredible president for this country, Gascon said. But that has no place in this process. Just like it doesnt for the person nobody knows about.

Sirhan's new defense attorney, Angela Berry, said she couldn't agree more.

She plans to argue that the board's decision should be based on who Sirhan is today and not about past events, which is what the board has based its parole denials on before. She said she plans to focus on his exemplary record in prison and show that he poses no danger.

We cant change the past, but he was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Berry told the AP on Thursday. To justify denying it based on the gravity of the crime and the fact that it disenfranchised millions of Americans is ignoring the rehabilitation that has occurred and that rehabilitation is a more relevant indicator of whether or not a person is still a risk to society.

Sirhan's hearing will be presided over by a two-person panel that usually announces its decision the same day. After that, the Parole Board staff has 90 days to review the decision, and then it is handed over to the governor for consideration.

The Parole Board would not say if the Kennedy family or anyone else submitted statements opposing Sirhan's release. Attempts to reach the Kennedy family for comment were unsuccessful.

Sirhan was sentenced to death after his conviction, but that sentence was commuted to life when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972. At his last parole hearing in 2016, commissioners concluded after more than three hours of intense testimony that Sirhan did not show adequate remorse or understand the enormity of his crime.

Berry said California laws approved since 2018 support her case. One she plans to point out to the board favors releasing certain older prisoners who committed crimes at a young age when the brain is prone to impulsivity. Sirhan was 24 at the time of the assassination.

Sirhan has in the past stuck to his account that he doesn't remember the killing. However, he has recalled events before the crime in detail  going to a shooting range that day, visiting the hotel in search of a party and returning after realizing he was too drunk to drive after downing Tom Collins cocktails.

Just before the assassination, he drank coffee in a hotel pantry with a woman to whom he was attracted. The next thing he has said he remembered was being choked and unable to breathe as he was taken into custody. At his 2016 hearing, he said he felt remorse for any crime victim but couldnt take responsibility for the shooting.

Sirhan told the panel then that if released, he hoped he would be deported to Jordan or live with his brother in Pasadena, California.

After 15 denials for his release, Berry said it's difficult to predict how much of an impact the prosecution's absence will have on the outcome.

I like to think itll make a difference. But I think everybody is not impervious to the fact that this is political," she said.

___

Melley reported from Los Angeles.
GLOCESTER, R.I. (AP)  The Rhode Island school committee that earlier this week voted to allow parents to request conscientious objections to the state's universal school face mask policy is now backing off that decision, while still looking into the legality of the mandate.

Parents received automated phone calls and emails on Thursday saying that the district intends to comply with the state Department of Healths school masking protocols, which do not allow conscientious objection exemptions, The Providence Journal reported.
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP)  Students suffered significant academic setbacks during the coronavirus pandemic, especially those in school districts that used hybrid or online learning models, according to two studies.

The chief researcher for the Idaho State Board of Education presented the results to the board on Thursday.

The Lewiston Tribune reported that Cathleen McHugh told the board that the GPA for ninth grade students dropped from March 2020 to March 2021.

She said school districts that used a hybrid model saw a GPA decline of 0.13, and districts that shifted entirely online saw a GPA decline of 0.09. Districts that offered in-person instruction all year saw no change.

McHugh said those numbers translate into hundreds of students coming up short for Idahos Opportunity Scholarship and direct college admission programs.

If the students dont raise their GPAs, this will impact their eligibility for the scholarship and direct admission programs, she said.

McHugh said that economically disadvantaged students saw a 0.22- and 0.23-point decrease in GPA, respectively, in hybrid and online schools.

For English language learners, the drop was 0.38 points and 0.41 points. Migrant students saw a drop of 0.42 points and 0.58 points.

These students now have to raise their GPAs over the next three years, in order to become eligible for these programs, McHugh said.

The second study found the likelihood that more students were getting a D or F in some required math and English classes offered in ninth through 12th grade.

"We know there's been unfinished learning, and it's been more significant for our (disadvantaged) populations, said State Board President Kurt Liebich. From a policy standpoint, I think well be dealing with this for years.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton announced the members selected to serve on the House's redistricting committee.

According to a news release, Sexton's office on Thursday said the committee will include eight Republicans and four Democrats.

Deputy Speaker Curtis Johnson, a Republican from Clarksville, will chair the committee, and Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Marsh, a Republican from Shelbyville, will be the committees vice chair.

The makeup of this panel is representative of the distinctive voices of Tennesseans from across all three grand divisions of our state, Sexton, a Republican from Crossville, said in a statement.

Lawmakers will use newly released U.S. Census Bureau data to redraw state and congressional districts currently dominated by Republicans.

The proposals will be taken up in the 2022 legislative session that begins in January. Republican Gov. Bill Lee has veto power over the finalized plan, but hes not expected to put up many objections.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)  A transgender man held at a women's prison in Virginia is suing state prison officials after being denied breast removal surgery.

Jason Yoakam, who is serving sentences for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and a firearm offense, says the denial by the state Department of Corrections violates his constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment and his rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that his treating endocrinologist and a transgender health specialist at the University of Virginia have said chest surgery is a medically necessary treatment for his gender dysphoria. State prison officials say the surgery is not medically necessary.

Yoakam was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by the prison system in 2017. As part of his treatment, Yoakam has received hormone therapy and was given a binder for his chest.

The lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville says Yoakam, 42, suffers from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep and appetite disturbance. It says he began to bind his chest as a preteen and continues to do so, causing him bleeding, scarring and pain. He also alleges he has been denied qualified mental health care.

The only thing I am asking is to be treated fairly and have access to the same standard of health care that other incarcerated people receive. It has been traumatizing, isolating and stigmatizing to be denied health care services to treat the gender dysphoria that VDOCs own providers have diagnosed," Yoakam said in a statement released by his lawyers Thursday.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Kinney declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said all medically necessary treatment is available to inmates.

Treatment decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. In addition to medical treatment, individual and group therapy is also available. We follow the community standard of care, she said.
TOKYO (AP)  Too little is known about melted fuel inside damaged reactors at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, even a decade after the disaster, to be able to tell if its decommissioning can be finished by 2051 as planned, a U.N. nuclear agency official said Friday.

Honestly speaking, I dont know, and I dont know if anybody knows, said Christophe Xerri, head of an International Atomic Energy Agency team reviewing progress in the plant's cleanup.

He urged Japan to speed up studies of the reactors to achieve a better long-term understanding of the decommissioning process.

A massive earthquake and a tsunami in March 2011 destroyed cooling systems at the Fukushima plant in northeastern Japan, triggering meltdowns in three reactors in the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Japanese government and utility officials say they hope to finish its decommissioning within 30 years, though some experts say that's overly optimistic, even if a full decommissioning is possible at all.

The biggest challenge is removing and managing highly radioactive fuel debris from the three damaged reactors, said Xerri, the director of IAEA's Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology.

We need to gather more information on the fuel debris and more experience on the retrieval of the fuel debris to know if the plan can be completed as expected in the next 30 years, he told reporters.

The cleanup plan depends on how the melted fuel needs to be handled for long-term storage and management, he said.

The IAEA teams review, the fifth since the disaster, was mostly conducted online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only Xerri and another team member visited the plant this week before compiling and submitting a report to Japan's government on Friday.

In the report, the team noted progress in a number of areas since its last review in 2018, including the removal of spent fuel from a storage pool at one of the damaged reactors, as well as a decision to start discharging massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water stored at the plant into the ocean in 2023.

Although there now is a better understanding of the melted fuel inside the reactors, details are still lacking and further research should be expedited, the report said. The team encouraged Japan to allocate sufficient resources to prepare for measures beyond the next decade through the end of the decommissioning.

Research and development of new technologies needed for the cleanup will take one or two decades, Xerri said, urging Japan to apply additional resources as early as possible.

The report advised Japan to prepare full plans not only for the cleanup of the melted reactors but also for the entire decommissioning, and a clearer end-state picture.

It is important in any projects to have targets and to have objectives and to have a vision, Xerri said.

Government officials and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, have not provided a clear picture of how the plant will look when the cleanup ends.

In April, Japan announced it will start releasing into the sea large amounts of treated but still radioactive water that has accumulated at the plant since the accident. TEPCO on Wednesday announced a plan to release the water offshore via an underground tunnel after further treating it to reduce radioactive materials to allowable levels.

IAEA has agreed to help facilitate the decommissioning and cooperate in the monitoring and implementation of the water disposal. A first IAEA mission on the water disposal is expected to visit Japan in September.
BREMEN, Germany (AP)  The two men risked their lives together nearly a decade ago trying to eliminate the Taliban, dodging bullets and forever bonding in a way that can only be forged in war.

Now the American soldier and his Afghan translator were together again in Germany, shopping for a suit. Abdulhaq Sodais's future hinges on an asylum hearing in a German court after he was denied a U.S. visa, and U.S. Army Veteran Spencer Sullivan was there to help him prepare.

Together, they watched videos from Sodais' hometown: The crackle of gunfire, dead bodies being carted off as black smoke billowed. Once U.S. troops withdrew, the fragile government built over years by people like Sodais and Sullivan collapsed in just days.

I couldnt stop crying, Sodais said. My father said the Taliban were knocking on every single door in Herat looking for guys who worked for the coalition forces.

Sullivan already lost another translator, Sayed Masoud, who was killed by the Taliban while waiting for a U.S. visa. It's a scar Sullivan carries deeply, the realization that the U.S. government is capable of the one thing he never believed: betrayal.

Sullivan was determined not to let Sodais, who used smugglers to get to Europe, suffer the same fate. So he's been helping Sodais prepare for his Sept. 6 asylum hearing.

I made a promise to him just as America made a promise to him to protect him and save his life, Sullivan said. I mean how can you turn your back on that promise?"

Sullivan is among scores of U.S. combat veterans working on their own to rescue the Afghans who served alongside them.

Their efforts started long before this months chaotic rush to evacuate Afghans after the Talibans swift takeover of Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdraw from Americas forever war.

Thousands of Afghans who aided US troops have spent years stuck in a backlogged and beleaguered U.S. Special Immigrant Visa program. The program was meant to award Afghans for their support by giving them a pathway to the United States. But it has fallen far short, with Congress failing to approve enough visas each year, while the former Trump administration added new security requirements and bureaucratic hurdles that turned the average wait time from a few months into nearly three years. Others have been denied over what immigration attorneys say were minor or unjust discrepancies in their performance records.

For Sullivan, saving Sodais is about protecting a U.S. ally. Both of his interpreters worked with the platoon Sullivan led in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. They went on dozens of missions into villages controlled by the Taliban, taking on fire while unarmed.

In 2013, Masoud applied for a special immigrant visa after receiving death threats for his work. His application included a letter of recommendation from Sullivan.

Two years later, Masouds application was denied. The U.S. embassy said he had not worked for the U.S. government or its military, but for a U.S. firm that had a contract with the Department of Defense.

Masoud appealed and Sullivan wrote another letter to the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Kabul, but he got no response.

In the summer of 2017, Masouds brother told Sullivan that Masoud had been shot by the Taliban after returning home for a relatives funeral and was dead.

Sullivan was consumed by sadness and guilt.

Like Masoud, Sodais also had applied for a special immigrant visa in 2013 and was denied. He applied again in 2015 and 2016. Sullivan sent the U.S. embassy in Kabul letters to support his case.

His last rejection came in 2017. After Sodais uncle was beheaded, Sodais decided he had to find another way out.

His brother, who knew someone in a travel agency, helped him get a tourist visa to Iran, and his family knew an Afghan man living there who would end up connecting Sodais to the first of a long line of smugglers.

He decided to head to Germany, and his family sold their small general store in Afghanistan to fund his journey.

In the end, it took him seven months and would cost his family $15,000 to get to Germany. Once there, he applied for asylum but was lacking sufficient photos or documentation to support his claims and was immediately denied.

He called Sullivan, who he had not spoken to in more than a year.

I was like oh my God, hes alive! Sullivan recounted, feeling overjoyed.

Four months later, Sullivan went to see him in Germany and offered to help his case, working to communicate with officials in the U.S. and Germany.

For now, Sodais is safe. On Aug. 11, Germany temporarily halted the deportation of all Afghans due to the upheaval but did not specify how long the order would last. But Sodais worries his luck will run out once deportations resume.

Really sometimes, its really hard for me to fight against this life, he said on a Zoom call with Sullivan as he rattled off his fears over whats happening in Afghanistan, his guilt over leaving his family, and his anxiety over his future.

And how will he ever get to the United States, where he wants to live? he asks.

Sullivan interrupts, stopping his downward spiral, and reminds him to stay focused on the Sept. 6 asylum hearing.

Step one is we keep you alive, he said. We get you asylum in Germany and everything else will follow.

_____

Watson reported from San Diego.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A health insurance trust providing medical coverage to about 34,000 Clark County teachers and their dependents is telling medical providers it doesn't have funds to cover claims made prior to July, a newspaper reported.

THT Health, formerly Teachers Health Trust, is a self-funded nonprofit begun in 1983 and overseen by the teachers union, the Clark County Education Association.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  More than 3,100 active coronavirus cases have been reported in Arkansas public schools among students and employees, according to newly released numbers from the state.

Most students returned to the classroom last week  and the majority of public school students attend districts that are requiring masks. The mask requirements emerged after a judge in Little Rock temporarily blocked a state law that bans mask mandates in schools and public places.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Wayne County, Michigan's most populated, is requiring masks inside schools.

The county's health officer issued a COVID-19 order Friday mandating face coverings for preK-12 students, teachers and staff. The measure also applies to day care facilities, with exceptions for kids under 4.

Wayne, which is home to nearly 18% of Michigan residents, is the seventh county to implement some type of school mask requirement. School districts in 76 other counties vary on whether masking is optional or mandatory.

The order notes that kids under 12 cannot be vaccinated and many ages 12 and older have not gotten a shot. It says proper masking and other mitigation strategies were extremely effective in preventing transmission in schools last academic year.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer strongly recommends face coverings in schools but has stopped short of reinstating a statewide requirement through the state health department. Her office said with Wayne County's move, 54% of students in traditional public schools are subject to mask mandates.

Districts and local public health leaders should keep working together to implement mask guidelines and create buy-in at the community level, which leads to better outcomes and better adherence to policies that keep kids, teachers, staff and parents safe," the Democratic governor said in a statement.

Michigan recorded almost 4,000 new coronavirus cases over two days and 69 deaths, including 42 older deaths from a records review. The number of adults hospitalized with confirmed infections continued to rise, to 1,115, a nearly five-fold increase from six weeks ago. Hospitalizations remain well below the April peak. The seven-day case rate was lower than in all but four states.

___

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
EL PASO, Texas (AP)  A man who gained worldwide sympathy and support after his wife was killed in a mass shooting in the Texas border city of El Paso was remembered Friday as kind and thoughtful  and haunted by the loss of the woman he loved.

A few dozen people attended the memorial services for Antonio Basco, 63, who died Aug. 14 , just over two years after his wife, Margie Reckard, was fatally shot along with 22 other people by a lone gunman who authorities say targeted Latinos in an attack that stunned the U.S. and Mexico.

Reckards August 2019 funeral drew thousands of people from as far away as Arizona and California and across the border in Mexico, after Basco announced that he was alone with almost no family left and invited the world to join him in remembering his companion of 22 years. Few in attendance had ever met Reckard.

Flowers poured in, and an SUV was donated to Basco, who made a modest living at washing cars and other odd jobs. The day of his wife's funeral, a crowd of strangers stood in a line that wrapped around the block to pay their respects.

Basco  a wiry, weathered man  embraced one visitor after another with open arms for several hours.

It was a raw and loving outpouring of emotion at the 22nd funeral following the attack. A final victim would die of his injuries nine months later.

Friday's funeral amid a resurgent pandemic drew a trickle of visitors to a cavernous chapel. They included a hospice worker who cared for Basco in his final days and a retired Army veteran who liked Basco without ever meeting him.

Several were linked to Basco through the tragedy of his wife's death.

Jose Luis Ozuna, a local retiree, said he and his wife met Basco at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting and that Basco made an impression. Ozuna said Basco always put others ahead of himself.

So the last time Ozuna saw Basco, who was in tears as he struggled to cash a $300 check without an ID, Ozuna said he cosigned the withdrawal.

We had a real good bond. He was a very loving kind of person," Ozuna said. "We lost track of him because he lost his phone.

Adria Gonzalez, an El Paso native who was inside the Walmart during the attack, said she saw Basco deteriorate mentally and physically in the months after his wife's funeral, amid struggles with alcohol.

Basco was arrested and jailed in late 2019 for driving under the influence.

He said he missed his wife," Gonzalez said, "and he wasnt the same."

Judith Quinones, the hospice worker, said Basco was visited regularly by friends as his health failed but he couldn't get over the loneliness he felt without his wife.

He wished his wife wasn't dead. He didn't want to die this way," Quinones said.

Basco passed away after a months-long struggle with cancer after a late diagnosis, according to Roberto Sanchez, a local lawyer handling his estate.

Sanchez described Basco as a wanderer who was born and raised in Louisiana before he set out on an unmapped journey.

I think Id probably call him the Jack Kerouac of nowadays," said Sanchez, referring to the beatnik author who wrote the classic road trip novel On the Road. "He would go from city to city looking for employment. When he found the love of his life, thats when he made El Paso his home.

Pastor Jackie Johnson called Basco a free spirit and belted out a spiritual: There will be no more weeping and no more wailing.

He didn't let anybody tell him how he could move or where he could move, but he was a free spirit who respected people," Johnson said.

Basco lived to see the dedication of a permanent memorial to the 2019 shooting victims  a plaque and metal tower evoking a candle that stands outside the store where the attack occurred.

The man accused of carrying out the attack, Patrick Wood Crusius, faces state capital murder charges and more than 90 federal hate-crime and firearms counts.

The shooting happened on a busy weekend day at a Walmart that is typically popular with shoppers from Mexico and the U.S.

Authorities say Crusius aimed to scare Latinos into leaving the United States, driving from his home near Dallas to target Mexicans after posting a racist screed online. Crusius has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers said their client has been diagnosed with mental disabilities.

___

This story was updated to correct the spelling of Adria Gonzalez's first name.

___

Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle contributed from Dallas.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  Two people who are in custody in the death of a man at a Wyandotte County park are believed to be part of a larger group that has committed several violent crimes in Kansas and Missouri, Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash said.

Three men and two women were arrested during an investigation into the shooting death of Skylar Needham, 30, at a Wyandotte County park on Aug. 15.
By Jana Kadah

Bay City News Foundation

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has expanded its clean air filtration system program, officials aptly announced Thursday as the region faces unhealthy levels of air quality this weekend and throughout the wildfire season.

The program provides portable air filtration units to unsheltered and low-income residents.

This week, it was expanded to include three new counties, Marin, Napa and Solano, covering the entire Bay Area to provide about 3,000 people as wells as emergency and cooling centers with portable indoor home air filtration units and be used, according to the air district.

"Communities like East San Jose, Vallejo, West Oakland and Chinatown in San Francisco as well as the tenderloin, they all endure more air pollution than other parts of the Bay Area," said Veronica Eady, Senior Deputy Executive Officer of Policy & Equity at the air district.

Increased levels of air pollution, in addition to smoke from wildfires, threatens the health of many residents, especially those with respiratory issues.

"So together with the community, we're working to address this unequal pollution burden that impacts these neighborhoods," Eady said.

Exposure to unhealthy air quality, even if its short, can leave people with eye, sinus and throat irritation, even for people who are healthy.

And for those with respiratory disorders, it can be much worse.

In fact, one study showed that within two hours of exposure to wildfire smoke, there was an increase in ambulance calls for respiratory and cardiac distress, said Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University.

"Wildfire smoke is something we all have to take very seriously," Prunicki said. "The particulate matter coming from (wildfire smoke) is probably 10 times more toxic than particulate matter and air pollution-- just general air pollution from cars and industry."

Studies conducted in her lab also showed that wildfire smoke impacts immune systems and has been linked to increases in COVID infection rates and death rates.

But she said the air filtration systems provided by the air district will help mitigate some of the health impacts.

"Given that our healthcare resources are stretched, you know, any type of prevention that we can do is going to benefit all of us," Prunicki continued.

Many local leaders celebrated the expansion of the program during the news conference at the San Jose Women's Home.

But for Margaret Gordon, a founding member of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, this has been longtime need that should've been fulfilled years ago.

"We have been advocating for indoor air filtration for over 15 years," Gordon said.

In Oakland, for example, there are high levels of black carbon from diesel, but it is also close to many of the northern California wildfires burning.

"So, we are really getting the double whammy," Gordon said.

Eddie Ahn, the executive director for San Francisco based environmental non-profit Brightline Defense, said poorer San Franciscans also get double the trouble.

This is because many live in very small residential units, some that are only 80 square feet.

"They have little room to breathe and really need these devices," Ahn said.

This is also true in many disadvantaged South Bay communities, executive director of Sacred Heart Community Service Poncho Guevara said.

The air filtration systems cost about $100 to $150, but it will be free for those who qualify for the program.

The best place to put an air filtration system in a house is in the bedroom because that is where most of someone's time is typically spent, said Tracy Lee who is a manager of the wildfire preparedness program at the air district.

Lee also suggested residents make sure windows are properly sealed or use caulking to properly seal it. Another option is to roll up towels and place them at windowsills or in front of doors.

She continued that it is imperative to keep spaces clean and dust free and keep heating and cooling systems on the recirculating setting so that the air is only circulated in your house and does not draw polluted air from outside.

Residents are also encouraged to replace air filters to efficient ones like the MERV 13 air filter.

More information on wildfire preparedness, school air quality recommendations, information on air quality data and other resources can be found at at www.baaqmd.gov/wildfiresafety.

To get more information about the Clean Air Filtration Program or see if you qualify, email AirFilters@baaqmd.gov.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Museum of the Weird was a personal passion project of Walt Disneys.

In an exclusive interview, Imagineer Rolly Crump, the designer of the museum, tells SFGATE about what the attraction would have been and why it was canceled.

More:

Defying a government mandate, Disney Cruise Line is requiring vaccine passports. The requirement, which will begin next month, isnt companywide and doesnt apply to all ships. Read more.

The Bay Area is losing almost all of its Disney Stores. The end of an era has come for the happiest place in the mall. Read more.

Last week's top story:

Disneylands new Genie+ lets you pay to skip the line. The program replacing fast pass has two levels of charges depending on the kind of rides you want faster access to. Read more.

Dispatches from Disneyland is curated by Disneyland editor Julie Tremaine. Contact Tremaine at Julie.Tremaine@sfgate.com.
NY Marine Warnings and Forecast for Saturday, August 28, 2021

_____

MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT

Marine Weather Statement

National Weather Service New York NY

1229 AM EDT Sat Aug 28 2021

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WATERS...

The areas affected include...

Moriches Inlet to Montauk Point NY out 20 NM...

Eastern Long Island Sound...

Peconic and Gardiners Bays...

At 1228 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated strong thunderstorms, capable

of producing winds to around 30 knots. These thunderstorms were

located along a line extending from near Long Sand Shoal to near

Napeague Bay. The thunderstorms were nearly stationary.

Locations impacted include...

Gardiners Island, Orient Point, Fishers Island Sound, Gardiners Bay,

The Race, Six Mile Reef, New London Harbor, Shelter Island, Fishers

Island and Westbrook Center.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Mariners can expect gusty winds to around 30 knots, locally higher

waves, heavy downpours, and lightning strikes. Boaters should seek

safe harbor immediately until these storms pass.

LAT...LON 4132 7186 4133 7189 4105 7184 4082 7194

4102 7215 4102 7216 4098 7218 4102 7223

4098 7225 4107 7242 4111 7237 4108 7243

4117 7261 4131 7249 4129 7241 4132 7230

4130 7229 4133 7221 4137 7186

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WATERS...

The areas affected include...

Moriches Inlet to Montauk Point NY out 20 NM...

Eastern Long Island Sound...

Peconic and Gardiners Bays...

At 1228 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated strong thunderstorms, capable

of producing winds to around 30 knots. These thunderstorms were

located along a line extending from near Long Sand Shoal to near

Napeague Bay. The thunderstorms were nearly stationary.

Locations impacted include...

Gardiners Island, Orient Point, Fishers Island Sound, Gardiners Bay,

The Race, Six Mile Reef, New London Harbor, Shelter Island, Fishers

Island and Westbrook Center.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Mariners can expect gusty winds to around 30 knots, locally higher

waves, heavy downpours, and lightning strikes. Boaters should seek

safe harbor immediately until these storms pass.

LAT...LON 4132 7186 4133 7189 4105 7184 4082 7194

4102 7215 4102 7216 4098 7218 4102 7223

4098 7225 4107 7242 4111 7237 4108 7243

4117 7261 4131 7249 4129 7241 4132 7230

4130 7229 4133 7221 4137 7186

_____

Copyright 2021 AccuWeather
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.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Two fully vaccinated members of the 80-member California Assembly are quarantining after testing positive for the coronavirus, and a third plans to miss portions of the last two weeks of the legislative session as she prepares for surgery.

Republican Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen said in a statement that she recently tested positive but has no symptoms. She said she is feeling fine and I look forward to getting back to Sacramento as soon as I can to continue to represent and fight for my (Orange County-based) District.

The Legislature enters its final crucial two weeks on Monday. Lawmakers will consider hundreds of bills before adjourning for the year on September 10.

Nguyen expects to miss next week but be back for the final week of session, after Labor Day.

Kevin McCarty, a Democrat from Sacramento, said he hopes to return to the Assembly on Monday after experiencing mild symptoms that kept him in isolation for a week.

He said he twice tested negative a week ago, then was positive on the third test after feeling mild cold-like symptoms.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced two weeks ago that every Assembly employee must receive the coronavirus vaccine or risk losing their job, as lawmakers try to avoid an outbreak that could imperil the final days of the session.

Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins said at the time that most senators and employees were vaccinated already.

Even fully vaccinated lawmakers and employees are required to wear masks while in the Capitol or their district offices. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last month ordered all state employees to either be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

The leaders are particularly concerned because of the fast-spreading delta variant that is still surging and filling hospitals in many areas of the state.

Meanwhile, Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, said she will miss the last day of session as she prepares for breast cancer surgery the next day. She will also miss three other days before the end of session.

I knowbad timing! Gonzalez said in a Facebook post. So if you need my vote, plan accordingly!

The timing will allow her to finish treatments in time for next year's session, she wrote.
SHELTON  While there is no distance learning plan this school year, Superintendent Ken Saranich said there will be instruction for students forced into quarantine.

Saranich told the Board of Education Wednesday that the district has earmarked $25,000 in federal COVID relief funds to pay a stipend to instructors to teach these quarantined students. Each teacher who chooses to be part of this program can receive up to $1,600 and would be paid hourly.

I am confident that our quarantine rate will be astronomically lower than last year, Saranich said.

Saranich said the combination of the number of students 12 and older and school staff vaccinated, along with the improved mitigation strategies are expected to keep forced quarantines lower than last year. State data shows that nearly 52 percent of those age 12 to 17, or about 1,610 residents, have received one dose as of Aug. 26 and 45 percent have received two doses.

We have no option for distance learning, but if someone is quarantined, we have to give them access to education, Saranich said. This is not a distance learning plan  this is a result of a quarantine and our obligation to offer free and appropriate education.

Saranich said there will be one teacher per grade in the elementary level and two for each grade at Perry Hill School. There will be a teacher for each core subject in grades seven through 12.

The funds are part of the $4.5 million COVID relief aid available over the next two years. Saranich said that $1,600 is allocated for each teacher involved, but if the money is not spent it can be moved to next year for the same service.

The lessons would be synchronous and asynchronous, determined on a case-by-case basis.

Saranich announced this program during the districts update on guidelines for school opening on Sept. 8. He said that the health protocols were prepared by the Naugatuck Valley Health District, and unlike last year, all Valley communities will be following the same requirements.

Per Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order, Saranich said students and staff must wear masks indoors. There will be mask breaks, he said.

Those who are fully vaccinated or are within the 90-day window after having the virus are exempt from close-contact quarantines.

Health officials said classroom close contacts for unvaccinated student to student is defined as within three feet of the case in the classroom, masked or unmasked.

For staff to students, health officials said close contact is within six feet in the classroom, masked or unmasked.

To be considered fully vaccinated, the person must be two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson.

Any student or staff member who reports a positive COVID test will remain in isolation for 10 days from the positive test date and will only return to school when they are symptom free. These individuals do not need to supply a negative test to return to school.

Any student or staff who reports a positive COVID test in their household will remain in quarantine for 14 full days from the date the student or staff member was last with the individual. If these individuals are not fully vaccinated they can test out of a quarantine after the seventh day and will only return to school after the 10th day. Fully vaccinated household members may return to school or work but should wear a mask at all times and remain non-symptomatic while in school.

Any student or staff who is considered a close contact outside of school and unvaccinated are required to quarantine for 14 days from their last day of exposure with the positive individual. These individuals can test out of a quarantine with a PCR test taken no earlier than seven days after last exposure and return to school on day 10 only if they are symptom free.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealands government has extended a strict nationwide lockdown through Tuesday as it tries to quash its first outbreak of the coronavirus in six months.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday the government expects to keep Auckland, where most of the cases have been found, in full lockdown for at least two more weeks. But she expects most other parts of the country can ease restrictions slightly from Wednesday.

The announcement came as health authorities reported 70 new daily cases, the most yet in the outbreak, which has grown to nearly 350 cases in total. Ardern said there was evidence the lockdown was working and new case numbers were beginning to level off. She said she remained committed to the strategy of eliminating the virus entirely.

___

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 U.S. may reach 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths by Dec. 1.

 AP-NORC poll: Half of US workers favor vaccine, mask mandate in workplaces

 Illinois Gov. Pritzker requires educators, health workers to get vaccine

 U.S. virus surge breaks hospital records amid rising toll on kids

___

 Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

LAS VEGAS -- A man from the Las Vegas area won the $1 million grand prize Thursday to cap an eight-week coronavirus vaccination jackpot program.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak created the program to boost enthusiasm for COVID-19 shots.

The prize winners were introduced by their first name and last initial at a live event hosted by the governor at the Las Vegas Convention Center and aides at the Sierra Arts Foundations Riverside Gallery in Reno.

The program called Vax Nevada Days launched June 17 with $5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds. State health data showed the percentage of vaccinated state residents increased about 10% between the time the prize pool was announced in mid-June and when it ended Thursday.

___

FRANKFORT, Ky.  Kentuckys governor said Thursday that the latest wave of grim COVID-19 statistics would have triggered a statewide mask mandate indoors if he still wielded the authority to take such action.

But the Kentucky Supreme Court recently shifted pandemic-related decisions on masking and other issues to the Republican-dominated legislature, Gov. Andy Beshear said. So the Democratic governor used his bully pulpit to continue urging people to mask up when indoors, away from home.

The Bluegrass State has reached uncharted territory with the prolonged escalation of virus infections, hospitalizations and patients in intensive care, he said at a news conference.

On Wednesday, Kentucky reported 65 virus-related deaths. It also notched its third-highest daily number of new COVID-19 cases as the highly contagious delta variant overwhelms many hospitals.

On Thursday, Beshear reported new record highs in Kentucky, with 2,115 virus patients hospitalized, including 590 in intensive care and 345 on ventilators. The state suffered 27 more virus-related deaths and had 5,401 new COVID-19 cases, its second-highest daily total of the pandemic.

The escalation caused more than 10,000 COVID-19 infections reported statewide in the past two days, and 4,600 children tested positive for the virus in the last three days, he said.

___

LINCOLN, Neb.  Nebraskas hospitals are even more crowded now than they were at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in November, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Thursday as he announced a staffing emergency to try to address a severe shortage of health care workers.

The states hospitals were treating a 3,162 patients as of Wednesday, up from 3,074 on Nov. 20, when the number of known cases was at its all-time high.

Most of the recent hospitalizations arent virus-related, however, and Ricketts said the increase was driven by patients seeking treatment for other medical problems. According to state data, hospitals are currently treating 337 virus patients  about 11% of total hospitalizations. In November, the hospitals counted 987 virus patients, accounting for 32% of hospitalizations.

Ricketts said he declared the emergency after consulting with the states hospital administrators. But he stopped short of calling it a COVID-19 emergency, which would allow the state to once again disclose daily case information.

___

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The president of CEO of the Memphis-based St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital said in a letter Thursday that parents should protect their children by insisting that they wear masks in the classroom.

In his letter, Dr. James Downing mentioned Tennessee Gov. Bill Lees recent executive order allowing parents to opt out of mask mandates issued by school districts. Many school systems are complying with the Republican governors order, but Shelby County Schools in Memphis and the school district in Nashville are defying it and still requiring students and staff to wear masks in school buildings.

Some parents have protested mask mandates outside schools and at board meetings, arguing that mask-wearing by their children should be their choice. Downing wrote that masks are safe to wear and they help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Protesting mask mandates puts an agenda before childrens health, Downing wrote. This stance is not rational. Stop the arguments and the protests. Stand up as a community and do what is right to protect children."

___

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina  A federal prosecutor is accusing Argentine President Alberto Fernandez of apparently violating his own pandemic restrictions decree by joining a dozen other people at his wifes birthday party.

The action by prosecutor Ramiro Gonzalez means Fernandez could face a criminal investigation.

The party was held last year at the presidential residence at a time when the government had banned social gatherings to impede the spread of COVID-19.

Investigators began looking into the case when a photo circulated this month showing Fernandez together with his wife Fabiola Yanez and other unmasked people standing around a table with with remnants of a party.

The government acknowledged that the photograph was taken on July 14, 2020, at a moment when restrictions were in place. The president publicly apologized.

While the president is in no risk of going to prison for such an offense, it has dented his image ahead of Novembers legislative elections.

___

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama is seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in school-age children, with more than 5,000 cases reported last week  an increase officials say is likely fueled by the highly contagious delta variant and is causing some schools to temporarily switch to remote learning.

The Alabama Department of Public Health said last week, 5,571 children ages 5 to 17 were reported to have COVID-19. That compares to 702 cases in school-aged children during the same week last year, a time when more than half of students were studying remotely and a less contagious variant was circulating.

State Health Officer Scott Harris pointed to delta variant as the most likely explanation.

The numbers are staggering, Harris said of the increase We want to remind people that everyone needs to be vaccinated who is eligible, that is everyone 12 and up. We strongly recommend universal masking in schools.

Hospitalizations and deaths in children remain relatively rare, according to state numbers. Of the nearly 2,900 patients in state hospitals with COVID-19 on Thursday, fewer than 50 were children, according to the Alabama Hospital Association.

___

OFALLON, Mo.  Missouri is opening antibody treatment centers in several counties in the hopes that theyll keep some high-risk patients with COVID-19 from dying or becoming critically ill.

Monoclonal antibody infusion treatment will be available for 30 days at sites in Jackson, Pettis, Scott, Butler and Jefferson counties. Two more sites will be added later in the St. Louis area. The state is spending $15 million on the centers and believes they could treat up to 4,000 people over the next month.

The initial site was set up last month in southwestern Missouri, a region hit hard by the delta variant surge. Health officials said 588 people have been treated at an infusion center in Springfield. Katie Towns, the health director for Springfield and Greene County, said in a news release that the treatment has undoubtedly saved lives in our community.

The drugs are lab-made versions of virus-blocking antibodies that help fight off infections. Antibody treatments are among the few therapies that can lessen the effects of COVID-19, and they are seen as an option for those with mild-to-moderate cases who arent yet in hospitals.

On Thursday, the states COVID-19 dashboard showed that hospitalizations rose by 84, to 2,352. The state cited 2,161 newly confirmed cases, bringing its pandemic total to 622,081. The state also has reported 10,409 COVID-19 deaths since the onset of the pandemic.

___

DETROIT  The head of the 397,000-member United Auto Workers union says its against requiring members to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19.

New President Ray Curry says if any of the 700 companies that employ union members wants to impose such a requirement, it would be subject to bargaining with union officials.

Curry told reporters Thursday that the union encourages members to get vaccinations and consider boosters when they are available. But the union respects members wishes if they dont want to be vaccinated for religious, medical or personal reasons, he said.

The UAW would be against mandates even if infected workers could endanger fellow employees, Curry said. We also believe that the employers and the employees that we represent in those locations still have a voice, and we will have to take those things under consideration, he said.

No employers have contacted the union about requiring vaccines or imposing additional health care costs on employees who arent vaccinated, Curry said.

___

MOSCOW  Russia reported a one-day record of 820 coronavirus deaths.

The national coronavirus taskforce says the number of new daily infections reached 19,630. That follows a consistent ebb since the beginning of the month when 22,800 cases were reported.

The previous record for deaths was 819 on Aug. 14.

Russia has reported more than 6.8 million confirmed cases and 179,243 confirmed deaths.

___

NEW ORLEANS  A Louisiana teenager has died of COVID-19.

The coroner in East Baton Rouge Parish on Thursday confirmed the death of 14-year-old Patrick Sanders III from the city of Baker. Baton Rouge media report that Sanders, who died Wednesday, was a football player at Baker High School. Sanders death came days after the state reported the death of an infant.

Children under 18 made up about 30% of cases reported Thursday in Louisiana. The state reported more than 5,100 new probable and confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday and 72 confirmed deaths.

Hospitalizations statewide stand at 2,729, down from more than 3,000 earlier this month. Vaccinations in Louisiana are increasing, with nearly 60,000 doses administered since Monday. First shots have been given to about 49% of the states population.

___

FRANKFORT, Ky.  Kentucky and Texas have joined a growing list of states that have surpassed their record for hospitalized coronavirus patients.

The two states on Wednesday reported the most COVID-19 patients in their hospitals since the start of the pandemic. At least six other states  Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Mississippi and Oregon  have already surpassed their records amid a national surge in the virus.

The latest spike is fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus among those who are unvaccinated. In areas with low vaccination rates, doctors have pleaded with their communities to get inoculated to spare overburdened hospitals. They have also sounded the alarm about the growing toll of the delta strain on children and young adults.

Nationwide, COVID-19 deaths are averaging more than 1,100 a day, the highest level since mid-March. New cases per day are averaging over 152,000, turning the clock back to the end of January.

As of this week, the number of people in the hospital with the coronavirus was around 85,000, a level not seen since early February.

___

NEW YORK  The U.S. is projected to reach nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths by Dec. 1.

Thats the prediction from the nations most closely watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces.

Some behavior changes already may be flattening the curve in a few places in the South where the coronavirus has raged this summer. An Associated Press analysis shows the rate of new cases is slowing in Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The projection from models at the University of Washington indicates deaths will rise to nearly 1,400 a day by mid-September, then decline slowly.

Deaths are currently averaging 1,100 a day in the U.S., turning the clock back to mid-March. The projection is an additional 98,000 Americans will die by the start of December, for an overall U.S. death toll of nearly 730,000.
Page Content

The U.K. government introduced legislation in July 2021 for employers to take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment on the job.

According to the Government Equalities Officea branch of the U.K. government responsible for social equalityemployers are now liable if they fail to provide a workplace free of harassment. Employers need to show they have current anti-harassment policies in place, along with up-to-date training for their employees, explained Nick Hurley, an attorney with Charles Russell Speechlys LLP in London.

He noted that other aspects of the legislation include:

Introducing protection for employees harassed by third parties, such as customers and clients, including protection from racial and sexual-orientation discrimination.

Possibly extending the time limit for bringing discrimination cases to the employment tribunal from three months to six months.

Supporting the Equality and Human Rights Commission to set out steps employers should take to respond to sexual-harassment complaints.

"This is one of the first key statutory changes in the U.K. to happen since the #MeToo movement," Deeba Syed, senior legal officer at Rights of Women, a legal rights charity in London, tweeted on July 21. "It will empower survivors to expect more from their employers and will force employers to take more responsibility for violence against women happening on their watch."

Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss said the package of measures would not only protect women at work but also motivate employers to make improvements to workplace practices and culture.

The U.K. government said it will take some time to implement these measures, Hurley explained.

"Nothing is going to change overnight," he said. "However, it is clear that more will be expected of employers in preventing workplace harassment, with training and increasing awareness seen as vital tools to encourage widespread cultural change."

Improving employers' compliance with existing legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 would make more sense than creating new measures, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

"Much more can be done to bridge the gap regarding the law and its effective implementation in the workplace," said Ben Willmott, CIPD's head of public policy.

Online Sexual Harassment During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Trades Union Congressa federation of trade unions in England and Walesfirst reported in 2016 that more than half of women employees in the United Kingdom have experienced some form of sexual harassment at work, like indecent or suggestive remarks, requests or demands for sexual favors, and inappropriate or unwanted touches.

Women across the U.K. have experienced an upsurge in online sexual harassment while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Rights of Women survey from January 2021, approximately 45 percent of women surveyed in England and Wales said they have been sexually harassed on online work platforms since March 2020.

"These statistics echo what women have been telling us alreadysexual harassment at work happens online as well as in person," Syed said in a statement. "Women continue to suffer from sexual harassment despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Women working from home have seen their harassers take to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, social media, messages and phone calls to continue the torrent of abuse."

"Employers continue to undermine their responsibility to keep women safe from sexual harassment and harassers repeatedly evade justice," she added. "Until legislation and guidance reflect the lived realities of women, whether working from home or onsite, no space is safe from harassment and abuse for women at work."



SHRM Resource Hub Page

Workplace Harassment and Bullying



How HR Can Prevent Harassment

While waiting for new legislation to come into effect in the coming months, employers should refresh and review harassment policies and procedures, Hurley said.

Hurley added that employers and HR professionals can take the following actions to prevent sexual harassment from happening in the first place:

Carry out a risk assessment to determine the likelihood of sexual harassment. Employers might decide to not serve alcohol at work events. They could also keep an eye out for power imbalances between colleagues.

Create a culture of zero tolerance. Employers should make clear to all staff through internal communication channels that sexual harassment is unlawful.

Train staff on laws concerning sexual harassment, as well as what employees should do if they are victims, and how managers should handle sexual-harassment complaints.

"HR departments will need to ensure they have sufficient mechanisms in place for reporting instances of sexual harassment by adopting an open, inclusive and supportive culture," Hurley said. "Traditionally, staff might report harassment to their manager or HR. However, some employers may wish to go one step further and set up telephone helplines or use a third-party provider to gather these reports."

The latter approach might make the affected employee more comfortable with reporting about a sensitive topic, leading to more accurate monitoring of sexual-harassment cases in the workplace, he said.

Catherine Skrzypinski is a freelance writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

[Want to learn more? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.]


Page Content

Many government agencies have returned to a more cautious stance on safety precautions following the recent COVID-19 surge. For their part, California employers need to be ready to adapt to changing conditions and update their policies accordingly.

Early last year, COVID-19 began to devastate the United States in multiple waves. Then in late 2020, the arrival of vaccines brought hope for many. Recently, though, the highly transmittable delta variant of the virus has created anxiety once again, and the most severe outcomes are primarily affecting the unvaccinated.

Here's what California employers need to know as the coronavirus pandemic persists.

Guidance from Different Agencies

2021 has brought a whirlwind of change on COVID-19 safety guidance. In the spring, many federal, state and local leaders started lifting restrictions. In a move that grabbed the nation's attention, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in May that masks were no longer necessary for fully vaccinated people in many settings.

On June 15, California Gov. Gavin Newsom completely reopened the state's economy. State mask mandates for vaccinated individuals were dropped, and many local jurisdictions aligned their rules with those of the state.

Shortly thereafter, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) discontinued most workplace mask requirements for fully vaccinated employees.

Then came the delta-driven COVID-19 surgeand a return to stringent protocols.

In July, the CDC issued new guidance, stating that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people should wear masks in certain indoor public areas. This recommendation applies to regions with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) now recommends indoor masking for everyone and requires masking for unvaccinated people in many indoor public settings regardless of the transmission rate. Many localities in the state have reinstated even stricter universal mask requirements for indoor public spaces. These local jurisdictions include Los Angeles County and certain Bay Area counties. Employers in these jurisdictions must comply with the local mandates.

Meanwhile, a Cal/OSHA subcommittee is evaluating new data to determine if more workplace protections are needed. This summer, COVID-19 outbreaks at California workplaces increased after several months of declining cases.

According to a presentation by state health officials at one recent Cal/OSHA subcommittee meeting, the number of COVID-19 outbreaks decreased every month from January 21 to June 21. Since June, however, new COVID-19 cases have been on the rise.

Cal/OSHA potentially could adopt stricter workplace regulations this fall, said Alka Ramchandani-Raj, an attorney with Littler in Walnut Creek, Calif. She serves as co-chair of the firm's workplace safety and health group.

In the meantime, Cal/OSHA might clarify some issues in online FAQs, she noted.



SHRM Resource Hub Page

Coronavirus and COVID-19



Adapting to Change



Cal/OSHA requires employers to have not only a written COVID-19 prevention plan but also a strategy for implementing and enforcing the plan.

From Cal/OSHA's standpoint, California employers must do whatever they can to keep employees safe. This involves regularly re-evaluating workplace procedures as new information is released, according to Ramchandani-Raj.

For example, businesses should monitor whether COVID-19 cases are increasing in their workplace, and they should stay up-to-date on any new guidance from their local health department.

If an employer is covered by a local order mandating universal mask wearing, then it must comply with that. But what is the best course of action for California employers that aren't subject to a local mask mandate?

If the employer is in a region with significant COVID-19 transmission, the company should strongly consider requiring all employees to wear masks, said Ilana Morady, an attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in San Francisco.

Before finalizing their policies, however, businesses should evaluate many factors to decide if they should require universal masking, she said.

Those factors include:

The rate of community transmission.

Whether employees work with the public.

Whether employees work near other employees.

The percentage of the workforce that is vaccinated.

"It makes a lot of sense for employers to evaluate and decide based on the unique circumstances of their workplace," Morady observed.

Also, companies should encourage or require employee vaccination, said Hannah Sweiss, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Los Angeles.



Although vaccine mandates help protect employees, businesses might face challenges when enforcing these policies, according to Karina Sterman, an attorney with Greenberg Glusker in Century City, Calif.

Businesses will need to explore reasonable accommodations with employees who decline to get vaccinated because of pregnancy, a disability or a sincerely held religious belief.

Workplace Policies and Practices

When drafting COVID-19 policies for the workplace, employers should include language allowing for additional safety measures, according to Sweiss. This provides flexibility to alternate between more restrictions and fewer restrictions, depending on current conditions during the public health crisis.

As the COVID-19 situation changes, effective communication with employees is key, Sweiss added. Explain to them that workplace COVID-19 procedures may shift, depending on the situation.

If safety procedures are going to change, the company must not only notify employees but also provide any necessary training, Morady said.

If changes are needed, one option is to implement a temporary policy, according to Ramchandani-Raj. When doing so, inform employees that the temporary policy will remain in effect until further notice.

Toni Vranjes is a freelance business writer in San Pedro, Calif.

[Want to learn more about California employment law? Join us at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2021, taking place Sept. 9-12 in Las Vegas and virtually.]
"We feel extreme concern about the rapid deterioration of the economic, financial, security and social crisis," Tarraf said on Thursday after meeting President Michel Aoun, carrying an urgent message from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Beirut, Aug 27 (IANS) Ralph Tarraf, the European Union's (EU) Ambassador to Lebanon, expressed concerns over the rapid deterioration of the country, urging leaders to form a government i n effort to curb the crisis.

Tarraf said that the EU continues to provide aid to the Lebanese people but leaders need to assume their responsibilities, reports Xinhua news agency.

"There is no more time," he said.

Tarraf noted that the EU will increase its support once a government is formed.

"The EU will re-launch the negotiations on our partnership priorities with Lebanon. We will consider a Macro-Financial Assistance package, if a disbursing program with the International Monetary Fund is in place. We also offer our support to the 2022 electoral process," he said.

Lebanon has been facing a governmental deadlock for over a year now with the country suffering from a high poverty rate hovering over 50 percent, according to the World Bank.

The country is in dire need for a cabinet capable of implementing structural reforms to unlock international aid.

--IANS

ksk/
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Hassan is not a household name, certainly not like Brin or Larry Page, the men credited with starting Google. But without Hassans contribution, Google may have been nothing more than a computer science project at Stanford University. He was a research assistant at Stanfords computer science department, which made him the resident programmer for many doctoral students, when he met Page, a doctoral candidate. He rewrote the code for a slow web crawler that Page had created to understand the relationship between links on different websites. He also worked with Brin to build a search engine, which eventually became Google. When Page and Brin founded Google in 1998, Hassan bought 160,000 shares for $US800. When Google went public in 2004, the shares were worth more than $US200 million. The shares, now in Googles parent company, Alphabet, would be valued at more than $US13 billion today. Scott Hassan worked with Googles founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in its early days, helping to build its search engine. Credit:Bloomberg While Hassan never worked for Google, he was one of the founders of a company called eGroups, which was sold to Yahoo in 2000 for $US432 million in stock. He also started two robotics firms.

Hassan met Huynh through mutual friends at Stanford in 2000. She had emigrated to the United States from Vietnam after the war and attended Stanford on scholarship. Huynh said she had dropped out a few years before meeting Hassan to pursue opportunities during the dot-com boom. She was working as a consultant and web developer, building websites for clients such as Wells Fargo. In 2001, five days before Christmas, they got married at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas. There was no discussion of a prenuptial agreement, and they barely discussed finances, both of them said. Huynh said she had supported the family financially in the early years. She said Hassan had $US60,000 in debt, so she often paid for food, travel and entertainment  including their engagement party, which Page and Brin attended. Hassan said that was not true and that by the time they were married, he was financially secure and debt-free. In addition to the Google stock, which was still a speculative investment at the time, he owned a house in San Francisco as well as $US8 million in Yahoo stock  which had lost much of its value after the sale of his company  and Amazon stock, he said. Huynh said she had put her career on hold to raise their children and assist Hassan with the business. The issue of money came up four years into their marriage, around the time of their oldest daughters second birthday.

Less than a year after Google went public, Hassan proposed a deal in exchange for waiving any future claims to marital assets. Hassan offered Huynh $US20 million in Google stock  less than 10 per cent of his shares  and half of three Bay Area real estate properties: houses in Palo Alto and San Francisco and a commercial building in Menlo Park. She felt blindsided and hurt. She refused. Loading Hassan said he had proposed the agreement to share some of his newfound wealth. Later that year, they moved into a bigger Palo Alto home in one of the citys most affluent neighbourhoods. Huynh lives in the 7,500-square-foot home, valued at $US20 million on Redfin, with the children. Still, Huynh said there was little indication that Hassan was unhappy. But in 2014, while she was on a business trip for MyDream, a virtual reality company she started in 2011, she received a text message from Hassan informing her that the marriage was over and that he was moving out, she said.

I was shocked, she said. I kept saying to him, You must be kidding. Hassan said it should not have come as a surprise to her. He said they had a big fight a few days earlier, when she falsely accused him of infidelity in front of their children. She said she had never accused him of cheating but questioned his whereabouts during long absences from the house. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998, Scott Hassan bought 160,000 shares for $US800. When Google went public in 2004, the shares were worth more than $US200 million. The shares, now in Googles parent company, Alphabet, would be valued at more than $US13 billion today. After a few attempts at counselling, they separated in January 2015. The couple officially dissolved their marriage in May 2020 and agreed to joint custody of their three teenage children.

Next weeks trial is part of a drawn-out legal process to divide the estate and resolve other financial matters including spousal and child support. California is one of nine states where assets acquired during marriage are divided evenly in a divorce. As the trial has approached, the feud has taken a harsh turn. This month, Huynh found a website  allisonhuynh.com  with her photo, links to her social media accounts and news reports about her. It also included a legal filing about her from 20 years ago, which was no longer available online and included salacious details about a past relationship. The website concealed the identity of the person behind it. But Huynh eventually discovered that someone named Scott Wendell had uploaded the legal filings. Wendell is Hassans middle name. Hassan admitted that he had made the site in a moment of frustration because Huynh and her lawyers were telling one-sided stories to the press. I realise that this was not the right way to go about this, and it only ended up making our dispute more public and tense, he wrote in an email to the Times. Hassan said he had taken down the site. Huynh, who finished her degree at Stanford last year, said the website could have hurt her reputation at a time when she was trying to launch new businesses, including a mobile game, the Adoraboos, which aims to teach children about blockchains and cryptocurrencies.
Its expected to sell for about $45 million. It was last launched in March 2020 with a price tag of more than $52 million, but there were no takers in the year stolen by COVID-19. Agents and buyers have adapted since then and deals aplenty are getting done. The large site, one of the last left in South Yarra, has an existing two-level 3000 sq m building and is surrounded by new towers. The move comes as the Hotel Claremont around the corner sold to Andy Zhangs V-Leader group in a $22 million deal. Developer Oreana, which had already spent $48 million buying the hotels neighbours, missed out after driving too hard a bargain. Down the road near the Jam Factory redevelopment, a small office building at 48 Wilson Street fetched $4.645 million at an auction handled by Paul Tzamaliss Auction Company.

48 Wilson Street in South Yarra. Credit: Dawkins Occhiuto directors Tim Grant and Andrew Dawkins said a private investor bought the 401 sq m site to landbank. Four bidders drove the price to a land rate of $11,584 sq m and a building rate of $15,280 sq m. Its currently occupied by the vendor Hatched Media, which was advised by Advise Transacts Mark Wizel. The next major listing in the area is 763 Malvern Road in Toorak. The 1100 sq m site is being offloaded by a syndicate composed of Spotlights Fried family and Marne Properties Peter Gyopar. The group bought the property in 2019 for $5.35 million and its expected to fetch more than $7.5 million.

JLL agents Josh Rutman, Nick Peden, Tim Carr and MingXuan Li are handling expressions of interest. The site has approval for 13 high-end apartments designed by renowned Bruce Henderson Architects. Bidding war A block of shops in Malvern has fetched a record $11 million at an auction held online last week. Emmetts Charles Emmett, along with Mr Milligan and Geoff Emmett, said there were 32 registered bidders for the shops at 180-182 Glenferrie Road, with bids starting at $7 million. It just shows the huge weight of private capital, Mr Emmett said.

The sale price reflected a land rate of $24,806 a sq m and an initial yield of just 2.37 per cent  two of the eight tenancies are vacant. This far outpaces the previous record of $18,171 a sq m for 133 Glenferrie Road in October 2017. The two-storey shops are on a 446 sq m parcel of land across from the local Coles supermarket. Tight yield Fitzroys auction of the ANZ bank branch at Shepparton also took place online, with agent David Bourke operating out of his home study. Thirty parties dialled in for the auction of 261-267 Wyndham Street, which sold for $3.47 million, a staggering $1.32 million over the reserve and reflecting a 3.3 per cent yield.

The vendors were the local Tuttle family and the buyer was a Melbourne-based investor. Mr Bourke, who handled the auction with Lewis Waddell, said bidders included Shep locals, Melbourne investors and some interstate parties. ANZ has a five-year lease with two five-year options and pays $115,927 a year for the 587 sq m double-storey building, which underwent a $1.5 million refurbishment in 2019. In a rush Coffee roasters In a Rush have sold a property at 212-218 Johnston Street in Collingwood ahead of auction day for $5 million.

212-218 Johnston Street in Collingwood. Credit: The 615 sq m site is a couple of doors from the Hoddle Street corner and has Commercial 1 zoning. CRS Propertys Ross Mercorillo did the deal. Around the corner, Nelson Alexander Commercial and Gray Johnsons Matt Hoath are marketing a 913 sq m property at 73-77 Sackville street. Easy Living Hire currently occupies the single-level warehouse, paying $122,003 a year.

Its expected to sell for about $6.5 million. Aged care Mainstone Property Developments has snapped up Menarocks shuttered aged care facility in Essendon. Records show Mainstone has put a caveat on the 2727 sq m property, which is understood to have sold for between $6 million and $7 million. The property was sold by Sutherland Farrellys Paul Farrelly and Kelemen Commercials Rudy Kelemen. Menarock closed the 55-bed facility in March. Last year, the aged care home experienced one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the state, with 68 cases and seven deaths.

Fringe farm Another farm on the western fringe of the city is on its way out, with the owners of 635 Derrimut Road, Tarneit selling up. The 4.48 hectare piece of land is just 300 metres from Tarneit railway station and surrounded by swathes of land controlled by developers Satterley, Peet, ID Land, Ceder Woods and Macson. The price is likely to fetch more than $10 million. Its 5.48 hectare neighbour at 645 Derrimut Road recently sold to Country Land Australia for $14 million. That puts the going land rate out in the west at more than $2.5 million a hectare. Knight Frank agents Stephen Kelly, James Thorpe and Paul Lillis are handling the campaign.
Whatever the case, overhauling our competition policy is long overdue. As former competition tsar Allan Fels says, merger law is the most important instrument in competition law and the current law is not strong enough. The courts, the regulator and community need strong merger laws, he says. Former competition tsar Allan Fels says competition law needs beefing up. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The reason is simple. Competition underpins a healthy economy. It ensures prices stay in check, it stimulates innovation, provides more choice to consumers and better quality products and services. When an economy is dominated by a few players it has a profound impact on productivity, wages and diversity.

Australia is dominated by too few players in most industries, including banking, supermarkets, media, telecommunications, domestic air travel and energy to name a few. Or as Sims puts it, small businesses generally are becoming increasingly reliant on a few buyers to access markets for their products and a few sellers for their key inputs. This can damage their innovation and their productivity. Many small businesses and farmers are largely reliant on Coles and Woolworths to access grocery shoppers. As recent history has shown us, this power imbalance places small businesses and farmers in particularly precarious positions with consequent damage to our economy. It is why Sims is calling for change - before things get too out of hand, particularly with the rising power of the digital giants. Under the current system, companies have no legal requirement to give the ACCC the heads-up about a potential merger or acquisition. Nor do they need the ACCCs blessing for it to go ahead. In other words, the ACCC does not have the power to approve mergers.

Instead, corporate takeovers are based on an honour system, where companies in M&A discussions seek the ACCCs views about whether the acquisition can proceed. But that honour system is eroding as more companies threaten to push ahead with a deal regardless of the ACCCs view, leaving the ACCC to force a showdown in the federal court if it opposes the deal. Failing to stop the TPG-Vodafone merger was a notable loss for the competition regulator. And therein lies the rub. The standard of proof in the courts is high in terms of proving a lessening of competition, particularly as it involves trying to predict what is going to happen in the future. Executives, desperate for their deal to go ahead, make proclamations to the court that the merger wont lessen competition. Statements that often turn out to be the opposite a year or two down the track. Some of the more high-profile court losses include Tabcorp and Tatts, TPG and Vodafone merger, AGLs acquisition of Macquarie Generation and Pacific Nationals acquisition of the Acacia Ridge terminal from Aurizon, which it fought and applied to the High Court for special leave but was knocked back.

Sims wants all this to end with a call to strengthen the ACCCs position as an effective competition regulator. To this end, he wants Australia to fall into line with other countries and have a single new formal merger regime where all acquisitions need ACCC clearance over a certain threshold. He also wants call in powers for those potentially problematic acquisitions that come in below the threshold. Loading Thirdly he wants the competition act updated to clarify how the ACCC can prove that a merger is anti- competitive in the courts. Finally, he wants a specially tailored law to cover acquisitions by large digital platforms including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, which he described as serial acquirers and with the benefit of hindsight, they should not have been allowed to proceed.
Ahmads book is about Bani Adam, a young Lebanese man under extreme family pressure to marry a girl from the same background, and the chaos that unfolds when he does. Ahmad is a bold, original voice and his writing can be both moving and laugh-out-loud funny. Addressed to his newborn son, this is an achingly tender story of heartbreak, courage, love and being true to yourself.

There have been two beautiful recent novels about fatherhood: The Other Half of You, by Australian writer Michael Mohammed Ahmad, and Bewilderment, by American Richard Powers, whose last novel, The Overstory, won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Bewilderment is about the struggles of Theo, an astrobiologist, to raise his nine-year-old son, Robin, whose mother has died. Robin, who feels deeply about the environment, sometimes cant control his rage, and Theo is searching for ways to manage this without using drugs. Set against a background of unfolding climate catastrophe, Bewilderment is both a lament for a changing world and a profoundly moving portrait of the challenges of raising an acutely sensitive child. Not out until September 28, this will need to be an IOU.

In American writer Katie Kitamuras Intimacies, the narrator works as a translator at an international criminal court for crimes such as genocide. Her life is complicated. She is dating a man unclear about his feelings for his ex-wife, and she is interpreting for a man accused of heinous crimes, which she finds confronting, especially as he tries to make an ally of her. Kitamura explores the nuances of language and relationships between men and women, and the moral complexities of the international criminal justice system.

Best-selling Australian crime writer Michael Robothams latest thriller, When You Are Mine, deals with domestic abuse, police corruption and toxic friendships. After the main protagonist, police officer Philomena McCarthy, is called to a domestic violence scene, she becomes close to the victim, Tempe, and determines to bring to justice the perpetrator, a highly decorated police officer. As always, Robotham delivers a carefully crafted plot, great dialogue and authentic characters who keep you guessing until the end.
Dominik: It was sort of based on his [Reads] books, originally. But then we got his arrest docket, which I think is in the back of one of the books, and it listed all the cops whod arrested him. And we started tracking them down, and they started telling us stories about who the guy really was, as opposed to the sort of myth of Chopper Read.

Bennett: We started doing music videos back when there was some money in it and when you were allowed to do what you wanted to do, and they were fun. We did a lot of those, and commercials, before we did the film.

Chopper was the first feature film for both producer Michele Bennett and writer-director Andrew Dominik , whose collaboration began in Sydney in the early 1990s.

With the film set for re-release in a digitally remastered version, we asked some of the key players to look back at its making.

But the final product  with a mesmerising lead performance by Eric Bana, previously best-known as a TV comic  was unlike anything that might have been expected. Droll, alarming and strangely compassionate, Chopper quickly established itself as that rare thing, a true cult movie, its reported fans ranging from stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio to actual underworld figures in Melbourne and elsewhere.

Few Australian films have sparked as much controversy as Chopper, beginning well before it arrived in cinemas in 2000. Why perpetuate the myth of Mark Chopper Read, career criminal and self-confessed killer, who was still in jail when he hit the bestseller list in the 1990s with a string of factually questionable memoirs?

Dominik: There were times when the movie got shut down because Chopper would go and make a spectacle of himself on television just when we were about to go and try to get finance.

Eric Bana (Mark Chopper Read): The one recollection I have is just how long it took and how precarious it always felt. It always felt like a project that could totally just have not been made.

For a variety of reasons, the film took a while to get off the ground.

Dominik: He wouldnt meet us originally. Hed write letters. He did say in one letter that he wasnt interested in how he saw himself, he wanted to see how someone else saw him. But he had various caveats about what could and couldnt be in the movie. There was to be no drug usage, no violence towards women and no poetry. And all three things were in the film in the end.

Bennett: He did always say never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.

Bana was Reads own choice for the lead  but not everyone was instantly convinced.

Eric Bana says the award-winning film always felt like a project that could totally just have not been made.

Bennett: He was a real motivator and when he believed in something he was 100 per cent behind it. Bizarrely, there were some distinct similarities between Chopper and Michael. They were both intuitive and charismatic. They were also both impatient and could not understand how long it took to get the film made.

Along the way, producer Michael Gudinski came on board through his newly formed company Mushroom Pictures.

Simon Lyndon (Jimmy Loughnan): There were legal problems. There were people in court who were in the script. There were, if I remember right, even death threats made to one of the producers.

Just as vital were the supporting actors, who drew on personal experience to varying degrees.

Apps: Seeing the footage of him [Read] it showed his kind of reckless buffoonery ... Thats difficult for an actor who is working with technique and craft and all that kind of thing to deliver reckless buffoonery. But Eric Bana, because he had the instinctiveness of a comedy performer, had no problem in accessing that.

Bana: I was surrounded by so many cast members on Full Frontal who were not comedians in their background, who were straight actors, who were treating sketch comedy the way they approached a play or something like that. So maybe that did have a role in bridging the gap, not feeling as though it was a massive stretch to play something straight.

Lyndon: When Eric walked in, you were just like, Hey, come on, this guy is Chopper. He looks so much like him, and his mimicry was perfect.

Dominik: His [Banas] first audition was the sort of D-Generation version of the character. And I went down to Melbourne and spent a day with him. By lunchtime, I knew it wasnt going to be Eric. And then we kept going at it, and by the end of the afternoon I knew it was going to be him.

Greg Apps (casting): They did have a sales agent pull out because the sales agent said, no, no, we need a hugely experienced actor.

Dominik: One thing that was really interesting was that to play prison guards, the best people to cast were prisoners because they carried that voice within them of the authoritarian prison guard. They really relished playing those roles.

Apps: When youre talking about a gang or a group, they can be people that just have this loose energy, and therefore they actually colour the frame.

Kate Beahan (Tanya): Im passionate about research, so as soon as I got the role the first thing I did was a ride along with police in the Cross, because I was living in Sydney. We visited shooting galleries and so forth, and strip clubs. But after I talked to some of the women and they gave me their numbers and then didnt return the calls, or gave me a false number, I quickly realised that approach wasnt going to work. So then I got a job in a brothel as the receptionist. It was, to this day, the job that has most affected me. It didnt last very long. It was very hard.

Lyndon: I come from a single Mum, Ive hung out in commission flats and all kinds of rough places. So I wouldnt say it was another world.

Vince Colosimo (Neville Bartos): I was born and bred in North Carlton and as a youngster I was out and about in Melbourne in the 1980s and 90s. I saw what Melbourne nightlife was about, some of the darker, seedier sort of places and then the big happening clubs. So I came across a lot of different people.

For Dominik and Bana, meeting the actual Read face to face was a turning point.

Dominik: I had this photograph of him [Read]  hes naked in the photo and hes got a glass of wine and a cigarette and hes covered in tattoos. He was sort of a good-looking guy, in a way. And hes got a look of such pain on his face.

Bana: So much of his character was a performance ... but then there would just be the occasional quiet moment where you got a glimpse of the level of hurt and the level of damage and the level of seriousness that lay beneath the surface.

Dominik: Eric and I went to Tasmania and spent a weekend with him on his farm just after his release [from prison], and it was so stressful. He didnt talk to Eric. He didnt even look at him. I think he wanted Eric to watch him. And I became like the demonstration model in all of his re-enactments of his crimes.

Bana says of meeting Read in Tasmania: I remember coming away feeling totally exhausted.

Bana: I remember coming away feeling totally exhausted. Id had so much input, my brain was just overwhelmed with information and observations of him.

Much of the first half of the film was shot on location at Melbournes Pentridge Prison, which closed in 1997.

Dominik: H-division was great. It had a very kind of chilled-out vibe, like the polar-bear cave at the zoo.

Bennett: It had a corrugated tin roof, and we were filming in winter and we were terrified of the noise of the rain. We had a continuity person who told us that she could control that. She said she was a white witch, and it wouldnt rain. And it didnt rain during the day, it rained at night.

Bana: We shot the first half with one cinematographer in Pentridge. Then we took a production break and then we had a different cinematographer in the second half. So it was almost like two different films.

Bana as Mark Chopper Read in H-Division of Pentridge Prison.

Dominik: I had a pretty bad relationship with the DP in the first half of the movie, and got rid of him and got another guy, and things were much better after that.

Geoffrey Hall (director of photography, second half of the shoot): The way the film was always structured was thered be a downtime in the middle where Eric would put on weight for the later part of the film. So that was a good opportunity to solve that difference.

Colosimo: There was the pre-1986 part - Choppers time in prison - and then there was, by memory, a four-week break while we rehearsed and Eric ate.

Loading

Bana: I had one meeting with a nutritionist. I knew there were no tricks to it.

Beahan: I do recall there were some days where he was like, I cant eat any more, Ill have to stop. But he was determined.

Dominik: I think Eric was a much better actor when he was fat. You know, hes a lot happier when hes got food, you dont want to get in the way of him and his food.

Colosimo: I think that second half of the film was a lot more relaxed for everyone than the first part where theyre in prison, this contained area, where theyre there every single day in these little cells.

Hall: It was very much a thing that when Chopper got out of prison, life was going to be full-on, focused, intense and if there was a colour it was going to be an intense colour, compared with having been in prison, where there were just the white prison lights.

Colosimo: The set design was amazing, the costumes were amazing, the hair was amazing. I remember having so much fun, even in make-up with Eric. Eric would be in make-up for a couple of hours with the tattoos and the hair and the [mutilated] ears and Id be there for a good hour myself, with my tattoos and all the stuff that was happening to me. So within that time Eric would do impersonations, we would talk about things, we would laugh. It was sometimes the funniest part of the day.

Although Read didnt come to the set, he was among the first to see the finished film.

Dominik: I was trying to convince him to watch the film with me. I was going to fly down to Launceston and rent a theatre and Mark was really, really disturbed by that. Where will we sit? Like an empty theatre? Just you and me? ... He just wanted a videotape of the movie, which we sent him. That next 24 hours was just incredibly stressful and then he rang me and he said, You must be psychic  Who did you talk to? He said it was incredible to watch the film because he [had] felt that, in his life, he was normal, like his reactions were normal. But watching the movie, he realised he was crazy. And he thought it was really accurate and he seemed kind of moved by it.

Sallows: This is what Andrew told me. He [Read] said: Andrew. Very good film. Youve caught me as being the kind of guy I am, a very funny, lovable sort of guy. But there is one scene I dont like. And Andrew went Mm, whats that? The last scene. With the two wardens in the jail cell, where Im telling them a story, they get up and leave me alone by myself. Can you get rid of that?

Bana as the very intriguing, complicated, sometimes humorous Mark Chopper Read.

For other viewers, the film triggered a variety of strong reactions.

Hall: I knew it was going to be a good film when Andrew and I drove out of Pentridge, listening to AC/DC, Jailbreak, on the last day of the movie. I could tell wed made a good film.

Dominik: I remember the first time we ever screened the film for an audience, and theres that early scene when he stabs Keithy George [David Field] in the face, and then he starts apologising to him, and you could just feel the bottom drop out of the room. Like, people didnt know where they were. And I thought Oh, OK, weve got something here.

Apps: People were just slack-jawed. They couldnt believe it. Eric Bana went up on stage at the end of it and heres this lovely charming appealing guy, this leading man guy, and hes just played this animal in front of them.

Bana: It wasnt like the film arrived and everybody gave a positive response and then just kind of moved on. It was quite a complicated response.

Dominik: The Victoria Police urged the public to boycott the movie. You couldnt get better publicity!

Up until his death in 2013, Read continued to express mixed feelings about his portrayal.

Dominik: He obviously mellowed, Mark. I do feel like the movie was good for him. I mean, he was a guy who hadnt spent more than six months out of jail since he was 16. And, you know, he didnt go back.

Bennett: I dont know if his wife would think the film was a great thing for him. Over the years his perception of the film changed all the time.

Lyndon: Quite a few years after the film, I was walking through Collingwood and he was there with his son. I looked him up and down and he looked me up and down and I said, How you going? I played Jimmy in your film. He goes Yeah, Gudinskis made $50 million worldwide and Im going bankrupt. (In actual fact, Chopper took less than $6 million at the Australian box office). I said, Dont look at me, Im on the dole. It was an interesting moment.

Simon Lyndon as Jimmy Loughnan, Choppers frenemy. Credit:John Tsiavis

Dominik: It wasnt like we were friends, but I did feel very close to Mark in a certain way and I cared about him because I spent so much time thinking about him. But its an unusual relationship. Its a weird thing to do, to make a movie about a living person.

Loading

Bana: The person themselves might not understand the truth, what causes a lot of that behaviour. So what chance do you have yourself as an actor? I always knew that Andrews portrayal of the character was a truthful one, and the truth is that hes this very intriguing, complicated, sometimes humorous character.

Dominik: The responsibility was to what I thought the truth was. Like, the things I did were things that Mark had said he wouldnt approve of, but I was going to do them anyway because it felt like a lie not to. But at the same time I always felt like the film was on his side, if you like.

Chopper is currently screening in Queensland and Western Australia and is due to be released theatrically in Victoria, NSW and the ACT in late September. Eric Bana and Andrew Dominik will hold a Q&A at Palace Dendy Brighton in Melbourne when restrictions ease.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Two things are clear. He doesnt like people questioning his authority and he likes being the centre of attention. The rest - bookended between two segments of a sequence (set in 1991) in which, flanked by two approving prison warders, he watches himself being interviewed on TV - is strategically murky.

In its way, Dominiks depiction of Read is reminiscent of Terrence Malicks characterisation of Kit (Martin Sheen) in Badlands: both men are killers drawn like moths to the flame of celebrity, Read luxuriating in the role of the everyday joker whom circumstances have cast as a tough guy in much the same way as a curiously innocent Kit fashions himself as a James Dean clone.

Im just a normal bloke who likes a bit of torture, Read explains at the start, a twinkle in his eye. And he seems to believe it too. But such a profile ignores the self-deceptions he brings to almost everything he does. A cops subsequent description of him - Youre a bullshit artist. Simple - seems much closer to the mark.

From left: Simon Lyndon as Jimmy Loughnan, Eric Bana as Chopper and Dan Wylie as Bluey.

After hes beaten up Tanya for her perceived infidelities, and head-butted her mother into semi-consciousness, he reveals himself to be totally incapable of self-criticism. Look what youve gone and done, he tells them, once again passing the responsibility for his violence on to someone else. On the other hand, his response to the warders queries about whether or not he did everything that he says he did points to at least a degree of self-awareness. You know me. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Podcast

Dead Eyes

Connor Ratliff

Connor Ratliff has turned rejection lemons into lemonade with this funny, yet heartfelt podcast.

Most of us have had a What if? moment or two. For Connor Ratliff, it was when he had a big break handed to him, and soon afterwards it was taken away. And the person who took it away happened to be one of the most universally beloved actors in Hollywood.

More than two decades ago, following two years of being rejected as an actor, Ratliff auditioned for a small role on the Tom Hanks-produced TV mini-series Band Of Brothers. And he got it. But then he was called back to meet Hanks himself. Soon afterwards he was told he had lost the role, reportedly because Hanks felt he had dead eyes.

Ratliff has never forgotten it, but he has turned those lemons into lemonade with this funny, yet heartfelt podcast. At first glance, this is pretty low-stakes stuff. So what if an actor lost a job? Ratliff acknowledges this, and he is more than aware of the fact that there are unsolved murders and pressing social issues out there. But he uses his own experience from all those years ago to investigate the broader issue of how we deal with failure and rejection.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It would be a mistake to underestimate Imelda Staunton. She may be diminutive  five foot nothing, size three shoes  but, boy, is she a force, albeit a quiet, gently spoken one. Her most stern firmness is reserved for audience members. Anyone on a mobile phone in the theatre: I will turn round and say, Can you turn that off, please?  Food in the cinema is another no-no: A bloke came in with a big packet of Doritos and I just said to him. What are you doing? [ horror-struck face] You cant eat those. You either eat them now before the film or afterwards. What was his reaction? Er, sorry? As for public demonstrations of affection, forget it. I was in a matinee last year  a two-hander  and there was a couple sitting in front of me  with their red wine, fine  started snogging, fine  play starts, still snogging. So, I just leant forward and said, I havent come here to watch you guys and its really, really hard to concentrate. Thanks.  The theatres themselves must take part of the blame: Why are you selling crissssssssssspsssss? she draws out the word, onomatopoeically. I just do not get it. And also none of us can be without food for five minutes. And the drinks! Plastic glasses falling on the floor when theres a quiet moment going on.... Imelda Staunton on the red carpet for the Downton Abbey movie at the Rome Film Festival in 2019. Credit:Getty Her intolerance for mobile phones extends beyond auditoriums. Staunton finds it perplexing, even disrespectful, when fellow actors come out of an emotional scene and immediately check their devices. Well, I do wonder, Why cant you just be here today? This is your job. There is nothing more important than this moment now. Fine in the coffee breaks but not now. And its not just on film sets. Its everywhere. Now if people work in an office, long gone are the days when it was No personal calls, please  its just all day [she acts someone on their phone barely looking up, Sorry? What? No hang on.... There are a lot of short acting scenes, it must be said, by Staunton during our interview.]

Advertisement

Another aspect of modern life that exercises her is the red carpet  why is it still such a twirling anachronism? (The actor was loved for her distinctly unHollywood behaviour of taking her own sandwiches to eat in the car before the big night of her Vera Drake nomination.) She understands why lovely young women want to feel good in their pretty dresses but Id like them all to go in DJs [dinner jackets] one year, just to mess it up a bit. And theres always got to be a bum shot, hasnt there? She dislikes the way the women have to do the look to the photographers: When they shout out Turn around! Turn around!  OK? You still got to do that, have you? Why dont you just say, No  Im not gonna turn around, mate. Loading All of this may convey an impression that Staunton is formidable but, if so, I applaud her forthrightness and lack of blandness; just because shes petite, she is no pushover. She comes across in the press as someone refreshingly ungrand, with an impression of general loveliness. Both are true, but the surprise is the steel. The reason Staunton does her own make-up and wardrobe for shoots may be that she doesnt like the fuss and time, but I would guess it is also because she knows exactly what will suit her and she is happy with the way she looks when she does her own make-up, so why change it? She says when I ask her about whether she likes her appearance, Im not really bothered about it and I also think people spend too much time thinking about themselves  how they look rather than what they are doing. Why not do something? Nevertheless, up close, her face is fetching  with her feline blue eyes, delicate features and chiselled cheekbones. Where she is undoubtedly formidable is in what she refers to, with some reverence, as the work. Her range and versatility as an actress is extraordinary  she sings, dances, acts on stage, in film and television, does funny and sad, and excels at it all. Oscar-nominated as Vera Drake: Staunton in the title role with, Ethel Drake played by Alex Kelly, Frank Drake played by Adrian Scarborough and Sid Drake played by Daniel Mays.

Advertisement

She has won many awards, among them four Oliviers ( latterly for her much-celebrated Gypsy and Sweeney Todd; Stephen Sondheim is mad about her), an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and a BAFTA for the 2004 movie Vera Drake, Screen Actors Guild for Shakespeare in Love. More Olivier nominations for Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Follies, Good People and Guys and Dolls. In 2006, she received an OBE and 10 years later a CBE, for services to drama. A few years ago, Staunton fancied doing television again. She had been in Dennis Potters The Singing Detective back in 1986, alongside her husband of 36 years Jim Carter, beloved Carson, the butler in Downton Abbey, as well as Cranford, with both Carter and the couples daughter Bessie. The couple was reunited on the big screen in the Downton Abbey film. In the BBCs The Return to Cranford in 2009. Credit:BBC After her hefty parts on the stage, the actor says she was not expecting to get comparable roles on the small screen and then along came an acclaimed 2019 crime drama series A Confession with Martin Freeman. We had met before the announcement of an even bigger role which is public knowledge now: the Queen, taking over from Olivia Colman, in season five of The Crown (which has just started filming and will screen in 2022). Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki will play Diana and Dominic West, Charles, in episodes that span their marriage breakdown and the tragic death of Diana in 1997. Early images released of Staunton in character show an uncanny likeness with the real-life Royal. Im slowly and quietly getting on with my reading and listening and doing all the stuff, Staunton told Variety when her role was announced. Its terrifying and exciting and a large responsibility and I cant wait. Staunton has said there are extra challenges playing the monarch at an age that more people are familiar with. With Claire Foy, [the Queen in the first two seasons] it was almost history and now Im playing one that people could say she doesnt do that, shes not like that, and thats my personal bete noire, she told People. Imelda Staunton meets the Queen at her 90th birthday celebration at Windsor. Pic Chris Jackson Credit:Getty The actress met the actual Queen when she sang for her 90th birthday and was invited to tea afterwards. It is weird that Ill be [playing her], she has said. Of course, its bloody weird. Its my job to try to turn it into some sort of bloody believable performance.

Advertisement

Of course, its bloody weird. Its my job to try to turn it into some sort of bloody believable performance. Imelda Staunton playing the Queen It was Vera Drake, directed by Mike Leigh, in which she plays a working-class woman who performs free, illegal abortions and is arrested, that was a game-changer for her - also, she says, the best acting experience of my life - the Oscar nomination led to Staunton being cast in two Harry Potter films as Ministry of Magic henchwoman and Hogwarts infiltrator Dolores Umbridge: They might have wanted me before but my profile wasnt high enough, so that recognition is useful, she says. Her Gypsy had also been initially postponed into going into the West End for the same reason: They said [it couldnt happen] because youre not famous enough.  Were you crestfallen?  Well, I emailed Stephen Sondheim [who had virtually insisted on her playing the role of Mama Rose after seeing her Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd] and said Are you depressed? and he wrote back Yeah I am. Look, thats the business. I was more embarrassed for....him. I thought Jesus Christ! And I knew if I had done a big film but then I thought I have done a couple of big films but anyway, it didnt matter, we did it. The esteemed theatre critic Michael Billington described her 2015 Gypsy in The Guardian as one of the greatest performances Ive ever seen in musical theatre. Staunton was the only child of Bridie and Joe of County Mayo who joined the big influx of Irish immigrants who settled in North London in the 1950s. Her father was a labourer and her mother ,a hairdresser who had opened her own salon in her early twenties. The family lived in a flat above the business in Archway, moving to Finchley when Staunton was 10. Every weekend was spent with her grandmother, Beatrice who Imelda called Gan-gan , in Highbury because her parents were working. Summer holidays were spent back in County Mayo and I absolutely loved it because all the grown-ups were out getting drunk all night long and we, kids, were just running around and playing in the streets all day long. It was great, very free. Imelda Staunton boards a boat, with personal water bottle and puffer coat, for a scene as the Queen in Macduff, Scotland, earlier this month. Credit:Getty There were always lots of parties, growing up, with everyone singing away. Staunton would be called to stand up and join the entertainment, which she hated, thinking Im not a grown up so how do I do that? Her go-to song was Two Little Orphans, an Irish tune later covered by Dolly Parton among others. At her private convent school, she was more enthusiastic about performing and was cast in all the school plays and musicals, rattling off a list including Benjamin Brittens Noyes Fludde and The Little Sweep, The Beggars Opera, Pride and Prejudice. The young Staunton was also encouraged to take part in drama festivals and her elocution teacher, who taught her drama after school, helped to prepare her for auditions at drama school; she was rejected by Central and Guildhall but accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).

Advertisement

The actress as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She appreciated the six years in repertory theatre that allowed her to be under the radar while practicing her craft: I was given parts with huge responsibility  St Joan, Electra, Piaf  and of course they werent all great by any stretch of the imagination, but I was trying to do my best obviously. Also you think God, who would come to see Electra in Exeter? and people came because they went to the theatre then without having to have a star in it. It was fantastic training, a real apprenticeship. Work is a priority but so is home life and family. Balance is very important to me, she says. Balancing our life and our work, balance in our family, balance in all things. Staunton likes to play women who are not like her and particularly ones who shout a lot, which is something she does not do, she says, because her parents argued a lot. Drinking and arguing, not a good combination... No, so I never wanted to shout as an adult. She likes to play women who are not like her and particularly ones who shout a lot, something she does not do as her parents argued a lot. The couple marks every wedding anniversary and always had a three-week limit to the time they were prepared to be away from one another: Now we can absolutely say, Id rather be home doing the gardening. Staunton says they are both good gardeners but hes the head gardener, and Im only the assistant. Have you planted all your tulips yet? They dont watch television every night, but they will binge: Spiral, the French detective series, at the moment. They liked Line of Duty, Succession (which is basically King Lear) and The Wire. Yes, absolutely. Marvellous Idris Elba. We are in a great place with telly at the moment. I mean  goodness, gracious!  we thought we had it good when we got one Dennis Potter every few years.

Advertisement
You wouldnt know it, from the way we let corporations extinguish native title, mine First Nations lands and blow up Indigenous treasures but for years now Australian states have been locked in a race to build the first national centre of Aboriginal arts. Now, it seems, we have a winner. With its new Aboriginal Arts and Cultures Centre expected to start construction before years end, the winner is  Adelaide! Whod have thought?

Even more astonishing, especially to international observers, is that Australia does not already have at least one such institution. This is particularly remarkable in view of the high international profile of Aboriginal arts, both traditional and contemporary. The 2013 show of 200-plus Aboriginal painting at Paris Jean Nouvel-designed Musee du Quai Branly, for instance, drew more than 133,000 visitors.

An artists impressions of the Aboriginal Arts and Cultures Centre to be built in Adelaide. Credit:Woods Bagot

Why the lacuna? Possible reasons are plentiful. For one, although Aboriginal cultures often blur the boundaries between art and life, were inclined to classify Indigenous artefacts as anthropology, not art, and so confine them to museums. Another reason is a widespread belief that Aboriginal cultures were largely immaterial. And one reason for that is, although some were since returned, many important artefacts were snaffled after Cooks first visit in 1770 and shipped elsewhere. (Even recently, the Juukan Gorge inquiry heard that Aboriginal artefacts were removed by Rio Tintos contractors and later, they say, disposed of.) Yet another reason, arguably, is guilt.

Whatever the reasons, the gap exists and the race is on. Sydney isnt in it. (Sydney Modern, expected to be completed next year, includes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander gallery, some 40 per cent bigger than existing. But its the smallest of the three major new gallery spaces and far from a stand-alone centre.)
Its March 2022 in Australia and, after a long drought, a wedding invitation arrives. Included inside is an RSVP note with instructions about how to use a rapid coronavirus test on the day of the nuptials.

It may seem like science fiction now but in the United States and Britain, some COVID-19-conscious hosts already have screening requirements, and its become a prerequisite to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test before attending a gathering.

Masked newlyweds and their wedding party in Malaga, Spain. Credit:The New York Times

So while we can expect many of our old freedoms to return next year, they will come with new realities, such as mask-wearing and cheery wedding invites asking people to comply with the following COVID health and safety rules .

Crowds may be allowed to snake back into sporting stadiums and live music venues  at a safe distance from one another  while cinemas and museums will be open, perhaps requiring a vaccination passport for entry.

Thousands of secondary close contacts will no longer have to isolate. International travel will resume and millions will have our first real encounter with the pathogen that caused our worlds to shrink.

And when we do meet this virus, many of us, even if we are fully vaccinated, could still end up sick for three or so days with a mild illness much like the common cold but, infectious disease physician Professor Peter Collignon says, that is far better than ending up in intensive care for three weeks.

Read the full analysis by our health team here.
Every one of them is frustrated with the slowness and clumsiness of the federal governments vaccine strollout. But they have other resentments, too, including hotel quarantine. Beneath the surface, relations with most of the premiers have become very unhappy. But what about the NSW Premier and fellow Liberal, Gladys Berejiklian? Morrison has made an effort to appear supportive. In the view of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Morrison is too supportive. His job is not to be the Prime Minister of NSW, a Victorian government spokesperson said last month. Loading The Victorian complaint was that Morrison was giving NSW more generous financial support, a double standard. The PM rejected this  Victoria received the same support for its two-week circuit-breaker lockdown as NSW has for its first two weeks of lockdown  but the perception of favouritism stuck. Yet even between the two Sydneysiders, relations are strained. Berejiklian is a Liberal team player who keeps her grievances about Morrison private. But, in private, she is scathing. The NSW Premier has told Liberal colleagues shed have preferred that Peter Dutton had won the last federal leadership ballot  shed rather be dealing with Dutton because Morrison is so unpleasant, shes said. Shes described the PM as a bully.

Berejiklian went so far as to tell a colleague that Morrisons behaviour was evil. She and many of her colleagues are still angry at the fact that Morrisons press office phoned political reporters in a background effort to discredit her, so-called briefing against her, over the vaccine rollout a few weeks ago. They accuse Morrisons staff of doing the same during the bushfires of two years ago: Usually he briefs against her for doing her job with some measure of competence, said one of the Premiers loyalists. He doesnt like the contrast  he makes himself look big by trying to make others look small. Among Berejiklians inner circle, its considered a joke to call Morrison the Prime Minister for NSW. They consider Morrison to be the Prime Minister for Morrison and no one else. Ironically, the source of Victorias gripe of favouritism, federal funding of NSW during its current lockdown, was actually the subject of a major argument between Canberra and Sydney. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet wanted JobKeeper back. The Morrison government refused. Canberra was prepared to make disaster payments, as it had to Victoria. But it wouldnt contemplate a return to JobKeeper. Perrottet considered JobKeeper so much better that he wrote an opinion column in The Daily Telegraph last month explaining three reasons why. The main one was that Disaster Payment and JobSaver dont appear to be maintaining the relationship between workers and employers as firmly as JobKeeper did.

JobKeeper was paid from the federal government to employers, who then paid their workers, so it maintained the connection between businesses and their staff. Loading Perrottet was so determined that he decided NSW would pay the full cost of JobKeeper Mark II  all he needed from Canberra was the enabling data that only the Australian Tax Office possessed. The NSW Treasury was in discussions with its federal counterpart to set this up. But when Perrottet went on TV and announced that NSW was prepared to create its own wage subsidy, Morrison reacted furiously. Testy phone calls followed; Morrison refused to supply the essential information even though the program would not cost Canberra a cent. The politics seemed pretty plain  Morrison didnt want to be seen to be abandoning the states. The two governments reverted to a fall-back plan, sharing the cost of increased supplementary payments instead. This confirmed the suspicion in the Berejiklian government that Morrison was more interested in the politics of appearance than the substance of outcomes. Some of the premiers gave up on the hotel quarantine system months ago. To state the obvious, hotels were built for tourists, not for containing plagues.

One type of quarantine accommodation that has proved virus-proof is the cabin-style camp at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory, formerly a mining camp. With no connecting hallways or air-conditioning ducts, the virus has been unable to waft from room to room. Loading This effectiveness of cabins should not be news  the old Quarantine Station on Sydneys North Head was built with cabins. In 1832. Theyre still there, now preserved as a heritage site, hotel and conference venue. But, as often happens, Australia failed to learn from its own experience. For such a young country, we have a terrible memory. Nor would Scott Morrison learn from the contemporary experience of Howard Springs, which was operated by his own government. Rather than embrace the Howard Springs model and extend it nationally, Morrison walked away from it. The Commonwealth this year handed responsibility for running Howard Springs to the Northern Territory government.

And when Palaszczuk pitched a plan for a co-operative cabin-style quarantine camp for Queensland, the Morrison government agreed in principle but came up with a list of national criteria which excluded the Palaszczuk plan. The Morrison government pitched its own alternative quarantine station for Queensland. In Pinkenba, on Brisbanes outskirts, instead of the Palaszczuk proposal for Toowoomba. After months of fruitless negotiations, Palaszczuk simply lost patience. Loading Morrison, affecting equanimity in the face of this unilateral walkout, told reporters on Thursday that he wished Queensland well. The Commonwealth was still planning to go forward together with Queensland in building the Pinkenba facility. In truth, Palaszczuk had stung the Prime Minister. Morrisons government announced on Friday  the very next day - that it had awarded a contract to build the quarantine station at Pinkenba. Palaszczuk learned about it from the press release. Once again, Morrison didnt want to give the impression he was abandoning the states. At the same time, Morrison has decided to become the cheerleader for states to drop COVID restrictions as the national vaccination effort progresses. This is consistent with the scenarios sketched out by the Doherty Institute.

We cant stay in the cave forever, the PM urges. As 70 and then 80 per cent of the eligible adult population is fully vaccinated, he says, state governments must progressively surrender controls. The federal government is even threatening to withhold future disaster support payments from states that defy him. Loading This will make for some fine speeches in the months to come. Morrison seeks to be the champion of Liberal values of individual rights and economic liberty, casting Labor as the party of stifling regulation and economic misery. But Palaszczuk and her WA counterpart, Mark McGowan, have reserved their right to maintain restrictions as they see fit. These two, both Labor leaders, enjoy astronomical approval levels in their respective states. Does Morrison propose to campaign against them in the forthcoming federal election, where he cannot afford to lose any seats? Nothing would make Palaszczuk and McGowan happier than for Morrison to campaign against the safety of their people in two of Australias more parochial states.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Michelle Smiths specialists were baffled when they reviewed her MRI scans from brain surgery shed undergone more than a decade ago. A craniotomy had been performed on the left side of her head when her tumour was on the right. Their puzzlement soon turned to horror when they suspected her neurosurgeon Charlie Teo had not only failed to remove her tumour, he had operated on the wrong side of her brain. Ms Smith, from Bradbury in Sydneys west, left school in Year 10 because of her epileptic seizures. The seizures would occur without warning and she was aware of nothing until she woke up with people around her or she would find herself in an Emergency Department. After seeing Dr Teo on television, Ms Smith, then 19, was convinced the celebrity neurosurgeon could remove the tumour that was causing her epileptic seizures. Her mother Anica Bolic recalls their consultation with Dr Teo in 2003. Her daughter thought he was cool. Her mother did not.

Advertisement

He had a jelly snake hanging out of his mouth and his feet on the desk, Ms Bolic said. He explained the operation would be expensive but that he was the best person to do it. He then posed the question to her: So you need to decide how much is your daughters life worth? As it turned out it was $46,000. After her brain surgery, Ms Smith was in hospital overnight and then sent home. Although Dr Teo proclaimed the surgery a success, the seizures were still occurring and within three years Ms Smith was suffering multiple seizures every day. If he [Dr Teo] had done it correctly the first time, he would not have literally destroyed my life. Michelle Smith Because of the seizures, full-time employment was impossible. After she had a car accident due to a seizure, Ms Smith went to see other specialists. Studying Dr Teos MRI scans 12 years later, her new specialists informed her that the MRI scans showed no evidence of any surgery on the tumour. Instead, scar tissue indicated that Dr Teo may have removed healthy brain tissue from the other side of her brain.

Advertisement

Dr Teo later indicated that he was justified in conducting the operation in the manner he did, describing the procedure as: Dura [outer layer of tissue] opened and reflected. Right mesial posterior parietal [position in brain] tumour approached from left-sided craniotomy. Falxciotomy performed for access to right side of brain. Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo in September 2011. Credit:Quentin Jones In 2016 another neurosurgeon successfully removed the tumour. The operation was done in a public hospital and cost Ms Smith nothing. Ms Smith is thrilled with what she has accomplished in the five years since her second surgery. If he [Dr Teo] had done it correctly the first time, he would not have literally destroyed my life, she said of what she sees as more than a decade of lost time and opportunities. In 2019 she sued Dr Teo for professional negligence and the case was later settled. While the terms remain confidential, Ms Smith was very happy with the outcome. Dr Teo told the Herald that after treating 11,000 patients over his 35-year career he has been sued only twice. One was settled out of court while the other was thrown out of court, he said in a statement.

Advertisement

Dr Teos insurers paid out one claim on the basis that they did not want to incur the expense of a court case, against Dr Teos view that he could mount a successful defence, his statement said. Not the first time This was not the first time Dr Teo had operated on the wrong side of the brain. Charlie Teo pictured in Rosebery this week. Credit:Nick Moir A medical malpractice suit was filed against him in America after he performed a biopsy on the wrong side of a military servicemans brain when he was working in Arkansas. In 1997, the US District Court found there was a jurisdictional problem with the case as Dr Teo and the assisting doctor were civilian doctors contracted by the hospital. Therefore, the US government should have been sued, not the doctors.

Advertisement

Due to American privacy laws Charlie cannot comment on whether the named individual was a patient or not. Additionally, Charlie values the privacy of his patients and will not discuss their medical history or details about their care, Dr Teo has previously said via his lawyers. Earlier this week the Medical Council slapped conditions on Dr Teos registration because of concerns of risks to the public. They will remain in force until the Health Care Complaints Commission finalises its investigations. So you need to decide how much is your daughters life worth? Charlie Teo to the mother of patient Michelle Smith It is understood that the councils immediate action panel was convened following complaints from several interstate neurosurgeons alleging that Dr Teo performed operations that left financially stressed interstate patients stranded in the NSW public hospital system or that they were sent back home without adequate care arrangements in place. One interstate doctor told the Herald that when the patient arrives home, sometimes in a terrible state, the first discussion with the family always shocks them. Often they have been told that the patient would make a full recovery after a couple more weeks in ICU [Intensive Care Unit]. The doctor said that when families realise that the patient is not going to recover, significant embarrassment and shame often overwhelms them when they realise that they have spent so much money of their own and of others - for this outcome.

Advertisement
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size

The Delta strain outbreak instituted a new daily ritual for Sydneysiders and, later the rest of the state, where everybody stopped for the 11am briefing by the Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her team. The latest case numbers, hospitalisations, new restrictions, vaccination data - all would be outlined. And, increasingly, a roll-call of deaths would leave the state crestfallen.

The last two-and-a-half months have been an unrelenting saga of abrupt twists, turns and outright backflips as the outbreak resisted every attempt to bring it to heel.

Heres whats happened to date:

Delta outbreak index case identified as a Bondi limousine driver transporting international air crew.

An infected worker from a nail salon in Westfield Bondi Junction attended a birthday party attended by up to 40 people in West Hoxton. The party is later identified as a superspreader event for western Sydney.

NSW Health asks tens of thousands of people who visited Westfield Bondi Junction on the weekend of June 12 to get a COVID-19 test, regardless of symptoms.

Masks made mandatory in public indoor spaces.

Light-touch restrictions across Greater Sydney said to apply for one week: five visitors to home; masks in non-residential indoor settings; some restrictions on hospitality venues; limits on dance and gym classes; reintroduction of one person per four square metre rule for weddings, funerals and restaurants; 50% limit outdoor dining; public transport green-dot system reintroduced.

Light-touch lockdown in four eastern suburbs Local Government Areas (LGAs): Waverley, Randwick, Woollahra, and City of Sydney. Leave home for four reasons: food or other services; travel for work or education if you cant from home; exercise; or medical or caring reasons.

First Greater Sydney-wide lockdown meant to run till July 9. Eighty cases linked to the Bondi Delta outbreak.

Lockdown extended by a week: limits of two for exercise; 10km limit from home (except within LGA); only one person a day can shop.

State government announces Fairfield workers leaving their LGA for work must get a COVID-19 test every three days. Workers who move between Greater Sydney and regional NSW must get a weekly test. NSW sets aside $4.1 billion to support businesses and workers who have had their hours cut.

Lockdown extended again to July 30.

NSW records 111 new cases. Construction shut down for two weeks. Government finally agrees to define authorised workers and rules for these workers are put in place for Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs. (Originally no workers were allowed to leave those three LGAs unless in health or emergency services, this later modified to require mandatory three day testing for authorised workers in Canterbury-Bankstown and for aged and health care staff in Fairfield and Cumberland.) Non-essential retail click and collect only, and takeaway for food services.

Premier announces a national emergency and appeals to the national cabinet for other states to divert Pfizer vaccines to NSW. Up to 136 new cases.

ATAGI relaxes its advice around use of AstraZeneca, saying all over 18s in Greater Sydney should strongly consider taking any available vaccine. Cumberland and Blacktown were added to the list of hotspot LGAs.

Greater Sydney is locked down for another month. Now eight restricted LGAs with Parramatta, Georges River and Campbelltown added. NSW and federal governments announce a boost to support for businesses and individuals. Up to 177 new cases.

ADF troops join police in door knocking and logistical support such as roadblocks.

NSW construction returns with health restrictions.

Hunter and Upper Hunter go into lockdown. Up to 262 new cases.

Penriths suburbs designated as a hotspot.

Tamworth and Byron Bay placed in lockdown.

Dubbo goes into lockdown until at least August 28.

Strathfield, Burwood and Bayside added to the now 12 LGAs classified as of concern. Up to 345 new cases.

Lockdown extended statewide as cases spread into western NSW. Operation Stay At Home announced for Greater Sydney. The 10 km from home radius becomes 5kms: a strict 5 km from home for the 12 LGAs of concern; others can travel freely within LGA but no more than 5 km from home if leaving LGA. Permits will be required to travel to regions. Police roadblocks on major roads out of Sydney. Huge increase in fines. Up to 466 new cases.

Lockdown extended until the end of September. Now more than 10,500 cases since the outbreak began. Masks are mandatory outside. A 9pm to 5am curfew imposed on LGAs of concern plus shut down of retail such as nurseries, hardware and office supplies. Surveillance testing for authorised workers from LGAs of concern replaced by evidence of first vaccine dose or rapid antigen testing at work.

Up to 825 cases in NSW.

A record number - 1029 - of new daily local cases in NSW. New recreation freedoms for fully vaccinated adults announced.

Loading

NSW marked 22,157 confirmed local cases since the start of the pandemic, surpassing Victorias tally of 21,772.

Since June 16, there have been 81 deaths in NSW, 137 since the start of the pandemic last year.

* All dates when measures were announced.

Liam Mannixs Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Sign up to get it each week.
NSW has reported 882 new local COVID-19 cases and two deaths, as the NSW government announced the staggered return of students to schools from October 25.

Kindergarten and year 1 students will go back to class first in October, with year 12 students getting full access to their school ahead of a delayed HSC, which will begin on November 9, school principals were told on Friday.

Staff on school sites will need to be fully vaccinated from October 25 and the same will apply to all school staff from November 8.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 143,000 vaccine doses were administered in NSW in the past 24 hours, bringing the states total to 6.4 million jabs.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On Thursday morning Gladys Berejiklian unveiled her big surprise, the one thing shed promised the states citizens as a measure of relief from nine weeks of progressive screw-tightening. It amounted, as NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant conceded, to baby steps. Those in the 12 most tightly locked down areas of south and south-west Sydney could, in a fortnights time, picnic for an hour in a park with their household if vaccinated. Elsewhere, people could meet outside in groups of five  again, only if fully jabbed. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday. Credit:Janie Barrett Behind the scenes, senior ministers were relieved the Premier had steered away from the rumoured green light for one-on-one appointments with hairdressers and other beauty service providers (outside the hotspot areas). Throughout the prolonged discussions in crisis cabinet on Wednesday, one question kept bobbing up: how could the government justify singling out one industry over others? Whats safer? one reported later. Sitting at a table at an outdoor dining area or getting a haircut? The reward announcement was overshadowed by bad news: the breaching for the first time of the psychologically significant threshold of 1000 new cases in 24 hours. Two days earlier, on Tuesday, the state had reached the Premiers much-touted milestone of 6 million jabs by the end of August (a goal reached a week early). But that announcement, too, was clouded by widespread media reports that western Sydneys hospitals were starting to buckle under the strain.

Advertisement

Winters last icy blast seemed a fitting metaphor for the pervasive sense of unease, though Friday at least delivered certainty for parents of most schoolchildren, with dates fixed for a staggered return to classrooms. In recent weeks Berejiklian has abandoned her quest to drive transmission numbers as close to zero as possible. Her recent rhetoric urges citizens not to fixate on case numbers but to focus on vaccination numbers, to keep sprinting towards a new goal of 70 per cent coverage. Indeed, she now opens every 11am media briefing with the vaccination statistics, not fresh infection numbers, as used to be the case. The state has, on Fridays figures, now reached close to 6.4 million jabs  undoubtedly an enormous achievement. But as Greater Sydney prepares to enter its tenth week of lockdown misery (recently joined by the regions), questions are mounting about whether Berejiklian and her crisis cabinet adopted the right strategy against Delta at the start. The last two-and-a-half months have been an unrelenting saga of abrupt twists, turns and outright backflips as the outbreak resists every attempt to bring it to heel. Some of her senior ministers recall being uneasy about the vagueness of the government strategy initially, unsure whether the initial goal was elimination or suppression. On the backbench rising frustration is palpable. The strategy has been changing, and it really feels like policy on the run, says one Liberal MP. Health orders are so confusing, and they keep changing every week. We keep getting told that all decisions are made on health advice but none of us have seen it. Then we are told to go out and sell a message, to sell a lemon. This MP says backbenchers feel like theyre kept in the dark. We get information at 11am everyday like everyone else. Then we get sent a social media tile from the Premiers office to use on our own social media but have no understanding of what we are selling.

Advertisement

A Liberal MP in one of the hotspots says their electoral office is being smashed with constituents calling for clarification of the public health orders. Away from the glare of the daily media briefings there have been other tensions at senior levels of government. Maizen takes his grandmother for a walk around the block in Lakemba, during Sydneys lockdown. They are part of the Bankstown- Canterbury LGA, one of Sydneys hotspots where residents are only allowed to leave their home for an hour of exercise a day. Credit:Janie Barrett Berejiklians crisis cabinet, which is driving the pandemic response, has until last week consisted of herself, Deputy Premier John Barilaro, deputy Nationals leader Paul Toole, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Investment and Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres and Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello. Some other senior ministers keenly felt their exclusion from key decisions affecting their portfolios. Neither Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance nor Planning Minister Rob Stokes, for instance, knew about the July 17 snap announcement to shut down all construction for two weeks until it was announced. In recent days, Constance and Stokes have been added to the crisis cabinet lineup, along with Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and Attorney-General Mark Speakman. In the citys hard-pressed south-west and west, 12 local government areas of concern carry the highest case load. Yet, they have to function under restrictions harsher than anywhere else in the metropolitan area, all while carrying out the essential low-paid work that keeps the city fed, and its sick, disabled and aged cared for. Thats led to growing resentment of the two-speed approach to the lockdown. Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Bilal El-Hayek tells the Herald: The community feels this is a tale of two cities  There should be one rule across the board, then its harder to argue against, and its much better for the harmony of the community as well.

Advertisement

Others ask why recognised community leaders from those migrant-heavy areas havent been invited to stand alongside the Premier, police, senior bureaucrats and ministers at the daily media briefings to help supercharge the health messaging into south-west and western Sydney, where around 80 per cent of new infections arise each day. I doubt anyone on that crisis committee [of cabinet] has the lived experience of thinking how will I feed my children next week, how will I pay the rent, how will I ensure my grandparents are fed? says one consultant seasoned in migrant community engagement. It wasnt until July 23 that the government arranged for SBS to start transmitting the 11am media conferences in Arabic, followed soon after by Vietnamese, Assyrian, Cantonese, Mandarin and Khmer. SydPath nurse Petra Vieco gives Chhorng Nty (centre) a COVID-19 test, watched on by his sister Sivmey Nty at the Fairfield Showgrounds. Credit:Kate Geraghty Liberal MP for Mulgoa Tanya Davies has led a charge to try and block the mandatory vaccination of construction workers from the 12 hotspots, with backing from colleague Wendy Lindsay and other right-wing MPs. Davies has signalled that she intends to introduce a bill to the NSW Parliament to block the requirement. Her stance has angered some of her colleagues, but Davies insists shes simply concerned about the inequity of an arrangement where construction workers from hotspots must have the jab while those they work right alongside, from other zones of the city, do not. This sense of a divided city has been exacerbated by the recent application of a curfew solely to the 12 LGAs of concern  a measure Berejiklian and Chant publicly rejected on several previous occasions. NSW Police Chief Commissioner Mick Fuller later admitted, in hindsight, do I wish that I had raised curfews on day one? Yes, probably, but you would have laughed me out.

Advertisement

At least one senior government figure contacted by the Herald believes last weekends decision to screw down the lockdown to its tightest level yet  to throw everything at this in Berejiklians words  should have occurred weeks ago. Asked by A Current Affairs Tracy Grimshaw this week whether shed underestimated the coronavirus Delta strain, Berejiklian replied: I think all of us have ... there are so many things we could have done differently, so many things that we didnt understand that we understand now. Loading Her chief excuse for the constantly shifting tactics has been that Delta is different. However, that difference, its extraordinary contagiousness, was well-known long before it first gained a foothold in Sydneys east in mid-June. This idea that Delta caught us by surprise is rubbish, says one leading expert, who asked for anonymity to preserve working links with government. In April we banned flights from India, super controversially because we were so stressed about Delta. Every other state and territory undertook the accepted strategy, which was go hardest immediately and then ease off, the expert added. NSW went the exact opposite. Several weeks ago University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely warned that what he called Sydneys whack-a-mole approach wasnt working against Delta, and that NSW needed to roll up its sleeves and [get] the job done as quickly as possible with a really hard lockdown.

Advertisement
Does that mean some schools might not return? This means some students could be learning from home beyond October 25. Schools will have to meet two benchmarks if they are to reopen on that date, according to the new plan. Firstly, a high vaccination threshold. The government expects that NSW will reach a 70 per cent vaccination target in mid-October, which would align with Doherty Institute modelling that says restrictions can loosen once that is achieved. Most of the state will likely meet this condition. Secondly, a low community transmission threshold. This could cause delays in areas with high rates of transmission. NSW Health and the Education Department are considering adopting definitions set by the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to determine appropriate levels of community transmission for schools to open.

Under the NSW governments interpretation of the CDC guidelines, areas would have to record fewer than 50 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people within the previous 14 days to be considered to have low transmission and to keep schools open. If cases in certain LGAs increase significantly, learning from home will resume for that LGA until case numbers drop, a government statement says. I live or go to school in an LGA of concern. What does this mean for me? If vaccination rates improve and case numbers drop between now and late October, local government areas may no longer be designated areas of concern or be subject to tighter restrictions under the public health order.

If there are still local government areas of concern come October 25, these areas will continue to learn from home. This applies to students who either live or go to school in the local government area. Loading Ms Harrisson said that any LGA that is identified in the public health orders as an LGA of concern will not be returning under this plan, until they are removed from being LGAs of concern. Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has refused to be drawn on which LGAs were least likely to return on present case numbers. I cant pre-empt what advice that will be this far out, she said.

What will school look like? Schools will not operate as normal until restrictions in the community are lifted. You can expect reduced mingling between year groups, face masks and staggered break or school start times. Ms Harrisson said schools would be restricting activities between established student cohorts. This may be in class, grade or stage groupings depending on the organisation of the school, she said. Schools will consider, where practical, physical distancing and limited interactions between groups. This may include separate entry and exit points, different start and finish times, as well as staggered recess and lunch breaks, to reduce contact between student cohorts and staff. These are considered level three plus settings for schools. Face masks will also be compulsory for high school staff and students, as well as primary school staff. Masks will be strongly recommended for primary school students, but not mandatory. Its going to be encouraged because we recognise the challenges of securing a mask onto a kindergartener throughout the day, but our intention is to provide for that [mask wearing] wherever possible, Ms Harrisson said.

What will happen to the HSC exams? The government also announced on Friday that HSC written exams had been further delayed until November 9. We know that the NSW Education Standards Authority wants to run as many exams as possible, but it will not release its examination timetable until early to mid-September. At this stage we are planning for and preparing for the HSC written exams to occur as usual, NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) chief executive Paul Martin said on Friday. He said all students would sit at least one exam. Western Sydney students lining up to be vaccinated at Sydney Olympic Park earlier this month. Credit:James Brickwood At this stage, holding no exams at all is not being considered by the NESA board because the health advice indicates we can run exams based on a range of considerations and factors, he said.

The November 9 date has been selected because all students should have access to vaccination by then, allowing exams to be held as safely as possible. Some 70,000 students will be able to go for their English exam because we anticipate vaccination rates to have reached what the targets are, Mr Martin said. We will have really strict protocols in place for those students at the exam rooms, numbers of students in rooms, the invigilation, mingling before and after, mask wearing ... Whatever the health requirements are of that day and of that time, we will follow. Ms Harrisson clarified that there would be no compulsory vaccinations for HSC students. We have not mandated any vaccination requirements for our students. We have simply tried to ensure that every student in those LGAs who is sitting their HSC examination this year has the opportunity to get vaccinated, she said.

I work at a school. What does this mean for me? The government will make it compulsory for anyone who works in a school setting to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This includes teachers, support staff and administration staff. Double doses of COVID vaccinations will be mandatory for any staff on school sites from 25 October and for all school staff from 8 November, the NSW Department of Education told principals in an email. Loading NSW Health will be providing priority vaccinations at Qudos Bank Arena for school staff the week beginning September 6. The Education Department estimates that two-thirds of its staff have already had their first dose.
It took only seven days from Mohammad Islams positive test to when he was crippled by breathlessness.

At midnight on August 5, the 45-year-old sat with his wife in their Hurstville home, both with chest pain and running fevers. Theyd been laid low by Delta. The next morning the phone rang: their six-month-old, Sinan, had a positive swab.

It was all so quick. The public health unit called. Then our local hospital to check in on us, said Mr Islam. By 2pm the following day, after a rapid deterioration, Mr Islam and his wife Afsana Fardous, 36, were admitted to St George Hospitals COVID-19 ward. Hours later, Ms Fardous was in the ICU.

Mohammed Islam with his wife Afsana Fardous and their sons four-year-old Diyan Islam, eight-year-old Shayan Islam and six month-old Sinan Islam in the backyard of their home in Hurstville. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Too sick to care for their children, the familys three boys entered Westmead Hospitals COVID childrens ward, set up for young people who are either positive for the disease or, more frequently, whose parents have caught the virus and are unable to look after them.
The local member and area health were asking for hubs and we said we have a facility, he tells me. Its not about telling you to vaccinate or not vaccinate, or saying I believe or dont believe. Its about giving people the chance. Its not about religion, its a medical issue. We have done our bit to assist. Its got nothing to do with anti-vaxxers or pro-vaxxers. But some within the community do not approve. We have had a lot of backlash from parishioners and non-parishioners through social media, Chris says.

Some people are saying the church should not get involved in this, that its anti-Christ and youre feeding the coffers of the billionaires and youre making money out of it. A vaccination clinic in the All Saints Grammar School Gymnasium, in Belmore. Credit:Janie Barrett Thats what they believe. They think its not the right thing to do. Thats their belief. Despite the backlash, which has extended to hostile phone calls to the church, the clinic is buzzing. You name it, theyve come  Australian, Greek community, Indian, Bangladeshi. We have got a lot of cultures in the Canterbury area, he says.

The age group is anyone from young boys that want to go back to work from construction, to elderly people with letters from their doctors. The Belmore Greek church is on the frontline of the mass vaccination effort in Sydneys hard-hit south-west, the epicentre of the run-away Delta wave of infections. The backlash the church has had is not representative of all community sentiment. But it does illustrate the unique challenges of vaccinating a multicultural, multi-faith community with pockets of socio-economic disadvantage, where some people are distrusting of government and some glean health messages from social media sources. The worst thing we can do is be dismissive of peoples concerns, says Jihad Dib, the state Labor MP for Lakemba.

Rather than be dismissive and deride them, say, What are your concerns? and give them the response. This is how you address it. Dib says there has been a bit of anti-vax sentiment but its really dissipating. Fear of the AstraZeneca vaccine has played a huge part in suppressing vaccine take-up in this part of Sydney  it is mentioned by everyone interviewed for this story. People line up at the vaccination clinic in Belmores All Saints Grammar School. Credit:Janie Barrett Dib says there are some in the community who are very mistrustful of the government, and a small minority who think it might be a 5G conspiracy.

The deeper question is, Why have people got that much mistrust? Its not a simple answer. You get the ones who come in and say its the government trying to control you. Thats coming from a place of hurt. Theyve got too much time on their hands. Theyre not working. Theyre seeing this irrational stuff going around. A man of Greek background I speak to on the phone, says that getting vaccinated goes against everything I believe in. I would rather take my chance with the virus.

The 48-year-old father of two, who prefers not to have his name published, works in construction. Noman Siddiqui of Lakemba says will get the vaccination so he can work and later enjoy some freedoms. Credit:Janie Barrett He receives his vaccine information through links and videos on WhatsApp and Telegram groups. Ive personally seen countless videos now, of adverse reactions, he says. Lawyers and doctors in America are speaking out, saying the true number of adverse reactions is not being reported.

The man says his views are not representative of the Greek community, and says he may have to have the vaccination if he is unable to go to work without it. I will do it only if forced from an economic point of view, he says. If I cant provide for my family it will make it hard. Inside the gymnasium at All Saints church, order reigns. Members of the public wait for their call up to one of the vaccination stations manned by nurses. Four interpreters are on hand to assist  they speak Bengali, Greek, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) and Arabic.

The Arabic interpreter, Ahwad Halimeh, says he has seen people walk away from the vaccination hub next to Lakemba mosque, when they realised they were getting the AstraZeneca vaccine and not the Pfizer. From my experience, most people dont like AstraZeneca. They believe its not good for them, he says. The Greek interpreter, Mary Kleovoulou, has also seen people walk away when they realise theyre getting AstraZeneca. They are wishing to get the vaccination but are unsure, she says. Golam Mowla, the Bangladeshi interpreter, says the people he speaks to in his community are all reluctant to take the AstraZeneca.

Theyre scared and panicked about the AZ, he says. Interpreters Ahwad Halimeh, Mary Kleovoulou and Golam Mowla are helping at the Belmore pop-up clinic. Credit:Janie Barrett They say, either give me Pfizer or I will leave. Mowla directs such people to the doctor to discuss their concerns. He says that a small minority of religious people think everything is predestined by God and a vaccine is not going to help people. He also says that some young men and women in his community mistakenly think the vaccine will reduce their reproductive capabilities.

I was surprised to hear this, he says. Renee Moreton is the managing director of population health in the Sydney Local Health District. Over the last six weeks NSW Health has liaised with local community leaders and faith organisations to establish pop-up mobile vaccination clinics at the Belmore Church, the Lebanese Muslim Association building next to Lakemba mosque, the Orion Function Centre in Campsie, Flemington Markets and Club Burwood. There is a lot of messaging about staying within your community, so dropping vaccination centres in the heart of the local community has been a very successful strategy, Moreton says. It has made people more comfortable and confident to come forward and get a vaccine. It cant be underestimated, the importance of trust in those communities.

Moreton says there are some pockets of vaccine hesitancy in the south-west. For some people it is about knowledge and reassurance around the time frame for development of the vaccines, people asking, Have these vaccines been developed too quickly? But for many, the risk-to-reward equation has changed over the last six weeks. What has been the greatest driver for vaccines has been people who want to return to work. The need to just get on with life becomes greater than anything else, Moreton says. Its morning tea time at the Greek Orthodox Church.

Upstairs in the break room, the table groans with homemade Greek delicacies brought in by the yiayias of the church community. Maizen takes his grandmother for a walk around the block in Lakemba during Sydneys lockdown. Credit:Janie Barrett Volunteers snack on melomakarona, spanakopita, tiropitakia, kolokithopita and halva. Greek people like to feed, says one. They dont care if youre hungry or not. We chat to Karen Pinder, the acting nursing unit manager for Campsie, who has been seconded to Belmore for the day.

Everyone is mucking in, she says. Its a great place to work. I really like being part of the program. Even though we never see our own families! I ask her if illegal immigrants or visa overstayers are coming forward to be vaccinated. We dont ask those questions, she says. Your other circumstances are not relevant to us. She says all people need to receive a vaccination is some form of ID. If they dont have a Medicare card, they will be given a paper certificate to prove theyre vaccinated.

We leave the church with full bellies and drive to Lakemba, where the streets are largely empty. The pop-up clinic next to the mosque is closed today. We stop to chat to a policeman and a soldier checking on a person isolating in a flat. Further on, we get talking to a man standing outside his red-brick apartment block, smoking a cigarette with his mask pulled low. He reaffixes it to talk to us, and introduces himself as Noman Siddiqui. The 40-year-old lives with his wife, who is recovering from a major operation. He believes that people should have personal freedom over vaccination.

I dont believe this vaccine will make me immune, he says. I believe everything works according to Gods will. I believe that certain people are taking advantage of [the pandemic]. They are trying to make profit out of it. He says he was just watching a YouTube video of the Pfizer company CEO, in which he says he is not yet vaccinated. We are always fascinated by the freedoms of this country, he says. Thats why people come here, because nobody judges them. But now we cant make our own decisions.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The bareback riders defiant cry, before the stern faces of the constabulary along the Queensland-NSW border, was reminiscent of a Hollywood film, fitting given his career as a professional stuntman: They cant hold all of us. For his efforts stirring the crowd of about 1000 protesting against lockdowns and travel bans in the cross-border community of Coolangatta-Tweed Heads last Sunday, 52-year-old Michael Corrigan has since been fined more than $7000 by police on both sides of the state line for breaching health directions. Condemnation of the protest, while smaller in scale than those in capital cities, was swift by members of the Queensland government. But many who live their lives across the two states feel the frustration caused by the toughest travel restrictions imposed since the pandemic began. Protesters, including a horseback-riding Michael Corrigan, along the NSW-Queensland border in Coolangatta last Sunday. Credit:Nine Just 200 metres west of the border monument where Corrigan, who himself calls northern NSW home, urged others to cross sits a strip of shops: a retaining wall and fence all that separates a shared service alley at the rear and Tweed Heads Public School, in locked-down NSW. Mark Belcher, who has run Mexican restaurant and tequila bar The Aztec on the site for seven years  after 20 years above the nearby surf club  believes the protest did more harm than good. But obviously people are angry, he says. The hard border closure has made it more difficult than ever, Belcher says. How does this go on?

Advertisement

Mark Belcher at his restaurant The Aztec on Griffith Street, Coolangatta, which backs onto the NSW border. Credit:Matt Dennien Those who live in the region are now no stranger to the barricades and checkpoints which marked parts of the region, and beyond to the South Australian border, for much of 2020. However, for much of this and earlier in the more recent Sydney outbreak, border bubble arrangements allowed residents in a number of border-hugging local government areas access to the Queensland side of their closely intermingled lives. That bubble has remained burst since all of regional NSW went into a snap lockdown, with two hours notice, on August 14 amid escalating outbreaks further south and west  now extended until at least September 10 after the state reported more than 1000 new cases on Thursday for the first time. Many had already felt the difficulties of two recent lockdowns on the Queensland side. Belcher was ultimately faced with a decision to stay in locked-down Tweed Heads, where he usually lives with his wife and their second massage business, or set up fewer than five kilometres away in Queensland to keep the restaurant afloat with two of the 15 staff who live on the right side of the border. The makeshift border at Stuart Street, across which Belcher is able to provide takeaway food and speak to his wife. Credit:Matt Dennien

Advertisement

He chose the latter, and says while trade is down 22 per cent, he barely stopped working last week. Offering takeaway to those on the southern side  walked through the back alley and placed on the bright orange barricade he can still see his wife across  has been helpful. Some days the trade is better than from Queenslanders dining in. Police have no indication a repeat of Sundays outburst will happen this weekend. While accepting the need to keep COVID cases at bay, Belcher says those in power on both sides of the border need to act. There has been talk of an advertising push by local businesses on the border shift, which NSW wont acknowledge. Despite Queenslands Deputy Premier indicating there had been movement on Friday, a NSW government spokeswoman insists the position has not softened. Theres no answers for us, Belcher says. Police and defence personnel check on cars crossing the border at Coolangatta. Credit:Matt Dennien So far, there appears only to be tougher restrictions in an effort to delay the next inevitable incursion of Delta into Queensland. All but essential workers are barred from crossing the border and those allowed to cross must show proof of at least one vaccine dose. Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has tasked public service heads to trim this daily figure, in the low thousands, as close to zero as they can.

Advertisement

With teachers among those deemed non-essential, Gold Coast schools are down staff and students. About 450 kilometres west, in the border town of Mungindi and some 130 kilometres north-east of Walgett  one of the areas of concern in NSW  the line through the middle of town has locked out southern-based health service staff and barred northern residents from accessing the shops to the south. Nationals MP for the NSW Northern Tablelands electorate Adam Marshall described the resulting decision to close all but the Mungindi Multipurpose Health Services emergency department a bastard act in the extreme. Farm manager Sam Heagney, whose property extends south from about 10 kilometres further into NSW, is concerned about the impact the tougher restrictions will have on grain harvests for both sides from next month, after he was denied entry to have necessary work done on a machinery part. They wont be given access to Queensland, he said of the many workers who would pitch in during a normal year. Defence personnel have again joined police on checkpoint duties along the length of the Queensland-NSW border, through which every vehicle is now funnelled and scrutinised. In Coolangatta at least, things are more porous for anyone willing to jump a barrier or cross to the other side of a street under threat of fines. On Wednesday, citing an at-capacity hotel quarantine system, Queensland authorities announced a two-week pause on residents returning or people relocating from NSW, Victoria and the ACT. Only those lucky enough to be granted exemptions under extreme exceptional circumstances can fly into hotel quarantine from these states.

Advertisement

Loading Residents on both sides have been urging their elected representatives to do more. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk again wrote to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian offering to move the Gold Coast region checkpoints to the Tweed River, in an effort to make travel easier for at least some residents. This was rejected, with Ms Berejiklians deputy John Barilaro suggesting it would simply shift the problem further south. Tweed Shire mayor Chris Cherry, an independent, believes this may only impact 1800 of the 16,000 who would usually cross the border during their daily lives if the border were moved to her shires southern end. Her region is yet to record a single case of COVID-19. Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has also repeatedly called for the border checkpoints to be shifted. Other officials on the Queensland side concede that if the bubble were extended into Tweed, other regions would want the same. Without JobKeeper and higher income support rates, some residents feel the state-led business support measures are just throwing some coins on the ground. Dr Young has flagged broader vaccine-only travel and hopes border restrictions will remain in place for no longer than 10 weeks, when 70 per cent of her states population is expected to be fully vaccinated, as national debate continues about what life will look like once the target is reached.

Advertisement
The private developer behind Queenslands go-it-alone regional quarantine hub has revealed the facility is expected to cost less than a third of its national peers, as the Commonwealth announced global construction firm Multiplex would deliver its preferred site in Brisbane.

But without federal approval for international passenger flights to land, the state has conceded it would need to bus travellers the two-hours there, raising eyebrows among the health sector along with the need to transport any COVID-positive patients by road or air back to the capital.

The site of a proposed quarantine hub near the Wagner-owned Wellcamp Airport, outside Toowoomba, on Thursday. Credit:Matt Dennien

Thursdays state government announcement, which has been telegraphed by senior members since formally ruled out by their federal counterparts in June, was not foreshadowed to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and even caught some in the community off-guard.

It followed one day after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk placed a two-week pause on arrivals from interstate hotspots NSW, Victoria and the ACT as the states hotel quarantine scheme became stretched to the limit.
It contained the victims statement, some forensic reports and little else. The original investigators master file had been destroyed. There were no known suspects, says Drews. The victim was a Ballarat woman, 38, whose husband had died four years earlier, leaving her to care for their five daughters, aged six to 15. After watching a movie with her kids on a Friday night, she went to bed to be woken around 5am on July 22, 1990, with someones hand over her mouth. There were two men in her house, both wearing balaclavas and woollen gloves. The terrified victim asked Who are you? and one answered, Im a secret admirer. He then threatened the children: If you dont do as you are told, Ill kill them. During the attack when the men heard a noise, one calmly went to investigate. Clearly they knew she was the only adult in the house and no one would be returning that early morning.

They continued the attack with one warning: Dont tell anyone, or Ill kill the kids. To add weight to the threat, one said: I know you have a 16-year-old girl. (She was 15.) Terrified, the victim rang her mother, saying she didnt want to report the crime. When the 15-year-old ran to a neighbour to get help, the neighbour took it upon herself to ring the police. The local detectives conducted the investigation by the book. They checked with neighbours to see if they had seen anything suspicious and looked at all the womans friends and associates. This was not a case where police had a suspicion but lacked evidence. They had no suspects at all. When Drews came to the case, he had no suspects, no existing crime scene, a 28-year-old case and a DNA sample that didnt match any known offender. The tools of modern police would be of no help: there was no CCTV, no mobile phone records or credit cards to track.

Drews had to rely on hunches, half-leads and a paper trail. It was a bit like entering a time machine, he says. What he did have was a comprehensive statement taken by Ballarat detective Paul Jolly, who knew his trade. Drews studied it, not so much to review what had happened but for what it said about the two men in the masks. Crime scene behaviour can be telling, Drews says. One man said he was a secret admirer. He mentioned the age of one of the daughters but got it slightly wrong, indicating he knew the family but wasnt close. They wore balaclavas as disguises but didnt bother to disguise their voices. Was it someone the victim could recognise by sight but had not heard speak? Someone close geographically but not socially? Perhaps a delivery driver, service provider, shop assistant or everyman who lived nearby? Not a bad theory, but theories dont crack cases. Drews went to the Ballarat police station and pulled three years of arrests books, going through them line by line, looking for anyone with a potential link.

The answer was in the files: Phil Drews looking for a name. Credit:Grant Condon There were six, including a man charged with the minor offence of handling a couple of bottles of stolen rum. A closer look showed he had prior arrests for family violence and had been the subject of intervention orders. His name was Brett Braddock, 26 and the father of two young children. And he lived up the road. There was nothing to suggest he and the victim had ever met, although he could see into her property from his home. Naturally police at the time had knocked on his door and asked if he had seen anything suspicious. Braddock, not unreasonably, said he was sleeping at the time. The case faded, Braddocks marriage failed, he moved 260 kilometres away, remarried and had three children, all daughters.

On January 25, 2019, the day before Australia Day, there was a knock at his door. It was the local policeman from the one-cop station with a letter from town. The letter was from Phil Drews, explaining details of the case and why he was requesting Braddock provide a DNA sample. There were no tricks, just an honest explanation of why the DNA could assist the cold case investigation. Braddock, who was standing next to his wife, didnt hesitate to co-operate. He freely provided the sample, saying he had nothing to hide, says Drews. I think because his wife was standing there he may have felt he had no choice. The fact that Braddock didnt hesitate led Drews to believe he was innocent. My instinct was that he probably didnt do it. Then the test came back saying the odds were that he was 100 billion more times likely to be the offender than anyone else. It was as strong as you could get.

It was then that Drews contacted the victim to tell her they had found a suspect. After the rape she felt she couldnt live in the house and had to move to emergency accommodation. She would never sleep in a double bed again. Because she had five children to raise she tried to block out her memories until Drews knocked on the door. Brett Braddock: convicted of rape. She was apprehensive, and I told her we were doing this for her, and we would only do what she felt was best for her. She decided she wanted justice. Faced with a determined victim, a relentless investigator and an overwhelming DNA result, Braddock had no choice but to plead guilty. He claimed he was addicted to alcohol and marijuana at the time and had no memory of the attack. No one believes him.

County Court Judge Patricia Riddell sentenced him to 12 years two months, with a non-parole period of nine years. Riddell praised the original work of Senior Detective Paul Jolly and that of Drews and the Cold Case Unit: They did not rest or abandon this case despite its age. They did not give up. They renewed their search to identify and apprehend the offender in 2018, some 28 years after these events. Braddock appealed, looking for the sort of leniency he didnt give his victim. Last month the Supreme Court knocked him back. But this case is far from closed. There were two offenders and Braddock has refused to name the other man. This is not a case of two drunks stumbling into a house. It was planned, they were wearing gloves and balaclavas, says Drews. Braddock was an introvert with a small circle of friends. He was known at the local go-kart club and was unemployed.
More than 20,000 people have been in isolation, sparking fears of food shortages with supermarket deliveries hampered because so many employees have had to quarantine. Registered nurse Sikholiwe Tshaka was among those required to isolate immediately when a positive case was recorded at his daughters school. COVID-19 testing at Shepparton showgrounds on Thursday. Credit:Justin McManus A friend dropped off food to the Tshaka household of six, but then that person discovered he also had to isolate. All our contacts who could help us were already in quarantine, Mr Tshaka said.

He tried ordering groceries online, but supermarket deliveries were taking up to 72 hours. The Tshakas have since received a delivery from FoodShare Shepparton. Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp said one of the greatest challenges of the outbreak was that so many schools had been listed as exposure sites. The Tshaka family receive a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables on Friday. Credit:Justin McManus Mr Sharp said some of those schools have up to 1500 students, sending many families into isolation. At least 500 Goulburn Valley Health staff were furloughed, many of them connected to the schools. On Thursday Australian Defence Force personnel were called in to assist with testing and home visits to ensure people were isolating.

But Mr Sharp said too many people are still not coming forward for testing, particularly after visiting an exposure site. Were in a really challenging period in the outbreak because we still dont have the information we need in terms of testing data to be able to have a total picture of exactly whats happening, he said. Deserted streets in Sheppartons city centre this week. Credit:Joe Armao The outbreak brought Shepparton to a halt with the city centre almost deserted this week. Shopfronts were shuttered, their interiors dark. Only the occasional store  mostly takeaway food  showed any glimmer of life. On Thursday afternoon a few solitary figures walked briskly around the glassy surface of Victoria Park Lake, which would normally be busy with people enjoying the sunshine.

Welfare and community groups from across Shepparton have come together to deliver hundreds of boxes of food each day to households throughout the region. Shepparton FoodShare operations co-ordinator Grace Grieve said many people were completely unprepared for two weeks at home. Grace Grieve (right) and Lisa McKenzie preparing food to be delivered to people in isolation. Credit:Justin McManus Many people were caught out, she said. Not everyone has a pantry stocked full of food. On Friday Coles confirmed it had called in staff from other stores to boost deliveries and had resumed the collection service from its Shepparton South store.

But Freedom Foods group chief executive Michael Perich said strict quarantine requirements for secondary contacts were having a major impact on the business and dairy farmers who supplied it with milk. Freedom Foods has temporarily reduced production. There are no positive cases among our employees or their families but more than one-third of the community, including one-third of our workforce, is now in quarantine as secondary close contacts, Mr Perich said. There was some good news on Friday, with COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar confirming some exposure sites would be downgraded, allowing hundreds of people to be released from quarantine once they received a negative test. Yorta Yorta man and community leader Paul Briggs said there is still work to do to ensure Indigenous people continue coming forward for vaccinations.

He has been doing regular food deliveries to his two daughters and four grandchildren who have to isolate. Mr Briggs credited the Rumbalara Health Service for keeping Aboriginal voices prominent in the citys response to the outbreak. Paul Briggs delivering groceries to his family who are isolating for 14 days. Credit:Justin McManus While he is fully vaccinated, Mr Briggs believes Aboriginal people need accurate information imparted in a culturally sensitive manner to overcome entrenched disempowerment. In addition to protecting himself against coronavirus, Mr Briggs said he got the shot because he wanted to show community leadership.
Victorias Deputy Premier James Merlino was adamant this week that he wanted children to return to school as soon as possible. He acknowledged that students were finding it hard to learn from home.

But who is going into bat for university students, particularly undergraduates, who want to return to campus?

Attention is being given to secondary pupils but university students who want to return to campus also need support. Credit:Joe Armao

All Im hearing from politicians and vice-chancellors is that students now have more flexibility in their learning because they can study online subjects. Some vice-chancellors suggest that the COVID experience of online learning has sped up what universities were planning to do anyway: put more courses online.

I acknowledge that universities have put a lot of effort into designing online subjects. This is a long process which involves a great deal of thought about the best ways students can learn online.
Health Minister Martin Foley said on Friday there had been incredible demand for Pfizer bookings since his government opened up eligibility for people aged 16-39 on Tuesday. Hesitancy is not a problem for people in those age groups, he said. We need more supply. Victorias state hubs have the capacity to vaccinate about 230,000 people a week but the government could scale this up to 350,000 within weeks if supply is secured, the Victorian government source said. The state receives about 100,000 Pfizer vials each week, not including one-off top-ups, and officials are pushing for larger weekly allotments as soon as possible. The Andrews government has also moved to target the vaccination of essential workers  who have driven much of the spread in recent outbreaks  by opening a vaccine site in Sunshine North to cater for workers in freight, food distribution and other sectors in which employees cannot work from home. The supply push comes after prominent epidemiologists Catherine Bennett and Tony Blakely put forward options for Victoria to ease the lockdown slightly, ease the mental health burden and focus on rapid vaccination as the path out of lockdown rather than aiming to drive cases close to zero.

Victoria began to scale up its vaccine rollout in May when an outbreak of the Kappa variant caused the states fourth lockdown. In early June and after weeks of delivering a large number of vaccinations the state almost ran out of supply and the program needed to be scaled back, the government source said. NSWs outbreak began in the same period and since then NSW has received multiple one-off boosts and a greater share of the national pool from the Commonwealth. Victorias state hubs do the heavy lifting in the state whereas GPs play a proportionally bigger role in NSWs program. Of the total 6.3 million jabs in NSW, 64 per cent were given out by GPs while about half of Victorias 4.6 million vaccinations were administered by doctors. The Victorian government is working with GP groups to simplify eligibility rules program and ramp up the number of vaccinations administered by doctors. Its announcement on Tuesday to offer Pfizer to people under 40 was designed partly to provide certainty to GPs who were frustrated that changing vaccine advice was causing confusion about who was eligible to receive which vaccine.

The GP-focussed delivery model favoured NSW because doctors play a more prominent role in NSWs healthcare system. About 22 per cent of the GPs involved in the vaccine rollout are in Victoria, a smaller proportion than Victorias share of the total population which is 26 per cent Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, a former Australian Medical Association president, said confusion over eligibility and the safety of AstraZeneca meant many Victorian doctors decided not to take part. As doctors grew apprehensive due to vaccine supply concern, the Victorian government filled the void by announcing mass hubs weeks before NSW, entrenching the comparatively outsized role of the state-run delivery system in Victoria. Were still doing more than 50 per cent of the total vaccines in Victoria, but thats despite the system, not because of it, Dr Haikerwal said. Dr Haikerwal said a key barrier for GPs entering the program was the paltry federal vaccine payment which he said meant some doctors lost money on weekends when wages were higher.

The state government is in talks with GPs to cover the cost of higher labour costs to allow more GPs to deliver vaccines on weekends, he said. Dr Haikerwal said the federal government had also been slow to approve applications by GPs to join the program, though he acknowledged the complexity of this task. The western suburbs doctor, whose Altona North clinic has given out 15,000 vaccines, said local primary health networks in NSW were more successful in collaborating and subsidising GPs to ensure many of them were supported to join the vaccine rollout. Doctors are happy to take a hit in order to be part of it, but they dont want to lose money  They havent been enabled or supported to do it, he said.

He said doctors in the west were coming together to pool staffing resources in the hopes of using Whitten Oval, the home of the Western Bulldogs, as a large-scale vaccination site run by private clinics with the support of local councils. There are also calls for more Victorian pharmacies to be included in the rollout, with 40 per cent fewer pharmacists approved by the Commonwealth in Victoria compared with NSW. Anthony Tassone, president of the Victorian branch of the Pharmacy Guild, said many Victorian pharmacies had not been included in the program until this month, whereas they were activated earlier in NSW due to its more serious outbreak. If they had been brought on sooner, we could have more vaccines in arms. We need the approved stock of vaccines available to Victorian pharmacies as soon as possible, he said.
Afghans with Australian visas are being told to stay away from Kabul airport after Australian soldiers were just hours from being caught up in a terror attack that killed 13 American soldiers and some 60 Afghan civilians.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned Islamic States evil, calculated attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in the early hours of Friday morning Australian time and declared Australias evacuation operation over.

Afghanistan evacuees and Australian soldiers disembark a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft at Australias main operating base in the Middle East, after their flight from Kabul. Credit:Department of Defence

More than 1000 Afghans with humanitarian visas are stuck in Kabul after RAAF aircraft carried out the remaining Australian soldiers and officials just hours before the deadly attack by ISs local affiliate Islamic State-Khorasan.

Australian authorities are concerned that IS-K will attempt to carry out further attacks in the coming days and have told Afghans with Australian visas to stay away from the airport, but has not yet outlined plans on how to get these people to Australia.
Formed six years ago by disaffected fighters from the Pakistani Taliban, IS-K has launched dozens of attacks in Afghanistan, including at girls schools, hospitals and a maternity ward where they reportedly shot dead pregnant women and nurses. There is so far no suggestion that the Taliban condoned or allowed the attack on the airport. It is hostile to IS-K and the two groups have clashed repeatedly in the countrys east. Islamic State heavily defeated with the loss of its former territories in Iraq and Syria and having failed to hold any territory in Afghanistan  has sought to take advantage of the instability caused by the Talibans takeover. The terrorist group this week mocked the new Taliban, saying victory had been handed to them by the withdrawal of US troops. Rather than providing a safe haven to terrorists, the Talibans victory has created a new zone of instability for groups like Islamic State to thrive. Islamic State supporters in Mosul in 2014. Their claim to Afghan territory puts the group in conflict with the Taliban. Credit:AP Dr Niamatullah Ibrahimi, a Middle East expert at La Trobe University, tells The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the airport attack is a likely indication of how tenuous the Talibans control will be over Afghanistan. The Taliban does provide a safe haven to terrorist groups in the sense that there have been militants from many countries in Taliban areas  some al-Qaeda militants and some Central Asian groups are more tolerated by the Taliban, but there are others who are not tolerated by the Taliban, he says. Al-Qaeda and the Central Asian groups are not an enemy of the Taliban because they dont challenge the Talibans hegemony in Afghanistan. They have their own agendas and they dont want to try to establish a government. On the other hand, Islamic State wants to hold territories, and that puts them in direct conflict with the Taliban. After the immediate threat from within Afghanistan, the second concern for Western intelligence agencies is the propaganda win the Talibans victory has granted jihadist groups around the world. Several murderous attacks launched by African Islamist groups, apparently emboldened by the Talibans victory, have already killed more than 400 people over the past two weeks.

The Syrian commentator Marwan Qablan this week said that the Talibans victory could restore the morale of jihadist and Islamist groups that they lost due to the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Most likely we will witness a surge in the activity of international jihadism in the wake of the US failure in Afghanistan, and it will be no less powerful than the one that followed the Soviet defeat and their departure three decades ago, he wrote in the London-based newspaper al-Araby al-Jadeed. Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Kabul after their takeover. Credit:AP Ibrahimi said jihadist groups throughout Africa, the Middle East and East Asia  including Indonesia and the Philippines  were openly celebrating the Talibans victory. For the first time in many years a jihadist group has achieved a spectacular victory, he says. You can see a range of statements from all sorts of groups made around the world congratulating [the] Taliban for their victory. The main concern now is these groups see a likelihood, a possibility that  with sustained effort and persistence  they can achieve victory.

He also warns that the apparent failure of countries like Australia, Britain and the US to rescue local allies who served with their soldiers would also be used by jihadist groups as propaganda. This whole debacle at Kabul airport is providing these groups with very powerful images that can be used to promote a narrative of humiliation, an inability of Western forces to not only secure Afghanistan, but to secure their allies. There are particular concerns for the fate of women and ethnic minorities such as the Hazaras in the wake of the Talibans takeover. According to Amnesty International, Taliban fighters massacred nine ethnic Hazara men after capturing Afghanistans Ghazni province last month. Can Pakistans government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, rein in the victorious Afghan Taliban? Credit:AP Ibrahimi says a lot hinges on how Pakistan, the Talibans main patron, responds to its takeover of Afghanistan. He says the last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, there were increased calls for laws based on strict interpretation of sharia in Pakistan, while marginalised groups such as the Hazaras were targeted. The question will now be: will the Pakistani institutions be able to exert influence to rein the Taliban in? Rasoul Omid is a Hazara man from Afghanistan who worked as an interpreter with NATO and is now an Australian citizen. Ten of his family members have been killed over the past 15 years, including his mother in recent months. Omid, who has been living in Australia since 2012, desperately wants to get his remaining family out of Pakistan to Australia. He says the Hazara community has never known safety whilst the Taliban have reigned.

My brother and sister  having faced suffering, war, injustice and ongoing trauma  are now facing an imminent humanitarian crisis with the violent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, says the 44-year-old, who lives in Geelong. The forceful takeover of Afghanistan has instilled immense fear within Afghanistans historically persecuted Hazara ethnic group, who faced widespread killings and genocide the last time the Taliban were in power. Major Tim Glover, part of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, assists the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with locating Afghan Australian visa holders at the congested Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport, later the scene of a deadly Islamic State attack. Credit:ADF With Kabuls airport now shut off, neighbouring countries are also preparing for a humanitarian crisis as people try to escape across their borders. Closer to home, Afghan refugees stranded in Indonesia are already contemplating boarding boats to travel to Australia. It is easy to forget the extraordinary feats that have been achieved amid the tragedy of the past two weeks: more than 100,000 people have been airlifted out of Afghanistan in that time. In just nine days and without an embassy on the ground, Australia alone rescued more than 4100 people. Former prime minister Julia Gillard, speaking hours before news of the terrorist attacks emerged, said it had been heart-rending to watch the footage of the desperation and chaos as people literally run for their lives.
A confidential plan to force tens of thousands of university staff to reveal a decade of foreign political and financial interests has met with such fierce backlash that the federal government is now reviewing the proposal.

New draft foreign interference guidelines for universities are proposing to demand academics disclose their membership of overseas political parties and any financial support they have received from foreign entities for their research over the past 10 years.

Universities are pushing back against demands to force staff to reveal a decades worth of foreign political links. Credit:Steven Siewert

Multiple university sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there was widespread concern about the requirements, with one university executive describing it as a sledgehammer, blanket approach to the issue.

The proposed guidelines, which have been drafted by the University Foreign Interference Taskforce (UFIT), represent a major ramping up of scrutiny of academics backgrounds in response to concerns within the federal government about research theft by the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign actors.
Singapore: Security forces in Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim majority nation, will step up an anti-terror crackdown after the deadly attacks in Kabul claimed by an Islamic State affiliate.

There was strong condemnation from Muslim nations on Friday of the blasts that killed at least 95 Afghans and 13 US servicemen.

Indonesia, home to 225 million Muslims, joined governments in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in denouncing the suicide bombings outside Kabul airport.

Wounded Afghans lie in hospital after the deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul. Credit:AP

Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had, in the hours before the explosions, been in Qatar, where she met with representatives of the Taliban in Doha to discuss a future Taliban-led Afghanistan government.
US President Joe Biden stood in the East Room of the White House, looked directly at the cameras and with clear emotion declared: To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

His remarks came after two suicide bombers from a terror group called Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) killed 13 US marines and dozens of local Afghans, including women and children, near the Kabul airport. It was a bloody and appalling attack by a group well known for their hardline views and deadly tactics. It was also an attack that underscored broader problems that go beyond the chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan.

For all of Mr Bidens tough-guy talk, and Americas enormous military apparatus, the latest suicide bombings showed once again how easily a relatively small but fanatical terror group can inflict carnage. Twenty years of military action by America and its international partners, including Australia, aimed at quashing terrorism have inflicted major damage on al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, killing many of their fighters and leaders and largely preventing them from holding territory and launching attacks in Western countries.

But both groups have proved able to adapt, evolving into more diffuse organisations with offshoots such as ISIS-K. For all the threats from Mr Biden, ISIS-K are not expected to take a backward step any time soon.

In Afghanistan, the suicide bombings also give a preview of a new round of violence that is expected to erupt within the country despite the US militarys expected departure in coming days. According to a UN report published in June, while the Taliban and al-Qaeda remain closely aligned and show no indication of breaking ties, the Taliban and ISIS-K are rivals in a contest to fill the power vacuum that exists in many parts of Afghanistan.
Washington: Despite the scenes of pandemonium that marred the beginning of the US-led evacuation effort from Afghanistan, Joe Biden could take comfort in one fact.

No Americans - either civilian or military - had died during the withdrawal effort, which was ramping up impressively in recent days.

An article in Politico this week summed up the increasingly buoyant mood inside the Biden administration.

US President Joe Biden pauses as he listens to a question about the bombings at the Kabul airport that killed more than a dozen American soldiers. Credit:AP

In the span of a week, the White House went from struggling to explain a rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan to beating its chest, the report stated.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday morning, August 27, 2021, at approximately 5:00 a.m., the Dispatch Center received a report that a body was floating in Great-Bay beach, near the Walter Plants pier in Philipsburg.

Several patrols and paramedics were dispatched to the location. Upon arrival, it appeared that bystanders had pulled the victim out of Great Bay and were in the process of performing CPR.



Upon further inspection by ambulance personnel, it was determined that the victim with the initials M.P. no longer had a pulse and was presumed to have passed away.

Based on a preliminary investigation by detectives and the police doctor it was concluded that the victim had drowned and that there was no foul play involved.

The Sint Maarten Police expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased.

KPSM Press Release.
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.
Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP)  what you need to know about modern and future proof access control security?

Access control and management of trusted identities are the building blocks of security, safety, and site management policies for many businesses and organisations. The current pandemic has compounded this with the introduction of new policies and regulations, particularly around social distancing and contact tracing. Most organisations will have some form of legacy access control in place, ranging from the most simplistic options, such as locks and keys, to technology-based systems. The issue with legacy systems of any type is that risks, just like technology, evolve. What was secure, convenient, and efficient a few years ago is often found wanting as the threat landscape changes. The standards governing the development and testing of physical access control systems (PACS) have also evolved to improve security and product interoperability. An example is the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP), introduced 10 years ago as an alternative to the antiquated and vulnerable Clock-and-Data and Wiegand protocols. However, when it comes to planning infrastructure upgrades or implementing new tools, businesses must carry out due diligence to ensure the solutions are future-proof and deliver the expected level of security. Vulnerabilities and challenges In the early 1980s, Clock-and-Data and Wiegand protocols were widely adopted as the de-facto standard for interoperability between access control readers and physical access controllers. Those de-facto standards were later formalised and adopted into industry standards by the Security Industry Association in the 1990s. Wiegand is unencrypted and unable to protect from man in the middle attacks and vulnerabilities There were weaknesses, though, Wiegand is unencrypted and unable to protect from man in the middle attacks and vulnerabilities from the reader to the controller. Not only that, but Wiegand delivers limited range options and is operationally inefficient. It is also easy to target via its learnable language and a host of hacking devices available via online sources. Furthermore, the retrofitting installation alongside a legacy system is complicated for integrators and expensive for organisations, as most readers require dedicated home-run wiring. Extensive wiring on a large-scale project, such as a school or corporate campus, results in considerable  often prohibitive  costs for the installation of a PACS. Legacy access control protocol Despite the well-publicised vulnerabilities and weaknesses, Wiegand is still one of the most common protocols in legacy access control, with estimates indicating it is used in more than 90 percent of installed systems. This not only presents issues about physical security but also raises concerns relating to the protection of personal data. Access control systems not only contain information about who can and cannot use certain doors. OSDP is a communication standard Modern systems include a wide range of personal data, ranging from qualifications and certifications of individuals, home contact details, and even medical conditions or HR and employment information. With the potential fines associated with GDPR breaches, companies need to take this concern seriously. These weaknesses pushed the security industry to adopt a new protocol: Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP). This access control communications standard was developed by Mercury Security (now part of HID Global) and HID Global in 2008, and donated, free of intellectual property, to the Security Industry Association (SIA) to improve interoperability among access control and security products. Since then, it has been adopted as a standard by SIA, becoming the first secure, bidirectional reader/controller protocol to be governed by a major standards body in the security industry. In 2020 OSDP reached an additional milestone in becoming an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard. Why implement OSDP as a standard? OSDP is the only protocol that is secure and open for communication between readers and controllers The growth of networked devices, such as video and access control products, has led to an increased demand for converged solutions. Businesses and organisations recognise the value of implementing an integrated solution to enhance security and add value to technology investment. OSDP is the only protocol that is secure and open for communication between readers and controllers and is also being widely adopted by industry-leading reader and controller manufacturers. It is an evolving, living standard, making it a safer, more robust, future-proof option for governing physical access control systems. OSDP offers important benefits: 1) Increased security Implementing OSDP standards can increase security, as OSDP with Secure Channel Protocol (SCP) supports AES-128 encryption that is required in U.S. federal government applications. Additionally, OSDP constantly monitors wiring to protect against tampering, removing the guesswork since the encryption and authentication are predefined. 2) Bidirectional communication Early on, communication protocols such as Wiegand were unidirectional, with external card readers sending information one way to a centralized access control platform. OSDP has transformed the ability for information to be collected, shared, and acted upon with the addition of bidirectional communication for configuration, status monitoring, tampering, and malfunction detection, and other valuable functions. In fact, OSDP is the only open, non-proprietary, bidirectional, secure protocol for communication between card reader and physical access controller. 3) Open and interoperable OSDP adds new technology that enhances its ability to protect incoming and outgoing data collection OSDP supports IP communications and point-to-point serial interfaces, enabling customers to flexibly enhance system functionality as needs change and new threats emerge. They also can proactively add new technology that enhances their ability to protect incoming and outgoing data collection through a physical access control system. 4) Reduced installation costs OSDPs use of two wires (as compared to a potential of 11 wires with Wiegand) allows for multi-drop installation, supervised connections to indicate reader malfunctions, and scalability to connect more field devices. Daisy-chaining accommodates many readers connected to a single controller, eliminating the need to run home-run wiring for each reader, and the use of a four-conductor cable achieves up to 10x longer distances between reader and controller than Wiegand while also powering the reader and sending/receiving data. 5) User friendly OSDP gives credential holders greater ease of use, with audio and visual feedback such as coloured lights, audible beeps, and the ability to display alerts on the reader. For security administrators, managing and servicing OSDP-enabled readers also becomes increasingly convenient, as OSDP-enabled readers can be remotely configured from network-connected locations. Users can poll and query readers from a central location, eliminating the cost and time to physically visit and diagnose malfunctioning devices. Unlimited application enhancements OSDP streamlines installations and upgrades while saving organisations the expense of replacing readers OSDP supports advanced smartcard technology applications, including PKI/FICAM and biometrics, and other enhanced authentication protocols used in applications that require Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) compliance and interactive terminal capabilities. Audio-visual user feedback mechanisms provide a rich, user-centric access control environment. OSDP offers advantages for users, administrators, and integrators, alike. It adds security and real-world efficiencies, and its interoperability ensures that organisations can use systems from numerous manufacturers as they invest in infrastructure that maximises the protection of critical data. For our part, HID Globals range of HID Signo readers is OSDP verified, ensuring they offer the intended interoperability and security for secure bidirectional communication and provide an easy migration from Wiegand devices. In a campus environment, OSDP streamlines installations and upgrades while saving organisations the expense of replacing readers if a new access control solution is implemented. There are also service and maintenance benefits as OSDP encourages continuous monitoring of system uptime and allows for remote configuration of -- or upgrades to -- a reader. Cost savings upon system upgrade Integrators can also capitalise on the introduction of OSDP by encouraging open standards, which can, in turn, help them build new customer relationships and win more projects. Although upgrading to access control systems that adhere to OSDP standards is a significant initiative, the range of benefits outweighs the cost of upgrading. Increased security coupled with business efficiencies adds value for those administering the system and a high level of interoperability ensures users can deploy systems from numerous third-party manufacturers. Integrators who understand the benefits of OSDP can also help their customers support both current and future technology requirements. When a sites needs change, OSDP offers significant cost savings as the open functionality makes adding new devices easier and reduces the expense of requiring all readers to be replaced if a new solution is installed. Businesses and organisations transitioning to OSDP will also enhance value in terms of operational costs such as servicing and maintenance.
Enterprise, AL (36331)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Support local journalism

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution.

Contribute
You are the owner of this article.
Algiers, August 08, 2021 (SPS) - The Algerian President, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has reiterated that the issue of Western Sahara was an issue of decolonization, during his regular meeting with the press to inform Algerian public opinion on a number of issues concerning internal and external affairs.



In response to a question about Algeria's international standing and its position on a number of external issues, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reiterated that the Sahrawi issue was clear and was on the agenda of the United Nations as an issue of decolonization.



Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune added that Algeria was ready to assist the parties to the conflict - the Polisario and the Kingdom of Morocco - to reach a final solution acceptable to both parties. (SPS)



062
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  Internet searches for the Stamford Police Department made with the search engine Bing are currently providing residents with the incorrect telephone number for non-emergency calls to the department.

The Stamford Police Department is working to correct the situation, according to Sergeant Michael Scatamacchia.
STAMFORD  The third time was the charm for a high school tutoring program that has been criticized by some Stamford Board of Education members for being too pricey and ineffective.

Administrators, on the other hand, have repeatedly touted the tutoring service for delivering impressive results and being worth every dollar.

On Thursday night, during a special meeting of the board, members approved a $574,000 contract with nonprofit Stamford Public Education Foundation to provide the course to struggling high school students.

The final vote was 6-2, with Jackie Pioli and Becky Hamman the two no votes. Member Fritz Chery was not present for the vote.

The same contract was before the board on Tuesday, but failed to pass after members were deadlocked in a 4-4 vote with member Jackie Heftman absent.

That left students who had signed up for the course in limbo with less than a week before school begins.

The tutoring program is actually a class built into a students schedule and about 150 high school students are enrolled in it for the upcoming school year, which begins Monday.

School starts on Monday, Lucero said Tuesday night. These students are expected to be in these classes with support systems ... and now were scrambling a few days before school starts to get the supports these students need.

The tutoring program was created about seven years ago to help students who are struggling pass the critical Algebra I course. The SPEF service has been offered to low-performing students at Stamford High School in years past, but the contract will expand it to Westhill High School as well.

The contract was first debated late last month and did not garner enough votes to pass when member Andy George was absent.

It was brought back for a vote on the boards Teaching and Learning Committee earlier this month, and passed with three votes in favor from George, Jackie Heftman and board president Jennienne Burke, and two abstentions from Pioli and Hamman. That brought it back to the full board Tuesday night, where it failed to pass yet again.

Pioli, Hamman, Chery and Mike Altamura voted against the contract Tuesday night. In favor were George, Burke, Dan Dauplaise and Nicola Tarzia.

At the Tuesday meeting, Pioli said she voted against the program because the tutors who provide the service are not trained teachers, nor are they certified specialists. Students in the SPEF tutoring program are deemed Tier III, meaning they require the most intensive support, often from a scientific research-based intervention specialist, or SRBI.

Pioli referenced state guidelines that call for specialists or trained teachers to work with Tier III students. Since the tutors do not qualify as either, Pioli questioned the legitimacy of the program.

Michael Fernandes, associate superintendent for intervention and student intervention, said on Wednesday that state officials are well aware of the SPEF program and endorse it.

They support this program, and actually, state and (federal officials) have recommended this model as a preferred model for intervention for students, he said.

And while the tutors themselves are not teachers, they are supervised by a certified teacher, Lucero said on Thursday.

The SPEF tutoring is meant to target students who score lowest on middle school math metrics and to provide free support for many families who cannot afford it.

Students in the tutoring program in the 2018-19 school year performed better than all other students on class tests by a difference of about 10 points, administrators said. The passing rate for the tutored students in 2018-19, according to a document prepared by the school district, was 82 percent. In comparison, about 72 percent of students not in the program passed the course that year.

The numbers were similar for the final exam, where 77 percent of the tutored students passed the Algebra I final test, compared with 68 percent of the general population of the school.

On top of that, students surveyed about their experience in the tutoring class were overwhelmingly positive about it, with 100 percent saying they felt the tutors cared about them.

Data from the last year, however, showed more than 50 percent of the students in the program still scored a D or worse on their year-end grades, but Fernandes said last years results do not paint an accurate picture because of the challenges presented by COVID-19.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
National Weather Service

The heat and humidity is expected to continue for another day, prompting some Connecticut school districts to dismiss early on Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Friday, with the highest temperatures set to occur this afternoon when the heat index will range from 95 to 100. These temperatures may result in heat illnesses, according to the weather service.
Despite a sluggish progress so far, Connecticut officials say theyre on track to meet a looming deadline to dole out tens of millions of dollars in federal aid to help renters who are struggling financially due to the pandemic make payments.

Tens of thousands of Connecticut renters are behind on payments. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday night ended a moratorium on many evictions for nonpayment of rent. The court said evictions can resume.

We arent worried about meeting that number, said Dawn Parker, director of Connecticuts emergency rental assistance program, of a September deadline. As long as we meet our obligations, Im happy. We want to work as efficiently and quickly as we can while preventing fraud and abuse.

Only about 29%, or $68.8 million, of the states $235.9 million in federal rental assistance had been spent as of Friday, even though the federal government distributed the money months ago. But officials say recent adjustments to the distribution mean theyre on track to meet a deadline to obligate 65% of the funds by the end of September. States that dont meet that deadline may risk losing the money.

The aid can be a lifeline for renters like Roxane Balderacchi.

After working for more than 20 years as a server in the restaurant business, the 67-year-old Middletown resident lost her job when the restaurant she was working at opted for delivery-only service during the first months of the pandemic. She was able to make ends meet for several months, but in August 2020, she started to fall behind.

But Balderacchi was able to catch up thanks to money she received through a government rental aid program. She first received $4,000 through a different program, called the State of Connecticut Temporary Rental Housing Assistance Program last fall.

And about two weeks ago, she got another $9,317 to pay rent owed as well as $3,339 to cover the next three months.

It makes me feel a lot better. I dont like to owe anybody, she said.

Over the next few months, instead of worrying about rent, Balderacchi plans to keep applying for jobs.

Applications are flowing, and I take a lot of tests every week, thats for sure, she said. I will get back in the workforce and be myself again.

Balderacchi is one of 8,828 renters in Connecticut to get emergency rental assistance through UniteCT, the state program providing rent assistance to tenants affected by COVID-19.

It covers up to $15,000 in rent and up to $1,500 in electricity payments for households that earn up to 80% of area median income and were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.



But the program has reached only a small share of those struggling to pay rent.

In Connecticut, 63,450 were behind on rent as of early August, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureaus Pulse Household Survey. They were among nearly 8 million people behind on rent nationwide.

The money has been slow to get out across the country. Nationally, about 89% of the $46.5 billion set aside for the federal program remains unspent.

Housing experts have blamed the slow rollout on understaffed programs, burdensome documentation requirements, and landlords who dont want to participate, among other problems.

While aid has started to go out quicker recently, there are still problems that need to be addressed in many states and municipalities, including Connecticut, advocates said.

Weve seen over the past few months that states really are beginning to ramp up, but theres definitely still work to be done on the programs, said Sarah Gallagher, project director for the National Low Income Housing Coalitions End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions initiative.

Thursdays Supreme Court ruling that ended a temporary ban on many evictions has heightened the urgency around getting the money to renters.

The ban was set to expire in October. It had been in place since September 2020 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted it to slow the spread of COVID-19 by preventing people from having to enter homeless shelters or move in with friends and family.

Landlord and real estate groups challenged the moratorium in court, and in a 6-3 ruling, the nations top court said Thursday evictions can begin again unless Congress authorizes another eviction ban.

Creating the machine

Housing attorneys said the early rendition of the application process was challenging for many tenants.

One of the initial issues, for example, was once you uploaded documents, you couldnt go back and redo them or re-submit, said Pamela Heller, a staff attorney with the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. If something was wrong, you were stuck with it.  The actual online platform has improved.

The federal dollars went out at the start of the year, but Connecticuts program didnt launch until March. The first couple of months were spent reviewing software programs, and immediately after the start, officials had to troubleshoot problems and eliminate barriers, Parker said.

We were building the plane while we were flying it, Parker said. The first three months really were creating the machine. It wasnt expected that you could really get too much out the door at that time.

The past few months, however, have seen consistent, steady growth, Parker said.

Federal and state data show that spending has grown from less than 10% of total funds by the end of July to about 29% toward the end of August.

It has gotten better, theres no question, Heller said. Ive been seeing people actually get money, which I hadnt seen for months.

Since the programs launch, UniteCT has also allowed tenants to self-attest to facts such as income, and tenants in qualified census tracts can use their addresses as their income attestations, Parker said. Thats helped speed up the process.

Initially, landlords were asked to reduce debt by 15%, but that policy was reversed during the summer, Parker added.

Still barriers

Heller said some tenants are still encountering delays in accessing the money, often caused by an online-only application system and landlords who dont want to participate.

There are still barriers, pretty significant ones, she said.

Heller recounted one instance in which she talked a client through how to upload a document, but he didnt understand what that meant.

We have found that programs that have online-only applications are creating a barrier for some of the lowest income and marginalized populations who might not have internet access or access to a computer, Gallagher said.

UniteCT only offers online applications because it makes the review process more efficient and is more secure, Parker said.

The program has resource centers across the state where residents can go to fill out their application. Staff are also available to answer questions over the phone at 1-844-864-8328, and the UniteCT Mobile Bus travels around Connecticut so people can use computers its to fill out applications.

For Balderacchi, the online application wasnt a problem, even back in March, but she did encounter other issues.

Despite keeping in communication with the company she rents from about the process, Balderacchi said when it came time for the company to fulfill its part of the application process, there was a hitch. The company didnt want to participate in the program, she said.

The company couldnt be reached for comment Friday.

Eventually, she was given an eviction notice and was told she had just a few days to leave her apartment in late June or early July 2021. The federal ban on many evictions for nonpayment of rent didnt prevent them from being filed, and in some cases, judges would rule that the order didnt apply.

Heller helped her handle the notice, and she was able to stay in her apartment. Balderacchi has since gotten the money paid against her owed rent and has three extra months of rent paid.

In Connecticut, landlords must have a case number with UniteCT in order to deliver an eviction notice, called a notice to quit, according to a June 30 executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont.

While this helps most of the time because it forces landlords and tenants to interact with the rental assistance program before an eviction can occur, some landlords are still reluctant to participate, Heller said.

In those instances, UniteCT employees will typically call the landlords to see if they can resolve any concerns, Parker said.

While some programs across the country have allowed money to go directly to tenants if the landlords dont want to participate, in

Connecticut landlords have to agree to participate for tenants to receive money.

However, if landlords refuse and efforts to convince them to participate dont work, UniteCT will pay for the deposit and three months rent at a new apartment for the tenant, Parker said.

The money is only meant to pay for rent and electricity, not late fees, pet fees or other costs. But in Balderacchis case, her landlord applied some of the money to fees.

So attorneys again had to work it out so that she got her rent fully covered. Heller said she and the other attorneys involved have agreed that the application of money to the fees was in error, but it hadnt yet been corrected as of Friday.

I just hope they get the rest of it straightened out, she said.
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Friday the approval of Connecticuts plan for the latest round of $1.1 billion federal dollars earmarked for public schools.

The department also released the last of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to the state, totaling $369.4 million. A third of the funding was on hold until state plans were approved.

I am excited to announce approval of Connecticuts plan, said Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education and former commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education, in a statement.

The approval of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely reopen schools for full-time, in-person learning; meet students academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Connecticut included five broad categories of priority in its plan: learning and enrichment, family and community connections, student and teacher social-emotional and mental health, education technology, and building safe and healthy schools.

The state education department released its plan for the $110 million state set-aside in June, which went toward summer programs, a full return to in-person learning, academic help for students, workforce development and more.

Other highlights include a state model K-8 curricula, tutoring for students with disabilities, expanded teacher certification pathways, and partnerships with community-based mental health agencies.

Local districts plans were due to the state early last week.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been striving to make the investments necessary to help our school communities meet their areas of greatest need, especially for those students disproportionately affected by the pandemic, said Charlene Russell-Tucker, the state commissioner of education.

Russell-Tucker, who had served as acting commissioner since March, was nominated for the permanent role last week.

This historic level of funding allows us, as one educational community, to be bold and innovative as we forge our path to a transformative and equitable recovery, she said.

Connecticut politicians were quick to celebrate the federal education departments approval of the states plan.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he applauded the many teachers and educational staff who have been working throughout this pandemic to engage our students and keep them actively involved throughout this difficult time.

Our administration will continue working with school districts to ensure that we can maintain these efforts and every student has access to the educational opportunities they deserve, he said.

These funds were specifically directed by Congress to help schools reopen safely and enable in-person learning to thrive, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Putting students back in Connecticut classrooms is critical to overcoming the setbacks and learning gaps resulting from the pandemic. Our approving this American Rescue Plan funds is a game changing step, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Biden Administration to ensure our schools remain open and safe for students, teachers, and staff.

As Connecticut kids head back to school, it is critical that educators have the federal funding necessary to help them thrive, said U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. I am grateful Connecticut continues to be a leader in addressing the needs of all our students by putting together a plan that meets this moment.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Florida will receive $5 million in a settlement with a nonprofit domestic violence agency and its former CEO, who were sued over exorbitant pay the state said should have gone to domestic abuse shelters, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Thursday.

The state investigated the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence after learning president and CEO Tiffany Carr received $7.5 million in compensation, much if it in paid time off, for the three years before she resigned in November 2019.

Millions of dollars ... should have originally gone to victims of domestic violence and not officers, directors and certainly not Tiffany Carr for their own personal gain, Moody said at a news conference in Orlando.

Carr stacked the nonprofit's board of directors, which then approved bonuses, raises and paid time off with unspent money that should have been returned to the state at the end of the fiscal year, Moody said.

Carr's attorney said that she didn't break any laws, the coalition was audited each year and Carr was unfairly targeted by the state.

The Attorney General said in court Ms. Carr never lied to anyone and that the Board had complete authority to award whatever amount of compensation it deemed appropriate. So to now claim Ms. Carr is corrupt' or that she misrepresented' anything is both unsubstantiated and unfair, lawyer Christopher Kise said an email.

Carr will personally pay $2.1 million toward the settlement. Kise also noted that the growth in the coalition's budget grew from a few million a year to $70 million under Carr's leadership and the number of shelter nights made available to victims nearly tripled.

There was a disagreement about the amount of compensation Ms. Carr received. That dispute has been resolved. Further character assassination is contrary to the good faith nature of the parties agreement," Kise said.

Moody, though, said that Carr tried to hide the excessive pay by accruing it in paid time off.

Some of this paid time off was so excessive that when it was accrued and rolled over, it amounted to millions of dollars when it was ultimately redeemed, Moody said. In one year Tiffany Carr received 360 days of paid time off ... and in one year it was 465 days of paid time off.

Until February 2020, state law established the coalition as the only agency that can pass government money on to groups that help domestic violence victims. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill stripping the coalition of that special status.

We don't want to see this repeated, said DeSantis, who appeared with Moody at the news conference. You've got to have accountability and transparency. That was obviously lacking with this organization for many, many years.

The money recovered from the settlement will be distributed to domestic violence centers. Moody said authorities are still looking into criminal charges.
HONOLULU (AP)  The Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to recommend confirmation of Gov. David Ige's latest nomination to the state appeals court.

Without discussion, the seven-member panel voted to endorse Sonja McCullen for the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
NEW HAVEN  Thursdays explosions and dozens of deaths near the Kabul airport have increased the fear and confusion among Connecticut residents, many of them former refugees, who are trying to evacuate Afghanistan, according to a staff member for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services.

Ann OBrien, director of community engagement for IRIS, said a staff member spoke to a mother and son who were near the bombing and saw casualties.

They have made it to safety but, just as we anticipated, they are trying to decide whether or not it is safe to try to cross a border or go to the airport, OBrien said.

A U.S. general said Thursday that 13 U.S. service members were killed in Kabul attacks, which he said were carried out by ISIS fighters. Officials said a number of U.S. military troops were wounded, and warned, however, that the numbers may grow. At least 60 Afghans were killed, another 18 service members were wounded and more than 140 Afghans were wounded, Afghan and U.S. officials said.

OBrien did not name the Connecticut family or reveal where they live in or which country they were considering crossing into, for their safety. They contacted IRIS to seek help in making their decision, given the chaos at the airport, she said.

While there are still many Connecticut residents whom IRIS is trying to help leave Afghanistan, other than the mother and son, we are not aware of any of our clients being directly impacted by the explosions, OBrien said earlier Thursday. We would anticipate that it would create ... more fear in folks that are trying to reach the airport.

She said the blasts confirm Afghans fears that they are living in an active war zone, increasing their urgency in trying to leave the country before the situation devolves further.

The former Afghan refugees IRIS is trying to help evacuate are legal permanent U.S. residents on a path toward citizenship, many of whom were resettled more than five years ago, OBrien said. They had gone to Afghanistan for family visits, weddings and funerals, not realizing how swiftly the Taliban would take over.

She called it a clear window into understanding just how much even those on the inside have been taken completely by surprise by these events.

So far, five families comprising 32 people have arrived in Connecticut with the aid of IRIS, OBrien said.

Gov. Ned Lamont Thursday termed the attack near the Kabul airport a tragedy.

But he said he has not had any asks from the White House about refugees nor any updates on Connecticut residents stuck in Afghanistan.

There has been no outreach to Connecticut yet about in terms of how we can help support those refugees, Lamont said. Generally Ill be there listening and being responsive.

He said that providing the vetting is serious, well be supportive.

A number of refugee organizations are seeking support and we are getting more and more people out every day, Lamont said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Thursday that he was heartbroken over the horrific and unspeakable acts of terror in Kabul Thursday that took the lives of military personnel and it points to the dangers faced by Americans and allies who remain there.

Blumenthal said he believes the U.S. military presence should remain in Afghanistan until American and allies are evacuated.

I believe that there will be a time to pay back these act of horror but the U.S. should focus now on evacuation, he said. We should not allow these terrorists ... to dictate the timetable for our troop withdrawal.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, said, I am horrified by todays heinous attack outside the Kabul airport and condemn these cowardly acts of terror. My heart breaks over the innocent lives taken today, and I mourn the loss of our brave United States military members who were killed in service of this critical mission. I pray for their families as they receive news of the loss of their loved ones and share in every Americans gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice.

I applaud President Biden for his commitment and determination: this mission is not over. Through todays devastation, we must remain committed to safely evacuating all American service members and citizens, Afghan allies, and the vulnerable populations that will be targeted by the Taliban.

For refugees who get into the Kabul airport and onto a plane to the United States, resettlement agencies here have 24 hours notice of their arrival.

Normally, they would arrive with paperwork filled out at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, but no way can they process this much, OBrien said. But when they land at Fort Lee, N.J., or one of two military bases in the South that she declined to name, none of that preparation has been made.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Processing the arriving families and determining where they will be housed has to happen quickly, a task made more difficult by the massive number of Afghans escaping the Taliban.

The State Department informs IRIS when refugees will arrive and how many.

They have a conversation about how many IRIS can take in after IRIS talks with people in the community: mayors, alders, schools, police, health departments, community groups. They all go to New Haven or Hartford and other towns where groups have prepared to be hosts.

The State Department asked all the resettlement agencies, if we could spare them, to send staff to these bases, OBrien said.

It all happened so fast and so much of our staff are Afghan SIV holders, OBrien said, referring to special immigrant visas, one of three ways Afghans can enter the United States.

People holding these visas have worked for or on behalf of the U.S. government.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

The other visas are Priority 2, or P-2 visas, issued for those who do not meet the time requirement for an SIV but who worked for U.S.-related contractors, U.S.-funded programs or U.S.-based media or non-governmental organizations, according to the State Department. Finally, the Homeland Security Department is issuing humanitarian visas for those who do not have legal permission to enter the United States.

So many clients have come to us just begging for us to get their families out, OBrien said.

While 32 people have arrived in Connecticut, well likely get hundreds over the next couple of months, OBrien said.

She said IRIS has been told by the State Department how many Afghan refugees to expect, but we cant say yet. Its a lot. IRIS has resettled 500 Afghans in the past five years, she said.

IRIS Executive Director Chris George, Blumenthal and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said this week that as many as 200 Connecticut residents are stuck in Afghanistan, as Taliban troops swarm Kabul and prevent people from reaching the airport.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Most are Afghan citizens who worked with U.S. forces and resettled over the last five years in Connecticut, many around New Haven, George has said. 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.

George has 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.

Murphy said Thursday he was devastated to learn of the Kabul attack. These brave service members made the ultimate sacrifice today while doing all they could to protect and defend Americans and our allies.

He said he had been in contact with the State Department, and would continue to monitor the situation closely.

OBrien said many Afghans want to be resettled in Sacramento, Calif., or Houston, homes to the largest Afghan communities in this country, but the resettlement agencies in those cities  the Sacramento area has five  would be so overwhelmed that many are being sent to other locations.

IRIS has put out a call for temporary housing, as well as three-bedroom apartments with a maximum $1,500 rent. Backpacks, school supplies, winter coats and snow boots will be needed, as well as tutors.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

George has estimated that as many as 600 Afghan refugees will come into Connecticut under several resettlement programs.

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.

Earlier this week, Airbnb.org and Airbnb announced that Airbnb.org will offer free, temporary housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide, according to a release. Existing Airbnb hosts or anyone with space to offer free or discounted stays to Afghan refugees can find information at www.airbnb.org/refugees, it said.

Reporting by Ken Dixon, Julia Bergman and The Associated Press contributed to this story. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina Senate Republicans on Thursday passed a bill to limit how teachers can discuss certain racial concepts inside the classroom.

The proposal seeks to bar educators from compelling students to personally adopt any ideas from a list of 13 beliefs, including the views that one particular race or sex is inherently superior and that students should feel guilty because of their race or sex.

The measure that passed along party lines by a 25-17 vote is now one step away from clearing the General Assembly and would make its way to the governor if the GOP-controlled House signs off on the latest version.

While Republicans say the bill is designed to, at a minimum, shed light on how teachers operate and call out questionable classroom activities, it does not appear to prevent any of the alleged cases of indoctrination that were included in an 831-page task force report GOP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson released earlier this week.

The purpose of this bill is to put in place guardrails against the most extreme forms of indoctrination, Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said during a floor debate.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is likely to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, as he has previously criticized the measure. It could also get stalled in budget negotiations between Berger, Cooper and House Speaker Tim Moore.

Democrats argue Republicans crafted the bill to placate unfounded concerns among staunch conservatives ahead of the 2022 and 2024 elections. They also say the bill would stymie conversations by dissuading teachers from discussing America's history of racism and lingering effects of slavery.

Indoctrination is fake news, said Sen. Gladys Robinson, a Guilford County Democrat. "As a matter of fact, it's more than that. Its a bold-faced lie. There is no indoctrination. What we need to do is step in our lane and let them (educators) go into theirs.

The latest action in North Carolina follows a national trend of Republican-controlled legislatures looking to combat certain ideas they associate with critical race theory, a complex framework legal scholars developed in the 1970s and 1980s that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and serves to maintain the dominance of whites in society.

But Republicans have used critical race theory and "indoctrination" as catchall phrases to describe racial concepts they find objectionable, such as white privilege, systemic inequality and inherent bias. The movement against the theory gained traction last year when former President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring federal contractors from conducting racial sensitivity trainings after a conservative activist appeared on Fox News urging the former president to do so.

As of Thursday, 27 states have considered legislation or other steps to limit how racism and sexism can be taught, according to an Education Week analysis, with several states adopting language from Trumps now-defunct executive order.

Berger associates indoctrination with the promotion of any of 13 views the bill outlines, while other Republicans like the state's lieutenant governor have a more expansive view of the term. Regardless, both point to examples of educators accused of giving preferential treatment to pupils who agree with their racial views and districts hosting questionable trainings and workshops for staff as evidence of systemic problems within the state's public education system.

It cant possibly be true that critical race theory isnt in our schools and that this bill doesnt go far enough in addressing critical race theory in our schools, Berger said. "Which is it? Which argument do the bill opponents want to adopt?

Sen. Mike Woodard, a Durham County Democrat, believes decisions about how teachers should discuss race ought to be left to state and local education officials in consultation with parents.

Families and educators dont want politicians in Raleigh deciding how history will be taught in their schools," he said.

___

Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

___

Anderson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
For years, broken windows policing  the idea that the best way to prevent serious crime was to enforce laws against petty crime  was derided by critics as unnecessary, unjust, even racist. So cities across America pulled back from prosecuting the supposedly small stuff, like shoplifting.

Now weve seen a jump in violent crime.

Criminologists can debate the causes of the new crime wave. But many people intuitively understand that places in which decay and disorder become the norm are places where crime tends to thrive. Thats because crime is largely a function of environmental cues  of the palpable sense that nobody cares, nobody is in charge, and anything goes.

We now live in a broken-windows world. I would argue that it began a decade ago, when then-President Barack Obama called on Americans to turn a chapter on a decade of war and focus on nation-building here at home, which became a theme of his reelection campaign.

It looked like a good bet at the time. Osama bin Laden had just been killed. The surge in Iraq had stabilized the country and decimated al-Qaida there. The Taliban were on the defensive. Relations with Russia had been reset. China was still under the technocratic leadership of Hu Jintao. The Arab Spring, eagerly embraced by Obama as a chance to pursue the world as it should be, seemed to many to portend a more hopeful future for the Middle East (though some of us were less sanguine).

Review some of whats happened since then.

We vacated Iraq in 2011. But instead of getting peace, we got the horror of ISIS, forcing us to send back troops and fight a war that has lasted for years, cost thousands of civilian lives and led to the displacement of more than 3 million people.

We declared in 2012 that Bashar Assads use of chemical weapons would cross a red line and lead to a decisive U.S. response. At least as of 2018, he was still gassing his own people. Weve mostly ceased to notice.

Unrestrained violence in Syria forced millions into exile, bringing unbearable strain on countries like Lebanon while flooding Europe with refugees in 2015. One result was a populist backlash that included Brexit, big electoral gains for neo-fascist parties in France and Germany and a major assist to Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

China last year unilaterally revoked the one country, two systems policy for Hong Kong. Does anyone outside that city even remember?

Vladimir Putin seized Crimea in 2014, six months after the Syrian chemical-weapons crisis, and was met by a muted response. Putin fomented a pro-Russian insurrection in eastern Ukraine and was met by a muted response. Putin sent armed forces to support Assad in Syria and was met by a muted response. Putin interfered in our elections and was met by a muted response.

More recently, President Joe Biden has offered tough talk on Putin. But when it came to blocking Russias Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, his administration offered a muted response.

Its in this global context that the catastrophe in Afghanistan is playing out. Beyond the humanitarian calamity it represents for the Afghan people, the political debacle it represents for Biden (though he scarcely appears aware of it), and the national disgrace it represents for Americans who dont think we should go begging to the Taliban to extend our exit deadline, the Afghan surrender is the most visible evidence that the era of Pax Americana is over.

We have turned the corner into a world of unlit streets, more hospitable to predators than it is to prey.

In this world, the temptation can only grow stronger for Putin to break the back of NATO by picking off a vulnerable member like Latvia (where one-quarter of the population is ethnically Russian and the opportunities for subversion are great). Ditto for China seizing Taiwan. For that matter, what keeps the Taliban (or some nominal offshoot that provides the Taliban with plausible deniability) from taking hundreds of stranded Westerners hostage and humiliating Biden just as Iranian revolutionaries once humiliated Jimmy Carter?

Some pundits lightly dismiss the notion of credibility in statecraft. But foreign policy is also conducted by taking the measure of your opponents, as John F. Kennedy learned after Nikita Khrushchev thrashed him at their summit in Vienna and built the Berlin Wall two months later.

If youre wondering why remote and Godforsaken Afghanistan matters in places of allegedly greater strategic relevance to the U.S., ask yourself what signals this bungled withdrawal  the overconfident predictions, the lousy military intelligence, the incompetent diplomatic coordination, the unwillingness to stand by allies  sends about our capacity to deal with a more serious adversary, especially one that can hold the American heartland at risk.

Critics of the past 75 years of American foreign policy have consistently attacked the idea, and counted the costs, of the U.S. as the worlds policeman. They are soon to learn just how high the costs can go when the policeman walks off the job.

BRET STEPHENS is a columnist for The New York Times.
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;
The new ordinary session of the Romanian Parliament will begin next week with a meeting to which the chairman of the Parliament of Moldova is invited, and the legislative priorities considered by the Senate are in line with the government agenda, Chair of the Romanian Senate Anca Dragu said on Friday.

"Next week's session will start primarily with a meeting to which the president of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova is invited. The priorities are in line with the government agenda; there are joint legislative initiatives with the government and that have to be completed very soon," said Dragu, answering a question on the matter.

She added that the senators have also prepared new legislative initiatives that they would like to see completed by the end of the year, agerpres.ro informs.

"My colleagues prepared this summer a series of new legislative initiatives to be tabled that we would like to see completed by the end of the year," said Dragu.
The draft budget amendment weakens the budgetary consolidation as it was announced for 2021, the Fiscal Council said on Thursday night, in a release.

"The large-scale revision of the budget revenues (increases of 17.6 billion lei) in the rectification draft has two main sources: the incorporation of the recovery of taxes postponed to payment by companies in the revenue forecast (not jointly taken into account as a result of a conservative approach of the Public Finance Ministry) and the favorable revision of the macroeconomic framework - forecasted economic increase of 7 pct from the initial forecast of 4.3 pct," the Fiscal Council said in its Opinion on the draft of the first amendment of the general consolidated budget for 2021.

The Fiscal Council deems plausible the updated forecast of budget revenues, less the amounts coming from the rental of frequency bands (2.5 billion lei, respectively 0.21 pct of GDP) on which it considers that there are relevant risks that these revenues will not be realized.Under the conditions of the more favourable evolution of the economy and the higher amount of revenues from the recovery of deferred taxes, an optimal and achievable level of the budget deficit ratio should, in the Fiscal Council's view, have been significantly below 7 pct of GDP - around 6.5 pct of GDP. Such a level is not plausible to be reached, given the major slippage on the budget expenditure side."It is also to be considered the suitability of new investment expenditures from the public budget's own resources, under the conditions of a high budget deficit and the stringency of the budgetary strengthening in the following years. This budget amendment is unique in the history of the amendments evaluated by the Fiscal Council, from 2010 to the present, due to the magnitude of the positive rectification of budget revenues and expenditures (their increase being of approximately 4.8 pct compared to the previously proposed values). In this rectification, amounts higher than the increase in the scheduled revenues are allocated to the supplementing of the expenses," the Fiscal Council adds.National and international experience shows that achieving a budgetary reinforcement and fiscal adjustment under the conditions of a set of contractionary policies (especially a restrictive monetary policy) is much more difficult and painful.Covering deficits in flows through indebtedness can also be a risk generator for the sustainability of the external position of the Romanian economy. For these reasons, corroborated with the National Statistics and Prognosis Committee (CNSP)'s forecast of an external deficit in significant reduction - but without specifying the determining factors - we can conclude that the current information raises with stringency the problem of adjusting the imbalances of the Romanian economy.Drawing financing from EU resources to replace as much as possible from the use of own budgetary resources would help to create fiscal space, the Fiscal Council says. Drawing European funds is a sine-qua-non condition of a sustainable fiscal-budgetary and economic policy, which would improve Romania's financial creditworthiness.The budget deficit (cash, ESA, structural) should be around 3 pct of GDP in 2024, according to the correction programme assumed by the Government and agreed with the European Commission. In October this year, the Government is expected to send a set of measures to Brussels to flesh out the macroeconomic correction plan. It should be remembered that Romania is under the incidence of the excessive deficit procedure (EDP), the Fiscal Council stresses.
George Enescu International Festival Executive Director Mihai Constantinescu highlighted on Friday that all the moments for the public at this edition are very beautiful, very interesting and include everything a festival of this size should include.

"There are concerts of the great orchestras that visit us this year, starting with the six British orchestras, two German, two French, two Dutch, two Italian, other orchestras that come for the first time in the festival - the one from Croatia, another one from Greece. There are artists who took part in the last editions of the festival so far (...) there are also new names that appear in our playbill, and they are very important names. In addition to all the international names that you can see in our playbill, you will also see a lot of Romanian artists. They are the cream of the crop, if I may say so, they are the best orchestras in the country, not only from Bucharest, not only the Philharmonic and the Radio, which we have become accustomed to in recent years, " Constantinescu told a news conference at Sala Palatului.

Thus, orchestras from Timisoara, Iasi, Cluj, Bacau, Sibiu also participate, and concerts will take place elsewhere in the country as well, such as in Satu Mare, Brasov, Pitesti, agerpres.ro informs.

He said that the negative part of this year's edition of the George Enescu Festival is the cancellation of the series of night concerts, because of COVID-19 reasons.

"Even if we lose those extraordinary moments of the spectators moving from Sala Palatului to the Athenaeum at night, through the Festival Square, they are moments that we will surely live in the years to come, at other editions, and this time we thought it would better to take care of our audience and our artists, and that will hopefully be appreciated by both the public and the artists," said the festival's executive director.

Minister of Culture Bogdan Gheorghiu said that the 25th edition of the George Enescu Competitive Festival brings the public one step closer "to the society we were used to and are now deprived of."

"The troubling times we would go through would always call into question the possibility of many important events, but I think the most important event we have all thought about is the George Enescu International Festival. The 25th edition of the George Enescu International Festival brings us one step closer to the society we were used to and are now deprived of, a society of packed performance and concert halls, a society of regaining the confidence to be together to celebrate quality. The recent reality has made us appreciate much more everything around us, enjoy every sound, feel the Romanian longing for traditions and customs that define our national identity. The music of the great Romanian George Enescu has always pleased us, and the festival reminds us of the importance of respite; no harmonious society exists in the absence of listening as learning is deficient in its absence and evolution hard," said the culture minister.

Presidential adviser on Culture Sergiu Nistor awarded to the organisers of the festival the High Patronage of the President of Romania.

"This high patronage diploma gives the expression of the appreciation that this festival enjoys from the president, in turn showing the appreciation that this event enjoys among the Romanian public and in international cultural conversations, in which the festival is probably the most important Romanian event. This year, which is special in many respects, we return to George Enescu's life, marking the 140th of his birth anniversary, which is also one of the arguments for the high patronage of the President and not only of the President of Romania; these 140 years are also marked by the political dialogue at the highest level between Romania and France," said Nistor.

Also attending the news conference, Bucharest General Mayor Nicusor Dan said that the Bucharest City Hall had just a small contribution to the development of the festival, but that helps support some artists who will perform in Bucharest.

"It is a landmark cultural event for Romanian culture and I am very proud that this event takes place in Bucharest. Bucharest City Hall has been the partner of this event since 2003. This year we contributed an amount that we would have liked to be bigger, but such are the times we live in, an amount that contributes to the support of some artists who will perform here; also in terms of logistics we have helped and we will help with everything that is needed," said Dan.

The 25th edition of the George Enescu Festival starting on August 28 will include the largest number of Enescu works performed (37) and the most complex selection of the works of the great composer in the history of the event.

The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in the Opening Gala of the festival under the baton of conductor Paavo Jarvi, featuring Sarah Nemtanu as the orchestral concertmaster. Among the opening performances will be George Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody in D Major Op. 11 No. 2; Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 47; Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony no. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27.
On Friday, Miercurea Ciuc City Hall signed a declaration of intent with a Hungarian company and Sapientia University for collaboration in order to set up a factory making cosmetics, personal hygiene and personal care products, according to a press statement by the city hall.

Miercurea Ciuc Mayor Korodi Attila is quoted as underscoring the role of the local business development office that attracted an important investment project in Miercurea Ciuc.

"Miercurea Ciuc City Hall has engaged in full-fledged collaboration to create new jobs," Korodi was quoted as also saying in the statement.Attending the signing ceremony of the declaration of intent, CEO of S.C. Caola Kozmetikai es Haztartasi Vegyipari S.A. Bandi Imre said that there is an intention to build and operate a production unit on an area of 4000 square metres and to create 50-60 jobs.Dean of Sapientia University in Miercurea Ciuc Lazar Ede promised that the university will support the company by training workforce, according to the city hall.
In conversations in Chisinau, Moldova, on Friday with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said that the state of security in the Black Sea continues to be concerning, reiterating Romania's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and Ukraine.

Iohannis attended in Chisinau events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Moldova's declaration of independence.

The four presidents discussed regional security, co-operation under regional initiatives, the future of the Eastern Partnership, including its December 2021 Summit, and protracted conflicts, including the Transnistria file, according to a press statement released by the Romanian Presidential Administration.

Iohannis mentioned that the state of security in the Black Sea region continues to be worrying, reiterated Romania's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine and reaffirmed Romania's position of firm support for these two European countries.

Regarding the Transnistria file, President Iohannis also reiterated that Romania is a supporter of a solution that respects the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders, "without affecting the pro-European vector of the foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova," according to the press statement.

At his one-on-one meeting with Sandu, Iohannis invited Sandu to pay a visit to Bucharest, an invitation gladly accepted by her, agerpres.ro confirms.

Iohannis congratulated the pro-reform, pro-democratic and pro-European political forces on their win in the early elections of July 11 and reaffirmed Romania's commitment to giving full support to the transformation, modernisation and implementation of reforms, in the spirit of the bilateral strategic partnership for the European integration of Moldova.

Iohannis mentioned that Romania has managed to provide Moldova with more doses of COVID-19 vaccine than those announced in December - 506,220 doses so far - to which are added substantial donations of medical equipment and devices.

The President of Romania also underscored an opportunity for in-depth co-operation at the presidential, governmental and parliamentary levels to advance the bilateral agenda, to support state reform efforts, and the European journey of Moldova. The two chiefs of state welcomed the start of preparations for the next joint meeting of the two national governments to be held in Chisinau in the near future, the Presidential Administration announced.
Romania is reaffirming its strong and broad commitment to supporting the reform and European integration undertaken by Moldova, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday.

"I am especially happy to return to Chisinau at this time of celebration, on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Moldova. Today, we are celebrating 30 years since the establishment of our diplomatic ties, with Romania being the first country in the world to have recognised the independence of the Republic of Moldova. In fact, Romania and the Republic of Moldova are united by an extremely strong bond: a communion of the language, culture and history. I am in Chisinau today to reaffirm Romania's strong and broad commitment to supporting the reforms and the European integration undertaken by Moldova," Iohannis told a joint news conference with President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski.

Iohannis added that all along, "Romania has been the closest and most sincere friend of the Republic of Moldova.""We have consistently met each time the commitments made to the direct benefit of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. We have always made consistent efforts to support the development and modernisation of the Republic of Moldova and we have acted to keep the Republic of Moldova a priority on the European Union agenda. This is my first visit to Chisinau since the early elections on July 11 and the formation of the new government, and I would like to once again congratulate the president and the pro-reform political forces on their victory. At the same time, I want to congratulate the citizens of the Republic of Moldova on their proven maturity, responsibility and democratic spirit, and we can only rejoice that Moldovan society has so firmly chosen to embark on an irreversible pro-reform and European path and to set a worthy example for the whole region," added Iohannis.He said that the election results paved the way for Moldova toward a solid development that benefits the entire society and that he has full confidence that the efforts made by President Maia Sandu and the government of Moldova "will bear fruit.""Political will and determined, concrete action are needed for the rapid implementation of the necessary reforms expected by the entire society is the Republic of Moldova. Their sped up implementation will bring substantial benefits to the citizens and will undoubtedly generate a new positive dynamic in the relationship with the European Union," Iohannis added.Iohannis went on to say that Romania remains the closest partner of the Republic of Moldova in the future."We are in a particularly auspicious moment in our bilateral relations as well. We have assured President Sandu that Romania will continue to be the closest partner of the Republic of Moldova in the future," the Romanian chief of state pointed out.He noted that Romania has acted vigourously since his last visit to Chisinau in December 2020 to boost support for Moldova."In particular, we have managed to provide many more doses of COVID-19 vaccine than we announced in December. This effort has allowed a considerable advance in the fight against the pandemic in the Republic of Moldova to the benefit of everyone's health," said Iohannis.Iohannis and his counterparts from Ukraine and Poland took part in public events in Chisinau on the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Moldova.
The Ministry of Justice announced on Friday that the process of drawing up a new framework for the strategic development of the judiciary has started.

According to a Ministry of Justice's release sent to AGERPRES, based on a diagnostic analysis of the judiciary, the new strategy for the development of the judiciary 2022-2025 and the related action plan will be developed.

"Currently, the Ministry of Justice is carrying out the stage of diagnostic analysis of the judiciary. One of the components of the diagnostic analysis is the analysis of parties interested in the new strategic framework. This type of analysis is used to identify and understand the needs and expectations of interested parties," the release reads.

In this context, the Ministry of Justice invites citizens and non-governmental organizations to express their views through a questionnaire published on the ministry's website, agerpres.ro informs.

The information gathered through the questionnaire will be taken into account in the stage of drawing up the new strategy for the development of the judicial system, the Ministry of Justice mentions.
Romania supports the modernization of the Army of the Republic of Moldova, Minister of National Defence, Nicolae Ciuca reaffirmed during a meeting with his counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Anatolie Nosatii.

Nicolae Ciuca, together with President Klaus Iohannis, participated on Friday in the military parade dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Moldova.

On the sidelines of the official visit to Chisinau, the Romanian Minister of Defence had a meeting with his Chisinau counterpart, Anatolie Nosatii, according to Agerpres.ro.

During the dialogue, the two officials addressed issues related to bilateral military cooperation in the field of defence, discussing its current status and the identification of new projects of interest, as well as the impact that the current pandemic has on the level of fulfilling bilateral activities, reads a Ministry of National Defence release.

"Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca reiterated his readiness to further support the process of modernization of the defence capabilities of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the two ministers discussed the prospect of holding the meeting of the Romanian-Moldovan Joint Military Commission in the field of defence, on which occasion the experts can address issues of common interest. Also, the importance of increasing the level of interoperability between the two armies was highlighted by continuing the joint participation in the bilateral and multinational exercises," according to the Ministry of National Defence.

Minister Anatolie Nosatii stressed that Romania is a reliable strategic partner for the Republic of Moldova, appreciating the constant assistance from the Romanian Government in the field of defence, referring, in particular, to the training of the Moldovan Army staff in Romanian relevant education institutions, the expertise offered in the drawing up of the strategic documents from the Defence Capacity Building Initiative Package (DCBI), as well as in the assistance destined to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioned the quoted source.
President Klaus Iohannis, in Chisinau, on Friday, had discussions with the counterparts from the Republic of Moldova, Poland and Ukraine on the regional security topic, agerpres reports.

The Romanian head of state pointed out that the discussions also aimed at protracted conflicts, as well as the future of the Eastern Partnership.

"Our discussions have provided the opportunity for a very useful exchange of views on the regional security situation, the cooperation within regional initiatives, the future of the Eastern Partnership, including the Summit of December 2021, as well as protracted conflicts," Iohannis said.President Klaus Iohannis, together with his counterparts from Ukraine and Poland, participated in Chisinau in the events devoted to the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Moldova.
The Republic of Moldova will take firm steps on the path of European integration, the president of this country, Maia Sandu, said on Friday. In a speech held in the Grand National Assembly Square on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the declaration of the country's independence, the leader in Chisinau stated that "the place of the Republic of Moldova is in the family of European states".

"We will take firm steps on the path of European integration. The place of the Republic of Moldova is in the family of European states. European integration is the most natural path of development for our country, a path that will bring prosperity and security to its citizens. Moldova is a small country. We want to develop close friendships, based on trust and mutual respect, with neighboring countries, with our partners and with the other states of the world. Independence also means the ability to have friends with whom we help each other when needed, with whom we develop joint projects for the benefit of the citizens, with whom we celebrate important anniversaries like today," said Maia Sandu.

The President of the Republic of Moldova added that she wants her country to become "a factor of stability in the region" and "a promoter of dialogue and peace."

"I really appreciate the gesture of friendship of the President of Poland, but also of the Presidents of Romania and Ukraine. You have all my gratitude for this gesture and I assure you of our sincere friendship. The Republic of Moldova wants to become a factor of stability for our region. We will be a promoter of dialogue and peace, of diplomatic solutions, of peaceful compromise, in the interest of the people. We will have a proactive and predictable foreign policy, we will participate constructively and wisely in the global dialogue. We have what to offer the world. With decency and firmness, we will defend our national values and interests," Maia Sandu also declared, agerpres.ro informs.
Social Democratic Party (PSD) demanded on Friday that Prime Minister Florin Citu explain the budget revision, following criticism from the Fiscal Council, adding that the social democrats' priority is to change the current Government, which is "catastrophic".

"It is bad and will be even worse with this Government! It is said by a neutral assessment of the Fiscal Council, which shows that the current draft budget revision 'weakens the budgetary consolidation as announced for 2021, it shows a major slippage in terms of budget expenditures, it shows the Government's inability to control price increases beyond expectations for goods and services purchased by the state and involves considerable risks, which can materialize through future unfavorable economic developments, domestically and internationally', shows a PSD release sent to AGERPRES.

According to it, the experts confirm the PSD's "warnings" that Romania is in a "deep" economic imbalance, as a result of the policies of the Orban and Citu Governments.

PSD states that "billions of lei" are directed "at its discretion" for political "favors" in personal or group interest. "Outrageously and unprecedentedly, 3 billion lei was taken from the pension budget, which is in serious deficit anyway, so that Prime Minister Citu can direct them to the mayors whose votes he needs to become chairman of the PNL," the social democrats accuse, agerpres.ro informs.

According to PSD, the only way out of the "vicious circle of predicted misfortune" is to change the "catastrophic Citu Government". "This is the immediate political priority of PSD, which will be finalized at the level of the party leadership and parliamentary groups, at the end of this week, in the context of the already announced intention to submit a censure motion, immediately after the parliamentary session begins," the release reads.
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu affirms that snap elections are the only solution, because the current Parliament "no longer reflects the will of Romanians", adding that the Social Democrats would not form a government with the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union-Unity, Freedom and Solidarity Party (USR PLUS).

"There is no other solution at the moment than to create another majority. The Social Democratic Party will not form a government with PNL or USR PLUS. It is preposterous to believe that we will enter a government with Mr. Citu [Romania's prime minister] or Mr. Oros [Agriculture Minister]. Another political majority can be outlined. If not, it is not the end of the world and there is the possibility of a minority government. However, from my point of view and that of other colleagues, there is no other solution than snap elections," Marcel Ciolacu told Thursday evening private broadcaster Antena 3.

He said that "the current Parliament no longer reflects the will of Romanians" and that "it is time" to hold early elections.Ciolacu also referred to the censure motion that will be submitted by PSD."I will propose to my colleagues that at the beginning of the session [parliamentary - ed.n.], we should not take into account what they have there, that congress masquerade, we should take into account only what is happening in the economy, the standard of living of Romanians and table the censure motion at the beginning of the session. At the present, I have started discussions with the other opposition party, AUR [the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians], and we agreed to support this motion together. (...) The Romanians cannot bear what we are heading for. I think it is time that those in the USR, and those in the PNL, in the UDMR [Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania] and in the Minority Group should make a patriotic act and vote for the dismissal of this government," he said.The PSD leader specified that, taking into account the fact that the parliamentary session starts on September 1, "the motion will definitely be submitted in the first ten days"."We no longer condition the motion on their congresses or anything else," Ciolacu added.In his opinion, "the government will definitely fall."
Romania's interinstitutional task force has managed to evacuate five Afghan nationals from Kabul who were admitted to the airport and later evacuated with support from Romania's international partners with whom the task force was in contact, according to the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).

According to MAE, the task force continued to take sustained steps to evacuate Afghan nationals, former collaborators of Romanian troops and international organisations, students on scholarships in Romania, at-risk groups such as journalists, human rights activists, magistrates and some members of heir families. These steps are taking place in an extremely complex, volatile and unpredictable security context, marked by constantly worsening negative developments on the ground, including terrorist attacks on August 26.

"Thus, the Interinstitutional Task Force has managed to evacuate five Afghan nationals from Kabul of the aforementioned categories, who were admitted to the airport and later evacuated with support from Romania's international partners with which the task force was in contact. They - a student on scholarship in Romania and two journalists together with family members - are already safe outside Afghanistan. As part of the multiple efforts to facilitate the evacuation, the task force issued and sent to the five Afghan nationals documents confirming their protection by the Romanian state and kept in touch with them," according to MAE.

The task force continued to work 24/7 to manage the situation of Afghan nationals in the categories mentioned above - processing requests, contacting them, identifying and validating their security. It is worth mentioning that for humanitarian reasons and on the basis of nominal lists and undergoing the necessary checking and validation procedures, the Romanian authorities support the evacuation without the need to apply for a visa in advance, agerpres.ro informs.

"The priority of the Interinstitutional Task Force at this stage remains to facilitate safe transit to the Kabul Airport for the Afghan nationals who have called for help amid a highly unstable security state, which has worsened in recent days. The task force keeps a permanent link with international partners on the ground," the MAE release reads.

MAE mentions that as a result of the steps taken by the task force convened by the foreign minister on August 13, all Romanian nationals asking for evacuation, 49 in all, were ultimately evacuated in various ways.

"At the same time, the Interinstitutional Task Force continues to liaise with the nine Romanian nationals who are still on Afghan soil and who have informed the task force that they do not want to be evacuated," according to the MAE statement.
The Standing Bureau of the Senate has called on the chamber to convene today at 14:00hrs, in an extraordinary plenary session for an information on the passage by the government during a parliamentary recess of some emergency ordinances, including one regarding the continuation of the programme providing food support for preschoolers and students in 150 public pre-university education units, agerpres reports.

Senate Chair Anca Dragu said the ordinance on hot meals in schools is the most important of those discussed by the Standing Bureau and that will feature on the agenda of the extraordinary session.

"We have had four emergency ordinances before this Standing Bureau and the most important is the one on hot meals in schools. It is an ordinance that extends the programme approved in 2016, by emergency ordinance (OUG) 72 of 2016. We have 150 schools that implement the hot meals programme. The amount paid for a menu for a child has been increased, and it is currently standing at 10 lei. Unfortunately, there are only 150 schools and it should reach 4,000 - 5,000 schools, even close to 10,000 schools, their total number," added Dragu.She said that there is a direct link between reducing school dropout and hot meals.The plenary session will also be informed about the passage of an ordinance regarding some measures in the field of state pensions, as well as one regarding the waste regime. Another emergency ordinance that the to be revealed is OUG 93/2021 establishing measures for the development of the National Local Development Programme, stage II.The Senate is the first chamber notified for the bills on approving the emergency ordinances mentioned above.
Senate President Anca Dragu said on Friday that the procedures for excluding a party member must be very transparent, "based on clear, real documents and facts."

"We maintain that the exclusion procedures should be very transparent and based on clear, real documents and facts. I have personally been in the National Commission for Integrity and Arbitration (CNIA) of PLUS [the Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity] and that was our approach. The suspension decisions, which had implications on the person's political career, were made very, very carefully. (...) First and foremost, we must design clear, transparent mechanisms through which we can stimulate our members to be very responsible in this political activity. It should not be seen as an instrument of pressure," Dragu said.

She made this statement in the context of a question regarding Saturday's USR PLUS meeting, during which proposals to change the procedures for excluding a party member will be discussed, agerpres reports.
"It's not the first stop-sale, whether it's electric or combustion, I'm sure it won't be the last," he said. However, for "California dealers who sell a higher volume, (there's) probably greater concern."

When the first recall of 2017 through 2019 Bolts was announced in November, Dmitry Agapitov, general sales manager at Northwood Chevrolet in Eureka, California, had a few used Bolts he had to sit on for months until a recall fix was issued in the spring.

Then he bought more and those Bolts were recalled again in July for another fix.

"At least it's good that GM is just straight up offering to replace the batteries as opposed to beating around the bush," he said. "Because I think if they do ... kind of stall on telling customers what they're going to do from here on, it could really affect them long-term. If they do not make this right, if they do not fix this right away and take care of it, people are gonna be very hesitant buying something else from GM that has a battery in it."

GM is planning to sell 1 million electric vehicles globally by 2025 and by 2035 aspires to have an emissions-free lineup. The automaker has stressed that its coming EVs will be built with different technology and battery chemistry than the Bolts. The new technology is called Ultium.
The grant: four-year, $792,000 grant from the American Cancer Society

The project: to advance the study of endometrial cancer and develop better treatments

The scientist: Shankar Mukherji, assistant professor of physics

The grant: five-year $1.97 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The project: to increase understanding of cellular design, specifically how a cell commits resources to building new parts and eventually divides into two cells

The scientists: Dr. Eric J. Lenze, professor of psychiatry, and Michael S. Avidan, professor and head of the department of anesthesiology

The grant: four-year, $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health of the NIH

The project: to launch the Center for Perioperative Mental Health, designed to help improve mental health in surgery patients, and to conduct studies to identify and treat depression and anxiety in surgical patients
This is the right opportunity for them to do the things they say they want to do, he said.

Sioux, the only Ameren coal plant equipped with scrubbers, installed them at a cost of about $600 million in 2010. And there are relatively few recent examples of U.S. power companies retrofitting coal plants with the technology as it has become hard to economically justify the expenditures.

Youre seeing less and less of that, said Mike Doyle, an analyst focused on utilities for Edward Jones, the St. Louis-based investment firm. Generally there has not been a lot of investment in coal plants.

This is the future

Should Ameren decide to shutter Rush Island ahead of schedule, theres a widespread assumption that the company would fill the void by turning to renewable energy projects such as solar and wind given their low costs.

I would bet my bottom dollar that it would be replaced with renewables, said David Woodsmall, a Jefferson City-based attorney who represents the Midwest Energy Consumers Group, which advocates for large commercial and industrial power customers  from AT&T and Tyson Foods to Walmart. The current trend in the industry is that renewables have much better economics than building gas, coal or nuclear.
And on Friday, McCormack Baron announced it was indeed staying in the central business district.

St. Louis is glad to see McCormack Baron Salazar recommit to our downtown, said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. Downtown St. Louis remains open for business, and we welcome companies who are looking to leverage all of the great assets it has to offer.

McCormack Baron CEO Vince Bennett said the new office will foster a hybrid working environment for employees, who wont be required to come into the office everyday.

McCormack Baron is at least the third high-profile tenant to exit the Laclede Gas Building for other downtown offices in as many years. Downtown STL Inc. left in 2018 for One Metropolitan Square, and architecture firm Arcturis moved to Peabody Plaza at the end of 2020.

Larson Capital Management, which bought 100 North Broadway in January 2020, is investing around $20 million in renovating its property, which Partner and CEO Paul Larson said has led to discussions with three other potential tenants. He declined to disclose who those companies are but added that McCormack Baron is the towers first major tenant to sign on since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are thrilled to have them as they are committed to our city, Larson said in an email.
Neighboring Illinois outperformed Missouri even though its still paying the federal unemployment supplement, which is due to expire in September. Illinois added 35,400 jobs in July, matching the national growth rate of 0.6%.

The four states with the fastest job growth in July were Vermont, Hawaii, North Carolina and Rhode Island, all of which kept paying the additional benefits.

In other words, Parson and other Republican governors seem to have exaggerated the payments effect on peoples incentive to work.

Its not just a simplistic story of people staying home collecting benefits and not working, Kelly said. There are child care issues, and theres still the virus going around.

William Rogers, director of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Banks Institute for Economic Equity, said Missouris rise in COVID-19 infections could be causing it to trail the nation in job growth. There are a variety of explanations for employment numbers, he said, and this unemployment insurance benefit story is possibly not the leading one that people look at.
Liz Mermin, the films director, says the offspring of 9/11 victims have had lives bracketed by tragedy.

They were born in the wake of one and graduated in the midst of others, she says. What have they made of the world? What has the world been made of in between? Thats what I would find fascinating  getting to hear their take on the world around them.

Some, like Gorki, didnt read much about 9/11. It is really rare that I go out of my way to find information about the subject.

For Retik, interest ebbs and flows. I can find out general facts about 9/11 online so easily, she says. But there are questions about her father, that she cant ask online. It definitely kind of comes in waves.

All three say they appreciate hearing more about their fathers.

Growing up, I was told that I look identical to my father or I do some acts that he did, Szurkowski says. Thats the type of connection I feel I have. I feel hes always around and his presence is always here.
The Takeaway: When facing a planned surgery, talk to your hospital, doctor and insurer about how much of the bill you will be responsible for  and get it in writing before any procedure.

In theory, you should be able to rely on your provider to confirm your coverage but, in practice, it is in your best interest to call your insurer yourself, Corlette said.

Even though the ACA eliminated lifetime and annual caps on coverage, that applies only to services deemed essential in a patients state. Be aware that certain surgeries  like jaw surgery  lie in a gray area; insurers might not consider them a necessary medical intervention or even a medical procedure at all. Corlette said health plans should notify patients when they are closing in on lifetime or annual limits, but that doesnt always happen.

Also, be aware that even though your insurance carrier may stay the same after switching jobs, your benefits could be quite different.

Kudos to Bair for being a proactive patient and appealing to the state attorney general  which got him a positive result.

Stephanie ONeill contributed the audio profile with this report.
More than 5% of 911 callers in that period waited more than two minutes for a dispatcher to answer, according to St. Louis police statistics.

Jones said Thursday she hoped getting rid of the redundancies of the bifurcated 911 system, plus focusing on hiring and improving technology will help.

St. Louis deserves an emergency response system that functions, Jones said Thursday.

Changes in stages

Moving fire and police dispatchers to the same space this fall is only the first step.

Though they will share office space, fire and police dispatchers will still be using separate 911 software management systems.

Isom said Thursday the city aims to move them all to a shared, up-to-date 911 software, but that will take time. Once the city selects a system, it could take another year to install and use it, Isom said.

The city police 911 center facility is aging, so Isom said the city wants to build a facility for the new combined center.

That project is on the citys list of capital improvements and is estimated to cost about $32 million. So far, the Jones administration has not said what funding source would pay for the 911 overhaul.
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.
In an affidavit, Frederic Winston, special agent in charge of the Kansas City Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the new law had already impaired working relationships between local, state and federal authorities.

He said that of 53 federally deputized local and state officers, 12 are no longer working on ATF task forces, at least partially because of the Second Amendment Preservation Act, Winston said.

The agencies distancing themselves from the federal government include the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which took three troopers off task forces, and the OFallon, Columbia and Sedalia police departments, as well as the Johnson County Sheriff, Winston said.

He said the OFallon Police Department removed two police officers and their K-9s from an ATF task force.

The new laws effects will resonate in cases where there is no state law to match a federal firearms law, Winston said.

He said thats because there is no corresponding Missouri state violation, the new law would appear to allow certain federally prohibited persons to possess firearms, such as those under a restraining order and those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.
When science changes its mind, its not because it doesnt know what is going on or is lying to you, its only because information has changed, he said.

That includes the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus, Schmidt said. The delta variant is twice as contagious as the previous strains of the coronavirus, meaning it infects an average of four people. And its more likely to infect and sicken children.

As of Thursday, the county saw 245 new COVID-19 cases per day. One in 5 cases are in people younger than 18, Schmidt said. About 43% of people aged between 12 and 19 are vaccinated.

The council also heard from Dr. William Benedict, a retired internist invited by Trakas, who argued there werent enough controlled-environment studies to recommend mask wearing. His citations included Lifesitenews, a website permanently banned from Facebook and YouTube for COVID-19 misinformation.

Asked by Fitch to respond to Benedicts testimony, Schmidt said public health officials were doing their best to use the research and data available, the overwhelming consensus of which is that masks work.
ST. LOUIS  This is not your grandpas St. Louis.

Following a national trend, the St. Louis metro area continues to diversify, according to the most recent census data, released this month. Nonwhite populations skyrocketed over the last decade, from St. Charles to Madison counties. Asian and Hispanic communities grew regionwide. And, in a place that has long defined itself as either white or black, the number of white residents and Black residents tumbled by thousands each.

Meanwhile, a new generation of residents no longer sees itself as Black or white alone.

In Jefferson County, the new St. Louis looks like a Mexican grocery store in a strip mall and the workers who frequent it. In St. Louis County, its an apartment complex and a subdivision burgeoning with Indian Americans. In St. Charles County, its thousands more Black, Asian and Hispanic residents  plus almost 20,000 more this year who identify as multiple races.

This is how the region will likely grow, said St. Louis University sociologist Ness Sandoval. Its not growing organically  the metro population rose by just 32,552, or 1%, to 2.8 million, by this years count, even as the U.S. as a whole grew by 7%.

Most of the growth were going to see in the future is going to come from racial minorities, Sandoval said.

The 2020 census was atypical. The Trump administration tried to add a citizenship question to the form, ultimately struck down in court. A global pandemic upended the bureaus schedule and counting efforts. The New York City Planning Division called it a perfect storm of problems, even in the context of past censuses.

To reduce in-person door knocking, the bureau relied heavily on social media, phone calls and texting. A lack of face-to-face interaction made typical census hurdles  language barriers, privacy concerns and government mistrust  even more difficult, and, experts said, likely led to an undercount, especially in minority communities.

There will always be an unspoken asterisk on the 2020 census, Sandoval said.

Still, he said, the trend is clear: The country, St. Louis included, is becoming even more of a melting pot.

Glad you are here

Martha Pedroza, 29, fled a tumultuous political climate in Venezuela and moved to St. Charles eight years ago, with a scholarship to a local community college. Four years ago, she and her husband found a quiet neighborhood in the House Springs area, in Jefferson County, and bought a home there.

Now she owns and runs a Mexican grocery in a faded brick strip mall at 1051 Gravois Road, and is finishing a business administration degree at Lindenwood University. A commuter parking lot separates her store from Highway 30, a Jefferson County artery.

One recent afternoon, she took a call from her husband on the wrought-iron bench outside the bodega, then stepped back inside, an escape from the heat. The shop is stocked with Mexican favorites: Cholula hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, Jarritos soda, Mexican candy and frosted sweet breads, as well as fresh produce and other essentials.

Pedroza opened the shop because she tired of driving to Manchester or Ballwin, some 30 minutes away, to find the right ingredients to make food at home. Friends had opened similar shops in the area and asked her to help out, as a volunteer.

It didnt make sense, she said. If I could do it for them, why not just do it myself?

Her 3-year-old daughter isnt in school yet, but when she starts, shes likely to see other kids that look like her: Hispanic enrollment at Northwest School District, in the House Springs area, has almost doubled, rising to 247 this school year from 130 a decade ago, according to the district.

In total, the county has 2,000 more Hispanic residents this census than in 2010, a rise of nearly two-thirds. The numbers are still small  they make up just 2.5% of the county population  but they represent more than one-quarter of its growth over the decade.

Pedroza said she didnt notice the increase until she opened her store, about a year ago. Last year, she saw a lot of people from Mexico. This year, its Guatemala. Her customers are temporary workers and Americans, both.

It makes me so happy when people say, We are glad you are here, she said.

Always full

Dev Krishnamurthy moved to Creve Coeur from Chennai, India, in 2013 for work.

At first, he struggled to adjust to the cold weather and not knowing anyone. But soon, his family joined him, he got used to the weather, and his circle of friends grew. He found solace and community at Asian Spices, on McKelvey Road in Maryland Heights.

Krishnamurthy, now in his early 40s, bought a new house in Ballwin this year. Homeownership, he said, has changed everything for him.

Im observing, in the recent month or so after getting our home, I wish to settle down here in St. Louis forever, he said.

Velmurugan Alagarsamy, 47, owns Asian Spices, and said he sees 90% Indian customers. The other 10%, he estimated, is a mix of Filipino, African, Thai and Chinese. The apartments near the store seem to attract Indian residents, he noticed.

Theyre always full, he said.

The nearby subdivision of Maryland Oaks has also filled with Asian immigrants. Kevin Le, 48, came from Vietnam in 1994 and bought a home there about three years ago. He, too, said the grocer attracts Asian residents to the neighborhood.

St. Louis Countys Asian community has grown steadily, from 2% of the population 20 years ago to 4% a decade ago to 5% this census. Thats a growth of 14,000 people, or 41%, during the last decade alone.

Schools are seeing similar figures. Asian enrollment at Parkway School District, which serves Creve Coeur and Maryland Heights among other municipalities, ticked up to 14% of the district this year from 11% a decade ago. In some pockets, the growth has come even faster: Asian enrollment at McKelvey Elementary and Primary schools, down the street from Asian Spices, rose to 44% from 22% over the same period.

Weve been noticing a shift, districtwide, away from mostly white to now we have lots of nonwhites, said Nathan Tyson, the districts director of data management and research.

Weve come a long way

Still, the single largest demographic trend in the region is one away from labels.

A decade ago, just under 2% of the metro-area population identified itself as two or more races. But in this count, about 170,000 or 6% did  more than triple the number 10 years ago. And that increase hit every county across the region: Multirace residents tripled in St. Louis County, to 58,000, quadrupled in St. Charles County, to 26,000, and quintupled in Jefferson County, to 15,000.

Travis Sheridan, 47, a biracial resident of the Old North St. Louis neighborhood, said America is blending. Its evident all over, he noted: Even 10 years ago, sitcoms still commonly focused on either Black families or white families.

Weve come a long way from The Jeffersons, said Sheridan, who works as a vice president for Wexford Science and Technology, a Baltimore-based developer involved in the Cortex project.

Sheridan grew up in Madera, California, was raised in a white community, and didnt embrace his Blackness until he came to St. Louis. He and his wife, Gina, chose Old North St. Louis because its a Black neighborhood, and he wanted to be immersed in a part of himself he never got to experience. What he found was a new family.

The Black culture Ive come to know and love in St. Louis is  a person can become close, and a person can become aunties and uncles, who are close friends of family, and not just by marriage or blood, Sheridan said.

At the same time, African Americans are leaving St. Louis city.

In last years count, Hispanic, Asian and multirace populations surged. But city totals fell 17,000 or 6% to just over 301,000. White residents dropped by almost 8,000 or 6% to 132,000. And Black numbers tumbled by more than 27,000 or 17% to about 130,000.

Its a longstanding trend: Between the 1970 census, when the Black population first began to decline, and 2010, the citys Black population dropped by more than 87,000.

Neal Richardson, executive director of the citys economic development arm, St. Louis Development Corp., is frustrated.

Black families are fleeing the city, he said, because they cant find good schools and cant get good jobs.

We are leaving families with no choice if they want opportunities, said Richardson, who grew up in the Lewis Place neighborhood north of the Central West End and whose parents still live there. Families are going to go where they feel included, welcomed, and where opportunities exist.

He said the city is preparing to launch a plan next year calling for investment in underserved communities, and opening economic empowerment centers to connect residents with loans, investors, banks and credit unions.

If we are going against the trend, in a negative way, we have to be intentional about investing in underserved communities, Richardson said. And that, for us in the city, starts with Black communities and Black residents.

Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A Wentzville man was among 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing this week at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

Two members of Missouris congressional delegation confirmed Friday afternoon that Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, was among the dead.

His father, Mark Schmitz, told the Post-Dispatch his son was a St. Louisan, a patriot and a dedicated Marine.

Amazing kid, amazing young man, with a big future thats now been cut short, he said.

Schmitz decided on the Marines around his freshman and sophomore years in high school, his dad said. Once he made up his mind, he made himself a regular at the Marine office in St. Peters and began training religiously with recruits even though he wasnt yet enlisted.

We used to give him trouble about it, Mark Schmitz said, but of course, now we look back on it with admiration.

He said he didnt know exactly what drew his son to the Marines, especially because the rest of the veterans in the family were in the Navy. But Schmitz said Jared liked to chart his own path and relished joking with his relatives that his branch was better than theirs.
ST. LOUIS  In 2011, a few dozen Army officers gathered at Fort Leonard Wood for four months of engineering leadership training. One of them came all the way from Afghanistan. Another, Perry Hoffman, commuted from nearby Rolla.

He was there just to receive engineer training as an officer, just like a foreign exchange student would, Hoffman, now 47, said of his Afghan colleague. He was a soft-spoken, kind soul. It would be hard being from another country and you are around all these Americans. He wanted to fit in from the very beginning, and he definitely did.

The training forged friendships that are being leaned on now for help. Several of them, including Hoffman, who went on to deploy overseas, are now trying to do what they can to get their Afghan colleague out of Afghanistan.

Amid the chaos erupting in Kabul and other parts of the unstable country, the former Afghan military officer is stuck.

We went to the airport three times to evacuate from Afghanistan, and each time we spent days and nights in these hot summer days, but due to overcrowding, we could not go inside the airport with four children, one of whom is four months old, the man wrote in a plea for help.
We are in an unprecedented and ongoing crisis that demands compassionate solutions that center the needs of the people and communities most in need of our help. We need to give our communities time to heal from this devastating pandemic. We already know who is going to bear the brunt of this disastrous decision  Black and brown communities, and especially Black women. We didnt sleep on those steps just to give up now. Congress must act immediately to prevent mass evictions and I am exploring every possible option. I urge my colleagues to reflect on the humanity of every single one of their unhoused, or soon to be unhoused, neighbors, and support a legislative solution to this eviction crisis.
Page's initial mask mandate was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt. A judge last week enjoined the county from enforcing the order since it hadn't received council approval.

With vaccination rates still lagging in St. Louis, the city is offering an event Friday and Saturday with two purposes: Forgiveness for outstanding warrants, and a chance to get vaccinated. Even more incentive: Those who show proof of full vaccination can get $100 off their fines and court fees.

City leaders say the warrant forgiveness program allows anyone with outstanding warrants to resolve the charges without fear of arrest on city charges, and without the expense of posting cash bond. A vaccination clinic will also be on-site.

Only 46.2% of St. Louisans have initiated vaccination, about 5 percentage points lower than the state as a whole. Nationally, 61.1% of Americans have initiated vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The original conception of the event was to make vaccination clinics available at the same time as the amnesty to give people the opportunity to get vaccinated, Municipal Judge Newton McCoy told St. Louis Public Radio. That idea was later expanded to give an incentive to those who have already been vaccinated.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
International population movement restrictions caused by covid19 caused some unexpected problems for sea transportation. At the start of the covid19 lockdowns in early 2020, there were 1.9 million qualified mariners and officers to operate the 75,000 ships of the international merchant fleet. Thats only 25 personnel, most of them men, per ship. The job pays well and even the largest ships rely on automated equipment to keep crew sizes small. This automation and small crew size had been around for decades as the merchant fleet grew larger and ships spent more time at sea.

Even before covid19 there was a shortage of qualified crew, especially officers. Typically, officers are 15-20 percent of the crew and skilled specialists another 15-20 percent. Most crew come from less affluent countries in South and East Asia as well as Africa and South America. For those sailors the pay and living conditions are very good but the time spent away from family is a major minus. This became catastrophic during covid19 because many ports would not allow a ship to enter unless the crew was certified free of covid19. This meant shipping companies could not replace the crews as often as usual and as many as 200,000 mariners and officers were literally stuck on their ships months longer than usual. This made the officer shortage worse. Before covid19 there were about five percent fewer officers than needed. This is now headed for 20 percent because of all the problems involved with seemingly endless voyages caused by covid19 lockdowns and difficulty in getting the crews vaccinated. This led to calls for merchant sailors to get priority in receiving the vaccines. Most of the available vaccines required two doses, taken three to four weeks apart. This made it more difficult to get sailors vaccinated.

While there was some decline in work for merchant ships during the 18 months of lockdowns, once the lockdowns began to be lifted demand for seaborne shipping rapidly grew and shortage of sailors and officers was one reason why there are still not enough ships back in service. Operating these big ships with smaller crews just makes the job even more unattractive while also causing potential problems with the insurance companies that compensate owners for damaged or lost ships because of the many risks encountered.

Raising wages is not as effective a solution as programs to recruit and train additional mariners and officers. There are also problems in some countries with dishonest brokers who match mariners with ships. In some countries shipping companies going bankrupt or committing fraud can abandon crews overseas.

While the hundreds of shipping companies can justify more money spent on wages and recruiting, a training program requires joint efforts to work, at least with those countries that supply the most crew personnel. This is one of those problems that cannot be ignored because the world economy depends on maritime transport. Most likely some nations that already supply most of the mariners and officers, like the Philippines and India, will seize the opportunity to train more mariners and officers to make life more bearable for these seagoing specialists and encourage more of them to stay in the job, at least part time.
Pakistan publicized the recent delivery of a list of Pakistan Taliban leaders to the Afghan Taliban leaders and requested that the Afghan Taliban persuade those Pakistan Taliban leaders to surrender. Demanding that the Afghan Taliban attack the Pakistan Taliban is a more difficult ask. The Pakistan Taliban, locally known as TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) are about a third the size of the Afghan Taliban and are opposed to the drug cartels that finance the Afghan Taliban. TTP also contains a lot of al Qaeda groups that joined because that appears to be the best way to overthrow the Pakistan government.

Operating from bases in eastern Afghanistan, the TTP have carried out about 40 attacks inside Pakistan so far in 2021. Initially Pakistan tries to blame India which usually prompts the TTP to correct the government and admit it was a TTP operation. The TTP have, since 2014, been a growing embarrassment and made the Pakistani military look bad. In 2014 the army openly declared war on the TTP, which took heavy losses and moved to Afghanistan. For several years after the 2014 army offensive, which continues at a lower intensity, the TTP was much less active. Over the last few years that has changed. The TTP was under constant attack in Afghanistan, but not by the Afghan Taliban, but by government and American forces. This effort was considered inadequate by Pakistan but there were other targets in the border area, like some surviving ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) personnel and other Pakistan-backed terrorists, like the Haqqani Group that were more of a threat to Afghans.

Earlier this year Pakistan admitted that twelve military personnel (a colonel, a major and ten subordinates) were responsible for TTP leader Ehsanullah Ehsan escaping from house arrests in January 2020. At first the military spread a rumor that Ehsan was allowed to escape as part of some secret strategy. That story did not hold up because thing both Afghan and Pakistani Taliban can agree on is that the Pakistani military exercises too much influence on Afghanistan as well as Pakistan. The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have contacts with each other because they are all Pushtuns and share many goals and interests. The Pakistani military has been trying to get the Afghan Taliban to attack the TTP and so far, that has not happened. Pushtuns on both sides of the border are watching with great interest how this drama plays out.

Blame India

India is accused by Pakistan of providing the TTP with cash and other support but has never been able to provide any proof. Pakistan also expects the Afghan Taliban to help Pakistan take control of Kashmir, something Pakistan has lost several wars over and the violence there continues. Pushtuns, including both Talibans, see Kashmir as a Pakistani army mess and want nothing to do with it.

India still has much less of a terrorist problem than Pakistan. So far this year Indian terrorist related deaths are about 20 percent higher than in 2020. The low 2020 numbers, 299 dead, where evenly split between security forces and civilians, were attributed to covid19 restrictions. The 2020 losses were about ten percent less than 2019. Until recently the majority of India terrorist deaths were from leftist rebels in eastern India and tribal separatists in the northeast. Those threats have been reduced over the years but in the northwest (Kashmir) the violence is perpetuated by the Pakistani military. This consists of frequently firing on Indian border guards with machine-guns and artillery. Several Islamic terrorist training camps on the Pakistani side of the border have produced thousands of Pakistani Islamic terrorists willing to risk death getting across the heavily guarded Kashmir border and then face almost certain death eventually inside Indian Kashmir. While many Indian Moslems in Kashmir support the idea of more autonomy for Kashmir, most are not interested in being part of Pakistan and are fed up with three decades of Pakistani violence to liberate them from peace, prosperity and Indian rule. This trend became obvious over the last decade, as the overall deaths in Kashmir continued to decline and the portion of those dead who were Islamic terrorists increased while civilian or security forces deaths declined. The Pakistani military is obsessed over gaining possession of Indian Kashmir and actually winning a war against India. This expensive and lethal obsession is unpopular in Pakistan, Kashmir and India. Its one the main reasons Pakistan is threatened with international financial sanctions for supporting terrorism. The 1990s decision by the Pakistani military to covertly (without taking credit) use Islamic terrorism to control Afghanistan (by creating the Taliban) and Kashmir has been a colossal failure that has killed hundreds of thousands, mainly Afghans and Pakistanis. While India could defend itself, Afghan and Pakistani civilians were more vulnerable and comprised nearly 90 percent of the victims. In Kashmir, nearly 70 percent of the deaths so far this year have been Islamic terrorists.

August 26, 2021: Despite Pakistan banning Afghan refugees from entering Pakistan, over 10,000 Afghans are getting in each day at the two main crossings and an unknown number getting through the new border fence. The 2,600-kilometer-long fence is costing Pakistan about half a billion dollars. The fence actually consists of two three-meter (ten foot) chain link fences topped with barbed wire and separated by a two-meter gap. Hundreds of new border posts, some of them the size of small forts, are being built to observe and patrol the fence. Fence construction began in mid-2017 and by mid-2021 was about 80 percent complete. Pushtun tribes on both sides of the border object to the fence and regularly fire on the workers, and their armed guards, building the fence. Most Afghans agree that in some areas the fence extends into Afghan territory. Pakistan hosted two-thirds of the seven million Afghans who fled their country to escape the Russians during the 1980s and civil war during the 1990s. After the Taliban were defeated in late 2001 about 40 percent of the Afghans went home. Most went voluntarily but over half a million were forced out of Pakistan and Iranian refugee camps. Most unregistered Afghan refugees are in Pakistan, where many live outside the tribal territories and are left alone as long as they behave. It appears that at least a million are trying to get out this time and that number will grow depending on how chaotic the situation is in Afghanistan this time. Pakistan got the Taliban to agree to limit illegal migration and they appear to be doing that. That only slows down the flow of refugees because over the last two decades a people smuggling industry developed. As incomes and aspirations rose many Afghans could afford the fees people smugglers charged to get people to Pakistan, Iran or the West. For the people smugglers, business is booming because many families who were not planning to leave have changed their minds with the return of Taliban and another civil war. These families have sold everything they have to get out of the country. The cheapest smuggler service is counterfeit border crossing documents, plus a bribe to dubious but greedy border guards. Afghans can legally enter Pakistan if they can prove they have kin in Pakistan they are visiting. Millions of Afghans have such family connections. Another valid reason is medical. With the right documents you can get in that way. The number of Afghans crossing the border with valid documents has more than doubled during August. Pakistan will tolerate those who are just passing through on their way to the West but many new refugees plan to settle down in Afghanistan, at least for a while. The Pakistan government does not want more of that because Afghans in general bring lots of crime and other problems with them. Since the 1980s many Afghan communities have developed outside the tribal territories, and these often host all manner of illegal activity, especially in big cities.

In northeast India (Assam) DNLA tribal rebels were apparently responsible for killing five truck drivers and burning their trucks.

August 25, 2021: Indias eastern neighbor Myanmar (Burma) is having serious problems with its military and adapting to democracy, unity and independence. There was another military coup in early 2021, a decade after the military government (since 1962) finally gave in to demands for freedom and democracy. By 2010 the army had failed at running the economy or dealing with the rebellious northern tribes. The military negotiated a deal with the democrats that left the military with some of their political power as well as immunity from prosecution or retribution for a long list of past crimes. Once elections were held, the generals realized they had underestimated the degree of popular anger at the decades of military misrule. After 2011, with Burma governed by a government answerable to the people, not a military caste, there were calls for cancelling the political privileges the military had retained as part of their agreement to allow peaceful transfer of power. The late 2020 nationwide elections put into power a government that finally had the votes, and determination, to cut the military down to size and make them much less capable of another coup. The generals moved faster than the new government and once more took control of the country on February 1st.

The generals found that it was not as easy as the early 1960s. This time there was much less compliance and a lot more defiance. In fact, most Burmese acted the way they voted, despite the greater firepower and, so far, resolve of the generals. The army has trashed the economy and put more and more Burmese out of work and without access to food, the Internet or the banking system. So far, the resistance continues. The generals have become more dependent on their business partners. China, who were also partners-in-crime with the generals, The Chinese connection may be the vital key to victory, or fatal flaw in the coup plan. It all depends on how much Burmese are willing to resist China. This is important in so many ways and the result of regional changes that have taken place over the last few centuries.

Six months after the coup, on August 1st the military declared themselves the provisional government. There were vague assurances of new elections but few voters believed the voting would be free and fair. China promptly recognized the provisional government and just called the generals the government. Meanwhile the supporters of the elected government organized themselves as the NUG (National Unity Government) and sought to gain foreign support, avoid capture (or death) by the military. Many Burmese diplomats outside the country at the time of the coup continued to support the elected government. Some Western countries reported that the Burmese military was seeking to kidnap or kill these rogue diplomats. Not to be outdone, in the north one of the tribal militias offered $3,000 to any Burmese soldiers who defected, with his weapon. In addition to the case the rebels promised safe passage out of the country. The military has refused to negotiate and refused UN offers to mediate negotiations. Unlike 2010, this time the military sees their situation as do or die. Too many Burmese now want the military leaders dead or in prison. The Burmese avoided civil war for decades after the 1962 coup and everyone seems to believe this was not the correct way to go about it. Now the Burmese have to see what, if any, military assistance they can obtain from foreign supporters.

The first thing the new military government did in February was assuring China that Chinese assets would be protected. China promptly used their veto powers in the UN to block UN actions against the new military rulers of Burma. Within two weeks Russia also proclaimed support for the military government. The response of the military was not unexpected, because the civilian government knew that the Burmese generals maintained their connections in China.

The Burmese Army has long been at the center of most illegal economic activity. Some estimates indicate that at least $20 billion has been illegally moved out of Burma during the fifty years of military rule and much more stayed in the country. Almost all of that was military personnel or their gangster and commercial allies. Military families still control a lot of the economy and most of the wealthy families in Burma have a military connection. The illegal cash leaving amounted (on average) to about six percent of GDP. The military may have surrendered much of their political power in 2010, but they held onto their considerable personal wealth.

The Burmese military is comfortable with a cozy relationship with China and Russia but most Burmese are not. This has led to Chinese businesses being attacked since the coup and a few have been set on fire. The military was forced to assign more troops and hire some armed guards to protect the Chinese businesses.

August 23, 2021: Pakistani diplomats are once more being called on to lie for their country. Its become universally accepted that Pakistan has been supporting Islamic terrorism since the 1980s. In the 1990s it was an open secret that Pakistan created the Taliban and when Taliban rule in most of Afghanistan collapsed in late 2001 it was noted that there were a lot of Pakistani military transports taking Pakistanis out of areas the Taliban were about to lose control of. The Northern Alliance, which was still fighting the Taliban in 2001, regularly reported the importance of Pakistani military personnel and access to Pakistan that the Taliban depended on. Pakistan eventually gave up trying to deny this access and admitted that Taliban casualties were regularly treated in Pakistani hospitals but denied that some of those Taliban patients were actually Pakistani military or intelligence personnel. Inside Afghanistan local security forces and NATO troops regularly found Pakistanis among the Taliban dead and it was standard practice for Pakistan to admit the identity of these Pakistanis so their bodies could be returned to Pakistan for burial.

August 18, 2021: The recent success of Pakistan-backed Taliban in Afghanistan has African governments and media fretting about Islamic terrorism in Africa, especially the ISIL ultraviolence. One thing to keep in mind is that ISIL is at the top of the food chain when it comes to Islamic terror groups. That means ISIL is always at war with all other Islamic terror groups. In other words, the Taliban has long had problems with the local ISIL affiliate and even cooperated with government and American forces to greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the ISIL presence in Afghanistan. In Africa most of the local Islamic terrorists are affiliated with al Qaeda. Africa also has a multitude of small ISIL affiliates. Since 2018 there have been two ISIL provinces in central Africa. The smaller one is ISGS (Islamic State in Greater Sahara), which showed up in 2018. ISGS is currently active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The other, slightly older and larger, ISIL province was ISWAP, which is actually a faction of the Nigerian Boko Haram Islamic terror group, which sees itself as the African Taliban and has been around since 2004. ISWAP personnel are mostly in northeastern Nigeria as well as smaller numbers in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. ISWAP recently killed the Boko Haram leaders and is trying to absorb Boko Haram into ISWAP. That is encountering a lot of resistance. There is also ISCAP (Islamic State Central Africa Province) which is actually most present in southern Africa and only really active in the southeast African state of Mozambique. The problem with ISIL in southern Africa is that Moslems are a small minority there and the Christian and pre-Christian religions are the majority and fight back, often while ISIL is trying to get established locally.

Another tiny ISIL affiliate is ISS (Islamic State in Somalia) which was never popular with the local Islamic terrorists (al Shabaab). ISS spends most of its time and effort trying to survive in the northern mountains.

In Africa, corrupt local governments are a far greater threat but those same governments appreciate Islamic terrorists, especially ISIL, because it gives the local leaders something to blame all the economic and political problems on.

The Afghan ISIL faction is known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISK), which is the Central Asian province of ISIL Khorasan is named after the province of the first caliphate and included eastern Iran, part of Afghanistan and Central Asia. Khorasan also referred to a pre-Islamic portion of a Persian Empire. ISK is apparently willing to cooperate with the Afghan Taliban against mutual enemies. That sort of thing has worked in the short term elsewhere but long term ISIL is a threat to everyone.

August 17, 2021: Despite the Taliban occupation of Kabul, Turkish president Erdogan wants NATO (meaning the U.S.) to treat Turkish military presence in Kabul as a NATO mission and include Turkey in NATO decision making regarding Afghanistan. Pakistan agreed to use its diplomatic influence with the Taliban to aid Turkeys efforts to secure Kabuls airport but has not been much help. The Taliban have offered the Turks cooperation or conflict. Turkish media report Turkish military and paramilitary security forces are prepared to stop an expected wave of Afghan refugees fleeing to the West through Iran and central Asia. Then there is China, which has been pressuring Turkey to cooperate with Chinese foreign policy and has already recognized the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan but could use Turkish cooperation to help safeguard Chinese economic investments in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan the Turks have no safe options and few positive ones.

August 16, 2021: The Pakistani prime minister, Imran Kahn praised the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Most of the Afghan Taliban are controlled, as much as Afghans can be controlled, by the Pakistani military. The Pakistani generals also helped put Kahn into power and for the first time in Pakistani history can tell Kahn and the parliament what to do and these elected officials will comply (or die, apparently). For Pakistan, Taliban control over Afghanistan is a victory over India, which the Pakistani military has been feuding with since Pakistan and India gained independence after World War II. The main complaint against India at the moment is that India was a key factor in breaking the monopoly Pakistan long exercised over Afghan foreign trade. India can now trade freely with Afghanistan via a new sea/rail link in Iran and most Afghans prefer this to dependency on Pakistan for access to the rest of the world. Attitudes and alliances are changing and Pakistan and the Taliban they created are the big losers. Iran will allow access via the road and rail route they built with India into western Afghanistan (Herat province). Iran is in big political and financial trouble at the moment and is willing to sell access to this rail link for the right price. The Taliban resurgence is a problem for Iran as well as Pakistan because Iran sees the Taliban as a threat to the large Shia minority. Pakistan still has problems with a much smaller Pakistani Taliban, who want to do in Pakistan what the Afghan Taliban are again trying to do in Afghanistan. While Pakistan praises the Taliban comeback in Afghanistan, they have not recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. No country has done so yet, not even China which is willing to do business with the Taliban.

In the South China Sea Indian and Filipino warships carried out joint training exercises. Five days earlier the two Indian warships had carried out similar training with Vietnamese warships off the Vietnamese coast. India has become a more active part of the growing coalition of nations opposing Chinese claims on the South China Sea.

August 15, 2021: Despite Taliban assurances of safety and respect for diplomatic immunity, India sent two military transports that began flying out its embassy staff and some other Indian citizens, out of Kabul today. It took several more days to get them all out because one group of Indians was stopped by Taliban and robbed of all their possessions before being allowed to proceed to the Kabul airport. India maintains contacts with the Taliban via the Taliban delegation in the Persian Gulf state Qatar. While the Taliban leadership would prefer to maintain diplomatic relationships with India, there are Taliban factions that would prefer to kidnap (for ransom) or kill all the Indian officials they can.

August 14, 2021: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan) tribal separatists attacked an army patrol, which returned fire. Three separatists and one soldier were killed while two soldiers and an unknown number of attackers were wounded.

August 12, 2021: In northwest Pakistan (North Waziristan) Pakistani Taliban fired on an army outpost and killed three soldiers.

Pakistan test fired one of its Ghaznavi solid-fuel ballistic missiles successfully. Ghaznavi is basically a solid fuel replacement for older liquid fuel Scud missiles. Solid fuel makes it possible to quickly launch the missile, which has a range of about 300 kilometers and carried a nuclear warhead. The five-ton Ghaznavi is transported and fired from a large TEL (transporter erector launcher) truck. This makes it difficult for India to find and destroy before it can be used in wartime. About 40 Ghaznavi missile have been built since it entered service in 2004, along with about twenty TELs.

In the west African nation Congo, a mob attacked and looted Indian-owned businesses in the capital Kinshasa. Earlier this month a Congolese student in Bangalore, India died while in Indian police custody. The student had been arrested on drug possession charges. Sub-Saharan Africans have complained of discrimination against them in India.

August 11, 2021: In northwest Pakistan (South Waziristan) a group of Islamic terrorists were detected moving around at night and confronted by a nearby rapid reaction force. One terrorist was killed and another wounded and captured while others fled towards the Afghan border. The Pakistani Taliban maintain most of their bases on the other side of the Afghan border.

August 4, 2021: In northwest India (Ladakh State) Chinese forces pulled back their troops from Gorga, one of the key bits of disputed territory in Ladakh. Both nations had concentrated thousands of troops along the shore of Pangong Lake and in September 2020 both agreed to halt their operations on the Indian border and continue negotiations. The 12th round of these negotiations recently ended and China quickly carried out its agreement to pull back from Gorga. Both sides declared victory but China was the actual winner because now a thousand square kilometers of additional Indian territory along Panglong Lake is under Chinese control. By the end of 2020 the two sides had agreed to pull most of their forces back because of the frigid weather in the high mountains surrounding Pangong Lake. China has been slow to carry out all those withdrawals. These mutual withdrawal negotiations began in mid-2020 and China has regularly reneged on all or part of the withdrawal agreements. China would, however, agree to another round of negotiations. The 11th round of negotiations took place in April 2021 and China again refused to carry out all the agreed-on withdrawals. With the recent Chinese withdrawal these are still two positions that China had agreed to withdraw from but has not yet actually complied with yet. These numerous and often futile negotiations are standard tactics for China, which often end with China permanently in possession of some of the disputed territory.

This was not unexpected and was another example of the Chinese SSSN (Shove, Stop, Stand Fast, Negotiate) tactics, which have once again prevailed, as they have many times in the recent past. China initially expressed no interest in retreating but was willing to negotiate. These tactics are particularly when the cold weather season approaches, putting India under intense domestic political pressure to accept the Chinese offer. China believes they will prevail by repeating their SSSN and push Indian forces out of all the disputed areas along their common border. SSSN is slow and it would take decades to grab all the Indian territory claimed by China. As long as China maintains a stronger military than India and can keep more troops near the disputed border areas, India will not feel confident to defend forcefully and risk a large-scale battle on the border.

While China has been withdrawing troops from forward positions that have them within sight of Indian forces, there has been a continuing build-up of logistical capabilities. China is building more roads to the border areas and establishing more supply storage and distribution facilities. Since the Ladakh dispute is largely along the shores of Pangong Lake, China has increased its naval capabilities in this lake, which is largely in Tibet and connected to Chinese claims on Indian territory. This is the longest lake in Asia and part of the 134-kilometer-long lake extends 45 kilometers into the Indian Ladakh region. The portion of the lake shore in dispute has no native population. The only people who visit the area are soldiers from India or China. For that reason, China is moving more armed boats to the lake, some of them capable of carrying fifty troops and their weapons.

Indian efforts to get China to negotiate a more permanent settlement of border disputes are not working. This is again demonstrated as India tries to get negotiations going over the new dispute on the shore of Pangong Lake. The Chinese will issue vague press releases but they will not negotiate a final settlement. Even when they negotiate a deal the Chinese tend to see these permanent agreements are temporary ceasefires.

August 1, 2021: In the north India has established another hotline with Chinese forces across the border. India is having problems with Chinese territorial claims along most of their 4,000-kilometer border. In late 2018 China and India agreed to establish multiple hotlines along their border and also between the defense ministries of China and India. On August 1st the sixth of these hotlines was established. It connects military commanders in India (Sikkim) with their Chinese counterparts across the border in Khamba Dzong (Tibet). These new hotlines were a revival of a failed 2016 effort to work out and agree to details of a hotline for commanders on both sides of the LAC (Line of Actual Control). Also known as the MacCartney-MacDonald Line the LAC is the unofficial border between India and China. The LAC is 4,057 kilometers long and is found in the Indian States of Ladakh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal, and Arunachal. On the Chinese side it is mostly Tibet. China claims much territory that is now considered part of India. There have been several thousand armed and unarmed confrontations over the last decade as one side or the other accuses foreign troops of crossing the LAC. The 2016 agreement fell apart when India went ahead, despite Chinese protests, and expanded its military ties with the United States while also undertaking massive improvements to military infrastructure near the border in the areas where Chinese troops were a growing presence and a constant threat. China had taken the lead improving roads and stabling more military bases close to the border. India was catching up after 2016, building over three dozen new roads to the more remote border areas. New bases for ground troops and warplanes were built and training exercises now included tests of how well ground and air reinforcements could reach the contested border areas. China considered all this an act of aggression. The need for hotlines was now more urgent than ever and after two years China agreed to resume the hotline negotiations.

July 30, 2021: In the United States (New York City) Pushtun expatriates and members of PTM (Pashtun Tahafuz Movement or Pashtun Protection Movement) held a rally to protest Pakistani violence and political oppression of the Pushtun in Pakistan and support of the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan. PTM was founded in 2014 in Pakistan. By 2018 the Pakistani military declared the peaceful PTM a threat and used increasingly violent methods to make PTM disappear. What the military fears is that the PTM is more than just a Pushtun nationalist movement in Pakistan and is an increasingly popular idea in Afghanistan as well. Most Pushtuns live in southern Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Pushtuns are a small minority in Pakistan while in Afghanistan half as many Pushtuns are the largest minority in the country and a force to be reckoned with. Pusthtuns in Pakistan have long been a despised and mistreated minority. The PTM is mostly about addressing the persecution and discrimination Pushtuns face in Pakistan. To the Pakistani military that is a form of treason, at least when it comes from Pushtuns. One reason for that is most Afghan Pushtun agree that Pakistan is no friend of Pushtun on either side of the border and is the main reason why the heroin business operates in Pushtun-majority Helmand (southern Afghanistan) province rather than across the border in Pakistan Baluchistan, where the heroin production used to be.

July 28, 2021: T he majority faction of the Afghan Taliban sent a team of senior officials to China where they met with Chinese foreign ministry officials to follow up on the recent Taliban declaration that they considered China a friend and that the Uighur Moslems from northwest China would no longer be allowed into Afghanistan once the Taliban took over. This Taliban faction has its headquarters in Pakistan and has enjoyed sanctuary there since 2002. About a third of the Afghan Taliban do not trust Pakistan or any of their friends. One of these dissident factions actively allied itself with Iran. There is a Pakistani Taliban that wants to replace the current Pakistani government and actively attacks Chinese projects in Pakistan. The Pakistan-backed Afghan factions are eager to do business with China. The main Chinese demands are to ensure that Chinese investments are unmolested and that heroin and other drugs produced in Afghanistan are not smuggled into China. The Afghan could not work out a deal with China, at least until they actually controlled Afghanistan, especially the north, where the tiny (76 kilometer) border with China is.
The Southern Hemp Expo will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center on September 2-4, 2021.

The event will play host to a number of industry experts and sector leaders, which will be divided into three distinct daily sessions.

The first day of the conference will play host to a business conference, subsequently transitioning into a farm symposium and conclude with an experience hemp day, featuring exhibitors covering every aspect of the hemp supply chain.

RALEIGH,, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via HempWire -- We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA) and Lets Talk Hemp, both of which are leading organizations for the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education and legalization in the USA, are set to host the upcoming Southern Hemp Expo 2021 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 2-4, 2021.

The three-day event will take place in the 160,000-plus square feet of dedicated space of the Raleigh Convention Center. It is set to feature a robust line-up of industry experts, leaders and exhibitors divided into three distinct sessions of live education programming and seminars.

On September 2, Southern Hemp Expo will host a business conference, presented by EarthX, comprising educational and interactive sessions discussing current and future market economics, CBD regulation and the FDA, athletes and hemp, technology and innovation, investment opportunities and more.

Subsequently, on September 3, the event will transition to a farm symposium, presented by Frannys Farmacy, dedicated to educating attendees about the latest developments within hemp fiber and grain processing, hemp as a superfood and livestock feed, soil health and genetics, regenerative agriculture, carbon credits, harvesting and processing innovations, as well as ongoing market opportunities.

The third and final session on September 4 will be an experience hemp day, with exhibitors displaying booths covering every part of the emerging hemp supply chain, including farming, processing, biofuel, textiles, fiber, CBD, pet treats, hemp foods and beverages, and building materials.

From wellness supplements to superfoods and protein powders, paper and textiles, biofuels and building materials, the evolving U.S. hemp industry continues to grow, stated Southern Hemp Expo organizer, Morris Beegle. We are excited to bring a large supply chain trade show and conference to the East Coast, taking place at the Raleigh Convention Center. We are beginning the next chapter of the expansion of the global industrial hemp industry, he added.

This years Southern Hemp Expo is presented by CannaAid, a leading online CBD retailer and wholesaler. Additional event sponsors include the East Coast Hemp Supply Inc., GRENEx, Hemp Extraction, and Benchmark CBD.

For more information and to register for the upcoming Southern Hemp Expo, visit https://www.southernhempexpo.com.

About Lets Talk Hemp

Lets Talk Hemp is a leading media platform that focuses on Changing the Cannabis Conversation. We curate news, education, and information about hemp and cannabis to our podcast listeners, newsletter subscribers, and digital magazine readers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies.

Event Contact

Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.comMorris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, hemp@coloradohempcompany.com

Wire Service Contact

HempWire Denver, CO www.HempWire.com 303.498.7722 Office Editor@HempWire.com

Source: Southern Hemp Expo
FILE PHOTO: The logo for electric vehicle startup Rivian is seen on the hood of its new R1T all-electric truck in Mill Valley, California, U.S., January 25, 2020. REUTERS/Nathan Frandino/File Photo

By Anirban Sen, Ben Klayman and Noor Zainab Hussain

(Reuters) -Electric vehicle maker Rivian said it has confidentially filed paperwork with regulators for an initial public offering, setting the stage for a blockbuster year-end market debut as it looks to tap into a red-hot IPO market in the U.S.

Rivian, which counts Amazon.com Inc, Soros Fund Management and BlackRock among its major investors, will seek a valuation of around $70-80 billion at the time of its initial public offering, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

At that valuation, Rivian would have a bigger market capitalization than General Motors Co, the largest U.S. automaker. But it would still be dwarfed by Tesla Inc, which boasts of a market cap of nearly $700 billion and is currently planning to build a pickup truck that would compete with Rivian's own version.

Rivian's stock market flotation is expected to lead the year-end line-up for U.S. IPOs, which have so far raised a record haul of over $225 billion this year, according to data from Dealogic.

A number of high-profile names, including Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global, South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global, have already taken advantage of record-breaking capital markets activity this year and floated their shares on U.S. stock exchanges.

Several other big names are expected to go public in the last quarter of the year, including the likes of chipmaker GlobalFoundries, restaurant software provider Toast and private equity giant TPG, among others.

Rivian did not provide any other details on its IPO plans on Friday. It is expected to lift the veil off its finances for the first time in a public filing in the coming weeks.

The company is one of the most well-funded startups in the United States. It raised $10.5 billion since the start of 2019, including $2.5 billion in July in a round led by Amazon and Ford Motor Co.

RACE FOR SUPREMACY

Founded in 2009 as Mainstream Motors in 2009 by RJ Scaringe, the company changed its name to Rivian in 2011. Rivian is derived from "Indian River" in Florida, a place Scaringe frequented in a rowboat as a youth.

Rivian is looking to start production of an electric pick-up and an SUV this year.

Rivian's filing comes as automakers are racing to develop electric vehicles (EVs) as China, Europe and other countries and regions mandate lower carbon emissions.

In the United States, traditional carmakers such as GM and Ford are retrofitting plants for EV production, while Tesla, Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn and several startups are expanding existing plants or are building them.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Rivian was in discussions to invest at least $5 billion in a new vehicle plant near Fort Worth, Texas.

Rivian is currently pursuing a two-track strategy: building electric delivery vans for Amazon, while developing an electric pickup and SUV brand aimed at affluent individuals.

Amazon has ordered 100,000 of Rivian's electric delivery vans as part of the e-commerce giant's broader effort to cut its carbon footprint.

This year, however, has not been without challenges for Rivian, as CEO Scaringe in July told customers the pandemic had delayed the launch of its vehicles.

Apart from Rivian, a slew of fast-growing EV startups have taken advantage of the capital markets boom in the past 12 months, especially with the rise of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).

The likes of Lucid Motors, Nikola Corp, Fisker Inc and Lordstown Motors Corp, have all chosen to merge with blank check firms to go public.

(Reporting by Anirban Sen, Noor Zainab Hussain, Niket Nishant and Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Edward Tobin)
Paid press release content from Mcap MediaWire. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

London, UK, August 27, 2021 McapMediaWire PMCG was selected by Advisory Excellence to become their exclusively recommended Bankruptcy Law Firm in Portugal.

PMCG is a Portuguese law firm offering a broad range of legal services designed to fulfil our clients` demands, catering to diversified sectors and areas of economic activity.

PMCGs team of lawyers is composed of senior experienced professionals, focused on the Clients` needs and oriented towards the creation of solutions wish delivered to enhanced value for our clients.

PMCG has an international presence through a network of professional partnerships which provides the required support to our clients` activity in foreign markets.

In addition, PMCG is a member of various Business Associations and Chambers of Commerce established in Portugal as well as being part of International Associations of Law Professionals.

Only 19 firms are recommended by Advisory Excellence in Portugal and PMCG is proud to be included.

If you would like to view our profile page, please click here.

Our news are also shared on Google News, Street Insider, Mcap MediaWire, NewsEdge (by Moodys) and Stocks News Feed.

Advisory Excellence News & Press Release Distribution

Lynton House,

7-12 Tavistock Square,

London WC1H 9LT

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3137 6198

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7183 3073

Email: info@advisoryexcellence.com

Website: https://www.advisoryexcellence.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/advisoryexcellence

MCAP Media Wire | Home
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Research from a large international effort shows that 20% of children with cancer who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop severe infections. In studies of children overall, only 1-6% have reported severe infections. The results come from the Global Registry of COVID-19 in Childhood Cancer, which was launched by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP). The registry gathers data on the pandemic's effect on this unique patient population. The findings were published today in The Lancet Oncology.

Scientists from St. Jude and SIOP report results from the Global Registry of COVID-19 and Childhood Cancer.

Results from the registry indicated that in addition to more severe or critical infections, pediatric cancer patients were more likely to be hospitalized and die than were other children. The pandemic also disrupted cancer treatment. These effects were observed more significantly in low- and middle-income countries, where the odds of severe or critical disease from COVID-19 were nearly 6 times higher than in high-income countries.

"The results clearly and definitively show that children with cancer fare worse with COVID-19 than children without cancer," said corresponding author Sheena Mukkada, M.D., St. Jude Departments of Global Pediatric Medicine and Infectious Diseases. "This global collaboration helps clinicians make evidence-based decisions about prevention and treatment, which, unfortunately, remain relevant as the pandemic continues."

A greater burden for childhood cancer patients

This is the first multinational study to describe the outcomes of a large cohort of children and adolescents with cancer or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. The registry remains open and is enrolling children younger than 19 years old.

The analysis looked at 1,500 children from 131 hospitals in 45 countries from April 15, 2020, to February 1, 2021. This is prior to vaccinations becoming available to older children in some areas of the globe, as well as prior to the emergence of certain disease variants, including delta, which are responsible for the new surge and have become a major global concern.

The study found that 65% of patients were hospitalized and 17% required admission or transfer to a higher level of care. It also showed that 4% of patients died due to COVID-19 infections, compared to 0.01-0.7% mortality reported among general pediatric patients. Cancer care was also affected. Cancer therapy was modified in 56% of patients and 45% had chemotherapy withheld while their infections were treated.

"By working together to create this global registry, we have enabled hospitals around the world to rapidly share and learn how COVID-19 is affecting children with cancer," said the paper's co-author, Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones, SIOP president. "The results are reassuring that many children can continue their cancer treatment safely, but they also highlight important clinical features that may predict a more severe clinical course and the need for greater vigilance for some patients."

A global pandemic and a global response

The registry suggests biologic factors that likely influence how children with cancer respond to COVID-19. Those include immune system function and the underlying disease. Analysis also showed that outcomes vary around the world, although the registry does not pinpoint causes. This variation may be due to a multitude of factors, including disruptions from the pandemic, access to care and resources, or delays in infection diagnosis.

Results from the registry are a call to action to address inequities in access to protective and effective treatment measures against the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

"Understanding a global crisis like COVID-19 requires our entire childhood cancer community around the world to come together to respond," said senior author Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, M.D., St. Jude Global director. "The impact of this disease has been felt in every corner of the world, but particularly in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. There are critical differences based on where a child lives. This registry is a tool that is helping us understand what that means for children with cancer everywhere."

The registry is still enrolling patients and continues to add new countries. It includes freely available data-visualization tools so that anyone, anywhere, can access the information.

Learn more about COVID-19 and vaccination

Vaccinations against COVID-19 have been demonstrated to be safe and effective in preventing severe forms of the disease, helping patients avoid hospitalizations and the need for mechanical ventilation. In the United States, vaccines are available and encouraged for children 12 years of age and older. Vaccination is one way to protect not only yourself but your community, including those who are at high risk of severe disease such as children with cancer.

Learn more about how Vaccines Bring Us Closer and check out COVID-19 resources from St. Jude.

Authors and Funding

The study's other authors are Guillermo Chantada, Hospital San Joan de Deu Barcelona, Spain; Rashmi Dalvi, Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences Mumbai, India; Laila Hessissen, Mohammed V University Rabat, Morocco; Michael Sullivan, University of Melbourne, Australia; Eric Bouffet, Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Canada; Nickhill Bhakta, Yichen Chen, Yuvanesh Vedaraju, Lane Faughnan, Maysam Homsi, Hilmarie Muniz-Talavera, Radhikesh Ranadive, Monika Metzger, Paola Friedrich, Asya Agulnik, Sima Jeha, Catherina Lam, Daniel Moreira, Victor Santana, Miguela Caniza and Meenakshi Devidas of St. Jude; and more than 150 members of the Global Registry of COVID-19 in Childhood Cancer.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (Cancer Center Support grant CA21765), and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization of St. Jude.

About SIOP

Established in 1969, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), is the only global multidisciplinary society entirely devoted to paediatric and adolescent cancer. The society has over 1,800 members worldwide including physicians, nurses, other health-care professionals, scientists and researchers. Our members are dedicated to increasing knowledge about all aspects of childhood cancer. SIOP envisions that "no child should die of cancer" and is aiming to improve the lives of children and adolescents with cancer through global collaboration, education, training, research and advocacy. To learn more, visit siop-online.org or follow SIOP on social media at @WorldSIOP.

About St. Jude Global

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital established the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine in 2016 as a new academic department to address the global challenges in pediatric cancer and catastrophic diseases, and to build on its previous work to reduce disparities in access to care. As a result, St. Jude Global launched in 2018 to support the advancement of care for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through the development of comprehensive initiatives in capacity building, education and research. St. Jude Global is committed to ensuring that every child will have access to quality care and treatment no matter where in the world they live.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food  because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covid-19-in-children-with-cancer-severe-disease-and-disrupted-treatment-301361700.html

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
A healthcare worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination popup location inside the Louisville Zoo in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 6, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Bloomberg)

DAYTON, Ohio (TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE)  A panel of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base physicians urged listeners on social media Thursday to get vaccinated, saying the vaccine is the best way to stay out of the hospital and avoid COVIDs long-term complications.

I can tell you the best protection for staying out of the hospital is to get vaccinated, said Dr. Devin Kelly, chief of infectious disease for the 88th Medical Group at Wright-Patterson.

Thursdays Facebook session was scheduled last week. But it came on the heels of a memo from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin this week directing the military to begin mandatory vaccinations.

The 88th Air Base Wing, the custodian unit overseeing Wright-Patterson, is awaiting Air Force guidance on administering mandatory vaccines, a wing spokeswoman said.

The department and the services are currently updating the vaccination policy and services are beginning execution plans, a base spokeswoman said. The department requires many vaccines for its service members and executes on these mass vaccination requirements frequently and will be able to quickly administer the vaccines.

Just over half of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated at this point. There have been about 36.6 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S., but among those vaccinated, only just over 8,000 people have been hospitalized, with 1,587 fatalities, base doctors said, citing data from Johns Hopkins University.

We do see some breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated individuals, Kelly said. But according to national numbers, most infections these days are happening among those who have not received a vaccine.

Where that surge is coming from is our unvaccinated personnel, said Col. Patrick Miller, installation commander at Wright-Patterson. Where breakthrough cases exist, they tend to show milder symptoms with fewer instances of hospitalization, physicians said.

Right now, theres a case fatality rate of 1.7% in the U.S. from COVID, internist Dr. Andrew Berglund said. Its good that death rates are low, but there can be enduring side effects from COVID, he warned.

Berglund said he knows of a lot of young, active-duty people who have survived their infections but cant run as far as they once could or who find themselves in pulmonary clinics with enduring symptoms.

Theyre almost worse six months later, and no one knows why, he said. Its an area of active research.

Right now, there are no treatments for long COVID, he added.

On the other hand, severe side effects to vaccines are exceedingly rare, Dr. Katie Burtson said. But when they happen, they tend to happen within six to eight weeks of the shot. Instances of anaphylaxis also tend to happen quickly, which is why patients who have received the vaccine are asked to wait 15 to 30 minutes before leaving.

We really dont see patients with long-term consequences past that eight-week mark, Burtson said.

Austin has officially mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for the military, sending a memo a day after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech version of the shot.

But at this writing, neither Austin nor the Air Force have publicly established a deadline by which service members are expected to be vaccinated.

Austin directed the secretaries of the U.S. military branches to immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under DoD authority on active duty or in the ready reserve, including the National Guard, who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot is the sole vaccine to receive full FDA approval so far. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots continue to be offered under an FDA emergency use authorization.

Dr. Joshua Scott said approval for a COVID booster vaccine shot could come in a month.

___

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This undated photo provided by the University of Alabama Birmingham shows the inside of UAB Hospital's COVID-19 intensive care unit. (Contributed/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Dr. Scott Harris took a deep breath Friday morning, exhaling and dropping his eyes to a sheath of papers on the conference table before him.

The numbers in front of him were not good.

As of Thursday, 2,879 Alabamians hospitalized with COVID-19. More than 5,000 new cases on Thursday. There were 40 more ICU patients than beds in which to care for them, while critical patients were being kept in ERs or hallway gurneys until beds become available. Deaths were at 12,153 and rapidly climbing, with 50 reported Thursday alone.

Youre the person who can make a difference. You need to be responsible for your behavior. You need to do what it takes to not continue this situation, Harris said to the public, his voice tightening.

Harris on Friday appeared briefly overcome when sharing the landscape of Alabamas coronavirus crisis, which has pushed the states health care system to the absolute brink. U.S. Air Force medical staff are deploying to a Dothan-area hospital to cover shifts around the clock amid a patient onslaught. State officials sent two mobile morgue trailers this week to Gulf Coast counties fearful of their capacity to store the increasing number of corpses left in the wake of the COVID-19 wave searing its way through Alabama.

I dont know how much longer were going to be able to do this, Harris said.

The mild-mannered state health officer, an infectious disease specialist who trained as a doctor amid the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, isnt prone to hyperbole or wading into political waters. Harris typically fills his weekly conferences with facts, digestible data and asks the public to take appropriate, science-based precautions such as mask wearing.

But Harris admitted on Friday he was frustrated, and appeared exhausted, as safe and effective vaccine doses sit unused on Alabama shelves and schools debate mask mandates, despite consistent and clear advice from local pediatricians and experts.

The rare moment of public emotion echoes what hospital administrators, nurses, doctors, EMTS and other frontline workers have been saying for weeks: Health care capacity in Alabama is finite, and the state is running out of time to get the COVID-19 spread under control.

So much of what were seeing is preventable. We worked on this for a year and a half. Were seeing this because people dont want to get vaccinated, they dont want to change their behavior. Theyd rather have an argument about masks than talk about how we can keep our children safe, Harris said. Its very frustrating for all of us.

State COVID-19 hospitalizations  of which 85% are unvaccinated patients, the Alabama Hospital Association reports, with vaccinated patients often immunocompromised prior to infection  are moving toward the states previous peak in January. But due to a staffing shortage in the state, the current patient lode is causing more strain than ever before during the pandemic.

When asked if Alabama hospitals would soon need to start triaging care to prioritize resources, a grim prospect the state has not yet encountered, Harris said he wasnt sure, but the state has plans in place for field hospital type set-ups if capacity continues to decline.

These what if questions are very frightening, but theres a really simple solution, Harris said. Go get vaccinated, wear your mask, and we wont have to worry about that situation.

Meanwhile, cases among children continue to rise as a patchwork and ill-enforced system of masking policies have led to increased exposures inside classrooms, leading to a cascade of school closures across the state this week.

In response, many districts that started school without mask mandates are now requiring them, as many have been forced to switch to virtual learning amid the ongoing spike in cases around the state. Others have been forced to switch back to virtual learning with too many students and staff sent home to quarantine.

I dont see that ending immediately, State Superintendent Ed Mackey said Thursday. We think that will continue until the spike levels out.

Harris said 20 U.S. Air Force doctors, nurses and respiratory technicians are slated to deploy to Southeast Health in Dothan within days. The team is expected to split into two 10-person units to work back-to-back 12-hour shifts for at least the next month.

The unit will join U.S. Department of Health and Human Services personnel in the state who are currently working in Foley. Harris said an HHS team was planning to assess a Dale County hospital for possible aid next week.

Even federal resources are strapped, Harris said earlier this week, with ongoing surges in other states.

Weve asked for the same sort of thing many more times, Harris said of the teams being sent to south Alabama. And the feds just dont have anything to send us at this time.

mabrown@gannett.com.

2021 The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser

Visit montgomeryadvertiser.com.
In a screenshot from a video posted to Facebook, Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a Marine battalion commander, calls for accountability for senior military and civilian leaders for failures in Afghanistan, hours after a blast in Kabul killed 13 U.S. troops. (Facebook/Stuart Scheller)

A Marine officer who filmed a viral video says that hes risking his career of nearly two decades to call out senior military and civilian leaders for failures in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller posted the video on social media hours after a blast in Kabul killed 13 U.S. troops. He appears in uniform and responds directly to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger's letter to troops and veterans asking whether the nearly 20-year-long war in Afghanistan was worth it.

The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down, Scheller says. People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, We messed this up. 

The video garnered more than 70,000 views and 6,000 shares in its first 10 hours on Facebook and LinkedIn, spurring both praise and criticism in the more than 1,000 comments.

It's the latest in a spate of calls from veterans and others demanding that senior officials answer for mistakes over the course of the war, especially in its final months. Some have blamed the precipitous U.S. withdrawal for undermining the Afghan government and allowing the Taliban to seize the country.

Critics have also likened the Afghanistan failure to the Islamic State group's sweep through Syria and Iraq in 2014, during President Joe Biden's term as vice president and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's leadership of U.S. Central Command.

An officer who commands the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Scheller is a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to a biography posted on his commands website. It states that he started his career in 2005 with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, which is one of the units deployed to Kabuls airport to support the U.S. airlift.

At least 10 Marines and a Navy corpsman were among the U.S. troops killed in the attack Thursday that was claimed by the Islamic State group. About 169 Afghans were killed, two officials told The Associated Press on Friday, though a final count is expected to take more time. Scores of others were wounded, along with at least 18 U.S. troops.

Scheller says he knows one the people killed in the blast, but he declines to name the person until the family had been notified.

Not making this video because its potentially an emotional time, he says. Making it because I have a growing discontent and contempt for  perceived ineptitude at the foreign policy level.

Scheller cites remarks Austin gave earlier this year suggesting that the Afghan security forces could withstand a Taliban advance. He also notes that two Marine generals are supposed to be advising the president: Berger, in his position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CENTCOM boss Gen. Frank McKenzie, though he does not name McKenzie.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller called for accountability from senior military and civilian leaders for failures in Afghanistan, in a video he posted on social media platforms. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Im not saying weve got to be ... in Afghanistan forever, Scheller says. But I am saying, Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say, hey, its a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic air base, before we evacuate everyone? Did anyone do that?

A Marine of his rank and position would be fired immediately over the simplest live-fire incident or equal opportunity complaint, he says. He then suggests that the lives lost over the past 20 years could all be for naught if high-level political and military leaders don't take responsibility for their actions.

Potentially all those people did die in vain if we dont have senior leaders that own up and raise their hand and say, We did not do this well in the end,  he says. Without that, we just keep repeating the same mistakes.

Scheller participated in the noncombatant evacuation of American citizens from Beirut in 2006 and deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, the following year.

Beginning in 2010, he spent a year in Afghanistan, where he led a team in Paktika and Ghazni provinces that destroyed explosives caches and sought to prevent attacks with improvised explosive devices.

Obviously new generation Marine Corps, LinkedIn user Erik Watson, whose profile lists five years as a Marine officer, wrote in response to Scheller. There are proper channels [to voice concerns] and if it is not addressed to your satisfaction, so sorry so sad, keep it moving. Submit resignation ASAP.

But others defended Scheller. Facebook user Craig Lowell called his video probably the most incredible act of leadership Ive ever seen.

It's definitely out of the ordinary but almost certainly violates military rules, said Jim Golby, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a 20-year Army veteran.

Im not sure the last time Ive seen an active-duty battalion commander openly and directly challenge senior military officers, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps, in this way, he said.

Scheller echoes what many are feeling, but the video could be used to sow division in the ranks, Golby said, and in the end likely does more harm than good.

Scheller has no plans to resign, he said in a comment, though in the video he says his critique could cut his career short, if I have the courage to post it.

I think what you believe can only be defined by what youre willing to risk, he says. I think it gives me some moral high ground to demand the same honesty, integrity, accountability from my senior leaders.

Ive been fighting for 17 years, he continues. Im willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, I demand accountability.

___

Scheller isn't the only Marine having serious misgivings about the way the U.S. military has handled its pullout from Afghanistan.

On Friday, Retired Marine Corps 1st Sgt. John Bennett released a video in which he first offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of the U.S. service members who died in Thursday's suicide bombing. He then added that the loss of life was unnecessary, and Bennett laid the blame squarely on Joe Biden and his failing administration.

Bennett offered up plenty more strongly-worded sentiments in his six minute video.
Sailors walk off of Naval Station Norfolk's Pier 14 into a crowd of families after the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returned from a five-month deployment on July 18, 2021. on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, Navy installations across Hampton Roads, Va., moved to condition Charlie because of an increase in COVID cases. (Trent Sprague)

(Tribune News Service)  Naval installations across Hampton Roads were ordered to enter new health and safety protocols Friday due to increasing coronavirus cases in the community.

The Department of Defense employs emergency health measures known as health protection conditions or HPCONs. Commanders review and update these HPCONs based on risk levels within a local community.

HPCON levels range from the routine level zero and ascend to levels Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and the most severe level Delta.

In Hampton Roads, Navy sites are now operating under Level Charlie.

The move to condition Charlie was a result of sustained community transmission that included a daily average of 31 to 60 new cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days, according a press release from the Navys Mid-Atlantic region.

Under Charlie, occupancy levels on installations are restricted to less than 25 percent of their normal capacity and military exercises may be modified or canceled.

Military commanders also may restrict unvaccinated personnel from off-installation venues such as bars, restaurants and concert halls. There will also be limited capacity at gyms and restaurants on base.

Military treatment facilities may also limit elective surgeries with guidance from the Defense Health Agency and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The Hampton Roads area was most recently in HPCON Charlie from Nov. 18 to May 1. At that time, military personnel were barred from all nonessential activities off base.

Sailors who are fully vaccinated are not subject to individual restrictions any higher than those corresponding to HPCON Bravo. Meaning, service members are expected to practice social distancing, avoid unnecessary physical contact with others, avoid unnecessary travel, seek guidance from their employees and unit commandeers and observe local restrictions.

This virus has shown us time and again the best way to beat it is for everyone to get vaccinated, Rear Adm. Charles Rock said in a press release. The vaccine is safe and effective. The sooner everyone gets the shot, the sooner we can return to normal. I want everyone to encourage their friends, family members and neighbors to get vaccinated so we can sink COVID-19 once and for all.

Wearing masks indoors on military installations is still required of all military service members, civilians, contactors and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Military personnel in Hampton Roads also must adhere to state and local guidance regarding off-base activities. .

If local conditions worsen, HPCON levels can increase.

Lyndon German, frederick.german@virginiamedia.com

2021 The Virginian-Pilot.

Visit pilotonline.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, shown here somewhere in the Pacific Ocean in 2018, is slated to visit Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan for the first time in nearly two decades. (Devin Monroe/U.S. Navy)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  The USS Carl Vinson is expected to arrive at Yokosuka in the near future, the aircraft carriers first visit to the home of the 7th Fleet in almost two decades.

The Navy announced the upcoming port call in a Thursday news release, although it mentioned no specific date. The service routinely declines comment on ship movements; however, the spokeswoman for Naval Forces Japan, Cmdr. Katie Cerezo, said the carrier is expected soon.

Our crew is excited and honored to have this opportunity for an on-installation port visit, said Capt. P. Scott Miller, commander of the Carl Vinson, in the Navys release. Carl Vinson, the embarked air wing and our strike group staffs are looking forward to this time of relaxation and a short pause from our underway time in support of global and regional stability.

However, the Carl Vinsons 5,000 crew members will have to pass their free time on the base due to coronavirus restrictions, according to the release.

The carrier last pulled into Yokosuka in 2003, Cerezo said in an email to Stars and Stripes on Friday. It deployed to the Western Pacific that year for an eight-month tour as part of a backfill operation for the USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group, which was sent to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The carrier now homeported at Yokosuka, the USS Ronald Reagan, departed Japan early this summer to support the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

The Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class carrier homeported in San Diego, left the West Coast on Aug. 2 for a deployment supporting global maritime security operations, according to the Navy.

The Carl Vinson strike group is the first to deploy with F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters and Navy CMV-22B Ospreys aboard.

The fifth-generation F-35Cs are the carrier version of the multirole fighters whose primary task is air superiority, according to the Navy. The CMV-22B Osprey  tiltrotor aircraft that replace the fixed wing C-2A Greyhound  primarily fill a logistics role for the strike group.
From left, U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson, University of Texas System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Archie Holmes Jr., UT Austin President Jay Hartzell and UTEP President Heather Wilson attend a news conference announcing a partnership program at UTEP's Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall on Aug. 26, 2021. (Omar Ornelas, El Paso Times/TNS)

EL PASO, Texas (Tribune News Service)  The U.S. Space Force is partnering with the University of Texas at El Paso, UT Austin and the UT System to create a pipeline of personnel to fill its ranks and help other space industries.

The University of Texas at El Paso has done space research for decades; satellite technology, lunar exploration, spaceflight guidance systems, microgravity and more, and we are pleased to be able to support the United States Space Force in their critical work of protecting the United States assets in orbit, UTEP President Heather Wilson said.

UTEP and UT Austin are two of 11 universities chosen to join the Space Forces University Partnership Program in fiscal year 2021.

UT leaders met with U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson at the UTEP campus Thursday to sign a comprehensive umbrella memorandum of understanding between UT campuses and the Space Force to provide advanced research and workforce development, focusing on diversity.

Universities chosen for the Space Forces Partnership Program were picked based on STEM degree offerings and space-related research labs and initiatives, robust ROTC programs, diverse student populations and degrees, and programming supporting higher education for the military, veterans and their families.

Of the 66,000 degrees across the UT Systems 13 academic and health institutions in the 2019-20 academic year, 47% were awarded in STEM or health-related fields, and 42% of those undergraduate degrees were awarded to Hispanics or African Americans, said Archie Holmes Jr., UT Systems executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.

UTEP will also break ground in 2022 on a $70 million and 80,000- to 90,000-gross-square-foot four-story Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center.

Space takeover in West Texas, Southwest

The Space Force is the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. The branch was established in December 2019 under the Trump administration. It was the first time a new military service branch had been created in more than 70 years, Thompson said.

The Space Force is part of the U.S. Department of the Air Force and is overseen by the secretary of the Air Force.

Wilsons last day as Air Force secretary was seven months before the Space Force was established; she stepped down to lead UTEP in August 2019.

The Borderland is already home to billionaire Jeff Bezos Blue Origin space tourism company in Van Horn and British billionaire Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic spaceflight company in Southeast New Mexico. Both companies launched their first spaceflights in July.

Goals to educate, train and partner

The initial goals of Space Force were to educate and train new Guardians, as Space Force members are known, by developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of the space domain and creating partnerships with organizations with strong research and technology programs, Thompson said.

Thompson said he understands there will be competition with Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin for workers but said the competition is healthy, adding a Space Force priority is to grow the U.S. commercial space industry.

If along the way we inspire others who want to work commercially, Texas is a great region for commercial space industries in the U.S. If they want to work for NASA, if they want to work elsewhere, thats a win for the nation, Thompson said.

The next steps in the partnership will be connecting with research institutions and centers in Texas, sending members of the Space Force to Texas to conduct mutual research, building relationships with new Space Force partners, and focusing energy on ROTC programs at UT schools, Thompson said.

The good news is theres going to be a lot of competition for talent. The bad news is theres going to be a lot of competition for talent, Thompson said. Were developing strategic partnerships within the commercial sector as well.

Theres no timeline for the new project, which has been on UTEPs radar for almost a year, Wilson said.

She said partnerships will play an important role in funding for the new project.

UTEP is very well positioned (near) White Sands Missile Range and Van Horn, Texas, is contributing to commercial space, so I think there are tremendous opportunities for young people growing up in this region to be able to go to the stars.

U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar, D- El Paso, was one of the members of Congress to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act last year, which created the Space Force.

Escobar is a member of the Armed Services Committee in Congress. She said finding a way to uplift her alma mater UTEP through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense has been a goal since she was county judge.

Escobar said she has prioritized adding diversity to the ranks of the Department of Defense from the onset of her service with the House Armed Services Committee.

Escobar said she hoped the new partnership between the Department of Defense and UTEP would create opportunity for a new economic development ecosystem.

After speaking with Thompson about some of the early opportunities for the new agreement, which will be research based, Escobar said she hopes funding for the new project will come from the Department of Defense.

There are other opportunities as well, for sending both military and civilian personnel to UTEP to earn their masters degrees or Ph.D.s, and that accomplishes two things; one, it helps grow the programs here and, number two, it creates opportunities for mentorship for actual Space Force personnel and both civilian and military, to mentor students, Escobar said.

As the DOD becomes more reliant on universities like UTEP ... we are able to grow the supply chain in manufacturing, and, hopefully, well be able to create an environment where UTEP graduates can stay and get private sector contracts for some of this work. Thats more longer term, Escobar said.

ccarreon@elpasotimes.com

2021 The El Paso (Texas) Times.

Visit elpasotimes.com.
Avoid the red, U.S. Forces Korea tweeted Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, referring to its new map of restricted districts in South Korea. When in doubt, mask up. (U.S. Forces Korea)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  U.S. Forces Korea announced Friday it is implementing a new method for mitigating the coronavirus spread while allowing service members to travel more freely across the peninsula.

USFK  the command responsible for about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country  is regulating travel to roughly 230 South Korean districts based on the number of COVID-19 cases in each area. Troops are prohibited from visiting districts with 50 or more confirmed COVID-19 patients per 100,000 people over a seven-day period, according to a press release.

Among the seven red-zoned areas is Pyeongtaek, home to a large concentration of troops at Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys. The others are Gangnam and Yeongdeungpo in Seoul, Goesan, Uiseong, Uiryeong and Yeoncheon.

Those who live or work in these areas can travel freely within their district but are encouraged to minimize activities to the greatest extent possible, the release said. The command is expected to update its incidence rate map on Wednesday evenings.

The new policy, which took effect Saturday, represents a more dynamic method of regulating travel on the peninsula during the pandemic, USFK spokesman Col. Lee Peters said in a Facebook video Friday. It allows service members to freely visit districts based on the rate of COVID-19 infections while limiting trips to a few hotspot areas.

Previously, USFK personnel were banned from traveling to wide-ranging areas in the country, such as the greater Seoul area. Those who have not been fully vaccinated are still prohibited from visiting bars, clubs, bathhouses and off-post gyms  even in districts with low incidence rates.

Avoid the red, USFK tweeted Friday, referring to its map indicating restricted districts in South Korea. When in doubt, mask up.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 1,841 new coronavirus cases Friday, down from a daily high of over 2,220 cases earlier in August.

Over 80% of USFK personnel are fully vaccinated, the command said in a statement Monday, adding that it remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1% of its active-duty troops currently infected with COVID-19.
Sparkling wines taste even better when the sipper is surrounded by the beauty of France's Alsace region. (iStock)

When it comes to celebrating momentous occasions, Champagne immediately comes to mind. While Champagne refers exclusively to the famous sparkling wine produced in Frances region of the same name, sparkling wines are produced and consumed widely across Europe. The grapes that make sparkling wines are grown in spectacular locales, and they're well worth a visit. Here are some experiences that promise to make time spent in the wine country all the more memorable:

Sip Champagne in a treehouse: The Perching Bar nestles high in the trees of a national park. Wooden suspension bridges lead the way to a cozy hideaway that feels sealed off from the rest of the world. Its blonde wood interior manages to be at once elegant and rustic. Visitors particularly enjoy sitting in their swinging seats and gently rocking as they imbibe their flutes of bubbly. The bar is open Wednesdays through Sundays through December, and booking in advance is essential. Children under 12 are not allowed. The 21-euro fee includes entry and a glass of champagne. The Perching Bar is situated in Verzy, some 12 miles southeast of Reims. Online: perchinglife.com/bar-a-champagne-reims

Experience Espumante in Bairrada: Portugals version of bubbles is made in the DOC Bairrada, south of Vinho Verde. Forming the western part of this wine region is Beira Atlantico, which produces much of the countrys Espumantes. A handful of the regions wineries offer guided tours, including the Caves do Solar de Sao Domingos, whose cellar lodges more than two million bottles of sparkling wine. A variety of tours are offered through its spaces, from galleries hewn into the rock to a museum with a tasting room. The winerys Rare Moments experience consists of a guided visit through the cellars, tasting of two types of sparkling wines, a white wine, a red wine, a charcuterie board of cheeses and sausages, breads and a regional sweet. The tour is available daily except for Sundays and goes for 22.50 euros. The winery is located in Anadia. Online: cavesaodomingos.com/enoturismo/en

Pedal through Proseccos homeland: In the foothills of the Alps, north of Venice, lies this corner of the Veneto famous for the production of Italys favorite fizz. The ancient terraced vineyards between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano lend themselves well to exploration by bicycle. A 20-mile, self-guided tour suggested by Coneglianos official tourism website takes riders past some of the UNESCO-listed areas best sights. Amongst medieval castles, stately villas and ancient churches is found Carpene Malvolti, Italys oldest family-run sparkling wine house and the hamlet of Rolle, in which ancient vineyards preserve Proseccos original genetic lines. As the area is hilly, exertion can be eased by renting an E-Bike. The company Vibe offers rentals of these pedal-assisted bikes and organizes a variety of themed tours. Online: vibemotion.it/en/e-bike-rental

Crack open the Cava: Spain's sparkler known as Cava is made by traditional methods in several locations including the Penedes wine-making region outside of Barcelona. Those on a city break can switch urban hip for rolling hills by signing up for a bus tour offered by the local tourism board. Barcelona Turisme's Wine and Cava Tour takes guests to three of the area's best known wineries: Freixenet, Bodegas Torres and Bodegas Jean-Leon. The itinerary includes tours of the premises and sampling pairings with local delicacies including cheese and Catalan produce. While this tour isn't offered at the moment, a tour of Freixenet only includes a visit to the premises, a ride through the caves on a miniature train and a glass of Cava. This tour costs 15 euros, plus the cost of train fare to reach Sant Sadurni, a 40-minute ride from Barcelona. Online: bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com

Quaff Alsatian Cremant at a fest: The word Cremant refers to a sparkling wine made according to the traditional "Methode Champenoise" but produced outside France's Champagne region. The sparkling wines of Alsace, made of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc or Gewurztraminer grapes, are considered to offer high quality at a reasonable cost.

Those missing wine fests might wish to check out the "Fascinant Week-end Vignobles & Decouvertes" scheduled for Oct. 14-17 along the Alsace Wine Route. Some 70 activities will be on offer by the winemakers, restaurants and others catering to tourists. Things to enjoy include blind tastings, exploring food and wine pairings, geocaching, games for families, vineyard tours by moped and more. As many activities require preregistration, advance planning is advisable. Online: wineroute.alsace
There's no fashion crisis like a teen fashion crisis. (iStock)

Unfortunately, I recall many excruciating details from my adolescent years, from the Smurfs puffy stickers I stuck inside my locker to that humiliating day I threw up in the cafeteria in front of my entire seventh grade class, and every awkwardly self-conscious moment in between.

During this gawky stage, I hovered in a nervous state of adolescent limbo between my carefree primary years and the uneasy self-awareness of my late teens. At night, Id lay awake in my mock-brass twin bed, under my Kliban cat sheets, staring at the Holly Hobby doll on my floral Contact-papered shelf, practicing kissing on the back of my hand, and wondering, "Who the heck am I, anyway?" Although nothing seemed certain, I thought having trendy clothes would go a long way in attracting a halfway decent friend group ... and maybe someday, a boyfriend.

My parents aimed to clothe me in polyester dresses and knee socks for the rest of my life. That worked until middle school, when my best friend showed up on the first day wearing a blue satin jacket, rainbow suspenders, a Coneheads T-shirt and Sasson jeans with a clear plastic back pocket that showed off her Bonnie Bell Lip Smacker. Seeing that my friends cool outfit earned her social status, I was desperate to create my own style.

My older brother had abandoned the color-coordinated Garanimals outfits my mother bought him at J.C. Penneys, and replaced them with a decent pair of jeans, concert T-shirts and turf shoes. He parted his hair straight down the middle, and voila! His entrance into the cool crowd was instantaneous, too.

For me, however, fashion was bewildering, with an intimidating array of trends from which to choose. Just buying a new pair of jeans was overwhelming. Pleated or plain front? Acid or stone washed? Tapered or Flared? Jordache or Lee?

Would I wear a madras shirt, a cut-up sweatshirt, a Members Only jacket, a cowl neck, a Forenza sweater, an oversized blouse with a brooch at the neck, a popped collar polo shirt, a whale-print turtleneck, or a blazer with enormous shoulder pads? How could I choose between painter's pants, Hammertime pants, parachute pants, stirrup pants, and overalls? Jellies, Converse Chucks, Tretorns, Reebok high tops, Vans, penny loafers, Capezios, Docksiders and Candies. Not to mention the dizzying assortment of accessories: fingerless gloves, leg warmers, Vuarnet sunglasses, Swatch watches, stick pins, braided headbands, mood rings, fanny packs and banana clips.

Even after choosing an outfit, I still had to decide whether rooster bangs or a bi-level would go better with my frosted purple eye shadow! Oh the agony!

Unfortunately, I never developed a sense of fashion and eventually gave in to my mothers influence, wearing brown leather loafers, blouses that tied at the neck a la Colonel Sanders, and my hair long with a slab of bangs that made my face look like it was framed with a ring of Polska kielbasa.

Even when I managed to convince my mother to buy me something trendy from the juniors rack, I could never quite pull it off. When she bought me Lee overalls, I accidentally dipped the strap into the girls restroom toilet before history class. When I wore a cool pair of boots I got for Christmas, I wiped out on a patch of ice stepping off the bus.

At some point, I gave up on acquiring fashion sense and honed my sense of humor. I didnt get a good date to the prom, but I was voted Class Clown in 1984 and later became a humor writer. Now, as I watch military families go shopping for back-to-school clothes, I hope that less fashion-savvy kids are not stressing about what to wear to school like I did.

It's OK if fashion isnt your thing. Your best accessories are your personality, your intellect, your talent, your sense of humor, your kindness, your generosity, your determination, your compassion and your resilience. Wear whatever clothing makes you feel comfortable and confident, then simply let YOU shine through.

Fashion trends change, but character is forever. And thats totally cool.

Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com, and in Lisas book, The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com. Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com
Some freed students of Salihu Tanko Islamic School are seen in Minna, Nigeria, on Friday, Aug 27, 2021. A school official in northern Nigeria says gunmen have released some of the more than 100 children who had been abducted back in May. The kidnapping victims had included children as young as 5 years old. (AP)

MINNA, Nigeria  Overjoyed parents awaited the return of 90 young schoolchildren who had spent three months held by gunmen as authorities elsewhere in northern Nigeria announced a second group of 15 students also had been released.

The news was celebrated across Nigeria, where more than 1,000 students have been kidnapped from schools since December. The abductions have stepped up pressure on the Nigerian government to do more to secure educational facilities in remote areas.

But questions remained Friday about whether ransoms had been paid to secure the children's release, and if so whether that could fuel further abductions by the unknown armed groups referred to locally as bandits.

Authorities also learned that one of the children taken in May had died during the ordeal. Four others were receiving medical treatment following their release Thursday night in Niger state.

A freed student of Salihu Tanko Islamic School reunited with her father in Minna, Nigeria, on Friday, Aug 27, 2021. (AP)

"This has affected the morale and confidence of the people and has even made parents think twice before they send their children to school," Niger state Gov. Abubakar Sani Bello said of the children's abduction. "We will do whatever it takes to bring (the kidnappers) to justice."

Gunmen on motorcycles had attacked the Salihu Tanko Islamic School in Niger state in late May. Other preschoolers were left behind as they could not keep pace when the gunmen hurriedly moved those abducted into the forest.

Authorities initially said that 136 students had been taken but revised that figure to 91, including the pupil who died in captivity.

Head teacher Abubakar Garba Alhassan did not provide details of their release, but parents of the students have over the past weeks struggled to raise the ransoms demanded by their abductors.

Also Friday, police spokesperson in Zamfara state Mohammed Shehu said that 15 other students had been handed over to officials on Friday, 11 days after they were abducted from the College of Agriculture and Animal Science in Nigeria's troubled northwest.

It was not immediately clear how they were rescued, but the students are now being looked after at Zamfara state officials and will soon be reunited with their parents, authorities said.

More than 1,000 students have been forcibly taken from their schools in a series of school abductions this year, according to an AP tally of figures previously confirmed by the police. Although most of those kidnapped have been released, about 200 are still held by their abductors.

After one abduction at a university in Kaduna state earlier this year, gunmen demanded ransoms equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars. They killed five other students to compel the students' parents to raise the money and later released 14 others.

___

Asadu reported from Lagos, Nigeria.
Col. Andrew Campbell, 374th Airlift Wing commander, receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Jan. 12, 2021. (U.S. Air Force)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Unvaccinated service members wont be allowed off this U.S. installation in western Tokyo until Sept. 9, according to an order from the base commander that took effect Friday.

The new policy also curtails activities by unvaccinated individuals on base, such as attendance at group events and use of the gym.

Base commander Col. Andrew Campbell imposed the order following a risk assessment of extremely high rates of COVID-19 in Japan, characterized by the delta variant, according to base spokeswoman Capt. Caitlin Mott.

The Delta variant is more contagious than previous strains of the virus with varying levels of severity, she told Stars and Stripes in an email Friday. This risk assessment called for our action to protect our community.

Japans fifth wave of coronavirus is creating a record-breaking caseload, though the number of daily COVID-19 fatalities is about a fifth of what it was during the last extreme wave in January. Nearly 43% of the population is fully vaccinated.

Tokyo reported another 3,081 people with the coronavirus Sunday and 3,581 on Saturday, according to public broadcaster NHK and the metropolitan government. For a fifth and sixth consecutive day, the caseload was less than the week prior.

However, the number of severely ill in the capital is at the highest level of the pandemic and fell by one on Sunday to 296, NHK reported.

Individual responsibility

Campbells order appears to be the most stringent restriction on the movement of unvaccinated individuals on any installation in Japan. Bases have permitted vaccinated people greater latitude to travel and engage in activities than unvaccinated members.

But this order goes a step further by restricting access to the surrounding communities.

Large events and social gatherings, including non-mission-essential events at base clubs, award ceremonies and similar activities, are off-limits to unvaccinated individuals. The fitness center is also off-limits.

Campbells order also forbids unvaccinated visitors to the base, except those on official business or with permission from a sponsors squadron commander or equivalent authority.

Mott did not comment directly on how the order would be enforced.

These measures were set forth to protect our community both inside and outside the base, she said. There is an individual responsibility that we all have to minimize the spread and life-threatening effects of this virus.

Campbells order comes just days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandated all active-duty service members get vaccinated with the licensed version of the Pfizer two-dose vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, the first coronavirus vaccine to attain that level.

The new restrictions were not timed to encourage vaccinations, according to Mott.

However, we do assert that the vaccine is currently the most effective way to mitigate the COVID threat, she wrote. It is our responsibility to protect the entire community in which we serve.

USFJ spokesman Maj. Tom Barger said Thursday the command has adequate supplies of the Pfizer vaccine to meet immediate demand.

Campbells order also stiffens the mask requirement on base, and requires everyone wear masks in high-traffic, common-use areas where co-mingling with non-familiar individuals  is likely.

The mask mandate does not apply to fully-vaccinated individuals at base indoor fitness facilities.

New military infections

U.S. installations in Japan reported 78 new COVID-19 cases between Aug. 21 and Friday.

Kadena Air Base on Okinawa reported 41, but provided no further information.

Yokota reported 22 new infections from the previous week.

One individual tested positive after arriving in Japan from the United States, the base announced on Friday. Another seven were already quarantined as close contacts. The remaining 14 were identified by public health authorities.

Yokosuka Naval Base, the 7th Fleets homeport south of Tokyo, said 12 individuals had contracted COVID-19 since Tuesday.

Five were immunized, according to a base news release Friday. Two developed COVID-19 symptoms and three were discovered by contact tracing.

The remaining seven were not immunized. Two turned up during a medical screening and one during contact tracing. Three fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms. Two are base employees.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, southwest of central Tokyo, had two people turn up positive, one after falling ill and the other after a pre-travel screening, according to a Friday news release.

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, had one individual test positive who was not previously in restricted movement, the base announced Friday.

Joseph Ditzler
Buy Photo South Korea and the United States concluded their Combined Command Post Training, an 11-day computer-simulated military exercise, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (Stars and Stripes)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  U.S. and South Korean forces completed a joint training exercise with little apparent notice from North Korea, which had complained the drills were a provocation, a Defense Ministry official said Friday.

The two allies on Thursday concluded their Combined Command Post Training, a computer-simulated military exercise. A four-day preliminary crisis management session was also conducted prior to the drills.

South Korea and the U.S. ended the [command-post exercise] for the second half of this year after achieving training goals, a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official told Stars and Stripes on the customary condition of anonymity Friday.

The official said the two countries successfully finalized the training while  in difficult overall conditions, such as the COVID-19 situation.

Despite Pyongyang frequently railing against such joint drills, there has been no unusual activity from North Korea during the training, the JCS official added.

A separate Defense Ministry official confirmed the account to Stars and Stripes and added that North Korean troops have been conducting their own summer training.

Both U.S. and South Korean military officials declined to provide details of the exercise, including the number of troops involved.

U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Lee Peters, citing the commands policy of not commenting on the drills, said the U.S. alliance remains committed to providing a credible military deterrence while maintaining a robust combined defense posture to protect [South Korea] against any adversary or threat.

In recent years, the U.S. and South Korea have dramatically scaled back the number of troops for the annual drills. The allies postponed their last computer-simulated drill in February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the allies dialing back their drills, North Korea has sent heated statements through its state-run Korean Central News Agency in recent months. The regime routinely claims the drills are a precursor to a hostile invasion of its country.

Earlier this month, senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol said the command-post exercise was an unfavorable prelude further beclouding the future of the inter-Korean relations.

However, the U.S. views the drills as purely defensive in nature, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Aug. 10.

North Korea did not respond to calls on the inter-Korean military and joint liaison office hotlines Friday, according to the Defense and Unification ministries. The North has been unresponsive to Seouls attempts to communicate through the hotlines since Aug. 10.
A U.S. Marine escorts a young evacuee at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021. (Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  South Korean government officials on Friday expressed their "deep condolences" after a pair of attacks at the primary airport in Afghanistan killed at least 13 U.S. troops and 60 locals.

Two suicide bombers and several gunmen on Thursday attacked the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where U.S. forces were screening evacuees for outbound flights. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to the terrorist-affiliated Amaq News Agency.

In Seoul, a Defense Ministry official issued a statement that recalled the assistance U.S. troops rendered to the South Korean military at the airport earlier in the week.

We express our condolences for the U.S. soldiers deaths and injuries, the official told Stars and Stripes on Friday on the customary condition of anonymity. We greatly appreciate U.S. troops helping us in the return of Afghan facilitators safely. We want to express a big thanks for U.S. troops.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a separate statement Friday expressed deep condolences to the victims and their families, adding that the country will pledge to actively participate in the fight against terrorism.

At least 10 of the service members killed were U.S Marines, according to a statement from Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Jim Stenger. Around 18 other troops were wounded in the attacks and were airlifted out of the country on specially equipped C-17s with embarked surgical units, Navy Capt. Bill Urban, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a separate statement.

The attacks came less than a day after nearly 400 Afghans were evacuated to South Korea. Afghans previously employed by the South Korean government, such as embassy and hospital workers, were airlifted out of Afghanistan with their families.

While the South Korean military evacuated the Afghans using their own aircraft, U.S. troops were instrumental in their operation, government officials said Thursday. Park Min Ho, director of the Defense Ministrys Multilateral Security Policy Division, told Stars and Stripes that the U.S. military persuaded the Taliban through negotiations  so we could pass through [their] security inspection at the airport, as well as providing aerial assistance to the airport.

President Joe Biden in an emotional speech Thursday described the casualties as heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth, he said. And they were part of, simply, what I call the backbone of America. Theyre the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

Biden, referring to those responsible for the attacks, added: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

Roughly 5,800 U.S. troops remain at the Kabul airport to assist in evacuating Americans and Afghans allies by an Aug. 31 deadline.

Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
Buy Photo Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, outgoing commander for U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, speaks about threats to regional security during a change-of-command ceremony at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider called out China, North Korea and Russia as threats to regional security as he handed the reins of U.S. Forces Japan to fellow Air Force officer Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp.

Stakes are higher today than they were in February of 2019 when I came into this job, he said during a Friday ceremony that drew top brass and diplomats as guests. Authoritarian regimes in Beijing, Pyongyang and Moscow continue to work to undermine peace and disrupt the security that has enabled economies to flourish.

Schneiders tenure was marked by heightened tensions with China in the western Pacific and a continuing coronavirus pandemic that began 18 months ago. He was in charge at USFJ headquarters at Yokota in western Tokyo less than a year when the virus appeared in China.

During 2020, it played havoc with U.S. military bases in Japan, prompting sporadic, temporary lockdowns and restrictions on everything from travel to shopping and dining. Hundreds of service members, civilian employees and family members were quarantined on any given day.

In his final speech as USFJ commander, Schneider never mentioned the coronavirus or COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes.

He focused on Americas adversaries and underlined the ties between Japan and the United States as the most critical, the most consequential and the most important alliance we have, not just because it benefits two nations, but because it touches the region, and it touches the globe.

From Tokyo, Schneider heads to the Pentagon to serve as director of staff at Headquarters Air Force, where he will synchronize and integrate policy, plans, positions, procedures and cross-functional issues for headquarters staff, according to USFJ.

He handed the unit flags to Rupp in front of about 100 people, including Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, who presided over the ceremonies; Japanese Defense Minister Yasuhide Nakayama; Jan Adams and Julia Longbottom, the Australian and British ambassadors to Japan, respectively.

Attendees were masked but did not sit with space between them during the ceremony at Yokotas Enlisted Club.

Our alliance, at all levels, ensures we remain a credible deterrent, ready to respond at a moments notice to any threat, crisis or humanitarian disaster, Rupp said during his speech.

Buy Photo The commander of Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, speaks during a change-of-command ceremony for U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

USFJ is a liaison with Japan for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps and also helps manage the two nations military alliance. The U.S. has approximately 135,000 service members in Japan, Schneider said.

It has authority over basing issues and the status of forces agreement, which governs the legal rights and responsibilities of U.S. military personnel in the country, and supports INDOPACOM, the combat command in the region.

As head of 5th Air Force, Rupp also leads about 15,000 airmen at three U.S. air bases in Japan: Misawa, Yokota and Kadena. Fifth Air Force provides a deterrent to would-be adversaries as well as airlift, combat and other aviation capabilities for the U.S. and Japanese militaries.

Buy Photo Adm. John Aquilino, the head of Indo-Pacific Command, passes the guidon to the new commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

Rupp is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He comes to Tokyo from Joint Base Andrews, Md., where he commanded the Air Force District of Washington and the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing.

In his remarks, Rupp praised Schneiders hard work benefitting his commands, the Indo-Pacific region and the world. Schneider, he said, pushed the U.S.-Japan alliance to stay ahead of growing regional threats while coping with the pandemic.

Rupp can look forward to an increased tempo of maritime and aviation challenges from the Chinese military and coast guard, whose ships and planes add muscle to its territorial claims in the region and challenge those of Japan.

The U.S. response comes in the form of freedom-of-navigation patrols in the South China Sea by the Navy, bomber task force exercises by the Air Force and island-hopping exercises by the Marine Corps.
Evacuees from Afghanistan arrive at Naval Station Rota, Spain, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Nathan Carpenter/U.S. Navy)

At least 450 Afghan evacuees arrived Friday at a naval base in Spain, U.S. Navy officials said.

The first group of evacuees to come to Naval Station Rota arrived aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Kuwait International Airport, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement.

The arrival came a day after deadly explosions at the airport in Kabul killed 13 U.S. service members and 169 Afghans, The Associated Press reported. Flights out of the airport resumed Friday.

NS Rota is working with the Spanish navy and government to serve as a transit location for evacuees before they're moved elsewhere, the statement said.

Sailors welcome evacuees from Afghanistan arriving at Naval Station Rota, Spain, on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (John Owen/U.S. Navy) Evacuees from Afghanistan move through a security checkpoint Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, after arriving at Naval Station Rota, Spain. (Nathan Carpenter/U.S. Navy)

The base has set up temporary lodging with halal dining and areas for recreation and religious practices. Personnel will aid evacuees with injuries or other medical concerns, the statement said.

Other U.S. Navy bases in Europe are housing or helping Afghan evacuees as well. Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy has accepted at least 662 Afghan evacuees since Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ramstein Air Base and the Army's nearby Rhine Ordinance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany have hosted more than 18,000 evacuees since Aug. 20, Air Force officials said Friday.
President Joe Biden pauses Aug. 26, 2021, as he speaks from the East Room of the White House about the bombings at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed at least 13 U.S. service members. (Evan Vucci/AP photo)

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to hunt down leaders of the terrorist group that carried out attacks in Kabul, which killed 13 U.S. service members and wounded dozens of other troops and Afghan civilians.

Biden expressed outrage and heartbreak at the deaths, and he promised a response. He confirmed the group ISIS-K  an Afghan-based branch of the Islamic State terrorist group  was responsible for the attack. Pentagon officials warned this week of potential threats from the group.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive, we will not forget, said Biden, who spoke from the East Room of the White House. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.

Biden said he ordered his commanders to develop plans for a return strike against the terrorist groups assets, facilities and leadership. Further, he said his administration has reason to believe that they know the individuals who ordered the attack and would get them, wherever they are.

We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing, the president said. Heres what you need to know: these ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans. We will get our Afghan allies out. America will not be intimidated.

One explosion Thursday occurred near Abbey Gate, one of three entrances to the Kabul airport, where U.S. and coalition forces have evacuated tens of thousands of Americans and at-risk Afghans from Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country nearly two weeks ago. Afghans had gathered at the gate to vie for evacuation flights.

The Pentagon said 13 U.S. service members were killed and 18 others were wounded in the attack. The number of Afghan casualties remained uncertain Thursday afternoon.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters the working assumption is a suicide bomber detonated while being checked by U.S. troops at the gate, but that is not confirmed.

A second explosion happened shortly after the first one at or near the Baron Hotel, a short distance from Abbey Gate, said chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Pentagon officials expect more attacks to follow.

We can and we must complete this mission, and we will, Biden said. And thats what Ive ordered them to do. We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will not let them stop our mission."

Evacuation efforts continued Thursday as the U.S. raced to meet an Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw troops.

The State Department said the U.S. has evacuated about 5,000 American passport holders so far. On Thursday, about 1,000 remained in Afghanistan, some of whom were at the airport or waiting for guidance on safe routes to get there.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated approximately 95,700 Americans and Afghan allies.

Even after the troops withdraw from the country, the U.S. will work to find and evacuate Americans who remain in the country, Biden said.

The president held a moment of silence for the service members and Afghans who were killed in the attack. He described the troops as heroes who died while carrying out a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, Biden said. They were part of the bravest, most capable, most selfless military on the face of the Earth, and they were part of the backbone of America  the best the country has to offer.
Buy Photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, speaks to reporters at the former Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, on July 25, 2021. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  More terrorist attacks are expected after two suicide bombers and an undisclosed number of gunmen on Thursday killed 13 U.S. troops and injured 18 others near the airport in Kabul where U.S. forces have been evacuating tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans from Afghanistan, said Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander in the region.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks that also injured and killed unknown numbers of civilians, according to the Amaq News Agency, which is affiliated with the terrorist group.

The threat from ISIS is extremely real, McKenzie said Thursday. We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue  and we're doing everything we can to be prepared for this attack.

Attacks were expected at some point during the evacuation mission, which began Aug. 14 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, said McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command.

Anytime you build a noncombatant evacuation plan like this [and] you bring in forces, you expect to be attacked, he told reporters at the Pentagon. We thought this would happen sooner or later -- it's tragic that it happened today. Its tragic there was this much loss of life.

The evacuation mission will continue until its scheduled end date of Aug. 31, McKenzie said. The U.S. has brought in busloads of evacuees to the airfield in the hours since the attacks.

To prevent more fatalities, the U.S. is coordinating with the Taliban, who are actually providing our security cordon around the airfield, McKenzie said.

The plan is designed to operate well under stress and under attack, he said. We will coordinate very carefully to make sure that it's safe for American citizens to come to the airfield.

Another part of keeping operations safe are the continued security checks at the airport gates, which the troops killed and injured Thursday were conducting at the time of the attacked. McKenzie said Americans must continue these checks because you don't want to let somebody on an airplane carrying a bomb.

Our aircraft coming in and out is a paramount importance because obviously you have the opportunity there for 450 or more people to die if you have a significant mishap with the aircraft," he said, noting U.S. troops seemingly prevented the attackers from getting inside the airport.

The Taliban conducts its own security vetting at checkpoints outside the airport where individuals are searched for weapons including explosives, McKenzie said.

Sometimes the searches have been good and sometimes not, he said. I will simply note that before this attack, we had passed 104,000 people through.

The general said the U.S. is informing the Taliban of threat possibilities, so that they can actually do some searching out there for us. He said ISIS attacks would hinder the Talibans takeover in Kabul.

They don't give the full range of information we have, but we give [the Taliban] enough to act in time and space to try to prevent these attacks, McKenzie said. We believe that some attacks have been thwarted by them.

CENTCOM also has more tactical ways to stop future attacks, McKenzie said.

We know that [ISIS] would like to lob a rocket in the air if they could, he said. Our anti-rocket and mortar system [and] gun systems  that are pretty effective against these kinds of attacks.

The terrorist group also aim[s] to get a vehicle-borne suicide attack in if they can  from a small vehicle to a large vehicle  theyre working all those options, McKenzie said.

The general said the military is using AH-64 attack helicopters and some unmanned aircraft with thermal imaging to watch for possible threats.

The military is also using Air Force aircraft including F/A-18 fighter jets and AC-130 gunships that were already in Afghanistan to deter attacks, he said.

The AC 130 gunship has a very highly capable targeting system and it's also very visible platform, McKenzie said. We know from long experience that visible demonstration of these kinds of [aircraft] tends to dissuade the attacker because they know that if we can see him do it we're going to strike them immediately.
People drop off donations at Northern Virginia Community College on Aug. 21, 2021, in Annandale, Va., to aid the hundreds of Afghan refugees or special-immigrant visa recipients who arrived overnight after a harrowing journey from Kabul. (Meagan Flynn/The Washington Post)

For those who managed to flee Afghanistan, leaving their home country under Taliban rule is just the beginning of their challenges  they are landing in foreign countries across the world to rebuild new lives and contend with anti-migrant attitudes.

Most people seeking to flee Afghanistan have little hope of finding a quick way out of the country, let alone finding welcome abroad, as some destination countries issue anti-asylum-seeker warnings and harden their borders.

But some among the relatively small handful with the right paperwork who weathered the chaos of the Kabul airport in recent days and managed to board flights out have been received with warmly in airports around the world.

Children were given white and pink teddy bears and met with welcome banners at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, where hundreds of Afghans arrived  not as refugees, but dubbed by authorities as persons of special merit, in a bid to deter anti-migrant abuse. Some 370 people have been granted short-stay visas that are valid for up to 90 days, with local media reporting that they are likely to be converted into long-term visas.

The youngsters were photographed clutching their new toys as they boarded buses and walked alongside their loved ones.

In some photos, the young arrivals peeped out of windows, offering sheepish waves and half-smiles.

We love all of you read one banner from a church group that was displayed outside the National Human Resources Development Institute, where those who fled Afghanistan are reported to be temporarily housed. We will share your pain. Have a comfortable stay, read another.

Among those landing in the country are medical professionals and interpreters who have worked for the South Korean government, and an estimated 100 children  including three newborns.

On Friday, local news outlets shared video footage of South Korean officials wearing face masks standing outside the airport and waving at buses carrying the new arrivals.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those landing will be tested for the coronavirus and asked to quarantine for two weeks.

The rescue effort was banded Operation Miracle, according to the Korea Herald, and saw three military planes enter Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday. In remarks made earlier this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the country had a moral responsibility to help those fleeing Taliban rule.

The ethnically homogeneous Asian nation has a complicated stance on refugees, with other asylum seekers facing discrimination from citizens and the government in recent years. Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, recently highlighted concerns from some Koreans that the refugees would pose safety and economic concerns, even as civic groups said the country should step up as it sent troops and construction workers to support the war effort in Afghanistan.

In other places  including the United Kingdom and several states in the United States  mass donations of food, clothing, furniture and toiletries from those eager to support their governments relocation efforts flooded in.

In Texas, a state divided over immigration policy, more than 200 residents stepped up to become aid volunteers while others offered their spare bedrooms and empty properties to refugee families.

People understand the human aspects of this, having to flee this life-or-death situation. And they just open the door, Jacqueline Buzas, a program supervisor for Refugee Services of Texas, said last week.

So far more than 104,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan by the United States and its allies since Aug. 14, the Pentagon said.

The United States has not yet confirmed how many refugees it will take, though President Biden has vowed to evacuate as many people as possible before Tuesday.

The United Kingdom has confirmed it is taking in 20,000 Afghan refugees over the next five years.

In Wales, a giant message reading Refugees Welcome was etched into the sands of a beach in the town of Tenby, alongside the word Afghanistan.

The striking sand-art was commissioned by the anti-racism group Stand Up to Racism West Wales and carried out by local artists, British media reported.

In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the city was ready to welcome as many Afghan refugees as possible, as charities reported hundreds of bags of donations from generous people seeking to help.

Others in Britain protested in the city streets of central London last weekend, carrying signs that read U.S. and Nato failed and Afghan refugees welcome here.
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, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

WASHINGTON  A soldier and sailor are among the 13 U.S. troops killed in the attack of a lone suicide bomber at a gate to the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, military officials confirmed Friday.

The troops killed in the attack Thursday also included 11 Marines, the service said. The Pentagon on Friday did not confirm the branches of service for 20 other service members wounded in the attack, though the Marines Corps did confirm some of the injured were Marines.

The attack happened at about 5:40 p.m. Kabul time when the suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest right at or around the airports Abbey Gate followed by direct [gun]fire from an enemy position, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staffs deputy director for regional operations, said Friday.

The gate is one of three entrances to the airport where crowds of people had been gathered to vie for evacuation flights.

The Pentagon on Thursday reported a second explosion during the airport attack at the nearby Baron Hotel, but Taylor said that report was false.

We're not sure how that report was provided, he said. It's not any surprise that in the confusion of very dynamic events like this can cause information sometimes to be misreported or garbled.

The troops were conducting security checks on Afghan evacuees attempting to enter the airport when the attack happened. U.S. and coalition forces have been evacuating tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans since the Taliban took control of the country nearly two weeks ago.

The surviving injured troops were evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with embarked surgical units, U.S. Central Command spokesman Navy Capt. Bill Urban said Thursday. The two flights with the wounded troops were taken to Ramstein Air Base, where they were transferred to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center  the largest American hospital outside the United States.

Though President Joe Biden on Thursday said the U.S. would hunt down the perpetrators of the attack, Taylor on Friday gave no details on how the military would do so after the more than 5,000 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan leave the country on Aug. 31.

We have options there right now that we can ensure the commander has the ability to take action as those opportunities present themselves, he said.

The Islamic State, which took credit for the attack on Thursday, continues to pose threats to U.S. forces on the ground, Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday.

Obviously they are a serious terrorist threat, and that was brought home to us in pretty stark ways yesterday, he said.

The mission will get more dangerous when the U.S. begins to move military assets out of Kabul as the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline draws near, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

This is the most dangerous part of the mission  the retrograde part of the mission, bringing troops, equipment and evacuees home, she said.

Kirby said that process will start as we get closer to Tuesday.

You're going to see us begin to make those muscle movements to pull out our troops and some of our equipment as appropriate with any retrograde, he said. What we want to do is preserve as much capability for as long as we can, both in terms of the security footprint but also in terms of the ability  to move out evacuees.

Though the threat remains, Taylor said the evacuations must continue.

We have seen firsthand how dangerous that mission is, but ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing this mission, he said.

Despite the deadly attack, the military evacuated 8,500 people  including 300 Americans  in the past 24 hours on 29 C-17 and six C-130 transport aircraft, Taylor said. Coalition forces evacuated another 4,000 people on 54 aircraft during the same time.

After landing at secondary locations at U.S. bases overseas, evacuees are moved to military bases in the United States.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated approximately 104,200 people from Kabul  5,100 of whom are American citizens, Taylor said. Many of the Afghan evacuees are seeking special immigrant visas for helping the U.S. during its nearly two decades in Afghanistan.

However, fewer than half of the Afghan evacuees who have arrived at bases in the U.S. had applied for special immigrant visas prior to evacuation, Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command, told reporters Friday at the Pentagon. Others could be applying for refugee status, have U.S. citizenship status or have a permanent resident card, which is more commonly known as a green card.

Four installations have been accepting evacuees, but Kirby said the number will increase to seven when Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Pickett in Virginia and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico begin taking in refugees.

Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, Fort Bliss in Texas and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey are the bases already hosting evacuees.

The bases in the U.S. hosting refugees were selected because "they had sufficient capacity [and] there was a capability in the region to support" the mission, VanHerck said.

In addition to housing, the military is providing health care and culturally appropriate Halal food for Muslim evacuees, the general said. Evacuees are also offered coronavirus vaccines upon arrival at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., and at the installations.

VanHerck said he was proud of the services the bases are providing, especially after speaking to a families of evacuees at stateside bases.

"[One] father said they had what they needed and that it was the first time in a long time that he had slept without being afraid for his familys safety," he said.

So far, Fort Lee has hosted 1,647 evacuees, Fort Bliss has hosted 2,160, Fort McCoy has had 2,383 and McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has had 1,192, VanHerck said.

Those first four bases have the capacity to host about 21,000 evacuees, a number that will grow to 50,000 by Sept. 15 with the addition of the new bases, the general said. More bases could be added as needed, he said.
Members of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni Islamist militant group, wave the Taliban flags as they celebrate the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, in the city of Idlib, on Aug. 20, 2021. The Talibans takeover of Afghanistan is giving radical Islamic groups from Syria and the Gaza Strip to Pakistan and West Africa reason to celebrate. (Ghaith Alsayed/AP)

BEIRUT  A few days after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a convoy of militants drove through the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria in cars bearing the group's white-and-black flags, honking horns and firing their guns in the air.

The celebrations by an al-Qaida affiliate in a remote corner of war-torn Syria were an expression of the triumph felt by radical Islamic groups from the Gaza Strip to Pakistan and West Africa who see America's violence-marred exit from Afghanistan an opportunity to reassert their presence.

For such groups, the chaotic U.S. departure following the collapse of security forces it had trained for two decades is a gift, underlining their message that Washington eventually abandons its allies, and that defeating powerful armies is possible with enough patience.

"The success of the Taliban opens the way for radical groups to step up their recruitment operations globally. It is much easier for them now, and there is more receptivity," said Hassan Abu Haniyeh, an expert on Islamic militants based in Amman, Jordan.

Despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly 20 years to build up Afghan security forces, the Taliban seized nearly all of Afghanistan in just over a week amid the U.S. troop pullout. The fundamentalist group swept into Kabul on Aug. 15 after the government collapsed and embattled President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Since then, tens of thousands of people desperate to escape a country governed by the Taliban have been trying to flee or already have been evacuated in a mammoth Western airlift.

"The events unfolding in Afghanistan have given jihadi groups and U.S. adversaries reason to celebrate, and America's allies in the region reason to feel anxious," said Abu Haniyeh. "They now feel that America might drop them one day, same as it did the government of Ashraf Ghani."

There are concerns that Afghanistan will once again become a base for militants to plot against the West, much like the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the U.S. invasion.

"This is the story that is going to impact and influence jihadi fighters around the globe for the next decade, the same way as the victory over the Soviets in Afghanistan in the '80s inspired the jihadis around the world during the whole 1990s and even afterwards," said Elie Tenenbaum, director of security studies center at the French Institute of International Relations.

In a twist, the Taliban victory also boosted the fortunes of their rivals in Afghanistan  a local branch of the Islamic State network. On Thursday, the affiliate claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that killed scores of people outside Kabul's airport, including 13 U.S. service members.

The Taliban now must contend with an emboldened IS, which is challenging their rule with militants that are far more radical. The group's ranks have been bolstered after the Taliban freed prisoners during an advance through Afghanistan.

An editorial in the Islamic State group's newsletter last week derided the Taliban, accusing them of collaborating with the U.S.

"America actually did it. They finally raised a 'Mullah Bradley," the editorial said, using a name it has coined for the Taliban in an apparent reference to the U.S. fighting vehicle. The group also promised a new phase in its "blessed jihad" against the West.

Analysts say the Taliban's success and the U.S. withdrawal galvanizes and gives a motivational boost to America's adversaries and jihadi groups around the world.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, said in a speech Friday that what is unfolding in Afghanistan "is a portrayal of America's full defeat and the U.S. demise and failure in the region."

In northern Syria, a statement by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaida affiliate there, said the Taliban victory proved no occupation can last forever. The leader of the radical Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, congratulated the Taliban's leader on the "demise of the U.S. occupation."

In Pakistan, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Mohammad Azhur, used the group's publication to cheer the Taliban victory, saying it will inspire mujahedeen, or holy warriors, "the world over to continue their struggle for Islam." The group's fighters took credit for the 2019 attack in the disputed Kashmir region that killed 40 Indian soldiers and brought the nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war.

Amir Rana, executive director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, said the events in Afghanistan could inspire hard-line Sunni groups who are waging sectarian battles against Shiites. The anti-Shiite groups Lashkar-e-Janghvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan have championed the Taliban victory, raising fears they could restart their deadly activities.

Heni Nsaibia, a senior Sahel researcher at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, said the Taliban takeover would be a motivational boost for militants in West Africa, showing that patience and perseverance can pay off.

The biggest danger, according to the analysts, is in unstable countries with a weak central government and a history of insurgency, such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

There are echoes of 2014, when the Islamic State group sprang from the chaos of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, seized a giant stretch of territory straddling both countries, and declared a "caliphate" after U.S.-trained Iraqi forces collapsed. Terrorist attacks in Europe and beyond followed before IS was defeated in 2017, but attempts to regroup have been seen in the past two years, with new attacks in Iraq and Syria.

A report to the U.N. Security Council last week said the threat to international security from the Islamic State group is rising, pointing to an "alarming" expansion of its affiliates in Africa and its focus on a comeback in Syria and Iraq.

The report said IS and other terrorist groups have taken advantage of "the disruption, grievances and development setbacks" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abu Haniyeh, the analyst in Amman, said the perceived defeat of U.S. forces in Afghanistan by a radical group is reverberating among frustrated individuals around the world and will have widespread ramifications in the coming years.

"It gives hope for extremist groups the world over," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris and Sam Mednick in Toronto contributed.
Combat Arms earplugs as manufactured by Aearo Technologies. The plugs, which were standard issue in Iraq and Afghanistan, were found to be defective and allowed ''damaging sounds to enter the ear canal.'' Last week, 3M, which acquired Aearo in 2008, agreed to pay a $9.1 million settlement to the U.S. government for selling the defective earplugs to the military. ()

A federal judge in Florida has ordered thousands of veterans lawsuits against an earplug manufacturer to be scheduled for trials to alleviate a backlog of more than 250,000 cases.

The order this week from Judge Casey Rogers in the Northern District of Florida called on veterans attorneys to move 1,358 cases in the first wave, then between 10,000 and 20,000 in subsequent orders. The cases, which have become the nations largest multidistrict litigation, claim the Minnesota-based company 3M sold earplugs to the military that could loosen from the ear canal and led to hearing loss and tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears.

Rogers wrote moving cases to the active docket will help accelerate discovery and ongoing bellwether trials, which are used to present a representative of the cases before a jury to gain useful information for potentially reaching a settlement for all cases.

We believe the order will ensure the continued efficient management of this litigation and serve the interests of justice for the 250,000 service members who have suffered hearing damage due to 3Ms negligence, according to a statement from Bryan Aylstock of Aylstock Witkin Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC, Shelley Hutson of Clark, Love & Hutson GP, and Christopher Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP, the lead attorneys for plaintiffs in the case.

So far, five veterans have presented their cases in three jury trials. During the first trial, held in April, a jury awarded $7.1 million to three Army veterans. 3M won in the second trial in May, which involved one veteran. In June, a jury found 3M partially liable and awarded the Army veteran $1.05 million.

A trial scheduled for next month was dismissed, because the veterans injury was unrelated to noise-induced hearing loss or 3M, the company said in a statement.

Simply because a case is filed does not mean it has any merit. Large, multidistrict litigations, like this one, often see allegations that have no basis in fact simply to increase the number of claims against companies, 3M said.

Rogers presided over each previous case, but has reached out to other judges in Floridas northern district to oversee bellwether trials scheduled for October and December.

The earplugs at the center of the lawsuits are 3Ms Combat Arms Version 2 dual-sided earplug. Work on designing the earplug began in the 1990s and it was used in the military until 2015. The company never issued a recall on the product and version 4 of the earplug remains in use by the military, according to 3M.

The company declined to comment on this weeks order from Rogers.
Staff Sgt. Robert Jason Belue, 44, of Iuka, Mississippi, died after experiencing a medical emergency while conducting the Army Combat Fitness Test on Aug. 26, 2021. (U.S. National Guard)

HATTIESBURG, Miss.  A member of the Mississippi National Guard died Thursday while participating in a physical fitness test, officials said.

Staff Sgt. Robert Jason Belue, 44, of Iuka, Mississippi, died after experiencing a medical emergency while conducting the Army Combat Fitness Test at the 154th Regiment, Regional Training Institute at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Hattiesburg, the Guard said in a news release. He died while being taken by ambulance to Forrest General Hospital, officials said.

Belue was assigned to Charlie Troop, 1-98th Cavalry Regiment, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team. The National Guard said he was taking the fitness test as a part of the Maneuver Senior Leaders Course.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow service members during this time of loss, the Guard said.

During his 24 years of military service, Belue earned several awards and decorations including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He also served on two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks as he meets with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP)

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday that diplomacy was his first option, but he would consider other options if his effort to revive the Iran nuclear deal fails.

Biden made the comments as the two sat down for their first face-to-face meeting since Bennett was sworn-in as prime minister in June.

"We're putting diplomacy first and seeing where that takes us," Biden said during an Oval Office meeting that was delayed by the suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan. "But if diplomacy fails, we're ready to turn to other options."

Asked what other options Biden might be mulling, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment.

Bennett arrived at the White House aiming to dissuade Biden from returning to the Iran nuclear deal that was brokered during the Obama administration and later scrapped by President Donald Trump.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018, Tehran over time has abandoned every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment. The country now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 63%, a short step from weapons-grade levels, compared with 3.67% under the deal. It also spins far more advanced centrifuges and more of them than were allowed under the accord, worrying nuclear nonproliferation experts even though Tehran insists its program is peaceful.

Bennett said he came with his own strategy to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions that he would discuss in private with Biden. He expressed satisfaction that the two leaders were in sync on the notion that Iran should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

"Iran is the world's number one exporter of terror, instability, and human rights violations," Bennett said. "And as we sit here right now the Iranians are spinning their centrifuges in Natanz and Fordo. And we got to stop it, and we both agree."

The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed for one day as Biden focused his attention on dealing with the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. troops.

The two spoke by phone Thursday evening, with the Israeli leader offering Biden condolences. In their Oval Office meeting, Bennett again offered his condolences over the loss of U.S. service members.

Bennett made clear his opposition to an Iran deal, arguing that Tehran has already advanced in its uranium enrichment and that sanctions relief would give Iran more resources to support Israel's enemies in the region.

"These very days illustrate what the world would look like if a radical Islamic regime acquired a nuclear weapon," Bennett said. "That marriage would be a nuclear nightmare for the entire world."

The Israeli leader met separately Wednesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss Iran and other issues. The visit is his first to the U.S. as prime minister.

Bennett told his Cabinet before the trip that he would tell the American president "that now is the time to halt the Iranians, to stop this thing" and not to reenter "a nuclear deal that has already expired and is not relevant, even to those who thought it was once relevant."

Biden has made clear his desire to find a path to salvage the 2015 landmark pact negotiated by the Obama administration. But indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran have stalled and Washington continues to maintain crippling sanctions on the country as regional hostilities simmer.

Bennett's Washington visit comes weeks after Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in as Iran's new president.

Raisi, 60, a conservative cleric with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has suggested he'll engage with the U.S. But he also has struck a hard-line stance, ruling out negotiations aimed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias  something the Biden administration wants to address in a new accord.

Administration officials acknowledged that Iran's potential "breakout"  the time needed to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon  is now down to a matter of months or less.

But a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the talks, said the administration sees the maximum pressure campaign employed by the Trump administration as having emboldened Iran to push ahead with its nuclear program.

Bennett is also looking to turn the page from his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu had a close relationship with Trump after frequently clashing with President Barack Obama. Biden, who noted Friday that he has met with every Israeli prime minister since Golda Meir, had his own tensions with Netanyahu over the years.

During his latest White House campaign, Biden called Netanyahu "counterproductive" and an "extreme right" leader.

Biden and Bennett also have their differences. Bennett opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and supports expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which Biden opposes.

The two sides played down the Palestinian issue Friday in an apparent attempt to avoid any public friction at this early stage of their relationship.

Given the poor prospects for progress in diplomatic talks with the Palestinians, both men appeared to be more interested in shoring up the new Israeli government in their first in-person talks.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed reporting.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during an event on August 10, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (Joe Raedle, Getty Images/TNS)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Tribune News Service)  A Leon County judge ruled Friday that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he signed an executive order to block school mask mandates, delivering a blow to the Republican leader as the debate over parental choice intensifies in Florida.

Leon County Circuit Court Judge John C. Cooper shredded the governors order leading up to his determination that it was unconstitutional. The conclusion came after a four-day trial in a case brought by parents from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Alachua and Palm Beach counties.

Cooper pointed out that DeSantis executive order drew its authority to ban mask mandates in schools from the states parents bill of rights law.

This orphan statute does not support a statewide order or any action interfering with the constitutionally provided authority of local school districts to provide for the safety and health of children, based on the unique facts on the ground, Cooper said.

The law says the state is not allowed to infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of a child without demonstrating that such action is reasonable and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest.

My ruling in this case, if you want to put it in one sentence is, I am enforcing the bill passed by the Legislature and requiring that anyone who uses that bill to follow all provisions and no part of the provisions, Cooper said, noting defendants used the first half but not the second part of the statute when it issued its order.

Cooper said the Florida Department of Education can enforce the law, but they have to do so in accordance with the terms of the law.

I am not saying yes or no to any particular policy, Cooper said, noting that school boards can enact health and education policies  such as mask mandates  as long as they demonstrate its reasonableness and the other factors in the law.

The case, at its core, pitted personal liberty versus collective responsibility. Cooper concluded his nearly two-hour oral ruling by acknowledging that parents rights are very important, but they are not without some reasonable limitation to protect the rights of others.

At the start of the ruling, he used the consumption of alcoholic beverages as an example.

It is our right to drink alcoholic beverages if we are over 21, Cooper said. But we cannot get in our car and start driving around while weve had alcoholic beverages that impair our ability to drive.

DeSantis order, issued last month, directed his Department of Health to craft an emergency rule that says school mask mandates must have an opt-out for parents. The Florida Department of Education is enforcing the rule, and threatening to withhold state funds  or more  from school districts that defy the administrations order.

Ten of the states 67 school districts have imposed mask mandates with only a medical opt-out. Education commissioner Richard Corcoran, invoking the states parents bill of rights, has said requiring a doctors note as an exception is a blatant violation of the law.

President Joe Biden has said his administration intends to step in to support local school officials who are financially penalized by the state.

The DeSantis administration is expected to file an appeal, which would place Coopers order in abeyance until it can be heard. The same thing happened a year ago, when a Leon County judge ruled against the state in a reopening lawsuit.

If the state appeals, plaintiffs attorney Charles Gallagher said he will immediately ask the trial court to vacate the automatic stay that comes with the states appeal so the judges order can take effect while awaiting the next phase of the case.

Cooper arrived at his ruling after listening to three days of testimony and nearly three hours of closing arguments on Thursday. Even as the pleadings wound down, the judge indicated he was struggling with the details.

I took a lot more notes than I normally do, Cooper said in the waning moments of the hearing. Im still wrestling with pretty much all the issues.

He asked several questions of plaintiffs lawyer Craig Whisenhunt, who worked to make clear that the case was not about whether masks are effective in stemming virus spread in schools. Rather, Whisenhunt said, it was about the governors overreach into the responsibilities of school boards.

Whisenhunt suggested that the proper procedure should have started with a district issuing a mask mandate, followed by a legal challenge under the parental bill of rights law, and then, a court ruling on the issue.

That isnt what happened, Whisenhunt argued. The governor proactively jumped ahead of everybody in issuing an executive order interpreting the law, that his departments of health and education then executed.

Whisenhunt, in part, asked Cooper to stop Corcoran and the department of education from enforcing the unconstitutional order theyre currently beating school districts down with to force compliance into unsafe environments.

Cooper wondered, though, how he could rule against the implementation of a rule set forth by the Department of Health when the plaintiffs did not include the department in their complaint.

He also had concerns about how he might work through a recent 1st District Court of Appeal precedent that appeared to set guidelines for the role of the courts versus those of policy makers.

Michael Abel, the lawyer representing the governor and other state defendants, raised those issues in his summation.

The plaintiffs framed this case as a constitutional challenge. But at its heart, this is a case about a policy difference, Abel said. They are asking you to second guess the political branches and implement a different policy.

He said the court should not intrude in the governors discretionary decisions in education policy, in this case in-person learning, public health policy, including the department of health rules and the states new parental bill of rights law.

It is not one or the other, it is both. You can protect public health and have parent choice, Abel said. The governors executive order reflects a careful balancing of those interests involving children and parents, safety and health.

The districts in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are among the districts that have defied the states mask orders.

The Florida Department of Education has initiated the process of sanctioning Broward, but not Miami-Dade. Corcoran said the state will withhold state funds from Broward in an amount equal to the salaries of all school board members who voted in favor of a mask mandate, unless they reverse their policy.

Broward Superintendent Vickie Cartwright and School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood said this week the mask mandate will remain in place.

We dont believe we have done anything inappropriate as it relates to the execution order or the rule of the Department of Education, School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood said on Tuesday . So, we have instructed our lawyers, our legal counsel, to seek legal avenues so we can challenge these things that we believe are out of line.

2021 Miami Herald.

Visit at miamiherald.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, speaks with reporters on July 27. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

WASHINGTON  The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection on Friday asked technology companies for information that could be helpful to its probe of the attack, including the spread of misinformation about the 2020 election and efforts to overturn its results.

The letters went out to Facebook, Twitter, Google and several other technology giants.

The committee requested all reviews, studies, reports, data, analyses, and communications regarding misinformation generated by foreign and U.S. actors, domestic violent extremists associated with the attack and other efforts to overturn the election results.

In addition, the committee said it is focusing on how social media companies policed their own platforms, such as whether their algorithms helped speed the spread of misinformation, how they identified which posts to take down, and what information has already been requested by law enforcement agencies.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., gave the companies a two-week deadline to produce materials.

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is examining the facts, circumstances, and causes of the attack and relating to the peaceful transfer of power, in order to identify and evaluate lessons learned and to recommend corrective laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations, Thompson wrote in his letters to the companies.

The committee released its first request for information Wednesday, issuing sweeping demands for records from federal agencies pertaining to the attack on the Capitol and President Donald Trumps efforts to subvert the election. Earlier this year, the House impeached Trump on charges he inspired the attack with his false claims about the election, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

In the letters asking for materials from the National Archives and seven other agencies, Thompson signaled that an expansive investigation is underway, touching not only on what happened Jan. 6 but also on matters such as the former Presidents knowledge of the election results and what he communicated to the American people about the election.

The violence on Jan. 6 was the most serious attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812, and was carried out by a mob of Trump supporters who echoed his false claims about the 2020 election while seeking to stop Congresss efforts to certify its results and declare Joe Biden the president-elect.

Earlier this week, Thompson said the committee was also planning to ask communications companies to preserve phone and other records that could be helpful to the investigation, including from members of Congress.

We have quite an exhaustive list of people, Thompson said at the time. I wont tell you who they are, but its several hundred people that make up the list of individuals we plan to contact.

Republicans have opposed creating a special panel to investigate the assault  whether independent or made up of lawmakers  arguing at first that it should also look at violence at racial justice protests from the summer of 2020 and that such an inquiry could impede law enforcement investigations into the insurrection. Later they focused their opposition by saying that an investigation would amount to a partisan attack by Democrats on Republicans and Trump.

But the panel includes two Republicans  Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois  who have broken with the party over whether the former president bears responsibility for inspiring the mob that attacked the Capitol and the threat posed by his continued spread of falsehoods about the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward, Cheney said during the committees first public hearing. If those responsible are not held accountable and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic.

It remains unclear which lawmakers the committee may call as witnesses, But several members are known to have spoken to Trump on Jan. 6 during the attack, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., or to administration officials that day.

Thompson has said the committee has not ruled out any investigative avenues, including who could be a potential witness.

The Washington Posts John Wagner contributed to this report.
The University of Arizona has upped its game in hypersonic flight research to help meet the needs of the U.S. military and companies including Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense, as they race to develop super-fast hypersonic missiles and aircraft. (Raytheon Missiles & Defense/Facebook)

TUCSON, Ariz. (Tribune News Service)  The University of Arizona has upped its game in hypersonic flight research to help meet the needs of the U.S. military and companies including Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense, as they race to develop super-fast hypersonic missiles and aircraft.

The schools latest upgrades to its wind-tunnel facilities could make the UA a center of research and education in hypersonics, the science of flight at speeds of Mach 5  five times the speed of sound  and faster.

Research on hypersonics is in hyperdrive as the U.S. rushes to keep up with testing by China and Russia, which have already flight-tested hypersonic missiles, and commercial aircraft makers including Boeing have floated concepts for new supersonic and hypersonic passenger aircraft.

But flying at hypersonic speeds creates a number of difficult technical problems, including super-heating of surfaces from air friction, air-flow design, airframe stress and high-speed maneuverability.

The UA aims to be in the middle of solving those problems, after spending about $1.7 million on wind-tunnel upgrades in the past two years, supported by grants totaling more than $3 million last year from the research arms of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as from Raytheon.

The UA also is part of a collaborative hypersonics research program with a German aerospace research institute and is among the lead universities in a new U.S. hypersonics research consortium.

The schools Department of Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering now has a subsonic wind tunnel, two supersonic wind tunnels and a hypersonic wind tunnel, with work underway to adapt one of the supersonic tunnels to study effects at transonic speeds  just below and just above Mach 1.

Though a few other major research universities have bigger and faster wind tunnels, the UAs latest upgrades will allow experimentation across the air-speed spectrum, from subsonic to hypersonic, said Jesse Little, a UA associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and head of the UAs Turbulence and Flow Control Laboratory.

Little said hypersonics research is a key part of the universitys strategic plan, and recent additions and upgrades have vaulted the UA into the forefront of the field.

You can probably count on one hand the universities that can compete with us in terms of facilities like this, were one of a select few, Little said, citing research leaders Texas A&M, Purdue, Notre Dame and Cal Tech.

Major upgrades under way

The UA is now finalizing major, grant-funded upgrades to two of its wind tunnels: the installation of the transonic test section in the supersonic tunnel in Littles lab, and the installation of a so-called quiet nozzle in the UAs Boundary-Layer Stability and Transition Laboratory.

The work is funded largely by Army and Navy grants under the Department of Defenses Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority-Serving Institutions Science Program.

In 2019, Little won a $600,000 grant from the Army Research Office to add the transonic section to the Arizona Supersonic Wind Tunnel, which was acquired by the UA from the defense contractor formerly known as Orbital-ATK in 2018 and recently installed in the UAs Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering Building.

The tunnel features large high-pressure tanks that feed air into a linear tube into a test section, where it passes over a subject model and rushes out of the building via a recently constructed, concrete exhaust chimney installed to muffle the sound of rushing air.

The tunnel is wired to collect data and imagery including high-speed and thermal photography.

The supersonic tunnel can test at speeds ranging from Mach 1.75 to Mach 4 over a duration of 10-15 seconds, Little said.

The transonic range, from about Mach 0.8 to 1.3, is complicated because it contains a mixture of subsonic and supersonic behavior that makes testing difficult.

Things just get tricky around Mach 1, Little said, noting that transport aircraft, rotorcraft, turbomachinery and various projectiles operate at transonic conditions.

When installation is finished later this year, the supersonic wind tunnel will be the largest facility of its type at a U.S. university, with a 15-inch by 15-inch test section, Little said, adding that the larger size makes it more useful for both testing and basic research.

This will allow us to to study basic research problems at a larger scale, becuase theres only so much you can do at small-scale facilities, he said.

Little and his colleagues are now working on plans to add hypersonic capabilities to the supersonic wind tunnel  making it the biggest tunnel of its kind capable of testing across all the speed ranges.

This is the largest of its kind and when all is said and done, this will be polysonic  subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic, he said.

Quieting the flow

Meanwhile, UA assistant professor Stuart Alex Craig is using a $450,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research to install a so-called quiet nozzle on the Mach 5 hypersonic wind tunnel in his boundary-layer lab.

The nozzle will create conditions more closely approximating natural air flow to deliver better test results, said Craig.

The UAs Mach 5 wind tunnel is a Ludwieg Tube design, which uses a setup of pressurized air that is released suddenly into a massive vacuum tank as a pair of thin metallic film diaphragms break, sending a soundwave that creates a Mach-5 flow over the test subject.

There are only a few other tunnels in the world with the quiet capability, but they all operate at higher Mach numbers  6, 8 and 10, he said.

Craig says that after the new nozzle is installed, the tunnel will be the only tunnel in the nation that can produce quiet flow at Mach 5  filling a gap for the study of cruise missiles and other objects that fly at that speed.

Craigs UA lab also has a Mach 4 Quiet Ludwieg Tube wind tunnel it acquired from another school a couple of years ago.

Theres a whole class of vehicles that are completely underserved if you exclusively focus on Mach 8 or higher, Craig said, adding that much of his research is also transferable to higher Mach speeds.

Raytheon support

Raytheon  a longtime supporter of UA engineering programs and key player in the Pentagons hypersonic weapons development programs  is excited about the UAs growing hypersonic research capabilities, said John Otto, senior director for advanced hypersonic weapons for the company.

To me, having an asset like this, where its another opportunity to test locally so you can do it quickly, having this in our backyard is a great opportunity, Otto said. Having a facility like this will help you validate your design, you can go back and update your models so you can do more digitally, which helps you go faster from a design perspective.

Craig, Little and fellow aerospace and mechanical engineering faculty members received over $100,000 in funding from Raytheon Missiles & Defense last year, the UA says.

But beyond the research connection, the UAs wind-tunnel facilities will help educate a new generation of future aerospace engineers, said Otto, who earned an MBA from the UAs Eller College of Management in 2001.

Its a tremendous learning opportunity for them  they get more hands-on experience working on something more real and applied in a wind-tunnel setting, and with the need for these hypersonic systems theyll be able to do it in area that is very relevant, he said.

Collaborating on hypersonics

The largest of the grants  $1.5 million competitively awarded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center  will allow researchers to use the UAs Mach 5 wind tunnel to conduct experiments on the effects of hypersonic flight on reusable rocket stages as they re-enter the Earths atmosphere.

Little is the principal investigator on the grant, with fellow department faculty members Craig, Hermann Fasel and Anatoli Tumin. The Air Force picked the UA team as the sole U.S. collaborators after holding a national competition.

Last November, the UA College of Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering was chosen for a key role in a $100 million award from the Defense Department to establish a national University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics. The UA is among 11 schools leading the consortium of 60-plus universities, which is headed by Texas A&M.

Craig, who worked with Texas A&Ms wind tunnels while earning his doctorate there in 2015, said the UAs wind-tunnel buildout will place it firmly among the top schools for aerodynamic research but theres still much work to be done.

Theyre generally much more established than we are, so in some sense we are playing catch-up still, but were pretty happy with where were going, he said.

dwichner@tucson.com

(c)2021 The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.)

Visit The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.) at www.tucson.com
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.
Port of Tauranga is reporting Group Net Profit After Tax of $102.4million, a 15.4 per cent increase, on 25.7 million tonnes of trade.

A 14.3 per cent increase in log exports and a 46.0 per cent increase in Subsidiary and Associate Company earnings were balanced by increased costs and reduced container volumes due to supply chain congestion.

Port of Tauranga Chair, David Pilkington, says the results are very pleasing considering the well-documented supply chain challenges of the past year.

As the world continues to grapple with the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been major disruption in international supply chains. Constrained capacity in parts of the New Zealand supply chain, especially at Ports of Auckland, has exacerbated delays and restricted our ability to adapt quickly to the needs of importers and exporters, says Pilkington.

International shipping capacity is in hot demand and costs for shippers have skyrocketed.

Within this context, he says Port of Tauranga has proven to be strong and resilient.

Our diversity of cargoes gives us some resilience in terms of revenue, and our long-term freight agreements with key customers give us some certainty of cargo volumes, he says.

However, it is not efficient to run a container terminal at more than 100 per cent capacity and our costs, including straddle carrier diesel use and the related carbon emissions, have grown as a result of the congestion we have had to endure. In recent months, we have also experienced the labour shortages felt by many other industries.

Temporary surcharges for long-stay containers, introduced in January to discourage inefficient cargo flows and relieve yard congestion, helped Port of Tauranga to recover a portion of the additional costs being experienced. Parent Company revenue increased 8.9% to $323.5 million, while operating costs increased more than 15 per cent.

Port of Tauranga Chief Executive, Leonard Sampson, says the Ports team and contractors have done an outstanding job in the face of the challenges.

The evolving response to the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Port of Tauranga operations. Our team has really excelled and deserves special acknowledgement.

We saw 106 fewer container vessel visits between September 2020 and June 2021. However, the average cargo exchange increased 21.7% due to the reduced vessel frequency and shippers maximising available capacity, he says.

Near record surges of container volumes in the months of October and December, compounded by constrained rail capacity, caused significant congestion, reduced productivity and weeks-long delays transferring import containers by rail to Auckland.

Additional trains from KiwiRail since May have eased the pressure, however container vessels are still arriving off window and are being processed in the order they arrive.

Sampson says Port of Tauranga is extremely grateful for the ongoing support of its customers, who are experiencing extraordinary disruption and uncertainty.

Im really pleased that the strength of our partnerships has shone through in these testing times, he says.

Growing capacity to ease congestion

Sampson says congestion is unlikely to be resolved permanently until vessels can return to schedule and Ports of Auckland is back operating at full capacity. This highlights the need for Port of Tauranga to expand its capacity to cater for future demand.

We have applied for resource consent to extend our container berths to the south of the existing wharves, by converting existing cargo storage land. This $68.5 million project is a vital piece of national infrastructure if we are to meet future cargo demand and have a resilient supply chain, he says.

We are also pursuing our plans to automate some of the container storage at the terminal to increase our capacity within the current land footprint. Our capability will be further extended with the opening of the inland port at the Ruakura Superhub near Hamilton in mid-2022.

The inland port is being developed in a 50/50 partnership with Tainui Group Holdings.

Cargo trends

Total trade increased 3.8 per cent compared with the previous year, growing to 25.7 million tonnes, although container numbers were 4.1 per cent fewer at 1.2 million TEUs.

Imports increased 4.0 per cent to 9.4 million tonnes, and exports increased 3.6 per cent to 16.3 million tonnes.

Log export volumes bounced back from the 2020 lockdown, increasing 14.3 per cent to 6.3 million tonnes.

Sawn timber and wood panel exports decreased 12.4 per cent in volume.

Dairy product exports decreased 1.9 per cent to just over 2.3 million tonnes, reflecting a later-than-usual season and a reduction in trans-ship volumes.

Kiwifruit exports increased 10.1 per cent in volume.

Oil product imports increased 11.6 per cent in volume, and cement imports increased 42.4 per cent in volume, reflecting the strength in the local economy.

Fertiliser imports decreased 16.9 per cent in volume, grain volumes decreased 8.9% and protein and stockfeed imports decreased 10.4 per cent. Coal imports increased significantly as a result of lower hydro energy production and declining gas production.

People and safety

Frontline workers are subject to regular Covid-19 testing and, with legislation introduced mid-July, are now subject to mandatory vaccination.

They must receive their first dose by 30 September, and their second dose by November 4. Only four of Port of Taurangas 49 eligible employees have not yet been fully vaccinated and redeployment options are being explored for any who do not meet the September deadline.

Port of Tauranga treats all visiting vessels as if they have Covid-19 on board and will continue to do so.

The Company strongly recommends vaccination as an additional measure to the existing Covid-19precautions.While productivity has decreased due to the congestion, the overriding concern has been for port workers safety.

We have made it very clear that safety must be our number one priority and that speed should not come at safetys expense, says Sampson.

Sustainability

Air and water quality continues to be a major focus for the Port. The Port expects de-barking of export logs to continue to increase, which has the dual benefits of reducing the need for fumigation and minimising dust and debris.

While the Port continues to comply with all of its stormwater resource consent conditions on both sides of the harbour, we are also investigating options for additional stormwater treatment at the Mount Maunganui wharves.

Port of Tauranga has decided, after consultation with stakeholders, to insist that recapture technology is applied to 100 per cent of methyl bromide fumigations on log stacks from January 1, 2022. This is over and above any current regional or national requirements.

Congestion in the container terminal also resulted in increased diesel consumption from straddle carrier movements, causing a 7.0 per cent increase in overall carbon emissions. However, emissions intensity (emissions per cargo tonne) increased only slightly.

Outlook

The outlook for the next financial year remains uncertain.

Sampson says he is confident that Port of Tauranga has resolved land-side congestion issues for now.

However, the disruption to the international supply chain remains, and the challenges in Auckland are unlikely to be resolved soon, he says.

Covid-19 precautions will continue to impact efficiency and costs as we continue to prioritise the health and safety of our team members, their whanau and the community. In recent months, we have witnessed a worsening sector-wide labour shortage that could potentially have an impact on operations .Port of Tauranga will provide earnings guidance for the 2022 financial year at its Annual Shareholders Meeting on October 29.

Results summary:

-Total trade increased 3.8 per cent to 25.7 million tonnes (up from 24.8 million tonnes)

-Container volumes decreased 4.1 per cent to 1,200,831 TEUs1 (down from 1,251,741 TEUs)

-Group Net Profit After Tax increased 15.4 per cent to $102.4 million, up from an adjusted $88.7 million the previous year

-Subsidiary and Associate Companies earnings of $18.6 million, a 46.0 per cent increase

-Final dividend of 7.5 cents per share

-Total ordinary dividend of 13.5 cents per share

-Imports increased 4.0 per cent to 9.4 million tonnes

-Exports increased 3.6 per cent to 16.3 million tonnes
To assist the amazing work the Cancer Society does, SunLive is encouraging people to send in a photo of how you are supporting daffodil day.

With each entry sent in, Sun Media will make a donation to the charity.

You could be with the daffodils in your garden or wearing something yellow. Ensure you stay in your bubble to keep everyone safe.

For every photo sent in Sun Media will donate $5 to the Cancer Society.

There is one entry per person so pick your best shot. There will also be spot prizes.

A story featuring all of your photos will be on SunLive tomorrow.

Sun Media owners Claire and Brian Rogers have been supporting the work of the society for years.

Cancer affects so many people in our community and we want to support the Cancer Society to continue the incredible work they do, says Claire.

A donation of $25 will enable a driver to get a patient to and from treatment, $58 will help provide counselling for someone affected by cancer and their whanau.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Cancer Society chief executive Shelley Campbell says Daffodil Day is the societys largest annual appeal, raising vital funds that enable them to support people with cancer and their families.

The cancellation of our street appeal is likely to have a significant impact, which is very concerning - especially during Covid when people with cancer need support more than ever.

Shelley says the work the society does is essential so they moved quickly to respond to level four restrictions last Wednesday, by moving nurse consults online and via phone and implementing strict protocols for drivers taking cancer patients to treatment.

While the Cancer Societys smiling volunteers in their yellow hi-vis vests will be missing from the streets today, Campbell says the public can still help.

The street collection is cancelled, but Daffodil Day isnt.

The charity asks the community to take their support online and make an urgent donation at www.daffodilday.org.nz.

SunLive in conjunction with The Weekend Sun has a Daffodil Day feature running online where local businesses are showing their support too, check it out here.

Send in your photos to newsroom@thesun.co.nz and look out for it tomorrow on SunLive.
A woman who has been shouted at, even pushed, when challenging people who use mobility parks without a permit is seeking bigger fines and better enforcement.

Claire Dale suffers pain simply to walk and told RNZs Morning Report she had been subjected to abuse by those using mobility parking spaces while not showing a permit.

"If the person comes back to the car I would very politely and very quietly ask them to move to a non-mobility parking location or put their permits up. The response over 90 per cent of the time is verbal abuse.

"Mobility parking is so badly enforced, I negotiated with the ministry of transportation staff as to what they would accept on a petition."

"They just yell, they're entitled. 'I'm just dropping someone off; I'm just getting my coffee; you can just ask me to move if you need the park'.

There are very few people I know that qualify for a mobility parking placard who are in a position to be able to hop out of their car and ask these people to move. I have been pushed."

Claire has been working for years to improve the situation, and has now started a Parliamentary petition calling for bigger fines and better enforcement.

"At the moment if parking spaces are on privately owned land they are excluded from the law for enforcement, which means it can be very difficult to get anyone to come and do something about it," she says.

That includes areas like airports, hospitals, supermarkets and shopping malls, and enforcement there is only possible through the owners.

"What shopping mall owner is going to make sure they have an enforcement team in place? They just think it will scare away the customers."

People need to pay $50 and get an assessment from their doctor to get a permit.

Enforcement in public areas, run by local councils, was also not always available to call on outside of business hours, she says.

Claire says she had asked the minister for fines for using a mobility parking space without a permit to be increased to $1500.

The petition was also calling for equal enforcement  perhaps through a law, rather than a bylaw  and an education campaign to help the public understand the difficulty mobility-impaired people faced when these carparks were taken.

"The conditions that we have to put up with are despicable."

-RNZ
Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist.
Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription.

Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service.
TAHLEQUAH [mdash] Glen R. Haddock, born March 14, 1938 in Bakersfield, California to Johnny Aaron and Beulah Bea (Fredrick) Haddock passed away in his home August 24, 2021, at the age of 83 years 5 months and 10 days with his family holding his hands. Glen was the youngest of his twin sister
Hospitals may start rationing care in New Mexico as early as September due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, according to a recent update from the New Mexico Department of Health.
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
Following the approval of the Portuguese Budget Law for 2021, a number of changes have taken effect with regard to real estate in the jurisdiction.

Similarly, to the issues we encountered in 2017 whereby the "effective control and management" was being challenged by the Portuguese Government, it has been brought to our attention by a number of Law Firms in Portugal that the new Budget has introduced further changes that may affect your current situation.

The following changes will affect corporate structures that already own, or are considering purchasing, property in Portugal:

The general Property Purchase Tax ("PTT" or "IMT") on purchase of properties by entities resident in blacklisted jurisdictions has been broadened. Starting as from January 1, 2021, the highest PTT rate (set at 10%) will also be applicable to the acquisition of Portuguese property by companies that are directly or indirectly controlled by companies or entities domiciled in a jurisdiction included in the Portuguese blacklist.

The same approach applies for Municipal Property Tax ("MPT" or "IMI" a annual rates) purposes, where properties that are directly or indirectly controlled by companies or entities domiciled in a jurisdiction included in the Portuguese blacklist will be subject to an annual 7.5% rate.

Consequently, these changes can also apply to existing structures that use nominees to hold the companies' shares, depending on where those are domiciled.

Who are the subjects/entities that can be affected by the changes?

All corporate entities a be it nominees, shareholders, trustees, etc. a which are domiciled for tax purposes in a black-listed jurisdiction.

Companies which are directed or indirectly part of a structure of companies, that are domiciled in a blacklisted jurisdiction.

Therefore, we believe that any client that has a US LLC with nominees, shareholders, trustees in a black listed jurisdiction such as Gibraltar, should re-valuate their current structures and consider the new rules. We would strongly recommend they contact their representative in Portugal to take the relevant advice.

Alternatively, in the same way as we previously assisted with the appointment of US Operating Managers in 2017, we can provide nominee services in the US where the company is registered and domiciled. If this option is of interest to you contact us for advice.
DrPriyankT BHPian

Join Date: May 2013 Location: Mumbai Posts: 171 Thanked: 553 Times

The LCA Tejas Aircraft | Proudly Made In India



LCA TEJAS

The Light Combat Aircraft Project was envisaged in the year 1983 by the DRDO, with an aim to develop a Generation 4 jetfighter, to replace the Mig-21s. IAF had inducted the Mig-21s from 1969, and the first aircraft were planned to be replaced by the early 1990s. However, the genesis of this project had started in the 1970s right after the development of the HF-24 Marut, which was an otherwise sturdy fighter, let down majorly by its underpowered engines. HAL began design studies with the IAF's new ASR, which called for an air superiority fighter with secondary ground attack - close air support capabilities dubbed as 'Tactical Air Support Aircraft'. The HAL completed design studies for the new Tactical Air Support Aircraft in 1975, but the project fell through due to the inability to procure the selected "proven engine.

By the time approval was sought for the Tejas in 1983, India already had designed and built the Marut, and already had started license manufacture of the Soviet Mig 21, British Gnat and the Anglo-French Jaguar (just about started by then). This gave DRDO and HAL the confidence that we can build a Gen-4 fighter right from scratch. I would like to point out here that at this time the Chinese too had just license produced various Soviet jets, and they too started the design process for their homegrown J-10 (based on the IAI Lavi) in the 1980s and look at where they are now. Yes, they begged, borrowed, and stole a few designs, but you must credit them with the fact that they have a Gen-5 fighter ready in the current day, even though they started designing Gen-4 fighters when we started, but that is a discussion for another day.

After GOIs approval was obtained in 1983, the ball started rolling in 1984, with the establishment of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which was supposed to the nodal agency for the design of the new jet. However, the first of many delays started as the IAF had not readied and given its ASQR (Airstaff Qualitative Requirements) till October 1985. However, this delay gave ADA time to build up resources, and hire the right people for the job. This project was originally planned to have 1st flight of prototype by 1990, and induction by 1995, when the 1st Mig-21s would retire.





Image Source:



For this project, along with the aircraft, the government envisaged homegrown development of three more critical technologies, that is homegrown digital fly by wire, an afterburning turbofan and a multimode doppler radar. India was successful in developing the fly by wire system ,the turbofan engine being developed was the Kaveri, which even though did not power the LCA, taught us lessons which will help in the development of future gas turbines, and the multimode radar later metamorphized into the AESA Uttam Radar, which is going to be the primary sensor of future Tejas Aircraft (more on it later).



The project was finally in some semblance of motion in 1987, when the project definition phase was commenced in October 1987 with France's Dassault-Breguet Aviation as consultant. No wonder we see the design of the Tejas, that is a delta winged aircraft which resembles a Mirage 2000, all thanks to the influence of Dassault as a consultant. Dassault had offered ADA, its old analogue flight control technology, but ADA insisted on a quadruplex digital fly by wire system, which to its credit, it developed on its own.



In 1989, the GOI, formed a review committee to discuss the feasibility of the Tejas project, and the said committee gave its thumbs up to the project. Then in 1990, a two-stage full-scale engineering development (FSED) process was opted for the development of LCA. Also in 1990, the design was finalised, a small tailless delta wing design with relaxed static stability which incorporates "control configured vehicle" concept and digital FBW flight control system for enhanced manoeuvrability. Again, I would like to insist on how the Tejas derives its design from the favourite go to aircraft of the IAF, the Mirage 2000. Yes, their wings are shaped a bit differently, with the Mirage having clean lines on the leading edges of its low mounted wings and the Tejas has a slight curve on the leading edges of the mid mounted wings, but the similarity in design philosophy shows. Delta wings are generally preferred in interceptor aircrafts like the Mig 21 (which the Tejas was to replace), as they offer lower drag, better low speed angles of attack (however they need powerful engines for this) and in general better manoeuvrability for dog fighting. Also the midmounted wing in the Tejas gives it better low altitude flight characteristics and stability vis a vis the low mounted wing in the Mig-21 and the Mirage 2K, which can be useful for low level ground attack roles.





The legendary Dr.Kota Harinarayana was the original Programme Director and Chief Designer for the Tejas Programme. He steered this mammoth project in its initial tumultuous years, when its design was being frozen, and mission critical technologies were being developed from the ground up. In 1992, the LCA National Control Law (CLAW) team was set up under National Aeronautical Laboratory to develop the complex quadruplex digital fly by wire system for flight control of the Tejas. At that time Lockheed Martin was appointed the consultant for the FBW system being developed, however the contract for the same was terminated in 1998, on account of the post Pokhran sanctions. However, I consider it good riddance, as it forced us to develop our own technology, which will help us in the future as we develop more indigenous aircraft.





Phase 1 of the LCA program commenced in June 1993, and under it, it was envisaged that there would be two technology demonstrator aircraft, namely TD-1 and TD-2. The focus of this phase was to establish proof of concept of the program in the two technology demonstrator aircraft. This was to lead to the development of PV-1 and 2 (Prototype Variant). NAL's CLAW team completed the integration of the flight control laws with the flight control system software performing flawlessly for over 50 hours of pilot testing on TD-1, and the TD-1 finally flew with an indigenous FBW flight control system on its maiden flight on 4 January 2001. The successful 1st flight of TD-1 by Wing Commander Rajiv Kothiyal started the end of phase 1 of the LCA program. Phase 2 of the programme was commenced in November 2001 which envisaged the manufacturing of three more prototypes - a production standard air force variant, a naval variant, and a trainer variant, in addition to the replacement of imported Line-replaceable units (LRU) with indigenous LRUs.

The main powerplant of the Tejas is the General Electric F404 engine. Originally, the Tejas was intended to be powered by the desi GTRE Kaveri engine, but the difficulties of developing a jet engine were too much for DRDO and HAL, and hence we had to depend upon the American Engine to power our desi fighter. However, since data is available publicly for the reasons of the failure of the LCA, we cannot say with certainty what caused DRDO to abandon the Kaveri for the Tejas, but I am sure our scientists and engineers must have learnt a lot of lessons even though the Kaveri as an operational aeroengine did see the light of day. Kaveri engine can be discussed in another post if members are interested. Here I would like to mention that China despite all their technological prowess and industrial espionage have not still been able to create a military turbofan which can match a Russian engine, leave alone American and European engines. Their WS-10 engine (based on the CFM-56 core) still cannot match the Russian AL-31/41 Engines. The selection of the American engine hamstrung our Tejas as we lost American support for the F-404 from 1998 to 2004 when ties thawed. In 2004, General Electric was awarded a US$105 million contract for 17 uprated F404-GE-IN20 engines to power the eight air force and two naval prototypes for which deliveries began in 2006. In 2008, HAL placed an order for additional 24 F404 IN20 engines to power production Tejas Mark 1 fighters. The higher power F414 has been selected for Tejas Mk2 aka MWF.





After the turbofan engine and the fly by wire system, a pulse doppler multimode radar completed the trio of critical technologies being co-developed with the LCA. Initially, the Ericsson/Ferranti PS-05/A I/J-band multi-function radar, also used on Saab's JAS 39 Gripen, was intended to be used. However, by then DRDO had developed quite a few phased array radars for the indigenous SAM systems like the Rajendra Radar for the Aakash and the INDRA radar, which gave them the belief that they could develop a homegrown radar for a fighter plane. HAL's Hyderabad division and the DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) laboratory were selected to jointly lead the MMR programme, and work commenced in 1997. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) was responsible for the MMR's test programme. Between 1996 and 1997, CABS converted the surviving HAL/HS-748M Airborne Surveillance Post into a testbed for the LCA's avionics and radar. By mid-2002, the MMR had reportedly suffered major delays and cost escalations. By early 2005, only the air-to-air look-up and look-down modes  two basic modes  were confirmed to have been successfully tested. In May 2006, it was revealed that the performance of several modes being tested fell short of expectations. The problem with the radar was mainly attributed to the compatibility issue arose between the LRDE/HAL multi-mode radar and the LRDE's advanced signal processor module. Using an "off-the-shelf" foreign radar as an interim option was being considered. The multimode radar, procured for the initial LCA Mk1s was the EL/M-2032, produced by ELTA of Israel. It will be used for the 40 Tejas Mk 1 (IOC and FOC) aircraft, along with the 10 Tejas twin seat trainers. ELTA EL/M-2052 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) will be used for the 1st 20 of the 83 MK1A aircraft, while the next 63 aircraft will be equipped with the indigenous Uttam AESA Radar.

Uttam AESA radar is a Liquid Cooled Gallium Arsenide based radar, developed by LRDE. It is a scalable radar, whose TR (Transmitter-Receiver) modules can be increased in number to make more powerful radars to fit into nose cones of larger aircraft. Three units are in various phases of testing, as of 2021. Uttam AESA radar has completed 230 hours of airborne testing onboard two Tejas fighter jets (LSP2 and LSP3) beside an executive jet; presumed to be DRDO's Dornier 228 "Nabhratna" used as a flying test bed by LRDE. Once fully validated and certified, plan is to introduce the radar in later batches of Tejas Mark 1A aircraft from the 21st production aircraft. It will be integrated into DRDOs unified electronic warfare platform which will be the core of the EW abilities of future aircraft. Scaled up Uttams will be used for the Tejas Mk2 aircraft, Twin Engine Deck borne fighter and AMCA. It is also envisaged that the Uttam will be used for the upgrade of the Su-30 MKI, where its large radome will house an Uttam with more than 1500 TR modules making it a beast of a radar. Uttam will have 18 modes, and in the future if things go according to plan DARE will update the radar to Gallium Nitride based array. As per recent reports, the scaled up Uttam in LCA Mk 2 will have 1260 TR modules, and it will be integrated to the unified electronic warfare suite being developed by DARE. It will be akin to the SPECTRA EW warfare suite in the Rafales. Such an integrated EW suite in the Tejas Mk2, combined with the Rudram missile will make it a potent Wild Weasel Aircraft.





An interesting successful spin-off of the LCA program has been the development of a profitable commercial spin-off in its Autolay integrated automated software for designing 3-D laminated composite elements (which has been licensed to both Airbus and Infosys). The successful endeavours were the development and manufacturing of carbon-fibre composite structures and skins, and a modern glass cockpit. The Su-30 MKI manufacture in India has given HAL massive experience in manufacture of Titanium Alloy based aircraft, whereas experience in manufacture of Tejas which is heavy on carbon composite bodes well for future aircraft to be made in India.

This Wikipedia link will give those interested a concise and brief timeline of the development of the Tejas.



This is my humble effort in describing the genesis of the LCA Tejas program in the IAF, it's capabilities and it's role in the future of the IAF. Be Warned, its a long read! I also request members to give their valuable opinions and more information which I may have missed to add.LCA TEJASThe Light Combat Aircraft Project was envisaged in the year 1983 by the DRDO, with an aim to develop a Generation 4 jetfighter, to replace the Mig-21s. IAF had inducted the Mig-21s from 1969, and the first aircraft were planned to be replaced by the early 1990s. However, the genesis of this project had started in the 1970s right after the development of the HF-24 Marut, which was an otherwise sturdy fighter, let down majorly by its underpowered engines. HAL began design studies with the IAF's new ASR, which called for an air superiority fighter with secondary ground attack - close air support capabilities dubbed as 'Tactical Air Support Aircraft'. The HAL completed design studies for the new Tactical Air Support Aircraft in 1975, but the project fell through due to the inability to procure the selected "proven engine.By the time approval was sought for the Tejas in 1983, India already had designed and built the Marut, and already had started license manufacture of the Soviet Mig 21, British Gnat and the Anglo-French Jaguar (just about started by then). This gave DRDO and HAL the confidence that we can build a Gen-4 fighter right from scratch. I would like to point out here that at this time the Chinese too had just license produced various Soviet jets, and they too started the design process for their homegrown J-10 (based on the IAI Lavi) in the 1980s and look at where they are now. Yes, they begged, borrowed, and stole a few designs, but you must credit them with the fact that they have a Gen-5 fighter ready in the current day, even though they started designing Gen-4 fighters when we started, but that is a discussion for another day.After GOIs approval was obtained in 1983, the ball started rolling in 1984, with the establishment of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which was supposed to the nodal agency for the design of the new jet. However, the first of many delays started as the IAF had not readied and given its ASQR (Airstaff Qualitative Requirements) till October 1985. However, this delay gave ADA time to build up resources, and hire the right people for the job. This project was originally planned to have 1st flight of prototype by 1990, and induction by 1995, when the 1st Mig-21s would retire.Image Source: Ain Online For this project, along with the aircraft, the government envisaged homegrown development of three more critical technologies, that is homegrown digital fly by wire, an afterburning turbofan and a multimode doppler radar. India was successful in developing the fly by wire system ,the turbofan engine being developed was the Kaveri, which even though did not power the LCA, taught us lessons which will help in the development of future gas turbines, and the multimode radar later metamorphized into the AESA Uttam Radar, which is going to be the primary sensor of future Tejas Aircraft (more on it later).The project was finally in some semblance of motion in 1987, when the project definition phase was commenced in October 1987 with France's Dassault-Breguet Aviation as consultant. No wonder we see the design of the Tejas, that is a delta winged aircraft which resembles a Mirage 2000, all thanks to the influence of Dassault as a consultant. Dassault had offered ADA, its old analogue flight control technology, but ADA insisted on a quadruplex digital fly by wire system, which to its credit, it developed on its own.In 1989, the GOI, formed a review committee to discuss the feasibility of the Tejas project, and the said committee gave its thumbs up to the project. Then in 1990, a two-stage full-scale engineering development (FSED) process was opted for the development of LCA. Also in 1990, the design was finalised, a small tailless delta wing design with relaxed static stability which incorporates "control configured vehicle" concept and digital FBW flight control system for enhanced manoeuvrability. Again, I would like to insist on how the Tejas derives its design from the favourite go to aircraft of the IAF, the Mirage 2000. Yes, their wings are shaped a bit differently, with the Mirage having clean lines on the leading edges of its low mounted wings and the Tejas has a slight curve on the leading edges of the mid mounted wings, but the similarity in design philosophy shows. Delta wings are generally preferred in interceptor aircrafts like the Mig 21 (which the Tejas was to replace), as they offer lower drag, better low speed angles of attack (however they need powerful engines for this) and in general better manoeuvrability for dog fighting. Also the midmounted wing in the Tejas gives it better low altitude flight characteristics and stability vis a vis the low mounted wing in the Mig-21 and the Mirage 2K, which can be useful for low level ground attack roles.The legendary Dr.Kota Harinarayana was the original Programme Director and Chief Designer for the Tejas Programme. He steered this mammoth project in its initial tumultuous years, when its design was being frozen, and mission critical technologies were being developed from the ground up. In 1992, the LCA National Control Law (CLAW) team was set up under National Aeronautical Laboratory to develop the complex quadruplex digital fly by wire system for flight control of the Tejas. At that time Lockheed Martin was appointed the consultant for the FBW system being developed, however the contract for the same was terminated in 1998, on account of the post Pokhran sanctions. However, I consider it good riddance, as it forced us to develop our own technology, which will help us in the future as we develop more indigenous aircraft.Phase 1 of the LCA program commenced in June 1993, and under it, it was envisaged that there would be two technology demonstrator aircraft, namely TD-1 and TD-2. The focus of this phase was to establish proof of concept of the program in the two technology demonstrator aircraft. This was to lead to the development of PV-1 and 2 (Prototype Variant). NAL's CLAW team completed the integration of the flight control laws with the flight control system software performing flawlessly for over 50 hours of pilot testing on TD-1, and the TD-1 finally flew with an indigenous FBW flight control system on its maiden flight on 4 January 2001. The successful 1st flight of TD-1 by Wing Commander Rajiv Kothiyal started the end of phase 1 of the LCA program. Phase 2 of the programme was commenced in November 2001 which envisaged the manufacturing of three more prototypes - a production standard air force variant, a naval variant, and a trainer variant, in addition to the replacement of imported Line-replaceable units (LRU) with indigenous LRUs.The main powerplant of the Tejas is the General Electric F404 engine. Originally, the Tejas was intended to be powered by the desi GTRE Kaveri engine, but the difficulties of developing a jet engine were too much for DRDO and HAL, and hence we had to depend upon the American Engine to power our desi fighter. However, since data is available publicly for the reasons of the failure of the LCA, we cannot say with certainty what caused DRDO to abandon the Kaveri for the Tejas, but I am sure our scientists and engineers must have learnt a lot of lessons even though the Kaveri as an operational aeroengine did see the light of day. Kaveri engine can be discussed in another post if members are interested. Here I would like to mention that China despite all their technological prowess and industrial espionage have not still been able to create a military turbofan which can match a Russian engine, leave alone American and European engines. Their WS-10 engine (based on the CFM-56 core) still cannot match the Russian AL-31/41 Engines. The selection of the American engine hamstrung our Tejas as we lost American support for the F-404 from 1998 to 2004 when ties thawed. In 2004, General Electric was awarded a US$105 million contract for 17 uprated F404-GE-IN20 engines to power the eight air force and two naval prototypes for which deliveries began in 2006. In 2008, HAL placed an order for additional 24 F404 IN20 engines to power production Tejas Mark 1 fighters. The higher power F414 has been selected for Tejas Mk2 aka MWF.After the turbofan engine and the fly by wire system, a pulse doppler multimode radar completed the trio of critical technologies being co-developed with the LCA. Initially, the Ericsson/Ferranti PS-05/A I/J-band multi-function radar, also used on Saab's JAS 39 Gripen, was intended to be used. However, by then DRDO had developed quite a few phased array radars for the indigenous SAM systems like the Rajendra Radar for the Aakash and the INDRA radar, which gave them the belief that they could develop a homegrown radar for a fighter plane. HAL's Hyderabad division and the DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) laboratory were selected to jointly lead the MMR programme, and work commenced in 1997. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) was responsible for the MMR's test programme. Between 1996 and 1997, CABS converted the surviving HAL/HS-748M Airborne Surveillance Post into a testbed for the LCA's avionics and radar. By mid-2002, the MMR had reportedly suffered major delays and cost escalations. By early 2005, only the air-to-air look-up and look-down modes  two basic modes  were confirmed to have been successfully tested. In May 2006, it was revealed that the performance of several modes being tested fell short of expectations. The problem with the radar was mainly attributed to the compatibility issue arose between the LRDE/HAL multi-mode radar and the LRDE's advanced signal processor module. Using an "off-the-shelf" foreign radar as an interim option was being considered. The multimode radar, procured for the initial LCA Mk1s was the EL/M-2032, produced by ELTA of Israel. It will be used for the 40 Tejas Mk 1 (IOC and FOC) aircraft, along with the 10 Tejas twin seat trainers. ELTA EL/M-2052 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) will be used for the 1st 20 of the 83 MK1A aircraft, while the next 63 aircraft will be equipped with the indigenous Uttam AESA Radar.Uttam AESA radar is a Liquid Cooled Gallium Arsenide based radar, developed by LRDE. It is a scalable radar, whose TR (Transmitter-Receiver) modules can be increased in number to make more powerful radars to fit into nose cones of larger aircraft. Three units are in various phases of testing, as of 2021. Uttam AESA radar has completed 230 hours of airborne testing onboard two Tejas fighter jets (LSP2 and LSP3) beside an executive jet; presumed to be DRDO's Dornier 228 "Nabhratna" used as a flying test bed by LRDE. Once fully validated and certified, plan is to introduce the radar in later batches of Tejas Mark 1A aircraft from the 21st production aircraft. It will be integrated into DRDOs unified electronic warfare platform which will be the core of the EW abilities of future aircraft. Scaled up Uttams will be used for the Tejas Mk2 aircraft, Twin Engine Deck borne fighter and AMCA. It is also envisaged that the Uttam will be used for the upgrade of the Su-30 MKI, where its large radome will house an Uttam with more than 1500 TR modules making it a beast of a radar. Uttam will have 18 modes, and in the future if things go according to plan DARE will update the radar to Gallium Nitride based array. As per recent reports, the scaled up Uttam in LCA Mk 2 will have 1260 TR modules, and it will be integrated to the unified electronic warfare suite being developed by DARE. It will be akin to the SPECTRA EW warfare suite in the Rafales. Such an integrated EW suite in the Tejas Mk2, combined with the Rudram missile will make it a potent Wild Weasel Aircraft.An interesting successful spin-off of the LCA program has been the development of a profitable commercial spin-off in its Autolay integrated automated software for designing 3-D laminated composite elements (which has been licensed to both Airbus and Infosys). The successful endeavours were the development and manufacturing of carbon-fibre composite structures and skins, and a modern glass cockpit. The Su-30 MKI manufacture in India has given HAL massive experience in manufacture of Titanium Alloy based aircraft, whereas experience in manufacture of Tejas which is heavy on carbon composite bodes well for future aircraft to be made in India.This Wikipedia link will give those interested a concise and brief timeline of the development of the Tejas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_HAL_Tejas Last edited by ajmat : 29th August 2021 at 17:17 . Reason: Image added
In context: Asus recently started rolling out BIOS updates to its motherboards to help users get ready for Windows 11. Those updates are beginning to extend to motherboards for Intel CPUs older than any of the ones Microsoft currently lists as being compatible with Windows 11. This could end up making the already controversial system requirements even more confusing.

Ever since Microsoft listed its system requirements for Windows 11, there's been some degree of uncertainty surrounding its requirement of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and the need for a relatively recent CPU.

Motherboard makers like Asus have started issuing new BIOS firmware to help users out, mainly by automatically enabling TPM. Asus even set up a page listing the Windows 11 compatibility status for all its motherboards, which it continues to update as it tests and releases more BIOS patches.

Microsoft's list of officially supported Intel CPUs says Windows 11 requires 8th-gen Core processors (Coffee Lake) and newer. However, Asus shows that it's updating motherboards for seventh (Kaby Lake) and sixth (Skylake) generation Intel processors to add Windows 11 compatibility.

A number of Z270 motherboards, which are designed for Kaby Lake and Skylake processors, received a beta BIOS on August 10 for Windows 11 compatibility. The same happened with some H270 and B250 motherboards. These and many others fall under a section of Asus' compatibility list with the message "The following motherboards are compatible with Windows 11 under current testing. The upgrability [sic] is subject to the support from operation system or 3rd party drivers availability."

Microsoft has acknowledged some of the confusion, saying 8th-gen Core is the oldest processor series that it's sure to meet Windows 11 requirements, but that they plan to at least test things out with Kaby Lake CPUs.

It seems Microsoft isn't entirely sure how far it wants to extend Windows 11 compatibility yet, while meeting its security goals. Hopefully everyone will have a clearer picture by the time the OS releases to the public late this year.
In brief: Google takes pride in making a custom chipset for its upcoming Pixel flagships, but they're also said to incorporate a lot of Samsung DNA. This includes a Samsung Exynos 5G modem, a move that could encourage more phone manufacturers to follow suit and reduce Qualcomm's tight grip on the market.

Earlier this month, Google confirmed that its next two flagship phones are the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, the first to be powered by the search giant's first custom chip. Dubbed "Tensor," the new chip is the culmination of four years of effort and the product of almost two decades of computing experience. More importantly, it is seen as an important step towards bringing more uniformity to the Android platform, with the same tight integration between hardware and software that Apple products are known for.

Tensor will definitely bring a number of benefits, including better security and "specific experiences" powered by machine learning, but a lot of the hardware on the new Pixel 6 family is said to be Samsung-made, so this may turn out to be just as much a Samsung phone as it will be a Google phone.

According to a Reuters report, Google has decided to use a Samsung 5G modem in the new phones instead of going with the most popular choice -- Qualcomm. The modem in question is a revised Exynos 5123, which is built on a 7nm-EUV process and supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrums with a maximum download speed of 7.35Gbps under ideal circumstances where 8-carrier aggregation is possible.

This would make the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro the first non-Samsung phones to come with an Exynos modem and has the potential to erode some of Qualcomm's stranglehold on the US market. After all, companies like Google, Nokia, and LG have recently pushed back against Qualcomm's 5G strategy, and Apple plans to move to its own 5G modems in the coming years.

It's worth noting that the modem is not the only Samsung component in Google's upcoming flagship phones, as the camera is said to use either a GN1 or a GN2 ISOCELL sensor -- both of which excel in low-light situations. And come to think of it, Google's fancy new Tensor chip is also manufactured by Samsung using the latter's 5nm process node.
Why it matters: As part of its transition to a cloud company, Microsoft has been extolling the supposed virtues of digital transformation and encouraging organizations to move their businesses from on-premises to the Azure cloud. Security researchers have long warned about the potential security nightmares that could ensue, and now Microsoft is forced to admit to its customers that a single vulnerability in Azure's flagship Cosmos DB database left their main databases open to be read, changed, or even deleted by anyone with knowledge of the issue.

Microsoft on Thursday warned many of its cloud computing customers that for more than two years, their data has been susceptible to attacks. Specifically, a now-fixed vulnerability in Azure's Cosmos DB database would have allowed a malicious actor to read, change, and even delete the main databases of over 3,000 organizations of all sizes, including ExxonMobil, Walgreens, Coca Cola, Symantec, Zeiss, and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

The flaw was discovered by security company Wiz, who dubbed it "ChaosDB." Researchers explained that their exploit takes advantage of a chain of misconfigurations in the Jupiter Notebook visualization feature that Microsoft added to Cosmos DB in 2019. In February this year, that feature was automatically turned on for all Cormos DBs.

To put it simply, Wiz found a way to allow any user to take complete control of a massive collection of commercial databases, including the central database of Azure. Researchers notified Microsoft about the issue on August 12, and the latter was able to mitigate the issue within 48 hours of it being reported, which is a respectable performance.

As a precaution, Wiz recommends that all Cosmos DB customers rotate and regenerate their primary access keys, regardless of whether they received a notification from Microsoft or not. Despite the severity of ChaosDB, neither Wiz nor Microsoft found any indication that someone other than the researchers had been able to exploit the vulnerability. Reuters reports that Wiz received a $40,000 reward for discovering and reporting the flaw.

Overall, Microsoft's been having a tough time as of late. After the SolarWinds fiasco, the Redmond giant has had to deal with at least ten hacker groups targeting Microsoft Exchange Server exploits, and, more recently, a stubborn print spooler vulnerability in Windows that will probably haunt the company for months.
Why it matters: Microsoft spent the past two months revamping the app and is rolling it out again to Windows Insiders. The new version of the PC Health Check app provides a more complete picture as to why a PC doesnt meet the minimum Windows 11 requirements, plus adds links to support articles to better understand roadblocks and how to alleviate them.

Microsoft shared the first Windows 11 Insider Preview build back in June, but simultaneously muddied the waters a bit by removing the PC Health Check app from the equation. Redmond at the time said the app, which was intended to help people determine if their current PC could run Windows 11, didnt fully inform users as to why a system didnt meet upgrade requirements.

In the example above, you can see that the sample system doesnt support TPM 2.0 and its processor doesnt support Windows 11.

Microsoft said it also took another look at Intel 7th generation and AMD Zen processors to see if any of them could be added to their Windows 11 compatibility list. Following extensive testing, Microsoft added the following CPUs to the Intel compatibility list:

Intel Core X-series, Xeon W-series

Intel Core 7820HQ (only select devices that shipped with modern drivers based on Declarative, Componentized, Hardware Support Apps (DCH) design principles, including Surface Studio 2)

No first-gen AMD Zen processors made the cut.

Microsoft additionally clarified that it believes its 4GB of memory, 64GB of storage, UEFI secure boot, graphics requirements and TPM 2.0 are all the right minimum system requirements to deliver the best Windows 11 experience, so those wont be changing.

For those who are using a PC that wont upgrade, and who arent ready to transition to a new device, Windows 10 is the right choice, Microsoft said, adding that itll support Windows 10 through October 14, 2025. Win 10s next feature update is expected later this year.

Microsoft plans to update the PC Health Check app with the newly added Intel CPUs in the coming weeks as the tool gears up for general availability.
The NHS (National Health Service) confirmed that the United Kingdom is experiencing a massive blood sample bottle shortage. Because of this, the health department suggests that GPs (General Practitioners) should now limit the blood sample tests that they are usually conducting each day.

As of the moment, blood sampling is one of the methods used to detect COVID-19. This medical test is currently important since new variants, such as Lambda and Delta, appear in various parts of the world.

NHS England said that medical firms and hospitals are now told to stop performing most of their blood tests until mid-September. As of the moment, GPs already decreased their sampling activities by 25%.

"While it is anticipated that the position will improve from the middle of September, overall supply is likely to remain challenging for a significant period," said NHS in its latest guidance letter to GPs.

NHS Warns About Massive Blood Sample Bottle Shortage

According to The Guardian's latest report, NHS confirmed the massive blood sample bottle shortage after it confirmed that its main supplier, Becton Dickinson, is having trouble keeping up with the demand for its products.

Also Read: Endometriosis Treatment, Cure Found After Blocking a Particular Gene in Mice, Soon for Humans

The manufacturer's spokesperson explained that their company is seeing continued transportation challenges affecting various industries. Aside from this, their blood sample bottle deliveries are also having some troubles with U.K. border restrictions.

Because of this, some medical experts already stopped their routine blood testing activities, which are not only conducted for COVID-19 but also for diagnosing heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health complications.

In other news, a U.K. study claims lessening mechanical ventilation could help critically ill children. On the other hand, At-Home HIV Testing Kit program has finally arrived.

Why Blood Testing is Important During Pandemic

Medical News Today explained that there are various methods currently used to detect COVID-19 infection. These include antibody tests, as well as swab tests.

Blood sampling is usually involved in the latest COVID-19 detection methods, especially when it comes to antibody test, which is specifically the one that requires blood tests.

For more news updates about blood sample bottle shortage and other health-related issues, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Hantavirus-Infected Rodents Have Been Identified in San Diego County

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ Chung Sung-Jun) Afghanistan Taliban

The Kabul Airport in Afghanistan is filled with crowds of people feeling the Taliban rule as the evacuation deadline set by the United States is drawing nearer.

The crowds outside the airport are so big that they can be seen from the satellites in space.

Kabul Airport Filled With People Trying to Flee

Afghanistan has been in turmoil since the Taliban took over on Aug. 15, with thousands of people attempting to leave the country for their safety.

Around five people were confirmed killed at the airport as Afghans tried to escape the Taliban rule, according to Insider.

The scenes at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, saw the attempts of Afghans to board moving planes as they crowded runways and even scrambled up air bridges to get a spot.

It took the U.S. military at least two days to regain control of the airport, with crowds at the gates resulting in crushes as desperate citizens tried to evacuate Afghanistan.

Also Read: Facebook Blocks WhatsApp Channels, Group Where Taliban Forces Used to Communicate, Adheres to U.S. Sanction Law

The satellite images that were revealed by Maxar Technologies showed the crowds gathered outside the airport. People are waiting for more aircraft to board as U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the evacuation will only be until Aug. 31.

Foreign nationals, American citizens, and Afghans who worked for western organizations or helps in the war effort are all waiting to be airlifted out of the country, a process hindered by several security issues.

One picture shows that the gate in the northern part of the airport is filled with crowds. Other pictures show crowds moving through the airport's checkpoints.

Another picture shows long queues preparing to board a transport aircraft. It is the same aircraft that boarded hundreds of people last week.

Dozens of people chased a U.S. military aircraft as it moved on the runway, ready to take off. Several people were seen clinging on the exterior as it slowly took off on Aug. 16.

The horrifying clips shared online showed shapes that looked like bodies falling from the aircraft, as three men were believed to have lost their grip mid-air.

The Air Force C-17 military aircraft transported 640 Afghans to safety, according to Newsweek. This was confirmed by the Department of Defense or DOD.

An image shared by the DOD showed the fully packed passengers sitting on the floor of the plane.

Satellite images have been used in the past to show the conditions on Earth. In August 2020, satellite images showed how massive the California wildfires were.

Satellite images also showed one of the deepest and largest Ozone holes in the Antarctic.

Sticking With the Evacuation Deadline

Despite thousands of people still begging to be saved, U.S. President Joe Biden said he is sticking with the Aug. 31 deadline, which led to Afghans flocking the airport.

Biden defended his decision regarding the deadline after meeting with the G7 leaders.

Biden told the White House reporters on Aug. 24 that the Taliban are ready to attack both the U.S. and their allied forces and innocent civilians if they don't withdraw.

Suhail Shaheen, an official spokesperson for the militant group, called the date a "red line" for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Shaheen told Sky News that if President Biden extends the deadline, he is extending the occupation of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which could anger the Taliban and may result in them retaliating.

Related Article: US Military Biometric Devices Could be in the Hands of the Taliban | Risk to Identify Afghan Nationals Who Worked for the US Gov

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ Chip Somodevilla ) T-Mobile hack

T-Mobile suffered from a massive data breach earlier this month, and the perpetrator, a 21-year-old American hacker, took responsibility for infiltrating the incident.

T-Mobile's Weak Security

The hacker, John Binns, said that the wireless company's weak security had helped him access numerous records filled with personal data of more than 50 million T-Mobile customers.

In an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, the hacker, who grew up in Virginia in the United States but now resides in Turkey, revealed that he could break through the carrier's defenses after discovering an unprotected and exposed router.

Binns used several online usernames since 2017 and said that he had been scanning the carrier's internet addresses for weaknesses via a tool available to the public.

Also Read: T-Mobile New 5G Phone Could be Cheaper than an AirPods Pro

Binn said that the security of T-Mobile is "awful." He had been talking to The Wall Street Journal through Telegram messages. He then detailed how he was able to hack the company's records.

The hacker had not stated whether he had sold the data or not or whether someone had paid him to target T-Mobile.

The hack is the third major data leak that the wireless network has made public in the past two years, according to The Washington Post.

According to the company, the latest hack stole personal details from more than 54 million customers, including their Social Security numbers, complete names, addresses, birth dates, and phone numbers.

Many of the stolen records were said to be from prospective clients or from former ones that have since changed carriers.

T-Mobile began informing its customers of the data breach days after it happened as the company was not immediately able to determine if personal details were involved.

The company reminded its customers to update their passwords and personal identification number or PIN codes.

T-Mobile is currently investigating an underground forum where the data are alllegedly posted.

Hacker Says Stealing the Data Was Easy

T-Mobile is the second-largest mobile carrier in the United States as it has more than 90 million phones connected to its networks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation or the FBI is currently looking into the hack, according to Engadget.

Meanwhile, Binns revealed that it only took him a week to get into the company's servers.

The wireless network stated that they had their security hole repaired immediately to prevent another breach since the hack happened.

What remains unclear is whether Binns did it on his own or if he had some help. The 21-year-old revealed that the reason why he did it is that he wanted to draw attention to his persecution by the U.S. government. He wanted to generate noise.

In his interview, he described an alleged incident in which he said he was kidnapped while he was in Germany and forced to stay at a fake psychiatric hospital.

Binns said that he did not know where that story came from, and he has no reason to create a fake kidnapping story. He wants someone from the FBI to clear his name.

In 2020, he sued the Central Intelligence Agency or the CIA, the FBI, and other U.S. federal agencies to make them fulfill a federal record request that he had made for information about the botnet attacks.

The lawsuit is still open in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Related Article: T-Mobile to Partner Up with Google TV, to Shut Down its Live Features on April 29

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has received an invitation from the head of Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, to meet "personally" in Kazakhstan.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin sent the invitation to Elon Musk via a tweet thread posted on his personal Twitter account.

Bill Nelson, the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has likewise received a similar invitation from Rogozin to personally meet.

Rogozin did not specify exactly why he wants to meet both Elon Musk and Bill Nelson in person.

Elon Musk Receives Invite to Meet from Rogozin

Elon Musk has been invited by Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin to meet personally in the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"On October 5, a new expedition will leave for the International Space Station. We are planning to send a cinematographic group of the leading television channel as part of it," the start of Rogozin's invitation, which he posted on Twitter, reads.

According to Rogozin, their goal is to show the truth about manned flights, including the risks and emotional toll of such flights to its organizers.

He tells Musk in another tweet, "I am sure that you understand me well."

He then invites the SpaceX CEO to meet on October 5 at the Baikonour.

As of press time, Elon Musk has yet to respond to Rogozin's invitation.

Musk and Rogozin have had a seemingly hot and cold relationship as depicted by reports through the years. In 2019, Elon Musk and Rogozin had a friendly exchange on Twitter after the Russian space chief congratulated the SpaceX CEO following the successful test flight of the Crew Dragon.

However, just this past June, Rogozin published an op-ed piece where he "accused SpaceX of undercutting the competition by playing against the rules and mocking Russia's space efforts," according to a report by Futurism.

NASA's Bill Nelson Receives Similar Invite

According to the same Futurism report, NASA administrator Bill Nelson also received an invitation to meet from Rogozin. The report also says that Nelson and his wife have been invited to Rogozin's home.

"Administrator Nelson is looking forward to meeting with Director General Rogozin as soon as COVID-19 will allow," NASA Press Secretary Jackie McGuinness told TASS, a Russian state news agency, as quoted by the Futurism report.

Related Article: Russian ban on US from using rocket engines for military purpose will make Musk smile but NASA frown

SpaceX Test-Fires Rocket

SpaceX is currently busy preparing for the launch of the Cargo Dragon on Saturday, August 28.

Elon Musk's space company has just completed a static-fire test of the rocket that will be used for the launch this weekend, according to Space. The aforementioned rocket is SpaceX's Falcon 9.

The Cargo Dragon will be carrying supplies, including research experiments, that are to be sent to the International Space Station.

The upcoming flight is SpaceX's 21st space mission for 2021. The liftoff for the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled at 3:37 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

Also Read: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Test-Fires After Two-Month Hiatus-Ahead of Cargo Resupply Mission

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V would soon retire after 29 more missions with the company, as Boeing-Lockheed's venture has been canceled. The sale or use of the rocket would not be limited and counted as something that would be happening after a long time of its operations with NASA, and other private companies.

The Atlas V rocket was known to deliver US Air Force's GPS satellite into orbit, and they were the initially known company and rocket to be doing missions under government contracts.

ULA Atlas to Retire After 29 Missions

According to The Verge's interview with CEO Tory Bruno, the company has come to a decision where it would be stopping the sale and service of Atlas V after 29 missions. The well-known launch vehicle was one of the most trusted rockets in the industry, having served numerous flights that brought payloads to orbit.

Bruno revealed that the company has also stopped its purchase of the Russian engine which the Atlas V uses-the RD-180 engine-which has been one of the most controversial components of ULA's rockets.

Russia's space program has been highly dependent on ULA's Atlas V, as it has purchased numerous of these engines, helping them accelerate and have funds for their ventures. The engines are an excellent work of engineering, and it has proven itself through the years and missions of the company.

That being said, it is being made to retire.

Read Also: Elon Musk, Tory Bruno Argues on Twitter About ULA and SpaceX, But Which is Better Than the Other?

ULA Atlas V: 15 Years in Service

Atlas V's 15 years in service have been a massive advancement on spaceflights, making it one of the most popular rockets to have ever graced mankind. It has operated for 15 years in service, with more than 600 launches or missions to which it flew in 100 percent success rate, says ULA.

The rocket has a price tag of $109 million per flight for all who want to avail of the service, back when it was still commercially available for all users. The price of spaceflights has significantly been cheaper through the years, as the industry has broadened, with other companies and brands offering their services.

Successor of the Atlas V?

For now, no word from ULA has been released regarding the Atlas V, especially as it nears the end of its era. No successor has been named, something which would carry on the missions or name of Atlas, among ULA's rockets and services offered.

Other rockets of ULA include that of the Delta IV and the Vulcan Centaur, but none were named to carry the missions meant for the Atlas V. It may be so that the company is planning something massive for the Atlas and remains a secret to all.

Related Article: Leaked ULA Email Allegedly Targets SpaceX, NASA: Musk x Trump Theory and Other Conspiracies It Contains Now Being Investigated

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple's Find My iPhone app helped a police officer chase a suspect who attempted to flee his arrest.

What is The Find My iPhone App?

The Find My app allows users of Apple devices, such as Mac, iPhone, and iPad to track them in times that they may have been stolen or they have forgotten where they have placed them.

It is worth noting that the app works even as the device is not connected to the internet. With the upcoming iOS 15, the Find My feature now works even while the device is turned off completely.

Apple's Find My iPhone Helps Police

This time around, a police officer used the tracking app to chase and arrest a suspect.

To be precise, Deputy Travis Peck from the Colorado police was able to apprehend Steven Sandoval with the help of the Find My app even after the latter tried to escape the arrest, as per Gizmodo.

Sandoval was being arrested by the police at that time as he was suspected of evasion after failing to show up in his scheduled court proceedings. But upon meeting Deputy Peck, the suspect attempted to run away by ramming his truck over a security fence.

Thankfully the police officer immediately realized that he lost his iPhone. As such, the deputy went on to use the Find My iPhone feature to urgently look for the phone given to him by the county.

That said, the deputy realized that he luckily left his iPhone on the truck of the suspect, guiding him in the car chase. The police further recalled that he placed his smartphone on the vehicle as he was reaching for his handcuffs.

Read Also: Apple WWDC: iOS 15 FaceTime Features, Notifications, Privacy, Find My Update and MORE

Find My iPhone Guides Police and Suspect Chase

9to5Mac further noted that the Find My app of Apple eased up a supposedly stressful chase between the officer and the suspect.

With the guidance of the Find My iPhone, the police finally caught Sandoval after following him for at least about an hour.

However, 9to5Mac noted in the same report that it is illegal for police officers to track a suspect using a GPS.

Nevertheless, the deputy assured that the use of the Find My iPhone in the chase was not intentional. He reiterated that he accidentally left his phone on the truck.

So, does that make it legal? A law professor at the University of Califonia, Orin Kerr, shared his two cents about the incident, saying that "I doubt there was a constitutional violation."

But that is if the claims of the police officer are to be believed. If Deputy Perk really accidentally dropped his iPhone on the truck, then it would not be illegal.

Although this Find My feature incident was helpful for police to chase a suspect, the app is not always beneficial. Research suggested that the Apple Find My function could be exploited by hackers.

Related Article: Apple 'Find My Network' Crowdsource Could Help Owners Find Their Lost AirPods Pro or AirPods Max

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX launches could face some delays due to the liquid oxygen supply shortage brought upon by the raging surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the United States.

It is to note that liquid oxygen is being used for ventilator treatment of some COVID patients who are experiencing severe symptoms. As such, there is now a threat to its supply as the Delta variant has been increasing the cases in the second year of the pandemic.

Consequently, the short supply of liquid oxygen is also affecting the space company of Elon Musk, SpaceX.

The SpaceX founder revealed last Aug. 12 that the Starship's tank is only filled with 22% of fuel, whereas the remaining percentage consists of liquid oxygen.

Musk further clarified that the spacecraft does not refuel. Instead, it just refills its tank as the majority of Raptor Engines does not consist of fuel.

It is also worth noting that even the previous engines of the Starship, namely the Merlin and Kestrel, similarly used liquid oxygen to run.

What sets the former machines apart from the Raptor is their use of refined kerosene instead of methane.

SpaceX Launches and Liquid Oxygen

As per Space.com, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer, Gwynne Shotwell echoed Musk during the 36th annual Space Symposium, saying that the launch providers are dependent on liquid oxygen, or shortly known as LOX.

That said, Shotwell further disclosed that the shortage of LOX could likely badly impart the upcoming launches of SpaceX for the whole of 2021.

She further noted that "we certainly are going to make sure hospitals have liquid oxygen that we need."

Additionally, the SpaceX exec invited anyone who has space LOX to send Shotwell an email.

Meanwhile, SpaceNews reported that the increased demand in LOX has been affecting the whole supply chain. For instance, the Orlando Utilities Commission in Florida revealed that its liquid oxygen shipment has already been cut by half or 50%.

Read Also: Elon Musk SpaceX's Starship Likely to Bring Humans to Moon Earlier than 2024 Despite Delays

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch for NASA's Cargo Mission

However, Shotwell has yet to unveil the impact of the shortage to the nearing launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 on Aug. 28 for the Dragon cargo mission of NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center.

To add, SpaceX has already faced some hiccups since June 30, pausing its Falcon 9 rocket launches to add laser tech to Starlink's satellites. As such, the space company figured in a two-month hiatus.

Speaking of Starlink satellites, Shotwell also mentioned that its next launch is possibly occurring in the next three weeks.

Related Article: Elon Musk Celebrates SpaceX's Biggest Rocket Made to Date Despite Biden's Tesla Snub During EV Event

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The famed Curiosity rover of NASA has recently captured the most beautiful photos of Mars' features including the view on its horizon, mountains, and even its black sand.

The space robot was able to spot the 18,000-foot mountains on the red planet. The rover also saw the peak of the mountains while on its way to Mt. Sharp located at the Gale Crater.

According to the experts, the area could help them to study more about Mars' geography, especially about the liquid that was believed to be previously contained there.

NASA's Curiosity Rover Shares Photos of Red Planet's Mountains

According to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's deputy project scientist, Abigail Fraeman, the features of Mars might indicate that the planet was composed of water.

They also believed that some life forms existed there in the past.

In a report by Newsweek on Thursday, Aug. 26, the international space agency compiled the 129 pictures that the Curiosity rover released to create a panorama.

NASA described the photos as "sharp" due to winter, which points to lesser dust in the air. The 360-degree snapshot toured the space agency to the appearance of the red planet's surface.

In line with the Martian exploration, the Curiosity rover conducted a series of drilling to collect 32 samples of materials in Mars' outer crust.

NASA said that the vehicle was heading to the mineral and sulfate-rich regions.

Upon gathering the rock samples, the team would make use of the drill to pulverize them. After that, the Curiosity rover can now identify the components and their compositions.

According to the space agency, it's important to study the mountain layers on Mars to determine the time that the Gale Crater became dry.

Curiosity Rover's Next Mission

Since Aug. 5, 2012, when the rover touched down the Gale Crater, the scientists continued to seek answers about the potential life that once lived on Mars.

They also wanted to know more about its water and lakes.

From the get-go of its landing, the Curiosity rover has already traveled 16 miles. Its next journey will be the path between a four-story hill and Rafael Navarro Mountain. The robot would go to the landforms called Greenheugh Pediment where it traversed last year.

Beginning in the 1970s, there were already five rovers that the space agency sent to the red planet.

Meanwhile, NASA said that the Perseverance rover failed to collect Martian rock samples on its first attempt earlier this month.

Read Also: Japan's Mars Mission Plans to Bring Soil Samples to Earth in 2029-Ahead of NASA, China

NASA Curiosity Rover Takes a Selfie

As CNN reported on Tuesday, Aug. 24, the Curiosity rover was able to capture a charming selfie on Mars. The iconic selfie shot was taken last Aug. 22 using the Mars Hand Lens Imager or MAHLI.

Besides the images of Mars' rocky terrain, the car-sized robot also caught a glimpse of a unique rock feature in Gale Crater. The scientists said that the captured shape looks like a lizard.

In May, the Curiosity team discovered the iridescent cloud formation in the Martian Sky. The so-called "Mother of Pearl" clouds appeared to have a colorful glow in the sky.

Related Article: NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Detects 'Small Amount of 'Methane on the Red Planet--But ESA's Trace Gas Spacecraft Could Not Find it

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Windows 11 support for old ASUS motherboards on dated Intel CPU confusingly disputes Microsoft's system requirements for the upcoming major update of the operating system.

Last June 24, The Verge reported that Microsoft took the opportunity to unveil the successor of the six-year-old Windows 10, the Windows 11, introducing a major redesign, and a new Start menu--to name a few.

The tech giant further noted that the major update of the operating system will be available for free, at least for the current users of the older OS.

Meanwhile, last Aug. 1, the Windows 11 beta released as the Insider Preview Build 22000.1000.

However, it is to note that this version is still in the trial phase, so bugs and other instabilities are to be expected.

The launch of the stable version of the Windows 11 is reportedly occurring sometime in October. But for now, component manufacturers like ASUS are still gearing up for the release of the new Microsoft OS.

Windows 11 Support for Old ASUS Motherboards

As per TechSpot, the Taiwan-based motherboard maker, Asus, started rolling out BIOS or Basic Input/Output System updates to ready its users from the stable release of Windows 11.

However, the tech firm is expanding the updates even to motherboards for the Intel CPUs that were not part of the Microsoft system requirements.

Asus has already published a comprehensive list of all of its motherboards that it has already tested Windows 11 with, marking them as compatible with the new OS.

Furthermore, the component maker continues to update the page as Asus further tests more boards and releases more BIOS updates.

Read Also: Microsoft Windows 11 To Remove Essential Features-Goodbye Taskbar Functions and More; Should You Still Upgrade?

Microsoft System Requirements for Windows 11

As such, the latest move of ASUS is blurring the lines of what is actually compatible with Windows 11 as it clearly contradicts Microsoft.

As per PC Mag, Microsoft specified what CPUs or processors of AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm are approved to be used for Windows 11.

On top of that, Windows 11 is requiring at least 4GB of system memory of RAM, paired with a minimum of 64GB of available storage. Not to mention that the graphics processor needs to be compatible with both Windows Display Driver Model and DirectX 12, or even higher.

To be precise, Microsoft only included Intel CPUs of at least 8th-gen Core processors or Coffee Lake as Windows 11 compatible.

But Asus disputed the official requirement of Microsoft by providing support to older processors. The motherboard maker rolled out BIOS updates even for the motherboard of the seventh and sixth-generation Intel CPUs.

Elsewhere, Asus also provided BIOS updates in order to prevent bugs on the Windows 11 beta.

Related Article: Microsoft Windows 11 Preview on Azure Virtual Desktop Releases-How to Try it Now

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : GettlyImages/ SOPA Images ) Elon Musk SpaceX

Elon Musk has finally responded to Jeff Bezos' lawsuit against his space firm SpaceX.

The billionaire took a jab at Bezos after Kuiper, Bezos' space firm, protested SpaceX's plans to manufacture and launch more Starlink satellites.

Elon Musk Responds to Lawsuit

Musk posted on his personal Twitter account that Bezos, Amazon's founder, and former CEO, had "retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX."

Musk even typed Bezos' name wrong as he wrote it as "Besos" instead of "Bezos." In July, Bezos stepped down as Amazon's CEO.

Musk's tweet is a response to an article about Amazon's satellite-internet subsidiary called Kuiper.

Kuiper filed a protest letter to the Federal Communications Commission or FCC on Aug. 25 about SpaceX's plans to expand its satellite network, Starlink.

Also Read: Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos Contest NASA's Moon Contract With SpaceX

SpaceX has proposed sending almost 30,000 satellites into the Earth's orbit for its second-generation Starlink. That is on top of the 1,740 satellites that are already in orbit.

Kuiper wrote in the letter that SpaceX broke the rules by proposing two configurations for the satellite constellation instead of just one.

Meanwhile, SpaceX stated that the second proposal was just a backup if the FCC does not approve of the first one, according to The Verge.

Mariah Dodson Shuman, Kuiper's corporate counsel, wrote in the FCC letter that SpaceX's approach of applying for two exclusive configurations is at odds with both the FCC's rules and public policy.

Mocking Blue Origin

This is not the first time that one of Bezos' companies came after SpaceX.

Earlier this year, Blue Origin, Bezos' space firm, filed a complaint against NASA and sued the space agency after awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to send people to the moon.

NASA stated that it had put Elon Musk's SpaceX contract on pause after the complaint was filed in order to have more time to assess the situation.

The two billionaires have been known for calling each other out. Elon Musk even called Jeff Bezos a "copycat," and he mocked Blue Origin's space flights and its moon lander.

After Musk's space firm got the NASA contract, Blue Origin posted infographics on its official website that compared the Blue Moon lunar lander and Starship.

Blue Origins labeled SpaceX's Starship as "complex and high risk."

According to Insider, Blue Origin stated that NASA made the wrong decision by giving the contract to SpaceX.

However, Bezos' space firm cherry-picked the comparisons. The graphic notes that Starship's Super Heavy system has not launched yet.

Starship has launched 6 miles into the air on numerous occasions, but not with the Super Heavy booster attached.

The graphics also pointed out that Starship facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, an area that never accommodated an orbital launch.

Despite its criticism towards SpaceX, Blue Origin has never launched any spacecraft to the Earth's orbit from anywhere.

The graphic also does not note the cost of the lunar lander. SpaceX's proposal will cost NASA only $2.9 billion, while Blue Origin's proposal will cost NASA $5.9 billion.

NAS was originally expected to give the contract to the two space firms, but after Congress had cut its budget, the space agency decided to provide the contract solely to SpaceX.

Both Blue Origins and Dynetics, another space firm that sent a proposal for the project, filed protests.

Related Article: Blue Origin is Suing NASA for its Lunar Lander Contract With SpaceX

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.




Rapid technological advancements are impacting every angle of business operations-and workplace safety is no stranger. Advances in robotics, nanotechnology, video, data analytics, and telecommunications enable managers to improve employees' health, minimize physical stress, and keep staff out of harm's reach. Additionally to protecting employees, safety technology can help reduce turnover, boost employee morale, and control business insurance costs.

Generally, any business can benefit from investments in workplace safety tech. Organizations with physically intense operations- such as farming, construction, transportation, and warehousing  may experience greater outcomes from following implementing all kinds of safety tech.

Tech & Productivity: How Can One Influence the Other?

When technology is considered in a workplace context, it is usually associated with productivity, particularly from a process improvement viewpoint. This can range from resources, organization tools, sharing information and calendars.

During the recent world health crisis, technology has also been massively linked to communication in the office as well as in more operative contexts. Agreeing in meetings through digital platforms, being able to share documents and screens, and enabling teams to contact each other online 24/7 through a host of apps has become the new normal in more advanced companies.

The truth is, the safety and health industry has yet to fully tap into the potential of technological solutions. Now more than ever, the technology works wonders for organizational safety. It's used to prevent accidents and even fatalities, thanks to smart devices like a man down alarm.

Some companies might make use of incident reporting software and trackers. Yet, many of the technologies used to keep employees safe and manage their daily operations are becoming complex, slow, outdated, or lead to even more problems for managers.

That's why modern organizations need to embrace modern ways of keeping their staff safe and well. Implementing simple and well-performing tech solutions can make a huge difference to how your staff works on a daily basis. With predictive, trustworthy, and integrated tools, workflow management and ensuring security and safety move into the modern era.

? PPE Monitoring

Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, workers in industrial organizations were already required to wear PPE, including eyewear, hard hats, gloves, vests, and respiratory equipment. Whether it is the organization's or the employee's neglect, more often than not, a lack of PPE usage is only pointed out once an injury has already occurred  creating a liability for industrial companies. When an accident takes place on the working site and the organization fails to flag potential safety hazards, the injured employee will be eligible for an accident at work claim. Video monitoring combined with real-time analytics can significantly reduce workplace injuries and improve productivity.

Computer vision technology can detect improper PPE or lack of PPE usage by obtaining live video footage from standard RGB cameras. When recognizing safety violations, the video analytics system will automatically generate SMS or email text alerts to notify safety managers. Live notifications can also be published across all dashboards at points of entry to prevent possible safety hazards, such as employees trying to enter areas designed for a hard hat without one.

? Drones & Robots

For once, drones can easily make their way through the inhospitable environment and prevent risks in coal mines. The latest advancements in drone technology have made it possible to map and inspect hazardous underground areas without putting people in dangerous situations.

A few years back, flying drones in GPS-denied locations was not even thought of. Today, being able to bring modern scanning technology to these environments is truly exciting and ideal for keeping miners safe.

Now drones can be mounted on backpacks, vehicles, or ground robots, and it allows mine operators to get information in an efficient manner and remove people from the worksite.

Industrial robots that perform lifting and repetitive operations have long enabled organizations to minimize workplace injuries. Now you're able to further improve the safety of your workplace by assigning higher-risk tasks to advanced, highly mobile robots and drones.

? Safety Devices and Lone Worker Apps

The UK government states that all workers should "provide training, monitoring, supervision, and support for lone employees.

Part of this support should include providing in-depth and reliable forms of communication and a way to ask for support, and where necessary, may include devices programmed to raise the alarm, which can be operated both automatically and manually. That's where the lone worker solution comes in.

Lone worker devices can come in many forms, including Bluetooth panic alarms, lone working apps, standalone devices, and more. Additionally, there are more tech solutions, including checking through text or walkie-talkies.

Lone worker safety devices usually come in the form of a GPS panic alarm that operates through the mobile network. When the employee activates the panic alarm, an alert will be sent to the employee's assigned safety manager, who can follow the GPS coordinates to arrange an emergency response.

On the other hand, Lone worker apps enable users to manually request emergency help and set up automatic alerts and check-in functionality.

? Inspection and Task Manager Software

If your organization is a victim of inefficient task execution, lack of team collaboration, or deadlines being missed consistently, then inspection and task manager software might set you straight.

An efficient task management software is vital because it offers the best solution to overcome these challenges.

These systems are leveraged to track time, manage tasks, and easily collaborate with the team. These work wonders for teams, organizations, and individuals to help them conclude tasks effectively without missing deadlines.

Almost all successful companies implement task management software as they understand what it means to manage tasks the right way. But great time & work management isn't all these systems can do. Task manager systems allow you to access data anywhere, anytime, using any device. What you need is a reliable internet connection, and that's it.

Embracing tech solutions in your organizations will allow your teams to work more efficiently and safer, creating a positive and interconnected workplace environment.
T-Mobile's third major customer data leak in two years resulted in the exposure of personal information of more than 54 million of the company's customers. The American hacker who is claiming responsibility for the attack told the Wall Street Journal that T-Mobile's "awful" security helped him gain access to millions of customer records.

John Binns, who currently resides in Turkey, said he broke into T-Mobile's servers around August 4. He said he breached the company's network after discovering an unprotected router, which he used to access T-Mobile's data center in Washington state. He was able to access everything from birthdays to social security numbers through the breach, including customers' unique phone-linked IMEI and IMSI numbers.

Last week T-Mobile said their investigation into the breach with the FCC is ongoing, but that the company is confident it has closed off the access point used in the attack. T-Mobile is offering two years of free identity protection services through McAfee's ID Theft Protection Service to those impacted by the breach.

"As we support our customers, we have worked diligently to enhance security across our platforms and are collaborating with industry-leading experts to understand additional immediate and longer-term next steps," said the company in a statement. "We also remain committed to transparency as this investigation continues and will continue to provide updates if new information becomes available that impacts those affected or causes the details above to change or evolve."

The breach highlights the precarious position of many large and well-known companies vulnerable to network data breaches. In May, President Biden signed a cybersecurity executive order focused on beefing up U.S. cyber protections, threat intelligence sharing and cyberattack response efforts. It specifically focuses on IT service providers, MSPs and MSSPs that work with the U.S. federal government.

T-Mobile has undergone six additional data breaches in the past four years.

Edited by Luke Bellos
ADA [ndash] Services for Joyce Evelyn Summers, 82, of Ada are 10 a.m. Friday at the Criswell Funeral Home Chapel, Rev. Harold Holt will officiate. Burial will follow at Rosedale Cemetery. The family will receive relatives and friends Thursday, from 5-7 p.m., at Criswell Funeral Home. Mrs. Su
With Hurricane Ida closing in faster and stronger than expected, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome is urging residents to brace themselves.

In her state of emergency declaration Friday, Broome said the city-parish is setting up sandbag pickup sites ahead of the approaching storm surge and rainfall.

"Hurricane Ida is forecasted to continue strengthening before it makes landfall here in Louisiana," she said in an emailed statement. "Our city-parish team is 'Red Stick Ready'; we are clearing storm basins, replenishing sand locations frequently, and we are standing ready to respond to our community. We are asking our residents to do the same  take this time to make a plan and prepare your families and homes."

+6 Ahead of Tropical Storm Ida, here's where to get sandbags in the greater Baton Rouge area With a Tropical Storm Ida seemingly headed to Louisiana, local officials started Thursday to put out sandbags for the public to prepare.

Hurricane Ida is expected make landfall Sunday in Louisiana as a Category 3 storm, forecasters with National Hurricane Center said Friday.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Hurricane watches have been issued for Louisiana, including greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

Ida is expected to dump up to 20 inches of rain over southeast Louisiana through Monday morning, forecasters said. Ida could also bring a dangerous storm surge, strong winds and life-threatening riptides to southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi and Alabama.

My parish is under a hurricane warning. What should I expect from Ida? The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for the Baton Rouge metro area as Ida heads toward south Louisiana. Here is a summ

Broome's emergency declaration echoes a similar decree announced by Gov. John Bel Edwards Thursday. The local disaster declaration allows the parish to activate necessary emergency plans and grants the ability to request additional resources,
Despite massive increases in the availability of COVID-19 tests and federal dollars to pay for them, testing protocols inside the Baton Rouge jail have not changed since the pandemic began.

Representatives for CorrectHealth, the embattled private company in charge of jail medical care, touted low case numbers inside the facility and praised their success combating the coronavirus during a presentation to the East Baton Rouge Metro Council earlier this week.

"We had everything in place to make sure we could keep our staff and inmates safe," said Phyllis McNeel, a CorrectHealth administrator. "I do believe we did an incredible job based on the numbers and statistics."

Baton Rouge jail inmates' request for release amid coronavirus has been denied by federal judge A federal judge has denied a request from Baton Rouge jail inmates seeking the immediate release of medically vulnerable prisoners who are at 

But several council members were unconvinced.

Case numbers are low because jail staff are still testing only symptomatic inmates, council members said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended mass testing inside correctional facilities and other congregate living settings over a year ago. An August 2020 report found about a 12% increase in cases when mass testing was administered in such facilities.

Data from mass testing in Louisiana prisons last year also revealed massive outbreaks in some dorms, largely among people with no symptoms.

+4 85% of inmates in St. Gabriel women's prison got coronavirus  but most showed no symptoms Results from a rare example of mass testing  conducted last month at a women's prison building in St. Gabriel  add to a growing collection o

After hearing from local activists and people with incarcerated relatives during the Wednesday meeting, council members asked CorrectHealth to seriously consider ramping up testing, especially since federal money is widely available to cover the cost.

They also suggested sewage testing, something LSU uses to detect coronavirus outbreaks among students on campus.

"There's got to be a way to facilitate  more testing," said councilman Aaron Moak. "There's money out there to supply these tests. Please let us know if we can help."

McNeel said CorrectHealth staff had recently discussed the possibility of more testing with jail administrators, but the general consensus was that "the process seemed to be working" just fine.

"The numbers speak for themselves," McNeel said.

But Ashley White, who works for the national nonprofit The Bail Project in Baton Rouge, said she has personally taken inmates to get diagnosed upon their release and seen them test positive.

"These folks are leaving the jail, going back into the public and unknowingly exposing other people," she said. "We're kidding ourselves by thinking that we are catching everyone."

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Councilwoman Chauna Banks said people, businesses and government agencies everywhere have been making frequent changes to COVID protocols based on emerging science and shifting recommendations from experts. "But even to this day, CorrectHealth has not," she said.

A spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge sheriff, whose office oversees the local jail, said deputies will accommodate "whatever medical wants to do in terms of testing." But CorrectHealth representatives said jail administrators had been reluctant to expand testing in the past.

McNeel ultimately agreed that revisiting the testing program was a good idea.

Baton Rouge jail inmates' request for release amid coronavirus has been denied by federal judge A federal judge has denied a request from Baton Rouge jail inmates seeking the immediate release of medically vulnerable prisoners who are at 

The criticism over their COVID response comes at an uncertain time for CorrectHealth, which has already come under fire because of a high inmate death rate at Parish Prison.

Following public outcry over the deaths, city officials solicited proposals last year for a new $5.65 million contract providing prisoner medical care.

The bidding process is finally wrapping up: Officials have received the bids and a scoring committee is poised to present their recommendation to Metro Council, which gets the final vote. The recommendation and vote is expected in the coming weeks.

Records show CorrectHealth is among the seven bidders.

One key aspect of the new contract  no matter which company snags it  is a greater focus on mental health and addiction services, both inside the jail and upon release. Officials have said the ultimate goal is to reduce recidivism by getting people the support they need to stay out of jail.

Improving transparency is another aim.

Baton Rouge leaders have long bemoaned the state of the Parish Prison, which has been outdated and run down for years. Even the warden has called the existing jail deplorable for mental health patients.

But multiple proposals to build a new detention center have failed to garner enough public support.

Meanwhile, critics of the medical program have grown louder in recent years while the inmate death rate has remained well above the statewide and national average.

The pandemic further complicated the health care situation behind bars, and added urgency to demands from activists.

Despite the meager testing, CorrectHealth representatives said they have been offering COVID vaccines to all eligible inmates and giving them care packages in return for getting the shot.
The chief regulator of Louisianas private security industry, who already faces allegations of financial and sexual misconduct, is now in the crosshairs of the states public corruption watchdog.

State Inspector General Stephen Street confirmed that his office is investigating Fabian Blache III, who helms the State Board of Private Security Examiners.

The probe comes on the heels of an internal inquiry that accused Blache of nepotism and misspending money, and a couple months after an employee lodged a sexual harassment claim against him with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

SBPSEs attorney outlined several examples of Blaches alleged wrongdoing in a 95-page report obtained by The Advocate.

In 2019, the report says Blache failed to reimburse the International Association of Security and Investigative Regulators  an industry group for which he serves as president  for the cost of a trip to speak at a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. While IASIR covered Blaches airfare, his wife also joined him, bringing the tab for the sojourn to $5,127.86.

+2 Director of board regulating security companies keeps his job after allegations of unprofessional behavior After more than two years as executive director of the state agency that regulates private security companies, Fabian Blache III maintains his

The board paid to cover the airfare with the understanding that IASIR or local authorities in South Africa who had invited Mr. Blache would reimburse those funds, the report reads. However, those paying the reimbursement were not willing to cover the additional airfare for Mr. Blaches wife.

On Aug. 8, 2019, Blache wrote a personal check to the regulatory board for $2,563.50 to cover his wifes share of the trip. Per the report, however, the check was never deposited in the boards account and was later found in Blaches personnel file.

The report cites another questionable incident in March 2020, when Blache sent an email telling employees that because of the coronavirus pandemic, he would let them to cash out up to 80 hours of annual or compensatory leave. Blache later asked the boards finance manager, Sharon Vallery, to write him a check for $4,616 for 80 hours of annual leave.

All of the available documents clearly indicate the check was for annual leave and not compensatory time, which Mr. Blache did not have and cannot earn, the report states.

Then there was the $2,500 check Blache cut to his brother-in-law's fiancee Victoria Gott for contract investigative work, the report continues. He also gave her a gun.

But the report says he never required her to undergo the required background check and that no discernible work was done until six months later in September 2020.

+2 Board director under investigation amid efforts to shut down security company after Tigerland incident The director of a state board that oversees the private security industry has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal inv

When reached by The Advocate Wednesday, Blache declined to comment on the reports findings.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said he got a copy of the board's report several weeks ago. But he said the OIG will take the investigation from here.

Whatever he finds, hell turn over to us, Moore said. If theres any action to be taken, well take (over) then.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the New Orleans-based nonprofit watchdog Metropolitan Crime Commission, said the allegations may end up extending beyond what the SBPSE found.

"If there are findings, it's not only going to reflect on Fabian Blache III, it's also going to reflect on the board," he said.

Blache is the son of another well-known state figure, Fabian Blache, Jr., head of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police.

The younger Blache has survived scandal before.

In 2018, the SBPSE placed him on paid leave after staffers lodged several complaints against him and his executive assistant, Bridgette Hull. Among the allegations: that they used inappropriate language, made sexually suggestive gestures and made numerous lapses like failing to fill out time sheets or take vacation days when they skipped work.

Board members said at the time that they could only substantiate a few of 13 allegations against the pair and voted 5-4 to allow Blache to return as executive director. Blache insisted at the time that the attempted ouster stemmed from him cracking down on rule-breaking security companies.

Did Tigerland security guards blatantly overstep authority? Company owner, critics clash A man was sitting inside his truck in the parking lot of a Tigerland bar one night late last year when three security guards approached him wearing bulletproof vests and armed with handguns. The man told police later that he initially thought the guards were law enforcement officers as they pulled him out of his truck and placed him in handcuffs.

But similar complaints cropped up in the years to follow, including from the employee who filed the EEOC complaint last month as well as one with the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights. Because The Advocate | Times-Picayune does not name people who say they are victims of sexual harassment, unless they grant permission, her identity is being withheld.

In a July 1 letter detailing the allegations, her attorney Jill Craft describes how the woman was working as an exotic dancer when she met Blache, a regular at her night club. After hiring her to work for the state security board, the complaint says Blache would often comment about how she was unqualified for the position and would be out of a job if it werent for him.

Crafts letter accuses Blache of grooming and manipulating the woman into an unwanted sexual relationship. Craft says Blache insisted on sharing a bed with the woman during a 2017 business trip to California, exposed his genitals to her and began propositioning her for sex and sexual favors.

She was in a no-win situation, Crafts letter states.

The employee kept text messages from Blache, the letter says, in which he threatens to fire her if she refused his advances.

In one such text on March 9, 2020, (the woman) asked if she needed to be worried about her job because she had been distancing herself from him sexually, Craft wrote. Mr. Blache responded with a threat to her employment, including that she was his first mate, and that if she was not available to him, he would terminate her employment.

The allegations that surfaced in the past month or so set the stage for a probe that Moore expects will last for several months. Its going to be time-consuming to go through everything, he said.

But, the district attorney added, I think theyre going to give it their all and have a good investigation.
The state is spending nearly $1 million to re-engage students and their families after almost 17,000 children disappeared from public school rolls amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The contract to tackle the issue is held by the LSU Social Research and Evaluation Center.

The work is being financed with some of the $4 billion in federal aid that Louisiana is getting to respond to the pandemic, including summer school, tutoring and other steps aimed at addressing learning loss.

State officials announced earlier this year that public school enrollment for the 2020-21 school year fell by nearly 17,000 students  2.3% of the total.

Why public school enrollment in Louisiana is down nearly 17,000 students Public school enrollment in Louisiana has dropped by 2.3%  nearly 17,000 students  during the coronavirus pandemic, state officials said Tuesday.

The drop may be even steeper since state Department of Education documents say enrollment totaled 693,150, which would represent a plunge of around 23,000 students.

The first snapshot of turnout is Oct. 1. The next one is Feb. 1.

Student enrollment helps determine how much state aid systems get from the state.

Department of Education officials declined comment.

A key part of the $966,000 contract is to locate students who left public schools last year and get them re-enrolled for the 2021-22 school year, which began a few weeks ago.

"What we want to do is prioritize school engagement," said Judith Rhodes, director of the center and a professor of research in the College of Human Sciences and Education.

Rhodes said a dozen community groups are working with school district officials and others to promote attendance through an alliance of sorts.

How many of the state's 69 districts are taking part is unclear.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

State superintendent lays out plan for academic recovery after drops in key test scores State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley announced Wednesday a three-prong, $132 million plan to recover learning loss highlighted by la

Most of the children who disappeared from school rolls last year are the state's youngest learners.

Prekindergarten and kindergarten enrollment accounted for nearly half of the nearly 17,000-student drop-off.

The ranks of pre-K students fell by nearly 16% and kindergarten students by nearly 7%.

Doris Voitier, superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish School District, said enrollment among four-year-olds last year dropped by 20%, to about 400 children.

"People were keeping their younger ones home," Voitier said. "Other kids got other means of education."

She said turnout this school year among four-year-olds remains about 80 children below the previous mark.

Hollis Milton, superintendent of the West Feliciana Parish School District, said his system experienced a drop in enrollment last school year but it is now slightly ahead of the Feb. 1 count.

Summer school surge in Louisiana? Nearly 4 times the normal number of students enrolled Nearly 200,000 public school students turned out for summer school, up to four times the normal tally amid efforts to tackle learning loss tri

West Baton Rouge Parish School District Superintendent Wes Watts said enrollment in his district is its highest ever.

The disappearance of students last year was part of a national trend.

The upheaval in southwest Louisiana from back-to-back hurricanes in 2020 also contributed to the drop in enrollment.

The state contract ends on Dec. 31 and a report is expected in January.
The U. S. Department of Education has approved Louisiana's plan for spending its latest injection of federal coronavirus aid, officials announced Friday morning.

The action paves the way for the state to get another $870 million out of $2.6 billion in money funded by the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ARP ESSER.

Louisiana was one of four states whose plans were approved, raising the total to 32 states.

Earlier this year federal officials distributed two thirds of the money to 50 states and the District of Columbia -- $81 billion.

"It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities, particularly as we move into the summer and look ahead to the upcoming academic year," U. S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

$4B in federal aid is headed to Louisiana public schools, but how will it be spent? Public schools in Louisiana are getting more than $4 billion from three rounds of federal stimulus dollars to help combat the coronavirus pand

Public schools here are getting about $4 billion in coronavirus relief from three rounds of federal aid approved by Congress in 2021 and 2020.

The state plans focus on helping students living in poverty and other underserved populations whose instruction was interrupted; expanded summer learning; widened afterschool programs and a focus on early literacy, among other areas.

"These resources will help get us safely back to school this fall and address the learning loss and the social and emotional toll that the last year took on students, educators and our communities," said 2nd District U. S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, also in a statement.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said, "I'm excited to see the tremendous progress our students will make by school systems collectively focusing their funds, time and effort into areas that bolster student achievement."
When I decided to leave New York to move back to New Orleans for an educational opportunity for my youngest child, many of my friends told me what a great mother I must be to make that sacrifice. After listening for awhile, I began to feel guilty, because I knew something they didnt.

Throw me in that briar patch. I am a New Orleanian. Even as I was leaving a plethora of social services for my daughters special needs, I was coming to a place of family, friends and a wonderful, nurturing school. After 30 years, I was coming home.

As a native, I know New Orleans secrets: How to pronounce it. How to tell a real New Orleans accent from those pseudo-Hollywood NCIS imitations. How to cope with roaches, potholes and crumbly brick sidewalks, because that is the price of living in the worlds most interesting and beautiful city. With my native knowledge and superiority, those things do not faze me.

But there were other things that I was unprepared for. Our beautiful, once gleaming Superdome is now a scabbed-over carbuncle blocking the skyline. Not far away, our first skyscraper looks like a giant dirty Q-tip shedding its detritus on the sidewalks below.

A homeless encampment has spread the length and breadth of our downtown overpass right up to the now-empty convention center. The pitiful marginals of society live there in tents and sofas and sleeping bags on blocks littered by giant mounds of mattresses, shopping carts, Styrofoam take-out containers and the stench that comes from their obvious disuse of the few portable toilets the city has set out.

Yes, there is COVID-19 to deal with, but there is also the future. I pass the homeless mini-city at least twice a day, and I have yet to see anybody wearing a mask. Theyre outdoors, but they are huddled together and likely unvaccinated. Anecdotal evidence says that tourism in San Francisco has taken a big hit because of an out-of-control homeless situation. I fear New Orleans is not far behind, and the tourism hit will affect our festivals, restaurants and hotels far worse than any pandemic shutdown.

Why are there permanent propped-up stop signs replacing non-operating traffic lights at a major intersection near the Union Passenger Terminal?

With eviction moratorium ending and rental aid delays, some fear a 'homelessness disaster' A federal moratorium on evictions for failure to pay rent is set to expire over the weekend, as COVID cases surge and tens of thousands of deb

Why is a weedy chain link fence in front of a boarded-up building allowed to block the sidewalk on Julia Street for month after month after year, to the point where pedestrians cannot walk by? The building may be privately owned, but the sidewalk is public. There are curb cuts at the corners, but the mobility challenged caught mid-block must venture into Julia Street. Does the Americans with Disabilities Act not apply to Gallery Row?

My son, who helped us move, spent a semester in college in New York City, and he was amazed at New Orleans, a big city where people actually were nice and held doors open when you were carrying packages and let you pull out ahead of them in traffic. And New Orleans biggest asset, its people, still drive RTA buses and streetcars (which mostly run on time, at least in my small sampling) with politeness and good cheer. They joke with you at restaurants and are eager to help in stores.

But all those people depend on a living, breathing, walkable city where people want to live and tourists come to visit. What has happened to destroy that? And why dont the people in charge care?

Mary Heffron Arno is the former city editor of The Times-Picayune and author of the novel "Thanksgiving."
Its a sad irony that the first draft of history recorded Lake Charles and the rest of Calcasieu Parish as fortunate, after a slight shift in Hurricane Lauras path kept a projected deadly storm surge at bay.

No such luck. Rather than dodge a metaphorical bullet, the area was devastated by a different sort of hazard. Laura made landfall a year ago in Cameron Parish as a strong Category 4 storm packing 150 mile-per-hour winds, the fifth most powerful hurricane to ever strike the U.S. and the worst to hit Louisiana in a century and a half. Parish Administrator Bryan Beam compared it to a buzz saw coming through; if you had set out to cause maximum damage to Calcasieu, he said, "you would have designed Laura."

And the hits just kept coming, Hurricane Delta six weeks later, followed by a deep February freeze and a 1,000-year May flood, all against the backdrop of the coronavirus.

+3 11 months after Hurricane Laura, Lake Charles' plea for disaster relief grows louder LAKE CHARLES  Next to a screen with a ticking clock showing the amount of time since Hurricane Lauras devastating sweep through southwest Lo

At another time and perhaps in a different place, these back to back to back to back disasters might have prompted Americans far and wide to rally on southwest Louisiana's behalf. Instead, residents of the region are facing yet another painful blow: Indifference, or what sure feels like it on the ground, from Washington and the rest of the U.S.

In a way, we get it. The disasters hit during a national pandemic and an all-consuming presidential contest, and had to compete for attention with other weather events that are becoming both more common and more extreme. Lake Charles doesn't hold the same place in the national imagination as bigger cities like New Orleans and New York do, nor does it carry much political clout. But its residents deserve no less sympathy, and certainly no less help, than survivors of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters have gotten.

Theres a lot of Americans who dont have Lake Charles on the Top 10 list of things wrong with the country," Mayor Nic Hunter said. "I guarantee you, after Katrina, there were a lot of Americans who had New Orleans on their minds. I was one of them. I'm asking for the same type of brotherly response from other Americans for us now."

Letters: The people of Lake Charles need helping hands from volunteers, year after Laura As we approach the first anniversary of Hurricane Laura, the people of Southwest Louisiana would like to express our appreciation for the supp

Topping the list of needs is a supplemental congressional appropriation through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a housing program along the lines of the Road Home after Katrina and the Restore program set up following the 2016 Baton Rouge floods. The request, which has been the subject of frustrating delays and much finger-pointing in Washington, would help residents fill in the gap between insurance payouts and Small Business Administration loans and the cost of getting back into their homes  which, thanks to supply chain issues connected to the pandemic, has soared. In Lake Charles, Hunter pegged the insurance shortfall at $900 million, and that's not including damage from the freeze and flood.

It's not easy for people who pride themselves on being self-sufficient to ask for help, Hunter acknowledged, but the damage simply exceeds what local government, nonprofits and volunteers can fix.

We dont have the boots or the bootstraps to pull ourselves up locally, he said.

Few communities would, if confronted by the same run of terrible events that Calcasieu Parish has faced. And no matter what else is happening around the country, no community should be asked to recover on its own, or be made to feel as if the rest of America has left it behind.
LAKE CHARLES  Gov. John Bel Edwards and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell visited this battered city to mark a year since Hurricane Laura and view halting rebuilding efforts on Thursday, but the trip was overshadowed by warnings of the possibility of another storm striking in the days ahead.

Edwards did, however, provide an update on efforts to obtain disaster relief dollars for southwest Louisiana, indicating a deal could be reached in Washington to move forward on such legislation as soon as next month.

Current forecasts call for a tropical system in the Caribbean to develop into a hurricane and possibly hit Louisiana late Sunday or early Monday, with models showing it heading toward the Lafayette area. Any news of another hurricane moving toward the Louisiana coast causes especially deep concern in the Lake Charles area, which was devastated by Laura on Aug. 27, 2020, then slammed again by Hurricane Delta six weeks later.

Laura was one of the most powerful storms in state history, packing 150 mph winds. Thousands remain displaced in the region and rebuilding has sputtered in the absence of supplemental federal disaster relief dollars. Roughly 2,000 households still live in FEMA-supplied travel trailers and mobile homes.

Both Edwards and Criswell spoke of the recovery, but also issued warnings about the approaching storm, now known as Tropical Depression Nine. Edwards called on residents to be prepared all across coastal Louisiana.

It is time to prepare now, Edwards said at a press conference. Because what you're going to see and we've seen it before -- in fact, we saw it for Laura -- in all likelihood, is rapid intensification.

+2 Robust census growth bittersweet for hurricane-battered Lake Charles LAKE CHARLES  Census data released Thursday showed Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish with strong population growth over the last decade  but

Regarding Laura, Criswell spoke of the storms power as the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 1856. She also listed FEMAs assistance throughout the past year. Federal assistance in various forms has totaled more than $1 billion for immediate needs.

Close to 24 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from the community, she said. Just to put this into context a little bit, this is enough to roughly fill the Superdome in New Orleans six times. And this is not only an indication of the scale of the damage that southwest Louisiana experienced, but it's also an indication of the scale of the recovery that's going to continue.

Lake Charles news in your inbox Once a week we'll send you the top stories we find in the Lake Area e-mail address * Sign Up

But while local officials praised FEMA for its initial response, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter spoke with frustration over the lack of supplemental relief money, a common form of assistance after catastrophes that requires federal legislation. The region wants to use the money to establish a program to help those displaced rebuild their homes.

Hunter noted that beyond Laura and Delta, the region was also hit by a fierce winter storm in February and flooding in May, all during a pandemic that brought new complications and drove up costs. He called the lack of supplemental relief under those circumstances glaring, unacceptable, embarrassing, and spoke of other regions receiving such assistance in a far shorter time period.

What do we have here in southwest Louisiana 365 days after having gone through four federally declared natural disasters? he said. We have zero.

+2 Post-storm stress, anxiety prompt fears of looming mental health crisis in Lake Charles area SULPHUR - There have been times over the last year when Barbara Reed felt like it was just too much.

Edwards has spelled out $3 billion in unmet needs following Laura, Delta and Hurricane Zeta, which hit southeast Louisiana in October. He says he would expect the state to receive about half of that in a federal appropriation, most of which would go to southwest Louisiana.

In late June, he said he was optimistic legislation would take shape in the next several weeks to a couple months, but it remains unclear how or if the relief will be approved. Edwards said Thursday he has had discussions on the issue with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican has shown a willingness to negotiate with the White House with the recent bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Edwards said he also spoke to U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, on Wednesday and, though she represents a separate Louisiana district, she asked how she could help with the issue. Notably, Edwards did not mention U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, the fervent Donald Trump supporter who represents southwest Louisiana and declined to attend President Joe Bidens visit to Lake Charles in May.

The indications that I get are that there will be an agreement in an appropriations instrument that should come out in the September timeframe that would have CDBG disaster recovery funding in it, Edwards said, referring to the category of relief the region is seeking.
Rio Tinto indigenous relations chief adviser Brad Welsh said the company had not been able to put together a complete picture of what happened, given the passage of time and without knowing if the companys historical records remained complete. Mr Welsh said other materials at the university may have been thrown out in 1997 during the analysis process. He said Kinhill Engineers  which had been contracted by now-Rio subsidiary Hamersley Iron to salvage cultural materials before the mine was built  and the university had completed analysis of the material that year and separated it into three categories. Material to be returned to Hamersley Iron, material to be taken to the Australian National University which was later returned to Hamersley Iron, and material to be disposed of, Mr Welsh said. We have not been able to conclusively determine the potential cultural or archaeological value of what was discarded, and we acknowledge that the loss to Eastern Guruma people feel in respect of this.

We have not found any evidence that Rio Tinto directed any disposal of artefacts ... however we do recognise that decisions made on the management of these materials may not have adequately considered archeological and cultural values in the analysis completed. Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation non-member director Tony Bevan said it was disappointed with some of the comments made by Rio during the hearing and the accuracy. The corporation had submitted that Rio accepted a proposal from Kinhill in 1997 to discard material that had not yet been analysed or sorted. Mr Bevan said a judicial inquiry into the history of approvals and cultural heritage treatment by mining companies in WA would be warranted. Wintawari says the dumping of cultural material at the Darwin tip appears to have related to 20 of the 28 Marandoo sites that were salvaged.

The corporation is of the view the destruction of cultural material had been kept secret from Eastern Guruma people for 25 years until its investigations. Rio Tinto still holds 500 sample bags from the salvage operation which include artefacts, charcoal samples, soil samples, and remains. The Marandoo mine opened in 1994 and is located on a patch of excluded land in the middle of Karijini National Park, merely a few kilometres from the second-tallest mountain in WA. Ms Parker said the company was working with the Eastern Guruma people and the WA government to modernise its agreement around Marandoo. We certainly believe the traditional owners need to be at the heart of the agreement-making process, she said.

And its very clear for the lengths of time we have been working on traditional owner land that the social benefit hasnt come through and we want to make sure that is a significant change. Rio says it is committed to reviewing all its Pilbara agreements with traditional owners for its 16 mines. The company has removed 54 million tonnes of iron ore  worth about $US8 billion at Fridays price of $US150 a tonne  from its reserves as it reviews the treatment of thousands of heritage sites at its Pilbara operations. Juukan negotiations continue The destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in May last year  which held evidence of human occupation dating back 46,000 years  sparked the inquiry where the Marandoo artefact disposal emerged.

The blast sparked global condemnation and cost the job of Rios former chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two of his deputies. Juukan Gorge before the explosions. Credit:PKKP Aboriginal Corporation Ms Parker said Rio was still working with traditional owners the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people to restore the shelters. She said an engineering firm had been engaged to figure out how to take the overburden off the shelters and to ensure what was left was structurally safe. That work is ongoing and has PKKP members on site whilst we do the work, Ms Parker said.

Further negotiations between Rio and the PKKP around remuneration are ongoing. New WA heritage draft bill remains divisive Yawuru man and WA Senator Patrick Dodson grilled Ms Parker during the inquiry on Friday about whether relevant legislation should let Aboriginal people decide whether mining went ahead. Given the history and the travesty of justice and the lack of morality in some of these dealings, and the thousands and thousands of sites that have been destroyed, and the lands that have been destroyed without any real recognition of the culture or the peoples, he said. Have we come to a stage and is it a view of your company that the concept of free prior informed consent should be adopted in all relevant legislation?

Ms Parker did not provide a yes or no answer but said the company would strive to achieve free prior and informed consent of Aboriginal communities. Weve learnt a lot since Juukan and what this means in practice is that we are doing things differently, she said. Bardi Jawi elder Frank Davey at a Kimberley Land Council protest on the steps of parliament house in June. Credit:Peter de Kruijff We are seeking better to share information with traditional owners about the nature and extent of the impacts arising from our operations on an ongoing basis and this requires involvement earlier and more consultation which assists with achieving free prior and informed consent. The Rio executive said she had not seen the latest draft of WAs Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill, which will replace a 50-year-old law that prevents rights of appeal by Aboriginal people for heritage destruction, but she thought it would strengthen agreement-making and put traditional owners at the centre of protection discussions.

The current law allowed for the destruction of the Juukan shelters with Rio given an exemption to blow up the site, before it was known how old some of its artefacts were, with no right of appeal for the PKKP. There is still anger and opposition to the new bill from many Aboriginal corporations and land councils as traditional owners do not get a legislated final say on whether destructive activities for heritage can go ahead. Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporations Pilbara deputy co-chair and Njamal-Pitjakarli elder Doris Eaton said after a two-day bush meeting of the regions Aboriginal groups that the Pilbara rejected the bill. If we were at the table, things could be different. For us, we want to save our heritage for the future generations. Culture is slowly getting lost. We are not against mining. We want to be spoken to, she said. Ask us, not tell us what we want. We have no say, the government have the first and last say.

Nyikina Mangala, Karajarri, Yawuru and Jabirr Jabirr man and Kimberley Land Council chairman Anthony Watson also claimed the latest draft of the bill had gone backwards from previous versions. Its disappointing to see the minister present an updated draft that does less to address our concerns than the draft presented last year, he said. Traditional owners have less say in the current draft than the draft that was released at the end of last year. WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Stephen Dawson said there were multiple rights of appeal for traditional owners now included in the draft which had yet to go to cabinet for approval. The bill recognises that Aboriginal people hold the knowledge and cultural responsibility for their heritage, he said.
Will the children be all right? We all hope that, yes, most will get through this pandemic reasonably well. Their risk of serious illness from COVID is slight - more on that later - and from September 13, children aged between 12 and 15 will be able to access the Pfizer vaccine. There is no vaccine approved for children under 12, but trials of Pfizer and Moderna are underway.

The emotional discussion around children has come when we are having a somewhat ludicrous debate about Zero COVID versus Living with COVID when we know that the serious discussion is about the nuance in the middle.

Nobody serious - certainly not the Doherty Institute on whose modelling our national plan relies - says that at a 70 per cent vaccination rate, its a free for all. Institute director Professor Sharon Lewin has made clear that measures such as masks, checking in, testing, tracing and isolation, as well as limited lockdowns in hotspots, are all part of the model. Its about a gradual transition.

Similarly, few seriously suggest that Australia can plan for a future of zero cases of COVID. Again, under the Doherty modelling, its about enough people being vaccinated so that our health system is not overrun by inevitable cases. In that scenario, harsh lockdowns can ease, and at 80 per cent, be all but unnecessary.

But there will be cases and there will be deaths from COVID - when 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated, for instance, if we reopen with low or no cases and manage to keep it that way, the best we can hope for is fewer than 3,000 symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in six months, and 13 people are likely to die. And this depends on testing and tracing being maintained at high levels.
A lingering coronavirus outbreak in Melbournes western suburbs is spreading among large families and essential workers, in a pattern reminiscent of last years deadly second wave.

But Victorias COVID-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, has rejected calls to target the west for more vaccines, despite calls from local mayors and high demand at vaccine hubs.

Cases around the Newport and Wyndham areas made up 46 of Fridays 79 new infections, leading Mr Weimar to call them a significant area of concern.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said transmission was growing among large families and in essential workplaces. Credit:Getty Images

He said the Delta variant was spreading through households of six or more people, as well between colleagues at essential workplaces such as a Hoppers Crossing food distribution centre. A small number of rule breakers were also adding to the spread.
The terrorist attacks around Kabul airport, killing scores of people, including at least 13 US marines, may not seem like the moment to consider what the longer-term consequences for American power might be. The more immediate humiliation of the US will fill the airwaves for weeks to come. But then what?

Wounded Afghans lie in hospital after the deadly explosions outside the airport in Kabul. Credit:AP

Doomsayers are on a justifiable roll. The Kabul catastrophe has exposed lacuna in American global leadership. Caricatures of the Biden administration as hapless will be hard to impossible to redraw. The Presidents cognitive decline is being noted even by his own side; his Vice-President is fast becoming a Democratic Sarah Palin.

Bidens planning for the Afghan retreat makes the Trump administration look like a model of competence. He has somehow made the disaster at the Mexican border into a template for the barrier around Kabul airport. Neither has been secured.

His over the horizon pitch  that his military can maintain security at a distance  looks increasingly absurd. If the point of occupying Afghanistan for 20 years was counterterrorism but that when the occupation ends, terrorism comes back  as it has  Bidens retreat is at best a contradiction.
US President Joe Biden stood in the East Room of the White House, looked directly at the cameras and with clear emotion declared: To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

His remarks came after bombers from a terror group called Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) killed scores of Afghans, including women and children, and at least 13 US marines near Kabul airport. It was a bloody and appalling assault by a group well known for its hardline views and deadly tactics. It also underscored broader problems that go beyond the chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan.

For all Mr Bidens tough talk, and Americas enormous military apparatus, the latest suicide attack showed once again how easily a relatively small but fanatical terror group can inflict carnage. Twenty years of military action by America and its international partners, including Australia, aimed at quashing terrorism has inflicted major tolls on al-Qaeda and Islamic State, killing many of their fighters and leaders and largely preventing them from holding territory and launching attacks in Western countries.

But both groups have proved able to adapt, evolving into more diffuse organisations with offshoots such as IS-K. For all the threats from Mr Biden, IS-K is not expected to take a backwards step any time soon.
Hyundai Motor Group to Unveil its Future Vision for Hydrogen Society at the 'Hydrogen Wave' Global Forum in September

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) to host the forward-thinking Hydrogen Wave global forum online on September 7

Three short videos teased ahead of the forum now available on the Groups YouTube channel: [Hydrogen Wave 1 LINK, Hydrogen Wave 2 LINK, Hydrogen Wave 3 LINK]

The Group will showcase its outlook and blueprints for a future hydrogen society, including breakthrough hydrogen mobility ideas and technologies

Worldwide broadcast of the Hydrogen Wave will go live on Sep. 7 on the Groups YouTube channel [LINK]

on the Groups YouTube channel [LINK] Next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell systems and applications to debut at the forum, delivering the technology into new industries beyond the automotive space



SEOUL, August 26, 2021  Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) today announced to host Hydrogen Wave, a global virtual forum which represents the Groups plans for a new 'wave of hydrogen-based products and technologies. The forum will also provide a revealing insight into the Groups future vision of a sustainable hydrogen society.

The forward-thinking forum, which is exclusively online, starts on September 7, 15:00 KST (06:00 UTC), and will be live streamed via the Groups YouTube channel [LINK]. Investigating and exploring the concept of a future sustainable hydrogen society, Hydrogen Wave is open for participation to industry, media and the wider public.

Ahead of the online forum, the Group has released three short teaser videos on its YouTube channel [Hydrogen Wave 1 LINK, Hydrogen Wave 2 LINK, Hydrogen Wave 3 LINK].

It has also launched a microsite (https://www.hydrogen-wave.com/) that provides a glimpse of future hydrogen products and technologies that will be unveiled at Hydrogen Wave.

Following the online forum, the program jumps from the virtual world of Hydrogen Wave into the real-world of a physical exhibition taking place in the city of Goyang, South Korea, from September 8 to 11.

Falling on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, an annual September 7 event that was proposed by South Korea and ratified by the United Nations, Hydrogen Wave will demonstrate the future vision for hydrogen energy and a global hydrogen society based on the Groups decades-long rich expertise and experience in hydrogen technology development.

The Group will present its vision of a future hydrogen society by unveiling its exciting plans and business strategies for new hydrogen mobility technology, next-generation fuel cell systems and applications to diverse industries beyond automotive.

State-of-the-art future fuel cell electric vehicles  as well as other innovative applications  will be unveiled during the forum. Cutting-edge hydrogen application systems and products from the Groups affiliates will also be presented at the exhibition, further showcasing and detailing how a hydrogen society can be formed and realized.
Fire Prevention: A Cost And Opportunity Analysis

As organizations start to plan for next years operating budget, its a good time to take a closer look at fire prevention, whats its costing and the value it delivers. Its the perfect time to look at the policies and procedures associated with fire prevention and look for areas of improvement and optimization. To help facilitate this discussion, I turned to the report put out by the Fire Protection Research Foundation in 2017, which explored the total cost of fire in the United States based on data collected from 1980 to 2014. Opportunities for improvement While I appreciate the data itself is a little dated, the report gives a great view of the actual cost of fires, where the priorities lie based on spend and highlights opportunities for improvement. The report defines the total cost of fire, as the collective of all net expenditure on fire protection and all net losses due to fire incidents. The report defines the total cost of fire, as the collective of all net expenditure on fire protection The good news is the hard work is paying off with losses only representing a fraction of the total costs, prevention at $273.1 billion (83.1% of total), and losses at $55.4 billion (16.9% of total). To help operators ask the right questions for planning and budgeting we dug into the data and identified 5 facts for your consideration in 2021/22. Investment in fire prevention Fact #1 The total cost of fires has increased by 50% over the 14-year period of the report, with the total losses decreasing by 47%, and the total expenditures increasing by 140.6%. Which tells me, fire prevention is a priority and worth the investment, it saves lives and therefore reduces overall loses. But it also highlights that the budget requirements are growing and likely to continue to grow. Therefore, it is more important than ever before that we protect the investment in fire prevention, understand and maximize it, which as many knows is easier said than done! So, ask yourself, do you have a clear understanding of your investment, tools, and resources needed to stay safe and prevent fires? Do you have the data necessary to identify opportunities for improvement? Are you exposing operations to unnecessary risk? Fire grade products The costs of meeting the required standards within the system are passed down to the buyer Fact #2, Expenditure on fire grade products represent 16% of total costs at $54 B. This is the cost of meeting fire grade standards in the manufacture of equipment, particularly electrical systems equipment and smart equipment with its greater use of computer components. These systems represent a significant investment for the operation, the costs of meeting the required standards within the system are passed down to the buyer and defines the quality of the system. Therefore, the question is, are the systems being properly maintained to maximize life span and ensure it maintains its fire grade standard? Are you adhering with manufacturer warranty requirements, will it work when needed? Large ongoing investment Fact #3, Expenditure on fire maintenance and fire retardants represents 13.4% of total costs at $44 B. This includes the costs of fire maintenance, which was defined to include system maintenance, industrial fire brigades, and training programs for occupational fire protection and fire safety. Expenditure on fire maintenance and fire retardants represents 13.4% of total costs at $44 B Fire Retardants include the costs of fire retardants and all product testing associated with design for fire safety. This represents a large ongoing investment in resources and budget for operations, the question is, are they being used efficiently, are they adhering to regulations, is the training being done? Is the money being well spent? Investment in fire prevention Fact #4, Expenditure on disaster planning and preparing/maintaining standards represent only 1.2% of total costs or $4 B. This represents the costs of disaster recovery plans and backups and the costs of preparing and maintaining standards. What jumps out at me on this one, is it appears to be a relatively small amount in relation to other areas, so the question becomes, is it being given the right priority, could we further reduce losses and maximize the investment in fire prevention if we improved how we planned for disasters and managed standards? Fire insurance expenditure Net fire insurance expenditure represents, 7% of total costs or $23.6 B Fact #5, Net fire insurance expenditure represents, 7% of total costs or $23.6 B. This is defined as the difference between the insurance premiums paid by property owners (personal and commercial) for insuring their property from fire and the damages claimed from insurers. Which says investing in the insurance necessary to protect the operation has a sizable impact on the operating budget and you need it to be there and available if a fire strikes to ensure business continuity. Therefore, the questions to ask yourself are, if the insurance is needed, will you have the data to defend your claim? Or if its not needed because fire prevention is top notch, will you have the data to negotiate lower rates? How long will it take to compile the data necessary to support your argument, is the data believable? Other important questions There is no doubt, fire Prevention is an important and significant investment for organizations, but the question is, is there a better way of managing it, do you have the data necessary to ensure compliance with operating regulations, are staff operating efficiently, is the job getting done? Unfortunately for many, we simply dont have the data necessary to answer these and many other important questions when it comes to planning and defending your operating budget. Fire prevention is complicated, the building code for commercial properties has over 200 pages Fire prevention is complicated, the building code for commercial properties has over 200 pages detailing the safety procedures, products and signs that must be installed and functioning 24hours a day, 7 days a week. That must be inspected and tested daily, weekly, monthly, yearly to reduce losses and improve safety. Fire prevention policies The challenge is not in understanding what must be done but in how we manage it. Many organizations are still relying on spreadsheets and signing off the ticket on the fire extinguisher for tracking and monitoring fire prevention procedures. Hoping that when a faulty, missing, or broken fire extinguisher gets identified that the right people are informed, that the issue gets addressed. This lack of visibility presents a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong, and when it does have dire consequences. It is our belief that it is time to digitally transform how we manage fire safety and procedures. Relying on the ways of yesterday, are no longer going to cut it and are actually exposing operations to more risk and cost than is necessary. Technology has evolved in ways that enable operations to cost-effectively eliminate the fear, uncertainty, and doubt in fire prevention policies and procedures and have the data to prove it!
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Pembroke Pines, Fla. The site at C. B. Smith Park will offer monoclonal antibody treatment sold by Regeneron to people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Industry group says 18,000 New York restaurants in dire need of additional financial aid
A young boy pulls a suitcase as refugees arrive from Afghanistan aboard an evacuation flight at Heathrow Airport in London, Thursday Aug. 26, 2021. The U.K. defense ministry has organised an air-lift of vulnerable citizens from Kabul, following the Taliban assuming power in Afghanistan. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool via AP)
Burns High School senior, Grace Steenbergen, was one of 100 young women selected to attend the 74th American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Girls Nation session that took place July 25-31, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Steenbergen was selected to represent Wyoming as a senator at ALA Girls Nation by leaders of Wyoming Girls State.

ALA Girls Nation is a seven-day leadership conference that provides aspiring young women leaders with practical insight into how the federal government operates, instills a sense of pride in our country, and promotes youth civic engagement.

Girls Nation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our nations future leaders to learn about the inner workings of the federal government before they are of voting age, said Wendy Riggle, ALA Girls Nation Committee chairman. When the girls return home, they are ready to be engaged citizens at all levels of government.

Steenbergen is a Wyoming Congressional Award Gold Medal recipient, was awarded the 2021 U.S. Senate Youth Program Scholarship and currently serves as President of the Burns High School FFA. Steenbergen said she was honored to represent Wyoming, Laramie County and Burns High School, at the national level.

Representing our community at Girls Nation was truly an honor, Steenbergen said. I had the opportunity to meet so many young women, from across the country, who are planning careers in politics and are dedicated to community service and becoming great leaders.

A key component of the ALA Girls Nation program involves mock senate sessions complete with caucuses and debating bills that range from personal to political interests. Campaigns are also held to elect party officials and an ALA Girls Nation president and vice president. Other activities on the agenda included a visit to Arlington National Cemetery where they placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a community service project, and a tour of the D.C. monuments.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Submit Here
 Unlimited website access 24/7

 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7

 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more!

With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime.
This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass.
Oneonta, NY (13820)

Today

Becoming partly cloudy after some evening light rain. Low near 50F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Becoming partly cloudy after some evening light rain. Low near 50F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Localized flooding is expected.
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.

Follow Melanie Tucker Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
News

Always with us: Blount-based Afghan war veteran remembers time in Kabul, calls for support during military drawdown

Courtesy of Dusken Sledge Dusken Sledge (fourth from left) stands with a team of eight men who served in Kabul, Afghanistan, for six months in 2014. Each of them volunteered for the mission. Dusken Sledge with his wife Jessi Sledge and their daughters, Everly (left) and Adalee. Courtesy of Dusken Sledge Dusken Sledge (right) stands with a member of the Afghan military. Sledge and a team of eight reservists and Army National Guard members volunteered for a six-month mission in Kabul in 2014. Courtesy of Dusken Sledge (This is) one of my soldiers, Will Hoover (right). He was shot seven times during the green-on-blue attack, remembers Dusken Sledge (left). Sledge is a Blount County homesteader, but for six months in 2014, he was posted in Kabul. During his time there, seemingly friendly local troops attacked coalition forces. Hoover survived, but Sledge still remembers that day.

Today, Dusken Sledge lives what some might call an American dream.

In the Blount County foothills, Sledge, his wife, Jessi, and their two daughters live on Wake Robin Homestead, a home farm they founded to raise poultry and livestock and grow fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Theyre full-time homesteaders who partner with numerous local restaurants and farms to bring the fruit of their labor to a handful of premier local eateries.

But recent events overseas frequently have taken Sledges mind off the farm and back to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he served for six months in 2014.

Sledge, a McMinn County native, also served in Iraq. He joined the Army National Guard when he was 19 and served during significant years of U.S. Middle East presence.

He was posted at New Kabul Compound, part of an eight-man personal security detail made up of reservist and National Guard volunteers  men who wanted to be there. In fact, Sledge said he extended his time in the service to complete that mission. To date, that was probably the best group of guys I ever worked with, he said. Everybody brought their A-game.

The team lived mere miles from the U.S. Embassy most Americans now have seen on TV  the building with a Chinook helicopter rising from its roof during swift evacuations following an equally swift takeover by Taliban armed forces in early August.

Sledge was deployed during an important political period for the country  its first ballot-box election, one that resulted in the victory of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the same man who immediately fled the nation as the Taliban took over.

Images and stories of Americas exodus and the Talibans quick takedown continue to dominate the news cycle.

So do opinions from a spectrum of political and social perspectives.

For many veterans of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, this is a confusing and difficult time, Sledge said, and hes no exception.

I talked to one of my buddies, said Sledge, now 33. He doesnt know whether to laugh or to cry or what to do. There are just so many different emotions for a lot of us who spent years serving and knew guys who paid the ultimate price. To put in 20 years of efforts and then see the county you tried to assist fall is just an overwhelming feeling.

Combined with the joy of seeing the war come to a close is the frustration with how its happening, Sledge explained.

Hes one of many Americans whove expressed frustration with U.S. political leadership guiding the withdrawal.

Nobody wants a 20-year war. Nobody, he said. I know a lot of guys that have been left to wonder or question their efforts. When youve had that investment and then you watch it fall, a lot of us just dont know what to do.

Events are still unfolding and Sledge made it clear he wasnt ready to come to conclusions until history played itself out overseas.

It will depend on how this turns out in the coming weeks, he said. This is still very new, very fresh.

But what he does know for sure is that people everywhere need to support the boots whove been most impacted by this war and, now, its conclusion.

We need to stand in unity with the American people as a whole and with our military, he said. Support them. Lift them up. Lift up one another.

Sledge said hes already experienced this personally. As the terrifying news and historic images pour out of Afghanistan onto screens across the world, people have been reaching out to him to offer support.

Citing statistics on veteran suicide, he encouraged people to do the same for any veteran they know right now.

According to some of the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 17 veterans each day died from their own hands. Veterans, said Sledge, are worried about an oncoming spike in suicides.

Their concern, sadly, has new data to back it up.

A Costs of War Project study published on June 21 estimated 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans of the post 9/11 wars have died by suicide, significantly more than the 7,057 service members killed in post-9/11 war operations.

This subject hits Sledge harder than some. The baby of three children, he lost his oldest brother to suicide when he was just a kid.

Then youre deployed and thats emphasized even more. You realize how fragile life is, Sledge said.

Though he never lost anyone on his eight-man team to combat death, there was a moment in Kabul that stands out, Sledge said.

It was a terrifying incident known as a green-on-blue  a seemingly friendly member of the Afghan military attacked coalition forces. There were four green-on-blue incidents in Afghanistan alone in 2014, according to data from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Long War Journal.

I had been on a detail and one of my subordinates had come up to relieve me, he remembered. I said, Sure man. Ill go get some water. Ill monitor the radio.

Minutes later, gunfire.

There were a lot of casualties that day, Sledge said. And he was one of them.

The man didnt die, but Sledge thought he was going to.

You talk about a rough time, he said. We had a building that we needed to clear where there was a shooter and so, in the process of doing that, I look over my shoulder and see him reach for me. I watched him fade. Now he lived, but at that moment he was gone. As much as I wanted to run to him and check on him and ensure him that everything was going to be OK, we still had a threat and there was still work to be done.

A U.S. major general died in this attack. More than a dozen other coalition force members were injured.

That moment is seared in Sledges memory. Watching, hearing and reading about whats happening in Kabul today for many veterans, brings them back to moments like this one, he said.

Though the combat commonly known as a forever war is drawing to a close, Sledge is asking Blount Countians to remember that war doesnt easily leave the minds of those who fought it.

I dont know that it will ever be over for a lot of us, Sledge said.
Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and author of The Next Pandemic, available at Amazon.com. Contact her at betsy@betsymccaughey.com or on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey.
Reporter

Senior at West Virginia University. I am currently majoring in journalism with a minor in sports communication, with the desire to one day cover the world of athletics professionally. I look forward to reporting to my fellow peers here at WVU.
Forest City, NC (28043)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
A Taliban terrorist stands guard at the site of an Aug. 26 bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 27, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

2 British Nationals Killed in Kabul Airport Bomb Attack

Two British nationals were killed in yesterdays bomb attack at Kabul airport in Afghanistan, alongside the child of another British national, the UKs foreign secretary said.

In a statement from the Foreign Office on Aug. 27, Dominic Raab said that two other British nationals were also injured in the attack that killed a total of over 90 people, including 13 U.S. troops.

These were innocent people and it is a tragedy that as they sought to bring their loved ones to safety in the UK they were murdered by cowardly terrorists, Raab said in a statement.

Yesterdays despicable attack underlines the dangers facing those in Afghanistan and reinforces why we are doing all we can to get people out. We are offering consular support to their families.

We will not turn our backs on those who look to us in their hour of need, and we will never be cowed by terrorists.

The bombings were claimed by ISIS-K, a local Afghan splinter group of the ISIS terrorist group that was itself an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

Raabs announcement comes as the last British evacuation flights leave Kabul, leaving behind over 1,000 Afghans who could be eligible for evacuation, as British troops scramble to pull out ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday morning that the processing centre for evacuations had closed, and that only those 1,000 people already inside the airport would be airlifted out. We will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours, he told Sky News.

Around 800 to 1,100 Afghans who worked with Britain and had been eligible to leave the country would be left behind, Wallace told LBC radio.

The total number of people airlifted out by British forces since mid-August currently stands at 13,708, according to the latest Ministry of Defence data.

Almost 8,000 of those are Afghans who were eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, which was set up for translators and other staff who have assisted British authorities and are now at risk of reprisals from the Taliban.

British troops will withdraw before U.S. troops, but the defence secretary has not given a precise end-point due to operational security.

The evacuation efforts were brought to a close today, four days before the Aug. 31 deadline, to allow the military time to get themselves out of the country safely.

Wallace earlier warned that the threat from terror groups will only grow the closer we get to leaving following yesterdays bombings.
People rush towards a border crossing point in Pakistan's border town of Chaman, on July 17, 2021. (Banaras Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

500,000 Afghans Likely to Seek Refuge in Other Countries, UN Warns

The United Nations (UN) said on Friday they are estimating up to half a million Afghan nationals could flee a humanitarian crisis in their homeland in a worst-case scenario.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed to all neighboring countries to keep their borders open for refugees seeking safety after a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan this month and multiple bomb attacks by the ISIS terrorist group at Kabuls airport earlier this week.

In terms of numbers, we are preparing for around 500,000 new refugees in the region. This is a worst-case scenario, UNHCR Kelly Clements said during a news briefing in Geneva. While we have not seen large outflows of Afghans at this point, the situation inside Afghanistan has evolved more rapidly than anyone expected, she added.

The exodus from the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation is likely to happen by the end of 2021, news agency AFP reported.

United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Kelly Clements talks to the media during a press conference after visiting a refugee camp on the border between Colombia and Venezuela in Maicao, Columbia, on June 8, 2019. (Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images)

Many European countries, including Greece and Turkey, have expressed concerns about a possible surge of illegal immigrants trying to cross the border following the Talibans rise to power.

Greeces Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis told reporters during a press briefing while visiting the construction site at the border region of Evros last week that borders remain secure and inviolable as he announced the completion of a 25-mile long steel wall and new surveillance systems.

Neighboring Turkey has also expressed concerns over a potential wave of illegal immigrants coming from Afghanistan, with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling on nations in Europe to shoulder the responsibility for people fleeing Taliban terrorists, warning that the country will not become Europes refugee warehouse.

Recent events in Afghanistan have fueled some European countries to resist a possible repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis when nearly 1 million people fleeing the Middle East and beyond crossed into Greece from Turkey before traveling north to wealthier states.

UNHCRs Rep. for Afghanistan, Caroline Van Buren, issued a statement on Aug. 26 that details the current situation in the country and how UN staff and partners are helping displaced people there.

UNHCR Rep. in Afghanistan Caroline Van Buren. (Courtesy of UNHCR/Susan Hopper)

The past week has been an extremely turbulent one for Afghanistan, but UNHCR staff and partners remain in the country, delivering aid and protection to many of the countrys 3.5 million internally displaced people, including over half a million forced to flee their homes since the start of this year, UNHCR officials said in the statement.

The UNHCR representative explained that UN staff and partners are currently helping in 34 Afghan provinces and the Taliban terrorist group has so far respected premises and operations from the agency that is mandated to aid and protect refugees that have been forcibly displaced.

She also said the degree of sporadic gunfire has dropped off compared to the first couple of days, though the situation is changing constantly.

Over the last couple of days, thousands of people have crossed the Spin Boldak border into Pakistan, which is currently the only region that is open as most borders are closed.

Afghan nationals cross the border into Pakistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing in Chaman on Aug. 18, 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

These are not necessarily asylum-seekers; this is a very busy border and these are the numbers that we have regularly, the UN said.

For other border points, like Iran, travel documentation and a visa is required prior to crossing. Van Buren noted that some people are using smugglers right now to move through irregular border points. The borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are currently closed and other borders are only open for commercial traffic.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
6 Steps to Becoming a Successful Freelancer

Freelancing allows you to work at your own pace and widen your professional network

Freelancing is not easy. In fact, for as many people whove found success in the field, there are just as many people who have failed tremendously. There are a lot of benefits to enjoy with freelancing. Not only does it allow you to work at your own pace, but it also exposes you to a lot of companies, businesses and professionals, widening your social connections.

A lot of freelance platforms are available online, like Upwork. Although the website traffic matters in terms of you getting hired, in the end, it all boils down to how you sell yourself to employers.

So how exactly can you effectively be a freelancer and attract more clients? Here are the six most important steps.

1. Join a Freelance Platform

The first thing is to sell your service in a place full of people who need it. Create profiles on different freelance platforms to widen your connections and get your name out there. This way, companies, and professionals will know where to find you, and youre surrounded by nothing but potential clients.

For instance, you can create a professional profile on Upwork. You input all your skill sets, experience, education, portfolio, and other basic information. This way, potential clients can go over your profile and decide whether youre fit for the job they want to be done. Through platforms like this, clients may also ask extra questions to get to know you better before they decide to hire you.

Related: Here are the Advantages of Working as a Freelancer

2. Publicize Your Services

Next is to not rely on the platforms youve joined. Connect with your social circles and make your services known to those whom you know personally. This way, your acquaintances, relatives, friends, and maybe even your friends friends become potential clients as well.

Whats great about this is that these potential clients will have little to no doubt about your skills and output since they themselves are aware of your capabilities. Never underestimate the connections you have with direct family and friends, as they can be very helpful in bringing you more clients through recommendations and suggestions.

3. Specify Your Niche

Now a common mistake a lot of freelancers make is being too broad when it comes to their skills. For example, placing only writer or graphic artist is not very attractive to clients, as the majority of them are looking for freelancers who can perform a specific job endlessly. You will not be working on a vague job.

Hence, instead of generalizing your skills, try to sell within your niche specifically. So, if youre a writer, you could go for childrens blog writing or informative article writing.

4. Be Active and Responsive

You cannot just create an account, then leave it until you get a client. If youre new and inexperienced, then theres a high possibility that clients will stray away from you because of this. In this case, youll need to do the pursuing yourself and apply for freelance gigs. There should be a lot of work you can apply to on the same platform youre using.

Also, you may want to consider having a lower hourly rate if youre new. However, you cant have it too low. Otherwise, your clients may think you only produce subpar work. Make it reasonable, yet lower than most freelancers.

Furthermore, remember to be as responsive as possibleanswer whatever queries clients have as soon as you receive them and always be professional and polite. If you get hired, then make sure to give updates frequently to assure your client that the project is done quickly and delivered on time.

Related: 11 Best Websites for Freelancers to Find Jobs and Make Money

5. Be Open for New Work from the Same Client

If youve successfully gained a client, then you need to make sure that you meet or go beyond his or her expectations. This way, as soon as you deliver your work, you can tell that client that you are open to working for him or her again in the future.

Remember that this wont work if youve done badly on a job, so make sure to always produce only high-standard work. If youve noticed that clients projects need more work than they specified at first, then try creating a new project with new objectives. If theyre thoroughly impressed with your previous work, then the chances of them trusting you on the work that follows are high.

6. Dont Hesitate to Work with Others

Dont be too overconfident and overwork yourself. If someone hired you for a big project that youre unable to do alone, then inform the client that you will need to work with someone else for this. Do not take the credit yourself, as this will backfire.

Clients highly value honesty and transparency. So, suppose you believe that youre only able to finish the project excellently with the help of certain individuals. In that case, theres no reason for the client to decline as it shows no hesitation on your end, only commitment to producing high-quality work.

As simple as these points may seem, these will really help in your journey as a freelancer and assist you in attracting more clients. Eventually, you will become self-sufficient and may even have enough means to create your own platform or company, where you can showcase and sell your services and skills to potential clients.

Success is not achieved overnight. If you want to delve into the freelance industry, then you cant simply wait for a miracle to happen. Instead, you need to work with what you have and actively pursue your goals one step at a time.

Related: What Is a Freelance Agency, and How Can I Build One?
800-Year-Old Medieval Chain Mail Vest From Norman Period Discovered in Longford, Ireland

A link to Irelands medieval past was located in a shed after a chance encounter during Granards Heritage Week this summer.

That find consisted of an authentic, stunningly well-preserved 800-year-old chain mail vestcalled a hauberkdiscovered fully intact.

Bartle DArcy, general manager of local heritage center Granard Knights & Conquests, was wearing a replica hauberk mid-August when some locals approached him and said they had one just like it in their shed.

I was wearing a chainmail coif when some people from the locality in Longford approached me and said they had some of that in their shed, which utterly amazed me, DArcy told The Epoch Times.

I said what do you mean you have some of that in your shed?

Three days later, they brought the vest in, which had been kept in a bucket for two years after it was found by an excavator doing drainage work.

We thought we had a fragment, but we have the entire hauberk, he said in a statement published by Longford Leader.

The chainmail vest is believed to date back to 1172 when the Normans arrived in Longford, linking it to Risteard de Tiuit and construction of the timber-frame castle on the Motte in 1199, said the centers education officer Deirdre Orme.

We think its related to the Motte because chain mail is expensive, DArcy added.

Because it is a historical artifact, it is the property of the state and is now in the National Museum of Ireland.

Danish archer Rolf Hammer, a re-enactor and medieval weapons expert at Knights & Conquests, examined the chain mail vest. He found no plier or saw marks on the ringlets, which means it could even predate the Normans.

It could be older than the Norman period as it was found in the vicinity of a Ring Fort, DArcy told The Epoch Times.

The hauberk was not found in Granard or on the Motte, said DArcy, but somewhere close to here. The person who found the hauberk is also being protected.

He believes that the water is what preserved it so well for so many years.

It only rusts if you have water and air and if its only in water it survives, he said, reported Thejournal.ie. When the digger brought it up it was in peat.

The National Museum will take the artifact to work on it, but DArcy hopes to have it brought back to Longford to allow locals a rare glimpse into their heritage.

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
Anaheim Council Looks to Fill Vacancy Following Councilors Resignation

The Anaheim City Council voted unanimously Aug. 24 to open the application process to fill former Councilman Jordan Brandmans seat.

Brandman resigned on Aug. 5, citing career and personal reasons, following the publicization of inappropriate texts he sent to former Councilwoman Denise Barnes in Feb. 2020.

Like for most, there are periods in our lives when we are faced with competing career and personal priorities. For that reason, I have decided it is in the best interest of me and my family to focus on them at this time, Brandman said in his resignation letter.

Barnes confronted Brandman during public comments at a July 20 council meeting; however, Brandman wasnt present during the public comments section of the meeting.

She described the text as the most violent and vile words ever spoken by a politician to her in Anaheim.

We hold you to a higher standard, Barnes said to the council. Theres a lot of people here with a lot of influence, a lot of money, but this is the standard weve come to.

Anaheim City Hall on Aug. 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Councilman Jose Moreno on multiple occasions during separate council meetings called for an investigation and censure, and for Bradman to take a leave of absence.

During the July 20 meeting, Moreno called on his colleagues to agendize a censure of Brandman for the texts that he wrote, and the misogynistic hate that that promoted towards a council colleague.

However, none of his council colleagues supported the motion.

Brandmans resignation came ahead of a censure action and resignation request directed by Mayor Harry Sidhu, according to an Aug. 5 press release.

Like so many, I became aware of the texts when they were made public, Sidhu said in a statement. I was shocked and appalled. I immediately had concerns about the former council members ability to effectively serve going forward.

Brandman previously led the effort to remove former sister cities commissioner Larry Larsen in April for comments Larsen made after refusing to partner with a Chinese city.

The commission considered partnering with Pudong, China, on Feb. 22. Pudong is a district within Shanghai where the Shanghai Disney Resort is located.

Larsen said he was shocked by the commissions consideration of a Chinese city, given how the CCP had lied for weeks about having the virus before informing the World Health Organization.

Its called the China virus. The city of Anaheim is in the tank, and were going to invite them into our house? Larsen said during a Feb. 22 commission meeting.

Larsen said that every industry in China is tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and that Anaheim shouldnt even consider doing business there, especially after the CCP virus pandemic.

I believe that what was said at the February and March meeting by the commissioner in question does not represent what Anaheim stands for, Brandman said during an April 27 meeting.

He was given the opportunity to resign. He chose not to do so. It is incumbent upon us as an example, to do what we think, within the commission.

Larsen addressed the council during the April 27 meeting; Brandman didnt attend the public comments and arrived late to the city council meeting.

Jordan Brandman has accused me of the most vile thing a person can be accused of, and thats being a racist, Larsen said.

He raked me through the mud in trying to destroy my stellar reputation that Ive worked my entire life in this city to develop. And then he doesnt have the nerve to show up.

Brandman served on the city council from 2012 to 2016. His current term, which began in 2018, ends in Dec. 2022.

I am disheartened to learn that a private conversation of mutual distaste from February 2020 is making the rounds on social media due to recent votes I cast regarding a housing project and removal of a city commissioner, Brandman told the Liberal OC in a June 18 statement.

While I would ask for grace and patience, as the screenshots released do not represent the conversations full context, I want to sincerely apologize. My language in the heat of the moment over a year ago was beyond inappropriate and should never be uttered about any human being. To those who respect me and have been impacted  I am sorry. l look forward to working to build back that confidence and trust in my leadership.

The application process is currently open until Sept. 8, after which the council will vote on a replacement during its Sept. 14 meeting. If the council chooses an applicant, the representative will be sworn in and take the seat during the Sept. 28 meeting.

The appointed representative will serve the remainder of the term until Nov. 2022 when the seat is up for election. The appointee will be able to run for election through 2026.

If the council doesnt agree on a candidate by Oct. 4, a special election will be held in April 2022. The estimated cost of such an election is up to $220,000, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.
A demonstrator takes part in a protest against an initial agreement between Argentina and China to produce and export pork and demand the protection of the wetlands which are suffering from the worst fires in decades, in front of Casa Rosada Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires, on Aug. 31, 2020. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Argentina Activists Protest China Pork Export Deal

Animal rights activists protested Wednesday in Buenos Aires against a possible agreement with China to install mega pig farms in the country.

Dozens of activists wearing paper bags with pigs drawn on their heads rallied in front of the Chinese embassy shouting slogans against animal abuse.

The treaty negotiation between the two countries considers more than twenty farms in different Argentine provinces to breed pigs and produce 900,000 tons of pork in four years.

The Asian giant has been affected by African swine fever, which forced the slaughter of millions of pigs in its territory.

According to environmentalists, this production model involves millions of liters of water at a time when a large part of the country is suffering from drought.

Activists also claim that the problem would affect the agricultural sectors because of the clearing of thousands of hectares of land to cultivate transgenic maize and soya to produce animal feed and the contamination of groundwater by animals feces.

The government of Alberto Fernandez announced in mid-2020 that there were talks with China to move forward with this initiative, which would bring the South American country millions in foreign currency.

Amid strong opposition from environmentalists and part of the scientific community, the Argentine foreign ministry reported that the signing of the agreement would be suspended until at least November to bring it into line with regulations on environmental protection, natural resources, and biosafety.
Australian citizens and visa holders prepare to board the Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III aircraft, as Australian Army infantry personnel provide security and assist with cargo, at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (SGT Glen McCarthy/ Australia's Department of Defence/Handout via Reuters)

Australian PM Condemns Kabul Suicide Bombings

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned the suicide bombings in Kabul which killed a number of Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. Defence Force personnel.

The Pentagon confirmed the attacks involved explosives being set off by a suicide bomber near Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, and another at the Baron Hotel. The bombings were followed by gunfire from ISIS members.

The prime minister said he conveyed sentiments of deep sadness on behalf of Australians to U.S. President Joe Biden by letter on Friday morning.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image)

Australia condemns the evil, the calculated, and inhuman attacks that were undertaken in Kabul overnight on the innocent and on the brave, Morrison told reporters from Parliament House in Canberra on Friday. We join with our American and Afghan friends in mourning their terrible and awful loss.

We are especially mindful of the reported 13 U.S. Defence Force personnel who were murdered at the Abbey Gate at HKIA. A gate at which Australian Defence Force personnel stood only hours before, he said.

Morrison said the U.S. service personnel were devoted to protecting life, but lost their own in providing a pathway to freedom for others.

Australia successfully completed its evacuation operationof about 4,100 peoplefrom Kabul not long before the attack took place.

No Australian defence or public service personnel were injured, however, the countrys Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was unable to confirm if any Australians had been affected by the explosions, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Wali Sabawoon/AP Photo)

Payne announced new travel advice that Australian evacuation flights from Kabul had ceased.

Do not travel to the airport. If youre in the vicinity, move to a safe location, she said, adding that the official travel advisory provided thee contact details of consular officials.

I encourage those who are in Kabul who have not registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to register, she added.

The foreign minister paid tribute to Australian troops and officials who carried out what she described as one of the largest humanitarian airlift operations in the countrys history.

Many of those evacuated remain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with repatriation to Australia being arranged. Morrison said he spoke to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed overnight to thank him for the support.

I want to commend all of those who are part of that operation on the ground, be they wearing uniforms, or be they civilians in our public service, Morrison said. I wanted to commend them for their bravery, first and foremost; for their sacrifice.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton did not rule out sending defence forces back into Afghanistan if allies, the United States and the United Kingdom, requested it.

We will see what the Americans have to say in coming days. The focus at the moment is on making sure that the Americans, the Brits and those that remain in Kabul can be uplifted safely. That is the only focus at the moment, Dutton said.

He thanked U.S. forces, saying Australia could not have recovered a single person without the efforts of U.S. personnel who secured the airport.
A dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is prepared at COVID-19 vaccination centre in the Odeon Luxe Cinema in Maidstone, UK, on Feb. 10, 2021. (Andrew Couldridge/Reuters)

BBC Presenter Lisa Shaw Died Due to AstraZeneca Vaccine Complications: Coroner

An award-winning BBC radio presenter died due to complications from the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a coroner has concluded.

Lisa Shaw, who worked for BBC Newcastle, died at the age of 44 in May after developing severe headaches a week after having the AstraZeneca CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine, and falling seriously ill a few days later.

The mother-of-one was treated in intensive care for blood clots and bleeding, but died on May 21 at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.

Lisa died due to complications of an AstraZeneca COVID vaccination, Newcastle Coroner Karen Dilks heard.

Prior to receiving her first dose of the vaccine, Shaw was fit and healthy, pathologist Tuomo Polvikoski told the coroner.

Dilks concluded that Shaws death was caused by a rare and aggressive complication associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, also known as VITT, which leads to swelling and bleeding of the brain.

Polvikoski said clinical evidence strongly suggests that the fatal clotting was vaccine-induced.

Based on available clinical information, it seems to be the most likely explanation, he added.

The inquest into Shaws death was attended by her husband, Gareth Eve, and other family members.

This is another difficult day in what has been a devastating time for us. The death of our beloved Lisa has left a terrible void in our family and in our lives, the family said in a statement. She truly was the most wonderful wife, mum, daughter, sister, and friend.

We have said all we want to say in public at this time and ask to be left alone to grieve and rebuild our lives in private. Thank you.

There has been scrutiny of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the issue of blood clots, with a higher incidence in younger people.

To prevent cases of blood clots, people under 40 in the UK are being offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

But the British government has repeatedly stressed that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh risks for most people.

To date, there have been 73 recorded deaths in the UK after 24.8 million first doses and 23.9 million second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Dr. Alison Cave, the chief safety officer with the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said that the agency will be reviewing the coroners verdict.

Shaw previously worked in commercial radio and won a Sony Gold Award in 2012 for the breakfast show she hosted on Real Radio with co-host Gary Philipson.

Alexander Zhang contributed to this report.
The "Amitabha Triad," 1400s, by an unknown artist of the Joseon Dynasty (13921910), Korea. Bronze with traces of gilding; 16 inches by 6 1/2 inches by 21 1/2 inches. Worcester R. Warner Collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Public Domain)

Behold the Beauty: A Glimpse of a Heavenly Paradise

A rare Korean Buddhist bronze at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Rare and sublime, The Cleveland Museum of Arts 15th-century Amitabha Triad features three divine beings central to Buddhist belief. Only a hint of the gilt remains of this once-hallowed Buddhist treasure, yet the deities meditative serenity shines on.

Each deity is sitting on a lotus-flower throne in readiness to welcome Buddhist adherents to the Western Paradise (Buddha Amitabhas heaven). In the center, Amitabha sits cross-legged in the lotus position and is flanked by two heavenly attendants: the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha. Each of the divine beings makes a different heavenly gesture, called a mudra, with their hands.



Buddhists believe that bodhisattvas are on earth solely to save living beings from the pain and suffering that comes from being bound by the cycle of birth, life, and deatha cycle that Buddhists call samsara.



Buddhist relics were once kept inside each figure, but those relics are long lost.



The Amitabha Triad, 1400s, by an unknown artist of the Joseon Dynasty (13921910), Korea. Bronze with traces of gilding; 16 inches by 6 1/2 inches by 21 1/2 inches. Worcester R. Warner Collection, the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Public Domain)

Sacred Treasure

In an article on the museum website, Ghichul Jung, director of the Sustainable Korean Culture Institute, explains how a few specific details helped identify when the triad was created. Normally a triad such as this would not include Ksitigarbha but another bodhisattva called Mahasthamaprapta. But in Korea in the 1300s and 1400s, Ksitigarbha frequently replaced the latter.



Jung explains that during this period, there were three ways these Amitabha triads were used. Some were placed in a box and buried as sacred offerings in a pagoda or a sacred place. Other Amitabha triads were placed in a hall or monastery for public devotion. Smaller triads were used for private devotion, and this is what The Cleveland Museums piece was used for. Jung believes the piece was commissioned by a ruling family.



Examining the object further, Jung deduced the draping and a mark on the third eye (in the middle of the forehead) was stylistically similar to a Ming Dynasty Chinese Buddhist statue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was created in 1411.



To find out more about the Amitabha Triad at The Cleveland Museum of Art, visit ClevelandArt.org
Biden Admin Closing Down NYC Jail Where Jeffrey Epstein Killed Himself

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday announced it would shut down the historically troubled federal Manhattan jail where disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead two years ago.

The Manhattan Correctional Center (MCC) was the subject of criticism after Epstein, a convicted sex offender who had ties with some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world, was discovered dead in August 2019, his death later being ruled a suicide. Epstein was being held in the jail after his arrest on charges that he operated a sex trafficking ring.

As part of this effort, the Bureau of Prisons has assessed steps necessary to improve conditions at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City, a Justice Department person said in a statement on Thursday. In an effort to address the issues at MCC NY as quickly and efficiently as possible, the Department has decided to close the MCC, at least temporarily, until those issues have been resolved.

The statement continued to say that plans for the MCCs deactivation are underway and that the Justice Department will have more updates in the future. The agency did not provide a timetable for the closure.

The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that every facility in the federal prison system is not only safe and secure, but also provides people in custody with the resources and programs they need to make a successful return to society after they have served their time, the statement added.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York, on July 1, 2019. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)

According to the Bureau of Prisons website, there are currently more than 260 inmates being held in the facility.

The facility also held other notorious individuals, including drug cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, whose lawyers had often complained that he was being subject to inhumane conditions inside the federal jail. Other inmates at the jail included Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, who also complained of MCCs conditions in the early 1990s, as well as drug dealer Frank Lucas, Ponzi scheme fraudster Bernie Madoff, terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman, and terrorist Ramzi Yousef.

Over the years, inmates and their lawyers have complained the MCC was infested with roaches, rats, and mice; multiple inmates were forced to share dirty toilets and sinks; water leaks were commonplace; and extremely cold conditions in the winter.

In March 2020, the jail was placed on lockdown after officials discovered a tip that suggested a gun may have been smuggled inside the facility. Investigators found a handgun and also found numerous contraband items, including narcotics, phones, and prison-made weapons.

Edward Friedland, district court executive for federal court in the Southern District of New York, told CNN on Friday that his office was not made aware of the closure until after inquiries.

After several inquiries by the Court, we were notified late today of the BOPs plans to close the facility, Friedland said in a statement. We will be meeting with BOP officials to review their plan so that we can ensure all necessary access for attorneys to their clients and the ability for defendants to appear in a timely fashion as required by the court.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Justice Department for additional comment.
A satellite image shows Hurricane Ida in the Caribbean Sea, on Aug. 26, 2021, at 10:20 p.m. ET. (NOAA via AP)

Biden Declares Emergency as Potentially Catastrophic Hurricane Ida Barrels Toward Louisiana

Mandatory evacuations are now being carried out in Louisiana on Friday as Hurricane Ida is projected to make landfall on Sunday evening along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

President Joe Biden on Friday declared a state of emergency in Louisiana and directed the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts there.

According to a 2 p.m. forecast from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Ida is currently a Category 1 hurricane and is slated to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana on Sunday at around 8 p.m. local time. Hurricane watches are in effect for most of the Louisiana coastline and all of Mississippis coastline, the NHC said.

The agency further predicted there will be steady to rapid strengthening when Ida moves over the warm southeastern and central Gulf waters over the weekend. The storm is predicted to become a major hurricane, meaning a Category 3 storm or greater, when it approaches the Gulf Coast.

Significant storm surge of between 7 and 11 feet could inundate an area between Morgan City, Louisiana, and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to the NHCs forecast. Idas wind speeds could reach 140 mph before making landfall in the Mississippi River Delta on Sunday, said the agency in a forecast discussion.

Hurricane Ida, a Category 1 storm with 75 mph winds, is forecast to hit Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday. (NHC)

Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the coast of Louisiana. Hurricane-force winds are expected Sunday in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast, including metropolitan New Orleans, with potentially catastrophic wind damage possible where the core of Ida moves onshore. Actions to protect life and property should be rushed to completion in the warning area, said the NHCs forecast discussion, posted at around 1 p.m. ET on Friday.

In a social media post, the Plaquemines Parish Government called on all residents to start personal preparations to evacuate starting at 3 p.m. ET on Friday for the entire East Bank and the West Bank from Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery to Venice.

In addition, a Voluntary Evacuation from the community of Oakville to Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery, the office wrote.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and warned residents to make preparations.

This type of threat contains additional problems because the window to prepare is so short, the governor said, saying that residents should leave by Saturday night.

A voluntary evacuation order was issued for Lafourche Parish, Lousiana, and a recommended evacuation order was issued for nearby Port Fourchon, according to Houma Today.

Hurricane Ida is also forecast to produce between 8 and 12 inches of rainfall, with 20 inches in isolated areas in southeastern Lousiana, coastal Alabama, and coastal Mississippi through Monday morning, which will likely produce river flooding and flash flooding in the area, said the NHC.

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish as a Category 3 storm, becoming one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history. Former President George W. Bush at the time received significant blowback for how he handled the post-disaster response.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 26, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Biden: US May Have Shared List of Names With Taliban

President Joe Biden on Thursday didnt deny reports that the administration handed the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allied personnel in an attempt grant them entry to Kabuls international airport, saying that it may have happened.

There have been occasions where our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this bus is coming throughmade up of the following group we want you to let that bus or that group through, Biden said during a press briefing. Yes, there have been occasions like that.

The president added that to the best of his knowledge, the bulk of the groups have been let through, adding that he cant say with certitude that there was a list of names passed to the Taliban terrorist group, which seized control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15.

He backtracked moments later, saying that it could very well have happened.

The president was responding to a report by Politico, published on Thursday, which cited anonymous U.S. and congressional officials. The unnamed sources claim the move was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan, following the Talibans takeover.

The allegations in the report were met with intense criticism, with some referring to the alleged list as a kill list as described by a defense official in the Politico report.

Absolutely reckless and horrific, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote on Twitter. The Biden Administration gave the Taliban a kill list while lying to us, saying they didnt have details on every name and whereabouts. Every single person involved must resign or be impeached.

U.S. officials leaned into the Taliban for safety by handing them lists of Americans and Afghans that were evacuating, added Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). Let me repeat: U.S. officials entrusted the Taliban with a kill list of Americans and Afghans.

Taliban fighters stand guard along a road near the site of an Ashura procession which is held to mark the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Founder of Islam, along a road in Herat on Aug. 19, 2021, amid the Talibans military takeover of Afghanistan. (Aref Karimi/AFP via Getty Images)

The news comes amid reports that the terrorist group has been going door-to-door searching for Afghan collaborators. According to a United Nations threat assessment report, obtained by the BBC, the Taliban has been conducting targeted door-to-door visits of people who worked with U.S. and NATO forces.

There are a high number of individuals that are currently being targeted by the Taliban and the threat is crystal clear, Christian Nellemann, who heads the Norwegian Center for Global Analyses, the group behind the report, told the BBC.

He added, It is in writing that, unless they give themselves in, the Taliban will arrest and prosecute, interrogate and punish family members on behalf of those individuals.

Nelleman warned of mass executions, emphasizing that anyone on the Talibans blacklist was in severe danger.

Separately on Thursday, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, said during a press briefing that the U.S. military had been sharing information with the Taliban to help prevent attacks.

We share versions of this information with the Taliban, so that they can actually do some searching out there for us. And we believe that some attacks have been thwarted by them, he said. We cut down the information we give the Taliban, they dont get the full range of information that we have, but we give them enough to act time and space to try and prevent these attacks.

He made the remarks in response to the attack by suicide bombers earlier in the day that killed 13 U.S. troops and wounded more than a dozen others. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

McKenzie told reporters he expected such attacks to continue and that U.S. forces are is doing everything possible to prepare for those attacks.

That includes reaching out to the Taliban, who are actually providing the outer security around the airfield to make sure they know what we expect them to do to protect us, and we will continue to coordinate with them going forward, he said.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Was Warned Another Terror Attack in Kabul Is Likely: Psaki

White House officials on Friday warned another terrorist attack on the Kabul airport is likely before the U.S. military leaves and the evacuation is complete.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Pentagon officials and members of the presidents national security team about 24 hours after the Kabul airport was bombed in an attack that was credited to the ISIS terrorist group, said press secretary Jen Psaki.

They advised the president and vice president that another terror attack in Kabul is likely, but that they are taking maximum force protection measures at the Kabul airport, Psaki said on Friday afternoon. The next few days of this mission will be the most dangerous period to date, she also said.

The national security advisers, Psaki added, reported that our courageous servicewomen and men are continuing to operate a historic evacuation operation and that the military is still airlifting out thousands of people every few hours.

Biden made clear yesterday he does not want them to live on the earth anymore, she said about the presidents vow to track down individuals who were responsible for the Kabul airport bombing.

Her comments echoed similar remarks made by Defense Department spokesman John Kirby earlier in the day when he noted that likely thousands of ISIS-K terrorists escaped several Afghan prisons as the Talibanalso designated as a terrorist group by several federal agenciestook over the country earlier this month.

U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force  Crisis Response  Central Command provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

U.S. officials, he said, believe there are specific, credible threats against Kabul airport. We would expect future attempts against the facility, Kirby said.

About a day earlier, Biden issued a statement on the bombing, which is estimated to have left about 200 people, including U.S. military members, dead. The president said that ISIS-K, or Islamic State Khorasan, would face retribution.

We will respond with force and precision, at our time, at the place we choose, and at the moment of our choosing, Biden said in a news conference.

Biden, meanwhile, has faced a torrent of criticism from members of both major political parties for how his administration has handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government in light of Taliban advances. The administration has also been faulted for sending mixed messages and issuing conflicting statements regarding the security situation on the ground in Kabul.

And although Biden has admitted some responsibility for the withdrawal, he has blamed the Trump administration for the contours of a deal with the Taliban for the pullout. Former President Donald Trump, however, said that Biden violated some of the terms of the agreement, including the date of the withdrawal, and said he would handle the situation differently and condition the pullout with military force.

The White House on Thursday said that 12,500 people were evacuated from Afghanistan in 24 hours despite the terrorist attack. More than 100,000 have been evacuated since the end of last month, officials said.

Regarding a military strike or operation against ISIS-K, Psaki said Friday that Biden spoke with military leaders over the possibility.

The president reaffirmed with the commanders his approval of all authorities they need to conduct the operation and protect our troops, and all reported back that they have the resources they believe they need to do so effectively, Psaki said.
An inmate at the Mule Creek State Prison sits on his bunk bed in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners in Ione, Calif., on Aug. 28, 2007. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Overhaul Death Penalty

The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the states current death penalty law, dismissing an attempt to make it harder to impose a sentence.

Under the current system, jurors do not need to unanimously agree on specific aggravating factors used to justify handing an individual a death sentence. The court upheld the longstanding practice in a 7-0 decision.

We have previously held that jury unanimity on the existence of aggravating circumstances is not required under the state constitution, Justice Goodwin Liu wrote on behalf of the unanimous court.

He wrote that the death penalty might be fairer if the state did make changes, noting that the state attorney generals office also agreed that such a requirement would improve our system of capital punishment and make it even more reliable and that state lawmakers should consider the change.

Nevertheless, to date our Legislature and electorate have not imposed such requirements, Liu wrote, and the court found there is no such mandate in state law or the constitution.

The court ruled that there was no legal support for overhauling the death penalty law, and doing so could have undermined the death sentences of Californias nearly 700 condemned prisoners.

While there is currently a moratorium on the death penalty in California from Gov. Gavin Newsom, it only lasts as long as he is in office, and many cases can take 25 years to fully prosecute.

Criminal Justice Legal Foundation Legal Director Kent Scheidegger, who wrote a brief supporting the death penalty, welcomed the unanimous decision from the states highest court.

The foundation said ruling otherwise would have had a devastating impact on hundreds of well-deserved judgments for horrible crimes.

In written arguments to the court, Newsom, a Democrat, called for changes to be made in how the death penalty is enforced, arguing that the system discriminates against black and Latino defendants.

Erin Mellon, a spokeswoman for Newsom, said the court missed an opportunity to fix one of the many flaws in Californias death penalty. Executions are irreversible and the process discriminates not only on race but against those who are poor or mentally ill, she said.

Only 13 prisoners on death row have been executed since 1992, and the state hasnt executed anyone since 2006.

According to a nationwide poll from Pew Research Center released in June, 60 percent of 5,109 American adults who participated backed the death penalty as a punishment for murder, with 27 percent in strong favor. Approximately 39 percent of participants said they oppose the death penalty, including 15 percent in strong opposition.

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed support for capital punishment and restarted the practice at the federal level last year after a 17-year hiatus. Trump argued that executions serve as an effective deterrent and an appropriate punishment for some crimes, including mass shootings and the killings of police officers.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is the first sitting U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty. Last month, the Justice Department announced it is pausing federal executions while pending review of its policies and procedures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Californias Gig Worker Battle Not Over

Commentary

Ive taken Uber or Lyft several times in recent years. Theyre especially convenient if my creaking 2010 Camry is in the shop or Im carless in a distant city.

I always talk to the drivers. Typical is one guy who drove on the weekend to get vacation money for his family. Another drove a Dodge Challenger as his regular job. I had heard the car wasnt all that reliable, but he said he had no problems, just regular maintenance. He also liked the flexibility of working when he wants towhats called gig work.

Their jobs now are endangeredagain. Assembly Bill 5, by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), which took effect January 2020, severely limited gig work of all kinds. But just last November, voters approved by a hefty 59 percent majority Proposition 22, which carved out an exemption, but only for part-time drivers at Uber, Lyft and similar companies.

Unfortunately, Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch recently threw out Prop. 22., bringing up its alleged conflict with workers compensation law. He wrote, Proposition 22s Section 7451 is therefore an unconstitutional continuing limitation on the Legislatures power to exercise its plenary power to determine what workers must be covered or not covered by the workers compensation system.

But that brings up a problem he doesnt address: The entire workers compensation system in California is a mess. As I noted in my last article, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a reform in 2003, but that was a long time ago. The reforms have been dissipated by numerous subsequent laws and court cases.

Indeed, its just this kind of refusal of the Legislature to do the right thing that prompted Gov. Hiram Johnson in 1911 to advance the initiative process into the California Constitution. As he explained, I do not by any means believe the initiative, the referendum, and the recall are the panacea for all our political ills, yet they do give to the electorate the power of action when desired, and they do place in the hands of the people the means by which they may protect themselves.

He had a good point also on initiatives not being a panacea. Just about every state initiative has major flaws, including the good ones. Prop. 22s major flaw is that it was limited. It should have been extended to all gig workers, entirely repealing AB 5.

Indeed, last Sept. 4, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 2257, also by Gonzalez. It modified AB 5 to exempt many workers. Freelance writers were exempted, a relief to the many I know who were worried they would lose their livelihoods because of AB 5s limitation of 50 writing projects a year. One writer even told me she was going to leave the state.

Interpreters were also exempted. That must have been a relief to one Spanish court interpreter I met when I was state Sen. John Moorlachs press secretary. She was lobbying against AB 5 because it would kill her job and the flexibility it afforded her as a young mother.

She also said most interpreters are minorities for the obvious reason they know their familys language when immigrating here. She mentioned Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian (Hindu) and other interpreters damaged by AB 5.

Now, thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers will be hurt should Roeschs ruling be upheld.

Fortunately, the rule of thumb in California long has been: let the voters decide. Its a democracy, after all. Hiram Johnson was a progressive, who favored letting the people have their say.

Thats why Prop. 22 likely will be upheld upon appeal. Two of the seven justices now are Republicans appointed by Schwarzenegger: Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Carol A. Corrigan. The other five are Democrats appointed by Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown.

But this seems a clear-cut case.

And the justices, too, can be ousted from office by recall or the retention process. Under the latter, justices face the voters in a yes/no election every 12 years, or sooner if its a partial term. In 1986, Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird and two other justices were not retained by voters. The main charge against them was they refused to uphold the death penalty, although their anti-business decisions also were cited.

Finally, the Legislature should do its job and entirely repeal AB 5. Then they could re-reform workers compensation law.

But nowadays, in this highly dysfunctional state, just asking politicians to do their jobs makes them faint.
A U.S. Capitol Police badge is seen in a file photograph. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Capitol Police Officer Who Killed Ashli Babbitt Reveals Identity in TV Interview

The U.S. Capitol Police officer who shot dead an unarmed woman inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 on Thursday defended his actions, claiming he issued verbal warnings before opening fire.

Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd said he shot Ashli Babbitt as she tried to climb through a broken window into the Speakers Lobby, adjacent to the House chamber, because he feared she and others inside the building would get into the chamber, where Congress members were hiding after the Capitol was breached.

She was posing a threat to the United States House of Representatives, Byrd said on NBC.

Byrd admitted he did not know Babbitt was unarmed.

I could not fully see her hands or what was in the backpack or what the intentions are, Byrd said. But they had shown violence leading up to that point, he added.

That statement upset Aaron Babbitt, the husband of Ashli Babbitt.

My agitation level is actually going through the roof right now. He admitted he didnt really care if she was armed or unarmed or not, Aaron Babbitt said on Fox News after Byrds interview aired.

Video footage showed a number of officers inside the room that sits outside the Speakers Lobby, as well as others inside the lobby with Byrd. Terrell Roberts, who is representing the Babbitt family, has told The Epoch Times that the killing was a pretty clear case of shooting an unarmed person without any legal justification.

Byrd was cleared earlier this year by both the Department of Justice and the agency he works for.

An undated social media selfie photograph shows Ashley Babbitt, also spelled Ashli. (Ashli Babbitt/Twitter)

Federal authorities decided not to pursue charges against Byrd because they determined, following an investigation, that there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution.

The Capitol Police said the officer potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber, where Members and staff were steps away.

Byrd said he does not regret what he did.

I know that day I saved countless lives, Byrd said on Thursday. I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And thats my job.

Byrds identity had been shielded by the Capitol Police, which said it was not publicizing his name because of safety concerns. Byrds lawyer had said his client was receiving death threats.

Babbitts family had sued to learn his identity and plans to file a lawsuit charging that Byrd violated Babbitts constitutional rights.

Byrds lawyer did not respond to a request for comment when asked why the officer chose to reveal his own identity.

Byrd said the threats include people saying they will kill him. Aaron Babbitt said hes also received threats.

Ive been getting death threats since Jan. 7two, three, five, 10 a dayand all I did on Jan. 6 was become a widower, Babbitt said.
Military vehicles carrying cruise missiles are displayed in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

CCPs Anti-Satellite Weapons Present Complex Challenge for US: Experts

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to develop an array of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons designed to overwhelm U.S. assets in space, even as advisers to the Biden administration issued calls for cooperation between the two nations.

The CCPs growing arsenal of space weapons now includes missiles, cyberweapons, satellite jamming devices, space robots with grabbing arms, and high-powered lasers designed to blind satellites from the ground as they pass overhead.

Development of these capabilities has been ongoing since at least 2007, when the CCP successfully exploded a satellite with a missile in low-earth orbit. And earlier this year, the chief of operations for the U.S. Space Force testified that both Russia and China were continuing the development of electronic warfare packages, signal jammers, and directed energy weapons.

Underscoring the centrality of space in modern military doctrine, the CCP has continued ASAT launches disguised as rocket tests, increased SinoRussian cooperation in space, and developed new technologies, including so-called inspector satellites capable of grabbing other objects in space, and nesting doll systems consisting of seemingly harmless satellites that then release other, smaller satellites of unknown capabilities.

Experts say that Chinas emerging ASAT technologies present an immediate threat to the United States and international security, but disagree on the exact nature of that threat and the United States ability to effectively deter and counter it.

A Persistent Threat

Bill Woolf, president and founder of the Space Force Association, told The Epoch Times that space-based capabilities were vital to contemporary security strategy, but warned that the proliferation of new technologies likely meant that the CCP and other actors had the ability to attack U.S. space infrastructure.

Space is such a critical capability to all of our military operations in the U.S., and with our allies and partners, Woolf said. So, talking about the technology, its safe to presume that theres technology out there that can disrupt, degrade, or deny our space capabilities.

With that in mind, however, Woolf stressed that the military-centric development of ASAT technologies in space wasnt novel and presented merely one more layer of complexity to the international security space.

People get pretty animated when they say that space has become a military domain, Woolf said. [But] space has been a military domain since we deployed military capabilities into space.

The militarization of space has been ongoing from the Cold War up through the present. In the 1970s, for example, the Soviet Union successfully mounted a bomber-defense gun to a satellite and performed the only publicly known test fire of a ballistic weapon in space. Similarly, Russia was caught last year testing a new space-based ASAT weapon.

Gen. Jay Raymond (R), Chief of Space Operations, and CMSgt Roger Towberman (L), with Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett present President Donald Trump with the official flag of the United States Space Force in the Oval Office of the White House on May 15, 2020. (Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images)

Likewise, the CCP has repeatedly been observed developing classified ASAT technologies since its explosive demonstration in 2007 and, in 2019, the Pentagon issued a report acknowledging that the CCPs primary goal was to target the United States and allied satellite capabilities.

Woolf explained that the CCP was specifically pursuing a course of action aimed at undermining the United States and allied space assets, but that this militarization of outer space was a natural evolution of the domain given the technologies there.

In their doctrine, they discuss that they will attempt to degrade or deny all of our space capabilities, Woolf said of the CCP.

For Woolf, the primary challenge facing the United States and its allies in space is determining which threats present the most immediate danger, and how to deter and counter them.

Regardless of the threat, because the threats out there, Woolf said, the key becomes, what are the warnings?

Deterrence Difficult in Most Obscure Battlefield

The problem of determining what constitutes a reliable warning is something that Paul Szymanski has often thought about. Szymanski is an author and researcher specializing in space strategy, and has spent the last 43 years studying space warfare, during which time he helped to develop intelligence indicators to signal possible enemy actions in space.

According to Szymanski, notable risks facing the United States in space are the relative difficulty of determining who is doing what in space and why.

Particularly in the era of cyberwarfare and false flag attacks, that is, those designed to look like theyre perpetrated by someone other than the actual culprit, Szymanski worries that current technologies simply dont have sufficiently accurate sensors and algorithms to effectively determine what is happening to space infrastructure in real time.

Its the most obscure battlefield, he said.

Further, there is great difficulty in conceptualizing space conflict, Szymanski noted, because assets in orbit can be physically distant but mathematically close for the purposes of carrying out attacks. And once a vital system goes down, it may be too late for a nation to recover.

Thats the big thing about space, Szymanski said, its always worldwide.

I dont think you can defend in space. It might just be whoever shoots first wins.

A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on June 17, 2021, the first crewed mission to Chinas new space station. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Concerning the CCPs expanding arsenal of ASAT technologies, Szymanski said that inspector satellites equipped with arms likely presented a more serious threat than laser technologies, as the use of ASAT lasers would take time to correctly target satellites on orbit, while human-controlled inspectors could easily be used to knock rival satellites out of orbit.

I was surprised that [the U.S. is] already admitting that China has these inspector satellites with manipulator arms, Szymanski said. If youve got something like that, you can do just about anything.

I can say that [the CCP is] certainly going for it. Certainly, this manipulator satellite is an ASAT, though they can conveniently call it a maintenance satellite.

The CCP has disguised the military applications of such technologies for years by developing dual-purpose technologies that offer an innocuous research function that conceals military functionality. Experts have previously called such dual-use technologies and programs a direct threat to the United States.

Szymanski also noted that there are immense political difficulties concerning decisions about which space systems should be funded first, as most space systems provide information rather than hard assets, and its difficult to define a specific monetary or strategic value to them.

The trouble with space is its all information, Szymanski said. How do you measure the value of communications versus imagery?

Many Threats, Few Ripostes

Ultimately, Woolf and Szymanski offered competing views on the status quo of the new space race, and what it might mean for the future of U.S. strategy.

For Woolf, the answer lies primarily in developing, supporting, and enforcing a rules-based order in outer space that complements the order commonly recognized throughout the international community.

Just like every other domain, there needs to be identified norms of behavior, clearly articulated, that say this is how folks behave in space, Woolf said.

Szymanski, meanwhile, expressed weariness with the idea that the United States should continue to seek a rules-based order with a rival apparently set on violating rules-based norms. He felt that the United States dedication to deterring the CCP rather than confronting it might only result in buying the CCP more time to prepare a first and perhaps fatal blow.

I get the impression that were going to self-deter, and the space war is going to be over before we can do anything about it, Szymanski said.

The only purpose of the Space Force is to support terrestrial forces. If you lose a war in space, you may as well not even start the war on the ground.

They want to say, We have the technologies, well win, but we had the technologies in Afghanistan. Why arent we winning?

To that end, Woolf noted that persistent threats have always been a reality of politics and that it is the job of the military and government to uphold the rules by doing the best they can based on knowledge of extant and emerging threats.

There is a threat, Woolf said. We just have to be prepared for that eventuality and have the systems in place to mitigate the impact of that potential threat.
Change the Pace and Win the Race

If you're constantly sprinting through life, a change in perspective may be just the thing

A famous song of the Great Depression was Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Today we might change that title to Mother, Can You Spare Some Time?

If youre in the peak years of your life, odds are youre sprinting through most of your days. Youre running flat-out as fast you can, like so many others around you, and youre getting lots accomplished, which is all to the good.

But sometimes you may feel that some ingredient for happiness is missing. You arent sure what it is, but you sense some key component of the good life is eluding you, lost in the days hectic schedule.

Lets say youre an ambitious 30-something accountant in a large firm. Your spouse teaches part-time English composition in a community college, youre blessed with a preschooler and a first-grader, and you spend weekends and evenings tending to their needs, making repairs to your home, attending a worship service, and driving your widowed mother around town on her errands.

And every night you fall exhausted into bed, feeling as if that race youve just run has no finishing tape.

Life couldnt be fuller. Or could it?

In his book Character Building: A Guide for Parents and Teachers, David Isaacs discusses how the practice of certain virtues and principles can enhance our lives. In one chapter, he writes that the complete rapport between how one acts and how one feels in ones heart allows us to meet situations and people as authentic persons. Coupled with the virtue of prudence, Isaacs tells us, this sincerity of spirit frees us from those destructive behaviors that might otherwise sap our time, energy, and enthusiasmtrying to project a false image of oneself, for example, engaging in sarcasm or backbiting, or worst of all, forgetting the main point of the race were running.

Lets return to that 30-something accountant. In good conscience, he cant make too many alterations to the timetable of his days. Work, his wife, his children, his mother, the house, and some civic responsibilities are non-negotiable obligations.

But this man may find greater happiness when he performs these duties by practicing authenticity, by embracing the moment. When he greets a colleague at work in the morning, he deepens that brief encounter with a smile and a friendly inquiry about her family. He cheerfully handles his duties in the office and listenstruly listensto his clients. On the drive home, he shrugs off the worries of work so that when he enters the house hes ready to give his wife a hug, listen to the kids chatter about their day, help prepare supper, and share some alone time with his spouse once the kids are asleep. When he drives his mother to the pharmacy or the grocery store, he leaves the radio off and has a conversation with Mom. After that worship service, he sticks around and visits with others in the congregation, showing a real interest in them.

Many of us cant escape running the race. Obligation and responsibility push us forward every day. But when we make this effort to connect to people, when we live fully in the moment, when were genuine, we may find joy in the running and may even slow the pace a bit.

Festina lente, the Roman emperor Augustus was fond of saying. Make haste slowly.

Engage the moment and the people around you, and see what happens.
People register information as they prepare to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Ningbo, in China's eastern Zhejiang Province on Aug. 10, 2021. (STR / AFP)

Chinese Official Sets 1.1 Billion Vaccination Target by October to Win Peoples War

An official in China recently announced plans to have 1.1 billion citizens vaccinated by the end of October, claiming the target was approved by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to state-run media.

There will be vaccination coverage for one billion people by the end of August and 1.1 billion by the end of October, said Qin Weiguo, mayor of Huaibei municipal government of Chinas central Anhui Province. Qin made the statement after a provincial video conference with provincial leadership on Aug. 19, according to a report by Huaibei Daily the following day. The report has since been deleted from the internet.

Beijings epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said last week that China is expected to reach 80 percent vaccination coverage by the end of the year, achieving herd immunity, echoing the data released by Qin.

Yet China experts said such goal-setting would build up political pressure and change the nature of the countrys supposed voluntary vaccination efforts.

Lin Xiaoxu, a former virology researcher at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, said that pressure had come on local authorities from a central government order to zero out the unvaccinated population.

For local governments, epidemic prevention is a political task, Lin said as a guest speaker at NTDs Chinese language program Voices of Influence on Wednesday.

Chinas top health authority, the National Health Commission (NHC), reaffirmed in July that vaccination was voluntary across the country, but local authorities have imposed strict vaccine mandates. Unvaccinated workers in some regions have been told their salaries would be suspended or theyll be denied work unless they were inoculated.

In this [centralized] administrative system, Chinas NHC does not have much [of a] right to say, Lin said.

A student reacts as she receives the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a high school in Chinas northeastern Liaoning Province on July 28, 2021. (STR / AFP)

Human Considerations

In the Huaibei Daily report, Qin said the recent campaign is to win the Peoples War on vaccination.

Peoples War refers to what was originally a military strategy developed by past Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong to maintain the support of the people and fight the enemy. It now functions as political rhetoric, including in the domain of public health.

Lin said: Normal human considerations are negligible in a so-called case of a war The Chinese Communist Party is not really trying to save lives.

China commentator Qin Peng said during the program, During this [wartime], a death toll is just a number, or the price you have to pay.

Posts by Chinese netizens on social media have recounted stories of people dying after taking vaccines, as well as cases of leukemia, heart failure, brain hemorrhage, epilepsy, and memory loss, after vaccination.

On Aug. 8, a video circulating online showed a middle school student in Jiangsu Province, who fainted after being vaccinated and later died despite emergency rescue efforts.

Chinese authorities have not confirmed any cases or released official statistics about adverse reactions to vaccinations. Family members who have tried to voice their concerns have faced suppression with some being banned from social media.
The exterior of the British Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2007. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Documents Identifying Afghan Staff Left at British Embassy in Kabul

Documents with contact information of some Afghans who worked for British authorities were found lying on the ground in the abandoned UK Embassy compound in Kabul, left by Foreign Office staff as the Taliban advanced.

The discovery was made on Aug. 24 by a journalist from The Times of London during a tour through the diplomatic quarter accompanied by a Taliban patrol.

According to the outlet, the documents contained CVs of locals applying for interpreter jobs, as well as the details of seven Afghan staff at the Foreign Office. Some job applicants listed previous work for Western countries.

Phone calls made by the news outlet to the numbers on the documents revealed that some of the Afghan employees and their families remained stranded.

The newspaper said that they handed over the documents to the Foreign Office, which didnt seem to have other records of the staff, and some of those staff were later rescued. Among them were three Afghan staff and eight family members, including five children.

A source at the Foreign Office, who did not wish to be identified, told The Epoch Times, We are grateful to The Times [of London] for sharing the information retrieved with us and working with us to enable us to get these three families to safety.

The fate of at least two job applicants whose details were left on the ground at the embassy remains unknown.

Every Effort Made to Destroy Sensitive Material

The Foreign Office confirmed the story, but defended its staff.

During the drawdown of our embassy every effort was made to destroy sensitive material, a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

We have worked tirelessly to secure the safety of those who worked for us including getting three families to safety.

The chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, responded to the revelation on Twitter: How [the Foreign Office] handled this crisis will be the subject of a coming Commons Select Committee inquiry. The evidence is already coming in.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told LBC radio: Well find out and get to the bottom of it. The evidence looks pretty clear. Clearly its not good enough, simple as that.

I think the prime minister will be asking some questions, I think we need to understand, quite rightly, how that happened.

It comes as the military finally closes the door on evacuations to give themselves time to leave before the Aug. 31 deadline.

The final stages of the evacuation effort in Afghanistan are under further strain after a warning that a highly lethal terror attack could be launched within hours. Undated UK Ministry of Defense file photo. (UK Ministry of Defense/PA)

Wallace announced on Friday morning that processing of evacuees had ended.

We will process the people that weve brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately in the airfield now, and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours, he told Sky News.

Responding to Wallaces announcement, Tugendhat, who is himself an Afghanistan veteran, wrote: Military have done an amazing job but this means manyincluding my interpreterwill not get out. Im not giving up but my anger and shame for those weve left behind to be hunted by the Taliban is growing.
Does America Still Work?

Commentary

For nearly two years, Americans have engaged in a great woke experiment of cannibalizing themselves. American civilization has invested massive labor, capital, and time in an effort to constantly flagellate itself for not being perfect.

Yet Americas resilience and its resources are not infinite. We are now beginning to see the consequences of what happens when premodern tribalism absorbs Americans.

There are repercussions when ideology governs policy or when we take for granted the basics of life to pursue its trappings.

Who cares whether the blow-dried media is woke if it cant report the truth and keep politicians honest? Once journalists became progressive poodles rather than the watchdogs of government, the Biden administration had no fear of an audit. It took for granted that its disasters, from the southern border to the chaos in Afghanistan, would be excused by toady reporters.

Government-engineered equity has replaced the goal of equal opportunity. But such utopianism births popular anger when personal initiative, excellence, and performance dont count as much as virtue-signaling groupthink.

The United States just suffered a terrible and shameful defeat in Afghanistan. The catastrophe reminds us that the Biden administration had its politicized military and bureaucracy mostly fixate on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to root out supposed internal enemies.

So our top brass and functionaries talked of redirecting the military to every possible woke agendaexcept ensuring military superiority and the safety of the United States.

The result is the horrific mess of a premodern Taliban army routing the most sophisticated military in the history of civilization. We shudder when America begs premodern tribes not to murder our citizens whom we abandoned in full retreat.

Airline CEOs virtue-signal their wokeness by damning voter ID lawsthough such identification is required to board their airplanes. The new normal for U.S. airlines is woke delays, woke cancellations, and woke anarchy in the skies.

Some universities now subject their admissions, their hiring, and their research to race and gender directives. Theres less concern about the collective student debt of $1.7 trillion. College students may graduate woke, but they do so with far less impressive reading and writing skills than their less politically correct predecessors a half-century ago.

Are college administrators really so virtuous when they boast of improving diversity, equity, and inclusion? Why, then, do they ignore indebted and poorly educated graduatesveritable serfs who cannot afford homes, put off raising families, and prolong their adolescence rather than becoming autonomous citizens?

We know from centuries past which policies ensure public safety and which guarantee crime. All laws must be enforced equally. Yet now, suicidal legal and critical race theories sometimes govern which laws are enforced and which are ignored.

If a state attorney prosecutes crimesor chooses not to prosecute themon the basis of ideology and race rather than on questions of impartial law, then who would obey, much less honor any of them?

The police must not just be monitored, but respected and supported. Today they are defamed and defunded. If those who commit crimes dont expect to be arrested and punished, then crime pays. And so we get more of it.

Cries to empty the jails and prisons and pull back on police might sound neat on Twitter. But lots of innocent Americans will suffer the deadly consequences of someone elses virtue-signaling.

Before a country can conduct cancer research, explore outer space, or defeat its enemies thousands of miles away, its citizens must have access to affordable fuel, food, and shelter.

But ideologues now restrict irrigation water, gasoline supplies, power generation, and timber production. They may seem woke and enlightened to each other, but they are indifferent to the exorbitant cost of living, the growing shortages of necessities, and the hundreds of thousands of homeless living amid filth, excrement, and disease on the nations urban sidewalks.

Social media fights, the cancel culture wars between celebrities and elites, the virtue-signaling of academics and actorsall of it means nothing if Americans dont have safe roads; viable travel; affordable gas, food, and housing; and safety in their homes.

Increasingly, they dont have these things. Woke leaders are losing the ability to do the hard and essential work of civilization, largely because theyre obsessed with the dispensable.

We live in a world of cellphones, Skype, and Zoom. But high tech has become a mere veneer pasted over medieval urban streets and Depression-era highways. It is more dangerous to walk the nighttime streets of Chicago than those of war-torn Kabul.

Until our officials can ensure a humane and sustainable standard of living, we have no business lecturing others abroad, much less conducting endless witch hunts of our own at home.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Electricity Rate to Increase During Peak Hours as SoCal Edison Switches Residents to Time-of-Use Plan

Southern California residents may soon decide whether they want to pay more for electricity during peak times of the daya plan by Southern California Edison (SCE) that will begin with San Bernadino County residents and may soon extend to Los Angeles County and Orange County.

The state-ordered switch would charge customers more for using electricity between the peak hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., and less during the rest of the day. Currently, most households are on a tiered plan that has a baseline allocation and bills customers for the total amount of energy used in a billing period.

About 45,000 San Bernadino County residents, including in the cities of Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and Lake Arrowhead, received notices from SCE this month that say they will be switched to a time-of-use (TOU) electricity billing plan by Nov. 1 unless they opt out.

SCE spokesperson Ron Gales told The Epoch Times that improving the regions environmental impact is the heart and driver behind the switch to TOU plans.

The state-ordered switch reflects a push by the state to attempt to get rates to more closely match the actual cost of service.

Over time, the cost of service has changed at different times of day, Gales said.

He said California has an abundance of renewable energy on its electric grid during daylight hours due to large solar farms, and the TOU rate is a way to encourage people to switch their energy usage pattern to hours when theres cleaner, less expensive energy on Californias electric grid.

They provide a lot of renewable energy that is relatively cleaner than traditional sources, and its also less expensive, Gales said.

Theres all this renewable energy, and theres even occasions once in a while where California Independent System Operator, theyd have to give away the excess [energy] or sell it because we have so much during those hours.

(Courtesy of Southern California Edison)

The options are meant to offer help to customers struggling from the economic effects of the CCP virus pandemic.

Southern California Edison recognizes that many of our customers are still suffering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well the kinds of financial distress that follow up, Gales said.

We are offering many options to help them, for customers who are having trouble with their bills to either get enrolled in one of our low-income programs or our payment extensions or payment arrangements in which people can pay off their overdue bills over time.

According to SCEs website, the highest rate is June to September weekdays, in which residents on the TOU plan will pay 23 cents per kilowatt-hour during off-peak times, and 43 cents during peak times. During the winter period, or October to May, peak rates are 38 cents on weekdays and weekends, and between 26 to 29 cents during the off-peak hours.

SCE offers three different TOU plans: the 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. peak time, which the website describes as better for customers who stay up late; the 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. peak time, which is better for those who turn in early or are home during the day; and prime, which is ideal for customers who use clean energy technologies. The prime option has a fixed daily basic charge that allows for lower Super Off-Peak and Off-Peak Rates, the website says.
Epoch Booklist: What to Read

Classics

Meditations

By Marcus Aurelius

Its doubtful that Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius envisioned his personal notes would shine for centuries. But words are powerful, and his reflections on Stoic philosophy and living a virtuous life offer us a valuable perspective on wisdom, justice, and courage.

Random House, May 2003, 256 pages

Thriller

Black Ice

By Brad Thor

Ready for another riveting, roller-coaster ride read? Ace spymaster and the presidents secret weapon is back. This time, Scot Harvath battles Chinese and Russian efforts to gain control of the Arctic Shelf. Its a highly charged political game with Harvath masterminding the pieces. Count on Harvath to maintain security and safety in the face of adversity. Like Ian Flemings James Bond and Tom Clancys Jack Ryan, Thors compelling operative promises to chill readers in this latest white-knuckle mission.

Emily Bestler Books, Simon and Schuster, July 2021, 336 pages

Historical Biography

The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover

By Paul Letersky with Gordon Dillow

Eight presidents from Coolidge to Nixon had an uneasy relationship with one of Americas most powerful figuresJ. Edgar Hoover. They never dared to fire him for fear of what he had sequestered in his files. Hoover reigned over the FBI with an iron fist while hobnobbing with high society. Of all the books written about him, this one is unique. Written by a young assistant, Paul Letersky, who shared the inner sanctum of his office, it gives us new insight into his complex character.

Scribner, July 2021, 320 pages

Feel-Good Fiction

The Midnight Library

By Matt Haig

Bestselling author Matt Haig is a veteran writer of several books for adults and children. A keen explorer of the human heart, his writings reflect his empathy for our everyday struggles and the consequences of the choices we make. When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, a place somewhere between life and death, she discovers more in these magical and hopeful volumes than she thought she knew.

Viking, September 2020, 304 pages

Take Me to the Beach

The Last Thing He Told Me

By Laura Dave

Protect her. These were the last words that Owen Michaels smuggles to his wife of one year before he disappears. Hannah Hall quickly realizes that they refer to 16-year-old Bailey, her stepdaughter. The two embark on a poignant, page-turning journey that explores deceit, love, sacrifice, and family relationships. A Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection.

Simon and Schuster, May 2021, 320 pages

Culture

American Marxism

By Mark R. Levin

Watch him on TV. Listen to him on the radio. Mark R. Levin is passionate about this country. A nationally syndicated talk radio host, chairman of Landmark Legal Foundation, and the host of a Fox News show, he has authored six consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. He pulls no punches in American Marxism, deftly describing an America under siege from Marxist forces that threaten public education, the press, corporations, and churches. A timely and prescient warning, American Marxism urges us to take up the gauntlet to preserve liberty and democracy.

Threshold Editions, Simon and Schuster, July 2021, 320 pages

Anita Sherman

For Children

If I Never Forever Endeavor

By Holly Meade

Meades beautifully illustrated, poetic depiction of a hesitant, young bird perched at the edge of its cozy nest, cautiously considering whether or not to fledge and fly, is picture-book perfection. It would make a sweet gift for children, graduates, or anyone facing a big decision. Barbara Danza

Candlewick Press, April 2011, 32 pages

Heidi

By Johanna Spyri

A must-read for every child, the classic tale Heidi takes readers up into the Swiss Alps, where a young orphan goes to live with her grandfather. Inspirational and endearing. Barbara Danza

Simon & Schuster, November 2000, 304 pages

Barbara Danza

Anita L. Sherman Anita L. Sherman is an award-winning journalist who has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor for local papers and regional publications in Virginia. She now works as a freelance writer and is working on her first novel. She is the mother of three grown children and grandmother to four, and she resides in Warrenton, Va. Anita can be reached at anitajustwrite@gmail.com
EXCLUSIVE: Kabul Woman Risks Life to Call for International Action

Farzana Kochai, member of the Afghan Parliament and activist, was a child when the Taliban last occupied Afghanistan. She remembers the ban on girls attending school and on women working, and women needing a chaperone if they wanted to go outside their homes.

Kochai is now risking her life to speak out in order to preserve something of the freedoms and democracy gained over the past 20 years.

After being in a state of shock for the first days of the Taliban occupation of Kabul, she then became the first female Afghan politician to participate in political debatebroadcast to the worldshe says.

We talked about the  future of women and the use of Parliament in the future of the regime that is going to be formed in Afghanistan.

I choose to stay here  to be with my people, my women, in my country, as we cant just leave. All of uswe cant leave. And here we need some people to speak up for us.

Hosted by NTD journalist Brendon Fallon, Wide Angle is following the latest political developments in the United States and abroad, and finding the connection between these and the larger global trends of our times.

Brendon Fallon: https://twitter.com/brendonfallon

Follow EpochTV on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus
Security personnel clear the way for a convoy of the World Health Organization team to enter the Huanan Seafood Market on the third day of field visit in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, on Jan. 31, 2021. (Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Experts on WHO Team Say Search for COVID-19 Origins Has Stalled

LONDONThe 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 viruss 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.

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.

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 the coronavirus 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.
Crowds of people show their documents to U.S. troops outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

For Beijing, Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan Creates More Problems Than Benefits, Experts Say

The Chinese regime has more to lose than to gain with a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as Beijing faces a tough task ahead fostering its relationship with the terrorist group, China experts warned recently.

Im not sure that China is actually going to benefit because Beijing now has to do something that its never done before, which is to manage a very difficult security situation outside his borders, said Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, during a recent Epoch TV webinar.

After the Talibans swift takeover of the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has embraced the group while the terrorist group has expressed hopes that the Chinese regime could help with the war-torn countrys reconstruction.

There has been a lot of speculation that China would like to fill the vacuum left by the United States in Afghanistan and expand its influence in the region.

China thinks that it can control the Taliban, Chang said. However, Chang added the regime currently has a potentially bigger problem at hand with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorist group, which is very much opposed to China.

Security officials examine a shot-at vehicle that was carrying Chinese nationals in Pakistans port city of Karachi on July 28, 2021. One Chinese national was wounded in a gun attack on the vehicle, police said, in what was one of a number of recent assaults targeting Chinese citizens in the country. (Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images)

Two recent suicide bombings targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan have left at least nine Chinese nationals dead. The most recent attack, which happened on Aug. 20, took place in Gwadar, a port town in Pakistans restive Baluchistan province, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to a vehicle near the East Bay Expressway.

Gwadars East Bay Expressway is a project developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major construction project under Chinas foreign policy known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road). The under-construction corridor will connect Xinjiangs Kashgar city to Pakistani seaports.

The Baluch Liberation Army (BLA), one of several militant groups that want to establish an independent Baloch nation, claimed responsibility for the August bomb attack. The BLA sees Chinese and Pakistani interests as a threat.

So China is right now in a very difficult situation, Chang said. Yes, there are things that it can get from its relationship with the Taliban. But theres also a lot that it can lose is the investments it has put into Pakistan.

We can see the entire region go up in flames, in which case, China would be very much a target, he added.

Gregory Copley, president of Washington-based NGO International Strategic Studies Association, explained during the webinar that Beijing wanted to import oil and gas from Iran through Afghanistan, instead of shipping them through the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

However, before China could realize its goal of getting a secured energy supply from Iran, Beijing must realize that there are different factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, such as the Northern Alliance groups of the Tajik-Dari-speakers, Copley said. Additionally, the former government of Afghanistan has not left, with Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh still in the country.

Afghan President Asharaf Ghani fled Afghanistan after the Tablian seized control of Kabul.

What Beijing hopes to do is to say, well, Beijing will locate the Taliban and the Pashtuns, and Iran will somehow locate or deal with the Dari-speaking Shia groups. So that between them theyll cobble together enough stability to get a pipeline across the country, he added.
Forced Viral Tests Delay Urgent Medical Services in China, Patients Families Say

Arbitrary fees and viral testing before receiving emergency medical services are suspected of causing numerous deaths in China. Patients families are forced to begin legal proceedings despite heavy censorship of their cases.

Since the pandemic surged across China, many hospitals started requiring a four-test package that included nucleic acid testing for the CCP virus (also called the novel coronavirus), CT scanning, antibody testing, and routine blood testing, which then became a requirement for many ER services.

On July 13, 2020, the Chinese communist regime officials issued a national notice requiring medical institutions to establish green channels for the treatment of patients with acute and critical illnesses, and perform nucleic acid testing while actively resuscitating patients.

However, The Epoch Times learned that implementation of the policy has had questionable results. Some family members of patients have lodged complaints about medical incidents in which delayed treatment resulted in patient deaths. When complaints are filed, the authorities censor information and suppress relevant online posts.

People attend a site in Hong Kong on Feb. 7, 2020, set up to mourn the passing of doctor Li Wenliang, who tried to warn people about COVID-19 and later died of the disease. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Mu Chenglin (pseudonym) and Liu Yuan (pseudonym) are from northeastern China. According to their experiences, each believes their father died due to delaying of treatment because of the tests.

Fees and Tests Precede Urgent Care

Mus father needed urgent heart surgery. Mu accompanied his father when he was transferred to a major hospital in Harbin City at 9:50 p.m. on July 22, 2020.

The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (SAH) allowed one carer to accompany each patient, so only Mu entered the hospital with his father.

The ER doctor at SAH wouldnt accept the previous viral test results and insisted that the tests be done before any medical services would be provided.

After the fees and tests, the doctor insisted that the father needed a second CT scan to check if there was something in his throat. The fathers heart rate dropped to 20 beats per minute at 10:38 p.m., but the doctor refused to renew the epinephrine drip administered by the previous hospital.

Mu was told he must pay the ward fee even though no one tended to his father.

The epinephrine drip had run out and his fathers eyes were only half-open.

At 11:18 p.m., the doctor finally started resuscitation and replaced the epinephrine infusion bagbut it was too late.

After various efforts to resuscitate, including injecting cardiotonic drugs and repeated electric shocks, Mus father passed away at 1:08 a.m. on July 23, 2020.

Liu Yuan experienced similar forced payment of fees, tests on her father, and long hours of waiting in the SAH.

Her father suffered a cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding into the brain) and needed urgent treatment.

They arrived at the SAH before 5 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2021. The hospital did not accept the fathers previous test results and asked them to have the tests done again.

After the tests, Liu paid a hospitalization deposit. She and her father were then directed from one inpatient department to another, and an hour later, they received a notice to go to the eighth inpatient department.

It was 8:20 p.m. and the security guards did not allow them to enter.

You dont accept test results from other hospitals, thats okay, we have taken your tests, but you dont even accept your own test results. Then what do you accept? Dont you want to save patients? Liu questioned them.

Liu waited until past 9 p.m. and then decided to transfer her father again, as treatment could not be delayed any longer.

It was past 10 p.m. when Lius father was attended to at another hospital. He died on Jan. 24 after efforts were made to save him.

Huge Profits Behind the Tests

According to Mu, the cost of the tests was $81. The hospital makes more than $2.4 million every month from these tests alone, Mu said, after calculating the number of patients multiplied by the test fees.

According to the SAH official website, the hospital has one out-patient department, eleven in-patient departments, and four specialized branch hospitals. It has 6,012 beds available for the general public and an annual outpatient volume of 2 million [with no designated time].

The price for nucleic acid testing in public medical institutions in Heilongjiang province last year was $21, according to a report by CCP mouthpiece Xinhua News and a report by the Heilongjiang provincial party propaganda department on May 9 and 10, 2020, respectively.

The $21 nucleic acid testing was executed on May 12, 2020, according to the two reports. The Epoch Times was not able to verify the prices of the nucleic acid testing or the four tests as a package.

Complaints Ignored

Mu lodged a complaint with the SAH in Feb. 2021, to which the hospitals administration replied: You can go to the court and take legal action [against the hospital]. He went to the district health commission to file a complaint, but months have passed, and nothing has happened.

Its hopeless; I started to complain and report the incident online, Mu told The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times was not able to reach Mu for a follow-up interview on the progress of his complaints before publication of his experiences in the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.

Liu also exposed her fathers delayed treatment online. Doctors of the SAH ER and inpatient departments asked her to delete her posts and videos, though they admitted they were wrong.

She said that she has made up her mind to appeal until justice is served. She said she has resigned for the sake of justice. She has sent her complaints and appeal materials to the district health commission and the SAH.

Has anyone stood out to handle [cases like this]? Liu told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times. My next step is [to appeal to] the provincial health commission, and after that, Beijing.

The Epoch Times reached out to the head of the SAH emergency department, administration office, and its operator multiple times, and has not received an answer from any of them before publication.

Gu Xiaohua
French minister for European affairs Clement Beaune answers journalists as he arrives at a General Affairs meeting in Luxembourg, on June 22, 2021. (John Thys/Pool via Reuters)

France Held Talks With Taliban to Facilitate Evacuations: Foreign Ministry

PARISFrance has held talks with representatives of the Taliban in recent days in Kabul and in Doha to ease its ongoing evacuations from the Afghan capital, the foreign ministry said on Friday.

Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban, had earlier said on Twitter that a French delegation had met the group in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday to discuss the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. It was the first official meeting since the Taliban took control of the capital on Aug. 15.

Operational contacts have indeed taken place in recent days with representatives of the Taliban movement, in Kabul as well as in Doha, in order to facilitate our current evacuation operations, the foreign ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters.

Frances European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said on Friday that French evacuations could continue beyond Friday evening. Paris has so far evacuated more than 2,500 people.

U.S. and allied forces are racing to complete evacuations of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans and to withdraw from Afghanistan by an Aug. 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden.

By John Irish
People disembark from a Lufthansa aircraft coming from Tashkent in Uzbekistan that landed at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 18, 2021. On board were about 130 people that were evacuated from Afghanistan. (Michael Probst /AP Photo)

Germany Left 5,000 Former Staff and Families Behind in Afghanistan, Network Says

EBERSWALDE, GermanyGermany has left at least 5,000 former staff and their families behind in Afghanistan, a support network founded by German troops said on Friday, vowing to keep pressing for them to leave the country after an Aug. 31 deadline runs out.

The German military ended its airlift from Kabul airport late on Thursday after evacuating 5,347 people, including more than 4,100 Afghans.

Around 300 German citizens remain in the country, according to the foreign office in Berlinbesides an unknown number of former Afghan staff and their families.

We estimate that at least 5,000 (former Afghan staff and families) were left behind, Marcus Grotian, founder and head of the Sponsorship Network for Afghan Staff, told Reuters.

A key problem in getting these people out of Afghanistan at the moment is that the German embassy in Kabul is shuttered, meaning they cannot receive documents entitling them to travel to Germany, he added.

Other nations have started to issue virtual visas, mailing them to people so that they can at least prove their identity as former staff members, Grotian said, suggesting German authorities should follow their example.

He vowed the support network would do everything to bring the remaining staff and their families to safety, even if chances were slim to reach that goal any time soon.

Germany has said its promise to take in former Afghan staff will still stand after an Aug. 31 deadline for evacuations from Kabul airport has passed.

The Taliban have said that Afghans with permission to leave will be able to do so on civilian flights once foreign troops withdraw. But many Afghan former staff of Western missions fear persecution at the hands of the former insurgents who seized the capital less than two weeks ago.

By Alexander Ratz
A child looks on as a woman receives the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) COVID-19 vaccine in Nantong, in China's eastern Jiangsu Province on July 5, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Get Vaccinated or Families Lose Pensions, Local Chinese Authorities Say

In a bid to improve vaccination rates, local authorities in China are punishing entire families if one member refuses to receive jabs against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Officials from several counties and cities governments said they will stop giving pensions and medical aid to the unvaccinated. Authorities will also bar unvaccinated individuals from visiting schools, workplaces, or other areas outside their homes, such as shops, banks, and libraries.

Moreover, related family members, even the vaccinated, could suffer.

In two provinces, children can not return to school if parents fail to provide proof that the entire two generations in a family received jabs. Local governments in the northern Liaoning and central Henan provinces published the announcement, worded similarly as the ban to individuals.

In Liaoning Provinces Huludao city, authorities require all students, from kindergarten to vocational schools, to present vaccination proof for all family members. The list includes parents, all grandparents, siblings over 12 years old, and temporary guardians. Otherwise, children will not be allowed to go back to school in autumn, according to a statement released on Aug. 25.

In Henan Province, Zhengyang county officials withdrew a similar requirement on Aug. 26 after it met with Chinese state broadcaster CCTVs backlash.

But similar content from other provinces, including southern Guangxi Province, is still on its official website.

Lower authorities who are directly responsible for persuading or pressuring residents to get vaccines have adopted harsher measures.

Officials of a residential community in Chinas western Qinghai Province said if a resident rejects vaccines, other family members would not receive any forms of pensions, such as those for the disabled and low-income families, according to the state media outlet, The Paper.

Residents would be registered as rejectors if they cannot get medical statements to prove their physical conditions are unsuitable for vaccination, including pregnant and nursing women.

Other penalties include restricting going out of residential communities, suspending all offers for reference letters to school and employers, and denying applications for all personal projects.

Its only a bluff, the director of the North Street community told The Paper, adding they have to achieve the tasked vaccination goal, according to the report on Aug. 25.

Zero Out the Unvaccinated

The community staff didnt explain what the assigned task is or whether the directive is from the central government.

Nevertheless, recent notices suggest county and city authorities from at least ten provinces have launched a new campaign to reduce the unvaccinated figure to zero, ranging from the northern Inner Mongolia region to southern Sichuan Province.

Common requirements include going to every household to register and persuade unvaccinated residents. Some mention punishment for those who fail to achieve.

Top officials of government agencies, state-owned institutions, and companies could be punished if they fail to meet the target vaccination rate, according to a statement from municipal health authorities in Shanxi Province posted on Aug. 24. It said the vaccination rate should be over 91.2 percent in each institution before the next day.

People complained on social media platforms, including Twitter and Weibo, its counterpart in China, that officials repeatedly pressure them to get vaccines despite the claim that vaccination is voluntary.

Party chief of Huaibei city attributed the policy changes to China leader Xi Jinping, alleging that the goal is to get 1 billion vaccinated at the end of August and 1.1 billion at the end of October.
Orange County Fire Authority firefighters recieve gift bags that will be taken to OCFA members fighting statewide fires in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Irvine Rotary Club Donates Bags of Essentials to Orange County Fire Authority

In a display of local gratitude for the Orange County Fire Authoritys (OCFAs) efforts as they aid Northern California firefighters in battling the scorching Dixie fire, the Irvine Rotary Club recently delivered 120 bags of essential goods to the OCFA Fire Station #6 in Irvine.

The bags, which were put together by members of the club, contained snacks, water bottles, toiletries, socks, a handwritten note, and special wipes that remove carcinogens produced by the fires.

Members of the club said they wanted to do anything to try to help the firefighters have an easier time while assisting Northern California firefighters. Nearly 700 homes have already been destroyed, Cal Fire reported.

When we heard about the fires that are up north, we wanted to reach out and show our firefighters that they have community support here, Anabella Bonfa, a rotary club member, said.

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters receive gift bags that will be taken to OCFA members fighting statewide fires in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters recieve gift bags that will be taken to OCFA members fighting statewide fires in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Were so proud of them.  Theres no end of the fires in sight, [and] theyre out there putting their lives on the line. So we reached out to our city council, we reached out to friends, we reached out to the kids and put together these packages.

There are approximately 50 OCFA personnel currently fighting the Dixie fire, with one Type 1 Engine Strike Team, one bulldozer, one large heli-tanker for water drops, and a Type 3 Engine Strike Team. There are also 25 overhead personnel.

Irvine councilmember Anthony Kuo said he was eager to partner with the rotary club to help the firefighters.

First responders and specifically firefighters are literally on the frontlines of protecting our communities, and protecting our neighborhoods, and when we see groups like rotary step up to be selfless and to be giving, it only strengthens our neighborhoods and communities, Kuo said. Im so excited to be here to join with the Rotary Club and contributing back to our truly our heroes in the community.

Members of the Rotary Club of Irvine present gift bags to OCFA firefighters in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The club also handed over an oversized card signed by members of the community. Rotary Club Irvine President Cedric Campbell described it as a way to show the firefighters that the community is there for them even though they will not be physically fighting with them.

A very big thank you for the generosity, and the support of the community. That means a lot, Orange County Fire Authority public information officer Sean Doran said, adding the personal notes put a big smile on his face.

Our firefighters are away from their homes, families, fellow crews right now, putting the lives on the line for the community, so we thank you for having our backs here at home.

Additionally, firefighters up north are working to prepare homes in danger of being burned, lay hose up hills, and more. They will be up there for approximately 16 days.

Despite that many local personnel are working up north, Doran said the cities of Orange County are still well-protected.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the opening of a monoclonal antibody site in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2021. (Marta Lavandier/AP Photo)

Judge Strikes Down DeSantis Order Banning Mask Mandates in Florida

A Florida judge struck down on Aug. 27 a ban on mask mandates issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis that targeted local school districts.

Tallahassee-based Judge John Cooper, who was elected to his position in 2002, ruled that DeSantis and the Florida Board of Educations actions against mask mandates for children dont have legal authority and are arbitrary.

I conclude that this evidence demonstrates that facemask policies that follow CDC guidance are, at this point in time, reasonable and consistent with the best scientific and medical and public opinion guidance at this time, Cooper wrote. I am enforcing the bill passed by the Legislature and requiring that anyone who uses that bill has to follow all of the provisions, not some of the provisions.

DeSantis had argued that his order would grant parents the sole authority to decide whether their child wears a mask in school.

Cooper said that while the governor and others have argued that a new Florida law gives parents the ultimate authority to oversee health issues for their children, it also exempts government actions that are needed to protect public health and are reasonable and limited in scope. He said a school districts decision to require student masking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 falls within that exemption.

DeSantis has dismissed the masking recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as not being applicable to Florida. Cooper cited numerous Florida laws and statutes covering health care in nursing homes, prisons, and elsewhere that say state decision-makers should give great weight to CDC guidelines.

On Aug. 26, the governor vowed to appeal.

If we win in trial court, Im sure it will be appealed on the other side, too. And so thats good, I think we obviously need to have this stuff crystallized, DeSantis said. The Legislature really made a big statement with their parental bill of rights, and thats an important piece of legislation.

At the same time, parents who dont agree with mandatory mask mandates in schools will likely file lawsuits of their own, DeSantis said.

In arguments before the judge, Michael Abel, a lawyer representing Florida and DeSantis, said that protecting parents right to choose whether their children wear masks provides a legitimate state interest, noting that the order took into account the publics health interests.

The plaintiffs contend that parent choice stops when it comes to public health. The plaintiffs [are] very clear, its one or the otherpublic health means no parent choice, Abel said. Now, the defendants contend, and what the evidence has shown, its not one or the other. Its both. You can protect public health and have parent choice. The governors executive order reflects a careful balancing of those interests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Evacuees from Afghanistan walk from a temporary tent to a bus at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Last German Flight With Afghan Evacuees Lands in Frankfurt

FRANKFURTThe last German civilian plane carrying Afghans fleeing Taliban rule landed in Frankfurt on Friday, a day after the countrys armed forces said they had finished their evacuation operation at Kabul airport.

The final German military aircraft carrying soldiers and German and Afghan civilians left Kabul for Tashkent on Thursday.

An Afghan student who was on the onward flight to Germany from Uzbekistan said he never wanted to return to his homeland after seeing his desperate countrymen sleeping outside Kabul airport for days.

The past few days were very burdensome, said the 28-year-old. People have been spending the night near the airport for days to maybe get a chance to get near the entrance and then get inside somehow. It is very tough for us and when you see the people there, its hard to take.

Germany says it has received assurances from the Taliban that Afghans with legal documents will be able to travel on commercial flights beyond Aug. 31, when the last NATO troops will leave the country.

A suicide bomber with an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group killed 85 people, including 13 U.S. soldiers, outside the gates of Kabul airport on Thursday, complicating efforts to evacuate Afghan civilians.

Germany completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan in June but had returned a contingent to Kabul to evacuate civilians in danger of retaliation from Taliban, mainly Afghans who had worked for its military and for aid groups.

The chaotic airlift that followed the Talibans lighting takeover of the country has sparked a debate about immigration and prolonged military operations, a month before a general election in Germany.

By Tilman Blasshofer
Live Q&A: Moderna Vaccine Suspended in Japan; US to Retaliate Over Kabul Bombing

Japan is suspending 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 over concerns of contamination after finding what it says are foreign materials. And in other news, President Joe Biden has announced the United States will retaliate against the terrorist organization ISIS over the recent bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

Were being heavily censored by Big Tech. Our solution? Create our own independent platform free of censorship.

Join us today on EpochTV. Weve got a country to save: http://epochtv.com/Crossroads

Follow EpochTV on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTVus

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTVus
Los Angeles County to Settle Lawsuit With Sun Valley Church Over COVID Rules

LOS ANGELESA legal battle between Los Angeles County, the state, and a Sun Valley church that repeatedly flouted health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic could be coming to an end, with the county Board of Supervisors being asked next week to approve a $400,000 payment to the church to settle the case.

According to a county staff report, the settlement calls for the state to pay an additional $400,000 to resolve the litigation with Grace Community Church. The report, first obtained by KNX Newsradio, indicates that the county has already spent more than $950,000 in attorney fees and other costs related to the legal battle with the church.

The church, led by Pastor John MacArthur, repeatedly defied county health orders over the past year, most notably by continuing to hold indoor services despite a ban on such gatherings, while also refusing to enforce mask-wearing and social-distancing requirements for church-goers.

County health officials repeatedly cited the church, then took the matter to court to obtain an injunction requiring the church to adhere to health regulations, saying they were essential to control the spread of COVID-19. The church, meanwhile, sued the state and the county, claiming the COVID rules amounted to constitutional violations of religious freedom.

Last September, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff issued a preliminary injunction sought by the county, but the church essentially ignored it, continuing to hold indoor services and violating other health mandates. That led county attorneys to seek a contempt ruling against the church.

Grace Community Church attorneys fought back, filing a motion to have the injunction lifted and the contempt request dismissed, citing two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In one, a Catholic diocese and a group of Jewish synagogues successfully challenged New Yorks restrictions on churches. The high court later struck down the indoor worship ban while allowing caps on attendance and a ban on singing, according to the churchs attorneys.
A Los Angeles County firefighter directs traffic at a drive-up coronavirus testing site in Redondo Beach, Calif., on April 3, 2020. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Los Angeles Fire Department Employees May Have Been Overpaid During Pandemic, Report Finds

Some Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) employees stationed at COVID-19 testing sites accumulated a significant amount of overtime payment that was unwarranted or unworked, according to a recent Los Angeles Controller report.

Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin released the report, which examined overtime logged by LAFD employees stationed at COVID-19 testing sites in 2020.

In September, the controllers office received allegations that LAFD employees stationed at COVID-19 testing sites received excessive salaries due to their reporting of overtime that was unwarranted or unworked. In 2020, the average regular pay for LAFD employees amounted to $118,479, while the average overtime pay was nearly 50 percent of the regular pay, at $59,123.

The Aug. 25 report found that several LAFD administrative protocols, including timekeeping, went overlooked due to the challenges the pandemic put on the department.

The pandemic forced the City of Los Angeles to shift resources in order to limit the impact of COVID-19 on residents and businesses, Galperin said in a statement sent to The Epoch Times.

Our front-line LAFD workers were assigned to set up and work at testing centers across the city on a moments notice, helping to administer millions of tests. These efforts should be lauded, but some workplace difficulties did arise.

Galperin said his office found several clear problems with the way LAFD performed timekeeping and tracked overtime earned at testing sites, which resulted in errors and overpayments to some employees.

We have an opportunity now to put systems in place that will fix those issues and ensure they dont happen again, he said.

Because there was no formal timekeeping log for LAFD employees working at COVID-19 testing sites, the Controllers office was unable to confirm or dispute whether the employees worked the full shifts they were assigned. The report, however, tested a sample of reported time and found that some salaries were overpaid because some staff duplicated their regularly assigned shifts as overtime hours.

Emergency responsein any formis typically challenging due to the urgency of the situation and risks faced by first responders and members of the public, Galperin stated in the report.

As a result, administrative protocols, such as timekeeping, are severely tested or altogether overlooked. But the need for effective controls is especially important during these situations because personnel are often working overtime and receiving extra pay.

Department management failed to catch the erroneous timesheets prior to approval. The controller found the LAFDs process for keeping track of hours, labor, and resources spent on pandemic response was fragmented and labor intensive, and increases the chance of timesheet errors.

To prevent future mistakes, Galperin suggested the LAFD create more structure around timekeeping for non-regular work hours, requiring each employee to clock in and out of his shift with real-time location information for each shift and analyze timekeeping sheets and payroll data to identify and seek appropriate reimbursement for any overtime payments made to sworn staff who inappropriately reported working overtime during a regular work shift, according to the website.
Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, then prime minister of the Republic of Mali (L) speaks at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., March 29, 2019. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Malis Former Prime Minister Arrested Over Corruption Claims

BamakoMalis former prime minister Boubeye Maiga was arrested on Thursday for his role in the purchase of a presidential plane during the rule of ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, his lawyer said.

The exact reason for the arrest was not clear, but it was related to Malis purchase of a jet in 2014 for $40 million, his lawyer, Kassoum Tapo, said by phone, without giving further detail.

We have not seen the case file and until then we cannot speak further, he said.

The Justice Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Critics at the time claimed that the Keita administration overpaid and that the deal was corrupt. It led to a political scandal that hurt Keitas presidency and spooked lenders. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank froze financing to the West African country as a result.

It was not clear what evidence prosecutors have against Maiga or why he was arrested now. He served as prime minister from 2017-2019 and is seen as a possible candidate in the presidential vote that interim authorities promise to hold next year following Keitas ouster as president last August.

The transition is being led by Assimi Goita, the Malian colonel who led the coup and is now interim president.

By Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Edward McAllister
The General Motors (GM) world headquarters building stands tallest amidst the Renaissance Center in the skyline of city's downtown in Detroit, Mich., on Nov. 21, 2008. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Michigan Civil Rights Chief Wades Into Local Zoning Decision on Illegal Alien Minor Shelter

Michigans top civil rights officer has waded into a small citys decision whether to approve the conversion of a former nursing home into a shelter for illegal alien minors.

Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) Executive Director John Johnson wrote a letter to the Alma city commission on Aug. 9 warning that race, color, and/or national origin must not be factors in its consideration to rezone a parcel of land so that a former nursing home can be used to house unaccompanied alien minors who crossed the U.S. border illegally.

A denial by the city commission of the rezoning request would prohibit unaccompanied refugee minor children from Mexico and Central America from residing on the property. If the race, color, and/or national origin of the intended residents are factors used to deny the rezoning request, that decision may constitute unlawful discrimination, Johnson wrote.

The Alma City Commission must refrain from making decisions based upon any applicable protected class or acting on fears, stereotypes, unfounded assumptions, or alleged public safety concerns that involve unfounded beliefs that members of particular protected classes are more likely to engage in criminal activity.

The letter goes on to tell the Alma city commission that MDCR will investigate any complaints of unlawful discrimination, and may report any alleged acts to federal authorities.

The six-acre facility in question would be operated by the non-profit Bethany Christian Services, which would lease the premises from owner Masonic Pathways, another non-profit, for $385,000 a year.

The proposed facility would house up to 36 teenage boys aged 12 to 17 while Bethany staff worked to reunify them with their families, according to Bethany spokesperson Nathan Bult.

According to a statement from the Administration for Children and Families, clients in such homes would be provided with mental and medical health services, case management, classroom education, recreation, and free legal representation.

The Alma planning commission had on Aug. 4 voted to deny the rezoning request and recommended that the Alma city commission do the same. The vote followed a heavily attended meeting on July 12 during which most speakers opposed the rezoning.

Prior to the vote, some members of the planning commission acknowledged the big picture of the immigration crisis on Americas southern border, and the resultant emotional discomfort they felt by seeing the images of suffering children. They made it clear that the rezoning request would be viewed as a zoning issue only.

City Attorney Tony Costanzo replied to Johnsons letter on Aug. 19, assuring Johnson that the city is mindful of the prohibition against discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

It has been my position as City Attorney, from the outset, that this request by the Michigan Masonic Home and Bethany Christian Services must be governed by the Alma City Ordinance relative to conditional rezoning, Costanzo wrote, adding, The use requested  is not allowed under the R3 District, where this property sits.

Costanzo pointed out in the letter that the city does have a zoning district where such a use would be permitted. He then provided the Civil Rights Department with the five planning and public policy factors outlined in the ordinance that were used by the planning commission in making its determination.

The Alma city commission met in regular session on Aug. 24 before an overflow crowd. Commissioners were furnished in advance with a copy of the letter from the Department of Civil Rights and the city attorneys response.

The commission deferred action on the rezoning request because the officially approved minutes of the planning commissions Aug. 4 meeting had not yet been received.

On Aug. 25, Assistant City Manager Aeric Ripley said the planning commission is scheduled to meet on Sept. 13 to formally approve the minutes of its Aug. 4 meeting, and the city commission is scheduled to meet on Sept. 14 to vote to either approve or deny the rezoning request.

Costanzo told the Epoch Times, Whatever happens on September 14, I think this thing is going to be with us for some time.

Great Lakes Justice Centers senior legal counsel Dave Kallman, a Lansing attorney, said he has been approached by two separate parties in Alma for advice on what to do next in the event the city commission reverses the recommendation of denial by the planning commission.

One party said it looks like the city commission will cave and reverse the denial, said Kallman. I told them both they could proceed on a political track, such as a maximum pressure campaign, including threats of recall before the vote, vote them out of office in the next election, or look at litigation.

Kallman, who has reviewed the Civil Rights Departments letter, told the Epoch Times, Its a not-so-veiled threat. It is an inappropriate and threatening letter.

Think about it. This letter did not come through regular channels. Normally, these things are handled by some lower-level official. This letter came from the director himself. I wonder who informed him? Who brought the director of the Michigan Civil Rights Department into this routine local zoning decision?

Kallman said it appears to him to be a preemptive strike, delivered before the city commission has even voted. They are calling it a civil rights violation before any decision has been made. Thats like saying Were warning you in advance, if we dont get the right outcome, you can expect us to come down on you.

The city commission should not give in to that kind of threat, Kallman said.
Modern Medicine and Human Dignity

Commentary

Is modern medicine stripping us of our humanity? Without its amazing technical advances, some of us would not be alive to discuss the question. But in its materialist, spiritually impoverished understanding of the human being, as ethicist Charles Camosy puts it in his new book, Losing Our Dignity, medicine is at risk of reducing itself to a kind of organic plumbing and carpentry.

Modern secularism at the same time reduces us as persons to our autonomy and capacity to make choices. It thereby excludes whole classes of human beings who lack the will, power, or cognitive ability to make conscious choices.

Do physicians and health systems with this bias regard unwanted prenatal children, or people with severe brain damage or Down syndrome, neurodegenerative disease, or late-stage dementia, as less than human and unworthy of their ministrations?

Are we losing our dignity as secularized medicine undermines our fundamental human equality?

Secularizing Medicine

For most of human history, Camosy says, the practice of healing and the practice of religious faith were closely connected. Often the healer and the religious figure were the same person.

In recent years, bioethicists who are hostile to religion have reoriented medicine. They aim to exclude ultimate considerations, especially religious ones, about the meaning and nature of human life and death from the practice of medicine.

The result has been a growing tendency to separate the concept of a human being, a fellow member of our species, from that of a person who has the capacity to choose. All persons are human beings in this view, but not all human beings are persons.

In contrast, we are, so Jews and Christians have believed for millennia, fundamentally equal as persons made in the image of God. For that reason, we share inherent dignity and worth regardless of age, stage of development, capacities, state of health, dependency, cognitive ability, or autonomy.

Some 2,500 years ago, even before the emergence and spread of Christianity throughout the West, the Oath of Hippocrates committed physicians first and foremost to the good of patients. Those who took the oath committed themselves to an ethic of curing and not killing. They undertook first to do no harm. Specifically, they bound themselves not to commit or collude in abortions or euthanasia, voluntary or involuntary, killing or suicide.

In 1948, the World Medical Association, shaken by the horrific behavior of physicians in Nazi medical experimentation, issued a 1948 ethical code, the Declaration of Geneva, and a physicians pledge. The pledge committed those who took it to maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception, even under threat. Later, the phrase from its beginning replaced the specific and unambiguous phrase from the time of conception, and the whole clause disappeared in 2005.

The Hippocratic Oath was also amended over the course of the 20th century to remove prohibitions on killing, assisted killing, and abortion. The oath, as taken today by graduating medical students, has been transformed from its original focus on protecting patients to one about physicians and their professional rights and responsibilities.

Its symptomatic that the Roe v. Wade ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973, written by Justice Harry A. Blackmun, is concerned primarily not with the claims or rights of women to control their own bodiesthe body of the prenatal child they were carrying no longer counted as a human person. The word fetus, the Latin word for offspring, served in this context to medicalize and dehumanize the child in the womb when its life was in question. Such language was never used in terms of a fetus kicking in the womb or fetus showers for potential babies.

The predominant concern of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was not with women and the constitutional rights claimed on their behalf. It was with protecting physicians from prosecution for carrying out abortions and thereby killing one of the two patients the law recognized as being involved in pregnancy and its procured termination.

Other concernswith abortions potential for improving the quality and reducing the size of the populationwere already present in the pro-abortion camp. But they were given little public expression in the arguments or ruling in Roe v. Wade. They were too obviously discriminatory against the poor and people of color.

Black leaders at the time, such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, denounced abortion as murder and black genocide. Jackson later changed his position to that of the now solidly pro-abortion Democrats. But today, abortion rates continue at much higher levels among blacks than whites, Asians, or Hispanics. Abortions now outnumber live births of black babies in New York City.

The use of euphemisms has disguised the reality that Roe v. Wade unleashed the taking of human life on a vast scale (with some 60 million dying by abortion in the United States since 1973), with ever more macabre dehumanizing terms. Calling abortion services reproductive health care has become standard, though they arent oriented to reproduction or health or care, as has calling an unborn baby a blob of tissue or a product of conception.

The Expanding Circle of Non-Persons

The move to legalize and normalize abortion remains at the cutting edge of a wider movement within modern medicine and law to exclude categories of human beings from the circle of those protected by a right to life, a right not to be killed without due process as assured by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution adopted in 1868 in the aftermath of slavery.

In their amicus brief (pdf) to the Supreme Court in the upcoming Dobbs case on abortion law, renowned legal scholars John Finnis and Robert P. George argued (and provided persuasive documentation for) the view that the amendment was understood at the time it was adopted and long after to assure equal protection of the law for Americans of all races, childrenborn and unbornand adults. It protected prenatal babies from abortion, which many states declared illegal at all stages.

Bioethics, meanwhile, has moved in the opposite direction, defining certain human beings as being outside the circle of persons and unprotected from measures to terminate their lives.

Camosy examines how secularized medicine in our throwaway culture denies fundamental equality with the rest of us to those who are no longer productive or useful. It defines some patients who are deemed to lack cognitive capacitylike those with severe brain damage, neurodegenerative disease, or advanced dementiaas already dead or as hopeless cases or as too much of a burden on others.

Britains Death Cult: Death in a Childs Best Interest

Recent and current cases in Britains National Health Service (NHS) show that even when doctors and hospitals in other countries are willing to continue treatment as the family wants, the NHS may insist on maintaining custody of the patient and terminating life.

Camosy discusses one of these cases, that of Alfie Evans, but as Bonnie Chernin puts itin her essay about a 2-year-old Israeli girl, Alta Fixler, with severe brain damage and the NHSs refusal to release her so she could be treated in Israel or the United States, as the parents wantIn the United Kingdom, the killing of disabled children by court order is becoming routine, and once again, the British courts have failed a disabled toddler. The NHS insisted that the child should be kept in their custody so that they could allow her to die, a fate that the British courts ruled was in the childs best interest.

Our Moral Status

We should acknowledge, Camosy argues, that moral statusand fundamental human equalityis based on the nature of an individual, based on the kind of thing they are. And in our case, the kind of thing is a human animal.

Where physicians and courts define individuals in terms of their capacity to be autonomous, and not in terms of their common nature and fundamental equality, we are all at risk of losing our dignity and our lives. Those judged as unworthy of life, of the protection of the law, and of a profession once dedicated to healing and doing no harm, face exclusion from the human family while still alive.

Camosy shows how economic calculation has played an important role in this dehumanizing process, as patients are seen as a burden on resources of families and health care systems, their organs coveted for transplant to others, their beds needed for other patients. They are, in terms of utilitarian calculus, worth more dead than alive.

We are all dependent on others, especially at conception and birth, in infancy, childhood, disability, sickness, old age, and dying. We are born into and depend on networks of uncalculated giving and gracious receiving.

Millions of us are headed toward declining years with advanced-stage dementia. The economic and ideological pressures promoting aggressively irreligious bioethics will not easily dissipate. They are transforming medicine and dehumanizing society.

Reversing Course

Reversing course will not be easy. Concepts of human dignity and fundamental equality were rare before Christianity became culturally influential. Slavery was universal, while abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia were common and socially accepted, notwithstanding the Hippocratic Oath of physicians.

Changing direction and restoring the dignity and humanity of which we are being shorn requires a profound shift in how we view human life. Its a matter not only of rethinking health care, but also of a wider cultural or religious reawakening.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A medical staff member prepares Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to be administered at the newly-opened mass vaccination center in Tokyo, Japan on May 24, 2021. (Carl Court/Pool/File Photo via Reuters)

Moderna Vaccine Production Continues in Spain Amid Contamination Probe: EMA

The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has instructed a Spanish plant on Friday to continue producing Modernas COVID-19 vaccine after about 1.63 million doses got suspended due to reports of contamination.

Earlier this week, the Japanese Ministry of Health said they received information that foreign materials were found in at least 390 dosesor 39 vialsof the Moderna vaccine that was coming from multiple vaccination sites, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

The U.S.-based pharmaceutical company said contamination could be due to a manufacturing issue on one of the production lines at its contract manufacturing site in Spain, operated by Madrid-based Rovi.

COVID-19 vaccine production in Rovi is able to continue, following a preliminary risk assessment of the information received so far, EMA told news agency Reuters in a statement on Friday, noting that it did not find reasons to seek a temporary suspension of production after an initial assessment.

An investigation into the root cause is ongoing. EMA will be able to provide more information as the investigation progresses, it added.

A spokesperson for Roviwhich bottles Moderna vaccines for markets outside of the U.S.said the contract drug-making company could not say anything more while it was investigating the incident.

Takeda Pharmaceutical, a Japanese drugmaker distributing Moderna vaccines in Japan, received the contamination reports.

The logo of Japanese drug maker Takeda Pharmaceutical is displayed at the companys Tokyo office in Tokyo on April 25, 2018. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images)

At first, one batch with a total of 565,400 doses was discovered and put on hold. Two more batches were found later and also put under investigation. Japans health ministry requested distribution centers not to use the 1.63 million vaccine doses altogether. The vaccines were shipped to more than 800 centers nationwide.

Moderna confirmed in a statement they were notified by Takeda and launched an investigation, explaining they are working expeditiously with the Japanese company to address the reports. Moderna has described it as a particulate matter that did not pose a safety or efficacy issue.

Officials said that an unknown number of doses from the affected lot have been administered, but there have been no reported adverse effects thus far. Takeda released the numbers of the three batches in a statement: 3004667, 3004734, and 3004956.

It is unclear whether the issue affected supplies of the Moderna vaccine to other countries.

Mimi Nguyen Ly and Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Mont-St-Michel: The French Island Whose Origins Are Steeped in Legends and Dreams

Rising from the sea like something from a fairy tale, Mont-Saint-Michel challenges your sense of reality. An island thats sometimes not an island. A geological wonder thats also a geographic oddity. A fortress and an abbey and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At high tide, the whole place seems to hover over the water, and when its out, the seemingly impregnable surroundings become a sandy stretch explored by the curious and the brave. But one thing is certain: When you arrive and see it for the first timeramparts, stonework, and buildings that seem to grow right out of the granite, all crowned by a soaring steeple capped by an angelyou wont quite believe your eyes.

Situated in the English Channel just off Frances Normandy coast, a visit here will take you back some 1,300 years. Its currently home to fewer than 50 people, mostly monks and nuns who reside in the abbey. Once you arrive, go wander (and maybe get lost). Enter through the Kings Gate and make your way through the shops and cafes along the Grande Rue. Sit and soak up the haunting sound of a hymn in the abbey. Be still, and watch the transformation created by the tides.

And it all started with a dreamactually, threeor so the legend goes. They say that back in the early eighth century, the archangel Michael (Michel, in French) appeared to Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, in his sleep. Twice, Michael told the man to establish a sanctuary in his name on what was then known as Monte-Tombe. The third time, he drove home the point, poking his finger into the bishops skull. Aubert responded, sending messengers to bring back the relics of the archangel from Italy, then dedicated the sanctuary in the year 709. (As a side trip, its worth checking out the Church of Saint-Gervais in Avranches, which has preserved the skull of Aubert, complete with its hole.)

Pilgrims followed, and layer upon layer, the place grew. In 966, the Duke of Normandy established a commune of Benedictine monks. By 1000, they had built the Church of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, now under the nave of the current abbey, and a place you can still visit. Kings of both France and England came here. The Gothic Merveille was created by medieval builders in the 13th century. Le Mont was a bastion, never captured during the Hundred Years War (13371453), repelling invaders with just a handful of knights on hand during furious sieges. And it was a prison, too, from the 17th to the 19th century.

Now its a place to explore, starting with a closer examination of shifting worlds created by those tides. At low tide, the water recedes out to sea, meaning you can actually walk over, and all around, on dry land. But while predictable, they can also be treacherousanyone on the island will readily tell you stories about overzealous adventurers who didnt watch their time and ended up in a bad spot. Some of Europes most dramatic tides, rushing in at 200 feet per minute and rising as much as 45 feet, also create pools of quicksand that can trap the unwary. Fortunately, you can book a walking tour with a guide who is well aware of all the factors at play. Doing so is a cool opportunity to get a new perspective on the island, looking up from its base, over the ramparts, to the golden figure of Michael, at more than 300 feet high, triumphing over a dragon.

Mont-St-Michel is also home to some worthwhile museums, including one dedicated to local maritime culture and ecology, and an archeoscope, a multimedia show based on the history and whimsical stories here. Its also a great spot for souvenir hunting, a tradition that dates back to the days of the pilgrims. And make sure to take your time when you visit the abbey.

Make your way along the winding streets in town to the top of the mount, proceeding inside after paying the entrance fee of 10 euros (about $12). A walk-through will take you through the centuries of construction, blending a wide spectrum of styles. But youll marvel at the Merveille. A gothic wonder that includes three layered levels and 16 buttresses, this crown jewel of the abbey was built during the power and prosperity of 13th-century Normandy. This section took 17 years to construct and rises 115 feet. Each floor serves a unique purposeon the lowest, the chaplaincy met weary pilgrims arriving at their destination. On the second, a dining hall where fireplaces once warded off the chilly night air. On top, the cloisters and the monks refectory.

You can tarry, inspecting the fine handiwork, the result of centuries of painstaking labor to achieve this masterpiece. And when at last you must go, be careful. Shifting sands and rising tides may accompany your departure from Mont-St-Michel.

If You Go

When to Go: Summer is high season; visit from March to October for good weather.

Safety: Keep watch on some of Europes most dramatic tides, which while predictable, can be treacherous. There is the option of booking a walking tour with a guide.

Getting There: Fly to Paris, where you can rent a car or take a 4-hour train ride to Saint-Malo.

Accommodations: The seaside city offers everything from budget B&Bs to the regal Le Grand Hotel des Thermes, and many restaurants offer top-notch seafood. Make sure to enjoy the famous omelette at La Mere Poulard.

Side Trips: The D-Day landing beaches are less than two hours away by car. Visit Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold and Sword, plus Pegasus Bridge and Saint-Mere-Eglise, and a series of excellent museums along the way. And in Bayeux, stop in to see the famed tapestry, stretching more than 200 feet and telling the story of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, speaks at a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on March 13, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

More Attacks Expected, US Flag to Fly at Half-Staff After Kabul Carnage

The United States says it is bracing for repeat attacks by the ISIS terrorist group following Thursdays lethal blasts outside Kabuls international airport that left at least 85 dead, including 13 U.S. troops.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, shortly after the attacks, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, said he expected attacks by ISIS to continue, including possibly rockets or car-bombs targeting the airport.

U.S. forces are doing everything possible to prepare for those attacks, he said.

ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate, claimed responsibility for the blasts, bragging about a suicide bomber managing to penetrate all the security fortifications put into place by U.S. forces and the Taliban.

The threat from ISIS is extremely real, McKenzie warned on Thursday. Weve been talking about this several days, we saw it actually manifest itself here in the last few hours, with an actual attack.

He said the United States believes it is the terrorist groups desire to continue those attacks.

We expect those attacks to continue. And were doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks, he added.

The bombings took place at or near the Abbey Gate, which sits on the eastern side of the airport, late on Aug. 26 local time. One bomb went off at the gate before at least one other exploded near the Baron Hotel, situated a short distance from the gate.

Photographs showed injured and bloodied people, with dozens of Afghans among those wounded or killed.

A health official and a Taliban official said the toll of Afghans killed had risen to 72, including 28 Taliban members, although a Taliban spokesman later denied that any of their fighters guarding the airport perimeter had been killed.

The U.S. military said 13 of its service members were killed.

In an address to the nation from the White House on Thursday, President Joe Biden vowed to strike ISIS in retaliation for the bombings.

To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. Ill defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command, Biden said.

The president has directed military officials to draw up plans to strike ISIS facilities and fighters.

We will respond with force and precision at our time, at a place we choose, at a moment of our choosing, he said.

These ISIS terrorists will not win. America will not be intimidated.

Today, the area around the #Airport is empty, but it is said that the threat from the gates of the #kabulairport has not yet been resolved. pic.twitter.com/rteju1MmvN  Natiq Malikzada (@natiqmalikzada) August 27, 2021

Founded in 2015, Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, is a sworn enemy of the Taliban and the United States. It had been quiet since Kabul was taken over by the terrorist group on Aug. 15, raising concerns that it had been plotting a large-scale attack.

ISIS deems the Talibans rule to be insufficiently Islamic, and believes the terrorist group prides themselves for their focus on global, not local, jihad.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said that it was conducting a Taliban investigation into the attacks.

Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow for counterterrorism and homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Politico on Thursday that the Taliban is overwhelmed.

They are very effective at bullying and victimizing civilians, but they are incompetent at battling groups that look like themselves, he added.

Biden on Thursday said he and First Lady Jill Biden are outraged by the attacks and heartbroken for the losses, adding that their hearts are aching for the families who lost loved ones.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the U.S. flag will be flown at half-staff until the evening of Aug. 30, to honor the victims killed in the terrorist attack on Aug. 26.

As a mark for respect, starting today, the United States flag will be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds  until sunset on Aug. 30, 2021, in honor of the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Kabul, Psaki said.

Biden said that he is also directing that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

Meanwhile, the United States is racing to complete evacuations as time runs out ahead of Bidens self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline to pull out remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

McKenzie said on Thursday that there were still about 1,000 American citizens in the country.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent supervises as immigrants board a bus to a processing center in Roma, Texas on Aug. 14, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Nearly 8,700 Criminals Arrested at Southern Border in Past 10 Months, Including Repeat Sex Offenders

Over the past 10 months, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have arrested 8,691 known criminals who have entered the U.S. illegally through the southern border. Combined, they have committed 12,685 crimes in the U.S., according to federal data.

Because Border Patrol agents do not have access to criminal records from other countries, they rely on information reported in the National Crime Information Center database. Many individuals arrested by Border Patrol are registered sex offenders who were previously convicted and served time in U.S. prisons. They were released and deported only to reenter the U.S. again illegally this year.

The NCIC is a centralized automated database designed to share information among law enforcement agencies including outstanding warrants for a wide range of offenses. Based on information from NCIC, Border Patrol officers have made previous arrests of individuals wanted on charges of homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion.

In a recent Laredo, Texas, Border Patrol Sector report, among a group of 20 apprehended this week, one was a Honduran national and registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history. He was convicted of lewd lascivious battery and sexual activity with a minor in 2017 in Florida and was deported in October 2020.

His arrest, the Laredo Sector said in a news release, continues to highlight the dangers that illegal immigration poses to our country especially by those individuals who have been previously convicted for sexual misconduct. These dangerous criminals increasingly continue to endanger our communities and show a lack of regard for our countrys laws.

In another apprehension, Laredo agents detained a Mexican national wanted for allegations of rape out of Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sexual violence can have serious psychological, emotional and physical effects on a survivor. CBP collaborates with other law enforcement agencies to bring those allegedly committing these offenses to justice, Acting Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores said.

In another arrest in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector, agents apprehended a convicted murderer from El Salvador. He spent three years in prison in the 1990s for a murder in California, was released, and in 2005 was imprisoned again for re-entry of a deported alien, according to border patrol.

They also arrested a Mexican national who had been previously arrested for first-degree attempted sexual abuse of a child in Lexington, Kentucky. He was sentenced to one year in prison, registered as a sex offender, and then deported only to reenter the U.S. illegally this month and be caught.

Agents also arrested a Honduras national who had been arrested in 2011 in New York City for raping an 8-year-old girl multiple times. He was sentenced to four years in prison, released, and subsequently deported in June 2015. In another arrest, an El Salvador national had a 2009 conviction for sexual battery in Georgia. The individuals were apprehended after attempting to reenter the U.S. illegally this month.

This fiscal year, RGV agents working in the busiest sector in Texas also arrested more than 140 migrant gang members affiliated with 10 different street gangs.

The Del Rio sector reported a 1,400 percent surge in the number of sex offenders apprehended by its border agents this year compared to last year.

In the El Centro Sector of California, a registered sex offender with a previous felony conviction for child molestation in Atlanta, Georgia, was arrested. He had been previously deported and was caught upon illegal re-entry.

The El Centro Sector has so far arrested and/or removed 38 individuals either convicted or wanted on sexual offense charges so far this fiscal year.

As of June 30, Border Patrol agents had arrested 353 illegal immigrants on charges of sex-related crimes, many with prior convictions involving minors. By comparison, during the same period in the fiscal year 2020, agents had only apprehended 55 such criminals. The difference represents an increase of 542 percent.

The Biden administration directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cancel Operation Talon, a nationwide operation conducted by ICE to remove convicted sex offenders illegally in the U.S.

In February, attorneys general from 18 states wrote a letter to Biden, expressing outrage over cancelling Operation Talon, citing criminal statistics.

Between October 2014 and May 2018, they note, ICE arrested 119,752 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, many with prior convictions for sex-related offenses. They included 5,565 sexual assault convictions, 4,910 child molestation convictions, and 675 child exploitation and child pornography or sexual performances convictions.

The cancellation of this program effectively broadcasts to the world that the United States is now a sanctuary jurisdiction for sexual predators. This message creates a perverse incentive for foreign sexual predators to seek to enter the United States illegally and assault more victims, both in the process of unlawful migration and after they arrive, the attorneys general wrote.

By Bethany Blankley
Need Amid Plenty

Richest US counties are overwhelmed by surge in child hunger

Alexandra Sierra carried boxes of food to her kitchen counter, where her 7-year-old daughter, Rachell, stirred a pitcher of lemonade.

Oh, my God, it smells so good! Sierra, 39, said of the bounty shed just picked up at a food pantry, pulling out a ready-made salad and a container of soup.

Sierra unpacked the donated food and planned lunch for Rachell and her siblings, ages 9 and 2, as a reporter watched through FaceTime. She said she doesnt know what theyd do without the help.

The family lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, a dense grouping of 70 municipalities opposite Manhattan with about 950,000 people whose median household income ranks in the top 1 percent nationally. But Sierra and her husband, Aramon Morales, never earned a lot of money and are now out of work because of the pandemic.

The financial fallout of COVID-19 has pushed child hunger to record levels. The need has been dire since the pandemic began and highlights the gaps in the nations safety net.

While every U.S. county has seen hunger rates rise, the steepest jumps have been in some of the wealthiest counties, where overall affluence obscures the tenuous finances of low-wage workers. Such sudden and unprecedented surges in hunger have overwhelmed many rich communities, which werent nearly as ready to cope as places that have long dealt with poverty and were already equipped with robust, organized charitable food networks.

Data from the anti-hunger advocacy group Feeding America and the U.S. Census Bureau show that counties seeing the largest estimated increases in child food insecurity in 2020 compared with 2018 generally have much higher median household incomes than counties with the smallest increases. In Bergen, where the median household income is $101,144, child hunger is estimated to have risen by 136 percent, compared with 47 percent nationally.

That doesnt mean affluent counties have the greatest portion of hungry kids. An estimated 17 percent of children in Bergen face hunger, compared with a national average of around 25 percent.

But help is often harder to find in wealthier places. Missouris affluent St. Charles County, north of St. Louis, population 402,000, has seen child hunger rise by 69 percent and has 20 sites distributing food from the St. Louis Area Foodbank. The city of St. Louis, pop. 311,000, has seen child hunger rise by 36 percent and has 100 sites.

Theres a huge variation in how different places are prepared or not prepared to deal with this and how theyve struggled to address it, said Erica Kenney, assistant professor of public health nutrition at Harvard University. The charitable food system has been very strained by this.

Eleni Towns, associate director of the No Kid Hungry campaign, said the pandemic undid a decades worth of progress on reducing food insecurity, which last year threatened at least 15 million kids.

And while President Joe Bidens COVID relief plan, which he signed into law March 11, promises to help with anti-poverty measures such as monthly payments to families of up to $300 per child this year, its unclear how far the recently passed legislation will go toward addressing hunger.

Its definitely a step in the right direction, said Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. But its hard to know what the impact is going to be.

Need Grows in Places of Plenty

After the pandemic struck, the federal government boosted benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and offered Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to compensate for free or reduced-price school meals while children were schooled from home.

Sierras family saw their SNAP benefits of about $800 a month rise slightly and got two of those P-EBT payments, worth $434 each. But at the same time, they lost their main sources of income. Sierra had to leave her Amazon warehouse job when the kids school went remote, and Morales stopped driving for Uber when trips became scarce and he feared getting COVID-19 on top of his asthma.

Federal relief wasnt enough for them and many others. So they flocked to food pantries.

In theory, pantries and the food banks that supply them are part of an emergency system designed for short-term crises, Schwartz said.

The problem is, theyve actually become a standard source of food for a lot of people.

In Bergen County, the Center for Food Action helped 40,500 households last year, up from 23,000 the year before. In Eagle County, Colorado, where Vail ski resort is located, the Community Market food bank saw its client load nearly quadruple to 4,000. And outside Boston, in the affluent Massachusetts county of Norfolkwhere Feeding America data shows child hunger jumped to 16 percent of kids from an estimated 6 percentDedham Food Pantrys clients tripled to 1,800.

This is just out of control compared to other times, said Lynn Rogal, vice president of the Dedham pantry, which opened in 1990.

Pantry managers said a disproportionate number of clients are from minority groups. Many lost jobs in the eviscerated service sector that undergirds the wealthier parts of their counties. Julie Yurko, CEO of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, said up to half of her current clients have never sought help before.

In early January, we had a white minivan pull up with three kids, 5 and younger. It ran out of gas sitting there, Yurko said. The mom was sobbing, and her beautiful children were sitting there watching her.

Kelly Sirimoglu, spokesperson for New Jerseys Center for Food Action, said the stigma around seeking help can be worse in wealthy areas. She said some people tell her, I never thought I would be in line for food.

Advocates said the reluctance to seek help means the need is likely even larger than it appears.

Katie Wilson of St. Charles, Missouri, said she heard about a food pantry run by the Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service from a friend of a friend. She almost didnt go. The single mom of two children, 11 and 9, lost her job as a hotel auditor in June and tried to squeak by without income for two months.

We found ourselves in a situation where it was a heat or eat kind of thing, said Wilson, 42, describing having to choose between heating her home or buying food. It took me looking around and saying, There is nothing to eat.

Struggling to Meet the Need

As hunger has become more visible, donations to food charities have risen. But they dont address the core problem of an infrastructure that doesnt match the new need. Some pantries are open just a few hours a week in church basements, a far cry from those that operate regularly and look like supermarkets. Many small pantries struggled to shift to outdoor food distribution during the pandemic or find new helpers when the few, often senior, volunteers felt unsafe doing the work.

It definitely is harder in these places, said Yurko, whose food bank distributes to Kendall County, Illinois, which has just three pantries for its population of 129,000. The safety nets are not as robust.

A strong safety net also requires pantries to cooperate with one another and the broader array of local social services. Thats been happening for years in Flint, Michigan, said Denise Diller, executive director of Crossover Downtown Outreach Ministry, which runs a pantry. Agencies and community leaders banded together in 2014 when lead poisoned the drinking water.

When COVID occurred, we were already kind of ready, Diller said.

So was Atlanta. As in Flint, hunger was never hidden there; 15 percent of children in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, faced hunger before the pandemic. After COVID-19 suspended volunteer shifts, the Atlanta Community Food Bank asked the Georgia National Guard to help sort, pack, warehouse, and deliver food to help meet the needs of the estimated 22 percent of kids experiencing hunger. The food bank also partnered with seven school districts on more than 30 mobile pantries.

Such coordination and connections were lacking in Bergen County, where 80 pantries worked mostly in isolation when the pandemic hit, County Commissioner Tracy Zur said.

They werent collaborating. They were going along the same path they had for decades, she said. There was this need to break out of the old way of doing things and work together to be more impactful.

Zur spearheaded the creation of a food security task force in July, reaching out to municipal and faith leaders. Goals include feeding people, connecting them to other services, and turning some emergency food programs into full-fledged pantries.

Building an infrastructure is painstaking and ongoing, she said.

Now, Zur said, pantries are starting to share with one another when one gets a large donation of perishable items such as eggs or milk.

With the need so widespread, residents do much the same.

During a recent pantry trip, Sierra, the New Jersey mom, popped the trunk of her 1999 Toyota and rummaged through the two big boxes that volunteers had just placed there. She pointed to eggs, chicken, bread, butter, cheese, and apples, observing, I have more than I need.

But she said it would never go to waste. Any extra would go to neighbors and their hungry children.

Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and data editor Elizabeth Lucas contributed to this story.
New Jersey to Lower Gas Tax Rate by 8.3 Cents, First Time Since Inception in 2016

New Jersey Department of Treasury announced on Tuesday that the gas tax rate in the state will decrease by 8.3 cents per gallon beginning Oct. 1. It is the first gas tax reduction since its inception in 2016.

The law enacted in 2016 in New Jersey imposed a tax on gasoline and diesel fuel purchases by motorists to generate funding for maintenance and improvement of the states roadways and bridges. The tax has been expected to provide $16 billion over eight years.

The law dictates that the gas tax rate must be adjusted each year in order to generate roughly $2 billion per year, according to a statement by the state department of treasury.

The rate adjustment is made annually by the state government upon reviewing the actual gas tax revenue collection and the projection of fuel consumption for the current fiscal year.

The tax rate can be increased if there was a shortfall in meeting the tax revenue goal during the prior year or if the fuel consumption estimated for the current year will be insufficient to reach that goal.

Likewise, if in the prior year the government collected more taxes than required by the law or the estimated fuel consumption is higher than the amount needed to achieve the target, the tax rate can be lowered.

Last year, the state officials predicted for 2021 a decline of fuel consumption by about 20 percent from the target required by law, according to an analysis paper by the state Department of Treasury. Also, the last years actual gas tax revenue was $154 million below the target due to state-wide restrictions related to the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

As a result, the tax rate was raised by 9.3 cents in October 2020, the paper said.

This summer, the New Jersey government estimated that the fuel consumption will be only about 14 percent below the target level prescribed by the law, and the actual gas tax revenues exceeded the estimate by nearly 3 percent, according to the paper.

Therefore the State of New Jersey made a decision to lower the gas tax rate, the state Treasury said in the statement.

When the tax law went into effect in 2016 the gas tax was increased by 22.6 cents. Since then it has been increased twice: in 2018 by 4.3 cents, and in 2020 by 9.3 cents.

Currently, the gas tax in New Jersey reached 50.7 cents and this is the fourth-highest rate in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation.

New Jersey Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio said in the statement, Because actual consumption in Fiscal Year 2021 was so closely in line with our projections made last August, coupled with the fact that consumption in the current fiscal year is projected to be above last fiscal years levels, our analysis of the formula dictates an 8.3 cent decrease this coming October.

New Jersey Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R) noted in a statement that the gas tax hike of 9.3 cents which was made in 2020 was unusually high.

The gas tax was raised only $4.3 cents in 2019 to fill a $125 million deficit. The deficit last year was $156 million. A one-cent increase is typically akin to roughly $50 million in tax revenue. Depressed traffic due to Covid-19 changed revenue estimates, which were undershot by nearly $60 million, New Jersey Republican Assembly members said in the statement.

Treasury is saying their projections were on point because they projected a major gas tax cut before the election, alleged DiMaso, a member of the Assembly Budget Committee.

The Epoch Times reached out to New Jersey Department of the Treasury for comments.

A gubernatorial election is set to take place in November this year, where the incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Murphy will run for re-election against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former New Jersey Assemblyman.
A runner exercises along Tamaki Drive on Auckland's waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

New Zealand Extends COVID Lockdown Until Next Week

New Zealand on Friday extended pandemic restrictions by four days after which they will be eased slightly, although businesses and schools will remain shut and the biggest city Auckland will be locked down for longer.

New Zealand had been largely virus-free, barring a small number of cases in February, but that changed last week after an outbreak of the Delta coronavirus variant erupted, prompting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order a nationwide lockdown.

The outbreak, which has so far infected nearly 350 people, may be reaching its peak, Ardern said at a news conference.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Post Cabinet COVID-19 lockdown update of a shift to level 3 on Wednesday in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 27, 2021. (Robert Kitchin/Pool/Getty Images)

We may be seeing the beginning of a plateau of cases, Ardern said. But caution is still required.

She ordered all of New Zealand, except Auckland and Northland, the countrys northernmost region, to move one step lower to alert level three restrictions from Wednesday, Sept. 1.

This means businesses can only operate for online orders and contactless services, and bars and restaurants remain shut except for takeaways. Public venues remain closed, while the number of people at weddings and funerals is limited to 10 people.

Yes, you might be able to order some food, but there is not a lot more in terms of freedoms, Ardern said.

Meanwhile, nearly two million people residing in Auckland and neighbouring Northland will remain in full level four lockdown, possibly for another two weeks, Ardern said.

Businesses Disappointed

The country reported 70 new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Friday, all in the epicentre Auckland, taking the total number of cases to 347.

Arderns tough lockdowns and international border closure in March 2020 helped rein in COVID-19, but the government now faces questions over a delayed vaccine rollout, as well as rising costs in a country heavily reliant on an immigrant workforce.

Just about 21 percent of the countrys 5.1 million people has been fully vaccinated, the slowest pace among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping.

Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson said the lockdown extension was disappointing.

Staff members perform a test at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa COVID-19 testing station during level 4 lockdown in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

While the government absolutely has to weigh any decision-making with the impact on public health, the reality is that ongoing lockdowns cannot be part of our long-term future, Watson said.

Mike Toweel, the founder of LED Display and Sign Specialist firm VitrineMedia NZ, told Reuters the lockdowns have been heartbreaking for small businesses.

We are all stakeholders in the New Zealand economy, Toweel said in a phone interview from Sydney. The Australian has been unable to return to New Zealand due to the border restrictions.

What the New Zealand government does not address is that every time they have this knee-jerk reaction they put another chink in the armour of business confidence.

Ardern has defended the governments position, saying elimination was the right strategy until everyone is vaccinated.

Our goal at the moment is to vaccinate more people than any other country in the world and at this rate New Zealand is doing very well, she said.

By Praveen Menon
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, on Aug. 25, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Not a Day for Politics: Psaki Answers US Lawmakers Calls for Biden to Resign

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday responded to calls from U.S. lawmakers urging President Joe Biden to resign after 13 U.S. service members were killed in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan.

Psaki told reporters during a press conference that today is not a day for politics, but to honor the memory of service membersas she also followed up on a message from the president that the United States will strike the ISIS terrorist group in retaliation for the Aug. 26 Kabul airport attacks.

I would say, first, this is a day where U.S. servicemembers12 of themlost their lives at the hands of terrorists. Its not a day for politics, Psaki said.

We would expect that any American, whether theyre elected or not, would stand with us and our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members and thats what this day is for, she added.

Psakis briefing was held at the time of an initial report from Pentagon officials that indicated that 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who were killed; a 13th service member died hours later, according to multiple reports.

More than a dozen House and Senate Republicans called on Thursday for Biden to resign, though Psaki was only asked about two Republican senators in particularlikely Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who joined a wave of politicians pushing for the president to leave the Oval Office.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks to reporters as he arrives to the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 20, 2020. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Joe Biden has now overseen the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in over a decade, and the crisis grows worse by the hour. We must reject the falsehood peddled by a feckless president that this was the only option for withdrawal. This is the product of Joe Bidens catastrophic failure of leadership. It is now painfully clear he has neither the will nor the capacity to lead. He must resign, Hawley said in a statement.

Blackburn issued a similar message on Thursday, blaming the Biden administration for having no plan and no strategy, putting Americans into direct harm and causing many casualties.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, and General Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office, she urged in a statement.

Others who have joined a wave of politicians and public figures calling the Biden administration incapable of handling the situation in Afghanistan are Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who said Biden has blood on his hands, as well as Congressman Tom Rice (R-S.C.), who blamed the president for rushing a haphazard withdrawal and ignoring advisors.

(L- R) Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Tom Rice (R-S.C.). (Courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives)

Well Joe, youve proven yourself incapable of handling your job as Commander in Chief. You ignored your advisors, rushed this haphazard withdrawal without appropriate conditions, and before evacuating our citizens and friends, Rice wrote in a statement.

Other prominent GOP congresswomen, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Lauren Boebert, also urged the president to face impeachment or step down.

Former President Donald Trump, who has been critical of Bidens handling of the situation in Afghanistan, issued a statement that offered condolences for the fallen service members and Afghans.

Melania and I send our deepest condolences to the families of our brilliant Service Members whose duty to the U.S.A. meant so much to them, Trump said. Our thoughts are also with the families of the innocent civilians who died today in the savage Kabul attack.

This tragedy should have never been allowed to happen, which makes our grief even deeper and more difficult to understand, he continued.

Then-President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump step out of Marine One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Jan. 20, 2021. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, bragging about a suicide bomber managing to penetrate all the security fortifications put into place by U.S. forces and the Taliban.

Biden said at the White House on Aug. 26 that the United States will strike back at ISIS and hunt down the terrorist group in retaliation to the Kabul bombings.

The president has already directed military officials to draw up plans to strike ISIS facilities and fighters. He said ISIS terrorists will not win and the United States will not be intimidated.

Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.

From NTD News
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 26)

Suicide bombers killed at least 70 people near the Kabul airport, President Joe Biden addresses the nation about the deadly Kabul airport attacks, and Beijing is opposing current sanctions against the Taliban.
Ocean Researchers Record Beautiful Undescribed Species of Red Jellyfish 2,300 Feet Under the Sea

Its been an exciting summer for ocean researcher Quinn Girasekwho played a role in the North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, cataloging previously unexplored habitats of the Atlantic Gulf Stream.

Although landlocked herself, the NOAA scholarship intern was part of an onshore team annotating organisms as they appeared live on divers cameras. And there was plenty to explore through her computer screens.

Highlights from the divetargeting the deep scattering layer (2001,000 meters/ 6563,281 feet underwater) along Hydrographer Canyoninclude several newly discovered species, and the spectacle of a beautiful red jellyfish (in the genus Poralia) seen on Dive 20, which may be an undescribed species.

(Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

My role during this expedition was annotating the water column dive, which took place on July 28, 2021, Quinn said. The annotations were added into SeaTube, an electronic database run by Ocean Networks Canada.

Using SeaTube, I was able to watch the dive live and annotate when an organism was spotted. The site is integrated with the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), which means after saving the annotation, a hyperlink to the identified organism in WoRMS shows up.

The timing of each encounter was also recorded, so anyone viewing the dive could see what organism theyre looking at. Additionally, notes were added for each organism so that researchers could glean more than just taxonomic data.

A beautiful red jellyfish (in the genus Poralia) may be an undescribed species. It was seen during the third transect of Dive 20 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, at a depth of 700 meters (2,297 feet). (Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

I made notes of which organisms were sampled and after the dive was over, I went into SeaTube and added the collection timestamps in the notes section, she said. I also took notes of potentially new and/or undescribed species. That was definitely a highlight and I cant wait until we learn more about those organisms!

Those who are interested can go into SeaTube and filter using the words new and collect to see the video footage taken of those newly discovered sea creatures.

During Dive 20 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, scientists were able to identify this undescribed ctenophore (or comb jelly) as belonging to the order Cydippida. It was seen during the 1,200-meter (3,937-foot) dive transect. (Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

This red ctenophore (in the genus Vampyroctena) was seen at a depth of 700 meters (2,297 feet) during Dive 20 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. (Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

This jellyfish (in the genus Solmissus) was collected during Dive 20 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition at a depth of 900 meters (2,953 feet). (Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

The dive also employed a remotely operated vehicle called Deep Discoverer, with a robotic arm and suction sampler to gather a limited number of organisms to be placed in one of five collection jars and stored on the unit. Quinn, an intern for the Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program, engaged with experts and participants from their homes across the globe via livestream, and communicated through online chat.

Among her favorite encounters were the ctenophore (genus Vampyroctena) and the cnidaria (genus Solmissus). They also encountered crustaceans and Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes), while documenting any interesting behavior observed, during the dive.

Overall, she added, Everyone was friendly and funny. I personally enjoyed the Olympics-related jokes and the excitement about the new jellyfish.

Quinn Girasek, a NOAA Hollings Scholar with NOAA Ocean Exploration, at her monitors annotating organisms in the water column seen during Dive 20 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. (Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts)

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
Trustee Mari Barke sits in an Orange County Board of Education meeting in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Board of Education Calls Out Critical Race Theory in Ethnic Studies

The Orange County Board of Education called out critical race theory (CRT) during its second ethnic studies forum, which included differing perspectives.

Moderated by Harriette Reid, five expert panelists gave opening and closing remarks and answered questions from the board during the meeting.

The motivation for ethnic studies is grounded in the idea that historically underserved communities dont see themselves in the curriculum, which is a really important goal to address, panelist Elina Kaplan, co-founder and president of the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies, said during the meeting on Aug. 24.

Kaplans concern, along with most of the panelists, was the infiltration of CRT in ethnic studies. CRT is an ideology that divides society into oppressors and the oppressed based on racial characteristics. Kaplan said when she first looked at the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) a couple of years ago, it looked familiar and reminded her of the indoctrination she received growing up in the Soviet Union.

What in the world is neo-Marxist dogma doing in a K12 ethnic studies curriculuma curriculum thats supposed to be focusing on building bridges of understanding between ethnic groups, building mutual respect? she said.

Kaplan said there are two forms of the ESMC that are being pushed in schools. One is liberation ethnic studies, which critiques white supremacy, racism, patriarchy, etc. The other is constructive ethnic studies, which focuses on the roles and experiences of different ethnic groups in American history.

In one case, the emphasis is more on the oppressed versus oppressor, on the colonialism, and so on. The other one, the emphasis is much more on building bridges and discussing racism, but in a way that addresses all the causes of racism, not just focus on the colonialism aspect, she said.

While ethnic studies can be valuable, she said, in the wrong handsand taught through the lens of CRTit can be counterproductive.

We can agree that we want our kids to get an education that teaches them how to respect each other, how to honor their differences, how to confront racism honestly and with mutual respect, Kaplan said.

If the majority of California and America knew what critical race theory-based ethnic studies was, they would not want it and we would not be here having this conversation.

Author and mathematician James Lindsay said CRT stretches back to Herbert Marcuse, a critical theorist that was widely popularized in the 1960s.

The point of [Marcuses] liberation critical theory is to induce psychopathologies in activists so that they find the life that we live in our society intolerable and require liberation in order to survive, to function in day-to-day society, Lindsay said during the discussion.

Lindsay said a meaningful debate about ethnic studies cant take place since the subject has been co-opted by critical theorists.

[Ethnic studies] has become a Trojan horse for a separate ideology, where the merits of ethnic studies may well be high enough to merit that being a program we want. Whereas the demeritsthe horror of critical race theorynow makes it impossible to have that debate, he said.

Lindsay pointed out that ethnic studies focus on diversity of race (rather than diversity of perspectives) because it believes in a doctrine called structural determinism, which says that systemically racist systems of power determine the outcomes for different races.

Inclusion, Lindsay said, also has a double meaning within ethnic studies.

Inclusion actually is biased based on these beliefs about power dynamics.  Inclusion actually means that only certain people must be given inclusion and belonging. It becomes instead in practice for these people that are implementing it to give justification for purges, justification for censorship.

Pastor D.A. Horton said ethnic studies allow students to feel affirmed, noticed, valued, and heard from regarding their cultural backgrounds.

If we teach ethnic studies with transferrable skills, it teaches us how to reduce those inter-ethnic and cross-ethnic conflicts through shared experiences, communication, and interpersonal relationship building, Horton said.

If you can define your terms about what the curriculum says, and the parents communicate and not allow somebody to hijack terminology, then you can help set the record straight and keep it straight and then you pass the baton to your children.

According to the University of California, the phrase there is only one race, the human race is considered a microaggression.

Cultural anthropologist Joe Nalven said that viewing the idea of there is only one race, the human race as a microaggression is a mistake if accepted to reframe anthropology and biology, as these fields of study consider the idea to be fundamentally true.

Youre taking a psychological issue and youre projecting it onto a sociological, biological science to disrupt the way in which science is taught, he said.

Psychiatrist Mark McDonald said that racism is no longer an obstacle to success in this country.

However, since the media and government are pushing the idea that American society is suffering from a crisis of racism and it necessitates CRT, then you can justify really any sort of irrational policy, he said.

What will happen if you spent 12 years in critical race theory indoctrination; wheres that going to lead? I dont know. But it scares me.
In this file image fourth graders pledge allegiance to the flag in a Pennsylvania elementary School on March 24, 2004. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Pennsylvania Republicans Reject Governors Request to Impose Masking on Schools and Child Care Facilities

Leaders of Pennsylvanias Republican-led legislature rejected Democratic Governor Tom Wolfs request that they call the legislature back into session and pass a mandate to require all schools and childcare centers to make children wear masks.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and House Speaker Bryan Cutler hand-delivered a letter to Wolfs office Thursday in response to Wolfs Wednesday letter in which he made the request, citing concerns of parents, pediatricians, and teachers.

Corman and Cutler acknowledge an increase in Pennsylvanias COVID-19 cases and they noted that one of the most effective ways to mitigate the virus is to urge those who can get vaccinated to do so.

The COVID-19 impact is not equal everywhere, the letter says, and while cases have been on the rise, Wolf previously said he would not impose any additional statewide mandates, and instead allow mitigation decisions to be made at a local level.

Your letter today is a stark departure from that position, Corman and Cutler wrote. At this late date, in many of our communities, local leaders have already made important decisions they believe are in the best interest of their residents and are prepared to adjust those decisions as challenges evolve.

The letter also asks for data that would show the effectiveness of vaccines.

We have asked for improved data from our state health officials regarding current case counts and exactly who is being the most impacted, the joint letter says. It is our understanding the overwhelming majority of the hospitalized patients in Pennsylvania are unvaccinated individuals, which, according to CDC recommendations, should already be wearing a mask. We once again ask for the data relating to new COVID-19 cases to be delineated according to the number of infections diagnosed in individuals who are unvaccinated as well as infections diagnosed in individuals who are vaccinated. All Pennsylvaniansboth vaccinated and unvaccinatedneed to know how their respective group is performing.

The legislatures leadership intends to continue allowing school districts and local leaders the authority to make mitigation and safety decisions without statewide interventions, they said.

Last year, under a state of emergency, Wolf imposed mandatory masking in most public places, including schools. Without the emergency order in place, he must work with the legislature to call for such requirements.

Lawmakers held a hearing in early August debating who has authority to require masks: school boards, the legislature, the governor, the department of health or education, or the individual.

At the time, Pennsylvanias Departments of Health and Education recommended schools follow guidance from the Center for Disease Control that includes social distancing, and for all students, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in school.

Since that hearing, many school boards have held their regular, local meetings which have been packed with parents with both opinions. Some school boards are requiring masks, others are not.

Pennsylvanias Department of Education could not say how many schools are requiring masks at this time.

Pennsylvanias House and Senate will be back in session in September.
Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 16, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Thousands of ISIS Terrorists Released in Afghanistan as US Expects Future Attacks: Pentagon

Several thousand ISIS-K terrorist members escaped Afghan prisons when the countrys government fell and the Taliban took over earlier this month, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Friday.

Clearly its in the thousands, Kirby said in response to a question about the number of ISIS terrorists who escaped in recent days. The Taliban, he said, emptied the prison at Bagram airbaselocated outside Kabulwhich had ISIS members.

The United States, he added, believes there are specific, credible threats against Kabul airport. We would expect future attempts against the facility, Kirby said.

The terrorist group, which has its origins in Syria and Iraq and has operated in Afghanistan since at least 2015, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Kabul airport that left dozens of people, including 13 U.S. service members, dead on Thursday. ISIS-K is also known as Islamic State Khorasan, an antiquated term to describe the region that encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Central Asian nations.

Reports have said that ISIS-K is primarily comprised of disgruntled former Taliban members. The two terrorist groups have fought each other during sporadic bursts of fighting over the past several years.

In 2017, former President Donald Trump ordered a U.S. military airstrike that dropped the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, known as the mother of all bombs, or MOAB, on caves that were being used by ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

ISIS-K in 2020 attacked an Afghan prison that left at least 29 people dead and freed a number of its members. A suicide bomber drove a vehicle filled with explosives into the prisons main gate before other ISIS terrorists moved through the gap, firing on the prison guards.

Clothes and blood stains of Afghan people who were waiting to be evacuated are seen at the site of the Kabul, Afghanistan airport on Aug. 27, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Several days ago, ISIS released a statement through its weekly Al-Naba publication and accused the Taliban of collaborating with the U.S. and Western forces. ISIS previously has accused the Taliban of being apostates and not following Sharia law closely enough.

Following Thursdays attack, President Joe Biden and other White House officials said that the United States would retaliate against the terror group.

Know this, Biden said to the attackers during White House remarks. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.

Without elaborating, We will respond with force and precision, at our time, at the place we choose, and at the moment of our choosing, Biden added. The U.S.-led evacuation of Kabul will continue, he added.

The president said, There is no evidence thus far that Ive been given by our commanders in the field that there has been collusion between the Taliban and ISIS in carrying out what happened today.

However, on Friday morning, Kirby said that U.S. officials are not sure whether the Taliban was involved in the terrorist attack or not.

Biden has faced a torrent of criticism from members of both major political parties for how his administration has handled the withdrawal of Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government and army. The White House has also taken flack for contradictory statements made by various officials, including Biden, in recent days.

During Thursdays press conference, Biden took some responsibility for the security lapse that allowed the terrorist attack, although he again pinned some of the blame on the deal that former President Donald Trump made with the Taliban, although Biden went back on key provisions in the Trump deal.
School students arrive for the first day school in Brisbane, Australia, May 11, 2020. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Pfizer Vaccine Approved for Australians Aged 12 to 15

Australians aged between 12 to 15 have been approved to receive the Pfizer vaccine from next month, according to the nations immunisation advisory body.

Bookings for adolescents in that age group will be open from Sept. 13 onwards after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) approved its use.

There is high level evidence indicating strong immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 in adolescents from clinical trials of Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna), ATAGI said in a statement, noting that Spikevax is being considered for approval next month.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison noted that rolling out the vaccine to that age group would speed up the current drive to get most of the population vaccinated.

Theres 1.2 million (12 to 15-year-olds) across Australia, and you can see that when we can get 1.8 million doses done in just a week, then the task of ensuring that we can also, in parallel, vaccinate 1.2 million 12 to 15-year-olds and achieve the levels that we would need to achieve there, is a task that is certainly well within the capability of the vaccination program, he told reporters on Thursday.

The prime minister also envisaged the GP network being a facilitator for child vaccination. That provides the opportunity for family vaccinations, for the family to get together across those age groups, he said.

A 12-year-old girl receives her COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination hub in Dubbo, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2021. (Belinda Soole/Getty Images)

Pfizer vaccines will also be available through pharmacists, vaccination centres, and state-run vaccine hubs.

Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said more children were being infected in 2021, partly because more adults were vaccinated.

While the numbers are there and we are finding cases in children, most are in family clusters, some have been related to school clusters, he said. But almost entirely, the disease in children is much less severe than it is in adults.

About 260,000 children with weak immune systems, disabilities, underlying health conditions, or were Indigenous, were already eligible for vaccinations.

Australian leaders have pinned their hopes on vaccination targets to ease the country out of constant lockdowns and public health-related restrictions.

In late July, the National Cabinetan intergovernmental body involving the prime minister and state and territory leadersagreed on a four-stage vaccination roadmap.

At the 70 percent vaccination mark, Phase B will be triggered, where stay-at-home orders and restrictions are still possible but will be unlikely.

Upon reaching the 80 percent vaccination target, Phase C is triggered, and the country will begin reopening international borders. Lockdowns however will need to be highly targeted while vaccinated residents will be exempt from domestic restrictions.

Meanwhile, the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday announced some basic freedoms would be offered to fully vaccinated Australians, after 6 million jabs were administered in the state.

From Sept. 13, vaccinated residents of the countrys most populous state will be allowed an extra hour of recreation time outdoors on top of the one hour of exercise already allowed.

The move received a mixed response from prominent Australian epidemiologists.

I think Gladys politically backed herself into a corner, because she had promised basically to do something at six million, Professor Nancy Baxter, head of the University of Melbournes School of Population and Global Health said.

I think it is very it is odd to relax restrictions when clearly the outbreak continues to grow, she told The Guardian.
Popcorn and Inspiration: The Long Voyage Home: John Fords Excellent Nautical Adventure

Approved | 1h 45min | Drama, War | 1940

The sea can offer many things. Whether for civilians or those enlisted in military service, shipping off to ports of call can be an adventure, with long voyages to distant, exotic locales. For others, it can be a means to escape problems or burdens on the home front.

One thing that separates military naval personnel from civilian mariners, besides the obvious differences in discipline, is that when a naval ship pulls into a port, sailors might get a little leave time, and then they have to report back to their ship. But when it comes to civilian crews, personnel can pull into port, get their pay for services rendered, and disappear.

Directed by John Ford during the height of his career, The Long Voyage Home tells the tale of one civilian ship and crewin this case, the crew of an English tramp freighter, the Glencairn. This movie is based on four one-act plays by playwright Eugene ONeill: Bound East for Cardiff, In the Zone, The Long Voyage Home, and The Moon of the Caribbees.

The film opens with the Glencairn and its crew as they travel through the Caribbean Islands. The ship is to pick up some important cargo from the West Indies and transport it back to England as World War II looms on the horizon. On board the aging freighter is a disparate, international cadre of deckhands, including Ole Olsen (John Wayne affecting a decent Swedish accent), a Swedish country bumpkin; Axel (John Qualen), Oles fellow Scandinavian and friend; Driscoll (Thomas Mitchell), a hard-drinking and fighting Irishman; Smitty (Ian Hunter), a constantly ruminating Englishman; and Donkeyman (Arthur Shields), the ships resident philosopher.

Ever-pensive Smitty (Ian Hunter, L) is consoled by the sage crew-hand Donkeyman (Arthur Shields), in The Long Voyage Home. (United Artists)

During the first act, we see that the men, however different, have formed strong bonds. The ships captain seems to realize that this particular crew can be rowdy at times and, as such, had forbidden them from going ashore. But when Driscoll (the crews de facto leader) arranges to have a small boatload of native ladies, exotic foods, and liquor board the shipthe captain eases up and allows his men to have a little fun.

However, the crew sees an inch and takes a nautical mile. Soon, they proceed to swill as much booze as they can get their hands on, crudely engage the women, and become more and more belligerent as the night goes on. Not surprisingly, the festivities devolve into a mass drunken brawl where many of the men take to slugging their friends just for the fun of it.

But we also get the first inkling as to how much Ole is protected by the crew: When he reaches for a bottle, Axel chides him for even considering a drink from it.

John Wayne (L) and John Qualen star in The Long Voyage Home. (United Artists)

To many of the men, Ole represents innocence. Although the Swede is tall and strong, hes also gentle and naive. And although hes simple-minded, the crew accepts Ole because of his straightforwardness and dependability. For example, when Driscoll returns from some fisticuffs with some of the locals (after sneaking off-ship), Ole straightens out some of the pugilistic Irishmans injured fingers. Another time, Ole carries a drunken Smitty safely back to their quarters, where he deposits the Englishman into his bunk.

Eventually, the men make it to England. Although theyve agreed to get Ole safely back home to his family in Sweden, they cant resist the allure of having one final party at a local bar. Once again, as the other men proceed to get drunk and rowdy, they make sure not to allow Ole to drink in order to protect him from becoming drunks like them. But when several scurrilous figures enact devious machinations around Ole, the crews guardianship is put to the test.

Axel (John Qualen, L) looking out for Ole (John Wayne), in The Long Voyage Home. (United Artists)

Although Ive heard that this film had a gloomy tone, I didnt find much of that at all. Besides the brooding Englishman Smitty, the characters seemed to be living like anyone would when far away from homesometimes homesick, but other times full of a lust for life and adventure.

If one thing is underscored in the film, it is the mens real sense of camaraderie and companionship. By the end of The Long Voyage Home, it is evident that these disparate characters looked out for one another no matter the circumstances, and thats a tremendously positive message.

The Long Voyage Home

Director: John Ford

Starring: John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter

Not Rated

Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 8, 1940

Rated: 4 stars out of 5



Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author based out of Los Angeles. To learn more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com or contact him at Twitter.com/ImIanKane
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of Medicine at Stanford University, at his home in California on April 17, 2021. (Tal Atzmon/The Epoch Times)

Professor of Medicine Says Data Does Not Show Occurrence of Antibody-Dependant Enhancement

News Analysis

Real-world data is not showing antibody-dependent enhancement of disease occurring in COVID-19 vaccinated populations, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in an interview on The Sharyl Attkisson Podcast on Sunday.

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), also known as vaccine-enhanced disease, occurs when certain antibodies produced by a vaccine dont protect an individual from infection but enhances viral entrance, making the disease worse.

Cases in places that are heavily vaccinated, cases go up but deaths dont go up nearly as much as they would have last year in an unvaccinated population, Bhattacharya said. Thats evidence against any macro-level impact of antibody-dependent enhancement.

You would have expected that death would actually go up relative to what it was last year if ADE was a really important phenomenon in the data. But thats not what Im currently seeing.

Instead, Bhattacharya says the data seems to suggest that there is a decoupling of cases and deaths, where although cases are rising, the fatality rate is not and may be declining.

You would have expected that death would actually go up relative to what it was last year if ADE was a really important phenomenon in the data but thats not what Im seeing, Bhattacharya said. Im seeing instead a decoupling of cases and deaths in the UK is dramatic, Iceland, dramatic, [and] Sweden.

Bhattacharya is a professor of medicine at Stanford University and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocates for the focused protection of high-risk people and argues against lockdowns.

A French study, published in the Journal of Infection, claimed ADE may be a concern for people who had received a COVID-19 vaccine with the delta variant being the dominant variant circulating in many countries around the world.

A medical staff member attends a patient suffering from COVID-19 in a ward at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel on Aug. 18, 2021. (Ammar Awad/File Photo via Reuters)

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, scientifically known as SAR-CoV2.

The researchers used molecular modeling to show that certain antibodies that do not neutralize the CCP virus had a higher affinity for Delta variants than the original virus strain that first emerged in Wuhan, China.

However, in the case of the Delta variant, neutralizing antibodies have a decreased affinity for the spike protein, whereas facilitating antibodies display a strikingly increased affinity, the authors wrote. Thus, ADE may be a concern for people receiving vaccines based on the original Wuhan strain spike sequence (either mRNA or viral vectors).

Although the modeling raised concerns about ADE, the researchers said that the rare phenomenon has not been observed with mass vaccination. However, they said that ADE should be further investigated with the delta variant.

Countries with high vaccination rates are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, even in severe disease and hospitalization.

Israel, with 78 percent of people 12 and older fully vaccinated, mostly with the Pfizer vaccine, is experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19. The country reported an infection rate of about 650 new daily COVID-19 cases per million people as of Aug. 20, according to Science. Breakthrough cases made up more than half of the new cases, many in people aged 60 and older with comorbidities.

Israel recorded the second-highest confirmed cases on Aug. 23 with 10,022 cases, with the highest daily cases of 10,118 cases reported in January 2021. Deaths have also been slowly creeping up but are not as high as the second or third wave, according to data from the Ministry of Health as of Aug. 26.

Dr. Kobi Haviv, medical director of Herzog Hospital, which specializes in nursing care for the elderly, said that 85 to 90 percent of the patients hospitalized in his hospital were people who already had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Scientists say the reason for the surge in breakthrough cases may possibly result from waning vaccine effectiveness and the ability of the delta variant to evade the vaccine.

A British study released on Aug. 19 that has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca were less effective against the delta variant, and that vaccinated people with breakthrough cases had high viral loads similar to unvaccinated individuals infected for the first time.

A study by the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) of an outbreak in Massachusetts found that 74 percent of the 469 cases in Barnstable County occurred in fully vaccinated people. Four of the five people who required hospitalization were also fully vaccinated.

Mutation on Spike Protein Possible Reason for Decrease Vaccine Effectiveness

3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. The spike protein (foreground) enables the virus to enter and infect human cells. On the virus model, the virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. (Courtesy of NIAID/RML)

Studies have shown that antibodies bind to three areas on the spike protein: the N-terminal domain, the receptor-binding domain, and the S2 subunit. The N-terminal and receptor-binding domains make up the S1 subunit, which binds to the receptor of the human cell, whereas the S2 subunit fuses the membranes of the virus and the host cell.

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), scientists found that the immune system of individuals who had recovered from a mild case of COVID-19 produced antibodies capable of covering areas across the entire spike and not just on the receptor-binding domain as previously thought. Most of the antibodies, around 84 percent, targeted the N-terminal domain and the S2 subunit.

They also found that the N-terminal domain had mutated frequently, especially in several emerging variants of concern.

The mutations on this domain may explain why some variants are effective at evading our immune systems to cause breakthrough infections, or re-infections, is that theyve mutated their way around some of the human antibodies that had been most successful in combating the original coronavirus variant according to Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health.

Prior to the findings, many studies concentrated on the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein because it attaches directly to human cells to allow the virus to infect them. Thus, the receptor-binding domain became the prime target of antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines and other therapeutics.

A new study (pdf) that is in pre-print, found that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant compared to patients who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

As to whether people with prior infection and who got a one-dose shot gained any additional protection, the authors couldnt demonstrate significance in our cohort.

Mass Vaccination Concerns

A man receives a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a newly opened vaccination hub in Dubbo, NSW, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2021. (Belinda Soole/Getty Images)

Some experts have raised concerns about the ongoing mass vaccinations during a pandemic. Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier who co-discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) claimed in May that vaccinations were creating the emerging variants.

This is a huge scientific error, as well as a medical error, it is an unacceptable mistake, Montagnier said in an interview. The history books will show that it is the vaccination that is creating the variants.

The vaccine expert explained that the vaccines create antibodies that force the virus to either die or find another way to survive by mutating.

Montagnier said he is closely following the situation and conducting a study of patients who got re-infected with COVID-19 after being vaccinated, adding that he will show that vaccinations are creating the variants that are resistant to the vaccine.

Newswise fact-checked Montagniers claim and said that it was false.

There is no evidence the vaccines are creating more variants, the author wrote. In fact, most human vaccines have not been undermined by microbial evolution.

Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are created at random, through the mass spread of the virus. Vaccination is part of the solution for suppressing transmissions, the author added.

Studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccines do not stop infection or transmission of the virus, particularly with the delta variant.

Bhattacharya said that not everyone should get vaccinated, especially children who are at low risk for COVID-19. Whereas, children are at higher risk for flu, even during the pandemic.

Last year, more children died of the flu even though the flu disappeared and we had a vaccine for the flu last year, and more children died of the flu than COVID. The same is true this year, said Bhattacharya.

Instead, he said the right way to use the vaccine is in focused protection.

Use it to protect the vulnerable because otherwise, they face a high risk of COVID. For the rest of the population, dont force people to take it, Bhattacharya said.
Huge plumes of smoke can be seen rising from a fire in Leamington Spa on Aug. 27, 2021. (West Midlands Ambulance Service/PA)

Properties Evacuated As Fire Sends Huge Plume Over Leamington Spa

Fire at industrial estate which is home to UK's only COVID-testing 'megalab'

A huge plume of black smoke is billowing over the rooftops of Royal Leamington Spa, with residents describing a chemical smell after hearing small explosions when the fire caught hold in an industrial estate.

A specialist hazard response unit is at the scene, and people have been evacuated over fears of toxic smoke from the fire which broke out on Aug. 27 on Juno Drive.

That short street is also home to the UKs first COVID-testing mega-lab, which is the centre-piece of the governments efforts to identify new variants of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

Reports, however, suggest that the blaze is at a nearby plastics factory.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said they received a call at 10:30 a.m. on Friday to what they called a significant fire.

Properties in the vicinity are being evacuated. If you live within 70 metres (230 feet) of the site, please keep windows and doors closed, said Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service in an update on Twitter.

They have asked people not to go within 100 metres (330 feet) of the fire.

Local Labour MP Matt Western said he has heard the fire may involve chemicals from a plastics business unit.

The factory fire in Juno Drive has shaken Leamington to its core, he wrote on Twitter at 1 p.m. about three hours after the fire had started. The scale of the blaze is staggering. Ive spoken with police and fire chiefs who are increasingly confident of containing it. Please adhere to guidance.

The factory fire in Juno Drive has shaken Leamington to its core. The scale of the blaze is staggering. Ive spoken with police and fire chiefs who are increasingly confident of containing it. Please adhere to guidance. Keep 70m+ away and keep doors and windows closed. pic.twitter.com/DPrIAyi3bi  Matt Western MP  (@MattWestern_) August 27, 2021

Leamington Spa resident Anne Harrington-Ridley told the BBC said she kept hearing small explosions.

She was walking to work nearby she kept hearing small explosions.

I saw a little plume of smoke and thought it might be the allotments but it quickly got a lot darker and a lot bigger in the space of about two minutes, she said. You could see the massive plume of smoke, there was fire, explosions, all sorts of things.

According to the Leamington Observer, it is not known whether the COVID mega-lab is involved in the blaze. The Rosalind Franklin laboratory is able to process hundreds of thousands of virus samples every day to rapidly detect new variants, according to the government.

It isnt the first time that a natural disaster has threatened a key facility set up to tackle the pandemic.

Storm floods threatened a key production site of the Oxford/AstraZeneca in January, just as the UK began one of the worlds first vaccine rollout programs.

Local authorities worked through the night in holding off floods at an industrial site in Wrexham where the nationwide supply of the vaccine is put in vials.
A screen grab shows people carrying an injured person to a hospital after an attack at Kabul airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Reuters TV/1TV/Handout via Reuters)

Public and Govt. Officials Respond to Deaths of US Troops in Kabul

This morning, at least 13 U.S. troops were killed in Kabul, Afghanistan by two suicide bombers and gunmen. Twelve deaths were initially announced, followed by confirmation of an extra death hours later.

More than a dozen soldiers were wounded by the attack. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, bragging about a suicide bomber managing to penetrate all the security fortifications put into place by U.S. forces and the Taliban.

This attack is the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in over a decade. A previous attack took place on Aug. 5, 2011, killing 30 U.S. soldiers and 8 others on board a Boeing Chinook Helicopter, which had been shot down by an insurgent armed with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Public officials were quick to respond to the latest attack.

State Secretary Antony Blinken in a statement called the U.S. troops who died heroes, adding, They put their lives on the line to defend our civilian personnel, the civilian personnel of our allies and partners, and Americans, third-country nationals, and Afghans seeking safety.

To date, more than 100,000 people have been safely evacuated from Kabula testament to the bravery, skill, and determination of all those who are contributing to this vital mission, Blinken said, commenting on the evacuation efforts that have been taking place in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country on Aug. 15.

We grieve those we lost today. And we express our most heartfelt condolences to their loved ones, he said.

Separately, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, released his own statement on Twitter.

On behalf of the Joint Force, I extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the service members killed today. These brave men and women are taking risks to save lives of the vulnerable and safeguard Americans, he said. Theyve moved more than 100,000 people to safety. I could not be prouder of their service. They gave their lives to save others, there is no higher noble calling.

Within hours of the news, the hashtag BidenMustResign began trending on Twitter. At the time of publication, there were over 22,000 Twittter posts bearing the tag.

Another trending hashtag was PresidentPelosi. The Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is the third in the presidential line of succession, meaning that she would become president if Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were both impeached or removed under the 25th amendment to the Constitution. Other trending tags were BidenIsADisgrace and BidenDisaster.

We mourn the loss of every innocent life taken, and we join every American in heartbreak over the deaths of the Americans and all killed, Pelosi said in a statement.

She praised the success of military operations in evacuating the Kabul airport, writing, Since the end of July, over 100,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan with the assistance of the U.S. military and allied forces.

Some Republicans expressed condolences while suggesting that Biden should step down from office.

It is sickening and enraging to hear that at least 12 U.S. service members have been killed at the hands of terrorists in Kabul, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Twitter. We need to redouble our global efforts to confront these barbarian enemies who want to kill Americans and attack our homeland.

In an attached statement, McConnell called the situation predictably chaotic [in] the wake of the Presidents decision to withdraw.

He added, Our sympathies are also with the families of the innocent Afghans whom the terrorists killed today  Our partners in a long fight against terror deserve better than the dark fate that will await them after the last military aircraft has departed.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called the situation enraging.

To say that todays loss of American lives in Kabul is sickening does not begin to do justice to what has happened. It is enraging, he said on Twitter. And Joe Biden is responsible. It is now clear beyond all doubt that he has neither the capacity nor the will to lead. He must resign.

Biden has been on the receiving end of bipartisan criticism for his handling of the situation in Afghanistan.

The bombings also killed at least 60 Afghans.

The deaths come just two days after House Republicans urged Democrats to suspend consideration of voting and spending legislation.

The emergency session was the first meeting of Congress since the fall of Kabul. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) had introduced a bill during the session seeking to require the Biden Administration to issue daily reports on how many Americans remained trapped in the country and forbid the military from leaving until every American was home safely.

But Democrats shot down the legislation, saying that their spending and election bills were incredibly important. They refused to turn the floor over to the Republican conference.

Earlier this month, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in asked on Twitter, Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
U.S. and French flags stand at the graves of U.S. soldiers at Normandy American Cemetery near Colleville-Sur-Mer, France on June 05, 2019. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Remains of WWII Soldier Found in Germany Are Identified

HARTFORD, Conn.Human remains found in a cemetery in Belgium have been identified as those of a U.S. Army sergeant from Connecticut who went missing in Germany during World War II, U.S. officials announced Thursday.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said testing showed the remains were those of Sgt. Bernard Sweeney of Waterbury. His body was disinterred in 2019 from Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium, where it was buried with other unidentified soldiers after having been recovered from a minefield near Kleinhau, Germany, in 1946.

The identification was announced the same day that the agency the remains of a World War II pilot whose body was lost in Europes Adriatic Sea have been recovered. The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Ernest N. Vienneau were accounted for in April. He will be buried in his hometown of Millinocket, Maine, on Oct. 9. Vienneau was 25 at the time of his death.

Sweeney, 22, was reporting missing in action on Dec. 16, 1944, after his unit battled German forces in the Hurtgen Forest near the Belgian border, the agency said. He was assigned to Company I, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division.

Sweeneys great-niece, Tammy Hynes, his oldest, closest living relative, said her family is delighted over the identification, and thankful for the militarys efforts. Sweeney was her grandfathers brother.

I have some pride there and some really good feelings about what he did for all of our country, and the fact that they went to these great lengths to identify him and honor him in the way I think he should be honored for what he did, for giving his life for our great country, said Hynes, 54, of Cape Coral, Florida. I really wished my dad was still alive to know this.

Hynes said funeral and burial services are still being planned. She said her family is trying to find the grave of Sweeneys mother, who apparently killed herself after being told her son died in the war, and bury him next to her.

After her father died five years ago, Hynes said she was going through his belongings and found letters Sweeney wrote during the war. She said he wrote about women he wanted to marry when he got home, being promoted to sergeant, and other topics.

Within the past several years, the military has seen a surge in identifications of U.S. service members who had been classified as missing in action. In 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of another soldier killed in the Hurtgen Forest battle, Army Sgt. Melvin Anderson of Omaha, Nebraska.

The Army has called the Hurtgen Forest battle one of the longest and deadliest for U.S. troops during World War II. It ran from September 1944 to February 1945, and more than 33,000 U.S. troops were killed or wounded.

After the war ended, the American Graves Registration Command was assigned to investigate and recover missing American personnel in Europe. It performed several investigations in the Hurtgen area, but wasnt able to find Sweeneys remains. He was declared non-recoverable in 1951.

More than six decades later, a historian for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency studying unresolved American losses in the Hurtgen area determined that one of the unidentified remains recovered from the minefield near Kleinhau possibly were those of Sweeney, the agency said.

His body was exhumed from the cemetery in April 2019 and sent to the agencys lab at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for identification. Scientists positively identified Sweeney in June after using dental and anthropological analysis, collecting circumstantial evidence, and testing DNA from the remains with a DNA sample provided by one of Sweeneys relatives.

By Dave Collins
Sirhan Sirhan reacts during a parole hearing at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego on Aug. 30, 2019. (Gregory Bull/AP)

Sirhan Sirhan Up for Parole Again, This Time With No Prosecution Opposition

LOS ANGELESSirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 in Los Angeles, is scheduled to make his 16th bid for parole today, but this time he wont be facing any opposition from county prosecutors.

The 77-year-old Sirhans parole hearing is scheduled at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa, in San Diego County, Calif.

No one from the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office is expected to make an appearance at the hearing to oppose his release. Nor will the office submit any documentation supporting it. Essentially, the office is taking a neutral stance.

District Attorney George Gascon has set a policy against attending parole hearings for defendants who have served lengthy prison sentences beyond the required minimum term.

According to the Washington Post, the Kennedy family also has not submitted any letters taking a position on Sirhans parole, nor have they requested to speak at the hearing. However, in recent years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed doubts that Sirhan was the gunman who killed his father.

Sirhans younger brother, Munir, a Pasadena resident, told the Post, Were awaiting the deserved, proper decision from the parole board.

He said some of his neighbors have submitted letters supporting his brothers release.

Sirhan was convicted in April 1969 of first-degree murder and assault in the June 5, 1968, assassination of Democratic Sen. Robert Kennedy, 42, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy was speaking at the hotel while moving closer to the Democratic presidential nomination. Five others were shot during the attack but survived.

The native Palestinian was initially sentenced to death, but it was later commuted to life in prison after the state Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional in 1972. He has now served more than 50 years in prison.

Sirhan was transferred to Donovan State Prison from a Kings County penitentiary on Nov. 22, 2013the 50th anniversary of the murder of his victims older brother, President John F. Kennedy.

He previously was housed at Corcoran State Prison in Central California. Sirhan has claimed amnesia brought on by excess consumption of alcohol and denied committing the killing, despite having admitted to the crime in open court during his trial.

He was last denied parole in 2016.

If the two-member panel determines Sirhan is suitable for parole, the decision will then undergo a 90-day review period, followed by a 30-day window for the governor to either uphold the decision, overturn it or modify it in some way. The matter could also be sent to the full state parole board for review.
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, joined by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, speaks to reporters in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on Sept. 9, 2019. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/File/AP Photo)

South Dakota AG Gets Fines, No Jail Time in Pedestrian Death

FORT PIERRE, S.D.South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded no contest Thursday to a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges over a crash last year that killed a pedestrian, avoiding jail time despite bitter complaints from the victims family that he was being too lightly punished for actions they called inexcusable.

Circuit Judge John Brown had little leeway to order jail time. Instead, he fined the states top law enforcement official $500 for each count plus court costs of $3,742. Brown also ordered the Republican to do a significant public service event in each of the next five years near the date of Joseph Boevers deathgranting a request from the Boever family. But he put that on hold pending a final ruling after Ravnsborgs attorney objected that it was not allowed by statute.

Ravnsborg said in a statement after the hearing that he plans to remain in office. The plea capped the criminal portion of a case that led Gov. Kristi Noema fellow Republicanand law enforcement groups around the state to call for his resignation. But he still faces a likely lawsuit from Boevers widow and a potential impeachment attempt.

Ravnsborgs statement accused partisan opportunists of exploiting the situation and said they had manufactured rumors, conspiracy theories, and made statements in direct contradiction to the evidence all sides agreed upon.

Noem, in a statement afterward, pushed the Legislature to consider impeachment and said she ordered the House speaker be given a copy of the investigative file. Impeachment proceedings halted in February after the judge barred state officials from divulging details of the investigation. Lawmakers indicated then that they might resume after the criminal case ended.

The attorney general was driving home to Pierre from a political fundraiser on Sept. 12 when he struck Boever, who was walking on the side of a highway. In a 911 call after the crash, Ravnsborg was initially unsure about what he hit and then told a dispatcher it might have been a deer. He said he didnt realize he struck a man until he returned to the crash scene the next day and discovered the body of Boever, 55.

Ravnsborg pleaded no contest to making an illegal lane change and using a phone while driving, which each carried a maximum sentence of up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Prosecutors dropped a careless driving charge.

Ravnsborg didnt attend the hearinghe didnt have to and was represented by his attorney, Tim Rensch. That angered Boevers family.

Why, after having to wait nearly a year, do we not have the chance to face him? Boevers sister, Jane Boever, asked the court. She said, his cowardly behavior leaves us frustrated.

Jane Boever holds a photo of her brother Joseph Boevers tombstone outside the courthouse in Fort Pierre, S.D., on Aug. 26, 2021. (Stephen Groves/AP Photo)

She said her brother was left behind carelessly the night he died. She accused Ravnsborg of running down her brother and then using his position and resources to string the case along. She said he has shown no remorse, and only arrogance toward the law.

Jane Boever called the punishment a slap on the wrist.

Our brother lay in the ditch for 12 hours, she said. This is inexcusable.

Boevers widow, Jennifer Boever, said Ravnsborgs actions are incomprehensible and  cannot be forgiven.

Rensch pushed back hard on the familys criticism, calling the attorney general an honorable man. Rensch said Ravsnborg had been consistent from the beginning that he simply did not see Boever. And he noted that the case was not a homicide case, and its not a manslaughter case.

Accidents happen, people die. It should not happen. No one wants anybody to die, he said.

Rensch told reporters after the hearing that Ravnsborg had cooperated fully with investigators by sitting down for two interviews and allowing his phones to be analyzed.

Basically just take your shirt off and say, Here I am, bring it on. Ill answer anything youve got, and thats what this guy did, Rensch said.

Beadle County States Attorney Michael Moore, one of the prosecutors, agreed that the attorney general had been cooperative. He was also satisfied with Ravnsborgs punishment and the crash investigation.

Because of who it was and the high profile nature of the case, the investigation was a lot more thorough, he said.

After a months-long probe led to prosecutors charging Ravnsborg with the three misdemeanors in February, Noem put maximum pressure on Ravnsborg to resign, releasing videos of investigators questioning him. They revealed gruesome details, including that detectives believed Boevers body had collided with Ravnsborgs windshield with such force that part of his eyeglasses were deposited in the backseat of Ravnsborgs car.

Prosecutors said Ravnsborg was on his phone roughly one minute before the crash, but phone records showed it was locked at the moment of impact. Ravnsborg told investigators that the last thing he remembered before impact was turning off the radio and looking down at the speedometer.

A toxicology test taken roughly 15 hours after the crash showed no alcohol in Ravnsborgs system, and people who attended the fundraiser said he was not seen drinking alcohol.

Ravnsborg adamantly denied doing anything wrong. He insisted he had no idea he hit a man until returning to the crash site and that he is worthy of remaining the states top law enforcement officer.

Jason Ravnsborg, now South Dakota attorney general, speaks in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 2014. (Dirk Lammers/File/AP Photo)

Joes death weighs heavily on me and always will, Ravnsborg said in his statement. Ive often wondered why the accident occurred and all the things that had to have happened to make our lives intersect.

Ravnsborgs insistence on remaining in office has opened a divide among Republicans, with him retaining support among some GOP circles. The attorney general has been spotted working booths for local Republican groups at county fairs in recent weeks.

But popular predecessor Marty Jackley is already running for his old job and has collected the support of most of the states county prosecutors. Political parties will select candidates for attorney general at statewide conventions next year.

Ravnsborg built his political rise on personal connections in the party. It was his dutiful attendance at local GOP events like the one he was returning from when he struck Boever that propelled him from being a party outsider to winning the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2018.

Boevers family said they hope Ravnsborg is driven from office one way or another.

It is not too late for the state Legislature to resume impeachment proceedings, Jane Boever said. And if they fail us, then its left to the voters of South Dakota to remove him from the ballot box.

By Stephen Groves
Supreme Court Blocks CDC Eviction Moratorium

Evictions to resume amid COVID-19 pandemic

The U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 26 blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions eviction moratorium, thereby opening the door for property owners to evict residents behind on rent amid the pandemic.

The ruling comes after the CDC on Aug. 3 issued a federal moratorium for 60 days, expiring on Oct. 3.

According to Census Bureau data from early August, about 3.5 million people in the country said they faced eviction in the next two months.

The CDCs policy was challenged by a coalition of landlords and real estate groups in Alabama and Georgia. They argued that the CDC didnt have the authority to implement the moratorium.

In an unsigned opinion (pdf) on Aug. 26, the courts majority said the CDC lacked the authority to issue the moratorium without authorization from Congress.

The court rejected arguments from the Biden administration supporting the CDCs authority. The administration also justified holding back evictions in areas where transmission of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, was high.

It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken. But that has not happened, the court wrote. Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination. It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts.

If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it.

The three liberal-leaning justicesStephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagandissented, with Breyer, writing for the three, saying the court shouldnt reject the eviction ban without full briefing or argument.

Applicants raise contested legal questions about an important federal statute on which the lower courts are split and on which this court has never actually spoken, Breyer wrote. These questions call for considered decision making, informed by full briefing and argument. Their answers impact the health of millions.

Breyer also argued that the court should have upheld the moratorium, writing, The public interest strongly favors respecting the CDCs judgment at this moment, when over 90% of counties are experiencing high transmission rates.

The CDC had ordered a nationwide eviction moratorium in September 2020 in an effort to prevent the spread of the CCP virusthe idea being that evicted people would be likely to move in with relatives or friends or crowded homeless shelters and potentially undermine social distancing restrictions.

The moratorium was extended for another 30 days in June, and officials at the time said it would be the final extension.

In late June, the Supreme Court ruled that any extension to the moratorium would have to be approved by Congress. A federal court later ruled in July that the CDC had overstepped its authority in halting evictions.

But three days after that moratorium expired, the CDC issued another more targeted eviction moratorium, which has now been struck down by the high court.

At the time, it was unclear how the Supreme Court would rule on the matter given that it was narrower in scopeaimed at specific areas of the country where COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing and likely would be exacerbated by mass evictions. That would have covered more than 90 percent of U.S. counties, which are deemed to have substantial and high levels of transmission.
A Taliban fighter stands guard at a checkpoint in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 22, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

Taliban Demand Afghans Hand Over Guns, Ammo Within a Week

A spokesman for the Taliban said that Afghans who have government-issued weapons, ammunition, or vehicles need to hand them over or face punishment.

All those who have government goods, equipment, weapons, ammunition, or vehicles need to hand them over to the relevant department, said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid on Twitter, according to translation. The weapons need to be given to the Taliban within a week.

He said the handover is necessary so there is no need for the offenders to be prosecuted or dealt with legally if [the weapons] are discovered, Mujahid wrote.

Its not clear what will happen to individuals who are found to still possess firearms or ammunition after the deadline is over. Also unclear is whether the gun-confiscation plan entails weapons that were not provided by the Afghan government, which collapsed earlier this month.

As the Taliban swiftly captured swaths of Afghanistan territory earlier this month, it seized weapons, vehicles, other equipment, and military bases that had belonged to the United States. That includes U.S.-produced Black Hawk helicopters, M-16 rifles, various explosives, Humvees, and more.

Numerous videos and photos uploaded online in recent weeks show Taliban members holding M-4 carbines or M-16 rifles rather than AK-47s, which the group has used for decades.

On Aug. 18, several Republican senators demanded the Department of Defense (DOD) provide full accounting over the weapons and equipment that were captured by the Taliban, considered by several agencies as a terrorist organization.

As we watched the images coming out of Afghanistan as the Taliban retook the country, we were horrified to see U.S. equipmentincluding UH-60 Black Hawksin the hands of the Taliban, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and two dozen other senators wrote to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin this week.

It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies, the Republicans added. Securing U.S. assets should have been among the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Defense prior to announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, established by Congress in 2008, has said that about $83 billion was spent on developing and sustaining the Afghan police and army over two decades. Between 2003 and 2016, the United States transferred nearly 600,000 weapons, 76,000 vehicles, 163,000 communication devices, 208 aircraft, and surveillance and reconnaissance equipment to the Afghan forces, according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report.

Between 2017 and 2019, the United States provided Afghan army forces with 4,702 Humvees, 2,520 bombs, 1,394 grenade launchers, 20,040 hand grenades, and 7,035 machine guns, stated the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Connecticut on Aug. 7, 2021. (York Du/The Epoch Times)

The COVID-19 Fallout: Collateral Damage and Loss of Trust

Harvard epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff on what he deems 'the biggest public health fiasco in history'

Dr. Martin Kulldorff is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a biostatistician and epidemiologist at the Brigham and Womens Hospital. He helped develop the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions system for monitoring potential vaccine risks and is also one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which argued for focused protection of the most vulnerable, instead of lockdowns.

Recently on American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek interviewed Kulldorff on vaccine passports, the Delta variant, and the COVID-19 public health fiasco. Below is an excerpt from the interview:

Jan Jekielek: Were about a year and a half into the coronavirus pandemic. Weve had lockdowns. Weve had an emergence out of lockdowns right now in places like New York. We were getting closer to some kind of semblance of normality, and now we have the Delta variant and theres discussion of lockdowns again.

Youve described the global COVID response as, and Ill quote you here, The biggest public health fiasco in history. That feels like a big statement to make. Tell me more.

Dr. Martin Kulldorff: I think it is, without a doubt. There are two aspects of that. One is, while anybody can get infected by COVID, theres more than a thousand-fold difference in the risk for death between the oldest and the youngest. So with the naive belief that these lockdowns would protect everybodywhich now, obviously, we know that didnt worka lot of people got COVID, and a lot of people died.

But there was this naive belief that they would protect the older people. Because of that, we did not implement basic public health measures to actually do what was necessary to protect those older, high-risk people. And because of that, many of them died unnecessarily from COVID. The other aspect of it is the collateral damage from these lockdowns.

For example, children didnt go to school. The children are at a miniscule risk from this disease in terms of mortality. They can get infected for sure, but the risk from COVID for children is less than the risk from annual influenza, which is already very low for children. So for them, this is not a risky thing. And one example is Sweden.

From the first wave in the spring of 2020, Sweden was the only Western country that did not close down all the schools. So schools and daycares were open for children ages 1 to 15. Among the 1.8 million children in Sweden during this first wave, there were exactly zero deaths from COVID. And that was without using masks, without social distancing, and without any testing. If a child was sick, they were told to stay home. That was it.

Cardiovascular disease outcomes and heart disease have been bad during this pandemic because people dont go to the hospitals. The health care that they need is just not available, like for diabetes patients, for example.

Cancer has actually gone down in 2020 and 2021, but thats not because there is less cancer. Its just that were not detecting them. And if were not detecting them, were not treating them either. This is nothing that shows up in the statistics this year, except to a very small extent. But lets say women who didnt get their cervical cancer screening might now die three or four years from now, instead of living another 15, 20 years.

This has really been an awful response to the pandemic, which goes against the basic principles of public health that we have followed for many decades. So its very unfortunate.

Mr. Jekielek: Thats very interesting. You would think that the basic principles of public health would be implemented and enforced in this situation. So why has that not been done?

Dr. Kulldorff: That is a very good question. To be honest, I dont know the answer. To me, as a public health scientist, its stunning that we suddenly threw out these principles we have used for decades to deal with public health issues. One is, public health is about all health outcomes. Its not just about one disease like COVID. You cant just focus on COVID and then ignore everything else. That goes against how we do public health.

Mr. Jekielek: You mentioned that people are being forced to take a vaccine. I dont know of anyone in the U.S. actually being forced to take it directly. Tell me what you mean when you say that.

Dr. Kulldorff: Theres a push both for vaccine passports and vaccine mandates. If people want to have a job and stay at the job, they are required to take the vaccine or theyll be fired. If they want to study at university, many universities are requiring vaccines for all the students.

So there are these vaccine mandates and vaccine passports. In New York City, for example, now theyre requiring restaurants to require vaccinations for people who go to the restaurants.

That is a very coercive way to get people to vaccinate. And thats very bad for public health. One question is, Why do you coerce people who are immune or people who are young, who have a very small risk, when the vaccines are much more needed for older people in other places? So thats an ethical aspect of it. I think it is very unethical to do so.

Mr. Jekielek: Jumping into these collateral damages, you mentioned the mental health costs. I remember reading the statistic, which Ive said a number of times in interviews, in this one study 25 percent of teenagers had suicidal ideation, 1 in 4. I didnt even know what to think about that. Can you expand on the mental health collateral costs?

Dr. Kulldorff: Yes, thats very tragic. The normal number was like 4 or 5 percent and now its 25 percent. So thats very tragic. And we have had a lot of mental health consequences. Theres also been opioid overdoses that have increased now. Of course, a lot of that is not very measurable, because a lot of it is hidden.

Mr. Jekielek: Weve received all this conflicting information from public health authorities. And in some cases, the guidance didnt seem to have much to do with public health policy. There is a general distrust that Ive been hearing all over the place, the general feeling that there isnt trust in these agencies that are responsible for these things, from the WHO, all the way down. You say trust is so critical. So what happens now?

Dr. Kulldorff: Its not a surprise that the trust has plummeted for public health agencies and public health officials because of these mixed messages, and also things like not taking a natural immunity from having had COVID disease into account and still forcing people to vaccinate.

So its very understandable that the trust has come down. Both within the scientific community and the public health community, we have a lot of work to do to regain that trust. Its going to take a long time, but it is important to do that and to try to regain that trust.

The only way to do it is, one, to be very honest and straight with people; two, to trust the public; and three, to actually listen to the public and not just make public health policy based on the Zoom class, who can work from homepeople like scientists and journalists and their neighbors.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity by Jeff Minick
A boat sculpture is pictured during a climate change protest on the beach in St Ives, Cornwall, England, during the G7 summit on June 11, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

The Worlds Climate Is Changing, so What Should We Do?

Commentary

Earlier this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report stating that human-caused climate change is accelerating and that radical changes to human behavior are needed to avert disaster. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said of the report that the alarm bells are deafening and the situation is a code red for humanity.

I hesitate to respond to U.N. statements about climate change because its so predictably alarmist. The debate between alarmists and skeptics reminds one of a shouting match between two kids: Tis so! Tis not! But as I wrote just a few months ago, we cant afford to let error triumph through the technique of persistent repetition.

To anyone relatively new to this issue, there are many important truths to understand. The following are just a few:

Yes, the climate is changing. It always has and always will.

Yes, Earth is a degree or so Celsius warmer now than in the mid-1800s. This is not, by the way, the hottest the world has gotten in over 100,000 years, as recent media reports claim. On the contrary, according to the Greenland ice core records and other proxies, today still isnt as warm as the Medieval Warm period 8 to 10 centuries ago, which in turn was another degree C less than the Roman Warm Period two millennia ago, which in turn was another 1.5 degrees C cooler than the Minoan Warm Period between three and four millennia ago. The salient point here is that we should be delighted about the warming since the 1800s, because that is when Earth emerged from the harsh Little Ice Age. Todays moderately warmer climate has led to longer growing seasons and greater agricultural productivity.

Yes, carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has increased significantly, and, yes, the human use of burning fossil fuels has augmented the increase from about 290 parts per million in the 19th century to 415 ppm today.

And contrary to claims by Guterres that deforestation is a growing problem, the CO2 enrichment of Earths atmosphere in recent decades has led to a planetary greeninga net addition of areas covered by vegetation that is over twice as large as Australia.

It is also important to realize that the IPCC is a political, not a scientific body (hence its name, the Intergovernmental Panel ). The political powers behind the IPCC have explicitly stated that their main goal is to transform the global economy. We should also realize that the charter that governs the IPCC explicitly grants discretionary power to the political overseers of the project to modify statements made by scientists to fit the desired political narrative and agenda. What we desperately needespecially in light of the broken peer review process (one Nobel Prize winner calls it very distorted and completely corrupt, with some asserting that published scientific research is untrustworthy; then theres the corrupting influence of government money) is a separation of science and state.

With all that having been said, let us acknowledge two sobering realities: One, the climate will continue to change. Whether the temperature will be warmer or cooler in coming centuries, I dont know and neither do the worlds climate scientists, but it definitely will change. Two, extreme weather events will continue to batter humanity periodically regardless of what the overall climate is.

So, what should we (the human race) do about climate change?

The IPCC, U.N., and progressive politicians want us to try to limit how much Earth warms by limiting human emissions of CO2. Theres a fundamental problem with this approach: We dont know nearly enough about what causes climate change to even dream about controlling it.

The U.N. bases its recommendations on scenarios produced by computerized climate models. But the various models they use disagree with each other, and not one of them has yet come close to explaining recent past temperatures, so how could they predict future temperatures?

Also consider that by one count there have been as many as 25 occurrences of sudden global warming in the past 120,000 years, with up to 15 degrees C warming over a period of decades. Nobody knows why, but we can say definitively that those sudden changes happened with zero contribution from human fossil fuel consumption. Basically, Mother Earth is going to do what it does, and we dont have much of a say about that.

So, here we are, flying blind, with politicians urging us to retool our lifestyles and to spend hundreds of trillionsmore than $100 trillion just by 2050 to shift to non-CO2 energy sources and over $500 trillion to extract CO2 from the airto maybe shave a few-tenths of a degree off global temperatures.

Let me propose an alternate course of action. My approach might be called environmentalism as if people matter. Here, the news is good, even great: Over the past century, climate-related deaths have been falling in spite of a significant increase in the worlds population. Check out this graphic from Bjorn Lomborg.

The reason for the decline in fatalities is a combination of better technology and more durable structures, both powered by increased prosperity. Instead of bleeding hundreds of trillions of dollars out of the economy in a quixotic attempt to regulate CO2, let the people keep that wealth and use part of it for greater safety.

Rather than spend hundreds of trillions of dollars in a vain attempt to regulate the climate, lets spend some trillions over the coming decades to achieve some environmental goals that are actually attainable. Again, with environmentalism as if people mattered being the priority, it makes sense for us to take better care of the worlds water. Specifically, we should make serious investments in cleaning up and protecting the oceans, and also take major steps to ensure that the worlds people have enough fresh water for our growing needs.

In short, there is no reason (certainly no climate-related reason) to restructure the global economy according to some socialistic plan. As rational beings, we need to recognize the various weather-related threats that exist and to wisely prioritize which threats to combat. Addressing the worlds water-related needs is both more affordable and more achievable than some pie-in-the-sky plan to try to control Earths unruly, unpredictable climate.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
There Will Be a Day of Reckoning for Bidens Actions on Afghanistan: Kevin McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said President Joe Biden has lost the trust and confidence of the American people because of his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and that there will be a day of reckoning for the administration to explain what led to 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians being killed outside the Kabul airport.

McCarthy said the immediate focus of the United States should be to get all Americans out, and after that is done, the goal should be for Congress to get answers to who made the decisions that led to the chaotic withdrawal and death of servicemen and women.

There will be a day of reckoning, and we have constitutional rights. Right now, in the next five days, everyones responsibility should only be focused on getting the Americans out. That is what we should focus on, said McCarthy.

When that day passes, we can take up anything to hold accountable for the actions that have been taken, the lies that have been given, the misdecisions that have put Americans in harms way. And a decision to leave Americans behind, that choice and that answer should never be given as a president of the United States, continued the leader.

McCarthy said he wants an investigation into why Bagram Air Base was closed and why the United States seems to be sharing sensitive information with the Taliban in Kabul.

Heres an administration that said they do not trust the Taliban, but they turn around and say they depend on [the Taliban]. Why would we ever depend on the Taliban? Why wouldnt we [have] kept Bagram to start out with? Why wouldnt we, if we ended up in that airbase, why wouldnt we have pushed it back out, created enough military troops to create safe passage? Why would you negotiate with the Taliban? said McCarthy.

Biden, on Thursday, didnt deny reports that the administration handed the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allied personnel in an attempt to grant them entry to Kabuls international airport, saying that it may have happened.

There have been occasions where our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said, This bus is coming through  made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through, Biden said during a press briefing. Yes, there have been occasions like that.

Meanwhile, some Republicans have called for Biden to step down over his handling of the Afghan withdrawal, with hundreds of Americans and billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment still being in Afghanistan and under threat from the terrorist group.

U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force  Crisis Response  Central Command provide assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

To say that todays loss of American lives in Kabul is sickening does not begin to do justice to what has happened. It is enraging. And Joe Biden is responsible. It is now clear beyond all doubt that he has neither the capacity nor the will to lead. He must resign, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in a social media statement Wednesday.

Two suicide bombings killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 95 Afghans on Wednesday.

The ISIS terror group said it carried out the Aug. 26 bombings, which took place at or near an eastern entrance to the U.S.-held Hamid Karzai International Airport. The group said it was targeting American forces and their spies.

Biden vowed to retaliate and promised the evacuations would not end because of the attack.

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) agreed with McCarthy that the United States should not trust the Taliban with U.S. security.

I strongly & forcefully condemn todays explosions outside of the Kabul airport targeting US citizens, personnel, & vulnerable Afghans trying to flee Afghanistan. As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We cant trust the Taliban with Americans security, said Menendez in a social media statement on Wednesday.

Zachary Stieber and Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.
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)

Truckies Hold 24-hour, Nationwide Strike Action Over Pay Dispute

Logistics giant Toll has criticised a nationwide strike by over 7,000 truck drivers over a pay dispute, saying the Transport Workers Union was not interested in achieving an outcome through negotiations.

Truckies will strike for 24 hours on Friday, which could have a flow-on effect on Australias food and petrol supply chains.

The action is separate from another planned potential protest involving Australian truck drivers against COVID restrictions supposed to occur on Aug. 31.

Alan Beacham, president of Tolls Global Express business, said in a statement, Negotiations are supposed to be two sides coming together to work out their differences. To present what each side wants and then negotiateactually compromiseuntil an agreement is reached.

Unfortunately, only Toll is making any effort to compromise in these negotiations. The union has shown little compromise. They continue to present a list of demands that hurt the company and make jobs less secure, he said.

Toll pointed to a May statement by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) saying, You are about to face a winter of discontent, followed by a spring offensive, as proof that the current strike was planned while negotiations were ongoing.

The TWU threatened the strike in July saying it would cripple food and fuel supplies across Australia after claiming negotiations with Toll had broken down.

The union accused Toll of proposing an agreement that would involve slashing pay and conditions so the company could compete with major retailerslike Amazon Flexwith lower rates. Toll has strenuously denied such claims.

Toll workers have been forced to take the last resort option to go on strike this week because their jobs are being smashed. To do nothing would be to wait like sitting ducks for the jobs theyve skilfully done for decades to be given away to the lowest common denominator, Michael Kaine, TWU national secretary, said in a statement earlier this week.

It is an abomination that billionaire retailers like Amazon are smashing profit records while ripping off transport supply chains and crushing the jobs of the truck drivers whove risked the health of their families to deliver parcels and keep shelves stocked.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Michele ONeill said the truck drivers were fighting against the Uberisation of the industry.

Wealthy retailers, manufacturers and oil companies are raking in billions whilst relentlessly trying to undercut the trucking workforce that continues to risk their lives to keep this country functioning during the pandemic, ONeill said in a statement.

The ACTU said the strike action mirrored issues in the entire trucking industry with logistics companies like Bevchain, Linfox, Startrack, and FedEx outsourcing drivers.

Toll said around 4,000 of its employees were eligible for the action under Australian law, not the 7,000 earmarked by the TWU. The company also maintained that certain employees were pressured to join the action.

Toll has been looking to expand into the eCommerce and business-to-consumer sectorwhich has seen considerable growth in recent yearsto compete with casual delivery services such as Amazon Flex. The shift has seen Toll hire a new segment of workers with different pay structures from existing truck drivers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 5, 2021. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey Undecided on Helping Taliban Run Kabul Airport, Citing Security Concerns

The president of Turkey said Friday his administration continues to weigh its response to a Taliban request for technical support with operations at Kabul airport, with security the key issue, according to Turkish media.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters at a press conference that the Taliban had asked Turkey to help run operations at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, where a deadly terror attack Thursday killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 60 Afghan civilians.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, bragging that a suicide bomber made it through both Taliban checkpoints and the U.S. security presence in Afghanistans largest city.

The fact that ISIS was able to carry out the attack proves how dangerous it is to the region and the world, Erdogan told reporters, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Volunteers and medical staff unload bodies from a pickup truck outside a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

The Turkish president said that Turkey held its first talks with the Taliban in Kabul and that Taliban officials made security assurances.

The Taliban have made a request regarding the operation of Kabul airport. They say, Well ensure security and you can operate it. But we have not made a decision yet because there is always a possibility of death and such things there, Erdogan said, according to the outlet.

Erdogan added that, at this time, his administrations priority is to complete the evacuation of Turkish citizens and troops as quickly as possible, with decisions around the provision of technical assistance to be made once the situation in Afghanistan comes into sharper focus.

We must first see the picture in Afghanistan. There is a serious power vacuum in the country now. We will make our decision after the emergence of the new administration, Erdogan said.

His remarks came a day after Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that there was a possibility that Turkey would continue its operational tasks at the airport after its troops withdraw, but that this would be subject to further talks and a framework agreement.

The Turkish president earlier expressed openness to holding discussions with the Taliban about operational arrangements at the airport.

If there is a knock on our door, we will open it for dialogue, Erdogan said last week.

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021. (Wali Sabawoon/AP Photo)

At least 350 Turkish soldiers and some 1,400 other people have been evacuated by Turkey from Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul on Aug. 15.

While Turkey has praised what it described as moderate statements by the Taliban since assuming control, Turkish officials have said the Talibans actions will determine Ankaras position.

Turkey, which is part of the NATO mission, has been responsible for security at the Kabul airport for the last six years.

The United States assumed control of the airport around the time the Taliban took over the country. Its the only ground U.S. troops control ahead of their planned withdrawal on Aug. 31, a deadline President Joe Biden remains committed to and the Taliban continue to insist on.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Protesters fight with riot police outside the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Southern California Men Arrested for Assault on Law Enforcement at Capitol Riot

LOS ANGELESTwo Southland men were arrested on Aug. 26 for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

David Nicholas Dempsey, 34, of Van Nuys, and Jeffrey Scott Brown, 54, of Santa Ana, Calif., are charged with federal offenses related to their alleged assault and impediment of certain officers, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

Dempsey is charged with use of a dangerous weapon, obstruction of an official proceeding, and civil disorder in addition to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. Brown is separately charged with inflicting bodily injury on officers, obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, among other charges.

Both men made their initial court appearances Thursday in the Central District of California. It was not immediately known when they will be arraigned in the District of Columbia.

According to court documents, Dempsey was captured in numerous videos taken on the lower west terrace during the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

In several still photos, Dempsey could be seen using various objects, including a crutch and a metal pole, as bludgeoning weapons or projectiles against the line of law enforcement officers protecting the tunnel in front of the west terrace entrance, prosecutors said.

Additional video footage appears to show Dempsey spraying officers with what is thought to be pepper spray.

Demsey was also arrested in Santa Monica on Oct. 19, 2019, for allegedly spraying anti-Trump protesters on the pier with bear spray, according to the FBI.

According to court documents, Brown was part of the crowd entering the tunnel at the lower west terrace. Video footage shows him reaching through the crowd towards another rioter, who provides him with a can of spray, prosecutors stated.

Brown can then be seen apparently pointing the can toward the police defensive line and deploying the spray for several seconds in the direction of the police. Brown also pushed against officers who were attempting to restrict access to the U.S. Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The cases are being prosecuted in the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California, officials said.

Both cases are being investigated by the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBIs Washington Field Office, which identified Dempsey as #399 and Brown as #172 in posted photos seeking information.

In the seven months since Jan. 6, more than 570 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 170 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Arrivals at RAF Brize Norton who have been evacuated from Afghanistan, in an undated file photo. (Cpl Will Drummee RAF/Ministry of Defence/PA)

UK Enters Final Stages of Afghan Evacuation, Shuts Processing Site

Britains evacuation mission at Kabul airport is in its final hours after the main processing site was shut, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday morning.

We will process the people that weve brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately in the airfield now, and we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowds where we can, but overall the main processing is now closed and we have a matter of hours, he told Sky News.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace arrives at Downing Street for a cabinet meeting in London on Dec. 8, 2020. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

It is with deep regret that not everyone has been able to be evacuated during this process, he said.

The UK had evacuated 13,146 people from Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday evening.

But around 800 to 1,100 Afghans who worked with Britain and had been eligible to leave the country would not make it through, Wallace told LBC radio.

Both the Baron Hotel processing centre and the Abbey Gate to Kabul airport had been shut, he told Sky.

Both sites were hit by bomb blasts on Thursday in an attack claimed by the ISIS terrorist group, in which more than 90 people were killed, including 13 U.S. troops.

But Wallace said the attack had not forced the UK to end its mission earlier than scheduled.

We closed the Baron Hotel almost exactly on schedule. The explosion was horrendous, but it didnt hasten our departure, he said.

But he said the terror threat will grow further at the airport as the NATO forces final departure date approaches.

The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving, he told Sky News. The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK.

Wallace said the UK will continue to assist those eligible Afghans who cannot be evacuated from the airport.

We will make sure that we have our visa processing centres or indeed our enhanced capabilities in and around the region and those neighbouring countries, and people who can should make their way to that third country and we will process them.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that he expects the Taliban to allow those who want to leave Afghanistan to do that.

We will use all the influence that we can bring to bearpolitical or economic or diplomatic as we said at the G-7to encourage the new authorities in Afghanistan to do that.

PA, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Feb. 23, 2017. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

US Intelligence Officials Inconclusive on COVID-19 Origins, Say China Unwilling to Cooperate

The 17-agency U.S. intelligence community announced on Aug. 27 that it has reached an inconclusive assessment regarding the origins of COVID-19, including whether the virus leaked from a Chinese lab, following a 90-day investigation that was ordered earlier this year by President Joe Biden, according to a summary of the findings.

Agency officials said in a report on their findings (pdf) that the Chinese regime is still unwilling to cooperate in their probe to obtain answers about the origins of the virus. The regime would need to fully cooperate with a U.S. investigation in order to determine whether or not the virus came from a laboratory.

Chinas cooperation most likely would be needed to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of COVID-19, the report reads. Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame(s) other countries, including the United States.

These actions reflect, in part, Chinas governments own uncertainty about where an investigation could lead as well as its frustration the international community is using the issue to exert political pressure on China.

Intelligence officials are still conflicted about whether the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, in 2019, or whether it was transmitted by an animal to a human, according to the report, which was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Intelligence agencies said that either of the two theories is possible.

All agencies assess that two hypotheses are plausible: natural exposure to an infected animal and laboratory-associated incident, the report reads, noting that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus probably emerged and infected humans through an initial small-scale exposure that occurred no later than November 2019.

The P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on May 13, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The virus wasnt developed inside the lab as a biological weapon, the report found, noting that theres low confidence among most agencies that it wasnt genetically engineered. There wasnt sufficient evidence to make a concrete conclusion, the report states.

Finally, the [intellience community] assesses Chinas officials did not have foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of COVID-19 emerged, the report reads.

However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hasnt provided the intelligence community or the global scientific community with clinical samples or a complete understanding of epidemiological data from the earliest COVID-19 cases.

Earlier this year, Biden launched a review into the origins of the CCP virus amid calls to probe reports of Chinese scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology falling ill and becoming hospitalized in November 2019.

In an Aug. 27 statement, Biden said the Chinese regime obstructed efforts to investigate COVID-19 from the beginning of the pandemic while accusing the CCP of shirking responsibility.

The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them, he said. Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world.

Since the start of the pandemic, Chinese officials have claimed that the virus was transmitted to humans via a wet market in Wuhan, located several miles from the high-security lab. However, the regime actively suppressed information circulating online contrary to the official narrative that the COVID-19 outbreak was containable and punished doctors who issued warnings about the virus.
A helicopter carrying evacuated workers from oil production platforms lands ahead of Tropical Storm Cristobal, at Bristow Galliano Heliport in Galliano, La., on June 6, 2020. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

US Offshore Oil Workers Flee as Storm Approaches Gulf of Mexico

HOUSTONU.S. energy companies on Thursday began airlifting workers from Gulf of Mexico oil platforms and moved vessels ahead of what is forecast to become a powerful hurricane by the weekend.

Tropical Storm Ida was swirling in the Caribbean Sea and forecast to march through the main oil-producing region of the Gulf on Friday. Louisiana declared a state of emergency and called on residents to prepare for a major hurricane.

Ida is expected to strike the central Gulf Coast with a life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and heavy rains, the National Hurricane Center said. It could make landfall as a category 3 hurricane packing winds of up to 111 miles (178 km) per hour.

Rapid Intensity

This storm has the potential for rapid increases in intensity before it comes ashore because of extremely warm waters off Louisiana, said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist at DTN, which provides weather advice to oil and transportation companies.

U.S. Gulf Coast gasoline prices rose in the past two trading sessions because of concerns around the storm, traders said.

BP PLC, BHP, Chevron, Equinor and Royal Dutch Shell removed workers from offshore facilities, spokespeople said. BHP, Shell and Chevron evacuated non-essential staff while Equinor said it is preparing to move workers off its Titan platform.

BHP and BP said they have begun to shut in production at offshore platforms. Chevron said its production remained at normal levels on Thursday, while Occidental Petroleum and Hess Corp said they are monitoring weather conditions.

Refinery Row

Gulf of Mexico offshore wells account for 17 percent of U.S. crude oil production and 5 percent of dry natural gas production. Over 45 percent of total U.S. refining capacity lies along the Gulf Coast.

Exxon Mobil Corp said it was preparing its 520,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Baton Rouge, Louisiana refinery for severe weather, but operations were normal on Thursday.

Phillips 66 operations at refineries in Lake Charles and Alliance, Louisiana, will be adjusted based on the storms progression, spokesman Bernardo Fallas said.

Preparations for ninth named storm of this years Atlantic hurricane season comes nearly four years to the day after Hurricane Harvey hit the U.S. Gulf Coast and dumped several feet of rain in areas of Texas.

By Sabrina Valle and Erwin Seba
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison speaks during a joint press conference in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Aug. 26, 2021, two weeks after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Behind, from left are USAID Administrator Samantha Power, SOUTHCOM Commander Admiral Faller and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry. (Joseph Odelyn/AP Photo)

US Pledges More Aid to Earthquake Victims in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HaitiThe United States pledged another $32 million in aid to the victims of Haitis 7.2-magnitude earthquake Thursday, as the countrys interim prime minister defended his governments response.

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said the U.S. government had learned from the 2010 Haiti earthquake and said USAID was coordinating closely with the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

This $32 million of funding will provide additional shelter, health, food, water, and other urgent life-saving assistance, with the input and guidance of the Haitian government, Power said. Perhaps the most important lesson (from 2010) is that no development agency and no army or diplomatic corps can just import a perfect humanitarian response from afar. You need local expertise and local leadership to reach communities in need.

The Aug. 14 earthquake killed more than 2,200 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless on Haitis southwestern peninsula. Power and Henry said providing emergency shelter was the top priority nearly two weeks after the temblor.

A building lays in ruins three days after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the morning after Tropical Storm Grace swept over Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 17, 2021.(Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

Speaking together at the capitals international airport as U.S. military aircraft ferried people and supplies into the country, Henry said his government was coordinating the relief response despite the turmoil created by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise July 7.

The Haitian government is facing a lot of challenges, Henry said. We have political difficulties, we have economic difficulties, but despite all these issues, we are addressing the challenges of the earthquake.

He rejected the assertion that the government was in chaos. The Haitian government is present, he said. Far more visible since the earthquake have been nongovernmental organizations and U.S. government agencies in the earthquake zone. For days the relief effort was hampered by the inability to safely move relief supplies and quake victims through a gang-controlled area south of the capital.

The government has pledged more security.

Moise was killed by a team of mercenaries who breached the presidential residence. The investigation into his murder is still underway.

Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent said Thursday, anyone who has a finger in the killing of the president will face justice.

Vincent said the new investigating judge appointed this week would have all of the resources he needs to carry out the investigation. The first judge appointed to the case withdrew after four days. Vincent announced $60,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of three fugitives in the case.

I am asking the population to stay calm and let justice do the work, Vincent said.

By Christopher Sherman and Evens Sanon
An Afghan man carries a boy on his shoulders upon arrival at a processing center for refugees evacuated from Afghanistan at the Dulles Expo Center near Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va., on Aug. 24, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

US Taps Three More Military Bases to House Afghan Refugees, Expands Upper Limit to 50,000

The United States is housing or prepared to house Afghan nationals fleeing their country at seven military bases in America, military officials announced Friday.

Four bases had already been tapped to temporarily provide shelter for refugees: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, and Fort Bliss in Texas.

The Department of Defense has authorized three additional bases to accept refugees, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

They are the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia; Fort Pickett in Virginia; and Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The expansion of the number of bases able to house the evacuees means up to 50,000 can be accepted, according to Kirby.

U.S. Northern Command is coordinating details on the evacuations with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The secretary has been clear that if we need more because the demand is there, we will work the states and work with the services to identify potential future U.S. military installations, but those are the ones we are operating from now, Kirby said.

A United States Navy aircraft flies over the Ramstein Air Base of the United States Air Force in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany on Aug. 26, 2021. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

From 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 26 to 3 a.m. Eastern the next day, the United States flew or facilitated flights for approximately 12,500 people from Kabul. Since Aug. 14, the United States has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of approximately 105,000 people.

The vast majority are Afghans. Theyre being shuttled to countries around the world, but no country is poised to take more than America, which is doling out Special Immigrant Visas and other papers to let the refugees in.

Authorities are using special powers to waive the visa requirement for some of the Afghans. Administration officials claim all the evacuees are vetted before being brought to the United States.

Its not clear how many Afghans have arrived in the United States. The evacuation flights are first stopping at other countries like Germany before continuing on to America.

Bases in other countries were set to receive on Thursday about 19 flights and approximately 5,000 passengers, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staff for Regional Operations deputy director, told reporters in Washington. Another six flights with about 3,300 people were set to depart from Europe to the United States.

More evacuees continue to arrive stateside and are moving to designated installations throughout NORTHCOM, Taylor said.

More details about the movement will be shared during a Thursday afternoon briefing, officials said.
A police officer wearing a face mask tries to stop a photojournalist taking pictures on a street outside of a shopping mall complex in Beijing on Oct. 13, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

US Urges Beijing to Release The Epoch Times Sources Detained for Supplying Information on COVID-19

The U.S. State Department has expressed concern for 11 Chinese citizens detained for providing information relating to the pandemic to the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times. It also demanded that Beijing cease stifling truthful reporting in China.

The United States calls on the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] government to release journalists and their contacts detained for their reporting on COVID-19 restrictions and to cease its efforts to silence those who seek to report the truth, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

We consistently underscore the importance of independent, transparent, and fact-based reporting on COVID-19.

The 11 individuals, all adherents of persecuted faith group Falun Gong, have been held in Dongcheng District Detention Center in Beijing for over a year. In an April indictment, they were accused of taking photos and uploading them to overseas websites between February and June 2020, according to their lawyers.

The indictment didnt name the specific website, but the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based press freedom watchdog, said the detainees were indicted for supplying materials to The Epoch Times, citing a person familiar with the case.

The Chinese regime has tightly controlled information relating to the pandemic, such as its harsh lockdown policies and true infection and death toll figures, in its bid to suppress anything that can tarnish the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) image. Whistleblower doctors, citizen journalists, and academics have been punished by the regime for disseminating unfiltered information on the outbreak or criticizing the CCPs policies.

People gather at an outdoor area to take a swab test during mass testing for the COVID-19 in Beijing on June 23, 2020. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)

China needs to stop trying to prevent its citizens from reporting the news and publishing photographs about its COVID-19 restrictions, said Steven Butler, the journalist groups Asia program coordinator, in an Aug. 24 statement.

The 11 people arrested for sending photos and information to The Epoch Times should be released from jail immediately, with all charges dropped.

A spokesperson for The Epoch Times earlier expressed concerns for their safety and called on the international community to condemn this violation of press freedom.

The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 in the United States, originally as a Chinese-language newspaper, in response to the CCPs global propaganda efforts. As a result, the outlet has long been blocked in the country, and its earliest reporters in China were jailed, some for as long as 10 years.

Beijing Dongcheng Peoples Court canceled the detainees scheduled court appearance on Aug. 19, according to an Aug. 15 post on Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website dedicated to tracking the persecution of Falun Gong. Repeated calls from The Epoch Times to the court went unanswered.

Xie Yanyi, the lawyer for one of the detainees, Xu Na, has been blocked from defending his client since May. He called the case an escalated version of the Li Wenliang incident, adding that the Chinese regime is committing a crime.

Li Wenliang was one of the first Chinese doctors to sound the alarm on the CCP virus, which causes COVID-19, in December 2019. He was later reprimanded by police for doing so and was made to sign a statement apologizing for rumor-mongering. He later died after contracting the virus.

Zhang Zhan eats a meal at a park during a visit to Wuhan in central Chinas Hubei Province on April 14, 2020. (Melanie Wang via AP)

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who posted videos on social media detailing the toll of the outbreak from Wuhan, was found guilty in December of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and sentenced to four years in prison. One of her charges, according to the judgment published by human rights advocacy site China Change, said that Zhang was guilty of taking interviews from overseas media Radio Free Asia and The Epoch Times to maliciously create hype on Wuhans novel coronavirus pneumonia, causing negative impact among a wide audience.

Zhang currently weighs less than 90 poundshaving lost nearly half her body weightowing to the partial hunger strike she started since her arrest last May.

A free and independent media, including citizen journalists, is essential to making government more accountable, keeping all of us safer from future outbreaks and possible pandemics, the State Department spokesperson said.

Sherry Dong contributed to this report.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, addresses a Covid-19 response update press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Robert Kitchin/Pool photo via AP)

We Did Not Get Everyone Out: New Zealand PM Ends Kabul Evacuation Flights, Condemns Attacks

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the end of evacuation flights from Afghanistans Kabul international airport, with the last C-130 Hercules safely departing eight hours prior to the bomb attacks on Thursday.

However, while none of the planned New Zealand evacuees were left behind within Hamid Karzai International Airport, other citizens and visa holders remain in the region.

We know with absolute certainty we did not get everyone out, Arden told the media on Friday, adding it was difficult to determine exact numbers for those evacuated as yet.

Firstly, not everyone may have registered on Safe Travel. Secondly, of those who hold visas from Afghanistan, we dont know how many of them were in Afghanistan at the time. And finally, we dont know how many of those registered we did manage to get out, she said.

Ardern said the deteriorating situation at Kabuls airport has made it extremely difficult to undertake further evacuations and so further operations have been suspended.

Operational considerations have now dictated the necessity to end further flights into Kabul, Ardern said.

She confirmed that no New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel were present at the time of the explosions.

The prime minister said she had spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about further efforts to bring out people who have been stranded in Afghanistan.

As a Cabinet, we will consider what those options are, but well be looking to our international partners for those conversations because they will be in the same position as us, she said. My understanding is that most of our international partners are now withdrawing.

Evacuees arrive onboard the first Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130H(NZ) Hercules flight to an airbase in the United Arab Emirates on Aug. 26, 2021. (New Zealand Defence Force)

Arden condemned the Kabul bombings which killed a number of Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service personnel.

Our thoughts and condolences are with all of those in Afghanistan who have lost lives or suffered injuries, including U.S. forces, our other partners on the ground, and the families and friends of all who have been affected by this appalling attack.

We strongly condemn what is a despicable attack on many innocent families and individuals who were simply seeking safety from the incredibly difficult and fragile situation in Afghanistan, she said.

New Zealands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) remains in close contact with its citizens who have registered with Safe Travel or previously made contact.

Yesterday, MFAT advised all New Zealanders known to be in Kabul against going to Hamid Karzai International Airport and to leave the area if they were nearby due to the ongoing and very high threat of terrorist attack.

MFAT noted that it had not received any requests for help related to the explosions from New Zealand citizens and other visa holders.

So far, 276 New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, their families, and other visa holders have been evacuated from Kabul.

An additional 100 people, including New Zealanders and Australians, were evacuated on Thursday. The number of people destined for New Zealand is still in process and yet to be confirmed.

The C-130 aircraft landed in the United Arab Emirates yesterday. The New Zealand arrival date for civilians and deployed NZDF personnel have not been confirmed.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gives a press conference at Geneva's WHO headquarters on Feb. 24, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

WHO at Odds With China Over Virus Origins Research

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it hoped that Chinas research into the origins of COVID-19 remained scientific, transparent, urgent and inclusive on Wednesday.

Speaking from Geneva, top WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the organization had heard from Chinese colleagues that studies are underway.

We would have to ask them specifically what those studies are, and we look forward to the results of those, she added.

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 this year concluded 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 the virus jumped from bats to another animal that then infected humans.

But the findings are not conclusive.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in late March that all hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies.
The state recorded eight additional COVID-19 deaths among those vaccinated as new breakthrough cases appear to have leveled off compared to recent weeks, figures released Thursday show.

In total, 7,121 fully vaccinated residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since February, an increase of 1,264 cases since last week report. This increase mirrors what has been seen in recent weeks in August, state data shows.

Of the reported breakthrough cases since February, 53 of those individuals have died, a majority of which were over the age of 75, according to a weekly report on breakthrough cases from the state.

Though older residents, even those who have been fully vaccinated, are dying more often from COVID-19 infections, younger vaccinated residents are more often testing positive. More than 3,400 of the 7,121 breakthrough infections are among people aged between 35 and 64, the state report shows.

An additional 1,100 people who suffered from breakthrough infections are between 25 and 34.

Despite the rise in breakthrough cases, the state said COVID-19 vaccines do offer protection against the coronavirus. The 53 recorded breakthrough deaths represent 5.8 percent of all COVID-19 deaths since Feb. 9, the state said.

The state said that unvaccinated residents are five times more likely to be infected by COVID-19, five times more likely to die from the disease and are at least 16 times higher risk of being hospitalized with a COVID-19 infection.

On Thursday, the state announced 788 new coronavirus cases since Wednesday, with 3.64 percent of all COVID-19 tests coming back positive. An additional two people have been hospitalized with the disease for a total of 380 patients statewide.

The state reported that 25 people died in the past week from COVD-19, bring the total fatalities to 8,355.

The report Thursday also noted that 92 Connecticut towns are now considered areas of high transmission, defined as 15 or more cases per 100,000 population, up from 73 towns last week.

Amid the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, cases have risen in recent weeks throughout Connecticut. Health experts believe it is the delta variant that is largely driving the breakthrough infections in Connecticut.

Yale New Haven Hospitals Dr. Tom Balcezak said this week that almost 100 percent of the COVID cases sequenced are caused by the delta variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had been 95 percent effective against the originally sequenced coronavirus, they proved to be about 66 percent effective in preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic infection caused by the delta variant.

Though experts say that a vaccine that is improperly administered does not have full efficacy, they do not believe this issue has been associated with any breakthrough infections in Connecticut.

The COVID vaccines, just like the flu shot, are intended for intramuscular injection. A preventable error can occur when a clinician providing the vaccine uses a needle which is too short to reach the muscle  a particular problem with larger patients, Rick Martinello, Yale New Haven Healths director of infection prevention told me. If the vaccine is injected into the fat layer overlying the muscle, the immune system will not respond properly to the vaccine- resulting in lesser effectiveness.

The state Department of Public Health tracks breakthrough infections, Martinello said, asking providers to guarantee storage and administration is appropriate.

The requested information includes the vaccine brand used and location of vaccination, he said. I have not heard of any reports of clusters of breakthroughs thought to be related to improper storage or administration of the vaccine.

DPH spokesman Chris Boyle said in an email that, We have no evidence that breakthrough cases are related to administration error.

We actively monitor the storage, handling and administration of vaccines across our providers and have not observed any issues, he said.
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.
NORWALK  In the last week, the citys COVID case rate reached the highest its been since late April, but vaccinations also ticked upwards, the mayors latest report shows.

This week, Norwalk joined dozens of other communities in Connecticut by entering what the state Department of Health has deemed the red level, Mayor Harry Rilling wrote Friday in his weekly coronavirus update. This term indicates the highest level of COVID-19 transmission in Connecticut. Our case rate of 17 per 100,000 residents is the highest it has been since late April.

Rilling pointed out 92 of Connecticuts 169 municipalities are now in the red zone compared to Aug. 6 when just seven had reached this level.

Norwalk had 139 confirmed COVID cases in the last week, surpassing the 12,000 cases mark, with a total of 12,132 since the start of the pandemic, according to Department of Public Health data. Norwalks COVID positivity rate rose to 3.7 percent for tests conducted between Aug. 8 and Aug. 21, the data showed.

Clearly, things continue trending in the wrong direction, Rilling said.

However, vaccinations are again steadily rising in Norwalk and statewide. About 67 percent of Connecticut residents received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, leaving about 1.2 million Connecticut residents unvaccinated, according to the data.

In Norwalk, about 72 percent of residents have received at least one vaccine dose, an increase of 0.85 percent from last week, according to the data.

About 77 percent of Norwalkers between the ages of 12 and 17 received the vaccine, an increase of 3.3 percent since last week, according to the data.

The positive trend in vaccination rates may be related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations granting full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

There are likely a combination of things happening, city spokesperson Josh Morgan said. FDA approval certainly could have nudged some folks along. Delta is also spreading and people are seeing hospitalizations going up.

Next week, Norwalk Public Schools return to in-person learning, which may have also contributed to the increase, Morgan said.

Additionally, the city recently began offering concert ticket raffles and grocery store gift cards at its vaccination clinics.

Also, we cant discount the impact incentives can have, Morgan said. All in all, its good news seeing more people getting vaccinated.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
EDWARDSVILLE  There were some rumbles of thunder and occasional bolts of lightning on Thursday afternoon at Edwardsville American Legion Post 199, but the automotive thunder from a collection of classic cars stole the show from Mother Nature.

The occasion was a media briefing for the second annual Kicks on 66 Car Show, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Post 199. The event is open to the public and will be followed by a cruise on a portion of Route 66 (now State Route 157) in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon.

The inaugural event was held last year at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville.

As of about an hour ago, we had over 270 pre-registered vehicles in the show and that doesnt include commercial displays and dealers, said show field chair Jeff Kennedy, who was part of the original group that formed the event. The oldest is a 1923 Ford T Bucket and it goes all the way up to current production cars.

We are an all-inclusive type of show as opposed to some that specialize in certain types of cars. People have interests across wide ranges, and its geared toward anyone who enjoys cars.

Kicks On 66, which was started by friends of the late Randy Gori, is offering tickets in advance at www.KicksOn 66.org. Tickets, which will also be available in person at the American Legion on the day of the show, are $10. Military, first responders and kids are free.

This is the 20th anniversary of 9/11, so well have an hour-long memorial service presented by Mid America Chevy Dealers, said Kennedy, who is the owner of Jeff Kennedy Aircraft Design in Edwardsville and a longtime member and current chapter president of the Ferrari Club of America.

It will feature the Edwardsville and Glen Carbon fire departments doing a formal ceremony and the Boy Scouts are going to be doing a flag retirement ceremony. Our charity partners are Backstoppers and Got Your 6 Support Dogs.

Moving this years show to Post 199 was an easy decision for Kennedy and the other organizers of the event.

The American Legion has a long history and its very much in keeping with all of the 9/11 events going on, Kennedy said. We learned things from last year being a first-year event and we have a lot more support and local sponsors, with local car dealers very much involved.

Ryan ODay, who helped create the event along with Kennedy, is looking forward to the second year of Kicks On 66.

We had done private car parties before and when we did parties for Randy Gori, we talked about doing a car show for the general public that had more than just a certain kind of car, ODay said. We kicked that around and got a hold of a few people and the outpouring of interest, especially because of COVID, was pretty good and we put a show together within six weeks.

The best thing is having the cruise of Route 66 after the show. Were working with Great Rivers & Routes and the City of Edwardsville and (Mayor) Art Risavy is very positive about it. Well have 50 to 100 cars parading up and down Route 157 for the afternoon so kids can be in one spot and can enjoy a beverage and watch the cars go by.

Tuesdays preview attracted more than 85 classic car owners and theyre equally happy to be part of Kicks On 66 as the event moves into a new venue.

One of those people is Jacob Schultz of Bethalto, who brought his Jurassic Park recreation Jeep to the media briefing.

The Jeep, which is an exact replica of those used in the Jurassic Park movies, was created by Tony Goodrich of Bunker Hill.

My family had the dream of building the Jeep for a while now and we found one in good condition and Tony Goodrich brought it to life, Schultz said. The whole process took about two years on and off.

Weve brought it to a few local car shows and this will be the fourth one. Its been a very positive response and a lot of people recognize it because of the movie. The kids love it, too, and were excited to show it off.

Goodrich, who has owned Tonys Rod & Custom in Bunker Hill for 21 years, added to the theme by wearing a Jurassic Park shirt with the nametag Tony  Chief Engineer.

I was part of last years show, and it was a great event, but Jeff Kennedy is getting the word out more for this years show, Goodrich said. To have all of the exotic cars and any flavor of vehicle that you can imagine, last years show was great for the public to come out and see. Being at the American Legion this year, well have a little more room.

Goodrich also had a 1956 Chevy Sedan Delivery on display.

Its all custom-modified with a roadster shop chassis and a 427 engine with a tall deck Bowler transmission and it goes pretty good, Goodrich said.

Bill Ritzel of Troy, meanwhile, brought a 1932 Ford built by Adams Hot Rod Shop in Rydal, Georgia. Its got a Chevrolet 350-cubic inch engine with 325 horsepower. The car is six years old and its all black with an oxblood leather interior.

The first show we brought it to, in OFallon, it was best of show and first place, Ritzel said. I was at last years (Kicks on 66) show and my 1950 Ford got a peoples choice award.

Youll see a lot of variety at this show. Last year, they had some very exotic cars that you dont normally see, and somebody brought a truckload of five Ferraris down from Chicago. I saw some Ferraris and some BMW F44s (2 Series Gran Coupes) and I believe there was a Lamborghini as well as some of the classic, older American cars.

There were many Corvettes on display Tuesday, including one owned by Dwayne Loujeay of Smithton.

Its a 1967 convertible small block 327 V-8 with 350 horsepower and a Muncie 4-speed manual transmission, Loujeay said. Ive only owned it for six months, but it was a father-son project that we bought together from Mershons World of Cars in Springfield, Ohio. We did the usual stuff like replacing plugs, wires, distributor and coil, plus new tires, but well do more work on it this winter.

We have a thick book on it with all of the records and it was initially purchased in New Jersey and we are the fifth owner. It does have the original motor in it and had some refresh restoration done about 12 years ago. The mileage shows 53,000 but its documented at 76,000. The receipt for every piece of work that has been done on it came with the car.

Researching the history of the cars they purchase is part of the attraction for classic car owners such as Lyle Pahnke of Centralia, who brought his 2005 Ferrari F43 to Thursdays car show preview.

Im the fourth owner and it started life at Ferrari of Beverly Hills, Pahnke said. A movie director owned it and then it was sold to an individual in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The third owner was from Texas in the Dallas area and we had it for six or seven years. Ive owned it for a year, and I bought it in Dallas.

I bought it for about $100,000 but with the upgrades Ive done on it and with them becoming scarce, I would say its worth about $145,000. The original list price in 2005 was $189,000. The manual version of this car goes for a premium and some of them are over $200,000.

For more information about the car show, go to www.KicksOn 66.org.
History will show you that 1968 was a very tense year.

From race riots, war protests and two assassinations there was no doubt the country was headed in a new direction. Of course at the time, that direction was filled with a number of uncertainties.

It all seemed to come to a head in June of '68 when presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles right after winning the California and South Dakota primaries.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated just two moths earlier by James Earl Ray  a native of Alton, Illinois. Kennedy's brother, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated less than five years prior in Dallas  allegedly by Lee Harvey Oswald.

But here we are 53 years later, and after numerous attempts to get parole granted in years past, Sirhan just may be released from prison.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Sirhan has tried 15 times, but failed, to get parole granted previously. However, the district attorney's office doesn't plan to send anyone to the hearing, and a new defense attorney plans to argue that Sirhan be considered for parole based on who he is now as opposed to who he was in 1968.

It's unknown if members of the Kennedy Family will be in attendance.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court struck down the federal moratorium on evictions, which was extended until Oct. 3 on Aug. 3. The extension was of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium, originally imposed in September of 2020.

The ruling was passed by the Supreme Courts conservative majority, with the three liberal judges all voting against overturning the moratorium. About 3.5 million people are impacted by the decision as they face potential eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data.

The court, in an unsigned opinion, said that the CDC lacked the authority to extend the moratorium under federal law without explicit congressional authorization.

"If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it," the court wrote.

Previous versions of the moratorium, ordered during the Trump administration, applied nationwide and were put in place with concerns that people who couldnt pay their rent would end up in crowded living conditions and potentially spread the virus.

The new moratorium ordered at the beginning of August halted evictions with substantial and high levels of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 92% of the U.S. population lives, according to Reuters.

The court issued an eight-page majority opinion, an unusual move, according to the New York Times, in a ruling on an application for emergency relief, where shorter orders are more common.

The Biden administration and state governments are struggling to speed the flow of billions of dollars in federal funding to people who are behind in rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly $5.1 billion of the $46.5 billion in aid had been disbursed by the end of July, per the New York Times, as bureaucratic delays beleaguered payments.

"The CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination," the majority opinion said. "It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts."

"These questions call for considered decision-making, informed by full briefing and argument," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in dissent. "Their answers impact the health of millions. We should not set aside the C.D.C.s eviction moratorium in this summary proceeding."

Congress did not move to act after the original moratorium ended on July 31. However, after political pressure from some Democrats including U.S. House Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., the Biden administration issued the new moratorium ended by this ruling.

Bush, who represents the House district including St. Louis, camped outside the Capitol as the eviction moratorium expired at the end of last month. She said Congress must act to reinstate the protections.

"We are in an unprecedented and ongoing crisis that demands compassionate solutions that center the needs of the people and communities most in need of our help. We need to give our communities time to heal from this devastating pandemic," Bush said in a statement. "We didnt sleep on those steps just to give up now. Congress must act immediately to prevent mass evictions.

"Tonight, the Supreme Court failed to protect the 11 million households across our country from violent eviction in the middle of a deadly global pandemic," Bush added. "We already know who is going to bear the brunt of this disastrous decision: Black and brown communities, and especially Black women."

The last moratorium  which was put in place by the C.D.C. in September and expired on July 31 after being extended several times by Congress and Mr. Biden  was effective at achieving its goal, reducing by about half the number of eviction cases that normally would have been filed since last fall, according to reporting by the New York Times.

The White House, disappointed by the ruling, urged states, local governments, landlords and Cabinet agencies to act quickly to help prevent evictions.

Illinois's ban on evictions is set to expire on Aug. 31. Madison County has recently approved a $20,000 grant for an eviction mediation program.

Small-time landlords around the state struggled to stay afloat with the moratorium in place, and part of that was people who fell behind on their rent but not always because of unemployment, lost work hours or other COVID-related circumstances, according to the Springfield Area Landlord's Association.

Evictions around the area will likely increase, although housing authorities around the Metro East will act to work with renters behind on rent before beginning the eviction process.

"It's a lengthy process and many times it's at the judge's discretion," said Andy Hightower, executive director of the Madison County Housing Authority, back when the original moratorium ended.

Gregory Denton, the executive director of the Alton Housing Authority, said the organization attempts to work with people on payment agreements before giving people 30 days notice.

"It depends on how many people are willing to work with us on payment agreements," Denton said. "Hopefully it's not a lot of evictions."

The moratorium affected housing authorities' ability to work and to ensure stable living while also making sure landlords got paid.

"The moratorium meant that we could not conduct business as usual," Hightower said. "Our philosophy is that anyone can have a bad month, but to have three bad months in a row is a problem. It tied our hands when they put the moratorium in place."

The same problem experienced by Springfield landlords in terms of people behind on rent, but not due to COVID-19 related issues, was not an unfamiliar issue in the Metro East or Riverbend areas.

"We had a lot of people get behind on their rent," Denton said. "We helped them as much as we could, tried to work with them and create payment agreements. Not everybody that didn't pay rent got laid off. We're still going to try and work out payment agreements; hopefully, these people can agree to get caught up. We don't want to evict anybody, but they have to get caught up on their rent, also."
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  U.N. human rights investigators have asked North Korea to clarify whether it has ordered troops to shoot on sight any trespassers who cross its northern border in violation of the country's pandemic closure.

They were referring to a report by a news site focused on North Korea, Daily NK, which published a photo of what it said was a poster describing an August 2020 proclamation prohibiting acts that impede the closure of the northern border, shared mostly with China and a smaller section with Russia.

The poster describes a 1-2 kilometer (0.62-1.24 mile) buffer zone and says any person who makes an unauthorized entry to North Korea shall be shot unconditionally. It also says trespassers from other countries found on the North Korean side of the Yulu and Tumen rivers will be shot without prior warning.

In an Aug. 23 letter posted on the website of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the special rapporteurs expressed concern about the alleged order. They also asked North Korea to confirm reports that it made the distribution of South Korean cultural products or sexual content punishable by death under a law adopted last December.

Daily NK published photos of a document that supposedly spells out the law, aimed at stemming out reactionary thought and culture. The site said the law prescribes the death penalty for import or distribution of cultural contents from South Korea and other hostile nations such as the United States and Japan and does the same for sexual material.

The U.N. rapporteurs' letter came weeks after activists from the South Korea-based Transitional Justice Working Group asked the U.N. to press North Korea over the alleged moves.

We are concerned over the shoot-on-sight policy for unauthorized entry into the buffer zone along the northern border, as well as over the death penalty, without judicial guarantees, imposed on acts that appear to be guaranteed by international human rights law relating to the rights of freedom of opinion and expression and the right to take part in cultural life, said the U.N. letter. It asked the North to provide information on the number of executions carried out under the alleged law against reactionary culture.

The letter was signed by Tomas Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea; Morris Tidball-Binz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Irene Khan, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

North Korea has never publicly acknowledged shoot-on-sight orders or executions over consumption of capitalist cultural content, and it wasnt immediately clear whether the country would respond to the U.N. letter. The rapporteurs said they would release the reply if they received one.

Army Gen. Robert Abrams, who was the top commander of U.S. troops in South Korea before retiring this year, told a forum last September that North Korea had put special forces along its border with China to keep out smugglers and that they had shoot-to-kill orders in place aimed at preventing the virus from entering the country. Later that month, North Korean troops shot and killed a South Korean government official who was found on a makeshift raft drifting near the sea boundary between the countries. The North said its troops then burned his raft in an anti-virus step. North Koreas northern border with China was a transit point for smuggled goods, and it was unclear whether the alleged order would apply to the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone separating the Koreas.

South Koreas Unification Ministry, which handles affairs with the North, said Friday it couldn't confirm the reports about the Norths extreme border controls and death penalties.

North Korea closed its border to nearly all traffic nearly from the start of the pandemic last year, banned tourists and flew out diplomats and other authorized foreigners in hopes of sealing itself off from the coronavirus. It claims to have not confirmed a single case of infection, despite widespread skepticism.
Salida, CO (81201)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Salida, CO (81201)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low near 55F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Instant unlimited access to all of our content on thenewsguard.com.

The News Guard E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street!

This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers.

(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)


Liverpool on the luk out as rampaging Rom returns

FOOTBALL: This weekend sees the first blockbuster game of the season so far as Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield tomorrow (Aug 28).



By Ben Tirebuck

Friday 27 August 2021, 01:45PM

Romelu Lukaku (centre) bullied Arsenal into submission last weekend. Photo: AFP

Not only are both sides unbeaten after two games but both have looked comfortably dominant in their respective performances.

Liverpool brushed aside newly-promoted Norwich in the opening game 3-0 then dispatched Burnley 2-0 last weekend with relative ease.

Mohamed Salah seems back to his effervescent best in attack and Virgil van Dijks calm authority has stablised the defence which, despite not yet really being tested, has yet to concede a goal.

However, tomorrow will be a different proposition altogether as Chelsea bring their West London swagger to Merseyside, spearheaded by the returning Romelu Lukaku.

Against Arsenal last Sunday (Aug 23) Lukaku showed in just 90 minutes exactly what Chelsea were missing last season, despite their European success  an intelligent, robust centre forward who can link play and, most importantly, score goals.

His record of 47 goals in 72 games for previous club Inter Milan, coupled with his hugely impressive 64 goals in 98 international appearances for Belgium, is exactly what Chelsea have been craving in recent years and should add an ominous new dimension to the Blues.

His opener against the Gunners was his first ever goal for Chelsea, almost a decade after he made his debut as a teenager and it was easy to see why they paid 97.5 million (B4.4 billion) to Inter reacquire his services.

His smart link up play was evident not just for his goal but throughout as he constantly posed problems for a traumatised Arsenal back line. But for a fanatstic save by Bernd Leno, Lukaku could have easily doubled his return.

It was an extremely impressive second debut and will have Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp concerned ahead of their meeting tomorrow, particularly given his outspoken disdain for the physical approach Burnley applied last Saturday.

Klopp criticised Burnleys centre-forwards Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood for what he considered an overly aggressive performance where, in all truth, his defense were just bullied by more robust opponents.

Lukaku is also from the up and at them mould meaning van Dijk and co will be in for a physical test, by far their most challenging yet. With the creative energy of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount and the guile and craft of NGolo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho supporting, Lukaku will be relishing what lies ahead.

Arteta and Vieira under pressure

Elsewhere, it doesnt get any easier for Arsenal as they travel to Manchester City in tomorrows opening fixture.

Two losses on the bounce have increased the pressure on manager Mikel Arteta who will be more concerned with the actual nature of the defeats where his team looked toothless and ruderless on both occasions.

Losing against a City side fresh off a 5-0 spanking of Norwich will be no disgrace but will do nothing to disuade the critics that Arteta is out of his depth and needs to move on.

The 6-0 trouncing of West Bromwich Albion in the EFL Cup in midweek will no doubt help boost confidence, especially with club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang firing a hat-trick and fellow forward Alexandre Lacazette also amongst the goals.

Confronting the City machine on Saturday will be a different test altogether, however.

The news at The Etihad Stadium this week was dominated by the fact Harry Kane will not be joining the reigning champions after he committed his immediate future to current club Tottenham to end any transfer speculation, at least momentarily.

The club were then dealt a potentially devastating blow when manager Pep Guardiola announced on Wednesday that he plans to leave the club when his current contract expires in 2023.

After seven years on this team, I think Im going to have a stop. Im going to have to take a break, he said, hinting that any next move could see him take charge of an international team.

Elsewhere, top-placed West Ham United entertain Crystal Palace tomorrow with the pressure already mounting on new Eagles boss Patrick Vieira.

His side have lost all three of their games so far this season, including a midweek defeat to Watford in the EFL Cup.

Most worrying for the former Arsenal midefield general is the fact his team have yet to score a goal in any of those three games.

Lose a fourth game, as seems likely against a buzzing Hammers side, and the pressure will really be cranked up for Vieira.

All fixtures (Kick-off Phuket time)

Saturday

Manchester City vs Arsenal (6:30pm)

Aston Villa vs Brentford (9pm)

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Everton (9pm)

Newcastle United vs Southampton (9pm)

Norwich City vs Leicester City (9pm)

West Ham United vs Crystal Palace (9pm)

Liverpool vs Chelsea (11:30pm)

Sunday

Burnley vs Leeds United (8pm)

Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford (8pm)

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United (10:30pm)

Dont forget the join The Phuket News weekly Premier League predictions game here.
Phuket rallies to help Koh Lipe

PHUKET: A group of local companies are rallying together to help people in need on the popular island of Koh Lipe, which has become yet another recent victim of COVID-19 restrictions.

COVID-19economicshealthtourism

By The Phuket News

Friday 27 August 2021, 12:49PM

Essential relief efforts are underway to help those living on Koh Lipe, which is suffering heavily under the COVID-19 restrictions imposed earlier this month. Photo: Supplied

Essential relief efforts are underway to help those living on Koh Lipe, which is suffering heavily under the COVID-19 restrictions imposed earlier this month. Photo: Supplied

Essential relief efforts are underway to help those living on Koh Lipe, which is suffering heavily under the COVID-19 restrictions imposed earlier this month. Photo: Supplied

Essential relief efforts are underway to help those living on Koh Lipe, which is suffering heavily under the COVID-19 restrictions imposed earlier this month. Photo: Supplied

The island, located in Satun province, close to the Malaysian border and over an hour from the mainland, went into an enforced lockdown on Aug 9.

Koh Lipe remains entirely shut off to incoming or outgoing travel. No one is allowed to leave to go to the mainland, and there is an attempt to further discourage travel around the island itself using provincial public health authorities checkpoints and village-imposed quarantines.

This all adds up to zero tourism, zero work and extremely limited support which has created an inability for islanders to pay for electricity or basic food supplies.

Right now, Koh Lipe has over 460 families in dire need of food and staple items, including 300 sea gypsy families (together with those on the nearby island of Koh Adang), 90 Myanmar families and 70 Thai families.

Phuket companies have stepped in to help with this situation. Last week, 5 Star Marine in Phuket coordinated with Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club located in Satun. Whilst 5 Star Marine ordered and paid for supplies from afar, Satun Pakbara Speedboat Club was able to collect and deliver vital food packages to Koh Lipe directly using their own staff and boat.

There are also individuals and businesses located on Koh Lipe who are coordinating efforts on the ground there, ordering Makro deliveries, preparing, rationing and distributing relief packs. Family Song Bungalow on Koh Lipe are helping to distribute food, but are in need of donations towards the cause.

One Phuket will be fundraising to help support efforts in Koh Lipe. Set up with the goal of helping Phuket and the surrounding islands, they recognise the need to step up and take care of any island who needs help.

Andrea Edwards of One Phuket noted, We have to take care of, and help each other get through these critical times. If we can help Koh Lipe then we will; firstly by stepping in now to make things easier for them now and secondly by supporting them when they are open again by visiting and helping them get back on their feet.

Many people in Phuket have fond memories or some connection with Koh Lipe, having enjoyed a trip there, or it featuring on their bucket list. Whatever your association is, Koh Lipe is in dire need of help right now. Any efforts to assist those in need on the sister tourism island are much appreciated by making donations to One Phuket or Family Song Bungalow towards their efforts.

If you would like to donate towards the efforts of the Family Song Bungalow on Koh Lipe, or One Phuket, the details can be found on their respective Facebook pages.
Police reforms are years behind schedule

BANGKOK: The alleged torture and killing of a drug suspect while in police custody has intensified calls for overdue police reforms while also casting a spotlight on the slow examination process of a bill aimed at improving the structure of the police force.

policecrimecorruptiondeathviolence

By Bangkok Post

Friday 27 August 2021, 11:30AM

Thitisan Utthanaphon, former chief of the Muang Nakhon Sawan police station, is at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok yesterday evening (Aug 26) after surrendering in relation to his torture and killing of a drug suspect in Nakhon Sawan province earlier this month. Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool

Senator Kamnoon Sitthisamarn, a member of the panel vetting the bill, said the examination process is proceeding at a snails pace because members have differing views.

Mr Kamnoon said the death of the drug suspect in custody has eroded public confidence in both the police force and the government, so swift action is required against those at the centre of the scandal so to allay public concerns.

He also criticised the government-sponsored bill, which aims to resolve structural issues within the Royal Thai Police (RTP), as being unclear and lacking substance. The bill is based on a draft written by legal expert Meechai Ruchupan that was revised by the RTP before it was submitted to parliament.

Mr Kamnoon said the bill allows lawmakers to make broad changes, which means the process has dragged on for longer than it should. He said the 45-member vetting panel, which includes a group of former police, has conflicting views.

Despite this, the examination of the bill has yet to reach crucial issues.

Its hard to say how long the committee will take to get it done, but I think it wont be finished in this current session, he said.

Former Democrat MP Witthaya Kaewparadai yesterday blamed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chairs the Police Commission which oversees the RTP, for delays to reforming the police.

Mr Witthaya said the governments failure to implement changes meant that long-standing issues within the police force, including corruption and position buying, were left unresolved.

Police reforms are years behind schedule, he said.

The constitution stipulates that reform in various fields including police reforms must be completed within one year of the promulgation of the charter on April 6, 2017.

Mr Witthaya also accused the prime minister of failing to ensure that appointments and promotions must be based on seniority and other qualifications.

But the government avoids addressing position-buying and uses the old system, Mr Witthaya said. It is an important issue but the prime minister stalls.

Wirach Ratanasate, the chief government whip, said the bill is unlikely to be passed during this session while noting the scrutiny process is slow due to various arguments. He said parliament will try its best to speed up the process and get it completed within a year.

Palang Pracharath Party MP Sira Jenjaka, spokesman of the scrutiny committee, said the bill fails to address police investigations and interrogations.

He said it should have been put up for public hearings and include input from low-ranking police officers before it was forwarded to parliament.

He said the bill does not introduce anything new to address structural problems.

Meanwhile, Ramet Rattanachaweng, secretary to the parliament president, said one of the key elements in the bill is the setting up of a committee to consider complaints against police accused of malfeasance. He said the proposed committee is hoped to help people who face abuse of authority by police.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Temporary City Clerk Tammy Koller, right, administering the oath of office to interim East Ward Alderwoman Kala Sisco as the mayor and board of aldermen look on.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 23C. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 12C. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Amsterdam says it will return a valuable painting by Wassily Kandinsky to the heirs of a Jewish family that originally owned it, ending years of legal wrangling over the work that was sold at auction in 1940.

This is a historic injustice that is being put right, Simon van der Sluijs, a lawyer who has represented the heirs, said Friday.

Amsterdam municipality said in a statement that it will return the 1909 work, "Painting With Houses," without a new ruling by the Dutch restitution committee that deals with claims of looted art due to the long duration of the process and the importance of correcting wrongs of the past.

Van der Sluijs said the heirs welcomed Amsterdam's decision to return the painting that currently hangs in the city's Stedelijk Museum.

The family is happy, he said.

A court in Amsterdam last year upheld a 2018 ruling by the restitution committee that the artwork, which Amsterdam municipality bought at an auction in 1940, did not have to be returned to the heirs of the Lewenstein family that owned it before the brutal Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.

The 2018 ruling said the painting was not stolen or confiscated before it was auctioned, but also stated that the sale cannot on the one hand be considered in isolation from the Nazi regime, but on the other hand has to have been caused to an extent by the deteriorating financial circumstances of the original owners before Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands.

Amsterdam's municipality said in its statement announcing the return of the painting: We have a history as a city and with it comes a great responsibility for dealing with the injustice and irreparable suffering inflicted on the Jewish population during (World War II).

James Palmer, founder of the Mondex Corporation that works with people including the Lewenstein heirs to reclaim looted art, hailed a courageous decision.

In an email to The Associated Press, he said it recognizes "that the property rights of the claimants are fundamental in a democracy regardless of a museums interest in retaining such property.

The municipality said it has a moral obligation to act in accordance with this responsibility. The city stands for a fair and clear restitution policy, returning as much looted art as possible to the rightful owners or the heirs of the owners.

Amsterdam said that under new Dutch guidelines for dealing with looted art the Kandinsky would likely be ordered returned to the heirs.

The College of Mayor and Alderpersons has therefore started consultations with the heirs to reach a settlement agreement, after which the artwork ... can be returned immediately to the rightful owners, the statement said.

Palmer said the decision will have a broader impact for heirs seeking to reclaim looted art as it clearly disposes with the flawed approach of the balance of interest test which effectively placed the rights of the museum to display stolen property ahead of the rights of the property owners to enjoy their property and if they choose to sell, lend or display such art in the museums of their choice.
I always make sure I spend my time on Sundays wisely, since it is my only day off from the book shop.

Last Sunday, Aug. 22, was well-spent indeed. I visited the Illinois Freedom Project at the Wood River Museum and Visitors Center. This display, which depicts the history of the struggle against slavery and racism in our state, is a traveling exhibit making its way across Illinois. Last Sunday was its final day in Wood River.

Anyone who believes ours is a state where slavery was unknown will be quickly disabused of that notion by the Illinois Freedom Project. Slavery was introduced into the future state of Illinois by the French in 1719.

The French slave influence in Illinois is demonstrated by Pierre Menard, a French- Canadian who arrived in Kaskaskia in 1790, the exhibit reads. A trader and merchant, Menard was elected Illinois first lieutenant-governor in 1818, when Illinois was admitted to the Union.

The exhibit further notes that Menard was one of the largest slaveholders in the state and was listed as owning 18 slaves in 1830.

This portion of the exhibit also includes a reproduction of a newspaper ad from 1824 that offered a $10 reward for the return of Toussaint, a slave who fled from the Menard family in Kaskaskia. The ad noted that Toussaint spoke French and English but the French is his mother tongue. The display doesnt note whether Toussaint was captured or remained free.

The French were allowed to keep their pre-statehood slaves, as well as the progeny of those slaves, when Illinois became a state. That injustice ended in 1845 when the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in Jarrot v. Jarrot that these slaves were not only free but could sue their former owners to recover wages while kept in servitude.

The slave who brought this landmark suit was represented pro bono by Lyman Trumbull, who resided in Alton for a number of years.

Exhibit visitors also learned about freed slaves who founded settlements in Illinois. Free Frank McWorter was able to earn some money while still a slave. He purchased his wifes freedom in 1817 and, two years later, purchased his own freedom. McWorter, along with his wife and children, came to Illinois in 1830 and settled on land he had purchased in Pike County, where he established New Philadelphia. Miller Grove, another black-founded settlement was established in 1844 in Pope County.

The Illinois Freedom Project contains valuable information about Illinois blacks who fought in the Civil War. I was glad to see that it includes that heartbreaking photo of Lewis Martin, a fugitive slave who enlisted in the Union Army and suffered the amputation of his left foot and right arm from wounds incurred at the Battle of the Crater in 1864. I wrote about Martin in my 2019 Telegraph column His own freedom wasnt enough.

I was unfamiliar with Civil War veteran Samuel Dalton, however. Dalton moved to Murphysboro after the war and bought a home. He tried to join the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, (GAR) which was a national organization for Union veterans, but was refused because of his race.

In October 1891, Dalton and others established an African American GAR Post, this exhibit informs visitors. Nine years later, after the whites-only chapter closed, they accepted the white veterans into their post. Such magnanimity!

The Great Migration of African Americans into Illinois following the Civil Warled to growing tension between African Americans and whites, the exhibit informs visitors. Between 1891 and 1914, there were at least 22 racially motivated lynchings in Illinois. An entire chapter in my book Murder and Mayhem in Southwestern Illinois deals with the lynching of David Wyatt in Belleville on June 6, 1903.

Some other visitors and I struck up a conversation about the former sundown towns in this area such as East Alton, Wood River, Roxana and Granite City. Black persons were forbidden to live in these communities and those just passing through them had to be out before sundown.

I mentioned my 2009 column The sun is setting on sundown towns for The Telegraph and asked whether these local communities put up actual warning signs that alerted blacks these were sundown towns. No one recalled seeing any signs but agreed they really werent needed, since it was common knowledge.

John J. Dunphy is an author, the Godfrey 15th Precinct Democratic Committeeperson and recording secretary for the Godfrey Democrats.
GLEN CARBON  Village officials plan to contract with the state to have a nuisance wildlife control operator hunt coyotes for a week within the Lakewood Subdivision in Glen Carbon.

The hunter will use air rifles from tree stands, according to an Aug. 17 memo from Village Police Chief Todd Link.

According to Link, a Lakewood resident contacted him about a coyote problem after their family dog was attacked by coyotes. Link said he reviewed footage from the familys home security system which showed a pair of coyotes hunting in tandem.

The familys dog survived the encounter, but Link is concerned the coyotes may attack other pets in the subdivision.

While I have advocated a more measured and restrictive response by the police department to wild animal incidents, I do see this incident as a public safety issue, he said.

Link said he has learned from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that coyote season is year-round with no permit required. He also learned coyotes will not enter a cage or box trap, but must be caught in a foot trap and euthanized. Foot traps can accidentally trap other animals, including household pets, he said.

Hunting coyotes with air rifles  .25 caliber or .30 caliber  from tree stands eliminates the possibility of harming other animals and puts the coyote down instantly, Link said.The village can obtain the services of an IDNR-approved hunter to cull the coyotes for about $700 to $1,000 for one week.

Link said he is sorting through the list of IDNR-approved operators and contacting them to determine the best person, with plans to make his choice before Labor Day.

This is the first time in my seven years with the department that Ive had to deal with coyotes, he said. Decades ago, our officers hunted coyotes that were attacking livestock in a field off of South Meridian and Girl Scout roads.

He said he would rather avoid having his officers handle wild animals because they are not trained for it. I also dont want to make this a regular event, Link said.

According to the IDNR, coyotes are the states largest remaining predator, able to run up to 43 mph over short distances and are good swimmers. Their fur is usually gray to yellow-gray with some black. They stand about 2 feet high, 3- to 4-feet long, and generally weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, although some can reach the mid-50s.

Coyotes are in the same family as dogs, foxes and wolves, but coyote noses are more pointed than most medium-sized to large dogs, and coyote tails are bushier. A coyote will keep its tail behind its hind legs while running.

To control them, the IDNR recommends habitat modification:

 Keep garbage stored securely. Coyotes may eat garbage but are more attracted to rodents that feed on garbage.

 Keep bird-feeding areas clean of debris. Feeders can attract rodents which, in turn, may attract coyotes.

 In an urban environment, coyotes feed on mice, voles, rabbits and woodchucks. When those populations decline, it has been shown that squirrels become easy prey for coyotes.

 Feed pets indoors. If pets are fed outside, clean up any leftover food daily.

 Do not leave small pets like rabbits, cats, or small dogs outside unattended, especially at night.

IDNR officials also said excluding coyotes from your property is an effective way to prevent possible conflicts. Fencing of at least four feet can help keep out coyotes out if the fence is properly installed; chain link or sturdy welded wire fence may be used.

Coyotes can jump several feet and are very good climbers and diggers. Reinforcing the fence with an electric wire or a roll bar, or installing a taller fence, may be needed to deter an overly ambitious coyote. Using a dog run with a roof can help protect small dogs and may be less costly to install.
GRAFTON  It was a good day for a riverboat ride, and for some a better day to talk about how to encourage more people to visit the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway.

Sponsored by the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau, Wednesday afternoons River Connections Mississippi River Cruise on the Spirit of Peoria paddle wheeler was touted as a way to unveil the public part of a plan and process to promote tourism within the area defined by the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers.

We need to take regional, cooperative approaches to building the destination we need and not just for tourism but also for remote workers, young families, retires and business and service providers in the outdoor industries, said Cory Jobe, president and CEO of the tourism bureau.

Its really regionally working together collaboratively along the byway, to use the byway as an activator for economic development, he said.

Tourism is a big business for the Riverbend and surrounding regions. In February 2020, the bureau estimated the economic impact of tourism on the region at about $695.5 million.

Jobe said that dropped by about 50 percent during the pandemic.

I think during the pandemic people could get outside and experience the great outdoors and still socially distance themselves in our region, he said, adding that the main impact was the lack of travelers coming into the region.

But we are seeing a strong comeback, he said.

Others echoed that.

The start of this season has been the best weve ever probably had, said Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow, one of the cruise participants.

He noted one local gift store has had to restock five times.

Thats a good problem to have, he added.

We have seen a comeback to almost 2019 pre-pandemic levels, Jobe said. However, with this (COVID-19) variant, weve already seen a couple of big fall tour groups cancel. We are seeing some concern, but overall, some families are getting in the car and taking that road trip.

Karla Flannery, deputy director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, was among the officials at the event.

I love this area, she said. I think it has so much potential.

She said one concern is that the Alton/Grafton area doesnt get all the attention it should get.

Its absolutely beautiful, she added.

The state can help, she said, by developing marketing programs.

Illinois is so much more than Chicago and Galena, she said. I want to bring that level of awareness to the public.

One of her concerns is that marketing programs and initiatives have to begin when the time is right. Part of the reason is the uncertainty over coronavirus.

People want to travel, in a safe way, she added. Theres obviously a lot of programs and initiatives that we are pursuing, adding there a number of local initiatives are also in the works.

As people start to travel again, now is the time to put plans in motion to make the area more attractive to visitors. Jobe said the efforts also create more sustainable and attractive communities, which bring residents and small businesses, and, eventually larger businesses.

Much of Wednesdays discussion focused on increasing and improving the attractions, infrastructure and amenities that bring visitors. While day-trippers from throughout the St. Louis area are welcomed, Jobe said they really want to focus on overnight stays.

Supporters of the initiative are working on several fronts, including the creation of an Illinois Office of Outdoor Recreation. The office would promote an active lifestyle as well as conservation and stewardship of public lands and waters.

The group is also supporting an activation strategy that includes partnering with state and federal agencies, nonprofits and conservation groups to promote activities on the river and in surrounding areas. They want to update the existing Federal Scenic Byway Plan completed in 2007 and find resources to create the infrastructure needed to encourage and improve recreational opportunities.

Organizers said most of the work so far has been behind the scenes, in part because the pandemic has curtailed public events and public participation.

During 2020 a number of one-on-one interviews were held with public land and attraction managers to assess needs and opportunities. This year an initial outdoor recreation and liveability working group was formed to create a regional focus and shared collective effort. Specific plans are being developed.

Jobe said the group is in the organizational stage of putting together a public effort and plan.

We want to get our message out, because people have been wondering what weve been doing with our meetings, he said. Now its time to really activate what weve been talking about, to collaboratively work together.

He said AltonWorks has been very active in the project. Pat McGinnis, a senior advisor for AltonWorks, said the real endgame is to bring back the vibrancy of the community.

We thought we could do that. So there was an early commitment to social impact, positive social change, he said. One of the things were saying is the region can be a hub for outdoor recreation and active living.

He also echoed the idea that development of tourist attractions helps other aspects of the economy.

One of the things Ive learned in other areas weve worked in is the idea of traditional economic development, he said. It chases revenue. It chases jobs. In todays world in todays market, a lot of places are chasing livability.

What theyre saying is, for us to bring the companies, we have to win the people, he added. If we can create a livable place, we can attract the business.

Both McGinnis and Jobe said that while the area has a lot to offer there is also a great deal of untapped potential.

We cant plan custodially; we have to plan transformationally, McGinnis said. We have to plan for a different outcome that were used to.

We need to do more, Jobe said. As we continue to market ourselves as an outdoor recreation area, we are still not the destination we want.

We have to build the destination we need, he said,

For information contact McGinnis at pmcginnis@altonworks.us or 618-520-7060, or Jobe at cjobe@riversandroutes.com or 618-465-6676.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Police in Kenyas capital say nine people are dead after a crane collapsed at a high-rise construction site in Nairobi.

Officer Muturi Mbogo said the crane collapsed midday Thursday while it was being dismantled by workers. He said another worker was seriously injured. He said the collapse is under investigation.
LONDON (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with top Irish officials in Dublin Thursday, focusing on a major overhaul of taxes on the worlds biggest multinational companies.

During the one-day state visit  his first to Ireland  Macron met with President Michael Higgins and Taoiseach Michael Martin.

Ireland is not among the approximately 130 countries that backed an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) deal which would see minimum corporation tax set at 15% worldwide. Ireland's rate is currently 12.5%.

The proposal, supported by all Group of Seven nations, seeks to deter complex avoidance schemes that have cost governments billions in revenue.

Macron said while he believed a common framework made sense for a post-COVID-19 world, it was not for France to put pressure on Dublin to sign up to the agreement.

Martin said significant challenges remained before his government could accept the deal, but maintained that Ireland was engaging constructively in the discussions.

The taoiseach hailed France as Irelands now nearest neighbor within the European Union, following the U.K.s departure from the trading bloc.

The leaders joint news conference was delayed following reports of the explosion at Kabuls airport amid the evacuation operation by the United States and NATO following the Taliban takeover.

The French president said the security situation at the airport had seriously deteriorated, but work to move out foreign nationals and eligible Afghans would continue for as long as possible towards August 31, when U.S. forces complete their withdrawal from the country.
ALTON  The COVID-19 pandemic has helped locally-owned businesses learn to adapt  whether it be working from home or going to a more online environment, according to Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs.

Being forced to adapt has forged creativity, he said. Some of that will go away when we get back to normal. But some of those changes will be beneficial for years to come.

Frerichs said there has been a lot of hurt due to the pandemic. But he said he is already seeing signs Illinois is building back stronger.

We need to make sure that our policies bring everyone along, especially those who were hit the hardest, he said.

Frerichs said he visited Alton Thursday to talk to Riverbend area farmers who have participated in the states Agricultural Invest Loan Program.

We think its an important investment for the state, Frerichs said. When we help farmers expand their operation or modernize their operation, that makes for a stronger Illinois.

Since 1983, the treasurers office has provided loan opportunities for Illinois farmers through Ag Invest by partnering with approved financial institutions to provide qualified farmers, agri-business and agriculture professionals below-market rate loans to start, expand or add value to their farm operations.

The loans provided by the financial institution can be used for the purchase of farm equipment, purchase of land, construction-related expenses, provide operating lines of credit or other costs related to conventional or sustainable farming.

The program is the nations most expansive agriculture deposit program. Since its origins, Ag Invest has loaned more than $4 billion in annual and long-term loans.

Agriculture is our No. 1 industry in our state, said Frerichs. And in the treasurers office, we want to support that.

Frerichs described the program as a link deposit program, meaning the office links state deposits of financial institutions to a loan that they will give out.

In order for agriculture to be No. 1, we need to make sure that they (the farmers) are innovating, updating and expanding, he said.

Frerichs said that, by growing up in a farming community he has seen innovation. But he was surprised on how little we were investing in the programs.

I have seen firsthand how much agriculture has changed over the last 40 years, and its important that our programs change and evolve as well, he said. Examples of those changes include switching from a fiscal year to a calendar year, increasing the loan maximum amount and using loans to acquire land.

Frerichs also discussed the ePay Division used by local units governments to help collect money electronically.

By offering this to local units of government throughout the state of Illinois, we can negotiate a lower rate for credit card services than an individual unit of government can do by themselves, he said.

He said that the division has shown a lot of success especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were people who used to like to go into city hall and pay their checks, he said. Most units of government realized that, 1, its expensive to have staff process all of these checks and, two, it can be dangerous if you have people coming through your building unmasked in large numbers.
The United States is currently evacuating Afghanistan ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline President Joe Biden has laid out to get American military forces and Afghan civilians who helped the country in the 20 years spent in Afghanistan out of the country.

The evacuations have already faced threats of violence as the Taliban has taken over the country quicker than anticipated, creating multiple questions and a power vacuum. The ever-evolving situation in Afghanistan can be hard to keep track of, as new events happen every day. Presented below are various updates about what is currently happening in Afghanistan to help understand the situation.

"The most important things to know are that our defeat was not a surprise but the pace of it was," said Dr. Stephen Saideman, Paterson chair in international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ont. "When American forces pulled out in 2014, NATO pulled out most troops in 2014. Most combat after that was done by the Afghans and they fought hard, but the Taliban was doing progressively better. Whatever leverage we had Trump threw away when he negotiated with the Taliban and didnt involve the standing Afghan government, he just said 'were out of here'. There were no conditions."

"Biden was told May was too fast, so he aimed for September," Saideman continued. "When people can see the end game they work backwards and think, 'why fight now', given that they had fought hard for so long. Troops and police in the country were not getting food, ammo and water because their leadership was corrupt, so they thought, 'why should I fight', once one or two cities collapsed, other folks made that calculation, the deal from the Taliban was if you keep fighting well kill you, if you lay down your arms, well let you live."

The Taliban and the United States came to an agreement for the U.S.'s exit back in February of 2020, a deal made by the Trump administration that the Biden administration has largely stuck to, after extending the deadline to September.

It's important to note that even if the United States had evacuated either earlier or later, this same process may have happened, Saideman said.

"Given that the mistakes made at the outset and the government the United States was dealing with, if they let everybody know they'd be there another 20 years, maybe the Taliban couldnt have waited the U.S. out," Saideman said. "Given the failures of the government and the failures of the U.S. doing what they sought to do, if Biden had disagreed with Trumps deal, the Taliban would have increased activity and the Americans didnt have enough troops two months ago to defeat the Taliban. They had enough to protect themselves and help the Afghan government. The Taliban wouldnt have accepted a delay, they have their own agency, whatever the U.S. would do would shape the Talibans calculus in return. The U.S. wasn't shaping this on their own."

The United States faces terrorist threats in evacuations

The Aug. 31 deadline, which Biden is sticking firmly to, is an agreement between the United States and Taliban for the U.S. to be out of the country. Biden says he fears threats of violence if the U.S. overstays the deadline, and that there is a risk of violence the longer the United States remains in Afghanistan, according to the AP.

"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 said at the White House. ISIS-K is the Islamic State groups Afghanistan affiliate, known for staging suicide attacks on civilians.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital of Kabul seven months before optimistic expectations had them taking over the capital, however, those expectations still had the Taliban taking over the capital.

"It depends which estimate you get, there were more that were on target, there were possibilities of a range of times," Saideman said. "Wishful thinking will cause people to think things would take longer, it was thought the Afghan army would fight this to the end and that didnt happen. The Afghan national army gave up and that made it much faster, the forces they were counting on stopped fighting."

Those threats of violence are already coming to fruition. On Thursday, two blasts at Kabul's airport caused the deaths of four U.S. Marines, with 12 Americans altogether dying in the blasts, along with 60 Afghan civilians. This was while people were trying to evacuate the country. U.S. officials have blamed ISIS-K for the attacks. Gen. Frank McKenzie, overseeing the evacuations in Afghanistan, warned of further, ongoing threats.

These violent threats come while Afghan refugees flock to the Pakistan border, seeking refuge in the neighboring country. Threats persist while the U.S. attempts to work with the Taliban's deadline, according to the AP. The mass exodus of both U.S. military forces and the Afghan civilians who helped them has already caused several deaths, as seven died in a panicked crush of people attempting to flee the country.

More than 82,000 people have so far been evacuated from Afghanistan, one of the largest airlifts in U.S. history. The deadline to evacuate U.S. troops under the agreement reached when Trump was President was May 1, but Biden extended that deadline to September. That's why there's this rush of forces out of the country. Afghans who are friendly to the United States fear retaliation from the Taliban, per the AP.

U.S. allies are frightened of further violence

These acts have caused U.S. allies like Canada and several European nations including Belgium and Denmark to halt flights and France has said it was stopping its rescue efforts on Friday.

Other countries have been attempting to withdraw from Afghanistan, as Poland has recently ended their evacuation efforts, but several European countries were still in the process of getting people out before Thursday's bombings. Canada has said that it may not be able to evacuate everyone they want to before the Aug. 31 deadline. Europe's evacuations come as the G7 attempts to pressure Biden to ease his hard deadline of Aug. 31 for getting American troops and the Afghan citizens who helped them out of the country.

Europe fears that a mass wave of refugees may be heading for the continent, after Europe struggled with a wave of refugees in 2015 due to the civil war in Syria. They warn refugees to go to neighboring countries, but "don't come here", according to the AP.

"It must be our goal to keep the majority of the people in the region," Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said this week, echoing what many European leaders say.

How we got here

Thousands of American citizens remain in Afghanistan, with less than a week to get out of the country before the deadline. Some 1,500 Americans are still in the country, and estimated tens of thousands of Afghans who qualify for special visas remain in the country. Biden has vowed to get all Americans and Afghan helpers out of the country before Aug. 31.

However, despite all these concerns, Saideman said this is not the worst evacuation efforts could have gone.

"The majority of the United States' forces left in 2014 with NATO," Saideman said. "The United States could have pulled out more of the troops earlier, but this is not actually that bad as far as ending a war goes when you dont win."

Since May, the local Afghan government had lost or abandoned more than 200 of the 400 districts in Afghanistan, many of which have fallen to Taliban control. The Taliban has used fear-mongering and misinformation campaigns to frighten Afghan government officials and to intimidate local residents.

"The Afghan government was corrupt and incompetent," Saideman said. "The U.S. made deals to make war cheaper and easier, so the U.S. was relying on warlords, and they werent the best to build a government."

How will the Taliban lead?

There are several questions about the Taliban, per Vox. That includes how the Taliban treats women in the country, how the Taliban does the everyday work of delivering food and water to Afghan citizens and whether or not the Taliban will share power with the people of Afghanistan, including the 4.5 million people in Kabul -- far more than the few hundred thousand people who lived in the city in 1996.

After using women's rights to help fuel support for the war, the United States is pulling out, causing a precarious situation for women's rights in the country. Women's rights has taken a massive forward step in the 20 years since America arrived in Afghanistan, and women's rights could take an equally massive step back with the Taliban back in power, as repressive policies were a part of the Taliban's first regime in the country back in the 90's, but now women must wait and see what the Taliban does in the country in regards to women's rights, per Vox. That list of people waiting to see how the Taliban handles women's rights now includes Salgy Baran, who was the country's top high school graduate in 2021, according to the AP.

However, there are worries that the Taliban still has the same world view and could reinstate the same policies as it did when the group originally had control of Afghanistan in the 90's. According to Vox, there are already reports of executions, of women and teenage girls being forced into marriages with Taliban fighters, of female students being turned away from schools. The fact that the Taliban is now better at public relations does not mean it has changed wholly, Vox says.

"We dont know how they will lead," Saideman said. "We have past behavior that shows it was brutal, there was genocide against minorities, abuse of women, their sense of justice is very brutal. I dont have a lot of faith in their current portrayal of difference."

Concerns for Afghanistan going forward

Other questions now linger, and there are other concerns facing Afghanistan and the country's civilians. That includes, as with all countries in 2021, COVID-19, which remains another public health threat while American forces and their allies attempt to pull off mass evacuations.

The threat of COVID-19 is now rising in Afghanistan, as coronavirus testing and vaccinations have plummeted since the Taliban took control. The Afghan refugees coming to the United States will receive COVID-19 tests as soon as they land. Two million doses of the vaccine are set to expire in Afghanistan in the coming months, per the Washington Post.

Other concerns include financial ones, as some Afghans are running out of money. The Taliban has cut off money being taken outside of the country, and the group is attempting to get bankers back to work in the country, per the Washington Post. Banks hadn't been open in more than a week since the Taliban took over the country, as prices rose and uncertainty spiked with soaring costs. The Taliban is reportedly facing a cash squeeze of their own.

There are also concerns about foreign relations going forward. There is a power gap in terms of foreign relations to be filled. There is now some concern that gap could be filled by China, with the Taliban already saying that they have "good relations" with the country, per the Atlantic. The Taliban has responded positively to steps China is taking to improve relations with the new regime, but Afghanistan could eventually be a test for China and the United States of how the countries are able to come together to handle security concerns on an international stage.

From the United States, American veterans of the war in Afghanistan are working hard to get the interpreters and other Afghans who helped them safely out of the country. This is not new, as American veterans have been attempting to help the people who helped them and in some cases saved lives get out of Afghanistan (and Iraq, for that matter) safely for a while, but face long waiting times and difficult paperwork processes.

Keeping up the fight

In Afghanistan, there remains an active militia that will fight the Taliban's control of the country, although that militia faces long odds in fighting the Taliban, according to the New York Times.

The man leading that militia against the Taliban is Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old son of a legendary mujahedeen commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud. Massoud picks up his father's fight against the Taliban 20 years after the senior Massoud's death in a suicide bombing.

The militia force will fight the Taliban from the Panjshir Valley, per the AP, a valley in the Hindu Kush with a single narrow entrance. It's the last region in Afghanistan not under Taliban control and a place where local fighters held off the Soviets in the 1980s and the Taliban a decade later.

Afghanistan has been called the "graveyard of empires", as many empires who have attempted to control Afghanistan have suffered for the attempt. However, Saideman said the situation is more complex than that.

"Historys more complex than that, thats a nice story people like to say," Saideman said. "The success rate has varied, the British did okay, but were beaten pretty badly before they started doing well. There was stability in Afghanistan before the Soviet period, I hate people talking about history that way. Its not the graveyard of empires."

New concerns and moving forward

New concerns are constantly propping up in Afghanistan. For example, on Thursday, the Taliban denied the involvement of Osama bin Laden, killed by Navy Seal Team Six in 2011, in the terrorist attacks perpetrated against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Bin Laden's presence in Afghanistan was one of the reasons the United States used to justify the war in Afghanistan, although Bin Laden was later found and killed in Pakistan.

"The U.S. was in Afghanistan because thats where the attacks of 9/11 came from," Saideman said. "Failed states were breeding grounds for terrorism. America built up a government, that develops a logic and inertia that makes it very hard to leave, by leaving now weve learned either theres no good time to leave or that anytime is good to leave, the Afghan government would collapse no matter what the U.S. did."

Saideman said that he sees parallels to the Vietnam war at the end of the war in Afghanistan.

"In that sense the U.S. fought an insurgency campaign that was not successful, there are parallels," Saideman said.

The evacuations are ongoing and with the deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 31, updates from Afghanistan are unlikely to end soon.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County is taking applications for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program starting Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Madison County Community Development obtained funding through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to assist low-income residents with rising cost of home energy bills. The program starts Sept. 1 and runs through May 31, 2022 or until funds are depleted, whichever comes first and there will be no priority groups under the new program year.

Households in need of energy assistance, especially those with disconnection notices, high past due balances and the general population affected by wage fluctuations due to COVID-19 are encouraged to apply. In addition, propane customers are strongly encouraged to apply.

This year Madison County Energy Assistance will be offering three programs:

 The first program is the traditional LIHEAP assistance, which is a one-time payment towards the customers energy bill. The amount is determined by the household income, number of household members, and the type of fuel used for heating.

 The second program is the Percentage of Income Payment Program. The PIPP program is offered to Ameren customers only. This program pays a monthly benefit toward the customers bill and the customer pays the remaining amount of their bill. The payment is determined by the household income and the type of fuels used for heating. PIPP also has an arrearage reduction program for customers with large back bills. If the customer pays their portion of the monthly bill in full and by the due date, 1/12 of their arrearage, up to $1,000 per year, will be forgiven by the utility. The PIPP program is from Sept. 1 through March 31, 2022 or until funds run out; whichever comes first.

 The third program Madison County Energy Assistance will offer is the Low-Income Home Water Assistance Program. The LIHWAP program is offered to LIHEAP applicants that are in need of assistance with their water and/or sewer services. We can help Madison County residents that are: disconnected with their water services, in threat of disconnection, or have a $250 or more arrearage on that utility. The eligibility for the LIHWAP program is the same as the LIHEAP program.

More Information Outreach Site Phone Number Veterans Assistant Commission 618-296-4554 Granite City Housing Authority 618-876-4232 Madison County Urban League (Alton) 618-463-1906 Madison County Urban League (Madison) 618-877-8860 Chouteau Township 618-931-0360 Collinsville Township 618-344-1290 Edwardsville Township 618-656-0292 Ft. Russell Township 618-377-5660 Jarvis Township 618-667-2560 Highland Area Christian Ministry 618-654-9295 Olive Township 618-637-2630 Senior Services Plus (seniors 60+) 618-465-3298 Venice Township 618-452-1121 Glen Ed Pantry 618-656-7506 30-day LIHEAP income guidelines 1 person - $2,147 2 person - $2,903 3 person - $3,660 4 person - $4.417 5 person - $5,173 6 person - $5,930 7 person - $6,590 8 person - $6,737 9 person - $6,883 See More Collapse

The Madison County Community Development Energy Assistance Office administers LIHEAP, PIPP, and LIHWAP to help residents with the application process. Persons wishing to apply should contact the nearest Outreach Site in their area for an appointment.

Clients must bring all required documentation when applying for assistance including:

 Proof of gross income from all household members for the 30-day income period beginning with the date of the application.

 A copy of their current heat and electric bills issued within the last 30 days (if they pay for their energy directly).

 Proof of Social Security numbers for all household members.

 Proof that their household received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled; or other benefits, such as Medical Eligibility or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, if receiving assistance from the Illinois Department of Human Services.

The 30-day income guidelines increased for LIHEAP and are now based on 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and the number of persons living in the household.

To obtain additional information regarding the LIHEAP program contact Madison County Community Development Energy Assistance at 618-296-6485
MASCOUTAH  MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV) has been ranked among the nations top five least expensive airports, according to the findings of a recent study of Bureau of Transportation statistics conducted by FinanceBuzz.

The study compares the average airfare cost of 95 airports around the country. MidAmerica Airport placed fifth on the list of 25 least expensive regional airports.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Eastland, on Friday morning called for the impeachment of President Joe Biden.

Miller said Biden has shown a reckless disregard for the safety and security of troops stationed overseas and Americans here at home.

Congress must act and begin immediate impeachment hearings to hold the president responsible for the decisions he made that cost service members their lives, she said.

The comments from Miller, elected in November to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, came a day after a suicide attack at the Kabul airport that killed well over 100 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.

As we mourn the sailor and Marines who were killed yesterday and pray for their families, we must hold the person responsible for planning and approving this withdrawal accountable, Miller said.

The president authorized a poorly planned withdrawal of US troops that allowed 600,000 weapons, 75,000 vehicles and 200 aircraft funded by U.S. taxpayers to be seized by the Taliban, she said. President Biden allowed the Taliban to release 5,000 al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners without securing high-level operatives who pose a threat to the homeland.

Miller also said Biden has allowed the U.S. southern border to remain open and exposed for any foreign national to cross unimpeded. She said Biden has not explained why he ordered the Pentagon to abandon Bagram Airfield on July 2.

Throughout this crisis, President Bidens conduct and behavior has been erratic, Miller said. He appears to become lost and disoriented during interviews and press conferences and cannot function as Commander In Chief in his present state.
WOOD RIVER  Local unemployment rates showed a slight downturn in Juyly as more jobs were filled. But the recent upsurge caused by the delta variant of COVID-19 is creating uncertainty in the workforce.

Tony Fuhrmann, director of the Madison County Employment and Training, said he was really anticipating an increase in employment in September. Now hes unsure how it will play out.

Im still at the point where I dont know if unemployment figures mean anything, he said.

Fuhrmann had consistently said he anticipated upticks in people working in September because of two factors: children going back to school full-time and the end of expanded unemployment benefits.

With all the uncertainty of the delta variant that has been delayed, he said Friday.

The latest figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate in the St. Louis MSA  which includes Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties  dropped to 5.5 percent in July from 5.7 percent in June.

During the same period the state unemployment rate decreased to 7 percent from 7.9 percent.

Both rates are dramatic improvements over unemployment rates a year ago during the height of the pandemic.

Locally, unemployment rates showed decreases, usually slight, in all counties except Jersey County which bumped up slightly. In Madison County, the rate went from 5.5 percent in June to 5.3 percent in July. Jersey County jumped to 4.9 percent from 4.7 percent; Calhoun County to 4.8 percent from 4.9 percent; Macoupin County to 4.6 percent from 4.9 percent; Greene County to 5.1 percent from 5.2 percent; Bond County to 4.7 percent from 5 percent; and Clinton County to 3.7 percent from 4.1 percent.

State officials focused on the increase in total number of jobs in 13 of 14 of the states metropolitan areas.

Todays data is reflective that reopening and recovery is touching every corner of the state, said Deputy Gov. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill. With the expiration of federal unemployment programs in a week and a half, IDES is focused on matching jobseekers with employers to continue to assist with statewide economic recovery.

The St. Louis MSA has added 3,100 jobs since last year, to 227,600. Statewide 249,000 jobs have been added, totaling about 5.8 million.

Fuhrmann said plans are on track for this years job fair Jobs Plus 21 held in conjunction with the St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department. It is set for 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 22 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville.

Theres going to be a lot of interest from the employer side, Fuhrmann said. Usually well have 75-80 employers; were already about halfway there.

He said the timing of the job fair is good, especially if no action is taken to extend enhanced unemployment benefits. He also noted this is a good time to update resumes and MCET can help. Its services range from job postings and help with resumes or job searches to paying for up to two years of training for high-value jobs.

For information about employment and workforce training opportunities, call 618-296-4301, visit the Madison County website at https://www.co.madison.il.us/ or visit the departments Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MCETD.
KABUL, Afghanistan  The organization believed to be responsible for Thursdays deadly bombings outside the airport in Kabul is a longtime sworn enemy of the United States and the Taliban.

Known as ISIS-K or IS-K, it is the local affiliate of Islamic State, the jihadist group that once ruled large swaths of northern Syria and Iraq.

The K stands for Khorasan, a historic region in current-day Iran, Afghanistan and neighboring parts of southwest Asia that figures prominently in some jihadist doctrine.

The group  which emerged around 2014, as Islamic State was becoming a brand name in terror  never controlled much territory in Afghanistan, specializing instead in suicide bombings, ambushes and other guerrilla-style assaults.

Even after losing significant battles against U.S. forces and the Taliban, the group maintained enough of a network to stage heinous, high-profile attacks.

Thursdays twin bombings, in which dozens of people were killed, including 13 U.S. service members, was its first major strike since the Taliban seized control of Kabul this month.

The attacks outside the airport  where crowds of Afghans and foreign nationals hoped to board evacuation flights before next Tuesdays deadline for the U.S. military withdrawal  undermined the Talibans attempts to consolidate its newfound power and portray itself as a force of stability after decades of war.

This is an embarrassment for the Taliban, said Seth Jones, a terrorism expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. ISIS-K managed to thumb its nose at the Taliban, getting suicide bombers through its lines, and target both the United States and its Afghan supporters at the airport.

The think tank has documented scores of attacks against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan and at least 250 clashes with Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. security forces. ISIS-K has also regularly battled with Taliban forces.

In a country where militant factions routinely used roadside bombings and shooting rampages against civilians, ISIS-K emerged as the harshest of them all.

It is thought to be behind an attack last year on a maternity ward, where gunmen in suicide vests mowed down pregnant women before blowing themselves up. That same day, the group claimed an attack on a funeral procession that killed 32 people.

The extremists seemed to revel in complex operations designed to sow maximum fear. This year, on May 8, as students at a girls school were leaving the building for the day, a car bomb detonated. That was followed by two more blasts. The attack killed at least 90 people and injured an additional 240, most of the victims girls between 11 and 15 years old.

Experts said such terror is likely to continue long after the United States completes its military withdrawal.

I expect a bloodletting, said Jason Blazakis, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank. I expect that ISIS will continue to ramp up pressure against the Taliban to embarrass it, to show that it is not effective in governing the people of Afghanistan.  ISIS is going to try to sow chaos and cause instability with an eye to uprooting the Taliban over time. What happened Thursday is the first strike in this effort.

Thomas Joscelyn, a terrorism expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a think tank in Washington, said that in recent weeks prison breaks orchestrated by the Taliban as it seized control of the country have freed hundreds of ISIS-K members, likely bolstering its ranks.

It is not surprising they have the network in place to do this, he said of Thursdays attacks.

The Taliban and ISIS-K are hardline Sunni Muslim groups. But ISIS-K has portrayed itself as the true standard-bearer of jihad, denouncing the Taliban for negotiating with Washington.

Unlike the Taliban, which has focused on a parochial jihad  expelling foreign invaders from the Islamic Emirate, as it calls Afghanistan  ISIS-K maintains a dedication to global jihad and international attacks, including on western and other infidels.

Experts said the first members of ISIS-K were defectors from al-Qaida and the Afghan and Pakistani incarnations of the Taliban. Personal, factional and ideological differences figured in the defections, along with the lure of then-ascendant Islamic State and objections to the Talibans cooperation with al- Qaida.

Individuals wanted to be part of the ISIS brand, said Blazakis, who previously worked on counterterrorism issues at the State Department. The objective was a global caliphate.

Islamic State has been driven out of it once enormous caliphate in Syria and Iraq. But there are remnants of the group in both countries, and the Islamic State brand, although diminished, still has a considerable following among radical jihadists.

Its global agenda makes it especially problematic for Western security officials.

Though IS-K has yet to conduct attacks against the U.S. homeland, the group represents an enduring threat to U.S. and allied interest in South and Central Asia, according to a 2018 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies report stated.

The attack Thursday was one of the worst single-day losses for the U.S. military since it launched the war in Afghanistan almost 20 years ago and ended the Talibans first stint in power.

Dead civilians are still being counted. Outside the airport Thursday, bodies were strewn on a carpet of crumpled plastic bottles, discarded food wrappers and clothes from backpacks and suitcases, many of them streaked with blood, like the gray water in an adjacent sewage canal.

Yards away, at the entrance to the processing area near the airports Abbey gate, a British paratrooper stared at a group of Afghan families crouched nearby.

Other paratroopers were arrayed behind him, their silence punctuated by the occasional burst of gunfire and the brilliant red of tracer rounds.

(Bulos reported from Kabul and McDonnell from Mexico City. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.)



2021 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The brown midrib trait (BMR) found in sorghum species is an outward expression of a mutation that results in lower levels of lignin in the plant. Lower concentrations of lignin result in improved forage digestibility and animal performance. UK researchers suspect that it also helps nutrients return to the soil quicker.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely - heavy rainfall is possible, especially this evening. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low near 60F. Winds ESE 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 ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms likely - heavy rainfall is possible, especially this evening. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low around 60F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms likely - heavy rainfall is possible, especially this evening. Isolated tornadoes possible. Low around 60F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.
The statement from Frasers Group to the market about the stupendous pay package for chief executive-in-waiting Michael Murray was, in one respect, admirable.

Unlike the usual tangle of verbiage and weasel words about pay, it made crystal clear that Murray is in line for 100million if he hits share price targets.

No need to reach for a calculator or to check the figures with a tetchy corporate spin doctor  there it was in black and white.

In the family: Fraser's boss to be and boss Mike Ashley Michael Murray (pictured) is in line for 100m if he hits share price targets

As followers of Frasers will know, Murray is the future son-in-law of boss Mike Ashley, as well as his heir apparent in the boardroom. He is still only 31.

Neither his in-laws nor his youth disqualify Murray from being a great success.

Lord Wolfson, who leads Next, was subjected to allegations of nepotism when he became the youngest chief executive of a FTSE 100 company at 33.

Two decades on, Wolfson remains at the helm and is one of the most respected retailers in the country.

This proposed pay package, however, is outrageous, both in its design and in the potential quantum of reward.

For Murray to be eligible for his 100million, the share price must hit a target of 15 for 30 consecutive days before October 2025.

That is more than double the current level, hence the company's claim it is a 'stretching' goal.

Murray hopes to achieve it with a strategy of moving upmarket  the high-end Flannels stores are seen as the future.

But pinning such a huge reward on the sole measure of share price is unsound, because that yardstick depends on many other factors than Murray's abilities as a boss.

It is also tin-eared and tasteless to concoct a scheme like this when much of the retail sector is on its knees due to Covid, and the High Street faces an uncertain future.

Frasers has benefited from 180m in taxpayer support in the form of business rates relief and furlough during the pandemic.

These sums should be repaid before showering rewards on the new CEO. It's reminiscent of the row over Jeff Fairburn, the former Persimmon chief executive, whose 82m in two years from the housebuilder created uproar.

Shareholders can't force Murray out, though, because of Ashley's controlling stake.

The only thing that can be said for this is that the rotund tycoon has never even pretended to kow-tow to corporate governance, so at least shareholders know where they stand.

Name-calling

I'm fascinated by the concept of nominative determinism, where people's names reflect their work, like Rich Ricci, now at broker Panmure Gordon.

He was previously a hot shot at Barclays, where he worked with another aptly-named moneybags, Bob Diamond.

When emails land from PR people called Swindell or Badger, I always have a quiet chuckle, though with a name like Sunderland and coming from the North East, I'm in the zone myself.

Company names are revealing for what they say about how a business sees itself and how it wishes to be seen.

The Apple name, along with the logo, is sheer brilliance. It has subliminal suggestions of the tree of knowledge and Sir Isaac Newton.

There is also a story, probably an urban myth, that it is a tribute to Alan Turing, whose work paved the way for modern computing.

Hounded for his homosexuality, Turing committed suicide by biting into an apple laced with poison.

Whether or not this resonance was intended when Steve Jobs named the company, the name Apple is deceptively simple, globally recognisable and refreshingly un-techy.

On the London stock market, firms once proudly blazoned their Britishness as a badge of international status, quality and reliability. Nowadays, the likes of BA, BT and BP prefer to go by initials.

I hate to think what the woke brigade would make of Imperial Chemical Industries if that fine company still existed.

Names are revealing. One of my rules of thumb is to be wary of any business with a silly one. Subjective, of course  but a useful flag for the likes of Monzo and Wonga.

As for Abrdn, the business whose former name, Standard Life Aberdeen, exuded Caledonian rectitude, wrds fl m.

Which brings us to Uber, a company name replete with an awful lot of Nietzschean superiority for a ride-hailing and food delivery service.

Having been criticised for years for its treatment of drivers, the company is now making friends with the GMB union and pressing for worker rights at rival mini-cab firms.

Time to change its name to Chutzpah?
British Airways plans to launch a budget airline by hiving off its short-haul flights at Gatwick.

The flag-bearers new and as-yet unnamed business will run alongside its long-haul operations at the West Sussex airport.

The move comes as the airline plots its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Flight plan: British Airways is to launch a budget airline subsidiary business working alongside its current operations at Gatwick (pictured)

BA suspended all domestic and European routes serving Gatwick as the Covid crisis wreaked havoc on the industry.

In a letter to staff, the airline said: This was previously a highly competitive market, but for us to run a sustainable airline in the current environment, we need a competitive operating model.

Because of that, we are proposing a new operating subsidiary to run alongside our existing long-haul Gatwick operation, to serve short-haul routes to/from Gatwick from summer 2022.

Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, explained that BA is a full-service carrier at Gatwick  meaning it offers a range of amenities such as luggage services, which other budget competitors do not.

Because of this, its costs are much higher than the likes of Easyjet  staff must be paid more, and consumers expect to get similar add-ons as they would on one of BAs long-haul flights.

But travellers still expect BA short-haul trips, to destinations within the UK and Europe, to cost a similar amount to those of its rivals.

Macheras said that by breaking off the short-haul operations into a new budget company BA can explore recruiting or re-contracting staff so they are on contracts more in line with their competitors.

Many of the airlines 37,000 staff are still on furlough  and the company said costs will steeply increase once the scheme closes at the end of September, which is bad news.

A BA spokesman said it was working with our unions on proposals for a short-haul operation at Gatwick.
Private jet firm Air Partner saw its shares soar this morning after it revealed bookings for the first six months in the US were higher than before the pandemic.

The London-listed company said demand from the ultra-rich has been enough to offset a drop in business travellers.

Shares flew by 7.6 per cent to 91p after the update, which also revealed that the business expects to deliver 3.7million in underlying pre-tax profit in the six months to the end of July.

Private jet firm Air Partner saw its shares soar this morning after it revealed bookings for the first six months in the US were higher than before the pandemic

'We continue to see a strong recovery in our private Jets division,' the firm told shareholders.

'The UK has exceeded pre-Covid levels over the summer months as we have welcomed a number of first-time private jet flyers, in addition to seeing increased demand from many of our existing customers.'

Air Partner says its JetCard product did particularly well.

The cards can be loaded up with credit in a similar way to how public transport users can charge an Oyster card in London.

Customers buy flying hours on their card and can then book a private jet with just one day's notice and use the hours they have accrued.

In the first half of the financial year, global bookings were up 46 per cent and the number of new members rose 71 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Deposits on the cards have also risen by 130 per cent in total compared to last year, Air Partner added.

While demand in the US exceeded expectation, Air Partner said the picture in Europe was a little more turbulent, where activity 'remains limited'.

Separately, the Gatwick-based company announced that it has acquired Kenyon International Emergency Services from PT Lobos, in a deal worth up to $11.7million, on a debt free, cash free basis.

Air Partner says the acquisition of the emergency planning and incident response company is expected to be 'earnings enhancing in first full year of ownership'.
Apple has handed boss Tim Cook a 550million bonus as he marks a decade at the helm of the iPhone maker.

The 60-year-old was appointed chief executive in 2011, succeeding the companys founder Steve Jobs, who died of cancer weeks later.

And this week Cook received the final tranche of a huge share award. He received just over 5m shares, which he immediately cashed for 548million.

Happy anniversary: Apple boss Tim Cook (pictured) received just over 5m shares, which he immediately cashed for 548m

He was awarded the maximum award possible after overseeing share price growth of more than 1000 per cent at Apple in the past ten years.

When he took the reins, the firm was making around 79billion in annual revenues and 19billion in profit.

But those figures have since leapt to 200billion and 42billion respectively thanks to a host of new products and services introduced under Cook.

These have included Airpod wireless headphones, the Apple Watch, iCloud data storage, the Apple Music streaming service and most recently video streaming platform Apple TV+.

And the sales bonanza has sent Apples shares surging higher too, taking the companys market value from about 255billion to 1.8 trillion.

It is the worlds most valuable listed company. And Cook still owns almost 3.3m shares, worth another 353million.

He has already become a billionaire thanks to his huge payouts at the firm, with Forbes putting his overall fortune at just over 1billion today.

Born in Alabama, he is the son of a shipyard worker and a pharmacist.

He graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University, Alabama, in 1982 and spent time in senior roles at computing firms IBM, Intelligent Electronics and Compaq before joining Apple in 1998.

Before he died, Jobs is said to have told a key ally that he trusted Tim absolutely  a comment described as about as high a compliment as you could get from the notorious control-freak.

But whereas Jobs  who was just 56 when he died  had been dubbed a visionary by the American media, Cook has struggled to shake off his image as the supply chain guy  a skilled administrator who lacks his predecessors imagination.

Some, however, believe Cook could still round off his time in charge with a major takeover or even the launch of Apples own electric car.

He is not expected to remain for another decade but is seen as likely to hang around for at least a few more years.

I feel great right now and the dates not in sight, Cook told the New York Times this year.
Shares in Just Eat Takeaway took a tumble after the company found itself in an arm wrestle with New York City Council and its mayor Bill de Blasio.

The takeaway app has been told by the city that its US arm Grubhub must cap the commissions it charges restaurants in the Big Apple.

Grubhub and other giants like Uber Eats had been charging restaurants commissions as high as 30 per cent to deliver their food, something the restaurants said had ruined their finances.

Fees clampdown: Just Eat has been told byNew York city that its US arm Grubhub must cap the commissions its charges restaurants in the Big Apple

A bill being introduced limits the amount delivery apps can charge restaurants to 15 per cent of food orders. Grubhub has argued the rules are 'unconstitutional' and pledged to fight the action.

But Mayor de Blasio is fully behind the legislation, which could become law before the end of the year.

Stock Watch - Air Partner Shares of plane charter service Air Partner have jumped after it said wealthy Americans were hiring enough private jets for their holidays to offset the loss of business travellers. Air Partner said that in the year's first six months US bookings were higher than before the pandemic. Strong demand from rich clients going on holiday made up for the slump in business travel because of Covid. In Europe, however, activity 'remains limited'. Bosses expect to confirm the business made 3.7million in profit in the six months to the end of July. Shares were up 2.1 per cent, or 1.8p, to 86.4p.

He said: 'We want to make sure people are treated fairly and NYC City Council saw something that wasn't fair to everyday people going through so much.'

The battle between New York and the delivery apps has been raging for nearly two years and it is understood the businesses have spent millions of dollars on lobbying between them.

But it appears the efforts have failed and there are fears that other major cities around the world could follow.

Just Eat shares fell 7.5 per cent, or 519p, to 6407p, while rival Deliveroo suffered a little less, down just 0.6 per cent, or 2.2p, to 362.8p.

The session was heavily America focused, with the FTSE 100 up 0.32 per cent, or 23.03 points, at 7148.01, boosted by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

He calmed investor fears and managed to prevent a full-scale taper tantrum. In his Jackson Hole speech, Powell said the central bank is likely to begin tapering by the end of the year, but added there was 'much ground to cover' before rate hikes.

One broker said: 'I was ready for a full-scale tantrum. But actually Powell was moderate.'

But the big gains were being led by the oilers as producers shut down operations in the Gulf of Mexico in preparation for Tropical Storm Ida hitting. As a result Brent Crude was trading up 1.26 per cent at $72.38 a barrel.

Shell, BP, BHP, Chevron and Equinor were among the companies that airlifted hundreds of workers off their platforms and moving vessels out of the area.

The shutdowns are expected to remove hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day from the market.

Shares in BP gained 2 per cent, or 3.95p, to 302.5p. Shell climbed 1.5 per cent, or 20.8p, to 1449.4p.

Not to be outdone were the mining giants as prices on the London Metal Exchange climbed.

Platinum, copper and aluminium all made gains. Anglo American climbed 3 per cent, or 90p, to 3084p, Glencore added 2.3 per cent, or 7.45p, to reach 332.55p and BHP moved up 2.2 per cent, or 48p, to 2280p.

But Sainsbury's was a faller after analysts at UBS dismissed reports that the supermarket could be a takeover target.

A report last Sunday said Apollo was interested in the supermarket chain, but analysts at UBS said the lack of statement from the US private equity firm meant that interest in the grocer 'may have been exploratory'.

UBS downgraded the chain to 300p, with shares down 2.9 per cent, or 9.4p, at 310.4p.

Further down the market, the much followed Lindsell Train Investment Trust slipped 5.9 per cent, or 97.5p, to 1550p.

Lindsell is exposed to consumer stocks like Diageo (up 0.2 per cent, or 6p, to 3487.5p) and Unilever (down 0.4 per cent, or 17.5p, to 4045p), which performed well during lockdown but have fallen since restrictions have been eased.

The mid-cap FTSE 250, meanwhile, edged up 0.45 per cent, or 107.33 points, to 24,059.72.
Nvidia suffered another blow in its takeover of British chip designer Arm after Brussels launched an official probe into the 39billion deal.

The European Commission will launch the full-scale probe just as the US tech multinational is seeking formal approval from the bloc for the deal.

The impending investigation will throw up yet another potential hurdle for Nvidia to leap, just weeks after the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned it had 'serious concerns' about the deal.

Setbacks: Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang (pictured) recently said drawn-out discussions with authorities were now pushing out the timetable' for the Arm deal

And China  another crucial territory to win approval in  is yet to even look at paperwork that Nvidia has submitted.

Nvidia launched its bid for Arm last September and has always said it expects regulatory scrutiny.

But the American giant has since admitted that the process is taking longer than expected.

After originally predicting the takeover would be sealed by March next year, chief executive Jensen Huang recently said drawn-out discussions with authorities were now 'pushing out the timetable'.

Nvidia has said it will walk away if the deal isn't done by September 2022.

Concerns about the firm's bid are based on Arm's current position as a neutral supplier of chip designs to customers around the world, including Nvidia rivals Qualcomm, Samsung and Apple.

This approach led Arm to be dubbed the 'Switzerland of semiconductors' and for its designs to be used in a plethora of devices around the world.

Competition fears: The European Commission is set to launch a full-scale probe into Nvidia's takeover of British chip designer Arm

But critics fear this neutrality will be put at risk by Nvidia's takeover. The UK's CMA last week said Nvidia would have the 'ability and incentive' to harm rivals  by throttling their access to Arm's latest technology  if the takeover is approved.

Nvidia has denied these suggestions and offered to give legally-binding guarantees that it will keep Arm's technology available, as well as other guarantees on its UK headquarters and research.

But its overtures have been dismissed by the CMA, which is calling for an in-depth 'phase two' probe to scrutinise the deal further. Ministers will decide whether a probe goes ahead or not.

Yet the upcoming request for the EU to review the deal will add further complications, kicking off a 25-working day preliminary review.

This is already seen as likely to be followed by another 90 working-day full-scale EU investigation, sources told Reuters.

Meanwhile, in China, the Global Times newspaper  seen as a mouthpiece for the Communist regime  last year said the deal was 'disturbing' and has urged regulators to treat it with caution.

The state-owned outlet claimed Arm could be 'politicised as a technology weapon' amid US-China trade tensions, leaving Chinese firms such as Huawei blocked from buying its chips.

But Nvidia has argued that the takeover will create a chip-making powerhouse that will give Arm even more firepower to invest in research and development.

A spokesman said: 'This transaction will be beneficial to Arm, its licensees, competition, and the industry.

'We look forward to engaging with the European Commission to address any concerns they may have.'
Cazoo has listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a value of 6billion.

The London-based online car dealership, which counts the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) among its investors, trades under the ticker 'CZOO'. It floated by merging with 'blank cheque' company Ajax I.

Cazoo's chief executive and founder Alex Chesterman said: 'Today is an important and exciting day for Cazoo.

Deals on wheels: Online car dealership Cazoo, which was founded in 2018, has listed on the New York Stock Exchange valued at 6bn

We remain obsessed with delivering the best car buying and selling experience for consumers across the UK and mainland Europe and the capital raised from this transaction will give us the resources to further accelerate our growth.'

DMGT owns 17 per cent of Cazoo. Paul Zwillenberg, DMGT's chief executive, said: 'We are very pleased with the rapid progress Cazoo has made.

The listing marks another significant milestone for DMGT and we are delighted with the substantial capital appreciation on our investment.'

Founded in 2018, Cazoo allows customers to buy cars on its website and have them delivered to the door. Those selling vehicles can also drop them off at customer service centres or have them picked up.

Since launching its platform in 2019, the firm has branched out to offering subscriptions and car financing as well.

And as it seeks to rapidly expand, Cazoo has struck sponsorship deals with Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Everton.

The company is the latest fast-growing technology firm to take advantage of a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), an investment vehicle set up with the express purpose of merging with a target and enabling a rapid listing.

Daniel Och, founder of Ajax I, said: 'We are very pleased to close the business combination with Cazoo and to partner with Alex and his outstanding team.'
House prices in the UK suburbs have grown at record rates, according to new research, with city dwellers helping to drive the spike as they hunt for more space.

An analysis of mortgage transactions included in the Halifax House Price Index between March 2020 and June 2021 revealed that house prices in major British cities (excluding London) grew by an average of 8.9 per cent.

However, in the areas surrounding those cities, average house price growth was much higher at 10.8 per cent, turning the traditional trends on their head.

House prices in the UK suburbs have grown at record rates, according to new research, with city dwellers helping to drive the spike as they hunt for more space

Drilling into details, researchers found that the picture varied significantly in individual cities across the country.

In Plymouth, on England's South West coast, the city itself saw house price growth of 5.8 per cent between March 2020 and June 2021, while in the surrounding areas, the average was 16.1 per cent.

This was driven by the likes of South Hams  home to Salcombe, Britain's most expensive seaside town  which at 26.3 per cent has seen exceptional house price increases during the pandemic.

Meanwhile in Leicester, house prices in the city grew by 6.5 per cent over the same period, compared to a rise of 12.1 per cent on average in the surrounding area, with Rutland and Melton up by 22.5 per cent.

However, further north it was a different story. In Newcastle, property price increases in the city itself (+6.5 per cent) continued to outstrip those in the surrounding areas (+4 per cent).

North Tyneside was one of the few areas surrounding major British cities to record a fall in average house prices during the pandemic (-5.0 per cent).

South Hams  home to Salcombe, Britain's most expensive seaside town (pictured)  has seen exceptional house price increases during the pandemic at 26.3 per cent

Commenting on the findings Andrew Asaam, mortgages director at Halifax, said: 'The pandemic has had a huge impact on the housing market right across the country.

'This has been shaped by buyers' demand for more space, a desire to move from the centre to more suburban locations, and the trend for more home working both now and in the future.

'It's clear from speaking to our mortgage customers that many have prioritised space over location as a result of more time spent at home over the last year and a half.

'As consumers look for value in the market, that inevitably leads people to look further afield from major city centres, where you tend to get more property for your money.'

Analysts said another contributor to the trend was the stamp duty holiday, as people looked to buy larger, family-sized homes with the tax threshold raised to 500,000.

Overall, the Office for National Statistics recently revealed that the average house price across the UK had increased by 13.2 per cent between June 2020 and June 2021, from 234,668 to 265,668.
Banking app Revolut is giving consumers the ability to advance up to half their salary at any time of the month, using a new feature.

Its new wage access product, Payday, will initially be available to UK businesses and their employees, with it coming to Europe and the US to follow in the coming months.

The UK fintech firm, which has over 16million customers worldwide, believes it will remove the financial stress many workers face between monthly paydays.

Revolut which now has around 3.5 million UK customers and over 16 million worldwide, has officially become the UK's most valuable fintech firm with a whopping 24billion price tag

It says it will also make them less reliant on high-cost credit products such as payday loans.

Nik Storonsky, founder and chief executive at Revolut, said: 'We believe in the importance of making financial wellbeing accessible to all, and this includes focusing on the impact of financial stability on employees' mental health.

'After the difficulties of the past year, the last thing employees need now is financial uncertainty and stress.'

He adds: 'It is important to move away from a situation where many are dependent on payday loans and expensive short-term credit, a reliance that is exacerbated by the monthly pay cycle.'

However, others have expressed concerns about the app enabling some people to get into bad habits.

Andrew Hagger, founder and director of personal finance website, MoneyComms said: 'I can see that this would be a help to employees who suddenly have an unexpected expense to cover.

'But it's not really something people should be doing every month otherwise it could mean they may have a deeper problem with expenditure outstripping their income.

'In a way it's just a different form of overdraft.'

Nik Storonsky, founder and chief executive at Revolut believes its new product will help to remedy peoples' reliance on payday loans

How will Payday work?

Revolut's platform and app will plug into an employer's payroll system, allowing employees to view their available accrued earnings and select the amount they want to withdraw directly into their main account earlier in the month.

Employees will need to be a Revolut retail customer and choose to have their salary paid into their Revolut account to be able to use the Payday product.

Payday will also only be available to customers whose employers have signed up to the service with Revolut.

The fintech firm will charge a flat fee of 1.50 each time a customer opts to access their salary early.

It will also allow customers to withdraw a maximum of 50 per cent of their accrued wages at any point, although this limit is at the discretion of the employer and can be monitored or reduced by each company.

Are there other products like Payday?

This is not the first salary advance scheme to be introduced.

There are other apps that offer employees access to a proportion of already-earned pay with many not allowing customers to take more than 50 per cent of their wage - and they differ slightly from Revolut.

Hastee, which launched in August 2017 claimed to be the first Earnings on Demand platform to launch in the UK.

The app is being used by over 300,000 employees from multiple organisations across Europe including NHS South London and Maudsley, Mitchells & Butlers and London City Airport.

It offers customers up to 50 per cent of their salary in advance and workers receive their first withdrawal, up to 100, free of fees.

Thereafter, it charges a 2.5 per cent transaction fee - but it never charges any interest.

In most cases, the fee is paid by the employee when they withdraw their earnings, but employers have the option to cover this cost for their staff.

Another established early provider is Wagestream, which launched in the UK three years ago.

It provides Earned Wage Access which it describes as 'paying people already-earned income, when they choose, e.g. weekly rather than a Wage Advance service for future wages or credit.'

It says it 'replaces locked monthly pay with a more flexible pay cycle.'

So far, more than 200 employers offer Wagestream's service to their employees across industries like hospitality, retail, security and healthcare.

Callum McCaig, from Wagestream, added: 'The FCA has done a great job helping employers understand Earned Wage Access, and can play a future role in putting clear guidelines in place to ensure EWA is offered responsibly.

'But it's also vital that employers and their staff do thorough research, and get to know the differences between Wage Advance - advancing future wages, through lending - and EWA, which pays people already-earned wages.'

Like Hastee, it allows employees to access up to 50 per cent of their earned wages, before the end of the pay cycle.

If employers opt to pass on the cost of processing the transaction, employees typically have to pay 1.75 each time they access their earned wages.

Worries it could lead to overspending

Whilst Revolut claims to offer a lower-cost alternative to credit cards and payday loans for customers that might otherwise rely on to help with their cash flow problems, some commentators view the new product as dangerous.

They worry it could lead to bad money management and increase overspending among people that may already be in a financially vulnerable position.

The debt charity, Step Change, has warned that whilst wage advance schemes have the potential to be of some benefit to those who might otherwise turn to high cost credit, these products also carry some risks depending on how they are used - for example if users fall into a cycle of repeat use.

Peter Tutton, head of policy at Step Change said: 'While wage schemes have their place in potentially helping people to avoid more problematic forms of borrowing, we'd like to see the FCA build on the evidence gathered on these schemes, by ensuring the wage advance sector develops the strong and effective best practice code the review recommended.

'HM Treasury should stand ready to bring wage advance lending under FCA regulation given any signs of growing consumer harm.'

Payday's detractors say it could lead to more debt for those already struggling financially

Revolut, claims it already has measures in place to alert those that are misusing the product.

A spokesperson for Revolut said: 'We have designed responsible usage alerts which ensure that there is no overuse of the products.'

'Additionally, we will monitor indications that users may be in financial difficulty.

'Where it appears a customer is potentially at risk of financial difficulty, Revolut will provide customers with warning messages around the use of the product, and where appropriate, provide [them] with the contact details of debt charities such as Citizens Advice Bureau and Stepchange.

'In certain cases, we are also able to gradually lower the limit of accrued salary that an employee can access.'
Instant unlimited access to all of our content on tillamookheadlightherald.com.

The Headlight Herald E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street!

This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers.

(The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement)
Tillamook, OR (97141)

Today

Clear skies. Low near 45F. N winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 45F. N winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
Cresaptown, MD (21502)

Today

Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.


remaining of

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
ALBANY  Alain Kaloyeros, the former University at Albany physics professor who created Albany Nanotech and founded SUNY Polytechnic Institute before a bid-rigging scandal forced his departure in 2016, has won another legal battle against his former employer over one of his computer chip inventions.

Earlier this week, the judge handling the case rejected the state's request he reconsider an earlier ruling and ruled the case should head to trial.

Kaloyeros, who was convicted and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in federal prison on wire fraud charges for conspiring to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in construction contracts to two favored upstate contractors, sued the State University of New York system and the SUNY Research Foundation in state courts last year over an invention that involves the use of cobalt in chip-making. Kaloyeros is free while he appeals his criminal conviction.

Kaloyeros claims the SUNY system and his research team missed out on tens of millions of dollars in potential licensing fees over the years because the organizations failed to utilize his work, noting cobalt is now widely used in making chips.

In the patent matter, his attorneys claim both SUNY and the foundation, which oversees the intellectual property developed on SUNY campuses, failed to commercialize the use of cobalt in chips, a method which the foundation patented nearly two decades ago.

Both SUNY and the foundation have been trying to get the lawsuits dismissed, arguing they were under no obligation to market the patent.

The foundation most recently asked Acting State Supreme Court Justice Richard Platkin to reconsider a May ruling that allowed the Kaloyeros suit to move forward.

The foundation argued that Platkin had misinterpreted a section of the SUNY patent and invention policy that discusses a six-month period of time that the foundation has to try and patent and market an invention. If nothing happens, the rights revert to the researcher.

Attorneys for Kaloyeros and the foundation differ on the exact meaning of that section of the policy. Lawyers for the foundation argued in a June filing urging Platkin to reconsider his May decision and arguing the judge misinterpreted the section.

Kaloyeros says that since the foundation didn't market the invention within six months, the rights automatically should have reverted back to him. The foundation argues that as long as it didn't decide within six months not to market the invention, then it held the rights forever, although Kaloyeros could have appealed that decision.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Platkin ruled in an Aug. 25 opinion that the foundation's argument was too late, and that the case can move forward as he previously ruled.

Scientists and researchers at universities typically must sign their patents over to the university, with the inventors being eligible for a percentage of any royalties from licensing the technology.

Kaloyeros said he invented the cobalt chip design in 2000 with one of his doctoral students, Ana Londergan. Barry Arkles, a longtime research collaborator with Kaloyeros from Pennsylvania, was involved in the research as well. A patent was issued to the Research Foundation in 2002.

Kaloyeros's attorney, Michael Miller, and research foundation spokesman Peter Taubkin declined to discuss the ruling.
The latest in New York politics This article was featured in the Capitol Confidential newsletter. Sign up here to get it each morning.

In a startling reversal, New Yorks ethics oversight commission passed a motion asking state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether confidential information was illegally leaked to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2019. (TU)

State Sen. Brian A. Benjamin was formally introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in Harlem on Thursday, a day after he was identified in news reports as her pick for lieutenant governor. They appeared with Democratic leadership of Harlem. (TU)
The City of Kingston has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Park Services Underrepresented Community Grant Program to complete the nomination of the Pine Street African Burial Ground to the National Register of Historic Places, which would would further document African American history in the city.

This grant will help Harambee and the Kingston Land Trust continue to educate about Kingstons history and honor the memory of those interred at the Pine Street African Burial Ground, said Kingston Mayor Steve Noble in a press release.

The Underrepresented Community Grant Program, funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, has focused specifically on working to diversify the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places.

The grant money will be used to verify existing reports of the burial ground by engaging a consultant, who will do in-depth research, and by aiding the search for an archeologist, said Kingston city planner Suzanne Cahill. Both steps will allow for a detailed bibliography of the burial ground to accompany the nomination.

This grant is allowing the process to move along much quicker than if we didnt have it, said Cahill. The City of Kingston already independently nominated the burial ground at AME Zion Church of Kingston, along with the church itself, to the National Register of Historic Places, and it both have been accepted.

This is just continuing that trend where the City of Kingston pays homage to our resources, history and culture, said Cahill. We want to make sure we preserve and protect these attributes and give them the recognition they deserve.

To gather everything needed for the nomination it could take up to a year. Cahill expects it could be accepted within two to three months following that.

Grant is latest step in burial ground preservation effort

Joseph Diamond

Community members have worked for 30 years to preserve the burial ground, which had been at the center of a contentious land dispute for decades. Last February, Harambee Kingston New York, a nonprofit coalition that supports the local community through cultural programming, officially signed the deed to the Pine Street African Burial Ground.

This award dignifies the importance of acknowledging the free labor that was put into this community and all of upstate New York, said Tyrone Wilson, Co-Founder of Harambee Kingston in a press release regarding the grant.

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

Julia Farr, executive director of the Kingston Land Trust, which has helped protect the site, said work continues to bring the history of the Pine Street African Burial Ground to light.

It opens door to establish further historical documentation that will essentially allow the story to be spread even further and across the United States, where there are other parallel efforts that are either underway or communities would like to take up but they dont know how, said Farr in a phone interview. There are a lot of challenges in protecting African burial sites  and there are a lot that are still unprotected.

Wilson told the Times Union: Hudson Valley earlier this summer that many initiatives will be started at the Kingston site over the next five years. A key step in Pine Streets preservation is to try and identify the bodies with the hopes of providing Black residents a way to connect with their ancestors for the very first time.

In addition, Wilson said the modest building on the plot is being renovated into a multi-purpose facility that will serve simultaneously as a space to educate youth on Black history, as well as a place to show films and even serve as a museum for the community.

The issue of preserving African burial grounds reached national prominence following the December 2020 introduction of a bill by Senator Sherod Brown (D-OH). While the proposed African American Burial Grounds Network Act died in Congress, one of the co-sponsors was Congressman Antonio Delgado (D, NY-19), who remains steadfast in working with his fellow colleagues to ensure the bills passage.
A smoke shop in Beacon is launching Free Joint Friday today and plans to give away free marijuana joints to customers age 21 and older.

The event will be held today and next Friday between 3 and 6 p.m. or until supplies run out at Smokers Mecca in Beacon, located at 285 Main Street.

Were just hoping people come in and say hi and get a little joint for free, said owner Grant McCabe, who also owns The Leaf NY on the other end of Main Street in Beacon.

He emphasized that the joints are real and arent synthetic cannabinoid or some other version of THC or CBD. Its something cool to do for our customers and the Hudson Valley.

Its a genius business move. Instead of spending tons on advertising, he is giving away free weed. The word will spread, said local resident Danielle Moses, who has lived in Beacon for almost 10 years. Is she going today? If I can get there between 3 to 6 without the kids, you betcha.

While New York State has legalized adult, recreational-use of marijuana with this years passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, its still illegal to sell weed to customers here. The loophole: residents may possess up to three ounces of cannabis. While experts say theres nothing in the new pot law that specifically prohibits gifting weed to adults, they say things could get dicey down the road with the states cannabis control board.

McCabe said he purchased the marijuana in Massachusetts, where cannabis sales are legal. Several people in his Beacon store will have three ounces of cannabis on them that they will be giving away.

What were doing is legal, said McCabe. By default, my lawyer did say Im an idiot, but in the same sense he said, Youre a genius.

RELATED: 20 things to see, do, and eat in Beacon

Once the infrastructure is in place to legally sell marijuana in New York, McCabe said all systems will be go at The Leaf NY location.

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

We knew it was going to legalize eventually, and we built our backend infrastructure to be ready for it, said McCabe, who is working with his attorneys in preparation.

Smokers Mecca, on the other hand, is navigating its future. The state banned all the vape flavors, so we lost a lot of revenue at Smokers Mecca, said McCabe. We remodeled it a little more into a smoke shop.

McCabe said he hopes Free Joint Fridays bring more attention to the store, and hell see how it goes before committing to next month as well.

I dont want to upset the town  I have to be courteous to my neighbors, said McCabe.
The scenes and news from Kabul  from yesterdays suicide bombings that killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 60 Afghans, to devastating images of efforts to evacuate troops, Americans and Afghans  have gripped people around the world, and particularly local veterans.

We have a lot of Vietnam vets, said Anthony Kavouras, Director of Veterans Programs at Mental Health America (MHA) of Dutchess County. The Vietnam vets are having a flashback to the Fall of Saigon. There is a lot of anger and frustration on their part. They feel like its kind of what happened to them  that they were abandoned and its happening all over again to the new veterans.

President Joe Biden declared earlier in the summer that the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, set to complete next week on Aug. 31, wouldnt be a repeat of the evacuation from Vietnam. But last Monday yielded devastating images from Kabul that rivaled anything witnessed in Saigon.

Kavouras, an Afghanistan veteran himself, said the first thing that goes through your mind as an Afghanistan veteran is Did people die for nothing? He recalled memories of other Afghanistan veterans coming back to the U.S. with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, physical ailments and more.

You go through all of the emotional stuff of you lost people, then you wonder if it was worth losing them, said Kavouras. You have to sit back and realize we were doing a job there, and we were keeping people safe here.

Its regret, then anger, he explained. But not everyone can process these emotions on their own. MHAs leading program, a Poughkeepsie-based peer service project called Vet2Vet, gives veterans a safe space to voice feelings and frustrations, and provides emotional support, educational information, and other resources.

Kavouras said hes seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in calls and email from local veterans since early July, when U.S. forces left Bagram, the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan at night, reportedly without telling the bases new Afghan commander. Last week marked a larger increase in call volume amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces and Americans from Afghanistan.

All of the veterans are angry right now by what theyre seeing on TV, said Kavouras, who added that many veterans say they wish they could go back and help themselves. They dont like how everything happened.

Vet2Vet restarted in-person meetings this summer, which have been overwhelmingly successful for participants, but Kavouras said that with the delta variant of COVID-19, its uncertain if they will have to return to virtual meetings or increase social distancing.

Veterans dont do good with isolation, said Kavouras. We try to get them out of isolation, and now we keep kind of forcing them back into it. Now, this thing in Afghanistan, they are frustrated and there arent as many places for them to go to talk to other veterans.

Thats why they decided to work with the Dutchess County Division of Veterans Services for an open forum tele-town hall on Monday, August 30 at 5:30 p.m. (To participate in the call, dial 845-765-7121.) The forum will allow a discussion on the current events happening in Afghanistan, the upcoming 20th anniversary of 9/11  an event that adds to all of the stress and triggers that veterans have, said Kavouras  and other issues impacting veterans and their families.

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

This has been a difficult time for all Americans, and we need to remember the many struggles dealt with by our brave veterans, said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro in a press release. This town hall will give a chance for these American heroes, our neighbors to take part in a conversation, express their thoughts and find out about helpful resources available to them.

On the call will be Dutchess County Veterans Services Director Adam Roche, the veteran team from MHA, as well as VFW Post 170 Commander Tommy Zurhellen, who walked across the country to raise awareness of veteran homelessness and suicide, to provide information about Vet2Vet and inform veterans about other resources available to them.

Its a good way for anyone to call up and just say what theyre going through, said Kavouras. My goal will be to let them know this isnt a failure on any of the veterans that went to Afghanistan.

U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado, along with others, announced a bipartisan legislation to improve the national veterans crisis line, which would implement improvements in staff training and management. In a press release, Delgado said that our brave veterans deserve the highest level of support, which the legislation would help create.
HUDSON  A second man was booked on attempted murder charges Thursday in connection with a 2017 shooting that wounded a woman and two toddlers.

James Hargrove, 29, of Hudson, was arraigned in Columbia County Court on six counts of attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault and six counts of reckless endangerment, all felonies. The arrest stems from an August 2017 shooting on Hudson's north end that wounded the three people on a back porch.

Kevron Lee, 28, of Hudson, was arrested during a traffic stop late last week for also allegedly participating in the crime. His arrest came after a sealed indictment was handed down charging him with six counts of attempted murder and other crimes. At the time of Lee's arrest, Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore said there was another defendant being sought.

These two defendants opened fired on a crowded porch at night, putting many people in danger, including two innocent children, who were shot in the legs, Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka said in a statement. Both children were shot in the lower leg but have made full recoveries, Moore said.

The shooting was part of a spate of violence in the city four years ago that left seven people shot and one dead. Police at the time blamed the violence on a feud between two city drug crews.

Five members of one of the drug crews were indicted on federal charges in March 2018 for allegedly conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. They pleaded guilty to distributing up to 484 grams of crack in Hudson in four months in late 2017. Each received a 10-year sentence.

The two arrests in the last week represent a major step forward in the investigation into that summer's violence, an investigation that started four years ago.

A third man was arrested in connection with the spate of violence, prosecutors announced Friday.

DiQuann Powell, 25, of Hudson, was arraigned on a separate sealed indictment charging him with attempted murder and reckless endangerment. Powells arrest stems from a January 2018 shooting near Third Street in the city, according to Hudson police.

No one was injured in the shooting, Chief Moore said in a statement, but "this was a potentially dangerous incident in which shots were fired in a densely populated area, which could have had disastrous consequences to our citizens."

Downtime is the best time Make the most of your Hudson Valley weekend, every week with our newsletter.

Powell is already facing a murder charge. He was arrested in the fall of 2019 for allegedly killing Kevin L. Whitening, according to Moore, who was shot in the chest in August 2017 on the city's north side. That case is still pending in County Court, which is facing a huge backlog because of its closure last year due to the pandemic.

Powell is incarcerated in Coxsackie Correctional Facility for an unrelated assault charge from Albany, according to prosecutors.

Hargrove and Lee were both denied bail during their arraignments. Both are being represented through the public defender's office.
ALBANY  Empire Live, the next incarnation of a music venue that was in Clifton Park for almost 25 years, opened Thursday at 111 N. Pearl St., the home for four decades of Capital Repertory Theatre. Coincidentally, The Rep opened the first production in its new facility, four bocks away at 251 N. Pearl, on Tuesday.

More than 60 shows are already scheduled for Empire Live through February, according to its website.

Gut-renovated over the past year by building owner Redburn Development, the 6,600-square-foot Empire Live space has a certificate of occupancy from the city for 1,260 but will usually cap tickets for its general admission, standing-room shows at 1,000, said the venue's co-owner Ted Etoll.

Etoll also owns the local concert-promotion firm Step Up Presents. His partner in Empire Live is Stan Levinstone, of the New Jersey-based company SLP Concerts. They took over the Clifton Park venue then known as Northern Lights in 2009, changed the name to Upstate Concert Hall in 2012 and operated it until the pandemic shutdown in March of last year. The club originally opened, in a strip plaza on Route 146 in 1996, under the name Park West, becoming Northern Lights two years later. Longtime Upstate Concert Hall manager Dave Siewert is a minority partner in the new venture, Etoll said.

About 700 people attended Thursday's show by the indie-rock band Cold War Kids, according to Etoll.

"The response from the crowd was overwhelming," he said. "To see how much fun people were having, how everyone was dancing and how rabid everyone was to be out and in a club like this  it was electric. The hair on my arms stood up," said Etoll, who has been in the music promotion business for decades.

"It's a great room. A lot of thought went into getting it right," said Shane Spillenger, a promoter who will be presenting shows at Empire Live and is the promoter for PearlPalooza, a festival scheduled for Sept. 18 on North Pearl Street. Spillenger also owns the restaurant and music venue NaNola in Malta.

Jeff Buell, a principal of Redburn, said he did not attend Thursday's concert but returned downtown late in the evening as the show was letting out.

"When I saw 700 people who once would have been in Clifton Park now in downtown Albany, my heart burst," said Buell.

Redburn purchased 111 N. Pearl three years ago as part of a six-property deal with the longtime owner, the developer Herb Ellis. Redburn has finished or is converting nine downtown buildings to rental apartments and some commercial space in the North Pearl corridor as part of a project with more than 275 residential units and a price tag north of $80 million.

"The revitalization of downtown Albany that we envisioned when we set out to do this was actually happening (Thursday) night," Buell said. "People were coming out of the show and going into (nearby bars) at 10:45 at night."

Downtown venues that host live music range from the 450-seat, smaller theater at The Egg to 2,800 at the Palace Theatre and up to 15,000 at the Times Union Center. Among club venues, The Hollow Bar + Kitchen, a few doors down from Empire Live, holds a standing-room crowd of approximately 300, and Parish Public House on Broadway can accommodate more than 200 for live music. Adding a ground-floor space for up to 1,000, plus 400 in the basement, will further complement downtowns offerings, Buell said.

By the time the 111 N. Pearl overhaul is done, including Empire Live and the parking structure above it, Redburn will have spent between $3.5 million and $4 million, according to Buell.

"It got so expensive that I lost track of what the final number is," Buell said. Empire Live has a 10-year lease, according to both parties. Etoll said he and Levinstone have spent about $500,000 so far to equip the club.

The next Empire Live concert is Wednesday, Sept. 1, by the metal band Avatar, followed a week later by the Philadelphia-based rock band Dr. Dog.

Tickets for shows have one price that averages about $20, ranging from $10 to $30 in advance, more on the day of the show. Empire Live's downstairs sibling, a 400-capacity room called Empire Underground that is accessed around the corner via Columbia Street, remains under construction but is projected to be ready for an Oct. 1 show by the California post-hardcore band Hail the Sun as part of its New Age Filth tour, Etoll said.

Admission to Empire Live requires a mask and proof of vaccination or of a negative test for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to attendance, Etoll said.

The local blues-rock sibling duo of Jocelyn and Chris performed at Empire Live on Wednesday for a 50-person, invite-only crowd as part of a final check of the new sound and lighting systems, Etoll said. Although nearly 800 people have already seen music in the venue, "It's definitely not done yet," he said.

Among other absences is the club's theater curtain, which is not projected to be delivered for another month.

"Any delay that could possibly be blamed on the pandemic, we've experienced it trying to get this place open," Etoll said. In another setback, the attorney shepherding the club's liquor license through the approval process with the State Liquor Authority died last week, he said. Empire Live currently sells alcohol under a catering license, Etoll said, though patrons will notice no difference other than having to pay cash drinks for now.

"I'm so glad and relieved and happy that it's finally open," Etoll said. "I know the fans are too. I had over 100 people come up to me and say, 'You have no idea what this means to downtown Albany.'"
The U.S. is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths between now and Dec. 1, according to the nation's most closely watched forecasting model. But health experts say that toll could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a mask in public spaces.

In other words, what the coronavirus has in store this fall depends on human behavior.

Behavior is really going to determine if, when and how sustainably the current wave subsides, said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. We cannot stop delta in its tracks, but we can change our behavior overnight.

That means doubling down again on masks, limiting social gatherings, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated. Those things are within our control, Meyers said.

The U.S. is in the grip of a fourth wave of infection this summer, powered by the highly contagious delta variant, which has sent cases, hospitalizations and deaths soaring again, swamped medical centers, burned out nurses and erased months of progress against the virus.

Deaths are running at over 1,100 a day on average, turning the clock back to mid-March. One influential model, from the University of Washington, projects an additional 98,000 Americans will die by the start of December, for an overall death toll of nearly 730,000.

The projection says deaths will rise to nearly 1,400 a day by mid-September, then decline slowly.

But the model also says many of those deaths can be averted if Americans change their ways.

We can save 50,000 lives simply by wearing masks. Thats how important behaviors are, said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle who is involved in the making of the projections.

Already there are signs that Americans are taking the threat more seriously.

Amid the alarm over the delta variant in the past several weeks, the slump in demand for COVID-19 shots reversed course. The number of vaccinations dispensed per day has climbed around 80% over the past month to an average of about 900,000.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Tuesday that in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, more people got their first shots in the past month than in the prior two months combined.

Also, millions of students are being required to wear masks. A growing number of employers are demanding their workers get the vaccine after the federal government gave Pfizer's shot full approval earlier this week. And cities like New York and New Orleans are insisting people get vaccinated if they want to eat at a restaurant.

Half of American workers are in favor of vaccine requirements at their workplaces, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Early signs suggest behavior changes may already be flattening the curve in a few places where the virus raged this summer.

An Associated Press analysis shows the rate of new cases is slowing in Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Arkansas, some of the same states where first shots are on the rise. In Florida, pleas from hospitals and a furor over masks in schools may have nudged some to take more precautions.

However, the troubling trends persist in Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming, where new infections continue to rise steadily.

Mokdad said he is frustrated that Americans "arent doing what it takes to control this virus.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

I dont get it, he said. We have a fire and nobody wants to deploy a firetruck.

One explanation: The good news in the spring  vaccinations rising, cases declining  gave people a glimpse of the way things used to be, said Elizabeth Stuart of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and that made it tough for them to resume the precautions they thought they left behind.

We dont need to fully hunker down, she said, but we can make some choices that reduce risk.

Even vaccinated people should stay vigilant, said Dr. Gaby Sauza, 30, of Seattle, who was inoculated over the winter but tested positive for COVID-19 along with other guests days after an Aug. 14 Vermont wedding, even though the festivities were mostly outdoors and those attending had to submit photos of their vaccination cards.

In retrospect, absolutely, I do wish I had worn a mask, she said.

Sauza, a resident in pediatrics, will miss two weeks of hospital work and has wrestled with guilt over burdening her colleagues. She credits the vaccine with keeping her infection manageable, though she suffered several days of body aches, fevers, night sweats, fatigue, coughing and chest pain.

If we behave, we can contain this virus. If we dont behave, this virus is waiting for us, Mokdad said. Its going to find the weak among us.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
COLONIE - Thirteen airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia will be among those sent to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey to help provide temporary housing and support for vulnerable Afghans as part of Operation Allies Refuge, the New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs said Friday afternoon.

According to the state division, the Department of Defense authorized Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, along with Fort Lee, Va.; Fort McCoy, Wis.; Fort Bliss, Texas; Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.; Fort Pickett, Va., and Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. to support the mission.
BETHLEHEM - Three cats were killed in a Friday afternoon fire in Selkirk, town police said.

The police department said it received a call for the structure fire at 1:11 p.m. at 26 Hackett St. and fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze quickly. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it does not appear suspicious, police said.

The residence was unoccupied at the time, except for the cats that perished due to the fire.

Fire departments responding included Elsmere, Delmar and Selkirk. Also assisting were Albany County Sheriff's Department paramedics and Delmar-Bethlehem EMS.
Salgy Baran got the highest score in all of Afghanistan on her university entrance exams this year, but she has no answers for what comes next.

The 18-year-old wants to stay and become a doctor, but as with so many other Afghans, those plans were plunged into doubt when the Taliban rolled into the capital of Kabul earlier this month, capping their stunning takeover of the country.

Taliban leaders say women and girls will be able to attend school and work in accordance with Islamic law  without providing specifics  even as other prominent members of the militant group have sneered at the idea of coed classrooms and hinted at more reactionary measures.

I am not afraid right now, but I am concerned about my future," Baran told The Associated Press in a video interview from Kabul. Will they allow me to get an education or not?

The Taliban say the mass evacuation of foreigners and Afghans fearful of their rule must end on Aug. 31, the date the U.S. set for withdrawing its last troops after 20 years of war. They have accused Western countries of luring away doctors, engineers and other professionals whose skills will be needed to rebuild the war-ravaged country.

If that's the case, they should hope Baran stays.

She grew up in a middle-class family in rural, eastern Afghanistan, where medical care is still lacking despite two decades of international development aid. When she was 7, her diabetic father died after a doctor gave him an overdose of insulin, she said.

That made her want to be the kind of doctor who doesn't make mistakes.

The family moved to Kabul in 2015, where there are fewer social restrictions on women. Her family pooled their resources to support her studies. They describe her as a quiet kid who would spend long hours reading and studying math.

This year's exams  Afghanistan's version of the SAT  were held before the takeover. She got the highest score of anyone in the country, out of about 174,000 boys and girls, according to the National Examination Authority. That secured her a spot at the Kabul University of Medical Sciences, the country's top school of medicine.

An entire generation of Afghan women have benefited from the Western-backed order established after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion drove the Taliban from power.

When the militants last ruled the country, women were forbidden to attend school or work outside the home. They could only go outside if accompanied by a male relative, and even then they had to wear the all-encompassing burqa.

Progress since 2001 has been incremental and largely confined to urban areas. The U.N. children's agency estimates that 3.7 million Afghan children are out of school, 60% of them girls, and 17% of girls are forced into marriage before their 15th birthday.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

But on the eve of the Taliban takeover, girls were attending school, particularly in Kabul and other cities, and women could be found in parliament, government and business. Many fear the Taliban will roll back the clock.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani, a Taliban official supervising higher education, said women will be able to continue their studies in proper facilities, without elaborating. But another Taliban official, Mohammad Khalid, addressing a conference of Muslim clerics earlier this week, expressed disgust at the idea of boys and girls studying in the same classroom.

Interpretations of Sharia, or Islamic law, vary widely across the Muslim world, but in most countries, women work and study relatively freely. The Taliban could simply require a Muslim headscarf or insist on separate classrooms for boys and girls.

But no one really knows  not yet.

Baran and her family have no immediate plans to join the exodus of Afghans, but they are worried about what comes next.

I had goals under the past government, I had planned everything out for several years, she said. But under this government, I can't say anything. Even tomorrow is uncertain.

___

Akhgar reported from Istanbul and Krauss from Jerusalem.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Al Capone is infamous for having been a ruthless mob boss, but one of his granddaughters says his softer side will shine through when the family auctions the Prohibition-era gangsters personal items  including diamond-encrusted jewelry with his initials, family photographs and his favorite handgun.

Capone's three granddaughters will also auction a letter he wrote to their father and his only child, Albert Sonny Capone, from Alcatraz, where the mobster served an 11-year sentence following his 1934 tax evasion conviction. In the letter written in pencil, Al Capone refers to Sonny as son of my heart.

He was called Public Enemy No. 1 after the 1929 Valentines Day Massacre of seven members of a rival bootlegger gang in Chicago by his associates.

But his granddaughter Diane Capone describes him differently.

He was very loving, very devoted to family, very generous, and the letter that we have is such a poignant, beautiful letter from a father to his son. These are things that the public doesnt know about, said Diane Capone, 77.

Diane Capone and her two surviving sisters will sell 174 items at the Oct. 8 auction titled A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone hosted by Witherell's Auction House in Sacramento.

Among the pieces are gold-rimmed porcelain fine china, ornate furniture, artwork and Dresden figurines that once decorated the Palm Island, Florida, villa where the Chicago mobster lived after his release from prison and until his death in 1947.

Also up for sale is the Colt .45-caliber pistol Capone always carried with him and used several times to protect himself, Diane Capone said.

That particular .45 was used in self-defense, and it probably saved his life on a few occasions and so, he referred to it as his favorite, she said.

Diane Capone said she didn't know if the gun was used to commit any crimes and said her grandfather, who she called Papa, was never charged with killing anyone.

He was accused of doing that, but he was never found guilty of shooting anyone, she said.

The pistol with elaborate etchings and a wooden grip will be the centerpiece of the auction and is valued at up to $150,000, said Brian Witherell, founder of Witherells Auction House.

When you think about Al Capone, you don't think Gosh, I wonder what his German porcelain figurine looks like, you wonder what his cigar humidor looks like, what his Colt .45 looks like," he said.

The sisters are also selling a diamond-encrusted pocket watch, an 18k gold and platinum belt buckle and a gold initialed AC money clip and home movies featuring Al Capone and his associates.

Witherell said he had no reservations about helping the Capone sisters and that he expects the auction to draw international attention because of the items historical significance.

We want to handle things that arent objectionable to a lot of people, but we still cant rewrite history, he said. He was a legendary figure. I think his judgment comes from somebody other than me.

Sonny Capones daughters lived quietly for decades in Northern California after moving here from Florida in 1961 following their parents breakup. That changed in 2019 when Diane Capone published a book titled Al Capone: Stories My Grandmother Told Me using her maiden name.

She said her father faced constant challenges because of his last name, including men picking fights with him for no reason and not being able to find a job. In the mid-1960s, he dropped Capone as a last name and went by Albert Francis. He died in obscurity in 2004 in Northern California, where he had lived for decades, his daughter said.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

The sisters decided to sell their grandfather's personal belongings because they are all in their 70s, they are the only people who know the stories behind the memorabilia, and they are worried about a wildfire destroying the collection, Diane Capone said.

We were very fortunate that even after my grandfather died, we were very close to my grandmother and so, for years weve heard her talk about my grandfather and about their lives, and about a lot of these items that are going to be auctioned off, she said.

Nina Salarno, president of the advocacy group Crime Victims United of California, said it is undisputed that Brooklyn, New York-born Capone headed Chicago's mob during Prohibition and orchestrated the deaths of many people. She called the sale of his personal belongings an insult to his victims.

Those victims also have surviving family members, and now were glorifying what he did to them by selling his memorabilia, Salarno said.

She added: They say it was part of history, I would agree with that so, donate (his belongings) to a museum, but dont profit off of the back of victims.

Diane Capone acknowledges her grandfather led a criminal life but says that was not the person she knew. What she remembers is a doting grandfather.

My grandfather certainly did some bad things during his life. That was part of his public life, she said. He went to jail, he served his time, he paid his debt to society and after he was released, in the last years of his life, he did everything to make peace with God and with his family, and with everybody, she said.

James Finckenauer, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University who has written extensively about organized crime, said the fascination with mobsters and organized crime in the U.S. started with Al Capone after his crimes attracted intense media coverage.

The average person didn't know 99.9% of the people that might be involved in this, but they knew Al Capone. He became the poster boy for organized crime, he said.

Finckenauer said some people are fascinated with real and fictional mobsters because they think of them as having exciting lives.

Most people, from their perspective, live humdrum lives and they see these guys and their portrayal in shows like The Sopranos, as people who demand respect and live their lives as they please, he said.
ALBANY  No city police officers will be fired for their role in the departments response to a loud party in March 2019 on First Street that resulted in the beating of two men and criminal charges against an officer.

The second of three city police officers that Chief Eric Hawkins tried to fire won his arbitration case to keep his job  in large part because of the departments own past failures to uphold its policies, and differences between the departments policies and actual practices, according to the decision. The third officer resigned earlier this year as part of a plea deal in his criminal case.

In an Aug. 20 ruling, a state Public Employee Relations Board arbitrator said Officer Adam Iannacitos penalty should be reduced to a written warning for how he used pepper spray on March 16, 2019, and that he should be awarded back pay for a 30-day unpaid suspension he served at the beginning of the investigation. Iannacito has been on paid suspension since that 30-day period ended.

The arbitrator based his ruling on testimony from department staff, including training officers, that showed Iannacito followed common practices within the department and that department administrators tried to punish him for offenses that other officers had not been disciplined for previously.

Of course, what is troubling is the stunning difference in opinion between the department administrations view of what goes on in the field and what officers are being trained as acceptable practices, the arbitrator wrote.

Police spokesman Steve Smith said the department's polices were in line with best practices for policing.

"We have, however, clearly communicated to personnel our expectations, especially as it relates to use of force reporting," he said in an email.

David Galin, spokesman for Mayor Kathy Sheehan, said the ruling showed why the city needed to reform its police disciplinary procedures.

These arbitration outcomes are exactly why we are rapidly analyzing reforms to police discipline recommended by the Policing Collaborative to make the process more accountable to our residents, up to and including the potential for implementing a Public Safety Commissioner," he said in a statement.

Greg McGee, the president of the police officers union Council 82, welcomed the decision.

Im pleased with the outcome in this disciplinary case, he said in a statement. We respect the arbitration process along with any and all outcomes and in this case I believe it is the correct one. Im eager to see officer Iannacito return to work.

Iannacito faced seven charges for his role in the departments response, which included pepper spraying the inside of 523 First St. and kicking a man as police tried to take him into custody. The departments investigation found that Iannacito violated the departments use of force policies, failed to file use-of-force reports, and displayed conduct unbecoming a police officer. One other charge was connected to Iannacitos use of pepper spray during a March 2 call to the same address.

The call on March 16 at the First Street apartment turned chaotic after Lee Childs, the man renting the apartment, would not open the door for officers who were trying to shut down the party. During the response, Officer Luke Deer began punching Armando Sanchez and hitting him with his baton when Sanchez got into an argument with another officer as he left the property. Later, several officers kicked another man, Mario Gorostiza, after he yelled at officers from down the street.

The departments leadership did not find out about the incident until someone sent cellphone footage of the officers actions to a deputy chief. Charges against Sanchez and Gorostiza were dropped.

The sole charge that the arbitrator admonished Iannacito for was his failure to give a warning before using pepper spray as officers moved to take Childs into custody. Iannacito ran up and sprayed inside the apartment with pepper spray just after officers kicked in the door and grabbed Childs. Even there, however, the arbitrator wrote that he recognized Iannacito may have been making a split-second decision in a tense environment as he went to help other officers.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

The arbitrator discarded the remaining charges, citing testimony that several officers gave, including training officers who said that Iannacitos actions were consistent with what officers were taught to do.

For the most serious charge, using more force than necessary, the arbitrator ruled that the city failed to prove that kicks Iannacito delivered to Childs were beyond what was necessary to take him into custody.

The department also charged Iannacito with failing to file use-of-force reports for his two uses of pepper spray and kicking Childs. But multiple department members testified that the general practice among officers was for one officer to write up all the use-of-force reports for the officers involved and that no one had been punished in the past for that practice.

Because the city failed to definitively prove the other charges, the arbitrator ruled Iannacito couldnt be guilty of conduct unbecoming a police officer.

Perhaps the most important conclusion to be drawn from our record is that there is a serious disparity between the departments policies and its practices. It is the administrations responsibility to acknowledge and fix that problem, the arbitrator wrote.

Earlier this year, an arbitrator ruled one of the other officers the department tried to fire, Officer Matthew Seeber, should also regain his job. Deer, the third officer the department moved to fire, resigned in May and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault to settle criminal charges against him for his role.

An internal Albany Police Department report last year alleged misconduct by officers on the scene, as well as a more general breakdown in law enforcement management and leadership.

The department moved to discipline eight officers in January 2020, including firing three. It was not immediately clear whether the five other officers had also challenged their discipline notices.

The case has cost the taxpayers money, too. The city quietly settled lawsuits over the summer with two men seen in videos being struck by police for a total of $165,000.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Californias top court rejected an attempt to make it harder to impose the death penalty, ruling Thursday in favor of the current system where jurors need not unanimously agree on aggravating factors used to justify the punishment.

Jurors already must unanimously agree to impose a death sentence, and to do so must decide that aggravating factors outweigh mitigating circumstances.

But they do not have to unanimously agree on each specific aggravating factor, the California Supreme Court said in a 7-0 decision. Those factors include things like having multiple or prior victims, the slaying being gang-related or spurred by a victim's race or religion, or the murder being "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity.

The justices upheld that longstanding practice in a case that otherwise could have undermined the death sentences of the most populous state's nearly 700 condemned prisoners.

The death penalty might be fairer if the state did make changes, Associate Justice Goodwin Liu wrote for the court.

He noted that the state attorney general's office also agreed that such a requirement would improve our system of capital punishment and make it even more reliable and that state lawmakers should consider the change.

"Nevertheless, to date our Legislature and electorate have not imposed such requirements," Liu wrote, and the court found there is no such mandate in state law or the constitution.

The justices also rejected requiring that both the death sentence and the specific aggravating circumstances be justified beyond a reasonable doubt. That level of proof is currently required for criminal convictions but not in sentencing decisions.

I am pleased to see that the California Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a call to overturn decades of clear precedent, said Criminal Justice Legal Foundation Legal Director Kent Scheidegger, who wrote a brief supporting the death penalty. A ruling otherwise, the foundation said, would have had a devastating impact on hundreds of well-deserved judgments for horrible crimes.

Defense attorneys argued that current sentencing practices in capital cases violate the constitutional requirement that verdicts be both unanimous and beyond a reasonable doubt.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was one of those seeking stricter standards when he took the unprecedented step of filing a brief arguing that current practices spur racial discrimination. The higher threshold was also supported by a minority of district attorneys including Chesa Boudin in San Francisco and George Gascon in Los Angeles.

Newsoms brief  written by two professors at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law  tracked other critics who contend the death penalty process is inherently racist because Black people are disproportionately excluded from juries in capital cases.

But those more sweeping objections do not bear directly on the specific state law questions before us, Liu wrote.

Nor did the court find evidence of prosecutorial basis against Black jurors in the Los Angeles County case of Donte Lamont McDaniel, 42.

He was sentenced to death in 2009 for the murders of 33-year-old George Brooks and 52-year-old Annette Anderson and two counts of attempted murder on behalf of the Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang. The court upheld his conviction and sentence.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

It doesnt change the fact that the death penalty system in California does discriminate against people of color, particularly Black defendants. And theres ample data to demonstrate that, said Elisabeth Semel, co-director of the UC Berkeley Death Penalty Clinic and co-author of Newsoms legal brief.

Newsom spokeswoman Erin Mellon said the court missed an opportunity to fix one of the many flaws in Californias death penalty. Executions are irreversible and the process discriminates not only on race but against those who are poor or mentally ill, she said.

California has not executed anyone since 2006, and Newsom has imposed a moratorium while he is governor. But voters narrowly upheld the death penalty in 2012 and 2016.

Five of the seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors who oppose capital punishment. Liu was appointed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.

Liu took the unusual step of writing not only the majority opinion, but also a separate 30-page opinion in which he argued the state's death penalty process could be deemed unconstitutional under a different legal argument not currently before the court.

There is a world of difference between a unanimous jury finding of an aggravating circumstance and the smorgasbord approach that our capital sentencing scheme allows, he wrote.

He noted in the majority opinion that Colorado, New Jersey, Nebraska, and Utah all have included a reasonable doubt standard in their death penalty laws. Although that is not binding on California, he said other states' experience shows that including reasonable doubt and jury unanimity standards can work.

Of 1,077 death sentences imposed since 1978 in California, 230  more than 1 in 5  have been reversed by either the California Supreme Court or a federal court, according to a March report by the Office of the State Public Defender titled Californias Broken Death Penalty.
The Islamic State offshoot that Americans blame for a deadly suicide attack outside the Kabul airport coalesced in eastern Afghanistan six years ago, and rapidly grew into one of the more dangerous terror threats globally.

Despite years of military targeting by the U.S.-led coalition, the group known as Islamic State Khorasan has survived to launch a massive new assault as the United States and other NATO partners withdraw from Afghanistan, and as the Taliban return to power.

President Joe Biden cited the threat of Islamic State attacks in sticking with a Tuesday deadline for pulling U.S. forces out of Afghanistan. Biden blamed the group for Thursday's attack, which included a suicide bomber who slipped into the crowds of Afghans outside airport gates controlled by U.S. service members.

The group has built a record of highly lethal attacks in the face of its own heavy losses. A look at a deadly group influencing the course of the Kabul airlifts and U.S. actions:

WHAT IS ISLAMIC STATE KHORASAN?

The Islamic States Central Asia affiliate sprang up in the months after the groups core fighters swept across Syria and Iraq, carving out a self-styled caliphate, or Islamic empire, in the summer of 2014. In Syria and Iraq, it took local and international forces five years of subsequent fighting to roll back the caliphate.

The Afghanistan affiliate takes its name from the Khorasan Province, a region that covered much of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia in the Middle Ages.

The group is also known as ISK, or ISIS K.

WHO ARE THE ISLAMIC STATE KHORASANS FIGHTERS?

The group started with several hundred Pakistani Taliban fighters, who took refuge across the border in Afghanistan after military operations drove them out of their home country. Other, like-minded extremists joined them there, including disgruntled Afghan Taliban fighters unhappy with what they  unlike the West  saw as the Taliban's overly moderate and peaceful ways.

As the Taliban pursued peace talks with the United States in recent years, discontented Taliban increasingly moved to the more extremist Islamic State, swelling its numbers. Most were frustrated that the Taliban was pursuing negotiations with the U.S. at a time when they thought the movement was on the march to a military win.

The group also has attracted a significant cadre from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, from the neighboring country; fighters from Iran's only Sunni Muslim majority province; and members of the Turkistan Islamic Party comprising Uighurs from China's northeast.

Many were attracted to the Islamic States violent and extreme ideology, including promises of a caliphate to unite the Islamic world, a goal never espoused by the Taliban.

WHAT MAKES THEM A LEADING THREAT?

While the Taliban have confined their struggle to Afghanistan, the Islamic State group in Afghanistan and Pakistan has embraced the Islamic States call for a worldwide jihad against non-Muslims.

The Center for International and Strategic Studies counts dozens of attacks that Islamic State fighters have carried out against civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including minority Shiite Muslims, as well as hundreds of clashes with Afghan, Pakistani and U.S.-led coalition forces since January 2017. Though the group has yet to conduct attacks against the U.S. homeland, the U.S. government believes it represents a chronic threat to U.S. and allied interests in South and Central Asia.

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TALIBAN?

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

They are enemies. While intelligence officials believe al-Qaida fighters are integrated among the Taliban, the Taliban, by contrast, have waged major, coordinated offensives against the Islamic State group in Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents at times joined with both the U.S. and U.S.-backed Afghan government forces to rout the Islamic State from parts of Afghanistan's northeast.

A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was working covertly, said previously that the Trump administration had sought its 2020 withdrawal deal with the Taliban partly in hopes of joining forces with them against the Islamic State affiliate. The administration saw that group as the real threat to the American homeland.

WHAT IS THE RISK NOW?

Even when the United States had combat troops, aircraft and armed drones stationed on the ground in Afghanistan to monitor and strike the Islamic State, Islamic State militants were able to keep up attacks despite suffering thousands of casualties, Amira Jadoon and Andrew Mines note in a report for West Point's Combating Terrorism Center.

The withdrawal is depriving the United States of its on-the-ground strike capacity in Afghanistan, and threatens to weaken its ability to track the Islamic State and its attack planning as well. Biden officials say the Islamic State group is only one of many terror threats it is dealing with globally. They insist they can manage it with so-called over-the-horizon military and intelligence assets, based in Gulf states, on aircraft carriers, or other more distant sites.

One of the United States' greatest fears about pulling out its combat forces after two decades is that Afghanistan under Taliban rule again becomes a magnet and base for extremists plotting attacks on the West.

That threat, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN last weekend, was something we're focused on, with every tool in our arsenal."

___

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City and Gannon from Islamabad.
ALBANY  A woman is suing the Grace Baptist Church in Lansingburgh, alleging its leadership ignored her daily sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a youth pastor  then claimed that she had led him on.

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Broadway alleged Larry Hallock, the churchs former youth pastor, sexually abused the victim on a daily basis between 2000 and 2002 in the church located at 612 Fourth Avenue. The girl was between 15 and 17 at the time, her lawyer said.

At the time of the abuse, the lawsuit said, Hallocks wife sent the child several letters acknowledging that she had informed the leadership of Grace Baptist Church of Hallocks involvement with the child.

Rather than inquire as to why (the child) was receiving letters from the Pastor Larry Hallocks wife, the church leadership did nothing, the lawsuit said. Later when the abuse came to light, they stated the plaintiff had led him on. More, Grace Baptist Church leadership has stated because plaintiff didnt cry for help she was culpable for the abuse perpetrated upon her.

Grace Baptist Church and its pastor, the Rev. John Koletas, have attracted attention in the past for AR-15 rife giveaways, including one in late June 2020 amid protests in the aftermath of the May 25, 2020, police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Police were called after protesters blocked the door of the church.

The church's Facebook page said it was formed on July 1, 1987, in downtown Troy and moved to its previous location on Third Street in Lansingburgh in November 1988.

Koletas' personal Facebook page identified him as a Baptist preacher. Several of the posts shared debunked conspiracy theories, racist comments, as well as several sexist posts, including at least one mocking the "Me Too" movement, which led to the takedown of several high-profile sexual predators.

A phone number for Hallock in public records was disconnected. Koletas could not be reached.

The woman filed the suit on Aug. 9 under the states Child Victims Act, which allowed victims of child sex abuse to file lawsuits years after the statute of limitations expired on the alleged crimes.

The lawsuit alleged that between 2000 and 2002, Hallock victimized the child before the childs morning paper route and during church-sponsored events.

The sexual abuse suffered by plaintiff included sexual and emotional grooming, oral sex, fondling, and forced sexual touching, stated the suit, filed by Dallas attorney Ashley Pileika and Florida attorney Thomas J. Nessler.

The victim, identified only as a Jane Doe, now resides outside of the country, the lawsuit said.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

"She is extremely private about her personal life due to the fact she has been harassed, stalked, threatened by members of the church," Nestler told the Times Union. "The abuse she suffered has taken extreme tolls on her personal happiness. In my opinion, she is an extremely brave woman for speaking out and trying to make herself whole again."

Nestler added: "She would like to send a message to the church members, 'Do not be intimidated by those who twist the bible for their own agenda. If you or your loved ones were ever harmed by anyone in the church reach out.'

The lawsuit said Hallock, who supervised the churchs youth trips and Sunday services, abused the child at those events.

It said the church controlled the premises, supervised the pastors such as Hallock and held itself out as a place where children would be safe.

The lawsuit accuses the church of negligence; gross negligence; assault and sexual assault of a child; premises liability; breach of fiduciary duty; negligent infliction of emotional distress and breach of statutory duties to report, among other allegations.

It asked for damages for past, present and future mental anguish and emotional distress, medical expenses and loss of earning ability; punitive and compensatory damages; litigation costs and attorney fees.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Members of the Maine Legislature have proposed a bill to block Gov. Janet Mills administration from enforcing regulations that they say threaten to shutdown a key dam on the Kennebec River and a local mill nearby.

Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, proposed legislation to establish reasonable standards for permitting and operation of dams and clarify the Legislatures role in water quality rulemaking, The Bangor Daily News reported, citing a news release.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan despite the day's deadly suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport. He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack, declaring to the extremists responsible: We will hunt you down and make you pay.

Speaking with emotion from the White House, Biden said the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the attacks that killed the Americans and many more Afghan civilians. He said there was no evidence they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country.

He asked for a moment of silence to honor the service members, bowing his head, and ordered U.S. flags to half-staff across the country.

As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, "We have some reason to believe we know who they are ... not certain. He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS assets, leadership and facilities.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the U.S. Central Command chief, said more attempted attacks were expected.

The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out many attacks on civilian targets in the country in recent years. It is far more radical than the Taliban, who seized power less than two weeks ago. The most heralded American attack on the group came in April 2017 when the U.S. dropped the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal on an IS cave and tunnel complex. The group more recently is believed to have concentrated in urban areas, which could complicate U.S. efforts to target them without harming civilians.

We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place of our choosing, Biden said. These ISIS terrorists will not win. We will rescue the Americans; we will get our Afghan allies out, and our mission will go on. America will not be intimidated.

Biden said U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan had told him it is important to complete the evacuation mission. And we will, he said. We will not be deterred by terrorists.

Indeed, Gen. McKenzie, who is overseeing the evacuation operation from his Florida headquarters, told a Pentagon news conference shortly before Biden spoke, Let me be clear, while we are saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we are continuing to execute the mission,. He said there were about 5,000 evacuees on the airfield Thursday awaiting flights.

As many as 1,000 Americans and many more Afghans are still struggling to get out of Kabul.

McKenzie said 12 U.S. service members had been killed and 15 were wounded. Later, his spokesman, Capt. William Urban, said the toll had risen to 13 dead and 18 wounded. Urban said the wounded were being evacuated from Afghanistan aboard Air Force C-17 transport planes equipped with surgical units.

The Marine Corps said 10 Marines were among those killed. Central Command did not identify the dead by service. It was the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since August 2011, when a helicopter was shot down by an insurgent armed with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing 30 American troops and eight Afghans.

In somber, sometimes halting remarks, Biden praised U.S. forces and asked for the moment of silence. Asked later about further actions, press secretary Jen Psaki said that personal calls to families would wait for notification of next of kin and that Biden might travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware when the remains of the fallen service members are returned.

They were the first U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan since February 2020, the month the Trump administration struck an agreement with the Taliban that called for the militant group to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for a U.S. agreement to remove all American troops and contractors by May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September.

Thursday's attacks, came 12 days into the rushed evacuation and five days before its scheduled completion. Some Republicans and others are arguing to extend the evacuation beyond next Tuesday's deadline.

The administration has been widely blamed for a chaotic and deadly evacuation that began in earnest only after the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Talibans takeover of the country. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated so far, Afghans, Americans and others.

Thursdays attack was sure to intensify political pressure from all sides on Biden, who already was under heavy criticism for not beginning the pullout earlier. He had announced in April that he was ending the U.S. war and would have all forces out by September.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California called for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bring the chamber back into session to consider legislation that would prohibit the U.S. withdrawal until all Americans are out. Pelosis office dismissed such suggestions as empty stunts.

After the suicide bombers attack at the airports Abbey Gate, a number of ISIS gunmen opened fire on civilians and military forces, he said. There also was an attack at or near the Baron Hotel near that gate, he said.

We thought this would happen sooner or later, McKenzie said, adding that U.S. military commanders were working with Taliban commanders to prevent further attacks.

As details of the day's attack emerged, the White House rescheduled Bidens first in-person meeting with Israels new prime minister on Thursday and canceled a video conference with governors about resettling Afghan refugees arriving in the United States.

A number of U.S. allies said they were ending their evacuation efforts in Kabul, at least in part to give the U.S. the time it needs to wrap up its evacuation operations before getting 5,000 of its troops out by Tuesday.

Despite intense pressure to extend the deadline, Biden has repeatedly cited the threat of terrorist attacks against civilians and U.S. service members as a reason to keep to his plan.

In an interview with ABC News, Ross Wilson, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said, There are safe ways to get to the airport for those Americans who still want to leave. He added that there undoubtedly will be some at-risk Afghans who will not get out before Bidens deadline.

The airlift continued Thursday, though the number of evacuees fell for a second day as the terror attack and further threats kept people from the airport and as other countries began shutting down their efforts. From 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., Washington time, about 7,500 people were evacuated, a White House official said. Fourteen U..S. military flights carried about 5,100, and 39 coalition flights carried 2,400.

The total compared to 19,000 in one 24-hour period toward the start of the week.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Lolita C. Baldor and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and James LaPorta in Boca Raton, Florida, contributed to this report.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  The summer of Saratoga has belonged to jockey Luis Saez. No one who rides horses, trains horses, owns horses or bets on horses at the Spa would dispute that.

The polite, soft-spoken 29-year-old Saez has turned the 40-day meet at Saratoga Race Course into his own personal playground. With nine days left before the Spa City turns its attention to autumn, Saez is barreling down the stretch on his way to his first Saratoga riding title.

After Thursday's card, Saez has a comfortable lead in the jockey standings. He has 53 wins, 12 more than defending champion Irad Ortiz Jr. and 11 more than Jose Ortiz. The Ortiz brothers have each won the riding title three times. It looks as though the six-year run of an Ortiz winning the Saratoga title is going to come to an end.

"We are very happy where we are at," Saez said on a recent morning on the Oklahoma Training Track. "We've been working pretty hard and the horses have been running great."

Nineteen times in the first 31 days of the meet, Saez has won multiple races. He has had nine days where he has won three races.

Before the coronation of the new jockey king, there is business left to attend to. On Saturday, Saez is scheduled to ride in 12 of the 13 races on Travers day. Included in his assignments is a date with the horse ready to be anointed as the star of the meet. Saez will ride the striking gray colt named Essential Quality in the Grade I, $1.25 million Travers.

The 3-year-old Essential Quality has won seven of his eight career starts  including the Grade II Jim Dandy here on July 31  and Saez has been aboard for six of those wins. And oh, does he want to guide the son of Tapit into the winner's circle early Saturday night.

"I am just very glad to be part of a connection to the horse," Saez said. "It's a big deal for me."

Saez, originally from Panama City, won the 2013 Travers aboard Will Take Charge, a win also significant because it was his first Grade I victory. Since then, he has recorded 24 more Grade I wins. Among them was the Belmont Stakes in June aboard Essential Quality.

Saez has been up before the sun to help in the preparations for Essential Quality's Travers. Trainer Brad Cox likes to have the horse on the track when it opens at 5:30 a.m. His last work was Saturday, and Saez was at Cox's barn at the Oklahoma waiting in the dark. Cox would change his mind, pushing the work to later in the morning because he wasn't happy with the track's condition following overnight rains.

By 8:45 a.m., the track was perfect and Essential Quality and Saez were ready to roll.

"Luis is riding with a lot of confidence and he has a lot of confidence in this horse," Cox said. "I know that he thinks the world of him and I know he is super excited about the opportunity. I don't have to give Luis many instructions with this horse. I just tell him to do his thing and it seems to work out."

Saez hit the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons in 2019 when he rode Maximum Security to a win in the Kentucky Derby but had it taken away when the horse was disqualified for interference. It was the first time in the 145 runnings of the Run for the Roses that a horse crossed the finish line first and was disqualified.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

It took a while, but Saez got over it. He picked himself up and just did what he knows best: riding with confidence.

It has been Saez all day, every day, at the Saratoga meet. His agent, former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, has done yeoman work getting the right mounts for his client. And once those rides are secured, Saez does the rest.

"He is a great rider," McLaughlin said Thursday morning outside the racing office. "Horses just run for him. Luis never complains. I have asked him to work seven horses in the morning and ride 10 in the afternoon and there are no complaints."

Saez and his wife Andrea have three daughters  Gianna (10), Genesis (8) and Bella (2)  and he is a devoted family man.

"He's just a really good person," McLaughlin said. "You don't have to worry about him being out on the town. He is just a real pleasure to work for."

At 12 minutes past six on Saturday, Saez will be on Essential Quality's back, looking to gallop into the Travers history books. The horse is the 4-5 morning-line favorite to win the Midsummer Derby. Having Saez on his back sure won't hurt those odds.

"He's just a nice horse and he always tries pretty hard," Saez said. "I love to ride him."
ALBANY  State Sen. Liz Krueger is urging campaign donors to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to ask for their money back and also questioning the legality of the governor's post-resignation use of the account.

Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a statement Friday alleging the use of the fund to fuel any "desire for revenge" by Cuomo is not a permitted campaign expenditure. She asserted that the $18.3 million in his campaign account for governor is being used to "lie about and attack his perceived enemies."

Cuomo's former secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, recently said in a recent statement that Cuomo has "no interest" in running for public office again. If he is not intending to run again, Krueger said, then Cuomo is spending his campaign money for "personal use," which she understands is not be permitted under the state's campaign finance laws.

Instead, people should ask for their money back, Krueger said. Cuomo does not necessarily have to return the contributions even if a donor requests he return the funds.

"I didn't think Mr. Cuomo is going to change his behavior because I pointed this out," Krueger said to the Times Union. "I actually thought it was an important thing to get out there so that the press is aware that this is probably an illegal use of those funds."

Under state law, Cuomo may use the funds for a multitude of expenditures, including paying defense attorneys or funding the campaigns of candidates or causes he may support.

Earlier this week, the governor's former senior advisor, Richard Azzopardi, told the Times Union he is working for Cuomo in a "transitional" phase. Politico reported Friday that Azzopardi is the first major hire using Cuomo's campaign cash.

"Cuomo has no interest in running again, but that doesn't mean we're going to allow for deliberate misstatements about our administration to stand," Azzopardi said in a statement to the Times Union on Friday. "That being said, it's fascinating to know how much real estate we're still taking up in people's heads."

Cuomo had been using his private attorney, Rita Glavin, to defend himself from the report issued by Attorney General Letitia James on Aug. 3 that found he had sexually harassed multiple women, in violation of state and federal laws. The accusations, on top of a mounting impeachment investigation by the state Assembly on a myriad of issues, ultimately prompted his decision to resign.

Glavin's law firm had been paid $285,000 between January and June, according to campaign finance data. Glavin, prior to Cuomo's resignation, represented him in multiple investigations, including a separate investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn. She also provided multiple briefings defending Cuomo, some of which were broadcast on the state's website.

Krueger views the issue, and the lack of universal agreement on what can be done with campaign money, as a reason to reform the campaign finance laws. For years, Krueger, who has served in the Senate since 2003, has pushed for changes with little avail.

"There's a serious problem with New York state's extremely weak campaign finance laws," Krueger said.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

She hopes under the new administration that Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been pushing ethics reforms as a major initiative, will take up the murky issues underlying campaign finance rules.

Any issues of illicit campaign finance spending could be taken up by the state Board of Elections.

The Board of Elections new enforcement officer is Michael L. Johnson, a longtime Assembly aide, whose appointment was made during a whirlwind confirmation process.

The position had previously been held by Risa Sugarman, who was making $177,000 as the Board of Election's chief enforcement counsel, according to the Empire Center's payroll database.The payroll records do not reflect Johnson's takeover of the job, but he has updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect that he has the position since July.

The job includes, according to Johnson's LinkedIn, conducting "all campaign finance investigations necessary to enforce provisions of the New York state election and campaign finance laws and other state and local statutes."

Board of Elections officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the status of the chief enforcement counsel position with the New York state Board of Elections. The position is held by Michael L. Johnson, who was confirmed in June.
ALBANY  State Sen. Brian A. Benjamin was formally introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in Harlem on Thursday, a day after he was identified in news reports as her pick for lieutenant governor.

"I never in a million years would have imagined I would be standing here ... but God has bigger plans for me," Benjamin said at an event in Harlem where he and Hochul appeared onstage with a number of local Democratic power players.

The Harlem-born, Brooklyn-raised progressive will be sworn in after Labor Day, timing that will prevent the need for a special election to fill his Senate seat.

Even before former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's resignation on Monday, Hochul had signaled her desire to make a selection that represented her commitment to diversity  racial as well as geographic. Benjamin is a former community board member, affordable housing developer and investment banker who has championed prison reform and pushed to dramatically reform policing.

Other attendees included the Rev. Al Sharpton and Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, who described Benjamin as "a man of integrity, a man of passion, a man of love to work with this governor."

"I am so delighted to announce my partner  and the word 'partner' means something to me," said Hochul, who in recent weeks has noted that she and Cuomo were not close.

She has said in recent interviews that she views President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as a model for the working relationship she wanted to have with her lieutenant governor.

"Someone who works side-by-side in the trenches," Hochul said. "Someone who will be out there, championing our policies and our administration's agenda in every corner of the state  but with a real focus on New York City, because New York City needs our help."

In New York, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately on the ballot. In 2018, Hochul lost Harlem and Brooklyn to New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who has been viewed as a potential future candidate for statewide executive office. With Benjamin's support and the local Democratic machine behind them, Hochul may be able to reverse that loss as she seeks the party's nomination next June in what could be a crowded field.

Benjamin avoided dipping into any hot-button issues  such as his stated support for the "defund the police" movement  during his acceptance speech. Instead, he spoke on bread-and-butter issues such as reducing gun violence, homelessness and affordable housing. He circled back to a refrain Hochul has been using in recent days: making government work and restoring public's confidence after the chaos that preceded Cuomo's exit amid scandal.

"So many young kids who are walking down 125th Street right now need to know that this world is here for them, and we need to help them take it," Benjamin said of the main artery of Central Harlem. "Government has to help them to take it. Our community needs government to work, and that's what we will do for the state of New York."

Benjamin, who was born in Harlem to a Caribbean mother and raised in Brooklyn, has seen a relatively quick rise. He joined the Central Harlem Community Board 10 in 2012 and became its chair in 2016. He was also working in affordable housing and real estate development. Benjamin first worked at Morgan Stanley in investment banking following an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a business degree from Harvard University.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

He was the winner in a 2017 special election to fill the seat of state Sen. Bill Perkins, who was leaving the Republican-controlled chamber for the New York City Council.

One of four candidates in the race, Benjamin won the nomination with about two-thirds of the vote, all but ensuring him the 30th Senate District seat.

He pledged in that first race to close down the Rikers Island jail within three years, and critiqued Mayor Bill de Blasio's 10-year shutdown plan. Four years later, the facility is in a state of "absolute emergency" over violence from within, according to a New York Times report this week.

Benjamin ran unopposed in 2018, when Democrats finally won a large majority in the chamber. In 2020, he launched an abortive run for city comptroller but then dropped out in favor of seeking re-election to the Senate. He faced no primary challenger and handily won the general election.

The Democratic candidate to replace him will be selected by local party leaders.

Benjamin has about $360,000 between two campaign accounts (for Senate and city comptroller), according to campaign finance data. While Hochul's campaign account is now listed for governor, Benjamin has not yet transferred over his accounts.
STEVE JACOBS/DG

SHARON SPRINGS  After more than 20 years of being one of the symbols of the renaissance of this Schoharie County village that was a resort destination for more than a century starting in the 1830s, the American Hotel will close its restaurant at the end of this year, and the hotel will become a B&B until it is sold.

Feed your inbox Get the latest news on the Capital Region restaurant scene. Sign up for the Table Hopping newsletter.

The announcement was made Thursday by the owners, Doug Plummer and Garth Roberts, refugees from the New York City theater world who moved to Sharon Springs in the early 1990s, opened a cafe and later bought and renovated the American Hotel over five years, opening it in May 2001.
Farmington, WV (26555)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
06:35:02 AM

Mostly Cloudy

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny skies. High 68F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
The Moyne Road/ Bellevue Residents Association are working with Fr. Martin Mareja (Thurles Pallottine Priest) to collect face masks that will be sent to Tanzania to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.



Fr. Martin will return home to Mbugwe, Tanzania on September 2 to visit his family. He has been informed that there is a worrying shortage of face masks in his local area as the country struggles during this ongoing pandemic.



We are asking that people donate a face mask to this worthy cause and help us collect as many masks as possible for Fr. Martin to bring home in September, Chairperson of the Moyne Road/Bellevue Residents Association, Tommy Barrett told The Tipperary Star this week.



He added: Masks can be dropped into Thurles Parish Centre and Stakelums Office Supplies, where boxes have been provided. We ask that only new masks in sealed packaging be donated. The organising committee can be contacted by calling 089-4487657 for any further details regarding this project.



We appeal to the readers of the Tipperary Star to support this project and all support will be greatly welcomed, Tommy Barrett said.



Please do your best to support this great initiative.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a requirement that students at the University of Massachusetts campuses in Boston and Lowell be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to return to campus
August 27, 2021





Are you nostalgic for the era of paper mail? We don't either. Several decades ago, primarily business communication was conducted through the mail. Digitalization and the internet have altered many activities and business processes permanently in the same way as the rise of email changed communication between companies forever.







Even in a disruptive environment, most businesses have been paying their bills as they always have. In the B2B world, 64% of payments are made by check. Changing practices are beginning to emerge, however. Rather than manually entering and signing data, businesses desire online payment systems that can automate the process, save time, and increase speed. There is a good chance you are wondering how to accomplish these things, too.

Here's everything you need to know if you're considering switching to online payments but are guarded about it (it's your money after all). We have put together a guide that outlines everything about online payments. By understanding and learning about what goes into making online payments, you will be able to secure one for yourself.

Payments online - what are they?

Online payments have become the norm in the 21st century. Online payments are made via computer networks using applications like PayU rather than paper-based methods. A credit card, a third-party payment processor, or a bank account can be used to make online payments.

In Canada, funds are typically transferred by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), while in the U.S. they are usually transferred through Automated Clearing House (ACH).

The necessity of online payments

Thousands of people shop online every day, including for everything from babies' clothes to pet food to groceries. Online shopping is convenient, efficient, and fast. Online payments that are seamless and secure are what they appreciate.

So, you should at least be familiar with the basics of security before you take payments online. By educating your customers and employees, you can prevent frauds and scams to the greatest degree.

Passwords should be strong.

There are often obvious passwords that anyone can decode - such as a name, date of birth, or mobile number - most of the time. This is a skill possessed by hackers in particular. Ensure that the password includes special characters, alphabets, and numbers along with more than six digits. While choosing a password, they should make sure it is something difficult to forget.

Your website must be trusted.

The customer's personal information can be compromised on malicious websites. Therefore, you must ensure that your website is trusted. Is it possible to do so? You should use a valid SSL certificate as well as a clearly stated terms of service and privacy policy, as well as secure payment processing.

Don't forget to authenticate everything.

It is very important not to be careless when it comes to your business and customers. Managing a relationship with customers is extremely difficult and hard to grow a business.

Be sure that your website is secure enough for transactions to take place. Two-factor authentication (2FA), 3D secure pin, and other methods are some methods of authenticating online payments.

About The Author:

Adam Smith is a content writing guru at Contenterist. He is adept in IT as well. He loves to write on different topics. In his free time, he likes to travel and explore different parts of the world.
[August 27, 2021] ALYI Previews Two Anticipated Acquisitions To Bolster And Expand EV Ecosystem

Dallas, TX, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) (ALYI) today announced ongoing merger and acquisition developments anticipated to soon result in two acquisitions intended to bolster the companys Electric Vehicle (EV) Ecosystem in Africa. The company recently acquired a stock interest in self-drive rental vehicle company, and the two additional anticipated acquisitions are similarly expected to complement ALYIs expanding EV Ecosystem Strategy. ALYIs overall EV Ecosystem Strategy is not to just produced a single EV product. ALYIs 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 that includes the Rideshare initiative in Africa and the Retro Revolt Electric Motorcycle initiative in North American. 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 has also 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. The company confirms it 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. The company intends to publish a specific revenue target shortly after Labor Day which falls on September 6, 2021. Ultimately, ALYI does not intend to go it alone on the overall development and rollout f 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 . ALYIs 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 ALYIs 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 RevoltTOKEN to finance ALYIs growth by offering participation in the EV ecosystem through the sale of Revolt Tokens. To learn more about RevoltTOKEN and how to participate in ALYIs 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 ALYIs overall EV Ecosystem strategy. For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com .



Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.



For more information, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] CytoDyn Appoints Seenu Srinivasan, Ph.D. as Executive Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs

Dr. Srinivasan provides 30 years of broad regulatory and drug development experience including a career serving as Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the CMC strategy and successfully submitted a monoclonal antibody based BLA (Dupixent approved in 2017) VANCOUVER, Washington, Aug. 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) ("CytoDyn" or the "Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab, a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, announced today the appointment of Seenu Srinivasan, Ph.D., as Executive Director-CMC Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Srinivasan provides CytoDyn with 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug development, including extensive CMC development experience in developing APIs (small and large molecules) and drug products (biological and small molecules) from early phase to commercialization, strategy development and execution. He has led the CMC portions of development (process development/engineering, analytical development, formulation development, stability testing under cGMP conditions, and preparation of all technical documents for regulatory filing). Dr. Srinivasans career included serving as Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the CMC strategy and successfully submitted a monoclonal antibody based BLA (Dupixent approved in 2017). Prior to Regeneron, Dr. Srinivasan served as Global Vice President/Chief Scientific Officer, CMC Pharmaceutical Development Services for Covance Laboratories Inc. (a Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings company) where his primary responsibilities included strategy development, P&L responsibility for the business unit, all CMC activities and API development under cGMP for Phase 1 and 2 and cGMP stability, and CMC project/program management. Dr. Srinivasan earned B.Sc. Ed. (Chemistry and Physics, First Class), Regional College of Education, Mysore, India, M.Sc. (Chemistry, First Class), Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, M.S. (Education) and Ph.D. (Chemistry), Purdue University, and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Electrochemistry), at Michigan State University. Dr. Srinivasan, commented, I am very excited about the opportunity to join CytoDyn at such an important time when our management team can define and shape the Companys future by advancing our multi-pathway approach to evaluating leronlimab for so many potential indications. Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., CytoDyns President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, We are very fortunate to add Dr. Srinivasan to our CMC regulatory management team. His deep experience and proven leadership qualities will clearly enable him to be a strong contributor in setting the strategic course for our long-term future. About Leronlimab

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted CytoDyn Fast Track designation to explore two potential indications using leronlimab to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and metastatic cancer. The first indication is combination therapy with HAART for HIV-infected patients, and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that binds to CCR5, a cellular receptor important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Leronlimab has been studied in 16 clinical trials involving more than 1,200 people and met its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab combined with HIV standard care in patients with multi-drug resistance to current available classes of HIV drugs). Leronlimab, among various potential applications, is a viral-entry inhibitor in HIV/AIDS. It binds to CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab does not work on other strains of HIV (for example X4), however, R5 is the most dominant strain of HIV. Five clinical trials have demonstrated leronlimab could significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent with fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements than currently used daily drug therapies. Cancer research has shown CCR5 may play a role in tumor invasion, metastases, and tumor microenvironment control (for example, through angiogenesis). Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 97% in a murine xenograft model. As a result, CytoDyn is conducting two clinical trials, one, a Phase 2 in mTNBC, which was granted Fast Track designation by the FDA in 2019, and a second, a Phase 2, basket trial which encompasses 22 different solid tumor cancers. The CCR5 receptor plays a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation. After completing two clinical trials with COVID-19 patients (a Phase 2 and a Phase 3), CytoDyn nitiated a Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 (PASC), also known as COVID-19 Long-Haulers. This trial evaluated the effect of leronlimab on clinical symptoms and laboratory biomarkers to further understand the pathophysiology of PASC. It is currently estimated that between 10-30% of those infected with COVID-19 develop long-term sequelae. Common symptoms include fatigue, cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, and shortness of breath. CytoDyn plans to pursue clinical trials to evaluate leronlimabs effect on immunological dysregulation in other post-viral syndromes, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).



CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH to evaluate the effect of leronlimab on liver steatosis and fibrosis. Pre-clinical studies revealed a significant reduction in NAFLD and a reduction in liver fibrosis using leronlimab. There are currently no FDA approved treatments for NASH, which is a leading cause of liver transplant. About 30 to 40 percent of adults in the U.S. live with NAFLD, and 3 to 12 percent of adults in the U.S. live with NASH. There have been no strong safety signals identified in patients administered leronlimab in multiple disease spectrums, including patients with HIV, COVID-19, and oncology. About CytoDyn

CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications using leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells and appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as NASH.

CytoDyn successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial using leronlimab combined with standard antiretroviral therapies in HIV-infected patients who were heavily treatment-experienced individuals with limited treatment options. CytoDyn is working diligently to resubmit its Biologics License Application ("BLA") for this HIV combination therapy since receiving a Refusal to File in July 2020 and subsequently meeting with the FDA telephonically to address their written guidance concerning the filing. On July 1, 2021, CytoDyn announced that it had submitted a dose justification report to the FDA, an integral step in the resubmission process for its BLA, which it expects to complete in October 2021. CytoDyn also completed a Phase 2b/3 investigative trial with leronlimab used as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication. If successful, it could support a label expansion approval. Clinical results to date from two trials have shown that leronlimab can maintain a suppressed viral load in a sub-population of R5 HIV patients who chose to switch from their daily pills regimen to once-a-week subcutaneous dose of leronlimab. Several patients on leronlimabs Phase 2b extension arm have remained virally suppressed for almost 7 years and many patients in our Phase 2b/3 investigative trial are passing two and some four years of monotherapy with suppressed viral load. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial with leronlimab in mTNBC, a Phase 2 basket trial in solid tumor cancers (22 different cancer indications), Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2, also known as COVID-19 long haulers, and a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH. CytoDyn has already completed a Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial for mild-to-moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients, respectively, for which CytoDyn did not meet its primary or secondary endpoints except for the secondary endpoint in the critically ill subpopulation. More information is at www.cytodyn.com . Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates" and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements specifically include statements about leronlimab, its ability to provide positive health outcomes, the possible results of clinical trials, studies or other programs or ability to continue those programs, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for commercial sales, and the market for actual commercial sales. The Company's forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the regulatory determinations of leronlimabs efficacy to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients with multiple resistance to current standard of care, COVID-19 patients, and metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC), among other cancer indications, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various drug regulatory agencies in other countries; (ii) the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations; (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations; (iv) the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third-parties; (v) the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion; (vi) the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product; (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials; (viii) the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results; (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved; (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products; (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process; (xii) legal proceedings, investigations or inquiries affecting the Company or its products; (xiii) general economic and business conditions; (xiv) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions; (xv) stockholder actions or proposals with regard to the Company, its management, or its board of directors; and (xvi) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release. Important Information

CytoDyn intends to file with the SEC a definitive proxy statement and associated proxy card in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Companys 2021 Annual Meeting. Details concerning the nominees of the Companys Board of Directors for election at the 2021 Annual Meeting will be included in the proxy statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY'S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company's stockholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to CytoDyn Inc. at 1111 Main Street, Suite 660, Vancouver, Washington 98660. Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, its directors and certain of its executive officers will be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in respect of the 2021 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the names of the Company's directors and executive officers and their respective interests in the Company by security holdings or otherwise is set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on July 30, 2021, and the Company's definitive proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting, filed with the SEC on September 1, 2020. To the extent holdings of such participants in the Company's securities have changed since the amounts described in the proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting, such changes have been reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in any proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will also be included in any proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC, if and when they become available. CONTACTS Investors:

Cristina De Leon

Office: 360.980.8524

ir@cytodyn.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] Deca Dental Group Announces Strategic Investment From Blackstone Tactical Opportunities

DECA Dental Group ("DECA" or the "Company"), a leading dental services organization, today announced a strategic investment from funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (NYSE: BX; "Blackstone"). This partnership will help fuel DECA's continued expansion, giving more dentists a platform to provide high quality, patient-centric, and convenient care to communities across the country. Founded in Dallas in 2008, DECA has nearly 100 affiliated dental practices with a network of offices in Texas, Florida and Washington. Dr. Sulman Ahmed, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DECA Dental Group, will continue to run the company and chair the Board of Directors. Dr. Ahmed said: "We are thrilled to partner with Blackstone for DECA's next phase of growth. We founded the company to transform dentistry, offering clinicians the systems and support they need to focus on what really matters: providing quality patient care. Blackstone's capital and resources will allow us to further expand this proven model nationwide." Todd Hirsch, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: "Dr. Ahmed and his team have created a first-rate experience for both clinicians and patients. We believe DECA has a differentiated platform because the Company was founded and is led by outstanding dentists. Their success expanding into ne markets organically, through de novo offices, and through affiliations is a testament to the power of their patient-first model. We are excited to support DECA's expansion across the U.S."



Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Houlihan Lokey acted as the Company's financial advisor. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as Blackstone's legal advisor. About DECA Dental Group

Founded in Dallas, DECA Dental Group has been delivering high quality, affordable dental care to patients since 2008. DECA has nearly 100 affiliated dental practices with a network of offices in Texas, Florida and Washington. DECA's culture is founded on a patient-centric model. The company is guided by its vision to be the premier provider of dental services under one roof while being the first choice for dentists and staff seeking a partner for growth, innovation and learning. To learn more, please visit https://decadental.com. About Blackstone Blackstone is the world's largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $684 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter (News - Alert) @Blackstone. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005538/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Hurricane Ida Threatens 941,392 Homes with Storm Surge Damage According to CoreLogic Risk Analysis

CoreLogic a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released data analysis for single-family and multifamily homes at risk of storm surge damage from Hurricane Ida, which is expected to be a major landfalling hurricane on Sunday evening, August 29, with a projected Category 4 status. The central Louisiana coast is at risk of bearing the brunt of Hurricane Ida's extreme storm surge potential, with a total of 941,392 homes in the Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi coastal areas exposed to storm surge damage. These homes have a combined reconstruction cost value (RCV) of approximately $220.37 billion. These estimates are based on the August 27 National Hurricane Center 5 p.m. EDT forecast. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005416/en/ Total Number and RCV ($ in Billions) of Single-Family Residential Properties at Risk of Storm Surge Damage from Hurricane Ida (Graphic: Business Wire) Due to the intensity and size of Hurricane Ida's wind field, a trifecta of impacts is expected: damaging winds between 130-156 mph, life-threatening storm surge of up to 15 feet, and extremely heavy, widespread rainfall between 10-15 inches. "Atmospheric conditions are highly favorable for rapid intensification after Ida emerges from Cuba on Saturday into Sunday," said Dr. Daniel Betten, meteorologist and senior leader for Weather Science at CoreLogic. "Ida will also be passing over an extremely warm loop current, which is known to contribute to the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the central Gulf of Mexico, most famously seen with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005." Hurricane Ida is the fourth named hurricane of the 2021 season and the first projected major hurricane at Category 4. As Ida approaches the Gulf coastline, its path will become more certain and the below metropolitan areas at risk will narrow. For the most up-to-date storm surge exposure estimates, visit the CoreLogic natural hazard risk information center, Hazard HQ, at www.hazardhq.com.



The tables indicate the total number of homes with exposure to storm surge damage given the current path of the storm. The RCV figures assume 100 percent destruction of all at-risk homes - and represents the worst-case scenario. Hurricane-driven storm surge can cause significant property damage when high winds and low pressure cause water to amass inside the storm, releasing a powerful rush over land when the hurricane moves onshore. For a complete view of total storm surge and hurricane wind risk for all Atlantic and Gulf Coast states metropolitan areas, download the full CoreLogic 2021 Hurricane Report.

Methodology CoreLogic offers high-resolution location information solutions with a view of hazard and vulnerability consistent with the latest science for more realistic risk differentiation. The high-resolution storm surge modeling using 10m digital elevation model (DEM) and parcel-based geocoding precision from PxPoint facilitates this realistic view of risk. Single-family residential structures less than four stories, including mobile homes, duplexes, manufactured homes and cabins (among other non-traditional home types) are included in this analysis. Multifamily residences are also included. This is not an indication that there will be no damage to other types of structures, as there may be associated wind or debris damage and are not tabulated in this release. Source (News - Alert) : CoreLogic The data provided are for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's The data provided are for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be resold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient's parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact newsmedia@corelogic.com. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources. About CoreLogic CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005416/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Klara Announces Interface with modmed Pay to Help Practices Process Credit Card Payments & Store "Cards on File"

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Klara, the leader in patient engagement solutions, announced its interface with modmed Pay, the innovative processing solution from Modernizing Medicine that streamlines the payment process by connecting patients, providers and financial institutions. The new interface is aimed at helping modmed Pay customers easily collect patient credit card information digitally, process credit card payments for outstanding balances and reduce no-shows. Today, patients and medical staff alike are becoming more accustomed to intake and follow-up processes going digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show, however, that despite 60% of patient payments being made online,1 credit card information continues to be collected over the phone and during in-office visits. Not only can this cause longer patient wait times, but it can also add more work for staff and lead to higher outstanding balances. "More and more practices today are starting to collect consent forms, insurance information, patient satisfaction surveys and other documentation through automated messaging," said Simon Bolz, co-founder and co-CEO of Klara. "When we took a step back, a lightbulb went off  payment processing was the missing piece. We realized that there was an opportunity to streamline payment workflows for practices, in order to improve the patient experience and minimize work for practice staff." The interface between Klara and modmed Pay addresses this issue by streamlining how payments and credit card details are collected digitally. Users who are customers of both Modernizing Medicine's Practice Management system and modmed Pay can leverage Klara's messaging platform to simplify patient billing in one place.>



modmed Pay will allow practices to: Enable patients to store "cards on file" through links sent via automated SMS. While messages offering the links are sent through Klara, all credit card information is end-to-end encrypted. Klara can send these messages offering links automatically before any defined appointment type, without any additional manual work needed.

While messages offering the links are sent through Klara, all credit card information is end-to-end encrypted. Klara can send these messages offering links automatically before any defined appointment type, without any additional manual work needed. See available "cards on file" in Klara . Whether a practice has tokens for a credit card stored via Klara or modmed Pay, the practice can see them within Klara.

. Whether a practice has tokens for a credit card stored via Klara or modmed Pay, the practice can see them within Klara. Charge the patient using the stored tokens for a credit card from within Klara. Using the tokens stored for credit cards, practices can charge any available credit card for the applicable patient right from within Klara and the charge will automatically show up in the Modernizing Medicine Practice Management system.

Using the tokens stored for credit cards, practices can charge any available credit card for the applicable patient right from within Klara and the charge will automatically show up in the Modernizing Medicine Practice Management system. Send automated receipts to patients through Klara. Patients will conveniently receive PDF receipts via Klara. The receipts will show charges and descriptions provided by modmed Pay. These receipts will be centralized to the same thread as other patient communications, allowing patients and staff to easily access them from one place. Practices utilizing Klara's interface with modmed Pay should experience fewer outstanding balances due to the ability to store multiple "cards on file". This can lead to time savings for administrative staff who no longer have to spend their time collecting credit card information.

One such practice  Downtown Dermatology LLC in Columbus, Ohio  has benefited from Klara's interface with modmed Pay. "The interface has significantly reduced the time our staff spends playing phone tag to collect payment information from our patients," said Kathy Catania, office manager at Downtown Dermatology. "It will also be huge for settling outstanding balances  an absolute must for any practice." While Klara's interface with modmed Pay is only available to Modernizing Medicine customers using both Practice Management and modmed Pay, practices interested in learning more about the interface can visit https://www.klara.com/free-demo/klara-consultation. About Klara Klara's end-to-end patient engagement platform enables healthcare organizations to easily communicate with patients, provide virtual care, collaborate as a team, and automate many front-desk tasks. Thousands of healthcare teams across more than 40 specialties use Klara to make their workflows more efficient, deliver an exceptional patient experience across the entire care journey, and grow their patient volume. For more information, visit www.klara.com. About Modernizing Medicine Modernizing Medicine is transforming healthcare through intelligent specialty-specific platforms that are intended to help our clients increase practice efficiency and focus on patient outcomes. Our platforms are built for speed and efficiency. Through our cloud-based, electronic health records (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) systems, and our Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) services, Modernizing Medicine helps physicians streamline workflows from clinical to financial to operational environments. Our staff physicians help to develop products and services for dermatology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pain management, plastic surgery, podiatry, urology practices and ambulatory surgery centers. For more information, visit www.modmed.com. Connect with Modernizing Medicine via its blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Media Contact Katherine Darsie

Content Marketing Manager, Klara

media@klara.com 1Statistics on medical billing, patient payments

https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-coding-billing-and-collections/3-statistics-on-medical-billing-patient-payments.html View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klara-announces-interface-with-modmed-pay-to-help-practices-process-credit-card-payments--store-cards-on-file-301364085.html SOURCE Klara

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] LBMC Employment Partners Adds Cigna National Plan to PEO

LBMC Employment Partners, a leading professional employer organization based in Nashville, TN, is pleased to announce the addition of the Cigna national plan to its PEO. The Cigna addition expands LBMC Employment Partners' Professional Employer Organization (PEO) to provide a full suite of benefit offerings to businesses headquartered outside the state of Tennessee and complements the company's established BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plan offered to employers based in Tennessee. The key strategic expansion allows LBMC Employment Partners, a Certified PEO and member of NAPEO, to offer competitive health insurance to companies headquartered across the U.S. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005093/en/



Cigna Addition Expands LBMC Employment Partners' National Presence; Allows Firm to Offer Outsourced HR Solutions to Companies Across the U.S.; Further Establishes Firm as Leading PEO (Graphic: Business Wire)

"The addition of the Cigna national plan to our suite of service offerings has been one of our key strategic initiatives for LBMC Employment Partners and our clients," said Sharon Powlus, President/CEO, LBMC Employment Partners. "For several years, we have worked to secure a national health plan to complement our current BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee plan. We are excited to announce we finalized that plan through Cigna and are now able to sell our PEO service anywhere in the U.S." Through the Cigna national plan, LBMC Employment Partners will provide four medical offerings on Cigna's largest network, along with dental and vision plans. "Our expanded national PEO will bring enhanced peace of mind to employers and employees alike. Employers can offer more competitive benefits packages, which in turn allows them to retain talent and stand out to potential recruits, and employees will have the advantage of a large network regardless of where they are located. With the hybrid workforce here to stay, offering a national plan will add even more value to the services we provide our clients," said Powlus. About LBMC Employment Partners LBMC Employment Partners, LLC, a member of the LBMC Family of Companies, is a world-class professional services firm. LBMC Employment Partners provides a comprehensive suite of human resource-related services to businesses, including Professional Employer Organization (PEO) services, HR Outsourcing (HRO), Payroll, Payroll Tax Outsourcing, Human Resource Consulting, Employee Benefits, and ACA Compliance Consulting. LBMC Employment Partners is also the only Tennessee-based PEO to receive the Certified Professional Employment Organization (CPEO) designation in the first round of IRS certifications. For more information visit www.lbmcep.com. About LBMC LBMC is a Forbes Top Recommended Firm, one of the Southeast's largest accounting and business consulting firms and a top 50 firm in the nation serving approximately 10,000 clients with diverse needs across a spectrum of industries. The LBMC Family of Companies has more than 700 employees, with offices in Chattanooga, Nashville (Brentwood), and Knoxville, TN, and Charlotte, NC. Founded in 1984 as a traditional accounting firm, LBMC has expanded its focus to meet a broad range of advisory and business consulting needs for its diverse client base. Today, we've become industry leaders in financial, human resources, technology, information security, and wealth advisory services for businesses and individuals. For more information, visit www.lbmc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005093/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] LittleLives and Global Embassy Partner to Instill Digital Transformation in Schools

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LittleLives , a school management system based in Singapore continues to partner with various organisations around the world to provide value and services to its schools and stakeholders. A key enabler of these capabilities is a strategic partnership with Global Embassy , an organisation consisting of a network of education professionals to empower schools to engage with digital transformation, enhance the quality of education and improve the welfare of teachers, parents and students. With the ongoing lockdowns in countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam, LittleLives has seen a tremendous growth in schools adopting new technologies to help with their operations in the new norm; from attendance taking at home to supporting online learning. With demands from parents to ensure undisrupted learning at home, LittleLives also provided various solutons and resources to enhance home-and-school relationships.



Sharing his vision for the partnership, Arjuna Raj, Chief Strategy Officer of LittleLives said, "We are excited to partner with Global Embassy to assist and digitally transform more schools in Vietnam, and continue to create meaningful partnerships with other companies." This collaboration also marks a pioneering step in which LittleLives adapts its solutions such as facial recognition technology and multipurpose communications module to accommodate the unique needs and trends in Vietnam schools, but more importantly, creates a platform to further develop the early childhood education in Vietnam for the community to strive in a safe, responsive, resilient and nurturing environment.

As LittleLives continues to grow and produce valuable and cutting-edge technology for schools, it seeks like-minded companies and organisations to help change the way schools operate  to be more adaptable, efficient and effective  yet never neglecting the human touch in operational and administrative processes in schools. LittleLives Media Contact

Bryan Koh

Partnerships

bryan@littlelives.com

+6010-2202655 About LittleLives

LittleLives is a school management software provider for over 1,400 preschools in 12 countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Brunei, Dubai, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. In 2021, LittleLives expanded its reach to the USA and Dubai, and partnered with DBS to launch a digital cashless payment solution to preschools. Today, we serve over 25,000 educators, 250,000 parents and 180,000 children. LittleLives is currently valued at USD$25 million and plans to increase valuation to USD$100mill by 2024. Learn more at www.littlelives.com . SOURCE LittleLives

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Majic Presents CGCX Revenues & Business Lines

Houston, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Majic Wheels, Corp. (OTC Pink: MJWL) ("Majic" or the "Company"), a Delaware corporation, that is positioning itself as a player in the disruptive industries of fintech and software development by means of acquisitions, provides recap and summary of the online corporate presentation held on August 22nd, 2021. The Company wishes to provide a recap of the online presentation hosted on August 22nd, 2021. To that end, we refer investors and shareholders to the video currently hosted on the homepage of the Companys Corporate website. A PDF version of the presentation is also available for viewing on the following link. Click Here For: Majic Corporate Presentation PDF Click Here For: Majic Corporate Presentation Video Our shareholders had been eager to learn more details about the Company, its history, its accomplished milestones but more importantly its current and projected revenues as well as the planned milestones. We share this journey with our shareholders, and we want to share both the accomplished milestones and the excitement over the hard work being put into reaching the future ones said Dr. Vin Menon, co-founder of CGCX. During the presentation the Company elaborated on the: History of CGCX & Roadmap

Geographical Presence

Leadership & Strategic Partners

Business Lines

Revenues & Projections

Outlook Roadmap The key points in the roadmap consisted of: CGCX Crypto Mining Farm Pilot Launch in Q3 of 2021

BGBF agreement to be announced in Q3 of 2021

India Crypto Exchange acquisition in Q4 of 2021

Blockchain Insurance Solution acquisition in Q4 of 2021 Geographical Presence As of now, CGCX operates in the markets of Singapore, Malaysia, and Mauritius. New markets to be announced are: India

United Arab Emirate (UAE)

United States of America (USA) Business Lines The three business lines and their respective levelized contributions to earnin will consist of:



CGCX Exchange (46%)

CGCX Custody Solutions (13%)

CGCX Mining Operations (41%) Revenues & Projections For the 12 months ending on December 31, 2020, revenues were USD 5,281,500

ending on December 31, 2020, revenues were For the 6 months ending on June 30, 2021, revenues were USD 5,117,136 For the remainder of 2021, additional revenues will be realized from the India Crypto Exchange, the Custody Solutions, and the Crypto Mining business lines. The projected revenues for the year ending December 31st, 2021, and the following two years are:

2021: USD 22.9M

2022: USD 142.7M

2023: USD 446.8M Subbu Vempati, Chief Financial Officer of CGCX added We have been experiencing a strong growth of our exchange in the markets we are currently present in. For the first six months of this year, our Company has already reached revenues of FY 2020. Our net profits have doubled. We expect to continue to have an exponential growth as we continue to enter new markets. Concurrently, our other business lines of Custody Solutions and Cryptocurrency farming will start to contribute to earnings starting in Q3 and show strong growth,. About Majic Wheels Corp. Majic Wheels Corp Inc., a Delaware holding corporation, intends to position itself as a player in the disruptive industries of Fintech and software development by means of multiple acquisitions. The Company's first acquisition is the cryptocurrency exchange, cryptocurrency mining farm and custody services platform: Calfin Global Crypto Exchange (CGCX). Majic Wheels Corp. is listed and traded on the Over-the-Counter Market under the trading symbol "MJWL". For more information about the Company, visit: Our OTC Markets Profile: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/mjwl/overview

Our website is: https://majiccorp.co/

Our Twitter account is: https://twitter.com/MajicCorp

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/apolloassets About CGCX Ltd. Founded in 2018, Calfin Global Crypto Exchange CGCX set out to offer a highly sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange for a seamless & secure crypto trading experience. Unlike most exchanges that offer only cryptocurrency trading, CGCX caters to the larger blockchain community by providing four services under a single platform. CGCX Website: https://www.cgcx.io SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made. SOURCE: Majic Wheels Corp. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: David Chong

Email: info@majiccorp.co Attachment $MJWL - Majic Presents CGCX Revenues & Business Lines



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Selerix Systems Included in 2021 Inc. 5000

MCKINNEY, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Selerix Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based benefits administration and employee engagement software, announced today it has been included in the 2021 Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Selerix began across a dining room table in California, and its path to becoming one of the nation's fastest-growing private companies was paved by an exceptional company culture, proven technology, and industry-leading customer service. Selerix delivers flexible and integrated benefits administration, employee engagement, and ACA compliance solutions to a current user base of over 18,000 employers and more than 8.3 million employees. Relied on by employers, brokerage firms, third-party administrators, and carriers, Selerix's software currently supports the enrollment and administration of over $14 billion in core and voluntary annual premium. "We're honored to be recognized by the Inc. 5000, joining the ranks of iconic companies such as Pandora, 7-Eleven, Zipcar, and Zappos.com," said Selerix President Lyle Griffin. "Being recognized as an Inc. 5000 member is a testament to our enthusiasm for delvering innovative solutions that matter for our clients and in our industry."



"Our extraordinary team has grown Selerix into the trusted and respected brand that we are today," Griffin added. "After nearly two decades, we are still fueled by the same goals and passion for this business as on day one." Selerix's solid history and brand recognition, along with new partnerships and integration capabilities, has made the organization profitable every year since its inception  including during the pandemic.

Selerix continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of stakeholders in the benefits industry. Its plug-and-play technology has enabled the company to integrate with virtually any vendor. From payroll and HCM platforms to decision support and billing, Selerix continues to expand its reputation as a go-to partner in the hyper-competitive HR landscape. About Selerix

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 industry-leading 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 employees, our suite of solutions is trusted by groups in diverse industries, including healthcare, education, hospitality, retail, transportation/logistics, state and local government, nonprofit, high technology, and industrial services. About the Inc. 5000

The Inc. 5000 began as the Inc. 500 in 1982, a list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. In 2007 the list expanded to the Inc. 5000, which allowed it to showcase a broader spectrum of success. Today, companies are ranked by overall revenue growth over a three-year period. Inc. also highlights women- and minority-run companies. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/selerix-systems-included-in-2021-inc-5000-301363035.html SOURCE Selerix Systems

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] True Velocity Welcomes Caylen Wojcik and Phillip Velayo as Brand Ambassadors

GARLAND, Texas, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas-based advanced manufacturing company True Velocity is partnering with professional shooters and founders of Modern Day Sniper, Caylen Wojcik and Phillip Velayo. Caylen and Phillip will utilize True Velocity's proprietary composite-cased ammunition to compete in the top shooting competitions across the United States, lend their expertise to product development, and help advocate for the innovative rounds that are redefining the ammunition industry in future content. "Caylen and Phillip both served as snipers, making them part of an elite community that relies upon the best equipment when they do their job," said True Velocity Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Pat Hogan. "We're looking forward to adding True Velocity rounds to their loadouts and help them outperform the competition at professional shooting events across the country." Caylen began his career as a U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper. During his time as a Marine, he served as an instructor at the 1st Marine Division Scout/Sniper School as the primary marksmanship instructor where he trained US Marines, US Army soldiers, and Naval Special Warfare operators in the art and craft of sniping. Wojcik was deployed on a combat tour as a Sniper Team Leader in 2004 and sustained seere injuries which led to the end of his military career. Since re-integrating into civilian life, Caylen has taught for multiple private security companies, local, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies, and developed Magpul's Precision Rifle program training hundreds of military and law enforcement snipers and responsible armed citizens for more than a decade. Wojcik lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest where he's an avid backcountry hunter and precision rifle competitor.



"This is the change I've been wanting to see come out of the industry for decades now," Wojcik said. "True Velocity has taken ammunition to the next level, and I look forward to being a part of the development process, as well as shooting with it in competition." Phillip is a 10-year Marine Corps veteran. During his time, Phillip completed 4 overseas deployments and served as Scout Sniper Team Leader, Chief Scout Sniper, and Scout Sniper Instructor. For the last 3 years of his career, Velayo served at the 1st Marine Division Scout Sniper School as the Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Upon exiting the military in 2018, Phillip served as the Lead Instructor for Gunwerks Long Range University for two years. Phillip is one of the co-founders of Modern Day Sniper and currently serves as an instructor for Modern Day Sniper. Phillip is also well known as a nationally ranked precision rifle competitor in the Precision Rifle Series and National Rifle League circuit, having placed in the top 10 in the 2018 season for both organizations.

"The amount of technical detail that has gone into the ammunition made by True Velocity is unequalled," Velayo said. "I'm excited to be on the forefront of this major shift in the art and craft of shooting and am proud to have a partner in True Velocity." For more information on forthcoming competitions in which the Wojcik and Velayo will be competing with True Velocity ammunition, be sure to follow the Modern Day Sniper podcast, available at moderndaysniper.podbean.com. About True Velocity

True Velocity is an advanced technology and composite manufacturing company based in Garland, Texas. Founded in 2010, True Velocity has more than 320 patents pending or issued on its products, technology, and manufacturing processes. Initially, the company is focused on revolutionizing the ammunition industry. True Velocity products are manufactured in the U.S. in a state-of-the-art facility and are currently available to public agencies, with consumer products available now. True Velocity's proprietary composite cartridge provides significant logistical advantages over traditional brass-cased ammunition and gives end users unmatched accuracy, repeatability, and reliability, all in a light-weight cartridge. For more information, visit tvammo.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/true-velocity-welcomes-caylen-wojcik-and-phillip-velayo-as-brand-ambassadors-301363992.html SOURCE True Velocity, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] Apple, US Developers Agree to App Store Updates That Will Support Businesses and Maintain a Great Experience for Users

Apple (News - Alert)  today announced a number of changes coming to the App Store that, pending court approval, will resolve a class-action suit from US developers. The terms of the agreement will help make the App Store an even better business opportunity for developers, while maintaining the safe and trusted marketplace users love. Apple appreciates the developer feedback and ideas that helped inform the agreement, and respects the ongoing judicial review process. The agreement clarifies that developers can share purchase options with users outside of their iOS app; expands the price points developers can offer for subscriptions, in-app purchases, and paid apps; and establishes a new fund to assist qualifying US developers. The updates constitute the latest chapter of Apple's longstanding efforts to evolve the App Store into an even better marketplace for users and developers alike. "From the beginning, the App Store has been an economic miracle; it is the safest and most trusted place for users to get apps, and an incredible business opportunity for developers to innovate, thrive, and grow," said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow who oversees the App Store. "We would like to thank the developers who worked with us to reach these agreements in support of the goals of the App Store and to the benefit of all of our users." Providing More Flexibility and Resources for Small Developers Following a productive dialogue, Apple and the plaintiffs in the Cameron et al v. Apple Inc. developer suit reached an agreement that identifies seven key priorities shared by Apple and small developers, which has been submitted to the judge presiding over the case for her approval. In a validation of the App Store Small Business Program's success, Apple and the developers agreed to maintain the program in its current structure for at least the next three years. Businesses earning less than $1 million annually will continue to benefit from the reduced commission, while larger developers pay the App Store's standard commission on app purchases and in-app payments. App Store Search has always been about making it easy for users to find the apps they're looking for. At the request of developers, Apple has agreed that its Search results will continue to be based on objective characteristics like downloads, star ratings, text relevance, and user behavior signals. The agreement will keep the current App Store Search system in place for at least the next three years. To give developers even more fleibility to reach their customers, Apple is also clarifying that developers can use communications, such as email, to share information about payment methods outside of their iOS app. As always, developers will not pay Apple a commission on any purchases taking place outside of their app or the App Store. Users must consent to the communication and have the right to opt out. Apple will also expand the number of price points available to developers for subscriptions, in-app purchases, and paid apps from fewer than 100 to more than 500. Developers will continue to set their own prices. Apple will maintain the option for developers to appeal the rejection of an app based on perceived unfair treatment, a process that continues to prove successful. Apple has agreed to add content to the App Review website to help developers understand how the appeals process works. Over the last several years, Apple has provided a great deal of new information about the App Store on apple.com. Apple agreed to create an annual transparency report based on that data, which will share meaningful statistics about the app review process, including the number of apps rejected for different reasons, the number of customer and developer accounts deactivated, objective data regarding search queries and results, and the number of apps removed from the App Store. Apple will also establish a fund to assist small US developers, particularly as the world continues to suffer from the effects of COVID-19. Eligible developers must have earned $1 million or less through the US storefront for all of their apps in every calendar year in which the developers had an account between June 4, 2015, and April 26, 2021 - encompassing 99 percent of developers in the US. Details will be available at a later date.



Launching the News Partner Program Today, Apple also announced additional App Store updates with the launch of the News Partner Program. Recognizing the importance of rigorous journalism and a free and independent press, the program includes a new slate of initiatives to expand Apple's support for journalism.

To participate in the program, news organizations must provide their customers with access to their content in Apple News using Apple News Format. Participating organizations will benefit from a 15 percent commission on qualifying subscriptions to their news app. Paired with the App Store Small Business Program, this new program will help provide multiple avenues for news organizations to make their content available to Apple customers while supporting local journalism. For more details on the program, visit apple.com/newsroom. With the updates announced today, the App Store continues to evolve into an even better business opportunity for developers, while maintaining a safe and trusted marketplace for users. Already, Apple provides more than 30 million registered developers with all the tools, resources, and support they need to create and deliver software to over a billion customers around the world on Apple platforms. Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone (News - Alert) , iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple's five software platforms - iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS - provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it. NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.  2021 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, App Store, and Apple News are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005797/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] KKR to Acquire Ritchies Transport

Ritchies Transport Limited ("Ritchies", "the Company"), a leading transportation operator in New Zealand with an 86-year heritage, and KKR, a global investment firm, today announced the signing of definitive agreements under which KKR will acquire Ritchies. The investment - which marks KKR's first infrastructure investment in New Zealand - will be used to advance the Company's mission to better connect local communities, support the country's expanding public transport network and promote greener transportation solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005801/en/ Founded in Temuka in 1935, Ritchies is one of the largest transport providers in New Zealand, with a fleet of more than 1,600 vehicles and a network of 42 strategically located depots across the country. The Company provides the government, local councils, and private customers with reliable and accessible public transport solutions in some of New Zealand's largest cities. Upon completion of the transaction, the Ritchie family will continue to hold a stake in Ritchies. Andrew Ritchie will be appointed as CEO of the Company as Glenn Ritchie retires from Ritchies. Glenn Ritchie, Managing Director of Ritchies Transport, said, "This deal is a real milestone for our business. After 86 years, we are confident that the Company will continue to demonstrate the family values that have been a strong part of our identity and culture, as we've built Ritchies into one of New Zealand's largest and most successful transport operators." Andrew Ritchie, Director of Operations at Ritchies, said, "Joining the KKR family is the start of an exciting new chapter for the company. Glenn has been an integral part of the business for most of his life, and been instrumental in helping the company achieve its growth and success as a nationwide transport operator. He has left an indelible mark on the company and its staff and will be missed." "We would like to thank our many loyal customers and staff all over New Zealand, many of whom have been with Rtchies along our journey. Now it's time to leverage KKR's expertise to help take Ritchies forward as we look to the next 86 years. We were very impressed by KKR's long track record of adding value to the businesses, investments and acquisitions they have made across numerous industry sectors around the world," added Andrew.



David Luboff, Partner and Head of Asia Pacific Infrastructure at KKR, said, "For over 80 years, Ritchies Transport has been the trusted provider of local and regional transport in communities across New Zealand, and we are excited to invest in a successful, leading business like Ritchies and work alongside its talented management team. Our investment also reiterates KKR's strong commitment to investing in critical infrastructure assets in New Zealand and globally through our expanding portfolio." Andrew Jennings, a Director on KKR's Infrastructure team, said, "We see continued demand for high-quality, greener public transport solutions in New Zealand. Buses account for 75% of total public transport trips made in the country and play a critical role in connecting people to places. They also represent a highly visible opportunity to encourage the adoption of zero-emissions technology. We look forward to working closely with the Ritchie family to continue their legacy and working in partnership with the government to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable public transport services."

KKR is making this investment from the KKR Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund. Additional details of the transaction are not disclosed. The transaction is also subject to customary closing conditions and is conditional on OIO approval which is expected within four to five months. Rothschild & Co. acted as KKR's financial advisor. Cameron Partners acted as Ritchies' financial advisor. About Ritchies Transport Beginning in Temuka in 1935 Ritchies Transport has grown into one of New Zealand's largest and most successful bus companies with depots from Kaitaia in the North to Gore in the south, Greymouth in the West and the Chatham Islands to the East. From that first bus all those years ago, Ritchies have built up a diverse fleet of over 1600 vehicles and 1800 staff and operates public transport services on behalf of the local government councils in some of the country's largest cities such as Auckland, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Whangarei. It also runs government-contracted, nationwide school bus services and offers inter-regional long-haul, charter and tour bus services. For more information please visit www.ritchies.co.nz About KKR KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter (News - Alert) @KKR_Co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210826005801/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] $ 24.19 Bn growth in Electronic Health Records Market 2021-2025 | Analyzing Growth in Data Processing & Outsourced Services Industry | 17000+ Technavio Reports

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The electronic health records market size is expected to increase by USD 24.19 billion during 2021-2025, registering a decelerating CAGR of over 12% during the forecast period. Here is an Exclusive report talking about Market scenarios, Estimates, the impact of lockdown, and Customer Behaviour.

Download FREE Sample Report Now! The report on the electronic health records market provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis. The report identifies the benefits of EHR leading to rising adoption as one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. The report also provides information on other latest trends and drivers impacting the overall market environment. Technavio analyzes the market by deployment (on-premise and cloud-based), component (services, software, and hardware), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and ROW). The rising demand for self-medication and homecare medical devices is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the electronic health records market during the forecast period. This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. The electronic health records market covers the following areas: Electronic Health Records Market Sizing

Electronic Health Records Market Forecast

Electronic Health Records Market Analysis Companies Mentioned AdvancedMD Inc.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

athenahealth Inc.

Cerner Corp.

CureMD.com Inc.

Epic Systems Corp.

Greenway Health LLC

McKesson Corp.

Medical Information Technology Inc.

Siemens Healthineers AG Related Reports on Information Technology Include:

Global Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Software Market - Global healthcare revenue cycle management (ECM) software market is segmented by end-user (hospitals, physicians, and medical labs) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report



Global Fitness App Market - Global fitness app market is segmented by gender (female and male), application (lifestyle monitoring, health monitoring, and others), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition Market Segmentation by Deployment Market segments

Comparison by Deployment

On-premise - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Deployment Market Segmentation by Component Market segments

Comparison by Component

Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Software - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Hardware - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Component Customer landscape Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview

Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

AdvancedMD Inc.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

athenahealth Inc.

Cerner Corp.

CureMD.com Inc.

Epic Systems Corp.

Greenway Health LLC

McKesson Corp.

Medical Information Technology Inc.

Siemens Healthineers AG Appendix Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.

Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform 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: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/electronic-health-records-market-industry-analysis

Newsroom: newsroom.technavio.com/news/electronic-health-records-market View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/-24-19-bn-growth-in-electronic-health-records-market-2021-2025--analyzing-growth-in-data-processing--outsourced-services-industry--17000-technavio-reports-301362985.html SOURCE Technavio

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] Klook Integrates with Google, Enables Operators to Feature as an Official Site Listing on Things to do

SINGAPORE, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Klook, a world-leading travel and leisure booking platform, today announced a new integration with Google, bringing the Things to do platform into its digital suite of offerings for travel operators. This integration will enable operators of activities and attractions to operate as an official site listing on Google Things to do. Google Things to do is a display feature that allows consumers to discover, plan and compare prices across activities and attractions around the world. It also allows for the availability of products to be updated and booked in real-time through a partner's website. "With the integration of Google Things to do, we continue to build on our strong momentum of digitizing the travel experiences sector and supporting the digital transformation of operators," said Wilfred Fan, Chief Commercial Officer at Klook. "This demonstrates Klook's commitment to equip and suppot travel operators with advanced capabilities and tools to achieve online success. Working with Klook will open new doors for travel operators, tapping into the latest developments in online user engagement behaviors that are evolving faster than ever."



With Klook as a connectivity partner, travel operators can provide an official site listing on Google Things to do without any technological development efforts and help drive even more bookings from Google. Leveraging the company's proprietary Digital Solutions, operators will be able to manage their prices, ticketing, inventory management, and even marketing, while Klook manages the technology from API integration to payment enablement. Additionally, they will be able to enjoy increased global presence and outreach with Klook's support in 14 languages and 41 currencies, including over 30 payment methods globally. In this new travel environment, Klook has seen an uptick in demand from operators who are eager to digitize their businesses. In the first half of 2021 alone, Klook has seen a 185% increase in sign-ups from operators across the Asia Pacific region. The list includes a variety of operators such as Manila Ocean Park, Suzuka Circuit Park, The Habitat Penang Hill, Utsunomiya Zoo, Sunlight Air.

About Klook

Founded in 2014, Klook is a world-leading travel and leisure booking platform. Klook empowers users around the world to discover and book the best experiences and services anywhere, anytime. It provides a seamless way for users to explore popular attractions, tours, local transportation, hotels, and unique experiences at home or around the world on Klook's website and award-winning app (consecutive Best of Year awarded by Google Play and Apple App Store). Each day, users indulge in their wanderlust and spontaneity through over 280,000 offerings in more than 500 destinations.



With offices in major cities worldwide, Klook's services are available in 14 languages, supporting 41 currencies. Get inspired by Klook at www.klook.com , the company blog , or @Klook . For media queries, please contact:



Klook Press Office

press@klook.com SOURCE Klook Travel

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 26, 2021] Embedded Software Market in Systems Software Industry | Almost $ 6 Bn growth expected during 2021-2025 | 17,000+ Technavio Research Reports

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Set to grow by USD 5.99 billion during 2021-2025, Technavio's latest market research report estimates the embedded software market to register a CAGR of almost 8%. With a focus on identifying dominant industry influencers, Technavio's reports present a detailed study by the way of synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. This report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Technavio offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario and the overall market environment.

Download Free Sample Report Factors such as the high adoption of embedded software in the semiconductor industry and the growing popularity of IoT and M2M technologies will offer immense growth opportunities. To leverage the current opportunities, market vendors must strengthen their foothold in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The embedded software market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Embedded Software Market 2021-2025: Segmentation Embedded Software Market is segmented as below: End-user

RTOS



Compilers



Assemblers



Debuggers



Others

Geography

North America



APAC



Europe



South America



MEA Buy our market report now to gain access to detailed analysis on the embedded software market: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44574 Embedded Software Market 2021-2025: Vendor Analysis and Scope Some of the major vendors of the embedded software market in the systems software industry include Advantech Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric Co., Enea AB, Green Hills Software LLC, Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Microsoft Corp., NXP Semiconductors NV, STMicroelectronics NV., and Texas Instruments Inc. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the market. The report also covers the following areas: Embedded Software Market size

Embedded Software Market trends

Embedded Software Market industry analysis The embedded software market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate. The high adoption of smart homes and smart grid technology will offer immense growth opportunities. However, data security and privacy issues will hamper market growth. Register for a free trial today ad gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports.





Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research report on the embedded software market is designed to provide entry support, customer profile, & M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.





Related Reports on Information Technology Include:

Global Embedded Computer Market - Global embedded computer market is segmented by product (COMs, SBCs, and stand-alone boards), end-user (industrial automation, military and defense, medical, communication, and others), CPU architecture (x86, ARM, PowerPC, and Others), and geography (Europe, APAC, North America, MEA, and South America).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Global Rugged IC Market - Global rugged IC market is segmented by application (rugged mobile computers, rugged tablets, rugged scanners, and rugged air quality monitors), geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA).

Download Exclusive Free Sample Report Embedded Software Market 2021-2025: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2021-2025

Detailed information on factors that will assist embedded software market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the embedded software market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the embedded software market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of embedded software market vendors Table of Contents: Executive Summary Market Landscape Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis Market Sizing Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025 Five Forces Analysis Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition Market Segmentation by End-user Market segments

Comparison by End-user

RTOS - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Compilers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Assemblers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Debuggers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Others - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by End-user Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends Vendor Landscape Overview

Landscape disruption Vendor Analysis Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Advantech Co. Ltd.

Emerson Electric Co.

Enea AB

Green Hills Software LLC

Intel Corp.

International Business Machines Corp.

Microsoft Corp.

NXP Semiconductors NV

STMicroelectronics NV.

Texas Instruments Inc. Appendix Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Report: www.technavio.com/report/embedded-software-market-industry-analysis

Newsroom: newsroom.technavio.com/news/embedded-softwaremarket View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/embedded-software-market-in-systems-software-industry--almost--6-bn-growth-expected-during-2021-2025--17-000-technavio-research-reports-301363017.html SOURCE Technavio

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Impetus celebrated inclusion month, reinstating their commitment that everyone matters

NEW DELHI, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Impetus Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd. successfully celebrated a month-long activity, 'Celebrating Inclusion.' The month-long celebration, which was meant to break stereotypes, saw massive participation from employees across locations. Through activities like 'Man with a pan,' Impetus witnessed more men taking up cooking for the household, which traditionally was seen as 'women's role'. Activities focused on age, diversity of culture were also conducted. Impetus Technology aimed to encourage women at work by giving them options of increased flexibility compared to other companies while also challenging men to participate equally in housework outside of work hours through these various events during 'Celebrating Inclusion' Month. The leadership also penned a blog on the Importance of inclusive leadership at work and how it mnifests into a key to create a consistently high-trust workplace experience for everyone.



A fun-filled Funtakshari and the exclusive multi-lingual musical evening was organized. Renowned artists helped in embracing the power of inclusion, diverse perspectives and instill belongingness. Through this event, the organization focused on Generation, Gender and Cultural aspects of inclusion. In another activity, employees shared varied festivals celebrated by them through visuals and exciting images, including the Independence Day celebration at work, bolstering the belief that 'we are one,' both in the organization and in the nation. This month-long celebration was a testimony of the inclusive culture that the organization believes which further strengthened it.

On this initiative, Sanjeev Agrawal, VP, Operations & Human Empowerment, added, "At the Impetus Group, we value our people, their thoughts, experiences, differences and dreams. We ensure to provide our people an inclusive environment to make them feel valued, engaged and inspired, to do what they are best at." The organization believes in diversity, inclusion and collaboration and witnesses it as being essential to fuel the power of connections. The Group strives to strike the right balance among the diverse groups and ensure that they foster inclusion in which each employee can thrive. About Impetus Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. Impetus Technologies is a software products and services company focused on creating powerful and intelligent enterprises. We specialize in Data Engineering and Cloud to provide solutions to Fortune 100 companies. The company is headquartered in Los Gatos, California with international offices in India, Australia and Canada.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] NCERT, Microsoft & Tech Avant-Garde team up for Hybrid Learning Education 3.0 training for Indian school teachers starting 28th August

NEW DELHI, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- India's NCERT, Microsoft and its global training partner Tech Avant-Garde (TAG) have joined hands to usher in Digital Transformation in Education and to empower the most important stakeholders of education - School Teachers. The Hybrid Learning training workshop for teachers will be conducted over a period of five days from 30th August 2021 to 3rd September 2021 for one hour each day from 4 PM onwards. Click the link https://forms.office.com/r/aV09cUiesw to enroll participants at the earliest. Every school can enroll two school teachers. Tech Avant-Garde is conducting TAG TALK - Hybrid Learning Education 3.0 webinar on Saturday, 28th August 2021, 7 PM onwards, on the L'avenir Platform. Stellar speakers from NCERT, Microsoft India (and the US) and Tech Avant-Garde include: Dr. Sridhar Srivastava (Director, NCERT) - Knowledge Age Partnerships - Digital Transformation in Education; Prof. Amarendra P. Behera (Joint Director, CIET, NCERT) - Empowering Teachers with Digital Skills; Major Harsh Kumar (Secretary, NCERT) - NEP 2020 - Making India Future Ready; R. Chandrasekar (Chairman, Litera Valley Zee School Hosur & MS Dhoni Global School Bangalore); M K Sherwani (Managing Trustee, The Blossom School Aligarh); Christina Thoresen (Director of Worldwide Education Industry Strategy at Microsoft); Sonja Delafosse (Global Education Programs Manager, Microsoft Hybrid and Blended Learning) - Improving student outcomes; Dr. Vinnie Jauhari (Director Education Advocacy, Microsoft India) - Keynote Address - Reimagining Education; Priya Anand (Head of Schools TCIS Whitefield - Bangalore); Krishank Malik (Director IT, Arya Global Group of Schools); Ali Sait (CEO, Tech Avat-Garde) and Roshini Kumar (President - Lycee Corp.) among others. For registration, please click on the link https://forms.office.com/r/4prHmKAg1T



Ali Sait, CEO, Tech Avant-Garde, said, "We are in the process of welcoming Education 3.0, the third genre of learning. First, it was the Gurukul / Philosophical system, then came the Brick 'n' Mortar setup and now, it is Hybrid Learning. The transformation to usher in the new genre of learning is carried out by the Torchbearers of Education - establishments such as NCERT and the Thought Leaders - Knowledge workers such as Microsoft and Tech Avant-Garde. Microsoft Education and Tech Avant-Garde, as part of our outreach program, have decided to train teachers and educate schools on Hybrid Learning, to manage in these uncertain times. We are inviting heads of institutions, school management and teachers to share their views through this webinar so that principals, trustees and teachers across India can benefit." While NCERT is responsible for implementing the new age education policy, National Education Policy (NEP 2020) to upgrade the Indian Education System, Microsoft and Tech Avant-Garde are trying to establish an education system for the knowledge Age - The Connected Learning Community.

Recently, Change Maker awards were presented to 54 School Principals in India for their selfless and sincere service to the fruition of the dream of Digitalization of Formal Education by Tech Avant-Garde, Knowledge L'avenir in association with Microsoft and Rotary Club. Each Principal articulated their school's transforming digital journey to make 'Connected Learning Community' into a palpable reality. Certain select Principals were from schools that were honored with Carte Blanche Digital School graduation at a special function held in November 2020. These schools have subscribed towards the Digital Transformation and Holistic Learning Program (DTHL) --- where the school teachers have been trained in Digital Teaching; where the school is conducting online classes daily for all grades; where teachers are MIE (Microsoft Innovator Educator) certified and where teachers have trained the participants in the Knowledge L'avenir Conclave Webinars. The DTHL Coordinators are awarded with Digital Catalyst Certification; Knowledge L'avenir Conclave presenters are awarded with Adroit Mentor Certification; Teachers with digital skills are presented with Empowered Educator Certification; Students are presented with Connected Learner Certification and Parents are presented with Participative Parent Certification. Schools are also eligible to become Microsoft Showcase Schools. And in addition, teachers who have given presentations in Knowledge L'avenir Conclaves are trained to become MIE Trainers and in turn offer training to hundreds of other school teachers across India. About Tech Avant-Garde (TAG): TAG is a technology services organization which focuses on "Product Fostering" which means Development, Nurturing and Promoting of the software products. To enhance customer support and user experience, TAG has innovated an App based "Help Desk called TAG" which is accessible to the user from anywhere, any place and on any device. Being a socially conscious organization, it has taken the cause of "women empowerment" in the digital age, it trains and employs women at its residential complexes called "Navy Campuses". In these campuses, it provides boarding, lodging and continuum training, on software development and Help Desk management. Tech Avant-Garde features on the Microsoft website as its global education training partner. Tech Avant-Garde has been recognised as ET Industry Leaders 2020 Award Winner for Software Innovation in Ed-Tech. For more info http://t-a-g.in/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] ORA Founder Robert K. Bratt Recently Discussed His Efforts in Getting Reparations for Asian Americans

Virginia, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the first person to be put in charge of the Office of Redress Administration (ORA), Robert K. Bratt played a big role in helping Asian Americans get the reparations they deserved. Bratt recently discussed his time with the program in an interview.

The mass removal and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II still stands as one of the darkest moments in US history. And soon after the end of the war, various groups started working towards helping the people affected by the governments actions the apology, compensation, and restitution they deserve. While these efforts were undertaken by a variety of different interest groups and organizations, they are collectively referred to as the Redress Movement, and their efforts culminated in the creation of the Office of Reddres Administration (ORA) in 1988. The ORA was created after Congress approved the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which determined that those affected by the internment camps and other forms of race-based discrimination made by the federal government during the war would receive a national apology and an individual payment of $20,000. The issue then became tracking down all the individuals who were eligible for reparations. The ORA was created to track down and verify potential claimants, a process that was started with Robert K. Bratt in charge of the organization. Bob Bratt took over the ORA in 1988 as the first administrator to be put in charge of the organization. As such, he played a massive role in building the organization, putting in place the structures and procedures that would be used throughout the ORAs 10-year life-cycle to help give affected Asian Americans the reparations they needed. In an interview, Bratt explained te effort that went into tracking down and verifying survivors. We went to federal services, Social Security Administration. We went to state DMVs. We did multiple searches to confirm our findings. We didn't even have the Internet. Can you imagine if we had an interactive Web page?" Bratt said.



According to the Civil Liberties Act, to be eligible for restitution an applicant had to have been: 1 - Alive on August 10, 1988;

2 - An US Citizen or permanent resident during the internment period; 3 - A person of Japanese ancestry, or the spouse or parent of a person of Japanese ancestry. This meant that while many of over 120.000 Japanese Americans held in camps during the internment period had passed away, their children would still be eligible for restitution if they were alive during the period. Finding all of these people was a massive undertaking, made harder by the fact that they only had 10 years to complete the program. By the time he was put in charge of the ORA, Robert K. Bratt already had a strong track record working in the Justice Department. He had previously worked as the Executive Officer of the DOJs Criminal Division, where he managed the divisions large number of administrative functions and improved its efficiency. Bratt was the ORAs administrator from 1988 to 1992. His name and signature can be found in all the apology letters sent out to Asian Americans around the nation during this time. In 1994 one of Bratts former colleagues, Irva Greene, assumed the role of administrator, but Bratt Stayed on board of operation in an advisory capacity, helping with the reparation effort up to 1999, when the ORA finished its operations. A Washington Post article from the time described the massive effort that went into tracking down survivors. The ORA set up a toll-free number, opened a temporary office on the West Coast, distributed over 150,000 documents about the program and who was eligible to help inform the public. They also worked with experts to help deal with language barriers in order to reach more potential eligible people. And when the ORA learned that many camp survivors had been holding reunions, representatives from the program started attending those as well. Bratt himself attended many of these. We were working from 50-year-old records, so integrity problems were definitely possible. Yet, that didn't happen," Bratt explained. "We would travel all over. Seattle, Spokane, San Francisco, Salt Lake. The first two years, we did it every month or so. And we would bring laptops to enter claims there on the spot. By 1994, the ORA had paid over 75,000 claims. And by the end of the program, the ORA had provided $20,000 in redress to over 82,000 claimants, totaling more than $1.6 billion. Today Bratt is working in the private sector, putting his experience managing large programs to use as the COO of an international law firm. Media Contact Company - DLA Piper (Robert K Bratt)

Email Id :- bob.bratt@dlapiper.com

Company Website :- dlapiper.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] North Carolina Company, Geo Owl, Selected by Innovare's Aspire Program to Create Video Captioning AI

WILMINGTON, N.C., Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Geo Owl (Wilmington, NC) was selected by Innovare, a partnership amongst the Air Force Research Laboratory and other New York-based organizations, to improve video captioning technology. Along with a handful of other industry, university, and government partners, Geo Owl will assist Innovare's Aspire program to "Create a near-real-time scene captioning artificial intelligence algorithm for use in full-motion streaming video analysis, automatically capturing unique, anomalous or unexpected context; emphasis is on raw, live or otherwise unanalyzed video," according to the Innovare website. Geo Owl has provided full-motion video analysis to various military and government customers including the United States Air Force, Special Operations Command, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency since 2013. In addition, Geo Owl has built an in-house intelligence collection and distribution software, Patternflows, which can be leveraged to assist with captioning video footage. The Aspire program will rely on Geo Owl's vast operational and software development expertise for input on the AI algorithm capabilities and the technology usability. Innovare hosted a summit on August 18 and 19 to coordinate relationships and launch the Aspire series. You can watch Day 2 of the Aspire Summit ere.



"Innovare is aiming high by looking to solve the ISR video problem. Other programs with massive investment have come up short. Involving our expert team in the process will enable people with real-world operational knowledge to have a say in what the ultimate outcome is. Paired with our Patternflows technology, the odds of producing an operationally relevant and useful AI increases drastically." -Nick Smith, CEO Geo Owl Patternflows is a patent-pending technology that improves the way intelligence is collected, stored, and disseminated. The technology consists of an Open API structure that is strategically aligned with the DoD's focus on data usability and interoperability for the future. The technology can be used for any intelligence observation and when used for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions, increases productivity by 130% compared to current methods. Data is collected in a way that allows for a vast expansion of spatial data, which results in five hundred times the spatial data when compared to other methods. This vast expansion of information and the clean, open data architecture is what enables powerful Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning processes. The intelligence information is distributed via a web application or feeds into other sources such as maps, dashboards or analytics tools via the API which enable other intelligence stakeholders to access information in near real time.

You can learn more about the Innovare organization and Aspire program at https://www.innovare.org/aspire. About Geo Owl: Geo Owl is a geospatial technology, services, and solutions provider headquartered in North Carolina and accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They have supported the Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Intelligence Community since 2013 and have been recognized by Inc. 500, the US Department of Labor and are an SBA verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business. Geo Owl currently supplies Geospatial, Information Technology, and Intelligence services to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the United States Army, and the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Learn more about Geo Owl and Patternflows at www.GeoOwl.com For more information about this release please contact: press@geoowl.com Related Images image1.png View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-carolina-company-geo-owl-selected-by-innovares-aspire-program-to-create-video-captioning-ai-301363477.html SOURCE Geo Owl LLC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Greenlink International, Inc. Announces OTC Markets has Removed the Caveat Emptor

TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenlink International, Inc. (the Company or Greenlink  OTC Markets Pink: WSHE)  Greenlink is pleased to announce today that the OTC Markets Group, Inc. (OTC Markets) has removed the Caveat Emptor warning from the OTC Markets website that had been previously associated with the company's ticker symbol. This Caveat Emptor removal is a direct result of a commitment to our disclosure requirements as a publicly traded company and to provide this information on an ongoing basis. Greenlink is committed to great governance and deliberate transparency to our stakeholders.

The Company published its financial statements for the fiscal years December 31, 2019, December 31, 2020, as well as the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. Additionally, the Companys securities counsel posted the omnibus annual legal opinion required by OTC Markets. All these OTC Markets filings were completed in an effort to give the marketplace current information as well as meet the with the filing requirements as set forth by OTC Markets. Jake George, Greenlinks CEO and Director stated, "We are excited to provide this financial information to the public markets and our valuable stakeholders. It is a key cornerstone that GreenLink provides market information in an expeditious and transparent manner. The removal of the Caveat Emptor is just the first step toward Greenlinks new future. The next stage is completing a full financial audit on our path towards future SEC filings and working t up list onto the OTCQB/QX. Greenlink is in a great place as we focus on building relationships and the revenue base of the Company."



About Us Greenlink, a Colorado corporation based in Washington State, is a public quoted OTC Markets issuer under the ticker symbol WSHE. The Company is a diversified holding company with operating segments in Investment, Equipment, Technology, Brands, Textiles and Real Estate that are leased or licensed to legally compliant CBD and cannabis entities. Greenlinks subsidiary and partner companies possess key competitive strengths and / or leading market positions. Greenlink is committed to becoming a global leader in the Hemp and legal Cannabis markets. Greenlink will continue to leverage decades of experience in the hemp and cannabis industry to expand existing operations and develop partnerships across a wide range of industries.

Forward Looking Statement Certain statements that we make may constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information concerning future strategic objectives, business prospects, anticipated savings, financial results (including expenses, earnings, liquidity, cash flow and capital expenditures), industry or market conditions, demand for and pricing of our products, acquisitions and divestitures, anticipated results of litigation and regulatory developments or general economic conditions. In addition, words such as believes, expects, anticipates, intends, plans, estimates, projects, forecasts, and future or conditional verbs such as will, may, could, should, and would, as well as any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees, and they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our filings with OTC Markets Group and the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our most recent Annual Report and subsequent Flings, which are available on Otcmarkets.com. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement in the event it later turns out to be inaccurate, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Media Contact

Zachary Lark

zachl@greenlinkholdings.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Sealy & Company Closes Two Off-Market Transactions in Little Rock, Arkansas & Detroit, Michigan Just Days Apart

Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company and recognized leader in the industrial real estate market, announces the acquisition of a Class A distribution warehouse totaling 303,369 square feet in Little Rock, Arkansas and an 80,000 square foot distribution warehouse in Detroit, Michigan. The off-market transactions were made for an undisclosed amount and completed just days apart. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005049/en/ Sealy & Company recently acquired 8 Industrial Parkway in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 4333 Matthew Drive in Detroit, Michigan. Both assets were acquired in off-market transactions just days apart. (Graphic: Business Wire) Located at 8 Industrial Parkway in the booming distribution hub of Little Rock, Sealy & Company's newly acquired industrial warehouse sits at the intersection of Interstates 30 and 40, the third-longest major east-west highway in the country. The property was built-to-suit for FedEx in 2016 on nearly 45 acres and has been fully leased to the tenant since. Equipped with top-tier features, including LED lighting, professional landscaping, expansive parking and dock areas, and office and guardhouse square footage, the tenant is wll-served by the Class A asset.



"This is a phenomenal asset to add to our portfolio. The location, credit tenancy, and capital strategy for this property are all key components to performing well in the industrial real estate space. We lean heavily on our industry relationships and our reputation of closing deals to continue adding exceptional properties like this one to our portfolio," says Scott P. Sealy, Jr., Chief Investment Officer of Sealy & Company. Sealy Investment Services Team members Jason Gandy, Managing Director of Investment Services, and Davis Gibbs, Senior Investment Associate, led the transaction of 8 Industrial Parkway in conjunction with selling broker Matthew Berres of Newmark's Net Lease Capital Markets group.

4333 Matthew Drive, the newest addition to Sealy & Company's portfolio, was built-to-suit its current tenant, a tire and wheel sequencing supplier of automotive components. The warehouse is the tire assembly and sequencing plant providing just-in-time inventory to the neighboring General Motors (News - Alert) (GM) assembly plant, also owned by Sealy & Company. Sealy sought out a direct transaction for the purchase of the property that contributes to the operations of the GM facility. The property was built in 2006 and features wide column spacing and 20 loading doors with side-load configuration. Located within a market with very limited comparable supply and an exceptional industrial business park, this asset adds significant value to Sealy & Company's portfolio and holdings in the Detroit market. The property, part of the Linden Creek Commerce Park, is strategically located adjacent to the Bishop International Airport and the intersection of I-69 and I-75. "We are glad to add to our Detroit market holdings with this acquisition and look forward more opportunities to grow our footprint in this market. We are one of the most active industrial real estate investing companies in the country, as evidenced in our track record and evolving pipeline, and look to maintain that status," says Jason Gandy, Sealy & Company's Managing Director of Investment Services. Mr. Gandy led the deal for the company and was supported by his acquisitions team throughout the analysis and underwriting processes. The seller's broker, Geoff Hill of Newmark, worked closely with Sealy & Company's Investment Services team to complete the Matthew Drive transaction. For more news and information regarding Sealy & Company, please visit the company's website at www.Sealynet.com. About Sealy & Company Sealy & Company, a fully-integrated commercial real estate investment and operating company, is a recognized leader in acquiring, developing, and redeveloping regional distribution warehouses, industrial/flex, and other commercial properties. Sealy provides a full-service platform for high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors through our development, management, and brokerage divisions. Sealy & Company has an exceptional team of over 100 employees, located in eight offices, with corporate offices in Dallas, TX and Shreveport, LA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005049/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Strategy Analytics: Global Smartwatch Shipments Leap 47 Percent to Pre-Pandemic Growth Levels in Q2 2021

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (News - Alert) , global smartwatch shipments soared 47 percent annually to reach 18 million units in the second quarter of 2021. Apple Watch maintained first position with 52 percent global smartwatch marketshare, Samsung (News - Alert) held second, while Garmin maintained third place. Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartwatch shipments soared 47 percent annually from 12.3 million units in Q2 2020 to 18.1 million in Q2 2021. Smartwatch shipments worldwide are growing at their fastest rate since 2018. Smartwatch growth is back to pre-pandemic levels. Online sales of fitness-led devices that help to support personal healthcare remain popular and are the main driver of the smartwatch boom." Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "We estimate Apple (News - Alert) Watch shipped 9.5 million units worldwide in Q2 2021, rising 46 percent from 6.5 million in Q2 2020. Apple's global smartwatch marketshare is holding steady around the 52 percent level. Apple still owns half the market and is keeping rivals at bay. Apple Watch Series 6 today is by far the world's most popular smartwatch model, due to its blend of sleek design, good usability on a small screen, and a growing portfolio of health and fitness apps." Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, "We estimate Samsung shipped 2.0 million units worldwide in Q2 2021, rising an above-average 54 percent from 1.3 million in Q2 2020. Samsung's global smartwatch marketshare is holding steady around the 11 percent level. Samsung continues to perform well in its core smartwatch markets of North America, Europe, and South Korea. We estimate Garmin (News - Alert) shipped 1.5 million units worldwide in Q2 2021, rising a modest 25 percent from 1.2 million in Q2 2020. Garmin's global smartwatch marketshare has drifted from 10 percent to 8 percent during the past year. Garmin has a strong portfolio of smartwatches, such as Forerunner 55 and Venu, but it is facing tougher competition in Asia and elsewhere from rivals like Xiaomi and Samsung." Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "The smartwatch market is on fire. The smartwatch outlook for the rest of the year and into the Q4 holiday season is highly promising. Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 4 is packed with compelling apps that track your holistic health better than ever before. Chinese brands, like Xiaomi and OPPO, are piling in with lower-cost 4G smartwatches optimized for mobile operators. Meanwhile, Apple Watch Series 7 is eagerly awaited, slated for September or October, and rumored to contain a larger display that will enhance further the app experience." Exhibit 1: Global Smartwatch Vendor Shipments and Marketshare in Q2 2021 1







Global Smartwatch Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q2 '20 Q2 '21 Growth YoY (%) Apple 6.5 9.5 46 % Samsung 1.3 2.0 54 % Garmin 1.2 1.5 25 % Others 3.3 5.1 55 % Total 12.3 18.1 47 %

Global Smartwatch Vendor Marketshare (% of Total) Q2 '20 Q2 '21 Apple 52.8 % 52.5 % Samsung 10.6 % 11.0 % Garmin 9.8 % 8.3 % Others 26.8 % 28.2 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % The full report, Global Smartwatch Vendor Market Share by Region: Q2 2021, is published by Strategy Analytics' Wearable Device Ecosystems (WDE) service, details of which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3csmcedc. About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. The company is headquartered in Boston, USA, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India and China. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information. 1 Numbers are rounded. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005159/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Adds European Union to Ever-growing Portfolio of Spider Silk Patents

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (the Company or Kraig Labs), the leading developer of spider silk-based fibers, announces today that it has been granted patent protection for its recombinant spider silk technologies in the European Union.

Securing patent protection for the Companys recombinant spider silk materials in this major consumer market is a significant milestone for spider silk commercialization. These protections will provide the Company greater control over the use of its revolutionary spider silk materials. Beyond protections for the Companys core focus in fibers and textiles, this growing list of patents allows for an expanded set of applications for the unique properties offered by spider silk. Market Data Forecast predicts that the value of the European silk market will reach $2 billion by 2026. Securing the patent protections for our recombinant spider silk in Europe is a major milestone for Kraig, said COO Jon Rice. Europe marks the largest single consumer market where we have been secured IP protection for our silk. Based on the interest we are seeing, we expect that it will be one of the first markets where consumers are introduced to products based on spider silk. While the primary focus of the Company remains on textiles, garments, and fiber-based applications or its recombinant spider silk technology, ongoing research efforts at Kraig Labs have opened several new doors. The Company has been developing gels, powders, and liquid base applications for its specialized silk. These efforts have recently resulted in a significant breakthrough in our production of hydrolyzed spider silk. The Company expects to provide more details on the commercialization and sales of these new materials in the coming weeks.



To view the most recent news from Kraig Labs and/or to sign up for Company alerts, please go to: www.KraigLabs.com/news About Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. ( www.KraigLabs.com ), a reporting biotechnology company is the leading developer of genetically engineered spider silk based fiber technologies. The Company has achieved a series of scientific breakthroughs in the area of spider silk technology with implications for the global textile industry. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information Statements in this press release about the Companys future and expectations other than historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements are made on the basis of managements current views and assumptions. As a result, there can be no assurance that managements expectations will necessarily come to pass. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as believes, plans, expects, anticipates, foresees, estimated, hopes, if, develops, researching, research, pilot, potential, could or other words or phrases of similar import. Forward looking statements include descriptions of the Companys business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions and goals. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Ben Hansel, Hansel Capital, LLC

(720) 288-8495

ir@KraigLabs.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] GLOBAL TECH INDUSTRIES GROUP, INC.'S REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-1 DEEMED EFFECTIVE BY THE SEC, IMPROVEMENTS ARE MADE ON BEYONDBLOCKCHAIN.US APP, AND THE BOARD DETERMINES TO FURTHER REDUCE DEBT

New York, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (GTII: OTCQB) Global Tech Industries Group, Inc. (GTII or the Company), www.gtii-us.com, a Nevada Corporation, announced today that it has been informed by the SEC that its registration statement on Form S-1, registering the shares of common stock underlying the Companys recently distributed warrants, has been declared effective. Therefore, all shares underlying such warrants are registered for resale following exercise.

Furthermore, the Companys trading platform, BeyondBlockchain.us, added several crypto currencies to its roster of currencies that are available for its users to trade, which are also featured on the newly-released mobile app. Finally, the Companys board of directors has authorized management to continue its efforts at retiring long-term debt, which has already been reduced by more than three million dollrs since 2020. Shareholders can reference current public filings by the company for more information.



GTII's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. David Reichman, stated "First, we are excited to inform our shareholders who received warrants that the SEC has declared our registration statement, related to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants, effective. In addition, the Company is continuing its commitment to retire as much long-term debt as it possibly can. The Board's decision continues that trend. And our progress made on the BeyondBlockchain.us platform and the associated mobile app, continues to exceed all expectations." About Global Tech Industries Group, Inc.: GTII is a publicly traded company incorporated in the state of Nevada, specializing in the pursuit of acquiring new and innovative technologies.

Please follow our Company at: www.otcmarkets.com/stock/GTII Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to the risk that we will not be able to find and acquire businesses and assets that will enable us to become profitable. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our development stage, noting that there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. New lines of business may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s), the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. Words such as estimate, project, predict, will, would, should, could, may, might, anticipate, plan, intend, believe, expect, aim, goal, target, objective, likely or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of this press release. Unless legally required, we undertake no obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. Mike King

Princeton Research, Inc.

3887 Pacific Street, Las Vegas NV

702.338.2700



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] James Rome is Promoted to President of Rome Technologies

Rome Technologies, Inc. of Pasadena, MD announced today that James V. Rome has assumed the role of President with responsibility over day-to-day operations. Mr. Rome replaced founder Scott V. Rome who will assist with the transition and continue to advise the company in a board capacity. Prior to assuming the President role, James Rome oversaw national sales for Rome Technologies. Scott Rome led the company for 33 years and is looking forward to supporting his son, James, as he continues the Rome legacy of education, consulting, and innovation within the collision sofware industry.



About Rome Technologies Founded in 1988, Rome Technologies is a leading provider of consulting, education, and technology tools to auto collision centers in the U.S. Rome's products and services are used to manage every aspect of a collision operation and drive efficiency through automation, on-going education and consulting, and benchmarking. Rome's customers include new and used car dealerships as well as independent body shops. Rome maintains integrations with market leading dealer management systems, such as CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, and DealerTrack, as well as body shop paint systems, customer service systems, and all leading estimating platforms.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005009/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] TAICCA Supported Taiwanese Series Selected by Series Mania Competition and Forum Exclusives

TAIPEI, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, Taiwanese TV series will be on the stage of Series Mania, one of Europe's biggest and most prestigious TV series festivals based in Lille, France, from August 26th to September 2nd. The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is leading the efforts to participate in Series Mania and will showcase 41 works from 23 production companies at the virtual Taiwan Pavilion, including multiple works selected into competitions. TAICCA hosted a press conference on 23rd to kick off Taiwanese TV content's journey to Lille. The press conference invited the actors, authors, and production teams of the selected works, including Fragrance of the First Flower, selected for the Short Forms Competition. Who Killed the Good Man and The Amazing Grace of S are selected for Forum Exclusives. Crime/mystery thriller novel, The Spectre in Samaji by Taiwanese author Sha-Tang, is also selected for Series Mania Book-to-Screen Forum. Fragrance of the First Flower is shortlisted for the Short Forms Competition from 40 countries and 462 works. It also received the 2020 GagaOOLala Pitching Sessions Gold Award hosted by TAICCA and GagaOOLala last year. Selected for Forum Exclusves include Who Killed the Good Man, which was officially announced at the 2020 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) hosted by TAICCA. Also selected is The Amazing Grace of S, which caught the attention of Series Mania during the TAICCA and Golden Horse FPP Series at TCCF. These two works are amongst the 21 selected for Forum Exclusives and will be presented to more than 2,700 buyers worldwide boasting their opportunities for copyright sales.



In addition, international juries selected The Spectre in Samaji for this year's Book-to-Screen Forum from a list of publications for film and TV adaptations submitted by TAICCA. The novel is also the only Chinese-language book among the 10 works officially recommended by Series Mania. TAICCA Chairperson TING Hsiao-Ching said that Taiwanese works achieved remarkable results in terms of content topics, forms, and marketability as first-time participants in Series Mania.

"The global pandemic accelerates the growth and demand of OTT platforms, which has brought opportunities for Taiwan's content industry," added TING, "To promote Taiwan as the best international co-production partner for European and Asian studios, TAICCA has established an official partnership with Series Mania. We encourage Taiwanese content to participate in forums and pitching sessions, and interact with international buyers. We hope to enhance Taiwanese content's advantages in the international market during the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in November." General Director of Series Mania, Laurence HERZBERG stated in a pre-recorded video that Series Mania was delighted about partnering with TAICCA and Taiwan on a bigger scale. With international co-production as the main aspect of the TV series business, HERZBERG believed that many European and Western countries were looking for partners in Asia, and Taiwan's great filming location, professionals, and quality of the industry allowed Taiwan to be the perfect co-production partner. During the press conference, Heero CHIAO, the chief editor of The Spectre in Samaji shared that for an original IP to be selected by an international festival was the greatest encouragement for editors, and looked forward to more adaptation of literary works into TV series in the future. Cindy SHYU, president of Public Television Service which produced Who Killed the Good Man, thanked TAICCA for helping to launch the show internationally and believed that there would be more international co-production resources for Taiwanese works to be more competitive globally. The director of The Amazing Grace of S, Lo-Ying WU, also revealed that the first and second episodes would premiere at Series Mania, and looked forward to their entry into the European market. The executive producer of Fragrance of First Flower, Jay LIN, mentioned that the series was selected from 149 titles from 120 countries at the pitching session hosted by GagaOOLala and TAICCA at TCCF. The miniseries would also be available to stream on GagaOOLala at the end of this year. TAICCA will curate the online Taiwan Pavilion "Rollin' on with Taiwan Series" to promote local film and TV production companies and their content while strengthening Taiwan's national cultural image through the richness and diversity of its original content. During the festival, TAICCA will also introduce Taiwan's International Co-funding Program to attract more international buyers as well as co-production and co-funding opportunities. About TAICCA (https://en.taicca.tw/) The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), established in June 2019 and supervised by the Ministry of Culture, is a professional intermediary organization working to promote the development of Taiwan's content industries including film and TV, publishing, pop music, ACG, and more. Media Contact TAICCA PR | Kaylen Chung | kaylen.chung@taicca.tw View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taicca-supported-taiwanese-series-selected-by-series-mania-competition-and-forum-exclusives-301364293.html SOURCE "Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)"

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Maine Virtual Academy Ready to Help Students Navigate These Uncertain Times in Education

Maine Virtual Academy (MEVA), a full-time, online public-school serving students in grades 7-11 throughout the state, is ready to kick off the new school year and give students an education option designed to help them reach their full potential. MEVA students and teachers open their laptops to start the 2021-2022 school year Monday, August 30. "While we continue to navigate through the uncertainty of this pandemic, I have full confidence in our teachers to help our students succeed," said MEVA Head of School Dr. Melinda Browne. "I'm proud of what our students were able to achieve last year and cannot wait to see what heights we can reach this school year!" For most parents, the new school year comes with cautious optimism. Many families realized during the pandemic that attending school online is a safe alternative that allows them to focus on their child's future. According to a recent survey by Stride, Inc., 91 percent of parents agree that it's important for their children to have multiple school options, including full-time online or a hybrid model that blends online and in-person learning. And almost two-thirds of parents would consider full-time online public school after their 2020 pandemic-driven virtual education experience.



Students choose online learning for a variety of reasons, including advanced learning, a bullying-free environment, and the flexibility to support extracurricular pursuits or medical needs while maintaining a focus on academics. MEVA's online platform gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals in a supportive environment and at an appropriate pace for their learning style. MEVA is still accepting enrollments for the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more and how to enroll, visit meva.k12.com, or download the Stride K12 mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices.

About Maine Virtual Academy Maine Virtual Academy (MEVA) is a tuition-free online public-school program that serves students in grades 7-11. MEVA's individualized approach gives Maine students the chance to learn in the ways that are right for them. Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build skills for their future. For more about MEVA, visit meva.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005001/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] China.org.cn: China's space station: Warm, open new home in outer space

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China's space station and astronauts in space: Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, dubbed the "trio who traveled to space on business," have been living and working on China's space station core module Tianhe for more than two months. Recently, they carried out extravehicular activities for a second time. Look at Nie standing on the robotic arm against the backdrop of the earth. What a breathtaking scene. During their time in space, the crew have experienced many other unforgettable moments. The first thing the three astronauts did after arriving at Tianhe on June 17 was to start opening packages. Back in May, the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-2 was launched ahead of the crewed mission, delivering more than six tons of goods and materials to the space station. The more than 160 packages contained not only various parts and equipment to be installed and tested, but also the basic supplies for the astronauts. These included more than 120 kinds of space food carefully prepared by nutritionists. In the module, the astronauts enjoyed various dishes, teas, juices and more, adding to the joy of "earth-dwellers" below. In addition, the crew work as each other's health care assistants, regularly taking blood samples and conducting tests a well as routine ultrasounds. They exercise on the space station's specially designed treadmill and exercise bike to keep fit in a microgravity environment. The friendly astronauts also interact with netizens on earth from time to time: Posting a video after watching the Tokyo Olympic Games, or sending wishes on "Chinese Valentine's Day,"  really made known their presence in space.



These seemingly trivial things and relaxing scenes are actually very meaningful and important. According to its plan, China will finish building the space station in 2022. This manned mission aims to test key technologies in the construction and operation of the station in orbit, including bioregenerative life support systems, and technologies for supporting astronauts' long-term stay and conducting extravehicular activities. Moreover, since the International Space Station, which has been in orbit for decades, could be retired as early as 2024 or possibly in 2028, construction of China's station becomes even more significant.

Sometimes people hear arguments that treat space exploration as a "competition of interests" or "more political than scientific." However, astronauts from different countries live and work in space, showing their appreciation and empathy for each other, such scenes are touching  humans are born with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, and the vast universe carries the hopes and dreams of all mankind. After all, space is open to all. Space exploration should not and cannot exclude anyone. Previously, to board the Chinese space station, astronauts from Germany, France, Italy and other countries worked hard learning Chinese and came to China for training, eating and living with Chinese astronauts like family. Nine projects from 17 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Kenya and Japan, have also been approved to conduct experiments on the Chinese space station. More people could be expected to visit the new China-made home in outer space, where they can work together to seek a better future. China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

China's space station: Warm, open new home in outer space

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-08/27/content_77718318.htm View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chinaorgcn-chinas-space-station-warm-open-new-home-in-outer-space-301364241.html SOURCE China.org.cn

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] CSols Inc. Named a Delaware Top Workplace for the 8th Consecutive Year

As the company celebrates its 20th year in business, CSols Inc. has been named to the Top Workplace list yet again in the small business category (< 100 employees) in Delaware. The list is compiled from a national survey sponsored locally by The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware). CSols has made the list every year since 2014. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005266/en/



Achieving public recognition as a Top Workplace for so many years in a row is due to the values, dedication, and close working relationships shared among all members of our team. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The Top Workplaces ranking is based entirely on surveys completed by employees and recognizes employers that successfully engage their employees and provide a high level of employee satisfaction. A total of 55 companies were recognized in three categories (Large, Mid-sized, and Small) for 2021. CSols is pleased to have improved its ranking on the list to 25th among small companies this year. This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication that CSols's employees have to the company's foundation in delivering excellence through teamwork, sustainable growth, and ensuring high customer satisfaction. Kyle McDuffie, CSols President, had this to say about the 2021 results, "We are grateful, thankful, and proud to be named as a Top Workplace for the 8th consecutive year. We put our people first by committing to keeping all our staff fully employed through the uncertain early months of the pandemic. We believe that our current significant growth, strong morale, and employee engagement, as measured by the survey, are the results of that commitment. I want to thank each of our employees for their past, present, and future dedication to our vision, foundations, and principles." About CSols Inc. CSols Inc. is the premier Laboratory Informatics (News - Alert) Consultancy in North America and has become so by earning and maintaining a reputation for excellence in everything the company does. Through its team of informatics, domain, regulatory, and IT experts, CSols has been providing informatics consulting services to a wide range of industries for more than two decades. CSols delivers excellence in all its services including developing informatics strategy and implementing, enhancing, and validating informatics systems. www.csolsinc.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005266/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Impact Shares YWCA Women's Empowerment ETF (NYSE: WOMN) Celebrates Three-Year Anniversary

Impact Shares, the first non-profit ETF sponsor in the U.S., celebrates the three-year anniversary of the Impact Shares YWCA Women's Empowerment ETF (NYSE: WOMN). Backed by the YWCA, WOMN allows investors to deploy capital to companies with strong policies and practices in support of women's empowerment and gender equality. Since its inception on August 24, 2018, WOMN has generated a 25.08% annualized total return, placing it within the top percentile of the 1,256 funds in Morningstar's U.S. Fund Large Blend Category (as of 8/25/21). "WOMN's track record for the past three years speaks for itself, clearly illustrating that investors don't need to sacrifice performance in order to invest in line with their values," says Ethan Powell, CEO of Impact Shares. "We're grateful for the ongoing support from our partners at the YWCA and Morningstar Indexes. We look forward to continuing our mission to harness the power of capital to drive social change." WOMN tracks the Morningstar Women's Empowerment Index, using Equileap data to include companies that align with the YWCA's vision of how corporations can advance women's empowerment and gender equality. Founded in 1858 as a voice for women's issues, YWCA USA represents more than 200 YWCA associations in 46 states and the District of Columbia. YWCAs across the United States serve over two million women and families each year in over 1,200 communities. "The WOMN ETF puts the ability to empower women in everyone's hands. It allows us to leverage the capital markets to further an essential part of our mission - to empower women," said Elisha Rhodes, Interim CEO and COO, YWCA USA. "It is my hope, and that of almost 200 local associations, that female and male investors alike seize an opportunity like this one to encourage companies to work more proactively to address the issues impacting women today and advance gender equality." "Applying an ESG lens to all levels of portfolio management and asset allocation has been a rapidly growing focus for investors. This is particularly true in the area of gender diversity, where history has shown that forward-thinking social policies often go hand-in-hand with competitive performance," said Amelia Furr, Head of Sales for Morningstar Indexes. "We are proud to provide the index that has helped power WOMN to success in its first three years." Impact Shares, itself a 501(c)3 nonprofit ETF issuer, donates the net advisory proceeds it receives from each ETF it sponsors back to the collaborating nonprofit partner1. In addition to WOMN, the firm has three other ETFs currently on the market: the Impact Shares NAACP Minority Empowerment ETF, he Impact Shares Sustainable Development Goals Global Equity ETF and the Impact Shares Affordable Housing MBS ETF.



For more information on Impact Shares, visit: https://www.impactetfs.org/ About Impact Shares

Impact Shares is an ETF issuer and investment manager that is creating a new and innovative platform for clients seeking maximum social impact with market returns. Impact Shares' goal is to build a capital markets bridge between leading nonprofits, investors and corporate America to direct capital and social engagement on societal priorities. Impact Shares is a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information about Impact Shares visit impactetfs.org. As of 8/25/21, WOMN was ranked in the first percentile out of 1,256 U.S. Large Blend Funds for the 3-Year period. As of 8/25/21, WOMN was ranked in the fifth percentile out of 1,356 U.S. Large Blend Funds for the 1-year period. As of 6/30/21, WOMN's 1 year return (NAV): 26.22%, (Market Price): 46.19%. Since inception (NAV): 25.02%, (Market Price): 24.61%. Expense ratio: 0.75%. Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor`s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the original cost. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized. Market returns does not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call 844-448-3383. Beginning 12/17/2020, the market price returns are based on the official closing price of an ETF share or, if the official closing price isn't available, the midpoint between the national best bid and national best offer ("NBBO") as of the time the ETF calculates current NAV per share, and do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Prior to 12/17/2020, market price returns were based on the midpoint between the Bid and Ask price. NAVs are calculated using prices as of 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Statements in this communication may include forward-looking information and/or may be based on various assumptions. The forward-looking statements and other views or opinions expressed herein are made as of the date of this publication. Actual future results or occurrences may differ significantly from those anticipated and there is no guarantee that any particular outcome will come to pass. The statements made herein are subject to change at any time. Impact Shares disclaims any obligation to update or revise any statements or views expressed herein. Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Impact Shares statutory and summary prospectuses, which may be obtained by calling 855-267-3837, or by visiting ImpactETFs.org. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Narrowly focused investments and investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. Investments in commodities are subject to higher volatility than more traditional investments. The Fund may invest in derivatives, which are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify the Fund's gains or losses. The Fund is non-diversified. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), may trade at a discount or premium to NAV and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Impact Shares ETFS are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co., with is not affiliated with Impact Shares Corp. About YWCA USA YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. We are one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families. YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 160 years - from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. __________________________ 1 Net Profits is the excess, if any, of Impact Shares' fund fees after the deduction of operating expense and a reserve for working capital. The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by YWCA. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005276/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Triple-S Management Merger Investigation: Halper Sadeh LLP Announces Investigation Into Whether the Sale of Triple-S Management Corporation Is Fair to Shareholders; Investors Are Encouraged to Contact the Firm - GTS

Halper Sadeh LLP, a global investor rights law firm, is investigating whether the sale of Triple-S Management Corporation (NYSE: GTS) to GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation for $36.00 per share in cash is fair to Triple-S Management shareholders. Halper Sadeh encourages Triple-S Management shareholders to click here to learn more about their legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com. The investigation concerns whether Triple-S Management and its bard of directors violated the federal securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders by failing to, among other things: (1) obtain the best possible consideration for Triple-S Management shareholders; (2) determine whether GuideWell is underpaying for Triple-S Management; and (3) disclose all material information necessary for Triple-S Management shareholders to adequately assess and value the merger consideration. On behalf of Triple-S Management shareholders, Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits.



Halper Sadeh encourages Triple-S Management shareholders to click here to learn more about their legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com. Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005283/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Symetra Receives Top Workplace Honors from Forbes and Puget Sound Business Journal

Symetra has been recognized as a top employer in Washington state by two leading business publications. Yesterday, the Puget Sound Business Journal honored the Bellevue, Wash.-based life insurer as No. 6 among the top 25 workplaces in the extra-large company category at its 2021 "Washington's Best Workplaces" awards virtual event. Earlier this week, Symetra was named to Forbes' 2021 "America's Best-in-State Employers" list, ranked 24th among the top 60 employers in Washington. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005263/en/ "After one of the most challenging years for businesses everywhere, these back-to-back honors from Forbes and the Puget Sound Business Journal recognize the inclusive culture we're building together at Symetra, the support we provide one another and the work each of us does in service to our customers," said Anne-Marie Diouf, senior vice president and Chief Human Resources Officer, Symetra Financial Corporation. "Symetra Empowers Employees" is the vision that fuels our aspirations for our team and underlines our commitment to provide them with opportunities to contribute, thrive and grow. These recognitions are a rewarding affirmation that we're on the right path." In 2020, during a year of immense change and uncertainty with the pandemic and racial justice, Symetra supported employees by taking a holistic approach to the employee experience and amplifying their desire to give back by: Expanding its flexible work program, with full-time remote work available to nearly all employees, and options for alternative, compressed and part-time schedules.

Transitioning to fully virtual recruiting, onboarding and training.

Expanding virtual medical and mental care options and resources, including "It's OK to not be OK" campaign promoting importance of mental health.

Granting additional flex days in 2020 for mental health.

Engagng frontline employees and Employee Resource Groups in decisions and communications, including Symetra's commitments to promote racial equity and support social justice.

Expanding corporate matching program with special 3:1 matches for racial justice and equality organizations multiple times during the year.

Designating Juneteenth as a permanent holiday.



https://www.symetra.com/about-us/careers/. About Forbes Best-in-State Employers List

The Forbes "America's Best-in-State Employers" list is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the statistics portal and industry ranking provider. Employers were identified in an independent survey based on a sample of approximately 80,000 Americans working for companies with more than 500 employees in the USA. Surveys were conducted on a rolling basis from October 2020 to June 2021 and were anonymous, allowing participants to freely share their opinions. The survey considered every aspect of an employee's experience including working conditions, salary, potential for growth, and diversity. The evaluation is based on direct and indirect recommendations from employees who were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers. Employees were also asked to evaluate other employers in their respective industry and state that stood out either positively or negatively. The final list ranks the 1,330 employers that received the most recommendations. Read the Forbes article here. About Puget Sound Business Journal's Washington's Best Workplaces The Business Journal partners with Quantum (News - Alert) Workplace and surveys thousands of employees throughout the state to quantify the best workplaces. Best Workplaces scores factor in 30 items across six categories including benefits, compensation, employee satisfaction, engagement, team dynamics, culture, and trust in leadership. The survey results are scored by Quantum to create the finalists. Companies are categorized into one of four lists based on employee count: more than 250 workers (extra-large), 100 to 249 workers (large), 50 to 99 workers (medium) and 10 to 49 workers (small). About Symetra Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005263/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Statement Pursuant to Section 19(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940: DDF

On August 27, 2021, Delaware Investments Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE: DDF) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, paid a monthly distribution on its common stock of $0.0682 per share to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 20, 2021. The following table sets forth the estimated amount of the sources of distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the related rules adopted thereunder. The Fund estimates the following percentages, of the total distribution amount per share, attributable to (i) net investment income, (ii) net realized short-term capital gain, (iii) net realized long-term capital gain and (iv) return of capital or other capital source. These percentages are disclosed for the current distribution as well as the fiscal year-to-date cumulative distribution amount per share for the Fund.







Current Distribution from: Per Share ($) % Net Investment Income 0.0238 34.9% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gain 0.0138 20.2% Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gain 0.0306 44.9% Return of Capital or other Capital Source (News - Alert) 0.0000 0.0% Total (per common share) 0.0682 100.0% Fiscal Year-to-Date Cumulative Distributions from: Per Share ($) % Net Investment Income 0.2069 36.3% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gain 0.1701 29.8% Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gain 0.1664 29.2% Return of Capital or other Capital Source 0.0265 4.7% Total (per common share) 0.5699 100.0%

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution policy. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this 19(a) Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. Subject to the foregoing, the Fund estimates (as of the date hereof) that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with 'yield' or 'income.' Presented below are return figures, based on the change in the Fund's Net Asset Value per share ("NAV"), compared to the annualized distribution rate for this current distribution as a percentage of the NAV on the last business day of the month prior to distribution record date. Fund Performance & Distribution Information Fiscal Year to Date (12/01/2020 through 7/31/2021) Annualized Distribution Rate as a Percentage of NAV^ 7.54% Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV^^ 5.25% Cumulative Total Return on NAV* 19.06% Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 7/31/2021** 7.49% ^ Based on the Fund's NAV as of July 31, 2021. ^^ Cumulative distribution rate is the cumulative amount of distributions paid during the Fund's fiscal year ending November 30, 2021 based on the Fund's NAV as of July 31, 2021. *Cumulative total return is based on the change in NAV including distributions paid and assuming reinvestment of these distributions for the period December 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021. **The 5 year average annual total return is based on change in NAV including distributions paid and assuming reinvestment of these distributions and is through the last business day of the month prior to the month of the current distribution record date. While the NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market. About DDF The Fund's primary investment objective is to seek high current income; capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of its total assets in income-generating equity securities, including dividend-paying common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and other equity-related securities, which may include up to 25% in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate industry operating companies. Up to 35% of the Fund's total assets may be invested in nonconvertible debt securities consisting primarily of high-yield, high-risk corporate bonds. In addition, the Fund utilizes leveraging techniques in an attempt to obtain a higher return for the Fund. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. The Fund has implemented a managed distribution policy. Under the policy, the Fund is managed with a goal of generating as much of the distribution as possible from net investment income and short-term capital gains. The balance of the distribution will then come from long-term capital gains to the extent permitted, and if necessary, a return of capital. Even though the Fund may realize current year capital gains, such gains may be offset, in whole or in part, by the Fund's capital loss carryovers from prior years. Currently under the Fund's managed distribution policy, the Fund makes monthly distributions to common shareholders at a targeted annual distribution rate of 7.5% of the Fund's average net asset value ("NAV") per share. The Fund will calculate the average NAV per share from the previous three full months immediately prior to the distribution based on the number of business days in those three months on which the NAV is calculated. The distribution will be calculated as 7.5% of the prior three month's average NAV per share, divided by 12. The Fund will generally distribute amounts necessary to satisfy the Fund's managed distribution policy and the requirements prescribed by excise tax rules and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. This distribution methodology is intended to provide shareholders with a consistent, but not guaranteed, income stream and a targeted annual distribution rate and is intended to narrow the discount between the market price and the NAV of the Fund's common shares, but there is no assurance that the policy will be successful in doing so. The methodology for determining monthly distributions under the Fund's managed distribution policy will be reviewed at least annually by the Fund's Board of Directors, and the Fund will continue to evaluate its distribution in light of ongoing market conditions. The payment of dividend distributions in accordance with the managed distribution policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expenses and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The managed distribution policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the dividend distribution. The managed distribution policy may, under certain circumstances, cause the amounts of taxable distributions to exceed the amount minimally required to be distributed under the tax rules, such excess will be taxable as ordinary income to the extent loss carry forwards reduce the required amount of capital gains distributions in that year. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state, and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances. About Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Investment Management, a member of Macquarie Group, includes the former Delaware Investments and is a global asset manager with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. Macquarie Investment Management is supported by the resources of Macquarie Group (ASX: MQG; ADR: MQBKY), a global provider of asset management, investment, banking, financial and advisory services. Advisory services are provided by Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, a registered investment advisor. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information about Delaware Funds by Macquarie, visit delawarefunds.com or call 800 523-1918. Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities referred to in this document are authorized deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited and an affiliate of Macquarie Investment Management. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005304/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] OrthoGrid Systems, Inc. Announces Launch of New OrthoGrid Hip Preservation Software Application for Peri Acetabular Osteotomy and Femoroplasty

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoGrid Systems, Inc ., a global medtech leader on a mission to digitally transform intraoperative musculoskeletal surgery, announces the launch of its new OrthoGrid Hip Preservation Application after receiving FDA clearance on February 18, 2021. The OrthoGrid Hip Preservation App is the latest version of OrthoGrid's patented, distortion correcting, intraoperative-alignment technology for Peri-Acetabular Osteotomy and Femoroplasty. Hip Preservation procedures are a growing segment of orthopedic procedures for young and active patients hopeful to maintain their activity level for as long as possible. With those complex procedures, surgeons are looking for solutions to support their accuracy, efficiency and reproducibility. OrthoGrid Hip Preservation represents a revolutionary non-invasive navigation App available to surgeons for the intraoperative surgical treatment of the pre-arthritic hip. The addition of the OrthoGrid Hip Preservation application to the OrthoGrid digital navigation platform now offers surgeons a suite of tools designed to enable them to achieve their surgical goals with greater accuracy1 and efficiency. This latest application is the only system on the market that corrects the distortion existing in most imaging tools used in the operating room, a source of possible significant errors in the assessment of key measurements. Along with this most important upgrade, surgeons can enjoy a seamless integrationin their workflow of all the measurement and assessment tools they depend on to ensure reproducible outcomes in these age sensitive procedures.



"Hip preservation surgery is so impactful on a young patient population in my practice. Peri-Acetabular Osteotomy is an invasive procedure and I feel an obligation to use any tool that supports my promise to provide these adolescents and young adults with the best results that I can. The OrthoGrid Hip Preservation app has helped me leave the operating room knowing that our goal in correcting a patient's deformity was achieved against our plan," says Chris Peters, MD, Vice Chair of Clinical Operations, Chief Adult Reconstruction and Hip Preservation Service, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Utah. "OrthoGrid's digital navigation platform is built to transform orthopedic surgery by deploying its capabilities across multiple segments of orthopedics. For example, the ability to correct fluoroscopic distortion is critical for surgeons to trust their intraoperative images. From Total Hip replacement to Hip Preservation, we are pleased to demonstrate the power behind the technology we are making available to surgeons, hospitals and patients," says Edouard Saget, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of OrthoGrid Systems.

For more information about OrthoGrid Hip Preservation or to request a software demo, visit www.OrthoGrid.com . About OrthoGrid Systems, Inc. OrthoGrid, founded in 2012, provides an intraoperative digital technology platform supporting procedure-specific musculoskeletal applications such as THA, Hip Preservation and Trauma. Its AI-enabled surgical guidance technology imports images from C-arms to reveal and correct fluoroscopic distortion and helps surgeons achieve desirable and reproducible surgical outcomes. OrthoGrid is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with research facilities located in Strasbourg, France. Its technology is distributed in North America and Asia. Learn more at OrthoGrid.com. 1. Lucas Anderson MD, Jill Erickson PA-C, Christopher Peters MD, Validation of a Quantitative Fluoroscopic Tool with Distortion Correction for Acetabular Positioning in Periacetabular Osteotomy AAHKS poster November 2019, Dallas TX, and Berne Hip Symposium, Berne Switzerland, February 2020. Paper in revisions (Hip International) View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/orthogrid-systems-inc-announces-launch-of-new-orthogrid-hip-preservation-software-application-for-peri-acetabular-osteotomy-and-femoroplasty-301364407.html SOURCE OrthoGrid Systems, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Leeward Renewable Energy Operations Establishes Financial Reporting System for Green Bonds

Leeward Renewable Energy Operations, LLC ("Leeward"), today announced that it has established a secure site for the posting of its financial results for the benefit of its Green Bond investors who hold Leeward's 4.250% Senior Notes due in 2029 (the "Notes").

For Access to Financial Reports:

Leeward's secure site is accessible to beneficial owners of the Notes, prospective investors, broker-dealers, and securities analysts who can establish, upon certification, their respective identity as such to the reasonable satisfaction of Leeward. To obtain information on how to access the site, please contact Investor Relations at bond.holders@leewardenergy.com. Leeward will issue subsequent press reeases when it has posted its results and will include information on the timing of the earnings call.







About Leeward Renewable Energy Operations, LLC

Leeward Renewable Energy Operations, LLC is a leading renewable energy company that owns and operates a portfolio of 21 renewable energy facilities across nine states totaling approximately 2,000 megawatts of generating capacity. Leeward's affiliate, Leeward Renewable Energy Development, LLC, is actively developing new wind, solar, and energy storage projects in energy markets across the U.S., with 17 gigawatts under development spanning over 100 projects. Leeward is a portfolio company of OMERS Infrastructure, an investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans with C$105 billion in net assets (as at December 31, 2020). For more information, visit www.leewardenergy.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005339/en/
[August 27, 2021] AUCTION 110 - Due to Provisions in Upcoming Auction 110, Gary L. Sugarman, Who Joined the LICT Corporation Board of Directors in 2006 Has Resigned

LICT Corporation ("LICT" or the "Company"; OTC Pink: LICT) is today announcing the resignation of Gary L. Sugarman from its Board of Directors. His resignation is effective immediately. Mr. Sugarman's resignation is in response to a Rule of the Federal Communications Commission (" FCC (News - Alert) "), Section 20.22(b)(4)i, which was first adopted in 2014, amended in 2015 into its current form) providing that an "attributable interest" in wireless spectrum is created by a person's service as an officer or director in a licensee or its controlling entity. That attributable interest is then counted toward the cap on the amount of spectrum which an entity may hold and since Gary serves on the Board of another telecommunications provider, this FCC Rule "greatly limits either company's options in" spectrum auctions and other spectrum-related matters. Mr. Sugarman has a lengthy and distinguished record of service with LICT. He first served as President of Brighton Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Lynch Corporation from 1991 through 1993. Then after his departure from Brighton, he continued to serve as a closely involved advisor to LICT for the next thirteen years, from 1993 through 2006, at which time he joined LICT's Board. He served as a Director of LICT from September 2006 through April 2008 and returned as a Director in February 2019. At the time of his resignation, he was serving as the Chairman of the Board's Regulatory Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.



Speaking for the Company, Mario J. Gabelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said that "We will greatly miss Gary and his insightful knowledge of rural telecommunications. We are profoundly appreciative of his contribution to the Company's development over his long service as a manager, an advisor and a Director. His efforts played a major role in LICT's progress in bringing broadband services and capacities to rural Americans." Any action which the Board decides to take regarding the vacancy created by Mr. Sugarman's resignation will be announced at the appropriate time.

.********************************************************************************** This release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including without limitation anticipated financial results, financing, capital expenditures and corporate transactions. It should be recognized that such information is based upon certain assumptions, projections and forecasts, including without limitation, business conditions and financial markets, regulatory and other approvals, and the cautionary statements set forth in documents filed by LICT on its website, www.lictcorp.com. As a result, there can be no assurance that any possible transactions will be accomplished or be successful, or that financial targets will be met. Such forward-looking information is subject to uncertainties, risks and inaccuracies, which could be material. LICT Corporation is a holding company with subsidiaries in broadband and other telecommunications services that actively seeks acquisitions, principally in its existing business areas. LICT Corporation is listed on the OTC Pink under the symbol LICT. For further information visit our website at http://www.lictcorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005369/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Europe Biosimilars Market, Dosage, Price, Sales & Clinical Trials Report 2021-2026: Adalimumab (Humira) is Currently Dominating the $10 Billion Market

DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Biosimilars Market, Dosage, Price, Sales & Clinical Trials Insight 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. "Europe Biosimilars Market, Dosage, Price, Sales & Clinical Trials Insight 2026" report findings, the Europe biosimilar market opportunity is expected to surpass US$ 10.10 Billion by 2026. The high rate in the market is mainly due to the rising demand for biosimilars due to their cost saving potential. In addition, the rising geriatric population in the region is also boosting the growth of the European Biosimilar market. Moreover, an increase in the burden on lifestyle diseases and the proliferation of chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer, asthma, arthritis and others, influence the biosimilar market during the forecast period. Furthermore, in the coming years the patent of several drugs including Cimzia, Yervoy, Lemtrada, Lucentis and others are expected to expire during the forecast period, which will further propel the development of biosimilars in Europe. Biopharmaceutical drugs have become an important part of modern pharmacotherapy. In recent times, biological drugs have comprised about 50% of the overall therapeutic market owing to their high efficacy and specificity in the management of wide range of diseases. However, the high cost of treatment associated with them possesses a significant burden on the healthcare systems. The patent expiration of the biologic drugs has led to the development of biosimilar which aim to reduce the cost of treatment thus increasing the accessibility of the medications to the patients. Presently, there are 69 biosimilars in Europe that have been approved in clinics for a wide range of diseases including arthritis, cancer, inflammatory and auto-immune disorders. The European biosimilar market was the first to be established and still represents the most mature and advancing market at a global scale owing to a large number of approved and commercially available biosimilars. Adalimumab (Humira) is currently dominating the market which is due to high adoption rates f this drug associated with large number of biosimilar approval. Apart from this, several biosimilars for one reference product has been approved which increases the competition in the market. Adalimumab faces majority of competition with 6 biosimilars approved followed by Trastuzumab and Mabthera with five biosimilars competing with the reference product in the market.



Since the launch of first biosimilar in Europe, the biosimilar market is continuously evolving and showing high adoption rates. The region represents an excellent market for the growth of biosimilars due to the presence of large pharmaceutical sector which actively indulge in research and development activities. The biosimilar market in Europe is highly competitive, with many key players dominating the market landscape including Novartis, Celltrion, Accord Healthcare, Pfizer and Mylan. Most of the key players are adopting various growth strategies, such as acquisitions, partnerships and new product launches to increase their revenue. Currently, the market is mainly dominated by UK which is mainly due to technological advancements in the healthcare care and healthcare spending. Regions including Denmark, Italy, France, and Germany are other lucrative markets and are expected high growth rates during the forecast period. Among the European countries, Denmark has been outstanding for its biosimilar consumption. Moreover, Denmark has also implemented one of the most radical biosimilar programs and produced a considerable amount of share in the overall biosimilar volume.

"Europe Biosimilars Market, Dosage, Price, Sales & Clinical Trials Insight 2026" Report highlights: Europe Biosimilars Market Opportunity: > USD 10 Billion

Dosage & Pricing insight On Approved Biosimilars

Biosimilars for Cancers Accounts for > 20% Market

Biosimilars for Diabetes Accounts for > 5% Market

Biosimilars Approval & Commercialization by Country

Insight On Biosimilar Clinical Trials By Company, Indication & Phase: > 100 Biosimilars

Insight On Commercially available Biosimilars in Market: > 25 Biosimilars

Biosimilar Market Trends by Country Development of Biosimilars in Europe Development of First Biosimilar Omnitrope: Genotropin

Second Wave of Biosimilars Development in Europe EMA Approved & Marketed Cancer Biosimilars: Dosage & Price Analysis Biosimilars of Bevacizumab

Biosimilar to MabThera

Biosimilar of Trastuzumab EMA Approved & Marketed Biosimilars in Blood Disorders: Dosage & Price Analysis Biosimilar of Filgrastim

Biosimilar of Pegfilgrastim

Biosimilar of Enoxaparin Sodium EMA Approved & Marketed Biosimilars in Diabetes: Dosage & Price Analysis Biosimilar of Insulin Glargine

Biosimilar of Insulin Aspartate

Biosimilar of Insulin Lispro EMA Approved & Marketed Biosimilars in Chronic Autoimmune Diseases: Dosage & Price Analysis Biosimilar of Adalimumab

Biosimilar of Etanercept

Biosimilar of Infliximab EMA Approved & Marketed Biosimilars in Other Therapeutic Indications: Dosage & Price Analysis Biosimilar of Teriparatide

Biosimilar of Somatropin

Biosimilar of Follitropin Alfa

Biosimilar of Epoetin Alfa Companies Mentioned Accord Healthcare

Amgen

AstraZeneca

Boehringer Ingelheim

Eli Lilly & Company

Merck

Mylan Pharmaceuticals

Novartis

Pfizer

Sanofi

Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Teva Pharmaceutical For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/otlgdn Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europe-biosimilars-market-dosage-price-sales--clinical-trials-report-2021-2026-adalimumab-humira-is-currently-dominating-the-10-billion-market-301364340.html SOURCE Research and Markets

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2021] Brookfield Infrastructure Announces Acquisition of Approximately 18.4 Million Additional Inter Pipeline Ltd. Common Shares

Brookfield Infrastructure is pleased to announce that it has taken up and paid for an additional 18,369,800 common shares of Inter Pipeline Ltd. ( Inter Pipeline ) tendered to its take-over bid dated February 22, 2021 (as amended, the  Offer ), bringing Brookfield Infrastructures ownership of Inter Pipelines common shares to 73.0%

) tendered to its take-over bid dated February 22, 2021 (as amended, the  ), bringing Brookfield Infrastructures ownership of Inter Pipelines common shares to 73.0% Brookfield Infrastructures mandatory extension to the Offer will remain open until September 3, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Brookfield Infrastructure and Inter Pipeline recommend that remaining Inter Pipeline shareholders tender to the Offer to ensure timely receipt of their chosen form of consideration. Inter Pipeline shareholders who have already tendered do not need to take any further action

Questions or Need Assistance? Contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 or email assistance@laurelhill.com BROOKFIELD, NEWS, Aug. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), together with its institutional partners (collectively, Brookfield Infrastructure) are pleased to announce that Brookfield Infrastructure has paid for the additional 18,369,800 Inter Pipeline common shares tendered under its Offer as of August 25, 2021, increasing Brookfield Infrastructures aggregate ownership of Inter Pipelines common shares from 68.7% to 73.0%. Results of Tender On August 25, 2021, Brookfield Infrastructure took up an incremental 18,369,800 common shares of Inter Pipeline that were tendered pursuant to the Offer after August 20, 2021, during the mandatory extension period. The mandatory extension period will end on September 3, 2021. Based on the elections made by Inter Pipeline shareholders who tendered to the Offer after the August 20, 2021 expiry and before 7 p.m. (Mountain Time) on August 25, 2021, Inter Pipeline shareholders will receive cash in respect of an aggregate of 16.8 million Inter Pipeline common shares and will receive Class A exchangeable subordinate voting shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Corporation (BIPC Shares) or Exchange LP Units (as defined in the Offer) in respect of an aggregate of 1.6 million common shares of Inter Pipeline. As shareholders elected to receive less BIPC Shares or Exchange LP Units than were available at the August 25 take up date, shareholders that elected to receive BIPC Shares or Exchange LP Units will receive their full election. Accordingly, a total of 0.36 million BIPC Shares and 0.03 million Exchange LP Units will be issued. Subsequent Acquisition Transaction With a controlling interest greater than 66 2/3% of the common shares of Inter Pipeline, Brookfield Infrastructure intends to pursue a privatization transaction to acquire any Inter Pipeline shares that are not tendered prior to the expiry of the mandatory extension of the Offer. Brookfield Infrastructure and Inter Pipeline are in discussions regarding a possible Subsequent Acquisition Transaction (as defined in the Offer) and intend to announce details of such a transaction at a later date. Completion of any such transaction is expected approximately 60 days from the expiry of the Offer. Given Brookfield Infrastructures controlling interest in Inter Pipeline, Inter Pipeline shareholders are encouraged to tender to the Offer to expedite receipt of their chosen consideration. Following completion of any Subsequent Acquisition Transaction, Brookfield Infrastructure will seek to delist the Inter Pipeline common shares from trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Offer Tender Instructions Shareholders may elect up to 100% cash consideration, totalling C$20.00 per share of Inter Pipeline without being subject to proration or 0.250 of a BIPC Share, subject to proration. Beneficial Inter Pipeline Shareholders (Inter Pipeline shares are held through a broker or other intermediary) Contact your intermediary and provide them with your tender instructions. As intermediaries may have an earlier deadline to receive your instructions, Inter Pipeline shareholders are encouraged to take-action well in advance of the September 3rd expiry Registered Inter Pipeline Shareholders (Inter Pipeline shares are held directly and not through an intermediary) Complete the applicable Letter of Transmittal or Supplemental Letter of Transmittal and return it to Laurel Hill Advisory Group at assistance@laurelhill.com or the coordinates listed in the Sixth Notice of Extension

Further Information for Inter Pipeline Shareholders Inter Pipeline shareholders are encouraged to read the full details of the Offer set forth in the original Offer to Purchase and Circular dated February 22, 2021 (the Offer and Circular), the notice of variation, change and extension dated June 4, 2021 (the First Notice of Variation), the second notice of variation and extension dated June 21, 2021 (the "Second Notice of Variation"), the third notice of variation and extension dated July 13, 2021 (the Third Notice of Variation), the fourth notice of variation and change dated July 19, 2021 (the Fourth Notice of Variation), the fifth notice of variation and extension dated August 6, 2021 (the Fifth Notice of Variation), and the sixth notice of extension (the Sixth Notice of Extension), which contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer and other important information as well as detailed instructions on how Inter Pipeline shareholder can tender their Inter Pipeline shares to the Offer.



Inter Pipeline shareholders who have questions or require assistance in depositing common shares of Inter Pipeline to the Offer should contact the Information Agent and Depositary, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, by telephone at 1-877-452-7184 (North American Toll Free Number) or 416-304-0211 (outside North America) or by email at assistance@laurelhill.com. Copies of the Offer and Circular, the First Notice of Variation, the Second Notice of Variation, the Third Notice of Variation, the Fourth Notice of Variation, the Fifth Notice of Variation and the Sixth Notice of Extension, are available without charge on request from the Information Agent and are available at www.ipl-offer.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, midstream and data sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that have contracted and regulated revenues that generate predictable and stable cash flows. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BIPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with over US$625 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. No Offer or Solicitation This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, any securities. The offer to acquire Inter Pipeline shares and to issue securities of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation will be made solely by, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the formal offer to purchase and bid circular and accompanying letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery. NOTICE TO U.S. HOLDERS OF INTER PIPELINE SHARES Brookfield Infrastructure made the offer and sale of the BIPC Shares in the Offer subject to a registration statement of BIPC and BIP covering such offer and sale which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and which was declared effective by the SEC on August 18, 2021. Such registration statement covering such offer and sale includes various documents related to such offer and sale. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF IPL ARE URGED TO READ SUCH REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND ANY AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER AS THOSE DOCUMENTS BECOME AVAILABLE, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. You will be able to obtain a free copy of such registration statement, as well as other relevant filings regarding BIP and BIPC or such transaction involving the issuance of the BIPC Shares and the underlying BIP limited partnership units, at the SECs website (www.sec.gov) under the issuer profiles for BIP and BIPC, or on request without charge from Brookfield Infrastructure, at 250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York, 10281-1023 or by telephone at (212) 417-7000. Any potential Subsequent Acquisition Transaction (as defined in the Offer) to be completed by Brookfield Infrastructure is expected to be made in the United States in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof and would be subject to Canadian disclosure requirements (which are different from those of the United States). BIPC is a foreign private issuer and Brookfield Infrastructure is permitted to prepare the offer to purchase and takeover bid circular and related documents in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements, which are different from those of the United States. BIPC prepares its financial statements in accordance with IFRS, and they may not be directly comparable to financial statements of United States companies. Shareholders of Inter Pipeline should be aware that owning BIPC Shares may subject them to tax consequences both in the United States and in Canada. The offer to purchase and takeover bid circular may not describe these tax consequences fully. Inter Pipeline shareholders should read any tax discussion in the offer to purchase and takeover bid circular, and holders of Inter Pipeline shares are urged to consult their tax advisors. An Inter Pipeline shareholders ability to enforce civil liabilities under the United States federal securities laws may be affected adversely because Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada, some or all of Brookfield Infrastructures officers and directors and some or all of the experts named in the offering documents reside outside of the United States, and a substantial portion of Brookfield Infrastructures assets and of the assets of such persons are located outside the United States. Inter Pipeline shareholders in the United States may not be able to sue Brookfield Infrastructure or its officers or directors in a non-U.S. court for violation of United States federal securities laws. It may be difficult to compel such parties to subject themselves to the jurisdiction of a court in the United States or to enforce a judgment obtained from a court of the United States. Inter Pipeline shareholders should be aware that, during the period of the Offer, Brookfield Infrastructure or its affiliates, directly or indirectly, may bid for or make purchases of the securities to be distributed or to be exchanged, or certain related securities, as permitted by applicable laws or regulations of Canada or its provinces or territories. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian provincial securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and in any applicable Canadian securities regulations. The words believe, expect, will derivatives thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the terms of the Offer and the timing thereof; statements regarding the timing of the mandatory extension of the Offer; statements relating to a Subsequent Acquisition Transaction and the timing thereof; and statements relating to Brookfield Infrastructures intention to seek to delist the Inter Pipeline shares. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The actual outcome of future events could differ from the forward-looking statements and information herein, which are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release include the ability to obtain regulatory approvals (including approval of the TSX and the NYSE) and meet other closing conditions to any possible transaction, the ability to realize financial, operational and other benefits from the proposed transaction, general economic conditions in the jurisdictions in which we operate and elsewhere which may impact the markets for our products and services, the impact of market conditions on our businesses, the fact that success of Brookfield Infrastructure is dependent on market demand for an infrastructure company, which is unknown, the availability of equity and debt financing for Brookfield Infrastructure, the ability to effectively complete transactions in the competitive infrastructure space and to integrate acquisitions into existing operations, changes in technology which have the potential to disrupt the business and industries in which we invest, the market conditions of key commodities, the price, supply or demand for which can have a significant impact upon the financial and operating performance of our business and other risks and factors described in other documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information, please contact: Media: Investors: Claire Holland Kate White Senior Vice President, Communications Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 369-8236 Tel: (416) 956-5183 Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Email: kate.white@brookfield.com Shareholder Questions / Tendering Assistance Laurel Hill Advisory Group North American Toll-Free: 1-877-452-7184 (+1-416-304-0211 outside North America) Email: assistance@laurelhill.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
American Financial Group, Inc. Management to Participate in the 2021 Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Virtual Insurance Conference

American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: AFG) announced today that Carl H. Lindner III and S. Craig Lindner, Co-Chief Executive Officers, and Brian S. Hertzman, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, will participate in the 2021 Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Virtual Insurance Conference on Friday, September 10, 2021.

While there will be no Company presentation, AFG will host several investor meetings in this virtual setting. The investor material to be used in the meetings will be posted via a link under Events on the Investor Relations page of AFG's website, www.AFGinc.com, just prior to the conference.







About American Financial Group, Inc.

American Financial Group is an insurance holding company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through the operations of Great American Insurance Group, AFG is engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialized commercial products for businesses. Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210827005014/en/
NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Wine and Grape Board will meet Sept. 8, 2021 at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. CDT in the Holeman Building conference room located at 424 Hogan Road.

The meeting is open to the public to attend.

The agenda includes approval of the previous meetings minutes, a quality assurance committee report, a Coronavirus Agricultural and Forestry Business Fund update, a consumer research study update, and discussion on measuring outcomes and funding.

The Wine and Grape Board is comprised of seven members and their purpose is to support the growth of the wine industry in Tennessee.

For more information, contact the Tennessee Department of Agricultures Business Development Division at 615-837-5160.
WAVERLY, Tenn.  More than 80 Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard are supporting recovery operations in Humphreys County following severe flooding this past weekend. Guardsmen are working with state, county, and local emergency personnel by assisting with traffic control, security, supply distribution, and cleanup operations in the impacted area.



Guardsmen from the 194th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Jackson, are using bulldozers, dump trucks, and other pieces of heavy equipment to help restore roadways and clear debris.

While we are conducting debris removal operations, we are also providing security and access control in affected areas, said Maj. Kevin Carroll, officer in charge of Task Force Engineer. We are also coordinating with local law enforcement on water re-supply missions; ensuring members of the community and volunteers have access to potable drinking water.

Of the Guardsmen activated, more than 50 are from the 194th, including engineers and military police personnel. The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment headquartered in Knoxville, 230th Sustainment Brigade headquartered in Chattanooga, 118th Wing in Nashville, and 134th Air Refueling Wing in Knoxville have all provided personnel for the relief efforts. Nashvilles Joint Force Headquarters continues to operate its Mobile Communications Center to establish emergency communications.

I couldnt be prouder of the work our Guardsmen are doing out here, said Carroll. These are our neighbors and this couldve happened in our own communities, so thats why were out here doing all we can to help.

The Tennessee National Guard will continue to work with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and local emergency management officials to assist in recovery efforts for as long as they are needed.
MEMPHIS--- On August 18, 2021, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Rico Mazique was dispatched to a crash that occurred on Highway 57 and Slayden Road in Moscow, Tennessee. Once on scene, Trooper Mazique identified the driver as Kylaih Jones, 21, and a 20-year-old female passenger, both from Moscow, Tennessee. The Troopers investigation revealed that Jones was previously driving recklessly before failing to maintain control of the vehicle. As a result, Jones crashed the vehicle into an embankment along Highway 57.



As the Trooper Mazique continued to investigate, he found that Jones had a suspended Tennessee drivers license and had an active order of protection involving the passenger, who was the owner of the vehicle. The passenger informed the Trooper that Jones showed up at her place of employment in Mississippi. There, Jones forced his way into the womans vehicle and forced her to leave with him. The passenger further stated that Jones was driving recklessly and threatened to kill her just before the crash.



Trooper Mazique took Jones into custody for violating the order of protection and driving on a suspended license. Due to the crash, Jones was transported by patrol car to Baptist Hospital in Collierville. Once at the hospital, Jones attempted to escape custody, resulting in a physical altercation with Trooper Mazique. Collierville Police officers arrived on the scene and assisted Trooper Mazique in detaining Jones. Due to the altercation, Trooper Mazique sustained minor injuries.



Custody of Jones was transferred from THP to the Collierville Police Department while Trooper Mazique received medical attention for his injuries. Trooper Mazique charged Jones with aggravated kidnapping, reckless endangerment, assault, violation of protection order/restraining order, driving with suspended drivers license, assault on an officer, and escape.



The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Securitys mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.




ANDERSON COUNTY, SR 61 Bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway and Market Street in Clinton: SR 61 East is reduced to one lane through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area.

ANDERSON COUNTY, US 25/SR 9 Bridge over Clinch River between SR 61 and Carden Farm Drive: SR 9 northbound is reduced to one lane approaching the bridge as crews continue work in this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this bridge construction project.

BLOUNT COUNTY, I-140 West near Mile Marker 9.2: On Sunday, August 29, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

BLOUNT COUNTY, US 129 North and South between SR 35 Hall Road and Tyson Boulevard: US

129 North is reduced to one lane between Hall Road and Hunt Road as crews perform widening and roadway realignment through this project. This closure will remain in place around the clock for an estimated four to six weeks. Motorists should expect potential delays during peak travel times. Motorists should be alert for workers present and brief stoppages of traffic through this roadway construction project. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-hall-road-to-tyson-blvd.html

BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 335 Hunt Road between Ambrose Street and Ramsay Street: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times as crews install utilities through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present directing traffic and use extreme caution through this area.

BLOUNT COUNTY, SR 33 between Foothills Mall Drive and Henry Street: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this intersection improvement construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changed conditions, and use extreme caution through this area.

BLOUNT COUNTY, US 411/ SR 35 between High Street and Sevier County Line: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 135 and 142: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, I-75 South near Mile Marker 145.1: On Sunday, August 29, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, SR 63 between Myers Lane and Frontier Road/Woodson Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and/or 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for slowed or stopped traffic, expect potential delays and use extreme caution

through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, US 19E/SR 37 Bridge over the Doe River and Riverview Road: Motorists

should be alert for possible lane closures through this bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 37 between Doe River Bridge and Willow Lane: Motorists should

be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 67 between SR 359 and SR 91: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CARTER COUNTY, SR 359 between I-26 and Milligan Highway: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

CLAIBORNE COUNTY, SR 33 between New Hope Road and Russell Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect delays and use extreme caution through this area.

CLAIBORNE COUNTY, SR 63 between Old Town Creek and US 25E/SR 32: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert

for workers present, expect delays and use extreme caution through this area.

COCKE COUNTY, I-40 East near Mile Marker 433.5: On Monday, August 30, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

COCKE COUNTY, I-40 West near Mile Marker 434.2: On Monday, August 30, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

COCKE/GREENE COUNTY, SR 35 between Cloud Way and Bright Hope Road: Motorists

should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing

project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

GREENE COUNTY, US 11E/SR 34 both directions between Blue Springs Parkway and Forest Road in Mosheim: Motorists should be alert for lane closures and lane shifts through this area for bridge repair operations. These lane closures will remain in place 24/7 until repairs are complete. Motorists should be alert for workers present, changing conditions, and

use extreme caution in this area. This bridge repair project is estimated to be complete on or before October 31, 2021.

HAMBLEN COUNTY, I-81 North near Mile Marker 13.8: On Tuesday, August 31, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

HAMBLEN COUNTY, I-81 South near Mile Marker 7.8: On Tuesday, August 31, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

HAMBLEN COUNTY, SR 34 between Jefferson County Line and Walters Drive: Motorists

should be alert for possible lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-40 East and West between Mile Markers 369 and 375: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-40 East near Mile Markers 382 and 392: On Saturday, August 28, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. as utility crews perform roadway street light maintenance. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-40 East near Mile Marker 393: On Sunday, August 29, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-640 East and West between Mile Markers 0 and 3.6: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this milling and resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through

this area.

KNOX COUNTY, I-640 Ramps at Exit 8: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary

lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slowed traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, Various Interstates through Knoxville: Motorists should be alert for possible mobile lane closures nightly between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform roadway maintenance activities. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Topside Road and Maloney Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-little-river-to-maloney.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 129/SR 115 Alcoa Highway between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures and lane shifts as crews perform work through this project. Motorists should be alert for new traffic patterns. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduce speed, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-115-alcoa-highway-maloney-to-woodson.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 441 Broadway Viaduct between Jackson Avenue and Fifth Avenue: US 441 Broadway Viaduct over Norfolk Southern Railroad in downtown Knoxville is closed for bridge replacement. The Broadway Viaduct will be closed to all traffic for the duration of the project. During the closure, Broadway will be closed from the intersection of Oak Avenue, Worlds Fair Park, and Jackson Avenue to just north of the Depot Avenue intersection. Depot Avenue will also be closed. These closures will ensure the safety of workers and motorists as crews demolish the old bridge and reconstruct the new bridge. Primary and Local Detour Routes around the bridge closure will be in place. For detour routes and project information,

go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/broadway-viaduct.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 441/SR 71 Chapman Highway between Highland View Drive and Burnett Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/chapman-highway-evans-to-burnett.html

KNOX COUNTY, US 11W/ SR 1 Rutledge Pike at Roberts Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. as crews perform turn lane extensions in this area. Motorists should be alert for slowed traffic, expect

potential delays and use extreme caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 62 Western Avenue between Copper Kettle and Texas Avenue: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers

present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 62 Oak Ridge Highway at Schaad Road: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this area at various times as crews perform roadway resurfacing and signal work at this intersection. Motorists should be alert for workers present,

reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Concord Road between Turkey Creek Road and Northshore: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and new traffic patterns through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area. For project information, go to https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/sr-332-proposed-widening.html

KNOX COUNTY, SR 332 Northshore Drive between Lyons View Pike and Papermill Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform work on concrete curb ramps through this area. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, expect possible delays, and use caution through this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, I-75 North and South between Mile Markers 79 and 84: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, expect delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, SR 72 between Good Hope Road and Corporate Park Drive: Motorists

should be alert for possible closures at various times through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, US 321/SR 73 between I-40 and Simpson Road: Motorists should be alert for possible nightly lane closures between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

LOUDON COUNTY, US 411/SR 33 between Blount County Line and Monroe County Line: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

MORGAN COUNTY, SR 29 between Vanderpool Road and Scott County Line: Motorists should

be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

MORGAN COUNTY, SR 62 between Petit Lane and SR 116: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, and use extreme caution in this area.

ROANE COUNTY, I-40 West between Mile Markers 340 and 344: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures at various times through this slope stabilization project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, lane shifts, and use extreme caution through this area.

SEVIER COUNTY, SR 71 between US 411 and Macon Lane: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, I-26 East and West between Mile Markers 5.3 and 9.9: Motorists

should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this resurfacing project.

Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow or stopped traffic, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution in this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, I-81 North near Mile Marker 59.2: On Friday, August 27, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for

workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 34 Intersection at Industrial Park Rd: Motorists should be alert for lane

reductions through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, changed traffic patterns, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 93 from near I-26 (Log Mile 6.2) to near US 11W/ SR 1 (Log Mile 11.3) : Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures through this resurfacing and bridge repair project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

SULLIVAN COUNTY, SR 126 Memorial Boulevard at SR 36: Motorists should be alert for lane reductions through this intersection improvement project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, changed traffic patterns, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

UNICOI COUNTY, I-26 East and West near Mile Markers 33 and 34: I-26 is reduced to one lane in each direction around the clock as crews perform bridge deck repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area. This project is estimated to be complete on or before August 31, 2021.

UNICOI COUNTY, SR 81 between Log Miles 0 and 1.8: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety

project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

UNICOI COUNTY, SR 107 between 6th Street and SR 173: Motorists should be alert for possible

lane closures daily between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. through this resurfacing and safety project. Motorists should be alert for workers and equipment present, expect potential delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, I-26 East near Mile Marker 17.5: On Friday, August 27, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTONCOUNTY, I-26 West near Mile Marker 11.7: On Friday, August 27, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTONCOUNTY, I-26 West near Mile Marker 16.3: On Wednesday, September 1, 2021, motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning as crews perform guardrail repairs. Motorists should be alert for workers present, slow traffic, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTON/ CARTER COUNTY, SR 91 between Broadway Street and SR 67: Motorists should be alert for possible lane closures during daylight hours through this resurfacing project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, possible delays, and use extreme caution through this area.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, SR 93 between Davis Road and Fire Hall Road: Motorists should be alert for possible temporary lane closures through this construction project. Motorists should be alert for workers present, reduced speeds, and use caution through this area.

For information on statewide interstate construction motorists can access the Tennessee Department of Transportation SmartWay website at https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic

TDOT is now on Twitter. For up to the minute traffic information in Knoxville and the Tri-Cities follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/knoxville511. For statewide travel information follow www.twitter.com/TN511
Chattanooga, Tenn.  Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright joined federal, state and local officials today to celebrate the completion of the State Route 101/Peavine Road improvement project in the Fairfield Glade community in Cumberland County, Tennessee.

Work began on the 5.7-mile project in February 2017. During the project, most of the two-lane road was widened to five lanes consisting of two lanes in each direction with a continuous center turn lane. Additionally, the contractor installed full shoulders, curb and gutter and sidewalks throughout most of the project area. Drivers should also benefit from new traffic signals, improved signage, striping and raised pavement markers that were also included in the project.

We are very pleased to be here today to celebrate the completion of this important project with our federal, state and local partners and the citizens of Cumberland County, said Commissioner Bright. This much-needed project will improve traffic flow along SR-101 for local and regional traffic and enhance the safety of residents in the Fairfield Glade community.

The contractor for the $50.8 million project is Rogers Group, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta) represent Cumberland County in the Tennessee General Assembly.

# # #
Everton show interest in Celtic's Edouard

| Friday, 27 August 2021



The 23-year-old Frenchman has been the subject of plenty of speculation this summer, with a move to the Premier League mooted and the likes of Crystal Palace credited with interest.

Sky's resident rumour-monger, Kaveh Solhekol, tweeted today that tje Blues have "sounded" Celtic out over a possible deal.

Earlier in the day, Solhekol claimed that Rubin Kazan have offered 18m for Edouard while Bordeaux are also willing to pay the same amount.

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

About these ads

 ToffeeWeb
Rondon link resurfaces

| Saturday, 28 August 2021



The Venezuelan striker is said to be keen to end his spell in China where he was managed by Rafael Benitez at Dalian Professional until the latter returned to England.

It is understood that Rondon would be able to negotiate the termination his contract with the Chinese club in order to return to the Premier League as a free agent.

The Telegraph suggest that Everton will try and sign him before Tuesday whereas the Liverpool Echo report that it's more about Rondon hoping that Benitez wants to manage him again.

Update Sky Sports reported on Sunday that Everton have now opened talks over the transfer of Rondon from Dalian Professional.

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

About these ads

 ToffeeWeb
A Supreme Court decision doesn't dissuade Kansas City organizers who now promise to train tenants to dodge rent.



To wit . . .

THE END OF THE EVICTION MORATORIUM THREATENS RISING TENSIONS BETWIXT ACTIVISTS AND THE POLITICOS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THEIR DEMANDS!!!



Example . . .

Let's not forget that Mayor Q has been a champion for KC Tenants. Their years of protesting has garnered a great deal of attention from his office and helped bolster his image as an activist Mayor.

Accordingly, the group has been "encouraged" by their progress at 12th & Oak along with the many times they shut down the Jackson County Courthouse without so much as a ticket.

Now, they're sending a message to local landlords and offering assistance to so many poor souls who could soon find themselves on the street.

Check-it . . .



Smart people in the TKC comments have noted that the "mass evictions" feared by many are unlikely given a shortage of manpower among law enforcement.

And so . . .

The fight against "home providers" on local streets is a very real threat and should garner the attention of property owners across the metro.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link collection regarding the end of the historic rent dodge and start of another, greater struggle for free fair housing . . .

U.S. Supreme Court ends federal residential eviction moratorium WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ended the pandemic-related federal moratorium on residential evictions imposed by President Joe Biden's administration in a challenge to the policy brought by a coalition of landlords and real estate trade groups.

US Supreme Court Allows Evictions to Resume During Pandemic The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. The court's action late Thursday ends protections for roughly 3.5 million people in the United States who said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August.

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Rule of Law vs. Lawless Biden CDC Eviction Moratorium | National Review Well, we have our answer to the question of whether Justice Brett Kavanaugh would sit still for Joe Biden daring him to do his job. The CDC's renewed, flagrantly unlawful eviction moratorium survived in the district court and in the D.C.

1.3 Million Families Face Eviction Before Halloween The United States is barreling towards an onslaught of evictions. It's a totally preventable event that will destabilize families, traumatize children, and make it difficult to secure stable, permanent housing. They're particularly dangerous, and damn near violent, during a pandemic, so the looming wave is particularly concerning.

Landlord, Air Force vet homeless after tenants stop paying rent during eviction ban A landlord in upstate New York is living out of a car with her daughter after being unable to collect rent from tenants in three properties she owns due to eviction moratoriums. "I don't understand how they can give my private property to somebody to live for free. I bought that property.

Thousands of Americans could become homeless as Supreme Court cancels Biden's eviction moratorium Read full article The US Supreme Court on Thursday allowed evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a move that threatens to render thousands homeless. More Stories

U.S. Supreme Court Puts An End to Biden's Unconstitutional Eviction Moratorium Source: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana It's been a particularly bad day for President Joe Biden. On Thursday night, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Biden's unconstitutional eviction moratorium. Justice Stephen Breyer was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in his dissent. BREAKING: The Supreme Court ends President Biden's eviction moratorium.

Developing . . .
We delayed talking about this topic until the news reports were more clear.



This evening commentary is moving along at a fast & furious pace and local leaders seem to focus their ire on the current Administration's handling of the crisis.

Real talk . . .

ELECTED OFFICIALS ACROSS MISSOURI DEMAND PREZ BIDEN'S RESIGNATION!!!

Our only takeaway is that this seems far worse than the fall of Saigon.

We'll start with the local links and move toward the big picture.



More than anything else we're curious about TKC reader analysis now that we've all had time to think about it.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link collection . . .

Kansas, Missouri lawmakers respond to deadly attack at airport near Kabul KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Lawmakers didn't waste any time responding to news that two suicide bombers and gunman attacked crowds of people at Kabul's airport Thursday. The attack killed 12 US troops and 60 Afghans. Reports from the airport said that many more were injured in the attack.

Hawley: Biden "must resign" following attack in Afghanistan KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) --- U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is calling for President Joe Biden to resign from office following Thursday's attack on American soldiers and Afghan allies in Afghanistan. In a statement, Hawley said the United States is "forever indebted to the brave Marines" who died on Thursday.

'We're seeing our lives being repeated': Olathe woman, Afghanistan activist reflects on Kabul's fall KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Seeing the humanitarian crisis unfold in Afghanistan can be overwhelming for most people, but for those who are connected to the country, it's pain and chaos. "I come from a family of immigrants, so all the refugees who are coming in to the west, we're seeing our lives being repeated," said Roya Ibrahimi Zaidi, who lives in Olathe.

KC councilwoman gets message from family near site of blast in Afghanistan An Afghan family trying to get out of the country with the help of some Kansas Citians was near the site of the first blast at the airport in Kabul Thursday.A family of eight in the crowd at the airport was near the gate where the first blast happened.

No words I am sick to my stomach over the loss of 12 Marines, a Navy Corpsman, the death of families that helped us, and those that are going to be left behind by our country.

AP report: Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 13 U.S. troops KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S.

13 U.S. service members killed in explosions outside Kabul airport amid evacuations Kabul airport was hit by an explosion Thursday, throwing evacuation efforts into more turmoil days before President Joe Biden's deadline for all U.S. forces to withdraw from the country. "We can confirm an explosion outside Kabul airport," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said on Twitter. "Casualties are unclear at this time.

Biden Pledges To Strike Back After Attack Kills 13 U.S. Service Members In Kabul subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast President Biden on Thursday delivered a stark message to those who carried out the deadly attack outside the airport in Kabul that left 13 U.S. service members dead while also pledging that the evacuation of Afghanistan will continue. "Know this," Biden said to the attackers.

Pentagon bracing for more attacks after troops killed at Kabul airport WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - An explosion outside Kabul's airport amid a huge evacuation effort from Afghanistan appeared to be caused by a suicide bomb, U.S. officials said on Thursday, citing an initial report and cautioning that it could change.

Developing . . .
A local lady killer starts serving his sentence and we share a bevy of news on police action, ALLEGED misdeeds and continued local scamming.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Convicted killer Kylr Yust moved to Missouri prison to serve sentences CAMERON, Mo. - Convicted killer Kylr Yust was moved to a new location where he is expected to serve years behind bars. Yust was moved from Cass County jail in Harrisonville to a Missouri Department of Corrections facility in St. Joseph in June. He is now at the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri.

Officer won't face charges in shooting outside Olathe restaurant OLATHE, Kan. - An Olathe police officer is cleared after the Johnson County District Attorney determined a shooting in a parking lot was justified. District Attorney Steve Howe released the findings Thursday of his investigation into the police-involved shooting outside Strip's chicken on May 26, 2021.

Johnson County passes a new stray bullet ordinance A commission has a passed a new ordinance that hands down a large fine for carelessly discharging a firearm in Johnson County.Stray bullets could cost you a $1,000. The county commission passed the new ordinance earlier this morning. Anyone who fires a gun in a careless or dangerous way could be issued that fine.

Police release photos of car involved in hit-and-run crash LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - Detectives hope two pictures will help lead them to a driver involved in a hit-and-run in Lee's Summit. Police say the crash happened Tuesday near N.E. Anderson Drive and Northeast Turquoise Drive. That area is southwest of the Interstate 470 and 40 Highway interchange.

Missouri's Ashcroft finds 2 cases of alleged double-voting JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri's Republican secretary of state on Thursday said an investigation by his office found two people voted at least twice during the 2020 general election. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said two people voted in person in St. Charles County and also sent in mail-in ballots to Florida.

Caller posing as captain in Jackson County Sheriff's Office to scam victims JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. - The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is warning people to make sure they know who they're talking to when they answer the phone. The Sheriff's Office said someone is calling people pretending to be a captain from the office.

5 taken into custody, 3 released, in connection to Matney Park homicide KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Five people who are wanted in several jurisdictions were taken into custody earlier this week in connection to the death of a man at a Kansas City, Kansas, park.

Kansas City police implementing new procedures to limit mistaken suspect IDs KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Police Department has a new policy in place and the department said it hopes it will help limit the number of people who are wrongfully identified by victims and people who witnesses crimes.

Developing . . .
Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy early, then clearing overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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
FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2021, file photo, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at East Aurora High School in Aurora, Ill. Illinois health care workers and educators from kindergarten through college will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Pritzker said Thursday, Aug.26, 2021, in announcing new safety protocols that also include a fresh statewide mandate for masks to be worn indoors. (Rich Hein/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Price range: US$5 - US$50

Description: Tinga is an independently owned Mexican bar and restaurant in Salisbury city centre. Our immersive dining experience is one you will not forget, making you feel like youve been transported to a very beautiful Comida Corrida in the trendy area of Juarez district, Mexico City.




I doubt whether you could find a more conveniently located hotel in this fantastic city. Many people seek a central location for their visit - there is no real central location - easy access to the incredible public transport system is the goal for any visit.



Super convenient location, hotel front door is less than 10 steps from entrance to - sortie 6 - elevator which gives you immediate access to platform for RER B -> to and from CDG.



The nearby (200m) St Michel- Notre Dame public transport hub provides access to Metro 4, RER B and C, also there is a multitude of bus stops in near vicinity.



As a tourist wanting to maximise our time, the easy access to all these public transport options is invaluable.



Our superior room (7) has air conditioning- warm in cold weather, double glazing on windows to minimise any street noise. Windows overlooking the beautiful Seine and the very, very sad remains of the Notre Dame.



Spacious room for Paris standards, comfortable king size bed, mini bar with safe in fridge, novel idea.



Bathroom with complimentary toiletries, good pressure and very hot water.



Ample storage for luggage and hanging space in built in wardrobe. Coffee and tea making facilities.



There are many, many restaurants and cafes within easy walking distance from hotel.



Reception is staffed by some very friendly and helpful people.



Thank you, Tanah (Manager - apologies for spelling) for your assistance and many phones calls in locating some items left behind in Bordeaux.



Big thank you again to Dino, incredibly helpful with restaurant and commuter advice, also with your friendly and insightful views on living and working in this fabulous city. Also for your assistance with Tanah in communicating with Bordeaux hotel.



We stayed in this fantastic hotel in 2017, and when preparing to visit again corresponded by e- mail with Dino, who answered all enquires almost immediately.



If you are seeking a hotel with a gym, 24hr room service etc, etc - this small, 10 room hotel is not for you. But if you are seeking a small boutique hotel in a super convenient location with amazingly friendly and helpful staff, you should consider this little gem.
The location is beautiful. This is not a luxury resort. That being said, it was a perfect resort for our families first trip to Alaska. It is up in a ski resort mountain. There are hiking trails all around the property. There is a hike straight up the Mt to the top, where you can take the tram down. There are paved bike paths and Mt bike trails. There is a tram that takes you to the top of the Mt where we had a lovely dinner at the Seven Glaciers restaurant. They have a gym which we used daily and a beautiful indoor pool which my son loved!! My daughters and I enjoyed the spa, although they are building an amazing Nordic spa (which we were sad to miss). We also had a fun dinner at the Asian restaurant Sakura.



This is not the Four Seasons, but it was a lovely old resort in a beautiful location!
Good for: Romantic

Dining options: Breakfast, After-hours, Reservations

Description: OUR STORY El Greco is a family restaurant established in 2012 in Koh Chang by me Kostas from Rhodes Island and my Thai wife. My success story and dream came true in 2012 when I opened my first restaurant in Koh Chang with Greek cuisine and amazing traditional dishes. Not only Thais but thousands of foreigners in Thailand have visited us over the years, and today (2021) we are the highest ranked authentic Greek Restaurant in Thailand and perhaps in all Asia! From our beautiful new decorated restaurant we serve great cocktails and big selection of Greek wines, lunches and dinners prepared with ingredients imported from Greece, all dishes are served in the Greek traditional way. At our new and much more beautifull restaurant in Klong Prao, you will be transfered to Greece by looking around you the new decor design and listening to traditional Greek music. Enjoy your relaxed holiday with amazing food, while in Koh Chang Thailand. Kostas and Family El Greco, Koh Chang, Thailand
We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:

Windows: Internet Explorer , Mozilla Firefox , Google Chrome . Mac: Safari .
Yes, the way exit

In all IC+ trains order of seat face direction is stable and predictable.

There is information in unofficial sources , which allows to direction of travel in each particular case.

But you'll need open unofficial information in one window and browser in other, then juxtapose, deduce, i.e. it's a piece of work, not a big though.

Also additional difficulty there are 3 types of rolling stock, which can perform the services, so there is 3 sets of seat charts. So first by looking what UZ website shows you deduce which seat chart to use, then by looking to the chosen seat chart - you deduce the direction of moving and choose the seat faced to desired side.

I could give you all 3 sets of seat charts, but it's probably too much excessive information. Here is 1 set of seatchart, for the most probable type of rolling stock - the HRCS2 trainset

direction is Lviv <---- Kyiv -----> Dnipro

You can ensure that chosen train for the chosen date is performed by this trainset by following additional check -there are 9 cars, cars of 1st class are 2,5, 8, cars 1,3,4,6,7,9 are 2nd class. Also all seats displayed by UZ website should correspond by the seatchart above.

if they does - you have enough information to choose direction by yourself.

If they don't - give me exact date and train number (or departure hour) - I'll take a look, deduce the rolling stock type and give you the seatchart set for those type of rolling stock.

So check if

Edited: 28 August 2021, 18:26
Were all under stress from the pandemic. But thats no excuse for appalling behavior in public. Adults dont need to throw tantrums at school events.

So please calm down, anti-maskers. You are bad role models for kids when you scream at meetings instead of using your inside voices.

We get that you dont like Gov. Ned Lamonts order requiring schoolchildren and staff to mask up, even though thats meant to protect them  and you  from the vicious virus that is killing people.

However, loud, nutty accusations arent the way to win converts to your cause.

One of your members shouted Criminals! Every single one of you are criminals! at a back-to-school panel on Thursday. The panel, held at a Cheshire elementary school, included a dozen school and state leaders such as Gov. Ned Lamont. There were young children in the audience too.

The protesters were yelling as Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, was trying to explain mask guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If I could ask that we could show a little decorum? pleaded Jeff Solan, superintendent of Cheshire schools, who moderated the panel. This is a reflection of how we cant have a civil dialogue.

Sadly, there was no dialogue, just more eruptions from the audience. The meeting ended quickly, but not the incivility. It continued outside, with more shouts and gestures at the governors car.

Shame on all those who acted like bullies at the meeting.

Such nasty attacks are a common sight in some other states, but its a shock to see them in Connecticut, the Land of Steady Habits. Were such a polite place that public officials simply withdrew while getting hollered at Thursday. In contrast, spectators at the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in Washington were thrown out for interrupting.

Those who consider Connecticuts mask mandate an abuse of government authority have an ally in Floridas governor, who bans masks and vaccination mandates. Its not hard to guess whats happening with Floridas Covid rate as a result. The Sunshine State averages more than 21,000 COVID cases daily, twice the rate of the rest of the nation. Major hospitals are out of morgue space. Connecticut averages 600 daily.

You dont need a math degree to figure out which state is trying to protect its children and teachers.
You will receive full, ad-free access to TullahomaNews.com.com as well as full access to the Electronic Edition of the newspaper.





ONLY $3.99 per month for the first 3 months!

Only $5.99 per month after promotional period.



Or



ONLY $39.99 per year for the 1st year

Only $44.99 per year after promotional period.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision of May 14 "On urgent measures on the cyber defense of the state."

According to Ukrinform, the decree to that effect has been published on the website of the head of state.

According to the document, the decree comes into force from the date of its publication.

NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has been charged with monitoring the implementation of the NSDC decision.

According to the NSDC decision, the government, in order to create cyber troops in the system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and make sure they acquire the appropriate capabilities, has been instructed to immediately calculate the needs for the amount of material, technical and financial resources needed to create and ensure the proper functioning of cyber troops, ensure the staffing of cyber troops taking into account the optimal ratio of service members, employees of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as well as reservists and other categories of persons.

In addition, based on the results of calculations, the government was given two months to draw up and submit to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a bill on the establishment and functioning of cyber troops in the system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The NSDC at its meeting on May 14 adopted Ukraine's cyber security development strategy for the next five years.

op
In the spring and summer 2021, Russia has increased its military contingent in the occupied Crimea, says the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov.

Thats according to the agencys post on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

Commenting to the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation on the Militarization of Crimea by Russia, Budanov said: For the eighth consecutive year, Ukraine has been deterring Russian aggression. We are recording the pulling of Russian troops and weapons to our borders and to the occupied territories of the east and Crimea."

According to the head of the military intelligence agency, "from the first days of the occupation, the Kremlin has turned the Crimean peninsula into a military base to control of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, carry out provocations and threaten the entire Black Sea coast, including that of Ukraine and our NATO allies. Were observing this threat to Ukraine and the whole of Europe grow every day."

There is a phrase in the Ukrainian language: unpunished evil grows. This is exactly what happened to Nazi Germany almost 100 years ago, and today we are witnessing the same scenario with the Russian Federation. The Crimea Platform is the first step in international diplomatic pressure. It will be followed by others. We are ready to fight until complete deoccupation of the Crimean peninsula. Crimea will be liberated and criminals  punished. We will do everything possible and impossible," Budanov said.

According to the intelligence chief, since the onset of the occupation of the peninsula, "Russia has been increasing its military contingent in Crimea almost every year, turning a former resort and prosperous location into a military fortress. It is clear that this was the main goal of Crimea occupation as due to its benefitial location, the peninsula allows Russia to have significant advantages and the ability to influence the countries of the Black Sea region and dictate rules in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. In addition, Moscow uses the peninsula as a base to ensure Russian military presence in Syria. "

The real reasons behind the occupation are already clear to the residents of the peninsula, too, who "share their thoughts on social networks and grow nostalgic for the Ukrainian Crimea," the GUR chief noted.

As Ukrinform reported, on August 23, Kyiv hosted the inaugural Summit of the Crimea Platform, a new consultation and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to increase the effectiveness of the international response to the temporary occupation of Crimea, raise international pressure on Russia, and achieve the main goal of ensuring the end to the occupation of Crimea and having Ukraine regain control of the peninsula.

In a joint declaration, the Platform participants reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemned the temporary occupation of Crimea, the ongoing militarization of the peninsula, violations of human rights and freedom of navigation in the region, and called for Russias constructive participation in the format.

Photo: Getty Images

im
In the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky, a memorandum was signed to attract investment from Switzerland for the development of Ukrainian railways.

In the presence of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia and Stadler CIS AG, Stadler Rail AG (Switzerland) and the Swiss Export Risk Insurance Agency SERV, which determines the principles of cooperation and the mechanism of joint work of the parties on the development of the railway transport sector of Ukraine, the Presidents Office informs.

During a meeting with President of the Stadler Rail AG Board of Directors Peter Spuhler and CEO of Stadler CIS AG Alexander Luft, President Zelensky said that the memorandum was a great signal to the citizens of Ukraine and Switzerland about cooperation.

According to Alexander Luft, for the first time in history, export financing from Switzerland is attracted at the state level, which will be aimed at the development of Ukraine's railway transport, including the renewal of the train fleet.

As the Presidents Office notes, the signing of the document starts the opening of export financing of the Swiss Confederation for Ukraine. Funds of up to EUR 500 million will go to the development of the railway sector. The cooperation involves not only the purchase of trains, but also the localization of Stadler production through the construction of a new plant in Ukraine.

The Head of State reminded that the City Express project for the development of suburban railway services was being launched in the framework of the national Great Construction program.

According to Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, in the framework of cooperation with Stadler it is planned to purchase 30 suburban electric trains manufactured by this company for Kyiv, another 30 will be distributed between Kharkiv and Dnipro.

In addition, the memorandum refers to 20 new regional electric trains and 10 long-distance electric trains manufactured by Stadler to upgrade the rolling stock of Ukrzaliznytsia.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

ol
The Ukroboronprom defense conglomerate has unveiled one of the largest foreign stands at IDEF 2021

Last week, Istanbul hosted Turkey's largest and worlds second-largest international defense exhibition, IDEF 2021. More than 1,200 arms and military equipment manufacturers from around the world were represented at the event, with 154 official delegations from 79 countries attending.

The main exposition includes the latest military and technological products and promising projects of Turkish defense companies. Stands set up by other countries are smaller in area, but no less interesting in terms of whats being showcased. One of the largest foreign stands was presented by the Ukroboronprom State Concern.

FROM AVIA TO AQUA: UKRAINES LEADING DEFENSE ENTERPRISES REPRESENTED ON UKROBORONPROMS STAND

More than a dozen Ukrainian defense companies were represented at Ukroboronproms stand (among more than 20 of them attending the event), including the Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant Aviacon, Research and Design Shipbuilding Center, the Morozov Kharkiv Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering, the Malyshev Plant, the Zorya  Mashproekt Research and Production Complex for Gas Turbine Construction, and others.

At the forefront of Ukroboronproms stand is a Vilkha rocket projectile, the Kvitnyk-E guided artillery shell with laser homing, R-360 Neptun cruise missile, and ATGM Skif.

Models of the Project 1760KR composite floating dock with a submarine, the Project 58208 Bohomol rocket artillery boat, and the Kaira-150 multifunctional boat occupied a special spot under the glass.

This year's exhibition is closed to the general public due to pandemic restrictions, but the stands are crowded anyway. Among the visitors are mostly official delegations (154 from 79 countries). And many are willing to have a closer look at the products by Ukrainian manufacturers.

JSC Motor Sich and JSC FED both have separate stands. These are highly acclaimed companies that are not new to the Turkish market. Therefore, they have arrived in Istanbul not to get acquainted with anyone, but to negotiate specific positions and to expand the horizons of cooperation, mostly with familiar, proven partners.

UKRAINIAN DEBUTS AND HARDENED PLAYERS

Ukraines Chernivtsi-based Inspecprom is participating for the first time. They have sealed orders in Ukraine, supplying products to the Armed Forces and the National Guard. The next stage for development is to enter international markets. A prominent spot on their stand is offered to the VPR-20 Sapphire infantry flamethrower.

Another Ukrainian company presented at a separate stand at IDEF 2021 is Spectechnomash Research and Production Center (Kremenchuh Cartridge Plant). It offers services and equipment for the manufacture of small arms ammo of all major calibers. The history of the firm dates back to 2017, when, after the onset of Russian aggression in 2014, leading specialists with the Luhansk Ammunition Plant decided to restore this enterprise in government-controlled Kremenchuh. Documentation and equipment remained in the occupied Luhansk, so the team began to rebuild the capacities, in fact, from scratch. Now they operate rather successfully, with the lion's share of orders coming from foreign customers.

AVIATION AND SPACE HIGH ON AGENDA

The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky. According to Vice PM, cooperation with Turkey in the military-industrial sector is of a strategic nature as the two countries continue to develop it within the framework of existing projects and to expand the range of cooperation.

Among the issues discussed at the highest level during the IDEF 2021 was expanding cooperation in the aviation industry, including on UAVs, helicopters, as well as exploring opportunities for establishing joint ventures, involving Turkish partners in setting up in Ukraine a number of industrial parks.

Interaction in space and aviation is especially interesting for both parties. The Ukrainian side is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of aircraft engine construction, joint use of outer space, and production of rocket carriers and satellite platforms.

Turkish partners have a special interest in deepening business relations, as evidenced by concrete successful examples. In particular, Ivchenko-Progress has been fruitfully cooperating with Turkeys Baykar Makina, which currently employs Ukrainian engines for their new generation of Aknc drones, and plans to install them on all the company's products in the future. Bayraktar TB2 strike drones are already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

These drones have been adopted by both our land and naval forces. On Independence Day, this model was presented at a military parade in Kyiv. Also in Turkey, the construction of the first MILGEM project ADA class corvette for the Ukrainian Navy is already underway. On the agenda is the creation of a joint venture production of UAVs. As Oleh Uruskyi told Ukrinform, now the project is at the stage of approving a production site.

Among the specific agreements reached at IDEF 2021 is the creation of a Mi-17 helicopter repair base in Turkey (the agreement was signed between Ukrspecexport and the Turkish company THK Teknik A.S.). This document testifies to continued cooperation. Back in 2018, Ukrspecexport in partnership with THK Teknik A.S. won the tender for the repair of Mi-17 multi-role helicopters for the Turkish Gendarmerie Command. The terms of the tender provided for the repair of 18 helicopters. The current agreement has brought cooperation to a new level.

RUSSIA'S OPPOSITION TO UKRAINE-TURKEY DEFENSE COOPERATION IS IN PLACE BUT UNABLE TO AFFECT IT

In general, Ukrainian defense firms are reluctant to talk about their agreements with international partners. Such agreements "love silence", as they say, while Ukraines northern neighbor has been trying its best to hinder Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation in the field of defense.

Vadym Nozdria, Ukrspecexport CEO, told Ukrinform there are attempts by Russia to disrupt such cooperation. It ranges from certain manifestations of the information hybrid war to measures to compromise Ukrainian companies supplying products to the Turkish market.

"It could have had an effect, but Ukraine and Turkey are confidently building strategic relations, actively cooperating and, on principle, they dont pay attention to such manifestations. That is why we are repairing Turkish helicopters, supplying air defense systems, having prospects for strengthening cooperation in the naval sphere, said the head of Ukrspecexport. This state-owned enterprise last year earned more than $30 million on Turkish contracts (about 15% of foreign exchange earnings from all foreign trade contracts).

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND GUARANTEES BENEFITING COOPERATION

Turkish partners in the framework of IDEF 2021 stressed they are interested in expanding cooperation, as its current level is far from the available potential. But they expect some steps to be taken by Ukraine, too. In particular  protection guarantees for their investments, simplification of bureaucratic procedures, and invariability of strategies and actions on the part of Ukraine in the future.

Practical steps have already been taken in this regard. On August 20, by his Decree, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky approved the Strategy for the Development of the Defense Industry of Ukraine, which will be implemented in three stages (the first one until 2022, the second  until 2024, and the third  until 2030). Based on this document, state programs for the development of the defense industry and import substitution will be prepared.

On the same day, at a meeting of the Government Committee on National Security and Defense, Strategic Industries, Fuel and Energy Complex and Infrastructure, the Government put forward the State Program for the Development of the Aviation Industry for 2021-2030. This area of cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey is among the most promising ones.

Olha Budnyk, Istanbul - Ankara

im
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel Yair Lapid discussed the exchange of high-level visits in the near future.

They spoke about this during a phone conversation on August 26, the Foreign Ministrys press service reports.

The parties welcomed the intensive political dialogue between Ukraine and Israel, discussed the exchange of high and top-level visits in the near future, including the participation of the Israeli delegation in commemorative events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy.

Kuleba told Lapid about the results of the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform held in Kyiv on August 23.

A separate topic of conversation was the travel of citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ukraine and Israel maintain an active political dialogue. In particular, on January 23-24, 2020, a working visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky to Israel took place; on June 16, 2021, the President of Ukraine held talks with Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett; on July 13, 2021, Zelensky spoke with President of Israel Isaac Herzog; on August 24, 2021, Naftali Bennett congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence by phone.

At the end of 2020, the volume of bilateral trade in goods and services amounted to USD 907.3 million. The positive balance of foreign trade in goods and services was USD 513.1 million.

ish
On August 26, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved an order on the signing of an agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius on mutual abolition of visa requirements, prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

This is the first step towards the introduction of a visa-free regime, after which Ukraine and Mauritius must sign an agreement and carry out a number of internal procedures.

We are working on further expanding freedom of travel for Ukrainians, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba noted.

The draft agreement provides for the introduction of a visa-free regime for mutual travel of citizens of Ukraine and the Republic of Mauritius for up to 90 days within 180 days.

The conclusion of visa-free travel will help intensify interpersonal contacts and further develop partnerships with the Republic of Mauritius. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work systematically to expand freedom of travel for Ukrainians, which is an important element of Ukraine's foreign policy strategy.

For reference: currently there is a visa regime between Ukraine and Mauritius (except for visa-free tourist trips for citizens of Ukraine).

ish
President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Moldova on the 30th anniversary of independence and promised that Ukraine will always support its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.

He wrote about this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"Congratulations to Maia Sandu on the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Moldova. Our countries independence is the result of the efforts of many generations. Ukraine will always support Moldova's territorial integrity. I wish the friendly people of Moldova peace, harmony and prosperity," the president said.

Zelensky is on a visit to Chisinau on Friday, August 27, to mark the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence.

During the visit, Zelensky will hold bilateral talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and take part in a multilateral meeting of the heads of foreign delegations.

ish
Intensified efforts by Moldova and Ukraine towards integration into the European Union will help build a better future.

President of Moldova Maia Sandu underscored this in a joint statement made by the presidents of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Poland in Chisinau, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Sandu noted that the leaders of the four countries discussed three issues during the multilateral meeting.

This is respect for international law, which should be the basis of all relations in the region, intensified efforts by Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova towards integration into the European Union, and support of Poland and Romania for this process. The importance of increased trade between our states is in our interests. These three areas will help us build a better future, the politician said.

The countrys leader also stressed that cooperation with Romania, Poland, and Ukraine would help strengthen Moldovas independence. Moldova has real friends and regional partners and wants to be more active on regional and global scale, Sandu said.

Maia Sandu thanked the heads of state for their presence in Chisinau on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Moldovas independence, emphasizing that she and Moldovan citizens country appreciate this friendly gesture and openness.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a visit to Chisinau on August 27 to mark the 30th anniversary of Moldovas independence.

During the visit, Zelensky is expected to hold bilateral talks with President of Moldova Maia Sandu and take part in a multilateral meeting of foreign delegation heads.

ol
President Volodymyr Zelensky points out the high level of military threat around Ukraine and calls the level of threat from the border with Belarus critical.

"To date, comprehensive development is impossible without a sufficient level of security and stability in our region. The military threat around Ukraine remains high. The level of threat from the north is critical as Belarus is used today as an additional springboard for aggressive action," Zelensky said in a joint statement by the presidents of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Romania in Chisinau, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The President also outlined other constant sources of threat in the region: Russian troops in the Transnistrian region of Moldova, Abkhazia, etc.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a visit to Chisinau on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

ol
Ukraine has initiated the strengthening of cooperation between the naval forces of the Black Sea countries and invites Romania and Moldova to join this initiative.

"Due to the active militarization of our Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, navigation and trade in the region are under threat. We must jointly address these present-day challenges. To this end, Ukraine has taken the initiative to strengthen cooperation between the Black Sea naval forces. We invite our colleagues, Romania and Moldova, which have access to the Black Sea, to join this initiative," Zelensky said in a joint statement by the presidents of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Romania in Chisinau, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He also stressed that Ukraine had consistently advocated strengthening the presence of NATO members in the Black Sea region, expanding joint exercise and training programs.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a visit to Chisinau on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence.

Earlier, Zelensky stated that Ukraine should build a large fleet by 2035.

Photo credit: Presidents Office

ol
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes that the EU member states will support the Association Trio's initiative on the membership of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in the European Union.

He said this in a joint press statement with the presidents of Moldova, Poland and Romania in Chisinau on Friday, August 27, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"On July 19, the presidents of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia launched a project [on the Association Trio] which should bring our countries closer to full membership in the EU. We expect Poland, Romania and our other partners, our friends - the EU member states  to support this initiative," Zelensky said.

He added that the next important step in this area should be the recognition of the European perspective of the Association Trio states, and, according to him, Ukraine has already begun respective work with each EU country separately.

In particular, Zelensky thanked Poland for being one of the first countries to support Ukraine in such a bilateral declaration.

"I very much hope that we will soon sign a similar declaration with the president of Romania," he said.

At the same time, Zelensky said that the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit should show the seriousness of the European Union's intentions in this matter.

In addition, the president noted that Ukraine is interested and ready to be an active participant in regional projects, especially the Three Seas Initiative.

"Ukraine's geographical location makes it a natural partner of this initiative. As a maritime state and an associate member of the EU, it will make it fully and more effective for the entire region," Zelensky said.

Zelensky is on a visit to Chisinau on Friday to attend events marking the 30th anniversary of Moldova's independence.

On July 19, the leaders of the Association Trio countries - Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova - met in Batumi with European Council President Charles Michel. In the declaration signed at the meeting, the parties stated that accession to the European Union is a goal that unites the three states.

op
During a phone conversation, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani cooperation with the aim of evacuating citizens of Ukraine and other states from Afghanistan.

According to Ukrinform, this was reported on the website of the head of state.

The parties discussed the possibility of establishing effective cooperation in order to evacuate citizens of Ukraine and other countries from the territory of Afghanistan.

The leaders also discussed attracting Qatari investments to Ukraine's economy, including opening joint ventures in agriculture and industry and stepping up military-technical cooperation.

"I consider Qatar one of the main partners in the Gulf region," Zelensky said, proposing to intensify cooperation to achieve concrete results.

The Emir of Qatar congratulated Ukraine on the 30th anniversary of independence and stressed the importance of developing bilateral relations, in particular in the trade and economic sphere, and accepted Zelenskys invitation to pay an official visit to Ukraine.

As Ukrinform reported, Ukraine has evacuated more than 250 citizens of Ukraine, members of their families, and foreigners from Afghanistan. About 90 more Ukrainians and members of their families are awaiting evacuation.

ish
A Ukrainian-language audio guide was launched at the Museum of Macedonian Struggle in Skopje, North Macedonia.

This is the first Ukrainian-language audio guide in this country and the 29th launched globally within the initiative of President's wife Olena Zelenska, the press service of the Presidents Office informed on August 26.

"Ukrainian-language audio guides aim to make international cultural heritage accessible to our compatriots, and Ukrainian language  notable to foreigners. Today we launch the 29th audio guide in our network. Each of them is an important part of the cultural diplomacy project, and I see them as confident steps in developing Ukraine's image in the world," said the First Lady.

The Museum of Macedonian Struggle presents more than 3,000 ancient exhibits related to the historical and cultural traditions of the people, the struggle for liberation, and the creation of an independent state.

In addition, according to the Presidents Office, it contains works by Ukrainian artists: a quarter of the paintings from the museum collection were created by Oleksiy Kulakov, Larysa Bondarenko, and Natalia Papirna.

As noted, the wax statues of prominent Macedonian historical figures, presented in the museum, were also made by Ukrainian masters.

"The launch of a Ukrainian-language audio guide will allow tourists from Ukraine, who travel to this friendly Balkan country increasingly often, to better understand the identity and the path of development of the Macedonian people," the Presidents Office stressed.

The Ukrainian-language audio guides have already been launched in Greece, Kenya, Great Britain, France, Austria, and other countries.

ol
The coronavirus pandemic can last for another two to five years, so wearing face masks may remain a mandatory anti-epidemic measure until the final overcoming of COVID-19.

Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said this in an interview with BBC News Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"Masks will remain relevant for quite a long time, perhaps until the last days of overcoming the pandemic in the world. Masks are a fairly effective prophylactic agent for the entire group of acute respiratory viral infections. Masks are recommended indoors, even for vaccinated people. This is a simple and effective protection mechanism. In winter, they also protect against the flu," Kuzin said.

He noted that the coronavirus mutates rapidly and new strains can be found every month, so the pandemic will last for two to five years until a global prevention strategy in the form of either universal vaccination or treatment emerges.

As Ukrinform reported, Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said that Ukraine may strengthen quarantine measures and introduce a lockdown in November if the epidemiological situation worsens.

Ukraine recorded 2,032 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 2,280,203,

ish
COVID-19 vaccination and testing update

August 27, 2021

Throughout the pandemic, UNB has taken a principles-based approach when responding to the changing epidemiology of the virus in our province. We are committed to providing access to post-secondary education in a flexible and adaptable manner, while holding the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff as our top priority.

Beginning Sept. 8, 2021, UNB will require mandatory, regular COVID-19 testing for all students, staff and faculty engaging in in-person classes and on-campus activities. Testing will be required every three days and testing supports will be put in place on both campuses and on our Moncton site. More details about the testing process, how to access the testing centres and how the policy applies to contractors, tenants and guests will be communicated to the university community soon. Tests will be provided at no cost.

Individuals who demonstrate proof of full vaccination are exempt from the testing requirement. Full vaccination is acquired 14 days after a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Public Health Agency of Canada (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVIDSHIELD). The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) has also been approved by the Public Health Agency of Canada, and provides full vaccination 14 days after a single dose.

Members of our UNB community will be able to upload proof of vaccination, such as a COVID-19 vaccination record or a medical report demonstrating vaccinations, through the UNBSafe app. Once you have provided proof of vaccination, only essential personal information and vaccination status will be retained. More information about how to upload your proof of vaccination will be communicated soon. You are encouraged to download the UNBSafe app now if you have not done so already.

Requests for accommodations for those who are unable to participate in mandatory regular testing will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Those applying for accommodation for medical reasons will be required to provide a note from their primary health care provider. Accommodations on other grounds will require a written statement from the individual making the request.

Vaccinations are the most effective way to keep ourselves and our community safe from the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Fully vaccinated individuals carry a lower risk of contracting the virus and spreading it to others. We encourage all members of our community to take this step and help ensure a safe and healthy fall for our campuses, our communities and our province.

See past community updates
We had no time to gather anything. We fled with only a blanket.  Maryam, 24, internally displaced Afghan woman in Mazar-e Sharif

Afghanistan is experiencing a humanitarian and displacement crisis. Over half a million Afghans have been newly displaced inside the country in 2021, and Afghan women and girls make up the majority of those displaced. Families speak of having to flee at a moments notice, even when faced with the risk of improvised explosive devices and attacks by armed groups during their flight.

This latest wave of violence comes on top of recurrent natural disasters such as the current devastating drought. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had far-reaching health impacts as well as socio-economic repercussions. Less than 4 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Afghans already constitute one of the worlds largest refugee populations worldwide. Some 90 per cent of Afghan refugees are hosted in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, with more than 2.2 million registered in the two countries. Another 3 million people were already displaced inside the country before new fighting broke out this year.

Afghanistans children are growing up amid this crisis. Some 65 per cent of the Afghan people  in and outside of Afghanistan  are children and young people, anxious about their future in the face of insecurity and economic challenges.

The resilience of Afghan families is being stretched to breaking point. The situation in Afghanistan was already complex, and failure to resolve the current instability will lead to new displacement.

What is UNHCR doing to help?

Together with partners, UNHCR is committed to staying and delivering amidst the deteriorating situation and growing displacement, as long as we have access to populations in need. We have activated our emergency response to protect the most vulnerable and assist newly displaced Afghans with life-saving shelter, food, water, and core relief items, both within Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries.

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 remains a priority. To help reduce the risk of as much as possible, UNHCR is providing buckets and jerry cans in its relief kits to displaced families. These supplies are especially important in areas where access to clean water is difficult. UNHCR has also established hand-washing stations and distributed hygiene kits including soap and face masks. In addition, we are providing emergency cash support to help displaced families mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

UNHCR has also undertaken protection monitoring covering 32 provinces in 2021 and as part of the broader UN effort, helped assess the needs of almost 400,000 internally displaced people since the start of the year. But more humanitarian aid is urgently needed. We are ramping up our response, and we need support to protect and assist people forced to flee.

Support our work now

To find the latest figures, please visit our Data Portal. You can also read the latest external updates on our Global Focus website.
Lucie Phillips, 6, joins parents and students during a rally at Utah State School Board Office calling for mask mandate Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Salt Lake City. The school year is days away for many kids in Utah and public health experts are worried about whether kids too young to get vaccinated will stay safe in school amid a wave of coronavirus cases.
Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal stands next to a U.S. flag as he waits to speak at a news conference Aug. 18 at the Capitol in Olympia. Reykdal has issued a rule that could withhold funding from schools that fail to follow the states mask and vaccine requirements.
Hugh Oscar Walton, 71, of Gray, and formerly of Sparta, passed away Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Graveside services for Hugh Walton will be conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, at 11 a.m. in the Sparta City Cemetery. Hugh was born on Jan. 20, 1950, in Greensboro, Ga. to the late James Thomas "Sl
A kitchen full of fresh ingredients and a drive to transform the fast-food industry is all W Read more
I came to the India Semester directly after doing a semester in Malaysia and travelling for 3 months on my own. I was so pumped to see everyone from the India Semester, but I wasnt prepared for the mix of ambivalence and isolation that I felt. Later, I learned that I had experienced re-entry shock (the culture shock of returning home) because I was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of Canadians!

I ended up leaving the Semester program and travelling independently throughout India. I have no doubt in my mind that this was the best decision for me. I immersed myself in the culture, and had so many opportunities that I couldnt have had within the structure of the Semester program. It is important to follow your intuition and to know your options.

I ended up leaving the Semester program and travelling independently throughout India. I have no doubt in my mind that this was the best decision for me. I immersed myself in the culture, and had so many opportunities that I couldnt have had within the structure of the Semester program. It is important to follow your intuition and to know your options. When I first considered the India Semester, I was discouraged from doing 2 semesters in a row. However, I chose to do 2 anyway, with only a couple of weeks in between, and I don't regret it for a moment!

I spent 11 hours one day walking up and down the ghats (staircases descending into the Ganges river) in Varanasi, the holiest city for Hindus. I crossed paths with a man my age named Krishna, who led me up the stairs of a hospice to the flat roof. Children were flying kites while I stared at the funeral burning ceremonies taking place on the ghats below. Krishna was eager to offer explanations of the traditions, but was respectful when I needed silence. It was a very moving experience, watching a body go from dead flesh to burnt ash. I could stayed in that city forever. I knew after 7 days that if I didnt leave soon, I never would. Photo: Crowds gather on the ghats (steps) lining the shores of the Ganges in Varanasi. Photo: A buddhist nun passes by the line-up of hundreds of tourists waiting to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharmasala.  Trekking along the Nepalese/Indian border, looking south and seeing the plains and delta leading to the Bay of Bengal, then looking north and seeing the Himalayas and the worlds third tallest mountain.

"While I was staying alone in Dharmasala, home of the Tibetan community in exile, I shook hands with the Dalai Lama. It took 8 hours of waiting and 4 security checks, and was the most amazing experience. He glowed just as radiantly in real life as he does in picturesWhere else could I meet a leader so worthy of respect? It was a once in a lifetime experience." "The India Semester gave me a chance to reconsider my goals and values. It challenged my assumptions and tested my patienceand it gave me confidence that 'Hey, if I can handle this, I can do anything!'
Australia has recommended vaccination against COVID-19 for all individuals from 12 years of age, extending the current recommendation for those aged 16 years and older

CANBERRA, Aug. 27 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) --:Australia has recommended vaccination against COVID-19 for all individuals from 12 years of age, extending the current recommendation for those aged 16 years and older.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) on Friday advised the government that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective for children aged 12-15.

"ATAGI concludes that the benefits of offering COVID-19 vaccination to all younger adolescents aged 12-15 years outweigh the known or potential risks," it said in a statement.

"As such, ATAGI recommends inclusion of this age group in the Australian COVID-19 vaccination program over time."Following the announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Canberra that vaccine appointments for children would open in September.
(@FahadShabbir)

GENEVA / WASHINGTON, DC, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 28th Aug, 2021) At its third meeting, the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on COVID-19 (MLT) the heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization met with the leaders of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), Africa CDC, Gavi and UNICEF to tackle obstacles to rapidly scale-up vaccines in low- and lower middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, and issued the following statement: "The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is progressing at two alarmingly different speeds. Less than 2% of adults are fully vaccinated in most low-income countries compared to almost 50% in high income countries.

"These countries, the majority of which are in Africa, simply cannot access sufficient vaccine to meet even the global goals of 10% coverage in all countries by September and 40% by end 2021, let alone the African Unions goal of 70% in 2022.

"This crisis of vaccine inequity is driving a dangerous divergence in COVID-19 survival rates and in the global economy. We appreciate the important work of AVAT and COVAX to try and address this unacceptable situation.

"However, effectively tackling this acute vaccine supply shortage in low- and lower middle-income countries, and fully enabling AVAT and COVAX, requires the urgent cooperation of vaccine manufacturers, vaccine-producing countries, and countries that have already achieved high vaccination rates.

To ensure all countries achieve the global goals of at least 10% coverage by September and 40% by end-2021: -We call on countries that have contracted high volumes of vaccines to swap near-term delivery schedules with COVAX and AVAT.

-We call on vaccine manufacturers to immediately prioritize and fulfill their contracts to COVAX and AVAT, and to provide regular, clear supply forecasts.

-We urge G7 and all dose-sharing countries to fulfill their pledges urgently, with enhanced pipeline visibility, product shelf life and support for ancillary supplies, as barely 10% of nearly 900 million committed doses have so far been shipped.

-We call on all countries to eliminate export restrictions and any other trade barriers on COVID-19 vaccines and the inputs involved in their production.

"We are in parallel intensifying our work with COVAX and AVAT to tackle persistent vaccine delivery, manufacturing and trade issues, notably in Africa, and mobilise grants and concessional financing for these purposes. We will also explore financing mechanisms to cover future vaccine needs as requested by AVAT. We will advocate for better supply forecasts and investments to increase country preparedness and absorptive capacity. And we will continue to enhance our data, to identify gaps and improve transparency in the supply and use of all COVID-19 tools.

"The time for action is now. The course of the pandemic and the health of the world are at stake."
London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Britain said Friday that it plans to complete its airlifts out of Afghanistan "in a matter of hours" as the frenzied evacuation effort out of Kabul airport draws to a close.

"We will process those people that we have brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now," British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky news.

"And we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowd, where we can, but overall the main processing has now closed and we have a matter of hours." Wallace said that the UK had "closed the Baron Hotel" at 0330 GMT, where those wanting to fly to Britain had gathered.

It also closed the processing centre for asylum seekers, and shut Abbey Gate, one of the points of access to Kabul airport and one of the areas targeted in twin suicide bombings on Thursday.

Nearly 14,000 British citizens and Afghans had been rescued as part of the UK evacuations since mid-August when the Taliban swept to power, Wallace said, but added: "The sad fact is not every single one will get out." He told LBC radio that there could be "approximately 100 to 150 British nationals left" in Afghanistan, some of them staying willingly.

He added that between 800 and 1,100 Afghans who were eligible for relocation under the UK's scheme "didn't make it".

The Times reported that documents with contact details of Afghan staff and job applicants were left lying on the ground at Britain's Kabul embassy compound.

A reporter who called the numbers found that some of those named were still in Afghanistan earlier this week and so risked reprisals.

Wallace told LBC that he learnt of this from the front-page report and "clearly it's not good enough".

"I think the prime minister will be asking some questions," he added.

The twin suicide bombs ripped through crowds outside Kabul airport on Thursday, killing at least 85 people including 13 US troops and deepening panic in the final days of the evacuation effort.

The bombings, claimed by the Islamic State group, left scenes of carnage outside the airport where thousands of Afghans desperate to flee their country had massed.

Wallace said that the "horrendous" attacks "didn't hasten our departure.

"We closed the Baron Hotel almost exactly on schedule. The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving."
Banjul, Gambia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :The Gambia has formally blocked flights returning migrants deported from the EU, a sensitive political issue in the tiny West African state, which argues that it cannot reintegrate them.

The move also comes ahead of a presidential election in December -- and some have interpreted it as a government bid to boost electoral support ahead of the poll.

A poor country of around two million people, The Gambia is the smallest on mainland Africa and narrowly straddles the river that gives it its name.

It also has a long tradition of migration. An estimated 118,000 Gambians live abroad, according to the International Organisation for Migration, who send home remittances worth over 20 percent of the country's GDP.

This week, The Gambia's government said that it would block all flights returning migrants from the EU, just as Germany was preparing to expel a number of Gambians.

Gambian foreign ministry spokesman Saikou Ceesay told AFP that the government decreed the policy in June, explaining that large numbers of returning migrants would cause "social upheaval".

"We are trying to consolidate the peace, stability and democracy we have in this country," he said.

The Gambia was ruled by violent dictator Yahya Jammeh for 22 years, until he was forced from power in 2017 after losing a presidential election to Adama Barrow.

The first Gambian presidential election of the post-Jammeh era is due to be held on December 4.

A European diplomat, who declined to be named, described The Gambia's move to block migrant returns as "a political issue" motivated by the upcoming election.

European governments complain that The Gambia has never fully cooperated on returns, however.

The West African country signed a non-binding agreement on returns with the EU in 2018, for example, which the diplomat said it had "never fully respected".

But European governments are increasingly fed up. The European Council is due to examine a proposal which would tighten access to EU visas for Gambians, for example, over the country's "failure to cooperate on readmission".
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Vienna, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :A Vienna court on Friday convicted the former leader of Austria's far-right Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption charges in a case stemming from a 2019 scandal known as "Ibizagate".

Strache, one of Europe's most high-profile former far-right leaders, was given a 15-month suspended jail sentence.

The Ibizagate scandal led to Strache resigning as vice-chancellor and head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe).

The affair brought down the coalition between the FPOe and the centre-right People's Party (OeVP) of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and triggered fresh elections in the Alpine EU member.

The scandal broke when video footage emerged of Strache promising public contracts to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece in exchange for support for the FPOe's 2017 election campaign.

The video, which was secretly filmed on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza, led to a sprawling investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors who turned up several other allegations of wrongdoing against Strache and other prominent politicians.

- Luxurious lifestyle - In the current trial the 52-year-old Strache was found guilty of helping change the law in return for donations to the FPOe and favours for Strache personally.

Strache's co-accused Walter Grubmueller, a long-standing friend and owner of a private health clinic, was also found guilty and given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Strache had protested his innocence throughout the trial.

Earlier on Friday prosecutor Bernhard Weratschnig had addressed the courtroom to give his closing argument, saying that holders of public office should remain above even the perception of corruption and that the "advantages" Strache received were "indisputable".

"Every euro is one euro too many," he said.

According to an SMS exchange uncovered by prosecutors, Strache had asked Grubmueller which amendments to legislation would be needed in order for Grubmueller's clinic "to finally be treated in a fair manner".

During Strache's time in government, the law was amended to enable clinics like that of Grubmueller to receive money from the public health insurance fund.

Also examined in the trial were alleged trips to the Greek island of Corfu at the invitation of Grubmueller.

Strache has also been accused of embezzling party funds to pay for his luxurious lifestyle during the 14 years he headed the FPOe, though he has not been charged over this.

Kurz returned to the chancellorship after the scandal, this time at the head of a coalition between his OeVP and the Greens, and has thus far managed to avoid any serious political damage from "Ibizagate".

The OeVP was even able to gain many disaffected FPOe voters in 2019 polls.

But in May, prosecutors announced they were investigating the 35-year-old on suspicion of giving false testimony to a committee of lawmakers probing "Ibizagate" and other graft allegations.

Kurz has denied the allegation and has insisted he will not bow to pressure to resign, even if formally charged.

- Party infighting - The FPOe's vote share crashed from 26 percent in 2017 to just 16 percent in 2019.

The party has spent much of the time since the scandal consumed by infighting.

In June, Strache's successor as leader, Norbert Hofer, resigned after weeks of tension with party colleague and former interior minister Herbert Kickl.

Kickl, seen as a party ideologue and mastermind of some of its anti-Islam and anti-migrant campaigns, took over as leader.

Meanwhile, Strache attempted a political comeback last year with a bid to be Vienna's mayor, but his list won just three percent of the vote in municipal elections.
Dar es Salaam, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Dozens of police officers, politicians and Tanzanian citizens gathered on Friday to pay tribute to four people killed by a gunman in the financial capital Dar es Salaam.

The gunman -- identified by police as Hamza -- went on a rampage on Wednesday and killed three officers and a private security guard in the city's diplomatic quarter, a rare attack in the East African nation.

Six other people were injured in the incident.

Footage broadcast on local media showed a man in a checked shirt and white Islamic cap armed with an assault rifle roaming the street near a city bus.

He was later seen being shot and falling to the ground close to the entrance of the French embassy.

At the ceremony on Friday, the slain officers and guard lay in honour as their colleagues and family members took turns to pay their last respects and eulogise them.

"This is a serious incident and we have something to learn," police chief Simon Sirro said.

"If the parents did their responsibility, what Hamza did could not have happened." Neighbours have expressed shock at the shooting, saying the attacker lived with his mother in a flat, some two kilometres (1.

2 miles) from where the incident took place.

"I knew him since he was a young boy. There was a time he disappeared until he came back recently," taxi driver Omary Issa said.

"He was an ordinary person whom we interacted like any other neighbour. I was really shocked and I really want to know what happened to him." The incident took place shortly after President Samia Suluhu Hassan hosted a meeting in Dar es Salaam of senior officers, where police chief Sirro said that crime had gone down in the year ending June.

Such attacks are rare in Tanzania, which has been largely peaceful in contrast to its volatile neighbours such as Mozambique.

President Hassan has urged police to conduct a thorough investigation into Wednesday's shooting, with Home Affairs Minister George Simbachawene promising to release a detailed report into the incident soon.

"We were hurt but the police will take measures to ensure such kind of incidents are not repeated," he said.

US ambassador to Tanzania Donald J. Wright also sent his condolences over the "senseless attack", tweeting his "deepest thanks to the brave law enforcement personnel who brought an end to the rampage".
LONDON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Another 38,281 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of corona-virus cases in the country to 6,628,709, according to official figures released Thursday.

The country also reported another 140 corona-virus-related deaths. The total number of corona-virus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 132,143. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

Meanwhile, the latest data from a COVID study app showed that corona-virus cases in Britain have risen by nearly a fifth in a week.

According to ZOE COVID Study, which tracks positive cases in millions of users, on average there are currently 51,961 new daily cases, up 19 percent from 43,693 new cases recorded last week.

It's estimated there are currently 15,309 new daily symptomatic cases in fully vaccinated people in Britain. Cases in this group have been rising steadily for the last week and now make up 29.4 percent of the total new daily cases.

"Unfortunately, we're back in a position where cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all going up and the UK has the highest rates of COVID in Europe, despite our superior vaccination rates," said professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Study app.

The scientist said that the rise in cases is down to the nation "eagerly declaring freedom", removing most restrictions and giving the virus the "opportunity to spread".

England lifted almost all its remaining COVID-19 restrictions on July 19. More than 88 percent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 77 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

According to estimates by Public Health England, the British vaccination programme has directly prevented between 102,500 and 109,500 deaths. The latest figures suggest that the programme has prevented between 23.8 and 24.4 million infections.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out corona-virus vaccines.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Friday said Mualana Fazlur Rehman's demand for fresh elections was 'illogical since he had no representation in the country's Parliamentary system

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Friday said Mualana Fazlur Rehman's demand for fresh elections was 'illogical since he had no representation in the country's Parliamentary system.

The present government would complete its five-year constitutional term, he said in a news statement while reacting to Mualana Fazlur Rehman's media talk in Multan.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would also emerge victorious in the next general elections on the basis of its stellar performance which based on serving the nation, he added.

Referring to Fazlur Rehman current political status, Farrukh said the 12th man, who did not have any role in the Parliamentary system of Pakistan for the first time, was panting like a fish out of water.

He said Mualana Fazalur Rehman and other politicians who faced the worst-ever defeat in July 25, 2018 polls would never forget that elections.

The minister said it seemed that Fazlur Rehman still considered himself as a part of the Parliamentary system, but he should know that the only parliamentary leadership was invited to the national security meetings.

He said 'rejected' Fazl had once again openly expressed his frustration and failures in the media talk. His lobbying against holding of local government elections was justified as his party did not have any roots at union council and wards level, the minister added.

Farrukh said the public rallies and meetings of leaderships of the parties to the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) were nothing but a bid to revive a 'dead horse'.

Their efforts to cause any harm to the government would prove futile as parties of the alliance (PDM) had incoherent ideologies, he added.

The minister said after exhausting all the options including protests, long march anden mass resignations to destabilize the government, the people, who used to come into the power through backdoors, were now hurling accusations over the state institutions for their failures.

He said the PTI had set a tradition of issuing yearly performance reports while being in the power. The erstwhile governments of opposition parties had nothing to share with public during their respective tenures, he added.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought comments from respondents in a case seeking cancellation of bail of therapy works' employees in Noor Mukadam murder case

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought comments from respondents in a case seeking cancellation of bail of therapy works' employees in Noor Mukadam murder case.

The court also sought the case record from additional district and session court.

Justice Aamer Farooq of IHC heard the case filed by Shaukat Mukadam, the father of the slain Noor Mukadam.

Petitioner's lawyer Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi said the accused had hid facts from the lower court. He said the plaintiff had also named therapy works' Chief Executive Officer Tahir Zahoor and other employees as accused in his supplementary statement.

A court had already dismissed the bail of Zahir Jaffar's parents, he said adding that the above decision was announced by another court.

After listening arguments, the court sought comments from respondent along with the case record and adjourned hearing of the case.
Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar Friday said the situation along Pakistan-Afghanistan Border was stable and required measures were placed to control mobility and contain unwanted movement

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar Friday said the situation along Pakistan-Afghanistan Border was stable and required measures were placed to control mobility and contain unwanted movement.

He was briefing media over evolving situation in Afghanistan and implied national security risks to be faced by the country.

The ISPR DG said the military situation in Afghanistan felled rather rapidly post United States forces withdrawal when the Ashraf Ghani regime knocked down on August 15.

He said Pakistan took appropriate measures to protect its side of the border which was stable and had controlled movement, adding, "It will have positive impact on the other side and will try to reciprocate it on the other side." He informed that the notified crossings along Pak-Afghan Border was closed due to fluctuating situation in Afghanistan whereas the Afghan National Army soldiers on two occasions sought refuge on Pakistani side.

"Pakistan Army has responded to their request and provided them shelter, food and safe passage to their country," he added.

The ISPR DG noted that there was chance of instability on Afghan Border, therefore, regular troops of Pakistan Army were deployed to ensure well-managed border security.

He said other than Afghanistan and its people Pakistanis were the biggest victim during the Russian War and Afghan conflict where the latter bore maximum brunt during the decades' long conflicts.

"Over 86,000 innocent lives have been lost in Pakistan during the war on terror and more than $102billion economic losses faced by the country that are still counting," he added.

Pakistan Army, he said, was engaged on three different fronts including Western, Eastern Borders and internal security to combat the menace of terrorism.

There were three major escalations on the eastern border when the Pakistan Army was engaged on the Afghan Border during the past two decades, he added.

Major General Babar said since 2014 over 12,000 ceasefire violations occurred on the line of control (LoC) where the security forces conducted 2,237 major operations leading to area clearance of 46,000 square kilometers from the terrorists.

"We have lost politicians, soldiers, artists, doctors, journalists, students, teachers and people from all strata of society that made the number of martyrs over 86,000," he said, adding, "With the support of our great nation and the armed forces, we have turned the tide and brought normalcy to our nation." While shedding light on the efforts of made by the highest military leadership to extend assistance to the Afghan National Army in capacity building and combating terrorism, he said the Pakistan Army engaged with the Afghan Army on military to military basis and developed several mechanisms including tripartite, bipartite, army working group and intelligence sharing effort since 2014 but none of it worked except the one that was established in 2018.

He added that there were five senior Pakistani military leadership's visits to Afghanistan among four of them made by the army chief. During these visits, Afghans were offered intelligence sharing and training of Afghan soldiers whereas only six Afghan army cadets came to Pakistan for training where hundreds of them went to India for training.

The ISPR DG also informed the media about the massive security build up launched to secure the 2,611 kilometers long Pak-Afghan Border.

He said, "There has been a massive capacity enhancement initiative launched by the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2018." The capacity beef up included induction of 60 new wings of Frontier Corps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan who were responsible to guard the western border, upgraded technology and biometrics at border terminals with further enhancement, new forts raised along the border, he added.

He briefed that almost 90 percent fencing along Pak-Afghan border was completed where many soldiers rendered sacrifices of their lives to make it a success and 50 percent fencing along Pak-Iran Border was completed.

"We fought this war with a whole of nation approach where operations Sherdil, Khyber-1 and Khyber-2, Zarb-e-Azb, Radd-ul-Fasaad etcetera are an epitome of insurmountable courage and resolve," he added.

General Iftikhar confirmed that there were undeniable evidences of RAW involvement and its nexus with NDS (Afghan Intelligence Agency) in Dassu, Gwadar and Lahore terrorist attacks.

He told that some 1,030 development projects were initiated in Balochistan and Tribal districts at a cost of over Rs900 billion where the armed forces were assisting the provincial and Federal governments in executing those projects.

The ISPR DG announced that this year 'Defence Day' on September would be marked with national zeal and fervour but with a new theme of "Watan Ki Matti Gawah Rehna" (the soil of the country be a witness to our endeavours of nation building and protection).

He said the main ceremony would be held with strict Covid-19 protocols and safety measures to avoid disease spread.

"The nation is urged to reach out to the families of the martyrs who spilled their blood for the motherland and pay their respects and salute to their valiant martyrs and their loved ones," he requested.

Responding to various media queries, he defied the assertions that the Taliban's Islamic regime to have any impact on Pakistan's setup. "Pakistan's Constitution and laws are in line with Islamic principles and public aspirations and it will have no impact on us," he said.

Despite the fact the there was fluid situation in Afghanistan but there was no risk of civil war to break out in that region, he replied to another query.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

At least 19 people were killed and dozens remain missing as a boat packed with passengers and a sand-laden cargo ship collided Friday in a lake in eastern Bangladesh, officials said

Dhaka, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :At least 19 people were killed and dozens remain missing as a boat packed with passengers and a sand-laden cargo ship collided Friday in a lake in eastern Bangladesh, officials said.

The boat was reportedly carrying some 60 passengers when the incident occurred on a lake in the town of Bijoynagar, local government administrator Hayat-ud-Doula Khan said.

The cargo ship's steel tip and the boat collided, causing the passenger vessel to capsize, he said.

"We have recovered 19 bodies including nine women and two children so far," he told AFP, adding that the toll would likely rise.

Local fire service spokesman Taufiqul islam said divers were searching the scene of the accident for more bodies, and that reinforcements had been called in from neighbouring towns.

Police said at least seven people were taken to a local hospital after they were rescued from the sunken boat.

The maritime accident was the latest in a string of similar incidents in the south Asian country.

In April and May, 54 were killed in two separate boat capsizing accidents.

Experts blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for many of the accidents.

Vessels transporting sand sit low in the water and can be hard to see in choppy conditions, particularly in poor lighting.

In June last year, a ferry sank in Dhaka after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people.

In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo boat.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have held a phone conversation to discuss joint counterterrorism efforts following a series of deadly attacks in Kabul, US Department of State spokesperson Ned price said.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab following the horrific terrorist attack in Kabul today. They agreed on the importance of continued close counterterrorism cooperation.

They also discussed international engagement on the future of Afghanistan," Price said in a statement on late Thursday.

On Thursday, at least four blasts targeted Kabul airport and its outskirts. The Islamic State-Khorasan terrorist group (banned in Russia) reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, at least 103 people - 90 Afghan civilians and 13 US servicemen - have been killed in the attacks, while other media report about more than 150 injured people.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The death toll from a series of explosions at an ammunition warehouse in Kazakhstan's southern Jambyl region reached nine on Friday, the country's Emergencies Ministry said

ALMATY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2021) The death toll from a series of explosions at an ammunition warehouse in Kazakhstan's southern Jambyl region reached nine on Friday, the country's Emergencies Ministry said.

On Thursday, a fire broke out at a military unit's warehouse, where engineering ammunition was stored, resulting in at least 10 explosions. As of Friday morning, the death toll stood at five.

A criminal probe into violation of the rules for handling weapons was launched. Residents of nearby settlements were evacuated.

"As a result of a blast in a military united stationed in the Bayzak district of the Jambyl region, according to the latest data, nine people got killed, including employees of the emergencies services, a military unit, a guard and military prosecutor's office. The identity of the victims is being established. The data on the missing 4 people is being investigated," the ministry said in a statement.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday discussed COVID-19 response measures, regional and international issues, as well as the Syrian conflict with Iran's new top diplomat Hossein Amir Abdollahian over the phone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The ministers discussed issues pertaining to the coordination in overcoming the consequences of COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that Lavrov and Abdollahian exchanged views on the bilateral, regional and international agenda.

"As for the Syrian conflict resolution, the parties confirmed their intention to continue close coordination of actions in the Astana format," the ministry said.

The top diplomats also touched upon Tehran's contact with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to potentially become a full-fledged member.

On Wednesday, the Iranian parliament approved 18 out of 19 members of President Ebrahim Raisi's government. Abdollahian was preceded by Javad Zarif.
Two British nationals and the child of a British national were among the 85 people so-far confirmed killed in the Kabul airport attack, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Friday

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2021 ) :Two British nationals and the child of a British national were among the 85 people so-far confirmed killed in the Kabul airport attack, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Friday.

"I was deeply saddened to learn that two British nationals and the child of another British national were killed by yesterday's terror attack, with two more injured," Raab said in a statement.
Scranton, PA  Today, United States Marshal Martin J. Pane announced the U.S. Marshals Service has extradited Angel Emilio Colon from the Dominican Republic to the U.S.. Colon is a 62-year-old man, formerly of Hazleton, who is charged with sex offenses alleged to have occurred in 2002. On August 23, 2002, the Pennsylvania State Police (Hazleton barracks) charged Colon with sexual abuse of children after the discovery of photographs in Colons possession that depicted a child in sexual positions. On September 17, 2002, the Hazleton Police Department charged Colon with rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault after a follow-up investigation of the photographs. Travel records revealed that Colon fled the U.S. to his native Dominican Republic, and in 2015 the U.S. Marshals Service adopted the fugitive case. The U.S. Marshals Service, its fugitive task force partners, state troopers, and Hazleton detectives pursued leads for more than seven years. In December of 2020, their diligence paid off when the Dominican Republic authorities arrested Colon, pursuant to an extradition request submitted by the U.S. On August 26, Colon was extradited to the U.S. This arrest is the direct result of cooperation between U.S. and Dominican law enforcement authorities, to include the U.S. Marshals Services International Branch, said U.S. Marshal Pane. Additionally, the persistence of the personnel assigned to the Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania ensured this man was brought to justice. It is my sincere hope this arrest brings some measure of comfort to the victim and their family. Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce issued a statement thanking the Dominican Republics law enforcement officials, U. S. Marshal Martin Pane, and his deputies. Criminals who think they can escape justice by fleeing the Commonwealth or even the country have repeatedly been proven wrong thanks to the cooperation among all law enforcement and especially thanks to the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Regardless of how long it takes, we are glad we are able to continue to cooperate and pursue criminals to bring them to justice despite where they may be hiding, said District Attorney Sanguedolce. The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in the Middle District of Pennsylvania is composed of 22 state, county, and local police agencies. Significant assistance was also provided by the Department of Justices Office of International Affairs and Dominican law enforcement authorities. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. ####



Americas First Federal Law Enforcement Agency


This photo provided by the French Army Thursday, Aug.26, 2021 shows Afghan refugees arriving in a military plane at Roissy airport, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug.25, 2021. At least 1720 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. (Eric Cadiou/Etat Major des Armees via AP)
The spiritual campaign in Zamboanga Archdiocese, October 13 to November 21, will help the faithful come closer to those who are hit by the pandemic and its effects.

By Robin Gomes

As the Philippines continues to battle rising numbers in Covid-19 infections and deaths, a bishop in the south is inviting his Catholics to join a 40-day spiritual campaign of fasting and penance.

The Philippines Covid-19 burden

The Philippines on Thursday confirmed 16,313 fresh cases of infections, bringing the countrys total to 1,899,222. The governments Department of Health (DOH) reported 236 fresh deaths, pushing the countrys total to 32,728. The DOH epidemiology bureau director, Alethea De Guzman said that infections and deaths were continuing to rise, especially in Metro Manila, home to over 13 million people. Since the last week of July, she said the country's coronavirus deaths have increased. Among the Southeast Asian nations, Indonesia tops the list with nearly 131,000 deaths, followed by the Philippines.

40-day spiritual campaign

Bishop Moises Cuevas, the apostolic administrator of Zamboanga Archdiocese released a pastoral letter on Tuesday saying the 40-day spiritual campaign will be held October 13 to November 21, in solidarity with those who suffer readily the effects of the pandemic and evoke the fasting and time of preparation of Christ in the wilderness.

"Beginning on October 13, 2021, he said, church bells shall be rung in our parishes at 8 p.m., followed by the prayer of the holy rosary to be participated by our clergy and a number of parishioners representing the community." The 47-year-old bishop said a series of catechesis are being organized for the weeks preceding the penitential activities. He asked parish priests to make arrangements for confessions for those who wish to engage in spiritual and moral renewal.

The 40-day period will end on Nov. 21, Christ the King Sunday, with a penitential walk from the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to the Shrine of Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar. The clergy and religious of the archdiocese will join the event.

Solidarity stations

Apart from the Covid-19 infections and deaths, the pandemic has had drastic effects on the economic and social life of the people, especially poor families and daily-wage earners. Bishop Cuevas said, The ongoing threat of Covid-19 continues to derail the normalcy of day to day living in the city, putting at risk those who are most vulnerable in their health conditions. As a community, we are still traversing on the verge of the unknown and most uncertain, while we precariously hold on to our emotional stability and the assurance that we are not left helpless in these present circumstances.

The bishop asked that the so-called Gifted to Give Stations be set up in all parishes for the benefit of poor and destitute members of the community. Gifted to Give, taken from Matthews Gospel (Ch. 10:8), is the theme for the current celebration of the jubilee year marking 500 years of the arrival of Christianity on Philippine soil, with the first Mass celebrated on March 31, 1521. Bishop Cuevas said that through the Gifted to Give Stations, "there will be a continuous distribution of material goods to be organized in our parishes in ensuring that we respond appropriately and care for our brothers and sisters in need." He has designated the newly established Archdiocesan Pandemic Management Office (APMO) to oversee the stations.

Word of God

The archdiocese is also launching a programme of Catechesis on the Word of God, in anticipation of the Sunday of the Word of God on Jan. 23 next year. Bishop Cuevas said this inter-parochial catechesis will be conducted online as a way of accompanying our faithful and those who continuously seek refuge in the Word of God in these trying times.

Bishop Cuevas, who was Auxiliary Bishop of Zamboanga was appointed Apostolic its Administrator by Pope Francis over 2 weeks ago on August 11, while 74-year old Archbishop Romulo de la Cruz is recovering from a stroke.
Wayne Taylor, of Fallbrook, is one of 43 local veterans to be recognized by Congressman Darrell Issa for his military service during the Vietnam war.

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Forty-three veterans from Fallbrook were recognized by Congressman Darrell Issa on Aug. 2 at a Vietnam Veteran Commemoration and Service Pinning event in Temecula.

Issa held similar events on Aug. 9 in Escondido and El Cajon. At the three sites, 340 Vietnam veterans were honored with 641 people in attendance. The total attendance at the Temecula event was 215, with 96 veterans recognized.

Fallbrook resident Wayne Taylor, who served in the Navy, was among those pinned in Temecula.

"It's great that the U.S. is honoring Vietnam era veterans in support of our service," Taylor said about the event. He said he served four years in the Navy beginning in 1974, aboard the USS John Kennedy. The Vietnam war was soon to end as he served on two tours in the Mediterranean and one in the North Atlantic. Afterwards, he served in the Navy Air Reserves and the California National Guard. He's lived in Fallbrook since 2003 and works as an Xray technician at Palomar Hospital.

"These veterans deserve the thanks of a grateful nation they were denied many years ago," said Issa, an Army veteran representing the 50th Congressional District.

"As it is nearly 50 years since the conclusion of the Vietnam War era, this is an ideal time for Americans to unite in the cause of recognizing in a unique way the valor and commitment of Vietnam-era veterans," Issa said. "The truth is that many of our Vietnam veterans did not receive the thanks of a grateful nation years ago. We're honored to help make that right."

As established by the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Program, Vietnam Era Eligibility refers to an individual who served in the U.S. military between November 1955 and May 1975.

Issa's district encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line.
Thousands of Afghans have arrived in the United States since the hurried evacuation of Afghanistan began in mid-August, including many who helped U.S. forces during their 20-year involvement in the country.

Why is the U.S. military evacuating Afghans?

President Joe Biden said the United States aimed to evacuate 50,000 to 65,000 Afghan allies before an August 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal.

Biden's estimate appeared to refer to Afghans who have applied for a humanitarian visa, known as a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), and their family members.

The U.S. government has declined to say how many Afghans have arrived in the United States since the evacuation from Kabul began or to describe their immigration status.

What is the SIV program?

SIVs are available to certain Afghans who aided U.S. forces  as interpreters and translators or in other roles  and fear reprisals by the Taliban, the Islamist militant group that swiftly seized power 11 days ago.

An estimated 5,000 SIV applicants have been evacuated from Afghanistan, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Association of Wartime Allies, a group advocating for SIV applicants in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The group estimates that 65,000 SIV applicants and family members remain in Afghanistan.

Who are the Afghans arriving in the U.S.?

U.S. military evacuation flights from Kabul have carried U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Afghan SIV applicants and other vulnerable Afghans, according to the Pentagon.

Among the Afghans entering the United States are people with approved SIVs and applicants to the program.

Other arriving Afghans may seek U.S. asylum or similar forms of relief, advocates say.

Afghans who lack valid immigration status when they arrive in the United States can be permitted to enter for a temporary period through "humanitarian parole."

The Biden administration has not said how many Afghans have been paroled into the United States, but advocates expect many arrivals will lack visas and require parole.

What happens to Afghans when they arrive in the U.S.?

U.S. evacuation flights so far have landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can go on to their destinations after they have been tested for COVID-19. SIV-eligible Afghans and other Afghan arrivals go to U.S. military bases in Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey for processing, according to people familiar with the procedure.

Afghans sent to the military bases receive a health screening and help in applying for work authorization, along with other services. The processing can take anywhere from a day to a week or more, a refugee staffer working at Fort Lee in Virginia told Reuters.

After processing at the military bases, Afghans will be connected with a U.S. refugee resettlement organization, a senior U.S. official said.

The groups provide SIV-eligible Afghans and others with housing, furniture and food, and help them adjust to life in the United States.

Are the arriving Afghans vetted for possible security threats?

Afghans seeking SIVs must complete a 14-step application process that includes a visa interview and security screening.

The Biden administration has said that SIV applicants further along in the application process have been allowed to enter the United States.

Applicants in earlier stages are being sent to third countries, including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Germany. In those countries, the Afghans undergo "robust security processing," the senior administration official said.

"That process involves biometric and biographic security screenings conducted by our intelligence, law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals who are working quite literally around the clock to vet all of these Afghans before they're allowed into the United States," the official said.

The Biden administration has not said what type of vetting would be applied to any Afghans entering the United States who are not applying to the SIV program.

Are U.S. refugee resettlement groups prepared?

U.S. refugee resettlement organizations typically receive at least two weeks' notice from the U.S. government or United Nations to prepare for new arrivals, but the hectic evacuation has cut that timeline to days or hours.

The hurried pace forced one refugee group in Texas to turn to emergency housing and petition for vacant Airbnb rental units, while others have scrambled to find mattresses and supplies for families.

U.S. refugee groups and immigration advocates have for months urged the Biden administration to quickly evacuate vulnerable Afghans and were frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of urgency before the Taliban took control of Kabul.

At the same time, the resettlement agencies are rebuilding after former President Donald Trump slashed refugee admissions to the lowest level since the U.S. program began in 1980, forcing the groups to cut staff and close offices.
U.S. President Joe Biden is vowing vengeance on those responsible for Thursday's deadly attacks outside the Kabul airport that killed at least 13 American military personnel and dozens of civilians who had gathered there in hopes of fleeing the Taliban-controlled country.

"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive," Biden said in a nationally broadcast address. "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a report on its news agency's Telegram channel, hours after suicide bombers had struck two locations along the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport: near the Abbey Gate and outside a nearby hotel.

A regional offshoot of Islamic State known as ISIS-Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, has been blamed for the attacks.

Biden said he had ordered commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities, saying, "We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing."

Shortly after the president's remark, the White House press secretary amplified his message: "We will hunt down these terrorists and kill them wherever they are."

At least 90 Afghans died in the attack, according to the Afghan news agency Pajhwok. Including the 13 American servicemen, more than 100 people were killed.

Eighteen injured American military personnel were being evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with surgical units, according to Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command.

A gun battle occurred after the bombings, U.S. General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said during a Pentagon news briefing

It was the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in a decade. That also made Thursday the most somber day of Biden's 7-month-old presidency, prompting the last-minute postponement of Biden's meeting with the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. During the gloomy afternoon, thunder echoed around the White House as a rainstorm enveloped Washington.

The loss of life also intensified political flashpoints around the Democratic president, with several Republican members of Congress immediately issuing statements saying Biden bore personal responsibility and calling for him to resign.

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin and General Milley should all resign or face impeachment and removal from office.  Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) August 26, 2021

Biden has failed the American people as Commander-in-Chief and does not deserve the respect of that title any longer.



See my full statement on the tragic deaths of American marines in Kabul today --> pic.twitter.com/p3PetNyLwK  Kevin Hern (@repkevinhern) August 26, 2021

"It's not a day for politics," replied Psaki, when asked about the resignation calls. "And we would expect that any American, whether they're elected or not, would stand with us and our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists wherever they live, and to honoring the memory of service members."

More than 100,000 people have left Afghanistan on evacuation flights, Biden said Thursday, vowing the evacuations would continue until the August 31 deadline to withdraw all troops.

"We will get Americans out who want to get out," the president said.

Biden and Psaki said there was no evidence, so far, of collusion between the Taliban, which seized control of Kabul nearly two weeks ago, and ISIS in carrying out the attacks.

The United Nations and NATO condemned the attacks, as did Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

Speaking about the first blast, a senior Taliban source confirmed to VOA that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in an area holding a large number of people.

The explosions came hours after Western governments had warned of the threat of a terror attack at the airport and said those gathered in the area should move to a safe location.

"The overall sense of mission is focused right now at the (passenger) terminal. Lots of Marines and consular officers cared deeply about the Afghans we were helping," said a U.S. State Department official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. is "trying to carry on with the mission ahead while knowing our security is severely compromised," the official said. "Attacks occurred right at our shift change; otherwise, consular officers might have been casualties, too."

Many of those wounded Thursday arrived at Kabul's Emergency Hospital, run by an international nongovernmental organization that treats victims of war and landmines. Afghan news channels tweeted pictures of civilians transporting their wounded in wheelbarrows.

In Pictures: People injured in explosion near Kabul airport pic.twitter.com/WQ8sdjvODG  1TVNewsAF (@1TVNewsAF) August 26, 2021

Pakistan officials have asked that beginning Friday, hotels across the capital, Islamabad, cancel reservations and keep all rooms at the government's disposal for at least three weeks to accommodate the thousands of foreigners being urgently evacuated from Afghanistan.

Biden on Thursday issued a proclamation lowering U.S. flags across the country through August 30 "as a mark of respect for the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack."

Minutes later, the flag above the White House was lowered to half-staff.

The flag has just been lowered here at the @WhiteHouse. pic.twitter.com/0T4o4g7fn1  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 26, 2021

Ayaz Gul, Ayesha Tanzeem, Carla Babb, Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
Crowds of people desperate to leave Afghanistan returned to Kabuls airport Friday as evacuation flights out of the country resumed, a day after horrendous bombings just outside the airport killed over 100 people.

At least 90 Afghans died in the attack, according to the Afghan news agency Pajhwok. Including the 13 American servicemen, more than 100 people were killed.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a report on its news agency's Telegram channel, hours after suicide bombers struck two locations along the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, near the Abbey Gate and outside a nearby hotel. A gun battle occurred after the bombings, said U.S. General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, during a Pentagon news briefing.

A regional offshoot of Islamic State known as ISIS-Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, has been blamed for the attacks.

U.S. President Joe Biden is vowing vengeance on those responsible.

"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive," Biden said in a nationally broadcast address. "We will hunt you down and make you pay."

Biden said he had ordered commanders to develop operational plans to strike ISIS-K assets, leadership and facilities, saying, "We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing."

It was the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in a decade. That also made Thursday the most somber day of Biden's seven-month-old presidency, prompting the last-minute postponement of Biden's meeting with the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. During the gloomy afternoon, thunder echoed around the White House as a rainstorm enveloped Washington.

More than 100,000 people have left Afghanistan on evacuation flights, Biden said Thursday, vowing the evacuations would continue until the August 31 deadline to withdraw all troops.

"We will get Americans out who want to get out," the president said.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Thursdays deadly attacks outside the airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Taliban and Russian officials said at least 13 people were killed in what Guterres called a terrorist attack as crowds of Afghans gathered at the airport to flee the country in the last days of an enormous airlift after the Talibans recent takeover of the country.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, A number of U.S. service members were killed.

During a briefing, the U.N.s Dujarric told reporters This incident underscores the volatility of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan, but also strengthens our resolve as we continue to deliver urgent assistance across the country in support of the Afghan people.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted that he strongly condemned the horrific terrorist attack and said the priority of the alliance remains to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible.

I strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack outside #Kabul airport. My thoughts are with all those affected and their loved ones. Our priority remains to evacuate as many people to safety as quickly as possible.  Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) August 26, 2021

Taliban official Suhail Shaheen said, We strongly condemn this gruesome incident and will take every step to bring the culprits to justice.

A U.S. official said Islamic State was believed to have carried out the attacks, for which no one has claimed responsibility.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the attacks as barbaric. He also said the attacks underscore the importance of continuing the evacuations in as fast and as efficient manner as possible in the hours that remain to us before the August 31 deadline.

After the first attack, Britains transportation ministry issued an advisory to airlines to avoid flying below 7,620 meters over Afghanistan.

The Associated Press and Reuters provided some information for this report.
Army Specialist Christopher Horton was a sniper who was killed in ambush in eastern Afghanistan on September 9, 2011. He was 26 years old. His widow, Jane Horton, is an advocate for fallen soldiers and the families they leave behind, known as Gold Star families.
Barbara A. Higgins age 65 of Alexandria died on Monday, August 23, 2021, at Sanford Health in Fargo. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 1:00 PM on Friday, September 10, 2021, at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Visitation will be held for one hour prior the service at the fu
Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.



Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

Contribute:

Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.

Flag as inappropriate.

Mark as helpful or interesting.

Send your own user report!

Munster (18.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : langeres Zittern den ganzen Wohnblocks, leichtes klirren der Weinglaser | 7 users found this interesting.

6322 Kirchbichl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Wie wenn man in einem Altbau direkt unter den zugschienen wohnt. kurzes rutteln/regale und kasten klapperten. Im stehen deutlich zu spuren (3.Stock). Dauerte wenige Sekunden. | 6 users found this interesting.

Alpbach (10.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating : Loud shaking | 6 users found this interesting. Ma table de chevet a trembler pendant une minute, il y a une un grand tremblement. / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Hju | 6 users found this interesting.

Kufstein, Siebenburgerstr. 22 (22.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : I was sitting in the kitchen, working. Suddenly there was a slight rattling of the dishes in the cupboard, a slight rumbling, and simultaneously I felt a sort of bucking of my seat, as if sitting in a vehicle. I felt a slight vertigo and wondered what had happened. Never before experienced an earth-quake! Then I googled the thing, and found that there was a slight quake in this area yesterday. Commented, and then the news came on about this one. | 5 users found this interesting.

Niederau, Kufstein, Tyrol (9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : War komisch | 3 users found this interesting.

Fugen, Schwaz, Tyrol (15.7 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 20-30 s : Hat sich angehort und angefuhlt wie ein groer felssturz | 3 users found this interesting.

6365 Kirchberg in Tirol, Stocklfeld 7 (20.1 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Wir lagen zum Zeitpunkt des Bebens auf einem Bockspringbett. Es fuhlte sich an als hatte jemand gerade eine Vibrationsplatte unterm Bett eingeschaltet. Zudem war ein kleines klappern vom Schrank zu horen. Dieser besitzt eine Schiebetur | 3 users found this interesting.

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Das beben war klar zu spuren - die Turen des kleiderschranks haben stark gezittert. | 3 users found this interesting.

Kirchbichl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Der Boden und die Mobel haben stark vibriert, Geschirr im Schrank geklappert | 3 users found this interesting.

Westendorf (13.3 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s Es grollte und wacketegleich Zeitig unser Hund war kurz vorher unruhin und jammert | 3 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Kirchberg in Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Erdbeben | 3 users found this interesting.

Matrei in Osttirol, Lienz, Tyrol (54.4 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : Leichtes horizontales Schwingen | 2 users found this interesting.

Rottach-Egern, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria (42.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : whole house was shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

Augsburg, Swabia, Bavaria (143.1 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Chair was wobelling and the windows made noises | 2 users found this interesting.

Kiefersfelden, Deutschland (26.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Das Bett ruttelte als ob jemand unter dem Bett liegt und es ruttelt. Ich erschrak erst bis mir bewusst wurde, dass es ein Erdbeben war. | 2 users found this interesting.

Pertisau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : It was like some air wave. | 2 users found this interesting.

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Ich und meine Familie wurden wach | 2 users found this interesting.

6306 Soll (19.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Rutteln uber mehrere Sekunden, das ganze Haus hat gewackelt und Balken haben geknarrt! | 2 users found this interesting.

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : MIRROR AND glass cupboard shake for a moment. | 2 users found this interesting.

Kundl (12.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Short shaking but definitely feelable | 2 users found this interesting.

6232 Munster (18.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Sehr unheimlich wenn man es noch nie gespurt hat. | 2 users found this interesting.

Scheffau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : 23:16 Uhr: Kurzes Beben des Bodens, Holzfenster hat geknarzt (RR) | 2 users found this interesting.

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : 3-5 Sekunden beben... Glaser Schrank Turen haben gewakelt | 2 users found this interesting.

Hopfgarten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Two consecutive bumps | 2 users found this interesting.

Worgl / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / very short : I felt it but for very short time | 2 users found this interesting.

near Alpbach, Kufstein, Tyrol (5.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : The floor was shaking for a few moments. It went from left to right | One user found this interesting.

Kirchberg in Tirol, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (17.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I heard a bang and the house was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Hopfgarten im Brixental, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (10.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : It was a good shake. But my stupid dog didn't warn us. | One user found this interesting.

Achenkirch, Schwaz, Tyrol (30.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : im Bett beim Einschlafen verspurt; kurzes Rauschen gehort | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein, Tyrol (26.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Viebrationen auf der Couch und an der wohnwand | One user found this interesting.

near Bad Gastein, St. Johann im Pongau District, Salzburg (73.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Felt it | One user found this interesting.

Mayrhofen, Schwaz, Tyrol (27.4 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Onze hotelkamer ging trillen | One user found this interesting.

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Quite long (30 seconds)! Flowers were swinging for about a minute. | One user found this interesting.

Niederau, Kufstein, Tyrol (8.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Great | One user found this interesting.

Breitenbach am Inn, Kufstein, Tyrol (15.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Leicht mulmiges Gefuhl ! | One user found this interesting.

Kaltern (Bozen) -Sudtirol-Italien / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : Gut spurbares Rutteln | One user found this interesting.

Ellmau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Es fuhlte sich wie eine Deuckwelle an | One user found this interesting.

Muhltal / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : We felted and heared a Sharing in the bed | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein, A-6330 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : Felt light shaking while sitting on a very heavy sofa, saw ripples in glass of water for several seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Kramsach (16.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I have never felt an earth quake now Im scared | One user found this interesting.

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s : Leichtes Rucken | One user found this interesting.

mayrhofen / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : tisch in bewegung | One user found this interesting.

6280 Zell am Ziller / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : War ein eigenartiges und unheimliches Gefuhl als die Bank auf der ich sa kurz wackelte... Dazu horte ich ein leises Grollen drauen. | One user found this interesting.

Bichling, westendorf (72.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Zware trilling voor circa 3 sec. | One user found this interesting.

Brixen im Thale / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : 2 mal hintereinander ein deutlich spurbarer Rumms | One user found this interesting.

Inneralpbach / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Table shaked | One user found this interesting.

worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : glaser im kasten und kasten selbst hat gewackelt- auch hat der lampenschirm geschauckelt | One user found this interesting.

Stans 6135 (26.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Wohne im 2. Stockwerk.Ein leichtes wackeln der Auenwande des Hauses. | One user found this interesting.

Kiefersfelden, Bayern (28.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : My bed Was shaking and the wall wtf HAHAHAHAHAH i thought it was jinns or something | One user found this interesting.

Zell am Ziller / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : Empfundenes Ruckeln. Wackeln des Bettes. Knarrgerausch des Schrankes. Dumpfes Grollen bei geoffnetem Fenster. | One user found this interesting.

Kirchbichl / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : 2-3 Sekunden tiefer Donnerton, 3-5 Sekunden intensives seitliches Schutteln | One user found this interesting.

Zell am Ziller (20.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : 1-2 sec was our house bouncing with noise of kinda creaky walls of our house. | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein (23 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe : Shaking in all sides pictures and cups falling down | One user found this interesting.

Scheffau (22.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I felt a light shaking when i was in bed and i also heard it very well it was a similar soud what i know from avalanches. My furnitures wer also a little bit rattling. | One user found this interesting.

Munchen, Germany (92.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Small bump to my sofa | One user found this interesting.

St.Johann in Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Das Bett wackelte,das Stiegengelander wackelte. | One user found this interesting.

Alpbach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Short rumble | One user found this interesting.

Wildschonau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Vom Schutteln aus leichtem Schlaf erwacht | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : I felt the shake because the glass, windows and myself were shaked | One user found this interesting.

Gerlos (16.4 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It was scarry | One user found this interesting.

Westendorf / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : Dumpfer lauter Knall,Glaser klierren,vibration auf der Caoch | One user found this interesting.

Thiersee / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Rollendes Gerausch, und Bewegungen auf Sofa. | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein (20.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Knbjj | One user found this interesting.

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bang (like explosion) and light shaking for about 3 seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Munchen (93 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Das Kannapee hat leicht gewackelt | One user found this interesting.

wald im pinzgau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Es war 23.16 Uhr einem einmaligen horizontalen schock, kommend vom norden in richting suden. | One user found this interesting.

Brixlegg (16 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Light shake | One user found this interesting.

Westendorf, Tirol / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Zuerst wie ein Donnern dann erst ein Schutteln | One user found this interesting.

6323 Bad Haring / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking inside the house | One user found this interesting.

6361 (10.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Bewegung | One user found this interesting.

Oberndorf in Tirol (27.5 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt Nothing | One user found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / not felt

Kramsach (17 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Not much | One user found this interesting.

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Fernseher starker gewackelt | One user found this interesting.

Angerberg / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : I feel it | One user found this interesting.

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) : My bed was shaking, because I was asleep and woke up from it. | One user found this interesting.

6300 Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Ich war auf dem Balkon im 1.stock und auf einmal vibrierte alles .Es fuhlte sich an an ware in der Erde was gewalltiges explodiert. | One user found this interesting. Das kann ich nur bestatigen. Dieses Gerausch habe ich vorher noch nie gehort, danach vibrierte alles. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Alpbach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : ich habe ein Rutteln gespurt als ob ein schwerer Bagger vorbei fahren wurde | One user found this interesting.

Mayrhofen / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : In bed and bed was shaking left and right. Wardrobe rattling | One user found this interesting.

Tulfes / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : Habe mich Erschrocken | One user found this interesting.

Gerlos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Vibration | One user found this interesting.

Stumm / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Woke up | One user found this interesting.

Oberaudorf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking of the house | One user found this interesting.

In appartement in Niederau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : First a strange noise (like something fell off of a truck) and Then it started shaking. Windows were vibrating. | One user found this interesting.

Niederau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Woke up from it | One user found this interesting.

Hopfgarten-Markt / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I woke up due to the noise and shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : One bump followed by vibrations. | One user found this interesting.

Unterer Sonnberg, Brixen im Thale (15.9 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : felt and heard it ripple through apartment | One user found this interesting.

Kirchbichl / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Starkes vibrieren | One user found this interesting.

Schwoich (21.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt it very well | One user found this interesting.

Pertisau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Beds shaking in 5th Floor | One user found this interesting.

Radfeld (15.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Like somebody Walk on the roof | One user found this interesting.

Angath (16.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : . | One user found this interesting.

Oberau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : Floor shook on the second floor Plates and classes shook Glass trembeld | One user found this interesting.

Brixen im Thale / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : The house shaked like something drove into it | One user found this interesting.

Mayrhofen (27.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : 2 quick shakes | One user found this interesting.

Ellmau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : One strong lateral shake. Maybe 3 | One user found this interesting.

Munster 6232 Austria / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Light shake | One user found this interesting.

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : ! | One user found this interesting.

Matrei in Osttirol, Lienz, Tyrol (54.4 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : Leichtes horizontales Schwingen

Matrei in Osttirol, Lienz, Tyrol (54.4 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : Leichtes horizontales Schwingen

Matrei in Osttirol, Lienz, Tyrol (54.4 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : Leichtes horizontales Schwingen

Bad Haring, Kufstein, Tyrol (17 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Das Bett hat ziemlich hin und her gewackelt und es war ein lauter Knall/ Poltern zu horen

Zurich (Kreis 12) / Saatlen, Zurich (265.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Vienna (336.1 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

near Kaltenbach, Schwaz, Tyrol (16.1 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser, Kufstein, Tyrol (17.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Niederfullbach, Upper Franconia, Bavaria (327.7 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Niederau, Kufstein, Tyrol (9.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bayrischzell, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria (33.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Fugen, Schwaz, Tyrol (17.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Jochberg, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (26.9 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kiefersfelden (29.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Schwaz, Tyrol (26.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Wattens, Politischer Bezirk Innsbruck Land, Tyrol (37 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : I have just felt two or thre lateral movements and low wood creakig noises

Jenbach, Schwaz, Tyrol (22.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

near Lienz, Tyrol (72.9 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Hone (27 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

IGLS (37.7 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : this is a wuake

Soll (17.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Furniture shook

Bad Haring, Kufstein, Tyrol (16.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Jenbach, Schwaz, Tyrol (22.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kufstein, Tyrol (25.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

near Bad Gastein, St. Johann im Pongau District, Salzburg (74.3 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (12.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kirchbichl, Kufstein, Tyrol (15.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short

Schliersee, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria (39.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Reith im Alpbachtal, Kufstein, Tyrol (15.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Achenkirch, Schwaz, Tyrol (31 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Hopfgarten im Brixental, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (8.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Alpbach, Kufstein, Tyrol (10.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Itter, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (9.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Mayrhofen, Schwaz, Tyrol (25.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (12.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Jenbach, Schwaz, Tyrol (22.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Hopfgarten im Brixental, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (11.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Radstadt, St. Johann im Pongau District, Salzburg (102.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Kufstein (24.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bad Haring, Kufstein, Tyrol (16.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Very short shake and rumble

Jenbach, Schwaz, Tyrol (22.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Schwaz, Tyrol (27.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

6300 Worgl (12.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Alpbach, Kufstein, Tyrol (8.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Hopfgarten im Brixental (7.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Oberau, Kufstein, Tyrol (8.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Oberau, Kufstein, Tyrol (9.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump

Brixen im Thale, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (12.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

near Neukirchen am Grovenediger, Zell am See, Salzburg (13.8 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Fugen, Schwaz, Tyrol (18.8 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl, Kufstein, Tyrol (13.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Hopfgarten im Brixental, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol (12.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser, Kufstein, Tyrol (18.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Pill, Schwaz, Tyrol (29.9 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Niederau, Wildschonau, Kufstein / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : loud bangs, saw wall shake in 2nd floor bedroom for 2s

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / very short : Ich lag schon im Bett und wollte gerade einschlafen. Es gab auf einmal ein Ruck, sodass ich meinte das Bett fallt nach unten. Leichtes vibrieren meinte ich dann noch zu spuren.

Oberau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Katze sprang ca 5 Minuten vor dem beben plotzlich vom Schlaf auf. Das beben erinnerte mich an das drehen einer groen steinernen Kugel.

St Johann In Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake : Leichtes rutteln

6391 Fieberbrunn / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : leichtes Boden vibrieren

Niederau, Wildschonau, Kufstein / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : loud bangs, saw wall shake in 2nd floor bedroom for 2s

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Niederau, Wildschonau, Kufstein / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : loud bangs, saw wall shake in 2nd floor bedroom for 2s

Reith (15.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Oberau wildschonau hotel tirolerhof (8.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Vibrating sound like a big truck hit the building.

Fugen / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

Wildschonau / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Wald im pinzgau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Just a couple of seconds after a slight movement, my wife asked me: Did you feel that? And then we realised that this might be a bergrush nearby. Btw: it was hardly to feel, very weak.

Westendorf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : First heard a rumbling sound, than the house trembled, no movement of objects in the house.

Muhltal / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : We felted and heared a Sharing in the bed

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Sondrio (214.5 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Thiersee / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : The beed has vibrated a little

Ellmau (23 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : It is wird to feel

niederau, sonnhangweg / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : like a detonation from a shot, but without sound - like a wave from a detonation, and like the house was moving forward

Oberaudorf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking of the house

Hopfgarten / Light shaking (MMI IV)

D-82515 Wolfratshausen / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bad Haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Wildschonau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Schlitters, Austria (17.6 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Light shaking

Kufstein / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Leichtes Rutteln von ca.2Sekunden

Schwaz / not felt

Brixlegg / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Auffach (7.5 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Bett hat gewackelt

Wald im Pinzgau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Bad Haring / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I live on the top floor of a 4story building. It felt like the whole room was shaking, and the roof was about to break off. I was awake at the time 23:15.

Mayrhofen / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : In bed and bed was shaking left and right. Wardrobe rattling

Hopfgarten (8.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Brixlegg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Wakes me up while sleeping, vibrating, windows makes sounds, only 1-2 seconds, then silence...

Angath / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating : Wurde dadurch wach. Es kam mir so vor, als wurde eine Straenwalze am Haus vorbei fahren.

Niederau, Wildschonau, Kufstein / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : loud bangs, saw wall shake in 2nd floor bedroom for 2s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : Room was shaking

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed was shaking

Kirchbichl / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Starkes vibrieren

Kufstein, Schluiferstrae 8 / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : Es war sehr stark zu spuren, so als wurde dasHaus gestoen oder verschoben. Lampe bewegte sich nicht, keine Schaden. Es war ein sehr starker Sto, im Moment dachte ich, ein Orkan verschiebt mein Haus

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

Uderns (16.6 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Fugen (17.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s Es hat sich so angefuhlt als ob das Haus einen kleinen Schritt machen wurde. (reported through (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Mein Bett wackelte.

Fugen (17.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Scheffau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Bad Haring / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : leichtes grollen und vibrieren

6305 Itter (14.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Aschau im Zillertal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Westendorf Tirol (11.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : Hund war aufgeregt, ist aufgesprungen.

Kirchbichl tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Mein Bett wiegt 800kg und es war ein ein rutteln

Achenkirch / Tyrol / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Worgl / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Thiersee (24.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : dumpfer Knall wie langes donnern Fenster vibrieren

Wildschonau, Auffach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Wir lagen gerade im Bett als und das Beben vollig uberraschte

Ellmau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Short shake left to right

Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Breitenbach am Inn / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Reith im Alpbachtal / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Bramberg am Wildkogel / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Zell am Ziller / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Kundl (12.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

6370 Kitzbuhel / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Soll (17.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Achenkirch / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Angerberg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Felt like one big swoosh of air coming from south then the table i was sitting on vibrated shortly (~1s) audible. I live in the second floor, my downstairs neighbors didn't feel anything.

6330 Kufstein / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Hopfgarten im brixental / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Was very sudden.

Pertisau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / very short : Ich lag schon im Bett und wollte gerade einschlafen. Es gab auf einmal ein Ruck, sodass ich meinte das Bett fallt nach unten. Leichtes vibrieren meinte ich dann noch zu spuren.

Wildschonau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Praha 4 - Komorany (338.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

6361 Kelchsau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6250 Kundl (12.6 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Ellmau (23.4 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

83727 Schliersee, Weindl-Lenz-Str. (40.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Deutliches wackeln wahrgenommen.

6250 kundl, tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

6335 Landl (24.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Gegenstande sind umgefallen

wildschonau

Itter, Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s : The roof cracked and it felt like it could cave in. The whole house shook ( its a big farmhouse).

Westendorf / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kundl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

6361 (10.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Bewegung

Worgl / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

6361 Hopfgarten im Brixental / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Seefeld in Tirol (66.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt : Nothing felt

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Loud rumble and shaking

Hopfgarten im Brixental / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kufstein, Austria / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s

6306 Soll, Wies 62 / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

Schwoich / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

6290 Mayrhofen / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : very weak short earthquake

Going am Wilden Kaiser / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : Es waren Stoe zu spuren in kurzen Abstanden ahnlich wie ein vibrieren, nur viel starker.

Westendorf in Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : We heard lot of noice, felt a bit movement. Very short time, then it was already over.

Oberaudorf / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Muhltal (7.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : We feel and hear the shaking in the bed.

Feichten / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

Neustift (76.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Alpbach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

6233 Kramsach / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Bad Haring / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

6300 Worgl Tirol (90.2 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Niederau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Alpbach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Eichstatt at Home (183.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Gerlos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Breitenbach am Inn / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s

Gerlosberg (19.9 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Brixen im Thale / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Mayrhofen (21 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

6334 / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Brixlegg 6230 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

Wald Konigsleiten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe

Niederau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Maurach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Wildschonau Muhltal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Sappada (100.9 km SSE of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Scheffau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Westendorf (11.4 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Augsburg (137.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Vaterstetten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Oberau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

Buch in Tirol (23.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

6361 kelchsau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Schwaz (27.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Breitenbach am Inn / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

6263 Fugen / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

6234 Brandenberg (231.5 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Jenbach (16.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Kramsach (17.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Maurach (27 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6300 worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Stumm (16.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Radfeld / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Brixen im thale / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Munich / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

Mayrhofen / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Tirol St.margarethen buch in tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Schwoich / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Itter / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kufstein / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bad Haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

6300 Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Untere Nasensiedlung, 6305 Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

KALTENBACH / Light shaking (MMI IV)

soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Itter (11.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Hart im Zillertal / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Mayrhofen / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Rumble or vibration feeling, felt on the first floor apartment building. Slightly stronger vibration than when a big lorry passes by.

Itter, Austria / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Ellmau Tirol (19.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : a loud 'bang', rhen the house shook and windows & stuff rattled

Kirchbichl (15.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Brixen in Sudtirol / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Hopfengarten / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kramsach (16.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Westendorf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Brixen im thale / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Ellmau (23 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : It is wird to feel

Kufstein / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Munster (18.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Hippach / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Bad Haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Reith im Alpbachtal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Mayrhofen / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Scare

Fugen / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Jesus Maria

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

Zell am Ziller / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Langkampfen / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s : Es war sehr laut und man hat ca 7 sec stark das wackeln gespurt. Gruselig

Ellmau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Short shake left to right

Inneralpbach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Kufstein/zell (24.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Hard shake, single bump

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Alpbachtal / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Merkwurdig und angsteinfloend. Laute Gerausche waren vernehmbar.

Maurach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

6365 Kirchberg in Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Leichtes schutteln im Bett

6300 Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 s

Albbach (10.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kirchberg in Tirol / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kirchbichl, Auatria / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

6320 Angerberg, Embach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Westendorf / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Westendorf Tirol / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Wildschonau - Oberau, 6311 (8.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Worgl (73.5 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Rumpeln leichtes Schutteln Bett wackeln

Soll, Tyrol / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Furniture shook

Jenbach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Hopfgarten im Brixental / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Radfeld / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Westendorf / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Munster (19.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Ahrntal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : The mirror and picture on the wall was shaking for a few seconds.. Maybe 2sec

Reith bei kitzbuhel (24.5 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Inneralpach (8.2 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Zell am Ziller / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Hotel (4 Stock) hat ein wenig gewackelt, aber nicht so doll, dass Dinge umgefallen sind o.a.

Kirchbichl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Snorring noice and the house was schaking for 2-5 seconds

6330 / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Hab es um 23:15 deutlich im Wohnzimmer wahrend dem Tv schauen gespurt!Die Bilder haben sich bewegt

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Alpbach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : The whole house was shaking

Alpbach, Tirol / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : I have never experienced an earthquake, but I had no doubt, that this was one.

Westendorf / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 10-15 s

Woergl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Ramsau im Zillertal / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kolsassberg / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

uderns / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6353 Going / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Worgl / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

Radfeld / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Light schakung of our hotel during 2 to 3 seconds

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Kundl Tirol / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Ich hatte Angst

Hart im Zillertal / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Soll / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Going / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s

Angath / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kiefersfelden / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

jenbach (22.4 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Reith im Alpbachtal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Stumm / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

6351 Scheffau / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

6300 Worgl (12.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s

Westendorf (12.2 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Worgl / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s

Hopfgarten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Konigsleiten im Pinzgau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Brixlegg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

6321 Angath / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Mayrhofen / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Soll / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Hopfgarten im Brixental / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Soll Austria / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

Kirchberg in Tirol / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bad haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Kundl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Zell am Ziller (21.2 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Angerberg (15.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Westendorf / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Ried im Zillertal / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Niederau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6320 Angerberg / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Oberau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

6341 Ebbs (26.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Worgl (13.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s

Bad Haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Hopfgarten im Brixental / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

6361 Hopfgarten im Brixental / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Brixen im Thale (16.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

kramsach (16.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6334 Schwoich / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6235 Reith im Alpbachtal (14.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Gerlos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

6321 Angath / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

5741 Rosental (19.1 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Rattling and vibrating of the whole house for a couple of seconds, felt on an upper floor

Regensburg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

Kramsach / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Soll / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

6363 Westendorf / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kirchberg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

6361 Penningberg (7.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Kirchberg / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

6305 Itter / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating

Konigsleiten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kirchberg (21.2 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

munich / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Erpfendorf (38.3 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Itter / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Fugen (14 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s

Gerlosberg / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bad Abbach (174.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kufstein (25.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Worgl / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

6330 Kufstein, Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Zell am Ziller / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Thiersee / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

6334 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Like Something heavy fell on the rooth of our house

Soll / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Jenbach / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Wildschonau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Aschau (18.1 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Salvenmoos (15.7 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Niederau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Itter / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Kirchbichl (13.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Mariastein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bad Haring / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Soll / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Wildschonau / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Kufstein / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Itter (12.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Kufstein / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Wattens / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kitzbuhel / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Worgl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Krimml / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

6361 hopfgarten / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Vaterstetten / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

gosau (18.7 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Wildschonau 6314 Tirol / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Kufstein / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Maurach am achensee / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Kundl / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Scheffau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Alpbach, Austria / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

6323 (16.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Hopfgarten / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Itter (13.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Weinranntl Strae 16 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Bayrischzell / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Worgl / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

6235 Reith im Alpbachtal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Auffach / Light shaking (MMI IV)
"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay." That was President Biden's message last night for those responsible for yesterday's deadly attack in Kabul.

Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Afghanistan

Thirteen US service members and at least 90 Afghans were killed in a pair of bombing attacks outside the airport in Kabul where thousands of people had gathered in recent days to escape Taliban rule. Right after the explosions, gunmen opened fire on service members and civilians. At least 140 people were injured in the attack, including 18 US service members. US officials had warned that the chaotic and violent exit from Afghanistan could make the area vulnerable to renewed terrorist activity, and Biden said the risk of an attack was one of the reasons he was adhering to the August 31 withdrawal deadline, despite the deteriorating situation on the ground.

Who is behind it: ISIS in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, claimed that an ISIS militant carried out the suicide attack but has not provided evidence to support the claim. This branch of the ISIS terror group first emerged in Syria and Iraq, and Afghanistan-based cells have been carrying out devastating suicide attacks in the country since 2016. The group is a sworn enemy of the Taliban. In the hours and days before the attack, US officials said they were aware of a "very specific threat stream" from the group. At the time, US diplomats ordered all Americans away from some airport gates.

What the situation on the ground is like now: The US is pressing forward with evacuations, including the roughly 1,000 Americans still in Afghanistan. Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, head of US Central Command, says there are still "extremely active threat streams against the airfield." He also says the US military is using attack helicopters and other aircraft to defend the airport. Biden said he would authorize whatever military leaders need, including more troops, to complete the mission. Meanwhile, scenes of carnage, rescue and grief continue to unfold in the attacks' aftermath.

What comes next: The attack has focused more scrutiny on Biden, who was already being criticized for what some considered a hasty and disorganized exit from Afghanistan. Republican adversaries have vowed Biden will face a "reckoning" over the attack. Biden defended his decision to stick to the troop withdrawal timeline and his withdrawal plan in general, saying, "It was time to end a 20-year war." More existential questions lie ahead, like what the US' moral obligation is to an Afghanistan left vulnerable to terrorism and how the US should recognize the rising Taliban rule there.

2. SCOTUS

The Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's eviction moratorium, which was extended at the beginning of August to provide continued relief during the pandemic. Landlord groups balked at the extension, and the Supreme Court decided such a move would require new legislation. The White House said because of the ruling, families will face more evictions and more dangers from Covid-19.

3. Tropical Storm Ida

Tropical Storm Ida is heading toward the US Gulf Coast and could develop into a hurricane by the time it arrives. The system is now threatening the Caribbean with winds of 40 mph. It will impact Cuba today before likely reaching the US by Sunday. Residents in Louisiana, where the storm is forecast to hit, are preparing for potential rains and hurricane-force winds.

Check your local forecast here>>>

4. Coronavirus

The CDC issued a health advisory yesterday warning doctors and the public about the "rapid increase" in prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin. Calls to poison control centers about the drug have increased threefold compared to the number of similar calls before the pandemic, the CDC said. One doctor in Arkansas is being investigated after he admitted he's prescribed the drug thousands of times to patients despite warnings.

5. Trump lawsuit

Seven US Capitol Police officers are suing former President Trump and some far-right entities, saying they should be held responsible for the events of January 6 and ultimately put police in danger with their misinformation and provocations. Among the defendants are alleged members of the far-right extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. The suit is the latest in a long string of legal actions that aim to hold Trump liable for the insurrection.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

'Dancing with the Stars' will feature a same-sex dancing pair for the first time

JoJo Siwa of "Dance Moms" fame will be paired with a female dance pro.

Peloton is giving its bike another price cut

The reduced price tag? $1,495.

Wendy's is upgrading its french fries

It wants to decrease the sogginess and increase the crunch.

What does it mean when cats knead with their paws?

Basically, it's cat for "I like you!"

TODAY'S NUMBER

55,000

That's how many flavored e-cigarette products the US Food and Drug Administration has blocked from the market in its first big ban of e-cigarette products. Such products have been controversial because of their appeal to kids and teens.

AND FINALLY

'Songs My Mother Taught Me'

This is one of Czech composer Antonin DvoAak's most beloved works, with a keen understanding of how deeply our cultural and familial traditions resonate within us. To this achingly beautiful melody, he set a poem by his fellow countryman, Adolf Heyduk. Translated lyrically to English, it reads:

Songs my mother taught me, in the days long vanished;

Seldom from her eyelids were the teardrops banished.

Now I teach my children, each melodious measure.

Oft the tears are flowing, oft they flow from my memory's treasure.

(Click here to view.)

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
The Covid numbers are climbing, again, and the states top health officer says health care workers are beyond frustrated.

Dr. Scott Harris addressing the media Friday, with a much different tone than we have heard from the typically mild-mannered doctor in the past.

I dont know how much longer we are going to be able to do this, Harris said Friday.

In Alabama, all of the numbers we watch for are trending the wrong direction, Harris said.

The explosion of new cases, hospitals at their breaking point and an unvaccinated majority remaining just that: unprotected. It is fueled by the dangerous Delta variant.

We are in a crisis situation. Weve said it over and over for several weeks. We need people to understand ... youre the person that can make a difference.

He is talking about a reluctancy to mask up, and continued nation-leading low vaccination numbers.

We have worked on this for a year and a half. We have hospitals with nurses and doctors that have been doing this nonstop and we are seeing this because people dont want to get vaccinated. They dont want to change their behavior

Working under that reality, the federal government is now stepping in. Harris said Department of Defense medical teams are being deployed to southern Alabama hospitals.

Its very frustrating for all of us.

Frustration not only heard in the voice of a tired doctor Harris, but in the faces of health care workers at war with a pandemic, with no end in sight.

We have a -40 ICU beds, thats not normal, that is never happened before," Harris said. "If you dont know somebody personally its easy to dismiss it and pretend its not going on but its really happening.

Critically sick Covid patients are now being treated in hallways, and other hospital rooms, something Harris places blame squarely on those refusing to take this virus seriously.

We need people to get on board and see the bigger picture here. The bigger picture is we dont have a good way out of this until we can change our behavior to stop the disease from being transmitted, until people get vaccinated otherwise. I dont know how long were going to be sitting here having this conversation.

That conversation now turning to dealing with all of the death. Those sober statistics are some of the last to rise in a wave like we are seeing now. Sadly, it means morgues can't keep up. Mobile morgues are dispatched as the state responds to the surge in death.

And that is proving a major challenge for counties in the southern part of the state.

The state is deploying two mobile morgue units to places like Baldwin and Mobile counties.

In Alabama on Thursday, 50 people died from Covid and complications caused by the virus.

Harris tells us the state has seen double-digit death rates every day for the past several weeks.

These are typically held for a mass casualty event. For example, when a large number of bodies appear at the same time this is actually the situation that is happening in Alabama hospitals right now. We have enough number of people dying in such numbers in these locations that there is no room to put these bodies, so that is why we are moving these mobile morgues down there.

The explosion of Covid cases within school-aged children continues. When you compare to this same time last year, it is a 700 percent increase in cases.

At last check, five kids are on ventilators in Alabama hospitals.

We have once again had a very difficult week this week. We are seeing surging case numbers again. Our hospitalization numbers are increasing. This has been a particularly bad week for Alabama schools. Weve seen a huge increase in the number of cases in our school-age children this week.

Many school kids are headed home, going back to virtual learning and school districts struggle with spreading covid in schools.

Harris sas the best thing we can do is have all eligible 12 and up get vaccinated, and universal mask in schools.
As some schools in the state are being forced to close and others are seeing more positive COVID cases, we wanted to bring some of your concerns to the state education department.

WAAY-31 spoke with Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey on what he wants to see to keep our schools open.

Students wear masks in school Students wear masks in school

Dr. Mackey told us there's two main things and we all know what it is: masks and getting the COVID vaccine.

He says if you can't or don't want the shot, you must wear your mask indoors.

He told us the state education department does not have the authority to enforce a mask mandate, but can allow local school systems to make their own decision.

"Public health officials keep telling us that wearing a mask is one of the ways we can mitigate the spread of COVID. So, even though we don't have the authority to require it, we're not telling the boards to do this or do that on requirement. But as far as encouragement, with our parents, I absolutely would encourage every parent to send their child to school with a mask for indoor activities," said Dr. Eric Mackey.

Dr. Mackey told us the state can only require masks if there is an emergency order sent down from the governor.

He told us they will continue to recommend wearing a mask and re-assured us they want to keep their schools open for as long as possible.

But it's all on everyone to do the right thing.
Huntsville City Council rejected a proposal that would have allowed for immediate termination of city employees convicted of a felony.

The proposal came as fallout over William Darby's murder conviction. However Thursday night, one local attorney questioned the legality of the proposed ordinance.

Local attorney David Canupp specializes in employment law and local governments. Thursday night, he told the councilmembers that the proposed change to the city's employee handbook would violate a state law which allows city employees to get a disciplinary hearing before termination.

Last council meeting, councilmember Frances Akridge introduced the new disciplinary action proposal that would immediately terminate city employees if convicted of a felony.

The proposal came after former Huntsville police officer, William Darby, continued to be paid thousands of taxpayer dollars after his murder conviction, as he was pending a disciplinary hearing.

The proposed ordinance stated no disciplinary hearing would be conducted once an employee was convicted of a felony.

"The city's existing ordinance says that anyone who is indicted or convicted of an act that would constitute a felony can be terminated. And so that's already in the ordinance. And so as I understand the proposed change, it would simply be that that person upon conviction would be terminated without a hearing, and that's not something that we would advise because of that supreme court decision," said Canupp.

The council questioned Canupp about different scenarios on when a hearing would need to take place, even asking if it could take place the same day as someone's verdict was read.

In the end, Canupp said he would not advise the city to enact this ordinance. It then went to a vote, where councilmember Bill Kling originally stood his ground and voted "yes", however he then went back and changed his vote to "nay". Therefore, it was unanimous decision to not adopt the ordinance.
An animal rights group says it will put up a billboard in Alabama addressing the Tyson Farms settlement with the state of Alabama.

Tyson will pay about $3 million to Alabama as part of a settlement of a lawsuit that alleged the company dumped thousands of gallons of wastewater into the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River.

In a press release, PETA says it will put up a billboard In recognition of  and out of respect for  the up to 200,000 fish who died due to any contamination.

The group says anyone who still hasnt gone vegan, and therefore might be an eater of Tyson chicken, is responsible for the dead fish.

PETA has not said where or when the billboard will appear.
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 55F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Decatur leaders speak on what can be done to stop bloodshed after deadly shooting
Lega politician leaves economy ministry post over 'Parco Mussolini' debacle.

A right-wing member of the Italian government resigned after weeks of controversy over his proposal to rename a park after Benito Mussolini's brother.

Claudio Durigon, who was the undersecretary of the economy ministry, tendered his resignation last night following a meeting with his Lega party leader Matteo Salvini.

Durigon had proposed that the park in Latina, a Fascist-era seaside city south of Rome, revert to its original name of Parco Arnaldo Mussolini.

The park had been renamed after the magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino who were killed by the Mafia in Sicily in 1992.

In a statement Durigon apologised for his suggestion, raised during a political rally a few weeks ago, saying that it had been "made in good faith", reports news agency ANSA.

"I am sorry that I have been attributed a "fascist" identity, in which I do not recognise myself in any way" - he said - "I am not, and have never been, a fascist."

Durigon's proposal had caused significant political tensions in the government coalition of premier Mario Draghi, who so far has remained silent on the matter.

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the populist Movimento 5 Stelle, and Enrico Letta, leader of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), were both adamant that Durigon's position was untenable.

Who was Arnaldo Mussolini?

A younger brother and close advisor of Italy's Fascist dictator, Arnaldo Mussolini was a journalist and politician who directed the Popolo d'Italia newspaper, a propaganda tool for the regime.

He died from a heart attack in Milan, aged 46, in 1931.
The remains of United States Army Air Force 2nd Lieutenant Ernest N. Vienneau have officially been identified. The news follows a joint-recovery mission by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) and agencies in Croatia to recover the missing pilots body.

Vienneau joined the US Army Air Force in Maine and was assigned to the 340th Bombardment Squadron, 97th Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force, based out of Amendola, Italy. At the time of his death on November 6, 1944, the 25-year-old was conducting a bombing mission over Maribor, Yugoslavia, now present-day Slovenia.

During the mission, the B-17 Flying Fortress Vienneau had been co-piloting was hit with heavy anti-aircraft fire. A piece of flak penetrated the bombers cockpit, striking the 2nd lieutenants head and mortally wounding him.

As crew members treated Vienneau, the B-17s pilot attempted to fly it back to base, but found it was too damaged to make the journey. As such, he was forced to ditch the aircraft in the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Vis Island, Croatia. While the 10 surviving crew members escaped and were rescued by locals, Vienneaus body was not able to be recovered from the rapidly-sinking plane.

During the mid-to-late 1990s, the area believed to be the wreckage of the B-17 became a popular diving site. In 2005, an analyst with the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), the predecessor to the DPAA, received information about the wreck, but definitive proof that it was indeed Vienneaus aircraft could not be ascertained at the time.

The DPAA partnered with Lone Wolf Productions in 2017 to document the underwater excavation of a B-24 Liberator off Vis Island. When the excavation became hampered by weather, the team relocated the Croatian Navy ship to conduct a short investigative dive on the assumed site of the downed B-17. Enough evidence was collected to enable an underwater recovery effort.

Between September and October 2020, personnel with the DPAA, the University of Zadar, Lund University, the Croatian military and the Croatian Conservation Institute worked to recover Vienneaus remains. Once found, they were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for analysis.

Through the use of dental records and anthropological analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence, the DPAA was able to identify the remains on April 16, 2021.

Vienneaus remains will be buried in his hometown of Millinocket, Maine on October 9, 2021. A rosette will be placed next to his name on Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, to indicate he has been accounted for.
Since tax isnt automatically withheld by employers for contractors, those workers are usually advised to make estimated tax payments each quarter rather than face a big bill when they file their returns. With cryptocurrencies, it can be difficult to estimate whats owed, so self-employed workers should consider paying 100% (or 110%, if they earn more than $150,000) of what they paid the prior year. Doing so will help to avoid any underpayment penalties when they square up at the end of the tax year.
In economics, rational means people are consistent in their behavior. And theyre not. The behavioral economics literature has produced lots of evidence that when people are faced with a choice in a risky situation, their decision may depend on how the data is presented or what they have to lose. Weve seen many examples in the last year when our friends went to great lengths to avoid any remote risk related to the pandemic, but undertook other risky behavior, such as driving fast. This sort of behavior lead many economists to rethink their models. The government and companies searched for ways to exploit biases to induce certain conduct. Having a behavioral economist on staff became trendy at many corporations. The British government even created a Nudge Unit.
The movements are at odds. They have fought over territory and doctrinal differences. Islamic State, which views the Muslim world as one entity that should be united under a single caliph, or Islamic ruler, lambasts the Taliban for being a nationalist movement and for being too tolerant of Afghanistans Shiite Muslim minority, who are anathema to Islamic State. In its propaganda, Islamic State excoriated the Taliban for reaching a deal with the U.S. in 2020, under which it pledged not to allow any group to use Afghanistan to threaten the security of the U.S. or its allies, in exchange for a commitment for the withdrawal of all U.S. and allied troops. In a newsletter, Islamic State denounced the Taliban for taking the Crusaders as their new allies and said it wouldnt stop attacking the Americans in Afghanistan.
Theres a multifaceted imperative to do just that. Brazil has a moral responsibility to communities marginalized under the current government, ravaged by the pandemic and now at risk of being erased. Moreover, indigenous land policy has been key to conservation, because secure tenure and demarcation prevent environmental degradation: A United Nations report published earlier this year found that between 2000 and 2012, deforestation rates in recognized territories with collective legal titles in the Bolivian, Brazilian, and Colombian Amazon were half to one-third that of other ecologically similar areas. And judicially, the strict date set in the marco temporal runs counter to the spirit of Brazils constitution. The assault on indigenous rights in Brazil did not start in 1988 or even during the military dictatorships colonialist and assimilationist push into the Amazon decades earlier. Abiding by the marco temporal both ignores that history of suffering and contravenes a charter that sought to right those wrongs.
While demand is growing, a shortage of low-cost components is holding back HPs ability to fill all the orders it gets, Chief Executive Enrique Lores said in an interview. He expects demand will continue to be strong, but said HP will be limited by the lack of parts for several more quarters.
Well see. The warning came amid a broad campaign by President Xi Jinpings administration to rein in the growing influence of the countrys largest corporations, while calling on the private sector to share the wealth. Internet companies including ByteDance Ltd. and Kuaishou Technology have already take initial steps to dial down working hours. In any case, a corporate culture built on the precept Enthusiasm -- or Else can make it a tougher for bosses to tell whos faking it. Crazy hours often encourage procrastination, as employees stretch out their work to give the appearance of dedication. On the other hand, advocates of 996 point to the Chinese tech sectors phenomenal growth of the past decade, a rising tide that benefits employees as well. Digital serfs may see working at these firms as a privilege, and putting in extra hours as evidence of loyalty and devotion. Many still hope to follow in the footsteps of Ma and other internet billionaires.
Todays Headlines

The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

Email address

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Established in Afghanistans east in 2015, IS-Khorasan has mostly seen the Taliban as its enemy, and the two groups have clashed repeatedly over the years. While the Taliban is inward looking  its ambitions focused solely on Afghanistan  IS-Khorasan has transnational dreams and draws its new supporters from the ranks of the Taliban who have rejected the U.S.-led the peace process. Its mounted several major assaults on the capital, including back-to-back bombings in 2018 that killed 29 people including nine journalists in the deadliest attack on Afghanistans media since 2001. Dozens more were killed last year in a 20-hour siege at a prison in the countrys east when IS militants attempted to free hundreds of their members.
These postulates are the basis for information-sharing between U.S. officials and their Taliban counterparts to ensure smooth passage of American citizens, green-card holders and Afghan allies through militant-controlled checkpoints outside the Kabul airport. Also, according to McKenzie, U.S. officials have for the past two weeks appraised Taliban commanders of threats to the airport, so that they can actually do some searching out there for us. The general has speculated that some attacks had been thwarted before Thursdays twin blasts, which killed at least 75 Afghans and 13 American service personnel. IS-Khorasan has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the Taliban have condemned it.
Imported and distributed by M. Touton Selection: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cairo Wine & Liquor, Central Liquors, Cork & Fork, Open Door Market, Rodmans, Wagshals Market. Available in Maryland at Absolutely Wine & Spirits, Columbia Palace Wine & Spirits, Dorsey Search Wine & Spirits in Columbia; Allview Liquors, Jasons Liquors, Petite Cellars, Pine Orchard Liquors in Ellicott City; Apple Greene Wine & Spirits in Dunkirk; Bay Wine & Spirits in North Beach; Bethesda Co-Op in Cabin John; Choice Beer & Wine, Elbes Beer & Wine, Hillandale Beer & Wine in Silver Spring; Clarksville Liquors in Clarksville; Downtown Crown Wine and Beer in Gaithersburg; Federal Hill Liquors, Wine Source in Baltimore; Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store in Hyattsville; Fulton Wine & Spirits, Maple Lawn Wine & Spirits in Fulton; Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda; Greenbelt Co-Op in Greenbelt; Grosvenor Market, T&T Wine Shop in Rockville; Harvest Thyme Tavern in Davidsonville; Hunt Valley Wine & Spirits in Cockeysville; Mayo Liquors in Edgewater; Nicks of Calvert in Prince Frederick; Nicks of Clinton in Waldorf; Rodmans in White Flint; Total Discount Liquors in Eldersburg; Wemyss Liquors in St. Leonard. Available in Virginia at Arrowine & Cheese in Arlington; Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean; Dominion Wine & Beer in Falls Church; Lees Market, Slaters Market in Alexandria.
It was the first step of a trip that, even the week before we left, I didnt think was going to happen. Besides airport strikes and weekend lockdowns in Lisbon, there was a new delta variant circulating around the globe. Yet with coronavirus test kits for the return trip, hotels and Airbnbs booked, and someone lined up to watch our dog, it seemed as if we were going. Writing this now from the safety of my own desk, Im still amazed we managed to take two kids across the world in the middle of a travel summer fraught with restrictions and curfews. Im honestly kind of surprised we went. We have been the ultimately masked family, the first people on board to get vaccinated, the ones who werent going to let their kids go to physical school in 2020 because of a schools superintendent who wanted everything open as usual. (At the 11th hour, hybrid opened up, and one kid grabbed that option; the other did distance learning all year.)
In its reports, the ethics panel recommended the removal of six younger, more liberal members who tend to vote as a bloc and have frequently clashed with the countys more moderate political establishment. Hard copies of the reports  which were supposed to be confidential  were mailed to a host of the countys most powerful elected leaders earlier this summer, leading to weeks of political turmoil in this Maryland suburb.
In December, when the citys public school system was still teaching remotely full time, Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee canceled the admissions test over fears that it could not be administered safely or fairly during the pandemic. Ferebee said he would use it as an opportunity to examine how that would affect enrollment. New York City and other big cities did the same, using the pandemic as an opening to at least temporarily suspend admissions exams.
Coronavirus in the DMV: What you need to read

FAQ: D.C. | Maryland | Virginia

What you need to know: Symptoms guide | Delta variant | Other variants

Mapping the spread: Known deaths and cases in the region | Nationwide cases | Those vaccinated by occupation | Stories of those we lost

Vaccine: Breakdown | Rollout information | Your questions answered | State tracker | D.C. employees required to get vaccine | Md., Va. state workers need to show proof of vaccination

Masks: Masks FAQ | Masks and vaccines in D.C. area schools | DC requires masks as covid cases rise | Mask mandates in suburban Maryland | Masking urged in Northern Virginia with transmission increase

Get the latest local news: Morning newsletter | Afternoon newsletter

Have a question about the delta variant? Ask The Posts science reporters.
As a consultant, she led workshops on those and related topics across the United States and around the world, challenging the long-prevailing notion that deafness is a deficit to be overcome. Trained in sociolinguistics, she promoted the view that ASL is a language as deserving of recognition as any other, and that people who communicate in ASL as well as in English should be regarded as bilingual.
If you think of medicine as a human right, then you cannot have some hospitals that offer sophisticated, very effective, hi-tech medicine, he told the Observer, and then go to Africa and think, OK, heres a couple of vaccinations and a few shots. Do we think that we human beings, we are all equal in rights and dignity, or not? We say, Yes, we are. 
These people are just coming out of a war zone, theyre landing in a new country, he said. I dont think this is something that you just automatically want to say: You need to get a shot. Were trying to at least handle some of these individuals with respect and, Id call it, kid gloves rather than saying: Do this and do that. 
The groups rivalry with the Taliban is a microcosm of the competition between al-Qaeda and its more radical spinoff, the Islamic State, analysts say. There are generational and doctrinal splits between the groups, with the Islamic State brand more popular with militants in recent years because it managed to capture territory and create a short-lived extremist fiefdom that spanned Iraq and Syria.
By Wednesday, advocates for Afghans said access at the airport has been dramatically restricted. They said that military personnel from the United States, Britain and other countries have gradually tightened requirements at the airports various gates, making it more difficult for anyone but American citizens or other foreign passport holders to get through. They believed the new restrictions may have reflected intelligence about increasing security threats of militant attacks like the one that occurred Thursday, or potentially the reality that the U.S. military would need to shift its focus to begin airlifting out its own personnel and equipment ahead of Aug. 31.
The lab leak theory consists of different scenarios. For example, the virus could have been brought to the lab unknowingly as part of a collection of virus samples and then infected a lab worker, who then spread it in Wuhan. Or it could have involved an experiment that was covered up. Chinese officials have steadfastly denied they had the coronavirus in their laboratories ahead of the outbreak.
Richard Hurt, a now-retired Mayo Clinic addiction expert who testified for the state of Minnesota, remembers shouting profanities that startled his wife as he read the documents at home. We knew that nicotine was addicting, he told me. But we did not realize that this cigarette was the most sophisticated drug delivery device thats ever been invented to get nicotine to the brain within five heartbeats . . . faster than treating it intravenously. This thing looks so harmless, the little white thing that you put in your mouth and puff. . . . It was criminal what they had done to my patients, who, unbeknownst to them, had become addicted to a product that was specially designed to do nothing more than to get them addicted and to kill them.
No one should be under any illusion about the Talibans reliability as a negotiating partner. The Taliban negotiates within the framework of its strict interpretation of Islam, and its promises and statements are often narrowly constructed. For instance, in the 1990s, its representatives told American diplomats in Pakistan that the group did not support terrorism in any form  to quote a diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks  but also disputed who counted as a terrorist. The Taliban hosted Osama bin Laden, citing traditional Pashtun laws of hospitality, and after 9/11 insisted that the United States had not offered evidence of his involvement in the attacks. There are echoes of such doublespeak today, as the group pledges that terrorists will not be allowed to use Afghanistan as a safe harbor, even as a spokesman maintains that there is no proof of bin Ladens involvement in 9/11.
In emotional comments at the White House, Biden made clear that the attack would not cause him to rethink his strategy. Rather, he said, it reinforced his belief that the war must end and that the evacuation must proceed. He framed the deaths as the sacrifice of heroes performing a noble mission, and he suggested that any move to cut short the evacuation of Americans and their Afghan supporters would amount to caving to the terrorists.
The challengers in their brief to the court used the presidents words to argue that the administration knew it was on unstable legal ground. The only plausible explanation for the extended moratorium is that it was issued in response to political pressure from Capitol Hill for the express purpose of using litigation delays to distribute more rental assistance, their brief says. Nearly a year of overreach is enough.
A letter requesting information from telecom companies has been drafted and is expected to go out next week, according to people familiar with the committees plans. The letter is expected to contain a private list of names and numbers for which information is requested, including phones used by members of Congress, among many others, a person familiar with the request said. The individual spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal request.
Accompanying the priest were 14 children with disabilities and four Catholic nuns of the Missionaries of Charity who looked after them. The orphans are between the ages of 6 and 20, and some of them are in wheelchairs, which created a challenge for Scalese and the sisters in transporting them safely to the airport.
How we should act toward these travelers is laid out in passages such as Leviticus 19:34, Zechariah 7:9 and Jeremiah 22:3: It is our religious duty to treat immigrants with kindness. In his Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should ignore national boundaries: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, he writes, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
I think the pet ministry has certainly contributed to the congregations theological imagination in terms of how we care for creation, said Pastor Richard Geib. Its a small step between telling someone they should love their dog and telling someone they should also love the deer and care for water sources. That love for pets has a way of fostering our growth as lovers of creation.
We understand that these suggestions are dramatic, but we think them to be the prudent course of action at this time, said Bishop Laurie Haller of the Iowa Area in a statement with Margaret Biggs, treasurer of the Iowa Annual Conference. We want to protect our local churches from costly litigation.
The total number of casualties remained uncertain Friday morning. One person with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said at least 112 people were killed and 111 injured. He said the death toll was expected to rise, because ambulance workers could not reach bodies closest to the airport gate.
Gunmen at first kidnappers even the preschoolers, only to leave them behind when they could not keep pace in the nearby forest. Some who spent months in captivity were just 4 years old, and authorities said Friday that one child had died during the ordeal. Several others were undergoing medical treatment after their release late Thursday.
I think humanity has fallen apart, said one employee of a local nongovernmental organization contracted by the German government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he said he was not in a fit enough mental state to decide on the risk. He shared a photo of what he said was one of his colleagues, who was beheaded by the Taliban when they took over his neighborhood.
Today, the militants have to contend not only with anti-Taliban resistance forces but also extremist groups such as the Islamic State, which has grown powerful in recent months and wants the Taliban to fail in governing Afghanistan. Unlike in the 1990s, the Taliban is much more fragmented. Within the groups own fold, there are radical commanders with competing visions of how to govern and bring security, who disagree with the moderate image that the upper echelon of leaders is trying to promote to the world.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm could bring dangerous flash floods and mudslides through the weekend as it parallels the coast, likely moving just off the point below the Puerto Vallarta region on Saturday and then possibly hitting the Los Cabos resort region on Monday.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the firm, said that Awadallah was physically abused in April and May. Since he was convicted in July, Awdallah has been held in solitary confinement and denied visits or phone calls with his immediate family. He said Jordanian officials also refuse to allow Awadallah to meet with Sullivan and continue to persistently interrogate him.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealand says it was not able to get everybody it wanted out of Afghanistan in time before the deadly attacks nea
Marilyn Sue Lents, 84, of Washington, passed away at 10:58 a.m. Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 at Ketcham Memorial Center. She was born Sept. 1, 1936, in Washington, Indiana, to the late Icel and Mary Kirk. Marilyn married Carol "Chick" Lents on Aug. 4, 1995, and he survives. She enjoyed tending to h
Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on.
If there was one unavoidable lesson from reporting season this week, it is that Delta has got many more ways of giving everyone the blues. Its disruptive effect on everything from supply chains to lockdowns is clouding the corporate outlook.

Woolies groceries business has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of our collective lockdown but even CEO Brad Banducci is sweating over the prospect of delivering Christmas to its supermarket and discount store customers as COVID strangles its supply chains.

Given what happened in China last week, we are anxious just more broadly on making sure we get all the products we need into the country for Christmas, in food and Big W, Baducci said after its full year results on Thursday.

Workers at a Woolworths distribution centre in Larapinta, Brisbane. Credit:Fairfax media

Although dividend hikes and share buybacks continued to rule the earnings results, logistics issues highlighted by some companies drew sharp reactions from investors. This was primarily true for Woolworths, Lovisa and Ansell, which recorded bumper profits while sharing anxiety about disruptions in global shipping and supply chains, Kalkine Group chief executive Kunal Sawhney says.

It also poses problems for this weeks travel sector pickup.

Any revival in travel stocks is expected to be temporary and short-lived unless broader positive fundamental developments take hold, says Sawhney.

The real world can prick the stock bubble. A massive $2.3 billion payout from Wesfarmers and a record result from Lynas Rare Earths was not enough to lift their respective stocks on Friday after the attack outside Kabul Airport Thursday night.

The best performing sectors include Information Technology and Energy, as both are up over 2 per cent followed by Materials up over 1 per cent. The worst performing sectors include Consumer Staples and Utilities, which are both down over 2 per cent followed by Communication Services down over 1 per cent, he says.

While the market is still technically bullish, it is searching for a two year high and, as such, we need to consider that this may be occurring right now, although it is a little too early to tell, he concludes.
In the early hours of Friday morning Australian time, suicide bombers detonated a number of explosives outside Kabul airport, killing dozens and leaving many more wounded.

The explosions happened where thousands of Afghans have gathered as they try to escape the country after the Taliban seized power.

One of the bombers struck people standing in a wastewater canal outside the airport gates, where people had been waiting for a chance to get on evacuation flights. A second detonated a device near Baron Hotel, which the British government has been using as a makeshift embassy.

US President Joe Biden has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators after a number of US soldiers were killed in the explosion. Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed no Australian soldiers had been killed or injured and that Australia had suspended its evacuation efforts after the terrorist attack.
Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Two suicide bombers and gunmen have targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Localized flooding is expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Low 61F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Localized flooding is expected.
FILE - In this April 7, 2021, file photo, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to reporters at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. The Kentucky governor's efforts to aggressively combat COVID-19 suffered a landmark legal defeat Saturday, Aug. 21, as the state's high court cleared the way for new laws to rein in his emergency powers. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
'Boo at the Zoo' returns to the Louisville Zoo for the 40th year
FBI says it recovered an 'item of interest' in Bardstown search for Crystal Rogers case
The group said high-speed rail services would create many construction and maintenance jobs.
More teens have been shot and killed than ever before in our city's history, More >>


Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's governor said Thursday that the latest wave of grim COVID-19 statistics would have triggered a statewide mask mandate indoors if he still wielded the authority to take such action.

But the Kentucky Supreme Court recently shifted pandemic-related decisions on masking and other issues to the Republican-dominated legislature, Gov. Andy Beshear said. So the Democratic governor used his bully pulpit to continue urging people to mask up when indoors, away from home.

The Bluegrass State has reached uncharted territory with the prolonged escalation of virus infections, hospitalizations and patients in intensive care, he said at a news conference.

On Wednesday, Kentucky reported 65 virus-related deaths. It also notched its third-highest daily number of new COVID-19 cases as the highly contagious delta variant overwhelms many hospitals.

That would have been the trigger for me, if it was in my authority to put in a masking order for indoors across the state, Beshear said of the statistics. "Every other time weve been this high, weve done that and its worked. It has decreased the number of cases.

I can't do that now, and I get that, the governor added. And I'll provide all the information that I can to the General Assembly and hopefully they will make the best choice that they can.

Later Thursday, Beshear reported new record highs in Kentucky with 2,115 virus patients hospitalized, including 590 in intensive care and 345 on ventilators. The state suffered 27 more virus-related deaths and had 5,401 new COVID-19 cases, its second-highest daily total of the pandemic.

The escalation caused more than 10,000 COVID-19 infections reported statewide in the past two days, and 4,600 children tested positive for the virus in the last three days, he said.

As the surge worsens, Beshear has had discussions with legislative leaders as he weighs whether to convene lawmakers for a special session to deal with COVID-19 issues.

Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said this week that a blanket masking mandate would stand a very limited chance with lawmakers.

The states Supreme Court on Saturday gave lawmakers the upper hand when it cleared the way for new laws to limit the governors emergency powers, which he used to impose virus-related restrictions previously. The justices said a lower court wrongly blocked the GOP-backed measures.

Now, various emergency measures previously issued by Beshear are set to expire as a result of the landmark court decision. It's up to lawmakers to decide whether to keep them in place.

Right now, they have in hand a whole list of different things that we need  things like workers' compensation for our front-line workers if they get COVID, the governor said Thursday. My goodness, we've got to provide that. Things like recognizing doctors licensed in other states, so that we can help increase our health care capacity. And they're taking a close look at it.

Stivers has said GOP lawmakers are ready to present their plan if reconvened by the governor, saying they've been "formulating for quite some time things that we think would be effective.

More than 30 Kentucky hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages, Beshear said. Smaller hospitals are struggling to care for much sicker patients than they normally treat.

As horrible as last years surge was, and it was awful, we were never in a position where doctors worried theyd need to choose between treating a patient who cant breathe because of COVID, or treat a patient whos bleeding out because of a car accident," the governor said. "But that is the strain that our hospitals are under.

Dr. Dennis Beck, interim chief administrative officer at Deaconess Henderson Hospital, said patients are "dying without need as he urged people to get vaccinated.

The crisis is real," he said in a video. "Our patient volumes are higher than they ever have been in any summertime period in the history of our hospital and our health system."

Beshear has increasingly turned to doctors and nurses across Kentucky to try to persuade the unvaccinated to take the shots. Mohan Rao, a general surgeon at Baptist Health Madisonville, said he thought last year's COVID-19 surges would be the worst of it due to the introduction of vaccines. But he said the virus has now "come back with a vengeance.

As somebody who believes in individual liberties, which I do, Im vaccinated," he said in another video shown Thursday. "And I did that for the protection of myself, for the protection of my family and for the protection of my patients.

___

Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
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.
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. &&
STORRS, CT (WFSB) - First-year students started moving into residence halls at the University of Connecticut's main campus on Friday.

Freshmen on the Storrs campus started moving in at 8 a.m. and will continue to do so until 4 p.m., despite the heat.

"Were not used to the humidity in Oregon," said Kim Maher, who lives in Oregon.

"Weve assembled a huge tower fan," said Patrick Maher, also from Oregon. "[We] got that going on high, spinning around back and forth, cooling the room down as much as possible."

The rest of those who are staying on campus move in Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

UConn said 11,000 students will live on campus. That's about 90 percent of a typical year.

The unoccupied rooms will be used for students who need to isolated due to COVID-19.

When students arrive on campus, they're asked to follow specific traffic directions because there are traffic restrictions and staged check-in areas.

Students were only allowed to bring one car to campus for their move.

UConn posted a walk-through of the move-in process on YouTube:

Students were also asked to wear a mask during the move-in process. Colleges and universities across the state either kept or reinstituted mask mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All UConn students required to get a COVID vaccine before returning to campus All students will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to the University of Connecticut campus.

Under UConn's policy, all students, faculty, staff, and visitors are required to wear face coverings indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.

As far as the vaccine itself goes, UConn required all students to get a COVID vaccine before returning to campus. The decision was made back in June.

Exemptions were available, but students had to apply for them.

UConns Interim President, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi said, Very happy. Before we implanted the requirement, the mandate for vaccinations, we are at 64, I think it was 64.5 percent. And that wasnt that long ago.

He cautions the vaccination rate doesnt point to a goal, but its about safety.

For students whove requested and received exemptions, theyre required to do weekly testing.

The requirements are meant to ensure the nearly 30,000 student population will be able to stay on campus.

Students said theyre willing to do their part.

Annie Klementon said, Yeah, I dont mind it because weve been dealing with it for a year and I rather do this one simple thing and wear my mask then online classes.

Listen I just think its something you kind of have to do and its not something you should complain about because it is a rule, said Riley Gravel.

To ensure everyone has access to the vaccines, the university says itll have a clinic during this weekends moving.

More information on UConn's move-in process can be found on the school's website here.
It's giving nothing away to say that in the opening scene of this new play, Victor, who is Jewish, is buried up to his neck in earth and Youssef, his best friend, who is an Arab, has been sent to urinate on his head by Tunisia's Nazi occupiers. Victor thinks, in fact, it might help; he's very thirsty.

Savour the complexity in that starting point for this funny, dark, and entirely original drama, which as an added bonus features a richly textured comic performance from Adrian Edmondson. Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia confirms Josh Azouz as a playwright you want to keep watching. As he showed in the terrifyingly surreal Buggy Baby and in the gentle The Mikvah Project, you never quite know which way his bold imagination is going to lead him.

In this case, it is to 1943, just after the Nazis have invaded Tunisia, where their presence is putting new pressures on a society that has constantly had to adapt to colonialism and oppression yet appears to have forged its own tolerant character. Azouz and his designer Max Johns cope brilliantly with this period setting: the characters speak English throughout but tell us they are speaking different languages at different points; Johns has designed a set of white wood boxes that convey heat, allow burial and hiding, and at two points are opened to reveal the blue and white tiles of luxurious living. The characters wear clothes that are almost but not quite contemporary.

Combined with Jess Bernberg's lighting and David Gregory's unobtrusive sound, creates a setting that is once historic and universal, a place in which Azouz can explore themes that are at once huge  the rifts between the Jews and Muslims across many countries, the rise of Zionism  and specific, in the shape of the domestic drama that binds together Victor and Youssef and their wives, Loys and Faiza.

Into this mix, the Nazis arrive like a grenade, but even they have strangely domestic names such as Grandma, Little Fella, and Memento, comic book characters who are all the more terrifying because they seem so ineffectual. "You should be afraid," Edmondson's urbane Grandma (so-called because he likes knitting) hisses at the imprisoned Victor. "Any Nazi with prospects is in Europe. They only send animals to Africa."

Edmondson is without doubt the star of the evening. Even hobbling on a stick, necessitated by a knee injury, he brings a blast of unnerving energy to proceedings. Like the snakes with which he is obsessed in one monologue, he has a coiled malice that hides beneath the civilised surface he presents to the world; when the madness breaks forth it is both mesmeric and frightening.

He's such a physical actor, with a kind of clumsy grace in every gesture. A long, dinner scene, between him and Yasmin Paige's vital, vivid Loys, is underpinned by real tension as Nazi confronts liberated, rich Jewish woman, and they debate questions of identity, anti-Semitism, and human rights with animation and passion. Yet a shocking chill enters the conversation about whether a person is defined by one aspect of themselves or many, when suddenly Edmondson leers: "What a thrill to be so close to Jewish hate."

Other scenes lack this degree of clarity. There are many brilliant moments, but the overall effect of the piece is muted by its digressive form  there is a lot of history and a lot of drama to cram in  and speeches of exposition that break into the arc of the drama. The pacing of Eleanor Rhode's direction and some performances seem uncertain too, though Pierro Niel-Mee's Victor makes the most of the character's infuriating qualities, and Ethan Kai's Youssef allows his essential sweetness to glimmer through his posturing.

One of the many qualities of Azouz's writing is his ability to create characters who are flawed, who do represent many things rather than a single aspect of themselves on stage. Even when the execution doesn't quite match his ambition, his writing and his ideas have a freshness, a challenge and a humanity that makes them worth spending time with.
Vermont's agriculture secretary says 89 organic dairy farms in the Northeast will lose their contracts with an organic dairy company when it stops buying milk in the region by the end of August of next year
North Carolinas minimum age to be married is now higher after Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill increasing it from 14 years old to 16
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

A mainly sunny sky. Less humid. High 81F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Winchester, VA (22601)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
On Aug. 25, 1896, the day she became a McClung, Nellie Letitia Mooney wore a ginger cotton brocade dress with leg of mutton sleeves  so called because theyre shaped like those greasy legs of lamb eaten at ye olde renaissance faire.

On Aug. 25, 1896, the day she became a McClung, Nellie Letitia Mooney wore a ginger cotton brocade dress with "leg of mutton" sleeves  so called because theyre shaped like those greasy legs of lamb eaten at ye olde renaissance faire.

The gown was adorned with a wraparound fitted bodice, a velvet sash and bows, along with beaded accents, custom-made for the young teacher, budding writer, politician, and womens rights advocate at the local dressmakers shop in Manitou.

One-hundred-twenty-five years later, and 70 years after its owners death, McClungs dress is back in Manitou, worn by a mannequin in her former home.

The replica of the wedding gown Nellie McClung wore in 1896 took years of work to create.

Well, sort of.

The original is kept in Saskatoon, at the Western Development Museum, rarely put out on public display and not easily accessible for replication purposes. So how did such a precise recreation of the former Nellie Mooneys gown  which she wore when she wed Robert Wesley McClung in Wawanesa, near her parents homestead in the Souris Valley  end up back in Manitou?

McClung House at The Nellie McClung Heritage Site in Manitou where the I DO Exhibit will celebrate the 125th wedding anniversary of Wes and Nellie McClung.

"It was a labour of love that took the better part of five years," says Barbara Biggar, the co-chair of the Nellie McClung Heritage Site. And like love, it was not easy.

They had no pattern. They had no access to the original garment. Of course, they had no living wedding guests to provide first-person accounts of how the gown flowed or rested. They also had no measurements.

As is often the case, some dusty pictures and an old newspaper clipping provided some clarity, and led the bridal sleuths to retired Saskatoon journalist Ruth Millar, who had worn the original dress back in 1965. No more hemming and hawing; it was time to start thinking about the hemming and stitching.

Wedding dresses dating from the Great Depression & War Collection are part of the I Do exhibition, on Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Manitou.

Longtime seamstress Joanne Rodeck offered her services, and the sartorial revivalists sought to add Kristina Maitland to their growing cadre. Maitland, a historic costumer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, came on recommendation from the Costume Museum of Canada, Biggar says. To the proposal, Maitland said "I do."

The 1970s and Prism Collections include white gowns that have become ubiquitous since the 60s, and more colourful creations.

After years of legwork, the gown started to have legs in the early winter of 2020. Then, as weddings were postponed and cancelled, the matters of the re-creation of the wedding dress  pattern creation and fabric selection  were relegated to Zoom.

It took 18 months, but Rodeck, Maitland, Biggar, Bette Mueller, Gillian Potvin and Diana Voddens big project was finally ready for its debut on at the heritage site on June 25, also known as Nellie McClung Day.

The gown rendered is an extremely detailed replica of the original, with all the accoutrements designed to be removed for later wear. As Biggar says, until relatively recently, a wedding dress was not considered a single-day outfit, but a closet staple: practically made, designed to be worn as anniversaries rolled by.

The oldest gown in the collection is from 1867, worn by Cecilia Davidson to her Dominion Day nuptials.

But McClungs leg-of-mutton-armed dress doesnt stand alone at the heritage site: its joined by gowns representative of the days of yore  the oldest is from the Dominion Day 1867 wedding of Cecilia Davidson  and days more recent, such as the 2009 dress of CTV newscaster Rachel Lagace, as part of the I Do! exhibition, which started last week and which is part of Manitoba 150 celebrations across the province. Other gowns on display include those worn by former MLA Carolyne Morrison, Babs Asper, Gail Asper, and Bette Mueller, the first and still only female principal at Nellie McClung Collegiate in Manitou. There are too many to list.

Tyler Johnson is an interpretive guide at The Nellie McClung Heritage Site in Manitou.

The gowns were originally supposed to be shown in a fashion show, but during a pandemic, that idea wasnt so fashionable anymore.

The log house, circa 1884, at the Nellie McClung Heritage Site in Manitou.

Historically, theres much more to the wedding dress than just white fabric, Biggar says. White dresses werent as ubiquitous as they are now until the 1960s, and in many cultures, colourful dresses are the norm: Anna Hes 1999 wedding get-up is a traditional two-piece skirt with a jacket of red and gold, considered lucky colours in China. In the broader North American wedding world, the styles of gown brides wore were closely tied to the era they were made in.

"When you look at the collection, you see the changing styles and at the same time the changing context of Manitoba," says Biggar. A collection from the Depression era showed brides wearing their "Sunday best" instead of new duds, reflecting economic hardship. Another bride made her dress by hand for her 1942 nuptials, with her husband, on leave from the RCAF, wearing his blue uniform.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Dresses designed by Edna Nabess of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in the log house at The Nellie McClung Heritage Site in Manitou.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Treaty 1, the exhibit also features a collection of contemporary dresses paying homage to some local Indigenous ceremonial traditions, loaned by designer Edna Nabess of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. Those dresses are made with tanned deer hide and feature intricate beadwork. Nabess also loaned a small collection of artifacts used to make dresses before contact and colonization, including porcupine quills, fish scales and caribou tufts.

Dresses designed by Edna Nabess of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation are part of the I Do Exhibit, celebrating the 125th wedding anniversary of Wes and Nellie McClung.

"This is about more than dresses," says Biggar. "Its about the women who made this province strong."

And if youre lucky, your tour guide might by Manitous Tyler Johnson, wholl escort you wearing a top hat and tails. It really sets the mood, he says.

Entry is $10, but is free to anyone under the age of 17. The McClung site is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at www.nellieshomes.ca. Manitou is located 150 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. Trying on the dresses, though it may be tempting, is not permitted.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP)  A judge has ordered a western Michigan couple to pay $30,441 to their son for getting rid of his pornography collection.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP)  A judge has ordered a western Michigan couple to pay $30,441 to their son for getting rid of his pornography collection.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney's decision this week came eight months after David Werking, 43, won a lawsuit against his parents.

He said they had no right to throw out his collection of films, magazines and other items. Werking had lived at their Grand Haven home for 10 months after a divorce before moving to Muncie, Indiana.

The judge followed the value set by an expert, MLive.com reported. Werking's parents also must pay $14,500 to their son's attorney.

After moving to Indiana, Werking learned that his possessions were missing.

"Frankly, David, I did you a big favor getting rid of all this stuff," his dad said in an email.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting evacuations in New Orleans and across the coastal region.

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting evacuations in New Orleans and across the coastal region.

Ida intensified rapidly Friday from a tropical storm to a hurricane with top winds of 80 mph (128 kph) as it crossed western Cuba and entered the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center predicted Ida would strengthen into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, with top winds of 140 mph (225 kph) before making landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Sunday.

This OES-16 East GeoColor satellite image taken Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, at 10:20 p.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Tropical Storm Ida in the Caribbean Sea. Tropical Storm Ida formed in the Caribbean on Thursday and forecasters said its track was aimed at the U.S. Gulf Coast, prompting Louisiana's governor to declare a state of emergency and forecasters to announce a hurricane watch for New Orleans. (NOAA via AP)

This will be a life-altering storm for those who arent prepared, National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said during a Friday news conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The governor urged residents to quickly prepare, saying: By nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to be to ride out the storm.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered a mandatory evacuation for a small area of the city outside the levee system. But with the storm intensifying so much over a short time, she said it wasnt possible to do so for the entire city. That generally calls for using all lanes of some highways to leave the city.

Corey Williams, right, and John Smith, both of Pelican Ice, hurriedly stack bags of ice into a gas station freezer in preparation for Tropical Storm Ida on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in Jefferson, La. Forecasters now say Ida could be a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 115 mph when it nears the U.S. coast. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

The city cannot order a mandatory evacuation because we dont have the time, Cantrell said.

City officials said residents need to be prepared for prolonged power outages, and asked elderly residents to consider evacuating. Collin Arnold, the city's emergency management director, said the city could be under high winds for about ten hours.

Other areas across the coastal region were under a mix of voluntary and mandatory evacuations. The storm is expected to make landfall on the exact date Hurricane Katrina devastated a large swath of the Gulf Coast exactly 16 years earlier. Capt. Ross Eichorn, a fishing guide on the coast about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans, said he fears warm Gulf waters will make a monster out of Ida.

Long lines crisscrossing at a Race Track gas station on Jefferson Highway in Jefferson, La., as people prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Ida on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Forecasters now say Ida could be a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 115 mph when it nears the U.S. coast. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

With a direct hit, aint no telling whats going to be left  if anything, Eichorn said. He added: Anybody that isnt concerned has got something wrong with them.

A hurricane warning was issued for most of the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to the mouth of the Pearl River. A tropical storm warning was extended to the Mississippi-Alabama line.

Officials decided against evacuating New Orleans hospitals. Theres little room for their patients elsewhere, with hospitals from Texas to Florida already reeling from a spike in coronavirus patients, said Dr. Jennifer Avengo, the citys health director.

Storm shutters are hammered closed on a 100-year-old house, Friday, August 27, 2021, in New Orleans, as residents prepare for Hurricane Ida. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

At the state's largest hospital system, Ochsner Health System, officials ordered 10 days worth of fuel, food, drugs and other supplies and have backup fuel contracts for its generators. One positive was that the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped from 988 to 836 over the past week  a 15% decline.

President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send nearly 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals.

Ida made its first landfall Friday afternoon on Cuba's southern Isle of Youth. The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning for its westernmost provinces, where forecasters said as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain could fall in places, possibly unleashing deadly flash floods and mudslides.

A resident takes home sandbags from a city run sandbag distribution location at the Dryades YMCA along Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in New Orleans, as residents prepare for Hurricane Ida. (Max Becherer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Ivonne Deulofeu, who lives in the western town of Vinales, said strong winds persisted for hours on Friday.

It shook us up hard. It was really frightening, Deulofeu said. We had to nail the doors of the rooms... The plants, theyre all gone.

Col. Noel Lozano of Cuban Civil Defense said over 10,000 people were evacuated in Pinar del Rio province, most to stay with relatives. There were no immediate reports of deaths.

Ray Guenther, 55, center, helps his brother, John, 56, unload about 400 crab traps that he had to pull out of the water and move to dry land near his home in eastern St. Bernard Parish as the Louisiana coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Ida on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in New Orleans. Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting New Orleans mayor to order everyone outside the protection of the citys levees to evacuate.(Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Late Friday night, the storm was 105 miles (165 kilometers) west of Havana and traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).

An even greater danger will then begin over the Gulf, where forecasts were aligned in predicting Ida will strengthen very quickly into a major hurricane before landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sunday, the hurricane center said.

If that forecast holds true, Ida would hit 16 years to the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph (201 kph) winds near the riverside community of Buras, just down the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Storm clouds pass overhead as St. Bernard Parish road crews shore up levees and vulnerable roadways with gravel as the Louisiana coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Ida on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in New Orleans. Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting New Orleans mayor to order everyone outside the protection of the citys levees to evacuate.(Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Katrina is blamed for an estimated 1,800 deaths from the central Louisiana coast to around the Mississippi-Alabama state line. A massive storm surge scoured the shores and wiped houses off the map. In New Orleans, failures of federal levees led to catastrophic flooding. Water covered 80% of the city and many homes were swamped to the rooftops. Some victims drowned in their attics. The Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center became scenes of sweltering misery as tens of thousands were stranded without power or running water.

Memories of Katrina still haunt many who scrambled to prepare for Ida on Friday, lining up for groceries, gas and ice, as well as sandbags that the city was offering.

Traffic snarled at entrances to a New Orleans Costco, where dozens of cars were backed up at the gas pumps and shoppers wheeled out carts stacked with cases of bottled water and other essentials.

St. Bernard Parish residents fill up their cars and gas cans as the Louisiana coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Ida on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in New Orleans. Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on Friday and threatened to slam into Louisiana with devastating force over the weekend, prompting New Orleans mayor to order everyone outside the protection of the citys levees to evacuate.(Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Retired police officer Wondell Smith, who worked on the police force when Katrina hit, said he and his family were planning to stay, but were also getting ready to head farther inland if the forecasts worsened. He loaded water, bread and sandwich meat into his SUV.

I know what that looks like, Smith said, referring to the potential devastation. This is my first time being home in 34 years of service, he added. And I want to be prepared.

Saturdays preseason NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Saints at the Superdome was first moved up seven hours to avoid the weather, and then canceled altogether.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The hurricane center predicted the peak storm surge could reach 10 feet to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) along the Louisiana coast, with a possible surge of 7 to 11 feet (2.1 to 3.4 meters) in the New Orleans area. The storm's track put New Orleans on the eastern side  often called the dirty side  which generally sees much more significant effects than the western side.

Being east of this storms track is not ideal, said Arnold.

___

This story has been updated to correct the name of the Louisiana governor. It is John Bel Edwards, not John Bell Edwards.

___

Associated Press contributors include Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Darlene Superville in Washington; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland and Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2021, file photo, housing advocates protest on the eviction moratorium in New York. The Supreme Court is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Roughly 3.5 million people in the United States said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court's conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The court's action late Thursday ends protections for roughly 3.5 million people in the United States who said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to Census Bureau data from early August.

The court said in an unsigned opinion that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reimposed the moratorium Aug. 3, lacked the authority to do so under federal law without explicit congressional authorization. The justices rejected the administration's arguments in support of the CDC's authority.

If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it, the court wrote.

The three liberal justices dissented. Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the three, pointed to the increase in COVID-19 caused by the delta variant as one of the reasons the court should have left the moratorium in place. The public interest strongly favors respecting the CDCs judgment at this moment, when over 90% of counties are experiencing high transmission rates, Breyer wrote.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was disappointed by the decision and said President Joe Biden is once again calling on all entities that can prevent evictions  from cities and states to local courts, landlords, Cabinet Agencies  to urgently act to prevent evictions.

It was the second loss for the administration this week at the hands of the high court's conservative majority. On Tuesday, the court effectively allowed the reinstatement of a Trump-era policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their hearings. The new administration had tried to end the Remain in Mexico program, as it is informally known.

On evictions, Biden acknowledged the legal headwinds the new moratorium would likely encounter. But Biden said that even with doubts about what courts would do, it was worth a try because it would buy at least a few weeks of time for the distribution of more of the $46.5 billion in rental assistance Congress had approved.

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the pace of distribution has increased and nearly a million households have been helped. But only about 11% of the money, just over $5 billion, has been distributed by state and local governments, the department said.

The administration has called on state and local officials to move more aggressively in distributing rental assistance funds and urged state and local courts to issue their own moratoriums to discourage eviction filings until landlords and tenants have sought the funds.

A handful of states, including California, Maryland and New Jersey, have put in place their own temporary bans on evictions. In a separate order earlier this month, the high court ended some protections for New York residents who had fallen behind on their rents during the pandemic.

The high court hinted strongly in late June that it would take this path if asked again to intervene. At that time, the court allowed an earlier pause on evictions to continue through the end of July.

But four conservative justices would have set the moratorium aside then and a fifth, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said Congress would have to expressly authorize a new pause on evictions. Neither house of Congress has passed a new evictions moratorium.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The administration at first allowed the earlier moratorium to lapse July 31, saying it had no legal authority to allow it to continue. But the CDC issued a new moratorium days later as pressure mounted from lawmakers and others to help vulnerable renters stay in their homes as the coronavirus delta variant surged. The moratorium had been scheduled to expire Oct. 3.

Landlords in Alabama and Georgia who challenged the earlier evictions ban quickly returned to court, where they received a sympathetic hearing. U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the new moratorium was beyond the CDCs authority.

But Friedrich said she was powerless to stop it because of an earlier ruling from the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., that sits above her. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit likewise refused to put the CDC order on hold, prompting the landlords emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.

The earlier versions of the moratorium, first ordered during Trumps presidency, applied nationwide and were put in place out of fear that people who couldnt pay their rent would end up in crowded living conditions like homeless shelters and help spread the virus.

The new moratorium temporarily halted evictions in counties with substantial and high levels of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

The Biden administration argued that the rise in the delta variant underscored the dangers of resuming evictions in areas of high transmission of COVID-19. But that argument did not win broad support at the high court.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results released Friday of a review ordered by President Joe Biden.

People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus line up outside a bakery shop to buy cookies in Shanghai, China, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results released Friday of a review ordered by President Joe Biden.

According to an unclassified summary, four members of the U.S. intelligence community say with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from an animal to a human. A fifth intelligence agency believes with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab. Analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and most agencies believe the virus was not genetically engineered.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement Friday that China continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the United States. Reaching a conclusion about what caused the virus likely requires China's cooperation, the office said.

The cause of the coronavirus remains an urgent public health and security concern worldwide. In the U.S., many conservatives have accused Chinese scientists of developing COVID-19 in a lab and allowing it to leak. State Department officials under former President Donald Trump published a fact sheet noting research into coronaviruses conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the Chinese city where the first major known outbreak occurred.

The scientific consensus remains that the virus most likely migrated from animals in whats known as a zoonotic transmission. So-called spillover events occur in nature, and there are at least two coronaviruses that evolved in bats and caused human epidemics, SARS1 and MERS.

FILE - In this July 27, 2021, file photo Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines introduces President Joe Biden during a visit to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Va. China's refusal to fully cooperate with U.S. and international investigations of the virus has hampered reviews of the virus' origins. The Director of National Intelligence said Friday, Aug. 27, that China continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information, and blame other countries including the United States. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

In a statement, Biden said China had obstructed efforts to investigate the virus from the beginning.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them, he said. Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world.

China's embassy in Washington hit back with a lengthy statement saying the U.S. had fabricated the report and invoking mistaken American intelligence about weapons of mass destruction prior to the Iraq War.

FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2021, file photo Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, speaks at a briefing for foreign journalists at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China. U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results released Friday, Aug. 27, of a review ordered by President Joe Biden. China's foreign ministry attacked the U.S. investigation ahead of the report's release. Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, said at a briefing for foreign journalists that scapegoating China cannot whitewash the U.S. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

The report by the intelligence community is based on presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China, the embassy said. Such a practice will only disturb and sabotage international cooperation on origin-tracing and on fighting the pandemic, and has been widely opposed by the international community.

Biden in May ordered a 90-day review of what the White House said was an initial finding leading to two likely scenarios: an animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak. The White House said then that two agencies in the 18-member intelligence community leaned toward the hypothesis of a transmission in nature and another agency leaned toward a lab leak.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday did not identify which agencies supported either hypothesis. But it noted some of the same hurdles facing the World Health Organization and scientists worldwide: a lack of clinical samples and data from the earliest cases of COVID-19.

In conducting the review, intelligence agencies consulted with allied nations and experts outside of government. An epidemiologist was brought into the National Intelligence Council, a group of senior experts that consults the head of the intelligence community.
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP)  Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers, including two cubs, were found dead in a conservation area on Indonesia's Sumatra island after being caught in traps apparently set by a poacher, authorities said Friday.

A conservationist stands near the carcass of one of three Sumatran tigers found dead in Ie Buboh village in South Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. A critically endangered Sumatran tiger and its two cubs were found dead in a conservation area on Sumatra island after being caught in boar traps, in the latest setback to a species whose numbers are estimate to have dwindled to about 400 individuals, authorities said Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Tuah Albanna)

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP)  Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers, including two cubs, were found dead in a conservation area on Indonesia's Sumatra island after being caught in traps apparently set by a poacher, authorities said Friday.

The mother and a female cub were found dead Tuesday in the Leuser Ecosystem Area, a forested region for tiger conservation in Aceh province, said Agus Arianto, head of the conservation agency. The body of a male cub was found on Thursday about 5 meters (15 feet) away, he said.

An examination determined they died from infected wounds caused by traps, Arianto said.

He said several traps similar to ones used to capture wild pigs on farms were found in the area of the bodies.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Setting traps for pigs in a conservation area is very unlikely, Arianto said, This was intended to poach endangered animals for economic gain." He said his agency will cooperate with law enforcement agencies in an investigation.

Conservationists carry the carcasses of three Sumatran tigers found dead in Ie Buboh village in South Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. A critically endangered Sumatran tiger and its two cubs were found dead in a conservation area on Sumatra island after being caught in boar traps, in the latest setback to a species whose numbers are estimate to have dwindled to about 400 individuals, authorities said Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Tuah Albanna)

Sumatran tigers, the most critically endangered tiger subspecies, are under increasing pressure due to poaching as their jungle habitat shrinks, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It estimated fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

It was the latest in a series of killings of endangered animals on Sumatra island. Conservationists have warned that the coronavirus pandemic has led to increased poaching as villagers turn to hunting for economic reasons.

Early last month, a female tiger was found dead with injuries caused by a snare trap in South Aceh district.

An elephant was found without a head on July 11 at a palm plantation in East Aceh. Police arrested an alleged poacher along with four people accused of buying ivory taken from the dead animal.

Aceh police also arrested four men in June for allegedly poaching a tiger with a snare trap and selling its remains for 100 million rupiah ($6,900). Days later, another Sumatran tiger died after it ate a goat laced with rat poison in neighboring North Sumatra province.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Alaska this week reported its highest daily number of resident COVID-19 cases so far this year as health officials struggle to keep pace with testing and contact tracing and hospitals juggle a surge in patients with staff shortages and admissions for other conditions.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  Alaska this week reported its highest daily number of resident COVID-19 cases so far this year as health officials struggle to keep pace with testing and contact tracing and hospitals juggle a surge in patients with staff shortages and admissions for other conditions.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy and members of his administration on Thursday announced plans aimed at increasing staffing to help with COVID-19 cases, including speeding the licensing process for health care workers and seeking federal contracts for more workers, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said hospital staffing is a concern.

Alaska reported 701 resident COVID-19 cases on Thursday, one of the highest daily rates since the start of the pandemic. That number may be lower than the real number of infections, health officials said, because of testing and contact tracing backlogs.

According to the state hospital association, hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 are nearing pandemic highs. Combined with staff shortages and busy summertime admissions, Alaska's health care system faces the threat of being overwhelmed, providers and state officials said.

Health care providers are deciding which patients get intensive care unit beds and are struggling to transfer severely ill patients to other overwhelmed facilities.

As far as were concerned, the crisis we have been warning about is here, said Jared Kosin, president and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association. And we need to act like that. It looks like its going to get a lot worse.

Health care officials have urged Alaskans to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors to slow the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Health care providers have said that most of the severely ill COVID-19 patients have been unvaccinated.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Dunleavy, a Republican, told reporters Thursday that Alaskans should talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated if thats what they want to do.

We know what we need to do. People know what they need to do, Dunleavy said. They need to have conversations with their doctor and make a decision, if thats what they want to do. If they dont, then they have to understand that they run the risk of getting infected, especially with this variant that is highly contagious.

Asked if that is an effective way to encourage vaccination, Dunleavy said, This isnt North Korea. You dont dictate to people how they live their lives.

I think its the best strategy. Its 2021. This isnt some place in Europe in 1939. You have conversations with folks. ... You have conversations with your doctors. You have conversations with your friends ... People arent stupid, he said.

Dunleavy was infected with the coronavirus in in February. His office has said that Dunleavy decided to be vaccinated in June.

State health officials have that said that 54% of Alaskans 12 or older are fully vaccinated.
VIENNA (AP)  A Vienna court has convicted former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption for trying to change laws to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations to his political party.

FILE - In this Friday, July 9, 2021 file photo former Freedom Party (FPOE) leader Heinz-Christian Strache waits for the start of a trial in a courtroom in Vienna, Austria. A Vienna court has convicted a former Austrian vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption for trying to change laws to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations to his party. Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported Friday that Heinz-Christian Strache received a 15-month suspended prison sentence for accepting two bribes totaling 12,000 euros ($14,100). (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner, file)

VIENNA (AP)  A Vienna court has convicted former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of corruption for trying to change laws to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations to his political party.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported Friday that the ex-leader of the far-right Freedom Party received a 15-month suspended prison sentence for accepting two bribes totaling 12,000 euros ($14,100).

Fellow defendant Walter Grubmueller, the owner of a private clinic in Vienna, was given a 12-month suspended sentence for bribery.

Strache, who served as vice chancellor from 2017 to 2019, and Grubmueller had pleaded not guilty to the charges. They can appeal the verdict.

Strache was the central figure in the fall of a previous Austrian government, a coalition of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservative Austrian Peoples Party and the Freedom Party.

In May 2019, a video emerged showing Strache, the Freedom Party's leader at the time, offering favors to a purported Russian investor. The recording prompted Kurz to pull the plug on the national government. Strache, who denied any wrongdoing, was later kicked out of the Freedom Party.

Kurz returned to power last year in a new coalition with the environmentalist Greens.
Stress levels are already high in workplaces across the province what with forced closures, labour shortages and supply chain disruptions on top of the social distancing and PPE requirements to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stress levels are already high in workplaces across the province what with forced closures, labour shortages and supply chain disruptions on top of the social distancing and PPE requirements to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the province announced this week that all provincial employees must be vaccinated who have contact with "vulnerable populations" and public health officials are recommending that private businesses and organizations do the same and "consider" mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees, theres lots of tiptoeing around that issue going on right now, with many employers just embarking on the process of deciding what to do.

Some have already taken action.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Canada Life CEO Paul Mahon: Canada Life will require all employees and other individuals in our offices (including contractors and advisors) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19."

Canada Life was a full day ahead of the vaccine mandate for provincial employees. In a company-wide internal memo from company CEO Paul Mahon and COO Jeff Macoun on Monday morning, it said that as of Sept. 30, "Canada Life will require all employees and other individuals in our offices (including contractors and advisors) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For those unable to be fully vaccinated, Rapid Antigen Testing (Rapid Testing) will be implemented. This protocol will remain in place until further advised."

But its likely Canada Life is one of the only large employers to have done so.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has implemented such a mandate as well, but CEO Loren Remillard said it had already determined that 100 per cent of its staff was already vaccinated.

"I am hearing from more and more business who are moving in that direction," he said.

Mandating vaccines in the region where there tends to be a different demographic is going to be very difficult."  Al Babiuk, CEO of Loewen Windows in Steinbach

That may be the case among the small and medium sized members of the the Winnipeg Chamber, but there is a much different story, for instance, among the manufacturing sector.

Ron Koslowsky, head of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said that after a meeting this week with about 20 of his board members, "I dont think there was one of them saying they would force employees to vaccinate. That is just not in the cards."

Thats not to say those employers are or have been cavalier about the issue.

Al Babiuk, the CEO of Loewen Windows in Steinbach, in the heart of the vaccine hesitant region, said, "We understand the concept of requiring vaccination to increase the rigor of the control of the virus. But we dont have a conclusion as to how we would execute it (a vaccine mandate)."

JEFF DE BOOY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Loewen Windows Manufacturing in Steinbach has conducted several pop-up vaccination clinics.

Loewen has conducted several pop-up vaccination clinics, as have many employers, but Babiuk said the region has low vaccination rates and that reality is reflected in its workforce. Fortunately, Loewens production environment is set up well for social distancing and have had very few infections.

"Mandating vaccines in the region where there tends to be a different demographic is going to be very difficult," he said. "We have assessed what that would look like and it would go against the grain of a higher level of (people) not comfortable with the vaccines.

Maple Leaf Foods, the multi-billion dollar Canadian packaged meat company with several facilities in Manitoba, has mandated that their Toronto-area head office staff be vaccinated but it is not mandating it for its production facilities including its large pork plants in Brandon and Winnipeg.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Maple Leaf Foods President and CEO Michael McCain: "We are not requiring proof of vaccination."

In a statement to staff last week, Maple Leaf Foods CEO Michael McCain said, "Our front-line team members do not have a work from home option, so while we are providing every possible support to help them choose to be vaccinated through on-site vaccination clinics that have already occurred at several of our sites and through paid time off to secure vaccinations at local clinics, we are not requiring proof of vaccination. We also continue to operate vaccination awareness campaigns across our organization."

Companies including the law firm, TDS and Wawanesa Insurance told the Free Press that determining whether or not to impose vaccine mandates is now top priority.

Cindy Cannon, manager of marketing and business development at TDS, said, "Our CEO just circulated an internal email letting us know well have something put together but we are not in position to say what we are doing just yet."

Legal repercussions and off-putting workers in a terribly tight labour market are some of the deterrents of imposing a vaccine mandate for some employers.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"One of the biggest problems for our members right now is keeping and finding employees," Koslowsky said. "The last thing they want to so is to antagonize people saying they cant work unless theyre fully vaccinated."

Remillard said its very important to any employer considering mandatory vaccination to make sure to take steps to accommodate staff that are not vaccinated and dont intend to get the jab.

Koslowsky said concerns about potential legal action over human rights violations regarding restricting someones right to work is something that no employer wants to deal with.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Firefighters battling a stubborn California wildfire Friday near the Lake Tahoe resort region faced gusty winds and dry conditions that made vegetation ready to burn.

Homeowners Jose Lamas, center, his wife, Maria Covarrubias, right, and his daughter Astrid Covarrubias walk through the smoke after visiting their burned-out home from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP)  Firefighters battling a stubborn California wildfire Friday near the Lake Tahoe resort region faced gusty winds and dry conditions that made vegetation ready to burn.

The Caldor Fire has proved so difficult to fight that fire managers this week pushed back the projected date for full containment from early next week to Sept. 8. But even that estimate was tenuous.

I think thats going to be assessed on a day-by-day basis, said Keith Wade, a spokesman for the incident management team.

A Northern California police officer who had been on his way to help with the fire died Thursday of his injuries, officials said Friday.

Galt Police Officer Harminder Grewal was gravely injured in a head-on traffic collision that sent him and his partner to the hospital on Sunday.

Homeowner Jose Lamas, right, and his daughter Astrid Covarrubias survey the charred debris left in his burned-out home from the South Fire in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

He made the ultimate sacrifice while ... responding to danger. Officer Grewal took pride in serving his community and his work ethic was contagious to all who worked with him, the department said in a statement.

Grewal, 27, was a 2 1/2-year veteran who was the department's officer of the year in 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement honoring him and ordering Capitol flags to half-staff.

Grewal was a member of the honor guard and had recently been selected to be a motorcycle officer, Newsom said. He said Grewal's partner is recovering from her serious injuries. The driver who crossed into their lane also died.

Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water at the South Fire burning in Lytle Creek, San Bernardino County, north of Rialto, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Burning since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada, the Caldor Fire has scorched nearly 144,000 acres, or 225 square miles (583 square kilometers), and remained only 12% contained Friday.

Flames churned through mountains just southwest of the Tahoe Basin, home to thousands and a playground for millions of tourists who visit the alpine lake in warmer months, ski at the many resorts in winter, and gamble at its casinos year-round. The area is blanketed in smoke at a time when summer vacations should be in full swing.

The fire's eastern edge was about 7 or 8 miles (11 or 13 kilometers) from the city of South Lake Tahoe, said Robert Baird, a U.S. Forest Service director of fire and aviation management.

The Caldor Fire burns on both sides of Highway 50 about 10 miles east of Kyburz, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, as the fire pushes east prompting evacuation orders all the way to Echo Summit. The Caldor Fire, the nation's top priority for firefighting resources, grew to more than 213 square miles (551 square kilometers) southwest of Lake Tahoe but containment remained at 12%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 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. (Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

That area has been a focus of intense resource and concern for all of us, he said.

Primary and secondary fire lines cut by bulldozers, hand crews and burnout operations were in place to try to catch the fire before it reaches South Lake Tahoe, he said.

Evacuation planning was being done as a precaution, but there were no evacuations there as of Friday afternoon, he said.

A fire captain points out where crews should carry a hose down a hill as the Caldor Fire burns on both sides of Highway 50 about 10 miles east of Kyburz, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, as the fire pushes east prompting evacuation orders all the way to Echo Summit. The Caldor Fire, the nation's top priority for firefighting resources, grew to more than 213 square miles (551 square kilometers) southwest of Lake Tahoe but containment remained at 12%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 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. (Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

There was equal concern for communities along the western side of the fire.

When you look at the Caldor Fire, obviously theres many reasons that its the highest priority fire in the country and in California. It has community and infrastructure in pretty much every direction," said Anthony Scardina, the U.S. Forest Service deputy regional forester for the Pacific Southwest region.

That's why that fire is so complex, because in every direction there are significant risks, he said, adding that it's right in the back door of communities on the west side.

While battling the Caldor fire, firefighters burn vegetation to create a control line along Highway 50 in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Caldor Fire is one of nearly 90 large blazes in the U.S. Many are in the West, burning trees and brush desiccated by drought. Climate change has made the region warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.

In California, 14 active, large fires are being fought by more than 15,200 firefighters. Fires have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate in the state this year while blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.

The Caldor Fire has continued to grow, but not as explosively as its early days when it ravaged the community of Grizzly Flat. Ongoing tallies have counted 469 homes and 11 commercial properties destroyed, along with many smaller structures.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Water tender driver Dewayne Tillery lights a cigar while fighting the Caldor Fire west of Strawberry in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

In the Lake Tahoe area, visitation began to drop when Highway 50, the major route to the south end, closed and again when a Dierks Bentley concert was canceled, according to Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, which promotes tourism to the south side.

Obviously, the air quality began having a significant negative impact at that same time, she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. At our visitor center, many of our calls were around concern for future reservations, but as the fire has grown, lodging has experienced a significant drop.

Chaplin said she suspects occupancy is currently below 30%, and businesses are reducing hours and or days or temporarily closing.

Our summer season was incredibly strong, and we were looking forward to continuing that trend through the holiday and into the fall, she said.

South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin issued an emergency proclamation Thursday so the city thats home to Heavenly Ski Resort can be better prepared if evacuation orders come and be reimbursed for related expenses.

The last time the city declared a wildfire emergency was during the 2007 Angora Fire, which destroyed nearly 250 homes in neighboring Meyers and was the last major fire in the basin.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

___

FILE - This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the virus that causes COVID-19. On Friday, Aug. 26, 2021, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting a study from the Francis Crick Institute in London found that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine destroys a type of white blood cell called the T cell and weakens the immune system. On the contrary, the vaccine generates a strong T cell response and boosts immunity, according to medical experts. (NIAID-RML via AP, File)

No, COVID-19 vaccine deaths do not outnumber virus deaths

CLAIM: Data shows that COVID-19 vaccines are more deadly than the virus itself.

THE FACTS: An article shared widely on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram, misrepresents data from Scotland to falsely conclude that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is more dangerous than getting the virus. In fact, reports of death resulting from COVID-19 vaccination are rare while more than 4 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19. Yet the article claims more people have died due to the Covid-19 vaccine in 8 months than people who have died of Covid-19 in 18 months. This bogus claim rests on U.K. data presented without proper context, according to an Associated Press analysis confirmed by medical experts. The article cites data from Scotlands national public health agency that shows that between Dec. 2020 and June 2021, 5,522 people died within 28 days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It compares that number to a report from the National Records of Scotland showing that between March 2020 and July 2021, 704 people who had no pre-existing conditions died of COVID-19 in Scotland. But using those figures alone leaves out key context. Public Health Scotland explains that though 5,522 people did die within 28 days of receiving a vaccine, that number includes all recorded deaths due to any cause and does not refer to deaths caused by the vaccine itself. The agency adds that this tally of coincidental post-vaccine deaths is actually lower than the 8,718 deaths that would be expected based on average monthly death rates in Scotland. National Records of Scotland Communications Manager Ewan Mathieson told the AP that out of millions who have received COVID-19 vaccine doses in Scotland, a total of four people there have died from adverse effects of the shot. Reducing virus deaths in Scotland to the 704 people without pre-existing conditions is also misleading, because it excludes anyone who had any condition that preceded COVID-19 or was listed as a contributory factor in their death. In total in Scotland between March 2020 and August 2021, there have been more than 10,000 deaths involving COVID-19, Mathieson said. The article also points to reports made to the British governments Yellow Card scheme, a program for reporting adverse drug reactions. It claims that nearly 300,000 adverse reactions and 501 deaths reported through the program are proof that the vaccines are dangerous and can be deadly. Thats not accurate, according to the U.K. government, which explains that any member of the public can submit suspected side effects so the Yellow Card reports should not be considered conclusive. The nature of Yellow Card reporting means that reported events are not always proven side effects, the U.K.s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency explains on its website. Some events may have happened anyway, regardless of vaccination. This is particularly the case when millions of people are vaccinated, and especially when most vaccines are being given to the most elderly people and people who have underlying illness. Sheena Cruickshank, a professor and immunologist at the University of Manchester, called the piece an irresponsible article that is using data in an unethical way. In an email to the AP, Cruickshank wrote: Current data clearly shows that unvaccinated people are much more at risk of catching the delta variant of COVID and being hospitalised or dying. The vaccines are proving highly effective against protecting against the worst effects of this condition.

 Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

__

Video clip of Ohio school board meeting spreads vaccine falsehoods

CLAIM: People who have been vaccinated are going to die within six months to five years; COVID-19 vaccines will sterilize children permanently; 80 percent of women who have been jabbed have miscarried in the first trimester; people who are vaccinated are banned from donating blood.

THE FACTS: A video clip of a speaker sharing several false claims about COVID-19 vaccines during a school board meeting in Ohio made the rounds on social media. Sean Brooks introduced himself at the Talawanda School District meeting on Aug. 16 as a doctor who has a Ph.D. According to his website, it is in education rather than science. No evidence can be found to back up several of the claims Brooks makes in the clip, including his prophecy that people who have been vaccinated will die within months or years due to the shot. Data from millions of people who have been vaccinated shows COVID-19 vaccines prevent deaths. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to Pfizer for its vaccine on Monday after reviewing six months of safety data. The FDA had previously granted Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccines based on safety data that tracked more than 70,000 people through clinical trials up to two months after they received shots. The safety data now exists for a full year and in some cases 18 months, said Dr. Matthew Woodruff, an immunologist at Emory University. We have seen over and over again no indications that the immune responses to these vaccines are functionally different to immune responses from other vaccines. Furthermore, medical professionals agree that COVID-19 vaccines do not affect fertility, do not cause sterilization and are safe for pregnant people. A Pfizer study found that just as many women who were given the vaccine became pregnant as those who received placebo shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging pregnant women to receive the vaccine, particularly since pregnant women are at elevated risk for severe disease if they contract coronavirus. Brooks comment that 80 percent of women miscarried is not backed up by any evidence and is contradicted by available data. A CDC analysis found that 2,500 women who received a dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy showed no increased risk of miscarriage. His claim that vaccinated people cannot donate blood is also false. Blood centers, including The American Red Cross, are accepting donations from people who have received the COVID-19 vaccines and are encouraging vaccinated individuals to give blood. The American Association of Blood Banks has said that the FDA's blood donation eligibility criteria includes people who have received vaccines authorized in the U.S. Brooks did not return a request for comment.

 Associated Press writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed this report.

__

COVID-19 vaccines dont destroy T cells or weaken immune system

CLAIM: A study from the Francis Crick Institute in London found that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine destroys a type of white blood cell called the T cell and weakens the immune system.

THE FACTS: The vaccine doesnt destroy T cells or weaken the immune system. On the contrary, it generates a strong T cell response and boosts immunity, according to experts. Articles spreading on social media this week misrepresent the Francis Crick Institute study, which looked at the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to produce neutralizing antibodies against viral variants and did not examine T cells. Our work to date has not studied T cells at all, Francis Crick Institute researcher and study author Dr. David Bauer told the AP in an email. All research published to date shows that the Pfizer (and other) vaccines generate a strong, positive, protective T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2. Outside experts confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines dont destroy or damage T cells. Theres a lot of data that shows that the vaccines induce strong T cell responses that recognize the virus and probably lead to protection, said Dr. Joel Blankson, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who has personally studied T cell responses to COVID-19 vaccines. The claim that the vaccines weaken the immune system is also false, Bauer confirmed. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others shows the vaccines boost the immune response. The mRNA vaccines work by training the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus to generate an immune response. The Francis Crick Institute study examined how antibodies generated by COVID-19 vaccines are able to neutralize new strains of the virus. Bauer and other experts confirm that getting the vaccine offers more protection against the delta variant than going without it.

 Ali Swenson

___

Video shows airstrike in Gaza, not explosion in Kabul

CLAIM: Video shows the second explosion outside Afghanistans Kabul airport on Thursday near Baron Hotel.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

THE FACTS: As social media users began sharing photos and footage of Thursday's deadly attack at Kabul's airport, several old images and videos were shared as new. One video showing an airstrike tinting a night sky orange in Gaza, which has appeared repeatedly online since at least Aug. 21, circulated widely with false claims it showed Thursdays second explosion in Kabul. #BREAKING : Second explosion hit Baron Hotel near #Kabul airport where Americans were rescued last week, one Twitter user wrote alongside the video. But the video shows an airstrike in Gaza, according to several news reports and social media posts with the video shared days before the Kabul attacks. The open source intelligence network Aurora Intel and news outlets including Al Jazeera shared the photo online on Aug. 21 with captions explaining it showed an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. A spokesperson for the Israeli military also shared the video on Aug. 21, writing in a caption in Arabic that it showed warplanes raiding sites belonging to the Hamas militant group. Thursdays bombing near the airport killed well over 100 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, Afghan and U.S. officials said. It was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011. The Pentagon said Friday that there was just one suicide bomber  at the airport gate  not two, as U.S. officials initially said.

 Ali Swenson

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

___

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Alex Lasry, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and son of a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, benefitted from nearly $24,000 in property tax breaks in New York and Wisconsin that are supposed to be applied only to a primary residence.

Milwaukee Bucks senior vice president Alex Lasry speaks during an announcement of a labor agreement between the Fiserv Forum and Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization Union, Wednesday, Jan, 29, 2020 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Lasry, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and son of a co-owner of the Bucks, benefitted from nearly $24,000 in property tax breaks in New York and Wisconsin that are supposed to be applied only to a primary residence, property records from both states show. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Alex Lasry, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin and son of a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, benefitted from nearly $24,000 in property tax breaks in New York and Wisconsin that are supposed to be applied only to a primary residence.

Property records from both states show Lasry received at least $23,000 in tax breaks in New York for a condominium he owned there after he moved to Milwaukee in 2014. And while he was getting that tax break, Lasry also received more than $800 in lottery and gaming tax credits on his Milwaukee condo between 2016 and 2020.

In both states, the law says the tax breaks are for primary residences only. In other words, it can only be claimed on the property where the person lives.

Lasry's campaign spokesman Thad Nation blamed the condo manager in New York for not taking the necessary steps to end the tax break after Lasry moved. Lasry has notified the condo management of the mistake and is in the final stages of selling the property, Nation said.

Lasry wants to pay back New York City and is in the process of working with the city and condo board to do that, Nation said.

Alexs primary residence is in Milwaukee, Nation said. He took all the legal steps he was supposed to in New York to end his primary residence there and was unaware that it had not ended. This is clearly a mistake on the condo managements part of failing to inform the City of New York.

The condo management company at the time, AKAM, has been replaced, and the current one, Maxwell-Kates Inc., has no records from the time that Lasry departed, Nation said.

Messages left this week with Maxwell-Kates Inc. and AKAM were not returned.

Lasry rented out the condo continuously from 2017 until 2020 when he put it up for sale, Nation said. Lasry informed the condo's management company in writing in 2014 that he had moved out, in 2016 when he signed a brokerage agreement to rent out his apartment and in 2017 when a tenant was signed, which required the board's approval.

Alex did exactly what he was supposed to do in New York," Nation said. This was the legal responsibility of the condo management to report this to the City of New York and they clearly made a mistake. There is no legal mechanism for an individual to self-report to the City, it has to go through the condo board or the condo management.

According to the New York City Department of Finance, it is up to co-op and condo boards and management companies to notify the city when there is a change of eligibility for the abatement.

Adam Leitman Bailey, a real estate attorney in New York City for 27 years who wrote the book Finding the Uncommon Deal, said Lasry is correct in that its the condo managements responsibility to make sure the abatement is not applied, especially after Lasry notified them on multiple occasions that he no longer lived there.

He did everything right except hes got to write that letter every year, Leitman Bailey said.

Lasry should have received a letter every year from the condo management company asking him to verify that the unit was still his primary residence, said Margery N. Weinstein, a New York City real estate attorney for more than 35 years who practices in condo law.

Id be very surprised if, during the past 10 years, nobody from management asked him that question, she said.

Doug Speirs | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Even so, given that Lasry did inform the management company he was renting out the unit, management ought to have known the condo was no longer his primary residence, she said.

Nation said Lasry does not recall ever receiving a letter, nor does his familys office have any record of such a letter from the management company. The amount of property tax due each year remained relatively the same, so no one ever looked closely at the bill, Nation said.

Lasrys income tax returns, where he would show Wisconsin as his primary residence, are another way hes telling the government that he moved, Leitman Bailey said.

Lasry purchased the New York condo in 2012 for $3.45 million. He purchased his current Milwaukee condo for just over $1 million in 2016.

Lasry is on leave from his job as an executive with the Bucks while he runs for the Senate. There are about a dozen other Democratic candidates, including Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has not said yet whether he will seek reelection in 2022. The Democratic primary is nearly a year away, on Aug. 9.
OTTAWA - Canadians travelling to the United Kingdom will not be required to quarantine upon arrival as of Monday, regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A lone lady walks in an empty Air Canada line at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on April 8, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA - Canadians travelling to the United Kingdom will not be required to quarantine upon arrival as of Monday, regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The British Department for Transport said Canada and other countries are moving to its "green" list for travel as visitors who pose a low risk to public health in the United Kingdom.

The department said travellers from Canada will still need to take a COVID-19 test within three days before leaving for the U.K. and another two days after arriving.

The change will take effect Monday.

The United Kingdom has also added Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Switzerland and the Azores to the "green" list.

"The data for all countries will be kept under review and the government will not hesitate to take action should the data show that countries risk ratings have changed," the department said.

The U.K. High Commission in Ottawa announced the new changes in a post on its Twitter account.

"(Canada) has been added to the U.K.s green list," the commission said.

"This will make it easier for those looking to reconnect with family, friends and businesses in the U.K."

The United Kingdom is adding Thailand and Montenegro to its "red" list at the same time, saying the increased case counts in those countries mean a higher risk to public health.

"Passengers arriving in the U.K. from these red list destinations will need to isolate for 10 days in a managed quarantine facility and follow the necessary testing requirements," the department said.

Many British Canadians were frustrated after being snubbed by the plan to ease quarantine restrictions for entry to England and Scotland last month.

The Writ The federal election occurs Sept. 20 and we have you covered. Get the latest campaign news, insights, analysis and commentary delivered weekly to your inbox with our free newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The United Kingdom announced on July 28 that travellers who were fully vaccinated in the United States or Europe would not have to quarantine upon arrival.

Before the changes that were announced Thursday, travellers from Canada to the U.K. needed to take a COVID-19 test no more than three days before their arrival, book and pay for two other tests after they arrived and quarantine in the place they were staying for 10 days.

British Canadians make up a large segment of Canada's population. In the 2016 census, 32.5 per cent of the Canadian population reported having some ancestry from the British Isles, with 6.3 million people of English origin, 4.8 million of Scottish origin and 4.6 million of Irish origin.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2021.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
A group of major Canadian long-term care operators will require all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 this fall, with those who don't take the shots being asked to go on unpaid leave.

Barbara Violo, pharmacist and owner of The Junction Chemist Pharmacy, draws up a dose behind vials of both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on the counter, in Toronto, Friday, June 18, 2021. A group of major Canadian long-term care operators will require COVID-19 vaccination for all staff this fall. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

A group of major Canadian long-term care operators will require all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 this fall, with those who don't take the shots being asked to go on unpaid leave.

Chartwell Retirement Residences, Extendicare, Responsive Group Inc., Revera Inc., and Sienna Senior Living announced the plan in a joint statement on Thursday.

They said the stronger policy is necessary as a fourth wave of infections driven by more contagious variants of the virus is spreading in the country.

"Front-line staff at each organization have demonstrated an enthusiastic response to our voluntary vaccination programs," the group said in a statement. "We thank them for their commitment, but we need to do more."

Employees who arent fully vaccinated as of Oct. 12 will be placed on unpaid leave of absence.

Vaccination will also be required for new hires, students and other personnel working with the companies.

The group said it doesn't expect the new policy to impact staffing levels, noting that the companies now offer staff access to education about vaccination, help with booking appointments and paid time off to get vaccinated.

It said those policies have resulted in "already high staff vaccination rates that continue to rise each week."

Thousands of long-term care residents have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began as homes across the country dealt with major outbreaks.

The Writ The federal election occurs Sept. 20 and we have you covered. Get the latest campaign news, insights, analysis and commentary delivered weekly to your inbox with our free newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The coalition of home operators said unvaccinated staff are more likely to bring the virus to work as infection rates increase again.

Their statement said the vaccination policy will help reduce the need for isolation and other restrictions on residents in the event of outbreaks.

In Ontario, where more than a third of people who have died from COVID-19 were long-term care residents, the province has set minimum standards for vaccination policies in seniors' homes.

Staff must show proof of full vaccination or a medical exemption, and those not vaccinated must take an educational program about COVID-19 vaccination.

The Ontario Long-Term Care Association has asked the province to strengthen those rules by mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all direct care providers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2021.
OTTAWA - The morning after Canada's military withdrew from Kabul, when dozens of Afghans and 13 American military personnel died in the terrorist attack on the citys airport, a woman named Najiba pondered the darkening future.

Afghan women in burqas walk on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rahmat Gul

OTTAWA - The morning after Canada's military withdrew from Kabul, when dozens of Afghans and 13 American military personnel died in the terrorist attack on the citys airport, a woman named Najiba pondered the darkening future.

"My message to the Canadian government is not to leave women, girls in Afghanistan alone. This is a time that we need your support. I know that you have been supporting Afghanistan for the last 20 years," Najiba, an Afghan human rights activist, told The Canadian Press on Friday.

"But unfortunately, our politicians, they didn't care about the people of Afghanistan.  But it is not the fault of the ordinary people of Afghanistan. It is not the fault of women, girls and children," said Najiba, whose full name is being withheld to protect her safety.

Canadian taxpayer dollars have funded various projects that she has worked on that were designed to raise the rights of women and girls over the last 20 years.

The swift return to power of the Taliban earlier this month brings fear that the clock is about to be turned back two decades to when women and girls were stripped of basic freedoms, including the right to work or go to school, Najiba said.

The end of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan has left an unknown number of Canadians and their families trapped in the country, as well as vulnerable Afghans exposing them to Taliban reprisals.

But it also left behind scores of women and girls that Canada helped transform into parliamentarians, judges, prosecutors, activists and others, said Corey Levine, a Canadian specializing in women's rights for two decades with international organizations in Afghanistan.

"There was a whole generation that benefited from international engagement in Afghanistan, and my heart goes out to them," said Levine, who returned from a seven-month stint in Afghanistan earlier this summer.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday Canada would continue to work with its international partners "to pressure the Taliban to not reverse the tremendous progress specifically made for women and girls in Afghanistan because of Canadians and other allies' efforts over the past two decades."

International Development Minister Karina Gould also emphasized that Canada has not turned its back on those women and girls, and they will be part of Canadian efforts to resettle Afghans.

"We remain in very close contact with many of the women who we have been working with in Afghanistan and partners here in Canada that are working very diligently to find safe ways for them to get out of the country," said Gould.

But for Najiba, there were no signs of escape routes on the horizon. Instead, women are girding for a return to a dark past.

"When Canada and the U.S. are withdrawing from Afghanistan, it would put people at greater risk," she said. "Women, the human rights activists will not be allowed to raise their voices to criticize the government. So, the future is very, very uncertain. And it is very dangerous."

Some of her fellow Afghans are weighing the risks of trying to flee, which includes running the gauntlet of the Kabul airport despite Thursday's horrific attack by an Afghan chapter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a faction also known as ISIS-K, she said.

"Today was another awful day in my life, full of tension and stress. The images from the airport are still in my mind," Najiba said. "It is a very terrible day that I will never forget in my life. I feel as if I'm also dead because I can't help my poor people."

The airport as an escape option diminished Friday as White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki warned that as the Aug. 31 deadline draws nearer, the number of evacuations is likely to decline as the military ramps up its own "retrograde" withdrawal of troops and equipment, while ensuring it can do so safely.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said 500 more Canadians were flown out of Kabul on an American flight Thursday after Canada's military mission ended as part of the staged withdrawal plan by the U.S.

Najiba said women, for the most part, remain locked at home in Kabul.

"They're not allowed to go to work because Taliban has announced that women still can stay at home until the new procedures within Islamic law, within Islamic Shariah is developed," said Najiba, who believes the new Taliban edicts will dictate to "women how to dress, where to go, whether they can work the within the environment with men together."

The Canadian-funded projects she worked on produced "incredible results" that made women economically independent, and removed old restrictions on social, economic and political life. The loss of that is only one aspect of the misery now engulfing her country, she said.

"On the other side, people are starving, no work opportunities, banks are closed and no money transactions. Costs for products have increased so much in the market, and unaffordable for many people. I have no idea if the situation continues like this in Afghanistan, everyone will die out of hunger," she said.

Afghanistan's neighbouring countries are in talks with the Taliban to reopen the Kabul airport to keep humanitarian aid flowing and to allow people to travel in and out, said Garneau, but added nobody knows if or when that will occur.

The Writ The federal election occurs Sept. 20 and we have you covered. Get the latest campaign news, insights, analysis and commentary delivered weekly to your inbox with our free newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole criticized the government for not doing enough and said it should work with allies to establish "more longer-term corridors" with neighbouring countries to allow refugees to flee.

Trudeau said the speed at which the Taliban took control of Afghanistan was a widespread surprise.

"I think politicians and leaders around the world, I think Afghans themselves, were surprised at just how fast the Taliban were able to take over in Afghanistan," Trudeau said Friday.

Levine said friends and colleagues in Kabul she had contact with just days before the Taliban victory weren't expecting the country to fall so quickly. No one seemed to be packing or making evacuation plans.

"I think even the Taliban themselves did not envision the lightning speed at which they were able to achieve this."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2021.
A Winnipeg man with family in Afghanistan is organizing a rally at the Manitoba Legislature for Saturday to call attention to the dire situation there, and the need for Canada's support.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

A Winnipeg man with family in Afghanistan is organizing a rally at the Manitoba Legislature for Saturday to call attention to the dire situation there, and the need for Canada's support.

Meanwhile, advocates for refugees are working on ways to support people fleeing from Afghanistan who may end up in Winnipeg.

Bashir Faqiri moved to Canada with his family more than 20 years ago to escape the Taliban.

He has many family members still living there, some of whom are Canadian citizens who are stranded near the Kabul airport.

To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here.

This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca.
Manitobans havent seen much of their southern neighbours despite Canada having opened its border to Americans more than two weeks ago after 18 months of a lockdown.

Manitobans havent seen much of their southern neighbours despite Canada having opened its border to Americans more than two weeks ago after 18 months of a lockdown.

"Its not like were actually booming with Americans. Its not like that at all," said Min Lee, manager of the Morris Stampede Inn.

Normally, Americans stay at the hotel, which is in the town north of the Emerson border crossing, as they enter and leave Manitoba.

"Were slowly getting some movement," Lee said.

Hes noticed a few American families, but nothing like the pre-pandemic years when Americans regularly came north for fishing and camping trips.

Jessica Jackson, owner and operator of fishing destination Eagle Nest Lodge, has entertained about 30 Americans since the border opened to non-essential trips. Shed usually host from 100 to 120 guests in the same time frame, with the majority coming from the U.S.

"Theres certainly a lot of interest, but to be honest, theres a list of things that they need to do before they can come in, and not everybody is willing to do that," Jackson said.

On top of being double vaccinated, U.S. citizens and permanent residents must show a negative COVID-19 test; use ArriveCAN, an online application, to submit travel information; and prepare a quarantine plan.

"A number of (clients) are deciding to wait until next year, hoping that some of the requirements ease a little," Jackson said.

As a result, the Lac du Bonnet fishing retreats 2022 calendar is booked with customers whod initially planned trips in 2020.

In the first week after the border opened to non-essential travellers from the U.S., 10,471 travellers drove to the Prairie provinces, Canada Border Services Agency data show. Thats almost double the previous week when only 5,830 came through. The numbers include truck drivers who have been allowed to travel throughout the pandemic.

The border agency was unable to provide data on the number of people who entered Manitoba specifically.

"We havent seen (tourists) in so long," said Sam Milne, manager of Morris Bigway Foods.

This month, Milne has observed a few Americans buying food in the store  its more than have been around throughout the pandemic.

Assiniboine Park Zoo doesnt track where its visitors reside and doesnt have concrete data on how many of this summers tourists have been American.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"Anecdotally, our staff have not noticed an increase in visitors from the U.S.," Laura Cabak, Assiniboine Park Conservancys communications and public relations manager, said in an email.

Still, the number of American visitors to Manitoba beats last years figure. International travellers who crossed into the Prairies reached 4,734 in the second week of August 2020, a far cry from the more than 26,000 who entered during the same week in 2019.

Across Canada, 218,732 non-commercial travellers passed over the border in the first week it opened to Americans  more than double the 103,344 who made the trek a week earlier.

The Canada-U.S. border had been closed to non-essential travel from March 21, 2020 to Aug. 9 of this year.

On Aug. 19, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced its land border would remain closed to Canadians until at least Sept. 21.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
A former law dean at the University of Manitoba is facing a charge of professional misconduct, following an investigation into allegations that he misused school funds during his stint at Robson Hall.

A former law dean at the University of Manitoba is facing a charge of professional misconduct, following an investigation into allegations that he misused school funds during his stint at Robson Hall.

The Law Society of Manitoba has laid a charge of failure to act with integrity against Jonathan Black-Branch, who oversaw Robson Hall from 2016 until spring 2020  when he went on what would become a permanent, unexplained leave.

"I can confirm that we were contacted by the University of Manitoba with respect to concerns that arose while Jonathan Black-Branch was dean of the law school, and the concerns arose from an audit of the use of university funds by him," said Leah Kosokowsky, chief executive officer of the professional regulator.

Kosokowsky said the society undertook an investigation and a charge was authorized on Aug. 18.

Leah Kosokowsky said the society undertook an investigation and a charge was authorized on Aug. 18.

Black-Branch, who remains a member of the society, did not respond to requests for comment.

Almost five months ago, he was unlisted as a practising professional on Manitoba's lawyer registry because he was deemed "inactive," meaning he was not paying practising fees and is no longer insured so he cannot work in the province.

Black-Branch is, however, currently listed as a self-employed lawyer in London with a certificate that is valid until April 2022 in the Barristers Register, a United Kingdom listing of anyone who has been called to the bar in England and Wales and is authorized to practise.

The entry indicates his areas of practice include arbitration, international and public law, and professional discipline. It also states his primary work address is at 1GC Family Law, although he is not listed on the firms website.

Last summer, the U of M published a whistleblower report that outlined a single disclosure of alleged financial mismanagement by an unnamed senior employee. An internal investigation into the tip found wrongdoing occurred "with respect to the purchase of goods and services, conflict of interest, and mismanagement and misuse of funds" and that the employee also directed others to commit wrongdoing.

The school itself has remained mum on the matter, citing personnel and privacy matters.

The report recommended school administration address "internal control weaknesses" related to discretionary funds, particular invoice processes and the monitoring of spending patterns of expense claim submissions.

Not long after the document was made public, a group of U of M-affiliated lawyers sent a confidential letter to the law society, outlining their shared and all-but-certain belief Black-Branch was the unnamed employee. The authors noted the fact their former boss mentioned in late 2019 that central administration was intensively looking into his management, as well as his sudden departure.

The school itself has remained mum on the matter, citing personnel and privacy matters.

A spokesperson for the U of M said Thursday the university recently underwent a "rigorous review" of financial oversight policies and has since enhanced them by revising policies and procedures and adding reporting requirements, among other items.

To date, faculty at Robson Hall remain in the dark about the circumstances surrounding Black-Branchs departure.

"The fact that hes been charged is obviously an important step in finding out what happened here and informing the public."

"Weve been told that he was here and then he wasnt here," said one of the lawyers who signed the August 2020 letter. "The fact that hes been charged is obviously an important step in finding out what happened here and informing the public."

Prior to Black-Branchs dean appointment in Manitoba, he worked in various academic leadership positions in schools in the U.K. and Denmark. Three months after leaving U of M, he was named head of England's Southampton Law School, but the school cut ties with Black-Branch after Winnipeg news outlets inquired about the appointment.

The law society's hearing council is in the process of preparing a citation that will set out specifics of the charge against the former dean.

A date for Black-Branchs disciplinary hearing, during which he will be able to contest all evidence, has yet to be set.

A lawyer found guilty of a professional charge can be penalized via reprimand, fine, suspension or disbarment.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.
The young couple were on their way home from the airport, having just picked up her mother off a late flight in from Germany, when the early morning tragedy struck on the Perimeter Highway last Saturday.

The young couple were on their way home from the airport, having just picked up her mother off a late flight in from Germany, when the early morning tragedy struck on the Perimeter Highway last Saturday.

The grandmother had not yet had the chance to meet her youngest two granddaughters.

SUPPLIED Robert and Angelika Hartfelder.

A car driven by a 26-year-old Winnipeg woman was travelling west in one of the highway's eastbound lanes near St. Anne's Road when it hit the minivan driven by Robert Hartfelder of Steinbach head-on at about 2:30 a.m.

Hartfelder, 26, his wife Angelika Petrich, 24, Petrich's mother, 63, and the unidentified 26-year-old driver of the other vehicle all died at the scene, RCMP said. The young couple had three daughters under the age of five.

On Saturday morning, a piece of bumper still lay in the grassy ditch, near black skid marks on the asphalt.

"It takes a while to process that you will never see this individual ever again," Hartfelder's employer Stephane Massicotte, 33, told the Free Press.

Massicotte co-owns Rolly's Septic Service along with his father, Roland. Hartfelder worked for the company, which serves rural municipalities to the east and southeast of Winnipeg, as a driver and operator for two years.

"It takes a while to process that you will never see this individual ever again."  Stephane Massicotte

"The night before, I spoke to him, when he came back to my shop  Have a great weekend  I knew he was going to pick up his mother-in-law that night from the airport and how excited him and his wife were to see her," Massicotte said.

"They saw her, but the grandmother was never able to see his two younger kids."

Hartfelder was described as a hard-working family man.

"He loved coming to work but he also loved to be at home with his family, his wife, to do things with them.... He comes from a big family, and family was a big thing for him," Massicotte said.

"Robert was just a very positive guy. Hed come in the morning and look at everything as a positive  (he had) a positive way of looking at life, in general."

"They saw her, but the grandmother was never able to see his two younger kids."  Stephane Massicotte

Massicotte said COVID-19 restrictions prevented the Hartfelders and his young family from spending time together.

"We didnt get the chance to get the families together like we wanted to because of all the restrictions but we were hoping to get to that point," he said.

"Even though I was his boss and Im a bit older than him I have young kids and he had young kids, so he was the type of guy, the family, we would have hung around with."

Hartfelder's sister called to let the small company  five full-time workers, including the father-and-son owners  know what happened. It was a difficult day for Massicotte.

"Youre in shock, youre in disbelief  like, you dont even think its true," he said.

You think about the kids, the parents are gone. It was devastating....  Stephane Massicotte

"You think about the kids, the parents are gone. It was devastating just thinking about him as an individual and not being able to see him ever again, and how affected his family will be from this, thinking about where the kids are going to go."

Earlier this week, a man who knows Hartfelder's father well set up an online GoFundMe page to raise money for the family's funeral expenses. The friend set a donation goal of $45,000. More than $80,000 has been collected so far.

The investigation to determine whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision is ongoing, expected to take some time, RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre said in an email to the Free Press Wednesday.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera
Heather Stefanson, a favourite in the race to lead the governing Progressive Conservatives in Manitoba, won't point fingers at Premier Brian Pallister's sometimes adversarial leadership, but said she'll handle the job differently.

Heather Stefanson, a favourite in the race to lead the governing Progressive Conservatives in Manitoba, won't point fingers at Premier Brian Pallister's sometimes adversarial leadership, but said she'll handle the job differently.

"No approach is right or wrong, I just have a different approach," she said in an interview Friday with CBC Manitoba's Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.

"What I'm hearing is that Manitobans want that kind of collaborative and conciliatory approach, and someone that's going to listen, and I think that that's what I bring forward."

To read more of this story first reported by CBC News, click here.

This content is made available to Free Press readers as part of an agreement with CBC that sees our two trusted news brands collaborate to better cover Manitoba. Questions about CBC content can be directed to talkback@cbc.ca.
Kailynn Newediuk anticipated waiting a long time when she signed up for her COVID-19 immunization card.

Kailynn Newediuk anticipated waiting a long time when she signed up for her COVID-19 immunization card.

It took more than a month before her dad received his card. Her grandparents faced a lengthy delay, too.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kailynn Newediuk, who submitted her request Aug. 3, has not yet received her vaccination card.

People who request plastic proof of their double vaccination get an email from Manitoba Health saying it has received the request, and if they dont have their card within 14 days, they should contact the government.

"I wasnt expecting to have it on time," said Newediuk, who submitted her request Aug. 3. The two-week deadline has passed.

On Aug. 24, the province announced it would expand the list of amenities and services available only to fully vaccinated people. Personalized immunization cards with QR codes, in either digital or physical formats, are needed for Manitobans to prove theyve received two doses.

As of Monday, 738,221 people had asked to receive both digital and physical immunization cards. Another 37,628 have requested only digital copies.

The province had mailed 588,000 physical cards by Aug. 20; another 150,000 are outstanding.

Each day, an average of 4,200 people sign up.

"Im not too concerned about the (physical) card," Newediuk, 26, said. "(But) for even, my dad, he has a smartphone, he can download the app, but its so much easier and comfortable for him to whip out the card."

Like her father, Newediuk has the Manitoba Immunization Card app  a virtual option that displays her QR code. However, she wants a printed copy.

"There is a comfort in knowing that if I couldnt open the app for some reason, I could just open up my wallet and pull out my card," she said.

Emails with updates about the cards progress would be nice, she said  especially given the delays.

As of Aug. 20, the province had mailed out all cards that had been requested before July 27, a provincial spokesperson said.

"The demand for physical cards exceeded expectations," the spokesperson wrote. "Despite the demand... the vast majority of Manitobans are using the card in its digital format."

They said the government is working to process cards as quickly as possible.

Currently, people need to flash their cards to enter casinos, professional sporting events and concert halls, among other places. In late June to mid-July, Manitobans showed their QR codes to sit with vaccinated friends and family inside restaurants.

The province said this week there will be more instances in which immunization cards will be required for admissions to events.

Uzoma Asagwara, the NDPs health critic, expressed frustration at the backlog in cards being issued, saying the Progressive Conservatives have not hired enough people to meet the demand for cards.

"(The province) needs to make sure that every resource is established and in place to make sure that those folks who have made the decision to be vaccinated can reap the full benefits of that decision," Asagwara said.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"Those folks (are) feeling frustrated, and disappointed, and unable to do the things that the government tells them theyre able to do because the government hasnt held up their end of this agreement."

The province launched the immunization cards in June and the app in August.

The QR codes are not recognized outside the province. Randy Betcher, from Swan River, said he showed his QR code to a Canadian customs officer in Torontos airport upon returning from a hiking trip in the United States. The officer would not accept the code as proof of vaccination; luckily, Betcher had taken a printout of the dates of his vaccinations that listed the type of vaccines he received. The officer accepted that as proof.

"I dont know what wouldve happened if I didnt have (it)," Betcher said.

Manitobans who travel back to Canada via an airport in another province, must have a copy of their COVID-19 vaccine records from Shared Health in order to show theyve been fully vaccinated and avoid having to quarantine.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca
IT might surprise Canadians to learn that many of our laws and regulations were not made in Canada, but were inherited from England and France. What the Canada Revenue Agency considers a charity comes from a decision by the British House of Lords in the late 1800s, itself based on the preamble of the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses (also known as The Statute of Elizabeth).

Opinion

IT might surprise Canadians to learn that many of our laws and regulations were not made in Canada, but were inherited from England and France. What the Canada Revenue Agency considers a charity comes from a decision by the British House of Lords in the late 1800s, itself based on the preamble of the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses (also known as The Statute of Elizabeth).

To be a registered charity in Canada, you can either perform charitable acts (such as alleviating poverty or educating people) or you can "advance religion." It is long past time for Canadian rules to be made in Canada, and updated on a time scale that is not measured in centuries.

This may seem small potatoes, but the numbers are quite large. Canada treats religious organizations differently, and consistently preferentially, compared with other non-profit institutions. Of Canadas 86,000 charities, more than one-third (32,000) exist to advance religion. Over 90 per cent of these are Christian organizations. Religious charities write tax receipts worth more than $3.5 billion every year, which has helped them accumulate net assets exceeding $38 billion.

The largest public subsidy of religion comes from the Ontario government, which continues to fully fund the separate (Catholic) school system through Grade 12. Such an arrangement has been condemned as discriminatory by the United Nations. Ontario spends approximately $10 billion per year on Catholic schools, and would save $1.5 billion annually if it followed the examples of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, which merged their sectarian school boards into a single publicly funded secular school system.

British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Quebec provide subsidies (40-60 per cent) to religious schools that meet certain provincial criteria. Manitoba (under its Fair Funding Agreement) provides private religious schools with half the funding per student that public schools receive.

The list goes on. Religious charities  groups whose primary purpose is not to feed the hungry or increase literacy, but to advance religion  receive more than $1 billion every year in direct subsidies from the three levels of government in Canada. And there is a housing tax deduction available only to members of the clergy, which costs the federal government (and benefits houses of worship) more than $100 million annually.

It is true, of course, that some religious groups do good works. It is also evident from reading the headlines over the past several weeks that religious institutions have been responsible for horrific acts of inhumanity. Given their mixed record, it is not clear whether religious organizations are good or bad for society overall.

Let those that conduct genuine good works continue to enjoy charitable status. Those called to their faith by a strong desire to help others in need will continue to do so. Those organizations that exist to advance religion  that is, to proselytize or fund denominational efforts  are perfectly legitimate entities, but are not charitable and should not reap the benefits of being considered so.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Research has shown that societies benefit when religion is neither supported nor suppressed. Just about every socio-economic indicator is positive where governments are neutral in matters of religion: from GDP per capita and life expectancy (high) to poverty and crime rates (low). This is true both across countries and within them.

It is also time to remove the property-tax exemption for houses of worship. Advancement of religion should no longer be sufficient to gain charitable status. Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan should have a single publicly funded school system for each official language. Provinces that fund private religious schools, even in part, should cease doing so.

The clergy residence deduction should be eliminated. These subsidies amount to a massive transfer of wealth from the non-religious to the religious. Canada should treat all its citizens equally, regardless of their philosophical worldview, but does not do so.

Government should fund only those groups performing objectively good works, not those with the nebulous aim of advancing religion. Not only would adopting a neutral stance toward religious organizations provide over $7 billion every year for debt-laden governments (or nearly $200 per Canadian), but it would move Canada closer to the ideal of government steering clear of matters of faith.

Nations where religion dictates government policies are theocracies. Countries where the government runs faith-based groups do not have freedom of religion. Let us keep church and state separate, maximize freedom for believers and non-believers alike, and create the conditions for all Canadians to thrive.

Leslie Rosenblood is the secular chair of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for public-sector employees in Manitoba who work with vulnerable populations was the next logical step in the fight against COVID-19. Expanding vaccine mandates in public places, expected to be unveiled soon by the province, is also a necessary move to return to normal life.

Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for public-sector employees in Manitoba who work with vulnerable populations was the next logical step in the fight against COVID-19. Expanding vaccine mandates in public places, expected to be unveiled soon by the province, is also a necessary move to return to normal life.

The provincial government announced Tuesday that a wide range of public-sector workers, including health-care staff, teachers, early childhood educators and jail guards, must be fully immunized by Oct. 31, or face regular testing that could be as frequent as three times a week for full-time staff.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Vaccination remains Manitobas best option for fighting COVID-19.

Its difficult to fathom why governments would have to resort to such mandates, given the overwhelming evidence of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. It is particularly surprising that anyone in the health-care field  many of whom have seen the deadly effects of COVID-19 first-hand  would need a mandate to get immunized.

Health-care staff work in some of the highest-risk settings of any profession when it comes to infectious disease. For that reason, they were among the first in line to get immunized in the early stages of the vaccine rollout.

Theres every reason to believe most health-care staff have been fully vaccinated, although there is no available data on it. However, it appears a minority have not. Thats why Doctors Manitoba, the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association have called on governments to make vaccinations mandatory for all front-line health-care workers. They understand better than most how critical vaccines are to saving lives and protecting hospital capacity.

The same life-saving principles apply to mandatory immunization in public schools and child-care centres. Children under 12 remain ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines and may not be able to get immunized until early 2022. Its critical that teachers, school staff and early childhood educators are fully vaccinated, not only to protect themselves and unvaccinated children, but also to mitigate community transmission of the virus.

Mandating vaccines for public-sector workers, including MLAs, was the right decision. Its unfortunate it didnt come sooner, especially with students returning to school in less than two weeks. Its also disappointing the Pallister government has not made vaccines mandatory for all post-secondary campuses (although most are doing so on their own).

Vaccine mandates appear to be the only viable solution to increasing immunization rates at this critical juncture in the pandemic.

Vaccine mandates appear to be the only viable solution to increasing immunization rates at this critical juncture in the pandemic. There is a sizeable portion of Manitobans  perhaps as large as a quarter of the population  who dont believe they need to get immunized, or have delayed getting their first or second doses. Some face barriers to health-care services, while a very small minority may have legitimate medical reasons for not getting immunized.

Many, however, simply refuse to get vaccinated based on dangerous and unproven conspiracy theories. Some have embraced false, discredited claims that vaccines are experimental and cause more harm than good. That group has been led down a destructive path of deceit and misinformation and have been unresponsive to reason and scientific evidence. Many are unlikely to change their minds. Meanwhile, their actions, or inactions, are threatening the health and safety of all Manitobans.

Vaccine mandates in the public sector and proof-of-immunization cards are both necessary and reasonable responses to vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine sentiment. These steps will undoubtedly convince some Manitobans to get immunized. They will, at the very least, help keep public places safe. They represent Manitobas best chance at returning to normal life.
The health district with the lowest vaccine uptake rate in Manitoba has decided to cancel its block party program because COVID-19 cases are expected to rise.

The health district with the lowest vaccine uptake rate in Manitoba has decided to cancel its block party program because COVID-19 cases are expected to rise.

The Rural Municipality of Stanley, near Winkler, launched a program to encourage residents to hold block parties; it provided hosts with free party packages including invitations, outdoor games kits and coupons for food.

Block parties that have been scheduled will be allowed, but the municipality has stopped taking new applications.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"With Manitoba public health's prediction of increased COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, council has decided to postpone the block party program at this time," reads a statement on the council website.

In the municipality, 22.1 per cent of eligible residents have received at least their first dose, making it the district with the lowest vaccination rate in the province.

Some residents were shocked to hear the municipality had encouraged gatherings, including Ashley Hoitink, a teacher who said she was relieved by the decision to halt the parties.

"Im glad they decided to postpone the block (parties)," she said. "It's unfortunate they still went ahead with some gatherings for over two weeks, knowing that a fourth wave is coming."

Stanley reeve Morris Olafson did not respond to the Free Press, but told PembinaValleyonline the program was well-received.

"We're talking about small groups, we're talking about neighbours on a street, their kids play together all the time, and they work together," said Olafson. "We're not mixing a whole waft of people from all over the province, and all over Canada, into this big perceived big turkey. We were very well-meaning when we started this one, and I'm sticking to my guns on that one."
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh doesnt have much to campaign for in Manitoba. Its probably why it took him a week and half after the election was called to make his first campaign stop here.

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh doesnt have much to campaign for in Manitoba. Its probably why it took him a week and half after the election was called to make his first campaign stop here.

The NDP lost more than a third of its seats in the 2019 election, dropping to 24 from 39 under Singhs leadership. The party has a long way to go to regain that support. However, it's unlikely they will find any of it in Manitoba.

Singh made two public appearances in Winnipeg Thursday, one that included a housing announcement and another to declare his solidarity with First Nations at the Oodena Circle at The Forks. It was a low-key affair, although the symbolic flight of a bald eagle soaring above, as Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee reminded the crowd how Ottawa continues to violate treaties signed with First Nations 150 years ago, was compelling.

Singh says he plans to continue to use his position as a federal party leader to help give First Nations a voice, as he did Thursday. Its commendable, but it likely wont change his partys fortunes in Manitoba in this election.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP leader Jagmeet Singh declared his solidarity with First Nations at the Oodena Circle at The Forks.

The NDP held three of Manitobas 14 seats going into the race. They will likely end up with the same three: Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, Elmwood-Transcona and Winnipeg Centre.

The party finished a distant second or third in every other riding in the province and has virtually no chance of winning any of them this time around.

Theres always some hope among New Democrats they could pry Winnipeg North away from the Liberals. After all, the riding has oodles of traditional NDP support. The party had its best showing there in 2019 outside of the three seats it won, garnering 26 per cent of the vote. But NDP candidate Kyle Mason was no match for veteran campaigner Kevin Lamoureux, who is one of the most effective and hardest working political organizers in the province.

Lamoureux took 46 per cent of the vote in 2019. Even with his partys troubled campaign so far (including the backlash Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to face for calling an election during a pandemic), Lamoureux is not expected to give up much.

ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kevin Lamoureux took 46 per cent of the vote in 2019.

The only other riding in Manitoba that came close to that for the NDP was Kildonan-St. Paul, where the party finished third with 21 per cent of the vote. However, the NDP tends to split the vote with the Liberals in that riding and has next to no chance of unseating Conservative incumbent Raquel Dancho (who won with a 17-percentage point margin).

There's just not much reason for Singh to be in Manitoba right now.

Even the three seats the NDP has in Manitoba are in no danger of changing hands. Winnipeg Centre has been an NDP stronghold for the better part of 24 years, mostly under former NDP MP Pat Martin. It was held briefly by the Liberals under former MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette. But after he was defeated by NDP newcomer Leah Gazan in 2019, theres virtually no risk of it going Liberal again this time around.

NDP incumbent Niki Ashton probably couldnt lose Churchill-Keewatinook Aski if she tried. She won with 50 per cent of the vote in 2019.

Singh has bigger fish to fry in Ontario, and to some extent in Quebec. Thats where hell find most of the 15 seats (or more) his party hopes to regain.

And while NDP incumbent Daniel Blaikie had some competition from the Tories in Elmwood-Transcona in the last election (where he won by eight percentage points over Conservative challenger Lawrence Toet), he wont need any visits from his leader to get re-elected there, especially since Toet isnt running again.

Singh has bigger fish to fry in Ontario, and to some extent in Quebec. Thats where hell find most of the 15 seats (or more) his party hopes to regain.

More importantly for him, since the outcome of this election so far looks like either a minority Liberal or Conservative government, the NDP will likely hold the balance of power again in the House of Commons. With an increase in seats and a renewed mandate from Canadians to perform that duty, thats not a bad place for Singh to be.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Winona Healths CEO/president Rachelle Schultz, Winona County Health and Human Services director Karen Sanness and Winona County Health and Human Services supervisor Melanie Tatge shared that the current spike in the city is highly concerning.

Tatge shared with the council that the county was, as of Thursday, at a seven-day COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 people of 402.11.

This high case rate puts the county at a high transmission level, which begins at 100.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

The average cases per day for the week leading up to Thursday was at 30.2 cases, which is a quick increase from the week of Aug. 25-31 when the average cases per day was at 4 cases.

It was echoed throughout the health leaders presentations that the current COVID-19 situation is similar to how it was at the end of August 2020.

More variants, the health officials shared, are expected to continue to enter into Winona County  similar to how the now present Delta variant did.

It was shared during the meeting that, with the contagiousness of the Delta variant, breakthrough cases are making up about 28% of the countys current cases, according to Schultz.
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.
Photo by Chris Rogers

From left, Winona City Council members George Borzyskowski, Aaron Repinski, and Pam Eyden and City Manager Steve Sarvi met this morning to vote on whether to extend or revoke Mayor Scott Sherman's mask mandate. Borzyskowski and Repinski voted to end the order, along with council members Steve Young and Michelle Alexander.
While Republicans rant about their freedom to choose, they think nothings wrong with taking away womens rights to choose what to do with their own bodies. They never mention its men who make those women pregnant, yet they dont pass laws to restrict what the men do. They pretend theyre concerned about life, but after the babies are born to poor mothers, and need to be supported, they label the mothers welfare queens and label food stamps and other welfare programs socialism.

And now, with the new, extremely contagious variant of COVID killing even more, on top of the 620,000 Americans who already died of the original virus, they dont care a bit about the freedom of innocent children and adults to stay out of hospitals and graveyards or about their grieving families. All they care about is their own freedom to refuse mask wearing or vaccinations.

Democrats pay attention to medical experts and know the advice changes as the virus changes. They know that even vaccinated people can, and do, spread the Delta variant because they can carry the same viral load in their throats and nostrils as unvaccinated people. Thats why we all need to wear masks in public places  to protect children who cant be vaccinated and those who refuse to be.
The break out area in front of the library includes a portion that had been used for a computer lab in the school in the past, With students having 1 to 1 devices the lab was no longer needed.

The intent is when the library is not in use for class, Marshall said. The doors can be opened up.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

There will also be two touchscreen televisions added to the area, so teachers can bring different classes together to collaborate in the space.

The traditional front of the school is being renovated into a student commons, cafeteria and kitchen. The hope is it will be completed in late December.

A second break out space is operational behind the front of the school and can be used for students to eat at if they dont want to go in the larger commons area. Marshall said students can also use it as a lounge to study.

The current cafeteria will become a fitness and health room for students, Marshall said.

Much of the flooring has been redone, and the seating in the music rooms has been removed to make the area more ADA compliant. Marshall said the music rooms had raised seating areas before.
Shelter has been extremely busy, we have been full for the last two months, PAVE executive director Ashley Welak said. Welak said the current five-bedroom facility often operates at its full capacity of 22 people leading the agency to refer people to other sources of help.

PAVE has not made any changes to our plans, however weve met with our builders to discuss our options, Welak said. We have discussed staging our project to renovate sections at a time.

Renovations will depend on community financial support.

We are meeting with donors and educating the community about the services PAVE offers how we are a vital safety net to our community, Welak said.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Mobile advocacy is next

Welak said the pandemic has created some new thinking for PAVE.

PAVE, due to the changes with the pandemic as well as cuts from funders, will begin providing mobile advocacy, Welak said. As of Oct. 1, advocates who were working out of our Watertown office will be transitioning to our building that we purchased to renovate with our capital campaign funds.

The new facility can be used for meetings, support groups, office space and a large conference room, Welak said.
A year ago this past week, we all watched in horror as violence, looting, and unrest overtook Kenosha.

We remember the footageneighborhoods were looted, businesses were burned to the ground, and the city suffered violent disruption night after night.

At a time when our state needed strong leadership to guide us through unprecedented times, Wisconsinites were left to wonderwhere was our governor? When offered help by the president; he turned it down. When pleas for assistance flooded in from locals, he waited days to use his office to even declare a state of emergency. At a time where one of our cities was literally burning to the ground, where was Gov. Tony Evers?

Sadly, this isnt the only example of Gov. Evers willingness to ignore public safety and turn his back on law enforcement.

Earlier this month, the Legislature sent the governor a bipartisan bill that would have reduced state funding to municipalities who slashed funding for their police departments. A day after the bill arrived at his desk, Gov. Evers quietly vetoed it, signaling his support for municipalities across Wisconsin to defund the police. At a time when crime is running rampant throughout our communities, cutting police departments is certainly not whats best for Wisconsin families.
UW-Madison became the latest college in Wisconsin leveraging federal COVID-19 relief money to erase debt owed to the university, a move that will help students who financially struggled during the pandemic.

Its one part of a broader plan laying out how the $53.4 million UW-Madison received through the American Rescue Plan Act will be spent. The university said Thursday that it is distributing half of that money to students, tapping $1.9 million of its own share to discharge some debt and using the rest to offset pandemic-related institutional expenses, such as running COVID-19 testing sites on campus.

Our purpose is to help to remove any barriers for students who are trying to continue with their education, said Helen Faith, director of UW-Madisons Office of Financial Aid. A lot of families have had major impacts because of COVID and we want to provide relief more broadly to students.

Already this week, UW-Madison sent $7.7 million in grants to more than 6,500 students with the most financial need. Those awards range from $750 to $1,750 and can help pay tuition bills, student loans, rent or other educational expenses.
Starting well before he ever got elected, former President Donald Trump had a talent for making his rallygoers boo. Just mentioning Hillary Clinton or CNN (or, near the end of his presidency, Fox News) would trigger a paroxysm of jeering from his supporters, who knew the role they played in punctuating his performances and happily did their part.

But at a recent rally in Alabama, the old script fell apart. Trump, after assuring the crowd that he supported "their freedoms," said that he recommended they take the Covid-19 vaccine. "It's good. I did it. Take the vaccines."

The crowd, which had been cheering Trump up to that point, suddenly lost its unitary glee. A portion of the rallygoers started to boo, not with Trump but at him. "No, that's OK. That's all right. You got your freedoms," he said, quickly seeming to recalibrate. "I just happened to take the vaccine." That way of putting it was quite a concession from Trump, who once boasted that he was "the father of the vaccine." Having touted it as "a medical miracle," he was now forced by a crowd of his own supporters to shrug it off as something he just happened to take.

Nor was he the only one getting boos that night. The crowd also lustily jeered Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks, one of Trump's close allies, when he told them to move past the 2020 election (even while reiterating the false claim that it had been fraudulent).

At the rally, both Trump and Brooks were confronted with something Republican leaders have experienced -- but never quite learned from -- time and time again over the last 30 years: the more hard core and conspiratorial base of their movement can be leveraged for electoral gain, but they can never be contained or controlled. And no matter what loyalty elected leaders once commanded from this base, any politician who tries (once they've been unleashed) to restrain them or disabuse them of a conspiracy ultimately must tack even further right or risk being rendered irrelevant.

That reality has been a defining characteristic of the American right since the Reagan era. By the end of the 1980s, there was a fully-fledged conservative establishment in the US: a network of think tanks, politicians, donors and media personalities who wielded significant social and economic influence. The conservative wing of the GOP also finally wielded real political power: the presidency in the 1980s, Congress in the 1990s. That mattered, because it meant that the right was big enough to fight for power and had enough power to fight for.

The base, too, now had new ways of amplifying its own preferences, with its issues and conspiracies amplified by a quickly-growing right-wing media that stoked political fights which served to further elevate GOP conservatives. This became clear in the 1990s, when Newt Gingrich, an innovative conservative legislator with enormous political appetites, helped push out then-Minority Leader Bob Michel, setting himself up to become Speaker when a wave of conservative legislators flooded into Congress in the 1994 midterm elections. Gingrich relied heavily on his relationships with media personalities like Rush Limbaugh to motivate a conservative base outraged at the Clinton administration and convinced that the White House was a hive of murderous conspiracies.

But no sooner had Gingrich taken power than those new legislators began carving out a space for themselves to his right. While Gingrich seemed to be taking obstruction to a new level when he forced a government shutdown in 1995-1996 (then the longest in US history), a caucus of further-right representatives opposed his efforts to reopen the government once it was clear that the effort had backfired. (Gingrich vowed not to campaign for anyone who opposed him, though ultimately relented in an effort to retain his majority).

Supported by conservative media and the Clinton conspiracy complex, these ultraconservatives pushed impeachment well before Gingrich himself was ready to pursue it. And for all the conservative policies he managed to pass with Clinton's support, Gingrich faced a faction of conservative lawmakers who attacked him for his willingness to compromise and cheered his resignation after the 1998 midterms.

President George W. Bush faced the same dynamics. His 2004 reelection campaign catered heavily to a base that mocked and mischaracterized his opponent John Kerry's military service and flocked to the polls to oppose marriage equality. Bush and his team did not understand how captive he was to that base's anger until he began his push for immigration reform during his second term. The administration was stunned by how immediate and virulent the backlash was -- what was meant to be his signature legislation only served to reveal how little control he had over his party's base.

This pattern of creating and then losing control of a monster was also on display with the tea party. Born in response to the election of President Barack Obama and the global financial crisis, the movement re-energized a flagging Republican Party, helping to secure a landslide in the 2010 midterm elections while also shifting it sharply right. Party leaders like Speaker John Boehner gleefully embraced their new majority, eager to use their victories as leverage in negotiations with Obama, as Gingrich had with Clinton. In his first week as Speaker, he warned them that they would have to shift tactics in office, saying, "Campaigning is different than governing."

But the tea party caucus disagreed. Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, for example, lobbied for legislation requiring presidential candidates to release their long-form birth certificates, injecting the birther conspiracy (so relentlessly flogged by Trump) into Congress.

Boehner found he could use the new caucus to obstruct the Obama agenda and endlessly investigate events like the embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya -- but could not get the legislators to actually legislate. He watched as budget deals and debt-ceiling votes and immigration reform all fell apart. "The far-right knuckleheads would refuse to back the House leadership no matter what," he wrote in his memoir, "but because they were 'insurgents' they never had the responsibility of trying to actually fix things themselves." He finally gave up, resigning in the middle of his term in 2015.

Trump took a different approach. Rather than trying to appeal to the party's base, he sought to embody it. He could do this because, unlike Gingrich, Bush and Boehner, he was not part of the conservative establishment: he targeted it, presenting himself as an outsider at war not just with liberals and Democrats but with conservative and Republican leaders. There seemed to be no space between Trump and the more wild-eyed parts of the party's base; in fact, he dragged the rest of the party to the base's positions, commanding an unsettling and nearly universal loyalty for the party as he did.

Yet even that has proven not to be enough to contain the right-wing base of the party or lead it to compromise. Seldom has that base had to choose between Trump and their favorite conspiracies. But as the response at the rally showed, if forced to choose, a good portion of the base would abandon Trump.

That does not mean that Trump is suddenly on the outs. He has always been more of a political lemming than a political leader, scrambling to meet the party's base where it's at. His onstage modulation suggests that he will continue to do so, as will other Republican leaders eying the 2024 election. For all the talk of Trump transforming the Republican Party, what he mostly did was realize who was really in charge of it.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-22, is calling for President Bidens resignation over the crisis in Afghanistan following the death of 12 U.S. troops Thursday in Kabul.

Two suicide bombers and gunmen killed at least 60 people outside the airport Thursday morning, and at least 140 people were wounded.

Tenney is calling for Biden to resign or be impeached for what she says is a failure to lead.

Biden's failure to act decisively while Americans and others are in harm's way is a dereliction of duty, which is why I renew my call for Biden and everyone responsible for this disastrous and deadly strategy to resign or face impeachment, she said.

Tenney says rescuing remaining Americans should be the top priority right now.

But now we dont have a choice, this isnt an option anymore, we need to rescue these people. I just dont see another way about it. Our special forces have got to be able to engage, and get these people out; we have to find them, we have to identify them, she said. We have to stop succumbing to the Taliban and waiting for the Taliban to tell us what the next move will be.

Tenney has visited Afghanistan in the past, and her son is a military member.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Wabash National is working on a $69 million investment in its Lafayette facilities, and it could add up to 200 jobs in the area.

A company representative said they will use the money to increase capacity which will help support long-term demand for products.

The company can only build 40,000 dry van units annually right now, but they have a demand of about 60,000 a year.

Wabash National plans to use three tax abatements to make the investment possible.

Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said the request is a good example of how the city can help employers be successful.

"I think it speaks well for the collaboration and cooperation between the private sector and local government that we all our doing our piece to help them be competitive in a global economy and can ensure that they have the workforce that they need," he said.

Wabash National is also planning to use some of the money to improve current equipment.

The redevelopment commission approved the tax abatement requests Thursday, and it now goes to the city council for approval.
W&Ms Digital Inclusion & Governance Lab studies impacts of digital technologies around the world

Digital solutions: W&M Government Associate Professor Philip Roessler, third from left, and Assistant Professor of Government and Data Science Fiona Shen-Bayh, third from right, were part of a W&M delegation that met with the executive team at Cassava Smartech, one of the leading digital solutions companys in Africa, at its offices in Harare, Zimbabwe in December 2019. Submitted photo

Smartphones in Malawi: A couple in the DIG Lab's Malawi study test out their new smartphone. The DIG Lab teamed up with a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Blantyre, Malawi  the Girls Empowerment Network (GENET)  and Malawi research organization, Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR), to develop a program to increase digital literacy and strengthen womens property rights over smartphones. Courtesy of Institute of Public Opinion and Research Photo - of - Hide Caption

Digital technologies are changing the world.

And their greatest impact could be in the poorest countries, particularly on an economic, social and political levels.

William & Marys new Digital Inclusion & Governance Lab is exploring these very issues with an eye to better understanding the potential benefits and consequences of digital technologies.

The DIG Lab was founded by Government Associate Professor Philip Roessler and Assistant Professor of Government and Data Science Fiona Shen-Bayh in spring 2021. It operates out of the Global Research Institute, William & Mary's multidisciplinary hub for applied global research.

To date, DIG has produced some of the first experimental studies on the effects of reducing the mobile gender gap, in which women in many low-income countries are significantly less likely to own a mobile phone compared to men. Working in Tanzania in East Africa with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one study led by Roessler found that in as little as 13 months, increasing womens mobile phone ownership, especially smartphones, boosted a households living standard by 20% as measured by consumption.

The research team has just fielded a follow-up study in Malawi in Southern Africa with the support of a 2019 Gates Foundation Challenges Call to Action Award.

The digital technology revolution has changed and continues to change the world in which we live  socially, economically, politically. Scientific research is scrambling to understand how and to what effect, Roessler said. Building on our previous experimental research, we are well positioned to contribute to this endeavor and aim to scale our capacity for scientific and policy impact through the DIG Lab.

Shen-Bayh is interested in digital governance but from a different angle. Her research centers upon the politics of authoritarian regimes and emerging democracies, specifically the legal and judicial instruments of power, by drawing on a combination of contemporary and historical digital data sources. As a Data Science faculty affiliate, Shen-Bayhs research and teaching leverages new sources of big data from the Global South to understand the challenges of promoting access to equitable justice and the legacies of autocratic rule.

In the future, DIG plans to conduct more research on how social media and smartphones are affecting societal polarization and political trust in democratic institutions.

W&M News spoke to Roessler and Shen-Bayh about the work of the DIG Lab. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In addition to researching the benefits and consequences of digital technologies in developing countries, what are some other objectives of the DIG Lab?

Shen-Bayh: We want the DIG Lab to emerge as a globally renowned research center for rigorous, high impact research on digital technology and its social, political and economic consequences. In the process, the lab will provide William & Mary students with unrivalled learning opportunities  both through lab-related course offerings and as collaborators on cutting-edge research projects.

Roessler: Indeed. In our experimental study in Tanzania, William & Mary undergraduates were involved in every step of the process  in project design, piloting, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of results to policy makers and stakeholders.

How will DIG research influence policy?

Roessler: Policymakers are starved for insights into the systematic effects of digital tech. They, of course, know digital tools are affecting all facets of life, and they are trying to stay on top of this quickly changing space. But the demands on policymakers often preclude the implementation of methodical and time-consuming research that can provide a more comprehensive perspective. This is what we offer. For example, surely smartphones are an invaluable tool that many cannot live without. But their precise impact on economic livelihoods  and why they benefit some rather than others  has been unknown up until now.

Shen-Bayh: Thus, we aim to provide policy-makers, private enterprises and development organizations with such an evidence-base to better design policies to increase digital inclusion and ultimately maximize technologies societal benefits, while minimizing their potential harms.

The Tanzania experiment was a breakthrough in many ways. Phil, what did you find most interesting about the Tanzania results?

Roessler: We showed that getting smartphones into hands of women  and thus closing the gender smartphone gap  had massive economic effects on low-income households. But for these gains to materialize, the women had to retain control of the smartphone (literally, they had to still be holding the smartphone we gave them at the end of the study). Yet, only some 33% of participants were still holding the smartphones provided. This points to the importance of not just increasing access to tech but increasing womens property rights over mobile technology and shifting community norms to uphold those rights.

As the digital tech revolution accelerates, first order questions about access and ownership to mobile technology do not go away, they only increase in importance. This has been illuminated by the COVID-19 Pandemic. As school, work, and commerce went digital, what happened to those disconnected? Did they fall further behind? Unfortunately, a fair amount of initial evidence suggests so.

What are the goals of the smartphone study you fielded this summer in Malawi?

Roessler: Our study in Malawi builds directly from our research in Tanzania. We aim to better understand how to strengthen womens property rights over smartphones  and thus increase their retention and control of the tech. To do so, we have teamed up with a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Blantyre, Malawi  the Girls Empowerment Network (GENET)  and Malawi research organization, Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR), that developed a program to train women how to use smartphones. But just as importantly, the program also engaged participants husbands, who were invited to the training meetings, to elicit their recognition of the right for women to also own smartphones, with the goal of shifting community beliefs to uphold digital equality.

Fiona, tell me more about how digital information may affect our understanding of governance in the Global South.

Shen-Bayh: Recent transformations in digital technologies and the increasing availability of digital data globally have created unprecedented opportunities to analyze governance in the Global South. One of the greatest innovations in recent years is the digitization of government archives, which provide researchers from around the world direct access to text records that might otherwise have been costly to find or inaccessible. One of my recent articles makes use of such data to understand drivers of judicial bias in emerging democracies. Our analysis draws on an original dataset of nearly 10,000 web-scraped judgements from the Kenyan High Courts where we find that judges are significantly more likely to deliver favorable rulings to coethnic appellants. We also leveraged recent innovations in natural processing to analyze the sentiment of legal judgments and found evidence of bias in the literal text of these decisions.

As I aim to show in future work, such data present the opportunity to enhance understanding of the most pressing challenges confronting autocratic regimes and emerging democracies, including questions of government performance, legislative output, and judicial decision-making.
Show Low, AZ (85901)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Chinese Ambassador to Turkey Liu Shaobin (2nd, R) presents the award to Nurhan Ozdemir (2nd, L), the top winner of the 5th "China in My Dreams" drawing competition in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 24, 2021. [Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua]

A total of 12 paintings won the prizes at the competition, while the "Tea for Friendship" was awarded the best painting this year.

ANKARA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua)  The fifth edition of "China in My Dreams," a drawing competition attended by high school students across Turkey, was held in capital Ankara on Tuesday.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, this year's contest attracted 174 paintings from 118 high schools in Turkey.

Visitors look at the paintings displayed at the 5th "China in My Dreams" drawing competition in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 24, 2021. [Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua]

A total of 12 drawings won the prizes. The one named "Tea for Friendship," created by Nurhan Ozdemir from Yuksel Yalova Fine Arts High School, was awarded the best painting of this year.

Liu Shaobin, Chinese ambassador to Turkey, said at the award ceremony that "China in My Dreams" is not only an art contest, but also a platform to know China and promote friendship between Chinese and Turkish peoples.

Visitors look at the paintings displayed at the 5th "China in My Dreams" drawing competition in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 24, 2021. [Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua]

He said that over the past 50 years, China and Turkey have made great progress in political, trade, cultural and scientific cooperation. He hoped more and more young people would devote themselves to building friendly ties between the two countries.

The group photo of the contestants at the 5th "China in My Dreams" drawing competition held in Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 24, 2021. [Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua]

The first "China in My Dreams" competition was held in 2016. The winners of the contest are invited to visit China.

(Source: Xinhua)
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital CEO urges parents to protect kids by having them wear masks in school
Search efforts have been suspended in Tennessee following deadly flooding Saturday. Damaged homes and cars are seen here Wednesday in Waverly, Tennessee.
Have your say on potential changes to taxes on second homes and holiday lets in Wales

Views are being sought on potential changes to local taxes on second homes and holiday lets in Wales.

Local authorities could be offered powers to tackle the effects of mass tourism in some parts of the company.

It follows the Welsh Government launching a consultation on council tax and non-domestic rates as part of a summer of action.

While ministers said second home owners and people who stay in holiday lets can make an important contribution to local economies, the government wants to ensure everyone make a fair contribution to communities.

The consultation seeks opinions on the maximum level at which local authorities can set council tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties.

It also examines the criteria for a property to be defined as nondomestic, self-catering accommodation.

Wales is still the only UK nation to give local authorities the power to introduce a 100 per cent council tax premium on both second homes and long-term empty homes (empty for more than a year).

This additional income can be used to address issues affecting the supply of affordable housing or for the provision of public services and other facilities such as public transport.

The consultation also seeks views on the circumstances in which properties are classed as self-catering businesses and are listed for non-domestic rates.

Currently all occupied small business properties below a specified rateable value, including self-catering units, are eligible for Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR), subject to a limit of two properties per business per local authority.

This consultation considers the criteria for defining properties as non-domestic selfcatering accommodation and whether different thresholds are needed.

Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans said: We want to hear from people living in communities affected by these issues as well as owners of second homes and holiday lets, trade representatives of the self-catering and tourism industry, and local authorities.

We anticipate receiving a wide range of responses which will all inform our future policies on potential changes to local taxes so that we have a fairer system for everyone.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said: We cherish our reputation in Wales as a welcoming, bilingual society in which tourism and current second home owners have a contribution to make.

However we also recognise the impact that higher numbers of second homes and self-catered holiday lets can have on local housing and rental markets and on the sustainability of local communities.

In some areas they may compromise the sustainability of Welsh as a community language.

Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language said: Ensuring that local people can live in the communities in which they grew up and maintaining the health and vitality of Welsh as a thriving community language, are top priorities for the Welsh Government.

However Plaid Cymru has called for more immediate action to tackle the housing crisis and described the consultation as too narrow.

Plaid Cymrus spokesperson for Housing, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: Rising house prices, increasing demand for second homes, and fewer properties available for rental  the housing crisis in Wales is getting worse. While the chance for communities to be heard via this consultation is, of course, welcome, my concern is that it masks the fact more immediate action could be taken now.

For a start, the Welsh Government could act within existing legislation to create new classes of property so that short term lets and second homes could be accurately identified. In launching a consultation, the government has at last acknowledged there is a housing crisis but in failing to act where they can, they are allowing this crisis to get worse.

Our communities should use this opportunity to have their voices heard, but the truth is that the Labour Government owes it to them to address the crisis with the seriousness and urgency it deserves  ensuring they can live and work in the area they call home, before its too late.

You can take part in the consultation on the Welsh Government website here.
Wales ready to roll with Covid booster jab program says Health Minister

The Welsh government is ready to roll with a third booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and is just waiting for UK government advisors to give the green light, health minister Eluned Morgan has said.

New research suggests protection from two doses of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines begins to wane within six months.

A study by UK-based Zoe Covid Study app found that initial protection against infection a month after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was 88%, while after five to six months this fell to 74%.

For the AstraZeneca vaccine, there was around 77% protection a month after the second dose, falling to 67% after four to five months.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales this morning, Ms Morgan said the research results didnt really come as a surprise to us, this was something that we had expected.

Ms Morgan said the Welsh government was waiting for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise on who and when people should get a third vaccine dose.

She said we are expecting to roll out a booster vaccination program in September.

Were all ready to run here in Wales, we have all our measures in place, we just simply need them to press a button, and well be off.

Ms Morgan said: We will be giving that additional booster vaccination to those people who received the vaccination earliest in our previous program.

The health minister said the Welsh government is expecting recommendations on the booster program from the JCVI around about the 6th September.

It may take a few days to process beyond that but we are absolutely ready to roll on that one.

According to a report by the Financial Times, the JCVI will reccomend third doses of vaccines from September for people with weakened immune systems as part of a targeted booster plan.

The programme will be expanded at a later date to the over-70s, according to people close to the decision-making process.

A person close to the JCVI told the Financial Times that somewhere between nobody [and] small numbers will be getting booster doses in September.

It will probably be a targeted booster programme, which includes specific vulnerable people, they added. Its definitely not going to be a blanket thing in September, if at all.

Plaid Cymrus Deputy Leader in the Senedd, Sian Gwenllian MS  who is also spokesperson for young people and children  has called for an update on vaccine rollout in young people.

The latest figures from Public Health Wales indicate that just over half of 16 and 17 year olds have received a first dose, and just 10% have received a second dose.

Schools in Wales will reopen from 1 September, she said the rise in cases is happening the week before pupils return to school is an additional cause for concern.

We need reassurance theres increased focus on monitoring the spread of the virus in children and young people, especially as only half of 16 and 17 years olds have received a first dose of the vaccine.

We cant allow the virus to spread freely amongst our children and young people, especially with emerging evidence about the impact of long-COVID on this age group. MS Gwenllian said.

Asked about the vaccintion of children, the health minister told BBC Radio Wales: What weve been doing is to follow the advice that weve been given from the experts as we have throughout this pandemic.

The comforting thing is that we have already given vaccinations to over 50% of those 16 to 18 year olds,

It was only last Friday that they were offered the vaccination, so we are really thrilled that that people are taking that up.

We are very keen for as many people as possible to come forward in particular in those younger age groups, where weve seen the spread of the virus.

We know that there are more festivals this weekend, [we are] concerned about people coming back obviously from those festivals with the virus. so really a plea to those in particular, those in the younger age groups to get their vaccination.

In the under sixteens again, we wont do anything unless the JCVI gives us that recommendation to to press ahead.
In what the US military described as a complex attack, several terrorists attacked a screening checkpoint at a gate into the Kabul airport and a nearby hotel on Thursday, inflicting a horrific toll of death and destruction.

Smoke rises from a deadly explosion outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

Unnamed Afghan health officials told the media that at least 60 Afghan citizens were killed and another 140 wounded. The Pentagon said that 12 US Marines were killed and 15 wounded. Many of the wounded civilians and soldiers were in critical condition and the death toll could rise significantly.

At least two suicide bombers were believed to have detonated explosive-laden vests while awaiting or actually undergoing screening by US Marines at the Abbey Gate to the airport. Another suicide bomber, or perhaps a car bomb, exploded outside the Baron Hotel about 100 yards away. At the same time, gunmen opened fire on the crowd assembled outside the gate seeking to gain admittance to the airport and board evacuation flights.

US soldiers opened fire after the bombs were detonated, in order to clear the area in front of the gate. It was not clear whether any of the casualties were the result of that gunfire.

A group calling itself Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. Allegedly a regional branch of ISIS, the group takes its title from the ancient name for the region of Central Asia of which Afghanistan is part.

The Taliban, which the Biden administration calls a bitter enemy of the Islamic State, denounced the attack. The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter.

A Taliban official told the Washington Post that the group has launched an investigation to know the nature of the blasts and why it happened.

The day before the attack, the US Embassy in Kabul, which has relocated to the airport, issued an official warning to Americans to stay away from the airport unless they had a scheduled flight to board, and calling on any US citizens near the airport gates to leave immediately, citing the imminent danger of a terrorist attack.

The 12 Marines were the first deaths among US troops in Afghanistan since February 2020, after the Trump administration signed a peace deal with the Taliban in which the Islamic group agreed to halt attacks on US forces in return for a commitment that US troops would be withdrawn by May 1, 2021.

President Biden has repeatedly cited that agreement as compelling him to choose between completing the pullout or tearing up the deal and resuming a full-scale war in Afghanistan.

This pullout was largely completed by late July, with a formal handover of Bagram airbase and other US facilities to the Afghan government, but the regime collapsed in the face of a Taliban offensive that culminated in the fall of Kabul on August 15. US troops were then rushed back into the country, using the Kabul airport as a point of entry and as a collection point for evacuations.

The bloodbath at the airport caused political shock waves throughout official Washington. Only 15 minutes before Biden was to meet with Naftali Bennett, the new prime minister of Israel, the White House announced the meeting had been delayed until Friday, and a series of other meetings were canceled as top US national security officials dealt with the crisis.

Biden finally appeared before television cameras at 5 p.m. Washington time. He denounced the attack and said that evacuation flights would continue undeterred. Just over 100,000 people have left Afghanistan since the flights began August 14, and 7,000 more flew out of the airport on Thursday, he said.

Biden rejected calls from Republican congressmen that he drop the August 31 deadline for the removal of US troops, or that he send more troops to the airport and expand their scope of operations, either into Kabul or to seize Bagram airbase, the huge complex north of the capital city that was long the US military headquarters in Afghanistan.

He defended a policy of relying on the Taliban forces to provide security outside the US perimeter at the airfield, saying that there was no alternative, and that the Taliban and ISIS had a long history of conflict. He threatened military action against ISIS, declaring, We will respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose and the moment of our choosing.

At an earlier press briefing, General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command and in overall command of operations at the Kabul airport, said that terrorist attacks were expected in the remaining four days before all US forces are to be pulled out August 31.

He elaborated on the US militarys de facto alliance with the Taliban, saying US commanders were in regular contact with Islamic group, which was actually providing the outer security of the airfield  and we will coordinate with them as they go forward.

He said the face-to-face searches at the three gates to the airport were essential for the security of the airfield and especially of airplanes carrying out the evacuation flights. You dont want to let somebody on an airplane carrying a bomb, that could result in massive loss of life if an airplane were to get hit, he explained.

Other dangers at the airport included rocket attacks, he said, noting that the US military forces have pretty good protection against that, we have anti-rocket gun systems that have been out there, they are effective againstwe feel we would be in good shape for that kind of attack to occur.

Asked directlyby a reporter for the right-wing Wall Street Journal whether the Taliban had allowed the bomber to go through to the US checkpoint, McKenzie replied flatly, I dont think there is anything to convince me that they let it happen.

He also indicated that the evacuation flights would begin to include American troops as well and American and Afghan civilians, so that the August 31 withdrawal date would be met. The military planning was complex because it was designed to maximize evacuees even as we begin to draw down the force on the ground. We recognize there is a need to balance the two.

In a comment which underscored the precarious character of the US deployment at the airport, McKenzie said US military intelligence was focused on any sign of something that might pose a threat to aircraft because aircraft is the only way we are going to get out of there.

While the American media uncritically parrots the official claims that the attack was carried out by ISIS-K, the actual circumstances of the bombings are extremely murky. ISIS-K allegedly emerged in Afghanistan over the past few years as an avowed enemy of the Taliban, carrying out attacks that actually benefited the US-backed puppet government.

ISIS itself, initially a split-off from Al Qaeda, received assistance from US allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to fight against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, before it came into conflict with the US military after crossing the Iraq-Syria border and threatening the US-installed regime in Baghdad.

All of the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist and militia organizations have their origins in the US-backed guerrilla war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1987, directed against the Soviet-backed government in Kabul. That is where Osama bin Laden formed Al Qaeda, and, after the Soviet pullout, where the Taliban originated, backed by US ally Pakistan.

Because of these deep-rooted connections and switching alliances, it is impossible to say definitely who are the actual perpetrators of Thursdays bombing and who are their paymasters and masterminds. But the atrocity is one more contribution to the geyser of blood and suffering produced by American imperialism in an oppressed country torn by war and foreign intervention for more than 40 years.
Less than two weeks after the full reopening of California public schools, thousands of students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and tens of thousands have gone into quarantine.

Students and parents walk into school on the first day of school at Enrique S. Camarena Elementary School Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Chula Vista, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) opened on August 16 and has already recorded 2,002 cases. Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has reported 214 cases since opening on August 9, with 12 classes, or approximately 370 students, placed on quarantine. Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) has reported 242 positive COVID-19 cases and 1,485 students on quarantine since opening August 13. Just over a week after students returned to classrooms, 60 students and educators in Turlock Unified School District tested positive, with over 500 confirmed close contacts. Despite case rates far in excess of those seen at the start of last school year, there is no discussion among school administration or state and local government about a return to online education.

Most schools opened under the California Public Health Department (CPHD) guidelines for education. These guidelines include universal masking for students, as well as vaccination or weekly surveillance testing of staff. Requirements for hand washing facilities and daily cleaning are included. There are also toothless recommendations for improved ventilation, which have not been implemented in most classrooms across the state. What is not included are any requirements for physical distancing.

Following the determinations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CPHD claims, Recent evidence indicates that in-person instruction can occur safely without minimum physical distancing requirements when other mitigation strategies (e.g., masking) are implemented. This means that students, many of whom are too young to qualify for vaccination, are returning to overcrowded and poorly ventilated classrooms with only masks for protection.

The CPHD also has provided confusing guidance for quarantine. When a student reports a case of COVID-19 to the school, quarantine is required for all close contacts of the student who is ill. A close contact is someone who has spent more than 15 minutes within six feet of the infected person over a period of 24 hours. As physical distancing is no longer being enforced, the close contacts of an infected person can easily be an entire class. A quarantined close contact must stay home for 10 days. Those who test positive must remain home 10 days or until they are without fever for 24 hours, whichever is longer. Either may also return to school after six days with two negative COVID-19 tests.

A recent outbreak, in the first week of attendance, shut down classes at Foster City in Northern California. Parents received an email on Saturday afternoon indicating that all fourth and fifth graders were considered close contacts and would need a negative COVID-19 test in order to return to school.

The World Socialist Web Site spoke to a mother affected by the shutdown in Foster City. She commented, There was a positive case in my sons class and I got a letter. They will notify kids that sit within six feet of the positive kid, but not the rest [of the class]. Theres a modified quarantine for kids that sit within six feet.

The entire family had to get tested for COVID-19 and her child needed two negative tests in order to return to class. The next day she received the second letter about the outbreak, which stated that all students needed testing. Thats like 300 kids, she continued. Everyone in Foster City is scrambling to get their kids tested.

The local free testing site had a long line and wouldnt post results for 48 hours. The school said theyd accept a rapid test and everyones looking for those. We picked up two at-home tests from CVS. All the clinics are charging $150-250 for the rapid test. Im stocking up on at-home tests. Who knows how often this is going to happen?

As a result of the chaotic and reckless school reopening drive, working parents will have the added expense of frequent COVID-19 tests or will need to arrange child care for lengthy quarantines, which itself increases risk of exposure to the virus.

Another Bay Area parent told the WSWS, I dont understand why we cant even have an option for at-home school again. A lot of people are still working from home. I understand some people cant stay home now but why do we all need to crowd our kids into the schools? Doesnt that just raise the risk for everyone?

Experts say it does. A recent panel of leading scientists hosted by the WSWS demonstrated that rigorous public health measures, including universal testing, contact tracing, masking, social distancing and the closure of schools and nonessential workplaces, combined with a mass global vaccination program, could quickly bring the pandemic to an end. Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz presented epidemiological models confirming that public health measures such as school closures are, in fact, more important than vaccinations in the fight against COVID-19.

Currently, if parents choose to keep their children home, the only public education option for most school districts in the state is Californias Independent Study program. The program requires families to identify a supporting teacher or determine how to meet unclear home schooling requirements. Alternatively, they may seek a private teacher or pod at the cost of around $25,000 per student. The steep learning curve or cost of alternatives to in-person learning place them outside the capabilities of most working families.

The fact that a return to online instruction is not even being publicly discussed by school administrators, the media or the Democratic Party-run California government is a damning indictment of the capitalist response to the pandemic. The rapid rise in cases after just one or two weeks of instruction has shattered their claims that universal masking will somehow prevent the rapid spread of the Delta variant among students and staff. Children and educators across California are being knowingly sent into unsafe buildings, along with their brothers and sisters across the US and much of the world.

The Democratic Newsom administration is hanging on for its life amid a right-wing recall campaign led by forces advocating the complete abandonment of public health measures such as mask-wearing. After spending all summer insisting that schools reopen in-person and not offer online learning, Newsom is fearful that closing in-person learning could galvanize his opponents and spell the end of his political career.

Parents and educators, on the other hand, do not want their children or families to get sick and die. In their struggle to ensure the safety of children and all of society, parents and educators confront not only the Democratic Party, but also the teachers unions. On Tuesday, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten toured schools in California as part of her 20-state Back to School for All tour. Under conditions in which the present school reopening campaign could cause tens of millions of children to become infected with COVID-19 and potentially thousands to die in the US alone, Weingartens actions can only be described as criminal.

Over the past year, educators and parents across California and the US formed rank-and-file safety committees, completely independent of and in opposition to the Republican and Democratic parties as well as the teachers unions, to fight for the closure of all schools until the pandemic is contained. It is essential that these committees be expanded into every district across California, in unity with workers in other industries, to carry out the necessary measures to stop the spread of infections and deaths.

As a special education teacher in Oakland, Socialist Equality Party gubernatorial candidate David Moore has fought for the development of rank-and-file committees and will be speaking this Saturday at a meeting of the West Coast Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees. We call on all educators and parents to attend this Saturdays meeting at 2 p.m. PDT.
Schools across Canada are scheduled to reopen to full in-person learning over the next two weeks, even as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spikes, driven by the highly transmissible and deadlier Delta variant.

Covid-19 screening at Thorncliffe Park Public School (Twitter/@TPPS_TDSB)

Even before school doors open, COVID-19 infections have risen sharply in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Canada recorded over 3,300 new infections for the first time since the end of the third wave last May. Alberta alone recorded more than 1,000 new cases.

Craig Jenne, Canada Research Chair in infectious diseases at the University of Calgary, painted a bleak picture of the weeks and months ahead in an interview with CTV. If you look back to last years cases, said Jenne, they really didnt start rising sharply until we got into September with people back indoors at school. This year, the cases really have started to go up in a number of placesAlberta, Ontario and British Columbia in early August. Basically the wave has a month head start.

Canada was ravaged by second and third pandemic waves that claimed the lives of more than 16,000 people and sickened more than 1 million others. Schools were major vectors of transmission in both the second wave, which peaked in late December 2020 and early January 2021, and the third, which peaked in late April and early May. We cant let this wave get out of control, added Jenne, because the more cases there are, the more hospitalizations, the more ICU [admissions] and tragically, the more deaths we will see this fall.

Neither the federal Liberal nor the provincial governments have any intention of heeding this advice, or the mountain of evidence from other countries that shows the Delta variant is more dangerous for children. They are determined to fully reopen schools for in-class instruction, even while eliminating many of the inadequate mitigation measures they instituted last year, like cohort bubbles.

The school reopening drive is not being done for the sake of children, whose education governments have systematically undermined through decades of budget cuts. Rather, the capitalist politicians want to herd children into schools so that their parents can go to work generating profits for Canadas banks and corporations.

With few exceptions, students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be expected to sit in classes numbering upwards of 30 children, many in rooms without proper ventilation and in some cases even windows. Virtually all provinces had announced they were scrapping mandatory masking in the classroom. But facing a public outcry, as cases have steadily mounted and public health officials have conceded Canada is in its fourth pandemic wave, several provinces, including Quebec, have had to reverse themselves at the last minute.

The growing opposition to these criminal policies among serious scientists was underscored by epidemiologist David Fismans decision earlier this week to resign from the Ontario Science Table, which advises the provincial government on pandemic policy. I find myself increasingly uncomfortable with the degree to which political considerations appear to be driving outputs from the tables, wrote Fisman. Or at least the degree to which these outputs are shared in a transparent manner with the public.

Many provinces have eliminated any remote learning option, and even when such an option exists it is difficult to access and is truly viable only for a small minority of children, generally from more privileged families. In Ontario, for example, parents were required to notify their school district that they wanted their kids enrolled in online classes before the end of June, well before the dangers of the Delta variant became widely known.

Provincial governments have been shameless with their lies in justifying the reopening of schools. Albertas Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who reports to United Conservative Party (UCP) Premier Jason Kenney, derided remote learning and COVID-19 health measures as harming the mental health of children and youth. In reality, remote learning programs were carried out haphazardly across Canada and deliberately starved of resources, forcing teachers to cobble together virtual classes for students.

The escalation of the pandemic, along with the closure of schools, was principally due to the inaction of the Trudeau Liberal government at the outset. Only on March 10, 2020, as the pandemic was exploding across Canada, did it even write the provinces to inquire about potential shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and other vital medical equipment and supplies. Subsequently, it and the provinces dismissed out of hand any attempts to eliminate the virus, insisting that the economy had to be reopened and that the population had to effectively learn to live with COVID-19.

The claim that Canadas relatively high vaccination levels now constitutes a ticket out of the pandemic is a fantasy, not supported by science. Fully 5 million children in Canada remain unvaccinated, including all those under 12 years of age. At an online meeting this past Sunday hosted by the World Socialist Web Site, For a Global Strategy to Stop the Pandemic and Save Lives, Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz, a developmental biologist and researcher at the University of Calgary, demonstrated that abandoning lockdown measures and relying solely on vaccines to contain the pandemic will permit the Delta variant to spread exponentially.

By far the most notorious lie, however, as articulated by the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Governments Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brent Roussin, is that children are less likely to transmit COVID-19 while at home, in school or in community settings, and they are at lower risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The preposterous character of this lie has been tragically confirmed by the recent explosion of the pandemic in the United States, which has been characterized by unprecedented child infections and hospitalizations as classes have begun to resume. In the week ending August 19, the US reported 180,000 cases in children, a 50 percent increase over the previous week. During the same period, 24 children succumbed to the disease.

According to Dr. Gasperowicz, research has shown that between 3 to 12 percent of children infected with the virus develop Long COVID. A chronic illness in which COVID-19 symptoms persist long after the initial infection, Long COVID can include respiratory problems as well as debilitating cognitive and developmental defects.

Provincial governments headed by establishment parties of all political stripes, from the ostensibly left-wing New Democratic Party in British Columbia to the hard-right Progressive Conservatives in Ontario, United Conservatives in Alberta, and Coalition Avenir Quebec, are willfully ignoring the mountain of evidence that illustrates the madness of subjecting children, the most vulnerable section of society who deserve the most protection, to the best possible conditions for the spread of the virus.

Parents are increasingly worried about sending their children into classrooms that will function as breeding grounds for the virus. A July 2021 Statistics Canada report concluded that nearly 75 percent of parents were extremely concerned about juggling work, child care and their kids schooling during the pandemic.

An Ontario parent wrote a letter to the WSWS last week opposing the school reopening policy, in which he echoed the sentiments of countless parents and teachers who are looking for a means of opposing the ruling class policy of death and profits: We need to find other parents, teachers and concerned workers and act. We need to demand that schools stay closed until all our children are vaccinated.

The teachers unions continue to insist, against the wishes of rank-and-file educators, that schools be reopened with virtually no protections in place. From the start of the pandemic, the union bureaucrats have vehemently opposed rank-and-file demands for strikes over unsafe school conditions. They have mouthed token criticisms of government policy, and told teachers with COVID-19 concerns to file individual work-refusals with the various Labour Boards, whose function is to regulate and suppress the class struggle.

Sam Hammond, the president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation and former head of the Ontario elementary teachers' union (the ETFO), spoke for the union top brass across the country when he criticized the Ontario Tory government, not for pursuing its herd immunity policy, but for shuttering schools at the peak of the pandemics second and third waves. Because of this governments poor decision-making, he railed, students in Ontario lost more opportunities to learn in person than any other students in Canada. Educators want schools to stay open all year even as we combat the variants we know will threaten reopening and recovery for some time.

Such a policy means accepting hundreds of thousands of infected children, tens of thousands of whom will contract Long COVID, and hundreds of child deaths.

As the speakers at Sundays WSWS online meeting made clear, a strategy of eliminating and eradicating the virus, backed by science and pursued at an international level, is the only viable means of halting the pandemics spread, thwarting the emergence of new, deadlier variants, and preventing further massive loss of life in Canada and globally.

However, if this strategy is to prevail it must be fought for. Teachers, parents, studentsin short, the working class both in Canada and around the worldmust be mobilized against the capitalist drive to sacrifice millions of lives on the altar of profit.

The Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is fighting to mobilize educators, students and parents to close schools to in-person learning, suspend all nonessential production, and secure workers full financial compensation so they can shelter at home and look after their families until the pandemic is brought under control. To attend the CERSCs next meeting on Saturday, August 28, at 1:30 pm EST, please email: cersc.csppb@gmail.com.
The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) in Australia held a successful online meeting on Sunday to discuss the development of a global movement to stop schools reopening under conditions of rising Delta variant infections.

Reports by speakersPatrick OConnor from Australia, Prageeth Aravinda from Sri Lanka and Zac Corrigan from the USprovoked animated discussion from among the more than 100 people in attendance. Streamed live on Zoom, the entire event can be watched below.

Committee for Public Education: Form rank-and-file safety committees to oppose school reopening!

Participants included teachers, academics, university students, TAFE pupils and parents from across Australia, and others from the US, Germany, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Attendees passed the following resolution: This meeting of the Committee for Public Education sends solidarity greetings to striking teachers in Sri Lanka, to educators, students and parents in the US, and to others internationally who are opposing the reckless and homicidal policies of reopening schools. We pledge to take forward the fight for rank-and-file educator committees in Australia linking up with the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.

CFPE national convenor Sue Phillips chaired the meeting, explaining the historical and international significance of the event. Educators and children, she said, were on the frontlines of a highly dangerous ruling-class campaign to remove COVID-19 safety restrictions and reopen the economy to maintain the profits of big business and finance capital. School openings were a key part of this homicidal strategy.

The first speaker, Patrick OConnor, a teacher and member of the CFPE and the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) National Committee, reviewed how capitalist governments everywhere responded to the pandemic by placing profit over human safety and lives.

OConnor cited a February editorial from the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) which described the collective response to the pandemic by governments internationally as social murder. The editorial noted government claims to have done all they can or that the pandemic was uncharted territory, there was no playbook. None of these are true. They are self-serving political lies from the gaslighters in chief around the globe.

The speaker explained how this hostility to scientific advice was reflected in the Australian ruling class and its rush to reopen schools, even as the country faced its worst ever surge of infection.

This drive was wholly bipartisan in Australia, he continued. Liberal and Labor, federal and state governments have adopted the mantra, We must learn to live with the virus and refuse to introduce measures necessary to stop transmission and end the pandemic. The teachers unions, functioning as government mouthpieces, play a central role in straitjacketing teachers and allowing this policy to continue.

While popular anger and opposition had forced a temporary retreat of the reopening drive, teachers, students and working families had to take matters into their own hands, OConnor stressed.

Top row: Zac Corrigan; Bottom row (from left): Sue Phillips, Patrick OConnor, Prageeth Aravinda (Credit: WSWS media)

Prageeth Aravinda, a teacher and chairperson of the Sri Lankan Teachers-Parents-Students Safety Committee, reviewed the ongoing online strike of 250,000 teachers in Sri Lanka for improved wages and in opposition to the Rajapakse governments refusal to implement serious measures to combat the pandemic. Sri Lanka now has the fourth highest COVID-19 death rate per capita in the world.

Aravinda said that the Rajapakse government has opened schools from time to time, despite rising infections, but that schools have been closed since April because of strong opposition from students, parents and teachers.

The speaker reviewed the more than two-month-long online teachers strike, explaining the widespread hostility of teachers to the governments refusal to address decades-long wage demands. Teachers are among the lowest-paid public sector workers in Sri Lanka.

Along with the ongoing strike, teachers have withdrawn from practical examination-related duties for GCE Ordinary Levels, Sri Lankas major exams for Grade 11 students, and preparing student applications for Advanced Level Examinations and Grade 5 scholarship exams, Aravinda explained.

Despite this, the main teachers unions have fully endorsed the governments claim that an immediate increment for salaries is not possible due to the current economic crisis in the country, the speaker said. Late last month, the Sri Lankan Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee held a successful online meeting with over 100 people in attendance.

Zac Corrigan, a member of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States, was the last speaker. Corrigan plays a leading role in the Michigan Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee and participated in an on-the-spot WSWS reporting team intervening in strikes of educators across the US in 2018.

Corrigan warned that the US faced an impending disaster of monumental proportions. The pandemic catastrophe, he said, was the result of the US ruling elites homicidal perspective of lifting and eliminating COVID restrictions and opening the economy for the benefit of big business.

More than 60 percent of schools in the US have reopened, with 180,000 child COVID-19 cases being reported in the week ending August 19, a 50 percent increase over the previous week, leading to the tragic deaths of 24 children.

In Mississippi, Corrigan said, nearly 6,000 children had tested positive for the disease, 30 times more than the previous semester. A six-fold increase of infections among teachers and staff, 1,496, had been reported. Florida set an all-time record for COVID-19 deaths with one person in the state dying of the virus every seven minutes. In Louisiana, an astronomical surge was underway with 28 percent of all new cases among children from newborns up to those aged 17.

While this deadly spread was occurring, a massive campaign was underway in the corporate media condemning governments for being too slow in reopening schools to in-person learning.

Corrigan played a video clip in which US President Joe Biden, in answer to an eight-year-olds question, Will I catch COVID, will I die from COVID? lyingly replied, Children dont get COVID very often. Youre the safest group of people in the whole world.

Corrigan linked the struggle against in-person learning to an important fight undertaken by Volvo workers in recent months. While the media and the unions worked to isolate and black out the workers strike action in Virginia, the SEP intervened aggressively, bringing the struggle to the attention of workers everywhere. It also provided the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee with valuable information and advice, without requiring them to agree with the SEPs political program.

This allowed the Volvo strike to gain support from workers internationally and through that, to hold firm for three months against one of the biggest corporations in the world. It also resulted in the Volvo workers drawing definite conclusions about the role of the unions: that they represent the companies, not the workers, and no amount of pressure would change that.

The Volvo workers struggle, Corrigan emphasised, pointed the way forward for the rest of the working class, underscoring the necessity to broaden the fight among a wide layer of the working class and mobilise its real strength, independently of the trade unions.

The reports produced a range of questions. These included whether an eradication policy would work; how to secure a worldwide lockdown; the role of rank-and-file committees; and the growing social inequality between the public and private school systems in Australia. One attendee asked whether socialism had to be achieved before the eradication of the pandemic took place.

Corrigan explained that the two could not be conceived of separately, that the working class needed real science and that a fundamental difference existed between what scientists were advocating and the responses of the ruling class to the pandemic. The SEP was fighting to bring a knowledge of science to the working class, so that it could develop the political understanding of the necessity to fight for socialism, he said.

Corrigan and other speakers urged attendees to participate in an online meeting the next day hosted by the World Socialist Web Site involving international scientists discussing the measures required to eradicate the coronavirus, stop the wave of death and end the pandemic.

Phillips ended the meeting with an appeal to all those in attendance to become active in the struggle against school re-openings and apply to join the CFPE and the Socialist Equality Party.

The CFPE can be contacted by:

Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation

Twitter: @CFPE_Australia
The following lecture was delivered at the Socialist Equality Party (US) 2021 summer school, held August 1 through August 6, by Jacob Crosse, 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.

This report concerns the central role of the Democratic Party and its pseudo-left appendages in downplaying and covering up the fascist insurrection of January 6. The response of the Democrats, a party of Wall Street and the Central Intelligence Agency, has been to chloroform the working class and uphold the legitimacy of the Republican Party. At the same time, they appeal to their Republican colleagues to carry out their shared class agenda of ruthless capitalist exploitation at home and imperialist war abroad, specifically Great Power conflict with Russia and China.

Within 48 hours of Trumps attempted coup, Washington D.C. was transformed into a ring of steel. Seven-foot-high non-scalable fencing was erected around the Capitol complex, and eventually over 25,000 National Guardsmen were deployed. Despite the massive show of force, Democrats remained fearful of another attack, perhaps from within the military or from across the aisle.

President Joe Bidens banal January 20 inauguration address sought to obscure the political forces behind the attack, as characterized by Joe Kishore in the WSWS January 21 perspective titled Bidens inaugural address: Banality and empty abstractions to cover over reality. He drew attention to Bidens attempt to transform the attempted coup into the abstract operation of disembodied violence. It was, according to Biden, violence that stormed the Capitol.

Comrade Kishore explained it was not abstract or disembodied violence that stormed the Capitol. Enraged petty-bourgeois elements, fascist dust, Republican operatives, QAnon adherents and retired and current police and military officers stormed the Capitol on the orders of Trump, who had the backing of the majority of the Republican Party, along with sections of the financial oligarchy, and the police, military and intelligence apparatus.

President Biden, a defender and representative of the capitalist state for over 50 years, obviously drew no attention to this reality during his inauguration speech, nor did he comment on the fact that the fascists, who demanded an overturn of the election, were the same elements summoned by Trump and big capital to oppose any measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Nearly eight months after the attempted coup, Bidens calls for a strong Republican Party have been met with intransigent GOP resistance in Congress to his legislative agenda and ongoing threats of fascistic violence directed at his fellow Democrats in Congress. Biden has said virtually nothing about Trumps ongoing attempts to overturn the election through unconstitutional recounts and forensic ballot analysis conducted by private businesses with links to the Republican Party. Meanwhile, American democracy is rotting on its feet.

It is the task of the Trotskyist movement to provide Marxist political leadership to the revolutionary working class, independent of the reactionary capitalist parties and the sclerotic, corrupt trade unions, through the formation of our rank-and-file committees. By turning towards the working class and patiently explaining the historical tasks, we can build the mass socialist movement that will command the respect of the best layers of the middle class, forestall the rise of fascism and bring about the radical transformation of society.

The immediate aftermath of the failed coup

McCarthy with Trump

In the immediate aftermath of the coup, the Republicans were in disarray as Democrats launched their second impeachment of Trump. Leading Republicans, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, tried to distance themselves from the coup, even mildly criticizing Trump in their first speeches before Congress following the insurrection. Both placed blame on Trump, while omitting their roles in propagating his fascistic lies that the election was stolen.

These mild recriminations against Trump quickly evaporated as it became apparent that Biden had no appetite for an impeachment trial, even as the danger of fascistic violence permeated the Capitol and the armed forces.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, former CENTCOM (United States Central Command) commander and board member at Raytheon Technologies, Nucor Corp. and Tenet Healthcare, announced an unprecedented stand-down to address extremism in the ranks. The Pentagon chief needed to make sure he still had control of the soldiers and officers.

In a January 28 press conference Nancy Pelosi, who had already ordered metal detectors installed outside the House floor, stated that funding for more security was needed, when the enemy is within the House of Representatives. Asked to clarify, Pelosi replied, It means we have members of Congress that want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress.

Despite controlling both houses of Congress and the presidency, leading Democrats admitted they remained terrified at the prospect of political violence from their Republican colleagues.

In the WSWS January 29 perspective, The Democratic Party and the fascist enemy within, Patrick Martin wrote: The unwillingness and incapacity of the Democratic Party to defend democratic principles, even when the physical survival of its own representatives is directly threatened, is a warning to the working class.

The Democrats, in their haste to welcome Trumps co-conspirators back into the fold and move on from the coup, sought to downplay and cover up Republican duplicity in Trumps plans, placing the blame solely on Trump in the lead-up to and during the Senate trial.

Throughout January, the corporate media helped facilitate this cover-up and the reconciliation with the Republican Party, heaping praise on Bidens overtures to Trumps party of co-conspirators. The media held up arch-conservative Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president under George W. Bush, the war criminal Dick Cheney, as a defender of democracy, for being one of 10 House Republicans to vote to advance the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

In a January 21 appearance on the Seth Meyers show, which he retweeted to his followers the next day, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders put forth the basic line of the Democratic Party, stating that it would be best to reach out to the Republicans.

Sanders voices support for appealing to Republicans

While the cable and television news networks replayed videos of the attack and reported accurately on the arrests of the low-level fascist thugs of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol, they refused to ask obvious questions about the deliberate sabotage of the buildings defenses, including the lack of intelligence warnings, from the multitrillion-dollar spy apparatus. We know now that reporters for the Washington Post were sitting on startling revelations, demonstrating the awareness of Trumps coup plans at the highest levels of the state, such as General Mark Milleys comments about the run-up to January 6 being a Reichstag moment, the gospel of the fuhrer.

After Vice President Mike Pence refused Democratic overtures to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Trump incompetent to continue in office, the House of Representatives on January 13, in a near party-line vote, advanced the articles of impeachment to the Senate. After the vote, Biden officials made it clear that the overriding concern of the incoming administration was not to hold the would-be fuhrer accountable and expose the complicity of a majority of the Republican party in the coup.

Biden, himself a five-decade servant to the banking industry, credit card companies and war-profiteers, called for healing, while rejecting calls from some within his party to demand the resignation of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, the two senators who led the opposition to certification of the Electoral College results, even after the coup attempt.

Biden refused to demand, or even give nominal support, for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to have Trump removed from office. His silence came even as some left Democrats, such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Missouri Representative Cori Bush, briefly demanded its invocation on social media.

The fecklessness of Biden strengthened Trump and emboldened his fascist allies. Two weeks after the House vote, 45 out of 50 Senate Republicans voted yes on a motion to quash the impeachment trial before it even began. The measure, put forward by far-right Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a libertarian, and backed by 90% of the Republican senators, signaled that Trumps upcoming impeachment trial would end like the first, with his acquittal.

Only the World Socialist Web Site asked what kind of government and agenda would emerge from Biden and the Democrats collaboration with Republican fascists. In a January 28 perspective, Republicans unite behind Trump, Barry Grey wrote:

Biden and the Democrats argue that they have to unite with the Republicans to get their agenda passed. That poses the question: What kind of agenda requires the support of fascists and their allies? The Democrats abject cowardice and complicity serve to dull the consciousness of the masses of people, burnish the image of Trump and the Republicans and spread the fatal illusion that all is well. All of those who seek to minimize the fascist assault on the Capitol, incited and supported by the US commander in chief, are guilty of politically disarming the working class and strengthening the neo-fascist right.

While the Democrats sought to build a coalition government with reasonable Republicans like Cheney and Air Force pilot and war-hawk Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, the Socialist Equality Party laid out a clear independent path forward for the working class, warning that no faith could be placed in the Democratic Party to carry out an independent investigation into the coup. Calling for a general strike against the coup threat, we called on the working class to do what the Democrats would notdemand the arrest of Trump and his co-conspirators in the Republican Party and government agencies and an independent investigation into the attack.

The second Senate trial of Donald J. Trump

On the first day of the Senate trial, February 9, the Democrats released an 80-page brief detailing Trumps obvious guilt in the attempted coup, while omitting the key role played by his Republican co-conspirators in propagating his election lies. The brief also neglected to mention any reference to the first time Trump threatened a coup and to invoke the Insurrection Act, six months prior, during his June 1, 2020 speech before going out publicly on Lafayette Square.

The Democratic Partys omissions were on purpose, as Barry Grey explained in a February 9 perspective, The Senate trial of Donald Trump: The questions that must be answered. He wrote:

The Democrats have no desire to expose the extent of the conspiracy, because this would involve an exposure of the underlying political and social conditions of which the Trump administration is an expression.

The three-day trial was over almost before it began. The truncated proceedings were hastened even further after the Democrats refused to call witnesses, even after Washington Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler came forward with evidence that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was in contact with Trump as the coup was ongoing. In a statement later submitted in writing, Herrera Beutler provided evidence of Trump refusing McCarthys request to call off the attack. Trump instead aligned himself with his fascist mob, telling McCarthy that they apparently cared more about the election than McCarthy did.

Throughout the trial Democrats upheld the courageous and patriotic arch-reactionary Vice President Mike Pence, while appealing to the Republicans on moral and national security grounds. Texas Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro urged his Republican colleagues to vote to convict in order to strengthen the world position of American imperialism against its foreign rivals. Castro pointed to Russian, Iranian, and Chinese influence actors seizing the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition.

Covering for the complicity of key sections of the US security state in the coup, the role of the military in delaying the dispatch National Guard troops to the Capitol was completely omitted throughout the trial. Nothing was said about the role of the U.S. Capitol Police in sabotaging the defense of the Capitol. No explanations were given as to how the FBI failed to designate January 6 a National Security Special Event or even issue a threat assessment, despite Democratic impeachment managers providing evidence during the trial that the White House was monitoring social media accounts calling for a MAGA militia to descend on D.C. The Democratic House impeachment managers did everything they could throughout the trial to blind the working class to the scope and scale of the coup, in order to protect the institutions of the state and block the growth of a movement against the financial oligarchy that produced Trump.

The collapse of the bipartisan select committee

Following the failed impeachment trial of Trump, enormous questions remained unanswered regarding the role of the police, military, Republican officials and financiers in the attempted coup. Far from seeking to answer all or any of these questions and expose the emergence of fascist tendencies in the center of world imperialism, in a public trial broadcast around the world, Pelosi and the Democrats sought to cover up and conceal the connections between the state and the Republican Party in order to preserve the GOP as an instrument of class rule. This effort would initially take the form of the proposal for a bipartisan commission, modeled on the commission that covered up key issues in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

After months of back-and-forth negotiations, on April 22, with thousands of National Guard troops still stationed at the Capitol, Pelosi announced she had agreed to major concessions demanded by Trumps accomplices in order to formally establish the commission. Her capitulation to Republican demands included accepting a 50-50 representation on the committee and a formula which would require Republican support to issue subpoenas. For her capitulation to the Trumps co-conspirators, Pelosi received resounding endorsements in the editorial pages of the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post and the New York Times.

The only Republican demand the Democrats did not accept was that the commission broaden its scope to include the summer protests against police violence as part of its purview, making a filthy equivalence between the thousands of multiracial protests against state violence and Trumps insurrection against bourgeois democracy.

Serving as commissioners on the committee would be trusted Republican and Democratic national security officials responsible for innumerable war crimes and the evisceration of democratic rights globally. It was modeled after the bipartisan September 11, 2001 commission, which covered up the role of intelligence agencies and the Saudi government in facilitating the terrorist attacks. We wrote at the time:

[T]he January 6 commission is being promoted not to reveal the true extent of the fascistic plot to keep Trump in office, for fear of the explosive political and social consequences, but to politically rehabilitate the Republican Party and prop up the two-party political system through which the corporate-financial oligarchy rules. Both before and after January 6, the Democrats have promoted the false narrative that Trump alone is the source of the attack on bourgeois-democratic forms of rule, rather than the embodiment of the protracted decline and putrefaction of American capitalism and its entire ruling elite.

Even as fascist Republicans, such as millionaire freshman Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene accosted Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the hallways of the Capitol and issued not so thinly veiled death threats to the Jihad Squad, the House, with minimal Republican support, passed the bipartisan proposal on May 18. After the bills passage in the House, Trump demanded Senate Republicans reject the committee, calling it a Democratic trap. Heeding his instructions, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated his opposition to the committee the following day, calling it slanted and unbalanced, leaving it dead in the water. In a Senate vote held on May 28, the proposal for a commission failed to overcome a filibuster, defeated by a vote of 54-35, less than the 60 votes needed. Only six Republicans backed the commission, while nine GOP senators and two Democrats abstained from voting.

Tweets from AOC during the coup

The failure to set up the bipartisan commission coincided with ongoing revelations detailing the deliberate security stand-down by Trump-loyal elements in the state. The World Socialist Web Site was the only publication to report on every flash report from U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton and key House and Senate committee investigations into the coup and draw the necessary historical conclusions about the role of the capitalist state.

The flash and committee reports detailed numerous security failures for which there is no innocent explanation, including on the day of the coup: U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) being barred from using less-lethal crowd control munitions; USCP surveillance teams deployed against a few counter-protesters while hundreds of Proud Boys were ignored; former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving deliberately moving security barricades the day before the coup allowing a clear path to Capitol; Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund ignoring intelligence reports stating that Congress itself would be the target on January 6, while claiming that the USCP had a good plan for the 6th; Capitol Police leadership being AWOL as the coup was unfolding, refusing to give orders over the radio; rank-and-file police not briefed on the threat and not equipped to deal with the armed and violent crowd. In addition, the Capitol Polices version of a SWAT team, which was trained by former U.S. Special Forces soldiers who idolize the Nazi SS, refused to deploy or carry out its security task in safeguarding congressional members.

Subsequent reporting has confirmed that U.S. Capitol Police and District of Columbia (D.C.) Metropolitan Police were given radios by the FBI that had the radio channels that the fascist militias would be using pre-programmed into them, further exploding claims that the attack was unforeseen. Instead, the question is how much of a direct role did the FBI play in facilitating the attack? Besides the chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, being a known FBI informant, Florida Proud Boys leader and Iraq War veteran Joe Biggs has also confirmed his relationship with the domestic intelligence agency. Meanwhile, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was present on the Capitol grounds during the siege and named in multiple charging documents against others, has yet to be arrested. He continues to be a credentialed presence at Republican events, including at the most recent Conservative Political Action Conference.

Less than three weeks after the bipartisan commission collapsed, the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committee released an extremely limited joint cover-up report on its investigation into January 6. While confirming that the Capitol Police, FBI and Department of Homeland Security were well aware weeks in advance that pro-Trump elements were planning an attack on Congress to stop the Electoral College certification, the report left out the key role of the coup-plotter-in-chief, Trump himself!

In the weeks since that reports release, Trump has repeatedly held up the investigation to exonerate his role in the coup, pointing to the fact that nowhere in the report does it blame him for the insurrection, a word which is also omitted in the report by Democrats at the request of their Republican colleagues.

The complacent pseudo-left and the DSA campaign against Trotsky

While the World Socialist Web Site has fought to raise the consciousness of workers regarding the fascist threat, writing over 140 articles concerning the January 6 coup attempt, as well as several articles denouncing the far-right and fascistic attacks against Democratic Party officials like Ocasio-Cortez, and statements opposing right-wing recall campaigns against Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant and California Governor Gavin Newsom, the response of the pseudo-left has been the polar opposite. They are terrified of any appeal to the working class and are oriented to upholding the Democratic Party. The magazine Jacobin, for example, closely tied to the Democratic Socialists of America, on the handful of occasions it has even written about the coup, has sought to downplay its significance entirely.

In a January 8, 2021 article written by Genevieve Leigh, titled Jacobins Bhaskar Sunkara on Trumps January 6 coup: Nothing to see here!, it cited tweets on the day of the coup by the founding editor and publisher of Jacobin, Bhaskar Sunkara. In one, he laments extreme labels for bad things, followed by another tweet in which he expresses his confidence in the stability of US republican institutions. Following in Sunkaras steps, leading Jacobin writers Branko Marcetic and Julia Damphouse likewise downplayed the coup, with the latter telling her followers to get a grip.

The January 8 comment explained:

Jacobins denial of the scale of the crisis, its insistence on the stability of US republican institutions is bound up with its organic hostility to revolution. Jacobins politicsand this is the politics of the Democratic Socialists of America as a wholeis based on the claim that social reform will be achieved within the framework of the Democratic Party and the capitalist system Those who make up the editorial board of Jacobin, speaking for privileged sections of the upper-middle class, are characterized by their complacency, opportunism and unseriousness. Everything they write is aimed at containing the growing social opposition from below.

The upper-middle-class writers of Jacobin were not alone in their prognosis of January 6 being a non-event. The International Marxist Tendency, left defenders of capitalism since their break with the Fourth International decades ago, likewise wrote that what happened on January 6 was far from an insurrectionary coup. A week later, following the line of journalist Chris Hedges, as well as Joe Lauria of Consortium News, the IMT declared that the far greater threat to democracy was the censorship of Trumps twitter account.

Beginning in March, the DSA, after declaring there was nothing to see here regarding the first fascist coup attempt in US history, embarked on a vicious social media campaign denouncing the WSWS as bad faith actors, while celebrating the 1940 assassination of Leon Trotsky by Stalinist GPU agent Ramon Mercader.

This campaign was launched in response to several WSWS articles written by Eric London exposing a series of lies voiced by Ocasio-Cortez in an interview with the DSAs Democratic Left magazine published March 19. This publication has written nothing about the ongoing revelations concerning January 6 which detail the intimate connections between the Republican Party, fascist militia groups and elements of the security state in facilitating Trumps coup.

Seeking to conceal the ongoing danger and to build up the Democratic Party as a legitimate instrument of working-class resistance, capable of being pushed to the left, Ocasio-Cortez heaped praise on the Democratic Party while claiming that a left, i.e., Marxist, evaluation of the oldest capitalist party in the United States was a really privileged critique. As thousands of migrant children remained detained in concentration camps along the US-Mexico border and Biden continued to launch air strikes in the Middle East and Africa, Ocasio-Cortez, claimed that right-wing Democratic politicians were totally reinventing themselves in a far more progressive direction since the election of Biden.

The interview, conducted by longtime AFL-CIO operative Don McIntosh, took place on January 27. Despite the interview taking place roughly three weeks after Trumps coup, Ocasio-Cortez, herself a frequent target of far-right death threats, made no mention of the attempted coup or the ongoing danger of fascist violence.

As the WSWS exposures of Ocasio-Cortez racked up over 100,000 unique views and was shared across multiple social media platforms among their own members, the leadership of the DSA and YDSA reacted by solidarizing themselves with the monstrous crimes committed by Stalin and his totalitarian bureaucracy, spreading memes celebrating the assassination of Trotsky. An Open Letter to Maria Svart, National Director the DSA, written by David North, and posted in May, has yet to be answered. This silence exemplifies the political bankruptcy of this long-time appendage of the Democratic Party.

Furthermore, just last week, Jacobin writer Branko Marcetic wrote another article concerning the Michigan plot, not to warn the working class that the state was cultivating fascist militia groups but to stand up for fascist militia members supposedly entrapped by the FBI, based on reporting by Buzzfeed which, according to Marcetic, all but confirms this was the case. Again, the concern is not for the democratic rights of the working class threatened by Trump or his ultra-right accomplices but the democratic rights of the fascists themselves.

Glenn Greenwald: From pseudo-left guest speaker to Fox News apologist

Greenwald tweets in defense of Trump's right to social media

Joining Jacobin, Trump and the Republican Party in downplaying the attempted coup and claiming that the real danger and concern to emerge from the Michigan plot and the storming of the Capitol is not the rise of fascism in the US but Trumps access to Twitter and the threat of neo-liberals expanding the security state, is libertarian journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Greenwald and other upper-middle-class journalists, such as John Pilger, Chris Hedges and the sometimes-comedian Jimmy Dore, will readily admit they are not Marxists and do not see the working class as a revolutionary class or socialist revolution as the only way out of the historical crisis of world capitalism. They do not view reality and history through the prism of class struggle but instead rely on impressionistic and vulgar interpretations of events, in many cases, purposely divorced from the context in which they take place.

Greenwald exemplifies most vividly an unmoored middle-class approach to the Trump attempted coup. After the coup his initial tweet was to wonder how it was possible for the Capitol, one of the most secure buildings on the planet, to be overrun for hours by a relatively small mob.

How have hundreds of billions upon hundreds of billions of dollars been spent in the name of security since 9/11, along with the deployment of drones and surveillance tech, yet a few hundred protesters can so easily breach the Capitol, just waltzing in and taking it over? GG January 6

However, within 24 hours Greenwald pivoted to denouncing Trumps twitter ban.

A handful of Silicon Valley oligarchs decided who can and cannot be heard, including the President of the United States. They exert the power unilaterally, with no standards, accountability or appeal. Politics now is begging them to silence adversaries or permit allies to speak. GG January 7

By February 5, Greenwald was chastising Democrats for refusing to work with Trump co-conspirators to combat Big Tech.

By the summer, Greenwald was favorably retweeting an admirer of Stalinism who said that January 6, 2021 might be the least important date in the countrys entire history and that the plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was an inside job.

He started repeating the talking points of lead Stop the Steal organizer and friend to the Oath Keepers militia, Paul Gosar (R-Arizona). Like Gosar, Greenwald advances the theory that Trump supporters and fascist militia members were entrapped by the FBI. While socialists are well aware of the role the domestic intelligence agencies play in upholding bourgeoisie class rule, Greenwald refuses to acknowledge the fact that the oppressive instruments of the capitalist state have long cultivated backward, racist and reactionary elements to bludgeon socialist and working-class resistance to capitalism, while turning a blind eye to the innumerable crimes committed by their informants.

In this context, Greenwald claimed the most interesting question about 1/6 remains how embedded was the FBI in the 3 groups they say were behind it, and what did they know about what was being planned. That, of course, is what corporate journalists are least interested in asking ...

Greenwalds trajectory from darling of the pseudo-left to far-right apologist has been swift. During the late Obama years Greenwald was featured guest at the now-defunct International Socialist Organization conferences. Now he spends his days on Twitter defending journalist Tucker Carlson, attacking the World Socialist Web Site, propagating the Wuhan Lab Leak lie, and generally toeing the Republican line.

The fascist transformation of Trumps Republican Party

After the collapse of the bipartisan committee following the Republican Senates filibuster, Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would instead create its own select committee to investigate the January 6 attack. Unlike the previous proposal, this committee would not be split 50-50; instead the Democrats would select eight members, while Republicans were allotted five, with the first hearing set to begin on July 27.

After meeting with Trump at his estate in New Jersey, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy named three Republicans to the committee who had voted to overturn the election, including leading Trump co-conspirators Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana. After initially appearing to accept the provocation, Pelosi rejected Jordan and Banks, to which McCarthy responded by pulling all five nominees.

The attempt to blow up the committee by McCarthy took place only 11 days after Trump gave a fascistic diatribe at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, which was attended by Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and III Percenters militia members, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Throughout Trumps speech, inspired by Hitler, he repeated his lies about the rigged election, railed against communism and socialism, claimed socialists have stolen our American heritage, denounced the China plague, and upheld QAnon Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, killed on January 6, as a martyr.

In the July 12 perspective, The CPAC conference and the fascist transformation of Trumps Republican Party, Eric London wrote that a clear warning must be made: Donald Trump is consolidating power over the Republican Party, transforming it from a conservative bourgeois party into a fascist party with a personalist leader and a paramilitary wing.

He drew special attention to the fascist speech given to CPAC by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who claimed Trump was defending this nations heritage, its culture, its values, ending with the declaration, We will triumph! This, Comrade London wrote, was an almost word-for-word repetition of the Nazi propaganda slogan Wir werden siegen, weil uns Adolf Hitler fuhrt. (We will triumph, because Adolf Hitler is leading us.)

While the Republican Party openly embraces fascism, the Democrats, with their obsessive promotion of race and identity politics and economic policies that lead to the further enrichment of the financial aristocracy, embolden the extreme right.

The Democrats fecklessness was further displayed in the first Select Committee held on July 27. While four police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 gave impassioned testimony and first-hand accounts of the fascist mobs intent to kidnap and kill elected officials in order to block the certification of Bidens election, naming the author of this crime as Donald Trump, not a single Democrat on the committee spoke Trumps name once.

Instead the Democrats once again left it to right-wing warhawk Liz Cheney, one of two anti-Trump Republicans appointed to the committee, to stress the importance of subpoenaing Republican officials to ascertain the truth of what happened in the White House before, during and after the coup attempt.

Once the hearing concluded, Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi would not say when the next hearing would be held, except that it would likely be after the upcoming August recess. Continuing their efforts to cover up the coup in order to prosecute US imperialist war abroad and class war at home, neither Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nor Bernie Sanders commented on the hearing.

It is only the SEP that is fighting to raise the class consciousness of the international working class, across racial, ethnic and national boundaries in a common struggle to overthrow the source of fascist threats to democratic rights: the capitalist system.
This is the second 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) .

Amy is a parent of a child who goes to a school in England. She listened in to last Sundays 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.

Parents take children to a primary school in Bournemouth, UK following the reopening of schools nationally. March, 2021 (WSWS media)

Amy was interviewed this week by the WSWS. Asked her thoughts on the Johnson governments current school reopening policies and the lack of even basic mitigation measures, she replied, In the UK, there has never been a public health campaign to raise awareness that COVID is airborne, unfortunately. This has created large pockets of disinformation and misinformation in the community which has severely affected school policy and behaviour of headteachers, local authorities, as well as some parents.

Combined with the governments lack of any specific COVID policyherd immunitythis lack of awareness of how COVID spreads has been detrimental to public health. The message from leading scientists in epidemiology who try to educate the public on the complexity of COVID as a multi-organ disease and on the measures we need to take to prevent aerosol transmission has been downplayed as scaremongering and undermined by those who endorse herd immunity. A number of pediatricians continue to deny the severity of COVID and insist that children are not affected and that they must return to school to safeguard their mental health.

Parents who dare to discuss mitigations in schools are dismissed and accused of being over-anxious, and this echoes the Public Health England messaging about how to deal with anxiety. This messaging is aimed at redirecting responsibility onto individuals, in denial of the basic rules of survival of any species! It also does nothing to reassure parents with legitimate concerns about sending their children in unsafe schools and exposing them, and their family, to COVID and potentially Long COVID.

I think that the current school policy is disgraceful and inadequate to prevent spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. Instead of calling for revision of the school guidance, the government is actually removing the very few mitigations which were in place before.

Parents are gaslighted by ready-made phrases repeated ad infinitum by government, local authorities and school leaders that schools are safe, that COVID will be with us for a long time, that we must learn to live with it, but this is designed to deny the severity of COVID. The government has refused to implement all known mitigations against COVID, and mandatory use of masks in schools stopped on May 17, 2021. Before schools reopen in September, there should be a clear policy for the implementation of all known mitigations, including CO2 monitoring, mandatory high-quality masks everywhere in schoolnot just in corridorsventilation and air filtration, reduced class sizes, outdoor lunch arrangements, revision of case management protocol and isolation policy.

Amy commented on the harsh measures being meted out to parents who do not want to send their children into an unsafe environment in which a deadly disease is allowed to spread. She stated, If these mitigations cannot be implemented before September, then they should stop fining parents who need to keep their children home, and offer instead home schooling as an option until cases decrease and all mitigations are in place.

Headteachers and local authorities keep using punitive measures against parents who feel schools are unsafe for their children and families. In addition to fines, they have also made referrals to childrens social services, again shifting the emphasis from unsafe schools to the parents inability to keep children in schools for in-person education.

It has also been demonstrated that the government is not listening to parent-led groups such as #SafeEdForAll (Safe Education For All) which follow the latest scientific research on COVID. Instead, they give a platform to groups who lobby for the removal of all mitigations and which do not represent the wider community of parents, as well as to groups who support herd immunity.

Asked about her response to the WSWS online event, Amy said, Ive listened to the full episode. I agree with all the points discussed by the experts, parents, and teachers.

In the UK especially, I believe that now we are in a worse situation than last year because the road map implemented by the prime minister has been justified solely by the governments desire to reopen and get back to normal and is not based on scientific data at all.

I agree that elimination and eradication, as discussed at the online event, is the only way we can try and stop the pandemic and learn how to apply this experience to possible future outbreaks. There is no getting back to normal until elimination is achieved. On the contrary, the governments use of the phrase get back to normal is meaningless, because they are doing nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 while at the same time feeding the myth that COVID is like flu and we need to live with it to the public. The only thing that has been normalised is death and morbidity, and the high cases we currently have in the UK are scary. There were 38,281 cases, 6,906 in hospital, and 140 deaths today!

I agree that opening schools now with such a high rate of cases is illogical and irrational. The vaccines alone, as was repeatedly stressed by the experts in the WSWS online session, are insufficient to bring infection down. I agree that we should use both vaccination and public health measures to achieve elimination and eradication.

Amy spoke about the dangers to people who are unable to be vaccinated for health reasons, saying, Besides, not everyone can get vaccinated. For example, there are a number of people who have allergies to some of the substances contained in the existing vaccines, and they need to go through allergy tests before having the vaccine. In some people the effect of the vaccine is limited because of auto-immune diseases, as it is in my case, and we do know that the effect of the vaccine decreases after six months even in people without these conditions and vulnerabilities (booster jabs are necessary). In my case, having an auto-immune disease means that I am at greater risk of being exposed to COVID. Being pushed to send my children to an unsafe school means that I have no control over the mitigations and precautions I can take to safeguard my family.

In addition, the link between auto-immune disease and COVID and Long COVID has been acknowledged by a plethora of studies looking at points of crossover between different disciplines (Rheumatology, Epidemiology, Immunology, Cardiology, Respiratory Conditions, and Neurology, among others). Long COVID symptoms are shared by a wide community of people with auto-immune and neurological diseases and disorders. We know that this affects both adults and children, so exposing children to COVID with the data and research we currently have is immoral. Herd immunity has been shown to be the worst possible strategy against COVID. Zero COVID and elimination is the only viable path to avoid unnecessary exposure and further loss of lives.

Commenting on the drive to fully reopen schools amid the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, Amy noted, Safer schools will lead to safer communities, we must think about the way we are all interconnected when devising strategies to stop transmission. Scrapping isolation from September and removing even the inadequate measures we had in the past, denies the reality of peoples everyday life. No-one is safe until we are all safe!

Reopening schools with such high cases would be illogical even if we had mitigations in place. Yet, and to the shock of many, the government is demanding that children attend school full-time without any mitigations. Those who refuse to send their kids to school are bullied and attacked with legal warning letters, penalty notices, referrals to Childrens Social Services.

This situation is even made worse when parents within the same household or separated parents do not agree on whether they should send children to school. Some fear the legal repercussions both from the school or the local authorities. In such a situation, they send their children to school not because they believe that schools are safe, but because they are left with no choice. Even those who end up deregistering their children, do so under duress; it is not a free choice to home educate their children.

I feel that we are living in a country which is no longer a democracy, because every day we are forced into doing things we have no control over, against the principles of morality, empathy, and compassion. We live in a country which has failed to protect the vulnerable, not only the elderly and those who need additional medical supportclinically extremely vulnerable and clinically vulnerable, as well as many others who fall between the cracks of the governments category of clinical vulnerabilitybut also our children who are the future of our society. Key concepts such as freedom, safety and safeguarding are being abused and twisted. They are made to serve a rhetoric that is trying to convince people that schools are safe, that we need to learn to live with the virus, that we will all have to die sooner or later, and is designed to portray those who try to object as over-anxious and pro-school closure.

At earlier stages of the pandemic, the debate was presented as a false dichotomy between closed/open schools, when the focus should have always been on SafeEdForAll and on eliminating COVID. Air quality was below satisfactory in UK schools and workplaces even before the pandemic, so any mitigations implemented because of COVID will have lots of beneficial long-term effects for our future too.

There is also a worrying misunderstanding of the role of schools and in-person education. Although in an ideal world and situation, without COVID, we can all appreciate the benefits of in-person education, the dangers posed by COVID should prompt us to use imaginative responses and expand our understanding of what education means. It is not just what goes on within the school building, but any type of activity that aims at educating children. Parents who chose home education for their children before COVID know that alternative education is possible, and sometimes even desirable for pupils who suffer from the rigid structure and overcrowded environment of UK mainstream schools.

The lack of mitigations in UK schools is a breach of Health and Safety regulations on many levels and goes against latest science and even against data collected from the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Office for National Statistics. Many times, figures have been massaged to depict a more rosy view of where we are at, or they have disseminated misleading interpretations of the data. Teaching unions have highlighted some of these breaches of Health and Safety regulations and offered a plan for safer schools in June 2020. However, none of these proposals were taken on board by the government. It is clear that what we need is urgent collaborative action between parents, teachers, unions, school leaders, and local authorities.

A reception class teacher, left leads the class at the Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Greenwich, London, Monday, May 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Amy gave a number of concrete examples of public health being sacrificed in schools, with COVID allowed to let ripa situation that would continue when schools fully return throughout Britain from next week.

1) Since May 17, no masks at all, neither in corridors nor in classrooms. 2) No social distancing 3) Classes in the UK have the highest number of pupils in the world. There are 30 pupils in each class, but it goes up to 40 and 50 in certain subjects requiring a laboratory (such as IT, woodwork, food technology, etc.) 4) Bubbles will be scrapped from September. Previously these bubbles were made of a large number of pupils (between 160 and up to 300 pupils in some areas) 5) No air filtration units at all, neither in the air conditioning or heating systems nor portable units. Under ventilation, the UK schools risk assessments quote that windows should be open, weather permitting. This is highly concerning as we are approaching winter. 6) No CO2 monitoring. The government is doing a pilot in just a few schools, but this is too little too late. CO2 monitoring should have been sorted at least a year ago, and in any case it would be pointless without implementation of devices aimed at filtrating the air. 7) The rules of isolation for close contacts have been scrapped, so now my child needs to attend school if I or any other member of my family is positive, just as a teacher can go to work if a member of their family is COVID positive. PCR tests are advisory, not mandatory, and this creates the possibility of sick or contagious children being sent to school to infect others and bring it back to their family. 8) Track and Trace has been a shamble from the very beginning, it has never worked as a way of containing transmission. It needs to be redesigned both at local and national level. In schools they will now be asking children to remember the people they came into contact with, though it is unclear if and how close contacts will be identified! 9) The list of symptoms advertised on the governments page are still only three: continuous cough, fever, loss of smell. This is a scandal because we know that there were always many more symptoms even pre-Delta, especially in children. With Delta, there are even more symptoms, similar to flu or cold. The result is that many will undermine the severity of the symptoms and go to work and send their children to school, avoiding testing in the belief that its just a cold. 10) Lateral flow testing has a low percentage of success, so many asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases are missed. 11) The management of positive cases and the way close contacts are picked needs to be completely revised to take into account that COVID is airborne. Before they only picked pupils sitting next to the positive case, and there was little tracking of other ways in which children came into contact, such as in the canteen, during breaks, in the toilets, etc. Now the management will be even more ineffective for the points highlighted above. 12) Schools no longer have to limit Physical Education activities, or assemblies, it seems they are now even supposed to encourage big gatherings within the school, as schools are said to be safe by government and school leaders. 13) The issue of greater risk of exposure to COVID in the school canteens and other shared spaces has been overlooked by school leaders and the government. Hundreds of children share the same indoor space without masks, sitting shoulder to shoulder and facing one another. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that bathroom airborne transmission can occur several minutes after the room is vacated. Transmission from child to child in the school environment has been proven by innumerable studies, yet it is the rhetoric of schools are safe that gets attention, as if schools were magic places where COVID has no access.

Amy pointed to a series of twitter threads by Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist in the United States. Feigl-Ding is involved in the COVID Action Group, whose stated mission objective is to save lives through proactive prevention. One thread draws attention to the rise in hospitalisations from COVID among children. Another notes research that Babies, toddlers, young kids, if infected, are 40% more likely to spread #SARSCoV2 to others in households In the third thread, published in July, Feigl-Ding says of another study, Bathroom airborne transmission confirmed. Whether breathing, toilet plume, or fecal aerosols doesnt matterit [SARS-COV-2] stayed in air for 40 minutes before infecting next person.

Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding (courtesy of Dr. Feigl-Ding)

Amy said, The money that the government is currently spending in selling the myth that COVID is over, kids only get a mild illness, and similar slogans, should be used, instead, to build a robust system of mitigations, with full implementation of all known mitigations and measures.

With such high daily COVID infections, and the lack of mitigations, no school is safe, no community is safe. We need a long-term strategy to create healthier environments for now and the future. We need a clear and sustainable plan to make sure that children can learn safely and a greater degree of flexibility across the UK. The current situation is unfair and confusing: while some schools have allowed leave of absence, others have used harsh punitive measures against parents. Safety cannot be a postcode lottery, it must be extended to ALL. And just in the same way that we mitigate risks to other diseases and dangers, we must vaccinate and mitigate against COVID. We all deserve better.

Many of our friends and their children, and family members have been affected by COVID. We use all the mitigations we feel are necessary to avoid unnecessary exposure to COVID. Our children understand that COVID is airborne and that these measures help us stay safe when we meet people and go to places. Stepping into a UK classroom, however, is like stepping into a parallel universe where rational thinking and scientific research do not apply.

As parents and children, we are disappointed that the educational potential of a full COVID is Airborne campaign has been completely missed by school leaders and local authorities as well as by the government. Instead, they have chosen to stigmatise those who are concerned about the lack of mitigations in school and feel unsafe in the school environment. On the contrary, our response is healthy and within the parameter of human survival.
Dear Mack Trucks Co-workers,

COVID-19 is resurging in countries around the world as governments are failing to take the public health measures necessary to combat it. This includes the United States of America, where President Joe Biden falsely stated that the best defense against the variants is to get vaccinated. While vaccination is important, vaccination alone cannot stop the spread of the virus. It must be combined with public health measures that include shutting down areas of non-essential work. This includes not reopening schools until the virus has been eradicated.

Mack Truck Macungie Plant

Mack Trucks and the United Auto Workers union recently announced that the mask mandate is back in effect. They did not hand any masks out, though. Instead, they simply told us to wear masks at work.

No one is speaking the truth about the current situation. Mack knows that the virus could potentially kill us. Yet their primary concern is not the spread of the virus, but to make profit off of our labor. The mask mandate is just something on paper for Mack, legally covering them in case one of us dies. It is something they can point to and say that precautions were in place in case any deaths happen. We know that precautions have never been in place. We know it is not our fault if we catch the virus. The fault belongs to Mack and the UAW, for allowing Mack to neglect our safety.

At Macungie, our case count has been increasing, and the UAW is only falling in line with the measures the company claims to be taking. To keep us safe, further measures need to be instituted immediately and we need to be the ones to bring them about. Mack Trucks Lehigh Valley Operations boss Gunnar Brunius plans to increase production soon to 60 trucks per shift. That increase is not possible while keeping the six-foot minimum separation required to work safely. We already are forced to violate the six-foot distance requirement during our shifts now. With the hiring of more workers, distancing will be even more difficult.

We all need to be at minimum six feet apart, and this needs to be allowed for in the speed of the line and the manning. If an industrial engineer has not properly adjusted our manning to allow for safe working distance between each worker, that is a company problem, not ours. We need to ensure that we maintain safe distance from each other and the line will have to run at the speed needed to achieve that. If we cannot do our jobs safely, then we have to wait until our area is clear so it can be done safely.

Relaxed guidelines in the past contributed to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the facility. With the speed of the line and the heat we have been struggling with, it is no surprise that many find it impossible to wear their masks in the facility. If we are unable to wear the masks, then we cannot work safely.

Conditions need to be created to support mask wearing in the workplace. This includes air conditioning and ventilation throughout the building. If management and the UAW get to sit in their offices with air and ventilation, workers on the shop floor should get the same. If Mack cannot supply what the workers need to work six feet apart, be cooled to levels deemed appropriate by the workers, and provide a steady supply of the type of mask that best suits each worker, then production needs to stop until it is safe to resume.

If you are new to the building, know that Mack decreased the number of punch clocks in the past and naturally the UAW did nothing to stop this. Mack has decreased the number of tables in break areas also. There needs to be a return of punch clocks lost in the past and a return of individual break areas conceded over time, including outdoors. If Mack-Volvo believes We Are Safety, then they must meet these requirements.

Since we know Mack and the UAW wont enforce these requirements, it is up to us to do so. The Mack Workers Rank-and-File Committee (MWRFC) exists at LVO to protect the working conditions of our coworkers. This includes their workplace safety.

Mack and the UAW are operating without your safety in mind, and you need to point that out. If we cannot work safely and COVID-19 is in the facility, why are we there? Mack-Volvo is only worried about protecting the money they make off your labor. It is up to us to protect ourselves.

Our situation is part of a much larger attack on working people all over. The reopening of schools in fall will put our children and their teachers at risk. We should not be sending children and teachers into a situation that is unsafe. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, over 180,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 in the US in mid August as school districts around the country opened up for the year. It is doubly insane to risk infecting children as the long-term effects of the disease are not fully known.

With children acting as a vector for the virus to spread, reopening schools will inevitably lead to increased infections and deaths, loss of loved ones and lifelong consequences for many, including brain and organ damage. We must unite to defend our working class brothers and sisters in education, as our struggles are fundamentally bound to each other. They have unions as well, and their unions have failed to protect them from the virus. This is also the case with the UAW. The power to stop the virus can only come from working class unity and action in the form of a political general strike to demand eradication of COVID-19!

We formed the Mack Trucks Workers Rank-and-File Committee MTWRFC in July following the UAWs betrayal of the strike of Volvo Trucks workers in Dublin, Virginia. Since that announcement, many of our fellow co-workers have contacted us and expressed an interest in getting involved in our cause.

We are inspired by the workers at NRV who dared to stand up against the Volvo corporate machine, only to get sold out by their union bargaining committee and the UAW International. By forming this committee, we are trying to be proactive to ensure that a repeat of NRV does not occur here in two years. We are looking to shine a light on and expose the problematic issues that exist here at LVO and LVLC in Macungie.

These changes need to occur to allow us to work safely within Mack Trucks:

We must receive hazard pay in the form of double time if we are expected to work in a hazardous, potentially life-threatening environment.

Personal protective equipment to be distributed by Mack with the option of N-95 masks.

10 minutes of break per hour to cool down from the heat of wearing the masks.

Air conditioning and ventilation to assist in preserving a healthy workspace.

Manning time allowances adjusted so that we can maintain six feet of working distance from each other. Mack should not have any problem with this because they have been telling us to maintain six feet of distance since the start of the pandemic. If you are within six feet from another worker, it is up to you to stop working until you can do your job safely. Inform your supervisor that this is the reason. If your supervisor encourages you to work within six feet of someone else, they are working against Macks own self-imposed guidelines and putting you at risk. You cannot work if it is unsafe to do so.

The number of punch clocks need to be tripled to aid in maintaining safe distances for workers clocking in and out between shifts. Six-minute early punch out needs to be reinstated for the same reason. It is hazardous to our health and only aids the spread of the coronavirus to be crowded around the few clocks we have now.

A return of the break areas that were removed before and during the pandemic, including the outdoor break areas.

Text to join: (484)-466-8841
Across Australia, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is preparing a new round of sellouts to jobs and conditions. A warning of this came at the University of Newcastle (UoN), in the industrial city around 175 kilometres north of Sydney.

The University of Newcastle (Credit: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/)

In an anti-democratic move, NTEU postgraduate members and non-union members were excluded from a meeting on August 5 where members voted on the union branchs log of claims for a yet another enterprise agreement with management.

A Committee for Public Education (CFPE) member, a postgraduate member of the NTEU, was told just 15 minutes before the meeting that his registration for it had been cancelled. The post-graduate student had intended to oppose the log of claims and propose an alternative resolution.

When the student member challenged this censorship and demanded an explanation, NTEU Newcastle branch president Daniel Conway said in an August 7 email that the meeting was called for eligible ordinary voting members to vote on the Branch log of claims. Only Ordinary members  who were eligible to vote from the membership were able to attend.

Unfortunately as you are a Postgraduate member you are not a financial member and under the rules you were not eligible to vote at the meeting... We had a number of other non-financial members who registered from UON staff also so we had to cancel their registrations also.

Conway referred to an unspecified Rule 9.4: Postgraduate Members are not members of the union, and shall not be eligible to  otherwise exercise any rights of members of the union.

In other words, postgraduate members are not members. Other staff who were not NTEU were excluded even though they will be impacted by the enterprise agreement. The move purposefully divides NTEU members from students and other staff.

In reply, the CFPE member asked Conway a series of questions: Why were we only told at the very last minute that we werent able to attend the meeting? Isnt this discrimination against post-graduate members of the NTEU? Why are we defined as non-members?

This rule that you cite, what rule is it? Is it a national rule or one that was adopted for the NTEU local branch? When was it adopted? How many others were excluded from the meeting?

Why would you exclude people from the meeting who will be impacted by the upcoming EBA? Why is the union sowing a division between educators and post-graduate student members?

Conway has not yet replied.

Damien Cahill, the New South Wales (NSW) NTEU Division Secretary, attended the UoN meeting. He declared on twitter that it was an excellent meeting with over 100 @NTEUNSW members @Uni_Newcastle, endorsing the unions campaign for a new enterprise agreement.

That is only a fraction of the universitys staff. Cahill did not mention the exclusion of student members.

This is not an isolated incident. The NTEUs anti-democratic methods went further on August 6 at a New South Wales statewide online forum to push its enterprise bargaining plans. Despite the event being billed as a forum, NTEU members were prevented from speaking, and the chat function was disabled, making it impossible for participants to communicate with each other.

The unions officials are aware that the NTEU is increasingly discredited in the eyes of university workers because of its role in suppressing opposition to historic cuts to jobs and conditions, which saw up to 90,000 jobs eliminated nationwide last year.

The union is promoting the fraudulent claim that the ongoing assault can be reversed through the enterprise bargaining framework. Yet, this has been the central mechanism over the past three decades by which unions have isolated workers to different workplaces and imposed pro-corporate cuts and restructuring.

Introduced by the Keating Labor government, working hand-in-glove with the unions in the early 1990s, this regime was later reinforced by draconian anti-strike legislation, the Fair Work Act, introduced in 2009 by the Rudd Labor government, again in collaboration with the unions.

Jenny Whittard, the NTEU Newcastle branch organiser, later declared that the August 5 meeting had rejected growing job insecurity, workload intensification and cost cutting, and endorsed the log of claims.

However, the unions claims are deliberately vague, designed to deepen the partnership between the NTEU and management.

Under Job Security, the document states: that retrenchment, including voluntary retrenchment, only occur where the work performed in the position is no longer required to be performed by anyone.

In other words, if management deems that a job position is no longer required it can impose sackings in line with the cost-cutting and corporate restructuring demands of the federal government and big business.

At UoN, over 200 FTE academic and professional staff have lost or are in the process of losing their jobs. A restructure that led to the amalgamation of 530 of the universitys 2,200 courses has proceeded unimpeded.

The NTEU has opposed any mobilisation against the cuts and restructuring, which were carried out via the current enterprise agreement, signed in 2018. At the same time, the union has opposed any unified nationwide struggle against the government-management offensive.

Other key claims include: a right to conversion to permanent employment after two years continuous service for contingent staff and fixed term staff. There is no detail as to how this transition would be achieved, let alone any demand for the basic right of all educators to secure permanent jobs.

Another vague claim is for protections against excessive, unreasonable or uncompensated overtime. There is no definition of excessive or unreasonable nor any indication of what kind of protections would exist.

The CFPE is fighting for the establishment of a network of rank-and-file committees, independent of the unions, to unify educators, all education staff and students against the cuts, and to link up with workers nationally and internationally facing similar critical struggles against the impact of the worsening global capitalist crisis.

The CFPE member was blocked from moving a resolution that rejects the management-union enterprise bargaining process as nothing but a decades-old vehicle for imposing further pro-business restructuring and cuts to jobs and conditions at universities across the country.

The resolution gives full support to the campaign taken up by students against the retrenchment of much-appreciated educators and devastating course cuts at universities across the country, including Macquarie, Monash, La Trobe, Adelaide and the University of Western Australia.

It calls for a unified struggle by university staff and students against the offensive by government and management, which are exploiting the worsening global COVID-19 disaster to accelerate years of the transformation of universities into increasingly casualised businesses, servicing the narrow vocational and research requirements of the corporate elite, at the expense of genuine education.

To discuss the formation of rank-and-file committees, we urge educators and students to contact the CFPE.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation/

Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFPE_Australia
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Educators Association (NEA) are campaigning aggressively for the full reopening of schools for in-person instruction in the US, a policy that will guarantee a massive growth of infection, sickness and death among teachers, children and the population as a whole.

Students walk past a social distancing reminder sign while heading to the nurse's office to be tested for COVID-19, during summer school at the E.N. White School in Holyoke, Mass., on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The spread of the more infectious Delta variant is responsible for a surge in daily deaths, now at 1,000. The total number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 has tripled over the past month. Over this same period, the number of children hospitalized surged to nearly 2,200, a more than 50 percent increase since the start of August. An average of 313 children are being hospitalized each day, and at least 24 died last week.

Sending children back to school under these conditions can only be described as criminal. Some 28 million schoolchildren between the ages of 5 and 11 are not eligible for vaccination, and only one third of 12 to 15-year-olds are inoculated.

Pediatricians and scientists are sounding the alarm. It is scary to see the number and severity of COVID-19 cases rising in children with the Delta variant and so many kids still left unprotected, Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, a community pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic, told CNBC. The pandemic never stopped, and unfortunately, it only takes one lit match to reignite the inferno.

In the first nine days of school, there were 503 cases of coronavirus in Duval County Public Schools, Dr. Mobeen Rathore at Wolfson Childrens Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, told CNN. We are not only preparing for acutely ill children but also MIS-C, he said, referring to the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children caused by COVID-19, which has affected 4,404 children and killed at least 37, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Far from opposing the mad policy of death, the AFT and NEA, which falsely claim to represent nearly 5 million educators and staff, are aggressively campaigning for it.

AFT President Randi Weingarten is currently on a 20-state Back to School for All tour to push for fully in-person instruction. The AFT has sent $5 million to union locals to campaign for students to return to the classroom. Local affiliates in New York and other states are producing promotional videos to convince frightened and concerned parents that it is safe for them to send their children to school.

[O]ur members are going door to door to parents and to bring them back to schooling, Weingarten told the New York Times.

Last week, Weingarten was at a Bronx elementary school with President Bidens Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona, to back New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios plan to reopen the nations largest school district on September 13 without any remote learning option for the citys 1.1 million students.

The Democratic Party mayor pledged that he will not allow any disruptive school closures this year. If someone tests positive, only unvaccinated close contacts will have to quarantine for 10 days. This is under conditions in which the Delta variant can be spread just as effectively by vaccinated adults as those who are unvaccinated.

To justify this criminal policy, Weingarten is feigning concern about the emotional and educational impact of remote learning on low-income students. Kids need the social and emotional environments that in-school learning brings, she said in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Such concerns, coming from the mouth of the multi-millionaire Weingarten, are no less hypocritical than they are coming from Democratic and Republican Party politicians and the corporate media.

The AFT and NEA have not conducted a single campaign against budget cutting, school closures and the expansion of charter schools that have decimated public education for millions of working-class students. During the wave of teacher strikes in 201819, Weingarten and her NEA counterparts crisscrossed the country to isolate and crush the strikes, which were incipient rebellions against both the unions and the austerity measures they long supported.

As for the well-being of children, what about their health and their lives? And what of the emotional impact on children who see their classmates, teachers, parents and grandparents die from COVID-19? Worldwide, 1.5 million kids have lost parents, grandparents or other caregivers to the virus, according to a new study published Tuesday in The Lancet. Nearly 114,000 are from the US.

In Florida alone, 26 educators and five children died in August, or one educator a day and one child per week. This included 41-year-old Florida teacher Kelly Peterson who died from complications due to COVID-19. Because she was undergoing treatment for leukemia the beloved teacher was not vaccinated.

In fact, the AFTs campaign is aimed at bolstering the efforts of the entire political establishment to reopen schools so that parents can remain on the job pumping out profits for the corporate elite. In a public speech last May, Weingarten stated bluntly, Parents rely on schools, not only to educate their kids, but so they can worklike the three million mothers who dropped out of the workforce during the pandemic.

Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle have falsely claimed schools can be opened safely if mask mandates, social distancing and other mitigation practices are put in place.

Even if these measures were takenwhich is doubtful given the chronic overcrowding, under-funding and poor ventilation in most public schoolsit would have little impact on the spread of infections and deaths. One week after the Los Angeles Unified School District opened for half a million students on August 16, with a mask mandate, 6,500 students and 1,000 employees tested positive or were quarantined.

The mitigation strategy promoted by the Biden administration and the unions is little more than a few palliatives added to the homicidal herd immunity policy of Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other fascistic Republicans.

The working class must fight for a policy of elimination and eradication of the virus. This requires the shutdown of non-essential production and the closure of schools, together with universal testing, contact tracing and the isolation of infected individuals. This must be combined with the provision of full income to workers and small business owners affected by the shutdown, and a massive infusion of resources to provide high-quality remote learning for all children.

Leading scientists have made clear that this policy is feasible, and, with the assistance of powerful vaccines, can stop the pandemic in a matter of months.

If we have transmission in the community, its not safe to reopen schools, full stop, Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz of the University of Calgary explained at the WSWS online event, For a global strategy to stop the pandemic and save lives! this past weekend. If we combine both vaccines and public health measures we can stomp it out.

If such a policy had been implemented at the beginning of the pandemic, millions of lives would have been saved. It is all the more necessary now, with the virus again surging out of control in the US and internationally.

To fight for this policy, the working class must intervene, independently of the capitalist parties and their backers in the unions like the AFT and NEA, along with their counterparts in other industries. The upper-middle class bureaucrats like Weingarten are thoroughly hostile to the interests of educators and all workers.

The World Socialist Web Site calls for educators and parents to form rank-and-file safety committees in every workplace and neighborhood to demand the immediate halt to in-person learning. This must be developed as part of a globally integrated movement of the entire working class through the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.
Newly released police body camera footage has revealed yet another grisly instance of police brutality in the United States. The video shows a Louisiana State Police (LSP) trooper strike an African American man in the head 18 times with a police issue flashlight while other officers held him down. The aluminum instrument is 8 inches long, with a pointed end used to smash car window glass.

Aaron Larry Bowman cries during an interview at his attorney's office in Monroe, La., Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, as he discusses his injuries resulting from a Louisiana State trooper pummeling him with a flashlight during a traffic stop in 2019. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The man, Aaron Larry Bowman, 46, had been pulled over for a routine traffic violation and had repeatedly screamed to his captors, Im not resisting! Blows from the flashlight split Bowmans head open, creating a wound that required six staples to close. The trooper broke his jaw and three of his ribs, as well as his wrist. The body camera footage was buried for over two years since the vicious beating in May 2019.

The assault on Bowman occurred less than three weeks after LSP troopers murdered Ronald Greene, who died in police custody after being punched, stunned, choked and forcibly dragged.

In both cases, the police top brass initially circled the wagons around the offending officers. State police waited 536 days before opening an investigation into the attack on Bowmanand even then, some weeks after Bowman filed a civil lawsuit. In the case of Greene, state police waited 474 days to investigate, while Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards and other Louisiana officials refused to publicly release any body camera video of the incident for more than two years.

It was only after both incidents became a part of a federal investigation into police brutalityand cover-ups potentially implicating some of the highest-ranking officials in the LSP were exposedthat the agency chose to take any action against the officers involved in the attacks.

The LSP trooper who administered the savage assault, Jacob Brown, who is white, revealed the fascistic mentality and sadism rampant within law enforcement when he defended his use of deadly force as the application of pain compliance. Brown, who resigned last March, had 23 use-of-force incidents on record since 2015 alone, 19 of which had targeted African Americans. He reportedly bragged about beating another motorist, claiming he is gonna be sore. And he declared, It warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.

Brown now faces state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance involved in his attack on Bowman, as well as additional state charges related to other violent arrests. It is unclear at this point whether the federal investigation will bring additional charges against him.

To add insult to injury, Bowman still faces a list of bogus charges stemming from the assault, including battery of a police officer and resisting an officer, as well as the initial charge of improper lane usage (a very minor infraction).

In the video, Bowman does not appear confrontational in any manner and clearly was complying with police officers. Instead, Browns body camera footage shows officers forcibly removing Bowman from his vehicle and throwing him to the ground. Brown then began his frenzied attack, hitting Bowman 18 times with his flashlight over a period of only 24 seconds.

During the attack, Brown shouted give me your f***ing hands! at the restrained Bowman, warning I aint messing with you. Bowman attempted several times to tell officers he was not resisting and that he was a dialysis patient. Im not fighting you, youre fighting me, he said, terrified. He then cried out for help. Im bleeding! he said. They hit me in the head with a flashlight!

Brown did not report his use of force and deliberately obscured the violent content of his body camera footage, labeling it merely as a citizen encounter. While Browns tampering with evidence is certainly criminal in its own right, there is no way that he could have acted alone in suppressing details of the incident.

In the case of Greenes death just weeks before, state police commanders pressured their detectives not to arrest state trooper Chris Hollingsworth, who had turned off his body camera prior to the fatal arrest. Hollingsworth was later recorded boasting of Greenes slaying, claiming he choked and beat the ever living f*** out of him. According to notes obtained by the Associated Press, commanders became very heated with the detectives, warning them that bringing charges would cause investigators to have issues with patrol.

The autopsy, conducted by Arkansas State Crime Lab pathologists Jennifer Forsyth and Frank J. Paretti for the Union Parish Coroners Office, aided in the cover-up. The report concluded that it cannot be stated with certainty whether Greenes injuries, such as a fractured sternum and lacerated aorta, were attributable to a car crashthe cause of death initially alleged by the LSPor a physical struggle with troopers. By failing to specify whether Greenes death could be considered an accident or a homicide, the report allowed troopers claims initially to go unchallenged.

While the probe already has uncovered massive wrongdoing and conspiracy on the part of the LSP, this alone will do nothing to solve the underlying issues surrounding the epidemic of police murder in the US. The political establishment is equally complicit in this phenomenon, having overseen the mass inequality, social misery, and pandemic-related deaths caused by the capitalist system which the police defend.
South Koreas Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant on August 13 for Yang Gyeong-su, the chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the largest union organizations in the country. Prosecutors have accused him and the KCTU of organizing rallies between May and July that were banned on the pretext they violated COVID-19 social distancing measures.

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Gyeong-su (Source: KCTU Facebook)

Yang and 22 others have been accused of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Rallies were held in Seoul on May 1, June 9, and June 19. An overnight protest involving 4,000 striking delivery workers took place on June 15-16, shortly before the union sold out the strike. The largest of the demonstrations was held on July 3, which included 8,000 participants.

Workers this year have been demanding better working conditions and a higher minimum wage. The minimum hourly wage for 2021 rose only 1.5 percent over last year to 8,720 won ($US7.47), the smallest increase ever. Laborers in various industries took strike action this summer in addition to the delivery workers who remain highly exploited. This includes construction workers facing deadly conditions at job sites and ship builders. Workers at Hyundai Motors and GM Korea both voted to strike, but the Korean Metal Workers Union, the most influential union in the KCTU, rammed through concessions contracts at both companies over worker opposition.

Following the July 3 rally, police summoned Yang for questioning three times, which he ignored, before finally agreeing to speak to the police on August 4. Police sought an arrest warrant two days later, with prosecutors filing the request with the court.

Yang told reporters on August 4 before being questioned, It has been confirmed that there were no [COVID-19] infections resulting from the [July 3] workers rally. He continued: In order to solve workers issues, [the government] must listen to their voices. We have requested a meeting with the president, prime minister, and labor minister several times but heard nothing back.

KCTU protest on July 3 (Source: KCTU Facebook)

Despite the KCTUs militant pretensions, Yangs comments reflect the trade unions real position as a wing of the bourgeois establishment, particularly of the Democratic Party. The KCTU strives to bind workers to the Democrats and prevent them from fighting against capitalism for their own independent interests. As such, this summers rallies, as Yang stated, were aimed at winning an audience with the top government officials who uphold the capitalist system, while trying to convince workers President Moon Jae-in and his administration can be made to carry out pro-working class policies.

KCTU leaders have in the past courted arrest. Former KCTU leader Kim Myeong-hwan had his sentence of probation related to protests in 2018 and 2019 confirmed by the Supreme Court on August 12. Kim was accused of organizing violent demonstrations outside the National Assembly building and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, suspended for four years, as well as 160 hours of community service.

Currently, Yang has not been taken into custody. To avoid arrest, he is reportedly staying at the KCTU headquarters in Seoul, located within the building of Kyunghyang Shinmun, a liberal newspaper. Police attempted to arrest Yang on August 18, but clashed with KCTU members, who prevented the officers from entering the building. The police reportedly did not try to force their way in as they lacked a search warrant. In 2013, police forcibly entered the KCTU offices in an attempt to arrest Kim Myeong-hwan, mentioned above, who was then head of the Korean Railway Workers Union. The Constitutional Court later ruled the action was illegal.

The fact that the police still appeared at KCTU headquarters was clearly meant as a provocation, one that officers could have potentially seized upon to force their way into the building. The police reiterated on August 23 that they intended to arrest Yang. Nam Gu-jun, head of the National Investigation Office at the National Police Agency, stated, While the situation the first time we attempted to proceed was poor, the arrest warrant still remains.

While the government may not wish to alienate its KCTU ally at the moment by ordering a raid on the union building, the arrest warrant demonstrates the government is willing to use police-state measures to suppress workers. It is a warning to workers more broadly that opposition to the government and big business will be met with arrests and police violence.

However, for Yang and the KCTU, the refusal to comply with the investigation and threat of arrest is designed to bolster their so-called militant credentials even as they continuously betray workers struggles. For the government, it is aimed at reining in the KCTU, not because the union bureaucracy represents a genuine threat, but as a means to clamp down on workers fighting for improved wages and conditions, especially amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

The police and prosecutors attempt to justify their repressive measures are utterly cynical. The government is reopening schools for the second half of the academic year, even as South Korea is experiencing its worst surge in cases throughout the entire pandemic. Under the highest Level 4 restrictions, Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi province were originally required to move all classes online. In violation of its own measures, the Moon government is sending thousands of students, teachers, and school workers back into classrooms and buildings where they risk exposure to the highly contagious Delta variant, now the dominant strain in the country.

On Wednesday, Seoul announced that it had discovered 677 new cases in a 24-hour period, a record number for a single day in the capital city. Of those, 93 percent were caused by the Delta variant. Despite the surge in cases, Seoul is working to remove social distancing measures in order to protect the profits of big business.

Workers and genuinely progressive layers in South Korea must oppose the police-state measures being used by the government and police but place no faith in the unions. To wage a genuine political fight for improved working conditions and democratic rights, workers need to break with the KCTU and the Democratic Party, establish their own independent rank-and-file committees and unify their struggles on a socialist perspective.
The US Supreme Court ordered the Biden administration this week to reinstate the previous Trump policy known as the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) program, also known as the Remain in Mexico policy. The program had forced thousands of asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their court cases played out in the US.

A group of migrants rest on a gazebo at a park after they were expelled from the U.S. and pushed by Mexican authorities off an area where they had been staying, Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Reynosa, Mexico. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The vast majority of immigrants affected by this program were confined to squalid, makeshift camps along the US-Mexico border where they were prey to human smugglers and criminals, while their cases could drag on for months, if not years, in US courts.

The Remain in Mexico policy established in 2019 was one of many punitive measures by the Trump administration to deliberately discourage immigration to the US. It was suspended at the start of 2020, when Trump banned all migration into the US under Title 42, using the pandemic as a pretext to stop asylum seekers. This anti-immigrant program remains in effect under Biden.

The Supreme Court ruled 63 in rejecting the Biden administrations attempt to stop a Texas-based judges ruling which ordered the government to revive the Remain in Mexico policy. Three of the six conservative judges were appointed by Trump while Republicans in Texas and Missouri had originally challenged Bidens rescinding of the order as they sought to reinstate some of the worst anti-immigrant policies of the previous administration.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said it would vigorously challenge the district court ruling but would comply in good faith and has started discussions with Mexico.

The courts unsigned decision said the Biden administration violated federal law in reversing the policy, citing last years decision in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of University of California, when Trump tried to undo former President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which delayed deportation of young immigrants known as the Dreamers who entered the US illegally.

The court offered little explanation for its actions other than saying that the administration failed to show a likelihood of success on the claim that the memorandum rescinding the Migrant Protection Protocols was not arbitrary and capricious. The so-called liberal dissenting judges, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, did not write an opinion on their views of the case.

After Biden reversed the Remain in Mexico program this year, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit claiming the programs suspension placed a burden on local governments to provide services for immigrants who were allowed to stay in the US. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted his approval of the Supreme Courts decision, saying the policy must be implemented now!

A federal judge in Texas had previously ordered the administration to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy. On August 19, the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, refused the White Houses request to put the ruling on hold.

Tuesdays decision by the Supreme Court would mean that Kacsmaryks order must go into effect, but Justice Samuel Alito ordered a brief delay to let the court have time to consider the administrations appeal. The Supreme Court may return to the issue if the Biden administration files an appeal.

The Supreme Courts decision is another blow to the Biden administrations attempt to present itself as a departure from the hardline anti-immigrant policies of Trump. While the number of immigrants seeking asylum has climbed in the last year, the current administration has refused to allow anything other than the most token numbers to enter the US.

Detention camps, for adults and children, still operate at full capacity despite the surge in the COVID-19 pandemic and the White House is planning to jail more immigrants. Regardless of which of the two capitalist parties is in power, the war on immigrants continues.
WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -- The West Terre Haute walkway is taking shape.

It's all with the help of the local county government.

Vigo County Commissioner, Chris Switzer, told News 10 that Vigo County Solid Waste District donated three trash receptacles and two benches for the area.

Vigo County Parks Superindentent Adam Grossman helped put the new additions into place.

He also installed bag holders for folks to use after dogs use the bathroom on the walkway.

The walkway is the new connector from West Terre Haute to Terre Haute.
ILLINOIS (WTHI) - Bear is a four-year-old Golden Retriever mix and has spent the last two and a half years making students at Williams Elementary feel safe.

After going through all of the proper training and certification, Bear started spending a few days a week in the classroom. He now is in the classroom every day with students.

His owner, Williams Elementary School Teacher Brad Tribble, says that Bear's time in the classroom has made a noticeable difference.

"The kids love him! It has made such a difference in the behaviors in the classroom. There are very few outbursts anymore," said Tribble. Tribble also suggests that other schools across the Wabash Valley should get a therapy dog of their own.
(CNN) -- A return to in-person learning has led to thousands of students having to quarantine across the US, with Covid-19 cases among children surging to levels not seen since winter. With the increased threat, the US surgeon general is urging parents and officials to take measures that reduce the risk of a child's environment.

"If they are around people who are vaccinated, everyone in the household gets vaccinated, that significantly reduces the risk to our children," Dr. Vivek Murthy said in a conversation hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

In the classroom, there are layers of protection that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out to keep children safe -- including wearing properly fitting masks, properly ventilating buildings and regular testing, Murthy said.

"Even though our kids do better, that doesn't mean that Covid is benign, it doesn't mean that it's harmless in our children," Murthy said. "In fact, we've lost hundreds of children to Covid-19."

The misperception that young people don't have to worry about Covid-19 may also be hindering their motivation to get vaccinated, Murthy said.

As of Saturday, teens ages 16 and 17 had the highest rate of infection among all age groups, according to a CNN analysis of data from the CDC. Cases overall have surged across the US, with the daily average of newly reported infections surpassing 155,000.

Vaccination is key to protecting against Covid-19 and the serious illness that could come with it. But for many children, vaccination still isn't an option.

Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine has been fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, but only for those 16 and older, and emergency use authorizations only extend to children as young as 12.

Children ages 5 to 11 are the next group in line to become eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and an updated emergency use authorization from the FDA would make at least 28 million additional children, but the process of authorizing a vaccine may not come until the end of the year, Murthy told CNN's Briana Keilar earlier this week.

In the meantime, Murthy stressed that "there are steps we can take to keep our kids safer. It's all the more important with Delta."

Students sent back into quarantine

The stress over safety precautions in schools is growing, as many students have already faced exposure to Covid-19 in the early days of their new school year.

At least 14,746 students and 2,984 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 throughout the 15 largest school districts in Florida since the start of school, according to a CNN analysis.

Several districts in the state have been at odds with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over mask mandates in the classroom after the governor banned such measures and some districts chose to implement them anyway. A judge on Friday ruled against DeSantis, saying he did not have the authority to prevent local measures.

In Georgia, six schools in Henry County are temporarily conducting remote learning through August 27 due to "a consistent increase in the number of the individuals required to quarantine."

With the start of school fast approaching for New York City, officials there announced a change to last year's quarantine policy based on vaccinations.

City Department of Education Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter and Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that only unvaccinated students will be subject to quarantine if exposed to positive cases

"This is crucial to remember -- anyone vaccinated who is not symptomatic, adult or child, even if there's been contact, they're going to stay in school," de Blasio said Thursday. "I don't want people thinking of last year's model and assuming everything's the same now. It's not the same. Why? Because of vaccination."

Hospitals stretched thin as ICU beds run out

The rise in cases has overwhelmed many health care workers trying to keep up with the more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized with Covid-19.

In Georgia, many hospitals have requested ambulance transports be sent to other facilities because they're stretched thin. The Georgia Department of Public Health on Thursday asked residents to help reduce the strain on EMS and emergency departments by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask and getting tested for Covid-19 somewhere other than the state's hospitals.

And in Illinois, ICU beds are running out, particularly in southern Illinois and parts of central Illinois, Illinois Department of Public Health Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.

Nearly all of the people hospitalized with Covid-19 are unvaccinated, Gov. J. B. Pritzker said Thursday, and those hospitalizations have "multiplied" the state's ICU usage "by a factor of seven this summer."

Kentucky has also seen a steep increase in hospitalizations. On July 14, 239 people were hospitalized with Covid-19 -- on Wednesday that number had grown to 2,074, marking 42 straight days of increases, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.

Some states are calling for reinforcements to support staffing at overwhelmed hospitals.

The Texas Department of State Health Services will deploy 2,500 additional medical staff to support health care facilities in the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced. Medical equipment such as ventilators, oxygen concentrators, heart monitors, IV pumps, feeding pumps, and hospital beds will also be provided.

In Nebraska, the shortage of nurses and spike in hospitalizations has prompted Gov. Pete Ricketts to declare a hospital staffing emergency. Ricketts announced two new measures to help address the personal strain: making it easier for health care professionals to defer continuing education or licensing requirements and limiting elective surgeries.

By limiting elective surgeries across the state, Ricketts hopes "to help free up hospital capacity, to take on some of the other patients that are coming into the hospital, both non-Covid and Covid patients," he added.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The board governing Mississippi's public universities voted Friday not to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite the objections of the two medical doctors who are part of the board.

During a special meeting, nine members of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees said the vaccine should not be mandated. Many said they support students getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but that shots should be voluntary.

Dr. Alfred McNair Jr. and Dr. Steven Cunningham were the only two board members who voted to mandate vaccinations.

This volunteer thing is ridiculous," said McNair, who is chief of medical staff at Biloxi Regional Medical Center. "If they had polio, it wouldnt be a volunteer thing.

Mississippi's public universities already mandate that students be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, according to Institutions of Higher Learning bylaws. Students studying in a health-related field must be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

McNair said cases among young people are rising in the state and that he's seeing children hospitalized with more severe symptoms than ever before. He said people who recover from the virus can have long-term side effects.

My point of view, taking care of these patients every day, what Im seeing is younger patients running into trouble," McNair said. These young people think theyre immune, but actually, thats where the virus is hitting and the college is just wide open for it.

Cunningham, a radiologist from Hattiesburg, said the board already tried letting students volunteer for the shots, and it hasn't been very effective.

I really think mandating is only going to be the only way to help save some of these kids, he said.

Board member Bruce Martin, an insurance agent, voted not to mandate vaccinations. He said he was vaccinated and fully supports as many students being vaccinated as is possible. But he said some people will never agree to be vaccinated, even if it's mandated.

It just boggles my mind, but they will just not do it and us mandating it is not going to make those people do it," he said. Weve taken their money, they enrolled in the school, and I dont know how in the world, youre gonna get people to be vaccinated by demanding they be vaccinated.

Member Teresa Hubbard also voted against mandating the shots. She said people enrolled in school with the expectation they wouldn't be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, she said the schools need to come up with a more aggressive plan for getting students to get vaccinated.

We've got to get those numbers up in some way, she said.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - City leaders met Thursday afternoon to discuss the potential for a mask mandate in Columbus.

In the end, they voted against implementing a citywide mandate.

City Hall in Columbus, Mississippi. Photo Date: Aug. 25, 2021. City Hall in Columbus, Mississippi. Photo Date: Aug. 25, 2021.

During the meeting, the council highlighted the effects of the virus on children, to the consequences a mandate could have on local businesses.

However, when it came time to vote, the council voted 3-3. That left Mayor Keith Gaskin to break the tie.

He ultimately voted against the mandate, saying it is nearly impossible to fairly mandate a mask requirement in the city.

By providing people with as much factual information as possible, people will do what is best for themselves and their community, he believes.

These are unprecedented times, the mayor said. None of us have ever lived during a time like this. So, we dont have exact answers that we can give people, but what were trying to do is make sure that our citizens have the most accurate information that they can find.

Gaskin said he personally will continue to wear masks.

There is still a mask mandate inside city-owned buildings in Columbus, as well as Lowndes County-owned buildings.
AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) - The Amory Police Department is starting a Reserve Division to assist law enforcement with everyday duties. Recruiters are looking for at least 10 volunteers to join the team.

Lieutenant of Criminal Investigations Andy Long said this new division will give the opportunity to serve in the community. He said they can benefit from extra personnel.

Its to see who really wants to be the police and help their community, not somebody that just wants to wildly pick a career.

Applicants must already be a reserve or part-time certified police officer in the state of Mississippi. Long said the department needs to find more help.

This day and age, its hard to get people into law enforcement and again this may be an opportunity to let them get that feel to see for themselves," he said.

If youre interested in knowing more about the division or want to become a certified reserve officer in the state of Mississippi, click here.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - The Columbus Lowndes Humane Society will now be able to snip and stitch their animals with brand new donated equipment that will hopefully keep reproduction levels down for local strays and pets.

Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle donated over $2K worth of surgical instruments for the shelter to use in spaying and neutering animals.

Baptist donated over $2,000 worth of new surgical instruments to the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society to assist in the spaying and neutering of animals. Photo taken: August 26, 2021.

Baptist Memorial Hospital representatives giving over $2,000 worth of new surgical instruments to the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society. Photo taken: August 26, 2021. Baptist Memorial Hospital representatives giving over $2,000 worth of new surgical instruments to the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society. Photo taken: August 26, 2021. Baptist donated over $2,000 worth of new surgical instruments to the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society to assist in the spaying and neutering of animals. Photo taken: August 26, 2021.

The old equipment the shelter used was donated by Baptist 20 years ago and was used in over 20,000 surgeries.

On average, the humane society spays and neuters around 30 animals each week.

The director of the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society, Karen Johnwick said the shelter is grateful for the hospital's donation.

We just hope we can help prevent thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands of unwanted litters, said Johnwick.

On average, the humane society spays and neuters around 30 animals each week, meaning these utensils will go to good use.

We try to find our opportunities that we can to make a difference outside the walls of our hospital, said Megan Pratt of Baptist.

The hospital donated eight surgical packs.
HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) - Students can head to Houston Elementary and Middle School to grab free meals every Thursday and Friday.

Cafeteria Manager, Melissa Allen said school leaders decided to serve lunch and breakfast after they announced every school will go virtual on Tuesday.

About 40 parents and students picked up food on Thursday. Allen believes more will start to come as weeks go by because many students rely on school meals.

"A lot of students come to school hungry, and you never know what they got at home. You have to take care of them, she said.

Students can pick up food from both schools from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) - A judge sentenced Brandon Theesfeld to life in prison for the July 2019 murder of Ole Miss student Ally Kostial.

Theesfeld, a native of Texas, appeared in court Friday charged with capital murder. He asked Circuit Judge Kelly Luther to accept a guilty plea to a lesser charge.

Brandon Theesfeld being escorted to the Lafayette County Courthouse on Sept. 30, 2019.

Ole Miss student Ally Kostial was murdered in 2019. Credit: Ally Kostial / Facebook. Ole Miss student Ally Kostial was murdered in 2019. Credit: Ally Kostial / Facebook. Brandon Theesfeld being escorted to the Lafayette County Courthouse on Sept. 30, 2019.

We were facing the death penalty, defense attorney Tony Farese said. Based on the facts of this case, we were able to obtain the best result possible, which was reduction of a charge to first-degree murder.

Kostial, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, was found dead on July 20, 2019, in the Harmontown community of Lafayette County. She had been shot multiple times.

They were both students at Ole Miss; they dated on and off.

A prosecutor announced in court Kostial believed she was pregnant.

She wanted to meet Theesfeld in person, but he first said no. After tweeting a picture of a gun, Theesfeld met with her the night of July 20. She was later found dead.

We certainly have Brandon causing the death of Ally, Farese said. He admitted that, accepted responsibility for that, and hes being punished for that with a severe punishment."

Asked if he killed Kostial, Theesfeld replied, yes sir. He then apologized to the Kostial family.

The prosecutor in the case read statements from the victims family sharing how her loss changed their lives.

After all that, the judge accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Theesfeld to life in prison.

However, hell become eligible for a conditional release when he turns 65.

Its a very sad day for both families, Farese said.
Morgantown, WV (26505)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Staff Writer JoAnn Snoderly can be reached at 304-626-1445, by email at jsnoderly@theet.com or on Twitter at @JoAnnSnoderly.
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum members (from left) Peter Yanowitz, Michael C. Hall and Matt Katz-Bohen have unveiled a new music video. (Photo: Paul Storey)

Before he resumes his Dexter duties, Michael C. Hall is offering a respite from the perils of summer 2021 with a delightfully menacing music video.

The seven-time Emmy nominee is the frontman of an experimental rock band, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, which released its debut album, Thanks for Coming, in February. On Wednesday, the band unveiled a music video for Nevertheless, its latest single.

Directed by Dylan Greenberg, the clip finds Halls disembodied head chasing bandmates Matt Katz-Bohen and Peter Yanowitz through a neon-colored, partly animated maze. Simply put, its a synth-pop nostalgia trip that winks at MTV era hits like a-has Take on Me and Dire Straits Money for Nothing.

Catch the Nevertheless video below.

The origins of Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum can be traced back to Halls musical theater roots. In 2014, he returned to Broadway in the hit musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and bonded with Katz-Bohen and Yanowitz, two of the shows musicians.

It turns out, Halls new friends had some serious rock cred on their resumes, too. Yanowitz is a founding member of The Wallflowers and Morningwood, while Katz-Bohen has played with Blondie and Cyndi Lauper, among other artists. Before long, the three men began writing and performing music together, and in 2020, unveiled a self-titled debut EP.

A lot of people say, Oh, wow, thats not what I was expecting at all when they see us for the first time, Hall told HuffPost in February. I always take that as a compliment. As an audience member, you always want to be surprised musically or thematically or whatever. Im enjoying that we can sort of do that to people.

A lot of people say, Oh, wow, thats not what I was expecting at all when they see us for the first time, said Hall (left, on stage with Blondie's Debbie Harry). (Photo: Bonnie Biess via Getty Images)

The release of the Nevertheless video comes at a prolific time for Hall. He steps back into the role of blood splatter analyst turned serial killer Dexter Morgan on the hotly anticipated revival of Dexter, due out on Showtime in November.

On Oct. 30, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum plans to return to New Yorks Mercury Lounge for its first live performance since concert venues closed in March 2020. A 16-date European tour is set to kick off Nov. 27 in England, with additional stops in Ireland, Ukraine and Germany.

Story continues

Though the band is grateful for the praise that Thanks for Coming has thus far received, its members say they are already at work on new music.

Theres not a lot for musicians to do right now other than be in the studio, Yanowitz told HuffPost. This album was the one thing that kept us sane  just staying creative and engaged was one of the silver linings in a weird, fucked-up year.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Police raid turns up rare flying reptile fossil

A 2013 police raid turned up the most complete pterosaur fossil found to date, according to a recently published paper appearing in the journal PLOS ONE.

Almost the entire body is preserved, as well as some small tissue. That's a far cry from previous specimens, which usually just consisted of the skull. The fossil belongs to a species known as Tupandactylus nagivans and it lived during the Early Cretaceous period, between 100.5 and 145 million years ago.

It was found during a police raid at Sao Paulo's Santos Harbour and seized along with 3,000 other protected relics.

"The Federal Police of Brazil was investigating a fossil trade operation and recovered, in 2013, over 3,000 specimens," study author Victor Beccari, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Sao Paulo, said.

"Fossils in Brazil are protected by law, as they are part of the geological heritage of the country. Therefore, collecting fossils requires permission, and the trade and private collections of fossils are illegal in Brazil."

GIF - dino

Sketch of T. Navigans, stylized and animated by Cheryl Santa Maria. (Dimitry Bogdanov/Wikipedia CC BY SA 3.0

Once collected, the slabs were transported to the University of Sao Paulo and re-assembled like puzzle pieces, using a CT scan to locate bones. Beccari's team started studying the fossil in 2016.

The pterosaur in the fossil had a wingspan over 2.5 metres and was 1 metre tall, with 40 per cent of its height consisting of its head crest. Because it also had a long neck, which also had a crest, researchers suspect it was a short-distance flyer.

t navigans

A photo of the specimen. (Baccari et al/PLOS ONE)

"The skeleton shows all the adaptations for a powered flight, which the animal may have used to quickly flee predators," Beccari said.

Researchers said the findings will help paint a better picture of how the reptile moved and behaved.

"This specimen allows us to understand more about the complete anatomy of this animal and brings insights into its ecology," Beccari said.
Queen Elizabeth II will attend the United Nations climate change conference in Scotland in November, organizers said Friday, marking a rare public association of the monarch with a disputed global policy issue.

According to the royal website, the queen will attend a reception at the conference, which was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 100 world leaders, climate campaigners and activists from around the world, including President Joe Biden, are expected to gather for conference, hosted by the United Kingdom.

As per usual, further details about the queen's engagement, including the date, won't be released until closer to the date, according to Buckingham Palace. The conference is set to take place in Glasgow Oct. 31 - Nov. 12.

But the organizers were over the moon, according to their social media posts.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the set of "Coronation Street" and Manchester Cathedral in Manchester, northwest England on July 8, 2021.

Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 conference, said on Twitter he is "absolutely delighted" the queen will be at the event.

The official Twitter account for the conference also tweeted the news.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The British royals in general have long considered themselves environmentalists but it's the queen's son and heir, Prince Charles, who is best known as the royal climate-change campaigner: He's been a leading voice for decades warning about the damaging effects on the planet.

It's not clear whether the Prince of Wales, who turns 73 in November, will also attend the conference.

The queen, 95, and approaching her 70th year on the throne next summer, has cut back on her public engagements recently due to the pandemic and the April death of her husband of 72 years, Prince Philip.

But she is still carrying on, having hosted a reception for the Group of Seven Summit hosted by the United Kingdom in Cornwall in June.

Queen Elizabeth II speaks with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden and leaders of the G7 during a reception at The Eden Project in Cornwall, England on June 11, 2021.

The queen has not been as identified with the climate change cause as her son, although the topic came up at Commonwealth summits she regularly attended in the past.

Story continues

In July, she visited the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute as part of her annual tour of Scotland, and spoke with experts from Climate XChange, which provides independent advice and analysis to the Scottish government. The Scotsman and The Telegraph reported she was heard commenting about the impact of tackling climate change.

"It does mean we are going to have to change the way we do things really, in the end," she told experts.

But she has rarely said much about climate change in public. As sovereign, she is supposed to remain above politics and climate change has morphed into a contentious political issue, especially in the United States.

Not so much in the U.K.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the official host of the conference. He hopes to secure emissions-cutting commitments to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times.

Countries agreed that goal at a 2015 conference in Paris, but a U.N. report this month said the world is on course to break the 1.5C threshold within a decade.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Queen Elizabeth II to attend UN climate change conference
Zarlasht Halaimzai was forcibly displaced from Kabul with her family aged 11 and granted asylum in the UK at 15. She is now a writer, and the co-founder and CEO of the Refugee Trauma Initiative. In an essay for Vogue, she describes Afghans overwhelming sense of betrayal at the crisis that has unfolded in their country as U.S. and Coalition forces withdrew, and the Taliban assumed control.

Watching what is happening in Afghanistan, I feel total devastation. When a whole country collapses, it brings down with it things both big and small. As it stands the Afghan state has collapsed, and the public no longer has a government. It fills me with such fear when I think about this. Who do you go to for help? Who is responsible for your protection? But there are smaller things that are at stake that hurt more personally, like my cousins aspiration of being a doctor. Shes in fourth year medical school, and we are afraid that shes going to lose all that. All of the things that women from Afghanistan have worked so hard for are disappearing. Its a devastation that I find hard to describe.

I also feel a sense of utter and egregious betrayal. When U.S. peace talks with the Taliban began, activists, civil society leaders and women in Afghanistan, and Afghan women in the diaspora like myself, started advocating for an inclusive peace processa process that included the Afghan government and people. We set up the action group Time 4 Real Peace, and we wrote an open letter, signed by the likes of Gloria Steinem and Helena Kennedy QC, stressing that women must not be left out of the negotiations. The point we were trying to make, as a collective of Afghans, is that a peace deal that pushed Afghans to the periphery and dealt unilaterally with the Taliban would yield results like those we are seeing today. Afghans anticipated this, and have been warning about it for the past two years.

But nobody listened to me or my colleagues. Nobody listened to the women in Afghanistan who had managed to set up schools, or become judges in the judiciary, or work for the police. All of these women who had done extraordinary things, with extraordinary courage, were ignored. We practice feminism here in the U.K., but imagine doing that when your life is at stake? They stood up for their rights in the most difficult circumstances, and achieved so much in the span of just 20 years, and now, in the blink of an eye, its all gone.

Story continues

When the U.S. decided they were going to pull the troops out of Afghanistan there should have been a plan for how to do that without collapsing the state, and without creating panic and fear. That would have included planning for evacuations, and planning for an inclusive government that included the Taliban and other groups. Afghanistan worked for 20 years to set up various institutionsthey were fragile and problematic, but of course a 20-year-old democracy will have problems. We have problems in this country. The U.S. has problems.

The reason the Afghan army collapsed is because the infrastructure was entirely U.S.-led17,000 Pentagon contractors maintained it. Afghans werent trained to use or maintain the planes, they needed their American counterparts. But then the U.S. left the Bagram Airbase in the middle of the night. The Afghans woke up in the morning and the Americans were gone. That is such a blow to the morale of an army that had been led by the Americans for years. How could you expect people to fight? Its hard to explain the sense of betrayal, and the psychological pressure that the Afghans feel right now. Everything has just been pulled from under them, people are in a state of total fear.

When people suggest the Taliban has changed, it feels like we as Afghans are being gaslit. There have been headlines in the British and international press about the Taliban 2.0, and quotes from Taliban spokespeople saying theyre changing everything. But the reality on the ground is not that at alltheyre already forcing women into marriage. Theyre just biding their time: the Taliban is the same extremist group it has always been, theyre just more PR savvy.

What makes it especially painful is that, in the 20 years that the U.S., the U.K. and NATO have been in Afghanistan, there have been ample opportunities to avoid what is happening right now. Afghans themselves wanted to make a peace deal with the Taliban, because there was a recognition that, without including them in some way in the future of the country, the violence would continue. And there were various points when the international community and the government had massive leverage to deal with the Taliban, in a way that would have made sure all of the things we are now seeing disappear would have been protected. They chose not to do that. The intention was to show military prowess, to win the war. But people going through war know that you dont really win, you have to make peace. Peace that holds.

The U.K. has committed to taking 20,000 Afghans over five yearsthat number doesnt even cover the people who worked directly with the British military, NGOs or civil servants there. That figure needs to be way higher, and resettlement needs to happen now. The Taliban is not letting people out now, with thousands of Marines still on the grounddo we really think theyre going to let people leave over five years? The British response to whats happening in Afghanistan needs to reflect the scale and the extent of British involvement over the past 20 years.

We need to make sure this crisis receives long-term attention, to make sure that women in Afghanistan are supported and their rights upheld. This can be done through making womens rights a part of any negotiation that happens down the line, and for those women who leave the country, by supporting them to continue their work, and making sure they have a space in public life.

Its important to say: Afghans dont want to leave Afghanistan. Twitter is filled with the heartbreaking testimony of people who are seeing 20 years of their work being flushed down the toilet. Nobody dreams about what is happening in Afghanistan right now, its the stuff of nightmares. Its not something you aspire to, its the thing youre most afraid of.

Find out more about the work of the Refugee Trauma Initiative here

Originally Appeared on Vogue
A Marine officer went viral after he posted a video claiming senior U.S. military and civilian leaders are not "accepting accountability" for the handling of the chaotic troop withdrawal and evacuation in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller posted the video to social media just hours after a suicide bomber blast on Thursday killed 13 U.S. troops in Kabul, wounded at least 18 U.S. personnel, and killed at least 113 Afghan civilians near the gates of the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

"The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down," Scheller said in the video. "People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, 'We messed this up.'"

"Potentially all those people did die in vain if we don't have senior leaders that own up and raise their hand and say, 'We did not do this well in the end,'" Scheller said. "Without that, we just keep repeating the same mistakes."

"Not making this video because it's potentially an emotional time," he continued. "Making it because I have a growing discontent and contempt for  perceived ineptitude at the foreign policy level."

PENTAGON WALKS BACK REPORT OF SECOND EXPLOSION IN KABUL

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Schneller's video also referenced Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger's letter to troops and veterans asking whether the nearly 20-year-long war in Afghanistan was worth it in the end.

Scheller was an active component during the noncombatant evacuation of U.S. citizens from Beirut in 2006 and later deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, in the subsequent year. Beginning in 2010, he spent a year in Afghanistan, where he led a team in Paktika and Ghazni province to destroy enemy explosive caches.

The marine's public address could be a violation of military rules, according to Jim Golby, a 20-year Army veteran and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

Story continues

"I'm not sure the last time I've seen an active-duty battalion commander openly and directly challenge senior military officers, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps, in this way," Golby told Stripes.com.

Scheller said he has no plans to resign, though he said the video uploaded on Thursday could risk the longevity of his career in the military.

"I think what you believe can only be defined by what you're willing to risk," he says. "I think it gives me some moral high ground to demand the same honesty, integrity, accountability from my senior leaders."

The Biden administration's top leadership has been roundly criticized by lawmakers, even including some Democrats. On Friday, a pair of GOP congressmen introduced an impeachment resolution against Secretary of State Antony Blinken over "a reckless abandonment of our nation's interests, security, and values."

In response to questions about Thursday's explosion in Kabul, President Joe Biden conceded that he bore responsibility "for, fundamentally, all that's happened of late."

The intelligence community has defended itself amid questions of how the United States predicted the unfolding of events so poorly, as "numerous officials" reportedly insisted that key intelligence assessments had consistently informed policymakers that the Taliban could overwhelm the country and take the capital within weeks."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio critiqued the Biden administration's failure to anticipate the rapid invasion by the Taliban earlier this month, saying, "They decided to ignore these warnings & smugly tell everyone how smart & brilliant they are.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Washington Examiner contacted Scheller but did not immediately receive a response.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Marines, Afghanistan, Taliban, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Republican

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: Marine battalion commander calls out senior leaders for Afghanistan failures in viral rant
Aug. 27Gov. David Ige and the Anti-Defamation League condemned the posting of's Honolulu condominium by allies of organizations dedicated to ending COVID-19 vaccination mandates and opposed to wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus.

About 50 to 100 people consistently gather outside of Green's downtown Honolulu condominium to loudly object to state emergency orders, state Department of Health guidelines and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies enacted to reduce COVID-19 infections and deaths in Hawaii and across the country. In recent weeks those protests, which Green supports as long as they are done at his office in the state Capitol, have taken an alarming turn with demonstrators adopting aggressive and intimidating tactics.

"I condemn hatred of any kind, particularly when it is based on race or ethnicity, " said Ige in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "This has no place in our community."

The 108-year old anti-hate organization issued its statement amid what it labeled a "troubling increase in extremist and antisemitic acts " in Hawaii.

"The antisemitic invective hurled at Dr. Green comes at a time of rising antisemitism in Hawaii, " according to the ADL.

Antisemitic slurs spray-painted on walls in Honolulu and the presence of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys at the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol complex were the incidents highlighted by the ADL as examples of increasing incidents of hatred.

"Dr. Green is a voice of reason, both regarding the urgent need to safeguard public health in Hawaii and the First Amendment rights of protesters, " said Seth Brysk, ADL Central Pacific regional director. "ADL respects a person's right to protest. But we strongly condemn the use of antisemitic and other hate-filled slurs. Extremists have blamed Jews for the pandemic's spread. The escalation in antisemitic rants and Holocaust analogies tied to anti-vaccine and anti-masking protests is as alarming as it is inaccurate and offensive."

Story continues

On June 18 the featured a black-and-white photo of Green's face accented with light purple highlights on its Instagram feed with the word "FRAUD " written across the bottom of the frame. The caption read, "It would be a shame if someone posted signs like this all over town."

On July 2, flyers identical to the Instagram post but bordered at the top and bottom by a handwritten banner featuring a repeating pattern that read "JEW " next to the Magen David, the Star of David, were found downtown and on the area around Green's condo.

The AFC denounced the flyers and said it had nothing to do with their creation.

The Star-Advertiser obtained a photo taken July 2 of one of the flyers hanging from a light pole near Green's apartment. The Star-Advertiser elected not to publish the photo.

The Aloha Freedom Coalition "advocates for the personal freedoms of all communities in Hawaii, promotes transformation and transparency of government, and supports the constitutional rights of the People to act, " according to the group's website.

Members organize and amplify like-minded messages and put together protests and communication campaigns throughout the state. Their Instagram page is dedicated to posts that are uniformly against vaccine mandates, passports and rules enforcing the use of a mask. Elected officials who run afoul of their beliefs are strongly criticized and occasionally depicted in less than flattering ways.

One of the social media posts feature a video of Green captured through a restaurant window, dining at a campaign event with vaccinated donors. The caption reads, "Josh the freedom warriors always know where you are."

Another features apparel created by the group. A white T-shirt with a black-and-white photo of Ige, highlighted with yellow in places, with a yellow banner stripped across the bottom with "TYRANT " in red letters, is next to a gray T-shirt featuring the June 18 image of Green. "What to wear at freedom rally ?" is the caption.

HOW TO REPORT POSSIBLE CRIME The FBI encourages victims and witnesses to report potential hate crimes and submit tips.Call : 800-CALL-FBIWebsite :Also : The Anti-Defamation League encourages anyone who witnesses or is targeted by a hate incident to report it to law enforcement and also file a report to ADL at.
Liverpool agreed to sell Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano to Barcelona on this day in 2010.

Mascherano had joined Liverpool three-and-a-half years earlier from West Ham, his short spell at Upton Park clouded by reports that he and countryman Carlos Tevez were under third-party ownership.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was keen to add Mascherano to a powerful midfield which already included Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.

Javier Mascherano (left) tackles AC Milans Kaka during the 2007 Champions League final (Martin Rickett/PA)

Mascherano made 139 appearances for Liverpool and won a Champions League runners-up medal there in 2007.

His initial loan deal in February 2007 was turned into a four-year contract in 2008 when he ended his association with Media Sports Investments.

But Benitez left Liverpool in June 2010 and Mascherano  who had constantly complained his family had not settled in England  told new manager Roy Hodgson after that summers World Cup that he wanted to leave the club.

Mascherano completed his long-awaited transfer to Barcelona three days after Liverpool had accepted a 17.25million offer from the Catalan club.

Mascherano won the Champions League twice at Barcelona (Sean Dempsey/PA)

Liverpool Football Club have agreed terms for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to FC Barcelona, said a Liverpool statement.

The Spanish club have now been given permission to speak to the Argentina midfielder.

Barcelona added: The agreement was reached after considerable effort from the club over the last few hours and the willingness and desire of the player to make the move.

Mascherano, 26 at the time and captain of Argentina, went on to have a glittering career at Barcelona, where he regularly played as a centre-back.

Mascherano won 147 caps for Argentina, second only in his countrys history to Lionel Messi (Mike Egerton/PA)

He was a Champions League winner under Pep Guardiola in his first season at the Nou Camp and won the competition again in 2015.

Mascherano also won five LaLiga titles, five Copa del Reys, three Spanish Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups.

He made over 200 league appearances for Barcelona before moving to Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune in January 2018.

Mascherano ended his playing career in Argentina with Estudiantes and announced his retirement in November 2020, having won 147 caps for his country.
Yankton, SD (57078)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
When Conroe Church of Christs Steve Yates came to the city in July 1985, he said one could draw a pretty narrow circle of where parishioners lived in relation to the church on Frazier Street.

Yates, then 32, moved to Conroe to become the churchs senior minister. He came from Tyler, Texas with his wife, Linda, and young daughter who was going into kindergarten.

There were approximately 16,000 residents of Conroe then and he described the city as small, still country and deeply woven into the oil and gas industry. The congregation was a close-knit group of 400 who were going through the throes of a downturn in the oil and gas economy.

We were stunned but very humbled, Yates said of his invitation to be the Senior Minister.

Now looking back, he calls the past 36 years a wonderful journey full of highs and lows just like life.

At 68, hes been thinking about and praying on transitioning into retirement from the Senior Minister role for a few years.

On Sunday, he took a big step toward retirement as the church held a Passing of the Torch ceremony where Yates passed the role on to Rick McCall, the previous Family Life Minister at the church.

McCall came to the church three years ago as the Family Life Minister and Yates felt confident that his successor was just an office away.

They worked together to make the transition a reality. Yates is now the Spiritual Growth Minister. He will stay on full time in that capacity for the next year and a half before transitioning to part time work after that.

We think the prospects and future of the church are very bright, said Yates.

The Conroe Church of Christ launched in 1925 when several ladies came together and met in the basement of the Montgomery County Courthouse.

Soon after they built a church at the intersection of Metcalf and San Jacinto streets in downtown Conroe. The property today remains as a laws office.

In the 1950s, a church building came up along North Frazier Street. At the time the property was considered on the northern fringes of town and only thick pine forests lay to the north of the two-acre property. Metcalf Funeral Home was just across the street.

When Yates arrived in 1985, he said many people were either unemployed or there were college graduates and engineers working at convenience stores. Some people worked two and three jobs to get by.

I was just so inexperienced about dealing with all of that, he said. But through Gods mercy and grace we made it through that.

The congregation continued to grow but the property didnt. There came a point with everything on the two acres was either a building or parking lot. They even used rooms across the street at Metcalf Funeral Home for Bible study when needed.

It became evident they needed more space and a plan launched to bring them out to 17 acres on Longmire Road just north of Loop 336.

The Longmire location was dedicated in 2008. The former property on Frazier Street was sold to the county and now county offices reside there. Its also the home of the Conroe Symphony Centre where the Conroe Symphony Orchestra and the Conroe Jazz Connection practice and host some music events.

Yates said now the church has a more regional reach with parishioners coming from across Montgomery County and some even from out of the county.

There are now approximately 1,100 members.

Another major challenge to the church came again with the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-on-one interaction that makes the church thrive was replaced by online worship services.

Yates said they had online programming in place before the pandemic, but it was no comparison to having a few hundred people online during the pandemic.

He credits the church staff who were able to adapt quickly and learn the online technology on the fly.

In retirement, Yates looks forwarding to traveling with his wife, Linda, a retired teacher. They look forward to reconnecting with friends who do not live nearby and staying connected with their grandchildren - one who is a sophomore in college and the other is a high school senior. Their daughter also lives nearby in Kingwood and is a speech pathologist.

He called the Passing of the Torch service a wonderful day of celebrating what God had done.

I couldnt be happier about passing the torch to Rick, Yates said.

McCall is a graduate of Abilene Christian University, where he also met and married his wife, JoEllis. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren.

For more information visit https://www.conroechurch.org/ or the churchs Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ConroeCOC.

The church is at 1860 Longmire Road in Conroe.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
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.
I can get very emotionally wrapped around my personal feelings (about) someone that killed someone that I thought could have been an incredible president for this country, Gascon said. But that has no place in this process. Just like it doesnt for the person nobody knows about.

Sirhan's new defense attorney, Angela Berry, said she couldn't agree more.

She plans to argue that the board's decision should be based on who Sirhan is today and not about past events, which is what the board has based its parole denials on before. She said she plans to focus on his exemplary record in prison and show that he poses no danger.

We cant change the past, but he was not sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Berry told the AP on Thursday. To justify denying it based on the gravity of the crime and the fact that it disenfranchised millions of Americans is ignoring the rehabilitation that has occurred and that rehabilitation is a more relevant indicator of whether or not a person is still a risk to society.

Sirhan's hearing will be presided over by a two-person panel that usually announces its decision the same day. After that, the Parole Board staff has 90 days to review the decision, and then it is handed over to the governor for consideration.
New Delhi: MG Motor Indias experiment with the personal AI assistant of its upcoming MG Astor SUV is winning hearts across India. The British automaker on Thursday announced that Paralympic athlete and Khel Ratna Awardee Dr Deepa Malik will be the voice of MG Astors AI assistant.

Speaking about the integration of her voice with MG Astors AI assistant, Deepa Malik said that she is delighted to be the voice of the next MG SUV. The athlete pointed out that the carmaker is contributing to the empowerment of different sections of society.

We are pleased to announce that the voice behind the #MGAstor personal AI assistant is none other than celebrated Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik! @DeepaAthlete#TheAIAffair pic.twitter.com/OdpPdkCglB  Morris Garages India (@MGMotorIn) August 27, 2021

It is commendable that MGs one-third of the active workforce is women. I am confident that MG will emerge as a champion with the industry-leading features of Astor, she was quoted as saying.

Features of MG Astor

MG Astor is expected to offer a slew of features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking system, lane assist, lane departure warning, and intelligent headlamp control, among others.

The cameras equipped with the SUV also offer features such as the rear-drive assist (RDA) and speed assist system. The car is said to be the first in the segment to offer Autonomous Level 2 technology.

MG Astor rivals

The MG Astor SUV is expected to launch in the upcoming festive season. The four-wheeler is expected to rival the likes of Skoda Kushaq, Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster, and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, among other SUVs in the segment. Also Read: Dell launches 5 new laptops for students, gamers and professionals: Price, features and specs

MG Astor price

MG Motors is expected to launch the SUV at a price point of Rs 12 lakh. The upcoming car is actually an ICE-derivative of the MG ZS EV, currently available in the Indian automobile market. Also Read: Microsoft warns thousands of Azure cloud customers of exposed databases

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: A federal court in Washington has set timelines for responses to be filed to an Indian government petition seeking dismissal of a suit by Britain's Cairn Energy that sought enforcement of a USD 1.2 billion arbitral award.

Judge Richard J Leon of the US District Court for the District of Colombia has given Cairn time till September 10 to file a response to the government's 'Motion to Dismiss' petition.

Thereafter, the Indian government can file a reply in support of its motion by October 1.

This can be countered by Cairn by October 20 and a further two months have been granted to the Indian government to file its reply in support of its motion, according to an August 25 order of the court.

The British firm had in May asked the US federal court to force Air India to pay the USD 1.26 billion arbitration award the firm had won in December.

The government on August 13 filed a 'Motion to Dismiss' petition saying the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction in the dispute between Cairn and the Indian tax authority.

The move came within days of the government enacting a legislation to scrap a tax rule that gave the tax department power to go 50 years back and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas but business assets were in India.

That rule had been used to levy a cumulative of Rs 1.10 lakh crore of taxes on 17 entities, including Rs 10,247 crore on Cairn.

Officials said rules for withdrawal of such tax demands are in the process of being framed.

"One of the requirements for the dropping of the retrospective tax demands is that the parties concerned have to give an undertaking for withdrawal all cases against the government/tax department.

"So, while all this is in process, the government is obligated to respond in any legal matter where there is a time bar for doing so," an official explained.

Cairn had challenged the Rs 10,247 crore tax demand before an international arbitration tribunal, which in December last year overturned the same and ordered the government to refund the money collected.

The government initially refused to return the USD 1.2 billion, forcing Cairn to take action to recover that money through seizure of Indian assets overseas.

In May, it took flag carrier Air India Ltd to court in the US. Last month, it got a French court order to seize real estate assets belonging to the Indian government in Paris.

It had contended before the US court that Air India is controlled by the Indian government so much that they are "alter egos" and the airline company should be liable for the arbitration award.

In response, the government filed a dismissal motion citing protections afforded by the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976.

India, in the filing, said the court "lacks subject-matter jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) because India never waived its sovereign immunity and, likewise, never offered - let alone agreed - to arbitrate the present dispute with Petitioners".

"India also never "clearly and unmistakably" excluded judicial review or delegated exclusive competence to decide these questions to an arbitral tribunal", implying that Cairn could not satisfy any exception to sovereign immunity under the US law, the filing said. Also Read: Jaguar Land Rover launches most powerful Defender SUV in India: Price, specs and features

Cairn had asked the US court in February to recognise and affirm the December 2020 award against India from the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Also Read: Indian Motorcycle launches 2022 Chief lineup --Check price, specs and more

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: ZeeBusiness.in, the leading business website of Zee Digital announces successful culmination of the MSME National Summit and Awards 2021 dedicated to the phenomenal contributions made in the field of MSME, one of the most important sectors for the Indian economy contributing immensely to the countrys socio-economic development. Conceptualized and executed by Indias most reputed digital media group, Zee Digital, the awards felicitated industry leaders and change makers on August 27,2021. The program was moderated by Saurabh Manchanda, SME Editor, Zee Business. The MSME NATIONAL SUMMIT and AWARDS 2021 presenting partner is Amazon.in, Co-powered by Pharmeasy and Intel, Crypto Exchange partner is BitBns, Domain partner is Godaddy, Laptop partner is Dell, Logistics partner is DHL, and Special partner is Teamology.

The action packed grand virtual conclave and awards ceremony was graced by the presence of well renowned leaders from the sector such as keynote speaker, Alka Nangia Arora , Joint Secretary SME, Ministry of MSME, Government of India and webinar guests namely Dr H P Kumar , Director, External Affairs, Power2SME, Former CMD , NSIC ; K Rama Devi, President, Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP) ; Abhisyant Anasapurapu, Head  Marketing, Multi-Verse Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Shri Suryakant Sawant , GM of Bank of Maharashtra discussing The road ahead for the MSMEs along with a firechat by M Dahake , CEO Bitbns.

With activities spanned through the month, the users witnessed series of seven webinars focusing important clusters(sectors) across India and their challenges to combat Covid crisis. During these informative conversations, they also touched upon how the second wave of Corona has thrust them on the back foot, yet they are trying hard to take the bull by its horn. The first webinar was on Auto Components : Challenges & Opportunities for SMEs by Deepak Jain, President ACMA & CMD, Lumax Industries; Sunjay Kapur, Chairman , SonaComstar ; Shradha Suri Marwah, Chairperson & MD , Subros. The second webinar saw speakers P.R. Aqeel Ahmed, Chairman - LSSC & Former Chairman-CLE; Puran Dawar, Chairman , Dawar Group and Rochita Dey , Director , Sreeleathers discussing Business Continuity for SMEs in Leather & Footwear Industry. The third webinar was on Indian Handicrafts : The Growth Journey' capturing insights of Rakesh Kumar, DG, EPCH; N K Chaudhary, CMD , Jaipur Rugs and Vipul Gupta, Director , Designco. The fourth webinar touched upon Indian Textiles : The Growth Strategies by Dr. A Sakthivel, President , FIEO and Chairman, AEPC; V. Elangovan , Managing Director, SNQS International Group and Ajit Lakra, President, Ludhiana Knitters Association and Head , Textile Division , FICO. The fifth webinar by Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Rasna Private Limited and Chairman , CII Task Force on Ease of Doing Business ; Azhar Tambuwala, Executive Member, Food & Beverages Committee, TPCI & Director, Sahyadri Farms and Anand Ramanathan, Partner, Deloitte India laid emphasis on Food Processing Industry : Trends , Opportunities & Digital Transformation. Guests of webinar six Sh. Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister, Haryana, Minister for Industries & Commerce 1 shared his knowledge on The Road Ahead for MSMEs in Haryana and the seventh one was on Helping MSMEs to Survive & Thrive in Telangana  by Gaurav M Dahake , CEO Bitbns.

Shridhar Mishra, SVP & Head of Digital Monetization, Zee Media Corporation Limited, said In India, MSMEs contribute nearly 30% of the countrys GDP, and approximately 49% of the countrys exports. They are the backbone of the country and efforts made by the contributors should definitely be acknowledged. With this objective in mind, we created the platform of MSME National Summit and Awards 2021. I would personally like to congratulate each of the winners for their contributions and wholeheartedly extend warm regards to the esteemed guests.

The virtual event was hosted on 27th August 2021 at ZeeBusiness.in along with its social media platforms. Itll be telecasted on Zee Business channel on 29th August 2021. The recorded version of the awards can still be accessed through the microsite and You Tube channels of ZeeBusiness.in.

Awards winner list:

1. Outstanding Entrepreneur in Auto Components Industry

Mr. SUNIL ARORA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ABILITIES INDIA PISTONS & RINGS LTD

2. Outstanding Entrepreneur in Leather and Footwear Industry

Mr. PURAN DAWAR, CHAIRMAN, DAWAR GROUP

3. Outstanding Entrepreneur in Handicrafts Industry

Mr. MANISH MEHTA , Managing Director, FORTUNE EXPORTS

4. Outstanding Entrepreneur in Textile Industry

Mr. N. THIRUKKUMARAN, CEO, ESSTEE EXPORTS

5. Outstanding Entrepreneur in Food Processing Industry

Mr. ROHIT SAREEN, DIRECTOR (SALES), SAREEN IMPEX PRIVATE LIMITED

6. Outstanding Entrepreneur , Haryana

Mr. RAJIV CHAWLA, CHAIRMAN, IAMSMEOF INDIA

7. Outstanding Entrepreneur , Telangana

Mr Venkat Jasti, Chairman & CEO, Suven Life Sciences Ltd.

8. Outstanding Laptop Brand in Business Segment , Acer

9. Outstanding Banking Partner for MSME , Bank of Maharashtra

Live TV

#mute
New Delhi: Janmashtami or Gokulashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, who is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The festival is celebrated across the world with full fervour by the devotees of Lord Krishna. This year, Janmashtami will be celebrated on Monday, August 30.

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Temple is run by Lord Krishna's followers and is located in many places across the world. It was founded in New York, The United States of America by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Here, we bring to you details about how the world celebrates Janmashtami.

Mathura, India

Mathura happens to be Shri Krishna's birthplace where Devaki gave birth to him inside a prison. Therefore, Mathura is the most important place during Janmashtami for Lord Krishna devotees. Every year, people follow the practice of reading the Bhagavad Gita, keep rocking cradles with a Krishna idol in temples and at their homes. The rituals are performed at midnight. A dance performance is also hosted. Mathura is a must-visit place during Janmashtami.

Vrindavan, India

Vrindavan holds a greater significance in understanding Lord Krishna's life. The temples are full of lights, beautiful decorations, people sing and dance while praying to the god. There are many temples in Vrindavan that are dedicated to the lord. People observe fast till midnight, perform Raas Leela, rock the cradles and read out the Bhagavad Gita aloud. You can visit the Bankey Bihari temple and Prem Mandir when in Vrindavan.

Gokul, India

Lord Krishna was taken to Gokul by his father in order to protect him from his maternal uncle Kansa where he was raised by Yashoda and Nandlal. Janmashtami is celebrated as Gokulashtami here and devotees start the preparations a day later than the actual date because they believe that since Krishna was brought to Gokul a day after he was born. Devotees play with buttermilk, curd, turmeric and bathe Krishna's idols with the same.

Dwarka, India

Dwarka was built by Balram, Lord Krishna's brother. It is considered to be one of the most sacred and holy places. Here, Janmashtami celebrations begin before midnight where people dance, sing bhajans and usher in the Lord's birthday.

Bangladesh

A national holiday in Bangladesh, Janmashtami is a special festival for the people living there. The major celebrations take place in the main temple of the country, Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Fiji

The festival is called 'Krishna Ashtami' in Fiji and the celebrations are spread over a week. The last, as in the eighth day, is celebrated as Lord Krishna's birthday. During these eight days, the Hindus in Fiji gather at temples or at their homes to immerse themselves in prayers. The devotional groups celebrate by singing songs, dancing, reciting prayers and distributing prasad.

Happy Janmashtami, everyone!
New Delhi: The streaming giant Disney+ Hotstar is in big trouble among netizens after the release of its brand new series 'The Empire'. Many viewers have protested against the glorification of Mughals in the show and called for other 'nationalists' to boycott the show and uninstall the Hotstar app. The hashtag #UninstallHotstar is currently ranking as one of the top 10 trends in India on Twitter.

For the unversed, the series is based on the Mughal Empire beginning from Babur.

Netizens believe that the show is glorifying Babur, a ruler they believe to be a barbarian scourge. Many are of the opinion that he founded the Mughal Empire that 'plundered, harassed, & massacred thousands of inhabitants of the lands they conquered in India.

Check out tweets by netizens on The Empire:

Glorifying Zaheer-ud-din-MD(aka Babur) is disgraceful. Babur was a barbarian scourge from Fergana(Cent Asia) who invaded India in 1526 after establishing his base in Kabul. Founded the Mughal empire that plundered, harassed, & massacred thousands of inhabitants #UninstallHotstar pic.twitter.com/ShYtjYltoM  (@aka_dpu) August 27, 2021

Uninstall , report , and 1 star as well , so next onwards they won't dare to get aired such kind of propoganda contents #UninstallHotstar pic.twitter.com/en6j1tJQl9  srikanta kumar (@srikanta_93) August 27, 2021

The Mughal Empire has already been exalted ... and the Mughal kings have also been exalted in education ... but now the government should change this and show the sacrifice and bravery of the Hindu kings. #UninstallHotstarpic.twitter.com/qrTO3rE6PX  Gautam #IND (@SpeaksGautam) August 27, 2021

#UninstallHotstar

It's my request not only just uninstall also go and give 1star rating on playstore and app store Shame on hotstar pic.twitter.com/408lG6SH5t  Harsh (@Harygarg438) August 27, 2021

IF YOU'RE PRO NATIONALIST THEN RETWEET MAXIMUM AND SUPPORT THIS TREND#UninstallHotstar RT MUST pic.twitter.com/ADLh6NVIS9  Aniket Masankar (@AniketMasankar) August 27, 2021

I don't want to glorify a barbaric person. Har Har Mahadev#UninstallHotstar pic.twitter.com/yDFxFb9O12  Divyank Joshi (@divyankjoshi) August 27, 2021

The show is created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar. It is based on the novel written by Alex Rutherford titled Empire of the Moghul.

The show stars Kunal Kapoor as Babur, Dino Morea as Muhammad Shaybani, Shabana Azmi as Aisan Daulat Begum.

After the series was released on August 27, a grievance complaint was filed against it. However, the claims in the complaint were rejected by the grievance officer.
New Delhi: Tampering with evidence by real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal in 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy eroded the confidence and trust of a common man in the criminal justice delivery system, Delhi police told a court here on Friday.

The case is related to the tampering with the evidence of the main case in which Ansals were convicted and sentenced to a two-year jail term by the Supreme Court.

However, the apex court released them on the period already undergone in the jail on the condition that they pay Rs 30 crore fine each to be used for building a trauma centre in the national capital.

The Ansal brothers along with a court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma, and other individuals -- P P Batra, Har Swaroop Panwar, Anoop Singh, and Dharamvir Malhotra -- were booked in the present case of allegedly tampering with the evidence.

Panwar and Malhotra died during the course of the trial.

"The Uphaar Cinema Fire Tragedy was the most sensitive case of the city at that time. The disappearance of documents and tampering with evidence in such a case cannot be taken lightly," the prosecution submitted before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma.

It said that handpicking several most crucial and material documents from voluminous files running into more than a thousand pages pertaining to the most sensitive case of the city having international ramifications, getting them removed, defaced, and obliterate demonstrated the nefarious design and deliberate flagrant act done by the accused persons pursuant to a well-planned conspiracy to cover up the crime.

The prosecution argued that only the complainant could not be considered to be the victim of crime in the present case but the justice delivery system had itself been made a victim of the crime.

"This is the case that has not only potentially eroded the institutional integrity of the Delhi Judiciary but has also seriously affected the administration of the criminal justice system," the prosecution told the court. It said that the case has not only polluted the stream of justice but it has also undermined the majesty of 'Rule of Law'.

"This is the case that has not only brought a bad name to our well-tested criminal justice delivery system but it has also eroded the confidence and trust of a common man in the system," it said.

The prosecution added that no court of law can afford to turn a blind eye to the commission of such a serious offence. According to the charge sheet, the documents alleged to have been tampered with included a police memo giving details of recoveries immediately after the incident, Delhi Fire Service records pertaining to repair of transformer installed inside Uphaar, minutes of Managing Director's meetings, and four cheques.

Out of the six sets of documents, a cheque of Rs 50 lakh, issued by Sushil Ansal to self, and minutes of the MD's meetings, proved beyond doubt that the two brothers were handling the day-to-day affairs of the theatre at the relevant time, the charge sheet had said.

The fire had broken out at the Uphaar cinema during the screening of the Hindi film ''Border'' on June 13, 1997, claiming 59 lives. The case was lodged in the direction of the Delhi High Court while hearing a petition by Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorthy.

The accused are charged with offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (abetment), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday (August 27, 2021) said that if India achieves advancement in technology, it can become a superpower.

He said this while addressing students and researchers here at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a deemed university of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to taking the country on the path of progress in research and innovation.

"Some initiatives have been started by the defence ministry to make progress in research and innovation through collective efforts from armed forces, industries and academia and it can happen only through mutual understanding and by sharing knowledge and best practices," he said.

Singh said that the defence ministry has created a platform called "iDEX" (innovation for defense excellence) to engage and attract new talent and to get field experience and inputs from the armed forces personnel from the field as it has got security importance.

He added that the Centre has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for iDEX. Besides that the government has also allocated Rs 500 crore to push research and innovation in aerospace and defence by supporting 300 startups, he added.

Talking about his recent visit to Nagpur and giving example of successful delivery of one lakh hand grenades produced by a private player to the Indian Army in five months, Singh said that the firm had exported similar hand grenades to Indonesia at a higher cost.

The Indian cost for each hand grenade is Rs 3,400 and the company exported similar grenades to Indonesia at over Rs 7,000 apiece, he said.

"My point is that if we achieve advancement in technology, India can become a superpower. It can become a super economic power," he said.

Singh also appreciated the efforts of the institutes for taking nine patents in the COVID research area.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Delhi government-run Ambedkar University on Thuirsday (August 26, 2021) extended the last date for registration for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions to September 10.

Earlier, the universitys deadline for registering for the courses was September 1. The applicants need to note that the registration for UG admissions began on July 12 and for PG courses the registration began at the end of July.

Additionally, according to the PTI report, the total number of seats available in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the university is 1,953.

The candidates need to note that the admissions in undergraduate courses are based on merit and the varsity will be announcing cut-offs. However, for postgraduate courses, the candidates will have to take an entrance exam which will be held later.

The university also said that if the COVID-19 situation stables they will conduct offline entrance exams, but if the situation worsens they will hold an online proctored exam.

ALSO READ | FYJC Admissions 2021: Maharashtra Class 11 first merit list to release today, direct link to check here

For the benefit of the candidates we are giving a step-by-step guide for the registration process:

Step 1: Click on the tab Online Application Form

Step 2: Click on "New User Signup" link

Step 3: Enter your valid Email address

Step 4: Re-enter your valid Email address

Step 5: Enter your password

Step 6: Re-enter your password

Step 7: Enter your 10-digit mobile number to receive updates

Step 8: Enter the Captcha code

Step 9: Click on Register and take a screenshot or print out of the details

The applicants will also have to verify their email address by clicking on the link, which will be received at theri entered email ID from admissions@aud.ac.in.

Live TV
New Delhi: In the matter related to the deportation of woman Afghan MP Rangina Kargar, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (August 27, 2021) said the Centre expressed regret over the deportation of a the parliamentarian as a "mistake". The Centre also said that it would ensure such an incident is not repeated in the future.

The matter was raised in an all-party briefing on Afghanistan conducted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "We raised the issue of a female (Afghan) diplomat who was deported. They said that they made a mistake, it won`t be repeated and they will look into the matter," Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

Addressing reporters at the briefing after the meet, Kharge said the government is of the view of "wait and watch" before taking any action with respect to the situation in Afganistan and added that all parties supported the Centre on the matter.

"This is the entire country`s problem. We have to work together for the interests of people and the nation. They told us to wait and watch. Meaning, the further course of action will be decided after looking at the actions of other countries. All parties have taken the same view," he said.

Also read | 'Never expected this from Gandhijis India': Afghan woman MP Rangina Kargar after being deported from Delhi

The matter came to light when the parliamentarian alleged that she was deported two hours after arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 20 from Istanbul, as per a report published by the Indian Express. However, she was not able to clear immigration and she claims she was deported from the IGI airport two hours upon her arrival.

Earlier, government officials said Kargar failed to show any documents of her medical treatment in India nor any reference from the Afghanistan Embassy. According to a senior government official, Kargar had arrived at IGI Airport on a Dubai flight and held a diplomatic passport, however, after the turmoil in Afghanistan, all kinds of visas had been cancelled with the exception of e-visas, which are the only ones allowed."

Live TV
New Delhi: Amid reports of ongoing power tussle in the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel met Rahul Gandhi at the latter's residence for the second time this week. The meeting was also attended by AICC in-charge for Chhattisgarh PL Punia.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi help seperate meetings with CM Bhupesh Baghel and Chhattisgarh Health minister T S Singh Deo. Later, both the leader had also met AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Wednesday, amid talks of a leadership change sought by Deo following differences between the two state leaders.

Trouble has been brewing in the Chhattisgarh Congress ever since Deo sought a change in leadership citing a power-sharing agreement on rotating chief ministership after the party came to power in the 2018 assembly polls.

Meanwhile, several MLAs including a host of ministers in Chhattisgarh, camping in the national capital since Thursday, put up a show of strength in support of CM Bhupesh Baghel. The Chief Minister said the Congress government in the state is "safe" with the support of 70 MLAs, as he landed at the Delhi airport today.

The ministers and MLAs met AICC in-charge PL Punia at his residence and are learnt to have put their weight behind Baghel.

Reports say that Chhattisgarh Congress MLAs and party General Secretary KC Venugopal also held to resolve the issue related to change of leadership.

Earlier in the day, Congress MLAs Brihaspat Singh, Shishupal Shori, Prakash Nayak and Amarjeet Bhagat were seen leaving Punia`s residence in Delhi. Some MLAs and MPs had also reached his residence for a meeting.

Brihaspat Singh told ANI, "We have come here (Delhi) to discuss the next election strategy. All India Congress Committee (AICC) is our temple, we will pay it a visit and go back... We are with party high command, whatever Rahul Ji decides, we will accept."

TS Singh Deo, who also arrived at Chhattisgarh Sadan, New Delhi, said, "I have not been given any time," when asked whether he will be meeting anyone. Earlier on Tuesday, he met the party leadership including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party`s Chhattisgarh in-charge PL Punia.

The issue came to fore as the Baghel government completed two-and-a-half years in office in June this year, and the supporters of TS Singh Deo raised the issue of rotational chief ministership. He earlier said that every member in a team aspires to be the captain, making it clear that he is eyeing the top post in the state.

Although Congress never talked about the two-and-a-half-year formula in Chhattisgarh, Deo's supporters claimed that this was promised.

Congress won the Chhattisgarh assembly polls held in December 2018 with a thumping majority, and the then state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel was made the chief minister.

(With Agency Inputs)

Live TV
New Delhi: As per the latest statistics, the COVID-19 disease transmission within homes is increasing in Kerala, said state Health Minister Veena George on Thursday (August 26, 2021). The state government in a press release revealed that according to a study conducted by the department of health, 35 percent of COVID-19 cases were transmitted within homes.

"When a person in the house gets infected, it is transmitted to everyone in the house. This is because the home quarantine guidelines are not strictly followed. Only those who have required facilities at home can prefer home quarantine, others should shift to domiciliary covid care centers( DCC)," said Veena George in a press release.

Additionally, the state government went on to direct the people to strictly follow the instructions of the health department. The officials have issued some new guidelines for the home quarantine, which are as follows, those who are in the home quarantine should not step out of the room.

ALSO READ | Focus should be on vaccinating more people, booster doses can wait, says AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria

Everyone in the house should wear a mask. No one else should use the utensils or articles used by the patient. Everyone in the house should wash their hands frequently with soap to avoid transmission of the virus.

In the press release, the state health minister has also released a set of directions that needs to be followed by the people to avoid the spread of the virus.

(With ANI inputs)

Live TV
New Delhi: Ever since coming into power, the Kejriwal government has maintained a gold standard of delivering upon its promises. Delhi ranks highest across the world in CCTVs per square mile; Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Government delivers on its promise. This achievement comes as another feather in the cap of the Kejriwal Government which has been completely devoted to its vision of good governance and people-oriented groundwork.

CM Arvind Kejriwal, listening to the demands of the people of Delhi, took up the largest public safety initiative by far in the history of Delhi and took a resolve for installing CCTVs throughout the national capital. Delhi has now surpassed cities like London, Shanghai, New York and Singapore to rank number one across the globe in terms of CCTVs installed per square mile. In an analysis of 150 cities across the world, Delhi topped with 1826 CCTVs per square mile. It is noteworthy that no other Indian city is even close to Delhi, which has 3 times the CCTVs than Chennai and 11 times that of Mumbai per square mile. Despite continuous roadblocks by the LG & the Centre, the Kejriwal Government did not deter in enhancing womens safety in Delhi and even sat on a dharna at the LG House in order to pave the way for the CCTV project.

CM Arvind Kejriwal expressed his delight over the numbers on Twitter and said, I feel proud to say that Delhi beat cities like Shanghai, New York and London with most CCTV cameras per square mile across the world. At first, Delhi has 1826 cameras, while at second, London has 1138 cameras per square mile. My compliments to the Delhi Governments officers and engineers who worked on the project like a mission and achieved the feat in such a short time.

Delhi Government has fulfilled the promise it made to the people of Delhi and delivered CCTV coverage to the city. This move came after the repeated demands of citizens for CCTV coverage in public areas of the city. The Public Works Department of the Government of Delhi took up the process of acquiring and installing 2.75 lakh CCTVs in phase one of the project. A further 1.4 lakh CCTVs are in the process of installation at present.

Central Government used all kinds of obstacles possible to stop installation of CCTVs

It is noteworthy that all kinds of obstacles were put in the way to stop this initiative of the Delhi Government; the Lieutenant Governor, citing concerns against CCTVs in Delhi, arbitrarily formed a committee on the matter that would in effect bypass the peoples elected government. CM Arvind Kejriwal led the Delhi Government to resist this and refused to back down despite all the pressure from the Centre.

The LGs committee further proposed bringing back License Raj in the city and recommended that it be made mandatory to obtain licences to install CCTV cameras in Delhi be it a public body or a private one.This would have in effect led to red tapism which would require citizens to seek licences from the police to put up CCTVs.

It is due to the persistence and penance by the CM who sat on a dharna and constantly protested at LG House against his arbitrary orders that the way for the execution of the CCTV project could be paved.

People of Delhi played an active role in the CCTV project

Delhi's public spaces are the best monitored in India, and is one of the few cities globally where the community plays an active role in controlling their own security. The project of installing CCTVs in Delhi exemplifies Swaraj; RWAs were involved in surveying the locations where the CCTVs should be put up, not just gated colonies but all localities of Delhi, including slums, were covered in the project.

What steps have been taken to address the privacy of the people of Delhi?

All CCTV feeds are highly secure, with hardware monitored by the community, feeds accessible only to authorised users, and the system itself capable of automatic health checkups to detect disturbances and intrusions of the connections.

The Delhi Government ensures the security and privacy of all feeds collected, and ensures that it is only used for authorised purposes by authorised users.

Delhi surpassed 150 cities globally in terms of Cameras Per Square Mile

Delhi ranks number one in the list at 1826 cameras per square mile and is followed by London at 1,138, Chennai at 609, Shenzhen(China) at 520, Wuxi(China) at 472, Qingdao(China) at 415, Shanghai(China) at 408, Singapore at 387, Changsha(China) at 353 and Wuhan(China) 339 in the list of top 10 cities in the metric.

Only 3 Indian cities feature in the top 20, while Delhi is at rank 1, Chennai at rank 3, Mumbai is at rank 18 with 157 cameras per square mile.

Key facts of the project:

A- The Delhi Governments CCTV project is highly innovative and uses the latest technology standards for quality, privacy, and automated tamper monitoring. Innovations were introduced right from the rollout to the installation of the system, which was done in collaboration with Police, RWAs/Market Associations and PWD.

B- Under the entire scheme, each RWA/ Market Association has 30 to 40 cameras to cover their respective areas.

C- 2.75 lakh CCTVs provided were installed in phase one with a further 1.4 lakh CCTVs in the process of installation.

D- Before CCTV deployment, General Body Meetings with representatives of PWD, Police, RWA/Market Association were conducted to decide the location of the CCTVs, with a form being submitted detailing the same.

E- Camera feed will only be provided to authorised users, namely PWD Command Centre, located in PWD HQ at ITO, RWA Monitoring Rooms, Police.

F- Camera monitored areas are clearly marked with signage. A Panic Button will be provided in the area and also be clearly marked, which will trigger SMS alerts to RWA, Police and PWD Command Centre.

Live TV
New Delhi: While COVID cases in India are showing an upward swing again, that's not the only kind of flu that is having the capital and its surrounding areas worried. Seasonal flu and swine flu have seen a sudden spike in Delhi with an official survey showing that as many as 41 per cent of households in the national capital which were surveyed had one or more members of the family suffering from flu-like symptoms.

As per media reports, till July 31, only two cases of swine flu were reported in Delhi. But by August 25, in a matter of four weeks, the number increased to 60.

Dr Ashish Khattar, a senior consultant of internal medicine at Venkateshwar Hospital, told ANI, "Most of the cases are normal flu cases. The symptoms are typically in upper and lower respiratory tract related symptoms. Many a time, when we have done the flow panel for the patients or when we have done swine flu test, we have found that at least 2-3% of patients coming up positive with swine flu reports."

Dr Khattar said that this time the crowd has increased in several areas and hence such cases have gone up. "It happens every year. But, this time, the frequency and the number of cases are much more. One reason is that there is a sudden surge of an outbreak of crowds outside. There has been a lot of footfall at the marketplaces, the hospital OPDs are full, people are probably not following the Covid-19 behaviour norms and there is barely any social distancing norm being practised, as per my observation," he added.

Experts say that flu doesn't have very serious consequences but those who have comorbid conditions need to be careful. "It doesn't lead to very serious consequences. In most of the cases, unless you have underlying comorbid conditions, most of the times the patient would have just cough cold, fever, body aches, headache, runny nose, sneezing as complex symptoms," said Dr MS Kanwar, Senior Consultant, Department of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, talking to news agency ANI.

Dr Rommel Tickoo, Director, Internal Medicine, Max Healthcare, said that many patients have been coming to the hospital with flu-like symptoms - these include high fever, body ache, cough and cold, and most of them are recovering in five to seven days with symptomatic treatments.

With COVID pandemic ongoing, many people are mistaking flu symptoms as COVID and getting hyper. But the most important thing, Dr Tickoo points out, is not to panic. One should continue to follow COVID protocols and take care of general health. "Swine flu symptoms are similar to those of Covid-19. However, there is no need to panic. But, yes you have to get tested for Covid-19. Almost everyone is recovering without any hospitalisation nowadays. We still have to take precautions. Follow COVID-19 protocols by wearing the masks, stay away from crowded places etc," he said.

According to a report by the civic bodies, which release weekly report on vector-borne infection count in the city, 81 people have got dengue till August 20 this year, while last year the count was only 53 at the same time. According to the data of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, 30 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital in the last 23 days.

Live TV
New Delhi: Have you ever considered in a situation where you have to cross the path of death in order to achieve freedom, and will you ever do it? Today's pictures from Kabul airport totally back the statement where thousands of people were seen at the Kabul airport awaiting flights out of Afghanistan. This comes a day after devastating bombings outside the Kabul airport that killed over 100 people.

The death toll in the bomb explosion that took place outside the Kabul airport on Thursday, has climbed to 170. In spite of this, thousands of people returned again to the Kabul airport on Friday so as to flee the country and Taliban rule.

The desperate scenes outside Kabul airport, where a suicide bomber killed at least 92 people on Thursday, have provided a dramatic image of the fears that many well-educated Afghans feel at the prospect of life under Taliban rule. With the afghani currency falling sharply, many banks still shut and food prices rising quickly, daily life has become much more difficult for many Afghans since the dramatic collapse of the Western-backed government this month.

The chaotic scene at Kabul airport clearly states that people no longer fear suicide attacks than getting their souls tortured in the slavery of the Taliban. On the one hand, there are Taliban insurgents, and on another, there are ISIS terrorists, who are ready to carry out a deadly attack any minute. However, the desire for freedom has brought an end to the fear from the minds of these Afghans.

And this is not just outside Kabul airport. Barely a few days ago, the entire world saw the pictures of Afghan citizens running after US planes and some even managing to climb and cling on it, only to fall to their deaths within minutes. Two people were killed after falling from the US-bound plane in this attempt. That day, we had expressed our concerns that those who have somehow managed to survive, may face attacks from Taliban insurgents. And that's what happened. People who were waiting outside the Kabul airport, hoping to flee the country and torture from Taliban, were blown up in a suicide blast on Thursday.

We can say that Afghan people can see death on both sides of the wall of Kabul airport. The hope of being evacuated from the country has removed the fear of suicide bombers from the minds of these people.

If you do yet not understand the value of freedom after seeing these pictures, you might have taken the freedom of India very lightly. There is a very fine line between slavery and death. Those who understand and value the meaning of freedom and independence should thank our country for it, before going to sleep tonight.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) has been protesting against the implementation of the New Education Policy citing the dilution of degrees under the four-year undergraduate programme in varsities. The association protested outside the vice-chancellors office on Tuesday when the Academic Council meeting to discuss the implementation of the policy was going on.

The development comes a day after the Standing Committee on Academic Matters approved the implementation of the policy from 2022-23, the four-year undergraduate programme and multiple entries and exit options for students on Monday.

Following the approval, DUTA wrote to acting Vice-Chancellor PC Joshi and requested him to thoroughly discuss these matters be first discussed at all statutory levels such as Departments, Faculties and Staff Councils before being placed in the Academic Council.

ALSO READ | Ambedkar University admissions 2021: Deadline to apply for UG, PG courses extended, check details on aud.ac.in

Such widespread discussions would enable the University to not take hasty steps towards implementation of the provisions of NEP 2020 and other regulations. It would do well for the University to remember the disastrous implementation of the FYUP in 2013 and its subsequent withdrawal in 2014 after widespread protests by all stakeholders, the letter said.

Survey amongst students (carried in 2013) showed that students were spending close to Rs 1.5-2 lakh per year in staying in Delhi to receive an education. Students rejected the idea of FYUP because of the dilution of the first two years of FYUP. We see that the new model once again packs the first two semesters with lukewarm courses, it added.

Live TV
New Delhi: Retired IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has been arrested by the Lucknow police on the basis of an SIT report which found him prima facie guilty of conspiring to save BSP MP Atul Rai, who is an accused in a rape case. The alleged rape victim had died earlier this week, days after she attempted self-immolation outside the Supreme Court in the national capital. Her companion, who had also immolated himself, also died.

Thakur tried to resist his arrest, but the cops bundled him into a police jeep and took him to the Hazratganj police station. Hours before his arrest on Friday, the retired IPS officer had announced that he is floating his own political party. Thakur also said that he would contest the Assembly elections against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur.

The complainant and her companion had set themselves on fire outside the Supreme Court on August 16, after levelling serious allegations against the police and other authorities, including Thakur, SSP Amit Pathak and a judge, of conspiring against her. The woman had lodged a rape case against Atul Rai on May 1, 2019 with the Lanka police station.

Rai, who had filed nomination as the BSP candidate from the Ghosi parliamentary seat, won the elections as an absconder and later surrendered before the court on June 22, 2019. He has been in jail since then.

Live TV
New Delhi: Former Punjab minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, along with his family and supporters joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday (August 26) in the presence of AAPs national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

During this event, Arvind Kejriwal said that AAP wants to create a Punjab where there is peace and development of people of all religions and castes and that Punjab is a border state and any statement made here should be given with great care and responsibility. He said that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is one and no one can separate it. At the same time, expressing happiness on joining AAP, Sewa Singh Sekhwan said that he is dedicating the rest of his life to Aam Aadmi Party and AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and will do whatever he can for the party. He expressed disheartenment and said that most of his life went in the service of Akali Dal, but none of his old companions came to meet him till date.

In the presence of Aam Aadmi Party's National Convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the entire Punjab unit of 'AAP', including Punjab state president and MP Bhagwant Mann, formally inducted Sewa Singh Sekhwan and his son Jagroop Singh Sekhwan into the party on Thursday and welcomed the Sekhwan family and all their supporters in the party. With his joining the party, Aam Aadmi Party will get a lot of strength in the entire Punjab, including the Majha region.

Earlier, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal arrived at Amritsar airport from Delhi on Thursday morning along with Punjab in-charge Jarnail Singh and co-in-charge Raghav Chadha. From there, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, along with a convoy of a large number of AAP leaders reached the house of Sewa Singh Sekhwan, a resident of Sekhwan village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. There he met Sekhwan, inquired about his health and welcomed the Sekhwan family to join the Aam Aadmi Party.

AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, Jathedar Sewa Singh Sekhwan Ji and his entire family have shown complete dedication for the upliftment of the people of Punjab. I am new to politics. I dont need to tell anyone the quantum of the contribution of Sekhwan and his father in the politics and development of Punjab. I got to know about his ailing health, so I came to his home to meet him and I pray that he gets fit and fine very soon. Sekhwan is very senior and respected. I am very delighted that he treated us like his own children and blessed us by joining the Aam Aadmi Party family. We wholeheartedly welcome him and request for his guidance in our endeavours. We are on a mission to bring the same kind of development to Punjab like we have in Delhi.

We are very new to politics. We dont know a lot about it, but we know the value of honesty. We are here to bring development to the country and prosperity to the society. How we made excellent schools and hospitals in Delhi, how we made electricity and water free in Delhi, we want to do the same kind of work in Punjab, he added.

Responding to a question from the media, AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that a day or two ago, he had heard some statements regarding Kashmir and the country. I believe that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is one. No one can separate us. Such statements are not correct. Punjab is a border state. If any statement is made here, it should be given very carefully and responsibly. We don't want to do politics on these things. We want to create a Punjab where there is peace, harmony and happiness. Be it any religion or caste, there should be development for all.

Punjab deserves peace and harmony, all-round development for all people. They deserve free education, quality healthcare and electricity. The farmers and the labourers of the state deserve justice. We are on a mission to make all of this possible in Punjab. Sekhwans entry into the Aam Aadmi Party will bring speed and strength to this mission, he said.

Jathedar Sewa Singh Sekhwan said, the rest of my life is dedicated to AAP and Kejriwal. I will do whatever I can for the Aam Aadmi Party in any form, he said, adding that he was happy that the Delhi Chief Minister had come to inquire about his health even when he wasnt supposed to. Expressing his displeasure about the politics of Punjab, Sekhwan said, "I have spent most of my life in the service of the Shiromani Akali Dal, but none of my old colleagues have come to see me till date."

On his return to Delhi after visiting village Sekhwan, Arvind Kejriwal held a special meeting with Punjab leaders at a guest house in Amritsar. The meeting was attended by Punjab Party President Bhagwant Mann, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, Incharge of Punjab Affairs Jarnail Singh, Co-Incharge Raghav Chadha, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Sarabjit Kaur Manunke, Principal Budhram, Prof. Baljinder Kaur, Meet Hayer, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Jai Singh Rori, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Master Baldev Singh, Amarjit Singh Sandoya, State General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat and Secretary Gagandeep Singh Chadha.

Live TV
New Delhi: India is closely monitoring the situation and seeking a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said on Friday (August 27) as the nation lost at least 100 people in blasts at the Kabul airport.

Addressing a weekly brief, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and are in touch with other countries especially the US as they are operating the Kabul airport.

Further, he said that the current focus is on the security situation of evacuations, We've been seeking a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Afghanistan. We are currently monitoring it closely. The current focus is on security situation of Afghanistan evacuations and seeing how it unfolds. Other countries are in the frame of wait and watch," ANI quoted him as saying.

Bagchi said that India has so far evacuated more than 550 people from war-torn Afghanistan and said the primary aim of the government is to rescue Indian nationals and Afghan nationals who stand by India.

We've evacuated over 550 people in 6 separate flights, either from Kabul or Dushanbe. Of these, over 260 were Indians. GoI also facilitated evacuation of Indian nationals through other agencies. We were in touch with various countries, like US, Tajikistan, the MEA spokesperson said.

He added, We were able to bring out some Afghan nationals as well as nationals from other countries. Of these, many of them were Sikhs and Hindus. Primarily, our focus will be on Indian nationals, but we'll also stand by Afghans who stood by us.

The MEA spokesperson said he does not have an exact number of how many Indian nationals are still in Afghanistan. Our overall assessment is that the vast majority of Indians who wish to return have been evacuated. Some more are likely to be in Afghanistan. I don't have the exact number for that, Bagchi said.

On being asked about recognising Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Bagchi said, "The situation on the ground is uncertain (in Afghanistan). The primary concern is the security and safety of people. Currently, there is no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul. I think we are jumping the gun regarding recognition."

(With ANI inputs)

Live TV
NEW DELHI: India on Friday registered over 40,000 cases of coronavirus infections for the second straight day, Kerala continues to record hit number of cases with over 30,000 cases of infections in the past day. The southern state has been reporting highest number of cases and accounts for the second-highest tally in the country.

With 44,658 new COVID-19 cases India's total tally of COVID-19 cases has increased to 3,26,03,188 while the active cases rose to 3,44,899. The active cases comprise 1.03 per cent of the total infections. At least 32,988 recoveries have been recorded taking the total COVID-19 recovery rate to 97.63 per cent.

While as many as 496 people succumbed to the infection taking the death toll to 4,36,861, as per the data shared by Union Health Ministry.

The daily positivity rate is at 2.45% which has been less than 3% for more than a month while the weekly positivity rate (2.10%) less than 3% for over 2 months now. A total of 61.22 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive with 79,48,439 being foven in one single day.

Kerala remains the worst-hit state as it records 30,007 new COVID-19 positive cases and 162 deaths in the past day. Maharashtra reported 5,108 new infections and 145 fatalities in 24 hours while Delhi on Thursday registered 45 fresh cases and recorded no virus-related deaths.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday informed that nearly 50 per cent of the eligible population in the country has been vaccinated with the first dose. "India achieves unprecedented milestone! 50 per cent of the eligible population inoculated with the first dose of #COVID19 vaccine. Keep it up India. Let us fight Corona," he wrote on twitter.

Live TV
New Delhi: Senior Muslim League MLA and former Kerala minister M K Muneer on Wednesday (August 25, 2021) received an anonymous threat letter over his Facebook post against the brutality by the Taliban in war-hit Afghanistan.

The death threat letter directed the Kerala legislator to pull down the post within 24 hours or else he will meet the same fate as that of Joseph Sir, who is a teacher whose palm was chopped off by PFI activists. According to PTI reports, the letter was posted from the Government Medical College area in Thiruvananthapuram.

However, Muneer said that he would stick to his stand against the Taliban. The letter referred to the Facebook post which Muneer shared on August 17.

Muneers Facebook post read, The Taliban has a regressive political ideology of discrimination, extremist fundamentalism and discrimination that does not respect human rights. All Such extreme anti-human and anti-women politics kept forward in the name of caste, religion, all such ideologies are dangerous and a hindrance to the free life of people. At any level of faith, Taliban is inhumane and needs to be opposed."

ALSO READ | Kabul blasts: Taliban denying ISIS link is like Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura, says Afghan acting President Amrullah Saleh

A leading news portal quoted M K Muneer as saying, I received an anonymous letter threatening me. The letter demands that i should withdraw my face post against the Taliban within 24 hrs. Failing to which, they threaten that I would face the same fate of Joseph sir (his hand was chopped off by PFI activists over a question paper issue). You and your family would suffer. You do not have any right to speak about women, if so you can do that at home. We will decide how a woman should live. This is the basic content of the letter."

The Kerala legislator has filed a complaint with the CM and DGP in the area. "As far as Im concerned, I strongly stand by my position towards Taliban. I will not withdraw that. If I have to change this stand then it means I am no longer there. Its better off for me to face the atrocities of these people. Our party had already taken a stand against all extremist organisations like Taliban right from the time of Sayyed Muhammad Ali Sihab Thangal. We have never changed that position. This is also the stand of Muslim League," he added.

Live TV
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, and the Kerala government led by Pinarayi Vijayan has announced that the state will continue with Sunday lockdown.

An exemption was given in the Sunday lockdown in the last two weeks by the state government.

Kerala logged more than 30,000 cases of new infections during the period, informed the Union Health Ministry on Friday. Kerala (Thursday) reported 30,007 new COVID-19 cases, 18,997 recoveries and 162 deaths, as per the state health department. With this, the test positivity rate in the state is at 18.03 per cent. The total cases in the country jumped to 3,26,03,188 including 3,44,899 active cases. The Union ministry informed that the recovery rate currently stands at 97.60 per cent.

However, the total fatalities to date in the country due to this virus escalated to 4,36,861 where Kerala reported 162 deaths and Maharashtra reported 159 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Live TV
Shillong: Meghalaya is all set to resume tourism in the state from September 1 and will be relaxing COVID protocols for travellers. Fully vaccinated tousrists will be allowed to visit the state, while negative COVID test reports, conducted 72 hours before arrival in the state, will be mandatory for those who received the first dose of the vaccine, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on August 26.

Taking to Twitter, the chief minister said, "Meghalaya will restart its tourism (sector) from 1st September 2021 with the following protocols: Fully vaccinated tourists will be allowed to visit the state for tourism-related purposes from 1st September, 2021."

He also said, "Tourists who are vaccinated with a single dose will have to produce negative RT-PCR/TrueNat/CBNAAT report valid only if they have tested within 72 hrs prior to their arrival at the entry point."

Residents of Meghalaya will also be allowed to visit any tourist destination in the state, he said.

The Meghalaya Cabinet on the same day also decided to resume physical classes in colleges from September 1, while schools in urban areas may be allowed to reopen for students of classes 9 to 12, he said. All schools in rural areas may also be allowed to reopen for students of classes 6 to 12, the CM said.

"The government has decided to reopen all colleges in Meghalaya from September 1. For schools in urban areas, Cl (class) 1-5 may have online classes, Cl 6-8 may have school visits & Cl 9-12 may be opened. For Schools in rural areas, Cl 1-5 may have school visits & Cl 6-12 may be opened," the chief minister said on the microblogging site.

Also read: Couldn't get warm welcome you expected in Goa? Blame it on COVID-19

The government had imposed lockdown across the state on May 5 amid the second wave of COVID-19 and has been relaxing the restrictions with an improvement in the pandemic situation.

(With PTI inputs)

Live TV
New Delhi: After facing flak for his comments on Congress and the victim of the Mysuru rape case, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Friday (August 27) clarified that "he had no intention to hurt anybody" and withdrew his comments on the incident.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, the Home Minister said, "I had withdrawn the statement made earlier on the Congress party leaders", adding "We are committed to ensuring the safety of all sections in the society."

About the case, Jnanendra said, "a police investigation is underway to nab the culprits. The girl is under medical care at a hospital. Security will be tightened further to ensure the protection of all, especially women."

Earlier the Home Minister alleged that the Congress party was politicising the issue in order to gain political mileage. He said, "The Congress is trying to rape me", adding that under the Congress regime, many similar incidents had taken place.

Apart from criticising Congress, he also questioned the timing of the college student`s visit to the deserted site on the outskirts of Mysuru where she was allegedly gang-raped by unidentified men.

Earlier on Thursday, he said, "The rape happened there in Mysuru but Congress is trying to rape me, trying to rape the Home Minister. They are trying to gain political mileage in that incident. It was an inhuman incident. It happened somewhere, instead of telling us to detect the case, they are trying to gain political mileage, people are watching it, I have already given instructions to crack the case, we are working on it. We are working on it to send a message that such incidents should not happen."

Victim's friend records his statement

The special team investigating into the case has recorded the statement of the male friend of the victim, police sources told IANS today. The friend has narrated the horror they went through on August 24.

The youth reportedly stated that the place they went has been familiar to him and he used to jog every day on that stretch. "After the classes, at about 7.30 pm, we went on bike. I went in front of the JSS Ayurvedic college road and reached the spot after going through Water tank kacha (not asphalted) road which is known to me. We were taking a walk on that stretch when all of a sudden six men surrounded us," he told the police.

The victim's friend said that they started beating him with sticks. One slender fellow among them smashed his forehead with a small boulder. He was attacked until he became unconscious. "When I woke up, I found four people surrounding me. I asked where my girlfriend is. Two of them dragged her out of the bush and laid her beside me. She seemed unconscious and injuries were found all over," IANS report quoted his statement given to the police.

The rapists also snatched his mobile and made him call his father to arrange for Rs 3 lakh immediately. It is not yet known whether rapists got the money before releasing the girl and her male friend. He reportedly told police that all the accused were between the age group of 25 to 30 years.

Karnataka police yet to take statement from victim

The Karnataka police said that they are yet to take a statement from the victim, who was gang-raped on the foothills of Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Tuesday. The Karnataka government has constituted a special investigation team under the supervision of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Pratap Reddy to investigate the alleged gang-rape of a 22-year-old MBA student.

"We haven`t taken the victim`s statement yet. We cannot comment at this point as the investigation is underway. We have collected some information from the spot," the ADGP told ANI, adding "We have formed five teams to solve the case and also called teams from other districts. We will submit a report to the government.

Notably, the police registered a case under Sections 376 (D) (gang rape) and 397 (robbery) of the IPC. A girl student was allegedly gang-raped at Lalithadripura layout, Mysuru on August 24. Six men committed the crime and also beat up the girl`s male friend, according to the complaint.

Congress flays Karnataka Home minister

Taking a dig at Karnataka Home Minister's statement that `Congress is trying to rape me` in connection with the Mysuru gang-rape case, state Congress Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar said that the home minister likes the word `rape` and that is the reason he uses the word with such insensitivity.

In a media interaction on Thursday, DK Shivakumar said, "The new Home Minister has said that Congressmen are trying to rape him. Who has raped him? I urge the Director General of Police (DGP) that whoever raped the Home Minister, be it any leader, the police should file a complaint and arrest him under Section 376 of IPC. Using the word rape with such insensitivity makes one realize how much they like the word, I do not expect any reply from the home minister on this issue."

Shivakumar said, "Every leader from the BJP must answer the statement made by him. If the home minister says that Congress is raping him, I am surprised what kind of administration we have in the state. A case should be filed under Section 376 against any Congress who tried to rape him."

He also questioned the government for registering a case even 48 hours after the incident.

Notably, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai distanced from his cabinet colleague's statement and sought clarification. The Chief Minister has instructed the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) Praveen Sood to visit Mysuru and hold a meeting with the officers to expedite the investigation.

(With Agency Inpuits)

Live TV
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday (August 27) arrested television actor Gaurav Dixit after they recovered MD and charas during a raid at his residence. According to ANI, the NCB confirmed the report and released a statement saying that Dixit had been arrested in connection with the interrogation of actor Ajaz Khan in a drug case.

In April this year, the anti-drug sleuths agency conducted a raid at the actor's flat in Mumbai's Lokhandwala on Friday evening when he was not home. Drugs such as MD, MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) and hashish were recovered from the flat. Packaging accessories for the drugs were also found at the actor's house.

According to reports, when the actor returned to his building with his flatmate, a foreign national woman, and saw the NCB team, he along with his accomplices fled the scene. Gaurav Dixit has worked in a couple of small movies and done minor roles on television.

Actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan was arrested by the NCB in March in connection with restricted drugs found at his house.

Live TV
In a big setback for medical profession aspirants who were demanding postponement of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or (NEET-UG) 2021, the ministry of education, for now, has not decided on any change in the schedule of the proposed examinations, said reports. Speaking to a leading daily, officials from the ministry of education have asserted that change in NEET-UG dates will defer the exam by at least 2 months due to logistical issues and may also lead to indefinite delay owing to other precariousness.

The development comes as a section of medical students is demanding a further deferment of the crucial test citing different reasons. Taking to social media websites, they are raising their concerns using various hashtags such as #shiftNEETUG, #postponeNEET. When the JEE students concerns and demands can be fulfilled, why cant ONE LEGITIMATE CONCERN of the NEET aspirants be fulfilled? Even after so many days of pleading from millions of students, why is the country turning a blind eye to us? a student asked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

@dpradhanbjp Sir Please hear demands of #NEET Aspirants to Postpone NEET 2021 Exam. Shifting #NEET2021 Exam for few days will provide relief to NEET Aspirants and they will be able to give Exam without any tension.#shiftNEETUG #deferNEETUG#PostponeNEETUG https://t.co/sbl4PRSIh7  Kotafactory (@kotafactorykota) August 26, 2021

ICAR AIEEA(UG) exam earlier scheduled on 13 September 2021 will now be

held on 9 September 2021. There will be no ICAR AIEEA(UG) on 13 September 2021. Now CBSE Physics paper and ICAR UG exam on the same day. Again worst decision by NTA.@dpradhanbjp #PostponeNEETUG pic.twitter.com/eQQJmXE1Mb  Kriti (@Kriti14822) August 21, 2021

NEET Exam date is clashing with other exams including #CBSE Private student exams.

.@DG_NTA kimdl take a call@cbseindia29 who is responsible for this uncertainty ?#PostponeNEETUG  Ayush Sharma (@neuroayush) August 21, 2021

Back-to-back Exams in the first two weeks of September

One of the major issues highlighted by them is that the NEET exam dates clash with other entrances and board examinations like ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) on September 13. MHT CET 2021 (September 4 to 10) and from (September 14 to 20). CBSE Class 12 Mathematics paper will be conducted will be held on September 13. CBSE private exams, Class 12 improvement, and compartment exams are also scheduled to be held next month.

Expert's take:

Contrary to students, experts, on the other hand, believe that the exam date is suitable given the current circumstances. The exam was earlier scheduled to be held on August 1 but it has been delayed by more than a month. As per medical experts, the third wave of the coronavirus outbreak is expected to hit the country around September-end or October. There is already a shortage of doctors in the country, missing out on even one batch of upcoming doctors will deeply impact the healthcare sector in the long run, Indian Express quoted Saurabh Kumar, Director Academics, Vidyamandir Classes as saying.

Echoing similar sentiments, MD Habeeb, NEET academic head, Narayana Group, said that students must understand the value of one academic year.

Notably, the Medical entrance exam (NEET) for over 16 lakh registered students, which was earlier scheduled for August 1, had to be deferred due to an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases during the second wave. The entrance test will now be conducted on September 12.
New Delhi: Amid surge in daily COVID-19 cases and high test positivity rate in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday (August 27) hit back at the Opposition for criticising the government over the handling of the coronavirus situation and asked which other model of containment should his government follow.

In an article published in Communist Party of India (Marxist)s magazine Chintha, Vijayan termed the criticism of his government "unwanted and claimed no deaths occurred in Kerala due to lack of oxygen. If Kerala model is wrong in Covid containment, then which model should we follow? No one had died in Kerala due to a lack of oxygen. No person was deprived of medical aid or medical bed, ANI quoted the CM as saying.

He slammed people for "deliberately creating confusion over the high number of daily cases in the state. Some people are trying to neglect facts and deliberately creating confusion. There are some unnecessary controversies surrounding second wave. Some sections are trying to create fear among people by portraying the high numbers during the second wave as a cause of concern, the CM wrote.

Some people are trying to neglect facts & deliberately creating confusion. There are some unnecessary controversies surrounding 2nd wave. Some sections are trying to create fear among people by portraying the high numbers during the second wave as a cause of concern: Kerala CM  ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2021

As Kerala recorded 31,445 fresh infections on Wednesday, the highest since May, several opposition leaders have taken the Vijayan government to task and accused it of "carelessness" and "foolish" decisions regarding COVID-19 management. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Working President PT Thomas said that the government failed in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Attacking the Kerala government over rise in daily coronavirus cases, Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan claimed that the state government is trying to use the pandemic for political objectives.

Dismissing the criticism of the opposition, Vijayan added, In all three seroprevalance studies conducted in the country, it was revealed that Kerala is the state with the least percentage of the population infected. We did not waste a single drop of vaccine and successfully inoculated extra doses.

Further, he said that the COVID-19 mortality rate in the state is less than 0.5 per cent, which is only one-third of India's total death toll.

With 30,007 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, Kerala is currently accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the national total of daily infections.

(With agency inputs)

Live TV
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has carried out a search operation on 24.08.2021 in a posh locality in Kolkata in the case of Rose Valley Group of companies, which resulted in the seizure of 7 luxurious vehicles which includes 2 BMW, 2 Mercedes, 1 Honda Civic, 1 Toyota Fortuner and 1 Mahindra Scorpio under PMLA, 2002. The said vehicles were acquired out of the proceeds of crime collected by the companies of Rose Valley.

ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by West Bengal Police against the Rose Valley Group of companies, its Chairman Gautam Kundu and others. In the FIRs, it was alleged that these Group companies had collected a huge amount of money from the common gullible public by floating various fake and fictitious schemes and defaulted the re-payments.

ED has already attached and seized properties worth Rs. 1074 Crore. ED also secured a successful conviction of Arun Mukherjee in the month of February this year. He was holding the debentures of Rose Valley Group of companies. The Ld. Special Court (PMLA), Kolkata had convicted him and awarded imprisonment of 7 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs. 2,50,000.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday said the states have to protect children, who have either lost one or both parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensure that their education is not disrupted at least in the current academic session.

The apex court said that identification of such children is the starting point to find out their needs and their welfare is of paramount consideration.

Even if there are 1,000 children without their parent, just imagine what is going to happen to them. They can be pushed to child labour. They can be landing themselves to hands of undesirable elements in the society. We don't know what will happen to them. These are vulnerable children. So, we have to be extremely careful about these children, a bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose said.

The bench said most of these children may not have the means to fend for themselves.

So, it is the state which has to protect them, said the bench, which was hearing a suo motu matter on contagion of COVID-19 in children protection homes.

The top court took note of state-wise details of children, who have become orphans or lost one parent during the pandemic period, and also the status of their identification process so that benefits meant for them could be extended.

The bench said states have to take pro-active steps in taking care of these children and also ensure that their education is not disrupted due to the loss of either one or both parents.

It said the states may talk to the private schools, where such children are studying, so that there could be waiver of fee and their education continues at least for this academic session.

The bench observed that if the schools are not coming forward or willing to waive off the fee, the states can bear the fee of such children for this academic year at this stage.

The court said it is necessary that benefits announced by the state governments should reach the needy children.

It said the district magistrates should take steps to continue uploading the requisite information on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Bal Swaraj' portal as delay in this process will be detrimental to the interest of the distressed child.

It noted the state-wise details starting from Andhra Pradesh where 326 children, who have become orphan, have been identified and 7,110 are those who have lost one parent during the period.

On July 27, the top court had directed all the states to ensure that children who have either become orphan or lost a parent during the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year are permitted to continue in the same school, be it private or government, at least for the current academic year.

The NCPCR had earlier informed the bench that as many as 30,071 children were orphaned, lost a parent or abandoned mostly due to the pandemic as per the data provided by different states and UTs on the Bal Swaraj' Portal till June 5.

The NCPCR had given the break up in its affidavit which said there were 3,621 orphans, 26,176 children who have lost one parent and 274 children who have been abandoned.

The apex court had also directed the states and UTs to take stringent action against NGOs and individuals who are indulging in illegal adoptions of children orphaned during the pandemic.

It had earlier passed a slew of directions for care and protection of children who have become orphans or have lost one parent or abandoned during the pandemic.

Live TV
Hyderabad: The counselling process for Telangana Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Common Entrance Test (TS EAMCET) 2021 will begin from August 30 onwards. The TS EAMCET counselling 2021 will be conducted online on the official portal: eamcet.tsche.ac.in.

Eligible candidates will have to first register themselves on the official portal to participate in counselling. The TS EAMCET 2021 counselling registration will be followed by the registration fee payment, slot booking for certificate verification, visiting helpline centres for certificate verification, exercising options and seat allotment.

The registration for counselling will be done in online mode while the document verification will be done offline. Students will be required to book their slots for the certificate verification at the nearest Help Line Center (HLC).

List of documents required to be submitted by students during the TS EAMCET 2021 counselling:

1. TS EAMCET 2021 rank card

2. TS EAMCET 2021 admit card

3. Valid id proof like Aadhar card.

4. SSC/ class 10 or its equivalent marks sheet for age proof.

5. Intermediate or its equivalent mark sheet-cum-pass certificate.

6. Class VI to intermediate or its equivalent certificates.

7. Transfer certificate (TC).

8. Caste/category certificate issued on or after January 1 by the competent authority, if applicable.

9. Residence certificate/domicile certificate for a period of 7 years preceding the qualifying examination in case where the candidate has no institutionalized education.

10. Recent passport size photograph

TSCHE declared the TS EAMCET 2021 result and rank card on August 25. This year, nearly 2.6 lakh students have appeared for the TS EAMCET conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University, JNTU Hyderabad. Those qualifying the state level entrance test will be offered admission to the state-run/private engineering colleges

ALSO READ: Ambedkar University admissions 2021: Deadline to apply for UG, PG courses extended, check details on aud.ac.in

Live TV
Bengaluru: Steven Harris, who became popular for his paintings, shared his experience after being appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The young artist said that the Prime Minister is an inspiration for the youth of the country.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Harris said, "Inspired by the leadership of our Prime Minister, I made his artworks. PM Modi inspires me with his constant engagement with talented and budding artists around the world. Not just in one field, he makes sure that he appreciates people in every field. I feel great about it and it motivated me to send the paintings directly to his office. I was confident that I will get a letter of appreciation. I was really overwhelmed and happy to hear the great words of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji."

"My family, my college is really happy about it and gave their best wishes for the same. Prime Minister is really an inspiration for many especially for the youth in the nation. Despite having a busy schedule, I`m glad that he read the letter that I had sent to him. I am very thankful to him," the young artist said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to Steven Harris, a student from Bengaluru, praising him for his paintings, informed an official release by the Prime Minister`s Office yesterday.

This 20-year-old artist had sent two paintings of the Prime Minister along with a letter to PM Modi. The Prime Minister had on Thursday replied to him with encouragement and praise. The Prime Minister wrote that it is such a pleasure to see the interest and devotion of the young people in creative fields.

"Your paintings indicate your talent for experiencing things deeply. The minute expressions executed with subtlety are heartwarming," said the Prime Minister.

Further, Prime Minister lauded the young artist for his views about public health and welfare during current difficult period. PM Modi wrote, "Vaccine campaign, discipline, along with collective efforts of 130 crore Indians are providing strength to our fight against the pandemic."

Later the Prime Minister expressed the hope that people will be inspired by Steven`s effort to spread positivity. Steven had told the Prime Minister in his letter that he is painting for last 15 years and has won more than 100 awards at various levels. He described the Prime Minister as his inspiration and praised India`s vaccination program in the fight against Coronavirus.
Mumbai: Amidst the raging second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and many fearing a third wave, the healthcare sector is in the limelight for the second consecutive year as several pharma and life sciences companies are lined up to tap the equity markets through IPOs over the next few months, according to investment bankers.

Five such companies which have firmed up their initial public offering (IPO) plans are Glenmark Lifesciences, a fully-owned arm of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, the city-based bulk drugs firm Supriya Lifesciences, drug formulations firm Windlass Biotech, Bain Capital-backed Emcure Pharma and CX Partners-funded Veeda Clinical Research. According to investment-bankers, they are planning to mop up over Rs 7,000 crore in primary share sales.

While the IPO street was the busiest in FY'21 with the best ever performance after the pandemic scare had ebbed, pharma stocks have been one of the best performers throughout the year when Sensex and Nifty scaled new highs.

For instance, Arti Pharama gave over 501 per cent in returns in FY21, Granuels rallied 201 per cent, J&B Chem gained 145 per cent, Aurobindo Pharma just doubled the returns, Divi's rose 104 per cent, Ipca Labs returned 97 per cent and Ajanta Pharma gave 72 per cent in FY21, pushing BSE healthcare index to all-time highs.

The huge IPO line-up from healthcare players comes in the back of stellar performance of Gland Pharma stock that debuted in 2020 with the biggest secotral issue in decades mopping up around Rs 6,500 crore. Since listing, it has gained over 110 per cent.

The domestic pharma sector accounts for over 50 per cent of global vaccine supplies, 40 per cent of generic drug supplies to the US, and 25 per cent of all medicines to Britain.

In FY20, the domestic pharma market stood at Rs 1.4 lakh crore, a growth of close 10 per cent from the previous fiscal and is forecast to touch the USD 100-billion mark by 2025.

Glenmark Lifesciences, Windlass Biotech and Supriya Lifesciences have already filed the DRHPs with the Sebi and are likely to hit the market over the next few months.

"Outlook for the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) is positive as companies are looking to source APIs from India, moving away from China," Vinod Nair, head of research at brokerage Geojit Financial Services, told PTI from Kochi explaining the rationale for the rush to the primary market.

An analyst with a leading brokerage, requesting not to be quoted as his firm is working in a few issues, opined that pharma firms are gaining from the tailwinds to the API market where India used to be the leader but has lost out to China of late and is trying to regain the lost glory now.

The China Plus One strategy under which many Western countries are keen to lower their China dependency, and tax incentives for local manufacturing are also helping the sentiment.

"New product launches, large aging population, spike in chronic diseases due to the lockdowns, and new methods for drug discovery among others are key growth drivers for the pharma industry," he added.

The recent outperformance of the pharma sector, ebullient secondary market conditions and keenness of investors to subscribe worthy IPOs have encouraged many pharma players to tap the IPO route now, Deepak Jasani, head of retail research at HDFC Securities, told PTI.

Another analyst said companies like Glenmark Lifesciences and Windlas are likely to benefit thanks to their proven capabilities in contract development and manufacturing.

Last month, Glenmark Lifesciences, which is into APIs, filed a draft red herring prospectus for a Rs 1,500-crore IPO. The offer will consist of a fresh issue of Rs 1,160 crore and an offer for sale of up to 7.31 million shares by parent Glenmark. Glenmark Lifesciences supplies over 130 APIs to over 700 customers across 65 countries. Its five plants have an annual production capacity of over 450 metric tonnes.

Private equity major Bain Capital-backed Emcure Pharmaceuticals is into generics and is planning a Rs 3,500-Rs 4,000 crore issue, consisting new shares and an OFS by promoter Satish Mehta and Bain Capital.

The CX Partners funded Veeda Clinical Research is planing a Rs 500 crore IPO and JM Financial and SBI Caps are said to be the advisors. It is yet to file the papers with Sebi.

The Mumbai-based bulk drugs firm Supriya has also filed for a Rs 1,200 crore issue. It will use the proceeds for expansion and to trim debt and intends to raise Rs 200 crore through a fresh issue, and a Rs 1,000-crore from an offer for sale by promoter Satish Waman Wagh.

Supriya, according to the DRHP, intends to expand its existing plants at Lote in Maharashtra, and to build new API capacity. It sells 39 APIs focused on diverse therapeutic segments like antihistamine, analgesic, anaesthetic, vitamin, anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic.

Supriya is the largest exporter of chlorpheniramine maleate and ketamine hydrochloride, contributing around 55 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively, of API exports from the country.

Windlas Biotech has filed preliminary IPO papers for offer of fresh issue of Rs 165 crore and an offer for sale later. Windlas is into formulations, and contract development and manufacturing business. It will use the money to add capacity at its Dehradun plant IV and also to add injectables dosage capability at the Dehradun Plant-II.
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 95 points in early trade on Friday, tracking losses in index majors HDFC twins, Infosys and ICICI Bank amid unabated foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share index was trading 96.18 points or 0.17 per cent lower at 55,852.92. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 23.70 points or 0.14 per cent to 16,613.20.

M&M was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by HDFC, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Infosys and IndusInd Bank.

On the other hand, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, L&T, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance and Bharti Airtel were among the gainers.

In the previous session, the BSE index ended just 4.89 points or 0.01 per cent higher at 55,949.10. And the broader NSE Nifty advanced 2.25 points or 0.01 per cent to its fresh closing peak of 16,636.90.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,974.48 crore on Thursday, as per provisional exchange data.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul were trading with gains in mid-session deals, while Tokyo was in the red.

Equities in the US ended on a negative note in the overnight session.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude surged 1.03 per cent to USD 71.80 per barrel.

Live TV

#mute
Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's adviser Malvinder Singh Mali on Friday announced that he has quit. Mali is currently facing the wrath of the Congress high command for his controversial comments on Kashmir.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mali said, "I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu". However, did not term it as a "resignation". Mali claimed that the question of his resignation does not arise as he never accepted the post.

Mali was criticised for his remark on the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. He had also said, "Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people."

His comment made the AICC general secretary Harish Rawat, who is also in charge of Punjab affairs, to issue a strict order asking for the two advisers to be relived of duty as advisers to Sidhu. Just ahead of the state assembly polls in Punjab scheduled for sometime early next year.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in a statement had asked Sidhu to "rein in" his advisers calling their remarks "atrocious" on issues like Kashmir and Pakistan. The chief minister had warned against such "atrocious and ill-conceived comments that were potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country".

On August 11, Sidhu had appointed Mali, a former government teacher and political analyst, and Pyare Lal Garg, a former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health and Sciences.

Live TV
New Delhi: The pre-booking details of the upcoming Reliance JioPhone has been leaked online, with several websites citing that the budget friendly phone will be up for pre-bookings sometime early next week.

Though, there has not been any official confirmation on the same, one can't completely ignore the pre-booking timeline, considering that the phone will be up for sale from September 10.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) CMD in June Mukesh Ambani in June this year unveiled the JioPhone Next  a jointly developed Made for India smartphone by RIL and Google. Announcing the launch at the annual general meeting of Reliance Industries Limited in June, RIL CMD Mukesh Ambani said that JioPhone Next will be available in the market from the auspicious date of Ganesh Chaturthi on September 10 this year.

Recently, some more details JioPhone Next surfaced online, giving the customers an idea about the phone's price and features. The smartphone features premium capabilities, including language and translation features, and support for the latest Android and security updates.

As per the latest leaks, shared by tipster Yogesh, JioPhone Next will feature a 5.5-inch HD display, 2,500mAh battery, 13-megapixel front camera and an 8-megapixel front shutter. Under the hood, the phone is touted to be powered by the Qualcomm QM215 SoC and come with 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The tipster has also shared that the JioPhone Next will come at a price of Rs 3,499.

5.5" HD display

4G VoLTE Dual SIM

2/3GB RAM

16/32GB storage eMMC 4.5

Qualcomm Snapdragon 215

Android 11 (Go Edition)

Rear camera: 13MP

Front camera: 8MP

2,500mAh battery Launch next month, estimated price 3,499  Yogesh (@heyitsyogesh) August 17, 2021

Based on an optimised OS that is leveraged from Android and Play Store with features that are built specially for JioPhone Next, the two technology organisations have worked closely to create a smartphone experience aimed at addressing the unique needs of millions of smartphone users across India.
New Delhi: Apple CEO Tim Cook is all set to receive his final tranche of the pay deal signed ten years ago at the time of his appointment as the chief executive officer of the tech giant.

As part of the deal, Cook will receive about five million shares of Apple Inc. If we go by Apples current stock prices, then Cook has hit a $750 million jackpot, according to a report by Bloomberg.

At present, 60-year-old Cook is already a billionaire, thanks to the annual payouts that were a part of the deal. Bloomberg Billionaires Index suggests that his net worth currently stands at about $1.5 billion.

Cook had replaced Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as the CEO of the tech firm in 2011. Since then, he has taken the firm to new heights. From becoming the most valuable firm by market size to topping the $2 trillion valuation mark, Apple has achieved so many feats under his leadership.

However, at the time of his appointment, several industry experts had doubted the meteoric rise of Tim Cook at Apple and if he could match Jobs legacy that he left behind after his death in 2011 due to neuroendocrine cancer.

But Cook has already proved his critics wrong, as he has been successful in more than doubling the companys revenue in no time. Apples share has given a return of over 1,100% during his tenure as the CEO of the tech firm. Also Read: 'Aisi dikhti hai', New Royal Enfield Classic 350 variants leaked: In Pics

What will Tim Cook do with his wealth?

Cook had said way back in 2015 that he intends to donate most of the fortune away. The top Apple executive has already donated millions of dollars worth of Apple stocks to charities, Bloomberg reported. Also Read: Senior Citizens Savings Scheme vs fixed deposits: Which investment scheme is best for senior citizens?
India should improve its attitude on Kashmir, want good relations with India: Taliban on Pakistani Channel

The real face of Taliban is coming out after the capture of Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman described Pakistan as the second home of the Taliban and advised India to improve its stance on the Kashmir issue. Taliban spokesman Zaibullah Mujahid said, "The Taliban wants good relations with India."
New Delhi: As Afghanistan reels from twin blasts at the Kabul airport, at least 100 people have lost their lives and 150 are injured, as per Al Jazeera report. The death toll is expected to be higher as bodies are still being evacuated in the attack claimed by Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K).

Earlier reports said that at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops were killed in the suicide bombings outside Kabul's international airport on Thursday (August 26).

As the August 31 deadline nears, many countries have been evacuating their citizens and even Afghan nationals who want to flee the Taliban rule. According to Al Jazeera, evacuation has resumed since the blasts hit Kabul on Thursday.

The UK on Friday said its evacuation process is in final hours in Afghanistan. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News the evacuation process was in its "final hours" after the closure of the main processing center in Kabul at the Baron Hotel near the Hamid Karzai International Airport. Wallace said, "We at 4.30 this morning, UK-time, closed the Baron Hotel, shut the processing center and the gates were closed at Abbey Gate."

He added that the main processing has been closed and they have a matter of hours." Wallace mused, "The sad fact is not every single one will get out. The threat is obviously going to grow the closer we get to leaving."

France's European Affairs minister has said that France will soon end its evacuation operation in Kabul. Clement Beaune told French radio Europe 1, France continues its operation at the moment in order to evacuate as many people as possible.

Following the suicide bombings, Japan said on Friday the efforts are on to evacuate citizens and local staff who worked for the Japanese embassy and development agencies and they are monitoring the situation closely. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters, The situation is fluid and unpredictable, but we plan to continue our efforts to accomplish the safe evacuation of Japanese nationals and local staff."

Meanwhile, the Turkey government said that the Taliban have asked it to operate the Kabul airport, however, no decision has been taken yet. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, The Taliban have made a request for us to operate Kabul airport. We have not yet made a decision on this matter.

He added, We will make a decision after the administration (in Afghanistan) is clear."

Erdogan added that the evacuation of Turkish troops from Kabul was underway.

(With inputs from agencies)
Oslo: Norway can no longer assist in evacuating remaining citizens from Afghanistan`s capital, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said on Thursday.

"The doors at the airport are now closed and it is no longer possible to get people in," Soereide told broadcaster TV2.

Suspected suicide bombers struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport with at least two explosions on Thursday(August 26), killing dozens of people and injuring scores more.

A US State Department report on the Afghan crisis said Norway had agreed to provide airlift support for Afghan evacuees from the Gulf region to follow-on points in Europe. The report, reviewed by Reuters, gave no details.

Live TV
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said that India strongly condemned the explosion outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Thursday (August 26, 2021).

"India strongly condemns the bomb blasts in Kabul today. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured. Today`s attacks reinforce the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism and all those who provide sanctuaries to terrorists," the statement said.

Over 35 people were reportedly killed after the blasts at Kabul airport, including four US marines. The blasts took place at the Abbey Gate in Kabul airport and also ear the Baron Hotel.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed the development saying that "a number of US service members" were killed in todays complex attack at Kabul airport.

ALSO READ | We will hunt you down and make you pay: President Joe Biden pledges to strike back after Kabul blasts

While condemning the terror attack near Hamid Karzai International Airport, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his support for the victims of the blast.

Meanwhile, the US embassy has issued a fresh warning in Kabul.

After the blasts, President Joe Biden met with top officials of his administration on Thursday, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley, and commanders on the ground.

Additionally, the Taliban has condemned the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport after reports suggested that an ISIS suicide bomber was responsible for the explosion outside the Kabul airport.

(With ANI inputs)

Live TV
Johannesburg: A 53-year-old Indian-origin woman in South Africa has been killed allegedly for providing critical information about a multi-million-Dollar PPE fraud during COVID-19 lockdown in the country last year, prompting the authorities to launch a high-level investigation into the incident.

Babita Deokaran, who was a senior official at the Gauteng provincial Department of Health, was shot multiple times through her car door when she returned home in a Johannesburg suburb after dropping her child at school on Tuesday. She was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

A high-level investigation has been launched into the killing of Deokaran, who had provided critical information regarding a more than 330 million rand (over USD 20 million) fraud into the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa last year.

Serious Crime Investigation Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said that Deokaran had been one of the witnesses in the investigation by the unit into corruption in the health department, which was already nearing an end.

Kganyago said Deokaran had never indicated that she felt threatened by her participation in the process.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura said that a dedicated provincial police task team has been established to hunt down the perpetrators.

The SIU in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is also investigating claims by informed sources that Deokaran's murder is linked to the information she had provided on the fraud allegations.

Makhura said that Deokaran had been moved from her position as chief director of financial accounting to Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in August 2020 in the wake of the PPE fraud claims, which had resulted in the provincial minister of Health being among those dismissed last year.

Deokaran was "a distinguished and exemplary public servant who served the people of Gauteng and the Department of Health with exceptional professionalism, unswerving dedication and high ethical standards," the premier said.

Makhura confirmed that Deokaran had unearthed corruption and stopped payments for a number of irregular contracts in the department.

"She took to heart the call to bring perpetrators of corruption and looting of public resources to book. As a result of her conscientious and courageous leadership, Ms Deokaran provided crucial evidence to the disciplinary processes conducted by the Office of the Premier and the SIU investigations.

"The result of her good deeds led to successful dismissals within the department and saw the institution of civil claims to recover public funds from businesses and government officials responsible for malfeasance and corruption," Makhura said in a statement.

"On behalf of the provincial government, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Deokaran family and her colleagues in the Gauteng Department of Health. The perpetrators of this brutal murder of an outstanding public servant must know that we have put in place all the necessary resources to find them and bring them to justice.

"In honour of Babita Deokaran, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the perpetrators of corrupt tender processes and the callous killing of officials face the full might of the law. We will not be cowed down by criminal gangs who want to loot state resources. We are taking steps to protect officials who have become targets of threats, intimidation and wanton murder," Makhura added.
Washington: The US flag will be flown at half-mast until the evening of August 30 to honour the victims killed in the terrorist attacks in Afghanistan`s Kabul, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

Earlier on Thursday (August 26), bomb attacks at the Kabul airport killed 13 US troops and injured an additional 15 service members as well as numerous Afghan civilians.

"As a mark for respect, starting today, the United States flag will be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds... until sunset on August 30, 2021, in honour of the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Kabul," Psaki said.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed the death toll of US service members killed in attacks near the Kabul airport has increased from 12 to 13.

"I can confirm that subsequent to Gen. McKenzie`s remarks, a thirteenth US service member has died from his wounds suffered as a result of the attack on Abbey Gate," the spokesperson said on Thursday (local time).

The latest number of injured is now 18. The injured US service members are in the process of being evacuated in C-17 aircraft equipped with surgical units.

Live TV
New Delhi: Afghanistan's former vice-president Amrullah Saleh on Friday (August 27, 2021) said that the Taliban denying links to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist outfit is identical to Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura, which is a militant organisation in Balochistan.

"Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in Talibs & Haqqani network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with ISIS is identical/similar to denial of Pak on Quetta Shura. Talibs hv leanred vry well from the master," tweets Amrullah Saleh, who is currently the acting president of Afghanistan.

Every evidence we have in hand shows that IS-K cells have their roots in Talibs & Haqqani network particularly the ones operating in Kabul. Talibs denying links with ISIS is identical/similar to denial of Pak on Quetta Shura. Talibs hv leanred vry well from the master. #Kabul  Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 27, 2021

Earlier on Thursday, in an exclusive interview with Zee Media, Amrulla Saleh said that former president Ashraf Ghani leaving the country was a "stain on our history. Saleh also asserted, Ghanis escape shattered whatever positivity was left about his image, adding that "at the right moment he did not show a sense of sacrifice and a sense of giving back to the country, I feel very sorry that.

During the interview, the former vice president also spoke about the reason behind his decision of not to fleeing Afghanistan. "If a person of my stature and history tries to escape it would be disgraceful and a historic shame, Saleh exclaimed.

"When the country is seeking our trust if we escape it would dishonouring the sacrifices of the Afghan people, Saleh said, adding that he did not want to be part of that disgrace, humiliation and historic shame. I am with the Afghan people and I am on my soil, I share their pain and frustration."

Meanwhile, as per IANS reports, the twin bombings at the Kabul airport killed at least 103 people, including 13 American service members on Thursday. Following the bomb attacks, US President vowed the United States will carry out strikes against the group responsible for the bombings that killed a dozen Americans.

"To those who carried out this attack...know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said on Thursday.

Live TV
New Delhi: As soon as the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, a new security chief was appointed by the outfit to control the city and its chaotic airport. The new security chief, Khalil-ul-Rehman Haqqani, a prominent commander of the Haqqani Network (HQN), soon took to the streets of Kabul along with his fighters and seized the entry and exit points to the Kabul airport.

This was the very first indication of the influence that the HQN was going to play in post-US withdrawal from Afghanistan. A similar indication was reflected when another top leader, Anas Haqqani met Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to accelerate the process of transferring powers to the Taliban. Currently, he has been entitled with the responsibility of negotiating with the stakeholders for the formation of Taliban led government in the country.

Besides, Abdul Aziz Abbasin, who happens to be the son of HQN founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, is managing the supplies of weapons and ammunition to prepare for a continued battle with the Panjshir Resistance forces and to silence the dissenting groups across Afghanistan.

He has been discharging the duties of procurements since the Taliban began preparing for an all-out war after signing the peace deal in February 2020.

Previously, a UN Security Council Report in May 2020 had highlighted: "Abdul Aziz Abbasin, a senior member of the Haqqani Network and brother of Taliban deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani, ordered increased supplies of ammunition and explosive materials for Taliban forces in Ghazni, Wardak, Paktiya and Parwan Provinces."

Similarly, another prominent militant of the outfit, Haji Mali Khan, is organizing funds for the outfit in continuation of the duty he has been discharging since his young days. It is important to note that he is one of the brothers of Jalaluddin Haqqani and was released in November 2019 along with other two prominent members of Haqqani network  Anas Haqqani and Abdul Rashid in a prisoner swap deal.

However, above all, it is Sirajuddin Haqqani - the deputy leader of the Taliban, who is at the centre stage of the Taliban government formation and is also commanding Talibans military operations in the country. According to observers, it was Sirajuddins decision to appoint Abdul Qayyum Zakir as the new Acting Defence Minister of the country.

A prominent member of the Quetta Shura and the former military chief of the Taliban, Zakir finds a place in the list of close confidantes of Sirajuddin. Previously, he was lodged at the US jail in Guantanamo Bay and released in 2007 and began controlling the narcotic hub of Helmand province, which became a major source of funding for the HQN.

These developments underline the status of HQN in Afghanistan in the current settings as the outfit appears to have the control of both  civil administration as well as the military command.

It is noteworthy that the HQN is based out of North Waziristan in Pakistan and has been operating along the Durand Line since the 1980s. The outfit had also made arrangements for the escape and relocation for Taliban leaders in Pakistan after attacks by the US led coalition post 2001. According to a report of the Stanford University on the Haqqani Network, the group orchestrated the escape of Osama Bin Laden from Tora Bora in 2001.

The group has been used by the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI as a tool to fulfill its geopolitical and strategic needs since the anti-Soviet war era and global watchdogs like The Atlantic Council have termed HQN as "a proxy of Pakistans intelligence agency, the ISI."

Moreover, the ISI has also used the organization to attack Indian infrastructure and sympathizers in Afghanistan. The findings of the mentioned Stanford University report in this regard is noteworthy in which it stated, For its part, Pakistan denies sponsoring Islamist militant proxies, but Western and Afghan officials say Islamabad also sponsors terrorism, in order to undermine Afghanistan and India. In 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called HN a veritable arm of Pakistans premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

A geopolitical expert whom we spoke to argued that Pakistan has played smartly since past four decades as through the HQN, it has not only jeopardized Afghan and Indian interests, but has also utilized the money funded by the US itself to attack the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and at the same time has ensured deniability.

With HQN at the helm of affairs, the ISI is ensuring that Taliban commanders loyal to it occupy the top echelons of the government as well as the military. Consequently, it is expected that the Afghan government would now be not run from Kabul, but from Islamabad! By commanding a favorable deal in Doha through its loyalists like Anas Haqqani and bringing the likes of Zalmay Khalilzad to its cabal, Pakistan now plans to use the soil of Afghanistan as a base for nurturing Pakistan sponsored terrorist outfits and training its mercenaries.

Moreover, these developments also point out that the world could see two heads of the government in Afghanistan  Mullah Ghani Baradar as the nominal head and Sirajuddin Haqqani as the real head. According to Afghan media reports, besides several newly appointed ministers, a majority of Talibani Governors of provinces and front commanders are from the inner coterie of Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Sirajuddin is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State, he carries a bounty of $10 millions on his head and has commanded several attacks on US citizens in Afghanistan as well as has orchestrated an assassination attempt in April 2008 on the then president Hamid Karzai. A lethal commander, he resorted to more violent tactics after taking over the leadership of the organization. During his tenure as the deputy head of Taliban, he inducted new tactics including better improvised death squads, public executions, mass beheadings, and targeted assassinations. Moreover, he has been quite vocal about his and HQNs association with Al-Qaida, which according to him, was "at its highest limits" and dated it back to the mid-1980s.

Amongst other possible repercussions, Pakistan might start thinking beyond Afghanistan and plan to utilize other international terrorist outfits like Al-Qaeda, which enjoys a strong and long association with the HQN. Besides the acknowledgement by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani has also been linked to the Al-Qaeda military operations and as early as in 2002, had deployed his fighters in Paktia province to rejuvenate the Al-Qaida network.

Another major apprehension stems from the concerns of Afghan citizens who believe that Afghanistan coming under the direct control of Sirajuddin Haqqani could be more brutal in repressing the opposition to Talibans regime as he is quite unpopular in the country, especially in the southeastern region, and is seen as a highly radicalized and brutal militant.

Live TV
New Delhi: A day after the deadly twin blasts outside Kabul airport claimed 60 lives and prompted warnings from the US military veterans of nightmare scenarios, reports claiming a possibility that Pakistans ISIS face Emir Mawalawi Abdullah Farooqi may have been behind the bomb attacks surfaced.

According to a news channel, top Afghan sources believe that Pakistans ISIS face Emir Mawalawi Abdullah Farooqi may have been behind the twin blasts at Kabul airport on Thursday.

Strong possibility after release he with his old partner have done this blast and Pakistani agencies also wanted this. Pakistan wants to create uncertainty in the region for their terror plots and threat to develop countries for money," the report quoted the source as saying.

ALSO READ | Kabul blasts: Taliban denying ISIS link is like Pakistan's denial on Quetta Shura, says Afghan acting President Amrullah Saleh

In the meantime, the responsibility for the attacks has been claimed by the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan.

Who is Pakistans ISIS face Emir Mawalawi Abdullah Farooqi?

Emir Mawalawi Abdullah Farooqi has links with LeT and Tehreek-e-Taliban. He is the leader who replaced Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq as ISKP chief in 2019. The reports claim that as soon as the Taliban took over the Afghan capital city, Farooqui was released from Afghan jails.

Western nations issued warnings

Hours before the Kabul airport bomb attacks, numerous western nations including US, UK, Australia had advised the citizens not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport at the time because of security threats outside the gates.

Soon after the airport blasts, Ross Wilson, the acting US ambassador to Kabul said that the security threat at the Kabul airport overnight was clearly regarded as credible, as imminent, as compelling.

"We will not forgive," says US President

On Thursday, hours after the bomb attack, US President Joe Biden vowed the United States will carry out strikes against the group responsible for the bombings that killed a dozen Americans.

"To those who carried out this attack...know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said on Thursday.

Live TV
Kabul: US troops helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule braced for more attacks on Friday (August 27) after Islamic State struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport, killing scores of civilians and at least 13 US troops. Kabul health officials were quoted as saying 60 civilians were killed in the attack on August 26. Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport. At least two blasts and gunfire rocked the area, witnesses said.

Islamic State (ISIS) said one of its suicide bombers targeted "translators and collaborators with the American army". US officials also blamed the group and vowed retribution. General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said US commanders were on alert for more attacks by Islamic State, including possibly rockets or vehicle-borne bombs targeting the airport. "We're doing everything we can to be prepared," he said.

US forces are racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by an August 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden, who says the United States had long ago achieved its original rationale for invading the country in 2001: to root out al Qaeda militants and prevent a repeat of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Biden said he had ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility.

"We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said during televised comments from the White House.

Corpses were in the canal by the airport fence, video from the scene showed, some being fished out and laid in heaps while wailing civilians searched for loved ones. "I saw bodies and body parts flying in the air like a tornado blowing plastic bags," said one Afghan who had been trying to reach the airport. "That little water flowing in the sewage canal had turned into blood."

Zubair, a 24 year-old civil engineer, who had been trying for nearly a week to get inside the airport, said he was close to a suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the gate. "Men, women and children were screaming. I saw many injured people being loaded into private vehicles and taken toward the hospitals," he said.

A Taliban spokesman described the attack as the work of "evil circles" who would be suppressed once foreign troops leave. Western countries fear that the Taliban, who once sheltered Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, will allow Afghanistan to turn again into a haven for militants. The Taliban say they will not let the country be used by terrorists.

Airlift continues

The United States would press on with evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, McKenzie said, noting that there were still around 1,000 US citizens in Afghanistan.

In the past 12 days, Western countries have evacuated nearly 100,000 people. But they acknowledge that thousands will be left behind when the last US troops leave at the end of the month. Several Western countries said the mass airlift of civilians was coming to an end and announced their last remaining troops had left the country.

The American casualties in Thursday's attack were believed to be the most US troops killed in Afghanistan in a single incident since 30 personnel died when a helicopter was shot down in 2011. The US deaths were the first in action in Afghanistan in 18 months, a fact likely to be cited by critics who accuse Biden of recklessly abandoning a stable and hard-won status quo by ordering an abrupt pullout.

Live TV
Washington DC: The US officials in Afghanistan naively handed the Taliban a 'kill list' to target Afghans who aided American forces in the country, according to a media report. Following the Taliban takeover of Kabul earlier this month, US officials there gave the militant group a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies so they could be allowed to enter the Taliban-controlled perimeter around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, according to Politico.

The decision was made despite the Taliban's notorious reputation for brutally executing Afghans who helped the US military and other Western forces during the war and occupation that followed the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The move, detailed by three US and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan's capital city after the Taliban seized control of the country, the report said. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban's many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban has angered lawmakers and military officials.

"Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list," said one defence official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. "It's just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean." Asked about the report, President Joe Biden said he was not sure there were such lists, but also didn't deny that sometimes the US hands over names to the Taliban.

"There have been occasions when our military has contacted their military counterparts in the Taliban and said this, for example, this bus is coming through with X number of people on it, made up of the following group of people. We want you to let that bus or that group through," he said. "So, yes there have been occasions like that. To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred and they have been let through. "I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names," he added.

The revelation came just days after it was reported that Taliban death squads have been going 'door-to-door' to hunt down suspected Afghan 'collaborators', with tens of thousands of American allies potentially at risk. A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment.

The list issue came up during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week, which turned contentious after top Biden administration officials defended their close coordination with the Taliban. Biden officials contended that it was the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe and prevent a shooting war between Taliban fighters and the thousands of US troops stationed at the airport. Critics argue it's putting Afghan allies in harm's way, the report said.

Following the fall of Kabul on August 15, the joint US military and the diplomatic team at the airport began giving the Taliban lists of people the US was seeking to evacuate, Politico said. "They had to do that because of the security situation the White House created by allowing the Taliban to control everything outside the airport," one US official said.

But after thousands of visa applicants started arriving at the airport, the State Department reportedly told those people to stay away until they were cleared for entry and the lists given to the Taliban no longer included the names of any Afghans.

As of Wednesday, only people with US passports and green cards were being admitted to the airport and processed for evacuation, the defence official told Politico.

Live TV
U.S. forces helping to evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks on Friday after at least one Islamic State suicide bomber killed 85 people including 13 U.S. soldiers outside the gates of Kabul airport.

Two blasts and gunfire rocked the area outside the airport on Thursday evening, witnesses said. Video shot by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies strewn around a canal on the edge of the airport.

A health official and a Taliban official said the toll of Afghans killed had risen to 72, including 28 Taliban members, although a Taliban spokesman later denied that any of their fighters guarding the airport perimeter had been killed.

The U.S. military said 13 of its service members were killed and 18 wounded in what it described as a complex attack.

Islamic State (ISIS), an enemy of the Islamist Taliban as well as the West, said one of its suicide bombers targeted "translators and collaborators with the American army".

It was not clear if suicide bombers detonated both blasts or if one was a planted bomb. It was also not clear if ISIS gunmen were involved in the attack or if the firing that followed the blasts was Taliban guards firing into the air to control crowds.

U.S. officials vowed retribution. General Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said U.S. commanders were watching for more attacks by Islamic State, including possibly rockets or car bombs targeting the airport. "We`re doing everything we can to be prepared," he said, adding that some intelligence was being shared with the Taliban and that he believed "some attacks have been thwarted by them."

U.S. forces are racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by an Aug. 31 deadline set by President Joe Biden. He says the United States long ago achieved its original rationale for invading the country in 2001: to root out al Qaeda militants and prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that year.

Biden said he had ordered the Pentagon to plan how to strike ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility. "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," Biden said during televised comments from the White House.

VERY TOUGH

Video taken after the attack showed corpses in a waste water canal by the airport fence, some being fished out and laid in heaps while wailing civilians searched for loved ones. "I saw bodies and body parts flying in the air like a tornado blowing plastic bags," said one Afghan witness. "That little water flowing in the sewage canal had turned into blood."

Taliban guards blocked access to the airport on Friday, witnesses said. "We had a flight but the situation is very tough and the roads are blocked," said one man on an airport approach road.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the threat of attacks would increase as Western troops got closer to completing the huge airlift and leaving. "The narrative is always going to be, as we leave, certain groups such as ISIS will want to stake a claim that they have driven out the U.S. or the UK," Wallace told Sky News. He also vowed action against ISIS wherever it manifests itself.

ISIS-K was initially confined to areas on the border with Pakistan but has established a second front in the north of the country. The Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point says ISIS-K includes Pakistanis from other militant groups and Uzbek extremists in addition to Afghans.

Western countries fear that the Taliban, who once sheltered Osama bin Laden`s al Qaeda before it was ousted from power by the U.S.-led 2001 invasion, will allow

Afghanistan to turn again into a haven for militants. The Taliban say they will not let the country be used by terrorists.

The United States will press on with evacuations despite the threat of further attacks, McKenzie said, noting that there were still about 1,000 U.S. citizens in Afghanistan.

The pace of flights accelerated on Friday and American passport holders had been allowed to enter the airport compound, according to a Western security official inside the airport.

In the past 12 days, Western countries have airlifted nearly 100,000 people. But they acknowledge that thousands will be left behind when the last U.S. troops leave at the end of the month.

Worries are growing that the remaining population will face a humanitarian crisis with the coronavirus spreading and shortages of food and medical supplies looming.

The World Health Organization said it hoped to establish an air bridge into the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif with the help of Pakistani authorities to get medical supplies in.

Live TV
Hanoi: US Vice President Kamala Harris has said she raised issues of human rights abuses and restrictions on political activism in her conversations with Vietnamese leaders this week but offered no indication those talks bore fruit.

We're not going to shy away from difficult conversations. Difficult conversations often must be had with the people that you otherwise may have a partnership with, she said at a news conference in Hanoi on Thursday.

Harris said she spoke with Vietnamese leaders in particular about the release of political dissidents, but did not describe the outcome of those conversations.

Vietnam has faced criticism for restrictions on freedom of expression and on the press and a crackdown on people it deems political dissidents.

But Harris didn't respond when asked why the US criticises China for similar abuses, but is seeking a stronger partnership with Vietnam.

Her comments capped a week-long trip to Southeast Asia during which she met with top officials in Singapore and Vietnam in a bid to strengthen US engagement in the region to counter Chinese influence there.

Harris unveiled a number of new US agreements and aid for both countries in areas, including cyber defence cooperation with Singapore and coronavirus aid to Vietnam, which is struggling with a new surge in the virus and low vaccination rates.

But on Thursday (August 26), she turned her attention to issues surrounding civil liberties and human rights in Vietnam. Harris participated in what her team billed as a changemakers event with activists working on LGBTQ rights and climate change.

It is critical that if we are to take on the challenges we face that we do it in a way that is collaborative, that we must empower leaders in every sector, including of course government but community leaders, business leaders, civic society, if we are to maximise the resources we collectively have, she said.

In her news conference, Harris also fielded questions on the chaotic US exit from Afghanistan, but did not respond directly when asked how the US would evaluate success in the evacuation mission.

At a time when US officials have warned of possible terrorist threats against Americans attempting to leave the country through Kabul's airport, Harris also ignored a question on whether Americans are safer now that the US has departed the country.

On her trip back to Washington, Harris will stop at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to meet with service members. She had planned also to stop in California to appear with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall attempt.

But Harris scrapped that stop to head straight to Washington, her office announced.

She has been briefed on developments in Kabul and will continue to be updated as she makes her way back to Washington, the White House said.

While Harris has emphasised that her visit to Southeast Asia is intended to foster a positive relationship with countries in the region and expand US cooperation and involvement, she also ramped up Biden administration rhetoric toward China, issuing repeated warnings to Beijing to end its aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

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 Wednesday.

Harris avoided the unscripted gaffes that overshadowed her first foreign trip, to Guatemala and Mexico in the spring, where her declaration to migrants do not come - and her flip dismissal of questions about her refusal to visit the border drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

Harris took questions from reporters at multiple points that trip, and sat for an extended cable news interview. In Asia, Harris stayed focused on her meetings with officials and Biden administration talking points on China.

While questions surrounding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan dominated her first day in Singapore, Harris emphasised the same message delivered by President Joe Biden and his aides - that the US must remain focused on the evacuations, and not recriminations about what went wrong.

Live TV